ABC News(WASHINGTON) -- Vice president Mike Pence headed to Montana Friday to garner support for Greg Gianforte, the Republican candidate vying for the Treasure State's only seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.



And considering he is in Big Sky Country, the former Indiana governor's method of transportation while touring the Westmoreland Coal Company's Absaloka Mine on the Crow Indian Reservation was, not surprisingly, horseback.



Outstanding afternoon. "I've often said there's nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse." -Pres. Reagan #VPinMT pic.twitter.com/vagCjbLnxD  Vice President Pence (@VP) May 13, 2017

Thank you to Crow Nation tribal leaders for an incredible horseback tour of Absaloka Mine with @SteveDaines & @SecretaryZinke. #VPinMT pic.twitter.com/K854DuKzh7  Vice President Pence (@VP) May 12, 2017

Wearing denim blue jeans and sturdy boots, Pence toured the coal mine with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, a Montana native, and Senator Steve Daines. Pence also met with tribal and business leaders."Thank you to Crow Nation tribal leaders for an incredible horseback tour of Absaloka Mine with @SteveDaines & @SecretaryZinke," the vice president tweeted, along with photos of himself saddled up.In another tweet, he quoted former President Ronald Reagan. "Outstanding afternoon," he wrote. "'I've often said there's nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse.' -Pres. Reagan."On May 25, Montanans will head to the polls and decide between Gianforte, Democrat Rob Quist and Libertarian Mark Wicks. The state's congressional seat has been empty since Zinke resigned from the U.S. House earlier this year to join the Trump administration.At a rally Friday night at the Metrapark pavillion in Billings, according to The AP, Pence told the crowd of several hundred, "With your help, with your support, President Trump and I are confident that Montana will make the right choice on May the 25th when we send Greg Gianforte to Washington, D.C."During his speech, Pence invoked religion and the NRA, and asked the rally attendees to pray for Gianforte.Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, will head to Montana next week to strump for Quist.Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
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In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle allows: "We make war that we may live in peace. Sages through the ages have pointed out that the best way to keep peace is to be prepared for war.

Judaism, Christianity and Islam are the three monotheistic religions. Judaism traces its origins to the 12th century B.C.; Christianity to the first century A.D.; Islam to the sixth century A.D.

The Jewish tradition

In the Hebrew scripture, God is seen as leading the Israelites in battle. Yahweh your God goes with you to fight against your enemies and save you. (Deuteronomy 20:5)

At the same time it is filled with a longing for peace. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. (Isaiah 2:4)

Justifications for war in Judaism include:

The covenant with Abraham that involves a right to a certain land promised by God: I am Yahweh who brought you out of Ur to make you heirs to this land. (Genesis 15:7)

Judaism asserts that war is permitted in self-defense or can be undertaken for a good reason (discretionary wars) where no cooperation remains possible. The killing of noncombatants is not permitted.

The aim of war is to achieve peace. The Jewish greeting Shalom means peace.

The Christian tradition

Christians, for the first 300 years of their existence did not fight in wars. Their pacifism was based on Jesus teaching in the Sermon on the Mount.

When Christianity became a legal religion in the Roman Empire, barbarian tribes were besieging Rome and threatening to destroy civilization. Pope Leo I got an army together to counteract them. Only Christians were allowed to serve. Thus Christians became involved in war and politics.

St. Augustine in his book The City of God points out that a just war is preferable to an unjust peace. He set the criteria for a just war. It must be:

A last resort. A governing authority must exhaust all diplomatic and non-military options for securing peace before resorting to force.

It must have a just cause: self-defense; defense of another nation; protection of innocents; to regain something wrongfully taken.

It must be promulgated by a legitimate authority.

It must have a right intention: the ultimate end in waging war must be to establish peace.

It must have a reasonable chance of success.

The means must justify the end: Respond to aggression with force but do not go beyond the damage done by the aggression itself.

Mercy must be shown to the defeated.

Noncombatants are not permissible targets of war. Since weapons of mass destruction have now become prevalent, it is questionable whether this criteria still applies.

The Islamic tradition

Muhammad, the progenitor of Islam, was born in the desert city of Mecca in 570 A.D., when fighting among the Bedouin ethnic groups (each with their own astral gods) was common. Each tribe felt no obligation to anyone outside their own group.

Mecca was the main city in which there was a semblance of order, but there was very little of that. Drunken orgies, gambling and bloodshed were commonplace, as was the practice of burying baby girls alive. The position of women was precarious.

Muhammad spent 15 years in meditation about how to right these wrongs. Then he proclaimed his message, making moral demands of people to abandon their evil ways and accept one God, Allah. For 10 years he persistently preached on the streets of Mecca. Eventually he was acclaimed by many as God's prophet.

There were lots of threats to his life. In 622 A.D., due to persecution by the inhabitants of Mecca, he was forced to flee to Medina. From there, his religion took off. War between Mecca and Medina followed. Thus Muhammad became involved in war and politics. His military conquered the other tribes of Arabia and converted them to the new religion. Within a century after his death, his followers had conquered, and then converted, all of North Africa, Spain and most of the Middle East.

The Koran, compiled two centuries after the prophets death, allows for war: in self-defense; when other nations have attacked an Islamic state; if another state is oppressing its own Muslims; to protect those who have been unjustly expelled from their homes.

To those against whom war is made, permission is given to fight because they are wronged and to defend those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance of right. (Koran 22: 39, 40)

War should be fought only for noble motives. Fight in the cause of God against those who fight you, but do not transgress limits. God does not love transgressors. (Koran 2:190)

Salaam," the Arabic greeting, means peace. The purpose of war it to attain peace.

There is much controversy about the word Jihad. The Council on American-Islamic Relations states that jihad "does not mean holy war." It refers to "a central Islamic concept that includes the struggle to improve the quality of life in society, struggle in the battlefield for self-defense, or fighting against tyranny or oppression." However, extremist Muslim groups (terrorists) interpret the concept of Jihad as a justification for killing anyone who isn't a Muslim.

Pope Francis recently said at a conference in Egypt, after Coptic Christians had been massacred by terrorists, Peace alone is holy and no act of violence can be perpetrated in the name of religion or the name of God.

All three traditions see the purpose of war is to attain peace.
The EUs foreign policy chief, Federica Moghereni, reiterated her support for Moroccos return to its African institutional family, underscoring the importance of the EUs partnership with both Morocco and the African Union.

With Moroccos return, the African Unions family reunites, said Moghereni who was answering a question by a member of the European Parliament.

In this context, she said that cooperation and regional integration are instrumental in achieving prosperity, stability and peace.

The EU official recalled that the African Union and Morocco are key EU partners, expressing willingness to boost further partnership with them.

Morocco returned to the African Union last January after its seat remained empty for 33 years, following its withdrawal from the predecessor of the AU, the Organization of African Unity, in 1984, to protest the illegal admission of the Algeria-based separatist entity, SADR.

The Kingdoms return to the AU was supported by an overwhelming majority of member countries.
Another soldier of the Moroccan contingent of the United Nations peacekeeping force in the Central African Republic was fatally wounded during an exchange of fire this Saturday (May 13) with an armed group that attacked a Moroccan checkpoint in downtown Bangassou.

An armed group opened fire on civilians overnight killing an undisclosed number and at least one UN peacekeeper of the Moroccan contingent, who died from gunshot injuries, the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the country, known by the French acronym MINUSCA, said in a statement.

The attack came just hours after the UN held a memorial ceremony to honor five peacekeepers, four Cambodians and one Moroccan, killed on May 8 in a nearby village of Yogofongo, in a deadly attack perpetrated by suspected anti-Balaka elements. Ten peacekeepers, 9 Moroccan and a Cambodian, were injured in this attack.

People connected with the anti-Balaka group are also suspected in Saturdays attack.

The armed elements continue to systematically and deliberately attack the MINUSCA base with heavy weaponry to impede the peacekeepers from doing their extremely vital task of protecting the civilian population and to divert them from their primary vocation of saving lives, MINUSCA said.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of MINUSCA Parfait Onanga-Anyanga vigorously condemned the attack, adding that MINUSCA will do everything in its power together with the legitimate Central African authorities to arrest the perpetrators of these horrible acts.

He said the international community will be relentless in apprehending the perpetrators of these crimes and all their commanders, including some instigators who may be sponsoring these attacks from Bangui.

Our actions will be relentless. The blood of peacekeepers and the blood of innocent Central Africans will not fall in vain in this country, he added.

The UN Secretary General, Antonio Gueterres, the MINUSCA and the UN Security Council have all strongly condemned the May 8 attack against MINUSCA, saying that such an aggression amounts to war crime. They also extended condolences to the families of the victims and expressed solidarity with Morocco and Cambodia.
A Wyoming district court judge has upheld the 2016 conviction of a Crow tribal member who was charged with shooting a bull elk out of season in the Bighorn National Forest in 2014.

Clayvin Herrera had appealed the decision by a Sheridan, Wyoming, jury for which he was ordered to serve one year of unsupervised probation, to pay $8,080 in fines and court costs and had his hunting rights suspended for three years.

Kyle Anne Gray, Herreras Billings attorney, has subsequently petitioned the Wyoming Supreme Court to review the lower courts decisions, acquit Herrera and dismiss all charges.

First trial

Gray had initially argued that the Laramie Treaty of 1868 allowed Herrera to hunt on unoccupied lands of the United States off the reservation  in this case the Bighorn National Forest. That argument was quashed by the circuit court judge in the initial trial who decided that the issue of treaty rights had already been decided in a similar 1995 10th Circuit Court case: Crow Tribe of Indians v. Repsis.

In the Repsis case, a Wyoming district court ruled that the treaty was intended to be temporary in nature and it was no longer valid, according to court documents. The Repsis court found that the Tribes right to hunt reserved in the Treaty with the Crows, 1868, was repealed by the act admitting Wyoming into the Union. Therefore the tribe and its members are subject to Wyomings game laws

The circuit court judge also did not allow Gray to argue that a subsequent U.S. Supreme Court decision in a 1999 case  Minnesota v. Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians  had reversed and rejected the Repsis case.

Without the treaty right defense, Gray had to argue that Herrera was still on the reservation when he shot the elk, a point successfully countered by state officials during testimony.

Appeal

In the appeal of the jury decision to Judge Fenn, Grays attempt to say the issues in the Repsis and Herrera cases were different enough to merit consideration in the initial trial was shot down. Fenn also ruled against Grays argument that the later Mille Lacs decision overturned the Repsis courts ruling.

Rather, it affirmed the concept that a court interpreting a treaty must determine if the rights reserved in the treaty were intended to be perpetual or if they were intended to expire upon the happening of a clearly contemplated event such as occupation of the land, Fenn wrote in his decision. Mille Lacs did not change the fundamental legal principles applicable to the interpretation of treaties.

Fenn went on to say that even if the Repsis case was decided on an erroneous application of the law, the Crow Tribes treaty rights cannot be disputed in the present action because the issue was already adjudicated.

Second appeal

So now Gray has petitioned Wyomings highest court to consider her arguments.

Wyoming cannot continue to exist in a time bubble separate and apart from its sister states by giving precedent to a century-old case instead of a more current Supreme Court ruling, Gray wrote in her petition for review.

If Herrera had shot the elk in a national forest in Montana, his federal treaty-rights would have been honored, just as similar treaty-hunting rights are honored in the other states of this single nation, the petition continued.

Gray also argued that a treaty can only be broken by Congress, which has not been done in the instance of the Crow treaty.

If after 40 days the Wyoming Supreme Court has not accepted Grays petition for review it is considered denied.
Billings police officers shot a man Friday afternoon after an hour-long standoff during which he showed officers a weapon several times and, near the end, reportedly pointed the weapon at officers.

During a Friday press conference, Police Chief Rich St. John said the man was taken to Billings Clinic. St. John said he had unconfirmed information the man is dead.

Highway 3 between the airport roundabout and Zimmerman Trail remained closed Friday night while the investigation continued. The roundabout remained open into the airport and into the downtown area and the Billings Heights.

St. John said police received a call around 2:30 p.m. from a woman who said her boyfriend was threatening suicide and may be along the Rims. Her description of the vehicle led officers to the man 10 minutes later.

The man got out of his vehicle several times during the near-hourlong incident, displaying a handgun several times.

A police negotiator spoke to the man for nearly an hour without success, St. John said.

At 3:38 p.m., the man began walking toward officers, ignoring their order to halt. After he reportedly pointed his gun at police, four officers simultaneously fired from 80-100 feet away, St. John said, striking the man.

Officers gave him medical aid, and he was transported to the hospital.

The four officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave.

St. John said he spoke to the officers at the scene.

They were shaken but unhurt, he said. This is new to all of them.

St. John said that police know who this man is, and we know his history, adding police will identify the man  and the four officers involved, one of whom is a sergeant  in the next few days.

If the man is dead, a coroners inquest will be held, St. John said.

Police will hold a thorough, transparent investigation to get the facts, he said.

Speaking at Billings City Hall, St. John said he did not know if drugs or alcohol were involved in the incident.

This is a life-changing event for the officers, St. John said. We want to make sure we provide them all the support we can. Our officers are the victims of violent crime in this case. They had a handgun pointed at them, and they reacted.

St. John said he officers experience ranged from two years to about 20 years.

A joint critical incident response team led by the Yellowstone County Sheriffs Office will head up the investigation once Billings police detectives have completed their work at the scene of the shooting, about a mile west of the roundabout.

Im proud of our officers, and the department as a whole, St. John said. We had to repurpose a lot of officers working the (Vice President Mike) Pence detail, and retool the crime scene van from logistical support for traffic. It definitely tested our ability and our ability to react to multiple incidents at the same time.

Simultaneously, police were also working the scenes of two crashes, he said.

The most recent officer-involved shooting involving Billings police was on Oct. 27, 2016.

Billings Police Officer David Raschkow shot Kyle Killough, a 32-year-old armed man from Gillette, Wyoming, at the end of a standoff at the Billings Days Inn Hotel.

Killough died later in a hospital from the three gunshot wounds.

In March, a jury ruled that the shooting was justified.
The West End Wal-Mart was briefly evacuated Saturday morning in Billings after someone called the store and said there was an explosive device in the building.

According to Sgt. Nate West of the Billings Police Department, the caller also demanded money and gift cards.

Wal-Mart employees evacuated the store and parking lot at about 11 a.m. According to a BPD press release, store management then completed a "safety search" of the building located at 2525 King Ave. W. The police department then swept the building, conducting a "secondary safety search," and found nothing suspicious, according to the release.

Customers and employees were allowed back in the store at about 11:45 a.m.

As of 1:30 p.m., the incident remained under investigation.
Vice President Mike Pence laid out much of the Trump administrations broad goals Friday as he took the stage in Billings to stump for Congressional candidate Greg Gianforte.

Pence touched on campaign-era priorities, including tax cuts and increased military spending. And he said that the Republican running for Montanas at-large district would help them pass those measures.

We need more allies in Congress to make America great again, Pence said, and we need Greg Gianforte.

Far from the administration personnel turnover and Senate inquiries, Pence touted the administration's accomplishments of the first 100 days in office, saying that they've reaffirmed support for border security and municipal police forces.

He mentioned the recent trade deal with China, which could expand trade of U.S. products like beef, some of which is sourced in Montana.

And for each issue line, he would toss in Gianforte's name.

Make no mistake about it," Pence said. "President Trump is going to build a wall. And Greg Gianforte is going to help us do it.

Pence is the second big name to come to Montana this week to stump for Gianforte, who was fresh off a tour of the state with Donald Trump Jr. The high-profile appearances have drawn crowds as the campaign hopes to get the biggest bang during the abbreviated special election cycle.

Trump visited Billings a year ago while on the campaign trail.

Pence arrived at the Montana Pavilion at MetraPark on Friday from an afternoon trip to the Crow Reservation alongside Sen. Steve Daines and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who last occupied the seat thats up for grabs.

Gianforte faces Democrat candidate and musician Rob Quist in the May 25 election. Libertarian Mark Wicks is also on the ballot.

Democrat Sen. Bernie Sanders will be in Montana late next week to stump for Quist.

Daines and Zinke spoke first, rousing the crowd that was enthusiastic but left a lot of standing room in the pavilion.

Our country and our military is important," Zinke said. "And I can tell you this: The world is safer when America is strong. And we need representatives that understand that.

Gianforte, who was slow to embrace Trump during his failed gubernatorial run last fall, was on Friday repeating the president's slogan to "make America great again."

He echoed Pence's line from earlier that afternoon, announcing to the crowd that the "war on coal" is over under the new presidency.

He called for term limits on members of Congress and a restriction on politicians becoming lobbyists "when they come out of office." Trump imposed such a lobbyist ban as one of his first executive orders.

Gianforte said he was committed to oppose gun control policies, saying that an "east-coast reporter" once called him to ask if he actually owned a gun. The candidate acted out a frightened stutter as he re-enacted the reporter saying "gun."

"The right number of guns is always one more," he said.

Among the speech lines were "repeal and replace" promises for Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act. A Republican replacement passed the U.S. House but faces a tougher battle in the Senate.

The Quist campaign focused on health care in a statement coinciding with the Pence visit.

"Days after Gianforte announced his support for a disastrous health care bill that would raise costs for consumers, eliminate health coverage for 70,000 Montanans, and end protections for pre-existing conditions, Vice President Pence came to thank him," said campaign spokeswoman Tina Olechowski.

She reflected concerns that the GOP health care replacement plan would hinder access for sicker people, as well as the 71,000 Montana Medicaid recipients who gained coverage under Obamacare.

But those at Friday's rally, including Pence, thanked the sympathetic crowd for supporting Zinke and Trump in November. They urged them to do the same later this month.

This president has rolled his sleeves up," Pence said. "He's gone to work to make America great again, and America is back.
Growing up in rural Montana taught me how to be resourceful and what it takes to thrive in sometimes challenging situations.

I know a lot of Montana families struggle to make ends meet. They don't ask for much. They just don't want the government to punish those who work by stacking the deck against them.

Unfortunately, that's what we're getting out of leaders in Washington D.C. We have a system that benefits millionaires and billionaires at the expense of working families. That has to change.

One of my top priorities in Congress would be to stop corporate interests dictating policies that benefit only themselves while leaving everyone else behind.

Each year, millions of American jobs are lost when corporations decide to close down their factories and move their operations overseas. And right now, those corporations are given big tax breaks while small businesses struggle with high taxes and regulations that limit their ability to grow and compete.

My opponent supports the tax system that rewards companies for outsourcing jobs.

In fact, he himself outsourced jobs to India and Armenia and profited off of helping companies eliminate American jobs.

As a small business owner and a product of the Montana farming and ranching community, I know what is at stake. Hard-working middle-class Montana families have been carrying the burden long enough.

My opponent wants to continue a failed system that gives tax breaks to the top. Hell benefit from it but the average Montanan will not. Its big tax giveaways that doesnt help the local economy while passing the buck on to future generations.

In fact, just this week, the very D.C. special interest groups funding his campaign for U.S. Congress helped pass a health care bill that not only raises premiums on working Montanans, it also cuts taxes for those at the very top.

No real Montanan would do that.

We cant keep sending millionaires to Washington, D.C. to cozy up to special interests and expect them to look out for the rest of us. Or even to understand what life is like for working Montana families. The contrast in this race couldnt be clearer.

Self-interest and self-serving policies in D.C. have gone on long enough.

As Montanas Congressman, I will fight to give tax breaks to Montana working families and close loopholes that reward corporations that outsource jobs.

Im going to make sure we give small businesses and people who work hard a tax break instead.

Montanans are hard-working, self-reliant people. They dont ask expect handouts. They simply ask that everyone plays by the same rules.

As your next Congressman, I will be an independent voice that will fight to make sure the rules benefit all Montanans.
Trump at Miss Universe 2013 in Moscow. Photo: Irina Buzhor/Kommersant via Getty Images

In his latest attempt to snuff out suspicions about his alleged ties to Russia, President Trump has had his lawyers release a letter that claims, without providing evidence, that his last ten years of tax returns are free of any income of any type from Russian sources.

The letter, which is dated March 8 and was first prepared for Senator Lindsey Graham, goes on to note several exceptions to the statement above. For one, the Miss Universe pageant, which Trump owned until 2015, was held in Moscow in 2013. That event accounted for a substantial portion of the foreign income the pageant earned that year, the letter says.

The letter also notes the 2008 sale of a Palm Beach mansion to Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev, who bought the home for $95 million. (Trump bought it 2004 for $41 million.) The final exception, which provides a loophole bigger than Trumps ego, says over the years, it is likely Trump has sold or rented property or goods that could have produced income attributable to Russian sources. It adds that the amount earned from such deals is immaterial.

Obviously, the letter proves nothing, and may prompt more questions about Trumps Russia ties. By limiting their review to tax returns from the past decade, Trumps lawyers raise one obvious question: Whats in the tax returns from the years before that? And there are plenty others.

Having practiced law for 20 years & written many carefully crafted letters, the letter from Trump's attys is a carefully crafted letter.  Wendy Thurm (@wendythurm) May 12, 2017

Term "Russian" isn't defined. Letter uses present tense in describing "no debt owed" to Russians. Doesn't say TTO never had such debt.  Wendy Thurm (@wendythurm) May 12, 2017
Hubba-hubba. Photo: Rana Faure/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images

A New Jersey man was arrested Thursday evening, after he was so turned on by the romantic setting in the Lincoln Tunnel that he parked his minivan in the middle of traffic, so he could take matters into his own hand.

Masturbating, of course, is not against the law, and 48-year-old Ismael Esquilin should be credited for not engaging in an egregious form of distracted driving. But willfully holding up rush-hour traffic in one of the nations busiest tunnels is not something law enforcement can allow.

When police approached Esquilins Dodge minivan, which was motionless but still running, they saw him performing a lewd act, according to Port Authority spokesperson Joe Pentangelo. They also found a glass pipe and PCP. Esquilin was charged with a DUI, drug possession, reckless driving, and impeding traffic.
ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo.  A house fire in southwest Wyoming has claimed the life of a 72-year-old woman.

The fire occurred about 1:55 p.m. Saturday at a Rock Springs residence.

The victim was identified as Shirley Kelley.

Authorities tell the Rock Springs Rocket-Miner that she was unable to escape despite first responders' efforts to rescue her, and she was later pronounced dead.

One deputy sheriff was taken to Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County for treatment for smoke inhalation. No other injuries to emergency responders were reported.

Officials from the State Fire Marshal's Office are investigating the cause of the fire.
Former White House counsel John Dean. Photo: Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post/Getty Images

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer had just refused to confirm or deny that President Donald Trump is secretly recording people in the Oval Office when I reached John Dean by phone on Friday afternoon. The former White House counsel to President Richard Nixon has become, in the 42 years since the Watergate scandal, a historian of that moment in American history of which he was a crucial figure. With Trump acting more Nixonian than ever  even firing the man who was investigating his campaign, FBI director James Comey  Deans astute political analysis is especially relevant. Dean spoke to me about Trump, Nixon, and taping systems as he drove home from a television appearance in Los Angeles. Our conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.

I am recording you, just so you know.

Ive got you on my car phone so I can drive without getting arrested.

Did you happen to see the briefing today?

I saw parts of it.

Sean Spicer would not say, definitively, whether President Trump is recording people in the Oval Office, or whether hes installed some sort of system to record people.

The statement was pretty vague by Trump in the tweet. Its very hard today  Trump referred to taping, well, today you dont tape anybody. Its all digital. [Laughs.] We dont use electronic tape anymore. So, it would be very easy for him to have his smart phone on the table, in his pocket, and record it! I dont know if he did that or not. So, well find out, cause theres already congressional effort to subpoena whatever hes got.

Dean testifies before the Senate Watergate Investigating Committee in June, 1973. Photo: James K.W. Atherton/The Washington Post/Getty Images

Can you tell me a bit about the moment when you found out that Nixon had been recording your conversations  you were relieved, werent you?

It was very odd. I was in the witness-protection program. I had testified I thought I was recorded, and thats how they ended up finding the taping system. But aside from that story, I was in Melbourne, Florida, and had a call from Sam Dash, and he said, Youve gotta come back up to Washington. And I said, What for? He said, I cant tell you. But they had learned from Butterfield of the taping system, and they were, I think, terrified that my testimony might have all been made up. [Laughs.] And so, they wanted to get my reaction. So Sam Dash and a guy by the name of Jim Hamilton, one of his aides and lawyers, I got back up there to Old Town and they came out and met me on Sunday, that wouldve been the 15th of July, 1973. And Sam said, How would you feel if I told you that not only the conversation you thought you were recorded, but all the conversations you had with Nixon were recorded? And I said, Id be thrilled! And Jim Hamilton who was watching later recounted it, told me he could see a smile coming over my face as Dash was telling me this. And they all, they left very relieved. I said to him, Listen, youre gonna find I was very cautious when I testified. Because I thought he had recorded me on one or more conversations.

Would it surprise you if President Trump was doing the same thing?

No, not at all. Would not surprise me. The other thing is, Im told hes not very mechanical. Hes kind of like Nixon in that regard.

What do you mean by that?

That he is a kind of a klutz. In other words, hed have trouble surreptitiously recording somebody, you know, starting the machine, if it wasnt going and what have you. Nixon wouldve had the same problem had it not been installed.

What did Nixon do, physically, that suggested you were being recorded?

I testified about that. And what happened is, in one of the more amazing conversations I had with him, in a recording where the entire reel later has disappeared, the 18.5-minute gap is baloney, theres nothing on there. Thats real early. This was on April 15 that I thought he was recording me because he started out with leading questions and that was very unusual. Then, I would give him answers that he was unhappy with and he would, you know, sort of pass over them or try to make me change them. For example, he said, You know John, when we had that conversation about a million dollars, and you told me it costs a million dollars for these guys and I said that would be no problem, you knew I was joking, didnt you? And I said, No sir, I did not know you were joking. And then at one point, he gets up from his chair, hes in an ottoman, feet up and what have you, and goes over to the corner of his office and in a stage whisper, he says to me, I was foolish to talk to Chuck Colson about clemency for Hunt, wasnt I? Was that an obstruction of justice? And I said, It probably was, Mr. President. And at that moment it clicked that he was recording that conversation, because he wanted to hear my reaction to that but he didnt want the question to be heard from the corner of the office. He went about as far away from his desk, and thats what I mean by klutzy. Haldeman commented on that, that Nixon wasnt good at that sort of thing. Now, I dont know if Trump is any better or not. He certainly lies with ease.

[Trumps] throwing every signal out that hes got a problem, and hes trying to make it go away.

In what ways do you think hes like Nixon?

Well, I think theyre both authoritarian personalities. We only know of Nixons full personality because of his taping system. But Trump just doesnt try to hide anything, hes just out there. Nixon was very shy with strangers and audiences and what have you. Highly rehearsed, really prepared himself for everything from press conferences to what looked like extemporaneous speeches. Nixon was very inarticulate in a very similar way to Trump when he was just speaking to people on his staff and what have you, a lot of repetition, a lot of jumbled phrases rather than sentences, thoughts are choppy. Nixon was a narcissist to a degree, not quite as off the charts as Trump, but you dont have many wallflowers that do run for president.

Can we talk about the Saturday Night Massacre? Did you think that Tuesday night was anything like that?

There were some echoes, but not much more. Echoes being the brutal way it was handled, and so unnecessary. But not quite the same stage, where Comey wasnt defying Trump, whereas Archibald Cox clearly was, and both of them had the power to do what they did, but it wasnt very wise to do.

But we dont necessarily know yet that Comey was not defying Trump.

We dont know of any evidence that he was defying Trump, but I dont know that if he had told Comey to back off, that that wouldnt have leaked. And Trump was so upfront with Lester Holt, I think he wouldve said so! I think he revealed his mindset.

What advice do you have for the people in the administration who are being roped into all of this?

Well its tough, its very tough the situation theyre in. Some of them are going to be witnesses and theyre gonna have to get lawyers and spend money that they dont have, that happened during Watergate. Some of them will need lawyers because theyve gotten themselves on the wrong side of the law, if theyre not careful. So its an unfortunate situation. Some of them are obviously true believers in what Trump is doing. How they do that, I dont know, but obviously, 60-something million people thought that way, too, to vote for him. A lot of people are not gonna put their work at the White House on their resume.

Would it be smart for people to just get out now?

They shouldnt go in. [Laughs.]

How do you think all of this ends?

How does it all end? [Laughs.] Not well for Trump. Im not too good at the tea leaves, I dont think anybody is. I just cant believe that there isnt something there on the Russia matter, with Trump doing all that hes doing. Hes throwing every signal out that hes got a problem, and hes trying to make it go away. So thats why I say I cant imagine it ending real well for him. Hes trying to bend reality to his vision of what it should be, and thats pretty hard to do.
How many times does he have to say it? Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

This morning began with a threat from President Donald Trump to former FBI director James Comey, whom he controversially fired on Tuesday amid Comeys probe into his campaigns potential collusion with Russia.

James Comey better hope that there are no tapes of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press! he said on Twitter.

A few hours later in the White House briefing room, as dark clouds comically formed outside, reporters naturally had some questions. Is the president recording conversations that take place in the Oval Office? Did he record his dinner with Comey back in January? Are others being recorded? If Trump installed a recording system in the White House, it would be for the first time since Richard Nixon was in office  and we all know how that turned out.

Unfortunately for the press and the public it intends to serve, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer provided no clarity.

I assume youre referring to his tweet, Spicer said, when asked if Trump had recorded his conversations with Comey. Ive talked to the president. The president has nothing further to add on that.

Asked why the president sent the tweet, Spicer reiterated his point: As I mentioned, the president has nothing further to add on that.

But are there recording devices in the Oval Office or in the residence? As I said for the third time, there is nothing further to add on that.

Asked, then, if the president thinks its appropriate to threaten someone like Comey, Spicer said, I dont think, thats  thats not a threat. Hes simply stated a fact. The tweet speaks for itself. Im moving on.

Spicer refused to budge, saying at one point that hes not aware of the existence of any recording of Trump and Comeys January dinner.

So there you have it. Either the president is surreptitiously taping guests in the White House, or hes bluffing to get some retweets.

Got it?
Trump and Jinping. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

For a while there, it looked like Donald Trump might start a trade (and/or nuclear) war with China. In the weeks after his victory, the president-elect called into question American support for the One China policy, and threatened to place a 45 percent tariff on Chinese goods. Then, secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson vowed to block China from accessing its disputed islands in the South China Sea  a promise that would (almost certainly) require military force to uphold.

Beijing responded to these provocations by flying a nuclear-capable bomber over those islands, and broadcasting its willingness to defend its territories militarily through state media.

So, if any aspect of the Trump presidency has exceeded expectations, it has to be the administrations handling of U.S.-China relations. Sure, the current level of comity between Beijing and Washington may have come at the cost of blatant corruption (congratulations to Ivanka on those trademarks). And sure, theres a good chance Xi Jinping is taking advantage of our Fox News grandpa-in-chiefs dearth of geopolitical expertise in ways we dont yet understand. But better for our republic to become overtly kleptocratic  and/or for our great grandchildren to speak Mandarin as their first language  than our major coastal cities to fall prey to nuclear holocaust.

Plus: The Trump administration may actually be making modest progress on improving U.S.-China trade relations.

While our president was busy undermining rule of law in the United States, one tweet at a time, his trade team struck a preliminary deal that would allow cooked Chinese poultry products into the U.S. market, and (supposedly) American beef exports into China. The agreement also suggests that American firms will soon be able to sell liquid natural gas on the Chinese market, while American and Chinese regulators will cooperate in oversight of financial transactions, and Chinese safety reviews of American biotechnology applications will be expedited.

As Axios notes, theres probably less to this deal than meets the eye:

The agreement is underwhelming and mostly aspirational, an international trade expert tells Axios  note the language: the U.S. welcomes China, China may proceed, the U.S. recognizes, the U.S. remains committed, and so on. This leaves a lot of questions as to what weight this agreement will ultimately hold.



For example: China will review eight pending U.S. biotech product applications that they have been on hold, but no guarantee to approve them  China will issue guidelines to allow U.S.-owned suppliers of electronic payment services to begin licensing processes. Again, this sounds like a win but the U.S. has already won a WTO trade dispute against China on these payment systems.



The takeaway: Its a lot like Trumps executive orders that talk a lot but didnt do much, according to the former U.S. official.

Notably, China had already announced in September that it would open its market to U.S. beef, and then never followed up on that vow. So, there remains some uncertainty even about the deals headline win for the U.S.

But by the standards of an administration that has already engineered diplomatic crises with the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, an overhyped, aspirational trade deal with China counts as a big league victory.

Nonetheless, these minor gains werent enough to satiate Trumps ego. So he also (baselessly) insisted in an interview with The Economist this week that he had also, single-handedly, forced China to stop holding down the value of its currency. Trumps Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin  a Wall Street veteran who knows very well that isnt true  backed up the presidents claim, saying, Right, as soon as the president got elected they went the other way.
Whether it was caused by the absence of Obama, the presence of Hillary Clinton, unhappiness with the status quo, or GOP voter suppression, it is clear African-Americans werent as engaged politically in 2016. Photo: Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post/Getty Images

It was apparent immediately after the 2016 election that one factor feeding the Trump win was a drop in African-American turnout from 2012, particularly in states like Michigan that went to Trump narrowly and surprisingly. Now we are getting authoritative election information from Census data, and it is confirming that impression. Heres a key take from Pew:

The black voter turnout rate declined for the first time in 20 years in a presidential election, falling to 59.6% in 2016 after reaching a record-high 66.6% in 2012. The 7-percentage-point decline from the previous presidential election is the largest on record for blacks. (Its also the largest percentage-point decline among any racial or ethnic group since white voter turnout dropped from 70.2% in 1992 to 60.7% in 1996.)

A separate analysis from the wonks at the Washington Posts Monkey Cage blog showed black turnout down between 2012 and 2016 by 12.4 percent in Michigan and 12.3 percent in Wisconsin. Had the various racial groups turned out in 2016 as they had in 2012, concludes the Monkey Cage, Clinton would have won Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin  and the presidency.

No one can say lower African-American turnout in 2016 came as a complete surprise; for one thing, as noted above, record highs occurred in 2012. But more obviously, the first African-American president was still on the ballot in 2012 and wasnt in 2016. Democrats hoped that the presidential contest that developed in 2016 would cushion any post-Obama drop-off in black votes, more because of antipathy to Donald Trump than affection for Hillary Clinton. But a New York Times report from Milwaukee shortly after the election showed significantly less concern about Trump from African-Americans than you might expect and considerably more disenchantment with Clinton and the Democratic Party generally. Other explanations for the turnout drop-off are available, too, including aggressive voter-suppression efforts by Republicans in some states.

The big question now is what to expect in 2018. African-Americans typically dont turn out as strongly in non-presidential elections as white voters do (though, they do turn out more than Latinos or Millennials). There have been exceptions in heavily racialized elections like one in 1998 that produced three Democratic upsets in three Deep South gubernatorial races. It is possible Trump the president, with his law-and-order Attorney General Jeff Sessions, will be more menacing to African-American voters than Trump the candidate was. Perhaps more importantly, Republicans are now the party of a status quo that has been less than kind to many black families. GOP efforts to cut Medicaid and health-care subsidies for low-income people  not to mention safety-net programs generally  could matter, too.

The particular importance of Barack Obama to black voters may be a unique political dynamic. His ability to galvanize African-American support was a gift to the Democratic Party, but not one that will necessarily keep on giving. The black voting slump in 2016 may wrongly convince Republicans that they dont need to rid themselves of the aroma of racism to win and keep a national majority, but it should rightly convince Democrats to never take these voters for granted again.
Stephanie Danler, whose novel Sweetbitter is now out in paperback, shares her essential skin cream.

Its not that I implicitly trust makeup artists. But this makeup artist had the most luminous skin Id ever seen. When I asked her what her secret was, she responded, Camellia oil and a little Skin Food around the eyes. One of those frustrating answers that means, despite the pink marketing and cutting-edge technology, skin health usually comes down to genetics.

She pulled out a lime-green toothpaste-shaped tube of Skin Food, and it looked like a mistake. The cream was thick, balmlike, and billed under the products website as a treatment for excessively dry or rough skin. My face can be oily, I said skeptically, while she nodded. Im going to look like a flashbulb, I thought, just before she handed me a mirror.

My skin was flawless, luminous even, and not at all greasy. Weleda Skin Food is an all-purpose, completely natural moisturizer that I now keep in threes: bedside, car, and purse. Nary a chemical in sight, its sunflower-seed oil, avocado oil, and pansy extract, and nurtures as it dissolves into your skin.

Ive used it to heal scrapes and burns while camping; to calm frizzy hair; and to spot-treat cuticles, elbows, and heels. On a recent trip to an arid, high altitude, I slathered it on my face day and night.

And while I dont prime my face with it (I prefer something lighter, see Embryolisse), it has replaced all my shimmery highlighters. Ugh, says my publicist when I tell her whats responsible for my glow, someone stole my last tube during a dinner party. Yes, Skin Food may inspire your friends to theft, but its crime in the name of beauty.
Erin Lee Carr. Photo: HBO

Almost immediately after Dee Dee Blanchard gave birth to Gypsy Rose, she began telling friends and family about her daughters dangerous and extreme health issues. As a young child, Gypsy was diagnosed with leukemia, various muscular disorders, and mental impairment; soon, she was confined to a wheelchair. Her plight inspired the generosity of friends and strangers, a devoted social-media following, and admiration for Dee Dees selfless devotion.

So on June 14, 2015, when Dee Dee was found stabbed to death with Gypsy missing from their home, there was an immediate outpouring of concern. Nobody could have guessed that when Gypsy was discovered a few days later, shed be in hiding with the man whod brutally killed her mother, and that shed walk into the police station on her own two feet.

What she told the police was shocking: For more than 20 years, Dee Dee had made Gypsy the focus of her Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychiatric disorder that compelled Dee Dee to fabricate, exaggerate, and even cause her daughters many illnesses. Gypsy had escaped the only way she was able  through the internet. In chat rooms she met Nicholas Godejohn, an autistic man in his 20s, and the two hatched a plan to rescue Gypsy from her own mother.

The documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest premieres on HBO on May 15 and is directed by Erin Lee Carr, whose first film, Thought Crimes, was an investigation into the case of Cannibal Cop Gilberto Valle. Shes currently at work on a memoir exploring her relationship with her father, the late New York Times reporter David Carr. I spoke with Carr about Gypsys story and the making of her film.

How did you first get into contact with Gypsy?

I sent her a letter, I believe, in September 2015 and got a response back. I was in my apartment in Brooklyn and I remember getting this prison letter. There was this very kiddish scrawl that said, Ms. Erin Lee Carr. I said, Okay. Opened it. She said, I would love to talk with you. Im going to talk with my lawyer and see whats possible. She signed her name with a rose.

Having spoken to her numerous times, how do you think Gypsy feels about her mother now?

She still loves her mom. Days that she feels really conflicted is her moms birthday and Mothers Day. This film is premiering the day after Mothers Day  I think that is a weird timing thing for her. For a really big portion of her life, they were best friends. They were identical. They were together all the time. Her mom was sweet to her, loving, taking care of her. Then, as she started to try to gain any sort of semblance of independence  talking with a friend, having her own cell phone  her mom just completely and utterly changed into an abusive figure. The levels of complication  The way I talked to her about it, I have a very toxic relationship with my mother. We havent seen each other in 15 years; shes out of prison; she lives in Arizona. I said [to Gypsy], This is not just you. I know that I cant empathize, I dont know what you went through, but you are not alone in having complicated feelings about your parents and Im here to talk with you about that.

Gypsy and Dee Dee. Photo: HBO

Do you have an opinion on whether Gypsy should be in prison or not?

I do not think she should be in prison. No, I dont. I wish she had made different choices. I wish shed tried to run away, but I envision her as a hostage for years in a house under the threat of physical or emotional violence, only watching Disney films, being kept alone in a room  She was handicapped inside her body. None of us, and especially the criminal-justice system, cant begin to understand. How do decisions get made after you have a life like that? I 100 percent do not think she should be in prison.

Nick [Godejohn], as you see in the movie, as you see in the interrogation tapes, is severely mentally ill. He has Aspergers, but thats not what were talking about here. He basically doesnt know how to exist in this world, how to communicate. He was never able to hold down a job. His version of reality is also different than ours. I think if anybody in  I think if she had met 99 other people and she said, Im being physically abused by my mother. Im being trapped in a wheelchair. I need your help, they would say, Okay, Im going to come pick you up. Ill do X, Y and Z. No one would have murdered her mom. It was just this crazy, completely bizarre thing that led her to Nick.

Do you think anybody else would have believed what was going on with her?

I think Dee Dee, as I hope that we portrayed her, was incredibly gifted with her ability to confuse, to manipulate, to portray herself in a certain way. I think Dee Dee was a phenomenal actor  I talked to a lot of neighbors who would not go on the record who said she was one of the hardest-working mamas around here. She was always with her kid. She was always going to church or going to Harry Potter, going to the movies or going to the doctors again and again and again. I think that it all comes down to Dee Dee and her intent to show this little girl, but this actual woman, to be handicapped.

[But] when youre in social services you are taught to notice signs of abuse. I think that it might have been hard for friends and family to see the abuse that was going on, but if youre a trained professional, if youre a doctor, if youre a social worker  DYFS [Division of Youth and Family Services] was called on the house. They did a home visit. Police officers had been to the house. Those are people that should have seen. When we talk about cracks in the system, its everybody. Everybody is complicit in this.

Gypsy. Photo: HBO

Can you talk about the role of sexuality in this case?

It was this very natural progression of becoming older, where she started to consider her own sexuality. Like Michelle Dean says so smartly in the film, thats what broke this open. Thats what started all of this. I find that it was really important for me to include the conversation of sexuality because this whole movie, shes completely been infantilized. She has bows on her head. She looks like shes 12. Shes not. Shes in her late teens, early 20s, and shes figuring out who she is. Theres pictures of her that are in sexual poses that we really grappled with whether or not to include.

She didnt know how to kiss. One of the most human behaviors that we participate in. She didnt have access to anybody to talk to about this, so shes going to learn on the internet. Whats going to happen when you learn things on the internet? Its going to be extreme.

Theres a particular scene in the movie where it was always really hard for me personally. Theyre in the hotel after, her and Nick, [and Gypsy is making a video on her cell phone]. She says something very sexual about him and it makes me cringe. It makes me feel so uncomfortable. It makes me feel like I did something not great, that I betrayed some sort of trust, that she never wanted anybody to see this. This was completely private. I had a discussion with Andrew Coffman [the films editor] and he was like, No, this is an archival document the day after the murder that we have access to. Its important to include. Its really, really, really important to work with smart people who are going to challenge you and say, This is why I think this belongs.

I know Gypsy is getting her GED. What else is she doing while shes in prison?

She has more friends now. I think that when she was in Greene County Jail, you couldnt really be friends because there would be snitches, is what she explained to me. If you talked to people about your case, then they can testify against you to alleviate their bid. She was instructed through her lawyers, through everyone, Do not talk to anybody. Again, she was living this incredibly isolated life. She couldnt really talk to me about everything because she was going to trial. I think that shes easing into life. Shes going to the rec yard. Shes making friends. Shes figuring out what her interests are. Shes reading. She has a job.

Has she seen the film?

She hasnt seen the film. Its so sad. The wardens would not allow her to see the film. That is the case in many of these things.

The following interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
Bella Hadid and friends at the Met Gala. Photo: Courtesy of Twitter/victuuris95

Like any good party, the real action at this years Met Gala took place in the bathrooms, where celebs like Bella Hadid, Dakota Johnson, and Marc Jacobs spent the evening taking selfies and brazenly flouting the citys indoor-smoking ban. Museum donors were quick to condemn the celebs for their disrespectful and insulting conduct, and now the NYC health department is following suit.

According to the New York Daily News, city health commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett penned a scathing letter to museum officials warning of the dangers of second-hand smoke and criticizing the events high-profile attendees for making smoking look so darn cool (were looking at you, Dakota Johnson).

this year's met gala theme was smoking in the bathroom pic.twitter.com/b83rjR3qlZ  fast slow disco (@veedagger) May 2, 2017

This spectacular event awes us all, Bassett wrote. We were dismayed to read reports that some celebrities chose smoking as their fashion accessory and flagrantly violated New York Citys smoking laws.

She also expressed concern with the proliferation of these images on social media. When young people see glamorous stars smoking and flouting the law, it undermines the progress that has been made in de-normalizing smoking and increasing awareness of smokings health risks, she wrote, offering to send inspectors to next years event to improve compliance.



If only guests had respected the sanctity of Anna Wintours selfie ban, this never would have happened.
wtf is jared gilmore gonna do? stay with the coin$ sis.

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It wasn't his choice. He was "fired"

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He was? oop @ me mess

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I'm sure he'll pop back on some cheesy Freeform show soon

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Out of everyone...they keep Hook and Rumple...which makes zero sense whats so ever. Hook just got hitched and Rumple has a new kid out there...Unless the rebooted guy is Rumples kid and not Henry.

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nah we've already seen what adult rumple/belle's kid looks like.

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I love lana but she can't carry this show alone. If i were the showrunners, I'd be worried sick.

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Lana Parrilla has been carrying the show . . . even if many aren't aware of this.

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she's always been the only interesting main character imo

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nah, I watched the first 3 seasons and Lana was by far the best part of it. Without her I probably wouldn't have watched as long as I did. She's been carrying the show the entire time

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Sigh. Lana will never be free, will she?

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Her life's pretty much in Vancouver these days; I bet she was the first to sign on.

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Give it another year, I'd be surprised if the show makes it to an 8th season.

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lol like she didn't just sign a new contract for the 7th season? why ppl acting like she's stuck in the show? she could've left if she wanted to

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Lol mte

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This lmao. Sis knows what she's doing and she wants the coin

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she didn't have to re-sign. I'm sure she's financially doing fine. this was her terrible choice lol

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"Like rats leaving a sinking ship" makes it sound like they're choosing to leave when (other than Jennifer Morrison) they were actually fired.

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rebecca posted that she was fired but im not seeing any info on the rest.



tbqh i would be surprised if ginnifer and josh were fired instead of not being offered more to stay on. they are the leads so firing them makes no sense.

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Emilie posted on instagram that she wanted to come back but they didn't want her basically.

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The producers are rebooting the show and only wanted the most popular characters. Ginnifer and Josh may have originally been leads, but they were never in the upper echelon of popular characters like Hook, Rumple and Regina, so it makes perfect sense they dumped them.

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Yep, this was mostly financial to keep the show going by how I understand it. Those contract negotiations seemed to go on for WEEKS between ABC and the showrunners.

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Ginny and Josh weren't fired, they ran the moment they could.

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well, that should help relieve their budget.

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Eh, it's a Disney run and created show on a Disney owned network. I mean...'budgetary concerns' are hard for me take seriously as a major consideration for them.



Though, I have always heard that Disney can vacillate between sparing no expense on certain things and then being surprisingly cheap in other regards.



But nevertheless, this show is a valuable tool to keep promoting their brand.

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THANK THE GODS.

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I really liked S1, then it made no sense at all and was so bad, Robert Carlyle deserves better.

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Yep

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Mte. Season 1 was so fucking good and almost instantly after that it went to shit.

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Season 1 was iconic.

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The episode when Snow and Charming met. Ahhh the good ole days.

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that is honestly one of the best episodes for any ship i've ever seen. snow/charming were so good then but they made them so annoying later

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It still bothers me that they wrote an episode that basically retconned the whole thing because it was perfect.

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My faveeee

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yeah, the problem is that I think the creators assumed it wouldn't last to season 2 so they had a nice story planned out and then it got renewed and they clearly had no idea where to take the show. It went downhill so fast after s1

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Basically. I quit after season 2. It got so bad, so fast.

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I blame that god damn Hook. As soon as he showed up it went to shit.



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Poor Robert Carlyle. It is so obvious since season 2 that he loathes this show

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mte. I'm so bummed he's still gonna be on next season. He deserves so much better.

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he could've left if he wanted to? he didn't have to sign the new contract

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Mte lol

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Thank you.

People are so ridiculous in this post

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ikr? people acting like these actors are being forced.

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Lol precisely, idgi

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He clearly likes the money.

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If he wanted to leave, he would leave.

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The show had shit ratings this season. Do they really think this reboot w/only 3 of the favs and some newbies are gonna increase them? If they wanted to keep Robert, Lana & Colin so bad why not just give them some other show on ABC?

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Lol while her former cast mates are posting sad goodbyes, Lanas all up on Instagram celebrating the shows pick up. Basically "Evil always wins"



Which is funny now that I think of it. Only cast members left are the bad guys.

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"Like rats abandoning a sinking ship"



Sounds like my previous employment 

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Sounds like my current 

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same lol but i am just too lazy to look for something else

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Oh no  Hopefully something better is in the horizon.

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sucks that emilie was fired, but also i'm glad she's free from this mess and i might be able to go back to enjoying her work.











also, on another note this show literally just killed all of its ships...and they expect fans to stick around?



Edited at 2017-05-13 02:16 am (UTC)

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idk but I will be Cersei watching the sept burn while sipping wine if they go to Regina/Hook it will piss off literally all of this crazy fandom lmao

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i would LIVE for that fandom meltdown lmao

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lmaooo I don't follow this shitty show anymore but I still occasionally see crap from it on Tumblr and I would LIVE

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same

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ia about emilie! i've been wanting her to leave since s3 so i love this news (minus the fact that she was fired). can't wait to see what other projects she'll give a try.

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yes fucking finally free emilie!!! although i'll be a bit sad since i love the way they style her like 90% of the time, especially in the enchanted forest flashbacks. i hope she goes back to brunette and stays that way, she looks so much better than she does when she's blonde tbh.

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i doubt she'll go back to brunette. she only did it for the role.

i love her with both hair colors, though i've been a fan so long, it was nice to see her blonde again.

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The only reason I kept occasionally tuning in was to see what they were doing with Snow White and Prince Charming, so, eh. (And to see if they'd ever answer wtf Rumple did to Cinderella's Prince after she used the squid ink on him in season 1, but we'll never knowwww.)



Is Jennifer the only one who left willingly?



The only reason I kept occasionally tuning in was to see what they were doing with Snow White and Prince Charming, so, eh. (And to see if they'd ever answer wtf Rumple did to Cinderella's Prince after she used the squid ink on him in season 1, but we'll never knowwww.)Is Jennifer the only one who left willingly?

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No thanks. Lmao! Let that ship stay sunk. Niley friendship? I'm down.

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As if Liam is not even more controlling and insecure. He literally came back to Miley as soon as attention from his only relevant gig cooled down

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he came back so fast!



will he dump her again if he gets another sucess?

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He just knows she's a hot topic at the moment so he wants to make his social blade greener by making headlines, and by headlines I mean gossip twitter blogs, since his music career kinda went nowhere, except for that payola driven semi-bop.

Ariana Grande and Victoria Justice following each other on instagram is bigger news than this

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I'm shocked it wasn't a post. I teengaygasped when I saw that on my timeline.

Since Nick randomly has a boner for reboot TV specials, I hope they will drop a coin to give Victorious a conclusion (I pray for a mini series, but that would be way too perfect to be real) during Ariana's mid-era limbo, after world tour. The cast hangs out ALL THE TIME anyway



Edited at 2017-05-13 12:33 pm (UTC)

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I am SHOOK.

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omg now THIS is something worth posting about tbh!

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how is niley rising when they both moved on and its been over for years? i dont get it but thats me



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nick has decent songs tbh too bad no1curr

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rengaged to liam earlier this year.



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its cute that they're supportive of each other

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that baby has really long legs

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Wtf is that shirt she's wearing in the video??? She's so bloody tacky.

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waiting for the duet lol



I'l always surprised they still have niley stans tbh

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lmao are they really that desperate?

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Are you really asking if Nick Jonas and Miley Cyrus are desperate for attention?

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lol

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Yes

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Oh dear.. He went from obnoxious gay-baiting to pandering to Niley-shipping crazies

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This obnoxious little twat lmao we see you villain (I meant it for Nick but it actually applies to Miley as well)

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hemsworth >

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mte

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UGH! RIP indeed.

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he can't model

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his outfits have been so on point, edward sexton is paying off





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LOL

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it was a good one !



lmao candids look fine.

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i love the kill bill look

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i'm ok with the look but the shoes kill it in the worst way every single time

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Harry, I'm not here for your clothing choices.

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the new album isn't bad really, but I'm definitely not paying money to see him struggle scream the whole thing lmao

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He was actually in fine voice tonight. Tbh, he sucks at TV performance but every time I've seen him live it's been great.

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white ppl truly ruin everything

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nnn this sounds like hotel california



im tone deaf tho so dont take my word for it, but istg i thought he morphed into hotel calif until i heard the lyrics



Edited at 2017-05-13 10:28 pm (UTC)

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this is nothing compared to what liam's doing



how is harry going full jagger white people ruining things ?

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im talking about him ruining kanye's song bye

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didn't he call theresa may a feminist icon?

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How are you confusing him with a girl group? lmaaaooo. Harry avoids all political talk by talking around everything. This is the first time he's directly said anything about it.





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no that was either jade or perrie from little mix, i'm thinking jade though because she consistently has the worst opinions

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Nnnnn

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kiwi is really fun live and two ghosts is sadder live. but meet me in the hallway, only angel, woman, and from the dining table are all i really care about tbh



also i feel like i would like kiwi more if the chorus was different.. i love the verses but i don't wanna hear him yelling at me that he's having my baby 700 times



Edited at 2017-05-13 10:30 pm (UTC)

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do I know you

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lmao this thread

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I'll have to watch these later. I really like his band though.



That chair pic is awkward.

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I want those pants.

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The curse of Lou Teasdale's presence.

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vs It looked way better when Lou did it at the BBC The One Show last night and today than when someone else did it at the Today show in NYC while she was busy with Louis stuff, though. I think she's mostly doing good lately.vs

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That last pic is killing me, the angle reminds me of that episode of Rugrats when Tommy and Chucky were grown ups but still had baby heads

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Oh god this is all I can see now

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LMAO

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CHEYENNE, Wyo.  A wolf advocacy group has doubled the reward for information leading to whoever shot a rare white wolf found inside Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone officials euthanized the severely injured wolf after hikers found the animal near Gardiner, Montana, on April 11.

The park offered a $5,000 reward Thursday for information leading to a conviction. The Montana group Wolves of the Rockies offered its own $5,000 reward Friday.

The group's president, Marc Cooke, suspects opponents of wolves in Yellowstone were responsible.

Many hunting outfitters and ranchers have been unhappy about wolves since their reintroduction to the park more than 20 years ago. The wolves prey on big-game animals and sometimes cattle.

Park officials haven't publicly speculated on a motive.

The alpha female of the Canyon Pack was sought after by photographers.
Despite the tough challenges facing the Chinese economy, President and core leader Xi Jinping is going ahead with ambitious plans to project Chinese power worldwide beginning with the landmark One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative. Xi is expected to announce a new series of projects linking China with Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa at an OBOR international forum scheduled for mid-May Beijing. Xi, who is personally supervising the scheme via the Central Leading Group on OBOR Construction Work, apparently hopes to boost Chinas agenda-setting capacity in global economic discourse. Xi and his colleagues have taken advantage of U.S. President Donald Trumps nationalist and anti-globalization stance to emphasize Beijings eagerness to provide leadership in combatting protectionism and promoting free trade.

While OBOR is being given top billing across the gamut of state media, a small number of relatively liberal Chinese academics are raising misgivings about the viability and sustainability of Xis global undertaking. Foremost among these critics is Renmin University international affairs specialist Shi Yinhong (???), who is also a counselor and advisor to the State Council. In a late 2016 article entitled China Must Guard Against Strategic Overdraft, Shi pointed out that the Chinese Communist Party leadership must exercise caution regarding strategic military (sabre rattling by the Peoples Liberation Army) and strategic economics (projecting power through economic means such has underwriting projects along the OBOR). He argued that China must prevent excessive expansionism, which will result in strategic overdraft (????) (Phoenix TV, October 4, 2016; Lianhe Zaobao [Singapore], September 21, 2016). [1]

While Professor Shi is referring to President Xis overall foreign policy, which ranges from building air and naval bases on reclaimed land in the South China Sea to improving relations with developing countries by forgiving $60 billion of debt, the OBOR game plan could be the best example of what Western critics call imperial overreach (The American Interest, March 1). The OBOR consists of the Silk Road Economic Belt, which stretches from China through Central Asia to Eastern Europe; and the 21st Central Maritime Silk-Road, which extends from Southeast Asia through the Indian Subcontinent to Eastern Africa. Under the big is better principle, however, there is a tendency for the Xi leadership to subsume economic and infrastructure cooperation with countries throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa under the OBOR umbrella. As of early this year, 80 Chinese state-owned enterprise conglomerates are negotiating infrastructure and related items with government officials in over 65 countries (Sohu.com, April 10; HKTDC.com [Hong Kong], May 23, 2016).

There is no official estimate as to the funds involved in this gargantuan venture. However, experts at McKinsey, a consultancy, estimate that comprehensive improvement of infrastructure in Asia and Africa alone could cost $23 trillionroughly 12 times the financial outlay of the Marshall Plan for rebuilding Europe after WWII (Channel NewsAsia, April 22; Fortune, December 12, 2016). So far, a number of massive projects are already underway, including the $50 billion undertaking for building and improving port and railway facilities in eastern Pakistan, which have been underwritten by Chinese financial institutions. Related: Corruption, Terrorism, And Mafia: The Global Black Market For Oil

Given that the so-called Chinese Economic Miracle came to an end early this decade, questions have been asked about whether Beijing has the means to sustain its ambitious programs. Chinas foreign-exchange reserves, which peaked at $4 trillion in mid-2014, has dropped to $3 trillion early this year. With Chinas state-owned banks already laden with non-performing loans, the Fitch credit rating agency warned that these institutions investments in OBOR could create new asset-quality risks for [Chinas] banking system (CNBC, January 16).

There is also the question of whether, in return for its magnanimous commitment to helping developing countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Central Asia, China will garner a commensurate level of good will. As Professor Shi noted, supposed beneficiaries of Chinese largesse all have their long-term interests in areas of sovereignty, self-reliance, and security. He warned that if OBOR strategies do not take full consideration of these sensitive matters, Beijing investments could ignite nationalism-oriented political controversies in the internal politics of [beneficiary] countries. It is notable that countries such as Sri Lanka and Myanmar have requested renegotiations of Chinese infrastructure investments largely due to opposition raised by nationalists in each two country (Times of India, February 16; Transnational Institute [Amsterdam], July 18, 2016).

Apart from using economic means to bond China with a host of developed and developing countries, Beijing is also confident that OBOR would showcase not only Chinese technology but also Chinese companies compliance with global standards. However, quite a few of China-financed projects could suffer from similar problems that have adversely affected previous mega-investments made by SOE conglomerates in Southeast Asia and Africa, namely that these projects are built on guanxi (political connections) rather than globally accepted terms in fields including fair competition, open bidding, Western-style auditing and overall transparency.

Early this year, the European Commission announced that it was investigating the 350-kilometer high-speed railway connecting the Serbian capital of Belgrade to Budapest in Hungary. The state-owned giant, China Railway Corporation will be the main contractor and provider of technology. The Commission is looking into the long-term financial viability of the $2.89 billion railway, and more importantly, whether this project had gone through public tenders stipulated by EU laws (Asia Times, April 4; First Financial News (Shanghai), March 1; Ming Pao (Hong Kong), February 2). The Belgrade-Budapest railroad is part of an ambitious China-Europe Land-Sea Fast Transport Route that will link western Chinese cities all the way to the Greek port of Piraeus, which is partly owned by Chinese interests (English.Gov.cn, February 8; China Daily, February 8). Cui Hongjian, a Europe expert at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs-administered China Institute of International Studies, has indirectly attributed the investigation to Brussels political distrust of China. Cui argued that the European Commission harbors a relatively contradictory mentality regarding Chinese participation in large-scale infrastructure projects in the EU (Ta Kung Pao [Hong Kong], February 22; Global Times, February 21).

According to a Peoples Daily commentary By Zhou Hanmin (???), the OBOR is not only an effort to tell the China story well and spread Chinas message properly but also an attempt to build up a community of destiny with nations, particularly those in the developing world. The commentator also noted that the OBOR was intimately connected with President Xis Chinese Dream, one of whose key goals is that the country would emerge as a superpower by 2049, the centenary of the establishment of the Peoples Republic of China (Peoples Daily, April 6). There is no denying, however, the fact that the overarching ambition evinced by the OBOR scheme has raised the suspicion of rich and poor countries alike that it is primarily a Chinese exercise in self-aggrandizement of unprecedented proportions. Moscow is said to be unhappy that thanks to Beijings generous financial and technological aid to Central Asia, China is about to displace Russia as the dominant influence among several former client states of the Soviet Union. In the eyes of New Delhi, Beijings investments in civilian and military ports in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar and the Maldives constitute a string of pearls containment policy against India (South China Morning Post, March 6; Asia Times, February 2, The Asan Forum [Korea], December 16). Western Europe politicians have expressed misgivings about Chinas apparent divide and rule tactics toward the EU, which could be accomplished through its tight embrace of the 16 Central and Eastern European countries (European Council on Foreign Relations, December 14, 2016; European Institute for Asian Affairs, January 2014).

Security Overstretch

Apart from OBOR, the most obvious area where Beijing may have gone overboard in power projection is its pugilistic posture in the South China Sea and the East China Sea. The construction of air and naval bases on reclaimed South China Sea islets whose sovereignty is contested by several ASEAN members has raised the possibility of at least small-scale skirmishes between the Chinese armed forces on the one hand, and those of the U.S. and its Asian allies on the other. According to Shi Yinhong, a balance must be struck between upholding sovereign rights and maintaining stability. The respected academic argued that from 2012 to late 2014, Beijing successfully focused on projecting military power in regional flashpoints. If [the PLA] did a lot in upholding [sovereign] rights in the earlier period, we should in the forthcoming period do more in maintaining stability, Shi noted. [Beijing] needs to prevent the rapid development of strategic competition and confrontation between China and the U.S., he warned, adding that the Chinese leadership should continue to improve relations with ASEAN members that have oceanic interests. Related: Who Will Lead The Transportation Transformation?

There is, however, no indication that the CCP leadership will tone down its aggressive military posture. While meeting the commanders of 84 newly reconstructed PLA units in mid-April, Xi, who is Chairman of the policy-setting Central Military Commission, called upon officers and soldiers to prepare for warfare at any time and to uphold [high] standards of combat power. That commander-in-chief Xi is determined to use military means to buttress the countrys global geopolitical putsch was demonstrated when he went in late April on an inspection trip to a Dalian shipyard that was building Chinas second aircraft carrier (Ming Pao, April 23; Ministry of Defense, April 18).

Conclusion

Chinas reliance on the no-holds-barred flexing of military and economic muscle might not go down well with established powers, particularly in the Western world, demonstrated by the fact that only one government leader from Europe Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloniwill be attending the OBOR international forum. This is despite the fact that Beijing has issued invitations to the leaders of more than 100 countries to attend what Chinese media call Chinas biggest show for 2017 (Zhejiang Economic Net, April 19; VOA news, April 18). Since coming to power in late 2012, Xi has repeatedly spun out bold and all-encompassing visions and schemes such as the Chinese Dream, the OBOR game plan, as well as a 65- point directive on comprehensively deepening reforms. While these grand strategies have enabled Xi to amass power at unprecedented speed, the onus is on the core leader to prove that he can actually deliver on both his domestic and international pledges. After all, strategic overdraft could mean not only more indebtedness for government coffers and banks but also result in stoking the flames of the China threat theory in countries ranging from India and Japan to ASEAN members with territorial rows with China.

By The Jamestown Foundation

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
U.S.-based oil company Cobalt filed for arbitration for a $2-billion suit against Angolas state-run Sonangol oil giant this week, according to court documents found by Reuters.

The two parties were due to reach an agreement on license extensions for two deepwater blocks, but negotiations broke down last year. Now Cobalt claims a $2 billion award, plus interests and other costs, as compensation for its troubles.

The firm says finding a 40 percent stake partner in offshore Blocks 20 and 21 became impossible due to the uncertain future of the extensions.

Another arbitration request from Cobalt against the Angolan state-run company puts the latter on the hook for $174 million plus costs and interest. The additional sum compensates Cobalt for joint interest receivable for operations on offshore Block 21.

"[Sonangol] appears to be leveraging those roles to control the ownership and development of Cobalt's key pre-salt oil and gas discoveries fully, despite the implications for contract sanctity," IHS analyst Robert Bruce told Reuters.

"The case will likely increase investor wariness over NOC partnership risks in Angola, already elevated by the uncertainties generated by Sonangol's restructuring and financial difficulties."

Cobalt had been under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) until February of this year due to the nature of its dealings in Angola. The investigation, which had previously been under the purview of the DOJ and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), explored connections between senior Angolan officials and Angola-based Nazaki Oil and Gaz. Nazaki held business interests with Cobalt regarding offshore blocks 9 and 21, according to Cobalts website.



Related: Corruption, Terrorism, And Mafia: The Global Black Market For Oil

The SEC ended its probe in 2014, and so did the DOJ earlier this year, without any findings of regulatory wrongdoing by the Texas-based company.

Like the SEC, the Department of Justice has decided to close its investigation into Cobalts Angolan operations. We are obviously pleased with this resolution and the closure of this investigation. Cobalt has been and is firmly committed to conducting its operations in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, including the [Foreign Corrupt Practices Acts], said CEO Timothy Cutt.

By Zainab Calcuttawala for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Following the giant Zohr gas discovery offshore Egypt in 2015, Cyprus has boosted efforts to award drilling licenses and hopes that the geology of Zohr extends into Cypruss exclusive economic zone, Cypriot Energy Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis told Reuters in an interview published on Friday.

Frances major Total will start drilling an exploratory well offshore Cyprus in July, the minister said.

The Total well in July 2017 will be pretty significant for Cyprus not in terms of its size, but proving that the geological model based on Zohr actually extends into Cypruss exclusive economic zone, Lakkotrypis told Reuters.

In March 2015, Cyprus and Total signed an agreement regarding further exploration works in the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus, which Total will undertake in order to further assess the prospects of exploration block 11.

At the time, Italys major Eni SpA had not announced yet that Zohr was a sensational discovery. This was confirmed in August 2015, when the Italian group said that it had discovered the biggest ever natural gas field in the Mediterranean that could hold a potential of 30 trillion cubic feet of lean gas in place.

The Zohr discovery actually triggered Cypruss third licensing round, Lakkotrypis told Reuters today.

Following the third licensing round, Cyprus said in December last year that it would start negotiating with the selected partners for the blocks to set terms and conditions for exploration and production (E&P) sharing contracts. A consortium of Eni and Total won the exploration license for block 6, Eni won the license for block 8, and ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum won the right to negotiate E&P terms for block 10.



Related: Why Goldman Thinks You Should Go Long On Oil

Last month ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum signed an exploration and production (E&P) sharing contract with the Cyprus government, and will start drilling in a block offshore Cyprus in 2018.

Eni plans to drill two exploratory wells offshore Cyprus in 2017 or in early 2018, Lakkotrypis told Reuters.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
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.
United States Vice President Mike Pence declared "the war on coal" over Friday after touring a Crow Indian coal mine on horseback and meeting with stakeholders.

"I just want to assure you that this administration is absolutely determined to continue to expand the opportunities to develop American energy in an environmentally responsible way," Pence said.

The vice president gathered with Crow tribal leaders and coal supporters at Absaloka Mines headquarters on the Crow Reservation.

The mine is operated by Westmoreland Coal under lease with the Crow. Pence spent the afternoon at the mine before returning to Billings for an evening rally at MetraPark to support Republican U.S. House candidate Greg Gianforte, who was not part of the mine visit.

The visit was all cowboys and coal with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, Montana's U.S. representative before joining President Donald Trump's cabinet in March, leading Pence and a dozen riders through a grassy mine reclamation area.

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., was in the posse. The horsemen trotted to a hilltop to overlook a rolling, spring green landscape, then clustered around Pence and Carlson "Duke" Goes Ahead, Crow vice chairman.

Goes Ahead told Pence that coal was crucial to more than the Crow economy.

"Our coal has impacted all the surrounding areas, Billings, Hardin; it impacts their economies, too," Goes Ahead said.

The vice chairman said federal coal policy, particularly the Indian Coal Production Tax Credit, which is at perpetual risk of expiring, needed better support. After staying on the books for several years the tax credit expired in 2013. Since then, Congress has retroactively renewed the credit at the end of the year, but the uncertainly of the tax credit's status has been discouraging for Westmoreland.

On the Crow Indian Reservation  where state labor statistics suggest unemployment is 25 percent  households with coal mining income can earn more than $70,000 a year. The coal income tax credit gave Westmoreland Coal Co. $2.26 for every ton of coal it mined.

"The expiration of that tax credit made it a lot more difficult for us to invest in this mine," said Kevin Paprzycki, Westmorelands CEO.

Daines told Pence there was a bill in the Senate to make the tax credit permanent. He introduced the bill with Montana's Democratic senator, Jon Tester, in April.

The tax credit lowers the production price of Absaloka Mine coal, which keeps the mine viable.

The coal mined by Westmoreland under lease with the Crow Tribe fuels the Sherburne County Generating Station, or SHERCO plant, in Becker, Minnesota.

Pence's visit to Montana was the first by a current vice president since Dick Cheney visited Billings in 2006 to campaign for former U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg. It wasn't lost on Daines that the visit started in Crow country.

"The plane landed today in Billings and the very first stop of the vice president to Montana was to Crow country and to coal country and this says a lot," Daines said. "The administration is thinking about the future. Montana has more recoverable coal than any state in the United States. There's tremendous potential here and it's a lifeblood right now for the Crow Tribe. They say coal keeps the lights on, I tell you it's lights out for the Crow Tribe if we lose these coal jobs."

As Interior secretary, Zinke oversees natural resource leasing on federal lands, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, national parks and conservation.

Friday, from the moment he arrived on the tarmac at Billings Logan International Airport, Zinke emphasized the importance of energy development, to national parks and the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

LWCF dollars are federal funds available to states for improvements that benefit outdoor recreation. The funds received by Montana are typically split between improvements at state park sites and a grant program to benefit outdoor recreation facilities in Montana communities. The money comes from federal offshore oil and gas drilling revenue.

"If you go back to 2008, we made $18 billion in offshore," Zinke said of federal oil revenue. "Last year, we were $2.6 billion. We've lost per year, about $15.5 billion in revenue.

"So the next time someone talks about the Park Service being $12 billion behind in infrastructure and maintenance, I can tell you $15.5 billion in revenue pays for a lot of maintenance. And the LWCF program, which everyone loves in Montana, that's where it gets the funds."

Zinke said the United States needs to develop all of its energy options.

Earlier this year, at Trump's directive, the Interior secretary lifted the moratorium on coal leasing. The moratorium was initiated by the Obama administration so it could study whether the public was getting a fair price for its coal through royalty payments. Coal's environmental impacts were also to be studied.

Coal has been in an economic slump for more than two years, as U.S. power plants switch to cheap natural gas and a global market glut makes shipping U.S. coal abroad unprofitable. One planned Montana coal mine failed after Arch Coal filed for bankruptcy. Other Montana coal companies ceased coal exports after market prices fell too low to cover shipping costs.

Last August, the Crow Legislature agreed to cut the tribes share of profits from tribal coal mined by Westmoreland, a move the coal company said was needed to keep the mine running.

Westmoreland had informed the tribe that the mining company was prepared to terminate its lease by last Oct. 17 unless the Crow agreed to a coal pay cut. The letter cited a plan to reduce tribal payments in order to maintain the economic viability of the Absaloka Mine.

Worried the mine would close, the Crow Legislature agreed to lower Westmorelands payment of the Tribal Severance Tax by 85 cents a ton. It then agreed to cut the amount Westmoreland paid in the Tribal Gross Proceeds Tax by 40 cents a ton.

Declining coal revenue has cut Crow government funding significantly. There have been layoffs as the tribe deals with the coal economy downturn.
GLENS FALLS  As the years go on, Bill Osborn finds it harder and harder to believe just what a terrific job the people around him do for the Benjamin Osborn Memorial Fund.

I think this was our best event yet, Osborn said Saturday, the day after the seventh annual Baskets For Ben event at the Queensbury Hotel. Roxane Westcott did a bang-up job, and everyone else on the committee did, too. There are just so many people who work so hard to make things happen. I have no idea how this happens so well all the time.

There are those who would also credit Osborn with the success of the fund, which carries on the memory of his son, Ben, a Lake George High School graduate who was killed in Afghanistan in 2010.

Fridays event drew several hundred people to the refurbished Queensbury Hotel, and while Osborn did not know the number of attendees, he estimated the event made more than $20,000 for the fund, which benefits needy children in 11 local school districts.

This will help a lot of kids, he said.

The fund now runs seven different programs, including one which Osborn announced Friday, a hygiene project which will provide supplies for middle and high school students.

It also runs holiday and school supply programs, provides clothing and snacks, helps food pantries and runs literacy programs.

This is just an amazing community, Osborn said Friday. Thank you for believing in our mission of helping kids in need.

The event included a silent auction of dozens of baskets, as well as a number of live auction items.
QUEENSBURY  A Queensbury man was charged with two felonies Friday night for allegedly making the bomb threats that forced the evacuation of Queensbury schools and Warren County Municipal Center a day earlier.

Darrell S. Royce, 46, of Plantation Lane, was charged with two counts of making a terroristic threat for the emails that were sent to the school district and county center threatening to blow up buildings.

Royce was charged after a computer analysis done as part of a Warren County Sheriffs Office investigation led to him through a computer Internet Protocol (IP) address, police said.

He did not offer any explanation for the threats, but had been having recent interaction with the county Department of Social Services, police said.

Royce is a native of Vermont who recently moved to Queensbury with his family, but it was unclear whether any of his children attend school locally.

Royce, whose Facebook page indicates he works as an auto glass installer, was arraigned Friday night and sent to Warren County Jail for lack of $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bail bond. Each charge is punishable by up to 7 years in state prison.

The charges stemmed from threats that were sent through the county website and a school website threatening to blow up buildings. The verbiage of the threat was not released, but Warren County Sheriff Bud York said it was apparent by the timing and wording that they came from the same person.

They were very general but its clear they were made by the same person, he said.

The threat was sent to the county through the contact us email address on the countys website. Kevin Geraghty, the countys acting administrator, said Kristy Miller, the confidential secretary to the administrator, spotted the email during the early afternoon and notified Geraghty.

He said he contacted the Sheriffs Office, and it was recommended that the two buildings on the campus  the Municipal Center and Human Services Building  be evacuated immediately.

Police wanted to search the school buildings first, so the county buildings were closed for the afternoon until dogs could go through them. State court officers guarded the front entrance to the center from Route 9 until the search was done.

Geraghty said the threat that was received via county email did not cite any person or agency.

You cant lay it to a specific situation or agency, Geraghty said.

Geraghty said the evacuation went smoothly.

The Sheriffs Office was assisted by State Police from New York and Vermont and the FBI.
Note: Public tours of the Burleigh Morton Detention Center will be held on May 15 and 16 from 3:30 to 8 p.m. An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the tours would be held this weekend.

For Burleigh County Sheriff Pat Heinert, the new jail project began nine years ago.

Heinert tells the story of a man who was released from jail on a cold January day. That former inmate walked from the jail to a gas station, stole more than $100 worth of stuff and waited for the police to arrest him. He returned to jail and sat another 90 days. When he was released in mid-April, he left and wasn't seen again.

"That's how the whole thing started for me," said Heinert from his new office at the Burleigh Morton County Detention Center, which is set to start housing inmates next month. "We just can't open the doors any longer and let them walk out."

Heinert said he is hopeful the $69 million, 525-bed jail will provide new opportunities to inmates, through work release, re-entry counseling and increased chaplain and alcoholics anonymous groups. It also will save the counties from shipping as many as 50 inmates nightly to jails around the state, a system that cost Burleigh County more than $1.125 million last year.

But some people worry the jail may soon be full again, with even more people incarcerated locally.

The new jail, which is located east of Bismarck, will house inmates from Burleigh and Morton counties. Starkly modernized from the current facilities, the new jail has five amphitheater-shaped pods, which contain six cell blocks each. Most cell blocks house 16 people, who live in two-person rooms around a central day room. The pods are classified by security level, meaning people with the most serious offenses and criminal histories will be housed together under the closest supervision. Those with more minor offenses and pasts will live in dorms. The jail also has a "special management unit," similar to a solitary confinement unit for inmates who break rules, have serious health problems or who staff decide need to be separated.

Each pod has a classroom attached to it, and trusted inmates can apply for jobs washing dishes, doing laundry and cleaning the facility for $2 an hour.

Arrestees from Mandan and Morton County will be driven to the facility, a concern to Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier, who said it will take his officers off the streets.

The jail has space for expansion, as well. One part of the building has been left empty for potential building as an additional pod. And the grounds have room for new construction that could ultimately house 1,050 people.

The current jails house a total of 280.

Burleigh County increased by eight staff members to work at the facility, bringing the combined staff number to 78 people. Heinert said he expects to ask for more staff next year. Though the new facility will cost more to maintain and staff, he thinks the cost may even out after factoring in the price of housing inmates around the state  already $160,00 this year.

Jennifer Rewald, the program director, says she is excited about the expanded space. For the past few years, she has been unable to run classes for inmates, because the Burleigh County jail was so full. A third person is being added to the programming staff.

"We actually have somewhere to go. Now, it's like, we don't have anywhere to go," said Rewald, who plans to increase the number of alcoholics anonymous meetings held at the jail, bring chaplains in more frequently, offer a cognitive restructuring class called "Thinking for Change" and teach parenting and anger management.

Rewald said they will help inmates with re-entry, teaching inmates to fill out job applications, apply for Medicaid, obtain identification, find housing and learn money management skills for when they are released.

Right now, most inmates serving jail sentences are housed in other jails around the state. Now that they'll be in Burleigh County, she expects to get more of them on work or education release.

Also assisting, especially with mentally ill inmates, will be Mark Kemmett, a behavioral health specialist. At the new jail, he'll have reliable space  and WiFi  to perform assessments on those inmates and help connect them to services when they get out.

Kemmett said he is working with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and Department of Human Services to get a psychologist to assist as-needed at the jail. There will not be a licensed addiction counselor.

Though the increased size adds opportunity, it also has sparked worry, even among the sheriff.

"I'm worried we're going to see that number grow," said Heinert, who believes the jail is safest at 60 to 75 percent capacity.

Heinert said that might be caused by the growing local population, changes in the law to make some drug crimes misdemeanors instead of felonies and a new rule allowing the prison to house some people in jails if the prison is full. The sheriff's department also plans to start delivering thousands of warrants that went unserved while that team was busy transporting inmates around the state.

The U.S. Marshal Service and neighboring counties with overcrowded jails will also likely want to send their inmates to Bismarck.

But a national jail expert said that simply increasing the size of the jail can have the unintended effect of increasing the number inside, especially pretrial.

"Sooner or later, and its usually sooner, these jails are full," said Christian Henrichson, co-author of a Vera Institute report called "In Our Own Backyard: Confronting Growth and Disparities in American Jails."

He said that independent actors  prosecutors, police, judges  don't typically think about how their decisions affect the jail population. But when jail continues to be an option, it gets used.

Gail Hagerty, presiding judge for the South Central Judicial District, said she does not think jail size will affect jail growth. That would more likely be the result of more crimes and minimum mandatory sentences, she said.

"If that was a big factor, we probably wouldn't be transporting people around," she said.

Currently, the two counties' jail incarceration rate is about 301 per 100,000 people age 15 to 64. This puts Burleigh and Morton counties at about .9 times the U.S. rate of 341 people. Were the new jail to fill up to 525 beds, the counties would increase to 659 people per 100,000, which would be 1.9 times the U.S. rate.

"Through one lens, it seems prudent to have the space available. But its a caution," Henrichson said. Referring to the beds that will be empty when the jail first opened, he asked, "Are there 200 people that are on the street today that shouldnt be?"

Public tours of the Burleigh Morton Detention Center will be held on May 15 and 16 from 3:30 to 8 p.m. An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the tours would be held this weekend.
The president of the United States is lying again.

He is lying about the reason he fired James Comey, the FBI director. Trump claimed that he was doing so because Comey bungled the investigation into Hillary Clintons email, which meant that Comey was not able to effectively lead the bureau.

There is no reason to believe Trumps version of the facts and many reasons to believe he is lying. How can I be so confident?

First, its important to remember just how often Trump lies. Virtually whenever he finds it more convenient to tell a falsehood than to tell a truth, he chooses the falsehood.

An incomplete list of the things he has lied about include: Barack Obamas birthplace, Obamas phone tapp, John F. Kennedys assassination, Sept. 11, the Iraq War, ISIS, NATO, military veterans, Mexican immigrants, Muslim immigrants, anti-Semitic attacks, the unemployment rate, the murder rate, the Electoral College, voter fraud, the size of his inaugural crowd, his health care bill and his own groping of women.

Second, Trump previously praised Comey for reopening the Clinton email investigation, which was the core of Trumps rationale for the firing, as Igor Volsky of CAP Action noted.

Third, Trump claimed that he was merely following up on a Justice Department recommendation and released a letter from the department to bolster his case. Yet the timing doesnt make sense  and Trump aides have already undercut their boss, by acknowledging that he wanted to fire Comey.

As Bill Kristol of the Weekly Standard pointed out, the Justice Department letter was dated the same day as the firing, and the official who wrote it has been on the job for just two weeks  not enough time for a serious review that could have reversed Trumps previous position.

So there was no real recommendation from DOJ, Kristol wrote. Trump wanted to do it, and they created a paper trail. Kristol, a conservative, added, One can be at once a critic of Comey and alarmed by what Trump has done and how he has done it.

Even more damning, White House sources also admitted on Tuesday night that Trump himself initiated the firing. The White House charged Jeff Sessions, the attorney general, with coming up with a reason to fire Comey, as The Times and others have reported.

Finally, and most obviously, Trump had a very big motive to fire Comey and install a loyalist. Comey was overseeing the investigation into the Trump campaigns numerous strange ties with the Russian government.

The firing of James Comey as FBI director is a stunning event, Benjamin Wittes and Susan Hennessey, two of the sharpest observers of the Russia case, wrote for Lawfare. It is a profoundly dangerous thing  a move that puts the Trump-Russia investigation in immediate jeopardy and removes from the investigative hierarchy the one senior official whom President Trump did not appoint and one who is known to stand up to power.

The president is lying about firing a top law enforcement official, and he is almost certainly lying to protect himself and his aides from a full investigation into their own activities.

Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, wrote on Tuesday night, We are in a full-fledged constitutional crisis.

Its now clear that Trumps Justice Department has no independence. Both Sessions, and Sessions deputy, Rod Rosenstein, are acting like Trump enforcers. And now the FBI is compromised as well.

The only way to unwind the constitutional crisis is an independent inquiry, completely free of Trumps oversight. Several Republican members of Congress expressed concern about Comeys firing, but words arent enough.

Members of Congress need to give Americans reason to believe the Russia investigation isnt a charade with a predetermined outcome. They need to make clear that while the president may think he is above the truth, he is not above the law.
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Members of the task force are: Mr Gyasi, as acting Chief Director, Madam Angela Dannson, Mr Aboagye, Mr Seth Akoto, Mr Kwesi Korboe, Madam Paulina Addy, Dr Kwame Amezah and other five other representatives from government related agencies.

Last week, the Agricultural Ministry, in a memo asked cabinet to declare an 'agricultural state of emergency.'

In the memo to cabinet, the agric minister, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto said he wants parliament to allow the allocation of funds to buy chemicals for free distribution to farmers to deal with the pests.

The fall army worm is said to have so far invaded farms in the Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, and Eastern regions.

It has also destroyed over 500 acres of maize farms in 13 districts the Ashanti region.

The pests attack leaves of crops, flowers and even the stalk.

They feed on several crops including -staple food source - maize, cotton, soya bean, potato and the cash crop - cocoa.

The attack comes at a time that government has launched a GHC560m Planting for Food and Jobs Program.

The project is expected to improve food production through the supply of improved seedlings and fertiliser at subsidized prices and also provide extension services.

The project is also expected to provide over 700,000 jobs.

There are now fears that the armyworm invasion may put the project at risk.
Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu said she has distinguished herself as an independent minded judge.

"She comes to the bench with some rich experience, he said.She is taking over from Justice Georgina Wood, undoubtedly one of few Ghanaian women who have dedicated themselves to duty, she said.

The First Vice Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and a former Attorney General, Betty Mould-Iddrisu, in a message said she was truly delighted by the choice of Sophia Akuffo as the next Chief Justice of Ghana.

She added: She [Sophia Akuffo] has excellent credentials and has impeccable gender credentials all her working life.

In appointing her, the president urged her to be firm and fair in the discharge of her duties.
The Chief Magistrate, R. O. Davies, told the convicts on Friday: the two of you sound enlightened and ought not to see crime as a way out of hardship.

The two of you have pleaded guilty to the first two counts levelled against you and therefore, will face the punishment for that.

Crime is not the way out of difficult situations and cannot be excused on any ground.

Having admitted to two out of the three counts, I sentence you each to six months in prison on the first count and three years each on the second count, Davies ruled.

He also ordered that trial on the third count, which the convicts did not admit to, would continue as they served their sentences.

Earlier, Jundullah Mohammed, 26, and Jamiu Mohammed, 23, had pleaded guilty to two out of three counts brought against them.

They, however, did not admit to the count of stealing N4, 000 in the course of committing the offences.

But, the Prosecutor, Insp. Isaac Aminu, had told court that the convicts committed the offences on May 1 at about 1:30 a.m.

He said that the crime was committed at Omotoro area of Ijede Road in Ikorodu.

They did break into three shops belonging to three women, Precious Chidi, Fadeke Opera and Omotola Martins.

And amongst their crimes was stealing of N4, 000."

He said that the offences contravened Sections 409, 308 and 279 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
The Senior Magistrate, Mrs Munirat Giwa- Babalola, said Sodiq should spend one month at Agodi Prison having been found guilty of the offence.

Giwa-Babalola, however, gave him an option of paying N20,000 fine into the coffers of Oyo State Government.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Sodiq pleaded guilty to the offence of stealing the money.

NAN reports that Sodiq, an apprentice on a trailer, was arraigned on a one-count charge of stealing N20,000 belonging to his boss, Olalekan Ayinla.

According to police prosecutor, Sgt. Kola Olaiya, Sodiq collected the money on behalf of his boss, Ayinla, and absconded with the money.
Wale was allegedly murdered by Abiodun Allen, 31, following an argument over their fathers property.

According to the detective, Wale, who was serving in Port Harcourt, had visited the family home to settle a dispute over their late fathers property which was allegedly taken over by Abiodun.

Led in evidence by the Prosecutor, Mrs R. O. Ahmed-Muili, Lamidi told the court that Abiodun, was 27 years old when he committed the offence at 11.00 p.m. on Feb. 20, 2013 at their familys house located at 5, Oritse St., at Imude community in Oto-Awori Local Council Development Area.

He also explained the series of events that led to Abioduns arrest by the Police.

In 2013, I was serving at Ilemba-Hausa Police Station, Ajangbadi.

At 8.00 a.m. on Feb. 21, 2013, I was on duty at the police station and I got a distress call from the Baale of Imude community that someone who had committed murder was being held at the palace.

When I got to the Baales palace, I saw the defendant and I was informed by people in the palace that he had killed his brother and I immediately arrested him and took him to the crime scene.

At the crime scene, I saw the deceased (Wale Allen) in the pool of his blood in a bush at the back of the building.

I interrogated him on the spot and he admitted that he stabbed the deceased with a broken bottle.

He said he wanted to bury his brothers body before he was caught red-handed, Lamidi said.

He added: I made an attempt to move the corpse to the mortuary but the relatives of the deceased declined, saying they wanted to bury him in a traditional way.

I brought a photographer who took pictures of the crime scene. The photographer, however, cannot be currently located as the pictures were taken a long time ago and his shop was demolished alongside other shops on the street.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ahmed-Muili, the prosecutor, wanted to tender the crime scene photographs as evidence but it was opposed by Abioduns counsel, Mrs Y.A. Ajayi, on the grounds that the defence was not aware of the existence of such photographs.

The defence is objecting, we were not informed about the pictures and we cannot be taken by surprise, she said.

Following the defences objection, the crime scene photographs were withdrawn by the prosecution.

Lamidi, in his evidence, also said that the defendant as well as two witnesses  Kehinde Allen and Sunday Agbogorin made statements to the police.

The defendant was `charged and cautioned in English Language and we took his statement where he confessed to the murder.

Since it is a capital offence, the case was transferred to the Homicide Division of the State Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Panti, Yaba.

I made a statement to the police at the CID and I returned to my duty post, the detective said.

While also being cross-examined by Ajayi, Lamidi denied the claim that Abiodun was restrained when he apprehended him at the Baales palace.

When I saw him at the Baales palace, many people surrounded him as his hands were not tied, I handcuffed him and he followed me to the crime scene, he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the Toyota saloon car, with registration number GWA 540 GP, was abandoned at the parking lot of the mall for over three months.

Security officials at the mall reported the matter at Maroko Police Station with a view to ascertain the owner.

Mr Isah Abdulmajid, the Maroko Divisional Police Officer, who confirmed the arrest to NAN, said that the suspects were arrested while attempting to claim the car.

We got a report that the car was abandoned at the mall by unknown person.

Then two men, Abiodun Ademola and Nurudeen Adepoju, came to the police station that the car belongs to their father who was mentally ill.

They claimed their father came to the shopping mall and left the car there. From their statements, I knew they were lying.

At first, Abiodun claimed he was from Ogun, while Nurudeen claimed Ekiti; I then wonder how two men from two different states are of the same father.

I threatened to deal with them if they dont tell the truth. That was when they confessed that one , a cab driver at the shopping mall, heard when the security officer was discussing with the police on phone about the car.

Olufemi asked the two other suspects to pretend at the police station and claim that their father owns the car, so that they get the car for sales and share the proceed, Abdilmajid said.

The DPO said that the suspects had been charged to court while a letter had been written to the Motor Licensing Office to ascertain the owner of the abandoned car.
The Speaker of the House, Alhaji Kabiru Mijinyawa, made this known at the opening ceremony of the hearing on Friday in Yola.

He said everything necessary needed to be done to contain the serious threat posed by HIV, AIDS and sickle cell anaemia to the society would be done by the legislature.

Mijinyawa reiterated the assemblys commitment to making laws that have direct bearing on lives of the people and urged all stakeholders to contribute positively to the bill.

Also speaking at the occasion, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Fatima Abubakar, and the Executive Secretary Adamawa State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS, Dr Stephen John, lauded the house for the bill and assured their contribution towards its success.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that parts of the proposed bill stipulated that any couple intending to marry would be subjected to a compulsory HIV and genotype test that should be conducted in public hospitals or registered diagnostic centres one week before the marriage.

The bill also required that the certificate of the two tests should be presented to any religious institution or the clergymen of church or mosque where the wedding would be contracted.

Any person or persons who have complied with this law in fulfillment of the requirement of the previous marriage shall not on this basis evade undergoing the test when contracting any subsequent marriage, the proposed law stated.

Part three of the bill also made case for non-discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS and sickle cell anaemia in the state.

Individuals, communities, employers and employees have a mutual responsibility to prevent discrimination on basis of HIV (AIDS) or Sickle Cell Anaemia in the society.

No cultural practice or tradition shall encourage documented practices that expose people to risk of HIV infection, the bill said.

It further provided for a penalty of N150,000 for individuals and N500,000 for organisations or imprisonment for a period not less than one year or both for any person or institution found guilty of non-compliance with the law.
North Dakotas fallen law enforcement officers will be remembered and honored during public events at the state Capitol and in local communities across the state next week.

The memorial service gives us an opportunity to pay our respects to the law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice and to publicly thank those who continue to protect and serve, said Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem. After dusk on Tuesday evening, for the first time the State Capitol building windows on two floors will be lit to display a Thin Blue Line in a show of support and respect for law enforcement."

A Blue Mass honoring law enforcement and first responders will be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Bismarck. Honor guards from the North Dakota Peace Officers Association will be represented. The Mass is open to the public.

The annual Law Enforcement Memorial Service will be held on the Capitol grounds in Bismarck at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. In January, Rolette County Sheriffs Deputy Colt Allery was shot and killed, becoming the 64th North Dakota law enforcement officer to die in the line of duty. His name has been added to the states Law Enforcement Memorial.

Chief Justice Gerald VandeWalle and U.S. Attorney Chris Myers will speak at the memorial service, Chief Robert Timian, of North Dakota Game and Fish, will serve as the master of ceremonies, and Capt. Mickey Harmon of the Cass County Sheriffs Department will play the bagpipes.

On Wednesday night after the Memorial Service, the Capitol buildings Thin Blue Line light display will shine for a second night in honor of the fallen officers.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this was part of the recommendations reached at the second quarterly meeting of the Secretaries to the Governments of APC-controlled States in Sokoto.

The meeting held under the auspices of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), on May 11 and 12, 2017 was hosted by the Sokoto State Government.

The meeting had as its theme: Setting Enabling Framework for Implementation of Progressive Governors Forum Policy Briefs.

A Communique issued at the end of the meeting in Sokoto on Saturday said that the plan to set up the fund was in furtherance of the decision reached at its inaugural meeting held in Lagos.

Participants advised that member States adopt and adapt the Security Trust Fund model law produced from PGFs Legislative Expert Session.

A critical aspect of it proposes that at least 1% of total costs of all contracts awarded by States and Local Governments be paid into the Trust Fund.

The communique which was signed by the Secretary to the Sokoto State Government, Prof. Bashir Garba, commended the Federal and States Governments efforts in tackling security issues in Nigeria, particularly in the North East.

Recognising paucity of resources in the country, particularly the effects of the recession, it becomes imperative to enhance the generation of resources in each of the APC states to engender implementation of policy initiatives.

In this regard, the meeting acknowledged the critical need for enhanced revenue base of States.

It recommends that States should adopt and adapt the Collection and Administration of Revenue Model law proposed by the PGF Secretariat to establish an Internal Revenue Service (IRS), it added.

It expressed happiness with the recent securing of the release of 82 of the abducted Chibok girls.

On agriculture, the meeting stressed the need to address the dual challenges of poverty and unemployment across the country, adding that the agricultural sector is a common platform to address these issues.

"The agricultural sector is the main stay of the economy, hence there is the need for it to be taken to higher level.

To this end, APC state governments as a bloc should align their agricultural policies with those of the Federal Government to maximize their benefits.

The States should also work with the private sector to strengthen all year farming through increased investment in irrigation, farm mechanization, expand land utilization and introduce smart and precision agriculture.

"There is also the need to develop clusters of farmers within and across states and provide supports to the clusters across the value chain.

To achieve this requires investing at least 10% of state budget on agriculture and the political will to ensure release of funds, proper utilization on knowledge and data base agriculture.

It is important to develop integrated agricultural policy that provides linkages across sectors of the economy and society, like water resources, education, health, energy and industry, among others," it read.

On the state of education in the country, the meeting noted that the sector, particularly at the basic and post basic levels, was well acknowledged by stakeholders.

In this regard, it becomes imperative to consider solutions as cross cutting in all the APC States.

Although there are programmes and policies of Federal Government that are very beneficial, but states have problems accessing these benefits.

It is recommended that APC states should fashion their education policies in a way that allows them maximise these benefits.

APC State governments should declare State of Emergency on Education to improve education infrastructure for better learning.

Further to this, a policy of compulsory skill acquisition for all young school leavers to make education relevant to society should be put in place.

The APC states should aim to amend the UBEC Act, towards changing the ratio of the counterpart funding to a lesser percentage for states.

All APC states are advised to enact appropriate Right to Education laws and strengthen School Management Committees.

A Public Private Partnership funding arrangement should be adopted, while also seeking funding from Development partners, the meeting recommended.

In the same vein, the meeting agreed to continually share information, ideas and knowledge through its quarterly meetings and the PGF Secretariat.
I am heading to London again for medical treatment, not to see the Queen.

The Queen can wait.

I need to level up with you guys as quickly as possible: I am critically ill.

The ailment is anything from Crohns disease to prostate cancer.

Ill let the Doctors put a finger on what exactly ails me and I promise to make a full disclosure as soon as Im privy to Doctors diagnosis; after all, I ran a campaign that was premised on accountability and transparency.

As I told you last time, I cant recall being so ill in my lifetime; even as a young soldier.

No one bargains for illness and trust me, I didn't bargain for this.

My illness has taken a toll on governance, I've got to admit.

Our nation doesnt need the distraction of my constant trips abroad for medical treatment.

But you see, I am no spring Chicken no more.

At 74 years of age, my body and system is bound to cave in more than most.

And as soon as I and the Doctors can ascertain that I can't continue with leading you, I'll tender my resignation, Insha Allah.

I wasn't born with this job and won't die with this job.

As a matter of fact, I am ashamed of myself and ashamed on behalf of all past leaders of this country for not equipping our medical facilities over the years.

We never fixed our deplorable health-care system since this nation attained independence.

I and other past leaders of our country screwed up this nation, big time, and I am using this opportunity to apologise on their behalf.

Weve got to take our L because we deserve all the L you can hurl at us.

If we had fixed our hospitals or even the Aso Rock clinic, I wont have to spend tax payers money or scarce forex on trips abroad to look after myself.

We messed up big time and once again, we are sorry.

I promise to give you regular updates while I am away from the country. I didnt do that last time but Ill fix that this time around.

I am aware that I am now public property and because I respect you the people who gave me this job, I wont leave you speculating about the state of my health this time.

Not briefing you will only leave room for unfounded, baseless rumours and nobody wants that.

ALSO READ:

Ill tell you whats wrong with me and what the Doctors are saying at every opportunity, because all public servants owe the people the truth and nothing but the truth.

We need to be honest with the Nigerian people because when we are not, we leave room for all kinds of speculation and fake news.

I am sure you saw how frail, emaciated and weak I looked before I left Nigeria last week. Heck, my voice was even beginning to fail me as I addressed the rescued Chibok Girls.

But its all good.

Ill survive this like I survived election defeats in 2003, 2007 and 2011 before finally making it to Aso Rock in 2015.

It is Allah that gives life. It is Allah that takes life. Im a mere mortal like the rest of you and all I ask is that you pray for me.

In my absence, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will continue to run the affairs of state in his capacity as Acting President.

He did a darn good job while I was away last time out and Im sure hell do a darn good job this time as well.

Its why I chose him as my running mate two years agoa hard worker, that Osinbajo.

Im sure that governance wont suffer while I am away because Osi baba knows wassup and I have handed him a free rein to do what's best for our nation.

I have transmitted a letter to the national assembly notifying them of my absence, in accordance with section 145 of the 1999 constitution, as amended.

Please, while Im away, all those jobless persons pasting 2019 campaign posters in my name should desist forthwith.

Only wicked and brainless idiots will be campaigning for me midway through my first term, especially because I havent delivered on hundreds of 2015 campaign promises.

Let God be the one to take care of 2019.

Do accord Osinbajo and all my ministers all the support they'll require, while Im gone.

God bless you and God bless the federal republic of Nigeria.

Signed:

Muhammadu Buhari

President, Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Fani-Kayode had in the recent times described Osinbanjo as a slave to dark and shameless cabal in Aso Rock.

We have a Vice President who has been held captive and who is now a slave to some dark, sinister, evil and shameless cabal, Fani-Kayode once wrote in an article.

According to the statement signed by Kola Salawu, the National Coordinator of COPYA, Fani-Kayodes campaign is targeted on driving a wedge between the smooth running relationship between Osinbajo and his boss who are currently enjoying the best of relationship.

The statement reads:

"You might have known Femi Fani-Kayode as the former Minister of Aviation that is currently scurrying from one court to another over cases of graft brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

ALSO READ: Fani-Kayode mocks Osinbajo for saying Buhari treats him like his child

The alleged crimes date as far back as when he was in office as an appointee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He is someone who had the benefit of being in office courtesy of a political party which blatantly stated that stealing is not corruption.

The Acting President must not heed the call for war being chorused by this rubble and must not allow himself to be dragged into dirty politics at the detriment of his spiritual and professional calling as an accomplished Nigerian before venturing into politics.

If FFK truly has the interest of the Yoruba race at heart, he should immediately declare a ceasefire on issues pertaining to the President's health and surrender to the supremacy of Tinubu as the leader of the Yoruba nation as far as Nigerian politics is concerned. He has unequivocally demanded a ceasefire from all peace-loving Yoruba sons and daughters in the media and holding other assets of propaganda.
Punch reports that the possibility of providing daily bulletin/update on the Presidents health has been ruled out by sources in the Federal Government.

It was further reported that sources stressed that there was no need for such updates since Buhari had handed over to the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, who is now the acting President.

The minister of information, Lai Mohammed as well as media aides to President Buhari, Garba Shehu and Femi Adesina are yet to release any statement on the health of the president since he left Nigeria on Sunday, May 7, 2017.

President Buhari travelled to London last Sunday, almost two months after he returned from three months long medical treatment.

He had first left the country for London on January 19, 2017 and returned on March 10, 2017, in what would be his longest medical trip ever so far.

ALSO READ: Health of Nigeria's president stokes governance concerns
Two of the bombers detonated their bombs as they faced interrogation by the security men at the gate, killing one of them and injuring another.

The third bomber, who had hidden close to a building near the gate, also detonated her explosive. She was the only casualty.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) based in Maiduguri, confirmed the death of four persons, including the bombers, in a statement on Saturday by Mal. Abdulkadir Ibrahim, the North East Information officer of the agency.

Today at 1:10am, three suicide bombers, two men and a woman attempted to gain access into University of Maiduguri, but were sighted by the university security that stopped them for interrogation.

While interrogating them, the two suicide bombers detonated their explosives devices which injured one of the securities and killed another.

ALSO READ: Boko Haram is facing financial challenges

The third suicide bomber hid close to the vicinity of a building in the university later detonated her explosive which affected the structure of the building with no casualty.
In a report by Punch Newspaper, Abdulrazak Barkindo, the Director of Media of the NGF debunked the reports saying an earlier decision of the court to stop usage of the NGFs account had been lifted.

Barkindo reportedly said that the embargo on the usage of the account had been lifted following the decision of the consultant, Mr. Ned Nwodo to settle the issue out of court.

I saw the report in the newspapers. How can EFCC freeze an account? Only a court can freeze an account. Anyway, the figure people are bandying now is not correct.

There was a consultant who sued us to court, he sought N53 billion from us, and we had issued a press statement a long time ago that the consultant still continues to come and claim money for work perhaps that they did in ten years or so.

ALSO READ: 7 Governors reportedly under investigation by EFCC

So this one that we have no relationship with came and sued and asked the court to stop us from using the account which the court did and we had already settled. The court de-froze the account and we have settled out of court with him," Barkindo said.
Osinbajo's spokesman, Laolu Akande, quoted him as saying this on Thursday, May 11, in Katsina state.

The Acting President is in the state, which is also Buhari's home state, for the launch of the micro small and medium enterprises (MSME) clinic.

Shortly after his arrival in the state, Osinbajo proceeded to the palace of the Emir of Katsina, Abdulmumini Usman.

"In fact, the president has taken me as a son in the way he treats me," Akande quoted Osinbajo as saying.

"I feel very much at home in Katsina. Moreso because this is the state of the president who has taken me as a brother.

"The amount of responsibilities President Buhari has given me shows he seriously believes we can live together as brothers.

"I pray the Lord will preserve our president to continue to lead as the nation has voted him to do. He seriously believes in Nigerian unity," the Acting President said.

ALSO READ: Osinbajo to sign 2017 budget into law
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National Publicity Secretary of the party, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, gave the advice at the opening of a two-day External Communication and Social Media Workshop organised for them in Abuja on Friday.

The workshop was organised by the party, in collaboration with the International Republican Institute (IRI), a non-profit and non-partisan organisation which advocates freedom and democracy worldwide.

As a party that was in the opposition, we went round the country asking people to vote for us and made promises; people will now hold us to account for those promises.

They will recall that we were a party that was in opposition and that there were things we said as opposition that presumed that we were operating on high moral grounds.

Now that we are in government, they will want to hold us to the same, if not higher standard, and they will ask questions, he said.

Abdullahi added that while some persons would ask nicely, others may not, and cautioned, therefore, that the party`s spokespersons should not see such persons as enemies.

One thing that is clear to me is that my job will be easier if I do not see anyone who criticises the party as its enemy, he said, adding that he took every criticism as well-intentioned, while sticking to available facts.

He charged the spokesperson to see the workshop as an opportunity for them to share knowledge on how they could work better while supporting one another.

Abdullahi commended the spokespersons for attending the workshop and further charged them to see it as an avenue to interact and learn from their experiences.

ALSO READ: Is the APC becoming a haven for politically exposed persons?

He advised them to remain civil even when the opposition operated like they were in a state of war.

As a party in government, there is a level of temperament that is expected of you since the house belongs to you, he said.
Ogah has accepted defeat 24 hours after Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen led five-man bench unanimously affirmed Ikpeazus election and dismissing his appeal for lacking in substance.

In a statement released by Ogah's aides on Saturday, May 13, 2017, the ex-governorship aspirant said he had accepted the verdict and urged all the people of the state to support Ikpeazu as governor of the state.

On the 12th of May 2017, the Supreme Court of Nigeria gave their final verdict over my case with Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, the governor of Abia State. Even though a painful verdict, but as someone that believes in the rule of law and the judiciary, I have accepted the decision of the apex court in good faith," the statement began.

Continuing, Ogah said: As the legal battle comes to an end with the Supreme Courts declaration, Im exceedingly happy today that in the course of this struggle, I never resorted to self-help nor encouraged my supporters to indulge in any form of violence either in my State or elsewhere.

ALSO READ: Supreme Court affirms Abia governors victory

May I especially thank my teeming supporters for standing by me all through this journey and may I also use this golden opportunity to congratulate His Excellency, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, governor of Abia State and urge all Abians to join hands in supporting the Governor in order to move our dear state forward.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem described the U.S. border with Mexico as a war zone last year when she sent dozens of state National Guard troops there. Noem said theyd be on the front lines of stopping drug smugglers and human traffickers. But newly released records from the National Guard show that in their two-month deployment, the South Dakota troops didnt seize any drugs and sometimes went days without encountering any migrants at all. Noem justified the deployment and a widely criticized private donation to fund as a state emergency because of drugs making their way across the southern border to South Dakota. But the records cast doubt on whether the deployment was effective in addressing that.
Merkel said in front of supporters in Aachen on Saturday, that new debt in Germanys most populous state was higher than in all other German states combined.

Somethings wrong here, she said, noting that in spite of the fresh debt, the number of children per classroom was higher in North Rhine Westphalia than in any other state in the nation.

Opinion polls have pointed to a very close race between Merkels Christian Democrats (CDU) and their centre-left Social Democrat (SPD) rivals in the state with 18 million residents.

The SPD currently governs the state in a coalition with the Green Party.
"We will inaugurate the bilateral consultative mechanism on issues of particular concern to each side. This is where the sensitive issues will be discussed," Ambassador Jose "Chito" Santa Romana said in Beijing in comments aired by ABS-CBN television.

Santa Romana made the comments ahead of Duterte's arrival in Beijing to attend the One Belt, One Road summit on Sunday and Monday -- a pet project of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"The first session will be next week but this will be a session that will continue on a twice-yearly basis, a chance to exchange views on the South China Sea issue," he said.

China claims nearly all of the strategically vital waterway, despite partial counter-claims from several regional states including the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Santa Romana said the Duterte administration was putting the South China Sea dispute on a separate track while pursuing economic and diplomatic relations with China, adding that previously bilateral ties had been "frozen" because the territorial row had taken centre stage.

"There is a whole sphere of relationships you can fast-track without giving up your sovereignty claim. To put it on a separate track is not to abandon or give up but rather to compartmentalise it," he said.

Duterte has sought closer ties with China and Russia while distancing the Philippines from its traditional ally, the United States.

Last month, he alarmed observers when he issued a chairman's statement, after hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, which took a soft stance towards Chinese actions in the South China Sea.

The statement merely took note of "concerns expressed by some leaders over recent developments in the area".

It also ignored an international tribunal ruling last year which said China's claims to most of the sea were unlawful.
Snatched might be just the movie to grab with your mom in celebration of Mothers Day. That is, if your mom doesnt mind R-rated vulgarity and a lot of raunchiness.

Amy Schumer plays the same kind of character she did in the superior Trainwreck  outspoken, brash and freewheeling. This time, Schumer is Emily, whom we meet in a clothing store.

Emily is preparing to travel to Ecuador with her boyfriend (Randall Park, Trainwreck). Theres a great scene in which they discuss why the trip isnt going to happen. Now Emily, with two non-refundable tickets, is in search of someone to accompany her.

Despite her social-media offers, Emily cant find any takers. So she decides her mother Linda (Goldie Hawn, returning to the big screen for the first time in 15 years) is the ideal candidate. Her mother is overly worried and has lost her spirit of adventure. What better way to improve her moms life? Emily thinks.

Reluctantly, Linda agrees to go with Emily, leaving behind Emilys brother Jeffrey (Ike Barinholtz, Suicide Squad) and Lindas beloved cats.

Linda wants to read novels during a quiet, laid-back vacation. But Emily wants to drink and party, and becomes even more determined to do just that when she meets the handsome James (Tom Bateman, televisions Da Vincis Demons). Hes charming, smart, and Emily is instantly smitten with him, especially when he takes her to an off-the-grid party where she proceeds to become drunk.

The next day, he convinces both Emily and Linda to let him take them on a day trip. Naturally, mother and daughter are kidnapped, and suddenly nerdy Jeffrey is all that stands between his family and a lifetime of captivity. Also coming to the rescue are the hilarious Joan Cusack and Wanda Sykes as women acquaintances from the resort.

Emily learns that her overprotective mothers fears are founded in reality, while Linda learns that her daughter can be resourceful and helpful.

Not all of the script is witty, but theres enough real humor here to make it worthwhile. Screenwriter Katie Dippold, former writer for televisions Parks and Recreation also penned the enjoyable The Heat, and the two films share a similar tone. It plays to Schumers comic timing and tremendous ability to laugh at herself, particularly in awkward situations (so awkward, in fact, that I cannot write about them here).
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey will be named to a newly created position in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a farm industry website has reported.

Northey, a Spirit Lake farmer in his third term as state ag secretary, previously has said hed consider a post in the USDA. Saturday, the Republican wrote on Facebook he would not confirm the report.

I appreciate the kind comments and support from so many friends here in Iowa and across the country as news has circulated recently about a possible role for me at USDA, he wrote. The appointment process can take time to unfold and it is important not to be overly presumptive. I hope you will all understand that I cannot confirm anything or make any formal comment about the rumored appointment at USDA.

According to an article posted Friday by agweb.com  an online report of the Farm Journal  Northey is expected to become undersecretary for farm production and conservation, one of three positions created under a reorganization by new USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue. The position oversees the Farm Service Agency, Risk Management Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Agweb.com quoted Jim Wiesemeyer, senior vice president of policy and trade issues for Informa Economics Inc., as saying you can almost go to the bank on the appointment. The company specializes in agribusiness analysis.

If Northey were to leave for the federal post, his replacement for the rest of his term would be named by the governors office. The position is up for election in 2018.

Northey was among those who advised the Donald Trump campaign on agricultural issues.

In January, before Trump had been sworn in as president, Iowas Sen. Chuck Grassley tweeted his support for Northey being named to the top USDA job. Why dont THEY settle on a gr8 VOICE FOR AGRICULTURE BILL NORTHEY, he tweeted.

Perdue, a former governor of Georgia, was later named to the job.

Citing unnamed sources, the political news website Politico reported April 27 that Northey was being considered for deputy secretary, the ag departments No. 2 spot.

Northey has said he would consider taking a role with the USDA.

I dont know what role that might be, he said on a call with reporters at the time. I certainly would love to work with him as Iowa secretary of ag. If there is another job that is offered, I would be very willing to consider that.

Agweb.com also reported that Sam Clovis, an agricultural adviser to Trump during the campaign, is being eyed as undersecretary for research, education and economics. Clovis has been a conservative activist in northwest Iowa.
JAMESTOWN -- Anita Schmidt said shed rather be back on her farm, but the 96-year-old has adapted to her Ave Maria Village setting by keeping busy and learning the technology that keeps her in touch with family.

She is alert and oriented which most people her age aren't, said Jan Barnes, development director of Ave Maria Village in Jamestown. She is very involved in going to her family's weddings and other things, and she is very tech-savvy on Facebook and playing games on the iPad.

Schmidt, who has eight children, 22 grandchildren and four great-great grandchildren, said she got an iPad for her birthday about three years ago and her granddaughters helped her learn to use it.

I can get by with a lot of stuff, but theres a lot that I dont know, Schmidt said.

Schmidt said she uses the iPad to keep track of her relatives on Facebook and likes to play solitaire. She reads the newspaper on the iPad where she can control the size of the print.

It's just fun to use, she said. I get the obituaries. I havent found my name in it yet.

The nursing home is a different life from the farm located 3 miles south of Crystal Springs that she and husband, William Schmidt, ran since they married in 1939. As a farm wife she shared in the dairy, grain and haying work in addition to raising a family.

I enjoyed it, she said. It was something that you had to do and that you wanted to do.

William passed in 1978, and Anita continued living on the farm. She had a stroke in 2014 and eventually moved to Ave Maria Village in 2016.

Shes just the best mother, said Jeanne Rosemore, Schmidts daughter. She just accepts what comes and makes the best of it that in a way that is such an inspiration.

The stroke has kept Schmidt in a wheelchair, but she continues physical therapy. She joins other residents in helping staff to fold towels daily and is often working on a jigsaw puzzle or taking part in activities.

We go out to eat quite a bit, Schmidt said. I just went shopping with the girls and I dont do that very often.

Schmidt said the mind is what it is and she isnt aware of a secret to staying sharp. She said her ability to learn new things just comes natural and could be related to life on the farm where she had to fix things when they broke.

I always try to be doing something, Schmidt said. You can't be helpless. You have to do what you can and thats it.

The alternative to staying busy is too much sleep, she said. When she doesnt have something to do she plays bingo or watches Andy Griffith, Bonanza and other westerns on television.

Schmidt said she is enjoying getting to know her great-great-granddaughter Avery, who just turned 2. She said Avery is an outside girl who likes the cattle and calves.

She calls me Grandma Push because she wants to push the wheelchair, Schmidt said. She's learning to talk and is smart for her age.

Mothers Day is special, she said, even though this year will be without one of her daughters, who passed away last winter. This year her family will take her to a buffet or on a picnic, depending on the weather.

Life goes on, Schmidt said. You look forward to it even though not all the kids will be here.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. | The reward for information leading to whoever shot a rare white wolf found inside Yellowstone National Park rose to $10,000 on Friday after a wolf advocacy group matched a $5,000 reward offered earlier by the park.

Yellowstone officials euthanized the severely injured wolf after hikers found the animal suffering in the northern edge of the park, near Gardiner, Montana, on April 11. The 12-year-old wolf that was killed was the alpha female of a group of wolves dubbed the Canyon Pack and a popular target of photographers.

The park offered a $5,000 reward Thursday for information leading to a conviction after announcing a preliminary necropsy finding that the wolf had been shot.

The Montana group Wolves of the Rockies followed up with its own $5,000 reward.

Park officials have not said whether they have leads in their investigation into who killed the wolf, but Wolves of the Rockies President Marc Cook speculated the wolf's killer was someone angry about the reintroduction of wolves to the park more than two decades ago.

"People take matters into their own hands and feel they are above the law and they kind of flaunt that fact that they can do what they want to do and there's no repercussions," Cook said.

Park officials also have not commented on a motive for the wolf's killing, but many hunting outfitters and ranchers oppose the presence of the wolves, which now number about 100 in the park. Wolves prey on big-game animals popular with hunters, such as elk, and sometimes kill cattle on pastures outside Yellowstone.

The shooting happened at a time of transition for wolves in nearby Wyoming, where a federal appeals court ruled in March that they could be removed from Endangered Species Act protection.

Environmentalists had persuaded a judge to put wolves back on the endangered list in Wyoming in 2014. Their concerns included a shoot-on-sight provision for wolves in most of the state, one that does not exist in Idaho or Montana.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia found Wyoming adequately addressed those concerns. Wolves went back off the endangered list in Wyoming on April 25.

Reclassified by the state as predators of livestock, they once again may be shot on sight by anyone in most of Wyoming outside Yellowstone, Grand Teton National Park and nearby wild country. Relatively few wolves wander far from the Yellowstone region in Wyoming.

The wolf found shot in Yellowstone was more than 70 miles from where it could legally have been shot on sight in Wyoming two weeks later when wolves found there had been taken off the endangered list.

The dead wolf was double the average age of a Yellowstone wolf and had at least 20 pups, of which 14 became yearlings. She was together with the same alpha male wolf for more than nine years, park officials said.
SIOUX FALLS | The Flandreau Santee Sioux tribe is suing South Dakota over the state's interpretation that contractors working on an expansion of the Royal River Casino are required to pay contractor excise taxes to the state.

The Argus Leader reported that the lawsuit alleges it's an intrusion into tribal sovereignty and is conflicting with U.S. laws that regulate commerce on reservations.

"The economic burden and the intrusion into tribal sovereignty interfere and are incompatible with the federal and tribal interests in promoting tribal self-government, self-sufficiency and economic development," the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit is the latest clash between the tribe and the state. The tribe's casino has often been a flashpoint for disputes.

The Flandreau started expanding the casino after Gov. Dennis Daugaard agreed to allow the tribe to double the number of slots it had there. The tribe agreed to increase payments to Moody County to offset law enforcement expenses.

Daugaard's chief of staff, Tony Venhuizen, said the tribe doesn't collect the contractors' excise tax.

"It is collected and remitted by the contractor," he said.

The contractor filed notices of protest with the remitted payments to the state, the lawsuit said.

"In each notice, the contractor requested that the state refund the payment to the tribe, explaining that the tribe had reimbursed the contractor for the taxes paid, and that the contractor authorized the tribe to commence and pursue any refund action which may be necessary on the contractor's behalf," the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit joins another filed by the tribe in 2014, which argues the tribe shouldn't have to collect sales or use tax on non-tribal members at the Royal River Casino and related businesses.
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFNS) | For one Algerian family, 6,600 miles was the distance between a life of struggle, promise and opportunity.

Their journey has carried them over thousands of miles, from a barren region in Africa to Californias Simi Valley where eventually the Harchaoui triplets  Myriam, Rabah and Warda  would join the U.S. Air Force. Scott Air Force Base is now home to Myriam, who recently reflected on her unique journey.

Growing up we were very poor, said Airman Myriam Harchaoui, a 436th Supply Chain Operations Squadron C-130 stock control apprentice. Our mom fought for us to move to the states because of life (in Algeria). It was like the movies  a desert with a ton of beat-up buildings.

Her mother, Brigit Wilcox, arrived in California at first with just the three boys in the family, leaving Myriam and her sister, Warda, in the care of grandparents. They were not able to come at the same time because the government only allowed the boys to leave, but when the girls reached age 5, they were able to join their family.

When they arrived they didnt know how to speak English and had to adjust to the different culture. Myriam said she was able to pick up the language quickly, and Warda, now an Airman assigned to the 60th Medical Operations Squadron at Travis AFB, California, said she learned the language through the Boys and Girls Club.

Their brother, Rabah, who is an Airman assigned to the 56th Security Forces Squadron, at Luke AFB, Arizona, was age 2 when he moved so its all hes really known.

Growing up here gave me a lot of opportunities and it has been a blessing so far, he said.

After graduating high school, the Harchaouis saw the Air Force as a good option because their older brother, Sofiane, had served six years as an F-16 avionics specialist.

Additionally, the triplets were a part of their high school's Junior ROTC, so they were introduced to the idea of the military early.

In 2016, they each raised their right hand in commitment to the Air Force, and they each had their own reason for doing so.

Myriam said, When I was younger I always wanted to join since the government had done so much for us and getting my family to the states, that I saw it as a way to give back.

Warda and Rabah said they saw the opportunities the military lifestyle offered.

Having a single mother with five children, we couldnt all be put through college, Warda said. I wanted to avoid the mistake of going through college right away and not knowing what I wanted to do, and I saw what the Air Force was able to offer.

For Rabah, the military was a stepping stone for life after high school that could also provide college opportunities.

Even with all of the benefits the military life has offered, Myriam said this has been the longest they have been apart since those early years, and it has been difficult for them and especially their mother. Still, she has remained very supportive of their decisions.

It went from all of us being together at home to everyone being gone, Myriam said. It was a fast change for her, but she is okay with it because having our brother already serve, she knew the military would take care of us. It has been hard, but she has been very optimistic because she has always wanted the best for us and she pushed us to be successful.

The distance that comes with being members of the military has been tough on the family, but it has also helped strengthen the bond between them. The triplets stay in touch with each other through a group chat where they talk every day, said Myriam.

Rabah added, We always communicate which has made it easier to get through some of the tough times in the military so far. Communication has been key. We can all motivate each other, and we are in this together. Even though we arent under the same roof, we are still together in heart.
Students at the University of South Dakota law school in Vermillion face an additional $2,400 in fees starting this fall.

The fee of $400 per semester would pay for a training program that helps students prepare for the State Bar of South Dakota exam. The $2,400 reflects the total for three years, or six semesters, at the law school.

Students could receive a refund if they ultimately decide to opt out of the BARBRI Bar Review or choose a different approach.

The state Board of Regents made the decision Wednesday to add the fee, while meeting at South Dakota State University in Brookings. USD president Jim Abbott said the $2,400 would save at least $1,000 apiece for most law students. He said the list price for BARBRIs preparation course is $3,495.

A report provided beforehand to the regents described the Dallas, Texas-based organization as the leading market provider for bar preparation instruction.

Abbott said making the fee mandatory would also make it eligible to be covered by student loans.

Regent Kevin Schieffer of Sioux Falls spoke against it. I struggle a little bit with making it a mandatory thing, said Schieffer, who is a lawyer.

Abbott countered that law school application rates are down 40 percent nationally and USD has raised its requirement for law school entrance.

Schieffer in turn said he wouldnt be bothered if the fee wasnt across the board. I can see how that would be very difficult to administer, he said.

Regent Harvey Jewett of Aberdeen said the vast, vast majority of law school graduates from USD takes the bar exam. Theyre intending to practice law, Jewett, a lawyer, said.
Maureen Hopkins son committed suicide in 2015. Christine Shey understands her pain: Her uncle committed suicide, and she once attempted to kill herself.

Both women shared their stories Thursday afternoon at the Mental Health First Aid Training: Military Members, Veterans, & Their Families. The seminar, held inside the The Retired Enlisted Association building, laid out a five-step process for assisting people during a mental health crisis.

It also addressed how to help active military members and veterans in crisis, a population that is often averse to seeking help, course instructor Stephanie Schweitzer Dixon said in an interview.

In the military theres a lot of that worry and stigma about whether or not they should seek help, she said. Theyre tough and they dont want to lose their job. There are a whole lot of differences in what they saw in their job and what they experienced.

Schweitzer Dixon is also the executive director of the Front Porch Coalition, which hosted the seminar. The nonprofit focuses on mental health and suicide prevention.

Schweitzer Dixon and the Front Porch Coalition also teach versions of the seminar that target young people, first responders and law enforcement.

The goal, though, remains the same: teaching people to identify the signs and symptoms of someone in a mental health crisis, determining whether theyre at risk of suicide or self-harm, and then reacting in a manner that will assist rather than worsen the situation.

(The goal is) keeping them safe during the crisis and then getting them professional help, Schweitzer Dixon said.

In rural areas or places where professional assistance difficult to get, that becomes even more critical. When the resources are limited they have to talk to people that they trust, she said. Thats why this training is important."

Staying calm when helping someone in a crisis can, in turn, have a relaxing effect on them. Anxiety creates anxiety, Schweitzer Dixon said. If you just slow down and you take a breath it actually helps ease the other person. Silence is OK.

The suicide rate in the U.S. rose by 24 percent from 1999 to 2014, to 13 suicides per 100,000 people, according to a National Center for Health Statistics study.

A U.S. Veterans Affairs study into veteran suicide rates in 2014 reported a 32 percent rise since 2001, to 35.3 suicides per 100,000 veterans.

For people like Hopkins and Shey, combating the silence and stigma starts with sharing their stories.

Its part of my journey of just wanting to learn all I can about suicide, said Hopkins, who volunteered for the Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors team, a group of first responders that offer support to those affected by a sudden suicide. I just feel like its kind of this entity, and I just got to stare it in the eye to understand it better, to know it better so that we can help eliminate it.

"The only way we can do that with mental health is for us as a community to be watching out for each other. We need to be able to be open and talk about it.

Shey, who is also a L.O.S.S. volunteer, said eliminating the collective and personal stigma associated with mental disease is just as important. Its not something that you should be ashamed of, she said. You should just feel comfortable in your skin. Im trying to fight the stigma because I do believe that if you really truly want to get better and get the help you can, you dont have to let your issues control you. You can control your issues.

For more information, visit frontporchcoalition.org or email Schweitzer Dixon at ssdixon@frontporchcoalition.org. If you or somebody you know is having a mental health crisis, contact the Crisis Care Center, 121 North St., at 391-4863 or 381-2482. They are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
EDGEMONT | Supporters of a proposed uranium mine near this small community said Thursday at a public hearing that the project would provide a much-needed economic boost, while opponents expressed fears over the environmental impact.

Dont let emotional propaganda overpower reason, Kenneth Barker, 83, told representatives of the Environmental Protection Agency at St. James Catholic Church on Third Avenue.

Barker, who owns land near the proposed mining site, was one of 25 people to speak at the hourslong hearing. Most said they were against the project, citing environmental and water quality concerns.

Why ruin a sweet and beautiful place for money?" asked Isaiah Cox. "Money is not everything.

Powertech, a U.S.-based division of the global Azarga Uranium Corp., wants to receive two permits from the EPA that would be another step forward for the company to begin its Dewey Burdock in situ uranium mining project.

One permit would allow Powertech to drill some 4,000 injection wells that would be used to mine the uranium the company says is in Dewey Burdock. The second is for four deep injection wells that will be used to dispose of waste fluids from the in situ process.

These fluids, according to the company, would be pumped into the Minnelusa aquifer formation after treatment to meet radioactive and hazardous waste standards.

Former Edgemont Mayor Carl Shaw said the community strongly supports the project and submitted the city councils resolution of support to the EPA. Shaw sees the uranium mine as a much-needed economic stimulus that could help local schools and businesses.

The engineering and science behind the proposed mine is sound, Shaw said, adding that he is tired of young people with engineering and science degrees leaving Edgemont for work in North Dakota and Wyoming oil fields. He said the project should move forward without undue burdens on the company.

John Putnam, whose land is right in the middle of the proposed project, voiced support and said his great-grandfather began the family legacy there 120 years ago. His family is one of the two that live directly in the mine area, Putnam said.

I depend on good water to ranch, he said, and if anyone is at risk, its us. I rule on the side of science, not emotion.

Local teacher Linda Tidball, a 25-year resident who married into a fifth generation Edgemont family, said she wouldnt want to do anything to contaminate the water. Tidball said she enjoys the natural resources surrounding her and after reviewing the companys information, she believes the projects engineers have sound science.

Many other people who spoke at the hearing expressed doubt that Powertech would make protecting the environment a priority.

Eileen Olleger of Hot Springs, a former teacher, lived in New Jersey before moving to South Dakota. Pollution was rampant on the East Coast, she said, and big corporations and greed had ruined the land. She lauded Edgemonts natural beauty and its people, and asked why anyone would consider turning the area into a toxic dump site.

Tishan Sapowin (Black Shawl Woman) lives along the Cheyenne River on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, downstream from Dewey Burdock. Sapowin said the whole project is illegal because the Black Hills belong to the Lakota under recognized treaty rights.

"The EPA has the power to grant or deny this, and its racism and genocide all over again," she said. "Do something right. Can you go home and look your children in the eye after granting this and know you did something right? Please dont poison me, my son, the kids who had the courage to sing a song for you tonight.

Dorothy Roland Sun Bear of Wounded Knee and Sophia Black Cloud of Hot Springs showed the EPA a turtle they found outside the church. It had a deformed head, which they claimed was due to uranium mining in Edgemont.

After listening to all of the speakers, EPA Administrative Judge Elena Sutton promised the EPA would be thoughtful in determining how to move forward."
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JAMESTOWN -- Three Jamestown area Korean War veterans are taking part in the Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., this weekend.

Two Navy veterans, Bud Johnson and Clayton Bertsch, along with Army veteran Vern Brown, said visiting memorials with fellow veterans will be special.

The nonprofit Honor Flight Network provides veterans with transportation and tours of war memorials.

I am certainly looking forward to it, said Johnson, 86, of Jamestown. I put in for it some time ago, and I was very pleased to be picked to go.

Johnson said his father was a veteran of World War I.

I am interested in seeing all of the memorials, Johnson said. They all mean quite a bit to me.

Johnson served in the Navy from 1950-54 aboard two Iowa class battleships, the USS Missouri and the USS New Jersey. This included three tours of duty in the Korean War as a deckhand.

Johnsons image is captured in a Life Magazine photo while he served as a guard at the Korean Armistice Agreement negotiations that ended the war on July 27, 1953. Johnson moved to Jamestown in 1966 to work as a wholesaler, where he and wife, Patricia, raised one daughter.

Patricia passed away in 2016.

Clayton Bertsch, 79, served from 1954-58 as a pipefitter aboard the USS Brown, with duty in San Diego, Korea, the Philippines and Australia. He met his wife, Pearl, through her brother, John Wanous, a shipmate from South Dakota. The couple raised three daughters.

Another Wanous brother, Jerry, served at the same time aboard the fleet oiler USS Tolovana. All three are going on the Honor Flight together.

Ive never flown before so that will be another experience for me, Bertsch said. I think it's going to be a little exciting but I am a little leery because I am scared of heights -- but everyone says theres nothing to it.

Bertsch worked in plumbing and heating for the state of North Dakota until 2000 and then the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He is now retired on his hobby farm in Ypsilanti.

Vern Brown served with the Army in 1952-53. For 12 months he was a truck driver assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division, hauling ammunition to front line units in Korea.

We had to drive in blackout (no headlights at night) but we got by pretty good, Brown said. I got there just before they had the treaty and they talked about rotating us home, but they just closed it down.

Brown said visiting the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington will mean something to him. He thinks often about his Korean War buddies, he said.

I would just like to see everything in general, Brown said. I have no idea what it will be like.

Brown will be accompanied by his oldest granddaughter and caregiver, Amanda Brown. She was also a truck driver in the Army and served two tours of duty in Iraq.

At the time I served I didnt know he was also a truck driver in the Army, Amanda Brown said. I grew up around mechanics and I figured it was something different to try.

Vern Brown was born in Courtenay and married Mary Klose on Jan. 2, 1952, just before enlisting in the Army at age 22. The couple raised two sons and one daughter. Mary and a son, Michael, are deceased.

I lost her four years ago on the 13th of this month, Brown said.

Brown returned from Korea and moved to Jamestown to work as a truck mechanic. He and fellow mechanic Mark Wanzek bought the Jamestown Truck and Diesel business and ran it until selling it in 1998, he said.
WASHINGTON | Possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign was once little more than a conspiracy theory, but not anymore. The only way to make sense of this week's stunning events is to conclude there is something that President Trump desperately wants to hide.

The party-line explanation of why Trump fired FBI Director James Comey  that it was all about the way Comey handled the probe of Hillary Clinton's emails  crumbled within hours. Press secretary Sean Spicer comically ducked behind shrubbery on the White House grounds, hiding from television cameras, to give reporters a confused and disjointed account of the dismissal. Efforts to blame the whole thing on Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein ceased after Rosenstein reportedly threatened to resign.

Well-sourced reports in The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and other news outlets agreed on a very different explanation: Trump had grown increasingly angry at the doggedness with which Comey's FBI was investigating how and why Russia meddled in the election. The president decided to fire Comey, then had Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Rosenstein come up with a rationale.

If this were a criminal trial, prosecutors would allege that the president was displaying "consciousness of guilt"  that he was acting in a way no innocent person would act. Indeed, the only other president to try to head off an investigation by firing the chief investigator was Richard Nixon.

Of course, Trump is not accused of anything at this point. And it may be just a coincidence that on Wednesday, a day after firing Comey, the president met in the Oval Office with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Photographers from the White House press corps were barred from the meeting, but one who works for the Russian news agency Tass was allowed in. Perhaps Trump only thinks of U.S. journalists as "the enemy."

I do believe in coincidences, up to a point. And I know that conspiracy theories usually turn out to be wrong. But I can see no explanation for Trump's bizarre attitude toward the allegations of Russian meddling other than a desire to conceal something.

For months, Trump dismissed the conclusion of the U.S. intelligence community that Russia was ultimately responsible for hacking into computer systems and email accounts associated with the Democratic Party, then leaking information that was damaging to Hillary Clinton's campaign.

Trump named Michael Flynn  a controversial figure, partly because of his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin  as his national security adviser. And when Sally Yates, then serving as acting attorney general, told the White House that Flynn had lied when he denied discussing U.S. sanctions with Kislyak, and thus could be vulnerable to Russian blackmail, Trump waited 18 days to fire him. The president acted only after Flynn's deception became public knowledge.

And Flynn had been a prominent Trump adviser during the campaign. Experts say he may potentially be in legal jeopardy, which makes him someone an aggressive investigator such as Comey would likely squeeze for information about others.

During the campaign, Sessions, who was then a U.S. senator, and Trump foreign policy adviser Carter Page also met with Kislyak as did Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. It is possible that these were nothing more than courtesy calls. But given the backdrop of a Russian effort to boost Trump's prospects of winning the election, all meetings between senior campaign figures and Russian officials deserve scrutiny.

In an interview Thursday with NBC's Lester Holt, Trump said that Comey told him once over dinner and twice in phone calls that he was not personally being investigated. Trump described one of the exchanges this way: "I said, 'If it's possible, would you let me know, am I under investigation?' He said, 'You are not under investigation.'"

Trump apparently thinks this means something, but of course it does not. Typical investigative procedure is to start at the bottom of an organization and work your way up. "You are not under investigation" does not mean "You will never be under investigation."

Trump claims to have no business ties with Russia. But in the past, his sons have reportedly bragged about a flood of Russian money boosting the Trump Organization's fortunes. Trump could settle the question by fully disclosing his finances, including his tax returns. Why the secrecy?

If Trump wanted to end this scrutiny by firing Comey, he may have had the opposite effect. Ask yourself one question: Have you ever seen a cover-up with no underlying crime?
Nearly everything about the Missouri River is big.

The river itself starts big, its not so humble beginnings forming at the confluence of the Jefferson, Gallatin and Madison. It flows for 783 miles in Montana alone. Upon leaving our great state it travels through six more states before joining the Mississippi. At 2,341 miles, its the longest river in North America, eclipsing the Mississippi by 21 miles.

The legends surrounding the Missouri are big as well. In elementary school, I used to sit wide-eyed and listen to stories of Lewis, Clark and their crew paddling, wading, and porting their way up this enormous river is search of the Northwest Passage.

The Rocky Mountain Front is big, massive really. The towering mountains jut out of the Great Plains, standing like sentries as far as the eye can see. The winds on the edge of the front can also be big, making fly-fishing nearly impossible at times.

The trout population below Holter Dam, our destination for trip 40 of our resolution, is also big, with a long term average over 3,000 fish per mile. Around 35 percent of these fish are over 18 inches.

While nearly everything about the Missouri River is big, the flies on the end of our lines were not. They were tiny. The trout below Holter spend their days devouring an insane supply of small aquatic insects. We were all tossing wet flies, sizes 16-22, approximately 5-7 millimeters log, at the Missouris robust, feisty trout.

As a three day trip, our latest adventure didnt flow continuously as a clean narrative. Instead, it provided moments creating a Missouri River montage.

As Nate, Keith and I began our downstream march along the Mo, the sounds of the river overwhelmed us.

No sound existed save for waterfowl. Clusters of common Goldeneye dotted the river. At our approach, they would take to flight. The scrambling webbed feet on water erupted in splashing frenzy, followed by a cascade of whistling sounds with each beat of their wings. They buzzed through the air like a squadron of jets, wings whistling raucously, before landing back in the waters with a splash a safe distance from our passing.

Every minute or so, as we progressed down the river, a new squadron would take off, and the cacophony would again commence. We finally settled into a riffle, allowing the Goldeneye to settle into one as well. Knee deep in the riffle, the various noises of geese, hawks, ducks, Sandhill Cranes and other species of birds provided stereo sound of nothing but waterfowl and water. It was magical to be surrounded by only birdsong and bird sound.

A few miles below Holter Dam, less than 20 minutes after settling into our run, Keith hooked the first fish of the day. The fish fought valiantly, with multiple runs and endless headshakes. Keith stayed calm and collected. He worked the fish toward Nate, who netted an 18-plus inch rainbow that was slightly smaller than Keiths grin.

That night another friend, Ryan Tellock, joined the trip. We settled into a few games of washers under the starlight. Coyotes yipped and howled in the distance. Around the fire, conversation flowed along like the Missouri a few yards away thanks to the anticipation of day two of a three day trip. Knowing from the moment the sun started providing light to the moment the Earth blocked it, we would be waist deep in trout water allows for an unparalleled level of contentment.

Day two we had waded out to an island, surrounding ourselves with water and trout.

About a half an hour into the day, my indicator vanished and a battle ensued. Unlike most trout, Missouri trout dont seem to fear their captor. The width of the river allows the fish to run any direction.

Instead of constantly fighting against the tension of the line, this trout charged right toward me. I began reeling as quickly as possible. It wasnt enough. I was about to lose tension. Rod tip extend high, still reeling frantically, I made a made a mad dash for the bank, running as fast as possible, splashing along in the thigh deep water, desperately trying to keep tension.

The trout barreled toward me, getting within a couple feet, before I reached the bank and began to scramble up it. Ryan followed closely, net at the ready, but a foot from the bank, the trout finally achieved slack with a couple hard headshakes above the waters surface. It spit the fly, and zipped back into the water, having bested me at last.

Day three offered a decidedly different feeling than day two. The entire day didnt lay in front of us like a blank canvas. There was a sense of urgency to the final day fish. We had a short window of time; the discussion while wandering back among the Goldeneye was how great it would be if we could all land one last fish.

Standing the in shadows of the morning, less than 15 minutes in, my strike indicator, slowly bobbing along in the slack water, disappeared at the tail end of my float. Fish on. Another beautiful rainbow later, I sat content on the bank, watching as three friends patiently plied the waters of the Missouri. Above them, perched on a cliff edge in the morning sun, a deer eyed the three fishermen below. Over time, each of them hooked and landed a fish of their own. The morning was complete.

As we traded the river for the highway, we talked of the Missouri, of trips gone by, and trips to come. We drove over RogersPass making an A River Runs through It Hey Buster, whats an otter doing at the top of RogersPass? joke for the umpteenth time. Nate marveled how through fishing, we had found a way to be happy doing the same thing, and telling the same stories, for over twenty years. I paused at the thought, and then smiled, looking forward to the next 20 years of friendship and fishing, and resolutions that force us to bring the two together.
A former Ravalli County judicial candidate already facing three professional misconduct complaints wants a federal court to stop an investigation into a potential charge against him for criminal defamation.

Robert Myers lawsuit asks the U.S. District Court in Missoula to grant a motion for a preliminary injunction prohibiting the state from enforcing its laws for criminal defamation.

The suit was filed Thursday.

Myers ran and lost in both the primary and general elections last year against incumbent Ravalli County District Judge Jeffrey Langton.

During the course of the election, Myers ran a series of advertisements that made several allegations that Langton had broken the law in different ways.

As a result, the state Office of Disciplinary Counsel filed three professional misconduct complaints against Myer that are set to be heard this summer.

The complaints accuse Myers of making statements that he knew to be false or with reckless regard for the truth concerning Langton's integrity.

In addition, Langton filed a complaint of criminal defamation with the Ravalli County sheriffs office earlier this year, said Ravalli County Sheriff Steve Holton.

That complaint was forwarded to the Missoula sheriffs office for investigation to avoid any potential for a conflict of interest, Holton said.

Myerss lawsuit wants the court to strike down the states criminal defamation statute as unconstitutional and stop the investigation from moving forward.

In the lawsuit, Myers said he had been preparing his defense on the Office of Disciplinary Counsel complaints, which included gathering additional evidence of Langtons abuses of power.

Myers said those efforts ground to a halt last week when he received a telephone call from a Missoula County sheriffs detective who told him that Langton had filed a criminal defamation complaint based on Myers campaign statements.

The detective told Myers that he was investigating the complaint and interviewing witnesses.

Myers lawsuit said those witnesses are the same people he needs to talk with to defend himself against the pending attorney disciplinary charges.

When these witnesses discover that there is an investigation of Myers for criminal defamation based upon Myers allegations of misconduct by Judge Langton, they will become hesitant, to put it charitably, about testifying regarding their own knowledge of Judge Langtons misconduct, the lawsuit read.

The detective told Myers that once the investigation was completed, the report would be forwarded to the Ravalli County Attorneys office.

The states investigation of Myers alleged criminal defamation and impending filing of criminal charges is preventing him from preparing his defense against the states disciplinary proceedings by inhibiting him from speaking with witnesses concerning Judge Langtons misconduct, the suit said. It is also inhibiting Myers from continuing to speak out about Judge Langtons misconduct.

In January, Langton told the Ravalli Republic that he had never seen anything remotely like the smear campaign mounted by Myers that included a number of bizarre accusations.

Myers named Ravalli County Attorney Bill Fulbright and state Attorney General Tim Fox as defendants in the lawsuit, which claims the states criminal defamation statute is overbroad because it criminalizes criticisms of public officials without proof of actual malice.

Last June, Myers filed a federal lawsuit against the state Office of Disciplinary Counsel that asked the court to declare portions of the states codes of judicial and professional conduct unconstitutional.

In that lawsuit, Myers claimed the state ODC forced him to refrain from using a radio advertisement critical of Langton. A trial in that case has been set for September.

The Montana Code of Judicial Conduct requires candidates to be scrupulously fair and accurate in all statements made by them and their campaign committees. The code also requires judicial candidates to review and approve campaign content before it is disseminated.

The ODC complaints are focused on those requirements. Following a formal hearing before an adjudicatory panel, a report of the panels findings will be forwarded to the Montana Supreme Court for potential disciplinary action.

The states criminal defamation law defines defamatory matter as anything that exposes a person or a group to hatred, contempt, ridicule, degradation or disgrace. A person found guilty of criminal defamation could face six months in county jail and a $500 fine.

Myers and Langton have a history of conflict.

In 2014, Langton filed a 42-page order that found Myers had made misrepresentations to the court and ordered him to pay $10,000 in sanctions.
U.S. Navy veteran Bill Butcher says no experience was more nerve-wracking than being an officer aboard a destroyer escort ship during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The time on the front line wasnt without its moments of irony while standing on deck: Everyone was on edge over the possibility of a nuclear conflict that never came.

We were wondering if the people of the United States realized how close we came to disaster, Butcher said. It could happen any instant, but were there holding coffee mugs thinking what could happen next?

The Missouri native spent much of his childhood in Ohio before earning his bachelors degree in economics and psychology from Albion College in Albion, Mich.

Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to be in the Navy and run a ship, Butcher, 77, recalled.

He made his wish come true, enlisting in 1961 and, on Aug. 1 of that year, reporting to Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island. Following basic training, he went to the Boston Naval Shipyard and underwent training to become a communications officer.

In February 1962, Butcher was assigned to the USS Camp, an Edsall-class destroyer escort.

The Camp headed down to Cuba in summer 1962.

We patrolled the Windward Passage between Haiti and Cuba, said Butcher, explaining the goal was to monitor shipping vessels from the Soviet Union.

The Camp was part of the blockade off of Cuba during the 13-day standoff from Oct. 16-28. The standoff between the U.S. and Soviet Union was over the Soviet installation of armed nuclear warheads on the communist island 90 miles from American shores.

To end tensions, Soviet leadership offered to remove the missiles in exchange for a promise that the U.S. wouldnt invade Cuba. It was arguably the closest the two global superpowers came during the decades-long Cold War to initiating a nuclear conflict.

Butcher recalled there were times when ships nearly brushed against each other, which also had the potential to prompt an international incident.

Those were the hairy times for me, Butcher said.

During part of his tour aboard the Camp while in the Caribbean, Cuban refugees adrift on boats were frequently picked up and turned over to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Eventually, Butcher served as an interpreter whenever the Camp picked up refugees. At the time, the captain asked if anyone was able to speak Spanish to assist in communication. No one volunteered.

Captain found in my (personnel) record that Id taken Spanish in college, although I was very poor, said Butcher, adding he was chewed out for not immediately mentioning it.

Toward the end of his time aboard the Camp, the ship spent time in the North Atlantic, based out of Grenock, Scotland. When he returned to the U.S., he became a base administrative officer at the Naval Weapons Lab in Dahlgren, Va.

He left the Navy in February 1966 and made a career change, undergoing training with the FBI.

After stints in Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh and Minneapolis, he was transferred to Minot, where he stayed for about 12 years.

When he was to be transferred to New York City in 1980, he chose to leave the agency, instead. His wife, Dina, was set to be appointed Deputy Agriculture Commissioner, a post she held for seven years. The decision was made to support her career.

I started my private investigator agency, and Ive been doing it ever since," he said of starting W.T Butcher and Associates Ltd. in 1982.

Looking back, Butcher, who has no regrets from his service, said the missile crisis was a time in which everyone was on edge and hes proud to have been a part of it.

It was such a challenge, but it was exactly what I wanted, Butcher said.
MISSOULA  A homeowner in the upper Rattlesnake neighborhood of Missoula shot and killed a cinnamon-phase black bear on his porch Thursday night.

Authorities said they suspect the bear had become habituated to human food, and warned that a second bear exhibiting similar behavior has been reported in the area.

As happens every spring in the Rattlesnake, "droves of bears" began coming into the valley about a week and a half ago after a winter of hibernation, said Jamie Jonkel, an FWP wildlife management specialist.

FWP recently reminded residents that they should take down bird feeders; keep garbage inside closed garages, secured sheds or bear-resistant trash cans; keep their pet food inside, clean up chicken and livestock feed and remove all odorous substances that can attract bears.

Nevertheless, FWP began receiving reports of that cinnamon-phase bear entering garages and tipping garbage cans in search of food. Several people tried to frighten it off, but it would come right up to their homes, leaning on their doors and slobbering, a behavior that indicates it has been fed by humans.

"Someone's been throwing hot dogs or slices of bread to this guy," Jonkel said.

Then last night, a resident of the upper Rattlesnake who preferred to remain anonymous had a run-in with the bear, Jonkel said. He spotted it in his backyard, attempting to roll his bear-resistant garbage can. He tried hollering at the bear, but the animal came up to his porch. The man, who had his small dog with him, shot and killed the bear.

Since there's another bear in the area exhibiting similar behavior, authorities remind residents that it's illegal to feed any wildlife or leave out attractants. Garbage, for instance, should be secured and not placed out until 5 a.m. the day of pick-up.

Once bears have become habituated to human food, they'll likely end up pursuing more, which may place them into contact with humans  and, ultimately, result in their being killed.

Newcomers fed bears in the Rattlesnake neighborhood several years ago, Jonkel said.

"You get new folks in there and they think it's pretty cute to drink cocktails on the back porch and throw hard candy and Wonder Bread" out for the wildlife, Jonkel said. "Now we have another bear exhibiting similar behavior."

Anyone with information about residents intentionally feeding bears is asked to contact the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks at 406-542-5500 or use the anonymous tip line, 1-800-TIP-MONT.

For more information on laws in the "bear-buffer zones" including the Rattlesnake, go to missoulabears.org.
Top of the Hill Flaherty & Collins

An early site plan shows the potential layout for the Top of the Hill project proposed by Flaherty & Collins Properties, a developer based in Indianapolis.

(Michelle Jarboe/The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Flaherty & Collins Properties, the runner-up developer in a contest last year to tackle a high-profile site in Cleveland Heights, is getting a second shot at the project.

Cleveland Heights City Council will see legislation Monday to lay the groundwork for a development deal between Flaherty & Collins and the city, which owns the roughly 4-acre Top of the Hill property at Euclid Heights Boulevard and Cedar Road.

The city announced its plans late Friday, a day after disclosing that talks with the first-pick developer, Fairmount Properties, failed.

"During the selection process last October, Flaherty & Collins was a strong contender for the project, and they continue to be interested in partnering with us to develop the Top of the Hill," Tanisha Briley, the city manager, said in a news release posted on the city's website Saturday. "We believe that says a lot about the interest and excitement surrounding this site and in new development in Cleveland Heights."

Based in Indianapolis, Flaherty & Collins develops, builds, owns and runs apartment properties across the Midwest. After emerging as one of two finalists for the Top of the Hill project, the company teamed up with Liberty Development Co. of Westlake, another developer that responded to a city request for proposals in early 2016.

The Flaherty & Collins plan involved at least 250 apartments, with the possibility of a partial condominium conversion. The company also proposed 30,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, 20,000 square feet of offices and 750 garage-parking spaces. A document posted on the city's website also mentions a 110-room Element hotel, a Westin-affiliated, extended-stay brand that's billed as eco-friendly.

Cleveland-based Fairmount had proposed a comparable project, with slightly more housing, retail and office space and less parking. Both developers estimated construction costs of at least $75 million, indicating that the total price tag for either project would surpass $100 million.

Fairmount and the city released a joint statement late Thursday to announce what they described as an amicable split. Six months after choosing Fairmount, the city said it couldn't find common ground with the company on key terms to support a development agreement.

"This was a tough one to walk away from, given the momentum we had ... but it was simply not meant to be," Randy Ruttenberg, a Fairmount principal, wrote in an email response to an inquiry from The Plain Dealer late last week. "We believe the Cedar Fairmount neighborhood has the potential to be one of the great pedestrian districts in the region, and I trust whoever is selected to be the next steward of this coveted site executes a plan with that in mind."

Cleveland Heights acquired and cleared the Top of the Hill site after Doctors' Hospital moved out of converted apartment buildings there in the late 1960s. At the gateway between the inner-ring suburb and Cleveland's University Circle, the property largely is covered by surface parking and grass. Bad timing, economic challenges and unhappy residents have scuttled past development attempts.
Guwahati : Assam's Hamren police on Friday had arrested seven persons, all likely to be minors on charges of allegedly raping and murdering a 20-year old girl in West Karbi Anglong district on May 10 night.

According to the reports, the accused persons had allegedly raped and murdered the girl while she was returning to her house after attending a cultural programme with a male friend at Tamulguri area near Dalimbari under Baithalangso police station.

Local people on Thursday had found her body hanging from a tree.

Following the incident, police had arrested seven persons including the male friend of the victim on Friday morning.

A top police official said that, we are awaiting for the statement of the victim's male friend and investigation is going on.

Meanwhile, the accused persons had denied their involvement into the incident.

The police official said that, several injury marks have been found in the body of victim girl.

A case has been registered at Baithalangso police station into the rape and murder incident.

Over 10,000 women were raped in Assam in past a decade.

According to the reports of Assam police, 1723 rape cases were registered in the state last year.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Guwahati : Security agencies has taken adequate security measures in Assam and other parts of the North Eastern India ahead of Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi's visit to Assam on May 26 next.

Modi will address the nation from Guwahati on May 26 on the marks of completion of three years of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led NDA government.

During his day-long visit to the state, PM Modi will inaugurate the Dhola-Sadiya bridge and to lay foundation stones of AIIMS and a major institution.

BJP-led Assam government will also celebrate its first anniversary on the same day.

Ahead of PM Modi's visit to Assam, a high level security review meeting was held at the Army's 4 corps in Tezpur on Friday.

Assam Special DG Kuladhar Saikia, Assam Chief Secretary VK Pipersenia, principal secretary of state home department LS Changson, top officials of army, paramilitary forces, Assam police were present in the meeting.

Recently, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) alerted the security agencies for probable terror attack in the NE region during PM's visit.

A top official of Union Home ministry said that, following the IB input Union Home Ministry has asked the security agencies and state police to take adequate security measures and to launch massive operation at all suspected areas.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
DAMAULI, May 13: An unidentified group set ablaze a bus and a truck at Rising and Belbhanjyang of Tanahu on Friday night.

A group of eight to nine persons set a bus (Na. 6 Kha. 3525) parked at Chalise of Rising-6 on fire. The bus was completely gutted in the fire, Superintendent of Police Umesh Raj Joshi said. The bus driver and his assistant were forced out of the bus before it was set on fire.

Also the same night, a truck (Na. 3 Kha. 9116) was set ablaze at Belbhanjyang in Bandipur Rural Municipality-1. The driver was inside the truck when it was set on fire. However, he managed to escape by breaking off the front glass, DSP Manoj Pandey said. The truck was carrying sugar to Pokhara from Dumre.

Meanwhile, a suspicious object was found near Bhorletar chowk and the district forest office this morning. They were later cleared to safety by a bomb disposal squad, police said. RSS
Kathmandu, Nepal: With the approaching deadline for the voting for the local level elections, the activities against of the elections have gradually been increasing.

Police have recovered five suspicious things on Saturday morning at a place along Anbukhaireni-Gorkha road section situated in Ward -10 and 12 of Gorkha Municipality. Nepal Army personnel had defused them.

Similar incident has also occurred in Pokahara as well. A cooker bombleft at Sabhagriha Chowk was defused by the Nepal Armys bomb defuse team.

Similarly, a bomb hoax was also occurred at Nepali Congress liaison office near Bharatpur's central bus terminal at Chitwan. Nepal Army bomb disposal squad had defused the suspected things on Saturday morning.

Likewise, Nepal Army's bomb disposal squad had defused two bombs planted at two separate locations in Dhangadi Sub Metropolitan City on Saturday.
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 Some notable first-cut reactions to the Sessions Memo | Main | "Courting Abolition" 

This Los Angeles Times article, headlined "Ex-L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca sentenced to three years in prison in jail corruption scandal," effectively reports on the final federal sentence handed down late yesterday to a high-profile former law enforcement official. Notably, as discussed below, the defendant here had a much more lenient plea deal rejected, was nearly acquitted at a trial, and ultimately got a prison term 50% longer than what prosecutors recommended. Here are the details:

Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, once a towering, respected figure in policing, was sentenced Friday to three years in federal prison for his role in a scheme to obstruct an FBI investigation of abuses in county jails, marking an end to a corruption scandal that has roiled the Sheriffs Department for several years.

U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson announced Bacas fate in a downtown courtroom filled with loyal supporters on one side and the FBI agents and prosecutors who ensnared him on the other. Baca, 74 and suffering from the early stages of Alzheimers disease, showed no emotion as the decision was read. Before issuing the sentence, Anderson, who has dealt unsparingly with the former sheriff throughout his legal battle and last year threw out a plea deal that would have sent Baca to prison for no more than six months, unleashed a scathing rebuke of the man who ran one of the nations largest law enforcement agencies for 15 years.

Excoriating Bacas refusal to accept responsibility for having overseen and condoned the obstruction ploy carried out by subordinates, the judge portrayed him as a man driven by his desire to protect his own reputation and maintain control over the Sheriffs Department. Your actions embarrass the thousands of men and women [in the department] who put their lives on the line every day, Anderson said to Baca. They were a gross abuse of the trust the public placed in you.

The prison term, Anderson added, should serve as a deterrent to other public servants. Blind obedience to a corrupt culture has serious consequences, he said. No person, no matter how powerful, no matter his or her title, is above the law.

Baca was ordered to surrender to federal prison officials by July 25. Although he is expected to ask to remain free on bail while he pursues an appeal, it is an open question whether he will be allowed to do so. Anderson denied the same request from Bacas second in command, former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka, who was forced to begin his five-year sentence....

In going after Baca, a team of prosecutors headed by Assistant U.S. Atty. Brandon Fox meticulously worked its way up the departments ranks, charging lower-level figures and members of Bacas command staff before bringing charges of obstruction of justice, conspiracy and lying against the sheriff himself.

He is the ninth person to be convicted and sentenced to prison as part of what Fox convinced several juries was a cunning conspiracy to interfere with FBI agents as they worked to gather evidence for a grand jury investigation into allegations of widespread abuse by deputies working in county jails run by the sheriffs department. A 10th conspirator, former sheriffs Capt. William Tom Carey, pleaded guilty in a deal with prosecutors and testified against Baca. Carey is scheduled to be sentenced later this month. Several other deputies were convicted in a series of trials for beating inmates or helping to cover up the abuse....

Bacas attorney, Nathan Hochman, nearly won Baca an acquittal at a trial late last year by hammering the government for the scarcity of hard evidence tying Baca directly to the obstruction plan. That proceeding ended in a mistrial when the jury deadlocked with all but one juror voting to acquit Baca. For the second trial, however, Fox revamped his case and Anderson issued a string of rulings that hamstrung Hochman. All along, Hochman argued that while Baca was upset by the FBI investigation, he never authorized anything illegal. Tanaka, he said, was the ringleader who carried out the obstruction without Bacas knowledge.

In giving Baca three years in prison, Anderson struck a middle ground of sorts. Federal sentencing guidelines called for a term of 41 to 51 months. Under normal circumstances, the government would have urged Anderson to come down within that range, Fox wrote in court filings.

But Bacas age, his diagnosis last year with Alzheimers and medical experts expectation that his mind will have deteriorated badly within a few years were legitimate mitigating factors in determining his punishment, Fox said. The interests of justice will not be served by defendant spending many years behind bars in a severely impaired state, the prosecutor wrote. He recommended that Baca be sentenced to two years in prison.

Hochman, meanwhile, urged Anderson in court papers and again on Friday to spare Baca any time in prison, saying he should instead be confined to his home for a period of time and perform community service. In a lengthy last-ditch bid for leniency, Hochman reviewed Bacas nearly five decades of service in the sheriffs department, saying he served with distinction and honor.

The true measure of the man, Hochman insisted, was seen in the the education programs he started as sheriff for inmates and at-risk youth. Hochman submitted to Anderson letters from a few hundred of Bacas supporters, including former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and several local religious leaders. The inevitable toll from Alzheimers was another reason to spare him prison, Hochman said. This diagnosis is a sentence of its own. It is a sentence that will leave him a mere shell of his former self and one that will rob him of the memories of his life, he wrote in a court filing.

Anderson rejected out of hand the idea that Baca should avoid time in prison. He acknowledged Bacas lengthy record as a public servant, but said it made his crimes more perplexing. "Mr. Baca's criminal conduct is so at odds with the public image he carefully crafted, Anderson said. Like old B-movies, "you seem to have your own version of the good cop/bad cop routine  that allowed you to keep your hands clean but did not make you any less culpable.

While the two-year sentence suggested by the government was not enough in Andersons eyes, the judge said he did take Bacas failing health and career into account. Absent those factors, he said he would have imposed on Baca the same five-year sentence he gave Tanaka.

The sentence deepens the stain already imprinted on Bacas legacy and the reputation he enjoyed as one of the nations most visible and respected reformers in law enforcement. While quirky to the point of being enigmatic, Baca was seen as a champion of progressive ideas, including the need for police to build strong ties to minority communities. He stepped down in 2014 with the department engulfed in the jail scandal.
A groundbreaking new short film shot in San Franciscos Ingleside District recently won the Student Filmmaker prize at National Association of Theater Owners CinemaCon, and the winning film Sirens is now available on YouTube (and embedded below!). But Sirens, directed by SF State student Shane Murphy, has a crazy twist  its a choose your own adventure movie with eight different possible endings, and you the viewer get get to crawl inside the protagonists head to make his choices and decide his fate.

Sirens can be seen above, and at first glance appears to be six minutes, 16 seconds in length. But its actually about twice that long, because at the end of the six minutes you get the choice of Take the gun or Refuse the gun. Each of your decisions sets off another short film, based on whatever decision you just made.

Be aware that this technology, powered by an app called TimePlay, only works on a desktop computer. I tried it on an iPhone and couldnt make the choices, then on an Android mobile device it just skips to some other unrelated video on YouTube. So youll only get the full effect if youre using YouTube on a desktop computer, though Murphy insists the filmmakers are working on updates that make the film fully operable on mobile platforms.

Still, its neat take on filmmaking technology and does not require any additional plug-ins or downloads. The films director Shane Murphy hopes to see other streaming platforms enable similar technology, and bring in a new era of interactive movie viewing.

Interactive media is the direction content is heading, Murphy told Golden Gate Express. Filmmakers like myself need a way to host and distribute that content without losing (viewers) because of the interface.

Related: New Short 'Borrowed Time' By Pixar Animators Is Lovely, Sad, Not For Kids




They're back! Right around this time last year, there were dozens of humpback whale sightings in and around the Bay. While humpbacks tend not to come into the Bay, they were last year for some reason, and many people on boats got some up-close and personal photos and videos of the creatures (myself included).

Just the other week, humpbacks were spotted getting in the way of pods of killer whales on the hunt for gray whale prey in Monterey Bay. It looks like some of their kind have moved up the coast in their annual migration north, and San Francisco Whale Tours snapped the photo above of a humpback breaching on Wednesday, May 10, just outside the Golden Gate.

Also, they shot video, possibly of the same whale, which you can see here via SFGate.

Keep your eyes peeled! Hopefully there will be more!
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa  Khenadi Jones accomplished something at Thursdays Iowa Class 4A state qualifying track and field meet that she had never done before.

The West senior broke the 12-second fully automatic timing barrier in the 100-meter dash for the first time, running 11.95 to qualify for state in the event for the fourth time.

Jones, who also advanced to next weeks Iowa State Meet at Drake Stadium in the 200, 4x100 and 4x200, ran the fastest fully automatic time in the event in metro city history.

All eight place winners in the girls 100-meter race from Gabe Wickersham Stadium in Council Bluffs advanced to the state meet.

Waukee, the prohibitive 4A girls state team title favorites, piled up 212 points to easily win the state qualifying meet. The Warriors won all seven relays contested and qualified in every event but the 200.

Waukee boys won four of the seven relays and scored 213 points to win the qualifying meet team race.

Norths shuttle hurdle relay team of Max Vollmer, Tyler Kempema, Cale Conner, Noah Weeter won the race in 58.46. It was the only victory of the night for the citys three competing schools, boys or girls, and the time was just off the metro all-time best of 58.32 set by Sergeant Bluff-Luton in 2010.

Class 2A at Missouri Valley

Sydney Durbin will be back to defend her Class 2A state high jump title, as the OA-BCIG sophomore cleared 5 feet, 3 inches while winning the event Thursday night in a qualifying meet at Missouri Valley High School.

Durbin also advanced as a member of the first-place 4x200 relay (1:48.35). Jordyn Fredericks leads off the foursome, followed by Sarah Cotton and Calli Wareham.

OA-BCIGs girls scored a fourth-place 76  points while the boys finished seventh with 61 points.

Ryder Meek led the Falcons by winning the shot put (48-11 ).

Quinton Cranston was the leadoff runner as OA-BCIG won the shuttle hurdle relay. Adam Grote, William Grote and Dylan Wunschel also participated on an event timed in 1:02.41.

Class 1A at Hawarden

Central Lyon junior Gable Sieperda, the Class 1A state leader in the both the 3,200 and the 1,600, won both events in Thursdays qualifying meet at West Sioux High School. Sieperda was clocked in 4:28.45 while winning the 1,600, 9:59.48 while winning the 3,200 and 2:00.71 while winning the 800.

Two Lawton-Bronson athletes, posted wins in events which they lead the states smallest class. A.J. Lefler, top-ranked in the 100, won that event (10.98) and also took first in the 200 (22.22). Meanwhile, Jadin Wagner won the shot put (41-3.25).

Siouxland Christians Debi Hiserote qualified for state by winning both the 100 (12.87) and the 400 (1:02.70).

Akron-Westfields Callie Henrich qualified in two events, winning the discus (119-11) and taking second in the shot put (38-7.50). A year ago when she was a junior at Rapid City Stevens, she placed second in the South Dakota Class AA shot put and fourth in the discus.
SOUTH SIOUX CITY | Big Ox Energy has received two more citations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration following investigations into reports of worker injuries at its South Sioux City renewable energy plant.

The citations, which detail nine "serious" violations and total more than $50,703 in penalties, were issued on Friday as a result of two inspections, begun Dec. 16 and Jan. 9, following two separate employer-reported incidents of worker injury.

The new citations come 3 1/2 weeks after OSHA cited the renewable energy plant with six other violations totaling an additional $50,704 in fines.

According to the citation documents issued Friday, around 6:45 p.m. on Dec. 14, employees who were not wearing breathing apparatuses or respirators were exposed to high levels of toxic gases, including hydrogen sulfide and methane, after opening a hole in the side of an anaerobic digester to install a pipe. One employee required CPR to be revived, the citation states.

Then, on Jan. 8, two employees wearing inadequate personal protective equipment suffered face, arm and body burns when exposed to a "violent chemical reaction" pouring two chemicals down a floor drain.

In relation to those incidents, Big Ox Energy has been cited for the following violations:

--Failing to select and provide appropriate respirators to the employees.

--Not identifying and evaluating the respiratory hazards in the workplace, including a "reasonable estimate" of employee exposures to the hazards.

--Not maintaining records measuring the amount of hazardous chemicals employees were exposed to.

--Failing to ensure affected employees were using selected adequate protective equipment when necessary around "reactive, corrosive chemicals." This citation item includes three sub-categories.

--Failing to ensure each authorized employee affixed his or her own lock or tag to certain devices prior to working on the equipment.

--Failing to ensure employees exposed to "corrosive oxidizers and exothermic catalitic reactions" were properly trained and understood the physical and health effects of such chemicals.

--Failing to ensure employees exposed to the reactions were trained about the proper protective equipment to wear when using the chemicals.

Kevin Bradley, Big Ox Energy's director of business and economic development, told the Journal Friday afternoon the company knew the additional citations were coming and plans to discuss all the violations with OSHA next week.

"Hopefully we can have all of that behind us very soon," he said.

An OSHA representative said Big Ox Energy has scheduled to meet with the Region 7 office Monday for an informal conference to discuss its 15 violations. Most OSHA cases are settled at an informal conference.

Bradley said all employees who were part of the incidents referred to in the newly-released citations have made full recoveries and remain employed at the facility.

As OSHA investigators have been probing operations at the plant, many residents also have blamed the facility for the hydrogen sulfide gas that penetrated their homes through the sewer line they shared at the time with the Roth Industrial Park, displacing as many as two dozen families at the odors' height last fall.

Big Ox Energy in January denied culpability for the sewer gases, saying other industries have also affected the hydrogen sulfide levels in the sewer lines and that individual plumbing deficiencies in many of the affected homes played a major role. South Sioux City's administration has largely agreed with Big Ox Energy's assessment.

Residents on Tuesday filed more than $35 million in odor-related tort claims against the city, and signaled legal action is forthcoming against Big Ox Energy.

Meanwhile, construction is continuing on a new force main that has completely separated sewage from the Big Ox Energy plant and the rest of the city's Roth Industrial Park from the affected homes.
SIOUX CITY | Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey will be appointed to a new position in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a website is reporting.

Sam Clovis, a former Sioux City college professor and radio talk show host, is also being eyed for a senior role in the department, the report by agweb.com stated Friday.

Northey, a Spirit Lake farmer, is in his third term as state ag secretary. The online report of the Farm Journal said he is expected to become undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation, a new position created under a reorganization by new USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue. The position includes overseeing the Farm Service Agency, Risk Management Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

If Northey leaves for the federal post, his term would be filled by an appointment from the governor's office.

Agweb.com quoted Jim Wiesemeyer, senior vice president of policy and trade issues for Informa Economics Inc., as saying you can almost go to the bank on the appointment.

Clovis, of rural Hinton, is said to be a possible candidate for the job of undersecretary for Research, Education and Economics job, the website reported.

He was appointed to be a senior White House adviser to the department in January.

A tenured economics professor at Morningside College, Clovis had been on unpaid leave from the private Sioux City school since August 2015, when he joined the Trump presidential campaign as national co-chairman and chief policy adviser.

The Journal's Alex Boisjolie contributed to this report.
SIOUX CITY | The Sioux City Community School District has paid $160,000 to a woman who was injured when a school bus rear-ended her vehicle in 2013.

The school board on Monday approved the settlement with Jennifer Fitzpatrick, who dismissed the lawsuit on Thursday.

The settlement is covered by the district's insurance carrier. Each side will pay its own legal costs.

Fitzpatrick filed her suit against the district and bus driver Marsha Tucker in January 2015, seeking damages for past and future medical expenses.

Fitzpatrick was injured on April 4, 2013, when she was driving south on Floyd Boulevard and her Toyota Camry was rear-ended by a school bus driven by Tucker. Fitzpatrick blamed the collision on Tucker's negligence. The lawsuit did not disclose the extent of Fitzpatrick's injuries.

According to terms of the settlement release, the agreement is not an admission of liability by the district or Tucker.

The settlement is the second six-figure payment the district has made in recent weeks. In April, the district paid $262,500 to an elementary school student's mother who had sued the district, saying that her son was injured because staff members failed to protect him from another student's bullying behavior.
SIOUX CITY | Rachael Johnson is like many other University of Northern Iowa students, juggling the demands of classes, a social life and other tasks of young adulthood.

Johnson blows off steam by hanging with friends in Cedar Falls parks, and at times completes key school assignments at midnight at a Perkins restaurant. However, several times per month, she also dives deep into the extra work she piles into her life as a member of the Iowa Board of Regents.

"My college experience hasn't been traditional. But I wouldn't trade my experience for anything," said Johnson this week, back home in Sioux City, after the end of the UNI's spring semester.

Johnson also received a notable achievement near the conclusion of her junior year, earning a $30,000 Truman Scholarship for graduate school.

The prestigious award is presented annually by the Harry S. Truman Foundation with the goal of developing future public service leaders. Johnson is one of 62 U.S. students to receive the scholarship this year, and the first ever from UNI. Past recipients include New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and new U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch.

"My first reactions to hearing the news were pure shock, excitement and disbelief," Johnson said.

Nearly 800 candidates were nominated by a record 315 colleges and universities, and Johnson was one of 199 finalists were interviewed in a regional panel in Kansas City, Mo. The 2017 Truman Scholarship recipients will receive their awards in a May 28 ceremony at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum.

Part of the application process involved answering professional questions that Ive never had to sit down and think about critically, she said. It really forced me to stop and look at things and look at myself in ways I might not have without it.

Johnson, the daughter of Darrin and Suzanne Johnson of Sioux City, will spend some of the summer break looking at graduate colleges across the nation, with her mother. She knows if she leaves Iowa that she'll have to give up her Board of Regents position before her term ends in 2021.

"That will be so hard for me, if I do go out of the state...It has been such a big part of my life the last two years," Johnson said.

Suzanne Johnson said she is finalizing flights for the first grad college visit in Georgia.

"She has always been precocious, even at a young age, ahead of her time," the proud mother said.

Rachael Johnson graduated from North High School in 2014 and was appointed to a six-year term on the Board of Regents on May 1, 2015, near the end of her freshman year. Outgoing Board of Regents President Bruce Rastetter praised Johnson's service on the board.

Rachaels award is another example of students succeeding at the highest level at Iowas public institutions, Rastetter said in a statement. She exemplifies the kind of student that quality public education can produce and is a credit to the University of Northern Iowa and the Board of Regents.

Johnson said she's appreciated the feeling of collegiality she's had with Rastetter and the other seven Regents.

"I didn't have to fight to be heard...They make me feel like a full board member," which she is, Johnson noted.

Johnson was in middle school when she visited UNI with her sister, Elizabeth Johnson. (Elizabeth, a UNI graduate, is in a second year of teaching at North Middle School in Sioux City, where their mother also teaches.)

"I fell in love with UNI when my older sister took her campus visit," Rachael Johnson said. She cited UNI's academic programs, "caring community" and walkable campus.

Johnson is not only pursuing a degree in elementary and middle level education, but she is also discussing and voting on key decisions that impact UNI, the University of Iowa and Iowa State University, and the combined 78,000 students statewide. She said the busiest times for the Regents are in the fall, when members consider tuition cost hikes and pinpoint items to ask for legislative action.

Johnson said it has been gratifying to have a hand in selecting two new university presidents -- Bruce Harreld at Iowa and Mark Nook at UNI. Nook graduated in 1976 from then-Holstein High School.

Still, Johnson notes she has time to be a regular student. She enjoys shopping and can cite the differences in options offered at the Target stores in Cedar Falls and Waterloo. Johnson has a stable of friends, who know that Johnson has a full schedule that is different from theirs.

"They do think it is a little crazy. They are very understanding and supportive," Johnson said, with a lilt in her voice.
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SIOUX CITY | Residents would pay just over $1 more per month on their sewer bills under a proposed rate hike headed before the Sioux City Council Monday.

The council on Monday will take its first vote on a 3 percent rate increase, effective July 1, for all wastewater users.

For an average residential user, calculated as someone who uses 8 cubic feet per month, the increase would add about $1.04 per month and $12.48 per year to his or her bill. The impact would be higher for larger families, restaurants and industries and less for senior citizens.

City staff expect the rate increase will generate $597,244 in additional revenue for the city's sewer fund. If passed, it would be the city's first sewer rate increase since the council approved an 8.5 percent hike in 2011.

City Finance Director Donna Forker said the added funding is needed to cover debt for utility relocation costs associated with the Interstate 29 reconstruction project, as well as the sharply rising cost of operating the city's wastewater treatment plant.

"Back in fiscal year 2015 it cost us $11 million to operate the sewer fund, and in fiscal year 2018 we've got it at $16.5 million." Forker said. "That doesn't include debt service."

The council first considered a sewer rate increase during its budgeting process earlier this year but opted to take a wait-and-see approach. At the time, finance staff had presented a proposed 4.5 percent rate increase but then lowered the request to 3 percent.

The increase will be a one-year increase. Forker said before the city it looks into any future increases, it is waiting to see how a project at the wastewater treatment plant that will eventually clean and compress gas generated at the plant for sale as renewable fuel.

The city in January began designs for the $9.3 million project, which is expected to pay for itself in about two years and generate future revenue for the city.

Last June, the council also approved a 6.65 percent water rate increase over the next three years, which will also help the city repay utility relocation due to interstate construction.
DES MOINES  This Fourth of July in Iowa promises to feature significantly more patriotic booms, pops and cracks as a new state law that legalizes home displays of consumer-grade fireworks takes effect.

Across the state, Iowans are preparing for a more festive Fourth  and not just folks who will be shooting off bottle rockets and lighting Roman candles and firecrackers in their backyards.

Iowas new version of Independence Day also has created new opportunities and responsibilities for businesses, public safety and emergency response personnel and local government officials.

Gov. Terry Branstad last week signed into law the legalization of consumer-grade fireworks. Before the new law, Iowa was one of only seven states with similarly or more restrictive fireworks laws, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association.

Business opportunity

Flashing Thunder Fireworks has been operating in northern Iowa for more than three decades.

But this will be a milestone year for the Mitchell, Iowa-based company when, for the first time, it will be able to sell its consumer-grade fireworks directly to Iowans.

Flashing Thunder performs professional fireworks shows for cities and organizations, roughly 200 shows per year across the Midwest, according to Katie Mostek, who owns the company with her husband, Jeremy.

Flashing Thunder also sells consumer-grade fireworks to individuals and companies in other states and even has its own line of consumer fireworks.

Now the company can sell those consumer fireworks in its own backyard.

It is a big deal, Katie Mostek said. Every state around us, practically, has consumer fireworks sales open, so everybody (in Iowa) was buying them anyway. They were just bringing it back from other states, and those businesses and those states got the tax money. ...

Now the money can stay inside the state. Thats a big deal.

Mostek said that in addition to the companys normal brick-and-mortar stores  the home base in Mitchell includes a showroom  Flashing Thunder plans to add more locations, including temporary units under tents.

Flashing Thunder and other fireworks retailers find themselves scrambling a bit; the new law was signed by the governor on May 9, and companies can begin selling fireworks on June 1, just 23 days later.

Its going to be a little hectic, Mostek said, noting the state fire marshal as of Friday morning had not yet completed the application for businesses to receive a sales permit. Its a quick turnaround.

Bellino Fireworks, based out of Omaha, Nebraska, also has been operating for more than three decades and plans to expand into Iowa this year.

Owner Vincent Bellino said his company has 130 stands in Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas and Missouri. He hopes to add 50 to 60 locations in Iowa this year, he said, some in stores and others in temporary structures.

Bellino said he traveled to the Iowa Capitol many times over the past three years to encourage state lawmakers to legalize consumer-grade fireworks. He said he expects a lot of interest from Iowans, who for the first time will be able to purchase these fireworks legally in their home state. He thinks it will be similar to when in 2011 the city of Omaha ended its ban on the sale of fireworks.

Theres obviously going to be some excitement around it, some good demand in the Iowa markets, Bellino said. Its obviously an exciting time for everyone, whether its the consumer or businesses.

Emergency response

Its less of an exciting time for emergency response personnel, who are bracing for increased activity this Fourth of July season.

More than a dozen organizations that represent emergency response and health care workers opposed the new law, including the Iowa Medical Society, Blank Childrens Hospital, the Iowa Nurses Association, the Iowa Emergency Management Association and the Iowa Firefighters Association.

Firefighters across the state, for example, already feel short-staffed and stressed by call volume, which they figure will only increase this Fourth of July as more people shoot off fireworks at home.

Now that theyre legal but law enforcement is the same, Halleran said, we can only assume that injuries and potential fires are going to go up.

Halleran said emergency response groups think the new law was freight-trained through the legislative process despite their near unanimous objection. He also expressed frustration with the short time period from the laws approval to the first holiday season.

The law was just signed the other day, and the Fourth of July is right around the corner, Halleran said, noting local fireworks ordinances likely will take another couple of weeks to implement. ... Theres not a lot of time on this to get on top of it.

City's choices

The new law provides some flexibility for cities, which are now determining how best to implement fireworks regulations in their areas.

The law permits home, consumer-grade fireworks displays from June 1 through July 8 and Dec. 10 through Jan. 3, but it also allows cities to shorten that time period or continue to ban home fireworks displays altogether.

Some cities appear content to let the new law take effect and see how it goes, while others are considering restricting the dates residents can display fireworks, said Robert Palmer, a lobbyist for the Iowa League of Cities.

Opinions on what to do and how to proceed are as varied as the number of cities we have in Iowa, Palmer said.

In northwest Iowa, the council in the small town of Moville voted unanimously to adopt the state law as written.

We will go with the state rules, Moville Mayor Jim Fisher told the Sioux City Journal. We will see how people react. If they do it properly, no problem. If it is misused, we will go ahead and make other arrangements (in 2018).

To the opposite extreme, officials in Johnson County are considering a challenge to the provision in the law that says cities can adjust when fireworks are displayed, but they cannot prevent consumer-grade fireworks from being sold.

A local ban on fireworks sales would run afoul of the new law. But Johnson County officials think that runs afoul of local control, and they are considering at least a temporary moratorium on sales until they can better understand the new law.

I dont know where we will end up after this moratorium, but we need time to figure it out. I think everybody in Johnson County is concerned of temporary sales, Johnson County Board of Supervisors chairwoman Janelle Rettig told the Cedar Rapids Gazette. We dont think thats safe in any way, shape or form.
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Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme  La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza.



Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres.




The essential component of totalitarian propaganda is artifice (het toepassen van kunstgrepen. svh) . The ruling elites, like celebritie...
Play at the new site will be free and first come, first served through the...
MOSS POINT, Miss. - Voters will go to the polls on Tuesday to decide if they would like to see new leadership in their aldermen seats as Wards 1 through 4, and alderman at-large in primary runoffs are up for grabs.

Of the wards in question, no candidate reached the required 50 percent plus one to claim victory, sending the top two vote-getters to a runoff.

In the Democratic primary, the top two vote-getters were Billy Knight Sr., and Mario King. Conversation recently surrounding their race centered on the fact of King wanting to debate Knight - he refused.

Voters will decide on Tuesday who will become the Democratic nominee to move on to the June 6 general election to face Republican John Mosley and Independents Timothy Dubose, Wanda Williams and incumbent Mayor Billy Broomfield.

With no Independent or Republican challengers, the winner of these races will be sworn in as alderman of the wards in question on July 3.

The hotly contested race between former alderman Sherwood Bradford and incumbent Ward 1 alderman James C. Smith was split by a narrow margin of three votes.

Three ballots allegedly found in the wrong voting box proved to be the difference in their race as it ended in a tie. Therefore, per City Clerk Stephanie Coleman, Bradford and Smith's names were added to Tuesday's primary runoff.

In Ward 2, incumbent Chuck Redmond held only three more votes than challenger Ruby Hill after affidavit ballots were factored.

Ward 3 incumbent Robert Byrd and James Winters will meet in Tuesday's primary runoff.

The Ward 4 alderman race was almost won on May 2 as Ennit Morris obtained 50 percent of the vote, but was one vote short of being solidified as the new alderman of that ward per the election commission. Morris will face Willie Mena Martin on Tuesday.

Floyd Downs was the only clear-cut winner on May 2 as he received 67 percent of the vote in Ward 5. Downs moves on to face Republican Linwood Grierson in the June 6 general election.

Robert Walker won the Ward 6 primary and will take on incumbent Independent alderman Wayne Lennep on June 6.

Houston Cunnigham's decision to run for mayor caused him to vacate his seat as alderman at-large. Ward 4 incumbent Shirley Chambers vacated her seat to run for alderwoman at-large where she faced competition from David E. Chapman.

While Chapman received the highest number of votes, he did not receive 50 percent plus one. Chambers and Chapman will meet on Tuesday.

(Note: Pascagoula races were not mentioned because all of their races are headed to the June 6 general election.)
BNSF Railway has appealed a final environmental review of the Longview coal project, arguing the state and county overstated or miscalculated the risk of cancer for people living near the rail line to the terminal site.

A final environmental impact statement released in April says diesel particulate emissions from trains serving the Millennium Bulk Terminal would cause an unavoidable increase in the cancer risk rate for Longviews Highlands-area residents. Officials from Cowlitz County and the state Department of Ecology say there would be a 10 percent increased cancer risk over background levels for Cowlitz County. Millennium Bulk Terminals officials point to different figures in the review that suggest there would be a 3 percent increased cancer risk.

But BNSF spokeswoman Courtney Wallace said there are no credible scientific studies suggesting that locomotive diesel emissions substantially increase cancer risk for Washington residents who live by a rail line.

There is no basis to say that, so its concerning for us to have that out there in the public domain, Wallace said Friday. We take great pride that our fleet of locomotives are adhering to the highest standards  no matter what kind of product were moving, whether thats grain, automobiles or energy products.

In an appeal filed with Cowlitz County, the railroad company argues that the environmental impact statement is extremely broad and amounts to an evaluation of the rail system across Washington state. The company argued that broad scope of the analysis isnt allowed the under the State Environmental Policy Act, and that only the federal government has the authority to regulate rail emissions.

Cowlitz County officials who co-wrote the environmental study could not be reached for comment Friday.

Camille St. Onge, spokeswoman for Ecology, said the environmental impact statement was not intended to be a statewide or national report.

The main focus of the study was evaluating the potential impacts to the local community where impacts would be greatest, St. Onge said in an emailed statement.

She said the review is not a permit decision, but a scientific study aimed at informing agencies responsible for permitting the terminal, which would add 16 train trips a day through the Longview industrial area.

The draft environmental impact statement did evaluate diesel particulate matter. Since then, however, the state has learned that four locomotives will be needed to pull trains to the coal dock, not three as assumed earlier. That triggered an updated analysis that lead the review to conclude that there would be unavoidable increase in cancer risk that disproportionately effects minority and low-income populations.

The final EIS expanded the analysis of diesel emissions to respond to information that became available during the comment period. This is how the EIS process is supposed to work. Public comment on the draft study compelled us to look closer  at the issue of increased diesel emissions, St. Onge said by email.

But Wallace, with BNSF, suggested politics surrounding the coal terminal impacted the analysis.

When does that same analysis get applied to a grain terminal? Will it get applied to Sound Transits ST3 project ... up in Puget Sound? I dont think it will, Wallace said. If there are concerns about a particular commodity ... dont take that policy and apply it to the rail line.

Wallace noted that the environmental impact statement uses national averages on railroad emissions, rather than data specific to BNSF trains, which tend to have lower emissions, she said.

About 98 percent of BNSF trains use idle control devices which automatically shut down locomotives that arent being used, cutting down on fuel consumption and air emissions.

Under federal regulations, the railroad company is required to comply with increasingly more stringent tiers aimed at controlling emissions. BNSF locomotive are remanufactured every six to eight years to reduce emissions and upgrade efficiency, the company said.

And because trains can carry more cargo than trucks, each intermodal train effectively eliminates 280 trucks on the highway, according to BNSF.

Opponents to the coal terminal criticized BNSF's take on the train's air emissions. Stephen Chandler, an oncologist based in Longview and member of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, pointed to the World Health Organization's conclusions that "there are no known safe levels of exposure to diesel particulate matter pollution."

"Even short-term exposure to this train pollution can increase risk of cancer, heart attacks and strokes. It's a concern for all of us. But Highlands neighborhood residents  whose homes are feet from the tracks and just a mile from the coal terminal would experience the worst health impacts from Millennium's 16 coal trains passing each day. No amount of increased cancer risk is acceptable for those families," Chandler said.

Millennium Bulk Terminals said it does not expect BNSFs appeal to delay its permitting process.
Editors note: Todays editorial originally appeared in The Olympian. Editorial content from other publications is provided to give readers a sampling of regional and national opinion and does not necessarily reflect positions endorsed by the Editorial Board of The Daily News.

The American system of checks and balances is being put to a major test by President Donald J. Trump. The system must push back, and nothing short of total transparency can suffice.

Trumps firing of FBI director James Comey on Tuesday was ill-timed and invites healthy suspicions that Comey was getting close to revealing embarrassing details about Russian election interference and possible Trump campaign collusion last year.

An outside investigator is needed to get to the bottom of what Russia did and who in the U.S. was also involved. Democratic U.S. Rep. Denny Heck of Olympia serves on the House Intelligence Committee and has called for such a bipartisan independent investigation since December.

It seems unlikely our Justice Department, which appears twice compromised after Comeys sudden ouster and Attorney General Jeff Sessions need to step aside in March because of his own undisclosed contacts with a Russian ambassador, would appoint an independent prosecutor. That leaves it to the U.S. Senate and House to establish an independent, bipartisan commission to do the work.

Elvis Presley once said, truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it aint goin away,  Heck, who serves on the U.S. House Intelligence Committee that is carrying out its own probe of Russian election interference, said in a statement after the firing. If anybody thinks this intimidation is going to halt our efforts, they are wrong. The work continues.

Heck called the firing the most egregious abuse of power since disgraced President Richard Nixons actions in 1973 that came to be known as the Saturday Night Massacre. Nixon forced the firing of Archibald Cox, the independent prosecutor looking into the Watergate break-in and White House cover-up after Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus refused and resigned.

Certainly Comeys actions  including an announcement barely a week before the election that might have helped Trump win  were questionable. But the White House claims that is why he was fired dont hold water. Comey was ditched just days after asking for more funds from the Justice Department to carry out a wider probe of Russian interference and possible collaboration with Trumps campaign staffers. He was to testify in the Senate on Thursday.

Republican Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, who is leading a Senate committee investigation of the Russian election interference, said he was troubled by the timing and reasoning of Jim Comeys termination, according to a statement quoted by The New York Times. He said the firing further confuses an already difficult investigation by our committee and that Comey was more forthcoming with information than his FBI predecessors.

Smoke is not proof of fire. But when smoke billows, its appropriate to be suspicious, call out fire trucks and find out what is there.

Transparency  which can be best provided by outsiders  is the surest way to uncover the truth about Russia interference in our elections and any involvement by Trump allies. Nothing less can do.
Three years ago Microsoft stopped supporting Windows XP but this doesnt mean people stopped using the OS. Sadly, it is embedded in many systems from military to healthcare among many others. One of the challenges for companies running these older systems is exploits which can attack newer operating systems also affect XP  but since Microsoft doesnt patch the OS anymore, these systems become sitting ducks for attackers who learn about the exploits via public system patches.

This past week, a slew of ransomware attacks took place across the globe thanks to leaked information from US intelligence on how to take advantage of security holes in various Microsoft operating systems.

These attacks targeted healthcare and telecom among other industries and could cost lives. Over 57,000 computers have been targeted and the attacks have hit over 99 countries!

Microsoft responded by patching Windows XP  an unprecedented step which acknowledges that the hackers are winning the war against our technology.

Recently we mentioned that Microsoft said we need a Digital Geneva Convention  basically showing that even with all its resources, Redmond realizes the hackers are winning and something must be done.

This surprise patch from Microsoft shows how true this concern is. The likelihood of getting infected at work or home, continues to increase.

The best defense is to ensure your operating systems are updated, you run antivirus, have frequent backups which are spread within your organization, the cloud and finaly Train, train, train your workers to ensure you minimize the risk of them doing something they shouldnt. Often, employees are the weakest link in your cybersecurity defense.

See also: Cant Afford to Hire Cybersecurity Staff? Do This Instead
China, Pakistan ink major agreements ahead of OBOR

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

AP, Beijing/Islamabad :

China and Pakistan on Saturday signed various infrastructure agreements, including on setting up ports and for further developing Gwadar port, ahead of the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) forum that begins on Sunday, media reported.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

The first Memorandum of understanding (MoU) is related to cooperation within the framework of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st century Maritime Silk Road initiative, Radio Pakistan reported.

An MoU was also signed on upgradation of the main railway line track ML-I and establishment of Havelian Dry Port.

Three agreements related to economic and technical cooperation worth 3.4 billion Yuan for Gwadar port and East Bay expressway.

Federal Ministers, Advisor on Foreign Affairs and Chief Ministers of all four provinces were also present on the occasion.

Mr Sharif also reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment for completion of early harvest projects under CPEC.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday also held meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and assured that Islamabad will fully support Beijing's OBOR initiative, Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.

The meeting focused on intra-regional trade and connectivity as a crucial factor for sustainable development of Asia and beyond, it added.

The Pakistan side conveyed that China's strategic policies in the region were for peace and prosperity.

Mr Sharif voiced gratitude for China's support for the launch of the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and said: "The CPEC presents a great opportunity for strengthening regional economy."

The two sides discussed progress on CPEC - an important part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's One Belt, One Road vision.

Mr Sharif in his statement also congratulated Premier Li Keqiang on hosting the OBOR forum.

Chief ministers of Punjab, Khyber Paktunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh were also present in the meetings.

The composition of his delegation to China, particularly the presence of four Chief Ministers, is testimony to the broad-based Pakistan-China friendship, Mr Sharif was quoted as saying.

"Sharif told the Chinese President that presence of all Chief Minister in the meetings reflects national harmony that prevails in Pakistan with regard to the country's relationship with China," the news agency quoted sources as saying.

Mr Sharif said China was Pakistan's "strategic partner" which has always stood by the country.




Holy Shab-e-Barat observed

Gouripur( Mymensingh) Correspondent :

The holy Shab-e-Barat, the night of fortune and forgiveness, was observed in Gouripur upazila of Mymensingh district (Thursday night) with due religious fervour.

According to Muslim belief, Shab-e-Barat is the night when Allah arranges the affairs of the following year. On this night, Allah writes the destinies of all the creations for the coming year by taking into account their past deeds.

Thousands of Muslim devotees were offering special prayers, reciting from the Holy Quran, holding milad, zikr and other religious rituals seeking divine blessings for the wellbeing of mankind. They will pass the whole night offering special prayers.

Many Muslims are also visiting the graveyards of their relatives and Muslim saints and distributing sweetmeats and homemade foods among the poor, their neighbours, friends and relatives.

Committees of different mosques arranged various programmes, including religious sermons, recitation from the Quran, singing hamd-na't, offering doa and special prayers, on the occa

Bagerhat Correspondent adds: The holy Shab-e-Barat known as the night of fortune was observed in Bagerhat district town and its all the nine Upazilas as else where of the country on Thursday night with due religious fervour and devotion.

The Muslim devotees spent the night at mosques and homes offering prayers, reciting from the holy Quran and seeking blessings to Allah for long life, peace, progress and happiness for themselves, their families, relatives and friends as well as the nation and Muslim Ummah.

Muslims consider Shab-e-Barat as one of the three most sacred nights and believe that on this night Almighty Allah decides the fate of the human beings fixing their 'riziq' (livelihood) for the next year. Many devotees visited graves and prayed for the peace of the souls of their beloved ones who are no more. A large number of devotees visited the holy shrines of the great saint Hazrat Peer Khaja Khanjahan (peace be on him) at Khan Jahan, 5 kilometers away from here and offered Fateha. Traditional foods like handmade rice-bread with beef and halua were distributed among the neighbours, relatives and the poor in the evening. Many Muslims observed fast on the following day.

The Islamic Foundation of Bagerhat and other religious organizations chalked out daylong programmes including discussion meeting, Hamd, Nat, Milad, Zikir and Doa on the occasion of the Holy Shab-e-Barat. Holy Shab-e-Barat observed
Seminar on 'Youth in Change' at DIU

Aktari Mamtaz, Secretary, Bangladesh Public Service Commission Secretariat, Sally-Anne Vincent, Deputy High Commissioner of Australia in Bangladesh and Md. Sabur Khan, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Daffodil International University and Chairman, Daffodil G

Campus Report :

To promote the youth and develop the vast young generation of the country to engage them in national development through changing their attitude for networking and discussing the skills gap agenda, Daffodil International University (DIU) and Better Bangladesh Foundation (BBF) have jointly organized a seminar recently on "Youth in Change" at 71 Milanayoton of DIU in the capital recently.

Aktari Mamtaz, Secretary, Bangladesh Public Service Commission Secretariat was present in the seminar as chief guest. Sally-Anne Vincent, Deputy High Commissioner of Australia in Bangladesh presented the keynote paper in the seminar.

Md. Sabur Khan, Chairman, Board of Trustees, DIU and Chairman, Daffodil Group preside over the program. Moderated by Masud A Khan, Chairman, Better Bangladesh Foundation, the seminar was also addressed by HamidulHaque Khan, Treasurer, Syed Mizanur Rahman, Director of Student Affairs.

Addressing as the chief guest AktariMamtaz, Secretary, Bangladesh Public Service Commission Secretariat said that Bangladesh wants to be a middle economic country by 2021 and upper economic country by 2041. It's only can possible when young people will contribute into this change. We know, all of our glorious achievement like independence, Language movement etc were done by our young generation.

Aktary Momtaz also said that technology is a blessing thing for young people. They make Bangladesh developed by using this technology.

While presenting keynote speech, Sally-Anne Vincent, Deputy High Commissioner of Australia in Bangladesh said, Change has done all over the world. Climate change, Gender issue, education, human rights and many other sectors has changed by young people. It's positive change. But some negative changes are also done by young people like extremist terrorism. We have to conscious about this point. Change we need but actually we need positive change.

Selly Ann Vincent also gives three valuable tips for students, firstly you have to learn by lifelong, secondly you have to gathered knowledge by listening and observing and thirdly you have to active in your family, society, country and moreover yourself.

In the presidential address, Md. Sabur Khan said, if you want or not, change is continuously done. It's important that how much you absorbed with this change or how much contribute you into this changes. If you want to change, you have to change your mind set at first. Today's young people eagerly interested in social media but they not interested in social work. It's not positive sign. You must use social media but you have conscious that how much I benefited from social media.


Biman takes aggressive marketing for Bangkok route

Economic Reporter :

Biman Bangladesh Airlines took an aggressive marketing for its Dhaka-Bangkok-Dhaka route, offering a round trip ticket for only Taka 20,060 including all taxes, to travel to Thailand, the land of white elephants.

"Number of outbound Bangladeshi tourists is increasing to Bangkok destination day by day. We reduced our fare so that the national flag carrier can be the first choice for the local travelers," Biman's Public Relations General Manager Shakil Meraj told the media on Saturday.

Besides reducing the fare, Meraj said, the Biman is also offering passengers to carry extra luggage free of cost.

Now economy class passenger can carry maximum 30 kg instead of earlier 20 kg and business class passenger 40 kg for their checked baggage for Dhaka-Bangkok flight.
Azam for setting up jute pulp based paper, textile mills in private sector

Economic Reporter :

State Minister for Textiles and Jute Mirza Azam said Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) has enough land to give interested private entrepreneurs to establish paper or textiles mills using jute pulp.

"BJMC has enough land, if private sector is interested they can get land from BJMC to establish paper or textiles mills using pulp from jute," he said while speaking at a seminar on "Eco-friendly pulp and paper processing from Jute" on Saturday.

Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) organized the seminar which was also addressed by additional secretary of agriculture ministry Md. Fazle Wahid Khondaker, Director General of Bangladesh Jute Research Institute Dr. Manjurul Alam and DCCI President Abul Kasem Khan.

Dr. Asaduzzaman, Director (Technical) of Bangladesh Jute Research Institute (BJRI) made a power point presentation.

Mirza Azam said jute lost its glory but the present government is working hard to regain that glory. The government has decided to observe 6th March as 'National Jute Day' every year to promote this sector, he added.

In 2010 the government enacted mandatory jute packaging act to protect local jute and discourage export, he said, adding that the government will establish paper mill only for jute pulp.

Other speakers said quality of Bangladeshi jute is the world's best and from this jute eco-friendly pulp and viscose can be processed.

DCCI President Abul Kasem Khan said once jute was our golden fibre and steps need to be taken to create the revival of jute through innovation and diversification. Bangladesh has the potential to become a major pulp and paper producer from green jute, he said.

At present, Bangladesh imports 500-600 tonnes of pulp annually worth of US$600 million, he said and stressed the need for setting up mills to produce high quality pulp from green jute which can meet the entire demand for making paper and also leave surplus from export.

Md. Fazle Wahid Khondaker said if Bangladesh produces pulp for paper and viscose alone it will help the economy a lot. He said agriculture ministry will help private sector for jute diversification.
Buddhists celebrate Buddha Purnima

Chittagong Bureau :

Members of the Buddhist community celebrated Buddha Purnima in the city as elsewhere in the district on Wednesday with solemn devotion and enthusiasm.

On this day followers of Buddhism commemorates three important events;- Lord Buddha's birth, enlightenment or 'Nirvana' in Bodh Gaya and 'Parinirvana' in Kushinagara of India . Buddha Purnima is observed on a bright full moon in the Vaisakha month, a time especially suited for introspection, charity and puja. Gautam Buddha "lived and died in about the fifth century before the Christian era". Buddha means "enlightened one". Besides, decorating the monasteries with colorful Buddhist flags, the morning prayer, colorful procession of the Monks, worship with large offerings, blood donation, religious discussions are the highlights of the day. Prayers, sermons and non-stop recitations of Buddhist scriptures resonated in all monasteries, religious halls and homes. The Buddhists also bathed and wore only white clothes. People offered incense, flowers, candles and fruits to the statue of Lord Buddha. They spent their entire day listening to discourses on the life and teachings of the Buddha.

The day's programmes heralded with hoisting of the national and religious flags atop of all monasteries in the dawn and chanting of the sacred verses from the Tripitaka.

In the city, the colourful peace procession under the auspices of Bangladesh Buddhists Association was brought out city's Nandankanan Buddhist temple.

Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong Mohammad Shamsul Arefin inaugurated the procession by releasing balloons and pigeons. Association President Ajit Ranjan Baraua, senior vice president Adarsha Barua, Secretary General Sudip Barua, Buddhist Association (youth) president advocate Joyshanta Barua, general secretary Swapan Barua, Tinku Barua among others were present.

In the city, main religious congregations were held at Nandankanon

Buddhist templeKatalganj Nabapandit Vihar, Purnachar International Buddhists Monastery at Devpahar, Mughaltooli Shakkyamuni Vihar at Agrabad and Sarbajanina Bouddha Vihar at Momin Road.

The mass congregation in Nandankanan Buddhist temple was conducted by its chief abbot venerable Dr Gynansree Mahathero.

To mark the day, local dailies brought out articles while Bangladesh Betar and Bangladesh Television, Chittagong centers aired special programmes highlighting the importance of the festival.

To mark the occasion, a good number of periodicals of the community like Amitabh, Sombodhi, Krishti, Bodhibarta and Arya were brought out special supplements. Besides, special prayers seeking continued peace and progress of the nation as well as global peace were also offered in all monasteries.


Swedish support for energy sector sought



State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid now in Stockholm sought Sweden's cooperation for development of Bangladesh's renewable energy sector.

Nasrul sought the assistance as he paid a courtesy call on Swedish Minister for Policy Coordination and Energy Ibrahim Baylan at the latter's office in Stockholm, according to a press release here on Saturday.

"Bangladesh's power and energy is a prospective sector for investment from the Nordic countries," he told the Swedish minister. He added that Bangladesh wants to use Sweden's experience in the renewable energy sector, especially in solar system.

During the meeting, Narayanganj city mayor Dr Selena Hayat Ivy, Power Cell Director General Engineer Mohammad Hossain, Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Ltd.


When most people think of Australia, they imagine scorching summers, barren, dry, desert and beach adventures; but the cooler months in Australia are a wonderful time to visit! From the Whitsundays to Perth, Tasmania, and the Outback, the winter season is rife with Australian adventures and tours for everyone, way beyond the go-to cities like Melbourne and Sydney.

Natural Wonders

The winter months are a fantastic time in Australia to go whale watching. Humpbacks and Southern Wright wales migrate down the coast, past Byron Bay, Flinders Bay, and many other locations in almost every state. Harvey Bay in Queensland is the countrys most popular whale watching destination, but you may even be able to catch a glimpse of them from May onward from the iconic Gap lookout in Sydney.

Tasmania is worth a visit for many reasons, but one of the best by far is the Southern Lights. Although they are a rare sight, their beauty is beyond magical, matching their earthly twin in the north. Temperatures sit at around 12 degrees, but theres still plenty happening in the tiny state, with winter festivals and fun for everyone.

If youre looking for a summer beach vacation, or a break from the cooler temperatures, the Whitsundays are perfect. White sands and crystal waters dominate this area, and being in the north, temperatures remain warm enough for soaking up the bright sunny days.

Outback Adventures

Darwin remains one of the warmest places in the country, even in the coldest months of the year. Here, temperatures average 30 degrees Celsius, perfect for exploring the markets, events and natural wonders that Darwin has to offer. Swim with salt water crocodiles, take a hike, relax in the popular Wave Lagoon, or if youre lucky, spot baby turtles as they make their way down the beach to the water from their nests.

Uluru/Ayres Rock remains an international icon. The largest rock in the world is much more beautiful than it may seem, with the sun changing the colours of the rock as it shifts across the sky. Not to mention the other beautiful pools, walks and natural wonders that surround the area, especially if you visit just after rainfall.

Days here are still warm in August and September, but if you plan on hiking and camping in the area, make sure to be well prepared, as the nights can drop to very low temperatures.

Ayres Rock is also a great place to learn about Aboriginal culture. Learn about the history of Australias first people, their art, culture and stories of the Dreamtime.

Alice Springs, or the Red Centre as it is known, is a one-hour flight from Ayres Rock, or you can take a road trip across the desert for four and a half hours, past the beautiful Kings Canyon.

Alice Springs Desert Park is the perfect place to learn about the flora and fauna in this area of the country, and you can experience the natural magic of the desert for yourself with an adventure through Palm Valley, and the West MacDonnell Ranges.

Amongst the history and environmental education, you can also catch a glimpse of what life in outback Australia is really like, by learning about the Royal Flying Doctor Service, and other rural initiatives; Its a beautiful place, well worth the travel time!

Food, Wine, and Art

Although it is known for its hot weather, Perth and Western Australia in general is also responsible for some of the best food and wine produced in the country. Perth CBD is rife with hidden bars, restaurants and cafes, perfect for the foodie in all of us. Perth also has a massive creative arts culture, and this year there are loads of cool exhibits, markets, and even an art walk.

If youre keen to get outside, the weather is great, and you can do everything from swimming with dolphins to hot air ballooning.

Heading down to South Australia, and Adelaide in particular, youll find more delicious food, arts and culture. Known as one of the worlds best wine destinations, there are over 200 cellars, and theres everything from local produce to dessert bars, microbreweries and other delicious delights.

If you want to discover more amazing destinations or learn all the tips and tricks to planning your next vacation, please subscribe to our Tours4fun Newsletter below.
Reclaiming the unused industrial lands

THE government's move to reclaim the unused land and factories belonging to different government establishments or occupied by the ruling-party grabbers seems to be a timely move, but anxiety brews over the functional utilization of the plan. The government proposed a new law to utilize such land to attract private and foreign investment.



The New Nation reported that Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) identified more than some 100 unused pieces of lands and infrastructures of running and closed factories of the State-owned Enterprises (SoEs) and drafted a law to use these unused lands to make profit. To accomplish that, the BIDA has to face challenges like political pressure from ruling elites and their defenders when occupying or reoccupying such unauthorized infrastructures. Moreover, there remains a scope of bribe-motivated lethargy in administrative functions.



BIDA carried out a survey on lands of 15 organisations amounting 364.22 acres and it found unused lands measuring 110.93 acres there. There are 15 industries and other structures on that land, 13 of which are closed while two are in operation. An inter-ministerial meeting was held to finalise the draft rules on this issue. As the scarcity of land is acute to establish new industries, the move to reutilize the old sites and unused lands for industrial development is a timely step. As there is no law to use unused lands and infrastructures of different governmental organizations, the new law ushers new hope for private and foreign investment which may generate employment for a demographically-dividend wining country. As per the draft law, the unutilized lands of running factories or that of factories getting shut, the land would be reallocated to establish new industries.



Grabbing public lands by influential quarters is a regular news item in most dailies, but the government's indifference to and lack of policy to protect public interest have become a major loophole behind such grabbing. More than 4,000 acres of Bangladesh Railway land have been grabbed by influential private individuals with political links and also by the government and private organizations across the country. The grabbers list includes individuals from ruling and opposition parties, law enforcers, government agencies, local goons and business elites. In fact, the problem lies in corruption, and also in lack of proper supervision.

The proposed law will empower the BIDA to drive out illegal occupants but to what extent the policy will work depends on political commitment of the government and strength of the execution agencies. So, the government now should act with prompt execution of newly proposed laws to meet up the demand of lands for setting up industries at least on the unused ones. Availability of lands at attractive industrial locations may draw the interest of the foreign investors to engage them more meaningfully in the industrial development of the country.






Nasrul wants Swedish help for renewable energy

Staff Reporter :

Bangladesh wants to utilise Swedish experience in developing renewable energy sector, especially solar power generation.

State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid said it seeking Swedish assistance at a meeting with Swedish Minister for Policy Coordination and Energy Ibrahim Baylan in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, on Friday.

A Bangladesh delegation led by Nasrul Hamid is now visiting different energy projects in Sweden, said a Power and Energy Ministry press release.

"We want to utilise Swedish experience in renewable energy sector, as the Nordic nation has set a model in maximum per capita power consumption with minimum carbon emission," Nasrul said.

The State Minister also sought Swedish cooperation to develop human resources.

He also discussed different issues, including transmission and distribution system of power, cost effective power generation, and power load management during the meeting.

Swedish Minister Ibrahim welcomed the delegation and said, Bangladesh and Sweden can work together in the fields of renewable energy and waste management.

The Minister also gave assurance to extend the cooperation to train Bangladeshi manpower.
General elections by Dec 31 next yr Roadmap in mid-July, EC talks with political parties in Aug

Staff Reporter :

The Election Commission is trying to create trust among political parties through holding dialogues to hold the 11th parliamentary election inclusive.

According to the draft roadmap of EC, it wants to arrange the general election in between December 26

and 31, 2018 to avoid any possible legal complexity over holding it after January 2, 2019.

Officials said that the EC will initiate talks with registered political parties at least in two phases to finalise its important decisions on 23 agendas, including introducing Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) in the polls.

The commission will hold its first phase of dialogues with the parties in August this year to get their opinions over the use of EVM or Digital Voting machine (DVM) in the polls. It will also seek opinions on reform of electoral laws and delimitation of parliamentary constituencies.

It will hold the second phase of such talks in August-November next year to finalise decisions over holding free and fair polls.

The EC roadmap will come up for discussion in the Commissions meeting today (Sunday).

"We will finalise the roadmap in mid-July and then sit with political parties, media, donor agencies and other stakeholders," Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda told a group of journalists on Saturday.

The agendas include registration of new political parties during October 2017-February 2018 and voter updating programme during September 2017-January 2018, arrangement of Rangpur City Corporation election by December next and completion of elections to five other City Corporations- Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet and Gazipur-by August 2018. The Commission also plans to arrange elections to the five City Corporations in one day in mid-2018 as it has a constitutional obligation to conduct the next general polls between October 30, 2018 and January 28, 2019.

It will also finalise selection of possible polling stations by June 2018 and publishing the names of those in the gazette 25 days before the announcement of election schedule and completing the appointment of polling officials 10 days before the announcement of the election schedule.


Experts confused! Present NBR stance may divert attention to other dimensions

Staff Reporter :

Country's social scientists and criminology experts are in confusion over the much-talked about rape incident of the two private university students at a Banani hotel centering fashion or money in the name of birthday celebrations.

They smell something fishy over the sensational rape case as why the victims went to the police station after 38 days of the incident and also the present activities of law enforcers and other agencies.

Why did police delay to file the rape case and harass the victims before lodging the case complaint against Shafat Ahmed and his friend Shadman Sakif and others, they questioned?

They suspected that the incident might have stayed the proper investigation influenced by the high profile businessman Dildar Ahmed, a self-announced gold smuggler.

In this context, the Customs Investigation Directorate has started the investigation about the sources of properties of Dildar Ahmed.

Masuda M Rashid Chowdhury, a Social Scientist and Professor of Sociology Department of Dhaka University, told The New Nation on Saturday that the rape incident might have occurred based on understating at a party in such as a posh hotel.

"I think it was preplanned incident as no hotel staff helped the girls to rescue from the rape incident during the whole night. Even police did not arrest any hotel employee that is very questionable," Professor Masuda said.

The girls also might have gone to the hotel following the understanding to get money for sexual intercourse with so called friends, she opined.

She also termed the rape incident as trap on behalf of rapists or victims or their axis.

Replying to a query, she however, said that all investigators and law enforcers have to give priority to the dignity of victims and their families.

Professor Zia Rahman of the Criminology Department of Dhaka University said that drug addiction, fashion and money might have influenced to commit the rape incident.

Some experts also raised question over the present stance of the National Borad of Revenue (NBR) saying the move might be taken to divert people's attention to other dimensions.

A detective official of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police said the rapists may have committed such as incident several times.

ADC Asma Siddiqua Mili of the Women Support and Investigation Division said the background and nature of the suspect give reasons to suspect that they may have committed crimes against women before.

Narrating the incident, one of the university students told the media that Safat pestered her and her friend to join his birthday party and it was with reluctance that they went to the hotel at Banani.

Meanwhile, Customs intelligence on Friday formed a committee to investigate the sources of wealth of Dilder Ahmed Selim, owner of Apan Jewellers and father of accused Shafat, said Moinul Khan, Director General of Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) under the National Board of Revenue.

"We have already issued a letter to the Bangladesh Bank seeking information of the bank accounts of Dilder Ahmed and his son," the DG said.

"It was learnt that Dilder Ahmed earned huge amount of money through gold business, but in the last five years, no gold was imported into the country through proper channel. So, we want to know how he could make the money and property," he added.

"A committee has been formed to check their transactions. We will try to find out how Dildar collected the gold he is selling, despite the fact that there has been no gold import for 10 years," Moinul Khan added.

The two victims on May 6 filed a case with Banani police against Shafat, his friends Nayeem Ashraf, Shadman, Shafat's driver Billal and his unnamed bodyguard, the police official said.

Of them, Shafat and Nayeem Ashraf raped the girls in the hotel while three others assisted them, he said.


In brief

2 outlawed party leaders killed

in gunfight

UNB, Rajbari

Two regional leaders of the outlawed Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP-Lal Potaka) were killed in a reported gunfight with members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) in Rakhalgachhi area of Goalondo upazila early Saturday.

The deceased were identified as Bappi, chief of Lal Potaka Bahini and his associate Lalon.

Rois Uddin, additional superintendent of police, and also company commander of Rab Faridpur camp, said that on secret information a team of Rab conducted a drive in the area around 3am.

Sensing the presence of elite force, the outlaw leaders opened fire on them, prompting the law enforcers to retaliate that triggered a "gunfight". The gunfight left duo dead on the spot.

Two Rab members also were injured in the incident.

The Rab team also recovered four firearms and 60 rounds of bullets from the spot.







Husband tortures wife to death

UNB, Narsingdi

A housewife was tortured to death allegedly by his husband at Baluakandi village of Raipura upazila on Friday night over dowry.

The deceased was identified as Sharmin Begum, 23, wife of Muktar Hossain, 30.

Amirul Sikder, sub-inspector of Raipura Police Station, said that Muktar used to torture his wife Sharmin over dowry after marriage.

Like other days, he locked into an altercation with Sharmin around 10pm at their living room and beat her mercilessly.

At one stage, he stabbed him indiscriminately with a sharp weapon, leaving her critically injured.

Hearing screaming of Sharmin, family members rushed in to the room and rescued her and sent to Narsingdi Sadar Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.

Mukter was held on the spot during the incident and tied him with rope at the house.

Mukter's father Abdur Rahim informed the police about the incident. Police, later, came to the spot and arrested his son. Victim's mother Shahana Begum filed a murder case, said Azharul Islam, officer-in-charge of the police station.





Wife killed 'by husband' in city

UNB, Dhaka

A housewife was killed allegedly by her husband over family feud in the city's Badda area on Saturday morning.

The deceased was identified as Tahmina Aktar Makki, 45, a teacher of a local madrasha and wife of Shah Alam of Shidhalpur village of Damudda upazila in Shariatpur, said Bachhu Mia, in-charge of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital police out-post.

Quoting victim's neighbors, police said tailor Shah Alam hit his wife with a brick following a family feud, leaving her seriously injured when their three children were asleep in the early hours on Saturday.

Hearing Tahmina's scream their children woke up and knocked the door of their parent's room repeatedly. When Shah Alam opened the door they found their mother lying on the floor with severe injuries.

Tahmina died on the way to hospital. The body was sent to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital for autopsy.

Police arrested Sha Alam in this connection.




Comey`s replacement likely next week

From left to right: Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, Republican Senator John Cornyn, New York Appeals Court Judge Michael Garcia and lawyer Alice Fisher. Internet photo

US President Donald Trump says he could announce a replacement for fired FBI Director James Comey by late next week.

He told reporters it was "possible" he could name someone by Friday, before he leaves for his first foreign trip.

Defence lawyer Alice Fisher was the first candidate interviewed at the justice department, US media report.

Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe and two others are also expected to meet Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy Rod Rosenstein on Saturday. But about 11 people in all are reportedly being considered for the position, which requires confirmation in the Senate. President Trump has faced a backlash for sacking Mr Comey, who had been investigating alleged Russian meddling in the US election.

He told reporters travelling with him on Air Force One that he wanted to move quickly to find a new FBI director. He said the candidates were "outstanding people" and "very well known".

Fox News quoted a government source as saying they were moving "quickly and expeditiously" to find a replacement, adding: "We're doing our due diligence - we are not going to cut any corners."

One of those being interviewed is Republican Senator John Cornyn, the second highest-ranking member of the Senate and a former Texas Attorney General. Mr McCabe was the FBI's deputy director until he stepped up after the abrupt departure of his boss. He appeared to contradict the White House this week when he described the inquiry into alleged Russian meddling in the US election as "a highly significant investigation".

He also cast doubt on White House claims that Mr Comey had lost the confidence of FBI staff.

Ms Fisher was an assistant attorney general for the justice department's criminal division. She currently works at a law firm. The other candidate named in the US press is New York Appeals Court Judge Michael Garcia, a former New York prosecutor. Meanwhile, President Trump is facing growing questions about whether he secretly recorded his conversations with Mr Comey. In a tweet, Mr Trump appeared to issue a thinly veiled threat to Mr Comey, saying he had "better hope there are no tapes" of their conversations.

The BBC's Laura Bicker in Washington says Mr Trump was referring to a private White House dinner in January during which the president claims Mr Comey assured him he was not being investigated over alleged links to Russia. Mr Trump seemed to be suggesting that he would release recordings if Mr Comey gave his own version of events, she adds. In an interview with Fox News Mr Trump said that he didn't want to discuss the matter and that all he wanted was for Mr Comey to be honest. President Trump has previously told NBC News that Mr Comey requested the one-on-one dinner, but the former FBI director reportedly maintains it was the president who invited him. Mr Comey had said he was "uneasy" before the dinner, according to former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. On Friday, the White House denied reports that President Trump had also asked Mr Comey to pledge loyalty to him. According to a report in the New York Times, Mr Comey said he would offer the president honesty, but not loyalty. Mr Trump's press secretary Sean Spicer has rejected the report. Mr Trump's behaviour has provoked fresh comparisons between his administration and that of disgraced President Richard Nixon, who famously recorded conversations, speeding his downfall during the Watergate scandal. Senior Democrats on the House judiciary and oversight committees wrote to the White House on Friday demanding copies of any recordings.

John Conyers and Elijah Cummings' letter noted "it is a crime to intimidate or threaten any potential witness with the intent to influence, delay or prevent their official testimony".
Tall talks only

City mayors don`t show accountability to people: Road repair works at Baridhara diplomatic zone remain unattended for weeks: DNCC assures quick steps

DNCC contractors dug Road 1 of Dutabas area in the city\'s Baridhara for repairing and kept it unusable for nearby dwellers for the last four weeks. This photo, taken on Saturday, shows no initiative to finish the work quickly.

Staff Reporter :

The residents of city's Baridhara are facing untold sufferings for haphazard digging works, which have been going on for the last three weeks for repairing Dutabash Road No 1.



Piling of dug-up mud, bricks and brick-chips and sand occupied both sides of the road, narrowing down the thoroughfares and obstructing traffic movement.



A lack of space for pedestrians as well vehicles is aggravating the situation, as the repair work is going on in a sluggish pace. The residents of the area are also failing to go out with their cars.



But no initiative has yet been taken to remove the mud, bricks, brick-chips and sand from there.



The slabs, which were uncovered for repairing the road, still remain uncared for.



As the uncovered drains have not yet been filled up with slabs, the residents of the area are also failing to go or come with their cars.



"Moving towards anywhere from the residence has become a real ordeal for us for the last 28 days. We can't move with our cars. No official from Dhaka North City Corporation came to the spot to ease our sufferings," a resident of Baridhara area told The New Nation on Saturday.



He said as the DNCC has not taken any step, they have made a temporary arrangement with wood-made slabs and covered the drain to go to their respective residences.



Another resident expressing grave resentment said, "When we request the workers to remove the mud and rubbish from the road, they demand money."



"If you give us money, we will remove the mud. Otherwise you will have to wait for more days," a worker was quoted as saying.



He said the DNCC mayor always talks tall rather than doing something well for the people.



"We are struggling every day to go out from our residence. We have to cross huge piles of mud, sand and rubbish. We are failing to go outside with our cars. It has now become more difficult as the mud and sand-piles have become slippery due to rains in last the few days," the resident said.



When contacted, Mayor of DNCC Annisul Huq yesterday said they need more three to four days to complete the work.



"Our men are working round the clock there to complete the road repair If you want to get something good, you will have to wait. We will take not more than four days to repair the road," he said.


The Undead Archives

I have finally salvaged my pre-Blogger TDR archives and added them into Blogger. They are almost totally in the form of one giant post for each month. And the formatting strayed from the originals. Sorry. But historians everywhere can rejoice that this treasure trove of my thoughts is restored to the world.
Country

United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
Revelation 19 is a picture of "Who is the winner." At first, John heard the roar of a great multitude in heaven, their joyful chorus of "Hallelujah". They celebrate God's just in the destruction of Babylon. God has exercised great patient toward Babylon, who refused to repent. Now He rightly judges this wicked city that murdered His people and corrupted the earth. Before Jesus went to the cross, He mourned over an unrepentant Jerusalem. At the present time, God's people grieve over those who do not know Him. But there will be no tears over the deaths of those who have persistently rejected the Savior. No trace of sadness will mar heaven's happiness on the day of Babylon's destruction.

Today is still the day of salvation, the time to repent. God takes "no pleasure in the death of the wicked." He yearns for people to "turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die...?"(Ezekiel 33:11) God alone truly knows how dreadful His justice will be for His enemies. He is the holy and sovereign Judge who pleads with people to turn to Him and live.

A second "Hallelujah!" rings out from the great multitude, praising God for ending forever Babylon's wicked ways. The smoke from the fires of Babylon's destruction will rise forever.

A third shout of "Amen, Hallelujah!" crying out from the twenty four elders and four living creatures. The inner circle of worshippers fall down at God's throne and express absolute agreement that every act of God is just and true. Immediately, a voice from the throne calls out, "Praise our God, all you His servant, you who fear Him, both small and great!" To love God is to know His ways and long to praise Him for all He does. Because every act of God calls for worship, and every attribute of God is praiseworthy.

John then "heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder." The citizens of heaven shout the fourth "Hallelujah!" Hallelujah rings out four times in the six opening verses of this chapter, which is the only place in the entire New Testament that this term appears. Because "For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." John explains that her wedding dress "stands for the righteous acts of the saints." John also makes clear that "righteous acts" do not merit salvation, as the bride's clothing is given to her as a gift from her Bridegroom. The Bridegroom is the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ. His bride is the Church, composed of His redeemed people. The Lamb purchased His bride by laying down His life for her at the cross, now clothes her "with garments of salvation" and "a robe of His righteousness." The amazing gift of salvation compels the Lamb's bride to "make herself ready," demonstrated by her righteous deeds. The most commonplace activities, if done for Christ through the Holy Spirit, are counted "righteous" by God, full of eternal significance.

The angel then directed John to "Write: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!" The bride is the Church, seen in its entirety; the wedding guests are believers, seen as individuals. To underscore this tremendous blessing, the angel solemnly adds, "These are the true words of God." This invitation is the best, the most significant invitation to anyone. John heard Jesus promised His disciples they would live with Him forever. Now the angel assures John this promised blessing of union with Christ is the joyful start of the full reality of external life with Christ.

Overwhelmed by the majesty of all he has seen and heard, overwhelmed by the good news that he is about to see his Lord, holding the invitation he just got, John fell at the angel's feet to worship him. The angel quickly rebuked him, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony for Jesus. Worship God!" All glory belongs to God. Worship God. Nothing and no one, not even a magnificent angel, is to be worshipped. The Holy Spirit allows John to let us know the mistake he made here, even at his mature age. Because we are so easily intend to elevate others. We are good at making humble servants heroes.

Now heaven stands open before John's eyes. There appears One who rides on a white horse. The rider "is called Faithful and True", is the Lord Jesus Christ. "With justice He judges and makes war." Jesus can be trusted to judge faithfully and fairly because "His eyes are like blazing fire." He has clear and complete vision of every person and knows the secrets of every heart. He knows all people's actions and motivations behind those actions. "On His head are many crowns," which signify His absolute rule over every nation and person. I love it when John says, "He has a name written on Him that no one knows but He Himself." There is still a name, a mysterious name we cannot know, because we cannot fathom His majesty in our finite nature. This name is reserved for eternity. The Lord "is dressed in a robe dipped in blood" when He comes from heaven. This suggests not blood from the battlefield, but from Christ Himself. None of His enemies' blood will spoil His robe. Instead, He shed His own blood to wash away His people's sin. He is the Savior whose blood saves His people. Jesus carries out God's purposes so fully that the Word of God and the person of Jesus Christ are one and the same. The armies of heaven dressed in white follow Jesus on white horse. The warriors' clothing resembles the clothing of the bride, will not get spoiled by the enemies blood either, because the Lord wins the battle in a split of a second. "Out of His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations." The battle is over with His powerful Word. Jesus reigns without rival. He will rule the nations with an iron scepter. And, "He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty." He reigns and judges. He is the final winner. One day all creation, including both His people and His enemies, will recognize Jesus Christ is "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." The name is "on His robe and on His thigh."

The stage is set for the final scene. John sees "an angel standing in the sun." The brilliant angel calls "all the birds flying in midair" to "gather together for the great supper of God." While the redeemed are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb, those who rebel against God will also attend a great feast for birds, they will be the main course! The birds will wait to "eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great." The leaders of the rebels, the beast and the false prophet are captured, are "thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur." At last, the reign of deception carried out by the beast and the false prophet ends. The battle is over before it starts, for the battle was already won on Calvary, where Christ conquers not by first shedding His enemies' blood, but by shedding His own blood.

(Today is Maundy Thursday, the day of Last Supper)
Ohios highest court has upheld a warrantless school search of a high school students unattended book bag, ruling that such searches are justified by schools obligation to keep students safe in the era of the Columbine and Sandy Hook campus attacks.

The Ohio Supreme Court held unanimously that the search by a school security officer of a backpack left on a school bus, which turned up bullets, was not an unreasonable search under the First Amendment.

The book bag belonging to Joshua Polk, a student at Whetstone High school in Columbus, Ohio, was first given a cursory search by security officer Robert Lindsey to determine who owned it and ensure that it was not dangerous. Lindsey said in court proceedings that he conducted dozens of such searches daily pursuant to school policy.

However, recalling a rumor that the student was involved with a gang, Lindsey took the bag to the principals office, where he conducted a more thorough search that revealed the bullets. A police officer joined Lindsey in finding and searching Polk, and that search turned up a handgun in another bag that the student had with him.

The student was charged with crimes related to gun possession at a school. His lawyers challenged the searches of both his unattended bag and the bag he had with him under the Fourth Amendment. The initial search of the unattended bag was permissible, they said, but the more thorough search based on the rumor of Polks gang affiliation was unjustified.

They also argued that regardless of the legality of the search of the bag in Polks possession that had the handgun, the discovery of the gun was the fruit of the unconstitutional second search of the unattended bag.

Two lower courts agreed with Polk. But in its May 11 decision in Ohio v. Polk , the state supreme court analyzed the second search of the unattended bag in light of the U.S. Supreme Courts three main student search decisionsNew Jersey v. T.L.O. (1985), Vernonia School District 47J v. Acton (1995), and Board of Education of Independent School District No. 92 v. Earls (2002).

The Ohio court noted that schools have faced deadly shootings such as at Columbine High School in Colorado and Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, and that the entire nation has been more suspicious of unattended luggage and bags in the age of terrorism.

Whetstone Highs search protocol for unattended backpacks and bags supports the compelling governmental interest in public-school safety by helping to ensure that the contents of the bags are not dangerous and in turn that Whetstones students remain safe from physical harm.

The state high court rejected the lower courts conclusions that the high schools policy was satisfied by the initial, cursory search of Polks unattended book bag.

A cursory inspection might easily fail to detect the presence of small but dangerous items, the high court said.

Lindsey testified that he only peered into Polks unattended bag when it first came into his possession and that he could see papers, notebooks, and a binder, the opinion says. That cursory review provided him with the name of the bags owner, but it did not enable him to determine that the contents were not dangerous. That determination could not be madeand execution of Whetstones reasonable protocol for searching unattended book bags could not be completeduntil the bag was emptied.

The court sent Polks case back to a trial court for further proceedings.
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"Tracy and I can't thank the people of Southern Illinois enough for their support and their prayers. Our victory tonight sends a powerful message to out-of-touch politicians everywhere that we're unified and unyielding in the fight for our conservative values. Joe Biden's going to be held accountable for destroying the economy, ignoring the border crisis, and taking us from America First to America Last in two years flat. But none of this would be possible without the trust of voters from across our vast 12th District. Serving you is truly the honor of a lifetime."
SPRINGFIELD  Mayor Edward Furtick announced Monday the town made approximately $13,000 on the Frog Jump and Egg Strike festival in April.

More money is coming in from advertising so this amount will be more in future reports, Furtick said.

Councilwoman Lydia Lackey proposed during the Springfield Town Council meeting that council move to four-year terms instead of two years and amend the ordinance to reflect the change. Council will vote on changing the ordinance during its June meeting.

A special meeting was also called for Tuesday to have a second bidder discuss a proposal for new water meters and readers for the town.

Consolidated Pipe and Supply Company of Greenville presented the proposal on Tuesday. The company's total bid was $86,278.38.

After the meeting, Furtick said, Part of this is $24,403 for 48 meters, and this includes the web-based data collection equipment.

This equipment will include a laptop, software, and power supply. Also included are labor and travel.

The rest of CPSCs bid was for other water meters at a cost of $61,875.38.

Another bidder discussed a proposal for new water meters and readers during council's April meeting. At that time, estimates for water and sewer system upgrades were presented to council by a representative of Water Systems Inc. Jay Kates, president/CEO of the West Columbia company, reported the upgrades will cost a total of $153,777, which will include labor but not maintenance. The work will include $113,310 for a radio-read water meter system, $18,075 for a radio-read system for the town water tank and $22,392 for improvements to the wastewater treatment facilities.

CPSC did not list improvements to the wastewater treatment facilities in its bid. Voting on the bids and plans will take place at the June meeting.

In other business, Furtick announced the town in April paid $528.85 interest to the S. C. Retirement Fund. This was in addition to new payments it made to the S.C. Department of Revenue totaling approximately $3,000.

Police Chief Lacra Jenkins reported he reviewed a hunting ordinance for its legality and determined it conformed to all state laws. Council took no action on the ordinance.

Jenkins also announced the South Carolina Department of Transportation will be doing a traffic study in Springfield soon.
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News / National

by Staff reporter

I CAN'T take it anymore!A city man committed suicide by jumping off a second floor ward at Mpilo Central Hospital last week on Wednesday.Nqobizitha Mlotshwa was admitted to the A2 ward and in the wee hours of Wednesday morning decided to take his life. A nurse at the institution said Mlotshwa fell on his head and "bled excessively".Because of medical ethics, officials at the hospital did not divulge what Mlotshwa had been suffering from but sources said the patient had been experiencing "excruciating pain" and had been telling nurses at the ward that he wanted to die and had gone for two days without food."He was always saying it's better to die than to endure intense pain. He refused to eat for two days," said the source.Hospital authorities were caught napping by the suicide mission and have since beefed up security in every ward."It was a complete surprise. We have since tightened security to avoid such occurrences," said Mpilo Hospital clinical director Dr Solwayo Ngwenya.Nqobizitha's brother Mqodisi Mlotshwa said his younger brother was buried at West Park Cemetery and the family was still in mourning.
The first stage of the one-km-high Jeddah Tower being developed by Saudi Arabia's Kingdom Holding Company, the investment firm owned by billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, is due for completion by 2019 after solving the financial issues with contractor Saudi Binladin Group (SBG), said a report citing its top official.

Jeddah Tower, which currently stands 220 m tall and 50 floors high, is set to become the worlds tallest building on completion, reported The Saudi Gazette.

The Jeddah Tower is the first phase of the whole Kingdom City project, while Phase Two will boast several skyscrapers, apartment buildings and other social centres.

The Phase Three will be to promote Jeddah City by encouraging tourism, stated the report.

"Jeddah Tower is going to be the tallest in the world despite the latest announcement of Dubai in building the tallest tower in the world," stated Prince Alwaleed, while speaking to the press at the projects construction site on the 28th floor of Jeddah Tower.

It is a solid concrete building unlike the one announced in Dubai which is considered as a skeleton. This is why our tower will be the tallest in the world, he stated.

Giving an update on the project, Alwaleed said the central core containing elevator shafts and stairwells has reached Level 50.

He pointed out that the tower is expected to progress slowly and steadily. Construction of the Jeddah Tower will rely on cutting-edge technology, including the high-strength reinforced concrete and the pumps used to elevate it to record heights, the KHC chairman said.

According to him, the overall construction cost of the tower and the surrounded economic city is likely to be around SR75 billion ($20 billion).

"The final height of the building would not be revealed even to project partners until six months before its completion, when the size of the spire at the top will also be unveiled," he added.
UAE-based business conglomerate Tharaa Holding said it has launched an interior solutions company Practical Furniture that specialises in elegant and innovative space-saving furniture and interior solutions catering to the design and functional needs of the UAE market.



Practical Furniture has successfully started providing a wide product range including space-saving furniture, hidden mini-kitchens and Italian modular furniture for residences, hotel apartments and hotels, said a statement from the company.



The innovative product range is also suitable for guest hospital beds, military accommodations, student dorms and staff accommodations.



Practical Furniture provides an outstanding opportunity for real estate developers, hotel operators and property owners to better utilise, and add significant value to any given space, said a top official.



"Through our long-standing experience in the real estate industry, weve identified a trend towards developing smaller apartments and villas with an additional challenge of keeping such properties multi-functional, trendy and stylish, all at the same time," remarked Tariq Ramadan, the founder of Practical Furniture.

"

Therefore, weve explored the world for quality solutions that can address these challenges and the result was the launch of Practical Furniture. We are confident that our smart interior solutions will help property owners, real estate developers and hotel operators to increase the usability and functionality of a given space," he stated.



Practical Furniture is now aiming to reach out to a wider audience through its e-commerce website.



Plans are under way to set up a virtual showroom to showcase the different products and demonstrate its stylish designs and exceptional quality, he added.-TradeArabia News Service






The most heavily searched keyword in 2016 on the CV Search database of Bayt.com, a leading job site in the Middle East, was Sales, searched for over 170,000 times during the year.



This was followed by Manager, Engineer, Accountant, and HR. Other popular words included Marketing, Finance,Project Manager, Assistant, Secretary, IT, "Business", "Development", "Mechanical", "Procurement", "Design", and "Civil".



Just like job seekers can search, view, and apply for any job they find on Bayt.com, employers can also directly source and hire talent without necessarily posting a job announcement, only through keywords, using Bayt.coms CV Search.



With these hot keywords, job seekers will have the knowledge to revise or tweak their profiles and increase their visibility and attractiveness for employer searches and find more career opportunities.



Professionals looking to enhance the visibility and effectiveness of their profiles online can take advantage of this information, Bayt.com said in a statement.



It is recommended to use keywords in all marketing communications as a job seeker, including in CVs, cover letters, profiles and interview follow-up letters. Communicating a message of who the job seeker is and what value/knowledge they can bring is an important factor. Job seekers should include as much information as possible; the Bayt.com CV Search tool can pick out keywords from CVs for Employers.



Furthermore, keywords are great in previous job descriptions and can be powerful action statements that project and highlight recent achievements.



Job seekers can take advantage of the Bayt.com profile visibility charts and tools to help enhance and strengthen their profiles, and be more prepared for new job opportunities. The system means job seekers can check how many views and searches they have had on their profile, check profile strengths and follow recommended improvements, and see which keywords on their profile were searched to find their CV.



Helping empower job seekers and employers in the region is our number one priority at Bayt.com. We have collated and released the list of top keywords to empower job seekers and allow them to strengthen their CVs and profiles and target such keywords, said Suhail Masri, vice president of Employer Solutions, Bayt.com.



Having a powerful CV is important to stay competitive in the job market, and job seekers who hold the qualifications and skills related to the most wanted positions will have a greater chance of being viewed and contacted by the employer for career opportunities.



However, this will be more successful if the most popular keywords are mentioned, as individuals will be searched by employers on our CV Search database. At Bayt.com, we work with over 29 million professionals and provide them with the necessary tools and technologies to enhance their profiles and CVs on our portal. We are proud to work with over 40,000 companies who advertise over 10,000 vacancies at Bayt.com on any given day, as well as use Bayt.coms CV Search tool to find and recruit top talents for their business, he concluded.  TradeArabia News Service
Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), the Bahrain-based international aluminium smelter, is a key sponsor and participant at the ongoing 22nd World Aluminium Conference, being held in London, UK.



The three-day event, organised by Commodity Research Unit's (CRU), will conclude tomorrow (May 5), and is being held at the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square.



Albas chief executive officer Tim Murray is attending the event, along with other members of the company, said a statement.



This year, the conference covers the outlook for aluminium markets, prices and premiums as well as addresses the issue of sustainability in the aluminium sector, it said.



Murray said: The conference is a well-known event that brings key decision makers from around the world on a single platform.



This event allows aluminium producers in the Middle East to highlight the potential for their growth all the while presenting opportunities to learn of the latest technologies and innovations, he added.



Every year, our company looks forward to partner with CRU and boost its relations with key members of the aluminium industry as well as interact with potential trade partners, he concluded.  TradeArabia News Service
Saudi-based Advanced Petrochemical Company (APPC) has reported a eight per cent growth in its revenue for the first quarter to SR526.2 million ($140.2 million) compared to the same period last year despite a shutdown of eight days, said a report.



This was mainly because the product price was up around 20 per cent y-o-y, stated Saudi-based broker Al Rajhi Capital in its review.



However, the company has posted a net profit of SR124.4 million, lower than consensus (SR164 million) and the estimates of (SR159 million), it added.



Reported operating income and bottom-line came below Al Rajhi Capital estimates on account of lower-than-expected equity income from SK Advanced and higher than expected operating expense and operating leverage.



Given upward revision of prior period gross profits, some costs above the gross profit level could have been categorized to below gross level post migration to IFRS, a similar pattern observed with most of the companies in the sector in Q1, stated the Saudi brokerage in its review.



"On the whole, downward revision to prior net profits (these changes being non-cash) and lower than expected net profit in Q1 is unlikely to change our valuation of APPC materially," it added.-TradeArabia News Service
Luxury Swiss watchmaker Raymond Weil announces a new addition to its series of music special edition timepieces, which celebrate influential and iconic musicians, with the launch of the Buddy Holly maestro watch.

Recent partnerships with The Beatles and Frank Sinatra cement the brands continued commitment and credentials as supporters of the music industry and charities, said the Swiss group in a statement.

Designed in collaboration with Maria Elena Holly, the limited edition maestro pays tribute to legendary musician Buddy Holly, who is recognized as the pioneer of Rock n Roll and who influenced and inspired so many artists, including; The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Elton John.

Raymond Weil has designed a truly unique Buddy Holly watch with distinctive features and references to the artist. The 39.5 mm maestro has a polished stainless steel maestro case houses an automatic mechanical movement RW4250 with a 38 hour power and polished stainless steel bracelet.

The silver galvanic dial has highlights of pale blue (Buddys favourite colour) encircling the rim, and on the secondary second sub dial, which also wears a miniature pair of glasses (the iconic emblem of the musician) on the sweep of the second hand.

The oversized number 9, featured as a reference to Buddys lucky number, is balanced by the date dial at the 3 oclock, said the statement.

Holly was born in Lubbock, Texas on September 7, 1936 and this limited edition maestro watch pays tribute to the 80th anniversary of his birth.

A contribution from each watch sold will be donated to the Buddy Holly Educational Foundation, a charity set up to provide music education and opportunities to young people worldwide.

The Foundation also lauded BMG Rights Management (US) LLC, the steward of Buddys intellectual property rights, for its assistance in the project.-TradeArabia News Service
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

MDC-T deputy secretary general Tapiwa Mashakada has said the opposition parties have had a torrid time in trying to reform the media in which thestate has harnessed to be the mouth piece of the ruling partyHe said by right the media is often referred to as the 4th estate which comes after the other 3 pillars of State namely the Executive, Parliamentand Judiciary."Before the advent of social media, media access for the opposition was too bad. In terms of penetration, the most pervasive media is the radio andtelevision. The opposition has had a tough time calling for media reforms. The ZBC and radio was dominated by Zanu PF. In regard to public media the situation has not changed," he said."However in recent years this monopoly was challenged by VoP and Studio 7 which broadcast off shore. Now there is Social Media which has improved communication subject to the affordability of compatible gadgets for things like facebook, tweeter, internet and whatsapp platforms. These are still restricted in rural areas due to gadget affordability issues. So there is still a problem. What Iam.saying is let private media and social media be options available after reforming access to public media which by its very nature is funded by the taxpayer."He said equal access is key, but there is the AIPPA legislation again which further complicates matters."Therefore Media reforms are just as necessary on the reform agenda. The 2018 elections will be won in the cyberspace. What happened during theAmerican elections and the role of the media is instructive," he said.
Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Jumeirah Beach Residence has welcomed new members to its managerial team.



Sumesh Gopal has been promoted from senior sales manager to assistant director of sales, and Ahmed Sayed Mohamed has been appointed as leisure sales manager.



Gopal, who specialises in the leisure segment, has nearly two decades of hospitality and sales experience. Before joining Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham, he was with the leisure sales team of Ramada Jumeirah Hotel, and held a cluster sales role for Accor Hotels. He was also previously affiliated with Habtoor Grand Resort and Spa, and Metropolitan Hotel Dubai.



Sayed served as leisure sales manager at Cassells Al Barsha Hotel Dubai prior to his appointment. He has worked in various positions within the hospitality field including group sales coordinator, reservations supervisor, revenue and reservations manager, and sales manager for corporate accounts.



Along with the director of sales and marketing, they are expected to work on enhancing hotel occupancy and revenue with a strong focus on the leisure segment, strengthening relationships with the existing partners, and seeking out new markets and business deals.



Samer Rafie, hotel manager, Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham JBR, said: We congratulate Sumesh on his well-earned promotion, and welcome Ahmed to the team. We are counting on their extensive sales expertise to further bring in business for the property. They are assured of the teams continuous support on their new assignment. - TradeArabia News Service
The UAE and Saudi Arabia are the top destinations in the GCC preferred by business and leisure travellers from the UK, according to HotelsCombined, the leading accommodation comparison platform.



A review conducted by HotelsCombined of the top 10 countries travelling to GCC in 2016 revealed that more than 10 per cent of the total visitors to UAE and Saudi Arabia are from UK, followed by Australia and the US. Other travellers are from South Korea, India, Sweden, Norway, Pakistan, Switzerland and Germany.



The UAE and Saudi Arabias proximity to the UK makes it a convenient destination for travellers seeking warm weather and world-class experience including an extensive range of shopping malls, finest restaurants, luxurious and comfortable accommodation and leisure attractions.



The study also revealed that 43 per cent of those who booked their accommodation were between the 25 to 34 years old, followed by those aged 35 to 44, which comprised 30 percent of the total numbers.



Amer AlHalabi, general manager of HotelsCombined, said: It is interesting to note that the GCC region can accommodate many types of travellers, be it tourists or business professionals. The presence of a variety of hotels, attractions, conferences, affordable packages and the warm weather are factors that contribute mostly to the decision of these travellers.



Statistics from Dubais Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) showed that in 2016, Western Europe is the second highest demand driver for travel to Dubai, accounting 21 percent of the total tourism volume, with more than 3.1 million tourists. The UK retained its position as Dubais number three market bringing in nearly 1.25 million visitors, while Germany stayed within the top 10 list with 460,000 visitors.



AlHalabi added: We can see a robust growth in the ME tourism industry because the region offers high end luxury developments and international standard attractions. We know that other popular destinations will be competing to attract these markets but the UAE and KSA are two of the countries in the region that have the resources and commitment to turn its vision into reality.



HotelsCombined also highlighted that travellers to UAE and KSA are comprised mainly of families, couples and businesses. When searching for accommodation, these travellers look for luxury hotels, food and dining options, as well as sport and leisure attractions, spa and relaxation and other activities for family, businesses and couples.



HotelsCombined is a world leading hotel meta-search platform used by over 400 million travelers each year. It has partnered with thousands of booking sites such as Booking.com, Expedia and Agoda to create a one-stop hotel search engine for travelers. HotelsCombined compares all the accommodations in just one search, showing users a complete range of hotels and prices to choose from.

HotelsCombineds website is also available as a mobile application for both iOS and Android, allowing users to find the best room rate in one quick and easy search. For more details about HotelsCombined, please visit www.hotelscombined.ae.


Awad Bin Saghir Al Ketbi, undersecretary of the Supportive Services Sector at the UAE's Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), recently inaugurated the eighth Travel Road Exhibition at MOHAPs office in Dubai, in cooperation with Dnata.



The exhibition witnessed the participation of numerous international companies from the travel and tourism industries who presented MOHAP employees with the best travel and hotel offers.



The exhibition was attended by Dr. Mohamed Salim Al Olama, undersecretary of the UAE Ministry of Health & Prevention and Ministry undersecretaries, who were interested in taking advantage of available travel options, competitive prices and tour packages to attractive tourist destinations in Eastern Asia and Europe for the coming summer, in addition to a range of hotel stays in the UAE that were also on offer.



Al Ketbi commended the exhibitions eighth consecutive year of success, noting how it has attracted the largest international companies in the fields of travel and tourism to provide the best offers and contribute to the happiness of employees, further motivating them to increase their performance and innovative abilities when providing services to clients. This, he said, will contribute to enhancing strategic partnerships with all private sectors. The undersecretary also commended the cooperation of the participating travel and tourism companies.



A raffle draw was held at the end of the exhibition that gave out various prizes to employees. Participating travel and tourism companies were honoured with certificates of participation, and were thanked for their effective contributions towards the success of the exhibition. - TradeArabia News Service


Abu Dhabi Airports Company (Adac) has signed an agreement with Abu Dhabi General Services Company (Musanada) to strengthen co-operation between the two entities in the areas of knowledge sharing and facility development, to further support the growth of the infrastructure sector in Abu Dhabi.



The memorandum of understanding (MoU) aims at facilitating co-operation between the two companies by launching workshops with relevant expertise from both parties, in order to then design frameworks for partnerships and knowledge exchange, highlighting the key roles and responsibilities for each organisation, remarked Abdul Majeed Al Khoori, the acting chief executive of Abu Dhabi Airports, after signing the deal with Sweidan Rashed Sweidan Al Dhaheri, the chief executive of Musanada at Adac's headquarters.



It also details the processes for securing human resources and labour in the service, technical and management sectors, for the maintenance of the airport facilities and terminals, and how to strengthen engagement in the areas of construction, logistics, and contract management, as per international best practice, he stated.



Abu Dhabi Airports, he said, was keen to have compatible partners to support its tremendous progress in its journey towards the ambitious infrastructure development plan.



"With this MoU today, we have paved the way for a stronger joint front, with our partners from Musanada, to deliver what this emirate aspires to in terms of a leading aviation sector empowered by world-class facilities and services," observed Al Khoori.



Sweidan Rashed Sweidan Al Dhaheri said there was growing interest in Abu Dhabi and the projects currently under development in the emirate were attracting worldwide attention.



"This is mainly due to the great investment environment that the emirate has to offer and the world leading projects across many sectors, that are currently under construction," he remarked.



Al Dhaheri said Musanada was committed to carrying out all technical works for Abu Dhabi Airports as per the highest standards.



Its scope of work is not limited to the design, construction and delivery of key dynamic government projects, but also includes facility management services.



Currently, Musanada provides 2,713 facilities and buildings within Abu Dhabi with facility management services, through specialized work forces, as well as providing 24/7 customer care call centre services, noted Al Dhaheri.



"Our main goal is to support development programs and strengthen Musanadas operations within the facility management and maintenance industry, to maintain assets and enhance efficiency and sustainability by adopting the highest international standards," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Meet award-winning artisans and buy their products at Kerala Arts and Crafts Village
Wyoming Division of State Parks, Historic Sites and Trails is hosting a Governors Campout beginning at 4 p.m. June 2 at Curt Gowdy State Park at the Aspen Grove Trailhead. It will lead into the ninth annual Summer Outdoor Slam beginning at 10 a.m. the next morning.

Between the two events, expect a variety of activities including a night sky program, fishing, canoeing, archery, wildlife identification and a WY Outside Challenge.

The event is free and open to families with children ages 4 to 15.

Space is limited at the campout and registration is required. To register or for more information call Ashley Roony at 307-777-6560 or email Ashley.roony@wyo.gov.
Opinion / Columnist

For a personality like Nkosana Moyo to say he is contesting for the elections come 2018, I will certainly vote for him. The guy is not stupid! I am sure he made his homework very well. His Physics and Banking background will tell us that he is going for elections with a well thought through strategies we simple people may not know. I will vote you dear Sir: come elections of 2018.You have been in that government of Zanu PF before. You know all individuals by name and their deeds, how rouge a government of Zanu PF is like: almost half of them are of high criminal minds. You have indeed taken stoke of this and you have done a thorough groundwork how you are going to play out with their criminality when it comes to rigging the elections.I have never doubted your calibre, professionalism and political astuteness. You have shone in the international stages: alone the people of Mashonaland have great hopes in you: the people of Mathebeleland as well. We hope you play your cards well. Tell the people you are coming to give bread and butter on the tables of 13 million citizens and not two of them. Tell us you will turn the economy round and give us jobs. Tell us you will remove our girls as young as 10 years from the red lights. Tell us you will give women and girl children hope and future: that you will give them protection from rapists and pedophiles roaming the stress of towns and villages no prosecution. Tell us you will refurbish our roads, schools, hospitals, energy infrastructures. Tell us you will make primary education free for all. Tell us you will make our towns clean again.Tell us what you shall do in your first year as President: you will make water and sanitation, human right; free to all, as 95% of the population are out of employment. Tell us you will resuscitate our industry and many will have jobs and improve the conditions of living in our beloved country. Tell us that we women are equal to men and will get equal payment as men. Tell us you will negotiate our debt with international body lenders so that we can start afresh without debt problems on our shoulders. Tell us that your government will not be bloated, giving people government just to appease them: without any track record of experience. Tell us you will not tolerate any corruption of any kind whatsoever. Tell us how you will recover stolen revenues from previous government. Tell us how you will tape the experience of Diaspora electorate, convince them to come home and assist in the remaking of this great country. Tell us how you are going to address the swelling number of street children who die miserably in the streets because there is nothing to scavenge in the Zimbabwean streets.These questions are not coming from the blue, but they come from the open letter you Dr. Moyo wrote President Mugabe last year. In your campaign tell us that you are not bringing neo-liberal policies that have failed elsewhere in African countries. We say zero neo-liberal policies in our beloved country. Liberalism serves outside investments and not Zimbabweans. Tell us how you will engage white Zimbabweans who left their country of birth because of racism in Zimbabwe. We want them back; they have the same citizen rights as anybody else, they should come back in their country of birth and develop it.Please lay out your MANIFESTO for all of us to see and be convinced that you mean business. It must be readable by us average citizens: middle fingers, and not only the elite out there. Tell us you are not reaching out to the only educated and the wealthy elite out there, their electorate will not account to voting you to the State house Sir! In retrospect, be able to speak to us too: simple minded, we may be rouble rousers but we can shout loud enough. Tell us how the people around you constitute, and how you will convince us that you are the people of the moment. Tell us you are capable of talking to Jack and Jill's like ourselves and all those down trodden and povo, vendors, housewives, peasants in the rural areas, street women and children, farm workers and 5 million unemployed citizens roaming the streets of Zimbabwean towns.We need energy to ever go for production in the industries! You must tell us to eat what we kill and never unreasonable debt that goes to the deep end! We are sick of begging for food to donor agencies: are you going to give back our pride and dignity of African people: we were once upon a time very proud people! How are you going to restore our respect we have lost? We are spat at: looked down upon, disgraced, humiliated all in the effort of looking for refuge in foreign lands. We have even gone to the colonial masters and cried for shelter, the very colonial master we chased away successfully in 1980: it's all because we have failed in all aspects of our development in our country and we are now seeking refuge to Great Britain. Asylum seeking: In retrospect we are economic refuges. If the colonial Europeans laugh at us are you going to blame them! Zanu PF and Mugabe disgraced the entire nation because we failed, failed dismally in all aspect of our development.Please give us your Manifesto well in time to study it so that we can sincerely say here is the MAN of the moment: our OBAMA! Give us the best possible information to be able to go out there and vote for you. In that way, indeed we are convinced; we shall be behind you and assist in whatever way to make you win the elections. By the way we take it that you have done your thorough ground work and you are convinced you want to contest the elections. You are not stupid: a Graduate from Imperial College will have made several political experiments that make you think you can go for the elections. We shall therefore support you and realize those dreams that are not your prerogative alone but for all citizens who mean well for this great country.I pen off anxiously but hopeful! Hopeful that you are doing the right thing!Nomazulu
The iconic Wig-O-Rama store that dated back to downtown Tucsons shopping heyday has been sold.

Opened in 1976 at 97 E. Congress St., owner Myung Kim moved across the street to 98 E. Congress St. in 1985, where wigged mannequins lined the shops window.

Kim was passionate about helping chemo patients and people with thinning hair due to illness, according to the Downtown Tucson Partnership.

The store stocked over 2,000 styles and colors.

The online domain, wigoramatucson.com, is for sale. Kim could not be reached for comment.

Business partners Marcel Dabdoub and Ron Schwabe bought the Wig-O-Rama building and the adjacent business spaces owned by Kim for $950,000.

All are vacant and total more than 9,000 square feet on a prominent downtown corner.

At this point were talking to various prospective tenants, Dabdoub said. Were going to do remodel work on all of the spaces but are waiting to see who the users are before we start.

Over the past four years, Dabdoub has bought, along with different partners, more than six downtown buildings. His first was the historic Arizona Hotel at 35 N. Sixth Ave. in 2013.

Its a great feeling to buy up vacant buildings in order to bring them back to life, he said. I get really excited about downtowns revitalization.

Wig-O-Rama was displaced in 2013 when a fire broke out in the neighboring space once occupied by the Grill.

Kim moved to a 300-square-foot space in the Arizona Hotel while repairs were made.
Just as University of Arizona students were starting to edit the films that they had spent their entire college careers leading up to, the coronavirus pandemic happened and their worlds were turned upside down.
U.S. Marshals in Arizona have taken custody of a 37-year-old man wanted in Georgia on a homicide warrant after he was located in Nogales, Mexico by local authorities Friday.

Danion Perry Scott was deported back into the United States yesterday and was booked into the Santa Cruz County jail until he can be extradited back to Georgia, said Nathan Warner, a spokesman with the U.S. Marshals Service.

On May 23, 2013, Scott allegedly shot a person in the back of head at close range. He was booked into jail in DeKalb County on charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and prohibited possession of a firearm, Warner said.

He was released from jail under the supervision of pretrial services but failed to abide by his conditions of his release and the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office recently learned he'd left Georgia, Warner said.

On May 1, the sheriff's office requested the assistance of the U.S. Marshals in Georgia, who determined that Scott may have fled to Tucson.
Prince Charles was set to travel to Israel to honour thousands of British war dead at the centenary of the WW1 Palestine Campaign and the historic Balfour Declaration.



But insiders say the controversial trip  unofficially pencilled in for later this year  has now been binned.



It is feared the decision may have been taken to avoid upsetting Arab nations in the region who regularly host UK Royals.



But the Royal Visits Committee  part of the FCO  who decide where and when Royals will be sent around the world have decided against it.



It is understood the invite never even reached the Royal household or Prince Charles.

Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh.blog spot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work.

.

..Pressure Points..11 May '17..Ive written before, in 2014 and 2016, about the remarkable failure of any British royal to visit Israel except briefly for a funeral. Prince Philip attended Rabins funeral and Prince Charles attended that of Shimon Peres, but an official visitto see and honor the countryappears to be beyond the pale.This indefensible practice should not, it seems, be blamed on the royal family, but instead on the Foreign Office. The FCO, as it is known, has just done it again.This year is the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration. Moreover, there will this year be commemorations of the British Commonwealth troops who fell in the Palestine Campaign in 1917.But it is not to be, the British tabloidreports:Now, we all know that relations between Israel and the Sunni Arab states have been improving for some years. It is plain silly to believe that they would be horribly upset if Charles visited Israel during his next regular jaunt to Arab capitals. So the decision by the FCO reflects plain ignoranceor it reflects something far worse.One might have hoped that those ostensibly in charge of the FCO, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and above him Prime Minister Theresa May, would weigh in and ask the Royal Visits Committee to explain its decision. If they do not, it will appear that Her Majestys Government is happy to tolerate a policy that increasingly seems to be based on sheer prejudice.
If you cant travel 1,000 miles north to view the total solar eclipse in August, the students in Jack Ericksons astronomy club at Cienega High School have got you covered.

They are part of a 250-member team of citizen scientists who will deploy 60 identical telescopes along the continent-wide path of totality to produce a 90-minute movie that will detail the changing shapes of the suns corona.

If all goes well, a shortened clip will be available for viewing on the day of the eclipse, Aug. 21.

The longer version will be the subject of scientific inquiry by solar astronomers, who hope to confirm their theories about the halo of heated plasma surrounding the sun and maybe learn some new things. Any research papers written on the data will credit the entire team, including the students at Cienega.

The students gathered last weekend to train on their new telescopes and to learn the software program that will enable them to capture about two minutes of total eclipse data from the lawn of the public library in Pawnee City, Nebraska, a town of fewer than 900 people that is on the path of totality.

I think it will be really exciting to be part of something this big, said sophomore Bentley Bee, who took charge of the teams computer during the morning tutorial as his classmates took notes on procedures being outlined by solar astronomer Matt Penn and Adriana Mitchell, a student in optical sciences and engineering at the University of Arizona.

Penn, of the National Solar Observatory, is coordinating the nationwide effort  supported by NASA and the National Science Foundation. He has enlisted 60 teams of students and professional and amateur astronomers in the Citizen Continental-America Telescopic Eclipse Experiment, known in brief as Citizen CATE.

At the workshop, he stressed the importance of capturing and preserving that data.

As Mitchell tutored the four teams from across the country about the software program, Penn offered encouragement, practical advice and warnings.

Put the steadiest team member in charge of removing the solar filter, he said, as he showed a movie of a similar experiment in Indonesia last year where the telescope was bumped off target during that process.

The filter protects the telescopes CCD camera during siting and focusing. Like your eyes, the camera can only look at the sun without filters during totality.

Penn told the teams to simply rotate the telescope away from the sun at the end, rather than putting the filter back.

They have a more critical, immediate task: Back up the data.

Use the USB stick. Practice. We need a copy in case you spill the champagne on your laptop.

Not at our site, buddy, said Erickson, who, along with parent volunteer Michele McClellan, is taking the teenage club members to Lincoln, Nebraska, in August.

Erickson said he made reservations early in the closest big town  before he even knew exactly where the team would go. Hotel rooms and campgrounds are filling up along the path of the eclipse.

Eclipse viewing

Millions of Americans will be able to view the total eclipse by simply walking outside. It passes through mostly rural areas in the West and Midwest, but will be a short drive from many metropolitan centers, including the 3 million who live in and around St. Louis and 2 million in Nashvilles metropolitan area.

Cities and towns along the path of totality are expecting an onslaught of visitors and hosting a variety of events.

Tiny Madras, Oregon, population 6,533, is expecting 100,000 visitors, said Scott Dixon, one of five amateur astronomers from San Diego, who will be stationed there. We have a reservation in a field, he said. Fortunately, he also has an RV. Madras is hosting the Oregon Solarfest, promising sunny skies and a lineup of tribute bands on the eastern, dry side of Oregons rain-catching mountain ranges.

Carbondale, Illinois, which will see the longest totality (2 minutes and 20 seconds) is planning daylong festivities on the campus of Southern Illinois University.

NASAs webcast, the EDGE, will be hosting four hours of ESPN-style game day programming in Carbondale, said Penn.

Nova, the PBS science program, will broadcast a same-day program that will include the shortened version of NSOs eclipse movie.

That brief movie will also be posted on websites at NASA and the National Solar Observatory.

This is all weather-permitting, of course. With 60 sites, Penn said, he can lose a few without adversely affecting the science, but is hoping for clear skies everywhere.

Eclipse training

At Saturdays training session, Penn responded to a question about clouds affecting the ability to take flats (images of sections of blank sky) for calibrating the camera image, by saying, Just do the best you can and I dont want to hear the C-word again.

Operator error could also affect the results, but the students at Cienega seemed determined to keep that from happening in Pawnee City.

When the group moved outside for a test run, Bee and junior Daniel Stelly positioned the telescope as Julie VanVoorhis settled into the role of computer operator, smoothly running through the setup, calibration, focusing and collecting phases.

VanVoorhis said she was introduced to astronomy when she took Ericksons freshman honors physics class. Then she was offered the opportunity to help capture the all-American eclipse.

At first, I was really hesitant, but then I figured you can learn a lot of stuff by doing it, she said.

Next year, she plans to take Ericksons astronomy course and envisions a career that combines her love of business with her new-found interest in astronomy.

Stelly said hes more of an arts person than a scientist, but said the astronomy class at Cienega was his favorite science class by far and that he has an interest in anything to do with space.

Savannah Shoffner said, I never really thought about how science could be so interesting and that I could be a part of it. Shes unsure what her future career will be but it will have something to do with math and science.

Sophomore Madison Kroeger said she signed on to the Citizen CATE experiment for the opportunity to create new science. Well be looking at the corona, helping them confirm things they have suspected. I would just like to help Matt and his research team get the data.

Corona study

Penn will be in Weezer, Idaho, a small town near the Oregon border, where he will collect data and then compile images from the 59 other sites to quickly make a 10-second movie showing changes in the corona as the shadow of totality sweeps across the continent from Oregon to South Carolina.

Changes will be more subtle in the longer movie, but should reveal information about the inner corona that is impossible to obtain, even from NASAs space satellites, said Penn.

The best sun-blocking coronagraphs available for ground-based and space telescopes dont block the suns light efficiently enough to image the corona closer than 2.5 solar radii from the surface, he said. Its a big black donut in most NASA movies.

The sun is about 400 times larger than the moon, but it is also 400 times farther from Earth, a coincidence that makes it the best occulting disk available, he said.

The Citizen CATE experiment will explore that inner region of the corona. Our main focus is the acceleration of particles above the poles of the sun, said Penn. He describes the region as the on-ramp for the solar wind which has already reached speeds of 100 kilometers per second where scientists have been able to measure it. By the time those streams of charged particles reach Earth, they are traveling at 1,000 kilometers per second.

Penn said he is not an eclipse chaser but this will be his third total eclipse. As a graduate student, he collected data from the Hawaiian mountaintop of Mauna Kea in 1991, and went with a group to Chiles Atacama Desert in 1994.

He told the students what to expect: The sky darkens, the temperature drops, birds stop chirping, night insects emerge, stars appear, the horizons color in a 360-degree sunrise/sunset. And, at totality, the corona appears around the blacked-out sun, in patterns that form along the suns magnetic field.

It is safe to look at the sun during totality, which will last between 30 and 150 seconds, depending on the site. It is not safe to look at the sun without special filters before or after totality, and not during the partial eclipse that will be visible over much of the nation, including Tucson, where about half the sun will be shadowed.

Look around instead, said Penn. Tree leaves and common objects, like car keys, cast amazing, crescent shadows.

Great opportunity

Penn said the eclipse is a great opportunity to interest people, especially students, in the work he does every day.

The Citizen CATE groups will be asked to plan future observing campaigns with their new telescopes, computers, cameras, mounts and drives, which they get to keep, courtesy of donations from Daystar Filters, Celestron and colorMaker. Mathworks donated programming.

In addition to the students mentioned in the article, the Cienega Astronomy Club team includes Brynn Brettell, Bruno Acevedo and Cole Bramhall. Jack Ericksons daughter Ella and Michele McClellans daughter Emilie will also accompany the group.
Help India!

By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net

Anantnag: The government imposed ban on social media websites in Kashmir has entered its third week, and uncertainty prevails over whether the ban will be revoked after competition of one month or extended for an indefinite period of time.

Support TwoCircles



The social media websites are lifelines for Kashmiris and the ban has severely affected students, employees, patients, journalists as well as others but the ban has also ensured people find innovative ways to overcome the impact of the ban.

Zeyan Shafiq, a 16-year-old boy from Anantnag district of Kashmir division finished his 10th standard exams few months prior to the social media ban. A software enthusiast and son of a businessman father and govt servant mother, Zeyan started working on developing Valley owns social networking website and launched it within a week following social media ban on May 2nd, 2017.

The website, KashBook, giving a Kashmiri touch to the name also, within a week has attracted more than one thousand people who signed up for the website and are satisfied with its features.

Zeyan was just 11 when he started learning HTML tags by himself and later learned C++ and Java.

The 16-year-old along with his 19-year-old friend Uzair Jan from Srinagar has also developed a mobile optimised website as well as an android app, which has been downloaded by hundreds of people since its launch.

On the portal, you can add people and chat with them, post messages along with many features which one finds in other social media websites. There is also a market for buying and selling, Zeyan told TCN.

An important highlight of this website is that it also has an option for communicating in the Kashmiri language.

Explaining the reason behind starting the website, Zeyan said, The government has blocked access to all the social networks and they are blocking VPNs too. So, when theyll block the whole access to social media then how will people from valley stay connected with each other? KashBook is the answer to social media gag.

After the social media ban, many people turned to use of virtual private network (VPN) in order to defy the ban and access different social media websites which were banned by the state government.

Through this website, Zeyan says, he will focus and promote goods and services made in Kashmir.

Besides, many young people can learn from this initiative and take this as a challenge and invent and develop new things which can serve as tools for betterment of Kashmir and Kashmiris, he explains.

The team of two boys since its launch has been actively helping the users who either arent satisfied or facing problems via emails and social handles.

We offer them full support and help until their issue is resolved, says Zeyan.

Both the young website developers are looking forward to ensure website efficiency and pursue a career in computer engineering.

Pertinently, the PDP-led state government on Wednesday, April 26 had issued an order to ban all social media in Kashmir for a period of one month. The ban includes Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, QQ, WeChat, Ozone, Tumblr, Google+, Baidu, Skype, Viber, Line, Snapchat, Pinterest, Telegram and Reditt.

In the social media ban order, the government said that the continued misuse of social networking sites and instant messaging services are detrimental to the interests of peace in the state.
Help India!

Kolkata, (IANS): Two days after openly defying the Centres order and stating that he would keep using the red beacon on his vehicle, Maulana Noor-ur Rehman Barkati, the Shahi Imam of Tipu Sultan Masjid, on Saturday claimed that he has removed the beacon from his car.

I have removed the beacon, a visibly annoyed Barkati told the reporters.

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Earlier in the day, the state Mass Education Extension & Library Services Minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury termed Barkati as an RSS agent for providing ammunition to the RSS by constantly making controversial statements and demanded that the Muslim cleric should go to Pakistan.

We are Indians. If an Indian citizen sides with Pakistan then he should go to Pakistan, Chowdhury said at a press conference on Saturday evening.

Reacting to the allegations, Barkati called the state minister both a traitor and an RSS agent and accused Chowdhury of creating a divide between the Hindus and Muslims.

He is a traitor and an RSS agent himself. He should remove the red beacon from his car first. He is trying to create a divide between the Hindus and Muslims in the state, the cleric retorted.

Barkati had openly claimed that he would not follow the Centres order of removing the red beacon two days ago and indicated that he has the consent of state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the matter.

I have been using this for many years and would continue to do so. I do not bother about the Centres rule. In the state, we follow the rule of the state, Barkati said on Thursday.

Mamata Banerjee has told me to keep using the beacon. I keep talking to her every now and then, he claimed.

Protesting against his actions, a city-based NGO on Friday lodged police complaints against Barkati at several police stations including Topsia and Garihat for violating the Centres rule and demeaning the Indian constitution.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Yuva Morcha supporters demonstrated in central Kolkata demanding Barkatis immediate arrest. Similar protests were held in Howrah with BJP supporters burning his effigy.

The Centre, seeking to put an end to VIP culture, had decided that red beacons would be removed from all vehicles, including that of Prime Minister from May 1.
Donald Trump this week fired the FBI Director James Comey. It was a shocking revelation and the first time in 24 years that a president has dismissed the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. But the events that took place this week have led to a number of critical questions; firstly, why was Comey fired? Secondly, is Donald Trump hiding something? And thirdly, what will this do for the president going forward?

What went on?

But first of all, the facts. The New York Times reported that on Tuesday President Trump "fired" the director of the FBI.

It has since caused shockwaves throughout the American political community and beyond. As stated before, this is only the second time in 24 years that such an event has happened. And who was that last one? That was Bill Clinton who in 1993, according to the LA Times, "ousted William Sessions" as FBI director. This was because Sessions had refused to "voluntarily" step down amid ethical concerns.

Why exactly was James Comer fired?

And this is the problem; many reasons have been given. Initially it was said that Comey was fired for his "handling of the investigation" into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, as reported again in the New York Times. However, this reason simply did not wash with many in the political establishment.

This was mainly because the president was widely seen to have "benefited politically" from the inquiry. However, a little later, Trump changed his mind and said that, as the Guardian newspaper reported, he was thinking of "this Russia thing" when he decided to fire Comey. In addition to this, there have been further examples of Trump changing his views and thoughts.

Whilst Comey was investigating Clinton's emails, Trump praised the former director for his "guts" in the pursuit of the truth. However, very recently, Fox news stated that Trump called Comey a "showboat" and a "grandstander". Trump even criticised Comer for his work, stating that "the FBI has been in turmoil" and had planned to fire Comey "for some time".

Is the president hiding something?

With regards to this second question, it does seem to be extremely controversial that the man leading the investigation into Russia's interference in the presidential election that took place last year has been fired. Whilst he did receive assurances from Comey that he is not under investigation, what did trouble me was Trump's threat to Comey not to release tapes of their private conversations. Why exactly are there tapes in the first place? What is Trump seeking to find, or to learn? And do the likes of Comey know their conversations are being recorded? It is all very fishy and murky at best.

What now for the president going forward?

In focusing on the final question, If, and I say if it is revealed that Russia did intervene in the election last year, and if it is revealed that Trump either just knew about it or was part of the conversation, it spells big trouble.

It would not be out of the realm of possibility for Trump to be impeached. It is a reminder of what happened to Richard Nixon forty of so years ago and can certainly happen again. This is serious business. And what will it mean for the American political system if it proves that Russia were involved? As the champion of democracy, or liberty and transparency, it will most certainly be a blow to that.

Donald Trump is treading on very thin ice. His time as president has been fraught with problems and controversies. From the Muslim ban to the failed healthcare bill, from its provocation with North Korea to the strike against Syria, it is one challenge, I will say, after another. This issue with Russia may well linger and have terrible consequences as a result.
On Wednesday (10th May) the liberal leader Moon Jae-in was sworn in as president of South Korea. But what faces the new leader going forwards?

Problems at home

It is clear that Jae-in faces a number of challenges, both at home and abroad. Above all else, the main domestic issue that needs resolving is the economy. As Karishma Vaswani stated on BBC, people ae suffering at the presence of the powerful few, youth unemployment is close to 10 per cent and there is no real room for "small and medium sized enterprises, which are the "life-blood of an economy".

As a result, people want and feel "it's time for change".

And abroad

However, the major problem is that the domestic concerns are being drowned out and overtaken by problems abroad, in particular with regards to North Korea. Jae-in was sworn in amidst the need to navigate the country "out of rising tensions" over North Korea's nuclear problem, according to the CNBC website. In addition, Moon also stated that he was ready to negotiate with China and the US over the controversial anti-missile system.

However, what is most interesting is that Moon stated that, under the right circumstances, he would be "prepared to visit North Korea". Whatever is to happen, the region needs stability. The US and N Korea are doing nobody any good by increasing tensions. We need calm heads and restraint in ensuring that nobody goes to war which will be devastating for all.
Following the election of Donald Trump last November, the political divide among the American people has only gotten wider. That divide is highlighted on a daily basis across cable news, especially when die-hard supporters of the president clash with those who oppose him at every turn.

CNN tension

When Donald Trump first announced his intention to run for president back in the summer of 2015, battle-lines were quickly drawn after he accused illegal immigrants from Mexico of being "rapists" and "murderers." The reaction to the president was negative among most in the mainstream media, Democrats, and liberal Americans, but the rhetoric was able to resonate with conservative Americans and those who have long championed a more strict immigration system in the country.

Over the next year and a half, the former host of "The Apprentice" would use his controversial campaign style to not only win the Republican primary, but also to achieve the ultimate goal of being the next commander in chief. Since then, Trump's executive orders, cabinet selections, policy proposal, and rhetoric have caused the country to be even more divided than ever before. One issue that the president has focused on has been health care reform and the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. Last month, Trump worked together with House Speaker Paul Ryan to put forward an alternative plan, but it failed to even gain support with Republicans and the bill was pulled before a vote could even take place.

As Trump continues to harp on the issue, it was a highlighted discussion during a heated CNN segment on April 13.

On Thursday, CNN host Poppy Harlow ran a clip of Donald Trump's recent interview with the Wall Street Journal where the president proposed freezing health care subsidies for low-income Americans in order to force Democrats to compromise on the repeal of Obamacare.

Joining the show to speak about the issue were Trump supporter Jefferey Lord, and former Bernie Sanders press secretary Symone Sanders.

The conversation went as expected until Jeffery Lord labeled Donald Trump the "Martin Luther King of health care," comparing the president to the fallen civil rights leader in the process. "When I was a kid, the president (LBJ) didnt want to introduce the civil rights bill because he did not have the votes for it," Lord said, before noting that MLK allegedly put people "in harm's way" in order to get the bill passed in Congress.

At this point, Symone Sanders lost it, firing back at Lord.

Symone Sanders rains hell on Jeffrey Lord for saying vagina-grabbing President Trump is like MLK https://t.co/D6KFTwB8Pf pic.twitter.com/Z5qliBMD7a  Raw Story (@RawStory) April 13, 2017

Heated exchange

"Dr. King was marching for civil rights because people that looked like me were being beaten," Symone Sanders pointed out. The liberal activist went on explain that Martin Luther King Jr. was fighting for "basic human rights," and scolded Lord for having the nerve to compare him to the "to the vagina-grabbing President Donald Trump."
Of all the people surrounding Donald Trump in the White House, no one has received as much backlash and criticism as Steve Bannon. While Bannon has been seen as one of the president's closest allies, his days working for the administration could soon be coming to an end.

Trump on Bannon

Not long after Donald Trump locked up the Republican presidential nomination last summer, it was obvious that major changes were needed in order to challenge Hillary Clinton in the general election. The biggest move came when Paul Manafort was replaced by Republican pollster Kellyanne Conway as campaign manager when his financial ties to Russia were made public.

Along with Conway, the former host of "The Apprentice" recruited Steve Bannon to leave his job as the head of Breitbart News and serve in the newly created position of "campaign CEO." The addition of Bannon quickly raised red flags as Breitbart News has long been known to cater the fringe elements on the far right-wing. Critics have gone as far as to label the publication and Bannon as "white nationalists," who are pushing an alleged racist and political agenda. Despite the negative reception to his addition, Trump was able to defeated Clinton last November, and promoted Bannon to the role of chief strategist in the White House. While Bannon seemed like a welcomed addition to the team in the first week of the administration, trouble has been brewing as of late, with the former head of Breitbart News privately clashing with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Recent reports claim that the president could soon fire Bannon, which seemed apparent after he removed him from his spot on the National Security Counsel earlier this month. During an April 12 interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump gave another hint that Bannon's days could soon be numbered.

In @WSJ interview, Trump refers to chief strategist Steve Bannon as a guy who works for me https://t.co/814nMnd0xU  Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) April 12, 2017

While speaking to the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, Donald Trump opened up about Steve Bannon, but appeared to dismiss his relevance in the White House.

Referring to Bannon only as "a guy who works for me," Trump shot down that he is influenced much by his chief strategist, stating that he alone is his own "strategist."

Trump Refers to Bannon as A Guy Who Works for Me in WSJ Interview https://t.co/c2qcOJ4XUz pic.twitter.com/0KUOmQml7N  Mediaite (@Mediaite) April 12, 2017

In-fighting

Donald Trump's comments echo similar sediments to what he told reporter Michael Goodwin of the New York Post on Tuesday night.

"I like Steve," the president said, before reminding him that Bannon "was not involved in my campaign until very late." On the reported issues between Bannon and Jared Kushner, Trump replied, "I told them to straighten it out or I will."
china has shown irritation after Taiwan said that it will continue its purchase of military equipment from the United States. Taiwan also stated that their purchase of weapons has contributed to a rise in U.S. jobs, making the deal mutually beneficial. Nevertheless, a defiant and independent Taiwan is an unacceptable eventuality for China.

Taiwan vows to continue purchase of weapons

Even under the watch of Beijing, Taiwan adamantly stated its goal to upgrade its defense through weapons purchased from U.S. arms manufacturers like Lockheed, Raytheon, Boeing, and BAE Systems, to name a few.

Taiwan plans on purchasing more military equipment (missile defense systems, helicopters, jet fighters) to upgrade its defenses. The country also is purchasing amphibious assault vehicles and armored transportation from its sole arms dealer, the United States.

Taiwan is now focusing on improving its Air Force and air defense capabilities. As reported by Reuters, the Taiwanese government is planning to upgrade its Air Force with the purchase of F-35 fighter jets from the US, which will be the first arms transaction with Taiwan under Trump's administration.

What are the consequences of Taiwan enforcing its sovereignty?

China has long been irritated by Taiwan's autonomy for years. Since its break with the mainland during the Communist takeover of China, Taiwan parted ways in both political and ideological policy.

The only thing that prevents China from overrunning Taiwan is the guaranteed protection by the United States. Taiwan asserted its separate identity from China, which further fueled Beijing's resentment, however, until now, the island nation hasn't formally declared independence from mainland China.

How will the United States continue to support Taiwan without compromising peace with China?

Forcing China to its knees economically was one of Trump's campaign promises and he is expected to accomplish it. This is why an arms deal with Taiwan is most likely to continue, given the stoic stand of China over the Korean crisis, despite numerous requests from the U.S.

for China to act against its ally.

Also, as Trump wants to create more jobs it has been reported that this arms deal has provided a boost in employment in roughly six U.S. states, namely Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Utah. China has yet to issue a formal reply to Taiwan's continued arms deal with the United States.
Satellite images made by the Israel-based ImageSat captured pictures of the Chinese naval base in Hainan island, showing what appears to be anti-ship missiles. The island, which is located at the southernmost point of china in the South China Sea is a major trade route in the region and is highly contested by other Asian nations.

Will the presence of Chinese missiles in the South China Sea affect US influence?

The United States is one of the major opponents of China in the South China Sea. At the moment, the only regional ally of the US in the area is the Philippines.

However, since the new Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte took office, the pro-American sentiments of the country slowly waned and they are warming relations with China.

The Philippines is mainly affected by China's southward expansion so the island nation's pivot to China continuous to move forward. Since President Duterte's visit to China, the two countries have engaged in cooperation with Beijing offering a multi-billion dollar economic package to help improve the infrastructure in the Philippines.

If Beijing completes its anti-ship missile umbrella in the South China Sea and completely captures the support of the Philippines, American influence in South East Asia will be drastically limited.

Taiwan will be sufficiently isolated if China succeeds in establishing complete control of the South China Sea

If the Chinese are successful in fast-paced installation constructions in the South Sea, Taiwan will be isolated from American support. The defiant island nation continues to be regarded by Beijing as a rebellious province rather than a sovereign state.

Because of this, the island nation, which is accepted as a member of the United Nations, is always under threat of invasion by its huge neighbor.

Taiwan's only the protection against the Chinese military from bearing down on this small island is the support of the United States. However, China is now slowly positioning itself to quickly change the political landscape of Asia and create a sphere of influence that will block the United States completely.

How will China's expansion affect the ongoing Korean crisis?

The country is North Korea's sole regional ally. Though they will not support Pyongyang's bid to become a nuclear power, Beijing needs North Korea as a buffer zone from the US-influenced South Korea. Beijing is trying its best to halt US influence in Asia, hoping to become a superpower capable of influencing its political atmosphere and landscape.

The United States must win over the ASEAN countries, which Trump has almost alienated through its tough talk of rescinding trade deals made by the previous administration. In the end, if the United States is lax in bridging relationships with Asian nations, Chinese power will increase until it can overwhelm American influence in countries like South Korea and even Japan.
Over the last 48 hours, the news headlines have been dominated by the fact that Donald Trump fired James Comey as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). As the White House scrambles to get on the same page, even more conservative news outlets are having a hard to time defending the president.

Fox News on Trump

The news of James Comey being fired as head of the FBI came as such a surprise that even he didn't know it happened until turning on the television. For months, Comey's name has been linked to controversy as both Democrats and Republicans have had their issues with him, though for much different reasons.

After Comey brought up Hillary Clinton's email and private server scandal just weeks before the election, it caused increased speculation surrounding the former Secretary of State, which many Democrats believe contributed to her demise on Election Day. For Republicans, Comey has been a cause of concern since he was tapped to lead the investigation into Russian interference of the election, including what communication they might have had with the Donald Trump campaign. Since Comey's firing, Trump and his team have failed to come to a consensus over why the termination took place. After Trump's recent remarks conflicted with the message coming out of his own administration, even those at Fox News seemed concerned, which was evident during a May 12 segment on the network.

During an interview on Friday afternoon, Fox News host Chris Wallace ripped into Donald Trump and the White House for how they have handled the aftermath of the James Comey firing. "One of the problems has been the disarray at the White House communications shop," Wallace said. "The president has been blaming that on them, but the fact is it should be blamed on him because he didnt seem to trust them enough to give them advance notice," Wallace continued, in regards to the dissension between Trump and his communications team.

Fact-checking Donald Trumps NBC interview, claims about firing FBI Director James Comey https://t.co/ItoJW7bdeJ pic.twitter.com/1yho588Mnx  PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) May 12, 2017

In preparation for "Fox News Sunday," Chris Wallace explained that the network has been unable to even get in touch with anyone at the White House to come on the show and represent their agenda.

"We very much want somebody to represent the president's point of view on Sunday," Wallace noted. Not stopping there, the Fox News host elaborated further, stating, "We can't even reach anybody. They're not available," before concluding, "they're not answering the phone."

Theyre not answering the phone: Even Fox News is stunned by the chaos in the White House https://t.co/JisFXrT5Rc pic.twitter.com/Uzaar9YGf5  Raw Story (@RawStory) May 12, 2017

Moving forward

As Donald Trump pushes back at any criticism of himself or his administration, evidence continues to mount while raising questions over the growing Russian scandal. With James Comey now out, only time will tell what the next step will be at the FBI and the ongoing investigation into the Kremlin.
Unionized Chicago Reader Staff Unanimously Vote To Authorize Strike

By Stephen Gossett in News on May 12, 2017 9:14PM



Flickr / Photo: Bryan Hayes

The unionized staff at the Chicago Readerthe city's long-running, invaluable alt-weeklyhave unanimously voted to authorize a strike. The vote from staff was 17-0, according to the Save the Reader campaign.

By a 17-0 vote, the unionized Reader staff has voted to authorize a strike. #SaveTheReader pic.twitter.com/YK1AvQ7FWw  SavetheChicagoReader (@SaveTheReader) May 12, 2017

The prominent Save the Chicago Reader mission was launched more than a year ago amid cutbacks and stagnant wages. In one of the campaign's most prominent moves, political columnist Ben Joravsky last September detailed the staff's meager salaries and need for additional resources. Then in a well-circulated post just this Tuesday, staff members publicized their salary information, juxtaposed with their high level of experience. The disparity is startling.

For 844 straight days, we've asked for a fair wage. As you can seeit still hasn't happened. #SavetheReader pic.twitter.com/kpEoUyTqmD  SavetheChicagoReader (@SaveTheReader) May 9, 2017

Ryan Smith, the paper's social media editor, said that same day in a post that his take-home pay was inconsistent with the paper's sterling reputation (deservedly so, from an editorial standpoint), the city's living expenses and other factors. "You'd think my salary would reflect my 15 years of experience in the industry, the esteem and prestige of the publication, my skill, and the cost of living in a city as expensive as Chicago," he wrote.

Here's why the campaign to Save the Chicago Reader is important to me: pic.twitter.com/f09TsYfqhL  Ryan Smith (@RyanSmithWriter) May 10, 2017

Staff has been negotiating with management on a contract for well over a year, with the central demand indeed being over wages, according to Philip Montoro, the paper's longtime music section editor. He told media columnist Robert Feder in a statement:



Management seems to think it can get rid of its union problem by dragging this out until the entire staff quits to find work that will pay the bills. Many of us are working second jobs or subletting our apartments to get by because the papers hugely wealthy owners seem to think they can retain talented full-time staff with decades of experience by paying them salaries that were substandard 10 years ago. Weve got an offer on the table and the company has not reciprocated. Its past time for management to treat us with respect.

We just want to get paid enough to keep working for the paper we love. We're not even asking for what comparable Sun-Times staffers get.  Philip Montoro (@pmontoro) May 12, 2017

Since 2012, the Reader has been owned by Wrapports, which also publishes the Sun-Times. Jim Kirk, Publisher and Editor In Chief at Sun-Times Media, told Chicagoist thateven amid the threat to walk offtalks between both sides will continue with the assistance of a third party. Kirk said in a statement:

"We have worked with the Chicago News Guild for several months on a contract and have made significant progress in a number of areas. And while we remain apart on some issues, we continue to hope we can keep negotiating to a positive resolution. It is unfortunate that the Guild has taken this step. Reader management and the Guild continue to be in talks with the help of a federal mediator and we remain committed to negotiating in good faith."

Update:

Aside from salary demandswhich remains the largest sticking point, according to Montorostaff is also looking for a commitment to the union. "We're also concerned with jurisdictionloosely speaking, we don't want management to have the unrestricted right to lay off union members (or fail to replace members who leave) and shift their work to freelancers," Montoro told Chicagoist via email.

Staff has not and won't set a strike date, he added. "It'd be irresponsible to forestall a possible resolution by establishing some sort of strike schedule in advance," he said. A strike is considered "an absolute last resort," he stressed.
On Saturday a daring #global Cyber Attack sent governments, businesses and online security analysts across the world into an alarming state of high alert. From China to the US to Britain, experts and security departments rushed to limit the damage from the worldwide attack, with fears that if people don't act efficiently companies could lose data and information  unless those same very companies agree to the attacker's ransom demands.

Only 24 hours earlier, #malicious software was funneled off via email as it highlighted the vulnerabilities in security computer systems in as many as one hundred different countries, making it one of the greatest ransomware attacks ever to happen.

The attack greedily took over large amounts of computers, and then encrypted the information on those computers and subsequently stipulated $300 payments from the owners to #unlock their devices. Included in this attack were some of the world's biggest companies, institutions and government agencies, including FedEx in the United States, the Russian Interior Ministry, as well as Britains National Health Service.

As people around the world debated whether to cough up the $300 ransom fee or face losing their precious data, online Security Experts predicted that the perpetrators may take in more than $1 billion throughout the world before the deadline loomed to unpick the online storage facilities.

First seen in Britain

The attack was first called to attention in #Britain on Friday and then it expanded throughout the rest of the world, setting off fears that the cyberattack may make itself known in various ways for months and possibly years. The world went into overdrive, discussing and guessing the intentions of the hackers: were they enacting this threat merely for profits?

... or were they after something else?

The attack was labeled brash and bold by #security experts who added that such cyber ransomware attacks take place daily, but that this particular attack was differentiated by its size, its audacity and and its limitless scope.This brash cyber warfare was far more infectious, spreading to many different countries and companies and being funneled across different networks and at an alarming speed.

India, Taiwan, Russia, France, Ukraine... many countries had to deal with the dreaded attack and unpick its effects so that business could return to normal.

Cyberweapon developed by the NSA

The cyber-weapon used in the attack was created and developed by the NSA, and this is the first time that such a weapon has been unleashed on the world by cyber criminals. Interestingly, even though #Fedex suffered a hit, most users in the US were spared the pain that the rest of the world was forced to endure and this was a god thing for the United States.

It was in fact a lone British cyber security researcher who had unintentionally restricted the virus from multiplying and spreading when he bought the domain name that the attackers had used but not purchased.

Their ransomware code would kick in and stop the virus spreading through an online request to the domain.

Thus, the #British researcher, with his twitter name reading @MalwareTechBlog, found the kill switchs domain name, bought it and surprised himself and the world by halting the virus. This explains why the United States was spared a spate of attacks on businesses and organizations... one can only wonder what would have come out in the wash if US government agencies had suffered through the attack. Perhaps we would know more about Trump and Russia, or about other US secret intelligence. Or not.
Speculations are starting up over First Lady Melania Trump possibly wearing a headscarf in Saudi Arabia. Donald Trump will be heading over to the Middle East and it will be his wife's first trip to a foreign nation as the first lady. The two will be visiting three Islamic countries in what's called an "outreach trip," meant to underscore the United States' resolve for world peace. The couple will conclude their trip to Brussels to attend the NATO G-7 meetings.

Melania Trump to wear a headscarf?

The first lady is known for donning form-fitting fashions, wearing stilettos, and having a penchant for bright colors.

Many of her clothes are created by American designers whose fashions are prohibited in the country. It's well-known that countries like Saudi Arabia mandate that women cover their bodies and wear a headscarf. It's unclear if that's what Melania will do, but she'll definitely have to alter her look somewhat from the more sensual looks she typically favors.

According to Yahoo Style, women in Saudi Arabia are mandated to wear long sleeves, dresses that cover the ankles, and don headscarves. Does this mean that even visiting female heads of state or wives of those in such positions should abide by those laws? They are exempt from having to comply with the customs, according to the report.

World leaders are expected, but not required, to wear a headscarf while visiting Saudi Arabia.

Melania Trump may opt out of wearing a headscarf as British Prime Minister Theresa May did during her visit in April. The choice of refusing to wear a headscarf has been criticized for disregarding the hosting country's cultural norms, but it's also viewed as oppressive to women when doing so.

Several foreign women haven't worn a headscarf in Saudi Arabia

Michelle Obama didn't wear a headscarf when she accompanied her husband to Saudi Arabia in 2015. The same is true of Princess Diana, Condoleezza Rice, Laura Bush, and Angela Merkel, according to the Washington Post. Princess Diana did wear one on a trip to Egypt, however.

If Melania Trump does wear a headscarf, it would send a conflicting message about her platform on championing women's causes when it comes to equality. Would the first lady even want to experiment her fashion sense with a headscarf? They're fashionable in the context of keeping a woman's hair in place outside in gusty weather or riding in a speedy car. Let's say Melania wouldn't be opposed to wearing a headscarf; it would only be in the event that she's riding in one of the president's convertible Rolls Royce automobiles -- and not because a Middle Eastern country dictates she wear one!
A week after U.S. President Donald Trump said he is willing to talk to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un under the right circumstances, Pyongyang has responded to the challenge. Choe Son Hui, director general for U.S. Affairs of the North Korea Foreign Ministry, said on Saturday that the country is open to a dialogue with Washington under the right conditions.

The statements of Washington and Pyongyang represent a shift from the previous threats to use missiles on each other because of the deadlock. It could ease the ongoing tension in the region after its recent failed missile test and the deployment of a strike force by the U.S.

to the Korean peninsula.

New sanctions from U.S. Congress

The statement of Choe Son Hui, a member of the team of nuclear negotiators for North Korea, was made to media in Beijing after her trip to Norway. It came after the U.S. Congress warned the communist country on Friday that it would impose a new round of tougher sanctions against Pyongyang.

Following the threat from the House Of Representatives, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Supreme Peoples Assembly of North Korea wrote to the U.S. Congress to protest the new sanctions. The committee said the House of Representatives should think twice before it puts in place tougher sanctions, New York Post reported.

The committee said that if American legislators made more reckless hostile laws against North Korea, the Democratic Peoples Republic of North Koreas efforts to strengthen nuclear deterrents would gather greater pace beyond anyones imagination. The committee, reconvened in April, is part of an attempt by Pyongyang to improve relations with the outside world as the communist nation grapples with isolation, analysts said.

Sanctions target North Koreas shipping industry and forced labor

The target of the tighter sanctions approved by the House of Representatives is the shipping industry of North Korea and companies that do business with the industry. With these sanctions, the country would be hit financially and it would affect Pyongyangs ability to fund its ambitious nuclear program.

The bill, approved 419-1, would prohibit vessels owned by Pyongyang or nations that do not follow the UN resolutions against the ships' operation in American waters or docking at ports in the U.S. It would also ban the entry to the U.S. of products made by forced labor in North Korea.

Sanctions under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act would be made on anyone who uses North Korean slave labor.

It would hit companies in Africa and the Middle East such as Senegal, Angola, and Qatar that hire North Korean workers. The overseas workers, in turn, remit part of their salaries to the communist country which Kim Jong-un uses to advance the nations nuclear and missile program.
31-year-old Brittany Simpson was charged on Thursday with the murder of her 66-year-old father Robert Simpson on Tuesday, and was denied bond. She was also charged with possession of a firearm while committing a violent crime. Her parents had given her 24 hours to leave their home when it happened.

Eviction threat

According to a report by The Post and Courier, Simpson had been living in her parents home rent-free, although she did help pay utility costs up until around March, when her mother allegedly threatened to evict her.

Brittany implicated an intruder in the shooting death of her father.

On the day of the shooting, Simpsons younger sister made a 911 call at around 6 a.m. She told police that she heard a gunshot and that her father was screaming, adding that there was blood everywhere and that her father had been shot in the chest. Brittanys voice could reportedly be heard in the background, saying that someone had broken into the home. When police arrived on the scene, Brittany told officials that someone had come in through the back door.

Robert Simpson, 66, was reportedly still alive when officers entered the home. According to a statement by the Mount Pleasant police, one of the officers had to kick in the door to the master bedroom to help him. Firefighters arrived on the scene to provide medical care, but Simpson died at the scene.

He was reportedly employed in the film industry.

66-year-old film industry worker Robert Simpson https://t.co/kiK4dZTbGV  Wil St John  (@wilstjohn) May 11, 2017

Police discover clothing belonging to the South Carolina woman and the gun

It was while Mount Pleasant police were investigating the crime that they discovered a book bag containing some of Brittany's clothing and a Smith and Wesson handgun submerged in a nearby creek.

The court records noted that the handguns serial number matched the number on a handgun box found in one of the bedrooms in the Simpson home. The clothing matched those worn by Brittany that morning, as seen on a neighbor's security video.

Initially, Simpson told the police that she didnt know of anyone who might want to hurt her father.

However, it turned out that she had been given 24 hours to leave the home by that particular day. Simpson later confessed to police that she was the one that killed her father.

Shooting her father was the South Carolina woman's first crime

People contacted David Aylor, Brittanys attorney, for comment, but he would not speak about the eviction notices or whether Brittany has been speaking with her family. He did say that this was the suspects first run-in with the law.

Aylor did confirm that Brittany is currently not working and is on disability. However, he said she was still an active person and her disability wasnt hampering her. She reportedly attended the University of Miami as well as the College of Charleston, and Aylor said she was well liked in both communities. Aylor added that it's a tragic situation for the family, and Brittany is taking things day by day.
The dismissal of Fbi Director James Comey is already being compared to the famous Watergate Scandal, which led to the resignation of US President Richard Nixon in 1974.

Investigation about Trump's contact with Russia

Of course, the main reason is the fact that the current US President Donald Trump dismissed the director of the CIA as he investigates the possible co-operation between Trump's campaign staff and Russia. The intelligence community found out that by hacking and scraping political documents related to presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Russia actively participated in the US election.

As Vox reports, there is growing evidence that several members of Trump's staff were in direct contact with Russian officials before the 2016 Election, and some of them lied about those contacts. Comey's next release will surely mark the rest of Trump's mandate and perhaps lead to its premature ending.

Comey's dismissal has already prompted Trump's opposition from the Democratic Party, as well as some Republicans like John McCain, to call for an independent investigation under the guidance of a Special Prosecutor who would not have to seek court approval from Republican committees in Congress and the Senate.

The investigation conducted by the FBI and the intelligence committees of the Congress and the Senate focused on three Trump associates: former head of pre-election staff Paula Manafort, former political advisor Carter Page and Republican political operative Roger Stone.

Unconvincing explanation for Comey's release

But apart from them, the former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who resigned after being discovered that he lied about his talks with Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak, was potentially involved. Trump's senior assistant Jared Kushner was also in contact with Kisljak, but he informed the public only after a few months.

State Attorney Jeff Sessions lied under oath that he had no contact with Russian officials even though he himself had talked with Kislyak. Sessions were therefore excluded from overseeing the investigation. Sessions officially advised Trump to release Comey on the grounds that he wrongly conducted the investigation of Clinton and its use of a private e-mail server while she was Secretary of State for Barack Obama.

Comey, among other things, has breached the precedent when he announced the reopening of Clinton's investigation just 11 days before the election in November - and announced it was re-closed eight days later.
The trump administration is reported to be near an arms deal with Saudi Arabia which will be initially worth $100 billion and eventually as much as $300 billion. The deal would enhance the desert kingdoms ability to participate in the war on terror and to confront Iran. The agreement would not, coincidentally, be a big boost to American manufacturing and job creation. The deal may be announced during President Trumps upcoming foreign trip which includes a stop in Saudi Arabia

What does Saudi Arabia get out of the arms deal?

The United States would provide the Saudis with a wide variety of weapons along with maintenance services.

The Kingdom would also get missile defense capability and ships needed for maintaining security in the Persian Gulf against Iran, which is considered a hostile power to the Gulf Arab states.

The previous administration had tried to achieve some kind of detente with the Islamic Republic of Iran, forging a nuclear weapons deal and providing that country with plane loads of cash from assets that had been frozen for years as part of economic sanctions. Those moves had rattled the Arab states which view Iran as a threat. The Trump White House is moving to repair damaged relations in the Middle East.

Why is the Trump Administration doing this weapons deal?

Saudi Arabia is being seen increasingly as an ally in the global war on terror.

Saudi troops are currently fighting ISIS in Yemen. Since the Trump Administration is taking a decidedly harder line on Iran than the previous president, the Saudis will need weapons such as missile defense batteries and ships. The deal is so immense that it will also provide an economic stimulus for American defense contractors, something that will benefit the White Houses domestic agenda.

Are there any problems with the deal?

Saudi Arabia remains a human rights violator, particularly where women and LGBT people are concerned. The Kingdom has also been a center of extremist rhetoric that has inspired terrorism to some extent. Most of the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks were Saudi citizens. Trump, during his visit to Riyadh, will drive home the message that the Saudis need to tamp down on extremism within the Kingdom as a way to prevent the growth of terrorism.

The White House emphasizes that Israels military superiority over its Arab neighbors will be maintained. In any case, Israel has developed a tacit alliance with countries like Saudi Arabia against common enemies, including Iran and ISIS. Trump will be visiting Israel as well as part of his first foreign trip.
As part of Trump's Middle East policy, he will be striking another multi-billion Arms Deal with Saudi Arabia to cement ties to the Muslim country. The deal aims to solidify the ties between the US and Saudi Arabia and to continue having Riyadh as a regional ally for further US operations in the Middle East.

What will the US offer Saudi Arabia in this massive arms deal?

According to reports, the arms package that is worth $100 billion will include American arms, ships for maritime security, air missile defense and fighter jets. If the deal continues, in a decade, think tanks estimate the arms package would surpass $300 billion yet it will not be close to the amount given to the major beneficiary of military aid in the Middle East, Israel.

According to inside sources, the deal is in the final stages and is one of Trump's main agenda items when he visitsSaudi Arabia next week. The deal will increase manufacturing jobs in the United States, which was one of the main campaign objectives of Trump. The US president will visit Saudi Arabia next week as part of the Middle East tour, which includes a visit to Israel and then an audience with Pope Francis in Rome.

Trump hopes that the visits will further unify the three major faiths in the Middle East towards a common goal of achieving prosperity, end the religious and cultural conflicts and defeat global terrorism.

How will this Saudi arms deal benefit the United States?

Having a regional ally during the push to crush ISIS this coming June is very important.

The US military is speeding up arming Kurdish troops in Syria for that big push to capture the ISIS capital of Raqqa. However, the US will not be expecting full support from Saudi because at the moment, the country is in the middle of an armed conflict with Yemen, which is now under an Iran-backed government.

Saudi Arabia is concerned that Yemen will become a Shia government under the influence of Iran.

Also, it has been reported that Yemen is attracting a number of terrorist cells within the Houthis group that is slowly gaining power. Saudi will not tolerate a Shia-led country on their doorstep and will do what they can to prevent this.

It is most likely that the arms deal to be made with the US will be used mostly to fuel the ongoing conflict with Yemen.

Through the added arms acquired from the US, Riyadh can easily dominate Yemen and halt the Shia influence that is slowly enveloping the country. It is also in the best interest of America that Yemen capitulates to Saudi pressure as it will stamp out Iranian influence spreading throughout the Middle East.
It began with the Women's March on Washington on January 21, 2017, a peaceful protest that spread globally as thousands of people hit the streets denouncing the advocated legislation and policies from the Trump Administration which aimed to pulverize #human rights, women's rights, immigration reform, healthcare reform, reproductive rights and many other rights Americans had fought so hard to achieve. Despite the worldwide outrage, the President initiated laws aimed to set the country back about 70 years with a swipe of his pen.

What followed was several months of tumultuous uproar and disarray as the new Administration passed alarming Executive Orders attacking the country's foundation, including but not limited to the violation of indigenous treaties with the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (which according to news articles, suffered an estimated 84-gallon spill of crude oil in South Dakota this April); the banning of Muslims entering the United States (later revoked by several Federal judges), and the dismantlement of all the environmental regulations implemented by President Obama placed to vigorously fight climate change/global warming.

Countless violations

And, if that is not enough, Americans also noticed the countless of violations to the United States Constitution when the Administration disregarded the Emoluments Clause by allowing China to brand dozens of valuable Trump trademarks; the Administration also established Trump Tower leases in foreign governments (according to Eric Goode, a New York hotel and restaurant owner who filed a lawsuit against the President); and conducted business meetings with foreign diplomats and heads of state at the Trump Tower in Washington D.C., Mar-a-Lago in Florida, and the Trump Tower in New York.

Americans also noticed the violation of Article 1, Section 8, Clause 11 of the U.S. Constitution which grants Congress the power to declare war and grants the President of the United States the power to direct the military AFTER the Congressional declaration has been made.

This includes any military action that may be construed by foreign powers as an aggressive move from the United States. Thus, the U.S. military airstrike on Syria.

Another addition to the so incredibly growing pot was the violation of the Federal 5, U.S. Code 3110-Employment of Relatives & Restrictions law which states that "a public official may not appoint, employ, promote, advance, or advocate for appointment...any individual who is a relative of the public official".

The majority of the Trump family now occupy government positions despite not being qualified to do the job.

Enough is enough

Perhaps, the breach of Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution was the one that broke the camel's back. The majority of Americans who are tired of the Administration's interference with the nation's democracy have now come together to #call for impeachment.

The Administration's continuous adherence, aid, and comfort of Vladimir Putin despite evidence that Russia hacked the 2016 Presidential Election is not only reprehensible but it is treason.

And with the firing of FBI Director, James Comey, who was heading the investigation of the Administration's ties to Russia, America's morale has reached its new low. With the Administration's reproach of the media, facts, and science, scientists also took to the streets in Washington (March for Science) on April 22 to bring attention to the importance of scientific research around the world. On Sunday, July 2nd, the #Impeachment March Los Angeles will follow the path of the previous protests in hopes the movement will attract global support.

Just like the Women's March, the Impeachment March will demand that Congress no longer sit back but listen to the voice of the American people and remove the President from the White House. Perhaps there is no better time than now to seek refuge in the words of Mr. Spock, "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one".
White House reports confirmed that the President dismissed Comey from his position as the Director of the FBI. Trump stated that he made the decision based on suggestions he received from Attorneys General Rod Rosenstein and General Jeff Sessions. Plus Comey just was not doing a good job.

The Trump Presidency circled their wagons

Apparently, the crew at the Trump White House circled their wagons after Comey insinuated that he felt nauseated by the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails. Evidently, this statement triggered Trump and others in the FBI as well as the White House to lose faith in Comey's dedication to the Trump Presidency.

In a series of letters from Trump to Comey and from Sessions to Trump, ruthless sentiments were expressed with seasoned political civility that is timeless. Diplomatic jargon delivered with the enduring style of a work of genius. Archetypal steadfast abiding theater; drama that has been leaving a stain on America for decades. Thus, Causing many Americans to wonder if anyone, in the government can convey honesty. The straightforward no BS Trump promised during his campaign.

Did Trump break his promise?

Candidate Trump ran on a platform promising to be a different kind of leader. One where the American people no longer had to wade through loads of gobbledegook to understand what was at the heart of the issues affecting the future of America.

Based on the carefully crafted press releases, termination letters, and letters from senior White House officials; the language of the Trump White House gives the impression to be business as usual.

In the meantime, Comey wasted no time hitting the road. He skipped last night's scheduled speaking engagement at the Directors Guild of America in Hollywood.

Then hightailed it to LAX and hopped on a private jet home. Even though he is now a private citizen he was granted a few last benefits; a police escort, respectful law enforcement chaperones, and the Gulfstream V (Model GV) luxury private jet.

What is next?

So, far Trump's decisions appear to be self-servicing. They are based not on what is indeed good for Americans.

Instead what makes him look good. Decisions that give the impression to those who voted Donald Trump into the Presidency, that he has their back. While simultaneously offering a different feeling to those who are not fans of the President. They are waiting for the next shoe to drop.
Although "Daredevil" season 3 was confirmed during the 2016 Comic-Con in San Diego, talks and rumors of a possible cancellation have been rampant mainly because of the lack of details and information pertaining to Marvel's series. According to reports, the series was already given the signal to push through on Netflix. However, the series might not be aired anytime this year but instead will be scheduled for airing in 2018. Much like "Jessica Jones" season 2, Matt Murdock's series will only be aired after "The Defenders," which is set to air in Aug.

2017. Charlie Cox himself, who plays the titular role in the series, has reportedly revealed that he will begin filming late this year.

That said, fans are expecting "Daredevil" season 3 to be aired by mid-2017 in Netflix. However, that might be the earliest at the most, and if the schedule is looked into conservatively, the series might have an Aug. or Sept. 2018 air date - similar to "The Defenders" and "Luke Cage."

The return of a major villain

"Daredevil" season 3 spoilers reveal that a primary villain might be returning in the form of Wilson "Kingpin" Fisk, played by Vincent D'Onofrio. While there has been no confirmation yet on D'Onofrio's return in the series, fans are already expecting him to go back to make life harder for Matt Murdock.

If anything, the fans are expecting Wilson Fisk to return by because Fisk won't be on "The Defenders."

D'Onofrio himself has reportedly hinted that he might be reprising his role in the future. However, he played coy as to when or what season or episode he might be returning.

Matt Murdock vs. Bullseye

Meanwhile, another popular villain might be appearing in "Daredevil" season 3 in the form of Bullseye.

According to reports, Charlie Cox has long been openly expressing his desire to have Bullseye become part of the series. Bullseye is considered to be one of the most popular and most hated villains and to have him on the show will be a game changer.

However, take the news about Bullseye's possible appearance in season 3 with a grain of salt as the showrunners have yet to confirm the issue.

Nevertheless, if Charlie Cox a.k.a. Matt Murdock wants to have a showdown with Bullseye the showrunners will have to make an extra effort to incorporate him in season 3's plot.

Why the cast members are wary of Bullseye's appearance

According to reports, some of the main characters in "Daredevil" season 3 are scared of the possibility of Bullseye's appearance mainly because it might mean death for the people close to Matt Murdock. If the showrunners decide to bring Bullseye in the series, it will be an exciting run for the fans to guess which actor has been chosen to play the role.

Some of the popular choices for Bullseye include Jason Statham, Colin Farrell (who played Bullseye in a movie) and Jake Gyllenhaal. Keep posted for more "Daredevil" season 3 updates!
Watch: New Doc Short Spotlights 'Dramatic' Logan Square Gentrification

By Stephen Gossett in Arts & Entertainment on May 12, 2017 7:31PM

From the Mega Mall demolition to the recent vandalization of a Ward office, one could create volumes about the roots and effects of gentrification in neighborhoods like Logan Squarethe bustling Northwest Side community where development has accelerated at the same time affordable housing remains hard to find, and longtime residents find themselves displaced.

Think of GENTRIFIED: Losing Logan Squarea new documentary short from local filmmaker Timothy McManusas a handy, edifying Cliffs Notes version, a pocket guide to displacement, if you will.

Ove the doc's nine minutes, McManus collects perspective from key players like State Rep. Will Guzzardi, Progressive-Caucus member Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th Ward) and Justine Bayod Espoz (Somos Logan Square), looking at the market forces, activism and policy measures that inform struggles to preserve "culture, identity and affordability" in the neighborhood.

McManus, 30, envisioned the project as "an informational film for the community but also addressed to people like myself." McManus is referring to his being a relatively recent transplant to Logan Square, having arrived in 2015 to study digital media at Loyola's graduate program.

"When I moved here from Texas, on my very first day, I walked down the street from my apartment and noticed people were protesting [near Armitage Baptist Church] and I thought: is this about me?" McManus told Chicagoist. That encounter spurred spurred the self-education process and, ultimately, GENTRIFIED.

His takeaway? "The biggest thing I learned: gentrification is about policy; it's either accelerated or decelerated by our local representatives. So it really falls on the community to be active and vocal, particularly with aldermen. Thats where a lot of resentment has been felt." He mentions Ramirez-Rosa's win over former 35th alderman Rey Coloncriticized as a too cozy with developersas a sign for hope. "So there is more understanding that [gentrification] is a continuation of policies that adversely affect lower income families, particularly minorities."

McManus said he plans on submitting the film for festival screenings in the near future. Check it out in full above.
The fate of "Girl Meets World" season 4 has been gloomy ever since Disney aired the final episode of season 3. Disney has announced that they will not be renewing the "Boy Meets World" spinoff for another season, disappointing the fans and loyal followers of the series. The series cancellation did not necessarily come out as a shock for the fans as there were already major hints that the network won't be renewing the series. Season 3 was already in mid-season yet there were no spoilers or teasers for the next season.That was when speculations about non-renewal started to circulate on social media.

That said, the worst case scenario really happened, as Disney formally announced that they will no longer be producing "Girl Meets World" season 4. While the news disappointed the fans, some were vigilant enough to take the initiative to start an online petition to for "GMW" season 4.

New season, new network

According to reports, the showrunners of the defunct Disney series are aware of the clamor for a season renewal. Now that Disney has decided to cut ties with the "Boy Meets World" spinoff, the showrunners are reportedly looking for a new home where Riley and Maya's story can continue.

Fans have long been suggesting that the series be transferred to either Freeform or Netflix. The two networks are considered to be very viable homes for "Girl Meets World" season 4 since it caters to more mature viewers unlike Disney Channel, who has to maintain a wholesome and kid-friendly image in their choice of shows and TV series.

Series creator, Michael Jacobs, on the process of lobbying 'GMW' season 4 to other networks

According to reports, the creator of "Girl Meets World," Michael Jacobs, is currently lobbying the series to other networks. This has given the fans hope that they will be able to see Riley, Maya, Lucas and the rest of the "GMW" gang on another network.

The possible continuation of the series is good news for the fans, especially for those who considered the former Disney series as their growing-up buddy. Admittedly, the maturing plot of the series might have been one of the main reasons why Disney decided to cancel the show. The plot has been playing around with Riley and Maya's love interest, even infusing a love triangle that tested their friendship. Hopefully, Jacobs will close a network deal with a network soon so that "Girl Meets World" season 4 can finally push through.
Over the last 48 hours, the headlines have been dominated by the news that James Comey was fired as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). As Donald Trump continues to defend himself from the onslaught of criticism, he's decided to go after one of his most high-profile rivals.

Trump on Twitter

The 2016 presidential election will be remembered for a lot of things, as the candidacy of Donald Trump changed the landscape of American politics. Throughout the nearly two years that he ran his campaign, the former host of "The Apprentice" captivated the attention of the media like no other candidate before him.

While Trump was able to build momentum, it didn't come without opposition. During the first Republican primary debate, Trump was pressed on his past comments about women, most notably referring to them as "dogs" and "pigs." In response, Trump simply replied, "only Rosie O'Donnell." Trump's feud with O'Donnell has been well-documented, and has only increased over the last year. Following Trump's election win over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, O'Donnell commented that 10-year-old Barron Trump looked as if he suffered from autism. Trump supporters lashed out at the former co-host of "The View," demanding an apology in the process. Fast forward to present day and the president is now using an old tweet from O'Donnell as part of his defense for firing James Comey, which was evident in a May 11 Twitter post.

We finally agree on something Rosie. https://t.co/BSP5F3PgbZ  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 11, 2017

Returning to Twitter on Thursday afternoon, Donald Trump used Rosie O'Donnell to back up his termination of James Comey as the head of the FBI. "We finally agree on something Rosie,"Trump tweeted out, before re-tweeting an old O'Donnell Twitter message from last November where she wrote "FIRE COMEY." The controversy surrounding Comey has been mixed depending on political affiliation.

Democrats were once supportive of Comey losing his job, but are pushing back at Trump's decision due to the fact that he was leading the investigation into Russia's role in hacking the Democratic National Committee during the election.

Twitter reacts

In response to Donald Trump reigniting his feud with Rosie O'Donnell, social media users decided to fire back.

"You keep .@Rosie's name out of your mouth," author Holly O'Reilly tweeted, before adding, "The FBI is literally storming the Strategic Campaign Group and you are trolling .@rosie.What is wrong with you?"

@realDonaldTrump Trump has nothing bad to say about Putin, but has time for the country's greatest threat, Rosie O'Donnell.  Nick Jack Pappas (@Pappiness) May 11, 2017

@realDonaldTrump you truly are such a basic bitch it's astounding  Sara  Schaefer (@saraschaefer1) May 11, 2017

@realDonaldTrump @Rosie The FBI is literally storming the Strategic Campaign Group and you are trolling .@rosie.

What

is

wrong

with

you?#ThursdayThoughts pic.twitter.com/zESUL7pUiS  Holly O'Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) May 11, 2017

"Whenever I worry I'm being a petty bitch I just look at your tweets and I feel so much better," comedian Sara Schaefer wrote on her Twitter account, while noting, "you truly are such a basic bitch it's astounding." "Isn't there an age limit to be President?

Somehow America elected a 5-year-old," comedy writer Nick Jack Pappas replied, also stating, "Trump has nothing bad to say about Putin, but has time for the country's greatest threat, Rosie O'Donnell." The negative reaction continued, as many Americans don't seem willing to back off Donald Trump and his Twitter trigger finger.
WUHAN - Countries along Belt and Road have become popular destinations for Chinese tourists, according to a report issued by Lvmama.com, a Chinese online travel agency.

The report, based on bookings made on the Lvmama website, showed that the number of Chinese tourists visiting ASEAN countries in 2016 rose to nearly three times that of 2015.

The number of Chinese people visiting Central and Eastern Europe saw a year-on-year increase of 229 percent in 2016.

The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Serbia and Slovakia saw rapid growth in the number of Chinese tourists last year.

In the first four months this year, the number of visitors who traveled to Russia was nearly twice that of the same period last year.

Some 150 million Chinese travelers are expected to visit countries along the Belt and Road from 2016 to 2020, with their spending likely to top $200 billion, according to China National Tourism Administration.
BEIJING -- The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) announced Saturday that its Board of Governors has adopted resolutions approving seven applications to join the bank, bringing its total approved membership to 77.

The approved applications came from three regional prospective members -- Bahrain, Cyprus and Samoa -- and four non-regional prospective members, namely Bolivia, Chile, Greece and Romania.

"More and more countries are signing up to become members of AIIB because they see how internationalism can promote development in Asia, with far reaching benefits for the global economy," said Jin Liqun, AIIB president.

"We welcome our new prospective members and thank them for joining us in our effort to meet the infrastructure needs in the region," he said.

The seven prospective members will officially join AIIB once they complete the required domestic processes and deposit their first installment of capital with the bank.

The shares allocated to the new prospective members come from the bank's existing pool of unallocated shares, according to AIIB.

With 57 signatories at its launch in January 2016 and the approval of 13 prospective members in March 2017, AIIB aims to provide financing to address the daunting infrastructure needs across Asia.
President Xi Jinping met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Saturday in Beijing and announced the two countries' establishment of a bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership.

Xi welcomed Orban's visit to China. The Hungarian prime minister is attending the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

Since diplomatic relations between the two countries were established 68 years ago, the ties have seen lasting healthy development, Xi noted.

The establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership echoes the reality of bilateral relations' development and it ushers in a broad space for bilateral cooperation, Xi said.

The two sides should take this as an opportunity to push for further development of bilateral ties, and as comprehensive strategic partners, the two sides should uphold paying mutual respect, Xi noted.

Both sides should strengthen the link between the Belt and Road Initiative with Hungary's "Opening to the East" strategy, and strengthen top-level planning for their comprehensive cooperation, Xi said.

The two countries should continue tapping into the potential of their cooperation, continue promoting major projects, including the Hungary-Serbia railway, and expand financial cooperation, Xi said.

They should also strengthen cultural exchanges and expand cooperation in fields such as culture, education, tourism and localities, Xi added.

Xi said that China firmly supports the development of the European Union.

China is willing to work with Hungary and continue to promote cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries and the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, Xi added.

Orban said the bilateral relationship has a long history, and Hungary is willing to work with China to advance bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership.

Hungary spoke highly of China's achievements in economic and social development, particularly its achievements in poverty alleviation, and it believes that China's market economy status is indisputable, Orban said.

Hungary is committed to deepening cooperation with China in areas that include infrastructure and agriculture, and it supports cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries and the development of China-EU ties, he said.

Following their meeting, the two sides issued a joint statement on the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.
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Officer Shot In West Garfield Park Friday Afternoon, Shooter In Critical Condition

By Rachel Cromidas in News on May 12, 2017 8:58PM



4600 West Maypole, via Google street view.

A Chicago Police officer was shot this afternoon in West Garfield Park, according to a preliminary report from the police department. The alleged shooter was also shot and was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition shortly after the Friday afternoon shooting.

One officer was shot in the vest in the chest area and taken to Loyola Hospital in stable condition. Another officer reportedly sustained minor injuries during the shooting and was taken to the hospital in good condition. The department plans to hold a press briefing outside Loyola Hospital in Maywood this afternoon.

The alleged shooter is a 25-year-old woman, who was shot in the abdomen, knee and thigh, according to police. The details of how she was shot have not been released yet. The shooting took place in the 4600 block of West Maypole around 2:30 p.m.
HA NOI  Substandard investment procedures and regulations hinder investors in major power plant projects, baodautu.vn reported.

Ngo Quoc Hoi, Director of An Khanh Thermal Power Company told the investment e-newspaper that investment procedures and policies for power plant investors overlapped.

For example, some projects were submitted with detailed information as part of the adjusted National Power Development Plan VII from 2011-2020, which was approved along with the projects in 2016.

However, once the projects were launched, investors were required to re-submit the projects feasibility study, ask for assessments from ministries and agencies and then ask for Government approval.

It takes an additional six to eight months for a duplicate process before the project is approved again, Hoi said.

Domestic investors also complained about unequal treatment between independent power producer (IPP) projects and foreign-invested projects under Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contracts.

An IPP or non-utility generator is an entity, which is not a public utility, but which owns facilities to generate electric power for sale.

Foreign-funded BOT projects are given incentives in foreign currency exchange and power sale guarantees but domestic IPP projects are not.

If investors of IPP projects want to exchange currency to pay loans, they have to register with the State Bank and are at risk of changing exchange rates.

Hoi added that domestic power investors faced difficulties in borrowing money from local banks.

The companys Bac Giang Thermal Power Plant Project is set to be completed in 2022 with a capacity of 650 MW. This required investment of more than US$1 billion, which proved difficult to secure.

The company had to ask for loans from various banks as State Bank regulations only allowed a bank to provide loans to a customer worth a maximum of 15 per cent of its capital.

As a result, a big bank in Viet Nam like BIDV can lend a project about VN7.3 trillion (US$321.14 million) at most while an engineering-procurement-construction contract for a power plant is at least VN22 trillion.

The rate should be increased to 25 per cent or power projects will face funding shortages as its not easy to mobilise loans from multiple banks, Hoi said.

He also asked for a guarantee that Electricity of Viet Nam would buy power from IPP projects so that the projects could easily access loans.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Hoang Quoc Vuong said the ministry had proposed the Government exempt investors from re-submitting feasibility studies if their projects were in the adjusted National Power Development Plan VII.

On differences between policies for IPP projects and foreign BOT projects, Vuong said that few local investors could afford $1 billion for a 650MW power plan or $2 billion for a 1,000-1,200 MW plant.

Thus, it was necessary to call for foreign investment and preferential treatment for foreign BOT projects was needed, he said.

He added that once energy investment demand fell and domestic investors were stronger, there would be no difference between policies for foreign and local investors.  VNS
HCM City  Executives from around 20 companies in Eastern Germany met with authorities from five southern and central Vietnamese cities and provinces with the largest amount of German investment on Friday to explore investment opportunities.

They are in the country along with the visiting German Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, Iris Gleicke.

The visit of  Gleicke to Viet Nam has promoted relations between the two nations, and this is a good chance for Vietnamese localities to introduce themselves to German investors, Dr Nguyen Hoang Long, director of the Department of Foreign Affairs for Provinces, said.

Germany is the biggest trade partner of Viet Nam in Europe and Viet Nam would like to become the biggest trade partner of Germany in Southeast Asia.

Gleicke said: Germany and Viet Nam have had many open political discussions. I highly appreciate this mornings roundtable because our enterprises from Eastern Germany had a unique experience in transitioning from a centrally-planned economy to a market economy.

Our Eastern enterprises are very famous for their high-tech, wastewater treatment, air treatment and environmental pollution reduction technology.

We recognise that Viet Nam has a very special geographic position and if our enterprises can enter Viet Nam, we can enter the rest of South East Asia.

Marko Walde, chief representative of the Delegate of German Industry and Commerce Viet Nam, said: German businesspersons would like to know about investment procedures in Viet Nam and this roundtable is the best place to provide such information.

Peter Alltschekow, managing director of Eastern Germany, German Trade and Invest, the German Governments economic development agency, said: This is the fourth time Eastern German enterprises are coming to Viet Nam. We need to meet localities, local enterprises  and we hope this visit will open new opportunities for German enterprises.

At the roundtable, HCM City, Binh Duong, ong Nai, Long An, and a Nang highlighted their investment opportunities to the visitors.

An official from the HCM City Department of Planning and Investment told them how to set up a foreign business in Viet Nam. A a Nang labour official spoke about procedures for obtaining a work permit for foreigners in Viet Nam. A Long An Province official spoke about import/export procedures.

Earlier on Thursday, the vice chairman of the HCM City Peoples Committee Le Thanh Liem had met Gleicke.

Around 100,000 Vietnamese live in Germany while another 100,000 Vietnamese can speak German.

Germany has invested around US$1 billion in Viet Nam, with 90 per cent being concentrated in the southern region.  VNS
About 30 manhole covers on pavement in HCM Citys District 5 have been turned into streetside paintings by art students as part of a programme to raise awareness about environmental protection and urban beauty.

The programme was organised by the Youth Union in the districts Ward 10 in co-operation with a volunteer student group from Sai Gon Universitys fine arts faculty, beginning in early April, with funds from enterprises and sponsors.

The manhole covers on Tan a, Hai Thuong Lan Ong and Trieu Quang Phuc streets in Ward 10 were painted with images of landscapes, nature and animals.

Nguyen Huu Tai, 38, a resident on Hai Thuong Lan Ong, said: "The creative work makes the streets look bright and cheerful."

Previously, the ward staff had painted messages on the manhole covers such as Do not put garbage here or in garbage drains: it causes flooding. But it was not effective.

Vo Thanh Nha, secretary of the districts Youth Union, said: "Sometimes, Ive seen people living nearby clean the dirty paintings with water."

The district plans to expand the programme on other streets if funds are sufficient.  VNS
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPVCC) opened its fifth plenary meeting of the 12th tenure last week and discussed improving socialist-oriented market economy institutions and rearranging, reforming and improving State-owned enterprises.

The Central Committee decided to issue an official warning to inh La Thang, a Politburo member and Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee, and dismissed him from the Politburo of the Party Central Committee for past wrongdoings as the head of the State-owned National Oil and Gas Group (PVN).

Senior Party members share their opinions on the issue.

Lieutenant General Nguyen Quoc Thuoc, former commander of Military Region 4

Lieutenant General Nguyen Quoc Thuoc, former commander of Military Region 4

What do you think of the recent decision by the Partys Central Committee to dismiss Politburo member inh La Thang from his post? What is your opinion on disciplinary measures of officials, especially high-ranking officials who violate Party regulations?

The decision by the Partys Central Inspection Committee has enhanced public trust in the Partys guidance and in the implementation of the Resolution on Party building and rectification adopted by the fourth Party Central Committee (12th tenure).

It is of utmost importance that the Party make itself more transparent, and strengthen its integrity. Its obvious that those who have done good will be rewarded and those who have committed wrongdoings have to take responsibility. My opinion is that for the same violations, those in high-ranking positions should be given tougher disciplinary measures.

Such cases cause huge damage to the image of the Party. But only such decisions can help save the Party. I wish no Party members would try to dodge responsibilities once they are found guilty, or pretend to be ill. Thats very cowardly.

In the case of inh La Thang, when he was the Minister of Transport, I think his efforts resulted in many positive changes to the countrys transport scene. He was an active leader who would think of the people and act for the people.

However, his wrongdoings when he was the leader of the National Oil and Gas Group had caused great damage to the country and to the people. I believe Thang should realize his mistakes and try to right his wrong. Lets think about the past: when the land reform were criticized for its mistakes, the then-General Secretary of the Party, Truong Chinh, resigned. It was an example for us to look up to and improve ourselves.

What do you think should be the following steps to ensure the Party can successfully conduct Party building and rectification?

I think the Party should not only tackle the wrongdoings that have already occurred, but also prevent similar acts in the future. Each member of the Party should also learn from this lesson and if they have done any wrongdoings, they should wake up and adjust.

The Standing Committee of the Central Party should also carefully manage the human resources of the organisation. Human resources are a decisive element for success. If the Party chooses the wrong people for the bureau, the consequences for the people and the country would be enormous.

Also, inspection activities should be stricter. We cant let those with group interests go too far in the Party organisation and spoil it.

Tran Quoc Thuan, former Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Office

Tran Quoc Thuan, former Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Office

I myself welcome the determination of the Party in addressing the issue of its members violating state regulations. Fighting wrongdoings within the organisation is the very way to make it stronger.

It once again confirmed that no one is immune in the fight against corruption, including high-ranking officials violating the laws, whoever they are and whatever titles they hold.

This is the first time ever that the Party Inspection Committee requested such disciplinary measures against a Politburo member in office for his wrongdoings in economic management.

Previously, the Partys Secretariat dismissed Vo Kim Cu, former Ha Tinh Party Committee Secretary and Peoples Committee Chairman, and gave warnings to former Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Minh Quang, for their mismanagement in the environmental incident in Ha Tinh.

However, the bigger question is why these high-ranking officials were promoted to even higher positions after that?

Its obvious that theres something not right in the way the Party manages and assesses its members. How will people who recommended and appointed these officials take responsibility? Should they be disciplined, as well?

Vu Quoc Hung, former vice chairman of the Party Centrals Inspection Committee

Vu Quoc Hung, former vice chairman of the Party Central Inspection Committee

People cant be perfect, they will make mistakes sometimes. We cant deny the good things that inh La Thang did in the past when managing economic and social matters.

We seriously need to look back at the supervision task of the local Party unit. We have very clear documents on the recommendations and appointments of officials, but some people didnt enforce such regulations strictly. For some interests, these people stand above the Party regulations.

Its very important that the inspection and supervision over Party members and State official be enhanced. -- VNS
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies will establish a common framework to manage the issue of labour mobility in the region, said Tran Viet Thai, Director of the Vietnam APEC Study Centre under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  VNA/VNS Photo An ang

HA NOI  The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies will establish a common framework to manage the issue of labour mobility in the region, said Tran Viet Thai, Director of the Vietnam APEC Study Centre under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Labour mobility has become an urgent issue for not only APEC but also the global economy, especially in the context of digitalisation and the on-going fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0), he told the Vietnam News Agency yesterday on the sidelines of the APEC Study Centres Consortium (ASCC) Conference as part of the APEC 2017 Second Senior Officials Meeting (SOM2) and related meetings.

This revolution is affecting a number of occupations and groups of unskilled and low-skilled labourers, he said. The establishment of the APEC Labour Mobility Framework will help member economies identify opportunities and challenges in the context of labour mobility, thus putting forth suitable policies to make the best of the process. Speaking at an APEC workshop on skills education & training and social protection on the same day, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Doan Mau Diep said that there will be a strong trend of labour mobility in the APEC region with the development of Industry 4.0.

Many traditional occupations will disappear to be replaced by new ones (in the areas of digitalisation, programming and data protection), he said, adding that there will be many more requirements for skills and qualifications of the workforce for employment.

According to Mary Morola, Coordinator of the APEC Labour & Social Protection Network, Industry 4.0 will require APEC member economies to share opportunities in investment and vocational training to ensure the stability of the regional labour market. Prof Michael Ka Yiu Fung from the CUHK Business School at the Chinese University of Hong Kong said labour mobility is important for not only Hong Kong but also other economies as it benefits both senders and receivers. Countries which send guest workers get experience and technology from recipient countries, which in turn have enough labourers to serve their development, he said. Sharing views with the Hong Kong expert, Michael T Kumung, First Assistant Secretary of Macro Planning Division under the Department of National Planning and Monitoring of Papua New Guinea, emphasised the need for APEC economies to enhance cooperation in this field, with a focus on training workers. For Viet Nam in particular, as the country has sent workers to many other countries, it needs to improve the quality of human resources by equipping them with necessary skills.

APEC science prize

On Thursday, Dr Yanwu Zhu from Chinas University of Science and Technology was announced the winner of the APEC Science Prize for Innovation, Research and Education (ASPIRE 2017) in an awards ceremony held on Thursday.

Zhu won the prize for his research on new carbon materials.

The prize is an annual award recognising young scientists who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in scientific research, as evidenced by scholarly publication, and cooperation with scientists from other APEC economies. It aims to strengthen international science and technology networks and improve linkages between research and innovation. It is also designed to boost economic growth, trade and investment opportunities in harmony with sustainable development.

For this year, "New Material Technologies is the ASPIRE theme. This interdisciplinary theme focuses on how new and advanced materials are used to drive scientific innovation.

The seventh year of the prize drew 17 nominees from APEC member economies, the largest number of participants to date.  VNS
PHNOM PENH  The Vietnamese Government will continue creating favourable conditions for foreign businesses to make investment in Viet Nam and protect their intellectual property and asset rights.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc made the pledge at a meeting yesterday with representatives from 21 world leading companies from the US, Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the UK, Switzerland, Singapore and Chinas Hong Kong, at the 26th World Economic Forum on ASEAN (WEF ASEAN) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

He said doing business in Viet Nam will give foreign investors access to not only a market with 93 million people in Viet Nam but also the greater market of ASEAN and the world, as the country has signed 12 free trade agreements, and is pushing ahead with negotiations on four other pacts.

The PM told the audience that Viet Nams renewal process and open policies have helped domestic and foreign businesses reap success doing business in the country.

At the meeting, WEF Managing Director Philipp Roesler described the Mekong River region, including Viet Nam , as a dynamic area with young population and urged enterprises to invest in the region and create more jobs for young people.

Participating entrepreneurs recognised Viet Nam s high determination and efforts to reform and improve the business investment environment as well as the Governments support for the foreign business community.

The same day, Phuc attended a talk on Viet Nam held by the WEF and Vinacapital, during which he said Viet Nam strives to realise the average growth target of 6.5-7 per cent from now to 2020.

The country will push ahead with the improvement of the market economy institutions and strongly encourage the development of the private economic sector to become an important driving force in the domestic economy, he said.

He re-affirmed the resolve to build a development-facilitating government, restructure the economy and reform the countrys growth model.

Sidelines meetings

On the same day, Phuc met with leaders of major businesses on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) on ASEAN 2017.

While receiving Magesvaran Surajan, President of Asia Pacific Selling and Market Operations of the US s Procter & Gamble (P&G) Company, Phuc highly evaluated the groups business activities in Viet Nam as well as its practical support and active participation in APEC events in 2017. He asked P&G to continue long-term investment in Viet Nam so as to help bolster the countrys economic ties with the US .

At a meeting with Linda Seah, Vice President of Irelands Shire Plc, Phuc hailed the groups application of high technology in medical treatment in Viet Nam . He also welcomed Shire Plcs plan to expand its operations in the country in the time ahead.

The Vietnamese leader also met with Doreen Steidle, Asia-Pacific Regional Head for Group Government Affairs with the UK s HSBC, where he said the banks financial and banking services have helped improve competitiveness of Viet Nam s credit-banking system. He called on HSBC to co-operate with commercial banks of Viet Nam to expand their overseas activities.

Talking with Vice President of the US s GE group Christian Bennett, Phuc applauded the firms investment expansion plan in Vietnam and its cooperation with Vietnamese partners in energy development. The PM also expressed his hope that GE will actively support activities within the APEC Year 2017 in Viet Nam .

Viet Nam as 2018 WEF- ASEAN host

Phuc wrapped up his activities at the World Economic Forum on ASEAN 2017yesterday with a speech at the discussion on smart infrastructure. The PM also attended a reception marking the transferring of the role of host country for WEF-ASEAN in 2018 from Cambodia.

Addressing the discussion on smart infrastructure, the PM stressed that infrastructure is the prerequisite for economic connectivity and a key issue in building the ASEAN Community.

For Viet Nam, infrastructure development is one of three strategic breakthroughs needed in order to restructure the economic and renew the countrys growth model, he said, adding that the country needs about US$480 billion for investment in infrastructure, to be mobilised mainly from the private sector.

The PM welcomed international companies to invest in infrastructure in Viet Nam, stressing that the Vietnamese Government will facilitate such investment, especially in the form of Public-Private Partnership (PPP).

Receiving the role as the host country of the WEF ASEAN in 2018 from Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, Phuc said the selection of Viet Nam to host the WEF regional conference demonstrates the strong development of the partnership between the WEF and Viet Nam, as well as between Viet Nam and the international business community.

The PM and the Vietnamese delegation returned home from Phnom Penh later in the day, concluding their two-day attendance at the World Economic Forum on ASEAN 2017.  VNS
HCM CITY  The HCM City Department of Transport is considering building four smart parking lots, worth VN170 billion (US$7.5 million), in the citys downtown area, including Lam Son Square, 23/9 Park, Tao an Park and Le Van Tam Park.

An 18.8-metre, six-storey parking lot will be built at Lam Son Square and 23/9 Park, which holds 130 cars each, according to the En-parking Japan Clever System Development Joint-Stock Company.

The parking lot at Le Van Tam Park is expected to hold 144 cars, while the one at Tao an Park will accommodate 60 cars.

Module Best Parking and Module Family Parking technologies will be used to make parking more efficient and convenient.

Tran Van Chinh, head of the company, added that, if approved, the project will be implemented under the build-own-operate (BOO) method and is expected to be completed in four to six months.

Due to parking demand, the city has made 42 streets available for car parking.  VNS
HAI PHONG  Police and customs in northern Hai Phong City yesterday discovered 3.6 tonnes of khat (Khat) leaves in a container.

The container was imported from Somali and arrived in Nam Hai inh Vu Port early last month. According to records, the container contained tea but police found khat leaves instead after opening it yesterday.

The container was addressed to a local company specialising in import and re-export activities. The company refused to take the goods. The case is under investigation.

Khat, or catha edulis, is a flowering plant native to the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and contains a monoamine alkaloid called cathinone, an amphetamine-like stimulant, which is said to cause excitement, loss of appetite and euphoria.

In 1980, the World Health Organisation classified it as a drug of abuse that can produce mild to moderate psychological dependence, although the organisation did not consider khat to be seriously addictive.

Khat is illegal or used as a controlled substance in many countries, including Viet Nam, although its production, sale and consumption are legal in some African nations.  VNS
HCM CITY - Trade unions in Viet Nam have been urged to carry out programmes that would raise awareness about the importance of workers learning new skills for the digital manufacturing age.

Mai uc Chinh, deputy chairman of Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour, said that workers had been ignoring this urgent need.

Chinh spoke at an international conference on Viet Nam in the World of Digital Manufacturing in HCM City held on Thursday.

He noted that low-skilled workers could be replaced by robots and artificial intelligence used in manufacturing.

At least 86 per cent of all wage workers in textile, clothing, and footwear manufacturing in Viet Nam could face a high risk of automation due to advances in technological engineering, according to the International Labour Organisation.

Overall, up to 70 per cent of all wage workers are at risk of losing their job due to automation.

The trade union is encouraging workers to spend time to attend training courses to improve their skills, and adapt to the fourth industrial revolution, Chinh told Viet Nam News.

Dr Truong Van Cam, vice president and general secretary of Viet Nam Textile and Apparel Association, said the fourth industrial revolutions impact has already been felt in the country.

In the textile and apparel field, for example, it has helped raise productivity of enterprises.

Cam said the companies should use automatic processes in many phases of the production line.

During chemical fibre production and dyeing, which causes harmful effects on workers, robots could be used to replace workers in the next decade, he said.

Workers with repetitive and boring tasks could also be replaced, he added.

At the time, workers will receive training to improve their skills so they can adapt, Cam said.

Trade unions play an important role in raising awareness about the impact caused by automation, he said.

Dr Le ang Doanh, senior economist and member of the UNs Committee for Development Policy, said the replacement of many workers by advanced machines and robots was inevitable.

However, the Government and trade unions need to provide assistance to workers when they are replaced, he added.

Dr Vu Thanh Tu Anh, director of the Fulbright Economics Teaching Programme in HCM City, said they should begin preparations now.

The countrys policymakers need to seek solutions to escape from the trap of cheaply priced labour as an asset to attract investment to the country, he said.

The conference was held by the Centre for International Studies at the HCM City University of Social Sciences and Humanities in co-operation with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung of Germany.  VNS
NGHE AN  The central province of Nghe Ans authorities on Thursday held a ceremony to receive 104 sets of the remains of Vietnamese war martyrs who died in Laos.

Participating at the event in Ky Son Districts Muong Xen Town was chairman of Ky Son Peoples Committee Nguyen Thanh Hoang, officials from local agencies, representatives from Laos Vientiane and other provinces of Laos.

Officials of Viet Nam and Laos and local residents offered incense to commemorate the Vietnamese martyrs who died for national independence and the liberation of Laos.

The martyrs sacrifices contributed to tightening friendship and solidarity between two peoples.  VNS
HA NOI  Hanoian parents face an annual headache of registering their children at public schools, and the school year 2017-18 is no different, with the number of public schools limited but the number of children at school age rocketing in the city.

The citys Education and Training Department allows parents to register their kids online via the departments official website https://tsdaucap.hanoi.gov.vn/.

The enrollment window for students starting kindergarten is between June 19-22, those starting first grade at primary school June 15-18 and June 23-26 for those entering sixth grade at secondary school, the Tien Phong (Vanguard) online newspaper reported.

Although parents were encouraged to register online, for parents uncomfortable or unable to register online, they can register in person at schools between July 1 and July 15, the department said.

Nguyen Ngoc Lan, of Hoan Kiem District, said I am very worried if the website suddenly crashes or there are unexpected errors if it has too many people online at the same time that I will fail to register my son for a public primary school. Additionally, the online enrollment time was short, she said.

Nguyen Van inh, of Hai Ba Trung District, said It upsets me very much.

He could not register online and plans to register directly at school to ensure his daughter can attend.

Pham Thao My, of Long Bien District, said she spent a great deal of time reading and copying the registration instructions from the website.

When the online registration opens, it will take me little time to finish the registration, she said.

The parents worries were easy to understand, given the fact that data from the citys education and training department showed that local public schools only have room for about 70 per cent of students in the city. The rest would have to study at private schools, the department said.

Ngo Van Chat, head of the departments examination management and education quality assurance office, said parents should carefully prepare all required information before the registration window.

This would make the registration process quicker, more accurate and avoid mistakes that could lead their children to miss the chances to study in public schools they want to, he said.

Overloading in public schools

Overcrowding at schools, especially kindergarten and primary schools, is predicted to persist in districts with a lot of new urban areas, residential buildings and major industrial zones in the city.

Vice chairwoman of Peoples Committee of Thanh Tri District Pham Thi Thu Huyen said in the school year 2017-18, some 6,632 new children are expected to start studying at kindergartens in the district, while primary schools are bracing for 500 more children than the previous school year.

For example, Ta Thanh Oai Primary School, located in Ta Thanh Oai urban area, has 12 first-grade classrooms; however, the number of first-graders in the area this year is set to be 913, she said.

This means that on average, up to 80 first-graders may have to study in a single classroom, she said.

Vice chairwoman of Peoples Committee of Long Bien District inh Thi Thu Huong said the number of sixth-graders this year was estimated to be 6,000 higher than last year.

With an average of 41 students per classroom, public secondary schools in the district would need 23 new classrooms to meet demand, she said.

For public primary schools, the number of first-graders is set to rise by 995, leaving the district needing five new classrooms, she said.

Although the city administration constructed 121 new public schools across the city with total investment of VN3 trillion (US$132.2 million) during 2012-15, this still failed to meet demand because of rapid population growth.

Statistics from the education department show the city has 2,265 public schools with about 1.8 million students at all levels.

The city administration has ordered districts and agencies to spend more land funds to build schools to fix the situation by 2020. VNS
HAI PHONG  Tan Vu - Lach Huyen Bridge, set to be Southeast Asias longest cross-sea bridge when opened, will undergo a test run to check loading capacity on Sunday.

The 5.4km-long bridge is part of the Tan Vu - Lach Huyen Highway project, which connects developing areas in the east of Hai Phong with Lach Huyen International Port in the island district of Cat Hai and the Ha Noi - Hai Phong Expressway.

Once the bridge becomes operational, travelling from Hai Phong City to Cat Hai Island will take about five minutes, compared to hours on ferries.

The management board said 99.8 per cent of the work has been completed on the bridge section built by Japan-based Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co., Ltd and Vietnamese Civil Engineering Construction Corporation No 4.

The Tan Vu - Lach Huyen Highway project has a investment of almost VN11.85 trillion (US$525.3 million), of which the majority was funded with Japanese official development assistance. Its construction began in May 2014 and is scheduled to finish this month.

The project is expected to form a complete transport network facilitating transportation to Lach Huyen International Port, thereby attracting more investment to Hai Phong.  VNS
DES MOINES  Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey will be named to a newly created position in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a farm industry website has reported.

Northey, a Spirit Lake farmer in his third term as state ag secretary, previously has said hed consider a post in the USDA. Saturday, the Republican wrote on Facebook he would not confirm the report.

The appointment process can take time to unfold and it is important not to be overly presumptive. I hope you will all understand that I cannot confirm anything or make any formal comment about the rumored appointment at USDA, Northey wrote.

According to an article posted Friday by agweb.com  an online report of the Farm Journal  Northey is expected to become undersecretary for farm production and conservation, one of three positions created under a reorganization by new USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue. The position oversees the Farm Service Agency, Risk Management Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Agweb.com quoted Jim Wiesemeyer, senior vice president of policy and trade issues for Informa Economics Inc., as saying you can almost go to the bank on the appointment. The company specializes in agribusiness analysis.

If Northey were to leave for the federal post, his replacement for the rest of his term would be named by the governors office. The position is up for election in 2018.

Northey was among those who advised the Donald Trump campaign on agricultural issues.
WATERLOO  The Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area has been federally funded for 20 years.

Organizers hope that funding continues, but say it and other natural heritage areas may be facing their strongest test yet in that regard.

The area, a consortium of visitor attractions in an area generally north of Interstate 80 and east of Interstate 35, was organized in the 1990s to help those attractions tell a cohesive story of the history of American agriculture.

Silos was organized in 1991 and received federal designation and funding in 1996.

Since then, theres been periodic challenges to that continued funding, even though heritage areas were created in the mid 1980s with bipartisan support.

We faced being eliminated before, and have come through it, Silos president Cara Miller said. But this time was a little more concerning to us.

Thats because the proposal came not from an individual or group of members of Congress, but from the federal government itself.

A March 16 press release from the U.S. Department of the Interior announced President Trump was requesting. $11.6 billion in funding from the department for federal fiscal year 2018.

The presidents budget blueprint also eliminates some duplicative programs, the release said,including ... National Heritage areas that are more appropriately funded at the local level.

This is the first time weve see it in writing from the Department of Interior, Miller said.

Federal funding is a big chunk of Silos revenue Miller said.

Were received $710,000 per year for the last three years from the National Park Service under the Department of Interior and our operating budgets for those years were 2014  $817,230; 2015$818,269; and 2016  $859,793, she said.

There are 49 such areas around the country. Were grassroots, community driven, and our charge is to enhance the local economic development through historic preseration, tourism recreation, Miller said. The National Park Service saw heritage areas as a model for how public-private partnerships can happen.

For us, that manifests itself in all these sites around this region, Miller said. Some existed before Silos; some were established later. We support them and help provide expertise, resources. Some of our sites are run entirely by volunteers. Others only maybe have one person at the helm. Having our staff being able to help them promote themselves and draw tourism is important.

Attractions </&hrdp2>

Silos now has 117 member attractions; one the latest is Cinnamon Rigde Farms in Donohue, a modern working farm. We are constantly working with with sites interested in becoming part of the heritage area and have a story to tell. We have workshops and trainings.

Some local Silos-member attractions, among others, include the Vesterheim Museum in Decorah, Heartland Acres Agribition Center in Independence, Hansens Farm Fresh Dairy in Hudson, Bennington Township No. 4 School north of Waterloo, the Grundy County Heritage Museum and the La Porte City FFA Historical & Ag Museum. Other larger members include Living History Farms in Urbandale, John Deere Tractor Cab & Assembly Operations in Waterloo and the Iowa State Fair.

Some board members and attractions spill outside the congressionally designamed geographic boundaries. We have board members from out of our territory but felt this draw and commitment to Silos & Smokestacks, board member Soo Greiman said. This is our Disneyland, this is our Disney World that we have here in Iowa, so were glad to attract people from all over the state to be on the board, that believe in it.

Tourism is a big part of the states economy and contributes to a comparatively low unemployment rate, Miller said. We have to have good sites for tourists to come to. And thats our charge: To make sure we have good sites preserving and telling the story of American agriculture.

Silos, which receives about $700,000 a year in federal funding, also already receives private and local money; in fact, its required that federal dollars be matched with private resources. About 86 percent of its budget goes to programming and the rest to administrative expenses.

<&rule>

Heritage areas </&hrdp2>

Heritage areas, were originally established to be a partnership among federal, state and local government and private entities. So in the original charter of heritage areas, the federal government is part fo the picture, Miller said.

Certainly we need to expand and have diverse funding from everywhere, she said. One of the places we are trying to grow is our private giving and private contributions.

And the organization relied on private resources prior to the federal designation, in its initial years of operation, Greiman noted. She agreed with the analogy that withdrawing federal funds would be like pulling one leg out of a three-legged stool.

There is, by definition, a national significance to the heritage areas, Miller said.

The purpose of the heritage areas is to tell the culture of America,Miller said. All these stories together really do tell what American is and was. Thats really important in this day and age when we have so many new Americans, or kids who dont quite understand what the culture of America is  for all these heritage areas to say, This is our story.

They weave it together, Greiman said. And Silos piece is to tell the history of agriculture.

There was always this belief and this faith in this area that we can do it, Greiman said. Who better to tell this story of ag history, and further it with ag education, than us?

Agriculture built America, Miller said. For us to be able to tell that story, the history as well as whats going on now, is really important.

Greiman said that, among those various agricultural attractions in northeast Iowa, This is kind of the glue that holds everybody together, is the Silos organization itself  working in the trenches, helping to tell that unite all our sites together.

An October 2007 report by The Heritage Foundation, written in opposition to the creation of additional heritage areas at that time, said doing so would jeopardize the property rights of private individuals in the area, distract the National Park Service staff from its core mission and do little more than to benefit a small number of businesses within the boundaries of the NHAs.

The Park service provides advisory and technical assistance only to the locally run heritage areas, according to an information sheet from the Park Service.

In a March 27 letter to the chair and ranking member of a U.S. House subcommittee on Interior appropriations, U.S. Reps. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., and Ryan Costello, R-Pa., wrote that heritage areas preserve and revitalize cultural, historic and natural resources, have a proven record of fostering job creation in that effort and have undergone rigorous independent evaluations by the National Park Service which document the programs worth.

The congressmen called for an enhanced level of funding so all area can continue their important work.

U.S. 1st Dist. Rep. Rod Blum of Dubuque signed on in support of Tonkos and Costellos letter. He said he supports the heritage area funding as a way to promote the states tourism and economy. He suggested there may be opportunities to offer amendments supporting that during the legislative process.

Heritage area legislation was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. One of its earliest champions was longtime U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha, D-Pa. The Rivers of Steel National Heritage area in his district was used in the early 90s by organizers here as a model for Silos & Smokestacks.
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Claude S. Fischer in Boston Review:

Many explanations for growing inequality are on the table. Technical and structural changes, such as computerization and globalization, have strengthened the market position of educated specialists while undermining that of uneducated workers. Business rearrangements, including the growing role of finance in the economy and of shareholder value in corporate affairs, enrich managers and asset-holders more than workers. Social trends, such as the increasing delay of marriage, more children raised by single parents, womens entry into the professions, and growing marital homogamyhigh earners marrying high earnershave also widened the economic gap between top and bottom.

Almost all the possible causes of growing inequality are, however, conditioned by policy. Inequality trends vary substantially among Western nations. Inequality has surged in the United States and a few other English-speaking countries since 1970, while other countries, such as Australia and France, have experienced only mild or even negligible increases in inequality. Even within the United States, states vary in the pace of increasing inequality, variation that seems connected to state policy. Economist Thomas Piketty, whose work has been interpreted as suggesting that rising inequality is inevitable, demurs: The history of the distribution of wealth has always been deeply political. . . . It is shaped by the way economic, social, and political actors view what is just and what is not, as well as by the relative power of those actors and the collective choices that result.

As British economist Tony Atkinson wrote in his last book, Inequality (2015), even the most seemingly technical or market forces are guided by government actions. For Atkinson the rise in inequality has been the joint result of market forces driving inequality (such as global trade) and weakening state action against such forces. Policy can affect earnings through, for example, rules for wages, corporate governance, and labor bargaining. The weakening of organized labor has been the key force, Atkinson argues, for worsening income inequality in the United States and the UK. And policy of course affects any post-market adjustments through taxes, subsidies, health provision, and so on. Policy even shapes social trends such as delayed marriage through provisions for housing and child care, equal rights laws, and the like.

More here.
Snatched star Goldie Hawn, 71, who looks like shes in a slow-aging contest with Helen Mirren, made  and sometimes produced  $1 billion worth of movies and earned 14 Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe honors. So why has it been 15 years since her last movie?

Partly because, as her character observes in The First Wives Club, There are only three ages for women in Hollywood; Babe, District Attorney and Driving Miss Daisy. Nine years younger than Jessica Tandy in the latter film, Hawn would need more years to play Daisy convincingly. Yet she only got Snatched because Amy Schumer insisted on her casting. Like Reese Witherspoon and many other A-list younguns, Schumer regards Hawn as a role model.

But there could be a deeper reason for her huge hiatus: Hawn, who once told me that producing a movie is a lot like raising a family, is one of the most doting moms in Hollywood, devoted to spending endless quality time with what her daughter Kate Hudson calls the traveling circus of her family.

Hawn was a sensational role model for her kids. Having grown up at a time when the industry treated women even worse than it does today (young Hawn, billed by the press as a delectable bonbon, dodged many a lecher), she made sure Kate didnt get devoured. Ive learned to say exactly what I think, Hawn told me. Im raising my daughter that way.

She seems to be as good at mothering as she is at moviemaking. Like her mom, Kate earned an Oscar in her early 20s  the bonbon doesnt fall far from the chocolate box  and Kates sibs Oliver Hudson (Rules of Engagement), whose dad is Goldies ex Bill Hudson, and Wyatt Russell (22 Jump Street), her son with Kurt Russell, the love of her life, also grew up to be movie stars, often on set (or in scenes) with Goldie or Kurt.

My gosh, shes like Mother Hubbard, her Housesitter costar Dana Delany told me. Theres just kids around her all the time. I think she thrives on it. She likes to be the eye of the storm. On that 1990 film, Hawn directed Oliver, then a 13-year-old extra, saying, Oliver! Stay at your start mark, you must pay attention! Hawns kids learned to pay attention.

Yet in some ways, Granny Hawn, who is called GoGo by the grandchildren, is still a kid at heart. She has this knack for staying childlike about acting, yet being a mother when she has to, Delany said.
The series revolved around the rivalry between two rich, feuding and screwed-up oil families in Denver, the Colbys and the Carringtons. The main characters were played by the dashing John Forsythe; Linda Evans, as his wife; and Joan Collins, as his troublemaking former spouse.

The remake will focus on younger characters, with Grant Show, Elizabeth Gillies and Nathalie Kelley in lead roles, USA Today reports. It will be produced by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, who are behind the teen hits The O.C. and Gossip Girl.

In 1985, Dynasty was the number-one show in the U.S., according to the Hollywood Reporter.

CBS, which owns half of the CW and is producing the series, controls Spellings library, according to USA Today. CW also remade Spellings teen soap 90210, which aired from 2008 to 2013.
South Dakota elects first openly gay man to Legislature

The LGBTQ Victory Fund has declared Kameron Nelson as the first openly gay man elected to the South Dakota Legislature.
"I have never fully understood how stupid and absurd the vaccine industry's arguments defending the current vaccine program actually were until Brett Wilcox put them all together on one page. I can't believe how badly this country is being scammed. It is not just horrifically criminal that they are getting away with this, it is monumentally embarrassing that anyone in the US believes them. What suckers we have been." - Ginger Taylor







Reprinted from Running The Country



by Brett Wilcox



Ive been studying vaccines for a few years now. During that time several pro-vaxxers have done their best to convince me of the error of my ways. Many grow frustrated with me and inform me that Im simple minded and stupid. Its true that I wasnt the quickest kid in the class. Its taken me a long time to grasp what theyre saying, but I think Ive finally got it. If youre a pro-vaxxer, please let me know if I accurately represented your position. Thanks for your patience!

Pro Vax Manifesto

* All disease is bad.

* All vaccines are good.

* The science is settled, all vaccines work.

* All vaccines are equally effective.

* All vaccines are equally safe.

* Vaccines are tested for safety more than any other pharmaceutical product.

* Vaccine safety studies are long term studies, meaning they last for more than four days.

* Experimental vaccines intended for babies are first tested on babies.

* Experimental vaccines that will eventually be given to unhealthy children are first tested on unhealthy children.

* Vaccine safety studies always include inert placebos.

* The entire vaccine schedule has been studied for safety.

* The theory and the practice of vaccination are identical.

* Vaccine Information Sheets contain the same information as Vaccine Package Inserts.

* Vaccination equals immunization, yet the public should still fear and ostracize the unvaccinated.

* Vaccines work, but only if everyone else is vaccinated because, of course, my medicine makes your medicine more effective.

* Everyone should be forced to vaccinate to protect the vaccinated from getting the diseases for which they were vaccinated.

* Vaccines have never caused ADHD, tics, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, learning disabilities, cancer, diabetes, eczema, paralysis, autism, or any other injury.

* Its just a coincidence when babies get sick, diseased, regress, or die following vaccination.

* Vaccination is the leading cause of coincidences.

* There is nothing in vaccines that could hurt a baby or anyone else. Thats why vaccine manufacturers and doctors cant be sued for vaccine injury or death.

* If vaccines injure a baby, its the babys fault for having bad genes. Vaccines just identify the defect.

* Vaccines are composed of neurotoxins, human fetal DNA, animal tissue, adjuvants, allergens, antigens, and contaminants. Buildings are evacuated and hazmat teams are called when the contents of a vaccine spill on the floor. Thats why the same ingredients are safe when repeatedly injected into pregnant women, infants, toddlers, teens, the aged, and virtually everyone in between.

* The toxic ingredients in vaccines make sick people healthy and healthy people healthier.

* Injecting toxins is no different than ingesting toxins.

* Because one vaccine is safe, two, four, eight vaccines etc. are equally safe.

* Vaccines are better than vitamins, the more you get, the healthier you are.

* Studies show that vaccine injuries and deaths increase as the number of vaccines increase. Thats why babies can safely receive thousands of vaccines at once.

* High-pitched screams, fevers, lethargy, being zoned out, sleeping for days, diarrhea, and seizures are normal vaccine reactions.

* Normal reactions are not vaccine injury.

* The US vaccine schedule is the only schedule in the world.

* There are no alternative schedules.

* Alternative schedules are untested and dangerous.

* Until recently, 100% of people failed to notice behaviors and traits associated with autism that have always existed in 2% of the population. Some of these behaviors and traits include head banging, spinning, hand flapping, poop smearing, delayed speech, speech regression, inability to speak, speaking in an abnormal tone of voice, repeating words and phrases over and over again, yelling, crying, or laughing for no apparent reason, obsessive attachment to unusual objects, gastrointestinal problems, explosive diarrhea, extreme sensitivity to light, sound and touch, indifference to temperature or pain, difficulty understanding other peoples feelings, reactions, or facial expressions, resistance to being touched, failure to bond or emotionally connect with parents, siblings, and others, wandering, and lack of fear of water sometimes resulting in drowning.

* Autism is normal.

* Autism is a gift.

* Autism should be celebrated.

* Parents who dont celebrate their kids autism are selfish crybabies.

* Autism is an evolutionary response to the computer age.

* No vaccine has ever caused autism.

* Only one now debunked paper written solely by one now disgraced doctor has ever linked vaccines to autism.

* That man is a fraud and hes personally responsible for killing millions of babies just like Hitler.

* Media outlets can be trusted because they always report the truth about vaccines.

* Media outlets are not influenced by corporate sponsors or government censorship.

* Media should shame and mock parents of vaccine-injured children, especially the moms.

* Media should libel and misquote doctors and scientists who address vaccine safety issues.

* Media should not give fair and equal airtime to parents of vaccine-injured children.

* Media sponsored hate speech is bad  unless its targeting parents of vaccine-injured children.

* Media should slam movies such as Vaxxed without ever watching them.

* The pharmaceutical industry does not influence medical school curriculum.

* Doctors are taught everything there is to know about vaccination:

1. disease is bad 2. vaccines are good 3. the vaccine schedule 4. vaccine administration and 5. strategies to coerce vaccine hesitant parents and others to vaccinate.

* Listen to your doctor  unless your doctor warns you about the dangers of vaccination.

* The ethical principle of informed consent which was established after World War II to prevent further medical experimentation on uninformed and unwilling subjects does not apply to vaccination.

* When doctors coerce and threaten parents to vaccinate their kids, they are not violating medical ethics.

* Medical providers should chart adverse events from medications, but they should deny vaccine-induced adverse events because vaccines are safe and effective.

* Doctors who address vaccine safety concerns should lose their medical licenses.

* The HPV vaccine has been proven to prevent cancer.

* Teen aged girls who fake injuryincluding paralysis, full body tics, and debilitating pain resulting in being confined to their homes and bedsafter getting the HPV vaccine should see a shrink for psychological problems.

* Exposure to chickenpox and measles in childhood provides no health benefits later in life.

* Getting chickenpox is very bad and very scary.

* Getting measles is very, very bad and very, very scary because measles is one of the most lethal diseases on Earth and probably in the whole universe. Thats why parents used to take their kids to measles and chickenpox parties.

* Vaccines dont contain human fetal DNA.

* Only two babies have been aborted for vaccine research.

* Vaccines used to contain mercury, but that doesnt matter because it was the good kind.

* Vaccines dont contain mercury anymore, but that doesnt matter because it was the good kind.

* Vaccines now banned in developed countries because they contained mercury are still being used in developing countries, but that doesnt matter because its the good kind.

* The amount of mercury in some preservative- or thimerosal-free vaccines exceeds the EPA safety limit and must be disposed of as hazardous waste. But that doesnt matter, because its the good kind of hazardous waste.

* Aluminum is a known neurotoxin and is proven to play a significant role in promoting neurological diseases like Parkinsons, Alzheimers, dementia, and autism. Thats why its safe to inject newborns with aluminum in excess of EPA safety limits.

* Aluminum is essential for optimal brain functioning and development.

* There is no valid reason for religious people to object to vaccination because God has no problem with injecting healthy babies time and time again with a variety of cell-killing and brain-damaging concoctions.

* People get Hepatitis B from dirty needles and sexual activity. Thats why Hep B negative mothers should consent to have their 1 day old infants injected with the Hep B vaccine.

* Pus from cowpox eradicated smallpox.

* 10% of the Earths population received smallpox vaccines. Thats why nearly everyone needs to be vaccinated to eradicate a disease.

* Not getting the chickenpox vaccine will kill millions of people from smallpox.

* Not getting the measles vaccine will put millions of kids in iron lungs.

* Environmental toxins and tonsillectomies had nothing to do with Americas polio epidemic and polio disease reclassification had nothing to do with reversing the epidemic.

* The polio vaccine used in India is not causing paralysis in 30,000 children per year.

* Sanitation, clean drinking water, and good food are responsible for the reduction of diseases for which there are currently no vaccines. However, once a vaccine is developed for any of those diseases, the previous statement will no longer be valid.

* Immunocompromised people should not be vaccinated with live virus vaccines  unless they live in developing countries.

* The oral polio vaccine should never be given to HIV positive people  unless they live in Africa.

* Being sick is no reason not to get vaccinated.

* It would be unethical to conduct a prospective vaxxed vs. unvaxxed study because withholding vaccines from children would kill them.

* It would be impossible to conduct a retroprospective vaxxed vs. unvaxxed study because all the unvaxxed kids have already died from vaccine preventable diseases.

* Vaccines have never been tested for safety with pregnant women and their fetuses. Thats why its safe to inject them in pregnant women.

* Pregnant women should avoid alcohol, antibiotics, Thalidomide, and other pharmaceutical products, but should receive all vaccines offered them at any stage of their pregnancies.

* Babies are born vaccine deficient.

* Premature infants need the protection from vaccines even more than full term infants.

* Even though the pertussis vaccine does not prevent the transmission of pertussis and is known to result in asymptomatic carriers of the disease, vaccinating family members is the best way to protect newborns from whooping cough.

*Drug companies make drugs for profit, but they make vaccines out of the goodness of their hearts.

* Anti-vaxxers enrich themselves writing and selling anti-vaccine propaganda.

* The industry has never lied about vaccine safety, efficacy, or necessity.

* The industry has never faked vaccine research.

* The industry would never divide vaccine lots to spread out and hide vaccine injury and death.

* The industry would never test vaccines on orphans, disabled people, or people of color.

* Merck lied about Vioxx, but it would never lie about its vaccines.

* Merck supervisors did not order its scientists to fake the efficacy of the mumps vaccine.

* The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation didnt get booted out of India for conducting cloaked vaccine trials on Indian girls resulting in thousands of injuries and hundreds of deaths.

* The Gates Foundation isnt preparing to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of African babies with an experimental malaria vaccine known to have negative efficacy, meaning that vaccinated babies get malaria at a higher rate than vaccine free babies.

* The CDCs primary interest is the health and safety of American children.

* The CDC can be trusted to regulate vaccine safety issues because it owns over 50 vaccine patents and profits from vaccine sales.

* CDC employees have no conflicts of interest.

* When the CDC reports that the flu vaccine is 40% effective, that means that the vaccine prevents the flu in four out of ten people.

* CDC employees have never consorted with industry or the medical establishment to hide the relationship between mercury-containing Thimerosal and autism.

* CDC employees have never consorted with industry or the medical establishment to hide the relationship between the MMR vaccine and autism.

* CDC employees have never trashed data linking the MMR vaccine to autism.

* There is no CDC whistleblower.

* There is no such thing as a Vaccine Court because theres no such thing as vaccine injury.

* The Vaccine Court has not paid out more than $3.5 billion for vaccine injury and death.

* Congress is not influenced by donations from Big Pharma.

* Congress has never ignored vaccine safety issues.

* Congress has never been complicit in hiding vaccine safety issues from the public.

* Scientific journals can be trusted.

* The papers in scientific journals can be trusted.

* The drug industry does not ghostwrite pro-vax papers for scientists to sign.

* Scientists who address vaccine safety issues should be censured or fired.

* The anti-vax movement is a recent phenomenon.

* Anti-vaxxers get their information from a Playboy bunny.

* Anti-vaxxers get their information from the Internet and everybody knows you cant trust anything on the Internet, except for the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the pharmaceutical industry.

* The AAP has no conflicts of interest with the pharmaceutical industry.

* All unvaccinated people are dangerous vectors of disease.

* All vaccinated kids with HIV, Hep B, chicken pox, measles, influenza, whooping cough, etc., should be allowed in school.

* All children recently vaccinated with live virus vaccines should be allowed in school.

* All unvaxxed kids are by definition sick and dangerous disease vectors.

* All unvaxxed kids should be banned from school, because theyre especially dangerous on weekdays from 8 am to 3 pm.

* All anti-vaxxers are anti-science.

* All anti-vaxxers are baby killers.

* All anti-vaxxers should lose custody of their children.

* All anti-vaxxers should be quarantined, jailed, or hung.

* When someone dies of a disease, unvaccinated people should be charged, tried, and convicted of murder.

* Pro-vaxxers are logical, pro-science, and open-minded.

* Pro-vaxxers tolerate differing points of view and are all around caring, compassionate people.



Brett Wilcox and his son ran across the USA in 2014 promoting a GMO Free USA and world. Brett has greatly enriched himself by writing and selling the following books: Were Monsanto: Feeding the World, Lie After Lie, Books I and II, and Jabbed: How the Vaccine Industry, Medical Establishment and Government Stick It to You and Your Family. Brett blogs at RunningTheCountry.com.
WASHINGTON  Beijing will open its borders to U.S. beef, while cooked Chinese poultry is closer to landing on American supermarket shelves under a U.S.-China trade agreement.

Trump administration officials hailed the deal as a significant advance toward boosting U.S. exports and closing Americas trade gap with the worlds second-largest economy. U.S. trade experts offered a more muted assessment, calling the agreement a modest fulfillment of past assurances made by China.

Among other things, the deal enables U.S. companies to export liquefied natural gas to China. It will also lower long-standing barriers that have affected matters ranging from agriculture to the operation of American financial firms in China.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross hailed the agreement, coming on the heels of President Donald Trumps April meeting with President Xi Jinping, as a herculean accomplishment.

This is more than has been done in the whole history of U.S.-China relations on trade, Ross told reporters Thursday evening at the White House.

In Beijing, Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao told reporters the early results of the agreement showed that economic collaboration between the two sides couldnt be closer.

But trade experts questioned the magnitude of the deal.

These are modest moves which by themselves will not have much effect on the U.S. economy, said David Dollar, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former Treasury Department official.

The beef exports and electronic payments in the agreement have long been promised by China. And the agreement does little to address some key issues of trade friction, such as automobiles or social media. While the Trump administration has touted a surge in U.S. manufacturing, this agreement does little to help that goal.

The challenge is selling manufactured goods into China  there isnt anything in this deal to suggest China is going to become more open to U.S.-manufactured exports, said Brad Setser, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

It remains unclear how far China will go to allow more American exports. Previous administrations have hailed market-opening agreements only to be left disappointed.

The key in these negotiations is specifics that are enforceable  literally, the devil is in the details, said Scott Mulhauser, a former chief of staff at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

The more these agreements include real, concrete outcomes rather than platitudes, rehashing old ground or punts to the future, the better they are, Mulhauser said. American companies, workers, farmers and more are eager for more access to Chinese markets, and theyll look to ensure reality matches the rhetoric of these promises.

Trump made Americas wide trade deficits and especially the gap with China a major issue in his campaign and during the early days of his administration. Hes argued that Americas perennial trade gaps have cost millions of factory jobs and he has pledged to take a tougher stance in trade negotiations to lower the imbalances.

Under the agreement, the United States is inviting Chinese companies to import U.S.-produced liquefied natural gas. The Energy Department has authorized natural gas shipments of 19.2 billion cubic feet per day to China and other interested countries that lack a broader free trade agreement with the United States, the Commerce Department said.

China is turning more to natural gas as a way to reduce its dependence on coal and combat the countrys extensive air pollution. The move would allow China to diversify its supply and provide a major market for American suppliers, though the expansion could lead to higher prices for U.S. consumers.

The agreement would also ease import restrictions on agricultural goods, including ending Chinas ban on beef imports, which was imposed in 2003 after a case of mad-cow disease. In exchange, the U.S. would allow the sale of cooked Chinese poultry  a move Ross said could be done safely.

The agreement would also streamline the evaluation of U.S. biotechnology product applications; pave the way for allowing American-owned suppliers of electronic payment services to begin the licensing processes in China; and facilitate the entrance of Chinese banks into the U.S. banking market.

The agreement grew out of negotiations the countries agreed to start after Trumps meeting at his Mar-a-Lago estate with the Chinese president.

Americas trade deficit in goods and services with China totaled $310 billion last year, by far the largest imbalance with any country.

The two countries have also agreed to hold talks this summer to be led by Ross, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Vice Premier Wang Yang to work on a one-year plan.

While Trump had earlier said China could receive more favorable trade terms from the U.S. in return for help in persuading North Korea to cease its nuclear and missile activities, Zhu downplayed any suggestion of a link between the two.

Both sides have a deep and close understanding that the U.S.-China economic relationship cant be politicized. Zhu said.
Construction continues at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Facility in Fairfield County. A deal to keep work going was reached Friday, April 28, 2017.
May 12, 2017

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) issued a statement May 7 on the efforts of a team of experts affiliated with the US, British and German Ministries of Defense working on restructuring the peshmerga-affiliated military forces, with the aim of building a professional and integrated military force for the peshmerga.

Gen. Jamal Iminki, the chief of staff of the peshmerga forces, announced April 29 that the Peshmerga Ministry is seeking to review the structure of the ministry. He noted that the first stage of this procedure would be the reorganization of two brigades with the help of the United States.

On April 19, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which is part of the US Department of Defense, announced the approval of the United States to sell $295 million worth of weapons and military equipment to equip two infantry brigades in the peshmerga, as well as two artillery support brigades.

According to Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the KRG representative in the United States, America is paying for these shipments. Peshmerga Secretary-General Jabbar Yawer described the deal April 20 "as part of the American's ongoing support for the Kurdish forces.

On April 19, Yawer said in a statement, Washington has previously provided training, weapons and equipment to two other peshmerga brigades.

In fact, the United States has completed the training of 18,000 peshmerga forces, provided food and fuel among other supplies for 26,000 troops and paid the salaries of 36,000 peshmerga forces.

The ongoing war with the Islamic State (IS) promoted the nature of relations between the peshmerga and the US military, according to the March 28 statement of Gen. Stephen Townsend, the commander of the US-led coalition against IS.

In July 2016, the KRG and the US government signed for the first time a memorandum of understanding that includes military cooperation.

The US support of the peshmerga forces is not limited to government agencies, but there are also legislative bodies in the United States supporting KRG projects that are related to obtaining as much autonomy as possible from Baghdad.

In the same vein, US Sen. Marco Rubio expressed April 26 his concern about arming the peshmerga forces through the Iraqi government. The Kurds have proven to be incredible allies in the fight against radicalism.  I am open-minded to the idea of direct aid.

The government in Washington, however, has not changed its policy on arming the peshmerga so far, insisting on sending weapons to the KRG through the Iraqi central government.

The US Department of State stressed April 20, The central government of Iraq is the only authorized party to buy weapons in the United States. The United States is selling weapons and supplies to and through the central government of Iraq.

For years, the KRG has been struggling to obtain military aid without Baghdads approval. Kurdistan, for instance, has been benefiting from the services from major lobbying companies to influence Washingtons policies in this direction. These efforts, in addition to fears from some US Congress bodies about Irans control of the central government in Baghdad, led to a bill in April 2015 requiring the US government to send aid to the peshmerga without reference to Baghdad.

The bill that dealt with Kurdistan as a state eventually failed. Nevertheless, special forces in the US military have been involved with Kurdish forces in joint raids without gaining Baghdads permission. The Iraqi government, however, has managed to circumscribe the direct relations between the two forces.

Michael Knights, a senior security expert at the Washington Institute, told Al-Monitor, After the notorious Hawija raid in 2015 that killed a US soldier, Baghdad objected strongly to its lack of foreknowledge of the raid. Now the joint US-Kurdish raids are with Baghdads permission; this was a condition for the continuation of the US raids.

It is clear that Washington sees the Iraqi central government led by Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi as a strategic ally in its war against IS. The United States cannot dispense with the central government in Baghdad under the policy of relying on local allies in the war against IS, instead of going into direct war with the terrorist organization.

Moreover, the American government does not wish to weaken Abadis stance, fearing the control of parties close to Iran on the central government.

This is an obstacle to the development of direct relations between the peshmerga forces and the US military, even though the peshmerga forces are seen as one of America's most important allies in the region.

The design of the new US-equipped Kurdish brigades is that of light infantry forces capable of fighting [IS], but lacking the heavy equipment to fight a modern army like the Iraqi military. There are no anti-aircraft weapons or tanks, signaling that the US is trying to build a force that complements the Iraqi military, but which cannot conduct major offensive operations on its own, Knights, who advises the US military, said.

The April 19 DSCA statement stressed the proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The United States does not seem willing to build a parallel force to the Iraqi army in the Kurdistan Region at this point. It is, however, trying to build organized forces in Iraqi Kurdistan that would serve as an ally and that could be easily developed into a modern army if Washington decides to do so in the coming period.
May 11, 2017

CAIRO  Harmony prevailed between Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church and Coptic Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria during Francis' visit to Egypt April 28-29, but their like-mindedness on baptism has ignited a debate between the Egyptian Orthodox Church and its adherents.

Denominational differences over baptism date back centuries. One point of contention concerns whether Christians who switch churches are required to be rebaptized according to their new denomination or whether a baptism is irrevocable. Egyptian media reported that during a papal meeting at St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo's Abbasiya district, Francis and Tawadros signed a document ending the dispute over the sacrament of baptism or rebaptism. During a general audience back at the Vatican on May 3, Francis announced that he and Tawadros had signed a common declaration to journey together, and not to duplicate baptisms already received in the respective Churches.

Their agreement angered many Egyptian Orthodox Christians, some of whom had earlier expressed reservations about the issue based on information leaked before Francis arrived in Cairo. According to the leaks, the document to be signed represented a final agreement on baptismal unity, which many Orthodox Christians view as contrary to their Orthodox faith.

In an attempt to head off trouble, the Orthodox Church Holy Synod Secretariat issued a statement 24 hours before Francis' arrival explaining that the document in question was a common declaration, not a final agreement, and would read as follows:

Today we, Pope Francis and Pope Tawadros II, in order to please the heart of the Lord Jesus, as well as that of our sons and daughters in the faith, mutually declare that we, with one mind and heart, will seek sincerely not to repeat the baptism that has been administered in either of our Churches for any person who wishes to join the other. This we confess in obedience to the Holy Scriptures and the faith of the three Ecumenical Councils assembled in Nicaea, Constantinople and Ephesus.

We ask God our Father to guide us, in the times and by the means that the Holy Spirit will choose, to full unity in the mystical Body of Christ.

A source from the Orthodox Church told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, The document and Pope Francis' remarks do not affirm the signing of an agreement requiring that the sacrament of Baptism not be duplicated. Rather, they both spoke of a common declaration spiritually committing both parties to seek to achieve that in the hope of the reunification of the churches in the future.

Nevertheless, Mina Asaad Kamel, a professor of Christian apologetics at the Alexandria School of Theology, told Al-Monitor, Seeking to not repeat baptism in preparation for baptismal unity should not happen at present. This is because acknowledging the Catholic sacrament of baptism as valid is accepting the Catholic doctrine, while many doctrinal differences need to be resolved beforehand through a dialogue between the two churches, before examining the issue related to the sacrament of baptism.

In an April 30 Facebook post, Kamel asserted that the signed document in its entirety, not just a part of it, should be publicly disclosed so Orthodox followers could be informed. He also started an Arabic hashtag that translates to #We_want_the_original_document.

The Muslim Brotherhood's Arabi21 website, which opposes President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, al-Azhar and the Orthodox Church, published a May 1 article by the journalist Salim Azzouz, who wrote, My guess is that the signing of the declaration does not imply sharing the same faith. Rather, it is a political move made by Pope Tawadros II as a part of Sisis campaign to woo Pope Francis. Tawadros II does not have a problem abandoning his churchs beliefs in order to please the ruler, because Sisi needs the Vatican's pope.

Kamal Zakher, the coordinator of the Secular Coptic Current, an activist group, told Al-Monitor, The political and religious goals behind Pope Francis' visit should not be confused. I do not think that the state pressured the Orthodox Church to sign a document on baptism. This is because Pope Francis came to Egypt at the invitation of al-Azhar and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, not the Orthodox Church or Pope Tawadros II, and Pope Francis builds upon [this] when signing any documents. The visits political objective is to declare that all religious leaders have rallied behind Egypt in countering terrorism. This is the case in particular because the war on terrorism has sought to stem the support of Christians in Egypt and all over the world for the state, after churches and Christians were recently heavily targeted by terrorist attacks.

Zakher also stated, The churches agreeing to try to avoid repeat baptisms is not a complete or finalized achievement that will bring the political regime closer to Pope Francis or pressure the Egyptian church. This is because seeking to do something does not necessarily mean that the efforts are going to bear fruit anytime soon. Such endeavors need years, and negative reactions to the churches declaration are something normal, especially because all churches have taught their followers for centuries that they are right and all other denominations are wrong.

The situation is unlikely to have been one of the regime pressuring the Orthodox Church to sign a mere common declaration. A final agreement, however, would have been a different matter, as it, with an assist from Egypt, would have enshrined Francis as the cleric who ended the centuries-long dispute. Regardless, in light of Egyptian Orthodox Christians' opposition, endeavors to reach baptismal unity will not bear fruit anytime soon.
Mildred E. Williams, 89, of Chippewa Falls, town of Lafayette, died peacefully Wednesday, May 10, 2017, at Wissota Health and Regional Vent Center, listening to her favorite polka music on WCFW with her children holding her hands until releasing her into the Lords hands.

She was born to Edward and Daisy (Herrick) Frase Aug. 20, 1927, in Eau Claire.

On Aug. 11, 1950, she married Robert Williams at St. Johns Lutheran Church in Eau Claire.

Millie grew up on the farm and went to Lowes Creek School then graduated from Eau Claire High School. She then went to Menomonie, graduated from Stout Institute in 1948 and became a Home Economics teacher. Millie first taught in Cornell, then Chippewa Falls Junior High, and finally in Cadott High School.

Millie was an active, long time member of the English Lutheran Church of Bateman where she was the superintendent of sunday school for many years and member of the church council. Millie was also a member of the Quilters and was actively involved making school kits for kids in Malawi. Millie and Bob enjoyed traveling the U.S., which included a trip to Alaska and Bobs annual Navy reunions. They also loved trips to the cabin with their grandkids and occasional trips to the casino. When Millie wasnt volunteering her time at English Lutheran, with her grandkids, or traveling with Bob, you could find her at home doing a variety of crafts including sewing, knitting, baking or cooking for her family.

Millie is survived by her daughter, Barb Williams; son, Gerald Williams, both of Chippewa Falls; brother, Donald Frase of Eau Claire; sister-in-law, Delores Frase of Eau Claire; brother-in-law, Bill (Carol) Williams of Somerset; grandchildren, Nathan Hanson of Duluth and Joylyn Hanson of Eau Claire; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Robert; brother, Homer Frase; sister-in-law, Lorraine Williams; and brother-in-law, Donald Williams.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, May 15, at English Lutheran Church of Bateman with the Rev. Barry Boyer officiating. Interment will be held at a later date at Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Spooner next to Bob. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service Monday at the church.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to English Lutheran Church of Bateman, Luther Park or a charity of your choice.

The family would like to thank the nurses and staff at Wissota Health and St. Josephs Hospice for all their loving care given to Millie.

Pederson-Volker Funeral Chapel & Cremation Services, Chippewa Falls is serving the family.

Visit pedersonvolker.com to express online condolences.
May 12, 2017

Preparations are underway in Saudi Arabia to welcome US President Donald Trump, who is seeking to mobilize the Islamic world against terrorism, while Saudi officials are hoping to gain some political advantages, especially as they exchange threats with Iran.

The US-Islamic-Arab Summit is scheduled to be held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on May 21 in the presence of Trump. Meanwhile, on May 7, Saudi Crown Prince and Interior Minister Mohammed bin Nayef welcomed in his Jeddah office US Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly and Thomas Bossert, Trump's counterterrorism adviser, to discuss issues of mutual interest in security and fighting terrorism, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Observers believe the timing of the US security convoy's visit to Saudi Arabia indicates the White Houses firm trust in Nayef and should remind Riyadh that Washington still needs Nayef's efforts to fight terrorism.

The kingdom announced May 1 that the Saudi Ideological Warfare Center, affiliated with the Saudi Ministry of Defense and headed by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, will launch initiatives to fight terrorism. On April 23, King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud had issued a directive to establish a National Security Center linked to the Saudi Royal Court.

On May 4, Trump announced that his first foreign visit will be to Saudi Arabia, then Israel and the Vatican. He said, Saudi Arabia is the custodian of the two holiest sites in Islam, adding, It is there we will begin to construct a new foundation of cooperation and support with our Muslim allies to combat extremism, terrorism and violence.

Trump chose to visit the countries cradling the main religions in the world, starting with Saudi Arabia for Islam, Israel for Judaism and the Vatican for Christianity. It seems Trump wants to mobilize the world religiously to fight religious radicalism and terrorism. He is looking to invest in his presence in Saudi Arabia alongside Muslim leaders to enhance his image in front of Muslims who resented him for signing the Muslim ban Jan. 27.

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir praised Trumps upcoming visit to the kingdom during a May 4 press conference at the Saudi Embassy in Washington. Jubeir described the visit as historic on all levels. He talked about his May 3 visit to Congress and his meetings with several senators and congressmen in which they tackled ways to strengthen the US-Saudi partnership in the economic sector, counterterrorism and in fighting the Iranian threat, as well as ways to find a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In a preemptive step to please Trump ahead of his scheduled visit, Saudi Housing Minister Majed al-Hogail visited Washington to meet May 1 with his US counterpart, Ben Carson, and to propose potential investment projects worth $100 billion to US companies in the fields of housing, infrastructure and real estate funding.

The Saudi Royal Court, which has been preparing its state institutions since mid-April for Trumps visit, seems to have ignored the US presidents previous comments about human rights and womens rights, in particular, in the kingdom, and its slackening in reimbursing the United States for defense costs. Saudi Arabia prefers denial in exchange for increasing its political influence in the Middle East to ward off the Iranian expansion and to receive additional backing for its stance supporting Yemen's government in that country's civil war.

Trump is set to hold three meetings in Riyadh between May 19 and 21 the first with the king, the second with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders and the third with Arab and Muslim leaders. GCC leaders might have to listen to Trump repeat the criticism of Saudi Arabia he aired during a Reuters interview April 27 when he said, Saudi Arabia is not paying its fair share [for defense]. We are losing our shirt.

An informed source in the GCC Secretariat General told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, Despite Trumps friendly discourse toward Saudi Arabia in his recent speech, some Gulf countries believe that he will bring up the defense money issue again, perhaps more diplomatically, in front of the GCC leaders in Saudi Arabia. Since Gulf governments still rely on US protection [and have] for decades now, they cannot but consign to Washingtons demands and pay their dues.

Saudi Arabia has sent out summit invitations to several Arab and Muslim leaders, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Moroccan King Mohammed VI, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou and Iraqi President Fuad Massum. On May 8, an Egyptian diplomatic source told the London-based Arab Weekly, which is close to Abu Dhabi, on condition of anonymity that he did not expect Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to attend the summit. He didn't give an explanation.

Jubeirs statements May 4, in which he thanked Salman for seeing Trumps historic visit to Saudi Arabia through, point to an official Saudi inclination to support Salman, who established the Islamic anti-terror coalition in December 2015 and the Saudi Vision 2030 for economic reform in April 2016.

In a May 2 interview on Saudi state-run Ekhbariya TV, Mohammed said he knows his country is a target for Iran. If a battle is imminent, Mohammed said, he will make sure it takes place on Iranian soil and not in Saudi Arabia. Trumps upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia might bear fruit in favor of Mohammed's political aspirations  to gain absolute control in the kingdom and spearhead the Arab and Muslim world leaderships.
The death of an unborn baby following the mother's shooting in March has been ruled a homicide, and charges against the father have now been upgraded.

Birmingham police on Saturday said 29-year-old Earl Thomas is charged with murder in the March 21 assault at Tom Brown Village on 41st Street North. Thomas already is in jail for an attempted murder charge in the shooting of his wife.

The shooting happened before 3 a.m. that Tuesday. The victim called 911 and was able to tell police who shot her. South Precinct officers responded to the scene and found the victim lying on the floor inside the apartment with gunshot wound to the abdomen.

She was taken to UAB Hospital with life-threatening injuries and immediately underwent surgery. Three children were at home with her when the shooting happened. Police initially contacted DHR to come get the children, but officers were able to get in touch with their grandmother.

The mother lost the couple's unborn baby at 9 p.m. on the following day. Thomas went on the run, but was later arrested in Selma by Birmingham's Crime Reduction Team and brought back to the Jefferson County Jail. He has remained behind bars since then.

The Jefferson County District Attorney's Office on Friday ruled the unborn baby's death a homicide. Bond for the new charge is at $200,000.

Birmingham police Sgt. Bryan Shelton said the motive in the shooting was domestic in nature, Previous domestic incident reports were filed by the victim against Thomas, but no violence had been reported in those incidents.

The death of the unborn baby is the 39th homicide in Birmingham this year. Of those, at least two have been ruled justifiable and therefore aren't deemed criminal. In all of Jefferson County, there have been 56 homicides in 2017, including the 39 in Birmingham.

"Our detectives took this case personal,'' Shelton said Saturday. "They had strong motivation and determination to make sure the suspect was caught, no matter where he went."
Trump Interview

In this image provided by NBC News, President Donald Trump is interviewed by NBC's Lester Holt, Thursday, May 11, 2017.

(Joe Gabriel/NBC News via AP)

WASHINGTON -- A growing number of legal experts say President Donald Trump has opened himself up to a charge of obstruction of justice this week when he said "this Russia thing with Trump" was on his mind when he fired FBI Director James B. Comey.

The federal law against obstruction of justice, a felony, is written broadly and applies to pending investigations. It can cover anyone who "corruptly ... endeavors to influence, obstruct or impede the due and proper administration of the law under which any pending proceeding is being had before any department or agency of the United States." In another section, the word "corruptly" is defined as "acting with an improper purpose."

Trump's repeated references to the Russia investigation in interviews, tweets and the letter firing Comey could be interpreted as an effort to "obstruct or impede" the investigation, the legal experts said.

The threat is not a completely theoretical one: President Richard Nixon, who was forced to resign under threat of impeachment, and President Bill Clinton, who was impeached, were both accused of obstruction of justice.

Trump, however, would have several defenses. One of the most powerful, although not flattering, lines of defense would be that he did not act "with an improper purpose," but, instead, acted simply because he was impulsively angry.

At first, the president's aides had insisted the FBI chief was dismissed based on the recommendation of top Justice Department officials and because of his botched handling of the 2016 email investigation involving Hillary Clinton.

But Trump in a TV interview on Thursday said he made the decision to fire Comey before consulting the Justice Department, because the FBI chief was a "showboat" and was mishandling the department.

He acknowledged that the Russia investigation was one of the things he considered. "In fact, when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, 'You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story. It's an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won."

Then on Friday, Trump responded to reports by Comey supporters that during a private dinner months ago, the president demanded Comey pledge his loyalty to him, and Comey refused. The White House denied such a pledge was sought.

In a tweet Friday that many viewed as a veiled threat, Trump wrote, "James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!"

James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017

The president has also revealed that he had three conversations with Comey, including one in which he directly asked whether he was under investigation. Trump says Comey three times assured him that he was not.

Comey told a House committee in March that his investigators were looking into possible illegal "coordination" between the Trump campaign and Russians.

Legal experts said the president's statements look to be damaging.

"If one of the reasons the president fired Mr. Comey was to subvert or influence FBI investigations of Trump campaign associates, it is hard to resist the conclusion that this was obstruction of justice," said Ryan Goodman, a New York University law professor and the editor of the Just Security blog.

"No defense lawyer would have wanted their client to utter the incriminating words the president said on NBC to Lester Holt."

Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe agreed. "I think President Trump inadvertently laid a solid basis for an obstruction of justice count in a bill of impeachment with his fateful Lester Holt interview. Trump seems to be his own worst enemy."

Former White House Counsel Bob Bauer, who served under President Barack Obama, said Trump may have "blundered" into legal trouble because he does not understand or accept that the president should not involve himself in a criminal investigation.

Nonetheless, his public comments "may have set into motion legal complications, or worse, for himself and his administration," Bauer wrote on the Lawfare blog.

"It does seem clear that the president has opened himself up to a line of inquiry into whether this call, in conjunction with other actions, represents attempted obstruction of justice....The president has admitted that he called the director of the FBI to determine whether he was being investigated in what has been officially declared to be an active, ongoing criminal investigation," Bauer wrote. And when the investigation appeared to be expanding, Trump fired Comey, he noted.

But in a criminal case, prosecutors must prove the defendant acted out of a corrupt or improper purpose.

"It's not an easy charge to prove because the key is motivation," said Jennifer Daskal, a law professor at American University.

In part of his NBC interview, Trump said he did not seek to halt the FBI's Russian inquiry, but rather sought to make sure it was done well.

"As far as I'm concerned, I want that thing to be absolutely done properly," the president said. "Maybe I'll expand that, you know, lengthen the time." Regarding the investigation, he added, "I want that to be so strong and so good. And I want it to happen." Those comments give the president and his lawyers evidence to rebut any claim that he sought to obstruct the FBI inquiry.

But Daskal also said Trump's comments could still cause him trouble. "He keeps undercutting his own arguments. And his words and actions increasingly point in the direction that he acted to tamp down the investigation," she said.

In 1974, Nixon faced an impeachment charge of seeking to obstruct the FBI's investigation of the Watergate scandal involving his campaign's effort to "bug" the offices of the Democratic National Committee. And in 1998, Clinton was impeached by the Republican-controlled House for perjury and obstruction of justice for his efforts to conceal his sexual affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

However, unlike Nixon and Clinton, who sought to hide their efforts, Trump has been unusually open and public about his criticisms of the FBI investigation. He tweeted that the "Russian-Trump collusion story is a total hoax, when will this taxpayer funded charade end?"

-- David G. Savage, Tribune Washington Bureau
Law enforcement are searching for an Alabama Department of Corrections inmate who escaped from a Decatur work release.

Prison staff discovered at around 9 p.m. on Friday that David Earl Cambron, 38, hadn't returned to the Decatur Work Release Center, according to ADOC.

Cambron is described as being white, having blonde or strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. He is 6-foot 2 inches tall and weighs about 311 pounds.

He was last seen wearing white clothing.

Cambron was serving a 20 year sentence for a manufacturing a controlled substance conviction out of Madison County.

Anyone with information on Cambron's whereabouts is asked to call police of ADOC at 800-831-8825.
mo brooks

U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks says "Washington swamp critters" are attempting to keep other Republicans from challenging U.S. Sen. Luther Strange in the special election later this year. (Bob Gathany/bgathany@al.com)

Is Washington telling Alabama who it will elect in the U.S. Senate special election later this year?

That was the reaction Friday to a records request sent to Gov. Kay Ivey by the Senate Leadership Fund super PAC that's supporting Sen. Luther Strange.

"I have never seen the Washington establishment act in such an abrasive and strong-arm fashion before," U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks said Friday, repeatedly referring to that establishment as "swamp critters."

"If I get in the race, I'm going to make it very clear: I'm running against Washington," said Del Marsh, president of the state Senate. "That's exactly what's happening. And it may work for them. I think the people of Alabama are smarter than that. We'll see."

Neither Brooks nor Marsh have declared their candidacies to challenge Strange in the Aug. 15 Republican primary but they clearly are on Washington's radar as candidates. Brooks told AL.com on Friday that he will announce his plans for the race on Monday. Qualifying for the race ends Wednesday.

Former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore has announced he will run against Strange and he took exception to the super PAC's tactics as well.

"It's nothing more than smoke and mirrors from the Washington elite in an attempt to brainwash Alabama voters," Rich Hobson, Moore's campaign manager, said in an email to AL.com.

The super PAC is seeking records of phone calls, emails, text messages and any other communication between Ivey and Brooks, Marsh and Moore --dating back to Nov. 9, 2016. Ivey ascended to the governor's chair after Robert Bentley resigned from office April 10.

Strange's appointment by Bentley in February filled the spot left by Jeff Sessions, who resigned to become U.S. attorney general.

The "fishing expedition," as Moore's surrogate Hobson described it, appears to seek if any of the three influenced Ivey's decision to move the election up almost a year earlier than it was originally set by Bentley.

"That appears to be what they are getting at," Brooks said.

Brooks and Marsh denied any effort to influence Ivey while Hobson's said Moore had had no communication with the governor at all.

The efforts by the super PAC, first reported by Roll Call, come on the heels of the National Republican Senate Committee announcing last month their support for Strange's re-election because he is a Republican incumbent.

"He was picked by Gov. Bentley - one person picked this guy," Marsh said. "He's been in office, what, a couple of months? And y'all are looking at this as an incumbent?"

Marsh traveled to Washington last month to meet with members of the NSRC and protest their plans to back Strange.

"I told them that the people of Alabama do not like others telling them what to do," Marsh said Friday. "But they made it very clear to me they are going to treat him as an incumbent and send a message and they were going to spend what it took to get him elected.

"I didn't understand it. I didn't consider this guy an incumbent."

As President Trump has vowed to "drain the swamp" in Washington, Brooks repeatedly described those backing Strange and influence the election in Alabama as "swamp critters."

"This is yet another example of the Washington swamp critters trying to intimidate Alabama citizens into not offering themselves as candidates for the United States Senate," Brooks said. "I personally believe that the Washington swamp critters are doing Luther Strange a disservice when they use their strong arm and bullying tactics.

"They must not know much about Alabama. But Alabama does not like Washington swamp critters telling us who can or cannot run for public office and who we can and cannot vote for."

As Hobson said on behalf of Moore, "The 'hey, look over there!' tactics won't work on the good people of Alabama. We pick our own leaders."

Updated today, May 12, 2017, at 9:40 p.m. with Hobson clarifying Moore has had no contact with Ivey.
State superintendent Michael Sentance confirmed on Thursday former Jefferson County superintendent Dr. Phil Hammonds is heading an investigation of how graduation rates that were inaccurate and hadn't been properly vetted with local school districts were posted online.

"We've asked Dr. Hammonds to do a review and lead the investigation into what happened," Sentance said, adding he will present the findings to the state board of education when the investigation is complete. He did not say how long the investigation might take.

The board postponed an update on what is happening with the investigation and when 2016 graduation rates will be released until the May 25 work session.

The inaccurate graduation rates were published on the department's web site on Friday, April 22, and taken down four days later after school district officials questioned their accuracy.

In a statement on April 25, state department officials said the error occurred because the department had categorized too many courses as part of the Essentials pathway, a group of courses originally designed for students in special education.

Students taking Essentials courses cannot be counted as graduates under the federal definition, but too many students had been removed from the official count, likely resulting in lower-than-actual graduation rates for some schools and districts.

In 2016, the federal department of education's Office of Inspector General audited the state department of education to determine how well it oversees the calculation of high school graduation rates by local districts. The audit found Alabama had artificially inflated graduation rates by failing to exclude students who had taken courses ineligible for a regular diploma under federal guidelines.

The OIG will issue a final report, but has not yet done so.

How rates got out in the first place

At the April 13 work session, state department officials were clarifying which students can take which courses to earn a high school diploma when board member Dr. Cynthia McCarty, R-Jacksonville, asked what the official graduation rate was for the class of 2016.

State department staff appeared to be caught off guard, wondering aloud if they could answer McCarty's question. Officials laughed and squirmed, and after prompting from board member Mary Scott Hunter, R-Huntsville, finally said yes, they knew the rate.

Sentance asked one of the staff if the rate had been reviewed and was told yes, the rate had been reviewed. Sentance then said he had not yet seen the rate.

Board members were told the rate was 85 percent. At the time, officials had mixed reactions to the four percentage-point drop. Some were relieved it wasn't lower and others, including Sentance, said the drop was "significant."

The board held a work session on April 26, where they were given a formal explanation about how the error occurred.

At that meeting, some board members pointed the finger at Sentance, saying it was ultimately his responsibility to ensure the rates were accurate.

Sentance took responsibility for the mistake, acknowledging he made assumptions that protocols followed in previous years had been followed again this year.

Sentance said he understood why superintendents were angry about the wrong rates being published, and said he was angry, too.

After the April 26 meeting, Sentance said he wasn't ruling out taking personnel actions if the results of the investigation warranted doing so.

At Thursday's meeting, state officials said they could not estimate when the 2016 graduation rates would be back online.
Jonathan David Victor (BCSO)

A Metairie, La. man died early Saturday morning after being shot by a police officer on Interstate 10 in Baldwin County.

The man was identified as Jonathan David Victor, 35, according to the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office.

The shooting involving a deputy with the Balwin County Sheriff's Office occurred at around 5 p.m. on I-10 near mile marker 59 about 10 miles from the Florida state line.

Victor was flown to USA Medical Center in Mobile following the shooting. He died at around 1 a.m.

Joseph Dejoie was traveling home to Pensacola when he got stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-10.

An apparent traffic crash was causing the backup, he said. He noticed a car in the ditch, a fire truck, an ambulance and several units from the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office.

Dejoie said he was about 100 yards away when he saw a man exit a vehicle with something in his hand.

"I couldn't swear it was a gun," he said, though it appeared to be.

Dejoie, who retired from the Escambia County, Fla. Sheriff's Office, then heard four to five gunshots.

"After that I knew we were stuck (on the interstate)," he said.

Shortly after, Dejoie shot video on his cell phone of the Life Flight helicopter responding to the scene.

The Baldwin County Major Crimes Unit is investigating the shooting. The Baldwin County Sheriff's Office hasn't released the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Sealy at podium cropped.jpg

With leaders of the Mobile Fire Rescue Department looking on, Paul Mark Sealy speaks Friday after the announcement that Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, center, has nominated him to become Mobile's next fire chief. At left is Executive Director of Public Safety James Barber. (Lawrence Specker/LSpecker@AL.com)

Paul Mark Sealy, the district chief of training at the Mobile Fire-Rescue Department, has been nominated by Mayor Sandy Stimpson to become Mobile's next fire chief.

Sealy, who goes by his middle name, was one of five finalists previously announced. If he is approved by the Mobile City Council, his confirmation will end a four-year run in which Mobile has gone without a permanent fire chief.

That situation goes back to 2013, when Stimpson took office. After Steve Dean resigned as chief, Stimpson nominated Deputy Chief Paul "Randy" Smith, only to have the nomination stall over city council concerns. Assistant chief Billy Pappas has served as acting chief ever since.

Earlier this year, Stimpson elevated police chief James Barber to Executive Director of Public Safety and Assistant Chief Lawrence Battiste to head of the Mobile Police Department. Stimpson and Barber immediately indicated that ending the long-term interim situation at the fire department was a top priority.

"In the last couple of weeks, it has become apparent that my administration's goals for strengthening the Mobile Fire-Rescue Department are not being delivered effectively," Stimpson wrote in a letter to fire department in late March.

In that letter, Stimpson wrote that the MFRD had made progress in pay, training and equipment since he took office. But he also indicated that naming a chief would help "address the issues that have plagued the MFRD over the last decade or more. The end result will be a better department, delivering better services, by men and women who are more satisfied with their roles. While tremendous progress has been made, the best is yet to come."

As responded to questions at the ceremony introducing Sealy, Stimpson appeared to pivot somewhat, downplaying suggestions there had been a leadership vacuum.

"We've only gone without having a fire chief that has been approved by the city council," Stimpson said. "We have never been without leadership at the top of Mobile Fire-Rescue, since I was the mayor."

Stimpson said that the administration had held a conference call with council members to inform them of the nominee. "I think there's a feeling among the city council that they would like to put this on the agenda for Tuesday," said the mayor. "We are hoping for a speedy confirmation."

Councilman John Williams said Friday afternoon that he had the sense the council would be prepared to take up the nomination at its meeting on Tuesday. "My hope is that we show the same courtesy that we showed to the chief of police," he said, referring to the council's recent approval of Battiste's nomination. "Both are outstanding men and both deserve the opportunity."

Williams said that he had not been very familiar with Sealy before the nomination, but was highly impressed by the credentials and vision cited in his nomination. "I think the process worked," Williams said.

Sealy, 52, is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corp and has worked for Mobile for more than 25 years. According to information provided by the city, he has a bachelor's degree in fire science and numerous certifications, including the particularly demanding Alabama Smoke Divers certification. He also is enrolled in the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy in Maryland.

Sealy said that while he will need time to assess some areas, such as budget and staffing issues, he has some guiding principles, including a priority on the safety of MFRD employees. "They're the ones that make it happen, they're the ones that respond day and night, 365 day of the year," he said. "We're going to focus our attention on them, on their health and safety."

Sealy indicated that weighing staffing concerns against budget constraints would be "a balancing act."

"We have to look at efficiency from different angles," Sealy said. "We've got to be very good stewards with the money we've been given."

Among those Sealy thanked were God -- "God put me here for a reason. To make us better. I firmly believe that," he said - and his family. Among those in attendance were his wife of 27 years, Christine Sealy; daughter Riley and son Alex.

Stimpson said Sealy was the unanimous pick of the panel charged with evaluating the five finalists. In addition to Barber, that panel included Dan Lumpkin, a management consultant; Jeff Carter, the director of Stimpson's Innovation Team; and Miford Jordan, chief of the Montgomery Fire Department.

Barber said Sealy stood out.

"He's a sharp guy," he said. "When he says he leads by example, he means it."

Note: This story was updated at 4:40 p.m. with comment from John Williams.
WASHINGTON  Mitch McConnell is no Howard Baker.

Baker, the late Republican senator from Tennessee and GOP Senate leader in the 1970s and 1980s, became a profile in courage when he put country above party during the Watergate investigation, famously asking, What did the president know, and when did he know it?

McConnell, who now occupies the high office Baker once held, had a chance Wednesday for his Baker moment. The night before, President Trump had fired FBI Director James Comey, the man overseeing the investigation into Russian interference in the election with potential Trump campaign collusion. Even many Republicans were aghast at the clumsy, Nixonian move that was plainly aimed at shutting down the probe.

Forty-five of 48 Democrats were at their desks Wednesday morning on the Senate floor, which was gravely silent  a measure of the gravity of the moment. Several Republicans were there, too. McConnell rose  and spoke about Honor Flights for veterans. He then furnished more complaints about Obamacare. Then, by way of afterthought, he added a few words on the stunning events of Tuesday night.

What we have now, he argued, is our Democratic colleagues complaining about the removal of an FBI director whom they themselves repeatedly and sharply criticized. McConnell went on to argue that a new investigation could only serve to impede the current work being done to investigate the Russian interference.

Right. So calls for a more vigorous investigation would ... impede the investigation. And people who previously criticized Comey cant complain about the extremely suspicious manner in which he was fired. By that logic, those who criticized Abraham Lincolns military strategy were hypocritical to condemn John Wilkes Booth for shooting him.

McConnells small-mindedness would be funny if the situation werent so grave. This is a serious threat, not to Republicans but to America. A leading adversary successfully intervened in a presidential election  possibly with the collusion of the victor. And the man leading the investigation, who just last week asked for more resources for the probe, was instead fired by the man he asked (new deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein), quite likely on the presidents instructions.

There have been reports that grand-jury subpoenas were ready to fly, and public testimony raised new suspicions of collusion. We also know that Trump refused to take action when told his national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was compromised with the Russians  until the matter blew up publicly. We also know that the firing (and now replacement) of the FBI director is under the auspices of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who is supposed to be recused from the Russia probe because of his own Russia contacts.

And look at the man McConnell is protecting. Russophile Trump surrounded himself on the campaign with men tied to Russia: Paul Manafort, Carter Page, Roger Stone, Flynn. And on Wednesday morning, the day after firing Comey, Trump gave a new display of his Russia-friendly ways. He sat down in the Oval Office with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and banned the U.S. media from the session; the only media present, apparently, was Tass, the Russian state-owned news agency, which published photos of the meeting.

During Watergate, there were many Republicans who bravely stood up to Nixon. Rep. Lawrence Hogan of Maryland, father of the current governor; Rep. M. Caldwell Butler of Virginia; Attorney General Elliot Richardson; Sens. Hugh Scott (Pa.) and Barry Goldwater (Ariz.) and others earned places of honor in history for that.

There are some who have the potential to play that role now. Sen. Richard Burr (N.C.), chairman of the Intelligence Committee, said the timing and reasoning of the firing dont make sense, and he invited Comey to testify. Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) has called for a select committee to investigate and Rep. Justin Amash (Mich.) for an independent commission. Sens. Jeff Flake (Ariz.), Marco Rubio (Fla.), Bob Corker (Tenn.) and James Lankford (Okla.), and a couple of others, have raised questions.

Will they, like their predecessors 40-odd years ago, be able to recognize that Trumps action Tuesday night and McConnells mindless defense of it are more a danger to country than to party?

As Democrats thundered about the need for a special prosecutor, Republicans quietly expressed unease and White House officials fabricated facts to justify Trumps actions, the president took to Twitter. When things calm down, he wrote, everybody will be thanking me.

Sergei Lavrov and the Russians may thank Trump. But in America things wont calm down  they cant calm down  unless a few brave Republicans find the courage to set this right.
I dont differentiate between medicine and politics. Theyre connected, said Ruchama Marton, founder of Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHR-I). More than connected: Theyre inseparable.

At the time of this 2013 interview, she was speaking about the endemic medical negligence that Palestinian political prisoners face in Israeli jails.

That fact has not changed, and is one of the key reasons why more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners launched one of the largest collective hunger strikes in recent years on April 17.

The doctors who work within the Israel Prison Service (IPS) are at the heart of the problem. Most have minimal medical qualifications, Marton noted  but more importantly, they are employed by and answerable to the IPS rather than the Ministry of Health.

READ MORE: How Israel denies rights to Palestinian prisoners

Critics argue that this creates professional and ethical conflicts of interest. Sahar Francis, director of the Addameer prisoners rights group, noted: In this hierarchy, the doctors are under the head of the prison authority, so their reliability is not for medical ethics but for the prison system.

The Israel Medical Association and human rights organisations including PHR-I have been campaigning for the state to transfer responsibility for prisoners health to the health or justice ministries, but experts say it seems unlikely that Israel  which has not formally responded to the request  will comply.

The prison authorities, having their doctors under control; its a power position. They dont want to lose it, Marton said.

Palestinian prisoners may have existing medical conditions at the time of arrest or they may develop conditions and diseases during their imprisonment, often owing to poor conditions, according to Addameer. Rights groups also cite significant obstacles to prisoners receiving the medical care they require in jail.

While each prison has a medical clinic, delays are endemic and the general outcome is a prescription for basic painkillers, observers say. Access to a specialist is particularly difficult and rife with delays, leading to potentially serious complications.

The most difficult moments are when you feel that you are suffocating, to pass into unconsciousness and reawaken to feel like you're in another world. You lose consciousness and regain it, and you fear that next time that won't happen. by Mohammed al-Taj, former prisoner

For a prisoner to get a good medical examination and diagnosis is very hard, Marton said. And then to get the right treatment after getting the right diagnosis is even harder. Prisoners can complain for a very long period of time before a doctor will see them; then, its not guaranteed that the doctor will really examine and give them the right diagnosis.

Language barriers and the power relationship between prison doctor and prisoner means that there is no trust, an essential element from a patients point of view.

In addition, access to patients inside prisons by independent Israeli and Palestinian doctors is fraught with difficulties. Rasha Abbas, a legal researcher at Addameer, noted that her organisation has been unable to get permission from the IPS to visit hunger-striking prisoners whose health is deteriorating.

Marton said that PHR-I doctors face a protracted, arbitrary, costly and bureaucratic process that makes it extremely difficult to get permits to prisons to independently assess the health of Palestinian patients.

The case of Mohammed al-Taj, a former political prisoner granted early release in 2013, illustrates the Kafkaesque system. He was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis and required a double lung transplant. His ability to speak was laboured and he required oxygen every few minutes.

Taj said that in 2004, he began experiencing breathing difficulties after he and other prisoners were beaten and exposed to nerve gas in prison. He said that he kept trying to be seen by the prison doctors for years as his health deteriorated, but received no examination or appropriate treatment for it.

In 2010, he was finally taken for a CT scan, only to be told that the test results were lost. In 2012, he embarked on a hunger strike to fight for his medical rights. He was eventually given an early release after serving 10 years of a 15-year sentence, and believed at the time that he was released early because his chances of surviving were slim and because Israel didnt want to pay for the lung transplants.

Nearly three years later, after receiving several rounds of treatment in Austria, the funding for his care from the Palestinian Authority ran out and his condition swiftly deteriorated; he could speak only with his oxygen mask on, and as he spoke, he struggled to breathe and to remain focused. He was fully dependent on his elderly mother and his wife to help him with everyday tasks, and he lost consciousness frequently.

The most difficult moments are when you feel that you are suffocating, to pass into unconsciousness and reawaken to feel like youre in another world, Taj said. You lose consciousness and regain it, and you fear that next time that wont happen.

Taj is relatively fortunate  he managed to survive long enough to undergo a heart and lung transplant operation in India in 2015. Each year, however, there are typically several cases of prisoners and former prisoners whose deaths are attributed to medical negligence. Last week, Mazen Muhammad al-Mughrabi, 45, died of kidney failure after complications that went untreated while he was in prison, according to the Palestinian Committee of Prisoner Affairs.





For patients with mental health conditions  both those present at the time of arrest and those that develop as a result of treatment in prison, including torture and solitary confinement  the situation is even bleaker. Instead of getting proper treatment in a psychiatric hospital, they are often held in solitary confinement, exacerbating their condition.

In a 2016 report, PHR-I noted that holding prisoners in solitary confinement due to their mental health state is illegal. The group also cited a report prepared by the Israeli State Comptroller that severely criticized the conduct of the IPSs mental health system and the huge discrepancy between prisoners mental-health needs and the deficient, low-quality services provided in reality.

Meanwhile, as the the health of the prisoners currently on hunger strike deteriorates, the medical ethics issues facing Israeli doctors within the IPS  including issues around torture, medical negligence and force-feeding of hunger strikers  are being highlighted once again.

William Parry previously worked as a communications and advocacy officer for Medical Aid for Palestinians, a UK-based NGO.
Paris, France  In March, police killed Shaoyo Liu, a 56-year-old Chinese immigrant, at his home in the 19th arrondissement in Paris during a raid.

The officer who fired the fatal shot said he was acting in self-defence, claiming that the father-of-five wounded a policeman with a bladed weapon  an account his teenage daughter, who witnessed the killing, denies.

The family lawyer, Calvin Job, said Liu was preparing his childrens dinner and was cutting fish with scissors. An investigation is ongoing.

Ten to 15 people die every year from police brutality. They [police] are never punished, says Rokhaya Diallo, an author, film director, journalist and activist, as she sips on a hot chocolate in a cafe one kilometre from where Liu was murdered.

I think here, there is denial. If you read the newspapers here, you have very good coverage of police brutality in the US. You know the victims names. But of events here, you wont read anything. Even when these national stories are covered, the victims race is not mentioned.

Diallo spends her days fighting for racial equality and dissecting the sensitivities of French society and politics, from racism and secularism to the decline of the left.

Al Jazeera spoke to Diallo following the recent presidential election, which was won by Emmanuel Macron, a 39-year-old centrist who beat his far-right rival Marine Le Pen with more than 65 percent of the vote.

Al Jazeera: Shortly after the election result, you tweeted that there was no cause for celebration. What did you mean by that?

Diallo: Marine Le Pen got 10.6 million voters. In 2002, her father Jean-Marie Le Pen  who also reached the second round  got 5.5 million. She was able to make the Front National (NF) mainstream and settle it into the French political landscape.

Yes, shes lost  we have avoided the worst option. But Im afraid of the way her ideas will spread further across other parties. Political parties have been adopting far-right ideas to appease such voters for decades.

Many have tried to send signals to Le Pens supporters by, for example, supporting certain policies that were Islamophobic, or those that favour of [excessive] law and order such as the state of emergency. Thats something the NF would have backed if it was in power.

The state of emergency was meant to last 12 days. Its been one and a half years. For a democratic country, its very concerning. We are being ushered to a police state. None of the candidates said what they would do with that. Macron said it was not the best solution, he hasnt said whether he will stop it.

READ MORE: French police abuse Muslims under emergency laws

The state of emergency gives police exceptional powers: home arrests, more searches, they can seize data from computers  all without authorisation from judges.

Thousands of people, mostly Muslims, have been searched, and there has not been any results. Experts of terrorism say this is not an effective way to stop terrorism. Its just a signal to reassure people that [the state] is acting, but it has no effect.

Al Jazeera: Some people would say the state of emergency is a small sacrifice to pay for security 

Diallo: We should not give up our basic human rights. Many people have accepted the fact they are not treated as citizens, especially Muslim and black people. A lot of young people are used to being stopped and frisked, they dont even consider whether it is legal or not. They should not be searched in this way. Most have not done anything wrong.

It only affects one part of the population. The other does not see it.

However, the state of emergency was used during COP21 in November 2015 to arrest ecologist activists. Also, last year, there were protests against a labour law. Many people and activists were denied the right to protest. The state of emergency has obviously been extended and used for other purposes.

Al Jazeera: How did you personally feel the moment Macron was announced as the next French president?

Diallo: I was relieved it was not Le Pen but not satisfied because Macron supports a neoliberal agenda. He will probably damage the French social model. Le Pen supporters who are in fragile situations and facing economic challenges could become poorer under Macron, and have more reason to support her.

We need to reframe the way we think of us as French people. It's not a white Christian country any more ... the narrative should be changed. by

He doesnt have a strong agenda on ecology. I have not heard him say anything [useful] on that topic. He has not addressed anything related to discrimination. These issues are interconnected. Minorities are over-represented in the sections of society that face poverty. The effects of climate change can be linked to migration.

Macron is trying to dismantle social laws, the labour laws. He will face many protests on the streets.

Le Pen supporters will not change. They think that we need a change. They say: The only party that has not been tried is the NF.

Al Jazeera: In her campaign, Le Pen denounced immigration as a menace and rallied against the European Union. She won more than 30 percent of the vote. What does this mean for France, and what is Macrons greatest challenge?

Diallo: To pull people together, there is a deep divide here. To make people in the same country feel as though they share the same destiny. People should not feel like there is one part of the population threatening the other.

We need to reframe the way we think of us as French people. Its not a white Christian country any more and this is something that really needs to be thought about. The narrative should be changed.

Al Jazeera: Although it is illegal for the French state to collect data on ethnicity and race, there are various estimates regarding demographics. Of 67 million people, more than five million are Muslim, some five million are black, and around 500,000 are Jewish. Why is racism still a problem given this diversity?

Diallo: It comes from the countrys history. France was a slave-trading colonial power. Many French people here now are the kids of those from French departments of overseas territories, such as the Caribbean, people whose ancestors were slaves. But they really inherited the status of their ancestors. Today, we still have colonial policies.

France has a deep problem of institutional racism that has its roots in history. We need to face it and address it really clearly. by

The state of emergency was created during the war in Algeria in 1955 to prevent activists fighting for Algerian independence gathering on French soil. It [was] used in New Caledonia, a French territory, and during the uprising in 2005 that took place in the suburbs. (In 2005, protests erupted after the deaths of Arab and black teenagers  Zyed Benna, 17, and Bouna Traore, 15  who were electrocuted after running away from police.) Most of the people uprising then were of colonial descent.

France has a deep problem of institutional racism that has its roots in history. We need to face it and address it really clearly.

Al Jazeera: You have explored the entrenched economic links between France and Africa. How was the continent involved in the election?

Diallo: During the 1980s, several dictators in Africa were supporting candidates with cash money. They were coming here with full suitcases of money.

Still today, Africa is really part of financing the campaigns.

INTERACTIVE: Frances footprint in the world

There are still French interests in Africa. French commodities companies such as Areva and Total are still all there. The French army is still in countries in Africa, even if those countries are supposed to be independent.

The currency in former French colonies is named the CFA Franc  its aligned with the euro. They dont have their own money.

Al Jazeera: In February when Macron visited Algeria, he condemned Frances colonial past, calling it a crime against humanity, a comment that upset the far-right. Was Macrons speech a positive development?

Diallo: It was a good thing to say colonisation was a crime against humanity. It was really symbolic and interesting to see a French politician recognising the fact that in Frances history, it really denied human rights while invading Algeria.

Al Jazeera: From immigrants who became citizens decades ago, to citizens born in France whose parents or grandparents have roots in other countries, being universally recognised as French seems to be a challenge. Why is this?

Diallo: The country sees itself as a white country. Everything that is produced as French, in films and television, is white.

I take part in many TV debates and I am always the only minority, mostly the only woman. There is never another minority to take a seat at the table to discuss French issues. There is no political will, or will in the media, to change the image.

Al Jazeera: Many complaints over racism stem from police brutality, of which non-white citizens are often victims. What is the solution to this?

Diallo: Theres a simple solution. There are many identity checks here. Police can just stop someone in the streets and check his  its mostly his  ID, without any reason. When you are black or Arab and young, you are 20 times more likely to be stopped. Its not just in the suburbs.

If you go to Gare du Nord in Paris, for example, you have many young black and Arab men arrested for no reason. If you take the train to go to London or Brussels, you have people who are stopped for no reason. Its during these interactions when violence breaks out.

When you are black or Arab and young, you are 20 times more likely to be stopped and searched by police. by

During the 2012 campaign, I was part of the Stop le Controle au Facies (Stop appearance-based stop and searches) collective.

We demanded a very simple measure. Police would have to give a document to those they stopped, providing their reasons for the search and the time of the interrogation. People who felt harassed would have proof and police would be accountable.

Data could have been produced from this initiative  such as in which areas are police more likely to carry out stop and searches, and which reasons are most often cited.

In the suburbs, some police stop the same person every day, they see them growing up. Its to reconfirm who the boss is.

Al Jazeera: What was the response of government representatives to that initiative?

Diallo: The president in power at that time, Francois Hollande, was in favour of it. Jean-Marc Ayrault, the prime minister, Christiane Taubira, the minister of justice, and Benoit Hamon also supported the measure.

But Manuel Valls, then minister of the interior, was very close to the police. He stopped the measure and nothing happened. He has an Islamophobic vision of secularism. He didnt want to do anything to stop racial profiling. This measure was very simple and costless.

Al Jazeera: What comparisons can you make between police-led racism in the US and France?

Diallo: I think here, there is denial. If you read the newspapers here, you have very good coverage of police brutality in the US. You know the victims names. But of events here, you wont read anything. Even when these national stories are covered, the victims race is not mentioned.

You can guess if they are black or Arab because of their names, such as Adama Traore (who died in police custody in July 2016). In the case of Theo (who was beaten raped by an officer with a baton in February), his photograph was published. But you never see in writing: A white police officer has killed a black man.

Al Jazeera: Why not?

Diallo: Because were colour-blind. Were supposed to all be French. Its taboo to mention peoples races  but thanks to social media, activists are able to publicise the victims names.

Al Jazeera: Are minorities under-represented in the media?

Diallo: Yes, they are. The press is so white in all the big newspapers.

There is a part of the population that does not feel French because they are mistreated and not respected. by

But La Liberation has made an effort to hire new journalists from diverse backgrounds, and there are new voices emerging thanks to social media. And the Bondy Blog, for instance, is very good. (Bondy Blog is an online news website with voices from the suburbs).

Al Jazeera: If Macron was sitting in front of you, what would you advise him to do about police brutality?

Diallo: I would say he has to address institutional racism and tell him that the state is a part of the problem. He really needs to meet people involved in the issue and adopt policies that would stop it.

There is part of the population that does not feel French because they are mistreated and not respected.

We have families that have lost relatives, brothers, kids, because of police brutality. Its very urgent to address this. Its one of the reason people in the suburbs do not vote.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Peoples of the Middle East are trying to find their place in a new system of relative balance and multiple centres.

There is much debate among scholars about the rearrangements of populations and the shifts in identity and power taking place in many areas of the Middle East.

In an interview with Adam Shatz, Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, argued, for instance, that the Middle East is witnessing the return of the 12th century, when Shia lords, supported by Persia, dominated much of northern Syria and the rest of the region.

The Mamluks and then the Ottomans, Landis contended, changed that: They pushed out the Shias, marginalised them  they became very impotent.

Old-new narratives





This narrative has a long historical trail. Gertrude Bell, in a letter to her father on August 23, 1920, referred to Shia clerics in a strongly Shia region of Iraq in the following terms: Its as though you had a number of alien popes permanently settled at Canterbury and issuing edicts which take precedence of the law of the land. The Turks were always at loggerheads with them and the Arab govt of the future will find itself in the same case. These types of approaches, aiming at branding local Shias as alien, have had visible repercussions up to the present day.

This and other related narratives do not only ignore that Shias still represent about 40 percent of the total Muslim population in the Middle East and that the belonging to a certain confession has been for centuries just one, often secondary, way of expressing ones identity, but also overlook the historical context on the dynamics of Shias marginalisation.

The importance of context

Shia communities  characterised by a diversity of belief and purpose  have been viewed at times with suspicion by and faced discrimination from Sunni rulers  especially Mamluks and Ottomans. Yet, their process of marginalisation has had historically much less to do with, say, Mamluks violence and discriminations (in the 12th century), and more to do with practical interests connected with, among other things, the exploitation of the Silk Road during the times of Mani Prince Fakhr-al-Din II (1572-1635), when the growth of commercial ties with the West went hand in hand with dramatic changes in the demographic composition of much of greater Syria.

READ MORE: The Sunni-Shia divide through the eyes of a child

Maronite peasants were then prompted to settle in southern Druze areas to cultivate the land at the disadvantage of the Shia components, who were forcibly dispossessed. In the long term this made Christians a majority population in southern Lebanon and ignited, in Fawwaz Traboulsis words, a complex asymmetry [that] served as the matrix upon which the sectarian system and sectarian mobilisation were built. The new demographic composition had a destabilising effect, particularly from a social and economic perspective, on all communities in Greater Syria.

Despite what the ongoing debates would seem to imply, Sunnis and Shias, but also Christians, Jews and other religious groups or confessions have in fact lived for centuries in the region, reaching a level of coexistence higher than any registered in most of the rest of the world, Europe included. by

In this context it should be noted that Shia lords, as Landis reminded us, were for long supported by Persia. Equally relevant, however, is that Persias population (like the one of neighbouring Azerbaijan) was at that time still largely Sunni (Shafii and Hanafi schools): the massive and forced conversion of Persia  from marginalised Sunnis to newly empowered Shias  took place, at the hands of the Safavids, between the 16th and the 18th centuries.

Beyond sects

Too much emphasis on the narrative of the return of the historically marginalised Shia communities, however, risks overshadowing the living experience of a region in which religious boundaries were, for most of its history, shifting, blurred, and ambiguous.

Despite what the ongoing debates would seem to imply, Sunnis and Shias, but also Christians, Jews and other religious groups or confessions have in fact lived for centuries in the region, reaching a level of coexistence  a concept that does not erase the existence of boundaries but implicitly acknowledges that such boundaries are negotiable  higher than any registered in most of the rest of the world, Europe included.

This should not suggest that communal conflict was historically unknown. As this article also confirms, instances of Sunni-Shia violence have been documented as early as the Middle Ages. Yet, they dont mirror the actual history of most of the regions past (pdf). More importantly, their nature and scope are hardly comparable to more recent times.

OPINION: The myth of the 1,400-year Sunni-Shia war

As noted by Fanar Haddad, in early medieval Baghdad, there were sectarian clashes, but that is extremely different from what you have in the age of the nation state. It is fair to add that great difference can also be found in a much more recent past: as recently as 2003, about 40 percent of Baghdads population  that is, a quarter of the whole of Iraq  was composed of people born from Sunni-Shia mixed marriages; Baghdads Iraqis call them Sushis.

The return of the 13thcentury





More than seeing something like the 12th century coming back, it would be more accurate to argue that the region is currently experiencing what Janet Abu-Lughod predicted in 1989, namely that the era of European/Western hegemony would have been superseded by a return to the relative balance of multiple centers exhibited in the 13th-century world system.

All peoples in the Middle East are struggling to find their place in this new system. Many of them  in the Baghdad belt, in the provinces of Diyala, Latakia, Tartus, Baniyas and many other areas in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere  are also experiencing the increasing need of getting back into history, rediscovering the hybrid identities, with their permeabilities and specificities, that for millennia characterised much of the daily life in the region.

Shedding light on these still uncomplete yet meaningful efforts is a way of supporting their attempts to regain possession of their multifaceted pasts. More importantly, it is a powerful antidote to geopolitical reductionism, so popular in our days.

Lorenzo Kamel is a Marie Curie historian at the University of Freiburgs Institute for Advanced Studies. He is also Senior Fellow at the Istituto Affari Internazionali and Associate at Harvard Universitys Center for Middle Eastern Studies. He published seven books on Mediterranean and Middle Eastern affairs, including Imperial Perceptions of Palestine: British Influence and Power in Late Ottoman Times (1st prize in the academic section of the 2016 Palestine Book Awards).

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Officials said the bus, carrying mostly women and children, fell 15 metres down a cliff near holiday town of Marmaris.

At least 24 people have been killed and 10 wounded when a bus carrying Turkish tourists crashed near the southwestern holiday town of Marmaris, local authorities said on Saturday.

Television footage from the scene in western Mugla province showed a yellow bus lying on its side surrounded by ambulances.

Authorities said the tour bus topped over, fell 15 metres down a cliff and hit a car on a mountain road.

The local deputy governor told state-run Anadolu Agency that the driver is among the dead and most of those killed were women.

Mugla Governor Amir Cicek said the bus most probably suffered a brake failure and officials would look into the details.

Anadolu Agency also said the bus was in a convoy of six, carrying mostly women and children for a Mothers Day event. It was travelling from the western city of Izmir.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a written statement, offered condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
India and Pakistan blame each other for initiating cross-border shelling that killed two people and injured a dozen.

A man and his daughter have been killed and a dozen people injured in the disputed Kashmir region as India and Pakistan exchanged fire over their de facto border, said officials from both countries.

Saturdays incident was the second major ceasefire violation in the area in the last three days. Pakistan and India accuse each other of initiating the cross-border shelling.

An Indian military spokesman said that three of the wounded were relatives of the man who died in Indian-administered Kashmir.





He added that Pakistani mortar rounds hit a house near the Line of Control that separates the two sides in Kashmir.

Both sides stated that their troops responded to unprovoked firing from across de border.

An official with the Pakistani Kashmir Information Department said that eight people, including five women, were injured in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

The Pakistani military also issued a statement saying the Indian Army has been targeting civilians on both sides of the Line of Control in recent past.

It warns that any misadventure by [the] Indian Army across the Line of Control [] shall be responded with full force and could lead to unintended consequences.

On Thursday, two civilians were killed on either side of the disputed border.

Both countries have claimed the Kashmir region in full since partition and independence from Britain in 1947 but administer separate portions of it. The South Asian neighbours have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir.

READ MORE: Manufacturing consent in Indian-administered Kashmir

Tensions have been high in Kashmir since last July, when Indian security forces killed a young Kashmiri rebel leader, prompting months of widespread protests and an ensuing security crackdown in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed at least 80 people.

Relations between India and Pakistan plummeted after a raid in September on an Indian military base in Uri by Kashmiri fighters killed at least 18 soldiers.

That attack prompted India to respond by saying it launched surgical strikes on bases used by armed groups in Pakistani-administered Kashmir. Pakistan denied that Indian forces ever entered Pakistani-administered territory.
The wave of cyberattacks wreaking havoc across the globe is at an unprecedented level, European Unions law enforcement agency Europol said.

The attacks will require a complex international investigation to identify the culprits, the agency, which is working with countries and companies hit by the attacks, said in a statement on Saturday.

Dozens of countries were hit by the ransomware attack on Friday that locked up computers and held users files for ransom at a multitude of hospitals, companies and government agencies.

It was believed to the biggest attack of its kind ever recorded.

READ MORE: Global hacking attack infects 57,000 computers

The malicious software behind the onslaught appeared to exploit a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows that was supposedly identified by the US National Security Agency (NSA) for its own intelligence-gathering purposes and was later leaked to the internet.

Britains National Health Service fell victim, its hospitals forced to close wards and emergency rooms and turn away patients.

Russia appeared to be the hardest hit, according to security experts, with the countrys interior ministry confirming it was struck.

Biggest outbreak in history

All told, several cyber-security firms said they had identified the malicious software responsible for tens of thousands of attacks in 99 countries.

Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at the Helsinki-based cyber-security company F-Secure, called the attack the biggest ransomware outbreak in history.

Security experts said the attack appeared to be caused by a self-replicating piece of software that enters companies and organisations when employees click on email attachments, then spreads quickly internally from computer to computer when employees share documents and other files.

READ MORE: WannaCry  What is ransomware and how to avoid it

Its ransom demands start at $300 and increase after two hours to $400, $500 and then $600, said Kurt Baumgartner, a security researcher at Kaspersky Lab.

Affected users can restore their files from backups, if they have them, or pay the ransom; otherwise they risk losing their data entirely.

Chris Wysopal of the software security firm Veracode said criminal organisations were probably behind the attack, given how quickly the malware spread.

For so many organisations in the same day to be hit, this is unprecedented, he said.

The security holes it exploits were disclosed several weeks ago by TheShadowBrokers, a mysterious group that has published what it says are hacking tools used by the NSA as part of its intelligence-gathering.

Shortly after that disclosure, Microsoft announced that it had already issued software patches for those holes. But many companies and individuals havent installed the fixes yet or are using older versions of Windows that Microsoft no longer supports and didnt fix.

Microsoft stopped supporting Windows XP three years ago, hoping they would move to newer versions of the operating system, Al Jazeeras technology editor, Tarek Bazley, said.

Many did but about 100 million computers  10 percent of those running on Windows  still use XP, making them susceptible to an attack like this.

In addition to Russia, the biggest targets appeared to be Ukraine and India, nations where it is common to find older, unpatched versions of Windows in use, according to security firms.

READ MORE: Major disruption as UK hospitals hit by cyber attack

Hospitals across Britain found themselves without access to their computers or phone systems. Many cancelled all routine procedures and asked patients not to come to the hospital unless it was an emergency. Doctors practices and pharmacies reported similar problems.

This attack is going to be a wake-up call for many businesses that have dragged their feet when it comes to security and updating their systems, Bazley said.

But even if 100,000 computers are affected by this attack, its worth remembering that this is just a tiny fraction  less than 0.0001 percent  of the billion or more computers running Windows in the world today.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said there was no evidence patient data had been compromised and added that the attack had not specifically targeted the National Health Service.

Its an international attack and a number of countries and organisations have been affected, she said.

Ransomware attacks are on the rise around the world. In 2016, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in California said it had paid a $17,000 ransom to regain control of its computers from hackers.
So, as my kids say, I had a bit of dental work done last month. After the work was completed I went home, and that was supposed to be that. Well as things went along, I broke off a crown and went back to the dentist. He fixed it up the old tooth.

I went home, but that wasnt that. As happens the old tooth died, and it appears that I am headed for a bit of root canal and a bit of oral surgery. Anyone who has had a toothache knows what that pain is like. So it was back on the antibiotics. It was suggested that aspirin would be OK. I settled for Vicodin.

Vicodin is a narcotic painkiller. It is an opioid. It has now turned into the axis of evil. It also works on pain like nothing else. When you have made your 50th trip walking around the dining room table at 3:17 in the morning, you are not interested in aspirin, Tylenol, Advil or Aleve. You want any major drug that lets you get some rest and kills the pain.

I recently watched a charming story on the evening news about the abuse of painkillers like Vicodin. To ease such concerns the story, featured a hospital emergency room that brought in soothing music, including a harp player, to ease patients pain. They were also using aroma therapy (with candles) to see if that would take care of pain. The news story also mentioned acupuncture as a therapy of choice.

I dont wish to become cynical or a skeptic, but I have once again found an amazing universal truth. If you have a broken bone, are in the process of passing a kidney stone, throw out your back by over-lifting, you need modern drug therapy. I am not talking aspirin, I am talking narcotics. Once the initial pain is over and the situation is stabilized, you can step down to aspirin or Tylenol or whatever other over-the-counter painkiller you want.

Before you throw a saddle on my back and try to explain the problems of narcotic painkillers, drug abuse and addiction problems in the state of Wisconsin, I get it. Riding in ambulances both as a care-giver and as a patient, I am well aware of drug issues. But I am also aware that we in Wisconsin are hypocrites on many epidemics involving alcohol, guns, mental health and other public health crises.

The current legislation in front of the Legislature, and which the governor will sign, is approached in this way: Almost every single person, somehow, has been impacted ... by a person that they love in their family, a neighbor, a coworker or perhaps even a stranger that they have seen struggle with (opioid) addiction, Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told fellow lawmakers before the vote. (Associated Press, April 27, 2017).

I ask you to substitute the word alcohol, guns and mental health problems for the word opioids; an excellent argument could be made that the Legislature should be involved in many public health crises, not just drugs.

Added to that bill was an amendment that Wisconsin expand the Medicaid program and get more federal money for such resources, but it was defeated; once again, small government with no federal hand out, please. So there are now multiple rules regarding the use, dispensing and tracking of the folks who use narcotic painkillers with no money coming.

If the same rules were applied to gun and alcohol purchases in Wisconsin, perhaps would see a substantial lowering of gun and alcohol deaths in our community. Heck, if the same rule could apply to cigarettes ...

Most people are responsible users of narcotic pain medication. Most people are responsible users of guns. Most people are responsible users of alcohol. People who are responsible adults when it comes to pain management drugs wish to be treated with the same respect that people who use guns and alcohol responsibly.

What happens between my doctor and me is my business, not the state. Yet if the state feels so strongly about opioid abuse, then it should feel the same way about guns and alcohol.
Ten-year-old Reem has severe burns on 70 percent of her body after her home in Ramadi, Iraq, was hit by a grenade.

Erbil, Iraq  Iraqs healthcare system is not able to cope with the large number of victims being wheeled into emergency rooms as the battle against ISIL continues.

Most of the medical care comes from NGOs and volunteers.

The Obaid family home in the city of Ramadi was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade launched by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

The home was engulfed in fire, leaving 10-year-old Reem with severe burns to 70 percent of her body.

With that kind of percentage of burns, most people wouldnt survive, said Helen Zaho, a volunteer nurse at Nawruz Hospital. Its almost a miracle that this girl has, particularly in these circumstances.

IN PICTURES: Fighting the flames of ISIL in Iraq

Reem lost all fingers on one hand and medics fear the other arm may need to be amputated.

Because of the burns, she is also at high risk of infection.

She was the worst affected family member among us, said Reems father, Majeed Mudhar Obaid.

We suffered at Ramadi hospital. The hospital there is almost destroyed. Reems condition became worse so we took her home. Then we moved her to Sulaymaniyah and then to Erbil.

For more than three months, the family has moved Reem from one hospital to the next, her father said.

With all of their belongings lost in the fire, they cannot afford her treatment.

While donations and financial support from the hospital have helped, specialised care is needed.

Shriners Hospitals for Children in Boston has agreed to take Reem in and continue care for her wounds, according to Kristen Welch, a volunteer paediatrician at Nawruz Hospital.

Reconstructive surgeries, physical therapy, nutritional support and psychological support will be involved during recovery.

Now the family must find a way to fly Reem to the United States to receive her treatment.

READ MORE: Battle for Mosul  400,000 Iraqis displaced in two months

First she will need a visa. Then, a transatlantic air ambulance or a specialised section on a commercial plane to make the trip.

Other logistical hurdles include the fact that she does not have a passport and is no longer recognisable from former photos.

Without her hand and with the disfigurement from the burns, she is also unable to give fingerprints.

Follow Osama Bin Javaid on Twitter:@osamabinjavaid
Adens sacked governor al-Zubaidi had formed the council, which was rejected by President Hadi, in southern Yemen.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has backed Yemen President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in rejecting the formation of a transitional political council in southern Yemen, saying that calls for the separation of southern Yemen should be ignored.

Adens former governor Major General Aidarous al-Zubaidi, who was dismissed from his post by Hadi last week, announced the councils formation after thousands of southern Yemenis demonstrated their support following his sacking.

Hadis government considered the formation of the council an act that targets the countrys interests, its future and social fabric.





Following the formation of the separatist council, al-Zubaidi left Aden for Saudi Arabia on Friday at the invitation of Saudi officials, according to Yemeni officials.

This is the first time we have seen a utilisation of these massive rallies to form a body that represents southerners, Bashraheel Hisham Bashraheel, Deputy Editor of Al-Ayyam newspaper in Aden, told Al Jazeera.

Whats significant this time is that this council has representatives from all the southern provinces without exception.

The new council could be seen as an attempt to strengthen decades-old calls for the secession of Yemens southern region.

Yemen was once two countries until 1990 when the north and south united. Since then, southern Yemenis have felt marginalised, particularly by former president Ali Abdallah Saleh, who is now allied with Houthi rebels that control much of the north.

Hadis government, backed by a GCC-led coalition of Arab countries and their western allies, has struggled to control southern Yemen while also fighting off Houthi rebel advances in the north.

READ MORE: Yemen  Love is stronger than war

Yemen is not a member of the GCC, which is made up of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar.

Speaking of the mood in Aden, Bashraheel said, there is great hope that this [transitional] council will represent the will of the southerners in any negotiation in the future.

Until now we dont have a clear idea what the effect of this council will be on the day-to-day affairs of the people, Bashraheel said.

It remains to be seen how this council will interact with the Hadi government, as well as what agenda it will have with regards to pursuing southern Yemenis interests.
Hackers exploit stolen US spy agency tools to launch massive cyber-attack on nearly 100 countries with Russia hit hard.

A global cyber-attack using hacking tools believed to have been created by the US National Security Agency (NSA) has infected tens of thousands of computers in nearly 100 countries.

Cyber-extortionists on Friday tricked victims into opening malicious malware attachments to spam emails that appeared to contain invoices, job offers, security warnings, and other legitimate files.

The ransomware then encrypted data on the computers, demanding payments of $300-$600 to restore access. Security researchers said they observed some victims paying via the digital currency bitcoin, though they did not know what percent had given in to the digital extortionists.

Researchers with security software maker Avast said they had observed 57,000 infections in 99 countries with Russia, Ukraine, and Taiwan the top targets.

READ MORE: Major disruption as UK hospitals hit by cyber attack

The most disruptive attacks were reported in Britain, where hospitals and clinics were forced to turn away patients after losing access to computers.

We are experiencing a major IT disruption and there are delays at all of our hospitals, said the Barts Health group, which manages major London hospitals. Routine appointments had been cancelled and ambulances were being diverted to neighbouring hospitals.

International shipper FedEx Corp said some of its Windows computers were also infected.





James Scott, from the Washington DC-based Institute of Critical Infrastructure Technology, said ransomware emerged as an epidemic in 2016. He said the healthcare sector was particularly vulnerable because of poor digital security knowledge.

The staff have no cyber-hygiene training, they click on phishing links all the time. The sad thing is they werent backing up their data properly either, so thats a big problem. They should be doing that all the time, Scott told Al Jazeera.

Everyones vulnerable right now because youre only as strong as your weakest link within your organisation from a cyber-perspective.

Hackers appear to have begun the campaign by targeting organisations in Europe, said Vikram Thakur, research manager with security software maker Symantec.

By the time they turned their attention to the United States, spam filters had identified the new threat and flagged the ransomware-laden emails as malicious, Thakur said.

Private security firms identified the ransomware as a new variant of WannaCry, which has the ability to automatically spread across large networks by exploiting a known bug in Microsofts Windows operating system.

Once it gets in and starts moving across the infrastructure, there is no way to stop it, said Adam Meyers, a researcher with cyber-security firm CrowdStrike.

READ MORE: US security chiefs target Russian antivirus company

The hackers, who have not come forward to claim responsibility or otherwise been identified, likely made it a worm, or self-spreading malware, by exploiting a piece of NSA code known as Eternal Blue, which was released last month by a group known as the Shadow Brokers, researchers with several private cyber-security firms said.

This is one of the largest global ransomware attacks the cyber-community has ever seen, said Rich Barger, director of threat research with Splunk, one of the firms that linked WannaCry to the NSA.

The Shadow Brokers released Eternal Blue as part of a trove of hacking tools that they said belonged to the US spy agency.

On Friday, Russias interior and emergencies ministries, as well as the countrys biggest bank, Sberbank, said they were targeted. The interior ministry said on its website about 1,000 computers had been infected but it had localised the virus.

READ MORE: Cyber-crime robbers steal up to $1bn from global banks

Although cyber-extortion cases have been rising for several years, they have to date affected small-to-mid-sized organisations, disrupting services provided by hospitals, police departments, public transportation systems and utilities in the United States and Europe.

The news is also likely to embolden cyber-extortionists when selecting targets, Chris Camacho, chief strategy officer with cyber intelligence firm Flashpoint, said.

Now that the cyber criminals know they can hit the big guys, they will start to target big corporations. And some of them may not be well prepared for such attacks, Camacho said.
Photos circulating online show detained mayor hospitalised with gaping wounds on his swollen knees and ankles.

Ugandan rights activists say grisly images of the torture of a detained politician showing septic wounds on his body highlight escalating brutality and impunity by the countrys security personnel.

Pictures began circulating online and in local media on Thursday of Geoffrey Byamukama, mayor of a small town in western Uganda, lying on a hospital bed with gaping wounds on his swollen knees and ankles, and bruises elsewhere on his body.

Eric Rugira  a friend of Byamukama who visited him in the hospital where he is being treated and held  said Byamukama had told him the wounds came from hours of torture at the hands of police shortly after his arrest.

He is in a terrible shape, Rugira said.

The images of Byamukama have elicited widespread anger and denunciation from Ugandans on social media. He was arrested on April 5 on suspicion that he had participated in the murder of a senior police official, Andrew Felix Kaweesi, on March 17.

READ MORE: Museveni critic resists forced psychiatric exam





Security services deny accusations of using torture to wring confessions from suspects.

President Yoweri Museveni, 72, has often expressed support for his top police boss, whom he has praised for helping to contain protests against his government.

Police spokesman Asan Kasingye said two security personnel had been arrested in connection with Byamukamas torture but gave no further details.

We do not condone torture  it is not our method of work, he told Reuters news agency.

Sarah Birete, programme director at the Centre for Constitutional Governance, disagreed.

Torture to get information from suspects is the standard now and we are yet to see more. This is typical in an illegitimate regime where impunity reigns, she said, adding that police have also been accused of kidnappings and robberies.

WATCH: Uganda  Living In Fear

A total of 22 suspects have so far been charged in connection with Kaweesis murder, although Byamukama was not among those charged. Some have appeared in court shirt-less, their bodies also showing what appeared to be torture marks.

Some government critics have pointed to rivalry among various top security officials and said the murder was possibly an assassination by Kaweesis enemies within the police.

Museveni, in power since 1986, won re-election last year in a disputed poll that several international observers said lacked credibility and transparency.

We appear to be going back to the dark days  when extrajudicial measures were being used to resolve crime, said Nicholas Opiyo, a rights lawyer and activist.
Attack was claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army, which has been fighting for an independent homeland for the Baloch.

Gunmen on motorbikes opened fire on construction workers, killing 10 in Pakistans southwestern province of Balochistan, officials said Saturday.

Mineral-rich Balochistan has been plagued for decades by a separatist uprising and sectarian killings. Gunmen have previously targeted labourers seen as outsiders in the region.

Two gunmen riding on motorbikes opened fire on a group of construction workers in Peshukan Ganz neighbourhood of Gwadar, local administration official Munir Zamari told AFP news agency.

The attack has been claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), an armed separatist group that has been fighting for an independent homeland for the ethnic Baloch.

We accept responsibility for the Gwadar attack, BLA spokesperson Jeander Baloch said in a statement sent to Al Jazeera.

This conspiratorial plan [CPEC] is not acceptable to the Baloch people under any circumstances. Baloch independence movements have made it clear several times that they will not abandon their peoples future in the name of development projects or even democracy.

READ MORE: Does the China-Pakistan economic corridor worry India?

Balochistan is the largest of Pakistans four provinces, but its seven million inhabitants have long complained they do not receive a fair share of its gas and mineral wealth.

The BLA is among a number of armed groups that have been fighting the Pakistani state for about a decade, targeting security forces and civilians, mainly in ethnic Baloch areas.

A greater push towards peace and development by Pakistani authorities has reduced the violence considerably in recent years.

The push includes starting work on a massive Chinese infrastructure project, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which gives Beijing a route to the Arabian Sea through Balochistans deep sea port of Gwadar.
Alleged stabber had entered Israel on a tourist visa, according to police, and attacked officer in East Jerusalem area.

A Jordanian man was shot dead by Israeli police in East Jerusalem after he allegedly stabbed an officer in the neck.

Witnesses told Al Jazeera that the incident took place at 1:30pm local time (10:30 GMT) on Saturday near the Chain Gate which leads to Al Aqsa mosque.

Muhammad Abdellah Salim al-Qasaji, 57, who police said had entered Israel on a tourist visa a week ago, approached an officer before stabbing him, according to witnesses.

The police officer then shot the alleged attacker. Witnesses added that another officer shot the Jordanian man in the head while he was lying on the ground.

The attacker was dressed in a black suit, trying to disguise himself as an ultra orthodox Jewish man.

Following the incident, police ordered shopkeepers to evacuate the area before making two arrests.

A Israeli police statement said the officer was taken to hospital with moderate injuries after the attack.

The Jordanian government denounced the crime of the death of its citizen.

The Israeli government, which is the occupying force, bears responsibility for the shooting of a Jordanian citizen in occupied East Jerusalem which led to his martyrdom, government spokesman Mohamed Momani said in a statement.

The government denounces this heinous crime  and has asked Israel to provide full details about it, he added.

On Friday, Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian youth and wounded more than 10 others during clashes in the occupied West Bank.

Saba Nidal Obaid, 20, was shot in the stomach near the village of Nabi Saleh, north of Ramallah, during a protest in support of the 1,500 Palestinians on hunger strike across Israeli prisons.

The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank, denies incitement and says that in many cases Israel has used excessive force in thwarting attackers armed with rudimentary weapons.

READ MORE: How Israeli soldiers interrogated me

A wave of unrest that broke out in October 2015 has claimed the lives of 264 Palestinians, 41 Israelis, two Americans, one Jordanian, an Eritrean, a Sudanese and a Briton, according to an AFP news agency count.

Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, the Israeli authorities say.

Others were shot dead during protests or clashes, while some were killed in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip.

Since October 2015, a number of local and international human rights groups have raised concerns that Israeli security forces have used excessive force when confronting Palestinians who had carried out attacks or been suspected of doing so.

The Israeli police relaxed its open-fire regulations in December 2015, permitting officers to open fire with live ammunition on those throwing stones or firebombs as an initial option, without having to use non-lethal weapons first.

Additional reporting by Ibrahim Husseini
J W Ledford Jr, to be killed on Tuesday, should be shot to death instead of enduring lethal injection, lawyers say.

The firing squad is the only appropriate method of execution for a condemned Georgia prisoner  even though it is not permitted under state law  because the states lethal injection drug could cause him to suffer more than the constitution allows, his lawyers say.

J W Ledford Jr is scheduled to be killed on Tuesday.

He was convicted of murder in the January 1992 stabbing of his neighbour, 73-year-old Dr Harry Johnston, near his home in Murray County, in northwest Georgia.

Ledford, 45, suffers from chronic nerve pain that has been treated with increasing doses of the prescription drug gabapentin for more than a decade, his lawyers said in a federal case filed on Thursday.

They cited experts who said long-term exposure to gabapentin alters brain chemistry, making pentobarbital unreliable to render him unconscious and devoid of sensation or feeling.

Accordingly, there is a substantial risk that Mr Ledford will be aware and in agony as the pentobarbital attacks his respiratory system, depriving his brain, heart, and lungs of oxygen as he drowns in his own saliva, the legal case said.

That would violate the prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment in the Eighth Amendment of the US Constitution, Ledfords lawyers argued.

Manipulative case

But prosecutors on Friday called Ledfords legal case manipulative. They said the experts cited by his lawyers made dubious claims based on speculation and that they have failed to show that pentobarbital is sure or very likely to cause him a substantial risk of serious harm, as required by US Supreme Court precedent.

State lawyers also cited their own expert, Dr Jacqueline Martin, chief medical examiner for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, who said the amount of pentobarbital used by the state is more than sufficient to carry out the execution without causing Ledford pain, despite his use of gabapentin.

The US Supreme Court has said that when claiming an execution method violates the Eighth Amendment, an inmate must propose a known and available method of execution.

OPINION: The death penalty in the US is like a dying dinosaur

There is no alternative method of lethal injection available to the state, since the drugs used in executions have become harder for states to obtain because manufacturers have prohibited their use for capital punishment, the case said.

So Ledfords lawyers proposed using a firing squad, which the Supreme Court has already declared constitutional.

Georgia already has the skilled personnel, weapons and ammunition needed to carry out an execution by firing squad, Ledfords lawyers argued.

Three states  Mississippi, Oklahoma and Utah  allow for a firing squad as a backup if lethal injection drugs are not available, said Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, which compiles capital punishment statistics.
Four civilians have been killed after rebel forces in eastern Ukraine fired artillery rounds on the government-held town of Avdiyivka, the Kiev-appointed head of the conflict-riven Donetsk region said.

The Ukrainian military said in a statement that Saturdays shelling had been carried out by rebels using artillery banned under the terms of the Minsk peace deal.





A shell hit the courtyard of a private house. Three women and one man perished, Pavlo Zhebrivskiy, the Donetsk official, said in a Facebook post on Saturday.

He added that another man with serious wounds had been taken to hospital.

Shelling continues in eastern Ukraine despite a ceasefire agreement signed in February 2015 in Minsk that aims to end the conflict between Ukrainian government forces and the rebels.

Each side accuses the other of violating the truce.

There was no comment by the rebels on the accusations, but a news agency linked to the separatists reported that two civilians on the other side of the frontline had been wounded.

Last month, a paramedic working for the European security watchdog OSCEs monitoring mission in eastern Ukraine was killed and two others were injured when their vehicle struck a mine in a rebel-controlled area.

Fighting between the pro-Russian separatists and government forces first broke out in April 2014 after a pro-European uprising in Kiev removed Ukraines Moscow-backed president.

About 10,000 people have been killed in the three-year conflict.

READ MORE: Ukraine divided  Stories from warring sides

During a recent state visit to Russia, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed their commitment to the Minsk agreement.

Merkel stressed that implementation is a problem, not the agreement itself.

The Minsk accord was signed by Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France in February 2015 in the Belarusian capital to stop the fighting and withdraw heavy weapons 15km on either side of the frontline.

It also says local elections must be held in the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

We cannot change that deal and make new plans just because we cannot enforce basic agreements, Putin said, adding that the Kiev government lost its chance of resolving this conflict a couple of years ago.

Ukraine should be given access to its own state border, Merkel had said, stressing the need to hold local elections in the separatist regions that would lead to a legitimate leadership within Donetsk and Luhansk.
Disgruntled troops cut off Bouake after staging fresh revolt over a pay dispute with the government.

Mutinying soldiers sealed off access to Ivory Coasts second largest city of Bouake on Saturday, soldiers and residents said, as protests over a pay dispute with the government continued despite warnings of harsh punishments.





The unrest began in Bouake on Thursday before quickly spreading, following a pattern similar to a mutiny in January by the same group that paralysed parts of the West African country.

Mutinying soldiers, the majority of whom are ex-rebel fighters who helped bring President Alassane Ouattara to power, went a step further on Saturday, blocking roads leading north and south out of Bouake.

We do not want to negotiate with anyone, Sergeant Seydou Kone, one of the leaders of the uprising, said.

Were also ready to fight if we are attacked. We have nothing to lose, he added.

The unrest broke out hours after national television broadcast a ceremony in which a spokesman for 8,400 mutinous soldiers apologised to Ouattara for a rebellion in January, and dropped demands for extra pay.

By Friday morning, disgruntled soldiers, firing guns in the air, had surrounded the military headquarters in Abidjan. Later in the day, armed soldiers sealed off all roads leading into Odienne.

READ MORE: Ivory Coasts former first lady cleared of war crimes

Bouake residents said shops remained closed on Saturday as soldiers, many of them wearing balaclavas, fired their weapons in the air and patrolled the streets in stolen cars.

Kone said the mutineers were also active in the commercial capital Abidjan and the towns of Korhogo, Daloa, Man and Bondoukou. A Korhogo resident confirmed gunfire there and said access to the main military camp had been blocked.

Al Jazeeras Ahmed Idris, reporting from Abidjan, said the situation remained largely calm in the commercial capital, but that was not the case in Korhogo and Bouake, where there were reports that shots had been fired at residents.

He added that some of the mutineers are adamant, insisting that they must be paid the remaining amount of their allowances.

Two options

In a statement broadcast on state television late on Friday, Military Chief of Staff General Sekou Toure threatened the soldiers with severe disciplinary sanctions if they did not end the revolt.

The government held an emergency meeting on Friday and said it will not negotiate with the mutinying troops.

Al Jazeeras Nicolas Haque, reporting from Ouagadougou in neighbouring Burkina Faso, said President Alassane Ouattara wants to show he is in control of the armed forces.

President Ouattara wants to stand firm. He wants to show to these mutineers, to the soldiers, to people in the Ivory Coast and to foreign investors that hes in charge of the armed forces, Haque said.

He added that there are only two options for the rebellious troops: either return to the barracks or face action from the government.

Very difficult time

The latest revolt follows that of a similar mutiny in January that erupted in Bouake and spread to nine other cities.

The government then agreed to a deal that provided amnesty for the mutineers and agreed to pay each soldier 12m CFA francs ($19,950). The soldiers received 5m francs ($8,370) in January, and were due to get the rest of the sum this month.





But they said the government asked for a delay in payment to ease financial pressure on the treasury, citing a collapse in cocoa revenues.

Ivory Coast is the largest exporter of cocoa in the world and has had to shrink its national budget owing to falling prices.

The Ivory Coast was going through a very, very difficult time, the president said, after a fall in the price of cocoa.

The Ivorian army, which consists of about 22,000 soldiers, includes many former rebels who were integrated into the armed forces after years of conflict.

Ivory Coast was plunged into civil war in 2002 following a failed attempt to oust then-president Laurent Gbagbo.

The revolt sliced the former French colony into the rebel-held north and the government-controlled south and triggered years of unrest.

READ MORE: Ivory Coast leader dismisses security heads as PM quits

Gbago was forcibly removed from office in 2011 after he refused to accept Ouattaras internationally recognised victory in a presidential election the year before. The rebels were then integrated into the army in a peace deal.

Last year, Ivory Coast launched an ambitious plan for the modernisation of the military, including an overhaul of personnel as well as purchases of material worth $1.3bn.

Part of the plan provides for the departure of several thousand men, particularly ex-rebels, who will not be replaced.
Russia worried about rising tensions as China calls for restraint after Pyongyangs latest ballistic missile test.

North Korea has fired a ballistic missile that flew 700km, South Koreas military said, days after a new leader took office in Seoul pledging to engage in dialogue with Pyongyang.

The missile was fired early on Sunday from the region of Kusong, northwest of Pyongyang, where North Korea in February successfully test-launched an intermediate-range missile that it is believed to be developing.

China called for restraint and for no party to do anything to exacerbate tension following the test.

Relevant Security Council resolutions have clear rules about North Korea using ballistic missile technology to carry out launches. China opposes relevant launch activities by North Korea that are contrary to Security Council resolutions, Chinas foreign ministry said in a statement sent to Reuters news agency.

At present the situation on the peninsula is complex and sensitive, and all relevant parties should exercise restraint and do nothing to further worsen regional tensions.





Japan said the latest missile reached an altitude of more than 2,000km and flew for 30 minutes before dropping into the sea between North Koreas east coast and Japan.

The North has consistently test-fired missiles in that direction.

EXPLAINED: Why N Korea tests nuclear weapons

Sundays launch, at 5:27am Seoul time (Saturday, 20:27 GMT), came two weeks after North Korea fired a missile that disintegrated minutes into flight, marking its fourth consecutive failure since March.

The US Pacific Command said it was assessing the type of missile but it was not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile.

US Pacific Command is fully committed to working closely with our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies to maintain security, a spokesperson said, referring to South Korea by its official name.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who took office on Wednesday, held his first National Security Council meeting as president in response to North Koreas latest missile launch, which he called a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions, the presidential office said.

The president said while South Korea remains open to the possibility of dialogue with North Korea, it is only possible when the North shows a change in attitude, Yoon Young-chan, Moons press secretary, said at a briefing.

Moon won Tuesdays election on a platform of a moderate approach to North Korea and has said he would be willing to go to Pyongyang under the right circumstances, arguing that dialogue must be used in parallel with sanctions to resolve its neighbours defiance of the international community.

READ MORE: Trumps North Korea dilemma  are sanctions the way to go?

David Wright, co-director of the Global Security Programme at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the flight indicates that the missile could have a range of 4,500km if flown on a standard, instead of a lofted, trajectory; that would be considerably longer than Pyongyangs current missiles.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters on Sunday that North Koreas repeated missile launches are a grave threat to our country and a clear violation of UN resolutions.

Abe said Japan will stay in close touch with the US and South Korea.

Japan Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga declined to comment when he was asked whether the latest missile launch was a success, and whether it represented a new level of threat.

Major, major conflict

North Korea launched the Pukguksong-2 missile, an upgraded, extended-range version of its submarine-launched ballistic missile, from the same Kusong site on February 12.

South Korean and US military officials said the February launch was a significant development as it successfully tested a solid-fuel engine from a mobile launcher. The missile flew about 500km with an altitude of 550 km.

It represented a more significant threat because of the difficulty of tracking a mobile launcher and because of the ability to keep the missile fuelled in advance, unlike liquid fuel rockets.

The North attempted but failed to test-launch ballistic missiles four consecutive times in the past two months but has conducted a variety of missile tests since the beginning of last year at an unprecedented pace.

US President Donald Trump warned in an interview with Reuters news agency in late April that a major, major conflict with the North was possible, but he would prefer a diplomatic outcome to the dispute over its nuclear and missile programmes.

On Saturday, a senior North Korean diplomat who is a veteran member of its nuclear negotiating team, said the country was open to dialogue with the Trump administration under the right conditions, without elaborating.

Choe Son Hui, North Koreas foreign ministry director general for US affairs, spoke to reporters while in transit in Beijing after attending a conference with former US officials in Norway.

The Norths state media said on Saturday the nation will bolster its nuclear capability unless the United States abandons its hostile policy.

The United States should never expect us to give up our nuclear capability, the main Rodong newspaper said in a commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency.

It said Trumps maximum pressure and engagement policy is only aimed at stifling us and will compel the North to strengthen our nuclear deterrent at the maximum speed.

South Korea, the US and other regional powers have been stepping up efforts to diffuse tensions over the Norths weapons programme after a sharp rise in tensions in April over concerns that it may conduct a sixth nuclear test.

North Korea has briefly reported on Moons election win and said conservatives in South Korea should be thrown out for good for inciting confrontation between the rival states.
WASHINGTON  This was always the main question: Would Donald Trump move beyond mere Twitter abuse and move against institutions that limit his power?

By any reasonable standard, we now have an answer.

Trumps official rationale for firing FBI Director James Comey  that the president was suddenly seized with outrage at the shocking treatment of Hillary Clinton by the FBI during the election  is false in a typically Trump-like way. It requires his supporters to demonstrate their loyalty by defending the indefensible. This is apparently the manner in which Trump identifies true believers. They must be willing, when instructed, to say that 2+2=5. On cable television.

In fact, according to media accounts, Trump has been in a spittle-flinging rage since Comeys March 20 testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, in which he confirmed the existence of an investigation of Russian influence on Trumps inner circle. On May 2, Trump tweeted that the Trump/Russia story is phony. On May 9, Trump fired Comey. The president removed a perceived threat, threw an active FBI investigation into chaos and raised the prospect of a Trump stooge being appointed in Comeys place. (The correct answer is 4.)

All this is consistent with  even mandated by  Trumps contempt for institutions. He has called the FBI investigation process rigged. If the system is dirty, only a fool would not play by the same rules. This is the logic of conspiratorial disdain for government. An independent, nonpolitical FBI? What a joke. It is all political. And politics is power. And power is making people do what you want, or destroying those who get in your way. The Gospel according to Nixon.

It is dangerous to have a leader with disdain for the law. It is also dangerous to have a leader who believes that anything legal is permissible. Trumps firing of Comey was legal. It also violated a democratic norm  a proper presidential deference for an ongoing investigation and the independence of law enforcement. There is no evidence that such considerations even occur to Trump. In their place: What kind of sucker would not press all his advantages?

Republicans often talk of judicial restraint; less, recently, of presidential restraint. Presidential limits are often found in norms, not laws  what Lord Moulton called obedience to the unenforceable.

But Trump seems to take pleasure in throwing acid into the face of convention. In his calls to lock up his electoral opponent; in his wink and a nod toward violence at his rallies; in his groundless accusations of being spied upon by his predecessor; in his Twitter taunting of congressional leaders; in his bold and obvious lies; in his dehumanization of migrants and refugees. Grace, dignity, empathy, integrity and kindness are stripped away, leaving the emperor naked but incapable of shame. Trump is the spendthrift of our public character, squandering an inheritance he does not understand or value.

There is a certain power in shamelessness. It is amazing what our democracy has, so far, allowed Trump to get away with, giving only a grimace, a laugh or a shrug. But this tolerance is about to be tested.

If Trump selects a political crony  of the Rudy Giuliani or Chris Christie variety  to head the FBI, the integrity of federal law enforcement and the rule of law will be under direct assault. Such a nomination, again, would not be illegal. But such a bold, banana-republic-style power play by the president  which could only be interpreted as an attempt to quash the Russian influence investigation  would be properly viewed as a constitutional crisis. And the historical spotlight would burn hot on Republican legislators.

Leadership is unlikely to emerge among House Republicans, given the example of sycophancy toward Trump set by Speaker Paul Ryan. The Senate is where the nomination battle  and the battle for the rule of law  will take place. So far, many GOP senators have taken a wait and see attitude toward preserving the integrity of federal law enforcement. A largely partisan vote to confirm a Trump loyalist would open the city gates to the ruthless, the shameless and the lawless.

Historical parallels to the Nixon era can be strained. But it is worth listening to Richard Nixon in a reflective moment: So you are lean and mean and resourceful and you continue to walk on the edge of the precipice, because over the years you have become fascinated by how close you can walk without losing your balance.

Donald Trump is dancing along the precipice. But his balance is precarious.
Comments come from senior North Korean official amid increased pressure on Pyongyang over its pursuit of nuclear arms.

Pyongyang would have a dialogue with the Trump administration if the conditions are there, Yonhap news agency quoted a senior North Korean diplomat who handles relations with the US as saying.

Choe Son Hui, North Koreas foreign ministry director general for US affairs, made the comment to reporters in Beijing on Saturday.

Well have dialogue if the conditions are there, Choe said when asked if North Korea was preparing to hold talks with the US.





The comments by Choe, who is a veteran member of Pyongyangs team of nuclear negotiators, came amid stepped-up international efforts to press North Korea and ease tension over its pursuit of nuclear arms.

Choe was returning to North Korea from Norway where she attended the Track Two talks with former US government officials, according to Japanese media.

Reuters news agency reported that at least one former US government official took part in the meeting but the Trump administration was not involved.

A US State Department spokesperson said the United States remained open to talks with North Korea if it were to cease all its illegal activities and aggressive behaviour in the region.

We have been clear over the past 20 years that we seek nothing but a stable and economically prosperous Korean peninsula, the spokesman said in a statement sent to Reuters.

In April, US President Donald Trump warned that a major, major conflict with North Korea was possible, but that he would prefer a diplomatic outcome to the dispute over its nuclear and missile programmes.

READ MORE: Why North Korea is testing nuclear weapons

Trump later said he would be honoured to meet the Norths leader, Kim Jong-un, under the right conditions.

South Koreas newly elected President Moon Jae-in has also expressed willingness to visit Pyongyang under the right circumstances.

North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests in defiance of UN and US sanctions and is also developing long-range missiles to deliver atomic weapons.
What you need to know about WannaCry, the malicious software behind Fridays worldwide hacking attack.

Malicious software or ransomware has been used in a massive hacking attack, affecting tens of thousands of computers worldwide.

Software security companies said a ransomware worm called WannaCry infected about 200,000 computer systems in 150 countries on Friday, with Russia, Ukraine, and Taiwan being the top targets.

The hack forced British hospitals to turn away patients, affected Spanish companies such as Telefonica, and threw other government agencies and businesses into chaos.

Cyber security researchers from Symantec and Kaspersky Lab have said that some code in an earlier version of the WannaCry software had appeared in programmes used by the Lazarus Group, which researchers from many companies have identified as a North Korea-run hacking operation.

This is the best clue we have seen to date as to the origins of WannaCry, Kaspersky Lab researcher Kurt Baumgartner told Reuters news agency on Monday.

READ MORE: Global cyberattack alert as experts warn of more havoc

Here is what you need to know about the software behind the global cyber-attack.

How it works:

WannaCry is a form of ransomware that locks up files on your computer and encrypts them in a way that you cannot access them any more.

It targets Microsofts widely used Windows operating system.

When a system is infected, a pop-up window appears with instructions on how to pay a ransom amount of $300.

The pop-up also features two countdown clocks; one showing a three-day deadline before the ransom amount doubles to $600; another showing a deadline of when the target will lose its data forever.

Payment is only accepted in bitcoin.

The ransomwares name is WCry, but analysts are also using variants such as WannaCry.

A hacking group called Shadow Brokers released the malware in April claiming to have discovered the flaw from the US National Security Agency (NSA), according cyber-security providers.

How it spreads:

Ransomware is a programme that gets into your computer, either by clicking or downloading malicious files. It then holds your data as ransom.

Some security researchers say the infections in the case of WannaCry seem to be deployed via a worm, spreading by itself within a network rather than relying on humans to spread it by clicking on an infected attachment.

The programme encrypts your files and demands payment in order to regain access.

Security experts warn there is no guarantee that access will be granted after payment.

Some forms of ransomware execute programmes that can lock your computer entirely, only showing a message to make payment in order to log in again.

Others create pop-ups that are difficult or impossible to close, rendering the machine difficult or impossible to use.

Where it has spread:

Researchers with security software maker Avast said Russia, Ukraine, and Taiwan were the top targets of the attack, but dozens of other countries also reported system infections.

James Scott, from the Washington DC-based Institute of Critical Infrastructure Technology, said ransomware emerged as an epidemic back in 2016. He said the healthcare sector was particularly vulnerable because of poor digital security knowledge.

The staff have no cyber-hygiene training, they click on phishing links all the time. The sad thing is they werent backing up their data properly either, so thats a big problem. They should be doing that all the time, Scott told Al Jazeera.

Everyones vulnerable right now because youre only as strong as your weakest link within your organisation from a cyber-perspective.

What can you do to prevent infection:

According to Microsofts Malware Protection Center, here are the steps you should take to protect yourself against ransomware:

 Install and use an up-to-date antivirus solution (such as Microsoft Security Essentials)

 Make sure your software is up-to-date

 Avoid clicking on links or opening attachments or emails from people you dont know or companies you dont do business with

 Ensure you have smart screen (in Internet Explorer) turned on, which helps identify reported phishing and malware websites and helps you make informed decisions about downloads

 Have a pop-up blocker running on your web browser

 Regularly backup your important files

WannaCry kill switch

On Saturday, a cybersecurity researcher told AFP news agency that he had discovered a kill switch that can prevent the spread of WannaCry.

The researcher, tweeting as @MalwareTechBlog, said the discovery was accidental, but that registering a domain name used by the malware stops it from spreading.

Unfortunately computers already affected will not be helped by the solution.

@MalwareTechBlog warned that the crisis isnt over as those behind it can always change the code and try again.

I will confess that I was unaware registering the domain would stop the malware until after I registered it, so initially it was accidental, @MalwareTechBlog tweeted.

So long as the domain isnt revoked, this particular strain will no longer cause harm, but patch your systems ASAP as they will try again.
Proposed law gives amnesty to businessmen accused of corruption under overthrown president Ben Ali.

More than 2,000 Tunisians marched in the countrys capital protesting a proposed amnesty bill that would see businessmen accused of corruption under overthrown president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali walk free.

At the demonstration against the Economic Reconciliation bill on Saturday, protesters claimed the bill would contradict the spirit of Tunisias 2011 revolution that overthrew Ben Ali.

But government officials said a pardon would be a way for the businessmen to inject their fraudulent money back into the countrys economy.

Waving flags and banners that read No to forgiveness and Enough Corruption, the protesters, accompanied by opposition party leaders and activists, marched through Tunis central avenue.

Today we are saying the defenders of the revolution are still here, protester Sabra Chrifa told Reuters news agency, wearing a t-shirt with the slogan No Forgiveness.

We cant accept something that whitewashes corruption like this.

The controversial bill would allow the accused businessmen to reveal stolen money and repay the amount without fear of prosecution.

There are no exact figures but initial estimates say approximately $3bn could find their way into the legally taxed economy.

The draft bill was proposed by Tunisias President Beji Caid Essebsi, a former Ben Ali official. But it has been stuck in Parliament for the past two years.

For many critics, the law is simply an amnesty for criminals and a way to rehabilitate Ben Alis allies back into Tunisian society.

Were here to say to Essebsi and his cohorts that the law will fall in the street like in all democracies, Popular Front opposition leader Ammar Amroussia said.

He wants to pass this corrupt law, but these protests show that we say no.

The proposal is now being debated in committee and will then go to a plenary session.

READ MORE: Poisoned Jasmine  Life in Tunisia after the revolution

On Wednesday, Essebsi had defended the bill while criticising calls for protest, saying that the legislation aimed to improve the investment climate in the country.

These protests, as well as others in the south of Tunisia this month over jobs, come at a sensitive time for Prime Minister Youssef Chahed who is struggling to pass austerity measures and public spending reforms to help economic growth.

Since the 2011 revolution, Tunisias democracy has advanced with free elections and a new constitution. Yet the government has faced growing social discontent over the economy, especially in inland regions.

Unemployment in Tunisia stands at around 15 percent according to official figures.
The extended southern hemisphere cyclone season continues with another storm in the South Pacific.

The tropical cyclone season in the southern hemisphere is supposed to end on April 30. We now have two storms that have developed since that date.

Last week we had Tropical Cyclone Donna passing between Vanuatu and New Caledonia. The remnants of the storm have just cleared the North Island of New Zealand, dumping some very heavy rain.

Auckland had 56mm of rain on Friday. Thats almost half the May average which is 127mm.

Donna was a remarkable storm not only coming so late in the year, but in being so strong. It was equivalent to a Category 4 Atlantic hurricane.

Tropical Cyclone Ella is notably weaker, but even now it remains powerful enough to do significant damage with some very dangerous winds.

Ella is currently located around 500 kilometres to the north of the Fiji capital, Suva. The storm has sustained winds of 120 kilometres per hour with gusts approaching 150km/h.

That would still rate as a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Again, this is remarkable when you consider that the southern hemisphere cyclone season was due to close two weeks ago.

The storm is expected to be downgraded to a tropical cyclone on Saturday afternoon as it heads towards Port Vila in Vanuatu.

The rain will be the main concern regardless. Ella has been producing some staggering totals. Apia in Samoa had 263mm of rain in the 24 hours up to 00:00GMT on Saturday.

Fiji will escape the worst of the rain as it is expected to stay to the north of the islands. By the time it reaches Vanuatu it will be no more than a decaying area of low pressure, still producing heavy rain over already saturated ground.
Mass rallies against President Maduros handling of the economic and political crisis continue across the country.

Venezuelans in cars and on motorcycles, bikes and horseback have clogged roads in the latest protests in more than a month of nationwide marches against President Nicolas Maduro.





Security forces used tear gas to disperse protesters on Saturday in the northern city of Valencia and soldiers blocked the procession from reaching its intended destination.

In the capital, Caracas, protesters hoped to fill 25km of road leading to the coastal state of Vargas.

The protests were the latest in more than a month of unrest sparked by the countrys deepening political and economic crisis.

You have to keep finding ways to protest, Rafael Galvis, 46, told AFP news agency as he drove a truck carrying a dozen protesters waving the red, blue and yellow Venezuelan flag and banners with slogans criticising Maduro.

We are going to stay in the street, building a way out of the crisis, opposition politician Freddy Guevara said at Saturdays Caracas rally.

In the central state of Cojedes, groups of people riding horses joined the procession of protest.

Government supporters also rallied in downtown Caracas on Saturday to support the president.

Increasingly desperate situation

Tens of thousands of protesters have turned out for near-daily protests in the country for weeks, seeking to remove Maduro and put an end to a devastating economic crisis that has caused widespread food and medicine shortages.

The unrest has killed at least 38 people since early April, including protesters, government sympathisers, bystanders and security forces. Hundreds have also been hurt or arrested.

Al Jazeeras John Holman, reporting from the Colombian city of Cucuta on the Venezuelan border, said the situation is becoming increasingly desperate in Venezuela.

There is really a central issue here: President Maduro and his party trying to cling to power and strengthen their hold on power in a way the opposition parties say is illegal, Holman said.

THE LISTENING POST: Protests, propaganda and self-censorship in Venezuela

Elected in 2013, Maduro, the hand-picked successor of the late longtime leftist firebrand Hugo Chavez, is resisting pressure for an early vote, calling the crisis the result of a US-backed capitalist conspiracy.

Maduros opponents have branded him a dictator.

Protesters also oppose his plans to elect an assembly to overhaul the constitution, dismissing it as a way to put off elections.
Beijings One Belt, One Road project aims to boost trade and connect three billion people in Asia, Africa and Europe.

Chinas One Belt, One Road project has been described as the largest overseas investment drive ever launched by a single country.

So far China has pledged $900bn to build ports, highways and power grids in about 60 different countries. When its finished, this ultramodern trade route will give China much easier access to markets all over the world.

But the project has been criticised for a number of reasons. One of the main problems surrounds who really benefits. Infrastructure projects dont always end in growth. So what happens when the countries involved are unable to pay back their Chinese creditors?

Since the project was first announced in 2013, Chinas growth has slowed, but Beijing is pressing ahead, leading some to question Chinas expanding political influence via economics.

India, the US, and Australia have declined so far to be part of it, although Pakistan and New Zealand have embraced the mega project.

The benefits are quite overwhelming to the fears that exist. by Khurram Dastgir Khan, Pakistan's Minister of Commerce

While Pakistan is a key part of the plan to connect three billion people in Asia, Africa and Europe via trade routes, what happens to the local economy when all roads lead to Beijing?

China is pumping $55bn into Pakistan to build a China-Pakistan economic corridor, which is a network of road, rail, power and port projects. With Chinese money in its back pocket, the Islamabad government is attempting to solve the countrys problem with power outages.

Al Jazeeras Hoda Abdel Hamid asked Khurram Dastgir Khan, Pakistans minister of commerce, whether hes optimistic.

Theres a clear sense in Pakistan that Pakistan is about to tackle its energy shortages completely. Pakistans public finances have stablised and we have massively controlled our non-development spending. Weve been able to reduce and hold our budget deficit to under 4 percent, says Khan.

Asked whether there is some fear that Pakistan will become too reliant on China, Khan explains: When a country opens up to the world, I think these fears arise everywhere. When China opened up to the West in the late 1970s, practically the same arguments were made in China that are being made in Pakistan today.

What most people dont realise is that more than three-quarters of the Chinese investment is in energy. Its not the infrastructure part that most people focus on  the ports, roads and the airports. Its actually energy and once people realise this, theyll know this is an investment that came at the right time for Pakistan. And of course, these energy projects are rapidly reaching fruition and should be able to begin production soon. So, yes there are fears on one side but people can actually see this project actually linking Pakistan  the benefits are quite overwhelming to the fears that exist.

Also on this episode of Counting the Cost:

Frances EU reform agenda: Frances president-elect Emmanuel Macron wants to reform and reboot both the French economy and the wider European Union. But does he have what it takes? Macron has promised to tackle low growth, deliver spending cuts and fight high employment in France. He also wants to win over those Euroskeptic voters who fear globalisation will kill off jobs. So hes suggesting a more protective EU. Veronique Nguyen, Professor of Strategic Management at HEC Paris, offers her take.

Philippine mining: Over half the mines in the worlds top nickel ore supplier were ordered to shut and open-pit mining was banned altogether earlier this year. Nickel is a key ingredient in the global stainless steel industry. But last week, the environment minister who said the Philippines was unfit for mining because of its unique ecosystem was dismissed. And now the new head of the environment ministry says it is possible to balance mining and natural resources protection.

Rough diamond: An auction for one of the worlds largest diamonds failed this week. The government of Sierra Leone rejected a $7.8m bid for the rough 709-carat stone. Its the largest uncut diamond to be found in four decades. The government now hopes to get more for the stone at an international auction. Nina Devries reports that it was discovered in the Kono district where many depend on mining for their livelihood.

Snapchat: We saw this week how the battle for consumers is heating up as companies are vying for Internet users. Thats how they get billions of advertising dollars. Just last month, Snap, the parent of photo-sharing app Snapchat, was the highest profile technology IPO so far this year. But its first set of earnings as a publicly listed social media company failed to sparkle. In fact, it posted a much wider-than-expected $2.2bn quarterly loss. But worse than that, user growth was less than expected in the final three months of 2016, just around the same time that Facebook-owned Instagram launched copycat rival features.

Emirates Airlines: Fierce competition in the airline industry is hitting Dubai-based Emirates, which reported its first fall in profits for five years. Imran Khan reports.

Cuba trading: Many Cubans say they are concerned about their economic future. Theyre waiting for all US trade restrictions on their country to be lifted, as Daniel Schweimler reports from Havana.
Dr Marc Lamont Hill is an award-winning journalist and author and is the Steve Charles Professor of Media, Cities, and Solutions at Temple University. Hill is known for his work addressing the intersections of race, justice, politics and culture. His latest best-selling book is We Still Here: Pandemics, Policing, Protest and Possibility which follows on the success of Nobody: Casualties of Americas War on the Vulnerable from Flint to Ferguson. Hill has received numerous prestigious awards from the US National Association of Black Journalists, GLAAD, and the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.
The Department of Arts and Culture invites members of the media to the Africa Month public participation event on Saturday, 13 May 2017 at Imbizo Shisanyama in Tembisa. The month of May marks Africa Month to celebrate the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1963, now known as the African Union (AU). []Source : http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric...










English News Belt and Road Initiative casts light to Malaccas rejuvenation

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 13 Mai 2017



The rise of Malacca state whose capital city is Malacca city, was facilitated by the armada of a revered Chinese navigator Zheng He during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Zhengs fleet was stationed in Malacca on five of his seven maritime expeditions, according to Mao Lei, associated professor of History Department with Xiamen University.

By Zhang Zhiwen, Yu Yichun from Peoples Daily Malacca, a Malaysian city whose rise and decline was closely related to the Maritime Silk Road in history, has embraced hope to reinstate its prosperity thanks to the Belt and Road Initiative.



The rise of Malacca state whose capital city is Malacca city, was facilitated by the armada of a revered Chinese navigator Zheng He during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Zhengs fleet was stationed in Malacca on five of his seven maritime expeditions, according to Mao Lei, associated professor of History Department with Xiamen University.



At the same time, the King and diplomatic envoys of Malay dynasty of Malaccaconducted over 20 visits to the Ming government, said Chen Dasheng, head of the Cheng Ho Cultural Museum in Melaka City.

Six centuries later, Malaysia's participation in China's Belt and Road Initiative has built a new connectivity platform that enables Malacca to see the hope to restore its lost glory.

In 2014, Chinas Xinyi Glass Holdings Limited, a major supplier in the industry, invested $200 million to build its first production base in Malacca. Before that, Malaysia had to spend $300 million on imported glass every year to meet its domestic demands.

The deal was then also the largest overseas investment for the coastal state in over a decade.

The glass factory started construction in 2015 and became operative at the end of 2016. Seeing the sound effect of cooperation, Xinyi invested another $200 million in the second phase to expand production. The second phase started construction on March 12 this year.

In only two years, Malaysias glass industry has undergone drastic changes. Relying on the most advanced manufacturing technique in China even in the world, Malaysia now has the confidence to call itself as an export base for the foreign market, which in turn will benefit Chinas economy as well.



Melaka Gateway is another key Sino- Malaysian project in Malacca. Co-built by a Malaysian investment company and three Chinese companies, namely PowerChina International, Shenzhen Yantian Port Group and Rizhao Port Group, it is a mega project that includes deepwater wharf, tourism, residential and commercial use, estate development, and coastal industrial park.



China has the worlds top-ranking technologies and working efficiency, and our cooperation with the Chinese enterprises will yield twice the result with half the effort, according to Michelle Ong, the Malaysian head of the project and CEO of Malaysia's KAJ Development.



It was recorded that more than 84 languages were spoken in the state of Malacca in its 700-plus years of history, and Zheng Hes fleet had brought friendship and peace to the place, Michelle Ong said, adding that the Melaka Gateway will bring back the former glory of Malacca.



The Melaka Gateway, upon completion, will be a massive deep-sea port as well as a marina for yachts, according to Malaysia's minister of transport Liow Tiong Lai.



Malacca's port would focus on the supply and replenishment of passing vessels, indicating a bright prospect for Sino-Malaysian cooperation, which will drive the all round development of the countrys economy and tourism, the minister added.



Dans la meme rubrique : < > Yunnan dispatches sci-tech experts to South Asia, Southeast Asia, builds bridge of int'l technological cooperation China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)










English News Belt and Road initiative tightens people-to-people bond of en-route countries

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 13 Mai 2017



China will also invite 800 famous think tank scholars, sinologists and translators to China for exchange and study, Ding said, adding that 150 young people will be trained to become talents for heritage restoration and museum management.

By Wu Chuqi from Peoples Daily The people-to-people bonds among the Belt and Road countries in terms of academic, educational and cultural exchanges have been tightened since the initiative was put forward by China, authority departments disclosed at a press conference held by China's State Council Information Office on Thursday.



On the conference, Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Culture, State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, and China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE) briefed on the progress made on improving the people-to-people bonds among the en-route countries.



The "Belt and Road" initiative has received active response from domestic and overseas academic circle since its proposal, said Tuo Zhen, vice minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee.



Incomplete statistics showed that 300 research platforms for the "Belt and Road" initiative have been established by Chinese scientific institutions and higher educational institutions, and more than 50 famous overseas think tanks have carried out studies on the initiative.



A batch of research results have been published, including 400 Belt and Road books composed by Chinese think tanks and more than 100 study reports issued by overseas think tanks, Tuo added.



A parallel thematic meeting themed with think-tank communication will be arranged during the two-day Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be kicked off on Sunday, Executive Deputy Director of the CCIEE Zhang Xiaoqiang said.



He elaborated that during the meeting, experts will reach a consensus on building a colorful Silk Road after their discussion on how to better play the role of think tanks to promote the Belt and Road cooperation.



The Ministry of Education has put more efforts to cultivate envoys that intensify the people-to-people bonds between China and Belt and Road countries by stepping up its overseas study plan, said Vice Minister Tian Xuejun.



The education authority has established Silk Road Scholarship, a scholarship program funded by Chinese government to support 10,000 students from countries along the proposed routes every year, he furthered.



Vice Minister of Culture Ding Wei introduced that by enhancing governmental cooperation, the ministry has signed inter-governmental agreements on cultural communication with all of the 60-plus countries along the Belt and Road.



China will also invite 800 famous think tank scholars, sinologists and translators to China for exchange and study, Ding said, adding that 150 young people will be trained to become talents for heritage restoration and museum management.



The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television has launched 2 projects to promote film, television and book exchanges since 2013, deputy director Tong Gang told the press.



He added that the Silk Road International Film Festival was established in 2014, and a total of 57 countries participated in the event last year.



Dans la meme rubrique : < > Yunnan dispatches sci-tech experts to South Asia, Southeast Asia, builds bridge of int'l technological cooperation China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)
In secret, behind locked gates, our Nation's Oldest City dumped a landfill in a lake (Old City Reservoir), while emitting sewage in our rivers and salt marsh. Organized citizens exposed and defeated pollution, racism and cronyism. We elected a new Mayor. We're transforming our City -- advanced citizenship. Ask questions. Make disclosures. Demand answers. Be involved. Expect democracy. Report and expose corruption. Smile! Help enact a St. Augustine National Park and Seashore. We shall overcome!










English News Piraeus Port project a role model for Sino-Greek cooperation

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 13 Mai 2017



COSCO plans to boost the port's container traffic to 5 million TEUs by 2018, which means the port would then be among the world's 30 largest container ports, Pitsiorlas said, adding that COSCO will add new investment in the port.

By Sun Tianren from Peoples Daily The Piraeus Port in Greece, an early harvest project under the framework of Belt and Road Initiative, is a role model for the win-win cooperation between China and Greece, a Greek official told the Peoples Daily.



The port has risen to fame after it was acquired by China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company (COSCO) and secured generous investment from the latter.



The port has now become a stop connecting the East and West along the Maritime Silk Road, according to Stergios Pitsiorlas, Greek Deputy Minister of Economy and Development.



Pitsiorlas believed China and Greece will profit from the Piraeus Port, while Europe and the world at large will benefit from the Belt and Road Initiative, which delivers a concept of peace and win-win outcome.



Pitsiorlas is a witness and propeller for COSCO's acquisition of the Piraeus Port, at a time during he was in charge of the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) from 2015 to 2016.



COSCO agreed to acquire 67 percent of the shares of the Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) in April 2016 under a deal signed with the HRADF, Greece's privatization agency. Four months later, the group officially took over the ports business.



Despite of international financial crisis and the Greek debt crisis, the ports loading and unloading capabilities have multiplied over the past several years.



The ports handling capacity added to 3.36 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent container units) in 2015 from 880,000 in 2010, ranking 39th in 2016 globally up from 93rd in 2010.



COSCO plans to boost the port's container traffic to 5 million TEUs by 2018, which means the port would then be among the world's 30 largest container ports, Pitsiorlas said, adding that COSCO will add new investment in the port.



According to the agreement, COSCO will invest another 300 million euros to expand businesses involved in shipbuilding and repair, international cruise ships and car terminals.



Chinas heavy investment will upgrade the operating capability of the port and lift its global status. Besides promoting Asia-Europe economic and trade ties, the investment is also expected to create more jobs in Greece and contribute to the countrys economic recovery.



Pitsiorlas said Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will attend the upcoming Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, less than one year after his last visit to China.



That indicates the Greek government attaches great importance to the Belt and Road Initiative and hopes to develop a closer partnership with China, Pitsiorlas said, in a hope that the forum will draw the two countries closer.



Dans la meme rubrique : < > Yunnan dispatches sci-tech experts to South Asia, Southeast Asia, builds bridge of int'l technological cooperation China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)
The first pilot freight train for new sea-rail transportation route linking southwest China's Chongqing Municipality and Singapore arrived at Qinzhou Port in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Friday after its 48-hour journey.



The containers on the 26 rail cars will continue their journey to Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries by sea after finishing the clearance procedure.



Upon the open of Chongqing-Guangxi-Singapore international sea-rail route, the goods can arrive at their destinations over 20 days ahead compared with the previous sea transportation.



Starting from Chongqing, the line first reaches Beibu Gulf in southern Guangxi after passing through Guiyang and Naning, and then stretches south to Singapore and other parts of the world.



Complementing the Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe rail link, the 4,080-kilometer-long sea-rail line provides inland provinces with access to both the Silk Road Economic Belt to their north and the 21st Maritime Silk Road to their south, and a new Eurasian land-sea corridor connecting Southeast Asia and Europe will come into being as a result.



The sea-rail link, in light of its position, will not only be an international trade corridor, but also a key part of China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiatives on Strategic Connectivity.



The papers carried by train are for domestic trade, while the motorcycles will be exported to Indonesia after arriving at Singapore at first.



It is expected that within this year, 10,000 TEUs (20-foot equivalent container units) will be transported by the line, the most convenient way for Chongqing and its neighboring Sichuan province to export their products.










English News Strong appeal makes B&R attractive

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 13 Mai 2017



Globalization and international democracy have paved the way for the Belt and Road initiative. With more economic opportunities, participant countries are more willing to integrate themselves into global development trends and become a part of the profit chain.

Source: Global Times and Peoples Daily The Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will be held in Beijing from May 14 to 15. Apart from 29 heads of state and government leaders, representatives of 61 international organizations and delegates from 110 countries, the secretary-general of the United Nations, the presidents of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund will attend. The initiative's strong appeal has played a determining role in attracting such a large number of significant figures to the summit.



However, some overseas media outlets are still prejudiced against China's initiative, regarding the One Belt and One Road as the country's geopolitical strategy.



Based on this mentality, any program related to the Belt and Road initiative is viewed as an attempt by Beijing to grab more strategic space, and as the Chinese government does not have enough capital to support its ambitions, all the investment projects related to the initiative are regarded as a form of Chinese enterprises pledging allegiance to the government. This is not true.



Connectivity is a global trend. Compared with the domestic market and a few successful economic communities, international exchanges and collaboration have more potential to bring economic growth.



Beijing's Belt and Road initiative has answered the economic call of regional countries and inspired them to think more about establishing development communities.



China will not squander money for its political goals. The Belt and Road initiative will direct China's excess capacity to reach the world in a more orderly manner, and establish mutually beneficial ties with participants under market principles.



The Belt and Road initiative highlights extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. All participants are equal, and there will be no hegemonic or politically dependent relationships.



Globalization and international democracy have paved the way for the Belt and Road initiative. With more economic opportunities, participant countries are more willing to integrate themselves into global development trends and become a part of the profit chain.



It is of vital importance to enhance infrastructure construction and connectivity for any country. The positive and peaceful atmosphere created by the Belt and Road initiative will help mobilize resources for mutual benefits.



China always plans ahead. The Belt and Road initiative has gradually become a grand vision that can offer guidance and boost the confidence of regional countries. Concrete actions have already been taken in countries along the route.



The Belt and Road initiative is poised to start a new wave of infrastructure construction and exert some historical effects. Suspicions and criticisms are normal at the current stage, which may make the initiative even more anticipated.



Dans la meme rubrique : < > Yunnan dispatches sci-tech experts to South Asia, Southeast Asia, builds bridge of int'l technological cooperation China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)
When Betsy DeVos stood up to speak at Bethune-Cookman University's 2017 commencement in Daytona Beach, graduating students booed and turned their backs. It was despicable behavior. The president of the school rebuked the students and defended his guest, but to no avail. This should raise in all of our minds this question: what in the world are they teaching them at that school?

Until the last few decades, black Americans were taught by our parents to show hospitality and civility. It was "yes sir" and "yes ma'am." We addressed our parents and their friends with "Miss" or "Mister" in front of the name. All people were to be treated well when they entered your home. Civility was a cultural mandate.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King reflected this in his dignified approach to the civil rights struggle. Unlike Malcolm X, King made no violent threats, lobbed no insults, and never engaged in name-calling. He was leading a revolution that would turn the nation upside-down, yet he never personally attacked anyone. Some of this is rooted in the Christian ethic "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Manners used to be intrinsic to black culture.

What we witnessed at Bethune-Cookman University, a southern historically black college, was further proof of widespread cultural deterioration. First, Betsy DeVos is a dignitary holding high office. Her position should have been respected even if she was not. As much as I disagreed with President Obama and his policies, I would never have treated him or any member of his Cabinet disrespectfully. Apparently, the students of Bethune do not believe that Mrs. DeVos deserves such courtesy. What has happened to the culture of the black community, that young people feel justified in behaving so abominably? It is the disease of leftist extremism and intellectual quackery that is ravaging most American universities. In college graduating classes, one expects to see mature individuals ready to make their way in the world, and we are presented instead with spoiled brats having temper tantrums and acting like mobs. It was a sad day in the history of B-CU, and it will take a long time to erase the stain.

Those students who dishonored the secretary and their school did not study her biography or what she has done with her life and resources. All they know is that she is an appointee of President Donald Trump. President Trump, they have been told, is a racist. Therefore, Betsy DeVos is a racist, and there is no point in hearing what she has to say. They have accepted slander and shibboleths as truth. It is not their fault that the far left seeks to indoctrinate them, but it is their fault when they believe everything they are told.

What happened to four years of rigorous intellectual exploration and debate? The once sacred halls of academe are being defiled by groupthink and propaganda. HBCUs are not immune to the decline of academic standards and the rise of what George Orwell called "the thought police." We must all think alike, and if anyone dares contradict our way of thinking, he must be silenced and punished.

Ironically, they were booing and insulting a woman who has done more for black children in America than any liberal ever will. That includes the National Federation of Teachers, the Florida Education Association, and the present iteration of the NAACP, all of which expressed outrage that she was invited to be commencement speaker. What exactly is their contribution to a better education for inner-city kids? The once effective NAACP has become nothing more than a subsidiary of the morally bankrupt Democratic Party. The teacher unions have no interest in improving education for black students. Their goal is to keep students captive to failing public schools so the unions can continue to collect dues on teacher salaries. They serve money and power, not students.

Betsy DeVos, wealthy heiress who could be squandering her time in luxurious pursuits, has spent decades trying to ensure that children in failing schools get a good education. She is one of the heroes trying to stop politicians, bureaucrats, and union hacks from jamming poor children into schools that do not teach them reading, writing, history, science, math, or critical thinking. For teacher unions and their allies, Betsy DeVos is the most dangerous woman in America because she dares to expand educational options for black students.

If those Bethune-Cookman grads understood who Secretary DeVos is and what she has been trying to do for the better part of her adult life, they would have given her a standing ovation instead of turning their backs.

Institutions of higher learning ought to inoculate students against indoctrination, but that seems unlikely any time in the near future. In the meantime, perhaps they could at least manage to instill some civility.
In the United States, the arts and humanities in the main are flourishing, but one art seems to have disappeared, the political art of losing gracefully. Instead, there is the frenetic search for scapegoats to blame for unexpected and embarrassing defeat. Washington political leaders, rather than wallowing in allegations of foreign electoral interference in U.S. elections, might more properly benefit from examining changes in and the significance of recent events in Russia, a century after the revolutions that ended the Tsarist regime and led to Communist power. For U.S. officials concerned with foreign policy, it is useful to reflect on the nature of the Russian revolutions in 1917, and changes since then.

On May 9, 2017, a massive military parade was held in Red Square in Moscow in which 10,000 troops marched, featuring contingents of female servicewomen dressed in different outfits, and 114 units of equipment were displayed, including medium range and long range surface-to-air missile systems, intercontinental ballistic missile system, and battle tanks.

President Vladimir Putin attended, together with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, took the salute, and displayed a photo of his father in naval uniform. The parade is significant in two ways. It celebrated the 72nd anniversary of the defeat and capitulation in Berlin on May 9, 1945 of Nazi Germany in World War II, and it was a showcase for Russian military might.

But from a political point of view, the parade. honoring the 26 million soldiers and civilians killed in Russia's Great Patriotic War was important. Parades were held throughout Russia but the main one in Red Square was central. In essence, this parade replaced in importance the former celebrations of the 1917 revolutions. In reality, there were two revolutions. In February, (really March in the Gregorian calendar) a popular uprising of workers and soldiers led to the abdication of the Tsar. In October (really November) the small Bolshevik group led by Vladimir Lenin dissolved the constituent assembly and captured power.

Putin's remarks after the May 9 parade emphasized the military might of Russia which in 2016, spent $69 billion on its military. He was forthright about Russian strength, but more important for the U.S. policy, Putin also urged international effort to fight terrorism. In words that may well have been aimed at President Donald Trump, the Russian leader said, "Our forces are capable of repelling any kind of attack, but to efficiently combat terrorism, Nazism, extremism, what we need is the consolidation of the international community. Russia will always be on the side in the world of those who fight against these scourges."

What is important is that this celebration of Russian might and defense of country has essentially replaced the celebration of the 1917 revolutions, especially October. It is a commonplace truism that it is difficult if not impossible to predict the future. Russians for several generations have found it not only difficult but perilous to predict the past, though memories linger on and there is, according to recent public opinion polls, a positive view of Lenins role in history. Yet, like the aphorism in Virginia Woolfs Orlando, in Russian political parlance, But Sasha was from Russia and sentences are often left unfinished from doubt as how best to end them.

It is risky to give simple answers to complex problems, but it may be telling that, apart from true believers in Stalinism, only a minority want to celebrate the revolution of October 25, 1917, the military coup and insurrection by Lenin and his Bolshevik group that overthrew the republic established by the February 1917 revolution, and established a dictatorship, and then a totalitarian regime, started by Lenin and fully implemented by Stalin.

The former October ceremonies, starting with a speech by Lenin in Moscow on November 7, 1918, became the main holiday of the year, the glorification of Lenin, the opportunity for revolutionary propaganda, memories of revolutionary heroes, and advocacy of world-wide proletarian revolution. In 1996, the day changed to one emphasizing concord and reconciliation. The speech by Putin on May 9, 2017 was devoted, not to any call for revolution, but to the Russian patriotic victory over the Nazis.

It can be argued that the true significance of October and the victory won by the Bolsheviks in the Russian civil war was that it prevented the development of a Western-type democratic system, continuing the slow change in Russian politics after the emancipation of the serfs in 1861, the creation of the Duma in 1905, the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II on March 2, 1917 and the start of the Soviet of Petrograd on February 27, 1917.

Attempts after February to introduce elements of democratic freedom, by Soviets (workers councils), factory committees, and popular expression, were crushed by the Bolshevik dictatorship, which turned out to be not dictatorship of the proletariat, as Lenin proclaimed, but dictatorship and compulsion by a small group of Bolshevik politicians, and the physical liquidation or persecution of those people, parties, and publications, who disagreed with the ruler, and the imposition of state terror.

Not until the regimes headed by Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin was there any real attempt to modify the system and introduce Western political concepts, and the official renunciation of Marxism and a call for universal Communism. Under Putin, there is a complex arrangement in contemporary Russia, a developing if faltering capitalist economy, limited political freedom, political authoritarianism, a place for the Orthodox Church, a very limited Communist party, absence of official memories of or monuments to Stalin, and an expanding middle class. For President Putin, stability, not revolutionary insurrections throughout the world is the declared objective. The current celebration is patriotic, not revolutionary, focused on the political and military power of the state.

In spite of the allegations of Russian interference in Western elections, Putin has made his position clear, independent management of Russian destiny, Russian global power, and cooperation with the U.S. in the fight against the real threat, international terrorism, not a fictional threat. Washington, particularly Congress, should be really be spending its time reviewing the possibilities of such cooperation, not performing in front of television cameras.
Radio radio talk show titan Michael Savage frets that perceptions are damaging the president. The left is capitalizing. Trump should step back. He should let all the presidents men stand up there and take the heat, said Savage.

Trouble is the presidents men -- and ladies -- are overmatched. Or theyre hamstrung. The White Houses media operation reeks of Old Washington. Its strategically stale and predictable  except for the president. And the tactics are just about what youd expect from Ws White House.

The president deserves a communications strategy and execution as groundbreaking and bold as himself. Thematically, the president needs to move from a Washington to an America communications strategy and operation. The differences arent subtle; theyre downright huge.

Said Savage, per INFOWARS:

Number one, stop the impulsive tweeting. Its unnecessary, it doesnt help. You can make mistakes when you tweet, Savage said, pointing to tweets about the firing of FBI Director James Comey Tuesday as an example.

Yep, tweeting makes for mistakes, no doubt. But tens of millions of Red State patriots -- and Red Staters at heart -- get that. For the president, tweeting makes for raw, direct communications with millions of Deplorables across the Republic. Its underground communications gone powerfully virtual -- and viral. In a nation still dominated by MSM propaganda organs, social media -- along with the blogosphere and talk radio -- is a critical weapon in the fight to take back America. Trump backing off would gravely damage the cause.

What the president isnt getting is effective support in his communications outfit. Right, word is the president is fast-moving and zigzags; keeping pace with him is daunting. So he needs to scrap biplane escorts in favor of F-35s on his wings.

What does an advanced tech communications approach look like?

The first thing is for the White House communications operation to deemphasize the Washington press corps. Whatever happened to moving press briefings from the West Wing to the Old Executive Office Building? Whatever happened to pushing the same old MSM faces to the back of the room? Whatever happened to dramatically expanding media access at the White House to not-Washington and alternative media?

The strategy is simple: the definition of media needs to be thoroughly modernized. It needs to be greatly broadened. Media isnt primarily big conventional news outlets in the BosWash Corridor and on the left coast. Media -- all stripes -- mostly occupies real estate between the East and West Coasts. Its not just twenty- and thirty-somethings with journalism degrees from Columbia who draw paychecks from the Washington Post and New York Times. A revolutionary communications strategy needs to reflect crucial differences.

The White House, along with the NRC, and along with any private funding thats permissible, should build an across-the-nation communications infrastructure aimed squarely at routine, direct interaction with local broadcast and print media, bloggers, radio and internet talkers, and -- get this -- grassroots activists who can serve as Trump communications Minutemen.

Its about fusion. GR activists should be recruited to take the presidents messaging into niche communities where message penetration is less certain (say, a retirement village or a business group or union hall) or where personal communications could effectively persuade.

The president should be made available to local media (as just defined). Why not give a sit-down to a news anchor in Orlando, for instance? Or in Cincinnati? Or Pittsburgh? How about putting the president on with local talkers? For instance, the president guests with Milwaukees Mark Belling and takes callers questions.

Sure, there are only so many hours in a day, and the demands on the president are many and varied, but he can be made available routinely, selectively. Theres a lot of bang for the buck in this approach.

Why not regionalize press conferences and briefings? Send Sean Spicer to Atlanta to field questions from invited Southeast regional media, for example. Bring along an administration heavyweight. Do so from a different locale once weekly. Powwow with allied local and statewide bloggers. Help them generate news and messaging for the president. Tie-in local and regional angles. Provide and make news out in America.

Late last week, the president was frustrated by a dustup White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders had with the DC press corps over her inaccuracy. The president didnt dispute the screwup. Heres what he did say, though, via Tweets, as reported by the Washington Examiner:

"As a very active President with lots of things happening, it is not possible for my surrogates to stand at podium with perfect accuracy!" Trump tweeted, justifying White House deputy press secretary Sarah Sanders' inaccurate statements in a press briefing Wednesday as being the result of his fast-moving presidency. "Maybe the best thing to do would be to cancel all future 'press briefings' and hand out written responses for the sake of accuracy???"

Of course, whoever speaks for the president needs get his or her facts straight. Thats flacking 101. But what the president is keenly noting is that DC insiders love to play gotcha! All the more so for the venomous DC press corps. Why keep this inane dance going with a gang hell-bent on bringing down the Trump presidency? It makes for a definition of -- if not insanity -- futility. Go find and cultivate media in America not dedicated to administrating a death of a thousand cuts. Stop the MSM from cluttering and detracting from messaging with sideshow distractions.

Fundamentally, the White House media operation needs to be two ways. A wide-open conduit from the White House to regional communications offices and local media. Regional WH communications offices with state coordinators will significantly help facilitate outreach and interface.

The second way is a bottom-up approach, with tone-healthy communications leadership at the White House, ready to act nimbly and smartly. Planning needs to be tight and, as suggested, coordination needs to be seamless. Dissemination of messaging and gathering of feedback require wholly new and comprehensive approaches. There need to be clear measures for progress and achievement.

The presidents time should be leveraged to have him out in America routinely. Trumps rallies are very effective. Keep them going. But get the president out of Washington for other reasons, too. Why, in the age of high-tech communications, travel, and with plenty of other resources at hand, should President Trump be a captive of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? Certainly, why should his communications operations be confined to DC?

The days of a DC-centric White House communications strategy and operation are long past. Its old-think by too many pros who live Inside-the-Beltway and have grown accustomed to playing by a stymieing set of rules. President Trump should expect and demand more for his presidency. The stakes are well, huge.
We are living in weird times:

The state of Texas has to pass a law to get some county officials to follow the law...

Harvard University approved a "black only" graduation...

And...

A school in Detroit is holding a prom for Muslim girls: With the goal of creating a "safe space" in mind, a Detroit school has set out to hold a girls-only prom to celebrate traditional Muslim customs. It's being created for girls who would otherwise be prohibited by their ultraconservative Muslim families from going to regular proms, where attendees are allowed to have fun and dance with members of the opposite sex in good old American tradition. Hamtramck High School's girls-only "Princess Prom" was first organized in 2012 by a group of five Muslim girls to give them the opportunity to go to a "safe space" prom. In 2016, 230 girls showed up. This year, they're expecting at least 250 attendees.

Let me show respect for Muslim traditions. I understand that prom nights, or the way some girls dress up, may violate some of their religious principles.

However, this is a public school district. I thought we settled that issue back in the 1950s when President Eisenhower sent troops to Little Rock, Arkansas!

What about a prom for ultraconservative Catholic families who want their daughters and dates in a separate environment away from talk about Roe v. Wade or same-sex marriage opinions? Or Jewish kids?

The left's silence about all of this is the other story. Where is the outrage? Where are the editorials?

With all due respect to the parents of these young girls, they should send their daughters to a private school if they want this kind of special treatment. Again, it's a public school, and no one gets a special prom.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk), (YouTube) and follow me on Twitter.
As tensions mount between the U.S. and North Korea, some experts are warning that the Kim regime may already have the capability to attack the United States with nuclear weapons, despite lacking an ICBM that could hit us directly.

Instead, some experts are sounding the alarm about North Korea's growing capability to unleash an electromagnetic pulse by exploding a nuke in low-Earth orbit, devastating our electrical grid and just about any system that uses computer chips.

And the state of Hawaii may be in the firing line.

Fox News:

The concern regarding the threat of an EMP attack on Hawaii's electrical grid and communications systems "is real and must be taken seriously," U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, told Fox News. "Almost every aspect of our lives is reliant on electricity, much more so than in 1962  everything from banking to health care to communications to automobiles  so you can imagine the devastating impact such an attack could have," Gabbard said. In Hawaii, there is an added layer of risk even if the attack were not directed at Hawaii, Gabbard said. "If an attack occurred on the mainland and the electric grid were shut down on the West Coast, it would create a crisis in Hawaii through the total disruption of our food and energy supply chain," Gabbard said. Hawaii is possibly a more desirable target than other states, warned Dean Cheng, senior research fellow with the Asian Studies Center at the Heritage Foundation, in part because the headquarters for the United States Pacific Command at Camp Smith is on Oahu, and the state has 11 military bases, including Pearl Harbor. Dave Benham, spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Command, said his agency is ready to counter any threat to U.S. interests in an area of responsibility that spans half the globe. "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," Benham said. While some experts claim an EMP attack isn't a likely concern, National Geographic notes a Congressional commission of scientific and military experts warned in 2004 that an EMP attack could cause a massive blackout and damage financial and power networks. "Depending on the specific characteristics of the attacks, unprecedented cascading failures of our major infrastructures could result," the 2004 commission warned in a statement. "In that event, a regional or national recovery would be long and difficult and would seriously degrade the safety and overall viability of our Nation." A later report in 2008 by the Congressional Research Service confirmed that an EMP attack could cause substantial damage.

Hawaii has already suffered from the effects of an EMP. Back in 1962, before the atmospheric test ban treaty, the U.S. detonated a huge hydrogen bomb more than 240 miles above the Earth's surface. Despite the blast being 800 miles from Hawaii, the island's electricity was disrupted for hours.

But some experts minimize the EMP threat from North Korea. First and foremost, the North Koreans have yet to develop the technology to miniaturize a nuclear weapon so that it fits on a missile. This is vital, because the EMP is a line of sight weapon, unable to affect systems beyond the horizon. So the EMP effects of a ground-level blast would highly localized.

There is also a question of whether the North could develop weapons powerful enough to affect ground systems from space. The North's nuclear tests to date haven't even come close to the massive 1.4-megaton blast in 1962. Their most recent test from last September had a yield of only 10 kilotons  about 150 times less powerful than the 1962 blast. Since the effects of an EMP weapon dissipate rapidly, it is doubtful that a North Korean nuke detonated in space could cause widespread damage.

Also, most key systems in the U.S. have been hardened in recent decades to withstand all but the most devastating EMP pulse.

All of that should not breed complacency. Not only is North Korea developing an EMP capability, but its leader is just crazy enough to use it. Preventing further development of North Korea's nuclear capability is of paramount importance if we wish to avoid a situation where the North can threaten our very way of life.
Thousands of companies and organizations in 99 countries saw their computers infected with particularly malicious ransomware yesterday, disrupting hospitals as well as the operations of global shipper FedEx.

The ransomware was developed using code posted online by a hacker group who said at the time that it was from the U.S. National Security Agency.

Reuters:

Cyber extortionists tricked victims into opening malicious malware attachments to spam emails that appeared to contain invoices, job offers, security warnings and other legitimate files.

The ransomware encrypted data on the computers, demanding payments of $300 to $600 to restore access. Security researchers said they observed some victims paying via the digital currency bitcoin, though they did not know what percent had given in to the extortionists.

Researchers with security software maker Avast said they had observed 57,000 infections in 99 countries, with Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan the top targets.

Some experts said the threat had receded for now, in part because a British-based researcher, who declined to give his name, registered a domain that he noticed the malware was trying to connect to, limiting the worm's spread.

"We are on a downward slope, the infections are extremely few, because the malware is not able to connect to the registered domain," said Vikram Thakur, principal research manager at Symantec.

"The numbers are extremely low and coming down fast."

But the attackers may yet tweak the code and restart the cycle. The British-based researcher who may have foiled the ransomware's spread told Reuters he had not seen any such tweaks yet, "but they will."

Finance chiefs from the Group of Seven rich countries will commit on Saturday to join forces to fight the growing threat of international cyber attacks, according to a draft statement of a meeting they are holding in Italy.

"Appropriate economy-wide policy responses are needed," the ministers said in their draft statement, seen by Reuters.

Is anyone still celebrating these hackers as modern-day Robin Hoods? They may have already cost people's lives. And those who posted the code  called "eternal blue"  are just as guilty as those who tried to use the ransomware for profit.

The hackers, who have not come forward to claim responsibility or otherwise been identified, likely made it a "worm", or self spreading malware, by exploiting a piece of NSA code known as "Eternal Blue" that was released last month by a group known as the Shadow Brokers, researchers with several private cyber security firms said.

"This is one of the largest global ransomware attacks the cyber community has ever seen," said Rich Barger, director of threat research with Splunk, one of the firms that linked WannaCry to the NSA.

The Shadow Brokers released Eternal Blue as part of a trove of hacking tools that they said belonged to the U.S. spy agency.

Microsoft said it was pushing out automatic Windows updates to defend clients from WannaCry. It issued a patch on March 14 to protect them from Eternal Blue.

"Today our engineers added detection and protection against new malicious software known as Ransom:Win32.WannaCrypt," Microsoft said in a statement on Friday, adding it was working with customers to provide additional assistance.
The director of national intelligence, Dan Coats, informed Congress this week that Iran has continued to develop its long-range missile technology despite U.N. resolutions prohibiting the work.

The Iranians are using the cover of their space program to perfect ICBMs that could be capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.

Washington Free Beacon:

Iran's ballistic missile work, particularly its focus on ICBMs, runs counter to United Nations resolutions barring such activity, though it remains unclear if the Trump administration plans to pursue new sanctions on Iran. Iran continues to perform key research and development on nuclear missile capabilities despite the landmark nuclear agreement with Western powers, according to the last U.S. intelligence assessments. "Iran is pursuing capabilities to meet its nuclear energy and technology goals and to give it the capability to build missile-deliverable nuclear weapons, if it chooses to do so" Coats wrote in his written testimony to the Senate intelligence committee. U.S. officials are unsure if Iran will build nuclear weapons, but it is likely this intention would dictate Tehran's future adherence to the nuclear deal, which the administration of former President Barack Obama framed in such a way as to leave out the issue of ballistic missiles. The United States assesses that Iran remains about a year away from a functional nuclear missile if it decides to build one in violation of the nuclear deal. Iranian military leaders claim their missile work is unrelated to the nuclear agreement and permissible under it. The country's refusal to abandon this work has caused concern on Capitol Hill, as well as among U.S. national security insiders who view the work as related to Iran's aspirations for regional dominance. The U.S. intelligence community maintains that Iran  which has the largest inventory of ballistic missiles in the Middle East  likely would use this technology to launch a nuclear weapon. "We judge that Tehran would choose ballistic missiles as its preferred method of delivering nuclear weapons, if it builds them," according to Coats. "Iran's ballistic missiles are inherently capable of delivering WMD, and Tehran already has the largest inventory of ballistic missiles in the Middle East." "Tehran's desire to deter the United States might drive it to field an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)," Coats wrote, referring to Iran's covert missile work. "Progress on Iran's space program could shorten a pathway to an ICBM because space launch vehicles use similar technologies."

Presently, Iranian ICBMs are incapable of carrying a nuclear warhead due to limits in their payload capacity. The "satellites" they are launching into space are tiny and can't be boosted into a high enough Earth orbit to stay aloft for very long.

But the Iranians have been working steadily to improve the range and power of their missiles so that it's only a matter of time before they perfect a missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to hit the U.S.

It is unfathomable why the Obama administration would seek to put limits  however inadequate  on the Iranian nuclear program while allowing the Iranians to go full bore in developing their ICBM technology. But little details like that don't matter when you're "making history," as President Obama wanted to do.
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On May 19, Iran's mullahs will elect the nation's next president. While Iran's president has executive authority, his power remains secondary to that of the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. Even with that curious arrangement, it's not a done deal until Khamenei can solve a major riddle to ensure that his favorite candidate wins at the ballot box.

Throughout this presidential election, Khamenei faces different dilemmas, because the vast majority of Iranians reject the six hand-picked candidates for the presidential election and call it a sham. So, by fair means or foul, the mullahs will get what they want, but the role and dilemma of ethnic minorities in Iranian society is an important parameter to consider in this vote. Minorities such as Arab, Baluch, Kurd, Lor, Turk, and Turkmen make up almost 50% of the population and inhabit about 70% of Iran's land mass. Iran's ethnic minorities have been heavily ignored and marginalized by the theocratic government.

Economic and political issues have proven effective at mobilizing ethnic minorities. In the past year, both Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (known by its initials IRGC) and the Basij units have conducted large-scale military exercises in Baluchistan, the southeastern province in Iran, and in the city of Ahwaz in Khuzestan, an oil-rich province. The IRGC has also been linked to drug traffickers' gangs to smuggle opium from Iran through the ethnic minorities' areas, especially Baluchistan, bringing havoc to those areas.

During the last three months, IRGC ground forces and security forces frequently have come under fire by ethnic minority insurgents.

On April 11, 2017, a senior IRGC commander was assassinated in Baluchistan.

On April 26, 2017, a clash erupted near the town of Mirjaveh, resulting in the death of ten IRGC patrol units.

Recently, political unrest and clashes drew some media attention, but little attention is paid to the everyday reality in Iran's ethnic minorities areas. According to one report:

Since the 2009 demonstrations during the presidential elections, which were often times violently suppressed, the situation for minorities in Iran has deteriorated significantly. To curb all forms of opposition and instills fear, the government has intensified violent measures against minorities, particularly political and rights, activists.

According to UNPO:

Balochs are living in Sistan and Baluchistan, This desert province is marked with despondence and deprivation, grapples with severe water shortage, and underdeveloped infrastructure and poorest of Iran's provinces[.] ... Ethnic minorities are predominantly Sunni Muslims, and as a result of that, are systematically prosecuted by repressive ground forces of Iran's revolutionary guard's corps (IRGC) and Iran's ministry of intelligence. Iran frequently blames ethnic minorities hostile dependent on outside powers, but this hollow blames is just to cover up the regime's violation of human rights and aggressive attack of IRGC in their province who fears their unity and steadfastness among them. The country has not allowed ethnic minorities to teach or study in their own languages in schools, and non-Persian language press and publications have been very limited. The rate of executions increased in ethnic minorities in last decades. The Iran Human Rights Documentation Center documented 529 executions of whom 100 were Baloch, who only constitute about 2% of the population. Regime sent at least 12 prisoners to gallows in various cities across Iran in the six days from February 25 to March 2, raising the number of the executions to at least 150 since the beginning of 2014. Balochi's showed their grievances and anger in the short stories written by authors Balochis, Brahvi, and Pashto, Some of the stories bring up haunting images and situations: "An ageing woman returns to her ancestral village and finds it transformed after the nuclear tests" or "A young man wants to take his ailing sister to the nearest hospital", "A young woman finds the legendary 'injeer" flower and sacrifices her feelings to keep the flour bin full". "Is there no hope of conditions improving?"

Despite the mullahs' political and economic marginalization, and ethnic discrimination, many scholars, orators, and literary personalities have sprung up from this part of Iran, amongst which are Farrukhi Sistani (poet), Ya'qub bin Laith as-Saffar, and Rostam (most celebrated legendary hero in Shahnameh and Iranian mythology). Ayatollah Sistani is also from Sistan, though he currently resides in Najaf, Iraq.

During the past 38 years of the religious dictatorship, with the help of the IRGC, the mullahs have resorted to the assassination of Sunni clergy, the trustees, and civilians in this province. According to a National Council of Resistance in Iran (NCRI) report:

3 years ago, Mowlavi Abdullah Baji Zehi, the preacher of Shirabad Mosque in Zahedan, was targeted with four bullets in his head as he was leaving the mosque and passed away on the spot. On the same day, two 34 and 40-year-old civilians by the last name of Shahoozehi were machine-gunned and murdered by the mullahs' regime's murderers. On Monday, April 1st of 2014, Mr. Morad Kahrazehi, 45, was shot with 8 bullets in Zahedan and was severely injured. He is currently in a coma.

How does this relate to Iran's presidential election?

In a recent statement, a group of Baluchi and Brahui people (this is the big tribe in Baluchistan whose people are Muslim, mostly a Sunni sect of Islam) announced that: "The upcoming election in 19 May is a fraudulent election, The crimes and atrocities committed by this theocratic regime over the past 38 years are appalling in our Ahourai soil, we boycott the election, we never vote in for mass killers or imposters, who brought in our province nothing except death, destruction, poverty, unemployment and corruption, particularly through its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).we never betray our martyrdom."

Hassan Mahmoudi is a human rights advocate and social media journalist seeking democracy for Iran and peace for the region.
James Clapper, Obama's DNI chief, tried to aid James Comey, Obama's FBI director. Clapper, in an interview with NBC's Andrea Mitchell, said Comey felt uneasy about having dinner with President Trump on January 27, 2017 because he felt it might compromise the FBI.

According to Clapper:

"He mentioned that he had been invited to the White House to have dinner with the president and he was uneasy with that[.] ... Comey didn't want to create "the appearance of compromising the integrity of the FBI."

Too bad NBC had Andrea Mitchell instead of real journalist interview Clapper. A journalist would have questioned Clapper by asking:

Did Comey believe that the integrity of the FBI was compromised when Terry McAuliffe, friend of Hillary, donated $700,000 to the political campaign of Jill McCabe, wife of assistant FBI director Andrew McCabe? McCabe was involved in investigating Hillary for her illegal use of a private unsecured email server. Did Comey ask McCabe to recuse himself, or better yet, give back the $700,000? Was McCabe warned, reprimanded, or otherwise spoken to about this? Was the integrity of the FBI compromised when Comey questioned Hillary not under oath and gave immunity to Hillary's assistants? Granting immunity is usually the function of the Justice Department in consultation with the FBI. Was the integrity of the FBI compromised when Comey took it upon himself to make the decision whether to indict Hillary instead of following procedure to give the results of the investigation to the Justice Department for its review as to whether to indict? Was the integrity of the FBI investigation of Hillary compromised when Bill Clinton met with Comey's boss, Obama's attorney general, Lynch, days before Comey gave Hillary a pass? Was the integrity of the FBI compromised when Comey listed all the facts that warranted an indictment of Hillary but declined to indict because he added the requirement of "intent" that is not in the statutes  and worse, the issue of intent is for a judge or jury to infer from the facts?

The bottom line is that it is not the integrity of the FBI that is the issue. It is the integrity of James Comey.

Of course, Clapper is not the best witness for credibility. He admitted that he lied to Congress about the NSA's bulk collection of data  not exactly a minor issue.

Or maybe Comey can use John Brennan, but Brennan also lied when he denied that the CIA had hacked the computers of Senate staff members.

Who else from the Obama administration can help Comey? Susan Rice, the liar of Benghazi? Hillary? Bill Clinton, perjurer?

The Opposition Party, consisting of the mainstream media and the Democratic Party, is in full defense mode to support Comey, after it attacked him following the release of the October 28, 2016 letter. They now want to rehabilitate him as a hardworking, honest FBI director who was fired because of the "Russia investigation," and nobody knows what that investigation is about.

Fortunately, President Trump is not like George W. Bush, who failed to fight back and respond to attacks.
Most news accounts on the Jessica Colotl case, that of a DREAMer activist whose DACA status was revoked for having an arrest record, and is being sent back home to Puebla, Mexico, carefully outline the typical narrative in such cases. They're all honor students. They're all achievers. They're all children forced to come to the U.S. through no fault of their own, via their parents, who brought them here illegally. They're all victims of circumstance and "unwitting" political activists. They're all wonderful citizens in all but name only, save for that one little lack of papers. They're all entitled.

There's never any dimension to the narrative  which is why Colotl's case is being painted as an outrage in lower-quality news reporting outfits, such as Fox News, and with a bit more disguised objectivity in the likes of the New York Times. Breitbart may be an exception, but it often leaves questions unasked.

For example, what's wrong with life in Mexico after getting a full ride from the gringos in education? Why is being sent back to Mexico always depicted as the pit of hell when a deportation is the issue, but at any other time, it's a fairly well heeled third-world country, where most people live pretty well? Why is it that the government of Mexico, and other places that send illegal immigrants and benefit from their remittances, can escape all scrutiny and responsibility for bad conditions in its home country such that people want to leave? Explain to us how a light-skinned Mexican who has spent his life discriminating against darker-skinned people in Mexico as the hacienda lordling can get affirmative action privileges over here, displacing some trailer-raised white kid from a broken home for a university place. Explain to us why the highest-profile DREAMer cases always involve some political science major who claims not to be interested in politics or activism. Or why so many DREAMer activists are well past their mid-20s as they agitate with their NGO buddies and left-wing lawyers.

It gets old, given that none of these questions is ever asked.

In any case, now we are reading the sob stories and being told to be shocked because young Jessica Colotl is being asked to return to her parents in her native Puebla, Mexico. Apparently, there couldn't be any fate worse than that. Colotl was caught driving without a license a few years ago, lied to the cops about her address, and now expects to be allowed to stay here despite not showing any evidence that she believes in obeying laws or rules. Solely because she wants to. And we, the legal-American community, are being asked to scrap our rule of law-based system in favor of one more like Mexico's, just to accommodate her. Because she wants it.

Spare us this rubbish. It's getting so old that it's like an aged tequila.
The Eisriesenwelt (German for "World of the Ice Giants") is a natural limestone ice cave located in Werfen, Austria, about 40 km south of Salzburg. It is the largest ice cave in the world extending more than 42km.

Eisriesenwelt Cave was created by the Salzach river as it flowed through the mountain eroding passageways nearly 100 million years ago. Over the course of thousands of years cracks and crevices in the limestone became more developed as water eroded the rocks away. In winter, when the air inside the mountain is warmer than outside, cold air streams into the mountain and reduces the temperature of the lower areas of the caves to below freezing point. In spring the water from melting snow seeps through the cracks in the rock and when it reaches the colder lower areas of the caves it freezes and turns slowly into the wonderful ice formations visible inside the caves.

Although the cave has a length of 42 km, only the first kilometer, the area that tourists are allowed to visit, is covered in ice. The rest of the cave is formed of limestone. Since the entrance to the caves is open year-round, chilly winter winds blow into the cave and freeze the snow inside. In summer, a cold wind from inside the cave blows toward the entrance and prevents the formations from melting.

Eisriesenwelt was discovered by Anton Posselt, a natural scientist from Salzburg, in 1879. Before his discovery, the cave was known only to locals, who, believing that it was an entrance to Hell, refused to explore it. One year later he published a detailed report of his discovery in a mountaineering magazine, but the caves then slipped back into obscurity.

Alexander von Mork, a speleologist from Salzburg, was one of the few people who remembered Posselt's discovery. He led several expeditions into the caves beginning in 1912, which were soon followed by other explorers. In 1920, a cabin for the explorers, Forscherhutte, was built and the first routes up the mountain were established. Tourists began to arrive soon after, attracted by the cave's sudden popularity. Later another cabin, the Dr. Oedl House, and paths from Werfen and Tanneck were constructed.

Today the Eisriesenwelt cave is visited by around 200,000 tourists every year.

Photos credit
To Capistrano Beach, California, where the police are issuing a warning:

You are paddleboarding next to approximately 15 great white sharks. They are advising you exit the water in a calm manner. The sharks are as close as the surfline.

The OC Register adds:

(Orange County Lifeguards Chief Jason) Young said it was not an ocean closure, which occurs when sharks are more than 8-foot long and/or are acting aggressively in the water.

We havent had any reports of anyone being bumped or charged, just observations of them either swimming or breaching, he said.


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The Land Speed Cruiser packs 2000 horsepower and clocked a record speed of over 230.02mph (370.18kmph).

Speed is the last thing you think of when you hear the words like Toyota or SUV. SUVs like Land Cruiser have the capability to be driven on most extreme terrains. However, the Japanese automaker has been able to claim the title of the Worlds Fastest SUV with a custom Land Speed Cruiser. The Land Speed Cruiser packs 2000 horsepower and clocked a record speed of over 230.02mph (370.18kmph).

The Land Speed Cruisers engine is based on the stock 5.7-litre petrol V8 from the production car. The team of engineers from Toyotas Motorsports Technical Centre (MTC) then added two gigantic turbochargers to it so it could gulp in air faster. The engine was also modified slightly with stronger pistons, rods and a custom-made intake manifold to help it take the punishment of producing over 2000 horsepower. The engineers then added a custom racing transmission which was strong and reliable enough to handle all those horses at high speeds.

In terms of the exterior design, the Land Speed Cruiser was lowered and given an aerodynamic body kit. The engineers even managed to make the frame narrower by 3-inches to accommodate wider and stickier Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres.

Driven by former Toyota NASCAR driver, Carl Edwards, the Land Speed Cruiser broke the previous record by 30kmph on the 4km stretch at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. Toyota claims that on a longer piece of tarmac, the SUV will go even faster. The first glimpse of the Land Speed Cruiser was seen at the 2016 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show, where a stock Land Cruiser heavily modified by the MTC team was showcased.

On the first warmup run, this beast of an SUV touched 318kmph. On the second run, Edwards manages to reach 339.5kmph. For the third stint, the engineers allowed, more boost to reach the engine and this resulted in the record-breaking run where the SUV managed to set a top speed of 370.18kmph.

After the record, Edwards said, At 225mph (362.1kmph), the thing was wandering a little bit. All I could think was that Craig said, No matter what, just keep your foot in it, and we got 230mph (370.18kmph). Its safe to say that this is the fastest SUV on the planet.

Records are meant to be broken, and hence we have a new SUV sitting on top of the mountain with a new speed record. It would be very interesting to see when and who will challenge the Land Speed Cruiser to snatch the crown. While Toyota Land Speed Cruiser may have claimed the title of the Worlds Fastest SUV, the Bentley Bentayga still holds the record for the fastest unmodified production SUV when it touched 301kmph during its testing phase prior to its launch in September 2015.

Source: Zigwheels.com
The pact is for selling 100 per cent stake, according to a regulatory filing.

New Delhi: GMR Infrastructure today said it has entered into pacts for divesting stakes in its Indonesian coal mining entities. Two subsidiaries of the company -- GMR Energy Netherlands BV and GMR Infrastructure Overseas Ltd -- have entered into conditional share purchase agreement with PT Golden Energy Mines Tbk, Indonesia.

The pact is for selling 100 per cent stake, according to a regulatory filing. Besides, the company would sell "mandatorily convertible bonds in PT Dwikarya Sejati Utama, PT Duta Surana Internusa, PT Unsoco and PT Barasentosa Lestari," the filing said.
"It is to bring to the kind notice of general public that official website of PMJY is www.pmujjwalayojana.com," an official statement said.

New Delhi: The oil ministry on Friday warned citizens to be wary of fake websites on free-LPG scheme Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana saying they should not respond to advertisements for dealers being issued by such portals.

"Attention of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has been drawn to a number of fake websites which have come up recently in connection with the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana.

"It is to bring to the kind notice of general public that official website of PMJY is www.pmujjwalayojana.com," an official statement said. This official website contains freely downloadable forms, both in English and Hindi, to be filled by the prospective beneficiaries for new LPG connection.

"It is also noticed that the entity with the name www.ujwalayojana.org has issued an advertisement regarding appointment of LPG distributorship under RGGLV Yojana. "It is clarified that this entity is not authorised by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to appoint LPG distributorship.

It is requested that general public should not respond to the advertisement or any other communication from this entity in any manner," it added.
Its a medium that Ranveer is excited about, and will make his debut on TV when he can dedicate substantial amount of work and time.

Salman Khan has his plate pretty full. As he awaits Tubelights release, hes busy shooting for Tiger Zinda Hai with Katrina Kaif.

But its the small screen thats vying for his attention too again. The actor, who has been hosting Bigg Boss for quite a few years now, has reportedly been approached for the third season of gaming reality show, Dus Ka Dum. While Salman did host the first two seasons of the show, which aired between 2008 and 2009, the actor seems to be charging a bomb for the new season. This demand could well be attributed for the large sums hes being paid to host Bigg Boss.

Says a close source, The channel has approached Salman to host Dus Ka Dum, but the actor has quoted a huge price. Owing to this, theyre now approaching Ranveer Singh to host it.

When contacted, Ranveers spokesperson confirmed, While Ranveers team was approached, the fact is that hes very tied up with existing commitments already. Currently, hes completing all his film commitments before looking at doing television. Its a medium that Ranveer is excited about, and will make his debut on TV when he can dedicate substantial amount of work and time.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has said that proceedings in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case will be streamed live next week on Monday.

File photo of former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav who has been sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of 'espionage'. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Speculation is rife that Pakistan may not recognise the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case.

On March 29 this year, Pakistan had recognised the jurisdiction of the ICJ but had specified before the ICJ that this would not apply to matters related to the national security of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Significantly, Pakistan treats the Kulbhushan Jadhav case as a matter of national security since its military court has convicted the former Indian Naval officer for espionage and sabotage.

Meanwhile, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has said that proceedings in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case will be streamed live next week on Monday. The ICJ had already sent a communication to the Pakistan government, effectively staying any execution of Jadhav by Pakistan after India approached it.

Jadhav was sentenced to death a few weeks ago by a Pakistani military court. New Delhi had on Wednesday said it had approached the ICJ as the life of an Indian national is under threat, adding that it was a very carefully considered decision.

Pakistans permanent representative to the UN, Dr Maleeha Lodhi, had declared before the ICJ on March 29, I have the honour, by direction of the President of the lslamic Republic of Pakistan, to declare that (the) Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan recognises as compulsory ipso facto and without special agreement in relation to any other state accepting the same obligation, the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice under the statute of the International Court of Justice. ... Provided that this Declaration shall not apply to: all matters related to the national security of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan."

Pakistan had then listed some other clauses too under which the declaration would not be applicable.
Rahul Ganguli, a private school employee, was lauded by Modi in a letter, which he recieved for a special postcard he had sent to the PM

Allahabad: A city resident, who took to digital transactions and encouraged his acquaintances to do so on the advice of the prime minister, recently received a letter of appreciation from Narendra Modi who said, "the fight against black money gets more strength" by efforts of people like him.

Rahul Ganguli, a private school employee, was lauded by Modi in a letter dated May 8 which he received in response to a special postcard the city dweller had sent to the PM on the occasion of 150th anniversary of the Allahabad High Court.

"I am a stamp collection and letter writing enthusiast. I had written a letter to the PM in January extending New Year greetings. He replied on January 17, addressing my wife

Boishali, my son Agranay and me by our names and wherein he asked us to use as many digital means for economic transactions as possible and urge others to do the same," Ganguli told PTI-Bhasha in an interview.

"In my postcard, on which I had affixed a special cover commemorating 150 years of the Allahabad High Court, I had stated that I had followed the PM's advice and taken to digital transactions while encouraging my acquaintances to follow suit," said Ganguli, who is in his mid-thirties.

"I have been in the habit of writing letters to dignitaries including the prime minister and the president since long. During the tenure of former PM Manmohan Singh, I have been receiving replies to my New Year greetings. Once late President A P J Abdul Kalam also gave a reply to my letter," he said.

"Interest has been dwindling in pursuits like stamp collection and letter writing. However, with acknowledgment coming from none other than Modi, I hope many youngsters will feel encouraged to take up these hobbies," he added.

His wife Boishali said, "Initially, I used to think of this hobby of my husband as just a fad. But with the prime minister's recognition, I have begun to feel proud."

Meanwhile, in a statement issued here, Uttar PradeshHealth Minister Siddharth Nath Singh, who represents Allahabad (West) in the Assembly, said, "It is a matter of pride that a person from my city has got recognition from the honorable prime minister. May this encourage more people to do their bit in the fight against black money."
In a statement, the outfits spokesman said that Musas statement was unacceptable and that the Hizb has nothing to do with it.

Srinagar: Zakir Musa on Saturday quit as the commander of Hizbul Mujahideen after the Kashmiri militant outfit distanced itself from his statement, in which he had threatened to chop off separatist leaders' heads for calling the Kashmir struggle a political movement.

"If the Hizb-ul-Mujahedin doesn't represent me, I also don't represent it," Musa said on Saturday. In an audio clip, he said that he stood by his earlier statement and that he was not ready to "sacrifice" his life for the establishment of a secular state.

The Hizb commander had in a short audio, which went viral on social media, asked the separatist leaders not to interfere in militants affairs but remain within their dirty politics.

Earlier, in a statement, the outfits spokesman Saleem Hashmi said that Musas statement was unacceptable and that the Hizb has nothing to do with it. It also indicated action will be taken against him.

This is the personal opinion of Zakir Musa, he said. Throwing its lot behind the separatist leaders, the Hizb said that they and the people of Kashmir are taking the movement ahead through their united efforts and that in these circumstances any provocative statement or step could prove deadly for the movement. Hashmi also said that the Hizb is examining the statement issued by Musa and that it would not hesitate to take any step in favour of the Kashmir struggle.

Earlier, the Hizb commander Zakir Musa had in a short audio which went viral on social media asked the separatist leaders not to interfere in militants affairs but remain within their dirty politics.

The voice heard in the audio purported to be that of Musa, who was a close aide of Hizbs slain commander Burhan Wani and was named as his successor, said, Some days back the joint resistance leaders issued a statement saying Kashmir struggle is political and that it has nothing to do with religion.

He added We just want to ask these political hypocrites if Kashmir is a political issue why are you then chanting slogans like Aazadi ka matlab kiya?; La ilaha illallah (Freedom stands for what; There is no deity but Allah) and Pakistan sey rishta kya; La ilaha illallah (What is the relation with Pakistan; There is no deity but Allah) .

He threatened to chop their heads off and hang them in Lal Chowk, Srinagars historic central square if you dont stop interfering in our matters.

The separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik who are part of an issue-based alliance named by them as Joint Resistance Leadership had earlier this week in a joint statement said that the ongoing freedom movement in Kashmir had nothing to do with ISIS and al-Qaida-like organizations.

They also said that there is no role for these groups in our movement which was indigenous and seeks freedom for 15 million people of the State and that the same is not driven by religion.
Questioning her source of income, Modi sought to know why she did not reveal it in her affidavit to the Election Commission.

Patna: Senior Bihar Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Saturday fired a salvo at RJD chief Lalu Prasad's daughter and Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti alleging that she had laundered money through a shell company to buy a farmhouse at Delhi's Bijwasan area at a throwaway price.

Sushil Modi has been hitherto alleging that Prasad's two minister sons - Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and Health Minister Tej Pratap Yadav - had amassed benami properties worth over Rs 1000 crore through various shell companies in Bihar.

He claimed that Misa Bharti converted her black money into white through dubious transaction of sale and purchase of shares of her company - Mishail Packers and Printers Pvt Ltd.

The company was incorporated with an investment of Rs 1 lakh in 2002 and registered at Lalu Prasad's then official bungalow 25, Tughlaq Road, New Delhi. It was closed in 2005-06.

Bharti sold her company's shares of face value of Rs 10 each to Virendra Jain's Shalini Holdings at Rs 100 per share in October 2008, which fetched her Rs 1.20 crore. Eleven months later, Misa purchased all the shares at the rate of Rs 0 per share from Virendra Jain, the BJP leader alleged showing documents to support his claim.

Later, in 2008-09 she purchased a farmhouse at Bijwasan area in Delhi at Rs 1.41 crore whose estimated value at present would be around Rs 50 crore, Sushil Modi, who was accompanied by state BJP vice-president Devesh Kumar, said.

Pointing out that Misa became the owner of Rs 50 crore by investing a mere Rs one lakh, he asked "Why would anyone buy shares of a closed company at the rate of Rs 100 per share against the face value of Rs 10 each? Why would the buyer again sell the same shares at Rs 10 each after buying it at Rs 100?"

Sushil Modi also alleged that Misa had misused the address of Prasad's erstwhile official bungalow - 25, Tughlaq Road as her company's address as such an allotment cannot be used for any commercial purpose.

Questioning her source of income, Modi sought to know why she did not reveal it in her affidavit to the Election Commission.

Virendra Jain and Surendra Jain, the two brothers and business partners in Shalini Holdings who had allegedly helped Prasad in converting black money which he had allegedly earned as railways ministers into white, were arrested by Enforcement

Directorate in connection with a Rs 8000 crore money laundering case in March this year, he said.

Sushil Modi demanded that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ordered a probe into the allegations of acquisition of benami properties by Prasad's family in Bihar.

The central government should probe allegations of amassing properties by the family outside Bihar, he said.

"Nitish Kumar says that his government has zero tolerance policy towards corruption. But he has not taken any action so far on allegations levelled against Prasad's two minister sons," the BJP leader said.

Sushil Modi has been releasing documents purportedly showing how Prasad's family acquired assets of around Rs 1,000 crores through shell companies like Delight Marketing Pvt Ltd, A K Infosystems Pvt Ltd and A B Exports Pvt Ltd.

Asked for comment, RJD's national spokesman Manoj Jha said "A jobless Sushil Modi has once again done today what he has specialised in in recent times. Taking certain documents from the public domain viz. Registrar of Companies, he aims at weaving fictitious stories. He should also convey that his so-called incriminating documents are from the same appropriate authorities to whom we had submitted (documents)."

"In utter frustration for some space for himself in BJP, he is raking a decade-old genuine business transaction, which was duly reported to authorities," Jha added.
Mishra visited Raj Ghat, the memorial for Mahatma Gandhi, where he had made startling allegations of corruption against Kejriwal on Sunday.

Sacked AAP MLA Kapil Mishra breaks down during his visit at Rajghat as he continues his hunger strike on the third day in New Delhi on Friday. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Axed Delhi minister Kapil Mishra, who is on an indefinite fast, today claimed his next 'expose' will rattle the people of Delhi who 'trusted the Aam Aadmi Party'.

During the day, Mishra visited the Raj Ghat, the memorial for Mahatma Gandhi, where he had made startling allegations of corruption against Kejriwal on Sunday. He broke down at the memorial.

He has been sitting on an indefinite strike since Wednesday and was advised hospitalisation be a team of doctors today.

"His blood sugar level has dropped to 81 mg/dL and intravenous fluids need to be started immediately. His pulse is low. He is going into dehydration because of poor salt intake. We have thus advised hospitalisation," said Dr Javed.

Salam of the Aruna Asaf Ali Hospital who examined Mishra. He is demanding that the AAP divulge details of foreign tours undertaken by five leaders of the party.

"I am feeling very lonely, so paid a visit to the Raj Ghat. Tomorrow, I will visit a Hanuman temple. I will reveal the next batch of expose on Sunday. After that, the people of Delhi will receive a jolt, especially those who trusted the AAP," he said.

His mother Annapurna, a former BJP mayor, wrote a letter to Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of spreading 'lies' that the BJP was behind her son's stinging attacks on him and the AAP.

Yesterday, several AAP leaders had tweeted a picture in which Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari and Mishra were seen in one frame.

She claimed the picture was clicked at an event to felicitate AAP leader Kumar Vishwas' father and was attended by Kejriwal and all his ministers.
Kids will be allowed to come without bags on Saturdays so that they can enjoy themselves in creative activities, an official release said.

It will establish good rapport between students and teachers and help in their personality development, the official release added. (Photo: PTI)

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government is considering a proposal to declare 'no school bag day' on Saturdays in state-run schools.

This was conveyed at a meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma here, an official release said here on Friday.

School kids will be allowed to come to school without their school bags on Saturdays so that they can enjoy themselves in creative activities, it said. It will establish good rapport between students and teachers and help in their personality development, it added.

Earlier, the Yogi Adityanath government decided to bid goodbye to the khaki dress worn by students of government schools.

From the new session in July, students will be seen in new uniform comprising pink-and-white check shirt with brown collar and brown trousers for boys and similar shirt with brown skirt for girls.

At the senior level, girl students will wear brown salwar, red kurta with a brown dupatta. There are 1.78 crore children studying in 1.68 lakh government schools in 75 districts of the state.

These include 1.14 lakh primary schools (class I -V) and 54,000 upper primary schools (class VI-VIII). The change in uniform comes after the chief minister expressed unhappiness over the khaki dress, comparing it with the uniform of homeguards.

In 2012, when the SP government came to power, the khaki uniform was introduced replacing the traditional navy blue shorts/trousers for boys and skirts/salwars paired with sky blue shirt/tunics for girls.

Adityanath is said to be keen on rolling out the BJP's promise to provide free books, uniform, shoes and school bags to all poor students from July 1 to 10.
Observers point out that India inevitably finds itself doing a tight-rope walk in its ties between the two feuding neighbours Israel and Palestine.

New Delhi: In an obvious balancing act ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis forthcoming visit to Israel, which is expected to take place within the next couple of months, India will be hosting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who will begin a four-day state visit to India from Sunday, even as New Delhi reiterated its support to the Palestinian cause. As per indications, PM Modi may not visit Palestine either before or after his visit to Israel. The Palestinian Presidents invitation is taking place at the invitation of President Pranab Mukherjee who had visited both countries in 2015. Observers point out that India inevitably finds itself doing a tight-rope walk in its ties between the two feuding neighbours Israel and Palestine.

In a statement, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said, India and Palestine enjoy historically close and friendly ties. Apart from the political support to the Palestinian cause, India continues to support developmental projects in Palestine by extending technical and financial assistance. The visit will provide an opportunity for reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral relations, Middle East Peace Process, regional and international issues. MoUs on cooperation in various areas are expected to be signed during the visit. The MEA also said, This is the fifth visit and the third state visit to India by President Abbas. Earlier, he had substantive meetings with Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September 2015. During the visit, President Abbas will visit C-DAC in Noida on May 15 to forge cooperation between Palestine- India Techno Park. He will also visit India Islamic Cultural Centre in Delhi.

The MEA added, On May 16, President Abbas will be given a ceremonial guard of honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan followed by wreath laying by him at Mahatma Gandhis Samadhi, Raj Ghat. Rashtrapatiji (the President) will host a banquet in honour of H.E. Mahmoud Abbas. Delegation-level discussion with Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be held the same day. Vice-President M. Hamid Ansari and Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj will call on President Abbas during his stay in Delhi.

Mr. Abbas visit to Pakistan in February this year followed by a scheduled visit to Bangladesh had then triggered speculation on why he did not visit New Delhi. Speculation was rife then whether Palestine is miffed with Indias close ties with Israel during the current tenure of the Modi Government. Just last year in November, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin had visited New Delhi. India enjoys close defence ties with Israel and there are reports that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may visit Israel in June or July this year.
87 schools shut, 300 people evacuated.

Srinagar: Two civilians were killed and three others wounded, one of them critically, in Pakistans firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmirs Rajouri district on Saturday.

As the Indian troops responded to the latest ceasefire violation strongly and effectively, the exchange of fire involving use of 82 mm and 120 mm mortar shells besides small arms was underway between the facing Armies in Rajouris Nowshera and Manjakot sectors till reports last came in. Reports from Muzaffarabad said that seven civilians were injured in the Indian firing.

The firing by the Pakistani troops which began at 7.15 am on Saturday has also damaged several residential houses and other properties in Jhanger, Bhawani and Laam areas of Nowshera sector besides leaving livestock dead or injured. Rajouris DC Shahid Iqbal Choudhary told this newspaper over the phone, Firing is going on. The critically injured civilian has been referred to a Jammu hospital for advanced treatment. He said that in all eight villages in Nowshera sector and six in neighbouring Manjakot sector have been affected in the firing from across the LoC.

He also said that more than 300 border dwellers had shifted to safer locations following an earlier round of firing along the de facto border but others who may want to move out could not do it because the road leading to these villages is also in the line of fire. There are already more than 300 people in the camps but we cant evacuate others because the approach road is also in the line of fire. It would be risky to take them out of their dwellings while heavy firing is going on, Mr Choudhary said.

Police officials said that a mortar shell landed in a private house in Jhanger village soon after the Pakistani troops in their latest violation of November 2003 ceasefire started targeting the Indian forward posts and civilians areas on Saturday morning. This resulted in instant death of two persons and injuries to others. The Pakistani troops besides small arms used 82mm and 120mm mortars in Baba Khori and others areas along the LoC, said a police officer. Army and police sources said that the Indian troops responded effectively using the same calibre weapons. Confirming it, Jammu-based defence spokesman Lt. Col. Manish Mehta said, The own forces are retaliating to the unprovoked Pakistan firing strongly and effectively. He added, The Pakistani troops initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatic weapons, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars from 7.15 am.

Following the renewed skirmishes, the authorities have ordered immediate closure of all the educational institutions falling within two kilometres from the de facto border in Rajouri district.

Officials in Muzaffarabad, the capital of PoK, said that seven civilians including four women were injured in the Indian firing in Khuiratta and Charhoi sectors of Kotli district and Samahni sector of neighbouring Bhimber district. They added that the casualties could rise as shelling was continuing in some areas.

Pakistans Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement alleged that the Indian firing was unprovoked and said that the Pakistani troops are befittingly responding to it. Chaudhary Zulqarnain Sarfaraz, the SSP of Kotli, said that the Indian troops resumed shelling and targeting civilian populations at 7am (PST) without any provocation. He was quoted by Dawn newspaper as saying, The shelling had been intense and indiscriminate for about one and a half hours, but it has stopped now. However, Chaudhary Guftaar Hussain, the DC of Bhimber district, said that the firing and shelling was going on in Samahni sector.

On Wednesday night, a 35-year-old woman Akhtar Bi was killed and her husband Muhammad Hanief, 40, was critically injured in the Pakistani firing. About forty farm animals were also killed and 27 residential houses and a school were damaged in the firing and shelling from across the LoC in Laam area of Nowshera sector.

Next day, Pakistani authorities reported the death of a man and injuries to two other civilians including a woman in the Indian firing and shelling in PoK. Indian deputy high commissioner J.P. Singh was summoned to the foreign office in Islamabad over what the Pakistani authorities alleged were fresh ceasefire violations on the LoC and deliberate targeting of civilians by the Indian troops which it said was condemnable and contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws. The Pakistani authorities have said that the areas on their side of the LoC affected by firing fall in Tandar, Subzkot, Khuiratta, Baroh, Bagsar and Khanjar sectors.

Following the escalation, many border dwellers started leaving their homes and relocate to safer locations mainly in and around Nowshera town. In Rajouri district, the authorities ordered closure of all schools and other educational institutions falling within the two-kilometre range from the LoC as a precautionary measure. Also the schools where relief camps for the displaced border dwellers have been set up remained closed on the second consecutive day on Saturday. The district administration had earlier alerted emergency services to deal with the situation in view of the firing and resultant heightening tensions. Also, the authorities had, in the wake of Wednesdays firing, sounded an alert in several villages falling close to the LoC including Pukherni, Qila Darhal, Sarya, Khamba, Laam and Jhangar.

On Friday, a BSF man suffered minor injury when Pakistani Rangers violated the ceasefire along International Border (called working boundary by Pakistan). The government had in April informed Rajya Sabha that Pakistani security forces had violated the ceasefire 268 times in the last one year resulting into the death of nine persons. Replying to a question, minister of state for defence Subhash Bhamre had said that between April 2016 and March 2017, 88 violations were witnessed in November 2016 followed by 78 in October 2016 and 22 in March this year.
The woman, who was a divorcee, was allegedly kidnapped from Sonipat on May 9 and taken to Rohtak in a car, police said.

Sonipat (Har): A 23-year-old woman was gangraped and brutally murdered with her mutilated body being found in Rohtak district, police said on Saturday.

Stray dogs had bitten away the victim's face and lower portion of her body which was spotted by a passerby in the urban estate area of Rohtak on May 11, they said.

"Two persons, Sumit and Vikas, have been arrested in this connection," Sonipat sub-inspector, Ajay Malik said.

Sumit was an acquaintance of the victim, he said.

The woman, who was a divorcee, was allegedly kidnapped from Sonipat on May 9 and taken to Rohtak in a car, police said.

The victim's parents had lodged a missing complaint at Sonipat police station.

Malik said the woman was first raped and the suspects then hit her with a brick and smashed her face against a stone, adding that the victim sustained grievous head injuries.

The matter is being probed thoroughly, police added.
According to the police, the accused had allegedly been raped for the last two months by the peon of the orphanage whom she called bhaiya.

The police was probing into the case of the seven-year-old girl who has been admitted in the hospital in a serious condition after the accused, the eight-year-old girl, inserted her fingers in her private part. (Representational image/ PTI)

Bhopal: An accused, a minor girl, in a case involving sexual abuse of a seven-year-old girl in a government-run orphanage in Madhya Pradesh Katni district was found to be a victim of rape herself.

Police uncovered the plight of an eight-year-girl in the orphanage in Katni while probing into case of sexual assault on her friend, a seven-year-old girl, by her. The accused told us that she learnt it (of sexual abuse) from bhaiya who used to do it with her every night, Katni police said quoting the minor accused.

According to the police, the accused had allegedly been raped for the last two months by the peon of the orphanage whom she called bhaiya. When the girl complained of pain, the peon used to pacify her saying that it was good for health, the police said.

The police was probing into the case of the seven-year-old girl who has been admitted in the hospital in a serious condition after the accused, the eight-year-old girl, inserted her fingers in her private part.

The peon has been arrested. The accused in the molestation of the minor girl has been sent for counseling. She was brought to the orphanage by a NGO working for the cause of orphans after she lost her parents, police said. The injured girl was now out of danger, police said.
Rane, who holds the health portfolio, had contested the Goa Assembly polls in February this year on a Congress ticket.

Panaji: Goa minister Vishwajit Rane, who parted ways with the Congress after the Assembly polls, today claimed that the party would be wiped out under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Rane's comments came a day after the Congress filed a petition in the Bombay High Court seeking to restrain him from contesting the upcoming by-election.

Rane, who holds the health portfolio, had contested the Goa Assembly polls in February this year on a Congress ticket.

He later resigned from the post of MLA on March 16 to join the BJP and was inducted in the state cabinet.

"Nobody is interested in the Congress especially with failed leadership like that of Rahul Gandhi. The party will be white-washed in 2019," Rane told reporters here today.

Talking about the petition filed against him, Rane said he had not defected but resigned as Member of Legislative Assembly and would be facing a fresh mandate from the people.

Rane said the Congress, which has now been left "irrelevant" after it failed to form government, was "trying to grab headlines" by speaking against him.

The minister rubbished rumours about the instability of the Manohar Parrikar-led government.

"The government is stable and we all are working unitedly for the welfare of the people. Parrikar is firm in saddle," he said.

He said the Congress has lost its relevance in politics and was trying to make statements to defend itself under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi who was not available to any of us (then Congress MLAs) for talks after the party got 17 seats in Goa elections.

"His (Gandhi's) number was not reachable and that is the state of affairs of the Congress party for which he is responsible," he said.
Mishra is on an indefinite hunger strike demanding Arvind Kejriwal to make public the details of foreign tours of five AAP leaders.

New Delhi: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish on Saturday alleged that Kapil Mishra's hunger strike is sponsored by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Sacked Delhi Minister Mishra is on an indefinite hunger strike demanding the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal to make public the details of foreign tours of five AAP leaders- Satyendra Jain, Ashish Khetan, Raghav Chaddha, Sanjay Singh and Durgesh Pathak.

"We have just got the information that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Sanjeev Jha has been detained who also wanted to sit on a hunger strike demanding Mishra to provide proof of his allegations against Kejriwal," said Sisodia.

"This shows that one hunger strike (of Kapil Mishra) has been the backing of the BJP and police protection," alleged Sisodia.

He added that if Mishra couldn't provide proof to back his allegations then one could only laugh at his charges.

However, Delhi Police explained the reasons of Jha's arrest and said he was detained as he didn't obtain the permission to hold a hunger strike outside Kapil Mishra's residence.

After Mishra was sacked from Delhi Cabinet, he has waged an open war against the AAP and Kejriwal.

He also created ripples when he claimed that he had seen Kejriwal accepting Rs 2 crore in cash from Delhi Minister Satyendra Jain.
Siddiqui told reporters on Friday that since he knew how the BSP president functioned, he was apprehensive about his and his familys safety.

Lucknow: Expelled BSP leader Naseemuddin Siddiqui, on Friday asked chief minister Yogi Adityanath to restore his security since he feared a threat to his life from BSP president Mayawati. Mr Siddiqui told reporters on Friday that since he knew how the BSP president functioned, he was apprehensive about his and his familys safety.

Mr Siddiqui also refuted the charge that he had swindled the membership money of the party and played an audio recording of his conversation with BSP office secretary Mr Mittal in which the latter can be heard as saying that there are no dues pending against him.

He alleged that the BSP president was planning to forcibly make him sign blank papers and take away all his property and he had taped his conversations with her as a precautionary measure. The expelled leader said that he was now focusing his attention on the charges that Ms Mayawati was levelling against him.

Later I will call all my supporters, friends and colleagues who are planning to quit the BSP and then decide the future course, he said.

Replying to a question, he said that if any of the audio tapes he had played on Thursday were found to be tampered, he was willing o face action. He hit back at party supremo Mayawati, saying she was the all time greatest blackmailer the country had ever witnessed. She said that I blackmailed her, but there is no greater blackmailer than her, Mr Siddiqui said in a press briefing here. He flatly rejected the allegation made by Ms Mayawati, saying that the latter just got furious when he applied the trick of phone tapping on her, which was taught by Ms Mayawati herself.

I want to ask Mayawati that who was being blackmailed in the audio clip that was released by me yesterday, he said. He also accused Ms Mayawati for torturing a number of senior BSP leaders and forcing them to leave the party. A number of BSP leaders have been tortured. A few were humiliated and sacked form the party. Those who didnt leave were tortured to the extent that they were forced to leave the party, he said. Referring to the charges framed against him, Mr Siddiqui said that the BSP chief had a habit of framing new stories for saving herself.
We welcomed the challenge and requested the EC to allow us to pick up the EVMs used in the recent Assembly elections, said Sisodia.

Saurabh Bharadwaj demonstrates how an EVM can be manipulated at the special Delhi Assembly session convened by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday welcomed the Election Commission's (EC) decision to throw a 'challenge' to the political parties to prove that the electronic voting machines (EVMs) were tampered with, in the recent polls.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia, who took part in an all-party meet called by the EC for a discussion on the reliability of EVMs, claimed that the devices could be hacked.

"We welcomed the challenge and requested the EC to allow us to pick up the EVMs used in the recent Assembly elections. We will hack them as we have demonstrated in the Delhi Assembly that such a machine can be tampered with," he told reporters after the meeting.

Sisodia, however, expressed reservation over the outcome of the 'challenge', saying the EC should rather go for a 'hackathon', which will allow experts and technocrats to point out the 'shortcomings' in the EVMs.

"We suggested to the EC that it should conduct a hackathon, which will give an opportunity to the experts to find faults with the machines. A hackathon will enable the poll panel to weed out any shortcoming in the EVMs and make them foolproof," he said.

The EC stuck to its stand that the EVMs could not be tampered with, even though almost all the political parties expressed doubts over the reliability of the machines, added Sisodia.

"It is not a question of our defeat or the EC's victory. The real issue is that if there is any shortcoming in the EVMs, it should concern everyone," he said.

Sisodia hailed the EC's decision to use EVMs equipped with the voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) system in the upcoming elections.

"We welcome the decision to use VVPAT-equipped EVMs in the coming elections. However, we suggested that there should be a mandatory counting of VVPAT slips in 25 per cent of the booths in every Assembly constituency," he said.
The bench passed the direction while issuing notice to Ministry of Urban Development, the DDA and Delhi govt.

The plea contended there are thousands of EWS seats vacant in private schools on DDA land but the information about the same is not available in public domain. (Representational Image)

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday directed the AAP government to ensure strict compliance of a 2013 order of the Directorate of Education to display updated

vacancy details of seats in schools under economically weaker section (EWS) and general category on its website.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Anu Malhotra passed the direction while issuing notice to the Ministry of Urban Development, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the Delhi government and fixed July 7 as the next

date of hearing.

The order came on a petition filed by NGO Justice for All seeking the Directorate of Education's August 5, 2013 order by which the Delhi government was directed to display the total number of seats in all classes in a school, besides total vacancies, including that of EWS category.

The plea contended there are thousands of EWS seats vacant in private schools on DDA land but the information about the same is not available in public domain.

The plea said because of this non availability, EWS students, who are unaware about the vacancies, are unable to approach the schools for admission.

The petition filed by advocate Khagesh Jha has sought a direction to the Delhi government to frame a mechanism to mention the manner, schedule and grievance redressal system for admission of children belonging to EWS category in recognised unaided private schools on DDA land.
Next expose will jolt people of Delhi, claims Kapil.

Sacked AAP MLA Kapil Mishra breaks down during his visit to Rajghat as he continues his hungerstrike in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Sacked Delhi minister Kapil Mishras mother on Friday urged chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to learn to fear God and said he should have no qualms in revealing details of foreign tours undertaken by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders.

After his removal as a minister and his suspension from the party, Mr Mishra launched a fast demanding that the AAP divulge details of foreign trips made by five leaders of the party. The AAP, in turn, has accused him of following a script penned by the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Mr Mishra on Friday also claimed that his next expose will rattle the people of Delhi who trusted the Aam Aadmi Party.

During the day, Mr Mishra visited Rajghat, where he had made startling allegations of corruption against Mr Kejriwal on Sunday.

On Thursday, several AAP leaders had tweeted a picture in which Mr Mishra was seen sitting with Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari. The ousted ministers mother, Annapurna Mishra, a former mayor of Delhi, claimed that the picture was clicked at an event to felicitate senior AAP leader Kumar Vishwas father. In an open letter to Mr Kejriwal, she said he and his Cabinet colleagues had attended the event.

She said it was Mr Kejriwal who pursued her to convince Mr Mishra to join politics despite the latter not being interested. In her letter, she also alleged that the AAP national convenors men had started calling her corrupt while he has maintained a stoic silence over the issue.

You wanted him (Mr Mishra) to fight elections but he wasnt agreeing. Then you had come to me saying you needed Kapil. Today, your own people are calling me corrupt and you are quiet, she said.

Ms Mishra claimed that she was one who organised the first mohalla sabha in Delhi in 2007.

She reminded the Delhi chief minister that he too had attended it and even mentioned it in his book Swaraj.

You had said that when the AAP MLAs had their first meeting at the Constitution Club after winning 28 seats, they were shown a video of a mohalla sabha organised by me, she said.

The former mayor also accused Mr Kejriwal of spreading lies regarding her son. She said her son was only an agent of truth and would keep soldering on as he was very stubborn.
Police said that the accused had a heated argument with the nurse after he allegedly refused to give him an additional bed-sheet.

Mumbai: Relative of a patient attacked a male nurse with scissors at the Railway hospital in central Mumbai in the early hours of the morning on Saturday, police said. Ramesh Govardhan Pawra (25), who works at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Railway Hospital in Byculla, was injured in the incident.

Police said that the accused Dattatray Raghunath Lote (34), a relative of a patient admitted at the hospital, had a heated argument with the nurse after Pawra allegedly refused to give him an additional bed-sheet.

Lote grabbed scissors lying nearby and stabbed Pawra in the chest, left arm and head, causing serious injuries.

Some staff members came to the nurse's rescue before Lote could do more damage.

Byculla police arrested Lote under section 353 of IPC (assault to deter public servant from discharge of duty).
The NIA said that in its chargesheet, the agency had already informed the court last May that witnesses had retracted their statements.

Mumbai: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday filed its reply in a special court on 2008 Malegaon blasts accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakurs discharge application, stating that it has no objection to the discharge of Thakur.

The NIA said that in its chargesheet, the agency had already informed the court last May that witnesses had retracted their statements. The NIA also said that it did not find any evidence to prosecute her.

Recently, the Bombay high court granted bail to Thakur in the Malegaon bomb blast case on the grounds that there was lack of evidence against her.

After the HC granted her bail on April 25, Thakur moved the discharge application before the special MCOCA court on May 3. After receiving her discharge application, the court had directed the NIA to file its reply on her plea.

The court will hear the arguments on the Thakurs discharge application on May 29.

The NIA had already given her a clean chit when it had filed the supplementary chargesheet in the MCOCA court. The agency did not charge Thakur and five others. It also dropped sections of MCOCA against her.

In her discharge application, Thakur has contended that the UPA government had filed a fabricated case against her. She has also pointed out that even the high court while granting her bail has observed that there is no prima facie case made out against her.

Thakurs discharge plea claims that there is no evidence with the investigating agency to prosecute her.
The petition requires at least 100,000 signatures before May 14.

Mumbai: The mother and friends of former Navy officer, Kulbhushan Jadhav (46), who was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court last month, have started an online campaign to demand freedom for him. The online petition, To save Kulbhushan Jadhav was initiated on April 14 and has so far drawn 57,312 signatures.

Jadhavs friend, Balbir Singh, a Powai-based businessman associated with the petition told The Asian Age that once it draws 100,000 signatures by May 14, the US administration under President Donald Trump may intervene to free Jadhav from Pakistani captivity on charges related to spying.

The petition is hosted by a US-based website run by Indians based there. Execution of the Pakistani military court verdict was stayed on Tuesday by the UN International Court of Justice. Singh told this newspaper, It is now the need of the hour to save my friend; he is innocent and we demand his freedom.

We do not want to leave any stone unturned; we want to see him back in India, and thats what his family and I are wishing, he said. Asked whether the response to the online petition would make any dent in his case, Singh said, That is the reason we have chosen this online petition so that it will create an effect since now, everything if on the Internet. It is a genuine attempt to regain Jadhavs freedom.

The Asian Age could not speak to Jadhavs mother despite attempts.

Meanwhile, the online petition says, Allegations against Jadhav that he was spying for India are totally false and fabricated. The petition requires at least 100,000 signatures before May 14 to qualify for a response from the Trump administration. This petition seeks justice for Jadhav, an Indian citizen and ex-naval officer aged about 46 years, who was abducted from Iran and taken to Pakistan.

In view of the above, I humbly request appropriate and capable authorities to intervene in the matter and make sure that Jadhav doesn't get punished for the act, which he never committed, the petition further reads.
The actress will be sharing screen space with 'The Big Bang Theory' star Jim Parsons in the film.

Mumbai: It seems that our desi girl Priyanka Chopra is all set to make USA, her new abode.

Priyanka Chopra had claimed during her recent, brief visit to India that she has locked three Bollywood films. And with her name getting linked for a film with Sanjay Leela Bhansali and a biopic on Kalpana Chawla, we were anticipating an announcement soon.

However, surprisingly, instead of a Bollywood film, the actress has apparently signed a Hollywood film.

Hollywood producer Paul Bernon wrote on Twitter that he is producing a film which will also star Priyanka Chopra among other actors, by sharing a website link containing all the details of the film.

Jim Parsons, who plays the character of Sheldon Cooper in the popular television series The Big Bang Theory is also a part of the cast, and Priyanka will be seen sharing screen space with him and other members of the cast including Claire Danes, Octavia Spencer, Ann Dowd and Michaela Watkins.

The film A Kid Like Jake is based on Daniel Pearles play of the same name.

Priyanka reportedly plays the character of Amal, who is a single mother in the film.

This is the actress' third international project after the television series 'Quantico' and the Hollywood film 'Baywatch.'
Bringing Sri Lanka back into Indias sphere of influence in the regions geopolitics may be a greater priority.

There was more sound than light to Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Sri Lanka. Though the trip was meant to be more ceremonial, with heavy religious overtones as it was tied to the International Vesak Day celebrations, there was a diplomatic victory of sorts as Colombo had just denied berthing facilities for a Chinese submarine. This might be a temporary setback for China, that is hosting the far bigger Belt and Road Summit in Beijing, but India might take heart that its wooing of Sri Lanka appears to be paying dividends with President Maithripala Sirisena in command. Mr Modis emphasis on ancient Buddhist links, stressing Indias importance as Buddhas birthplace as opposed to modern Chinas anti-religious stand, might do more for progress in ties, with direct Varanasi-Colombo flights likely to help too.

With Mr Modis heavy Tamil-friendly rhetoric, keeping the highest praise for Sri Lankas celebrated symbol of religious diversity in Tamil spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and former Tamil Nadu CM MGR, it may have come as some disappointment that the festering issue of Tamil Nadus fishermen detained regularly by the Colombo government never came up for serious discussion. New Delhis perception may vary greatly from what Tamil Nadu feels, as its fishermen are the ones under pressure, but New Delhi may not have done as much as it could to resolve the matter. Of course, bringing Sri Lanka back into Indias sphere of influence in the regions geopolitics may be a greater priority. That much was made quite clear by Mr Modis trip to Colombo and Kandy.
Gujarat has more than six crore people, but there have been more foreigners in Indias Army than Gujaratis.

Are there Gujarati martyrs? Former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav offended some people by asking if any Gujaratis had fought and died for the country. He made the comment after Kashmiri officer Lt. Ummer Fayaz Parray was killed in the Valley.

The answer to Mr Yadavs question is: a few, but not many. And the reason is that not many Gujaratis join the Army. I had researched this a few years ago. In 2009, only 719 Gujaratis enrolled in an Army of over 10 lakh soldiers. This number was a record and the highest ever sent from Gujarat and it came after a big awareness campaign. In the preceding two years, 2008 and 2007, the number of Gujarati recruits was only 230.

Gujarat has more than six crore people, but there have been more foreigners in Indias Army than Gujaratis. This is a fact. Nepal, a nation less than half the size of Gujarat, has sent many times more soldiers to fight for India than Gujaratis. The Gurkha regiments are in fact one of the finest fighting units anywhere in the world.

In contrast, Gujarat has no tradition of soldiery and this is not totally unique. Recruitment to the Army in India and also in Pakistan is unevenly spread. Ghalib said that sau pusht se, hai pesha-e-aaba sipahgari (for 100 generations, the profession in my family has been soldiery). No Gujarati community can say that, though Marathas, Punjabis and Gurkhas can say it.

This has nothing to do with being brave; it has mostly to do with opportunity and then tradition. The British raised most of their mercenary Army from the parts that they originally captured. There are some exceptions. The British turned to the Punjabi Hindu, Muslim and Sikh in large numbers after the 1857 Mutiny, which involved the Bengal Army. These Punjabis were mostly Jats (it was observed by many in the Pakistan Army that Gen. Zia-ul Haq came from the non-martial Arain community). However, most of the recruitment had begun much before the Mutiny.

Near my house, which is in a military area in Bengaluru, the Madras Sappers unit was raised and has continuously served the Indian Army since 1780. When such a long tradition is established, the work is carried on from father to son. This is not possible in areas which have no historical recruitment.

There are some martial communities in Gujarat, and these are the ones that join the Army. Among them as the durbar (Rajput) communities, with names like Jadeja and Solanki. And so the number of martyrs cannot be zero, even though it is few. Another reason Gujarat has produced few soldiers is that it has not seen much war.

Gujarat was conquered by Alauddin Khilji in 1297. After this, though there was some fighting in Gujarat, very little of it involved Gujaratis. The northern Muslims fought among each other till Akbar took Ahmedabad and the Mughals kept Gujarat. Then the Marathas captured large parts of it, and they still hold onto Baroda. Then the English took over, starting at Surat. In very little of this fighting were Gujaratis, whether, Hindu, Muslim or Parsi, involved.

Another reason for the lack of Gujaratis in the Army is that the state has a powerful mercantile ethic. This stresses pragmatism and does not give much importance to honour. Many martial communities will scoff at this ethic but it is the reason Gujarat has produced great businessmen. The ability to compromise instead of standing fixed on honour is also the reason Gujarat has produced many great statesmen. Before Independence, three of Indias four greatest political figures  Gandhi, Jinnah and Patel  were Gujaratis.

One of the interesting ways in which this culture showed today is in my caste of Patidars. We have, along with the Jats of Haryana, one of the lowest sex ratios of any community in India and often female foetuses are aborted or little girls strangled at birth. This is a matter of great shame and Patidars must correct it. However, unlike the Jats, Patidars do not do honour killing, meaning murdering adult women who marry their lover. And the reason is that the mercantile ethic does not value honour.

It is fine for people to be offended at Mr Yadavs statement, but it is based on some fact and reality. Gujaratis need not feel ashamed of the lack of this martial tradition. They contribute to their country in other ways. And of course, they can also claim that while they may not have produced many martyrs, they produced the greatest one: Gandhi.
Google search results come with an events box wherein the queries can be fed.

Event details drawn from websites like Eventbrite and Meetup show up in the Google search and the user can zero in on the one that suits him/her.

Make time to chillax in the evenings, Google takes care of the rest. What Google has come up for its US customers is really fantastic  a local event add-on on the app and mobile site. With Google search results come an events box wherein the queries can be fed. Going by its tweet, the tech behemoth mostly has an answer to any inquiry from yoga to live music to art in the vicinity.

Event details drawn from websites like Eventbrite and Meetup show up in the Google search and the user can zero in on the one that suits him/her. The at-a-glance info comprises event name, date, time and location. There is an option to search for an event taking place for a future date, say tomorrow or next week.

The more refined the search, the more are the chances to spot an exciting happening in the place you wanted to be. As The Verge explains, searching for things like art events this weekend will now show a simple, organised list of nearby matches. Google also allows for more specific searches, so youll be able to search for things like jazz concerts in Austin next week and get similarly filtered results.
The theatre was opened as part of the The White House's self-guided tours in the East Wing.

Washington: The White House for the first time on Saturday opened its movie theatre for general public after US First Lady Melania Trump called for it.

The theatre was opened as part of the The White House's self-guided tours in the East Wing.

"The White House belongs to the people of this country. I believe everyone who takes the time to visit and tour the White House should have as much access to its rich history and wonderful traditions as possible. It is my hope that our visitors truly enjoy the newest piece of the tour," said the First Lady.

In July 1942, the East Terrace cloakroom was converted into a movie theatre under the direction of the then President Franklin D Roosevelt.

In 1982-1983, during the Reagan administration, a major remodelling introduced 51 seats in tiered rows.

The most recent refurbishment in 2004-2005 was inspired by theatre interiors of the early 20th century.

To commemorate today's opening, the White House Visitors Office passed out White House candy to children and spoke with some of the visitors. "The history of this is all so exciting. To think that so many Presidents and their families have watched movies or entertained guests in this room, and to be one of the first to see it is just amazing," said Ginna Felts from Nashville, Tennessee.

"We're witnessing history!" exclaimed Dan White, visiting from Denver, Colorado, who was especially excited by the movie theatre.
PM Modi ends Sri Lanka trip with swipe at Pakistan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the gathering at the UN celebration of Vesak ceremony or Buddha Purnima in Colombo. (Photo: AP)

Colombo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that Buddhisms message of peace was the answer to the growing arc of violence as he voiced concern over the challenge to world peace from mindsets rooted in hate and violence.

Lord Buddhas message is as relevant in the 21st century as it was two and a half millennia ago, Mr Modi said at the International Vesak Day celebrations in Colombo where he was speaking as the chief guest.

Mr Modi said the ideologies of hate and their proponents in the region were closed to the notion of dialogue and hence only open to causing death and destruction.

The menace of terrorism in our region is a concrete manifestation of this destructive emotion, he said, apparently referring to Pakistan, which is accused of aiding and training terrorists who carry out attacks inside India.

Mr Modi arrived here on Thursday on a two-day visit, which is mainly aimed at reinforcing the traditional connect between India and Sri Lanka at a time when China is seeking to make inroads in the island nation.

The biggest challenge to sustainable world peace today is not necessarily from conflict between the nation states, he said, adding that it was from the mindsets, thought streams, entities and instruments rooted in hate and violence.

Mr Modi said he believed that Buddhisms message of peace is the answer to growing arc of violence all over the world.

The themes of social justice and sustainable world peace, chosen for the Vesak day, resonate deeply with Buddhas teachings. The themes may appear independent. But, they are both deeply interdependent and interconnected, Mr Modi said.

Lankan President Maithripala Srisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, diplomats, politicians and several Buddhist leaders from across the world were in audience.

Vesak Day is a day celebrated by Buddhists around the world to commemorate the birth, enlightenment, and death of Buddha.

Our region is blessed to have given to the world the invaluable gift of Buddha and his teachings, he said, adding that Buddhism and its various strands are deep seated in our governance, culture and philosophy.

He said the countries of south, central, southeast and east Asia are proud of their Buddhist links traced to the land of Buddha.

PM Modi assured Indias support to Sri Lanka for the islands nation-building endeavours. He said that he believes that both India and Sri Lanka were at a moment of great opportunity in their relationships.

You will find in India a friend and partner that will support your nation-building endeavours, he said.

My conversations with President Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe have only reinforced our will to join hands in achieving our common goals, he added.

On Vesak, my hope is that India and Sri Lanka will work together to uphold the ideals of Lord Buddha and promote values of peace, accommodation, inclusiveness, and compassion, he said, adding let us dedicate our efforts to follow the path of Buddha whose light shines all over the world.

Mr Modi, on his second visit to Sri Lanka in two years, was earlier received by his Sri Lankan counterpart Wickremesinghe at the venue amid traditional fanfare.

The Prime Minister lit a lamp  a traditional practice  initiating the UN Vesak Day celebrations. Several Buddhist monks chanted prayers during which Mr Modi closed his eyes and kept his hands folded.

Speaking at the event, Mr Wickremesinghe thanked Mr Modi for being the chief guest at the event.

Proud to host Vesak Day celebrations in Colombo. I want to thank Prime Minister Modi for being the chief guest during the celebrations, Mr Wickremesinghe said.

Teachings of Buddhism are relevant in todays world. Buddhism shows a moderate path and need to consolidate social justice, he said.
Bajwa visited troops deployed along the LoC in Nikial sector, Pakistan Army's media wing said in a statement.

Islamabad: Amid border tension, Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Saturday toured some areas along the Line of Control, two weeks after a similar visit which was followed by the beheading of two Indian soldiers.

Bajwa visited troops deployed along the LoC in Nikial sector, Pakistan Army's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

He was briefed about the ground situation by a commander.

"He (Bajwa) appreciated high state of operational readiness, effective response to Indian ceasefire violations and high morale of troops," the ISPR said.

Bajwa was accompanied by commander Rawalpindi Corps Lieutenant General Nadeem Raza.

The LoC has been witnessing exchange of fire between Indian and Pakistani troops for the last several weeks.

On May 1, two Indian security personnel were beheaded, a day after Bajwa visited some areas along the LoC and promised support to the Kashmiris.

The soldiers killed were Naib Subedar Paramjeet Singh of 22 Sikh Infantry and Head Constable Prem Sagar of 200th Battalion of BSF.
Two-day meeting in Beijing from today; besides Pak, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangla, Myanmar attending.

New Delhi: India indicated late on Saturday evening that it is boycotting the two-day One Belt One Road (OBOR) conference in Beijing starting from Sunday without expressly saying so and said its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity  regarding the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)  had been ignored.

In a statement that pointed out that the CPEC is being projected as the flagship project of the OBOR, India said, No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity.

New Delhi also indicated it had concerns about other issues that include whether the economic benefits will be distributed in an equitable manner and also the financial viability of the projects.

Pointing out that it had initiated several connectivity projects of its own, India said it has been urging China to engage in a meaningful dialogue on the OBOR and that it is looking forward to a positive response, thereby clearly indicating that the OBOR in its current form is not acceptable to New Delhi.

In a detailed statement, New Delhi said, Regarding the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is being projected as the flagship project of the BRI/OBOR, the international community is well aware of Indias position. No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity. ... Connectivity projects must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The ministry of external affairs (MEA) said, We had received formal invitation to participate in the 6 separate forums that China is organising as part of the Belt and Road Forum being held in Beijing on May 14-16, 2017. We are of firm belief that connectivity initiatives must be based on universally recognised international norms, good governance, rule of law, openness, transparency and equality. Connectivity initiatives must follow principles of financial responsibility to avoid projects that would create unsustainable debt burden for communities. ... India shares international communitys desire for enhancing physical connectivity and believes that it should bring greater economic benefits to all in an equitable and balanced manner.

India further said, Expansion and strengthening of connectivity is an integral part of Indias economic and diplomatic initiatives. Under the Act East policy, we are pursuing the Trilateral Highway project; under our Neighbourhood First policy we are developing multimodal linkages with Myanmar and Bangladesh; under our Go West strategy, we are engaged with Iran on Chabahar Port and with Iran and other partners in Central Asia on International North South Transport Corridor.

The MEA added, Guided by our principled position in the matter, we have been urging China to engage in a meaningful dialogue on its connectivity initiative, One Belt, One Road which was later renamed as Belt and Road Initiative. We are awaiting a positive response from the Chinese side.

The boycott of the conference is also being interpreted by some as an apparent retaliation to the Chinese snub on the NSG membership and Masood Azhar issues. China had been extremely keen that India attend the conference. But India has been infuriated over the Chinese move to block Indias membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) through the fig-leaf of demanding a policy first on admission of non-NPT signatory nations and also blocking UN sanctions on Pakistan-based terrorist Masood Azhar.

Chinese scholars have been issuing dire warnings on how India would be isolated since both the United States and even South Asian countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka have decided to participate in the OBOR meet. But New Delhi seems unfazed.

China is planning to invest billions of its Yuan currency in constructing railways, waterways and highways as part of its OBOR initiative. The proposed OBOR comprises two corridors, one on land, and the other maritime. The land corridors will be part of the Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB), with corridors through Central, West and South Asia which will link China with Europe. This is coined on the ancient Silk road through which successive great ancient Chinese empires traded with the Romans who greatly prized silk, then the premium Chinese product.

The modern proposed SREB will forge Chinas links with western Europe through Central Asia and Russia, and with the Mediterranean through West Asia. Further, it will also ensure access to the Indian Ocean through the much shorter land route through Pakistan that passes through PoK culminating in the port of Gwadar in Pakistans restive Balochistan province.



The second part of the OBOR comprises an ambitious plan for sea-routes connecting China with south-east Asia and onward to Africa supplemented by rail and road networks for which Beijing has heavily invested in Africa.

India, which is also uneasy about Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean and in nations  apart from Pakistan  in the region which include Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, the Maldives and even land-locked Nepal, has its own deep engagement with the ASEAN nations in South-east Asia and the African continent as part of the India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) initiative.

The OBOR is the brainchild of Chinese President Xi Jinping who reportedly first outlined the concept in Kazakhstan in September, 2013, and then in Indonesia in October, 2013.
'It is time that hard decisions are taken, and the historical mistake known as the Durand Line is set right', said EP Vice President.

Pakistan maintained that it had killed 50 soldiers and injured more than 100, Afghanistan contended that only 2 had died. (Representational Image/AP)

Brussels: Describing the Afghanistan-Pakistan region as the breeding ground for international terrorism, European Parliament (EP) Vice President Ryszard Czarnecki has said there is a need for the European Union and the United States to review their respective Afghan policy to foster long-term peace in the region, rather than pouring millions of Euros in aid to Afghanistan, and trying to win a war that cannot be won.

In an opinion piece titled "Time to Revisit the Durand Line" published in EP Today, Czarnecki warned that Pakistan will continue to interfere and destabilize areas across the Durand Line, with the objective of retaining control over it as it borders Afghanistan.

He suggests that there is an immediate need for the west to take a hard look at this artificial border, and restore the natural and historical frontier between these two countries for the sake of peace in the region.

"Balochistan and portions of the Pashtun-dominated tribal areas of Pakistan that were forcefully taken away and merged into British India need to be restored to their earlier status as the sovereign territory of Afghanistan," he said.

Czarnecki said the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Centre in New York was a wake-up call for the West to re-visit its policy. Instead, they decided to send their troops to counter militants and allowed roots of the problem to fester.

"Since 2001, thousands of U.S. and European troops have lost their lives in Afghanistan and will continue to do so as long as we choose to bury our heads in the sand," he added.

Restive Afghanistan has the potential of adversely impacting the security and stability of its neighborhood, and the world at large, he warns in the article.

"It is time that hard decisions are taken, and the historical mistake known as the Durand Line is set right," he said.

Maintaining that relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have deteriorated sharply over the years, Czarnecki says frequent border skirmishes are a manifestation of the inherent friction between both countries due to differences over the Durand Line.

To back his view, he cites the incident of May 7 at the Chaman border in Balochistan, when firing by the Pakistan Army resulted in the death of Afghan soldiers.

"While Pakistan maintained that it had killed 50 soldiers and injured more than 100, Afghanistan contended that only 2 had died. This incident was in retaliation to an earlier one in which 9 persons were killed and 45 injured on the Pak side, when Afghan border forces fired at Pakistan security personnel guarding a census team," he said.

Emphasizing that Afghanistan has always viewed the Durand Line as an artificial border imposed on them by the British colonial rulers of India, Czarnecki says the Durand Line was an attempt by British India to secure for itself strategic depth and a buffer against Russian advances into the Indian subcontinent through Afghanistan.

He said this artificial border drawn by the British in 1893 resulted in the formal cessation of vast tracts of what is now Balochistan and Pashtun-dominated areas belonging to Afghanistan to British India.

"During the last days of the British colonial rule, the Pashtuns residing on the British Indian side of the Durand Line, led by Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, popularly known as 'Frontier Gandhi', opposed the creation of Pakistan," he said.

"Pashtun identity was driven by nationalism rather than religion, and hence was not able to come to terms with the idea of a 'Muslim' Pakistan. However, when it became clear that the British rulers would not agree to the Pashtun demand for accession to India, they demanded Pakhtunistan instead, a separate homeland for the Pashtuns, a demand supported by Afghanistan. Britain was, however, keen to create a strong Pakistan, and hence, unwilling to undo the historical injustice that the Durand Line represented. Thus, the Pashtun-dominated North Western Frontier Province (NWPF) became a part of Pakistan," he added.

Czarnecki said that successive Afghan government have refused to recognize the Durand Line as the international border between Afghanistan and Pakistan since the creation of Pakistan in 1947.

He further said that Pakistan has done everything possible to preserve the status quo, not allowing a strong government in Afghanistan, capable of challenging the validity of the existing border, assisting its proxies set up the government in Kabul and limiting the influence of countries like the U.S, Russia or India, which could pose a challenge to its domination.

Czarnecki alleged that the Pashtun and Baloch areas have been deliberately neglected within Pakistan, promoting infighting among these ethnic groups, and reducing them to being mere recruiting grounds for militants, thereby enabling Islamabad to maintain its strategic relevance in the region.

"However all Afghan governments, including the Pak-supported Taliban regime, have resisted all moves by Pakistan to formalise the Durand Line.

According to former Taliban Ambassador to Pakistan, Mullah Abdul Salam Zaif, during the Taliban rule between 1996 and 2001, Pakistan tried three times to formalize the border, but was unsuccessful on each occasion.

The recent decision by Pakistan to start fencing the border, and resultant cross-border firing by Afghan forces, is a continuation of this process," he said.

Czarnecki said that Pakistan security agencies in an effort to maintain its strategic depth in Afghanistan have used terror groups as proxies to keep the country unstable and weak.

He noted that a decade of instability along this border has led to a situation where the Pakistani state has lost effective control of its western border, allowing local tribesmen to easily cross back and forth between the two countries.

"As long as this demarcation, which was initially drawn to mark areas of influence rather than as an international border, is given sanctity by the international community, Pakistan will continue to play its own 'great game' in this area, even if it is at the cost of peace in the region," he said.

Czarnecki said that this historical mistake, or more precisely the historical mischief, committed by British colonial rulers by dividing the Pashtun homeland, has been perpetuated in recent years by the U.S. and other Western countries for their strategic interests.

He added, however, over the years, the effect of instability prevailing on both sides of the Durand line is no longer limited to the region, having now spilled over also the western world.

"Continuous flows of Afghan refugees into Europe and terrorist incidents with links to the Af-Pak region are the consequences.

In 2015, new refugee applications filed by Afghans touched 175,000, second only to the Syrians," he said.
The gang was busted following an eight-month long joint operation by the UK Metropolitan Police and officers in Romania.

The girl, who was lured by the couple into London, was forced into prostitution and was made to involve in sexual activity with 15 men in a day. (Representational Image/PTI)

London: A Romanian couple have been jailed for forcing a 14-year-old girl into having sex with fifteen men in a day.

According to a report in Daily Mail, Romelia Florentina Radu and Petre Niculescu have each been sentenced to 14 years in jail over a series of abuses involving the child and eight other women.

The girl, who was lured by the couple into London, was forced into prostitution and was made to involve in sexual activity with 15 men in a day. The couple used to verbally and physically abuse the girl and threatened to harm her family and burn her room up if she refused.

"They would slap me, push me and grab my hair. Many times I was left with bruises and marks on my body," the girl said in a statement.

The couple had also lured eight other women with the promise of providing work in shops and restaurants.

According to the report, the girl, who belonged to a poor family, was forced to wear revealing clothes and put on makeup so as to attract customers.

"Many times it was painful and I was disgusted," the girl said.

A police investigation was initiated after a 41-year-old woman managed to escape and inform the cops. The woman was forced to have sex with 10 men per night.

The gang was busted following an eight-month long joint operation by the UK Metropolitan Police and officers in Romania.

Another man, George Maracineanu, was also arrested and jailed for two years and eight months for handing over a woman to the couple.

The victims usually belonged to poor families and were promised better jobs and a better life. They were under the threat of getting their families as well as themselves harmed if they objected.

Police also discovered that the 14-year-old was one particular victim who was harassed violently and many of her indecent pictures were circulated to attract potential clients.
Poor, illiterate shepherd children had visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago.

Fatima, Portugal: Pope Francis and pilgrims from around the world are flocking to a Catholic shrine town in Portugal to honour two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church.

Francis arrives on Friday to celebrate the centenary of the apparitions and canonise the children. He is hoping the message of peace that they reported 100 years ago, when Europe was in the throes of World War I, would resonate with the Catholic faithful on Friday.

Thousands of pilgrims, waving flags from as far as Venezuela, Argentina and Cuba, braved a steady cold rain as they waited for him, many spending the night outdoors to make sure they had a good spot.

Over the past several days, church groups, families and individuals have made their way to Fatima, about 150km north of Lisbon, some completing the final leg of the pilgrimage on their knees in prayer. Carrying candles, rosaries and roses, they have made their way to the statue dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima or tossed wax body parts ears, hearts, limbs into a huge fire to pray for healing.

For me it is the second time I am here with a pope, first with John Paul II and now with Papa Francisco, said pilgrim Elisabete Fradique Conceicao in between rain showers. They are simple men and that simplicity makes sense when you think what happened here 100 years ago.

On May 13, 1917, while they were grazing their sheep, the children saw the first of a half-dozen visions of the Virgin Mary. They said she revealed to them three secrets apocalyptic messages foreshadowing World War II, hell, the rise and fall of communism and the death of a pope and urged them to pray for peace and turn away from sin. At first doubted by the local Catholic Church and even their parents, the childrens story gained believers and was eventually accepted as an authentic apparition by the church in 1930. The children being canonised, brother and sister Francisco and Jacinta Marto, who were 9 and 7 at the time of the apparitions, died of influenza two years later. Their cousin, Lucia dos Santos, at 10 the ringleader of the group and who became the main raconteur of their tale, is on track for beatification, the first step toward becoming a saint. Her case couldnt begin until after her death in 2005.

Francis deputy, Cardial Pietro Parolin, said that the importance of Fatima lies specifically in the fact that poor, illiterate children not the wealthy learned or intellectuals were able to convey a powerful message of love and forgiveness at a time of war when the talk was of hatred, vendetta, hostilities.

Fatima has long been associated with St John Paul II, given the Polish-born pope credited the Virgin Mary with having saved his life in 1981, when a would-be assassin shot him on Fatimas feast day May 13 in St Peters Square. John Paul made the first of his three pilgrimages to Fatima the following May, and one of the bullets fired at him now adorns the crown of the Madonna at the shrine.

Like John Paul, the Argentinian-born Francis is exceedingly devoted to the Madonna, thanks in large part to the strong role that Marian devotions play in the popular piety of Latin American Catholics.
The accident occurred in a hilly road and the bus plunged into a precipice after smashing through the crash barrier.

20 fatalities and 11 other seriously injured in a bus crash in southwest Turkey tourist town. (Representational Image/AP)

Istanbul: At least 20 people died and 11 were injured Saturday when a bus carrying Turkish tourists plunged off a road near the southwestern sea resort of Marmaris.

"Sadly, we have had 20 fatalities and 11 other seriously injured," said Amir Cicek, the governor of Mugla province, who said the bus was carrying about 40 people, many of whom were women.

The accident occurred in a hilly road and the bus plunged into a precipice after smashing through the crash barrier.

Television reports showed that the bus landed on a lower section of the road, and Cicek said NTV television that an investigation was underway.

"The bus's brakes may have malfunctioned," he said.

The Hurriyet newspaper quoted Marmaris mayor Ali Acar as indicating an "error by the driver", without giving further details.

Other media outlets reported that the bus left from the western city of Izmir carrying only women and children who were on a trip for Mothers' Day, celebrated in Turkey on Sunday.

Marmaris is one of the country's main resorts on the Mediterranean, and a popular weekend destination for many Turks as temperatures climb.
Two gunmen riding on motorbikes opened fire on a group of construction workers in Peshukan Ganz neighbourhood of Gwadar.

Quetta: Gunmen on motorbikes opened fire on construction workers, killing 10 in Pakistan's restive southwestern province of Balochistan, officials said Saturday.

Mineral-rich Balochistan has been plagued for decades by a separatist insurgency and sectarian killings and gunmen have previously targeted labourers seen as outsiders in the region.

"Two gunmen riding on motorbikes opened fire on a group of construction workers in Peshukan Ganz neighbourhood of Gwadar," local administration official Munir Zamari said.

"One worker sustained injuries and he is being treated at a local hospital," he added.

The incident was confirmed by another administration official Naeem Bazai, who said that all the workers were from Sindh province.

Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Balochistan is the largest of Pakistan's four provinces, but its roughly seven million inhabitants have long complained they do not receive a fair share of its gas and mineral wealth.

A greater push towards peace and development by Pakistani authorities has reduced the violence considerably in recent years.

The push includes starting work on a massive Chinese infrastructure project the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor which gives Beijing a route to the Arabian Sea through Balochistan's deep sea port of Gwadar.
It was the dining hall of the Buddhist temple devoted to medicine. Destroyed by a fire around the year 1000, it will be opened to the public in July.

Tokyo (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The beautiful "Jikido" dining hall has been born again from the ashes and will be soon opened to the public. It is located in the temple of Yakushi-ji in Nara, the capital of the empire, dedicated to the Buddha of medicine and healing. It is the environment where Buddhist monks go not only to eat but to educate themselves on spiritual practices.

The "Jikido" is believed to have been built during the Nara period and was then destroyed by a fire in 973. Rebuilt in 1005, the room was again destroyed by fire. The new reconstruction began in 2015 and the finished structure is 41 meters for 16, with a height of 14 meters.

The Buddhist painting "Amida sanzon jodozu" is placed in the center of the hall, surrounded by 14 traditional Japanese paintings that describe the history of the Buddhist path from China to Japan as well as the history of the temple. The paintings were made over a period of five years by artist Toshio Tabuchi. A ceremony to celebrate the completion of restoration works will be held between May 26 and 28, while the hall will be open to the public from 1 July until the end of November.

Construction of the Yakushi-ji temple complex in Asuka began in the VII century under Emperor Temmu at the to pray for the healing of the gravely ill Emperor, but the emperor died before the end of the work. Thus, it was inaugurated in 697 by Empress Jito who had survived the illness and ascended the throne. In 710 the Empire's capital was transferred to Nara, and the temple was transported there.
Nearly a million people witness the canonization of the two children, the youngest in Church history to climb to the glory of the altars without being martyrs. Our Lady foretold, and warned us about, a way of life that is godless and indeed profanes God in his creatures. Such a life  frequently proposed and imposed  risks leading to hell. Mary came to remind us that Gods light dwells within us and protects us".

Fatima (AsiaNews) - Francisco and Jacinta Marto, two of the three little shepherds who on May 13, 1917, along with their cousin Lucia dos Santos - Sister Lucia  and had an apparition of the Virgin are saints. Mary, "foretold, and warned us about, a way of life that is godless and indeed profanes God in his creatures. Such a life  frequently proposed and imposed  risks leading to hell. Mary came to remind us that Gods light dwells within us and protects us." Pope Francis recalled proclaiming the two children saints today, the only little ones in the history of the Church to rise to the glory of the altars without being martyrs. Through them, " n asking and demanding of each of us the fulfillment of the duties of our proper state (Letters of Sister Lucia, 28 February 1943), God effects a general mobilization against the indifference that chills the heart and worsens our myopia. We do not want to be a stillborn hope!."

The canonization took place in Fatima, where before in May 13, 2000, their beatification also took place, in front of an immense crowd, hundreds of thousands of people, almost one million, according to local sources. Among them, the Presidents of Portugal, Paraguay and Sao Tome and Principe.

"Two flames that God has switched to enlighten humanity in his dark and restless hours," John Paul II defined them in proclaiming them blessed. "The Virgin Mary - Francis said today - he Virgin Mary introduced into the immense ocean of Gods light and taught to adore him. From this came their strength to overcome oppression and suffering. " The reference is to the parents' threats that three visionaries "confess" that they had invented the appearance and the intimidation of the mayor who kept them locked for a few days in a cell.

"We have a Mother! - said Francis, after proclaiming them saints, an act that is part of "papal infallibility"We have a Mother! So beautiful a Lady, as the seers of Fatima said to one another as they returned home on that blessed day of 13 March a hundred years ago. That evening, Jacinta could not restrain herself and told the secret to her mother: Today I saw Our Lady. They had seen the Mother of Heaven. Many others sought to share that vision, but they did not see her. The Virgin Mother did not come here so that we could see her. We will have all eternity for that, provided, of course, that we go to heaven. Our Lady foretold, and warned us about, a way of life that is godless and indeed profanes God in his creatures. Such a life  frequently proposed and imposed  risks leading to hell. Mary came to remind us that Gods light dwells within us and protects us, for, as we heard in the first reading, the child [of the woman] was snatched away and taken to God (Rev 12:5). In Lucias account, the three chosen children found themselves surrounded by Gods light as it radiated from Our Lady. She enveloped them in the mantle of Light that God had given her. According to the belief and experience of many pilgrims, if not of all, Fatima is more than anything this mantle of Light that protects us, here as in almost no other place on earth. We need but take refuge under the protection of the Virgin Mary and to ask her, as the Salve Regina teaches: show unto us Jesus.

"Hope and peace will come from her arms"

Dear pilgrims, we have a Mother. Clinging to her like children, we live in the hope that rests on Jesus. As we heard in the second reading, those who receive the abundance of the grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ (Rom 5:17). When Jesus ascended to heaven, he brought to the Heavenly Father our humanity, which he assumed in the womb of the Virgin Mary and will never forsake. Like an anchor, let us fix our hope on that humanity, seated in heaven at the right hand of the Father (cf. Eph 2:6). May this hope guide our lives! It is a hope that sustains us always, to our dying breath.

Confirmed in this hope, we have gathered here to give thanks for the countless graces bestowed over these past hundred years. All of them passed beneath the mantle of light that Our Lady has spread over the four corners of the earth, beginning with this land of Portugal, so rich in hope. We can take as our examples Saint Francisco and Saint Jacinta, whom the Virgin Mary introduced into the immense ocean of Gods light and taught to adore him. That was the source of their strength in overcoming opposition and suffering. Gods presence became constant in their lives, as is evident from their insistent prayers for sinners and their desire to remain ever near the hidden Jesus in the tabernacle.

In her Memoirs (III, 6), Sister Lucia quotes Jacinta who had just been granted a vision: Do you not see all those streets, all those paths and fields full of people crying out for food, yet have nothing to eat? And the Holy Father in a church, praying before the Immaculate Heart of Mary? And all those people praying with him? Thank you, brothers and sisters, for being here with me! I could not fail to come here to venerate the Virgin Mary and to entrust to her all her sons and daughters. Under her mantle they are not lost; from her embrace will come the hope and the peace that they require, and that I implore for all my brothers and sisters in baptism and in our human family, especially the sick and the disabled, prisoners and the unemployed, the poor and the abandoned. Dear brothers and sisters, let us pray to God with the hope that others will hear us; and let us speak to others with the certainty that God will help us. Indeed, God created us to be a source of hope for others, a true and attainable hope, in accordance with each persons state of life. In asking and demanding of each of us the fulfillment of the duties of our proper state (Letters of Sister Lucia, 28 February 1943), God effects a general mobilization against the indifference that chills the heart and worsens our myopia. We do not want to be a stillborn hope! Life can survive only because of the generosity of other lives. Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit (Jn 12:24). The Lord, who always goes before us, said this and did this. Whenever we experience the cross, he has already experienced it before us. We do not mount the cross to find Jesus. Instead it was he who, in his self-abasement, descended even to the cross, in order to find us, to dispel the darkness of evil within us, and to bring us back to the light. With Marys protection, may we be for our world sentinels of the dawn, contemplating the true face of Jesus the Saviour, resplendent at Easter. Thus may we rediscover the young and beautiful face of the Church, which shines forth when she is missionary, welcoming, free, faithful, poor in means and rich in love.

In the sick we find the wounds of Jesus

At the end of Mass Francis wanted to dedicate a greeting to the many sick people present. we have before us Jesus hidden yet present in the Eucharist, just as we have Jesus hidden yet present in the wounds of our brothers and sisters who are sick and suffering. On the altar, we worship the flesh of Jesus; in these our brothers and sisters, we encounter the wounds of Jesus. The Christian adores Jesus, the Christian seeks Jesus, the Christian can recognize the wounds of Jesus. Today the Virgin Mary asks all of us the same question that, a hundred years ago, she asked the shepherd children: Do you want to offer yourselves to God? Their answer - Yes, we do!  makes us able to understand and imitate their lives. They lived life, with its share of joy and suffering, as an offering to the Lord. I invite those of you who are sick to live your lives as a gift. Like the shepherd children, tell Our Lady that you want to offer yourselves to God with all your heart. Dont think of yourselves simply as the recipients of charitable solidarity, but feel that you share fully in the Churchs life and mission. Your silent presence, which is more eloquent than a flood of words, your prayers, the daily offering of your sufferings in union with those of Jesus crucified for the salvation of the world, the patient and even joyful acceptance of your condition  all these are a spiritual resource, an asset to every Christian community. Do not be ashamed of being a precious treasure of the Church. Jesus will pass close to you in the Blessed Sacrament as a sign of his closeness and love for you. Entrust to him your sorrows, your sufferings, all your weariness. Count on the prayer of the Church, which from every corner of the world rises up to heaven for you and with you. God is our Father, and he will never forget you.
North by north west Leaving Moscow wasnt easy. Partly because of the snowfall. And partly because photographer Ashley and videographer Mrityunjay just wouldnt stop shooting! Moscow has that effect. Eventually when we did hit the highway, speeds increased but so did the snowfall. Not a biggie though. The Ceat snow tyres were doing their job really well, and call it acclimatisation, but the cold wasnt pinching us as much anymore. Seriously, -2deg feels like a summers day if youve been through -23! The highway we were on connects Moscow and St Petersburg and hence sees a lot of foreign tourist traffic. As foreigners ourselves, we were glad to see the welcome return of road signs in English. Our destination for the day was Veliky Novgorod. While the regular highway would have taken us there, we went for the quicker option of the new expressway. The speed limit was up to 110kph (from 90kph) and despite the snow, it was easy to keep the pace. Toll cost was the equivalent of Rs 220, but notably it was the first toll we had paid since we left China a few thousand kilometres ago! I hope Indias powers that be are reading this. With nothing but snow and ice on either side of the expressways guardrails, the Russian countryside looked like a giant skating rink. So much so that at one point, it was only our GPS that told us the mass of white alongside the road was the famous Volga river! We made good time on the 400km-plus journey but it was already dark by the time we reached our destination. When you are travelling northwards in the winters, you are always racing against the clock to catch daylight. The mass of white at the back is the famous Volga river! The next day started with a tour of Veliky Novgorod. Its a town of historical significance as it is said the Russian state originated here in AD 862. The towns Kremlin is also one of the oldest in Russia, having been originally built in the 9th century. Inside the Kremlin stands the golden-domed Cathedral of St Sophia. Built in AD 1050, it is the oldest church in Russia. Quite a place. We punctuated the days short drive to St Petersburg with a halt at a Renault dealership where the staff took keen interest in the Kwid. Cars with less than 70hp get certain tax concessions in Russia and learning how well the Kwid had managed in Russias cold seemed to give the showroom executive ideas. Renault, if the Kwid becomes a hit in Russia, you know whom to thank. The grandeur of St Petersburg If Moscow is Russias political capital, St Petersburg is its cultural capital. Its a city thats seen the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. While no more than a swampy marsh on the coast of the Baltic Sea for much of its existence, the area that is modern St Petersburg was coveted right from the 13th century on, because whoever controlled the region, controlled the trade routes. It was Peter the Great who finally ousted the Swedes from the region in the early 1700s and founded St Petersburg, eventually making it the capital of his empire. Successive rulers alternated between St Petersburg and Moscow as their capitals, though the vulnerability of the former to a German attack prompted the Soviets who took over in 1917 to move the capital back to Moscow. The city saw its darkest days during World War II when the Nazi forces surrounded it for over 900 days, cutting all supplies. Over a million people are said to have died during that period. In the post-war era, the city became home to artists and liberal thinkers and even today its got a very different vibe to the rest of Russia. St Petersburg is as grand as they come and it has a very distinct vibe to the rest of Russia. In fact, it not only feels like a European city but it looks like one too. Peter the Great wanted his capital to look as European as possible and had European architects design the city. Seeing the sights through the windscreen of the Kwid, we realised the scale of the grandiose of St Petersburgs main area. Literally every building looks like a work of art. To my eyes, some buildings stood out more than the others, one of them being the Church of the Saviour on Blood  a structure reminiscent of Moscows St Basils Cathedral. St Petersburg is also home to one of the great museums of the world  the Hermitage. As luck would have it, we were in town on the one day of the week it is closed. Interestingly, St Petersburg is also called the Venice of the North thanks to the umpteen canals that cut through the city. But at this time of the year, boating isnt possible. Note to self: visit St Petersburg in the summers, and during the period of White Nights when the sun doesnt descend enough for it to get dark. For a city that offers so much to do, you do need all the time in the world. The next day, we were to bid adieu to Russia and cross into the European Union through Estonia where wed also be joined by Doug Revolta from Autocar UK. Hed spent a fair bit of time with the Kwid in India but never thought hed reunite with one in his own backyard.

European union Its fair to say that the Kwids journey from Russia to Estonia didnt exactly go according to plan. Representing Autocar UK, I was due to help with the final leg of the journey from Tallinn to Paris. But when I arrived in the Estonian capital there was no sign of the car, or the team. Eventually, an exhausted Autocar India crew turned up later that night at the hotel, with tales of a four-hour hold-up crossing the border from Russia. Both Estonian and Russian authorities were clueless as to what a car registered in India was doing so far away from its country of origin. They cross-questioned the team separately to get a better understanding of what they were really up to. Still unconvinced, they moved the team to an inspection shed along with the cars. After lot of explanation, and even more inspection, the crew was made to buy green card insurance for both cars, and only then let through. The next morning, we headed out to take some photos of the Kwid in Tallinns Old Town, but even leaving as early as we did, the snowy streets were still cluttered with cars and navigating around proved to be a tricky affair that involved a lot of look out for that tram! Eastern Europe is full of picturesque old towns. This is at Tallinn, Estonia. We found a picturesque spot, complete with cobbled streets and old towers, filmed the Kwid, then hit the road, but I was still bleary-eyed and quiet from my first early start of the trip and the shock of the cold. Rahul, Jay, Ashley and Mrityunjay, on the other hand, were all razor- sharp, clearly well-drilled from weeks of the same routine in challenging conditions and grateful for the comfort of big, conventional European hotels. Our route through Estonia didnt include any expressways, but had long country roads through stretches of forest with strict 90kph speed limits and aggressive lorry drivers attempting fearless overtakes. Progress was steady, but slow. We paused in Latvia for lunch and some more snowy photos, before powering through to our overnight stop in Kaunas, Lithuania  our third country of the day. The team had to recalibrate their sense of distance because from covering a country over a couple of days, they were now covering a couple of countries a day. In the morning, we headed to yet another old town  eastern European cities have a wealth of them  and soaked up the history and architecture. We were surrounded by snow, and it was cold; but my shivering complaints fell on the deaf ears of my colleagues who, not that long ago, were driving in -23deg C. A quick glance at the Dusters temperature gauge read 0deg C. I stopped moaning.

I got behind the wheel of the Kwid for the first time to take it across the border into Poland. The last time I drove the Kwid was in India, down the Konkan coast in 2016, and it was the 0.8-litre version. The extra poke in the 1.0-litre is noticeable, but the biggest shock to me was that everything worked. We are talking about a car that has already been through thousands of kilometres in extreme conditions, and it costs just Rs 4 lakh! And theres nothing wrong with it. Astonishing... Snow-covered hills in Poland gave us the perfect backdrop for some more photos of the little marvel, and we ploughed through the capital, Warsaw. We were grateful for the extra grip from the winter tyres as night fell and the gentle snowfall became a blizzard.
VATICAN CITY (AP)  When Pope Francis travels to the Portuguese town of Fatima this weekend, he will be lending his blessing to a religious phenomenon that has captivated Catholics for a century: It involves visions of the Virgin Mary, supernatural meteorological events and apocalyptic prophesies of hell, Soviet communism and the death of a pope.

For doubters, the Fatima story is a trumped-up tale built around hallucinations. For believers, Fatima's message of peace, prayer and conversion from sin is as relevant today as it was 100 years ago, when three illiterate shepherd children first reported seeing visions of the Madonna.

The pope will canonize two of those children on Saturday and is likely to make his own Fatima message of peace and conversion as a weapon against secularism and the persecution of Christians today.

Here are details about Francis' Friday-Saturday trip to Fatima.

WHAT HAPPENED AT FATIMA?

The three shepherd children, siblings Francisco and Jacinta Marto and their cousin Lucia aged between 7 and 10 at the time, said the Virgin Mary appeared to them six times in 1917 and confided to them three secrets. The first two described an apocalyptic image of hell, foretold the end of World War I and the start of World War II, and the rise and fall of Soviet communism.

In 2000, the Vatican disclosed the long-awaited third secret, describing it as foretelling the May 13, 1981, assassination attempt against St. John Paul II in St. Peter's Square.

John Paul credited the Virgin Mary with saving his life. One of the bullets fired at him rests in the crown of the statue of the Virgin at the shrine.

Portuguese church officials initially doubted the veracity of the apparitions. Many doubters, though, became believers after the so-called "Miracle of the Sun" on Oct. 13, 1917. According to legend, the Fatima "seers" had predicted that the Virgin would perform a miracle that day, and tens of thousands of people flocked to Fatima and saw what witnesses reported was a vision of the sun "spinning" in the sky and zigzagging toward Earth.

The Portuguese church declared the visions authentic in 1930.

WHAT WAS GOING ON AT THE TIME?

At the time of the apparitions, Europe was still in the grip of World War I and Portugal's Catholic Church was facing a crisis after Portugal became a republic in 1910.

The republican government introduced a host of anti-clerical laws, including prohibiting religious teaching at schools. Priests and bishops were exiled.

In that context, the visions helped reinvigorate a persecuted church, giving it "a strong eruption of the supernatural in that difficult moment," said Monsignor Carlos Azevedo, who headed the commission that compiled 15 volumes of Fatima documentation.

Church officials point to the reported secrets about a Second World War, the dangers of Soviet communism and the persecution of the pope and Christians in general, as evidence of Fatima's prophetic message.

WHAT DO PEOPLE DO IN FATIMA?

Like the shrine at Lourdes, France, Fatima draws millions of pilgrims from around the world  about 6 million annually  to give thanks to Our Lady of Fatima, or to pray for help.

Many walk to the town, which is 150 kilometers (90 miles) north of Lisbon. Some complete the last few hundred meters (yards) on their knees. Others toss wax limbs into a fire beside the Chapel of the Apparitions as they recite prayers for healing.

The shrine also contains dozens of shops where trinkets are sold alongside rosaries, bibles and assorted images of the Virgin Mary, including one that changes color with the weather.

WHY IS THE POPE GOING NOW?

Initially, Francis had planned to travel to Fatima merely to mark the 100th anniversary of the apparitions. Francis added a bonus event to his visit by announcing in March that he had approved the miracle needed to make saints of Francisco and Jacinta Marto  who died of influenza within two years of the initial apparitions.

He will be the fourth pontiff to visit Fatima, after Pope Paul VI marked the 50th anniversary in 1967, John Paul came three times and Benedict XVI visited once, in 2010.

After becoming a nun, Lucia became the main raconteur of the Fatima secrets. She died in 2005. In February of this year, Portuguese church officials completed the first phase of her beatification cause by sending more than 15,000 pages of testimony and documentation to the Vatican for review.

WHAT WILL THE POPE DO IN FATIMA?

Francis arrives on Friday afternoon and meets privately with Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

After a spin in his popemobile at Fatima, he'll pray at the chapel dedicated to the apparitions and send a greeting out to the crowd, which is expected to number up to 1 million people.

On Saturday, Francis meets with Prime Minister Antonio Costa and visits the basilica built on the site where the children reported the first apparition. He'll celebrate the canonization Mass in the main square, lunch with his bishops, and return to Rome in the evening.

___

Barry Hatton reported from Fatima, Portugal.
Miller

Earl H. Miller, founder and former president of Corporate Collision, Inc., passed away on April 30.

Miller, who entered into retirement in October, founded Corporate Collision, Inc. in 1992. The company specializes in fleet and insurance collision repair.

He began his career in the automotive industry by owning a mechanic shop. Miller later also worked as an insurance adjuster, and then later joined the fleet industry, with a brief stint at CEI, before founding Corporate Collision, Inc. Before working in the fleet industry, he also worked in the New York City court system.

Miller was a committed presence to NAFA's chapters, and regularly took part in planning and development for the previously separate New York and InterCounty Chapters, as well as the New Jersey Chapter. He received NAFA's Outstanding Chapter Service Award (Affiliate) in 2001.

"Earl was a dear friend to many, however, (he was) part of the extended Martines family. I am stunned and at a loss for words to describe what he meant to us personally and then the fleet industry, said Robert Martines, chairman of Corporate Claims Management.

Miller was a lifelong New York Yankees fan. In recent years, he started to take up boating. His final request, according to Martines, was that his ashes be split up so that they could be sprinkled both into the Pacific Ocean and dropped onto the field of Yankee Stadium.

He is survived by his wife, Susan, as well as his two sons, a step daughter, and grandchildren.
PLATTE CENTER  Youd think itd be tricky to meet someone from Ireland, Germany, Suriname, Puerto Rico, Mexico and the Omaha Indian tribe on the same day, especially in a small town like Platte Center.

But Platte Center Elementary Schools multicultural day highlighted how diverse the local population is.

Its crazy all the culture we have, said Annette Barcel, who teaches English as a second language at the school.

Principal Quentin Witt said Friday's event is a different way to wind down the school year.

We felt it was a way to open our kids eyes to different cultures, he said.

In addition to educating children about different cultures, students also got to play games and make crafts.

Karola Baumgart, who grew up in Germany, and Angela Dolezal, who grew up in Ireland, taught the children about their native countries schools, languages and foods.

Barcel said Baumgart moved to Monroe with her husband, who she met when he was a soldier stationed in Germany.

Sixth-grader Alayna Lichtenfeld thought it was interesting how German kindergartners make baskets shaped like cones on their first day of school to hold supplies. In a separate room, Platte Center Elementary teachers had students make smaller versions of those baskets  theyre usually 3 to 4 feet tall.

Students also learned Irish clogging, which a few kids said was their favorite part of the day.

Barcel said she liked hearing Baumgart's and Dolezals accents.

Its neat, she said. Even after being here all this time, they still have an accent.

Tyghanna Ellis, another sixth-grader, enjoyed learning about how the Irish cut and flip turf on the bogs and eventually use it as fuel to heat their homes and cook.

After lunch the school invited Fr. Walter Jong-A-Kiem of St. Joseph Parish to speak about his home country of Suriname. The small nation north of Brazil is different from other South American countries in that it was a colony of the Netherlands and the official language is Dutch.

Marisol Arenivas, the mother of sixth-grader Jimena Rojas, talked about her home country of Mexico. Sixth-grader Caitlyn Steffen thought it was interesting that Mexican students have to march on the playground to their national anthem and are scored based on their performance.

It was kind of weird they had (rankings) for it, Steffen said.

In the hallway, Platte Center Elementary teachers showed children a game from Mexico where they had to jump over an elastic band stretched between two people.

It was challenging, said sixth-grader Damion Jonson.

The final presentation for the entire school featured Dwight Howe, who spoke about his Omaha and Ponca ancestry and growing up in Oklahoma in an Omaha-speaking community. He taught the children how to say "hello" in Omaha and showed them some the traditional arts and crafts, such as leggings and a staff, some of which he made.

Sixth-grader Aaron Johnson liked all the presentations.

Because my dad is Irish and my mom likes Native American stuff, he said.

I think it was fun for people of all ages because they get to learn about different countries and how they live, said Chavelle Thomson, also a sixth-grader.
As I prepared to vote May 4, I asked a Nebraskan visiting my office what he thought about the new health care bill. He said, Its a start."

I agree. The bill is a start to creating a health care system that all Americans deserve. My goal in health care repair remains the same: ensuring lower costs, promoting better health and protecting vulnerable persons.

In Nebraska, health care costs rose over the past year 33 percent in the individual market, and up to 50 percent on the health care exchange, and our state may soon be left with only one insurance provider. Twenty-eight million Americans currently have no insurance. For many others, insurance with massive deductibles means accessing benefits is difficult.

While this new bill is complex and has created anxiety, saying no to change would lock us into a system with significant and worsening problems. This is fundamentally unfair to Nebraskans. Moreover, with insurance exchanges in trouble, and roughly 1200 United States counties with only one health insurance provider, it is unfair to all Americans.

I realize that the possibility of change causes understandable concern for persons who prefer the current system. At the same time, others are facing an awful choice: do I pay for increasingly unaffordable insurance, or pay for my other basic needs?

Every bill has its pluses and minuses. For example, I believe we ought to hold harmless anyone currently receiving subsidies so there is protection against any adverse economic effect. Important protections are in the House bill. However, offering this assurance will give more confidence while our current system transitions. I expect the Senate to work on this important provision.

During the legislative process, new monies were added to help meet the needs of the disabled and the low-income elderly. A very critical amendment created a new, innovative federal re-insurance model for those with preexisting conditions, so they will pay a similar price to those who are healthy. Finally, states will receive significant funds to stabilize insurance premiums and coverage and hopefully innovate for better health outcomes.

One of the accusations that will be launched against the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and one of the things I urged during the deliberations was for a CBO-like (Congressional Budget Office) analysis before the May 4 vote. While that was not forthcoming, one available study suggests that a 60-year-old who buys their own insurance would see as much as a 45 percent decrease in their health insurance bill.

The House bill now goes to the United States Senate, where it will be debated and likely changed, and then back to the House again. Contrary to some sources, as a member of Congress, I would be subject to this legislation should it become law. In a separate bill  passed before the AHCA went for a vote  members of Congress voted to subject themselves to the same rules. I was a co-sponsor of that bill, which was unanimously approved.

I want to thank everyone who has contacted my offices. Health care is a very personal matter that directly affects life, family, and well-being. On May 4, I had one choice: yes or no. From my perspective, doing nothing would have been irresponsible and an abdication of my duty to you. My choice was yes  with a steadfast commitment to continuing the work of lowering costs, providing better health delivery and protecting those who are suffering.
The Mexican government has denied claims that the Kenyan government struck a deal with their country. The Mexican ambassador has denied claims that the government bought yellow maize from Mexico."We grow yellow maize for our animals to feed not for selling. The yellow maize is not for human consumption whether it's an emergency or not. " Mexican Erasmo Roberto Martinez claimed.Cartels from Brazil are allegedly exported yellow maize from their country to unknown destination in Africa. According to the Brazilian government, they claim to investigate the destination of the maize.The Mexican government denied selling Maize to an African country worth 10 Billion. Most Kenyans too have questioned the timing of the purchase of maize from Mexico which arrived into the country on Friday.China gave food donations on 7th April 2017. Their donations included 21,000 metric tons of Rice and 40,000 metric tons of yellow maize, valued at Kshs 2.25 billion. The maize miraculously appear at the port a day after the law to import duty-free maize is passed, only for the maize to be proven is part of foreign aid from the Chinese to the Kenyan people, that the Kenyan government intends to sell to its Citizens.The people of Kenya are confused if the yellow maize came to China or Mexico. The only thing that the government needs to clear the air is the source of the yellow maize. The ongoing and the viral news should be cleared as what the opposition claims.
Nearly every kid dreams of vacationing at the Happiest Place on Earth, but for one Arizona family, whose home was ransacked by a burglar, that trip is going to have to be put on hold.

Burglar steals kids' Disney trip money

Kids saved up $500 for three years

The familys three kids have been saving bills and change from chores and rewards for that special Disney trip.

Everything we have in our pockets we usually put in the jug, 11-year-old Mariel Mata said. It kind of shows how much all of us care about each other when we all put stuff into the jug.

Mariel and her siblings, Elena and Emmanuel, spent many nights counting quarters. They even sold candy to neighborhood kids to fund their summer trip to Disneyland.

Unfortunately, over the weekend the plastic capsule cleared out.

The sheriffs office said Tony Cheatham broke into their home and stole a weapon, shoes, and the money.

Emily Mata, the kids mother, said it all added up to at least $500.

It was something selfless they got to do on a daily basis that just got taken away, Emily said.

She said most of the stolen items were scattered out back, but the money was all gone.

They kids said theyll have to start all over.

Its basically like three years of work getting thrown away, Mariel said.

The sheriffs office said Cheatham was found with $75 on him during his arrest.
The Walmart at Tangerine Plaza in St. Petersburg closed in February this year. Now the city is offering a free grocery shuttle to the nearest Walmart for residents.

Free grocery shuttle in St. Pete starts today

Shuttle to go from Tangerine Plaza to Central Plaza Walmart

Shuttle runs every Saturday from May to August

More info here

The shuttle, which starts today, will transport residents from Tangerine Plaza to the Central Plaza area Walmart Supercenter.

The mini-shuttle bus will only run on Saturdays during the months of May, June, July, and August and carry up to 25 passengers.

The shuttle will operate between the hours of 9:45 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. every Saturday. There will be a total of four pick-ups at Tangerine Plaza--unless there is a traffic delay--departing at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 12 p.m., and 1 p.m.

The shuttle will departe from the Walmart Supercenter on the half hour at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 1:30 p.m.

"For those facing transportation challenges, and especially for those St. Pete residents who relied on the Walmart in Tangerine Plaza, I am pleased to be able to offer this free service. Offering this service to our south St. Petersburg residents is an effort to address food insecurity while gauging demand for a future grocery story in Tangerine Plaza," Mayor Rick Kriseman said.

The driver is scheduled to arrive at the Tangerine Plaza at 9:45 am and wait for passengers in the parking lot area near the overhang of the former Walmart Neighborhood Store. The city plans to distribute Healthy St. Pete cloth shopping bags to grocery shuttle passengers along with a voluntary rider survey, to gauge the need and usage of the free pilot transportation service.
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Prosecutors are considering charging 18 British soldiers over involvement in the Bloody Sunday shootings in Northern Ireland, according to a relative of one of the men who died.

It has also been reported that the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) is considering charges including murder, attempted murder, wounding and what are termed "joint enterprise" crimes, in which two or more people are jointly involved.

Detective Chief Inspector Ian Harrison from the PSNI's Legacy Investigation Branch confirmed that a report had been sent to the PPS for consideration.

"The families have been informed of this development," he told the BBC.

Thirteen people died when members of the Parachute Regiment opened fire on civil rights demonstrators in Londonderry in 1972. A 14th person died later.

All those killed were later pronounced innocent by a public inquiry led by Lord Saville.

Prime Minister David Cameron said in a formal statement in the House of Commons that the killings were unjustified and unjustifiable.

Prosecution of soldiers from Northern Ireland's 30-year conflict has attracted criticism in some quarters from those opposed to dragging elderly ex-servicemen through the courts.

The soldiers who may face prosecution have been referred to by letters of the alphabet allocated to them at the time of the Saville Inquiry.

Unionist politicians reacted angrily last night to news that prosecutions were under consideration.

Ulster Unionist Tom Elliott - who served in the UDR - said there was a lack of proportionality in dealing with the past.

"The IRA and its supporters have tried to use Bloody Sunday as an excuse for their crimes against the people of Northern Ireland and this will continue to be used as another propaganda tool to demonise the British Army and the rest of the security forces," he said.

"Hundreds of millions of pounds have been spent on an inquiry into Bloody Sunday and an investigation employing dozens of investigators.

"Meanwhile, others such as the families of the innocent people slaughtered on the streets of Enniskillen by the Provisional IRA on Remembrance Sunday 1987 can't get an investigation into their loved ones' murders."

Mr Elliott - the UUP candidate for Fermanagh and South Tyrone in next month's general election, claimed that the families of the other innocent people murdered at Teebane, Bloody Friday, La Mon and others have been "practically ignored".

"They deserve equality, they deserve respect - their loved ones had the right to life which the IRA took away," he added.

The DUP's Gregory Cambell said any prosecution of soldiers involved in Bloody Sunday would only serve the interests of "those who wanted to rewrite the past".

"Those who foolishly welcomed the revised Saville Report and thought that was the end of the matter have now had their answer.

"As I said at the time, it would not be the end of the matter. People right across Northern Ireland and throughout the rest of the United Kingdom will be demanding that any evidence which exists against surviving participants from the IRA killing campaign must be immediately investigated.

"This is an outrageous example of former soldiers who stood against the sectarian terrorism of 1972, instigated by the IRA, now being tried whilst many of those who hid behind balaclavas have avoided any trial," the East Londonderry general election candidate said.

John Kelly's brother Michael was among those killed. He said yesterday: "The Public Prosecution Service is investigating 18 soldiers."

The PPS said: "Investigation files in relation to Bloody Sunday were passed to the PPS in December 2016 and are presently under active consideration. No prosecution decision has yet been taken in relation to these files and it is likely to be some time before any decision will issue.

"We have recently made contact with families to provide an update on progress and also to explain our role and some of the legal issues that require consideration in this case."
Tony Blair has said a deal between Britain and Ireland on the future of the border with Northern Ireland is the best way of limiting damage from Brexit.

The former Prime Minister told a meeting in the Irish Republic of Europe's centre-Right political groups that a "hard border" on the island would be a disaster.

"If the UK and the Republic were able to agree a way forward on the border, then we would have the best chance of limiting the damage. It is in the interests of us all, including our European partners, for this to happen," Mr Blair said.

He said getting consensus on the border will be crucial in the Brexit negotiations.

"Some disruption is inevitable and indeed is already happening. However, it is essential that we do all we possibly can to preserve arrangements which have served both countries well and which command near universal support," Mr Blair added.

"A hard border between the countries would be a disaster and I am sure everyone will and must do all they can to avoid it."

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier also attended the conference in Co Wicklow of the European People's Party (EPP), the largest group in the European Parliament.

Mr Barnier then travelled to the Republic's border with Northern Ireland and held discussions at a business park in Co Monaghan.

On Thursday he warned that Customs controls are part of the EU's border management.

Mr Blair said he was anxious Brexit does not impair the Good Friday Agreement but warned it would have to be changed when the UK leaves Europe.

"There's bits of the Good Friday Agreement that specifically assume that Britain and the Irish Republic are in the EU, so obviously a change of language, but I don't think a change of substance," he said. Mr Blair said the biggest challenge with Brexit was for the EU, as the border with Northern Ireland will become the frontier for Europe.

"If there's goodwill and a lot of ingenuity and innovation and maybe, I don't know, the use of technology and a lot of things, I think we can minimise disruption," Mr Blair added.

Mr Blair said it was vital that the Common Travel Area between Ireland and the UK was maintained. "Obviously it's important that though there will be difficult challenges with this that we safeguard that as much as possible and minimise the damage," he said. Mr Blair said he sees a consensus across the British political system to keep the open border arrangements between the Republic and Northern Ireland "as similar" to now.

"I think there's a real common desire, whatever issues there are in relation to Brexit, to make Northern Ireland a special case and make sure we do everything we possibly can to protect the Good Friday Agreement and peace process and to protect that strong relationship between the Republic of Ireland and the UK going forward," he said.

Mr Blair told the meeting he was delighted Emmanuel Macron had won the French presidency and not Marine Le Pen. "But the doubling of the far-Right vote compared to over a decade ago, plus the surge of support for anti-European parties across Europe, should make us all think," Mr Blair said.

Earlier, in an interview on RTE Radio's Morning Ireland, Mr Blair declined to enter the debate on the future of the leadership of the Labour Party and said it would be best for him to keep a "diplomatic silence".

Manfred Weber, chair of the EPP group, said Brexit cannot be a "win-win" for the UK.

"It will create damage. Sorry for this, but that's the reality," he said. Mr Weber added Brexit was a mistake and added: "That is what the British people will experience."
The families of 10 people shot dead by soldiers in Ballymurphy more than four decades ago celebrated yesterday after a date for a full inquest hearing was set.

They applauded in the courtroom and cheered as they left the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast after the date was fixed for September 11 next year.

Speaking outside the court John Teggart, whose father was one of the victims of the 1971 'Ballymurphy massacre', welcomed the "overdue" decision.

"It's a very emotional day. Although we are talking about 16 months down the line, this is fantastic," he said.

"There has been frustration, which has been shared by Judge Colton, over people dragging their heels, particularly at the MoD."

Mr Teggart also expressed unease after it emerged during the preliminary hearing that a key piece of evidence was missing.

"It's very concerning that it has been lost and there are serious questions as to why police were in possession of it, why was it not placed with the other evidence," he said.

Justice Colton agreed that a missing bullet taken from the body of Noel Phillips was an "important piece of narrative" when Michael Mansfield QC said serious questions needed to be asked. "We understand it is now missing altogether and what is important is how that came about," said Mr Mansfield.

"It was with the PSNI and returned to FSNI in 2007, but where was it exactly before that and what happened it to it?" Concerns were also raised at the MoD's failure to provide a cipher list, which has caused problems in sourcing witnesses. Mr Mansfield said he "hopes that these were not being destroyed while litigation was a prospect" before suggesting alternative means.

Referring to media publications from the early Seventies which named members of the security forces - including Soldier Magazine and the London Gazette - Mr Mansfield said it was possible to obtain backdated copies.

Justice Colton expressed frustration and disappointment at progress in relation to sourcing witnesses.

Mr Teggart called the slow progress an "absolute disgrace".

"All these things have been building up in an attempt to stop the truth, but what are they hiding," he asked.

"Today my father is classed as a gunman and someone who shot him has been given recommendations for bravery."

An emotional Briege Voyle, whose mother Joan Connolly was also shot by the Army, broke down outside the court as she hailed the decision.

"We families have waited 46 years for this and it should have been here sooner," she said.

"But thank God somebody has listened to us and we are going to get our day in court and our loved ones will be declared innocent at last."

Justice Colton told the court that the entire budget for legacy inquests had been used up, or will be used up, for the current year and his decision to list the case for next year seemed the only fair way to deal with it.
A man has been remanded in custody after being extradited from France over his alleged involvement in a gang rape in Co Armagh

A man has been remanded in custody after being extradited from France over his alleged involvement in a gang rape in Co Armagh.

Romanian national Florin Muntean (26) had been sought in connection with a sex attack on a woman at a house in Portadown in August 2014.

He was detained in Lyon under European arrest warrants following co-operation between the PSNI, Romanian and French authorities.

Muntean, of no fixed address, appeared before Belfast Magistrates Court yesterday. He had been wanted over allegations of rape and conspiracy to rape.

An investigating detective confirmed Muntean left Northern Ireland before he could be formally arrested or charged.

Earlier this week three men were jailed after pleading guilty to conspiracy to rape. District Judge Fiona Bagnall was told the allegations against Muntean relate to the same incident. Defence counsel Sean Mullan said: "At this moment we don't have an address, there's no bail application."

Judge Bagnall remanded Muntean in custody to appear again in court on June 9.
Three men who abducted a pedestrian in north Belfast before pouring boiling water over him have been described as "psychopathic".

The 30-year-old victim was walking along Denmark Street when a car pulled up beside him at around 1.30am yesterday.

Two passengers then jumped out of the vehicle and assaulted the man before bundling him in and driving to an unknown address.

When they arrived at the nearby property the victim was assaulted again before being driven back and dropped off at Denmark Street.

The man sustained a number of cuts and bruises to his head and body during the serious assault, in addition to burns to his right hand and back after the boiling water was poured over him.

Independent unionist councillor Jolene Bunting condemned what she described as a "disgusting" attack. She said: "What we do know is that it was carried out by psychopaths, because you need to be a psychopath to attack anyone in this way.

"My thoughts are with the victim and their family because I am sure they are going through hell.

"There is no reason to believe it was paramilitary-related, but it wouldn't surprise me, it's definitely an unusual attack.

"There's always that possibility, but I hope and pray it wasn't because it's a scary thought that paramilitaries would start doing this.

"It's not their normal form, so I don't want to jump to conclusions.

"But it's completely wrong, whoever did it."

Police have appealed for anyone with information to contact them on 101.
As a fortnight of gloriously sunny skies fade to grey, spare a thought for the folk of Newry, who have been given the dubious honour of living in one of the coldest cities on these islands.

According to new statistics from rainwater harvesting firm Freeflush, residents of the border metropolis live in the third chilliest city in the UK. Or, to put it a less gloomier way, the 61st warmest city.

By using figures from the Met Office, the survey ranked cities by warmth using a single combined metric based on maximum average temperature, dry days and total rainfall.

The results showed that Newry enjoyed - or rather endured - maximum average temperatures of 12.3C, the lowest of Northern Ireland's five cities. Newry residents also face an annual rainfall of 1019mm, and experience just 198 dry days per year.

In contrast, Belfast enjoys an average maximum temperature of 13.4C, the highest in the province.

Its citizens experience 944mm of rainfall annually, and 210 dry days a year.

The early May dry spell broke on Thursday night as showers brought the 10-day run of warm weather to an end.

According to the Met Office, today's maximum temperature will reach 16C, with rain in the morning and late afternoon, which motorcycle road racing enthusiasts will be hoping won't affect the North West 200.

The outlook for tomorrow to Tuesday features an unsettled period with showers and sunny spells on Sunday, followed by more persistent rain.
Northern Ireland's troubled past should be addressed fairly and proportionately, the Prime Minister said.

Theresa May defended the independence of prosecutors considering charging 18 British soldiers over involvement in the Bloody Sunday shootings in Londonderry.

Thirteen people died when members of the Parachute Regiment opened fire on civil rights demonstrators in 1972. A 14th person died later.

Mrs May said: "First of all prosecutors are independent and they will make their decisions, rightly, absolutely independently.

"I think what is important as we look forward is that as we see, looking into those issues of legacy and looking into what has happened in the past, that we ensure that is done in a fair and proportionate way."

The Prime Minister visited an agricultural show near Belfast on Saturday as part of the General Election campaign.

All those killed on Bloody Sunday were later pronounced innocent by a public inquiry led by Lord Saville, and then-prime minister David Cameron said the killings were unjustified and unjustifiable.

Prosecution of soldiers from Northern Ireland's 30-year conflict has attracted criticism in some quarters from those opposed to dragging elderly ex-servicemen through the courts.

Earlier this year a pro-military rally was organised by Justice For Northern Ireland Veterans (JFNIV) to highlight what it alleges is a legal witch-hunt against former security members who served during the Troubles.

The campaign group, which formed in response to a number of recent prosecutions of former soldiers in relation to incidents during the region's sectarian conflict, held similar rallies in London and Glasgow.

Prosecutors in Northern Ireland have pursued five times more prosecutions against alleged paramilitaries than soldiers in the last five years, the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has disclosed.

One third of cases which the director of public prosecutions has referred to police to investigate relate to Troubles incidents involving security force members.
Kevin Mitchell Thomas, the father of Malachi who was killed in a crash at last years North West 200

Kevin Thomas is back at the North West 200 - and once again grieving the loss of a close family member.

Last year, his only son, rising young road-racing star Malachi Mitchell-Thomas, died in a horror 110mph crash on the north coast course while competing for the first time in the event's showpiece Saturday.

And, early yesterday morning, Mr Thomas was in hospital as his beloved father, Kevin Snr, passed away after battling a serious illness.

But the distraught Englishman went ahead with his emotional pilgrimage back to Northern Ireland's biggest sporting event because that's what his late father - another huge supporter of road racing - wanted.

Just hours after losing 76-year-old Kevin Snr, Mr Thomas stepped off a plane in Belfast to mark the first anniversary of the tragedy that befell 20-year-old 'Mali', as he affectionately called him.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph at the airport, the stoic father of the highly-rated rider, whose life was cut short one year ago today, insisted that, despite the devastation of his father's death, there was nowhere else he wanted to be this weekend.

"I would have been here all week but I had to be with my dad," he said.

"He was a renal patient, a cardio patient, a vascular patient; he was really ill, but he died after an amputation to remove gangrene from his leg that resulted in a heart attack.

"He drifted away over the course of Thursday night and Friday morning."

Young Malachi, from Adlington in Lancashire, died on May 14 2016 - the fifth fatality at the famous Triangle circuit in the last eight years.

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He was racing for Cookstown-based team Burrows Engineering Kawasaki when he came off his bike on the third lap of the Supertwins race.

His dad, who last year had accompanied him to the North West for that ill-fated, final outing on a motorcycle, said that today he will be watching all the races, including this year's version of the one that claimed his beloved son's life.

"I love road racing, as did my own late dad, as did Mali," he said.

"Now that Mali's not with us, obviously there will be an element of sadness while I'm watching the racing.

"But I prefer to be here rather than anywhere else."

He added: "I think I will have feelings that nobody else has on Sunday [the actual date of Malachi's passing], but primarily I'm a race fan.

"And I'm now here as a spectator."

Mr Thomas said he had originally planned to be here this week, ahead of Malachi's anniversary, to help top superbike rider Glenn Irwin, from Carrickfergus, with his pit board.

"Glenn was one of the riders who has constantly stayed in touch and been a great support," he said.

"So I was coming to help out as well as to watch the racing and be here for the anniversary."

The father-of-two said he has been "up and down" over the past year and admitted he has been through "some dark times" but he added that he has made a conscious decision not to let it get him down.

"I've currently decided not to let those feelings be the driving force to my life and I'm trying to physically get better and mentally be strong," said Mr Thomas, who also has a 31-year-old daughter, Hinnon.

He added that Malachi's death "impacted on the whole family tremendously", including mum Vicky Mitchell, and he said he will always remember his youngest child "as a son, as a friend and as somebody who was more committed to racing than I was".

Mr Thomas also welcomed the safety improvements ahead of this year's event.

"The safety facilities including an air ambulance can only be good for the sport and can only be good for riders that unfortunately might end up requiring such assistance," he said.
Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys, Camilla and the Prince at a wreath laying service at Glasnevin Cemetery

The Prince of Wales shakes hands with Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams during a visit to the British ambassadors residence in Glencairn, Dublin

The Prince of Wales has extended his condolences to Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams on the death of former Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.

Prince Charles met Mr Adams yesterday on the final day of his visit to the Republic of Ireland during a reception hosted by the British ambassador to Ireland.

Veteran Irish republican Mr Adams was among 200 guests to greet the prince and Camilla as they arrived at Glencairn House, the official residence of ambassador Robin Barnett.

It is almost 41 years since IRA bombers murdered British ambassador Christopher Ewart-Biggs at the residence.

The Prince and the Sinn Fein president shook hands and shared a joke about their dates of birth.

Charles said that they were both born in the same year - 1948 - but joked that the Sinn Fein leader was older.

The future king had earlier laid a wreath at a memorial in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin in memory of all those who died in the 1916 rebellion.

He and Camilla took part in a ceremony at the Necrology Wall, which bears the names of all who died in the rebellion -Irish and British, military, police and civilian.

The royal couple also took part in a ceremony at a war memorial where Victoria Cross paving stones were unveiled in memory of four Irish-born soldiers - Corporal John Cunningham, Company Sergeant Major Robert Hill Hanna, Lieutenant Frederick Maurice Watson Harvey and Private Michael James O'Rourke. The soldiers were awarded the Victoria Cross in 1917.

Charles paused at the paving stone of Cpl Cunningham after he unveiled the memorial stone.

The Duchess bowed her head as she unveiled the paving stone in memory of Sgt Maj Hill Hanna.

Speaking at the end of their four-day visit to the island of Ireland, Charles said his most memorable moment was joining the acts of Remembrance.

"My wife and I were deeply moved to join acts of Remembrance," he said.

"It's so very important we are able to come together to honour the memory of so many men and women from all sides whose sacrifice shaped our shared history."

The Prince also met Taoiseach Enda Kenny at government buildings, Dublin.

As the Prince of Wales signed his name in the visitors' book, he joked: "This is just to prove I can write".

Mr Kenny showed Charles the signatures of his mother and father, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.

They signed the book during their historic visit to Ireland in 2011.
Alfred Smith, 109, who has been a member of the Church of Scotland since 1945 (Church of Scotland/PA Wire)

One of the UKs oldest men has been honoured with a lifetime of service award from the church he has been a member of for more than 70 years.

Alfred Smith, 109, has been a member of the Church of Scotland since 1945 and an elder since 1967.

The centenarian, from the village of St Madoes in Perth and Kinross, shares his age and birth date with Bob Weighton, of Alton in Hampshire, as well as with one of the countrys oldest women, Joan Eileen Hocquard of Bournemouth.

Rt Rev Russell Barr, Moderator of the General Assembly, visited Mr Smith at home to present the award on behalf of the Kirk.

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He said: Of all the many people I have met during my year as Moderator, Alfred Smith is one of the most remarkable. At 109 years old he retains a lively sense of humour, a continuing interest in life, including the life of the church, and he is a great storyteller.

Mr Smith was a member of the Free Church in Invergowrie until 1945 and then became a member of the Church of Scotland, attending Kinfauns Parish Church, which later joined with Kilspindie and St Madoes.

He said: It is just wonderful to have a visit from the Moderator. How he finds time to see me is quite something. I have always loved the church as it has given me so much over the years.

Asked for his secret to a long and happy life, the former farmer said: Porridge is helpful and having a job you enjoy.

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Mr Smith was born in Invergowrie in 1908, the fifth of six sons of John and Jessie Smith. He was educated at Invergowrie Primary School and Harris Academy, Dundee.

He emigrated to Canada, along with four of his brothers, in 1927 but returned after five years and went on to drive lorries for his brother George.

During the Second World War, he was in the Home Guard, and married Isobel when he was 29. The couple went on to farm at Kinfauns where they raised two children, Irene and Allan. Mrs Smith died almost 14 years ago, aged 97.

Marc Bircham, minister of St Madoes and Kinfauns Parish Church, said: It has been a great joy and privilege to be Alfs minister and friend.

He is a blessing to our congregation and community and on a personal level he has been a great encourager to myself, not least by referring to me as young man.
A funeral service has taken place for a Romanian tourist thrown into the Thames when an extremist ploughed into pedestrians on Londons Westminster Bridge.

Andreea Cristea, 31, was knocked into the river when Khalid Masood drove his rented car into pedestrians on March 22 and died two weeks later.

Her boyfriend, Andrei Burnaz, suffered a broken foot.

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Masood rushed on to the grounds of Parliament, where he fatally stabbed a policeman before being shot dead by another officer.

Dozens of mourners attended the service at the St Marys church on Saturday near the dockyards in the city in Constanta in eastern Romania, near the sea that she loved.

The Romanian couple were on a short break to celebrate the birthday of Mr Burnaz, who had been planning to propose to Miss Cristea.

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About 150 mourners carrying flickering candles gathered at the church wearing badges with her photo which said: Forever in my heart! Two heart-shaped wreaths of white roses adorned her coffin.

Orthodox Archbishop Teodosie of Tomis headed a group of priests who wafted incense during the service, much of which was sung.

Miss Cristea was pulled from the Thames and later had surgery for a blood clot on the brain. She died on April 6 when life support was withdrawn.

She was the fifth victim of Masood, a 52-year-old former inmate who had embraced radical Islam. Dozens more were wounded in the rampage.

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Mr Teodosie called Miss Cristea young, beautiful, hard-working and full of love and that a destiny that was about to take flight had its wings cut, alluding to the forthcoming proposal from Mr Burnaz, an engineer who stood quietly during the service and wept occasionally.

Elder sister Magda Toi posted recently on Facebook Beautiful, delicate, difficult, caring, hopeful, vivacious; always ready to offer surprises  even like this!

I miss your smile, I miss your voice, I miss you wherever you are, Ms Toi also wrote.

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After her death, her family and Mr Burnaz described Miss Cristea as our shining ray of light that will forever keep on shining in our hearts, and said they would donate all the money raised on her behalf since the attack to charity.

Also killed in the attack were Utah man Kurt Cochran, 54; Britons Leslie Rhodes, 75, and Aysha Frade, 44; and 48-year-old police officer Keith Palmer.

Police believe Masood, who had convictions for violent crimes, acted alone.
Angela Rippon, who was awarded a CBE by the Duke of Cambridge at Buckingham Palace yesterday

Angela Rippon, who was awarded a CBE by the Duke of Cambridge at Buckingham Palace yesterday

Former BBC newsreader Angela Rippon said collecting a CBE for championing the rights of people with dementia was "very special" because of the personal impact the illness has had on her life.

Miss Rippon (72) has used her own experiences of caring for her mother Edna, who was diagnosed with the condition in 2004, to try to help others with the condition. Her mother died in 2009.

As the Duke of Cambridge presented her with the award, he spoke to her of the "commitment that he and his family have to work on mental health".

She said later: "We have a joint interest there because mental health is one of those things which is like a hidden illness, a lot of people do not understand it, and the same goes with dementia."

Miss Rippon said she was honoured that the award was for her campaigns on behalf of sufferers, their families and carers.

She is helping to lead a programme to improve understanding, awareness and facilities.
The cyberattack is believed to be the biggest ever

The UK's National Health Service fell victim, its hospitals forced to close wards and emergency rooms and turn away patients (Stock image)

Dozens of countries have been hit by an "unprecedented' cyber attack at a multitude of hospitals, companies and government agencies.

The extortion attack, which locked up computers and held users' files for ransom, is believed to be the biggest of its kind ever recorded, disrupting services in nations as diverse as the US, Russia, Ukraine, Spain and India.

Europol, the European Union's police agency, said the onslaught was at "an unprecedented level and will require a complex international investigation to identify the culprits".

The ransomware appeared to exploit a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows that was purportedly identified by the US National Security Agency (NSA) for its own intelligence-gathering purposes and was later leaked to the internet.

It was not yet known who perpetrated Friday's attacks. Two security firms - Kaspersky Lab and Avast - said they had identified the malicious software behind the attack in over 70 countries, although both said the attack had hit Russia the hardest.

The Russian Interior Ministry, which runs the country's police, confirmed it was among those that fell victim to the "ransomware", which typically flashes a message demanding a payment to release the user's own data.

Spokeswoman Irina Volk was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying the problem had been "localised" and that no information was compromised.

A spokesman for the Russian Health Ministry, Nikita Odintsov, said on Twitter that the cyber attacks on his ministry were "effectively repelled".

Russia's central bank said it had seen no incidents "compromising the data resources of bank institutions," state news agency Tass reported. The national railway system said although it was attacked, rail operations were unaffected.

Security experts said the attack appeared to be caused by a self-replicating piece of software that enters companies and organisations when employees click on email attachments, then spreads quickly internally from computer to computer when employees share documents.

The security holes it exploits were disclosed several weeks ago by TheShadowBrokers, a mysterious group that has published what it says are hacking tools used by the NSA as part of its intelligence-gathering.

Shortly after that disclosure, Microsoft announced that it had already issued software "patches" or fixes for those holes - but many users have not yet installed the fixes or are using older versions of Windows.

In the US, FedEx reported that its Windows computers were "experiencing interference" from malware, but would not say if it had been hit by ransomware.

Elsewhere in Europe, the attack hit companies including Spain's Telefonica, a global broadband and telecommunications company.

Germany's national railway said that departure and arrival display screens at its train stations were affected, but there was no impact on actual train services.

Deutsche Bahn said it deployed extra staff to busy stations to provide customer information, and recommended that passengers check its website or app for information on their connections.

AP
A North Korean defector was able to escape a life of hell when she was 13 years-old. Yeomni Park shared the grisly account of seeing her own mother raped to protect her and witnessed her friend's mother being executed for watching an American film. "There is a saying in North Korea: Women are weak, but mothers are strong. My mother allowed herself to be raped in order to protect me. Her family secretly left the country and walked the Gobi Desert with a compass and when that broke, they followed as she said "the stars to freedom" to Mongolia and then to China. They were prepared to die if they had to go back to the totalitarian state. Her story is an extreme case of overcoming great adversity. Our story may not be as heartbreaking, but we all share something in common because life can be cruel. This is when we need to dig deep, take a deep breath and move forward, even when the compass is broke. Do you have what it takes to overcome? We will share suggestions on how you can make it over the mountains in your life.

Find the courage to move forward.

Make a miracle in the dark.

Accept setbacks.

Focus on the good.

Be strong.

Park and her family made the decision to escape ruthless and a cowardice dictator. Making this arrangement took guts. We can make the decision to not allow external circumstances to crush us. As we tap into our inner strength we can rise above the arduous challenges that tend to work to scuttle assurance. There will be tests through people and through our problems. This is where we need to make the choice to alter our perspective when interruptions happen by taking a stand.King David told his son, Solomon: Be strong and courageous and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished." Whether in Biblical times or for today, this advice is something we need for today.Make a list of all your strengths and keep it handy when you are feeling dispirited. Take note of all those who struggled like Park, who used her pain to help others as a human rights activist. Use what is negative to empower you to chip away at the darkness. Tackle the situation instead of it conquering you. You are the one who decides whether you are happy or not. Don't give away your potential to anything or anyone by allowing darkness to prevail. The past or the present is not your future.We fill ourselves with negativity and this paralyzes us when we don't make peace with our failures. Gaining a sense of control will help avoid the feeling of helplessness and "don't make it personal,"reported. Set up short-term goals and build on them. Find a new hobby, a dream or take a leap of faith by starting your own business. Ask God to direct you on the steps that need to be taken to become unstuck. "Just because you havent found a successful way of doing something doesnt mean you are a failure. These are completely separate thoughts,"instructed. Meditate on Scripture and know your worth, regardless of setbacks. Park read books on those who overcame great challenges to help keep hope alive. "I particularly loved biographies because they were about people who had to overcome obstacles or prejudices to get ahead. They made me think I could make it when nobody else believed in me when even I didnt believe in myself," she wrote in her memoir:n Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom.When a judgment comes that you are not this or not that, cast aside those judgments and refocus on your blessings. Change your focus by getting out of your head and staying in the present. Barbara Fredrickson is a psychologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She said "paying attention to positive emotions literally expands your world, while focusing on negative feelings shrinks it." Even if you are suffering from a big loss, like the loss of a loved one, diverting attention to something more happier will give you a boost. Additionally, focusing on positive people will help you look at the good, as negative people will divert you. When we don't, we allow ourselves to continually get sucked into a negative cycle and it will drain you. When you have so little, just the smallest thing can make you happy," said Park.

"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him," James 1:12 reminded. God is still sovereign and relinquishing control shows God your willingness to allow Him to work. This doesnt mean that you are ignoring your circumstances. It means you are leaning on Him to carry you through. God has given you the power that you need, even when you're running on empty. If we trust our friends, bank accounts and other things, we need to tap into His power and trust in Him.

Park is a reminder of the power of the human spirit. By living through her darkness, she is a light for so many others. She was a child who overcame great adversity and defied death. Likewise, be encouraged that you can do the same, regardless of where you are at the moment.

Corine Gatti-Santillo is a freelance digital journalist, editor, and content producer. She is also the The Christian Post Voices Editor. She is also a former editor at Beliefnet.com.
A female member of conservative Muslim group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia, who was handing out news releases at a press conference Tuesday at HTI headquarters in South Jakarta, refused to give one to a male reporter.

She told him to get a copy from an ikhwan, referring to male HTI members who were handing out the release at the other end of the room.

The segregation between men and women also was apparent at the entrance to the conference room even though members of both sexes eventually assembled in the same room without a partition between them.

It has become common for some Muslim communities in Indonesia to use Arabic words such as ikhwan, which means brother, and akhwat, which means sister, in everyday conversation.

Iffah Ainur Rochmah, the spokeswoman for Muslimah HTI, the womens division in the HTI organizational structure, said such segregation was common within the Muslim communities. She said it was part of efforts to uphold Islamic values and integrate them into daily activities.

Still, she said this did not rule out that women and men would be involved in the same activity even as seating would remain segregated.

This is also part of our efforts to promote Islamic Shariah law, that we uphold womens honor without discriminating against one or the other, men or women, Iffah told BenarNews.

HTI aims to introduce Shariah law at the individual and community levels across Muslim-majority Indonesia, but also calls for the establishment of an Islamic caliphate that unites Muslims around the world.

Such efforts have made HTI a target for the government to disband it over claims that the civil society organization undermines Indonesias 1945 Constitution as well as the states ideology of Pancasila.

Wiranto, the coordinating minister of Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, said that even though HTIs activities were mainly proselytization, as the group claims, its efforts were political and could undermine Indonesias sovereignty.

Wiranto said HTI is a political movement that aims to eradicate Indonesias nation-state concept built on Pancasila, a philosophy emphasizing national unity and pluralism.

The public has to really understand that a caliphate system aims to eradicate nation-states, that is why Hizbut Tahrir has been banned in 20 countries, Wiranto told reporters on Friday.

He added that reports from police in many parts of Indonesia show that locals have refused HTIs presence in their areas, which could trigger conflict between adherents and opponents.

Court action

On Wednesday, Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo said the Attorney Generals office was preparing to begin court proceedings necessary to disband HTI.

Tjahjo said that the government collected evidence to back claims that HTI is against the state ideology. Some of the evidence shows HTI leaders delivering sermons about the contradiction between Pancasila and a unitary state.

Their deed said they are based on Pancasila, but that doesnt show in their activities, Tjahjo said, adding he was convinced that a court would grant the governments request to disband HTI.

Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia spokesman Ismail Yusanto (center), discusses his groups efforts to improve Indonesia during a press conference in Jakarta, May 9, 2017. (Ismira Lutfia Tisnadibrata/BenarNews)

HTI spokesman Ismail Yusanto rejected the governments claim that an Islamic caliphate goes against Pancasila.

Caliphate is part of Islamic values. According to article 59 in the 2013 Mass Organization Law, Islamic values dont contradict with Pancasila, he said during the Tuesday press conference.

Ismail said HTI had contributed to the countrys development through its proselytization and by criticizing laws and regulations deemed too liberal for Indonesia. Other activities include campaigning against drugs, opposing separatist movements and any efforts of disintegration, and volunteering humanitarian aid to disaster victims.

Therefore, accusing HTI of not having a positive role for Indonesia is not true, he said.

Ismail acknowledged that HTI strongly criticizes democracies for placing people as the ultimate source of authority to make laws and to govern themselves.

This completely contradicts with Islamic teaching that says rules and laws were written by God. We humans are not lawmakers. We abide Gods laws. In Islam, a leader is elected to lead us in implementing Shariah law, Ismail said.

History of HTI

According to a report published by the International Crisis Group 14 years ago, HTI first appeared in Indonesia in 1983, brought in by an Australian of Jordanian-Lebanese origin named Abdurrahman al-Baghdadi.

For the next 15 years, HTI was mostly an underground movement on college campuses in Java, but took off when political controls eased in the aftermath of the fall of President Suhartos government in May 1998, the report said.

Ismail said HTIs presence in Indonesia never encountered any obstacles, until now.

We dont draw specific comparisons between regimes, but why now? This move could justify some members of the publics perception that this regime is repressive and anti-Islam, Iffah said.

The ICG report also said that HTI had a particularly strong presence on the campuses of the Bogor Agricultural Institute. But a lecturer at the institutes School of Fisheries and Maritime Science, Akhmad Solihin, said religious-based student organizations had been waning in the last five years or so.

Only a few students would attend meetings. It is not like how it used to be in the 1990s when student organizations would challenge each other to gain influence in campus, he told BenarNews.

Sahat Sinurat, chairman of the Indonesian Christian Students Movement (GMKI) and a graduate of the Bandung Institute of Technology, said GMKI maintained good relations with Muslim student organizations, regardless of their views. GMKI rejects calls to turn Indonesia into an Islamic caliphate, Sahat said.

We debated and argued about that. We have different views, but we interact well with each other, Sahat said.

More recently, HTI participated in mass-Muslim rallies during the past eight months that called for Jakarta Gov. Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, a member of Indonesia's ethnic Chinese and Christian minority, to be prosecuted for anti-Islamic blasphemy. On Tuesday, a court sentenced Ahok to two years in jail.
U.S.-based preacher Fethullah Gulen is hanged in effigy in Ankara, Turkey, during a protest targeting a failed coup against the government of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Aug. 2, 2016

Three Turkish citizens who were in Malaysian custody for allegedly threatening national security have been deported to their home country because of suspected involvement with a cleric branded by Ankara as a terrorist leader, Malaysias police chief said Friday.

International rights groups and organizations Friday slammed the Malaysian decision to forcibly send the three back to Turkey, saying their lives would be in danger. The mens relatives in Malaysia accused the authorities of failing to notify them about their loved ones expulsion in the middle of the night.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Khalid Abu Bakar said Friday the three were expelled a day earlier because they allegedly belonged to a group labelled by Turkey as the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

Police found that they are involved in FETO and are wanted by the Turkish government. Their travel documents have been revoked by the Turkish government. Therefore, their presence in Malaysia is illegitimate and they are considered illegal migrants, Khalid told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.

FETO is also known by other names  the Gulen Movement and Hizmet (the Service). The social movement is led Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based Muslim cleric whom Turkish officials have accused of plotting to overthrow the government in a failed coup last year.

Since the arrests last week, Malaysian officials had deflected accusations that the suspects  Turgay Karaman, 43, Ihsan Aslan, 39, and Ismet Ozcelik, 58  had been taken into custody at the bequest of Turkeys government, a fellow Muslim-majority nation and ally that cooperates with Malaysia in countering terrorism.

I dont want to question their motives or their integrity but, looking from the outside, the arrests of these individuals appear to be under Turkish influence, said Y. Alp Aslandogan, the New York-based president of the Alliance for Shared Values and a board member of the Gulen Institute  both associated with Fethullah Gulen.

It is not reflecting well of Malaysias record on human rights and, therefore, I urge authorities  to be completely free of any Turkish influence, he told BenarNews in a phone interview earlier this week.

They will torture him

Aslans wife, Malaysian citizen Ainnurul Aisyah Yunos Ali Maricar, said she was shocked when she learned that her husband and the others were forced to leave Malaysia.

I found out this morning from a journalist that my husband has been deported. I was not informed at all by the authorities, she told BenarNews.

One of the other expelled men, Karaman, had been living in Malaysia for almost 15 years and served as principal of an international school in the state of Perak.

Aslan is a businessman, and Ozcelik was a board member of a university in Turkey shut down by authorities after the 2016 attempted coup. He had previously been arrested and jailed for 90 days by Malaysian immigration officials in December on charges of obstructing a public officer, after he was asked to show officials his passport.

The three Turks were all arrested during the first week of May under Malaysias Security Offenses (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA), for allegedly carrying out activities that threatened the nations safety.

Last week, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Karaman and Aslan were taken into custody for suspected links to the Islamic State terrorist group. He offered no evidence to back up the claim.

This weeks deportations followed similar actions against Turkish nationals Alettin Duman and Tamer Tibik, who were arrested by Malaysian authorities and sent back to Turkey in October 2016.

Following the arrests of Karaman, Aslan and Ozcelik, their families pleaded with the Malaysian government to not send their loved ones to Turkey.

If they dont want (my husband) to be here, they can send (him) to other countries, but not Turkey because they will torture him, said Karamans wife, Ayse Gul Karaman.

Widespread condemnation

The organizations that criticized the expulsions of the three men included domestic and international rights advocacy groups and the United Nations.

In a series of tweets, Eric Paulsen, executive director of Malaysian NGO Lawyers for Liberty, asked what the trio had done to deserve to be deported to Turkey where, he said, they risked being jailed and tortured.

This is in breach of international law prohibiting refoulement . Paulsen said on Twitter, using a legal term that refers to the forced return of a person who faces the prospect of persecution back home.

Josef Benedict, director for Amnesty International in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said the Malaysian authorities had jeopardized the mens liberty and well-being.

They have already suffered a harrowing ordeal, being arbitrarily detained and held incommunicado. Now, they have been extradited to Turkey, where they could face arbitrary detention, unfair trial and a real risk of torture, he said in a statement.

Human Rights Watch Deputy Asia Director Phil Robertson criticized the secretive nature of the mens deportation, pointing out that their families were not notified.

He said the refoulement of Ismet, who was recognized as a refugee by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), was a clear violation of international human rights law.

What makes this even more of a black mark on Malaysias already spotty right record is the fact that senior government officials, including the Deputy Prime Minister and the IGP, repeatedly denied Turkeys involvement, and used apparently false claims of IS links or local terrorism to justify their detention under the rights abusing SOSMA law, Robertson said.

UNHCRs Southeast Asia office expressed similar concerns over the safety of the deportees.

Five people have now been forcibly returned to Turkey from Malaysia since last October. We have concerns that other Turkish nationals with alleged links to the Gulen movement may be similarly arrested and deported from Malaysia, it said in a Facebook posting.

Hadi Azmi in Kuala Lumpur and Roni Toldanes in Washington contributed to this report.
Pope Francis arrives for a weekly general audience in St. Peters Square at the Vatican, May 10, 2017

Catholic leaders in Muslim-dominated Malaysia are rejoicing at the opening of their countrys first embassy at the Vatican  a move touted by their government as boosting closer bilateral ties with the Holy See and promoting religious moderation and tolerance.

Foreign Minister Anifah Aman this week presided over the inauguration of the Chancery of the Malaysian Embassy to the Holy See, much to the delight of clergy in the eastern states of Sabah and Sarawak  where the bulk of Malaysias Catholic and Christian communities is concentrated.

Richard Ng, the bishop of Miri district in Sarawak, said the diplomatic milestone represented a door to better mutual understanding and a way to bridge a gap between Malaysia and the Roman Catholic Church.

We feel good to be close to Pope Francis, the Holy Father, even though we in Malaysia are just a small community, he told BenarNews.

Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister James Masing described it as a good opportunity for Bernard Giluk Dompok, the ambassador to the Vatican, to highlight multi-ethnic and multi-religious Malaysia as an inclusive country.

We are moderates and not extremists and Ambassador Bernard Dompok will set that straight, he told BenarNews.

Dompok previously served as Sabah chief minister and a federal minister.

Of the countrys 31.7 million people, slightly more than 9 percent are Christians  and about half of them are Catholics. They mostly are from ethnic Chinese, Indian or indigenous backgrounds, according to 2016 statistics.

Malaysia and the Holy See established diplomatic ties in 2011 and, in November 2015, Malaysia opened an embassy with a residence in Rome.

Last year, Malaysian Catholics had another reason to celebrate as Pope Francis elevated Msgr. Anthony Soter Fernandez, the emeritus archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, as the nations first-ever cardinal  the second highest rank in the church, next to the pontiff.

In opening the diplomatic mission on Tuesday, Anifah said it symbolized Malaysias commitment to enhance mutual ties, particularly on religious matters, and promote better understanding about religion.

Malaysia strongly believes in the need to practice moderation as the fundamental element to foster greater integration, ensuring peaceful coexistence through the rejection of extremism that undermines the universal values of religion, the foreign minister said at the Vatican, according to Malaysias state-run Bernama news service.

It is good news for once between the government and Christians, said Jonathan Ng whose children attend a Catholic school in the state of Selangor.

But some other Catholics were skeptical.

Mutual cooperation would be positive, but the reality of life for members of religious minorities in Malaysia may not change, Nelson Zuzartee told BenarNews.

It is still difficult to get permits to open a church here. It is hard to get visa approvals to travel to the Holy See, he said. It is cosmetics, for international diplomacy.

Laja Laing in Kuching, Sarawak, contributed to this report.
The Bible has been under attack in the western world for over 200 years but never more intensely than today. These attacks have taken different forms and have come from many different corners of the academic world, from philosophers, to scientists, to textual critics. In the specialized world of archaeology the attacks have increased dramatically in the past 50 years. Once a specialization filled with Bible believing individuals, the field of archaeology is now overrun with atheists and skeptics, agnostics and those committed to the destruction of the Bible as a source of true historical information.

These attacks on the Bible are a part of a sweeping movement in western culture. Spearheaded by academic elitists in the university and the public educational system, the news and popular media, and the entertainment industry, these revisionists cloak themselves with supposed objectivity, purity of motives, and the superiority of science over the "uninformed", "unscientific", religious community.

They regularly mock those who question their world-view and their conclusions by name-calling and the worst forms of anti-Bible and anti-Christian propaganda. They have powerfully infected the church by turning Bible believing Christians against the very Scripture which is the foundation of truth and life in this world. Instead of contending for the Bible, Christian academics, pastors, and lay-persons are making egregious accommodations to these destroyers of faith and truth.

In these days of intense spiritual battle, God has called ABR to step into the gap to contend for the truth and to assist the church in this critical hour. ABR is a non-profit ministry dedicated to demonstrating the historical reliability of the Bible and to give answers to questions being asked by believers and non-believers alike. We do this by using original archaeological fieldwork and research along with studies in other apologetic disciplines. We take on the bold claims of skeptics and critics. We challenge the bizarre anti-biblical propaganda that is purveyed upon the public as gospel through television and print media. We uphold the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is God's message for the salvation of all mankind!
For Immediate Release, May 12, 2017 Contact: Andrea Santarsiere, (303) 854-7748, asantarsiere@biologicaldiversity.org $15,000 Reward Offered for Info on Shooter of Famous Yellowstone Wolf Center Contributes $5,000 to Reward to Bring Shooter to Justice VICTOR, Idaho The Center for Biological Diversity is contributing $5,000 toward a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for illegally shooting and killing a famous wolf in Yellowstone National Park. The 12-year-old wolf  one of only three known white wolves in Yellowstone  was the alpha female of the Canyon Pack. The Center's pledge, along with rewards offered by the National Park Service, Wolves of the Rockies and Heart of the Wild Yellowstone, comes as National Park Service officials are seeking leads in their criminal investigation of the incident. The wolf, mortally wounded from a gunshot, was found by hikers on April 11 in Yellowstone National Park near Gardiner, Mont. We sure hope they catch the despicable killer of this wolf, said Andrea Santarsiere, a senior attorney at the Center. Shooting this wolf in Yellowstone National Park, an area that should be a safe haven for wildlife, is not only illegal but repulsive. National Park Service officials believe the wolf was shot sometime between 1 a.m. on April 10 and 2 p.m. on April 11, somewhere on the north side of the park  either near Gardiner or near the Old Yellowstone Trail located within the park's northern boundary. The wolf was not immediately killed, but instead was left severely injured. Park staff had to euthanize her. As of April 24, it is legal to kill wolves in much of Wyoming, as it is in Montana and Idaho. However, it remains illegal to kill wolves in Yellowstone, Grand Teton or other national parks. Sadly, this poaching incident reflects what a growing body of research is making more and more clear  allowing extensive hunting of wolves has not increased social tolerance for them, as states have predicted, said Santarsiere. Instead we're seeing evidence that state-supported hunts of big carnivores actually devalue them among a certain segment of the population, and in fact likely trigger an increase in illegal killings. The National Park Service is asking anyone with information about the incident to call the ISB tip line, (888) 653-0009. Callers may remain anonymous. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.3 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
Winners of the final 7 categories of the 44th One Show Awards have been announced at Cipriani Wall Street, with SA responsible for a further 6 bronze, 1 silver and 1 gold pencil, which was also crowned best of discipline' for radio, as well as 10 merit awards.

The One Club for Creativity announced winners in the categories of cross-platform, film, intellectual property, interactive, mobile, radio, social influencer, social media and UX/UI as well as agency of the year, network of the year, holding company of the year, client of the year and best of show at the closing ceremony of its 2017 Creative Week.

The SA winners are all listed below, and you can see the full list of winners from the night by clicking here.

SAs One Show 2017 winners, part 2

FCB Africa brought home SAs only gold pencil from One Show 2017 for its Netflorist A war of words  anniversary forgotten radio work. This was also crowned the special award winner for One Shows best of radio discipline and just a few weeks ago as the winner of a D&AD graphite pencil.

Ogilvy & Mather Johannesburg was responsible for nine of SAs overall accolades on the night, once again the countrys top performing agency group on this years international award circuit. The global Ogilvy & Mather group was also awarded network of the year.

SA's overall One Show 2017 wins per agency

Company Gold Bronze Silver Merit Total FCB / Johannesburg + Hey Papa Legend / Johannesburg 1 1 FoxP2 / Cape Town 1 1 FoxP2 / Cape Town + they / Johannesburg + TheWorkRoom / Cape Town 1 1 Geometry Global / Cape Town + Ogilvy & Mather / Cape Town 1 1 Geometry Global / Johannesburg + Ogilvy & Mather / Johannesburg 2 2 Hero Strategic Marketing / Cape Town 1 1 Hunt Lascaris / Johannesburg 1 5 6 Hunt Lascaris / Johannesburg + Produce Sound / Johannesburg 1 1 Joe Public United / Johannesburg 1 1 2 King James Group / Cape Town 2 2 MullenLowe / Johannesburg 2 2 Net#work BBDO / Johannesburg 3 3 Ogilvy & Mather / Cape Town 2 2 Ogilvy & Mather / Johannesburg 4 4 8 Ogilvy & Mather / Johannesburg + Gloo@Ogilvy / South Africa 1 1 2 OpenCo - The Open Collaboration / Johannesburg 2 1 3 OpenCo - The Open Collaboration / Johannesburg + Howard Audio / Johannesburg 1 1 VML South Africa / Cape Town 1 1 Y&R South Africa / Cape Town 1 1 Y&R South Africa / Cape Town + 7Films / Cape Town 1 1

This final result set puts us in 10th best country ranking, with 42 wins from 355 entries. The second awards night was hosted by Jessica Williams, former correspondent of The Daily Show.

There were 243 pencils awarded to 23 countries in total on the night, broken down as 70 gold, 75 silver and 98 bronze  this from 21,844 entries across 73 countries overall.

Best in discipline and special award winners

Nine best of discipline winners were announced, as follows:

Cross-platform: The Refugee Nation for Amnesty International by Ogilvy/New York.

Film: Were the Superhumans for Channel 4/Rio Paralympics by 4Creative/London + Blink/London.

See One Show judge Matt Eastwood discuss the winning work below:

Intellectual property: Roam Delivery for Volvo Cars by Ogilvy PR/London + OgilvyOne/London.

Interactive: Field Trip to Mars for Lockheed Martin by McCann/New York.

See One Show judge Andrew Keller discuss the winning work below:

Mobile: The Swedish Number for Swedish Tourist Association by INGO/Stockholm + Grey PR&Activation/New York + Cohn&Wolfe/Stockholm. See One Show judge Alan Kelly discuss the winning work below:

See One Show judge Kitty Lun discuss the winning work below:

Radio: A War of Words  Anniversary Forgotten for Netflorist by FCB Joburg/Johannesburg + Hey Papa Legend/Johannesburg.

Social media: Check Before Its Removed for Pink Ribbon Deutschland by DDB Group Germany/Berlin.

See One Show judge Brent Choi discuss the winning work below:

UX/UI: Reword for Headspace by Leo Burnett/Melbourne + Studio Pancho/Melbourne. See One Show judge Taras Wayner discuss the winning work below:

The following special award winners were also announced:

Agency of the year: McCann/New York

Network of the year: Ogilvy & Mather

Independent agency of the year: Droga5

Client of the year: Lockheed Martin

Holding company of the year: Omnicom

The Penta Pencil, which recognises successful collaboration between an agency and brand team over the years, had two winners this year: Wieden + Kennedy and Nike, and TBWA\Media Arts Lab and Apple.

The total list of One Show winners can be found here with the complete rankings at oneclub.org.

Follow the One Clubs latest updates on Twitter and watch for exclusive updates in our One Show special section!
All About Mothers Day Life oi-Syeda Farah

Mother's day is celebrated across most of the countries on the second Sunday of May. This day is considered to be quite special, as on this day it is common for Mothers to be showered with presents and special attention from their families, friends and loved ones.

You May Also Like To Read: How To Make Your Mum Feel Special On Mother's Day

This day has gained hype in the past few years, as the kids love appreciating their mum on this special day.

There are many spas and restaurants that have special offers too for mums on this day. But do we really know the history behind this day?

Also Read: 10 Awesome Mother's Day Quotes

Here is the history of Mother's day that we need to know even before we celebrate this day. Check out the history behind Mother's day.

Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis, Social Activist, Was The Idea Behind This! She was a social activist who organised events called Mothers' Day Work Clubs to reduce infant mortality. In these events, doctors were invited to hold discussions with mothers so as to know how they could keep their children healthy and educate them with latest practices of hygiene and sanitation as well. This Was A Regular Prayer Of Ann For Her Social Activist Mom "I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will found a memorial mother's day commemorating her for the matchless service she renders to humanity in every field of life." The Origin Of This Day Anna Jarvis is recognised as the woman who invented Mother's Day in America. She held a memorial for her mother Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis in West Virginia in 1908. It Became The Official Day In 1911 Anna Jarvis and her supporters sent letters to those high up in positions of power and asked for an official holiday to honour mothers. This day was celebrated in almost every state of the US in the year 1911. On May 8, 1914. On this day, the then President Woodrow Wilson signed a joint resolution document which confirmed that every second Sunday in May would be celebrated as Mother's Day. Don't you think this day is worth a celebration? Do share your thoughts in the comment section below...
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Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/05/2017 (2006 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Brandon University Foundation showed its appreciation for donors and volunteers at its annual luncheon on Friday afternoon.

In 2016, the foundation received a little more than $2.3 million in donations and contributions from generous supporters of the university.

But many donors were just happy to have an opportunity to make a difference.

Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun Brandon West Progressive Conservative MLA Reg Helwer brings greetings from Premier Brian Pallister during the Brandon University Foundations annual luncheon in honour of donors and volunteers at the Victoria Inns Imperial Ballroom on Friday.

This is such a wonderful opportunity  to do small things to change peoples lives, said Gerald Butler, who, along with his wife, Carmen, started the Butler Family Foundation. It gives us a good feeling  both the donor and the donee get equal satisfaction.

The couple started the foundation in an effort to take small steps in tackling a large problem, Butler said.

Our mission statement is to eradicate poverty and gender and racial discrimination  and we think the answer is to do it through education, Butler said. The reason its a foundation is because were not going to be here forever, but the foundation can live on  because this need is not going to go away.

The Butlers both wear colourful, beaded friendship rings  made for them by an indigenous friend of theirs in Winnipeg  to symbolize all races and colours blended together as the human race.

It also symbolizes their dedication to make a difference.

We give a ring to graduating recipients as well  it has a lot of meaning, Carmen said.

For Warren McKinnon and his wife, Janice Waud Loper, from Vancouver, being donors gave them the opportunity to honour McKinnons late mother.

The Clarissa Elma McKinnon Scholarship is now available to a BU student of music every year  an ode to his mothers musical gifts.

I work in the field of advancement and development, and I understand about legacy giving and how important it is, so we started off by establishing the scholarship in honour of Warrens mom, Waud Loper said.

Warrens loyalty and connection with Brandon and Manitoba, and also music  Thats really inspired us to do this.

The Clarissa Elma McKinnon Scholarship has been available for two years now, and its first recipient  third-year bachelor of music student Dallas Nedotiafko  said the opportunity has made an incredible difference in his schooling at BU.

Having that support definitely takes off financial stress, and being able to be stress-free and be a student at the same time is huge  that stress distracts you from your studies, Nedotiafko said. I believe that behind any successful individual is a solid support system, and I think each and every one of us is an accumulation of that support. When people believe in you, it pushes you to believe in yourself.

McKinnon and Waud Loper are more than happy to help, knowing that Clarissa would have been thrilled to help talented musicians with their education.

Were very proud that in the years to come, when we are no longer here, these things will continue and these students  these wonderful people  will have a chance to participate in something that means something to them, Waud Loper said.

 edebooy@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @erindebooy
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/05/2017 (2006 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The number of indigenous students graduating from Assiniboine Community College and Brandon University is slowly rising, a trend that both institutions expect to continue as indigenous student enrolment increases.

In 2016, there were 234 indigenous grads at ACC compared to 204 in 2012. There were also 1,174 indigenous enrolments in 2016  the highest amount in the last five years.

The number of indigenous graduates at BU dipped from 66 in 2015 to 48 in 2016, after having gradually increased in fits and starts since 2012. In 2016, BU had 367 undergraduate and 35 graduate indigenous students enrolled at the university, and, based on projections, those numbers are expected to increase to 543 undergrads and 39 graduates in 2022, and716 undergrads and 44 graduates in 2027.

File Micheline Berard from Portage la Prairie dances during the Brandon University All Nations Graduation Pow Wow on the front lawn of Brandon University in a 2015 photo. Both BU and Assiniboine Community College have seen an increase in indigenous students graduating, as well as a bump in enrolment.

Both ACC and BU signed the Indigenous Education Blueprint in 2015  a plan aiming to advance indigenous education and reconciliation in Manitoba based on the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions recommendations.

ACC has come away from that creating its Indigenization Strategy, which dean of students, indigenous and community development Michael Cameron said is already having an impact.

(The strategy) will help the college in the long run do a better job at recruiting and retaining our students and getting them to successfully graduate at the end in their chosen fields, Cameron said. One of our goals  is to increase our indigenous student numbers and indigenous student graduates, and our expectation is that will continue to rise. Our goal as an institution is to double our graduate rate by 2025, and our indigenous students will contribute to that as well.

ACC is trying to provide a better support system for indigenous students on campus, Cameron said, through initiatives such as having visiting elders to each campus, as well as a cultural centre on site.

(The cultural centre) provides a safe haven that indigenous students can go to any time of the day and just be alone or be with other indigenous students, talk with elders, talk with staff  just having a safe space within the college itself is very supportive of the success of our students, Cameron said.

When youre coming from a northern community and youve never really been to an urban centre before, it can be pretty daunting, so to have a place to go to and have people of your own culture to talk to, its pretty important.

ACC is also focused on building relationships within the indigenous community, including providing community-based training.

Our staff is in the communities on a regular basis as well, promoting not only the college, but programming that can be done within the community themselves, Cameron said.

BU is still in the process of creating its plan for supporting indigenous education, but has already been making similar strides, focusing on building relationships and support.

There has been an increase in enrolment numbers  and its 100 per cent a priority in our recruitment and retention office, said Courtney Adams, director of recruitment and retention.

With everything we do, we think of our indigenous prospective students and how we can make events more appealing to them, meet their needs, in a sense, and make them feel that their traditions and culture is respected and valued here.

Chris Lagimodiere, director of the Indigenous Peoples Centre, said he believes increases in graduation rates are directly tied to the concentrated effort in supporting students throughout their education.

A lot of challenges that students are facing, indigenous or not, are things that happen outside the classroom  having a job, having to work, child care, transportation, relocating from either a First Nation community or a rural community  that all plays into how successful a student will be, Lagimodiere said.

Recognizing that these students do have unique challenges or barriers that they may be facing or even just different culture changes coming from rural or northern community. There is an invested effort of the university to identify those things and then put programs in place to help support students with that.

 edebooy@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @erindebooy
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/05/2017 (2006 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nine municipalities in southwestern Manitoba have formed a task force to seek a regional solution for rural health care.

Officially launched on April 12, the Southwestern Manitoba Health and Long-Term Care Task Force has identified accessibility as the No. 1 priority.

Even though health-care delivery is not a responsibility of local government, the local governments together recognize that they are critical stakeholders, said Gordon Daman, president of Red River Group and task force consultant.

Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun The Carberry and District Health Centre is seen on Friday morning. The Town of Carberry already has a health action committee, and Mayor Stuart Olmstead said health care is always a concern.

Having an on-the-ground understanding and feel of what residents are saying and experiencing  they feel they need to step up to be able to be part of the solution.

Frequent closures of emergency departments continue to plague rural Manitoba.

It is an ongoing challenge to recruit and retain doctors and other medical professionals in rural areas. Currently, Prairie Mountain Healths public alerts show a list of six dates in May that the emergency department is closed at the Carberry and Glenboro health centres.

A recent report submitted to Manitobas Ministry of Health, Seniors and Active Living suggests the government close ineffective rural ERs.

If it isnt an emergency department, then dont call it an emergency department, states the Provincial Clinical and Preventive Services Planning for Manitoba report, submitted by David Peachey.

The report has prompted a lot of discussion on the issue, especially in southwestern Manitoba.

Killarney-Turtle Mountain Mayor Rick Pauls, said, at best, rural emergency rooms are in reality urgent care centres.

And to be honest, a lot of them  arent even urgent care centres, he said. We definitely need to rethink it.

For years, Pauls has spoken out about the need for a regional hospital in southwestern Manitoba, similar to the Boundary Trails facility located between Winkler and Morden.

I believe that our facility here, the Tri-Lake Health Centre is in the best position for that, simply because of our numbers, our amount of docs and our lab and infrastructure that we presently have in place, he said.

I truly believe that we need to do that.

The municipalities involved in the task force include Boissevain-Morton, Cartwright-Roblin, Killarney-Turtle Mountain, Pipestone, Brenda-Waskada, Deloraine-Winchester, Two Borders and Prairie Lakes. The Town of Melita is also on board.

The Town of Carberry has its own health action committee, and Mayor Stuart Olmstead said health care is always a concern.

Youre only one retirement or one vacation away from not having basically an open ER within your community, he said.

Residents are concerned about the idea of funnelling resources to a larger centre, as that could mean a 45-minute trip to the nearest ER.

We went from having 24 (hour) on-call here, to now  on-call as a shared service between ourselves and Glenboro, and now we even have blackout periods, Olmstead said. So it does seem over time, weve already had our cutbacks.

Daman said 24-7 emergency departments are difficult to maintain and are frightfully expensive, not just on the human resources side but on the equipment side as well.

When looking at admissions to emergency rooms, Daman said it is often for issues that would be classified under urgent care  stitches, X-rays, casts, etc.

Emergent care are those items that are basically threat to life or limb, within a very short period of time, he said.

Depending on the situation, Daman points out that paramedics may be more equipped to respond to an emergency in a more fulsome manner than a family doctor who may only see a few emergency situations a year.

Often  a 911 call with an ambulance, is actually safer with the paramedics attending because they can come to the home, he said.

The population across the nine municipalities is an estimated 14,000 people. Daman explained that patient loads for family doctors are in the range of 1,500 and 2,100.

If we say even at 1,500 or 1,600 patients per doctor, with the 14,000 people, youre only looking and needing about seven or eight doctors for that particular population base, he said. To have appropriate on-call coverage at any hospital, a team of six doctors would be needed.

So that would mean if we were to maintain the four hospitals that are in that catchment area: Melita, Deloraine, Boissevain and Killarney, youd essentially need to have 24 doctors, when the population base only really requires seven or eight, Daman said.

A solution being considered is operating urgent care centres instead of ERs, which can be staffed with nurse practitioners or physician assistants. They would have the ability to call a group of doctors, who could answer questions but dont necessarily have to be at the hospital.

The current system is not sustainable, based on the hard evidence of the Peachey report, and on the reality that were in a fiscal environment thats strained and limited, Daman said.

A solution is going to require a new way of thinking, he said, and it may not look like the traditional emergency rooms that have been commonplace in the past.

The task force meets monthly, with community consultations planned for Melita, Deloraine, Boissevain and Killarney this fall, prior to the final recommendations being formulated. The goal is to present recommendations to Prairie Mountain Health and Manitoba Health by the end of the year.

 jaustin@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @jillianaustin
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/05/2017 (2006 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

By hosting Brandons biggest fair trade coffee break today, Ten Thousand Villages will celebrate World Fair Trade Day.

The downtown artisan shop, at 829 Rosser Ave., will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., during which free coffee and tea samples will be handed out.

The coffee will come from Victoria, B.C.-based Level Ground Trading, which sources coffee beans directly from six different countries in South America and East Africa.

Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun Lynn Nightingale, the manager of Ten Thousand Villages on Rosser Avenue, displays some of the fair trade coffee the store will have for sale during its Brandons Biggest Fair Trade Coffee Break as part of World Fair Trade Day today.

It goes straight from the producers to Level Ground, so theres no middleman involved in that, and we make sure they get a fair wage for what theyre doing, store manager Lynn Nightingale said.

Theyre undecided as to which tea will be served, however it will, like everything else in the shop, be certified fair trade; probably from India, where a lot of their tea comes from.

By cutting out the middlemen, fair trade products ensure that more money makes its way to the initial producer, be they the farmer, artisan or whomever else is working hard to provide for themselves and their families and communities, Nightingale said.

Where fair trade items can be a bit more expensive than many generally sourced items, Nightingale said; Youre paying for the quality and youre paying to make sure that theyre getting a living wage.

Ten Thousand Villages is a not-for profit organization run primarily by volunteers, with Brandons location one of 37 stores across Canada, with about twice that number in the United States.

The organization has been in Brandons downtown core for 27 years, with Nightingale involved with the organization in various capacities for 13 years, spending the last five as manager.

Having devoted a large swath of her life to the organizations cause, she said that her main motivation has been its underlying goal of helping people.

Thats what it really comes down to, she said  a sentiment volunteer Linda Friesen also shared while tidying up the stores displays on Friday.

It helps support people, Friesen said, adding that she tries to support fair trade as much as possible, both through both her volunteer efforts as well as her pocketbook.

With Ten Thousand Villages focus primarily on artisans, she said that its nice to have the opportunity to make the ethical choice of supporting artisans through the purchase of handmade art pieces instead of mass produced items.

In addition to coffee and tea samples, a storewide discount, door prize draw and various prizes and fair trade treat samples will be divvied out today.

Volunteers will also be collecting the names of fair trade supporters on images of coffee cups, and hope to have at least 100 names on their wall by the end of the day.

 tclarke@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/05/2017 (2006 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Just as they hit their stride in the citys historic downtown core, whose renewal Kaleigh Stobbe cites as facilitating a new wave of area development, the Wildflower Cafe is closing.

The buildings owners have decided to sell, giving the cafes ownership notice to vacate.

Due to a staff shortcoming, theyre shutting down a bit earlier than their three-month notice dictated, and are hosting a Come Cry with Us farewell party featuring live music on May 25, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun Kaleigh Stobbe, owner of the Wildflower Cafe on Rosser Avenue, will be closing the cafe at the end of the month due to the impending sale of the building. The cafe is hosting a Come Cry with Us farewell party featuring live music on May 25, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Stobbe, who owns the cafe along with her family  who also run the Lady of the Lake shop, cafe and pub north of the tracks at 135 17th St. North  said that its sad to think that the Wildflower Cafe wont be around to contribute to a continued downtown renewal.

It just feels like momentums getting going, she said, adding that theyve just recently developed a steady crowd of downtown people who have come to depend on the cafe for their lunch breaks every day.

Since announcing their impending closure on social media earlier this month, staff have received an outpouring of support, manager Shannon Skidmore said, adding that theyve received countless phone calls and positive comments, as well as various bouquets of flowers.

Its nice to know that we did something that people will miss, she said.

Some customers have already asked staff to prepare several copies of their favourite dish in order to freeze, Stobbe said.

The Wildflower Cafe opened five years ago this September out of a love for the historic building and a desire for something interesting to take up shop that would invite people into the unique space, Stobbe said.

Living nearby, Stobbe said that shed loved the building for years before opening the Wildflower Cafe, watching another cafe operate in the space before shutting down, followed by a Mexican restaurant doing the same.

In 2012, Stobbe said that her family was finally in a good place to do something with the space and are proud of what theyve been able to accomplish since that time.

We feel like, through the five years weve been here, its really started to feel like a community for us, she said, adding; Weve definitely noticed an increase in people.

Its been a beautiful building to work in, Stobbe said, adding that their regular clients have also helped make coming into work a fun experience.

Stobbe said that the Wildflower Cafes trademark juices would continue to be sold at Lady of the Lake alongside some of their other best-known items, but that she recognizes it wont be the same.

The atmosphere they were able to create at the Wildflower Cafes historic space at 908 Rosser Ave. is not something that she said could be replicated.

 tclarke@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/05/2017 (2006 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Brandon judge has been asked to overturn a conviction for possession of child porn based on the argument that border guards didnt have the authority to search the cellphone the material was found on.

Defence lawyer Dan Manning argued there are limits to the searches that can be done by border officers, and those limits apply to cellphones.

People might say: Cant border security agents search anything? Manning said. The answer is, no they cant.

Brandon Tyler Vaillancourt, at the time a member of the Canadian military, was convicted of possession of child porn on Nov. 21, 2016. He received a 90-day intermittent jail sentence.

Vaillancourt was found with more than 100 distinct child porn images on his cellphone and computer.

The images were discovered when Vaillancourt, then a soldier based at CFB Shilo, returned to Canada from a trip the U.S. on May 2, 2014, and a border officer inspected his phone and found one of the images.

Further examination detected more images believed to be child porn, Vaillancourt was arrested, and RCMP were called in to investigate. A computer with the other images on it was then seized from his home.

Vaillancourt hasnt yet served any of his sentence as he was granted bail while pending appeal.

The Crown stayed a charge of importing child pornography.

Vaillancourts conviction on the possession charge came after a voir dire in Brandon provincial court in which Judge Donovan Dvorak ruled that the images found on the phone should be admitted at trial.

At that time, Manning argued that border officers didnt have grounds to search the phone under the Customs Act.

However, Dvorak ruled that the search was valid because the phone met the definition of a good under Section 99 of the act and therefore could be searched.

During an appeal heard in Brandon Court of Queens Bench this week, Manning argued the child porn evidence should have been excluded as his clients right to protection from unreasonable search and seizure under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms was violated and the conviction should be quashed.

Manning argued that Judge Dvorak had erred by ruling that the cellphone met a definition of a good under the customs legislation.

The appeal was argued before Justice John Menzies.

To make his argument, Manning pointed to a prior court ruling on a section of the Customs Act regarding the warrantless search of people at the border.

That case ruled an initial search of baggage and questioning by border guards is acceptable because people expect that at the border.

If they have a concern about the possibility of an item being searched, they can leave the item at home or take other steps.

If officers have reasonable grounds, they can search the person crossing the border, and such searches can be done in private if theres a need to remove clothing.

Such screening doesnt violate the protections from unreasonable search and seizure under the charter, the court ruled.

But, Manning argued, people dont have that same expectation of a search when it comes to their devices at the border.

I would submit that most people dont expect their cellphone to be searched, Manning said.

He said travellers may find themselves unexpectedly questioned about embarrassing, but legal, contents in their phone.

A cellphone search is inherently more intrusive, he argued, and people dont have the option of selecting certain contents to leave behind.

Its not reasonable to expect people to leave their cellphones at home when they travel abroad, Manning said.

But the main thrust of Mannings argument is that Judge Dvorak erred by ruling that a cellphone was a good that could be searched under Section 99 of the Customs Act.

That section of the act allows border officers to examine goods, or open containers to examine goods. They can examine every good that comes into the country, without reasonable suspicion or probable grounds of a crime.

Section 99 defines a good as conveyances and documents in any form. Manning noted that prior court decisions have ruled that computers, and by extension smartphones, are goods because they contain documents in any form (digital ones).

But Manning argued that officers have to enter a cellphone first to reach the document, and searching a cellphone cant realistically be compared to searching receptacle such as a briefcase.

Searching a cellphone is more intrusive and the information it contains touches on the owners biographical core.

In Vaillancourts case, Menzies noted, the officer didnt display much restraint in the search of the phone: Once he got into the phone, he got into everything.

Manning pointed to the Supreme Court decision, R. v. Vu, established that, under the charter, police needed a separate warrant to examine the contents of computers and a cellphone found during the search of a house.

The decision recognized citizens concern about computers and their ability to collect a wide variety of information that can be personal.

Under Mannings argument, border guards could search to find the phone, but they would need more authorization based on reasonable grounds  such as a warrant  to examine the phones contents.

Brandon Crown attorney Deidre Badcock and federal Crown attorney Janna Hyman argued the conviction should stand.

Badcock said the context of the search is key. Searches under the Customs Act are not similar to other searches performed under other legislation.

She argued that, under Section 99 of the Customs Act, a cellphone is a good, and Dvorak had correctly ruled it as such.

Mannings arguments around Section 98, regarding expectations of a search and privacy, dont apply here as the section in question is Section 99, Badcock said.

She disagreed with Mannings argument which seemed to suggest the law is obsolete and the court should take a different approach until lawmakers can rewrite it.

Theres no distinction in the Customs Act regarding what and who can be searched, she said.

Its because, at the border, Canada is entitled to protect its sovereign nation, Badcock said. Theyre entitled to see what is coming in, and to stop, potentially, what is coming in.

Another wrinkle in the case is the fact that Menzies believes that Dvorak strayed into constitutional law in his voir dire decision. Hyman argues that if thats the case, the Crown wasnt given proper notice to make proper argument.

Dvorak applied the 2014 Supreme Court decision R. vs Fearon, which allowed for warrantless searches of cellphones by police upon arrest.

Dvorak used the tests from that court decision, and found that border officers met the conditions.

Neither Crown nor defence want Menzies to consider this constitutional element, but Menzies indicated he may consider whether it forms a defence for Vaillancourt.

The Crown argues that R vs. Fearon applies to searches upon arrest and not to border searches. Section 99 of the Customs Act was sufficient to give authority for the cellphone search, the Crown attorneys argue.

Menzies has the option of excluding the evidence and effectively quashing the conviction, as defence requests. Or, he can allow the conviction to stand, as the Crown argues.

In either of those cases, the Crown and defence have the option to refer the decision to the Manitoba Court of Appeal.

Menzies can also send the case to retrial.

 ihitchen@brandonsun.com
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/05/2017 (2006 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Three people remain in custody in connection with a police pursuit and the search of a Brandon home that turned up guns.

The cases of two men and a woman charged due to the incident appeared for the first time in Brandon provincial court on Friday.

They were brief appearances, however, as each accused was held in custody for further court appearances.

Submitted A Brandon Police Service photo shows weapons that were seized during an investigation that followed a high-speed chase on Thursday.

The accused are John Louis Siwak, 31, Dustin Alphonse Riley, 31, both of Saskatoon, and 26-year-old Kendyll Rae Misponas.

The three were charged following a high-speed chase early Thursday afternoon.

Police say that on Wednesday evening, a citizen called them to report that they had seen a man punch a woman in a black SUV that was travelling south on First Street.

Police couldnt find the SUV at the time, but several hours later they were informed that a man who was driving an SUV of the same description may have had a handgun.

Early Thursday morning, police spotted the unoccupied SUV parked at the Trails West Inn. Police learned the suspects identity and found out he had a lengthy criminal record with convictions for violence.

Also, he was on a bail order that required him to live in Saskatoon and abide by a curfew.

At 12:22 p.m. on Thursday, police were watching as their suspect and a woman exited a hotel room and entered the SUV with the man driving.

An officer pulled over the driver at a gas station beside the Trails West Inn, but the suspect then sped off, briefly dragging the officer who had reached into the vehicle to stop him. The officer wasnt injured.

That led to the chase in which witnesses say police and the SUV sped along Assiniboine Avenue at an estimated 100 km/h.

It ended with the SUV crashing into a concrete barrier at the construction site of the new First Street bridge.

The woman was arrested at the crash scene, while the man ran but was arrested downtown following a manhunt which involved officers in tactical gear.

The investigation then led police to a home on the 600 block of Franklin Street based on a tip that another man at that home had a handgun and assault rifle.

At 4:52 p.m., that man was arrested when he stepped outside the home. Inside the residence, police found a .22-calibre rifle, a 20-gauge shotgun, a hunting rifle and a BB gun. The realistic BB gun was the handgun that police were warned about.

A pickup truck parked at the home had been stolen from Prince Albert, Sask.

Siwak  the man who was arrested at the Franklin Street home  faces the most charges. All 14 of them are weapon charges that consist of multiple counts of careless carrying of a firearm, possession of a weapon while prohibited, and unauthorized possession of a firearm.

Riley  accused of being the driver during the chase  faces five charges that include assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, dangerous driving, flight from police in a vehicle and possession of a stolen vehicle.

Misponas  allegedly the female passenger in the SUV  is charged with possession of a stolen vehicle. Police say she has no fixed address, but court records indicate she has ties to Saskatchewan, too.

Misponas and Riley remain in custody to appear in court on May 29. Siwak will appear in court on Monday.

 ihitchen@brandonsun.com
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/05/2017 (2006 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dedicated to helping refugees find and maintain employment, the Refugee Employment Development Initiative (REDI) might be coming to Brandon.

Education and Training Minister Ian Wishart confirmed the potential Wheat City expansion during a question period session in Winnipeg earlier this week.

After being relayed this information on Friday, Westman Immigrant Services executive director Richard Bruce was excited about the program potentially coming to Brandon.

File Education and Training Minister Ian Wishart, pictured earlier this year, announced during question period this week that Brandon is being looked at as a potential recipient of a Refugee Employment Development Initiative project.

Its a really good idea, he said. Wed be glad to participate in it, if given the chance.

Four REDI pilot projects have been rolled out in Winnipeg this year, including one being undertaken by Manitoba Start, whose executive director commended the program for its early success.

Their first round of job placements is already well underway, with 16 refugees currently into their second week of employment in the hospitality industry; specifically, maintenance and cleaning, with opportunities for upward mobility.

By the end of the year, they hope to have helped 54 refugees find long-term employment.

While each REDI project is configured differently, Manitoba Start executive director Judith Hayes said that their program begins with finding an employer who is keen on bringing on refugees whose limited English skills might otherwise create barriers to their finding employment.

The program provides participants with three weeks of pre-employment essential skills training, which includes sector-specific language development.

Once theyre on the job site, their first six weeks salary is subsidized. Theyre also provided with continued English at work training during their first 10 weeks.

Diversity and inclusiveness training is also available to help make existing employees ready to accept newcomers, and people from Manitoba Start are available on a regular basis to help assist employers and employees overcome whatever bumps in the road might arise.

I think its really important that businesses understand that we can help to meet a need, and we need them to be open to helping us support newcomers settling in Manitoba, Hayes said. It only works when businesses come forward and tell us what their needs are so we can make a match.

This is the same business-first approach Wishart shared during question period this week, citing plenty of potential for REDI programming success in Brandon.

The hospitality industry is extremely strong in the Brandon area, he said, adding that another area of attention might be in early childhood education, where theres a significant child-care deficit virtually in every rural community in Manitoba and Brandon is no exception.

Brandon Chamber of Commerce president Terry Burgess said that the provincial government shouldnt have any trouble finding Brandon-based employers keen to take on refugees as employees.

The biggest thing we hear from our members is around skill shortages, he said. Itd be very interesting to work with community partners to find out what those skills are and get them to work in our community.

Bruce said that while WIS already helps people find employment in Brandon through various ongoing programming, there always seems to be a greater need out there than theyre able to meet, for the benefit of not only of newcomers, but also the local economy as a whole.

If we dont have immigrants coming here, well be short workers, he said. Were short workers now, and you can pick service industry, construction; you pick something and theyre basically all looking for workers.

Hayes said that Brandon would be a good match for a REDI project.

We know that theres work that businesses in the Brandon area  I would say agricultural, Maple Leaf (Foods) you have out there  that could participate easily in a project like this, she said.

While there havent been any announcements as to whether Brandon would get a REDI project, Wishart confirmed that theyre in the process of consulting with a number of industries in Brandon and were also working with the immigration groups themselves.

On Friday, the provincial government declined to provide any additional insight regarding potential REDI expansions.

A byelection in the Winnipeg riding of Point Douglas, set for June 13, limits the provinces ability to provide interviews or comment on government commitments that have been made but not yet delivered or implemented, a spokesperson wrote in emailed correspondence.

 tclarke@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/05/2017 (2007 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There were three powerful slogans uttered by Donald Trump in his election campaign  lock her up, drain the swamp and make America great again.

The first slogan referred to Hillary Clinton and capitalized on the Clinton familys history of questionable ethical behaviour. Of course, the fact former U.S. President Bill Clinton met with the Attorney General on a private jet, (while the FBI was investigating Hillary), was a perfect encapsulation of how tone deaf the Clinton machine was, and played perfectly into the public perception of their self-serving behaviour.

Drain the swamp played to the publics absolute hatred of Congress. Comparing the publics dislike of Congress to the publics distrust of Hillary is like comparing shooting a bullet to throwing it. Congress was polling at historically low numbers. Trump, by uttering drain the swamp, built on his populist credentials. He wasnt partisan  he wanted to throw all the bums out.

CP In this Nov. 7, 2016, photo, supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, one holding a sign that reads lock her up, cheer during a campaign rally in Leesburg, Va. Kerry Auriat writes that with Trump passing the 100-day mark of his administration, he has turned all of his populist mantras on their head.

Finally, Trump campaigned on the nostalgic paean for a nation that never existed Make America Great Again. When was it so great? Really, I ask you to give me a date. More on this later.

Now, only 100 days into the job, and Trump has turned all of his populist mantras on their head. Lock her up may very well be replaced by lock him up, although that may be delayed somewhat by his firing of FBI director James Comey.

As the Russian investigation gains steam, and the firing makes it more intriguing to investigators and Congress, it augurs poorly for a president who campaigned on the ethical shortcomings of his opponent. It feels as though we are very close to the Watergate mantra follow the money.

Drain the swamp is interesting inasmuch as Americans, frustrated by gridlock, elected a Republican House, Senate and president. Still, bills are halted and government action appears stilted at best. Why? As witnessed with the travel ban, some of the executive actions are plainly illegal or unconstitutional. Secondly, many congressmen want to stay in Washington, and so supporting the unpopular Trump is a ticket to obscurity in swing seats.

In other words, we are witnessing a gridlock within a single party  some members of which seek more restrictions while others demand a laissez faire approach to everything. The Republicans are a big-tent party, but appear unable to get along.

Make America great again draws a nostalgic picture of a simpler time when Uncle Sam stood astride the globe. Military and economic might following the Second World War, as well as the collapses of former colonial powers, left the United States as the worlds superpower. Militarily, it was challenged by the Soviet Union, and economically by Japan and Germany, and now China, but by and large, the 20th century belonged to the United States.

Beyond the shiny patina of success, however, laid incredible poverty, economic disparity, racism and an unwillingness to innovate to the same degree that led to success in the first place.

Today, rather than talk about tough issues like productivity, inequality, outsourcing and technological innovation, the president and both parties are stuck in a morass of blaming the other guys. Harkening back to a simple time appeals to a voter who sees jobs leaving and opportunities disappearing, not only today but in the future.

Trump, a master salesman and marketer, clearly understood his audience. He sold them a bill of goods they were all too willing to purchase.

The sad reality is that slogans wont fix this morass. A more innovative tax code would be a good start. Whether it is Bernie Sanders blaming Wall Street or Trump blaming Crooked Hillary, the reality is that a massive program of technological innovation and education is required. Just granting more tax breaks to the wealthiest people will not drive innovation. Do not believe in a trickle-down theory that doesnt stand up to any scrutiny.

Remember, a huge part of Americas success in the Second World War was driven by Henry Ford and the nations embrace of assembly lines and technological innovation. Today, that same innovation is eliminating workers. It is also breaking down work in an effort to better utilize robotics and outsourcing to foreign markets.

The nature of work, and nations themselves, is changing. We require adult politicians, and engaged adult voters, to ask tough questions and demand better answers. We deserve more than slogans, whether its Make America Great Again or because its 2015.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/05/2017 (2007 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Last week, the Brandon Sun ran a story involving the Rural Municipality of Ritchot, a small community located south of Winnipeg. Jackie Hunt, who had served as the mayor of Ritchot for close to two and half years, resigned in the midst of what she called name calling and belligerent behaviour by some members of the municipal council.

The final straw, according to Hunt, occurred during a heated public debate over a conditional-use permit for an outdoor skating rink (yeah, go figure). At one point in the meeting a male councillor, Ernie Dumaine, pounded his fist on the table and called the mayor a fg bitch.

There is no question that the behaviour that finally drove Ms. Hunt from office was bullying. But it is a certain kind of bullying that female politicians continue to experience all too often, and that is specifically due to the fact that they are women.

As I listened to Ms. Hunts story, I was reminded of my own past experiences as a political commentator, when I have been called belittling names and have had my credibility questioned in a way that my male colleagues have not had to contend with.

But even then, these experiences pale in comparison to those of women politicians across the country, regardless of what party they are members of or what level of government they are elected to.

We dont need to look south of the border to see the ways in which women are, whether critics wish to acknowledge it or not, treated differently in politics because of their gender. We have enough evidence of sexism and outright misogyny in politics right here in our own country.

One of the most pointed testimonies in this regard came last spring, in the form of an op-ed piece that Conservative Michelle Rempel wrote in the National Post.

Rempel writes of the everyday sexism she experiences from male politicians on Parliament Hill.

As I often tell my class, politics is not a tea party. It is a tough business, and one not designed for the faint of heart. This is particularly so in our parliamentary system, which thrives on adversarial debate (after all, what is an Official Opposition for if not to oppose, and vigorously at that?).

The everyday sexism that Rempel and other female public figures are confronted with, however, extends beyond the normal cut and thrust of political discourse. This kind of bullying is gendered, which means that women in public office are criticized not for their skills, their policy positions or their actions while in office  all of which are fair game.

Rather, it is the use of language designed to send the message that women, despite the fact that it is 2017, still do not belong in elected office. It involves obscene and infantilizing phrases, profane references to female anatomy, and sexual innuendo. It involves derogatory and dismissive behaviour that paints women as emotional, overly sensitive or irrational simply because they offer a different point of view than that of their male counterparts.

As Rempel states, The everyday sexism I face involves confronting the bitch epithet when I dont automatically comply with someones request or capitulate on my position on an issue. The kind of everyday sexism referenced by Rempel is bad enough.

But as a panel of women politicians on CBCs The Current (which included Manitoba MLA Nahanni Fontaine) recently discussed, the advent of social media has taken the verbal assault on women in the public sphere to a whole new level.

The panellists spoke about the hateful attacks and threats of sexual violence they receive over Facebook, Twitter and email on an ongoing basis, and Fontaine recalled the violent threats against her own mother that she received following the introduction of a private members resolution in the Manitoba legislature.

And in this regard, we only need only look to Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, who has been the target of more death threats and hate speech than any previous politician in the province (and probably in the country).

And while some might say this has to do with her ideology rather than her gender, as Alberta gender consultant Cristina Stasia pointed out, Theyre not calling her (Notley) an idiot, theyre calling her the c-word. Theyre not saying shes too progressive, theyre calling her a bitch. Theres a fury that lurks underneath this about the fact that we have a woman running our province.

Hard to imagine the same kind of insults hurled at former Alberta premiers like Jim Prentice or Ralph Klein, no matter how much some may have disliked them. It is experiences like this that discourage so many bright and capable women from seeking office, and why only 26 per cent of all elected political positions in this country are held by women.

Yes, it may be 2017. But in some ways, the times havent changed at all.

 Kelly Saunders is an associate professor with the Department of Political Science at Brandon University.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/05/2017 (2006 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Why leave Minneapolis?

How did Somali immigrants get from Minneapolis to the Manitoba border in the middle of winter? Why are some Somalis leaving Minneapolis even though there is a large Somali community there, while most Somalis are staying near Minneapolis? Something isnt adding up here. The Manitoba government is dropping the ball on this.

Lets clear the smoke

Spent a couple of months in Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg last year. Found out that no one smokes outside the building. They keep announcing that if you are caught smoking on the hospital side of any street surrounding the hospital buildings, you are subject to a $1,000 fine. Yep, checked it out on the Internet  the third offence, $1,000. No one even stops, no butts, no litter and no argument! Everybody crosses the street and leaves hospital property clean and tidy. It sure was nice to not have to suck in smoke when sitting outside or entering or leaving the hospital. What a great suggestion for the Brandon hospital. Would give the security guards some thing to do.

Offensive to the senses

Regarding the Whats That Smell Sound Off. Anyone know what it was? With more weakening of the regulations by Brian Pallister and his entourage to enable the hog industry to expand and doing everything on the cheap, get ready for even more nasty smells, including water and environment pollution. Sort of makes you sick, doesnt it? Cover your eyes, hold your nose and plug your ears. Hard to do all at once, isnt it?

One job done by two, or two jobs done by one?

The Brandon firefighters and paramedics are doing both jobs, whereas in Winnipeg they have two people doing the job one does in Brandon as they have firefighters and paramedics each doing a separate job. Amazing how many people are so negative toward emergency personnel.

Way to go, Manitoba

To the person who wondered why there wasnt more coverage on Manitoba Hydro as it was being driven into the ground during the 17 years of NDP control. There were reports and articles, like the one a few years ago where an outside consultant was brought in to review Hydros financial future. The report raised alarm bells and warned that Hydros business plan was not sustainable. What happened? She was fired and the report ignored. What did the people do? They kept on putting the NDP back in power, guaranteeing further interference. The result is a public utility that is closer to having to be sold than it has ever been. All thanks to incompetent government meddling. Congratulations, Manitoba! You did it to yourself.
As usual, the Irish element of The Graham Norton Show shone brightly in conversation with Cork's finest host.

This week, Imelda May took to the couch, and told a story worthy of the Red Chair when reminiscing about her childhood.
Update 7.10pm: It has been confirmed a HSE-funded healthcare centre in Wexford has been affected by the global cyber attack.

The tech expert who stopped the attack in its tracks has identified Ireland as one of the affected countries.

Over 100 nations worldwide are working to combat the WANNACRY virus.

Here the Department of Communications has confirmed a number of Irish locations were targeted but only the Wexford incident was active and this has now been addressed.

Update 4.30pm: Europol said a major cyber attack is on an "unprecedented" level.

The EU law enforcement agency also says it will require a "complex international investigation to identify the culprits".

The Government says the National Cyber Security Centre is in close contact with the Gardai and HSE on the issue.

The attack has paralysed much of the NHS in the UK and has affected more than 70 countries worldwide.

Minister for Communications Denis Naughten said the situation could still escalate here and encouraged people to take preventative measures.

The likelihood is that next week we may have other attacks recorded because there is a lot of legacy equipment, not just in the public sector but also in the private sector.

What we are trying to do is make people aware of that and ensure that they download the required patch and that they keep software updated by downloading patches as they are required.

Update: 11am: The Government is continuing to monitor a major cyber attack that is affecting up to 100 countries across the globe.

The HSE has taken measures to protect its IT network after the NHS in the UK was targeted by the ransomeware virus.

Major businesses and corporations are being targeted by the threat which targets files and demands that a payment be made in order to unlock them.

The government has said there are no reports of any Irish companies caught up in the attack so far.

Minister for Communications Denis Naughten said it is an unprecedented attack: "We're working quite closely with our European counterparts and an Garda Siochana.

"I have spoken already this morning with them, the Tanaiste and the Minister for Health aswell and I suppose look what what is happening at the moment, we haven't seen anything of this scale before."

Earlier: Gardai say there are no reports of any Irish victims of the latest worldwide cyber attack.

The HSE has taken precautionary measures to protect their IT systems by removing all external access to the network.

Dozens of countries were hit with a huge cyberextortion attack at a multitude of hospitals, companies and government agencies.

The attack, that saw computers locked and users' files held for ransom, was believed to the biggest ever recorded.

The malicious software behind the onslaught appeared to exploit a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows that was supposedly identified by the US National Security Agency for its own intelligence-gathering purposes and was later leaked to the internet.

The UK's National Health Service fell victim, its hospitals forced to close wards and emergency rooms and turn away patients.

Russia appeared to be the hardest hit, according to security experts, with the country's Interior Ministry confirming it was struck.

All told, several cybersecurity firms said they had identified the malicious software, which so far has been responsible for tens of thousands of attacks, in more than 60 countries.

That includes the United States, although its effects there did not appear to be widespread, at least initially.

The attack infected computers with what is known as "ransomware", software that locks up the user's data and flashes a message demanding payment to release it.

In the US, FedEx reported its Windows computers were "experiencing interference" from malware, but would not say if it had been hit by ransomware.

Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at the Helsinki-based cybersecurity company F-Secure, called the attack "the biggest ransomware outbreak in history".

Security experts said the attack appeared to be caused by a self-replicating piece of software that enters companies and organisations when employees click on email attachments, then spreads quickly internally from computer to computer when employees share documents and other files.

Its ransom demands start at 300 dollars and increase after two hours to 400, 500 and then 600 dollars, said Kurt Baumgartner, a security researcher at Kaspersky Lab.

Affected users can restore their files from backups, if they have them, or pay the ransom; otherwise they risk losing their data entirely.

Chris Wysopal of the software security firm Veracode said criminal organisations were probably behind the attack, given how quickly the malware spread.

"For so many organisations in the same day to be hit, this is unprecedented," he said.

The security holes it exploits were disclosed several weeks ago by TheShadowBrokers, a group that has published what it says are hacking tools used by the NSA as part of its intelligence-gathering.

Shortly after that disclosure, Microsoft announced it had already issued software "patches" for those holes.

But many companies and individuals have not installed the fixes yet or are using older versions of Windows that Microsoft no longer supports and did not fix.

By Kaspersky Lab's count, the malware struck at least 74 countries.

In addition to Russia, the biggest targets appeared to be Ukraine and India, nations where it is common to find older, unpatched versions of Windows in use, according to the security firm.

Spain, meanwhile, took steps to protect critical infrastructure in response to the attack.

Authorities said they were communicating with more than 100 energy, transportation, telecommunications and financial services providers about the attack.

Spain's Telefonica, a global broadband and telecommunications company, was among the companies hit.

Ransomware attacks are on the rise around the world.

In 2016, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Centre in California said it had paid a 17,000 dollars ransom to regain control of its computers from hackers.

AP
The prosecution in the upcoming trial of a US woman charged with killing her Irish husband has called on the court to withhold interviews with the mans children from the jury, writes Joe Leogue.

Jason Corbett, 39, was found dead in the early hours of August 2, 2015, in the home he shared with his wife Molly Martens, 33, in Panther Creek, Wallburg, North Carolina.

Ms Martens father, Thomas Martens, 67, has also been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter.

Mr Corbetts two children from a previous marriage  Jack, 12, and Sarah, 9  were seen by social workers at the Dragonfly House, a childrens advocacy centre, in the days following his death.

However, documents filed yesterday in the Superior Court in Davidson County saw the State of North Carolina request that recordings and statements from the childrens interviews be deemed inadmissible as evidence for the trial, which gets underway on July 17.

These recordings and interviews constitute inadmissible hearsay, Assistant District Attorney Gregory Brown wrote.

The State prays the Court order counsel for the defendants to make no reference to said recorded statements or interviews unless and until the court conducts a hearing outside the presence of the jury and deems the statements admissible, the application stated.

The request is the latest development in the pre-trial wranglings between the prosecution and the Martens.

Last October, the court ruled that a doctor at the Dragonfly House who had seen the children in the aftermath of their fathers death must release her notes to the Martens.

At the time, the court ruled that the defendants right to a fair trial outweighs any confidentiality statutes or other confidential protections shielding the requested documents from production and the interests of justice require the materials be produced.

In June last year attorneys for Ms Martens sought a court order preventing the use of a statement given by Jack Corbett in Limerick  where the Corbett children now live with their aunt  as evidence.

At the time it was claimed the statement was given under coercive circumstances without any of the safeguards to ensure trustworthiness or reliability.

In the motion to exclude the Limerick statement, the defence attorney claimed that while at the Dragonfly Centre, the Corbett children said their father would physically and verbally abuse Ms Martens.

This article first appeared in the Irish Examiner.
British Prime Minister Theresa May is in Belfast for the afternoon.

She is attending the Balmoral Show - the largest agricultural event in Northern Ireland.

It is understood to be part of Mrs May's UK general election campaign.

Some politicians are not happy with the trip with SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan criticising her for not helping with recent talks, but still finding time to visit the show.

It also follows the recent visit here by Prince Charles and his wife Camilla.
The North's troubled past should be addressed fairly and proportionately, the British Prime Minister said.

Theresa May defended the independence of prosecutors considering charging 18 British soldiers over involvement in the Bloody Sunday shootings in Derry.

Thirteen people died when members of the Parachute Regiment opened fire on civil rights demonstrators in 1972. A 14th person died later.

Mrs May said: "First of all prosecutors are independent and they will make their decisions, rightly, absolutely independently.

"I think what is important as we look forward is that as we see, looking into those issues of legacy and looking into what has happened in the past, that we ensure that is done in a fair and proportionate way."

Mrs May visited an agricultural show near Belfast today as part of the General Election campaign.

All those killed on Bloody Sunday were later pronounced innocent by a public inquiry led by Lord Saville, and then-prime minister David Cameron said the killings were unjustified and unjustifiable.

Prosecution of soldiers from the North's 30-year conflict has attracted criticism in some quarters from those opposed to dragging elderly ex-servicemen through the courts.

Earlier this year a pro-military rally was organised by Justice For Northern Ireland Veterans (JFNIV) to highlight what it alleges is a legal witch-hunt against former security members who served during the Troubles.

The campaign group, which formed in response to a number of recent prosecutions of former soldiers in relation to incidents during the Troubles, held similar rallies in London and Glasgow.

Prosecutors in the North have pursued five times more prosecutions against alleged paramilitaries than soldiers in the last five years, the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has disclosed.

One third of cases which the director of public prosecutions has referred to police to investigate relate to Troubles incidents involving security force members.
A public hearing on a proposed liquor license at a Carlisle redevelopment site has been postponed.

The hearing had been scheduled for Thursday evening prior to the Carlisle Borough Council meeting, but was postponed at the request of Carlisle Auto Industries because the application process had not yet been completed.

Carlisle Auto Industries, a sister company to Carlisle Events, asked the borough to consider a resolution in support of a liquor license that would be used at a restaurant to be built at the corner of Carlisle Springs Road and the proposed extension of A Street.

There are multiple steps that need to be completed before a public hearing could be held and, at this time, we were not prepared to move forward, said Mike Garland, spokesman for Carlisle Events. Once we are, it will become an agenda item once more.

Developers are seeking that license through a provision in the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board code that allows for liquor licenses to be awarded if it is part of a sizable economic development project.

The close proximity of a restaurant was a requirement in Carlisle Auto Industries agreement with Homewood Suites by Hilton to bring a rooms-only hotel to the site.

Alfredo Iannuzzzi, the owner of Marcellos Pizza and Ristorante, is planning to open a 5,000-square-foot restaurant at the site called Pompeii that will serve brick-oven pizza, steak, seafood, pasta and salads.
President Donald Trump will address students at a Christian university in his first extended public appearance since he fired James Comey as FBI director this week.

Mr Trump is delivering his first commencement address at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, whose leader was among his earliest and most vocal supporters.

The president has stayed largely out of public view since Tuesday, when he removed the head of the agency that is investigating Russia's role in the 2016 election, along with possible ties between Mr Trump's campaign and the Russian government.

He lashed out at Mr Comey on Friday, tweeting that Mr Comey "better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!"

Mr Trump's chief spokesman refused to comment on Friday on whether active listening devices are in the Oval Office or elsewhere in the building, a non-denial that drew comparisons to the secretly taped conversations and telephone calls that led to President Richard Nixon's downfall in the Watergate scandal in the 1970s.

Mr Trump had earlier criticised Mr Comey as a "showboat" and a "grandstander," and the president's warning prompted new accusations of interference with the FBI's Russia investigation.

In his weekly address to the nation, Mr Trump said he was "delighted to be participating first hand in the excitement" as students and faculty celebrate Liberty's more than 18,000 graduates.

The commander in chief typically addresses graduates of one of the US military service academies and Mr Trump is scheduled to speak at the Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut on Wednesday.

"To young Americans at both schools, I will be bringing a message of hope and optimism about our nation's bright future," Mr Trump said.

Jerry Falwell Jr, Liberty's president, helped Mr Trump win an overwhelming 80% of the white evangelical vote.

A recent Pew Research Centre survey marking Mr Trump's first 100 days in office, a milestone reached on April 29, found three-quarters of white evangelicals approved of his performance as president while just 39% of the general public held the same view.

Christian conservatives have been overjoyed by Mr Trump's appointment of Justice Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, along with his choice of socially conservative Cabinet members and other officials, such as Charmaine Yoest, a prominent anti-abortion activist named to the Department of Health and Human Services.

But they had a mixed response to an executive order on religious liberty that Trump signed last week.

He directed the IRS to ease up on enforcing an already rarely enforced limit on partisan political activity by churches.

He also promised "regulatory relief" for those who object on religious grounds to the birth control coverage requirement in the Affordable Care Act health law. Yet, the order did not address one of the most pressing demands from religious conservatives: broad exemptions from recognising same-sex marriage.

Still, Mr Falwell, who endorsed Mr Trump in January 2016 just before that year's Iowa caucuses, praised his actions on issues that concern Christian conservatives.

"I really don't think any other president has done more for evangelicals and the faith community in four months than President Trump has," Mr Falwell said.

- AP
There are reports that four civilians have been killed in the eastern part of Ukraine.

AFP says the country's president has cancelled a planned visit to the Eurovision final, which is taking place in Kyiv tonight around 500 kilometres away.
An armed man gunned down a new village police chief and then killed two employees in a nearby nursing home, where he later was found dead, a sheriff in Ohio said.

No nursing home residents were injured, nor were two hostages briefly held by the alleged gunman.

The murdered police chief, Steven Eric Disario, had headed the Kirkersville Police Department for only about three weeks, Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp said.

Mr Disario was shot on a street near the Pine Kirk Care Centre, and the two female employees and the gunman were found dead inside, Mr Thorp said.

Authorities identified the gunman as Thomas Hartless, 43, of the nearby village of Utica.

The employees were Marlina Medrano, a nurse, and 48-year-old Cindy Krantz, a nurse's aide.

Mr Disario, 36, was a father of six children, with a seventh on the way, the sheriff said.

Flowers and flags appeared in an impromptu memorial outside the village police hall, located less than a block from the site of the shooting.

Mr Thorp called it a hard day for all.

"We've lost a police officer. It's just a tragic event," he said.

"I guess the only peace of mind is that the threat is over."

Mr Thorp gave the following timeline of events in the village of about 500 residents, roughly 25 miles east of Columbus.

The gunman was in a wooded area behind the nursing home when he encountered two passers-by, whom he temporarily took hostage.

Mr Disario, responding to a report of a man with a gun, apparently encountered the gunman in that area.

The chief's last radio communication said he had the man in sight.

When a shot was fired at the chief, the hostages escaped unharmed.

"We don't know the cause or the purpose or what drove this individual to do this," Mr Thorp said.

Responding officers found Mr Disario on the street and then investigated a report of a gunman at the nursing home, Mr Thorp said.

Some of the nursing home's 23 residents barricaded themselves during the shooting, but none of them was injured, he said.

All were relocated to other facilities until investigators were out of the nursing home.

Ohio attorney general Mike DeWine, who came to the scene, said search warrants had been executed on two vehicles owned by Hartless and at his home in Utica, about 30 miles away.

He later said Ms Medrano had a relationship with Hartless. Officials said they lived on the same street.

Mr Thorp said law enforcers were still working to determine what, if any, relationship the man had with the nursing home.

The facility is secure, and it's unclear how the gunman got in, he said.

The shooting closed down the main street in the village, which was flooded with police officers from several surrounding agencies and with ambulances.

- AP
The apparent killing of a wounded fuel theft suspect by a Mexican soldier caught on video has provided graphic evidence of a long-suspected practice.

It has also put the country's government in an awkward spot as it tries to pass a security law critics say could shield troops.
North Korean officials would be willing to meet the Trump administration for negotiations "if the conditions are set", a top Pyongyang diplomat said.

Choi Sun-hee, the top North Korean diplomat who handles relations with the US, spoke briefly to reporters in Beijing on Saturday en route to Pyongyang.

She was travelling from Norway, where she led a delegation that held an informal meeting with US experts.

Ms Choi did not elaborate on what the North's conditions are but her comments raise the possibility of North Korea and the US returning to negotiations for the first time since 2008, when six-nation talks over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme fell apart.

President Donald Trump opened the door this month to talks, saying he would be "honoured" to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Tensions have mounted in recent months after the Trump administration said it would keep "all options on the table" to halt North Korea's nuclear weapons programme, including a military strike.

The North responded by pledging to retaliate with a devastating nuclear counter attack, a threat it has made in the past.

In recent weeks, North Korea has arrested two American university instructors and laid out what it claimed to be a CIA-backed plot to assassinate Kim. Ms Choi did not address the matter of the detained Americans on Saturday.

In Norway, Ms Choi met with former US officials and scholars for what are known as "track 2" talks.

The talks, which cover a range of nuclear, security and bilateral issues, are held intermittently, and are an informal opportunity for the two sides to exchange opinions and concerns.

- AP
Church of the Brethren Newsline

May 12, 2017

The Church of the Brethren Office of Public Witness has signed on to a letter to the US administration from the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti. The letter responds to signals from the administration that a decision may be made not to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nearly 50,000 Haitians living in the United States.

The special TPS status has been extended in 18-month increments since this group of Haitians gained took refuge in the United States following the earthquake that devastated their nation in 2010. If TPS were not to be extended for another 18 months beyond the current end date of July 22, Haitians with TPS status will face deportation.

The letter asked for TPS status to be extended, saying: We concur with USCISs extremely detailed, 8-page single-spaced December 2016 review and assessment that the conditions warranting TPS for this group persist. We respectfully disagree with its recent unfounded contrary recommendation and urge you to extend TPS for 18 months for those currently enjoying this status, i.e. who applied as having been present in the United States on or before January 12, 2010 (updated to January 12, 2011 to cover some post-earthquake parolees).

TPSis appropriate today because it remains unsafe to deport due to conditions including incomplete earthquake recovery; the still-unchecked cholera epidemic, the worlds worst; and Hurricane Matthews vast destruction in October, which has caused a severe food insecurity crisis, the letter continued, in part.

Nathan Hosler, director of the Office of Public Witness, reported that he signed on to the letter in support of Haitian Brethren, after receiving information about the concern this is causing among Haitian congregations.

Separately, Global Food Initiative manager Jeff Boshart, who has spent time working in Haiti in the past and who served there with Brethren Disaster Ministries following the earthquake, reported similar responses from Haitian Brethren. Ludovic St. Fleur of the Eglise des Freres Haitiens congregation in Miami, Fla., is one of the Brethren leaders expressing concern, noting that people in his congregation will be negatively affected.

His members have written to their representatives and senators and are not sure what else they can do, Boshart said of St. Fleurs concerns. They greatly appreciate the prayers and support of the wider church.

The full text of the letter follows:

Hon. Donald J. Trump

President of the United States

Hon. John F. Kelly, Secretary

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Dear President Trump and Secretary Kelly:

We write as organizations and leaders in and serving the Haitian American community on an issue of extreme concern and urgency, DHSs impending decision whether to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nearly 50,000 long-resident Haitianswhose remittances sustain as many as 500,000 relatives in Haiti, to the benefit of its stability and our national securityfor 18 months beyond July 22. We know and appreciate that Secretary Kelly is intimately familiar with Haiti and that President Trump visited the Haitian community during the campaign and promised to be its champion.

We concur with USCISs extremely detailed, 8-page single-spaced December 2016 review and assessment that the conditions warranting TPS for this group persist. We respectfully disagree with its recent unfounded contrary recommendation and urge you to extend TPS for 18 months for those currently enjoying this status, i.e. who applied as having been present in the United States on or before January 12, 2010 (updated to January 12, 2011 to cover some post-earthquake parolees).

We respectfully ask this for compelling reasons referenced below and urged by bipartisan political leaders and by the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Miami Herald, Sun Sentinel, and New York Daily News editorial boards, among many others.

TPS for the 50,000 has been renewed in 18-month increments and is appropriate today because it remains unsafe to deport due to conditions including incomplete earthquake recovery; the still-unchecked cholera epidemic, the worlds worst; and Hurricane Matthews vast destruction in October, which has caused a severe food insecurity crisis.

Haiti is reeling from these two massive calamities since the January 2010, 7.0 magnitude quake killed at least 200,000, destroyed Port au Prince, affected a third of Haitis people, cost an estimated 120% of its GDP, and from which recovery remains incomplete.

In October, 2016, Hurricane Matthew, Haitis worst hurricane in 52 years, effected 2 million Haitians, left 1.4 million including 800,000 children in need of emergency aid, killed 1,000, rendered 800,000 extremely food insecure, left 1,250,000 including 500,000 children without safe water, destroyed livestock and crops in broad areas, damaged or destroyed at least 716 schools interrupting the education of an estimated 490,000 children, dramatically increased the number of cholera cases in affected areas, and destroyed entire towns which were cut off from the outside world by flooding and infrastructure damage. According to a March 2017 United Nations Report, the hurricane cost Haiti $2.7 billion, or 32% of its GDP.

Hurricane Matthews destruction of crops and livestock has also caused a food insecurity crisis today Haitians in some affected areas are dying of malnutrition  and efforts to repair Matthews vast infrastructure and other damage have been slow and limited. Another post-quake sledgehammer blow is killing and sickening Haitians today. Haiti had not had cholera in at least 100 years, but UN peacekeepers unsanitary practices caused a cholera outbreak in October, 2010 which by conservative estimates has killed and sickened 9,500 and 900,000 Haitians. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has called the cholera epidemic the worst in recent history, and the United Nations, which until December failed to acknowledge responsibility, has to date raised only $2 million of the $400 million it targeted to even begin addressing this deadly crisis.

These are extraordinary conditions fully warranting TPS extension. Haiti today cannot safely assimilate 50,000 long-resident deportees or replace their remittances on which hundreds of thousands depend. Remittances are Haitis chief form of foreign aid and totaled $1.3 billion from the United States alone in 2015  about 15% of Haitis GDP. Deporting them would also hurt communities you pledged to champion. The 50,000 are noncriminals (by TPS requirement) who have mostly been here 7 to 15 years, working and raising families including U.S.-born children who should not be forced to choose between their parents and their birthright and future as Americans.

Failure to extend TPS given these conditions would be disastrous for families here and there and destabilizing, adding a significant burden to a nation already saddled with overwhelming challenges, increasing desperation and possibly entailing additional U.S. Coast Guard interdiction resources, among other possible consequences. Haitis stability is in the national security interest of the United States.

For these reasons, we respectfully ask that you extend Haitis TPS designation for another 18 months, and we appreciate your consideration on this important matter.

 For more information and an online link to the letter, go to www.ijdh.org/2016/10/topics/immigration-topics/dhs-should-extend-tps-for-haitians .

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An Australian man was told the racial slur on his receipt was a "typo" after dining at a Melbourne outlet owned by prominent chef Neil Perry.

Rutendo Ruth Muchinguri posted a photo of her husband Nick's receipt from Burger Project to social media on Friday, describing the use of the 'n' word on the receipt as "disgraceful".

The receipt from Burger Project posted by Rutendo Ruth Muchinguri.

"My hard working black husband went to your Collins Street store to have lunch with his friends and this is a photo of his receipt for the order," she wrote.



"It is so disappointing that in a place where my husband spent his hard earned money, he received this sort of disgracefully discriminatory treatment. It's exhausting that in 2017, in a modern and multicultural society some of your staff remain insensitive to the impact that this insidiously nasty and vile word has."

Nick Muchinguri wrote on Twitter that the initial response from the restaurant alleged the word, written next to his order number, was an error.
Another portion of Melbourne's former industrial heritage is set to be demolished to make way for a 32-storey hotel.

Family-run developer Brady Group has won approval to demolish the two-level Phillips Shirts building at 278 Little Lonsdale Street and replace it with a hotel, colourfully described as an "elongated lozenge".

A hotel will replace the Phillips Shirts building in Little Lonsdale Street.

Brady Group purchased the site in 2014 for $15 million and has completed more than 20 large-scale developments in the past decade, many of them in the immediate vicinity of the Phillips Shirt site.

The group sought approval from the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal after its plans were rejected by Melbourne Council.
The following people were sentenced on May 9, 2017 in Cumberland County Court of Common Pleas. All sentences include costs and run concurrently with other sentences unless otherwise specified. Probation is unsupervised unless indicated otherwise. Driving under the influence (DUI) offenses generate different mandatory-minimum sentences based on an offenders prior convictions in the past 10 years.

Sentenced to State Correctional Institute

Mechanicsburg

Sergio Oneglia Sr.: Forty-two months to 84 months and a $1,000 fine for persons not to possess, use, manufacture, control, sell or transfer firearms; 18 to 36 months and a $1,500 fine for unlawful delivery, manufacture, possession with intent to deliver a Schedule I controlled substance-Marijuana. (Placey)

Other

Ozzie L. Lewis III: Two and one-half years to 5 years for unlawful delivery, manufacture, possession with intent to deliver a Schedule I controlled substance-Cocaine. (Masland)

Ray Joseph Restagno: Sixteen months to 48 months and restitution of $715.96 for retail theft. (Masland)

Nathaniel Lee Marlin Salter: Two to 8 years and restitutions of $1,345.55 and $12,080.71 for burglary, credit of 190 days; 2 to 5 years for theft by unlawful taking or disposition. (Masland)

Gary Shaunte Thomas: Twelve months to 7 years and restitutions of $987.75 and $25,640 for criminal conspiracy to theft by unlawful taking or disposition. (Ebert)

Sentenced to Cumberland County Prison

Carlisle

Jeremy D. Bear: One hundred sixty-six days to 724 days and 48 hours of community service for simple assault; 166 days for criminal mischief; 12 months probation for defiant trespass. (Placey)

Christopher Stephen Tichenor: Five days to 6 months and a $300 fine for DUI, second offense. (Masland)

Gardners

Steven Blake Troutman: Five days to 6 months and a $300 fine for DUI, second offense. (Ebert)

Enola

Peter S. Volpicelli: Fourteen days to 12 months and 24 months probation for burglary. (Hess)

Hunter Lee Fife: Time served to 6 months, a $500 and restitution of $3,700 fine for DUI. (Ebert)

Mechanicsburg

Clyde Eugene Armstrong III: Three months to 6 months and a $300 fine for DUI, second offense; 90 days and a $1,000 fine for driving while under suspension-DUI-related, consecutive. (Peck)

Gregory T. Floray: Ten days to 2 years and a $500 fine for DUI. (Masland); Time served (39 days) to 23 months for criminal trespass; costs for harassment. (Masland)

Ashley C. Graham: Five days to 6 months and a $300 fine for DUI, second offense. (Placey)

Kristin Marcella Quave: Two days to 23 months and restitution of $1,144 for criminal conspiracy to theft by deception. (Guido)

Seytia Amee Van Dan: Five days to 6 months and a $300 fine for DUI, second offense; a $200 fine for driving while under suspension. (Masland)

New Cumberland

Carl Anthony Beamer: Five days to 6 months and a $300 fine for DUI, second offense. (Guido)

Other

Victor Cao: Time served to 12 months, less one day and a $500 fine for unlawful possession of Schedule I controlled substance-Marijuana. (Ebert)

Edward Jerry Dorsey: Time served to 12 months for criminal conspiracy to possessing instruments of crime. (Masland)

James Earl Turney Jr.: Three days to 3 months and a $1,000 fine for DUI; 3 months probation and 15 hours of community service; 15 hours of community service for depositing waste and other material on highway, property or waters. (Placey); Five days to 3 months and a $300 fine for DUI, second offense; 15 hours of community service and restitution of $660 and $823 for theft of services; 15 hours of community service for defiant trespass; 15 hours of community service for criminal mischief. (Placey)

Jeffrey Lynn Lau: Fifty-nine days to 6 months and a $300 fine for DUI. (Ebert)

Sentenced to Intermediate Punishment

Hummelstown

Brant Scott Cromer: Sentenced to 24 months of intermediate punishment and restitution of $80 for retail theft. (Masland); Sentenced to 24 months of intermediate punishment for retail theft. (Masland)

Mechanicsburg

Justin David Staller: Sentenced to 6 months of intermediate punishment for DUI, second offense. (Ebert)

Shermans Dale

Brant Scott Cromer: Sentenced to 24 months of intermediate punishment and restitution of $176.99 for retail theft. (Masland)

Sentenced to Probation

Camp Hill

Stephen J. Walck: Six months probation and a $300 fine for DUI. (Ebert)

Carlisle

Christian Alexander Gutshall: A $200 fine for driving while under suspension; 6 months probation and a $300 fine for DUI. (Ebert)

Alleshia Yvette-Maria Christopher: Six months probation and a $300 fine for DUI; a $200 fine for unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. (Hess); A $200 fine for driving while under suspension; 5 days to 6 months and a $300 fine for DUI, second offense. (Hess)

Harrisburg

Brian A. Neely: Twelve months probation and restitution of $168 for retail theft, consecutive. (Masland); Twelve months probation for retail theft, consecutive. (Masland); Twelve months probation and restitution of $194 for retail theft. (Masland)

Renel Saint Jean: Six months probation and a $300 fine for DUI. (Masland)

Mechanicsburg

Kristin Marcella Quave: Twenty-four months probation for retail theft, consecutive. (Guido)

Other

Orlando Rodriguez: Six months probation for terroristic threats. (Masland)

Michelle Linna Blevins: Six months probation and a $300 fine for DUI; a $200 fine for driving while under suspension. (Masland)
But then, keeping a straight face whilst engaged in committing a near-unforgivable tactical outrage is a long-term speciality of the current prime minister's, and this budget is a classic of the genre.

Maybe only a banker, like Malcolm Turnbull, can tax another banker to such a cartoonish degree and keep a straight face.

And it started running through my head with hysterical insistence as soon as I cracked open the 2017 budget speech and registered  pupils dilating with incredulity  that the Turnbull government was seriously proposing to slot the banking sector with a $6 billion tax.

There's a very funny song about redheads written by the Australian performer Tim Minchin that goes "Only a ginger can call another ginger 'Ginger'."

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is decidedly becalmed after this latest budget. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

It's not just the effrontery of a self-professed small-government titan taking a plug out of a free-market entity that would make Jeremy Corbyn blush, while merrily installing  on banks' hiring and firing practices  direct government controls with an unmistakeable Soviet whiff. Or the exuberant non-sequitur constituted by a government simultaneously insisting on one hand that giving banks a significant company tax cut will create jobs, and on the other that taxing them to kingdom come on their corporate bonds and Tier 2 capital instruments will work out just tickety-boo.

The most central outrage committed by this budget  the most confounding tactical manoeuvre upon which its authors shamelessly embark  is that it is based on agreement with its political foes.

It agrees that banks are essentially villains. It agrees that taxes need to rise to finance government spending. It agrees it is now foolish to imagine that any of the remaining propositions of the 2014 budget still staggering around in the national accounts like drunks refusing to leave a party will ever actually amount to anything. It agrees schools need more money. It agrees running up debt to build things that are productive is an OK thing to do. It agrees doctors should be paid more, and that the National Disability Insurance Scheme should be funded fully.

It is difficult to overstate what a colossal shock to the political system this change of tack is.
Claims that one of the state's largest power stations used the partial monitoring of its units to manipulate pollution estimates have prompted the environment watchdog to investigate all plants in NSW.

The Bayswater power station in the Hunter Valley was only required to report pollution from one of its four generation units. Staff were instructed to supply lower sulphur coal to the unit being monitored while dirtier coal was burnt in the other three, according to participants attending a public meeting held with current plant owners AGL in Muswellbrook in March.

AGL does not deny the station, which it bought from state-run Macquarie Generation in 2014, deliberately blended coal to mask the true emissions of nitrous oxides, sulphur dioxide and other pollutants. The company says it can't comment on operations prior to its takeover and has since introduced monitoring of all four units.

"Blending of coal can be done, at the coal mine or power station, to meet supply agreement conditions, and ensure compliance with air quality protection guidelines and [Environment Protection Authority] licence requirements," Rob Cooper, an AGL spokesman said. "This is common practice in the industry."
When the Turnbull government announced a lifetime ban on boat people ever setting foot in Australia, it said the policy was "critical" to protecting Australia's borders and clearing the decks on Manus Island and Nauru.

But almost seven months on, the controversial proposal has all but disappeared from the government's agenda, prompting speculation it was only advanced to elicit a temporary bounce in the polls.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton's "critical" policy has been delayed into the never-never. Credit:Andrew Meares

The bill, which stops anyone taken to Nauru and Manus Island after July 19, 2013 from ever being granted a visa to come to Australia, was rushed into Parliament by Immigration Minister Peter Dutton in November.

This week marks six months since it passed the lower house, but it has never been brought on for debate in the Senate and crossbenchers have not been engaged in negotiations despite a chance of success.
A soon-to-be-released book, Cardinal: The Rise and Fall of George Pell, by ABC reporter Louise Milligan, contains detailed claims that he sexually abused two choirboys at St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne in the late 1990s.

Lawyers for Cardinal Pell last night strongly denied the allegations and said they were false, "unjustifiable, scandalous, deliberate and calculated to cause the most shocking damage imaginable to Cardinal Pell".

Cardinal George Pell flew from Rome to London as explosive new details of alleged child sex abuse were levelled against Australia's most senior Catholic.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The High Court overturned Cardinal George Pell's conviction for historic child sex offences in a judgment handed down April 7, 2020. In a unanimous decision all seven High Court judges found Victoria's Court of Appeal should not have upheld Pell's conviction It found the evidence could not support a guilty verdict.

The legal letter also claimed the publication of the book's allegations were a "deliberate attempt to influence the public opinion in a manner that would make it impossible for our client to receive a fair hearing in court should he be charged".

The alleged abuse is said to have occurred after the introduction of the Melbourne Response, the compensation scheme for victims of clerical sexual abuse that Cardinal Pell established in 1996 after breaking ranks with the rest of Australia's bishops who had been working on a national scheme called Towards Healing.

A separate statement from his Rome office on Saturday night, in response to a request for comment on the allegations, accused the book's publisher, Melbourne University Press, and media organisations including Fairfax Media of "interfering with the course of justice".

"Cardinal Pell has not been notified by the Victorian Office of Public Prosecutions or Victoria Police of the status of their investigations, which have been under way since at least February 2016," the statement said.

"Cardinal Pell will not seek to interfere in the course of justice by responding to the allegations made by MUP and media outlets today, other than to restate that any allegations of child abuse made against him are completely false. He repeats his vehement and consistent denials of any and all such accusations, and stands by all the evidence he has given to the Royal Commission."
An alleged career criminal who is said to have donned disguises to break out of jail and skipped the country after a string of armed hold-ups has been arrested three decades after the alleged crime spree.

Ian John Steele, a man with a well-documented history of evading authorities, has been wanted since the 1980s over his alleged role in a gang of armed bandits that targeted banks, betting agencies and businesses across Sydney.

A mugshot of Ian John Steele before he left Australia in the 1980s.

Over the course of his adult life Steele, now 58, allegedly escaped custody six times, including from a maximum security prison and courthouse.

The most dramatic escape culminated in shoot-outs in two cities, a dead criminal and a wounded police officer.
Mosse is no stranger to upheaval or human suffering. The Irish photographer recently made headlines for using a military-grade thermal camera to document the journeys of refugees fleeing war and persecution across Europe, the Middle East and Africa in a series called Heat Maps.

"I am a little shocked, in all honesty, about how badly Australia's disadvantaged communities have been left behind by the country's social services  they seem to have been forgotten  while affluent Australians numb themselves with television shows about cookery and home improvement," Mosse tells Fairfax Media.

Mosse, famous for tipping established photojournalism on its head through eclectic and powerful visual storytelling, said what he discovered in Australia "shocked" him.

It was a phone call Richard Mosse didn't expect. The internationally acclaimed, New-York-based photographer was being invited by a small NGO in the NSW rural town of Moree to head to Australia and work with Raphaela Rosella, a local photojournalist, to shine a light on the social issues afflicting the community.

Before that, Mosse gained international acclaim documenting civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo for his series Infra. He used discontinued infrared film that made his images seem as if they were taken in a surreal, alien world in which landscapes were a sea of pinks and reds.

Mosse's work is essentially journalistic but seeks to focus on timeworn issues in a new visual format.

Beyond Empathy  a small but multiple-award-winning NGO that is based in Armidale and works in Moree  made the call to Mosse. Beyond Empathy uses art to influence the conversation about social issues, and works to transform the lives of people experiencing disadvantage in NSW.

"We were over the moon when Richard said yes to our offer to bring him out here to work alongside Raphaela," executive director Kim McConville says. "We are working to change the lives of some of our country's most forgotten-about communities. We are proud that 90 per cent of the people we work with are Aboriginal, and more than 70 per cent of our core team are Aboriginal artists and cultural workers.

"These problems are swept under the rug or just ignored in Australia. We get so caught up with the issues facing our big cities we miss what happens in these smaller communities. If people were aware of the situation we have, they would be shocked and wonder how this could be the Australia we live in."
Property developers and hotel chains are increasingly sponsoring "mini-festivals" in Brisbane as part of the gentrification of the city.

Event management specialist Judith Mair from the University of Queensland said mini-festivals were a "growing trend" that was more noticeable in cities than they were in country towns.

Lee Lee and Aimee Szabo at the Fish Lane Festival at South Brisbane. Credit:Glenn Hunt

"With these mini-festivals, each year there seems to be more and more," Dr Mair said.

She said there was distinction between mini-festivals staged by communities and mini-festivals hosted by "groups of traders" or "groups of business associations".
Queensland - beautiful one day, filled with diplomats the next. Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop will take the world to far north Queensland this weekend, with the Sunshine State chosen for only the third time in the past 13 years to host a diplomatic corps visit. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is trying to sell Queensland to the world. Credit:Louise Kennerley More than 70 Canberra-based ambassadors and high commissioners will follow Ms Bishop to Cairns, in a bid to sell Queensland, particularly the north, to their home countries. The event has been organised in conjunction with the Palaszczuk Labor state government.

Trade and investment opportunities will be laid out, with the state keen to build on its "rocks and crops" economy reputation, and promote its burgeoning research and innovation sector. But both governments, often at odds behind the scenes even if managing an uneasy truce publicly, are keen to promote efforts to protect the Great Barrier Reef, after a long campaign to keep the world heritage site off UNESCO's danger list. The reef remains a major drawcard for tourists, with the region attracting nearly 2.8 million visitors each year. Alexander Downer began the tradition of hosting the diplomatic corps in a different region each year while serving in Ms Bishop's role in 2000. Queensland has not hosted a meeting since 2011, when Kevin Rudd was foreign minister.
More than $2.2 million in compensation has so far been distributed to the victims of the Bourke Street tragedy.

But more people are expected to receive support as the full impact of the trauma caused by January's horrifying incident is realised.

Mourners gather at the makeshift memorial for the Bourke Street tragedy. Credit:Eddie Jim

A car mowed down dozens of pedestrians in the heart of Melbourne's CBD, killing six people and leaving many more injured, both physically and psychologically.

WorkSafe and Transport Accident Commission figures show just over $2.2 million has been paid out to the families who lost loved ones and to those who were injured.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The High Court overturned Cardinal George Pell's conviction for historic child sex offences in a judgment handed down April 7, 2020. In a unanimous decision all seven High Court judges found Victoria's Court of Appeal should not have upheld Pell's conviction It found the evidence could not support a guilty verdict.

Senior figures in the Catholic Church have accused Cardinal George Pell of hijacking the national compensation scheme for clergy sex abuse victims by swooping in at the last minute to announce his own initiative.

Cardinal George Pell at Heathrow on Friday after flying business class from Rome. Credit:Zoie Jones

Cardinal Pell, one of the most powerful men in the Vatican, launched the Melbourne Response in 1996 when he was Archbishop of Melbourne.

The controversial scheme was set up as an alternative to civil litigation, with victims of paedophile priests given access to counselling and compensation. Cardinal Pell has long said he was the first bishop to develop a program responding to the scourge of child sex abuse in the church.
A man and a woman, aged in their late 20s, have been flown to Melbourne in a critical condition after a collision sent two cars spinning off a freeway.

A Mazda 3 and Ford sedan were both travelling south on Hume Freeway about 9am, one kilometre north of the Snow Road turnoff, when the two vehicles collided.

The occupants of the Mazda, both suffered critical injuries when their car crashed into trees. Credit:Mark Jesser

According to Victoria police the drivers made repeated attempts to overtake each other.

Instead, the cars crashed into each other, causing the Mazda to spin off the freeway into some trees.
A nightclub patron has described a scene of chaos after an unknown substance was sprayed on the dance floor of a club in Melbourne's inner north.

Dancers began to cough uncontrollably and security guards threw open the doors after the gas, believed to be capsicum spray, forced the evacuation of the Perserverance hotel on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy on Sunday morning.

Police and ambulance were called to the venue about 1am after reports of an assault.

Paramedics treated about a dozen people who were having trouble breathing and a woman in her 20s was taken to St Vincent's Hospital in a stable condition and has since been discharged.
The money owed to Alma and Merso Halilagic by bankrupt builder Watersun Homes could have bought the couple a new Porsche Boxster.

But they don't have the luxury of being able to turn their backs on the $155,000 debt.

Archi Render owners Alma and Merso Halilagic have had a caveat taken out on their home after being left $150,000 out of pocket by the collapse of Watersun Homes. Credit:Paul Jeffers

"We have to pay for our materials," said Mrs Halilagic who, with her husband, runs a rendering business based in Sydenham.

"We have people working for us that we have to pay every week.
Rio de Janeiro: As fears spread in Brazil over the resurgence of yellow fever, health officials are issuing a warning: Stop killing the monkeys.

Some assailants clubbed monkeys to death in panicked reactions to Brazil's most alarming outbreak in decades of a virus that haunted the country in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Authorities found other monkeys dead with fractured skulls after having been being attacked with stones. One monkey was burned to a crisp.

From left: Natalia Ribeiro, Oberlan Junior and Elisama Moraes use an RF antenna to locate golden lion tamarins on a conservation area in Silva Jardim, Brazil. Credit:Dado Galdieri/New York Times

Infectious disease specialists say people are taking aim at the wrong target. Mosquitoes, not monkeys, are actually the vector for the virus, and the monkeys are dying from yellow fever in much higher numbers than people in Brazil.

Those who kill the monkeys are making matters worse by depleting primate populations that serve as beacons for where yellow fever is spreading, epidemiologists said.
Seoul: North Korea launched a ballistic missile that flew 700 kilometres on Sunday, South Korea's military said.

Australia immediately condemned the launch as "reckless and provocative" and said it would fuel regional and global instability.

The unidentified ballistic missile was fired at 5.27am Seoul time (6.27am AEST) from the Kusong area located north-west of the capital Pyongyang, South Korea's Office of Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

The North had previously test-launched an intermediate-range missile it is believed to be developing from the same location.
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And theyre off!

The race to purchase the beleaguered Kensington Stables will head to the auction block unless a deal with beloved barns bankrupt owner is hammered out quickly enough to satisfy a judge who says creditors must be paid fast, according to the horse houses manager.

The judge is getting angry and something has to get done ASAP, said Walker Blankenship, who manages Kensington Stables on behalf of its owner, his mother. Were trying to avoid that, but were under the gun.

The city and others wishing to purchasing the dilapidated barn have until June 22 to get in the saddle or be forced to make a run for the roses with the highest bidder in bankruptcy court Downtown, according to real estate agent Marc Yaverbaum, who is managing the stables sale.

The Parks Department is willing to pony up an undisclosed amount that included $1.5 million appropriated by Councilman Brad Lander (DPark Slope) and Borough President Adams to purchase the barn, then hire a contractor wholl offer guided horseback tours of Prospect Park.

Walker Blankenship, who plans to bid to continue operating the stables after it is acquired by the city, giving his family a chance to profit from the sale of the business and land, hasnt accepted that offer yet.

The contract will likely require it new operator invest money in the barn, which is in dire need of renovations according to the results of a 2013 engineering study, and city negotiators have refused to divulge exactly how much bid winners will be required to pay, Blankenship said.

If Im going to fix something, I need money for that. If I want to move the horses, I need money for that, said Blankenship. The city has this list of things they want, I need money to do it, and they wont discuss any details.

This is the second time the Blankenships Caton Place barn headed to the auction block since Walker Blankenships father fell behind on tax payments, forcing his widow to hawk her barn to pay the debts, according to the stables manager.

The last auction was scheduled for February but was aborted when a dark-horse buyer swooped in and offered to purchase the property, promising to build a new stable as part of a mixed-use residential development similar to the luxury Mercedes House in Manhattan, which became home to steeds serving in the police departments mounted unit in 2011.

But that deal never happened.

Well-heeled developers with hopes of turning the Windsor Terrace property into luxury condos may steer clear of the auction thanks to the areas industrial zone, which prohibits houseing. And Councilman Brad Lander [DPark Slope] has already kicked up a fuss over the prospect of losing Greater Park Slopes only public horse riding facility, vowing to oppose any changes to the propertys zoning unless developers promised to keep the stables.

Reach reporter Colin Mixson at cmixs on@cn gloca l.com or by calling (718) 260-4505.
U.S. Senate candidates break records for spending in Pennsylvania

Im not sure that people get persuaded by these ads, said Matthew Jordan, head of Penn State's Department of Film Production and Media Studies.
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...
50 women who have raised the profile of sports in South Jersey

To mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX, we're spotlighting 50 women who have raised the profile of sports in South Jersey.
As the generic medicines debate is catching on, Business Standard takes a look at the top brands in generic medicine in the country. Anti-diabetic drugs rule the top 20 list. Multinational (MNCs) also have a fair share in the list, with nine brands.
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Pre-owned two-wheeler sales have beaten the growth rate clocked by the new two-wheeler segment in India in recent times. While the new two-wheeler space had seen some setback thanks to demonetisation as well as the transition from BS III to BS IV emission norms, surprisingly, the used segment has proven to be immune to the same, both in the offline and online segments. Research shows that between 2010-2015 it witnessed a 17.9 per cent growth in revenue terms.
In a significant development, the RP-Sanjiv Goenka (RP-SP) group has awarded the Rs 100-crore advertising and media mandate of its food business Too Yumm to agencies Mullen Lintas and Initiative respectively. The development was confirmed by executives at the RP-SP group and comes at a time when the Kolkata-based conglomerate is beginning to unveil its food products - wheat thins and foxnuts - across markets.
don't receive the attention they deserve. They get overshadowed by cancers and heart disease, even though they affect millions worldwide. These are the diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system affecting the brain, spinal cord, cranial nerves, peripheral nerves, nerve roots, autonomic nervous system, neuromuscular junction, and muscles; and the disorders include epilepsy, alzheimer's disease, dementia, stroke, migraine among other headache disorders, along with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease.
The All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board (AIMWPLB) on Friday told the Supreme Court that was not fundamental to Islamic tenets as the top court wondered how something that was ordained as "sinful" by God can be a part of Muslim personal law.
As debate rages over Aadhaar being a privacy and surveillance liability, its architect Nandan Nilekani says the unique identity programme has become a whipping ward. In an interview with Alnoor Peermohamed and Raghu Krishnan, he says we need a data protection and privacy law with adequate judicial and parliamentary oversight. Edited excerpts:

There is concern we are losing our privacy because of Aadhaar...



Privacy is an issue the whole world is facing, thanks to digitisation. The day you went from a feature phone to a smartphone the amount of digital footprint you left behind went up dramatically. The phone records your messages, it knows what you are saying, it has a GPS so it can tell anybody where you are, the towers can tell anybody where you are because they are constantly pinging the phone. There are accelerometers and gyroscopes in the phone that detect movement.

Internet companies essentially make money from data. They use data to sell you things or advertisements. And that data is not even in India, it is in some country in some unaccountable server and accessible to the government of that foreign country, not ours.

Then increasingly there is the Internet of Things. Your car has so many sensors, wearables have sensors and all of them are recording data and beaming it to somebody else. Then there are CCTV cameras everywhere, and today they are all IP-enabled.

So privacy is a global issue, caused by digitisation. Aadhaar is one small part of that. The system is designed not to collect information, because the first risk to privacy is if someone is collecting information. Aadhaar is a passive ID system, it just sits there and when you go somewhere and invoke it, it authenticates your identity. By design itself, it is built for privacy. I believe India needs a modern data privacy and protection law.



Watch: Excerpts of the BS interview with Nandan Nilekani

Why is Aadhaar being used as a proxy for the privacy and data protection issues?



It is a motivated campaign by people who are trying to find different ways to say something about it. Privacy is a much bigger issue. I have been talking about privacy much before anyone else. In 2010, when it was not such a big issue, I had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying we needed a data protection law. You could see what was happening, the iPhone came out on June 30, 2007, Android phones came around the time we started Aadhaar, so we could see the trend. I asked Rahul Matthan, a top intellectual property and data lawyer, to help and we worked with the government to come out with a draft law. And then there was the AP Shah Committee. The UIDAIs DDG Ashok Pal Singh was a part of that committee, so we helped shape that policy.

When a banking application uses Aadhaar, the system does not know what the bank does. It is deliberately designed so that data is kept away from the core system.

I am all for a data protection law but we should look at it in context, look at the big picture. If people want to work together to create a data privacy law then it is a great thing. But if they want to use it to just attack Aadhaar, then there is some other interest at work.

Now that the government is linking Aadhaar to PAN and drivers licences, will that not lead to Aadhaar being used as a surveillance tool?



Surveillance is conducted through a 24x7 system that knows what you are doing, so from a technology perspective the best surveillance device is your phone. The phone is the device you should worry about.

Aadhaar is not a 24x7 product. I buy one SIM card a year and do an e-KYC, the drivers licence sits in my pocket and only sometimes someone asks for it. With the PAN card I file my returns only once a year.

But with all that data being linked, can the government not use it?



It is a valid concern and has to be addressed through a legal and oversight process. Aadhaar is just one technology. You do not attack the technology, you look at the overall picture.

The US has the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act under which special courts issue warrants to the FBI for surveillance. This is absolutely required and it should be a part of the data protection law (in India) which says under what circumstances the government can authorise surveillance.

Today mobile phones are being tapped by so many agencies. In the US, the FBI is under the oversight of the Senate. In India, Parliament does not have oversight of any intelligence agency. I remember (former Union minister) Manish Tewari had introduced a Bill six or seven years ago saying Intelligence agencies needed to be under the oversight of the Parliament, but nothing happened.

Is there any way to stop Aadhaar being used as a surveillance tool?



Today a person can be identified with or without Aadhaar. US systems can identify a person in a few milliseconds using big data. All that is part of what we have to protect. Aadhaar by itself is not going to add anything to that. What is important is that the infrastructure of surveillance comes under judicial oversight as well as parliamentary oversight.

Would the Aadhaar narrative have been different if this were a Congress-led government?



I think most people making this noise are against the government, so it is a political argument and Aadhaar has become a convenient whipping ward. Lots of different agendas are at work here. But my understanding is this - whether it is data protection and privacy, surveillance or security, these are all broad issues that apply to technology in general and if you are serious about solving the issues you should fix it at the highest level and have a data protection and privacy law which includes, mobile phones, CCTV cameras and Aadhaar.

A report by the Centre for Internet and Society says 130 million Aadhaar identities have been leaked...



It is because of the transparency movement in the last 10 years. In 2006, we passed the RTI Act and MNREGA Act. Section 4 of the RTI Act says that data about benefits should be made public. At that time it was all about transparency. Since then, governments have been publishing lists of MNREGA beneficiaries and how much money is being put into their bank accounts. At that time it was applauded. Now the same thing is coming back as privacy being affected.

These are not leaks; governments have been consciously putting out the data in the interest of transparency. The message from this is we have to strike a balance between transparency and privacy. And that is a difficult balance because Section 4 of the RTI Act says if a benefit is provided by the government it is public information, so the names of beneficiaries should be published because it is taxpayers money.

There is something called personally identifiable information. You should strike a balance between transparency and not revealing personally identifiable information. That is a delicate balance, and people will have to figure this out. The risk you have now is governments will stop publishing data - look, you guys have made a big fuss about privacy, we will not publish. In fact, the transparency guys are now worried that all the gains are being lost.

If Aadhaar is voluntary, why is the government forcing it on to various schemes?



There are two things, benefits and entitlements and government-issued documents. There the government has passed a law, the Aadhaar Bill of 2016, which is signed by the President. In that, there is a clear protocol that the government can use Aadhaar for benefits and what process they should follow.

The second thing is Aadhaar for government documents. There are three examples - PAN cards, drivers licences and SIM cards.

The government has modified the Finance Bill and made Aadhaar mandatory for a PAN card. Why has it done that? Because India has a large number of duplicate PAN cards. India has something like over 250 million PAN cards and only 40 million taxpayers. Some of those may be people who have taken PAN cards just as ID but not for tax purposes, but frankly it is also because a lot of people have duplicate PAN cards. Why do people have duplicates? That is a way of tax evasion. The only way you can eliminate duplicate PAN cards is by having Aadhaar as a way of establishing uniqueness.

The second thing is mobile phones. Here the mobile phone requirement came from the Supreme Court, where somebody filed a PIL saying so many mobile phones are being given to terrorists and therefore you need to do an e-KYC when the SIM is cut and the government said they would use Aadhaar and they have been asked to do it by 2018.

The third thing is drivers licences. As (Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has said, 30 per cent of all drivers licences are fakes. Now why is this important? Because when you have fake drivers licences or multiple drivers licences, even if you are caught, you can give your fake licence and continue to drive. Today India is the country with the largest number of deaths on highways. Lack of enforcement, fake licences are all a problem. So in the latest Motor Vehicle Bill which was passed the government said Aadhaar was necessary to get a licence. So that you have just one drivers licence, whether it is issued in Karnataka or Bihar, you have just one.

The government is also talking about using Aadhaar for the mid-day meal scheme...



If you talk to people on the ground, and I have spoken to people on the ground, a big part of the leakage is mid-day meals. It is not reaching children. So it is important that all this has to happen so children get what they need.

You engaged with governments and civil servants when you initiated the Aadhaar process. In hindsight, would you say you should have also engaged with civil society?



I do not think there is any other programme in history which reached out to every stakeholder in the country. When we started Aadhaar we met governments, regulators and even parliamentarians. I gave a talk in Parliament and we engaged deeply with civil society. In fact, we had one volunteer only to engage with civil society.

You said you were engaged with the previous government about the data protection law. Are you engaging with the current one too?

I am not really engaging. I know that people are working on it and recently the attorney-general has made a statement in the Supreme Court that the government will bring in a data protection law by Diwali.

We have heard of several instances of people not being able to get their biometric authentication done. Is there a problem with Aadhaar?



The seeding of data in the Aadhaar database has to be done properly and that is a process. Authentication has been proven at scale in Andhra Pradesh. Millions of people receive food with Aadhaar authentication in 29,000 PDS outlets. In fact, now they have portability -- a person from Guntur can go to Vijayawada and get his rations. It is empowering. We keep forgetting about the empowering value.

What has the Andhra Pradesh government done? They have used fingerprints, but they also have used iris scans, OTP on phone, and they have a village revenue officer if none of the above works. When you design the system, you have to design it in a way that 100 per cent of the beneficiaries genuinely get the benefit. Andhra Pradesh has shown it can be done.

The government needs to package the learning and best practices of Andhra Pradesh and take it to every other state. It is an execution issue.

Activists have raised concerns over the centralised Aadhaar database...



How else would you establish uniqueness? If you are going to give a billion people a number, how else would you do it? Is there any other way of doing it? Every cloud is centralised, then we should not have cloud systems.

How do you ensure security standards and software are updated?



There are very good people there. The CEO is very good. There is a three-member executive board with chairman Satyanarayana and two members, Anand Deshpande and Rajesh Jain. I have no doubt that they will continue to improve things.

On security, you keep improving. It is a constant race everywhere in the world. They are now coming out with registered devices that will make it more difficult to spoof.

But without a centralised database, how do you establish that an identity is not two people? If you look at the team that designed this, cumulatively they have a few hundred years of experience of designing large systems around the world. Every design decision has been taken consciously looking at the pros and cons. Why did we have both fingerprints and iris scans? There are two reasons. One is to ensure uniqueness. The second is inclusion. We knew that fingerprints in India do not work all the time because of age and manual labour. So we included iris scans. I can give you a document from 2009 that says all of this. All of these things were thought through.

If you are given a chance to design Aadhaar today what would you do differently?



I would do exactly the same thing. Go back and look at the design document. Every design has been articulated, the pros and cons are written down, published on our website, and it is a highly transparent exercise. It is the appropriate design for the problem we are trying to solve. We are forgetting about the huge benefits people are getting. Crores of people are getting direct benefit transfer without hassle. They can go to a village business correspondent and withdraw money using Aadhaar. They can get their SIM card and open a bank account using e-KYC.

You are also forgetting that people are getting empowered. That portability has ensured the bargaining power has shifted from the PDS shop owner to the individual. If a PDS guy treats him badly, the individual can choose another shop, earlier he could not do that. The empowerment of millions of people to buy rations at the shop of their choice is extraordinary.
As the National Democratic Alliance government turns three later this month, the goalposts seem to be fast shifting from just Make In India to also . A mega policy is learnt to be in the works covering several key economic sectors, where domestic procurement should be given preference.

In fact, a source told Business Standard that the Prime Ministers Office recently had a meeting on the contours of the proposed policy, which could be rolled out soon.

The sectors that the new policy could cover are likely to have names where the government is the largest consumer such as engineering, machinery and paper, among others, economists said.

Cement is another such sector but most of the consumption in the sector is from domestic manufacturing in any case.

The Union government has, in the recent past, come up with decisions for sectors such as petroleum and steel, highlighting preferential domestic procurement, but the new policy with the swadeshi focus is expected to be much larger in scope, a source aware of the development said.

This is coming at a time when many developed countries, including America and Australia, are on an economic nationalism spree. US President Donald Trumps protectionist stance, especially related to H1B visa, for instance, has significantly hurt the information technology industry.

The government is perhaps planning to come up with a policy which has a thrust on local procurement, as it is keen to spread a feel-good factor, according to a bureaucrat who has been associated with key economic sectors. He added that preferential domestic procurement has always been controversial and theres a possibility of it getting challenged at the World Trade Organization (WTO).

However, Madan Sabnavis, chief economist, CARE Ratings, said there could be merit in such a policy, as the economic growth has been slow and the government has been the primary spender on infrastructure projects.

But Sabnavis cautioned that any preference for domestic procurement must be a short-term policy, ideally not more than a year. If it carries on, the country might lose out on cost advantage of buying the same products cheaper from other countries, he said. However, he pointed out that it would be interpreted as an indirect protection or virtual protection and therefore, may not be contested at the WTO.

Any policy on preferential domestic procurement could imply job creation, a priority area for the Narendra Modi government at this point. Despite signature schemes such as Make In India and Start Up India, job creation has remained a problem area for this government.

In fact, in a recent interview to this newspaper, the Minister of State for Commerce & Industry said that the government was planning to come out with a policy on Industrial Revolution 4.0 by September, marking the third anniversary of Make In India, to help companies manufacture in the country and create jobs. In the run-up to a comprehensive policy on preferential domestic procurement, the government has over the past two months announced some initiatives on those lines. Earlier this month, there was a policy on preference for sourcing of domestic iron and steel for infrastructure projects being built by state-owned companies, in a move aimed at shielding the sector from the onslaught of dumping of cheaper metals by countries such as China.

Also, the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology announced a phased manufacturing programme to promote Make In India, but with a thrust on local sourcing.

In April, the Union Cabinet okayed purchase preference given to domestic manufacturers in procurements done by state-owned oil and gas companies. Before that, in March, the government announced a restructured general finance rules for public finance, including government procurement, to give first preference to locally manufactured goods.




Ahead of the monsoon, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) will be reaching out to 100,000 villages with its water conservation programme. The Nabard will be working with villagers on better use of water for agriculture and household purposes.
Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Biologist Jeannine Fleegle didnt want to be a killjoy and add her own annoyed thoughts to what was otherwise a well-meaning release of balloons at a nursing facility event a year or so ago.

Fleegle says she was frustrated and still chose to hold her tongue.

But in her recent post to the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences

Deer-Forest Study titled Balloons are NOT for the birds, Fleegle, who works in the deer and elk section, holds back no more.

Do a quick Google search, Jeannine offers in the blog. Its not hard to find photo after photo of birds tangled in ribbon hanging from branches or power lines or headlines reading bald eaglet euthanized due to balloon ingestion and osprey euthanized after being tangled in balloon string. And thats just the birds! I havent even gotten to marine animal deaths.

With graduation and wedding season approaching, Fleegle urges revelers to skip the balloons and go for bubbles. Or better yet, bird seed.

I try to check the Deer-Forest Study entries when they get into my email.

Of particular fun are the Deer Crew Diaries, post by northern and southern crews.

While hiking 5 miles a day through the mountains of PA can be grueling (just ask my aching knees), the rewards come in little discoveries along the way, reads an entry by Hannah, a field crew leader.

Like seeing dried stream beds come to life with spring snowmelt, or witnessing the first green sprouts emerging as flowers bloom, finding yourself well off the beaten path in places you are sure havent seen a boot print in ages, or being caught off-guard by a garter snake soaking up the sun, Hannah said.

Of course there is no parallel to the excitement evoked upon the discovery of deer poop ripe for the pickin along your pellet transect ... am I right?!

If interested, you can find the Deer-Forest study at the Penn State site ecosystems.psu.edu.

How to prevent Lyme Disease

Lyme Disease has been in the news a lot lately and deer ticks that can carry it are in a lot of counties  all 67 that make up Penns Woods, in fact.

The state Department of Agriculture offers reminders on how to prevent tick bites, and how to remove ticks.

Preventing tick bites is key: Know where to expect ticks.

Walk in the center of trails and avoid walking through tall bushes or vegetation.

Keep vegetation trimmed back on your property.

Pay special attention to under arms, around ears, in the belly button, back of knees, all body hair, between the legs and around the waist when looking for ticks.

Use repellent with DEET on skin and clothing, or permethrin on clothing and gear.

Check clothing and pets for ticks, as they can be carriers into the house. Clothing can be placed in the dryer on high-heat to kill ticks.

Use flea and tick preventative on your pet all year long to protect them, and your family, from tick-borne diseases.

Remove ticks with fine-tipped tweezers: as soon as theyre found. The chance of getting Lyme Disease when a tick is attached for 24 hours or less is very small, but you should follow-up with your family doctor.

After removing, thoroughly clean the bite area.

Dispose of a live tick by submersing it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag, wrapping it in tape, or flushing it down the toilet. Never crush a tick with your fingers.

Be alert after a bite: Watch for signs and symptoms of Lyme Disease over the coming weeks.

Early signs are fever, chills, headache, muscle and joint aches, swollen lymph nodes and the classic erythema migrans bulls eye rash. Know that the rash isnt always present.

Late signs can be headaches, stiff neck, arthritis, facial palsy, heart palpitations, dizziness or nerve pain.

If symptoms develop, consult a physician.

CV students win Envirothon

The team of 5 Blind Mice saw their way to first place in the annual Cumberland County Envirothon.

Students from nine area high schools competed in the Envirothon, May 2, at Mechanicsburg Sportsmens Association in Enola.

5 Blind Mice, from Cumberland Valley High School, took first place with a score of 362. Congratulations to team members Lauren Shaffer, Janae Longenecker, Jackson Wetzel, Anna Pauletta and Austin Mantione. The 5 Blind Mice will represent Cumberland County at the 2017 Pennsylvania Envirothon at the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown campus on May 23-24.

Second place at the Cumberland County Envirothon went to River Otter Spotters, from Carlisle High School, with a score of 316, and third place went to Catastrophic Caddisflies, from Cumberland Valley, with a score of 313.

The Cumberland County Envirothon is presented by the county conservation district and is an academic competition that provides high school students hands-on field experience dealing with natural resource issues.

Students complete five exams that test their knowledge on aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife and a current issue, which was invasive species. A total of 116 students participated this year and enjoyed the windy, sunny day. Schools participating included Big Spring, Boiling Springs, Camp Hill, Carlisle, Cedar Cliff, Cumberland Valley, East Pennsboro, Mechanicsburg and Shippensburg.

The tests were administered by representatives from the PA Fish and Boat Commission, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, PA Game Commission, the Conservation District and Natural Resources Conservation Service.
INS Rajput, Indian Navy's front line guided missile destroyer entered Yangon, Myanmar for an Operational Turn around (OTR) from 11-13 May 17. The ship was given a traditional welcome and received by Commodore Thant Sin Lay Deputy Commander Naval Dockyard. Captain RA Shah, Commanding Officer INS Rajput called on Commodore Nay Win , Commander, Ayeyarwady Naval Regional Command. .

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Later, Capt RA Shah, Commanding Officer, INS Rajput laid wreath for the Martyrs of the First and Second World War at Yangon War cemetery. He also called on His Excellence V Misra, the Indian Ambassador of Myanmar. .

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During the visit, 35 Indian Naval officers visited the Myanmar Naval Training Command and 35 Myanmar Navy officers and 160 under trainee sea cadets visited the ship and were given a guided tour of the ship. The sea cadets interacted with the junior officers of the ship during the visit. A friendly volleyball match was also with Myanmar navy personnel. .

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Team Rajput comprising 05 officers and 05 sailors also visited Thanlyin Orphanage School and distributed notebooks, stationary and food packets to the students of the orphanage as a good will gesture. .

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CGR/VZ/50-17
No child should die in the country from Vaccine Preventable Diseases" is the Goal & Commitment of our government. We stand committed to reducing child deaths and providing a healthier future to our children." Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare stated this as he announced the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) in the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) of the country in a function at Mandi, today. Terming this as an historic moment and an exemplary step in Indias immunization programme, the Union Health Minister added that the Government is committed to reducing morbidity and mortality in children. Strengthening routine immunization is an essential investment in Indias children and will ensure a healthy future of the country, he noted. .

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PCV protects children against severe forms of pneumococcal disease, such as pneumonia and meningitis. Currently, the vaccine is being rolled out to approximately 21 lakh children in Himachal Pradesh and parts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in the first phase. This will be followed by introduction in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan next year, and eventually be expanded to the country in a phased manner. Shri Kaul Singh Thakur, Minister of Health, Government of Himachal Pradesh, Shri Ram Swaroop Sharma, Member of Parliament, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh and Shri Sanjeeva Kumar, Additional Secretary, Health, were also present at the function. .

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Reiterating the commitment of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi to save lives of children against vaccine preventable diseases, Shri Nadda said that the Government has taken notable steps in the direction of total immunisation. Under Mission Indradhanush, so far, more than 2.6 crore beneficiaries have been immunized. From 1% annual increase in coverage of Full Immunization, Mission Indradhanush has resulted in a 6.7 % annual expansion in the immunization cover. The immunization programme started with providing protection against 6 vaccine preventable diseases, it will now offer protection to our children from 12 diseases," Shri Nadda said. .

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The Health Minister further said that all these vaccines were available in the private sector for many years, not only in India but also across the world. While these vaccines in the private sector were accessible to only those who could afford them, by making them available under the UIP, the government is ensuring equitable access to those who need them the most, the underprivileged and underserved," Shri Nadda added..

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Pneumonia kills more children under five years of age in India than any other infectious disease. The pentavalent vaccine which was scaled up in all states under the UIP by 2015 protects against Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) pneumonia. Now, the introduction of PCV in the UIP will reduce child deaths from pneumococcal pneumonia. It will also reduce the number of children being hospitalized for pneumonia, and therefore reduce the economic burden on the families and the health cost burden on the country," The Health Minister elaborated..

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The Health Minister informed that the ICT-based Patient Satisfaction System (PSS) Mera Aspataal / My Hospital" for implementation in public and empanelled private hospitals, is envisaged to empower the patient by seeking his / her views on quality of experience in a public healthcare facility. He further said that the Free Drugs Services Initiative, universal screening for non-communicable diseases for all people above 19 years to be rolled out shortly in select 100 districts in the first phase, the Free Diagnostics Services Initiative, the District Hospital Strengthening support, roll out of comprehensive primary health care, and Quality Assurance Programme - all represent initiatives intended to reduce fragmentation of care, improve quality of care and reduce out of pocket expenses. .

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Shri Kaul Singh Thakur, Minister of Health, Government of Himachal Pradesh, stated that PCV is a very important for children as it will provide protection cover to all the children below 5 years of age from pneumonia and meningitis. Shri Kaul thanked Shri J P Nadda for launching the PCV from Mandi Himachal Pradesh. This vaccine will support efforts of the state government in further bringing down the child mortality," he added..

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To raise awareness about PCV, Shri Nadda also unveiled the communication material comprising TV and radio spots, posters, banners, etc. at the event. The Ministry has planned an extensive awareness campaign so that maximum number of people can avail these services..

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Pneumococcal disease is the leading cause of vaccine-preventable deaths in children under five years of age globally and in India. India accounts for nearly 20% of global pneumonia deaths in this age group. In 2010, pneumococcal pneumonia accounted for approximately 16% of all severe pneumonia cases and 30% of pneumonia related deaths in children under- five years of age in India. Introducing PCV, therefore, will substantially reduce disease burden in the country..

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Also present at the function were Smt. Vandana Gurnani, Joint Secretary (RCH, IEC), Shri Prabodh Saxena, Principal Secretary (Health), Govt. of Himachal Pradesh along with the other senior officers of the Health Ministry and Himachal Pradesh Government and representatives of development partners such as WHO, UNICEF, PHFI etc.

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There are about 65 million people worldwide right now who have fled their homeland. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says this is the highest such figure since the second world war. As tragic as that is, it's even more heartbreaking to realise that many of those folks have lost contact with their families.
Seventy-three years ago, The New York Times asked the sitting vice president to write an article about whether there are fascists in America, and what theyre up to.
Cloudflare, a major content delivery network that has a variety of white supremacist websites as clients, has said it will change its policies to allow people to more safely lodge complaints about the material on the hate sites.
China welcomes all countries to a forum this weekend on Chinas new Silk Road plan, the foreign ministry said on Saturday, after the United States warned China that North Koreas attendance could affect other countries participation.
Steven Mnuchins global partners kept up their struggle to engage the finance chief of the worlds biggest economy as he stood his ground on a view of economics that remains far removed from what the Group of Seven is used to.
Wealthy people are selfish jerks. So are their children. That is the implication, at least, of a batch of recent psychological studies. In a 2015 study, for example, preschoolers were told that they had earned enough tokens for a really great prize. They could keep the tokens for themselves or share the tokens with children at a local hospital who were too sick to come to the lab. Children from wealthier families kept more tokens for themselves.
Ransomware Cyber Attack Plays Havoc in Several Countries including India

Published: May 13, 2017

A global cyberattack has crippled nearly hundred countries, including India. A cyber gang called Shadow Brokers, which is a mysterious organisation is held responsible for this massive cyberattack. The organisation has carried out the attack by stealing a hacking tool called Eternal Blue from the National Security Agency (NSA), Americas powerful military intelligence unit. The hacking tool Eternal Blue gives unprecedented access to all computers using Microsoft Windows. It was developed by NSA to gain access to computers used by terrorists and enemy states.

The cyberattack is considered as the biggest ransomware attack of its kind. As per security software company Avast, its researchers have observed more than 75,000 attacks worldwide in 99 countries including the UK, Russia, Ukraine, India, China, Italy, and Egypt.

Ransomware is a type of malicious software when infected restricts the user access until a ransom is paid to unlock it.

Hackers have spread ransomware known as WannaCry, WanaCrypt0r 2.0, WannaCry and WCry, often through emails. The files in the infected computers gets locked up in such a way that the user cannot access them anymore. It then demands payment in cryptocurrency Bitcoin to retrieve the locked files.

Finance ministers and central bank governors of G7 nations such as the United States, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, Italy and Britain have agreed to strengthen cooperation to counter cyber threats such as the present global online attack.

Consequences

The cyberattack has crippled many hospitals, schools and universities in Europe and Asia. Britains National Health Service (NHS) is among badly affected. Other affected high profile victims are international shipper FedEx Corp, Spains telecommunications company Telefonica, Portugal Telecom and Telefonica Argentina, Germanys railway operator Deutsche Bahn etc. According to Avast, the countries such as Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan are the top targets around the world.

In India, Andhra Pradeshs police computers have come under the cyberattack. Computers in 18 police units in Chittoor, Krishna, Guntur, Visakhatpatnam and Srikakulam districts have been affected.

Month: Current Affairs - May, 2017

Topics: International  Science and Technology

Latest E-Books
If there was one principle that used to unite conservatives, it was respect for the rule of law. Not long ago, conservatives would have been horrified at wholesale violations of the norms and traditions of our political system, and would have been appalled by a president who showed overt contempt for the separation of powers.
Anxiety about radicalism and religious tolerance in Indonesia have triggered reactionary responses that could be dangerous for the countrys democracy. Joko Widodos administration recently announced plans to disband Hizb ut-Tahrir Indonesia , which seeks to establish an Islamic caliphate. The government is looking to implement legal measures to dissolve the Indonesian branch of the global Islamist group.

The move came amid increasing concern among some analysts and members of the public about rising Islamic radicalism and religious intolerance.
WhatsApp has been fined over $3.3 million in Italy for 'forcing' users to share their personal data with its parent company Facebook.

The popular chat app has been asked by all of the 28 European Union data protection authorities to stop sharing users' data with Facebook as there were doubts over the validity of users' consent, Express.co.uk reported on Friday.

"We're reviewing the decision and we look forward to responding to officials," the report quoted a WhatsApp spokesperson as saying.

Facebook took over WhatsApp in 2014 and in August 2016, it changed its privacy policy to allow the transfer of its users' personal information to the parent company for processing  a move that also created a furore in India.

The Indian government told the Supreme Court in April that it was actively considering to put in place a law to protect data and curb sharing of individual data on social networking sites and online messaging services.

The petitioners challenged a September 23, 2016, Delhi High Court order which allowed WhatsApp to roll out its new privacy policy.

Although the high court did say that it could not share the data of its users collected up to September 25, 2016, with Facebook or any other related company.

During the acquisition, Facebook had claimed that respect for users' privacy was "coded into its DNA".

But Italy's antitrust regulator alleged that "the opportunity for WhatsApp users to refuse the handover of data to Facebook was available 'but it was inadequately flagged'."

The German authorities in April banned Facebook from collecting information on its WhatsApp users in the country, after it was found to have breached data protection laws.

Since Facebook took over WhatsApp, it has been surrounded by controversies related to privacy.

Earlier in 2017, The Guardian reported a security vulnerability that could be used to allow Facebook and others to intercept and read encrypted messages had been found within its WhatsApp messaging service.

WhatsApp denied the allegation saying it had a design decision relating to message delivery, with new keys being generated for offline users in order to ensure messages did not get lost in transit.
Two years after the devastating earthquakes that struck Nepal, the country is struggling to bounce back. Nearly 70% of the affected people still live in temporary shelters , and it is common to see damaged houses, temples without roofs, and earthquake debris lying around, even in the capital Kathmandu.

The recovery is painfully slow, and many families who lost their loved ones continue to live in traumatic conditions.
A senior North Korean diplomat who handles relations with the United States said on Saturday Pyongyang would have dialogue with the US administration if conditions were right, South Koreas Yonhap news agency reported.
Pakistan and China are expected to sign an MoU for developing the North Indus River Cascade with investment of $50 billion to generate up to 40,000 MW hydro electricity.

The memorandum of understanding is likely to be signed in Beijing today during the visit of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to China, according to The Express Tribune newspaper.

"The $50 billion investment comes on top of the $46 billion investment being provided by the Chinese government and Chinese banks for financing power and road infrastructure projects in Pakistan under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)," the paper reported.

With the signing of the MoU - which will be witnessed by Prime Minister Sharif - Beijing will emerge as the biggest financier of infrastructure projects in Pakistan.

According to the studies conducted by the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), Pakistan has an identified potential of producing up to 60,000MW of hydroelectric power.

Some 40,000MW of this potential power is located in the region called the Indus River Cascade, which begins from Skardu in Gilgit-Baltistan and runs through Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa as far as Tarbela, the site of Pakistan's biggest dam.

The Indus River Cascade includes Diamer-Bhasha Dam project for which Pakistan needs $15 billion financing.

Other multilateral donors were not willing to invest on this project but now China has come up to finance this mega project.

Sources said the Chinese side conducted survey and studies on the North Indus Cascade including the sites of Pattan, Thacoat, Bunji, Dasau and Diamer in February 2017.

The Chinese side in their last high-level meeting agreed to convert the survey and initial study to an MoU whereby the Chinese will conduct a detailed study spanning over a period of three months on a developing roadmap for financing that will lead to initiation and completion of these mega projects.

Sources said this will be Pakistan's first-ever private sector investment in mega projects in hydel resources as until now only Wapda led such projects.

The most important development could be the Chinese undertaking of these projects as it has a vast experience for building such huge dams.

According to the sources, the CPEC and the North Indus River Cascade can be the biggest-ever Chinese investment in Pakistan.

In 2015, the owner of the world's largest hydroelectric dam, China Three Gorges (CTG) Corporation, had expressed willingness to participate in a financing consortium to fund up to $50 billion of hydroelectric power projects in Pakistan.

The Chinese government-owned CTG expressed an interest in financing projects in Pakistan in conjunction with the Finance Corporation, a World Bank subsidiary.

The CTG owns and operates the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric power plant with a capacity of 22,500MW, nearly matching in one power plant the entire installed capacity of the Pakistani grid of 23,500MW.

The mega undertaking may create further tension between Pakistan and India as the investment would be made in Gilgit- Baltistan region which is part of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Governments, companies and security experts from China to the United Kingdom on Saturday raced to contain the fallout from an audacious cyberattack that spread quickly across the globe, raising fears that people would not be able to meet ransom demands before their data are destroyed.
Facebook has removed 178 posts deemed insulting to the thus far in 2017, as part of their effort to comply with Thailand's strict laws concerning royal insult.
On Jan. 28, 2013, news broke of an epic cultural catastrophe. That morning, the mayor of Timbuktu, Halle Ousmane Cisse, told journalists that the jihadist occupiers of the town had destroyed its famous literary heritage.
In the evening of May 7, 2017, over six dozen Nicaraguan, Salvadoran, Guatemalan and Honduran migrants arrived at Tijuanas northernmost edge to request asylum, en masse, at Californias San Ysidro Port of Entry.
Tejas Successfully Test Fires Air-to-Air Beyond Visual Range Missile

Published: May 13, 2017

Tejas, the Light Combat Aircraft has successfully test fired Derby Air-to-Air Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile in RADAR guided mode. The test was performed on a Manoeuvrable Aerial Target at the Interim Test Range (ITR), Chandipur. The objective behind the test was to assess the Derby integration with aircraft systems on-board Tejas including the aircraft avionics, fire-control radar, launchers and Missile Weapon Delivery System and evaluate its performance.

The test firing achieved all its planned objectives and the missile hit directly on the target with complete destruction of it. The flawless launch is a major step towards clearing BVR capabilities on LCA aircraft for final operational clearance.

Tejas

The Indian Light Combat Aircraft is the worlds smallest, light weight, multi-role combat aircraft in its class amongst modern supersonic aircraft. It is a single seat, single jet engine developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the Indian Navy and the Air Force. the aircraft has delta wing configuration, with no tailplanes or foreplanes, features a single vertical fin. The LCA is constructed of aluminium-lithium alloys, carbon-fibre composites, and titanium. LCA integrates modern design concepts and the state-of-art technologies such as relaxed static stability, flyby-wire Flight Control System, Advanced Digital Cockpit, Multi-Mode Radar, Integrated Digital Avionics System, Advanced Composite Material Structures and a Flat Rated Engine.

Month: Current Affairs - May, 2017

Category: Defence Current Affairs

Topics: Defence  LCA-Tejas  National

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BJP MLA O. Rajagopal condemned the recent hacking of a young BJP worker in kannur.

"The law and order situation is worsening day by day," Rajagopal told ANI.

Rajagopal added, "He was attacked when he was travelling on his bike. They came in a car and hit the vehicle. He fell down, and then he was cut in to pieces. His head was severed; his hands and legs were severed."

Rajagopal compared the incident to the recent beheadings of Indian Army soldiers by Pakistan in the Krishna Ghati sector.

Rajagopal blamed the increasing political killings on the government stating, "In Kannur district alone, 14 of our key cadre workers were killed by Marxist ever since Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan assumed office."

This is the 20th political killing in Kerala in the past year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh condemned the murder of an RSS worker in Kannur, Kerala on Saturday and the murder politics of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Kakkampara Mandal Karyavah Choorakkadu Biju was murdered near Payyannur, in Kannur on May 12. A group of assailants in a car hit Biju's bike near a bridge at Palamkode and severely hacked him with swords.

"Taking the CPI (M) threat into account, Biju was provided with police security which was withdrawn last week. That itself implies that he was under their scanner for a long time and the murder was an outcome a sinister political conspiracy. He was falsely implicated in a murder case by the police at the behest of the ruling party and state government'" said senior RSS functionary Manmohan Vaid.

"Once again, the ruling party CPI (M) has reiterated that the party is reluctant to put down arms in Kannur and support the peace initiatives," Vaid added.

He further said, "The increased spate of murders of Swayamsevaks in Kerala under the CPI (M) regime affirms the Government's conspicuous role in political killings. It is highly condemnable and despicable that the State Police and State machinery remain as silent spectators while the CPI (M) cadres are on killing spree towards Swayamsevaks in Kannur and other places."

The RSS has asked the Kerala Police to bring all murderers and conspirators to book.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jammu and Kashmir's Panthers Party (NPP) staged a demonstration outside the Pakistan High Commission in the capital on Saturday demanding to declare Pakistan a terror state.

"Pakistan has made Jammu and Kashmir a living hell. Pakistan soldiers are ceaselessly indulging in ceasefire violations and also beheading our soldiers. Their dastardly actions have destroyed the state peace. How can one simply keep beheading the soldiers? What kind of policy is it? We are hopeful that the Government will not only take a strong action but the international community will also favour India in declaring Pakistan a terror state. " said one of the protestors to ANI.

Citing the sufferings and death of innocent civilians, besides the attack on Indian troops, the demonstrators further added that such brutal acts will not be tolerated any more.

"Our government has not taken any stern action so far, which is why Pakistan has been so daring in beheading our soldiers. From the past three years Pakistan has enhanced the number of ceasefire violations. We blame it on government's foreign policy towards Pakistan," said another protester.

The demonstrators shouted out slogans like 'Declare Pakistan a terror state' and were seen holding the placards displaying quotes like 'Down with Pakistan' jotted down on them.

Heavy police forces have been deployed outside the High commission to deal with the protestors. The forces forcefully dragged one of the demonstrators and asked him to move ahead and leave the site.

Meanwhile, two civilians have been killed as Pakistan Army continued its unprovoked ceasefire violation in Nowshera sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, to which the Indian troops are giving a befitting reply.

"Pakistani Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars from 0715 hours along the Line of Control (LC) in Naushera sector," said an official statement.

The Indian Army posts are retaliating strongly and effectively and the firing is presently on.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Describing the Afghanistan-Pakistan region as the breeding ground for international terrorism, European Parliament (EP) Vice President Ryszard Czarnecki has said there is a need for the European Union and the United States to review their respective Afghan policy to foster long-term peace in the region, rather than pouring millions of Euros in aid to Afghanistan, and trying to win a war that cannot be won.

In an opinion piece titled "Time to Revisit the Durand Line" published in EP Today, Czarnecki warned that Pakistan will continue to interfere and destabilize areas across the Durand Line, with the objective of retaining control over it as it borders Afghanistan.

He suggests that there is an immediate need for the west to take a hard look at this artificial border, and restore the natural and historical frontier between these two countries for the sake of peace in the region.

"Balochistan and portions of the Pashtun-dominated tribal areas of Pakistan that were forcefully taken away and merged into British India need to be restored to their earlier status as the sovereign territory of Afghanistan," he said.

Czarnecki said the September 11, 2001 attack on the Trade Centre in New York was a wake-up call for the West to re-visit its policy. Instead, they decided to send their troops to counter militants and allowed roots of the problem to fester.

"Since 2001, thousands of U.S. and European troops have lost their lives in Afghanistan and will continue to do so as long as we choose to bury our heads in the sand," he added.

Restive Afghanistan has the potential of adversely impacting the security and stability of its neighborhood, and the at large, he warns in the article.

"It is time that hard decisions are taken, and the historical mistake known as the Durand Line is set right," he said.

Maintaining that relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have deteriorated sharply over the years, Czarnecki says frequent border skirmishes are a manifestation of the inherent friction between both countries due to differences over the Durand Line.

To back his view, he cites the incident of May 7 at the Chaman border in Balochistan, when firing by the Pakistan Army resulted in the death of Afghan soldiers.

"While Pakistan maintained that it had killed 50 soldiers and injured more than 100, Afghanistan contended that only 2 had died. This incident was in retaliation to an earlier one in which 9 persons were killed and 45 injured on the Pak side, when Afghan border forces fired at Pakistan security personnel guarding a census team," he said.

Emphasizing that Afghanistan has always viewed the Durand Line as an artificial border imposed on them by the British colonial rulers of India, Czarnecki says the Durand Line was an attempt by British India to secure for itself strategic depth and a buffer against Russian advances into the Indian subcontinent through Afghanistan.

He said this artificial border drawn by the British in 1893 resulted in the formal cessation of vast tracts of what is now Balochistan and Pashtun-dominated areas belonging to Afghanistan to British India.

"During the last days of the British colonial rule, the Pashtuns residing on the British Indian side of the Durand Line, led by Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, popularly known as 'Frontier Gandhi', opposed the creation of Pakistan," he said.

"Pashtun identity was driven by nationalism rather than religion, and hence was not able to come to terms with the idea of a 'Muslim' Pakistan. However, when it became clear that the British rulers would not agree to the Pashtun demand for accession to India, they demanded Pakhtunistan instead, a separate homeland for the Pashtuns, a demand supported by Afghanistan. Britain was, however, keen to create a strong Pakistan, and hence, unwilling to undo the historical injustice that the Durand Line represented. Thus, the Pashtun-dominated North Western Frontier Province (NWPF) became a part of Pakistan," he added.

Czarnecki said that successive Afghan governments have refused to recognize the Durand Line as the international border between Afghanistan and Pakistan since the creation of Pakistan in 1947.

He further said that Pakistan has done everything possible to preserve the status quo, not allowing a strong government in Afghanistan, capable of challenging the validity of the existing border, assisting its proxies set up the government in Kabul and limiting the influence of countries like the U.S, Russia or India, which could pose a challenge to its domination.

Czarnecki alleged that the Pashtun and Baloch areas have been deliberately neglected within Pakistan, promoting infighting among these ethnic groups, and reducing them to being mere recruiting grounds for militants, thereby enabling Islamabad to maintain its strategic relevance in the region.

"However all Afghan governments, including the Pak-supported Taliban regime, have resisted all moves by Pakistan to formalise the Durand Line. According to former Taliban Ambassador to Pakistan, Mullah Abdul Salam Zaif, during the Taliban rule between 1996 and 2001, Pakistan tried three times to formalize the border, but was unsuccessful on each occasion. The recent decision by Pakistan to start fencing the border, and resultant cross-border firing by Afghan forces, is a continuation of this process," he said.

Czarnecki said that Pakistan security agencies in an effort to maintain its strategic depth in Afghanistan have used terror groups as proxies to keep the country unstable and weak.

He noted that a decade of instability along this border has led to a situation where the Pakistani state has lost effective control of its western border, allowing local tribesmen to easily cross back and forth between the two countries.

"As long as this demarcation, which was initially drawn to mark areas of influence rather than as an international border, is given sanctity by the international community, Pakistan will continue to play its own 'great game' in this area, even if it is at the cost of peace in the region," he said.

Czarnecki said that this historical mistake, or more precisely the historical mischief, committed by British colonial rulers by dividing the Pashtun homeland, has been perpetuated in recent years by the U.S. and other Western countries for their strategic interests.

He added, however, over the years, the effect of instability prevailing on both sides of the Durand line is no longer limited to the region, having now spilled over also the western .

"Continuous flows of Afghan refugees into Europe and terrorist incidents with links to the Af-Pak region are the consequences. In 2015, new refugee applications filed by Afghans touched 175,000, second only to the Syrians," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Government of Andhra Pradesh executed an Agreement with M/s HCL Technologies regarding HCL's proposed facility in Vijayawada and Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh today.

The agreement was executed between Government of Andhra Pradesh and M/s HCL Technologies, which were represented by B Sreedhar, IAS, Principal Secretary I/C Information Technology, Electronics and Communications Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh and Shri Vineet Vij, Vice President - Legal, Commercial, Regulatory and Compliance, HCL Technologies respectively, in presence of Nara Lokesh, Hon'ble Minister of ITE&C, Panchayati Raj and Rural Development, Government of Andhra Pradesh and Shiv Nadar, Founder and Chairman - HCL, Shiv Nadar Foundation.

The parties executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 30th March, 2017 wherein they agreed to the broad outline of the proposed investment by M/s HCL in Andhra Pradesh.

HCL's proposed facility in Vijayawada marks the first marquee investment by a leading IT company post the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. The company will invest Rs 500 crore in ten years, for a development centre, training facility and other ancillary facilities. HCL aims to hire, employ and train 5,000 local residents in the region across the two phases.

HCL will develop its first centre at Kesarapalle village in Gannavaram mandal of Krishna district in a total area of 17.86 acres. The second center will come up in 10 acres in Ainavulu village of Amaravati. Along with the Agreement, letter of allocation for land parcel for Phase I of the project was handed over by the Minister to HCL Chairman.

The Andhra Pradesh Government is committed to economic development and providing more opportunities to the young workforce of the State. The HCL IT and Training Centre will offer a great platform to local talent in cities like Vijayawada by providing them growth opportunities and ultimately helping contribute to our vision of becoming the best state in the country by 2029.

The proposed facility will create 5,000 new jobs in the region and proposes

to be an 'equal opportunity' employer. The proposed facility is intended to service new innovations and high-end technology requirements of HCL's global clientele. Trainees are expected to undergo rigorous training by industry experts to equip them with the right skills required for attending to the technology needs of global customers of HCL.

On the occasion, Nara Lokesh Minister of Andhra Pradesh (IT, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development) remarked, "I am confident that HCL's strategic project in Andhra Pradesh will be a catalyst to the IT/ITeS sector in Andhra Pradesh and facilitate creation of world class intellectual property and large scale employment through their R&D labs. At a time when there are headwinds in the sector, HCL's investment is a testimony of the talent available in Andhra Pradesh and the proactive governance of the State Government."

On the occasion, HCL Spokesperson said, "We feel privileged by the warm welcome extended by the Andhra Pradesh Government. This further reinforces our commitment towards our shared vision of creating an eco-system which will help shape career of youth and make them future ready. The Global IT and training center will act as a spring board for creative people's aspirations and knowledge management, thus making Andhra Pradesh an IT hub and a trend setter for today's youth."

HCL, one of the fastest growing IT companies in the world, boasts of revenues USD 7 billion and a net income of USD 1.3 billion.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The 'fasting' former Delhi minister Kapil Mishra on Saturday turned down the advice of the doctors to get hospitalized, as his hunger strike entered its fourth day today.

The doctors who did a medical checkup of Mishra told media, "We have advised him to get admitted into hospital immediately, but he has refused to do so. We have also advised him to increase the intake of water."

They said that "despite fasting, Mishra's blood pressure and sugar levels are normal, but we have taken the blood samples to conduct more tests".

Mishra is on a hunger strike demanding the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led by Delhi Chief Minister to make public the details of foreign tours of five AAP leaders- Satyendra Jain, Ashish Khetan, Raghav Chaddha, Sanjay Singh and Durgesh Pathak.

After Mishra was sacked from Delhi Cabinet, he has waged an open war against the AAP and Kejriwal.

He also created ripples when he claimed that he had seen Kejriwal accepting Rs 2 crore in cash from Delhi Minister Satyendra Jain.
At least 10 workers have reportedly been killed and two others injured after unidentified gunmen opened fire on the laborers working on a multi-billion-dollar China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) road project in Balochistan on Saturday.

The attack came as Pakistan and China were signing several agreements aimed at boosting cooperation in different sectors on the sidelines of the Road and Belt Forum currently being held in Beijing on Saturday, reports Turkey's Anadolu news agency.

"Ten labourers working on the Peshukan Ganz Road came under attack, as a result of which eight of them were killed, while two others sustained injuries. The victims belong to Noushero Feroz, Sindh," The Express Tribune quoted Deputy Commissioner Gwadar Naeem Bazai, as saying.

So far, no terror group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The proposed CPEC is about 3,000-kilometre long and will consist of highways, railways and pipelines that will connect China's Xinjiang province to the rest of the from the Gwadar port to Kashgar in China.

Baloch people and activists have been continuously and consistently protesting against the CPEC, alleging that Pakistan is only concerned about exploiting the resources of Balochistan for Beijing and its advantage.

Considered to be a part of China's One Belt, One Road initiative, the USD 46 billion CPEC will cover significant parts of Balochistan, Sindh and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A security expert at Surrey university has claimed that the malware, which affected the National Health Service (NHS) England hospitals and continues to spread across various parts of the world, resembles an exploit of 'EternalBlue'.

'EternalBlue' is the name given to a weakness in Microsoft's security that is thought to have been identified secretly by the United States National Security Agency (NSA).

"From the analysis that has been done, it looks like it is the 'EternalBlue' weakness that has been exploited because it is using the same ports and protocols. We don't know publicly if it is the NSA (that found the vulnerability) but it is widely assumed it is and that is what Shadow Brokers said," The Guardian quoted Prof. Alan Woodward, as saying.

It's also believed that 'WannaCry' works by taking advantage of a flaw in Windows that the NSA knew about, but kept secret.

This particular vulnerability was publically disclosed by a group calling itself Shadow Brokers, which claimed to have stolen it from the NSA, among a cache of files it took.

Meanwhile, Kaspersky Lab, a cybersecurity company based in Moscow, has published a blog post in which it estimates that 45,000 attacks have been carried out in 74 countries, mostly in Russia.

It added that the totals could be "much, much higher."

Earlier, a number of hospitals across England were forced to divert emergency patients after being hit by a suspected cyber attack.

Attacks then began being reported across many other countries, including Turkey, Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan, the U.S., China, Spain, Italy and Taiwan with the majority of affected computers in Russia.

The computers all appeared to be hit with the same ransomware, and similar ransom messages demanding about $300 to unlock their data, The New York Times reports.

The malware was circulated by email; targets were sent an encrypted, compressed file that, once loaded, allowed the ransomware to infiltrate its targets.

Portugal Telecom was also hit by a cyber attack but no services were impacted.

"We were the target of an attack, like what is happening in all of Europe, a large scale-attack, but none of our services were affected," a Portugal Telecom spokeswoman said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has spotted a peculiar object in the Hare constellation that's made up of two individual galaxies, speeding past each other at more than 2 million kilometres per hour.

Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) and Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) instruments observed the IRAS 06076-2139 galaxy from a distance of 500 million light-years.

This particular object stands out from the crowd by actually being composed of two separate galaxies rushing past each other at about 2 million kilometres per hour.

This speed is most likely too fast for them to merge and form a single galaxy. However, because of their small separation of only about 20,000 light-years, the galaxies will distort one another through the force of gravity while passing each other, changing their structures on a grand scale.

Such galactic interactions are a common sight for Hubble, and have long been a field of study for astronomers. The intriguing behaviours of interacting galaxies take many forms; galactic cannibalism, galaxy harassment and even galaxy collisions.

The Milky Way itself will eventually fall victim to the latter, merging with the Andromeda Galaxy in about 4.5 billion years. The fate of our galaxy shouldn't be alarming though: while galaxies are populated by billions of stars, the distances between individual stars are so large that hardly any stellar collisions will occur.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two days after betting rackets were busted in Delhi and Kanpur, five more bookies have been arrested with Rs 70,000 from Ghaziabad in connection with the Indian Premier League (IPL) betting.

On Thursday, three bookies namely, Ramesh Shah, Vikas Chauhan and Ramesh were caught along with cash worth Rs. 4, 40,000, two mobiles and a diary from Landmark Hotel in Kanpur.

The arrest came ahead of the IPL clash between Delhi Daredevils and Gujarat Lions at the Green Park Stadium

The teams were staying at the Landmark Hotel and the bookies were betting from this hotel only.

On the same day, the Delhi Police had also busted an IPL betting racket in the Shahdara area of East Delhi and arrested six people.

Police had recovered two laptops, 22 mobile phones and LCDs.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Soon after reports of a massive lay off by IT majors surfaced, the dynamic service sector was taken aback by the vulnerability of their job security.

However, branding this as a regular restructure essential to counter industry slowdown, IT expert T.V. Mohandas Pai said it was a phenomenon that is taken up every three to five years, adding that the current hype is for nothing.

"The companies are laying off just about two to three percent. This is not that big a number. It is normal for companies to take up this restructure exercise every three to five years," Pai told ANI.

The former member of Infosys' board of directors while citing the contract signed by employees prior to their appointment stated that a three-month notice period is given for employees to switch jobs, adding that the Government need not interfere in this process.

"When global numbers fall, sometimes it is a cause of carrying out a lay off. The government need not intervene in this matter. Government can guarantee jobs, but the IT sector is not like that. Companies are accountable to a third party, which is not the case in the public sector," he added.

Speaking on Bengaluru as an emerging IT service hub, Minister of State for Information Technology and Biotechnology and Tourism Priyank Kharge said it was time to move on to developing technology such as gaming, artificial intelligence and others animation.

"Being an epicenter for gaming, animation and artificial intelligence, we are looking at enhancing the operations in this segment. Besides, we also want to accelerate IP content creation and take it to the global platform," he said.

Speculations have emerged of a major planned lay off by IT majors, including Infosys, Wipro, Cognizant and HCL, among others.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Following a series of ceasefire violations by Pakistan, all schools in Nowshera, Qila Darhal and Manjakote along the Line of Control (LOC) shall remain closed for an indefinite period.

The information was tweeted by Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Commissioner Shahid Choudhary on his Twitter handle.

After Nowshera, another ceasefire violation in Majakote has taken place since today morning.

The district administration has rushed relief and rescue teams to the site and have established relief camps in Nowshera.

Choudhary also named some of the people who lost their lives in today's ceasefire violation.

Choudhary also apprised that evacuation has been halted in view of heavy shelling.

Two civilians have been killed as Pakistan Army continued its unprovoked ceasefire violation in Nowshera sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, to which the Indian troops are giving a befitting reply.

"Pakistani Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars from 0715 hours along the Line of Control (LC) in Naushera sector," said an official statement.

Meanwhile, the Indian Army posts are retaliating strongly and effectively and the firing is presently on.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two civilians have been killed as Pakistan Army continued its unprovoked ceasefire violation in Nowshera sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, to which the Indian troops are giving a befitting reply.

Another civilian has been injured, and has been rushed for immediate treatment.

"Pakistani Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars from 0715 hours along the Line of Control (LC) in Naushera sector," said an official statement.

Meanwhile, the Indian Army posts are retaliating strongly and effectively and the firing is presently on.

On Thursday, two Pakistan Army soldiers were injured in retaliatory firing from the Indian side post a ceasefire violation in the Nowshera sector.

A woman was killed and her husband was injured in the ceasefire violation. Pakistani troops reportedly fired 120 mm mortars early in the morning in the area.

More details to follow.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday lashed out at electronic media for "portraying all Kashmiri youths as stone pelters and militant sympathisers".

Addressing a youth exchange programme of the Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI) here, Mehbooba Mufti said, "Kashmiri boys and girls have been working tirelessly from morning to evening to make their careers, but our electronic media don't see it. They have created an impression that every youth in Kashmir is a stone pelter or sympathiser of militants."

Continuing her tirade against the electronic media, she said, "They (electronic media) wait for Fridays when after Namaz they could spot a flag (Pakistani flag) so that they can debate over it in their shows."

Jammu and Kashmir has been going through a turmoil, which primarily started when Hizbul Mujahideen local commander Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter with the security forces in July last year in Bumdoora village of Anantnag district of the state.

Recently, reports have confirmed that Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) has been sending huge amount of money through its stooges in India to fuel the anti-India unrest in Kashmir Valley.

Security agencies and experts claim that all stone pelting Kashmiri youth are 'paid' by Kashmiri Separatists and pro-Pakistan elements.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
North Korea's mission to the United Nations has appealed the member states to reconsider implementing sanctions on the communist regime.

According to South Korea's Yonhap news agency the North's mission in a press statement also accused the United States of trying to intimidate countries into fully implementing U.N. sanctions by "openly threatening that they would be faced with 'strong measures of sanction' by the U.S."

"The U.S. raises its voice before the member states, claiming that many countries are not fully engaged in implementation of the 'sanction resolutions' against the DPRK and even intimidating others into the implementation, openly threatening that member nations would be faced with 'strong measures of sanction' if they do not implement or show less interest in fulfilling their obligation to implement the 'sanction resolutions'," said the statement.

The statement came after the U.N. Security Council's panel of experts on North Korea sanctions urged U.N. members to strengthen enforcement of the sanctions adopted in the Security Council Resolutions 2270 and 2321.

The new Donald Trump led US administration has stepped up its pressure campaign against Pyongyang while urging China to use more of its influence to rein in the provocative regime.

The mission also said its hysterical to sanction restaurant businesses run by the North.

"It will be only a laughing stock of the international community that with hysteria about sanctions, the U.S. has mistaken even ordinary restaurants run by the DPRK abroad for nuke or ballistic rocket manufacturers," the statement said.

North Korean restaurants in other countries are not directly subject to U.N. sanctions but are often considered a major source of finance for its weapons and nuclear programs.

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Clarifying its stand over the row surrounding Aksai Chin being shown as part of China in its textbooks, the Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) said that the map on which the error was observed was not of India, but of South East Asia.

Th Class 12th Political Science textbook, 'Contemporary World Politics', was published in February 2007.

The textbook covers major political events and processes in world politics since the beginning of the Cold War era.

"Chapter four, "Alternative Centres of Power", focuses on the European Union, ASEAN and China. The map which figures on page 56 is not a map of India, but a map of East and South East Asia. It was prepared by the University of Texas. The source of the map was mentioned at the bottom. The map states that Boundary representation is not necessarily authoritative," the NCERT statement read.

It further stated that Aksai Chin has been under the unlawful occupation of China.

In the map, the border between India and China, near Aksai Chin is marked in dotted lines to indicate the dispute. Indian claim over Aksai Chin is clearly mentioned.

Later in this chapter, the topic under the heading 'India - China Relations' (on page 61) refers to competing territorial claims in Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin.

Aksai Chin is shown as an integral part of India in the map of India and its neighbours on page 149 of the textbook.

However, NCERT has come under major fire for showing Aksai Chin coloured in the same yellow as China.

It's been used to explain the South East Asian region as an alternative power centre.

The Indian claim to Aksai Chin was based on an internal British Indian survey, the Johnson Line.

After the Sino-India war of 1962 resulted in a humiliating defeat for India, the Chinese declared a unilateral ceasefire, withdrawing from Arunachal Pradesh - but not Aksai Chin.

Aksai Chin has since become the dragon's bargaining chip, keeping India militarily insecure and engaged.

India has continued to call Chinese administration of the region "illegal occupation," and the Indian version of the map marks it under the Ladakh district of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

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The Pakistan Army on Saturday warned India against any 'misadventure' by its troops along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB).

"Any Indian Army misadventure across LOC 'll be a miscalc,shall be responded with full force & could lead to unintended consequences (sic)," tweeted the spokesperson of Pakistan Armed Forces, Major General Asif Ghafoor.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistan military's meda wing in a statement also accused the India Army of killing civilians along the LoC while warning that any further action would trigger 'unintended consequences'.

The warning came as India accused Pakistan of ceasefire violation for the third consecutive day on Saturday.

India said that Pakistan initiated heavy shelling and artillery in the Nowshera sector of Jammu and Kashmir that killed two civilians.

Following the heavy mortar shelling from across the border, thousands of residents form the Nowshera region were evacuated.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has set up make shift tent camps and arranged food for the dislocated.

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Pakistan on Saturday summoned India's Deputy High Commissioner J.P. Singh over the latest ceasefire violation between the two nations.

According to sources, India conveyed that Pakistan initiated heavy shelling and artillery in the Nowshera sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

It was the third consecutive ceasefire violation by Pakistan which killed at least two civilians.

On Thursday, two Pakistan Army soldiers were injured in retaliatory firing from the Indian side post a ceasefire violation in the Nowshera sector.

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When Pakistani actor Mahira Khan made her Bollywood debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in 'Raees', she wanted to visit India and promote her film alongside the romance king. However, the backlash against Pakistani artistes following the Uri attack forced her to stay away from India.

Now, another Pakistani actor, Saba Qamar, who is making her Bollywood debut with Irrfan Khan's 'Hindi Medium' is seen missing the promotions but the best part is, it was Irrfan who recommended her name to the makers.

Irrfan, who was in the national capital to promote his upcoming flick 'Hindi Medium', shared that he saw her video on YouTube and really liked her work.

While talking exclusively to ANI, the 'Piku' actor said "Sometimes the co-actors become very important because your onscreen chemistry plays a vital role for the film. So when I saw her YouTube videos, I recommended her to the director and producer and they really liked her."

The film is a story about a couple's struggle to get their daughter admitted to a posh English school in order to survive in this society and also prevent others from befooling her.

In the movie, Saba plays the English-speaking wife to Khan, who is alien to the language.

Amrita Singh will also be seen in a supporting role and the film is slated to release on May 19.

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Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas will undertake a four day state visit to India from 14 May at the invitation of President Pranab Mukherjee.

This is the fifth visit and third state visit to India by President Abbas.

During the visit, President Abbas will visit the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) in Noida on May 15 to forge cooperation between Palestine - India Techno Park being built by India in Palestine and Indian IT industry.

He will also visit the India Islamic Cultural Centre in Delhi.

President Abbas will be given a ceremonial guard of honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan on May 16 followed by wreath laying by him at Mahatma Gandhi's Samadhi, Raj Ghat.

President Mukherjee will host a banquet in honour of his Palestinian counterpart.

Delegation-level discussion with Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be held on the same day.

Vice-President Hamid Ansari, and Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj will call on President Abbas during his stay in Delhi.

India and Palestine enjoy historical friendly ties.

Apart from extending the political support to the Palestinian cause, India continues to support developmental projects in Palestine by extending technical and financial assistance.

The visit will provide an opportunity for reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral relations, the Middle East Peace Process, regional and international issues.

Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) on cooperation in various areas are expected to be signed during the visit.

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The Congress on Saturday cornered the Haryana and central governments over the Rohtak gangrape incident, asserting that the incident reflects their failure on the law and order front.

"Rohtak gangrape incident reflects the failure and negligence of the state government. Prime Minister does not have time to take cognizance of such a barbaric incident. What sort of governance and justice is this?," Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala told ANI.

Asserting that the Haryana government should be ashamed of itself, Surjewala demanded strict action against the rapists.

Echoing similar views, Congress leader Shobha Oza said, "Prime Minister Modi will have to wake up and take some serious action. It is very saddening. We want that this type of violence should be stop. There is no law and order."

Congress president Sonia Gandhi expressed deep shock and outrage over the incident.

"Smt. Sonia Gandhi has expressed deep shock & outrage over brutal gang rape, murder & mutilation of body of a young girl in Rohtak, Haryana," the Indian Congress (INC) said in a tweet.

In a shocking incident, a woman was brutally gang-raped and murdered, wherein later her mutilated body was found in an empty plot in Haryana's Rohtak.

The incident took place on May 9 and came to light when the victim's body was found in city's IMT area.

The victim had allegedly refused a marriage proposal, following which the accused along with his friends allegedly raped and murdered her.

The forensic reports suggested that the victim was mutilated with sharp-edged weapons.

The distraught parents have claimed that this ghastly attack was carried out by the girl's neighbour and have demanded capital punishment for the rapists.

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Criticising senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid's 'objectionable' statement on the Islamic divorce system of triple talaq being constitutionally unjustifiable, Muslim cleric Maulana Sajid Rashidi said it cannot be abolished, as it is an Islamic process dictated in the Quran.

"This is a religious matter which cannot be ruled out completely. It is an Islamic law. We would suggest the court to punish those who give talaq in a single sitting. However, as per Salman Khurshid, we cannot let the whole system be changed," he told ANI.

Further citing the case of 'instantaneous talaq', woman cleric Hina Zaheer asserted that there was no such provision in the Quran, adding that those indulging in this must be punished.

"Some have suggested that women should add clauses in the nikah nama. However, our community is not so progressive that women have a strong say in these matters and cannot oppose the religious views. Muslims should adopt what is prescribed in the Quran, rather than this form of instantaneous talaq to dissolve a marriage," she said.

Earlier on Friday, Khurshid while supporting his stance with examples said before the Supreme Court that the controversial Islamic divorce system could not be justified whatsoever.

"There was a discussion that whether triple talaq is valid constitutionally. Substantiating my view with reasons and examples, I asserted that it cannot be justified and cannot be given law's validation," Khurshid said during the hearing which entered its second day on Friday.

A five-judge constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, started hearing arguments on the constitutional validity of the practice of 'instant triple talaq' or talaq-e-bidat on Friday.

The apex court has stated that it would first examine whether the Islamic divorce practice "is fundamental to religion" and whether "it falls in the category of enforceable fundamental rights."

The apex court further observed that it would not hear polygamy issue along with the Triple Talaq case.

The top court, earlier on Thursday, began hearing several pleas filed by Muslim women rejecting the practice of Triple Talaq.

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Former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) official Philip Mudd has said that he feels like the President of the United States needs "a pacifier and a rattle", while also adding that he was "breathing a sigh of relief" after the latter's Friday's tweets, because they couldn't be taken seriously.

"You feel like you have to give the President of the United States a pacifier and a rattle and put him in the crib," CNN quoted Mudd, as saying.

It's "a joke," he said, in reaction to the barrage of tweets Trump posted threatening former FBI director James Comey, adding, "You can't take this seriously."

"You're threatening the FBI, who's in the midst of an investigation of presidential aides? The FBI's been around since 1908. The President of the United States has been around for three and a half months," the former director of the CIA's Counterterrorism Center said.

"If you think you're going to intimidate the former FBI director and the dozens of people in the workforce who are conducting this investigation with the Department of Justice, you've got another think coming."

"Don't worry about it. Nobody in the investigation would take this seriously," he concluded.

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United States President Donald Trump's National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster has said that the former made the decision to begin his first foreign trip in Saudi Arabia in order to deliver a message of peace and unity to the .

"No president has ever visited the homelands and the holy sites of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths all on one trip," McMaster said.

Trump embarks on the historic trip next week, visiting Saudi Arabia, Israel and Vatican City in Rome before attending a NATO leaders meeting in Brussels and G-7 summit in Sicily.

"What President Trump is seeking is to unite people of all faiths around a common vision of peace, progress and prosperity. He will bring a message of tolerance and of hope to billions, including to millions of Americas who profess these faiths," McMaster added.

McMaster further stated that the President had three goals for the trip - "reaffirm America's global leadership; continue to build relationships with other leaders; and to "broadcast a message of unity to America's friends and to the faithful of three of the world's greatest religions."

The visit, including meeting with leaders from Muslim countries set up by the Saudi king, is being seen as an answer to Trump's critics who have accused him of being anti-Muslim.

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A Russian spokesperson has said Washington will prepare proposals to solve the situation around the recent expulsion of Russian diplomats soon.

TASS news agency quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, as saying in a television interview that the American counterparts will soon present proposals towards unblocking the situation where the Russian diplomats in U.S. are facing hindered free movement.

"American partners have said they will come up with their proposals shortly to start concrete work towards unblocking this situation," she said.

Noting that at the moment the work of Russian diplomats in the US is hampered Zakharova said, ""Free movement across the US has been practically blocked for Russian diplomats. In order to go somewhere, they have to do paperwork, ask for permissions. And it is not guaranteed that they will be allowed," she marked.

In December last year, Washington announced a new parcel of sanctions including the expulsion of 35 Russians in retaliation for alleged Russian efforts to interfere with the US presidential election.

The sanctions targeted a number of Russian companies, the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Main Department (military intelligence) of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces over cyber-attack allegations.

The U.S. authorities also expelled 35 Russian diplomats and announced the closure of two countryside facilities in New York State and Maryland that belonged to Russia.

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While petitions are being heard over the practice of triple talaq, a Muslim woman on Friday took to the Shariyat to divorce her husband after being mistreated by him and his family over a tussle regarding the exchange of dowry.

In what can be called a first-of-its-kind incident in the community, the victim, who has been married for over six years now, was severely mistreated by her husband and in-laws stating dowry as a cause. Additionally, the birth of her daughter fuelled the fire as she was beaten up and abandoned by her husband.

"My husband had no affection for me or my daughter. He did not care for our living. I used to get beaten up regularly. Unable to bear this, I came back to my parents and have now decided to go by the Shariyat and give him talaq," the victim told ANI, adding that her husband "did not enquire about her or their daughter after she moved to her maternal home."

Requesting the court for justice, the victim demanded that provisions be made to provide compensatory expenses for her and her daughter, adding that the valuables handed over as dowry should be seized from her in-laws and returned back.

The victim also asserted that the perpetrating in-laws and her husband should be punished for the mistreatment she faced.

Clarifying the norms of the Shariyat enforced at the time of nikah or wedding, a cleric stated that if a man is not able to fend for his wife and family after marriage, she is permitted to part ways from him after giving him 'talaq'.

On the legal front, the victim's lawyer, on behalf of her, lodged a complaint alleging domestic violence in the name of dowry under Section 498 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), adding that the divorce can be legally sanctioned as 'delegated divorce'.

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After 'Hindi Medium' it is time for Irrfan Khan to go 'English Medium'.

Yes, you heard that right. The 'Piku' actor has inked one more Hollywood project 'Puzzle'. The 50-year-old actor, who was in the national capital to promote his upcoming flick Hindi Medium, shared that he will be flying soon to New York to shoot the film.

While talking exclusively to ANI, the excited 'Inferno' actor said that it is with Kelly Macdonald and has very interesting storyline. He added that he was looking for this right kind of script from a long time.

This project is something which he is really looking forward to and his role in the film is very different from what he was doing before.

Oren Moverman and Annie Baker have written the script, which is an adaptation of the 2010 Argentine film 'Rompecabezas'.

The original was directed by Natalia Smirnoff and was nominated for the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.

This will be Irrfan's fourth major Hollywood project. His past credits include 'Inferno' with Tom Hanks, 'Jurassic World' with Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard and Ang Lee's 'Life of Pi'.

The shooting of the movie will start later this month in New York.

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West Bengal Minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury, who had questioned the Shahi Imam of Tipu Sultan Mosque, Maulana Noor-ur Rehman Barkati, over the use of the red beacon, was himself using it atop his vehicle.

"Barkati is Imam and I am a minister of the state government. I will remove the red beacon as soon as the government orders for it," Chowdhury told ANI.

Earlier in the day, Imam Barkati, who had initially refused to remove the red beacon from his car, finally agreed to follow the Centre's order.

Defying the Centre's order, Barkati had earlier said that he would continue to use the red beacon as the permission for it was given by the erstwhile "British Government".

"I will remove red beacon once everyone does the same. I will continue to use as I have got permission from British government," Barkati said.

He further said that he has been using the red beacon for decades and wouldn't take orders from the Centre.

On Friday, an FIR was also lodged against Maulana Barkati after a BJP leader Suraj Kumar Singh registered a complaint against him for not complying with the Centre's ban on the use of the red beacon.

The Central Government imposed a ban on use of red beacon on vehicles attached to dignitaries from May 1.

The ban applies to union ministers, chief ministers, state cabinet ministers, bureaucrats and judges of the High Court and Supreme Court while President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India and the Lok Sabha Speaker are exempted from the ban.

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Sales decline 16.34% to Rs 110.71 crore

Net profit of New Delhi Television declined 51.87% to Rs 3.61 crore in the quarter ended March 2017 as against Rs 7.50 crore during the previous quarter ended March 2016. Sales declined 16.34% to Rs 110.71 crore in the quarter ended March 2017 as against Rs 132.33 crore during the previous quarter ended March 2016.

For the full year,net loss reported to Rs 53.35 crore in the year ended March 2017 as against net loss of Rs 21.62 crore during the previous year ended March 2016. Sales declined 10.96% to Rs 381.73 crore in the year ended March 2017 as against Rs 428.70 crore during the previous year ended March 2016. ParticularsQuarter EndedYear EndedMar. 2017Mar. 2016% Var.Mar. 2017Mar. 2016% Var.Sales110.71132.33 -16 381.73428.70 -11 OPM %7.7510.62 --5.321.97 - PBDT7.9311.96 -34 -29.21-2.62 -1015 PBT4.197.58 -45 -45.26-21.07 -115 NP3.617.50 -52 -53.35-21.62 -147

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LoI from Nexteer gets cancelled

Rane (Madras) has received an official communication from Nexteer cancelling the LOI, due to their customer, General Motor having sold their Opel Brand to PSA in Europe.

The order was for manufacture and supply of steering gears for Passenger Vehicles from Nexteer Automotive Poland Sp.z.o.o.

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The Farmington City Council tended to other business on an evening when one public hearing lasted nearly an hour and a half.

While the public hearing regarding the Planned Unit Development (PUD) at 709-713 Janey Dr. took up most of the evening, there were two other items up for public input on Thursdays agenda.

The first public hearing for the evening was the designation of 218 N. Washington St. as a Farmington Historic Property.

The location was most recently the location of the Farmington Press/Daily Journal office in Farmington, which has since moved to 227 E. Columbia St.

For years, the location was home to Hecks IGA. But, a portion of the structure began in the early 20th century as the base location of the St. Francois County Railroad.

Public Works Director Larry Lacy explained owner Dr. Tim McMann was seeking the designation to apply for an architectural preservation grant agreement through the Karsch Boulevard and Downtown Tax Increment Financing District to refurbish the structure.

The Historic Preservation Committee and Planning and Zoning both approved the plan submitted by McMann.

Ward II Councilman John Crouch spoke on the history of the building, noting where the portion of the structure that served as the train shed is located.

McMann told the council he was excited about the opportunity to restore the building. The front portion that housed the offices for the newspaper is now home to Country Junction.

Wed like to bring the back area to where it was when it was the train repair station, he said. Were hopeful we can do that.

Council approved the ordinance designation the property and a resolution for the grant agreement during regular session. Ward I representative Cody Eaves and Ward IV representative Vanessa Pegram were not in attendance.

A public hearing for a final record plat of property located at 1602 W. Liberty St. was also held. Lacy explained the owner of the property discovered a discrepancy in the property line when attempting to sell a portion of the area where Easy Self Storage is located near the license bureau.

The purpose of this is to redraw the property boundaries so they can sell a piece of the property, Lacy said.

Council approved the ordinance regarding the property during regular session.

In other business, the council approved the donation of property from Parkland Heath CenterWeber Road to the city of Farmington. The property includes the building where the Farmington OAKS Senior Center is located.

Nancy Krekeler was recognized as the recipient of the Jack Sebastian Volunteer Award for her work at the senior center.

Mayor Larry Forsythe read Director Mona Yates' nomination of Krekeler for the honor, stating Krekeler contacted her in 1999 after retiring from the business she owned with her husband, Bill.

Read more about the award presentation in the May 18 edition of the Farmington Press.

In reports, Ward I Councilman John Robinson delivered the Public Safety report stating the Farmington Police Department is interviewing dispatchers and work is underway in planning for Country Days 2017.

Ward IV Councilman Mark Kellogg said the Public Works department had 17 items on their agenda for the meeting held prior to the council meeting  and were only able to work through a handful due to talk on the recent rains and the effect on the stormwater system and problems occurring for some homeowners.

There are a lot of legitimate issues we have with storm water drainage, he said. Its not an overnight fix in some of these situations  its a lot and were very much doing our best to try and look at what the problems are. The ones that are causing homeowners to have flooding in their basement, property damage, those are the priorities we have to get to.

We have a matrix (for project work) and were working on that. Were going to have a special meeting in a couple of weeks to work on that.

Read more about the work on stormwater improvements in a future edition of the Daily Journal.

The council also approved an ordinance approving a second amendment to the Fiscal Year 2017 operating budget.

Before the public hearings began, Chuck Henson with First Baptist Church of Farmington spoke with the council about the You are the Light mission project hosted by the church.

This is the 11th year for the week-long mission project at the church. Volunteers spend the week performing various jobs around the community to help

Its our ministry at First Baptist Church to let the people of Farmington know we love them, care for them and God loves them as well, Henson said.

Contact the church office at 573-756-4654 to register a possible location.

The council next meets in regular session on May 22.
On 26 May 2017

Swagtam Trading & Services will hold a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company on 26 May 2017, to consider, approve & adopt Audited Financial Results of Quarter & Year ended 31 March 2017 alongwith half-yearly 'Statement of Assets & Liabilities' as at 31.03.2017 and any other matter with the permission of Chair.

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Two local Taliban leaders were killed when the Afghan air force struck a militants' hideout in restive southern Helmand province, the Defence Ministry said on Saturday.

"The strike was conducted on specific intelligence inputs in Musa Qala district, killing Ustad Toor Jan and Fidda Mohammad and three militants' vehicles were also destroyed following the raid," the ministry said in a statement posted on its official Facebook page.

In addition, the army personnel conducted a cordon and search operation in neighbouring Marja district, capturing 10 Taliban militants and destroying three vehicles, it said.

Furthermore, three militants were killed and eight injured in a separate operation in surrounding areas of Tirin Kot, capital of neighbouring Uruzgan province, Xinhua news agency reported.

The army bomb disposal teams also found and defused 28 roadside bombs and landmines in Uruzgan within the past 24 hours, the statement added.

--IANS

soni/bg

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Delhi's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) on Saturday interrogated six engineers of the Public Works Department (PWD) in connection with an alleged corruption of Rs 10 crore involving Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's late brother-in-law Surender Kumar Bansal.

"We ave questioned six engineers of the PWD today (Saturday)," ACB chief Mukesh Kumar Meena told IANS. However, he refused to share details.

The ACB action follows filing of three cases on May 9 against Bansal and senior PWD officers in connection with the alleged corruption charge.

On May 9, the ACB had summoned the engineers to join the probe for their role in the scam.

The case involving Bansal, who died on May 7 in a Gurgaon hospital, relates to a drain project and improvement of kerbs from Shani Mandir to Bakoli village up to Drain No. 6 on the National Highway-44.

The FIRs do not mention Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Kejriwal's name, although complainant Rahul Sharma, Convener of NGO Road Anti-Corruption Organisation, had accused the Chief Minister of helping kin Bansal to get fake bills of around Rs 10 crore cleared.

The three FIRs were registered against Bansal and the PWD officers after it was discovered that the bills were cleared by different companies for different works.

"Bansal got the pending bills of around Rs 10 crore cleared due to Kejriwal's influence. He set up three companies -- Ranu Construction, Pawan Construction and Kamal Construction -- in whose names he got the bills cleared from the PWD," NGO's General Secretary Vilav Awasthi told IANS.

According to the officials, the ACB had questioned Sharma for a couple of hours on May 11. The ACB team also visited the PWD office to collect some files and documents related to the scam the same day.

The matter was being investigated by the Delhi Police Economic Offences Wing, but it was later transferred to the ACB.

--IANS

aks/nir

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Sacked AAP Minister Kapil Mishra on a hunger strike against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Health Minister Satyender Jain, in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Photo: Dalip Kumar)

Sacked Delhi minister Kapil Mishra's indefinite fast against the AAP on Saturday saw high drama with a ruling party legislator attempting a counter fast outside the former's house, but was detained by police.

Sanjeev Jha, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator from Burari, attempted to hold a counter hunger strike outside Mishra's Civil Lines house to demand that he present proof of his bribery allegations against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Jha was detained by the police, who said the legislator did not have the requisite permission.

Mishra, who began his hunger strike on Wednesday, accused Kejriwal of using Jha as a pawn to disrupt his agitation. He insisted that he will present proof of his allegations only to investigative agencies.

He is on fast demanding that Kejriwal reveal the source of funding of the foreign trips of five AAP leaders - Sanjay Singh, Ashish Khetan, Satyendar Jain, Raghav Chadhha and Durgesh Pathak - in the last two years.

"I would like to advise Jha against sitting on a hunger strike as he is being used as a pawn," said Mishra, and alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will resort to "new drama" to distract attention from the "foreign trips controversy".

"They must know that I will handover the evidence only to investigative agencies. But Kejriwal wants that I hand them over to the 'thief' who then will judge himself and then proclaim himself to be innocent (referring to Kejriwal). That is not going to happen," he asserted.

AAP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia dubbed Mishra's hunger strike as "BJP facilitated".

Mishra declared that Kejriwal's attempts to foil his "Satyagraha" will not be successful.

Mishra alleged that the Chief Minister has asked "at least 20" MLAs to launch hunger strikes to counter him "but only one (Jha) was willing".

He said that Jha should be provided security, alleging that there could be an attack on Jha to portray Mishra in bad light.

"I would urge the police to provide security to Jha. Those who can attack me can go to any extent to prove me wrong," said Mishra, who was hit by a man on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, a team of doctors examined Mishra and advised immediate hospitalisation, but he refused.

"He needs immediate hospitalisation but has refused to do so. We have asked him to drink more water," said a doctor.

Mishra on Friday too had refused hospitalisation despite his weakening condition. Mishra said he will drink only water during his fast.

Jha has accused Mishra of "lying" and declared he will join the agitation if he can prove his allegation of having seen Health Minister Satyendar Jain handing over Rs 2 crore to Kejriwal at his residence.

"If Mishra can prove his allegations to be true, I will myself join him in demanding Kejriwal's resignation as the Chief Minister," Jha told the media.

He also wrote a letter demanding to know when and how did he go to Kejriwal's residence when he saw the Chief Minister being handed over the cash.

"It has been six days that you levelled the allegation, but have not presented any proof. Rather you have been changing your statements. It proves that you have been lying," Jha said in the letter which was uploaded on social media sites.

Mishra in his reply, said he has the evidence and will hand them only to probe agencies.

Sisodia said the fact that police refused to let Jha hold a counter agitation goes to prove that the Bharatiya Janata Party was behind Mishra's hunger strike.

"Police have not allowed Jha's hunger strike, which he wanted to launch demanding proof of Mishra's allegations. It is evident that (his) Mishra's hunger strike is being facilitated by the BJP," Sisodia told the media.
Andhra Pradesh police have registered a case against nine persons for fraudulently sending Rs 569 crore abroad through fake companies.

On a complaint by the Income Tax Department, the police in this coastal city registered a First Information Report (FIR) and sent search parties to Kolkata and other places to nab the accused.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Naveen Gulati told reporters here on Saturday that one Vaddi Mahesh, his father Vaddi Srinivas Rao and two other accused formed 12 bogus companies to facilitate transfer of funds and reporting turnovers. They opened 30 accounts in different banks in Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Kolkata and other places.

Of the Rs 680 crore domestic remittances in these banks accounts, Rs 569 crore was sent to five foreign companies in China, Singapore and Hong Kong.

"The total transaction is fraud and the money was sent without paying tax and by producing fake certificates," Gulati said.

An income tax official had lodged a complaint against the accused with MVP Colony police station. The preliminary investigation revealed that foreign remittances were meant for purchase of customised software but no software was ever imported.

The accused include two chartered accountants Prasanta Kumar Roy Barman and Praveen Kumar Jha, both residents of Kolkata. They allegedly helped the accused by providing fake certificates which along with fake foreign invoices were submitted to the banks.

"Prima facie, it is black money and it appears to be a hawala like transaction," the officer said, adding that it was a complicated case and more clarity is expected by Monday or Tuesday.

Mahesh, Srinivas Rao, both natives of Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh but settled in Kolkata along with Achanta Harish and Achanta Rajesh of West Godavari district established 12 bogus companies.

Ayush Goel, Vineet Goenka, Vikar Gupta -- who deposited the money in 30 bank accounts -- were also booked.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Army on Saturday said a school had been renamed after Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz -- killed by militants in south Kashmir -- and his family handed over a cheque for Rs 75 lakh.

The cheque for Rs 75 lakh was from the Army Group Insurance Fund, apart from another cheque for Rs one lakh from the martyr's regiment -- Rajputana Rifles.

"Major General B.S. Raju, the General Officer Commanding of the Victor Force, visited the bereaved family members in Kulgam district and assured them that the Army stands by them and will always be ready to help", Defence Ministry Spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia told IANS here.

"The GOC assured the family that those responsible for Lt. Ummer's dastardly murder will be brought to justice. The GOC announced renaming of an Army school in the area as 'Lt. Ummer Fayaz Goodwill School'," he added.

The unarmed officer, on leave to visit his home in Kulgam, was kidnapped by militants while attending the marriage of his maternal uncle's daughter in Batapura village around 10 p.m. on May 9.

His bullet-riddled body was found on Wednesday morning (May 10) at Harmen in Shopian district.

The officer, from Rajputana Rifles, had joined the Army in December last year.

Police has since issued posters of three local militants responsible for the officer's kidnapping and subsequent murder.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The ruling Trinamool Congress' capability to continue its electoral successes and the BJP's bid to become the main opposition force would be tested amid a revival of the Gorkhaland demand in the hills as seven West Bengal civic bodies go to the hustings on Sunday.

The elections to the municipalities spread across five districts in northern, central and the southern tip of the state would provide a peek into the mind of the voters in the small towns and pose a challenge for the Left Front and the Congress to revive their fortunes in the backdrop of recent electoral results where they lost ground to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The polls would be held for four municipalities in the northern Bengal hills - Darjeeling, Kurseong and Mirik Notified Area Authority in Darjeeling district and Kalimpong in Kalimpong district. Besides, Raiganj municipality in North Dinajpur district, Domkal in Murshidabad district and Pujali in South 24 Parganas district are also up for grabs.

The Trinamool is a principal force in all the areas, and is hoping to break the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha's stranglehold in the hills by tying up with the Gorkha National Liberation Front.

State Tourism Minister and Trinamool Congress leader from north Bengal Gautam Deb was confident of an impressive show in the hills.

"We will win in Kurseong. We will also perform fairly well in Darjeeling and Kalimpong. People want to know why the GJM could not carry out necessary development in the hills despite being in power for so long.

"There was a fear psychosis among the people. Most of the local body elections were uncontested for many years. People could not come out to vote independently. The situation has changed under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee," Deb said, alluding to the Chief Minister's repeated trips to the hills and the development projects and sops she has announced for the region.

The hills have not witnessed a local election in the past five years.

GJM chief Bimal Gurung, however, accused the state government of not providing the necessary funds for development.

"The state government is talking about development here. I ask where is the development and where is the money sanctioned for the hills," he questioned.

To strike an emotive cord among the people, the GJM has revived the call for a separate Gorkhaland state and tried to turn the polls into a Gorkhaland-vs-Bengal issue.

In Domkal, the Trinamool is up against an undeclared seat adjustment between the Congress and Left Front major Communist Party of India-Marxist.

Murshidabad is one of the very few strongholds of the Congress, and the party is going all out to woo the electorate. However, state Congress chief and Murshidabad strongman Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury accused the Trinamool of using the administration to slap false cases and arrest his party leaders.

"In Domkal, without any investigation whatsoever, Congress leaders are named in false cases and arrested and under such provisions that they don't get bail," he said.

But at the other end, the Trinamool is banking on the large number of former Congress leaders, who have crossed over to its fold in recent times.

The LF-Congress, who have cobbled up unofficial seat understandings in Raiganj and Pujali too, is hoping to do well in Raiganj.

Days after BJP chief Amit Shah said West Bengal was the "next target" on his radar, the party is campaigning hard to retain the momentum it received by finishing runners up in the recent Kanthi Dakhin assembly by-poll.

Giving an indication of its intent, the BJP has fielded several Muslim candidates in Domkal and Pujali that has a majority of Muslim population.

"In Domkal, seven of our 20 candidates are Muslim and in Pujali, we have fielded three Muslims among our 16 candidates," said BJP minority cell president Ali Hossain.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The BJP on Saturday flagged a new issue against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, alleging corruption in the Public Works Department (PWD) and demanded that he resign on grounds of morality.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Manoj Tiwari, waving a letter from an "assistant engineer" to Delhi Police, said the official alleged he has been getting life threats.

"In his letter to the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Nangloi, regarding a complaint on April 1, 2016, the engineer alleged that while on inspection in Peeragarhi area of Delhi he saw three persons breaking a concrete drain built by the PWD," Tiwari said at a press conference.

"In his complaint, the engineer said he asked the three men not to break the drain but he received a call from a person called Vinay Kumar of Renu Construction who told him not to disturb the three men," Tiwari said, adding that the company belonged to Kejriwal's brother-in-law, Surender Kumar Bansal, who died last week.

"The engineer said the man on the phone gave him life threats," he said.

"Was the brother-in-law of Kejriwal from the mafia? Were they getting work because Kejriwal was sitting here as the Chief Minister?" Tiwari questioned.

"Kejriwal must answer all these questions," the BJP leader, who represents the northeast constituency of Delhi, said.

Taking a pot shot at the Aam Aadmi Party national convenor, Tiwari said, "It is for all these answers that Kapil Mishra is sitting on a dharna. Please go beyond the dharna ."

"Kejriwal now must come out of his home and answer as he is the Chief Minister and all this corruption is being done on his instructions and life threats are being given to officials," Tiwari alleged.

Alleging that the corruption was taking place under Kejriwal's watch, he asked, "Why are Kejriwal or any of his ministers not answering, where is the morality now?"

The BJP leader said the AAP government in Delhi was "looting" the money of the city's taxpayers.

Tiwari said the AAP government has no morality left to stay in power, and it must resign so that the people's faith is restored in the government and democracy.

On May 9, Delhi's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) registered three FIRs against Kejriwal's deceased brother-in-law, and senior PWD officers in connection with alleged corruption of Rs 10 crore.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hundreds of people took part in a candle light march at India Gate here to pay tributes to Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz, who was abducted and killed by militants in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir earlier this week.

Some of them were carrying posters and banners to convey their respect for Fayaz and their admiration and love for the Indian Army.

There was a large presence of youth at the India Gate lawns, some of whom said they wanted to join the Army. Many ex-servicemen also took part in the march.

The officers of 129th National Defence Academy course attended by Fayaz gave the call for the march.

Fayaz was on leave and visiting his native place in Kulgam to attend the marriage of his maternal uncle's daughter in Batapura village when militants kidnapped him on Tuesday. His bullet-riddled body was found on Wednesday.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police has released posters of three militants, saying they were responsible for the killing of Kashmiri Army officer.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ahead of Congress President Sonia Gandhi's scheduled Tuesday meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the party's state committee on Saturday wrote to Gandhi with a litany of complaints against the Trinamool Congress and questioned its commitment in fighting the BJP.

Accusing Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government of unleashing "a systematic, persistent and diabolical programme against Indian National Congress leadership, activists and supporters", state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said his party's elected people's representatives in Gram Panchayats and municipalities were being "lured, intimidated, and coerced".

"Provisions of the Indian Penal Code are being routinely slapped against those who refuse to fall in line under the dictate of the Trinamool in connivance with police and administration. MLAs have been forced to switch sides under them," Chowdhury said in the two-page letter.

Questioning the Trinamool's "claims" of s fighting the BJP in Bengal, the letter said "every possible scope to spread its (BJP's) tentacles are being provided by the ruling party.

"Besides the history of cohabitation with BJP in the past, Trinamool has also been soft on RSS, enabling RSS to spread its wings in the state."

Iterating the Congress' commitment to fight for democracy and secularism, the letter said "our fight against undemocratic, dictatorial and corrupt Trinamool would continue together with our ideological commitment in favour of liberal and secular values".

"I understand that Chief Minister shall be meeting you soon for discussion on a strategy regard to election to the Office of the President of India. It is important to rope in support of all political parties to oppose a RSS level. At the same time, it is necessary to emphasise our abiding commitment to democracy and transparency," the letter said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
To prevent recurrence of vector-borne diseases like dengue and chikungunya, the Delhi government will prepare a comprehensive plan to keep the city "mosquito-free", Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Saturday.

Briefing the media on the preparedness for dengue and chikungunya-like diseases, Sisodia said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had held a meeting with all stakeholders, including commissioners of civic bodies, and a comprehensive plan would be made to make Delhi mosquito-free.

"Chief Minister has directed that a comprehensive proposal be made, for which the officials concerned of the central government, Delhi government, civic bodies and NCR will pitch in. We have to find a way to make Delhi mosquito-free," he said.

Sisodia said that the government had taken preventive steps early this year, so that measures were put in place before the onset of monsoon.

The government has instructed hospitals to use 10 to 20 per cent of the beds for treatment of fever and to be ready for extra fever clinics, according to Sisodia.

"Facility to know the availability of beds online is being ensured and a control room is being set up to help patients," said Sisodia, adding that rates of medicines or tests would be fixed in private hospitals, so that the dengue and chikungunya patients were not charged extra.

According to official data, 4,431 cases of dengue were reported in 2016 and the number of chikungunya cases stood at 9,749. The figures are among the worst in India till now.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (GCMMF), which markets the Amul brand of milk and dairy products, is expecting 20 per cent sales growth in 2017-18, a company official said here on Saturday.

According to the official, the firm also had plans to invest Rs 2,500 crore over the next three years to build new milk processing plants across states to enhance its processing capacities.

The dairy firm intends to be India's biggest FMCG company, surpassing Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) by the end of 2018-19, according to him.

"We plan to grow 20 per cent in the current fiscal and we wish to be the biggest FMCG company in India by 2018-19 crossing HUL," the firm's Managing Director R.S. Sodhi told reporters here.

"If we have to grow by 20 per cent, we have to expand milk procurement from outside Gujarat. We procure about 200 lakh litres of milk per day. Of this, around 15 per cent of milk is being procured from outside Gujarat. There is a need to procure 13-14 per cent more milk to meet the growth target," he said.

Apart from Gujarat, the firm collects milk from Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal and Maharashtra. It will start procuring from Bihar and Jharkhand as well.

"We are working out to enter Tamil Nadu and Kerala," he said.

"We invest about Rs 800 crore every year for setting up new processing plants. We have planned to invest Rs 2,500 crore to build up processing plants across states," Sodhi said.

The firm registered a provisional turnover of Rs 27,085 crore for the financial year 2016-17, up by 18 per cent from sales turnover of Rs 22,972 crore in the previous year.

He said the firm achieved a compound annual growth rate of 19 per cent in the last seven years because of higher milk procurement, continuous expansion in terms of adding new markets, launching of new products and adding new milk processing capacities across India.

GCMMF has planned to achieve a turnover of Rs 50,000 crore by 2020-21, Sodhi said. It also plans to enhance its milk processing capacity from the current level of 300 lakh litres per day to 380 lakh litres per day in the next three years.

Speaking about the firm's West Bengal plan, he said the dairy major was setting up a plant in Howrah district with an investment of Rs 250 crore. "The plant will handle about 10 lakh litres of milk per day and is expected to be commissioned in the next one year," Sodhi added.

-- IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Haryana Police have arrested two persons after a young woman from Haryana's Sonepat district was allegedly abducted, gang raped and brutally killed by them, police officials said on Saturday.

The shocking incident, a cruel reminder of the December 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case of New Delhi, came only days after the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of four accused in the case. The victim's body was found on the outskirts of Rohtak town, 70 km from national capital Delhi.

Police officials said that forensic experts have disclosed that the victim was sexually assaulted and her body was badly mutilated. Stray dogs had bitten off parts of the victim's body.

S.K. Dhattarwal, Head of the Department of Forensic Medicine at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), Rohtak, said that the post-mortem examination of the victim's body indicated sexual assault, mutilation of private parts and murder.

Police was told that the victim's head and face were smashed with a hard object and crushed under the wheels of some vehicle. This, according to the police, was done to hide her identity.

The Haryana Police have launched an investigation into the brutal gang rape and murder. The arrested men were being interrogated, a police officer told IANS.

The woman, aged around 22 years, went missing on May 9, as per the complaint filed by her family.

Those arrested have been identified as Sumit and Vikas.

Police officials said that Sumit was a neighbour of the victim in Sonepat and had been stalking her. He was pressurising her to marry him but she had refused.

Police officials alleged that Sumit planned the gang rape and murder to teach a lesson to the woman.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi expressed deep shock and outrage over the brutal gang rape, murder and mutilation of the body of the victim. She hoped that the Haryana government would take action against the perpetrators of the crime.

A mentally unstable Nepalese woman was brutally gang raped and murdered by seven men in Rohtak district in February 2015. The accused were awarded the death penalty by a local court in December 2015.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India is likely to skip China's mega Belt and Road forum beginning here on Sunday as New Delhi is yet to confirm its participation, though most of its neighbours are attending.

India's unwillingness to confirm its participation for the two-day summit stems from its objection to the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a key artery of China's Belt and Road project, which cuts through Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which is claimed by New Delhi.

Last week, Union Defence and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said that India has "serious reservations" about China's massive connectivity project that aims to build a trade and infrastructure network linking Asia with Europe and Africa.

"I have no hesitation in saying that we have serious reservations about it because of sovereignty issues," he had said to a question.

New Delhi is not likely to send anyone for the event, a source had told IANS earlier.

Phone calls to the Indian embassy went unanswered.

On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang said Indian scholars were coming for the meet.

India's likely non-participation comes as the top leadership of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Myanmar are attending, while Bangladesh and Nepal are sending high-level delegations. Bhutan is not attending.

On Friday, Nepal officially inked a deal with China on OBOR for development of cross-border connectivity.

China's Foreign Ministry has said that 29 heads of state, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, will attend the May 14-15 forum. They will be among the 1,500 or so Chinese and foreign delegates at the event.

Among India's neighbours, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has arrived along with four Chief Ministers, while Sri Lankan Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe is also attending.

Countries like the US, Japan, South Korea and France have decided to send official representations for the meet.

The OBOR project is inspired by the Silk Road, the trading route of the 16th-18th centuries between Europe and Asia. It is proposed to be a vast network of sea and land routes -- comprising railway lines, roads, ports and other infrastructure - across several countries. According to reports, China is said to be spending $1 trillion on it. The project was introduced by President Xi Jinping in 2013 and is seen as his signature foreign-policy effort.

China has identified 65 countries, plus itself, along the Belt and Road, which together account for 60 per cent of the world's population and 30 per cent of its GDP, according to the Hong Kong-based think tank Fung Business Intelligence.

A joint communique will be issued at the end of the OBOR summit, being touted by Chinese state media as one of the year's most important international events.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday described late Prime Minister and her mother-in-law Indira Gandhi as her "friend and mentor", saying the late leader's nationalism was all-inclusive and rooted in the philosophy of compassion.

In her speech at the launch of a book 'India's Indira' here, Sonia Gandhi said the then Prime Minister had no time for "snobbishness, ostentation, or pomposity, and was quick to detect hypocrisy and insincerity".

Sonia Gandhi's speech was read by her son and Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi.

The Congress President said she had good fortune of living with Indira Gandhi for 16 years.

"The brand of patriotism that I witnessed in Indira Gandhi was a noble and generous one that she imbibed from the notables of the freedom movement --from her beloved father (Jawaharlal Nehru) above all, and from Gandhi ji -- her dear Bapu.

"It was an all-inclusive, all-embracing nationalism rooted in a philosophy of compassion. This made her a proud Indian but also a citizen of the world," she said.

Sonia Gandhi, who was born in Italy and married Indira Gandhi's older son Rajiv Gandhi, said the late leader was a "remarkable person".

"The Indira Gandhi I knew was the nurturing mother-in-law, mother, and grandmother. What a remarkable person she was -- how kindly she welcomed me -- nervous and shy as I was -- into her home; how patiently she taught me to adapt to the new country and family."

Sonia Gandhi said Indira Gandhi understood her difficulties, drew her into her heart and opened her eyes to India's great history and culture.

Indira Gandhi, the Congress leader said, had grown up in the heat and turbulence of freedom struggle, knowing wealth, sacrifice, comfort, deprivation, and sorrow.

"Her mother's illness and untimely death and her struggle as a young girl with lonliness and loss made her deeply sensitive to the pain of others and protective of them.

"She was a friend and mentor to me, careful not to impose her will -- except in little things like making me drink milk and eat spinach, which I detested, while I was expecting my first child," Sonia Gandhi said.

The Congress President said the late Prime Minister was at home with many cultures and milieus, read widely, and had a multitude of interests outside .

"Not everybody knows that she kept in touch with writers, artists and activists," Sonia Gandhi said, adding that her love for nature made her an ecologist miles ahead of her time.

She said Indira Gandhi will command special attention in her birth centenary year and hoped that the "real" Indira Gandhi will be known to future generations, including the values that "she not only stood for, but also lived and died for".

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
On the fourth day of his hunger strike, sacked minister Kapil Mishra on Saturday warned that the AAP will resort to "new drama" to distract attention from the "foreign trips controversy".

"Fourth day of satyagraha - What new drama will be done to distract attention from the question of foreign trips," Mishra asked in a tweet.

He said: "Thief is demanding to hand over all the evidences to him. Then he would prove himself innocent by becoming a judge, a lawyer and a witness."

Mishra also tweeted a photo of Mahabharata for Arvind Kejriwal and said: "For all your tricks and traps of lies, I have only this for you in response."

The scene of Mahabharata shows Lord Krishna rushing towards Bhishma with a chariot wheel (as Arjuna tries to stop him), despite promising that he would not take up arms in the Kurukshetra War.

Bhishma had brought Krishna to this state of rage in keeping with his (Bhishma's) promise that he would kill in numbers so huge and innumerable that Krishna would lose his cool and take up arms.

Krishna's action came as his protege Arjun did not put up a very active resistance (against the Kauravas) leading to huge casualties.

The Mahabharata is an epic narrative of the Kurukshetra War and the fates of the Kaurava and the Pandava princes. It casts the good against the evil in a tale full of tricks, traps, betrayals on one side and faith, honesty and brotherhood on the other.

The suspended Aam Aadmi Party leader has been on hunger strike since Wednesday at his official residence, demanding that Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal reveal the source of funding of the foreign trips of five AAP leaders - Sanjay Singh, Ashish Khetan, Satyendar Jain, Raghav Chadhha and Durgesh Pathak - in the last two years.

Mishra was removed as a Delhi minister and later suspended from the AAP after he levelled corruption charges against Kejriwal.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) module in the Chenab Valley area of Jammu region, set up with the aim of reviving militancy in the area, has been busted, police said on Saturday.

Five people have been arrested and a quantity of arms seized, police sources told IANS.

The development came following an attack in Doda district last week, during which two special police officers (SPOs) were injured with one subsequently succumbing to his injuries, a source said.

A special investigation team (SIT), headed by Doda police chief Muhammad Shabir, was set up to investigate the firing incident at Tanta police post in Doda district on May 7 and after visiting the spot, conducted preliminary investigation along with a team of forensic experts.

"From intelligence generated through local sources, the SIT picked up some suspects and based on their disclosure, apprehended Abdul Rashid Harga alias Abdullah, a resident of Tanta village who had remained an active militant of LeT from 2001 to 2008 but had later surrendered," the source said.

On sustained interrogation, Harga, who had again been arrested in 2013 but bailed out in 2016, confessed his involvement in the firing incident and disclosed name of his two associates, namely his younger brother Shoket Ali and Akthar Magary, both residents of Tanta, the source said.

Interrogation of all three led to the entire chain of events leading to the attack becoming known, the source added.

According to the source, Harga was in contact with Bashir Ahmed, who was earlier working in the Territorial Army and whose nephew Altaf Ahmed was a SPO in Doda, and asked him to arrange a weapon for him.

Altaf Ahmed managed to steal an AK-47 rifle along with ammunition from district Police Line in Doda in January 2017 and handed it over to his uncle.

Meanwhile, Harga was in direct communication with his Pakistani handler, Mohammad Amin alias Haroon of LeT.

"On the direction of Haroon and commanders of Valley-based militant organisations, who were asking him to activate militancy in Doda, Harga activated his newly-recruited grid to keep vigil on the movement of security forces/police pickets in remote hilly areas of Gandoh belt and planned to attack the security forces.

"On May 7, Harga had a recce of the police picket at Tanta, got information that only two to three men were there and attacked the post, injuring the SPOs," the source said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Militants on Saturday opened fire at an army patrol in Jammu and Kashmir's Tral region, following which security forces launched a search operation in the area.

Militants hiding in the Seer Jagir village in Tral opened fire at the army patrol.

"A search operation has been started," a police official said.

Tral is part of Pulwama district which along with Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag districts of south Kashmir are believed to be heavily infested with militants.

The firing comes days after a Kashmiri army officer was killed by militants in Shopian when he was on leave to attend a family wedding.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on Saturday launched a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine under the Universal Immunisation Programme that protects a child against severe forms of pneumococcal disease.

Introducing the vaccine at a function in this Himachal Pradesh town, he said: "No child should die in the country from vaccine preventable diseases is the goal and commitment of our government."

"We stand committed to reducing child deaths and providing a healthier future to our children."

Terming this as a major step in India's immunisation programme, the Union Health Minister said the government is committed to reducing morbidity and mortality in children.

Strengthening routine immunisation is an essential investment in India's children and will ensure a healthy future of the country, he said.

The pneumococcal conjugate vaccine protects children against severe forms of pneumococcal disease such as pneumonia and meningitis.

Currently, the vaccine is being rolled out to approximately 21 lakh children in Himachal Pradesh and parts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in the first phase, an official statement said.

This will be followed by introduction in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan next year and eventually be expanded throughout the country in a phased manner.

Nadda said the government has taken notable steps in the direction of total immunisation.

Under Mission Indradhanush more than 2.6 crore beneficiaries have been immunised. From 1 per cent annual increase in coverage of full immunisation, Mission Indradhanush has resulted in a 6.7 per cent annual expansion in the immunisation cover.

"The immunisation programme started with providing protection against six vaccine preventable diseases, it will now offer protection to our children from 12 diseases," he said.

He said all these vaccines were available in the private sector for many years, not only in India but also across the world.

"While these vaccines in the private sector were accessible to only those who could afford them, by making them available under the UIP (Universal Immunisation Programme), the government is ensuring equitable access to those who need them the most," Nadda added.

State Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur said the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine would support the efforts of the state government in further bringing down child mortality.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nepal is set to hold its first local level polls in two decades on Sunday and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' appealed to eligible voters to partcipate in the election and use their sovereign voting rights.

Calling out to "Nepali people to use their sovereign rights", the Prime Minister on Saturday said the elections can be looked upon as a milestone to end the unitary and centralised governing system and establish federal governance.

Local level elections in Nepal are happening after a politically unstable period of 20 years, the Kathmandu Post reported.

The last local representatives were elected in 1997 and their mandates lapsed after their five-year terms expired at the height of the brutal Maoist insurgency.

Elections held in 2005 under the direct rule of King Gyanendra were widely boycotted by major political parties.

Meanwhile, Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhi Prasad Yadav said all preparations for the election in province 3, 4 and 6 have been completed.

Appealing to voters to vote "without any fear", Yadav said that the government has taken strict security measures for the polls.

He said that the Election Commission will take action against ministers if they have breached the election code of conduct and are involved in election campaigning during the silent period, the Himalayan Times reported.

"If you have found ministers involved in such activities, tell us their names objectively and action will be taken against them as per election laws," the Chief Election Commissioner said.

Campaigning for the polls ended on May 11, with the initiation of a silent period wherein political parties and candidates cannot conduct any election campaigns.

With security being steeped up in the capital city as well as other major parts of the country, Nepal's borders with neighbouring India and China have also been sealed for 96 hours, officials said.

Elections will be held in Provinces 3, 4 and 6 in the first phase on Sunday, while polls for provinces 1, 2, 5 and 7 will be held on June 14.

Some Madhes-centric parties opposed the elections, demanding that the country's Constitution be amended to accommodate their views of more representation in Parliament and redrawing of provincial boundaries.

The Nepal government tabled a new Constitution amendment bill in the Parliament to address the demands of the agitating Madhesi parties ahead of the local elections.

--IANS

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The Obama Presidential Center could generate an economic impact of billions of US dollars for Chicago, according to a report released Thursday by the Obama Foundation.

The economic impact study, which was conducted by Deloitte Consulting, estimates a 10-year economic impact of 3.1 billion US dollars that will generate more than 2,500 jobs in Cook County of Chicago.

Last week, Obama unveiled the design of his presidential center in Chicago. The design released includes three buildings, a museum, a forum and a library, along with a sprawling public plaza.

Obama said the center will take four years to build and it should attract about 700,000 visitors a year.

Also, outlined in the assessment is the economic impact for Cook County businesses, 246 million dollars annually, with 177 million dollars expected to flow to businesses on the South Side.

The report also indicates that 4,945 jobs will be created in Cook County during the construction phase of the Obama Presidential Center, generating 296 million dollars.

According to Obama Foundation, the three buildings could encompass 200,000 to 225,000 square feet. That would be roughly the same size, or slightly larger, than the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas.

Construction is estimated to be at least 500 million dollars. The former president will fundraise to cover that cost.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
One person was killed and four others injured when a SUV ran amok in the busy Madhapur area here Saturday evening, police said.

The vehicle, being driven at a high speed by a person who was allegedly drunk, hit two cars and four wheelers before coming to a halt.

Police said a person lost his life and four others were injured. They were taken to a hospital.

The accident occurred on Ayappa Society road in Madhapur, a busy area in the information technology hub.

People thrashed the man who was driving the vehicle under alleged influence of alcohol before handing him over to police.

A police officer said Basant, who was driving the vehicle, was working as assistant manager in Krishnapatnam Port.

This was the second accident in a day in Hyderabad. Earlier, two cars collided in posh Jubliee Hills area. There were no casualties but both vehicles were badly damaged. A person, who was driving one of the cars, was found drunk.

The same area had witnessed a car crash on May 10, killing son of a cabinet minister of Andhra Pradesh and his friend.

Saturday's accidents occurred a day after three graduates of IIT Kharagpur were killed when the car they were travelling in overturned on Outer Ring Road on city outskirts.

--IANS

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Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has written a letter to the United Nations Secretary General highlighting alleged Indian attempts to bring demographic changes to Jammu and Kashmir, a Foreign Office statement said on Saturday.

"The letter specifically points out the issuance of permanent residence certificates to non-residents, allotment of land to retired Indian army personnel, issuance of land to non-Kashmiris, the establishment of separate townships for Kashmiri pandits and settlement of west Pakistan refugees in held Kashmir," the statement said.

"These efforts are being made to try to convert the Muslim majority in Jammu and Kashmir into a minority to preempt the results of the (proposed) UN administered plebiscite," said the statement.

Aziz has stressed that the non-implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions is leading to a grave human tragedy in the Valley, added the statement.

"It is only by the implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions that we will be able to end the immense sufferings of millions of Kashmiris in Jammu and Kashmir and bring peace and stability to South Asia," the report quoted the letter.
A Pakistani team will soon be visiting Nepal to probe the disappearance of a former Pakistan army officer who was last seen in Lumbini in April, and whose family alleges he has been abducted by Indian intelligence agencies, a media report said.

Col (Retd) Habib Zahir was allegedly kidnapped by Indian intelligence agencies from an area bordering Nepal and India after he was invited to the country in connection with a job opportunity, The Nation reported.

According to sources, a team comprising government officials from the Ministry of Interior will proceed to Nepal to examine the facts first-hand, take the statement of Javed Ansari, the host and airline officials/hotel management to assess as to who arranged his bookings and the like.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked the Interior Ministry to nominate a team in this regard, official sources told The Nation. "The composition of the special team - so as to forward the same to the concerned authorities of Nepal - is under consideration," they added.

Muhammad Habib Zahir disappeared from Lumbini near Nepal's border with India. The Government of Pakistan had approached the Nepalese government for mutual legal assistance and arrangement for the visit of the team from Pakistan to Nepal.

The team will seek any other information from fellow passengers or any other person concerned and also take statements of the police officer in-charge of the city/town from where the Pakistani went missing. The team will also ascertain the frequency of movements across the border with India. It is likely that a team from National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) would be constituted to visit Nepal, the daily said.

Zahir had arrived in Nepal to reportedly face an interview for a United Nations job.

According to reports, Zahir arrived in Nepal via an Air Arabia flight (Call Sign WY 344), with the passport no. AJ5122964, for a UN job interview in Nepal. According to the reports, Zahir had retired as Colonel in 2014 and Mark Thomson had called him to Lumbini based on his personal details posted by him on a website.

There had been a correspondence between the two. Thomson had called him to Nepal to face interview and had himself sent an air ticket for him.

India is believed to have entrapped and kidnapped Zahir from Kathmandu to make it a case of having apprehended an "ISI spy" and equate it with the case of Indian "spy" Kulbhushan Jadhav, the Nation said. --IANS

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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will arrive here on Sunday on a four-day state visit, it is reliably learnt.

This will be his third state visit to India after his visits in 2008 and 2012. His visit comes after President Pranab Mukherjee visited Palestine in October 2015 and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's visit in January 2016.

According to sources, Abbas will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Abu Amr, Foreign Minister Riad Malki, Diplomatic Advisor Majdi Khaldi, Presidency Spokesperson Nabil Aburdeineh and Palestine's Chief Judge Mahmoud Habbash.

Abbas will call on President Mukherjee and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, the sources said.

Vice President Hamid Ansari and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj are also expected to call on the visiting dignitary.

At least six to seven agreements in different sectors are likely to be signed following Tuesday's talks, according to the sources.

During the course of the visit, Abbas will address the Islamic Cultural Centre here.

--IANS

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Delhi Police on Saturday detained AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha for trying to "break public peace" after he tried to hold a counter hunger strike outside the house of sacked minister Kapil Mishra, who is sitting on indefinite fast to protest corruption in the ruling AAP.

"We have detained Sanjeev Jha, as he attempted to break the public peace," a senior police official told IANS.

According to police, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator had not taken prior permission to sit on hunger strike outside the Civil Lines house of Mishra.

The police detained Jha after he refused to back off from his decision to sit on protest.

Jha, a legislator from Burari, had on Friday announced he would sit on indefinite hunger strike against Mishra for his "defamatory allegations" against AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister .

Mishra has been on hunger strike since Wednesday at his official residence, demanding that Kejriwal reveal the source of funding of the foreign trips of five AAP leaders - Sanjay Singh, Ashish Khetan, Satyendar Jain, Raghav Chadhha and Durgesh Pathak - in the last two years.

Mishra was removed as a Delhi minister a week ago in a sudden move and later suspended from the AAP.
Prince William was honoured for supporting the LGBT-- lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender -- community and said "nobody should be bullied for their sexuality", the media reported.

The Duke of Cambridge was named "straight ally of the year" at the British LGBT Awards on Friday evening, the BBC reported.

"It's so important to be proud of the person you are" he said via a video message.

Prince William, who appeared on the cover of gay magazine Attitude last year, made the video message ahead of the ceremony in London's Grand Connaught Rooms.

In the video, he said: "In recent years I've become passionate about what we can do to protect people from bullying, particularly online.

"I have encountered a number of tragic stories about LGBT young people who have sadly felt unable to cope with the abuse and discrimination they face in their lives."

"It is 2017, and nobody should be bullied for their sexuality, or for any other reason," the BBC quoted the Duke as saying.

The awards, in their sixth year, recognise individuals and organisations which promote equality for LGBT people.

--IANS

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With the wheat procurement season in full swing, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has enhanced Punjab's Cash Credit Limit (CCL) to Rs 20,683 crore, a state government official said here on Saturday.

With procurement of wheat crossing 118 lakh tonnes this season, the Punjab government has reported a record payment of Rs 14,053.61 crore to farmers for procurement.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has directed the state procurement agencies to take immediate steps to ensure that all pending dues of farmers are cleared promptly and timely payments are made for fresh procurement made during May, following the RBI move.

A government spokesperson said that the state government made the highest ever payment to the tune of Rs 14,053.61 crore to the farmers during the year, as against Rs 59,38.21 crore in April 2016 and Rs 947.19 crore in April 2015.

In a letter to Punjab's Principal Secretary, Finance, the RBI said the CCL enhancement had been made to address the urgent need for payment for the ongoing wheat procurement and in the light of the assurance of the State Bank of India (SBI).

The total procurement of wheat this season so far stands at 118.08 lakh tonnes, out of which 115.47 lakh tonnes wheat has been purchased by the state government procurement agencies.

The procurement process started on April 1. Green Revolution state Punjab contributes nearly 50 per cent foodgrains to the national kitty despite having just 1.54 per cent of the country's geographical area.

--IANS

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Using data from European Space Agency's Sentinel-1 satellites, researchers have detected rapid acceleration of an Arctic glacier.

The Negribreen glacier on Norway's Spitsbergen island has recently seen a surge in ice surface speed, increasing from one metre to 13 metres a day over the winter, ESA said in a statement on Friday.

When a glacier 'surges' a large amount of ice flows to the end in an unusually short time.

While the surge causes in the Negribreen glacier are not completely understood, researchers believe that they could be linked to changes in the amount of heat or water in the lowest layers of the glaciers.

The last time Negribreen experienced a surge like this was in the 1930s, as documented in aerial photographs. At that time, it advanced almost 12 km into the fjord in one year along a 15 km-wide section of the front.

Since then the front of the glacier had been steadily retreating, with large icebergs breaking off.

This latest jump in speed began in July 2016 and has been climbing ever since - even over the cold winter months.

A team of scientists working under ESA's Climate Change Initiative in the Glaciers_cci project are using satellite radar and optical coverage to map glaciers at different times and determine their changes in extent, elevation and speed.

"Sentinel-1 provides us with a near-realtime overview of glacier flow across the Arctic, remarkably augmenting our capacity to capture the evolution of glacier surges," said Tazio Strozzi from Swiss company Gamma Remote Sensing and scientist on Glaciers_cci.

"This new information can be used to refine numerical models of glacier surging to help predict the temporal evolution of the contribution of Arctic glaciers to sea-level rise," Strozzi said.

Sentinel-1 is a two-satellite mission for Europe's environment monitoring programme, Copernicus.

--IANS

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Minister of State for External Affairs V. K. Singh on Saturday asked states to come down heavily on illegal recruiting agents to put a complete stop to illegal immigration.

Voicing concern over the illegal agents carrying on their activities, he asked law enforcing authorities to come down hard on those misguiding and misleading people.

Addressing the first 'Videsh Sampark', an outreach programme organised by the Ministry for greater coordination with the states, he termed illegal agents as the "biggest problem" which ministry had not been able to overcome so far and sought assistance of states to come down "very heavily" on this.

Stressing that the Centre and states would have to work together to curb illegal immigration, he said this was the only way to ensure that people don't get into any trouble after landing in foreign countries.

He said most of the problems of migrant workers in Gulf countries was because of the "kafala" system these countries follow and which was being used in such a way that a worker becomes more like a slave. He pointed out how the "kafeel" keep passports with them and get all rights over workers, who can't even leave the country without a no-objection certificate from them.

Noting the ministry has made Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for states to take action on complaints against illegal agents, he asked the states to make suggestions, if they feel it needs to be made more elaborate.

He said registered agents nominate certain people in various states, who become sub-agents and they in turn nominate sub sub-agents who are illegal agents.

The minister also called for acting tough against those registered agents who enter into two different agreements with the employers in some countries, thus denying the people the minimum wages agreed upon by India with those countries.

He also asked state to scrutinise all Haj agents as there were lot of illegalities happening.

Singh advised all those going abroad to register on the e-migration portal where all recruiting agents and a large number of employers are registered with complete details like the conditions of employment.

On those who landed in trouble in different countries, he said the ministry would devise means through Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) to allow missions to provide legal assistance.

He said steps were also being taken to bring back those who were jailed in those countries.

Singh recalled that when officials met 400 Indians jailed in Saudi Arabia, nobody wanted to come back as they were all happy in jails, where they were getting good food and place to live.

"There are social and individual problems. We will try and bring back all those who want to come back," he added.

Telangana's NRI Affairs Minister K.T. Rama Rao suggested that the Centre enter into agreements with the Gulf countries to ensure that those jailed there are allowed to return and serve the remaining jail term in India.

Rao said blue-collar workers were facing lot of problems in Middle East and urged the Centre to take up the issue strongly with these countries.

The Telangana minister also spoke about the problems in bringing back the bodies of the workers who died in Gulf countries and urged the government to negotiate with these countries to send the mortal remains back as a human gesture.

He also requested the Centre to facilitate setting up of the Saudi consulate in Hyderabad.

--IANS

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Three persons were killed on Saturday evening when the balcony of a house collapsed amid preparations for a wedding at Patai Khaas village in Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh, police said.

A tent was being erected to accommodate the wedding guests when the overcrowded balcony collapsed. Five persons were buried under the rubble.

While three died on the spot, two were rescued and have been admitted to a nearby medical facility.

Senior police and district officials rushed to the spot to oversee rescue and relief operations. Bodies have been sent for post-mortem.

--IANS

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After a month-long students' agitation, Tripura Police on Friday night arrested a trader in connection with the mysterious death of his niece and a polytechnic student Anwara Chowdhury, police said on Saturday.

"After receiving the post-mortem examination and forensic reports of Anwara Chowdhury, we immediately arrested Noor Mohammed on suspicion of his involvement in the death of the student," West Tripura district police chief Abhijit Saptarshi said.

Noor Mohammed, a contractor-cum-trader and maternal uncle of Anwara Chowdhury, 16, was presented in the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court, which remanded him to two-day police custody.

Saptarshi said the state government on Saturday handed over the case to CID (Criminal Investigation Department).

The officer said that according to the post-mortem examination and forensic reports, poison was found in Anwara's body.

Since April 10, when Women's Polytechnic student Anwara Chowdhury died mysteriously at Govind Ballabh Pant Government Medical College and Hospital, student wings of the ruling CPI-M, Trinamool Congress, Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party had been agitating to press for the arrest of the culprits.

The unrelenting students' agitation forced the authorities to exhume her body from a burial ground and conduct autopsy and forensic examination.

Student leaders have demanded stern action against the doctors of the medical college.

They have also demanded that Noor Mohammed's wife and his daughter be arrested over Anwara's death.

Trinamool Congress Chatra Parishad Convener Viki Prashad has demanded that the case be tried in a fast-track court.

--IANS

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After powering Sunrisers Hyderabad to the Indian Premier League (IPL) play-offs, skipper David Warner said it would be a "shame" if the defending champions failed to make it to the top four.

Warner scored a 52-ball unbeaten 69 and was well complimented by young Vijay Shankar's 44-ball unbeaten 63 to lift the visiting side to the second spot in the IPL standings, with 17 points from 14 games.

Crediting his bowlers for bringing Hyderabad back into the match after the Gujarat got off to a flying start, thanks to Ishan Kishan and Dwayne Smith's 111-run stand, Warner said this shows India's rich pool of talent in the fast bowling department.

"It would have been a shame if Sunrisers didn't make it," Warner said in the post-match presentation.

"They got a flier, I was scratching my head there for a second. When we got wickets back to back, it showed the wicket was slowing a bit. Credit to the bowlers, (Mohammed) Siraj, the way they brought it back was fantastic.

"Some fantastic bowling units around in the country. Shows what talent you have here, especially in the T20s and ODIs," he added.

Commenting on the pressure they were in after Praveen Kumar reduced Hyderabad to 25/2 with the quick wickets of Shikhar Dhawan and Moises Henriques, the hard-hitting Warner said: "We got a little bit of luck, trying to bat with each other. A bit of pressure on us to make that top four, but we knew two quick wickets isn't worrying."

"It's about not worrying about the next couple of games, take each game as it comes. Keep backing our skills," he added.

Man-of-the-match Mohammed Siraj, who returned with figures of 4/32, said it was the advice from his senior partner Bhuvneshwar Kumar, which helped him slower down his pace.

"In a pressure match, I got the man-of-the-match. The wicket was slow, that's why had to take pace off the ball. Bhuvi bhai tells me what to bowl," he said.

So far, Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians are the only teams to have qualifed for the play-offs. Kolkata Knight Riders, Rising Pune Supergiant and Kings XI Punjab will now battle it out for the other two spots.

--IANS

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Delhi Chief Minister on Friday claimed the Election Commission has "backed out of the proposed hackathon" to ascertain the reliability of EVMs and said it was a "sad" move.
Later this month, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President is scheduled to spend three days in Telangana in an effort to strengthen his partys organisational structures in states where the party has traditionally been weak.
At least 10 labourers working on a road project near Pakistan's strategic Gwadar port in the restive Balochistan province were shot dead by gunmen today.

Gwadar Deputy Commissioner Naeem Bazai said the labourers worked on a road project and were from Sindh province.

Eight of the labourers died on the spot while two succumbed on their way to hospital, Dawn newspaper reported.

The gunmen fled the scene after the attack.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but such attacks have become common in the mineral-rich province plagued by separatist insurgency since 2004.

Suspected separatists often target non-native labourers in the province. Last month, four Sindhi labourers were gunned down by suspected militants in Kharan district.

Balochistan's Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti confirmed the death toll. Condemning the incident, he said, "We will not bow down before terrorists."



Frontier Corps, police and Levies personnel have reached the spot and an investigation was underway.

The attack comes a day after a suicide bombing targeted a convoy of Deputy Chairman Senate Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri. The attack in Mustang killed 26 people.

Today's attack happened near the Gwadar port, built with Chinese funding, as Pakistan and China ink agreements at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing to boost bilateral cooperation.

The deep-water port has a strategic importance for the Belt and Road initiative, a part of which - the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) - connects Pakistan's southern region to China's western Xinjiang region through rail and roads.

The CPEC is billed as a 'game-changer' and manifestation of strategic partnership between Pakistan and China.

Pakistan has deployed a Maritime Security Force and Special Security Division to protect projects under CPEC, including Gwadar. The forces have been deployed to ensure safety of locals and foreigners working on the projects.

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A man's Facebook message to Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal led to the rescue of a 15-year-old girl from a brothel on G B road in the national capital.

In the message, the 25-year-old man had provided information about the girl who he had met during his visit to the red light area.

He was then called to the DCW office where he provided more details about the girl's whereabouts. The commission then contacted the police.

A team of Delhi police and DCW officials rescued the victim from brothel number 58 late last night.

"The victim said she was a native of Bihar and that both her parents had expired while she was very young," the DCW said in a statement.

Though she claimed to be aged 20 initially, she later said the brothel owner had instructed her to misstate her age during police raids.

"The girl said she was kidnapped from her aunt's house by an unknown woman who sold her to the brothel owner at G B road at the age of nine. She was asked to entertain her first customer at the age of 11.

"When she tried to resist, she was tied to a pole and brutally beaten up. She claimed to have been raped by five different men and since then she was forced to sleep with men every night," the statement said.

The girl had made attempts in the past to escape from the brothel but was caught every time because of the CCTV cameras installed there.

The victim had expressed her desire to escape with this man who had visited the brothel. But the brothel owner overheard their conversation and the man was beaten up.

"He is the same man who informed us about the girl," said a DCW official.

In her statement to police, the victim said her life was in danger and that she wants to take legal action against the owner of the brothel.

The Delhi Police is yet to register an FIR in the matter.

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Egyptian archaeologists have discovered 17 mummies in desert catacombs in Minya province, an "unprecedented" find for the area south of Cairo, the antiquities ministry announced today.

Archaeologists found the non-royal mummies in a series of corridors after following the trail of burial shafts in the Touna-Gabal district of the central Egyptian province, the ministry said in a statement.

Along with the mummies, they found a golden sheet and two papyri in Demotic -- an ancient Egyptian script -- as well as a number of sarcophogi made of limestone and clay.

There were also animal and bird coffins, the ministry said.

But the mummies have not yet been dated.

The ministry said they belonged to the Late Period, which spanned almost 300 years up to Alexander the Great's conquest of Egypt in 332 BC.

But a spokeswoman told AFP they could also date from the Ptolemaic Dynasty, founded by Alexander the Great's general Ptolemy.

The discovery of the non-royal mummies is considered unprecedented because it is the first such find in the area, officials said at the site.

Egyptologist Salah al-Kholi told a conference held near the desert site that the discovery was "the first human necropolis found in central Egypt with so many mummies".

It could herald even more discoveries in the area, he said.

The discovery was "important, unprecedented," Mohamed Hamza, director of excavations for Cairo University said.

The site is close to an ancient animal cemetery.

"The discovery is still at its beginning," Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Enany told reporters.

It was the second discovery of mummies announced with much fanfare by the government in less than a month.

In April, the ministry invited reporters to the southern city of Luxor to unveil eight mummies discovered in a 3,500- year-old tomb belonging to a nobleman.

For the cash-strapped Egyptian government, the discoveries are a boon from the country's glorious past as it struggles to attract tourists scared off by a series of Islamist militant attacks.

"Antiquities are the soft power that distinguishes Egypt," Enany said. " of antiquities are the things that attract the world to Egypt."



Millions of tourists visited Egypt every year to see its Giza Pyramids -- the only surviving monument of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World -- and its ancient pharaonic temples and relics.

But a popular uprising in 2011 that overthrew veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak ushered in years of unrest that battered the economy and drove away tourists.

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A sloth bear killed three persons and injured as many before being shot dead in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra this morning.

The victims were labourers picking Tendu leaves (used for making beedis) in the forest.

A forest department release here said the incident took place in Alewahi area of Brahmapuri forest division, some 80 km from here.

While the bear killed Ranjana Ambadas Raut (56), resident of village Kitadi, on the spot, Bisan Soma Kulmethe (45) and Farookh Yousuf Sheikh (31) died during treatment.

Veena Dudharam Raut (35), Kunal Dudharam Raut (16) and Sachin Bisan Kulmethe (25) were seriously injured as the animal attacked them.

Veena and Kunal are undergoing treatment in Nagpur while Sachin Kulmethe is being treated at Civil Hospital here.

Two other labourers climbed a tree to escape the ferocious animal, and were rescued only when a team of forest officials and police reached the spot.

After the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests granted permission to kill the bear, the police shot it dead.

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Union Minister V K Singh today asked the states to come down "heavily" on the unauthorised agents who facilitate illegal immigration.

He was addressing the first 'Outreach Conference' of the Ministry of External Affairs with the Telangana government on consular, passport and diaspora issues here.

"Our biggest problem is of illegal agents. This is one of the problems which we have not been able to overcome so far, and we seek assistance of the states to come down very heavily on this particular problem," the Minister of State for External Affairs said.

"Regular, registered agents nominate various sub-agents, who work illegally. Such sub-agents carry out illegal immigration. And most of the problems with our workers, who go abroad, are due to these agents. The workers are taken on fake documents or tourist visas and the agents do not inform our embassies, thus they (workers) don't remain registered with us," Singh said.

"The problem is also the people who immigrate through illegal agents. Because these people come illegally and they do not register themselves on the ministry's eMigrate portal. They do not register even with the embassy concerned till they get into any problem," he said, adding a large number of recruiting agents and employers abroad are registered with the ministry's eMigrate portal.

"There is a great transparency. But illegal immigrants don't get registered and it becomes difficult for us to trace them out," the minister said.

He further said there are SOP for the state governments to follow.

"I expect SOPs are made more elaborate so that both the states and the Centre can ensure that illegal immigration can be stopped," Singh added.

Telangana's IT and NRI Affairs Minister K T Rama Rao said a large number of blue-collar workers from the state go abroad for work.

"The state government is willing to contribute to Indian Community Welfare Fund and also to provide legal assistance and translators to the workers when they face problems abroad," said Rao.

Rao also requested the Centre to negotiate an agreement with Saudi Arabia to ensure that the mortal remains of blue- collar workers are sent home after their death there.

He pointed out that it was a shock for a number of students from the state last year when they went to the US and found there that certain universities were blacklisted and it was not in their knowledge.

"The Centre should provide information to the state governments to ensure that the students are sensitised about the status of universities abroad before they apply for their respective courses," Rao said.

"We are clamping down on illegal agents and over 700 cases have been registered in the state," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Agri experts today called on farmers to market their own produce and self production of seeds to cut down on the cost of agricultural production.

Punjab being one of the highest potato producing states, its farmers can considerably add to their income through this crop, they said.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), in association with the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, the Government of India, & Mehram Publication, organised a session on 'Varietal Improvement, Storage and Marketing of Potatoes' as part of the Innovative Farmers' Meet here.

Paramjit Singh Brar, Chief Agricultural Officer, Ludhiana, called on the farmers to produce seeds for cultivation themselves.

He also exhorted them to market their agricultural produce and diversify into producing agri-related products like corn, vegetables and milk products to sell in the market.

He said, "Farmers can easily devote a part of their land to produce seeds for their next crop be it paddy or wheat. This will save them a lot of money on buying readymade seeds from the market and thus add to their profit."



"Farmers should not shy away from marketing their agricultural produce to earn more profit and thus increase their income. We have a very hard working farming community, which produces more and more every year but is shy to market it directly. For this they can connect with technical experts to learn how to effectively market their produce and also produce agri-products to add to their income," he said.

Satpal Sharma, from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, said, "After paddy and wheat, farmers of Punjab produce large quantity of potatoes. At present 20 lakh hectare land in the country is under potato cultivation while 90,000 hectare land in Punjab is under potato cultivation which leads to production of 23 lakh tonnes potato."



Punjab also sells 75 per cent of potato seeds to the rest of the country, he said.

If farmers grow potato seeds on even one fourth of the land, then we need only 15 lakh ton potato crop with seed, he said.

"We need to grow and market potato as seed for which need is for the agricultural scientists, industry and farmers to come together. Potato can help farmers earn very high profit," he said.

Ramandeep Singh from Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, said, "Packaging of agricultural produce holds key to sell agri produce more effectively and earn more. Farm market concept needs to be propagated in Punjab more effectively."



Farmers especially those having their land along the highways can also sell their produce better, he said.

Self marketing can help farmers increase their income, he added.

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At least 23 people died and 11 more were seriously injured today when a bus carrying women and children plunged off a cliff near the southwestern Turkish sea resort of Marmaris.

"Sadly, we have had 20 fatalities and 11 other seriously injured," said Amir Cicek, the governor of Mugla province, calling it a "horrible accident."



His deputy Kamil Koten said the bus plunged through a crash barrier and fell 15 metres (50 feet) on to a lower road, smashing a car with its three occupants.

"If we count these three deaths, the number of the dead rises to 23," the state-run Anadolu agency quoted him as saying.

The accident occurred near the Sakar Pass on a steep winding road filled with hairpin bends.

Cicek told NTV television an investigation was under way.

"The bus's brakes may have malfunctioned," he said.

Television images showed the yellow bus lying on its side and bodies wrapped up in cloth lined up next to it.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, currently on a visit to China, said he was "extremely pained" by the tragedy and asked local authorities to take measures to ensure that "such tragedies" do not recur.

The Hurriyet newspaper quoted Marmaris mayor Ali Acar as indicating an "error by the driver", without giving further details.

Other media outlets reported that the bus left from the western city of Izmir carrying only women and children who were on a trip for Mothers' Day, celebrated in Turkey on Sunday.

Marmaris is one of the country's main resorts on the Mediterranean, and a popular weekend destination for many Turks as temperatures climb.

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The BJP today came out in support of its minister Vishwajit Rane against whom Congress has moved a disqualification petition in the Bombay High Court.

"BJP is strongly behind its leader Vishwajit Rane against whom Congress has filed a disqualification petition. This must be the first instance in the country where disqualification is filed against a non-member of the Assembly," BJP Goa unit general secretary Sadanand Tanavade told reporters here.

Rane, who is currently minister in the Manohar Parrikar-led Cabinet, had resigned as Member of Legislative Assembly on March 16 when the Chief Minister took the floor test to prove his majority.

He later joined BJP and was inducted in the state cabinet.

Congress on Friday moved a petition before the Goa Bench of Bombay High Court seeking to restrain Rane from contesting the upcoming by-poll.

"Congress has already conceded defeat which is clearly indicated through their disqualification petition. Their plea is to restrain Rane from contesting the by-election, which means, the party has already come to know that they can't win against Vishwajit Rane," Tanavade said.

The BJP leader termed the plea before HC as a "political petition" filed by Congress who wants to save itself from humiliating defeat in Valpoi constituency during upcoming election.

The Election Commission of India is yet to announce dates for the by-poll in Valpoi, the seat is lying vacant after Rane's resignation.

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BJP today alleged that Trinamool Congress had attacked its workers at Dinhata in West Bengal's Cooch Behar district, which was dismissed by TMC.

State BJP secretary Locket Chatterjee alleged that TMC activists attacked and damaged some two wheelers and a vehicle of the BJP workers.

"They (TMC) have beaten up our party workers. They attacked my vehicle too ... Our workers resisted them. We will reply in the same language which they (TMC) understand," she said.

Dismissing the charge, TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee said that BJP did not have the people's support and was trying to resort to communal politics and violence.

"The administration will take action. They (BJP) may try to be the hero but in the end they will remain zero," he said.

TMC leader Rabindra Nath Ghosh accused BJP of raising comunal slogans.

Police were deployed in the area to maintain law and order.

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Cow dung cakes are seeing a surge in demand through e-ecommerce portals.

An organic dairy farm in Kota has been selling cow dung cakes online which is getting a good response from buyers from different parts of the country.

This innovative use of animal by-product to generate finance is the brainchild of three young entrepreneurs -Gagandeep Singh, Amanpreet Singh and Uttamjyot Singh who together own "GAU farm" located in Kota.

The cow dung cakes are being sold as a set of dozen for Rs 120 through e-commerce portals.

The farm has an average sale of 15 consignments per week.

"We have been selling cow dung cakes for nearly three months and the sale is increasing," director of the firm Amanpreet Singh said.

Through the process of drying and setting, a semi-liquid cow manure slurry is turned to circular discs.

These discs are then passed through a heat shrink to retain their shapes. The finished products are packed into cardboard sealed boxes and sent out for delivery.

He informed that the farm has over 100 cows.

The livestock farm spread over 40 acres of land has also converted animal waste into electricity by establishing a bio gas plant, he said, adding, the farm is using solar power as well as electricity generated through the plant.

The entrepreneurs will be attending the forthcoming Global Rajasthan Agritech Meet scheduled from May 24-26 at Kota, organised by the state government, to display their work and innovations in the field of agriculture.

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Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel today said that Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre refused funds for Sauni irrigation project in Gujarat.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani however said the state wasn't dependent on the Central funds for this project.

Patel tweeted that BJP government in Gujarat should explain reasons for Centre's decision to deny funds.

"Why has Centre rejected funds for Gujarat's Sauni project? Isn't it an injustice to the state or the people (who) were being sold unfeasible dreams?" Patel asked.

Reacting to the claim, chief minister Rupani said his government was not dependent on Central funds to complete the 'Saurashtra Narmada Avataran Irrigation' (Sauni) project.

"We are not dependent on central funds for Sauni project. In this year's budget there was no mention that this much grant would come from the Centre and this much from the state. We are undertaking the entire project with our own funds," Rupani told reporters here.

Work worth Rs 5,000 crore for the phase 1 of the project has been completed so far, he said.

Narendra Modi, when he was the CM of Gujarat, conceived the ambitious project, divided in four phases, under which excess water from Sardar Sarovar dam across Narmada will be taken, through pipelines, to 115 dams in Saurashtra region.

Last month Modi visited Botad to dedicate phase I of link-II pipeline of the project and lay foundation stone of the phase II of link II for Botad and Bhavnagar districts.

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Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today said China supports dialogue between Pakistan and India as the "most viable solution" to the Kashmir issue as he met his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang here.

"On the Kashmir issue, China has always been supportive of Pakistan's stance and has assured to continue extending the same cooperation in futureas well," Sharif told media here after his meeting with Li.

Pakistan's state-run APP agency quoted Sharif as saying that both Pakistan and China favoured negotiations with India as the "most viable solution to the Kashmir dispute."



His comments followed recent clarification by China over India's objections to the China-Pakistan Economic (CPEC) Corridor which passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang had told PTI on May 3 that China's position on the issue ofKashmir remains clear and consistent.

"It is an issue left over from history between India and Pakistan, and shall be properly addressed by India and Pakistan through consultation and negotiation," he said.

"The building of the CPEC does not affect China's position on this issue," he said.

In his address to the United Services Institution in New Delhi on May 5, Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohui had said China has taken care to India's stand that it should be resolved bilaterally in line with the Shimla Agreement.

"We supported the relevant UN resolutions before 1990s. Then we supported a settlement through bilateral negotiation in line with the Shimla Agreement. This is an example of China taking care of India's concern," Luo had said.

For its part, Pakistan has been questioning India's stance and calling for "multilateral approach" saying that the bilateral approach has failed.

Sharif is in China to attend the two-day Belt and Road Forum starting from tomorrow.

In his interaction with the media, Sharif said the scope of CPEC had immensely increased with the Chinese investment swelling from USD 46 to USD 56 billion. He said such a huge investment was unprecedented in Pakistan's history,having objectives of progress and prosperity of the people.

He mentioned that Chinese companies were investing in Pakistan's powerand infrastructure sectors at a massive scale, which had generated exemplary employment opportunities for the local people.

Sharif said the economic activity as a result of heavy Chinese investment had resulted in a positive impact on the lives of the common people in Pakistan.

He said his visit to China was significant in relevance with the economic conditions of Pakistan, adding "Pakistan was proud of its friendship with China."



He said economic development in Balochistan province, where China is building Gwadar port,was getting good results andseveral projects under CPEC were being completed at a fast pace. The 3000-km CEPC connects Gwadar with China's Xinjiang province.

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A class X student was abducted from outside her school allegedly by two men with an intent to rape her inside a moving car, police said today.

The incident took place in Kasna area on Thursday when the girl, residing in a village here, went to her school where the accused picked her up in their car.

School authorities informed her father that the girl did not reach her class. He then started to search for his daughter and also filed a complaint with the police. He had accused two persons of abducting his daughter, who had earlier also harassed her, police said.

The accused, Harinder and Hitesh, had abducted the girl from near the school and made an attempt to sexually assault her in the moving car when a police official intercepted the vehicle, they said.

On seeing the policeman, they dumped the girl and sped away, police said.

Police have launched a hunt to arrest the two accused.

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today accused the previous Congress-NCP government of not giving importance to urban areas in the state.

"The previous Congress-NCP government did not give importance to urban areas and allotted less budget for the cities. But my government has raised budget for the cities," the Chief Minister said here after laying foundation stone of Rs 128-crore internal water distribution system project for Jalna.

He also said pollution in cities is a major problem.

"90 percent pollution is generated from the urban areas and only 10 percent pollution is caused due to industrialisation," Fadnavis said.

Meanwhile, an activist of the Maratha Mahasangh raised slogans demanding reservation for the Maratha community when the Chief Minister was speaking, following which police took him into custody.

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Union minister Giriraj Singh today slammed the CPI(M)-led LDF government in Kerala over political violence, alleging "terrorism" and "goonda raj" were prevailing in the state which is resembling the erstwhile regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

A day after an RSS worker was hacked to death allegedly by CPI(M) activists in Kannur district, the Minister of State for Micro, Small and MediumEnterprises said he would report to the Centre about the 'violent' incidents happening against BJP-Sangh workers in the state.

Underlining that India is a democratic country which gives equal opportunity to everybody, Singh, who is touring the state, alleged that the CPI(M)-led government in Kerala was behaving like erstwhile regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

"Ours is a multi-party democratic system. Everybody has right to oppose issues, but here in Kerala, if you oppose, you will be killed," he said in Kochi.

"India is a democratic country but there is no democratic rule in Kerala... (it is) like terrorist behaviour... You remember the name of Saddam Hussein?," he said.

"Democracy gives equal opportunity for everybody. But there is no equal opportunity. This government doesn't believe in democracy. There is goonda raj," Singh said.

Earlier in the day at Kottayam, Singh alleged that there was no freedom of speech in Kerala.

"There is onlyterrorism and goonda raj prevailing here," he told reporters after visiting the BJPworkers undergoing treatment at a hospital there after they were allegedlybeing attacked by CPI(M) men at Kumarakom two days ago.

Singh said this was not simply a state-level law and order problem, but an issue of concern for the entire country.

The BJP had observed a dawn-to-dusk strike in Kottayam district yesterday over the alleged attack on its two gram panchayat members in Kumarakom by a 28-member gang reportedly headed by local CPI(M) leaders.

An RSS worker was hacked to death, allegedly by CPI(M) activists, at Ramanthalinear Payyanur town in Kannur district yesterday.

The BJP had observed a dawn-to-dusk strike in Kannur and nearby Mahe today to protest the killing.

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A farmer was found dead in the forest area in Shamli district, police said today.

Satish Bansal (40) had gone to sell his crops and was missing since the past 20 days, they said.

A missing complaint had been filed by the victim's son.

His body was found yesterday, police said, adding it has been sent for postmortem.

The incident is being probed, they added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Donald Trump's shock dismissal of FBI chief James Comey this week not only unleashed a political firestorm in Washington  it also revealed the discordant sounds emanating from his communications team.

It was a complicated week for the Republican billionaire and his spokespeople  one that earned him a mountain of negative press. His aides conveyed a somewhat scatter shot message, and Trump was reportedly angry.

He turned to Twitter, his communications method of choice, to issue a threat  the possible scrapping of the daily White House briefings.

"Maybe the best thing to do would be to cancel all future 'press briefings' and hand out written responses for the sake of accuracy???" he mused, admitting that his own people were struggling to keep up with his "active" presidency.

Trump then doubled down on the idea in an interview with Fox News, saying: "We just don't have them, unless I have them every two weeks and I do them myself. We don't have them. I think it's a good idea."

"You have a level of hostility that's incredible and it's very unfair," he told the network in an interview to air in full today.

But Trump's critics said the hiccups in his media operation were his own fault, and questioned his willingness to impugn the credibility of his own team members, who the president said could not "stand at podium with perfect accuracy."

"He needs to empower his people and spokespeople to understand what's happening and be okay to legally communicate it to the world," Josh Earnest, the former spokesman for Trump's predecessor Barack Obama, told MSNBC.

"That is a flaw at the top."

Former White House communications director Jen Psaki said the week's events had raised questions about whether Trump's spokespeople "are prepared, and whether credibility and honesty are valued."

"That is troubling not just in the United States but around the world," Psaki, also a former State Department spokeswoman, told AFP.

Once the bombshell news of Comey's firing broke late Tuesday, the White House was at pains to explain it  and its series of contradictory statements were quickly ridiculed.

Officials first said Comey had been dismissed over his handling of the investigation into Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's use of private email while at the State Department.

Vice President Mike Pence said the move, which followed the recommendation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, was the "right decision at the right time."

But Trump himself later made an about-face, admitting the decision was based at least partly on the fact that Comey was leading a probe into Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 election and the Trump circle's possible collusion with Moscow  a notion the president says was "fabricated" by Democrats.

He then went a step farther, warning Comey not to speak to the press about their meetings and suggesting there could be "tapes" of their private conversations in the Oval Office.

The embattled White House spokesman Sean Spicer  who had been off for a few days on Naval Reserve duty  returned to the podium Friday, where he faced a grilling from reporters.

On whether Trump was surreptitiously recording Oval Office meetings, Spicer said he had "nothing further to add on that." As for the tweet to Comey, Spicer said: "That's not a threat. He simply stated a fact. The tweet speaks for itself."

But the spokesman admitted he and his staff sometimes "don't have an opportunity to get in to see him to get his full thinking."

Earnest said that situation was untenable, and not Spicer's fault.

"There are days when Sean Spicer can't get into the Oval Office before he does the briefing," said Earnest, who served as Obama's primary spokesman for three years.

"That's not Sean's fault. That's the fault of the president of the United States."

Trump defended his surrogates in the interview with Fox News, calling Spicer a "wonderful human being" and deputy spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders a "lovely young woman."

The president has so far dismissed the notion that Spicer could be fired, lamenting that "he gets beat up" by the press corps.

But it is not only at the White House that Trump has communications problems.

At the State Department, regular daily briefings -- which are as closely followed by the diplomatic corps as the White House press conferences -- have not resumed since late January, save for a few exceptions in March.

However, for both Earnest and Psaki, the moment of truth will come when a national security crisis erupts.

"When there is a general national security crisis when the world is tuning in to the White House briefing wondering what the president thinks about it, and there may be a spokesperson standing behind the podium that hasn't spoken to the president that day, that's going to be a problem," Earnest said.

Psaki added: "When that moment comes, the public and the global community will be looking to the president, the vice president and the White House to speak with one voice.
A total of 2.3 lakh students in Kerala would get free school uniforms made of handloom materials during the current academic year.

The state government had earlier decided to distribute handloom materials for school uniforms as parts of its plan to revive the dying traditional handloom sector.

The state level inauguration of the programme would be done by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on May 22, said Industries Minister A C Moideen, who inspected the uniform materials prepared at Hantex, the only Apex Co-operative Society of Handloom weavers' here.

In the first phase, uniforms would be given free to 2.3 lakh students studying from standard one to five, Moideen said.

State Education Minister C Raveendranath was also present on the occasion.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Hizbul Mujahideen today distanced itself from the statement of its commander Zakir Moosa against the separatist leadership, signalling a rift in the militant outfit which has been fighting for Jammu and Kashmir's annexation to Pakistan since 1989.

"The outfit has neither got anything to do with the statement of Moosa nor the statement is acceptable to it," Hizbul Mujahideen spokesman Saleem Hashmi said in a statement from Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)



Terming Moosa's remarks in an audio slideshow that surfaced in Kashmir's social media as his "personal opinion", Hashmi cautioned that any statement or step which will create confusion "can prove a death knell for our struggle".

In the 5.40-minute audio, Moosa had warned the separatist leaders not to meddle in their aim to establish a caliphate in Jammu and Kashmir along the lines of the rule established by ISIS in parts of Syria and Iraq.

Hashmi said the outfit was pondering over the statement of Moosa and will not "hesitate in taking any step or rendering any sacrifice" in theinterest of the ongoing struggle.

Director General of Police S P Vaid had told PTI that the police had carried out a voice analysis and found that it was was Moosa's voice.

The clip is seen as worrying twist in Kashmir's militancy which has largely been about independence and annexation to Pakistan without ever emphasising Islam or connecting it to jihad.

Hizbul Mujahideen is almost as old as the Kashmiri militancy which started in 1989. The group is made up almost entirely of local youths, and had always campaigned for joining Pakistan.

The clip surfaced after Hurriyat leaders recently sought to downplay the growing influence of ISIS ideology in the Valley.

Earlier this week, Hurriyat leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Yaseen Malik issued a joint statement in which they claimed that the Kashmir struggle has nothing to do with ISIS, Al-Qaida and other such organisation.

Hashmi said the "entire leadership" demonstrated unity on all fronts after the killing of Hizb's Burhan Wani in July last year andare striving to carry forward the ongiong "struggle for freedom and Islam".

"In such a situation, any statement or step which will create confusion can prove a death knell for our struggle and," Hashmi said and asked the youths to discourage "negative thinking and confused statements" in the media.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hizbul Mujahideen, a terror outfit which has been fighting for Jammu and Kashmir's annexation to Pakistan since 1989, today seemed to be heading towards a vertical split with its valley-based commander Zakir Moosa dissociating himself from the outfit.

A fresh audio tape purportedly carrying his voice appeared in the social media in which the engineering-student- turned militant, Moosa, said that he was not representing Hizbul Mujahideen anymore.

"Hizbul Mujahideen has said that we have nothing to do with the statement of Moosa. So, if Hizbul Mujahideen doesn't represent me then I also don't represent them. From today onwards, I have no association with Hizbul Mujahideen," Moosa said hours after Pakistan-occupied Kashmir-based spokesman of the outfit had distanced the group from Moosa's statement yesterday in which he had threatened Kashmiri separatist leaders with dire consequences if they did not refrain from using the Kashmir issue for political gains.

Moosa was made commander of the banned Hizbul Mujahideen after the death of the outfit's poster boy Burhan Wani in an encounter on July 8 last year.

"I stand by my speech and by my message. It doesn't bother me what others say but I stand by my speech. I have not said anything against Syed Ali Shah Geelani but my statement was only against those individuals who talk about freedom (of Kashmir) for a secular state," he said.

He also made attempts to clarify that he had no association with the ISIS or the al-Qaeda terror groups.

However, he said he believed in fighting for Islam and not for a secular state.

This is the second time when cracks have appeared in the Hizbul Mujahideen with valley-based commanders and its chief Syed Salahuddin based in PoK not being on the same page.

Earlier in 2002, its valley-based commander Abdul Majeed Dar had refused to take orders from Salahuddin. He was later killed by Hizbul Mujahideen.

Responding to Moosa's threats to the separatist leaders, Hizbul Mujahideen spokesman Saleem Hashmi had said in a statement from Muzaffarabad in PoK that "the outfit has neither got anything to do with the statement of Moosa nor the statement is acceptable to it."



Terming Moosa's remarks in an audio slideshow that surfaced in Kashmir's social media as his "personal opinion", Hashmi cautioned that any statement or step which will create confusion "can prove a death knell for our struggle".

In a 5.40-minute audio, Moosa had warned the separatist leaders not to meddle in their aim to establish a caliphate in Jammu and Kashmir along the lines of the rule established by the ISIS in parts of Syria and Iraq.

Hizbul Mujahideen is almost as old as the Kashmiri militancy which started in 1989. The group is made up almost entirely of local youths, and had always campaigned for joining Pakistan.

The clip surfaced after Hurriyat leaders recently sought to downplay the growing influence of ISIS ideology in the Kashmir Valley.

Earlier this week, Hurriyat leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Yaseen Malik issued a joint statement in which they claimed that the Kashmir struggle has nothing to do with the ISIS, the al-Qaeda and other such organisations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India is likely to boycott China's Belt and Road Forum (BRF) beginning here tomorrow in view of sovereignty concerns related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the initiative that is expected to figure prominently in the two-day meet.

While there is no official word with the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi declining to comment, informed sources told PTI that India may not take part in BRF. This is contrary to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's announcement last month that India will have a representative at the meet, a prestigious initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The likely boycott will leave India in a tight spot as China in the last few days has managed to rope in even the US, which yesterday agreed to send a top official after Washington clinched a lucrative trade deal.

"It is a tricky situation for India because it cannot get any diplomatic dividend by attending it. On the contrary, it may be embarrassing for the Indian delegation to sit through the programme when CPEC is highlighted and may have to walk out," an Indian scholar attending the BRF meeting told PTI on the condition of anonymity.

Indian officials maintain that New Delhi has objections related only to the CPEC traversing through Gilgit and Baltistan of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). India treats the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir as its integral part.

Staying away from the meet may "isolate" India in the region as all countries in South Asia -- barring Bhutan which doesn't have diplomatic relations with China -- were participating, a top Chinese official in New Delhi had said last week. He had warned that New Delhi's absence "will not be constructive" for bilateral ties.

Playing down India's absence at the meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang had told the media yesterday that Indian scholars would be attending the meeting.

Japan, at the receiving end of strong criticism from China in the last few years particularly over the disputed islands in the East China Sea, has also agreed to send a high level political delegation that includes a vice minister.

The May 14-15 summit, which is expected to strengthen Xi's power base as he gets set to begin his second five-year tenure later this year, will be attended by 29 heads of state and government, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A number of other countries, including South Korea, France, Germany and UK, have deputed either ministerial or official delegations.

While this is the outcome of hectic diplomatic lobbying by China, unlike India, none of the other countries have sovereignty related issues with the One Belt and One Road initiative.

Considering CPEC's importance in the plan -- it is the only project at present with prospects of delivering early results -- Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to take centrestage to highlight its significance as a "game changer" for his country.

He is leading perhaps the largest delegation -- four chief ministers and five federal ministers.

Besides Sharif, the only head of government to be represented at the summit will be Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe who will be in Beijing immediately after hosting his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at home.

From Nepal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Krishna Bahadur Mahara will lead the delegation.

Bangladesh and the Maldives will also have official representations.

India's stand on the meet comes after a year of bilateral discord over China's stubborn opposition to its entry into the NSG and a UN ban against Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Muhammad leader Masood Azhar.

China, too, protested India's decision to permit the Dalai Lama last month to visit Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as South Tibet.

In the last few days, China has tried to assuage India's feelings by asserting that the commercial CPEC will not have any impact on its stand that the Kashmir issue should be settled by India and Pakistan through dialogue.

India's worries over the 3,000 km long CPEC project connecting Pakistan's deep-water port Gwadar and China's Xinjiang stem from the fact that Gwadar, which was taken over by the Chinese, will become a future naval base.

The Gwadar port across the waters from Mumbai's port housing the Indian Navy's western naval command provides a berth for China in the Arabian Sea and to the Indian Ocean.

China has already announced plans to station its marines there as well in Djibouti in Horn of Africa in Indian Ocean.

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India will skip China's high- profile Belt and Road summit beginning here tomorrow in view of sovereignty concerns related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the initiative that is expected to play a dominant role in the two-day meet.

While there is no official word, informed sources told PTI that India will not take part in the meet, contrary to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's announcement that India will have a representative at the Belt and Road Forum (BRF), a prestigious initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"Although Indian leader is not here, India will have a representative,"Wanghad told journalists here on April 17 without specifying who would be representing India.

It was a tough call for India to take as China in the last few days has managed to rope in a number of western countries, including the US which yesterday agreed to send a top official after Washington clinched a lucrative trade deal.

Playing down India's absence at the meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told the media yesterday that the Indian scholars would be attending the meeting.

Japan, at the receiving end of strong criticism from China in the last few years particularly over the disputed islands in the East China Sea, has also agreed to send a high level political delegation that includes a vice minister.

The May 14-15 summit, which is expected to strengthen Xi's power base as he gets set to begin his second five-year tenure later this year, will be attended by 29 heads of state and government, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A number of other countries, including South Korea, France, Germany and UK, have deputed either ministerial or official delegations.

While this is the outcome of hectic diplomatic lobbying by China, unlike India, none of the other countries have sovereignty related issues with the One Belt and One Road initiative.

Considering CPEC's importance in the plan -- it is the only project at present with prospects of delivering early results -- Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to take centrestage to highlight its significance as a "game changer" for his country.

He is leading perhaps the largest delegation -- four chief ministers and five federal ministers.

China-Pakistan Friendship Association President Sha Zukang has told the official media that China has already committed USD 46 billion Chinese investments for various energy and infrastructure related projects in Pakistan.

Besides Sharif, the only head of government to be represented at the summit will be Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe who will be attending the meeting after hosting his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at home.

Sri Lanka has over USD 8 billion Chinese investments.

From Nepal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Krishna Bahadur Mahara will lead the delegation. Bangladesh and the Maldives will also have official representations.

Bhutan has no diplomatic relations with China.

India's decision to skip the meeting came after a year of bilateral discord over China's stubborn opposition to India's entry into the NSG and a UN ban against Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Muhammad leader Masood Azhar.

China, too, protested India's decision to permit the Dalai Lama last month to visit Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as South Tibet.

In the last few days, China has tried to assuage India's feelings by asserting that the commercial corridor will not have any impact on its stand that the Kashmir issue should be settled by India and Pakistan through dialogue.

About B & R, Indian officials maintain that New Delhi has objections related only to the CPEC traversing through Gilgit and Baltistan of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) though the project is of strategic concern.

India's worries over a 3,000 km long project connecting Pakistan's deep-water port Gwadar and China's Xinjiang stem from the fact Gwadar, which was taken over by the Chinese, will become a future naval base.

The Gwadar port opposite the Mumbai's port housing the Indian Navy's western naval command provides a berth for China in the Arabian Sea and to the Indian Ocean.

China has already announced plans to station its marines there as well in Djibouti in Horn of Africa in Indian Ocean.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung today inspected several ongoing projects, including the construction work at Rani Jhansi road, and directed the officers to expedite them.

Jung chaired a meeting with all stakeholders to take stock of the progress.

"Inspected construction of Grade Separator at Rani Jhansi road with senior officers of North DMC, DJB, Revenue Deptt, Traffic Police & Rlys," Jung tweeted.

"Issued directions to resolve all pending issues. Officers assured to complete the work by 15th October, 2017," he added.

Jung also inquired about the bottlenecks from the officers due to which the project has seen a huge delay, a Raj Nivas statement said.

The LG later inspected the Multilevel Automated Car Parking at Kamla Nagar.

A presentation was made to explain the technology deployed and the salient features of the state-of-the-art facility that can house around 828 cars in an underground facility spread over seven levels, the statement said.

"The LG issued directions for its optimum utilisation with a view to decongesting the Kamla Nagar market. He further desired that lessons learnt from this project be used to develop multilevel parking facilities in other parts of city also," the statement added.

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A man was beaten to death by people belonging to rival group after he opened fire in which a girl was injured at Mandar village in Bihar's Gaya district, police said today.

Town Superintendent of Police Avkash Kumar said that the deceased has been identified Vikas Singh (50) who is the son of Pipra estate's landlord Mayan Singh.

The incident occurred at a 'Yajna' organised by one Satyendra Singh of Mandar village yesterday where Vikas Singh, had gone to attend the 'Yajna', the Town SP said.

After having a heated argument over some issue with Satyendra Singh, Vikas allegedly opened fire in which Satyendra's daughter Gudiya sustained bullet injury in her leg, that enraged Satyendra and his supporters who beat Vikas to death last night, SP said.

The body has been handed over to the deceased's family after post-mortem at Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital, Gaya, the SP said adding that injured Gudiya has also been admitted to the medical college and hospital for treatment. She is out of danger, he added.

Sushil Kumar Singh, BJP MP of Aurangabad and a large number of local people visited hospital and consoled Mayan Singh and his family members, SP said.

Satyendra Singh has been absconding since the incident, the said adding that police are investigating the matter from all angles.

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A 32-year-old married woman was stabbed to death allegedly by her nephew after she ended her "affair" with him, police said here today.

The incident occurred this afternoon in southeast Delhi's Okhla area when the woman was at home with her two daughters and the accused, who is her husband's nephew' barged in, they said.

She was killed in front of her two daughters by the man who then tried to kill himself by consuming poison and stabbing himself with the same knife, police said.

He then fled the spot after the woman's daughters raised an alarm, a senior police officer said, adding the she was rushed to hospital but could not be saved.

The accused walked for nearly two kms to reach the nearest metro station, but collapsed near the station. Police soon held the man and rushed him to a hospital where he is currently undergoing treatment, the officer said.

The incident came to light around 1 PM when the police were informed about the incident by a neighbour.

Doctors said she had a fatal stab wound in her abdomen, said the officer. The woman's daughters are in shock after the incident.

During investigation, the police found that the woman was living with her husband and two daughters in a rented room near Okhla for the last five years.

The couple worked in a private thread manufacturing factory. Around three years back, her husband's nephew came to live with the couple.

The woman and her husband's nephew entered into a relationship. She broke up with her paramour after her husband learnt about her affair. The nephew was also asked to leave the house by her husband, police said.

He shifted somewhere else but a around a couple of months back, he came back to stay in the same building where the couple was staying, police said.

This afternoon, while the woman was at home with her two daughters, the accused barged into her house. He got into an argument with her and in a fit of rage, stabbed her in the abdomen, they added.

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investigators hunted for those behind an unprecedented cyber-attack that affected systems in dozens of countries, including at banks, hospitals and government agencies, as security experts sought to contain the fallout.

The assault, which began Friday and was being described as the biggest-ever cyber ransom attack, struck state agencies and major companies around the world  from Russian banks and British hospitals to FedEx and European car factories.

"The recent attack is at an unprecedented level and will require a complex investigation to identify the culprits," said Europol, Europe's police agency.

Europol said a special task force at its European Cybercrime Centre was "specially designed to assist in such investigations and will play an important role in supporting the investigation".

The attacks used ransomware that apparently exploited a security flaw in Microsoft operating systems, locking users' files unless they pay the attackers a designated sum in the virtual currency Bitcoin.

Images appeared on victims' screens demanding payment of $300 in Bitcoin, saying: "Ooops, your files have been encrypted!"

Payment is demanded within three days or the price is doubled, and if none is received within seven days the files will be deleted, according to the screen message.

But experts and government alike warn against ceding to the hackers' demands.

"Paying the ransom does not guarantee the encrypted files will be released," the US Department of Homeland Security's computer emergency response team said.

"It only guarantees that the malicious actors receive the victim's money, and in some cases, their banking information."

Experts and officials offered differing estimates of the scope of the attacks, but all agreed it was huge.

Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at the Helsinki- based cyber security company F-Secure, told AFP it was the biggest ransomware outbreak in history, saying that 130,000 systems in more than 100 countries had been affected.

He said Russia and India were hit particularly hard, largely because Microsoft's Windows XP  one of the operating systems most at risk  was still widely used there.

French police said there were "more than 75,000 victims" around the globe, but cautioned that the number could increase "significantly".

The virus spread quickly because the culprits used a digital code believed to have been developed by the US National Security Agency  and subsequently leaked as part of a document dump, according to researchers at the Moscow-based computer security firm Kaspersky Lab.
Senior Bihar BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi today fired a salvo at RJD chief Lalu Prasad's daughter and Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti alleging that she had laundered money through a shell company to buy a farmhouse at Delhi's Bijwasan area at a throwaway price.

Sushil Modi has been hitherto alleging that Prasad's two minister sons - Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and Health minister Tej Pratap Yadav - had amassed benami properties worth over Rs 1000 crore through various shell companies in Bihar.

He claimed that Misa Bharti converted her black money into white through dubious transaction of sale and purchase of shares of her company - Mishail Packers and Printers Pvt Ltd. The company was incorporated with an investment of Rs 1 lakh in 2002 and registered at Lalu Prasad's then official bungalow 25, Tughlaq Road, New Delhi. It was closed in 2005-06.

Bharti sold her company's shares of face value of Rs 10 each to Virendra Jain's Shalini Holdings at Rs 100 per share in October 2008, which fetched her Rs 1.20 crore. Eleven months later, Misa purchased all the shares at the rate of Rs 10 per share from Virendra Jain, the BJP leader alleged showing documents to support his claim.

Later in 2008-09 she purchased a farmhouse at Bijwasan area in Delhi at Rs 1.41 crore whose estimated value at present would be around Rs 50 crore, Sushil Modi, who was accompnaied by state BJP vice-president Devesh Kumar, said.

Pointing out that Misa became the owner of Rs 50 crore by investing a mere Rs one lakh, he asked "Why would anyone buy shares of a closed company at the rate of Rs 100 per share against the face value of Rs 10 each ? Why would the buyer again sell the same shares at Rs 10 each after buying it at Rs 100?"



Sushil Modi also alleged that Misa had misused the address of Prasad's erstwhile official bungalow - 25, Tughlaq Road as her company's address as such an allotment cannot be used for any commercial purpose.

Questioning her source of income, Modi sought to know why she did not reveal it in her affidavit to the Election Commission.

Virendra Jain and Surendra Jain, the two brothers and business partners in Shalini Holdings who had allegedly helped Prasad in converting black money which he had allegedly earned as railways ministers into white, were arrested by Enforcement Directorate in connection with a Rs 8000 crore money laundering case in March this year, he said.

Sushil Modi demanded that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar order a probe into the allegations of acquisition of benami properties by Prasad's family in Bihar.

The central government should probe allegations of amassing properties by the family outside Bihar, he said.

"Nitish Kumar says that his government has zero tolerance policy towards corruption. But he has not taken any action so far on allegations levelled against Prasad's two minister sons," the BJP leader said.

Sushil Modi has been releasing documents purportedly showing how Prasad's family acquired assets of around Rs 1,000 crores through shell companies like Delight Marketing Pvt Ltd, A K Infosystems Pvt Ltd and A B Exports Pvt Ltd.

Asked for comment, RJD's national spokesman Manoj Jha said "A jobless Sushil Modi has once again done today what he has specialised in in recent times. Taking certain documents from the public domain viz. Registrar of Companies, he aims at weaving fictitious stories. He should also convey that his so-called incriminating documents are from the same appropriate authorities to whom we had submitted (documents)."



"In utter frustration for some space for himself in BJP, he is raking a decade-old genuine business transaction, which was duly reported to authorities," Jha added.

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A Moroccan UN peacekeeper was killed today in an attack in the Central African Republic's southeast, close to where five other peacekeepers also lost their lives in recent days, the United Nations said.

An overnight attack targeted civilians in the town of Bangassou as well as a UN mission field office and "in the firefight, one peacekeeper of the Moroccan contingent died from gunshot injuries", the UN mission MINUSCA said in a statement.

It said the attackers were members of a wide coalition including the mainly Christian anti-Balaka group who "attacked civilian populations, targeting in particular Muslims", another sign of the continuing sectarian violence that has ravaged the country.

MINUSCA also said there were reports of civilians killed.

"At this time it is difficult to ascertain the humanitarian situation in Bangassou. However credible sources have confirmed an undetermined number of civilian casualties," the statement said.

Displaced people in the area have fled to the town's mosque, Catholic Church and the Doctors without Borders (MSF) hospital, it added.

The head of MINUSCA Parfait Onanga-Anyanga warned the militias that the authorities would be "relentless" in finding and arresting those responsible for the killings.

"The blood of peacekeepers and the blood of innocent Central Africans will not fall in vain in this country," he said.

On Monday, another Moroccan and four Cambodian soldiers were also killed in an attack on their convoy.

UN officials said the bodies of the four Cambodian peacekeepers were badly mutilated, to the point of making identification difficult.

MINUSCA deployed 10,000 troops and 2,000 police to the CAR following bloody sectarian fighting that erupted after the 2013 overthrow of leader Francois Bozize.

Among Africa's poorest countries, the CAR descended into bloodshed pitting the anti-Balaka fighters against the mainly Muslim ex-Seleka rebels.

While calm has been restored to the capital Bangui, parts of the country remain under the sway of armed groups.

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A senior North Korean diplomat said today Pyongyang would be willing to hold talks with the United States if the conditions are right.

Choe Son-Hui, head of the foreign ministry's North America bureau, told reporters at Beijing's international airport that her country "will hold dialogue under right conditions" with President Donald Trump's administration.

She spoke as she was returning home from Oslo, where she met with US academics and former US officials including Thomas Pickering, former US envoy to the UN, and Robert Einhorn, the State Department's former special adviser for nonproliferation and arms control, Seoul's Yonhap agency said.

The meeting took place amid a let-up in military tensions on the Korean peninsula after concerns over a fresh nuclear test by the North aimed to mark high-profile anniversaries in April failed to materialise.

After threatening military action, Trump said earlier this month he would be "honoured" to meet the North's leader Kim Jong-Un under the right conditions.

South Korea's new president Moon Jae-In, who took office this week, favours engagement with Pyongyang to bring it to the negotiating table, unlike his conservative predecessors.

He said after he was sworn on Wednesday that he would be willing to go to North Korea "in the right circumstances."



When asked whether Pyongyang is preparing to hold dialogue with the South's new government, Choe replied: "We will see".

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Nearly hundred countries, including India, were hit by what is believed to be the biggest-ever recorded cyberattack that used "cyber weapons" stolen from the US' National Security Agency to lock up computers and hold users' files for ransom.

The cyber attack was first reported from Sweden, Britain and France, US media outlets reported.

An increase in activity of the malware was noticed yesterday, security software company Avast reported, adding that it "quickly escalated into a massive spreading".

Within hours, over 75,000 attacks were detected worldwide, the company said.

Meanwhile, the MalwareTech tracker detected over 100,000 infected systems over the past 24 hours.

Security researchers with Kaspersky Lab have recorded more than 45,000 attacks in 99 countries, including the UK, Russia, Ukraine, India, China, Italy, and Egypt.

In Spain, major companies including telecommunications firm Telefonica were infected.

The most disruptive attacks were reported in the UK, where hospitals and clinics were forced to turn away patients after losing access to computers.

The US Computer Emergency Readiness Team (USCRT) under the Department of Homeland Security said it has received multiple reports of WannaCry ransomware infections in many countries around the world.

The ransomware is a type of malicious software that infects a computer and restricts users' access to it until a ransom is paid to unlock it. It demands users pay USD 300 worth of cryptocurrency Bitcoin to retrieve their files, though it warns that the payment will be raised after a certain amount of time. The malware spreads through e-mail.

Individuals and organisations are discouraged from paying the ransom, as this does not guarantee access will be restored, the USCERT said.

According to it, ransomware spreads easily when it encounters unpatched or outdated software.

It was believed to the biggest attack of its kind.

A Microsoft spokeswoman said that the company was aware of the reports and was looking into the situation.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the malware believed to be behind the attacks, encrypts data on infected computers and essentially holds it for ransom.

"Known as WannaCry or Wanna Decryptor, the so-called ransomware programme homes in on vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows systems," the daily said.

In a statement, international shipper FedEx said it has been badly hit by the cyber attack.

"Like many other companies, FedEx is experiencing interference with some of our Windows-based systems caused by malware. We are implementing remediation steps as quickly as possible," it said.

"This event should serve as a globalwake-upcall - the means of delivery and the delivered effect is unprecedented," Rich Barger, the director of threat research at security firm Splunk, said in a separate statement.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it is actively sharing information related to this event and stands ready to "lend technical support and assistance as needed to our partners, both in the United States and internationally".

The DHS has a cadre of cyber security professionals that can provide expertise and support to critical infrastructure entities, it said in a statement.

The malware was made available online on April 14 through a dump by a group called Shadow Brokers, which claimed last year to have stolen a cache of "cyber weapons" from the National Security Agency (NSA). At the time, there was scepticism about whether the group was exaggerating the scale of its hack.

Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden blamed the NSA for not preventing the global cyber attack.

"Despite warnings, (NSA) built dangerous attack tools that could target Western software," Snowden said. "Today we see the cost".

"If @NSAGov had privately disclosed the flaw used to attack hospitals when they *found* it, not when they lost it, this may not have happened," he said.

Some cyber security experts and privacy advocates said the massive attack reflected a flawed approach by the US to dedicate more cyber resources to offence rather than defence, a practice they argued makes the internet less secure.

Experts have been working round-the-clock to restore IT systems of Britain's National Health Service (NHS) after they were hit by the large-scale cyber-hack by an international criminal gang that wreaked havoc around the globe.

With nearly 45 NHS organisations from London to Scotland hit in the "ransomware" attack yesterday, patients of the state-funded countrywide service are facing days of chaos as appointments and surgeries have been cancelled.

An Indian-origin doctor based in London had warned against the cyber-hack of the NHS just days before it crippled the country's network.

Dr Krishna Chinthapalli, a neurology registrar at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, had warned that an increasing number of hospitals could be shut down by ransomeware attacks inan article on the vulnerability of the NHS network in the 'British Medical Journal' on Wednesday, two days before the major cyber-hack.

He had highlighted an incident at Papworth Hospital near Cambridge where a nurse clicked on a malicious link and malware infected her computer and started to encrypt sensitive files.

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Union minister Prakash Javadekar today said incidents like the attack on an Army patrol in Kashmir by terrorists were part of tactics by Pakistan, which knew it could not fight and win a conventional war with India.

"There are no two opinions. Pakistan knows that they cannot defeat India. They cannot fight a war against India and therefore what they are doing is, it is their strategy. But it will be defeated, even as they are isolated in the international forum," he told reporters here.

Javadekar was replying to a query on terrorists opening fire on a patrol party of the Indian Army in Tral township of south Kashmir's Pulwama district earlier in the day.

The Pakistani army also fired mortars and automatic weapons along Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, where two persons were killed and three injured.

Javadekar said the nation believes in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and recalled his warning after the Uri terror attack that it will not be forgotten and the sacrifice of 18 jawans will not go in vain.

"In the light of what Pakistan has been doing, including the beheading of two soldiers by Pakistan's special forces along LoC, our Prime Minister had made it clear (after the Uri attack) that the sacrifice of the soldiers will not go in vain."



"The nation believes in the Prime Minister," he said.

He was also asked about Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of "spying".

Javadekar said ExternalAffairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and others were looking into the matter. "Also, we have won the international court verdict."



The Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) has stayed the execution of Jadhav following India's submission that he was kidnapped from Iran where he was involved in business after retiring from the Navy.

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Pakistan's intransigence over harbouring terror outfits and funding extremists in Jammu and Kashmir is a serious challenge to peace in South Asia and there is a need to isolate the country at all international fora, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has said.

"State-sponsored terrorism with its epicentre in our neighbourhood is assuming alarming proportions and time has now come to take a collective punitive action against the perpetrators harbouring terror outfits," the minister for road transport, highways and shipping said in his address to the Overseas Friends of the BJP (OFBJP) here yesterday.

Gadkari, who concluded his three-day visit to the UK today, described terrorism as a scourge against humanity which was disturbing peace and hampering economic growth in the entire region.

He warned that Pakistan's intransigence on disturbing peace and tranquillity in the region, harbouring terror outfits and funding extremists in Jammu and Kashmir is a serious challenge and there is a need to isolate Islamabad at all international fora.

The minister said the NDA government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi believed in peaceful co-existence and all-round regional development and progress among the SAARC countries.

"Modi is striving hard to promote regional cooperation and improve bilateral relations with all its neighbours," Gadkari said.

He was in the UK to launch the National Highways Authority of India's rupee-denominated Masala Bond at the London Stock Exchange to raise funds for infrastructure development in India.

The bond has subscriptions to the tune of over Rs 3,000 crore already in the bag, with more expected.

Masala bonds are bonds issued outside India but denominated in Indian rupees, rather than the local currency.

Gadkari also finalised plans for an MoU with Transport for London (TfL), aimed at improving urban transport in India through exchange of technology and data analysis in integrated transport system.

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Pakistani troops again pounded Nowshera area of Jammu and Kashmir near the Line of Control (LoC) with mortars today, killing two civilians and injuring three and forcing evacuation of hundreds of people from there.

The Indian Army said it was retaliating "strongly and effectively" to the Pakistani Army's indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatic weapons and 82 mm and 120 mm mortars which started at 7.15 am.

Pakistani troops targeted Jangarh, Bhawani and Laam belts of Nowshera in Rajouri district, officials said.

"Two persons have been killed and three others injured in the firing and shelling by Pakistani Army in Nowshera belt," Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Rajouri Shahid Iqbal Choudhary told PTI.

The deceased were identified as 51-year-old Tufail Hussain and his 13-year-old relative Asiya Bi.

Tufail's wife Zaitoon Begum was critically injured and was shifted to Government Medical College, Jammu.

The Indian Army retaliated "strongly and effectively", Defence Ministry spokesman Lt Col Manish Mehta said.

This is the third incident of ceasefire violation by Pakistan in as many days and so far three persons have died and six have been injured.

In the wake of Pakistani shelling, schools along the LoC in Rajouri were today shut for an indefinite period as a precautionary measure, officials said.

All schools situated along the LoC in Rajouri district were closed on May 11 for two days after a woman was killed and two others including her husband were injured in Pakistani shelling on the intervening night of May 10-11.

"We have now closed the schools along the LoC in Rajouri district for an indefinite period," Choudhary said.

Schools have also been shut along the LoC in Balakote sector in Poonch and people have been asked not to move out in border areas.

A BSF man had also suffered minor injury when Pakistani Rangers yesterday violated the ceasefire along the International Border.

After the Pakistani shelling, 270 people were evacuated from various areas along the LoC in Rajouri district to safer places.

"More than 200 people from various villages have been shifted to various camps established by district dministration where facilities of ration, cooking, drinking water, sanitation, first aid and proper accommodation have been provided," Choudhary, who is camping in Nowshera, said earlier in the day.

In the evening, he said two more vehicles carrying around 70 people reached Nowshera in the afternoon, taking the number of migrants to 270.

So far, three camps have been made operational and 28 others notified in wake of expected migration from affected villages, Choudhary said.

A fleet of 6 buses were inducted into Jhangar area at 4 pm for evacuation of around 400 people and shifting them to relief camps, he said.

"Six ambulances were pressed into action for shifting of injured and treatment. One mobile medical unit was stationed at Nowshera and another deputed to forward areas," he added.

Rescue team of district administration also came under impact of shelling ahead of Nonial LoC area which led to suspension of rescue operation for around 3 hours later resumed in afternoon, Choudhary said.

Around 120 officers from various departments have been deployed to organise facilities at relief camp.

District administration provided immediate relief and financial assistance to the next of kin of the deceased and to the injured, he said.

A control room has been established in the office of SDM Nowshera for coordination.

The government had last month said that Pakistani security forces had violated the ceasefire 268 times in the last one year. Nine perons were killed in these incidents.

Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre had said some time back that between April 2016 and March 2017, the maximum of 88 violations were witnessed in November 2016 followed by 78 in October 2016 and 22 in March this year.

The ceasefire between India and Pakistan came into force in November 2003.

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Paramore are back to the music scene with their new album 'After Laughter'.

This is the American rock band's fifth album which has been released ahead of their European tour, reported Spin magazine.

The latest album, their first since 2013, offers a different take on the band's "classic" line-up.

Drummer Zac Farro has also returned to the group after his departure in 2010.

'After Laughter' follows Paramore's self-titled previous album which topped UK and US charts in 2013.

The LP consists of 12 songs titled: "Hard Times", "Rose- Colored Boy", "Told You So", "Forgiveness", "Fake Happy", "26", "Pool", "Grudges", "Caught In The Middle", "Idle Worship", "No Friend" and "Tell Me How".

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After a series of intense performances, actor Rajkummar had fun doing back-to-back romantic comedies in "Behen Hogi Teri" and "Bareilly Ki Barfi".

"'Trapped' did take a mental and physical toll on me. It was a very taxing film to do. While 'Behen Hogi Teri' and 'Bareilly Ki Barfi' are fun films. But my commitment towards my work is the same. I had to learn the accent, work on the character but it was all fun this time," Rajkummar told PTI.

The 32-year-old actor says it was not a conscious decision enter the mainstream commercial space.

"I feel fortunate and lucky that people are thinking of me in each and every genre. 'Behen Hogi Teri' and 'Bareilly Ki Barfi' are wonderful stories and I have good roles in both the films," he says.

The actor says he is getting encouraging comments from industry people.

"They are happy to see me in this avatar and they are saying I should do this often. But I don't have any plan... I do the work that I like."



In Ajay Pannalal's "Behen Hogi Teri", Rajkummar is paired opposite Shruti Haasan and the film is set to release on June 2.

Ashwiny Iyer-directed "Bareilly Ki Barfi" features him along with Ayushmann Kurrana and Kriti Sanon and it will release on July 21.

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Defiant soldiers blocked access to Ivory Coast's second-largest city today after firing guns into the air throughout the night.

Rebellious soldiers had already taken to the streets yesterday in Bouake, the economic capital of Abidjan and another city demanding pay increases.

The city of Bouake was the epicentre of a mutiny in January by former rebel soldiers who had been integrated into the army, which triggered months of unrest.

"We want our money," a soldier wearing a facemask said today, refusing to give his name.

The soldiers forced the police who normally control the four main access points to Bouake to flee, before taking up positions and blocking all traffic into the city.

They were also taking up positions elsewhere in the city, and banks and stores remained closed today morning.

The situation remained calm however in Abidjan today, a day after the rebelling soldiers had surrounded the military's headquarters in the city.

Yesterday, General Sekou Toure, chief of staff of Ivory Coast's armed forces, warned of "severe disciplinary sanctions" for the soldiers.

The January mutiny saw the government promise to pay the soldiers 12 million CFA francs (18,000 euros) each, with an initial payment of five million francs that month.

The remainder was to be paid this month, according to rebel sources.

The world's top cocoa provider, Ivory Coast has an army numbering around 22,000 soldiers, among them many former rebels who were integrated into the armed forces after years of conflict.

Last year, the government unveiled an ambitious plan to modernise the military, part of which would involve the departure of several thousand men, particularly ex-rebels, who will not be replaced.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today asked the Centre to scrap the banknotes of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 denomination to speed up digital payments.

"It was I who first demanded abolition of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes. Now, they brought Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 notes but they too should be scrapped," Naidu, who heads a panel of chief ministers on digital economy, told reporters.

His fresh demand came in the light of a hawala racket that was busted by the Visakhapatnam police today.

"A staggering Rs 1,379 crore was sent out using the hawala route. I once asked the RBI -- after the demonetisation -- to send more money to AP. The RBI Deputy Governor told me money was 'coming to AP but don't know where it's going'. Now, we know where the money is going," the Chief Minister said, referring to the hawala racket.

"So many fake companies were created for these transactions. Some nondescript persons have done all this. Who is the role model for them," Chandrababu asked, indirectly taking a dig at YSR Congress president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy.

"These people are tarnishing the image of AP. Who knows how many such rackets exist (in the state) and who is the role model for them? We have to deal with them in a tough manner and protect the state's image," the Chief Minister remarked.

Attacking the YSRC president, the TDP supremo said the former extended support to the NDA in the ensuing presidential election only because "he has no other option".

"We (TDP and BJP) are coalition partners. Why did he (Jagan) go and meet the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi)? He announced support to the NDA in the presidential election as he has no other option," Chandrababu said.

In November last year, the Narendra Modi-led government had introduced the Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 notes after announcing the demonetisation of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 currency notes.

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Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe arrived here today to attend China's high- profile Belt and Road summit beginning tomorrow.

Wickremesinghe left for the Chinese capital immediately after seeing off India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the end of his two-day visit to Sri Lanka last evening.

Wickremesinghe will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Xiang on a host of bilateral issues, his office has said.

Analysts here say Wickremesinghe's Beijing visit has gained significance as India has chosen to stay away from the summit, citing sovereignty concerns related to the China- Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The Belt and Road Forum is being organised by China to showcase its multi-billion dollar Silk Road initiative of which the USD 50 billion CPEC connecting China's Xinjiang with Balochistan through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is a part.

India has expressed concerns over China's growing presence and influence in Sri Lanka.

It was reported during Modi's visit that Sri Lanka had denied permission for a Chinese submarine to visit Colombo port this week.

A similar submarine in 2014 had raised protests from New Delhi against the then Mahinda Rajapaksa government in Colombo.

It has been argued that Rajapaksa's massive infrastructure projects presented the Chinese with a foothold in the island nation.

Sri Lanka borrowed mostly commercial loans to fund the infrastructure projects such as building a sea and airport in the Rajapaksa heartland of Hambantota in the deep south of the country.

Wickremesinghe, who is primarily the Economic Affairs Minister in the unity government of President Maithripala Sirisena, has taken the lead in turning the Chinese funded projects into Chinese equity due to Sri Lanka's inability to meet high Chinese debts.

His proposals have faced strong resistance from the Opposition which is being led by Rajapaksa who dubs Wickremesinghe's plans as a sell out of state assets to China.

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Three gangsters allegedly owing allegiance to the Suresh Pujari gang were arrested from Kurla last night by the Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) of Mumbai Police, an official said.

Raj Chauhan (25), Ali Abbas Khan (27) and Sudhakar Khristopriya (52) were allegedly involved in cases of extortion and firing outside a wine shop in Ulhasnagar and at a hotel in Nalasopara in adjoining Thane district a fortnight ago, said the official.

Acting on a specific information that the trio would be meeting at Kurla to exchange firearms and discuss further plans, the officials laid a trap and nabbed all of them, he said.

During the search police found one 7.65 bore pistol, two magazines, eight live cartridges, cell phones and Rs 2.5 lakh from them, said the official.

Police also seized two motorcycles used during firing at Ulhasnagar and Nalasopara, he said.

A cashier of the hotel was injured in Nalasopara firing incident, which took place on May 7, he said.

During interrogation it was revealed that the accused had come to Kurla to discuss the plan and to distribute the money, which they had received on behalf of Suresh Pujari, the official said.

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Several condolence programmes were organised here today to pay tributes to the victims of 2008 serial bomb blasts.

BJP state president Ashok Parnami, police commissioner and others paid floral tributes separately to the people killed in the terror attack.

Special prayers were also organised at Sanageri gate at Hanuman temple, where a blast had taken place.

Jaipur was rocked by serial bomb blasts in a span of 12 minutes on May 13, 2008, killing 70 people and injuring 150.

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President Donald Trump said today that he could name a new director by next week before he leaves on his first foreign trip since taking office.

"Even that is possible," he told reporters when asked whether he could announce his nominee by Friday, when he is scheduled to leave for the Mideast and Europe.

"I think the process is going to go quickly. Almost all of them are very well known," Trump said while flying to Lynchburg, Virginia, where he gave the commencement address at Liberty University.

"They've been vetted over their lifetime essentially, but very well known, highly respected, really talented people. And that's what we want for the FBI," he said.

According to media reports, the Trump administration is considering four candidates to replace fired Director James Comey. They are acting Director James McCabe, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, a former assistant attorney general Alice Fisher and Judge Michael J Garcia of the New York Court of Appeals.

The Trump administration is looking to fill the job, which requires Senate confirmation, after Trump abruptly fired FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday.
Two civilians were killed and three injured in heavy shelling by the Pakistan Army along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district today.

It is the third incident of ceasefire violation by Pakistan since May 10 and so far three persons have died and six have been injured.

Schools along the LoC in Rajouri were today shut for an indefinite period as a precautionary measure and steps have been taken to evacuate residents of border villages, officials said.

The Indian Army was retaliating "strongly and effectively", PRO Ministry of Defence (MoD), Jammu, Lt Col Manish Mehta said.

He said the Pakistani Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatic weapons and 82 mm and 120 mm mortars from 0715 hours along the LoC in Nowshera sector.

"Two persons have been killed and three others injured in the firing and shelling by Pakistani Army in Nowshera belt," Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Rajouri Shahid Iqbal Choudhary told PTI.

People have migrated to safer places from five hamlets near the LoC which have been targeted, the DC said.

Pakistani troops are targeting Jangarh, Bhawani, Laam belts, officials said.

All schools situated along the LoC in Rajouri district were closed on May 11 for two days after a woman was killed and two others including her husband were injured in Pakistani shelling on the intervening night of May 10-11.

"We have now closed the schools along the LoC in Rajouri district for an indefinite period," Choudhary said.

Schools have also been shut along the LoC in Balakote sector in Poonch and people have been asked not to move out in border areas.

A BSF man had also suffered minor injury when Pakistani Rangers yesterday violated the ceasefire along the International Border.

An evacuation plan has been activated for shifting over 1,500 people from various border hamlets to safer places.

The government had last month said that Pakistani security forces had violated the ceasefire 268 times in the last one year. Nine perons were killed in these incidents.

Replying to a question in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre had said that between April 2016 and March 2017, the maximum of 88 violations were witnessed in November 2016 followed by 78 in October 2016 and 22 in March this year.

The ceasefire between India and Pakistan came into force in November 2003.

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Police today arrested two smugglers along with an antique Shivalinga from Bariyarpur police station area of Bihar's Munger district.

Superintendent of Police Ashish Bharti said that the Shivalinga could be a few centuries old and would be worth around Rs 35 lakh.

The two were arrested from Kalyan Tola locality with the Shivalinga which was made of stone.

Both the smugglers were sent to jail.

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Two tribal infants died due to different reasons this week in Attappady here, one of the largest tribal settlements in Kerala, according to health department officials.

A four-day-old girl child, born to Rajan and Parvathi hailing from Sholayur, died of heart ailments.

She was declared brought dead at the government medical college in Thrissur, they added.

In another case, a three-day-old male child of Murugan and Vinooja died at Varagambady in the region.

She suffocated on the breast milk while her mother was nursing her, they said.

Though the baby boy was rushed to a hospital in Coimbatore, his life could not be saved, health officials here said.

However, health officials did not divulge the exact date of the deaths.

Attappady is one of the tribal settlements where large number of infant deaths have been reported in recent times.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says major trading partners "are much more comfortable" with the Trump administration's trade policies and understand US growth will benefit them.

Mnuchin spoke after face-to-face meetings with major trade partners such as Germany, Japan and Canada at the Group of Seven finance ministers' meeting in Bari, Italy.

Mnuchin said his meetings with finance leaders had led to better understanding of the US president's position that trade must be fair and balanced as well as open. He said they understand that "we don't want to be protectionist, but we reserve our right to be protectionist to the extent we believe trade is not free and fair."



The G-7 countries are: Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom; the European Union also attends the informal meetings.

Earlier, the finance officials warned that long-term growth could remain subdued and that steps need to be taken to make the global economy work for everyone.

They also called for a renewed common effort against cybercrime, a timely message in the wake of Friday's ransom ware attacks in dozens of countries.

The finance meeting paves the way for a meeting of national leader in Sicily May 26-26. The G7 countries are Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, the United States, and the United Kingdom; the European Union also attends the informal forum.

Italy, the host country for the informal forum this year, wanted the meeting to produce separate statements about fairer growth and fighting tax evasion.

Italian Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan said that today's morning session on cybercrime was "unfortunately very timely," an apparent reference to the wave of ransomware attacks reported yesterday in dozens of countries in which files were locked and money demanded to unlock them.

The gathering in a 13th-century seaside fortress in the southern Italian town of Bari is paving the way for a meeting of national leaders in Taormina, Sicily May 26-27.

The G-7 countries are Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, the United States and UK, with representatives of the European Union also attending.

The group's agreements, presented in the form of a final statement, aren't legally binding; instead they represent the leaders' political commitment to follow through.

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Defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad cruised into the Indian Premier League play-offs with an easy eight-wicket victory over Gujarat Lions riding on a throughly professional team performance.

After pacer Mohammed Siraz and Afghan leg-spinner Rashid Khan played a key role in dismissing Lions for a paltry 154 in 19.2 overs despite a century opening stand, skipper David Warner (69, 52 balls) and Vijay Shankar (63, 44 balls) anchored the chase to perfection with 11 balls to spare.

Sunrisers thus finished their league campaign with 17 points from 14 games.

Gujarat Lions' forgettable season after a questionable team composition for the better part of the tournament saw them finish the engagements at second last place with 8 points.

It was a 133-run third wicket stand between Warner and Tamil Nadu one-day captain Shankar that sealed the issue after Shikhar Dhawan (18) and Moises Henriques (4) were dismissed cheaply.

They never showed any urgency yet got their boundaries without ever letting the scoreboard pressure bother them. Warner hit nine boundaries while Shankar also smashed nine fours, matching his skipper stroke for stroke.

In fact, such was the ease that Sunrisers batsmen didn't hit a single six but the 23 boundaries were enough for their successful run chase.

Pradeep Sangwan was easy pickings for Shankar as the Sunrisers batsman hit him for some impressive pull shots whenever he pitched it short.

Leg spinner Ankit Soni (0/31 in 2.1 overs) -- one of the questionable selections this season -- was hammered whenever he pitched it short. Soni, who couldn't even make it to Mumbai U-23 squad, looked out of place throughout the tournament.

Fittingly, Warner disdainfully smashed him over his head to finish off the match.

Earlier, Siraz and Rashid Khan triggered a batting collapse to skittle out Gujarat Lions for 154 in 19.2 overs after a century plus opening stand between Ishan Kishan and Dwayne Smith.

Siraz (4/32 in 4 overs) and Rashid (3/34 in 4 overs) were brilliant in the back-10 as Lions were down in the dumps after a 111-run opening stand between Kishan (61 off 40 balls) and Smith (54 off 33 balls).

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/25) and Siddharth Kaul (1/30) polished off the tail.

But in a baffling collapse, Lions lost all 10 wickets for an addition 49 runs in the last 10 overs after a whopping 105 in the front 10.

Initially, it was Kishan, who was carting the bowlers all over the park, hitting five fours and four sixes in all. It wasn't the best innings but he was still managing to find the boundary.

Anything short on his pads was pulled imperiously. Smith on his part also hit a couple of sixes off Mohammed Nabi and Rashid Khan.

The opening stand raised visions of a big total but a Rashid flipper saw Smith wrapped on the pads going for a pull-shot only to be adjudged leg-before.

Kishan top-edged an ambitious pull-shot off a Siraz delivery only to be pouched by Naman Ojha.

It was the start of a baffling collapse with some atrocious shot selection from the likes of Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik. From 120 for 1, suddenly Lions slumped to 120 for 4 and Sunrisers took full use of the opportunity that they got.

The mini-slump turned out to be decisive as only Ravindra Jadeja (20 no, 14 balls), remained stranded on one end.

The now famous googly from Rashid accounted for Aaron Finch (2) while James Faulkner and Pradeep Sangwan were cleaned up by Siraz.

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A team of West Bengal police personnel continued their search for Justice C S Karnan for the fourth day today, but the Calcutta High Court judge still remained untraceable.

The search is continuing with the assistance of local police to comply with a Supreme Court order which sentenced the judge to six months imprisonment for contempt.

The visiting team, with the aid of local police, have already questioned several persons, including the kin of Justice Karnan to trace his whereabouts.

Police sources said: "We are providing all assistance needed by our West Bengal counterparts to execute the court order sentencing the judge."



However, the efforts of police to locate the judge have not fructified so far.

A seven-judge bench of the apex court had on May 9 held Karnan guilty of contempt of court and sentenced him to six months imprisonment.

Justice Karnan, who has been on the warpath with the Supreme Court for last several months, is the first sitting judge of a high court to be sentenced. He is due to retire next month.

Yesterday, the apex court had said a "conscious decision" was taken by seven of its judges to sentence justice Karnan to six months imprisonment by holding him guilty of contempt.

"The seven judges assembled to take a conscious decision," a bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar had said.

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Austrians celebrated today the 300th anniversary of the birth of Maria Theresa, with plenty of concerts and Champagne to honour the only woman to have ruled the Habsburg empire.

The empress's 40-year rule starting in 1740, marked by administrative and educational advances while she consolidated control of her territory, earned her a cherished reputation as the "mother of her peoples".

It was an image carefully maintained while in power, and one still evoked today by her imposing statue in Vienna, which was surrounded by a field of flowers on Saturday.

"Her various motherly aspects -- anxious, stern, kindly, affectionate, loving -- reinforced her position as monarch," the historian Anne-Sophie Banakas told AFP.

And she was the mother of 16 children including Marie- Antoinette, future wife of France's king Louis XVI and executed by guillotine following the French Revolution.

A full day of events were planned throughout the city's museums to mark Maria Theresa's birth on May 13, 1717, the high point in a year of exhibits, book releases and festivities across Austria.

Though she was just 23, pregnant and ill prepared to rule when ascending to the throne after her father's death, Maria Theresa quickly surrounded herself with loyal advisors and honed her political and diplomatic instincts.

Researchers have recently underscored less admirable traits -- including religious intolerance, a hostility to Enlightenment thinkers and a willingness to impose marriages on her children to consolidate the empire.

But the contradictions have hardly dented Austrians' affection for her display of "Feminine Power," as the French philosopher Elisabeth Badinter titled her book about the archduchess, being presented this week in Vienna.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Youth Congress activists today showed black flags to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis during his visit here to protest the state BJP president's controversial remarks against farmers.

Fadnavis was in Osmanabad in Marathwada region to inspect the work under Jalyukta Shivar Yojana, the state government's flagship water conversation programme, and various development works in the district.

When he arrived in Pardi village, Youth Congress workers assembled there waived black flags at the CM to protest the remarks of state BJP president Raosaheb Danve.

Danve reportedly said in Jalna earlier this week that the Fadnavis-led government had taken a slew of steps to tackle farm crisis, especially the row over procurement of tur dal, but farmers were still crying.

During their black flag demonstration, the Youth Congress workers also demanded waiver of farm loans taken by agriculturists.

Police resorted to cane charge to disperse the protesters, who were led by district Youth Congress president Umesh Raje Nimbalkar.

Nimbalkar and five other members of the Youth Congress were detained, a police official said.

Meanwhile, Opposition Congress slammed the BJP-led government over the police against against its workers.

In a statement in Mumbai, Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan said it reflected the "dictatorial attitude" of the Fadnavis government.

Chavan claimed the police in Jalna had put children of farmers in jail for protesting against Danve's comments. "This is undeclared emergency where the police force is used to quell a democratic protest."



"This is nothing but an attempt to silence those speaking against the BJP and its government," the former chief minister said.

Former minister and Congress MLA Madhukar Chavan also criticised the BJP-led government over the police action.

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The oil ministry on Friday warned citizens to be wary of fake websites on free-LPG scheme Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana saying they should not respond to advertisements for dealers being issued by such portals.

"Attention of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has been drawn to a number of fake websites which have come up recently in connection with the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana.

"It is to bring to the kind notice of general public that official website of PMJY is www.pmujjwalayojana.com," an official statement said.

This official website contains freely downloadable forms, both in English and Hindi, to be filled by the prospective beneficiaries for new LPG connection.

"It is also noticed that the entity with the name www.ujwalayojana.org has issued an advertisement regarding appointment of LPG distributorship under RGGLV Yojana.

"It is clarified that this entity is not authorised by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to appoint LPG distributorship. It is requested that general public should not respond to the advertisement or any other communication from this entity in any manner," it added.


The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch especially for the Logan River beginning at 9 p.m. and lasting until 12 noon on Saturday. Logan City Emergency Manager Brady Hansen said its important to prepare and also to keep family from recreating on or near the waters over the weekend.

There is a Flood Watch on the Logan River right now that could be increased to a Flood Warning depending on what the National Weather Service sees here in the next few hours, Hansen said. What were really asking people to do is take preparations to make sure that their property is protected. But more importantly, were really asking people to not recreate on the Logan River. Its really dangerous, its narrow, its fast, its cold right now.

Hansen said its also very important to keep an eye on small children and pets near any fast-moving water.

Weve had two river-related drownings already this year in the state of Utah. Both of those were on rivers that were flowing high like the Logan. Both those cases appear to be somebody going in after a pet, trying to retrieve a pet. So keep kids away from the river right now while its high and dangerous and keep your pets safe and secure so that they dont create those same kinds of problems, said Hansen.

The Weather Service says Flood Stage is 5.0 feet and the Logan River is expected to reach flood stage for a short period early Saturday morning. Damage could occur along the river in Logan Canyon, also the confluence between the Logan River and the Blacksmith Fork River will flood the housing development along State Route 89/91 near Logan. Those who would like sandbags and the latest flood information can go to a special city website <a href=http://flood.loganutah.org target=_blank>http://flood.loganutah.org</a>, or for sandbags call 435-716-9642 or 716-9643.
Nathan Millecam, the CEO of <a href=http://ep-sys.net/news/ target=_blank>Electric Power Systems</a> (EP Systems), said he is excited about announcing his companys plans to relocate in Logan, Utah to build a world-class energy storage system product line that makes the world safer, cleaner and more mobile. Millecam thanked both Logan City and the Governors Office of Economic Development for their work in bringing EP Systems to Cache Valley.

Logan City Economic Development Director Kirk Jensen said this is something the city has been hoping would happen. EP Systems plans to locate its operations near the airport, and the Logan-Cache Airport Advisory Board has already agreed to enter into a ground lease with the company.

Jensen said EP Systems will hire 128 employees, many of them engineers, who will earn well above average salaries.

Ive heard this directly from the College of Engineering before that there are a number of graduates that would love to stay and work in Cache Valley but many dont have that opportunity, Jensen said. This company will, once it sets up shop, hire a lot of engineers and create those opportunities.

Jensen said EP Systems is a natural fit for Northern Utah, which is known as a world-class industrial and research community.

You know, itll be a great thing for Logan to have a new company come in that will add one more piece to our technology business circuit that we already have in Logan and Cache County, Jensen said. Theyre already partnering with Utah State University on some projects that are mutually beneficial, so thats neat to see that collaboration.

Logan Mayor Craig Petersen called EP Systems a wonderful addition to the very diverse group of technology businesses in Logan and Cache County, also noting the engineering jobs being created will benefit new University graduates as well as those seeking to make their way back to Logan.
Brad Bartholomew from the Utah Division of Emergency Management explains the disaster recovery and reimbursement process for public officials at an applicant briefing in Brigham City on Thursday, May 11, 2017.

CACHE COUNTY/BOX ELDER COUNTY The <a href=https://dem.utah.gov/2017/04/21/news-release-president-signs-disaster-declaration-for-utah/>Utah Division of Emergency Management</a> (DEM) and the <a href=https://www.fema.gov/>Federal Emergency Management Agency</a> (FEMA) met with public officials in Cache and Box Elder counties on Thursday to address the public assistance available to municipalities and eligible nonprofit organizations as a result of regional flooding that took place February 7-27, 2017. The relief is available as the result of a <a href=https://dem.utah.gov/2017/04/21/news-release-president-signs-disaster-declaration-for-utah/>Disaster Declaration for Utah</a> signed by President Trump in April. The economic impact of the disaster has been calculated at $5,983,005, over 80 percent of which is damage to roads and culverts.

Joe Dougherty, the Utah DEMs public information officer, described the meetings, which took place in Brigham City and Logan, as the first step in helping applicants for assistance understand the disaster recovery process itself and the extensive documentation they will need to compile and then submit to the state and FEMA.

We want to help the local cities and the county understand that youre going to have to go through a long process, Dougherty explained, but then FEMA will be available to reimburse you for eligible expenses, which is amazing because FEMA reimburses up to 75 percent of your eligible costs.

Dougherty said the process is new to many who participated in the meetings because Utah has so few disasters compared to other states. While he recognizes that applying for FEMA assistance can be overwhelming and cumbersome, Dougherty said its for a good cause.

The reimbursement that comes for infrastructure assistance helps alleviate a huge burden from a city that wasnt planning to spend $100,000 on road projects this year, he said. That wasnt in the plan! And so an unexpected expenseits like this happens and you say, Look, theres someone whos going to help me out of this.

Jake Unguren, deputy state coordinating officer for this disaster, helped participating organizations get a head start yesterday by providing an overview of the <a href=https://sites.google.com/site/utahdisasterrecovery/disasterprocess>disaster declaration and recovery process</a>. His presentation addressed jurisdictional responsibility, damage assessments, how to request aid and other procedural nuances.

Unguren said any time a disaster occurs, the primary responsibility to respond to it, recover from it and mitigate its effects lies with local government. State and federal assistance, he said, is appropriate only when the effects of an emergency are beyond the ability of local resources to mitigate effectively.

All disasters are local first, and so cities and counties have the first responsibility for responding, Dougherty further explained. When they get overwhelmed, they can request aid from the state. And in the case of Box Elder County, at one point they needed 11,000 sandbags and so we bought them 11,000 sandbags and sent them up there. So in response time, thats what we do. We find resources. When we go into disaster recovery, the state is the main grantee of all reimbursements, and then we pass through the reimbursements to the affected cities and counties.

As municipal and county governments begin the collaboration process with Utah DEM and FEMA to recover from the February flooding, they will work closely with FEMA specialists assembled from a nationwide team based in Denver, Colorado. Working under a strict timeline, the collaborative teams will begin making site visits in the weeks ahead to develop project worksheets, and Unguren said mitigation experts in the state will be available for continued support even after the FEMA team leaves.

The thing to take away is that everyone here is here to help you navigate your way through all the ins and outs of this process, Unguren assured them. Were here to help you, and FEMA has committed a lot of resources to this disaster.

Will Lusk, Cache Countys emergency manager, said the meeting he attended was valuable because it allowed city and county leaders to ask the questions necessary to learn what to do from this point. On Friday, Lusk said the FEMA team was already setting up shop locally, becoming acquainted with Cache Valley as a whole as well as with the specific damage sites.

This has been a great opportunity to get a concept of what will need to take place moving forward, Lusk said. Now well know what to do to design projects that meet the lengthy list of requirements to qualify for the money to put toward recovery and mitigation.

While the general public wont be directly involved in the process, Dougherty said its important for the community to be aware of whats happening.

The main thing that people need to know is that this is a great time when you see the federal, state and local government working in a partnership, he explained. Were trying to make sure that the local government gets every cent that theyre eligible for, and thats a huge thing for them. The rest of the American people are coming to the aid of your local government because otherwise, government would be forced to raise taxes to cover all of these expenses that were not expected. This is a process to help your government be made whole again.

Dougherty said any municipalities in Box Elder and Cache counties that experienced damage from the February flooding event are eligible to apply for FEMA aid and should contact their county emergency manager by May 21, if theyd like to start working through the process. The municipalities and organizations who attended Thursdays meetings included Clarkston, Lewiston, Logan, Nibley, North Logan, Cache County, the Lewiston Drainage District, Brigham City, Garland, Honeyville, Portage, Snowville, Tremonton and Box Elder County.

<hr />

jennifer@cvradio.com
| BY Ricki Green |

How will Australia perform at Cannes this year? In the lead up to the Festival, Campaign Brief will be showcasing the work we hope will impress the judges

Y&R Melbourne

To remind Australians to send internationally with Australia Post, we targeted expats who miss home and got them to do our advertising for us. By listening out for them on social media, we surprised them with a box full of Aussie goodies on Australia Day.

Y&R Melbourne

To encourage the top 1% of high school leavers to accept their university scholarship offer, Monash did more than send them a letter. They renamed their university after them.

Y&R Melbourne

This digital game of fetch for bored commuters allowed people to form a bond with a shelter dog that lasted long after they got home.

Monash University: Puzzling Posters

Y&R Melbourne
The cash splash was described by justice minister Michael Keenan as the "largest single domestic policing funding boost in a decade". It is more than double the $153.6 million the AFP and the Australian Crime Commission received in last year's budget, to be rolled out over five years, to boost security arrangements.
I got in a bad motorcycle wreck and ended up in Oak Knoll Naval Hospital. The Docs put me on drip that had morphine in it which made me feel good. One day later here come the Docs wanting to cut open my knee which swelled up bigger than a grapefruit but the knee skin was unbroken and I said no Sir which pissed off the Docs who told the nurse to take away my morphine expecting that to change my mind but only strengthened my resolve. The Docs then ordered me to clean the hospital floor thinking that would change my mind. I cleaned the hospital floor in great pain using crutches. I had more injuries than that but it is mind over matter, if you don't mind it don't matter.
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 ...
Iran continues to make critical technological strides in its efforts to perfect an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of delivering nuclear weapons over great distances, efforts that violate international prohibitions, according to the director of national intelligence, who informed Congress this week that the Islamic Republic "would choose ballistic missiles as its preferred method of delivering nuclear weapons."



The disclosure comes just days after Iranian leaders announced the upcoming launch of two new domestically produced satellites. Iran has long used its space program as cover for illicit missile work, as the know-how needed to launch such equipment can be applied to long-range ballistic missile technology.



Daniel Coats, America's top spymaster, informed Congress this week in an intelligence briefing that Iran's ballistic missile work continues unimpeded and could be used by the Islamic Republic to launch a nuclear weapon, according to unclassified testimony.



Iran's ballistic missile work, particularly its focus on ICBMs, runs counter to United Nations resolutions barring such activity, though it remains unclear if the Trump administration plans to pursue new sanctions on Iran.



Iran continues to perform key research and development on nuclear missile capabilities despite the landmark nuclear agreement with Western powers, according to the last U.S. intelligence assessments.



"Iran is pursuing capabilities to meet its nuclear energy and technology goals and to give it the capability to build missile-deliverable nuclear weapons, if it chooses to do so" Coats wrote in his written testimony to the Senate intelligence committee.



...



Iran also is pursuing a massive buildup of its military, which observers have described as unprecedented.



The U.S. intelligence community has confirmed that Iran is developing "a range of new military capabilities to monitor and target U.S. and allied military assets in the region, including armed UAVs [drones], ballistic missiles, advanced naval mines, unmanned explosive boats, submarines and advanced torpedoes, and anti-ship and land-attack cruise missiles," according to Coats.




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CORVALLIS  Valeria Davila takes a yellowed newspaper article out of a manila folder, carefully unfolds it and spreads it out face-down on a flatbed scanner in the archives department of Oregon State University's Valley Library.

It's from the Feb. 16, 1930, edition of the Los Angeles Times, a full-page photo spread that shows close-up images of a mountain lion and her cubs in the wild.

The pictures were taken by William L. Finley, a pioneering wildlife photographer from Oregon whose work with early collaborator Herman T. Bohlman and later with wife Irene Finley helped popularize the cause of conservation in the early part of the 20th century. Their efforts also called attention to the ravages of plume hunters on wild bird populations and spurred President Theodore Roosevelt to create wildlife refuges at Three Arch Rocks, Malheur Lake and Klamath Lake in Oregon.

"For a photographer to make those kinds of things happen is very important," said Davila, an Argentine film studies major doing graduate work at OSU. "And also they are very good images. Photographically speaking, I love them."

Davila is part of a team of 10 people at OSU and the Oregon Historical Society working together to scan more than 6,000 photographs and 8,600 pages of documents.

When the project is finished at the end of June, it will produce a single digital collection that combines OSU's holdings  500 of Bohlman's photographs and a treasure trove of newspaper clippings, lecture programs and other ephemera discovered in the attic of the Finleys' Portland-area home  with the Oregon Historical Society's extensive selection of Finley's wildlife photos. It will also include some of the short nature films that Finley produced in collaboration with his wife.

"We call these split collections in the archives world, and for a couple of years now we've been thinking that with digital technology we could bring these collections back together," said Larry Landis, director of OSU Libraries' Special Collections and Archives Research Center. The original materials will stay with the repositories that own them, but the end result will be available on the project website.

The digitizing process involves more than simply scanning images and documents; each one must also be tagged with keywords and other metadata to make the entire collection computer-searchable.

Scannings easy, Landis said. But if you dont have the metadata, its hard to find anything online.

Combining the holdings of both institutions in a single database will be a boon to researchers, Oregon Historical Society archives specialist Laura Cray believes.

Researchers who have been using these collections have been having to go back and forth between OHS in Portland and OSU in Corvallis because a lot of the material that explains the photographs at OHS is in the OSU Library archives, she said.

That can be especially important for scholars studying the early work of Finley and Bohlman, who teamed up on a number of photography expeditions from 1900 to 1908 and shared the heavy labor of hauling cumbersome box cameras and heavy glass plates to nearly inaccessible bird colonies in marshes, on seastacks and in the tops of trees. Its not always clear who tripped the shutter on a particular photograph.

The provenance on a lot of those is kind of mixed, Cray said. It was definitely a collaborative effort.

The collaboration essentially ended in 1908, as the newly married Bohlman became engrossed in his home life and his familys plumbing business. So Finley began a new professional partnership with his wife, Irene. After their marriage in 1906, the couple worked together for 30-plus years on photography projects, nature books and a series of short wildlife films, which they showed to eager audiences on tours of the United States and Europe. Both Finleys wrote numerous articles on natural history, and William was in wide demand as a lecturer on the subject.

Individually and collectively, all three made important contributions to the cause of wildlife protection.

As far as conservation in the state of Oregon, they really were at the forefront of people talking about those issues, Cray said. They helped make issues like plume hunting relevant to people in Portland and elsewhere by showing the true cost of things like that hat with the ridiculous egret plume in it.

Their photographs  widely reproduced in newspapers and magazines  not only documented the rich diversity of bird and animal life in the Wests remaining wild spaces, but they also captured the popular imagination by chronicling the exploits of the photographers themselves.

They brought people along on their adventures, Cray said.

William Finley, in particular, was a well-known public figure in his time, but today he is rarely remembered except perhaps as the namesake of a 5,600-acre wildlife refuge a few miles south of Corvallis. By making Finleys work (and that of his collaborators) widely accessible in online form, Landis is hoping the digitization project will remind people of his important conservation legacy.

Finley gained national prominence as a wildlife conservationist. Hes one of those people who Oregonians today have heard of, but they dont know his backstory, Landis said.

Hopefully, this will help change that.
Back in 1999, Renault bought Dacia, and 13 years later, they broke into the UK market with a bunch of really affordable vehicles.



One of them is Europes cheapest car, the Sandero, which can be had from just 5,995 ($7,755), and for the money, customers wont get any sunroof, air conditioning or a stereo, and they will have to forget about central locking and electric windows as well.

If your expectations are very low, then the interior of the five-door hatchback can seem quite welcoming, and despite being as basic as they come, it does get a couple of front and seat-mounted airbags, which should keep the occupants safe, in the event of a crash.

Fifth Gears Jonny Smith chose to review the entry-level Dacia Sandero by taking it on a 1,000km (621 miles) road trip, from Calais to Courchevel, one of Europes most exclusive ski resorts, in the French Alps. This is where he had a hard time deciding on whether its wise to blow 6,000 ($7,762) a night on a very luxurious hotel room, or go ahead and buy the Romanian-built car.

VIDEO
Imagine cruising the streets and seeing a Dodge Challenger SRT Demon police cruiser flashing its lights in your rearview mirror; what would you do?



Well, nothing actually, because it is not real, as the black and grey police outfit, special decals, red and blue emergency lights, and front bull bar, among others, have been added by Aksyonov Nikita.

The digital renders do look impressive, specially when knowing that theres much more than meets the eye with the most extreme version of FCAs muscle car, which features numerous enhancements that which work together to make it an absolute beast on the drag strip.

And the most impressive upgrade lies under the hood  the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine, which was massaged to deliver 840 horses, or 133hp more than the stock Challenger SRT Hellcat. This allows the Demon to accelerate from naught to 60mph (96km/h) in a mind-blowing 2.3 seconds, and complete a quarter-mile in 9.65 seconds, at 140mph (225km/h).

Dodge will start assembling the 3,300 units of the Challenger SRT Demon this summer, with 10 percent of the production being reserved for Canada, and the rest coming to the States. Pricing will start at just under $100,000, as we recently learned.

PHOTO GALLERY
Honda Australia has revealed the limited-run Civic Orange Edition to celebrate the launch of the new Civic hatchback down under.



Only 100 examples of the Civic Orange Edition will be offered to customers of the Civic VTi, VTI-S, VTi-L and VTi-LX. As the name implies, the car is differentiated from the standard hatchback due to the orange front splitter, orange side skirts and livery and orange rear diffuser. Additionally, the Orange Edition comes standard with a set of black 17-inch wheels.

Local customers will be hit with a $2,998 premium to order the kit.

If orange isnt to your taste, Hondas Australian arm is also offering the Black Pack for all 10th-generation Civic hatch models, excluding the RS. Also priced at $2,998, it includes all the same parts as the Orange Edition except theyre painted black, obviously.

PHOTO GALLERY
This wonderfully aggressive 991.2 Stinger GTR hails all the way from New Zealand, where it will probably never, ever go unnoticed.



The Russian tuner says that the car is 90% ready and indeed it does appear to be missing a few badges and markings on the exterior. Speaking of which, this being the Stinger GTR Gen.2 package, it adds multiple carbon fiber bits, such as a new hood, front & rear bumpers, side skirts and air intakes on the side wings.

All the components are made from vacuum-formed carbon fiber in order to save weight, though if thats not enough, customers can also let TopCar upgrade the brakes, exhaust system as well as engine output.

The largest power output currently available courtesy of TopCar is 750 horses, which should make your Gen.2 Stinger GTR considerably quicker than any stock Turbo S.

Aesthetically though, if we would be allowed to add anything extra on this yellow model, it would be carbon fiber mirror covers in order to better round out the black & yellow theme.
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 FORD F350

DATE: May 6, 2017

RCMP FILE: 2017-22732

A truck similar to this was stolen between 11:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m from a Morningside Drive property in Glenrosa on May 5th. The truck is a 2005 Ford F350 crew cab with BC plate number EP2947 and VIN 1FTWW31P05EC85900. Its black with painted red flames on the bottom of the doors and the box held an engine covered by a blue tarp.

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  HOME CLEANOUT

DATE: May 7, 2017

RCMP FILE: 2017-23115

Thieves took advantage of an absentee homeowner on the 3000 block of Fenton Road in Glenrosa who arrived home after being away for two weeks to discover the home had been emptied of everything from a hairdryer to the fridge. In the two weeks previous to May 7th the thieves made several trips from the house taking, among other things:

2107 Polaris RZR EPS XP 1000 ATV (VIN 4XAVDE99XHB682658)

Two brown Natuzzi leather couches

Samsung fridge (36width)

Brigade commercial gas range (model CRVGR33015BSS)

65 Haier TV

Coffee table and end tables, nightstands, 9 bar stools

Giant Mountain bike (Anthem)

15 cases of wine, 25-30 bottles of alcohol

Arai brand motorcycle helmets

If you have any knowledge of this theft, please contact Crime Stoppers anonymously or West Kelowna RCMP.

Photo: Contributed

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.
Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer Open house for a good cause

The South Okanagan Similkameen SPCA annual open house is taking place on Saturday.

The spring fundraiser will include a plant sale, barbeque, flea market and bake sale hosted at the branch at 2200 Dartmouth Drive.

"We have some beautiful plants from a local greenhouse that has been donated to us that will help us raise funds for abused, abandoned and unwanted animals," said Carolyn Hawkins, the branch manager.

Each year the fundraiser helps hundreds of animals find new homes. The event runs from 12 to 4 p.m.
Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer CRA scam warning

South Okanagan residents are reporting getting calls from people claiming to be the Canada Revenue Agency in recent days, from a person identifying himself as Officer Ryan Smith and alerting them to an issue with their taxes.

The Penticton RCMP has issued several warnings on these types of scams in the past.

In February, the Summerland RCMP received an increased number of calls related to such scams.

Penticton RCMP Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth advised Friday that the CRA will never call you, and you should never give personal information out over the phone.
May 13, 1931  May 7, 2017

Herbert (Herb) M. Works, Jr., closed his eyes on Sunday, May 7, and went home to his Father, seven days short of his 86th birthday.

He was born on May 13, 1931, to Herbert M. Works, Sr. and Josephine J. Works in Hanford, California.

After graduation from Hanford Union High School, he earned a degree in small business management from College of the Sequoias and went to work with his father in the Hanford Hardware Store, where he had played as a boy and worked as a teenager.

In June of 1952 he married Marilynn V. Smith, also of Hanford, and remained happily married almost 65 years.

He spent May 1953-May 1955 in the Navy as a Yeoman Seaman, afterward returning to Hanford and the hardware store.

In September 1958 Herb, his wife, and two daughters moved to Eugene, where a third daughter was born.

A man of intellect, faith, and love, Herb attended Northwest Christian College, earning a Bachelor of Theology degree. A Masters degree in history from the University of Oregon followed, and later a Doctor of Missiology from Fuller Theological Seminary. He was ordained to the Christian ministry in 1960.

He held pastorates in the Irving Christian Church in Eugene, and in the Harrisburg Christian Church in Harrisburg.

He went on to teach 17 years at Northwest Christian College and was 15 years a missionary recruiter and field consultant for Christian Missionary Fellowship, Indianapolis, Indiana.

After retirement, he and his wife taught three years in a Christian college in Birmingham, England, as missionaries. They moved back to Indianapolis for retirement and in 2015 returned to Oregon, living in Corvallis.

Herb is survived by his wife, Marilynn, and daughters Laura (Ken Bush), Colleen, and Beth; grandchildren Kalan Guiley, Stephanie Bush, Andrew Bush, Micaela Works, Felicia Adamson, Summer Adamson, and Samuel Adamson; and three great grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life will be at 2:30 p.m. on May 21, 2017, at McHenry Funeral Home in Corvallis.

Further Celebrations of Life will be held at Hazel Dell Christian Church in Carmel, Indiana, and at Hanford Christian Church in Hanford, California, where Herb will be interred.

Memorial gifts can be directed to Grace Center Adult Day Services in Corvallis, Christian Missionary Fellowship in Indianapolis, Indiana, or an Alzheimers organization.
Photo: Contributed

The British Columbia Conservative Party plans to have a full slate of candidates in place for the next provincial election, which could happen in 2019.

The party will be holding meetings in May and June across the North Okanagan to rebuild its grassroots organizations in preparation for the next election.

"If the results of the recent election hold through recounts and absentee ballot counts, there will very probably be another election within the next two years," said Scott Anderson, referencing the possibility of a minority government. The BC Conservatives intend to be ready with a full slate of candidates when that happens."

Anderson said the party has been directing most of its energy at building our internal infrastructure and paying off debts.

"As a party, we are now stronger than ever and ready to start reaching out to the thousands of voters who were unable to vote Conservative in May, 2017, he said,

The BC Conservatives ran 56 candidates in 2013, and 10 candidates in 2017.

The party intends to run a full slate in the next election.
Photo: CTV Crashed single-engine aircraft at Victoria Airport.

Three people walked away from a small plane crash at Victoria Airport, Friday.

The three occupants were unharmed when the plane's landing gear collapsed.

The single-engine Mooney took off from Tofino and was bound for Chilliwack when it requested an emergency landing.

The incident shut down the airports main runway.

 with files from CTV Vancouver Island
Photo: CTV/Chopper 9

Overnight rain caused substantial flooding in Merritt.

Mayor Neil Menard said the Nicola River breached its bank and caused heavy flooding along two streets.

"It's pretty serious," Menard said Friday. "We've been supplying sand and bags at our civic centre. It's been going steady and is pretty hard to keep up with things. What can I say, it's a disaster."

Menard said city and fire crews are doing their best to keep the area as safe as possible, with residents also sandbagging throughout Friday morning.

The River Forecast Centre posted flood watches on waterways from the Boundary region all the way north to the Central Interior, Thompson and Shuswap.

Flood watches have also been posted for the Bulkley River in northwestern B.C., and for waterways through the northeastern corner of the province.

Storms packing as much as 60 millimetres of rain are expected over the northwest while Environment Canada said 90 millimetres of rain is forecast in the Peace and Fort Nelson regions, followed by as much as 15 millimetres on Saturday.
Photo: Jerry Mason Crews in Lumby are working on large berm along both sides of Duteau Creek.

Officials in Lumby are hopeful they have prevented any future flooding in the North Okanagan community with the construction of a massive berm.

For the past few days, crews have been working feverishly to build the berm along both sides of Duteau Creek, right through the entire town.

Melanie Weznoski, with the Village of Lumby, said more than 30 dump trucks and other heavy equipment have been working on the berm that is almost five metres wide at the base and close to three metres wide at the top.

Duteau Creek spilled its banks earlier this week, forcing the evacuation of 24 people, and putting another 80 on evacuation alert.

But with a predicted storm failing to materialize Thursday night, crews have had a chance to get ahead of the flood waters.

But officials are still keeping a close eye on the weather.

It's doing some pretty good raining up in the mountains right now and that's a bit of a concern, said Weznoski Friday afternoon, adding that rain water will eventually end up in the valley.

However, with the berm in place, officials believe they have the matter well in hand.

We are very confident at this point in time, said Weznoski. Unless we have a severe weather event, we have very little to worry about.

However, while the berm is preventing flood concerns, Weznoski said there are concerns about people going on the berm, parts of which cuts through private property.

We really need people to stay away from the creeks, off the berm and away from the work that is going on, she said.
Photo: pixabay

UPDATE: SAT 2:44 p.m.

Forty-six adult cats and 13 kittens were removed from a camper and trailer in Chase on Thursday, according to senior animal protection officer Kathy Woodward.

Woodward who was at the scene said the animals were without food and water, there was urine all over the place and inadequate ventilation.

"It was heartbreaking to see because there were signs of illness and injury with the cats and also several were very pregnant," she said.

The seizure was the result of an ongoing investigation, and the BC SPCA is proceeding with charges against the animal owner.

Castanet will provide more details as they become available.

ORIGINAL: FRI 4:30 p.m.

Details are sparse, but dozens of felines were rescued in the Chase area on Thursday, according to the BC SPCA.

Shawn Eccles, senior manager of cruelty investigations, confirmed Friday that they executed a search warrant and seized 48 adult cats and 12 kittens.

The cats are being housed in an undisclosed location while they are cared for and tested for disease.

Eccles was unable to provide any more information at this point, but said the SPCA would likely issue a media release in the near future.

Castanet will provide more updates on the situation as they become available.
Photo: Jon Manchester

Free water is available for West Kelowna and Westbank First Nation residents while the communities remain under water quality advisories.

The water is available at a bulk filling station at Shannon Lake and Asquith Roads. The water is treated at the Powers Creek treatment plant, which uses filtration, UV radiation and chlorination.

West Kelowna council directed staff to refit the station to allow access to free water given current advisories affecting the Pritchard and Sunnyside systems in the city and Tsinstikeptum 9 system on WFN lands. The three systems have been experiencing above normal turbidity, due to rapid seasonal runoff.

Users need to bring their own containers and hoses, if needed, and ensure they are clean and suitable for potable water.

The free access is granted for the duration of the current water quality advisories.
Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer High water flow under bridge

The Penticton Indian Band Emergency Response Team is recommending that people using the path along the channel not use the walkway under the Satikw Crossing, Skaha Lake Road and Channel Parkway bridges.

High water flow has made it unsafe, according to Dawn Russell, PIB communications coordinator.

"We don't want people using the walkway because we can't see what is underneath the water," she said. "We just want people to be safe."

The PIB will continue to reassess and keep people informed regarding the situation.
Photo: Contributed U-Haul is offering free 30-day storage for Kelowna flood victims.

A break for flood victims in the Kelowna area.

U-Haul is offering 30-days of free storage for those in the region who have been, or will be, affected by recent floods.

In a news release Friday afternoon, the company acknowledges the city has taken on a significant amount of water, adding Mayor Colin Basran has warned residents to take precautions as water levels rise.

There are still hundreds of people displaced from their homes from last weeks flooding, U-Haul Company of British Columbia president Horace Martin said.

U-Haul strives to be a strong community member. When our neighbors need assistance, we will be there.

Families seeking more information about the 30 days of free U-Box container assistance or needing to make self-storage arrangements should contact:

U-Haul Moving & Storage at Orchard Park, 2076 Enterprise Way. (250) 762-8306.

U-Haul Moving & Storage at Orchard Park may also direct flood victims to the nearest participating U-Haul neighborhood dealer location for their U-Box containers.
Photo: Joel Rickard

A number of evacuation alerts and evacuation orders have been rescinded.

The evacuation alert for 439 residents in the Scotty Creek subdivision in the Ellison area of the Regional District has been rescinded.

Residents no longer on order or alert are reminded to keep sandbags in place until the flood watch event has fully ended, and to be prepared for the situation to change quickly as conditions and weather patterns unfold.

The 439 properties in the Scotty Creek subdivision now no longer on evacuation alert include the following streets and addresses:

Arvid Court

4700 to 4900 Bulman Road

Chatham Road

Daryl Road

Esquire Road

3235 Lakha Road

Marion Road

Norwood Road

3231 through 3811 on Old Vernon Road

Parkdale Crescent

Parkdale Road

4500 Block to 5100 Block on Scotty Creek Road

3340 Scotty Creek Road

Seratoga Road

Weston Road

The evacuation order is now also rescinded for homes in Kelowna, including properties at:

3897 Casorso Road

1237 Pacific Avenue

2002 Ethel Street

1118 Brookside Avenue

1902 Lindahl Street

Earlier Friday, evacuation orders were also rescinded for two Marshall Street addresses in Kelowna.

1824 Marshall Street

1826 Marshall Street

1966 Richter Street

Residents are asked to keep in mind the Central Okanagan is not out of the woods yet and the message to stay prepared remains as important as ever. Get tips at www.getprepared.ca.

To view the most up to date information, go to www.cordemergency.ca and view maps.
Photo: CTV

New legislation introduced by the federal government will bar most oil tankers from operating along the coast of northern British Columbia.

It will ban tankers carrying crude oil and so-called persistent oils from stopping, loading or unloading at any ports or marine installations from the northern tip of Vancouver Island all the way to the B.C.-Alaska border, including Haida Gwaii.

The legislation fulfills an election pledge made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and included in Transport Minister Marc Garneau's mandate letter in November 2015.

Some groups, weary of waiting for Trudeau to make good on his promise, became concerned when the ban wasn't originally included in the $1.5-billion Oceans Protection Plan unveiled in early November 2016.

A few weeks later, however, he reiterated the promise at the same time as he announced the Liberal government was rejecting an application for the Northern Gateway pipeline in B.C., saying the legislation would be introduced in the spring.

Garneau had the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act tabled Friday in the House of Commons.

Tankers carrying less than 12,500 metric tonnes of oil are exempt from the proposed law, to ensure northern communities can continue to receive shipments of necessary fuels. Maximum penalties for defying the ban are as high as $5 million.

There is a voluntary ban already that keeps most big tankers out of the area, and the legislation will formalize that process, once passed.

One indigenous resource development group behind an energy corridor proposal in B.C. and Alberta accused the government of imposing a blanket ban against the wishes and interests of First Nations.

Eagle Spirit Energy group says the government has no business telling it what it can do in its territories and that the decision to enact legislation will harm indigenous economic development.
Photo: Contributed The Fraser Institutes annual B.C. secondary school rankings was released Saturday.

The Fraser Institutes annual B.C. secondary school rankings was released Saturday and while some schools passed with flying colours, others failed to make the grade.

The institute found a greater number of secondary schools in British Columbia have experienced declines in performance than have improved over the past four years.

In the Okanagan, Charles Bloom Secondary School in Lumby had the biggest decline dropping from 6.4 out of 10 in 2012 to 3.2 in 2016.

Our annual report card reveals how schools perform year over year, so parents can quickly see if there are problems that must be corrected, said Peter Cowley, director of school performance studies at the Fraser Institute.

The Report Card on British Columbias Secondary Schools, 2017 ranks 293 public and independent secondary schools based on seven academic indicators using student results from annual province-wide exams, grade-to-grade transition rates and graduation rates.

While this years report card shows 27 schools have improved their overall rating over the past four years, a greater number of schools  33  have declining ratings over the same period.

OKM in Kelowna was ranked 25th overall for secondary schools with a ranking of 8.2. Aberdeen Hall, placed 28th with a ranking of 8.1.

Kelowna Christian School placed 30th with an 8.0 rating, while Summerland Secondary was 58th with a 6.6; Heritage Christian school ranked 67th with a 7.6 rating and Kelowna Secondary school and Princess Margaret in Penticton each came in at 71 with a ranting of 7.1.

The highest ranked school in the North Okangan was Kalamalka Secondary in 101st place with a rating of 6.7.

Pen High also placed at 101 with a 6.7 rating.

Parents with children at schools with declining results or consistent low performance should ask the principal to explain the schools plan to turn those poor results into greater student success, Cowley said.

And principals at these schools would do well to consult with their colleagues at improving schools and learn how they accomplished their turnarounds.

A full list of schools and their rankings can be found online.
Photo: Contributed Students are being asked to help design banners that will be placed on Cliff Avenue in Enderby.

Students in Enderby and on the Splatsin First Nation are being asked to show their artistic side.

A grant through the Canada 150 Fund will see the installation of 22 new heritage-style banners throughout Enderby and students from MV Beattie Elementary School, Shihiya School, and A.L. Fortune Secondary School are being invited to submit designs that a graphic designer will use as inspiration to develop a preferred design and layout for the banners.

The banners will celebrate and promote Enderby's heritage, its place in Canadian history and its relationship with the neighbouring Splatsin.

The heritage-style banners will be installed tin the community's commercial area including Cliff Avenue, Vernon Street and George Street.

All students who submit a design will be entered into a draw for one of two $50 gift certificates to a local Enderby business of their choosing.

"We are excited to get our youth involved in helping to develop a design for the banners that celebrates what Enderby is all about," said Mayor Greg McCune

"A graphic designer will use the design submissions from the students as inspiration in developing a series of banner design options. We will then present these banner design options back to the community and let our residents tell us which one they would like to see us go with. It should be a lot of fun."
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With the James Beard Foundation's 25th annual awards taking place in Chicago this year, a number of locals could find themselves standing on the stage of the Civic Opera House this May.

As has been tradition the last few years, the Beard Foundation released on Wednesday a "long list" of semifinalists. From these names (generally 20-25 per category), five will emerge as finalists when nominees are announced March 24. The chef/restaurant awards will take place May 4 in Chicago, while the journalism/broadcast/book awards remain in New York and will be held April 24.

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(Disclosure: I am a voting member of the James Beard Foundation Awards.)

Of greatest local note will be the best chef, Great Lakes category, an award that recognizes chefs in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. Chicagoans historically represent the bulk of names (winners in 2014 and 2013 were Dave Beran and Stephanie Izard, respectively). This year, 10 semifinalists have local ties: Abraham Conlon of Fat Rice, Curtis Duffy of Grace, Paul Fehribach of Big Jones, Phillip Foss of EL Ideas, Brian Huston of Boltwood, Thomas Lents of Sixteen, Ryan McCaskey of Acadia, Paul Virant of Vie, Erling Wu-Bower of Nico Osteria and Andrew Zimmerman of Sepia.

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Two Chicago restaurants are semifinalists for best new restaurant: 42 grams, the Uptown restaurant that earned two Michelin stars its first year, and the Korean-inspired Parachute from husband-and-wife chefs Johnny Clark and Beverly Kim.

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Chicagoans will try to make it two in a row in the rising star chef category, honoring cooks under 30 (the Purple Pig's Jimmy Bannos Jr. was a winner last year)  Tanya Baker of The Boarding House and Christopher Teixeira from Homestead on the Roof are long-listed.

A new category for 2015 is outstanding baker, and two have local ties: Judy Contino of Lakeview's Bittersweet, plus Dave and Megan Miller of Baker Miller Bakery & Millhouse in Lincoln Square.

In outstanding service, North Pond and Topolobampo are long-listed. Donnie Madia of One Off Hospitality is a semifinalist for outstanding restaurateur alongside Boka Group's Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz. For outstanding pastry chef, Dana Cree of Blackbird  a final five finalist last year  returns to the list of semifinalists with fellow One Off colleague Amanda Rockman of Nico Osteria.

Then there are the perennial nominees that show up on the early list of semifinalists: Naha and Brindille's Carrie Nahabedian for outstanding chef, a national award that Paul Kahan won two years ago. Spiaggia, newly remodeled for its 30th year, is a semifinalist for outstanding restaurant.

In the beverage categories: The Violet Hour, once again, is a semifinalist for outstanding bar Program. Sepia is on the list for outstanding wine program. For outstanding wine, bar or spirits professional, the Floyds of Munster's Three Floyds Brewery  Mike, Nick, Simon  are long-listed, along with Crafthouse's Charles Joly, most recently of The Aviary.

The full list of semifinalists from around the country can be found here.

kpang@tribpub.com

Twitter @pang
It's hard to think of any dessert  especially in the fall and winter months  that isn't well-served by a good shot of bourbon.

Caramel sauce? Naturally. Cakes and pies? For sure. Candies? Yep. Ice cream? Definitely. Bread pudding? You betcha.

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Sure, other spirits can be incorporated into desserts here and there. But none is as well-suited at dinner's end as earthy, warming, soul-satisfying bourbon.

"It can be sweet on its own, but also a little spicy or nutty," says Allison Scott, sous-chef at Sunday Dinner Club in Chicago. "It cuts through sweetness. It has that kind of warming quality too. It evokes mulling spices and Christmas."

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Scott has served a bourbon caramel upside-down cake with pears at Sunday Dinner Club events and has won raves with her bourbon brown butter pecan ice cream.

You can find bourbon desserts on menus around the country, from the wildly popular Secret Breakfast ice cream at Humphry Slocombe in San Francisco (with bourbon and a corn-flake crumble) to bourbon balls at the Woodford Reserve tasting room in Versailles, Ky., to the mammoth bourbon bread pudding at Hillbilly Tea in Louisville, Ky.

Lynn Marie Hulsman, author of "Bourbon Desserts" (University Press of Kentucky, $19.95), recommends subbing bourbon in dessert recipes where you'd normally add vanilla or almond extract.

"It pairs well with cinnamon because of the warmth," Hulsman says. "I really like it with caramel  Pumpkin and bourbon  Bourbon and apples go really well together. The sweetness of the apples counterbalances the spiciness of the bourbon."

You'll want to use caution, of course, when serving bourbon desserts to children, or those who do not or cannot consume alcohol. There's no way to guarantee that all alcohol has cooked out of a dish.

As in all types of cooking with wine, beer or spirits, cook with something you'd drink. Hulsman prefers Maker's Mark  it was her family's bourbon of choice growing up in Kentucky. Scott leans toward locally made bourbons as well as Woodford Reserve. Phillip Foss, chef/owner of Chicago's EL Ideas, likes Bulleit or Buffalo Trace for cooking.

"Quality goes in, quality goes out," Foss says.

At EL Ideas, Foss has served pecan pie with bourbon balls, as well as a bourbon caramel sauce. He's currently featuring a bourbon cake with the cheese course.

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"Bourbon has a spiciness to it that it gets mostly from the barrel-aging process," Foss says. "It can be smoky, spicy, all kinds of different things."

foods@tribune.com

Bourbon brown butter pecan ice cream

Prep: 30 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Chill: 4 hours, plus freezing time

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Makes: about 1 quart

From Allison Scott of Sunday Dinner Club

1/4 pound unsalted butter

3/4 cup pecans, chopped

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 cups heavy cream

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1 1/2 cups half and half

9 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)

3 tablespoons good bourbon

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1 Heat the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Toast the pecans, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove them from the butter with a slotted spoon. Continue cooking the butter, stirring continuously, until the milk solids turn golden brown, about 2 more minutes.

2 Pour the browned butter immediately into a medium bowl, taking care to scrape all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Whisk the brown sugar into the browned butter; let cool slightly.

3 In a medium saucepan, heat the cream and half and half just to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and salt into the cooled brown sugar mixture.

4 Slowly temper the hot cream mixture into yolks by pouring a little in at a time, whisking continuously, so that the eggs don't curdle. Pour the custard back into the saucepan; cook over very low heat, stirring continuously, until it coats the back of a spoon (180 degrees Fahrenheit). Do not let it boil. Strain the mixture into a bowl placed over an ice bath.

5 Stir occasionally until mixture cools to room temperature. Whisk in buttermilk, vanilla bean paste and bourbon. Taste, and if you like, season with more bourbon (up to 1/4 cup total so it will still freeze) and salt.

6 Refrigerate custard for at least 4 hours, then freeze according to the instructions on your ice cream maker. Stir in the reserved pecans toward the end of the churning.

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Nutrition information per 1/2 cup serving: 588 calories, 52 g fat, 27 g saturated fat, 337 mg cholesterol, 27 g carbohydrates, 7 g protein, 207 mg sodium, 1 g fiber

Coffee-and-bourbon pralines

Prep: 30 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Makes: about 32 pieces

From "Bourbon Desserts" by Lynn Marie Hulsman. The candy can be stored, layered between sheets of parchment, in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

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2 cups pecan halves and pieces

3 cups dark brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon instant coffee crystals

1/4 cup bourbon

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter

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2 tablespoons light corn syrup

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1 teaspoon pure vanilla

1 Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lay two long sheets of wax paper on the countertop.

2 Arrange the pecans in a single layer on an ungreased rimmed baking sheet; bake until toasted and fragrant, stirring once, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven; set the baking sheet on a wire rack to cool, about 15 minutes.

3 Meanwhile, pour the brown sugar, coffee crystals, bourbon, cream, butter and corn syrup into a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven; heat to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Attach a candy thermometer to the pot.

4 Continue to cook and stir, until the thermometer reads 236 degrees Fahrenheit (soft-ball stage), 10-20 minutes. Once done, remove the mixture from the heat; let cool to 150 degrees, about 10 minutes.

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5 Stir in the vanilla and nuts; continue to stir briskly until the mixture loses its sheen, 5-15 minutes. Drop the candy by tablespoons onto the wax paper, leaving 2 inches between the dollops. Let stand until firm before serving.

Nutrition information per piece: 165 calories, 9 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 14 mg cholesterol, 23 g carbohydrates, 1 g protein, 10 mg sodium, 1 g fiber
"Aladdin" 

"Aladdin," the most frenetic and cartoonish of Disney's screen-to-stage musicals, officially opened its first national tour in Chicago at the Cadillac Palace Theatre. And Adam Jacobs, his gleaming white teeth, his charming costar Isabelle McCalla as Princess Jasmine and the rest have all acquired a little more attention to veracity and Broadway chops since this show's first turn on the rialto. The new "Aladdin" crew is committed and fun, which you would expect, but they also bring more emotional depth to a show naturally inclined to remain in the shallow end of the pool. You can't beat catching a first-class Equity tour right at the start. Through Sept. 10 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St.; $44-$153 at 800-775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com

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"Blue Man Group"  1/2

"Blue Man Group" has been playing at Briar Street Theatre since 1997, a remarkable run of 20 years. There have been only two major overhauls in that time; the latest adds selfie sticks, new music and a livelier finale. I'd argue the Blue Men need a bigger overhaul  they still chomp marshmallows, bang drums and paint up audience members  but this remains a fine gateway for the young into the arts. If you've never had the pleasure, go. Open run at the Briar Street Theatre, 3133 N. Halsted St.; $49-$69 at ticketmaster.com

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"Chicago" 

William Osetek, the director of the highly entertaining new production of "Chicago" at the Drury Lane Theatre, finally got the rights to this most deliciously cynical of American musicals  you could see years of pent-up ideas crammed on stage, along with a lot of talent, excitement and raw desire. E. Faye Butler knocks us back in our seats with "When You're Good to Mama." And Kelly Felthous plays the unfortunate murderess Roxie as very much a lost soul until she wises up to her situation. She and Alena Watters' Velma are a study in contrasts, which is what Kander and Ebb originally intended. Through June 18 at Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace; $45-$60 at 630-530-0111 or drurylanetheatre.com

"Fantastic Super Great Nation Numero Uno"  1/2

"Fantastic Super Great Nation Numero Uno" is an inclusive and warmhearted new e.t.c. Theater show, directed by Ryan Bernier, that takes a broad view of the moment. There have been edgier revues on the e.t.c. stage, but this crew is so funny you worry some coastal talent-spotters soon will steal them away. Alan Linic plays a Cubs fans who slept through everything that has happened since. Katie Klein's old-school parody of affirmative women's daytime talk shows  "What's Up Girl?"  is probably the richest material of the night. Open run in Second City e.t.c. Theater in Piper's Alley, 1618 N. Wells St.; $19-$46 at 312-664-4032 or secondcity.com

"Hamilton" 

This Broadway show has given Chicago a Chicago-style production. The heartland "Hamilton" is performed by players mostly younger and less experienced than the original New York cast and is less flashy. But it is more in touch with the fundamental scrappiness of the early years of a rebel colony turned into a spectacular democratic experiment. And in a city whose native theater is founded on truth, it is somehow very much more human and vulnerable. That Chicago-style sensibility is led by Miguel Cervantes, the superb actor in the title role. This is a company that deserves to be embraced. Open run at PrivateBank Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St.; $65-$400 at 800-775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com

"Hookman" 

Terrifying audiences with slasher theater on a storefront budget is a tough assignment. All the more reason to admire the work the remarkably versatile director Vanessa Stalling is doing at Steep Theatre with Lauren Yee's "Hookman." This 75-minute creeper probes the psyche of a college freshman named Lexi (Kiayla Ryann), who has been through some tough stuff. Her grief and loss makes her everyday life seem nonsensical, which gives her the need to build something to take its place. In this play, it's the title character, a terrifying boogeyman (played by James Doherty) lurking in the shadows with his metal appendage. "Hookman" is set in a dorm at an East Coast college, with all of its young adults living in close quarters and flailing about at relationships. That spooked version of familiarity  such as in a scary little overture of flickering desk lamps  is what Stalling does so well. Through May 27 at Steep Theatre, 1115 W. Berwyn Ave.; $25-$35 at 773-649-3186 or steeptheatre.com

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"Jesus Christ Superstar" 

If you know every note of "Jesus Christ Superstar," the rock opera penned by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, you'll be surprised by what you hear in director Ron Kellum's splashy new production at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora. This talented African-American cast really does have something new to give. The co-music directors Kory Danielson and Tom Vendafreddo clearly allowed a whole lot of freedom: I've never heard "I Don't Know How to Love Him" sung with the embellishments that Felicia Boswell offers. And why not? Through May 28 at the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora; $44-$59 at 630-896-6666 or paramountaurora.com

"La Havana Madrid" 

In the 1960s, many of Chicago's Puerto Ricans lived on the western side of Lincoln Park, just a few blocks from the Steppenwolf Theatre. "Yeah, like right here," says one of the characters in Sandra Delgado's heartfelt and fascinating musical tribute to those immigrants and the music, especially the salsa, that they brought to town. This new show, staged by Teatro Vista in Steppenwolf's intimate new 1700 Theatre, is a celebration of a nightclub run by the music promoter Tony Quintana and what it meant to the community it served. Hand-holding couples of a certain age have been finding their way to Steppenwolf for what has become the best-selling show in Teatro Vista's history. Through May 21 at Steppenwolf 1700 Theatre, 1700 N. Halsted St.; $15-$45 at 312-335-1650 or steppenwolf.org

"Linda Vista"  1/2

Dick Wheeler is a heterosexual white male, halfway to an antique, both the smartest guy in the room and a misanthropic grump. And "Linda Vista" is his play. His very funny play. How you feel about Wheeler, played at Steppenwolf in all his epic mediocrity by Ian Barford, largely will dictate how you feel about Tracy Letts' new world premiere. Its most telling scene takes place between Wheeler and his friend Paul. The men are talking about their deathbeds; they come to see that life then will suck, and that all you can do is grab whatever vestiges of happiness your aging bones, and dubious morals, will allow. Through May 21 at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St.; $20-$94 at 312-335-1650 or steppenwolf.org

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"Marry Me a Little"  1/2

Spring has sprung in Chicago. High time, then, for a Stephen Sondheim revue. Porchlight Music Theatre is staging "Marry Me a Little," about a pair of emotionally entangled New York singles and the least known of the Sondheim songfests. And Austin Cook, who stars in this show with Bethany Thomas and also serves as musical director, has been granted permission update the song list to include such ditties as "Rainbow" from "Into the Woods" and "The Best Thing That Ever Has Happened" from "Road Show." This show is mostly an excuse for 75 minutes of lesser-explored Sondheim. Such a pleasure. Through May 21 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave.; $38-$51 at 773-327-5252 or porchlightmusictheatre.org

"The Mystery of Love & Sex" 

The two young people in Bathsheba Doran's compassionate play are what's often called soul mates. Charlotte (Hayley Burgess) and Jonny (Travis Turner) are longtime girl-and-boy friends who, as they head off to college, are exploring their own sexuality and trying to figure out if they are gay. She's Jewish, he's African-American. But this play is not just about their relationship, it deepens in Act 2 and brings in conflicts with Charlotte's parents, as well as the power and necessity for reconciliation. Through July 2 in the Gillian Theatre at Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe; $35-$80 at 847-242-6000 or writerstheatre.org

"Objects in the Mirror" 

The gripping story of an African refugee who somehow makes it out of a Guinean refugee camp that held 90,000 hopefuls in a petri dish of malaria, dysentery, cholera and violent government oppression is Charles Smith's new play. It moved me greatly not just with its unshakable compassion for its dislocated protagonist, but with its firm determination to reflect the agonizing complexities of identity, trust and loyalty that beset every refugee. Chuck Smith has directed scores of shows; this really is among his best work. He is using an all-Chicago cast and the acting in this production is blisteringly good. Daniel Kyri as the refugee Shedrick Yarkpai is terrific  vulnerable, honest and yet also confounding when the script so demands. Through June 4 at Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St.; $20-$75 at 312-443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org

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"Odysseo" 

As with the first Cavalia production, the best parts of the new, more spectacular "Odysseo" come when the horses are allowed to roam free over the stage. This touring French Canadian enterprise has the combined magic of a computer-generated set and a 17,500-square-foot performance space, and you really do feel a sense of having come upon them in the steppe of Kazakhstan or the damp of Norway. "Odysseo" is a show genuinely in love with the horse. Still, as a fan of acrobatics, I was mightily impressed with the act from New Guinea, the best tumblers I've ever seen. Open run in the White Big Top, Soldier Field South Lot, 1410 Museum Campus Drive; $34.50-$269.50 (VIP price includes food and drink) at 866-999-8111 or cavalia.com

"Paradise Blue" 

Black Bottom, the east side neighborhood of Detroit that once was the center of African-American life in that city, was the kind of place where a musician could play with dignity, as noted in Dominique Morisseau's play "Paradise Blue." That was before the community was razed to make way for Interstate 75. "Paradise Blue" is set in 1949 in a jazz club owned by Blue (Al'Jaleel McGhee), a gifted trumpeter who faces so many racial obstacles that he becomes dangerous to himself, his girlfriend Pumpkin (Kristen E. Ellis) and the pals, Corn (Ronald L. Conner) and P-Sam (Charles Andrew Gardner), who hang around in his Paradise. It's also filled with the music and longing of composer Orbert Davis in director Ron OJ Parson's languid TimeLine production. Through July 23 at TimeLine Theatre Company; 615 W. Wellington Ave.; $38-$51 at 773-281-8463 or timelinetheatre.com

"Shakespeare in Love" 

The smarty-pants 1998 movie "Shakespeare in Love" imagined a love affair between Shakespeare and Viola de Lesseps, a wannabe actress seduced by a life on the boards. The stage adaptation has had a mixed history (it really should have been a musical). But in the hands of the director Rachel Rockwell  who has put a lot of heart into the Chicago Shakespeare Theater production  it makes for a very warm, accessible and enjoyable night out. Nick Rehberger is unpretentious and likable as the man himself, Kate McGonigle is a pleasing Viola, and the whole play is now a love letter to the collaborative nature of Chicago theater. Through June 11 in the Courtyard Theater on Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave.; $58-$88 at 312-595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com

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"She Loves Me"  1/2

Emotional intimacy can be tricky at the Marriott Theatre and its in-the-round auditorium. But director Aaron Thielen's very lovely new production of the 1963 musical "She Loves Me" manages to carve out an exception for itself. This charming show  the book is by Joe Masteroff, music by Jerry Bock and lyrics are by Sheldon Harnick  is set mostly inside an old-school perfumery. The characters are ordinary folks striving to have successful romantic relationships, including the main couple, both clerks in the shop. You really care about these two, not the least because Alex Goodrich and Elizabeth Telford turn in such honest, vulnerable and realistic performances. This is perhaps Thielen's best work at the Marriott. Through June 18 at the Marriott Theatre, 100 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire; $50 to $60 at 847-634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com

"Spamilton"  1/2

With "Spamilton," the savvy parodist Gerard Alessandrini ("Forbidden Broadway") has come roaring back in a new, local production ideally timed for Chicago, delivering nonstop laughs to anyone with enough knowledge of "Hamilton" to get the gags. The famous "blue-collar/shining beacon/Puerto Rican" is played by Yando Lopez, an actor with a better vocal instrument than Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Eric Andrew Lewis blows out the room as Aaron Burr. It's a fair criticism to say that Alessandrini is perhaps too much in love with the real "Hamilton" to really skewer the show, but there's guaranteed fun here for Miranda obsessives. Open run at the Royal George Cabaret Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted St.; $59-$99 at 312-988-9000 or spamilton.com

"Tony n' Tina's Wedding" 

I actually had a blast at this semiscripted affair that employs 23 actors to play members of the two feuding families joining in holy matrimony. Don't judge without going. Still, I wouldn't be recommending this thing if it were just like last time. The difference this time around is that the show begins in an actual Chicago church, where the congregants are to be commended for their sense of humor, and the scale and quality of the Chicago improv community (not all of whom are in the first blush of youth) have improved vastly in the years since I last saw this show. It's a rough, tough, divisive world out there. Here, everyone was having fun. Go in a group. Open run at Resurrection Church, 3309 N. Seminary Ave.; $75-$85 at 773-327-3778 or tonylovestina.com







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Chicago police detectives are asking for the public's help finding a man who exposed himself to a teenage girl Friday morning in the South Austin neighborhood.

At 8:04 a.m., a 13-year-old girl was walking east to school from the 4900 block of Monroe Street when the unknown offender was walking south on Lavergne Avenue and began to follow her as she walked toward Cicero Avenue, according to police. The man walked up next to the victim and told her "you are beautiful," and continued to walk with her.

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She then began to walk north on Cicero Avenue when the man told the girl, "you are too young for this," before showing his penis to her.

The girl then ran north on Cicero Avenue and ran to Kipp Create School, 4818 W. Ohio St. and told school officials. School officials then called police.

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The attacker was described as a black man with a medium complexion and brown eyes between the ages of 24 and 45, standing about 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-8, weighing 150 to 190 pounds. He was last seen wearing a red, black and gold leather jacket and blue jeans.

Anyone with information is asked to call Area North detectives at 312-744-8261. Anonymous tips can be submitted via TIPSOFT.com.
An African-American woman, thought to be in her 50s, was found dead on Chicago's Near North Side in July 2013.

Within a day, the Cook County medical examiner's office was able to determine through an autopsy that she died of coronary artery disease, a common cause of death in America.

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But nearly four years later, the body remains unidentified. Did she have children? A husband? Have other family members been searching for her this whole time? Questions linger. Answers are scarce.

For the first time, the Cook County medical examiner's office will host a "Missing Persons Day" next weekend at its Near West Side facility, an event that Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Ponni Arunkumar hopes will help family members unravel mysteries about their loved ones who have disappeared without any explanation.

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"We're hoping that we can provide closure to some families," said Arunkumar, who was appointed by the Cook County Board last July to head the office. "We want to try to identify all the unknowns, especially since the last few years we've been doing ... all the studies we can and yet we're not able to identify all of them."`

Family members whose relatives have been missing for more than a month will have the opportunity to provide Arunkumar and her staff with dental records, medical records and X-rays that may help the office's forensic pathologists determine if there's a match on any of the morgue's unidentified bodies.

Family members at the event can also submit their own DNA through a "buccal swab." Samples of saliva are collected by swabbing from the inside of a person's cheek and later checked against a DNA database for any unidentified remains.

Chicago police, Illinois State Police and Cook County sheriff's police personnel will be on hand if families want to file missing persons reports on the spot, Arunkumar said.

The event is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 20.

There's always a chance, Arunkumar said, that missing loved ones might still be alive.

Arunkumar, also a forensic pathologist at the medical examiner's office for about 14 years, said families call the office regularly inquiring about missing loved ones, not knowing if they're dead or alive.

Her office will often receive bodies that are initially unidentified, she said, but they're usually identified at some point through fingerprints, dental records, photographs, anthropological studies or DNA. Still, at the end of each year, the office will retain an average of five to 10 bodies that staffers were not able to identify, she said. The office also has a portion of its website dedicated to those who are unidentified.

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Arunkumar couldn't say how many families are expected to show up at Saturday's event but acknowledged the uncertainly about whether they'll be able to get the answers they want right away.

"We'll try to help them out. We'll ask them since when they (went) missing (and) try to remember whether we have an independent recollection of the case," she said. "If we're able to help one family, that would be great."

Arunkumar got the idea for the Missing Persons Day after talking to the New York City's medical examiner's office, which is about to hold its third such event on the same day as Cook County's.

Mark Desire, the office's assistant director for the department of forensic biology, said the event draws about 75 families. The office started organizing the event as DNA identification technology became more advanced since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, he said.

With thousands of human remains recovered from the rubble at ground zero, New York recognized the need for a full-time DNA missing persons unit at the city's morgue, he said.

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

"We got really good at generating DNA from bone, from remains," he said. "We had all these DNA profiles from all these unknowns, but we didn't have any DNA samples from families. So how are we going to get DNA samples from these individuals?"

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Desire said his office also got the idea for the event after looking at a number of unidentified bodies buried in a city cemetery in the Bronx since the 1980s. Those bodies, he said, had never undergone DNA testing.

Desire said the two events so far have helped solve about eight cases  all instances in which family members of missing people attended and provided DNA samples that were compared to human remains. He said New York City police officers are on hand at the event along with grief counselors, chaplains and not-for-profit groups that advocate for missing people.

Desire, who called the issue of missing persons "a national problem," said he doesn't know if families can ever truly find closure after learning their long-lost relative is dead.

"Family is always going to miss that loved one," Desire said. "But having something physically returned to them or giving them answers that, 'OK, you've identified my relative and they are deceased after all these years,' I know that does bring answers. And that's our job to bring answers about what happened."

jgorner@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @JeremyGorner
Two teenagers were shot Friday morning in Palatine and one person was being questioned, police said.

Just before 11 a.m., Palatine police responded to gunshots in the 1100 block of Randville Drive. When they arrived, they found two people with gunshot wounds that did not appear to be life-threatening, according to a news release.

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The two people are teenagers and police are speaking with a person of interest, police said.

Both teens were taken to nearby hospitals by Palatine Fire Department paramedics. Police did not release information on which hospitals treated the victims.

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Schools from Districts 15 and 211 were put into a "soft lockdown" with police officers at each school. The schools were put into a soft lockdown as "a precautionary measure," police said.

Police did not release the exact ages of those shot, or any information on the circumstances of the shooting.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Palatine police at 847-359-9000. Anonymous tipsters can call 847-590-7867.
In this still image from a Jan. 24, 2017, surveillance video provided by Cincinnati Public Schools, the legs and feet of 8-year-old Gabriel Taye can be seen as he lies on the floor of a boys' bathroom after being knocked unconscious by another boy at Carson Elementary School. Two days later, Taye hanged himself with a necktie in the bedroom of his Cincinnati apartment. (Cincinnati Public Schools via AP)

CINCINNATI  An 8-year-old boy shown on surveillance video being knocked to the floor unconscious at school two days before he killed himself told staff he had fainted and never said he had been bullied or assaulted, a school spokeswoman said Friday.

Gabriel Taye's mother didn't learn of the bullying until her attorneys saw a copy of an email written by a Cincinnati police homicide detective in an investigative file that describes the scene outside a boys' bathroom, her lawyers said. The attorneys have questioned why the mother was told he fainted on Jan. 24 when the video shows he had been injured by another boy at Carson Elementary School.

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The Hamilton County coroner said she is reopening the investigation into Gabriel's suicide. He hanged himself with a necktie in the bedroom of his Cincinnati apartment on Jan. 26.

The school spokeswoman said administrators weren't aware of the recording until days later when the detective investigating Gabriel's suicide requested surveillance videos from security officials.

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The district released copies of a choppy 24-minute-long video that shows one boy bullying other students and then, according to the mother's attorneys, pushing Gabriel into a wall when he tried to shake the boy's hand and knocking him unconscious. The spokeswoman said it's unclear from the video what happened to Gabriel at that moment.

"It is our firm position that the allegations portrayed in the media are not supported by the video," the district said in a statement released later Friday. The release also noted that police reviewed the video and no charges were filed.

An assistant principal arrived about 4 minutes after Gabriel fell to the floor, followed by other school employees and the school nurse, who helped him to his feet. He was on the floor just over seven minutes.

Coroner Lakshmi Sammarco told Cincinnati radio station WLW on Thursday that she asked police for a full investigation to determine whether there were contributing factors to Gabriel's suicide, WXIX-TV reported.

"It was very hard for me to believe that an 8-year-old would even know what it means to commit suicide," Sammarco told WLW.

Cincinnati police said they would have no further comment about the case, and they directed questions to the coroner's office. The coroner's spokesman said Friday that Sammarco wasn't available for comment.

Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said Friday night his office is considering whether criminal charges should be filed in connection with Gabriel's death, WCPO-TV reported.

District officials and attorneys for Gabriel's mother have disputed what the mother was told the day Gabriel was knocked unconscious.

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The district said administrators asked Cornelia Reynolds, Gabriel's mother, to pick him up from school and take him to a hospital. Her attorneys counter that Reynolds decided on her own to pick him up and took him to the hospital after her sister, who was baby-sitting while Reynolds was at work, called to say Gabriel had vomited and was complaining of stomach pains. Doctors said he had a stomach virus and sent him home, attorney Carla Leader said.

Leader said Gabriel had no history of mental health issues and described him as a happy-go-lucky kid. When Reynolds asked him what happened at school the day he was knocked unconscious, he said he didn't know, her attorneys said.

"He really didn't have any recollection of what had happened," said attorney Jennifer Branch, who also is representing Reynolds.

Cincinnati Public Schools is reviewing with faculty and staff the procedures regarding adult supervision in the restrooms, and is committed to student safety, the district's statement said.

On Friday, a small group of demonstrators gathered on the sidewalk outside Carson Elementary, with some parents complaining about their children being bullied.

Carolyn Emery has two children at the school, including a daughter who was in first grade with Gabriel. She said he was a "very loving little boy who always had a smile on his face."

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Her 9-year-old daughter, Jericka, said she has been bullied as recently as this week, when another girl smacked her. She said she has seen a lot of bullying at the school and doesn't think it will get any better.

"They won't do anything about it," Jericka Emery said.

Another demonstrator outside the school said her 9-year-old daughter was jumped by other girls on a school bus and had marks and bruises on her face.

"She doesn't even want to go to school anymore, and she always liked school," Amy Henson said. "Her grades have been slipping since this started."

Henson said she was told the students were suspended from the bus for several days, but nothing else was done. She no longer lets her daughter ride the bus.

She was among several parents Friday who said they would like their children to go to another school

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Henson said school officials sent a note home with students after Gabriel's death saying that a student had died in an accident and counselors would be available for their children.
Reporting from WASHINGTON  Lawyers for President Donald Trump said Friday that a review of his last 10 years of tax returns did not reflect "any income of any type from Russian sources," but the letter included exceptions related to previously cited income generated from a beauty pageant and sale of a Florida estate.

The letter represented the latest attempt by the president to tamp down concerns about any Russian ties amid an ongoing investigation of his campaign's associates and Russia's meddling in the 2016 election.

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The attorneys did not release copies of Trump's tax returns, so The Associated Press cannot independently verify their conclusions. Their review also notably takes into account only Trump's returns from the past 10 years, leaving open questions about whether there were financial dealings with Russia in earlier years.

The lawyers offered no supporting documents to back up the claims made in the letter.

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Trump has refused to release his income tax records, despite pressure from Democrats, breaking with a practice set by his predecessors. The president has said he would release his returns when the Internal Revenue Service completes an audit. The tax returns, the attorneys say, largely reflect income and interest paid by the web of corporate entities that made up The Trump Organization prior to Trump taking office.

In a letter released to the AP and dated March 8, the attorneys said Trump's last 10 years of tax returns don't reflect equity investments by Russians in entities controlled by Trump or debt owed by Trump to Russian lenders. Under U.S. tax law, not all financial ties would be required to be reported on a personal tax return.

The letter said that the returns do reflect some income from the 2013 Miss Universe pageant that was held in Moscow and a property sold to a Russian billionaire in 2008 for $95 million.

The White House said Trump asked his lawyers for the letter to outline information on any ties Trump might have to Russia. The letter was then provided to Sen. Lindsey Graham. Graham leads one of the congressional committees investigating Russia's interference in last year's election.

The letter came amid an active FBI probe into the Trump 2016 campaign's possible ties to Russia's election meddling and days after Trump's stunning firing of FBI Director James Comey.

"I have no investments in Russia, none whatsoever," Trump said Thursday in an interview with NBC News. "I don't have property in Russia. A lot of people thought I owned office buildings in Moscow. I don't have property in Russia."

The president said he "had dealings over the years," including the Miss Universe pageant and the sale of a home to "a very wealthy Russian." ''I had it in Moscow long time ago, but other than that I have nothing to do with Russia," he said, referring to the pageant.

Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the Democratic National Committee, said "Trump's attempt to hide his Russia connections is misleading and pathetic."

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The unnamed Russian billionaire cited by the Trump company's lawyers is Dmitry Rybolovlev, whose financial empire springs from his companies' production of potash, often used for fertilizer.

Trump had purchased the 62,000 square-foot estate for $41.35 million in 2004 and he sold the mansion to Rybolovlev in July 2008 for $95 million. The deal was widely reported at the time, including by The Associated Press.

When Trump was pressed during a campaign conference last year about his ties to Russia, he said: "You know the closest I came to Russia, I bought a house a number of years ago in Palm Beach," adding that "I sold it to a Russian for $100 million."

The letter, written by attorneys Sheri Dillon and William Nelson from the law firm of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, simultaneously leaves open the possibility of other Russian ties while attempting to dismiss them.

The letter doesn't vouch for any of Trump's personal federal tax returns that predate the past decade. The attorneys also write that over the last 10 years, it is likely that the Trump Organization sold or rented condos, or other products, that "could have produced income attributable to Russian sources."

"With respect to this last exception, the amounts are immaterial," the attorney wrote.

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Dillon worked with the Trump Organization to develop plans for the organization's future and addressed reporters in January at a New York news conference before Trump's inauguration. Her law firm was honored by Chambers & Partners' 2016 Chambers Europe guide as Russia Law Firm of the Year.

Associated Press writers Chad Day and Stephen Braun contributed to this report.
Bernard Greenberg, shown with a display case of flies at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1991, has been called the father of modern forensic entomology. (Eduardo Contreras / Chicago Tribune)

Bernard Greenberg's study of maggots led to work that would often seem like something out of the pages of a thriller.

Greenberg, a retired professor of entomology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, would assist law enforcement agencies in murder investigations by helping to determine details of the death from the presence or absence of bugs on the body. In the United States, he is sometimes called the father of modern forensic entomology.

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"Yes, he really was a pioneer in that field, at least here in the U.S.," said Mark Eric Benbow, an assistant professor at Michigan State University. "He really brought it to the forefront  using insects in forensics."

Greenberg, 95, died of colon cancer May 5 in his Hyde Park home, according to his daughter, Linda Greenberg-Hanessian. He and his wife, Barbara, who died in 2016, had moved to Hyde Park in the late 1950s.

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Greenberg's work in forensic entomology grew out of his research on the biology and life cycles of many species of blow flies, including the development stages of their larvae, commonly known as maggots.

"Yes, blow flies," Greenberg told the Tribune in a 2004 story. "They can smell a corpse a mile away. They are winged bloodhounds and often get to a body before the police do."

Greenberg was a lover of nature who got interested in collecting insects as a youngster in Brooklyn, N.Y., despite having phobias about flies, and especially about cockroaches, his daughter said. "He had to overcome (that)," she said.

He graduated from Brooklyn College in 1944 and served in the Army Air Forces as a radio operator in Guam as World War II was ending. He married in New York City in 1949 and with his wife moved to Lawrence, Kan., where he earned a doctorate in entomology from the University of Kansas in 1953. The next year, he took a position as an assistant professor at the University of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago. At UIC, Greenberg became a full professor of biological sciences in 1966. He retired in 1990.

Greenberg's initial research concentrated on the roles flies played in spreading diseases, especially shigella and salmonella. To further both his research and his interest in seeing more of the world, he successfully pursued several scholarships, including a Fulbright, that allowed him and his family to spend time in Italy, Mexico, and the Andes and the Amazon River in South America, where he studied insects and the diseases they carried.

Studying bugs in relation to crimes goes back at least as far as China in the 1200s, but Benbow said Greenberg's work was key to modern progress in the field.

"His work really set the foundation of a lot of what's been done in forensic entomology," Benbow said. "He was at the forefront of much of this research."

Greenberg's work included a number of papers and two books. The first, "Flies and Disease," became a standard reference. His second book, co-authored with former student John Kunich, is titled "Entomology and the Law: Flies as Forensic Indicators" and is based on his work with the Chicago Police Department and others in the field.

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Greenberg told the Tribune that within a half-hour of landing on a decomposing body, female flies lay eggs, which then go through three stages of larval development before becoming adults. Those time markers can play a key role in establishing time of death.

Greenberg's work was noted in a 1989 Los Angeles Times story, "Maggots Solve Murders." In one case, Greenberg was able to establish from insect evidence that a murder victim was with the man accused of her murder at the time of her death. In another case, Greenberg used the lack of bugs on a body to show the suspected killer must have opened windows and a door many hours after the victim was actually killed.

According to the Times story, by 1989 Greenberg had testified in 11 murder cases and had provided expert opinion in 38 other cases.

In 2004, Greenberg helped put together an exhibit at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Lincoln Park called "CSI: Crime Scene Insects." The exhibit demonstrated how insects provided evidence to help crack criminal cases, and used pig carcasses to attract bugs that visitors could then collect in special capture kits.

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While his work was serious, Greenberg had a sense of humor about it.

A fly is at its best when it is inside a cage in his laboratory, he told the Los Angeles Times in 1989.

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"I like flies in their place, and their place is behind bars," he said then, picking up a red plastic fly swatter. "If they get out, it's capital punishment. There's no negotiation."

Greenberg and his late wife were collectors of antiquities, often discovered on their travels. He loved music and regularly attended performances of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Lyric Opera of Chicago.

He also is survived by another daughter, Deborah Irwin; sons Gary and Daniel; 11 grandchildren; and one great-grandson.

Services were held.

Graydon Megan is a freelancer.
Most people in the West understand that when we behold the horizon, when we walk toward it, what we see and the land we walk on often belongs to all of us. A majority of Westerners want to keep public land public, and so do most Easterners, Southerners and Midwesterners. But that fact hasn't prevented a decades-long howling war against federal lands in the West, and it doesn't reap the kind of headlines commanded by the long guns, big hats and cockamamie ideas of those who think the land is theirs, not ours.

I sometimes worry that the bad manners, and bad ideas, of people like Cliven Bundy, his sons Ammon and Ryan and their followers are getting normalized, or at least romanticized. These self-styled patriots counter-factually believe that land acquired by the United States well before most Western states existed must nonetheless be controlled by those states, or better yet, by themselves. (Native Americans, the original inhabitants, don't figure in these fantasies.)

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In Nevada, on Bureau of Land Management land northeast of Las Vegas, and at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon, the Bundys and hundreds of their followers precipitated armed standoffs with federal authorities to make their point. In both cases, some among them pointed guns at law enforcement, who chose not to contest the situations in the moment.

Seventeen of the Nevada "freedom fighters"  including the Bundys  are being prosecuted in three separate trials. A federal jury in Las Vegas found two men guilty last month but deadlocked over four defendants; the judge declared a mistrial. Prosecutions related to the Malheur takeover are over and done in Oregon  Ammon, Ryan and five other government-accused ringleaders were acquitted there, while four of their followers were found guilty. In the Nevada trials, the mix of charges  conspiracy, weapons, assault and other felonies  could put Cliven, his sons and others in prison for the rest of their lives.

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I grew up in John Wayne's Texas in the 1950s and '60s, and it sure wasn't normal to point guns at anyone, unless you were 6 years old and armed with a cap pistol. Now I live in Montana, where the same rules apply. I do not understand the arms brandishing that the Bundys et al. indulge in. It got one occupier killed at Malheur: Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, finally pursued to a roadblock, jumped out, reached for a loaded gun and was shot dead by state police. Pointing weapons at law enforcement communicates a new threshold of unaccountability, the cinematic mythos that a pistolero threatening violence equals kinghood.

As a taxpayer it is not lost on me that Cliven Bundy is allegedly in arrears of more than a million dollars in Bureau of Land Management grazing fees, fees that are already heavily subsidized by the rest of us. The Malheur standoff cost the government  taxpayers again  roughly $9 million, and the Nevada shenanigans and trials surely add hundreds of thousands more to that total.

Of course, those brought up on charges in Nevada and Oregon aren't alone in trying to disassemble our public lands. A stubborn minority led by the Republican Party agree with the Bundys' goal  privatization  if not their tactics. Abetted by President Donald Trump, these people chafe at "Washington control" and claim that public lands like the just-designated Bears Ears National Monument, in Utah, represent outrageous government overreach, not to mention a drag on the regional economy. When they talk about local control, though, they really mean transferring public assets to their friends in big business  oil, gas, copper, coal and timber.

Back in the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan and his secretary of the Interior, James Watt, tried to privatize Western federal lands, but the Sagebrush Rebellion was beaten back by the hunting and fishing lobby (Reagan voters, by the way). In January, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, introduced a bill to allow the sale of 3.3 million acres of public lands. He was inundated with protests from his constituents  a new generation of anglers and hunters. Chaffetz quickly withdrew his bill.

I think I understand the Bundys. They are being goaded and used, easily agitated by the politics of big business that seeks to liquidate the last of the American wilderness. If the politicians and the pundits who want Washington to leave the West alone were truly interested in economics rather than cronyism, why not end subsidized grazing fees, or below-cost timber sales in places like Alaska's Tongass National Forest? Why not erase the 1872 General Mining Act, which gives away public land to international mining companies?

It's possible that in a Las Vegas courtroom, the Bundys will once again evade the law and win acquittal. But in the end, theirs is a lost cause. We regular peace-loving, rule-abiding citizens will not give up our public lands to anyone: not to armed desperadoes, not to contemporary robber barons, and not to the states, which can't afford their upkeep.

These lands are our outdoor churches, our cathedrals  and keeping them that way is the real economic foundation of the West. Open spaces attract new, high-paying industries and yield billions of dollars in tourism and recreation. When we are young, we hunt, hike, fish, camp, backpack, paddle, horseback ride, walk, run, raft and bicycle on our shared lands, and when we are old we stare out at their undiminished beauty.

The great Wallace Stegner wrote in 1960 that it is the American wilderness that forms our national character, separate and distinct from that of other nations. That character, like the wilderness, is under pressure, weakening at the seams, as news reports tell us every day. In heated times like these I find myself much in need of going for a walk  a long walk, on my American land.

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Rick Bass is writer in residence at Montana State University. His latest book is the short story collection "For a Little While." He wrote this for the Los Angeles Times.
Let's be clear at the outset. There is no evidence of a massive voter fraud problem in the United States. There is no evidence of even a modest voter fraud problem in the United States. There is no statistical evidence. There is no anecdotal evidence. There is no more evidence that we need national protections from voter fraud than there is that we need to wear personal lightning-rod suits so that we avoid the 30-odd deaths each year from electrical storms.

For any other president, then, an executive order establishing a "presidential advisory commission on election integrity" such as the one President Donald Trump signed on Thursday would prompt a flurry of questions about why such a commission was needed. For Trump, though, it's part of the package: directing government resources, however modest, to bolster a faulty political argument that he's embraced despite being repeatedly shown that it's false.

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Per the executive order, the commission will "study the registration and voting processes used in federal elections" and submit a report that identifies "laws, rules, policies, activities, strategies, and practices" that enhance or undermine confidence in the integrity of the voting system. The report will also identify "vulnerabilities in voting systems and practices used for federal elections that could lead to improper voter registrations and improper voting, including fraudulent voter registrations and fraudulent voting." In other words, places on the human body susceptible to damage from lightning strikes.

Trump didn't introduce the idea of targeting voter fraud. It's been a hobbyhorse for Republicans for some time, offered as a rationale for new voter-registration limits that have the consistent side effect of making it harder for Democratic-voting populations to cast a ballot.

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What Trump did is turbocharge it, using his platform on the campaign trail and then as president-elect to claim (completely without evidence) that fraud was rampant and threatened the results of national elections. When he first started down this path last summer, it seemed as if he was mostly seeding excuses for his likely loss in advance. But he kept up the same nonsensical claims even after he won, almost certainly because his win came despite having earned nearly 3 million fewer votes than his opponent.

The math there was simple. Lose by a few million votes and . . . voila: In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.

Later, Trump made obvious the evidence for the claim: One random tweet from a guy who, six months later, still hasn't backed up his wild claims about fraud.

Trump just cobbles together a mishmash of ideas to support the idea that fraud is rampant. A Pew Trusts study from 2012 which pointed out that voter rolls aren't cleaned up regularly, which Trump blurs into an assertion that somehow millions vote illegally. Or a study that estimated that millions of immigrants in the country illegally might be casting ballots  which was undercut both by analysis pointing out a methodological flaw and by the lack of any evidence of millions of illegal voters.

That's really the thing. It's not as if no one is looking for examples of fraud; people are. They just aren't finding much. The administration of George W. Bush looked hard for fraud, and found next to nothing.

One of the people who's been hunting for fraud is Kris Kobach, Kansas' secretary of state. He recently made the rounds of the cable news networks after senior Trump aide Stephen Miller suggested that Kobach could prove the administration's fraud claims. Kobach claimed that millions of people were probably registered to vote illegally because, in Kansas, there were probably some 18,000 noncitizens on the voter rolls, which he knew because he'd found about 115 noncitizens who were either registered to vote or who had tried to register. In total, Kobach has won nine convictions for voter fraud  but only one was of a noncitizen.

This is the success story a senior White House official pointed to.

Kobach also demonstrates how the specter of voter fraud is used to affect voting patterns. The state of Kansas implemented a rule requiring new voters to prove that they were citizens, an effort Kobach championed. The effect was to prevent a number of prospective voters from being able to cast ballots  a group that Reuters determined "disproportionately (hit) young voters, who often do not have ready access to the needed documents, as well as unaffiliated and Democratic voters in the Republican-controlled state." The rule was eventually blocked by the courts.

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Kobach will co-chair Trump's voter-fraud commission. He will be joined by Vice President Mike Pence who, as governor of Indiana last year, was accused of voter suppression for a state police raid on a voter registration organization.

Again, this is trademark Trump. Violent crime is near its lowest point in decades, but it's politically expedient for him to claim otherwise, so he does. Immigrants commit crime at lower rates than native-born citizens, but Trump suggests that's not the case. Trump insists that his immigration ban is necessary to stem terrorism, but it wouldn't have prevented recent attacks in the United States.

In this case, his party will go along with it for an immediately obvious reason: It will provide cover for new laws making it trickier for Democrats to vote. A new study claiming that voter-ID laws  laws tightening registration rules  cost Hillary Clinton a victory in Wisconsin in 2016 is suspect, but a study from the Government Accountability Office estimated that voter-ID laws in Tennessee and (wait for it) Kansas led to 100,000 fewer voters in 2012. Younger voters and black voters were disproportionately affected.

A commission to study something that isn't a serious problem that will lead to a predictable set of conclusions that reinforce a political point. That itself is certainly not a new political strategy, but it's one that's nonetheless worth calling out.

Washington Post

Philip Bump is a Washington Post correspondent.
A man uses his cellphone while waiting at a red light in downtown Chicago Wednesday. The number of citations issued for using mobile devices while driving by Chicago police officers has plummeted despite increased concern of distracted drivers involved in fatal car crashes. (Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune)

In the U.S., someone dies in a drunken driving crash every 53 minutes. So imagine if Chicago police stopped pulling over people suspected of drunken driving. The fallout from that kind of inaction likely would be ugly and deadly. You can bet the incidence of drunken driving would increase, which means drunken driving accidents, injuries and deaths also would rise.

Distracted driving also dangerously impairs motorists. Distracted drivers were involved in roughly 10 percent of the 35,000 traffic deaths in the country in 2015, a nearly 9 percent jump from the previous year. Distracted driving occurs in more than half of car trips that end in a crash, according to a study by Cambridge Mobile Telematics, which creates apps for car insurers.

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Yet Chicago has all but given up enforcing its ban on driving while distracted, the Tribune's Mary Wisniewski reports. In 2014, the city issued 45,594 tickets to violators of Chicago's distracted driving ordinance, which bans driving while texting or using a mobile device unless it's being used hands-free. In 2015, that number of tickets dropped to 25,884. Then in 2016, the city issued just 186 tickets  a 99 percent plummet from the previous year. And up to mid-April this year, Chicago police have issued just 24 distracted driving tickets. Clearly not random developments.

Chicago police say the reason for the precipitous drop is a change in state law in 2015 that required distracted driving tickets to be dealt with in traffic court, instead of as an administrative citation, like a parking ticket. The city changed its policy to conform with state law, which means officers who issue distracted driving tickets have to appear in court. Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson told the Chicago Sun-Times he thought cops saw that as burdensome, and simply balked at issuing distracted driving citations.

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That's not acceptable, and Johnson should make that clear. Chicago cops are sworn to enforce the law. That means ticketing distracted drivers, and then showing up to court. We understand that police are spread thin by the city's ever-rising tide of violent crime.

But distracted driving isn't a picayune offense. Parking tickets don't lead to injuries and deaths. Distracted driving can and does. If police don't take it seriously, neither will motorists.

We have said before that distracted driving needs to be as stigmatized as drunken driving has become. That means much stiffer penalties that make a motorist think twice about sending a Snapchat or checking an email while zipping along Lake Shore Drive. Stiffer fines, for starters. DUI convictions trigger mandatory revocation of driving privileges for a year, and two years if you're under 21. We'd like to see similar step-ups in penalties for distracted driving.

Harsher penalties for distracted driving won't mean anything, however, if citations never get issued. And as long as motorists know that they're almost never going to get pulled over for texting while driving, they'll continue to text and drive.

That is, they'll continue to imperil themselves and the motorists, cyclists and pedestrians in their path.
Picture yourself at age 27. How do you and your accomplishments compare to those of a young Ben Ferencz? In 1947, Ferencz was a prosecutor at the Nuremberg war crimes trials, bringing to account 22 Nazi SS commanders for the murders of more than 1 million innocent people.

Now picture yourself at 97, if you can, but make it a fiercely passionate and brilliant 97 years old. This is Ferencz today, still fighting the good fight against evil as the last surviving Nuremberg prosecutor, 70 years later.

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More than an old U.S. Army vet telling his story, the Eastern European-born Ferencz uses his unique link to World War II history to advocate for peace, morality and justice. His idealistic vision is that someday humans learn to settle political differences without arming themselves to kill and destroy. "War invariably makes murderers out of otherwise decent people because that's the purpose of the war," Ferencz told CBC Radio this year. "You kill him or he'll kill you. That's the system. My God, can't we think of anything better way to settle disputes?"

He's got no answer to that question  yet. But Ferencz long ago placed hope in the lessons of the Nuremberg war crimes tribunals. He believes a foundation of international law can govern wartime behavior to deter crimes against humanity. And he's spent his post-war career working in support of the idea. To the extent that the International Criminal Court and other tribunals exist today, he's made progress. Yet genocides still thrive: Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur, arguably Syria ...

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We saw Ferencz on a recent "60 Minutes" episode and were struck by his experiences, magnetism and enduring optimism. It can't be an easy outlook to maintain.

As an Army sergeant and Harvard Law grad, Ferencz was among the troops who liberated Nazi death camps. What he saw shocked him: the death and degradation of prisoners, their bodies stacked like wood. Two years later, he was back in Germany working for the Nuremberg tribunals when a researcher in Berlin uncovered documents showing how Nazi death squads were responsible for the systematic extermination of civilians in the former Soviet Union. These einsatzgruppen  SS action groups  rolled into towns after German army victories to slaughter Jews, Gypsies, communist officials and others.

The Nazi documents told the story in meticulous detail. Ferencz added up the horrifying numbers  55,000 Jews liquidated here, 91,678 executed there  until he'd reached a total of more than a million victims. The war crimes tribunals were under way, requiring Ferencz to persuade his superiors to add another trial. "I said, 'Look, I've got here mass murder, mass murder on an unparalleled scale,'" he told Leslie Stahl of "60 Minutes."

His opening statement at trial, viewable on the website of the U.S. Holocaust Museum, laid out the case: "Reports will show that the slaughter committed by these defendants was dictated not by military necessity, but by that supreme perversion of thought: the Nazi theory of the master race. We shall show that these deeds of men in uniform were the methodical execution of long-range plans to destroy ethnic, national, political and religious groups which stood condemned in the Nazi mind."

The Germans' paperwork was so detailed, Ferencz never had to call a witness. All 22 defendants were found guilty; four were hanged.

War is a horror. And maybe perpetual. But as Ben Ferencz showed, evil committed in the guise of war is intolerable and punishable.
A Kane County jail inmate was killed by a SWAT team Saturday afternoon after he stole a correctional officer's gun and held a Geneva hospital nurse hostage for several hours, a Kane County Sheriff's Office spokesman said.

A standoff began about 1 p.m., with Tywon Salters, 21, of Chicago, a patient at Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital since May 8, holed up with the female nurse in a room near the hospital's emergency room after he stole the gun, officials said. Negotiators tried to persuade Salters to give himself up, but negotiations broke down and members of the SWAT team were sent in, Lt. Patrick Gengler said.

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Salters was shot by an officer from the North Aurora Police Department about 4 p.m., authorities said. A shot fired from the 9mm handgun Salters had hit a SWAT officer and lodged in his bulletproof vest, Kane County State's Attorney Joe McMahon said in a late-evening news conference. The officer was treated and released from the hospital.

The nurse was not injured. Some other people suffered minor injuries in the incident, and they were all treated and released, McMahon said.

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Officials held off on announcing the shooting until about 6 p.m. to make sure Salters' family had been notified, Gengler said.

Tywon Salters, 21, a Kane County jail inmate, was killed by a SWAT team Saturday afternoon after he stole a correctional officer's gun and held a Geneva hospital nurse hostage for several hours, according to police. (Kane County jail photo)

Salters had been in Kane County custody since April 11, when he was arrested by Elgin police on a charge of possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Gengler did not say why Salters was being treated at the hospital nor how Salters was able to take the gun from the correctional officer. There were restraints in the hospital room, McMahon said.

The incident started on the third floor of the hospital, where Salters was a patient under guard by Kane County corrections officers. At one time, he held two different nurses hostage, the second one with him downstairs in a barricaded room near the emergency room, McMahon said. Investigators haven't figured how one nurse got away and the other ended up in the room with Salters, McMahon said.

During the standoff, the hospital's emergency treatment area was evacuated, Gengler said. Patients unable to leave on their own were taken to other hospitals by ambulance, he said.

Hostage negotiators talked by phone to Salters, and the "talks deteriorated," McMahon said. The SWAT team decided to enter the room just before 4 p.m. At least one shot was fired by the North Aurora officer, killing Salters.

Illinois State Police are handling the investigation of what happened, Gengler and McMahon said.

"The entire process will be looked at in time," McMahon said.

After Salters took the hostages, part of the hospital was evacuated and the rest was sealed off. A large number of police and other emergency vehicles surrounded the hospital, with some officers in military-style gear, carrying rifles.

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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 12 Kane County sheriff's Lt. Pat Gengler leaves after a news conference to discuss the conclusion of a hostage situation at Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva on May 13, 2017. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

"We were able to move patients out of the ER," hospital spokeswoman Kimberly Waterman said. "Those that needed medical care were transferred to other hospitals."

The hospital's emergency room entrance was cordoned off, but police said Delnor personnel and ambulances were available nearby to take anyone needing emergency medical care to another hospital. Those with non-emergency medical issues were being asked to go to other hospitals.

The hospital lockdown was lifted following the shooting, and the ER started accepting patients at 6 p.m., Waterman said. Ambulances were to resume bringing patients to Delnor at 8 p.m.

"We do a lot of training (for situations like this)," Waterman said. "We work closely with our partners in law enforcement."

The identity and position of the nurse were not released. Gengler said she was with her family and was being cared for by hospital trauma personnel.
Winner chosen in art contest

U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Plano) has announced the winner of the 2017 Congressional Art Competition in the 14th District.

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The 14th District includes part of the Aurora area. Hultgren said Luke Holwerda of Wheaton Academy was the winner. His piece, "L'Arc de Triomphe," won out of the 41 entries submitted from the district. The piece will hang on display in the U.S. Capitol for one year. The art from the second- and third-place winners will hang at Hultgren's Campton Hills office.

The winner was announced at an evening reception attended by parents, students, teachers and community members at Aurora Christian High School.

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Finishing in second place was Ashley Polito of Oswego High School for her work "Hedgehog in the Forest." The third-place finisher was Jennifer Jermolowicz of Oswego High School for "In Your Face."

Document shredding in St. Charles

The St. Charles Police Department and KCT Credit Union are hosting a free document shredding event May 20.

The event will run from 10 a.m. to noon, and the city's shredding contractor, ProShred, will set up in the St. Charles Police Department parking lot at 211 N. Riverside Ave.

Paperwork that may be disposed of includes bank statements, credit card statements, Social Security information and Medicare/Medicaid information.

The event is open to individuals only. No business documents will be accepted. For more information, contact the St. Charles Police Department at police@stcharlesil.gov or 630-377-4435.

Holy Angels School to hold open house

Holy Angels School in Aurora will host its annual prospective parent open house at 6:30 p.m. May 25 at the school, 720 Kensington Place in Aurora.

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Attendees will also be able to register for the 2017-18 school year at the open house.

Students' parents and teachers will be on hand to provide tours, answer questions and discuss the school's programs and services, school officials said.

For information on the event, call 630-897-3613 or go to www.holyangelsschool.net.

Founded in 1911, Holy Angels School is a Catholic school in Aurora with nearly 500 students.

Talent show planned in Oswego

Open auditions for Oswego Senior Center's Intergenerational Talent Show will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. June 14 and from 6 to 8 p.m. June 15.

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Comedians, musicians, dancers and more will share their abilities the evening of Aug. 2, center officials said. There is no fee for auditioning or performing. Audience ticket prices the evening of the talent show are $5.

The fundraiser will take place at Oswego Senior Center, 156 E. Washington St. For information, call Ruth at 630-554-5602 or email volunteer@oswegoseniorcenter.org.

Cannabis town hall discussion

Kevin A. Sabet, a drug policy author and speaker, will present a public town hall discussion on "Opposing Big Cannabis," exploring the use of new recreational cannabis, from 8 to 10 a.m. May 25, at the Linden Oaks outpatient center, 1335 N. Mill St. in Naperville.

Breakfast will be provided. The discussion is free, but seats are limited. To reserve a space, email bigcannabis.eventbrite.com.

Geneva looking for city clerk

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After the April 4 consolidated election garnered no filings for the office of city clerk, the City of Geneva is now seeking candidates for that seat.

Lynn Landberg served a combined 20 years as Geneva's city clerk from 1985 to 1993 and again from 2005 until this year before deciding not to seek another term in office.

The city clerk attends all City Council meetings - and others as required - and prepares full records of those meetings, according to a press release from Geneva. The city clerk's annual salary is $3,600, and the term for this unfilled position runs through May 3, 2021.

Geneva residents interested in serving as city clerk should submit an application, a current resume and a letter of interest to Mayor Kevin Burns, City of Geneva, 22 S. First St., Geneva, IL 60134; Attn: City Clerk Vacancy. The deadline to apply is June 1.

The successful candidate for city clerk will be appointed by Burns with the advice and consent of the City Council.

For information, call City Administrator Stephanie Dawkins at 630-232-8495.
Bethany McKee was sentenced to life Nov. 4, 2014, for the murders of Terrance Rankins and Eric Glover. (Illinois Department of Corrections)

Lawyers representing Bethany McKee plan to ask an appellate court to reconsider its decision upholding McKee's life sentence.

McKee, 22, was sentenced to life in prison in 2014 after being found guilty of murder in the strangulation deaths of Terrance Rankins and Eric Glover. The two Joliet men were found dead inside an apartment on Hickory Street in 2013. An appellate court decision last week upheld the sentence.

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At her trial, prosecutors argued McKee, who knew Rankins, and three others devised a plan to rob Glover and Rankins. The men were strangled in the robbery, and the four friends used the money they stole to buy cigarettes, gas and drugs.

Two Joliet men  Joshua Miner, 28, and Adam Landerman, 23  also were convicted in the deaths and sentenced to life in prison. A fourth person, Alisa Massaro, pleaded guilty to lesser charges and agreed to testify against the three in exchange for a 10-year sentence. Massaro, 23, lived in the apartment where the two men were killed.

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In an appeal for a lesser sentence, McKee's lawyer said the life sentence required by state law if found guilty of two murders was unconstitutional. McKee did not participate in the killing, nor was she in the room when the two men were strangled.

But appellate justices noted that while McKee may not have participated in the killing, she "played a critical role in developing the criminal plan" and that she was aware that "murder was at least a possibility."

Appellate court defender Bryon Kohut said he plans to ask appellate justices to reconsider their decision. If denied, Kohut said he likely will ask the Illinois Supreme Court to review the case.

"We are disappointed with the decision in this matter," said Neil Patel, an attorney who represented McKee at her trial. "We hope that Bethany's appellate counsel is successful in obtaining further review, or the Illinois Supreme Court will decide this matter. "

Patel also pointed to McKee's "peripheral involvement" in the case as a reason for a lesser sentence. He also noted the "sheer amount of trauma" she experienced before the murders. At her sentencing hearing, McKee's parents noted she had mental illness and had been raped as a young girl.

Alicia Fabbre is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Fast food workers rally outside a Chicago McDonald's on April 26, 2017 before traveling to Springfield to lobby lawmakers to raise the minimum wage in Illinois to $15/hour by 2022. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune)

Oak Lawn recently joined the growing ranks of Cook County suburbs that have opted out of the county's minimum wage and paid sick leave laws.

The village board voted Tuesday unanimously and without discussion to opt out of the laws, which would incrementally raise the minimum wage to $13 by 2020 and allow employees to accrue up to five days of paid sick time each year.

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"I know our small businesses appreciate that very much," said Mayor Sandra Bury, whose community currently is bound by the state minimum wage of $8.25.

The minimum wage and paid sick leave laws were passed by the Cook County Board in October and take effect July 1, but any municipality, regardless of whether it has home-rule authority, can opt out at any time, Cook County spokesman Frank Shuftan said.

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While residents in other communities around the county have publicly voiced their opposition to proposed opt outs of the minimum wage ordinance, no such dissent materialized in Oak Lawn at the recent meeting.

The only public comment came from a man who was critical of the law and urged the board to opt out of it, saying that government should refrain from meddling in the affairs of private businesses.

Both Bury and Adam Woodworth, president of the Oak Lawn Chamber of Commerce, said their support for opting out of the ordinance stemmed more from its implementation than its intent.

"Our argument is not that it isn't time for the minimum wage to go up, it's that it needs to be all across the board," said Woodworth, whose chamber board unanimously opposed the county's minimum wage hike. "That way it keeps all of us on a level playing field, no matter where we live, no matter what municipality we're in, no matter what county we're in."

Because Cook County municipalities can opt out of the minimum wage law, and many already have, any town that does not puts itself and its businesses at a distinct disadvantage, they said.

Woodworth said the situation had played out exactly as he expected it would  with communities that border other counties not subject to the minimum wage increase opting out first, which in turn created a domino-like effect that has now reached more interior Cook County towns.

"Collar communities kind of on the edge of Cook County started opting out because they were by other counties, which would cause a competitive disadvantage for their businesses," he said. "They opted out and it slowly just started coming back into the city.

"When you see the map of (towns that have opted out), it really almost put Oak Lawn kind of on an island," he continued. "And then you have to ask, what does that mean for small business in Oak Lawn, and businesses looking to come to the area?"

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At least 10 other Southland communities have opted out of the county's minimum wage increase as of early May, according to a list compiled by the Oak Lawn Chamber of Commerce. Woodworth said that a number of other south suburban municipalities are mulling the decision to opt out or have upcoming votes on the issue already scheduled.

Supporters of a minimum wage hike argue that it is becoming increasingly difficult for low-wage workers to make ends meet as the cost of living rises. More than 40 percent of Illinoisans earn less than $15 an hour, and nearly 30 percent earn less than $12, according to Oxfam.

The National Employment Law Project, an advocacy organization for low-wage workers that advocates for a $15 minimum wage in Illinois, estimates that by 2022 a single worker in Chicago with no children will need to earn $17.65 just to afford the basics.

Paul Sonn, legal counsel for NELP, said that while it's common for businesses to oppose minimum wage increases, research on the topic has found no evidence of slowed job growth or business relocations as a result of minimum wage hikes.

"Many businesses lobby against it, but the experience is when (the minimum wage) does go up, they're able to adjust, and you don't see an effect on business expansion or job growth," he said.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

That's because the jobs most affected by minimum wage increases are typically service jobs like restaurant, retail, home health care and child care that serve a local clientele and cannot easily be outsourced or relocated, he said.

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"You can't clean an office building remotely from some other place to avoid paying the minimum wage," Sonn said.

While the Oak Lawn Chamber does not support the optional countywide minimum wage increase because of the patchwork way it is being implemented, Woodworth said he believes it's time for the minimum wage to increase statewide, and he credits the issue with prompting Oak Lawn business owners to consider what more they can offer employees.

"I definitely think it's time for the minimum wage to go up," he said. "I'm not smart enough to tell you what that number should be, but I do think it' time for the minimum wage to increase."

The current state minimum wage is $8.25, but bills in the Illinois House and Senate seek to increase that amount to $15 and $11, respectively. Neither bill has yet come up for a vote.

zkoeske@tribpub.com

Twitter @ZakKoeske
Construction continues at the Reich pumping station, Southwest Highway and Kilbourn Avenue, as part of a modernization of the Oak Lawn Regional Water System. (Mike Nolan / Daily Southtown)

A project to improve a system that brings Lake Michigan water to several south and southwest suburbs has gotten more expensive and will take longer to finish than originally planned, officials said.

The higher cost to modernize Oak Lawn's regional water network  which carries water to municipal systems serving some 350,000 area residents  will eventually find its way to residents faucets, but bigger bills are still a ways away and increases will be spread over several years.

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Oak Lawn buys lake water from Chicago and in turn, sells it to 12 area suburbs  Chicago Ridge, Country Club Hills, Matteson, Mokena, New Lenox, Oak Forest, Olympia Fields, Orland Hills, Orland Park, Palos Hills, Palos Park and Tinley Park.

Several years ago, officials realized the nearly 50-year-old distribution system was in need of a significant overhaul, and all of the towns agreed to help pay for it, using a formula that considers factors, including how much each suburb consumes in water.

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Initially, the total cost of the project was estimated at $171 million, but that has since been revised to $216 million, according to Oak Lawn's firm overseeing the project's engineering, CDM Smith. Also, delays in getting approval to run the new water line along Commonwealth Edison rights of way and on Cook County Forest Preserve District property are pushing back expected completion dates.

Originally, it was anticipated that all of the work would be wrapped up by the end of next year, but late 2021 is projected as the new completion date, according to CDM Smith estimates.

Work on improvements at Oak Lawn's two main pumping stations, the Harker and Reich complexes, and improvements at booster stations in Oak Forest, are nearing completion, but construction is yet to begin on the backbone of the new system  a 16-mile water line.

The current 48-inch-diameter line runs along Central Avenue, with branches connecting to individual communities' water systems, although separate, smaller lines from Oak Lawn bring water to Palos Hills and Palos Park.

The new 60-inch line would run west, along Southwest Highway from Oak Lawn's Reich pumping station, located north of Advocate Christ Medical Center. It would veer south, running parallel to Harlem Avenue, then jog east to connect with the existing water line.

Because the higher tab for the project exceeds a threshold set out in an agreement between Oak Lawn and the communities it sells water to, the municipalities need to agree before the first contract is awarded for the first leg of the water line. They will also have to sign off on future bid packages for the project

Oak Lawn recently made a presentation to area mayors and village managers, using the engineering firm's updated cost estimates, Oak Lawn Village Manager Larry Deetjen said.

Managers, in turn, have been relaying the information to their boards, and Tinley Park trustees recently heard from Manager Dave Niemeyer, who provided a history of the project, the planning of which began almost a decade ago.

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The aging system has been described as "patchwork," and has been prone to breakdowns, with an average of one water main break a year, and an instance recently where there were four breaks at one time, he said.

Prior to the launch of the current modernization project, there "had been no discernible plan or commitment to long-term capital investment" in the system, which wasn't designed to keep up with the population growth of the area.

Deetjen said Oak Lawn isn't doing any "lobbying" to sway communities to agree to the cost revisions, but noted that towns were unanimous in their original support of the project.

"We've got to have a reliable water system, a dependable water system," he said. "This water affects us all and is so critical."

The system's current capacity of 55 million gallons per day will be increased to 111 million gallons, and rehabilitation and expansion of the two main pumping stations and the two booster stations will include backup generators. Modifications will also reduce by 15 percent the amount of energy used to push water through the system, according to Oak Lawn.

Higher costs will trickle down

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While a jump of $45 million is significant, the impact will barely cause a ripple in individual household water bills, according to estimates by CDM Smith.

Based on the original cost estimate of the project, annual water bills, depending on the town, were expected to increase anywhere from $13 in Chicago Ridge, to $92 in Oak Forest and $164 in New Lenox. Those numbers are based on monthly consumption of 8,000 gallons.

Under the revised project cost, the new annual increase in Chicago Ridge would be a bit more than $16, Oak Forest residents would pay an extra $111 and annual water bills in New Lenox would rise by about $197, according to the engineers.

The annual increase for Mokena customers would go from $119 under the prior budget estimate, to just under $143 with the revised figure, while Orland Park residents would see annual bills rise by just under $143 compared with an increase of $115 predicted under the initial project costs. Tinley Park residents were expected to pay about $128 more per year, but the new estimate is $153.

Those hikes wouldn't come all at once and will be timed to coincide with debt payments by Oak Lawn, which will own and maintain the new system.

The village has secured low-interest loans from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, which have been used to pay for work done so far, Deetjen said. Repayment begins once work is completed, and will be spread out over 22 years "so you're not hit all at once," he said.

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Deetjen said that officials are hopeful they can continue to use low-interest loans as the project's main financing tool, noting that the other option, selling bonds, could add as much as $100 million in debt financing costs to the project.

According to the engineers' presentation, $44 million of the cost increase reflects the time and expense involved in securing permission to install the new water line along property controlled by ComEd, the forest preserve district and Illinois Department of Transportation.

Deetjen said that any project with the scope of the regional water system is going to be "very, very difficult and expensive," and estimating final costs a tricky proposition.

Negotiating with the forest preserve district took about 33 months, he said, with the district, according to documents, requiring fees totaling $3.76 million for work on its land. The water line will run along just under 4 miles of forest preserve property, and in wetlands areas, tunnels will be used for the line rather than the traditional method of cutting a trench. The district also is requiring that sections of trails be rerouted or rebuilt.

The district notes that the fee is an estimate at this point, and that "due to the unique size and scope of this project these numbers may change based upon the length, size and duration of the work being conducted."

The district is also requiring Oak Lawn to provide funding for the "ecologic restoration" of 500 acres of forest preserve property in and around the path of the pipeline, estimated to cost $2.5 million.

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Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Variables, such as additional fees to the forest preserve or ComEd, could further escalate project costs, CDM Smith notes, and the revised budget assumes that costs for raw materials and labor do not exceed annual increases of 3 percent.

Work at Oak Lawn's Harker pumping station, 105th Street and Lockwood Avenue, is all but complete, and construction at Reich, Southwest Highway and Kilbourn Avenue, is due to wrap up by next January, according to CDM Smith. Work also is near completion on the two booster stations.

It's unclear when work on the first leg of the new water line would begin. A contractor is in place for the work, which will begin at the Reich complex and continue along Southwest Highway to approximately Ridgeland Avenue. Deetjen said that officials at two schools along Southwest Highway that would potentially be impacted  St. Gerald School and Oak Lawn Community High School  were hoping the bulk of the work could be done over the summer, when school is out.

Deetjen said one concern he has is that further delays could drive up costs or increase scarcity of the large-diameter steel pipe that will be needed.

"I don't want that pipe going to another community" he said. "You want to be queued up and don't want to be bypassed by growing areas (in other parts of the country). Municipalities are in competition whether you like it or not."

mnolan@tribpub.com

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Cozetta Trimble, Bessie Slaughter. Cele Bona. Carol Paprocki. Dave Kawa.

And my mom.

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All said when they sat down with Dr. Sivaramaprasad Tummala it was as if they were the only two people in the world.

"My goodness gracious," said Trimble, of Chicago. "He is so kind. He takes all the care and all the time in the world."

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Slaughter, also of Chicago, said, "He is a beautiful person. I have called him at all different times and he is always kind and patient."

Bona, who lives in Gurnee, described him as "the best human being on this planet."

Final office visit

It came up quickly, news of the alarming diagnosis and heartbreaking prognosis.

Tummala, a Burbank cardiologist and primary care doctor, had called the previous week, to tell me his bout with a rare form of bladder cancer had returned, suddenly. It was so severe that he now must close his practice of 40 years.

Though he'd never been my doctor, I'd always considered him a family friend and a special human being. I asked if I could come see him and bring my father.

A few days later, his office called to announce an impromptu open house the very next day at Tummala's office on 79th Street. My father and I arranged to go.

On May 5, we arrived near the end of the four-hour allotted time  to find more than 100 people waiting in a line that wrapped around the interior of the medical center's first floor. Word was many more had already come and gone, including a woman who had just turned 100.

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I hadn't planned to write about the event, but when I saw the crowd, my reporter instinct kicked in. I began chatting up and down the line, asking what it was about this doctor that made people drop everything and come running. Would they have done the same for any other doctor  for any other person?

They all said it was simple as knowing he would  and had  done the same for them.

The well-wishers were young, old, well, ill, patients and family members who'd traveled from nearby Oak Lawn and Homer Glen and as far away as Starved Rock.

All said a variation of the same thing  each thought they were his only patient.

My mother had often said the same. Once, a few years ago, I asked him about this. His response was, "Each one is my most important patient."

In an age when everything is virtual and often rushed, Tummala took the time to interact one-on-one, to chat, to ask questions and to answer them. And now his patients were returning the favor, carving out an afternoon on a moment's notice for the chance to hug and offer words of encouragement to the man who'd so often done it for them.

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After attempting to see each guest individually in his office and then realizing there weren't enough hours in the day, the doctor came into the lobby and gave a brief speech.

"I started the chemotherapy," he said. "They're hoping to shrink the tumor to keep me more comfortable. Right now I'm not eating anything, only liquids, water and juice. That's my lifeline right now. I feel better today overall. The pain is under control with the patch. But I need to wait and see what chemotherapy does. Hopefully, with all your prayers..."

His words were interrupted by a chorus of yeses and applause.

And then, as was his custom, his attention turned to those waiting in line. "Please be patient," he said. "I will try to meet with you all."

All about his patients

Kamala Tummala said she listens to her husband's daily prayers and they are never for himself, never for the cancer to be cured.

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"All that he prays is, 'Please take care of my patients. Keep them healthy and happy.'"

Kamala Tummala says her husband of 49 years, "is what he seems.

"He is what a human being is supposed to be," she said. "He's very disciplined and focused and goal-oriented. Moreover, he's a very sensitive, caring person.

"I don't say this because he's my husband," she said. "But because he's a good man. My world revolves around him because I respect him so much. I not only love him, I respect him as a human being."

She says in the coming days, she will take care of him any way she can. "To me, that is the ultimate," she said.

Gazing at the long line of visitors, Pramod Tummala said, "It's incredible. I've always heard about how much (my father's) patients loved him but to come here and see this turnout, it's been overwhelming."

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It was also an opportunity for patients to remind the doctor to practice what he so often preached, his son said.

"His message to his patients has always been to fight. Now, his patients have come here to tell him he has to fight. It's inspiring. To see the mark he's left on all these people. This truly was his calling."

Pramod said his father, who lost his own mother when he was a young child, was put on the path to becoming a doctor at an early age.

"But this has never been a job to him. This is his identity. This is who he is," he said.

Even at 70, his father is not giving up his practice by choice, Pramod said.

Such dedication might take a toll on a family but Pramod said he and his brother, Paneel, always understood that their father had an important job  healing people.

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"I think we understood that he was doing amazing work and touching people's lives. And he still made time for his kids and his family. It wasn't a traditional home-by-5 or home-by-7 job. Sometimes we'd be in bed before he came home. Or there were times he'd be on his way home and get a call and he'd have to turn around and go back. But it was an interesting childhood. He made up for it creatively."

Pramod too noticed a recurring theme among the crowd. "Each patient feels like they are the only person in the world when they meet with him. It's remarkable how he can do that. I feel like there may have been other doctors of that ilk but I feel like they're becoming extinct," he said.

A labor of love

Tummala was born in Ghantasala, India. The son of a farmer, he lost his mother when he was just 4.

He believes his curiosity with medicine began when his little sister was born with congenital heart defects.

A bright child, he scored high enough on the entrance exams for the India secondary school system to be allowed to skip a grade, something he thinks is not always a wise thing for a child.

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He attended The Hindu College and then went on to Rangaraya Medical College in Kakinada, India, where he met his wife. A psychiatrist, Kamala Tummala recently retired from Hines Veterans Hospital.

Tummala came to the United States in 1970, spent a year in Rhode Island and then became a resident in internal medicine at Hines. In 1973, he added cardiology to his curriculum vitae. Two years later, he became one of the youngest members of the cardiology team at Loyola University's Stritch School of Medicine.

In 1977, he and his mentor, Dr. Rimgaudas Nemickas, opened a practice near Holy Cross Hospital. Tummala has been serving the South Side and suburbs ever since, first at 61st Street and Kedzie Avenue, and now at the Burbank Medical Center, just west of Cicero Avenue.

My mother had been one of Tummala's first patients. She started seeing him in 1980, after her first heart attack. I often took her to her appointments and each time she would emerge from his office "on cloud nine," happy, almost joyful  the way humans are known to react to kindness and attention.

We were grateful for that but we really came to understand how special he was, decades later, when my mom was dying. Even though he was not an oncologist, he came every day to see her at the hospital and answer our questions.

Being a questioning kind of person, I had lots  about death, treatments and even the afterlife. He answered all to the best of his knowledge, even explaining burial customs among different cultures. I appreciated the information but even more, I treasured the calming peace he seemed to bring into a room.

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The days before my mom died were chaotic, as family and friends came to see her. On Saturday night, her room at Advocate Christ Hospital was packed with visitors. A thunderstorm raged outside. The hospital lost power for a time. Though I'd spent the previous two nights at the hospital I was finally exhausted and I headed home to sleep for a few hours. Something woke me early and told me to go back.

On that quiet morning, with only my dad, my brother, my husband and me in the room, my mom left us.

Seemingly seconds later, Tummala arrived. He sat with us at her bedside.

Three days later, Tummala came to her wake. I was stunned.

"That's the kind of man he is," said Louise Hovel, his longtime office manager.

"I've known him since 1986. He took care of my father. He took care of me. He took care of my daughter. He's been a friend, he's been a doctor and he's been the best boss I've ever seen," she said, through tears.

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Dr. Sharif Atrawal, a rheumatologist at Holy Cross has known Tummala for at least 27 years.

"Some of his patients come to me as a rheumatologist. His patients have the best to say about him. No one can replace him. He put the patients first, even after his own sicknesses," Atrawal said. "He is so hard working. I cannot even imagine working that hard. I think his profession is his life. This is a labor of love."

Chris Murphy's mother was his patient.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

One time, the Oak Forest resident recalled, "I was scared and in a panic. I called him and he came at 9 at night and sat with me. We were there till 11 o'clock. He wasn't in a hurry at all."

Mary Lou Mormann's husband was his patient, too.

"He is fabulous. His gentleness and his kindness. My husband has another doctor in this building and if I were sitting here with my husband waiting for the other doctor, Dr. Tummala would come to me and give me a big hug and say hello," the Oak Lawn resident said. "Believe me, I won't get that anymore. I will never find another doctor like that. They just don't make them."

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"What's special about him," George Kroeck, of Chicago, repeats my question. "What's special?"

"Everything."

dvickroy@tribpub.com

Twitter @dvickroy
Political candidates at every level are spending so much money on running for office that only the wealthiest individuals can be competitive. (Pioneer Press )

Abraham Lincoln spoke of a government "of the people, by the people and for the people." That phrase is still used today on occasion, but everyone knows that the "people" we're talking about are the ones with lots and lots of money.

Billionaire Donald Trump is president, and he doesn't think his fellow citizens have a right to know anything about whether or how much he pays in taxes. Billionaire Bruce Rauner is governor of Illinois, and his agenda for the state calls for getting rid of unions, which he sees as a cause of unnecessary expense for businessmen like himself. Increasingly, the only individuals who can get elected to Congress are millionaires.

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And now, the astounding growth in the cost of election campaigns has trickled down, as they say in Washington, to the village level.

Take for example Orland Park, where longtime incumbent Mayor Dan McLaughlin was defeated in his April re-election bid by political newcomer Keith Pekau. Mayor-elect Pekau has already held his first political fundraiser since the election.

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Pekau reported to the state election board that his campaign expenses totaled $75,000  half of it out of his own pocket  even though his campaign only began in November. "Campaigns cost a lot of money," Pekau said last week. "It's pretty normal to do fundraisers after a campaign."

Ironically, it was a money issue that may have cost McLaughlin the election and won it for Pekau, who entered the race after McLaughlin was given a raise by the village board from $40,000 to $150,000 a year. The raise would go into effect when Pekau takes office, unless he rejects the increase and persuades the village board to repeal the new salary ordinance.

It appears that Orland Park voters disapproved of the salary increase. We wonder what they think about the large sums that candidates are spending on election campaigns. The Daily Southtown reported last week that the election for mayor, village clerk and three village trustee contests in Orland Park cost a total of $362,000. Some $183,000 of that total was spent in the last two weeks of the campaign by the super PAC (Political Action Committee) called "Liberty Principles." That PAC, which is aligned with and funded in part by Gov. Rauner, invested heavily in defeating McLaughlin.

Such extensive campaign contributions were very unusual only a few years ago on the local level. But the Citizens United Supreme Court decision essentially gave free rein to corporations and the super-rich to spend unlimited amounts on getting their candidates elected. Free speech is guaranteed by the Constitution, and money equals free speech, or so the high court seemed to reason.

If you think that argument is true, try going into your favorite restaurant and talking until they serve you a free meal.

Our point is not that we believe Orland Park voters chose the wrong mayor. What we are concerned about is that candidates at every level are spending so much money on running for office that only the wealthiest individuals can be competitive. Or, if they are not wealthy themselves, they have to have the support of the wealthiest donors.

It may be the new normal that public officials have to hold fundraisers even before their terms begin. But if every election at every level is going to be about who has the most money to spend, it is not difficult to see whose interests the government is going to serve, at every level.
Scenes from Gov. Bruce Rauner's visit on May 12, 2017, to Homewood-Flossmoor High School to highlight the school's excellence in fine arts education. (Chicago Tribune)

I followed Gov. Bruce Rauner around Homewood-Flossmoor High School for an hour Friday afternoon, hoping for a chance to ask him a question about school funding.

Rauner visited Homewood-Flossmoor because the school was a finalist in a video contest held by the governor's office.

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In H-F's entry, students are shown talking about how fine arts education improves their overall academic performance by teaching them such skills as time management and the importance of meeting deadlines.

The quality of arts programs and the enthusiasm shown by students brought Rauner to the school.

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A small group of demonstrators held signs near the intersection of Kedzie Avenue and Flossmoor Road, displaying such messages for the governor as "fully fund public schools" and "support unions."

I wanted to ask Rauner about school funding, but I had to wait for the opportunity. He kept up with a full itinerary during the hour he spent there. The school had many examples of quality arts programs to show the governor.

As he entered the school, Rauner was greeted by officials while members of the school orchestra performed the title song from "The Sound of Music."

"Go Vikings!" Rauner said every time he paused for pictures with students and teachers.

Rauner headed into the auditorium to hear a song from the hit musical "Hamilton" performed by senior James Rhyne on piano and junior Joy Woods on vocals. Woods is the younger sister of Jaime Woods, a 2008 H-F graduate who was nominated for a Grammy in 2016 for her vocal performance on Chance the Rapper's song, "No Problem."

"I look forward to seeing you both on Broadway some day," Rauner told Woods and Rhyne.

From the auditorium, a group trailed Rauner to a courtyard where students are building a sculpture they conceived and designed. The sculpture is an obelisk that will be covered with pieces of broken glass from a mirror the governor shattered with a hammer.

"We were talking in class about ways to symbolize the division in politics  at the national level," fine arts teacher Greg Petecki told Rauner.

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The obelisk resembles the Washington Monument, and I inferred the pieces of shattered glass represent the fractured nature of political discourse in the country.

I thought it was also symbolic that the governor was the person who shattered the mirror with a hammer. The lack of a budget during Rauner's two years as governor is, to me, like him fracturing an already fragile system of school funding.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 5 Gov. Bruce Rauner talks to students in a studio art classroom on Friday at Homewood-Flossmoor High School. (Ted Slowik / Daily Southtown)

From the courtyard, Rauner's handlers hustled him off to a studio where H-F students learn radio and TV broadcasting skills. He sat for a session that was streamed live on Facebook and featured questions from students in a small studio audience and via Twitter.

"I'm a strong believer that arts play a fundamental role in education," Rauner said. He talked about how his wife and his six children all play musical instruments, and how Rauner himself played trumpet when he went to school in Deerfield.

I was impressed by how well students articulated their questions. I admired how students seemed bright, motivated and respectful.

A student asked Rauner what he was doing to work toward improving funding for schools in impoverished areas of the state.

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"I want more money for schools every year," Rauner said. He said he wanted more equity in school funding, too, and that he wanted to free schools from the burdensome restrictions of unfunded mandates.

Outside the TV studio, Rauner paused again so students could take "selfies" with him with their camera phones. Then we headed to a studio art classroom where students were working on self-portrait paintings.

From there, we stepped outside and enjoyed a performance by members of the H-F band. We walked past large, outdoor sculptures created by students over the years and headed to the North Building, which was renovated and expanded in 2014.

Rauner stopped to view and appreciate several student paintings displayed in the North Building atrium and to pose for more pictures with students and teachers.

Finally, Rauner's visit was declared concluded, and he headed out a door of the North Building with a small entourage. I figured this was my chance to ask a question, since I didn't want to interrupt his earlier interactions with students in the auditorium, courtyard, TV studio, hallways and classrooms.

"One question, governor," I said. Rauner turned and looked at me for a moment.

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Then an aide interjected and said Rauner wasn't taking questions.

"Please," I said, "just one question as we're walking." We were on a sidewalk outside the North Building and it was a good 100 feet or so to the parking lot.

The governor turned away, but I went ahead and asked about something Rauner told students moments earlier about increasing education funding by $700 million.

The governor's Twitter account also claimed, in a Tweet published at 11 a.m. Friday, "We've increased state support for K-12 education by $700 million, setting new records for funding levels."

I thought the claims were disingenuous, seeing as how the state owes more than $1 billion to public schools as part of the massive backlog in unpaid bills due to the budget impasse.

General state aid for schools for the current school year was appropriated by the General Assembly and signed by the governor, but funding was not authorized for "mandated categoricals" that cover such services as transportation and special education.

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"How can you claim credit for increasing education funding by $700 million when the state owes more than a billion dollars to schools?" I asked Rauner.

The governor continued walking as I followed behind.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

"No response?" I said to the back of the governor's head.

Rauner can seem genuinely concerned about addressing the state's problems.

But criticism of Rauner includes observations that when he delivers polished responses full of talking points about making the state more competitive, he doesn't really answer the questions put to him a lot of the time.

Rauner is also criticized for dodging responsibility for his role in the budget stalemate. Democrats led by House Speaker Michael Madigan share blame for the state's fiscal problems, I agree, but at least Illinois had a budget  until Rauner.

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I was left with the impression that there's substance to those criticisms of Rauner as he walked away from me on Friday. The other key takeaway of the visit was that Homewood-Flossmoor High School students have many reasons to feel proud of their academic accomplishments, especially in the arts.

tslowik@tribpub.com

Twitter @tedslowik
Huntley Village President Charles Sass takes the oath of office as administered by Village Clerk Rita McMahon. (Jeanie Mayer / The Courier-News)

Four incumbents were sworn in as Village of Huntley officials Thursday night at the village board meeting.

Trustees Rhonda Goldman and JR Westberg each have served as trustees since 2013. Both were elected to their second terms. Trustee John Piwko, who has served on the board since 2007, also won reelection.

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Village President Charles Sass has been reelected to his fifth term as village president having first taken the office in 2001. Sass began as a trustee in 1997.

Village Trustee Harry Leopold congratulated the board members on their reelections.

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"I'd like to offer congratulations to the mayor and the trustees who have been elected to serve another term," Leopold said.

Leopold commended Sass for his involvement in achieving a number of improvements in the village over his tenure.

"He was the primary motivator for many initiatives including the widening of Algonquin Road, the widening of Route 47 and the four-way interchange, the building of the new village hallwon the battle for Centegra Hospital and led the downtown redevelopment. Chuck, thank you for serving. It is an honor to serve with you for another four years," Leopold said.

The village president also renewed the contracts of Village Manager David Johnson and Police Chief Robert Porter for another four years.

"It is these people that make me and the other trustees look good," Sass said of Porter, Johnson and the rest of the village management team.

Jeanie Mayer is a freelance reporter for the Courier-News.
Then-8th District Congressman-Elect Raja Krishnamoorthi at his office in Streamwood last November. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

Illinois 8th District Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has requested President Donald Trump turn over to the House Oversight Committee any recordings of conversations with recently fired FBI Director James Comey.

Friday morning Trump tweeted, "James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!"

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Krishnamoorthi, whose district includes a large portion of Elgin, serves on the House Oversight Committee.

In a statement issued Friday, he said, "I would respectfully request that the White House Counsel provide the House Oversight Committee with all tapes of the President's communications with former FBI Director James Comey, of President Trump's meeting with Russian officials which was closed to American press but not their Russian counterparts, and of any conversations regarding the hiring or firing of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

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"These White House tapes could accelerate current investigations as previous tapes have aided past inquiries," the statement said.

Krishnamoorthi's office also provided a copy of a letter the congressman sent to White House legal counsel Douglas McGahn.

Trump's tweeting was a subject during a press conference Friday, at which press secretary Sean Spicer said he was not aware of any such recordings.

mdanahey@tribpub.com
For the past several months, Hanan Hall, owner of The Fox & Filly in West Dundee, has been transitioning her business from a brick and mortar shop to participating in art shows, vendor and gallery events and online sales. (Erin Sauder / The Courier-News)

Making the decision to close her West Dundee storefront wasn't easy, but Hanan Hall knew the time was right.

For the past several months, the owner of The Fox & Filly, at 125 W. Main St., has been transitioning her business from a brick and mortar shop to participating in art shows, vendor and gallery events, and online sales.

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"I decided to place my focus on where my revenue is coming from," Hall said. "I've been a shopkeeper for over 25 years. That's a long time. Things are changing in the world. People are shopping more online."

Her target closing date is mid-July. She has begun a liquidation sale, with items marked down. Store fixtures are on sale as well. Prior to closing up shop, Hall also plans to host several ladies nights events.

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She is upbeat about the transition.

"This really is a positive thing," she said.

Hall said as much in her store closing announcement on The Fox & Filly Facebook page.

"This is not the time to be sad," she wrote. "I appreciate all of my loyal clients and thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting me in all of the years I've been a shopkeeper."

She plans to keep The Fox & Filly Facebook page updated with her vendor events.

She has been making her own jewelry since she was 5-years-old, she said. She started her first shop, Hanan Hall Jewelry, in East Dundee in the 1980s, while also exhibiting at art shows and Renaissance faires across the country.

She moved to San Diego in 1991 and opened Hanan Hall Jewelry in Escondido, Calif., before moving her shop back to East Dundee in 1998. In 2005 she moved to Lake Geneva and opened up shop there, changing the name to Romantica.

She moved the shop to West Dundee in 2009. In August 2015, Hall announced she was closing Romantica Boutique to open solely as a jewelry and accessories store. But she said that didn't sit well with her clients.

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She then decided to open The Fox & Filly in the same storefront, featuring jeans, tops, day-into-evening dresses, skirts, sweaters, jackets, accessories and Hall's own handcrafted jewelry.

Mayor Chris Nelson said village officials are disappointed to see that she's closing.

"But we understand the jewelry line of her business is the most profitable and operating an independent clothing store is very capital expensive," he said. "She's certainly been a good member of the business community."

Erin Sauder is a freelance reporter for the Courier-News.
Glenbrook South High School maintenance department supervisor Michael Asquini, 53, was charged May 5 with disorderly conduct after reading a portion of My Rifle: The Creed of a United States Marine during a test of the school's intercom system, officials said. (Glenview Police Department )

A Glenbrook South High School maintenance department supervisor was charged May 5 with disorderly conduct after reading a U.S. Marine creed about rifles over the school's intercom system before classes began, officials said.

Michael Asquini, 53, allegedly read a portion of "My Rifle: The Creed of a United States Marine" during a test of the intercom, according to a police report.

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In the creed, a Marine pledges loyalty to his or her rifle and defending the country. Staff "brought (the speech) to a quick end," police spokesman Sgt. Jim Foley said in an email. Officials don't know why Asquini, a former Marine, read the creed, but there is "no indication at all" that there was malicious intent, he said.

However, the reading "prompted those in the building to call the police department," according to the report.

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Police responded to the school at 6:29 a.m., inspected the building and determined there was no safety concern, according to the report.

Asquini is "currently on leave pending any additional potential actions by the Board of Education," District 225 spokeswoman Karen Geddeis said in an email. Students and teachers were in the building when he read the creed, she said.

Asquini, of the 1300 block of East Best Drive, Arlington Heights, posted $75 bond and was assigned a court date of June 19.

akukulka@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @Akukulka11
Turns out Mom was right all along. With Mother's Day this weekend, moms everywhere seem to have innate knowledge about how to travel through life. Especially useful are what you think are homey adages that, as you grow older, ring truer.

You know the ones. "If so and so jumped off a bridge, would you?" Or how about, "You can choose your friends, but not your family." And one appropriate to the current situation at Adeline Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park: "One bad apple spoils the bunch."

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In the case of the sprawling state park near Zion, it wasn't only one bad apple, but bushels of them, that led the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to ban alcohol use at the park. While we understand how change sometimes upsets people, we agree with the decision to turn Illinois Beach into an alcohol-free zone.

Outdoors folks who enjoy a libation around their campground fires while communing with nature are complaining about how the ban will crimp their camping style. Tough luck. You can blame your fellow campers for the action by state officials.

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For decades, booze was allowed at the park along the Lake Michigan shoreline. The park, with nearly 400 camping sites, ranks annually as one of the three most-visited state parks in Illinois.

Illinois Beach is following two other large and busy state parks  Chain O'Lakes State Park between Antioch and Fox Lake, and Starved Rock, along the Illinois River in LaSalle County  that earlier went alcohol-free. Illinois Beach, one of the last of the busiest state parks to enact bans against alcohol, had a drinking problem, according to site Superintendent Saki Villalobos.

Rowdies were partying all night, disturbing other tent and trailer campers, Villalobos said this week. Law enforcement officers had their hands tied because alcohol was permitted at certain campsites, so conservation police only could ask campers to keep it down. That's a shame for those who followed the rules and didn't go overboard with alcohol use, wrecking their fellow campers' experience at Illinois Beach.

But we have a feeling the alcohol ban comes with a sigh of relief from moms and dads who want to enjoy a weekend of family camping without late-night revelers ruining a night or two in the wilderness. It should also cut down on the number of bottles and cans left for cleanup crews.

We're also sure park officers won't be searching every vehicle or campsite for an open bottle of hooch. Discretion is the byword here, although officials say if alcohol is visible at campsites and the lakeshore beach, users will be told to dispose of it. It's up to officers, but a violation is a class B misdemeanor that could cost lawbreakers $75 to plead guilty through the mail. If a person decides to go to court, punishment can range from one to six months in jail and include a fine of up to $1,500.

Despite its proximity to Exelon's shuttered Zion Nuclear Generating Station and the need for some overdue infrastructure updates and improvements, Illinois Beach is worth visiting. There's rare flora and fauna for visitors to discover, along with small fishing lakes and the secluded Dead River area.

If you want to visit Illinois Beach with mom this Mother's Day weekend and toast her day, alcohol is served at the distinctive resort along the shore. That's where it belongs, away from those who want to enjoy their park stay in relative quiet and not be bothered by outdoor revelers.
Linda Pacha, of Naperville, stands in front of a backpack representing her son, part of a traveling exhibit drawing attention to the fact that an estimated 1,100 college students take their own lives each year. The 1,100 backpacks in the "Send Suicide Packing" exhibit were displayed Friday at the North Central College campus in Naperville. (Suzanne Baker / Naperville Sun)

Standing in the midst of 1,100 backpacks dotting North Central College's grassy commons Friday, Linda Pacha held out a white flier with information on mental health resources and urged every student who passed her to visit nicksnetworkofhope.org.

For those willing to listen, the Naperville mom relayed the story behind the backpack at her feet and how Nick, a 19-year-old freshman at the University of Minnesota, took his life on April 29 four years ago.

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It's a story Pacha relives every second of every day; Nick was her son. "It's something that never leaves you," Pacha said.

Four years later, the Naperville woman lifts up families who've recently gone through similar experiences and implores young people to seek help before they become another statistic.

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"You might be at a point where it may seem like it's the end of the world, but it's not.  Reach out now; there are plenty of people who care," she said.

A backpack tells the story of Nick Pacha, of Naperville, who died four years ago after taking his own life near the end of his freshman year at the University of Minnesota. His mother, Linda Pacha, visited the traveling "Send Suicide Packing" exhibit at North Central College in Naperville Friday to demonstrate that such a tragedy can strike families anywhere. (Suzanne Baker / Naperville Sun)

The Naperville woman copes with her grief by spreading the message of help through the organization she founded  Nick's Network of Hope  and at events like Friday's "Send Suicide Packing," brought to North Central's Naperville campus by the mental health advocacy and counseling group SamaraCare of Naperville.

If her story saves just one life, Pacha considers it a victory.

Created by the Active Minds, the traveling exhibit features 1,100 backpacks of all sizes, shapes and colors to represent the number of college students who've take their life during a single year.

Pacha said the number is likely much higher because police often do not classify student deaths as suicide, in part because of the stigma for both the victim and the college. Her own son's death is listed as a drowning.

The mother said the display is both visual and poignant.

Some of the backpacks spotlight an individual student's story; others contain items that were dear to the backpack's owner.

"This is not just a number. These are real people," Pacha said.

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Linda Pacha, of Naperville, shares the story of her son's suicide Friday with a North Central College student. Pacha was instrumental in bringing the traveling "Send Suicide Packing" exhibit to North Central College in Naperville. (Suzanne Baker / Naperville Sun)

The exhibit started at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in 2008, and has visited 140 cities across the country. North Central was the last college on a 15-campus spring 2017 tour that included schools in Alabama, California, Colorado, Oregon and Wisconsin.

Tatiana Sifri, director of the Dyson Wellness Center on the North Central campus, said the exhibit brings conversations about suicide and mental health to the forefront.

"My main goal is to make sure our students know they can seek help. There's always hope and help. Don't hesitate and wait," Sifri said.

One way to get help, she said, is through an early referral system available at North Central in which a student, friend, faculty or staff member can alert the school when they see a student in distress. Sifri said a group of people work to ensure the student gets the needed intervention, support or counseling.

"We are so lucky to have so many resources within walking distance of our campus," Sifri said. But unless a student reaches out, or someone reaches out on the student's behalf, those resources go unused, she said.

Friends shouldn't be afraid of the repercussions, she added. "Sure the friend might be mad at them for a while. In the end, we've found the people are more grateful that someone cared," Sifri said.

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North Central senior Kathryn Bloch, of Oswego, said she was moved to tears after reading one of the stories posted on a backpack.

"I think this is a great way to express the subject of suicide. It's easy to feel isolated, even on a campus like this," Bloch said.

Naperville resident Xiaoye Chen was on her lunch break when she wandered past the campus Friday afternoon. Curious, she stopped to read some of the stories.

Seeing all the bags strewn across the lawn definitely showed the need for intervention, both on a college campus and elsewhere, Chen said.

That's exactly the point Karen Doyle, director of advancement and outreach at SamaraCare, said she was hoping would come across.

Doyle said the display grew out of discussions on ways to improve ministries related to mental health at several Naperville Catholic churches.

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All agreed they wanted to focus on suicide prevention, and Doyle said when Pacha brought up the "Send Suicide Packing" display, the deal was sealed.

Besides the college, the Dyson Wellness Center and SamaraCare, the exhibit was supported by the Naperville Park District, KidsMatter, ParentsMatter Too, Nick's Network of Hope, Linden Oaks Behavioral Health, Edgewood Clinical Services, Interfaith Mental Health Coalition, Good Shepherd Church, Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church and St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church.

Those groups helped man several booths, providing information on where students and the public can find mental health resources.

Students read some of the stories spotlighted in the traveling "Send Suicide Packing" exhibit offered Friday on the campus of North Central College in Naperville. (Suzanne Baker / Naperville Sun)

subaker@tribpub.com

Twitter @SBakerSun1
A four-story, mixed-use development plan has been proposed for Nichols Library on Washington Street in Naperville, but two residents are seeking landmark status for the building to keep it intact. (Erin Hegarty / Naperville Sun)

Two Naperville residents are hoping local landmark status for the city's first library will prevent a developer from dismantling and expanding the nearly 119-year-old building.

Developer Dwight Avram has proposed converting the old Nichols Library on downtown Washington Street into a four-story, mixed-use building with retail on the first floor, offices on the second and residential condominiums on the third and fourth. The project is to be presented Tuesday during a public open house.

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Charlie Wilkins and Barb Hower maintain the library should be kept intact as an important piece of Naperville history, and plan to submit an application to the city of Naperville seeking its designation as a landmark.

"The building is so important because it has been an icon of the downtown for over one hundred years, Wilkins said. "If nothing else, the building's stately Richardsonian Romanesque architecture by master architect M.E. Bell is worth preserving."

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Wilkins researched the building's history as part of a graduate school project in 2009, and said he will use that information to complete the paperwork needed to have it named a Naperville landmark. He and Hower started the application process about a week ago, and hope to submit it to the city by the end of May.

Naperville's Historic District, which essentially covers the city's downtown area and includes the library, is on the National Register of Historic Places but doesn't offer a lot in terms of protecting the buildings it encompasses, Wilkins said.

"We're seeking local landmark status for this because what ultimately protects a building like this is local protections that are in place," Wilkins said. "Benefits of having it locally landmarked is that any exterior changes would go through much more thorough review process to ensure any exterior changes are going to be appropriate."

Avram has proposed dismantling the building's facade so the structure can be enlarged, his spokeswoman Deb Newman said. It would then be reconstructed as the front of the new building, she said.

Historic elements, such as the library's vestibule and floor, would be incorporated into the new building as would a gallery devoted to the library's history and benefactor, Newman said.

Avram purchased the site earlier this year from Truth Lutheran Church, which is soon to relocate to a new building.

The Nichols Library was built with money bequeathed by James L. Nichols, a German immigrant who was a prominent Naperville citizen in the late 1800s. Nichols attended what is now North Central College and in 1883 became the principal of its commercial department, according to Bryan Ogg, curator of research for Naper Settlement

Nichols taught at the college for eight years and was one of three or four investors in the Naperville Lounge Co., which manufactured furniture, Ogg said. The business would eventually be bought out by company secretary Peter Kroehler, a former student of Nichols, and the Kroehler Manufacturing Co. would go on to become the world's largest producers of upholstered furniture.

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Nichols' own claim to fame came with Nichols Publishing Co. and his authorship of "The Business Guide," a book that included tips on penmanship, how to address a business letter and arithmetic tables, Ogg said. It was considered a bible among businessmen at the time, and generated great wealth for Nichols, he said. His son, James L. Nichols Jr., would go on to be a three-term mayor of Naperville.

When Nichols died in 1895 at the age of 44, he left $10,000 to the city for the construction of Naperville's first public library, Ogg said. The limestone used in the building came from the quarry that is now used as Centennial Beach, he said.

"His vision and generosity established one of this community's most important and successful institutions, the Naperville public libraries," Wilkins said.

Historic buildings such as the old Nichols Library remind Naperville residents of the city's past and the people who came before them, Hower said. The building also holds many memories for people such as herself, who used it frequently before it was replaced by the new Nichols Library on Jefferson Street in 1986.

Hower said she has not seen Avram's plans but believes the library should remain as it is rather than having just portions of it preserved.

When the city sold the Nichols Library property to the Truth Lutheran, the deal included a covenant that requires future owners to preserve the building's front facade and vestibule, including an intricate tile floor.

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The covenant states the owner "shall retain, protect and maintain in its present condition in perpetuity, the Washington Street facade of the original 'Old Library Building,' including the USGS bench mark in the northwest corner of the building in its present state." The agreement also states the owner "shall further retain, protect and maintain in its present condition in perpetuity, the interior facade of the Washington Street entrance foyer of the original 'Old Library Building.'"

Avram won't have any hurdles to clear in demolishing the building as long as he preserves the building's front facade and vestibule, said Allison Laff, planning services team leader for Naperville's Transportation, Engineering and Development department.

"We have met with the developer and everything is very conceptual at the moment," Laff said. Since no official plans for the project have been submitted, city officials do not have a stance on the proposal, she said.

If Wilkins and Hower are successful in getting landmark status for the library, it will become the fourth building in the city to receive the designation. The others are the Truitt House at 48 E. Jefferson Ave., the Thomas Clow House at 11236 S. Book Road and the Naperville Woman's Club building at 14 S. Washington St.

"I think it's very important to ensure that our downtown remains vibrant," Wilkins said. "The Nichols Library, with its history and its architecture, is such an important part of the downtown and it should be preserved."

ehegarty@tribpub.com
Consider this: Christine Holzer went to Roosevelt High School in Chicago; her daughter Katie Militello went to Ridgewood High School in Norridge, which goes by the same initials, RHS.

Christine did her student teaching at Killdeer Elementary in Chicago; Katie was assigned to do her student teaching at a Killdeer Elementary, though in Buffalo Grove.

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Christine is a teacher at a St. Bartholomew in Chicago; her daughter is also a teacher at a Catholic school, in Oak Park.

Throw in the fact that Chris was born at Swedish Covenant Hospital, and 31 years later she gave birth to Katie at the same hospital  well suddenly this column is a candidate for Ripley's Believe it Or Not.

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Q. So who was Katie's biggest influence going into teaching?

A. She says it was her second-grade teacher at Union Ridge when she started there, Mrs. (Barbara) Zeman. She just took Katie under her wing, and she really blossomed.

Q. And yourself?

A. I don't know, maybe I had a little influence.

Q. One of your other roles is as co-chair of the Harwood Heights Events Committee. What does the group do?

A. What we do is plan and promote events within the village  the summer festival, the Christmas decorating contest, Halloween parties, things such as that. This year, the village is celebrating its 70th anniversary, so the mayor has staffed our committee to plan a special event each month, rather than season.

Q. How does that work?

A. So we started back in February, with movies from 1947 (70 years ago). "Life with Father" (William Powell, Irene Dunne), and "The Fugitive" (Henry Fonda, Delores del Rio) were two. Last month we had what we called the Dine-Around, so we took whoever was interested to three different places for appetizers, an entree and dessert. Coming up this month is a Mexican fiesta, and that's going to be at Las Palmas on Montrose (6815 W. Montrose Ave.)

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Q. Your husband, Michael, responsible for us learning all these interesting things about you, is pretty active too?

A. Did Mike tell you he's also involved with the plan commission? He's pretty involved with any kind of development that goes into our village. You know since he went in, we've had the new Mariano's, Portillo's Restaurant, Starbucks.

Q. So how about we go with a headline  "Mike Holzer, the real force behind Harwood Height's sudden blossoming?"

A. No, (laughing). The mayor (Arlene Jezierny) built the community. We just help along.
Barbara "Bobo" Rockefeller, daughter of an immigrant coal miner, leaves the Park Avenue apartment of her estranged husband, Winthrop Rockefeller, June 29, 1953, in New York. She moved into the apartment with her four-year-old son following her arrival from an Indiana farm, where she and the boy have been living with her parents. Rockefeller stated she "had no plans to divorce" her millionaire husband. (John Rooney / Handout)

Happy Mother's Day to Readers!

Today marks the one-year anniversary for this From the Farm recipe column debuting in print editions of The Post-Tribune and at www.ChicagoTribune.com, as a weekly feature and the continuation of this 15-year newspaper staple.

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One of the favorite aspects of writing this weekly column is connecting with readers and receiving questions, recipes and your own stories via both traditional mail and email.

A column I wrote last month focused on the late millionairess Bobo Rockefeller and her local farm roots in Northwest Indiana, before she made headlines as a famous 1953 bankroll bride to Winthrop Rockefeller, one of John D. Rockefeller Jr.'s wealthy and eligible bachelor sons.

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Bobo, who died at age 91 in 2008, put "tiny Lowell, Ind." in news headlines around the world for a brief moment in 1954, and Lowell reader Joe Haberzetle wrote me a handwritten letter to share his own interesting insights:

"I really enjoyed reading your Rockefeller column. My family and myself had a strong tie to her and we called Bobo 'Eva,' since as you explained, she was born Jievute Paulekiute, 'the daughter of poor Lithuanian immigrants who lived near the stockyards on the southside of Chicago,' before her parents moved to their farm in Lowell. I believe she was born in 1922 and possibly graduated from Lowell High School in 1940. I'd always heard she passed away at age 86, so when you mentioned she was crowned Miss Lithuania at the Century of Progress World's Fair Exposition in 1933, it's hard to believe an 11 year-old could have achieved this, unless it was something that happened to get her in 'the fast lane.' Her family's 100-acre farm is now known as the Neveckas Farm and it is four miles south of Lowell and currently still farmed, by a local farmer. When I checked, the farm was recently held under the name of Barbara Rockefeller, with a phone listed in the name of Eva Neveckas, and I know at one point, her sister Isabelle and husband Henry had also lived on the farm. They both passed away quite a while ago and from the looks of things, it doesn't look like anyone has lived back there for some time."

Reader Joe also has some vivid images of the farm as it was during Bobo's time of notoriety in the 1950s, when she would visit her parents:

"Here is an image I recall, her dad Pete, as recently as the 1950s, still worked his fields seated behind a plow drawn by two horses. In the late 1950s, when she was visiting her parents, since my own family were neighbors, my brother and I were charged with taking care of her son Winnie. We were five years older than he was, and his mom told us to 'slap him around if he got out of line,' since she felt he needed to be 'toughened up.' He was a real brat as a little kid. Neither my brother or myself wanted to hit him, which proves, nobody hits a millionaire's kid! I had so much pleasure reading your column and recalling memories. Thank you! Nice job, Joe Haberzetle."

Thank you Joe for sharing further details with readers. Bobo married Winthrop Rockefeller Sr. on Valentine's Day in 1948 at the Palm Beach, Fla., estate of Winston Guest, and a year later, they welcomed their son Winthrop Rockefeller Jr. When the couple divorced in 1954, they reached an agreement settlement of more than $6 million for Bobo, as well as custody of their son, before she flew to Reno for a quick divorce. (By the way, $6 million in 1954 would have been the equivalent of $54 million in today's dollars.) Archive photos from the Associated Press during the divorce headlines even mention Lowell, where Bobo and her son retreated to her parents' farm to avoid the press. The photo captions contrast her Hoosier rural surroundings to socialite life on Park Avenue in New York City.

She never remarried, but her former husband did in 1956, before serving two terms as the governor of Arkansas. He died at age 60 in 1973. Their son Winthrop Jr. served as Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2004 and tried to run for Arkansas governor in 2005, but was diagnosed with cancer and had to leave the race and died in 2006. Bobo moved to Little Rock to be with her son during his illness and remained there until her own death.

The dramatic details of Bobo's divorce and role as a millionairess single mother were detailed in a splashy cover story in the March 1954 issue of LIFE magazine, including more mentions of Lowell. It also references Bobo cooking a big pot of her favorite recipe for "Peanut Butter Soup," which I am sharing with readers today.

The editors of LIFE were made to print Bobo's recipe in a later issue of the magazine because so many readers requested it after seeing her stirring the soup on the stove as one of the featured photos in the layout spread. One of the follow-up letters printed in the magazine came from students at Cornell University, which read: "Dear Sirs: You pictured Mrs. Rockefeller studying her recipe for Peanut Butter Soup. The Department of Residence Halls has tried serving their version of Peanut Butter Soup on several occasions last year. As connoisseurs of odd foods, we found it altogether unpalatable. But if Mrs. Rockefeller's recipe is successful, please let us know. Cornell will try anything twice. Thank you, Lenore Spievak, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y."

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According to the editors at LIFE magazine, Bobo based her family recipe on one originally included in a "Fanny Farmer Cookbook." Here is Bobo's version for readers to enjoy:

Columnist Philip Potempa has published three cookbooks and is the director of marketing at Theatre at the Center. Mail your questions to From the Farm, PO Box 68, San Pierre, Ind. 46374.

pmpotempa@comhs.org

Bobo Rockefeller's Peanut Butter Soup

Makes 6 servings

1 teaspoon minced onion

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2 tablespoons butter

5 tablespoons peanut butter

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup scalded milk

Salt and black pepper, to taste

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1/2 cup heavy cream

Chopped fresh chives, garnish

1. In a double-boiler pot, cook onion in butter and add peanut butter.

2. Slowly add the flour to create a roux, while whisking in the chicken broth, until blended smooth. If mixture is "lumpy," use an egg beater to blend further until smooth.

3. Add the one cup of scaled milk and simmer soup for 30 minutes. Add seasonings to taste.

4. Remove soup from heat and add cream and mix until well blended and smooth.

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5. Serve hot in warm bowls, garnished with chopped chives.
Jeffrey Baumgartner left, plays noted artist Mark Rothko and Peter Newman plays his young and patient assistant in the play aReda at Dunes Summer Theatre May 25-June 4. - Original Credit: Handout (Dunes Summer Theatre / HANDOUT)

It helps that actor Jeffrey Baumgartner is also an accomplished painter for his new starring role at Dunes Summer Theatre in Michigan City.

Baumgartner, who serves as the performance venue's new artistic director, is playing noted painter Mark Rothko in "Red," opening June 1 to launch the theater's 2017 season.

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He will be opposite actor Peter Newman, a Los Angeles-based actor who is also assisting with all five of the Dunes Summer Theatre productions for this season spanning through September. Newman plays Rothko's apprentice Ken.

"I moved to the Michigan City area about a year ago, after working in Chicago as an actor on stage at Steppenwolf, Goodman and Chicago Shakespeare Theater," Baumgartner said.

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"I was concentrating on my painting and I had seen the three-show season Dunes Summer Theatre did in 2016. I never intended to be part of a driving force both behind the scenes and on stage helping Dunes Summer Theatre begin a new chapter and a new season, but I'm glad I am part of this exciting time."

Playing through June 4, "Red" focuses on the real-life personal and generational struggle the New York City artist Mark Rothko faced at an important crossroads in his career. The play begins with the artist's 1958 commission to create a series of murals for New York's upscale Four Seasons restaurant for the new Park Avenue building erected by and named for the Seagram's Beverages Co.

Rothko is pleased by the free rein and large financial contribution he is given by his commissioners, but also wrestles with a number of challenges, including a prospective status-climbing wealthy audience of patrons, pocketbook heavy persons he had always professed to despise. One of his most famous quotes, which sums up his love-hate balance with his "commercial art projects," was boasting he hoped "his art would leave the rich restaurant customers feeling sick during their dining experience."

"This is an artist who always wanted to be in control, and I think many of us know how that feels when we are involved in a project we are very personally invested to complete," Baumgartner said.

"There are many parallels to this play which I can relate to as I work with my co-star Peter Newman doing the other upgrade needs for our theater space, including updating the original stage lights system, which dates back to 1951."

Newman said he's enjoying working with Baumgartner both on stage and behind the scenes as they prepare to face audiences this summer.

"Dunes Summer Theatre has been around for decades and it's an artist's institution which also has a deep connection to the audiences who come out to support the programming," Newman said.

"There are many ways I relate to my character in the play 'Red,' because I too am learning something new every day while pursuing what I love to do."

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Written by John Logan, both Baumgartner and Newman agree the 90-minute "Red" is intended to offer a glimpse into the mind and actions of Rothko and his reputation as a temperamental abstract, expressionist painter who died at age 66 in 1970.

At one point during the play, the artist shares with his young assistant a recent incident about a woman who glances in the windows of the building serving as his studio, and is quite impressed by all of his paintings displayed, equating them to "price tags," while wondering out loud: "Who owns such a collection of Rothkos?"

With a verbal trace of disdain, Rothko laments to his assistant that "his last name has become a noun."

This is also the same man who spent much of his life crusading that art should be viewed as an experience, rather than an investment and commodity, since he spent an earlier part of his career as the example of "the starving artist."

Baumgartner said audiences will enjoy a number of noted names and pop culture nods during the play, most which come from Rothko's tirades about his artist contemporaries such as Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso, and later, painting claim-to-fames such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, the latter noted for pop art in the form of giant comic book panels of tear-filled women in distress.

"Artists and their contributions should never be forgotten and 'Red' gives the story behind both the painter and their works," Baumgartner said.

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Philip Potempa is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.

'Red'

When: 7 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays and 6 p.m. Sundays June 1-11

Where: Dunes Summer Theatre, 288 Shady Oak Dr., Michigan City

Cost: $18 with student, senior and group discounts available

Information: 219-879-7509 or www.dunesartsfoundation.org
The Blue Angels seen at the 2016 Gary Air Show. Due to financial constraints, Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson said there will not be a 2017 Gary Air Show. (Jim Karczewski / Post-Tribune)

The Gary Air Show won't happen in 2017.

In a statement released Friday evening, Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson said that because of an inability to attract sponsors, the city could not afford incurring $350,000 in debt it would take to produce the two-day show in July.

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After saying the event was a way to show off the Gary/Chicago International Airport and Marquette Park, Freeman-Wilson pointed to the troubling financial aspect in her statement.

"Notwithstanding these and other positive benefits, the risk inherent in including a $350,000 debt without having secured all of the sponsors cannot be justified under our current financial conditions," she wrote. "Our first job is to be a good steward and our team has determined that we cannot afford to host the Gary Air Show."

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Earlier this week, she said Monday was the deadline to notify this year's headliner, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, of the show's status. She warned then that the show was in jeopardy.

"We know that a fully sponsored show is attainable and we will begin immediately to work on making that happen," she concluded in her statement.

The show has been a summer fixture for thousands of spectators since 2000.

Speros Batistatos, president and CEO of the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority, said Wednesday the tourism bureau applauds Gary's efforts the past couple of years to resurrect the air show in Gary.

He said it is likely the city, in organizing the event, has run up against some of the same challenges the South Shore CVA did. Raising money for an event of that nature is difficult, and the large amount of open space also makes it hard to generate revenue, he said.

"At the end of the day, it is just too high a revenue for too low a return," he said.

In 2015, the city took over the operation of the show from the South Shore CVA, which started sponsoring it in 2006 when the city plunged into a financial crisis.

Former Mayor Scott King launched the air show in 2000 after the Gary/Chicago International Airport became the staging area for performers in the Chicago Air & Water Show in 1997. Chicago organizer Rudy Malnati also coordinated Gary's show.

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The air show was sidelined by the federal sequestration in 2013. In 2014, the South Shore CVA planned to move the show to Fair Oaks Farms in Newton County, but heavy rains made the fields that were to be used for parking unusable, and the show was canceled.

Last year, Majestic Star Casino contributed $125,000 as the show's main sponsor. Freeman-Wilson said that initial contribution opened the door to more donations.

Freeman-Wilson said the city's resources have been diminished after losing a property tax assessment appeal to Majestic Star two years ago. The city had to refund $5.2 million to the casino after a judge ruled the casino's value was much less than its assessed value. The ruling also cost the city millions in tax dollars.

Since she's been mayor, Freeman-Wilson said, the casino's tax contribution has decreased from about $20 million to $14 million annually.

Freelance reporter Carole Carlson contributed.
Weeks before its state takeover, the Distressed Unit Appeals Board recommended a $1.595 million loan to help the Gary Community School Corp. make its May 26 payroll.

The move, which needs to be approved by the State Board of Finance, requires "the submission of the actual payroll claim," Commissioner Courtney Schaafsma said via email.

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The district faces multiple financial burdens including $103 million in long-term debt and declining revenues and enrollment. Since March, the district has gone before DUAB multiple times requesting loans to pay for staff paychecks or other basic bills.

DUAB will meet at the West Side Leadership Academy at 5:30 p.m. Monday.

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According to the agenda, the meeting will have an overview of the state takeover law, a presentation by Superintendent Cheryl Pruitt, comments from the Gary School Board, Gary Teachers Union, state lawmakers and Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson and time set aside for public questions.

On May 1, DUAB met for a similar meeting in Muncie going over the state takeover process. According to that presentation, the board anticipated interviewing selected candidates and firms and making a selection by the end of June. In that case, the emergency manager could be either a single person or team.

The deadline for submissions for the emergency manager in Gary schools was May 10.

A proposal submitted by Robert Bobb Group LLC to the state anticipates Gary would be placed under emergency management for at least two years, with the option to renew for a third.

A spokesman for the Indiana Department of Administration on Friday said no list of applicants would be released.

Under the new law, the state will control virtually all spending in the Gary district. A provision in the law highlighted during a meeting lawmakers held for the public on May 8 stated the district can't acquire property, incur a contract over $30,000 or adopt a budget without the Distressed Unit Appeals Board 's approval.

Eliminating the debt will be the emergency manager's prime focus, while relegating academic matters to an official named by the manager.

The emergency manager can also sell assets or transfer property, providing the Gary mayor is given a 30-day written notice.

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mcolias@post-trib.com

Twitter @meredithcolias
Laina Heinrichs, of Demotte, rounds the bend toward the dais to receive her bachelor's of nursing during Indiana University Northwest's 51st commencement Thursday at the Genesis Center in Gary. (Michelle L. Quinn / Post-Tribune)

As they went out into the world, Indiana University President Michael McRobbie on Thursday told 643 graduates that they were well-prepared.

McRobbie, speaking at Gary's Genesis Center, promised Indiana University Northwest's Class of 2017 that the knowledge they've cultivated will protect them from political upheaval and "rampant attacks on basic knowledge." After all, he said, their education is based on a simple concept.

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"It is an education in logic and reason, in the analytical and beautiful, in the past and in the present," McRobbie said. "It is an education that aspires to the truth.

"Our society needs policymakers, scientists, public servants, business executives  the kind of leaders you will become  who have an understanding of the importance of truth."

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IUN Chancellor William Lowe concurred, saying there is no greater investment than an education. College graduates experience greater job stability, more professional growth and increased lifetime net worth, as well as empowerment and opportunities to connect with their communities.

The "Hamilton Twins," also known as Rose and Krystina Hamilton, of Dyer, were among the graduates Lowe praised on the dais. The mother-daughter team decided to go to college after Rose, 47, faced a restructuring at her company in 2011.

Krystina Hamilton, now 24, was graduating from Lake Central High School at the time, and the two decided to enroll together. They left the Genesis Center with bachelor's degrees in General Studies, with minors in sociology and anthropology.

"Over the last four years, Rosie and Krystina were truly a team, studying, researching, debating and excelling together," Lowe said. "Semester after semester, they kept each other motivated and accountable as they counted down the credit hours to degree completion."

Another student of note, Merrillville resident Chiamara Anokwute, was the youngest graduate of the class at 19 years old, Lowe said. Not only did he hold that distinction, he completed his degree in three years and plans to become a physician like four of his older siblings.

"A new American from Nigeria, Chi's worldliness, mixed with his passion and compassion, equips him well for his medical journey  a path that will, perhaps, include a specialty in emergency medicine and, he hopes, take him to developing countries or treating patients in lower-income American communities," Lowe said.

The commencement was the campus's 51st and the 188th for IU overall. 64 associate's degrees, 532 bachelor's degrees and 47 master's degrees were issued; 69 percent of the graduating class was female, according to a press release.

Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Judge Julie Cantrell receives a standing ovation for her efforts in working with participants in the Lake County Veterans' Treatment Court. (Javonte Anderson / Post-Tribune)

After robbing a bank two years ago, Louis Merchat sat in his car and waited for police to arrive. He wasn't after money.

"I was either going to get my head blown off, or I was going to get something done," said Merchat, 65, an Army veteran. "One way or the other, I was going to get some help."

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Merchat ended up at the Lake County Veterans Treatment Court. And after a two-year journey, Merchat and 22 others graduated May 10.

"The court is trying to help the veterans that have had issues because of any kind of combat they've experienced," said Judy Love, treatment court coordinator.

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It provides counseling and treatment for substance abuse, anger management, psychological problems and post-traumatic stress disorder. Those who complete the program, which is monitored through Lake County Community Corrections, can have criminal charges dismissed or reduced.

"This is a chance to help veterans work through their issues," said Judge Julie Cantrell, who presides over the veterans' cases. "I pride myself in being their cheerleader, their mom, their counselor, their baby sitter, at times when they need it. It's very important for me to be able to be a compassionate judge in these circumstances. "

The chance for redemption is important, veterans say.

"If it weren't for this program, I'd be locked up," said Kenneth Baker, a nine-year Navy veteran whose battery charge was dismissed. "I had some anger management problems, and they got me some help. ... Second chances don't come around too often."

The program requires that every participant be paired with a mentor, all of whom also are veterans.

"Mentors are a vital component to what we do," Cantrell said. "They need someone to talk to, someone to vent to and someone who's walked a mile in their boots."

Mentor Luis Rodriguez said participants need somebody to confide in, to have someone they can talk to on a personal level and confide in.

"I have a lot of problems, too, as a Vietnam vet, so I can relate to them," he said. "So now that I'm older and a little bit wiser, I can counsel him and say, 'Hey, man, this is the right path. The bottle is not the answer.' "

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Veterans can join the treatment program if they have an honorable, less than honorable or general discharge, Love said. Those charged with or convicted of murder, level 1 or class A felonies, violent level 2 or class B felonies, or crimes against children, are not eligible, she said.

The most important part of the program is that it serves as a springboard to help veterans rebound after making a mistake, mentor Tommy Brewer said.

"It's exciting because you start seeing young men who once got in trouble begin to get their life back," he said. "You can't beat this program. You really can't."

jaanderson@tribpub.com

Twitter @JavonteA
Lake County could soon find out what voting precincts will be combined after a new state law compelled the county to combine small districts.

The Lake County Board of Elections on Friday created a committee to begin putting together a plan to consolidate the county's small voting precincts after legislation signed by Gov. Eric Holcomb mandates a plan get presented to the state by June 1.

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The new law requires Lake County to development a plan to consolidate voting precincts with fewer than 600 active voters. The legislation gives the county until June 1 to submit its plan to the state, otherwise the Indiana Election Commission and make its own plan to consolidate Lake County's precincts.

Michelle Fajman, director of the Board of Elections and Voter Registration, and Patrick Gabrione, assistant director of the board, expected to start comparing plans to identify small precincts that could be consolidated.

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Gabrione said he hoped they could come to agreement and meet the deadline imposed by the legislation.

"I'm very confident that we're going to work this out," Gabrione said.

When a similar effort began after the same legislation was passed in 2014, Fajman said there were disagreements over what precincts should be consolidated.

"I foresee we'll probably have discrepancies again," Fajman said.

Fajman said they'll have to work through any issues and take a look at the Republican and the Democratic plans.

The new effort is the second time the state has waded into the precinct consolidation issues in Lake County.

The Legislature in 2014 passed a bill to force consolidation of precincts with fewer than 500 active voters, but the Lake County Democratic Committee challenged the law in court. That challenge failed and the consolidation plan the state sought did not move forward.

During the recently convened session, the bill was entered into the Senate by Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, after identical legislation proposed in February by Rep. Hal Slager, R-Schererville, failed to move out of the Elections and Apportionment Committee in the House of Representatives. Niemeyer's bill passed the Senate 38-11.

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The house committee held the first bill in order to give Lake County a chance to create its own plan to consolidate precincts without the state's intervention.

The board created a subcommittee during the legislative session that prepared a consolidation plan for precincts with fewer than 500 voters, but Fajman said the 600 threshold imposed by the new law could negate much of that work.

During a review earlier this year, a committee identified 91 precincts that could be consolidated.

Fajman said the new number for consolidation means that parts of the prior plan could no longer work with a larger pool of locations to consider.

"You kind of have to look at the whole big picture," Fajman said. "You have to review everything now."

clyons@post-trib.com

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Twitter @craigalyons
As the Legacy Foundation approaches its 25th anniversary, it will host an event in September to try and bring together 1,500 people to formulate a vision for the future.

At a recent annual meeting at the Halls of St. George in Schererville, the foundation, with more than $50 million in assets, presented speakers and plans for the Sept. 26 event called On The Table, modeled after the Chicago Community Trust's On The Table Initiative. The idea is for participants from civic, religious, nonprofit, municipal, social services, health care and other walks of life to break bread and talk about community challenges and opportunities

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Carolyn Saxton, CEO and president of Legacy Foundation, said the process involves hosted events and 100 of the 200 events needed have been scheduled.

Judy Lindsey, executive director of the Methodist Hospitals Foundation, is among the first 100 people who have committed to serving as a host. Lindsey is also one of two dozen members of the On The Table steering committee.

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"Carolyn pulled together a group to act as a steering committee to engage as many people as possible to serve as hosts," Lindsey said. "I've been able to enlist six people in my network (to host). They represent perspectives in health care disparities, emergency medical services and trauma, services for seniors and a sorority that does fundraising to give to community organizations. I felt the network would bring together perspectives that would benefit Legacy."

Lindsey participated in the Chicago Community Trust's program a few years ago when she worked for Chicago Public Media.

"I had an opportunity to see just how this process mushroomed. How it inspired grant-making as Chicago Trust approached its 100th anniversary. In addition to bringing focus to needs of the community, it will elevate the visibility and impact of the Legacy Foundation and the importance of philanthropy," Lindsey said.

Attendees also listened to featured speakers, who included Robert Johnson, chairman of the Legacy board of directors, Garrard McClendon, assistant professor of education at Chicago State University and host of Counterpoint with Garrard McClendon on Lakeshore Public Media, and Kimberly Reppa, a 2011 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship recipient who is now a PhD student at Purdue University.

McClendon discussed his family's decision to create a fund to honor his parents Milton and Ruby McClendon of Hammond, who were murdered after a home invasion and robbery on Oct. 18, 2009.

"It was my mother's birthday and my parents' 54th wedding anniversary weekend," McClendon said. "There were family members who wanted to create revenge. But we decided to create a fund. We called Legacy. We didn't want flowers and a lot of cards. Those cost a lot of money. So, in lieu of flowers and cards, we established the Milton and Ruby McClendon Educational Fund. We raised $9,000 in one week. My parents' dream lives on in Legacy Foundation."

Money from the fund has gone to the Hammond Education Foundation.

"I thank God for the Legacy Foundation. It shows how far money can go if you give it to a worthy cause," said McClendon.

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Reppa, a graduate of Hanover Central High School, said the Lilly scholarship enabled her to attend Purdue and intern at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. It covers full tuition, fees and provides a $900 book stipend each year for four years of undergraduate studies.

Johnson discussed the foundation's upcoming 25th anniversary in December and how it is devoted to the social and economic advancement of Lake County. The Merrillville-based organization offers programs such as Neighborhood Spotlight, Legacy Learning Lab, which provides support and training to area non-profits and METAS (Motivate, Educate, Termina, Alcanza Y Suena) aimed at increasing the number of Latino students enrolling and succeeding in college. In addition, Legacy has collaborated with area agencies and businesses to raise $3.6 million in local matching funds for the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration's On My Way Pre-K in Lake County.

In the past year, Legacy delivered grants to dozens of efforts through the Lake County Community fund to support such efforts as the Sojourner Truth House Parenting Conference, the Catholic Charities Wheelchair Ramp Program and the volunteer engagement room at the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana.

In 2016, more than 100 Lake County students received awards from more than 35 scholarship funds to pursue higher education.

Legacy is one of 10 community foundations in the U.S. offering the On The Table initiative with $1.5 million in funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Legacy received $60,000 for the initiative.

The Knight Foundation provides grants to projects in 26 communities where the Knight brothers published newspapers, which once included the Post-Tribune.

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"My hope, actually my dream, is we become a leader for our creative thinking and out-of-the-box solutions," Johnson said.

Nancy Coltun Webster is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
An empty field owned by Munster sits on the west side of Manor Drive north of Ridge Road. A plan to expand the South Shore line into Munster and Dyer calls for a train station to be built there.. (Joe Puchek / Post-Tribune)

Responding to residents' concerns, the South Shore Line's governing board approved several changes Friday to the proposed West Lake Corridor extension.

The Munster station platform and parking lot will be north of Ridge Road, on the west side of Manor Avenue on land owned by the town. It won't take any homes, as the original plan would have.

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The "layover" facility to house trains overnight will be next to the maintenance building in north Hammond, not in Dyer as originally planned.

The South Hammond platform and parking lot will be a little south of the original plan, with parking on both sides of 173rd Street.

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The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District board voted unanimously to send the revised West Lake Corridor plan to the Federal Transit Administration, which NICTD hopes will fund half of the estimated $600 million cost.

A number of Munster residents had objected at several public meetings to the original plan for a station south of Ridge Road and east of Manor Avenue.

"We're happy that NICTD listened," Munster resident Pam Eanes said after the NICTD board's vote. "I'm proud of the residents. They showed up and made sure their voices were heard."

Some residents of Dyer and southern Hammond also had raised objections to the original station plans in their areas.

Before the vote, NICTD board member Christine Cid, a Lake County Council member, said she was glad "to see we have listened and are ready to take action on what residents of the community wanted."

NICTD will submit the revised plan to the FTA and ask for a project rating to start final engineering work. If the project is included in the federal 2018 budget, construction could begin in 2020 and end in 2022.

Also at the NICTD meeting:

State Reps. Hal Slager, R-Schererville, and Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City, and the NICTD board celebrated this year's Indiana General Assembly approval of funding for NICTD's other major project: the double-track plan to build a second set of tracks between Gary and Michigan City to improve the South Shore's speed and reliability.

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The legislature agreed to pay $6 million a year for 30 years to help fund the $290 million project, and it authorized setting up tax increment financing areas along the corridor to speed up economic development.

"It's an opportunity to provide a really good return on investment for the people of Indiana," Slager said.

Bill Hanna, the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority's president and CEO, called the legislation's success "nothing short of a paradigm shift."

He noted that the legislation allows transit-oriented development funding in all four counties served by the South Shore.

NICTD President Michael Noland said the double-track project will be submitted to the FTA in September for a project rating.

And although President Donald Trump's preliminary budget proposal called for eliminating federal money for the type of projects NICTD wants, Noland noted that Congress  which has the final say on the budget  increased transit funding in its recently passed temporary budget resolution. Transit has "widespread, bipartisan support" in Congress, he said.

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The NICTD board authorized a $1.16 million contract with DLZ, an engineering company, to begin developing plans to move South Bend airport's South Shore station. The station is on the airport's east side, and the tracks take a circuitous route to get there. With a station on the airport's west side, the travel time from the station would be shorter.

The goal is to get from the airport to downtown Chicago in 90 minutes, said NICTD board member Andrew Kostielney, a St. Joseph County commissioner. Now it can take about 21/2 hours.

The board approved schedule changes, effective July 1, for several evening rush-hour trains, to spread out the departure times between 5 and 6 p.m. and to accommodate more people who get off work at 5 and 5:30 p.m.

Tim Zorn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
People look at handguns at a gun show in Virginia in October 2015. A controversial new law in Indiana allows domestic violence victims to carry a gun without a permit. ( The Washington Post/Getty Images)

There are a number of holes in a new state law that allows domestic violence victims to carry a handgun without a permit.

The new law says the victim must have a protective order against the alleged abuser to obtain and carry the handgun, sidestepping the 60-day waiting period.

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What could go wrong?

As police and advocates of domestic violence victims attest, the law is a dangerous and ill-advised one that jeopardizes the safety of women carrying the weapon, as well as their children. It provides a quick and easy, but half-baked, solution to a complex problem.

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It puts guns into the hands of untrained, emotionally overwrought victims. Toss in the typical psychological hold an abuser has over the victim and the combination could be deadly.

And, in many cases children will be involved and possibly become the collateral damage of an argument or attack that ends up with bullets flying.

The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Aaron Freeman, R-Indianapolis, maintains his legislation gives victims an extra layer of protection by allowing them to carry a gun during the 60-day waiting period. He reasoned they should be able to protect themselves while they're waiting for their permit to come in the mail.

It's hard to believe the Indiana General Assembly ignored the advice from a former police officer, who's now a legislator, and from domestic violence advocates as they ushered in this measure that could do more harm than good.

Police who answer domestic violence calls know more about the issue than disengaged legislators, but their advice had little impact on lawmakers, who often take the side of the gun industry when it comes to legislation. In the same session, lawmakers gave themselves the right to carry a gun in the Statehouse while they attend to business in their respective House and Senate chambers.

Post Tribune Twice-weekly News updates from Northwest Indiana delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Before she joined the Legislature, state Rep. Linda Lawson, D-Hammond, spent her career as a Hammond police officer, often dealing with the aftermath of domestic violence. "When you add a gun to a domestic violence situation it only increases the probability that someone is going to get killed by that gun. And my opinion is that it's going to be the women."

Lawson opposed the bill, also voicing concern for domestic violence victims acquiring gun permits without proper safety training because she fears victims will gain a false sense of security.

In Porter County alone last year, police handled 1,338 domestic violence calls or about four a day. Police know too well the uncertainty they venture into when they enter a hostile situation.

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Sharon Bennett, the commander of the Lake County Sheriff's Special Victims Unit, said the addition of more guns creates more risk to domestic violence victims and to police officers.

"It would be nice if we were the only ones entering a situation with a handgun. Now we're going to be putting more weapons in the hands of untrained people and people who are risking having those guns taken away from them and used on them and on the police," she said.

No woman or man should be physically abused. As a society, we should do a better job of educating children about respect and ways to achieve peaceful resolutions to conflict. Even if that's in place, other factors come into play, such as drug or alcohol abuse, that often lead to violence.

Arming victims isn't the answer to this complicated dynamic.
What's Quickly? It's where readers sound off on the issues of the day. Have a quote, question or quip? Call Quickly at 312-222-2426 or email quickly@post-trib.com.

Sometimes it takes a showboat to contain a drama queen. And sometimes the drama queen throws a tantrum and sinks the showboat, and takes everyone in that boat down with him.

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Public service is a public trust, requiring employees to place loyalty to the Constitution, the laws and ethical principles over private gain.

Trump voters would change the channel if Fox News didn't give them a daily fix of dog whistles and bigotry.

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I won't ask if Trump has no shame. We know the answer. I ask if members of Congress have no shame, refusing to deal with this horror.

In an ill-timed meeting with Russia's foreign minister (a former KGB agent) and its ambassador, Trump bars the press but Russia sneaks in its own photographer who snaps a jovial scene. Russia gleefully flashes that photo op around the world. Once again Trump blows it and Putin laughs.

I see that the Mayor of Crown Point is upset over the way the city was portrayed on NBC's show Chicago PD. I agree with him. However, I think it may have been a honest mistake. The producers have Crown Point confused with Cedar Lake.

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Let me fix your suggestion. Let every politician that enacts laws, live for six months on a welfare stipend. Food stamps and no healthcare and tell me how they would perfectly budget everything.

What kind of life lesson are we teaching, when people learn that if you are a decent person, and you work for someone who is not, doing the right thing gets you fired?

I can't understand why people are so angry about Obamacare being replaced with something that is so much better. How can Obamacare be so great when you have a $6,000 to $10,000 deductible. It is the same as having no insurance at all. My wife and I are old and see the doctors a lot and we would never reach that deductible. Thank God for Medicare and supplements and Medicare Advantage. I feel sorry for the young people. Anything has to be better than Obamacare!

The president is demanding a loyalty oath from his staff just like he always forced his employees to sign a confidentiality agreement. The Big Bully must be in control at all times, and everyone must swear to never speak against him.

We have a president who is out of control, yet he is still going around the world representing us, and hobnobbing with tyrants, while at home he is issuing barely veiled threats to department of justice personnel from whom he demands complete loyalty. Unfortunately, he's getting that complete loyalty from the preponderance of Republicans in Congress, who are turning a blind eye to his insane behavior.

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Asking people to be loyal to a psychopathic liar ahead of honesty, decency and integrity takes it's toll. It's also next to impossible.

Read more at www.post-trib.com/quickly.
Frisch eyes upset of Boebert, but Pueblo County results could take time

About 9,000 votes are due in the next batch that Pueblo County posts, which could determine if Lauren Boebert will continue to represent CD-3 in Congress
Cultural element cosplay showcases on ChinaJoy, the country's biggest gaming conference. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

The Belt and Road Initiative offers great opportunities for cultural companies of different countries to meet and learn from each other, according to Chinese gaming mogul Robert Xiao, CEO of Perfect World, a Beijing-based online gaming and motion pictures conglomerate, in an interview with China.org.cn on Friday.

The Belt and Road -- the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road -- run through Asia, Europe and Africa, connecting the vibrant Asian economic circle at one end and developed Europe at the other. Countries along the route differ greatly in their history, religion and customs, posing great challenges to cultural companies in their overseas development.

Respect for local culture and laws are essential to cultural companies conducting business along the Belt and Road,Xiao said. When necessary, they should tailor their products to honor local culture, he suggested.

To enter the Arabian markets, Perfect World made adjustments to many of its games, including covering the faces of all female roles with masks, redesigning plots involving boars and redesigning scenes with red blood, as they are all taboos under local religious beliefs.

Xiao acknowledged that making changes to existing products is arduous; however, it will show a companys respect to local culture and help reach local users.

At the end of 2016, the Chinese Ministry of Culture issued an action plan on promoting cultural progress along the Belt and Road. For Chinese cultural companies seeking such development, the authorities vowed to support them in a wide range of areas, including policies, funds and human resources.

The document has provided cultural companies like the Perfect Work with a great opportunity to go abroad, Xiao said.

Based on the Perfect Worlds past experiences, Xiao suggested cultural companies to take advantage of the Belt and Road Initiative, keep abreast of high-technologies like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence, and intensify localization efforts in terms of content, human resources and distribution channels.

Perfect World is one of the first Chinese cultural companies seeking global development, and countries along the Belt and Road are its main target. It has launched more than 30 games in Southeast Asian countries, reaching over two million players. It has also established an office in the Netherlands and released games in different languages, such as English, French, German, Russian, Spanish and Turkish, in European countries.

The company's releases all show salient Chinese cultural characteristics, as many of them are based on fictions on martial arts and chivalry. Some of the most popular ones include the Perfect World International, Forsaken World, Jade Dynasty, Battle of the Immortals, War of the Immortals, and Ether Saga Online.
China and the United States have reached a new deal that will ease market access in the areas of agriculture, financial services and energy, marking both sides' willingness to advance the trade relationship and alleviating fears of a trade war between the world's two largest economies.

The 10-part deal was hailed as an "early harvest" from the 100-day action plan that Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump agreed to pursue at their Mar-a-Lago meeting in the United States in April.

Under the agreement released on Friday, China agreed to resume imports of US beef by July 16. In return, the US agreed to open its market to Chinese cooked poultry.

In financial services, China pledged to grant market access to US credit rating agencies and credit card companies and agreed to issue licenses to "two qualified US financial institutions" for the interbank bond underwriting and settlement business.

Other agreements included the US easing restriction on liquid natural gas exports to China, the expediting of Chinese approval of US genetically modified products, and cooperation between Chinese and US financial regulators over cross-border settlements and transactions.

Beijing and Washington also agreed to discuss extending the initial 100-day action plan to a one-year plan. The two sides will hold the first meeting of the Comprehensive Economic Dialogue during the summer this year.

Vice-Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao said the deal was a result of cooperation based on the principle of mutual benefits, stressing that the agreement was not "a list of one side's concessions".

"The Chinese and US teams carried out nearly 30 rounds of consultation to achieve the agreement. It was a result of cooperation and reflected the expectation of the people of the two countries," Zhu told reporters at a news conference.

Vice-Commerce Minister Yu Jianhua said the agreement altered the expectation of a possible trade war between the two sides, adding that stable China-US relations will be a "positive force" for the recovery of the global economy.
The ranks of real estate agents are shrinking in major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, in the wake of the ongoing tightening of regulations by authorities and as a result of a decline in transactions, analysts said on Friday.

According to Homelink, the Beijing-based real estate agent chain, 87 realty outlets were closed earlier this month in Beijing as market conditions changed and authorities moved to reduce speculation in the real estate market.

Among the closed outlets, 34 were shut down because the offices were located in unauthorized constructions. Nine were closed because they promoted properties in "neighborhoods with better schooling resources," a promotion forbidden since late March. Another 44 outlets that focused on commercial-titled apartment transactions were hit, after sales to individual buyers were suspended in March.

In Shanghai, 1,500 real estate agents were disqualified from trading between late April and early May because they had broken rules, such as releasing false transaction information and manipulating prices, the city's housing authorities said earlier in the week.

"Declining transactions, tightened regulations and punishment over unauthorized agents' behavior are the major reasons behind a batch of real estate agents shutting down," said Zhang Dawei, chief analyst with Centaline Property.

He said if authorities implement these regulations strictly as they did in the past two months for another couple of quarters, it is likely that there will be many more agent exits from the market.

Small real estate agents said the pressure came mainly from sharply declining transaction volume.

Feng Jianhua, a Shanghai-based agent and owner of Fenghua Real Estate, said he had been experiencing negative cash flow in the past three months, as commission revenue hovered around "zero" due to inactive transactions.

Feng said he focused on preowned homes.

"After the down payment requirement for buyers of second homes was increased to 70 percent of asking price in November, many of my clients said they would no longer be able to afford the down payment," he said.

Centaline data showed that in the first week of May, transactions of preowned homes dropped 12.8 percent compared with the last week of April.

In Beijing, transactions of preowned homes dropped to 16,902 units in April, a 35 percent month-on-month drop.
Jin Liqun, president of the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), attends the World Economic Forum on ASEAN on May 12, 2017 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (Xinhua/Sovannara)

Jin Liqun, president of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), said here Friday that the multilateral development bank is committed to lending strong support to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for infrastructure development.

"We're in the AIIB very much supportive of the economic and social progress in ASEAN countries," Jin said during the closing plenary of the World Economic Forum on ASEAN in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia.

"We are committed to providing strong support, financially or technically, to the infrastructure development in your region, and we are very much committed to working not only with the governments, but also with the private sectors," he said.

He said that ASEAN was the first group of countries that participated in the establishment of the AIIB.

"Our job is to work with you to promote the investment in infrastructure and other productive sectors," he said, adding that infrastructure investment was crucial to ensure sustainable socio-economic development.

Expressing his view on ASEAN's future, Jin said he believed that the future for the ASEAN countries will be brighter and economic growth will be higher thanks to political and economic stability.

The three-day World Economic Forum on ASEAN came to an end on Friday afternoon.
Authorities in southwest China's Sichuan Province have dug 554 deep wells in the past five years in areas subject to a fatal parasitic disease, providing clean drinking water to 57,000 residents, according to local land and resources department.

The wells are at least 30 meters deep, which can avoid spreading of echinococcosis, a type of tapeworm infection, which mainly affects herding areas in Sichuan, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai, Tibet and Xinjiang.

Humans can be infected with the disease through contact with infected animals and contaminated food, water and sand.

Shiqu County in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, Sichuan, is among the hardest-hit regions. Last year, 150 wells, costing nearly 43 million yuan (6.2 million U.S. dollars) from the provincial government, were finished in the county.

In 2012, about 50 million Chinese people were under threat from the disease. The government aims to have the disease under control by 2020.
China courts have issued a harsh judicial ruling, stipulating those who illegally obtain or sell 500 or more pieces of personal information could face a sentence of up to seven years.

The judicial interpretation, the first of its kind jointly released by the Supreme People's Court (SPC) and the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP), came amid increasing public outcry against rampant online and telecom fraud in China.

It clearly defines personal information, a concept of which is controversial in practice, said Yan Maokun, research director at the SPC.

Judges will be able to give an accurate and consistent ruling based on the interpretation, Yan added.

Under China's Criminal Law, those convicted of selling or providing personal information could face a maximum sentence of three years if "the circumstances are serious," while if "the circumstances are especially serious," violators could face up to seven years in prison.

The judicial ruling defines which situations considered "serious" or "especially serious" according to the types and amounts of leaked personal information, as well as the impact caused such encroachment.

Situations considered "especially serious" include illegally obtaining, selling or providing 500 or more items of data about a person's location, communication content, credit or property information; 5,000 or more items of communication record, accommodation, health or transaction information; or 50,000 or more items of personal information other than the aforementioned types.

Should violators make more than 50,000 yuan ($7,239) from these activities or their crimes lead to victim's death, serious injury, mental disorder or kidnapping, their offenses will be considered "especially serious."

The amount of leaked information in cases considered "especially serious" is ten times that in "serious" cases.

"Such specific penalty standards for personal information infringement assists law enforcement and will act as a powerful weapon to fight information leaking," said Ren Xianjie, from the legal policy research department of the SPP.

Investigation found that employees of the banking, e-commerce,education, express delivery and telecom industries are the most likely to leak customers' personal information, said Xu Jianzhuo from the Ministry of Public Security (MPS).

Police arrested 4,261 suspects in 1,886 cases related to infringement of personal information in 2016, and 391 of them were employees leaking customers information, according to MPS data.

The new rule has stipulated that employees who illegally sell or provide half of the aforementioned amounts of data about customers personal information could face the same penalties as individuals.

"The interpretation lowered the penalty threshold for employees, which provided legal basis for us to fight information leaking," said Xu.

Leaking personal information has become a public nuisance in China. Last year, a telecom fraud case involving leaked personal information aroused shock and anger among the public.

Xu Yuyu, a recent high school graduate in east China's Shandong Province, died of cardiac arrest in August 2016 after losing 9,900 yuan earmarked for her university fees to telecom fraudsters.

The Internet Society of China estimated junk messages, leaked personal information and fraud led to losses of about 91.5 billion yuan in 2016.
Langfang city in Hebei province will redouble its efforts to control air pollution by the end of October, as required by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, local authorities said on Thursday.

The ministry announced last week that it would be supervising the city's efforts going forward. "We will take stricter measures to shut down or oversee polluting companies that have been identified by the ministry," said Li Chunyuan, deputy head of the Langfang Environmental Protection Bureau.

The ministry said in a notice on its website on Friday that it will oversee Langfang's work on air pollution control because the city, which has been haunted by environmental issues in recent years, still has many prominent problems to deal with.

"Some local government officials of Langfang don't realize the seriousness of the environmental issues and are slow to implement related plans, leading to continuous illegal pollution-discharging activities by clusters of companies," the notice said.

According to the notice, two counties in Langfang, including Wenan and Dacheng, are facing serious pollution caused by a number of companies making plywood and thermal insulation materials, and processing plastics and nonferrous metals, all of which are polluting.

According to Langfang Daily, 2,290 companies in 20 clusters were identified by the ministry.

Most of the companies emit volatile organic waste without proper processing, it said. They have poor environmental protection facilities, directly discharge waste or disperse it in the open air.

According to Li, all of the companies processing nonferrous metals in Dacheng county have been closed permanently, while some others were temporarily shut down pending improvements.

This is the first time the ministry has stepped in directly to oversee a city's work on preventing air pollution since earlier last month when it began intensified environmental scrutiny in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, chinanews.com reported.

Beyond Langfang, the ministry also found clusters of polluting companies - the major environmental issue for the region - in Binzhou and Jining, Shandong province; Cangzhou and Hengshui, Hebei province; Yangquan and Changzhi, Shanxi province; and Zhengzhou, Henan province.

All will be urged by inspection teams designated by the ministry to deal with pollution in a more timely manner.
Everyone wants a piece of China today.

The British, Canadians and Americans  like many others  are indeed going head over heels to attract more Chinese investment, students and visitors.

With China producing an ever-increasing amount of millionaires, businesses and wealthy citizens are increasingly being wooed to leave China and take up residence abroad.

On May 7, top U.S. and U.K. newspapers reported that a U.S. businesswoman with ties to the White House was in Beijing unfairly wooing Chinese investors to invest in a private luxury development, with the prospect of receiving U.S. green cards in return.

The issue was also used to raise conflict of interest issues with the Trump administration. But offering permanent residency and passports in return for investment is standard practice in most Western capitals.

Despite fears about abuse of such schemes by unsavory characters, many countries worldwide  including the U.S.  actually officially offer citizenship for investors. It's the same in smaller nations, too, including the Caribbean countries, where some Citizenship by Investment Programs (CIP) invite potential investors to "Come as a Visitor and Leave as a Citizen."

But China does not have to offer or sell passports for investment, as facilities already exist for persons needing to remain there for usually long periods.

American and European investors already flock to China, as a result of growing business opportunities and guarantees of attractive rates-of-return: Airbus delivered 153 aircraft to China in 2016, Walmart recently opened-up 40 new outlets in China, Changan Ford opened a fifth China factory last year and Shanghai Disney recorded welcoming nearly 6 million visitors in just seven months in 2016  and last year McDonald's sold its China business for over $2 billion.

U.S. companies also reap great profits from the Chinese market. In 2015, China purchased $165 billion in goods and services from the USA alone, representing 7.3 percent of all U.S. exports; and by 2030, estimates are that U.S. exports to China will rise to over $520 billion.

With the World Bank predicting the Chinese economy to grow by 6.5 percent in 2017 and the population to reach an estimated 1.45 billion by 2030, American and European companies are also keeping their eyes on China.

Chinese companies have also invested billions in the U.S., creating much-needed jobs. According to a January 2017 report by the U.S.-China Business Council, trade with China supports some 2.6 million jobs in the U.S.

Chinese firms have also been landing lucrative transport, construction, engineering and energy contracts in the U.S., with some well poised to land investment possibilities in joint public-private ventures to come out of Donald Trump's recent unveiling of a massive trillion-dollar infrastructure plan.

Likewise in the U.K and Europe, sizeable Chinese investments in real estate, joint and/or public-private partnerships are also growing by leaps and bounds.

Indeed, records show that China has contributed more towards global growth over the past 15 years than the Eurozone and the U.S. combined  while also accounting for one-third of global GDP growth in 2015.

Naturally an investment powerhouse, China has learned from the experiences of others and therefore continues to be accused of being too careful, and even too restrictive about the places in and levels at which foreign direct investment can be applied domestically.

Major Western nations continue to accuse China of everything from cyber trade espionage to copyright infringement and currency manipulation. But their major corporations continue to seek and find ways and means of doing more business with China.

The fact is: Foreign companies hardly have to be enticed to do business with China today. Nor do Chinese companies have to be surreptitiously enticed to pack-up and leave for other shores.

Chinese firms already have their own big plans for overseas investment. Moreover, China has for long been opening-up to foreign investment.

The upcoming Belt & Road Forum for International Cooperation in China on May 14-15 will provide another opportunity for states, corporations and other entities that haven't made up their minds to take advantage of the many opportunities offered by China's economic growth.

Naturally, some Chinese businesses, nearer to the starting point of the new route, have readily taken the initiative to realize the ancient proverb of "The early bird catches the worm."

But others along the way  and from near and far  can also board the early train for the free ride on the new road for equal investment challenges and fruitful rate-of-return opportunities.

Earl Bousquet is a contributor to china.org.cn, editor-at-large of The Diplomatic Courier and author of an online regional newspaper column entitled Chronicles of a Chronic Caribbean Chronicler.

For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/earlbousquet.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
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A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed Friday representatives from the European Union, France, Germany, Britain, Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States will attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing.

According to spokesperson Geng Shuang, the Washington delegation will be led by Matt Pottinger, special assistant to the president and senior director for Asia at the National Security Council.

Park Byeong-suk, former deputy speaker of National Assembly of the ROK, will also attend, along with Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Geng said.

As a special envoy of British Prime Minister Theresa May, Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond, will attend the forum; and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will send Minister of Economic Affairs Brigitte Zypries. Former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin will lead the French delegation, Geng said.

European Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen will also attend, Geng said.
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President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan (second from left), and Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and his wife, Ziroatkhon Hoshimova, attend a welcoming ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 12, 2017. [Photo by Wu Zhiyi/China Daily]

Deals signed with one of first neighbors to back Belt and Road

Chinese and Uzbekistani enterprises signed agreements and deals of more than $10 billion, just days before the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. The deals were signed during Uzbekistani President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's first state visit to China, which began on Thursday, Assistant Foreign Minister Li Huilai said on Friday. Mirziyoyev will also attend the forum in Beijing on Sunday and Monday.

In his meeting with Mirziyoyev on Friday, President Xi Jinping said Uzbekistan is a close and important neighbor of China.

Xi said Uzbekistan was among the first countries to support and participate in the building of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The two countries have harvested achievements in their cooperation to build the initiative, and this has created a mainstream that leads bilateral cooperation, he said.

Xi added that China is ready to work with Uzbekistan to fully tap into the potential and push for new progress on cooperation in building the initiative.

He said the two sides should strengthen the synergy between their development strategies and jointly plan the priorities for directions, areas and programs of bilateral cooperation.

Additionally, they should fully tap into the potential for economic and trade cooperation, expand the scale of bilateral trade, optimize the trade structure and achieve long term, steady and healthy development of bilateral trade, Xi said.

He said China is willing to expand cooperation with Uzbekistan in production capacity, investment, industrial parks and infrastructure construction on the basis of equal footing and mutual benefits.

Mirziyoyev said China is a great neighbor of Uzbekistan, and that under the current international situation, China is a crucial and positive factor in promoting world peace, stability and development.

He said Uzbekistan appreciates China's support for the country's taking its own development path, one that adapts to its own national condition, and that his country firmly supports the one-China policy.

He expressed Uzbekistan's support for China in safeguarding its rights and interests and major concerns, as well as its position in combating the "Three Evil Forces"  separatism, extremism and terrorism.

He said Uzbekistan will deepen cooperation with China in areas such as economy and trade, investment, production capacity, infrastructure and water conservation; strengthen exchanges regarding localities and culture; and reinforce coordination and collaboration within multilateral frameworks.

After the talks, the two leaders signed a joint statement and witnessed the signing of cooperative documents covering such areas as economy and technology, transportation and shipment, medical care, agriculture, hydropower, small and medium-scale enterprises, infrastructure, tourism and exchanges.

Assistant Foreign Minister Li told reporters that the two neighbors have seen achievements in the Belt and Road Initiative, such as the completion last year of the longest tunnel in Central Asia. Chinese builders finished the tunnel, which has a total length of 47.3 km, in Uzbekistan in 900 days.

"The project has elevated Uzbekistan's role as a regional transportation passage," Li said.

He added that companies from the two countries also are discussing hydropower projects in Uzbekistan.
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Ali Murat Ersoy, Turkish Ambassador to China WEI YAO

As a crucial hub along the ancient Silk Road, Turkey looks poised to integrate the China-proposed Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative, also known as the Belt and Road Initiative, more effectively with its own development strategies. In a recent interview with Beijing Review reporter Li Nan, Ali Murat Ersoy, Turkish Ambassador to China, spoke about how the two countries can work in concert for the common good of Asia and beyond.

Beijing Review: What are your thoughts on the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation? How do you view the importance of the Belt and Road Initiative?

Ali Murat Ersoy: The Belt and Road Initiative aims to promote policy coordination, facilities connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration and people-to-people exchanges among the countries along the Belt and Road geography.

The forum in Beijing represents a significant point in time for countries from all over the globe to come together to discuss the practical implementation prospects of enhanced connectivity in Asia as well as between Asia and other continents.

The world is seeking a new model to reignite economic development and the Belt and Road Initiative may provide one of the solutions. The initiative's infrastructure and connectivity networks in the fields of energy, transport, communication and trade will link continents. This project will also stimulate trade in the heart of Asia, as well as in its periphery. Therefore, it can serve as an essential mechanism for inclusive growth and development.

Turkey has underlined that it will be one of the key countries along the Belt and Road with its critical geopolitical location and well-established infrastructure, trade and transport elements. The Middle Corridor Initiative and the bilateral agreements reached between Turkey and China show Turkey's role as a point of confluence and a critical hub for the Belt and Road.

Passengers board a high-speed train in Pendik Station in Istanbul, Turkey, on April 30. The second phrase of the principal project of the Ankara-Istanbul high-speed railway, jointly built by a Chinese-Turkish consortium, was completed in July 2014. [XINHUA]
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John McKinnon, New Zealand Ambassador to China, answers questions from Beijing Review reporters on May 8. [WEI YAO]

New Zealand's Ambassador to China John McKinnon tells Beijing Review reporters Sudeshna Sarkar and Li Fangfang how the Belt and Road is a man-made sequel to natural links between countries that existed for millennia and how it goes beyond individual countries. Below is an edited version of the interview:

Beijing Review: New Zealand is the first developed Western nation to sign a cooperation agreement with China on the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road (Belt and Road) Initiative. What lay behind Wellington's decision?

John McKinnon: New Zealand has been following the development of the Belt and Road Initiative for quite some time. So when Premier Li Keqiang was coming to New Zealand [in March] we had a lot of discussions with Chinese officials about the outcomes of that visit. One of them was to have a memorandum of arrangement on the Belt and Road.

From New Zealand's point of view, the attraction of the initiative is that it's a way of opening up relations between different countries and economies in terms of trade and investment and infrastructure. We are an economy open to the world. We build our wealth on our trade with other countries, including China. Therefore an initiative which is about increasing interaction between the countries within the framework of the Belt and Road is of interest to us. From our perspective, this is an opportunity to explore how approaches to international economic relations and international trade can play through into a broader region encompassed by the Belt and Road.

The dynamism of the relationship between New Zealand and China exists anyway. There is an increasing flow of people and goods and ideas between China and New Zealand. We have a lot of linkages now with China. To me, the interesting part of [the initiative] is not about New Zealand and China, it's what it means for New Zealand, China and a third country, whether that third country is in the South Pacific, Central Asia, or even possibly in Africa. That to me is where the add-on of the initiative lies.

We reached an agreement to talk over the next 18 months on what we will be doing under this project. We will sit down with Chinese agencies and figure out what would be the likely benefits, what would be the areas we would be particularly interested in, and how we will take this forward. We haven't yet reached those decisions. What we do have is a commitment to work with Chinese government agencies to develop a program of work to see how we can together advance this.

The three-way water supply project between New Zealand, China and the Cook Islands is completed on February 16. [XINHUA]
A worker manoeuvres a crane that unloads containers arrived on the First Sino-Euro Freight Train at the goods station in Yiwu, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Agencies]

The Belt and Road Initiative serves as a "global ambition" whose benefits like economic stability and prosperity for communities would be far-reaching and felt across the world, said a Geneva-based international transport organization.

"While the initiative is the vision of the Chinese government and primarily concerns China and the economies relating to the Belt and Road Initiative, the ambitions are global," said Umberto de Pretto, secretary-general of the International Road Transport Union, in an email.

The IRU is a 70-year-old organization that promotes global road transportation network, standards and safety.

"The initiative encourages a more globalized, integrated approach to achieve an open, inclusive and balanced regional economy," de Pretto said.

Ahead of the Belt and Road Initiative Forum for International Cooperation on Sunday and Monday, de Pretto said countries across the world are being reminded of the fact that prosperity and peace are achieved through enhanced trade relationships.

"It's a strong message that is compelling for both Chinese and international communities," said de Pretto.

He further said that the initiative has already won wide recognition in Europe since it was first proposed by President Xi Jinping more than three years ago. Many Europeans believe it will help connect new business zones and landlocked countries with major European and Chinese markets.

He said this conclusion was drawn after the IRU hosted a transport conference in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative in Brussels last November.

At the conference, he said the opportunities and challenges for Europe under the initiative were specifically examined.

During the conference, that brought together 300 of Europe's leading transport professionals, it was widely agreed that the initiative will have significant potential to increase trade, stimulate economic development and reduce transport times, he said.

He also said that the IRU, representing the interests of the international road transport industry and having members and activities in more than 100 countries across the world, is keen on promoting the Belt and Road Initiative.

China has been encouraging the economies covered by the initiative to achieve economic policy coordination and to forge broader regional cooperation.

He said China has ratified an international transit system based on a UN convention implemented globally by allowing customs-sealed vehicles and freight containers to transit economies without border checks.

China has also ratified the World Trade Organization's Trade Facilitation Agreement, demonstrating China's integration into global transport and trade norms, said de Pretto.

"This has shown that China has set an excellent example to improve global connectivity by lifting barriers."

The Chinese government has already expressed its determination and willingness to actively build a modern international road transport system by 2020.

But de Pretto also said though China shares its borders with 14 countries, the highest number in the world, its road transport currently accounts for only 10 percent of international goods transit, illustrating vast untapped potential.

He also said that China's international road transport industry does not match the geographic and economic significance of the country.

At the upcoming forum, he said his key message would be that the IRU fully supports China's initiative and is willing to share its experience to help the transport industry in China grow.
German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel welcomes Jack Ma, the founder and executive chairman of Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group, during the opening of the CeBIT technology fair in Hanover in March 2015.[Photo/Agencies]

Chinese internet-based companies are pitching in to help advance the Belt and Road Initiative by building a "digital Silk Road" between China and Germany and facilitating mutual business exchanges and the realization of Industry 4.0 strategy.

Since Ali Cloud, the cloud computing subsidiary of the Chinese online commerce giant Alibaba Group, located its first European data center in Frankfurt, more Chinese and European companies have voiced interest in using its service, said Wang Yeming, general manager of Alibaba Cloud Europe.

The Ali Cloud new data center, which opened in November, provides data storage and processing services, enterprise-level middleware and cloud security services to customers in China, Europe and elsewhere.

With these services the center can break down the barriers caused by different technical systems and help companies better meet the requirements of their targeted customers.

Chinese internet-based companies that want a presence in Europe can save time if they run their business models on the global platform of Ali Cloud, because they do not need to merge the different systems in China and in Germany in an effort to accelerate localization, Wang said.

ZC Rubber, China's largest tire maker and an Ali Cloud client, optimized its production process with the help of Ali Cloud's supercomputing and analysis. Its GoodRide tire was certificated by the German testing and certification provider TUV SuD and reached the European standard last year.

Ali Cloud now has a diversified customer base in Germany, including automotive manufacturing, manufacturing, software developers and gaming clients. German car companies can use Ali Cloud to analyze data gained in China and thus better meet the needs of their Chinese customers, Wang said.

The center is well positioned to meet the increasing demand for secure and scalable cloud computing services from businesses and industries in Germany, as the German government promotes its industrial development with Industry 4.0.

The term Industry 4.0 was coined in 2011 at the Hanover Fair. It refers to a fourth industrial revolution, after those of steam, electricity and information technology, and is based on cyber-physical systems connecting machines.

Germany's strengths in manufacturing and Chinese IT companies' strength in the Internet of Things can complement one another in industrial upgrading, in which digital connectivity plays a crucial role, said Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs of Renmin University of China in Beijing.

"The internet is the key feature of the Belt and Road Initiative in the 21st century, and collaboration in internet-related services along the routes gives strong impetus to innovation and industrial upgrading," he said.

The collaboration between Chinese information technology companies and German manufacturing giants can improve connectivity between the two countries in the digital world, he said.

Contact the writer at zhouwa@chinadaily.com.cn
A junction box is assembled at a Sino-German plant in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, in April. More than 50 percent of the plant's products are sold overseas. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Belt and Road Initiative promoted by President Xi Jinping foresees the reactivation of a corridor with maritime and terrestrial commercial links between China and Europe, Germany being one of the important poles of this concept.

It has triggered, especially if the concept of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is taken into account, a global reflection on the role of economic links on the Asian-European land mass. It has also reaffirmed to the peoples of this area that economic collaboration from East to West has a long tradition, and over and above that has always been embedded in cultural cooperation.

Few people know that the term Silk Road was coined by Ferdinand von Richthofen in 1877. He was a geographer from the commercially important city of Leipzig, crossed by one of the Salt Roads that have their European center in Halle, a city just 50 kilometers away. Indeed the name Halle relates to a Celtic and Greek language root for the term salt.

From Germany the Silk Road found its way into the English-speaking world and was finally brought to China, where everybody today thinks it is the natural term for the grand periods of China as one of the cultural and economic centers with global links.

Salt Roads and Silk Roads may be on identical routes as in many parts of Germany or in the Mongolian area of Baotou. This has led us to the establishment of an annual conference named Silk Road Meets Salt Road. Scholars from all over the world, especially from China and Germany, meet in the historic Halle Salt Production Museum and reflect on cultural, economic, political and technological issues.

There are many very specific Sino-German aspects that lead us to state that there may be something like a Silk-Road paradigm. We may start with Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz (1646-1716), inventor of the digital system, a producer of a mechanical computer, but also, after the catastrophe of the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) in Europe, someone who introduced Chinese philosophy and asked whether Europe needed more thinking in terms of harmony.

This led to the emergence of the physiocratic liberal school of economic thinking in the 16th century. Another important event in the relationship between German and China was the transferring of standardization and patenting systems to China in the early 1960s - leading to an interaction in industry and engineering that by far exceeds the level to be expected with regard to geographic distance.

Applying this joint heritage to modern times, thus entering the fields of economics and technology, both countries seem to be ideal partners, extremely complementary in most fields, competitive in some others, but always both looking to a promising future.

Germany has a powerful techno-industrial base and a sound entrepreneurial foundation, both proving their resilience during the recent economic crisis, especially in contrast to other industrialized countries in Europe, which experienced a meltdown of their manufacturing base.

Some of the best performing investments in China come from industrial Mittelstand, namely the family-based global medium-sized enterprises, and, many Chinese firms have bought themselves into formerly German family firms where successors were unavailable.

China, because of Confucianism, has a family-oriented philosophy supporting family business.

Professor Dr.Dr.h.c. Ulrich Blum holds a chair in Political Economy at Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg in Germany and is director of the Center of Economics of Materials - CEM, and is visiting professor at University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) in Beijing.
Engineering company that has business in 24 countries set to refocus on Africa

The walls of Yin Dewen's office in Zhengzhou, Henan province, are almost entirely covered with world maps.

One shows the major rivers, while another much smaller map highlights the biggest hydropower stations around the globe. A third focuses on hydropower stations across Africa.

As director general of Yellow River Engineering Consulting Co's Overseas Project Engineering Institute, Yin can instantly name the length and flow of any major river he touches on a map, as well as the height of most mountains.

After China proposed the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, aiming to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes of the Silk Road, many Chinese companies like Yin's have been making an effort to answer the call.

"No matter where I go, I always look for maps. When I see a good one, I will try to find where it can be bought," Yin said, adding that maps are important to him for judging potential water conservancy and hydropower projects.

Since 2013, he has traveled to Beijing more than 40 times a year for business and spends more than two months a year abroad, he said.

With a glimpse into Yin's office, articles with exotic charm quickly fall into sight. There are sculptures from Kenya and Laos, and a bank note from the Republic of Guinea on his desk.

"We have had business in 24 countries on five continents and have been following the goings-on in more than 40 countries. Our main markets are in Africa and South America, and we're going to pay more attention to Africa and Southeast Asia," he said.

Yellow River Engineering entered the international market before 2002, said Zhang Jinliang, the company's chairman. "We entered the international market more out of concern for the company's development. Now, we do international business mainly to serve the country's Belt and Road Initiative."

Since it was established in 1956, the company has been working on management of the Yellow River, and the two starting points of the Silk Road - Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province, and Luoyang in Henan province - are located in the Yellow River basin, so the company has strong advantages in integrating its business with the Belt and Road Initiative, Zhang said.

The Yellow River is China's second-longest river. It originates on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and winds its way through eight provincial regions for 5,464 kilometers before reaching the Bohai Sea in the eastern province of Shandong.

Yellow River Engineering has drawn up hundreds of comprehensive plans for developing the river and designed more than 30 large and mid-sized reservoirs in its main channel and tributaries.

One of the major projects was the Xiaolangdi Dam, which is 160 meters high and 1,667 meters wide. With six 30-megawatt turbines, the hydroelectric facility has a total installed capacity of 1,800MW.

With rich experience in surveys, planning and design, Yellow River Engineering is also involved in the engineering, procurement and construction sectors and public-private partnerships, Zhang said.

In addition to water conservancy and hydropower projects, the company has expanded its business to ecological and environmental improvement, buildings, highways, thermal power plants, public utilities and associated facilities.

Zhang said the company has been making efforts in overcoming two obstacles that hinder internationalization of its business: language barriers, and differences in codes and standards.

"Since 2002, we have sent our senior workers abroad for study to make them experts on water resources and hydropower with proficient language skills," he said, adding that more employees with good language skills have been recruited.

China uses different project codes and standards than Western countries. For example, the nation uses flood frequency as a reference for designing water conservancy projects. Western countries, however, uses the record-high flood. This has caused trouble, the chairman said.

While promoting Chinese codes and standards in project negotiation, the company has also cooperated with the Ministry of Water Resources to translate Chinese codes and standards into foreign languages, he said.

"We now have about 500 employees with knowledge of both Chinese and Western codes and standards and who speak foreign languages. They could be dispatched to overseas projects at any time. At peak times, we have up to 200 employees working abroad," Zhang said.

"Our purpose in answering the Belt and Road Initiative is not to make money from countries involved in the initiative but to export our technology and promote common development," he said.

Technology exports also help the company gain technology breakthroughs, he added.

Contact the writer at houliqiang@chinadaily.com.cn
A bird's-eye view of the Kaleta Hydropower Station in Guinea.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Power failures were common. When night fell, diesel generators clattered, yet it was a luxury to have a light on before going to bed. Using an air conditioner was extravagant.

This is Chen Xingliang's memory of his first visit to the Republic of Guinea in 2011. Chen is a senior engineer at Yellow River Engineering Consulting Co, which helped design the Kaleta Hydropower Station.

At first, the whole world seemed gray, he said, using a term that refers to intermittent power. A colleague who accompanied him wanted to return home shortly after arriving.

That "gray" country, however, has been transformed into a colorful one, he said. "It came alive when we arrived in March last year. The Guinean people gave us a warm reception once they know we were the builders of the Kaleta station.

"When we go shopping, the shop runners often say: 'Look! The electricity we use here is from Kaleta!' " he said.

There is more for Chen and his colleagues to be proud of. In honor of the project, Guinea printed images of Kaleta Hydropower Station on its 20,000 franc bank note, the largest note in the country.

The 240-megawatt hydropower station, located on the Konkoure River in west-central Guinea and about 165 kilometers from Conarky, the capital, was commissioned on Sept 28, 2015, increasing Guinea's hydroelectric generating capacity from 128 MW in 2012 to 368MW.

With an average annual generating capacity of 946 gigawatt-hours, the facility has provided stable electricity to Conarky's residents - more than 1.7 million people-for the first time.

The plant helps alleviate the energy shortage in the country, said President Alpha Conde during the commissioning ceremony.

He added that 30 percent of Kaleta's output goes to the country's neighbors, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal.

Guinea has abundant natural resources, including bauxite, iron ore, diamonds and gold. The country has 25 percent or more of the world's known bauxite reserves. Kaleta Hydropower Station is expected to promote the country's metal output.

China International Water& Electric Corp built the project at a cost of $446 million. China Export-Import Bank provided 75 percent of the funds with a preferential buyer's credit, and Guinea funded the rest.

Construction began in April 2012 and was completed a year ahead of schedule in 2016. Operations were interrupted by the largest Ebola outbreak to date, which hit West Africa from December 2013 to January 2016.

Yin Dewen, director general of Yellow River Engineering's Overseas Project Engineering Institute, said Chinese workers stuck to their posts even though employees of another foreign company involved in the project all left the country over safety concerns as the epidemic raged.

"Kaleta Hydropower Station was built to rid the country of power shortages," said Sun Quansheng, a senior official at the institute. "We're not in Guinea to make money and then go. We're here for the sustainable development of the country.

"While working on another hydropower station - Souapiti - we have done overall planning for future hydropower development."
Construction of the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric dam, the largest energy project in Ecuador, started in 2010.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Disagreements were common for Chinese and Ecuadorean engineers during the research and design of the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric dam, the largest energy project in Ecuador.

Disputes could last for an entire day, and some had to be shelved for resolution at a later date, according to Luo Xuannyu, who worked as a translator on the project between 2012 and 2014. Construction started in 2010.

However, it was through such heated discussions that both sides learned from each other, said Yin Dewen, director general of Yellow River Engineering Consulting Co's Overseas Project Engineering Institute.

Yin said the Ecuadoreans were introduced to new technologies, while the Chinese learned from their foreign colleagues' scientific approach to their work, reacting to circumstances one at a time instead of making judgments based on past experience, he said.

Yellow River Engineering is one of the companies behind the consortium that won the engineering, construction and procurement contract for the hydroelectric project in October 2009. The others are China's Sinohydro, Ecuador's Coandes and Italy's Geodato.

Yin said some technologies widely used in China for years failed initially to convince the Ecuadorean engineers. For example, he said, in building foundations, clay slurry is used in China to replace mud water in a drilled borehole so walls can be reinforced before concrete is injected. But the local experts were concerned that the clay might mix with the concrete and affect its hardness.

To convince local engineers, Chinese workers gave a demonstration. They also took Ecuadorean engineers to see hydroelectric projects in China to show them how some technologies are used, Yin said.

To smooth communications, Yellow River Engineering established the Coca Codo Sinclair Research and Design Institute, which employs more than 40 Ecuadorean engineers and helped with bridging differences in culture, language and technologies.

"It would have been hard to do the project without it," Yin said.

Christian Wladimir Cherrez Gavilanes has been with the research and design institute since 2010. Previously, he designed buildings with medium and low technical requirements and reviewed designs for low-rise buildings for the government.

He initially worked as an assistant to the Chinese engineers, but later as a member of the design team for key buildings in the Coca Codo Sinclair project, including the grit chamber, sluice gate and heliport.

"I'm thankful for the support and trust of Yellow River Engineering. Thanks to the rich knowledge and experience I got in the Coca Codo Sinclair project and support from Yellow River Engineering for my studies, I got my master's degree in civil engineering and will continue to study for an MBA, which will help qualify me in work related to technical management of major domestic and international projects," he said.

"We respect each other and have been cooperating well. The technical guidance from Chinese engineers is significant for the designing of the Coca Codo Sinclair project, which can supply 30 percent of Ecuador's electricity needs and save us $600 million on imported power," Gavilanes added.

Located in the Amazon Basin, 130 kilometers east of the Ecuadorean capital, Quito, the 1,500-megawatt hydropower facility produces an average of 8,800 gigwatt-hours a year.

The total cost of the project was $2.3 billion. The China Export-Import Bank provided almost $1.7 billion and the remaining funds were from Ecuador's government.

The first four of the eight turbines became operational in April last year, while the remaining four turbines came online in November. The project has created 18,000 jobs.
PHNOM PENH -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Saturday left here for Beijing to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be held on Sunday and Monday, a senior official said.

"The forum aims to discuss and define goals for deeper and more efficient international cooperation under the Belt and Road initiative," Sry Thamarong, a minister attached to the prime minister, told reporters at Phnom Penh International Airport before the departure.

The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, known as the "Belt and Road" initiative, was proposed by China in 2013 with the aim of building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes.

To support the initiative, China has established the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Silk Road Fund.

After the conclusion of the forum, Hun Sen will pay an official visit to China from May 16 to 17, the minister said.
Editor's Note: Friday marked the first day of President Xi Jinping's packed schedule of meetings with leaders arriving for the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. The following provides highlights of the talks.

Mongolia

Jargaltulga Erdenebat,Mongolian prime minister

The relationship between China and Mongolia has enormous prospects and the two countries should take care of each other's core interests and major concerns, President Xi Jinping said when meeting with Mongolian Prime Minister Jargaltulga Erdenebat.

They should deepen mutual trust and make sure the relationship's development does not drift off track, Xi said.

The countries should accelerate the feasibility study for a bilateral free trade area and better cross-border economic ties, and expand cooperation in fields like minerals and major energy projects, infrastructure and connectivity, Xi said.

China supports Mongolia's role as a bridge and a bond for Eurasia, Xi said.

Erdenebat said that it is a priority for Mongolia to develop friendly cooperation with China and that Mongolia upholds the one-China policy.

Mongolia attaches great significance to the Belt and Road Initiative in tackling the imbalance in mankind's development and promoting world peace and development, he said. Mongolia is ready to play its role as a bridge and participate in the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, Erdenebat said.
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More than 50 entrepreneurs and senior executives from eight economies including Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, have been enrolled in studies in China under the Tsinghua PBCSF Belt and Road EMBA Program for Southeast Asia.

Tsinghua University authorities and some of these students shared their insights on the Belt and Road Initiative in Beijing on Thursday. Let us take a look.

Tengku Zafrul Aziz, CEO of CIMB Group Holdings Bhd, a universal bank headquartered in Malaysia

Tengku Zafrul Aziz, CEO of CIMB Group Holdings Bhd, made a speech at the opening ceremony of the Tsinghua PBCSF Belt and Road EMBA Program for Southeast Asia on May 11, 2017 in Beijing. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"No doubt, there is a lot happening right now  from the recent political outcome in France to the improving outlook for the global economy  but for Asia, the theme set to anchor the region's future growth is China's Belt and Road Initiative, and China's strengthening relations with its neighbors, including Malaysia.

"What is profound about the initiative is that it is an opportunity to create vital infrastructure that connects and further empowers trade."

"According to the Asian Development Bank, Asia alone needs about $770 billion a year until 2020 in new infrastructure. Belt and Road projects such as a gas pipeline from the Bay of Bengal through Myanmar to Southwest China, or a rail link between Beijing to Germany, might just be the catalyst to address this need."

"For those reasons, I am tremendously excited for the Belt and Road Initiative. "
A potential buyer seeks information about property projects at a real estate expo in Shanghai. Yang Yi / For China Daily

The ranks of real estate agents are shrinking in major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, in the wake of the ongoing tightening of regulations by authorities and as a result of a decline in transactions, analysts said on Friday.

According to Homelink, the Beijing-based real estate agent chain, 87 realty outlets were closed earlier this month in Beijing as market conditions changed and authorities moved to reduce speculation in the real estate market.

Among the closed outlets, 34 were shut down because the offices were located in unauthorized constructions. Nine were closed because they promoted properties in "neighborhoods with better schooling resources," a promotion forbidden since late March. Another 44 outlets that focused on commercial-titled apartment transactions were hit, after sales to individual buyers were suspended in March.

In Shanghai, 1,500 real estate agents were disqualified from trading between late April and early May because they had broken rules, such as releasing false transaction information and manipulating prices, the city's housing authorities said earlier in the week.

"Declining transactions, tightened regulations and punishment over unauthorized agents' behavior are the major reasons behind a batch of real estate agents shutting down," said Zhang Dawei, chief analyst with Centaline Property.

He said if authorities implement these regulations strictly as they did in the past two months for another couple of quarters, it is likely that there will be many more agent exits from the market.

Small real estate agents said the pressure came mainly from sharply declining transaction volume.

Feng Jianhua, a Shanghai-based agent and owner of Fenghua Real Estate, said he had been experiencing negative cash flow in the past three months, as commission revenue hovered around "zero" due to inactive transactions.

Feng said he focused on preowned homes.

"After the down payment requirement for buyers of second homes was increased to 70 percent of asking price in November, many of my clients said they would no longer be able to afford the down payment," he said.

Centaline data showed that in the first week of May, transactions of preowned homes dropped 12.8 percent compared with the last week of April.

In Beijing, transactions of preowned homes dropped to 16,902 units in April, a 35 percent month-on-month drop.
A visitor takes a close look at an Inspur Group Co Ltd's exhibit at CeBit, the world's biggest computer and software fair, in Hannover, Germany. ZHANG FAN / XINHUA

Big server maker plans to construct cloud computing centers overseas

China's biggest server maker Inspur Group Co Ltd aims to increase the contribution of its overseas revenue stream to 40 percent of its total sales by 2020, as it scrambles to tap into opportunities brought by the Belt and Road Initiative.

Sun Pishu, chairman and CEO of Inspur, said the company will step up efforts to build cloud computing centers overseas to help promote regional connectivity in the Eurasian continent. It currently generates 20 percent of its revenue from abroad.

"IT facilities have become the same important infrastructure as water, electricity and transportation," Sun said.

"The Belt and Road Initiative is not only about connecting ports, railways and highways, but also to free up the flow of information and data and to enhance digital links among the economies," Sun added.

The Shandong-based company's IT products are available in 108 countries and regions. It has built more than 30 cloud computing centers in China and helps more than 110 local government organizations to boost their governance via cloud products.

Sun Pishu, chairman and CEO of Inspur Group Co Ltd [Photo/Xinhua]

"China is the most sophisticated IT market and the largest data producer in the world," Sun said. "Our four decades of experience in building information infrastructure is of great value to other developing economies." Last year, the China Development Bank promised to offer Inspur 20 billion yuan ($2.9 billion) in financing from 2016 to 2020, which among other purposes would be used to accelerate the latter's overseas expansion.

Inspur has already built an education cloud platform for the Thai government to boost local students' learning efficiency. Its prowess in super computers also helped scientists from Saudi Arabia map the genome of the date-palm tree, whose fruit is a staple food in the region. It has also established cooperation with about 20 countries on tax informatization.

"When venturing into markets related to the Belt and Road, Inspur not only exports products and services, but shares its experience in leveraging information infrastructure with other developing economies," Sun said.

To date, the Chinese IT conglomerate has held more than 500 overseas training programs on big data, cloud computing and tax informatization systems, which it said helped countries like Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa and Vietnam train more than 10,000 technicians and officials.

In March, Inspur signed a strategic cooperation agreement with an affiliated organization of the Ministry of Commerce to expand similar initiatives and provide more training opportunities for economies related to the Belt and Road Initiative.

Xiang Ligang, a telecom expert and CEO of telecom industry website cctime.com, said as Chinese heavyweights narrow the technology gap with Western counterparts, more companies will expand their overseas footprint in the future.
BEIJING - China's banks issued a combined 1.1 trillion yuan ($160 billion) in new yuan loans in April, mostly for housing purchases, according to the latest data from the central bank.

April's new yuan loan growth represented an increase of 542 billion yuan year on year, the People's Bank of China said Friday.

By the end of last month, total outstanding yuan-denominated loans stood at 112 trillion yuan, up 12.9 percent year on year.

The rise was mainly attributable to lending to the household sector, which reached 571 billion yuan, with medium and long-term loans mainly used for home purchases standing at 444 billion yuan in April.

M0, the amount of cash in circulation, was up 6.2 percent to 6.8 trillion yuan by the end of April.

M1, a narrow measure of money supply which covers cash in circulation plus demand deposits, rose 18.5 percent from a year earlier to 49 trillion yuan.

M2, a broad measure of money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, grew 10.5 percent to 160 trillion yuan.

China's M2 target this year is set to grow by around 12 percent, one percentage point lower than the 2016 target.

The central bank data also showed newly added social financing, a gauge of funds that firms and households get from the financial system, increased by 613 billion yuan from the same period a year ago to 1.4 trillion yuan.
A worker at a steel company in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, in Jan 2015.[Photo/China Daily]

BEIJING - China will phase out about 50 million tons of crude steel capacity and over 150 million tons of coal capacity this year, the country's top economic planner announced Friday.

By the end of June, all facilities producing inferior-quality steel bars will be dismantled and supply of steel will be increased to avoid wild fluctuations of steel price, according to the implementation plan for cutting excess capacity in steel and coal sectors released by the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments.

As of Wednesday, 31.7 million tons of steel and iron capacity and 69 million tons of coal capacity have been cut, accounting for 63.4 percent and 46 percent of the annual goals.

The government will take more steps to help laid-off workers find work and encourage industrial mergers and reorganization, according to the plan.

The overcapacity cuts will target debt-laden "zombie enterprises" and adopt more methods based on market rules.
CHENGDU - After 16 days, 26 tons of frozen pork from the Netherlands arrived in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province earlier this month, the first carried from the Netherlands to China by train.

"Trains can slash about 40 days of shipping time compared to sea, and are about 10,000 yuan ($1,450) cheaper per ton compared to air," said Shu Changguo, general manager of the importer.

As China's Belt and Road Initiative gains steam, international trains are becoming a realistic logistical alternative between China and Europe.

Last year, 460 trains ran between Chengdu, Tilburg in the Netherlands, and Nuremberg in Germany. In the first four months of this year, 91 trains to Chengdu have brought about $150 million of European goods.

"The Netherlands is the most important logistical center in Europe, and Chengdu, in China's west, has huge potential, which means great opportunities for European countries," said Koen Sizoo, head of the Netherlands' consulate in neighboring Chongqing Municipality, which has international trains connecting with Duisburg, Germany.

More European countries are using the trains. In a skyscraper in Chengdu, a Polish store has been in operation for about ten months, offering specialties such as jam, condiments, snacks and vodka.

The store is run by Poland's Hatrans Logistics, a partner in Chengdu-Europe trains. The company also runs an online store called Chopin-Deli on JD.com, selling Polish goods.

"Ten years ago, Polish companies barely knew about Chengdu, but since the trains started running four years ago, things have changed," said Natalie Kosana Goldysiak, manager of the store.

Natalie, who is fluent in Polish, English and Chinese, introduces Poland to local government officials and business leaders to Poland every day, as Chengdu is "increasingly important" for Polish companies.

"There will be more areas for cooperation between China and Europe as trains increase," said Koen Sizoo.
The Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will be held on Sunday and Monday in Beijing with more than 1,500 leaders and experts expected to participate.

China Daily reporters asked some of the attendees about their expectations and impressions of the forum.

Yu Hasegawa, Moscow Correspondent for TV Asahi Corporation, Japan

Yu Hasegawa, Moscow Correspondent for TV Asahi Corporation, Japan [Photo by He Wei/chinadaily.com.cn]

"One area of interest is to look at how the Belt and Road Initiative would bring new energy to Asia, with a special focus on the economic cooperation between China and Russia. I also pay attention to high-level meetings among the many presidents that convene at the forum."

"I've been a reporter for over 10 years and have attended a number of international conferences. To be honest, everything here at the forum is so organized and smooth. Volunteers are much more helpful than I had expected. What impressed me the most is how fast the WiFi connection is. I really appreciate people who have put an effort in this."
Intel's logo is pictured during preparations at the CeBit computer fair, which opened its doors to the public on March 20, at the fairground in Hanover, Germany, March 19, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

Intel Corp will step up the research and development of 5G as the American chip giant scrambles to gain an edge in the race to commercialize the next generation of mobile communication technology.

Wu Geng, a chief technologist for wireless standards at Intel, said 5G is of paramount importance to Intel because it will usher in a new era of increasingly integrated computing and telecom platforms.

"By 2020, there will be 50 billion connections. It will demand tremendous computing capability. Our years of experience in processing data will give us an edge in the future," said Wu, the Intel Fellow, who also heads Intels delegation to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), an industry coalition dedicated to global wireless communication standards.

To experiment with 5G, Intel is teaming up with Chinese companies such as China Mobile, the worlds largest mobile carrier by subscribers, and Huawei, a major telecom equipment creator, a key part in Chinas second-phase 5G trial.

"The first stage of internet of things is connecting devices to the internet. The second is about how to make these connections intelligent," Wu said.

According to Wu, it is very hard to predict what will be the killer application of 5G, but the internet of vehicles will undoubtedly be typical.

In March, the company agreed to buy Israeli driverless car-technology Mobileye for $15.3 billion in March, to prepare for the autonomous-driving era.

The move came shortly after its major rival Qualcomm Inc announced a $47 billion deal to acquire the Netherlands' NXP, the largest automotive chip supplier last year.
It's almost a year ago that I wound up in a former piece of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan, a central Asia kleptocracy where Donald and Ivanka Trump were in business with local mobsters laundering money for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. But Azerbaijan was hardly the only former part of the Soviet empire where Trump was trying to make a buck. Tonight, David Cay Johnston's DCReport.org broke a story about Trump and the Kazakh mobsters.

Kazakhstan is a huge country with something like 18 million people, rich in natural resources. The current authoritarian president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, was the First Secretary of the Communist Party in 1989 and then "became" president. He was elected in 2015 with 98% of the vote and is widely considered one of the most corrupt despots in the world. Richard Behar, writing for DCReport, asks if "a former Mob connected huster-- a real estate developer who in 2010 worked on the same floor as Donald Trump as his 'Senior Advisor'-- is threatening to spill some beans that could harm the Presidents reputation? Sure looks that way, based on an intriguing Wall Street Journal story that exposed aspects of a bitter feud between two of Trumps former key business associates. The newspaper revealed that the Russia-born Felix Sater-- a twice-convicted one-time Mafia associate-- is demanding hush money from a former boss, Kazakhstan-born Tevfik Arif, whose Bayrock Group worked in a close partnership for nearly a decade with the Trump Organization."

Sater warned Arif, in writing, that news headlines will read: The Kazakh Gangster and President Trump, unless Arif forks over $3.5 million to reimburse Sater for legal expenses he claims hes owed, the Journal reported. Specifically, Sater is threatening to reveal negative information about Arifs past relationship with President Trump and the Republic of Kazakhstanas well as Arifs alleged connections to organized crime figures and his business activities in Kazakhstan, which involve dealings in the post-Soviet metals industry there.





Spokespeople for Bayrock and Arif have called the allegations unsubstantiated falsehoods. The general counsel of Trump Organization didnt respond to calls and emails.





Sater, however, may not even need the dough. Ive discovered that he and a former Trump Organization colleague, Daniel Ridloff, received roughly $20 million-- in a settlement of a case that is linked to an alleged multi-billion-dollar global money laundering scheme originating in Kazakhstan, and stretching to Russia and the U.S.





Specifically, both men were accused in a 2013 complaint filed by a Swiss financier of absconding with nearly $43 million from the sale of an Ohio shopping mall (Tri-County Mall near Cincinnati) to-- American Pacific International Capital (APIC). That company is based in San Francisco. One of the directors is businessman Neil Bushthe son of former President George H.W. Bush and brother of former President George W. Bush.





In the shopping center complaint, the financier included an exhibit-- a 2007 New York Times article that revealed numerous details about Saters criminal past. The article said Sater had pled guilty and become a cooperating federal witness. Saters cooperation agreement was unsealed by a federal judge in 2013, but many other documents in related cases are under court seal.





Five days after the Tri-County mall complaint was filed, the case was settled.





Neither Sater or Ridloff, whose LinkedIn bio says he worked in Acquisitions & Finance in 2010 for the Trump Organization, will comment about the subject. In his own LinkedIn bio, Sater describes himself as a former Senior Advisor to Board of Directors of one of Neil Bushs oil companies (TxOil) that once drilled in Turkmenistan, an oil-rich part of the former Soviet Union.





Bush tells me hes never heard of Sater. Bush also says that the mall was purchased for $43 million by APIC at a public auction, and then transferred to a Singapore publicly-held real estate company that he chairs called SingHaiyi Group. I helped the group [SingHaiyi] find the property through a friend, he says. When told about the subsequent litigation against Sater and Ridloff, Bush says: I dont remember anything like that. We bought it at a sheriffs auction. If the funds filtered through some undesignated [entity] or intermediary, Im unaware of that.





A second lawsuit filed in U.S. Federal Court (Southern District of New York) may shed additional light on Sater and Ridloffs Kazakhstan-related business activity. In this case, the Bank of London and the Middle East (BLME; once the largest bank in Kazakhstan) and the government of Almaty (the countrys largest city) are accusing three Kazakh men-- a former Almaty mayor, his son, and a former chairman of BLME-- of absconding with billions of dollars and laundering the money.





The defendants-- Victor and Ilyas Khrapunov, and Mukhtar Ablyazov, respectively-- deny the allegations and claim the charges are politically motivated.





Thats not the view of Matthew L. Schwartz, a former federal prosecutor, now in private practice at the prestigious law firm of Boies Schiller Flexner, who represents the city of Almaty and the bank. The international financial fraud perpetrated by Ablyazov, Victor and Ilyas Khrapunov, and their associates is as large and far-flung as they come, Schwartz says. It involves billions of dollars and has touched at least two dozen different countries-- from Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine to the United States, England, and France-- and just about everyplace else.





Schwartz adds: Well follow the money stolen by these fugitives wherever they may try to hide it. (A Switzerland-based spokesperson for the family welcomed questions, but declined to respond to any.)





Needless to say, the saga-- a saga within a saga-- is very complicated. A declaration in the Khrapnukov case is by Nicolas Bourg, who happens to be the same Swiss financier who accused Sater and Ridloff of stealing the $43 million from the Ohio mall deal. In the declaration, he says that he was president of a real estate fund (named Swiss Development Group, or SDG) that was controlled by the Khrapunov family and used to conceal the movement and investment of his familys money.





Time out. Where does Trump fit into all this? In October, the Financial Times revealed that three Trump Soho condos in Manhattan were bought in 2013 with $3.1 million that came from the alleged Khrapunov laundering caper. Trump Soho was 18% owned by Trump at the time. There is no evidence that Trump was involved or knowledgeable about the Khrapunovs. But he seems to have benefitted.





In addition, bank statements submitted by City of Almaty lawyers indicate that the ultimate beneficiary of the companies that bought the condos was Elvira Kudryashova-- the California-based daughter of Victor Khrapunov. The FT reported that correspondence and company documents seen by the newspaper showed that Sater and Ridloff worked closely with Kudryashova in 2012.





They agreed to serve as directors of a company through which she would pour $3 million into a business venture as part of her efforts to secure a U.S. investor visa, wrote the newspaper.





Sater and Ridloff, my reporting shows, ran the U.S. arm of the Krapunovs SDG entity at the time. Another connection is in the Linked-In bio of Ridloffs, where he refers to himself as the former vice president of SDG-Investment Fund.





Bourg, the Swiss financier alleging fraud in the Ohio mall sale, maintains in his declaration that a shell entity he created in Luxembourg-- Triadou-- was an investment vehicle wholly-owned and controlled by SDG. Bourg states that Triadou was also the entity used to buy the Ohio shopping mall.





An exhibit with the declaration from Swiss financier Bourg includes emails to Felix Sater and others in 2014 with swift code details for an account at a now-defunct rogue bank that was headquartered in Dubai. Swift codes are used for international money transfers. In 2015, the bank BLME, formerly Bank of the Middle East, was banned from operating in the U.S. due to money laundering and terror financing allegations. The email to Sater cites an entity called Telford International, which was allegedly used to move the money to BLME.





And-- closing the circle-- Telford was used to fund Triadou, the entity that bought and sold the Ohio mall, according to Bourg.





DCReport.org has obtained an audio recording in which three of Bayrocks top four executives can be heard discussing coal and oil projects involving Bayrock and Sater, in which the name Khrapnukov and his son are mentioned. The recording was made in Bayrocks offices in the Trump Tower in 2008. In all likelihood, the references are to Victor Khrapnukov and his son Ilyas.





The recording was made just three months before Victor reportedly fled Kazakhstan as a fugitive. Ilyas is also accused by Kazakh authorities of money laundering and is a fugitive. Excerpts from the audio are here , and emails penned by Sater in 2007 from Kazakhstan also talk about a coal deal he had just closed-- three days after arriving in Kazakhstan without a visa. Whether the emails are referring specifically to a Khrapnukov deal is unknown.





The Russian-born Sater spent a year in prison in 1993 after pleading guilty to assaulting a man with a broken glass during an argument with in a bar. (The victim required more than 100 facial stitches.) Next, he pled guilty in 1998 to racketeering. Specifically, he helped run a huge pump-and-dump stock fraud with members and associates from four of New Yorks five Italian mafia families-- including the brother-in-law of Salvatore Sammy the Bull Gravano, the Mafia hitman turned Gotti-informer.





In a press release two years later that cited Sater, New Yorks then-police commissioner dubbed the case Goodfellas meets Boiler Room-- a reference to both the classic film and to cold-calling operations where salespeople often peddle fraudulent securities. This time around, Sater avoided prison by becoming a government cooperator for more than a decade, ratting out mobsters.




Weng Jianzhong, a worker at the Xianyou railway station in Putian, Fujian province, was awarded 6,000 yuan for saving a woman trying to kill herself by jumping onto the train tracks as a high-speed train was approaching.

Weng was on duty Wednesday afternoon and noticed the woman was visibly distressed at around 2:50 pm, according to a notice from railway authorities.

When the woman entered the platform after checking her ticket at around 4:50 pm, Weng asked for her carriage number, but she did not answer. As train D6529 approached, the woman ran towards it.

Fortunately, Weng was keeping an eye on her, and rushed to her in time, dragging her back before she could reach the track.

The woman was not hurt, but Wengs head was injured after falling to the ground while struggling to pull the woman back.

The woman was later taken home by her family members.
BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Saturday, announcing the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Orban is in Beijing to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation scheduled for May 14 to 15.
BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday called on China and Greece to expand cooperation in infrastructure, energy, telecommunications and oceanic sectors to better benefit people of both countries.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras who is in Beijing to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation scheduled for May 14 and 15.
Power failures were common. When night fell, diesel generators clattered, yet it was a luxury to have a light on before going to bed. Using an air conditioner was extravagant.

This is Chen Xingliang's memory of his first visit to the Republic of Guinea in 2011. Chen is a senior engineer at Yellow River Engineering Consulting Co, which helped design the Kaleta Hydropower Station.

At first, the whole world seemed gray, he said, using a term that refers to intermittent power. A colleague who accompanied him wanted to return home shortly after arriving.
Journalists test equipments at the media center of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, capital of China, May 12, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing is a milestone in the development of China's Belt and Road Initiative, a historic effort to transform the economies along the two routes, strengthen links between them and better connect them to the rest of the world. The United Arab Emirates strongly supports the initiative, which will foster economic growth and security both regionally and globally.

Substantial progress has been made since President Xi Jinping announced the initiative in 2013. During this period, China has directly invested more than $50 billion and helped establish the Asian Infrastructure Investment Banka new multilateral institution designed to finance vital public works in Asia's emerging economies. The UAE is a founding member of the AIIB and committed to its central mission of bringing the Belt and Road Initiative vision to life.

China's approach to economic development mirrors our own. We share the same core beliefs in the essential connection between trade, peace and prosperity. For both our peoples, these beliefs go beyond stated principles to concrete actions, best expressed by the strength of our bilateral trade, which has grown dramaticallyalmost 800 times, in the three decades since we established formal relationsfrom $63 million in 1984 to more than $50 billion in 2016.

Our cultural and economic ties with China go back centuries. But today's trade spans multiple sectors, with one of the most important being energy.

Recognizing that energy demand in the economies along the Belt and Road routes will grow by 50 percent by 2040, both China and the UAE have made strategic co-investment in this sector. China National Petroleum Corp and China Energy recently took a minority share in the UAE's onshore oil reserves, beginning a partnership with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company that will secure oil supplies for decades and ease market access for essential and higher value products throughout the region.

ADNOC's petrochemical company, Borouge, is celebrating seven years of operations in China during which the trading volume has quadrupled. Borouge is gearing up for market growth both within China and in the economies along the Belt and Road routes, where demand for petrochemicals and plastic, including essential utility piping and cable insulation, is expected to more than double by 2040.

At the pivot point between Asia, Europe and Africa, the UAE is ideally located as a logistical hub that can facilitate trade to and from the economies along the Belt and Road routes. DP World's Jebel Ali Port is the largest in the Middle East and Abu Dhabi Ports Company is one of the fastest growing. Last year, Abu Dhabi Ports Company partnered with China's shipping giant COSCO to build a new terminal at Khalifa Port that will double cargo capacity, further expanding the flow of commerce among the economies along the Belt and Road routes and the world's other major trading blocs. As many economies along the two routes look to extend their footprint in Africa, the UAE represents a natural nexus for developing mutually beneficial trading links.

The 65 economies along the two routes account for 30 percent of global GDP. By 2040, they will account for almost two-thirds, thereby becoming the world's most significant driver of economic growth. Making the right investments now will ensure this growth remains sustainable and more evenly spread.

In short, the success of the Belt and Road Initiative can provide the foundation for a more secure, prosperous and progressive future for the world.

The author is a minister of state in the United Arab Emirates and ADNOC Group CEO.
LI MIN/CHINA DAILY

The Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation marks a transition of high symbolism in President Xi Jinping's grand vision for a new era of win-win globalization. The core idea is to structure, finance and build critical infrastructure in developing economies, as well as diversify and expand the Chinese economy, which needs restructuring.

This is the fourth Belt and Road forum I will attend.

Xi announced the Silk Road Economic Belt as a "grand cause benefiting people in regional countries along the ancient route" in Kazakhstan in September 2013. In June 2014, I was asked to articulate the vision at the first Belt and Road forum in Urumqi, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. I described five categories: history, culture, trade, mutual development and peaceful development.

The second forum was in Quanzhou, Southeast China's Fujian province, in February 2015. It enlarged the vision to include the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, engaging Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and East Africa.

The third forum was held in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi province, in September 2016, with the theme "Shared Memory, Common Development".

To comprehend Xi's Belt and Road Initiative, one must appreciate globalization, which is founded on the perennial law of comparative economic advantage but which is suffering discontent due to its differential impact on workers in Western countries. In a reversal of historic proportions, China now champions globalization, while the United States is now conflicted with "America First" protectionism.

China's developmental miracle is founded on globalization, as Chinese workers made China the low-cost manufacturing center of the world.

But China's old model no longer worksfor one, workers must be paid higher salaries to rebalance severe socio-economic imbalances. China must develop new modes of globalization, leveraging its expertise and experience, especially in infrastructure construction, which is just what the developing economies need for their development.

The initiative is to expand links between Asia, Africa and Europe, and thus reduce imbalances in national development and promote global economic growth. It focuses on projects such as high-speed railways. Development comes first, China believes; nothing good can happen without economic growth.

The Beijing forum seeks consensus on major cross-regional projects, especially networks of roads, railways and shipping.

At the Xi'an forum, I chaired a session (on the media), which was held at precisely the same time as the first debate between US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

"One hundred years from today," I began, "when the history of our times is written, our forum on the Belt and Road (Initiative) will carry more significance than the Trump-Clinton debate."

I was joking in one sense, but not in another. Why is the initiative so significant?

From the global perspective, poverty, under-development, and vast inequalities are deep, seemingly intractable problemsand economic development, catalyzed by infrastructure construction, is an essential part of the solutions.

From China's perspective, after decades of remarkable growth, economic transformation is necessary, and this includes geographical rebalancing within China and expanding China's trade by enhancing globalization.

All of these can be achieved by the initiative, but only if formulated synergistically and implemented assiduously. There are substantial challenges, of courseeconomic, financial, structural, political instability, nationalism, terrorism and, in certain circles, suspicion of China's motives.

But for sure, the world has great need and China has a grand plan in the Belt and Road Initiative.

The author is a public intellectual, political/economics commentator, and international corporate strategist.
Journalists walk past decorations at the media center of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, capital of China, May 12, 2017.[Photo/Xinhua]

The Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be held in Beijing on Sunday and Monday will see the participation of some 1,500 officials, scholars, entrepreneurs from more than 130 countries, and representatives from more than 70 international organizations. Of the 29 heads of state and government who will participate in the forum, quite a few are from Europe. European Commission Vice-President Jyrki Katainen, too, will take part in the forum.

At a time when the global economic recovery is still sluggish, trade and investment remains weak, and growth impetus unstable, the forum offers an excellent opportunity to review the gains and, more importantly, to build a closer and stronger partnership.

China and the European Union share much in common in pursuing shared growth, development and connectivity, including through the Belt and Road Initiative, and have come up with a proud record so far.

At the 17th China-EU Summit in 2015, China and the EU agreed to synergize the initiative and the Investment Plan for Europe. China and some EU countries have signed inter-governmental cooperation agreements and launched a Belt and Road working group mechanism to jointly advance the initiative. Also, China and 16 Central and Eastern European countries have worked closely to enhance cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and the 16+1 framework.

As concrete steps to promote seamless traffic flows, China and the EU signed an MOU for the establishment of a "Connectivity Platform". China has launched railway freight service to some European countries. And cooperation in such areas as railways, ports, airports, power, transportation and logistics has gathered momentum.

The two sides are also working together to deepen dialogue and cooperation in information and communications technology.

To develop practical financial avenues for mutually beneficial cooperation, China and the EU agreed to set up a co-investment fund. And early this year, China became the 67th member of the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development.

The Beijing forum has now raised the two sides' interest in exploring potential areas of cooperation to create fresh energy for pursuing interconnected development. To contribute to the ongoing efforts and deliberations, here are my suggestions.

First, the Belt and Road Initiative is guided by the spirit of openness and constructive cooperation. Given the rising protectionist and anti-globalization sentiments in many parts of the world, it is in our interest that China and the EU stay committed to free trade and economic openness, a rules-based, transparent and fair international trading regime and order, and open up markets, oppose protectionism and secure greater connectivity and economic development and prosperity.

Second, the initiative is a win-win formula. The notion that this project is designed to enable China to access new markets, which will pose a challenge, even "threat", to the future of Europe is wrong, as it neglects the fresh perspectives it will bring to European integration. Being open, transparent, harmonious and inclusive, the initiative is an invitation to all economies along the Belt and Road routes to build synergies between their development strategies and the initiative, explore cooperation, and share the benefits of the projects.

Third, it is time that China and the EU capitalized on the new opportunities offered by the initiative. Among others, China wishes to broaden policy coordination and advance cooperation consensus through an institutionalized dialogue mechanism, more closely collaborate on concrete projects within the China-EU Connectivity Platform, work closely to explore ways and means of joint financing and initiating projects, and deepen China-EU legal affairs dialogue with a view to creating a favorable environment for business.

We are more than ready to add new dimensions to our cooperation with the EU. For instance, given that China is transforming its economic development model based on innovation, and innovation remains essential to European integration, we should make deepening cooperation in science and technology and innovation our top priority.

And fourth, we hope that at the Beijing forum and the 19th China-EU Summit, China and the EU will send out this positive message: as the two parties vital to the maintenance of world peace and promotion of common development and shared destiny, China and the EU will shoulder the shared responsibility of promoting the construction of a more fair, reasonable and balanced global governance system based on openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, and that together we can make a difference.

The author is the head of the Chinese Mission to the European Union.
Journalists collect materials at the media center of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, capital of China, May 12, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

In Europe, the Belt and Road Initiative does not get the attention it deserves. However, the history of the ancient Silk Road has fed our imagination for centuries. Today, China speaks for reality while Europe is limiting itself to curiosity. But newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron can accelerate Europe's interest in the initiative.

President Xi Jinping surprised the rest of the world when he announced the Belt and Road Initiative. As often happens in China, the idea is the result of a deep strategic reflection.

China is seeking big markets for its industrial products. Marginal gains of globalization are shrinking, and growth needs a new revival. In Asia, this new revival is called connectivity. By helping the economies along the Belt and Road routes to develop and improve their infrastructure, hard and soft, China is reinforcing its openness and the upgrading of its manufacturing sector.

The initiative will also help the internationalization of its currency and, in the long run, the transformation of its growth toward quality.

Europe should find interest in this. Under the initiative, cooperation with China on its two aisles, Eurasia and "Eurafrica", can allow the European Union to reach its economic growth and employment targets.

That big geostrategic region must become "a community of interests, of responsibility and common fate".

As Premier Li Keqiang has often said, "today, no nation can succeed alone". Therefore we must invent international engaging projects. This perspective is definitely pacifist. And by serving development and prosperity, it serves peace.

China's analysis needs to be studied. In the past, the East was the place where goods were born, and the West where they matured. Today, the West is standing still or even going backward while the East initiates reforms.

Asian dynamics must reach Europe. As a country of new technologies, France is ready. Its interest is even more relevant since the United States has become more unpredictable and is turning toward the Asia-Pacific region while ignoring Europe.

Eurasia is the future global balancing power. In the initiative, Europe can find a historical opportunity to put itself into a more central world position. So, is this the time to redefine transatlantic relations?

For China, the West-led globalization has created harsh competitions, partly destructive. It points to civilizations moving backward, for example, by giving rise to populism in the West and Brexit. That is why the election of Macron as French president sends a message of trust and hope.

Eurasia, marked by great civilizations such as Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek, Indian and Chinese, can be the place of rebirth of civilization. And oceans must again find a place in this civilization.

The Belt and Road Initiative, like other innovative 21st century ideas, is not speculative or virtual. Huge financial means and multilateral tools have been invested to give shape to the initiative, which will reform global governance.

The Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank will definitely leverage growth for Eurasian economies. And the initiative, BRICS New Development Bank and the Silk Road Fund all show that China has the power to realize its vision.

In the next five years, China will import $10 trillion worth of goods and invest more than $500 billion abroad. The current pace is faster than the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) forecast. For the first time this year, Chinese investments abroad have exceeded foreign investments in China.

France is following the initiative with interest, and must realize that it directly touches its interests and alliances. This is a great opportunity for the new French president.

By choosing a message of openness, the French people have shown they are open to great adventures that serve development, hence peace.

Jean Pierre Raffarin is former prime minister of France and president of the Senate's Foreign Affairs, Military and Defense Commission, and Xu Gai is his advisor on China affairs.
Editor's note: The second Sunday in May is dedicated to Mother's Day. Originally celebrated in the US, it has also become popular in China as a way to express gratitude to mothers with gifts and greetings. Some experts suggest China should have its own equivalent of Mother's Day, instead of "borrowing" from the US. Should China create its own Mother's Day?

tailorsas (China)

This really is not a big issue, as long as you have appreciation for your mom who raised you and offered everything that she had, every day can be a Mother's Day. You don't have to give her a present, just tell her you love her, care about her, go shopping with her, cook for her, even the smallest thing can be affective.
Pristine nature, wildlife, a city lifestyle, affordable luxury and amazing adventures have made South Africa popular with Chinese visitors. [Photo Provided to China Daily]

South Africa makes efforts to attract more Chinese visitors

Compelling experiences combining pristine nature, wildlife, a city lifestyle, affordable luxury and amazing adventures, ranging from mountain hiking to shark cage-diving, have made South Africa popular with Chinese visitors.

The number of Chinese visitors to South Africa surged in 2016.

A total of 117,000 Chinese visited South Africa last year, representing a 38 percent year-on-year increase, according to the South African tourism authorities.

And the country is making moves to grab a bigger slice of the booming Chinese outbound tourism market.

"Compared to other source markets, China is still maturing," says Bradley Brouwer, the president of South African Tourism's Asia Pacific operations.

"The awareness of South Africa's tourism offerings (in Chinese cities) ranged from largely unaware to some awareness ... and the growth rate in arrivals is rising," he adds.

South African Tourism held road shows in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong over late February-early March.

And this year it is focusing on the excitement, surprise, joy and awe awaiting Chinese visitors to South Africa.

"We are proud to invite visitors to encounter the jaw-dropping 'Wow!' moments, once-in-a-lifetime experiences and unforgettable adventures found nowhere else in the world," says Brouwer.

"South Africa casts a spell because it is not manufactured and mundane but authentically raw and unfiltered, which is exactly what today's travelers seek," he says.
(Photo : RAAF) RAAF F-35A.

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Australia plans to make its Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) the world's first all fifth-generation air force by 2025, whose capabilities will make it the most sophisticated in Asia even when compared to the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).



The RAAF has some 260 aircraft, of which 110 are combat aircraft.



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Air Marshal Leo Davies, AO, CSC, Chief of Air Force, said the RAAF will to be the first all fifth-generation air force, integrating the network capabilities of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter with its land and sea components, as well as its allies' and partners' forces.



Air Marshal Davies said the RAAF will "have no legacy aircraft after 2025" under its current defense spending guidance. RAAF will acquire 72 F-35A stealth fighters from the United States over the next few years.



This will make the RAAF the largest operator of the F-35 in Asia. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force will operate 42 F-35As.



Air Marshal Davies said that since Australia is "a committed high-tech ally" of the United States, "we can prosecute our shared integration together" through the F-35.



He said he views the introduction of the Joint Strike Fighter working with F-35s from Australia, the United States Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps "has forced us to think together."



He called this "a whole of force concept" that "we want to explore with you," including design and development.



"We can prosecute our shared interests together."



The challenge for the future is "taking advantage of these assets (such as the F-35) ... and use them in a modern way."



Air Marshal Davies said Australia "should (also) be a bridge for regional security," stressing the freedom of overflight and navigation. Davies noted that Australia like the United States has no territorial claims in the South China Sea.



Australia wants "to claim free access to trade" throughout the Pacific "then Australia is happy."



Australia's goal is to maintain "a rules-based global order."



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TagsAustralia, Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF, all fifth-generation air force, People's Liberation Army Air Force, Air Marshal Leo Davies, Lockheed Martin F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter
Ann H. Park, a veteran prosecutor who fought against crime for the past 20 years, will be running for LA Superior Court Judge. If she should succeed, Park will become the first elected Korean woman judge in history.

The main reason for the challenge is that she could be a source of hope for others, particularly for Parks fellow Korean Americans. Parks election will to provide great inspiration for the younger Korean Americans in Los Angeles, and will also show America that Koreans have now entered the mainstream of society.

While getting prepared for the election in June, Park thought that she does not want the Korean community to support her, just because they are of the same race and culture. She explained about what kind of attorney she wanted to become: The public must be able to depend on the judicial system, including judges, to protect them, guide them and maintain the highest standard of our democratic way of life.

After witnessing the LA Riots of 1992, Park realized that the Korean Americans were part of the minority and underrepresented in American society. After deciding that she wanted nothing more than to live out justice, she decided not be satisfied with being an attorney with a stable income but instead moved on to become the executive director of the East Bay Korean Community Center, a Korean volunteer organization.

At a press meeting with members of the Korean community, Park used the word God a considerable number of times, showing that she is not afraid to show her faith in a society where Christianity is beginning to be looked down upon. She declared proudly that she is the daughter of a pastor, and even included that she was serving as a Sunday school teacher for ten years on her resume.

Now, Park is fundraising for the upcoming election of June.
I had the privilege or reading a pre-release version of "God Shines Forth: How the Nature of God Shapes and Drives the Mission of the Church." Here are 20 quotes from the book, which you should pick up.
Harris County District Attorney's Office

A Houston plumber will spend the next 50 years in prison following his conviction for sexually abusing two young girls, the Harris County District Attorney's Office said Friday.

During a two-week trial in the Harris County court house, jurors were told Fidel Morales, 42, repeatedly abused the the young girl in the bedroom of her home. The assaults stopped only after the girl told her mother what had been happening.
Even the Fab Four needed some downtime.

An actor who accompanied The Beatles during the filming of the movie "Help!" about 50 years ago, captured Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr on film just playing around during the filming of the flick.

Actor Leo McKern, who died in 2002, made the home movies in the Austrian Alps, then stashed it away in his garage. Now, the film (and the copyright) is up for sale for about $45,000.

Rare books dealer and actor Neil Pearson, who is selling the footage, told The Guardian in London: "It is unseen footage of people who were, at that time, the most famous people on earth. It is footage of golden age Beatles, fooling around between takes, waiting for something to happen ... I know that feeling."

SEEING LEFTY: How far would you go to catch Paul McCartney in concert?

The 8 mm footage captures the band members joking around, goofing off with their stunt doubles and pretending to play instruments leading up to the 1965 film. Story continues below





The Beatles made "Help!" after scoring a huge hit with "A Hard Day's Night." Yep, Beatlemania was in full swing in the mid-60s.

The group spent two weeks in the Alps filming, as well as the Bahamas. After the filming, John Lennon told interviewers the movie was "out of control" and the band had little idea what the movie was about.

Critics loved it, though, and Rotten Tomatoes rated it 9/10.

Scroll through the gallery to see The Beatles at the height of their fame in 1966
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As the bugler played, the sad refrain of Taps could be heard echoing through the meeting room on the campus of the L. V. Hightower Prison Unit outside of Dayton. Just outside the frosted glass windows was the shadow of a black, riderless horse, with its stirrups filled with boots placed backwards and an unfilled hat sitting precariously on the saddle. All of the symbolism was a reminder of the dangers and sometimes consequences of working inside the gated walls with offenders.

On Monday, May 8, the staff at the unit gathered to mark the solemn occasion of National Roll Call commemorating fallen officers in correctional institutions across the United States and those within the ranks of the Hightower Unit.

While there were no Line of Duty deaths this year, there were several from their law enforcement community that succumbed to death for other reasons and their lives were remembered and celebrated.

"The job we do is dangerous," said Stacey Leblanc, warden at the Hightower Unit. "We lose officers across the country due to violence from offenders. I think it's important that the public knows there is staff out there trying to keep them safe."

She also thought it was important that the staff be reminded how dangerous the job can be.

One of the officers remembered at the ceremony was from the French Robertson Unit in Abilene, Texas who was found murdered in the kitchen area of the prison. Fifty-five-year old Mari Johnson was found unresponsive and Inmate Dillion Compton is accused in her death.

Leblanc became tearful as she made her remarks to the rank and file at the ceremony.

"As we walk out of here today, I hope we take two things when we leave. One of those is pride in the job we do," she said as her voice broke. "I don't know if you understand the impact you make on a daily basis to the public. Your job daily is to keep everyone safe and that's a huge task."

Leblanc also told the staff she hoped they walked out of there with fear.

"Just enough fear to keep you safe and to understand what you do is dangerous. Being here every day is a dangerous job. Look around the room and the absence of staff will testify to that fact," she said as a somber reminder of those who have died.

Shortly after her remarks was the blowing of the prison horn that sounded throughout the yard and cells.

Assistant Warden Chris Norsworthy, who helped organize the event, was grateful to those who came out to mark the solemn occasion with them.

"This is the time of year that we take and recognize those officers and the job they have done for us and what they meant to our agency," Norsworthy said. "I'd like the public to understand what we do as correctional officers and the cost it takes to do what we do. We do a lot of work that the public doesn't know about and there's tremendous risk. Give respect. We're law enforcement too. Our officers place their lives on the line every day."

The prison each year assists the community in various tasks including the Liberty County Bikes For Christmas program where they help wrap gifts and put together the bicycles given away to needy children each year.

"Our mission is in line with the agency mission, but specifically we have a sex offender rehabilitation program (SORP) here where we try to prepare sex offenders for release from prison without reoffending once they're released," the warden said.

They have several links of programs, the longest being about 18 months and the shortest four months.

"Those guys are generally selected by the parole board to come to this program as a condition of their release," the warden said.

The offenders attend classes and counseling sessions, both group and individual.

There are roughly 600 offenders involved in the program of the 1,384 they have secured on the campus.

The warden's message to those outside the prison walls?

"We're working hard to keep the public safe and please respect and honor those who dedicate their lives to that public service," she said.
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Thirty-five years after the body of a Houston woman was found lying in the roadway of FM 26666 in Shepherd, the San Jacinto County Sheriff's Office believes it has solved the case with the arrest of Robert Earl Nard, 73, of Houston.

The murder of Debra Ann Huffman of Houston in May 1982 went unsolved for three decades though Nard had been identified years earlier as the prime suspect.

"Initial reports indicated she was abducted during a robbery in Harris County. It was later learned that the female victim knew the male suspect in this case. The case, although a warrant was issued and the suspect arrested, sat dormant for approximately five years after the suspect posted bond," SJCSO Chief Deputy Joe Schultea Jr. wrote in his statement to the press.

Schultea said Nard was arrested at his home in Acres Homes near the intersection of Little York and Highway 249.

HUMBLE SLAYING: 41-year-old cold case finally solved

Schultea said the district attorney, who was in office at that time, chose to dismiss the case against Nard. The case rested in the murder files of the sheriff's office since that time.

In late 2015, Lt. Tracy Shipley (retired) began working on the SJCSO cold case files. Shipley was previously a longtime homicide detective with Harris County Sheriff's Office before taking on the lead of Sheriff Greg Capers' detective bureau.

"Lt. Shipley, after researching this case, detemined that it was still viable and took the case to District Attorney Robert Trapp, "Schultea said.

The DA reviewed the case and then presented it to a grand jury, which returned an indictment for Nard.

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"Lt. Shipley's diligence on cold cases resurrected this case and its conclusion. Several other cold cases have been brought to bear since her work on this case. The San Jacinto County Sheriff's Office will continue to pursue cold cases in our county to bring closure in each instance," Schultea said.

As of late Friday, Nard was being held in the San Jacinto County Sheriff's Office. Bond had not been set.
Are you looking for . . . bad vibrations? Brian Wilson joked at the beginning of the encore of his Friday night show at the Revention Music Center on a tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Beach Boys masterpiece album Pet Sounds.

How many years do you think hes told that joke? And yet it felt sweet and new, regardless, a light bit of banter from one of the great architects of American pop music, whose long, crooked road to this show has put a lot of miles on the 76 year old musical genius odometer.

And the show was a lot like that, too  moments of familiarity that in their current context feel new. Comedian Sam Kinison once did a bit about musicians being sick of their songs, and he used the tragedy of Brians brother Dennis to make his case, suggesting he chose drowning over singing Surfing USA one more time. But Wilson at 76 appears to . . . enjoy isnt the right word. But he looks as though he relishes the fact that thousands of people still soak up the rays from music he made a half century ago.

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So Ill just get the downside out of the way, because I dont think it matters. Wilsons voice has become a shouty croak. Not only does he not sing like he did in 1965, he doesnt sing like he did in 2004. On some songs it matters not a whit, especially those with busier arrangements. On others, it can be distracting. But to my ears, it really doesnt matter.

The appeal of the Beach Boys was never Brian Wilsons voice. The appeal was the music that formed in the folds of his brain. So the great triumph of this farewell to Pet Sounds tour is that hes surrounded himself with a large ensemble that knows the contours of his musical brain such that they are fluent in a language of his own creation.

I hesitate to point out individual players in a cast of a dozen because throughout the night the theme was that the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. Had Wilson walked out and sat on a couch and glared at the crowd, this band would have admirably presented his wonderful songbook.

Five guys, including Wilson, took lead vocals, a communal approach that allowed Wilson some rest, but also helped highlight the breadth of the vocal parts hes written over the years. It also became an enjoyable game: sweeping ones sightline from left to right and back to the left again trying to see who was singing what. The vocals were clear as still water.

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While theres neither time nor space to recognize the wonderful and sensitive musicianship all of these men brought to Wilsons music, I think Matt Jardine earned some recognition. The son of original Beach Boy Al Jardine (whose conversational voice sounded unworn by time) hit the high parts with the warm sensitivity and bright sweetness they required. He was afforded a few songs to step out front, but I most admired his contributions when they were beyond the fore. Some of Wilsons genius is in the minutia, and his cautious use of a high harmony to accent some songs is beautiful.

Theres no bringing Wilsons wonderful sibling Carl, but the younger Jardine didnt shrink from a difficult role. Percussionist Nelson Bragg operated like an octopus, tapping, batting, thumping, and honking on all manner of percussion instruments. He blitzed through these accent sounds with bracing swiftness. To a casual fan, these touches might not matter. To Wilsons faithful, the bicycle horn must be perfectly timed.

The setlist was generous: About 17 or 18 songs in the first set, followed by a 20 minute break. Then the band played Pet Sounds straight through, stepped away for a couple of minutes, and washed away any unwelcome bad vibrations with Good Vibrations and several of its most dance-inducing songs like, obviously, Dance Dance Dance.

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I suspect each person in attendance would rank their favorite moments differently, so theres no point in trying to measure crowd favorites. I liked the ballads: Surfer Girl, In My Room, and the two from Pet Sounds: God Only Knows and Caroline, No. And I liked some of the slightly odder inclusions like Add Some Music to Your Day, one of the longer, more multi-part tunes, this one from the underappreciated Sunflower.

Criticisms seem almost indulgent. I understood the reason for the energy longtime Beach Boys associate Blondie Chaplin brought to a trio of songs (Wild Honey, Feel Flows and Sail on Sailor). Chaplin is an underappreciated rock legend, and is welcome to the spoils of his tenure. But on a night where the delicate threading together of voices was the star, I grew weary of the soloing. Through the night Wilson would sing a few lines only to be spelled by the younger Jardine, lead vocals split to cover for Wilsons struggles.

But it never really mattered. Because he was such a diligent writer and arranger, Wilson was a figurehead even before his voice went away. He wrote music to be performed by many. So he could sit center stage and play piano or not. Sing some lines well or poorly, it didnt matter.

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With this band, he could have sat a volleyball at his piano, and let them run, and the results would have been radiant. But to see him interact with the music was heartening and lovely. Hes clearly not tired of these songs. And when it really DID matter, he powered through it. The closing Love and Mercy was blissful, and I cant imagine anyone  even those disappointed with the way Wilson sounded  being let down, by such a beautiful song delivered with sincerity.

But the message implied in those two words  love and mercy  had been evident throughout the night. This was the most wonderful vocal concert I recall having seen in a long time, full of people who approached these decades old songs with affinity and love, and, well, if not mercy, at least a sympathetic awareness that their voices did more graceful and powerful things together than any one could do on its own. Which is something like a balm amid divisive times.
Finding people to spend their days on boats picking through the catch of the Gulf of Mexico for shrimp is tough enough.

Now, shrimpers in South Texas are feeling the pinch of Congress not renewing the H-2B Returning Worker Program, which allowed the foreign workers they frequently hired into the country.
The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p.
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All-Conference WEC teams The All-Conference teams for the War Eagle Conference have been announced with multiple MMCRU and South OBrien volleyball players making...

Crane signs off, for now I miss my ol' buddy, sportscaster Keith Crane on the sidelines. I miss his friendly smile, his dedication to his...

Raptors end season in regional finals CHEROKEE - The Ridge View volleyball team faced Hinton in Cherokee last Wednesday for the Class 2A Region 2 championship...
Akron police car 2.png

Akron man dies after being struck by car, police say.

(File photo)

AKRON, Ohio -- A man who was struck by a car Wednesday in Akron has died, police say.

Jason Allison, 37, of Akron, died shortly after police released his name Saturday afternoon. Police were unable to immediately identify Allison after the incident because he didn't have identification, his fingerprints were not on file and he was unable to speak, Akron police Lt. Rick Edwards said.

Allison's family was notified and his father was by his side when he died, Edwards said.

Allison was struck by the car about 4:45 a.m. along Triplett Boulevard near Lansing Street. Allison was walking south across Triplett Boulevard when the eastbound car struck him, Edwards said.

Edwards previously said that the driver of the car is cooperating with investigators, and the Akron Police Department's traffic reconstruction unit is investigating. Police have not said whether anyone will face charges.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Saturday's crime and courts comment section.

cleveland.com is a partner of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. Every dollar buys four meals for the hungry. Click here to donate.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Glenville High School and Ginn Academy Class of 2017 held their prom on May 12 at the St. Noel's Banquet Center in Willoughby Hills. The theme for the evening was A Night at the Oscars, and the Banquet Center was decorated in black, red and gold. Long, flowing dresses, or lengthy trains were the fashion choice of many of the young ladies in attendance. Tuxedos and slim-fitting suits with either tapered or capri pants dominated the attire worn by the gentlemen.

You can check out photos from other Northeast Ohio proms at cleveland.com/prom.

cleveland.com is a partner of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. Every dollar provides four meals for the hungry. Click here to donate.
Police tape.png

Investigators searched a farm miles away from where the Pike County killings happened. Officials could not say if it was related to the Rhoden investigation.

(File photo)

Investigators searched a central Ohio farm Friday afternoon, just miles from where eight Rhoden family members were shot and killed 13 months ago.

Ohio Attorney General's Office spokesman Dan Tierney told cleveland.com Saturday that there was a search operation, but would not say whether the search was related to the Rhoden investigation.

Tierney also declined to comment on the location of the farm or the specifics of the search.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports crews from the Pike County Sheriff's Department, the Adams County Sheriff's Department, the Ohio Criminal Bureau of Investigation and the Ohio Rehabilitation and Corrections Department were involved in the search.

Authorities also searched Unlimited Motors on Ohio 41 just north of Conley Road in Peebles, the Enquirer reported.

on April 22, 2016, investigators discovered seven adults and a teenage boy shot to death at four homes near Piketon in southern Ohio, the Associated Press reported. A newborn baby, another baby and a young child were not harmed.

Christopher Rhoden Sr., one of the victims, had a commercial marijuana growing operation on his property, the AP reported.

The other shooting victims included the elder Rhoden's ex-wife, 37-year-old Dana Rhoden and their three children, 20-year-old Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, 16-year-old Christopher Rhoden Jr. and 19-year-old Hanna Rhoden.

Hannah Gilley, Clarence Rhoden's fiancee; a cousin, 38-year-old Gary Rhoden; and 44-year-old Kenneth Rhoden, Rhoden Sr.'s brother, were also killed.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Saturday's crime and courts comment section.

cleveland.com is a partner of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. Every dollar buys four meals for the hungry. Click here to donate.
KIRKERSVILLE, Ohio -- Lifelong Kirkersville residents said the Friday shooting deaths of the village's police chief and two nursing home workers sent shockwaves through the small, tight-knit community.

The deaths of village police Chief Steven Eric Disario and two Pine Kirk Care Center employees stunned the Licking County village, which is located 20 miles east of Columbus and home to approximately 525 residents.

"We have a lot of great people in this town," resident Bill Magley, 84, said. "You never expect to see anything like this, regardless of where you live."

The armed man accused of killing Disario and the two employees was found dead shortly after he opened fire at the nursing home, Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp said Friday at a news conference. Investigators have not said how he died.

Investigators have not released the identity of the suspected gunman or the two nursing home employees.

Village residents are leaning on each other for support in the wake of the tragic killings, United Methodist Church Pastor Matt Van Winkle said.

"In small-town America, we're all very close," Van Winkle said. "We're basically a giant family."

Storefronts were closed Friday afternoon along East Main Street, in the center of the village. Kirkersville Village Hall and the village's police department were also closed, but residents left flowers outside the door as a tribute to the slain police chief.

Violence rarely touches the small village, where most residents grow corn or soy beans on nearby farms or commute to larger cities like Columbus for work, lifelong resident Mark Van Buren said.

"You don't expect something like that to happen in a small town like this," the 50-year-old resident said.

Disario had been on the job less than a month before he was killed, officials said. The 36-year-old was married with six children.

Gov. John Kasich called on government buildings to fly their flags at half-staff in honor of the victims.

We are lowering the flags in honor of the lives lost today in Kirkersville. pic.twitter.com/uFgXC24RVI  John Kasich (@JohnKasich) May 12, 2017

Investigators have not released a motive for the shooting, which took place just before 7:30 a.m. at the nursing home on East Main Street at 3rd Street.

Disario was investigating a report of a man with a gun when the suspect took two people hostage outside the nursing home. The two hostages, who were not harmed, ran away when the gunman shot Disario, investigators said.

Investigators are still trying to determine how the suspect got inside the nursing home, which is a secure facility, Thorp said.

"We've always seen Licking County as a very safe community," Thorp said. "You see these types of things happen all over the country. To have it happen so close to home is unbelievable."

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said during Friday afternoon's news conference that the suspected shooter was from Utica and that investigators have secured warrants to search his home and vehicle.

To comment on this post, please visit cleveland.com's 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.
Paul Ryan in Wisconsin

Sonette Tippens from the Town of Linn holds a sign in protest of House Speaker Paul Ryan's visit to address high school students Friday, May 12, 2017, at Badger High School in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Ryan said Friday that he chose not to hold town halls while visiting his southeastern Wisconsin congressional district because he doesn't want constituents to be harassed. (Angela Major/The Janesville Gazette via AP)

(Angela Major)

Proof of residency. Photo ID. Preregister.

For some members of Congress, the unusually strict requirements they've put in place for who can attend their town halls sound more like a trip to the DMV than an invitation to practice democracy. And those are the few lawmakers who have agreed to hold town halls at all while on break from Congress this past week.

The seem to be a direct response to the intense activism springing up across the nation right now, driven mostly - but not completely - by the left of the political spectrum. It's creating some tense moments for Republicans who decide to hold town halls and no-win situations for Republicans who don't.

Caught up in the middle are Americans who feel left out of having their say in this remarkable moment in U.S. politics.s but can't.

Here's a sampling of the rules town hall attendees are being asked to follow:

Rep. Rod Blum, R-Iowa: "Please note that entry will be reserved to constituents of Iowa's 1st District. To verify residency, please RSVP here and bring a photo ID to the town hall. RSVP and photo ID will be required for entry. Information provided during registration must match address on photo ID. . . . No backpacks, signs, banners, or artificial noisemakers will be allowed into the event."

Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y.: "The one-hour event will not be a traditional town hall meeting open to any member of the public who wants to stop by. Instead, the television stations will distribute about 100 tickets through an online lottery." (His office says the requirements were put in place by the TV station hosting the event.)

Rep. Thomas Garrett, R-Va.: "You must present a valid state issued I.D. that matches your registration information in order to gain entry to the event. No cheering, clapping, jeering, or signs are allowed at the event. Civil dialogue only, please."

Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.: She held a town hall in February that was only open to prescreened residents of the town she was in, Fairview, who had reserved seats in advance. At one point, the town's mayor took the event off the city's website because, the mayor told CNN, officials wanted it to be a "low key" "community meeting."

The lawmakers' rationale behind all the new rules: Town halls are being exploited by liberal advocacy groups with national motives.

Garrett's recent 200-ish-person town hall at a church outside Roanoke, for example, was lined with police officers who are investigating "credible" threats to his family.

I asked Rep Garrett about heavy security presence here. He said he had received specific threats against his life, his wife and even his dog  MaryAlice Parks (@maryaliceparks) May 10, 2017

Other lawmakers have taken note.

"I will not risk public safety to entertain individuals that have no desire to respectfully discuss important issues," Rep. Kenny Marchant, R-Texas, told a Dallas Morning News watchdog columnist this week about why he's not holding a town hall nor advertising his office location. "The only complaints received are from members of the obstructionist group - Indivisible."

There's no rule that lawmakers have to hold town halls when they're back in their districts. But for those who do, putting limits on who can attend kind of flies in the face of having one in the first place, said Norm Ornstein, a congressional ethics expert: "Even when you had the conservative outrage over Obamacare, I don't recall anyone trying to preselect attendance. The unwillingness to take criticism or any heat from a legislative decision is really unusual."

A staffer for a Republican representing a solid GOP district, who agreed to speak candidly on condition of anonymity, said anything that's labeled a "town hall" should generally be pretty open to whomever wants to come.

The liberal advocacy group on the receiving end of most of the finger pointing from Republicans, Indivisible, denies orchestrating any protests.

The group, set up by former congressional staffers after President Donald Trump's win, says it provides tools to help people get the attention of their lawmakers - how to ask for a town hall, what questions to ask, how to how to stage "die ins" and other attention-grabbing protests.

"Aside from that, they are out there talking about the things that matter to them and we're not directing to anyone." said Angel Padilla with Indivisible.

Stacy Nelson, who lives in the Raleigh, North Carolina, area, is one of those self-organizing people frustrated by the lack of access to her member of Congress. She and a group of seven others met on Facebook because they had a mutual interest in asking Rep. George Holding, R-N.C., what he can do to force Trump to release his tax returns. She said her group is a mix of Democrats and Republicans who live in the district who just want to talk with their congressman: "We have a high school social studies teacher, a retired pastor, a small-business owner ..."

After three months of negotiating, they finally got a meeting with Holding on Wednesday. "We have full-time jobs," Nelson said a day before the meeting. "None of us are paid protesters, we're just concerned. We are not going to be confrontational, we just want him to listen. There's never been an opportunity."

Those who do brave the town hall format have come out of it bruised. Rep. Tom MacArthur, the moderate Republican who pretty much single-handedly revived the House's controversial health-care bill, visited a liberal enclave in his swing New Jersey district Wednesday night and spent five hours defending himself to 200 irate constituents.

"I hear people calling me an idiot. I hear people shouting curse words," an exasperated MacArthur finally said. "I wonder, I really wonder how any of you would perform in Congress with that attitude."

Blum, a conservative lawmaker representing a swingy Iowa district, made national headlines earlier this week for walking out of a TV interview when pressed on why he's screening his attendees.

And Blackburn's "low key" community meeting in a Tennessee town of 8,000 was filled with 130 attendees, with more protesters outside. Blackburn later claimed just one-third of the attendees were from her district but she could provide no evidence, leading city officials to publicly contradict her in local media.

Those are the stories of lawmakers who hold town halls at all. Left-leaning Town Hall Project has been tracking how many of the 217 House Republicans who voted for the House health-care bill held a town hall this week during a break in Congress. Their count: 16.

And more than a dozen people from across the country reached out to The Fix to share their frustration that their lawmaker won't even meet with them.

"At this point I'm not even sure it's a real person who just voted against me and my family," said Candace Bonds, who said she's been calling the office every other day of her representative, Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., to better understand how his vote for the House's health-care bill will affect her husband's diabetes treatment.

Democratic lawmakers - and some hopeful challengers - are taking advantage of Republicans' absence, traveling to neighboring Republican districts to hold their own town halls. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., called The Washington Post on his way back from a town hall in House Speaker Paul D. Ryan's, R-Wis., district Friday afternoon. Pocan said about 250-300 people showed up to vent their frustrations on everything from health care to the Trump-Russia drama.

"He is refusing to do one, so I figured someone should show up," Pocan said.

It's somewhat paradoxical, said Padilla of Indivisible, but he thinks lawmakers are closing off town halls precisely because they are hearing from their constituents.

"We really think that's proof that their advocacy is working and that it's changing behavior," Padilla said. "At the end of the day, it's going to change the way they vote in Congress."
medicaid.jpg

James Hosticka and Lynn Rodemann, seen here in their home on Cleveland's West Side, are two of the 100,000 Cuyahoga County residents who have received health care coverage under the 2014 expansion of Medicaid eligibility in Ohio. Thomas Suddes writes that several provisions Ohio House Republicans have added to the state's pending budget bill would make it harder for Medicaid enrollees to retain coverage, including if they're currently looking for work.

(Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland.com)

Trumpcare isn't the only threat to hundreds of thousands of low-income Ohioans who depend on Medicaid expansion for health care. So is the Ohio House's version of Ohio's proposed 2017-19 budget.

Tucked into the Republican-run House's budget rewrite are amendments that could keep otherwise eligible low-income Ohioans from getting or keeping Medicaid expansion coverage.

Republican Gov. John Kasich opted to offer Medicaid expansion, an expansion that covers more than 700,000 Ohioans. To be eligible, an Ohioan must be "age 19 through 64 with [income] at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level ($16,394 for a single adult in 2016)," the Medicaid Department says.

As previously noted, half of those 700,000 Ohioans live in counties Donald Trump carried, including 2,600 in Clinton County, home of House Speaker Clifford Rosenberger, a Clarksville Republican, and 21,000 in Stark County, home of Senate Finance Committee Chairman Scott Oelslager, a North Canton Republican

One booby-trap Ohio House Republicans slipped into the budget would require Kasich's administration to again ask federal Medicaid regulators to let Ohio impose so-called "Healthy Ohio" (somewhere, George Orwell smiles) requirements. Heathy Ohio is a Rube Goldberg-like contraption that, in effect, would require Medicaid clients to contribute to a "Buckeye Account," which is sort of like a Health Savings Account. (Historically, HSAs have been big faves of Statehouse Republicans, maybe because their banking pals can charge fees on HSAs.)

But if Medicaid clients fail to contribute to the account, they can be kicked off Medicaid. And maybe that's really the goal: A study by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured reported that "premiums and enrollment fees have been shown to act as barriers to obtaining and maintaining coverage for low-income groups." (Emphasis added.)

The Obama administration rejected Healthy Ohio; Trump's administration might approve it.

And House Republicans' rewrite would require Kasich to ask federal Medicaid regulators to make Ohioans covered by Medicaid expansion jump over one of five additional hurdles: Be at least 55; have a job; be enrolled in school or training; take part in drug- or alcohol-treatment; or have "intensive health care needs."

Yet Policy Matters Ohio found that "work requirements ignore the fact that 43 percent of Medicaid expansion enrollees were already employed between 2014-2015, and that 75 percent of those not employed were looking for work. It is that group - job seekers - who will be hurt by these changes.

The House also wants Kasich's administration to get an OK every six months for Medicaid spending from the Controlling Board, composed of six legislators and a nonlegislator president representing Kasich.

It's not clear whether House Republicans want the board to have veto power over all Medicaid spending or just expansion spending. Either way, it'd be a Full Employment Act for the Statehouse lobbyists.

Irony must be lost on the House. When Kasich used the Controlling Board to expand Medicaid, bypassing the legislature, GOP diehards pitched a fit, griping that the board usurped the General Assembly. But today? The Controlling Board is tickety-boo.

True, what fueled House swipes at Medicaid expansion maybe wasn't so much budget math as House math - amassing "yes" votes. In 2015's comparable budget vote, five House Republicans voted "no." This year, of 66 Republicans, 12 voted "no." With 50 votes required, the rewrite passed 58-37. (Four Democrats voted "yes," including Rep. Martin Sweeney, of Cleveland.)

Bottom line, politically: Of 66 Republicans in Rosenberger's caucus, just 54 voted "yes." That's slim majority support for what's supposed to be a majority's budget consensus.

That suggests, one, that the House Medicaid amendments were less about Medicaid than about lassoing Republican "yes" votes on the budget rewrite, and, two, that the Ohio House Republican caucus is shifting. To the right.

Thomas Suddes, a member of the editorial board, writes from Athens.

To reach Thomas Suddes: tsuddes@cleveland.com, 216-999-4689

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Mobile phone use has made driving more dangerous.



Now some former standout engineers at Google and Facebook are using mobile phone data to try and make it safer.

What they're finding by using artificial intelligence to analyze massive amounts of driver information may radically change how auto insurance is priced.

Tech CEOs often start their companies to eliminate an obstacle they've encountered in their personal lives. Often called 'pain points' in Silicon Valley, two famous ones include Mark Zuckerberg wanting to meet more Harvard coeds and Travis Kalanick waiting too long for a ride.

But when Jonathan Matus reveals why he founded Zendrive, whose software is used to analyze driving behavior, the pain he talks about is more visceral.

"More people die in car accidents than in wars in Israel " said Matus, an Israeli-American, when asked where he got the idea for the company.

When he heard that statistic about his home country, Matus correctly deduced the reason: more drivers distracted by mobile phones.

It's the same in the U.S., where traffic fatalities are now going up after decades of decline. More than 40,000 Americans were killed in car accidents in 2016, a 14 percent rise since 2014, according to the National Safety Council.

That's the biggest two-year surge in five decades.

So Matus, who helped turn Google's Android into the world's dominant mobile software and later led the launch of Facebook's mobile platform, teamed up with another Google engineer, Pankaj Risbood, and in 2013 founded Zendrive.

"We can use smartphone data to save lives," Matus told CNBC in an interview.
The Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 sneaker in the zebra colorway. Sebastian Willnow | DPA | AP

Randy* still remembers buying his first pair of real sneakers, the Air Jordan 13 Flint. Ever since then, he's been a sneakerhead.



Being a collector while growing up in south Florida wasn't easy. Randy couldn't easily get to a bigger city to buy sneakers in-store, so he was stuck buying online. But he was too slow, and he always lost out. Eventually he started using browser extensions that would put sneakers in his online cart the second they went on sale. Then he hit the goldmine: bots.



"It's like putting a Lambo next to a Toyota Corolla," Randy said, comparing bots and extensions. "A bot was quicker. It would do everything, add to cart and check out. You could set up information and put your credit card info in."



Eventually Randy quit his day job at the batting cage for a more lucrative career of reselling sneakers. Take the much-desired Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2, Kanye West's sneaker. If you were lucky enough to grab a pair of the Zebra colorway at retail, you'd pay $220 plus tax. At sneaker consignment store Flight Club, it's between $1,250 to $2,500 a pair. Ebay has a pair for $1,750. And at on sneaker stock market site StockX, the 52 week high was $3,072 a pair.



"I do feel bad, but I don't mind reselling," Randy explained. "It sucks because as a collector, you want to have the shoe and not pay overprice for it. But, at the same time, it's a hustle. People are out here flipping shoes. That is literally their job."



"People are doing a lot worse things out here," he added. "I'd rather sell shoes than sell drugs."

Hacking the sneaker wars

In-store limited edition sneaker releases usually go to bigger cities like New York or Atlanta, where sneaker culture is more prevalent. If you're willing to spend four days in waiting in line, maybe you'll be lucky, but even then you''re not guaranteed to get a pair in your size. If you don't want the hassle, you can buy a pair online from a third-party seller. But unless you're willing to pay top dollar to someone reputable, there's a good chance of getting stuck with a counterfeit pair. Remember those Flint 13s Randy bought? He sold them to buy Air Jordan Cool Grey 11s . When he received them, he found out they were fake. Or, you can buy a bot. AIY Expert Solutions is a company with employees in Australia, Lebanon and Nigeria that sells sneaker bots like AIO Bot and Another Nike Bot for about $325. More than 40 employees run the bots, providing tutorials, customer support and up-to-date software engineering.

Some people claim bots are unfair because they allow technology to beat out humans for products. But people just want an honest shot at getting limited edition sneakers, AIY Expert Solutions vice president Alex* explained. If everyone has their own bot, it levels the playing field. He notes that even in-store sales are often unfair because retail workers can "hide" shoes for friends or for a side profit.



"It was never easy," Alex explained. "The Big Yeezy [Kanye West] promised everyone we would have some. It's been four years! Might as well have gone for the lotto."



AIY Expert Solutions has sold tens of thousands of bots to date, according to Alex. On average, each bot has only purchased about 2.5 pairs of Yeezys. Some people do buy 50 bots then and buy 300 to 400 pairs at a time, but those few-and-far-between professionals are "edge-case users" who do not represent the majority. Most bot owners just want a couple rare pairs.



"That's not something that's going to kill the community like one person buying 3,000 pairs will," he said. "I get resellers, but I think everyone should have a fighting chance against resellers."

Shootings and riots

Bots also make it easier and safer for everyone, argues John*, who runs a sneaker reselling service called RSVP Kingz. Because there is such a demand for some sneakers, it can get dangerous. Two people were shot in last year in Minneapolis over Nike Air Jordan 2 Retro Wing It shoes, according to the New York Daily News. The store only had 10 pairs for sale. A Houston man was murdered over three pairs of Air Jordans, the Houston Chronicle reported. A 14-year-old boy allegedly shot another teen for cutting in a line to buy Yeezys in Brooklyn, NBC New York said. To be completely fair, these cases are rare but people don't want to deal with the hassle.



"I don't want the drama that goes on in-store with riots," John said.



RSVP Kingz uses its own proprietary bots to buy sneakers on behalf of its customers, who pay a fee for the service. Costs vary depending on the sneaker, with the most expensive Yeezys demanding up to $300 plus retail costs per pair. If the service is not able to get a pair, you get your money back.



"It's much easier," John said. "You don't have to do anything yourself. You don't have to go in store. If you are at home, you don't even have to press anything on your computer."



John, who is a currently studying computer science in college, got into the sneaker reselling business after seeing his friends get rich from sneakers. He's a sneakerhead himself. He owns 40 to 50 pairs of Yeezys in various patterns for his own personal wear. His personal favorite is the Beluga colorway. RSVP Kingz was able to secure 1,800 pairs for its customers, he claims.



Because he is providing a service, John feels justified in what he does. It's cheaper than buying shoes on the open market, and you're sure it's the real thing. Bots are difficult to run and expensive to maintain, Randy adds. You'll need to know how to code your bot, as well as purchase proxy servers and other maintenance costs. However, Randy has since quit the sneaker game and now makes money creating YouTube videos about, you guessed it, sneakers.
Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly speaks about border security during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, May 2, 2017.

Secretary John Kelly asked Department of Homeland Security staff for the criminal history of thousands of Haitians living in the United States on protected immigration status as he mulls the decision of whether to extend the program set to expire in July.

The Trump administration must soon decide whether to renew "Temporary Protected Status" for some 50,000 Haitians currently living in the U.S. In 2010, the Obama administration granted the status to Haiti after a massive earthquake that devastated the island-nation, killing an estimated 220,000 and displacing 1.5 million.

The 18-month program has been extended three times since.

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DHS staff said Kelly's requests for criminal data and public benefit usage by Haitian protected status recipients will not be used to make a decision request.

However, the move has raised concerns among immigration advocates who worry about how this information will be used given the administration's more hardline positions on immigration.

"Secretary Kelly hasn't made a decision on (Temporary Protected Status) for Haiti," Joanne Talbot from DHS's Office of Public Affairs told NBC News. "The Secretary's decision will be based on a thorough assessment of the conditions in the country; separately, he has asked the staff for detailed information to increase his understanding of how the program operates. The two actions are separate and distinct."

Federal law regarding Temporary Protected Status does not specify a recipient's behavior as criteria for extending the program and immigration experts say those who receive it are heavily screened before they are granted the protected status. They are also not eligible for welfare benefits.

"The idea that you would deny protection for 50,000 people because there are a few bad apples who wouldn't be eligible for Temporary Protected Status in the first place, makes little to no sense," Tom Jawetz, the vice president of immigration policy at the Center for American Progress, a liberal research organization told NBC News.

Paul Altidor, ambassador of Haiti to the U.S. said his government is in communication with DHS.

"We have as a government requested that Temporary Protected Status be extended for at least 12 to 18 months from our standpoint," Altidor said. "Not because simply Haiti needs it, but we feel that it would be in the interest of both countries as Haiti is putting in motion its development plan based on the catastrophe of the Earthquake in 2010 and a set of other issues that came up along the way that has slowed down our reconstruction process."

Haiti elected a new president in January following a 14-month election process which was further prolonged by a brutal Hurricane in October.

Haitian-born New York City Council member Mathieu Eugene said Temporary Protected Status recipients who have come to his office are looking for an extension on the program, "because they are people who are working hard every single today to provide for themselves and their families and consider it the fabric of the United States."

The Associated Press was the first to report the DHS' request for criminal data of the Haitian community based on inter-agency emails they obtained. The report found that career officials appeared to struggle to find the type of information Kelly was requesting

"We should also find any reports of criminal activity by any individual with (Temporary Protected Status). Even though it's only a snapshot and not representative of the entire situation, we need more than 'Haiti is really poor' stories," wrote Kathy Nuebel-Kovarick, who began her new role April 2 heading immigration policy at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), an agency within DHS.

Previously, Kovarick constructed immigration policy under Sen. Chuck Grassley  working closely with Attorney General Jeff Sessions' staff when he was a senator.

Ira Mehlman, media director at the restrictionist Federation for American Immigration Reform, said Temporary Protected Status originally had some merit, but he questions what the program has become.

"You know the T in TPS stands for temporary. But you know people just keep extending their stay here in the United States long past any reasonable time frame after the triggering event," Mehlman said.

The director of USCIS James McCament recommended in April that Sec. Kelly not fully extend Temporary Protected Status status for Haitians because he said conditions have improved significantly. That recommendation has received its share of criticism from lawmakers and advocacy groups.

McCament's agency sent a vastly different report about the conditions in Haiti in December when they said housing shortages, a cholera epidemic, limited medical care, economic concerns, food insecurity and security threats still remained a problem in the country. Haiti was rocked by Hurricane Matthew in October, just weeks after Trump appealed to voters in Miami.

Then-Secretary of State John Kerry recommended Temporary Protected Status be extended.
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The four candidates will meet with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the sources said. Comey was fired by President Donald Trump on Tuesday. Another name mentioned publicly is former House Intelligence Committee chairman Mike Rogers. He is not among those to be interviewed this weekend but sources say he could be included in a next round of meetings should the process continue. Cornyn, a former Texas Supreme Court justice and former Texas attorney general, issued a statement on Friday in which he said he remained focused on his constituents. "I have the distinct privilege of serving 28 million Texans in the United States Senate, and that is where my focus remains," Cornyn, who is majority whip in the Senate, said in the statement.

Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee with the other heads of the U.S. intelligence agencies in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill May 11, 2017 in Washington, DC. Getty Images
When Brendon Lynch visited the Los Angeles LGBT Center in November 2016, he got his first glimpse into the lives of homeless LGBTQ youth.

"I thought I knew a lot, and as a gay man  I thought I knew it all, but I learned so much more," Lynch told NBC Out.

The Rudy's Barbershop CEO said the company, which has an ongoing partnership with the It Gets Better Project, was looking for new ways to help the LGBTQ community. After touring the center, Lynch was saddened to hear that many of the residents in its transitional housing program were thrown out of their homes after coming out to their families.

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"They end up on the street, and they're homeless," he said, adding some even "become addicted to drugs, because they need to stay up at night to protect their belongings, so they turn to drugs to keep them up at night."

He called the spiral "sickening."

"You think that with how much progress we've made in this community, with people being more open and understanding and empathetic that there would be fewer kids being thrown in the streets by their family and friends for being who they are," he said.

Lynch realized homeless people don't just need food and clothes  they need toiletries to get clean and feel dignified. It was clear to the CEO that Rudy's Barbershop was in a perfect position to pitch in.

"Almost 40 percent of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ, which is a staggering number," Lynch said. "So we recognize that that's part of the community that we wanted to help out."
Heather Stenlake is a divorced, single mom living in the Poconos of Pennsylvania with her two daughters. She put $40,000 of her retirement savings towards inventing and producing a sheer slip that holds up a bride's wedding gown. The slip allows a bride to pee without sullying her dress, or needing help to use the toilet. It took Stenlake 15 years and a personal reinvention to go from having the idea to developing her product into a company. But Stenlake eventually found the confidence to launch her business: Once she did, her inspirational attitude won over the investors on hit reality show "Shark Tank." By the end of her pitch, which aired Friday night, Stenlake had multiple sharks clamoring to invest in her business, the Bridal Buddy.

Stenlake started working in the bridal industry in 1998 and customers constantly asked her what to do when they have to use the restroom. In 2002, she came up with the idea for a solution and the blueprint for what would eventually become the Bridal Buddy. She also was having children at the time, so Stenlake put her idea away, and focused on being a stay-at-home mom. In 2015, Stenlake rediscovered her notes for the Bridal Buddy, and moved to turn the latent idea into a business.

"I am divorced now but I never stopped thinking about my product idea. And all though I didn't have as much encouragement as I would have liked back then, I have a lot of it now," she says. "I put $40,000 of my retirement money in this product. That wasn't easy, but I am glad that I did it." Stenlake appeared on "Shark Tank" seeking $75,000 for 10 percent equity in her company. At the time the show was filmed, Stenlake had made $195,000 in sales. The Bridal Buddy's retail cost is $29.95, and $14 for Stenlake to make.

Surround yourself with positive, encouraging people because that is the way you get ahead. Heather Stenlake Founder, the Bridal Buddy

The sharks wanted to know why she put her idea way for more than a decade. She strategically and gracefully avoided talking about her personal life. "Life happens. Without going into too much detail, all I will say is this. You know, surround yourself with positive, encouraging people because that is the way you get ahead. And I have found that out the hard way. Unfortunately it took me many years to figure that out," she says.

Her observations about her own journey were heartfelt and sincere. "I believed in myself and I kept working on it and working on it and trying to get the best possible version of it. And here I am and I am proof that you can overcome any obstacle and get where you want to be," Stenlake told the investors. "Focus on the future. I am done with the past, but it is a learning experience for me." Stenlake reveals she approached the largest retailer in the industry, David's Bridal, with her product. However, the retailer wasn't interested in selling the Bridal Buddy, because they didn't want to be associated with using the bathroom.

Mark Cuban backed out because he doesn't want to work in the bridal industry, and Robert Herjavec backed out because he doesn't think the business will grow without being in retail locations where brides buy their dresses. With two sharks out, Marissa, the woman modeling the Bridal Buddy, then chimed in with an inspirational speech in support of Stenlake.

"I would like to say something on Heather's behalf. Heather is an incredible human being. When she approached me about this, I was already working two jobs and the idea of trucking around at bridal shows on Sundays for eight hours in a cold auditorium was not all that appealing," the model said. "But you know what, I got up here and I showed my underpants to the international community because I believe in Heather. And sometimes when you love somebody, it means you show everybody your underpants," Marissa added. "She is brilliant and I am telling you right now, the way that brides respond to this product, I think some of ya'll are making a mistake. They freak out."

Moved by Marissa's speech, Lori Greiner and Kevin O'Leary got in on a joint deal, offering $75,000 on the condition that they would each own 25 percent of the business. Marissa, with her impressive sales skills, would also be brought in as a 25 percent owner. The other sharks protested the deal, arguing Stenlake would only be left with 25 percent of her company. Cuban, speaking to Stenlake, encourages the mom to avoid taking the deal. "I forbid you," Cuban says.

That's when Barbara Corcoran steps in. She relates to Stenlake's grit. "When you told me it took you 10 plus years to get going, I was out right away. I am thinking, how did it take ten years? But you know what I have learned? I have learned, as long as you get back up who the heck cares when it is but you stand and you get counted for yourself," said Corcoran. "And I was also reflecting back on my boyfriend who ran off and married my secretary and gave me the gift of my life when he said, 'You will never succeed without me.' So I get you. You are never going down again," Corcoran added.
Hotel giant Hilton wanted to develop an all-new luxury hotel chain called Denizen to satisfy a growing market for high-end accommodations. Its competitor Starwood thought Denizen seemed very similar to its successful W chain. Too similar. And in 2009 Starwood Hotels & Resorts filed a corporate espionage lawsuit against Hilton, claiming two former executives who left to work at Hilton stole, and recruited others to steal, more than 100,000 documents full of sensitive information.

The documents, Starwood said, included trade secrets like a step-by-step guide to creating a new luxury brand from the ground up. Starwood said the name Denizen itself came from a concept Starwood developed for the W chain called the "zen den." In the end, Hilton settled with Starwood for $75 million and had to drop the Denizen brand. Hilton did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement, saying in a statement, "Hilton Worldwide regrets the circumstances surrounding the dispute with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and is pleased to bring an end to this prolonged litigation."

According to the FBI, tens of billions of dollars are lost every year to corporate espionage. This may not just be a matter of how much money is lost, says Alan Brill, senior managing director of cybersecurity and investigations at Kroll. "It can be whether the business is able to continue or fail, whether all the customers are stolen away."

In many corporate espionage cases, employees who are leaving one company to join another steal information on their way out, as Starwood claims happened in its case. More recently, Waymo, the self-driving car unit of Alphabet , Google's parent company, is also alleging that an outgoing employee stole company secrets in an ongoing civil lawsuit against Uber. Waymo claims a former engineer stole 14,000 company documents before going on to start Otto, a self-driving truck company later acquired by Uber. Uber has denied wrongdoing and has called the lawsuit "a baseless attempt to slow down a competitor."

Corporate espionage schemes can also occur when people already working for someone else infiltrate a company, or employees who've already left a company leave behind co-conspirators who send them data. Brill remembers one case where a construction organization couldn't figure out why a competitor was just barely underbidding them  until they realized insiders were providing a former employee with their bids.

The type of information stolen can vary. "Each company has its own crown jewels of data," Brill said, "whether that's a business process, a chemical process, a trade secret, costing figures from the cost accounting department, bids, profitability, or future plans."

Motives and methods

Many employees or former employees steal data purely for financial gain, but another common motive is revenge. "You're mad at the company, they fired you, you want to get back at them. And one way to do that is by taking information," said Brill.

Back in 1997, for example, an engineer at a company working for Gillette faxed and emailed drawings of Gillette's new razor to rival companies. The engineer said he stole the designs because he was angry with his boss.

The reasons people steal data haven't changed over the years  but technology has had a huge impact on the methods. "Thirty years ago I might have been dealing with people at a small casino who had a falling out and one of them is leaving to go to a competitive organization and they steal the high-rollers list," said Brill. "And they did that by probably taking last week's printout, and instead of shredding it, they put it in their bag."

These days, information goes out on USB memory sticks or is pulled off of laptop computers. Information is also commonly transmitted through File Transfer Protocol, or FTP, where files are transferred from one computer to another across the internet or a local network. Employees also use data-sharing services like Dropbox and video conferencing software like Skype to send confidential information.

Espionage happens in companies of all sizes, and can actually be easier to commit in small- to medium-sized businesses. "You would likely have more access to information than if you were in a large organization with a lot of people, sophisticated business practices and sophisticated information security," Brill said.

Signs someone is stealing data from your business

If your company has the technology to look at the network  it can be suspicious if an employee is sending emails to their home email address or another strange address, or if you see them using FTP or a USB stick.

Unfortunately, Brill says, companies often don't realize there's a problem until it's too late. "Customers start telling you they're getting a call from a competitor you've never heard of that is amazingly underselling whatever you're doing, or giving better terms than you have given confidentially to your customers," he said.

What companies can do to protect themselves

While we normally trust the people we work with, Brill recommends companies move more toward a "trust, but verify" approach. "I really do believe that people are honest, but I also know that there's a small percentage of the population that isn't," he said. "So I need to use technology to monitor what's going on in my network and try to get an early warning."

In the past, Brill says companies tended to build walls around the system, much like a medieval castle. The idea was, "I'm going to defend the perimeter, and I'm not going to let the bad guys in."

The strategy has shifted to having a good defense  but also monitoring the information that's going in and out. Consult with IT and risk management professionals who can help your company put protections in place. Some important steps companies can take:

Install technology that monitors everything going into your email system to determine if it's a legitimate message or if it's phishing or malware.

Monitor for what's going out of your email system as well by installing leakage control systems. These can, for example, tell whether data is being sent to Dropbox or personal Google, Amazon or Microsoft cloud accounts. They can also monitor for documents or spreadsheets going out.

Use whitelisting, which lets you specify which applications are approved to run on a computer system. Anything not on the whitelist won't run, which protects the network from malware and other harmful applications.

Consult with labor employment counsel to make sure your agreements on who owns intellectual property and prohibiting misuse or removal of such property are up to date.

Pamela Passman, president and CEO of the Center for Responsible Enterprise and Trade (CREATe), says one of the biggest challenges for companies is that they actually do have the ability to collect and monitor data, but they don't take the time to look at and analyze the data. When an incident occurs, "they'll often go back and say, 'Yeah, wow, there was a lot of activity that night.'"

Closely monitoring employees may seem like "Big Brother" watching to some, but Passman says keeping track of what goes in and out of your company electronically isn't too much different from monitoring what goes on offline. "Somebody sitting at their desk late at night when it's unusual to do that, someone's carrying out big boxes, somebody's going to take a look at that," Passman said. "So it's not too different from the physical world."

If you discover that data has been stolen

If the data's already gone, do everything possible to preserve the evidence. If a former executive has a laptop that they stole information off of, for example, get the laptop back before the person can destroy the information. If you determine you want to take legal action, you'll need to provide your attorneys with the best possible evidence of what happened and who was involved.

Putting technology in place that makes your business more secure can give you peace of mind and be an important investment in your company's future growth and innovation. "Just because you decide you're going to ignore a risk, doesn't mean that the risk is going to go ignore you," Brill said. "You need to think in terms of  this could happen."
President Donald Trump wasn't in Washington, but the politics the nation's capital embodies wasn't far from his mind after a week of uproar engulfing his administration.

While addressing graduates at Liberty University on Saturday in his first commencement address as president, Trump repeatedly lashed out at Washington  urging graduates to challenge the establishment and stand firm in their convictions.

"We don't need a lecture from Washington on how to lead our lives," Trump told the packed stadium of thousands at the nation's largest Christian college, saying that he's seen "how the system is broken" in D.C. and populated by individuals "who think they know everything."

"But you aren't going to let other people tell you what you believe, especially when you know that you're right," Trump said.

"In America, we don't worship government," he added. "We worship God."

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Back in D.C., the political storm from Trump's unexpected firing of FBI Director James Comey still raged on after Trump's own account of the firing clashed with the explanation given by his own aides and White House officials. A series of Friday morning tweets about possible "tapes" of Trump's conversations with Comey only added to the mounting pile of questions  from reporters and lawmakers, alike.

Trump during his address took a vague shot at detractors but strayed from his usual style of tackling the news of the day head on, only saying there's "nothing easier or more pathetic than being a critic."

Instead of personal defenses, Trump came to Liberty's campus armed with a message of thanks for those evangelicals whose votes helped him prove the naysayers wrong in November  "Boy did you come out and vote," he said  and imparted on the graduates some tips for the future that could have come from Trump's own political playbook.

"Being an outsider is fine. Embrace the label," the New York real estate mogul-turned-politician told graduates. "Because it's the outsiders who change the world and make a lasting difference."

He asked graduates to ask themselves going forward whether they defied expectations, challenged the accepted wisdom and took on established systems.

"I think I did," he joked.

And he also urged graduates to "never, ever give up" and to follow their passions  and reminded them of the things he's done for religious liberty since assuming office almost four months ago.

"As long as I'm your president," Trump promised to loud applause, "no one is ever going to stop you from practicing your faith or preaching what's in your heart."

His words come more than a week after signing a religious liberty executive order that allows religious groups increased freedom of political speech.

"I said I was gonna do it, and Jerry, I did," Trump said, referencing longtime supporter and Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr.

He also attributed his presidency to God and likened graduation to his being elected  adding that both scenarios "would really require major help from God. Do we agree?" he said to laughter. "And we got it."
"This is a project with significant importance, as it provides telecommunication services to many Pakistani people, including ones that live in rural and remote areas," Zhang said. "This is a key strategic project by the two governments, and ZTE serves as the bond between the two nations."

The Shenzhen-based tech and telecom company will sign the agreement on Sunday at China's Belt and Road Forum, a two-day meeting on the country's major foreign policy initiative.

BEIJING  China's ZTE is expanding its partnership in Pakistan to extend digital television services into more regions of the country, including in remote mountainous areas, Zhang Zhenhui, executive vice president at the company, told CNBC.

A logo sits illuminated outside the ZTE pavilion on the opening day of the World Mobile Congress at the Fira Gran Via Complex on February 22, 2016 in Barcelona, Spain.

China's ambitious "One Belt, One Road" policy is a plan that aims to connect Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa with a vast logistics and transport network. It's set to use roads, ports, railway tracks, pipelines, airports, electric grids and even fiber optic lines. If successful, it would allow China to increase its global influence and find a way to find further growth as the domestic economy slows.

For companies like ZTE, this means a major opportunity to continue expanding abroad, especially with the backing of the Chinese government.

"We believe the policy will greatly support the company's next phase of international expansion," Zhang said.

ZTE already operates in more than 160 countries, and nearly half of the firm's revenues come from its international business. Pakistan has long been an important market for ZTE  the company has worked with local partners to build and upgrade the country's telecoms' 2G, 3G and 4G networks, and opened a research and development center back in 2006.

Pakistan is also an important part of China's "One Belt, One Road" strategy: The world's second-largest economy has already launched a collection of infrastructure projects there worth $46 billion, named the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Zhang said ZTE is optimistic about its 2017 business prospects after posting a strong first quarter with a nearly 28 percent jump in net profit, and that the company will continue to invest heavily in developing 5G networks, with the aim to roll out by 2020.

"5G will be ZTE's champion product  we will be the leader," Zhang said.

The strong start to the year is a sign the company is rebounding after pleading guilty and paying in March around $1 billion in fines to the U.S. government to settle allegations that it violated U.S. laws on selling American technology to Iran. The penalty payment dented earnings  the company posted a 2.36 billion yuan net loss for 2016.

Although the U.S. hasn't officially signed on to China's initiative, a delegation is participating in the Beijing meeting. And U.S.-China trade relations continue to hang in the balance, though officials and business leaders on both sides have worked to maintain optimism about continuing a long relationship.

ZTE's Zhang echoed those sentiments: "I believe in many years from now, the China and U.S. economies will embrace even deeper ties and cooperation."

China's "One Belt, One Road" scheme involves 65 countries, which together account for one-third of global GDP and 60 percent of the world's population, according to Oxford Economics.
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CHESTERVILLE, Ontario  MP Tony Clement addressed Chesterville residents with a positive outlook on the future of the Conservative party.

Joined by interim leader of the Conservative Party, Rona Ambrose and MP Guy Lauzon, the Parry Sound-Muskoka MP told the crowd that while there are many years of experience within the caucus, over a third is brand new.

They add a different perspective, and theyre full of vigour, which is great, said Clement. Were very proud of our caucus, but it wouldnt happen to be good if we were disunited after the election.

Historically, the Liberals have faced challenges within the party, which Clement says theyve only recently recovered from. Clement says that events such as the civil war between Martin and Chretien have echoed with successive leaders, hobbling them for three election cycles.

That was the threat to us, said Clement. One of the most important factors for that not being the case is the leadership that Rona Ambrose gave us in our caucus which projected out to the party. It showed that the caucus was working hard, and would do anything for the team and for our values.

Clement says that despite widespread belief, Canadians are still attracted to what Conservatives are saying, as well as their candidates.

Is there more hard work ahead? Absolutely, said Clement. But I can tell you that were up for the challenge across this country.
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And you thought they hated us!

Everyone knows the only thing Americans love more than Old Glory and casual racism is fueling their ever-growing waistlines, so one of the most important aspects of an American party is the food: Sloppy Joes, hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, donuts, popcorn, French fries, soda, and anything else with at least a 500:1 calorie-to-nutrient ratio. But the single most important element of any American Party is, of course, the humble red Solo cup.

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And their version of beer pong is somehow more American than ours.

As any '90s teen comedy film can tell you, it is literally impossible to throw a party in the U.S.A. without red Solo cups. They're so crucial to the experience that Europeans have taken to begging their U.S.-bound friends and relatives to bring back as many packs of them as their luggage can handle.

That's presumably also how they smuggle in their party attire, because there's simply no other way to dress so authentically American:
Networking News

RapidScale Acquires Vonage's Hosted Infra Business For Expanded Desktop-As-A-Service Portfolio

Gina Narcisi

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Channel-friendly cloud service provider RapidScale will be taking over VoIP service provider Vonage's hosted infrastructure services business. Vonage announced the transaction earlier this week on its earnings conference call.

RapidScale will own Vonage's infrastructure as a service, hosted Exchange, virtual desktop, hosted Lync, hosted firewall, Microsoft Skype for Business, and its IT services units, according to RapidScale.

The Irvine, Calif.-based cloud service provider, which does business exclusively through channel partners, is acquiring Vonage's hosted infrastructure services as a way to grow its footprint on the East Coast, while giving Vonage business customers access to managed cloud services  RapidScale's specialty, Randy Jeter, CEO of RapidScale, told CRN on Friday.

[Related: CRN Cloud Services Roundtable: Leading The Cloud Education Charge For Partners ]

The partnership will also give RapidScale partners access to another desktop-as-a-service [DaaS] model  VMware's Horizon. RapidScale today offers Citrix DaaS in a fully-managed environment.

"Partners want what the customers want," Jeter said. "In order to be the true leader in DaaS, we have to acquire a company that gives us that skillset, or build it in-house, so we are acquiring it."

After being migrated to RapidScale's platform, more than 175 Vonage business customers will have access to RapidScale's self-service portal. Using the portal, customers can create new users and servers, and can spin up desktops instantly, according to the cloud provider. Users can also continuously manage their environments and easily handle password resets, monitoring, and view usage reports.

The hosted infrastructure services business wasn't material for Vonage, which has a $1.45 billion market capitalization. "This portion of our business is small and sub-scale, generating $6.3 million of revenue in 2016," a Vonage spokesperson wrote to CRN in an email response to questions.

"Vonage wants to expand way beyond the consumer product set  they are doing more advanced applications and this divestiture allows them to be stronger in the UCaaS and CPaaS space, and they needed to have a partner could take care of their [desktop as a service] customers," Jeter said.

Holmdel, N.J.-based Vonage has spent the last two years buying more business customers and capabilities by way of acquiring smaller competitors. The provider bought Simple Signal in April 2015 and it continued that enterprise customer appetite by snapping up iCore in August 2015.

In June 2016, Vonage paid $230 million in cash and stock for Nexmo, a Twilio competitor that provided communications APIs so companies could integrate various forms of communications, like voice and chat, into their own applications.

The business that Vonage is offloading to RapidScale mainly came from Vonage's iCore acquisition, Jeter said.

A spokesperson for Vonage told CRN "after operating this business for the last year and a half, determined it is not core to our strategy of becoming the differentiated leader in business cloud communications."

Vonage's 10 hosted infrastructure business employees will become RapidScale employees after the acquisition closes, Jeter said.

The acquisition is slated to close on May 31, 2017, according to Rapidscale. Terms of the agreement are not being disclosed.
Fridays unprecedented ransomware attack may have stopped spreading to new machines -- at least briefly -- thanks to a "kill switch" that a security researcher has activated.

The ransomware, called Wana Decryptor or WannaCry, has been found infecting machines across the globe. It works by exploiting a Windows vulnerability that the U.S. National Security Agency may have used for spying.

The malware encrypts data on a PC and shows users a note demanding $300 in bitcoin to have their data decrypted. Images of the ransom note have been circulating on Twitter. Security experts have detected tens of thousands of attacks, apparently spreading over LANs and the internet like a computer worm.

However, the ransomware also contains a kill switch that may have backfired on its developers, according to security researchers.

Wana Decryptor infects systems through a malicious program that first tries to connect to an unregistered web domain. The kill switch appears to work like this: If the malicious program cant connect to the domain, itll proceed with the infection. If the connection succeeds, the program will stop the attack.

A security researcher who goes by the name MalwareTech found that he could activate the kill switch by registering the web domain and posting a page on it.

MalwareTech's original intention was to track the ransomware's spread through the domain it was contacting. It came to light that a side effect of us registering the domain stopped the spread of the infection, he said in an email.

Michael Kan The Wanna Decryptor ransomware's ransom note.

Security firm Malwarebytes and Ciscos Talos security group reported the same findings and said new ransomware infections appear to have slowed since the kill switch was activated.

However, Malwarebytes researcher Jerome Segura said its too early to tell whether the kill switch will stop the Wana Decryptor attack for good. He warned that other versions of the same ransomware strain may be out there that have fixed the kill-switch problem or are configured to contact another web domain.

Unfortunately, computers already infected with Wana Decryptor will remain infected, he said.

Some researchers originally believed that Fridays ransomware attack first spread through a massive email phishing campaign. That no longer appears to be the case.

The Wana Decryptor itself is no different from other typical ransomware strains. Once it infects the PC, itll encrypt all the files on the machine, and then demand the victim pay a ransom to free them.

But unlike other ransomware, Wana Decryptor has been built to spread quickly. It does so by incorporating a hacking tool that security researchers suspect came from the NSA and was leaked online last month.

The hacking tool, dubbed EternalBlue, can make it easy to hijack unpatched older Windows machines. Once Wana Decryptor has infected the first machine, itll attempt to spread to other machines on the same local network. Then it will scan the internet for vulnerable machines.

It creates a snowball-like effect, Segura said. A few machines will be infected, then itll try to contact more.

Security firm Avast said it had detected more than 75,000 attacks in 99 countries, with Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan among the hardest-hit countries. The U.K.s National Health Service was one of the biggest organizations hit by the ransomware.

The ransomware was designed to work in numerous languages, including English, Chinese and Spanish, with ransom notes in each.

Segura advised victims not to pay the ransom because it encourages the hackers. Instead, he says they should wait for next few days as security researchers study the ransomwares coding and try to come up with free ways to solve the infection.

On Friday, Microsoft said users will be protected from the ransomware if theyre running the companys free antivirus software or have installed the latest patches.
On Friday evening, Microsoft released patches for Windows XP, Server 2003, and Windows 8, after those systems were infected with Ransomware on Friday.

WannaCrypt, a variant of WannaCry ransomware, used previously leaked NSA tools to exploit vulnerabilities in the Windows platform.

The WannaCry attacks on Friday reached 125,000 systems worldwide, impacting the National Health Service in the UK, as well as shipping giant FedEx. The ransomware infection spread quickly Friday afternoon, as the attackers leveraged code stolen from the NSA (EternalBlue / DoublePulsar) to target Server Message Block (SMB) protocol in Windows.

Microsoft patched the vulnerability in March, but only for current platforms, or for those with special support contracts. For the most part, users on Windows XP, Windows 8, and Server 2003 were not provided a fix.

However, after Friday's attack, Microsoft changed their stance on EOL (end-of-life) patching and provided fixes for everyone.

"Today many of our customers around the world and the critical systems they depend on were victims of malicious WannaCrypt software. Seeing businesses and individuals affected by cyberattacks, such as the ones reported today, was painful. Microsoft worked throughout the day to ensure we understood the attack and were taking all possible actions to protect our customers," Microsoft explained.

"Given the potential impact to customers and their businesses, we made the decision to make the Security Update for platforms in custom support only, Windows XP, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2003, broadly available for download. This decision was made based on an assessment of this situation, with the principle of protecting our customer ecosystem overall, firmly in mind."

Redmond released patches for Windows Server 2003 (SP2 x64 / x86); Windows XP (SP2 x64, SP3 x86); Windows XP Embedded (SP3, x86); as well as the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 8.

For details on MS17-010, the patch that addresses the SMB vulnerability, the advisory can be found here.
Like poker players at a high-stakes casino, legislative leaders and the governor will show their cards next week on two-year budget revisions that will be the basis for a final compromise budget.

But Republicans, Democrats and the Democratic governor might all be holding losing hands in a budget year that faces historic drop-offs in tax revenue and a projected $5 billion deficit in a $40 billion biennium set to start on July 1.

The three sides were finishing their latest proposals on Friday and have scheduled a Wednesday closed-door meeting that could lead to a massive, three-way deal to get out of the mess. Malloy has started warning unionized state employees that layoffs are on the way, even as negotiations continue over givebacks that he and lawmakers want to reach $700 million.

On Friday, Fitch Ratings, citing fiscal challenges, downgraded the states bond rating from AA-minus to A-plus, a sign of urgency as tax revenues for the current fiscal year have fallen off by nearly $400 million.

This is more devastating, but not unexpected news for our state, said Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven. Lawmakers need to recognize that their policies have consequences and have created an environment that is now in desperate need of significant change.

Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, said he expects a bipartisan compromise eventually, if not before the June 7 legislative adjournment date.

There will be, in the end, a very moderate solution that wont rely heavily on revenues, Looney said in his office Thursday. He warned that fixed costs are a growing part of the budget and that without additional revenue, the state might have to cut discretionary spending by 25 percent in the first year of the biennium.

Options include cuts or taxes

The estimated deficit is $2.3 billion in the next fiscal year and $2.7 billion in the year that starts July 1, 2018.

Without any spending cuts, the 6.35 percent sales tax would have to be jacked up to 8 percent, and the highest income tax bracket would soar from about 7 percent to 10 percent. Looney said Democrats dont plan to offer that idea.

Last week, Malloy offered a plan to erase the $390 million deficit in the current fiscal year, which ends on June 30, by tapping $235 million in budget reserves and cut more than $33 million in direct spending. He would also stop $19 million in planned municipal aid from the tribal casinos fund, leaving Bridgeport $2 million short.

Theres a lot of troubling portions to it, House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, said of the proposal, which needs at least partial legislative approval. Speaking during a news conference with Democratic majority leaders of the House on Thursday, Klarides singled out Malloys $2 million cut to hospitals as particularly onerous.

How many times are we going back to the hospitals? she asked. This is almost criminal at a certain point, because these people are struggling every day to take care of each and every one of us. Yet they keep getting cut. Theyve never gotten their taxes returned and they keep getting cut.

Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, agreed there were items that Malloy was targeting that troubled his caucus as well.

Trading harsh words

By Friday, after a testy State Bond Commission meeting in which Sen. L. Scott Frantz, R-Greenwich, co-chairman of the Finance Committee, warned of the states fiscal problems and declined to vote to increase its bonded indebtedness, Malloy took aim at the House members.

You gotta love them, Malloy told reporters. We have a deficit. Im required to put out a plan. We spread that pretty lightly and a portion goes to communities that by and large have rainy day funds that are well in excess of any rainy day fund as a percentage of budget that we have. Those comments yesterday were damaging to states reputation because its a very clear statement by leaders of the state of Connecticut that they dont support taking appropriate steps to bring our spending in alignment with the monies that we have.

Malloy said Klarides criminal comment on the hospital cuts was hyperbolic, since state hospitals are a $10 billion industry. But our need to cut our spending is somehow not criminal, Malloy said sarcastically.

Frantz, whose colloquy with Malloy delayed the start of the State Bond Commission meeting by 20 minutes, said later that theres not much he can say with only one other Republican on the 10-member panel, whose monthly agenda is set by Malloy.

Its a rubber-stamp committee, Frantz said. Theyre going to do what they want to do. Every vote has essentially been a no going back the three and a half years I have been on it. We are borrowing dangerously high amounts of money from the public and were risking future downgrades, which will be catastrophic for us depending on how many notches the rating agencies knock us down.

Hours later, the new Fitch ranking was announced.

kdixon@ctpost.com; Twitter: @KenDixonCT
Opening dates, hours and new policies set for 2022 ski season

A price increase on all day and season passes at Seven Springs, Hidden Valley and Laurel Mountain ski areas goes into effect on Nov. 20.
Once, on a holiday flight, Im ashamed to say I wrapped Jilly Coopers novel Wicked! inside the dust cover of Roy Jenkinss biography of Churchill. I didnt want fellow passengers to know what I was really reading.

On my bookshelves at home, dog-eared but treasured copies of her bonkbusters are hidden behind rows of other more highbrow books so that no one can see them.

I am a Jilly fan. I cant get enough of her saucy roll-in-the-hay storylines full of handsome cads and horse sweat and love, lust and revenge.

Amanda Platell admits to wrapping Jilly Coopers novel Wicked! inside the dust cover of Roy Jenkinss biography of Churchill. Pictured: the author on the This Morning show in September 2016

Yet Ive always been ashamed to admit it. Until now, that is.

Because a Cambridge don has just claimed her writing is as good as Charles Dickens. Dr Ian Patterson, unable to face academic texts last year when his wife was dying, read Jillys bestseller Rivals after a friend recommended some good old-fashioned escapism.

It was exactly the sort of narrative, for me, at that moment, he said. Absorbing, distracting, elegant enough, silly enough and, in a strange way, affectionate.

He is not the only one. John Sutherland, emeritus professor of modern English literature at University College London, has confided: Wild horses wouldnt get me to say this in public, but I am rather partial to Jilly Cooper. Jillys sold 11 million novels. And its her success that infuriates literary snobs the world over.

Pretentious writers complain her characters are shallow. The po-faced PC brigade say its soft porn, theres too much about the upper classes, and women are treated as sex objects. But theyd love Jillys sales.

Its the same with Agatha Christie  outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare  whos undergoing a revival because she tells good stories which are perfect for TV.

The Guardians high priestess of political correctness Polly Toynbee, sneers at Christies books because they are suffused with a peculiar English snobbery. But people like her are the real snobs. When Christie got her CBE in 1956, she said: I feel its one up to the Low Brows.

So lets damn the literary elitists like Toynbee, let them plough through unreadable Booker Prize nominees  the grim lit that focuses on death, depression and drugs, or heartbreak, homelessness and havoc.

And lets wallow in Jillys uplifting bonkbusters  safe in the knowledge that academics are closet fans, too.

Philip Greens High Street fashion chain Topshop is selling see-through plastic jeans for 55 to gullible girls. They promise to be the ideal statement piece guaranteed to get people talking. That, or a flagrantly transparent rip-off.

Bassey? Shirley some mistake

At first, I thought Shirley Bassey was the new Strictly Come Dancing head judge, replacing Len Goodman. Then I realised it was someone called Shirley Ballas.

More interestingly, Ballass husband had a relationship with Strictlys husband-hoover Kristina Rihanoff who also tangoed with contestants Joe Calzaghe and Ben Cohen.

Kristina is not on the show at the moment because shes had Cohens baby  I guess it will be a very long maternity leave now Ballas has landed the top job.

David Beckhams third movie cameo, in best buddy Guy Ritchies King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword, has been panned. One critic said he showed about enough dramatic range to have played the stone in which the sword is stuck. Give Becks a break. Given his reputation with the ladies, the Dim One probably took the role thinking he was playing Hugh Hefner.

Attending the Badminton Horse Trials, 24-year-old Ria Hattam had donned a new yellow jacket and was stunned to find 16 other women wearing the same coat. Her surreptitious selfies as she posed alongside these strangers went viral. Was that because no one could fathom why anyone would pay for a jacket that makes a lovely slim girl look like Laa-Laa from the Teletubbies?

Tamara Ecclestone's 1,520 thigh-high, lace-up boots take 20 minutes to get into

Tamara puts her stylish foot in it

No surprise that Tamara Ecclestone has a 1million wardrobe, yet her choice of footwear is odd for a woman who on social media portrays herself as a little sex bomb.

Her 1,520 thigh-high, lace-up boots take 20 minutes to get into and  more importantly  out of. And then only with assistance. Theyre what we used to call a passion killer.

No surprise that Tamara Ecclestone has a 1million wardrobe, yet her choice of footwear is odd for a woman who on social media portrays herself as a little sex bomb

The family of the taxi driver Alan Henning, who was beheaded by Jihadi John, is dismayed by the seven-year jail sentence given by a Turkish court to British extremist Aine Davis, who was also a member of Jihadi Johns terror cell. But there is some consolation for Mr Hennings family. Turkish jails are among the worst in the world: overcrowded, with reports of beatings and torture  and thats just for common criminals. Seven years in a Turkish hellhole is some punishment, so lets make sure that bleeding-heart liberals over here dont get Davis extradited back to soft-touch Britain.

Bad enough that the new BBC series King Charles III has Charles being haunted by the ghost of Diana down the corridors. More upsetting for our future king, surely, is that his beloved Camilla is played by a frumpy, scheming Margot Leicester with all the allure of an elderly lollipop lady.

Careless whispers

George Michaels ex-lover Kenny Goss has given interviews describing the last years of the Wham! stars life.

The once-beautiful hearthrob became a fat, dope-smoking, junk-food-gorging idiot, constantly high on drugs and too timid to leave his home, says Goss. Except when he ventured out to have sex with strangers on Hampstead Heath. Goss says hes revealing the truth to promote the charitable Goss-Michael Foundation, which supports those in the grip of addiction. Maybe so.

But what a shocking, callous betrayal. How different from George, who, whatever his faults, was a model of discretion and loyalty, writing classic pop songs and giving a fortune to good causes without telling a soul.
As far as public health campaigns go, the adverts in the Eighties about the threat of Aids were about as hard hitting as they come.

The actor John Hurt warned chillingly: 'If we're not careful, the people who've died so far, will be just the tip of the iceberg... If you ignore Aids, it could be the death of you.'

I was a child at the time and I was petrified, with rumours swirling around that this killer disease could be caught from loo seats or sharing a glass. It's difficult now for the younger generation to appreciate quite how scary and unknown everything was.

As far as public health campaigns go, the adverts in the Eighties about the threat of Aids were about as hard hitting as they come

How things have changed. This week a study published in the Lancet showed people with HIV can now expect to live as long as someone without it, thanks to incredible advances in how it is treated and managed. This shift has been so dramatic that HIV/Aids wards and specialist units have actually closed because there aren't the patients.

This would have seemed an impossible dream to people who in the Eighties and Nineties watched as friends and loved ones faded and died while doctors stood by utterly helpless.

But the medical advances in the treatment of HIV/Aids do bring up a bigger question about what can be achieved when money is pumped into research.

The huge amounts of research funds poured into this area led to medications  known as highly active antiretroviral therapy, or HAART  which prevent the opportunistic infections that prey on people whose immune system has been weakened by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) resulting in the development of Aids (the full-blown disease) and led to death. Vast amounts of cash have been raised for HIV/Aids over the years and this helped propel the incredible advances we have seen.

Fundraising events are a Who's Who of the great and the good. While the condition itself might still be stigmatised, being involved in raising money for it is incredibly fashionable  I recently attended a charity event for HIV and it was wall-to-wall A-list celebrities.

The same is true for breast cancer. There are few subjects that ignite the public interest more than breasts and this, combined with the fact breast cancer tends to affect young, otherwise healthy women, ensures it gets far more publicity than, say, bowel cancer.

Atripla, the first one-pill, once-a-day product to treat HIV/AIDS

But why does it take celebrities to pique our interest in a disease? Why do we need them to tell us to care about an illness? And why do they get to decide what condition should be in the spotlight?

Other conditions  just as devastating as HIV/Aids that affect far more people  receive little to no attention. The problem is that research and policy becomes driven not by clinical need but by what is modish and fashionable.

Heart failure, for example, has a worse prognosis at the point of diagnosis than many cancers. Fifty per cent of older people admitted to hospital with heart failure die from it within one year. Yet when did you hear about a fundraiser for that? Which celebrities put their names to heart failure? It's ignored.

Lung cancer is another example. It kills more women than breast cancer, and more men than bowel and prostate cancer combined. The five-year survival rate is about 6 per cent. That is abysmal. There has been a major breakthrough in treatment with new drugs that effectively block the receptor molecules sometimes responsible for fuelling the cancer.

Yet for these drugs to be given, the tumour needs to undergo molecular testing and this happens in less than 30 per cent of cases in the NHS.

In France, it's 70 per cent and rising. Imagine if this were the case for breast cancer? There'd be an outcry, but why isn't there an outcry about lung cancer? It's because it's not fashionable.

I don't want to pitch one disease against another, but I wonder what impact the same energy and funding we've seen in HIV/Aids and breast cancer would have on other devastating conditions that affect many more people.

We should be directing money for research to where it's needed, not where the latest celebrity is telling us to look.

WRITE YOUR LIFE STORY TO HEAL HEARTBREAK A divorce can be incredibly upsetting and traumatising, but an interesting piece of research this week offered a way of coping with the psychological fallout. While it's often said it's good to talk, this research found that people who wrote down the story of their relationship dealt with divorce significantly better than those who simply expressed how they were feeling or recorded what they did each day in a diary. This fascinated me. Stories are incredibly powerful, and indeed almost as soon as humans were able to communicate, we started telling one another stories  every single culture ever studied has told stories. Stories also allow us to subconsciously alter key details so we can make the story more palatable to ourselves. Stories also help us learn, so we don't make the same mistakes again. Great stories it is often said, contain 'universal truths'  key, fundamental aspects about what it is to be human that everyone can relate to. By hearing someone else's story we grapple big questions about our own lives. Novels, films, plays, songs, in fact most art forms, are essentially ways of telling a story. It also strikes me that much of psychotherapy is actually just an extended story-telling exercise: there's nothing magic about sitting in front of someone week after week relaying your experiences  it's simply helping you tell the story of your life and use this past to understand your thoughts and behaviours now. Stories shouldn't be dismissed as just for children or entertainment, they're an essential part of what makes us human. Advertisement

Obesity ambulances are NOT the answer

Soaring rates of obesity have meant the NHS has had to invest in super-size ambulances for overweight patients, it was reported this week.

Hospitals have also had to bring in reinforced beds and stretchers while the category bariatric person has been added to the Fire Brigades Incident Reporting System for call-outs to help obese patients stuck in their homes.

Soaring rates of obesity have meant the NHS has had to invest in super-size ambulances for overweight patients, it was reported this week

In an incident in South Wales, two walls of a house had to be demolished so an obese teenager could be taken to hospital: more than 40 emergency services workers were involved at an estimated cost of 100,000. This is the inevitable result of years of our failing to tackle the real reason so many are obese  psychological issues with food.

Yet the NHS offers pitiful little to help these patients, and just waits until crisis point. But if were going to tackle the obesity crisis, we need psychological services to help overweight patients, not bariatric surgery and reinforced ambulances.
A British GP is to be prosecuted by an outraged mother for assault after circumcising her baby boy without her consent.

It is the first time legal aid has supported such an action and, if successful, campaigners claim the case could open the floodgates for a new wave of male genital mutilation complaints from men who say they were subjected to the procedure as children, before they could decide for themselves.

The operation took place when the baby, whose parents are separated, was taken to visit his fathers family.

The doctor involved, Balvinder Mehat (pictured), is alleged to have carried out the procedure before the baby was returned to his 26-year-old mother later the same day

The doctor involved, Balvinder Mehat of Bakersfield Medical Centre in Nottingham, is alleged to have carried out the procedure before the baby was returned to his 26-year-old mother later the same day.

When my baby was brought back to me he was obviously in pain, said the mother, who is taking out a private prosecution against Dr Mehat.

He was screaming and crying, but trying to comfort him just disturbed the wound and made it worse. I could not believe what they had done to him.

He has been mutilated and suffered permanent damage.

The mother, who lives in Nottingham, complained to the police and the doctors disciplinary body, the General Medical Council (GMC), after the operation in July 2013.

A spokesman for Nottinghamshire police said they had concluded there was insufficient evidence for a successful prosecution, while the GMC said that it could not comment on its investigation.

In recent years, doctors groups in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Holland, Iceland and Australia have spoken out against circumcision, while last December the Danish Medical Association declared that it should not be carried out on boys under 18 who could not give informed consent.

Pictured, Bakersfield Medical Centre in Nottingham. The assault claim is being pursued by human rights lawyer Saimo Chahal QC

The assault claim is being pursued by human rights lawyer Saimo Chahal QC. She represented Briton Michael Sandford, recently released from jail after trying to grab a policemans gun to shoot Donald Trump at a Las Vegas rally in June.

Ms Chahal said: This mother clearly did not consent to her son undergoing the circumcision procedure, which could constitute a criminal offence.

While some people with religious beliefs see circumcision as normal, there are others who see it as an unnecessary assault which can be physically and psychologically harmful.

Tim Alford of the pressure group Men Do Complain, which is supporting the womans case, says there is a growing backlash against the male genital mutilation involved in circumcision.

John Warren, 74, a retired physician from Harlow, Essex, who has been campaigning against child circumcision for 20 years, said: A lot of men say they feel mutilated.

David Smith of pressure group Genital Autonomy, which also represents angry circumcised men, added: Were hoping the case will open the floodgates for other complaints and a clarification that circumcision of non-consenting children is a human rights abuse.

The British Medical Association says that it is revising its ethical guidelines on circumcision, which currently say: It is for society to decide what limits should be imposed on parental choice. The new document is expected to be published sometime in the next year.

Dr Balvinder Mehat declined to comment.
Battles with BBC bosses. The sacking that caused a viewer revolt. And a rather twitchy response to a glamorous new arrival. As Springwatch returns, its stars tell Event why life in the country is no walk in the park

Will the fox catch the woodcock? Who will win the battle of the rutting deer? And why has that badger gone back to sleep? These are the dramas of Springwatch, the surprisingly gripping British wildlife show that has become a massive hit with viewers.

Springwatch taps into something quintessentially British, says Chris Packham, 56, the quirky and mouthy main host of the daily live show that is about to return to our screens. Were an island race that cares about our own back yard. People want to look after it. Thats why they mow their lawn, because its their bit of Britain. And part of that is the bird that hops over the lawn and feeds its babies nesting in the hedge.

Scroll down for video

A new addition to the Springwatch team: Gillian Burke (dress, Azagury; bracelet, KVK73)

Chris Packham is a campaigner with controversial opinions (suit and shirt, Marks And Spencer; pocket square, House of Fraser)

Michaela wears dress by Adrianna Papell and bracelet by KVK73

While were waiting for the creatures to show up, viewers love to see Packham and his fellow presenters Michaela Strachan and Martin Hughes-Games joking around, discussing the latest science or playing fascinating pre-recorded films from around the country, showing spectacles such as puffins breeding on a precarious cliff edge or an eagle swooping on its prey.

They are obviously close mates, but now the trio face a challenge worthy of a tense Springwatch commentary themselves. Theres an intruder on their territory. A stranger on their patch. Can the pack survive?

The new arrival is Gillian Burke, a super-brainy biologist turned broadcaster who is joining the main team for this series  as viewers found out after an angry Martin Hughes-Games announced in the autumn that he had been sacked for being white and middle class, as the BBC sought a more diverse line-up.

I was brought in and told my time was up, he says now. I had just had a baby, Sam, so the timing was pretty grim. I was upset. I tweeted. Im not sure whether I should have done.

The outcry that followed took him by surprise and actually led to him being reinstated, as Hughes-Games now reveals for the first time. There was a tremendous response from viewers, which I wasnt expecting. Some people high up in the BBC were quite surprised by this. Chris and Michaela also sent emails around, they were very supportive. It was then decided that it would be a good idea to keep me in the mix.

Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan filming in 2015

For this Springwatch, Hughes-Games, 60, will present reports from around Britain while Burke is in the main outdoor studio with his friends. I dont feel sidelined because what Im doing is fun, but Im sad not to be with Michaela and Chris. he says. If Im brutally honest I am concerned that the relationship we have is part of the attraction of the programmes. My concern is that it wont quite have that chemistry.

With a team of 150 working behind the scenes, Springwatch will again train live cameras on nests, dens, burrows and fields for three weeks at the end of May, hoping to see everyday marvels such as chicks hatching or fox cubs learning to hunt. The team has a new base at the Sherborne Park Estate in Gloucestershire, with a water meadow rich in fish life, otters and dragonflies to look at, a disused World War II airbase where skylarks play and acres of parkland and forest teeming with animals, rare birds, lizards and bats.

We are able to show things that not even the most resourceful naturalist could see on their own, says Packham, who remains the leader of the pack, the eccentric ex-punk with a brilliant recall of facts and figures and a taste for smuggling lyrics by The Smiths, The Cure or David Bowie into the live, mostly unscripted broadcasts.

Packham is also a campaigner with controversial opinions  saying, for example, that giant pandas are doomed and should be allowed to die off so that the money that goes on breeding programmes for them can be spent on more viable creatures that might actually be saved. Pandas are an example of the survival of the cutest, he says with disdain. He has campaigned against the badger cull, fox-hunting and excessive grouse shooting, saying that anyone who kills animals for fun is psychopathic. The Countryside Alliance has called for him to be sacked from the BBC for using his fame there to promote blatant propaganda  but Packham says he plays strictly by the BBC rules, and is a freelancer anyway.

A young Packham with a barn owl in 1989

Strachan with TV-am co-presenters Timmy Mallett and Carol Doolen in 1988

His views are certainly challenging at times  he says economic growth is a recipe for global disaster and humans should stop chasing cures for cancer and put the money into saving the planet instead. But Packham is not just mouthing off, he is also prepared to take risks for what he believes in. He clashed with hunters in Malta recently as he tried to film the slaughter of spring birds about to migrate, and was charged with assault. We are joined up with the viewers on Springwatch because of our mutual concern for our own back yard and thats what gets people on my side when I go to Malta, because I say to them, Those baby birds wont be in your hedge here if those clowns there continue to break the law.

The judge in Malta threw out the case when it emerged that Packhams crew had footage of the presenter being assaulted, not the other way a round. He was furious, absolutely furious, says Packham.

The presenter, who has Aspergers Syndrome, says he feels detached from other humans but intensely connected to animals. They are always more dependable. Ive been bitten, scratched, torn apart, all sorts of things, but Ive never been let down, abused or cheated on by any of the animals that Ive looked after, that Ive shared my life with. Theyre very, very important to me.

His extraordinary autobiography, Fingers In The Sparkle Jar, recalls his devastation at the age of 14 when a kestrel he had reared by hand passed away. Grief left him mute for ten days. Counselling would have helped but it was the Seventies, he has said of that time, so we just carried on.

The same feelings of devastation surged over him again in 2003 when a beloved dog was killed in a road accident. His partner also left him and Packham was so bereft that he considered suicide, twice. The first time he was saved because he didnt think he had enough pills for the job. The second time it was the thought of two miniature black poodles called Itchy and Scratchy that he had been given.

Itchy died last year, knocking him sideways again for a while, but Scratchy remains. They share a cottage in the New Forest, with few human callers. Someone said to me the other day, Is the dog really your best friend? What an absurd question. Of course he is. I dont have the time or the nature to have what people would call human friendships. I dont pop round to see people, whats the point? But when I get home, I really look forward to seeing Scratchy. My dog gives me an immense reward for the attention. I hope we both prosper from that.

Despite this, he does have a partner, Charlotte, who runs a zoo across the water on the Isle of Wight. She has three tigers still living at her rescue centre. She has an intense relationship with those animals. She loves them. And I think that affords her the opportunity to understand the intensity of the feelings I have towards the dogs. Im very fortunate to have found someone who understands.

The other person who really gets him  and counteracts his coolness on screen  is long-time colleague and co-host Strachan, the warm, enthusiastic and ever-so slightly wacky one on Springwatch with a knack for saying what the viewers are thinking. Im not an expert. I didnt do biology at school. I did dance and drama, then fell into Saturday-morning telly, then wildlife telly, says Strachan, 51, who starred as Her in the music show The Hitman And Her opposite Pete Waterman, before zipping around the world getting up close and personal with lions, tigers and other spectacular animals in The Really Wild Show with a young, peroxide-blond Packham as her co-host.

They started working together again on Springwatch four years ago, which is when the ratings began to soar. People who have grown up with us like seeing us together on screen. Our core audience now is at an age where they want to escape. Oh my goodness do we feel the burdens of the world. Theres so much c*** going on at the moment that to sit down and watch a programme about British wildlife with people who get on and have a laugh on telly is comfortable and cosy and nice.

This is escapism. We tackle difficult subjects but a lot of it is looking at the joys of wildlife and how beautiful it is. Except when they all start killing each other...

Like the baby rabbits pecked to death on screen by jackdaws and crows, or the baby owl torn apart by its own mother and fed to its siblings, prompting one viewer to ask on Twitter: Is this Springwatch or Game Of Thrones?

If we see a predator just miss its target or the bird fly away in the nick of time, we can sense the public euphoria, says Packham

Oo-er! Who knew nature could be so saucy? Springwatch has a growing reputation for saucy double-entendres, not least because of the names of the birds and animals they are looking at. Sometimes it just comes out your mouth and you think, Oh my God, what have I said? says Michaela Strachan, whose co-host Chris Packham picks her up on the innuendo mercilessly. A moment that caused a stir on social media... Last year we had a film of a badger scratching himself and I had a badger T-shirt on (above) and I said, Oh look, I can scratch my badger. They went nuts over that on social media. Its not even rude! Do they play up to it like the presenters on The Great British Bake Off with their soggy bottoms? Not at all. We had one last year when I said, Weve had lots of live beaver action tonight and many of you have enjoyed it in the internet. Social media went mad again. I didnt even realise I had said anything that could be construed as an innuendo. But you know, when youve got great tits, shags, thrushes, beavers its just open, isnt it? Advertisement

Strachan has the charm to help more squeamish viewers through such gory traumas but dont be fooled, she knows what shes talking about. I wasnt looking at birds through binoculars from the age of four like Chris, so I dont have his in-depth knowledge, but I have picked up a lot in 28 years of wildlife broadcasting and I have a huge amount of enthusiasm and passion for the subject.

Hughes-Games is the posh, slightly puppyish one with the ability to involve the viewer even when hes out doing something dull like digging worms from a mud bank. And as the months have passed hes become more philosophical about his sacking and reinstatement. The BBC is flat out for diversity. We have to be careful we dont get so obsessed with it that theres a backlash. But I do support it. I really do. Some heads have to roll. It might be my head, thats fine. We have to reflect society as a whole. More than that, weve got to get everyone interested in wildlife so that it is protected. By having a more diverse presenter mix we can reach out to a wider audience and that is important. But people have got to be there on merit. Its no good having people just because theyre the right colour.

Luckily, he thinks Burke fits the bill. Gillians a biologist, a really good entomologist [the study of insects]. Shes gorgeous as well. That doesnt hurt. Shes a passionate presenter who knows what shes talking about. But I think it will be hard for her, I dont think shes done a great deal of live telly. Well have to help her as much as we can.

Burke, 42, admits she is nervous but says she is ready: I have been doing this a long time. She initially wanted to join the Kenya Wildlife Service, having grown up very close indeed to spectacular nature. It was the bugs and beetles that fascinated her most, though. She came to Britain to study zoology at Bristol University and ended up working in a very specialised area of pest control. This is all slightly surreal. Ive come a long way from my maggot farming days, when I was doing research on sheep blowfly strike.

THE BEST PLACE IN BRITAIN FOR... ...birdwatching Chris Packham: My kitchen, because I can look out the window and see the birds that I feed. Ive got a female great spotted woodpecker at the moment. Martin Hughes-Games: Your own garden. Michaela Strachan: In your garden. Its accessible, its easy, you get to know your birds. Gillian Burke: I like going out on the coastal path, but I dont want to give away my little patch. Watching the sunrise CP: Dungeness, because that landscape is so bizarre. MH-G: Snowdonia. Im a climber, I love the dramatic skyline. MS: The starling murmuration at Studland Bay in Dorset. The sky was beautiful, the birds were amazing. GB: From my bedroom window. A family walk CP: Studland Beach: it was my dog Itchys favourite place. MH-G: Hope Cove in Devon . MS: I love Snowdonia. I was amazed how many families were walking up there. GB: Zennor in Cornwall. Seeing animals in the wild CP: Your own garden. MH-G: Mull. It is bird of prey heaven. MS: An RSPB reserve. GB: The Highands of Scotland. Foraging CP: I eat blackberries but I dont fungal forage. Ive got a real problem with people going out and raiding all our mushrooms and toadstools. MH-G: Richmond Park. I used to go there and collect mushrooms and nuts. MS: Im not a forager. I have a vegetable garden but we have a major drought at the moment. GB: Helford Estuary in Cornwall. Advertisement

Burke joined the BBCs Natural History Unit in Bristol and worked her way up as a producer and director before crossing over to presenting after her two children were born. They are aged ten and 11 and live with her in Cornwall. She is single. Burke has reported from all over the world, voiced a documentary on China for Disney and has already appeared on Springwatch several times as a guest.

My children anchored me to one place for the first time in my life. I was very much settled and I had this growing natural connection with British wildlife. The idea of being able to engage people with whats on their doorstep was very appealing.

Isnt it all a bit boring compared to lions and elephants? She laughs and shakes her head. Luckily, I have always been interested in the little things.

This year Springwatch will be showing live feeds from fixed cameras across the 4,000-acre Sherborne estate, plus whatever those long-lens experts hiding out like snipers can find. The story-finders send clips through to the editors, who decide whether to put them in the show  and so the running order is changing all the time, even while the programme is on air.

Packham studies the latest science but says he tries not to blind viewers with it. Ultimately, I imagine Im just going to pop into the pub for an hour and have a chat around the table with a bunch of people who I dont know, but who I know are interested in wildlife.

Not that youre likely to find him in a real pub often. Packham doesnt drink and spends most of his time alone with his dog, his partner Charlotte or his step-daughter by a previous relationship. Megan, 22, is currently studying zoology. As a campaigner concerned about the effects of the growing world population, does Packham plan any more children? If I were fathering a child now, Id have to ask, whats the world going to be like in 20 years time? If there are going to be limited resources then maybe you have one child rather than two, because by not having two, the one might eat. I dont know. How do people think about these things?

Strachan says she and Packham had some really wild nights while filming The Really Wild Show, but that doesnt happen any more. He doesnt drink and I like a glass of chardonnay and to be in bed by half past ten. They leave it to the younger ones on the crew.

Chris Packham on safari with stepdaughter Megan when she was younger

She now lives in Cape Town, South Africa, with her second husband Nick Chevallier, a cameraman and producer. I bought a holiday home over there, then I met my partner. Theres always a bloke involved!

They have a son, Olly, 11. People in Cape Town think its funny I do telly. They know me as Ollys mum. Whereas here, everyone has grown up with me on telly.

She does get recognised in the street when she comes back, although people sometimes get a bit muddled. I find it funny when they know you but they cant remember your name. Ulrika, is it? Anneka? I used to get Anneka [Rice] all the time. Theyre unusual names, were both blonde, we were both around in the Eighties. She was ten years older than me so I thought, Hang on a minute! But she looked good.

Strachan was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 and had a double mastectomy followed by reconstructive surgery but says she feels very well. Im great. Im three years down the line now. I look back on it and think, Did I have cancer? Im very lucky that it hasnt compromised my life, Ive moved on. I dont really think of it as something Ive had any more.

She has to be fit to deal with that intense burst of filming. I start reading my notes at 6.30am because I have to gen up. We have a meeting at nine to discuss running order, watch the edited films and write our cue cards. A technical rehearsal is followed by the dress run then the live show. I go back to the hotel and watch it all back. Im the only one who does. I try to make sure Ive got my light off by midnight. Then Im up again at 6.30.

Hughes-Games says he loses his cool towards the end of the run. You do nearly break by the end of week three. Both Michaela and I will have a wobble at some point. It does start to get to you. I sometimes say, I just cant do this. People very kindly ask why we cant be on air all year round  its because we would die!

Strachan is a cooler customer these days, having already faced her worst nightmare as a presenter. Winterwatch 2016 in the Cairngorms. After the dress rehearsal Chris started violently vomiting with a bug. I realised that meant I was leading it and Id only got 90 minutes to get it all in my head. I took a few deep breaths and thought. Whats the worst that can happen? Its only telly. Nobody is going to die, except maybe my career!

She took control of the show and it was fine. And thats the kind of experience that Burke will try to draw on as she takes on the challenge of being a full Springwatch presenter for the first time. Theres so much I can learn from the team and everyone has been very welcoming, says Burke, who will face millions of viewers without a script. When youre on, youre on. Youve just got to keep going.

And so must we, because theres a fox circling a woodcock on camera one  and the nation is about to be gripped...

Springwatch returns to BBC2 on May 29; Springwatch Unsprung airs from June 5
A commencement address by the number two Senate Republican and candidate for FBI Director was canceled Friday after opposition from students at the historically black university where he was scheduled to speak.

The cancellation of Sen. John Cornyn's planned Saturday address at Texas Southern University came just days after Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was booed and heckled as she delivered a commencement speech at a different historically black university, Bethune-Cookman University in Florida.

Students at Texas Southern University in Houston had circulated a petition demanding the Texas senator be withdrawn as a commencement speaker, citing various stances he has taken.

These included his confirmation votes in favor of Betsy DeVos and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, his opposition to funding for so-called sanctuary cities that protect immigrants, his opposition to same-sex marriage, and his support for photo IDs for voting. The petition also cited Cornyn's low rating by the NAACP.

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn was disinvited to speak at the historically black TSU in Houston

'Having a politician such as him speak at our institution is an insult to the students, to TSU, and to all (historically black colleges and universities),' said the petition on the change.org site, which was signed by over 800 students.

'Please recall that Coretta Scott King urged Congress to block the 1986 nomination of Jeff Sessions for federal judge, saying that allowing him to join the federal bench would ''irreparably damage the work of my husband,'' the petition said.

'This is our graduation. We have the right to decide if we want to refuse to sit and listen to the words of a politician who chooses to use his political power in ways that continually harm marginalized and oppressed people.'

'We have the right to decide if we want to refuse to sit and listen to the words of a politician who chooses to use his political power in ways that continually harm marginalized and oppressed people' said a petition signed by over 800 TSU students

The university released a statement saying that, 'Every consideration is made to ensure that our students' graduation day is a celebratory occasion and one they will remember positively for years to come.

Texas Southern University students protested Cornyn's commencement speech and it was cancelled

We asked Sen. Cornyn to instead visit with our students again at a future date in order to keep the focus on graduates and their families.

We, along with Sen. Cornyn, agree that the primary focus of commencement should be a celebration of academic achievement.'

Cornyn's spokesman said, 'Senator Cornyn was honored to be invited to address TSU's graduates, but he respects the administration's decision and looks forward to continuing to engage with the university in the future.'

The development comes amid a nationwide debate over free speech on college campuses, in the wake of two high-profile incidents at Berkeley where planned speeches by conservatives ended up getting canceled amid fears of violent student protests.

On Thursday, Cornyn was named one of 11 people on the short list to replace the fired James Comey as FBI Director.

He will reportedly meet with Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Saturday about the job.
Mario Antoine, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud

A man duped at least ten women into having sex with him on camera by telling them they were rehearsing for roles in pornographic movies.

Mario Antoine, 34, of Raymore, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one wire fraud count and will be sentenced to ten years in prison under the terms of the deal he agreed to Friday.

He also will be required to pay restitution to his victims. He faced spending up to 60 years in prison before the plea deal.

Prosecutors said Antoine created online aliases as a talent manager, photographer and videographer, and claimed to work for fictitious companies in the pornography industry.

Antoine lured women to his house under the guise of being an adult talent agent and then tricked them into having sex with them on camera as an 'audition' process and claiming they would get paid; he'd already been convicted of a wedding photography scheme

The companies had legitimate sounding names like Playboy Worldwide, Playboy Asia and Dash Agency.

He promised ten or more women between $550,000 to $1.5million after signing what they thought were legitimate contracts for jobs with his companies, according to Kansas City Star.

The women were first contacted on Facebook by Antoine posing as a woman named 'Nikki.' The 'woman' would then tell the victims that they could do 'adult modeling' for videos shown in private accounts in foreign countries and make tens of thousands of dollars.

He would then lure the women to his house and tell them having sex with them on camera was part of their 'audition.'

Antoine (above in footage filmed before his 2013 fraud convictions) blackmailed the women with the photographs and films when they asked to be paid for them

He also showed them forged checks to other 'models,' IRS documents and various other documentation to make the transaction seem legitimate, say prosecutors.

But when he never paid up and the women complained, Antoine forwarded images of the sexual activity to their employers or significant others.

He contacted the first victim in 2011 and produced several tapes with her over the course of a year, allegedly promising her $1,000 for each act.

She never received payment. In November 2015, Antoine allegedly told her she would either have to pay him $9,000 or sleep with him in exchange for him not distributing the footage they made together.

She is believed to have complied, going to his house for sex to prevent him from releasing their videos.

He then sent a second victim photographs of his first target, telling her she had made tens of thousands of dollars through a handful of roles. Antoine allegedly offered her $2,000 for a taped audition with him.

A third woman fell for the same trap, having sex with the conman on camera. When she asked for payment, he sent photographs of their tryst to her employer.

Antoine used to own a wedding photography business for which he was found guilty of stealing by deceit and unlawful merchandising practices and spent almost a year in prison.

He reportedly sold wedding packages to brides but then never showed up to take their photos.

Authorities say there may be other victims they don't know about.
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President Donald Trump and his wife Melania shared a rare kiss as they celebrated Mother's Day at the White House.

The president and his 47-year-old first lady showed some PDA as they honored military mothers to also kickstart National Military Appreciation month in the East Room on Friday afternoon.

Donning his signature black suit and red tie, the president delivered a brief speech in which he praised his wife for scoring high in polls - that say 52 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of the first lady - for being 'incredibly popular'.

'She has become so popular, it's true. It's true,' the president said.

'In fact, I'm going to have to ask her how are you doing this but our first lady, they had a poll that came out, she went through it like a rocketship.

'I said, 'How do you do this?' And that's only because people have really gotten to know her," he said.

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President Trump and first lady Melania welcomed military families in celebration of National Military Spouse Appreciation Day and Mother's Day in the East Room on Friday afternoon

Trump gave the first lady a rare kiss after he delivered a speech in which he praised her for being 'incredibly popular'

The president may have been referring to the CNN poll, which claimed 52% of Americans have a favorable opinion of the first lady

'I'm going to have to ask her how are you doing this but our first lady, they had a poll that came out, she went through it like a rocket ship,' Trump said in his speech

Before he praised his wife, the president opened the event , which has typically been hosted by the first and second ladies

Before he showered compliments on his wife, the president opened the event - which is typically hosted by the first and second ladies - by thanking servicemen and women for contributing to a 'great' America.

'Thank you to the military servicemen for your daily services their families, who are equally as important in this great great nation, and it's getting stronger everyday.

'It is your sacrifice that protects our nation safeguards, our liberties and makes sure our beautiful American flag always waves proudly above our very glorious land.'

He also hinted at the controversies surrounding his decisions in the last few days. Speaking to those in the audience who were nodding their heads as he spoke, Trump said: 'I see you shaking your head, yes, yes, yes. That's different than we watch on television every once in a while, that reaction, right? I like your reaction.'

Trump thanked servicemen and women and their families, who he said contributed to a 'great' America

'Thank you to the military servicemen for your daily services their families, who are equally as important in this great great nation, and it's getting stronger everyday,' he said

The president also hinted at the controversy which has unfolded in the last few days, as he insinuated that he preferred the nods of the audience members to that of journalist covering his presidency

After his speech, Trump welcomed the first lady and gave her a peck on the cheek, which he typically does before introducing her at an event.

Sporting a casual look while wearing a pair of black pants paired with a white shirt and a golden chain, the first lady also gave a rare speech - her third one since her husband was inaugurated - commending the sacrifices military mothers have to make, and telling them she had 'no idea' how they coped with their children's long absences.

'I, too, am a mother, however, I have no idea what kind of different challenges each of you must face as the parent of a soldier,' she said.

Melania, 47, also gave a rare speech, her third one since her husband was inaugurated

She praised the sacrifices military mothers had to endure while the servicemen were away

'I have no idea what kind of different challenges each of you must face as the parent of a soldier,' she said

'And while you stand with many other parents so strong and so proud, I am sure that you sometimes march on this journey alone.

'While your sons and daughters are away serving so selflessly, having a community share even some of that burden must make all the difference in the world.

'I want you to know you're among that community today and we are all so proud to be part of it with you.

'I also want to say thank you for all that you do for your selflessness and for your own sacrifice on behalf of our country.'

The couple may rarely show PDA now but before Trump took office, they seemed a little more open to giving a public display. The duo are pictured here kissing during a Miami Heat homegame in 2004
The teacher charged with kidnapping a 15-year-old student and running away with her to California left a letter for his wife the morning he disappeared.

Tad Cummins, 50, wrote a note to his wife, Jill, 49, saying how he was sorry for leaving but he would be back.

'I am so sorry!' he wrote.

'I just need to clear my mind of all this cr*p. I am not running away. I'll be back. Don't call police they'll think I ran 'cause I'm guilty and I'm not!'

The contents of the letter was revealed on Friday during a Nashville court hearing where he was ordered to remain in custody as he was deemed a flight risk. A date for his trial has not yet been set.

The health science teacher faces a charge of bringing minor Elizabeth Thomas across state lines for sex. He could be sentenced to life in prison.

FBI agent Utley Noble testified during the court hearing that Cummins told authorities he had sex with the girl most nights during the 38 days he was on the run with her.

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Disgraced teacher Tad Cummins, 50, left his wife Jill, 49, a letter on the morning he disappeared saying he was 'so sorry' and that he needed to 'just need clear my mind of all this cr*p'

Cummins (left) appeared in court in Nashville on Tuesday and is facing charges for transporting a minor across state lines for sex. He could be sentenced to life in prison after running off with his 15-year-old student, Elizabeth Thomas (right)

In the letter Cummins left for his wife, he suggested he was heading to either Virginia Beach or Washington, DC

The teacher had allegedly said the sexual relationship with the girl began the first night after they disappeared March 13.

Noble also said that Cummins purchased an iPad as he wanted to keep an eye on what was being reported in the media about them.

Testimony at the court hearing showed that Cummins spent $1,500 on a two-seat kayak and that he and the student used it to try to get to Mexico.

Cummins allegedly told officers he thought he had been found out when he ran into a law enforcement officer while he was testing out the kayak.

But he said the officer only warned him and Thomas that the water was rough and gave them tips on the boat and then left.

From then on he slept with his gun beside him, the FBI agent said.

A lawyer for Cummins repeatedly asked the FBI agent if there was any evidence that the girl was held against her will at any time on the trip from Columbia, Tennessee, to California. The agent said there was no evidence.

Other newly filed court documents reveal that Cummins threatened Thomas with repercussions at school if she didn't go with him, according to The Tennessean.

The 12-page petition was filed by the Anthony Thomas, the girl's father, and called Cummins a 'masterfully manipulating predator'.

The filing states: 'The child had told various siblings and/or friends that she was scared of Cummins and felt in over her head.'

It adds that Cummins would frequently visit the fast food restaurant where Thomas worked.

'In short, petitioner asserts that Cummins was stalking the child,' the filing adds.

Cummins, who taught at Culleoka Unit School, was fired after a student reported seeing what appeared to be a kiss between him and Thomas in January.

TAD'S LETTER TO JILL Jill, I am so sorry! I am on my way to Virginia Beach and maybe DC just to think and clear my mind of all this cr*p. I am not running away. I'll be back. Don't call police they'll think I ran 'cause I'm guilty and I'm not! I love you and I'll call you soon. Please forgive me. (heart) Tad Advertisement

According to the petition, on the evening of March 13, one of Thomas's siblings told police that the girl woke the sibling earlier that morning to tell her that if she didn't return by 6pm to call for help. Thomas disappeared that evening from her home in Columbia, Tennessee.

A federal magistrate judge told Cummins he faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and could receive a life sentence.

Cummins is facing a federal charge of crossing state lines to have sex with a minor. He also faces state charges of aggravated kidnapping and sexual contact with a minor.

Meanwhile, Thomas is in rehab and refusing to return home to her family - reportedly claiming she's 'in love' with her schoolteacher abductor who kidnapped her for 39 days.

DailyMail.com previously revealed that the brainwashed 15-year-old insists she is a 'fully grown woman' who should be entitled to date the 50-year-old.

Thomas has even told friends she had the 'time of her life' during their five weeks on the run.

She was recovered safely on April 20 when police tracked the pair to a remote cabin 2,500 miles away in northern California and arrested the veteran educator without a struggle.

Thomas was flown back to Tennessee, but she went into a special treatment center for trauma victims rather than return to her family home.

Cummins allegedly kidnapped Thomas in March - he faces an additional charge of bringing a minor across state lines for sex

The 'couple' headed west before hiding out for 10 days at a remote hippy commune in Cecilville, California, where they posed as a married couple and were seen 'making out' like lovers by a camp fire

They were eventually kicked out of the ramshackle community, who regard clothing as 'optional' and have no internet or phone links to the outside world, because residents found the age gap 'creepy'

There is no timetable for her release, with friends saying the 'messed up' teen will receive expert care 'for as long as it takes' for her to realize she was the victim of a predatory older male.

'Elizabeth says she's in love with Tad and that the pair of them haven't done anything wrong,' said a source.

'She thinks she is a fully grown woman who can date who she likes.

'As far as she's concerned it was all one big, fun road trip. She says she had the time of her life which is obviously pretty tough for the family to hear.'

Cummins allegedly picked up the teen from a local restaurant where she was in such a hurry to climb into his car that she left behind her schoolbag.

The 'couple' first traveled south to Decatur, Alabama, where they reportedly threw their phones into the Tennessee River.

Cummins disabled the GPS on his car and replaces his license plate with one from Alabama.

They hid out for 10 days at a remote hippy commune in Cecilville, California, where they posed as a married couple and were seen 'making out' like lovers by a camp fire.

They were eventually kicked out of the ramshackle community, who regard clothing as 'optional' and have no internet or phone links to the outside world, because residents found the age gap 'creepy'.
Iran is continuing to work on ballistic missiles that would be capable of carrying nuclear weapons over thousands of miles, according to US Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats.

Coats described the growing threat of Iran's missile program in a written testimony to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Thursday.

'Iran's ballistic missiles are inherently capable of delivering WMD [weapons of mass destruction], and Tehran already has the largest inventory of ballistic missiles in the Middle East,' he wrote.

'We judge that Tehran would choose ballistic missiles as its preferred method of delivering nuclear weapons, if it builds them.'

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Iran is working on development of an intercontinental ballistic missile that could carry nuclear weapons. Pictured, a missile is paraded through Tehran, the capital of Iran, for National Army Day on April 18, with a photo of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the background

US Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats described the growing threat of Iran's missile program in a written testimony to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Thursday

The missiles could also be used by the Islamic Republic to launch a nuclear weapon. As Coats noted: 'Iran continues to be the foremost state sponsor of terrorism.'

Earlier this week, Iranian leaders announced that two 'home-made' satellites will be launched in the next few months, sparking fears that the machines will act as a disguise for continued work on missile technology.

'Tehran's desire to deter the United States might drive it to field an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Progress on Iran's space program could shorten a pathway to an ICBM because space launch vehicles use similar technologies,' Coats wrote.

In January 2016, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was implemented between the US, the EU and other world leaders to ensure that Irans nuclear program would be exclusively peaceful.

Coats pointed out that despite Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's 'conditional support' for the deal, he remains 'highly distrustful of US intentions.'

Testing missiles is not technically a breach of JCPOA, but certainly goes against the spirit of the agreement in a sense. The language in one portion of the resolution is ambiguous, stating that Iran is 'called upon' not to create or test these types of missiles, but it does not explicitly state that it is forbidden to do so.

'Iran continues to develop a range of new military capabilities to monitor and target US and allied military assets in the region,' Coats said

'Tehran continues to leverage cyber espionage, propaganda, and attacks to support its security priorities, influence events and foreign perceptions, and counter threats -including against US allies in the region,' Coats wrote.

The amount of time it would take for Iran to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon is estimated to be from a few months to a year.

Just last month, a parade held in Tehran for National Army Day showcased the country's wealth of missiles, tanks, armored vehicles, fighter jets and radar systems.

And on May 3, the Iranian military conducted a missile test from a submarine in the Strait of Hormuz, but the test reportedly failed.

'Iran continues to develop a range of new military capabilities to monitor and target US and allied military assets in the region, including armed UAVs [drones], ballistic missiles, advanced naval mines, unmanned explosive boats, submarines and advanced torpedoes, and anti-ship and land-attack cruise missiles,' Coats wrote.
Mika Brzezinski has made no secret of her disdain for Kellyanne Conway in the past, and took some time on Friday to once again criticize President Trump's campaign manager turned counselor.

That's not all either, with Brzezinski also going after Sean Spicer and Vice President Mike Pence as unreliable sources too on 'Morning Joe.'

She then suggested that there was not a single trustworthy person in the White House who could provide honest and accurate answers to the questions asked of them by the media.

Ready, aim, fire: Mika Brzezinski (left) took aim at CNN on Friday saying that it was inappropriate to have Kellyanne Conway (right) appear on their shows

'First of all, Kellyanne Conway, Sarah Huckabee, Sean Spicer, Mike Pencenow all in the same category. In the Kellyanne category. Not credible, proved as a liar, made a fool,' said Brzezinski to co-host Joe Scarborough, who filmed from a remote location on Friday while she was in the studio at 30 Rock.

'Also, note to CNN, you've got to stop putting Kellyanne on the air. It's politics porn. You're just getting your little ratings crack, but it's disgusting.'

And Brzezinski did not stop there, adding: 'There's nothing that she brings to the table that's honest. Your hosts know it.

'Your hosts look pained when they interview her because they know they're just doing politics porn. They're not doing news. We need to stick to the news.'

That seemed to be a reference to Conway's recent appearance on Anderson Cooper's primetime show Tuesday, during which the host at one point rolled his eyes at his guest.

Cooper was questioning Conway about the firing of FBI Director James Comney and the administration's claim it was over his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation.

'Now your White House is saying that what he did was wrong, but previously as a candidate, Donald Trump was saying that was the right thing,' said Cooper, stating something that is completely accurate and can be confirmed by a number of President Trump's speeches.

Conway then launched into her usual spin, saying to Cooper: 'Youre conflating two things that dont belong together.'

Then, unsurprisingly, Conway started talking once again about the electoral college.

'Thanks for the trip down memory lane,' she told Cooper.

'I was on your show often last fall saying we were going to win Michigan, and how we were going to do it. So that was fun.'

Cooper could not hold back by the end of the exchange, rolling his eyes back so far that his pupils actually disappeared for a second.

Conway was then back on air the next day with the crew over at 'New Day.'

Rolling in the deep: The comments came after Conway appeared on Anderson Cooper's CNN on Tuesday in a segment that had the host rolling his eyes by the end

Brzezinski meanwhile announced back in February that Conway was no longer welcome on 'Morning Joe,' and has stayed true to her word.

And it seems there may be a blackout on all White House employees pretty soon.

'That brings us to my next point, who is it in the White House that can be trusted?' asked Brzezinski on Friday.

'Who can be trusted to give a statement, to explain where we stand in this administration, to explain that this presidency isn't falling down on a house of cards with lies written on them?'

She then closed out her thoughts by stating: 'This is a bad situation, and the people in the White House are making it worse by being Trump's stooges.'
Quentin Smith has been discharged but another pilot remains in a critical condition

A Briton is fighting for his life after a helicopter plunged into a Norwegian fjord as it tried to land on a 25million superyacht.

Two other Britons on board were hurt in the crash, which it is suspected happened when a loose tarpaulin swirled up in the wind and tangled with the rotor blades.

The helicopter spun round in the air for a few seconds before flipping upside down and crashing into the water near Bergen.

Lifeboats plucked the three Britons from the fjord. The pilot had activated the helicopters emergency floating pontoons, preventing the aircraft from sinking and allowing the emergency boats that came to the rescue to pull them out of the water.

Paramedics gave one man CPR on board the rescue boat as it sped back to shore. A 57-year-old man remained critical in hospital in Bergen last night.

The other two, the pilot Quentin Smith, 52, and a 62-year-old man, have been discharged.

The accident happened at sunset on Wednesday as the helicopter was trying to land on the sun deck of the 196ft luxury yacht Bacarella. The sun deck also serves as a helicopter deck, and has fold down railings to allow a landing.

Kara Lynsdale, 30, from London, was on board a tall ship in Bergen harbour with her parents when she saw the crash.

Impact: Footage shows the moment the helicopter crashed down in to the sea with three Britons on board near Sandviken, Norway

This was the scene as the helicopter was being hoisted out of the water following the crash. One of the three people on board is understood to be in a serious condition while the other two have suffered cuts and bruise

Three people survived when this helicopter crashed while attempting to land on a superyacht. One of them is said to be in a serious condition

We looked to our left and saw this helicopter just fall into the sea, she said. I saw it when it was quite low  it didnt seem to fall from a great height or anything. I saw it while it was about in line with the boat. She said it was not clear if the people on board escaped from the helicopter themselves or were pulled from it by rescuers.

Pilot Mr Smith, who is nicknamed Captain Q, started flying with his father aged five and is listed by Guinness World Records as the first person to fly to both the North and South Poles by helicopter. He also is a two-time Helicopter Aerobatics World Champion and he has circumnavigated the world twice.

Bergen resident Jan Haughland, 48, said he believed the Bacarella had arrived at least three days before the incident. Its a popular place to visit for the very, very rich, Mr Haughland added.

The Bacarella, which is registered in the Cayman Islands, was reported to have refuelled in Orkney on the way to Norway.

Norwegian police said initial investigations indicated that the likely cause was a loose tarpaulin that hit a rotor. It was not clear if the tarpaulin came from the yacht or the helicopter. A spokesman said police had no evidence of human or technical failure.

The AS 350B was trying to land on the 196ft Bacarella (file picture of the vessel) superyacht, near Sandviken, Norway, when a tarpaulin became entangled in the rotors and it spun out of control, flipping upside down into the water

Rescue mission: The 1 million chopper crashed on Wednesday afternoon and was removed from the sea earlier today

Pilot Mr Smith, who is nicknamed Captain Q, is listed by Guinness World Records as the first person to fly to both the North and South Poles by helicopter
A novelist sparked anger yesterday by saying the death of elderly voters over the next two years would help swing a second referendum against Brexit.

Ian McEwan told a conference of Remain supporters that by 2019 thousands of elderly anti-EU voters would be freshly in their graves.

He said this could make the country more receptive to choosing to stay in the bloc.

Last night Tories said the comments were reprehensible.

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Ian McEwan said that by 2019 many elderly Brexit voters would be 'freshly in their graves'

Mr McEwan said: A gang of angry old men, irritable even in victory, are shaping the future of the country against the inclinations of its youth.

By 2019 the country could be in a receptive mood: 2.5million over-18-year-olds, freshly franchised and mostly Remainers; 1.5million oldsters, mostly Brexiters, freshly in their graves.

In March, Mr McEwan was forced to clarify remarks to a Spanish audience that were reported to have compared the referendum to the Third Reich.

Yesterday he said: This country, like a depressed teenage self-harmer, takes out a razor to scour a forearm and now contemplates its own throat.

Truly, Brexit has stirred something not heroic or celebratory or generous in the nation, but instead has coaxed into the light from some dark, damp places the lowest human impulses, from the small-minded to the mean-spirited to the murderous.

Musician Bob Geldof said he resented those who vote leave and 'loved [McEwan's] rejectionism'

Musician Bob Geldof said: I loved [McEwans] rejectionism. Anger is a great animus. I heard too much reasoned debate this morning.

I resent those who voted leave. There is too much hubris that infects the political class. F*** them.

Alastair Campbell, Tony Blairs former spin doctor, told the same conference: I will carry on remoaning until the whole thing is over.

Last night Tory candidate Nadine Dorries said: This is a crazy thing to say when people are living longer.

He seems to be saying the votes of older people arent as important and that people would have voted against Brexit if on they had died off. That is reprehensible.
A daughter has been charged with shooting dead her father dead after her parents tried to kick her out of their $1.8million home in South Carolina.

Brittany Simpson, 31, allegedly shot her movie producer dad Robert dead as the rest of their family slept upstairs  then ran outside to hide her gun and clothing before claiming a home invader had killed him.

Her family even claim she angrily blamed her mom for not locking their doors as her dad lay dying.

Brittanys parents had reportedly ordered her out of their home in the upmarket Charleston suburb of Mount Pleasant, according to court documents. Brit Robert had moved to Mount Pleasant from London in 1975.

Brittany first told the story that an intruder 'came in the back door' during her sister's 911 call early Tuesday morning, reported the Post and Courier.

Her mother, Susan Simpson heard the gunshots go off and her husband yelling. Her daughter Brooke and her boyfriend ran downstairs to see what had happened.

Brittany Simpson first blamed an intruder in the shooting of her father before later confessing to carrying out the crime herself

Brittany was living at her family's home at 38 Saturday Road, which is currently for sale, listed for the price of $1,799,999. It has six bedrooms, five-and-a-half bathrooms, a dock and a private gate at the front

When they got downstairs, they saw blood coming from under the master bedroom door, and called 911 to say that they believe their father, Robert Simpson, had been shot.

Around 6am on Tuesday, a 911 call from Brittany's younger sister alerted the police to the at-home murder.

Brittany originally told her family that someone had broken in, and that she returned home from exercising to find the back door open

'I woke up, and I heard a gunshot, and my dad is screaming,' Brooke said into the phone, crying. 'There's blood everywhere. I think he's been shot.'

In the background, Brittany could be overheard telling her sister and her mother that someone had broken in.

She explained that she'd been at the gym and that she ran behind someone through the back door toward a dock located on the creek behind their home.

Brittany said when she returned home she found the back door open, and, speaking to her mother in an accusatory tone, asked her why she left the doors unlocked, reported the Post and Courier.

Robert Simpson was still alive when first responders arrived, and one of them kicked down the bedroom door to get to him quickly.

He had suffered a gunshot wound to the chest, and Simpson died as firefighters attempted to provide medical care.

Chelsea Simpson, another sister, later arrived and accused Brittany of the murder, telling police officers that her sister is unstable as her mother sobbed beside her.

Susan Simpson, pictured with her husband Robert before his death, heard the gunshots go off and her husband yelling

Robert Simpson was still alive when first responders arrived at the home (pictured), and one of them kicked down the bedroom (pictured) door to get to him quickly. He had suffered a gunshot wound to the chest, and Simpson died as firefighters attempted to provide medical care

After being tipped off by a witness who saw a young woman run to the end of the dock (pictured) behind the home, police decided to search the creek for the missing gun

According to affidavits about Simpson's arrest, investigators soon learned that a 9mm Smith& Wesson Shield pistol had been kept in a bedroom that she used as storage, but it was missing.

After being tipped off by a witness who saw a young woman run to the end of the dock behind the home, police decided to search the creek for the missing gun.

About 10 feet from the end of the dock, police divers found the gun along with a green bag stuffed with a pink t-shirt and shorts. A weight anchored the evidence to the bed of the creek, reported the Post and Courier.

These clothes matched those that Simpson had been seen wearing earlier that morning in a surveillance video, and the affidavits concluded that: 'Brittany Simpson did kill her father.'

Chelsea Simpson (left), another sister, later arrived and accused Brittany (right) of the murder, telling police officers that her sister is unstable

Left to right: Susan, Brooke, Chelsea, and Robert Simpson, pictured together. According to court papers, there was tension within the family

Police said that Brittany later confessed to carrying out the crime, and has been charged with murder and possession of a firearm in a violent crime.

The killing rattled the neighborhood where the Simpsons have lived for years, and shocked many residents who knew them.

According to his obituary, Robert worked in the film industry and was just wrapping up production on Mr Mercedes, which is based on a Stephen King novel and set to premiere in August.

Brittany Simpson graduated from the local Wando High School and attended the University of Miami and the College of Charleston, her attorney said, describing her as a once popular girl.

Recently, she was unemployed, and hampered by a disability that her lawyer declined to discuss.

Her attorney, David Aylor, knew little about the shooting, and called it 'a tragedy affecting the entire family.'

The killing rattled the neighborhood where the Simpsons have lived for years, and shocked many residents who knew them

Chelsea (left image) and Brooke (right image) are each pictured with their father Robert. The family lived in the Mount Pleasant home, and Robert worked in the film industry

At a bond hearing Wednesday, Brittany appeared on a television screen as her loved ones looked on when a police detective called her a 'danger to the community'.

By law, a magistrate could not set bail on her most serious charge.

According to court papers, there was tension within the family. Brittany was living in her family's home without paying rent, though did help cover costs of utilities up until March, when her mother Susan sought to evict her, reported the Post and Courier.

Susan and Robert are pictured before his death. One of Brittany's friends came to court with a message from her mother, saying: 'She's extremely upset and sick over this entire situation. I really know that your mom loves you'

Simpson was recently living in her family's home (pictured) without paying rent, though did help cover costs of utilities up until March, when her mother Susan sought to evict her

The home that is for sale is 3,300 square feet and in a wealthy neighborhood in the upmarket Charleston suburb of Mount Pleasant

The six-bedroom home at 38 Saturday Road, and is currently for sale, listed for the price of $1,799,999. The 3,300 square foot home also has five-and-a-half bathrooms, a dock and a private gate at the front.

One of Brittany's friends came to court with a message from her mother, saying: 'She's extremely upset and sick over this entire situation. I really know that your mom loves you.'

Her family begged for her to tell the truth in Wednesday's hearing, and a loved one told her: 'honesty will set you free.'
A kind-hearted paramedic Pennsylvania helped a young man get ready for his high school prom on Friday by teaching him how to tie his tie.

Mary Terrinoni posted a heartwarming photo on Facebook that shows the moment that her paramedic partner, Jared Bryer, tied a high-schooler's tie to help him finish getting ready for prom.

Terrinoni, who works for Pennsylvania ambulance, told Fox 5 that the two were together when a young man came up to their truck to ask for help.

Mary Terrinoni posted a heartwarming photo on Facebook that shows the moment that her paramedic partner, Jared Bryer, tied a high-schooler's tie to help him finish getting ready for prom

'He was getting ready for his high school prom and didn't know how to tie his tie,' Terrinoni wrote in a Facebook post. 'My heart was pretty full watching my partner step in to help him out.'

The young man is named Lavar, according to Bryer, and he lives near the firehouse where they were stationed and goes to school with the paramedic's younger sister.

'He's a good kid,' Bryer told Fox 5.

Following his kind gesture, Terrinoni went on to write that 'this is what it's all about.'

The heartwarming post has since gone viral and has many commending Bryer for his random act of kindness. It has been shared more than 4,500 times, and has more than 8.000 likes and 400 comments.
A Romanian couple who forced a 14-year-old girl to have sex with men after luring her into the UK have been jailed.

Romelia Florentina Radu, 32, and Petre Niculescu, 39, were each sentenced to 14 years in prison over a catalogue of horrific abuses involving the child and eight other women.

The young girl - who was found by police in a hotel - was forced into street prostitution and made to have sex with up to 15 men per day during her horrific ordeal in Paddington, west London.

Radu and Niculescu, who started operating in the capital in 2013, physically and verbally abused the 14-year-old - threatening to harm her family at home or to burn down her room if she refused.

Petre Niculescu, 39, pictured left, and Romelia Florentina Radu, 32, pictured right, were each sentenced to 14 years in prison over a catalogue of horrific abuses involving the child and eight other women

The girl, who is now 15, said in a statement: 'They would slap me, push me and grab my hair. Many times I was left with bruises and marks on my body.'

She was among nine victims lured to the UK by the couple with the promise of work in shops and restaurants - only to face a life of prostitution and abuse.

The young girl was forced to change into 'sexy' clothes and put on makeup because she 'had the face of a child' when she arrived in the UK in 2016 after being lured from a poor family, Kingston Crown Court in Surrey heard.

Jurors were told that the girl - who was told not to reveal her true age to anyone - was then forced to have sex with men every day for four months.

She said: 'Many times it was painful and I was disgusted.'

Another Romanian man, George Maracineanu, 47, was jailed for two years and eight months after persuading a woman to come to the UK then giving her to the couple.

George Maracineanu, 47, was jailed for two years and eight months after persuading a woman to come to the UK then giving her to the couple

Police launched an investigation into the gang after one of the victims - a 41-year-old woman - walked into a north London police station after managing to escape following a three-week ordeal.

She had been forced to have sex with up to 10 men per night and spoke very little English - with her identification card kept by her traffickers.

The woman had been instructed by the defendants to lie about her identity if she came into contact by the police.

The gang as dismantled following an eight-month joint operation between the Metropolitan Police and officers in Romania.

Many of the women were recruited through friends and family with the promise of a better life.

One 18-year-old girl who was promised work in the UK but was forced into prostitution when she arrived, the court heard.

Niculescu and Radu were each sentenced to 14 years in prison at Kingston Crown Court in Surrey. Maracineanu was jailed for two years and eight months.

Other victims knew that they would be working in the sex industry but were told they would be handed a share of the taking.

When they arrived in the UK they were forced to hand over money for their 'patch' of the street and for rent - leaving them with as little as 20 a day despite earning as much as 300 a night.

One victim said in an impact statement: 'Once [Niculescu] beat me really badly.

'He punched me and then hit me many times with the pole from the hoover I was covered in blood. I still have a scar because of what happened that day.'

Another said she was attacked by a man who refused to pay for sex while 'under the influence of drugs'.

She added: 'He slapped me all over my body, including my face. I was praying to God to escape alive.'

It is the first prosecution for child sex trafficking under the 2015 Modern Slavery Act.

Damaris Lakin of the Crown Prosecution Service said: 'All three suspects initially denied controlling these women and girls for prostitution.

'The bravery of these women in providing evidence and supporting this prosecution has helped stop a dangerous criminal network taking advantage of vulnerable young girls.'

Detective Inspector Steve Kiely of the Met's Modern Slavery and Kidnap Unit said: 'The victims were made more vulnerable by their unprivileged lifestyles within their own countries.

'They were young and naive and, in most cases, easily seduced by the promise of a better life.

'These are all factors that contributed to the traffickers' ability to exploit them. They were forced to take part in behaviour that was not only degrading to them, but potentially harmful.

'They lived under threat of promises to harm their loved ones if they spoke with police or tried to escape.

'We also discovered that they were routinely violent to one particular victim and had taken indecent images of the 15-year-old victim which are believed to have been used to advertise her to potential clients.'
Boris Johnson has suggested Russian interference in the election is a realistic possibility.

The Foreign Secretary suggested that Vladimir Putin would rejoice if Jeremy Corbyn won on June 8.

He said that he believed the Russian president was behind cyber attacks on the US and French elections and was trying to undermine faith in democracy altogether, he told the Daily Telegraph.

Boris Johnson said he believed Russia was behind cyber attacks on US and French elections

He also suggested that Brussels could end up paying Britain a Brexit divorce bill  because the UK has contributed to so many European Union assets.

Mr Johnson also told The Daily Telegraph of his concerns that state-sponsored Russian hackers could try to influence the outcome of the election.

He said: I think it is a realistic possibility. We think that this is what he did in America, its blatantly obvious thats what he did in France; in the western Balkans he is up to all sorts of sordid enterprises, so we have to be vigilant.

Asked if Mr Putin would interfere to help Labour, he said that Putin would rejoice to see British defences weakened, and for foreign policy to become less active.

The Foreign Secretary has said there are very good arguments as to why Britain should demand money back from EU leaders who are trying it on.

During a visit to Newport in Wales yesterday to campaign with the local conservative candidate Angela Jones-Evans.

Vladimir Putin was 'rejoice' if Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader, according to Johnson

We have seen from the shameful way they treated the No10 dinner that Brussels is ruthless in its negotiating techniques.

They are going to play dirty. We have got to be very wary and intellectually very firm. The bill thats been presented is absurd.

He added that Brussels is going to try and bleed this country white with the Brexit bill, and described their logic as preposterous.

He even managed a reference to the classic Eagles song, saying: Jean-Claude Juncker thinks its the Hotel California where you can check out but you can never leave. He is wrong.

Referring to the possibility of Jeremy Corbyn becoming Prime Minister, he said he struggles to imagine what would happen and described the prospect as spine-chilling.

Mr Johnson would not be drawn on the forthcoming Tory manifesto, but hinted that it will contain a pledge to step up house-building.
It's not often he's upstaged at his own concert. But Snoop Dogg was outshone by the last person he would've thought of: his sign language interpreter.

The 45-year-old rapper - whose real name is Cordozar Calvin Broadus, Jr - was performing some old hits at the Jazz Fest in New Orleans, Louisiana, to an audience of close to 43,000 when a fan recorded a video of his sign language interpreter, which has since gone viral.

The video - which has garnered more than 13million views on Facebook - showed professional interpreter Holly Maniatty, avidly performing sign language to the music lyrics as Snoop Dogg performed 50 cent's P.I.M.P and DJ Khaled's All I do is Win.

Holly Maniatty enthusiastically performed sign language to the hearing-impaired in the audience as Snoop Dogg performed 50 cent's P.I.M.P and DJ Khaled's All I do is Win at the concert held on May 6

The interpreter and a Hip Hop fan herself says she can spend up to 80 hours studying lyrics for a rap concert

While she seemed to perform effortlessly, Maniatty says 'a lot of work' - which can take about 50- 80 hours of her time - goes into preparing for a concert.

'A lot of people have the idea that rap music cannot be interpreted,' Maniatty said. 'But it can be done. It's a lot of work, but it can be done,' she said in a 2013 interview with Vice.

Maniatty, a Hip Hop fan herself, had attended the event held on May 6 to help the hearing-impaired Hip Hop fans experience the festival.

A fan member whose attention was swayed from the rapper and onto Maniatty filmed her performance and posted it on the Facebook page of the Good Life Radio Show.

But this isn't the first time Maniatty has gone viral. In 2013, footage of the certified interpreter emerged after a Wu Tang Clan fan recorded her performing sign language during the rap group's concert.

Snoop Dogg, 45, was performing some classic Hip Hop hits at the Jazz Fest in New Orleans, Louisiana when a fan recorded a video of his sign language interpreter, which has since garnered more than 13 million views on Facebook

The certified interpreter was first brought under the spotlight in 2013, after a fan recorded her performing sign language during the rap group's concert

But the attention has been 'overwhelming' for Maniatty sometimes. She told Vice in an interview: 'Its a little overwhelming because I dont think of myself as in front of people.'

Even though she has been intentionally thrust in the spotlight, she says, she's not quite comfortable with fame.

'Its a little overwhelming because I dont think of myself as in front of people. I guess I am in front of a lot of people but Im always so absorbed in doing a good jobits just about the deaf patrons who are there,' she told Vice.

There are typically about five or six deaf people in the audience when she performs. In 1990, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which requires concert venues to provide interpreters for deaf attendees.

Music concert interpreters say they don't merely translate the lyrics into sign language but they try to capture the artists' musicality, movement and expressions, which means that two artists singing the very same song will have two different interpretations in sign language.

Stevie Wonder (left) and Meghan Trainor (right) were among the performers at the Jazz Festival. Music concert interpreters say they try to capture the artists' musicality, movement and expressions
Nick Clegg's lawyer wife Miriam Gonzalez Durantez did her bit for feminism this week  by putting out the rubbish.

'Breaking down the gender boundaries,' she captioned this image of herself mocking Theresa May's remark on the BBC's The One Show that there are boy jobs and girl jobs around the house. 'According to the British Prime Minister, putting out the rubbish is a 'boy's job'!'

Nick Clegg's lawyer wife Miriam Gonzalez Durantez did her bit for feminism this week  by putting out the rubbish

Philip may joked that he still has to take the bins out as he gave his first broadcast interview with the PM

Her impressionable friend Livia Firth, wife of Oscar-winner Colin, responded 'genius'.

In the interests of gender parity, perhaps Miriam, 48, could post a picture of Nick ironing in his frilly pinny?

Sir Bruce Forsyths wife Wilnelia attended her first public event this week since the former Strictly host, 89, was hospitalised in March, and revealed their thoughts on new Strictly judge Shirley Ballas.

We think shell be great  she obviously has the experience, the former Miss World, 59, told me. Bruce and I havent met her, and wed never even heard of her before. It was a surprise, but sometimes, that can be a good thing. Well definitely watch the new series.

How cosy! Foreign aid role of Lady Waste-a-Lot

Sir Mark, aka Sir Waste-a-Lot

Making pots of money from helping the worlds poor runs in the family for spendthrift foreign aid mandarin Sir Mark Lowcock and wife Julia.

While Sir Mark  aka Sir Waste-a-Lot  was paid 165,000 a year as permanent secretary for the Department for International Development, I note Lady Lowcock was on the Dfid payroll, too, as a senior economic adviser.

According to the website for a project funded by Dfid, the International Decision Support Initiative, Sir Marks wife, Julia Watson, works in Dfids Human Development Department, where she advises on strengthening health systems in low- income countries.

Sir Waste-a-Lot quit Dfid this week amid criticism of how he squandered taxpayers money while racking up a 1.1 million pension pot.

He also spent 285 million on building an airport on the remote island of St Helena, where it is too windy for commercial planes to land.

Dfid is coy about how much Lady Lowcock is paid. We do not comment on personnel matters, says a spokesman.

Is Queens top aide grooming Kate for a greater royal role?

Is the glossy-haired Duchess of Cambridge being given extra grooming as Team Windsor steps up its royal duties following Prince Philips retirement?

Kates retinue as she embarked on her solo tour of Luxembourg this week included the Queens most trusted courtier, private secretary Sir Christopher Geidt. The twice-knighted flunkey, 55, is held in such high esteem that he broke the news of the Dukes retirement to shocked Palace staff last week.

Kate is taking on more of the Queens duties and, last December, succeeded her as patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon.

No doubt bullet-headed ex-Army officer Geidt, whom colleagues privately say looks like horror actor Boris Karloff, will be able to serve up plenty of advice.
An Asian policeman who complained that a toy monkey had been put in the office of a black colleague was awarded 35,000 after police threatened him with the sack for reporting it.

The whistleblower found himself accused of gross misconduct after posting a comment on an internal police forum about the black toy monkey wearing an officers shirt, it emerged yesterday.

It had been left in an office used by Evidential Review Officers (EROs)  one of whom was black  at Belgravia police station in west London. The stuffed black toy had an ID badge saying night-duty ERO.

The whistleblower complained about a black toy monkey wearing an officers shirt was left in an office at Belgravia police station (pictured)

An Indian-born detective constable raised the matter on an internal website known as the Commissioners Forum, where staff are encouraged to discuss problems with the Met Commissioner.

Senior officers promised to look into the unacceptable incident in September 2013.

But a month later the DC found himself the subject of an investigation after he was accused of posting untrue and potentially inflammatory comments.

He was told his actions had breached the standards of professional behaviour ... relating to honesty and integrity and discreditable conduct  claims which, if proved, could have led to his dismissal.

A spokesman for Scotland Yard said there had been an internal review of the handling of the case after the hearing

After almost two years of disciplinary proceedings, he was cleared of gross misconduct in June 2015.

He then sued the force for racial discrimination and victimisation, receiving 35,000 in an out-of-court settlement in March last year.

The details emerged yesterday in a report on the BBC Today show. Scotland Yard said there had been an internal review of the handling of the case after the hearing.
Howard Godfrey QC as been reprimanded for making offensive comments about a child abuse victim

One of Britains top barristers has been reprimanded for making offensive comments about a child abuse victim while her mother sat in court.

Howard Godfrey QC said the 16-year-old was not a young and innocent girl as he represented her attacker Simon Raglan.

Raglan had been jailed for two years for groping the child after giving her home-made alcohol.

But Godfrey, the highest paid criminal barrister in 2010 with an income of 928,000, claimed she was not unaccustomed to drinking as he challenged the sentence.

At the Court of Appeal in August 2015 the QC told judges Raglan, then 47, is not a deviant or a paedophile as he tried to overturn a Sexual Offences Prevention Order barring him from contact with youngsters. He later said he genuinely had no idea the victims mother was in court.

The Bar Standards Board (BSB) charged Godfrey with two counts of professional misconduct after the unnamed woman complained about his submissions.

He was cleared of failing to act with integrity but found guilty of one count of behaving in a way which was likely to diminish the trust and confidence which the public places in the profession. He has been ordered to attend an advocacy and vulnerable witness training course by April 2018.

Godfrey apologised to the victims mother in an email that read: I have been in practice for 45 years, 25 of them as a QC.

I have never been the subject of a complaint. I sincerely regret that my submissions caused offence to the complainant or her daughter. Godfrey told the BSB panel: Whilst I knew that some of my clients family were present and sitting in the rows behind me in the Court of Appeal, I was unaware of the complainant or her daughter.

Its extremely unusual for relatives of victims in my experience to attend, its very common for relatives of the appellants to attend, but not the victims, who normally want to keep as far away from it as possible.

I genuinely had no idea, you appreciate Im facing forward, people are sitting in rows behind me.

This is very regrettable for me and Im extremely sorry that it happened, but it was wholly unintentional and I will obviously make every effort to make sure it doesnt happen again.

No self-respecting barrister would deliberately cause offence because its completely counter-productive apart from anything else.

Godfrey, who lives in Berkshire, has not decided whether he will appeal, but claims several senior figures are furious that charges were brought against him.

Raglans sentence and prevention order were upheld at the appeal, with the judge noting he had molested his victim after he gave her excessive amounts of drink.
Footage has emerged of the dramatic moment a man seen dangling from a five-storey building is rescued by police.

Emergency services were called in to retrieve the man after he was found in a precarious position on the outside of the building in Adelaide's city centre on Friday afternoon.

The man had somehow managed to clamber his way to the outside of the multi-storey car park in Hindley Street before being noticed by onlookers, 7 News reported.

A man was rescued after he was seen dangling from the outside of a five-storey building in Adelaide on Friday afternoon

An employee of the car park then raised the alarm, with part of the street closed-off during peak-hour while a rescue operation was undertaken.

Police inside the car park managed to grab hold of the man and pull him towards them until further help arrived.

A crane was lifted from the street to safely retrieve the man, who was later taken to hospital.

For confidential support call the Lifeline 24-hour crisis support on 13 11 14.

Police managed to grab hold of the man from inside the multi-storey car park and secure him until further help arrived
A couple in Roanoke, Virginia, nearly caught themselves in a grizzly situation.

Ryan and Marybeth McClanahan were at home on Thursday morning, when they heard their car horn honking.

They came out to discover it was a bear cub sitting in the front seat of their SUV.

The bear had locked itself inside the car - reportedly looking for snacks - before law enforcement were called to the scene to allow the bear to escape.

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A couple in Roanoke, Virginia, heard their car horn honking on Thursday and went outside to discover a bear who had locked itself inside their SUV

After finding the keys to the car, officers say they unlocked the back driver's side door and cracked it open a bit so the bear could hop out (pictured) and run off

Officers say the bear caused some damage to the inside of the vehicle. The driver's side door was peeled back to the metal and the airbag panels were ripped off - although the airbag panels were not deployed

The window to the car was not broken. Officers think the bear may have actually pulled on the car door handle.

'You could see there was mist, Roanoke County Police Officer Chris Thayer told WSLS 10.

'It was misty, so you could see where he tried to reach for the handle, he opened the handle. Once he got into the car, he locked himself because he couldn't get himself out.'

Ryan and Marybeth McClanahan made the discovery at 5am and immediately called the police, who were able to help the bear escape

The officer says he eventually took a chance and unlocked the back driver's side doo, cracking it open a bit.

The cub eventually nudged the door open with his nose before he hopped out and ran off.

Authorities believe the cub was likely looking for snacks in the vehicle.

The bear managed to rip air bag panels off the car although the air bags themselves did not deploy

The driver's side door was also damaged and peeled back to the metal

The Virginia Museum of Transportation, also in Roanoke, had its own close encounter with a bear on Thursday that was found wandering in the rail yard behind the museum.

The three-year-old bear, weighing about 200 pounds, was shot with a tranquilizer dart by a wildlife biologist about three hours after it was spotted.

The bear will be relocated about 100 miles away from the museum.
Chelsea Manning says she can't wait to breathe the spring air and go swimming when she is released from a Kansas prison next week.

The transgender army soldier, who was jailed for one of the largest leaks of classified documents in US history, is scheduled for release at some point on Wednesday after seven years behind bars.

In an interview with The Guardian from her prison cell at Fort Leavenworth, Manning said: 'I'm looking forward to breathing the warm spring air again.

'I want that indescribable feeling of connection with people and nature again, without razor wire or a visitation booth. I want to be able to hug my family and friends again. And swimming - I want to go swimming.'

Transgender US solider Chelsea Manning, 29, is scheduled to walk free from Fort Leavenworth in Kansas on Wednesday after serving seven years for leaking classified military documents

Manning is expected to live in Maryland when she finally walks free - the same state where she sent WikiLeaks the classified military and diplomatic documents that landed her in prison.

The 29-year-old had served seven years of a 35-year stretch when Barack Obama commuted her sentence right before he left the White House.

Manning, who still identified as a male named Bradley when she was arrested, has been serving her sentence in an all-male jail.

She twice attempted suicide in jail where she was often kept in solitary confinement and went on a hunger strike last year in an attempt to get officials to allow her to undergo gender reassignment surgery.

'For the first time, I can see a future for myself as Chelsea. I can imagine surviving and living as the person who I am and can finally be in the outside world,' Manning said earlier this week.

'I am forever grateful to the people who kept me alive, President Obama, my legal team, and countless supporters.

'Freedom used to be something that I dreamed of but never allowed myself to fully imagine.

'Now, freedom is something that I will again experience with friends and loved ones after nearly seven years of bars and cement, of periods of solitary confinement, and of my health care and autonomy restricted, including through routinely forced haircuts.'

Manning, who still identified as a male named Bradley (above in 2013) when she was arrested, is expected to live in Maryland when she finally walks free

Manning had served seven years of a 35-year stretch when President Barack Obama commuted her sentence earlier this year before he left the White House

Originally named Bradley, Manning became a hero to anti-war activists and a villain to government officials outraged over her leaking of classified files.

Three days before leaving office in January, then-president Obama slashed Manning's sentence by 28 years after more than 115,000 people signed a petition calling for her release.

Chase Strangio, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union which lobbied on Manning's behalf, said that 'like far too many people in prison, particularly transgender women, Chelsea Manning has had to survive unthinkable violence throughout the seven years of her incarceration.'

Manning was an army intelligence analyst based in Baghdad in 2010 when she leaked the huge trove of files, which included footage of an Apache helicopter strike that killed two Iraqi journalists working for the British news agency Reuters.

The massive leak caused an international furor, exposing the private opinions of senior US diplomats and other top officials about Washington's allies and foes.

Manning was arrested after confessing her part in the leak to an online acquaintance, who alerted military authorities.

She has been incarcerated in Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, and her case sparked fresh controversy last year when she was put into an isolation cell as punishment for a suicide attempt.

She said she attempted to kill herself a second time while in solitary confinement.

'The transition out of these horrific institutions will not be easy, and part of what we hope is that Chelsea will find the space, love, and support to heal and build a life of her choosing,' the ACLU's Strangio said in a statement.
Osama bin Laden's son Hamza is poised to lead al Qaeda years after his father's death, personal letters seized in the raid that killed bin Laden have revealed.

Now, Hamza is about 28 years old, but he wrote one of the letters to his father when he was 22.

A former FBI agent who has read the documents, which are now declassified, said that Hamza seems motivated and prepared to avenge his father.

Ali Soufan was an agent who also served as the bureau's lead investigator of al Qaeda after 9/11. He said bin Laden's son was seen as the next possible leader of the terrorist organization when he was just a child, CBS News reported.

Principal among Hamza's messages is his desire for revenge.

'He's basically saying, "American people, we're coming and you're going to feel it. And we're going to take revenge for what you did to my fatherIraqAfghanistan"the whole thing was about vengeance,' Soufan said.

Osama bin Laden's son Hamza (pictured right as a young boy) could be the next face of al Qaeda, according to letters found after the 2011 raid that killed bin Laden

For a new episode of 60 Minutes, Soufan explained the importance of the personal letter, despite the fact that when Hamza wrote it he had not seen his father for years.

'He tells him thathe remembers "every lookevery smile you gave me, every word you told me. I consider myself to be forged in steel. The path of jihad for the sake of God is what we live,"' Soufan said about Hamza.

Hamza has been a prominent figure in several propaganda videos for al Qaeda, even as a young boy. He was filmed calling for terrorist attacks on London, Washington and Paris in an audio message released by the organization in 2015.

He has recorded four of theses types of messages in the last two years.

This January, Hamza was placed on a State Department terror watch list and named a 'specially designated global terrorist' - the same classification Osama had.

Hamza, now believed to be 28 years old, has been a prominent figure in several propaganda videos

Ali Soufan, a former FBI agent, described that part of what Hamza said in the letter to his father was: 'The path of jihad for the sake of God is what we live'

Experts have tried to imagine what Hamza might look like now with the help of age progression technology

'He was a poster kid for the al Qaedaand for members of al Qaeda, who were indoctrinated with these propaganda videos, he means a lot to them,' Soufan said.

Soufan said Hamza also uses the same terminology and sentences that his father once used.

Osama was killed in Abbottabad, Pakistan on May 2, 2011, by US Navy SEAL Team Six.

Following his death, dozens of letters written by him to his family and senior members of al Qaeda were released.

Senior intelligence officials claimed that some revealed he had been grooming his son to take over the terror group. In one letter, Hamza's mother even implored her son to follow in his 'father's footsteps.'
The captain of Qantas Flight 72 has opened up for the first time about the day the automation of a plane he was in charge of 'went psycho' and repeatedly nose-dived towards the Indian Ocean.

More than 100 people were injured when the pilots of the flight, carrying 303 passengers and 12 crew members from Singapore to Perth, lost control of the aircraft on October 7, 2008.

The Airbus A330 had been cruising at 37,000 feet when the autopilot disengaged automatically.

It nosedived twice before pilot Kevin Sullivan declared a mayday and made an emergency landing at Learmonth Airport near Exmouth, Western Australia, around 50 minutes after the first descent.

Now, eight years later, Mr Sullivan has broken his silence on the incident that changed his life and left him with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Kevin Sullivan, the captain of a Qantas A330 which twice nosedived towards the Indian Ocean in 2008, has opened up about the incident for the first time

'It's the worst thing that can happen when you are in an aeroplane  when you are not in control,' he told Good Weekend.

'And you have a choice. You can either succumb to that or you fight it. I was fighting that outcome and I have been ever since.'

Mr Sullivan is a former US Navy pilot who later joined the famous Top Gun school. He was the first US Navy exchange pilot to join the RAAF in 1983.

He only intended to be in Australia for three years, but after marrying an Australian woman and having a daughter, he decided to stay permanently and became a Qantas pilot.

He was 53 when what he described as a 'computer crash' would change the way he viewed the job he loved.

Mr Sullivan was forced to take manual control of the plane when he felt it plunge for the first time at 12.42pm WA time. It went 150 feet down in two seconds.

The Airbus A330 sits on the ground as emergency crews attend to it after an emergency landing in Learmonth, Western Australia

The flight, QF72 from Singapore to Perth, nosedived after a software error. Above, the damage inside the cabin

He remembers wondering if his life was going to end.

Seconds later, he finally felt responses to his control-stick movements and he is able to bring the aeroplane back to 37,000 feet.

But then, the plane dove again  400 feet in just over 15 seconds.

He and the pilots realise that one of the three flight control primary computers (PRIMs) is faulty.

He was concerned about how he would safely manage an emergency landing, but knew that continuing on to Perth could be even more devastating for the injured.

Mr Sullivan declares a mayday and puts 'Learmonth Airport' into the computer for navigation  which shows an error.

More than 100 passengers and crew members were injured in the incident when the were thrown out of their seats when the plane suddenly nosedived

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau found inaccurate data on measures, including airspeed and angle of attack, to the plane's computers

At this point, he says he became enraged and started 'cursing like a drunken sailor.'

He said he lowered the jet's nose and powered to idle as he began the final approach without all the necessary instruments - but mercifully landed the plane without another nosedive.

His passengers and crew, including 115 of whom had sustained non-fatal injuries, cheered and clapped when it touched down without further incident.

At least 20 passengers and crew aboard the flight were seriously injured - some with spinal injuries and others with broken bones and lacerations.

And when he was finally able to enter the cabin, Mr Sullivan described the scene as looking like 'the Incredible Hulk had gone through there in a rage and ripped the place apart.'

Three years after the accident, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau found inaccurate data on measures, including airspeed and angle of attack, sent to the plane's computers.

At least 20 passengers and crew aboard the flight were seriously injured - some with spinal injuries and others with broken bones and lacerations

One of the PRIMs commanded the plane to dive, but investigators could not pinpoint exactly what prompted the incorrect data.

For Mr Sullivan, the incident had life-changing consequences.

He took eight months off, but when he returned to work, he was hyper-alert and worried about losing control.

After three decades at Qantas, he decided to leave last year.

But he still worries about the greater control computers have over flying.

He said that pilots were never given any indication in training that a computer could 'go completely haywire and try and kill you.'
Rip-off Britain (1): A Mail investigation exposes how unscrupulous insurance firms extort interest of up to 45 per cent from customers who pay premiums monthly  a rate that would make the most rapacious loan companies blush.

Buried in the small print, these morally indefensible charges can add up to 450 to the cost of insuring a car.

Rip-off Britain (2): On the same day, it emerges that bosses of the UKs ten biggest house builders have been paid almost 170million since the launch of the Governments Help to Buy scheme.

This orgy of avarice has been partly at the expense of hard-pressed taxpayers, whose money was intended for cash-strapped first-time buyers.

Around two in five customers pay for insurance monthly  meaning ten million drivers and eight million homeowners are potentially being charged extra (file photo)

Rip-off Britain (3): In an egregious example of greed, callous care homes charge grieving relatives thousands of pounds in notice fees for rooms left free to be reused after the deaths of loved ones.

Three cases in a single day  all highlighting how ruthless firms exploit clients and taxpayers, using all means within the law to extort every last penny from families struggling to get by.

To that list, we could add any number of City firms and utility companies, enriching themselves by imposing unfair and often dishonest charges.

It is no good looking to Labour  in a world of its own, spending fantasy money like water  to stand up for those whose incomes are squeezed. But on planet Earth, these are the issues that most affect us.

Theresa May has sworn to champion the Just About Managing. To achieve this, the Tories must pledge to spend taxpayers cash as carefully as their own  and rein in the excesses of rip-off Britain.

Unsafe to vote Corbyn

After the leak of Comrade Corbyns manifesto, exposing his Marxist recipe for economic ruin, it was hard to imagine what more he could do or say to make himself unelectable.

Yesterday he supplied the answer, unveiling a defence policy that amounts to rolling over and inviting any hostile power to walk all over us.

Anyone who thought the future of our nuclear deterrent was assured after Parliament approved Tridents renewal  with Labours official endorsement  had better think again.

In yesterdays speech, Mr Corbyn threw the question back into the air, indicating that he would submit our nuclear capability to review. But even if Trident stays, our enemies neednt worry, because he strongly implied he would never use it!

Mr Corbyn refused to say hed help a Nato ally if it came under attack, should he become Prime Minister

Instead, he would appoint a peace minister, while promoting talks to achieve a nuclear-free world. And he hopes to persuade Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un? Good luck with that.

More disturbing still, Mr Corbyn refused to say hed help a Nato ally if it came under attack. Thus, he undermines the whole basis of the Wests defence.

First on the economy, now on defence, this was the week Mr Corbyn showed it is simply not safe to vote for him.

Curb the cyber giants

Not a moment too soon, the Tories are to pledge a crackdown on social media giants, with stiff fines to protect minors from pornography and ensure offensive material and bullying tweets are taken down.

True, some of the proposals  including the right for users to delete anything posted before they were 18  need closer examination.

But after David Camerons abject fawning over internet tycoons, Mrs Mays determination to bring them to heel is hugely welcome.

These tax-dodging, filth-peddling, terror-abetting purveyors of fake news have been a law unto themselves for far too long.
A young barista is adding flair to the average latte by creating miniature masterpieces within the parameters of a coffee cup.

Kangbin Lee is one of the talented coffee artists expanding the latte art scene in Korea as the trend grows in popularity.

The coffee-art enthusiast uses a thin metal rod and a palette of food dyes to transform a dull latte in to a remarkable work of art.

A Korean barista is creating miniature masterpieces inside cups and coffee mugs

Kangbin Lee is a coffee-artist in South Korea who is taking on a new initiative to grow the coffee market

He is also one many talented young creatives working to expand the latte art scene

Using a thin metal road and a palette of food dyes he brings coffee to life with a series of outstanding works

Lee said he draws inspiration from a number of different places.

'There are various themes, such as movies, politics, anniversaries, national holidays,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

The coffee-art-creator said his work can take anywhere from one minute to one hour - the most important thing for him is to 'put my heart into it'.

As the 11th largest coffee market in the world South Korea's coffee industry has significantly increased consumption and importing rates over the past five years.

South Korea has the 11th largest coffee market in the world

Kangbin Lee is one of the skillful artists aiming to help evolve the coffee industry

Coffee consumption has dramatically increased over the last five years and Lee wants to continue to help it evolve

Kangbin Lee is one of the skillful artists wanting to help the coffee industry grow.

When creating his artwork Lee wanted to dismiss the limitations of traditional latter art by introducing colours and a wider range of designs the Perfect Daily Grind reported.

'I hope to breathe new life into an otherwise isolated path in the industry,' he said at Cafe Show Korea.

The artist said his top priority is to put his heart into all of his work

He can pull off a number of awe-inspiring designs including Belle and the Beast from Beauty and the Beast

'I hope to breathe new life into an otherwise isolated path in the industry,' Lee said

From drinkable interpretations of famous paintings such as Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' to favourite cartoon characters and portraits he shows of his ability with every cup he creates.

The amazing artist has evolved once-famed brown heart-shape or flower latte art to include the wise of vibrant colours and vivid designs.

He can pull off a number of awe-inspiring designs including Belle and the Beast from Beauty and the Beast, Alice in Wonderland and Pokemon.
An elderly woman, who contracted a flesh-eating bacteria after a donkey bit her, had to have her arm and leg amputated.

Anna Maria Giacomi was feeding the animal on a commercial farm in Georgia in November 2015 as she had done several times before.

But this time was different: the donkey grabbed onto her wrist and began ferociously biting her.

After doctors performed multiple surgeries on Giacomi, they realized she had contracted a flesh-eating bacteria and the only way to save her was amputation.

Anna Maria Giacomi (pictured), from Georgia, had her arm and leg amputated when she contracted a flesh-eating bacteria after a donkey bite

On Thanksgiving Day, Giacomi was feeding this donkey at a commercial farm, as she had done for the past five years, when it pulled her into its pen and 'grabbed my wrist and started biting, chewing, crunching, going up my arm'

Giacomi said she had fed the donkey for five years before the day, a year and a half ago, when it turned on her.

'The donkey grabbed my wrist and started biting, chewing, crunching, going up my arm,' she told WSBTV.

She was taken to the hospital for her wounds, undergoing 11 surgeries in under two months.

It was only afterwards that doctors realized she had contracted a flesh-eating bacteria and that amputation was the only way to save her.

'I woke up with no arm and no leg. It was hideous,' Giacomi said.

Her attorney plans to sue the hospital for medical malpractice.

Attorneys also reached an undisclosed settlement with the farm last week, which can't be identified because of a confidentiality agreement.

Giacomi was taken to the hospital and had 11 surgeries for her wounds (pictured left and right). Her attorney says the hospital did not realize she contracted a flesh-eating bacteria until it was almost too late - and her arm and leg had to be amputated

Giacomi (pictured) was forced to move in her with her son in Miami, Florida. 'Every day I wake up and I see this body of mine. I was a productive, independent woman - taking care of myself and my animals - and then reduced to what I am now,' she said

Giacomi has since had to move in with her son in Miami, Florida. She says she's not the same person since the operation.

'This is the worst thing that can happen, really, this situation of mine. And if it happened to me, it can happen to anybody,' she said.

'Every day I wake up and I see this body of mine. I was a productive, independent woman - taking care of myself and my animals - and then reduced to what I am now.'

Giacomi's attorney was told by the farm owners that the donkey no longer lives there but doesn't know any other details on the animal's whereabouts.
It was the special moment they will always treasure.

But a couple's wedding day was almost overshadowed by a bee that landed on the bride's nose.

The buzzing insect briefly perched just as the pair were exchanging vows, which prompted the groom to whisk the bee away with his hand.

Scroll down for video

The ceremony began as normal as the bride and groom exchanged vows. 'To be your companion and your friend on this journey that we make together,' the groom was saying

While the bride laughed, the wedding attendees are heard in the video - which is believed to have been taken in the US - gasping in horror, perhaps because they thought the groom had just hit her.

The minister clarified, saying 'there was a bee' to the guests, who broke into laughter soon after.

'I'd rather have that than get stung,' the bride said.

Before the incident, the groom - who looked dapper in a black suit, paired with red and green checkered waistcoat and a matching handkerchief - was repeating the vows the young minister was reading out loud.

But upon noticing a buzzing insect which briefly perched on his bride's nose, he attempted to save her from it sting

He looked immediately sorry for what he'd done as the guests gasped in horror, but were later comforted by the minister who said, 'there was a bee'

'To be your companion and your friend on this journey that we make together,' the groom said.

Just as he said those words, the video shows he noticed the insect and swatted it away impulsively.

Donning a slim fitted mermaid-like white gown and her hair coiffed into a bun, the bride wore subtle, but impeccable make-up.

Yet she was not upset by her groom who had inadvertently touched her face when he tried to get rid of the bee.

To her groom's relief, she laughed it off, which comforted her bridesmaids - seven of them were featured in the video - and the rest of the guests.
Nicholas Sand, an outlaw chemist who rose to infamy creating large batches of LSD in the 1960s, has died in California aged 75.

The New York-born son of a Soviet spy is believed to have been responsible for manufacturing more than 250 million doses of pure LSD across the United States during his notorious and lengthy career.

He passed away in his sleep after suffering a heart attack at his home in Lagunitas, California on April 24, according to the New York Times.

Sand had become a cult figure in the late 1960s with his highly popular signature 'Orange Sunshine' brand of acid.

Scroll down for video

Nicholas Sand, an outlaw chemist who rose to infamy creating large batches of LSD in the 1960s, died last month at his home in California aged 75

He had taught himself chemistry and first embarked on his chemical career by making hallucinogen drug, dimethyltryptamine, in a self-built lab in his mother's New York attic when he was just 20.

After taking his first dose of LSD in New York back when it was still legal, Sand had set out believing he could change and save the world with psychedelics.

'My first experience with taking acid changed everything... I was floating in this immense black space,' he said in a 2015 documentary about his life, The Sunshine Makers.

'I said, 'What am I doing here?' And suddenly a voice came through my body, and it said, 'Your job on this planet is to make psychedelics and turn on the world'.'

Sand later moved to San Francisco where his partner in crime, Nick Scully, taught him how to make LSD.

They ran their manufacturing operation together in a lab in Windsor, north of San Francisco, from 1967 and planned on producing 750 million doses of acid - the exact amount they decided would create a psychedelic revolution and change the world for the better.

Sand (left in 2009 and right in the 60s) was responsible for manufacturing more than 250 million doses of pure LSD across the United States during his notorious and lengthy career

Sand moved from New York to San Francisco in the late 60s where his partner in crime, Nick Scully, taught him how to make LSD. They ran their manufacturing operation together in a lab from 1967 until they were both arrested in the early 70s

They created four million doses of the acid in just one month and a hippie, drug-taking group known as The Brotherhood of Eternal Love helped distribute it.

Sand was so invested in his so-called cause that he even made sure his celebrated Orange Sunshine was available to US soldiers fighting in Vietnam with the hope of steering them towards non-violence.

'If we could turn on everyone in the world then maybe we'd have a new world of peace and love,' Sand recalled in the documentary.

But their time was short-lived after Federal agents started investigating them. They were indicted by a Federal grand jury in San Francisco over the LSD operation in April 1973.

They were both found guilty the following year - Sand was sentenced to 15 years in prison, while Scully got a 20-year sentence.

After Sand was briefly released from prison in 1976, he fled to Canada where he spent 20 years on the run while still making LSD. He featured in a 2015 documentary, The Sunshine Makers, about his notorious career

They created four million doses of the acid in just one month and a hippie, drug-taking group known as The Brotherhood of Eternal Love helped distribute it

When Tim Scully (above) was released from prison in the early 1980s, he got a job in Silicon Valley in computer work. He retired in the early 2000s

Sand used his time in prison to smuggle LSD into for other prisoners.

The pair were released on bail for a short time in 1976 while their cases were heard in an appeals court, but Sand quickly fled to Canada after they lost.

He spent the next 20 years on the run under an alias as he continued to make LSD. Sand was arrested in the 1990s for drug manufacturing but authorities failed to identify him as the notorious Nicholas Sand.

His true identity was eventually revealed and he served six years in prison in the United States. Sand was released in 2000 and moved to Ecuador.

When Scully was released from prison in the early 1980s, he got a job in Silicon Valley in computer work.

The pair both featured in The Sunshine Makers documentary about their life as underground chemists.
Failing to legalise same-sex marriage is costing the Australian economy $550million a year, as gay couples head across the 'ditch' in droves to marry.

Foreigners were responsible for half of all same-sex marriages in New Zealand in 2016, with 58 per cent of them being Australian.

More than 270 Australian same-sex couples flew to New Zealand last year and were wed in ceremonies that could add an estimated $550million to the economy, according to an ANZ Bank report.

Australia is losing half a billion dollars to New Zealand by failing to legalise same-sex marriage, as gay couples head in droves across the Tasman Sea to wed. Pictured: Same-sex couples celebrate being married in New Zealand

Australians made up 58 per cent of all foreign same-sex couples to marry in New Zealand last year

More than 270 Australian same-sex couples flew to New Zealand last year and were wed in ceremonies that could add an estimated $550million to the economy (stock image)

`There is no doubt that Australia is missing out on the business that would be generated by same-sex weddings if we had marriage equality legislation,' ANZ senior economist Cherelle Murphy said.

`We're probably also losing wedding-related consumption to overseas destinations.'

Residents were responsible for 483 same-sex marriages or civil unions in New Zealand last year, while foreigners had a further 473.

New Zealand became the first nation in the Asia-Pacific to legalise same-sex marriage four years ago.

Foreigners were responsible for half of all same-sex marriages in New Zealand in 2016

New Zealand became the first nation in the Asia-Pacific to legalise same-sex marriage four years ago. Pictured: Natasha Vitali and Melissa Ray celebrate following their wedding in 2013

Other major Western economies where gay couples can marry include the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and France.

However the Australian government has continued to resist, saying same-sex marriage is on the 'political agenda', but ultimately remains banned.

The Turnbull government has denied Parliament a free vote on the issue due to pressure from Conservative MPs, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

A same-sex marriage plebiscite was proposed instead last year, but was shut down by the Opposition in the Senate, who said it would cause harmful debate.
Shontrell Murphy has been arrested and charged with cruelty to children

A South Carolina woman is facing a child cruelty card after an incident involving a misplaced Mother's Day card.

The Spartanburg Police Department was called to a disturbance on the 100 Block of Amos Street in Upstate early Thursday evening.

Police said that when they arrived at the home, a grandmother was standing with two children, one of which was crying.

The older woman told officers that her daughter, the mother of the crying boy, had slapped him multiple times on the front, side and back of the head, reported Fox 5.

The mother was identified as 30-year-old Shontrell Murphy.

Police said that during the investigation the boy's sister told them that their mother was upset because the boy made a Mother's Day card for his grandmother and not her.

When she realized the card wasn't for her, Murphy tore it up and hit the boy repeatedly around the head, a police report says.

The Spartanburg Police Department was called to a disturbance on the 100 Block of Amos Street in Upstate early Thursday evening

Murphy, pictured, admitted to smacking the child, according to a police report, but 'does not believe it was in a hard or violent manner'

Officers said that they saw a handwritten card ripped to shreds at the scene.

Murphy admitted to smacking the child, according to a police report, but 'does not believe it was in a hard or violent manner.'

When asked why she hit him, she said 'because she could,' and that he had behavioral problems in school and she wants to discipline him, according to WSPA.

The children reportedly told the police that their mother hits them frequently and violently, and that they are afraid of her, reported Fox 5.

Murphy has been arrested and charged with cruelty to children.

Her son was taken to the hospital in an ambulance for evaluation, but a nurse said she did not see trauma to his head and he was later released.
The devastated family of a model whose body was found more than a day after her crashed down an embankment have paid tribute to her.

Erin Elphinstone, 27, was just minutes from her home in Melbourne's outer east when her black Suzuki sedan went off the Belgrave-Gembrook Road in Cockatoo on Wednesday.

Victoria Police said it is investigating the circumstances of the crash and are yet to determine exactly when the crash occurred.

However, police said Ms Elphinstone, of Gembrook, was the vehicle's sole occupant and died at the scene.

Erin Elphinstone died when her black sedan veered off the road and down an embankment

Ms Elphinstone's family took to her Facebook page to issue a desperate plea to her friends on Thursday.

They said she had last been in touch with friends at around 9.20pm on Wednesday.

But after her body was discovered inside the vehicle on Friday morning, they wrote a post to notify her friends of her death.

'We gave been informed by police the devastating news that Erin has been involved in a car accident. She has unfortunately passed away,' they wrote.

Police said Ms Elphinstone was the vehicle's sole occupant and died at the scene

The 27-year-old model and student's father Gary described her as 'adventurous' and 'loving'

'Thank you so much for all the kind words and prayers. It was clear that Erin had amazing friends and was dearly loved. We will all miss her.'

Her father Gary described his daughter, who was studying business and marketing at Swinburne University, as 'free-spirited' and 'adventurous.'

'She was loving. Was really close with her sisters,' he told the Herald Sun.

He said his eldest daughter had gone to dinner with her best friend on Wednesday evening and had been expected home around 10pm.

'She was looking forward to being home,' he said, adding she had planned to spend the weekend riding horses with her mother.

She was just minutes from her home when her black Suzuki sedan went off the Belgrave-Gembrook Road in Cockatoo (file photo)

He described how the family grew concerned when she didn't arrive home when expected and didn't answer calls.

They have since discovered that her phone's battery had died on her way home.

Police searching the area on Thursday didn't spot her wrecked car, which had been hidden under thick bush.

It wasn't until Friday morning when she was discovered by a foot patrol.

Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online.
Brandon Bostian, 33 (pictured), the Amtrak engineer responsible for a deadly May 2015 derailment, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter

The engineer responsible for a deadly 2015 Amtrak train derailment in Philadelphia has been charged with involuntary manslaughter.

The news came after local prosecutors shockingly cleared Brandon Bostian, 33, of criminal wrongdoing earlier in the week.

But Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro has charged the engineer with, in addition to eight counts of involuntary manslaughter, one count of causing or risking a catastrophe and numerous counts of reckless endangerment.

Reports showed that Bostian, who had only begun working the route a few weeks prior, accelerated to 106mph on a 50mph curve, which caused the train to derail and injured more than 200 of the 238 passengers.

Prosecutors said they were in talks with Bostian's attorney to have him surrender on the charges.

Shapiro expanded on charges a Philadelphia judge approved one day earlier.

The unusual judge's order came after the family of a woman killed in the crash sought a private criminal complaint after city prosecutors declined to press charges as Friday's two-year deadline approached.

The judge had signed off on two misdemeanor charges over 39-year-old Rachel Jacobs' death in the May 12, 2015 derailment.

On May 12, 2015, during a journey from Washington, DC to New York, at 9:10pm, Bostian accelerated to 106mph on a 50mph curve, which caused the train to derail (Pictured, an aerial shot of the wreckage)

Eight of the passengers were killed and more than 200 of the 238 were injured (Pictured, rescue workers comb through the wreckage, looking for survivors)

Local prosecutors had cleared Bostian of criminal wrongdoing earlier in the week. When the accident occurred, he had only been assigned to the route just a few weeks beforehand (Bostian pictured left in 2007 outside a train at the Amtrak station in St Louis, and passengers aboard the train steady themselves just moments following the crash)

Attorney Thomas Kline, who had sought the private complaint on the Jacobs family's behalf, said the charges wouldn't have happened 'had a courageous family, the Jacobs family, not stood up against the decision of a local prosecutor not to press charges'.

'That was clearly wrong, as evidenced by the attorney general not only reversing course but adding charges,' he said.

The criminal case is sure to bring new scrutiny to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) finding that Bostian had lost 'situational awareness' on the curve in North Philadelphia.

The speed limit climbs from 50mph to 110mph about a mile and a half after the curve.

The NTSB said it found no evidence that Bostian was impaired or using a cellphone during the Washington-to-New York run.

Bostian, in a lawsuit against Amtrak, said he was left disoriented or unconscious when something struck his train before it derailed.

However, the NTSB concluded that nothing struck his locomotive and victims' lawyers had questioned why Bostian would have sped up, rather than slow down, if he had been startled by something striking the train.

Federal investigators believe he was distracted listening to radio traffic that a nearby commuter train had been struck by a rock and lost track of where he was

In a lawsuit against Amtrak, Bostian said he was left disoriented or unconscious when something struck his train before it derailed (Pictured, rescue workers search for survivors among the wreckage)

However, the NTSB concluded that nothing struck Bostian's locomotive and victims' lawyers had questioned why he would have sped up, rather than slow down, if he had been startled by something striking the train (Pictured, emergency personnel carry survivors to receive medical attention)

Attorney Thomas Kline (pictured on Thursday) sought a private complaint on the behalf of the family of victim due to the lack of charges. He bemoaned that the charges wouldn't have been brought 'had a courageous family, the Jacobs family, not stood up against the decision of a local prosecutor not to press charges'

'One thing he has never recollected is how or why he accelerated before the curve,' said attorney Robert Mongeluzzi, who with Kline represents about three dozen victims.

Other lawyers have called last year's NTSB report on the crash a 'whitewash' and a 'quantum leap.'

Philadelphia prosecutors concluded this week that there was insufficient evidence to prove that Bostian acted with intent or 'conscious disregard' for the passengers' safety.

But Mongeluzzi said that should be an issue for a jury.

Amtrak has taken responsibility for the crash and agreed to pay $265 million to settle claims filed by victims and their families.
A stunned woman found a body of a fugitive in the trunk of her car after he hid there while fleeing cops and apparently shot himself dead.

The woman had even driven to the doctors unaware that the body of Ross Elliot, 51, was in her car after he broke into the vehicle in her garage.

His body was found in Lowell, Massachusetts, on Friday after a two-day manhunt, during which police officers and SWAT team members combed through the 110,000-strong town for any information about the suspect.

Elliott had been accused of shooting his ex-girlfriend, 44-year-old Nicole Gamache, in the head in the common room at her apartment, just feet away from her daughter and mother.

Ross Elliot, 51, (pictured left) from Lowell, Massachusetts was found dead on Friday after a two-day manhunt. He was accused of killing his ex-girlfriend Nicole Gamache (right)

During the manhunt, police officers and SWAT team members combed through the 110,000-strong town for any information about the suspect. They later found him dead in the trunk of a car (pictured)

'What we should not lose sight of is this is unfortunately another tragic example of loss of life in domestic violence situations,' District Attorney Marian Ryan said.

'Our thoughts and prayers are with the children in this family as we head into Mothers Day weekend, the life of a mother lost to domestic violence and ultimate ending with the death of Mr. Elliott.'

Investigators say Elliott broke into a car at a home earlier that day, WCVB reported. The owner, oblivious to what was in her trunk, drove the car to her doctor's appointment. Upon her return, she saw her trunk open with a hand eerily hanging out.

After she dialled 911, three armed police officers arrived at the scene, which was in the parking lot of an office complex.

An off-duty officer and firefighter David Provencher saw Elliot hiding under his motorcycle cover on Thursday afternoon. The murder suspect threatened the police officer and fled

In the footage captured by witnesses who had an aerial view of the end of the manhunt, the police officers appear cautious as they slowly approached the vehicle in which the body was lodged.

Elliott appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gun injury, CBS Local reported. The vehicle was towed away from the scene, marking the strange end to this manhunt, which left the Lowell town under siege for nearly 48 hours.

But Elliott had a close shave with the police before he died.

An off-duty officer and firefighter David Provencher saw the suspect hiding under his motorcycle cover on Thursday afternoon, WBZ-TV reported. Elliot threatened the police officer and fled.

'He just kept saying I want to be left alone I want to go die,' the officer told the station.

'I pulled my phone out and he pointed a gun at me and said dont do that, dont do that.'

Elliot had a run-in with the law 13 years ago, when he was imprisoned for nine and a half years for kidnapping his then-girlfriend and slicing her throat.
Kim Jong-Un visited a tools and utensils exhibition, amid claims from his spokesmen that he is willing to talk to the US.

The North Korean dictator inspected the display of building materials and sci-tech achievements organised by the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces on Saturday.

It comes as senior diplomat Choe Son Hui declared that North Korea was willing to talk to the Trump administration under the 'right conditions'.

Kim Jong-Un visited a tools and utensils exhibition, amid claims from his spokesmen that he is willing to talk to the US

The North Korean dictator inspected the display of building materials and sci-tech achievements organised by the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces on Saturday

He waves to the members of the Korean People's Army at the exhibition

It comes as Choe Son Hui told reporters the North was preparing to hold talks with the Trump administration.

When asked if North Korea was also preparing to talk with the new government in South Korea, of liberal President Moon Jae-in, Choe said: 'We'll see.'

Choe Son Hui made the comment to reporters in Beijing as she was travelling from Norway back to North Korea, Yonhap said.

It comes amid international efforts to ease tension over North Korea's pursuit of nuclear arms.

Choi did not elaborate on what the North's conditions are, but her comments raise the possibility of North Korea and the U.S. returning to negotiations for the first time since 2008, when six-nation talks over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program fell apart.

The dictator beamed as officials escorted him around the exhibition

Thousands of military members lined the stadium and clapped as the leader arrived

President Donald Trump opened the door this month to talks, saying he would be 'honored' to meet Kim Jong-Un.

It comes as the reclusive country sent cryptic broadcasts across South Korea's airwaves telling 'number 27 expedition agents' to 'review' their 'foreign language lessons'.

North Korea resumed broadcasting numbers in coded messages via its radio station in Pyongyang last June

Experts believe the codes - usually broadcast at midnight - are used to direct spies across the border in the South.

North Korea has said it is open to talks with the US under the 'right conditions' - while also sending new secret coded radio messages to agents in the South

Senior North Korean diplomat Choe Son Hui said 'we will have dialogue if the conditions are there', on Saturday

The messages were read out on radio for the first time since Moon Jae-in became South Korea's new president.

A female announcer read out the transmissions on Radio Pyongyang in North Korea at 1.15am local time.

The woman called out a series of numbers, such as: 'Number 18 on Page 451,' according to Yonhap news agency.

Analysts believe the broadcasts are designed to give spies secret orders which they can decode using a cipher book.

It comes as the reclusive country sent cryptic broadcasts across South Korea's airwaves telling 'number 27 expedition agents' to 'review' their 'foreign language lessons'

Experts believe the codes - usually broadcast at midnight - are used to direct spies across the border (pictured) in the South

This method - which was used during the Cold War - was suspended in 2000 when North and South Korea held a historic summit.

But the broadcasts resumed last June and since then Pyongyang has broadcast numbers on 36 occasions - including 16 in 2017.

Cryptic messages were sent in March this year, intercepted from a Pyongyang propaganda station, which instructed members of the '21st exploration team' to 'review' their 'math assignment'.

The broadcast then recited a series of numbers, which it is believed could be used by North Korean spies in South Korea to translate into orders amid high tension between the nations - which remain technically at war after six decades.
Abraham Maghen was tracked down after a May 2 robber of a Pembroke Pines Chase Bank branch and Tuesday's robbery of a Boca Raton TD Bank branch

A 24-year-old Florida man was tracked down by the FBI after multiple bank robberies in Florida.

Abraham Maghen was tracked down after a May 2 robber of a Pembroke Pines Chase Bank branch and Tuesday's robbery of a Boca Raton TD Bank branch.

Police said that he got away with $18,000 from the two different banks, and did it all while disguised as an elderly man, reported the Miami Herald.

Maghen allegedly walked into the banks 'wearing a mask resembling an elderly individual.' He also donned a punk hairstyle and a pair of sunglasses.

He then gave a demand note to a teller that read 'This is a robbery. I'm listening to a police scanner. Do not try anything or I will shoot you in the stomach.'

He then brandished what appeared to be a handgun before taking $10,000 from the Pembroke Pines branch, according to a complaint against him.

No one was injured, according to the FBI in Miami. They released the photos of him at the bank in hopes of identifying the suspect.

Then, on Tuesday, one week following the Chase Bank robbery, a man in a senior citizen mask entered the TD Bank in Boca Raton, with a demand note that said: 'My grandson is sick. I need $40,000 now.'

The robber then impatiently yelled 'Hurry up! He's going to die!' and the bank teller handed over $1,800 with a GPS tracking device hidden among the cash.

The GPS device was dumped behind a Publix less than a block away, but surveillance cameras at the store caught a light blue Hyundai at the same time the GPS signaled its position in the garbage bin.

Maghen allegedly walked into the banks 'wearing a mask resembling an elderly individual.' He then gave a demand note to a teller that read 'This is a robbery. I'm listening to a police scanner. Do not try anything or I will shoot you in the stomach'

According to the criminal complaint, the car's license plate led the FBI to the home that Maghen was living at in Hollywood, Florida.

FBI agents chatted him up when he came outside for a cigarette, and he admitted to being in Boca Raton earlier that day for graffiti removal, according to the Herald.

When the property owner gave them permission to enter the home, the FBI agents said they spotted a police scanner from the doorway of his room, and an open internet page with a Palm Beach TV station reporting something about a bank.

Upon search warrant request, the laptop's history showed that he had been reading up on the news of the day's TD Bank branch robbery.

In his room were also a Styrofoam head, the kind used to make masks, and latex gloves. There was also paperwork for a space at the University Drive Public Storage.

Maghen was arrested May 9 in connection with both bank robberies, and his arraignment is scheduled for May 24. According to a report, he is a fired financial adviser who admitted to the US Magistrate Judge that 'he's not very good at finances'.
Former FBI director James Comey reportedly does want to testify about alleged ties between Russia and Donald Trump's presidential campaign - but only if it is in public.

Comey declined on Friday to testify behind closed doors before the Senate Intelligence Committee after he was invited to appear next Tuesday.

But a source close to the ousted FBI director told the New York Times that Comey is willing to testify in public.

Before his firing on Tuesday, Comey had been scheduled to appear in Thursday's hearings  one in public and another more revealing classified session.

Andrew McCabe, who became acting director when Comey was sacked, appeared in his place since Comey was no longer a government official.

President Donald Trump seemed to throw him a brushback pitch on Twitter, writing Friday that Comey had 'better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!'

Former FBI director James Comey (right) reportedly does want to testify about alleged ties between Russia and Donald Trump's presidential campaign - but only if it is in public

The White House wouldn't rule out, hours later, the possibility that the president's three known conversations with his then-FBI chief were recorded.

Trump has claimed that Comey told him on all three occasions that he wasn't personally under investigation.

According to unnamed friends of Comey's who are leaking his thoughts to reporters, he is hoping to hear his own voice and Trump's on recordings of his presidential chit-chat

Comey is 'not worried about any tapes' of those talks between him and the president, according to CNN, who quoted a Comey friend saying that 'if there is a tape, there's nothing he is worried about.'

NBC News has its own secret access to Comey's inner circle, with one person close to him saying: 'He hopes there are tapes. That would be perfect.'

White House press secretary Sean Spicer wouldn't rule out the possibility during Friday's briefing.

'The president has nothing further to add,' he said several times. Asked directly whether the White House is taping Trump's phone calls , he wouldn't give a yes-or-no answer.

And when asked if it was proper for the president to threaten his former FBI director into silence, Spicer said the tweet was 'not a threat. He's simply stating a fact.'

An NBC White House reporter spoke with a Comey confidant who said the fired FBI chief is hoping the tapes exists; CNN made a similar report based on another unnamed source

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Friday afternoon that the president wouldn't have any further comments about the tweet, which he denied was a 'threat' to Comey; he also wouldn't confirm or deny that the White House records the president's phone calls

Trump's veiled threat is said to have enraged Comey, who believes it would be 'perfect' to have a record of his discussions with the president

It's also possible that the FBI or the Justice Department was openly recording, or secretly monitoring, Comey's calls. A request for information from the DOJ went unanswered on Friday.

Trump said Thursday during an interview with NBC News that the two men have spoken at least three times since Inauguration Day.

And on those occasions, he insisted, Comey assured him that he was not personally the subject of any federal investigations.

'He said it once at dinner and then he said it twice during phone calls,' Trump said.

He described a matter-of-fact exchange over dinner in which he asked an unusual question and got an unconventional response.

'I said, "If it's possible would you let me know, am I under investigation?" Trump recalled.

'He said, "You are not under investigation".'

Spicer was asked Friday whether or not the White House had a recording of that dinnertime conversation, and replied: 'I'm not aware of that.'

It is rare for a federal law enforcement official to tell anyone, including the President of the United States, whether they are being investigated.

Even if Comey doesn't speak to reporters about the circumstances behind his dismissal on Tuesday, he may have a high-profile venue to tell his side of the story.

The Senate Intelligence Committee has asked him to testify next week.

The latest twist from Trump amid reports that he demanded loyalty from James Comey during the private dinner at the White House back in January.

The claims from associates of the now fired FBI director. Comey had told associates that he was summoned to the White House for a one-on-one dinner with Trump seven days after the inauguration, the New York Times reports.

It was during the dinner that Trump reportedly asked Comey twice to pledge loyalty to him as the new Commander in Chief.

Sources say Comey declined to do so but said he told the President he would always be honest with him.

Meanwhile former national intelligence director James Clapper says Comey was uneasy about having dinner with President Donald Trump in January.

Clapper told MSNBC on Friday that he spoke briefly with Comey about the dinner before they attended a retirement celebration for Clapper.

The dinner was held on January 27 - and is now at the center of the dispute over Comey's sacking.

He says Comey mentioned that he had been invited to have dinner with Trump and was 'uneasy with it.'

Clapper says Comey was concerned about the 'optics' of that because it might appear that he or the FBI was not working independently of the White House.

Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said Friday that he doesn't know if the Trump presidential campaign colluded with Russia to meddle in November's election

Clapper had said in March on 'Meet the Press' that he wasn't aware of any evidence to support the idea that Trumpworld worked with Moscow, but he changed his line on Friday

Clapper had said in March on 'Meet the Press' that he wasn't aware of any evidence to support the idea that Trumpworld worked with Moscow, but he changed his line on Friday

The president has gone ape on Twitter, leaning on Clapper's statements that the former top intelligence official now seems to be abandoning

Question: Asked if he agreed with the president's claim that the Trump-Russia investigation was a 'witch hunt,' Clapper responded: 'I don't believe it is, but that's kind of irrelevant.'

Clapper also pushed back on the president's description of Comey as a 'showboater' and White house claims that FBI agents were close to an uprising

'I witnessed personally the very high esteem and respect people in the FBI have, and still have, for Jim Comey,' he said.

The former director of national intelligence - who said in March that there was 'no evidence' the Trump campaign collluded with Russia 's election -meddling efforts - also changed his story on Friday, saying 'I don't know' if evidence exists.

Clapper told Andrea Mitchell that while he was America's top intelligence official, he typically allowed the BFI to decide how much information to share with him about counterintelligence investigations that had the potential to turn into criminal cases.

'So it's not surprising or abnormal that I would not have known about the investigation, or even more importantly the content of that investigation,' he said, talking about the FBI's Russia probe.

'So I don't know if there was collusion or not. I don't know if there's evidence of collusion or not, nor should I have in this particular context.'

Asked if he agreed with the president's claim that the Trump-Russia investigation was a 'witch hunt,' Clapper responded: 'I don't believe it is, but that's kind of irrelevant.'

'I think what needs to happen here is to clear this cloud, the cloud that is hanging over the administration, over the president, over the White House,' he said.

'And it would be in everyone's best interest to get to the bottom of this and for the country. Otherwise this is going to continue to linger as a dark cloud over  in my opinion  over this administration.'

The president has gone ape on Twitter, leaning on Clapper's statements that the former top intelligence official now seems to be abandoning

Clapper first appeared to give Trump a clean bill of counterintelligence health during a March appearance on NBC's 'Meet the Press' program, saying a multi-agency assessment had included no evidence that Trumpworld worked with Moscow to tilt the November election in the president's favor.

'We did not include any evidence in our report  and I say, 'our,' that's NSA, FBI and CIA, with my office, the Director of National Intelligence  that had anything, that had any reflection of collusion between members of the Trump campaign and the Russians. There was no evidence of that included in our report,' he said then.

Asked if such evidence exists, he replied: 'Not to my knowledge.'
Former Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca was sentenced to three years in federal prison on Friday for attempting to derail an FBI investigation into beatings in the jails he once ran.

Baca and his underlings dubbed the scheme Operation Pandora's Box and, like the Greek myth the name was based on, it contained troubles the conspirators never anticipated when they were caught obstructing justice.

A judge rebuked Baca for failing to live up to the lofty values he preached and tarnishing his otherwise shining legacy.

US District Court Judge Percy Anderson, who exceeded a two-year term recommended by prosecutors, said Baca would have received five years behind bars if not for nearly a half-century of public service and because he's in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.

Former Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca was sentenced to three years in prison on Friday after being involved in a jail corruption scandal

The former sheriff and others that worked under him found out an inmate was actually an FBI informant looking into beatings at the jail. The group conspired to hide the inmate by changing his name in computers and threatening to arrest his FBI handler. Pictured, Baca in 2004

The judge, however, took exception to a defense contention that Alzheimer's is a sentence of its own.

'As awful as Alzheimer's disease is, it's not a criminal penalty,' said Anderson, who said the suggestion was an insult to millions of others suffering from the condition who have not committed federal crimes.

'Alzheimer's disease is not a get-out-of-jail card.'

Baca, 74, was the most prominent defendant in the case that expanded from a civil rights investigation of beatings by guards in the nation's largest jail system, into a broader corruption scandal that led to the top of the department.

Baca was ordered to surrender to federal prison authorities on July 25 and was convicted in March of obstructing justice, conspiring to obstruct justice and lying to federal authorities.

Baca and others first launched Operation Pandora's Box after discovering that a jail inmate with a contraband flip phone was acting as an FBI informant.

The group conspired to hide the inmate by changing his name in computers, moving him among different facilities and threatening to arrest his FBI handler.

Furious about the investigation, Baca confronted the local FBI head and top federal prosecutor saying he was ready to 'gun up' for battle with them.

Despite his sentence, more than 200 friends and supporters wrote letters of support for Baca, including former Mexican President Vicente Fox and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger

'Rather than stop the abuses in the jails, he entered into a conspiracy with his subordinates to obstruct a federal civil rights investigation to protect his legacy,' acting U.S. Attorney Sandra Brown said.

'He made a decision to protect what he called his empire, his jails and then simply to protect himself.'

He escaped charges until last year, when he agreed to plead guilty and face no more than six months in prison. Anderson rejected the deal as too lenient, and Baca withdrew his guilty plea and went to trial.

The convictions tarnished Baca's reputation as a soft-spoken, progressive reformer who promoted education and rehabilitation for inmates and preached tolerance and understanding among different cultures and faiths.

Defense attorney Nathan Hochman said Baca's misdeeds over six weeks in 2011 and four false answers to 400 questions during a voluntary interview with authorities in 2013 had to be balanced against an 'extraordinary record of public service' and his condition, which has progressed to mild dementia.

More than 200 friends and supporters wrote letters of support for Baca, including former Mexican President Vicente Fox, former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, Hollywood executives, clergy and former jail inmates.

'For 48 years, he served the people of Los Angeles with all his might, with all his heart,' Hochman said.

But US District Court Judge Percy Anderson felt there had to be repercussions for the obstruction of justice, stating: 'Blind obedience to a corrupt culture has serious consequences'

Baca plans to appeal and challenge several of Anderson's rulings, including a decision not to allow medical experts to testify whether Baca's medical condition impaired his memory when he lied to federal authorities.

Anderson said Baca's fall was tragic, but he knew he was doing wrong and the actions by deputies who brutalized inmates had ruined lives and done lasting damage to the community.

'Your actions are an embarrassment to the thousands of men and women who put their lives on the line every day,' Anderson said. 'Blind obedience to a corrupt culture has serious consequences.'

In addition to Baca and his top lieutenant, 19 others were convicted of crimes ranging from assaults to obstructing justice.

The sentence was a blow to Baca, who had been seeking probation and home confinement.

Baca, dressed in a light blue suit, delivered a scattered address on Friday from hand-written notes outside the courthouse after the sentencing, in which he thanked the people of Los Angeles County, his lawyers and his wife standing by his side, who he couldn't immediately locate.

He declined to comment on the sentence. But as he waited to cross a street, he said he was a man of faith who believes life is precious.

'I love life no matter where I am,' he said.
Passengers were left crying, screaming and fainting on a Melbourne-bound Jetstar plane, after it was stranded on a Phuket runway for more than two hours without air-conditioning.

Flight JQ18 had just finished boarding at Phuket Airport on Friday night when the power unit that controls the air-conditioning broke.

Hundreds of passengers were trapped on the stifling plane as engineers worked to resolve the issue.

Cabin crew members handed out cold water, but up to five people fainted or suffered other medical conditions, according to one passenger.

Passengers were left crying, screaming and fainting on a Melbourne-bound Jetstar plane, after it was stranded on a Phuket runway for more than two hours without air-conditioning (stock image)

Flight JQ18 had just finished boarding at Phuket Airport (pictured) on Friday night when the power unit that controls the air-conditioning broke

'People were not let off the plane for two hours ... and as a result approximately five people fainted or suffered other medical conditions,' the passenger posted to Jetstar Australia's Facebook.

'People were fainting, screaming, crying, and having massive panic attacks and yelling at staff to let them off but the captain didn't,' another passenger said, according to the Herald Sun.

'Finally after people continued to scream out to open the doors and one bloke fainted and started tripping out and a teenage girl began to have breathing issues, the decision was made to let passengers off.'

After disembarking the aircraft, passengers reported waiting at the gate for further information, only to discover via e-mail that the plane was delayed until 4pm Saturday.

Hundreds of passengers were trapped inside the plane's stifling cabin engineers worked to resolve the issue (stock image)

Passengers took to social media to vent their frustrations on the Jetstar Australia Facebook page

One man described the service as 'horrific', and said people should be aware of his experience

'Currently sitting in Phuket International Airport because your incompetence made a few hundred people sit on a stinking hot plane like a heard of cattle,' another angry customer posted.

'[We were sitting] with the doors locked and aircon off for two hours serving us p*** warm water, until all the kids started screaming and finally someone passed out and started convulsing in the isle.'

A Jetstar spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that passengers were taken to nearby hotels after another 'technical issue' was found.

'The combination of technical issues with the aircraft and a customer needing to get off due to a medical condition meant a lengthy delay to the flight back from Phuket,' he said.

'The ground power unit which had the technical fault controls the air conditioning unit so it was quite warm on the aircraft.

'We apologise to all customers and thank them for their patience.'

The spokesperson said passengers can request a refund if they would not like to travel.
Disgraced greyhound trainer Tom Noble's avoidance of jail for live baiting has been slammed by the RSPCA who says it sets a 'worrying precedent' for animal cruelty charges.

RSPCA spokesman Michael Beatty has registered the organisation's disgust after the Queensland Court of Appeal upheld a non-custodial sentence for Noble, for using possums, piglets and rabbits as live bait.

The 69-year-old was last year sentenced to three years imprisonment but wholly suspended for five years, due to serious health issues and his role as carer for his severely ill wife.

Tom Noble, 69, (pictured) was sentenced to three years jail for his animal cruelty while training greyhounds

Noble used possums, piglets and rabbits as live bait for the greyhounds as they ran (stock image)

The state government launched an appeal, arguing the sentence was 'manifestly inadequate' and calling for him to spend actual time behind bars.

But this was dismissed by the appeals court on Friday.

The court noted Noble, who was at the centre of the live-baiting scandal, had committed 'inhumanely cruel and protracted' offences by strapping piglets, possums and rabbits to a lure arm at his Churchable training track.

'However to proceed upon some kind of rule of thumb that such offending must always be punished by actual imprisonment could, in an individual case, contort the sentencing process,' Justice Robert Gotterson found.

Mr Beatty said the RSPCA was incredibly disappointed with the outcome, especially after the charge of serious animal cruelty was only introduced in recent years.

The 69-year-old was last year sentenced to three years imprisonment but wholly suspended for five years, due to serious health issues and his role as carer for his severely ill wife

'This type of cruelty is precisely why the charge of serious animal cruelty was introduced,' he said on Saturday.

'He was charged with 15, repeat 15, counts of serious animal cruelty and still serves no time.

'It's not only disappointing, it sets a very worrying precedent for anyone appearing on any animal cruelty charge.

'The court didn't even issue a prohibition order that would stop him from owning animals.

'This is a very sad day for anyone who loves animals.'
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NATO tanks have put on a show of their strength during a competing exercise in Germany, testing offensive and defensive operations to see who can prevail.

Austria took first place in the Strong Europe Tank Challenge 2017 as six nations and partner nations battled it out in Grafenwoehr, beating France, Germany, Poland, Ukraine and the USA in the exercise.

The second annual challenge, which was won by Germany last year, tested soldiers on vehicle identification, battle damage assessment and precision manoeuvres.

According to Stars and Stripes, Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the commander of U.S. Army Europe, said the challenge was designed to foster both a competitive and cooperative spirit among the tankers. After trying their best during the day to outperform their competitors, each night they exchanged professional knowledge, he said.

The partnership event took place over five days at Grafenwoehr's military training ground in Germany.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin's troops have been practising dropping armoured tanks into the battlefield by parachute.

A BMD-4M amphibious infantry fighting vehicle strapped to parachutes was dropped from the back of an Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane at an altitude of 800m, during trials at Dyagilevo Air Base, Ryazan Region.

US soldiers in a US Army M1A2 SEP tank during the Strong Europe Tank Challenge 2017 at the military training area in Grafenwoehr, Germany

US Soldiers fly the flag from their M1A2 SEP tanks as they take part in a competing exercise held by NATO in Germany on Friday

A US soldier smokes his e-cigarette as he takes a break during the friendly competition, designed to allow armies in NATO to learn from each other

This year, Austria won the second annual tank battle, with reports the next three in the rankings were very close on points

German soldiers in a German army Leopard 2A6 tank during the Strong Europe Tank Challenge 2017, which was hosted in Grafenwoehr

A German soldier looks out over the tank as his team battle to win in a five-day competition, testing the soldiers of offensive and defensive methods

Polish army Leopard 2A5 tank participates in the Strong Europe Tank Challenge 2017. Six NATO nations competed, including Austria, France, Germany, Poland, Ukraine and the USA

A US soldier in US Army M1A2 SEP tank. This is the second time this competition has been held and the soldiers have an opportunity to get to know one another

German soldiers in a German army Leopard 2A6 tank. Germany came second in the competition, pipped to the post by Austria

German army Leopard 2A6 tank participates in the Strong Europe Tank Challenge. Each of the six countries sent one platoon with four tanks to the competition

German soldiers in a German army Leopard 2A6 tank. Platoons rotated throughout 12 events with 1,500 possible points in total

Austrian soldiers in Austrian army Leopard 2A4 tanks. They were hailed as winners at the end of the five-day competition which opened on May 7

Austrian army Leopard 2A4 tank. Teams had to react in situations that included treating and evacuating hostages in enemy situations

German soldiers in a German army Leopard 2A6 tank. Another of the events included a team run, a relay race with tank-related objects, and a combat pistol shoot

German army Leopard 2A6 tank fires during the exercises in the military training area of Grafenwoehr, where the event was hosted this year

Austrian soldiers in Austrian army Leopard 2A4 tanks. The challenge and events are intended to foster good military relationships and swap tactics

Austrian army Leopard 2A4 tank fires during the exercise. Not all the events focused around being in the tanks, but soldiers also had to identify friendly and enemy tanks

An Austrian soldier looks out from an Austrian army Leopard 2A4 tank. Austria sent 16 soldiers and four tanks to the competition and came out on top

A US Army M1A2 SEP tank participates in the challenge, against Austria, France, Germany, Poland, and the Ukraine

US soldiers cheer Austrian soldiers in an Austrian army Leopard 2A4 tank, as the event brings soldiers from different nations together under one banner

Tanks from several nations participate in the Strong Europe Tank Challenge 2017 at the military training area in Grafenwoehr, Germany, 12 May 2017

A US Army M1A2 SEP tank. The US came third, beaten by Austria and Germany in the second annual competition

US soldiers follow a tank shooting as they step back for one of the events for their colleagues to take the lead role in the competition

A US Army M1A2 SEP tank fires as the stars and stripes flag flies from the back of the military machinery. Last year's winner was Germany but this year they were pushed to second

An Ukrainian army T-64BM tank participates in the Strong Europe Tank Challenge 2017. According to reports, the other platoons had a lot to learn from Ukraine because of their recent combat

A US Army M1A2 SEP tank, operated by a four-man team. Over the course of 12 events, teams could score 1,500 points, with the biggest events worth 500 points

Ukrainian army T-64BM tanks. Three-person teams operated France's Leclerc tanks and Ukraine's T-64BM tanks during the exercises

Austrian soldiers in Austrian army Leopard 2A4 tanks. The event had six NATO nations and was hosted as a joint effort between U.S. Army, Europe and German Bundeswehr

US soldiers cheer to a Ukrainian soldier in a Ukrainian army T-64BM tank. The final day, on May 12, featured a 'friendship shoot' as well as the announcement of the winner

In Russia, A BMD-4M amphibious infantry fighting vehicle strapped to parachutes lands after being dropped from the back of an Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane at an altitude of 800m, during trials at Dyagilevo Air Base, Ryazan Region

A Russian soldier stands next to a BMD-4M amphibious infantry fighting vehicle strapped to parachutes after it was dropped from the back of an Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane at an altitude of 800m, during trials at Dyagilevo Air Base

Russian soldiers look on as a BMD-4M amphibious infantry fighting vehicle strapped to parachutes is descending after being dropped from the back of an Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane at an altitude of 800m

A Russian soldier stands next to a BMD-4M amphibious infantry fighting vehicle strapped to parachutes after it was dropped from the back of an Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane

Journalists look at a BMD-4M amphibious infantry fighting vehicle strapped to parachutes after it was dropped from the back of an Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane

Russian soldiers stand next to a BMD-4M amphibious infantry fighting vehicle strapped to parachutes after it was dropped from the back of an Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane at an altitude of 800m

BMD-4M amphibious infantry fighting vehicle strapped to parachutes. These machines are the lightest and most heavily armed in their class

A Russian soldier stands next to a BMD-4M. The machines are post-Cold War and were designed to transport Russian Airborne Troops

A Russian soldier stands on top of the tank as journalists and officers discuss the trials in the air base in Russia

The tank was dropped from a Ilyushin Il-76 aeroplane, which was designed to deliver heavy machinery to remote, poorly served areas
High Court judge Mr Justice Haddon-Cave has made what is thought to be the largest divorce award in British legal history in the case of an oil trader and his ex-wife

A Russian billionaire has hit out at the record 453million he has been ordered to pay his ex-wife.

He claims they split up 17 years ago after she admitted to having an affair.

The oil and gas magnate, who is 61, was forced to hand over an art collection worth 87million plus an Aston Martin valued at 350,000.

The Times reported the tycoon, who remains unnamed due to a court order, said he was 'surprised' at the outcome, due to his wife's infidelities.

His partner, who was born in eastern Europe, had been a housewife and mother throughout the marriage, the judge said.

The pair met in 1989 when she was studying in Moscow and they married there in 1993.

She brought up their sons in their home in Surrey with the help of a nanny.

But the husband said in 2000 his now ex-wife admitted to having affairs with several men, after which time he decided to register for divorce in Russia.

But this week the court ruled the Russian documents were forged and he was ordered to pay his estranged wife 453million.

Senior judge Mr Justice Haddon-Cave made the ruling following a private hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London.

The judge has not named anyone involved in the ruling but said the man was 61 and was born in the Caucasus and his ex-wife was 44 and from eastern Europe.

The award is thought to be the biggest ever made by a UK divorce court judge.

Mr Justice Haddon-Cave said the man had worked in London as an oil and gas trader and had been very successful in pursuing business interests in the energy sector in Russia.

Nearly five years ago the man had sold shares in a Russian company for 1.3 billion US dollars.

Mr Justice Haddon-Cave said the man had been 'very generous with gifts'.

He had bought his ex-wife jewellery worth more than 300,000 and given her unrestricted use of two credit cards and use of a yacht, plane and helicopter.

He also had property, an art collection worth more than 90 million and a 350,000 Aston Martin, the court heard.

The award of 453million comes in the case of an oil trader and his ex-wife

The judge said the art collection and car would be transferred to the woman as part of the payout package.

The woman had been a 'housewife and mother' throughout the 20-year marriage and she still lived at the home they had shared in Surrey.



She contended that the 'total net marital wealth' was just over 1billion and that their entire wealth was 'matrimonial in character', having been built up during a long marriage through 'equal contributions to the welfare of the family'.

The man had argued that he was wealthy before they married and that he had made a 'special contribution' to the creation of wealth.

The court heard the oil and gas trader had made his money from selling shares in a Russian firm

The wealthy husband had bought his children flats in a luxury London development costing 29million and 7.2million, the court heard.

She was not in court on Thursday to see Mr Justice Haddon-Cave deliver his ruling.

But he mysteriously pulled out of the proceedings two weeks before and planned hearing and had not appeared at the final hearing of the case, the court heard.

In late 2014, Jamie Cooper-Hohn, wife of financier Sir Chris Hohn, was awarded more than 330million.

Legal experts said the Cooper-Hohn award was 'certainly' one of the biggest made in the UK.

But they said because family litigation was often conducted at private hearings, it was hard to be certain what a payout league table would look like.

Three years earlier, Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky featured in a multi-million pound divorce case. It was reported that his former wife Galinan Besharova had agreed to accept between 165million and 220million as part of a settlement.
A man and a woman have been captured on CCTV who appear to be involved in a theft at a jewellery shop in Wangaratta last month.

Police allege the couple stole a bracelet after the pair entered the Murphy Street store just after 5pm on April 24.

The woman is seen standing near the man to block him as he reaches over the cabinet and removes a silver bracelet with rose gold charms.

A man and a woman have been captured on CCTV allegedly stealing jewellery

The pair believe the couple stole a bracelet from the Murphy Street store

He then folds it into a catalogue and leaves the store with the woman.

Authorities have released the footage in an appeal to identify the alleged brazen thieves.

The man appears to be Mediterranean in appearance, in his late 30s, with a medium build, olive complexion and shaved head.

He was wearing a Nike t-shirt, black Havaiana thongs and black shorts.

The man appears to be Mediterranean in appearance, in his late 30s, with a medium build, olive complexion and shaved head

The woman has a slender build and was wearing a black puffer vest over the top of a three-quarter sleeve skivvy

The woman has a slender build and long hair that was tied up in a bun.

She was wearing a three-quarter sleeve skivvy, black puffer vest, white runners, black leggings and lots of jewellery.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers om 1800 333 000.
One Brisbane man's studies have taken him all the way to the pub.

PhD candidate Edward Kerr will soon embark on a three year scholarship in search of better tasting beer.

As part of the $45,000 government funded study the Queensland University student will work with Newstead Brewing Co in Brisbane to investigate the potential of wild yeast as a flavour enhancer.

'It's a dream PhD because it's on an interesting topic with some fascinating science involved and the chance to transfer this knowledge to industry,' Mr Kerr told The University of Queensland.

PhD candidate Edward Kerr will soon embark on a three year scholarship in search of better-tasting beer (pictured right with his supervisor Dr Ben Schulz)

Thirsty work: Edward Kerr's studies have taken him all the way to the pub.

'Beer is the world's oldest and mostly widely consumed alcoholic drink, and it was brewed as long ago as 9500 BC.

'Although it's an established industrial process, many details of the underlying biochemistry are unknown, which can lead to severe inefficiencies and product variability.

'My project aims to understand how differences in yeast and malt can influence the biochemistry, production and product qualities of beer.'

One requirement of the scholarship is that Mr Kerr spend at least half his time at Newstead brewery.

Newstead Brewing chief executive Dr Mark Howes said the company was excited to have the university's scientific input.

One requirement of the scholarship is that Mr Kerr needs to spend at least half his time at Newstead brewery (pictured)

'I come from a research background myself, with a PhD in molecular bioscience from UQ and I appreciate the edge that a fresh scientific approach will bring to our industry,' he said.

'Throughout the project, the insights gained into the beer-making process will be integrated into our microbrewery production facility.

'We hope the project can discover and use Queensland's microbial diversity, improve efficiencies in barley production and use, and develop more knowledge for our growing industry.'
An alleged hit-and-run has left a man in hospital after he was struck by a Yamaha motorcycle while trying to cross a busy Sydney road.

Police have released images of a man they are looking for after a 46-year-old suffered a suspected broken ankle on Sydney's north shore about 6.20pm on Friday.

The man stepped off a bus on Penshurst Street in North Willoughby and went to cross the road when he was hit by the motorcycle.

Police have released images of a man they are looking for after an alleged hit-and-run left a 46-year-old man in hospital

The man was hospitalised with a broken ankle after he was struck by a Yamaha motorcycle about 6.20pm Friday while trying to cross a busy Sydney road

Both men hit the ground and the pedestrian made his way to the footpath, where he received medical assistance from witnesses, police said.

The motorcyclist pushed his bike to a nearby service station, before walking back towards the injured man.

Police said he then returned to his bike a short time later and took off without providing details.

The 46-year-old was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital for treatment.

Police have released images of a man and a motorbike they are searching for in relation to the hit and run.

They have urged anyone who can identify the man in the pictures to come forward.
A deputy police commissioner has been urged to resign after his celebrity brother revealed his undercover past - which includes a relationship with a 19-year-old political activist who has now accused him of manipulation and grooming her.

The woman has accused Andy Coles, who is the deputy police and crime commissioner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, of grooming and manipulating her, claiming that he deceived her into forming a sexual relationship in the 1990's while he worked as an undercover cop.

Mr Coles' secret past as a spy who targeted political groups was only revealed when his brother - former pop star and broadcaster Reverend Richard Coles - revealed his double life as an undercover police officer in an autobiography published in 2014.

Andy Coles, the deputy police and crime commissioner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, is accused of grooming and manipulating a 19-year-old while undercover

The former Communards member who later became a priest, wrote in his autobiography that his older brothers secret life involved infiltrating some sinister organisation while his wife and baby daughter made do with unpredictable visits  He looked like he had just walked out of the woods, his hair long and shaggy, with a straggly beard, his ears rattling with piercings.

Somebody who read the book contacted campaigners at the Undercover Research Group, a network of activists examining the work of police spies, and investigations by campaigners and The Guardian deducted that Andy Coles spent four years infiltrating animal rights groups.

'Jessica' - the woman who who has taken the case against the police - wants to remain anonymous but has called for Mr Coles to step down from his current post of deputy commissioner, where he helps monitor the Cambridgeshire police.

He is a disgrace to the police. He is contemptible. I think that ordinary police officers would be disgusted by him, Jessica said.

Andy Coles' secret past as a spy who targeted political groups was only revealed when his brother - former pop star and broadcaster Reverend Richard Coles (pictured) - revealed his brother's double life as an undercover police officer in an autobiography published in 2014

She said that she met Mr Coles in 1992 when she was naive, idealistic, unsophisticated and a very young 19.

She told The Guardian that Mr Coles was her first proper boyfriend.

Jessica said that they met after she left home for the first time and moved into a shared house with other activists and that Mr Coles regularly called to the house.

Jessica said that and one day he unexpectedly kissed her when they were watching a film alone.

I did not know how to react when he made advances towards me. I was embarrassed, awkward and what truly makes me feel sick now, is that I did not want to hurt his feelings.

She said she would not have consented to the relationship which later developed if she had known that he was really a police officer.

Mr Coles, was married at the time of the alleged affair and Jessica said that he concealed his marriage and his real job as an undercover officer from her. She said that she also believed he was about 24 rather than his real age of 32.

Activists claim that Mr Coles worked undercover between 1991 and 1995, claiming a false identity as 'Andy Davey' a removal van driver and living in a bedsit while spying on animal rights groups.

Coles even adopted a rescue dog as part of his new fake identity.

Campaigners say that they nicknamed him Andy Van because he often drove them to demonstrations.

They say that they were unaware that he was a member of the Metropolitan polices undercover unit, the Special Demonstration Squad, and that he was gathering information on them.

Jessica said that although she was not legally underage, she felt that her youth and vulnerability were used to target her.

The ex-detective posed as an animal rights activist, seen here in Cambridgeshire

"I was groomed by someone much older, and far more experienced, and I was manipulated into having a sexual relationship with him. I didnt even know his real name.

According to her legal claim, their relationship lasted more than a year. For nine months of that time, she maintained a long-distance relationship with him as she was working abroad.

Jessica's legal action against the police - alleging that Coles groomed and manipulated her - follows a series of lawsuits launched against the police by women who have discovered that they had relationships, often lasting many years, with undercover officers.

Police have been forced to apologise and pay compensation to at least eight women for the abuse and deception they experienced.

In 1995, Mr Coles told activists that he was moving to eastern Europe to teach English and disappeared from the animal rights movement. The next year, he sent a letter from Hungary to campaigners implying that the police were investigating him.

Mr Coles had actually returned to Scotland Yard where he worked until he retired from the police in 2012.

He was elected a Conservative councillor in Peterborough in 2015 and last July, he was appointed to the paid post of the deputy police and crime commissioner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

He was personally selected by Jason Ablewhite, the commissioner, who praised his wealth of experience both in policing and public service.

Mr Ablewhite said he would not comment when asked by The Guardian if he retained his confidence in Mr Coles, or if Mr Coles had disclosed his undercover mission or the relationship to him before he was appointed.

Andy Coles (left) was personally selected by Jason Ablewhite (right) as his Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, and he praised his wealth of experience in policing and public service

Jessica said she has suffered severe shock and distress after discovering earlier this year from other activists that he was a police spy.

She has asked for a public inquiry into the undercover infiltration of hundreds of political groups since 1968 to examine his conduct.

The public inquiry was set up by Theresa May when she was home secretary following a series of revelations about undercover police officers.

The inquiry  led by Lord Justice Pitchford  is scrutinising the activities of other undercover officers who formed intimate relationships with women they were spying on.

This has been one of the most stressful times I have ever known, my life as I knew it was a lie. One of the people I trusted most never existed. I cant look back at those times in the same way now. I cant trust my judgment because I got things so wrong, Jessica said.

Mr Coles has not responded to The Guardian's requests to comment.
Celebrity chef Neil Perry has called and personally apologised to a man who was handed a receipt at Burger Project with the racist slur 'n*****' printed on it.

Nicholas Muchinguri was dining at the boutique burger joint on Little Collins Street in Melbourne when an employee wrote the offensive term on his food receipt.

Mr Muchinguri's wife Rutendo Ruth shared a snap of the shockingly racist treatment, and hours later the famous restaurateur fired the staff member responsible and apologised profusely.

Mr Muchinguri also shared a picture of the receipt on his Twitter page, and claims staff at Burger Project initially tried to pass off the racist slur as a 'typo'.

Nicholas Muchinguri posted a snap of the receipt on Twitter to express his disgust at the racial slur

Rutendo Ruth Muchinguri (left) and her husband Nick (right) were horrified after the racist experience at the burger eatery

Celebrity chef Neil Perry (pictured) personally apologised to Mr Muchinguri after the incident on Friday

Mr Muchinguri (right) also shared a picture of the receipt on his Twitter page, and claims staff at Burger Project initially tried to pass off the racist slur as a 'typo'

'Hopefully this will turn into a learning opportunity for him and the entire staff at The Burger Project,' Mrs Muchinguri said on Facebook.

'We also want to thank Neil Perry for calling Nicholas first thing this morning to offer an apology on behalf of the company.'

Her husband Mr Muchinguri had ordered food from the Melbourne burger eatery for lunch on Friday when he noticed the racial slur written next to his table number.

'It is so disappointing that in a place where my husband spent his hard earned money, he received this sort of disgracefully discriminatory treatment,' Mrs Muchinguri wrote in her original Facebook post.

Burger Project's parent company Rockpool Dining Group shared an apology on its Facebook page, said the male employee in question had been terminated and claimed the company had apologised to Mr Muchinguri on Friday night.

But Mrs Muchinguri then clarified that the company had not apologised as claimed on Friday night, but Mr Perry had called her husband on Saturday morning to do so.

Mrs Muchinguri wrote on Facebook she was humbled by the overwhelming response of people condemning the staff member's actions, but was shocked some took the opportunity to spout more racism.

'As we read through the numerous comments that condemn what happened, we were encouraged that the majority of people see how wrong and hurtful this situation is,' she wrote.

'This is not my Australia': Mrs Muchinguri furiously revealed the business had not apologised yet despite posting on Facebook they had

Mrs Muchinguri expressed her disappointment that some people took the opportunity to perpetuate racism on Facebook

In a furious post to social media, Ms Muchinguri (pictured) slammed Neil Perry's boutique burger joint for its staff's blatant racism

Neil Perry (pictured) owns Burger Project in both Sydney and Melbourne - where the racist incident ocurred

'It's concerning to see that there are some comments that perpetuate this type of prejudice and racism. We've come a long way but there is still more to do and more conversations to be had.'

'We felt that the initial response of the The Burger Project was more concerned about its public image than the hurt caused,' Mrs Muchinguri also wrote.

'It was stated that they reached out to apologise as soon as they were aware of the incident and, as mentioned, Nicholas received an apology this morning, not last night.'

In a furious post to social media, Mrs Muchinguri had slammed Mr Perry's boutique burger joint for its staff member's blatant racism.

'My hard working black husband went to your Collins St store to have lunch with his friends and this is a photo of his receipt for the order,' she said.

'It's exhausting that in 2017, in a modern and multicultural society some of your staff remain insensitive to the impact that this insidiously nasty and vile word has.

'Come on, you can do better. This is NOT OK. I guarantee you that we will not be spending our money at any Rockpool Group businesses. I want to know what you will do about this,' she added.

Burger Project has since issued an apology about the racist incident and said they terminated the employee responsible

The image went viral on Friday night, prompting Burger Project issue an apology for the racist slur and to reveal the employee responsible had since been fired.

'We are very concerned to learn about the unacceptable language used by an employee of our Burger Project St Collins Lane store today,' the apology reads.

'We do not condone this kind of behaviour from our staff, or accept this treatment of our customers. As soon as we became aware of the matter this afternoon, when we were contacted on the behalf of the customer, we acted.

'We reached out and apologised and the employee's position was terminated. The employee's behaviour was in breach of our code of conduct and such behaviour won't be tolerated. We apologise profusely for the upset and hurt this has caused.'

Neil Perry is a chef and restaurateur who runs Burger Project in Sydney and Melbourne and also fine dining group Rockpool.

He also develops menus for business and first class passengers flying Qantas.
A 60-year-old male has allegedly been stabbed in Sydney's inner-west on Saturday.

The male is believed to have been involved in a domestic incident where he was allegedly stabbed on Bayswater Road in Drummoyne on Saturday afternoon.

He was treated by paramedics at 12.40pm and rushed to hospital in a serious condition.

Scroll down for video

Police continue their investigations into an alleged stabbing in Drummoyne on Saturday

The 60-year-old is currently recovering, according to police.

Police are continuing their investigations and no-one has been charged over the incident.
Rare unseen footage of the Beatles messing around as they filmed the movie Help! in the Austrian Alps has emerged after being stored in a garage for 50 years.

The famous four starred in the movie alongside the late actor Leo McKern, who became best known as Rumpole of Bailey on ITV between 1978-92.

He candidly recorded the bandmates in between takes as they larked around on set.

The 8mm film and its copyright is now being sold for asking price of 35,000.

Rare unseen footage of the Beatles fooling around in the snow and pretending to play instruments as they filmed the movie Help! in the Austrian Alps has emerged

The candid film was shot by the late actor Leo McKern, who was their co-star in the 1965 film

McKern recorded the singers messing around in the snow. Pictured above, Paul McCartney points to the camera with a smirk on his face while a smiling woman looks on

McKern, who had a strong interest in photography, recorded the four bandmates as they relaxed in between takes at the ski resort in Obertauern

McKern, who had a strong interest in photography, recorded the four bandmates as they relaxed in between takes at the ski resort in Obertauern.

Speaking to the Guardian, rare books dealer and actor Neil Pearson who is selling the footage, said: 'It is unseen footage of people who were, at that time, the most famous people on earth.

'It is footage of golden age Beatles, fooling around between takes, waiting for something to happen ... I know that feeling.'

The film shows John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr joking around with their stunt doubles and pretending to play instruments.

Their tomfoolery on set for this particular film was well-documented with Ringo Starr describing in an interview in 2000 how 'a hell of a lot of pot' was smoked while making the film.

The film shows John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr joking around with their stunt doubles

Their tomfoolery on set has been well-documented through the years with Ringo Starr describing in an interview how 'a hell of a lot of pot' was smoked while making the film

Speaking for a piece in the 2000 Beatles Anthology book, Ringo Starr said: 'In the afternoon we very seldom got past the first line of the script'

He said it was 'great' and the director knew very little would get done after lunch.

Speaking for a piece in the 2000 Beatles Anthology book, he said: 'In the afternoon we very seldom got past the first line of the script.

'We had such hysterics that no one could do anything. Dick Lester would say, "No, boys, could we do it again?" It was just that we had a lot of fun  a lot of fun in those days.'

And at the end of the footage, McKern's daughter Abigail, who was ten at the time, is recorded playing in the snow.

The Beatles were offered the film Help! following the success the group had with their first movie A Hard Day's Night. It had a larger budget than their first film, with scenes recorded in he Bahamas as well as Austria

Apart from family members when the McKerns returned to their home in London, it has otherwise remained unseen and kept stored away in the garage

She became a part of the gang and has memories of being in the Beatles entourage and even recalls being spat on by a jealous fan, according to Mr Pearson.

Apart from family members when the McKerns returned to their home in London, it has otherwise remained unseen and kept stored away in the garage.

It came to light because Pearson had been approached by Abigail McKern, also an actor, to see if he could help disperse her mother's collection of children's literature.

Last night Abigail McKern was brought together with Paul McCartney's stunt double on the BBC's The One Show to show the footage live on air for the first time.

They spent two weeks in the Alps but while they look like they are having a great time, in interviews afterwards John Lennon said the movie was 'out of control'

The film came following the success the group had with A Hard Day's Night. It had a larger budget than their first movie, with scenes recorded in he Bahamas as well as Austria.

They spent two weeks in the Alps but while they look like they are having a great time, in interviews afterwards John Lennon said the movie was 'out of control'.

Speaking after, he said they had more creative input with the first film and director Dick Lester didn't tell them 'what it was all about'.

Despite their concerns, the film is still looked on favourably by most critics, with a rating of 9/10 on Rotten Tomatoes.

McKern died in 2002 after establishing a reputation as a fine stage actor in the 1950s before turning to film.

One of his most memorable performances was as the defence barrister in Rumpole of the Bailey.
A woman allegedly assaulted an 11-month-old child with a pole and threatened another woman in a domestic dispute in Sydney's west.

The 27-year-old was arrested for the alleged attack against the baby - which left the child with dark red welts - and woman aged in her 50s at a Prairiewood home on Saturday morning.

She has been charged with multiple offences including stalking or intimidating with intent to cause fear and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Police were called to a domestic dispute at Prairiewood in Sydney's west on Saturday morning

The 27-year-old allegedly assaulted the 11-month-old infant with a pole before threatening another woman

She has been charged with multiple offences including stalking or intimidating with intent to cause fear and assault occasioning actual bodily harm

The older woman was taking care of the baby at the time of the incident.

The child was taken to Westmead Children's Hospital as a precaution and Family and Community Services has been notified.

Police were called to a home on Clegg Place, about 8.35am today on May 13 following reports of an assault.

The younger woman was arrested and taken to Fairfield Police Station.

She was refused bail and will appear in Parramatta Local Court on Sunday.

A child at risk notification has been submitted to the Family and Community Services Department.

The younger woman was arrested and taken to Fairfield Police Station where she was refused bail

The infant was taken to Westmead Children's Hospital as a precaution and Family and Community Services has been notified.
A woman told three men at a Brisbane hostel 'we're all going to die tonight' before stabbing them and then killing another in a yard outside, police allege.

Natascha Mielke, 39, has been charged with murder following the alleged stabbing frenzy, which left a 42-year-old man dead after the incident at Pinjarra Lodge, a Paddington half-way house.

After attacking the four men around 10pm on Friday, police say Mielke then went to Ashgrove and attempted to stab a fifth man near a bridge on Waterworks Road, leaving him with minor stomach wounds.

Natascha Mielke, 39, has been charged with murder following an alleged stabbing frenzy at a Brisbane hostel which left one man dead and four others injured

Police arrested her soon after after they allegedly found her at Woolcock Park, under the bridge, holding a large knife.

The 39-year-old briefly appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Saturday morning charged with one count of murder, three counts of attempted murder and one count of acts intended to maim.

The court heard she had mental health issues and tendered documents allege she had been homeless for a year.

Police allege in the court documents she knew the men she is accused of stabbing at the residential care facility.

She allegedly arrived at Pinjarra Lodge and told her first three victims 'we're all going to die tonight' before the stabbing rampage.

While the 42-year-old man, named locally as Andrew James Faulks, was stabbed outside a common room, died after being transported to Princess Alexandria Hospital.

Police arrested her soon after after they allegedly found her at Woolcock Park, under the bridge, holding a large knife

Mielke allegedly arrived at Pinjarra Lodge and told her first three victims 'we're all going to die tonight' before the stabbing rampage

While police say the survivors have non-life-threatening injuries, Queensland Ambulance operations supervisor Brad Hardy said the hostel victims suffered 'significant stab wounds'.

'One person was deceased after arriving at hospital and three other people had been transported with multiple stab wounds,' he said.

Mielke did not apply for bail and Magistrate Zac Sarra remanded her in custody to appear via videolink on May 22.
A door-knocking Mormon preacher was choked to the brink of death by an outlaw bikie after the pair formed an unlikely friendship, a court has heard.

The victim, who cannot be named, met Nomads Motorcycle Bikie member Troy Plancis by preaching on his doorstep in South Australia in October 2015.

The District Court of SA heard the friendship blossomed and the pair met regularly until one night when things took a violent turn, reports The Advertiser.

A door-knocking Mormon preacher got more than they bargained for when they preached at the home of a Nomads bikie member (stock)

The court heard the church-goer came to Plancis' house one day with a bottle of rum and the pair drank and chatted for several hours.

But Plancis showed his menacing side several days later when he invited the victim to meet up, and greeted him wielding a sawn-off shotgun.

The court heard the two men had a terrifying fall out when Plancis persuaded the victim to smoke ice, before himself plunging into a drug-induced psychosis.

District Court judge Geraldine Davison said the bikie became convinced the victim was a police informant and began savagely choking and interrogating him.

'The victim described you as having gone crazy. You continued to choke him whilst continuing to ask him questions,' he said.

Plancis choked the victim unconscious, bashed him in the face then challenged him to survive without oxygen.

The victim met the Nomads Motorcycle Bikie member (pictured: a Sydney member of the outlaw club duing a raid) after preaching on his doorstep

The court heard Plancis then stopped the frenzied attack and evicted the victim from his home.

He contacted the victim several days later and threatened him if he reported the attack to police.

Plancis, who told the court he was no longer a member of the Nomads, was jailed five years and nine months with a non-parole of three years.

The bikie persuaded the victim to smoke the drug ice - before himself plunging into a drug-induced psychosis




A brave acid attack victim has vowed to keep posting selfies as she refuses to be downtrodden by the jealous friend who was hellbent on 'destroying' her looks.

Mary Konye disguised herself in a Muslim veil and stalked Naomi Oni, 25, back to her Essex home when she left work at a Victoria's Secret store in December 2012.

The childhood friend then doused Miss Oni in concentrated sulphuric acid, leaving her scarred for life and wracked with depression and anxiety.

But Miss Oni retrained as a make-up artist and learned to 'love the person I am' - and now regularly posts defiant selfies on social media to inspire other victims.

Brave acid attack victim Naomi Oni, 25, has vowed to keep posting selfies after her ordeal. Pictured, left, before the 2012 attack, and right, after

Mary Konye stalked Miss Oni back to her Essex home and hurled sulphuric acid in her face

Miss Oni explained that for Konye, trying to ruin her face was the 'ultimate thing she could do'.

The brave survivor, who lives in South London, went back to her job at Victoria's Secret after the attack but worked in the stockroom instead of the main floor due to insecurity about her looks.

'There are low times but I am trying to get on with it,' she told the Daily Mirror.

'I realised I had to stop feeling sorry for myself, I have got to a stage where I have got to know myself and I love the person that I am.

Refusing to hide her scarred features, Miss Oni said she was 'determined' to get back on social media.

'Posting selfies was liberating. It was reaffirming to get the comments and likes.

'I do it to inspire people and show no matter what people are going through, they can overcome.'

Miss Oni, who has been single since the attack, is still in the midst of a long recovery.

Miss Oni retrained as a make-up artist and learned to 'love the person I am' - and now regularly posts defiant selfies on social media

Miss Oni said Konye, who had been her friend since the age of 11, had become 'obsessed' with her, trying to emulate her looks, trying to steal her boyfriend before attempting to 'destroy' her

Konye was said to obsessively jealous of the victim's good looks and, after a previous argument between them, hatched a plan to attack her with acid

The brave survivor, who lives in South London, went back to her job at Victoria's Secret after the attack but worked in the stockroom instead of the main floor due to insecurity about her looks

She will have a fifth round of laser surgery next week and has had skin from her knee removed and grafter onto her face.

She has also had her eyelids replaced and last year had skin on her scalp extended so that her hairline could be pulled forward.

She has had skin removed from her knee and grafted on to her face, and needed her eyelids replacing.

Miss Oni said her attacker Konye was 'obsessed' with her, attempting to steal her boyfriend before deciding to 'destroy her', while speaking in 2014.

She said Konye copied her clothes and hairstyle, even mimicking the way she spoke, her laugh and walk.

She told The Sun: 'If I wrote texts, spoke, laughed or walked in a certain way, she'd do that too. And she'd say "I look just like you, don't I?"

Refusing to hide her scarred features, Miss Oni said she was 'determined' to get back on social media

'Posting selfies was liberating. It was reaffirming to get the comments and likes,' she explained. 'I do it to inspire people and show no matter what people are going through, they can overcome'

'If police hadn't caught her, I'm sure she would have gone on to kill.'

Miss Oni suffered serious burns to her face and chest, lost her hair and eyelashes, and required skin graft surgery to cover the burns.

Miss Konye's obsession with her victim began when the friends were 11 years old.

But in April 2011 they fell out after Miss Oni discovered Konye was trying to steal her boyfriend, sending him anonymous texts claiming Miss Oni was sleeping with other men.

Miss Oni said: 'She had copied my entire life - now she wanted my boyfriend.'

Giving evidence in court Miss Oni described how, on her way home, she got off at her bus stop in Dagenham and felt a presence before turning to see someone in a niqab.

She then felt a massive splash as the acid was thrown at her, disfiguring her face, dissolving her hair and eyelashes and burning her tongue as she screamed.

Describing how she felt after the attack, she said: Am I a bad person? Why has this happened to me? I work hard ... No ones going to marry me now.

Naomi Oni, pictured after the attack, speaking in an interview in which she said she was attacked by a person wearing a veil covering their face after getting off a bus in Lodge Avenue, Dagenham, on 30 December

CCTV footage obtained by police after the attack showed a figure in a niqab following her as she left work at the Westfield shopping centre in Stratford at around 11.30pm

Miss Oni also revealed that when she told her alleged attacker what had happened, her friend texted back: OMG. Cant believe it.

She also cried down the phone to Konye, who offered her support.

Miss Oni said in court: I just had my bandages removed and it was the first time I saw my face after surgery and I broke down and I had spoken to Mary that night and I was crying on the phone to her and she was on the phone to me telling me, dont worry, youll be OK.

She added: I was still on the phone to my boyfriend and I felt a presence. I turned to my left and I saw someone and a black abaya [cloak] or a black niqab.

I remember it facing me, staring. A presence directly looking at me. All I could see was eyes.

She then said she felt the splash as the acid was thrown in her face and ran home shouting acid, acid.

She said: I immediately felt that someone was trying to kill me and so my instinct was to run as fast as I could to get home.

Miss Oni, who has been single since the attack, is still in the midst of a long recovery.

I felt, it wasnt burning, it was a dissolving type of sensation. It was on my face and I remember, as I had my mouth open screaming, it burnt my tongue.

Mary Konye was born on 20 February 1992 in Newham, east London. Her father died when she was just two leaving her mother a single parent looking after her only child.

The aspiring make-up artist was being chased by several admirers and rowed with Konye about the attention she was getting.

After Miss Oni fell pregnant she confided in Konye that her boyfriend at the time, was not being supportive.

Konye told him to provide the support Miss Oni needed.

But Miss Oni was angered after learning that her friend had interfered with her relationship and the pair fell out.

Six months later they made up, but by then Konye had told college friends at Southgate that she wanted to throw acid over Naomi and that she would wear a niqab to disguise herself.

The latest figures show that reported cases of acid attacks have nearly trebled over four years, from 248 in 2012 to 720 in 2016.

It comes as reality star Ferne McCann's former partner Arthur Collins was arrested and charged with intent to do grievous bodily harm in connection with the acid attack in London nightspot Mangle last month.

Around 20 clubbers suffered burns after being doused with the substance on Easter Monday, including a 22-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man who were both blinded.
An elite Sydney high school is calling for the closure of a nearby massage parlour where workers dress up as school girls.

Just 60 metres away from St Andrew's Cathedral School in the centre of Sydney, sits the Star Massage parlour whose employees are advertised as 'petite, size six, cute little school girl' or 'mini little student'.

One genuine student was allegedly mistaken as a Star Massage parlour employee and asked what days she worked, WA Today reports.

A Sydney high school is calling for the closure of a nearby massage parlour where workers are marketed as school girls

'We have raised it with police who said it is not a police jurisdiction, it's a council jurisdiction. So now we have written to council,' the head of St Andrew's, John Collier, told Fairfax Media.

He further added that the location was also a busy bus stop from where students from schools all over the city commute from.

'So there's a vulnerability here that stretches beyond St Andrew's and that is why we certainly want council to close down this establishment.'

Police in NSW currently have no legal right to enter or close a suspected illegal brothel.

Star Massage manager Vincent Chan says sex services are not allowed at the parlour, but rather he markets his workers in a sexual nature 'in the same way that sexy cars are marketed to gentlemen'.

'I don't promote it [sex], I don't allow it. If I am made aware of it, I stop it.'

Just 60 metres away from St Andrew's Cathedral School, sits Star Massage parlour (pictured) whose employees are advertised as 'petite, size six, cute little school girl' or 'mini little student'

The head of St Andrew's (pictured), John Collier raised the issue with police who said it is not a police jurisdiction, it's a council jurisdiction

Mr Chan dismissed online comments which refer to 'nude body slide' and 'happy ending finish' taking place at the Sussex street business.

'They're just forums. They're probably making it up,' Mr Chan said, adding that he didn't write the words that marketed the schoolgirl fantasy.

One advertises Ada from Thailand, 20, a 'petite, size six, cute little school girl', while another 'baby face' Cherrry is also promoted as a 'mini little student'.

The City of Sydney council confirmed that have received complaints about the massage parlour and that their investigations were ongoing.
Experts have hit out at Government and NHS bosses over the cyber attack which had crippled hospitals across the country despite warnings over preventative measures that 'could have been taken months ago'.

Many are questioning where Jeremy Hunt is after the Health Secretary remained tight-lipped on the unprecedented attack.

The health service faces a weekend of chaos after the unprecedented attack forced hospitals to cancel routine operations and delay treatment for patients.

But Home Secretary Amber Rudd fielded questions on the state of the NHS this morning, prompting patients to ask why the Health Secretary has not spoken out on the crisis.

Cambridge University professor Ross Anderson said the attack looked to have exploited a weakness in Microsoft software that was previously fixed by a patch released earlier this year.

He said the patch may not have been installed on NHS computers and added Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt should be 'roasted' in Parliament if that was the case.

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Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt should be 'roasted in Parliament' after experts said a cyber attack that has crippled the NHS could have been prevented if hospitals had installed a software patch that was released by Microsoft two months ago

Many people on social media have been asking where the Health Secretary is due to his lack of comments on the crisis

Computers, phones and emergency bleepers in hospitals and GP surgeries have been affected by pop-ups like this one which have appeared demanding a ransom

Around 45 NHS organisations in England and Scotland were infiltrated by the malicious software, while many others shut down servers as a precautionary measure, bringing added disruption.

Prof Anderson told the Guardian: 'If large numbers of NHS organisations failed to act on a critical notice from Microsoft two months ago, then whose fault is that?

'This is the sort of thing for which the secretary of state should get roasted in parliament.'

Meanwhile data acquired by software firm Citrix under Freedom of Information laws suggested 90 per cent of trusts were using Windows XP, then a 15-year-old system.

It is not known how many computers across the NHS today are still using Windows XP or recent variants Windows 8 and Windows 10.

Just one day before Friday's attack a doctor warned that NHS hospitals needed to be prepared for an incident precisely of the kind seen.

In an article published in the British Medical Journal, Dr Krishna Chinthapalli, a neurology registrar at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, said hospitals 'will almost certainly be shut down by ransomware this year'.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said teams were 'working round the clock' in response to the attack as it was reported up to 99 countries, including the US and Russia, were hit (file picture)

This map released by cybersecurity experts, shows the impact of the ransomware around the world - with blue dots showing where attacks have been made. Russia is thought to be the worst affected, while Taiwan fears being the victim of a second wave. Europe was targeted first, meaning there were fewer incidents in the US because companies were able to prepare themselves better

Ransomware: How do hackers take your data hostage?

Doctors reported seeing computers go down 'one by one' as the 'ransomware' took hold on Friday, locking machines and demanding money to release the data.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said teams were 'working round the clock' in response to the attack as it was reported up to 99 countries, including the US and Russia, were hit.

Prime Minister Theresa May said the Government is not aware of any evidence patient records had been compromised.

'This is not targeted at the NHS, it's an international attack and a number of countries and organisations have been affected,' she added.

However shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the attack was 'terrible news and a real worry for patients' and urged the Government to be 'clear about what's happened'.

RANSOMWARE: THE CYBER ATTACK THAT CRIPPLED THE WORLD What is ransomware? Ransomware is a type of malicious software that criminals use to attack computer systems. Hackers often demand the victim to pay ransom money to access their files or remove harmful programs. The aggressive attacks dupe users into clicking on a fake link  whether it's in an email or on a fake website, causing an infection to corrupt the computer. In some instances, adverts for pornographic website will repeatedly appear on your screen, while in others, a pop-up will state that a piece of your data will be destroyed if you don't pay. In the case of the NHS attack, the ransomware used was called Wanna Decryptor or 'WannaCry' Virus. What is the WannaCry virus? The WannaCry virus targets Microsoft's widely used Windows operating system. The virus encrypts certain files on the computer and then blackmails the user for money in exchange for the access to the files. It leaves the user with only two files: Instructions on what to do next and the Wanna Decryptor program itself. When opened the software tells users that their files have been encrypted and gives them a few days to pay up or their files will be deleted. It can quickly spread through an entire network of computers in a business or hospital, encrypting files on every PC. How to protect yourself from ransomware Thankfully, there are ways to avoid ransomware attacks, and Norton Antivirus has compiled a list of prevention methods: 1. Use reputable antivirus software and a firewall 2. Back up your computer often 3. Set up a popup blocker 4. Be cautious about clicking links inside emails or on suspicious websites 5. If you do receive a ransom note, disconnect from the Internet 6. Alert authorities Advertisement

Experts say the virus, called Wanna Decryptor, exploits a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows software first identified by American spies at the National Security Agency (NSA).

The tools were leaked on the web earlier this year when hackers dumped a cache of NSA files following a security breach.

Prior to the dump, Microsoft released a fix, or patch, for the issue, although computers that did not install the update, or could not due to the age of their software, would have been vulnerable to attack.

The US Department of Homeland Security said on Friday that the patch, released by Microsoft on March 16, 'addresses this specific vulnerability, and installing this patch will help secure your systems from the threat'.

In December it was reported nearly all NHS trusts were using an obsolete version of Windows that Microsoft had stopped providing security updates for in April 2014.

As the scale of the security breach became clear on Friday afternoon, ambulances were diverted and patients told to avoid some A&E departments.

Staff reverted to pen and paper and used their own mobiles after key systems were affected, including telephones.

A total of 19 English health organisations reported problems, including hospitals and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in London, Blackpool, Hertfordshire and Derbyshire.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust said it was forced to cancel all outpatient, endoscopy, cardiology and radiology weekend appointments across its three hospitals.

In Scotland, 11 geographical health boards, including the ambulance service and acute hospital sites, saw their IT networks infected.

At least one health trust found itself named as a victim of the cyber attack despite actually suffering from an unrelated server problem.

Security chiefs and ministers have repeatedly highlighted the threat to Britain's critical infrastructure and economy from cyber attacks.

In February the NHS official responsible for IT security warned that cyber attacks 'have and will affect patient care'.

Dan Taylor said 'health has never paid a ransom' and organisations can recover files using back ups, however it can still lead to 'days of cancellations to patient facing services'.

In Russia, the Interior Ministry said around 1,000 computers were hit by a cyber attack on Friday.

Several companies in Spain were also crippled by ransomware attacks.

Telecoms firm Telefonica was one of those reporting problems, along with courier firm FedEx.

Last year, the Government established the NCSC to spearhead the country's defences.

In the three months after the centre was launched, there were 188 'high-level' attacks as well as countless lower-level incidents.

Chancellor Philip Hammond disclosed in February that the NCSC had blocked 34,550 potential attacks targeting UK Government departments and members of the public in six months.

Researcher Marco Cova said critics should take the complexity of keeping systems up-to-date into account.

'It's easy to blame people who don't upgrade,' he said.

'But in practice things are often more complicated: operations team may not touch legacy systems for a number of reasons; in some cases they may even be unaware that such legacy systems are running in their infrastructure.'

MailOnline has approached Mr Hunt for comment.
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Half a million people attended an open-air mass in Fatima, Portugal as Pope Francis made two shepherd children who died nearly a century ago saints.

Francis proclaimed Francisco and Jacinta Marto saints at the start of Mass on Saturday marking the centenary of their visions.

One hundred years ago, the two children, and their cousin Lucia, said the Virgin Mary appeared to them and gave them three secrets, including the end of the Cold War and World War Two.

But the children were not believed and civil authorities threatened them with death by boiling oil if they didn't recant their story. But they held fast and eventually the church recognized the apparitions as authentic in 1930.

Pope Francis prayed at the tombs of two of the Portuguese shepherd children ahead of the Canonisation Mass, which was held in the open air and attended by half a million believers.

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Pope Francis led the Holy Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, with half a million people lining the streets to mark the canonisation

Left, Pope Francis holds up a monstrance during an open-air solemn Mass to canonize Jacinta and Francisco Marto, and right, Pope Francis, center background, presided over the ceremony, as believers travelled hundreds of miles to attend

Pope Francis prepares to leave the Mass, just 24 hours after arriving in Portugal for the historic event. In his homily he said 'Our Lady foretold, and warned us about, a way of life that is godless and indeed profanes God in his creatures'

Pope Francis waves at the end of the Holy Mass as he leaves Portugal. He is due to attend a farewell ceremony at a nearby military air base where his plane is waiting

The children being canonised, brother and sister Francisco (centre) and Jacinta Marto (right), who were nine and seven at the time of the apparitions, died of influenza two years later. Their cousin, Lucia dos Santos (left), at 10 the ringleader of the group and who became the main raconteur of their tale, is on track for beatification, the first step towards becoming a saint

Pope Francis leaves the Basilica as hundreds of thousands of people line the streets and wave their hands out toward the Pontiff

The pope today canonised two of the three shepherd children, but the process to sainthood has begun for the third, who died in 2005

A woman sits on her partner's shoulders as she waves to the pontiff on his way out. Nuns wave as believers around them take pictures of Pope Francis

Although organisers initially thought around one million people would attend, the Vatican said the figure was closer to half a million

Lucas Baptista, centre, walks on the altar during a mass celebrated by Pope Francis. Baptista's miraculous recovery was the spark needed to canonise the children

Left, Pope Francis meets and blesses a child at the Mass, and right, he hugs Lucas Baptista, who in 2013 suffered severe head trauma he was not expected to survive

Among those in the shrine's vast square was Brazilian boy Lucas Baptista who in 2013 suffered severe head trauma he was not expected to survive. His medically inexplicable healing was the 'miracle' needed for the siblings Francisco and Jacinta Marto to be canonised.

The boy, aged 5 at the time, had fallen 21 feet (6.5 meters) from a window in 2013 and suffered severe head trauma. His doctors said he would be severely mentally disabled or in a vegetative state if he even survived. The boy not only survived but has no signs of any after-effects.

Lucas and the pope embraced during the Mass.

'Our Lady foretold, and warned us about, a way of life that is godless and indeed profanes God in his creatures,' Francis said in his homily. 'Such a life, frequently proposed and imposed, risks leading to hell.'

He urged Catholics today to use the example of the Marto siblings and draw strength from God, even when adversity strikes.

'We can take as our examples Saint Francisco and Saint Jacinta, whom the Virgin Mary introduced into the immense ocean of God's light and taught to adore him,' he said. 'That was the source of their strength in overcoming opposition and suffering.'

The Martos are now the youngest-ever saints who didn't die as martyrs.

Pope Francis prays on the grave of Francisco Marto and Jacinta, two of the three shepherd children, who were canonised in an open air mass in the village of Fatima

Pope Francis leads the Holy Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. The canonisation of the three children is the main event of the weekend

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims were on hand, many of whom had spent days at Fatima in quiet prayer, reciting rosaries before a statue of the Madonna. They clapped in admiration after the pope recited the rite declaring the Martos saints.

Francisco and Jacinta, were aged 9 and 7, when they reported that on March 13, 1917, the Virgin Mary made the first of a half-dozen appearances to them here while they grazed their sheep. They said she confided in them three secrets - foretelling apocalyptic visions of hell, war, communism and the death of a pope - and urged them to pray for peace and a conversion away from sin.

At the time, Europe was in the throes of World War I, and the Portuguese church was suffering under anti-clerical laws from the republican government that had forced many bishops and priests into exile.

The Marto siblings died two years after the visions during Europe's Spanish flu pandemic. Lucia is on track for possible beatification, but her process couldn't start until after her 2005 death.

Pope Francis (C) accompanied by Leiria-Fatima Bishop Antonio Marto (R) changes skull-caps with a young child at the entrance of the Our Lady Rosario Cathedral

The statue of Our Lady of Fatima is carried in procession before the Holy Mass led by Pope Francis at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima

Before the ceremony, a statue of the Virgin Mary was paraded around the square in bright sunshine as people threw petals at it.

The pope is leaving Saturday after a visit of less than 24 hours. He is due to attend a farewell ceremony at a nearby military air base where his plane is waiting.

From his popemobile he saluted thousands of people lining the streets who cheered, waved flags and shouted 'Viva o Papa!'

In a video message to the people of Portugal before his journey, Pope Francis said he would 'present' himself to the Virgin Mary.

Pope Francis also met privately with Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa at the start of the second day of his visit to the Fatima shrine in Portugal.

Pope Francis, left, talks to Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa as they meet at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima ahead of the Mass

The statue of the Virgin Mary is carried on procession by faithful prior to the start of a mass. Half a million people attended the mass in the small village

Pilgrims and faithful wait for the start of an open air Mass where Pope Francis will canonize Jacinta and Francisco Marto

Agnes Walsh travelled from Killarney, Ireland, for the canonisation.

She said: 'It is amazing, it is like an answer to prayer because I felt that always they would be canonized.'

She said she prayed to Francisco Marto for 20 years, hoping her four daughters would meet 'nice boys like Francisco.'

'The four of them have met boys that are just beautiful I couldn't ask for better, so he has answered all my prayers,' she said.

The statue of the Virgin Mary is shoulder carried on procession prior to the start of a mass through the small village of Fatima in Portugal

Women pray with the rosary as they wait for the start of an open air mass led by Pope Francis to canonise the children

Left, hundreds of thousands of people wait outside the Basilica, and right, a nun holds an umbrella to protect herself from the sun

Pope Francis leads a candle light vigil prayer at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima on Friday night after arriving in Portugal

Faithful attend a candle light vigil prayer at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima on Friday night before the open air mass on Saturday morning

Fatima's Sanctuary lit by candles at night, Leiria, Portugal on the evening before the canonisation of Francisco and Jacinta Marto

Pope Francis attended the traditional Blessing of the Candles at the Fatima shrine, a world-famous pilgrimage site in Portugal

On Saturday - the 100th anniversary of the first reported apparition - Pope Francis will canonise Jacinta and Francisco, who have officially been credited with two miracles

Souvenir tiles are displayed for sale at a shop in the village of Aljustrel, outside Fatima - they show Lucia Santos, Francisco Marto and Jacinta Marto, the Portuguese shepherd children who say they saw visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago

In a video message to the people of Portugal before his journey, Pope Francis said he would 'present' himself to the Virgin Mary

Fatima has long been associated with St John Paul II (pictured), given the Polish-born pope credited the Virgin Mary with having saved his life in 1981

In 2000, St. John Paul II beatified the Marto siblings during a Mass at Fatima and used the occasion of the new millennium to reveal the third 'secret' that the children reported they had received from the Madonna.

The text, written by Lucia, had been kept in a sealed envelope inside the Vatican for decades, with no pope daring to reveal it because of its terrifying contents: a 'bishop dressed in white' - the pope - on his knees at the foot of a cross, killed in a hail of bullets and arrows, along with other bishops, priests and various lay Catholics.

It wasn't until 2000 that the Vatican disclosed the long-awaited third secret, describing it as a prediction of the 1981 assassination attempt of Pope John Paul II.

Fatima has long been associated with St John Paul II, given the Polish-born pope credited the Virgin Mary with having saved his life in 1981 when a would-be assassin shot him on Fatima's feast day - May 13 - in St. Peter's Square.

John Paul made the first of his three pilgrimages to Fatima the following May, and one of the bullets fired at him now adorns the crown of the Madonna at the shrine.

Like John Paul, the Argentinian-born Francis is exceedingly devoted to the Madonna, thanks in large part to the strong role that Marian devotions play in the popular piety of Latin American Catholics.

Bodyguards hold Pope John Paul II after he was shot 13 May 1981 on Saint Peter's square by a Turkish extremist Mehmet Ali Agca

A hand holding a gun at left, aims from the crowd in Vatican City, at Pope John Paul II as he rides through St. Peter's Square on Wednesday May 13, 1981. The attempt on his life was later revealed as the third secret of Fatima

Pope John Paul II converses with his would-be assassin, Turkish terrorist Mehmet Ali Agca, in Agca's prison cell in Rome, despite the attempt on his life

The fall of the Berlin Wall, one of the markers of the end of the Cold War, and the fall of communism - the second of the secrets of Fatima

Pope Francis addresses journalists during a traditional press conference on his flight back to Rome
Kimberley Taylor is believed to be one of the first British women to fight ISIS in Syria

A young British woman who left her home in Lancashire last March to fight ISIS on the Syrian front lines has said that she is ready to die in the fight to capture the terrorist stronghold Raaqa.

'I don't want to die. I have too many ideas. But I kind of accept it,' Kimberley Taylor told The Times.

The 28-year-old decided to leave the UK after a friend's village in northern Syria was ransacked by ISIS and she maintains that initial conviction that defeating ISIS is a cause worthy of her life.

'I really believe in what I am doing. It wouldn't be a waste of a life. I am living with purpose, making a difference. It would be OK if I ended up dying with it,' she told The Times.

The University of Liverpool graduate is working for the Kurdish Women's Defence Force (YPJ) and is known there as 'Zilan'.

The all-female YPJ is to join the crucial battle to capture Raaqa from Islamic State.

The city currently functions as the capital of the terrorist group's so-called caliphate.

Ms Taylor's YPJ base is close to Raqqa and it was previously attacked by the terror group.

Ms Taylor, who had little previous training or experience in combat, said that she could not eat for days after she was covered by the suicide bomber's blood.

But despite her extraordinary life, Ms Taylor still holds the very ordinary feelings of not wanting to upset her family.

Images of her smoking were published online which revealed her tobacco habit to her parents for the first time.

'My parents didn't know I smoked,' she said, shaking her head. 'I felt like saying, 'Oh Dad, I'm at war, what can I do?' How could I disappoint my dad more? I'd joined a militia fighting ISIS, and now he finds out I smoke too,' Ms Taylor told The Times.

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The 28-year-old decided to leave the UK after a friend's village in northern Syria was ransacked by ISIS and she maintains that initial conviction that defeating ISIS is a cause worthy of her life

During an ISIS attack on her camp this year she was splattered with blood and guts from a suicide bomber who blew himself up in front of her during a terrifying firefight

Ms Taylor left her comfortable life in in Blackburn for war torn Syria in March last year, when her friend's village in the northern Syria was ransacked by ISIS fighters.

The University of Liverpool graduate decided not to study for a second degree and turned down place at Sandhurst before leaving for Syria.

She could be prosecuted under the Terrorism Act 2006, which makes it a crime for Britons to be involved in a conflict abroad.

The University of Liverpool graduate is working for the Kurdish Women's Defence Force (YPJ) and is known there as 'Zilan'. Their base is near the ISIS stronghold of Raaqa in Syria

Ms Taylor left her comfortable life in in Blackburn for war torn Syria in March last year, when her friend's village in the northern Syria was ransacked by ISIS fighters

She has spent at least 11 months training to join the YPJ by learning Kurdish, weaponry and battlefield tactics.

Her day at the group's base near Raqqa begins at 5am with a breakfast of spam, naan and tea, she has revealed.

The fighters sometimes go days without food when the truck bringing supplies fails to arrive - but Miss Taylor adds 'there's enough cigarettes though'.

During the ISIS attack on her camp this year she was splattered with blood and guts from a suicide bomber who blew himself up in front of her during a terrifying firefight.

She was asleep in her camp when jihadis launched a 4am raid on her group's base.

'I really believe in what I am doing. It wouldn't be a waste of a life. I am living with purpose, making a difference. It would be OK if I ended up dying with it,' she told The Times

The maths graduate grabbed her gun and raced to the frontline where she was confronted by an ISIS fighter who detonated his suicide vest just a few yards in front of her.

The bloody encounter left Ms Taylor traumatised, feeling sick and unable to eat for several days but it did not weaken her resolve, or her commitment to help the YPJ to defeat ISIS in Raaqa.
Evha Janneth, 11, who died at the Drayton Manor theme park in Staffordshire on May 9 after being carried into the water on Splash Canyon

Thrill seekers flocked back to a re-opened theme park on Saturday vowing 'to have fun' just four days after a school girl's tragic death after she tumbled off a water ride.

Thousands of grandparents, mums, dads, young kids and teenagers visited Drayton Manor which had claimed the life of 11-year-old Evha Jannath.

Splash Canyon, where the 11-year-old girl lost her life, remained shut, and an additional six rides were also closed because they overlook the tragic spot.

The six rides include Shockwave, G-Force, Air Race, Chairlift, Stormforce 10, and Pandemonium though the latter two were already closed for maintenance.

The park slashed the usual ticket price for those arriving on the day from 39 to 25, they say to reflect the number of rides closed.

On a gloomy Saturday shrieks of joy and laughter filled the park once again. Many families and friends were celebrating birthdays. They had bought pre-booked tickets and were delighted the venue had decided to re-open its doors.

Among park-goers at the family-run attraction in Tamworth, Staffordshire, was art teacher Rosie Cameron from Bristol. She had taken son Joby along with six others as as eighth birthday treat.

Rosie, echoing the sentiments of fellow fun lovers, said: 'What happened was an awful thing but it hasn't put us off. People die on the roads every day. We're having a great time.'

The theme park has reopened today, but as a mark of respect, Splash Canyon remains shut, as do rides that overlook it

The park is offering a discounted on the day price to families attending today to reflect the shut rides

In a statement on the website last night, a spokesman for the Tamworth park wrote: 'The terrible incident on Tuesday has left a family grieving and we continue to offer our deepest thoughts and condolences to the family and friends of Evha Jannath.

'Whilst the HSE and police authority carry on with their important work, we will reopen Drayton Manor Park on Saturday 13th May. We continue to offer support to all those affected, including colleagues, and will provide all necessary assistance to the relevant authorities.

'The Splash Canyon water ride will not be reopened at this time.

'As a mark of respect to the family and friends of Evha Jannath the rides that overlook Splash Canyon will be closed.

'Furthermore, to reflect the reduction in available rides the price on the gate tomorrow will be 25. The on-the-day price is normally 39.'

Numbers appeared greatly reduced compared with a usual weekend after the tragic death of Evha Janneth in the morning, but more people arrived thorugh the afternoon

A few bouquets of flowers from well wishers rested against the barrier. A tribute on one simply read: "Our thoughts are with your family at this time from Derby City Foster Carers Association

Bunches of flowers were left near the Drayton Manor ride as families and groups of friends returned to the theme park on the first day it reopened

A security guard offers guidance on the open and closed rides as the theme park welcomed a few thousand visitors today

Some grumbled at the ride closures, but most shook their shoulders saying excitedly: 'There's still plenty to do. We're going to have fun!'

University student Jamie Smythson, 19, moaned: 'All the best rides are closed which is a shame. We had no idea so many were shut so we may have given it a miss.'

Jamie from Coventry, West Midlands, added: 'But on the plus side the entrance fee has been cut and it's more fun than studying! We're not being ghoulish coming to a place so soon after a girl has been killed.

'I'd been planning it for weeks with my mates at the end of exams.'

Birthday girl Aneesa Yousaf, who turns 23 on Sunday said: 'We love coming to this park and nothing will stop us. What happened is very upsetting but it's right they opened up again for the weekend crowds but a pity all the top rides are closed. We'd hoped the roller coasters would be working.'

The park explained in a statement that the incident is still being investigated and they have offered support to those who need it

Families queued to get into the park this morning, when it opened at 10.30 with a reduced price

Aneesa from Bradford, West Yorkshire, told how she, younger sister Mariam, 22, and six pals were back for their fifth visit for her birthday.

She said: 'We come every year and we've all been on Splash Canyon. It's wicked!

'The girl dying was horrible and very upsetting but it's not the park's fault. It seems she stood up to swap seats but lost balance and fell in. It's not like the ride malfunctioned. It couldn't be predicted.'

Sister Mariam recalled: 'We've all been in that ride before and just like the schoolgirl have stood up and swapped seats.

'It's all a bit of a laugh and there's no belts or straps to stop you.

'The ride is a bit choppy in parts and bumps you around but that's all the fun!'

Evha died on the rapids ride after she was jolted from a six-person dinghy as she stood up to swap seats.

The youngster from Leicester fell into the water while riding with classmates on the spinning boats during a school trip. It is believed she struck her head on rocks and was knocked unconscious.

As the park headed towards Saturday lunchtime, picnic benches were nearly completely empty

The popular family day out was eerily quiet on Saturday morning with queue waiting times almost non-existent and the car park half empty

A spokesperson for Drayton Manor - which attracts average 5,OOO crowds on weekend days - said: 'What happened was extremely sad and our hearts go out to Evha's family.

'But we have had some very positive and encouraging feedback from park visitors.

'They have been pretty understanding about the ride closures and our reduced price entrance fee to reflect this helps compensate.'

She added: 'After such a terrible tragedy it is welcoming to see smiling faces and hear the sound of laughter here again.'

She stressed: 'We never give exact attendance figures but the park seems about as busy as it always is on a spring Saturday. It is certainly not quiet as some websites are reporting. It is the normal range of visitors expected.'

Watford-born Evha, who is of Bangladeshi heritage, was airlifted to Birmingham's Children's Hospital but was pronounced dead soon afterwards. She was a pupil at the private Jameah Girls Academy in Leicester. She had celebrated her birthday just four days before she died.

Her heartbroken mum Musammath Nurun Nahar, 43, and her dad Muhammed Suable Islam, 46, who is separated from his wife paid tribute to their 'beautiful little girl who was full of love and always smiling.' They said their world  and elder son Azim, 19, a university student  had been 'torn apart.'

The family has requested that the river rapids ride remain closed until the inquiry has concluded and the full facts established.

The rides that have been closed overlook Splash Canyon and are shut as a mark of respect

On Facebook, parents were largely supportive of the park, saying the blame could not lie with staff.

Rebecca Williams wrote: 'We have never felt anything but safe at Drayton Manor. I don't think any blame can lie with your park or staff. It's a terrible accident. The only death in almost 60 years.'

Richard John posted: 'When this park reopens however we (the people of Tamworth) need to go and support the Bryan family. Take our families and go for the day. This park has supported Tamworth with employment and charity since it opened.

'It is a part of our community. It is family run and it's a big part of our community. They are going to need us this summer.'

Jonathan Hughes, vice-chair of the Staffordshire Branch of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, said the HSE will be talking to staff, contractors and manufacturers of the ride to see how it operated.

'In addition, they will be looking at the history of the ride - its maintenance records, inspections, tests and details of any works carried out on the ride,' he said.

Three water rides operated by Merlin Entertainments sites, Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and Legoland Windsor, were closed as a precautionary measure in the wake of the incident but reopened on Friday.

An inquest into the death is expected to open next week.

The force said it anticipated that a post-mortem examination will take place on Monday.
Government branches will be introducing gender-neutral bathrooms following a push for equality from the Public Service Commission.

The liberal notion to include gender-neutral bathrooms is making a push in the nation's capital in Canberra, but some conservative MP's want to flush the idea, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Conservative MP's have labelled the move as potentially 'uncomfortable' for workers but it hasn't stopped The Department of Environment and Energy implementing the move in Canberra.

The Department of Environment and Energy have already introduced the 'inclusive' bathrooms

The bathrooms have been slammed by some MP's claiming the extra money needed to install the 'inclusive' bathrooms could go to better use.

'This is just the latest example of the public service going into political correctness overdrive at taxpayers' expense,' Conservative Liberal senator Eric Abetz told the publication.

'Most Australians would expect the Treasury of all departments to focus on bringing down the debt, not finding creative ways of increasing expenditure within its own department.

In a further move to show the commitment to the controversial move the Treasury building will have the inclusive bathrooms installed.

The introduction of gender-neutral bathrooms won't be forced onto government departments, however they will be encouraged.

'Toilets that are specifically reserved as gender-neutral are not part of the scope of work for the Treasury building refit that is currently underway,' a spokesperson for the Australian Public Service Commission told the publication.
Tony Blair fuelled further speculation that he was planning a comeback after he refused to comment on the Labour leadership.

Asked what he thought of Jeremy Corbyn, the former prime minister said he would keep a diplomatic silence for the moment.

It raises the prospect that he will call for Mr Corbyn to go following the election, which is expected to go disastrously for Labour.

Tony Blair was hounded for selfies with political fans as he arrived at a Labour Party conference party at Sway Nightclub

They entered via a backdoor but that did not stop fans getting pictures with Tony and his son Leo

Mr Blair has already said he expects Theresa May to remain prime minister after June 8. And he has suggested people should consider voting for anti-Brexit candidates at the election, even if they are from other parties.

It is believed he will return to the frontline over the summer and take charge of a new pro-EU campaign.

Some have suggested he could help set up a new centre party if Mr Corbyn refuses to go.

Jeremy Corbyn with Labour candidate Sonia Barker in Lowestoft after Blair kept a 'diplomatic silence' about the new party leader

The former PM is rumoured to be plotting a political comeback with some even speculating he might be preparing to form a new centre party

Mr Blair speaks to security as they enter the event at Sway Nightclub in London on Friday night

Speaking yesterday, Mr Blair also said a deal between Britain and Ireland on the future of the border with Northern Ireland is the best way of limiting damage from Brexit.

The former prime minister told a meeting in the Irish Republic of Europes centre-right political groups that a hard border on the island would be a disaster.

Last year, Mr Blair wrapped up a complex web of companies that made it difficult to know how much money the former politician was earning.

In his statement, Mr Blair announced that his work in more than 20 countries would continue, adding: I want to expand our activities and bring everything under one roof. We will close down Tony Blair Associates and wind up the Firerush and Windrush structures.

I will retain a small number of personal consultancies for my income, but 80 per cent of my time will be pro-bono.
Tiphaine Auziere, the daughter of Brigitte Trogneux, has blasted critics of the 24-year age gap between her and her husband Emmanuel

The daughter of France's new First Lady Brigitte Trogneux has blasted the trolls who have criticised the 24-year age gap between her and her husband Emmanuel Macron.

Tiphaine Auziere, 32, said 'jealousy' was behind the 'abhorrent' attacks targeting her 64-year-old mother's relationship with the French president, 39, in recent weeks.

The married lawyer defended Mrs Trogneux while promoted her own career as deputy to a parliamentary candidate for Mr Macron's new party.

Speaking to BFMTV, Mrs Auziere, a mother of two, said: 'I don't want to give credence to people who do this kind of thing.

'I find abhorrent in France in the 21st century such attacks, which would not be carried out against a male politician or a male companion of a female politician.'

'There's a lot of jealousy,' she concluded. Mrs Trogneux, who is 24 years older than her husband, has faced a barrage of abuse since details of how they met emerged.

The unconventional romance started after the pair met when Mr Macron starred in one of Mrs Trogneux's plays at Jesuit school Lycee La Providence in Amiens, northern France.

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Mr Macron shared a classroom at a Catholic school with one of Mrs Trogneux's two daughters Laurence  who is also 39.

Journalist Anne Fulda, who interviewed Macron, his wife and both of his parents for a book about the politician, said they had been shocked to discover their teenage son, rather than pursuing her daughter, was pursuing Trogneux herself.

The pair also went on to re-write a play together, which they later admitted was the period when they fell in love. At the time, Mr Macron was just 16.

Tiphaine Auziere, 32, said 'jealousy' was behind the 'abhorrent' attacks targeting her 64-year-old mother's relationship with the French president, 39, in recent weeks

French newly elected president Emmanuel Macron gestures as he leaves after an information day for La Republique En Marche party candidates

She said: 'I find abhorrent in France in the 21st century such attacks, which would not be carried out against a male politician or a male companion of a female politician'

Tiphaine Auziere is the youngest daughter of Mrs Trogneux (pictured together in January)

In an interview with Fulda, Mr Macron said: 'You know, the day we wrote that piece together, I had the impression I was working with Mozart.'

Speaking to French magazine Paris Match, she said: 'I could feel I was falling, he was too...', before adding: 'At 17, Emmanuel told me: "Whatever you do, I will marry you!"

'Love took everything in its passage and lead me to divorce. It was impossible to resist him.'

Ms Trogneux a mother-of-three, from a renowned bourgeois family in the town of Amiens, later left her banker husband Andre-Louis Auziere for her pupil - who had been in the same class as her daughter Laurence.

Before his election, Mr Macron broached the abuse targeted at his wife, saying she was the victim of 'everyday misogyny'.

'If I were 20 years older than my wife, nobody would have thought for a single second that I couldn't be an intimate partner,' he told Le Parisien newspaper.

'It's because she is 20 years older than me that lots of people say, 'This relationship can't be tenable, it can't be possible'.'

Mr Macron (pictured on Saturday in Paris) said his wife is the victim of 'everyday misogyny' and that if their ages were reversed, nobody would have questioned it

The pair met when Mr Macron starred in one of Mrs Trogneux's plays as a teenager at Jesuit school Lycee La Providence in Amiens, northern France. She was married at the time

Ms Trogneux a mother-of-three, from a renowned bourgeois family in the town of Amiens, later left her banker husband Andre-Louis Auziere for her pupil - who had been in the same class as her daughter Laurence

Before his election, Mr Macron broached the abuse targeted at his wife, saying she was the victim of 'everyday misogyny'

Among the critics is pop superstar Madonna, who said that 'no one seems to care about the age difference' in a post on social media.

'The first Lady of France is 24 yrs older than her husband and no one in France seems to care about their age difference nor insisted that Brigitte 'Act her Age' Vive La France!' she wrote on Instagram.

Elsewhere, satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo was accused of sinking to new depths of vicious misogyny with a cartoon depicting Mrs Trogneux pregnant.

The image on the front page of the controversial publication shows Brigitte smiling with a huge 'miracle' baby bump in front of her.

It is being patted by a cartoon of Emmanuel Macron, the new President-elect, who, at 39 is a full quarter of a century younger than his wife.

The headline 'He's Going to Work Miracles' accompanies the image, which is drawn by male cartoonist Riss - the pen name of Laurent Sourisseau, who is also Hebdo's publishing director.

It suggested that it would take a 'miracle' for the Macrons - who have no children together - to get pregnant.

Among the critics is pop superstar Madonna, who said that 'no one seems to care about the age difference' in a post on social media

Charlie Hebdo was accused of sinking to new depths of vicious misogyny with a cartoon that suggested it would take a 'miracle' to get Mrs Trogneux to get pregnant

'CharlieHebdo has fallen very low,' said Lea Maria an academic and feminist campaignerfrom Sciences Po, one of the leading universities in Paris.

MsMaria's anger on Twitter was supported by scores of others, including RemiTastet who wrote: 'The usual sexism in the age of Brigitte Macron continues.Charlie Hebdo is still the worst.'

DominiqueBouissou added: 'And the competition forthe being the most misogynistic is largely won by Charlie Hebdo.

It comes amid reports that Mrs Trogneux is anticipated to play a key role in the centrist's new government.

Mirroring a Michelle Obama approach to her first lady role, she is reportedly keen to become involved in issues such as education.

With two decades more life experience than her husband and as the ex-teacher who has shaped his character since the age of 15, the grandmother of eight is expected to play an active role in the new government.

The Macrons will be moving into the Elysee Palace on Sunday, following Mr Macron's landslide 66 per cent presidential election win against far-Right National Front candidate Marine LePen last weekend.
Leroy Campbell (pictured) was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Lisa Skidmore who was raped and strangled in her home

A thug has been sentenced to a full life term for murdering a nurse and attempting to strangle her mother with a vacuum cleaner hose before setting fire to their flat.

Leroy Campbell, 55, broke into Lisa Skidmore's home she shared with her mother late in November in a seemingly random attack.

It is believed she disturbed the intruder and he then raped her and attempted to kill her mother.

Campbell then fled the scene before he was arrested two days later.

A motive for the attack in Bilston, West Midlands, has never been revealed.

He pleaded guilty to strangling and sexually assaulting the 37-year-old at her home when he appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday.

Campbell, from Moseley, Birmingham, further admitted attempting to murder her mother and arson with intent to endanger life.

Police said shortly after the body was discovered: 'This horrendous crime has had a devastating impact on those who knew Lisa, her family, friends and work colleagues and the people who lived near her.'

True Angel: Nurse Lisa Skidmore was raped and murdered in her own home in a seemingly random attack by an intruder who climbed into the flat on a stolen ladder

Her family issued a statement soon afterwards in which they said she was a 'true Angel in the community.'

They continued: 'She was the most caring, kind, compassionate, thoughtful, dedicated, professional nurse, who would go to the end of the world to meet any requirements of her patients, and her mum and family.

'Her death has left a void in the family that can never be filled again. Her presence will always be with us and her memory will never die. The tears in our eyes we can wipe away, the ache in our hearts will always stay.'

'Her death has left a void in the family that can never be filled again,' murder victim Lisa Skidmore's family said after the nurse was raped and murdered in her own home

The nurse was discovered by paramedics after neighbours alerted emergency services to a fire but was pronounced dead at the scene on November 24 last year.

A post mortem concluded that she died as a result of strangulation.

Campbell also tried to strangle her 80-year-old mother with a vacuum cleaner hose after she called at the property, the court heard.

She was found on the ground floor and taken to hospital where she was treated for severe injuries to her face and arms.

The court was told Campbell used a set of stolen step ladders to climb into the house where he raped and killed the nurse.

Nurse Lisa Skidmore worked at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust for nearly 20 years. Colleagues paid tribute to 'a valued member of the nursing team' after her violent death

Miss Skidmore had worked at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust for nearly 20 years and colleagues paid tribute to 'a valued member of the nursing team' where she worked as a senior staff nurse.

She received a bachelor of science with honours degree in professional nursing studies in 2007 and began working in the community, based in Bilston, in 2013.

Campbell was later sentenced to life in prison for the murder.

It was revealed Campbell had been released from prison just four months earlier having been jailed for 17 years for burglary and indecent assault.

He had moved to Moseley from a hostel but he began planning the attack three days before.

The sex offender stole a set of step ladders hid them in a public access-way behind Lisa's house.

CCTV captured a dark figure carrying the ladders and then using them on the morning of the attack to climb up to the first floor bedroom window.

Some two hours later, Lisa's mother called to check on her daughter, who was off work sick at the time, and, as she entered the kitchen, Campbell grabbed her around her neck and punched her.

He then wrapped a cord around her neck and she passed out before he set light to the property.

The fire service were quickly on the scene, and after taking Lisa's 80-year-old mother to safety, couldn't revive Lisa.

The 37-year-old senior staff nurse from the West Midlands was described as an 'angel' who worked tirelessly to help others

Investigating officer Detective Inspector Harry Harrison, from Force CID, said: 'Campbell had sought to cover his tracks by setting fire to the property and even tried to confuse the investigation by leaving a lager can and cigarette butts in the sink bearing a third party's DNA, but he did not remove all trace of his own DNA from the property and he handed himself in at a police station three days later.'

Lisa's mother continues to recover from her ordeal and is being cared for by family members, who were in court.

Following the sentencing they said: 'The tragic death of Lisa has not only devastated the whole family but also her friends and work colleagues.

'Lisa was one of those rare people who made a difference in the community, first by being a nurse and even more so when she became a district nurse.

'For 19 years Lisa devoted her life to caring for other people, tending to their needs in their last hours, but no one was there for Lisa in her last hours.

'We couldn't tell you how many people Lisa nursed, helped and cared for during her time as a nurse or lives that she saved, but all were treated with dignity and respect.

'Lisa was one of the most caring, kind and honest person you could meet who also had a sensitive side and would not have hurt anyone.

'To be taken in such a cruel way is lasting pain that the family will have to endure.

'Lisa will always be lovingly remembered and sadly missed by all.'

Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Payne added: 'This horrendous crime has had a devastating impact on the many people who knew Lisa, her family, friends and work colleagues and those who lived near her.

'Campbell has refused to give an account of what happened that morning and they may never know, so I hope they can get some comfort from the fact that Campbell will never be set free again.'
The Federal government is keeping tabs on the global cyber attack which caused chaos around the world to ensure no Australian businesses have been targeted.

Australians have been urged to update their antivirus software in the wake the online security attack that has affected hospitals and companies across the globe.

The malware wormed its way into thousands of computer systems in an apparent extortion plot on Friday, shutting users out unless they coughed up a payment.

The malware crippled computer files and demanded a payment under time constraints (pictured)

Malcolm Turnbull (pictured) said the Australian government is closely monitoring the cyber threat

This map released by cybersecurity experts, shows the impact of the ransomware around the world - with affected countries shown in orange and red. Russia is thought to be the worst affected

Despite there being no immediate threat to Australian businesses and national healthcare, the government is being 'vigilant'.

'There has been no impact on the Australian health system at this stage,' Cyber Security Minister Dan Tehan said.

Mr Tehan said there would always be a risk of online attacks, despite measures aimed at beefing up Australia's cyber security.

'I cannot put my hand on my heart and say that means we are 100 per cent cyber secure,' he said.

'The technology changes, the vulnerabilities change.'

British hospitals, the Russian government, German railways and big companies like FedEx were among those affected on Friday when they were crippled by the 'ransomware' that rapidly spread across the globe and infected tens of thousands of computers in 99 countries.

The German rail system was also experiencing issues due to the ransomware. Photos surfaced on social media showing ticket machines at train stations having been affected

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the government is keeping a close eye on how the malware outbreak could have impacted cyberspace in Australia.

'We are continuing to monitor the situation closely and stand ready to deal with any cyber-security threat to Australia's critical infrastructure,' he said.

Treasurer Scott Morrison said Australian authorities are working with overseas officials to address and desist the cyber threat.

'The government takes cyber security very, very seriously,' he said.

It's believed the ransomware was created after a powerful tool designed by the US National Security Agency was leaked into the wrong hands.

University of Melbourne cyber security expert Dr Suelette Dreyfus said the self-replicating bug had caused 'chaos' at some institutions in Europe.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (pictured) said the government is keeping a close eye on how the malware outbreak could have impacted cyberspace in Australia

Treasurer Scott Morrison (pictured) said Australian authorities are working with overseas officials to address and desist the cyber threat

'When you have to shut down services at a hospital, and when your utilities are under attack, it is breeding a level of chaos that is concerning,' she told AAP.

Dr Dreyfus said Windows computers that don't have the latest security patches were vulnerable to the ransomware, proving the importance of up-to-date software.

'Every institution, every consumer, every student with a laptop should make sure that their system is fully patched,' she said.

'Because this would be nowhere near the international spread and depth of attack if people had run the updates that Microsoft had provided in March.'

West Australian police echoed this message, advising people to update their anti-virus software and back up their important data.

Dr Dreyfus believed it was possible some Australian organisations were affected but they were keeping it tight-lipped.

'It might be that they're just being very quiet because they don't want to instil a lack of trust in their system,' she said.

WHO HAS BEEN AFFECTED BY CYBER ATTACK? The UK's National Health Service: British hospitals and clinics were forced to send patients away and cancel appointments. Russia: The country was believed to be among the worst hit when computers in the interior ministry were hit. Megafon - Russia's second largest phone network - had also been affected. German railway stations: Photos surfaced on social media appeared to show ticketing computers at train stations having been affected by the cyber attack. Spanish companies: Telecoms giant Telefonica, power firm Iberdrola and utility provider Gas Natural all suffered from the virus. FedEx: The shipping company confirmed they were affected and were implementing remediation steps. Advertisement

The attack struck at least 16 British National Health Service organisations, along with computer networks of companies and municipalities in dozens of other countries.

Several hospitals in London and other parts of England and Scotland were affected and some reportedly halted surgeries amid fears the lives of patients were at risk.

'It's an international attack and a number of countries and organisations have been affected,' British Prime Minister Theresa May said.

More than 75,000 similar attacks reportedly happened in almost 100 countries, with Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan hardest hit, according to the cybersecurity firm Avast.

Spanish telco giant Telefonica and US delivery service FedEx were among the businesses affected.

Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the government was monitoring the situation closely and stood ready to deal with cyber attacks.

The ransomware known as Wanna Decryptor is believed to be responsible.

The hackers, who have not come forward to claim responsibility, likely made it a 'worm', or self spread malware, by exploiting a piece of NSA code known as Eternal Blue, according to several security experts.

Ransomware: How do hackers take your data hostage?

The Shadow Brokers released Eternal Blue last month as part of a trove of hacking tools that they said belonged to the US spy agency. It has stoked fears that the spy agency's powerful cyber weapons had been stolen and repurposed by hackers with nefarious goals.

The malicious software was blocking access to computers and demanding payments of as much as $600 to restore access and scrambling data. It is thought to have impacted at least 75,000 computers, including machines in the Russian government.

The technological meltdown began earlier on Friday afternoon in Britain when more than 40 NHS organisations including hospitals and GP surgeries were hit by the virus.

But with the virus spreading at a rate of five million emails per hour, tens of thousands of victims have now been reported in 99 countries including the US, Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Mexico.

Russia is thought to have been among the worst hit by the ransomware amid reports that 1,000 computers in the country's Interior Ministry were affected, but sources say no information was leaked.
More than 100 countries across the world have been affected by the 'unprecedented' cyber attack using a computer virus 'superweapon' dubbed the 'atom bomb of malware'.

It is believed more than 130,000 IT systems are affected around the world, including hospitals in the UK, telecoms and gas firms in Spain, schools in China, railways in Germany and the FedEx delivery company.

The European Union's police agency, Europol, says it is working with countries hit by the ransomware scam to rein in the threat, help victims and track down the criminals.

In a statement, Europol's European Cybercrime Centre, known as EC3, said the attack 'is at an unprecedented level and will require a complex international investigation to identify the culprits.'

EC3 says its Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce, made up of experts in high-tech crime, 'is specially designed to assist in such investigations and will play an important role in supporting the investigation.'

The attack, which has locked up computers and held users' files for ransom, is believed the biggest of its kind ever recorded.

It used code developed by the US National Security Agency which was leaked online last month by a mysterious group called the Shadow Brokers.

The culprits are still unknown but it is understood criminal gangs will be investigated and it is likely Russia - which suffered the most from the attack - will form a large part of the inquiry.

This map released by cybersecurity experts, shows the impact of the ransomware around the world - with blue dots representing incidents across the globe. Russia is thought to be worst affected

The identity of the culprits remains unknown but the EU's police agency Europol has launched a taskforce to investigate the crimes, with Russia expected to form a large part of the inquiry (file picture)

Russia has been the focus of several hacking investigations in recent months, with allegations from US sources of state-sponsored attempts to influence last year's US election.

Cyber spies Fancy Bears also operate out of Russia and have been involved in many recent hacking incidents including releasing details of athletes receiving therapeutic use of banned substances ahead of international competitions.

These included British cyclists Sir Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome, both Tour de France winners, which showed they had been given exemptions to use banned drugs to treat asthma and allergies.

The spotlight could also fall on North Korea following claims from security experts last month that state-sponsored hackers targeted banks in 18 countries to steal funds to boost its nuclear programme.

A hacking operation known as Lazarus has targeted financial institutions in Europe, Central and South America, Africa, India and the Middle East, according to Russian researchers.

Cyber security firm Kaspersky Lab said it had obtained digital evidence that fuels suspicions that North Korea was involved in last year's $81 million cyber heist of the Bangladesh central bank's account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Many systems around the world are back up today, with the Home Office confirming all but six of 48 affected UK hospitals are running as normal.

In Russia, where a wide array of systems came under attack, officials said services had been restored or the virus contained.

According to the Guardian, the criminals behind the scam have only generated around $20,000 (15,500) so far.

Investigators Elliptic, a firm that works with law enforcement agencies to track illegal activity around online currency bitcoin, said it had identified a number of addresses for recipients of the funds, but was unable to identify them so far.

Co-founder Tim Robinson told the paper: 'In terms of identifying the attacker, what we can see at the moment is that around $20,000 worth of ransoms have been paid to these addresses.

North Korea could also fall under the spotlight following accusations of state-sponsored hacking of 18 banks around the world last month. Pictured is leader Kim Jong-Un

'There are actually two versions of this malware, there was one that appeared in April and we've identified one bitcoin address associated with that, and there's a second version which appeared on Friday and we've identified three bitcoin addresses associated with that.

'These three addresses have received 8.2 bitcoins to date, which is about $14,000 dollars, and all of those bitcoins are still within those addresses. The ransomer hasn't withdrawn any of the funds yet so there's no opportunity to trace them.'

So far Europe seems to be the focus of the attack, with several high-profile businesses affected.

Union members at French carmaker Renault say the global cyberattack has forced it to halt production at sites in France in an effort to stop the malware from spreading.

The two unionists spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitiveness of the issue.

They say the factory of Renault factory at Sandouville, in northwestern France, was one of the sites affected.

Hundreds of private users in Taiwan were also struck by the malware.

Deutsche Bahn in Germany said departure and arrival display screens at its stations were hit Friday night by the attack.

The railway said that there was no impact on actual train services.

The head of Turkey's Information and Communication Technologies Authority or BTK says the nation was among those affected by the ransomware attack.

The NHS has been hit by a major cyber attack hitting computers, phones and emergency bleepers in hospitals and GP surgeries - and pop-ups like this one have appeared demanding a ransom

The German rail system was also experiencing issues due to the ransomware. Photos surfaced on social media showing ticket machines at train stations having been affected

Omer Fatih Sayan said the country's cyber security center is continuing operations against the malicious software.

The company said it deployed extra staff to busy stations to provide customer information, and recommended that passengers check its website or app for information on their connections.

Security experts say the malicious software behind the onslaught appeared to exploit a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows that was identified by the US National Security Agency for its own intelligence-gathering purposes.

The NSA documents were stolen and then released to the world last month by a mysterious group known as the Shadow Brokers.

WHO HAS BEEN AFFECTED BY CYBER ATTACK? The UK's National Health Service: British hospitals and clinics were forced to send patients away and cancel appointments. Russia: The country was believed to be among the worst hit when computers in the interior ministry were hit. Megafon - Russia's second largest phone network - had also been affected. German railway stations: Photos surfaced on social media appeared to show ticketing computers at train stations having been affected by the cyber attack. Spanish companies: Telecoms giant Telefonica, power firm Iberdrola and utility provider Gas Natural all suffered from the virus. FedEx: The shipping company confirmed they were affected and were implementing remediation steps. Advertisement

The hackers, who have not come forward to claim responsibility, likely made it a 'worm', or self spread malware, by exploiting a piece of NSA code known as Eternal Blue, according to several security experts.

A cybersecurity researcher told AFP they appeared to have discovered a 'kill switch' that could prevent the spread of the ransomware for now.

The researcher, tweeting as @MalwareTechBlog, said the discovery was accidental, but that registering a domain name used by the malware stops it from spreading.

'Essentially they relied on a domain not being registered and by registering it, we stopped their malware spreading,' @MalwareTechBlog told AFP in a private message on Twitter.

The researcher warned however that people 'need to update their systems ASAP' to avoid attack: 'The crisis isn't over, they can always change the code and try again.'

The Shadow Brokers released Eternal Blue last month as part of a trove of hacking tools that they said belonged to the US spy agency. It has stoked fears that the spy agency's powerful cyber weapons had been stolen and repurposed by hackers with nefarious goals.

The malicious software was blocking access to computers and demanding payments of as much as $600 to restore access and scrambling data. It is thought to have impacted at least 75,000 computers, including machines in the Russian government.

The technological meltdown began earlier on Friday afternoon in Britain when more than 40 NHS organisations including hospitals and GP surgeries were hit by the virus.

Russia is thought to have been among the worst hit by the ransomware amid reports that 1,000 computers in the country's Interior Ministry were affected, but sources say no information was leaked.

Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk told Russian news agencies it had 'recorded a virus attack on the ministry's personal computers controlled by a Windows operating system.'

Several computers at a university in Italy were also randomly targeted in the cyber attack

Leading international shipper FedEx Corp was among the companies whose Microsoft Corp Windows systems were affected. They said they were 'implementing remediation steps'.

The German rail system was also experiencing issues due to the ransomware. Photos surfaced on social media appeared to show ticketing computers at train stations having been affected by the cyber attack.

In Spain, the Telefonica mobile phone network, power firm Iberdrola and utility provider Gas Natural all suffered from the virus.

Some big firms in Spain took pre-emptive steps to thwart ransomware attacks following a warning from the National Cryptology Centre of 'a massive ransomware attack'.

Iberdrola and Gas Natural, along with Vodafone's unit in Spain, asked staff to turn off computers or cut off internet access in case they had been compromised.

Security teams at large financial services firms and businesses were reviewing plans for defending against cyber attacks, according to executives with private cyber security firms.

Chris Wysopal, chief technology officer with cyber security firm Veracode, said: 'Seeing a large telco like Telefonica get hit is going to get everybody worried.

'Now ransomware is affecting larger companies with more sophisticated security operations.'

Medics have claimed that messages are flashing up on screens saying they must pay cash or terminals are down completely

Some hospitals said they were forced to divert emergencies on Friday after a suspected national cyber attack.

Computer expert Lauri Love, who is facing extradition to the US over the alleged theft of data from government computers, said the attack is being powered by a 'top of the range cyber weapon' used by spies in the US.

'It appears the cyber attack affected so many computers in the UK in the NHS and in Spain by taking advantage of a very nasty vulnerability in Microsoft Windows, which was dumped by hacking group Shadow Brokers who obtained it from the NSA in America.'

RANSOMWARE: THE CYBER ATTACK THAT CRIPPLED THE WORLD What is ransomware? Ransomware is a type of malicious software that criminals use to attack computer systems. Hackers often demand the victim to pay ransom money to access their files or remove harmful programs. The aggressive attacks dupe users into clicking on a fake link  whether it's in an email or on a fake website, causing an infection to corrupt the computer. In some instances, adverts for pornographic website will repeatedly appear on your screen, while in others, a pop-up will state that a piece of your data will be destroyed if you don't pay. In the case of the NHS attack, the ransomware used was called Wanna Decryptor or 'WannaCry' Virus. What is the WannaCry virus? The WannaCry virus targets Microsoft's widely used Windows operating system. The virus encrypts certain files on the computer and then blackmails the user for money in exchange for the access to the files. It leaves the user with only two files: Instructions on what to do next and the Wanna Decryptor program itself. When opened the software tells users that their files have been encrypted and gives them a few days to pay up or their files will be deleted. It can quickly spread through an entire network of computers in a business or hospital, encrypting files on every PC. How to protect yourself from ransomware Thankfully, there are ways to avoid ransomware attacks, and Norton Antivirus has compiled a list of prevention methods: 1. Use reputable antivirus software and a firewall 2. Back up your computer often 3. Set up a popup blocker 4. Be cautious about clicking links inside emails or on suspicious websites 5. If you do receive a ransom note, disconnect from the Internet 6. Alert authorities Advertisement

In December last year it was revealed about 90 per cent of NHS Trusts were still running Windows XP, two and a half years after Microsoft stopped supporting the system.

Citrix, an American software company, sent a Freedom of Information request to 63 NHS Trusts, 42 of which responded. It revealed that 24 Trusts were unsure when they would even upgrade, The Inquirer reported.

Windows XP was released more than 15 years ago and is now particularly vulnerable to viruses. Microsoft stopped providing virus warnings for the ageing Windows XP in 2015.

A number of UK hospitals continue to run the outdated software, including East Sussex, Sheffield's Children's hospital and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust.

Hours after news of the cyber attacks broke, a Microsoft spokesman revealed that customers who were running the company's free antivirus software and who had enabled Windows updates were 'protected' from the attack.

It raises questions about why NHS computers using the operating system were not shielded from the ransomware.

The spokesman said: 'Today our engineers added detection and protection against new malicious software known as Ransom:Win32.WannaCrypt.

'In March, we provided a security update which provides additional protections against this potential attack.

'Those who are running our free antivirus software and have Windows updates enabled, are protected.

'We are working with customers to provide additional assistance.'

One message circulated online claims the hackers demand 300 US dollars (230) in the virtual currency bitcoins to relinquish control of their IT systems.

The pop-up contains a countdown clock with a deadline of next Friday. At least 10 payments of around USD$ 300 have been made to Bitcoin accounts that the hackers have asked to be paid on Friday.

But, although all Bitcoin transactions are public, we cannot see who made the payments so cannot know if they have been made by anyone in the NHS.

'Non urgent' appointments and operations were postponed across the UK and some hospitals diverted ambulances to neighbouring ones to ensure patient safety.

Computer systems were switched off or immobilised and key services including the bleeper system for doctors were also believed to be down.

In the minutes after the attack one doctor in the UK tweeted: 'Massive NHS hack cyber attack today. Hospital in shut down. Thanks for delaying emergency patient care & endangering lives. A******s'.

NHS Digital, which is responsible for the health service's cyber security, says computer systems are believed to have been hit by a ransomware cyber attack using malware called 'Wanna Decryptor'. Three hospitals in America were hit in the same way last year.

Ransomware: How do hackers take your data hostage?

The National Cyber Security Centre is investigating and is working with Britain's FBI - the National Crime Agency.

GP surgeries hit in the attack say their phones went down and patients should avoid calling unless 'absolutely necessary' and doctors were back to using pen and paper in some areas.

Explaining the fallout, one doctor said in a message shared on Twitter: 'So our hospital is down. We got a message saying your computers are now under their control and pay a certain amount of money. And now everything is gone.'

A screenshot obtained by the Health Service Journal (HSJ) purported to show the pop-up that appeared on at least one of the computers affected.

It said: 'Your important files are encrypted. Maybe you are busy looking for a way to recover your files, but do not waste your time.

'Nobody can recover your files without our decryption service.'

It goes on to demand payment, otherwise the files will be deleted. It gives a deadline of next Friday afternoon, May 19, to pay.

The HSJ said services affected were thought include archiving systems for X-rays, pathology test results, phone and bleep systems, and patient admin systems.

OUR SCREENS WERE 'WIPED OUT ONE BY ONE' A shocked worker at Colchester General Hospital described how her office's computers were 'wiped out, one by one'. She said: 'My computer locked at about 3pm and I couldn't get anything to work. Then my colleague sat next to me said her computer was down. 'It swept through the office and everyone was effected and didn't know what was going on. One by one the computers were wiped out. 'Nothing was working and switching them off and on did not solve the problems. The NHS has been hit by a major cyber attack and criminals have taken control of computers and cut off phone lines across England, leaving some departments working with pen and paper 'Some of our colleagues from a neighbouring department came in and they'd been told to unplug their internet cables and await further instruction.' The health worker said the effect of such a hack on modern hospitals would be catastrophic because 'all the doctors' notes' are kept on the computers now. 'They record their notes to a dictaphone during a consultation but that's only so the the notes can be typed up and stored on the computer. 'It's very worrying that the impact has been so far-reaching in such a short space of time.' A Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust spokesman, which runs Colchester General, confirmed patients are being warned to told to avoid A&E where possible. According to a hospital official statement patients are being warned that all non-urgent activity is being postponed. Advertisement

East and North Herts NHS Trust issued this warning to patients on their website

Blackpool Victoria Hospital is one of many across the country hit - operations have been cancelled and ambulances diverted

Ambulances outside the accident and emergency department (stock image)

Fylde and Wyre NHS Trust and Blackpool Hospitals in Lancashire, East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust and Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Trust have admitted having problems.

Barts NHS Trust in east London said they are treating it as a 'major incident' to ensure they can 'maintain the safety and welfare of patients'.

A spokesman said: 'We are experiencing a major IT disruption and there are delays at all of our hospitals.

'Ambulances are being diverted to neighbouring hospitals. The problem is also affecting the switchboard at Newham hospital but direct line phones are working. All our staff are working hard to minimise the impact and we will post regular updates on the website'.

Fylde and Wyre NHS Trust and Blackpool Hospitals in Lancashire, East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust and Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Trust have admitted having problems. Colchester University Hospitals Trust is also a victim as is neighbouring Chelmsford in Essex.

York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust which runs York and Scarborough hospitals has confirmed its computers have been affected by the widespread attack.

They have urged people to be patient and avoid calling GP surgeries and hospitals unless 'absolutely necessary'.

NHS Merseyside said: 'Following a suspected national cyber attack we are taking all precautionary measures possible to protect our local NHS systems and services'.
Two brothers will face torture charges in addition to murder and assault in connection with the beating and murder of a San Diego homeless man, a judge ruled Friday.

Austin Larry Mostrong, 21, and Preston Mostrong, 20, are accused of beating George Lowery, 50, to death in Santee, California in April 2016 in a manner that investigators described as 'a very horrific event.'

Judge Lantz Lewis rejected the arguments made by the Mostrong brothers' attorneys that the attack was carried out in self defense, as reported by CBS 8.

Austin Larry Mostrong, 21, and Preston Mostrong, 20, are accused of beating George Lowery, 50, to death in Santee, California in April 2016 in a manner that investigators described as 'a very horrific event;' They will face torture charges when the case goes to trial in October

'Theres murder and then there is what happened here,' Deputy District Attorney George Modlin said Friday.

Lowery was found by his wife face down, under a piece of plywood and unconscious with his hands and feet 'hogtied' in a riverbed known as a homeless encampment in Santee on April 24, 2016.

His face had been pressed into the sludge and his body was covered in alcohol. He had been beaten so violently that his brain swelled inside his skull.

Lowery also had been robbed, sheriff's Lt. Kenneth Nelson said. He was taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital for treatment, to no avail.

Lowery died five days later.

Prosecutors argued his death was a revenge attack stemming from an encounter near the homeless camp four days prior to Lowery's beating where Austin Mostrong's pellet gun was taken.

Austin Mostrong allegedy said he was going to get it back, Modlin said during the hearing on the motion to dismiss the torture charges on Friday.

George Lowery (R), 50, was found by his wife face down, under a piece of plywood and unconscious with his hands and feet 'hogtied' in a riverbed known on April 24, 2016

The riverbed where Lowery was found, known to be a homeless encampment, is shown here

Defense attorneys argued that evidence backed up the mens' claim that Lowery advanced upon them with a machete

'Preston was approached by a man with a machete and theres forensic evidence that backs that up,' his attorney, James McMahon said. 'There was a machete there. There was confirmation that that was the decedents machete.'

They also argued evidence was lacking in favor of the prosecutor's conclusion that the man acted with intent, according to NBC.

'The evidence is lacking in the record to say there is a sadistic purpose or my client had this purpose of revenge that was so strong that propelled these actions,' attorney John OConnell said.

'He felt he was defending himself,' O'Connell said of his client Austin Mostrong. 'Thats what his belief was.'

Judge Lewis questioned whether the elaborate manner in which Lowery was beaten and left in the riverbed could have been carried out without such an intent.

Co-defendant Hailey Suder, 19, has been charged with being an accessory after the fact; Pictured here in high school, she was Austin Mostrong's girlfriend at the time of the fatal beating

'Why kick him in the chin? Hes down,' said Lewis. 'Why hogtie him? Why drag him over to the water face down? Why pour alcohol on the open wounds? Whats the purpose behind that?'

Defense attorneys tried to make the case that the men hogtied Lowery out of fear of retaliation.

But Judge Lewis denied the motion to dismiss the torture charge, agreeing with the prosecutor's argument that the evidence suggested the defendants actions were meant as revenge.

The Mostrong brothers were arraigned in this case just over a year ago, on May 2, 2016, where they pleaded not guilty to the initial charges of murder, torture and kidnapping.

The brothers are being held on $3 million bail.

Co-defendant Hailey Suder, 19, has been charged with being an accessory after the fact. She was Austin Mostrong's girlfriend at the time of the fatal beating.

The case is scheduled for trial beginning in October.
The US Senate Intelligence Committee is reportedly thinking of ways to force President Donald Trump to hand over any audio recordings of the recently deposed FBI director, James Comey - if they exist.

Officials on the committee say they have yet to decide how to approach the White House about handing over recorded material, the Huffington Post reported on Saturday.

Trump tweeted a veiled threat early Friday morning, writing: 'James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!'.'

The president appeared to make the threat in order to deter Comey from revealing information about his dismissal to the media.

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The Senate Intelligence Committee is reportedly thinking of ways to force President Donald Trump to hand over any audio recordings of his talks with James Comey - if they exist. Committee chairman Sen. Richard Burr (second from left) and vice-chairman Senator Mark Warner (second from right) are seen above in Capitol Hill on Thursday

In a controversial move earlier this week, Trump (left) removed Comey (right) from his position as director of the FBI

Trump tweeted a veiled threat early Friday morning, writing: 'James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!'.'

When asked if Trump was using a recording device, his press secretary, Sean Spicer, refused to either confirm or deny.

The uncertainty over whether there are actually tapes complicates matters, but officials on the powerful committee say 'you can be sure we'll take a look at it.'

If such recordings do exist, they could verify many claims made by Trump about the Comey firing.

The president has claimed that Comey personally told him three times that he was not under investigation.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer (seen above at the White House on Friday) refused to confirm or deny the existence of audio recordings made by the president

The FBI is currently conducting a probe of potential ties between Trump's presidential campaign and the Russian government.

Comey's associated have denied Trump's claim. They say that the president summoned the former FBI chief just a few days after the inauguration for a White House dinner meeting.

At the meeting, Trump demanded that Comey pledge his 'loyalty' to him  something that Comey refused to do.

Comey associates have been telling news outlets that his refusal to declare 'loyalty' to Trump may have been his undoing.

Trump, for his part, told NBC News that Comey was 'a showboater' and 'grandstander.'

If there are recordings of this encounter, lawmakers would certainly want to get their hands on them.

Legal experts say that the Senate Intelligence Committee could subpoena the tapes  even if the committee doesn't have absolute proof that they exist, according to Huffington Post.

Whether the committee actually does issue a subpoena depends on its chairman, Senator Richard Burr, a Republican from North Carolina.

So far, it is not known whether Burr favors such a subpoena.

Two Democrats in the House of Representatives - Michigan Rep. John Conyers (left) and Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland (right) - have already contacted the White House demanding that it turn over any possible tapes

Democrats in the House of Representatives have already contacted the White House demanding that it turn over any possible tapes, according to CBS News.

'Under normal circumstances, we would not consider credible any claims that the White House may have taped conversations of meetings with the President,' Reps. John Conyers of Michigan and Elijah Cummings of Maryland wrote in a letter to White House counsel Don McGahn.

'However, because of the many false statements made by White House officials this week, we are compelled to ask whether any such recordings do in fact exist. If so, we request copies of all recordings in possession of the White House regarding this matter.'

Cummings and Conyers write that by firing Comey in the middle of the FBI's investigation into Russia ties, Trump may be flirting with obstruction of justice - a view shared by senior Democrats in the Senate, according to CBS News.

Comey, for his part, says 'there's nothing to be worried about' if tapes exist of conversations between him and Trump, a friend told CNN.

NBC News has its own secret access to Comey's inner circle, with one person close to him saying: 'He hopes there are tapes. That would be perfect.'

Even if Comey doesn't speak to reporters about the circumstances behind his dismissal on Tuesday, he may have a high-profile venue to tell his side of the story.

Former national intelligence director James Clapper (above) said Comey was uneasy about having dinner with Trump in January

The Senate Intelligence Committee has asked him to testify next week.

Meanwhile former national intelligence director James Clapper said Comey was uneasy about having dinner with Trump in January.

Clapper told MSNBC on Friday that he spoke briefly with Comey about the dinner before they attended a retirement celebration for Clapper.

The dinner was held on January 27 - and is now at the center of the dispute over Comey's sacking.

He says Comey mentioned that he had been invited to have dinner with Trump and was 'uneasy with it.'

Clapper says Comey was concerned about the 'optics' of that because it might appear that he or the FBI was not working independently of the White House.


An ex-Atlanta cop was indicted Friday on accusations that he helped a murder suspect escape arrest.

Tommy Williams, 26, was attempting to arrest Jabri Mathis, who was wanted in connection with the shooting death of a 50-year-old man, in May 2015 along with several other officers.

Williams was supposed to monitor one of the windows of a home on James P Brawley Drive where officers located Mathis.

Ex-Atlanta cop, Tommy Williams (left), 26, was indicted Friday on accusations that he helped murder suspect, Jabri Mathis (right), escape arrest in 2015

The homeowner, Albert Patrick, told WSB-TV at the time that Mathis came running through the open front door as police were seen coming up behind him.

Patrick said the suspect went out the window and 'jumped the fence'.

According to the incident report, an officer behind the home saw someone running toward Griffin Street.

But when the officer asked Williams if anyone came out of the house, Williams allegedly told him 'no'.

Mathis was wanted in connection with the April 2015 shooting death of Gary Allen Mincy, whose body was found in his vehicle.

The suspect was caught not long after he escaped from the home and was taken to jail on murder, assault and attempted robbery charges, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

A jury indicted Williams on Friday. He faces obstruction, hindering apprehension of a criminal and violation of oath charges. Pictured is the home Williams allegedly allowed Mathis to escape from on James P Brawley Drive

A short time later, Williams was suspended from the department without pay after authorities accused him of allowing Mathis to escape out of the window.

Mathis eventually told officers that Williams 'let me go'. 'I ran right past him,' Mathis said, adding that he knew the officer and that Williams was like an uncle to him.

Williams then resigned from his position at the Atlanta Police Department, where he had worked since October 2012.

A jury indicted Williams on Friday. He faces obstruction, hindering apprehension of a criminal and violation of oath charges.
The UK blogger who discovered a 'kill switch' that has slowed the spread of a virus wreaking havoc across the globe has revealed that the world is facing a fresh cyber attack from malicious hackers who are trying to sabotage the fix.

The 22-year-old 'accidental hero' - who lives at home in the south of England with his mother and father - spotted a loophole in the code that meant he could block the virus.

He says he inadvertently halted the ransomware just hours after hearing news of a cyber attack on the NHS while out for lunch with a friend while on a week off from his job at an information security company.

But speaking exclusively to MailOnline, the anonymous computer security expert revealed that cyber attackers are working to bring down the 'emergency stop' which is halting the virus from spreading in a bid to infect millions more across the globe.

He said: 'We've actually been getting attacks today - we don't think it's the actual group who were spreading the malware but another group is trying to attack us so the infections resume.

An anonymous British blogger, 22, became an accidental hero by putting the brakes on the spread of the mass cyber attack, pictured

Cyber security worker @MalwareTech exploited a loophole by spending 8 to register the domain name the virus tries to connect to when infecting a new computer, causing a 'kill switch' to activate

He confirmed the block on the virus was an accident because he did not realise registering the website would work

The softly-spoken cyber expert, who goes by the username MalwareTechBlog online, continued: 'Obviously they haven't actually been successful, but had they been that would actually be quite a serious thing and it wouldn't really be something to laugh about.'

The security worker spent 8 registering the domain name the virus tries to connect with when it infects a new computer and pointed it at a 'sinkhole server' in Los Angeles.

It caused the malicious software to enact an 'emergency stop', immediately halting its spread - but at first the cyber expert feared he had actually made the virus epidemic worse.

Speaking of the moment he stopped the virus, the anti-malware expert told MailOnline: 'It should have been really nice but someone had made a mistake and told me that our registering of the domain actually caused the infection.

'When I found out that it was actually the opposite it was more a relief.

'Rather than a feeling of 'yes, we've done this' - it was like 'oh god, I haven't f***** up the world, so that's really great'.'

The ransomware hit computers around the globe including in Germany where the rail network was infected

The virus infection resulted in a ransom message appearing on screens across the German rail network creating 'massive disturbances'

The computer expert revealed that he has been in touch with the government's National Cyber Security Centre about the fix - and that to say thank you his bosses have given him another week off work, which he plans to spend surfing.

He said: 'I was trying to avoid doing work for a week, doing odd jobs around the house, but I just got pulled back in.

'I don't really want anything, I just want to get back to my job really. My boss rewarded my with a new week off to replace my not-really week off.'

But the 22-year-old does not believe the attack was specifically targeted at the NHS - rather that the health service 'happened to be vulnerable' and got 'caught in the crosshairs'.

Nevertheless he says it is 'a serious thing and there is a real risk to real people's health if you're shutting down hospital systems.'

The young self-taught cyber expert said he initially became interested in computers at the age of 11 when his mother and father installed parental control software on their family machine.

One Twitter user posted this picture of computers in their university lab that were infected with the ransomware - it has wreaked havoc after spreading quickly around the globe

He set about working out how to get around the filters sparking a long interest in information security that got him his first job in the industry 10 years later in September last year.

MalwareTechBlog said: 'It was a bit "red and blue wire" thing - but more fumbling about trying to figure out if the registering of the domain caused the infections or stopped them.'

He also issued advice for people who are infected - or those who are concerned that their computers could get the malware.

He said: 'The people who're already infected, there's not really much you can do. You can potentially pay the ransom but I don't know if this one will decrypt the files yet.

'It comes as Home Secretary Amber Rudd said six hospitals remained affected by the malware today with the 42 others affected returning to normal.'

Ms Rudd, who chaired a Cobra meeting into the crisis this afternoon, confirmed 48 hospitals were affected by the scam, with many cancelling operations and telling patients to steer clear of A&E departments.

A Nissan factory in Sunderland is the latest victim of the hack after it spread from NHS hospitals to industry.

Teams of technicians have worked 'round the clock' today to restore hospital computer systems in Britain and check bank or transport services in other nations.

Speaking after the emergency meeting, Ms Rudd acknowledged 'there's always more' that can be done to protect against viruses.

A fifth of trusts were hit by the ransomware on Friday afternoon, forcing hospitals to cancel and delay treatment.

Ms Rudd said: 'Of the 48 that have been impacted, most of them are back to normal course of business.

'So only six of them have some limits on their business.'

She added: 'The response has in fact been very good. We think we have the right preparedness in place and also the right plans going forward over the next few days to ensure that we limit its impact going forward.'

The worldwide attack was so unprecedented that Microsoft quickly changed its policy and announced that it will make security fixes available for free for older Windows systems, which are still used by millions of individuals and smaller businesses.

Speaking about his temporary halt, @MalwareTechBlog said: 'Essentially they relied on a domain not being registered and by registering it, we stopped their malware spreading,'

The anonymous researcher warned however that people 'need to update their systems ASAP' to avoid a fresh attack.

He added: 'The crisis isn't over, they can always change the code and try again.'

The wave of cyber attacks, which has affected 130,000 systems in more than 100 countries, apparently exploited a flaw exposed in documents leaked from the US National Security Agency.

The attacks used a technique known as ransomware that locks users' files unless they pay the attackers a designated sum in the virtual currency Bitcoin.

Affected by the onslaught were computer networks at hospitals in Britain, Russia's interior ministry, the Spanish telecom giant Telefonica and the US delivery firm FedEx and many other organisations.

The blogger warned vulnerable users to update their system and said the code could always be changed and the virus could start spreading again

This map released by cybersecurity experts, shows the impact of the ransomware around the world - with blue dots showing where attacks have been made. Russia is thought to be the worst affected, while Taiwan fears being the victim of a second wave. Europe was targeted first, meaning there were fewer incidents in the US because companies were able to prepare themselves better

French carmaker Renault also announced it was attacked. A spokeswoman said the company was 'doing what is needed to counter this attack.'

@MalwareTechBlog added: 'I will confess that I was unaware registering the domain would stop the malware until after I registered it, so initially it was accidental.

But computers already affected will not be helped by the solution.

'So long as the domain isn't revoked, this particular strain will no longer cause harm, but patch your systems ASAP as they will try again.'

Forcepoint Security Labs said in a Friday statement that the attack had 'global scope' and was affecting networks in Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Mexico.

Cyber attack Q&A: What happened, why are hospitals vulnerable and didn't the NHS know it was at risk? Cyber criminals have unleashed their most dangerous weapon on the NHS  'ransomware'. CHIEF REPORTER SAM GREENHILL explains. What happened? At 1.30pm yesterday, NHS computers came under massive attack from cyber criminals threatening to destroy patient files unless they received a ransom. Staff found computers locked, with a warning that files had been scrambled to make them unintelligible. It gave a one-week deadline to pay up and recover the data  or see it deleted. In response, dozens of NHS Trusts shut down their IT systems  cutting off phone lines and medical machinery. Who is affected? At least 37 NHS Trusts have been attacked by the 'Wanna Decryptor' ransomware virus. What is ransomware? A malicious virus which infects devices and holds information hostage until a ransom is paid. It can be triggered by a staff member clicking on a link in a malicious email that may look innocent. The virus lies low until it is activated, either by a timer or remotely by the cyber gang. Blackpool Victoria Hospital is one of many across the country hit - operations have been cancelled and ambulances diverted What are the cyber criminals demanding? The ransom note warns: 'Do not waste your time. Nobody can recover your files without our decryption service.' It demands $300 (230) worth of the digital currency bitcoins  per computer infected  within three days or the price doubles. If the ransom is not paid by Friday, the files will be wiped 'forever'. What are bitcoins? The controversial web currency, dubbed 'geek's gold', recently overtook the value of an ounce of gold. One bitcoin is worth 1,367. They are not physical coins and only exist in cyberspace. Users can remain anonymous, which is why they are often used for illegal activity. Why are hospitals vulnerable? Many NHS computers are running very out-of-date software which can have serious security flaws. At least ten health trusts still rely on the Windows XP operating system, released in 2001. Why target hospitals? This is viewed as 'unethical' by some hackers, but hospitals are increasingly being seen as easy targets who will pay up quickly because getting systems running is a matter of life and death. Who are the prime suspects? Sources said the attack pointed to a criminal network rather than a state. Security insiders have vowed that the Government will not pay a ransom. Hackers in Russia, China, Ukraine and Taiwan have been pioneering ransomware lately. Didn't the NHS know it was at risk? Almost a third of NHS trusts have been infected by ransomware, according to the latest edition of the British Medical Journal. Experts have been warning about the risk to the NHS for years. Last year the Papworth Heart Hospital in Cambridge was attacked, but fortunately, a backup had just been completed of its files, meaning the system could be rebooted and the data was safe. The IT director said: 'We were very, very lucky.' How can attacks be prevented? Software should be kept up to date. Anti-virus programs can also be used to 'clean' malicious software from a computer. Advertisement

In the United States, FedEx acknowledged it had been hit by malware and was 'implementing remediation steps as quickly as possible.'

Also badly hit was Britain's NHS, which declared a 'major incident' after the attack, which forced some hospitals to divert ambulances and scrap operations.

Pictures posted on social media showed screens of NHS computers with images demanding payment of $300 (230) in Bitcoin, saying: 'Ooops, your files have been encrypted!'

It demands payment in three days or the price is doubled, and if none is received in seven days, the files will be deleted, according to the screen message.

A hacking group called Shadow Brokers released the malware in April claiming to have discovered the flaw from the NSA, according to Kaspersky Lab, a Russian cybersecurity provider.

Ransomware: How do hackers take your data hostage?

A Nissan spokesman told the Newcastle Chronicle staff were working to restore the multimillion pound factory to working order.

A spokesman said: 'Like many organisations, our UK plant was subject to a ransomware attack affecting some of our systems on Friday evening. Our teams are working to resolve the issue.'

It is understood production has still not resumed today, but that the plant was not operating at full capacity when the attack began.

The attack came at an embarrassing time for Prime Minister Theresa May after she pledged to make Britain the 'safest place to do business online' during campaigning for the General Election.

Mrs May said: 'We want social media companies to do more to help redress the balance and will take action to make sure they do.

'These measures will help make Britain the best place in the world to start and run a digital business, and the safest place in the world for people to be online.'

Many are questioning where Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is after he has so far remained silent on the crisis.

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said concerns were repeatedly flagged about the NHS's outdated computer systems, which left it vulnerable to the virus.

WHO IS BEHIND THE ATTACK? It is currently unknown who the culprits are but it is understood criminal gangs will be investigated and it is likely Russia - which suffered the most from the attack - will form a large part of the inquiry. Russia has been the focus of several hacking investigations in recent months, with allegations from US sources of state-sponsored attempts to influence last year's US election. Cyber spies Fancy Bears also operate out of Russia and have been involved in many recent hacking incidents including releasing details of athletes receiving therapeutic use of banned substances ahead of international competitions. The identity of the culprits remains unknown but the EU's police agency Europol has launched a taskforce to investigate the crimes, with Russia expected to form a large part of the inquiry (file picture) These included British cyclists Sir Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome, both Tour de France winners, which showed they had been given exemptions to use banned drugs to treat asthma and allergies. The spotlight could also fall on North Korea following claims from security experts last month that state-sponsored hackers targeted banks in 18 countries to steal funds to boost its nuclear programme. A hacking operation known as Lazarus has targeted financial institutions in Europe, Central and South America, Africa, India and the Middle East, according to Russian researchers. Cyber security firm Kaspersky Lab said it had obtained digital evidence that fuels suspicions that North Korea was involved in last year's $81 million cyber heist of the Bangladesh central bank's account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. According to the Guardian, the criminals behind the scam have only generated around $20,000 (15,500) so far. North Korea could also fall under the spotlight following accusations of state-sponsored hacking of 18 banks around the world last month. Pictured is leader Kim Jong-Un Investigators Elliptic, a firm that works with law enforcement agencies to track illegal activity around online currency bitcoin, said it had identified a number of addresses for recipients of the funds, but was unable to identify them so far. Co-founder Tim Robinson told the paper: 'In terms of identifying the attacker, what we can see at the moment is that around $20,000 worth of ransoms have been paid to these addresses. 'There are actually two versions of this malware, there was one that appeared in April and we've identified one bitcoin address associated with that, and there's a second version which appeared on Friday and we've identified three bitcoin addresses associated with that. 'These three addresses have received 8.2 bitcoins to date, which is about $14,000 dollars, and all of those bitcoins are still within those addresses. The ransomer hasn't withdrawn any of the funds yet so there's no opportunity to trace them.' Advertisement

In a letter to Mr Hunt on Saturday he wrote: 'As Secretary of State, I urge you to publically outline the immediate steps you'll be taking to significantly improve cyber security in our NHS.

'The public has a right to know exactly what the Government will do to ensure that such an attack is never repeated again.'

He added: 'NHS Trusts have been running thousands of outdated and unsupported Windows XP machines despite the Government ending its annual 5.5million deal with Microsoft, which provided ongoing security support for Windows XP, in May 2015.

'It effectively means that unless individual trusts were willing to pay Microsoft for an extended support deal, since May 2015 their operating systems have been extremely vulnerable to being hacked.'

Speaking to the BBC, Ms Rudd said no patient data had been 'stolen' but she could not confirm that all NHS files are backed-up, and 'hoped the answer was yes'.

She said: That is the instructions that everybody has received in the past. That is good cyber defence, but I expect, and we will find out over the next few days if there are any holes in that.'

She added: 'There may be lessons to learn from this but the most important thing now is to disrupt the attack, let's come back to afterwards whether there are lessons to be learned.'

Ms Rudd later told Sky News: 'It is disappointing that they have been running Windows XP - I know that the Secretary of State for Health has instructed them not to and most have moved off it.'

CYBER ATTACK ON NHS WAS 'ALWAYS GOING TO HAPPEN' Kingsley Manning, pictured, said it is not clear which organisation within the NHS 'has the responsibility for seeing that trusts' cyber security is fit for purpose' An online attack on Britain's healthcare system was 'always going to happen', the former head of the body managing NHS cyber security said. The Government has invested to protect against such an incident, ex-NHS Digital chairman Kingsley Manning said, but he added that it can be 'difficult' to ensure trusts spend on cyber security. He described 'a patchwork of regulation' around who is responsible for making sure appropriate safeguards are in place. Mr Manning told BBC Radio Four's PM programme: 'We were very well aware that this was a threat and indeed the Secretary of State and the Government has always seen it as being a threat. 'In fact we were investing and have been investing significant amounts of money in the anticipation that this sort of thing would happen. It was always going to happen.' He added: 'There is also a patchwork of regulation in this area by comparison to, say, medical equipment or drugs.' He said it is not clear which organisation within the NHS 'has the responsibility for seeing that trusts' cyber security is fit for purpose'. In estimating that adequate systems for the health service could cost around 100 million each year, he said: 'In a world where every last 1 million of NHS spending is under severe scrutiny it is very difficult to get individual trusts, even if you provide the money centrally, to actually use that money for this purpose.' Advertisement

She added: 'Where the patient data has been properly backed up, which has been in most cases, work can continue as normal because the patient data can be downloaded and people can continue with their work.'

But data released under the Freedom of Information Act in December suggested 90 per cent of NHS trusts are using outdated software Windows XP, which is 16 years old and has been branded 'obsolete', leaving systems more vulnerable to attacks.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Ms Rudd added the virus had not been targeted at the NHS, saying the attack 'feels random in terms of where it's gone to and where it's been opened'.

She added: 'Windows XP is not a good platform for keeping your data as secure as the modern ones, because you can't download the effective patches and anti-virus software for defending against viruses.

'CQC (Care Quality Commission) does do cyber checks on the NHS trusts, on hospitals when they do their visits, and they will be advising NHS trusts to move to modernise their platforms and I think that after this experience, I would expect them all to move forward with modernising.'

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn branded the hackers 'unbelievably disgusting'.

He said: 'What we've now got is a bunch of 21st Century highway robbers that have hacked into our NHS and are basically offering protection money to get the information back in order to treat cancer patients or anybody else.

'It's unbelievably disgusting and I've got nothing but contempt for those people that have done it, and I'm sure all of you would share that.

'But I'm also very angry that in 2014, there was a one-year renewal of the protection system on the NHS systems which was not renewed after that and not renewed the year after that and so are systems are now not upgraded and not protected. As a result, we've got this dreadful situation that NHS workers are facing today.

'And so we obviously support our NHS workers but I tell you this, a Labour government would not leave our NHS's very vital information systems unprotected. We would protect them.'

Speaking to Sky News, computer expert Lauri Love warned this may not be the end of the attack.

The Finnish-British national, who is accused of stealing data from the US government, said: 'I'm sad to say that this is probably only just beginning; administrators are in for a very difficult weekend,' he said.

'We should expect to see this in almost every country in the world.

'If you've been infected, not only have your files been encrypted and you're being held to ransom, but your machine is being used as a zombie to attempt to affect other machines on the internet.'

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, pictured in Lowestoft today, called the hackers '21st Century highway robbers'

Ciaran Martin, chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), said thousands of organisations have been affected in dozens of countries around the world.

'The picture is emerging that this is affecting multiple countries and sectors and is not solely targeted at the NHS,' he added.

'We are very aware that attacks on critical services such as the NHS have a massive impact on individuals and their families, and we are doing everything in our power to help them restore these vital services.

'It is important that organisations reduce the risks of these attacks happening to them.'

The NCSC has warned organisations to ensure security and anti-virus software is up to date and to back up important data.

National Crime Agency (NCA) investigators are working with NCSC experts to track down those behind the virus.

Oliver Gower, deputy director of the NCA cyber crime unit, said: 'This was a large-scale attack, but we are working closely with law enforcement partners and industry experts in the UK and overseas to support victims and identify the perpetrators.

'Cyber criminals may believe they are anonymous but we will use all the tools at our disposal to bring them to justice.

'Victims of cyber crime should report directly to ActionFraud. We encourage the public not to pay the ransom demand.'

Gang behind 'unprecedented' attack using 'atom bomb of malware' which has now spread to 130,000 systems in more than 100 countries are targeted by global task force

More than 100 countries across the world have been affected by the 'unprecedented' cyber attack using a computer virus 'superweapon' dubbed the 'atom bomb of malware'.

It is believed more than 130,000 IT systems are affected around the world, including hospitals in the UK, telecoms and gas firms in Spain, schools in China, railways in Germany and the FedEx delivery company.

The European Union's police agency, Europol, says it is working with countries hit by the ransomware scam to rein in the threat, help victims and track down the criminals.

The German rail system was also experiencing issues due to the ransomware. Photos surfaced on social media showing ticket machines at train stations having been affected

Several computers at a university in Italy were also randomly targeted in the cyber attack

In a statement, Europol's European Cybercrime Centre, known as EC3, said the attack 'is at an unprecedented level and will require a complex international investigation to identify the culprits.'

EC3 says its Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce, made up of experts in high-tech crime, 'is specially designed to assist in such investigations and will play an important role in supporting the investigation.'

The attack, which has locked up computers and held users' files for ransom, is believed the biggest of its kind ever recorded.

Meanwhile Russia is believed to be the worst affected country with computers in its interior ministry hit and its second largest phone network - Megafon - also targeted.

WHO HAS BEEN AFFECTED BY CYBER ATTACK? The UK's National Health Service: British hospitals and clinics were forced to send patients away and cancel appointments. Russia: The country was believed to be among the worst hit when computers in the interior ministry were hit. Megafon - Russia's second largest phone network - had also been affected. German railway stations: Photos surfaced on social media appeared to show ticketing computers at train stations having been affected by the cyber attack. Spanish companies: Telecoms giant Telefonica, power firm Iberdrola and utility provider Gas Natural all suffered from the virus. FedEx: The shipping company confirmed they were affected and were implementing remediation steps. Advertisement

Ticketing machines and computers at German railway stations have also been affected alongside Spanish companies including telecoms giant Telefonica, power firm Iberdrola and utility provider Gas Natural.

Union members at French carmaker Renault say the global cyberattack has forced it to halt production at sites in France in an effort to stop the malware from spreading.

The two unionists spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitiveness of the issue.

They say the factory of Renault factory at Sandouville, in northwestern France, was one of the sites affected.

Hundreds of private users in Taiwan were also struck by the malware.

Deutsche Bahn in Germany said departure and arrival display screens at its stations were hit Friday night by the attack.

The railway said that there was no impact on actual train services.

The head of Turkey's Information and Communication Technologies Authority or BTK says the nation was among those affected by the ransomware attack.

Omer Fatih Sayan said the country's cyber security center is continuing operations against the malicious software.

The company said it deployed extra staff to busy stations to provide customer information, and recommended that passengers check its website or app for information on their connections.

Heart surgery I waited ten months for was cancelled at the last minute because of the cyber attack, reveals patient

A heart patient told last night how his long-awaited operation was cancelled because of the cyber attack as he waited to go into the operating theatre.

Patrick Ward, 47, had travelled with his family from his home in Steeple, Dorset, to St Bartholomew's Hospital in Central London for open heart surgery.

He was due to have a septal myectomy, for which he had been waiting ten months.

The surgery involves removing part of the septum  a wall of tissue that separates part of the heart  which is obstructing the flow of blood.

Patrick Ward, 47, had travelled with his family to St Bartholomew's Hospital in Central London for open heart surgery only to have the operation cancelled

After having his arms and chest shaved and a cannula inserted into the back of his hand, he was ready to go into theatre when his surgeon told him they had to cancel the operation.

'I was told at about 1.30 that there had been a cyber hack and we couldn't proceed today,' he said. 'Apparently if I needed a blood transfusion during the procedure they would need to access files on their database, which they can no longer do.

'They can't tell me when the next available slot is to reschedule, so we'll stay at a hotel in London tonight and head back to Dorset tomorrow.'

Mr Ward, a sales director for an ice cream company, said: 'It's a specialist operation so it could be a while before I get another appointment. What I have isn't life-threatening but it has impacted my life a lot. It's very restricting.

'I think this is one of the few hospitals that can do it, and they only do it on certain days which is why I've had to wait so long to get a date set. It prevents me from doing exercise and I get pains when I walk. I was hoping to be able to play football again after the operation.

'I was supposed to spend a week in hospital recovering. My daughter travelled from Liverpool today to spend the weekend with me.'

Emma Simpson and her son whose appointment was delayed after the attack

Emma Simpson took her son, Sebastian, to Whipps Cross University Hospital in Leytonstone, east London, for an X-ray on his broken toe but was sent home because of the cyber attack.

They had an appointment with an orthopaedic clinic to check that the toe was healing properly.

But when they arrived they were greeted by 'chaos' and told that computers would be down until 'at least Monday'.

'They sent us away and said they would call us with a new appointment,' she told ITV London. 'Lots of people were very disappointed.'

A woman with a suspected blood clot was turned away from the Lister Hospital in Stevenage, Hertfordshire.

Anthony Brett from Bow, east London, was about to have a stent put in his liver to treat his cancer when he was told the procedure could not happen

Janetts Douras originally went to the A&E department on Thursday with the suspected clot but was sent home after six hours and told to return yesterday for a CT scan.

But after an hour she was sent away again with medication that she must inject herself to thin her blood.

She was asked to come back on Monday but said: 'I can't see it happening.'
Paramedics battled to save the life of a 40-year-old man, who died after being tasered by police following a confrontation.

Shocking footage captured by a passerby shows paramedics working to help the indigenous man, being held down in the East Perth Officeworks car park.

Police say they were driving past the Officeworks on Lord Street when they were waved down by a member of the public who was with the man, who required urgent medical assistance.

But when they tried to help him, he allegedly became aggressive and a struggle ensued, resulting in police having to call for back-up and two officers being injured.

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Paramedics battled to save the life of a 40-year-old man, who died after being tasered by police following a confrontation

The man was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital but was unable to be saved, the Major Crime Squad and Internal Affairs Unit is investigating

The unidentified man allegedly tried to grab a gun from an officer and repeatedly tried to bite another officer's arm, Perth Now reports.

Another officer received cuts, scratches and bruises trying to restrain him.

The taser was used to restrain the man and police say he became unresponsive, with witnesses claiming the man took some time to become affected.

During the struggle, customers were kept inside the office supply store for safety.

When they emerged - they came across paramedics attempting to save the man's life.

He was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital but was unable to be saved.

The Major Crime Squad and Internal Affairs Unit is investigating and wants to speak to a man who visited Perth Police Station on Friday and said he had information that could assist the investigation.

Police say they were driving past the Officeworks on Lord Street when they were waved down by a member of the public who was with the man, who required urgent medical assistance
Three weeks ago I wrote about the MOAB and its use against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and militants in eastern Afghanistan. Commonly known as the Mother of All Bombs, the device is one of the most powerful non-nuclear weapons in the American arsenal. Also mentioned was the largest non-nuclear explosion the British undertook on the German island of Heligoland in 1947 when 6,700 ton of high explosive leveled all remaining Nazi structures there.

Two weeks ago when in Houston on business I took advantage of a free afternoon and drove to the Gulf for a leisurely stroll on the beach and some Cajun Shrimp Etouffee. On the way south I stopped off in Texas City, the site of the biggest accidental explosion in the United States history.

Located on Galveston Bay, the tiny town was quite active when I arrived, and there were no visible signs that it was completely wiped off the map one terrible day just after WWII. The manager of the 7-11 gas station had no idea what I was talking about. I asked him about the blast that is listed as the third largest in the world and resulted in 581 people dead. I told him the explosion was so powerful it knocked people 14 miles away to their knees. He only shrugged half-heartedly and moved on to the next customer in line. Hardly anyone in town could tell me where the memorial was but I did find it using my phone. Here is the terrible story:

On April 16, 1947, a little after 8 a.m., smoke was spotted coming from the freight hold of the large French cargo ship the Grandcamp anchored in Texas Citys harbor. Over the next hour, attempts to extinguish the fire or at least bring it under control failed as a red glow deep within the ship returned after each effort to douse the fire.

What seemed to be burning down below were stacks of ordinary fertilizer. The cargo, originally manufactured in Nebraska, was on its way to farmers in Europe who were rebuilding after the war.

Not far from the Grandcamp was another ship, the SS High Flyer, also filled to capacity with fertilizer. The boats were loaded at Texas City in a roundabout way because the Port Authority of Houston did not permit loading of ammonium nitrate at all. In total there were over 3,000 tons of this material sitting a thousand feet away from the center of the city and it was now on fire.

Shortly before 9 a.m. the captain ordered his men to steam the hold, a firefighting method where steam is piped in to extinguish fires, to preserve the cargo. This was unlikely to be effective, as ammonium nitrate produces its own oxygen when burning, which would neutralize the extinguishing properties of steam.

Naturally, the sight of smoke bellowing from a ship anchored offshore attracted hundreds of spectators who realistically believed they were at a safe distance from any fire. Eventually, the steam pressure inside the ship blew the hatches open, and dense yellow-orange smoke billowed out. This color is typical for nitrogen dioxide fumes and the unusual color of the smoke attracted even more spectators along the dock as they were heading to work or taking coffee breaks.

At exactly 9:12 a.m. (as recorded by thousands of broken clocks) both vessels violently detonated, causing a supersonic blast that leveled 1,000 buildings and within an instant Texas City was suddenly swept out of existence. Just the Grandcamp explosion alone destroyed the entire Monsanto Chemical Company plant, resulting in the ignition of refineries and chemical tanks along the waterfront. Its two-ton steel anchor was hurled across the city, landing almost two miles away. People felt the shock 250 miles away in Louisiana when the explosion blew over 6,000 tons of the ships frame into the air, most of it landing where the city once stood.

All of the crewmen of the Grandcamp were killed instantly and all but one member of the 28-man Texas City volunteer fire department died in the initial explosion on the docks.

More than 5,000 people were injured, and more than 500 homes were destroyed and hundreds damaged, leaving 2,000 homeless for months. Over 1,100 vehicles were damaged and 362 freight train cars were obliterated, and the property damage ran into billions in todays money.

Hundreds of lawsuits were filed as a result of the disaster. On April 13, 1950, the district court found the United States government responsible for a litany of negligent acts of omission and commission by 168 named agencies and their representatives in the manufacture, packaging, and labeling of ammonium nitrate. This ruling was overturned by the U.S. 5th Circuit Court and affirmed by the Supreme Court several years later. Only about $17 million was ever paid out as a result.

Interestingly, the cause of the initial fire on board the Grandcamp was never determined, but some speculate it may have been started by a cigarette discarded the previous day down into the open cargo bay.
A man who punched a puppy twice has been arrested after he was caught on surveillance footage.

Kirby Crane, 26, was at a gas station with his puppy in DeKalb County, Georgia on Sunday evening. Crane did not have a leash on the dog.

A man and a woman saw the puppy running around outside the store and started petting her.

Then they heard Crane yelling for the dog to come.

The woman picked up the five-month-old American Pit Bull Terrier and when Crane came up to them, he punched the puppy twice then dragged her away by the collar.

Kirby Crane, 26, was arrested for punching his five-month-old puppy in the face Tuesday

The scene was caught on gas station surveillance footage in DeKalb County, Georgia. Crane was charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty

'She told me the dog was hit with such force, it would have knocked out a human,' DeKalb County Animal Services Manager Sgt. T.C. Medlin told Fox 5.

The couple wrote down Crane's license plate numbers and called police, who went to Crane's home.

He admitted to being at the gas station, but said he didn't remember hitting the puppy. He said if he did hit her, it was to discipline her, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Police arrested Crane Tuesday. He was charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty.

His puppy was brought Lifeline at DeKalb County Animal Service. She was renamed Begonia and they deemed her healthy.

Crane was released from jail Wednesday on bond of $3,000 and was ordered to stay away from animals.

Crane, pictured, admitted he was at the gas station when police came to his home, but he said he did not remember punching his dog

A man and a woman saw the puppy running around outside the gas station and started petting her. When Crane yelled for the dog to come, the woman picked up the puppy and Crane punched it twice
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President Donald Trump sent a message to ex-FBI director James Comey and his detractors as he told Liberty University graduates that 'nothing is more pathetic than being a critic' during his first commencement address as the commander-in-chief of the United States.

For his first commencement address, Trump picked Liberty University, the Christian school whose president, Jerry Falwell Jr, was among Trump's earliest and most vocal supporters.

Trump was seated onstage next to Falwell, who helped Trump win an overwhelming 80 per cent of the white evangelical vote in the 2016 presidential election.

At the beginning of the commencement, Falwell welcomed Trump, who is the second sitting president since former president George H. W. Bush to speak at the university.

'I'm proud to say today that the President of the United States decided to deliver his first commencement address, not at Notre Dame but at Liberty University,' Falwell said.

Trump was met with a standing ovation by school administrators, faculty, staff and students, as he was welcomed to the stage.

'There's no place in the world I'd rather be to give my first commencement speech as president than Liberty University,' Trump said as he began his speech to the more than 18,000 graduates. 'I accepted this invitation a long time ago.'

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President Donald Trump was met with a standing ovation by school administrators, faculty, staff and students, as he was welcomed by to the stage. 'There's no place in the world I'd rather be to give my first commencement speech as president than Liberty University,' Trump said as he began his speech to the more than 18,000 graduates

'Nothing is easier or more pathetic than being a critic. The future belongs to the dreamers not to the critics. The future belongs to the people who follow their hearts not to the critics,' Trump said in an apparent message to his detractors

Trump's remarks Saturday on the Lynchburg, Virginia, campus mark his first extended public appearance since he fired James Comey as FBI director this week. Trump is pictured embracing Falwell during the commencement. Comey (pictured) was spotted Saturday afternoon leaving his home in McLean, Virginia

Falwell and Trump, who call one other good friends, embraced as he prepared to give his commencement speech

After congratulating the graduates on their achievements, Trump jumped right in to the heart of his message.

'Nothing is easier or more pathetic than being a critic. The future belongs to the dreamers not to the critics. The future belongs to the people who follow their hearts not to the critics,' Trump said in an apparent message to his detractors.

Trump's remarks Saturday on the Lynchburg, Virginia, campus mark his first extended public appearance since he fired Comey as FBI director this week.

The president largely has stayed out of public view since Tuesday, when he removed the head of the agency investigating Russia's role in the 2016 election, along with possible ties between Trump's campaign and the Russian government.

Trump lashed out at Comey on Friday, tweeting that Comey 'better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!'

Trump's chief spokesman refused to comment Friday on whether active listening devices are in the Oval Office or elsewhere in the building.

Trump told graduates that 'you have to do what you love' and you have to 'have the courage to be yourself'

Graduates were seen in the audience wearing 'Make America Great Again' hats as they clapped and took photos of the president. Pictured are graduates bowing their heads during the prayer

Trump was seated onstage next to Liberty University's president, Jerry Falwell Jr (right), who helped Trump win an overwhelming 80 per cent of the white evangelical vote in the 2016 presidential election

'The more a broken system tells you that youre wrong, the more you must keep pushing forward,' Trump told the graduates. Trump is pictured with Falwell as he received an honorary degree from the university

Trump lashed out at Comey (left) on Friday, tweeting that Comey 'better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press'

That nondenial drew comparisons to the secretly taped conversations and telephone calls that led to President Richard Nixon's downfall in the Watergate scandal in the 1970s.

Trump had earlier criticized Comey as a 'showboat' and a 'grandstander,' and the president's warning prompted new accusations of interference with the FBI's Russia investigation.

Before his commencement address Saturday morning, Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he hopes to nominate a new FBI director by next week.

He said he wants to move quickly to choose a nominee to replace Comey.

The president told reporters that he may be able to make his decision on the FBI director before he leaves for his first foreign trip later next week. 'Even that is possible,' he said.

In his weekly address to the nation, Trump said he was 'delighted to be participating first hand in the excitement' as students and faculty celebrate Liberty's more than 18,000 graduates.

Graduates were seen in the audience wearing 'Make America Great Again' hats as they clapped and took photos of the president.

'The more a broken system tells you that youre wrong, the more you must keep pushing forward,' Trump told the graduates.

Liberty University graduate, David Westcott Jr displays a Trump sticker attached to the top of his mortar board as he walks into the stadium with other graduates at the start of commencement ceremonies

Members of the Class of 2017 stand as they wait for the arrival of President Trump

In his weekly address to the nation, Trump said he was 'delighted to be participating first hand in the excitement' as students and faculty celebrate Liberty's more than 18,000 graduates

'Remember this, nothing worth doing ever, ever, ever came easy,' Trump said, adding that the graduates must have 'have the courage, guts and the stamina' to do whatever they set out to do.

'It's called the road less traveled,' Trump said quoting a book written by Dr M Scott Peck. 'I know that each of you will do what is right and not what is the easy way.'

'Now you must go forth in the world and turn your hopes and dreams into action,' Trump said.

After he finished his address, Trump posed alongside Falwell in front of the choir. The pair gave two-thumbs up after the choir finished singing.

Trump also tweeted shortly after his speech. 'Relish the opp to be an outsider. Embrace that label- b/c its the outsiders who change the world, and who make a real & lasting difference!'

Meanwhile, dozens of protesters were spotted nearby the stadium as they demonstrated against Trump speaking at the university.

Several people held signs that read, 'Christian values at stake' or had biblical scriptures written on them.

Trump flew back to Washington, DC, immediately after his address.

The commander-in-chief typically addresses graduates of one of the US military service academies, and Trump is scheduled to speak at the Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut on Wednesday.

'To young Americans at both schools, I will be bringing a message of hope and optimism about our nation's bright future,' Trump said.

Three Liberty graduates are seen wearing Trump's presidential slogan: 'Make America Great Again'

Liberty University graduates carry banners as they march into the stadium at the start of commencement ceremonies at the school on Saturday

After he finished his address, Trump posed alongside Falwell in front of the choir. The pair gave two-thumbs up after the choir finished their song

Falwell, who endorsed Trump in January 2016 just before that year's Iowa caucuses, praised Trump's actions on issues that concern Christian conservatives. 'I really don't think any other president has done more for evangelicals and the faith community in four months than President Trump has,' Falwell said. The pair are pictured during Liberty's commencement

Liberty's president often compared Trump to his later father, the conservative televangelist Jerry Falwell, and argued that while Trump wasn't the most religious candidate in the race, he was the man the country needed

Following his commencement address Trump tweeted some of his points from his speech, which include 'relish the opp to be an outsider'

A recent Pew Research Center survey marking Trump's first 100 days in office, a milestone reached on April 29, found three-quarters of white evangelicals approved of his performance as president while just 39 per cent of the general public held the same view.

Christian conservatives have been overjoyed by Trump's appointment of Justice Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, along with Trump's choice of socially conservative Cabinet members and other officials, such as Charmaine Yoest, a prominent anti-abortion activist named to the Department of Health and Human Services.

But they had a mixed response to an executive order on religious liberty that Trump signed last week.

He directed the IRS to ease up on enforcing an already rarely enforced limit on partisan political activity by churches.

Trump also promised 'regulatory relief' for those who object on religious grounds to the birth control coverage requirement in the Affordable Care Act health law.

Meanwhile, dozens of protesters gathered along Wards Road to demonstrate against him speaking at the commencement

Other demonstrators held signs that had biblical scriptures (pictured) written on them

Despite claims from Liberty president, Falwell, who has praised Trump's actions on issues that concern Christians, some protesters feel just the opposite, evident by a 'Christian values at stake' sign (pictured)

Yet the order did not address one of the most pressing demands from religious conservatives: broad exemptions from recognizing same-sex marriage.

Still, Falwell, who endorsed Trump in January 2016 just before that year's Iowa caucuses, praised Trump's actions on issues that concern Christian conservatives.

'I really don't think any other president has done more for evangelicals and the faith community in four months than President Trump has,' Falwell told AP in a telephone interview.

Falwell became a key surrogate and validator for the thrice-married Trump during the campaign, frequently traveling with Trump on the candidate's plane and appearing at events.

Liberty's president often compared Trump to his later father, the conservative televangelist Jerry Falwell, and argued that while Trump wasn't the most religious candidate in the race, he was the man the country needed.

Trump is pictured arriving in Lynchburg, Virginia, ahead of his first commencement address

Trump was seen boarding Air Force One during his departure from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland Saturday morning

The president returned back to the White House on Saturday as he makes plans to nominate a new FBI director by next week. he told reporters (pictured) that he wants to move quickly to choose a nominee to replace Comey

Trump has spoken at Liberty University before. He courted Christians there in January 2016 with a speech that drew laughs from some in the audience when he referred to one of the Bible's books as 'Two Corinthians' instead of the more common 'Second Corinthians.'

In that speech, Trump promised: 'We're going to protect Christianity, and I can say that. I don't have to be politically correct.'

Newly-elected US presidents often give their first commencement addresses at the University of Notre Dame, the country's best-known Roman Catholic school.

Presidents Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush did so during their first year in office.

But this year, Vice President Mike Pence will speak at Notre Dame's graduation, becoming the first vice president to do so.

Notre Dame spokesman Paul Browne declined to say whether Trump had been invited to the May 21 ceremony, saying it was against school policy to reveal who had turned down offers.

Following the commencement address, the president immediately returned to the White House. He is pictured exiting Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House
As the Peoples Commissar of the Red Army, Leon Trotsky was the second most powerful man in Soviet Russia after Lenin. A ruthless revolutionary and rabble-rousing orator, Trotsky was responsible for numerous mass killings, and was even rumoured to have shot his chauffeur for being late.

It was little wonder then, that his British visitor was nervous when she arrived late at his Kremlin office one afternoon in 1920, having been detained by sentries.

Her name was Clare Sheridan. She was a sculptor who had travelled from London to Moscow to produce busts of Trotsky, Lenin and other Soviet leaders.

Beautiful bohemian: A portrait of Clare from one of her books, published in 1921

Blonde, glamorous, aristocratic and bohemian, she represented everything that Trotsky should have hated.

But during that meeting he gazed at her in a way that left her in no doubt how attractive he found her. For her part, Clare was clearly mesmerised by Trotskys sparkling blue eyes and shock of hair above his trademark pince-nez. When he talks his face lights up and his eyes flash, she wrote.

Their flirtation smouldered as the clay sculpture took shape over the following days. He praised her beauty, her halo of golden hair. At one point, he kissed her hands to warm them after she was caught in a snowstorm.

Another time, she asked him to unbutton his collar. He undid his tunic and the shirt underneath and laid bare his neck and chest, she confided in her diary.

Trotsky was 39 and married, Clare was 35 and widowed with two small children back in London. A few nights later, Trotsky took her in his arms and kissed her passionately. Then, Trotskys biographer Robert Service believes, they became lovers.

What makes their affair all the more astonishing is that the woman being ravished by Trotsky in his Kremlin office was the first cousin of the arch-enemy of the Soviets, Winston Churchill, then the Secretary of State for War.

Trotsky was 39 and married, Clare was 35 and widowed with two small children back in London. A few nights later, Trotsky took her in his arms and kissed her passionately

It is surprising that we do not know more about Clare, an alluring aristocratic beauty and surely one of the most bewitching, fascinating figures of the inter-war period. She was brave and talented but utterly unconventional. Churchill himself called her this wild cousin of mine.

In an age when women had to at least appear virtuous, Clare saw no need to hide her beauty and devil-may-care sex appeal  and men from every background and race were only too keen to indulge it. Even the toughest men seemed to melt when fixed by Clares large, limpid eyes and air of helplessness, which belied a ruthless streak. Her own brother once described her as a cad for the way she treated men.

Wherever in the world she travelled, she left a trail of lovers behind, not to mention a damning dossier of evidence collected by MI5, which suspected her of spying for the Soviets as well as sleeping with them.

Trotsky was not Clares first Bolshevik paramour. She had gone to Moscow at the invitation of his brother-in-law, Lev Kamenev, a diplomat whom she had met in London.

They too were lovers, and she had sculpted his bust at her London studio. When it was time for him to return to Moscow, he invited her to accompany him, promising that Lenin and Trotsky would sit for her.

Keen for adventure, and smitten by both Kamenev and the picture of a socialist paradise he painted, she agreed. Telling her brother Oswald not to breathe a word to their parents or to her cousin Winston  who had pressed the British Government to side with the Bolsheviks enemies in the Russian Civil War  she left for Moscow in September 1922.

When Churchill found out, he was furious and refused to speak to her on her return.

Clare was not the only Briton to make their way to Russia in those febrile post-revolutionary days.

A new exhibition at the British Library, marking the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, features artefacts, literature and art from that period, including material about several Britons involved in the revolution and its aftermath.

Clare sculpting her cousin Winston Churchills bust in 1942. Clare died in 1970, five years after Churchill. Her forgiveness, it seems, was complete

They included the writer and socialist HG Wells and the journalist Arthur Ransome  who would later write Swallows And Amazons, and who secretly spied for MI6.

But it was Clare Sheridan, the glamorous golden-haired beauty, who caused the greatest stir back in Britain, because of her connection to Churchill.

She was an unlikely communist. Born in 1885, her mother was Clara Jerome, who hailed from a wealthy American family and whose sister Jennie married Randolph Churchill. Winston was their son.

Clares father Moreton Frewen was nicknamed Mortal Ruin because his harebrained financial schemes bankrupted the family.

Clare was intelligent and harboured literary ambitions, but her adored cousin Winston  they were as close as siblings  advised her against a writing career. Better to please and inspire the male sex, he wrote patronisingly. In 1910, at the age of 25, she married Wilfred Sheridan, a far from wealthy stockbroker.

In 1912 they had a daughter, Margaret. A second daughter, Elizabeth, died from meningitis. Devastated, Clare designed a statue of a kneeling angel as a memorial, sculpting it herself out of clay, and discovered that she had a talent for it.

In May 1915, with Clare pregnant again, Wilfred went to fight in France. But just days after their longed-for son and heir, Richard, was born, Clares letters to Wilfred were returned  with Killed in Action scrawled across them. While most war widows of the age resigned themselves to a single life, Clare did not believe in celibacy.

Her energies were being used in every way to further Russia

In fact, she proclaimed that a woman should be able to choose her lovers and bear children with any man of her choice without having to marry him. Lord Alexander Thynne, the Marquess of Baths son, was the first in a long line of lovers and Clare was devastated when he too was killed in 1918.

Again she sought solace in sculpting. Among those who sat for her were the former Prime Minister, Lord Asquith, her cousin Winston, and his great friend Lord Birkenhead, the Lord Chancellor.

She and Birkenhead became lovers, and caused a scandal  because he was married.

Her anguished mother appealed to Churchill to intercede but conceded in her journals: He adores Clare, thinks she can do no wrong... so whatever scandal these two create together is in Winstons view no scandal  they are splendid, and whatever they feel like doing is perfect.

But capricious Clare soon moved on from Birkenhead to Kamenev, whose talk of Bolshevism, equality and freedom sounded like the perfect antidote to the class-ridden, money-obsessed society in which she was struggling to survive.

Her brother Oswald was sceptical, writing in his diary: She has got Bolshevism badly, she always reflects the views of the last man shes met.

When she returned from her Russian foray, her diary was serialised in The Times, causing outrage due to the rosy light in which she depicted the Bolshevik regime  although she did also complain that the Russians stank due to the scarcity of soap.

She wrote of Lenins dedication while Trotsky, she rhapsodised, was a man of wit, and fire and genius, a Napoleon of peace. She failed to mention that she had taken both Trotsky and Kamenev as lovers. It was even rumoured that she had slept with Lenin and Felix Dzerzhinsky, head of the feared Cheka (secret police).

Her family was appalled. These men, with their terrible little beards and dripping with blood had killed millions, noted Jennie Churchill, Winstons mother, acidly. And she was right. Dzerzhinsky had ordered the torture and murder of thousands while her peace-loving Trotsky was responsible for mass executions and massacres. Both wanted to bring down Western democracy.

It was not just naivety: she was too intelligent not to realise that the people she praised were murderous monsters, their hands drenched in blood.

As for Churchill, who had spent the preceding years arguing for British intervention to overthrow the Bolshevik regime, he was so furious he could not speak to her.

In Hollywood she met Charlie Chaplin, who was magnetised by her allure. They went camping together in the Californian desert

For all her rebelliousness, Clare was hurt when friends and family ostracised her. So she went on a speaking tour in America, lecturing about her Russian trip.

In Hollywood she met Charlie Chaplin, who was magnetised by her allure. They went camping together in the Californian desert. But the press tracked them down and the affair was plastered across the front pages.

When asked if it was normal for respectable women in England to take lovers, Clare responded flippantly: As many as they can get.

Back in England but still hungry for adventure, Clare left her children and embarked on a European tour. She interviewed republican leaders in Ireland and, in 1922, travelled to Switzerland, where she met Mussolini at a conference.

Hoping to interview him, she described him as marvellous. He duly invited her to Rome where one British spy sent to monitor her reported that she aired her views... especially in connection with free love.

But she also declared loudly that Mussolini had converted her from Bolshevism to Fascismo, perhaps to curry favour. It worked. He invited her to his Rome hotel room, where she tried to persuade him to be interviewed or sculpted.

One night Il Duce, as he was known, agreed to sit for her but then, apparently inflamed by lust, he grabbed her, snarling: You will not leave till dawn, and then you will be broken in.

Punches and slaps were exchanged, they wrestled furiously. Clare was taller than him, but Mussolini had bull-like strength.

At last she made a dash for the door and managed to unlock it, but as she opened it, he threw his weight against it slamming it shut on her elbow.

When the telephone rang, distracting him, she managed to escape, though badly bruised. His violence and bestiality that night was, as she recalled in her memoir, unwriteable. She got her revenge by describing him in print as a grotesque tyrant in white spats.

Yet still her escapades were not over.

In 1923, she went to Germany to hear Hitler speak. An MI5 informant reported: She was very much impressed with the extraordinary enthusiasm that von Hitler aroused amongst an audience of some 10,000 people, with an extraordinarily blood-thirsty speech.

But he noted: I gathered that she found the German was nothing like so responsive to her personal charms as was the Russian, a fact she deplored.

Back in London, her MI5 dossier was growing thicker. They watched her, tapped her telephone and photographed her mail, which confirmed their suspicions: Clare was feeding information to the Soviets via two Russian agents, the Daily Herald journalists George Slocombe and Norman Ewer.

She fed them snippets of conversations she had had with Churchill, by then Chancellor of the Exchequer, about sensitive subjects such as foreign affairs.

When MI5 informed Churchill, he replied that he was not prepared to pay bail for her if she got into trouble with the law. And all the while Clare continued to collect lovers.

In the space of a few months she had affairs with a French general, a French socialist politician and an Albanian activist named Ismet Bey.

MI5 noted: Her energies were being used in every way for the furtherance of Soviet schemes.

Restless, she moved to Algeria, where she was briefly engaged to a philandering old Etonian, Major Ronnie Bodley, who dressed in Arab clothes. She broke it off, but settled in the Saharan desert where, according to her MI5 file, she seemed to be suspiciously wealthy for a sculptor and novelist. They surmised that the Russians were paying her as an informant.

MI5 continued their surveillance of Clare into the 1940s.

She remained good friends with Churchill, despite her betrayal, and visited him at Chartwell during the war. He invited her to Downing Street to sculpt his bust.

She was exasperated by his inability to sit still during the sessions in 1942. He never gives me a chance. Always that blasted cigar in his mouth which twists his face, she complained. After two weeks of sittings  they chatted about Mussolini as she moulded the clay  Churchill professed himself delighted with the result.

Clare died in 1970, five years after Churchill. Her forgiveness, it seems, was complete.

Was she really a Soviet spy? Katya Rogatchevskaia, lead curator of the British Library exhibition, believes she was curious but not a convinced communist. What is certain is that she fed information to the Soviets, and took their money.

Certainly, MI5 felt that her actions were damaging, embarrassing both Britain and Churchill, due to her almost pathological desire to figure in the limelight and her attraction to powerful men.

Yet she was allowed to remain free, neither punished nor imprisoned for her treachery, probably because she was so well-connected. The class system she despised had saved her after all.
Theresa May has insisted there is enough 'goodwill' on all sides to ensure no major border problems in Northern Ireland after Brexit - but there must be a 'strong and stable' devolved government.

The Prime Minister has been in Northern Ireland at an agricultural show where she told attendees she was 'personally engaged' in resolving the powersharing deadlock in Belfast.

Mrs May said 'we all want to see' an agreement reached by the deadline shortly after the June 8 General Election.

She said: 'We have got to make sure we do resolve the issue of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Scroll down for video

Theresa May meets members of the Women's Institute at the Balmoral Show, dressed as characters from nursery rhymes

Mrs May spoke to visitors to the agricultural show in Lisburn, of all ages as she assured people there was goodwill in the border discussions

The Prime Minister poses for a selfie with a young boy while touring exhibition stands

Mrs May speaks to stallholders in the country fair, where she bumped into DUP leader Arlene Foster and her son

'I'm very clear that we want to see no return to the borders of the past, no hard border but I'm clear that we need to see as seamless and frictionless a border as possible.'

It comes after former Prime Minister Tony Blair, rumoured to be preparing for a return to the frontline of politics, said Brexit would be a disaster for the peace process.

Yesterday the former Labour leader said Northern Ireland should be treated as a special case the Common Travel Area between the UK and the Republic should be retained.

But today, Mrs May said the issue had been set out in her Article 50 letter triggering the start of Brexit negotiations and detailed in the response from Brussels.

She added: 'There's goodwill on all sides.'

Theresa May meets a young family on the campaign trail in Northern Ireland, where she was accused of 'arrogance' by Sinn Fein

Mrs May said it was important to bring a 'strong and stable' solution to the devolved Northern Ireland administration as Brexit talks continue

Mrs May made the comments as she toured the Balmoral Show in Lisburn where she attracted a crowd as she stopped to talk to stall holders, including members of the Women's Institute who were dressed up as nursery rhyme characters as part of a themed event.

The Prime Minister stopped and posed for selfies with children and chatted to surprised show-goers during the 25-minute visit.

As she walked past the parade ring, Mrs May bumped into DUP leader Arlene Foster and her son and stopped for a quick chat.

The Prime Minister was later asked about criticism that she had not been involved enough in resolving the Stormont political crisis but pointed to meetings she held before Easter with Mrs Foster and Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill.

'I have been personally engaged. I have had contact with both Michelle and Arlene,' she said.

The Prime Minister stopped and posed for selfies with children and chatted to surprised show-goers during the 25-minute visit

Left, a woman takes a selfie with the Prime Minister in the background as she talks with a stallholder, and right, listening to the concerns of young Northern Irish girls

'But what is important if we are going to see what we all want, which is a return to a strong and stable devolved administration here in Northern Ireland, is that the parties here in Northern Ireland come together and agree to an agreement that can enable that devolved administration to be established.'

Sinn Fein Brexit spokesman John O'Dowd accused the PM of 'arrogance'.

He said: 'The arrogance of Theresa May is astounding visiting the Balmoral Show, while her Tory cabinet is planning to impose Brexit on the north which will be disastrous for our farming and agri-food industries.

'Since taking office, Theresa May has visited the north once, taken one media question and then departed.

'Now that Ms May has ticked a box and visited the north one more time for the election, she will jet off home and continue to ignore the democratic wishes of the people here.

'This is a British Prime Minister whose Tory party received just 0.3% of the vote in the last Assembly election in the north.

'Her politics have been rejected both at the ballot box and in a referendum where the people of the north voted to remain within the EU.'

Mrs May was criticised for her quick visit, lasting just 25 minutes, as John O'Dowd of Sinn Fein said it meant she would 'tick the north' off the list

Yesterday former Prime Minister Tony Blair said Brexit would be a disaster for the peace process in Northern Ireland

Yesterday, Mr Blair spoke at a conference of the European People's Party in Wicklow, Ireland, where he said: 'If the UK and the Republic were able to agree a way forward on the border, then we would have the best chance of limiting the damage.

'It is in the interests of us all, including our European partners, for this to happen'.

The former Premier said getting consensus on the border will be crucial in the Brexit negotiations.

'Some disruption is inevitable and indeed is already happening,' he said.

His comments of late have sparked rumours he will be making a return to frontline politics, as people speculate he might be launching a new party

'However, it is essential that we do all we possibly can to preserve arrangements which have served both countries well and which command near universal support.

'A hard border between the countries would be a disaster and I am sure everyone will and must do all they can to avoid it.'
Couples pretending to be single parents to collect bigger Centrelink payments will be exposed in a new Budget witch hunt - and witnesses will need to be called in to prove they are 'not in love'.

Single parents will now be forced to prove they are not in a relationship with their partners as part of a fresh government crackdown on welfare cheats who falsify their living situations for extra payments.

Separated couples who share children are entitled to $264.50 more per fortnight than parents in a romantic relationship.

Around 15,000 couples around Australia are estimated to receive extra payments from Centrelink by lying about their living situations

Separated couples who share children are entitled to $264.50 more per fortnight than parents in a romantic relationship (stock image)

The Department of Human Services estimates 15,000 couples around Australia are receiving extra welfare payments by posing as struggling single parents.

Non-romantic co-parents will need to call upon witnesses to prove to the government they are not in a relationship from September 2018.

Any witnesses caught making false statements about the relationship of welfare recipients could be jailed for up to a year.

Around 7400 parents incorrectly receiving single-parent welfare benefits will have their payments reduced and 7400 are likely to have their payments axed completely.

Separated couples who share children are entitled to $264.50 more per fortnight from Centrelink than parents in a romantic relationship

Single parents can claim up to $748.10 a fortnight, couples can receive up to $483.60 and those separated due to illness, respite care or prison are paid up to $579.30.

This year's Federal Budget put a harsh spotlight on welfare bludgers, with greater penalties expected for those who fail to show up for appointments, along with random drug testing if they want to keep their Newstart unemployment benefits.

Welfare cheats who accrue up to four 'demerit points' within six months will start a three-strike phase, which could result in their payments being cancelled for a month.
An ex-ISIS sex slave has described the harrowing moment she attempted to force a miscarriage after multiple rapes left her 'carrying a small ISIS man'.

Nihad Barakat Shamo Alawsi was 15-years-old when she was kidnapped by the terror group in her home town of Sinjar in northwest Iraq in 2014.

After being held against her will, tortured, and left with a child who was the product of rape, the courageous Yazidi teenager is now hoping to embark on a new life in Australia.

Yazidis believe in a combination of Christianity, Islam, and the ancient Persian faith Zoroastrianism. As a result, Islamic State considers them 'devil-worshippers,' according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Ex-ISIS sex slave, Nihad Barakat Shamo Alawsi, has described the harrowing moment she attempted to force a miscarriage, after multiple rapes left her 'carrying a small ISIS man'

The teenager, now 18, was abducted from her home along with 27 members of her family and taken to Syria, then Mosul in northern Iraq where she was tortured for weeks.

She was taken as a slave by one man who died two weeks later, before she was sold to another man who already had a wife and another Yazidi sex slave.

He beat and raped her and a month later she became pregnant

'I thought I was carrying a small ISIS man,' she told The Sydney Morning Herald.

'When I got pregnant I thought that I am weak and I am wondering and asking myself, 'Why did this happen?''

Despite attempts to induce a miscarriage, Nihad gave birth to a baby boy called Issa, Arabic for Jesus.

The teenager, now 18, was abducted from her home along with 27 members of her family and taken to Syria, then Mosul in northern Iraq where she was tortured for weeks

Nihad was sold to another man who already had a wife and another Yazidi sex slave. He beat and raped her and she became pregnant (Pictured: A supporter of the Islamic State in Iraq)

Despite attempts to induce a miscarriage, Nihad gave birth to a baby boy called Issa, Arabic for Jesus

Nihad managed to escape three months later when the baby's father decided to marry her to his cousin, but she was forced to leave Issa behind.

He will be two in July.

'He is part of me but he's something from those criminals and he represents those criminals,' she said.

'Even if I managed to meet him again, my family and all the Yazidi people would say 'This is a member of ISIS'.'

She made a phone call to her family and was then rescued by Steve Maman from The Liberation of Christian and Yazidi Children of Iraq (CYCI).

She 15-years-old when she was kidnapped by the terror group in her home town of Sinjar in northwest Iraq in 2014

Nihad is now freed from the brutal rule of ISIS seeking to relocate to Australia with her family.

She hopes to be granted a protection visa by the end of the year before completing her studies, reports Sydney Morning Herald.

'I would like to go there to continue to work to be a teacher.'

Australia is one of the few countries willing to keep her family together.

Australia announced it would welcome 18,750 people seeking protection after being displaced by the conflict in war-torn Syria and Iraq.

The government announced in March it would grant protection visas to 12,000 people escaping the conflict zone.

Nihad is now freed from the brutal rule of ISIS seeking to relocate to Australia with her family

ISIS killed or kidnapped 9900 Yazidis over the course of just a few days in August 2014 in a brutal 'purification' of northern Iraq.

Last year, Nihad laid bare the horror of life under the rule of the terror group.

'They raped us, they killed our men, they took our babies away from us,' she told an event in London last year.

'The worst thing was the torture in Mosul. We were beaten and raped continuously for two weeks.'

The Sunni militants captured around 5,000 Yazidi men and women in summer 2014.

Islamic State considers the Yazidis to be devil-worshippers. The ancient Yazidi faith blends elements of Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Islam.
A K9 officer in South Florida is expected to recover after being shot in a gunfight where the suspect was killed.

Police dog Kasper took a bullet that was intended for his handler during a shootout in Palm Beach, Florida, Friday. Kasper went through surgery Friday night.

Officers chased Philip Oshea, 46, starting around 4am Friday after he robbed a bar and carjacked a woman, according to the Palm Beach Post.

Palm Beach County K9 Officer Kasper, pictured, took a bullet for his handler, which saved the officer's life. Kasper went through surgery Friday night and is expected to recover

Philip Oshea, 46, pictured, was being chased by police early Friday morning after he robbed a bar around 4am. He was also wanted in North Carolina for the armed robbery of a motel

When police arrived at the bar, Oshea drove away in his car and police followed, leading to two gunfights.

The first shootout happened during the chase, the second after Oshea crashed his car into a fence.

No police were shot except Kasper, though one deputy was injured as he dove for cover. He was treated in the hospital and was released later that morning. Oshea was shot and killed.

Three officers were involved and have been placed on administrative leave and state law enforcement agents will investigate the shooting, following protocol.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said Oshea had an extensive criminal history, according to CBS News.

Bradshaw said Oshea had been to prison several times and was wanted for arrest in North Carolina, particularly for the armed robbery of a motel in early May.

'This very dangerous individual is off the streets,' he said.

In the chase with police, Oshea crashed his car into a fence in Palm Beach, Florida, pictured. He then initiated a second gunfight with officers and was killed
An Islamic divorce practice where a man says 'talaq' three times to end a marriage is now 'really common' in the UK - despite being banned in other countries.

The process, called 'triple talaq', is prohibited in Pakistan and faces legal controversy in India after reports emerged of men divorcing their wives via letters, Skype and even WhatsApp.

Women are not allowed to use the method and are often left homeless and with no money - leading to many appealing to overturn it at the Supreme Court.

An Islamic divorce practice where a man says 'talaq' three times to end a marriage is now 'really common' in the UK - despite being banned in other countries (stock photo)

Islamic law suggests that the husband should say 'talaq' just once and only utter it a second or third time after at least three months to consider the issue.

'Triple talaq is really common among the Asian community in Britain,' Khola Hasan, a scholar at the Islamic Sharia Council in London, told The Times.

Ms Hasan, who said that her council deems it invalid, added: 'The most common scenario is when the husband screams talaq three times in a fit of anger and then regrets it.

'His family will say the divorce is valid; we advise they have three months in which to make a decision.'

Despite being prohibited in Pakistan and facing a ban in Pakistan - countries where Islamic marriages are legally recognised - it is said to be prevalent in the UK.

Islamic marriages are invalid under British civil law - meaning women have little room to leave an abusive or unhappy marriage.

It also means they struggle to defend their assets in court if their marriage breaks down.

Scholars have called on Muslim women in the UK to protect themselves legally by registering their religious marriages under civil law.

The process, called 'triple talaq', is prohibited in Pakistan and faces legal controversy in India after reports emerged of men divorcing their wives via letters, Skype and even WhatsApp (file photo of an Indian wedding)

If it is registered, the 'talaq' - meaning divorce - has little significance and the couple will still have to go through the court.

They are therefore calling for a change of the Marriage Act 1949 to ensure all religious marriages must be registered.

Currently, couples who marry in Islamic, Hindu or Sikh ceremonies are not obligated to register their marriages.

But Church of England, Jewish or Quaker marriages must be registered.

'Significant numbers' of Muslims in Britain do not register their marriage, according to the Muslim Women's Network, The Times reported.

Experts advised that woman could also demand equal divorce rights in a pre-nuptial agreement.

It comes as India's highest court began considering the legality of the controversial Islamic practice ion Thursday.

'We told the court that the practice has no basis in the law or in the Koran,' said Balaji Srinivasan, a lawyer for Shayara Bano whose husband split from her by writing 'divorce' three times on a piece of paper.

The practice has been challenged in lower courts but this collective appeal is the first time India's Supreme Court will consider whether triple talaq is fundamental to Islam and therefore legally binding.

Women are not allowed to use the method and are often left homeless and with no money - leading to many appealing to overturn it at the Supreme Court (stock photo of a Pakistani wedding)

A panel of five judges from India's major faiths - Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism - will consider the matter and is expected to deliver a verdict next week.

India allows religious institutions to govern matters of marriage, divorce and property inheritance in the multi-faith nation, enshrining triple talaq as a legal avenue for its 180 million Muslims to end unions.

But the right-wing Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has backed the petitioners in this landmark case, declaring triple talaq unconstitutional and discriminatory against women.

Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has long pushed for a uniform civil code to be enforced but the issue remains highly sensitive in India, where religious tensions often lead to violence.

Many Muslim groups have been critical of any attempts to meddle with religious laws, arguing it curtails their constitutional right to govern their affairs.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), a grouping of Islamic organisations, told the court they opposed any efforts to change the law.

'Triple talaq is reprehensible and sinful way to divorce, and we have spoken against it, but we want the court and government to stay off,' AIMPLB's convener Zafaryab Jilani said.

Some Islamic scholars say there is no mention of triple talaq in the Koran, which instead details a different process for divorce based on mediation.
Hillary Clinton has a 'mixed mind' about President Donald Trump's decision to fire the man she believed cost her the election  ex-FBI Director James Comey, it was learned on Saturday.

A close associate who spoke to the former Democratic Party nominee after news of Comey's firing sparked controversy said that while there are no tears being shed for the former FBI chief, 'taking him out of his job at this point only reinforces the point that he was on to something

,' The New York Times is reporting on Saturday.

Ironically, one of the reasons originally cited by Trump and his aides for Comey's dismissal was his decision to publicly divulge details last year of the FBI's investigation into Clinton's private email server.

Initially, Trump and his aides said that the decision to remove Comey was based on a recommendation from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who wrote a memo critical of Comey's conduct during the Clinton email investigation.

Hillary Clinton (left) reportedly has a 'mixed mind' about President Donald Trump's decision to fire the man she believed cost her the election  ex-FBI Director James Comey (right)

Clinton's associates have accused Trump (seen above on Fox News during an interview that will air on Saturday)

Aides to Clinton, however, dismiss that suggestion. They believe the president's decision to fire Trump had nothing to do with Clinton and everything to do with his campaign's alleged ties to the Russian government.

In an interview with NBC News on Thursday, Trump contradicted his White House aides, saying that he would have fired Comey regardless of what Rosenstein said.

But on Friday, Trump went back to blaming Comey's handling of the Clinton email scandal as the reason for his firing  after allowing Thursday that the FBI's Russia investigation also was a factor.

Once again grousing about Democrats, who he termed 'hypocrites,' Trump said they 'should have liked' Comey for having recommended not to prosecute her, giving her what he called a 'free pass.'

'Trump firing Comey shows how frightened the Admin is over Russia investigation,' Clinton's former running mate Senator Tim Kaine tweeted

Brian Fallon, Clinton's former press secretary tweeted: 'I'm not shedding any tears for Comey personally - he hurt FBI's reputation - but I do worry whether we ever get to the bottom of Russia now'

Former Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook tweeted: 'Twilight zone. I was as disappointed and frustrated as anyone at how the email investigation was handled. But this terrifies me'

Former Clinton campaign spokesperson Glen Caplin tweeted: 'I am no Comey fan, but POTUS firing FBI Director conducting investigation into campaign is indefensible. Need independent investigation ASAP'

In fact, many Democrats, including Clinton, fumed about Comey for castigating the presidential candidate in his July press conference, then reopening an investigation following the emergence of newly discovered Clinton emails.

Trump said: 'They should have liked him. But because he did what he did for her was unbelievable, with all of the guilty, guilty, guilty, I mean, because  but she's not guilty.'

Former aides to Clinton said no one in the former secretary of state's orbit is celebrating Comey's demise.

'There is no one I have encountered in Clintonworld who views this as a positive development,' Jennifer Palmieri, the campaign's former communications director, told the Times.

'When I heard the news, my first thought was, 'They must be getting close'.'

'Trump firing Comey shows how frightened the Admin is over Russia investigation,' Clinton's former running mate Senator Tim Kaine tweeted.

'Comey firing recommended by Sessions. I thought he had recused himself from Russia investigation!'

Comey said that his agents had uncovered thousands of new emails that it had not yet reviewed in its Clinton investigation, because they ended up on the laptop of disgraced ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner (right), the husband of longtime Clinton aide Huma Abedin (left)

Brian Fallon, Clinton's former press secretary tweeted: 'I'm not shedding any tears for Comey personally - he hurt FBI's reputation - but I do worry whether we ever get to the bottom of Russia now'.

Former Clinton campaign spokesperson Glen Caplin tweeted: 'I am no Comey fan, but POTUS firing FBI Director conducting investigation into campaign is indefensible. Need independent investigation ASAP'.

Clinton email timeline March 2015: Becomes publicly known that Hillary Clinton, during her tenure as United States Secretary of State, had used her family's private email server for official communications and FBI opened investigation. May 2016: The State Department's Office of the Inspector General released an 83-page report about the State Department's email practices, including Clinton's. July 2016: FBI director James Comey announces the bureau's investigation had concluded that Clinton was 'extremely careless' in handling her email system but recommended that no charges be filed against her. Two days later the State Department reopenes its probe into the email controversy. October 2016: Eleven days before the election, Comey notifies Congress the FBI is reopening the case due to emails found on laptop linked to Clinton aide Huma Abedin's husband, Anthony Weiner, November 2016: Comey notifies Congress the conclusion is unchanged. May 2017: Comey 'misspeaks' in Senate testimony, exaggerating email details. Advertisement

Former Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook tweeted: 'Twilight zone. I was as disappointed and frustrated as anyone at how the email investigation was handled. But this terrifies me.'

'I was as frustrated, concerned and disappointed as anyone with Director Comey's handling of the email investigation, but President Trump just fired the man investigating how Russia meddled in our election and whether members of his campaign were involved, an investigation President Trump called 'charade' only 24 hours ago,' Mook said in a statement reported by CNN.

'It's equally concerning that our attorney general, who lied about his own meetings with the Russians, approved Director Comey's firing,' he added.

However, Clinton herself has not made a comment about Comey's firing. She has only said 'no comment' through an aide.

In his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, Comey said he had no choice but to go public with his intention to re-examine the Clinton email case just 10 days before the election. I could not see a door labelled 'No action here,' Comey responded.

'Speak would be really bad. There's an election in 11 days. Lordy that would be really bad,' he said, laying out his mindset at the time.

'Concealing in my view would be catastrophic.'

Comey said that his agents had uncovered thousands of new emails that it had not yet reviewed in its Clinton investigation, because they ended up on the laptop of disgraced ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner, the husband of longtime Clinton aide Huma Abedin.

He then notified Congress in a letter, which was then released to the public.

The news generated headlines and Clinton and her supporters believe that it swayed just enough undecided voters in key swing states and cost her the election to Trump.

Describing his own angst over the situation, Comey shared: 'Look this is terrible, it makes me mildly nauseous to think that we might have had some impact on the election. But honestly, it wouldn't change the decision,' he said.
A rare white wolf had to be euthanized after hikers found her suffering from a gunshot wound in the Yellowstone National Park.

The reward for information leading to whoever shot the 12-year-old wolf rose to $10,000 on Friday after a wolf advocacy group matched a $5,000 reward offered earlier by the park.

Yellowstone officials put the severely injured wolf down after she was found suffering in the northern edge of the park, near Gardiner, Montana, on April 11.

The wolf was the alpha female of a group of wolves dubbed the Canyon Pack and a popular target of photographers.

A rare white wolf (file image) had to be euthanized after hikers found her suffering from a gunshot wound in the Yellowstone National Park

The reward for information leading to whoever shot the 12-year-old wolf (file) rose to $10,000 on Friday after a wolf advocacy group matched a $5,000 reward offered earlier by the park

The park offered a $5,000 reward Thursday for information leading to a conviction after announcing a preliminary necropsy finding that the wolf had been shot.

The Montana group Wolves of the Rockies followed up with its own $5,000 reward.

Park officials have not said whether they have leads in their investigation into who killed the wolf, but Wolves of the Rockies President Marc Cook speculated the wolf's killer was someone angry about the reintroduction of wolves to the park more than two decades ago.

'People take matters into their own hands and feel they are above the law and they kind of flaunt that fact that they can do what they want to do and there's no repercussions,' Cook said.

Park officials also have not commented on a motive for the wolf's killing, but many hunting outfitters and ranchers oppose the presence of the wolves, which now number about 100 in the park.

Wolves prey on big-game animals popular with hunters, such as elk, and sometimes kill cattle on pastures outside Yellowstone.

The shooting happened at a time of transition for wolves in nearby Wyoming, where a federal appeals court ruled in March that they could be removed from Endangered Species Act protection.

Environmentalists had persuaded a judge to put wolves back on the endangered list in Wyoming in 2014.

Park officials also have not commented on a motive for the wolf's killing, but many hunting outfitters and ranchers oppose the presence of the wolves (file), which now number about 100 in the park

Their concerns included a shoot-on-sight provision for wolves in most of the state, one that does not exist in Idaho or Montana.

The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia found Wyoming adequately addressed those concerns. Wolves went back off the endangered list in Wyoming on April 25.

Reclassified by the state as predators of livestock, they once again may be shot on sight by anyone in most of Wyoming outside Yellowstone, Grand Teton National Park and nearby wild country.

Relatively few wolves wander far from the Yellowstone region in Wyoming.

The wolf found shot in Yellowstone was more than 70 miles from where it could legally have been shot on sight in Wyoming two weeks after the wolves had been taken off the endangered list.

The dead wolf was double the average age of a Yellowstone wolf and had at least 20 pups, of which 14 became yearlings.

She was together with the same alpha male wolf for more than nine years, park officials said.
Brainwashed youngsters as young as five years old are being turned into executioners by ISIS thugs, a new documentary has revealed.

In a harrowing interview, an 11-year-old refugee, Hadya, revealed he had been forced to hack off a man's limbs with a machete along with his two younger brothers.

'The man came and told us, "You cut off a foot, you cut off an arm, and you stab him in the face with a knife,"' he said.

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Brainwashed youngsters as young as five years old are being turned into executioners by ISIS thugs

'"If you don't, I will take the three of you away from your mother and I will kill you."

'We were scared to say no. He gave each of us a machete. Me, I cut his hand off.'

His brother Fadi, nine, was then forced to cut off the man's foot while his youngest brother Shadi, five, stabbed him in the face and eyes, according to the Mirror.

The man eventually bled to death.

The siblings, who were left traumatised by the ordeal, are currently being held in a refugee camp in northern Iraq.

The interviews were captured as part of a French documentary The Lost Children of the Califate, by filmmaker Sofia Amara.

A 34-minute video called My Father Told Me, shows so-called cubs of the Caliphate in the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa going through military drills in the middle of the night

A child soldier is seen holding a gun in the propaganda video

Another former child soldier, Ayad, was just 12 when he was sent to a military training camp.

As part of training, he said, the children would practice crawling down into tunnels to hide from bombing raids and learned how to place explosives.

He also revealed soldiers whipped them with an electrical cable and shoot next to their feet to make them feel threatened.

'They would tell me how they are going to take over the world, and I would believe that even if I escaped they would find me,' he said.

'So I was forced to become like them.'

The children, who are known as 'cubs of the Califate', are used by the terrorists as suicide bombers and frontline soldiers.

The terrorist group's use of child soldiers is well known, with youngsters appearing in propaganda videos.

Child soldiers are shown going through military drills in the middle of the night

In a 34-minute video, called My Father Told Me, child soldiers in the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa are shown going through military drills in the middle of the night and learning how to use handheld rocket launchers.

Previous videos have shown youngsters shooting jumpsuit-wearing prisoners in the back of the head and delivering chilling threats to the terror group's enemies.

When ISIS seized power in parts of Syria and Iraq in 2013 it took over schools and immediately began 'educating' children the Daesh way.

Staff were ordered to teach their extreme interpretation of the Koran and orphanages were also built, where the orphans came under the protection of ISIS commanders.

With no parents to nurture them or teach them their own morality the orphans could simply be moulded from an early age into brainwashed puppets.
President Donald Trump may have broken the law when he fired the man heading an investigation into his campaign's alleged ties to Russia, Democratic lawmakers said on Friday.

Trump's decision to dismiss FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday sparked a massive backlash, with some Democrats warning of a constitutional crisis.

Given that the FBI is probing allegations of inappropriate contacts between the Russian government and Trump's presidential campaign, the president's decision to terminate Comey has prompted Democrats to accuse him of a cover-up.

After Trump hinted on Friday that he has audio recordings of conversations with Comey, senior Democrats on Capitol Hill moved to obtain copies.

President Donald Trump (left) may have broken the law when he fired James Comey (right), the former director of the FBI and the man heading an investigation into his campaign's alleged ties to Russia, Democratic lawmakers said on Friday

They charged that Trump's veiled threats to release audio tapes of Comey amounted to 'possible witness intimidation and obstruction of justice.'

'[It is a] crime to intimidate or threaten any potential witness with the intent to influence, delay, or prevent their official testimony,' House Reps. John Conyers, a Democrat from Michigan, and Elijah Cummings, a Democrat from Maryland, wrote in a letter to the White House counsel Don McGahn.

Cummings and Conyers requested that the White House provide 'all documents, memoranda, analyses, emails, and other communications relating to the President's decision to dismiss Director Comey,' according to CBS News.

Cummings is the most senior Democratic member of the House Oversight Committee.

Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal (left) says Trump's actions suggest 'there may be a cover-up. New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler (right) argues there is a 'strong case' for obstruction of justice charges to be brought against Trump

Conyers is the ranking committee on the House Judiciary Committee.

Trump's tweet about possible tapes as well as recent revelations that he demanded Comey pledge 'loyalty' to him shortly after he was inaugurated have raised suspicions among Democrats that the president's real goal in firing the FBI director was to derail the Russia investigation.

Reports have also surfaced claiming that Comey was fired shortly after he asked the Justice Department to provide more resources for the Russia probe.

New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat, says that these factors add up to 'a strong case' that Trump is guilty of obstruction of justice.

'Asking for loyalty of the FBI, which is supposed to be independent - especially when he just admitted he was thinking of firing Comey essentially because of the Russian investigation - those two things combined make a very strong case for the President having committed an obstruction of justice and that's got to be investigated,' Nadler told CNN on Friday.

House Reps Elijah Cummings (left) and John Conyers (right) have written a letter to the White House demanding that it hand over any audio recordings that may exist as well as other documents related to the Comey firing

Democrats in the Senate agree.

'There may be a cover-up,' Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal said.

'He may be obstructing justice,' Dick Durbin, the senator from Illinois, said.

'President Trump has fired this guy because the dragnet's tightening in the Russia investigation,' said Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia.
The boyfriend of a Romanian tourist thrown into the Thames during the Westminster terror attack broke down in tears as she was finally buried in her hometown.

Andreea Cristea, 31, was knocked into the river when Khalid Masood drove his rented SUV into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on March 22. She died two weeks later.

Her boyfriend, Andrei Burnaz, who had been about to propose, suffered a broken foot.

Andrei Burnaz, the boyfriend of Andreea Cristea, weeps at her funeral

Miss Cristea, pictured left and right with Mr Burnaz, was killed after she was knocked into the Thames during the Westminster terror attack

Five people were killed and dozens injured during Masood's rampage in March

Mr Burnaz had planned to propose before the horrific attack by Khalid Masood

Mourners stand around the coffin of Miss Cristea in St Mary's Church

About 150 mourners carrying flickering candles gathered at St. Mary's church in the city of Constanta on Saturday.

Many were wearing badges showing Miss Cristea's photo which said: 'Forever in my heart!'

Orthodox Archbishop Teodosie of Tomis, who headed the service, described her as 'young, beautiful, hard-working and full of love'.

He also alluded to the forthcoming proposal from engineer Mr Burnaz who stood quietly during the service occasionally weeping.

Miss Cristea was the fifth victim of Masood, a 52-year-old former convict who had embraced radical Islam.

The terrorist then rushed on to the grounds of Parliament, where he fatally stabbed PC Keith Palmer before being shot dead by another officer.

Some 150 people carrying flickering candles gathered in the Romanian port city of Constanta

Mr Burnaz touches his girlfriend's coffin during the moving service on Saturday

Elder sister Magda Toi said family and friends 'don't think they lost Andreea, they will always remember her and she will always be with us'

Mr Burnaz was injured in the attack on Westminster Bridge

A picture of Miss Cristea on the back of a car along with the caption: 'Our ray of light Andrea will shine forever in our hearts'

Miss Cristea was pulled from the river and had surgery for a blood clot on the brain but she died on April 6 when life support was withdrawn.

Also killed in the attack were American Kurt Cochran, 54 and Britons Leslie Rhodes, 75, and Aysha Frade, 44.

Elder sister Magda Toi said family and friends 'don't think they lost Andreea, they will always remember her and she will always be with us'.

Relatives hold hands at the funeral service. After her death, her family and Mr Burnaz described Miss Cristea as 'our shining ray of light that will forever keep on shining in our hearts

A relative throws flowers into Miss Cristea's grave

Mr Burnaz carries a wreath at the cemetery

Mr Burnaz stands by solemnly as the coffin is lowered in the grave

Ms Toi noted that it had started to rain when the coffin left the church for the cemetery, which in Romania is a sign that the deceased person was sorry to die.

British Ambassador Paul Brummell attended the funeral, tweeting: 'A moving day celebrating the life of Andreea Cristea, tragically cut short by a murderous act of terrorism'. Two London police officers were also there.

After her death, her family and Mr Burnaz described Miss Cristea as 'our shining ray of light that will forever keep on shining in our hearts,'.

They added that they would donate all the money raised on her behalf since the attack to charity.
When a 95-year-old Holocaust survivor was looking for a suitable roommate, no one would have guessed the best fit would be the 31-year-old granddaughter of Nazi soldiers.

But when Charlene Stern called up Professor Naomi Siedman at Berkeley, California's Graduate Theological Union to help her find the right match for her father Ben Stern, that's exactly who she was put in touch with.

'My professor wrote me that Ben is the coolest, funniest, most handsome old dude I know,'" Lea Heitfeld, a Master's degree candidate in the field of Jewish studies, told the Times of Israel in an article published Friday.

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When 95-year-old Holocaust survivor Ben Stern's wife, Helen, moved out of their home and in to an assisted care facility, Lea Heitfeld, 31, granddaughter of an unrepentant Nazi, took up the spare bedroom in Berkeley, California

With Charlotte Stern's mother and Ben's wife, Helen, moving out of the home and to an assisted care facility, Heitfeld took up the second bedroom in their spacious condo and she and Ben Stern became fast friends.

At first, Heitfeld only told Ben Stern that her grandfather was a soldier. Later, she opened up about the members of her family who her parents kept at bay most of her life.

'My grandmother, whom I met three times, would say things like, "The war was the greatest time in my life because I was in the unit of the German girls,"' Heitfeld said.

Ben Stern is seen here in a screenshot from Near Normal Man, his daughter's film

e's left permanently marked with two tattoos on his arm, one of the number '129592' and one of an inverted triangle to brand him as a 'dangerous Jew from the Warsaw Ghetto'

Charlene Stern channeled her curiosity for her father's experiences into writing, producing and directing the 30-minute short film, Near Normal Man

Ben Stern, who survived two ghettos, nine concentration camps, selection by the notorious Nazi physician Josef Mengele, two death marches, and the notorious conflict in Skokie, Illinois, remained gracious to his charge even in the face of this realization.

'I didnt see bread for 35 days,' he said, recalling one the marches where few survived.

During World War II, the Nazis killed both of Ben Sterns parents during World War II, along with his seven brothers and one sister. He's left permanently marked with two tattoos on his arm, one of the number '129592' and one of an inverted triangle to brand him as a 'dangerous Jew from the Warsaw Ghetto.'

But even after all of that, Ben Stern has remained resilient and openhearted his entire life.

'I told myself I cannot take it out on her because her grandparents were Nazis,' he said. 'A girl like that, a lady, should not have to pay the price for her grandparents.'

His daughter shares that sentiment, and has relished the opportunity to get to know Heitfeld and her story.

'Leas parents are survivors of a terrible inheritance,' Charlene Stern said. As a filmmaker, she has taken on the charge of honor and proliferating her father's steadfast hope of a better world.

'That is astounding to me,' she said. 'Im a student of his life. And he continues to teach me. And now Lea is a teacher to me, too the two of them.'

Ben Stern, front right, is shown here as a child in Europe, holding a mandolin

Ben Stern is seen here in a screenshot from Charlene Stern's Near Normal Man

Nazi soldiers as depicted in Near Normal Man

Charlene Stern channeled her curiosity for her father's experiences into writing, producing and directing the 30-minute short film, Near Normal Man, which chronicles Ben's experiences through the Holocaust and the 1978 demonstration by the National Socialist Party of America in Skokie, Illinois.

'Being in Auschwitz and coming out of Auschwitz, you cannot be normal,' Ben Stern said.

'God created angels, and in between, he created survivors. Its a losing battle and a winning battle. When I share it with other people, Im winning I can laugh and cry at the same time.'

Heitfeld, who has seen the movie 'four or five times,' said each viewing leaves her 'speechless.'

'Growing up in Germany, it was always facts and numbers. And getting to know this personal story, I feel like I understand more,'she said.

The film is Charlene Sterns method of understanding her own inherited, complex legacy.

'I wish it wasnt relevant, but it is so relevant,' she told the Times of Isreal during a private screening at her father and Heitfeld's home.

Charlene Stern said this is her way of memorializing her father's message for the youth of today and tomorrow.

'They are entering a country and a world shuddering from hate speech and racism unchecked,' she said.

'My biggest fear is hate speech unchecked that moves into action.'

The film, which won Best Documentary Short at 2017's San Diego Jewish Film Festival in February, was ironically reviewed by Ira Glasser, who was the executive director of the ACLU in 1978 and defended the organization's decision to represent the Neo-Nazi's first amendment rights in front of the US Supreme Court.

'I have seen many similar films, but found this one especially moving, largely because of Ben Sterns extraordinary articulation, from beginning to end. As soon as I saw that he had resettled in Skokie, I knew where this was going,' Glasser wrote.

'Early on in that dispute, despite being a leading defender of the ACLUs decision to take the case, I resolved never to lecture those who had endured, and still endure, incalculable pain and anguish, on why the First Amendment compelled the result it did. I thought this wonderful film handled the Skokie matter superbly, and that Sterns narrative about it was marvelous, and his remedy  a massive counter demonstration, a response of speech to speech  exactly right.'

Neo-Nazis marched in Skoki, Illinois in 1978, as depicted in Near Normal Man

Ben Stern fought against hate speech during aNeo-Nazi demonstration that took place in 1978 in the Skokie suburb of Chicago, where 1 out of every 6 people were Holocaust survivors

The march did happen on June 25, 1978, as can be seen in Nearly Normal Man, but was limited to about 20 Neo-Nazis, who were drowned out by counter demonstrators, Ben Stern included, both in Skokie and other cities around the country.

At the time that the demonstration took place in the late '70s, 1 out of every 6 people in the Skokie suburb of Chicago were Holocaust survivors, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

That's just one experience that remains with Ben Stern today.

'No matter how "near normal" Im acting, the memory does not fade,' he said. 'Anyone who goes through the Holocaust cannot say he is normal. Thats the price I pay for being a survivor.'

With survival has come the lifelong question of God could have allowed the Holocaust to happen, which is an answer Ben Stern hopes to finally receive in the afterlife.

'Im going to have that question with me when I get to heaven and have court with God,' he said.

Until then, Ben Stern remains in good health, and takes a walk to see his wife and Charlene's mother every day, who he met at a displaced person's camp.
The adoptive mother of two black students has branded their Boston charter school racist after her daughters were banned from extracurricular activities and given detention for violating their Boston charter school's hair code.

Twin sisters Deanna and Mya Scott, 15, were banned from track, the Latin Club and all school events after they came to school with braided hair extensions.

The Mystic Valley Regional Charter School students said they believe their school's hair policy is racist.

'What they're saying is we can't wear extensions, and the people who wear extensions are black people,' Deanna told CBS Boston.

Twin sisters Deanna (left) and Mya Scott (right), 15, were banned from track, the Latin Club and all school events after they came to school with braided hair extensions

The twins (pictured) said they were excited to wear their braids because 'it's very important to participate in the culture'. The pair were adopted by white parents Colleen and Aaron Cook (pictured), who are both outraged over the 'discriminatory' hair code

Mya told the station that she was 'excited to be celebrating my culture because I have white parents and it's very important to participate in the culture'.

The twins were adopted by Colleen and Aaron Cook, who are both outraged over the 'discriminatory' hair code.

'I'm angry, I feel like my children are beautiful, they're black, they should be proud of themselves, I'm very proud of them,' Colleen said.

Their father, Aaron, said the policy 'specifically discriminates against African-American children as it relates to hair extensions'.

'You typically do not see Caucasian children with hair extensions. The fact that it's in the handbook does not make it a non-discriminatory policy,' he added.

Their father, Aaron, said the policy 'specifically discriminates against African-American children as it relates to hair extensions'. Both girls have received multiple detentions and aren't allowed to go to any of their school functions

But the school's Interim Director Alexander Dan told CBS that the policy is simply meant to minimize fashion expenses for families. The Cook family has decided to seek help from the ACLU, Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Attorney General's office

But the school's Interim Director Alexander Dan told CBS that the policy is simply meant to minimize fashion expenses for families.

Dan said the extensions are prohibited because they are expensive and 'could serve as a differentiating factor between students from dissimilar socioeconomic backgrounds'.

The school administrator added that the policy is one that is consistent with the institution's desire to create an environment 'that celebrates all that students have in common and minimizes material differences and distractions'.

Both girls have received multiple detentions and aren't allowed to go to any of their school functions.

But the Cook family has decided to seek help from the ACLU, Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Attorney General's office.

Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice Education Project Director Matthew Cregor wrote a letter to Dan detailing three ways in which the school's policy may have violated the federal anti-discrimination law.

Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice Education Project Director Matthew Cregor wrote a letter to Mystic Valley Regional Charter School (pictured) detailing ways in which the school's policy may have violated the federal anti-discrimination law

First, Cregor wrote that the twins' parents 'expressed concern that white students who dye their hair are not facing the same consequences as black students with braids or extensions'.

Cregor then wrote that 'unlike the jewelry and nail polish prohibited in your code, braids and extensions are worn primarily by African-American and Afro-Caribbean students, raising concerns of discriminatory treatment'.

Lastly, he added that it's not clear how braiding, 'a deep-rooted cultural practice of people of African descent, can be put in the same category' as unnatural hair colors that they school deems 'distracting'.

Another issue Cregor addressed was that the school's hiring policies may also be discriminatory, since only one black teacher works there out of the 156 employed.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein does not see a reason to appoint a special prosecutor to oversee the FBI investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, CNN reported Friday.

This comes as Democratic members of congress, and even at least one Republican according to the New York Times, are increasingly calling for just that.

But Rosenstein seems to be sticking to what he previously told the Senate Judiciary Committee in March, which is that he would only appoint a special prosecutor if 'its appropriate based upon the policies and procedures of the Justice Department,' according to HuffPost.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein does not see a reason to appoint a special prosecutor to oversee the FBI investigation into election interference by Russia, as reported Friday; Rosenstein is seen here before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, DC on March 7

Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois said Friday that for Rosenstein to 'preserve his reputation,' he must appoint a special prosecutor to pursue criminal charges, or resign.

Rosenstein has been on the job as Deputy Attorney General since April 25, which amounts to just more than two weeks.

'In an interview with NBC News, President Trump admitted to firing FBI Director James Comey because of his investigation of the Trump campaigns Russian connections  that is dangerously close to obstruction of justice,' Durbin said in a statement.

'This morning, the President tweeted a thinly veiled threat to Mr. Comey, which could be construed as threatening a witness in this investigation, which is another violation of federal law.'

Durbin isn't the only one calling for a resignation in the absence of a special prosecutor on this issue.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California, also said the same, adding that the ongoing probes 'are far too important to risk disruption, delay or interference.'

At this time, though, Rosenstein hasn't budged.

Former FBI Director James Comey was fired by President Donald Trump on Tuesday; Comey is seen here before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, DC on May 3

Rosenstein has, however, agreed to brief the US Senate on President Donald Trump's firing of former FBI Director James Comey, according to a statement released by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's office.

'Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein's office has confirmed to Senator Schumer's office that Mr. Rosenstein will come to brief the full Senate next week,' Schumer's spokesman Matt House said in a statement.

'The time and date are still being worked out.'

At least one of the 94 senators who voted to confirm Rosenstein is looking forward to the chance to bring up the Russian investigation there.

'I certainly have some very specific questions about the timeline' of Comey's firing, said Senator Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan.

'I hope he realizes the importance of having a special prosecutor.'

'If the President believes that there's nothing there, then he shouldn't be afraid of the facts coming out,' Peters added, about the ongoing FBI Russian probe.

Senator Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan, is seen here speaking before the Senate Armed Forces Committee in Washington, DC on February 9

'Let's have 100% credibility with a special prosecutor, and let's make sure it's done with integrity.'

While Peters may get that question in, it may not be answered because that's not the subject of the briefing.

The briefing will cover the aftermath of conflicting stories that came out, from the White House, Vice President Mike Pence and Trump himself, about the timeline related to Comey's firing.

Rosenstein was not happy with how Comey's firing went down, according to officials.

Amidst all the chaos, Rosenstein allegedly threatened to resign, according to the Washington Post.

But when asked if that was actually true after meeting with Senate intelligence committee leaders in Washington, DC on Thursday, he denied the story.

'No,' Rosenstein said. '[I am] not quitting.'
Federal investigators are seeking the bank records of President Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort, according to reports.

The Justice Department reportedly made a request for the records as part of a probe into potential Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Investigators requested the records from the Citizens Financial Group Inc in mid-April, according to the Wall Street Journal.

New York officials are also looking into Manafort's real-estate to see if there are any indications of money-laundering or fraud.

Federal investigators are seeking the bank records of President Donald Trump's former campaign adviser Paul Manafort (left), according to reports

In late March, Manafort reportedly borrowed $16 million from a bank run by former Trump campaign adviser, Steve Calk, to salvage investments after the election, according to the Journal.

He also purchased at least six properties in New York, Florida and Virginia, for more than $16 million in the mid-2000s, which was around the time he started working for pro-Russian politicians in the Ukraine, according to the newspaper.

Also in March, a bank in Europe began investigating reports that an account used by Manafort may have been used for money-laundering.

NBC News claimed Manafort, who previously worked for Russian oligarch, Oleg Deripaska, with close links to Vladimir Putin, was tied to 15 bank accounts and 10 companies on Cyprus.

According to a source, at least one of the companies received money from Deripaska, raising the money-laundering concerns.

When these matters were raised with Manafort, the source said he closed the accounts.

New York officials are also looking into Manafort's (pictured) real-estate to see if there are any indications of money-laundering or fraud

Through a spokesman, Manafort said all of his real-estate transactions were 'transparent' and the Cyprus accounts were related to 'legitimate' work he had there.

The FBI said it is examining whether other Trump associates coordinated with Russian hackers in interfering with the campaign.

Those associates include Manafort, ex-national security adviser Mike Flynn, and former advisers Roger Stone and Carter Page.

None of them have been charged with any crime and all have denied any wrongdoing.
A defense attorney and her client are facing federal charges for smuggling illegal drugs into a prison.

Kit Lee Karjala, 54, was arrested Wednesday. She and Christopher Miller, 33, have been charged with drug conspiracy, possession and distribution of controlled substances and providing and possessing contraband in prison.

Karjala is accused of smuggling heroin and a drug called Suboxone, which is used to treat opioid addiction, to her client Miller when she visited him at the Anchorage Correctional Complex.

Kit Lee Karjala, 54, right, and her client Christopher Miller, 33, left, have been charged with drug conspiracy, possession and distribution of controlled substances and providing and possessing contraband in prison

Because they were professional visits, Karjala was allowed to meet the inmates without a physical barrier between them, which made it possible for Karjala to pass on the drugs to be distributed among other inmates.

An affidavit written by FBI Special Agent Richard Fuller said that in surveillance footage captured during several visits, Karjala can be seen handing items over to inmates, blocking them from the cameras, according to adn.com.

The lawyer's smuggling started in June of last year and continued up until last week, according to KTUU 2.

Karjala also smuggled drugs to at least three other inmates during that time. Two of them had never been her clients, but she was allowed to meet with them because she was an attorney.

The affidavit also says deposits were made to an account connected with Karjala from one of the inmates who was not her client, according to Alaska Native News.

She has been licensed with the Alaska Bar Association as a defense lawyer since 2002 and she was Miller's attorney on cases for felony assault, vehicle theft, drug possession and resisting arrest.

Alaska State Troopers and Department of Correction personnel investigated Karjala's case, alongside the FBI.

Karjala's release Friday included having no contact with Miller. She is required to stay in Anchorage and she has to give up her passport, according to KTVA.

If she is convicted, she could face up to 20 years in prison.
Hackers demanding ransoms launched 66 cyber attacks on English hospitals last year  but none was reported to police.

The astonishing failure of the NHS to take action laid its computer systems open to the devastating assault on Friday, experts said.

Details of the 2016 incidents only emerged during a Mail on Sunday investigation using freedom of information requests.

Our inquiries found that one London NHS trust  Imperial College Healthcare  was hit 19 times in the year. And eight of the 27 trusts affected were subjected to more than one attack.

The NHS was crippled on Friday by a global computer virus which encrypted data and demanded a ransom for it to be unlocked again.

The astonishing failure of the NHS to take action laid its computer systems open to the devastating assault on Friday, experts said. The virus is pictured on a computer screen

One London NHS trust  Imperial College Healthcare  was hit 19 times by ransom attacks in the year (stock photo)

The severity of the disruption, which affected 48 trusts and led to cancelled operations, was partially blamed on outdated software on tens of thousands of NHS computers, leaving them open to attack.

One expert, Brian Lord, a former GCHQ director, said fear of embarrassment may have stopped the trusts coming forward to report the earlier attacks.

He said they should have led to hospitals getting their basic security measures up to date and not doing the equivalent of leaving all the doors and windows wide open.

Last night, as experts warned that the NHS faced a race against time to protect its computers from a second-wave attack ten times worse than the first:

Ministers faced a backlash over their handling of the affair;

A computer whizzkid working from his home on Englands South West coast single-handedly halted the global virus;

Other Government bodies were warned they could soon fall victim to a similar attack;

Hospitals continued to turn away patients;

A surgeon at St Barts in London told how he performed a heart operation while computer screens shut down around him;

Europol cyber detectives launched an international manhunt for the hackers, with experts saying the culprits could be gangsters from Ukraine and Russia

Hackers also targeted the Nissan car plant in Sunderland.

The NHS had previously spent 12 billion on a failed nationwide programme to computerise records. Launched by Tony Blair in 2002, the project was scrapped in 2011.

Many of the NHS computers still run Windows XP, an out-of-date operating system that is vulnerable to attacks such as the ransomware that was released on Friday, pictured

Yet in 2015, Ministers refused to extend a 5.5 million Microsoft contract to provide ongoing security for tens of thousands of NHS computers. If they had done so, it would have limited Fridays attack, which has triggered a political blame game.

Last night, Ministers were criticised over their handling of the affair, with Home Secretary Amber Rudd facing accusations of breathtaking complacency.

As operations were cancelled, patients turned away from hospitals and doctors left unable to access test results, and patient records, Ms Rudd said: So far, all we have seen is patients inconvenienced.

Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: It is breathtakingly complacent and utterly dismissive of what NHS patients have been going through for the Home Secretary to say that they have simply been inconvenienced.

'What she should be doing now is reassuring patients she is now making all possible efforts to go after the cyber-criminals  not making glib remarks that belittle the chaos now affecting the NHS.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt also faced a backlash for failing to speak publicly about the fiasco. Normally active on social media, he last tweeted five days ago, posting a picture of himself holding a cake.

Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Jon Trickett said: At a time of such an extraordinary crisis, it beggars belief that Mr Hunt is yet to make any public statement on the cyber attack. He should be at the heart of the Governments response.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said 97 per cent of NHS trusts were working as normal and there was no evidence patient data was affected (stock photo)

All but six of the affected NHS trusts are now back to normal, according to Ms Rudd, who sought to play down its effects.

Speaking after an emergency Cobra meeting in Downing Street, she said: theres always more that could be done to protect against computer viruses.

She added that 97 per cent of NHS trusts were working as normal and there was no evidence patient data was affected.

The response has, in fact, been very good, she said. We think we have the right preparedness in place and also the right plans going forward over the next few days to ensure that we limit its impact.

But embarrassingly, she was forced to fend off questions about Mr Hunts disappearance, saying lamely that there had been plenty of representatives from the NHS...saying what is going on.

Many of the NHS computers still run Windows XP, an out-of-date operating system that is vulnerable to attack as makers Microsoft stopped issuing security patches in 2014.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, pictured, also faced a backlash for failing to speak publicly about the fiasco

Other computers within the health service use a newer operating systems  but it is believed they were still open to attack as they were not using the latest updates.

In March, Microsoft issued an patch to close the weakness exploited by hackers on Friday, but users who did not install the update were left vulnerable.

Ross Anderson, professor of security engineering at Cambridge University said: If large numbers of NHS organisations failed to act on a critical notice from Microsoft two months ago, whose fault is that?

He added that the incident is the sort of thing for which the Secretary of State should get roasted in Parliament

The worldwide attack was so severe that Microsoft announced that it will make security fixes available for free for older Windows systems, including XP.

As experts assessed the fallout from the attack, Government bodies and other organisations were warned to secure their networks immediately to prevent them being infiltrated.

Security expert Paul Norris said large networks are particularly at risk as the virus continues to spread. Its highly

possible that more organisations and Government bodies will have been affected, he said.

The disruption affected 48 trusts and led to cancelled operations. It was partially blamed on outdated software on tens of thousands of NHS computers (stock photo)

Fridays attack directly infected around 125,000 computers, but Mr Grossman said up to two million machines worldwide were potentially exposed.

Just 24 hours before Fridays attack a doctor warned that NHS hospitals needed to be prepared for such an incident.

In an article published in the British Medical Journal, Dr Krishna Chinthapalli, a registrar at the Londons National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery said hospitals will almost certainly be shut down by ransomware this year.

None of the NHS trusts targeted last year paid ransoms. Those who responded to questions from The Mail on Sunday said the ransomware attacks had originated from phishing emails, USB sticks, and in at least one case downloading links from compromised websites.

Experts said trusts reluctance to alert authorities may stem from embarrassment at falling victim to the attacks.

Former GCHQ boss Brian Lord, now managing director of security firm PGI Cyber, said: In very few other crimes does the victim have to carry so much responsibility for the crime. People still dont see cyber attacks as a crime, in the way they would if someone had broken into the hospital and stolen a machine.

However, he said: If basic cyber security measures had been in place, they wouldnt have stopped it, but they would have greatly hindered its spread.

The attack, which is thought to have started in the UK then spread globally, hit organisations in at least 99 countries. It is understood the NHS was the largest institution to be targeted.

Europol described the attack as unprecedented and said its cyber crime team was working with affected countries to mitigate the threat and assist victims.

Five NHS trusts are still said to be needing help with restoring their IT systems, including St Bartholomews in London.

The malware spread quickly on Friday leaving hospitals and GPs unable to access patient data, with many doctors resorting to using pen and paper. Hackers demanded a payment to access blocked files.

There are fears that the effects of the continuing threat will be felt for months, if not years.

Lynne Owens, head of the National Crime Agency, said: At this moment we dont know whether its a very sophisticated criminal network or whether its a number of individuals operating together.

Robert Pritchard, a cybersecurity expert at defence think tank Royal United Services Institute, said: Ransomware attacks happen every day, but what makes this different is the size and boldness of the attack.

Production at Nissans Sunderland plant has also affected by the attack, but bosses said there had been no major impact on the business.

Like many organisations our plant was subject to a ransomware attack affecting some of our systems on Friday evening, a spokeswoman confirmed.
Kim Jong-Un has fired a ballistic missile 500 miles into the Sea of Japan in the latest show of force amid tensions with the US.

The launch took place in the Kusong region located northwest of the capital, Pyongyang, where the North previously test-launched an intermediate-range missile it is believed to be developing.

A US official told CNN the missile landed in water 60 miles south of Russia's Vladivostok region, home of the Russian Pacific Fleet - although the Russian defense ministry said it had landed 310 miles off the coast.

Kim Jong-Un is pictured visiting a tools and utensils exhibition in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 13

The launch took place in the Kusong region located northwest of the capital, Pyongyang. A US official said the missile landed in water 60 miles south of Russia's Vladivostok region

The projectile was launched at around 5.30am, according to South Korea's Joint Chief of Staff.

'The South and US are analyzing more details about the missile,' it said in a statement without elaborating.

US Pacific Command says the flight was not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Japan's defense minister Tomomi Inada told reporters there is a possibility that it was a new type of ballistic missile, saying it flew Sunday for about 30 minutes and at an altitude exceeding 1,240 miles. She says more analysis was needed.

Japanese officials said the missile landed in the Sea of Japan but outside the country's exclusive economic zone.

Kim Dong-yub, an expert at Kyungnam University's Institute of Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, said he estimated a standard trajectory firing would give it a range of 3,700 miles, meaning it would be capable of reaching Hawaii.

The launch is the first in two weeks since the last attempt ended in a failure just minutes into flight.

A South Korean man watches a television displaying news broadcasts reporting on North Korea's recent ballistic missile launch, at a station in Seoul, South Korea on May 14 May

The White House issued a statement Saturday night saying President Donald Trump has been briefed on the latest missile test (Trump is pictured on May 13 on the South Lawn of the White House

LATEST NORTH KOREAN MISSILE The U.S. Pacific Command said it was assessing the type of missile but it was 'not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile'. Japanese Defence Minister Tomomi Inada said the missile could be of a new type. The missile flew 430 miles and reached an altitude of more than 1,245 miles, according to officials in South Korea and Japan, further and higher than an intermediate-range missile North Korea successfully tested in February from the same region of Kusong, northwest of its capital, Pyongyang. Other reports claim the missile traveled 500 miles. North Korea is widely believed to be developing an intercontinental missile tipped with a nuclear weapon that is capable of reaching the United States. Experts said Sunday's test showed a considerably longer range than missiles North Korea had previously tested, meaning it had likely made improvements since its February test. The reported altitude would indicate the missile was launched at a high trajectory. David Wright, co-director of the UCS Global Security Program and a missile expert, said if the missile had been fired at a standard trajectory, it would have had a maximum range of about 2,800 miles. Kim Dong-yub, an expert at Kyungnam University's Institute of Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, said he estimated a standard trajectory firing would give it a range of 3,700 miles, meaning it would be capable of reaching Hawaii. An intercontinental ballistic missile is considered to have a range of more than 3,700 miles. Japan said the missile flew for 30 minutes before dropping into the sea between North Korea's east coast and Japan. The North has consistently test-fired missiles in that direction. 'If that report ... is correct, then the launch may indeed represent a new missile with a long range," said Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, referring the estimated altitude of more than 1,245 miles. 'It is definitely concerning,' McDowell said. Advertisement

The North attempted but failed to test-launch ballistic missiles four consecutive times in the past two months but has conducted a variety of missile testing since the beginning of last year at an unprecedented pace.

Weapons experts and government officials believe the North has accomplished some technical progress with those tests.

The launch is the first since a new liberal president took office in South Korea on Wednesday saying dialogue as well as pressure must be used to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula and stop the North's weapons pursuit.

South Korean President Moon Jae-In strongly condemned rival North Korea's missile test-launch as a 'clear' violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and a 'serious challenge' to international peace and security.

According to senior presidential secretary Yoon Young-chan, Moon expressed 'deep regret' over the fact this 'provocation' occurred just days after a new government was sworn in in South Korea.

Yoon quoted Moon as saying South Korea is 'leaving open the possibility of dialogue with North Korea, but we should sternly deal with a provocation to prevent North Korea from miscalculating'.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slammed the missile launch as 'totally unacceptable' and a 'grave threat' to Tokyo.

'We strongly protest against North Korea, he said.

The White House issued a statement Saturday night saying President Donald Trump has been briefed on the latest missile test.

'With the missile impacting so close to Russian soil - in fact, closer to Russia than to Japan - the President cannot imagine that Russia is pleased.

'North Korea has been a flagrant menace for far too long. South Korea and Japan have been watching this situation closely with us.

'The United States maintains our ironclad commitment to stand with our allies in the face of the serious threat posed by North Korea. Let this latest provocation serve as a call for all nations to implement far stronger sanctions against North Korea.'

A Kremlin spokesman said the 'missile launch posed no danger to the Russian Federation.'

But a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is currently in Beijing on a two-day visit, said he had expressed concerns about the launch.

Ballistic missiles are displayed during a military parade in Pyongyang in this April 15 picture

The missile launch comes amid claims from Kim Jong-Un's spokesman that he is willing to talk to the US.

Choe Son Hui declared that North Korea was willing to talk to the Trump administration under the 'right conditions'.

When asked if North Korea was also preparing to talk with the new government in South Korea, of liberal President Moon, Choe said: 'We'll see.'

Choe Son Hui made the comment to reporters in Beijing as she was travelling from Norway back to North Korea, Yonhap news agency said.

Choi did not elaborate on what the North's conditions are, but her comments raise the possibility of North Korea and the US returning to negotiations for the first time since 2008, when six-nation talks over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program fell apart.

President Trump opened the door this month to talks, saying he would be 'honored' to meet Kim Jong-Un.

Trump warned in an interview with Reuters in late April that a 'major, major conflict' with the North was possible, but he would prefer a diplomatic outcome to the dispute over its nuclear and missile programs.

Senior North Korean diplomat Choe Son Hui said 'we will have dialogue if the conditions are there', on Saturday

South Korean President Moon Jae-In (pictured on Thursday) strongly condemned rival North Korea's missile test-launch

The latest launch also comes as troops from the US, Japan and two European nations gather on remote US islands in the Pacific for drills that are partly a message to North Korea.

About 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea as deterrence against potential aggression from North Korea.

The cruiser USS Lake Champlain, which collided with a South Korean fishing boat during training exercises on Tuesday in the Sea of Japan, is participating in joint drills with South Korea's Navy near the peninsula as part of the Carl Vinson Strike Group amid tensions with North Korea.

Other ships including the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Wayne E. Meyer and USS Michael Murphy are also participating in the drills.

Just last week it was announced that Japan was sending its largest warship to protect a US vessel as it resupplied the strike group.
President Donald Trump is being mocked relentlessly on social media after he quickly deleted a tweet that people are describing as his most unifying message to date.

Trump accidentally tweeted the word 'We' on Saturday afternoon after earlier delivering his commencement speech at Virginia's Liberty University.

The tweet was promptly removed moments later, but not before it was seen - and preserved - in the Twitter-sphere.

Almost instantly, Trump was mocked as the internet tried to speculate about what he had actually meant to say.

Trump accidentally tweeted the word 'We' on Saturday afternoon and it was promptly deleted moments later

Almost instantly, Donald Trump was mocked on Twitter as the internet tried to speculate on what he had actually meant to say

'We... are NEVER, EVER, EVER / getting back to political stability in this country,' one person wrote, playing on lyrics from a Taylor Swift song.

Other song lyrics included: 'We... Will we will rock you' and 'We... @realDonaldTrump are the champions my friend'.

Some were already thinking about how press secretary Sean Spicer would spin Trump's accidental tweet.

'"The President's tweet speaks for itself." -Sean Spicer, tomorrow,' one tweet read.

Other users opted to interpret Trump's tweet in their own way.

'Pure awesomeness. Minimalist, yet inclusive. The most unifying thing Trump has tweeted yet!' one wrote.

'Trump quickly deleted his tweet because obviously he meant 'I',' another said.

One Twitter user wrote: 'We are doomed' and 'We - give up'.

The President returned to Twitter several hours later to tweet about an upcoming Fox News interview with Judge Jeanine on Saturday night and to congratulate the graduating class at Liberty University.
An international army of detectives was working around the clock last night to hunt down the cyber crooks behind the hacking attack that crippled the NHS and froze IT systems in 100 countries around the world.

Computer specialists from 27 European nations were urgently trying to stop the spread of the ransom virus behind the biggest ever hacking attack of its kind.

The attack has locked 130,000 computers with a message demanding that users pay a fee of 230 in Bitcoin  a controversial internet-only currency that is traded anonymously.

Experts last night told The Mail on Sunday the hacking culprits may be from Russia or the Ukraine.

IT security experts said criminals had launched the atom bomb of computer attacks after a sinister group of hackers stole a cyber superweapon from the US intelligence services

And yesterday, Europol, the European Unions police force, announced a major investigation has been launched by its Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce.

A spokesman said: The recent attack is at an unprecedented level and will require a complex international investigation to identify the culprits.

IT security experts said criminals had launched the atom bomb of computer attacks after a sinister group of hackers stole a cyber superweapon from the US intelligence services last year.

They said a cyber gang named the Shadow Brokers hacked the National Security Agency (NSA) and stole software developed by US agents to spy on Microsoft computers.

The hackers leaked the cache of hacking tools and passwords needed to unleash the virus in an online post last month  which it said was in protest against US military strikes in Syria.

The malicious software was hidden in email attachments downloaded by unwitting computer users on Friday afternoon.

As of last night the hackers had received only about 20,000 in bitcoins - a virtual currency that is all but untraceable. One is worth 1,367  more than the value of an ounce of gold

Experts said it unleashed a computer virus which spread like wildfire across networks.

Users were warned the 230 ransom demand would double if it was not paid within three days.

The dark web currency Bitcoin is a virtual currency favoured by users of secret sites on the so-called 'dark web'. Transactions are recorded but not the identities of those carrying them out. Advertisement

The message demanded the ransom be paid in Bitcoin. The NHS said it would refuse to pay.

Cyber experts estimated that the attackers could pocket more than 770 million from individuals paying to unlock their machines.

As of last night the hackers had received only about 20,000, according to the groups Bitcoin accounts, which can be viewed online.

One bitcoin is worth 1,367  more than the value of an ounce of gold.

They are not physical coins and exist only in cyberspace. Users can remain anonymous, which is why they are often used for illegal activity.

The malicious software was hidden in email attachments downloaded by unwitting computer users on Friday afternoon. The virus is pictured on a laptop

Security experts told The Mail on Sunday the attack was most probably launched by a criminal gang taking advantage of the leak by the Shadow Brokers last month.

The NSA connection A hacking tool developed by the US government's National Security Agency to spy on terrorists was stolen and released on to the internet by a group called The Shadow Brokers last month. A separate gang - possibly Russians or Ukrainians - used it to unleash chaos by spreading a ransomware virus disabling millions of Microsoft computers across the world. Advertisement

Some experts alleged the Shadow Brokers were closely linked to Russian intelligence.

But others said it was unclear and pointed out Russia was one of the nations worst hit by the cyber attack with reports that 1,000 computers in the countrys Interior Ministry were affected.

Jeremiah Grossman, chief of security strategy at cybersecurity firm SentinelOne, said: Three quarters of ransomware attacks are from Russia and the Ukraine.

The attack we are seeing is most likely a criminal gang simply extorting people for money but it would not have happened without the hacking of the NSA and the leak by the Shadow Brokers.

'The Shadow Brokers appear to be Russian intelligence or linked to the Russian government.

This is evident in their communications, their political actions and the timing of events.

A cyber gang named the Shadow Brokers is thought to have hacked the National Security Agency (NSA) and stole software developed by US agents to spy on Microsoft computers, according to computer experts

Edward Snowden, the NSA whistleblower who fled to Russia in 2013, has previously linked the Shadow Brokers hacking group to the Kremlin. But Russian officials have denied the link.

David Emm, a senior researcher for cyber security firm Kaspersky Lab, said: The people behind it are just looking to make money but this attack is using code dumped by the group calling themselves Shadow Brokers.

They dumped a whole load of stuff online claiming this was all part of a series of tools and exploits being used by the NSA.

Activist Lauri Love, who is facing extradition to the US over unconnected hacking charges, said: This is a top-of-the-range cyber weapon used by the spooks in America. Unfortunately they lost it.

Paul Norris, of cyber security firm Tripwire, said the attack was likely a criminal network, not a foreign state attack but agreed the method had come from the earlier NSA hack.
A Tennessee teacher charged with kidnapping his student and going on the run for a month had allegedly planned to kayak to Mexico with the 15-year-old girl.

Tad Cummins, 50, spent $1,500 on a two-seat kayak after he went missing with Elizabeth Thomas from Tennessee on March 13.

FBI Agent Utley Noble testified in a federal court in Nashville on Friday that Cummins and the student tried to use the kayak to get from San Diego to Mexico.

They allegedly adopted the aliases of a married couple - John and Joanne Castro - so they would be able to blend in once they crossed over the border from the US to Mexico.

Tad Cummins, 50, spent $1,500 on a two-seat kayak so he could paddle to Mexico with Elizabeth Thomas - the 15-year-old student he is accused of kidnapping on March 13

Noble also said that Cummins purchased an iPad while on the run as he wanted to keep an eye on what was being reported in the media about them.

Cummins had allegedly thrown their phones into a river in Alabama, disabled the car's GPS device and replaced the license plates so they wouldn't be detected when they were on the run from Tennessee to California.

The teacher was arrested and the girl was found safe in a remote area of Northern California last month - 38 days after they disappeared - after police received a tip.

Authorities say Cummins told officers after his arrest that he thought he had been found out when he ran into a law enforcement officer while he was testing out the kayak he had bought.

But he said the officer only warned him and Thomas that the water was rough and gave them tips on the boat and then left.

From then on he slept with his gun beside him, agent Noble said.

Cummins, who is a father and grandfather, allegedly told officers he had sex with the girl most nights during the 38 days he was on the run with her.

The sexual relationship with the girl allegedly began the first night after they disappeared March 13.

The 50-year-old left his wife Jill Cummins a handwritten note the morning he disappeared saying he was 'so sorry' and that he needed to clear his mind

The details of the note were revealed during a court hearing on Friday where Cummins was ordered to remain in custody until his trial because he was deemed a flight risk

A lawyer for Cummins repeatedly asked the FBI agent if there was any evidence that the girl was held against her will at any time on the trip from Columbia, Tennessee, to California. The agent said there was no evidence.

Cummins left a note for his wife Jill Cummins the morning he disappeared saying he had gone to Virginia Beach to clear his head.

'I am so sorry!' he wrote.

'I just need to clear my mind of all this cr*p. I am not running away. I'll be back. Don't call police they'll think I ran 'cause I'm guilty and I'm not!'

The details were revealed during the court hearing on Friday where Cummins was ordered to remain in custody until his trial because he was deemed a flight risk.

A federal judge told Cummins he faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and could receive a life sentence.

Cummins is facing a federal charge of crossing state lines to have sex with a minor. He also faces state charges of aggravated kidnapping and sexual contact with a minor.

Meanwhile, Thomas is in rehab and refusing to return home to her family - reportedly claiming she's 'in love' with her schoolteacher abductor who kidnapped her for 39 days.

DailyMail.com previously revealed that the brainwashed 15-year-old insists she is a 'fully grown woman' who should be entitled to date the 50-year-old.

Thomas has even told friends she had the 'time of her life' during their five weeks on the run.

Cummins is facing a federal charge of crossing state lines to have sex with a minor. He also faces state charges of aggravated kidnapping and sexual contact with a minor

Cummins and the girl spent 10 days at this commune in California while on the run. The girl was recovered safely on April 20 in northern California and Cummins was arrested

She was recovered safely on April 20 when police tracked the pair to a remote cabin 2,500 miles away in northern California and arrested the veteran educator without a struggle.

Thomas was flown back to Tennessee, but she went into a special treatment center for trauma victims rather than return to her family home.

There is no timetable for her release, with friends saying the 'messed up' teen will receive expert care 'for as long as it takes' for her to realize she was the victim of a predatory older male.

'Elizabeth says she's in love with Tad and that the pair of them haven't done anything wrong,' said a source.

'She thinks she is a fully grown woman who can date who she likes.

'As far as she's concerned it was all one big, fun road trip. She says she had the time of her life which is obviously pretty tough for the family to hear.'

Cummins allegedly picked up the teen from a local restaurant where she was in such a hurry to climb into his car that she left behind her schoolbag.

After the reached California, they hid out for 10 days at a remote hippy commune where they posed as a married couple and were seen 'making out' like lovers by a camp fire.

They were eventually kicked out of the ramshackle community, who regard clothing as 'optional' and have no internet or phone links to the outside world, because residents found the age gap 'creepy'.
Hes missing the mischievous demeanour, the dots for eyes and the trademark too-small red T-shirt but this, believe it or not, is Winnie the Pooh  Soviet style.

With a rusty hue, large eyes and dark brown face and extremities, he is a very different looking character from the one brought to life by the Walt Disney cartoons.

His name is Vinnie Pukh and he was created by filmmakers under the Communist regime for three animated films made between 1969 and 1972. Now the Russian bear is about to make his debut in Britain, in a special version of the 1969 film with voices provided by a stellar cast that includes Sir Derek Jacobi, David Suchet and Miriam Margolyes.

Winnie the Pooh was adapted for a Soviet audience for three films between 1969 and 1972

The Russian films were made after the Walt Disney studio  which had purchased the rights to Pooh from the estate of author AA Milne, who wrote the original Pooh stories  granted the Soviets permission for an adaptation in a rare gesture of Cold War detente.

Disney has given permission for the new film to be shown at a festival of Soviet animated films in London in February next year.

Sir Derek will be the narrator, while Poirot star Suchet plays Ia  or Eeyore  and Miriam Margolyes is Sova, or Owl. The voice recordings began last week and will take months to complete.

Disney has now given permission for the 1969 Soviet film to be shown at a London festival

Still to be cast are Vinnie Pukh himself  who, like the original, loves hunny  and Pyatachok, or Piglet. But neither Christopher Robin nor Tigger exist in the Soviet version, which was made by animator Fyodor Khitruk.

The popularity of Khitruks films earned him praise from then-Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, who awarded him the Order of the Red Banner of Labour, and he was also honoured as an official Peoples Artist of the USSR. Hollywood studio Bill Melendez Productions is behind the new version and, after the festival screening next year, they hope to give it a wider showing on the big screen and on British television.

Winnie the Pooh is replaced by Vinnie Pukh along with Sova, Russian for Owl

The popularity of animator Fyodor Khitruk's films earned him praise from the Soviet leadership

Overseeing the film is animation director Dave Bossert, a veteran of the Disney studio. Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, he said: If you were to take a couple of painters and stand them in front of a tree, each one would interpret the tree differently in their painting.

The style of the film is very different to anything weve seen.

When people watch these they will probably be surprised at how beautiful and innocent they are.
River cruising has generally been dominated by two waterways: the Danube, Europes longest, and the Rhine, its second-longest (they were handily linked by a 100-mile-long canal in south-east Germany 25 years ago this year).

The two rivers have lots of famous sights to enjoy along their combined length: the massive cathedral at Cologne, the Lorelei Rock and historic Vienna, to name a few.

Arguably the two waterways have too much to see in one go  even if you took a two-week cruise and sailed the 900 miles between Amsterdam and Budapest, you may well feel that your journey allowed you merely to scratch the surface.

Peter took a river cruise along the Rhone, which included a tour to the Chateauneuf-du-Pape vineyards (pictured) for wine tasting

When it comes to river cruising, you could argue that less is more. Smaller rivers such as the Rhone in some ways offer richer pickings  not that the Rhone is any stripling.

Like the Rhine, it rises in Switzerland but while the Rhine sets off on a major trek to the North Sea via the Netherlands, the Rhone turns left towards Lyons and a 500-mile dash to the Mediterranean.

Some river cruise itineraries link the River Saone with the Rhone which it joins at Lyons; the 300-mile Saone rises in the Vosges, thus allowing travellers to sail from Burgundy to the Mediterranean.

Neatly encapsulating the less is more idea, a Rhone/Saone itinerary (300 miles from Chalon-sur-Saone to Arles) is perfect for a seven-day cruise, or you could just stick to the Rhone with Vikings eight-day Lyons and Provence itinerary.

An added bonus of a Rhone cruise is that you can travel to its start point on a direct high-speed train from London that gets to Avignons TGV station in less than six hours.

The journey gets even better once aboard. The two Viking Longships which operate on this route  the Buri and the Delling  each carry 190 passengers.

The cruise also made a stop at Lyons, France's third-biggest city, pictured here lit up at night

Despite their compactness (their dimensions are limited by the need to pass through locks and under bridges), they are surprisingly spacious on board, offering roomy cabins and large public areas and restaurants  with plenty of outdoor space to let you to take in the passing scenery.

We began by heading downriver to Arles. The city was a major Roman settlement long before fame was thrust upon it as the inspiration for Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh, who painted some of his greatest works here.

Viking is famous for its walking tours, and Arles is a city which can be tackled by even the most hesitant stroller. Sights in and around Arles include the extraordinary Roman amphitheatre, which seats 20,000 people and is still in use.

The cruise retraces its steps to Avignon for another walking tour to visit the Palace of the Popes, home to seven popes from 1309 to 1377. In the afternoon there is a tour to the Chateauneuf-du-Pape vineyards for a wine tasting.

Next came Viviers, a charming French village of pale stone buildings presided over by a hilltop cathedral. Our following stop was Tournon, where we caught the Train de lArdeche for a glorious locomotive ride through the deep gorges of the Ardeche plateau.

Later that day we reached my favourite stop of the trip: Vienne. It has some fine Roman buildings, including the Temple of Augustus and Livia, the Roman amphitheatre, and the Gothic Cathedral of St Maurice.

Lyons is Frances third-biggest city, so I was expecting an unprepossessing urban sprawl, but it is very pretty, with its Basilica of Notre Dame, the magnificent St Jean Cathedral, the Palace of Justice and the excellent old town.

On our final day we travelled through the hills of Beaujolais where we visited the famous wineries.

On the train back to London we felt that we had discovered a well-kept secret. Not just the pleasures of the Rhone river (and all those wine estates!) but the special charms of a river cruise.
'Hallo! Yes you my friend! Do you want some drugs? said a cheery teenage narcotics salesman.

No! I said, standing in the sunshine outside Marseille St Charles railway station contemplating the city rooftops while waiting for a train.

Tucked inside my jacket pocket was a 30-day (continuous) Eurail pass. Riding the rails across Europe for a month, alighting and disembarking on a whim, was a long-cherished dream.

Andalucian energy: Jeremy toured Europe on a 30-day Eurail pass, with stops including Seville

In another pocket was a 30-day supply of antidepressants. Pills and a month on rails across Europe, I hoped, would see off a recent touch of the blues. It was my 60th birthday.

I climbed aboard the next train to Barcelona, slung my bag up on to the luggage rack and settled in to a sunny window seat. A whistle blew and we were moving, carving a smooth, curving passage through low-rise suburbs.

If performance is three-quarters of character, the elderly French train conductor had made it his entire lifes mission. I showed him my Eurail pass in its blue case and he bowed at the waist. Et bon voyage, Monsieur! he said.

The TGV (Frances high-speed rail service) was a flying monster, hugging the French Mediterranean coast. For half an hour, we sped along a narrow, invisible causeway, the sea on our left, a huge freshwater lake on the right.

The French frontier was a blur as we shot across at 200mph. I stepped down from the train an hour later at Barcelona Sants railway station.

Twenty minutes after that I was pressing the bell of the youth hostel Id chosen at random on the Hostelworld app.

Vibe: Jeremy described Barcelona as being 'youthful, self-confident and socially liberal'

The Peruvian manager checked me in and began psychoanalysing me. He had spotted my problem the moment he saw me, he said. How old was I?

Sixty today, I said.

Well, at 60 years old, he said, isnt it about time you stopped pretending to be somebody youre not?

Barcelonas youthful, self-confident, socially liberal vibe reminded me of Amsterdam, only the pace was brisker, the skies cleaner, the architecture funkier.

It crossed my mind that I could tear up my rail pass and live there. But on the third morning, stricken with my third hangover, I climbed aboard an early morning commuter train to Alicante.

I considered the Peruvian sages words of wisdom all the way there.

The resort of Alicante is a showcase of every hideous, low-rise architectural vogue since the Seventies. I loved it. A glass of beer costs 1 and the people couldnt be nicer. You can be yourself there.

I slept two nights at a youth hostel, where I shared a bunk with a polite young South Korean man who wore monogrammed pyjamas to bed. Did he think I was trying to be someone I was not, I asked him? He regarded me warily and said I seemed OK.

High velocity: Jeremy snaked along the French Mediterranean coast aboard the TGV

A bus ride was necessary to complete the journey down the east coast of Spain.

The south-eastern city of Almeria is the driest and hottest in Europe. From there, the train snaked across the snow-capped Alpujarra mountains to Granada, and from Granada across a flat plain to Seville.

At the hostel in Seville, I slept in a room with four permanently hungry, fractious black women from Detroit.

Youre from England, right? said one. I admitted it.

Is everyone in England as nuts as you? she said.

In the morning we were woken by the sonorous bells, right next door, of the largest gothic cathedral in the world.

My box of antidepressants was unopened and I felt more solidly cheerful than I did when I left

Holy s***! said the one lying on the mattress above me.

After Seville, by now feeling quite the wandering nomad, I went to Madrid, Zaragoza and back to Barcelona.

I returned to the same hostel, where the Peruvian amateur psychologist said he approved of how chilled and authentic I had become. As a reward, he took me to a reggae night in a packed dance hall.

The next day, I went to Milan. I had thought Barcelona was sophisticated, but Milan made it seem like Truro.

I ordered an Aperol Spritz and it came in a glass as big as my head.

The waiter who delivered it groaned at the weight of the glass as he placed it on the table before me. I assumed it was a joke, but no, hed just had a massive workout, he explained, and his arms were aching.

After Milan, I went to Como, then back to Milan, then I took a direct fast train to Marseille, where I called it a day with another week still to run on my rail pass.

My box of antidepressants was unopened and I felt more solidly cheerful than I did when I left.
Rating:

As soon as I ease into the swimming pool on floor -2, all the other bathers get out.

Am I not wearing the right sort of trunks? Should I be wearing trunks at all in this glamourpuss creation from Nick Joness Soho House team?

Right now, The Ned, a former Midland Bank, is the hottest hotel in Britain, largely because the sleeping part (252 rooms) makes up just a fraction of the action.

Lavish: The Inspector praised the meticulous restoration of the former banks marble columns

Positioned next to the Bank of England in the heart of the City of London, there are nine restaurants, bars all over the place, a massive gym, vast spa, manicure rooms, hair salons and staff clearly recruited for their looks.

The crowning glory in this Grade I-listed Art Deco masterpiece, designed by Sir Edwin Ned Lutyens in 1924, is the rooftop, with stupendous views, a restaurant, bars and open-air pool. The cost of the makeover? A mere 200 million.

We are shown to our medium-size room (250 without breakfast) by a young man who could easily be a male model. He offers us a quick tour of some of The Neds main attractions.

Yes, please, says my wife, a little too eagerly. We can probably manage, I splutter, but its a lost cause and we are soon tucked up with Mr Adonis in one of the original lifts heading for the Vault Bar in the basement, where gold bullion was once stored.

Back in our room, we admire the Persian rug, huge sleigh bed, drinks tray and generous supplies of Cowshed bathroom goodies, including no fewer than three condoms in a little pouch.

Well, yes, the whole ensemble does have an aphrodisiacal air about it  yet most of the decor is dark. Brown is the new white. Weve come full circle, helped by the meticulous restoration of the former banks 92 green verdite marble columns.

Icon: The Grade I-listed Art Deco masterpiece was designed by Sir Edwin Ned Lutyens in 1924

We eat outdoors in the rooftop restaurant. Service is slow, the meat a little gristly, but its early days and were in giddy mode.

After a nightcap back down in the former Banking Hall, we make for bed, looking forward to watching a late-night news bulletin. But the telly doesnt work.

I dial zero on the Bakelite repro telephone and an engineer comes up. He cant fix it and says he needs reinforcements. None arrives, so I ring again and say we can survive without the TV.

At checkout, a note has been put on the system about this unfortunate but hardly life-threatening blip. The duty manager apologises and says he will knock 50 per cent off our bill. Thats impressive. The Ned gets a nod from me.
Amsterdam can be an expensive place to visit.

In the Post Offices latest cost comparison of European city break destinations, the Dutch capital was the third priciest out of 36 cities.

Affordable hotels that are centrally located are in short supply, so accommodation can be particularly steep at peak times.

In the Post Offices latest cost comparison of European city break destinations, the Dutch capital (pictured) was the third priciest out of 36 cities

With the current poor exchange rate, its easy to blow 70 on a modest dinner for two in a canalside restaurant, and entrance fees to leading museums are nothing short of extortionate  14.50 to the Van Gogh Museum and 15 to the Rijksmuseum.

Even the cost of spending a penny can make you wince: it costs 60p at Centraal Station.

That said, you can still have a wonderful time on a limited budget  Ive managed to do so many times.

Here are my money-saving strategies and recommendations

Where to stay

The Volkshotel (pictured) is an industrial-chic conversion of some old newspaper offices with slick bedrooms costing from 67 per night

To keep accommodation costs down, consider visiting in the winter months, when hotel rates can be half what they are in the peak spring-to-autumn period. Youll also get much more for your money if you base yourself a little outside the city centre, and not overlooking a canal (all rates given below exclude breakfast).

Stylishly transformed from a university science building, the new Generator Amsterdam (generatorhostels.com), in a park a ten-minute tram ride from the centre, is the citys smartest hostel. A bed in a shared quad room costs from 13, or 64 for an en suite twin.

For a proper hotel, I highly recommend the Volkshotel (volkshotel.nl), which is next to a metro stop just south-east of the centre. An industrial-chic conversion of newspaper offices, it has a bar/cafe/lobby packed with local hipsters working on their laptops, and slick bedrooms with far-reaching views from upper floors (from 67).

Alternatively, bag a cabin-like twin room with shared bathroom (from 44) in the Lloyd (lloydhotel.com) in the regenerated Eastern Docklands, ten minutes from Centraal Station by tram. Once a boarding house for emigrants heading to the Americas, the laid-back designer hotel also serves as a thriving arts centre.

Airbnb (airbnb.co.uk) is also big business in Amsterdam  there are plenty of positively reviewed private rooms for under 60 a night.

Getting around

Fred suggests MacBike, which has reliable bikes and six depots across the city: the cheapest cycle costs 8 for three hours, including insurance (stock image)

Amsterdam is compact, with most places youll want to visit within walking distance. To speed up explorations or travel outside the centre, buy a GVB pass (gvb.nl) for unlimited travel on the excellent network of trams, buses and the metro. Costing 6.50 for one day, 10.50 for two days or 14.50 for three days, the passes are much better value than the 2.50 one-hour ticket.

If you fancy renting a bike (I wouldnt do it for the whole time  its better to be on foot when pottering around the centre and canals) Id recommend investigating one of the citys quieter outlying areas, such as the Eastern Docklands, with its eye-catching modern architecture. I always use MacBike (macbike.nl), which has reliable bikes and six depots across the city: the cheapest cycle costs 8 for three hours, including insurance.

Dont bother with a canal cruise on a mainstream, enclosed or semi-enclosed boat: it will be soporific with an unenlightening, taped commentary. Weather permitting, pay a little more for a personalised tour on a small, open boat  16.50 with Stromma (stromma.nl).

Affordable sightseeing

Take a free ferry ride to the citys modern architectural wow, the Eye (pictured) - a white, spaceship-like zigzag building which doubles up as a film museum and cinema

Don't overspend on museums: for me, the most enjoyable thing to do in Amsterdam is to wander along the canals, admiring the tilting, gabled houses and little bridges. The most atmospheric area is the western Canal Ring, especially the Negen Straatjes  nine little streets lined with tempting cafes and one-off shops.

Id therefore think long and hard before investing in the Iamsterdam City Card (iamsterdamcard.com), a combined sightseeing and travel pass. It costs 57 for 48 hours, so youd need to cram in an awful lot to make it pay. The card doesnt cover all the top attractions either: Anne Frank House is excluded, and you get only a small discount on the Rijksmuseums admission fee.

Top free sights include hofje  flower-bedecked courtyards surrounded by almshouses hidden from the street. The most famous is the Begijnhof, but you can unearth others in the pretty Jordaan area.

Take a free ferry ride from behind Centraal Station across the IJ waterway to the citys modern architectural wow, the Eye (eyefilm.nl). The white, spaceship-like zigzag building is a film museum and cinema, but is worth visiting just for a coffee in its amphitheatrical cafe.

You could also take a free guided walking tour of the city  360 Amsterdam (360amsterdamtours.com) offers several daily tours using engaging and knowledgeable guides. But bear in mind that youre expected (though not obliged) to tip  10 (8.50) a head is the going rate.

Where to eat

No visit to Amsterdam is complete without a paper cone of chips. The citys best can be had at hole-in-the-wall Vleminckx: from 2.50, topped with a dollop of mayo

Snacking, eating in cafes and heading out of the centre will minimise food expenses. And note that theres no need to tip: at most, locals usually round up the bill to the nearest euro or two.

When tackling the big museums, buy sandwiches and drinks from the subterranean Albert Heijn supermarket next to the Stedelijk Museum, and have a picnic on the grassy space that is Museumplein. And no visit to Amsterdam is complete without a paper cone of chips. The citys best can be had at hole-in-the-wall Vleminckx (vleminckxdesausmeester.nl): from 2.50, topped with a dollop of mayo.

Delicious, low-price lunches can be had at La Place self-service cafeteria on the top floor of Amsterdams main library (great views from the terrace) a short walk east of Centraal Station: bumper sandwiches from 3.50.

In the evening, hop on a tram out to Foodhallen (foodhallen.nl) in the Oud-West district. In the former tram depot are dozens of food vendors, offering everything from tacos to sushi, and steak sandwiches to dim sum. Most dishes cost around 6 to 8; you eat at communal tables.

Also head down to De Pijp, a buzzing neighbourhood packed with affordable places to eat. Ive eaten well at Bazar (hotelbazar.nl), a North African/Middle Eastern restaurant in a converted church (dish of the day is about 7), and Thrill Grill (thrillgrill.nl)  gourmet burgers from 7.50.
When Susan Rawlings left Married At First sight she was very single, with no signs pointing to the contrary since.

Cheryl Maitland, 25, on the other hand, has been undeniably smitten with her convicted former drug dealer beau Dean Gibbs for several months.

So when the fiery brunette added a series of engagement emojis to an Instagram snap taken alongside Susan, fans rightfully jumped to the conclusion that Cheryl had said 'yes' to her new man's proposal.

Engaged? Cheryl Maitland sparked speculation she's engaged to convicted drug dealer beau Dean Gibbs after she captioned a snap with Susan Rawlings with wedding emojis

Do the maths: Fans appeared to do the maths quite quickly, realising Cheryl must be referring to herself, with single Susan surely not in a position to get hitched

Dressed for a night of celebratory drinks, Cheryl put on a typically busty display in a tiny red halterneck.

'Dinner dates with this one,' she wrote in the caption, adding both 'bride' and 'engagement ring emojis.

Fans appeared to do the maths quite quickly, realising Cheryl must be referring to herself, with single Susan surely not in a position to get hitched.

'She's engaged?' one fan commented shortly after the snap was posted.

Said yes? Cheryl, 25, has been sharing loved-up snaps with her disgraced former policeman beau for months

Reunion! Susan Rawlings was also in attendance, but is not believed to be in a relationship

Seeking clarification, another questioned: 'Lovely photo! Who's engaged and to who?'

Others appeared too excited to offer anything but glee, with comments of 'YAYAYYY' and 'OMG.'

Adding fuel to the fire, just hours before the engagement ring post, the former dancer was dropping smitten hints on her Instagram story.

Confirmed? 'She's engaged?' one fan commented shortly after the snap was posted

Hints? Adding fuel to the fire, just hours before the engagement ring post, the former dancer was dropping smitten hints on her Instagram story

Cheryl Shared a picture that showed her perched on the disgraced former policeman's chest as she gazed into his eyes.

'One more sleep till I get to see you,' she wrote, adding some of the most loved-up emojis available to communicate her sentiment.

Some responses were more skeptical of the chances, with a user questioning one of the speculation posts.

'How do you know she's engaged?': Some responses were more skeptical of the chances, with a user questioning one of the speculation posts

'How do you know she's engaged?' they asked.

'Just guessing cause she put a ring emoji there,' they quickly replied.

Cheryl's loved-up relationship with Dean comes after her 'marriage' to Andrew Jones collapsed on national television.

Fresh start: Cheryl's loved-up relationship with Dean comes after her 'marriage' to Andrew Jones collapsed on national television

For months, they've been sharing intimate couples snaps when they're together, and are regularly seen pining for each other when distance keeps them apart.

In one unashamedly smitten post, the disgraced former policeman took to Instagram from a winery, hugging a Cheryl-sized portion of thin air, captioning the image 'wish you were here.'

He was convicted for dealing Cocaine in 2004, but several fans on her Instagram account insist that he was a 'better sort' than Andrew.
Things between the smitten lovers have been getting serious for a while, and got very steamy on Friday.

Tim Dormer and his newly blonde partner Ash Toweel enjoyed a hot and heavy make-out session on the beach, with the reality star flaunting a ring on his engagement finger.

Taking to social media shortly after, the Big Brother 2013 winner used the event to vent his anger over the current state of Australia's same-sex marriage laws, before revealing he identifies as Pansexual.

Comments: Big Brother sta Tim Dormer commented on a recent steamy beach romp with his partner Ash Toweel on Friday

Response: The 31-year-old's comments were a direct response to images that surfaced of a steamy beach romp that started with a very hands-on embrace in the water

Tim's comments were a direct response to images that surfaced of a steamy beach romp that started with a very hands-on embrace in the water, before they continued to lock lips on the shore.

'Whether or not I got engaged...IT'S STILL BLOODY ILLEGAL FOR ME TO PUT A RING ON IT IN AUSTRALIA!!!' he wrote alongside one of the pictures on Instagram.

Commenting on his similar Facebook post, he revealed that while he's not a huge fan of labels, 'Pansexual' best describes his sexuality.

Pansexuality is loosely defined as being 'gender blind,' meaning the identifier is able to form a sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction to someone without their gender being a factor.

Activist: Tim and his newly blonde beau Ash are advocates for the 'Say I Do Down Under' campaign to make same-sex marriage legal in the country

'Pansexual': He also revealed that he identifies as Pansexual, but didn't comment on the ring he was wearing on his engagement finger

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Tim for comment.

Interestingly, Tim chose not to comment on the ring he sported on his engagement figure, strengthening rumours he's planning to wed his partner Ash.

While potentially a coincidence, fans were also quick to point out that the Big Brother star was about to jet-off for a Big Brother guest appearance in Canada, where same-sex marriage is legal.

Already struggling with oppression for his beliefs, the personality wasn't in the mood to cop it from someone who commented on his post.

'There are more pressing issues in this country than watching a couple "flaunt" their relationship...you're NOT a celebrity so I'm struggling with the fact this is even in print!' they wrote.

Steamy: After the embrace in the water, the genetically blessed pair continued to lock-lips on the shore

'It obviously gets the knickers in a knot of silly people like you,' he replied.

'There obviously wasn't any more "pressing issues" in your own life this morning to spend 5mins writing a comment on my page. I'm flattered.'

On Friday The lovebirds spent a carefree day at a watering hole as they passionately embraced each other.

They spent ample time standing in the crystal clear water as they kissed and canoodled.

Criticism: Already struggling with oppression for his beliefs, the personality wasn't in the mood to cop it from a commenter who said there was more 'pressing issues' than same sex marriage

Both dressed for a swim in board shorts, the starry-eyed couple affectionately held each other, with Ash happily gripping his partner's behind at one point.

They eventually took their cavorting onto the shore, where they dried off and donned singlets before they locked lips again standing on the sand.

The bubbly television and radio host said he has 'always been fluid in his sexuality' in an interview conducted when he debuted his relationship with Ash in December.

He met Ash at a party in 2013 after winning Big Brother.

Strong: 'There obviously wasn't any more "pressing issues" in your own life this morning to spend 5mins writing a comment on my page. I'm flattered'

The couple, who share an apartment in Bondi, appear to be advancing to the next stage of their romance.

Tim, who has said he 'finally found love' with Ash, knew there was 'something special' between the duo after they spent a weekend away together in Byron Bay in 2014.

Representation for Tim at Chic Talent Management has said the couple are yet to get engaged.

'Tim and Ash are not engaged,' offered a spokesperson. 'The ring Tim has is a peace ring.'
They've been shouldering Steve Irwin's legacy in the decade since his untimely death.

And Terri Irwin, 52, has used an Access Hollywood interview to deny persistent rumours she is in a relationship with Russell Crowe, revealing she hasn't dated anyone in the 10 years since husband Steve died.

Daughter Bindi, 18, also told the program on Friday she sees her mum as 'still married to dad', explaining: 'If you've found your soulmate you don't really want to move on, and mum had her soulmate.'

'I haven't dated anyone': Terri Irwin denies rumours she is in a relationship with Russell Crowe

Rumours have swirled for years that Russell and Terri are an item, however, both have denied the allegations on numerous occasions - stating they are just good friends.

On Access Hollywood Terri explained there was only platonic feelings between the two and 'we will keep it all just as friends.'

After Steve's death from a stingray attack Russell publicly campaigned alongside the Irwins to help safeguard the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve.

Refuted claims: Rumours have swirled for years that Russell and Terri are an item, however, both have denied the allegations on numerous occasions

Hasn't moved on: The mother of two went on to explain that she hadn't been in a relationship since losing her husband, describing herself as 'lonely for Steve but not a lonely person'

'In all honesty he and Steve became friends many years ago and after Steve passed you find out who your true friends are,' Terri said.

'Russell has been very loyal as a great friend.'

The mother of two went on to explain that she hadn't been in a relationship since losing her husband, describing herself as 'lonely for Steve but not a lonely person'.

Doesn't want her date: Bindi said she didn't want to see her mum dating again, explaining she accepted her life after Steve

'Mum and dad will always be married and always be together': Bindi said she still saw the two as man and wife

'If you've found your soulmate you don't really want to move on and mum had her soulmate': The teenager offered her insight into love

'I haven't dated anyone in the 10 years since we lost Steve, just because I feel a connection still with Steve,' Terri said.

'When you take those vows and say as long as we both shall live - I really don't think I would have married if I met Steve.'

Bindi said she didn't want to see her mum dating again, explaining she accepted her life after Steve.

Promoting work: The mother and daughter duo were on the show to raise awareness for Wildlife Warriors Worldwide

'All I want in life is mum's happiness, but every time I look at mum she is still married to dad, so why would you want anyone else to go out [with Terri] if they're already still happy?' She explained.

'If they're happy with being married and they've found their soulmate, that's what people sometimes forget is when you find your soulmate, if you've found your soulmate you don't really want to move on and mum had her soulmate.

'Mum and dad will always be married and always be together, and I think that's a beautiful thing.'

Close pair: Mother Terri and daughter Bindi sat closely and her hands during the emotional interview
She just became the face of Adidas' new footwear label.

So Sofia Richie was more than happy to show-off the brand while meeting a friend in West Hollywood on Friday.

The 18-year-old sported an all-white sweatshirt and blue-black sneakers by Adidas while arriving at the trendy Zinque Cafe for lunch.

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Brand beauty: Sofia Richie was spotted looking cool as can be in a white-on-white Adidas sweatshirt Friday. She was recently announced as the face of the brand's new footwear

As she arrived at the upscale French eatery, Sofia chewed on a toothpick and wore a neutral face.

Her clothes were equal parts comfy and cool, donning a white Adidas sweatshirt paired with matching sci-fi sunglasses.

The second-generation starlet's acid washed jeans were ultra-distressed, revealing much of the starlet's bronzed legs.

Kick it up! The new Adidas girl made sure to rep the brand with her hip sneakers and sweatshirt

Keep calm and carry on! The teen was wearing a White + Warren beanie, and also carried a cool purse adorned with a Fendi bag charm

Picky! The second-generation star chewed on a toothpick before lunch

On her feet, the fashionista hit the pavement in cool Adidas kicks in black, blue and white hues.

Sofia covered her blonde tresses with a White + Warren beanie, adding another laid back touch to the look.

On her ears, the fashionista sported ornate cross earrings while a slim silver ring adorned her right middle finger.

Finishing off her look, the star carried a white purse adorned with hot pink seams and a furry Fendi bag charm.

Retail therapy: After lunch, the daughter of Lionel Richie did some shopping at XIV Karats

Future's so bright: The 18-year-old beauty donned trendy white sci-fi shades while out to lunch

After grabbing some grub the blonde made time for some shopping, stopping by XIV Karats with a friend.

Earlier in the day, Sofia spent time with one of her favorite furry friends.

She posted an Instagram pic of herself rocking the same distressed denim look while hanging out with Roscoe, a cuddly English Bulldog, in a slick-looking Porche.

The wrinkly fellow belongs to racecar driver Lewis Hamilton, 32, who's been linked with Sofia since back in February.

Shiny, shiny: Sofia wore ornate cross earrings and a simple ring while out

Slashed! The blonde's acid washed jeans were torn up and down the legs, revealing the star's thin stems

Puppy love! Before her lunch outing, Sofia shared a selfie of her and a furry friend. It turns out the English Bulldog in the picture is rumored boyfriend Lewis Hamilton's pup

Although neither of the stars have confirmed the pairing, it has all the markings of a relationship.

On Tuesday, the duo took a spin in the English racer's Porsche 911 Turbo S before fetching lunch together Cecconi's.

And last week, the model and the racer took their love bicoastal, seen at a New York screening of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 last Wednesday.

Big night: On the same day her father Lionel Richie was an honorary degree recipient at the Berklee College Of Commencement Concert in Boston

Seriously popular: He happily sung onstage with student performers
She's the AFL WAG and television presenter who has denied plastic surgery rumours in the past.

And Bec Judd revealed a noticeably fuller bust while celebrating an early Mother's Day in Melbourne on Friday.

Posing in a group snap shared to Instagram on Friday, the mother-of-four looked stunning in low cut frock alongside fellow AFL WAG Nadia Bartel, Lucy Mills and Kylie Brown.

Ladies night: Bec Judd (left) revealed a noticeably fuller bust alongside fellow AFL WAG Nadia Bartel (3-L), Lucy Mills (2-L) and Kylie Brown (right) in Melbourne on Friday

She cut a chic figure in an off-the-shoulder navy dress, with the low neckline drawing attention to her bust.

Her brunette locks cascaded effortlessly down her shoulders, sweeping her decolletage.

She posted a different photo to her own Instagram page, which also drew focus to her cleavage.

Bec's fuller appearance is a far cry from older photos, which reveal her less busty look, suggesting she perhaps had invested in some boosting undergarments.

Chic: Bec posted a different photo to her own Instagram page, which also drew focus to her low cut frock

In the gym: In a workout photo, posted to Instagram last month, Bec looked a lot less 'full' as she sits back-to-back and arms interlocked with her gym buddy

In a workout photo posted to Instagram last month, Bec looked a lot less busty as she sat back-to-back and arms interlocked with her gym buddy.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Bec for comment.

Speaking to news.com.au in 2009, Bec insisted that she was 'all natural' after plastic surgery rumours surfaced due to an email circulating showing 'before and after' photos of the star.

All natural: Speaking to news.com.au in 2009, Bec insisted that she was 'all natural' after plastic surgery rumours surfaced due to an email circulating showing 'before and after' photos of the star

'Every year after the Brownlow I get, 'You've had something done' or that I'm anorexic,' she said.

'It's funny, I think my boobs look bigger in 2004 than they are now.'
The rumored pair have kept things low-key since 2013.

And it seems Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx are opting to keep things under-the-radar, if their latest rendezvous is any indication.

According to People, the duo met in Paris over several days this past week.

Discreet duo: It seems Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx are opting to keep things under-the-radar, if their latest rendezvous in Paris is any indication

Katie, 38, reportedly arrived at the romantic metropolis on Sunday, and then went to a hotel to meet Jamie, 49.

Jamie had already been in Paris shooting his latest movie, a gritty take on Robin Hood.

On Tuesday, the Ray star did leave his squeeze at home to attend a farewell dinner for the production.

Nothing to see here: The rumored pair have kept things low-key since 2013

While Katie mostly stayed hidden during her stay, People reports that the Batman Begins star was spotted on a sandwich run.

She was also seen stopping by the San Francisco book store, where she procured some classics such as Ernest Hemingways Old Man and The Sea and A Farewell to Arms according to sources.

Later in the week, she also stopped by filmmaker Luc Bessons studio Cite du Cinemas to visit Jamie while he was filming.

Dinner date: Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx were pictured by fameolousent_ on a dinner date following months of rumours they are secretly a couple back in April

Of course, all the meetings could've made for quite an awkward reunion, as Katie's ex-husband Tom Cruise was very close by.

Indeed, the 54-year-old action star was filming Mission Impossible Six only blocks from Jamie's hotel.

By Thursday, Katie and Jamie ended their journey together by taking a flight out of Paris.
The weather might be cooling down, but Tim Robards certainly knows how to keep thing hot on Bondi Beach.

The Bachelor star, 33, showed off his very buff body and enviable six-pack while taking a dip at Bondi Beach on Saturday.

The day at the beach comes after an intimate lunch with girlfriend Anna Heinrich and their respective mothers on Thursday sparked further rumours of engagement.

Hot day at the beach! A VERY buff Tim Robards cools off at Bondi Beach while showing off his gym-honed physiqu

Tim, who appeared as the original Australian Bachelor in 2013, cut a solo picture at the beach, appearing at the watering hole sans his partner Anna.

Wearing a pair of navy board shorts, the shirtless look flaunted his washboard abs and bulging arms.

The fitness fanatic seemed unperturbed by Saturday's cooler temperatures, with Bondi Beach boasting a high of just 21 degrees that day.

Cooling off? The fitness fanatic seemed unperturbed by Saturday's cooler temperatures, with Bondi Beach boasting a high of just 21 degrees that day

The quiet swim comes after Tim and Anna spoilt their mothers with a lavish seaplane ride and lunch on Thursday.

The lovebirds were spotted enjoying the intimate day out just after Tim hinted at a forthcoming marriage proposal last month.

'Let's just say 2017 is going to be a good year,' the fitness entrepreneur told TV Week magazine.

'Let's just say 2017 is going to be a good year': Tim hinted at a forthcoming marriage proposal last month

His girlfriend meanwhile, was surprised but delighted to hear Tim's comment.

'That's the first I've heard of it. But it obviously it would be great,' she gushed to the magazine.

In the meantime Tim has been keeping busy, launching a cook book and landing several spokesmodel roles.
She's the former Bachelorette star who is known for her glamorous red carpet looks.

But Georgia Love, 28, turned heads for all the wrong reasons while making her way to Melbourne Racing Club on Saturday for the Pancare Foundation's Festival of Fashion.

The Channel Ten journalist, who is an ambassador for the pancreatic cancer charity, posted a photo to her Instagram Story in which she could be seen wearing a chic white outfit that still had a dry cleaning tag attached.

Oops: Georgia Love, 28, turned heads for all the wrong reasons while making her way to Melbourne Racing Club on Saturday

'All set for a day at the races with this season's hottest accessory - a dry cleaning tag,' Georgia wrote.

The former reality star chose a short white playsuit that showed off her slender and shapely pins, with a matching white material belt tied in a bow around her svelte waist.

She accessorised with a white cape and black fascinator, while a black leather handbag hung off her arm.

It isn't the first time the brunette beauty wore outfit, with Georgia wearing the same ensemble to Kookai's AW17 showcase in Melbourne last month.

Recycle: It wasn't the first time the brunette beauty aired the outfit, with Georgia wearing the same ensemble to Kookai's AW17 showcase in Melbourne last month. Lee Elliott is pictured left

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Georgia recently opened up about the strain her mother passing away put on her romance with Lee Elliott, 36.

'It's made our relationship really hard,' she candidly told the publication.

Opening up, Georgia said: 'It's made our relationship really hard. He's the one who has to cop it when I'm having a bad day. He's the one who's there as I break down.'

'It's made our relationship really hard': Georgia Love, 28, revealed to The Daily Telegraph that the death of mother Belinda the night after the Bachelorette finale, put a strain on her romance with Lee Elliott, 36

However the journalist did tell the publication that the mechanical plumber has been nothing but 'incredible'.

'He was there every step of the way. Nothing will ever take that away. That's something that makes me even more in love with him. In so many ways it brought us very close.'

Support: The journalist gushed over her 'incredible' beau: 'He was there every step of the way. Nothing will ever take that away'

Heartbreaking: Georgia's mother Belinda, 60, tragically passed away the night following the Bachelorette finale

Georgia's mother Belinda, 60, tragically passed away the night following the Bachelorette finale.

Belinda endured a six-month battle with pancreatic cancer, and was admitted into palliative care in late October.

On October 31, Georgia revealed on Instagram the heartbreaking news that her mother had passed away.

Georgia was able to introduce her mother to her chosen Bachelorette winner and boyfriend Lee, shortly before her death.

Battle: Belinda endured a six-month battle with pancreatic cancer, admitted into palliative care in late October

She previously told TV Week: 'It was amazing to see how much he perked her up,' adding: 'She was sitting up talking and laughing with him, which she hadn't been able to do all day.

'It was obviously an awful place and reason to be meeting,' Georgia added.

Lee also revealed in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, that he met Georgia's mother for the first time in hospital straight after the finale aired, receiving her seal of approval.

Approval: Lee revealed in a previous interview with The Daily Telegraph, that he met Georgia's mother for the first time in hospital straight after the finale aired, receiving her seal of approval
She is known for her natural, effortless beauty and classic style.

And on Friday, Jessica Alba did not disappoint during an appearance at the Oliver Peoples 30th Anniversary Party in Los Angeles.

The company is a designer eye-wear brand whose costs run in the hundreds.

Looking gorgeous! On Friday, Jessica Alba did not disappoint during an appearance at the Oliver Peoples 30th Anniversary Party in Los Angeles

The mother-of-two was quite the stunner in a striped top, layered under a cream, OAK + FORT coat.

Jessica added a pair of cropped jeans to her look, and accessorized with a handbag and multiple items of jewelry.

The Pomona, California native wore her honey locks down and styled to one side.

Chic: The entrepreneur is known for her natural, effortless beauty and classic style

Her look: The mother-of-two was quite the stunner in a striped top layered under a cream, OAK + FORT coat

Finishing it off! Jessica added a pair of cropped jeans to her ensemble, and accessorized with a handbag and multiple items of jewelry

Styled right: Rebecca Gayheart, 45, looked lovely in a black, off-the-shoulder dress with striped detailing

In addition to Jessica, the event attracted additional celebrities.

Rebecca Gayheart looked lovely in a black, off-the-shoulder dress with striped detailing.

The Christmas Blessing star layered a denim jacket over her ensemble and completed her look with bright gold heels.

Dazzling: The Christmas Blessing star layered a denim jacket over her ensemble and completed her look with bright gold heels

Millenial madness: Aly Michalka, 28, tucked in a simple, striped button-down into a pair of leather pants, while The Originals star Olivia Holt, 28, rocked a casual black dress. Levi Dylan Oliver, the grandson of Bob Dylan, went for a trendy look in a maroon suit

Standout piece: Dylan Brosnan, 20, the son of Pierce Brosnan, wore an animal-print jacket over a head-to-toe black ensemble

Pretty companion: He was joined by Avery Wheless

Aly Michalka, 28, tucked in a simple, striped button-down into a pair of leather pants, while The Originals star Olivia Holt, 28, rocked a casual black dress.

Levi Dylan Oliver, the grandson of Bob Dylan, went for a trendy look in a maroon suit.

Dylan Brosnan, the son of Pierce Brosnan, wore an animal-print jacket over a head-to-toe black ensemble. He was joined by Avery Wheless.

Modern: The event was beautifully decorated

On-the-go: Later on in the night: Jessica was spotted grabbing a late night bite to eat at Craig's
She's the striking blonde model, who captured Tim Robards' heart on The Bachelor.

And Anna Heinrich, 30, showed off her stunning frame while sightseeing in Sydney on Saturday.

The former reality star flahsed a hint of thigh in a chic mini-dress and over-the-knee boots in a snap shared to Instagram.

The girl in black: Anna Heinrich looked stunning as she waited to board a ferry in Sydney on Saturday

Anna's thigh-high black boots from Stuart Weitzman outlined her shapely pins and she paired the look with a leather jacket and chain-link designer purse.

Dark designer shades added an element of mystery to the overall look.

A day prior, the beauty enjoyed a seaplane ride with beau Tim, 34, and their respective mothers.

Seaplane adventure: A day prior, the beauty enjoyed a seaplane ride with beau Tim, 34, and their respective mothers

Family love: Anna also posted a series of photos showing her enjoying early Mother's Day celebrations with mum Jude, partner Tim Robards and his mum Tanya

The smitten couple treated their mothers to a Sydney seaplane ride and Anna posted a photo that showed her and 'doppelganger' mother Jude, enjoying the flight.

'Like MOTHER like daughter,' she captioned the post in reference to the striking familial similarities.

'Treating my beautiful and loving mum to an early #mothersday gift #flyinghigh @sydney_seaplanes You are one amazing woman!! @luckylegs1.'

Eerie: 'Like MOTHER like daughter,' she captioned one photo, in reference to the striking familial similarities

Another photo, posted on Friday, showed Anna and Jude, standing on a balcony overlooking picturesque Whale Beach, with partner Tim Robards and his mum Tanya.

'Such a treat to spend the day with these two women @luckylegs1 @tanyarobards #happyearlymothersday Spectacular food, view and company,' Anna captioned the post before punctuating it with a love heart emoji.

The reality stars fans' interest was piques last month when Tim hinted that wedding bells could very well be in the couple's future.

'Let's just say 2017 is going to be a good year,' the fitness entrepreneur told TV Week.
Cheyenne Tozzi suffered a 'heartbreaking' split with her businessman beau Jon Adgemis in March.

However when she was spotted out in Cronulla on the weekend, the 28-year-old looked refreshed and relaxed.

Sporting an army-inspired camouflage jacket, the blonde pampered her precious pooches before taking a stroll and taking a few selfies with her furry friends.

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Refreshed! Cheyenne Tozzi looked refreshed as she stepped out with her pooch in Cronulla

Having weathered a tough breakup with handsome Greek beau Jon Adgemis, Cheyenne's canine support network helped her bounce back in style.

The Australia's Next Top Model took a stroll through the Sutherland shire's classy cafe hub, pairing her industrial camo jacket with some skin-tight leggings.

And a fresh start needs some fresh pumps, with a pair of crisp white joggers pounding the pavement along with her fluffy pooch.

She tossed her stunning blonde locks over her shoulder, clutching an oversized handbag and sporting in one hand, and her phone and leash in the other.

Fresh! And a fresh start needs some fresh pumps, with the 28-year-old's crisp white joggers pounding the pavement, sporting an industrial camo jacket with some skin-tight leggings

Bounce back! Having weathered a tough breakup with handsome Greek beau Jon Adgemis, Cheyenne's canine support network helped her bounce back in style

Hungry! Out and about with a sporty looking pal, the duo stopped for a coffee, with her attention hungry pooches making sure their mum didn't forget they were there

Out and about with a sporty looking pal, the duo stopped for a coffee, with her attention hungry pooches making sure their mum didn't forget they were there.

After one pup took matters into their own hands by climbing her lithe legs in search of a pat, the songstress kept things equal by showing some love for the other.

At one point, something appeared to get on Cheyenne's nerves, spotted boasting a sour expression before whipping her aviator sunglasses off and pointing at something in the distance.

Following the brief stop-off, the beauty and her puppy party took to the streets once more.

Sour? At one point, something appeared to get on Cheyenne's nerves, spotted boasting a sour expression

Pointed conversation: Whipping her aviator sunglasses off, she pointed at something in the distance

Attention: Following the brief stop-off, the beauty and her puppy party took to the streets once more, with something on the blonde bombshell's iPhone giving her reason to smile

Hand-off: She became so engrossed in her apparent text back and forth that she ended up handing-off leash duties to her obliging pal

Me time! The blonde beauty capped-off her fun-filled weekend by having some time for her self

Something on the blonde bombshell's iPhone gave her reason to smile, captured with her attention fixed squarely on the screen in front of her.

She became so engrossed in her apparent text back and forth that she ended up handing-off leash duties to her obliging pal.

The blonde beauty capped-off her fun-filled weekend by having some time for her self.

Or in this case, selfie, with snaps showing her perched on a concrete bench, snapping images of her glowing complexion and enjoying a coffee shot pick-me-up.
She's a keen supporter of the body confidence movement and is never afraid to show off her perfect physique.

And Ashley James proved once again she can pull off a bold look, flaunting a pair of sexy sheer leggings as she headed into a London radio station on Friday for her weekly DJing slot.

The 30-year-old flashed a hint of her toned legs as she strode along the street in a petite leather jacket atop a t-shirt emblazoned with a body confidence slogan.

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Music minx: Ashley James flaunted her toned legs in a pair of sexy sheer leggings as she strolled into a London radio station on Friday

Ashley's endless legs were the focal point of the look, with the sheer panels adding a sexy touch to the daytime look.

The Made In Chelsea Star rocked a pair of oval Ray-Bans and left her flowing blonde locks tied up in a loose bun.

Appropriately for a DJ, she slung a pair of pink designer headphones around her neck, which she matched with a distressed velvet laptop in her left hand.

Completing her look were a pair of tiny gold ring earrings and a necklace pedant in the shape of Africa.

Confident: The 30-year-old flashed a hint of her toned legs as she strode along the street in a petite leather jacket atop a shirt emblazoned with a body confidence slogan, 'Self Love Club'

Turning heads: The Made In Chelsea Star rocked a pair of oval Ray-Bans and left her flowing blonde locks tied up in a loose bun

A bottle of water in her right hand was a reminder she was on business, which is presenting a show featuring hip hop, trap, grime and chart music from 2 to 4pm.

As she entered Hoxton Radio with fellow presenter Charlotte de Carle, she flashed a side view of her long legs for the camera.

Ashley regularly puts out unretouched images of her slim bikini body out on her social media as part of a fight against unrealistic body image.

Double act: Ashley, seen with fellow DJ Charlotte de Carle, regularly puts out unretouched images of her body out on her social media as part of a fight against unrealistic body image

Day job: A bottle of water in her right hand was a reminder she was on business, which is presenting a show featuring hip hop, trap, grime and chart music from 2 to 4pm

But even she was shocked at her immediate reaction to the now-famous unairbrushed Kim Kardashian bikini photos which were taken during her recent trip to Mexico.

Posting a lengthy caption with a sexy shot of her in a revealing red swimming costume, Ashley admitted that she had to scold herself over judging Kim's 'cellulite'.

Wistfully penning a memory of her time on holiday in Holbox Island, Ashley turned her commentary to the subject of Kim's derriere.

Guilt: Ashley was shocked at her immediate reaction to the now-famous un-airbrushed Kim Kardashian bikini photos which were taken during her recent trip to Mexico

Regrets: Posting a lengthy caption with a sexy shot of her in a revealing red swimming costume, Ashley admitted that she had to scold herself over judging Kim's 'cellulite'

'To be honest, when I first saw the photos I thought two things. Firstly, I loved seeing cellulite because I thought it was great that she could of edited images and she didn't,' the model began.

'Secondly, my immediate subconscious reaction was to be judgmental of her body, and I had to stop myself because I realise - why do we do this or care about how another woman's body looks?'

Ashley's post then became philosophical in nature, and she proffered some advice for her fans that she follows herself.

Backwards glance: Ashley's post then became philosophical in nature, and she proffered some advice for her fans that she follows herself

Sister in arms: Charlotte de Carle is a model, blogger, presenter and DJ who works at Hoxton Radio

'Does judging Kim Kardashian make me feel better about myself? I think judgement is natural, but I always to train myself not to think it and I never say it out loud to others.'

Ashley is herself a victim of body shaming, claiming last month that a taxi driver 'slut-shamed' her for wearing a plunging black crop top.

Penning another commentary on an Instagram post about the incident, she revealed that she 'broke down in tears' and 'was made to feel like a cheap whore'.

Luckily, she decided to ignore the taxi driver, and bravely went on with her evening in the revealing top after deciding she shouldn't feel ashamed about her 'natural, God-given body'.

Target: Ashley is herself a victim of body shaming, claiming last month that a taxi driver 'slut-shamed' her for wearing a plunging black crop top
It's been a typically tumultuous few months for reality romances of late.

And two people who know all too well about this are Olivia Bentley, of Made In Chelsea, and former The Only Way Is Essex star Lewis Bloor.

But going by their Instagram accounts, it appears they have found solace in the arms of each other, as they posted the same photo on Friday evening featuring Olivia, 21, cuddling up to Lewis, 27, with his hand on her knee.

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'Think what you want!' MIC's Olivia Bentley and TOWIE's Lewis Bloor appear to confirm romance as they both post the same Instagram photo looking VERY cosy together

In Olivia's version, she captioned the photo: '#elocutionlessons #loonottoilet #gentlemen met this guy a few weeks ago. He's a lot of fun. Think what you want #dontjudgeabookbyitscover.'

She seemed to take a knowing dig at Lewis' Essex roots and alluded that they met in a gents bathroom.

The MIC star, whose family come from the classy Henley-On-Thames, was clearly vouching for Lewis, who has garnered a 'love rat' reputation of late.

Lewis was clearly in on the joke, simply captioning his version of the picture: '#poshtits.'

From different worlds? The MIC star, whose family come from the classy Henley-On-Thames, was clearly vouching for Lewis, who has garnered a 'love rat' reputation of late

Although this appears to come out of the blue, both reality stars have suffered very public break-ups this year.

Olivia's relationship with MIC veteran Fredrik Ferrier came to a sudden end on the current season of the show, thanks to an incident concerning new cast member Mimi Bouchard.

Although nothing actually happened between Canadian Mimi and Fred, Olivia took issue with Fred when it transpired he had commented that Mimi was attractive.

Not helping matters, Mimi openly admitted she was attracted to Fred and was coveting.

Done! Marnie and Lewis called it quits a few weeks ago

The run-in led to the end of Olivia's relationship with Fred, and although he then went out to dinner with Mimi afterward, this didn't progress further.

Meanwhile, Lewis' romance with Geordie Shore's Marnie Simpson crumbled before fans' eyes.

They met last year in the Celebrity Big Brother house, stared a showmance and left in a relationship.

However, cheating allegations this year destroyed their honeymoon period and now things are over between the reality TV stars.

On to the next: Olivia dated Fredrik for a few months before things began to go south

Friends again: On this week's MIC, Fred [L] and Olivia were back on amicable terms

Lewis was seen recently on a night out with other MIC ladies Daisy Robbins and Tina Stinnes.

A shot was uploaded to Instagram of each of them planting a lingering kiss on Lewis' cheeks, prompting gossip that he was dating one of them.

And taking a swipe at his ex-girlfriend Marnie, Lewis implied he was already embracing his newly single status by adding the caption: 'Summer's always funner.'

Revealing that there is more to the story than just the photo, Daisy said: 'Lewis and I got close and spent a night together.'

Interference: Fred and Olivia's romance fizzled due to Canadian Mimi's crush on Fred

Pucker up: Lewis was seen recently on a night out with other MIC ladies [lL-R] Daisy Robbins and Tina Stinnes

'But we are acquaintances more than anything,' she insisted, claiming there is nothing romantic going on between the pair.

Just weeks earlier, Marnie had jetted to Dubai with Lewis to try and sort out their issues.

In February, Marnie confirmed the pair's six month relationship was over after learning Lewis had cheated on her on several occasions - including during a romantic trip they had taken to Barcelona.

Moved on: Olivia's relationship with MIC veteran Fredrik Ferrier came to a sudden end on the current season of the show, thanks to an incident concerning new cast member Mimi Bouchard

New girl in town: Although nothing actually happened between Canadian Mimi and Fred, Olivia took issue with Fred when it transpired he had commented that Mimi was attractive

Despite the fallout between them after his infidelities, Marnie and Lewis had still been living together and she had told fans the duo had managed to 'salvage a friendship' while holidaying in Dubai.

However, a day after her post explaining the pair had reconnected, video footage emerged of Marnie accusing Lewis of 'stealing her bank card'.

Lewis branded the claims 'absolutely ridiculous' and the fallout from their heated exchange led to the couple calling it quits for good.
She's the social media influencer who gained fame on My Kitchen Rules.

And it seems Betty Banks has been enjoying the glamorous life after her success on the cooking show.

The 27-year-old took to Instagram to show off a snap of herself beaming in a luxurious yet laid-back looking ensemble, on Saturday.

Laidback luxury look: Betty Banks has been enjoying the glamorous life after her success on the cooking show

With her freshly trimmed locks, she matched a pair of denim jeans and a t-shirt with the slogan Girl Gang emblazoned across her bust.

She topped the look with a dusty pink blazer draped across her shoulders and also accessorised with a gold bangle and a pair of Oscar Wylee glasses.

Betty, who is dating Alice Springs police officer named Billy, captioned her post: 'WEEKEND IS HERE! Meaning I got some Yum Cha, Coffee and sunshine!'

Living it up! She oozed class with as she stepped of a private jet at Cobram Estate in Balranald, close to the New South Wales and Victoria boarder

Glam: In her caption she revealed to fans that she and her MKR partner David were going to open up a pop up restaurant

'What did you guys get up to today?' she asked her fans.

A fan commented: 'Your are soooooo striking [and] gorgeous.'

Someone else said: 'Love the look. Always looking very stylish.'

In an earlier photo posted, she oozed class with as she stepped of a private jet at Cobram Estate in Balranald, close to the New South Wales and Victoria boarder.

Loved up! The tattooed beauty also revealed that she has been in a relationship with an Alice Springs police officer named Billy

'Walking out your front door on a Saturday morning like... So ready for a beautiful day!' Betty wrote in her caption.

Betty also revealed that details of her plans for her pop up eatery with My Kitchen Rules partner David will be released Sunday.

'Catching up with my bro @0hdave and a meeting for our POP UP RESTAURANT!,' she revealed.

'Details will be released on SUNDAY! Make sure you guys are following @davidbetty.mkr! Look out for the flyer!!'

Next adventure: Meanwhile her MKR partner, who was also on the trip, shared a similar post of himself stepping off the jet hinting at the exciting project looking dashing

An excited follower wrote: 'Can't wait to go to the pop up restaurant!!!'

While some else said: 'Have a beautiful weekend, gorgeous girl.'

Meanwhile her MKR partner, who was also on the trip, shared a similar post of himself stepping off the jet hinting at the exciting project.
On Friday she attended a friend's Hawaiian wedding before heading out for dinner and drinks with her husband Tom Ackerley.

And it appears that Margot Robbie's mum Sarie Kessler is also in Hawaii, where she found herself amusingly struggling to put on a floral garland.

The 26-year-old actress took to Instagram on Friday to share a hilarious image of her mother fighting her way into a Hawaiian Lei.

Mum's the word! Margot Robbie's mum Sarie Kessler is also in Hawaii, where she found herself amusingly struggling to put on a floral garland

Earlier on Friday, the former Neighbours star played bridesmaid at a friend's nuptials, five months after her own wedding to British director Tom back in December.

The Suicide Squad star shared a snap to her Instagram of the beautiful bridal party, captioning the moment 'going to the chapel'.

The far-away snap shows Margot standing beside the bride on the church's steps, holding a large bouquet of flowers.

The blonde beauty appeared to be wearing a flowing, white, three-quarter gown, with her blonde locks falling over her shoulders.

'Going to the chapel': Margot wowed in a white bridesmaid gown at a friend's Hawaiian nuptials, posting a photo of herself among the bridal party on Friday

Out and about: Later the Wolf of Wall Street star spotted walking along in the dusk sunlight, wearing an adorable two-piece pineapple themed outfit

The wedding appears to have taken place at Waioli Huiia Church in Hawaii, with the building renowned for its green exterior, bell tower and surrounding palm trees.

Margot's attendance at the wedding comes just months after she wed partner Tom Ackerley in a secret ceremony in Byron Bay.

Later that night, Margot Robbie and her husband were still in Honeymoon mode as the newlyweds enjoyed a romantic Hawaiian night out.

Swapping roles: The Suicide Squad star's attendance at the wedding comes just five months after she wed partner Tom Ackerley in a secret ceremony in Byron Bay last December

Spotted wearing matching pineapple themed tropical shirts, the Aussie and her 26-year-old hubby enjoyed dinner and drinks at a restaurant.

Later the Wolf of Wall Street star spotted walking along in the dusk sunlight, wearing an adorable two-piece pineapple themed outfit.
In the past week Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames and Rebecca Ferguson have all been spotted making their debuts on the Paris set of Mission: Impossibe 6.

And on Friday it was the turn of Simon Pegg to show up - reprising his role as technical field agent Benji Dunn.

Simon, 47, appeared to be happy to be back in the company of franchise leading man Tom Cruise, 54, alongside Henry Cavill who he stood with and shared a joke.

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Another day, another cast member! Simon Pegg made his first appearance on the Mission: Impossible 6 set... and was clearly pleased to be back as he joked around with leading man Tom Cruise

Funny guy: Simon was seen goofing around, wearing his character's trademark glasses and braces

Also with them was Henry, who will make his debut in the sixth instalment of the action franchise.

Simon was seen goofing around, wearing his character's trademark glasses and braces.

He was seen doing a Charlie Chaplin like routine, much to the delight of the cast and crew around him.

Simon's character first appeared in the mega-popular film series in Mission: Impossible 3, helping Tom's character Ethan by analyzing confidential information recovered via a stolen laptop.

Sharing a joke: He was seen doing a Charlie Chaplin like routine, much to the delight of the cast and crew around him

Action star: And as they got back to work, Simon was seen watching on from a chair, a paper cup in one hand with coffee in it

When Ethan is forced to go rogue, he calls Benji who relucantly accepts to help him by guiding him through the streets of Shanghai.

In the fourth film, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Benji helps Ethan to escape from a deep-cover mission in prison which ended up getting him disavowed by the government.

However, his help in stopping a nuclear bomb and saving agent Jane Carter sees him back in good stead.

In the fifth film, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, Benji is relegated to a minor data analysis role in the CIA until Ethan, on the run and underground, contacts him to ask for his help in tracking the Syndicate, an 'anti-IMF' responsible for various crimes Ethan has identified.

Chit chat: Henry [L] was announced as an addition to the cast of the fifth sequel in the franchise, which sees returning leading man Tom reprise his role as Ethan Hunt

Action shot: Tom was seen comforting his co-star during a dramatic shooting scene

Their attempt to identify key players in the Syndicate results in Benji being abducted as a hostage.

Simon stood with the two hunky co-stars, who had been seen filming action sequences earlier in the day.

And as they got back to work, Simon was seen watching on from a chair, a paper cup in one hand with coffee in it.

Henry was announced as an addition to the cast of the fifth sequel in the franchise, which sees returning leading man Tom reprise his role as Ethan Hunt.

Henry has notably grown a mustache for the role, and it's not yet certain which character he is playing.
He's come a long way from playing cheeky chappy Smithy in the BBC series Gavin and Stacey.

But even in Hollywood James Corden has kept his feet firmly on the ground as he was spotted enjoying a date night with wife Julia Carey.

The Late Late Show presenter cut a relaxed figure after dining out at Craig's restaurant in Hollywood.

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Date night: James Corden was snapped enjoying a date night with wife Julia Carey in LA on Friday

James was pictured in a blue zip-up bomber jacket with straight fit jeans and Adidas trainers.

Julia was pictured in a black blouse with silver detailing.

Her luscious blonde tresses pulled back behind her ears and finished with a slick of red lipstick.

The pair left in a top of the range gun-metal silver Range Rover.

Still loved up:James and Julia, who married in a lavish ceremony in September 2012

James and Julia, who married in a lavish ceremony in September 2012, appear to be house-hunting again, after swapping their five-bedroom villa in Brentwood for a five-storey beachfront home worth $24million in October.

The pad boasts six bedrooms and seven bathrooms as well as its own infinity pool, private gym and outdoor fireplace - proving that James has hit the big-time since relocating to the States.

The former Gavin And Stacey star took over as host of The Late Late Show from Craig Ferguson last March, and has found huge success with the series.

He recently confirmed he is bringing the chat show to the UK for three special episodes, which will air exclusively on Sky 1 and NOW TV in June.

A recent episode of the show saw James and guest Eva Longoria nuzzle up to a lizard.

The hilarious clip saw 42-year-old Eva recoil in horror as she took off her blindfold to see the lizard perched on the wooden box.

Host James, who was also blindfolded during the challenge, finally put the actress out of her misery - correctly guessing that the animal was a lizard.

The brunette beauty stunned during her appearance on the show, layering a cream blazer over a white low-cut top and tailored trousers.
She's been busy shooting a new campaign for Victoria's Secret.

But Elsa Hosk enjoyed a well-deserved break from her busy work schedule as she stepped out in New York with boyfriend Tom Daly on Friday.

Showcasing her off-duty style in a chic leather jumpsuit, the 28-year-old was seen locking lips with the British entrepreneur as they enjoyed a day out together.

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Chic: Elsa Hosk showcased her off-duty style in a chic leather jumpsuit as she enjoyed a day out in New York with boyfriend Tom Daly on Friday

The Victoria's Secret Angel showed off her statuesque figure in the stylish one-piece, which cinched in at the waist.

She finished of the utility-chic look with a pair of black leather Gucci loafers, before adding a pop of colour with a quilted blue bag.

Wearing her blonde locks down over her shoulders, she accentuated her glowing complexion with a dash of blusher, before adding a liberal coating of mascara to finish.

Loved-up: The 28-year-old was seen locking lips with the British entrepreneur as they enjoyed a day out together

Tom meanwhile went for a casual ensemble, teaming a black puffer jacket with a pair of light-wash jeans - before breaking the fashion rules by wearing socks with sandals.

Elsa has been dating the Brit, who is co-founder of eye-wear brand District Vision, since 2015 - with the pair looking up as loved-up as ever during their outing on Friday.

The Swedish beauty has been busy shooting for Victoria's Secret, posting a series of sizzling backstage snaps on Instagram earlier on in the day.

Cosy display: The pair, who have been dating since 2015, looked as loved up as ever as they enjoyed a stroll around the city

Pulling a series of expert poses, she showed off her incredible figure in a silky bra and lacy knickers while on set.

Elsa started modeling for Guess at the age of 14 and has gone on to do work for Dior, H&M as well as Dolce & Gabbana.

She has walked in the Victoria's Secret show since 2011, and was promoted to Angel status in 2015 , joining an elite group of famed supermodels that include Alessandra Ambrosio, Behati Prinsloo and Stella Maxwell.

Beauty: Wearing her blonde locks down over her shoulders, she accentuated her glowing complexion with a dash of blusher as she enjoyed a well-deserved break

The star was recently linked to the controversial Fyre Festival debacle, after the homepage for the festival featured Elsa and other models relaxing on the beach and swimming through crystal clear waters.

The boutique music festival, co-organised by rapper Ja Rule, was billed as a 'cultural moment created from an alchemic blend of music, art, and food'.

But on arrival revellers reported finding half-built tents, rat droppings, dogs wandering around the site, mountains of rubbish and thugs looting alcohol.

The image featuring the models was only used for a promotion and many have apologised over the incident.

Sizzling: Elsa has been busy shooting for Victoria's Secret, posting a series of sizzling backstage snaps on Instagram earlier on in the day
They're one of the biggest bands in the world with a legion of fans.

But many of those fans were left disappointed at having to queue for hours outside the arena at the opening of the U2 33-date world tour, in Vancouver on Friday.

Angry fans stormed to Twitter to express their outrage at missing Mumford & Sons opening the show because of the impossibly slow-moving lines.

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Songs for Someone: Irish rockers U2 put on a stunning visual display in Vancouver as they celebrated the 30th anniversary of their seminal 1987 album The Joshua Tree

Thousands were pictured outside the arena waiting for entry while Mumford & Sons played their set.

One outraged fan Tweeted: 'Now an 80 minutes in line and barely moved. If it wasn't Canada there would be riots and death.'

Another livid fan lashed out: 'Screw you #bpplace [the venue] enjoying Mumford & Sons from outside because entry is ridiculous'

Sweetest Thing: Bono stayed true to his rock star roots in an all black ensemble nodding to one of his heroes Johnny Cash

Despite a frustrated crowd, Bono looked in fine fettle as they belted out songs from their seminal 1987 album The Joshua Tree.

The Irish stars are currently embarking on the thirtieth anniversary tour of their best-selling album and the first days proved so popular, fans were said to be left queuing for hours to get into the venue, according to social media reports.

Bono stayed true to his rock star roots in an all black ensemble nodding to one of his heroes Johnny Cash - looking miles younger than his 57 years.

Rocking a black denim biker jacket with silver studs and straight fit black jeans, Bono blasted out hits including One, Where The Streets Have No Name and Beautiful Day.

As always he donned a pair of coloured sunglasses to complete his distinctive look. His hair showed no hints of greying as he displayed thick locks bound to make many men his age green with envy.

Queues at the BA Place stadium were so long fans reported waiting for hours to get into the venue. Some even missed the opening act Mumford & Sons who put on a energetic display.

Running to Stand Still: Rocking a black denim biker jacket with silver studs and straight fit black jeans Bono blasted out hits including One, Where The Streets Have No Name and Beautiful Day

Stay: Queues at the BA Place stadium were so long fans reported waiting for hours to get into the venue

Magnificent: When it was released in 1987, The Joshua Tree propelled Bono, Larry Mullen, the Edge and Adam Clayton into the music stratosphere

MailOnline has contacted a representative for U2 for comment.

But with all fans packed into the venue, the crowd were treated to a stunning visual display while the band performed their much-loved hits.

U2 played 21 songs in total - many from the acclaimed album. When it was released in 1987, The Joshua Tree propelled Bono, Larry Mullen, the Edge and Adam Clayton into the music stratosphere.

The songs made them the biggest band in the world with legions of followers worldwide.

City of Blinding Lights: The songs made them the biggest band in the world with legions of followers worldwide

Elevation: Bono was pictured in an all black ensemble with a pair of retro Cuban heels

Speaking about the anniversary tour to RTE recently, Bono said: 'Recently I listened back to The Joshua Tree for the first time in nearly 30 years it's quite an opera.

'A lot of emotions which feel strangely current, love, loss, broken dreams, seeking oblivion, polarisation all the greats I've sung some of these songs a lot but never all of them.

'I'm up for it, if our audience is as excited as we are it's gonna be a great night. Especially when we play at home. Croke Park it's where the album was born, 30 years ago.'

Vertigo: Bono called the album 'quite an opera' having listened to it for the first time in 30 years recently

One: As always he donned a pair of coloured sunglasses to complete his distinctive look

The band will play Twickenham Stadium in London this year with support from ex-Oasis man Noel Gallagher.

They will play further dates in Berlin, Rome, Barcelona, Dublin, Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels in July and August.

Last month, the band shared a new version of Red Mining Town ahead of its re-release for Record Store Day 2017.

The Miracle: The band will play Twickenham Stadium in London this year with support from ex-Oasis man Noel Gallagher
The swimsuit model indefinitely postponed her wedding to personal trainer fiance Dan Adair last year.

And Natalie Roser appeared to be enjoying the company of her gal pals during a girls' trip to The Maldives this week.

The 27-year-old let her hair down on the retreat, taking to social media to document spa dates, bikini-clad surfing sessions and a topless snap against the sunset.

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Girls gone wild! Bikini-clad Natalie Roser enjoys girls' retreat in The Maldives with model pals and poses TOPLESS against sunset

Carefree! Natalie cheekily stripped down in the presence of her model friends, Madeline Joyrelph and Brooke Hogan

She happily stated she 'touched down in paradise'with her model friends, Madeline Joyrelph and Brooke Hogan.



The model flaunted her enviable frame in a range of bikinis, including a saucy snap in which she wore a two-piece leopard-print bikini.

The short clip on Instagram Stories showcased her cleavage and taut stomach, as she tugged her denim shorts down seductively.

Tagging the swimwear brand, the svelte trio later playfully posed in the surf with matching animal-print swimmers.

Sexy snap! The model flaunted her enviable frame in a range of bikinis, including a saucy snap in which she wore a two-piece leopard-print bikini

Girls just wanna have fun! The svelte trio later playfully posed in the surf with matching animal-print swimmers as they laughed and splashed around

Twinning: The social media stars continued to sport matching ensembles throughout their impromptu getaway to the luxury destination

Natalie also used the time to relax, donning a robe for which she labeled: 'Spa dates with bae'.

In the mirror selfie, Madeline gave a glimpse of cleavage as they later soaked their feet in a bowl of water while holding hands.

The ladies also enjoyed stand-up paddle boarding and showed off their flexibility by doing yoga on the floating boards on the crystal blue waters.

'Spa dates with bae': Donning white robes, Madeline displayed a glimpse of cleavage in the low-cut robe as they gave a leggy display as they help hands during the beauty treatment

Surf's up! The ladies also enjoyed stand-up paddle boarding and showed off their flexibility by doing yoga on the floating boards on the crystal blue waters

This year, the former beauty queen relocated from Australia to the US to pursue her modelling career.

Her move to the US came after the stunner split with her fiance, Dan Adair.

The pair became engaged during a holiday in July 2015 and had plans to marry in October last year.

They had not been seen on their public social media accounts for months at the time of her move.
She's the glamorous AFL WAG who gave birth to twins last year.

But Rebecca Judd claims she has struggled to remember the EXACT date she welcomed her two young tots into the world during a recent interview.

The mother-of-four, 34, admitted to Stellar: 'I recently had to Google their birthday.'

'I recently had to Google their birthday': WAG Rebecca Judd admits she FORGETS exact date she gave birth to newborn twins Tom and Darcy

Family: The brunette is married to retired AFL player Chris and as well as the twins, has a son, five-year-old son Oscar and a two-year-old daughter, Billie

Bec told the publication: 'You know, I recently had to Google their birthday. I couldnt remember whether they were born on September 28, 29 or 30. It was so crazy around that time.'

The twin boys were indeed born on September 29 by emergency cesarean with husband Chris Judd by her side.

The brunette is married to retired AFL player Chris and as well as the twins, has a son, five-year-old son Oscar and a two-year-old daughter, Billie.

Forgetful? The busy mum has previously admitted on social media in the past to confusing the twins and their ages when they were newborns

It's not the first time the busy mother of four kids under six has been forgetful when it comes to her children, having admitted on social media in the past to constantly confusing the twins and their ages when they were newborns.

The petite beauty also revealed: 'I was the least maternal one in my group of girlfriends and although I still feel too young and irresponsible, here I am with four kids.'

She also revealed that she and hubby Chris are happy with the size of their current brood, adding: 'Were conscious that these are our last babies and were enjoying them.'

'I still feel too young and irresponsible': Bec admitted she was the 'least maternal' of her girlfriends and still feels 'too young' to have four children at 34

'These are our last babies': Bec appeared to reveal that the twins would be the last additions to their growing family

Earlier this week, the television presenter enjoyed an early Mother's Day outing with friends.

Posing in a group snap shared to Instagram, the mother-of-four looked stunning in a low cut frock alongside fellow AFL WAG Nadia Bartel, Lucy Mills and Kylie Brown.

While she has previously denied having breast enhancement surgery, Bec revealed a noticeably fuller bust on Friday, perhaps having invested in some boosting undergarments.
Former television presenter Kelly Landry has revealed that facing a rare heart condition has made her realise life is truly short.

After the birth of her first child in 2011, the 37-year-old was diagnosed with a rare heart defect left ventricular noncompaction and Ebstein's anomaly.

She told Stellar Magazine on Friday: 'It makes you reassess what's really important in life,' she says. 'Life's really too short; it just is.

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Mantra: Former television presenter Kelly Landry has revealed that facing a rare heart condition has made her realise life is truly short

'Not until people are faced with their own mortality does that cliche truly have meaning. You want to grab life, you want to live each moment.'

The mother of two daughters, Charlize, five, and Thea, went on to reveal that 'sudden death' is one of the possible terrifying complications of her condition.

She tells the publication, 'They don't know what the long-term prognosis is. The greatest risk with the particular heart condition I have is stroke and sudden death.'

The blonde made the comments as she faces a lengthy AVO court battle with estranged husband Anthony Bell.

Risk: The mother of two daughters, Charlize, five, and Thea, went on to reveal that 'sudden death' is one of the possible terrifying complications of her condition

Police took out an AVO on behalf of the former TV presenter in January, 2017, following an incident at their home in Watson's Bay, Sydney, on November 18 last year.

The last few days of court have shed light on explosive allegations of physical assault, financial bullying and accusations of an 'inappropriate' relationship between Anthony Bell and The Footy Show star Erin Molan.

The accusations have been strongly denied by Anthony Bell and Erin Molan.

Issues: The blonde made the comments as she faces a lengthy AVO court battle with estranged husband Anthony Bell

A magistrate is set to decide in a little over a weeks' time whether to grant a permanent AVO against Kelly's estranged husband.

On Friday, the former Getaway host discussed her illness at a luncheon for The Heart Foundation.

'I had a brand new baby, a congenital heart condition and a doctor standing across from me saying, 'We don't know a lot about this, it's only been diagnosed within the last five years.

Speaking: On Friday, the former Getaway host discussed her illness at a luncheon for The Heart Foundation

She added, 'But what we do know is the greatest risk is sudden death and stroke'.

Her two pregnancies put a strain on her heart and at one point she even went into the early stages of heart failure.

Kelly also opened up about her battle with heart disease in March, telling Daily Mail Australia she spent four 'lonely' months of her second pregnancy in hospital.
He's been at the helm of DIY SOS for nearly two decades.

Yet Nick Knowles looked downcast while filming a new episode of the BBC show in West Sussex this week, as he revealed that the programme could be facing the axe in a statement that undoubtedly stunned fans.

It comes as the 54-year-old's former flame Gemma Oaten made her first public appearance with her new film producer boyfriend Scott Walker on Thursday night.

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Back to work: Nick Knowles looked downcast while filming a new episode of the BBC show in West Sussex this week, as he revealed that the programme could be facing the axe

Television presenter Nick has revealed that his home improvements show is under threat due to the BBC's budget and the hours that staff on the programme work.

He told The Sun: 'We have another six to do at the end of this year and that might be the end of it then. We have to do so many hours outside of what the BBC will allow us.

'Everyone is knackered at the end of it and we havent been told about a recommission for the next series.'

Former flame: It comes as the 54-year-old's former flame Gemma Oaten made her first public appearance with her new film producer beau Scott Walker on Thursday night

Wearing a white hard hat, Nick looked to be in a serious mood as he spoke to colleagues while filming a new episode of the programme earlier this week.

The revelation about the future of DIY SOS comes as his former flame Gemma made her first public appearance with her new boyfriend Scott.

The former Emmerdale star, 33, looked very much loved up as she arrived at the Interlude In Prague World Premiere in London with her film producer beau on Thursday night.

In trouble? Nick has revealed that his home improvements show is under threat due to the BBC's budget and the hours that staff on the programme work

'That might be the end': The presenter said they had another six episodes of DIY SOS to do this year, but the programme hasn't yet been recommissioned

Gemma said she was left 'heartbroken' following her short-lived romance with Nick last year.

The pair first met last September at the TV Choice Awards and began dating shortly after, eight months after Nick's separation from wife Jessica.

But when pictures emerged of the pair enjoying a romantic getaway in Edinburgh, the 54-year-old star abruptly broke up with Gemma.

Serious mood: Wearing a white hard hat, Nick looked to be in a serious mood as he spoke to colleagues while filming a new episode of the programme earlier this week

Nick returned to Jessica, 28, and supported her as she battled cervical cancer. By January they decided to separate but remained on good terms for the sake of their son, Eddie.

Gemma was left heartbroken, telling the Daily Star: 'It was weird. It was very eggy and it did put me off dating.

'I've been a little bit burned and now is the time for me to be a little bit selfish and look after me.'

A BBC spokesman said: 'The much loved DIY SOS will be returning to screens this summer and we have already commissioned a series for 2018.'
Pauline Davis, mother to Hollyoaks and Celebrity Big Brother star Stephanie, took to Twitter on Saturday to re-tweet a post about being in an 'abusive relationship'.

The original post lists the traits of such a relationship, including 'promising a great future but delivering a nightmare'.

This comes at the end of yet another drama-laden week for her daughter, 24, and her on/off boyfriend, Jeremy McConnell, 27, who is also the father of their child Caben.

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'A Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde personality!' Stephanie Davis' mother posts 'signs of an abusive relationship' tweet following her daughter's on/off lover Jeremy McConnell's assault hearing

On Wednesday, Jeremy denied assaulting Stephanie while appearing at Liverpool Magistrates' Court yet admitted criminal damage at her property.

It was thought the couple were still together, despite the charges, with Jeremy confirming that they indeed are as he exited the court.

Hours later, Stephanie collapsed after a panic attack and ended up in hospital.

Re-tweeting the post in the wake of all this, Pauline shared with her followers that an abuse relationship involves someone who 'does something, denies it and then exclaims you are crazy'.

Telling: Re-tweeting the post in the wake of all this, Pauline shared with her followers that an abuse relationship involves someone who 'does something, denies it and then exclaims you are crazy'

Mother and daughter: Pauline and Stephanie are incredibly close [pictured last Christmas]

It went on to say the 'abuser' in such a relationship 'accuses you of doing things you aren't doing/things they are doing.

'Does a great job promising a great future then delivering a nightmare. Are chronic liars and are highly manipulative. Uses guilt, charm, hope, love, obligation, fear or confusion to get what they want. Has a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde personality.'

MailOnline has reached out to Pauline for comment on this post.

All this comes as Stephanie was discharged on Friday from hospital, with Jeremy seen leaving with her.

Sources revealed Jeremy, who shares five-month-old son Caben-Albi with the actress, visited her in hospital, shortly before posting a shirtless snap in which he cradled his son - who appeared just weeks old in the image.

Proud papa: Jeremy McConnell has left hospital with his on-off girlfriend Stephanie Davis after she fell ill with a stress-related illness on Thursday

Jeremy, who met Stephanie in the Celebrity Big Brother house in January last year, was arrested for assault in March before appearing in court and admitting to criminal damage but denying an assault charge.

After his court appearance, Stephanie was taken to hospital with a representative confirming to MailOnline: 'I can confirm our client Stephanie has been admitted into hospital with a stress related illness this afternoon.'

Sources now reveal Jeremy, who has been released on unconditional bail, departed hospital alongside his on-off girlfriend as he supports her in midst of her illness while he awaits his trial in August.

In the wake of news of their departure from the facility, Jeremy shared a loving snap with the tot, who appeared considerably smaller than recent shots implying it was a throwback snap, under which he simply captioned a love heart.

Representatives for the duo declined to comment when approached by MailOnline.

Firm denial: The 24-year-old's hospitalisation came hours after the Irish model, 27, denied assaulting her while appearing at Liverpool Magistrates' Court on Wednesday leading to contradictory reports over their relationship status

Stephanie was in a hotel room in Liverpool when she collapsed on Wednesday, forcing her to be hurried to the closest A&E and admitted overnight.

The new mum is said to be suffering from a 'stress-related illness' heightened by the events of Wednesday concerning her on/off boyfriend Jeremy.

Jeremy had appeared at Liverpool Magistrates Court that morning, where he was facing assault charges by Stephanie, to which he pleaded not guilty.

In court, Jeremy spoke only to confirm his address and date of birth during a 15-minute hearing. A trial date has now been set for August 7 at Liverpool Crown Court following his not guilty plea to assault by beating.

Upset: Stephanie was in a hotel room in Liverpool when she collapsed on Wednesday, forcing her to be hurried to the closest A&E and admitted overnight

On Tuesday, a spokesman for Merseyside Police told MailOnline: 'We can confirm Jeremy McConnell, 27, of Swords, Ireland has been charged with assault and criminal damage following an incident in Rainhill on 9 March 2017.'

Stephanie was reportedly 'shaken' after calling the police on Jeremy at the home she shares with their son. Jeremy has previously vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

The couple first got together after appearing as fellow contestants on Celebrity Big Brother in 2015, months after Stephanie finished a five-year run playing Sinead O'Connor in Hollyoaks.

She first came into the public eye when she took part in the BBC talent-spotting show Over The Rainbow in 2010.

Happier days: On Tuesday, a spokesman for Merseyside Police told MailOnline: 'We can confirm Jeremy McConnell, 27, of Swords, Ireland has been charged with assault and criminal damage following an incident in Rainhill on 9 March 2017

Last week Stephanie vowed to quit drinking after posting a worryingly incoherent tweet about cheating.

The pair are trying to rebuild their relationship but last Wednesday it appeared all was not well between them, with Stephanie tweeting: 'Someone who gives you and doesn't answer, don't I. There beat a cheat n always n in.'

The post was reportedly deleted 20 minutes later, but Jeremy blocked the star following a holiday the pair took together.

Stephanie revealed in an interview with Closer magazine just days before, that she and Jeremy would like to try for baby number two, following his recent stint in rehab.

Quitting: Last week Stephanie vowed to quit drinking after posting a worryingly incoherent tweet about cheating

She confessed she was feeling 'broody', adding that her boyfriend wanted to be there for her next pregnancy, after missing out first time round. Stephanie admitted: 'We've both talked about having another baby at some point.

She said: 'For Jez, it's about wanting to put right what he did wrong and be there throughout my next pregnancy. And I'm so broody  I'd love to give Caben a little sister one day.'

She also revealed that wedding bells could be on the horizon, saying she 'can't wait to marry him one day'.

Stephanie made the official announcement that she was in a relationship with the father of her son once again on This Morning last month.
They have been practically inseparable since confirming their romance in March.

And proving that their relationship is still going from strength-to-strength, Charlotte Crosby and Stephen Bear put on a very touchy-feely display as they stepped out together in Washington - a town near her native Sunderland - on Friday.

The pair had joined the former Geordie Shore star's family to go bowling, but clearly only had eyes for each other as they couldn't keep their hands to themselves.

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Smitten: Charlotte Crosby was beaming from ear-to-ear as she wrapped her arms around boyfriend Stephen Bear while stepping out to go bowling on Friday night

Dressed casually for the outing, Charlotte cut a content and relaxed figure as she wrapped an arm around her beau as they headed home.

The starlet has been putting herself through a strict training regime of late, informing her followers on Snapchat that she is wanting to get herself back in shape after a prolonged break in Australia with Bear and for upcoming photo shoots.

And certainly flaunting the results of her hard efforts in the gym in recent weeks, Charlotte looked sensational as she flaunted her slender frame in a form-fitting pair of grey-hued leggings.

She wore a cropped grunge-themed sweatshirt on top and as she reached over to place her hand on her boyfriend, Charlotte teased a slither of a glimpse at her taut torso underneath.

Amorous display: The duo couldn't keep their hands off of each other in between their turns to bowl - despite being joined by Charlotte's family

The reality star was caught posing with a paper crown on her head and was beaming from ear-to-ear while in the company of Bear.

She kept her shoulder-grazing locks down in tousled waves and glammed up her casual ensemble with a face of flawless make-up.

Bear, meanwhile, proved he is just as besotted with his famous faced girlfriend as she is him, as he sported a sweatshirt emblazoned with the slogan, 'His'.

The Ex On The Beach star teamed his jumper with a pair of white ripped jeans and appeared to be holding onto a bowling pin to commemorate the duo's evening out.

Smile! The former Geordie Shore star had enjoyed an evening out with her beau, her mum and dad and her younger brother

Despite venturing out with Charlotte's parents and her younger brother, the couple only had eyes for each other as they cuddled up together in between taking their turns to bowl.

Following their game, Charlotte shared a group shot of herself and Bear with her family with her 5.8million followers on Instagram. It comes after Bear has been staying with Charlotte in her lavish home up North lately.

And the duo have been sharing plenty of updates of his stay on social media, with the Just Tattoo of Us host posting an intimate selfie with Charlotte as they lay in bed together.

Loved-up: The morning after their family outing, Bear treated his Instagram followers to an intimate shot of himself and Charlotte in bed together

His arrival comes after Charlotte was seen pining after her man on the photo-sharing site.

She had shared a photo of herself exhibiting her curves in a lingerie-inspired swimsuit - that teased a look at the huge rose inking on her thigh - before sharing a series of seductive snaps captioned with her boyfriend's name.

The MTV star flaunted her incredible figure in a scarlet dress, putting on a sizzling display in the bodycon number.

Figure-flaunting: Charlotte went one step further as she flaunted her enviable figure in a racy lingerie inspired swimsuit on Instagram on Sunday

The Bear necessities: Her swimsuit display comes after she proved her heart belongs to the one and only Stephen after she shared a series of seductive snaps captioned with her boyfriend's name

Charlotte went braless in the scoop neck number, which highlighted her tiny waist and showed off her slim legs thanks to a side-split.

The bubbly blonde also posted a couple of close-up snaps, offering onlookers a look at her plumped up pout and new, shorter hairdo.

The posts went down a storm with her followers, who branded her beautiful and stunning.

Red hot: Charlotte went braless in the scoop neck number, which highlighted her tiny waist

Pucker up: The bubbly blonde also posted a couple of close-up snaps, offering onlookers a look at her plumped up pout and new, shorter hairdo

End of an era: Charlotte decided to rid her ex Mitch Jenkins from her life for good on Friday, as she finally had the tattoo dedicated to him removed

The beauty has also taken to her various social media pages to document her recent tattoo removal treatment, as she is currently in the process of having her 'M' tattoo - dedicated to her ex-boyfriend Mitch Jenkins who she split from in 2015 - zapped off from her upper arm.

Taking to Instagram and Snapchat, the former CBB winner shared a short video of the seemingly painful procedure.

Dressed in a casual vest and loose-fitting trousers, the beauty can be heard squealing and shouting in pain as the laser is pressed against the tattoo to remove the ink.

Clearly excited by the procedure despite the pain however, she wrote to her 5.8 million followers: 'And there you have it! My FIRST laser tattoo removal it's been a long time coming... thanks so much.'

No more: Charlotte had first got the inking, which saw an 'M' in the middle of two crossed arrows, when she was last dating Mitch in 2015 (above)

Goodbye: Clearly excited by the procedure despite the pain however, she wrote to her followers: 'And there you have it! My FIRST laser tattoo removal it's been a long time coming'

She then added in support of her practitioner: '@chris_new_look_laser_treatment check him out if you need any laser treatments and your in the north east guys!'

Charlotte had first got the inking, which saw an 'M' in the middle of two crossed arrows, when she was last dating Mitch in 2015.

She has announced the news on her Instagram with the besotted caption: Happy valentines........ #YoungStupidAndVeryCrazyInlove'

On again off again: The couple first called it quits in late summer of 2014, following a year and a half together, but reconciled months later during a trip to New York (above)

However breaking up soon after, Charlotte was quick to reveal her desires to remove the tattoo in August of that year.

She said in her Star magazine column: 'I need to get my 'M' tattoo removed, though. I can't walk around with that now we're not together, can I?'

The couple first called it quits in late summer of 2014, following a year and a half together, but reconciled months later - after Charlotte revealed to MailOnline he had dumped her by text message.

For good: However it seems the course of true love was not meant to be for the couple, as they broke up once again later that year, just before they were due to move in together

The pair became largely inseparable again following a trip to New York in January 2015 - confirming their reconciliation - before he accompanied her on her mammoth tour of Australia later that year.

Yet, it seems the course of true love was not meant to be for the couple, as they broke up once again later that year, just before they were due to move in together.

Removing the tattoo not only rids her life of her ex, but also shows a higher level of commitment to her current boyfriend Stephen Bear.

The pair have put on an incredibly loved-up display ever since meeting on their new show Just Tattoo Of Us - and have even discussed the prospect of children after mere months together.

Moving on: Removing the tattoo not only rids her life of her ex, but also shows a higher level of commitment to her current boyfriend Stephen Bear (above)

Charlotte recently told OK! magazine: 'We always talk about children. All the time. He likes Teddy, but I like Wolf, or Elle for a girl.'

It seems their relationship is only going from strength to strength, after Charlotte had gushed to CBB champion was 'the one' last year.

She had told MailOnline: 'We fancied each other straight away and then things just developed slowly. I knew we couldnt rush into anything because he was going on a dating show so we took it really slow at first.

'Stephen really cares, he even got sacked from Celebs Go Dating because of me. Ive met all of Stephens family and they are amazing, it just works and feels so right.'
The Sydney PR queen splashed out for her son's third birthday last week, treating Hunter to his own $1,299 motorized ride-on toy car.

But Roxy Jacenko's lavish present could cost her a visit from the authorities, according to The Daily Telegraph.

The publication revealed on Sunday that NSW Police are 'taking a close look' at the mum of two's use of the mini 4WD on Sydney's public streets last week.

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NSW Police are 'taking a close look' at Roxy Jacenko's decision to let her two young children drive a motorised 4WD on a public road with other motorists WITHOUT helmets, according to reports in The Daily Telegraph on Sunday

Look out! Roxy posted numerous pictures and videos to social media last Saturday, in which her children Pixie, 5, and Hunter, 3 took turns behind the wheel

Roxy posted numerous pictures and videos to social media last Saturday, in which her children Pixie, 5, and Hunter, 3 took turns behind the wheel.

The young children were not pictured with helmets and the only item visible in the mini vehicle's storage tray was a plastic toy sword.

Photos taken on the day showed Roxy letting her children operate the ride-on without assistance, while sharing the road with other motorists.

At one stage, she was seen walking in the middle of a public street in North Bondi while the children excitedly followed her within their buggy.

On the road: At one stage, she was seen walking in the middle of a public street in North Bondi while the children excitedly followed her within their buggy

No hands! Photos taken on the day showed Roxy letting her children operate the ride-on without assistance and without helmets

The report suggested police are investigating all of the footage from the joy ride to determine if breaches to any road rules were made, including operating a motorised vehicle without a licence on a public street.

Daily Mail Australia have reached out to Roxy Jacenko for comment.

According to the publication, on October 1 last year, police visited the home of the mother-of-two after receiving complaints in relation to an Instagram photo she shared, in which her five-year-old daughter Pixie was sitting in the front seat of a car, not in her required booster seat.

Police later dropped the investigation

Drama: Roxy and Pixie are pictured in the very photo that raised eyebrows last October

Trouble with the law: She shares the children with husband Oliver Curtis, who is currently in jail following an insider trading conviction, with his release due for next month

The Sweaty Betty owner is currently overseas, as she confirmed to Daily Mail Australia on Thursday she is spending four nights in Japan over the Mother's Day weekend as a guest of Louis Vuitton to experience their 2018 Cruise runway show collection.

As the mother-of-two will be away from her family on Mother's Day, she celebrated the occasion early on Wednesday.

Family time: As the mother-of-two will be away from her children, Pixie, five, and Hunter, two, on Mother's Day, she celebrated the occasion early on Wednesday
Rob Kardashian posted a sweet Instagram photo of his infant daughter Dream early Saturday morning in which she lay clutching a stuffed animal.

A huge smile had spread across the six-month-old baby's face, and her doting 30-year-old father had captioned the post: 'Morning Word'.

Rob, the younger brother of Kardashians Kourtney, Khloe and Kim, posted a photo the previous evening of Dream lying down, captioning: 'Goodnight.'

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'Morning World': Rob Kardashian posted a sweet Instagram photo of his infant daughter Dream early Saturday morning in which she lay clutching a stuffed animal

Dream Renee Kardashian's mother is Blac Chyna, who's had a turbulent on-off romance with Rob and who rang in her 29th birthday this Thursday.

Though Rob wasn't spotted at the birthday bash Chyna enjoyed with friends and her mother Tokyo Toni on Wednesday night, he did commemorate the day on Instagram.

A throwback photo he uploaded on Thursday was captioned: 'Happy birthday @blacchyna,' and saw the pair of them beaming as they cozied up to one another.

Doting dad: Rob, the younger brother of Kardashians Kourtney, Khloe and Kim, posted a photo the previous evening of Dream lying down, captioning: 'Goodnight'

Among the presents she got was a scarlet Ferrari 488 Spider with a bow, and Chyna showed it off on her Snapchat Story without revealing who'd given it to her.

It's lately been unclear whether the Rob & Chyna stars have reignited their romance after reports swirled earlier this year that they'd broken up yet again.

Rob began dating the zaftig former exotic dancer last January, ultimately getting engaged to her in April and welcoming Dream with her in November.

Well wishes: Rob posted a throwback Instagram photo on Thursday of himself with Dream's mother Blac Chyna, who'd rung in her 29th birthday that day

They dramatically split in December, Rob posting a Snapchat video bewailing her absence while wandering through their empty house, but reunited soon after.

Near the end of last month, E! News quoted a source who'd gossiped that Rob and Chyna 'are co-parenting and independently working on themselves but they're more cordial now than they have been, which is why they hung out recently. But by no means are they back together.'

Chyna's also got a four-year-old son called King Cairo by way of 27-year-old Tyga - who, in a bizarre twist, used to date Rob's 19-year-old half-sister Kylie Jenner.
He's the handsome actor who has been tipped as the new James Bond.

But Idris Elba, 44, has decided to add another string to his burgeoning bow - as a fairy godfather to help ordinary people's dreams come true.

The Luther star looked sartorially savvy in a relaxed outfit at the launch of his campaign with drinks brand Purdey's at Soho House on Saturday, which has the tagline 'Thrive On'.

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Man of many talents: Idris Elba, 44, has launched a campaign with drinks brand Purdey's to help ordinary people's dreams come true

Dressed in a cream knit jumper and pale blue shorts, Idris sported grey in his beard as he rocked a pair of trendy Adidas Stan Smiths.

The actor's campaign with the U.K. owned brand sees him appearing in several black and white short films, in which he asks ordinary people what they want to be when they 'grow up'.

He then selects which people's dreams he will make true.

Exciting campaign: The actor's campaign sees him appearing in several black and white short films, in which he asks ordinary people what they want to be when they 'grow up'

Idris has recently announced that he will step behind the camera to assume the role of director for his latest project.

His directorial debut will be for upcoming film Yardie, a project following the story of a Jamaican gangster out to crack the cocaine market in North London.

He has picked Aml Ameen  a British actor who has worked on both sides of the Atlantic in films such as Kidulthood and The Maze Runner  to play the lead role of D, a small-time dealer who slips into London from Kingston, Jamaica, on a fake passport.

Behind the lens: Idris has recently announced that he will step behind the camera to assume the role of director for his latest project, Yardie

However, Idris has been keen to stress that the film will not be a glamorising piece, instead making the focus a morality tale.

Idris will too play an important role in the film - as Piper, a Rastafarian who eschews violence.

The actor's next major release will be science fantasy epic The Dark Tower, for which the trailer has been released after a decade of development.

This first three minute clip introduces Idris Elba as lone Gunslinger Roland Deschain, whose desperate quest to save humanity from extinction serves as the axis for what proves to be an archetypal battle of good versus evil.

That quest involves finding and protecting the Tower, a crucial barrier between time and space, from merciless sorcerer Walter Padick, otherwise known as the Man In Black - played with relish by Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey.

Adapted from the hugely popular eight-book series by novelist Stephen King, The Dark Tower comes almost ten years after plans to develop a film franchise were put in motion.

Reflecting on the building anticipation amongst fans of the book series, Elba recently admitted to hoping he has presented an accurate portrayal of the Gunslinger.

'I want the fans to be satisfied by the character I portray especially since the characters are so well written in the book,' he told Complex.

'However the wonderful thing with being an actor in film is that I am able to interpret the character and I hope the fans are proud of our interpretation.'

The Dark Tower is released in cinemas across the United Kingdom from August 4.
Jonathan Cheban has said he can eat whatever he wants, from the waffles at the Beverly Hills Hotel to the fried shrimp balls at Catch and not gain a pound.

And on Friday the Keeping Up With The Kardashians guest star was at it again as he carried a bag from the In-N-Out burger chain while heading into LAX airport after several weeks of shooting the E! reality series in Los Angeles.

His best friend Kim Kardashian has said in the past she loves junk food but can only eat it once in order to maintain her svelte 125 lbs on her petite frame of 5ft3in.

No diet here! Jonathan Cheban carried In-N-Out burger into LAX airport on Friday

She'll be jealous! His best friend Kim Kardashian has said in the past she loves junk food but can only eat it once in order to maintain her svelte 125 lbs on her petite frame of 5ft3in

The star was carrying a large bag from the Southern California based eatery and a large drink.

Cheban was dressed casually in a black sweatshirt, workout slacks and a pair of Yeezy sneakers.

The Celebrity Big Brother star also wore sunglasses and sported his diamond-encrusted watch.

He's not even embarrassed! The star was carrying a large bag from the Southern California based eatery and a large drink

Casual customer: Cheban was dressed casually in a black sweatshirt, workout slacks and a pair of Yeezy sneakers

It is not known where Cheban was headed, but he spends most of his time in his native New York City.

This sighting comes after was seen filming KUWTK with Kim at an ice cream shop on Thursday. They were at the Ice Cream Museum in downtown LA.

Along with the pals was her daughter North West.

Treat time: This sighting comes after was seen filming KUWTK with Kim at an ice cream shop in LA. Along with the pals was her daughter North West

Yeezy does it: Cheban must be a big fan of Kanye West's. On Tuesday evening the Keeping Up With The Kardashians guest star wore a shirt with the rapper's face on it when seen in LA

He was seen the night before with an image of Kanye West in a $100 bill on his top. The man normally on a $100 bill is Benjamin Franklin.

Kanye even had Ben's hairstyle and sour look on his face.

The top was a hoodie in white with a drawstring. Cheban paired it with dark jeans and sneakers.

Visiting a pal: The reality star was also seen at Dr Ourian's Epione offices in Beverly Hills

Cheban has been seen a lot in LA in the past week after returning from London where he filmed a dating reality show.

On Monday he was spotted with Kim and sister Kourtney at Chin Chin in Studio City, California.

Kim wore a leather top and miniskirt that showed off her toned body. Kourtney covered up in a sweater and ripped jeans.
It is a subject that has already caused Tony Blair much painful embarrassment.

So the last person he expected to publicly question him about his close friendship with Rupert Murdochs former wife Wendi Deng was his loyal henchman Alastair Campbell.

Yet to the evident surprise of the former Prime Minister, Campbell raised the thorny topic during an hour-long interview for GQ magazine to mark the 20th anniversary of Blairs first General Election victory  and the result was totally awks!

No comment: Tony Blair looks shocked after being asked by former aide Alastair Campbell about his friendship with Wendi Deng

It happens close to the end of their filmed discussion and completely wrongfoots Blair, leaving him momentarily lost for words.

As he stumbles on, with lots of awkward pauses, Campbell can be heard off-camera having a giggling fit.

The former No 10 spin doctor asks his old boss why we got so close to media magnate Murdoch.

Blair replies: We got close because we had been absolutely savaged by the media throughout the Eighties and Nineties. Campbell then interjects: You only really fell out with Murdoch when he started getting angry about Wendi. Without disagreeing with this assessment, Blair pauses awkwardly before attempting to move the conversation on.

Campbell, who quit Downing Street in 2003, was referring to Wendis close friendship with Blair  as first revealed by The Mail on Sunday  which was laid bare in a note in which she confessed how attractive she found the former PM.

Campbell, who quit Downing Street in 2003, was referring to Wendis close friendship with Blair  as first revealed by The Mail on Sunday  which was laid bare in a note in which she confessed how attractive she found the former PM

In 2013 this newspaper also disclosed that Blair and Ms Deng stayed overnight at one of Murdochs homes without the tycoons knowledge  and how a furious Murdoch ended all ties with Blair, his former friend and ally, because he felt betrayed.

Murdoch later divorced Ms Deng.

He is now married to Jerry Hall, the former wife of Sir Mick Jagger.

Curiously, the reference to Blairs friendship with Ms Deng  which is said to have been a contributory factor in Murdochs divorce  was omitted from the lengthy GQ article. However, it remains in the online clip of the hour-long interview which is intended to be an uncut version.

Blair has never publicly discussed his relationship with Ms Deng, except to say that nothing improper took place.
Ryan Gosling let the world know he's one big papa bear when he went to lunch with some of his family members on Friday.

The Blade Runner actor wore a shirt that had a Grizzly Bear on the front as he held onto to his eldest daughter Esmeralda.

His mother Donna was in tow, but his partner Eva Mendes and their other child were not seen.

Animal instincts: Ryan Gosling let the world know he's one big papa bear when he went to lunch with some of his family members on Friday

On dad duty: The actor added worn-in belted blue jeans to his look and covered up in a black cap; a chain hung from his neck

The actor added worn-in belted blue jeans to his look and covered up in a black cap.

He also had on sunglasses and a gold-faced watch.

His little girl wore a purple shirt that marched her heart-print purple and white socks and black lace-up sneakers.

Cutie: His little girl wore a purple shirt that marched her heart-print purple and white socks and black lace-up sneakers

At home? Not there was movie star Mendes, who he has been with since they co-starred in the indie hit The Place Beyond The Pines. Pictured 2012

The baby was not there either: Together they also have daughter Amada Lee

His mother Donna had on a beige top and jeans, and she was seen reaching in her black purse.

Not there was movie star Mendes, who he has been with since they co-starred in the indie hit The Place Beyond The Pines.

Together they also have daughter Amada Lee.

Gosling had a massive hit last year with La La Land; next he will co-star with Harrison Ford in Blade Runner 2049.
She's enjoying a blossoming relationship with Lee Elliott, 36, since finding love on The Bachelorette last year.

And in Sunday's Stellar magazine, Georgia Love revealed that she and her genetically-blessed beau are in no rush to move in together because of 'public perception'.

Insisting they're happy to progress on their own terms, the 28-year-old also stated that a wedding and babies are not on the cards.

'It's not about public perception': The Bachelorette's Georgia Love, 28, revealed in Sunday's Stellar magazine, that she's in no rush to move in with Lee Elliott, 36

'We want to move in together when we both decide we want to stay together every single night, not because of the public perception,' Georgia told the publication.

And while their whirlwind romance certainly creates headlines, the journalist insisted they're happy to progress at their own rate.

'A wedding isn't on the cards, and a baby definitely is not on the cards,' Georgia added.

Not on the cards: The newsreader also revealed to the publication that a wedding and babies are not on the horizon for her and Lee

Heartache: Meanwhile, Georgia will certainly have a lot on her mind, enduring her first Mother's Day on Sunday without her beloved mother Belinda

Meanwhile, Georgia will certainly have a lot on her mind, enduring her first Mother's Day on Sunday without her beloved mother.

Georgia's mother Belinda, 60, tragically passed away the night following the Bachelorette finale.

Belinda endured a six-month battle with pancreatic cancer, admitted into palliative care in late October.

On October 31, Georgia revealed on Instagram the heartbreaking news that her mother had passed away.

Tragic loss: Georgia's mother Belinda, 60, tragically passed away the night following the Bachelorette finale

Georgia was able to introduce her mother to her chosen Bachelorette winner and boyfriend Lee, shortly before her death.

She previously told TV Week: 'It was amazing to see how much he perked her up,' adding: 'She was sitting up talking and laughing with him, which she hadn't been able to do all day.

'It was obviously an awful place and reason to be meeting,' Georgia added.

Lee also revealed in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, that he met Georgia's mother for the first time in hospital straight after the finale aired, receiving her seal of approval.

Georgia is now a Pancare Foundation ambassador.
Force India's Sergio Perez drives during the first practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 12, 2017 ahead of the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix

Force India is against any kind of deal that would see their engine suppliers Mercedes assisting hapless Honda with their unreliable power units used by McLaren, deputy team boss Bob Fernley said on Friday.

Fernley made this clear in a bid to prevent any kind of co-operation that would favour one of Force Indias main rivals.

Speaking at the Spanish Grand Prix, he told reporters that Force India could not back any deal that involved Mercedes helping Honda.

"As a team, obviously, that has not only paid for its engines, but contributed to the development of them, I would certainly be very negative about sharing that technology with another team that is a competitor," she said.

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff evaded direct questions on the subject, but said that there was no deal under discussion.

"We are not doing anything for Honda, that is the current status quo," he said. "So, unless that situation changes, I don't want to contribute to rumours out there that are false and I think are damaging for Honda... We will see what happens."

He added that he believed Honda would overcome the problems that on Friday saw two-time champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso halted by a failed engine before he had done an opening lap in morning practice.

"Honda is an important factor in F1, a massive and very successful company, and I have no doubt they will eventually be where they expect to be," said Wolff.
US President Donald Trump's decision to summarily fire FBI director James Comey set off a chain of events that has put his White House on perilous ground

Another self-inflicted crisis has left Donald Trump's critics outraged and some of his Republican allies dismayed, but a bedrock of support for the billionaire US leader means the political endgame is far in the distance.

A few weeks ago, only Trump's most rabid opponents would have predicted an early demise for his presidency.

But by Friday, the possibility of impeachment was being floated -- albeit very cautiously -- by an increasing number of people in Washington's corridors of power.

Trump's decision to summarily fire FBI director James Comey on Tuesday -- an act virtually unprecedented in US history -- set off a chain of events that has put his White House on perilous ground.

Trump's professed rationale -- a recommendation from the Justice Department -- quickly unravelled, when he admitted he always intended to fire Comey.

Trump then added fuel to the fire when he admitted the FBI's investigation into his campaign's possible collusion with the Kremlin was a factor in his thinking.

Probing the Russia connection

There is still no firm evidence that Trump or any of his surrogates colluded with Russia to win the election. But the very fact that an investigation is ongoing is intolerable to a president who values his image above most things.

"When (former director of national intelligence) James Clapper himself, and virtually everyone else with knowledge of the witch hunt, says there is no collusion, when does it end?" Trump said Friday in a furious tweetstorm.

- 'A little dismayed' -

As exhausted staff tried to clean up the Comey mess, Trump took to Twitter and went a step further, impugning his own staff's credibility and warning the ex-FBI director not to leak information to the media -- and suggesting there could be secret tapes of their conversations.

"As a very active President with lots of things happening, it is not possible for my surrogates to stand at podium with perfect accuracy!" he said.

Embattled White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters on Friday that Trump was "a little dismayed" by the negative media frenzy around his actions, adding: "The notion that there's collusion is a hoax."

But by week's end, legal scholars wondered out loud whether Trump may be guilty of obstruction of justice -- a charge that featured in the articles of impeachment against Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton.

US President Donald Trump's professed rationale for firing FBI director James Comey quickly unravelled when he admitted he always intended to fire him

"He may not have intended to commit anything like obstruction, or any other crime, but has instead blundered into this position because he does not recognize or respect norms and does not appreciate legal process or institutional boundaries," Bob Bauer, White House counsel to Trump's predecessor Barack Obama, wrote in a Lawfare blog post.

Max Boot, a former foreign policy adviser to Republican presidential hopefuls John McCain and Mitt Romney, called Trump's firing of Comey a "flagrant assault on the rule of law."

And Trump's political foes, like Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, dispensed with the last remnants of political decorum to describe Trump's behavior as "unhinged."

On Friday, Spicer, already publicly humiliated by his boss, was left unable to confirm or deny whether the president was recording Oval Office conversations, copies of which Democrats promptly demanded.

- Reluctant allies -

Embattled White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters President Donald Trump was "a little dismayed" by the negative media frenzy around his actions

Throughout Trump's many controversies, his safety net has always been the Republican-controlled Congress, which forecloses any talk of impeachment or censure.

But his relationship with the GOP has always been a shotgun marriage.

Until now, the prospect of passing transformative tax reform or unraveling Obama's health care reforms was enough to keep the partnership together.

As the Comey news broke, sure enough, Senate leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan resolutely opposed any calls for an independent investigator.

But with Trump's legislative agenda on the rocks and his handling of the Comey crisis in question, the honeymoon appears to be nearing its end.

Republicans privately express concern that the White House is careening out of control and are becoming more critical in public too.

The normally cautious Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr declared himself "troubled by the timing and reasoning of Director Comey's termination."

- Red flags? -

With several Trump aides still under investigation, many express concern about supporting Trump and being exposed if another shoe drops down the line.

As ever in Washington politics, self-interest comes first.

Many Republicans are eying the 2018 midterm elections, which will put control of the House of Representatives and potentially the Senate up for grabs.

Trump's 36 percent approval rating -- according to a Quinnipiac University Poll -- gives lawmakers in closely contested districts little incentive to stay on the Trump train.

And Trump's core of support no longer seems quite as firm.

According to Quinnipiac's Tim Malloy, Trump is losing ground with white men, white voters without college degrees and independent voters.

"The declaration by voters that President Donald Trumps first 100 days were mainly a failure and deepening concerns about Trumps honesty, intelligence and level headedness are red flags that the administration simply can't brush away," Malloy added.

They are also red flags that if raised higher, may be impossible for the Republican Party to ignore too.
Nepal holds its first local elections in two decades on May 14, hoping to cement a fraught transition to democracy and fill an institutional void that has seen corruption flourish

Nepal holds its first local elections in two decades on Sunday hoping to cement a fraught transition to democracy and fill an institutional void that has seen corruption flourish.

The last local representatives were elected in 1997 and their mandates lapsed after their five-year terms expired at the height of the brutal Maoist insurgency.

After a 2006 peace deal ended a conflict in which 16,000 people died, the impoverished Himalayan nation began a rocky transition from a Hindu monarchy to a secular federal republic, which has seen the country go through nine governments.

In the vacuum left at the local level, graft has become a way of life. Nepal is ranked one of the most corrupt countries in South Asia.

Bureaucrats appointed on the basis of allegiance to political parties filled local government positions, and spawned a shadow industry of brokers who earned fees for everything from getting citizenship documents to registering a marriage.

When Mahananda Timilsina decided to extend his house, getting permission took months of work and involved hefty bribes.

"If there were elected representatives at the local level, the civil servants wouldn't dare to ask for bribes from us," said the 35-year-old.

Many of the nearly 50,000 people vying for 13,556 seats in Sunday's polls are shunning the main political parties to run as independents or as candidates for new reformist parties.

"It couldn't get any worse. The gap between society and government couldn't get any wider," George Varughese, Nepal representative for the Asia Foundation think-tank, told AFP.

Nepal elections

Varughese said the elections could "undermine the current political dominance of the main three parties."

In Kathmandu, 21-year-old Ranju Darshana, whose party name, Bibeksheel Nepali, translates as the "party for rational Nepalis" is running for mayor.

Also hoping to snatch the votes of people fed up with the graft-ridden system, is a party recently set up by a former chief editor of the BBC's Nepali service, Rabindra Mishra, who left journalism pledging to clean up the political quagmire.

Both are expected grab votes from the main parties, but neither are likely to win.

- 'Forced to be corrupt' -

Under a new 2015 constitution, local elections followed by provincial and national elections have to be held by January 2018 -- the final step in the drawn-out peace process.

The charter gives local governments to be elected Sunday a large degree of autonomy in how they spend allocated funds.

Observers say the measure will help undermine the deeply ingrained rent-seeking culture.

"The allocation of funds will be tailored to suit the local needs, rather than tailored to the centre. And tailored by people who are accountable at the local level," said Varughese.

But not everyone is optimistic.

Anti-corruption activist Sharada Bhusal said the polls would only cement the current corrupt system, particularly in rural communities.

"It is the same so-called leaders who will contest in the election as well. It will strengthen the foundation of the political parties -- from bottom to top. It will legitimise them in the system," she said.

Bhusal added that low wages for local level officials was part of the problem -- the best paid get less than $250 a month.

Nepal ranks 131 out of 176 countries in Transparency International's global corruption perception index

"They are almost in a situation where they are forced to be corrupt to feed themselves," she said.

Nepal ranks 131 out of 176 countries in Transparency International's global corruption perception index.

The watchdog's survey found that in Nepal political parties and public officials were considered the most graft-ridden institutions -- viewed as corrupt by 90 percent and 85 percent of people.

Bhusal says the system leaves ordinary Nepalese without basic services, while the politically well-connected get richer.

Polls open at 7:00am (0115 GMT) on Sunday in three provinces, with 283 local municipalities voting for candidates for seven positions.

The vote has been split into two phases because of the threat of unrest in the southern plains bordering India. The remaining four provinces will vote on June 14.
North Korea has been raking in sorely needed cash by renting out embassy property to Cityhostel Berlin

It's an unusual dilemma that tourists in Berlin have to grapple with -- will getting into a hostel bunk bed help finance North Korea's nuclear ambitions?

Backpackers staying at the Cityhostel found themselves struggling with precisely this question after learning that Pyongyang owns the property and is making money from it.

"Oh no, we're funding the North Korean embassy! We're sorry. Very sorry," said British tourist Alex Smith.

"We didn't realise we were funding North Korea."

By booking a room in the Soviet-style building, "my friend made a big mistake", he said, turning to his travel companion and calling him a "silly, silly boy".

Cityhostel found itself at the centre of a storm after German media reported Tuesday that the North Korean embassy was not just the guesthouse's neighbour but also the owner of the prime real estate.

Rented out since 2004, the property brings in about 38,000 euros ($41,000) a month in rent for Pyongyang, the public broadcaster ARD reported.

The German government said Wednesday that it would shut down the hostel because the site had been leased by Pyongyang in violation of UN rules.

Tougher sanctions implemented last November require UN member states to only allow "North Korean foreign representations to carry out diplomatic and consular activities".

"Any kind of commercial activity on the site of the embassy or in relation to the embassy is prohibited," said German foreign ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer.

"Cityhostel in Berlin constitutes neither a diplomatic nor consular activity of a North Korean foreign representation," Schaefer said, adding that Germany would "shut down the financial source to the North Korean regime as quickly as possible".

- 'Taken hostage' -

Over the past 11 years, the UN Security Council has imposed six sets of sanctions on Pyongyang -- two adopted last year -- to ramp up pressure and deny the regime hard currency to fund its rocket and atomic programmes.

Cityhostel's employees told AFP they were unaware of the North Korean link, but would not say more.

The hostel's management, a Berlin company registered as GBI, said in a statement that it "regrets having been taken hostage by international politics".

It had "frozen rental payments" until further clarification, it said.

Within walking distance of major tourist sites like Checkpoint Charlie and the Brandenburg Gate, Cityhostel Berlin offers dorm beds for as little as 16 euros ($17) a night.

The hulking grey building that serves as the hostel is separated from the gated North Korean compound by a metal fence.

Canadian traveller Alexandra Brosseau said that "we don't have a lot of money so we decided to go there, but if we had known, we wouldn't have come here".

"It should be written somewhere, like on reviews or something."

Italian backpacker Emmanuel Giorno, 28, agreed: "Spending money on the North Korean regime really isn't great."

Others, like Swiss tourist Diana Vukovic, had a laugh about it.

Nothing in the hostel hinted at its North Korean link, she said, though she conceded that inside, it did feel "a little bit like a prison".
A freight train transporting goods from London arrives in the eastern Chinese city of Yiwu. Chinese propaganda is going to great lengths to tell the world about President Xi Jinping's ambitious project to revive Silk Road trading routes

A video of an American father telling his daughter bedtime stories about the Chinese president's signature project. A music clip with children singing about sharing "the goodness." A cartoon of a whisky bottle riding a train.

Chinese propaganda is going to great lengths to tell the world about President Xi Jinping's ambitious project to revive Silk Road trading routes with a massive multi-country infrastructure programme.

State-run media has bombarded the internet with a series of videos touting Xi's One Belt, One Road Initiative ahead of a two-day summit on the project on Sunday, to be attended by nearly 30 world leaders.

The clips are aimed squarely at a foreign -- rather than a domestic -- audience, appearing on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube -- all of which are blocked in China.

China Daily has posted episodes of Erik Nilsson, an American journalist who works for the state-run newspaper, telling bedtime stories about the project to his daughter.

In the first episode, he used a map and Lego blocks to explain how the multi-billion-dollar plan would help move goods around the world more easily.

"It's China's idea, but it belongs to the world," Nilsson tells his daughter before turning the light off in her bedroom.

In an email to AFP, Nilsson said he developed the concept with Chinese colleagues based on his experience of talking to his daughter about his work trips.

"The Belt and Road series was fundamentally natural because it's essentially how she and I actually talk before I take business trips," he said.

"Our team believes this format presents the Belt and Road in a way that simply explains an enormously complex initiative so that all audiences, foreign and Chinese, can understand," Nilsson wrote.

Xi's initiative aims to connect Asia to Europe and Africa with a massive network of rail, road and maritime links.

But analysts also see it as an effort by China to project soft power and take the mantle of globalisation as the US turns inward under President Donald Trump's "America First" policies.

- 'Future's coming now' -

Another cartoon, called "Bon Voyage, Whisky," followed the 20-day journey in April of a whisky bottle riding the first rail freight service linking Britain to China.

Whisky's eyes turn into hearts when he sees a vitamin bottle in a pink dress on the China Railway Express. They end up together on a shelf in a Chinese family's dining room.

A music clip meanwhile shows children, supposedly from different countries in the Silk Road region, dancing and singing about their "gratitude" for the trade plan.

"The future's coming now, the Belt and Road is how; we'll share the goodness now, the Belt and Road is how," the chorus goes.

Analysts say the videos were made in part to address criticism that the plan is less about providing investment opportunities for foreign countries than developing export markets for China.

The videos try "to convince people outside of China that this policy is a good one that works for everybody," said Li Yang, assistant professor of marketing at the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business.

Nicole Talmacs, media studies lecturer at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, said the videos are not only for children.

"The notion of a 'bedtime story' is very likely simply a means of 'sweetening' or removing any perceived aggression or threat that some may feel about the OBOR initiative," she said.

- 'Harmonious leader' -

It is not the first time that China features foreigners in videos to promote a government programme.

In 2015, state news outlets posted a psychedelic music video to explain the country's "13th Five-Year Plan" development roadmap.

"This is part of a larger trend in which Chinese state media are trying to reach a global audience," said Manya Koetse, who tracks social trends in China as editor of What's on Weibo.

"Chinese propaganda in 2017 is not like Chinese propaganda in 1997. It is developing along with the trends of its time, serving slick bite-size videos to people on their mobile phones, with music and narratives that suit the audiences of today," Koetse told AFP.

"They showcase China's role in the world as a harmonious leader that helps the whole world become a more prosperous place."
Criminal charges were filed Friday against a US passenger train driver for the 2015 derailment in Philadelphia that killed eight people and injured more than 200

Criminal charges were filed Friday against a US passenger train driver for the 2015 derailment in Philadelphia that killed eight people and injured more than 200.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said charges were filed against Brandon Bostian, the engineer, or driver, of the Amtrak 188 train involved in the deadly May 12, 2015 incident.

Bostian faces eight counts of involuntary manslaughter, one count of causing or risking a catastrophe, "and numerous counts of reckless endangerment," Shapiro said in a brief statement.

Amtrak 188 was carrying 243 people from Washington to New York on May 12 when it hurtled off the track in Philadelphia.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators said the train was traveling at 105 miles (170 kilometers) an hour, twice the speed limit, when the driver slammed on the emergency brakes just before the crash.

Bostian suffered a blow to the head in the crash, which his lawyer said affected his memory of the event.

If found guilty Bostian faces time in prison.

"Bostian was an experienced engineer who was aware of the route and the fact that there were speed limits throughout the route," reads the police criminal complaint filed by Shapiro's office.

When the train approached a curve at the Frankford Junction the speed limit dropped to 50 miles per hour -- but instead of decelerating, "Bostian accelerated the train's movement to a speed of 106 miles per hour.

"As a direct result of the violation of the lawful speed limit, at approximately 9:20 p.m., the train was unable to navigate the curve, 'jumped' the tracks, and derailed," leading to the deaths and injuries.

Shapiro congratulated the team from his office that worked on the case "to pursue justice on behalf of the victims of this deadly crash."

The northeastern rail corridor connecting Washington and New York -- which passes through Philadelphia -- is one of the country's busiest, a popular route among professionals and tourists alike.

Investigators found no evidence that Bostian had been on his phone at the time of the crash, or that a bullet had been fired as first reported.
Garrett Black flies through monstrous, terrifying hurricanes for a living and likes it, even daring last year's category five strength Hurricane Matthew

Hurricanes can be monstruous, terrifying things to live through. Garrett Black flies through them for a living and likes it.

Last year, for instance, Black flew through Hurricane Matthew, which reached the maximum category five strength, to measure its fury as the storm struck the Caribbean and the southeast US coast.

"It's a lot like a roller coaster ride. It's exciting," Black, a meteorologist, told AFP Friday at a hurricane awareness presentation at an airport near Miami.

The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1 and runs through November 30.

Garrett flies with four other crew members on an Air Force WC-130J, a lumbering gray prop plane affectionately called a Hurricane Hunter.

Flying at 10,000 feet, the team's mission is to measure the strength of a hurricane and which way it is headed, among other things.

'Kermit', a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration WP-3D Orion aircraft used to fly through hurricanes to obtain data not obtainable from satellites

"If it's close to the coastline, we'll go through many different times. It gets really bumpy. The turbulence could be anything from 1 to 10," Black added.

"Sometimes it is fine and you really don't feel anything, and sometimes it will bump you around quite a bit."

Part of the team's job is to release in different areas of the hurricane small cylinders known as dropsondes.

Equipped with a small parachute, they fall through the whirling madness of the storm and measure temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, speed and direction of the hurricane.

The gadget has a transmitter to send this data back to the plane, which then passes it on to the National Hurricane Center.

The plane releases the dropsondes as it flies through what is called the eyewall of the hurricane -- the area just outside the eye and the spot where the fiercest winds and rainfall are. It also drops them in the eye itself.

- 'Not too nervous' -

Last year with Hurricane Matthew, winds hit a stunning 270 kilometers per hour (170 mph) although Black's team flew in later when the storm was downgraded somewhat.

Launch tubes for GPS dropwindsondes which fall through storms and measure temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, speed and direction of hurricanes

"Usually, I'm not too nervous to be honest with you. We train a great amount of time. We are very prepared. We never had an accident during a storm," said Black.

The data that the hurricane hunters planes send can save lives.

"You would think ... we wouldn't need to have planes going into the hurricanes if satellites could do it," said John Cangialoso, a meteorologist with the NHC.

But satellites only give an estimate of a hurricane's strength and render a picture of what it looks like, he added.

"In order to really understand how strong it is, the only way it's actually to get in it and collect data," Cangialoso said.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has sought to deepen relations with China despite its extensive island-building in disputed parts of the South China Sea, in the hopes of securing billions of dollars' worth of investments from Beijing.

The Philippines and China will open bilateral talks on their dispute over the South China Sea next week, Manila's ambassador to Beijing said on Saturday.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has sought to deepen relations with China despite its extensive island-building in disputed parts of the South China Sea, in the hopes of securing billions of dollars' worth of investments from Beijing.

"We will inaugurate the bilateral consultative mechanism on issues of particular concern to each side. This is where the sensitive issues will be discussed," Ambassador Jose "Chito" Santa Romana said in Beijing in comments aired by ABS-CBN television.

Santa Romana made the comments ahead of Duterte's arrival in Beijing to attend the One Belt, One Road summit on Sunday and Monday -- a pet project of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"The first session will be next week but this will be a session that will continue on a twice-yearly basis, a chance to exchange views on the South China Sea issue," he said.

China claims nearly all of the strategically vital waterway, despite partial counter-claims from several regional states including the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.

During a stopover in Hong Kong on the way to Beijing Saturday, Duterte himself emphasised the importance of economic ties with China in a meeting with members of the Filipino community.

"China in all good faith wants to help us. And they are not asking for anything, no conditions. They just want to help. They have so much money," he told the gathering of around 1,000 people at a city hotel.

"I am on friendly terms with China. I am friends with Xi Jinping," he said, adding that China would import fruit from the Philippines and invest in building bridges across Manila's main river.

Santa Romana said the Duterte administration was putting the South China Sea dispute on a separate track while pursuing economic and diplomatic relations with China, adding that previously bilateral ties had been "frozen" because the territorial row had taken centre stage.

"To put it on a separate track is not to abandon or give up but rather to compartmentalise it," he said.

Duterte has sought closer ties with China and Russia while distancing the Philippines from its traditional ally, the United States.

Last month, he alarmed observers when he issued a chairman's statement, after hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, which took a soft stance towards Chinese actions in the South China Sea.

The statement merely took note of "concerns expressed by some leaders over recent developments in the area".

It also ignored an international tribunal ruling last year which said China's claims to most of the sea were unlawful.

Leaders from nearly 30 nations are attending next week's forum in Beijing, which will showcase Xi's grand plan to revive ancient Silk Road trade routes by bankrolling rail, maritime and road projects across Asia, Europe and Africa.
A computer technician connects a computer into a network server in an office building in Washington, DC on May 13, 2017

International investigators are hunting for those behind an unprecedented cyber-attack that affected systems in dozens of countries, including at banks, hospitals and government agencies, as security experts sought to contain the fallout.

The assault, which began Friday and was being described as the biggest-ever cyber ransom attack, struck state agencies and major companies around the world -- from Russian banks and British hospitals to FedEx and European car factories.

"The recent attack is at an unprecedented level and will require a complex international investigation to identify the culprits," said Europol, Europe's police agency.

Europol said a special task force at its European Cybercrime Centre was "specially designed to assist in such investigations and will play an important role in supporting the investigation".

The attacks used ransomware that apparently exploited a security flaw in Microsoft operating systems, locking users' files unless they pay the attackers a designated sum in the virtual currency Bitcoin.

Images appeared on victims' screens demanding payment of $300 (275 euros) in Bitcoin, saying: "Ooops, your files have been encrypted!"

Payment is demanded within three days or the price is doubled, and if none is received within seven days the files will be deleted, according to the screen message.

But experts and government alike warn against ceding to the hackers' demands.

"Paying the ransom does not guarantee the encrypted files will be released," the US Department of Homeland Security's computer emergency response team said.

"It only guarantees that the malicious actors receive the victim's money, and in some cases, their banking information."

- 'Painful' -

Experts and officials offered differing estimates of the scope of the attacks, but all agreed it was huge.

Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at the Helsinki-based cyber security company F-Secure, told AFP it was the biggest ransomware outbreak in history, saying that 130,000 systems in more than 100 countries had been affected.

He said Russia and India were hit particularly hard, largely because Microsoft's Windows XP -- one of the operating systems most at risk -- was still widely used there.

The huge cyberattack wiped out display screens at rail stations in Germany

French police said there were "more than 75,000 victims" around the globe, but cautioned that the number could increase "significantly".

The virus spread quickly because the culprits used a digital code believed to have been developed by the US National Security Agency -- and subsequently leaked as part of a document dump, according to researchers at the Moscow-based computer security firm Kaspersky Lab.

Microsoft said the situation was "painful" and that it was taking "all possible actions to protect our customers".

It issued guidance for people to protect their systems, while taking the highly unusual step of reissuing security patches first made available in March for Windows XP and other older versions of its operating system.

- Europe worst hit -

US software firm Symantec said the majority of organisations affected were in Europe, and the attack was believed to be indiscriminate.

The companies and government agencies targeted were diverse.

In the United States, package delivery group FedEx said it was "implementing remediation steps as quickly as possible," while French carmaker Renault was forced to stop production at sites in France, Slovenia and Romania.

Russia's interior ministry said some of its computers had been hit by a "virus attack" and that efforts were underway to destroy it. The country's banking system was also attacked, although no problems were detected, as was the railway system.

Germany's rail operator Deutsche Bahn said its station display panels were affected. Universities in Greece and Italy also were hit.

China's network information safety working group sent a warning to universities about the cyber-attack and the National Internet Emergency Center suggested that users update Windows security patches.

Shanghai's Fudan University received reports that a large number of school computers were infected with the virus.

- Accidental 'kill switch' -

Kaspersky said it was "trying to determine whether it is possible to decrypt data locked in the attack -- with the aim of developing a decryption tool as soon as possible."

On Saturday, a cyber security researcher told AFP he had accidentally discovered a "kill switch" that could prevent the spread of the ransomware.

The researcher, tweeting as @MalwareTechBlog, said registering a domain name used by the malware stops it from spreading, though it cannot help computers already affected.

"If you have anything to patch, patch it," the researcher said in a blog post. "Now I should probably sleep."

A hacking group called Shadow Brokers released the malware in April claiming to have discovered the flaw from the NSA, Kaspersky said.

"Unlike most other attacks, this malware is spreading primarily by direct infection from machine to machine on local networks, rather than purely by email," said Lance Cottrell, chief scientist at the US technology group Ntrepid.

G7 finance ministers meeting in Italy vowed to unite against cyber crime, as it represented a growing threat to their economies and should be tackled as a priority. The danger will be discussed at the G7 leaders' summit next month.

In Britain, the attack disrupted care at National Health Service facilities, forcing ambulances to divert and hospitals to postpone operations.

"There will be lessons to learn from what appears to be the biggest criminal cyber-attack in history," Interior minister Amber Rudd said.

"But our immediate priority as a government is to disrupt the attack, restore affected services as soon as possible, and establish who was behind it so we can bring them to justice."

burs-sst/kb
Mutinous Ivorian soldiers fire in the air as they protest in Bouake, on May 15, 2017

Rebel troops in Ivory Coast on Tuesday said they were ending a four-day mutiny after coming to an agreement with the government over a pay dispute.

"We have found a basis for agreement. We are returning to barracks," Sergeant Cisse Fousseni told AFP as others said all their demands had been met.

The government offered an immediate payment of five million CFA francs (7,500 euros) and an extra two million to be paid next month, source among the mutineers said.

Defence Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi announced late Monday that an agreement had been struck with the mutineers, but disgruntled troops had continued to fire their weapons into the air in a display of scepticism.

The four-day mutiny, which spread to barracks across the west African nation, was the latest in a string of protests by angry troops, most of them former rebels who had been integrated into the army.

Ivorian soldiers with the Republican Guard guard a checkpoint close to the Akouedo military camp in Abidjan, on May 15, 2017

After a mutiny in January, the government agreed to pay the ex-rebels bonuses of 12 million CFA francs (18,000 euros) each.

They were given a partial payment of five million francs and the remainder had been due to be paid this month, with the soldiers' protest resuming when it wasn't.

pgf/ccr/hmw
Israeli security forces stand guard at a street in Jerusalem's Old City following a previous stabbing attack on April 1, 2017

A Jordanian man stabbed and wounded an Israeli officer in annexed east Jerusalem on Saturday before being shot dead, police said.

The officer was taken to hospital with "moderate" injuries after the attack in the walled Old City, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said in a statement.

Police identified the assailant as Mohammad Skaji, a 57-year-old Jordanian who the statement said had "entered Israel a few days ago".

They said he brandished a knife and stabbed the policeman in one of the alleys of the Old City before the wounded officer, who had just come off duty, shot him dead.

Two Israeli passers-by tried to help the policeman, police added.

The Jordanian government denounced the "crime" of the death of its citizen, giving his full name as Mohammed Abdullah Salim al-Kassaji.

"The Israeli government, which is the occupying force, bears responsibility for the shooting of a Jordanian citizen in occupied east Jerusalem which led to his martyrdom," government spokesman Mohamed Momani said in a statement.

"The government denounces this heinous crime... and has asked Israel to provide full details about it," he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office responded, condemning what it called "the Jordanian government spokesman's support for the terrorist attack".

"The security cameras clearly show a Jordanian tourist stabbing an Israeli officer," it said in a statement.

"Just as Israel condemns terrorist attacks in Jordan, Jordan should condemn attacks in Israel."

In 1994, Jordan made peace with Israel. Jordan and Egypt are the only two Arab countries to have peace agreements with the Jewish state.

A wave of unrest that broke out in October 2015 has claimed the lives of 263 Palestinians, 41 Israelis, two Americans, two Jordanians, an Eritrean, a Sudanese and a Briton, according to an AFP count.

Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, the Israeli authorities say.

Others were shot dead during protests or clashes, while some were killed in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip.

The violence has subsided in recent months.
Palestinians on the red carpet, bearing the outline of the Balfour Declaration, during a film festival in Gaza City on May 12, 2017

Gaza doesn't have much space for cultural events -- there is no proper cinema in the entire enclave -- but this weekend the city's port has been transformed into a venue for outdoor screenings.

The Red Carpet Festival showcases films focusing on human rights issues and aims to provide Palestinians, many of them unemployed, with a rare opportunity to explore their dreams, or at least practise a little escapism.

True to its name, the festival's organisers have laid out a 100-metre (yard) long red carpet. But there are no celebrities, it's for the thousands of ordinary Gazans turning out to watch the films.

"The children and poor people are walking on the carpet," organiser Saad al-Saworki told AFP proudly at Friday's opening night. "They are far more important than the carpet."

A Palestinian man's silhouette on a placard at a film festival in Gaza City on May 12, 2017

The festival, which is in its third year, coincides with the Cannes Film Festival and aims to show that there is an alternative to the catwalks and glamour of its French counterpart, Saworki said.

The maiden event was organised by Palestinian director Khalil al-Muzain in 2015 in the rubble of homes destroyed by the Israeli army in the most recent of the three wars that have devastated Gaza since 2008.

This year for the first time, all of the festival's entries are being screened simultaneously in Ramallah in the West Bank and in the Israeli city of Haifa.

Around 40 films by Palestinian and foreign directors are being screened over five days.

The opening film was Palestinian director Raed Andoni's "Ghost Hunting", winner of best documentary at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year.

It focuses on Israeli prison interrogation techniques and its screening came with hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli jails on hunger strike for nearly a month in protest over their conditions.

This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, the letter in which the British government committed itself to the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine.

Festival spokesman Saad Abu Ramadan said that the red carpet was 100 metres long to commemorate the anniversary and that parts of the text had been inscribed on it.

Palestinians despise the document, saying it gave away their independence, while Israelis hail it as an early recognition of the need for a Jewish state.

The festival's organisers in Gaza have laid out a 100-metre red carpet but there are no celebrities as the event is for the thousands of ordinary Gazans coming to watch the films

"People walked on the carpet and trampled on (British foreign minister Arthur) Balfour's promise," Abu Ramadan said.

Tamara Matar, a 21-year-old law student, said the festival gave her a chance to "feel free" in the tiny enclave which has been under Israeli blockade for a decade.

"There is no cinema in Gaza," she said. "I watch films at the festival because of the blockade and the closed borders, the unemployment and the electricity crisis we have to endure."

- 'Love of Life' -

Youth activist Asad al-Saftawi, 25, said the festival helped change Gaza's image in the outside world.

Instead of the "stereotype" of violence and destruction, it showed that "in Gaza young people have creativity and love of life."

"Our message to the Palestinian leadership in Gaza and the West Bank -- we want freedom, we want a cinema in Gaza," Saftawi said.

Rif Kassem, a Syrian refugee who has been living in Gaza for four years, attended a screening with his wife.

"We, as Syrian refugees, share the pain of the Palestinian refugees," he said.

Mohammed, 27, walked down the red carpet with his sick father in a wheelchair.

"I want to feel like I am at Cannes," he said.
The battle for Mosul

The number of people fleeing the fighting in the Iraqi city of Mosul is reaching new highs and the condition of the displaced civilians is deteriorating, an aid group said Saturday.

Iraq forces are battling the Islamic State group in the western half of Mosul and nearing a final push to root out the jihadists from their last redoubts in its Old City.

A large number of civilians -- around 250,000, according to some estimates -- are still trapped in west Mosul and can only flee once the security forces enter their neighbourhoods.

"The final push by the Iraqi security forces to retake Mosul from (IS) has caused possibly the largest wave of displacement since the beginning of the year," the Norwegian Refugee Council said.

More than 20,000 fleeing civilians were brought to a camp for displaced people in Hammam al-Alil, south of Mosul, on Thursday, NRC said, describing that figure as "a six-fold increase from the previous day".

"Everyone who is fleeing the city is in an extremely fragile state," said NRC's Iraq director, Heidi Diedrich.

"Infants and children appear malnourished and it is clear that people are suffering from hunger and trauma," she said in a statement.

NRC said that the trauma hospital in Hammam al-Alil treated more trauma wounds on Friday than on any other day since it opened six weeks ago.

The few hundred IS fighters left inside the city are increasingly using civilians as human shields to defend their last pockets and hoarding the city's dwindling food and medical supplies.

Around half a million people are currently displaced as a result of the offensive launched by the security forces in mid-October to retake Mosul, which was the jihadists' last major bastion in Iraq.
Trash and dead bodies were visible on the streets of Tabqa 48 hours after SDF forces recaptured the Syrian town from the Islamic State Group

When Dalal Ahmad heard that the fighters who expelled the Islamic State group from the Syrian town of Tabqa were distributing food, she began to run, desperate for any scraps.

After more than a month of heavy fighting, and a siege that left the city in Raqa province cut off from supplies, Ahmad and others like her in Tabqa are hungry, exhausted and afraid.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters, seized the town of Tabqa and the nearby dam on Wednesday after fierce fighting.

The city has been ravaged by the clashes, and trash and dead bodies were visible on the streets 48 hours after the SDF announced Tabqa's capture.

So when one of her neighbours told Ahmad that the SDF was distributing food in Tabqa's central market, she rushed over as fast as she could.

Tabqa

But on her arrival, she found the "distribution" was nothing more than a few SDF fighters sharing their meals with local residents.

"We're so fed up and disgusted with ourselves," she told AFP, her disappointment clear in her voice.

"There's no water to wash or to clean with. Everything has been cut off: water, electricity, food," she said.

"We want humanitarian groups to help us out before we die of hunger and disease."

Nearby, a woman combed through the remains of an SDF meal, gathering discarded sandwiches and placing them in a box.

"The situation in the town is very difficult, particularly because of the major food shortage caused by the fighting and the severing of supply routes after the town was surrounded by the SDF," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.

- 'Flies and dirt' -

A man speaks to a member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the town of Tabqa on May 12, 2017

On another street, residents waited to fill bottles at a water tank, their supply cut by the fighting for the nearby Tabqa dam.

Around them was evidence of the fight for the town, including damaged buildings and the body of a suspected IS fighter lying in the street.

Uncollected rubbish sat in small piles along the road, attracting clouds of flies.

In the market, shopkeepers worked to clean the street in front of their businesses.

"There is a lot of illness spreading because of the bodies that are still scattered about, which are starting to smell," said 40-year-old Abdel Rahman Shakrushi.

"There are flies and dirt everywhere, which is affecting our health."

Abdel Rahman said hundreds of people were still missing in the town, with the bodies of many people killed in air strikes still believed to be under rubble.

The SDF operation in Tabqa was backed by heavy air strikes from the US-led coalition, and civilians trapped in the fighting were terrified

IS jihadists seized Tabqa in 2014, and the town was a key prize for the SDF as they press an operation to recapture the extremist group's Syrian bastion of Raqa, 55 kilometres (35 miles) to the east.

The SDF operation was backed by heavy air strikes from the US-led coalition, and civilians trapped in the fighting were terrified.

Some were able to escape, and made their way towards the SDF fighters, but others like 20-year-old Muhannad Haj Omar moved around the town looking for safety.

"We were going from place to place, from house to house. We didn't even know where we were any more," he said.

- 'They destroyed our lives' -

Even with IS expelled, and facing a final assault on their stronghold, fear of the group remains strong in Tabqa.

Ahmad was still wearing the all-enveloping black robes and face veil that IS required of all women living under its rule.

"We're still afraid that they could come back and attack the city. We're afraid for our children," she said.

A member of the Special forces from the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) takes a picture at the Tabqa dam, on May 12, 2017, after it was recaptured from Islamic State group fighters

"I don't want to remove the face veil, even though I didn't wear it before Daesh came," she added, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

In the middle of the market was a signpost with two horizontal crossbars that residents said IS fighters used to display the bodies of those killed for violating its harsh rules.

One resident told AFP on condition on anonymity that his son, a pharmacist, was hung from the post after being executed on accusations of "dealing with the infidels".

"They left him there for three days, and I came every day to guard his body so the dogs wouldn't tear into it," he said with tears in his eyes.

He refused to give his name or be filmed, saying he too remained afraid that IS could return and take revenge.

Omar shook his head as he recalled the terror IS brought to the town.

"They made us hate living and life," he said.

"They destroyed our lives."
"There will be no reconciliation (with the corrupt) without the truth being revealed and without the prosecution and the judgment of the corrupt," said Popular Front leader Hamma Hammami, pictured in June 2016

More than 2,000 Tunisians protested Saturday in the capital against a bill that would allow officials being prosecuted for alleged corruption to be amnestied in exchange for reimbursing embezzled funds.

"Corruption will not pass!" shouted demonstrators including prominent politicians in central Tunis, after a call to protest from more that 50 non-government organisations and a group dubbed "Manich Msamah" ("I don't forgive" in Arabic).

The protests come more than six years after a popular uprising toppled longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali over grievances including state corruption.

The protesters reject a bill that would allow an amnesty for those being prosecuted for graft -- including businessmen and Ben Ali-era officials -- in exchange for them paying fines and reimbursing any illicit gains.

"There will be no reconciliation (with the corrupt) without the truth being revealed and without the prosecution and the judgment of the corrupt," said Hamma Hammami, leader of the Popular Front party.

Issam Chebbi, a lawmaker and top official in the Al-Joumhouri party, said: While "the president insists on passing the draft law, we are determined to resist in a peaceful manner".

President Beji Caid Essebsi defended the bill on Wednesday, criticising calls for protests, saying that the legislation aimed to "improve the investment climate" in the country.

On Friday, non-government organisations warned against a text that they said threatened "transitional justice".

Tunisia has embarked on a period of transitional justice since the 2011 uprising, and last year held the first public hearings of a commission on human rights violations during six decades of dictatorship.
Syrian pro-government forces advance through Qabun on the outskirts of Damascus on May 13, 2017

Syria's government has reached a deal with rebels in the Qabun neighbourhood of Damascus for the evacuation of opposition fighters, Syrian state media and a monitor said on Saturday.

The deal comes after similar evacuations from neighbouring rebel-held Damascus districts and a government advance in Qabun.

Syrian pro-government forces amid the rubble of destroyed buildings as they advance through Qabun on the outskirts of Damascus on May 13, 2017

"Military operations halted in Qabun district this afternoon after the terrorist organisations announced their acceptance of a deal and the departure of their remaining members from the neighbourhood," state news agency SANA reported on Saturday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor also reported that rebels in the district had agreed a deal to evacuate, but said it was not yet clear where the fighters would go.

Earlier talks on a deal to allow the regime to retake the neighbourhood in exchange for safe passage of opposition fighters faltered over the rebels' destination.

Some had wanted to go to Eastern Ghouta, an opposition stronghold outside Damascus city, instead of Idlib province, a rebel-held area in northwest Syria.

Earlier Saturday, government forces had advanced inside Qabun, expanding their control to 80 percent of the district, the Britain-based Observatory said.

The Qabun agreement comes after similar deals to evacuate neighbouring Barzeh and Tishrin districts.

On Friday, upwards of 1,200 people, more than half of them rebels, left Barzeh and Tishrin for Idlib.

The evacuation of Barzeh began on Monday and continued Friday, when departures from Tishrin began after an agreement was reached.

The evacuations are the latest in a string of similar deals between the government and rebels under which opposition fighters are granted safe passage in exchange for surrendering.

The government touts the deals as the best way to end the six-year war, but rebels say they are forced into the agreements by regime fire and siege.

More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.
Ballistic missiles are displayed at the Kim Il-Sung square during a military parade in Pyongyang, marking the 105th anniversary of the birth of the late North Korean leader, on April 15, 2017

The United States called for tougher sanctions against North Korea after it test-fired a ballistic missile Sunday in an apparent attempt to test the South's new liberal president and the US administration of Donald Trump.

"Let this latest provocation serve as a call for all nations to implement far stronger sanctions against North Korea," the White House said in a brief statement.

The missile flew more than 700 kilometers (435 miles) before landing in the Sea of Japan (East Sea).

It impacted "so close to Russian soil ... the president cannot imagine that Russia is pleased," the White House said, adding that North Korea "has been a flagrant menace for far too long."

Russia's defense ministry later said the missile landed about 500 kilometers from its border and posed no threat.

North Korea missile launch

The United States and Japan called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, and a meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, according to the UN mission of Uruguay, which currently holds the council's presidency.

China, which has been under growing US pressure to help rein in nuclear-armed North, urged restraint.

"All relevant parties should exercise restraint and refrain from further aggravating tensions in the region," the foreign ministry said.

Multiple rounds of UN and US sanctions against North Korea have done little to deter Pyongyang from pursuing its nuclear and missile ambitions.

Before the missile test, the US Treasury said it was considering "every tool in our arsenal" to cut off sources of international financing for illegal activities in the North.

Trump has threatened military action and earlier sent a naval strike force toward Korean waters, but recently appears to have softened his stance, saying he would be "honored" to meet leader Kim Jong-Un under the right conditions.

New South Korean President Moon Jae-In slammed the North's ballistic missile test as a 'reckless provocation' after holding an emergency meeting with national security advisors

US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said Sunday that nothing could justify the hermit state's latest action.

"This was close to home for Russia. China cant expect dialogue. This threat is real," Haley said in a tweet.

China, the isolated North's sole major ally and economic lifeline, has been reluctant to upset the status quo in Pyongyang and risk an influx of refugees from its neighbor.

Haley told ABC News that Kim Jong-Un was "in a state of paranoia."

"And so what we're going to do is continue to tighten the screws," she said. "He feels it. He absolutely feels it. And we're going to continue, whether it's sanctions, whether it's press statements, anything that we have to do."

- 'Seeking leverage' -

South Korean President Moon Jae-In, who was inaugurated only on Wednesday, had been conciliatory. But he slammed the missile test as a "reckless provocation" after holding an emergency meeting with national security advisers.

Moon said Seoul strongly condemned this "grave challenge to the peace and security of the Korean peninsula and the international community", according to his spokesman Yoon Young-Chan.

Many say North Korea has made a great progress in its nuclear and missile capabilities since Kim Jong-Un (pictured) took power after the death of his father and longtime ruler, Kim Jong-Il, in 2011

Moon, unlike his conservative predecessors, advocates reconciliation with Pyongyang. He had said he was willing "in the right circumstances" to visit the North to ease tensions. But he warned Sunday that dialogue would be possible "only if the North changes its attitude."

The North itself would be willing to hold talks with the US if conditions were right, Choe Son-Hui, a senior official in the North's foreign ministry, said Saturday.

"The North is apparently trying to test Moon and see how his North Korea policy as well as policy coordination between the South and the US will take shape," said Yang Moo-Jin, professor at the University of North Korea Studies in Seoul.

The launch was also aimed at "maximizing the North's political leverage" ahead of possible negotiations with the US, he added.

"The North wants to show before negotiations that their precious, powerful weapon is not something they would give up so easily," Yang said.

The missile test is likely to embarrass Beijing, which was hosting an international summit Sunday to promote its ambitious global trade infrastructure project.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping discussed the Korean situation on the sidelines of the meeting and "both parties expressed their concern over the escalation of tensions," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

The European Union and NATO meanwhile said the test launch constituted a threat to international peace and security.

- 'Fast progress' -

The latest test was the North's first launch since a controversial US missile defense system deployed in the South became operational on May 2. It follows a failed April 29 ballistic missile test by Pyongyang.

Washington has been looking to China for help in reining in North Korea's Kim Jong-Un and the missile test is likely to embarrass Beijing

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slammed the latest launch as "totally unacceptable" and a "grave threat."

The North has staged two atomic tests and dozens of missile launches since the start of last year in its quest to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to the US mainland.

The US Pacific Command said Sunday's launch did not appear to be an ICBM.

Yang said, however, that it showed "fast progress" in Pyongyang's missile capability.

The missile was fired from a site near the northwestern city of Kusong. A test from the same site in February sent a missile 500 kilometers, far less than Sunday's launch.
Betsy DeVos, President Donald Trump's education secretary, built her political resume by raising and contributing millions of dollars to support the cause of giving parents choices on where their children go to school.

The daughter of one wealthy businessman and the wife of another, DeVos has headed a series of groups that help rich contributors spend large sums on elections, including one that was assessed the biggest fine ever by the Ohio Elections Commission.

A look at her political activities.

FILE - In this Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017 file photo, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos arrives to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Md. The school choice movement has been cleaved into two camps: those who want to use choice to improve public schools and others, like DeVos, who want to go further by allowing tax money to flow to private schools through vouchers, government-funded scholarships or corporate tax credits. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

___

WHO IS BETSY DEVOS

DeVos is the daughter of an auto parts manufacturer who married into another wealthy Michigan family, the one that runs Amway.

Her family is steeped in politics. Her father, Edgar Prince, was a major early donor to the Family Research Council. Her husband, Dick DeVos, lost a 2006 run for governor of Michigan, and DeVos herself served as the chairwoman of the state Republican Party. Her brother, Erik Prince, is the founder of the security company Blackwater, which has had key government contracts.

Her education experience is mainly through advocating for school choice. She attended private Christian schools. Her children, now grown, were educated through a combination of private schools and homeschooling.

During a 2001 appearance at a retreat of Christian philanthropists, she said, "Our desire is to confront the culture in ways that will continue to advance God's kingdom."

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GIVING TO POLITICS

DeVos personally contributed at least $2.3 million to candidates and political action committees from 2007 through last year.

Her family, including husband and one-time Michigan gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos, mother Elsa Prince Broekhuizen, brother Erik Prince and father- and mother-in-law Richard and Helen DeVos contributed a combined $19 million in that same period.

___

RAISING SOFT MONEY

Twenty years ago, DeVos wrote an opinion piece for the Washington publication Roll Call in which she said her family was the leading contributor of "soft money" donations to political parties. Unlike money given directly to a candidate, money given to the political parties is largely unregulated, thus the term "soft money."

"We expect to foster a conservative governing philosophy consisting of limited government and respect for traditional American virtues," she wrote. "We expect a return on our investment; we expect a good and honest government."

___

PROMOTING BALLOT MEASURES

In 2000, DeVos was a key player in a ballot initiative fight in Michigan over whether the state would allow vouchers for private schools.

She and her husband contributed nearly $1.6 million to the losing effort. The couple and their relatives paid for more than one-third of the campaign overall.

___

TROUBLE IN OHIO

In 2006, DeVos's school-choice group, All Children Matter, had a political action committee in Virginia, where contributions are unlimited. The group raised $17.8 million that year, and more than 40 percent of it was contributed to affiliated PACs in other states.

The group asked Ohio campaign finance regulators if it would be OK to shift money from Virginia to Ohio, a state with strict campaign contribution limits. The state said it would be illegal.

The committee made the shift, anyway. All $870,000 spent by the Ohio operation of All Children Matter that year was funneled through Virginia.

Ohio campaign finance regulators in 2008 ordered the group to pay $5.3 million in fines, an amount it still has not paid.

___

INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES

In recent years, DeVos's groups had significant independent spending on political races.

Generally, groups can spend without limits as long as they don't coordinate with campaign committees. In most places, they're not required to disclose the individuals who fund them, which is why some of this kind of expenditure is known as "dark money."

According to tax filings from 2011 through 2015, groups DeVos ran or that were subsidiaries of those she ran - American Federation for Children, American Federation for Children Action Fund, Great Lakes Education Project and Students First Pennsylvania - combined for nearly $20 million in political spending. Some of that money may have been double-counted after being passed from one of the organizations to another.

It's not clear how much of that money was from DeVos herself.

___

BENEFITING FROM DARK MONEY

At least two groups that do not report their donors ran ad campaigns to support DeVos's confirmation.

Those groups are Club for Growth, a major supporter of conservative candidates across the country, and America Next, which was formed by then-Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal in 2013.
NEW YORK (AP) - Charlie Hunnam says he convinced director Guy Ritchie to cast him as King Arthur after the two bonded over marijuana - talking about it, not indulging in it.

"I heard Guy Ritchie's 'King Arthur' and I thought, 'That's a brilliant idea,' and I just sort of saw it right away and wanted to be a part of it," said Hunnam while promoting the film Wednesday. "And so, we presented that to Guy, my agent, and he just really wasn't interested. And I said, 'That is just unacceptable, my friend.'"

So Hunnam booked a trip to London on a week off from filming "Sons of Anarchy" and landed a meeting with Ritchie. He had a standard pitch raring to go but quickly learned Ritchie didn't want to even talk about the movie.

Actor Charlie Hunnam poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'King Arthur The Legend Of The Sword'', in London, Wednesday, May 10, 2017. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)

"He actually creatively was interested in the medical marijuana business in California of which I knew a little bit about. So we ended up bizarrely talking about medical marijuana for two hours. But, what I realized in hindsight was, he just wanted to get to know me as a chap. He didn't really care about what my theories about Arthur was or what my opinions of the script were because, he already knew what he wanted to do. What he wanted to see was what I was about and whether we saw life in the same way."

Hunnam seems to be having a moment in Hollywood right now because "The Lost City of Z" - in which he stars as a British explorer - and "King Arthur" are coming out back-to-back. But he says that's just coincidental.

"'Arthur' is like a giant juggernaut of a movie and my fear was that 'Lost City of Z' would sort of get swallowed in the whole mix and so we fought to keep them really apart but we lost the fight," he said.

"I'm disconnected from that because the huge moment, for me, was when I shot the films and when I got the films. I mean, for an actor, the greatest moments of our lives is when we get the call telling us that we got a role that we really wanted."

"King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" opens in the UK on May 19 and in the United States on May 12.

Actor Charlie Hunnam, left, and director Guy Ritchie pose for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'King Arthur The Legend Of The Sword'', in London, Wednesday, May 10, 2017. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - The parents of a young man suspected of stabbing four students at the University of Texas are apologizing for his actions and say his behavior turned erratic following a car accident weeks before the Austin campus attack.

Kenneth and Shantina White told KVUE-TV and the Austin American-Statesman that it was "frightful" to see their son's behavior and that they had sought psychiatric care for him.

Twenty-one-year-old Kendrex White was charged with drunken driving following the accident and his parents wonder whether a head injury may have contributed to the change in his demeanor.

FILE - This undated file photo provided by the Austin Police Department shows Kendrex J. White. The parents of White, suspected of stabbing four students at the University of Texas, are apologizing for his actions and say his behavior turned erratic following a car accident weeks before the Austin campus attack. (Austin Police Department via AP, File)

Authorities say Kendrex White fatally stabbed one person and injured three others May 1 before police disarmed him. He is charged with murder.

Police said the day after the stabbings that White suffered from mental health troubles.

___

Information from: KVUE-TV, http://www.kvue.com
WASHINGTON (AP) - North Korea's nuclear weapons program poses a potentially "existential" threat to the United States, the national intelligence director said in a bleak appraisal to Congress on Thursday. He wouldn't say how close Pyongyang is to being able to strike the U.S. mainland.

Dan Coats said the unprecedented nuclear and missile testing last year indicates leader Kim Jong Un is intent on proving North Korea's capability. The North's public claims suggest it could conduct its first flight of an intercontinental ballistic missile this year.

And Pyongyang's statements that it needs nuclear weapons to survive suggest Kim "does not intend to negotiate them away at any price," Coats added at a Senate intelligence hearing on worldwide threats.

The heads of six U.S. intelligence agencies reviewed a slew of national security challenges facing the United States, warning about deteriorating security in Afghanistan, China's rising challenge, and Russian and other countries' use of cyberspace to target the U.S. and its allies.

Senators sought an assessment of when North Korea would be able to strike the U.S. with a nuclear weapon. Coats declined to provide such details in an open hearing. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein countered, "It's time for the American people to understand."

Coats, however, described the threat as potentially "existential."

North Korea's missile tests in 2016, including a space launch that put a satellite into orbit, have shortened its pathway toward a reliable intercontinental missile that could strike America, he said, and the North has expanded the size and sophistication of its ballistic missile forces.

Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart, the Defense Intelligence Agency's director, said North Korea was at the same time developing a nuclear device and processing fissile material, aiming to miniaturize a device for a warhead to mount on such missiles.

"They are on that path and they are committed to doing that," he said.

On Iran, whose nuclear ambitions preoccupied Washington under President Barack Obama, Coats said the U.S. sees Tehran maintaining last year's agreement that contains its program in exchange for sanctions relief.

The deal has enhanced transparency of Iran's nuclear activities, Coats said, and he cited Obama administration estimates that the time it would take Iran to produce enough material for a nuclear weapon has been extended from a few months to about a year.

But he said the U.S. doesn't know if Iran will eventually decide to try to build nuclear weapons.

Intelligence chiefs gave a somber appraisal of security in Afghanistan, scene of America's longest-running war. U.S. forces invaded after 9/11 to defeat al-Qaida and their Taliban hosts, and the Trump administration is currently reviewing strategy and considering an augmentation of the current 8,500-strong U.S. force.

Coats said the situation will deteriorate and the Taliban will make gains, especially in rural areas. The performance of Afghan national security forces will worsen due to weak military leadership, desertions and combat casualties, he predicted.

If left unchecked, Stewart added, the "stalemate" will deteriorate in the Taliban's favor, risking "all the gains" from U.S.-backed efforts there.

Coats said Russia, China, North Korea and Iran are using cyberspace to target U.S. and its allies and will do so in the future. He described Russia as a threat to U.S. government, military, diplomatic, business and critical infrastructure. China is also targeting the U.S. government and American businesses, Coats said, though he said such activity has diminished since a 2015 U.S.-Chinese agreement addressing cybertheft.

____

Associated Press writer Deb Riechmann contributed to this report.
ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) - A judge says a man charged with killing a caretaker at the Kentucky group home where he lived is incompetent to stand trial.

The News-Enterprise (http://bit.ly/2r3RT7p) reports Thursday that the prosecutor and defense attorney agreed with the recent ruling in the murder case against 32-year-old Lindale Cunningham. He was charged in January with fatally stabbing 66-year-old Sally Berry at the ResCare home in Elizabethtown.

The ruling comes after Cunningham was evaluated at the Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center. Defense attorney Jessica Schulte had requested the evaluation, saying her client has been diagnosed with mental health issues including autism.

Prosecutor Eric Carr said he filed a motion Wednesday for an additional evaluation to have Cunningham placed in a state facility. He said the criminal charge will be dismissed after Carr is placed.

___

Information from: The News-Enterprise, http://www.thenewsenterprise.com
DARDANELLE, Ark. (AP) - A man suspected of gunning down an Arkansas sheriff's deputy and killing two other people surrendered after a five-hour standoff with police, authorities said.

James Bowden gave himself up Thursday about 30 minutes after releasing a woman he had apparently been holding hostage inside the home where two females were found dead, State Police spokesman Bill Sadler said during a news conference. Investigators were questioning that woman. Sadler earlier on Thursday had given a middle name Michael for Bowden and an age of 32 but later said state police were not sure of that information.

Authorities said Bowden is suspected of killing Yell County Sheriff's Lt. Kevin C. Mainhart during a traffic stop. Mainhart was responding to a call about a disturbance at the home near Dardanelle, which is about 65 miles (105 kilometers) west of Little Rock.

Investigators haven't released the names or ages of the female victims, or said how they were killed. Police earlier on Thursday had given a middle name and age for Bowden but later said they were not sure of that information.

Mainhart had been an officer in Yell County for five years. He had previously worked for the West Memphis Police Department for more than twenty years, according to a State Police news release.

Yell County Sheriff Bill Gilkey said that Mainhart was a great father and husband, as well as being an excellent officer.

KATV broadcast an interview Thursday that it said was with the suspect's father, James Bowden Sr. in which he says the incident stemmed from an argument his son had with his girlfriend.

Bowden's father also told the TV station that the deputy had fired a Taser at the suspect, who allegedly thought he had been shot and then fired back, fatally wounding the officer. The suspect's father said the woman, who was apparently being held hostage, is Bowden's girlfriend.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge expressed their condolences to the deputy's family and praised his 25 years in law enforcement.

The fatal shooting of Mainhart was on the same day of the 36th annual memorial to honor fallen officers at the Arkansas state Capitol.

___

This version of the story corrects the second paragraph after state police said they were no longer sure Bowden's middle name is Michael or his age is 32.
In a story May 13 about the funders of the school choice political movement, The Associated Press, relying on incorrectly labeled data from the National Institute on Money in State Politics, misattributed political donations from Microsoft founder Bill Gates to his father, Bill Gates Sr., and erroneously reported that the younger Gates is not a major political contributor. The Microsoft founder contributed more than $5 million to political causes from 2007 through last year, including $3 million to promote a pro-charter school ballot measure in 2012 in Washington state. He also contributed $1 million to support another Washington charter school ballot measure in 2004. His father contributed $54,000 to the 2012 effort.

A corrected version of the story is below:

Voucher proposals expose rift in school choice movement

Wealthy advocates for school choice have become deeply divided since Betsy DeVos was elevated to education secretary

By GEOFF MULVIHILL

Associated Press

For two decades, a loose-knit group that includes some of the country's wealthiest people has underwritten the political push for school choice, promoting ballot initiatives and candidates who favor competition for traditional public schools.

But when a member of this elite group was elevated to education secretary, the appointment opened a philosophical schism that now threatens to shatter the alliance, turn billionaires against each other and possibly lead some school-choice advocates to join with teachers' unions, their archenemies.

Fueling the split is the anticipation of a plan from President Donald Trump's administration that could offer parents federal dollars to send their children to private schools, including religious and for-profit institutions.

"As much as we are aligned on change, we aren't always aligned on how much change or how. Sometimes we fight," said Derrell Bradford, executive vice president of the school-reform group 50CAN.

The movement has been cleaved into two camps: those who want to use choice to improve public schools and others, like Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who want to go further by allowing tax money to flow to private schools through vouchers, government-funded scholarships or corporate tax credits.

The differences that once seemed minor are at the heart of a potential seismic shift in the school-choice movement.

School-choice programs were first proposed in the 1950s by Nobel Prize-winning free-market economist Milton Friedman. Since the beginning of this century, they have grown quickly, although the overwhelming majority of students still attend traditional public schools.

Thirty states plus Washington, D.C., have some combination of vouchers, government-subsidized education savings accounts or tax credits that help families afford private-school tuition or encourage private groups to fund scholarships, according to EdChoice, an advocacy group founded by Friedman and his wife.

Still, less than 1 percent of children in kindergarten through high school used vouchers to attend private schools in 2015. Just 5 percent of students were in charter schools that year, when charters were operating in more than 40 states. That's up from about 3 percent in 2008, according to the Department of Education.

Charter schools are public but in several states are not held to the same accountability standards as traditional schools, which in theory gives them more freedom to innovate.

When standardized test scores of children who switched to charter schools or used vouchers are compared with those of students who remained in traditional public schools, some results have been promising. Other studies have shown little effect or even worse outcomes.

___

THE BIGGEST DONORS

Wal-Mart's Walton family, Los Angeles billionaire Eli Broad and Microsoft founder Bill Gates have been some of the largest political contributors to the school-reform movement, according to an analysis by The Associated Press of campaign-finance records compiled by the National Institute on Money in State Politics and state campaign-finance regulators.

In the past, contributions have flowed to reform-minded groups regardless of whether they supported public charter schools, vouchers for private schools or a combination. Now those funders are beginning to split into competing camps.

Groups such as Stand for Children, which pushes for charter schools among other educational changes, are being more vocal now because "the level of ambition of the efforts to expand vouchers is so high," said Jonah Edelman, co-founder and chief executive, who called the voucher proposals "a dramatic effort to undermine public education."

Edelman, whose organization receives part of its funding from Walton, Broad and Gates-related charities and family members, said his group will fight any administration effort to promote vouchers nationwide.

Stand for Children has worked with teachers unions in the past on state-level measures to provide more money for schools and raise teacher pay. But its calls for more charters often put it at odds with the unions, which are powerful political entities in many states.

The American Federation of Teachers has had conversations with some charter school advocates it has opposed in the past about coordinating to fight a national voucher program, said Randi Weingarten, president of the union.

To identify those who have shaped the school-choice movement across the country, the AP analyzed the political contributions of 48 individuals and couples who have given at least $100,000 to related statewide ballot measure campaigns. That group accounted for the majority of reported contributions to campaigns favoring school-choice initiatives from 2000 through last year. The donors nearly matched all the measures' opponents.

The group also wields political clout in addition to school-related ballot initiatives.

The AP analysis showed that the same wealthy funders contributed a total of more than $200 million from 2007 through last year to candidates and political action committees, some of which are supporters of school choice.

The funders are from a variety of industries and regions, with a concentration of investors and tech innovators from Seattle and Silicon Valley. Some give millions more to research centers, legal funds, foundations, charter schools and scholarships that promote pieces of the cause.

Political campaigns often are a clash of titans. The nation's two largest teachers' unions - the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers, which have 4.5 million members combined - contributed $573 million to campaigns and political action committees over the same 10-year period, much of it designed to counter the spending of the wealthy families and their affiliated groups.

Both unions and school-choice advocates also made independent political expenditures, which are impossible to tally because the details are not required to be reported in many states.

___

THE HEART OF THE DEBATE

For the past decade, school-choice supporters have split over the merits of private-school vouchers versus public charter schools, according to William Oberndorf, a San Francisco investor, major contributor to the movement and chairman of the American Federation for Children, which was led by DeVos until last year.

He urged all school-choice advocates to drop their divisions and support the core belief that choice in any form is a good thing if it lets parents make decisions about what is best for their kids.

"Most Americans have that already," Oberndorf said in an interview. "They have that if they have enough money to move to a good school district or send their kids to private school. It's really only poor people who don't have choices."

In a statement to the AP, a representative of the Waltons said the family is concerned about improving education quality for all children. It is not focused so much on how that is done.

"There have always been tensions in some quarters over the best ways to offer educational options to families," said Marc Sternberg, senior education adviser to the Walton family. "School choice is a means to an end and not the end in itself. It is about making sure those options - including schools within traditional school systems - offer the kinds of high quality, diverse educational opportunities so that every child has a real chance to succeed in life."

Other wealthy school-choice funders are adamant about improving the public education system and combatting any effort that would take tax dollars away from it. They object to being grouped with the supporters of private-school vouchers.

Nick Hanauer, a Seattle investor who had an early stake in Amazon and who spent $1 million in 2012 to support a successful ballot measure to allow charters in Washington state, called vouchers "a stupid idea." Consider that in the most elite private schools across the country, tuition runs $30,000 to $40,000 a year, he said.

"No voucher program is a $40,000-per-year program. It's a $10,000-per-year program, or a $6,000-per-year program, which means that voucher advocates aren't serious about delivering high-quality education," he said. "They're simply interested in making it cheaper for people who already send their kids to private school to continue to do this."

___

DeVOS DEEPENS DIVIDE

The schism between wealthy funders over private-school vouchers became visible earlier this year during the confirmation process for DeVos, a billionaire heiress who was nominated by Trump for education secretary despite having no experience as a teacher or school administrator. DeVos attended private religious schools in Michigan. Her children were homeschooled and attended religious schools.

Broad, a charter school advocate who has contributed at least $3.7 million since 2007 to political efforts to expand charters, wrote a letter to senators urging them to reject DeVos, calling her "unprepared and unqualified."

With DeVos at the helm of the Education Department, "much of the good work that has been accomplished to improve public education for all of America's children could be undone," wrote Broad, who declined to be interviewed by the AP.

DeVos was confirmed only when Vice President Mike Pence cast the vote to break a 50-50 tie in the Senate.

Overstock founder Patrick Byrne, who spent nearly $3 million on a failed 2007 Utah ballot initiative promoting vouchers, said DeVos was an "A-plus." Venture capitalist Timothy Draper, who put $23 million behind a failed attempt to bring vouchers to California in 2000, also had high praise for her.

"Having someone who really understands choice in education and how helpful that can be ... is going to be good for education," Draper said.

The sides have been at odds previously, including in Arizona, where in April lawmakers passed and the governor signed a law to expand a voucher program. DeVos's American Federation for Children made a total of $500,000 in independent political expenditures in 2014 and 2016. The anti-voucher Stand for Children spent $1 million in the state during that span.

The Trump administration has not released any details about a voucher plan. But early this month, Trump asked lawmakers to work with him to extend school choice to millions more children, including low-income Hispanics and blacks "who deserve the same chance as every other child to live out their dreams and fill up their hearts and be educated at the top, top level."

The outline in his budget proposal calls for $1.4 billion in school-choice initiatives, including $250 million to launch a voucher program. That money would come in part from cutting $9 billion from K-12 education, including teacher training and after-school and summer programs.

The Trump budget calls for eventually increasing annual school-choice funding by $20 billion. It's unclear how much support or opposition such a plan will generate, in part because most people don't know much about the topic. A poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and released this week found that 58 percent of respondents said they knew little or nothing at all about charter schools and two-thirds reported the same about private school voucher programs.

In her first major policy address as education secretary, DeVos said allowing parents to decide where their children will be educated is essential, whether they choose homeschooling, traditional schools, magnets, charters, online schools or private schools.

"I think that the first and most important measure of accountability to the public is to the parents in general, right?" said DeVos.

___

Follow Mulvihill at http://www.twitter.com/geoffmulvihill.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Heralding a new U.S.-China trade agreement, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross puffed a bit too hard in describing its greatness.

"It was pretty much a Herculean accomplishment to get this done," Ross said in describing a trade plan involving U.S. beef and liquefied natural gas exports to China. "This is more than has been done in the whole history of U.S.-China relations on trade."

That would be a tall order, given a history that encompasses President Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China, which ended a two-decade freeze between the two countries and laid the groundwork for the United States' largest trading relationship. U.S.-China exchanges of goods last year totaled nearly $579 billion, nearly one-sixth of all U.S. trade.

FILE - In this April 25, 2017 file photo, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross takes a question during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

In addition to its provisions on beef and liquefied natural gas, the trade deal lowers long-standing barriers on the operation of U.S. financial firms in China, allows the import of cooked poultry from China, and will send U.S. delegates to a Chinese forum on building infrastructure in Asia and Europe.

Ross declined to say exactly what he meant by his characterization at a Thursday briefing. But trade experts questioned its magnitude, and the limited agreement on 10 items joins a list of tectonic shifts between the world's two largest economies.

Another is China's entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001, an event that caused a surge in Chinese exports to the United States and created an economic shock that caused the loss of more than 1 million factory jobs, according to research by economists David Autor, David Dorn and Gordon Hanson. President Donald Trump has made closing the U.S. gap with China - it totaled $347 billion last year - one of his major policy goals.

Trade experts were quick to point out that the agreement, which largely focuses on agricultural goods, energy and financial products, does nothing for U.S. manufacturers, long a source of tension in the relationship with China.

"These are modest moves which by themselves will not have much effect on the U.S. economy," said David Dollar, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former Treasury Department official.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - At least three tornadoes have touched down in Louisiana, injuring at least one person.

The National Weather Service confirms two EF-1 twisters hit Baton Rouge and the town of White Castle in Iberville Parish with winds of about 90 mph, while an EF-0 tornado struck Marrero in Jefferson Parish, packing winds of about 70 mph.

Meteorologist Michael Hill says Friday's storms were the results of a cold front pushing east through the state.

Baton Rouge Police Sgt. L'Jean Mckneely Jr. said a man was taken to a hospital after Friday morning's storm flipped his vehicle. Mckneely said his injuries weren't considered life-threatening.

National Weather Service meteorologist Tim Destri said the tornado also tore down power lines and caused some structural damage after it hit about 9 a.m. Friday in Baton Rouge. Hill said the other twisters brought down trees and tore shingles off roofs, while the storm in Marrero also blew out car windows.

On Thursday, strong storms spawned one tornado, and possibly two in Oklahoma. The storms stretched from northeast Texas through the mid-Atlantic states to the North Carolina coast.

Also Thursday, a thunderstorm knocked out power for thousands of customers in North Carolina.
CHICAGO (AP) - The parents of a 17-year-old yeshiva student fatally shot in the West Bank by Hamas terrorists in 1996 filed a federal lawsuit Friday against two Chicago-area Palestinian-American groups to collect on a legal judgment stemming from the death.

Stanley and Joyce Boim filed the lawsuit in Chicago against American Muslims for Palestine and Americans for Justice in Palestine Educational Foundation. The Chicago Tribune reports (http://trib.in/2pHJypQ ) the couple alleges the Bridgeview-based organizations are "alter egos" of three Islamic fundraising groups held liable several years ago for the death of their son, David, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Beit El.

The Boims initially filed a lawsuit in 2000, alleging the American Muslim Society, the Islamic Association for Palestine-National and the Quranic Literacy Institute gave to Palestinian charities that ultimately helped fund terrorism. A federal jury entered a $52 million judgment against the charities in 2004, and the trial judge tripled the amount to $156 million. A federal appeals court upheld the judgment in 2008.

Boims' attorney, Stephen Landes, said the family received only a fraction of the award because the defendants said they had no money to pay the judgment and shut down. He said the successor groups named in Friday's lawsuit formed later with many of the same men in similar leadership roles.

"What we ended up finding is they just tried to rebrand themselves, and they set up down the street," Landes said.

If the groups are allowed to move on without paying the judgment, Landes said, "it makes a mockery" of federal anti-terrorism laws.

Messages left with American Muslims for Palestine by the Tribune were not returned. Friday's lawsuit also names three individuals identified as leaders of the group, including Abdelbasset Hamayel, identified as its executive director and the secretary general of the defunct Islamic Association for Palestine.

Hamayel told the Tribune he was unaware of the lawsuit and declined to comment. He didn't immediately return a message left after-hours at his office by The Associated Press.

It's unclear if Americans for Justice in Palestine Educational Foundation is still operating; it doesn't have a separate website or a publicly listed phone number.

___

Information from: Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com
ATLANTA (AP) - The firing squad is the only appropriate method of execution for a condemned Georgia prisoner - even though it's not permitted under state law - because the state's lethal injection drug could cause him to suffer more than the Constitution allows, his lawyers say.

J.W. Ledford Jr. is scheduled to die Tuesday. He was convicted of murder in the January 1992 stabbing death of his neighbor, 73-year-old Dr. Harry Johnston, near his home in Murray County, in northwest Georgia.

Ledford, 45, suffers from chronic nerve pain that has been treated with increasing doses of the prescription drug gabapentin for more than a decade, his lawyers said in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday. They cited experts who say long-term exposure to gabapentin alters brain chemistry, making pentobarbital unreliable to render him unconscious and devoid of sensation or feeling.

FILE - In this undated file photo released by the Georgia Department of Corrections, J.W. Ledford Jr., poses for a photo. Lawyers for Ledford, a Georgia death row inmate argue the state's lethal injection drug will cause him unconstitutional suffering and that execution by firing squad is the only appropriate alternative. J.W. Ledford Jr. is set to be put to death Tuesday, May 16, 2017, by injection of the barbiturate pentobarbital. (Georgia Department of Corrections via AP)

"Accordingly, there is a substantial risk that Mr. Ledford will be aware and in agony as the pentobarbital attacks his respiratory system, depriving his brain, heart, and lungs of oxygen as he drowns in his own saliva," the lawsuit says.

That would violate the prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment in the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, Ledford's lawyers argue.

U.S. District Judge Steve Jones on Friday dismissed the lawsuit, and Ledford's lawyers filed notice of their intent to appeal to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

State lawyers had called Ledford's lawsuit "manipulative," and said the experts cited by his lawyers made dubious claims based on speculation and that they failed to show that pentobarbital is "sure or very likely" to cause him "a substantial risk of serious harm," as required by U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

State lawyers also cited their own expert, Dr. Jacqueline Martin, chief medical examiner for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, who said the amount of pentobarbital used by the state is "more than sufficient" to carry out the execution without causing Ledford pain, despite his use of gabapentin.

The U.S. Supreme Court has said that when claiming an execution method violates the Eighth Amendment, an inmate must propose a "known and available" method of execution.

There is no alternative method of lethal injection available to the state, since the drugs used in executions have become harder for states to obtain because manufacturers have prohibited their use for capital punishment, the lawsuit says. So Ledford's lawyers proposed using a firing squad, which the Supreme Court has already declared constitutional. Georgia already has the skilled personnel, weapons and ammunition needed to carry out an execution by firing squad, Ledford's lawyers argued.

Three states - Mississippi, Oklahoma and Utah - allow for a firing squad as a backup if lethal injection drugs aren't available, said Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, which compiles capital punishment statistics.

Georgia's lawyers noted that the 11th Circuit ruled this week in an Alabama case that the state must be able to implement the proposed alternative "relatively easily and reasonably quickly." State courts and the Georgia Department of Corrections cannot change Georgia law, which only allows execution by lethal injection, so Ledford has failed to meet that standard, the state argues.

If Ledford "really thought the firing squad was a reasonable alternative he could have alerted the State years, instead of 5 days, before his execution," state lawyers said in a court filing.

Ledford's lawyers argue that because Georgia law only allows for lethal injection, they are effectively prevented from meeting the burden imposed by the Supreme Court when challenging an execution protocol on the grounds that it is cruel and unusual.

Jones wrote in his order that Ledford's lawyers had failed to demonstrate that execution by pentobarbital was "sure or very likely" to cause him extreme pain. He also noted that Ledford waited until just a few days before his execution date to file a challenge, which he said "suggests dilatory tactics meant to forestall the state's ability to exact its lawful punishment."

Ledford's attorneys also have asked the State Board of Pardons and Paroles to spare his life, citing a rough childhood, substance abuse from an early age and his intellectual disability.

The board, which is the only authority in Georgia with power to commute a death sentence, plans to meet Monday to hear arguments for and against clemency.

___

Follow Kate Brumback on Twitter: http://twitter.com/katebrumback
HELENA, Mont. (AP) - Vice President Mike Pence rallied fellow Republicans in Montana Friday night in support of God, guns and Greg Gianforte, the GOP candidate vying for the state's only seat in the U.S. House.

During a rally to draw voters to the polls for a May 25 special election, Pence avoided any deep policy pronouncements or any mention of the tumult buffeting the administration of President Donald Trump.

The vice president urged Gianforte forces to spread out into the expansive state to help recruit other supporters for Gianforte, who faces Democrat Rob Quist and Libertarian Mark Wicks in a high-stakes election that is drawing attention - and big money - from across the nation.

Vice President Mike Pence tours the Westmoreland Coal Company's Absaloka Mine with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, right, and Senator Steve Daines, second right, on the Crow Indian Reservation near Hardin, Mont., Friday, May 12, 2017. Pence will headline an evening rally in support of Republican Greg Gianforte, who is seeking the state's only congressional seat. (Larry Mayer/Billings Gazette via AP)

Pence implored the crowd of several hundred at the Metrapark pavilion in Billings to help elect Gianforte, who he said would be an ally to the Trump administration.

"With your help, with your support, President Trump and I are confident that Montana will make the right choice on May the 25th when we send Greg Gianforte to Washington, D.C.," said Pence, who mispronounced the Bozeman Republican's name numerous times during his speech.

Pence repeatedly invoked religion and the NRA in his speech, and asked attendees to pray for a Gianforte victory.

Earlier in the day, he rode on horseback while touring the Westmoreland Coal Company's Absaloka Mine on the Crow Indian Reservation east of Billings. He also met with tribal and business leaders.

The future of the state's coal industry is a hot-button issue in Montana because of the jobs and millions of dollars it contributes to the state's economy. But environmentalists also see the industry as a relic, as they push to develop solar and wind energy and reduce reliance on carbon-based fuels.

Montana Republicans and Crow tribal leaders welcomed Trump's action earlier this year when he reversed his predecessor's 2016 moratorium on the sale of new coal leases on federal lands.

Pence called "the war on coal" over.

"I just want to assure you that this administration is absolutely determined to continue to expand the opportunities to develop American energy in an environmentally responsible way," Pence was quoted as saying in the Billings Gazette.

The Interior Department administers 306 coal leases across 10 states, producing more than 4 billion tons of coal over the past decade. About 85 percent came from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana.

Pence is expected to remain in Montana until Sunday. His office said the vice president has no public events scheduled for Saturday, but Pence said he might dip his feet into a river and do some fishing before returning to the nation's capital.

The Friday event also drew dozens of protesters, who held signs on the grounds of the MetraPark and along nearby streets.

Earlier in the evening, U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke urged his fellow Montanans to help the president drain the "swamp" in Washington by electing more Republicans like Gianforte, who ran unsuccessfully for governor last year.

Montana's sole congressional seat has been empty since Zinke's resignation from the U.S. House earlier this year to join the Trump administration.

The vice president's visit was the latest sign of the Republican Party's angst over a House seat it has held for two decades.

Big money has poured into the race, and television airwaves are saturated with political ads. As the campaign sprints to a close, both Gianforte and Quist are flying in powerhouse surrogates to help drive voters to cast ballots.

In addition to Pence, Gianforte has received help from Donald Trump Jr., the president's son, who barnstormed the state for the Bozeman Republican on Thursday - the second time he has done so in recent weeks.

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who won Montana during last year's Democratic primary, will arrive next week to give Quist a boost. He will make appearances May 20 in Missoula, Butte and Billings, as well as in Bozeman the following day.

Vice President Mike Pence tours Westmoreland Coal Company's Absaloka Mine on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, left, and Crow Vice Chairman Carlson "Duke" Goes Ahead, right, Friday, May 12, 2017. Pence will headline an evening rally in support of Republican Greg Gianforte, who is seeking the state's only congressional seat. (Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette via AP)
KIRKERSVILLE, Ohio (AP) - Court records show the man authorities say gunned down an Ohio village police chief and two nursing home employees had a history of violence, including against the nurse who was among the slain.

The suspect, Thomas Hartless, 43, was found dead inside Pine Kirk Care Center.

Nurse Marlina Medrano, 46, nurse's aide Cindy Krantz, 48, and Kirkersville Police Chief Steven Eric Disario, 36, were killed in the Friday attack.

People hug as emergency personnel arrive to the scene of a shooting outside Pine Kirk nursing home in Kirkersville, Ohio on Friday, May 12, 2017. Authorities say Steven Eric Disario, who headed the Kirkersville Police Department, and two nursing home employees have been killed by a gunman who was later found dead inside the care facility. (Tom Dodge/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

State and local authorities said Saturday the investigation was continuing and they had no new information to release on the deaths in the village of some 500 residents, roughly 25 miles (39 kilometers) east of Columbus.

Records show Medrano had obtained civil protection orders against Hartless. Authorities have said they had been in a relationship. Hartless was released from jail in April after his latest domestic violence case in March. State prison records show he served eight months in 2010 for the 2009 abduction of another woman.

"I am afraid to be alone with him, that he will hurt me for good," Medrano wrote in her latest petition in May. The Columbus Dispatch reported that court officials said Friday that protection order was still in effect. Records show Medrano had reported injuries including a concussion and cuts requiring stitches.

The Dispatch reported that she had earlier told police he once showed her a hole he had dug and said he would put her in it if she didn't stay with him. She also told police Hartless "doesn't like police."

Hartless' neighbor, Connie Long, told reporters Medrano had taken shelter in Long's home March 6 after he attacked her. Long had posted a Facebook warning to the community that "a violent man" was loose after Hartless was released only weeks later.

Disario headed the Kirkersville Police Department for only about three weeks, Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp said. He was the father of six children, with a seventh on the way, the sheriff said.

Authorities say the gunman had taken two passers-by as hostages in a wooded area behind the nursing home. Disario, responding to a report of a man with a gun, said in his last radio communication that he had the man in sight. The hostages escaped unharmed, as did all 23 residents of the nursing home.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich ordered that all flags be flown at half-staff at all public buildings and grounds throughout Licking County and at the Ohio Statehouse through sunset May 16 to honor the lives lost in "senseless acts of violence" in Kirkersville.

Law enforcement officials gather outside the scene of a shooting outside the Pine Kirk nursing home in Kirkersville, Ohio on Friday, May 12, 2017. Authorities say Steven Eric Disario, who headed the Kirkersville Police Department, and two nursing home employees have been killed by a gunman who was later found dead inside the care facility. (Tom Dodge/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

Emergency personnel arrive to the scene of a shooting outside Pine Kirk nursing home in Kirkersville, Ohio on Friday, May 12, 2017. Authorities say Steven Eric Disario, who headed the Kirkersville Police Department, and two nursing home employees have been killed by a gunman who was later found dead inside the care facility. (Doral Chenoweth III/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

CORRECTS BYLINE TO DORAL CHENOWETH III- A person is removed from the Pine Kirk nursing home in Kirkersville, Ohio on Friday, May 12, 2017. Authorities say Steven Eric Disario, who headed the Kirkersville Police Department, and two nursing home employees have been killed by a gunman who was later found dead inside the care facility. (Doral Chenoweth III/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

Emergency personnel arrive to the scene of a shooting outside Pine Kirk nursing home in Kirkersville, Ohio on Friday, May 12, 2017. Authorities say Steven Eric Disario, who headed the Kirkersville Police Department, and two nursing home employees have been killed by a gunman who was later found dead inside the care facility. (Tom Dodge/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)
LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) - Donald Trump, the real estate mogul-turned-president, offered simple words of advice to university graduates Saturday as he urged them to follow their convictions, prepare to face criticism and relish the opportunity to be an "outsider."

"It's the outsiders who change the world," Trump declared in his first commencement address to more than 18,000 graduates of Liberty University, a Christian school whose president was one of Trump's earliest and most outspoken supporters during last year's presidential campaign.

Trump kept to a largely upbeat message during the roughly 30-minute speech, never mentioning his stunning decision this past week to remove James Comey as FBI director. Trump said Comey is a "showboat" and "grandstander" who was fired because he wasn't doing a good job.

President Donald Trump gives the commencement address for the Class of 2017 at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., Saturday, May 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

But the timing of Trump's decision raised questions as he remains frustrated by FBI and congressional investigations into Russia's role in the 2016 presidential campaign that ended with Trump's election, along with possible ties between Trump associates and the Russian government.

Trump said Saturday that he could name a new director by Friday, when he departs on his first foreign trip as president to Saudi Arabia, Israel, Italy and Belgium. Justice Department officials began interviewing candidates in Washington on Saturday.

Drawing parallels to what was widely viewed as a longshot presidential bid by Trump, who had never held elective office before winning the November election, Trump urged the graduates to never stop fighting for what they believe in.

"Remember this: Nothing worth doing ever, ever, ever came easy," he said. Tens of thousands of people packed an on-campus stadium to welcome Trump, the second sitting president to address the university's commencement ceremony, with applause and a standing ovation.

"Following your convictions means you must be willing to face criticism from those who lack the same courage to do what is right, and they know what is right, but they don't have the courage or the guts or the stamina to take it and to do it," said Trump, who did not wear a gown.

Trump advised the graduates to "never quit" and to carry themselves with "dignity and pride."

"Demand the best from yourself and be totally unafraid to challenge entrenched interests and failed power structures," Trump said, in a dig at the Washington political establishment he has vowed to shake up. "Does that sound familiar, by the way?"

Trump also urged graduates to "treat the word 'impossible' as nothing more than motivation" and "relish the opportunity to be an outsider."

"The more that a broken system tells you that you're wrong, the more certain you should be that you must keep pushing ahead," he said. "You must keep pushing forward."

Trump suggested they choose careers they love "or you most likely won't be very successful at it."

Trump won an overwhelming 80 percent of the white evangelical vote during the election, and a recent Pew Research Center survey marking his first 100 days in office - a milestone reached on April 29 - found three-fourths of white evangelicals approved of his performance as president. Just 39 percent of the general public held the same view.

Christian conservatives have been overjoyed by Trump's appointment of Justice Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, along with Trump's choice of socially conservative Cabinet members and other officials.

But they had a mixed response to an executive order on religious liberty Trump signed last week directing the IRS to ease up on enforcing a rarely enforced limit on partisan political activity by churches. Trump also promised "regulatory relief" for those who object on religious grounds to the birth control coverage requirement in the Affordable Care Act health law.

Yet the order did not address one of the most pressing demands from religious conservatives: broad exemptions from recognizing same-sex marriage.

Jerry Falwell Jr., Liberty University's president who endorsed the thrice-married Trump in January 2016 just before that year's Iowa caucuses and became a key campaign surrogate, praised Trump's actions on issue that concern Christian conservatives.

"I really don't think any other president has done more for evangelicals and the faith community in four months than President Trump has," Falwell told The Associated Press in a telephone interview on Friday.

Trump spoke at Liberty University in January 2016, drawing some laughs when he referred to one of the Bible's books as "Two Corinthians" instead of the more common "Second Corinthians." In that speech, Trump promised to "protect Christianity."

He made the same pledge again Saturday.

"As long as I am your president no one is ever going to stop you from practicing your faith or from preaching what's in your heart," said Trump, an occasional church-goer. "We will always stand up for the right of all Americans to pray to God and to follow his teachings."

Trump is scheduled to address graduates of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, on Wednesday.

___

AP Religion Writer Rachel Zoll in New York contributed to this report.

___

Follow Darlene Superville on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap

Coast guard academy on Wednesday

President Donald Trump, center, is presented an Honorary Degree by Ronald E. Hawkins, right, Provost and Chief Academic Officer, before giving the commencement address for the Class of 2017 at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., Saturday, May 13, 2017. Speaking at the podium is Liberty University President Jerry Falwell, left. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Donald Trump gestures as he stands with Liberty University president, Jerry Falwell Jr., right, during commencement ceremonies at the school in Lynchburg, Va., Saturday, May 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

President Donald Trump waves to the crowd after delivering the commencement address at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., Saturday, May 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

President Donald Trump, center, on stage with Liberty University President Jerry Falwell, left, after giving the commencement address for the Class of 2017 at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., Saturday, May 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Liberty University graduates carry banners as they march into the stadium at the start of commencement ceremonies at the school in Lynchburg, Va., Saturday, May 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One during his departure from Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Saturday, May 13, 2017. Trump is traveling to Lynchburg, Va., to give the commence address for the Class of 2017 at Liberty University. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - An Afghan official says at least three civilians have been killed in the capital Kabul after their vehicle was attacked with a sticky bomb.

Najib Danish, deputy spokesman for the interior ministry, said the victims of the Saturday attack are two female government employees from the water supply department and a small child. A sticky bomb is a type of grenade designed to be attached to a vehicle.

Danish says the driver of the vehicle was wounded.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Meanwhile, 10 insurgents including a Talbian-appointed deputy governor and district chief were killed a day earlier in northern Samangan province, Danish said.
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) - Officials in Kosovo say that a prominent journalist and politician has been harshly beaten in the capital Pristina.

Police on Saturday said Arbana Xharra, who recently joined the governing Democratic Party of Kosovo, had been attacked in a street by a group of people the previous evening. The motive for the attack has not been determined.

Photos published by Kosovo media showed Xharra bruised and scratched with torn tights lying on a hospital bed.

After hospital treatment she is reported to be in stable condition, police said.

Police are still investigating though there are still unknown reasons for the attack.

Xharra, who received the International Women of Courage Award from the U.S. State Department in 2015, was known for her in-depth writing on corruption, Islamic extremists and politics.
FATIMA, Portugal (AP) - Pope Francis added two Portuguese shepherd children to the roster of Catholic saints Saturday, honoring young siblings whose reported visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago turned the Portuguese farm town of Fatima into one of the world's most important Catholic shrines.

Francis proclaimed Francisco and Jacinta Marto saints at the start of Mass marking the centenary of their visions. A half-million people watched in the vast square in front of the shrine's basilica, the Vatican said, citing Portuguese authorities. Many had spent days at Fatima in prayer, reciting rosaries before a statue of the Madonna. They clapped as soon as Francis read the proclamation aloud.

"It is amazing. It's like an answer to prayer, because I felt that always they would be canonized," said Agnes Walsh from Killarney, Ireland. She said she prayed to Francisco Marto for 20 years, hoping her four daughters would meet "nice boys like Francisco."

Pope Francis delivers his homily during a mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima Saturday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. The pontiff canonized on Saturday two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

"The four of them have met boys that are just beautiful. I couldn't ask for better, so he has answered all my prayers," she said.

The pontiff left Fatima on Saturday afternoon after a stay of less than 24 hours. From his popemobile he saluted thousands of people lining the streets who cheered, waved flags and shouted "Viva o Papa!"

Francisco and Jacinta, aged 9 and 7, and their 10-year-old cousin, Lucia, reported that on March 13, 1917, the Virgin Mary made the first of a half-dozen appearances to them while they grazed their sheep. They said she confided in them three secrets - foretelling apocalyptic visions of hell, war, communism and the death of a pope - and urged them to pray for peace and a conversion from sin.

At the time, Europe was in the throes of World War I, and the Portuguese church was suffering under anti-clerical laws from the republican government that had forced many bishops and priests into exile.

"Our Lady foretold, and warned us about, a way of life that is godless and indeed profanes God in his creatures," Francis said in his homily. "Such a life, frequently proposed and imposed, risks leading to hell."

He urged Catholics today to use the example of the Marto siblings and draw strength from God, even when adversity strikes. The children had been threatened by local civil authorities with death by boiling oil if they didn't recant their story. But they held fast and eventually the church recognized the apparitions as authentic in 1930.

"We can take as our examples Saint Francisco and Saint Jacinta, whom the Virgin Mary introduced into the immense ocean of God's light and taught to adore him," he said. "That was the source of their strength in overcoming opposition and suffering."

The Martos are now the youngest-ever saints who didn't die as martyrs.

Before the Mass, Francis prayed at the tombs of each of the Fatima visionaries. The Marto siblings died two years after the visions during Europe's Spanish flu pandemic. Lucia is on track for possible beatification, but her process couldn't start until after her 2005 death.

At the end of the Mass, Francis offered a special greeting to the many faithful who flock to Fatima in hopes of healing.

Participating in the offertory procession Saturday were Joao Baptista and his wife, Lucila Yurie, of Brazil. They were with their son, Lucas, whose medically inexplicable healing was the "miracle" needed for the Marto siblings to be declared saints. Lucas and the pope embraced.

The boy, aged 5 at the time, had fallen 6.5 meters (21 feet) from a window in 2013 and suffered severe head trauma. His doctors said he would be severely mentally disabled or in a vegetative state if he even survived. The boy not only survived but has no signs of any after-effects.

"We thank God for Lucas' cure. We know in all faith from our heart that this miracle was obtained with the help of the little shepherd children Francisco and Jacinta," Baptista told reporters earlier.

In 2000, Pope John Paul II beatified the Marto siblings during a Mass at Fatima and used the occasion of the new millennium to reveal the third "secret" that the children reported they had received from the Madonna. The text, written by Lucia, had been kept in a sealed envelope inside the Vatican for decades, with no pope daring to reveal it because of its terrifying contents: a "bishop dressed in white" - the pope - on his knees at the foot of a cross, killed in a hail of bullets and arrows, along with other bishops, priests and various lay Catholics.

The message featured an angel crying out "Penance, penance, penance!"

John Paul II, now St. John Paul, credited the Virgin Mary with saving his life in an assassination attempt in St. Peter's Square on May 13, 1981 - the same date of the first Fatima vision. One of the bullets fired at him rests in the crown of the statue of the Virgin at the Fatima shrine.

The impending canonization of the children had led to speculation that a fourth "secret" remained, but the Vatican says there are no more secrets related to the Fatima revelations.

___

Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal.

Pope Francis prays at the grave site of Jacinta and Francisco Marto at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, Saturday, Friday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. Pope Francis urged Catholics on Friday to "tear down all walls" and spread peace as he traveled to this Portuguese shrine town to canonize two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP)

The statue of the Virgin Mary is shoulder carried by faithful prior to the start of a mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima Saturday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. The pontiff will canonize on Saturday two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

The statue of Our Lady of Fatima is carried in a procession for a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis where he will canonize shepherd children Jacinta and Francisco Marto at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, Saturday, Friday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. Pope Francis urged Catholics on Friday to "tear down all walls" and spread peace as he traveled to this Portuguese shrine town to canonize two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (Paulo Novais/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis hugs Lucas Baptista during a mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima Saturday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. Lucas, whose medically inexplicable healing was the "miracle" needed for the Marto siblings to be declared saints. The boy, aged 5 at the time, had fallen 6.5 meters (21 feet) from a window in 2013 and suffered such severe head trauma that his doctors said he would be severely mentally disabled or in a vegetative state if he even survived. The boy not only survived but has no signs of any after-effects. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Francis celebrates a solemn open-air Mass to canonize Jacinta and Francisco Marto, at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, Saturday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. Pope Francis urged Catholics on Friday to "tear down all walls" and spread peace as he traveled to this Portuguese shrine town to canonize two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Pope Francis prays at the grave site of Jacinta and Francisco Marto at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, Saturday, Friday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. Pope Francis urged Catholics on Friday to "tear down all walls" and spread peace as he traveled to this Portuguese shrine town to canonize two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP)

Faithful gather at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima during a mass celebrated by Pope Francis in Fatima, Portugal, Saturday, May 13, 2017. The pontiff canonized on Saturday two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

The pictures of Jacinta, left, and Francisco Marto, right, are displayed during a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis where they will be canonized at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, Saturday, Friday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. Pope Francis urged Catholics on Friday to "tear down all walls" and spread peace as he traveled to this Portuguese shrine town to canonize two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (Paulo Novais/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis prays at the grave site of Jacinta and Francisco Marto at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, Saturday, Friday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. Pope Francis urged Catholics on Friday to "tear down all walls" and spread peace as he traveled to this Portuguese shrine town to canonize two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis holds up the Gospel Book during an open-air solemn Mass to canonize Jacinta and Francisco Marto, at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, Saturday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. Pope Francis urged Catholics on Friday to "tear down all walls" and spread peace as he traveled to this Portuguese shrine town to canonize two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

The pictures of Jacinta, left, and Francisco Marto, hang on the facade of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, Saturday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. Pope Francis urged Catholics on Friday to "tear down all walls" and spread peace as he traveled to this Portuguese shrine town to canonize two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Pope Francis exchanges his skull cap with a child at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, Saturday, Friday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. Pope Francis urged Catholics on Friday to "tear down all walls" and spread peace as he traveled to this Portuguese shrine town to canonize two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (Paulo Cunha/Pool Photo via AP)

A nun takes images during an open-air solemn Mass by Pope Francis to canonize Jacinta and Francisco Marto, at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, Saturday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. Pope Francis urged Catholics on Friday to "tear down all walls" and spread peace as he traveled to this Portuguese shrine town to canonize two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

The pictures of Jacinta, left, and Francisco Marto, hang on the facade of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, Saturday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. Pope Francis urged Catholics on Friday to "tear down all walls" and spread peace as he traveled to this Portuguese shrine town to canonize two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

The statue of the Virgin Mary is carried on procession by faithful prior to he start of a mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima Saturday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. Pope Francis will canonize on Saturday two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

The statue of the Virgin Mary is carried on procession by faithful prior to he start of a mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima Saturday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. Pope Francis will canonize on Saturday two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Francis delivers his homily during a mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima Saturday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. The pontiff canonized on Saturday two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Francis delivers his homily during a mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima Saturday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. The pontiff canonized on Saturday two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Francis, center, celebrates a mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima Saturday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. The pontiff will canonize on Saturday two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Pope Francis, right, arrives to celebrate a Mass where he will canonize shepherd children Jacinta and Francisco Marto at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, Saturday, Friday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. Pope Francis urged Catholics on Friday to "tear down all walls" and spread peace as he traveled to this Portuguese shrine town to canonize two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (Paulo Cunha/Pool Photo via AP)

The statue of Our Lady of Fatima is carried in a procession for a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis where he will canonize shepherd children Jacinta and Francisco Marto at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, Saturday, Friday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. Pope Francis urged Catholics on Friday to "tear down all walls" and spread peace as he traveled to this Portuguese shrine town to canonize two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (Paulo Novais/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis celebrates a mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima Saturday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. The pontiff will canonize on Saturday two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Francis in his popemobile leaves at the end of a Mass where he canonized shepherd children Jacinta and Francisco Marto at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, Saturday, Friday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. Pope Francis urged Catholics on Friday to "tear down all walls" and spread peace as he traveled to this Portuguese shrine town to canonize two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (Paulo Novais/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis prays at the grave site of shepherd children Jacinta and Francisco Marto at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, Saturday, Friday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. Pope Francis urged Catholics on Friday to "tear down all walls" and spread peace as he traveled to this Portuguese shrine town to canonize two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (Paulo Cunha/Pool Photo via AP)

The statue of the Virgin Mary is shoulder carried by faithful prior to the start of a mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima Saturday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. The pontiff will canonize on Saturday two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Pope Francis prays at the grave site of shepherd children Jacinta and Francisco Marto at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, Saturday, Friday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. Pope Francis urged Catholics on Friday to "tear down all walls" and spread peace as he traveled to this Portuguese shrine town to canonize two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (Paulo Cunha/Pool Photo via AP)

The statue of the Virgin Mary is shoulder carried by faithful prior to the start of a mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima Saturday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. The pontiff will canonize on Saturday two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Pope Francis hugs Lucas Baptista during a mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima Saturday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. Lucas, whose medically inexplicable healing was the "miracle" needed for the Marto siblings to be declared saints. The boy, aged 5 at the time, had fallen 6.5 meters (21 feet) from a window in 2013 and suffered such severe head trauma that his doctors said he would be severely mentally disabled or in a vegetative state if he even survived. The boy not only survived but has no signs of any after-effects. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Francis leaves in his popemobile at the end of a Mass where he canonized Jacinta and Francisco Marto at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, Saturday, Friday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. Pope Francis urged Catholics on Friday to "tear down all walls" and spread peace as he traveled to this Portuguese shrine town to canonize two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP)

A pilgrim holds a rosary celebrating the 100th anniversary of the so-called apparitions of Fatima during a mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima Saturday, May 13 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. Pope Francis canonized on Saturday two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Pope Francis is embraced by little Lucas Baptista whose medically inexplicable healing was the "miracle" needed for the Marto siblings to be declared saints, during a Mass where he canonized Jacinta and Francisco Marto at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, Saturday, Friday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. Pope Francis urged Catholics on Friday to "tear down all walls" and spread peace as he traveled to this Portuguese shrine town to canonize two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP)
SRINAGAR, India (AP) - Indian and Pakistani troops traded fire in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir on Saturday, killing two civilians and wounding six others, officials said.

Indian army spokesman Lt. Col. Manish Mehta said Pakistani soldiers started shelling and firing at Indian military posts in the morning in the Nowshera sector along the highly militarized Line of Control that divides the region between India and Pakistan. He said that Indian troops returned fire and that the gunbattle was still ongoing Saturday afternoon.

Pakistan's army denied that it initiated the clash and instead blamed Indian soldiers for firing and shelling in at least seven sectors in violation of a 2003 cease-fire. It said three Pakistani civilians were wounded in the violence.

Smoke rises from a mortar shell fired from the Pakistan side of the border in a civilian area at Bhawani village at Nowshera sector, along the highly militarized Line of Control that divides the region between India and Pakistan, Saturday, May 13, 2017. Indian and Pakistani troops traded fire in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir on Saturday, killing two civilians and wounding six others, officials said. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)

The nuclear-armed archrivals routinely accuse each other of initiating border clashes.

Shahid Iqbal, the civilian administrator in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir, said two civilians on the Indian side were killed - a 13-year-old girl and a 51-year-old man - and three others were wounded.

Iqbal said that more than 1,500 people in about 15 villages were still trapped in their homes, which were in the direct line of fire.

Earlier this month, India accused Pakistani soldiers of killing two Indian soldiers and mutilating their bodies, an allegation Islamabad denied.

Last year, Indian and Pakistani soldiers engaged in some of the worst fighting along the Line of Control since the two nations agreed to the cease-fire accord.

India and Pakistan have a long history of bitter relations over Kashmir, a territory claimed by both. They have fought two of their three wars over the region since they gained independence from British colonial rule in 1947.

___

Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.

Indians evacuated from their village following cross-border shelling, arrive at a relief camp set up at a government school at Nowshera sector, along the highly militarized Line of Control that divides the region between India and Pakistan, Saturday, May 13, 2017. Indian and Pakistani troops traded fire in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir on Saturday, killing two civilians and wounding six others, officials said. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)

An Indian evacuated from her village arrives at a government school at Nowshera sector, along the highly militarized Line of Control that divides the region between India and Pakistan, Saturday, May 13, 2017. Indian and Pakistani troops traded fire in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir on Saturday, killing two civilians and wounding six others, officials said. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)

Indian school boys walk home as smoke rises from a mortar shell fired from the Pakistan side of the border in a civilian area at Bhawani village at Nowshera sector, along the highly militarized Line of Control that divides the region between India and Pakistan, Saturday, May.13,2017. Indian and Pakistani troops traded fire in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir on Saturday, killing two civilians and wounding six others, officials said. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)

Indians evacuated from their village following cross-border shelling, arrive at a relief camp set up at a government school at Nowshera sector, along the highly militarized Line of Control that divides the region between India and Pakistan, Saturday, May 13, 2017. Indian and Pakistani troops traded fire in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir on Saturday, killing two civilians and wounding six others, officials said. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump is considering more than a dozen candidates to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey, choosing from a group that includes several lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials.

White House officials said Friday the president was moving expeditiously to find an interim FBI director along with a permanent replacement for Comey, who was fired Tuesday.

Eight candidates had interviews Saturday: Texas Sen. John Cornyn; acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe; attorney Alice Fisher; New York Court of Appeals Judge Michael Garcia; Adam Lee, head of the bureau's office in Richmond, Virginia; federal judge Henry E. Hudson of Virginia; former homeland security adviser Frances Townsend; and former Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers.

FILE - In this March 21, 2017, file photo, Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. President Donald Trump is considering nearly a dozen candidates to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey, choosing from a group that includes several lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

The overall list includes South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy and former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, according to two White House officials briefed on the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning.

The candidates under consideration as a permanent replacement for Comey:

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SEN. JOHN CORNYN

Cornyn is the No. 2 Senate Republican and a former Texas attorney general and state Supreme Court justice. He has been a member of the Senate GOP leadership team for a decade and serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee. In the aftermath of Comey's dismissal, Cornyn said Trump was "within his authority" to fire him and said it would not affect the investigation of possible Russian ties to Trump's presidential campaign.

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REP. TREY GOWDY

The South Carolina Republican is best known for leading the congressional inquiry into the deadly attacks on a U.S. facility in Benghazi, Libya, a panel that oversaw a lengthy grilling of Hillary Clinton in 2015. A former federal prosecutor and state attorney, Gowdy was elected to Congress in the 2010 tea party wave and has focused on law enforcement issues. He originally endorsed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for president before backing Trump in May 2016.

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FORMER REP. MIKE ROGERS

Rogers is the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He served Michigan in Congress for more than a decade before stepping down in 2015. Rogers worked for the FBI as a special agent based in Chicago in the 1990s and briefly advised Trump's transition team on national security issues. His name was floated as a possible replacement for then-FBI Director Robert Mueller in 2013, and he received support from an association of FBI agents before President Barack Obama chose Comey.

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RAY KELLY

Kelly was commissioner of the New York City Police Department for more than a decade, serving two mayors. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, he created the first counterterrorism bureau of any municipal police department and oversaw a drastic reduction in crime. But Kelly also came under fire for his use of aggressive police tactics, including a program that spied on Muslims and a dramatic spike in the use of stop-and-frisk, which disproportionately affected nonwhite New Yorkers.

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J. MICHAEL LUTTIG

Luttig, the general counsel for Boeing Corp., is viewed as a conservative legal powerhouse from his tenure as a judge on the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals and his time as a Justice Department lawyer. He was considered for two U.S. Supreme Court vacancies that went to Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. Luttig clashed with the George W. Bush White House on a prominent terror case, rebuking the administration for its actions in the case involving "enemy combatant" Jose Padilla.

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LARRY THOMPSON

A deputy attorney general under President George W. Bush, Thompson served as the department's No. 2 from 2001 to 2003. Among his most high-profile actions was allowing Syrian-born Canadian citizen Maher Arar to be deported to Syria, where he was tortured, after being falsely named as a terrorist. Thompson also served as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia and held several high-level positions at PepsiCo.

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PAUL ABBATE

Abbate is a senior official at the FBI, currently responsible for the bureau's criminal and cyber branch. He previously led FBI field offices in Washington, one of the agency's largest, and in Detroit. He's been deeply involved for years in FBI efforts to fight terrorism, serving in supervisory roles in Iraq and Afghanistan and later overseeing FBI international terrorism investigations as a section chief. He's been with the FBI for more than 20 years, and is one of the FBI officials who interviewed this week for the role of interim director.

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ALICE FISHER

Currently a partner at the law firm Latham & Watkins specializing in white-collar criminal and internal investigations, Fisher formerly served as assistant attorney general for the Criminal Division of the Justice Department. Fisher faced resistance from Democrats during her confirmation over her alleged participation in discussions about policies at the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. She also served as deputy special counsel to the Senate special committee that investigated President Bill Clinton's Whitewater scandal. If selected, she would be the bureau's first female director.

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ANDREW MCCABE

A Duke-educated lawyer, McCabe was named last year as the FBI's deputy director, the No. 2 position in the bureau, overseeing significant investigations and operations. Since joining the FBI more than 20 years ago, he's held multiple leadership positions, including overseeing the FBI's national security branch and its Washington field office. McCabe became acting director after Comey was fired, but has shown a repeated willingness to break from White House explanations of the ouster and its characterizations of the Russia investigation.

__

MICHAEL GARCIA

A former New York prosecutor, Garcia has served as an associate judge on the New York Court of Appeals - the state's highest court - since early 2016. He served as the U.S. attorney in Manhattan from 2005 to 2008, and previously held high-level positions in the Commerce Department, the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security.

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JOHN SUTHERS

A former U.S. attorney and Colorado attorney general, Suthers was elected mayor of Colorado Springs in 2015. He is widely respected among state law enforcement and many Colorado Democrats. Suthers was inspired to become a prosecutor after he spent part of an internship in the Colorado Springs district attorney's office watching the trial of a gang of soldiers convicted of killing various citizens, including actor Kelsey Grammer's sister, during a crime spree in the 1970s.

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ADAM LEE

Lee, a longtime agent, is special agent in charge of the FBI's Richmond office. He worked in a variety of positions within the bureau. Before Comey tapped him to lead the Richmond office in 2014, he was section chief of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section, investigating some of the highest profile cases against government officials and civil rights violations in recent years. He also led the FBI's global Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Antitrust Programs.

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HENRY E. HUDSON

Hudson is a federal judge in Richmond who earned praise from conservatives when he struck down the centerpiece of the Obama administration's health care law in 2010. He is a George W. Bush appointee who earned the nickname "Hang 'Em High Henry" for his tough-on-crime stand as a federal prosecutor and on the bench. He became a hero to animal rights activists when he sentenced NFL star Michael Vick to nearly two years in prison in 2007 for running a dogfighting ring.

__

FRANCES TOWNSEND

Townsend was homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to President George W. Bush after a series of high-profile Justice Department jobs.

Among other roles, Townsend is a national security analyst for CBS News. She worked as a federal prosecutor in New York under then-U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani, focusing on white-collar and organized crime. At the Justice Department, she worked in a variety of jobs including leading the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review, which helped oversee intelligence-gathering activities related to the nation's top secret surveillance court.

___

Associated Press writers Sadie Gurman and Eric Tucker in Washington and Nick Riccardi in Denver contributed to this report.

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On Twitter follow Colvin at https://twitter.com/colvinj and Thomas at https://twitter.com/KThomasDC

FILE - In this March 20, 2017, file photo, House Intelligence Committee member Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., questions then-FBI Director James Comey and National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers as they testify on Capitol Hill in Washington. President Donald Trump is considering nearly a dozen candidates to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey, choosing from a group that includes several lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials.(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 18, 2014 file photo, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., questions witnesses during a full committee hearing on the threat posed by Islamic extremists, on Capitol Hill in Washington. President Donald Trump is considering nearly a dozen candidates to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey, choosing from a group that includes several lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials.AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

FILE - In this April 26, 2013, file photo, Raymond Kelly speaks to the media opposite 51 Park Place in New York. President Donald Trump is considering nearly a dozen candidates to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey, choosing from a group that includes several lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials. (AP Photo/Louis Lanzano)

FILE - In this March 15, 2017, file photo, assistant FBI director Paul Abbate, speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington. President Donald Trump is considering nearly a dozen candidates to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey, choosing from a group that includes several lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 3, 2006, file photo, then-Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division Alice Fisher briefs reporters at the Justice Department in Washington. President Donald Trump is considering nearly a dozen candidates to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey, choosing from a group that includes several lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe listens on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, May 11, 2017, while testifying before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on major threats facing the U.S. President Donald Trump is considering nearly a dozen candidates to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey, choosing from a group that includes several lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

FILE - In this June 1, 2016, file photo, New York Court of Appeals Associate Judge Michael J, Garcia, listen to oral arguments on whether criminal defendants should be allowed to use allegations made in civil rights lawsuits against police witnesses to question their credibility during cross-examination at the Court of Appeals in Albany, N.Y. President Donald Trump is considering nearly a dozen candidates to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey, choosing from a group that includes several lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 29, 2015, file photo, Colorado Springs, Colo., Mayor John Suthers talks to a reporter as police investigators gather evidence near the scene of Friday's shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic. President Donald Trump is considering nearly a dozen candidates to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey, choosing from a group that includes several lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
CONSTANTA, Romania (AP) - A funeral service is underway for a Romanian tourist thrown into the Thames when an extremist plowed into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge.

Andreea Cristea, 31, was knocked into the river when Khalid Masood drove his rented SUV into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on March 22 and died two weeks later. Her boyfriend, Andrei Burnaz, suffered a broken foot. Masood rushed on to the grounds of Parliament, where he fatally stabbed a policeman before being shot to death by another officer.

Dozens of mourners attended the service at the St. Mary's church Saturday near the dockyards in the city in Constanta in eastern Romania, near the sea that she loved.
BEIJING (AP) - A top North Korean diplomat said that Pyongyang would be willing to meet with the Trump administration for negotiations "if the conditions are set."

Choe Son Hui, director general for North American Affairs at the Foreign Ministry, spoke briefly to reporters in Beijing on Saturday en route to Pyongyang. She was traveling from Norway, where she led a delegation that held an informal meeting with former U.S. officials and scholars.

Choe did not elaborate on what the North's conditions are, but her comments raise the possibility of North Korea and the U.S. returning to negotiations for the first time since 2008, when six-nation talks over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program fell apart.

CORRECTS SPELLING OF DIPLOMAT'S NAME - Choe Son Hui, left, the top North Korean diplomat who handles relations with the U.S., walks prior to her departure for Pyongyang, North Korea, at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing Saturday, May 13, 2017. Choe said Pyongyang would be willing to meet with the Trump administration for negotiations "if the conditions are set," briefly to reporters en route to Pyongyang. She was traveling from Norway, where she led a delegation that held an informal meeting with U.S. experts. (Kyodo News via AP)

President Donald Trump opened the door this month to talks, saying he would be "honored" to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Tensions have mounted in recent months after the Trump administration said it would keep "all options on the table" to halt North Korea's nuclear weapons program, including a military strike. The North responded by pledging to retaliate with a devastating nuclear counterattack, a threat it has made in the past.

In recent weeks, North Korea has arrested two American university instructors and laid out what it claimed to be a CIA-backed plot to assassinate Kim. Choe did not address the matter of the detained Americans on Saturday.

In Norway, Choe met with former U.S. officials and scholars for what are known as "track 2" talks. The talks, which cover a range of nuclear, security and bilateral issues, are held intermittently, and are an informal opportunity for the two sides to exchange opinions and concerns.

___

This story corrects spelling of official's name.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on the Trump administration's search for a new FBI director (all times local):

8:15 p.m.

President Donald Trump says "a fast decision" might be made on selecting a new FBI director, possibly by late next week.

FILE - In this Sept. 18, 2014 file photo, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., questions witnesses during a full committee hearing on the threat posed by Islamic extremists, on Capitol Hill in Washington. President Donald Trump is considering nearly a dozen candidates to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey, choosing from a group that includes several lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials.AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Trump leaves Friday for his first foreign trip as president. He tells reporters that it's possible an announcement on James Comey's replacement could come before then.

Several candidates for the job have been interviewed Saturday at Justice Department headquarters in Washington. The interviews are being conducted by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein.

Among those being interviewed are Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and a federal judge from Virginia, Henry E. Hudson. Another candidate is the head of the FBI's office in Richmond, Virginia, Adam Lee.

The acting FBI director, Andrew McCabe, and former Michigan congressman Mike Rogers also have interviewed for the position.

___

6:35 p.m.

A former homeland security and counterterrorism adviser is scheduled to interview for FBI director.

Frances Townsend worked in the administration of President George W. Bush.

Townsend is the seventh person to interview for the job with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein.

President Donald Trump is looking for a replacement after he abruptly fired James Comey on Tuesday.

Among other roles, Townsend is a national security analyst for CBS News. She worked under then-U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani as a federal prosecutor in New York and worked in the Justice Department in a variety of positions.

Among her jobs at the Justice Department, she led the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review. It helped oversee intelligence-gathering activities related to the nation's top secret surveillance court.

___

5:10 p.m.

An association of FBI agents says it supports a former Michigan congressman and ex-FBI agent, Mike Rogers, for FBI director.

The FBI Agents Association is urging President Donald Trump to nominate Rogers for the bureau's top job. Trump fired James Comey from the position on Tuesday.

At least six candidates are slated to interview at the Justice Department on Saturday. Rogers isn't among them, but he is on a list of more than a dozen people the president is considering.

The agents association says Rogers' experience makes him the best candidate.

Rogers worked for the FBI as a special agent based in Chicago in the 1990s and briefly advised Trump's transition team on national security issues. His name was floated as a possible replacement for Director Robert Mueller in 2013.

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4:35 p.m.

A former New York prosecutor who is serving as a judge on New York's appeals court is interviewing for FBI director.

Michael Garcia is speaking to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein. He is one of at least six candidates slated to interview Saturday at Justice Department headquarters in Washington.

President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday.

Garcia sits on the New York Court of Appeals, the state's highest court. He served as the U.S. attorney in Manhattan from 2005 to 2008, and previously held high-level positions in the Commerce Department, the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security.

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4:10 p.m.

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas is interviewing for FBI director.

Cornyn is speaking with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, at Justice Department headquarters in Washington.

The No. 2 Republican leader in the Senate, Cornyn is one of at least six people slated to interview for the position. He is a former Texas attorney general and state Supreme Court justice. He has been a member of the Senate GOP leadership team for a decade and serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday. Cornyn said at the time that Trump was "within his authority" to fire Comey and that it would not affect the investigation of possible Russian ties to Trump's presidential campaign.

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3:40 p.m.

A federal judge from Virginia is another candidate for FBI director.

A person familiar with the process says U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson is among at least six candidates set to interview Saturday at the Justice Department. The person was not authorized to discuss the process and did so on condition of anonymity.

Hudson in 2010 declared the foundation of Obamacare unconstitutional when he ruled that the government cannot require Americans to purchase insurance.

He earned the nickname "Hang 'Em High Henry" for his tough-on-crime stand as a former federal prosecutor and on the bench. In 2007, Hudson sentenced NFL star Michael Vick to nearly two years in prison for running a dogfighting ring, rejecting his plea for leniency.

Hudson was appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush.

- Contributed by Sadie Gurman

___

3:30 p.m.

Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe has interviewed for the permanent position.

McCabe arrived at the Justice Department in a motorcade Saturday afternoon. He is one of at least five people expected to interview for with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, on Saturday.

He is standing in for ousted director James Comey, who was fired by President Donald Trump this past week. But he has shown a repeated willingness to break from White House explanations of the dismissal and its characterizations of the Russia investigation.

McCabe joined the FBI more than 20 years ago. He's held multiple leadership positions, including overseeing the FBI's national security branch and its Washington field office.

More than a dozen candidates are under consideration for the job.

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1:30 p.m.

The head of the FBI's Richmond, Virginia, office is interviewing for FBI director.

Special Agent in Charge Adam Lee arrived at the Justice Department Saturday afternoon. He's one of at least five people expected to interview for the post with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, on Saturday.

President Donald Trump is considering at least a dozen people to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey. Trump fired Comey on Tuesday.

Lee served as section chief of the bureau's Public Corruption and Civil Rights section. There, he led investigations of government officials and civil rights violations. He's held a number of other positions with the agency.

Saturday's list also includes Michael J. Garcia, an associate judge on New York's highest court, and GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas.

___

9:40 a.m.

President Donald Trump says he could name a new FBI director by late next week, before he departs on his first foreign trip.

Trump spoke with reporters traveling with him on his way to give a commencement address at a Virginia college. The president was asked whether he could announce an FBI candidate by Friday - when that trip abroad is set to begin.

Trump says "even that is possible."

Justice Department officials began interviewing candidates on Saturday to replace fired FBI Director James Comey.

The job requires Senate confirmation.

Trump fired Comey on Tuesday amid the FBI's investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 presidential election, as well as possible ties between Trump associates and the Russian government.

___

9:25 a.m.

The first candidate to interview for FBI director has left the Justice Department after about 90 minutes.

White-collar defense attorney Alice Fisher interviewed with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein.

Three other people are expected to interview on Saturday afternoon.

They are acting FBI director Andrew McCabe, Michael J. Garcia, an associate judge on New York's highest court, and GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Senate leader and a former state attorney general.

That's according to two people familiar with the search process who weren't authorized to publicly discuss the deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity.

They are among nearly a dozen candidates President Donald Trump is considering to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey. Trump fired Comey this past week.

Fisher was assistant attorney general for the department's criminal division under President George W. Bush.

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8:35 a.m.

White-collar defense attorney Alice Fisher has arrived at the Justice Department to interview for FBI director.

Fisher - assistant attorney general for the department's criminal division under President George W. Bush - was seen entering the department's headquarters on Saturday morning.

She's one of nearly a dozen candidates President Donald Trump is considering to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey. Trump fired Comey this past week.

Three other people are expected to interview Saturday with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein.

Fisher faced resistance from Democrats during her confirmation for the Justice job over her alleged participation in discussions about detention policies at the Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba.

The FBI has never had a female director.

___

7:55 a.m.

Four candidates to be FBI director are in line for the first interviews with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, at Justice Department headquarters.

The Trump administration is looking to fill the job after President Donald Trump fired Director James Comey this week.

Among those expected to be coming in Saturday are acting FBI director Andrew McCabe and Alice Fisher, a top Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration.

That's according to two people familiar with the search process who weren't authorized to publicly discuss the deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Saturday's list includes Michael J. Garcia, an associate judge on New York's highest court, and GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Senate leader and a former state attorney general.

Former U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia arrives to the U.S. Department of Justice on Saturday, May 13, 2017. Garcia is one of nearly a dozen candidates President Donald Trump is considering to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey. Garcia is expected to interview Saturday with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

FILE - In this March 21, 2017, file photo, Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. President Donald Trump is considering nearly a dozen candidates to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey, choosing from a group that includes several lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

Special Agent in Charge Adam Lee of the FBI's Richmond, Virginia office, leaves the U.S. Department of Justice on Saturday, May 13, 2017. Lee is one of nearly a dozen candidates President Donald Trump is considering to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey. Trump fired Comey this week. Others are expected to interview Saturday with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One during his departure from Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Saturday, May 13, 2017. Trump is traveling to Lynchburg, Va., to give the commence address for the Class of 2017 at Liberty University. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Attorney Alice Fisher arrives at the U.S. Department of Justice on Saturday, May 13, 2017. Fisher is one of nearly a dozen candidates President Donald Trump is considering to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey. Trump fired Comey this week. Three other people are expected to interview Saturday with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
NEW YORK (AP) - Katz's Delicatessen has been urging customers to "send a salami to your boy in the Army" for generations. Now, the New York City restaurant, where everyone's favorite scene from "When Harry Met Sally" was shot, is expanding its shipping capacity so it can send perishable delicacies like pastrami and corned beef around the globe.

The plan to offer a taste of authentic, old New York by mail is part of an ongoing effort by Katz's young owner to modernize a business that hasn't changed much since it was founded on Manhattan's Lower East Side in 1888.

"I can't necessarily replicate the entire experience for you, wherever you are at home," said Jake Dell, 29. "But I can give you the food. I can bring it a little bit closer to you."

Orders are ready to go out at Katz's Delicatessen in New York, Thursday, May 11, 2017. The famed New York City restaurant that made a name for itself during World War II with the slogan "send a salami to your boy in the Army," is launching an expanded global delivery business that will allow people to ship its cured meats around the world. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

A granddaddy of New York City's vanishing Jewish delis, Katz's has become a draw in recent years for tourists looking for bits of the old, immigrant experience in a gentrifying neighborhood where gleaming condo towers are replacing old tenements.

And unlike some New York City eateries packed with tourists, it is as popular with foodies as it is with the masses of out-of-towners.

Visitors and locals filled the 300-seat restaurant Thursday, polishing off 6-inch (15.24-centimeter) high sandwiches under the gaze of the celebrities whose photos line the walls. Waiters threaded their way through the packed dining room amid the clatter of tables being cleared. A sign hanging from the ceiling indicated the spot where Meg Ryan was sitting when she acted out a fake orgasm in the 1989 film about Harry and Sally.

Dell represents the third generation of his family to run Katz's. He celebrated his bar mitzvah there. And as owner, he's balancing tradition with some gentle changes.

A new 30,000 square-foot (2,787.07 square meters) shipping facility in Hackensack, New Jersey, will open sometime in the next year. Katz's is also opening a takeout-only outpost in Brooklyn's new DeKalb Market Hall next month. Katz's, lucky to own its building in a city where rent increases have a habit of putting even iconic spots out of business, also recently gave itself a financial cushion by selling off adjoining properties and air rights to a condominium developer.

"We're looking at ways of connecting to people that want this food," Dell said. "There's really no limit to the amount of pastramis I can send to people."

Katz's began encouraging customers to "Send a Salami to Your Boy in the Army" during World War II and the business still ships salami overseas. But cured meats that require refrigeration are shipped only within the United States. A triple classic sandwich combo includes a pound each of sliced brisket, pastrami and corned beef, a loaf of rye bread, 1 pound (0.45 kilogram) of mustard and 2 quarts (1.89 liters) of pickles.

Dell isn't sure exactly when the expanded delivery service will start or which countries he'll market to first.

"Canada seems to be the easiest first step," he said. "South America has a strong passion for cured meats. The UK and Australia have been clawing out to us and just craving this food. But it's difficult and navigating those customs waters has been an eye-opening experience. I hope to get there soon."

Customers leaving the restaurant said they'd be in favor of global expansion.

"The food is delicious. Why not let everybody enjoy it?" said Christine McGee, of Indianapolis.

"Each time I'm in New York I have to visit at least once," said Yaakov Sabbagh, of Jerusalem.

Would he order the food from home?"

"If it comes to Israel, yes, definitely," he said.

Orders are ready to go out at Katz's Delicatessen in New York, Thursday, May 11, 2017. The famed New York City restaurant that made a name for itself during World War II with the slogan "send a salami to your boy in the Army," is launching an expanded global delivery business that will allow people to ship its cured meats around the world. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Diners enjoy eating at Katz's Delicatessen in New York, Thursday, May 11, 2017. The famed New York City restaurant that made a name for itself during World War II with the slogan "send a salami to your boy in the Army," is launching an expanded global delivery business that will allow people to ship its cured meats around the world. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Diners enjoy eating at Katz's Delicatessen in New York, Thursday, May 11, 2017. The famed New York City restaurant that made a name for itself during World War II with the slogan "send a salami to your boy in the Army," is launching an expanded global delivery business that will allow people to ship its cured meats around the world. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Diners enjoy eating at Katz's Delicatessen in New York, Thursday, May 11, 2017. The famed New York City restaurant that made a name for itself during World War II with the slogan "send a salami to your boy in the Army," is launching an expanded global delivery business that will allow people to ship its cured meats around the world. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

A man carves pastrami at Katz's Delicatessen in New York, Thursday, May 11, 2017. The famed New York City restaurant that made a name for itself during World War II with the slogan "send a salami to your boy in the Army," is launching an expanded global delivery business that will allow people to ship its cured meats around the world. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

A waiter carries orders at Katz's Delicatessen in New York, Thursday, May 11, 2017. The famed New York City restaurant that made a name for itself during World War II with the slogan "send a salami to your boy in the Army," is launching an expanded global delivery business that will allow people to ship its cured meats around the world. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Nico Cook, 1, from Miami, Florida gets some help from his parents while eating at Katz's Delicatessen in New York, Thursday, May 11, 2017. The famed New York City restaurant that made a name for itself during World War II with the slogan "send a salami to your boy in the Army," is launching an expanded global delivery business that will allow people to ship its cured meats around the world. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

A sign advertising mail delivery is displayed at Katz's Delicatessen in New York, Thursday, May 11, 2017. The famed New York City restaurant that made a name for itself during World War II with the slogan "send a salami to your boy in the Army," is launching an expanded global delivery business that will allow people to ship its cured meats around the world. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump said Saturday that "we can make a fast decision" on a new FBI director, possibly by late next week, before he leaves on his first foreign trip since taking office.

"Even that is possible," Trump told reporters when asked whether he could announce his nominee by Friday, when he is scheduled to leave for the Mideast and Europe.

Eight candidates to be the bureau's director were in line Saturday for the first interviews with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, at Justice Department headquarters. They are among more than a dozen candidates Trump is considering, a group that includes several lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials.

President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media aboard Air Force One before his departure from Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Saturday, May 13, 2017. Trump is traveling to Lynchburg, Va., to give the commence address for the Class of 2017 at Liberty University. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

"I think the process is going to go quickly. Almost all of them are very well-known," Trump said aboard the plane that took him to Lynchburg, Virginia, where he gave the commencement address at Liberty University. "They've been vetted over their lifetime essentially, but very well-known, highly respected, really talented people. And that's what we want for the FBI."

The Trump administration is looking to fill the job, which requires Senate confirmation, after Trump abruptly fired Director James Comey on Tuesday.

The first candidate to arrive was Alice Fisher, a high-ranking Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration.

Among those interviewed was Adam Lee, special agent in charge of the FBI's Richmond, Virginia, office. Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe also interviewed for the permanent post despite his repeated willingness to break from White House explanations of Comey's ouster and its characterizations of the Russia investigation.

Also interviewed Saturday were Michael J. Garcia, a former prosecutor and associate judge on New York's highest court; GOP Sen. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Senate leader and a former Texas attorney general; and U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson, a George W. Bush appointee who struck down the centerpiece of the Obama administration's health care law in 2010.

Frances Townsend, former homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to President George W. Bush, and former Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers also met with Justice officials.

Rogers came endorsed by the FBI Agents Association, which said his diverse background makes him the best choice for the job. He is the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee who also worked as an FBI special agent based in Chicago in the 1990s.

Fisher and Townsend were the only women on the list of candidates. The FBI has never had a female director. Each has worked in high-profile positions in the Justice Department.

Fisher formerly served as assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Criminal Division. She faced resistance from Democrats during her confirmation over her alleged participation in discussions about detention policies at the Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba.

Among other roles, Townsend led the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review, which at the time handled requests for government surveillance warrants in terrorism and espionage cases.

Sessions has faced questions over whether his involvement in Comey's firing violates his pledge to recuse himself from investigations into Russian interference in the election. Some lawmakers have alleged the firing was an effort to stifle that FBI probe.

Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said Sessions and Rosenstein are involved in the interviews because the FBI director reports to them as attorney general and deputy attorney general. They can make recommendations, but the president will ultimately make the hiring decision.

___

Superville reported from Lynchburg, Virginia.

President Donald Trump gestures after speaking to members of the media aboard Air Force One before his departure from Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Saturday, May 13, 2017. Trump is traveling to Lynchburg, Va., to give the commence address for the Class of 2017 at Liberty University. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Special Agent in Charge Adam Lee of the FBI's Richmond, Virginia office, leaves the U.S. Department of Justice on Saturday, May 13, 2017. Lee is one of nearly a dozen candidates President Donald Trump is considering to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey. Trump fired Comey this week. Others are expected to interview Saturday with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

FILE - In this Jan. 3, 2006, file photo, then-Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division Alice Fisher briefs reporters at the Justice Department in Washington. President Donald Trump is considering nearly a dozen candidates to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey, choosing from a group that includes several lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Attorney Alice Fisher arrives at the U.S. Department of Justice on Saturday, May 13, 2017. Fisher is one of nearly a dozen candidates President Donald Trump is considering to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey. Trump fired Comey this week. Three other people are expected to interview Saturday with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Former FBI Director James Comey leaves his home in McLean, Va., Saturday, May 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Sait Serkan Gurbuz)

Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe listens on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, May 11, 2017, while testifying before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on major threats facing the U.S. President Donald Trump is considering nearly a dozen candidates to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey, choosing from a group that includes several lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
JERUSALEM (AP) - An Israeli police officer shot dead a Jordanian attacker who stabbed him in the Old City of Jerusalem on Saturday, police said, in a rare incident that sparked tension between the two countries.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the attacker quickly pulled a knife and stabbed the officer several times, moderately wounding him. Samri said the officer responded by opening fire and killing his attacker, a 57-year-old man from Jordan who arrived several days earlier on a tourist visa. Closed circuit footage released by police shows a bald man in a jacket lunging at the uniformed officer and swiping a knife at him before pinning him to the ground.

Jordanian government spokesman Mohammed Momani said Jordan holds Israel responsible for the killing of its citizen and denounced the "crime."

The Israeli government called the Jordanian reaction "outrageous."

"It's time for Jordan to stop playing this double game," the prime minister's office said in a statement. "Just as Israel condemns terror attacks in Jordan, Jordan must condemn terror attacks in Israel. Terror is terror wherever it is."

The incident marked a rare instance of a foreign national involved in the spate of attacks targeting Israel over the past two years.

Since 2015, Palestinian attackers have killed 42 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British student, mainly in stabbing assaults. During that same time, Israeli forces have killed some 245 Palestinians. Israel has identified most of them as attackers.

Israel has blamed the violence on incitement by Palestinian political and religious leaders compounded on social media sites. The Palestinians say it is rooted in nearly 50 years of military occupation and dwindling hopes for independence.

The attacks have diminished over time and Israeli police say the most recent attacks have not been ideological by nature and have mostly been carried out by Palestinians plagued by personal or mental health issues.
WASHINGTON (AP) - One of Neil Gorsuch's sharpest dissents as an appeals court judge came just six months before he was nominated for the Supreme Court.

That's when he sided with a New Mexico seventh-grader who was handcuffed and arrested after his teacher said the student had disrupted gym class with fake burps.

Nearly a year later, Gorsuch sits on the nation's highest court and the boy's mother is asking the justices to take up her appeal. She's using Gorsuch's words to argue that she has a right to sue the officer who arrested her son.

File - In this March 20, 2017 file photo, Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch listens to opening statements on Capitol Hill in Washington, during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. His earlier dissent as an appeals court judge in a case involving a New Mexico seventh-grader who was handcuffed and arrested after his teacher said the student had disrupted gym class with fake burps, means he probably won't have any role in considering it, should it come before the high court. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

The court could act as early as Monday, either to deny the case or take more time to decide.

Justices typically withdraw from cases they heard before joining the Supreme Court, which means Gorsuch probably would not have any role in considering this one. But that hasn't stopped lawyers for the mother from featuring his stinging dissent prominently in legal papers. Gorsuch said arresting a "class clown" for burping was going "a step too far."

"If a seventh-grader starts trading fake burps for laughs in gym class, what's a teacher to do?" Gorsuch wrote. "Order extra laps? Detention? A trip to the principal's office? Maybe. But then again, maybe that's too old school. Maybe today you call a police officer. And maybe today the officer decides that, instead of just escorting the now compliant 13-year-old to the principal's office, an arrest would be a better idea."

Whether the Supreme Court ultimately takes the case or not may have nothing to do with Gorsuch. The justices have repeatedly turned away disputes over school disciplinary policies. Or they may decide it's not important enough for the court to intervene.

The appeal comes as some school districts have been rolling back "zero tolerance" discipline policies that expanded in the 1990s. The shift is aimed at preventing students from getting caught up in the criminal justice system.

The New Mexico incident began in 2011 when the student, known only as F.M. in court papers, kept interrupting his physical education class with fake burps. The teacher sent him into the hallway, where he continued burping and laughing as he leaned into the classroom entrance.

The teacher called for assistance on her school radio, and soon Arthur Acosta, a police officer assigned to the school, arrived in the hallway, according to court documents.

Acosta took the boy to the school's office, then placed him under arrest for violating a New Mexico law that prohibits anyone from disrupting the education process. Acosta handcuffed the student and took him to the juvenile detention center, where the boy stayed about an hour until he was picked up.

His mother, Annette Montano, sued school officials and police, arguing that arresting her 13-year-old son was unreasonable under the law. A federal judge ruled against her.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that the officer was immune from liability because he did not violate clearly established law. The majority said the law prohibits disruption and nothing indicates the law was meant to criminalize only more serious misconduct than burping or laughing in class.

Gorsuch, in dissent, said the court was ignoring a crucial distinction "between childish pranks and more seriously disruptive behaviors."

The boy's mother argues that if burping is enough to warrant criminal punishment, then traditional penalties such as expulsion, suspension and detention would have no place in school.

"Children would be subject to arrest for any trivial or child-like act of indiscretion," lawyers for the mother say in a brief to the court.

Acosta's lawyer says the criminal act was the boy's "interference with the educational process, not the act of burping." He argues that the state has authority to define the law, and courts should not question the policy choices behind laws criminalizing the kind of misconduct that led to the boy's arrest.

Advocacy groups including the Juvenile Law Center and Campaign for Youth Justice have urged the court to hear the case. They say making "commonplace behavior" a crime will harm children, particularly those from minority groups that studies show are disproportionately affected by school discipline policies.
LONG BEACH, Wash. (AP) - A man convicted of shooting a Washington state trooper in 2010 is seeking a new trial, saying another man confessed and that the trooper deliberately misidentified him - something the wounded trooper, now a sheriff, adamantly denies.

Martin Jones, 53, is serving a 50-year sentence after being convicted of shooting Scott Johnson in Long Beach, a tourist town in Pacific County on the southwest Washington coast. Johnson is now the county sheriff.

Jones' lawyer has filed a new appeal, including sworn declarations from local drug dealer Peter Boer that on the night of the shooting, his brother Nick, a repeat felon, "took credit" for it and sent Peter Boer to dispose of gun parts.

In this April 27, 2017 photo, Susan Jones poses for a photo in a restaurant in Long Beach, Wash., as she holds a picture of herself with her husband Martin Jones, who was convicted in the Feb. 13, 2010 shooting of Scott Johnson, who was then a Washington state trooper. Martin Jones' attorneys are now seeking a new trial and Johnson is now the Pacific County Sheriff. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Peter Boer also alleged a motive, though no evidence has emerged to support it: Johnson had been shaking down his brother for money in lieu of arrest. Jones' lawyer, Lenell Nussbaum, said that explains why the trooper's statements differed from those of the only other witness - a tow-truck driver who was with Johnson when he was shot, and who said Jones wasn't the culprit.

"Johnson falsely identified Jones as the shooter to conceal his own corruption," Nussbaum wrote.

"That's ridiculous," Johnson told The Associated Press. "It's not true."

Nick Boer, who says he has been clean for six years, also denied it, calling his brother "exotic in his imagination." He and Johnson said they didn't even know each other.

"If that guy's in there innocent, I feel bad about that," he said. "But I don't want the story to be spun like I'm some kind of vigilante killer, or that there was some kind of corruption. Those officers, any I've ever had dealings with, they've done nothing but try to help me."

Johnson was helping the tow-truck driver impound a minivan a little before 1 a.m. on Feb. 13, 2010, when a man approached and asked what they were doing. The man walked off. Johnson would later describe him as appearing extremely angry, while the tow-truck driver, George Hill, testified that he was "real neutral, like no emotion at all."

Moments later, the man returned from behind and shot the trooper in the head. The .22-caliber bullet broke apart and remains lodged near the base of Johnson's skull.

Feeling "like a crowbar had hit me," Johnson later testified, he locked eyes with the man and shot back twice.

Hill, who had known the trooper for 27 years, described the attacker as white but somehow ethnic, possibly tan or olive-skinned.

Suspicion fell on Jones, the minivan's owner. A tower crane operator, he was home in bed when his wife, Susan Jones, was arrested for drunken driving in the vehicle. He says he stayed home all night.

The next morning he let investigators search his house, told them where to find his three rifles, and agreed to stand out front to see if a witness would identify him.

Police rolled slowly by in an unmarked car with Hill inside.

At Jones' 2011 trial, a State Patrol detective, Matthew Hughes, recalled the tow-truck driver's reaction: "No, that's not the guy. ... That's Marty."

Hill had given the Joneses estimates for auto-body work.

That afternoon, Hill worked with a sketch artist. Several people told police the drawing looked like Nick Boer.

Police found Boer and his brother at their mom's mobile home. Nick denied involvement.

Johnson, meanwhile, was in a hospital bed. He saw the sketch on the news and said it didn't look anything like the shooter. He repeatedly asked for a picture of the minivan's owner.

A corrections officer showed him Jones' driver's license photo, with Jones' name underneath it.

That's him, Johnson replied.

Johnson then worked with the artist on a new sketch, without mentioning he'd seen a picture of Jones. Jones was arrested that night, close to 48 hours after the shooting.

The state's theory was that Jones - a grandfather with no criminal history and with close relatives in law enforcement - got out of bed after receiving a text from his wife that she'd been pulled over. He walked 1.3 miles (2 kilometers), or possibly drove part of that distance, to her van. He saw and spoke with a tow-truck driver whom he knew, and who could presumably identify him. He became enraged and shot the trooper with a handgun. The tow-truck driver couldn't identify Jones because he didn't get a good enough look.

Investigators found in Jones' house a box of .22-caliber ammunition. A state expert testified that microscopic markings on the shell found at the scene forensically matched the shells in the box - suggesting the bullet that shot the trooper came from the box in Jones' house.

But that type of analysis has been discredited and has no scientific foundation, William Tobin, a retired manager of forensic metallurgy at the FBI Laboratory in Washington, D.C., wrote last month after reviewing the case for Jones' lawyer.

At trial, Johnson, by then sheriff, identified Jones as the shooter. He told the AP he still has no doubt.

"I was just a couple feet from the shooter, and I looked him right in the eye," Johnson said.

Jones testified at length, protesting his innocence, but the jury convicted him.

The family eventually hired a private investigator, and the investigator learned that in 2012, a Pacific County fire commissioner named Greg McLeod tried to contact Jones' lawyers. McLeod's son, Mike, had come forward after the trial to say someone else confessed.

Nick Boer.

On the night of the shooting, Peter Boer came to his house with a backpack, Mike McLeod said. Peter told him his brother claimed to have shot an officer and asked him to get rid of some weapons.

The investigator interviewed Peter Boer under oath at a prison; he's now serving nearly five years for stolen property. Peter said he would talk partly because his mother, who wanted to protect Nick, had died.

In Peter Boer's telling, he was at his mother's trailer when Nick called from a house two blocks from the shooting. An officer was shot, Nick reported, and Peter should stay put.

Nick then arrived, looking at the floor when Peter asked if he'd shot the trooper. They went to a friend's house, getting high along the way, and Nick "took credit," Peter said.

"He was like, 'Yeah, I do - I shot him,'" Peter said. "So he asked me to go out to the car and grab a backpack and go dump off some gun parts we had."

Peter said he stopped by McLeod's house and tossed the gun parts in a spot where the tide comes in.

A friend who supposedly witnessed the confession told the investigator he doesn't remember that night. Nick Boer maintains he and his brother never left their mom's trailer, and says his brother may remain bitter over some family disputes.

Hill, the tow-truck driver, told the AP he couldn't identify the shooter at the trial, and he can't now.

From the state penitentiary in Walla Walla, Jones said he and his wife always supported law enforcement and even held a fundraiser for the wife of a trooper slain in 1999. He hopes the new information exonerates him.

"I'm not the kind of person who goes around committing any crimes, let alone shooting an officer of the law," he said.

In this photo taken March 9, 2011, Pacific County Sheriff Scott Johnson is shown in Tacoma, Wash., following a sentencing hearing for Martin Jones, who was convicted of shooting Johnson in 2010 in Long Beach, Wash., when Johnson was a Washington state trooper. Jones' attorney is seeking a new trial, saying another man confessed to the shooting and that Johnson deliberately misidentified Jones. (Bill Wagner/The Daily News via AP)

In this photo taken March 9, 2011, Martin Jones, left, listens to testimony in Tacoma, Wash., during his sentencing hearing after Jones was convicted of shooting Scott Johnson in 2010 in Long Beach, Wash., when Johnson was a Washington state trooper. Jones' attorney is seeking a new trial, saying another man confessed to the shooting and that Johnson, who is now Pacific County Sheriff, deliberately misidentified Jones. (Bill Wagner/The Daily News via AP)

In this April 27, 2017 photo, a police car drives past the scene where Scott Johnson, then a Washington state trooper, was shot on Feb. 13, 2010 in Long Beach, Wash. Johnson is now the Pacific County Sheriff, and attorneys for the man convicted in the shooting are seeking a new trial. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

In this undated photo provided by the Washington state Dept. of Corrections, Martin Jones is shown posing in an official prison photo. Jones is serving a 50-year sentence after being convicted of shooting Washington state trooper Scott Johnson in Long Beach, Wash., in 2010. Johnson is now Sheriff of Pacific County, and attorneys for Jones are seeking a new trial. (Washington Dept. of Corrections/via AP)

In this undated sketch drawn by the Thurston County Sheriff's Dept. and provided by attorney Lenell Nussbaum, the first rendering of a suspect in the 2010 shooting in Long Beach, Wash. of Scott Johnson, who was a Washington state trooper at the time, is shown. A second sketch was later drawn and both were used in the trial of Martin Jones, who was convicted and is now serving a 50-year sentence. Nussbaum is seeking a new trial, saying another man confessed to the shooting and that the trooper, who is now Sheriff of Pacific County, deliberately misidentified him. (Lenell Nussbaum/via AP)

In this April 27, 2017 photo, Susan Jones wipes a tear as she talks about her husband, Martin Jones, while sitting in a restaurant in Long Beach, Wash. Martin Jones was convicted in the Feb. 13, 2010 shooting of Scott Johnson, then a Washington state trooper, in Long Beach, but his attorneys are now seeking a new trial. Johnson is now the Pacific County Sheriff. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

In this April 27, 2017 photo, George Hill talks with a visitor in the office of his tow-truck business in Long Beach, Wash. Hill was with Scott Johnson, who was a Washington state trooper at the time, when Johnson was shot as he and Hill were impounding a van that had been driven by a woman arrested for drunken driving. Johnson is now the Pacific County Sheriff, and attorneys for the man convicted in the shooting are seeking a new trial. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

In this April 27, 2017 photo, Susan Jones pauses as she talks about her husband, Martin Jones, while sitting in a restaurant in Long Beach, Wash. Martin Jones was convicted in the Feb. 13, 2010 shooting of Scott Johnson ,then a Washington state trooper, in Long Beach, but his attorneys are now seeking a new trial. Johnson is now the Pacific County Sheriff. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

In this April 27, 2017 photo, the entry door of the Pacific County Sheriff's Office is shown in South Bend, Wash. Scott Johnson, who is currently Sheriff, was shot in 2010 while he was a Washington state trooper in Long Beach, Wash., and attorneys for the man convicted in the shooting are now seeking a new trial. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
WINOOSKI, Vt. (AP) - The remains of a 20-year-old soldier killed in the Korean War in 1951 have been returned to Vermont and are being laid to rest in a cemetery next to his family.

Army Cpl. George A. Perreault, of Burlington, was reported missing in action Feb. 13, 1951, following an attack on his unit by the Chinese People's Volunteer Forces in an area known as the Central Corridor in South Korea.

The remains are being buried Saturday in a Winooski cemetery with full military honors.

The Defense Department says 7,751 Americans remain unaccounted for following the Korean War.

Perreault's remains were among 208 boxes of commingled human remains returned to the U.S. between 1990 and 1994. His identity was confirmed by DNA tests of a sister and two nieces.
CONSTANTA, Romania (AP) - A Romanian tourist thrown into the Thames when an extremist plowed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in London was finally buried Saturday in this Black Sea port that was her hometown.

Andreea Cristea, 31, was knocked into the river when Khalid Masood drove his rented SUV into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on March 22. She died two weeks later. Her boyfriend, Andrei Burnaz, who was about to propose, suffered a broken foot.

Masood rushed onto the grounds of Parliament, where he fatally stabbed a policeman before being shot dead by another officer.

A relative throws flowers into the grave of Andreea Cristea, 31, who was knocked into the river when Khalid Masood drove his rented SUV into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on March 22 and died two weeks later, during her funeral in Constanta, Romania, Saturday, May 13, 2017. A Romanian tourist thrown into the Thames when an extremist plowed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, was finally buried in this Black Sea port which was her hometown. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

The Romanian couple was on a short vacation to celebrate Burnaz's birthday.

About 150 mourners carrying flickering candles gathered at the St. Mary's church wearing badges with Cristea's photo which said: "Forever in my heart!" Orthodox Archbishop Teodosie of Tomis headed a phalanx of priests who wafted incense during the service.

Cristea was pulled from the Thames and later had surgery for a blood clot on the brain. She died on April 6 when life support was withdrawn.

She was the fifth victim of Masood, a 52-year-old former convict who had embraced radical Islam. Dozens more were wounded in his rampage.

Teodosie called Cristea "young, beautiful, hard-working and full of love." He also alluded to the forthcoming proposal from Burnaz, an engineer who stood quietly during the service and wept occasionally.

Elder sister Magda Toi said family and friends "don't think they lost Andreea, they will always remember her and she will always be with us." Toi noted that it had begun raining when the coffin left the church for the cemetery, which in Romania is a sign that the deceased person was sorry to die.

After her death, her family and Burnaz described Cristea as "our shining ray of light that will forever keep on shining in our hearts," and said they would donate all the money raised on her behalf since the attack to charity.

Also killed in the attack were Utah man Kurt Cochran, 54; Britons Leslie Rhodes, 75, and Aysha Frade, 44; and 48-year-old police officer Keith Palmer.

A priest walks by a photograph of Andreea Cristea, 31, who was knocked into the river when Khalid Masood drove his rented SUV into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on March 22 and died two weeks later, during her funeral in Constanta, Romania, Saturday, May 13, 2017. A Romanian tourist thrown into the Thames when an extremist plowed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, was finally buried in this Black Sea port which was her hometown. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Andrei Burnaz, the boyfriend of Andreea Cristea, who was knocked into the River Thames by Khalid Masood when he drove his rented SUV into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on March 22, touches her coffin during her funeral, in Constanta, Romania, Saturday, May 13, 2017. A Romanian tourist thrown into the Thames when an extremist plowed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, was finally buried in this Black Sea port which was her hometown. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Andrei Burnaz, the boyfriend of Andreea Cristea, 31, who was knocked into the river when Khalid Masood drove his rented SUV into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on March 22 and died two weeks later, wipes his face during her funeral in Constanta, Romania, Saturday, May 13, 2017. A Romanian tourist thrown into the Thames when an extremist plowed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, was finally buried in this Black Sea port which was her hometown. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

People stand around the coffin of Andreea Cristea, who was a victim of the attack on Westminster Bridge, during a religious service in Constanta, Romania, Saturday, May 13, 2017. A Romanian tourist thrown into the Thames when an extremist plowed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, was finally buried in this Black Sea port which was her hometown. Andreea Cristea, 31, was knocked into the river when Khalid Masood drove his rented SUV into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on March 22. She died two weeks later. Her boyfriend, Andrei Burnaz, who was about to propose, suffered a broken foot. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Priests walk by the coffin of Andreea Cristea, who was a victim of the attack on Westminster Bridge, during a religious service in Constanta, Romania, Saturday, May 13, 2017. A Romanian tourist thrown into the Thames when an extremist plowed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, was finally buried in this Black Sea port which was her hometown. Andreea Cristea, 31, was knocked into the river when Khalid Masood drove his rented SUV into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on March 22. She died two weeks later. Her boyfriend, Andrei Burnaz, who was about to propose, suffered a broken foot. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
HONOLULU (AP) - A developer whose permit has been stalled by Honolulu City Council is threatening to organize a boycott of Hawaii.

Developer Johnson Fang addressed Councilman Ikaika Anderson in a letter and accused him of being biased, Hawaii News Now reported Friday (http://bit.ly/2qgA5Xv). Fang is hoping to build a 26-story high-rise, but his plans have been put on hold since Honolulu City Council has not granted his permit.

"We deem your racial remarks (have) violated federal law . and discriminated against Chinese-Americans," Fang said in the letter. "l will call on Chinese to not visit Hawaii ... not to make investment or buy property in Hawaii."

Anderson has declined to respond to Fang's allegations.

Last week, Anderson said that he was not interested in Fang's proposed luxury condos project that markets 60 percent of the units in China. Anderson has said he does not support the project because it would do little to ease the housing crisis.

The proposed prices of the units are from $1.5 million and up.

The council member has also found problems with comments made by the developer's son Jay Fang who has said that even though it is a transit-oriented development project, he does expect the unit buyers will use the rail system. The son has said the rail system is primarily for the elderly and unemployed people and those who cannot afford a vehicle.

"I am concerned that this developer seems to have some disdain for some people of Honolulu," Anderson said.

___

Information from: KGMB-TV, http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/
GREAT FALLS, Montana (AP) - A Montana beekeeper has recovered hives that were stolen from him in California, thanks to an agricultural sting operation.

Lloyd Cunniff of Choteau reported 488 hives stolen in January, after he had transported them to California for the almond pollination season.

A tip led Fresno County authorities to find stolen hives worth $170,000 in a rented bee nursery space, a cow pasture and hidden in a drainage along a freeway.

Fresno County Detective Anders Solis, member of the county's agriculture crimes task force, says there were 10 victims in seven California counties in all.

The Great Falls Tribune reports (http://gftrib.com/2pvUzhM ) Cunniff got most of his bees back last Sunday. He says he is keeping the recovered hives in a separate field in case they are infected with disease or mites.

___

Information from: Great Falls Tribune, http://www.greatfallstribune.com
MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) - An Oregon man who made threats to kill former President Barack Obama over social media will serve five years in federal prison.

The Mail Tribune reported (http://bit.ly/2pvS6UJ ) Friday that U.S. District Court Judge Michael McShane sentenced 62-year-old John Roos of Medford to 63 months in prison.

Roos was also sentenced to three years of post-prison supervision upon his release.

According to a U.S. Department of Justice news release, Roos pleaded guilty to charges related to the threats and other charges for possession of an unregistered explosive device.

Roos said in court that he threatened to kill Obama and the former first family on Twitter. According the release, Roos has also posted on Facebook threats to kill FBI agents with hunting rifles.

Roos has said the threats were not serious.

___

Information from: Mail Tribune, http://www.mailtribune.com/
BAY MINETTE, Ala. (AP) - Authorities say a man has died after being shot by a sheriff's deputy on Interstate 10 in south Alabama.

Authorities say 35-year-old Jonathan Victor, of Metairie, Louisiana, died at a medical center early Saturday, hours after Friday's shooting about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the Florida line.

Joseph Dejoie, of Pensacola, Florida, tells the local news outlet Al.com (http://bit.ly/2qDSP6o) that he saw a car in a ditch Friday afternoon near a fire truck, an ambulance and several sheriff's units. He told AL.com he then saw a man get out of the car with something in his hand. He then reported he heard four or five gunshots.

The sheriff's office hasn't released any details of the shooting or the races of those involved.
NEW YORK (AP) - Here is a look at some of the places hit by the global cyberattack.

EUROPEAN UNION - Europol's European Cybercrime Centre, known as EC3, said the attack "is at an unprecedented level and will require a complex international investigation to identify the culprits."

BRITAIN - Britain's home secretary said the "ransomware" attack hit one in five of 248 National Health Service groups, forcing hospitals to cancel or delay treatments for thousands of patients - even some with serious aliments like cancer.

People inside a Megafon mobile phones shop in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, May 13, 2017. A top Russian mobile operator said Friday it had come under cyberattacks that appeared similar to those that have crippled some U.K. hospitals. Pyotr Lidov, a spokesman for Megafon, said Friday's attacks froze computers in company's offices across Russia. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

GERMANY - The national railway said Saturday departure and arrival display screens at its train stations were affected, but there was no impact on actual train services. Deutsche Bahn said it deployed extra staff to help customers.

RUSSIA - Two security firms - Kaspersky Lab and Avast - said Russia was hit hardest by the attack. The Russian Interior Ministry, which runs the country's police, confirmed it was among those that fell victim to the "ransomware," which typically flashes a message demanding payment to release the user's data. Spokeswoman Irina Volk was quoted by the Interfax news agency Saturday as saying the problem had been "localized" and that no information was compromised. Russia's health ministry said its attacks were "effectively repelled."

UNITED STATES - In the U.S., FedEx Corp. reported that its Windows computers were "experiencing interference" from malware, but wouldn't say if it had been hit by ransomware. Other impacts in the U.S. were not readily apparent.

TURKEY - The head of Turkey's Information and Communication Technologies Authority or BTK says the nation was among those affected by the ransomware attack. Omer Fatih Sayan said the country's cyber security center is continuing operations against the malicious software.

FRANCE - French carmaker Renault's assembly plant in Slovenia halted production after it was targeted. Radio Slovenia said Saturday the Revoz factory in the southeastern town of Novo Mesto stopped working Friday evening to stop the malware from spreading.

BRAZIL - The South American nation's social security system had to disconnect its computers and cancel public access. The state-owned oil company Petrobras and Brazil's Foreign Ministry also disconnected computers as a precautionary measure, and court systems went down, too.

SPAIN - The attack hit Spain's Telefonica, a global broadband and telecommunications company.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd is to chair an emergency meeting as tech experts work to disrupt an international cyber attack which has crippled NHS services across the country.

It comes amid concerns outdated software left some health service systems vulnerable after a security package was stopped two years ago.

A Cobra meeting will be held on Saturday afternoon after 45 NHS organisations were caught up in the global attack which is thought to have affected 99 countries, including the US and Russia.

Ms Rudd said work was ongoing to identify the attackers, and that no patient data had been stolen.

She added that lessons may need to be learned in the wake of the breach, which has affected NHS services across England and Scotland.

We are continuing to experience issues with our computer systems. Please go to this link for an update:https://t.co/a41fOFrhzb  NHS Blackpool Teaching Hospitals  (@BlackpoolHosp) May 12, 2017

The unprecedented attack plunged the health service into chaos, forcing hospitals to cancel and delay treatment.

It is feared computers in A&E wards, GP surgeries and other vital services across the NHS were infected with a virus based on hacking tools developed by US cyber warfare agents.

Health service organisations were infiltrated by the malicious software, while many others shut down servers as a precautionary measure, bringing added disruption.

How ransomware infects a computer graphic

Ms Rudd said Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt had told health trusts to upgrade their software and most of them had.

Speaking ahead of the Cobra meeting in Whitehall at 2.30pm, she told Sky News: It is disappointing that they have been running Windows XP  I know that the Secretary of State for Health has instructed them not to and most have moved off it.

She added: Where the patient data has been properly backed up, which has been in most cases, work can continue as normal because the patient data can be downloaded and people can continue with their work.

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth has written a letter to Mr Hunt, saying concerns were repeatedly flagged about the outdated computer systems.

@JonathanAshworth has today written to Jeremy Hunt calling for action over NHS cyber-attack pic.twitter.com/P7ThzlNOBr  Labour Press (@labourpress) May 13, 2017

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn branded the attackers a bunch of 21st Century highway robbers and expressed anger that the Government did not renew a multimillion-pound security package.

He said: Its unbelievably disgusting and Ive got nothing but contempt for those people that have done it, and Im sure all of you would share that.

But Im also very angry that in 2014, there was a one-year renewal of the protection system on the NHS systems which was not renewed after that and not renewed the year after that and so are systems are now not upgraded and not protected. As a result, weve got this dreadful situation that NHS workers are facing today.

We're aware of an IT issue affecting NHS computer systems. Please do not attend A&E unless it's an emergency. Thank you for your patience.  NHS Mid Essex CCG (@MidEssexCCG) May 12, 2017

Patients are asked to attend for their appointments today & tomorrow as normal.

Computer systems update https://t.co/sCNyTG2Ebd #1bigteam  University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (@UHP_NHS) May 13, 2017

Doctors reported seeing computers go down one by one as the ransomware took hold on Friday, locking machines and demanding money to release the data.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said teams were working round the clock in response to the attack.

We are aware of an IT issue affecting NHS computer systems. Patients are asked for understanding whilst the issue is resolved  Sheffield Health and Care Partnership (@SheffieldHCP) May 12, 2017

Prime Minister Theresa May said it was an international attack rather than one targeted at the NHS.

Experts say the virus, called Wanna Decryptor, exploits a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows software first identified by American spies at the National Security Agency (NSA).

A spokesman for Nissan in the UK confirmed the car manufacturer had been affected by the cyber attack, saying it was first hit at around 9pm on Friday and the incident is ongoing.
Finalists have been selected to design President Donald Trumps proposed border wall with Mexico.

US Customs and Border Protection said it will notify finalists over the next days.

It will not say how many there are, but it has said previously it would pick up to 20.

President Donald Trump (Susan Walsh/AP)

An agency document released last month by Senate Democrats said authorities plan to select winners by June 14 to build prototypes in San Diego on a short stretch of land near the Otay Mesa border crossing with Mexico.

Building a wall on the Mexican border was a cornerstone of Mr Trumps presidential campaign and a flashpoint for his detractors.
Dozens of countries were hit with a huge cyber extortion attack at a multitude of hospitals, companies and government agencies.

The attack, which saw computers locked and users files held for ransom, was believed to the biggest ever recorded.

The malicious software behind the onslaught appeared to exploit a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows that was supposedly identified by the US National Security Agency for its own intelligence-gathering purposes and was later leaked to the internet.

(Dominic Lipinski/PA)

The UKs National Health Service fell victim, its hospitals forced to close wards and emergency rooms and turn away patients.

Please help us this weekend as we fix IT issues - pls do not attend A&E unless it is a serious or life threatening emergency #nhscyberattack pic.twitter.com/cARPBtzmMc  NorthumbriaNHS (@NorthumbriaNHS) May 13, 2017

Russia appeared to be the hardest hit, according to security experts, with the countrys Interior Ministry confirming it was struck.

All told, several cyber security firms said they had identified the malicious software, which so far has been responsible for tens of thousands of attacks, in more than 60 countries.

That includes the United States, although its effects there did not appear to be widespread, at least initially.

The attack infected computers with what is known as ransomware, software that locks up the users data and flashes a message demanding payment to release it.

In the US, FedEx reported its Windows computers were experiencing interference from malware but would not say if it had been hit by ransomware.

How to prevent a ransomware incident and what to do if your organisation is infected https://t.co/YSmFYATtAK pic.twitter.com/NhdC5fIWWG  NCSC UK (@NCSC) May 13, 2017

Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at the Helsinki-based cyber security company F-Secure, called the attack the biggest ransomware outbreak in history.

Security experts said the attack appeared to be caused by a self-replicating piece of software that enters companies and organisations when employees click on email attachments, then spreads quickly internally from computer to computer when employees share documents and other files.

Our tech geniuses have worked through the night to get our systems back online. We are optimistic for full recovery over the weekend.  One Liverpool (@_OneLiverpool) May 13, 2017

Its ransom demands start at 300 dollars and increase after two hours to 400, 500 and then 600 dollars, said Kurt Baumgartner, a security researcher at Kaspersky Lab.

Affected users can restore their files from backups, if they have them, or pay the ransom; otherwise they risk losing their data entirely.

Chris Wysopal, of the software security firm Veracode, said criminal organisations were probably behind the attack, given how quickly the malware spread.

The security holes it exploits were disclosed several weeks ago by TheShadowBrokers, a group that has published what it says are hacking tools used by the NSA as part of its intelligence-gathering.

Shortly after that disclosure, Microsoft announced it had already issued software patches for those holes.

Following the national cyber attack, we can confirm that there has been no loss of patient or other data at HHFT. 1/3  Hampshire Hospitals (@HHFTnhs) May 13, 2017

Attack affected x-ray facilities and computers linked to CT scanners at Basingstoke. Hospitals at Winchester and Andover unaffected. 2/3  Hampshire Hospitals (@HHFTnhs) May 13, 2017

No clinics or ops cancelled. Staff worked v hard to avoid disruption and minimise impact. Contingency and emergency plans worked well. 3/3  Hampshire Hospitals (@HHFTnhs) May 13, 2017

Many companies and individuals have not installed the fixes yet or are using older versions of Windows that Microsoft no longer supports and did not fix.

By Kaspersky Labs count, the malware struck at least 74 countries.

In addition to Russia, the biggest targets appeared to be Ukraine and India, nations where it is common to find older, unpatched versions of Windows in use, according to the security firm.

Spain, meanwhile, took steps to protect critical infrastructure in response to the attack.

Authorities said they were communicating with more than 100 energy, transportation, telecommunications and financial services providers about the attack.
One of the UKs oldest men has been honoured with a lifetime of service award from the church he has been a member of for more than 70 years.

Alfred Smith, 109, has been a member of the Church of Scotland since 1945 and an elder since 1967.

The centenarian, from the village of St Madoes in Perth and Kinross, shares his age and birth date with Bob Weighton, of Alton in Hampshire, as well as with one of the countrys oldest women, Joan Eileen Hocquard of Bournemouth.

Rt Rev Russell Barr, Moderator of the General Assembly, visited Mr Smith at home to present the award on behalf of the Kirk.

Rt Rev Russell Barr and Alfred Smith, 109, who has been a member of the Church of Scotland since 1945 (Church of Scotland/PA Wire)

He said: Of all the many people I have met during my year as Moderator, Alfred Smith is one of the most remarkable. At 109 years old he retains a lively sense of humour, a continuing interest in life, including the life of the church, and he is a great storyteller.

Mr Smith was a member of the Free Church in Invergowrie until 1945 and then became a member of the Church of Scotland, attending Kinfauns Parish Church, which later joined with Kilspindie and St Madoes.

He said: It is just wonderful to have a visit from the Moderator. How he finds time to see me is quite something. I have always loved the church as it has given me so much over the years.

Asked for his secret to a long and happy life, the former farmer said: Porridge is helpful and having a job you enjoy.

Mr Smith credits porridge for his longevity (PA)

Mr Smith was born in Invergowrie in 1908, the fifth of six sons of John and Jessie Smith. He was educated at Invergowrie Primary School and Harris Academy, Dundee.

He emigrated to Canada, along with four of his brothers, in 1927 but returned after five years and went on to drive lorries for his brother George.

During the Second World War, he was in the Home Guard, and married Isobel when he was 29. The couple went on to farm at Kinfauns where they raised two children, Irene and Allan. Mrs Smith died almost 14 years ago, aged 97.

Marc Bircham, minister of St Madoes and Kinfauns Parish Church, said: It has been a great joy and privilege to be Alfs minister and friend.

He is a blessing to our congregation and community and on a personal level he has been a great encourager to myself, not least by referring to me as young man.
Former education secretary Michael Gove has accused Labour of being its own "coalition of chaos" over alleged splits in the partys position on Brexit.

Mr Gove said the partys leader Jeremy Corbyn would take Britain out of the single market whereas a group of leading Labour former shadow ministers launched a campaign on Friday to remain part of the trading bloc.

Former shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna, who has spearheaded the campaign, told BBC Radio 4s Today programme there was no split on the issue, with his proposals simply going one stage further than that proposed by the Labour leadership.

I will not sit idly by while the prospects of the future generations in Streatham are trashed. I will fight for Single Market membership. pic.twitter.com/ZFC9ZXyfaV  ChukaUmunna (@ChukaUmunna) May 12, 2017

Mr Gove said: "Until now, weve been worried that Jeremy Corbyn, if he became prime minister, would be presiding over a coalition of chaos.

"Now we understand that Labour is itself a coalition of chaos.

"On the one hand you have people like Jeremy Corbyn and Keir Starmer who want us outside the single market, on the other hand Chuka and his friends who want us inside."

Mr Umunna said Labour had not ruled out staying part of the single market.

"One of the principles, the six principles that have been set out by the leadership, is that they will gauge the Prime Ministers delivery on the Brexit negotiations according to whether or not she is able to secure the exact same trading benefits as we get from our membership of the single market and our membership of the customs union," he claimed.

(Stefan Rousseau/PA)

"Weve just simply gone one step further, to say we dont believe that you can do that unless you remain a member of the customs union and the single market particularly."

Mr Umunna said more than 600,000 jobs in London were dependent on membership of the EU single market and that freedom of movement could be reformed if the UK stayed in.

Former justice secretary Mr Gove said the EU had repeatedly refused to change its stance, as he accused Mr Umunna of trying to "revisit the referendum result and turn the clock back".
The Green Party has pledged to end immigration detention, starting with the release of the most vulnerable female asylum seekers who have suffered rape, sexual abuse or torture.

The promise comes in the partys manifesto for women, which was being launched outside the Yarls Wood detention centre for female asylum seekers ahead of a demonstration at the Bedfordshire facility.

Also included in the document was a promise to decriminalise the sale and purchase of sex following recommendations from the United Nations and Amnesty International that banning prostitution reduces womens safety.

The manifesto sets out plans to preserve womens healthcare facilities, reinstate sexual health services and end pay freezes for public-sector workers.

The party would also roll out a UK-wide strategy to tackle domestic violence, scrap the so-called rape clause for child benefit claimants and restore legal aid so that victims do not have to face their abusers in court.

Green Party deputy leader Amelia Womack said: Detaining asylum seekers is inhumane, costly and totally unnecessary.

Women who are coming to the UK seeking refuge are being detained in appalling conditions in centres like Yarls Wood, often for years with no end to their incarceration in sight.

(Dominic Lipinski/PA)

We can be so much better than this  a confident and caring country that welcomes people in need instead of closing our borders, building walls and locking up vulnerable people who need help.

The bold policies were announcing today show that the Green Party is committed to standing up for everyone and we are not afraid to speak out about issues other parties would rather shy away from.

From asylum seekers to sex workers, as well as all of us who use the NHS, these policies set us on the path to building a tolerant, inclusive society.

Under the Green plans, vulnerable asylum seekers who have experienced rape, sexual abuse or torture would immediately be released from detention so their claims can be processed in the community.

The party would impose a three-month maximum processing time for asylum applications, with the long-term aim of closing all detention centres.
A funeral service has taken place for a Romanian tourist thrown into the Thames when an extremist ploughed into pedestrians on Londons Westminster Bridge.

A moving day celebrating the life of Andreea Cristea, tragically cut short by a murderous act of terrorism. pic.twitter.com/I7NvYDm0Is  Paul Brummell (@PaulBrummell) May 13, 2017

Andreea Cristea, 31, was knocked into the river when Khalid Masood drove his rented car into pedestrians on March 22 and died two weeks later.

Her boyfriend, Andrei Burnaz, suffered a broken foot.

Westminster terror attack: timings

Masood rushed on to the grounds of Parliament, where he fatally stabbed a policeman before being shot dead by another officer.

Dozens of mourners attended the service at the St Marys church on Saturday near the dockyards in the city in Constanta in eastern Romania, near the sea that she loved.

The Romanian couple were on a short break to celebrate the birthday of Mr Burnaz, who had been planning to propose to Miss Cristea.

Andreea Cristea with her boyfriend Andrei Burnaz

About 150 mourners carrying flickering candles gathered at the church wearing badges with her photo which said: Forever in my heart! Two heart-shaped wreaths of white roses adorned her coffin.

Orthodox Archbishop Teodosie of Tomis headed a group of priests who wafted incense during the service, much of which was sung.

Miss Cristea was pulled from the Thames and later had surgery for a blood clot on the brain. She died on April 6 when life support was withdrawn.

She was the fifth victim of Masood, a 52-year-old former inmate who had embraced radical Islam. Dozens more were wounded in the rampage.

Khalid Masood

Mr Teodosie called Miss Cristea young, beautiful, hard-working and full of love and that a destiny that was about to take flight had its wings cut, alluding to the forthcoming proposal from Mr Burnaz, an engineer who stood quietly during the service and wept occasionally.

Elder sister Magda Toi posted recently on Facebook Beautiful, delicate, difficult, caring, hopeful, vivacious; always ready to offer surprises  even like this!

I miss your smile, I miss your voice, I miss you wherever you are, Ms Toi also wrote.

Andreea Cristea

After her death, her family and Mr Burnaz described Miss Cristea as our shining ray of light that will forever keep on shining in our hearts, and said they would donate all the money raised on her behalf since the attack to charity.

Also killed in the attack were Utah man Kurt Cochran, 54; Britons Leslie Rhodes, 75, and Aysha Frade, 44; and 48-year-old police officer Keith Palmer.

Police believe Masood, who had convictions for violent crimes, acted alone.
FREETOWN, May 11 (Reuters) - A much anticipated auction for one of the world's largest diamonds fizzled on Thursday when the government of Sierra Leone rejected a $7.8 million bid for the rough, egg-sized stone, saying it failed to meet its own valuation.

The 709-carat gem is the second largest ever discovered in the West African country and was unearthed in March in the eastern Kono region by a Christian pastor who gave it to the government to handle the sale.

Five bids were handed to auctioneers in a sealed brown envelope, ranging from $2 million to $7.8 million. The top bid was made by a man in a white shirt and light trousers on behalf of Belgium diamond dealer Ray Diam BVBA.

"We've decided not to sell the diamond today because the highest bid price ... does not match the government reserve price," Sahr Wonday, chief auctioneer and head of the National Minerals Agency, told a packed room.

The government now hopes to get more for the stone at an international auction in either Antwerp, Belgium or Tel Aviv in Israel, Wonday said, without giving further detail.

Diamonds fuelled a decade-long civil war in Sierra Leone that ended in 2002 and killed 50,000 people. Rebels forced civilians in the east to mine the stones and bought weapons with the proceeds, leading to the term "blood diamonds".

The United Nations lifted a ban on diamond exports from Sierra Leone in 2003, though the $113 million sector is plagued by smuggling.

The diamond up for auction on Thursday is the second largest ever found in Sierra Leone after the 968.9-carat Star of Sierra Leone which was found by miners in 1972.

Other African gems are even larger, including the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond, which was found in South Africa in 1905. It was cut into several polished gems, the largest of which are part of Britain's crown jewels.

Emmanuel Momoh, the pastor who found the new diamond in March, was happy to wait for another auction.

"I was unhappy with the highest bid price," said Momoh. His stone, he said, "is worth a lot more than $7.8 million."

(Reporting by Umaru Fofana, writing by Edward McAllister, editing by David Evans)
ERBIL, Iraq, May 12 (Reuters) - Iraq's Shi'ite paramilitaries launched an offensive on Friday to drive Islamic State from a desert region near the border with Syria as security forces fought the militants in the city of Mosul.

Spokesman Karim al-Nouri said the target of the operation was the Qairawan and Baaj areas about 100 km west of Mosul, where U.S.-backed Iraqi forces are advancing in their campaign to rout the militants from city.

Seven months into the Mosul campaign, Islamic State has been driven from all but a handful of districts in the city's western half including the Old City, where it is using hundreds of thousands of civilians as human shields.

The paramilitaries have been kept on the sidelines of the battle for the city of Mosul itself, but have captured a vast, thinly populated area to the southwest, cutting Islamic State supply routes to Syria.

Islamic State is losing territory and on the retreat in both Iraq and Syria.

The Iraqi military said in a statement its air force was supporting the operation by the paramilitary groups known collectively as Hashid Shaabi or Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF).

Unlike regular Iraqi security forces, the PMF does not receive support from the U.S.-led coalition, which is wary of Iran's influence over the most powerful factions within the body.

Officially answerable to the government in Baghdad, the PMF were formed when Islamic State overran around one third of Iraq including Mosul nearly three years ago and Iraqi security forces disintegrated.

Nouri said PMF control over the border would assist Syrian government forces when they push towards the Islamic State-held city of Raqqa.

On Friday, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said their assault on Raqqa, the militants' biggest urban stronghold, would begin soon and that they were awaiting weapons including armoured vehicles from the U.S.-led coalition

The PMF is not officially involved in Syria, but tens of thousands of Iraqi Shi'ite militiamen are fighting there on behalf of the government of President Bashar al-Assad, which is backed by Iran. (Reporting by Isabel Coles; Editing by Richard Lough)
By Tom James

SEATTLE, May 12 (Reuters) - The collapse of a tunnel used to store radioactive waste at one of the most contaminated U.S. nuclear sites has raised concerns among watchdog groups and others who study the country's nuclear facilities because many are aging and fraught with problems.

"They're fighting a losing battle to keep these plants from falling apart," said Robert Alvarez, a former policy adviser at the U.S. Department of Energy who was charged with making an inventory of nuclear sites under President Bill Clinton.

"The longer you wait to deal with this problem, the more dangerous it becomes," said Alvarez, a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies, where he focuses on nuclear energy and disarmament.

The Energy Department did not respond to requests for comment.

No radiation was released during Tuesday's incident at a plutonium-handling facility in the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state, but thousands of workers were ordered to take cover and some were evacuated as a precaution.

The state of facilities in the U.S. nuclear network has been detailed by the Department of Energy, Government Accountability Office and Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. They have noted eroding walls, leaking roofs, and risks of electrical fires and groundwater contamination.

In 2016, Frank Klotz, head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, an Energy Department agency overseeing maintenance of nuclear warheads, warned Congress about risks posed by aging facilities.

Decontaminating and demolishing the Energy Department's shuttered facilities will cost $32 billion, it said in a 2016 report. It also noted a $6 billion maintenance backlog.

In the 1940s the U.S. government built Hanford and other complexes to produce plutonium and uranium for atomic bombs under the Manhattan Project. "That was an era when the defense mission took priority over everything else," said Edwin Lyman, a senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists. "Were dealing with the legacy of that."

RISKS DOCUMENTED

Many of those sites are now vacant but contaminated.

A 2009 Energy Department survey found nearly 300 shuttered, contaminated and deteriorating sites. Six years later it found that fewer than 60 had been cleaned up.

A 2015 Energy Department audit said delays in cleaning contaminated facilities "expose the Department, its employees and the public to ever-increasing levels of risk."

Risks identified at the sites included leaking roofs carrying radioactivity into groundwater, roof collapses and electrical fires that could release radioactive particles.

A 2014 Energy Department audit noted a high risk of fire and groundwater contamination at the shuttered Heavy Element Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which is surrounded by homes and businesses near California's Bay Area.

Problems have also been identified at active facilities including the Savannah River Site, a nuclear reservation in South Carolina. A 2015 report by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board found "severe" erosion in concrete walls of an exhaust tunnel used to prevent release of radioactive air.

A 2016 Energy Department audit of one of the United States' main uranium handling facilities, the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, warned that "intense precipitation or snow" could collapse parts its roof, possibly causing an accident involving radioactivity. "It sounds crazy, but it's true," said Don Hancock, who has studied the Tennessee facility in his work at the Southwest Information and Research Center, an Albuquerque nonprofit that monitors nuclear sites.

In Hanford's case, risk of a tunnel collapse was known in 2015, when the Energy Department noted wooden beams in one tunnel had lost 40 percent of their strength and were being weakened by gamma radiation.

Energy Department spokesman Mark Heeter in nearby Richland said in an email that the agency saw Tuesday's prompt discovery of the collapse as a success.

"The maintenance and improvement of aging infrastructure across the Hanford site ... remains a top priority," he said.

Nationwide, part of the risk comes from having to maintain and safeguard so many sites with different types of nuclear waste, said Frank Wolak, head of Stanford University's Program on Energy and Sustainable Development.

"Youre asking for trouble with the fact that you've got it spread all over the country," he said. "The right answer is to consolidate the stuff that is highly contaminated, and apply the best technology to it." (Reporting by Tom James; Editing by Ben Klayman)
By Nandita Bose

CHICAGO, May 12 (Reuters) - German discount supermarket chain Lidl is set to open its first set of U.S. stores this summer, raising the stakes for American grocery chain operators who have been caught in an intense price war.

Lidl said in February it planned to open its first 20 U.S. stores in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, with 80 more to follow in the United States within the first year.

Lidl's entry comes at a time when Wal-Mart Stores Inc is running price tests in 11 states, pushing vendors to undercut rivals by 15 percent. The world's biggest retailer is expected to spend about $6 billion to regain its title as the low-price leader, analysts said.

Another rival, German discounter Aldi Inc, is aiming for prices 21 percent below its U.S. competition and is aggressively expanding its presence.

Lidl and Aldi have already upended Britain's grocery retail market, hurting incumbents like Tesco Plc and ASDA, the British supermarket arm of Wal-Mart.

Lidl (which rhymes with "needle") is owned by Germany's privately held Schwarz Group. It operates more than 10,000 stores in 27 countries.

The German chain's U.S. CEO, Brendan Proctor, will address Lidl's U.S. expansion plans at a New York press event on Tuesday.

According to the company's website, it is hiring workers in 38 cities in the eastern U.S. states of Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia.

"The growth of Aldi and Lidl will require existing U.S. grocery retailers to start asking themselves how they can do things differently to control costs - from marketing and merchandising to operations and logistics," Bill Bishop, co-founder of retail consultancy Bricks Meets Clicks, said in an interview on Friday.

Lidl is expected to post U.S. sales of roughly $1 billion in 2018, $2 billion in 2019 and $4 billion 2020, assuming it opens just under 100 stores per year, according to a recent note by retail think tank Fung Global Retail and Technology.

This would put Lidl in close range of U.S. grocery chains like Ingles market, which had revenue of $3.2 billion in 2016; Sprouts Farmers Market with $4.3 billion in sales last year and SuperValu Inc, which posted sales of $4.8 billion, the report said.

Analyst estimates suggest Lidl is eyeing more than 330 U.S stores by 2020. The retailer has opened three distribution centers in Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia. (Editing by Matthew Lewis)
BEIJING, May 13 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping offered the prime minister of deeply indebted Greece strong support on Saturday, saying the two countries should expand cooperation in infrastructure, energy and telecommunications.

Xi told Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras that Greece was an important part in China's new Silk Road strategy.

"At present, China and Greece's traditional friendship and cooperation continues to glow with new dynamism," China's Foreign Ministry cited Xi as saying.

Cooperation in infrastructure, energy and telecommunications should be "deep and solid", Xi added, without giving details.

Tsipras is in Beijing to attend a summit to promote Xi's vision of expanding links between Asia, Africa and Europe underpinned by billions of dollars in infrastructure investment called the Belt and Road initiative.

Greek infrastructure development group Copelouzos has signed a deal with China's Shenhua Group to cooperate in green energy projects and the upgrade of power plants in Greece and other countries, the Greek company said on Friday.

The deal will involve total investment of 3 billion euros ($3.28 billion), Copelouzos said in a statement, without providing further details.

China has been investing heavily in Greece in recent years.

Its biggest shipping company, COSCO Shipping, bought a majority stake in Piraeus Port Authority last year under a plan to turn Greece into a transhipment hub for rapidly growing trade between Asia and Eastern Europe.

Xi said China and Greece should focus their efforts on turning the Piraeus port into an important international transhipment hub and key part of the new Silk Road, the Chinese ministry said.

China State Grid also agreed last year to buy a 24 percent stake in power grid operator ADMIE for 320 million euros.

Greek government borrowing costs hit their lowest level in more than five years this week as the troubled euro zone state looks close to clinching a deal with its creditors to release new loans to it.

After six months of tense talks, Athens and its international lenders - the European Union and International Monetary Fund - reached a provisional deal last week on the reforms needed to release new loans. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Robert Birsel)
JOHANNESBURG, May 13 (Reuters) - South Africa plans to sign new, more transparent nuclear power agreements with five foreign countries after a high court blocked a deal with Russia due to a lack of oversight, the energy ministry said on Saturday.

South Africa signed intergovernmental agreements with Russia, France, China, South Korea and the United States in 2014 as part of plans to build a fleet of nuclear power plants at a cost of between $30 billion and $70 billion.

Many investors view the scale of the nuclear plan as unaffordable and a major risk to South Africa's financial stability, while opponents of President Jacob Zuma say the deal will be used as a conduit for corruption. Zuma denies allegations of wrongdoing.

State energy firm Eskom says nuclear power should play a role in South Africa's energy mix and will help reduce reliance on coal.

The Western Cape High Court found last month that the agreement with Russia lacked transparency and offered Moscow favourable tax rules while placing heavy financial obligations on South Africa.

The energy ministry said it had "major concerns" about the court judgement but would not appeal the ruling. It will continue with nuclear energy plans adhering to stricter procedural guidelines, including consulting parliament.

"There is no intention to table the current agreements but (we) will embark to sign new agreements with all five countries and table them within reasonable time to parliament," the ministry said in a statement.

Eskom on Friday reinstated its former chief executive Brian Molefe, a Zuma ally who has supported the nuclear power plan.

Molefe stepped down five months ago after being implicated in a report by the country's anti-graft watchdog into alleged influence-peddling. He denied any wrongdoing.

Some analysts say former finance minister Pravin Gordhan was fired partly because he resisted pressures from a political faction allied to Zuma to back nuclear expansion.

New Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba has said nuclear expansion will only be pursued if it is affordable. (Reporting by Joe Brock; Editing by Mark Potter)
By Matthias Williams and Margaryta Chornokondratenko

KIEV, May 13 (Reuters) - Italy and Portugal are the frontrunners going into the final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev on Saturday night, an annual song and dance fest whose global audience topped 200 million people last year.

Italian Francesco Gabbani is leading the pack with a number, viewed nearly 114 million times on YouTube, that mixes Buddhist imagery with a dancing ape, and he explains as poking fun at the West's superficial embrace of eastern culture.

Vying for first place is Portugal's Salvador Sobral, performing a jazz-style ballad written by sister Luisa. According to the bookmakers, third favourite is Bulgaria's Kristian Kostov, the youngest entrant at 17 years old.

Ukraine is hosting the competition while the country is fighting a war, hundreds of kilometres away in the east, against Russian-backed separatists, after its Crimean Tatar entry Jamala won the competition last year.

The elephant in the room at Saturday's contest is Russia, which is boycotting the event after Ukraine barred Moscow's contestant from entering the country - a symptom of the countries' toxic relations after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Gabbani faced questions at a news conference on Friday about the pressures of being favourite.

"Without any offence, but it has been the biggest pressure for me that I have been asked this question (about being favourite) zillions of times," he said, speaking through an official translator.

"But beside that, I want to be very honest about this - you embrace this experience of Eurovision with the aim of living a great adventure and not necessarily thinking of the first or second place."

This is the 62nd edition of Eurovision, recognised by Guinness World Records as the longest-running annual TV music competition. It began in 1956 with just seven countries. Ireland have won the most times - seven in all - following by Sweden.

Other hopefuls this year include Jacques Houdek, known as 'Mr Voice' in Croatia, who blends pop and operatic singing styles in the song "My Friend". Romania is fielding a duo that combines rap and yodelling.

Ukraine has won the competition twice, including last year with a song about the mass deportation of Tatars from Crimea by Josef Stalin, and its winners will perform on Saturday.

More than 10,000 have been killed in the war between Ukraine and pro-Russian fighters that erupted in 2014.

"And yes, there is a war going on, but it's further, further out," said Stephanie Novak, a visiting fan from Australia.

"And I think isn't it the whole point of Eurovision to help bring Europe together? What could be better than bringing Europe to a country that is being so affected by war at the moment and to show them what a beautiful country it is." (Editing by Mark Potter)
NAIROBI, May 13 (Reuters) - South Sudan's ousted army chief Paul Malong returned to the capital Juba on Saturday, saying he had no intention of staging a revolt against President Salva Kiir's government.

On Friday, Kiir said Malong was in a "fighting mood" and had not obeyed orders to return from his home state to Juba three days after his sacking, raising the prospect of further turmoil more than three years into an ethnically-charged civil war. (Writing by Aaron Maasho; editing by David Clarke)
China defended its military relationship with Sri Lanka as good for regional peace and stability after Sri Lanka rejected a request from China to dock one of its submarines in Colombo this month.

Sri Lanka last allowed a Chinese submarine to dock in the capital of Colombo in October 2014, a move that triggered fierce opposition from its northern neighbor India, which worries about growing Chinese activity in a country it has long viewed as part of its area of influence.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Sri Lanka on Thursday for a two-day official visit.

China's Defence Ministry, in a statement sent to Reuters, did not directly mention the rejected request for the submarine visit, but said its submarines needed a place to resupply on their way to anti-piracy missions.

"The stopping to resupply of our military's submarines that are on their way to the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters for protection missions is an internationally accepted practice," the ministry said.

In recent years, the Chinese and Sri Lankan militaries had had fruitful and effective cooperation in areas like mutual visits and training, it added.

"The cooperation between the Chinese and Sri Lankan militaries is beneficial to regional peace and stability, is not aimed at any third party and should not be interfered in by a third party," the ministry said, without elaborating.

The timing of the incident is awkward as Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is expected in Beijing this weekend to attend a summit on China's new Silk Road plan.

A senior Sri Lankan government official said China's request to dock one of its submarines in Colombo this month had been rejected. He said Sri Lanka was "unlikely" to agree to China's request to dock the submarine at any time, given India's concerns.

A second official, at the defense ministry, also said China's request to dock this month had been rejected but that a decision on a further docking had been postponed.

China has invested heavily in Sri Lanka in recent years, funding airports, roads, railways and ports, unsettling India, traditionally the closest economic partner of the island nation of 21 million people.

More than 70 percent of the trans-shipment in Colombo port comes from India.

Sri Lanka is finalizing a plan to lease 80 percent of its loss-making Hambantota port to China for 99 years, but the deal has been delayed because of opposition from trade unions.

A 1987 accord between India and Sri Lanka provides that their territories not be used for activities deemed prejudicial to each other's unity, integrity and security.(Reuters)
The National Integration and Reconciliation Ministry has made special budgetary allocation of Rs.1,500 million for an innovative programme on Reconciliation-Focused Economic Empowerment Project which aims at strengthening North-South economic and business links.

The ministry said in a statement that the main objective of this project was to improve the production capacity of entrepreneurs in the North and East and border districts to establish links with buyers and exporters from rest of the country through which inter-ethnic, inter-religious and inter-regional ties will be strengthened to ensure healthy integration.

National Integration and Reconciliation Ministry Secretary V. Sivagnanasothy said the project would also provide livelihood support to conflict-affected vulnerable families specially the refugee returnees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and war victims. He said assistance would be prioritized to families headed by women, families with disabilities, disabled ex-combatants, families with missing persons and those living under extreme poverty.

Mr. Sivagnanasothy said the project would support the micro enterprises in the conflict-affected areas to enhance value chain and facilitate linkages between North and South. It will cover sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, livestock, self-employment, micro/small industries, handicrafts and services. The project will support training, technology transfer, machinery, working capital, market facilitation and credit facilitation said Mr. V. Sivagnanasothy Secretary Ministry of National Integration and Reconciliation

The project aims to strengthen reconciliation efforts, reduce poverty in the North and East and border districts through livelihood support and economic empowerment of communities.
A helicopter, which was part of Prime Minister Narendra Modis entourage on his two-day Sri Lanka visit, remains grounded in Kandy after it developed a technical problem, officials said today.

The Mi-17 helicopter is grounded at the Asgiriya grounds after it failed to take off yesterday when Modi departed in his special flight. Sri Lankan air force has helped identify the fault with the helicopter which awaits spare parts from India, officials said. A fleet of helicopters were used for Modis travel from Colombo to Dikoya, Kandy and from there back to Colombo International airport to return home yesterday.

Several houses in the central town of Hatton lost their roofs when the helicopters landed at two grounds in the area and at least one woman was injured, local media reported. Modi wrapped up his Sri Lanka visit yesterday during which he took part in the International Vesak Day celebrations and addressed Indian-origin Tamils.

He addressed the Tamils of Indian origin in Dickoya town in the tea growing Central Province of Sri Lanka and inaugurated a Rs 150 crore super-speciality hospital built with Indias assistance.(PTI)
Margaret Thatcher had once said: "To wear your heart on your sleeve isn't a very good plan; you should wear it inside where it functions best."

This quote turns out to be most appropriate and insightful in the context of the just concluded India visit by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on April 30-May 1.

It is perhaps the only visit by a head of state or government to New Delhi, which, in fact, invoked a lot of adverse media comments in the host country - and for the right reasons. There have been many visiting leaders from countries perceived to be more friendly to Pakistan, than India, but their visit went off without inviting criticism.

The divided Muslim world supports Pakistan on Kashmir as a way of expressing religious solidarity. But leaders from these countries have not tried to antagonise India brazenly by expressing their opinion on the dispute between India and Pakistan on Kashmir while visiting India - as Erdogan did in a TV interview just before landing in New Delhi.

Forty years ago when Erdogan was, of course, not in power, Turkey had invaded Cyprus and grabbed half the island nation by force. Pakistan had invaded then independent state of Jammu and Kashmir much earlier and still retains illegal claim over a third of the former state.

Taking his cue from Pakistan, Erdogan may be concerned about Kashmiris who have to live amid heavy army presence. In his own country, at least 2,000 men, women and children were killed between July 2015 and December 2016 as a result of the Turkish armys operations against Kurdish nationalists whom he calls "terrorists" - much like his Pakistani pals, for whom the Balochs who oppose the oppressive presence of the Pakistan army on their land, are "terrorists".

The Kurdish political party PKK is a "terrorist" organisation for Erdogan, but he would not agree with India that the attacks inside Kashmir are instigated by terrorists who come from Pakistan.

Erdogan thought he was doing a balancing act - a la China - when he said he did not oppose Indias entry into the exclusive Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) but it has to come with membership being simultaneously offered to Pakistan. The Turkish head of state cannot be so ignorant as to be unaware of Pakistans horrible proliferation record to equate it with India on the issue of NSG membership.

From Erdogans or Turkeys point of view, Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi conferring an honorary degree on him was an important event which was not overshadowed by his misplaced enthusiasm to meddle in Indias internal affairs.

There was opposition to it in some Indian sections but it would have been diplomatically incorrect to cancel the event after fixing it well in advance. Jamia Millia Islamia is one of the few Indian educational institutions that offer a course in Turkish.

Erdogan brought with him the burden of Kashmir, gratuitously telling India in a TV interview, what should be done to solve the problem. He brushed aside suggestions that he faced a similar intractable problem back home where the Kurds have been fighting against the Turkish state for a long time.

If India, Asias fastest growing economy and Chinas main competitor in Asia, invites Erdogan, he should show some sensitivity towards the host. Photo: Reuters

Erdogan does not get good press in the West. No surprise therefore that he spoke against the western media, and accused them of spreading untruths about his country. He does not enjoy universal popularity in the media of his own country, because of which he has arrested a very large number of journalists and shut down publications critical of him. In fact, his country remains under Emergency.

Many outside his country, including Muslim countries, think that Erdogan sees himself as an Ottoman emperor. He allegedly rigged a referendum to enhance his powers to become an autocratic ruler. His ambitions cannot endear him to the entire Muslim world.

Among the very few countries that see nothing wrong in Erdogan is Pakistan. As both prime minister and then president, Erdogan has made seven official visits to Islamabad. In return, Pakistan has become enormously enamoured of Turkey: both countries are almost equally disliked in the West.

Another parallel is the two countries slide into radicalisation. Turkey, like Pakistan, cannot be very happy to have more foes than friends in the outside world. Erdogan should have realised that not many countries that command some influence are keen to host him. If India, Asias fastest growing economy and Chinas main competitor in Asia, invites him he should show some sensitivity towards the host.

He would have certainly known that his advice to India to agree to a "multilateral" effort to solve the Kashmir problem would not be well received. But he went ahead, obviously to please his friends in Pakistan.

Leaders from the Muslim world who visit India navigate safely around the ticklish Kashmir problem that is as old as the birth of the two independent nations in 1947. They do not speak about it in India because they do not think it is prudent to needlessly poke India in the eye when their prime interest is in promoting ties with India.

VIPs from the Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, are closer to Pakistan than India on a host of issues, including Kashmir. But that did not cloud their visits. The reason was obvious: they did not come to India to speak on behalf of or for Pakistan; they came to expand bilateral ties with India which did not require dwelling on issues that divide India and Pakistan.

Indian dignitaries visiting the Gulf countries, likewise, do not openly air differences with them and talk about these issues discreetly, mostly in closed-door meetings. Certainly, no visiting Indian prime minister or president said anything critical of these countries before landing as state guests.

Despite routine anti-India rhetoric on Kashmir at the meetings of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), almost all OIC members continue to have fairly good relations with India. It includes Saudi Arabia, one of the biggest patrons of Pakistan, and widely suspected to be home to the propagators of religious extremism.
Does anyone know the price the government of the day in Rajasthan has put on the lives lost in the ghastly incident that happened in Bharatpur? The one that ensnared 24 lives. It's Rs 2 lakh per dead person that is supposed to reach the family from the CM's relief fund. And yes, another Rs 2 lakh by the way of the Prime Minister's relief fund.

Go and tell this to Rajbir Singh, an on-duty police constable who has returned home on hearing about the death of his 17-year-old son, Krishna Kumar. A promising lad who, the family says, could have brought great laurels.

If you do, all you are likely to get in return is a blank stare, enough to look through you, as if staring at nothingness.

Why is it that governments have to wake up after accidents happen, after mishaps consume lives and after people's lives get shattered forever? Is it because it's not the ministers' or their bosses' kith and kin who are at the receiving end of such criminal flouting of norms?

Why do committees get formed, investigations get ordered, ministers and bureaucrats pay visits, actions are promised after tragedies have ruined lives? And for what good? Does the ruling class ever learn lessons in this country?

Why is the fact that so many marriage venues are operating without valid licences being talked about after the Bharatpur tragedy has devoured several lives, many young ones at that?

Could it not have been known that certain venues are not capable of holding beyond a certain capacity and will, in all likelihood, collapse if pressure is exerted beyond a point? Is it not the duty of the present government to prevent such tragedies from occurring, to book those who have been flouting the norms and ensure the rule of law?

Isn't it a sad reflection on the governments and the lot of politicians of this country, if they have to be almost always reactive? Why are they masters at being an utter failure at pre-empting these man-made disasters which can be easily averted?

On Wednesday evening, around 800 guests gathered at the Annapurna Marriage venue with little idea about what was in-store for them. Suddenly, strong winds brought heavy rains and hailstorm with them. Scores of trees got uprooted and power supply got disrupted in the area, plunging the open-air venue into complete darkness.

In a bind over this sudden change of events and with not too many options at hand, the guests began taking shelter alongside the huge but already dilapidated wall which crashed down soon enough, to cause mayhem in the minutes that followed.

Shrieks could be heard as people, both young and old, women and children, got crushed. But there was no one to hear them for those several crucial minutes that they lay beneath the bricks.

A pall of gloom has descended on Sevar road in Rajasthan's Bharatpur. The families of Asha and Dharmendra Saini are a shattered lot. Till yesterday, the two clans were pepping up for a wedding intended to be solemnised with much celebration and fanfare in the presence of their loved ones. Except, it was never meant to be.

Gross callousness coupled with a cruel twist of fate has changed the course of their lives. Perhaps forever. The tragedy that struck the marriage home left six dead in the bride's family and as many injured. It also led to one death in the groom's family and several were injured.

Asha Saini happens to be the third of the four sisters from the Saini family which stays in Malipura area, hardly 2.5km from the wedding venue. Her younger sister, yet unmarried, says her 21-year-old sister had been planning for the D-day for a long time.

Is it not the duty of the present government to prevent such tragedies from occurring? Photo: PTI

Her family had got the walls of the house painted, with the names of the bride and groom printed on the entrance wall outside in bold, colourful letters. But it was not meant to turn out as planned. Wednesday night's tragedy that struck the wedding venue meant that the final rituals, including the pheras, were completed today morning at home.

In what was meant to be a celebration of a new beginning turned out to be a sombre affair, with those involved devastated. After the completion of the customary rituals, the groom left with the bride for Jaipur, unable to fathom the cruel twist of fate.

Krishna Kumar, the 17-year-old son of police personnel Rajbir Singh, had gone to Asha's wedding with other family members but never returned home alive.

Tragedy also struck the home of seven-year-old Prince, who had gone to the wedding venue along with his mother, Anuradha. The mother-son duo are now no more, killed like many others at the wedding venue by criminal callousness more than anything else.

In their pucca home, India Today spotted Prince's grandfather. He rued the time when he left the wedding venue with Prince'e elder brother in tow and left behind the younger one to come later with his mother.

Prince's father now lies on the hospital bed with grievous head injuries, fighting a battle of his own. The elder brother realises he will never get to go to school again with his younger sibling.

At their homes, where myriad forms of tragedy have arrived unannounced, those left behind have been mourning their dead in a sombre state. However, there is seething anger. At how cheap the lives of the poor have become in this country. And how little is expected to change despite the blatant indifference that has brought about unimaginable grief to the loved ones of those involved.
President Tran Dai Quang (L) and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (Photo: VNA)



He made the remark during a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing on May 12th, which was part of his State visit to China.

The President underlined that amidst complex global situation, the enhancement of the Vietnam-China friendship and cooperation is an objective demand and in line with the two peoples fundamental and long-term interests. It will also benefit peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

He asked the Chinese Premier to continue paying attention to the implementation of some measures to expand and improve the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation.

In terms of trade, President Quang said he hopes ministries, sectors and localities of China will soon finalise legal procedures to open the Chinese market for milk, dairy products, fruits, aquatic products and pork of Vietnam. He urged the Chinese side to continue facilitating trading between the two countries major businesses in coal and agricultural products, especially rice and cassava.

Stronger trading of agricultural products will not only help boost the healthy and sustainable growth of bilateral trade but also practically benefit Vietnamese farmers, he noted.

The working group for infrastructure cooperation should further bring into play its role in order to promote major investment projects, especially in renewable and clean energy, that represent Chinas strength and development level and match Vietnams demand and sustainable development strategy.

President Quang urged that the two sides push their businesses to swiftly address existing problems in cooperation projects.

Regarding financial partnership, he called on China to provide Vietnam with more preferential loans and facilitate Vietnams access to concessional credit sources within the framework of ASEAN-China and Mekong-Lancang cooperation.

He said the two countries should step up collaboration in agriculture and environment with a focus on climate change response, sustainable use of water resources of the Mekong/Lancang River, and creation of rice varieties tolerant of drought and saltwater intrusion in Vietnam. They should also strengthen ties in science-technology and in ensuring nuclear and radiation safety.

President Quang highlighted the need to intensify win-win cooperation between Vietnamese and Chinese localities in economy, trade, tourism, border management and protection of legitimate interests of seasonal workers in border areas.

It is necessary to continue to open and upgrade pairs of border gates, apply customs facilitation measures, cooperate to fight crimes and keep security and order in border areas, and maintain a peaceful and stable environment for the two countries cooperation and development, he added.

On this occasion, the President conveyed an invitation to visit Vietnam from Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to Premier Li Keqiang.

For his part, Premier Li reiterated that the Party, Government and people of China treasure the friendly neighbourliness and comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam. China believes that the two countries stable development brings opportunities for each other, he said.

According to the premier, China pays attention to Vietnams concerns and has stepped up measures to increase the import of Vietnams agricultural products, improve trade balance, and create more favourable conditions for the provision of concessional credit packages. It has also actively worked in response to Vietnams request relating to the sustainable use of cross-border water resources, he said.

He agreed with President Quangs opinion on the need to enhance strategic discussions and direct the two countries sectors and localities to seriously comply with common perceptions reached by senior leaders of Vietnam and China. Both sides should actively carry out measures to reinforce cooperation in all fields, thereby contributing to the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

At the meeting, Premier Li also accepted the invitation to visit Vietnam.
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(Isialys) Societe a responsabilitie limitee, PT Becton Dickinson Indonesia, PharMingen, PharMingen., Plasso Technology Ltd, PreAnalytiX GmbH, Pristine Access Technologies Inc., ProSeed Inc., Procesos para Esterilizacion S.A. de C.V., Productos Bard de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Productos Para el Cuidado de la Salud S.A. de C.V., Puls Medical Devices AS LC, PureWick Corporation, Roberts Laboratories Inc., Rochester Medical Corporation, Rochester Medical Ltd., Saf-T-Med Inc, Safety Syringes Inc., Scanwell Health Inc., Sendal S.L.U., SenoRx Inc., SenoRx LLC, Shield Healthcare Centers Inc., Sirigen Group Limited, Sirigen II Limited, Sirigen Inc., Sistemas Medicos ALARIS S.A. de C.V., Specialized Cooperative Corporation, Specialized Health Products Inc., Specialized Health Products International Inc., Specialized Health Products International LLC, Staged Diabetes Management LLC, Straub Medical AG, Straub Medical AG, Surgical Site Solutions Inc., TVA Medical Inc, TVA Medical Inc., Tepha Inc, Tepha Inc., Tissuemed Ltd., Tri-County Medical & Ostomy Supplies Inc., TriPath Imaging Inc., Tru-Fit Marketing Corporation, Vas-Cath Incorporated, Vascular Pathways Inc., Velano Vascular, Velano Vascular Inc., Venclose Inc., Venetec International Inc., Venetec International LLC, Visitec, Y-Med Inc., Y-Med LLC, and ZebraSci Inc..

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Ameriprise Financial, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides various financial products and services to individual and institutional clients in the United States and internationally. It operates through four segments: Advice & Wealth Management, Asset Management, Retirement & Protection Solutions, and Corporate & Other. The Advice & Wealth Management segment provides financial planning and advice; brokerage products and services for retail and institutional clients; discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory accounts; mutual funds; insurance and annuities products; cash management and banking products; and face-amount certificates. The Asset Management segment offers investment management and advice, and investment products to retail, high net worth, and institutional clients through unaffiliated third-party financial institutions and institutional sales force. This segment products also include U.S. mutual funds and their non-U.S. equivalents, exchange-traded funds, variable product funds underlying insurance, and annuity separate accounts; and institutional asset management products, such as traditional asset classes, separately managed accounts, individually managed accounts, collateralized loan obligations, hedge funds, collective funds, and property and infrastructure funds. The Retirement & Protection Solutions segment provides variable annuity products to individual clients, as well as life and DI insurance products to retail clients. The company was formerly known as American Express Financial Corporation and changed its name to Ameriprise Financial, Inc. in September 2005. Ameriprise Financial, Inc. was founded in 1894 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The following companies are subsidiares of Transocean: 15375 Memorial Corporation, Agon Shipping Inc., Aguas Profundas Limitada, AngoSantaFe - Prestacao de Servicos Petroliferos Limitada, Angola Deepwater Drilling Company (Offshore Services) Ltd, Arcade Drilling AS, Asie Sonat Offshore Sdn. Bhd., Barents Rigco Limited, Blegra Asset Management Limited, Blegra Financing Limited, Caledonia Offshore Drilling Services Limited, Challenger Minerals Inc., Covent Garden - Servicos e Marketing Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Deepwater Drilling (Transocean Ghana) Limited, Deepwater Drilling North Africa LLC - Free Zone, Deepwater Pacific 1 Inc., Deepwater Supply Inc., Drillship Alonissos Owners Inc., Drillship Hydra Owners Inc., Drillship Kithira Owners Inc., Drillship Kythnos Owners Inc., Drillship Paros Owners Inc., Drillship Skiathos Owners Inc., Drillship Skopelos Owners Inc., Drillship Skyros Owners Inc., Eastern Med Consultants Inc., Entities Holdings Inc., GSF Leasing Services GmbH, Global Marine Inc., Global Offshore Drilling Limited, GlobalSantaFe (Labuan) Inc., GlobalSantaFe B.V., GlobalSantaFe C.R. Luigs Limited, GlobalSantaFe Denmark Holdings ApS, GlobalSantaFe Drilling (N.A.) N.V., GlobalSantaFe Drilling Company, GlobalSantaFe Drilling Company (North Sea) Limited, GlobalSantaFe Drilling Company (Overseas) Limited, GlobalSantaFe Drilling Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., GlobalSantaFe Drilling Operations Inc., GlobalSantaFe Drilling Services (North Sea) Limited, GlobalSantaFe Drilling Trinidad LLC, GlobalSantaFe Drilling Venezuela C.A., GlobalSantaFe Financial Services (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., GlobalSantaFe Group Financing Limited Liability Company, GlobalSantaFe Holding Company (North Sea) Limited, GlobalSantaFe Hungary Services Limited Liability Company, GlobalSantaFe International Drilling Corporation, GlobalSantaFe International Drilling Inc., GlobalSantaFe International Services Inc., GlobalSantaFe Nederland B.V., GlobalSantaFe Offshore Services Inc., GlobalSantaFe Operations (Mexico) LLC, GlobalSantaFe Saudi Arabia Ltd., GlobalSantaFe Services (BVI) Inc., GlobalSantaFe Services Netherlands B.V., GlobalSantaFe Servicios de Venezuela C.A., GlobalSantaFe South America LLC, GlobalSantaFe Tampico S. de R.L. de C.V., GlobalSantaFe Techserv (North Sea) Limited, GlobalSantaFe U.S. Holdings Inc., Indigo Drilling Limited, Inteliwell JV GP Limited, Inteliwell JV LP, Kalambo Operations Inc., OCR Falklands Drilling Inc., OR Norge Operations Inc., Ocean Rig, Ocean Rig 1 Inc, Ocean Rig 2 Inc., Ocean Rig Canada Inc., Ocean Rig Cuanza Operations Inc., Ocean Rig Cubango Operations Inc., Ocean Rig Deepwater Drilling Limited, Ocean Rig Investments Inc., Ocean Rig Management Inc., Ocean Rig Operations Inc., Ocean Rig UDW Inc., Ocean Rig UDW LLC, Offshore Ghana Transocean Limited, Offshore Rig Operations AS, Olympia Rig Angola Holding S.A., Olympia Rig Angola Limitada, Orion Holdings (Cayman) Limited, Orion RigCo (Cayman) Limited, P.T. 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Bhd., Transocean Drilling Services (India) Private Limited, Transocean Drilling U.K. Limited, Transocean Eastern Pte. Ltd., Transocean Employee Support Fund, Transocean Enabler Limited, Transocean Enabler Rigco Limited, Transocean Encourage Limited, Transocean Encourage Rigco Limited, Transocean Endurance Limited, Transocean Endurance Rigco Limited, Transocean Entities Holdings GmbH, Transocean Equinox Limited, Transocean Equinox Rigco Limited, Transocean Finance Limited, Transocean Financing (Cayman) Limited, Transocean Financing GmbH, Transocean Guardian Limited, Transocean Holdings 1 Limited, Transocean Holdings 2 Limited, Transocean Holdings 3 Limited, Transocean Holdings LLC, Transocean Hungary Holdings LLC, Transocean Hungary Investments LLC, Transocean Hungary Ventures LLC, Transocean Inc., Transocean Innovation Labs Ltd., Transocean International Holdings Limited, Transocean International Resources Limited, Transocean Investimentos Ltda., Transocean Investments Holdings LLC, Transocean Investments S.a.r.l., Transocean Ltd., Transocean Management Services GmbH, Transocean Minerals Holdings Limited, Transocean Nautilus Limited, Transocean North Sea Limited, Transocean Norway Operations AS, Transocean Offshore (North Sea) Ltd., Transocean Offshore Canada Services Ltd., Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling Inc., Transocean Offshore Deepwater Holdings Limited, Transocean Offshore Drilling Limited, Transocean Offshore Gulf of Guinea II Limited, Transocean Offshore Gulf of Guinea VI Limited, Transocean Offshore Gulf of Guinea VII Limited, Transocean Offshore Gulf of Guinea XII Limited, Transocean Offshore Gulf of Guinea XIII Limited, Transocean Offshore Holdings Limited, Transocean Offshore International Limited, Transocean Offshore International Ventures Limited, Transocean Offshore Limited, Transocean Offshore PR Limited, Transocean Offshore USA Inc., Transocean Onshore Support Services Limited, Transocean Orion Limited, Transocean Phoenix 2 Limited, Transocean Phoenix 2 Opco LLC, Transocean Pontus Limited, Transocean Pontus Opco Inc., Transocean Poseidon Limited, Transocean Poseidon Opco Inc., Transocean Proteus Limited, Transocean Proteus Opco LLC, Transocean Quantum Holdings Limited, Transocean Quantum Management Limited, Transocean Quantum Rig Holdings Limited, Transocean Quantum Sentry Holdings Limited, Transocean Rig 140 Limited, Transocean Rig Management Limited, Transocean SPSF Holdings Limited, Transocean Sedco Forex Ventures Limited, Transocean Sentry Limited, Transocean Services (India) Private Limited, Transocean Services AS, Transocean Services UK Limited, Transocean Skyros Limited, Transocean Spitsbergen ASA, Transocean Sub Asset Holdings 1 Limited, Transocean Sub Asset Holdings 2 Limited, Transocean Sub Asset Holdings 3 Limited, Transocean Support Services Limited, Transocean Support Services Nigeria Limited, Transocean Support Services Private Limited, Transocean Technical Services Egypt LLC, Transocean U.S. Holdings LLC, Transocean UK Limited, Transocean Voyager 1 Limited, Transocean Voyager 2 Limited, Transocean West Africa Holdings Limited, Transocean Worldwide Inc., Triton Asset Leasing GmbH, Triton Capital I GmbH, Triton Capital II GmbH, Triton Capital Mexico GmbH, Triton Conqueror GmbH, Triton Corcovado LLC, Triton Financing LLC, Triton Gemini GmbH, Triton Holdings Limited, Triton Hungary Asset Management LLC, Triton Hungary Investments 1 Limited Liability Company, Triton Industries Inc., Triton KG2 GmbH, Triton Management Services LLC, Triton Mykonos LLC, Triton Nautilus Asset Leasing GmbH, Triton Nautilus Asset Management LLC, Triton Offshore Leasing Services Limited, Triton Pacific Limited, Triton Poseidon GmbH, Triton Voyager Asset Leasing GmbH, and Wilrig Offshore (UK) Limited.

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Shebelynka gas refinery cuts output by 5.6% in four months of 2017

Shebelynka gas refinery in Kharkiv region cut processing of crude oil by 5.6%, or 8,700 tonnes, January through April 2017 year-over-year, to 147,700 tonnes.

In April 2017 alone, the refinery boosted processing by 2.3%, or 700 tonnes, from April 2016, to 31,800 tonnes, a source at the Energy and Coal Industry Ministry told Interfax-Ukraine.

January through April 2017, the refinery cut petrol production by 34.3%, or 21,800 tonnes, year-over-year, to 41,700 tonnes. Diesel fuel output fell by 28.8%, or 11,400 tonnes, to 28,200 tonnes, that of boiler oil by 48.1%, or 9,000 tonnes, to 9,700 tonnes.

Work load at the refinery in January-April 2017 was 44.3% against 46.9% in the same period of 2016.

Ukrgasvydobuvannya, which operates Shebelynka gas refinery, cut processing of crude oil by 2.5%, or 3,861 tonnes, in the first months of 2017 year-over-year, to 152,581 tonnes.

Ukrgasvydobuvannya Chief Commercial Officer Serhiy Fedorenko forecasts that his company may boost processing by 3-7% in 2017, to 530,000-550,000 tonnes.

Ukrgasvydobuvannya, which is wholly owned by NSJC Naftogaz Ukrainy, is a large gas processing company, which accounts for about 75% of total gas output in the country.

It operates Shebelynka gas refinery, Yablunivske department to process gas, Bazylivschyna condensate stabilization unit, and 18 gas filling stations in Kharkiv region. The latter sell fuel and liquefied gas of own production.

Shebelynka gas refinery started production of Euro-4 petrol and diesel fuel in 2016.
LOVINGSTON  Amid scaffolding, blueprints, exposed brick walls and chipping paint dispersed through the Nelson County Circuit Courtroom, 33 recently uncovered letters stand out.

Painted on the horizontal wood structure above Tuscan columns that support the balcony, the off-center, unevenly spaced letters form five words: Virtus  Keep Gods Commandments  Veritas.

Though the Latin words meaning virtue and truth and the English imperative  located directly across from seats for the judge and jury  likely hold the stories of nearly 200 years of history, whether they will remain in place remains to be seen.

The courtroom, which is undergoing extensive renovation, was known in decades past simply as the Nelson County Courthouse, the home of all legal activity. Court first was held in the courthouse on Feb. 26, 1810. The building is an official Virginia Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Until recently, the words  which could prove to be controversial because of their religious connotation and placement in the courtroom  had been completely hidden, covered by layers of paint.

You would have never been able to tell it was there, said Jim Vernon, an architect with Architectural Partners, the contracted firm for the renovation.

While Vernon and construction teams had some idea the lettering may have been there, based on the 1973 National Register of Historic Places nomination, it took a team of specially contracted workers to determine whether the lettering did, in fact, exist. Randy Parr, owner and president of Lynchburg Restoration, the firm contracted to uncover the lettering, said his company came to look at the balcony and start work in March.

Parr said his company shone a high-intensity light across the surface of the balconys entablature  the wood structure resting on the columns supporting the balcony  to identify where the letters were and give us some idea of what we were looking for.

At a snails pace during the course of about a week, three men worked to uncover the lettering, Parr explained.

Parr said he thinks at least four coats of paint covered the lettering at the beginning of the restoration process. Each layer had to be softened by heating the surface with an infrared heater, allowing the men to carefully and painstakingly remove the paint, he said. The process was repeated several times before the letters were revealed fully.

Painting over the lettering, he said, actually acted as a kind of protection.

A highly unusual piece of history

While there are a number of religious displays and holiday traditions some consider inappropriate in government-owned areas, the Nelson courtroom lettering is something not seen elsewhere in the commonwealth.

John O. Peters, a Virginia historian and co-author of Virginias Historic Courthouses, believes the lettering is highly unusual based on his research of courthouses in the state.

For the book he co-authored with his wife, Margaret, Peters studied 126 courthouses across Virginia, including Nelson Countys. Though he said he cant call the lettering unique, since the original interiors of many courthouses have been altered over the years, John Peters does believe there likely isnt another such religious inscription inside a courtroom in Virginia.

It still strikes me, based on everything I know, as highly unusual, he said.

Parr, whos worked on more than 100 restoration projects in the Central Virginia area, including several courthouses, said he also has not seen anything like it inside a courtroom.

Documents and experts indicate the lettering first may have appeared in the 1830s in connection with the courthouses use for religious purposes.

Though there is no reference to the lettering, Joseph Martins 1835 A New and Comprehensive Gazetteer of Virginia and the District of Columbia explains the courthouse in Lovingston was used as a place for public worship. The different denominations, the gazetteer explains, were Methodist, Baptist and Presbyterian.

According to Peters, that usage makes sense when compared with the timeline of American history. Peters explained that, around the 1830s, Christian denominations began to split from the Anglican Church. He added that the newly formed congregations would have needed a meeting place, and courthouses made sense as the place of choice because they often were used for multiple purposes and centrally located.

There is no definite date for when the lettering was covered and no indication why it was painted over.

Nelson County Historical Society President Bob Carter said covering of the lettering may correspond with a 1940s renovation of the courthouse.

Anecdotal evidence points to it having been covered for at least 50 years. Parr said the paint on the entablature matches the paint on the trim work throughout the room.

Phil Payne IV, a Lovingston attorney who also serves as the county attorney, and Samantha Embrey, a Nelson resident who grew up in Lovingston, both remember playing in the courtroom as kids in the 1950s.

Missing from both of their memories is the lettering. Neither can recall seeing it.

What will happen to the lettering?

Vernon said the $5 million courthouse renovation project, which began in September 2015 and includes multiple changes to the four-building complex, could be completed by June.

Changes in the circuit courtroom represent the last phase of the project. Its unclear what will happen to the lettering or when a decision will be made.

According to Payne, the Nelson County Board of Supervisors and Nelson County Circuit Court Judge Michael Garrett share responsibility for a decision on what should be done with the lettering.

The supervisors have authority over the county-owned building and the allocation of funds for the courthouse renovation project. The judge has say over what happens in the courtroom.

In an interview in March, Garrett wouldnt comment on the pending decision that needs to be made.

Nelsons five supervisors have offered varied opinions.

Thomas Bruguiere Jr. and Larry Saunders believe the lettering should remain in place.

You cant change history, Bruguiere said. I think we should leave it up, leave it alone. It shouldnt offend anybody.

Saunders said he believes we should put God back in the courtroom and schools.

The other three supervisors said they believe the judge has authority to decide, but each offered additional thoughts.

Chairman Tommy Harvey said he would like to see history preserved, and at this point, the supervisors arent worried about litigation. He said if a legal challenge arises, the county is not going to back down from a fight.

Supervisor Connie Brennan said in her opinion, its better to ensure the separation of church and state, including when it comes to legal proceedings.

Supervisor Allen Hale agreed, adding he thinks it makes sense to come up with a way to temporarily cover the lettering so it can be hidden when court is in session while still preserving the historical lettering.

According to Hale and Vernon, some preliminary, informal discussions have taken place privately with Garrett.

Vernon and County Administrator Stephen Carter said a temporary covering could be installed for when court is in session, or the lettering could be painted over permanently.

Another option is to leave the lettering as it stands now, or a subcontractor may be hired to enhance it by touching up the letters with paint and painting around the rest of the balconys entablature.

The piece of the entablature containing the lettering also could be removed completely, perhaps to be placed elsewhere in the courtroom so as to preserve the historical significance.

Is a legal battle looming?

Nelson residents, law experts and others believe there likely will be a legal fight over the words.

Doug Laycock, a professor at the University of Virginias School of Law and an expert on religious freedom law, said if the lettering is left up, a person or organization will say it should be taken down. If its removed, the other side will argue it should be preserved in place.

Someones going to challenge this, he said.

According to Laycock, a legal case for taking down the lettering would be based in the First Amendment.

Laycock believes the lettering violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which says there shall be no law made respecting the establishment of a religion, because of its position in a courtroom.

He called the lettering explicitly religious and added its position in the courtroom, directly opposite a judge and jury, aggravates the problem.

Its telling these legal decision-makers who are applying secular law that they should keep their religious obligations in mind, Laycock said.

Peter Frazier, a Lovingston attorney, added that arguments for removing the lettering probably would include the Fifth and Sixth amendments, which guarantee the rights to due process and an impartial jury, respectively.

Laycock, Frazier and Lovingston attorney Heather Goodwin said if a legal challenge is brought, outside firms may be interested in representing a side.

If the county loses such a case, Laycock said, costs could start to add up quickly. The cost would depend on whether the county hires outside counsel, how far the case goes and on representation. Laycock estimated costs could total $100,000 on the low end to $500,000 if it gets to the U.S. Supreme Court.

If it stays up, Goodwin said of the lettering, the countys going to have a problem.

As an attorney based in Nelson who would represent clients in that courtroom, Frazier said the more he thinks about the issue, the more he sees himself challenging the constitutionality of the words.

As a defense attorney, I probably dont want it up there, he said, explaining he thinks there is a possibility a jury would be considering religious values rather than just the laws of Virginia in deliberating a case.

Frazier said if a client had any suspicion that it would in any way unduly influence a jury or a judge, he would challenge it.

Legal minds, leaders react

There is no dearth of opinions on the best route for the future of the unusual artifact.

Laycock and Frazier agree the piece of the entablature containing the lettering should be removed and placed alongside a series of panels explaining the courthouse complexs history, which already is in place elsewhere in the building.

The two said the option wouldnt completely eliminate the possibility of litigation, but it greatly reduces the chances.

I think that is the wise thing for the county to do in the sense that it would avoid litigation, probably, Frazier said. Its much more likely that somebody would litigate it if it stayed up then it would be if it was taken down.

Frazier said while he appreciates the historical significance of the words, the rights of parties involved in any kind of legal matter taking place in the courthouse must win out.

I think its a really impressive historical artifact, a really interesting historical artifact that tells us so much about the people of Nelson County at the time it was put up, he said.   But where it is, it is in such a delicate place where we have taken such pain over the past 400 years to make sure that specific space is so neutral and so sterilized and so focused solely on the facts presented in a case that it is too fraught with problems for it to remain up.

 It is changing history, but I think its a constitutionally required changing of history.

Speaking personally, Nelson County Democratic Committee Chairman Conny Roussos said Gods commandments are not to be considered in a courtroom where decisions should be made based solely on Virginia laws.

Also speaking personally, Nelson County Republican Committee Chairman Carlton Ballowe said he would like to see the lettering stay in place, explaining he thinks the reference to God could refer to any supreme being, not just the God of Christianity.

Nelson County Commonwealths Attorney Daniel Rutherford, who soon will prosecute cases in the courtroom, said, Its an amazing historical find.  History should be kept; it should be preserved. How and where, I leave that up to the board of supervisors and the judge.
Ukraine boosts electricity consumption by 1.5% in four months of 2017

Electricity consumption in Ukraine in January-April 2017 grew by 1.5%, or 759.1 million kWh in January-April 2017 compared to the same period of 2016, to 52.729 billion, a source at the Energy and Coal Industry Ministry told Interfax-Ukraine.

The figures take into account technological losses in the power grids.

Without taking into account technological losses, electricity consumption in the four months increased 2.7%, or 1.090 billion kWh, to 42.092 billion kWh.

The industry of the country, excluding technological losses, increased electricity consumption by 2.6%, to 16.950 billion kWh. In particular, metallurgy consumed 9.571 billion kWh (1.9% up from January-April 2016), the fuel industry consumed 1.287 billion kWh (4.6% up), machine building 1.490 billion kWh (11.1% up), chemical and petrochemical industries 867.6 million kWh (21.1% down), food and processing industry 1.418 billion kWh (8% up). Producers of construction materials consumed 641.7 million kWh (2.3% up) and other sectors boosted power consumption by 10.3%, to 1.675 billion kWh.

Agriculture alone consumed 1.143 billion kWh (a 5.2% increase), the transport sector 2.513 billion kWh (a 5.8% increase), and the construction sector 359.8 million kWh (a 19.2% increase).

Households in January-April 2017 consumed 13.174 billion kWh (0.6% up), providers of utilities services bought 5.598 billion kWh (3.1% up), and other non-industrial consumers 2.353 billion kWh (7.6% up).

Industry accounted for 40.3% of total electricity consumption January through April 2017, which has not changed year-over-year. The share of households decreased from 32% to 31.3%.
RICHMOND  After being bitten by a dog while traveling in India, a Central Virginia resident has a confirmed case of human rabies, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

The department declined to share any additional information about the patient, citing privacy concerns.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, human rabies is almost always fatal.

Once symptoms appear in a person, that persons prognosis is poor, said Julia Murphy, state public health veterinarian with the VDH. Thats why we emphasize the importance of prompt reporting of exposures.

Health providers can intervene with a vaccine before a person becomes symptomatic, Murphy said. There has not been a vaccine failure in the U.S. since the 1980s.

Cases of human rabies are extremely rare in the U.S.; only 1 to 3 cases are reported annually.

The last time the VDH reported a case was in 2009, when another patient was bitten by a dog in India. That person died, Murphy said.

Health officials are assessing those who had direct contact with the central Virginia patient  such as family members or health care workers  to determine if they have been exposed, out of an abundance of caution, Murphy said.

The only documented case of human-to-human transmission has been via organ transplantation, she said.

According to the CDCs website, the symptoms of rabies are very similar to the flu, with general weakness, discomfort, fever and headaches.

Symptoms could progress to anxiety, confusion and agitation, and eventually to delirium, hallucinations and insomnia.

Rabies is a vaccine-preventable disease, and Murphy said anyone who thinks they may have been exposed to rabies should seek medical attention.

Virginia is rabies endemic  you dont have to travel internationally to be exposed, she said. If a person in Virginia is bitten by an animal, we ask them to take certain precautions like washing the wound thoroughly with lots of soap and water, try to identify the animal, then alert someone  particularly in the local health department.
Ukraines SBU Security Service has hosted a meeting of the leadership of the Ukrainian special service with representatives of the U.S. Congress headed by Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives Michael McCaul.

"The parties discussed the issues of countering terrorism, combating cyber threats from the Russian side and the prospects for strengthening cooperation in these areas," the SBU press center reported.

The SBU chief Vasyl Hrytsak said that the United States is one of the few countries that does not need to be convinced that events in Ukraine are not an internal conflict, but a war.

"Under conditions of continuing aggression, the SBU was forced to expand its functions, turning into a "belligerent intelligence service," whose employees are permanently stationed in the ATO zone," a report says.

In turn, the U.S. congressmen assured the leadership of the SBU in its unity in matters of Ukraine's support, stressing that they continue to advocate for the territorial integrity of the state, insist on increasing financial assistance to Ukraine.
On May 16-17, 2017, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko will make the first state visit to the Republic of Malta in the history of bilateral relations.

Poroshenko's meetings with the President and Prime Minister of Malta, as well as the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of the Republic of Malta, are scheduled during his visit to Malta, which is currently presiding in the EU, the press service of the Ukrainian president said.

It is also planned to sign a number of bilateral documents, which will contribute to the intensification of cooperation between Ukraine and Malta in various fields.
International anti-terrorist exercises will be held in Odesa region (Chornomorsk, Reni and adjacent territories) on May 15-25.

Antiterrorist Center under the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) with the participation of the police, the National Guard, the State Emergency Service, border guards of the State Border Guard Service and the Armed Forces of Ukraine organize the military drills, the press center of the SBU reported on Saturday.

Military exercises will be carried out in conditions that are as close as possible to the real ones.

"The Security Service of Ukraine calls on residents living in the area of conducting exercises to stay calm," a message says.
LONDON -England - The virus that has infected and effectively shut down 95% of government computers in the UK was penned and designed by a rogue group of hackers called the European Union Commission.

The virus demands Britain pays the hacking group 85 billion in Bitcoins or all data on the computers will be deleted.

GCHQ has identified one of the hackers as a guy called Juncky, his real name is Jean Claude Juncker, who is well known to the authorities as a very dangerous malevolent joker character.

Ransomware

We have tracked this hacking group to a building in Brussels, Belgium. Juncky and his crew are a highly dangerous team of experts in the field of blackmail, extortion and many other criminal activities, Miles Eaveridge, senior cyber crimes analyst at MI6 revealed today.

If your computer has been affected by this malicious virus, do not pay the ransom, just delete everything and start again with your backed up data with a clean slate.
The Ukrainian side of the Joint Center for Coordination and Control (JCCC) states that in Donbas during the past day illegal armed formations were actively carrying out shelling of the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including populated settlements along the entire line of disengagement.

"Over the night into Saturday, around 01:35, the militants fired on the village of Volnovakha with 15 artillery shells of 152 mm caliber, which is a grave violation of the Minsk accords on the use of prohibited weapons. Fortunately, there are no killed and wounded among the civilian population," the press service of the JCCC said.

According to their information, on Friday the illegal armed forces of ORDLO carried out shelling in the direction of the populated settlements of Maryinka and Krasnohorivka using 82-mm mortar. As a result of the bombardment, one house was destroyed on Heroyiv Chernobylia (Heroes of Chornobyl) Street, 206, and one mine exploded in the courtyard near the house along Soniachna Street, 8. According to preliminary information, there are no casualties among civilians.

In addition, on Friday, at about 11.30 the enemy fired the settlement of Chermalyk from small arms. A citizen of Ukraine was wounded. She was diagnosed with a "gunshot wound of the left leg" and sent to the hospital.

"Such criminal actions by the illegal armed formations of ORDLO testify about grave violations of the Minsk agreements and targeted actions to further aggravate the conflict and unwillingness to observe the ceasefire," the message says.
The Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Kyiv-based) in 2017 will complete an investigation into the criminal proceedings on the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people by the Soviet authorities in May 1944; now the demographic expertise is being conducted into this case, the Crimean prosecutor Gunduz Mamedov has said.

"We are investigating the criminal proceedings on the fact of forced resettlement by representatives of the government bodies of the Soviet Union in May-July 1944 when more than 255,000 representatives of the Crimean Tatar people from the territory of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic were resettled in places not suitable for living," Mamedov said in the air of Krim. Realii (Crimea. Realities) Radio station.

According to the prosecutor, now the demographic expertise is being conducted under this case in order to establish the number of evicted people.

"The case, of course, has its own specifics. The main thing is that 70 years have passed since that time. The basic written documents turned out to be in the territory of other states. There is a need to establish a large number of victims and witnesses. In order to determine the number of evicted people in 1944, we scheduled a demographic examination. I think that the examination will be completed soon. This year we will finish this case," Mamedov said.

In May 2016, the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea informed of a pretrial investigation into the criminal proceedings in connection with the forced deportation of the Crimean Tatar people and representatives of other national groups from the territory of the former Crimean ASSR in 1944. This fact is investigated under Part 1 of Article 442 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (genocide).

May 18 is a Day of memory of victims of deportation of the Crimean Tatar people from Crimea. On this day in 1944 the first echelon of the Crimean Tatars was sent from the peninsula to Central Asia. In total, more than 180,000 people were deported.
New Delhi: GMR Infrastructure today said it has entered into pacts for divesting stakes in its Indonesian coal mining entities. Two subsidiaries of the company -- GMR Energy Netherlands BV and GMR Infrastructure Overseas Ltd -- have entered into conditional share purchase agreement with PT Golden Energy Mines Tbk, Indonesia.

The pact is for selling 100 per cent stake, according to a regulatory filing. Besides, the company would sell "mandatorily convertible bonds in PT Dwikarya Sejati Utama, PT Duta Surana Internusa, PT Unsoco and PT Barasentosa Lestari," the filing said.
Aamir has not repeated his actresses in the past few years. But this time around, it could well be two of his earlier co-stars in the same movie.

Aamir Khan is rather upset. With the media and film trade speculating that it was the perfectionist Khan who pushed his protege and on-screen daughter Fatima Sana Shaikh from Dangal to play an important character in the upcoming Thugs of Hindostan, Khan is angry.

The movie is to be directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya and produced by Yash Raj Films, and the stakes are high. But Aamir doesnt want to react to the insinuation, and wants to keep his silence.

According to sources close to the actor, he never recommends anyone for movies. In fact, a lot of his friends recommend actresses to him, and he takes cognisance of the references.

For instance, Salman had spoken to Aamir to see if he could repeat his Dhoom 3 co-star Katrina Kaif in Thugs of Hindostan. The role spoken about is an independent one from what Fatima will be essaying.

Fatimas pictures from the audition for the movie was somehow leaked, despite the tight procedures that Yash Raj films follow. It was hence speculated that it was Aamir who had endorsed her name for the role opposite him, after having played her father in the earlier film.

Aamir has not repeated his actresses in the past few years. But this time around, it could well be two of his earlier co-stars in the same movie.
Priyanka Chopra and Jim Parsons in a still from 'The Big Bang Theory.'

Mumbai: Priyanka Chopra had claimed during her recent, brief visit to India that she has locked three Bollywood films. And with her name getting linked for a film with Sanjay Leela Bhansali and a biopic on Kalpana Chawla, we were anticipating an announcement soon.

However, surprisingly, instead of a Bollywood film, the actress has apparently signed a Hollywood film.

Hollywood producer Paul Bernon wrote on Twitter that he is producing a film which will also star Priyanka Chopra among other actors, by sharing a website link containing all the details of the film.

Jim Parsons, who plays the character of Sheldon Cooper in the popular television series The Big Bang Theory is also a part of the cast, and Priyanka will be seen sharing screen space with him and other members of the cast including Claire Danes, Octavia Spencer, Ann Dowd and Michaela Watkins.

The film A Kid Like Jake is based on Daniel Pearles play of the same name.

Priyanka reportedly plays the character of Amal, who is a single mother in the film.

This is the actress' third international project after the television series 'Quantico' and the Hollywood film 'Baywatch.'
Mumbai: The departing president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which organizes the Oscars, said on Friday she is also stepping down from the board of governors.

The announcement by Cheryl Boone Isaacs that she is not seeking re-election to the board follows controversies over diversity at the Oscars and a blunder over the best picture winner at this year's glittering awards show.

Boone Isaacs, the Academy's first African-American president, is departing after serving 24 years on the board of the Academy that included four years as president. Under Academy rules, she was not eligible to seek another term as president.

"It's been my greatest honor serving on the Academy's Board of Governors in numerous capacities for more than two decades, and it will be a privilege to provide the opportunity for new voices to have a seat at the table," she said in a statement.

Boone Isaacs gave no reason for her decision also to leave the board but the Academy has come under fire in the past three years over the scarcity of people of color in its ranks, sparking the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag.

The Academy overhauled its membership last year, pledging to double membership of women and minorities by 2020 and stripping some older, non-active members of voting privileges.

In February, a backstage envelope mix-up by a PricewaterhouseCoopers accountant led to musical 'La La Land' mistakenly being announced the winner of the best picture Oscar instead of 'Moonlight'.

The blunder, deemed the biggest in Oscar history, led to Boone Isaacs announcing new protocols for the awards ceremony that included adding a third accountant and banning backstage tweeting, photos and other social media postings.
Daughters are their mothers darlings and actresses are no different. Whenever we spot actresses  at events, shoots or promotions, many of them are often accompanied by their mothers. This is not just for moral support, but a lot more. These mothers, who double up as their managers or momagers, are the superwomen behind their successful daughters. Right from their daily schedules, to their choice of films, momagers take care of it all! This Mothers Day, we talk to these mother-daughter duos about how they manage to keep their personal and professional relationships healthy and successful.

Say the word bubbly and Hansika Motwani comes to mind. Her mother, Dr. Mona Motwani is no less. Talking about their special bond, Mona says, Hansikas journey in showbiz began when she was barely seven years old! Initially, I used to help her choose her scripts and go with her to locations. Both of us listen to the scripts. At that time, my priority was on my daughters career as my profession was already established. At no point of time have I felt that I was making a sacrifice.

An emotional Mona adds, I have been with her during thick and thin to guide her at the right time. Recalling an incident as proof of Hansikas bravery, Mona says, When she was six, we lived in a high-rise building. Once, Hansika was standing near the door keeping her hands on it. All of a sudden, due to the heavy wind, the door slammed and it cut her middle finger. She was yelling and I rushed her to my hospital where a surgery was conducted. Since I had fed her only 15 minutes prior to it, we could not give anesthesia. But, she was brave enough to undergo the operation without making any noise. In fact, I was crying. I am blessed to have a daughter like Hansika.

Nivetha Thomas, who started off as a child artiste and then a heroine, is now making waves in Tollywood for her powerful performances. She has her mother Illy Thomas to support all of her choices.

Talking about her daughter, Illy says, We are pretty much the same way we are at home too; not much of a difference there. Yes, I dont have much experience with people from the industry. But Nivetha and I make sure that we are on the same page about what we want in her career and make sure that others know about it too.

Talking about the one thing this mother-daughter duo disagree on, Nivetha says, The only thing we argue about is my workaholic nature. Im very particular about balancing work with studies, even if it means pulling off an all- nighter, but all mom wants me to do is relax. Not just while shooting, but having my mother around me all the time is very important to me. There are people who compare me to her, and I take it as a huge compliment because if I am at least 25 percent of what she is, thats an achievement.

Actress Mahima Nambiar excitedly starts talking about her mom who manages her In simple words, she is my confidence. Ever since the day I broke the news to my family that I want to act, she has been by my side. Never has she complimented me on my films, she always has some criticism to dole out (laughs), but that is what keeps me grounded. Im still slightly childish, I have to admit. I find it near impossible to say no to people. But mom is so headstrong and knows when to say no.

Mahimas mom Vidyas only complaint about her is her organisation skills! The one thing we always have fights over is when we have to pack before heading out to shoot. She always manages to miss her clothing, so its always a missing piece of clothing before an important event, and she has still not corrected that, she says.

Kollywoods newest entrant Sayyeshaa says there is nobody better suited than her mother Shaheen for the job! My mother knows me the best, and so I cant think of anyone else who would do the job better. She also understands my choices and the films I do are solely my choice. But the way she manages everything else surrounding it is amazing and keeps me sane.

Shaheen chips in saying, She is my baby and she means the world to me. Perhaps the only thing I want her to do is relax a lot more. She is a workaholic and I have to remind her when to switch off work. That is why we are taking a vacation to Dubai, where we will celebrate Mothers Day.

When we think of momagers down south, the first person who comes to ones mind is Uma Krishnan, the rock behind Trishas career. The actress is a total diva, but Uma has been Trishas support and best friend throughout her career. The actress has never hid the fact that she owes what she is today to her mother. They are easily our favourite mother-daughter duo!

(With inputs from Anupama Subramanian)
Women who used LARC methods were more than two times less likely to have used a condom in their last sexual encounter. (Photo:

College women using long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), like IUDs or hormonal implants, may be less likely to get pregnant but more vulnerable to sexually transmitted disease compared to peers not on LARCs, a U.S. study finds.

Among sexually active women, those who used LARC methods were more than two times less likely to have used a condom in their last sexual encounter than women not on a long-acting contraceptive, researchers report in the journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

Long-acting reversible contraception, which includes intrauterine devices and contraceptive implants, is one of the most effective ways to prevent pregnancy. While these methods are good at preventing pregnancy, there is no protection for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), lead author Erika Thompson told Reuters Health in an email.

One of the key findings is that condom use is lower among women using LARC methods compared to other forms of birth control (e.g., pill). Thus, LARC users may be placing themselves at risk for an STI because they are not using condoms for prevention, said Thompson, a researcher at the Community and Family Health College of Public Health at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Sexually transmitted infections, such as chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were at an all time high in the U.S. in 2015, the study authors write. About half of new STIs occur in adolescents and young adults, they note.Thompsons team used data from the National College Health Assessment-II, a large survey-based study that examines the health status of U.S. college students.

The current study included 17,623 college women who were 18 years or older and reported having sex during the previous year. About 9 percent used a LARC method.Researchers found that 24 percent of LARC users also used condoms in their last sexual encounter, compared to 57 percent of used a different contraceptive method plus a condom. This comparison excluded women whose only contraceptive was a condom.

Most of the LARC users were over 21 years old, white and had insurance, the authors point out. Black and Hispanic LARC users were more likely than whites to use a condom as well.Couples in relationships may want to consider talking to a healthcare provider about STI testing prior to stopping condom use. It is important to note that serial monogamy, or having successive sexual partners, does not remove the risk for STIs, so condoms should be used initially in a relationship, Thompson said.

With the emergence of Zika Virus as a public health issue, this study may have applications to the prevention of sexual transmission of Zika virus, she added. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the use of effective birth control methods and condoms to reduce the risk of a pregnancy affected by Zika, Thompson said.

The study can shed light on which groups of women may be least likely to use condoms while on an effective form of birth control, Thompson said.There were some limitations to the study, including a low response rate to the survey. The study authors also didnt take the length of relationships into consideration and they didnt ask if study participants were aware of the risk of STIs.

It is an interesting study though I do not think the findings are surprising. People choose LARC for many reasons, including that they, or their partner, do not like condoms, Dr. Barbara M. Gripshover told Reuters Health in an email.More people chose this method who were in a relationship and therefore thought to be at less risk for STIs, said Gripshover, medical director of the John T. Carey Special Immunology Unit at the University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

Gripshover, who wasnt involved in the study, said that a couple can feel safe about not using condoms for STI prevention when both partners do not have an STI and they are in a monogamous relationship.
Charan called the woman to meet him and when she arrived, started to persuade her to marry him.(Representational image)

Hyderabad: Ghatkesar Police registered a case for outraging the modesty of a woman against a techie who allegedly sexually harassed his colleague on the pretext of love and assaulted her. Police said that Charan Chowdary, working for Infosys as a software professional, is now absconding.

According to police, the 23-year-old victim, from Srikakulam district in AP is working as a techie for Infosys located in Pocharam village for around two-and-a-half years.

Charan Chowdhary, who resides in the same block, has also been working at Infosys as a techie for the past one-and-a-half year. For the past six months Charan had been harassing the woman claiming to be in love with her but the girl refused to accept his proposal.

He frequented her flat on the pretext of getting water, eatables and other small reasons. Recently he started threatening her to love him.

On Thursday night, Charan called the woman to meet him and when she arrived, started to persuade her to marry him.

When she rejected again, he caught her by the throat and banged her head on to the wall, slapped her and abused her in filthy language. He also threatened her with dire consequences.

The girl sustained injury on her head. When she raised an alarm, Charan fled from the spot.

Police registered a case and sent the woman for medical examination. Teams have been formed to nab Charan.
Madurai: In a yet another case of honour killing, a 21-year-old nursing student was done to death, allegedly by her parents and three others at Veeralampatti village in Sedapatti taluk in Madurai district.

The rural police on Saturday arrested the parents of the victim identified as Suganiya (21), a second year nursing student, and two other relatives. The police secured them based on a complaint filed by her husband G Bhoopathy (24) from Chithode village to Erode superintendent of police recently.

The girls parents Periyakarthikeyan (56) and Chellammal (52) along with her three sons including Chinnasamy, Pandikannan forcefully took Suganiya to a farm land, located two-km away from the village, in the midnight on April 15 and burnt her to death using petrol and rubber tyres after she was given poison and strangled, police said.

During police interrogation, the parents confessed that they murdered their daughter because she married outside their caste. The girl and the boy belong to different castes of dominant communities.

Suganiya had fallen in love with Bhoopathy from Chithode village in Erode when she went to work at Kachi Nursing Home as part of her course there.

Bhoopathy, a painter by profession, met her first when he accompanied his friend for his treatment to the hospital.

The duo got married in January this year, said the police. When Suganiya informed her parents about their marriage, they refused to acknowledge it. Immediately her father Periyakarthikeyan accompanied by his elder son Pandikannan visited Chithode village and took her with them. Bhoopathy had not resisted their action then. However, she escaped from the house the next day and was united with her husband, police said.

Assuming that she brought disgrace to the family, Periyakarthikeyan and his son decided to kill her. In second week of April, Periyakarthikeyan along with his elder sister Lakshmi went to Chithode and invited the couple to a jallikattu event organised near their village on April 15, said the source. After Periyakarthikeyan spent three days taking part in a village festival there, he along with the couple left for Madurai on April 14. When they reached Arapalayam bus stand, the victim's brothers who were waiting in a car, took them to the village in the night hours. When the car reached near Veeralampatti village, they forced Bhoopathy to get down from the car and threatened him with dare consequences unless he left the place immediately, police said.

Bhoopathy left the place in an auto-rickshaw, which came in the opposite direction. The family then executed the murder after the jallikattu event and disposed off the girl's body, on April 15th morning. The four persons arrested so far include the victim's parents, Chinaswamy (19) and Lakshmi (19). The police are on the lookout for two other brothers involved in the case.
Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko has met with France's Ambassador to Ukraine Isabelle Dumont to discuss legal cooperation and protection of foreign investment in Ukraine.

The meeting took place on Friday, the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) said.

Lutsenko briefed Dumont on the current situation and priorities of reform of the prosecution. He noted progress in the efforts and the PGO's participation in the process.

"The two discussed issues of bilateral interaction during legal cooperation at the international level, as well as protection of rights of companies with foreign investment that work in Ukrainian territory," the press service said.

Dumont in turn assured of support by France of the reforms that are under way in Ukraine. She also pledged readiness to contribute to effective international cooperation in the fight against crimes and in the legal sector.
New Delhi: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will on Monday hold public hearings in the case of retired Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, who has been sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court.

The announcement was made by ICJ on Wednesday night, a day after it stayed Jadhav's execution following India's initiation of proceedings against Pakistan, accusing it of 'egregious violations of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations'.

"The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, will hold public hearings on Monday, May 15, 2017...in the proceedings instituted by India on May 8, 2017 against Pakistan. The hearings will be devoted to the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by India," the ICJ said in a release.

India had told ICJ that Jadhav "will be subjected to execution unless the court indicates provisional measures directing the government of Pakistan to take all measures necessary to ensure that he is not executed until the court's decision on the merits" of the case.

India also pointed out that Jadhav's execution 'would cause irreparable prejudice to the rights claimed by India'. Noting that India has been informed by the ICJ that an action has been initiated on the 'provisional measures' sought by New Delhi, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay in New Delhi said there is 'legal juridical procedure' that will be followed.

Earlier, the ICJ president wrote to Pakistan prime minister, saying, "In my capacity as president of the court, I call upon Your Excellency's government, pending the court's decision on the request for the indication of provisional measures to act in such a way as will enable any order the Court may make on this request to have its appropriate effects."

On whether the 'provisional measures' granted by the ICJ including a halt to Jadhav's execution was binding on Pakistan, Baglay referred to the clauses in ICJ rules which said, "a request for the indication of provisional measures shall have priority over all other cases".

India had submitted that it has information that Jadhav was "kidnapped from Iran, where he was carrying on business after retiring from the Indian Navy and was then shown to have been arrested in Baluchistan" on March 3, 2016, and that the Indian authorities were notified of that arrest on March 25, 2016, a ICJ press release had said yesterday.

Jadhav, 46, was given death sentence last month by the Field General Court Martial in Pakistan, evoking a sharp reaction in India which warned Pakistan of consequences and damage to bilateral ties if the 'pre-meditated murder' was carried out. Jadhav was sentenced to death for 'espionage and subversive activities'.

India acknowledges that Jadhav had served with the Navy but denies that he has any connection with the government. India has also handed over to Pakistan an appeal by Jadhav's mother, initiating a process to get his conviction overturned.
Srinagar: Two civilians were killed and three others wounded, one of them critically, in the Pakistani firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmirs Rajouri district on Saturday.

As the Indian troops responded to the latest ceasefire violation strongly and effectively, the exchange of fire eight civilians including five women are reported to have been injured in PoK. The officials in Jammu and Rajouri said that the Pakistani firing involving use of 82 mm and 120 mm mortar shells besides small arms was underway causing havoc in 14 villages in Rajouris Nowshera and Manjakot sectors.

Rajouris DC Shahid Iqbal Choudhary told this newspaper over the phone that 87 schools with an enrollment of 4,457 students falling in close proximity to the LoC have been closed till further orders in view of the skirmishes. Some schools in neighbouring Poonch district too have been shut as a precautionary measure, reports received here said.

The firing by the Pakistani troops which began at 7.15 am on Saturday has also damaged several residential houses and other properties in Jhanger, Bhawani and Laam areas of Nowshera sector besides leaving livestock dead or injured. Choudhary said, Firing is going on. The critically injured civilian has been referred to a Jammu hospital for advanced treatment. He also said that in all eight villages in Nowshera sector and six in neighbouring Manjakot sector have been affected in the firing from across the LoC.

He said that more than 150 border dwellers had shifted to safer locations following an earlier round of firing along the de facto border but others who may want to move out could not do it because the road leading to these villages is also in the line of fire. There are already more than 150 people in the camps but we cant evacuate others because the approach road is also in the line of fire. It would be risky to take them out of their dwellings while heavy firing is going on, Choudhary said.

The police officials said that a mortar shell landed in a private house in Jhanger village soon after the Pakistani troops in their latest violation of November 2003 ceasefire started targeting the Indian forwards posts and civilians areas on Saturday morning. This resulted in instant death of two persons and injuries to others. The Pakistani troops besides small arms used 82mm and 120mm mortars in Baba Khori and others areas along the LoC, said a police officer. The Army and police sources said that the Indian troops responded effectively using the same calibre weapons. Confirming it, Jammu-based defence spokesman Lt. Col. Manish Mehta said, The own forces are retaliating to the unprovoked Pakistan firing strongly and effectively. He added, The Pakistani troops initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatic weapons, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars from 7.15 am.

Following the renewed skirmishes, the authorities have ordered immediate closure of all the educational institutions falling within two kilometres from the de facto border in Rajouri district. Choudhary said that in the zero to five kilometre range from the LoC in Nowshera as many as 51 schools have been closed. Besides, 36 schools located in Dandesar, Doongi and Manjakote will also remain closed for next three days. He informed that during the ceasefire violation, at least, two schools were damaged in Jhangar area of Nowshera on Saturday while a mortar shell hit Middle School Thathiali in Manjakote area. He said, The decision to close the schools in the area has been taken to ensure safety of the students and the staff.

The officials in Muzaffarabad, the capital of PoK, said that eight civilians including five women were injured in the Indian firing in Khuiratta and Charhoi sectors of Kotli district and Samahni sector of neighbouring Bhimber district. They added that the casualties could rise as shelling was continuing in some areas.

Pakistans Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement alleged that the Indian firing was unprovoked and said that the Pakistani troops are befittingly responding to it. Chaudhary Zulqarnain Sarfaraz, the SSP of Kotli, said that the Indian troops resumed shelling and targeting civilian populations at 7am (PST) without any provocation. He was quoted by Dawn newspaper as saying, The shelling had been intense and indiscriminate for about one and a half hours, but it has stopped now. However, Chaudhary Guftaar Hussain, the DC of Bhimber district said that the firing and shelling was going on in Samahni sector.

On Wednesday night, a 35-year-old woman Akhtar Bi was killed and her husband Muhammad Hanief, 40, was critically injured in the Pakistani firing. About forty farm animals were also killed and 27 residential houses and a school were damaged in the firing and shelling from across the LoC in Laam area of Nowshera sector.

Next day, Pakistani authorities reported the death of a man and injuries to two other civilians including a woman in the Indian firing and shelling in PoK. Indian Deputy High Commissioner J.P. Singh was summoned to the Foreign Office in Islamabad over what the Pakistani authorities alleged were fresh ceasefire violations on the LoC and deliberate targeting of civilians by the Indian troops which it said was condemnable and contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws. The Pakistani authorities have said that the areas on their side of the LoC affected by firing fall in Tandar, Subzkot, Khuiratta, Baroh, Bagsar and Khanjar sectors.

Following the escalation, many border dwellers started leaving their homes and relocate to safer locations mainly in and around Nowshera town. In Rajouri district, the authorities ordered closure of all schools and other educational institutions falling within the two kilometre range from the LoC as a precautionary measure. Also the schools where relief camps for the displaced border dwellers have been set up remained closed on the second consecutive day on Saturday. The district administration had earlier alerted emergency services to deal the situation in view of the firing and resultant heightening tensions. Also, the authorities had, in the wake of Wednesdays firing, sounded alert in several villages falling close to the LoC including Pukherni, Qila Darhal, Sarya, Khamba, Laam and Jhangar.

On Friday, a BSF man suffered minor injury when Pakistani Rangers violated the ceasefire along International Border (called working boundary by Pakistan). The government had in April informed Rajya Sabha that Pakistani security forces had violated the ceasefire 268 times in the last one year resulting into the death of nine persons. Replying to a question, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre had said that between April 2016 and March 2017, the maximum of 88 violations were witnessed in November 2016 followed by 78 in October 2016 and 22 in March this year.
Bengaluru: The Bengaluru City Police has been on social media for a couple of years now, although a recent revamp has led to a riotous, tongue-in-cheek approach that - you guessed - draws young people to the page in droves!

A few days ago, they uploaded a photograph of a marijuana dealer, coupled with their characteristic, 'punny' wit: "If there was someone selling drugs, weed know." The post drew well over 4,000 likes and hundreds of shares. And a clamour for legalisation, on the Bengaluru police's official Facebook page!

BENGALURU CITY POLICE tobacco causes cancer and it's legal but weed somehow fights the cancer causing cells, why is it illegal, writes one facebook user, setting the stage for what has become a fiery debate.

The tide, however, shifted well in favour of legalisation, with people from across the country extolling the medical benefits of marijuana use, discussing its role in the treatment of cancer and why it is a less dangerous substance than tobacco, alcohol and Class A substances.

"It's high time Weed should be legal and cigarettes should be banned," said Amith SI, whose comment drew close to a 100 hits. "Ganja is a plant, NOT A DRUG," wrote Imtiaz K. Ansuman M., who works at an MNC in Bengaluru, said, "Ganja does not cause cancer... nicotine does... Govt is forcing people to turn to nicotine by banning ganja..." "Stop hunting people with the plant', 'tobacco and alcohol kill', 'ban cigarettes', and 'if weed is drugs, to 'focus on real crime', did the rounds on the post, to great appreciation.

The Bengaluru City Police produced one witty response: "This post has done us a lot of good. Please go on, continue to tell us what weed is. Send us a picture of you smoking, really." After this, however, the conversation was allowed to continue unhindered.





The New York Times, in an article in April, describes marijuana emerging as a real competitor for the US' alcohol industry, with the latter coming down heavily against legalisation debates. More than half the states in America have legalised marijuana for medical or recreational purposes and Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, has moved a bill seeking to completely legalise marijuana as a consumer product.

Cannabis has a long history in India too, a story entwined in our religious myths and finding its earliest mentions in The Vedas. According to the Vedas, cannabis was one of five sacred plants and is seen as a "source of happiness, joy-giver, liberator that was compassionately given to humans to help us attain delight and lose fear," wrote Ernest L Abel in his 1980 book, Marihuana: The First Twelve Thousand Years.

Much can be said on why legalisation is necessary, but until that moment comes, thanks for doing your job, Bengaluru City Police! We're glad you don't miss a beat! And keep those puns coming!.
l As a surgeon, I see the impact of tobacco use first hand in my patients. Treating patients already suffering from the horrible burden of tobacco-related diseases is not enough. We must implement strong laws that help prevent Indians from getting hooked to tobacco. With strong government commitment, collaboration across sectors, and fierce advocates willing to champion the cause, I know we can greatly reduce the burden of tobacco use Dr U S Vishal Rao, Chief of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology at Healthcare Global Enterprise Cancer Hospital

Bengaluru: City-based oncologist Dr U S Vishal Rao has been honoured with the '2017 Judy Wilkenfeld Award for International Tobacco Control Excellence' for his contribution towards the fight against use of tobacco in Karnataka.

Dr Rao is the Chief of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology at Healthcare Global Enterprise Cancer Hospital, as well as a Member of the high-level committee on tobacco control for the Karantaka Government and patron, Voice of Tobacco Victim (VoTV), India.

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) presented the award to Dr Rao at its annual gala on May 10 in Washington. CTFK is a part of Bloomberg and World Health Organisation's Tobacco Free Initiative partners working towards tobacco control across the world.

"As a surgeon, I see the impact of tobacco use first hand in my patients," Dr Rao said. "Treating patients already suffering from the horrible burden of tobacco-related diseases is not enough. We must implement strong laws that help prevent Indians from starting to smoke. With strong government commitment, collaboration across sectors, and fierce advocates willing to champion the cause, I know we can greatly reduce the burden of tobacco use," he added.

"CTFK is proud to recognise Dr Rao as a tireless tobacco control and public health advocate," said Matthew L Myers, President, CTFK. Dr Rao's commitment to those suffering from the impacts of tobacco use and to prevent its use by future generations sets him apart as a true champion for tobacco control in India, he added.

The Wilkenfeld Award was established to honour late Judy Wilkenfeld, the founder of Tobacco-Free Kids' international programme and a leader in the adoption of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), the influential international treaty that commits countries to take strong action to reduce tobacco use.

The award is given annually to an international tobacco control advocate who has made major contributions to reducing tobacco use in low-and middle-income countries and who inspires others to do the same.
Thiruvananthapuram: A total of 2.3 lakh students in Kerala would get free school uniforms made of handloom materials during the current academic year.

The state government had earlier decided to distribute handloom materials for school uniforms as parts of its plan to revive the dying traditional handloom sector.

The state level inauguration of the programme would be done by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on May 22, said Industries Minister A C Moideen, who inspected the uniform materials prepared at Hantex, the only Apex Co-operative Society of Handloom weavers' here.

In the first phase, uniforms would be given free to 2.3 lakh students studying from standard one to five, Moideen said.

State Education Minister C Raveendranath was also present on the occasion.
Srinagar: Zakir Musa on Saturday quit as the commander of Hizbul Mujahideen after the Kashmiri militant outfit distanced itself from his statement, in which he had threatened to chop off separatist leaders' heads for calling the Kashmir struggle a political movement.

"If the Hizb-ul-Mujahedin doesn't represent me, I also don't represent it," Musa said on Saturday. In an audio clip, he said that he stood by his earlier statement and that he was not ready to "sacrifice" his life for the establishment of a secular state.

The Hizb commander had in a short audio, which went viral on social media, asked the separatist leaders not to interfere in militants affairs but remain within their dirty politics.

The voice heard in the audio and purported to be that of Musa who was a close aide of Hizbs slain commander Burhan Wani and was named as his successor said, Some days back the joint resistance leaders issued a statement saying Kashmir struggle is political and that it has nothing to do with religion.

He added We just want to ask these political hypocrites if Kashmir is a political issue why are you then chanting slogans like Aazadi ka matlab kiya?; La ilaha illallah (Freedom stands for what; There is no deity but Allah) and Pakistan sey rishta kya; La ilaha illallah (What is the relation with Pakistan; There is no deity but Allah) .

He threatened to chop their heads off and hang them in Lal Chowk, Srinagars historic central square if you dont stop interfering in our matters.

The separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik who are part of an issue-based alliance named by them as Joint Resistance Leadership had earlier this week in a joint statement said that the ongoing freedom movement in Kashmir had nothing to do with ISIS and Al-Qada-like organisations. They also said that there is no role for these groups in our movement which was indigenous and seeks freedom for 15 million people of the state and that the same is not driven by religion.

The Hizb on Saturday issued a statement in Muzaffarabad, capital of PoK, disassociating itself from Musas utterances. The outfits spokesman Saleem Hashmi said that Musas statement was unacceptable and that the Hizb has nothing to do with it. This is the personal opinion of Zakir Musa, he said.

Throwing its lot behind the separatist leaders, the Hizb said that they and the people of Kashmir are taking the movement forward through their united efforts and that in these circumstances any provocative statement or step could prove deadly for the movement.

"Thank God, after Burhan Muzaffar Wanis martyrdom the entire nation and the leadership are showing unity on all fronts with a view to take this struggle for freedom and Islam to its logical conclusion. In these circumstances, any anarchic step or statement can only prove detrimental to the movement and strengthen the occupational imperialist," Hashmi said.

He also said that the Hizb is examining the statement issued by Musa and that it would not hesitate in taking any step or make any sacrifice in the interest of the tehrik (struggle).
Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday claimed to have busted a module of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which had been trying to revive militancy in the Chenab valley, with the arrest of seven persons, including an SPO and a former Territorial Army personnel.

The module was working to revive militancy in the Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban region of Jammu and Kashmir.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Jammu Zone SDS Jamwal told reporters in Jammu that the arrests were made by a special investigation team (SIT) formed after the attack on a police post in Doda on May 8, in which one special police officer (SPO) was killed and another injured.

Giving details, the IGP said that based on intelligence inputs the SIT had picked up some suspects and subsequently apprehended Abdul Rashid Harga alias Abdullah, a resident of Tanta.

Rashid had been an active member of LeT between 2001 and 2008 and had later surrendered. He was again arrested in 2013 and was released on bail in 2016.

"After sustained interrogation, Rashid confessed to his involvement in the (Doda) firing incident and disclosed the names of his two associates -- his younger brother Showket Ali and Akthar Magary of Tanta," the IGP said.

Following their interrogation, four more persons -- Bashir Ahmed, who was earlier part of Territorial Army, his nephew and SPO Altaf Ahmed, Shafqat Hussain and Hafiz -- were arrested.

An AK-47 rifle and three magazines and ammunition have been recovered from them, the IGP said.

He said that Rashid had been in contact with Bashir Ahmed of Bangraw-Gandoh, who was earlier working in the 139 Territorial Army Battalion in Thathri.

Bashir had asked his nephew Altaf Ahmed, who was working as an SPO inthe police department in Doda district, to arrange a weapon.

The SPO had then stolen one AK-47 rifle and ammunition from the district police line in January. A case in connection with the weapon theft was registered at Doda police station.

The IGP claimed that Rashid was in direct communication with his Pakistani handler, Mohd Amin alais Khubeb alais Haroon alais Pinna of the LeT.

He said that Rashid, Akhtar and Shokat, on the direction of Khubeb, had been enticing youths of Tanta area to join the militancy.

The police officer said that Rashid had been regularly conducting meetings in various areas of the Chenab Valley and motivating former militants and those who had surrendered.
Food grains and vegetables are the only commodities for which prices are fixed by traders and not by those who produce them  the farmers.

Hyderabad: Farmers woes in Telangana and across the country seem unending due to both manmade disasters and natural calamities, making agriculture a big gamble. The crux of the problem is lack of the recommended 50 per cent profit on agricultural produce, a fixed rate for crops before harvest, facilities for storage and marketing, value addition, assured purchases, and of traders and commission agents deciding on prices and enforcing their will on hapless farmers, besides erratic weather.

Food grains and vegetables are the only commodities for which prices are fixed by traders and not by those who produce them  the farmers.

The National Commission on Farmers (NCF) headed by agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan had made several recommendations to improve the lot of the farmers, including a call to fix Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops at levels of at least 50 per cent more than the weighted average cost of production. These had been listed in the BJPs 2014 Lok Sabha election manifesto and backed by every party in the Opposition including Congress.

As per the recommendations, farmers should get returns in the ratio of 1:1.5; or a Rs 100 investment should fetch Rs 150; or a 50 per cent profit. Though the recommendations were made in 2007, this has not been acted upon by the governments.

If one looks at the MSPs of select crops in 2016-2017, approved by the cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, based on estimated production costs, the Swaminathan formula remains a mirage. The existing MSP is a small financial support to farmers in case of a glut in the market and is far less than the actual cost of crop production.

MSP is based on the recommendations of the commission for agricultural costs and prices, which takes into account the cost of production, overall demand-supply, domestic and international prices, inter crop price parity, terms of trade between agricultural and non-agricultural sectors, and the likely effect on the price policy on the rest of economy, besides ensuring rational utilisation of production resources like land and water.

Though there are 140 odd crops in Telangana, grown during Kharif and Yasangi (Rabi), the Centre had fixed MSP for only 18 crops in the country like paddy, cotton, maize, soya bean, red gram, black gram, green gram, bengal gram, groundnut, sunflower, bajra, jowar-hybrid, jowar-maladandi, ragi, sesamum, safflower and sugarcane.

After the debt trap that led to mass suicides in 2003-2005 and earlier, natures fury, poor quality of seeds, fertilizers etc, un-remunerative prices since the past few years, farmers are facing now less distress due to good rain; and in 2016 were hooked to chillies. With no remunerative price or MSP, all hell broke loose in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh this season as tonnes of chillies arrived in the market with fewer buyers.

Traders fixed Rs 1,000 to Rs 6,000 as price for a quintal of chilli, depending on variety, compared to the Rs 10,000 for quality ones last year, lea-ding to protests from farmers and opposition parties. The Khammam market yard was attacked, and farmers set fire to chillies in other parts of the state, forcing the Centre to intervene. Former civil supplies minister in undivided AP and a progressive farmer, C. Muthyam Reddy, calls chillies and cotton dangerous and risky crops, which can make or mar a farmers life.

Chillies and cotton are risky. We need to be careful with such corps. In view of good monsoon, everyone hooked on to it. Farmers should not bank on one crop but go for multiple crops. Where there is no MSP, state should give a bonus, Mr Reddy told this newspaper.

Asked how to end the agrarian crisis, he says it needs manifold action like proper soil testing, recommend weather suitable crops since we have three climatic zones, quality power, water, seeds, pesticides, timely credit, harvesting technologies, storage facilities, marketing facilities, an easy crop insurance scheme, and making facility for farm produce in ways as to take it to consumers at affordable rates and ensuring sufficient profit to farmers. A snap in the chain and inclement we-ather can destroy farmers.

Mr Reddy raises paddy, chillis, cotton, soya, tomato and other crops. Farmers should go for multiple crops, not just one, to avoid risks, he suggests.

In the matter of chillies, it came down from 1,05,000 hectares in 2014-2015 to 61,000 hectares in 2015-16 and shot up to 1,12,000 hectares in 2016-17. Among several varieties of chillies, Teja is popular and fetches Rs 6,000 to Rs 6,500 per quintal.

Unlike paddy and some other crops, no MSP has been fixed by the Centre for chillies, a commercial crop. MSP is a price fixed by the Centre to offset a loss to some extent in case of a glut in the market but this doesnt provide a profitable price to farmer.

The total chilli production is a record seven lakh metric tonnes compared to 3,17,000 MTs in 2014-15 and 2,07,000 in 2015-16. As markets were engulfed with chillies and prices crashed leading to protests, the state and the Centre indulged in a blame game. Union minister Venkaiah Naidu says agriculture is a state subject while the TRS government wanted the Centre to fix MSP for all crops since crops are traded nationally and the state cannot fix MSP.

Irrigation minister T. Harish Rao slams the Centre for fixing Rs 5,000 per quintal for chillies under MIS when the state sought Rs 7,000 per quintal. Chilli production touches 7 lakh metric tonnes this season. Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singhs decision to buy 33,700 metric tonnes of chilli from Telangana is ridiculous. Farmers are getting Rs 5,500 to Rs 6,000 for Teja and other good variety chillies. What is the relief to farmer, he asks.

The Congress ruled the Centre for 60 years and NDA and others for 10 years but they did not fix MSP for chilli, turmeric and many other crops.

Ever since Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao took over the reins of the state in 2014, the TRS government took several pro-farmer steps. In view of the record sowing of paddy over 22 lakh acres and production of 60 lakh metric tonnes, the Telangana government opened 3,000 purchase centres, for which MSP has been fixed at Rs 1,500 per quintal. But Chengalreddy Peddireddy, secretary of the General of Consortium of Indian Farmers Associati-ons (CIFA) is critical of the state of affairs and wants a referendum on farmers issues. In a post on Facebook, he says, The nation needs to be awakened from the slumber. The fruits of development are mostly cornered by the organised sector. Farmers have become slaves. They have no economic equity or social recognition. The only right is right to vote.

Telugu Rythu Sangham president P Janga Reddy demands a payment of Rs 10,000 per quintal for farm produces.
CHENNAI: Grace Banu, a transgender-engineer, ran from pillar to post to get her adopted daughter Tharika Banu get enrolled in a government higher secondary school as a transgender student. And on Friday when Tharika emerged victorious in the plus-2 examinations, all the hard work and struggle that Grace went through paid off.

Tharika, a student of Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Ambattur here, scored 537 marks in Science stream and owes her success to her adopted mother Grace.

A native of Thoothukudi district, Tharika appeared for the plus-2 exams this March against several odds as the first transgender candidate in Tamil Nadu.

Admission in school was difficult as no institution was ready to take her in. Even protests did not work in this case and finally I convinced the district education officer to allow her to be admitted in Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Ambattur, Grace Banu told Deccan Chronicle.

The school education dept also acknowledged that Tharika is the first registered transgender student to have appeared and cleared plus-2 examinations. Though she did not score high marks, Tharika says her success will empower other transgender children and encourage them to pursue education. We are ready to study and get empowered, but what is lacking is acceptance from the society. Our community is very supportive, but we wish the same from all sections of society, said Tharika.

Tharika aspires to be a doctor, but was not allowed to appear for Neet. She appeals that govt and educational in-stitutions render support and encouragement for transgender for them to get empowered. Government should allow transgender in medical exams also, but before that, we want our individuality to be accepted by all sections of society, Tharika said.
From left Zamin Ali Khan, Rafiq Muhiuddin, Syed Ahmed Khan, Syed Hussain Ali Khan and Inam Ulhaq address a press conference on the Sultan-Ul-Uloom Education Society lands, at Somajiguda Press Club on Saturday.DC

Hyderabad: The multi-crore land dispute in Banjara Hills between kin of the Nizam VII and Sultan-Ul-Uloom Educational Society (SUES) has surfaced yet again.

The Panjagutta police registered an FIR (first information report) on May 8 against SUES and trustees of the Muazzam Jah Trust following a complaint lodged by Ameena Marzia, granddaughter of Nizam VII Nawab Mir Osman Ali Khan, alleging that the SUES is in illegal possession of 24 acres of land belonging to the Trust.

SUES runs Muffakham Jah Engineering College as well as pharmacy, education and management colleges from the campus located on Road No. 3, Banjara Hills.

Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Nawab Zamin Ali Khan, who has general power of attorney for Ameena Marzia, Syed Ahmed Khan and Syed Hussain Ali Khan (grandsons of Prince Muazzam Jah), said that SUES had taken illegal possession of Mount Pleasant building and 24 acres in Banjara Hills belonging to the Muazzam Jah Trust. He said that members of the Trust colluded with SUES to help the latter take possession of the land illegally.

He accused AICTE and Osmania University officials of receiving kickbacks from SUES for giving approvals to run colleges year after year though the society does not possess land ownership documents, which is a prerequisite to start colleges.

He said that after the death of Muazzam Jah in 1987, the trustees were supposed to close the Trust and divide the assets among his heirs as per Sunni Muslim law as contained in the Trust deed, but they allowed the educational society to start colleges by giving away land.

He said that the city civil court and High Court had earlier given clear directions to the Trust not to alienate the land to others, but the trustees disregarded this. He said criminal proceedings against SUES and the trustees has been initiated and he will soon approach the High Court over the issue.

We have warned the Society and trustees against alienation of land time and again. We have lodged complaints with AICTE and OU. The inquiry committees appointed by AICTE and OU found that SUES had no land ownership document.

They issued notices warning cancellation of college approvals. But they are getting approvals year after year. The society is bribing officials to get approvals. The government should order an inquiry into this issue to expose corruption," alleged Syed Ahmed Khan.

He added, The trustees initially permitted SUES as a tenant to use Mount Pleasant Building and 1,000 square metres of land. But later they leased out or entered into an agreement of sale of the entire land with the society. Both entered into a criminal conspiracy to usurp the land.

Nizam VII had set up the Trust for the benefit of his son Muazzam Jah in October 1949, which was validated under Validation Act No XXIV 1950, due to which the Trust deed has become on par with the law, Mr Khan said.

Muazzam Jah had three wives. The complainant, Ameena Marzia, is the daughter of his second wife, Razia Begum.

Mr Khan cautioned students against taking admission in SUES colleges since it will lose approval any time as it owns no land.

He urged AICTE and OU to close these colleges and accommodate students in other colleges. He said that students will be affected though its not their fault and the trustees should be blamed for allowing such illegal activities.
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko will pay a working visit to Strasbourg, France, on May 17.

He will participate in an official ceremony when the President of the European Parliament and the representative of the Maltese presidency of the Council of the EU will sign a legislative decision to introduce the EU visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens, Poroshenko's press service reported.

As part of his visit, the Ukrainian president is scheduled to meet with President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani and the leaders of key EP factions.

As was reported earlier, Poroshenko is also scheduled to visit the Republic of Malta on May 16-17.
New Delhi: In apparent retaliation to the Chinese snub on the NSG membership bid and Masood Azhar issues, India seems set to boycott the two-day conference in Beijing starting Sunday on Chinas giant "One Belt One Road" (OBOR) global initiative.

Barring the remote possibility of a last-minute rethink of sending a diplomat from the Indian embassy there for the conference, a new schism in Sino-Indian relations now seems certain.

China was extremely keen that India attended the conference but New Delhi has almost made up its mind. Government sources said Indias participation was unlikely.

India was infuriated at Chinas move to block Indias membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) through the fig leaf of seeking a policy first on admission of non-NPT signatory nations and also blocking UN sanctions on Pakistan-based terrorist Masood Azhar.

Chinese scholars have been issuing dire warnings on how India would be isolated as both the United States and other South Asian nations like Nepal and Sri Lanka have decided to participate in the OBOR meet. But New Delhi seems unfazed. Indias move to allow the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh and to allow a US Congressional delegation to meet the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala are clear indications of New Delhi sending a clear message to Beijing that it is upset.

Significantly, in the past few weeks, in response to media queries, the external affairs ministry had said the Chinese invitation to attend the OBOR conference was under consideration. But as of now, New Delhi does not seem to have responded either in the affirmative or negative.
Mumbai: The Maharashtra government  in a bid to increase milk production  will introduce a programme to encourage the breeding of cows over bulls. The state government has decided to take frozen bovine semen from an American company that guarantees its clients of breeding 98 per cent of cows and not bulls. However, activists are skeptical about the impact of the mass scale implementation of the said programme.

The decision has come in the wake of the state governments law preventing the killing of bulls and bullocks, which led to the presence of more bulls in the state than cows. Also, the government wants to increase the states milk production to compete with neighbouring states like Gujarat. Cows are more useful than bulls; therefore, we have decided to have selective breeding. With the help of technology, we will be producing more cows for milk than bulls. The milk can give farmers an income, animal husbandry minister Mahadev Jankar told this newspaper.

The government will provide frozen semen of the best quality bulls to the farmers. There is a guarantee that 98-99 per cent of the calves born from the process will be female. We are improving the breeding of cows so that they can give us the best quality and quantity of milk. Also, nowadays, bulls arent required much for farming and hence their numbers should be lower than cows, an official from the animal husbandry department said. With the help of biotechnology, the X and Y spermatozoa are separated to have the desired sex in the animal, the official added.

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals secretary Colonel (Dr) J.C. Khanna, however, was a little doubtful about the implementation of the project. Artificial insemination is not new, but if it is going to be on a mass scale, there are a few doubts. First of all, it needs to be done in highly hygienic conditions, or else the cows can attract infection. Secondly, there is no logic in having only female calves. Cross breeding is a usual process to increase milk production and it has a higher success rate. But I am not aware about this technology, said Col. Khanna, who has been working for 25 years with the military dairy farm in India.
Hyderabad: Petrol pumps in Telugu states will not observe a holiday on Sunday from May 14. The single shift functioning - from 6 am to 6 pm on weekdays from May 15 - has also been put off as dealers have decided to defer their agitation and function as usual.

Petrol dealers in eight states, including TS and AP, had announced an agitation, demanding increase in dealers commission. However, dealers said they would still meet on May 16 and 17 to decide their future course of action.

Rajiv Amaram, president, Telangana Petroleum Dealers Association, said: We have decided to put off the agitation for now keeping in view the public inconvenience. We will come out with our future course of action on May 18.

The Confederation of Indian Petroleum Dealers Association had given a call to petrol pumps to observe every Sunday as holiday from May 14 and work in single shift, from 6 am to 6 pm, from May 15 on week days. The TS and AP dealers had extended support to the agitation.

However, the association gave a contrasting reason for strike. First, it claimed that the strike was called demanding increase in commission for dealers. Later, it said it was done in response to the call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on conservation of fuel through his Mann Ki Baat programme.

However, the union petroleum ministry took serious view of this issue and warned dealers of stringent action if they resorted to closure of pumps or worked single shift in the name of agitations.

However, Mr. Amaram maintained they were suffering huge losses due to lower commission offered by OMCs on sale of fuel and the Centre had promised in November 2016 to increase our commission within a month. We are forced to close pumps on Sundays and work in single shift during weekdays to cut down our operational costs. Unless the Centre keeps its promise of increasing commission, it is not possible to have the pumps function as usual. We are hopeful of the Centre addressing our issues. at the earliest.

We will meet on May 16 and 17 to devise our future course of action," he said.
New Delhi: In an obvious balancing act ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis forthcoming visit to Israel which is expected to take place within the next couple of months, India will be hosting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who will begin a four-day state visit to India from Sunday, even as New Delhi reiterated its support to the Palestinian cause.

As per indications, Mr Modi may not visit Palestine either before or after his visit to Israel. The Palestinian Presidents invitation is taking place at the invitation of President Pranab Mukherjee who had visited both countries in 2015.

Observers point out that India inevitably finds itself doing a tight-rope walk in its ties between the two feuding neighbours Israel and Palestine.

In a statement, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said, India and Palestine enjoy historically close and friendly ties. Apart from the political support to the Palestinian cause, India continues to support developmental projects in Palestine by extending technical and financial assistance.

The visit will provide an opportunity for reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral relations, Middle East Peace Process, regional and international issues. MoUs on cooperation in various areas are expected to be signed during the visit, the statement said.
Private college managements say there is no alarming situation at present, a clear picture of how many companies honoured job joining dates will be known in June.

Hyderabad: Mass lay-offs and downsizing by IT companies is likely to impact scores of final year engineering students recruited in campus placement drives in the last few months.

Some of the IT service companies have deferred the joining dates of students by nearly six months and the same was communicated to placement officers in colleges to pass on the information to students. Other companies are likely to follow suit.

It may be mentioned here that IT majors like Wipro, Cognizant, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, Capgemini are facing their own share of challenges, and are moving to either prune or re-skill their respective workforce in view of the changed scenario over the last few months.

Usually, selected students in various engineering colleges are told to report for duty from the end of June or July first week. This is not going to happen for students selected by IT service companies. They may have to wait for at least six months or maybe longer than that. The same fate beckons for meritorious students not only from private colleges, but also from government engineering colleges.

They are obviously concerned. T.Shashank, who got selected from JNTU-Hyderabad, said they are a bit worried with the fresh developments taking place in the IT sector.

There are two worries for selected students -- lack of clarity about the joining date and also whether one year of their career gets wasted if companies stretch their joining date beyond December, he said.

Some students are requesting IT firms to allow students to join phase-wise from July onwards and then put them on orientation courses to brush up their skills as per industry requirement.

Aurora Group of Colleges Chairman Dr Ramesh Nimmatoori stated that they are keeping students in the loop, whatever the communication received from the industry.

Two leading IT service companies recruited nearly 300 students from our college and they communicated about deferring the joining date until December. We informed the same to students and their parents, he said.

However, meritorious students selected by IT product companies like Oracle, Microsoft, IBM should not have many concerns because they can expect joining from July first week.

If we take a hundred meritorious students in a college, IT service companies recruit nearly seventy to eighty students and the annual pay package will be between Rs 3.5 and Rs 4 lakh, However IT product companies recruit in relatively smaller numbers, but the average pay is high, Rs 7 to Rs 9 lakh per annum," stated M. Ayesha, an engineering graduate who joined a job in an IT product company in June last year after getting selected in campus recruitment.
H. Raja, Kummanam Rajasekharan and P.K. Krishnadas during the BJP core committee meeting in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. (Photo: A.V. MUZAFAR)

Thiruvananthapuram: A meeting of the BJP's core committee here on Friday decided to initiate steps to strengthen the party's base at the grassroots levels as a prelude to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

BJP national president Amit Shah, who is scheduled to visit the state from June 2 to 4 as part of his 95-day national tour, will participate in 21 meetings in three days.

State president Kummanam Rajasekharan told reporters that Mr. Shah would reach Kochi on June 2 and attend party programmes there. On June 3 and 4 he would be in Thiruvananthapuram and meet the core committee, NDA and BJP leaders. He would also meet booth-level workers as part of chalking out action plans for preparing the party for the Lok Sabha polls. A meeting with many prominent personalities from various sectors would also be held.

He will lay foundation stone for the new building for the party headquarters near Thampanoor on June 4.

Mr. Kummanam opposed the SBI decision to impose service charges on the customers. Such steps would distance the bank from the common man who had earlier welcomed centre's demonetisation drive.

He also said that a clear picture of land encroachments in the state would emerge once the ongoing land auditing by the accountant-general was over.
Sacked AAP MLA Kapil Mishra with his wife during his visit at Rajghat as he continues his hunger strike in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Axed Delhi minister Kapil Mishra, who is on an indefinite fast, has claimed his next expose will rattle the people of Delhi who trusted the Aam Aadmi Party.

On Friday, Mishra visited the Raj Ghat, the memorial for Mahatma Gandhi, where he had made startling allegations of corruption against Kejriwal on Sunday. He broke down at the memorial.

He has been sitting on an indefinite strike since Wednesday and was advised hospitalisation be a team of doctors on Friday.

His blood sugar level has dropped to 81 mg/dL and intravenous fluids need to be started immediately. His pulse is low. He is going into dehydration because of poor salt intake. We have thus advised hospitalisation, said Dr Javed Salam of the Aruna Asaf Ali Hospital who examined Mishra.

He is demanding that the AAP divulge details of foreign tours undertaken by five leaders of the party.

I am feeling very lonely, so paid a visit to the Raj Ghat. Tomorrow, I will visit a Hanuman temple. I will reveal the next batch of expose on Sunday. After that, the people of Delhi will receive a jolt, especially those who trusted the AAP, he said.

His mother Annapurna, a former BJP mayor, wrote a letter to Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of spreading lies that the BJP was behind her sons stinging attacks on him and the AAP.

On Thursday, several AAP leaders had tweeted a picture in which Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari and Mishra were seen in one frame.

She claimed the picture was clicked at an event to felicitate AAP leader Kumar Vishwas father and was attended by Kejriwal and all his ministers.
Kottayam: The dawn-to-dusk hartal declared by the BJP in Kottayam on Friday was partial, but marred by incidents of violence at various parts in the district. The hartal was observed in protest against the attack on two panchayat members of Kumarakom panchayat allegedly by the CPM men on Thursday.

The hartal supporters destroyed the flexes and posters of the CPM, DYFI and SFI in the town during a march taken out by the BJP district committee. They also destroyed the board of the police association at Thirunakkara and a light put up on a stone pillar. The scooter of Deccan Chronicle photographer Rajeev Prasad had a narrow escape.

The police arrested an RSS activist, Rajeev, 30, of Thrissur for the violence. Rajesh Kumar, 39, a village assistant of the Chengalam village office was attacked by RSS activists. The employees of the village office filed a complaint with the Kumarakom police on the attack.

The KSRTC conducted long-distance services in the district. The local services were stopped after the hartal supporters blocked the vehicles. Private buses also kept off the road putting the public into trouble.
New Delhi: With the presidential elections approaching, the BJP-led NDA seems to be surging ahead of the Opposition both in the number of votes and in percentage.

After Jagan Mohan Reddys YSR Congress confirmed its support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and with the TRS and the AIADMK giving clear signals that they would support the ruling coalitions candidate, the NDA could possibly cross the minimum number of votes needed to breast the tape.

If both the TRS and AIADMK support the NDA candidate, the Oppositions effort to contest the presidential election will merely become a symbolic battle.

Saffron strategists say that with the expected support of these two parties the NDA would easily be able to get the 5,49,441 votes needed to get its candidate elected.

With the NDA having nearly 410 MPs and over 1,600 MLAs, the estimated votes the coalition could muster added up to nearly over 5,32,000. Going by saffron calculations, the added backing of the AIADMK and YSR Congress could get the NDA over 65,000 more votes. This would enable the NDA to cross the 6,00,000 figure, which is well above the required number.

The data available with the BJP indicate the YSR Congress has over 16,000 votes, while the AIADMK has nearly 60,000 in its kitty.

The Opposition, meanwhile, continued to struggle to get all the anti-BJP parties on board. According to a socio-economic and political blog, the UPA has 810 MLAs and the total number of votes is nearly 93,000.

Its attempts to woo the TRS and AIADMK seem to have collapsed. So far the Congress, Trinamul Congress, JD(U), RJD and the Left parties have shown signs of coming together.
Wherever and whenever two or more Indians meet the conversation inevitably moves to corruption. Sometimes I wonder what we would say to each other if there were no corruption? We all seem near experts at it and have all experienced it at in some form or the other and at all levels. Yet with so much collective experience it is an elusive topic to write about.

Like our gods it takes so many myriad forms. It defies a simple definition. But we all know what it is. What Justice Potter Stewart of the US Supreme Court said in the context of obscenity  I know it when I see it  seems equally applicable to corruption. And given the plight of a majority of our people it is even more obscene than obscenity, which we of course know when we see it. Corruption is customary and we know what it is.

Economists prefer to bandy about a different term when referring to corruption. They call it economic rent. According to the International Monetary Fund it is the extra amount paid (over what would have been paid for the best alternative use) to somebody or for something useful whose supply is limited either by nature or through human ingenuity. Quite clearly this definition excludes the moral dimension. But then our problems get even more compounded when we realise that morality itself is very elastic and varies depending on time, place and context.

Take for instance the case of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He is one of the few Prime Ministers or for that matter politician we have had whose personal integrity seems above question. But as far as the Rajya Sabha is concerned, he is a tenant of Hiteswar Saikia and is a resident of Guwahati in Assam. We know that is just not true. Finance minister Arun Jaitley has made himself a Gujarat resident to become a member of the Upper House. Not very much before that he declared himself a resident of Amritsar and made a show of buying a house there. But Amarinder Singh cut short his residence there. The BJPs L.K. Advani has also been quite peripatetic. At one time he declared he was a resident of Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, for the sake of a Rajya Sabha seat. But if you and I were as cavalier and flexible with facts as this in declaring our place of residence, say for the purpose of obtaining a passport, we could end up in prison.

Economic rent takes other forms, which tax the common good much more. High import duties, for instance, meant to restrain imports, actually serve to increase prices and profits for domestic manufacturers. The Hindustan Ambassador, that immortal symbol of a mindless and rapacious system, actually gave its manufacturer and employees as much joy as it gave sorrow to those who owned or drove those cars. All in the cause of a classless society by central planning. Did you notice how all car tyres or batteries cost about the same? Or how all similar sized air-conditioners and refrigerators cost about the same? Or till recently how all air tickets cost the same and an arm and a leg at the same time? Adam Smith explained it best by noting that people of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public.

Much of the corruption we witness in everyday life is a result of the unnecessary exertions of lawmakers and the judiciary. In the past few months, I have had the opportunity every morning to contemplate a vacant plot of land in the neighbourhood I live in. Roads bound the plot on all four sides and naturally people walking take a short cut across it. Some soul with a penchant for orderliness has taken upon him to put an end to this practice. First a sign came up demanding that people not do the most rational thing, which is taking a shortcut. The sign was ignored and my dog Sharmaji had been using the signpost to leave his signature. Then a small length of barbed wire pegged between two poles appeared astride the path at both ends. The people who use the path still find it convenient to go around the poles and take the not-so-short shortcut. Good old Sharmaji just slipped under the wire and was quite happy that he has two more poles to leave his daily markers on.

The nature of most of our lawmaking is just like this. They are irrational and people will respond rationally to them, by circumventing them if not ignoring them. The Supreme Courts order that there should be no bars within 500 metres from a highway is now being circumvented by laying a maze to extend the distance from the bar to the highway. Laws that conflict with common sense just do not work. Which brings me to another aspect. We have laws that prohibit urinating in public and on walls, private and public. Urinating is meant to be a private business. But where are people to urinate when you just dont have enough urinals? So a law against urinating in public makes sense only when you have enough public urinals.

Thoughtless laws corrode a state thoroughly. This is why states built around tight regulation and appeals to a higher human ideal fail. Corruption is all pervasive and a worldwide phenomenon. It comes built in with nature. Animals steal food from each other just as humans extort from others. But human beings live in organised societies and societies are nothing but systems based on laws. For laws to work it must be clear that if caught, trial will be swift and if found guilty retribution will be commensurate.

Thats where we have serious problems. Who makes the law? Politicians. Who enforces the laws? The police. Both are believed to be overwhelmingly corrupt. And can we expect anything better from the courts? And how do people generally become judges? Let us take the example of Shamit Mukherjee, a former judge of the Delhi high court, who was caught in the act of arranging for a convenient place for justice to end. There are so many like him who adorn our courts.

A just and relatively honest society requires a system that inflicts swift and commensurate retribution on transgressors. It is apparent that we quite clearly do not have that and will not have in the foreseeable future. The only way we can get that for ourselves is a vigilant media that relentlessly probes, investigates and exposes.

But the problem is that many of those who still call the shots in our media business are the ones who have turned a calling into a business, like the fellows who got themselves farmhouses in Mehrauli. That then leaves the people to fend for themselves, which is what they are doing in many parts of the country that are gripped by insurgencies.
The consulate of Ukraine in Turkey is checking the possible presence of Ukrainians among the victims of the road accident with the participation of a tourist bus in the south-west of Turkey, the department of consular service of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine has reported.

"The Ukrainian Consul is checking whether there are citizens of Ukraine among the injured in the road accident in Turkey," the Foreign Ministry's consular service department said on its Twitter page on Saturday.

Earlier this day, Western media reported that at least 20 people were killed and 11 more seriously injured in the accident involving a tourist bus that occurred in the south-west of Turkey near the city of Marmaris.

According to local authorities, Turkish tourists were traveling by bus. The bus was heading to Marmaris from the city of Izmir when the driver lost control over the car, after which the bus broke through the barrier and fell into the gorge.
The approval by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) for genetically modified (GM) mustard, developed by Delhi University, for commercial cultivation has rekindled the debate on the advisability of GM food. It will become a reality if the ministry of environment too accepts the recommendation of the biotechnology regulator in India.

Why deny benefits of research to farmers?

Dr K.M. Sreekumar

It is now made out as if genetic modification is a modern invention. Millennia before Gregor Mendel conducted his pea plant experiments in the 1850s, farmers knew that crossbreeding of plants, and animals, could produce certain desirable traits. In fact, genetic modification is a natural process, it is continuously happening in nature. This is why newer varieties, crops and species are evolving. Evolution is a relentless process.

Inter-species hybridisation and inter-generic hybridisation are also happening in nature. The origin and improvement of maize crop is a telling example. Triticale, formerly a grass and now widely grown as a grain, is an example of inter-species hybridization between wheat and rye. From the start of cultivation, humans have been tinkering with the nature and characteristics of crops. Crops like rice and wheat, which were just wild grasses at the beginning of agriculture had a productivity of only 40 kg per hectare, were transformed into crops yielding 6000-7000 kg a hectare. Hybrid rice yields a whopping 11,000 kg per hectare.

It is not just the yield, many other characteristics such as the shedding of grains have also changed. To begin with, wheat and rice varieties used to shed grains from its panicle, which is a characteristic of a weed. But right at the start of domestication we transformed them into crops more hardy, from which seeds stopped shedding naturally and had to be extracted manually.

In the case of the genetically-modified (GM) mustard, which has now been given approval for commercial production by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee, the sharpest criticism is that an herbicide-resistant gene has been incorporated. Herbicide resistance is developed all over the world in soyabean, cotton, maize and many other crops. In America and the European Union they cultivate GM crops in over 100 million hectares. Herbicide resistance will enable farmers to raise the crop with minimum tillage, which in turn will save fossil fuel by doing away with the use of tractors or tillers. Whats more, this will also reduce carbon emissions, making farming environment-friendly and sustainable.

New-generation herbicides are found to be environment-friendly, so the question of such a herbicide causing havoc to the environment can be safely ruled out. Here, in the case of GM mustard, herbicide-resistance is not a hidden one. It is used as a marker in the development process of the crop.

The other big threat normally associated with GM crops, the ruthless anti-farmer high-handedness of unscrupulous multinationals, is not valid either. The research on GM mustard was not done by a corporate, but by a public-funded institution with public money.

Another fear was that when a new variety is conjured up it could lead to the genetic erosion of mustard. There need be no fear on this account. National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, with seven centres across the country, has a sizeable collection of crop germplasm stored in liquid nitrogen. At any time it can be revived, and given to the farmers and breeders. This way at least 75-80 percent of our diversity is already preserved and the process is still continuing.

Again, the arrival of GM mustard does not mean all mustard farmers will go after the new variety. It is not just for oil that mustard is cultivated. It is also a leafy vegetable, and its seed is used in cooking. Its oil is not used for cooking alone, it has therapeutic properties, too. The GM variety will increase only the oil productivity, which will not be of any use to a farmer cultivating mustard as a vegetable. Even a farmer cultivating mustard for its medicinal value might not find an increase in productivity attractive as he is looking for a particular odour for the oil. So even if the GM crop is available, it will not result in all mustard farmers suddenly shifting to the transgenic version.

Area under GM crops is increasing very fast, at very good rate. Bt Cotton, the only transgenic crop allowed in the country, has been a success story for last 20 years. There was huge opposition from anti-GM lobby, but upon seeing the benefits, farmers themselves have vigorously spread it. And the crop just caught on like wildfire in the cotton belt, reducing the pesticide use to more than 50 percent. The agriculture ecosystem became healthier.

GM mustard is promising 25 percent higher yield, which is attractive for mustard farmers. Higher yield, leads to higher profit. This in turn will reduce the oil import bill of the country. Why should the farmers be denied of this research benefit? Benefits of research are available in all fields, especially medicine, where we are utilising it readily. It is ironical then that when it comes to agriculture we want to revert to the pre-historic age.

(Dr K.M. Sreekumar is Professor with Kerala Agricultural University. He can be contacted at sreekumar.km@kau.in)

A threat to sustainable farming, food safety

Sridhar R

These are times when all of us are seriously worried about the safety of our food. We are as much concerned about the disaster facing the agrarian sector, with soils losing its fertility, water contaminated, pesticides and chemicals in the food and farms, increasing cost of cultivation, failing markets, and worse, farmer debts and suicides.

The world is facing a risk of climate change, wrought by nothing else but a complete mis-deployment of our technology to such extents that nature and its integrity is harmed sometime irreversibly. It is in this context that we need to evaluate and take a call on one of the most intrusive of technologies  Genetic Modification (GM)  which actually is breaking all barriers of natural evolutionary processes, including the reproductive barrier that keeps humans as humans and dogs as dogs. Its clearly violating the principles that we understand as ecology, and is creating organisms, so foreign to the environment that there is absolutely no understanding of its possible impact.

The countries where GM crops like GM Corn or GM Soya has been widely adopted, such as US, Canada, Brazil and Argentina, have some of the most toxic farms. And worse, they are all on the tip of an ecological disaster. Falling bee colonies, increasing incidence of super weeds, increased pesticide use, massive contamination of non-GM varieties with the alien gene, so on and so forth. Genetic Roullette a book documenting the health hazards of GM crops remain unchallenged. Even in India, the GM-Free India Coalition brought out a compilation of 400 peer reviewed studies of health, environmental, political and social fallouts of adopting GM crops. All this has been brought to the notice of the very agencies that has so mindlessly cleared a toxic GM Mustard in India for consumption.

For the layman, GM is simply understood as making a new organism ( animal, plant, fungus, bacteria etc) from two different species of organisms, which would naturally not cross with each other, but can be technologically done so, by extracting out genes from one and inserting it forcibly into the other. The outcome is usually what the scientists say  a new trait of one organism expressed in the other. This can be seen as a wonderful achievement of human ingenuity, and is seen as a path breaking modern technology. But the ill side is that it can trigger of a completely unexpected set of outcomes, that in most cases scientists dont even bother to hypothesis and hence not measure. So, allerginicity to cancers have been found in long term biosafety studies with GM crops. Gene contamination to crop failures and super weeds have impacted farmers seriously.

The products that are presently in controversy  Bt Cotton, Bt Brinjal and the latest GM Mustard  are all such developed crops, and have had their ill fate in various forms. The Bt Cotton which was sneaked in through, when there was no regulation in 2004, did its run in 12 years, and by 2016, its three generations has totally taken over the cotton seed market in India, but failed the farmers miserably. It was supposed to give pest resistance to a type of Boll Worm, but last year farmers saw the boll worm literally gorge the plant across most cotton states, creating an unprecedented agrarian crisis and distress in the cotton belt of India. Bt Brinjal was similarily cleared in 2009 by the Genetical Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), but the permission to cultivate was turned down by an extremely sensitive Minister for Environment and Forests, then Mr Jairam Ramesh, who declared a moratorium on its release saying it was responsible to science and responsive to society....

Seven years have passed and the developers have never come back to prove the safety of Bt Brinjal. Now, instead of a typical multi national company coming up with a product, a proxy has been introduced in the name of GM Mustard, developed by the Delhi University, with a lot of hidden patents and a much more dangerous technology of introducing three genes, all intruding into the fertility aspects of the plant. This is what has been approved for release by GEAC, and is now on the table of the present Minister for Environment and Forests Mr Anil Madhav Dave to take a final decision of release.

So, its only a matter of time. On one side all states that cultivate Mustard has clearly said they will not allow it, majority farmers organisations, civil society, consumer groups, and even scientists have rejected it on various grounds, including scientific grounds. And on the other side are the biotechnology promoters and a few scientists for whom ecology, food safety, food sovereignty, farmer welfare, and even nations food security simply does not seem to matter.

For the ordinary mother in our homes, ultimately what matters is a simple question  Is it fully safe to consume and feed my family ? The answer is simply NO, and thats because till date we have no such comprehensive study that clearly demonstrates the safety of this inherently risky food crop, while there are hundreds that show its adverse impacts.

(The writer is Programme Director, Thanal. He can be contacted at sridharthanal@gmail.com)
Have the liberal values and ideas that the West held up as ideals after 1945 lost their appeal to create and hold communities together in their own countries? For the last couple of years there has been a worrying trend in European and more recently in the US elections that brought sharp focus to the shift in political values to the far-right of centre giving birth to what has popularly been called the Alt Right (Alternate Right  which is strange mix of far more radical extreme right that endorses extremely narrow identity politics), thus signalling the shift from liberal ideas to the rise of illiberal politics in Europe.

The rise of the National Front in France, the Party for Freedom in The Netherlands, the Alternative fur Deutschland in Germany, Freedom Party in Austria, Lega Nord in Italy, Vlaams Belan in Belgium, Danish People's Party in Denmark, True Finns in Finland, Sweden Democrats in Sweden, Jobbik in Hungary all point to growing and thriving rise of populism across Europe. As some of these parties have seats in the national parliaments and been in government further signaling the shift in decision making. What is contributing to the changing political landscape of Europe?

Read | March on, Macron

Is alienation truly a product of globalisation or a complex matrix of identity, economics and mobility that the Alt Right politicians have conveniently employed to produce stereotypes and divisions in the society? The rise in populism in Europe has eroded the liberal values and fear drives the new politics all round the world that seeks to herd the people together in tight identities. The Alt Right finds fault with immigration and economic policies and this fear of the foreigner, the migrant, the refugee and religion unleashed by the Far Right has got legitimised in the eyes of the people given their electoral gains.

The year 1957 brought unity to a ravaged Western Europe through the European Economic Community (EEC) indicating the ability to organise politics differently as the rest of the world marched to nationalism. In 1992 with the end of Cold War, the EEC transformed into the European Union (EU) and expanded to 28 Member States, overcoming the division of Europe, with many states adopting a common currency the Euro, the common Schengen visa regime and a common foreign and security policy.

Read | Macron saves democracy

EU's challenges in recent times have come from the Eurozone crisis and the refugee crisis since 2015 that swelled in 2016 and both together turned the tide also in domestic politics. A political backlash to the influx has meant that nationalism has re-emerged across Europe dividing people, politics and states. It is the same nationalism which destroyed Europe twice in a short span of 20 years in the 20the century. Growth of anti-immigrant rhetoric has spawned insecurity among the people and the Alt Right has fed the frenzy of an identity breakdown in which local media and social content has contributed to feeding the fear. Has politics lost touch with the reality, or reality as presented by fake news easily being accepted by people everywhere? The rise of identity politics has fed the growth of the right-wing parties to offer solutions that if the immigrant is stopped then all the social, political and economic problems would also disappear.

Europe is a divided home between the integrationists and the nationalists and cohesion for political action and solidarity are the victims. The post 1990 generation in Europe has only experienced the long peace and the dismantling of borders and a growing prosperity in which solidarity is taken for granted. However, the impact of globalisation on economy and the rise of conflict in other parts of the globe, especially in the Middle East have created new vulnerabilities for Europe, bringing thousands of refugees at its doorsteps and challenging its political assumptions and the liberal space.

The influx of over a million refugees in 2016 from the Middle East put more pressure on EU borders and the Dublin convention that regulates asylum thereby feeding the growing anti-immigrant feeling and position of the Alt Right Parties. Each recent terrorist attack - 2015 Paris, 2016 Brussels, Nice, Berlin, 2017 Stockholm, London, Paris have only hardened the Alt Right political positions fuelling anti-immigrations and minority protests. The big challenge is the shrinking of political space to debate issues as Islamophobia has grown and so has the shift in the discourse on multiculturalism in Europe.

Growing polarisation in Europe has boosted the far-right parties in electoral politics cutting into the support of the traditional parties and creating more political fragmentation. In Germany the rise of the Alternative for Deutschland (Alternative for Germany) can directly be attributed to this. Till three years back it did not exist and now has a presence across 10 States in Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel's famous statement at the height of the refugee crisis in 2016 'Wir schaffen das' (we make it) propelled the AFD to get more support. The subsequent change in Merkel's position to stop taking refugees also reflected how ill prepared the country was to deal with the large numbers. The EU response to introduce national quotas for the refugees has not gone down well with all the states, but the numbers of refuges coming into Europe has dwindled significantly due to a deal between the EU and Turkey.

The June 2016 Brexit vote was the first big shock to the collective solidarity of the EU. Followed by the victory of Trump and his assuming office in January 2017, the churning of European politics became even more acute. It gave support to the idea that the unthinkable was possible and further boosted the morale of the far-right parties that their moment had come and the political tide would change as it did in America.

Since the start of 2017, the focus has been on the election calendar across key countries of the EU - The Netherlands, France and Germany. The outcome in each of these key elections is a litmus test to the political project of the EU, the values discourse, the space for the liberal ideas and an indicator as to how the electoral space which was being reconstituted by the rise of the rise of the Alt Right political parties. The defeat of the Alt Right leaders - Geert Wilders in The Netherlands and Marine Le Penn in France and the election of Macron as French President showed that significant number of voters did not succumb to the populist mantra and voted to halt the tide. Both countries are the founding members of the EEC/EU and the outcome for the future of liberal values and collective action would have been detrimental if the Alt Right had won.

Germany will vote in September and all eyes will be on that because a strong Franco-German partnership is seen as necessary to take Europe forward. For the EU to secure its external borders it needs collective action, cohesion and the political will to address growing challenges to its solidarity. How the political leadership of today lead their own people and Europe collectively is of paramount importance for their future.

The EU is at a historical crossroad, raising questions about the possibilities for it to forge a new contract and a new cooperation - one that is more tolerant, inclusive and visionary as well. The European political geography has changed - new equations have come up and there is a break in the partnership and there are competing visions of Europe and external threats or challenges no longer enhances solidarity as it did in the past. National identity and interest, which had been melded to create the European project, seems to have come a full circle.

Consequently, a growing rejection of the common and return to the future of the national was very distinctly seen in the response to the refugee crisis. The march of populism in Europe has seemingly come to a halt with the elections in The Netherlands and in France. But while it prevented the far-right from getting into office, what cannot be ignored is the increase in their support margins which is a strong indicator how the Alt Right is creating more cleavages in European society and politics.

The growing trend of populism and polarisation across Europe is a worrying sign as the space for liberal ideas and values shrink and create a worrisome identity politics that no longer has the ability to shock Europe. Creeping Alt Right ideas and politics has come to find a place in the everyday discourse of society and state and representation in institutions, underscoring that liberal policies will be the next frontier of attack. In the early 1940s, there was a collective cry to wipe out fascism in Europe. However, that effort left Europe divided and locked in Cold War politics for four decades. Over 100 years since the start of WW I the takeaway for politics in Europe today is it cannot return to zealous nationalism that destroyed it and in that lies a lesson for all countries that acute politics of identity can only destroy but not create a community.
Are there Gujarati martyrs? Former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav offended some people by asking if any Gujaratis had fought and died for the country. He made the comment after Kashmiri officer Lt. Ummer Fayaz Parray was killed in the Valley.

The answer to Mr Yadavs question is: a few, but not many. And the reason is that not many Gujaratis join the Army. I had researched this a few years ago. In 2009, only 719 Gujaratis enrolled in an Army of over 10 lakh soldiers. This number was a record and the highest ever sent from Gujarat and it came after a big awareness campaign. In the preceding two years, 2008 and 2007, the number of Gujarati recruits was only 230.

Gujarat has more than six crore people, but there have been more foreigners in Indias Army than Gujaratis. This is a fact. Nepal, a nation less than half the size of Gujarat, has sent many times more soldiers to fight for India than Gujaratis. The Gurkha regiments are in fact one of the finest fighting units anywhere in the world.

In contrast, Gujarat has no tradition of soldiery and this is not totally unique. Recruitment to the Army in India and also in Pakistan is unevenly spread. Ghalib said that sau pusht se, hai pesha-e-aaba sipahgari (for 100 generations, the profession in my family has been soldiery). No Gujarati community can say that, though Marathas, Punjabis and Gurkhas can say it.

This has nothing to do with being brave; it has mostly to do with opportunity and then tradition. The British raised most of their mercenary Army from the parts that they originally captured. There are some exceptions. The British turned to the Punjabi Hindu, Muslim and Sikh in large numbers after the 1857 Mutiny, which involved the Bengal Army. These Punjabis were mostly Jats (it was observed by many in the Pakistan Army that Gen. Zia-ul Haq came from the non-martial Arain community). However, most of the recruitment had begun much before the Mutiny.

Near my house, which is in a military area in Bengaluru, the Madras Sappers unit was raised and has continuously served the Indian Army since 1780. When such a long tradition is established, the work is carried on from father to son. This is not possible in areas which have no historical recruitment.

There are some martial communities in Gujarat, and these are the ones that join the Army. Among them as the durbar (Rajput) communities, with names like Jadeja and Solanki. And so the number of martyrs cannot be zero, even though it is few. Another reason Gujarat has produced few soldiers is that it has not seen much war.

Gujarat was conquered by Alauddin Khilji in 1297. After this, though there was some fighting in Gujarat, very little of it involved Gujaratis. The northern Muslims fought among each other till Akbar took Ahmedabad and the Mughals kept Gujarat. Then the Marathas captured large parts of it, and they still hold onto Baroda. Then the English took over, starting at Surat. In very little of this fighting were Gujaratis, whether, Hindu, Muslim or Parsi, involved.

Another reason for the lack of Gujaratis in the Army is that the state has a powerful mercantile ethic. This stresses pragmatism and does not give much importance to honour. Many martial communities will scoff at this ethic but it is the reason Gujarat has produced great businessmen. The ability to compromise instead of standing fixed on honour is also the reason Gujarat has produced many great statesmen. Before Independence, three of Indias four greatest political figures  Gandhi, Jinnah and Patel  were Gujaratis.

One of the interesting ways in which this culture showed today is in my caste of Patidars. We have, along with the Jats of Haryana, one of the lowest sex ratios of any community in India and often female foetuses are aborted or little girls strangled at birth. This is a matter of great shame and Patidars must correct it. However, unlike the Jats, Patidars do not do honour killing, meaning murdering adult women who marry their lover. And the reason is that the mercantile ethic does not value honour.

It is fine for people to be offended at Mr Yadavs statement, but it is based on some fact and reality. Gujaratis need not feel ashamed of the lack of this martial tradition. They contribute to their country in other ways. And of course, they can also claim that while they may not have produced many martyrs, they produced the greatest one: Gandhi.
In Spain a large number of companies had been attacked by cyber criminals who infected computers with malicious software known as "ransomware."

Portugal Telecom was hit on Friday by a cyber attack but no services were impacted, a spokeswoman for the company said.

"We were the target of an attack, like what is happening in all of Europe, a large scale-attack, but none of our services were affected," a Portugal Telecom spokeswoman told Reuters.

Portugal Telecom was taking all measures necessary, together with national authorities, to resolve the situation, she said.

In neighboring Spain, the government said on Friday a large number of companies had been attacked by cyber criminals who infected computers with malicious software known as "ransomware."

A spokesman at Portugal's judicial police said he had no information on the cyber attacks.

Energy firm Energias de Portugal, Portugal's largest company, cut access to the internet on its network as a precaution to the attacks registered in Europe, said a spokesman for the company. He said no problems had been registered on its systems.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
The White House initially said Trump fired Comey on the recommendation of the top Justice Department officials. (Photo: AP)

Washington: Donald Trump warned ousted FBI Director James Comey on Friday not to talk to the media, a highly unusual move that prompted fresh charges the president is trying to silence the man who led an investigation into possible collusion between Trump's election campaign and Russia.

On Twitter, Trump appeared to suggest that if Comey gave his version of contacts between them, the administration might produce tapes of conversations, although it was not clear if such tapes exist. The veiled threat added to the storm over Trump's abrupt firing of Comey on Tuesday.

Critics have assailed Trump for dismissing the FBI chief at a time when the agency is investigating alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US election, and possible Moscow ties to the Trump presidential campaign.

In a report that fuelled charges that Trump has overstepped the norms of his office, the New York Times reported, citing accounts of Comey associates, that the president asked Comey in January to pledge loyalty to him. Such a request would undermine the standing of the FBI chief as an independent law enforcer.

"James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!" Trump said in a string of Twitter posts on Friday morning.

CNN said later that Comey is "not worried about any tapes" Trump may have of their conversations, citing an unnamed source familiar with the matter. CBS Evening News, citing a source who has spoken with Comey, said on Twitter that Comey hopes there are "lots of tapes."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation probe and parallel congressional investigations have cast a cloud over Trump's presidency since he took office on Jan. 20, threatening to overwhelm his policy priorities.

Democrats have accused the Republican president of trying to dent the FBI probe by firing Comey, and have called for a special counsel to investigate the Russia issue.

The New York Times said Comey has told associates he declined to make a pledge of loyalty to Trump when the president requested it as the pair had dinner at the White House just seven days after his inauguration. Comey instead told Trump he could count on his honesty, the Times said.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer told a news briefing that Trump did not demand Comey's loyalty. Asked to clarify whether there were any tapes as Trump suggested, Spicer said he had nothing further to add to the president's tweets.

"It's shocking to the conscience. We've got to address that," said Democratic Representative Elijah Cummings, referring to Trump's behaviour with Comey, including the report that the president asked for the FBI director's loyalty.

Trump says Comey had told him three times he was not under investigation in the Russia probe. He said in an interview on Thursday with NBC News that Comey gave him this assurance during the January dinner at the White House and in two phone conversations.

Comey has not publicly discussed any conversations he has had with Trump. Acting FBI director Andrew McCabe sidestepped a question during a Senate hearing on Thursday on whether he ever heard Comey tell Trump that the president was not the subject of investigation.

TRUMP IS 'DANGEROUS'

The No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, Richard Durbin, slammed the president after Friday's tweets, telling MSNBC that the president is "dangerous because he may be obstructing justice in terms of the investigation ... and secondly his credibility has been destroyed."

Trump also hit back on Friday at media reports questioning the credibility of White House accounts of why Comey was fired, which have changed over the course of the week, and threatened an end to regular White House press briefings.

"As a very active President with lots of things happening, it is not possible for my surrogates to stand at podium with perfect accuracy!" Trump said. "Maybe the best thing to do would be to cancel all future 'press briefings' and hand out written responses for the sake of accuracy???"

The White House initially said Trump fired Comey on the recommendation of the top Justice Department officials: Attorney General Jeff Sessions and deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. In the NBC interview on Thursday, Trump said he would have fired Comey regardless of any such recommendations.

The White House has said Comey's firing was unrelated to the Russia probe. On Thursday, Trump told NBC he knew he ran the risk that by firing Comey he would "confuse people" and "lengthen out the investigation" into ties to Russia.

The president said he never pressured Comey into dropping the FBI probe, and added that there was no "collusion between me and my campaign and the Russians."

US intelligence agencies concluded in January that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a campaign of interference in the election aimed at tilting the vote in Trump's favour. Moscow has denied any such meddling.

Seeking to bolster Trump's case that he has had no concealed dealings with Russia, his lawyers said in a letter released by the White House on Friday that a review of Trump's tax returns from the past 10 years showed no income from Russian sources outside of a few exceptions, and indicated he did not owe money to Russian lenders.

Trump, a wealthy New York real estate developer, has refused repeated calls from his critics to release his tax returns.

This lack of transparency has fuelled accusations that there might be some personal business reason for his campaign pledge to seek warmer ties with Putin if elected.

The letter released by the White House, dated March 8, said the tax returns did not reflect any Trump income from Russian sources, aside from money earned during the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow and the 2008 sale of a Florida estate to a Russian billionaire.
Beijing: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said China supports dialogue between Pakistan and India as the "most viable solution" to the Kashmir issue as he met his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang in Beijing.

"On the Kashmir issue, China has always been supportive of Pakistan's stance and has assured to continue extending the same cooperation in future as well," Sharif told media here after his meeting with Li.

Pakistan's state-run APP news agency quoted Sharif as saying that both Pakistan and China favoured negotiations with India as the "most viable solution to the Kashmir dispute."

His comments followed recent clarification by China over India's objections to the China-Pakistan Economic (CPEC) Corridor which passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang had said on May 3 that China's position on the issue of Kashmir remains clear and consistent.

"It is an issue left over from history between India and Pakistan, and shall be properly addressed by India and Pakistan through consultation and negotiation," he said.

"The building of the CPEC does not affect China's position on this issue," he said.

In his address to the United Services Institution in New Delhi on May 5, Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohui had said China has taken care to India's stand that it should be resolved bilaterally in line with the Shimla Agreement.

"We supported the relevant UN resolutions before 1990s. Then we supported a settlement through bilateral negotiation in line with the Shimla Agreement. This is an example of China taking care of India's concern," Luo had said.

For its part, Pakistan has been questioning India's stance and calling for "multilateral approach" saying that the bilateral approach has failed.

Sharif is in China to attend the two-day Belt and Road Forum starting from Sunday.

In his interaction with the media, Sharif said the scope of CPEC had immensely increased with the Chinese investment swelling from USD 46 to USD 56 billion.

He said such a huge investment was unprecedented in Pakistan's history, having

objectives of progress and prosperity of the people. He mentioned that Chinese companies were investing in Pakistan's power and infrastructure sectors at a massive scale, which had generated exemplary employment opportunities for the local people.

Sharif said the economic activity as a result of heavy Chinese investment had resulted in a positive impact on the lives of the common people in Pakistan.

He said his visit to China was significant in relevance with the economic conditions of Pakistan, adding "Pakistan was proud of its friendship with China."

He said economic development in Balochistan province, where China is building Gwadar port, was getting good results and several projects under CPEC were being completed at a fast pace. The 3000-km CEPC connects Gwadar with China's Xinjiang province.
The Virgin Mary is said to have appeared six times between May and October 1917 to Jacinta, then 7, Francisco, 9 and their cousin Lucia, 10.(Photo: quornesha.com)

Two young, barely literate shepherds who had visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago in Fatima, a Portuguese site now a global draw for pilgrims, were declared saints Saturday by Pope Francis.

In an emotional outdoor service on a packed esplanade at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, Catholic worshippers from around the world sang and looked on, some crying, while many more watched the canonisation on giant screens from adjacent streets.

Altogether, about 500,000 people were present, the Vatican said in a statement, quoting local authorities.

We declare the blissful Francisco Marto and Jacinta Marto saints, the Argentine pontiff said in front of the white basilica where the siblings are buried, with two giant portraits of the child shepherds hanging in the background. When the two impoverished siblings first reportedly had visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago on the spot where the sanctuary now lies, they were probably far from imagining they would one day join the ranks of prominent saints like Mother Teresa.

The Virgin Mary is said to have appeared six times between May and October 1917 to Jacinta, then 7, Francisco, 9 and their cousin Lucia, 10.

She apparently shared three prophesies with the trio at a period marked by the ravages of World War I, which the Church believes included a vision of hell and a warning of a second major conflict.

The third secret, which was made public by the Vatican only in 2000, foretold the attempted assassination in Rome of Pope John Paul II on May 13, 1981.

The siblings were canonised after the Church officially attributed two miracles to the pair. Wheelchair-bound Maria Emilia Santos said she regained the ability to walk on February 20, 1989, the anniversary of Jacintas death, after praying to her. And the parents of a Brazilian boy say he healed at lightning speed after falling more than six metres from a window in 2013, after they prayed to Jacinta and Francisco.
Journalists look at an image of former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav. (Photo: AP)

Islamabad: Pakistan may not accept the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which has stayed the execution of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, a media report said on Friday.

According to Dunya News, Attorney General of Pakistan was briefed on Jadhav's case after the Hague-based ICJ stayed the execution of the 46-year-old Indian, who has been sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of "spying".

In the briefing, it was stated that Pakistan does not accept the international courts jurisdiction to order the state of Pakistan on issues that involve its national stability, the channel said.

India, in its appeal to the ICJ, has accused Pakistan of "egregious" violations of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and asserted that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he was involved in business activities after retiring from the Indian Navy but Pakistan claimed to have arrested him from Balochistan on March 3, 2016.

Jadhav was sentenced to death for "espionage and subversive activities".

India acknowledges that Jadhav had served with the Navy but denies that he has any connection with the government. It also said that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran.

India has also handed over to Pakistan an appeal by Jadhav's mother, initiating a process to get his conviction overturned.
No group has admitted responsibility for the shootings but past attacks in the region have been carried out by separatists who view construction projects as a means to take over their land. (Representational image/File)

Quetta (Pakistan): Ten labourers were gunned down in southwestern Pakistan on Saturday while working on link roads to connect outlying towns to the country's $57-billion Chinese "Belt and Road" initiative, security officials confirmed.

The attack on the Pakistani labourers took place some 20 kilometers from the emerging port city of Gwadar in Baluchistan province that forms the southern hub of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

"All the laborers were shot at close range," said senior levies official Muhammad Zareef, adding that the shooters were traveling on a motorcycle. The levies are a paramilitary force that oversees security in Baluchistan where police jurisdiction is limited to major urban centers.

Gwadar's deep-water port is the exit point for a planned route from China's far-western Xinjiang region to the Arabian Sea.

Nadeem Javaid, who advises Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's government and works closely on the CPEC program, said earlier in the week that the Gwadar-Xinjiang corridor should be operational from June next year.

He said Pakistan expects up to 4 percent of global trade to pass through it by 2020.

Baluchistan, however, has long faced security concerns. Separatist militants in the province have waged a campaign against the central government for decades, demanding a greater share of the gas-rich region's resources.

Security officials have said previously that militants trying to disrupt construction on the "economic corridor" have killed 44 workers since 2014, all of whom were Pakistani.

Pakistan's military created an army division in 2015, believed to number more than 10,000 troops, specifically to protect CPEC projects and Chinese workers.

The men killed and wounded on Saturday had been working for the provincial government at two separate construction sites on three kilometers apart along the same road. Two laborers wounded in the shootings were taken to hospital where one of them died from his injuries, Zareef said.

The roads the laborers were working on are not specific CPEC-funded projects, but they are part of a network of connecting roads that are part of the corridor.

No group has admitted responsibility for the shootings but past attacks in the region have been carried out by separatists who view construction projects as a means to take over their land.

The shootings come a day after a suicide bomber targetting a Pakistani senator killed 26 people and injured 40, Baluchistan Home Minister Sarfraz Bugti said.

Friday's attack was claimed by Islamic State via its Amaq news agency.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, is accompanied by Pak Pong Ju, right, Hwang Pyong So, second left, as he arrives for the official opening of the Ryomyong residential area, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Photo: AP/File)

Beijing/Shanghai: The United States warned China on Friday that North Korea's attendance at a weekend summit on China's new Silk Road could affect the participation of other countries, casting a shadow over what is Beijing's biggest diplomatic event of 2017.

Two sources with knowledge of the situation said the US embassy in Beijing had submitted a diplomatic note to China's foreign ministry, saying that inviting North Korea sent the wrong message at a time when the world was trying to pressure Pyongyang over its repeated missile and nuclear tests.

China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside of working hours in China. The ministry said on Tuesday that North Korea would send a delegation to the summit but gave no other details.

Asked about the invitation to North Korea to attend, Anna Richey-Allen, a spokeswoman for the US State Department's East Asia Bureau, said the United States expected China to push its neighbour to return to "serious talks" on denuclearization.

"That includes taking steps to make clear to the (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un regime the political, economic, and diplomatic consequences of its reckless and unlawful actions."

The United States did not think it would be appropriate for North Korea to play a prominent role at the Belt and Road Forum, according to one of the sources familiar with the US concerns.

The United States will send a delegation led by White House adviser Matt Pottinger to the summit, China's Foreign Ministry said earlier on Friday.

US President Donald Trump has asked China to put more pressure on North Korea, and has praised Chinese President Xi Jinping's role in trying to rein in Pyongyang.

A source with knowledge of the note said that some Western countries could walk out of the specific session of the summit the North Koreans were attending if they were given too important a role, but that no decisions had been taken yet.

"This has generated a lot of concern," the source said.

It was not immediately clear which sessions North Korea would attend. There are several sessions happening on Sunday afternoon, including on trade, finance and people-to-people exchanges. China has given few details about attendees.

North Korea's chief delegate may also appear on stage in a group photo with other participants, said the same source, who is familiar with the planning for the summit.

China has not announced who that chief delegate will be, but South Korea's Yonhap news agency said Kim Yong Jae, North Korea's minister of external economic relations, will lead the delegation.

China says silk road a win-win

Leaders from 29 countries will attend the forum in Beijing on May 14-15, an event orchestrated to promote Xi's vision of expanding links between Asia, Africa and Europe underpinned by billions of dollars in infrastructure investment.

Some Western diplomats have expressed unease about both the summit and the plan as a whole, seeing it as an attempt to push Chinese influence globally.

They are also concerned at the presence of leaders from countries with poor human rights records.

China has rejected criticism of the plan and the summit, saying the scheme is open to all, is a win-win and is only about promoting prosperity.

Some of China's most reliable allies and partners will attend the forum, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

However, the only leader from a G7 nation to attend will be the Italian prime minister, according to China's foreign ministry.

Despite Chinese anger at North Korea's repeated nuclear and missile tests, China remains the isolated state's most important economic and diplomatic backer, even as Beijing has signed up for tough U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang.

China has over the years tried to coax North Korea into cautious, export-oriented economic reforms, rather than saber rattling and nuclear tests, but to little avail.
Kyiv's Appeals Court has granted permission to conduct a special pretrial criminal investigation in absentia into the case of former Ukrainian Finance Minister Yuriy Kolobov, who served under disgraced ex-president Viktor Yanukovych.

A panel of judges from the court on May 13 reviewed a motion filed by Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) about a ruling handed down on April 3 by Kyiv's Pechersky District Court satisfying a March 25, 2015, request for the special probe into whether Kolobov violated Part 5 of Article 191 (embezzlement) of Ukraine's Criminal Code, the press service of Kyiv's Appeals Court reported on Saturday, May 15.

The panel of judges ruled to grant the request.

Kolobov was arrested in Spain in early 2015. Deputy PGO chief Evhen Enin said in 2015 that Kolobov had a residence permit in Spain and that the Spanish authorities had turned down an extradition request.
At least 10 Pakistani lab-ourers were killed and two others injured when unidentified gunmen fired at an under construction road in Gwadar district of Balochistan on Saturday.

The victims were working near Peshukan Ganz road when the armed men attacked them, Levies officials said. Sarfraz Bugti, home minister of Balochistan province, said that the labourers were working on road construction projects.

We will not bow down before terrorists, said Mr Bugti while condemning the attack. Deputy commissioner of Gwadar Naeem Bazai said that all the victims were natives of Naushero Feroze district, located in neighbouring Sindh province. They were working in Balochistan on a one month contract.
Pakistan signed new deals with China on Saturday worth nearly $500 million ahead of Beijings international forum on its Silk Road trade and infrastructure initiative for Asia, Africa and Europe, the Pakistani government said.

The memorandums of understanding add to $57 billion already pledged for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a network of rail, road and energy infrastructure that is part of the wider Chinese project also known as One Belt-One Road.

The deals came as Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of the Beijing summit expected to be attended by leaders from at least 29 countries to promote Mr Xis vision of expanding trade links.

Delegates in Beijing will hold a series of sessions on Sunday to discuss the plan in more detail, including trade and finance.

Proposed in 2013 by Mr Xi, the project is broad on ambition but still short on specifics. Pakistan has been a flagship country and one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the One Belt-One Road initiative.
Britain's decision to leave the EU has had little impact on international students' decision to study in the UK, a recent survey has found.



The International Student Survey 2017 was conducted by the student recruitment and retention solutions company Hobsons in January and February 2017.



The survey of 27,955 prospective international students, who were considering studying in the UK, found that high- quality teaching is the single most important factor for prospective international students when choosing a university, course or destination country.



Brexit has had made no difference to 68.5 per cent of students, while only 12.7 per cent said they were less interested in UK study.



The remaining 11.3 per cent said Brexit made them more interested in the UK.



The results indicate a softening of the initial negative reaction to the June 2016 EU referendum when 43 per cent said the decision had affected their choice of study destination.



The survey cites campaigns such as #WeAreInternational for helping to shape positive perceptions of the UK as a welcoming country to overseas students.



After respondents were shown news coverage of #WeAreInternational and #LondonIsOpen campaigns, almost half (46.6 per cent) felt fully persuaded that the UK is a welcoming country.



An additional 37 per cent reportedly feeling slightly persuaded and only 16% said they felt no persuasion at all.



The #WeAreInternational campaign, founded and developed by the University of Sheffield and its Students' Union, was relaunched following the EU referendum result.



So far, over 160 universities, education institutions and international organisations have backed it.



"UK universities have always been international in their outlook and communities, and that will never change," Malcolm Butler, Director of Global Engagement at the University of Sheffield, said.



Sheffield itself is consistently cited by international students as being a friendly and welcoming city.



However, we know that there will be times when we need to work harder to make sure that students and staff know how welcome they are in the UK.



"Here at the University of Sheffield, we are incredibly proud to have founded and led on the #WeAreInternational campaign - which is now supported by every UK university, the British Council and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office."



"To hear that the messages of #WeAreInternational are being well received by international students makes us even more determined to keep promoting our positive, welcoming messages."



As part of the #WeAreInternational campaign, the University of Sheffield developed a film to highlight the experiences of international students in the UK.
India will skip Chinas high- profile Belt and Road summit beginning here tomorrow in view of sovereignty concerns related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the initiative that is expected to play a dominant role in the two-day meet.



While there is no official word, informed sources told PTI that India will not take part in the meet, contrary to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's announcement that India will have a representative at the Belt and Road Forum (BRF), a prestigious initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping.



"Although Indian leader is not here, India will have a representative," Wang had told journalists here on April 17 without specifying who would be representing India.



It was a tough call for India to take as China in the last few days has managed to rope in a number of western countries, including the US which yesterday agreed to send a top official after Washington clinched a lucrative trade deal.



Playing down Indias absence at the meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told the media yesterday that the Indian scholars would be attending the meeting.



Japan, at the receiving end of strong criticism from China in the last few years particularly over the disputed islands in the East China Sea, has also agreed to send a high level political delegation that includes a vice minister.



The May 14-15 summit, which is expected to strengthen Xis power base as he gets set to begin his second five-year tenure later this year, will be attended by 29 heads of state and government, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.



A number of other countries, including South Korea, France, Germany and UK, have deputed either ministerial or official delegations.



While this is the outcome of hectic diplomatic lobbying by China, unlike India, none of the other countries have sovereignty related issues with the One Belt and One Road initiative.



Considering CPECs importance in the plan -- it is the only project at present with prospects of delivering early results -- Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to take centrestage to highlight its significance as a game changer for his country.



He is leading perhaps the largest delegation -- four chief ministers and five federal ministers.



China-Pakistan Friendship Association President Sha Zukang has told the official media that China has already committed USD 46 billion Chinese investments for various energy and infrastructure related projects in Pakistan.



Besides Sharif, the only head of government to be represented at the summit will be Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe who will be attending the meeting after hosting his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at home.



Sri Lanka has over USD 8 billion Chinese investments.



From Nepal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Krishna Bahadur Mahara will lead the delegation. Bangladesh and the Maldives will also have official representations.



Bhutan has no diplomatic relations with China.



Indias decision to skip the meeting came after a year of bilateral discord over Chinas stubborn opposition to Indias entry into the NSG and a UN ban against Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Muhammad leader Masood Azhar.



China, too, protested Indias decision to permit the Dalai Lama last month to visit Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as South Tibet.



In the last few days, China has tried to assuage Indias feelings by asserting that the commercial corridor will not have any impact on its stand that the Kashmir issue should be settled by India and Pakistan through dialogue.



About B & R, Indian officials maintain that New Delhi has objections related only to the CPEC traversing through Gilgit and Baltistan of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) though the project is of strategic concern.



Indias worries over a 3,000 km long project connecting Pakistan's deep-water port Gwadar and Chinas Xinjiang stem from the fact Gwadar, which was taken over by the Chinese, will become a future naval base.



The Gwadar port opposite the Mumbais port housing the Indian Navys western naval command provides a berth for China in the Arabian Sea and to the Indian Ocean.



China has already announced plans to station its marines there as well in Djibouti in Horn of Africa in Indian Ocean.
Militants today opened fire on security forces in a village in Tral township of south Kashmir's Pulwama district following which a cordon and search operation was launched to nab them.



The security forces were patrolling Seer village of Tral when unidentified militants opened fire on them, triggering a brief gunfight, a police official said.

There was no immediate report of any casualty, he said.



He said a cordon and search operation has been launched to track them.



Reinforcements have also been rushed to seal the escape routes, the official said, adding there was no fresh contact with the militants and efforts are on to flush them out.
In a revolt against his senior commanders based in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander Zakir Musa on Saturday dissociated himself from the outfit, saying he cant sacrifice his life for the establishment of a secular state.



From today on, I have no association with any outfit. I am of my own. I dont represent Hizbul Mujahideen, Zakir said in the latest six-and-a-half minute audio attributed to him and shared on social media.



The statement came hours after PoK based spokesperson of the outfit Saleem Hashmi termed Zakir's threat to separatist leaders as unacceptable.



Such a statement is unacceptable to us. It reflects the personal opinion of Zakir . Post Burhan Wanis martyrdom, the nation and the leadership are united at every front and taking ahead the struggle for freedom and Islam to its end," Hashmi was quoted by a local news gathering agency as saying.



Zakir, who took over the reins of Hizbul from slain Burhan Wani last year, had on Friday threatened to slit the throats of senior separatist leaders and hang them in the city centre at Lal Chowk if they dared repeat that Kashmir represented a political and not pan-Islamic struggle.



Zakir, who joined militancy after leaving his BTech course in Chandigarh in 2013, called separatist leaders hypocrites, infidels and followers of evil.



After Hashmi's rebuke, Zakir released an audio clip asserting that he stands by his earlier message. "So, if Hizbul Mujahideen doesnt represent me then I also dont represent them," he said.



"After my last audio message, lot of confusion is being spread in Kashmir. I stand by my speech and by my message. It doesnt bother me what others say, but I stand by my speech. But see I have had not said anything against a particular person or Geelani sahab but I have said only against that individual who is against Islam and talks about freedom for secular state," Zakir, who is believed to be operating from south Kashmir, asserted.

He also says that he has no association with global terror organisations like the ISIS and Al-Qaeda. I have no association with ISIS, Al-Qaeda. I even dont know whether they are right or wrong. I dont have time to research about them, he said.



Zakir's last two audio message, in video format, were full of quotes of Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki, the US-Yemeni scholar and al-Qaeda ideologue who was killed in a US drone strike in Yemen in 2011.



Deccan Herald could not independently verify the authenticity of the audio clips. However, sources said, the voice matched Musas earlier video and audio clips.


Bureaucracy, it seems, does not even hesitate in making those, who lay down their lives for the country, a victim of their ad-hocism.



An example of the same was seen in an Uttar Pradesh village on Friday during chief minister Yogi Adityanath's visit to the house of the slain BSP jawan Prem Sagar. Sagar was among the two jawans, who were killed in Poonch sector Jammu & Kashmir a few days back. Their bodies were also mutilated by the Pak army.



According to the reports, the local administration in Deoria district, Sagar's home district, had installed an air conditioner at the martyr's house, changed the curtains on the doors and windows and also placed comfortable sofas and carpets in the room where the chief minister was to meet the family.



''Within half an hour of Adityanath's departure from the village, all these things-the AC, curtains, sofas, towels- were taken away,'' said a family member.



The villagers said that the administration had swung into action after Adityanath's program was finalised. Sagar's Tikampar village, considered to be among the most backward in the district, was decked up to welcome the CM.



The dusty road, that led to the martyr's house, was turned into a pitch one within 24-hours. The drains were also cleaned and a small health centre, which used to remain closed all the time, suddenly opened, the locals said.



An embarrassed state government on Saturday promised a probe into the reports. ''We will get the matter probed...stern action will be taken against those found guilty,'' said a senior official here.



Adityanath gave a cheque for Rs.6 lakh to the next of the kin of the family and assured government job to one of the members of the family. He also assured all possible help to the family from the government.
Pakistan today accused India of committing "ceasefire violations" and summoned the country's Deputy High Commissioner who countered the allegation by asserting that the cross border firing was initiated by Pakistani troops to give cover to terrorists.



A Pakistan Army statement alleged that the Indian troops "committed ceasefire violations at LoC in Karela, Kotkoterra, Khuiratta, Sabzkot, Baroh, Tandar and Khanjar sectors".



Three civilians were injured in the firing, it claimed.



A Pakistan Foreign Office official said Pakistan "condemned the unprovoked firing" which allegedly targeted the civilian population.



Sources in the Indian High Commission confirmed the summoning of Deputy High Commissioner J P Singh and asserted that the Pakistan Army initiated the ceasefire violation using artillery, mortar and small arms.



The summoning came on a day when Pakistani troops pounded Nowshera area of Jammu and Kashmir near the Line of Control (LoC) with mortars, killing two civilians and injuring three and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people from there.



Pakistani troops targeted Jangarh, Bhawani and Laam belts of Nowshera in Rajouri district.



The sources said Singh conveyed that the cross border firing was initiated by Pakistani troops to give cover to terrorists and the Indian troops responded only in self- defence.



"We have noticed increased movement of terrorists along the LoC," a High Commission source was quoted as saying.
President of the United States Donald Trump has said in an interview with Fox News that during two separate meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin in Washington, he urged the parties to restore peaceful relations between them.

Recently the Russian Foreign Minister has come and immediately after that they [the media] did not say anything about it - the Foreign Minister from Ukraine has also come. I told them:"Guys, you need to make peace, you need peace," Trump said.

At the same time, he said that the media covered these meetings in a very biased way, neglecting the arrival of the Ukrainian Foreign Minister.

They [the media] talked about the arrival of the Russian representative. And we were taking photos, they were taking photos. We published pictures, we all knew who was coming - it was on the agenda. But they [the media] did not talk about Ukraine, the president said.


In a strongly-worded statement issued hours before the opening of the forum in the Chinese capital, India said the connectivity intiative must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity.



"Guided by our principled position in the matter, we have been urging China to engage in a meaningful dialogue on its connectivity initiative, One Belt, One Road which was later renamed as Belt and Road Initiative. We are awaiting a positive response from the Chinese side," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said in a statement.



"Regarding the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is being projected as the flagship project of the BRI/OBOR, the international community is well aware of Indias position. No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.



Noting that India has received a formal invitation to participate in the six separate forums that China is organising as part of the BRF, he said India is of firm belief that connectivity initiatives must be based on universally recognised international norms, good governance, rule of law, openness, transparency and equality.



"Connectivity initiatives must follow principles of financial responsibility to avoid projects that would create unsustainable debt burden for communities; balanced ecological and environmental protection and preservation standards; transparent assessment of project costs; and skill and technology transfer to help long-term running and maintenance of the assets created by local communities," Baglay said.



Asserting that India shares international communitys desire for enhancing physical connectivity, the ministry said it believes that it should bring greater economic benefits to all in an equitable and balanced manner.



The spokesperson also noted that India was working with many countries and international institutions in support of physical and digital connectivity in its immediate and near neighbourhood. He also said that expansion and strengthening of connectivity is an integral part of Indias economic and diplomatic initiatives and observed that under the Act East policy, it was pursuing the Trilateral Highway project; under its Neighbourhood First policy.



"We are developing multi-modal linkages with Myanmar and Bangladesh; under our Go West strategy, we are engaged with Iran on Chabahar Port and with Iran and other partners in Central Asia on International North South Transport Corridor.



"Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) initiative is aimed at enhancing logistics efficiencies in South Asian region. We are also actively considering acceding to TIR Convention," Baglay said.



The remarks assume significance given that China is trying to project that by skipping the BRF, India may be "isolated" in the region as all countries in South Asia -- barring Bhutan which doesn't have diplomatic relations with China -- were participating.



India also asserted that connectivity initiatives should follow principles of balanced ecological and environmental protection and preservation standards; transparent assessment of project costs; and skill and technology transfer to help long-term running and maintenance of the assets created by local communities.



India's stand on the meet comes after a year of bilateral discord over Chinas stubborn opposition to its entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and a UN ban against Pakistan- based terrorist group Jaish-e-Muhammad leader Masood Azhar.



China, too, protested Indias decision to permit the Dalai Lama last month to visit Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as South Tibet.



In the last few days, China has tried to assuage Indias feelings by asserting that the commercial CPEC will not have any impact on its stand that the Kashmir issue should be settled by India and Pakistan through dialogue.



Indias worries over the 3,000 km long CPEC project connecting Pakistan's deep-water port Gwadar and Chinas Xinjiang stem from the fact that Gwadar, which was taken over by the Chinese, will become a future naval base.



The Gwadar port across the waters from Mumbais port housing the Indian Navys western naval command provides a berth for China in the Arabian Sea and to the Indian Ocean.



India is boycotting China's Belt and Road Forum (BRF) beginning in Beijing tomorrow, a clear indication of that came from an official statement issued tonight which said India cannot accept a project that ignores its core concern on sovereignty and territorial integrity.India has strong reservation over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of China's prestigious 'Belt and the Road Initiative' (BRI) and is expected to figure prominently in the two-day meet.The CPEC passes through Gilgit and Baltistan of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). India treats the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir as its integral part, including the PoK.
American car giant Ford has set out on a new found after sales service strategy in India, in a bid to change perception for the brand, apart from surging ahead in the countrys burgeoning auto market.



For the year ended March 2017, Ford emerged as the third largest carmaker in the country overtaking homegrown auto major Mahindra and Tata Motors. The company produced 2,52,959 vehicles, owing to a 43% rise in the volume of exports. Mahindra produced 2,42,721 passenger vehicles, while Tata Motors produced 1,69,599 passenger vehicles, coming on the heels of Hyundai and Maruti Suzuki. Ford recorded 30% growth in sales during 2017 (YTD), compared with 2016.



With robust sales in its kitty, Ford is going all out even on the service front. Being American, Ford has often been perceived as an expensive car brand, especially in the service realm. But in recent times, Fords service initiatives have also geared towards bringing customers to the legendary brand.



Explaining the companys service strategy, Ford India Vice President (Customer Service Operations) Prabhu N said, Sales teams sell vehicles, and subsequently, service teams ensure that customers get the best experience and satisfaction.



Our aim is to change the prevailing perception, and our engineers are constantly working on designs that help make car ownership cost-effective, he told DH.



Over the last couple of years, Ford claims to have seen good trajectory in service  in customer satisfaction, dealership experience, and so on. We have also been able to provide a reduced cost of ownership in design of components and prices, Prabhu said, adding that in terms of affordability, competitively priced parts, rightly scheduled service intervals, sub-assemblies, and localisation have played a major role.



According to surveys conducted, the cost of ownership of Ford cars in terms of service, is found to be cheaper than the industry. For instance, the sum of all replaceable parts on the sedan Aspire is to the tune of Rs 40,604 for the petrol, and Rs 45,629 for the diesel, compared with Rs 54,100, and Rs 47,285 across the industry, respectively, considering similar vehicles in its class. This translates to the cost of ownership being 16% cheaper for a Ford Aspire diesel variant, while for the petrol variant, it is 14% cheaper.



The company has also worked at making service accessible, with five parts warehouses across the country, apart from 13 independent distributors who sell parts in the open market.

We have 376 workshops across India, and we are keen to open more facilities, especially in Tier-II and Tier-III towns. We will have over 500 workshops open across India in over three-years time, Prabhu concluded.
Vyoma Technologies, Indias leading out of home digital media solution company is targeting to close this fiscal at Rs 100 crore.



The company, which engages with diverse and large audience profile of consumers on the move everyday, has been growing at about 100-150% in the last two years and became profitable since 2015-16.



Vyoma currently operates across 14 states in India with its digital outdoor network across 350 railway stations with close to 2100 digital mediums placed across strategic locations and has plans of expanding reach across markets and demographics.



Talking to DH, Shriranga Sudhakara, Managing director, Vyoma Technologies said, With a team of 100 people we are currently operating from four locations Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi. We are planning to start one more office in Kolkata soon by adding 10 more staff on our payroll.
Not many people in the country know that Royapuram railway station in Chennai is the oldest surviving railway station in India.



More than 160 years after it was built, the elegant Royapuram station is getting ready for another facelift and, perhaps, a new lease of life. Thanks to protests by several stakeholders, Royapuram station is slowly being beautified.



Royapuram station, which was inaugurated on July 1, 1856 by the then Governor of Madras Presidency, Lord Harris, was totally neglected. The first rail services to be operated were between Royapuram and Ambur and another from Royapuram to Tirveloore (now Thiruvallur district). One train carried Lord Harris and 300 Europeans to Ambur and the second one had Indian invitees travelling to Thiruvallur.



Royapuram was the main railway station of Chennai till 1907. Though the first railway line in India was started between Boree Bunder (later Victoria Terminus and now Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) and Tannah (currently Thane station) in 1853, the two stations have undergone a sea change over the years.



Now, the station will have better facilities for passengers and technical experts will refurbish the place without spoiling the heritage structure, said S Venkatesh from Chennai Rail Passengers' Association, which is one of the organisations that spearheaded the campaign for the station's beautification.



According to him, there were reports that Southern Railways officials had approached the Heritage Conservation Committee requesting for deletion of Royapuram station building from the list of heritage buildings to enable them to demolish it and undertake some projects.



He pointed out that the Madras High Court intervened on a public interest litigation and suggested that the Railways expand Royapuram station by preserving its heritage portion. We also staged series of protests when there were plans to turn the station into a godown for cement and fertilisers, he said.



At present the Royapuram station is in the 16th place in the list of heritage structures prepared by the Tamil Nadu government. The station hall has some old pictures of the station before its restoration. Inside the office, a lone railway clerk was issuing tickets. The slanting huge roof of the office is supported by antique beams. The platform, which is clean, has an impressive look.



Southern Railways sources said a number of development projects have been planned on the 75-acre station premises, including four rail lines to connect stations in south Tamil Nadu with the north. In addition, creation of a passenger terminal is also on the cards.



Railways officials indicated that they may convert Royapuram station into a third major terminal in Chennai. The station is historically very significant. Therefore, the heritage structure will be given a facelift without altering the original structure, a senior railways official said.



The official said that a small permanent exhibition showcasing the history of the railway station will be set up in a bid to educate the future generation. The work will start soon and expected to be completed in a year, he added. The official did not disclose the money that would be spent on renovation and expansion of the station. The brickwork station will be restored with the help of technical experts.



In 2005, the station received the first new lease of life after it was restored at a cost of just Rs 30 lakh. Before the first restoration, the station was virtually used as a dump yard. Dogs and rats could be seen everywhere in the station, Raghu, a retired postman, who used to deliver letters to Royapuram railway station during 1970s said. One could also hear the chirping of birds, he added.

He said high ceilings, structural arches and huge pillars and the bright red-and-white structure of Royapuram station stands out as a testimony to the architectural heritage of the Indian Railways. He said that Burma teak furnishings in the station hall were stolen during the initial period of restoration.



Raghu said the Railways was not releasing funds regularly for restoration of the historic structure built by the erstwhile Madras Rail Company. He said over the years building walls, built of classic bricks, have started peeling off. Apart from the restoration, the north Chennai people want the station modernised and commencement of train services.



As the station could accommodate more than 25 railway tracks, they feel that Royapuram station could easily be made a major terminal like Chennai Central and Egmore.



Another railway staffer, deployed at Royapuram station, suggested that the place could be made into a tourist spot as most of the people do not know about its history. Only a few foreign tourists come to see this place, he said.



However, historians and archaeologists feel that even small alteration of the oldest surviving station in the entire sub-continent will ruin one of the finest heritage structures. They (restoration and development) have to be done carefully without disturbing the structure. They need to consult archaeologists before carrying out any restoration or developmental work in and around the station premises, Kathavarayan, a historian who lives near the station for several decades, said.



Tamil Nadu's heritage conservation authorities said that they are closely monitoring the work at the station and seeking periodic reports from the railways officials with regard to the development project.
As many as 4,000 candidates were selected by KPSC in the recruitment for various posts held in the recent past. But not a single Balija figured in the list. Hence, the government should include Balijas in 2A category so that the community youths can land government jobs, said community leader C S Dwarkanath.



He said this while addressing the preparatory meeting, for the mega convention of Balijas to be held at Palace Grounds in Bengaluru on May 28, here on Friday. Caste system is here to stay. These days caste has become a policy. We should realise this fact and get united to fight for our rights, he said.



Till 1994, there were many Balijas who were enjoying top positions in the bureaucracy. The community suffered a setback after Balijas were shifted from 2A category to 3A, Dwarkanath rued. When B S Yeddyurappa was chief minister, MP P C Mohan and others pressured the then government to include Balijas in 2A for education quota. This has benefitted the community to an extent. Now, the community should be included in 2A category for job quota, he said.



If the community was included in 2A category, about 100 to 200 Balijas would have landed jobs in KPSC selections. We are no more into the traditional community vocation. We need government jobs for survival, he added.



Karnataka Balija Mahasabha president and Bengaluru Central MP P C Mohan said that the Mahasabha is planning to assemble over 3 lakh Balijas for the convention. Preparatory meetings have been held in Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Hassan, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts in this regard, he said.



We are not against any caste. Our condition is deplorable. Hence, we are asking for reservation. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy and BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa will attend the conventions, P C Mohan said.



JD(S) leader Govindaraju said that over 20,000 Balijas will attend the convention. Bengaluru Urban ZP president Muniraju, Vimala Naidu, Jayalakshmamma, Ramlingappa and others were present.




Dhanya, who is also a freelance content writer, said her mothers greatest gift to her was accepting her as a normal child. As my condition did not allow me to go to school, she and my father home-schooled me. I did my higher studies through distance education, Dhanya said.



She takes me to all the places I wish to go and has provided for all my needs and wishes. She truly is my greatest source of strength and so is my father. Dhanya is part of an organisation where she works towards empowering people with brittle bone disease. She also blogs about her experiences at matterofthought, her page on social media.





Its not the care she gave me, I love her the most. Its not the new places she travelled with me, I love her the most. But I truly love her for the courageous smile she has worn, from the day she knew I was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, goes a poem written by 28-year-old Dhanya Ravi for her mother whom she considers her greatest strength.Dhanya is unlike anyone. She has brittle bone disease, a condition that makes her vulnerable to fractures. Having suffered over 300 fractures, she continues to be a source of inspiration for many but for Dhanya, her mother is her biggest inspiration.Nirmala Ravi stood by her daughter like a rock. She saw her through countless visits to doctors and her dark moments and her victorious days. She sacrificed a career to be a home maker so she could be with her daughter all the time.Recalling her mothers sacrifices, Dhanya says: She is my greatest blessing in life. Each time my bone fractured, her eyes would well up with tears but I could see a tireless spirit that kept pushing me to fight back.She continued: I never had to read any motivational or self-help book for finding inspiration as my greatest source of inspiration was right next to me  my mother. Today I am able to give motivational talks at seminars and help people like me overcome their setbacks, all thanks to my mother.
The state government seems to be looking at ways to give departmental promotions to employees. This effort is on while it has moved the Supreme Court seeking review of its order on the promotion of SC/STs employees since 1978.



According to secretariat sources, the government last month filed the petition seeking three more months to implement the court order. It has also pleaded with the court to reexamine the entire case. The court has summer vacation now and hence the petition is yet to be heard, the sources said.



The apex court has struck down the promotions given to SC/STs government employees since 1978. The reservation policy is applicable only at the time of recruitment, it had observed. Realising that the implementation of the order would have serious political implications, the state Cabinet had decided to file a review petition. The government was expected to have given effect to the court order from May 9.



The sources said that under Section 32 of the Karnataka Civil Services Rules, if there is an administrative exigency, promotions may be given on an ad hoc basis. Using this provision, a committee of top bureaucrats has begun giving promotions in certain departments. One such department is the commercial taxes department, the sources said. The sources said that the ad hoc method would benefit 40 to 45 employees while rendering injustice to many others. The promotions are being given even to top level officers in the department when there is no exigency, the secretariat sources said.
Public Works Minister H C Mahadevappa has urged Legislative Assembly Speaker K B Koliwad to ensure that the Assembly secretariat does not interfere in the functioning of his department. Mahadevappa is learnt to have briefed Koliwad about the views expressed by senior ministers in the recently held state Cabinet meeting on the Assembly secretariats controversial decision to take over maintenance of Vidhana Soudha, Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi and ownership of several prominent buildings from the PWD.



A majority of the ministers had opposed the decision and urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take appropriate steps in this regard. The chief minister had, in turn, asked Mahadevappa to meet Koliwad and convey to him the discussions held in the Cabinet.



Order to be withdrawn

Sources in the government said the Speaker has assured Mahadevappa that the order issued by the Assembly secretariat taking over the maintenance will be withdrawn soon.



Earlier, the PWD had opposed the Assembly secretariats move saying that there is no provision under the Karnataka Government (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1977 and the Karnataka Government (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1977, to take up any maintenance work. When contacted by DH, Koliwad said he cannot divulge details of the meeting he held with the minister.




A day after SSLC results were announced, PU colleges in the city saw a rush of applicants for admissions.



Though Primary and Secondary Education Minister Tanveer Sait had said on Friday that a circular would be issued to colleges instructing them not to have different cut-off percentages for boys and girls, colleges have not received any such instructions so far.



The principal of MES PU College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Malleswaram, Dr L Ramu, said they had not received any communication from the PU department.



If they issue a circular, we will have to obey it. But we would like to discuss it first, he said. He said that to ensure an equal number of seats to boys and girls, it was necessary to have different benchmarks since girls have higher scores.



The college has already issued 4,400 applications on the first day. Of these, 2,500 were for the Science stream, 1,800 for Commerce and 100 for Arts. This year, the cut-off percentage for PCMB for girls and boys may be around 97% and 96.68% respectively for the first list, the principal said.





Few takers for Arts



On the first day, KLE PU College in Rajajinagar issued around 1,500 applications with 70% of them for Science and the rest for Commerce, principal Vinay Kumar said.



We have very few takers for Arts stream with only about 25 applications issued so far, he said. In the previous years, they used to have different cut-off percentages for boys and girls. We used to give management seats to girls to compensate this. Since the minister said that they would issue a circular to have equal cut-off percentage, we will follow it this year, he said.



Many colleges have not yet decided on a cut-off percentage and they will take a call based on the applications they receive.



Director of the department of pre-university education, C Shikha said the ministers promise had come to their notice and they would be looking into the issue.





BCom: popular choice



Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) remains the popular choice among students who cleared the II PU examinations, the results of which were announced on Thursday.



There are several employment opportunities in marketing, finance, banking, industrial and service sectors. Students get jobs easily soon after the completion of their graduation. Hence, BCom is more in demand, said B S Jayashree, principal (in-charge) of Vijaya Degree College, Basavanagudi.



The college has 480 seats for BCom while over 2,000 applications are received every year. Job opportunities in Basic Sciences and Applied Science are coming down, while there are more employment opportunities for BCom graduates. Hence, students want to pursue BCom for jobs, said Deepthi Ashok, placement officer, Community Institute of Management Studies, Jayanagar.
Union Minister of Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar said on Saturday he had sought an explanation from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) over complaints that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) was harder in some regional languages.



Presiding over the Southern Regional Workshop on Innovations and Best Practices in School Education here, he said the board would clarify shortly whether NEET in regional languages was harder than in Hindi and English.



To a question, the minister described as unfortunate the Kerala incident where an 18-year-old girl was asked to remove her top inner wear before being allowed into the exam centre.



We had to follow a strict dress code as malpractices have taken place earlier. Just one girl has a concern about the dress code out of 11 lakh students who took the exam. Four teachers have been suspended following the incident, he said.



NEET was conducted on May 7 in Hindi, English and eight regional languages for admission to undergraduate medical and dental courses across the country. Javadekar said people could report any errors in NCERT textbooks or suggest modifications.



National Teacher Platform



The minister launched a strategy document to build a National Teacher Platform (NTP).

Our governments first priority is to improve the quality of teachers. Unless we improve the quality of teachers, we will not be able to create capable people to lead our country, he said at the launch of a vision document on the NTP.



He continued: As a part of the Digital India Programme, we must leverage technology in education to continously improve learning outcomes.



I believe a platform like the NTP can help our teachers achieve their true potential. The NTP is a state-of-the-art platform that aims to provide teachers high-quality content and an environment for collaboration and mentoring. The minister proposed to build an NTP that will enable, accelerate and amplify solutions in the field of teacher education.



Anil Swarup, Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, said: We will build the NTP in a way that each state can adapt to build contextualised solutions relevant to its needs.
Goblin Star Gong Yoo Swoons Fans, Reveals Future Plans At Hong Kong Event

"Train to Busan" actor Gong Yoo was recently in Hong Kong attending an event wherein he managed to make his fans swoon, thanks to his effortless charm. At the event though, he revealed what his future plans and projects were. After the huge success of his movie "Goblin," fans are expecting to see more of Gong Yoo's work.

As reported by KPopstarz, at the event Gong Yoo expressed his joy over how quickly he had been able to garner international fame. He thanked his fans and even suggested that he doesn't plan on taking a break anytime soon. Gong Yoo claimed that there are a lot of opportunities already lined up for him. Therefore, when asked what his plan was since the work for "Goblin" had been completed, he replied by saying that he is considering making another comeback with yet another movie.

While fans of Gong Yoo rejoice the fact that he isn't going anywhere in the near future and that they will be seeing more of him as time passes by, as reported by Allkpop, it is hard not to notice his love for both, small and big-screen spaces. He doesn't differentiate between the two and thus, when it comes to projects, he does what he feels is right.

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Gong Yoo, has, however, and maintained the opinion that he finds it very tiring to film drama scenes. When asked who he looks up to for inspiration, he admitted that he admires the work from several Hong Kong actors such as Tony Leung Chiu Wai. He said that he particularly loves Tony Leung Chiu Wai's work in 'Lust Caution,' and that he someday wishes to play a role similar to his in the movie.

According to a report published by Soompi, the Hong Kong event was also attended by Gong Yoo's celebrity best friend Gong Hyo Jin. The fans were obviously quite surprised to see him there. Being a best friend, Gong Hyo Jin made sure that he revealed a few details regarding Gong Yoo's true personality. Nonetheless, the thought of seeing the two, Gong Yoo and Gong Hyo Jin in a movie is irresistible.

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In a rare achievement, all eight students at Smt Ambubai Residential School for Blind Girls in Kalaburagi have passed the SSLC examination and two of them scored more than 90% marks. Incidentally, the institution doesnt have teachers for high school.



Dattu Agarwal, the aided schools founder, said the management had to hire teachers from outside. In spite of this impediment, all girls passed the exam in first class, he said.



There are a total of 77 students and seven teachers in the primary school. Five of the seven teachers are blind. The crafts and physical education teachers are the only non-blind instructors, he added.



Founded in 2007, the school provides free education, food and accommodation to students.

We receive grants for only 50 students while the expenses of the remaining students are borne by the management. The school functions out of a private building with a monthly rent of Rs 16,000, said Agarwal who also teaches political science at Government PU College at Super Market in Kalaburagi. This is the first SSLC batch from the school. The girls have brought laurels to the school.



He said that if the government increased the grant, better education and facilities could be provided to the students.





Topper speaks



Deepa Vithal Nayak, daughter of Vithal and Susheela Nayak, is a native of Shahpur in Yadgir. She scored 92.35% (577/625) while Ambika scored 91.2% (570/625). Deepa, whose father is a primary schoolteacher, has been studying in the school since Class 1. She has three siblings but is the only one to be affected by blindness.



Crediting her parents and teachers for her success, Deepa said she aspired to crack competitive examinations and study Masters in Music. I use to study six hours a day, she said. Teachers taught us well. Whenever we had any doubt, teachers were brought to clear them. They also helped us in revision.



Deepa, who is currently studying a computer course in Bengaluru, said the visually impaired should not be disheartened by their disability but take it as a challenge.





Other girls



The other girls are Annemma (86.24%), Panchasheela (80%), Vaishali (79.84%), Anuradha (78.72%), Gangamma (69.12%) and Gowramma (68.32%).
Two women were killed in separate accidents after they were hit by trains in Nayandahalli and Baiyappanahalli.

Vijayalakshmi (38), a resident of Nayandahalli, was killed on the spot after she was hit by a train. The accident occurred near Kadapaswamy temple between Nayandahalli and the city railway stations.



She had come to a temple with her children and was returning home when the accident occurred. The victims children safely crossed the tracks. She did not notice the moving train and was mowed down while crossing the tracks.



In another accident near Jeevanahalli level crossing between Bengaluru East and Bayyappanahalli stations, Shanthamma (65), a resident of Cox Town, was killed on the spot as she was mowed down by a train.



Fake garments seized

CCB sleuths arrested a man on charge of selling fake readymade garments of reputed brands. The suspect, Hithesh (30), is a resident of 1st Main Road in Parvathipura.



On a tip-off, the police raided his house at Nagarabhavi 2nd Block in Annapurneshwarinagar. He was selling the fake readymade garments for the past few months, said the police.
Twelve people, including a newlywed couple, were killed in two separate accidents.



In the first accident, seven members of a family, including a newlywed couple from Mandekaup in Bandyodu of Kasargod district, were killed near Velankanni in Tamil Nadu in the early hours of Saturday.



Herald Monteiro (50), his wife Precilla (40), son Rohith (22), Heralds brother Sathurin Monteiro (37), his daughter Sharon (6), Heralds brother newlywed brother Alwin (29) and his wife Preema (22) perished in the accident. Heralds other son Roshan (22), Sathurins wife Jeshma (26) and daughter Shanthi (3) have survived with injuries.



A total of 11 members of the family had gone on a pilgrimage to Velankanni. The accident occurred when a lorry hit their jeep. Alwin and Preema got married on May 6.



In the second accident, five people, including four of a family, were killed and a two-year-old child was critically injured when their SUV hit an oncoming container truck near Sastapur Bungalow on NH-9 in Basavakalyan taluk in Bidar district around 2 am on Friday.



The victims were from Mumbai and travelling to Hyderabad to attend a private ceremony. They were identified as Mayur Tarun Savla (32), his wife Jenala Mayur Savla (30), their son Kayan Mayur (6), Bharati Tarun Savla (58) and 26-year-old Sunil. Mayurs two-year-old daughter was injured and taken to Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad.
It was a show of unity and strength by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government at Chitradurga on Saturday.



On the day the government stepped into its fifth year, many Cabinet colleagues expressed solidarity with the chief minister by complimenting him for his governance and for launching various welfare schemes.



The government had organised a public function at Chitradurga to distribute benefits under the welfare schemes to mark the completion of four years in office. The programme was also to drive home the point that the government had delivered as promised in the election manifesto in 2013.



Scores of party workers from eight districts of Bengaluru region had assembled. The highlight of the event was that not less than half-a-dozen senior ministers shared the dais with Siddaramaiah to indicate that there are no differences among the seniors. In addition, they declared that the party would face the next Assembly elections under Siddaramaiah.



The chief minister said, Parameshwara is our party president. The party will go to the 2018 polls under my leadership. We will unitedly come before you (people). Bless us again.



In an aggressive but impressive speech, Siddaramaiah said, Voters are our God. We have walked the talk in the last four years. Clean, transparent and sincere administration has been given, he said. He also used the occasion to present his governments progress report.



The chief minister said the plus point of his government was provision of food, health cover and houses to the needy. The next polls would be fought on development issues. Voters would not let the Congress down, he said confidently.



Siddaramaiah said BJP leaders are sitting in a glass house and throwing stones at the Congress. The vocation of state BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa is to utter lies. His allegations have no significance, he added.



Earlier, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President G Parameshwara and Energy Minister D K Shivakumar said, Do not have any doubts...We will come before you under the leadership of Siddaramaiah. Ministers T B Jayachandra, Kagodu Thimmappa and Umashree placed before the crowd the list of achievements of various departments. They complimented Siddaramaiah for his style of functioning. Minister H Anjaneya, who is in-charge minister of Chitradurga, felicitated Siddaramaiah.



The chief minister distributed cultivation chits, land possession certificates and loans to unemployed youths. He also launched schemes worth Rs 695 crore for drought-hit Chitradurga district.
A day after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah patted himself for his four years of governance, Union Minister Ananth Kumar ridiculed him by saying irregularities, apathy and maladministration are the achievements of the Congress government.



On Friday, Siddaramaiah released a booklet highlighting the programmes implemented by his government. At the event, he said he has scored 90 out of 100 marks in keeping his election promises. The remaining 10 marks would be scored in the next one year, he had said.



Siddaramaiah is in a celebratory mood on the occasion of completing four years of maladministration. Arrogance, apathy and irregularities are his achievements in four years, Ananth Kumar said, inaugurating the BJP Bengaluru city unit executive committee meeting.



A survey by a non-government organisation has found Karnataka to be the most corrupt state. The government has failed to utilise funds released by the Centre under the Swachch Bharat mission. So, Bengaluru ranks 210 in cleanliness. This is the contribution of the government to six-and-a-half crore people of the state, he said. The state government is directly responsible for the dubious distinction that the state and its capital have got, he charged.





Investors shying away



Karnataka was once known for good governance. It used to attract investors from across the globe. Investors are now shying away from the state due to maladministration and crumbling infrastructure, Kumar said. Besides, increasing crimes and corruption have left people worried, he added.



The Centre has sanctioned the suburban train project to Bengaluru. But the state government is not extending its cooperation for its implementation. The government is planning to loot the state treasury by implementing a tunnel road project between Basaveshwara Circle and Hebbal. People should stiffly oppose the plan, he added.



Ananth Kumar warned that Bengalureans will face drinking water problems if the state government fails to take appropriate steps with regard to the Cauvery river water dispute.



Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda said the biggest achievement of the Siddaramaiah government was rendering the Karnataka Lokayukta a defunct organisation.
Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander Zakir Musa on Saturday rebelled against his senior commanders based in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) by disassociating himself from the outfit. In the latest six-and-a-half minute audio being shared on social media, Musa says, (I) cannot sacrifice my life for the establishment of a secular state. From today, I have no association with any outfit. I am on my own. I dont represent Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.



The statement came hours after PoK-based spokesperson of the outfit, Saleem Hashmi, termed Musas threat to separatist leaders as unacceptable. Such a statement is unacceptable to us. It reflects the personal opinion of Zakir (Musa). Post Burhan Wanis martyrdom (sic), the nation and the leadership are united at every front and taking ahead the struggle for freedom and Islam to its end, Hashmi was quoted by a local news agency as saying.



Musa, who took over the reins from Wani last year, had on Friday threatened to slit the throats of senior separatist leaders and hang them in the city centre, Lal Chowk, if they dared to repeat that Kashmir represented a political and not pan-Islamic struggle.



Musa, who joined militancy after leaving his B Tech course in Chandigarh in 2013, called separatist leaders hypocrites, infidels and followers of evil. After Hashmis rebuke, Musa released an audio clip asserting that he stands by his earlier message. So, if Hizb-ul-Mujahideen doesnt represent me then I also dont represent them, he said.



After my last audio message, lot of confusion is being spread in Kashmir. I stand by my speech and by my message. It doesnt bother me what others say, but I stand by my speech. But see, I have had not said anything against a particular person or Geelani sahab, but I have said only against that individual who is against Islam and talks about freedom for secular state, Musa, who is believed to be operating from south Kashmir, asserted.



No links with IS

Musa also says that he has no links with global terror organisations like the Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda. I have no association with IS, al Qaeda. I even dont know whether they are right or wrong. I dont have time to research about them, he said.



But Musas audio messages are full of quotes of Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki, the US-Yemeni scholar and al Qaeda ideologue who was killed in a US drone strike in Yemen in 2011. The authenticity of the audio clips could not be verified. A source, however, said the voice matched with Musas earlier video and audio clips.




Two civilians were killed and several others injured as Pakistani troops continued heavy shelling on forward areas and border hamlets in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday. Reports stated that Pakistani troops used 120 mm and 82 mm mortar shells to pound military posts in Jhanger village along the LoC in Nowshera sector from early Saturday morning.



Lt Col Manish Mehta, defence PRO, said the Indian Army was retaliating strongly and effectively to Pakistani aggression and the firing was continuing when reports last came in. The Pakistan Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatic weapons and 82 mm and 120 mm mortars from 7.15 am, Mehta said. This is the third incident of ceasefire violation by the Pakistan army since May 10.



Evacuation on

More than 100 civilians have been shifted to safer places, while an evacuation plan has been activated for moving out 2,000 others, officials said. Schools falling within a two-km radius along the LoC remained closed for the third consecutive day on Saturday. We cant take a risk, and have closed the schools in the wake of the shelling, Chief Education Officer Chowdhary Altaf said.



The government has issued an advisory in the border belts, asking people not to venture out of their houses. Similarly, the government has also asked senior doctors to be present in the hospital round-the-clock in case of any eventuality.



Sources said the motive of Pakistani troops could be to push infiltrators under the cover of mortar shelling and firing. However, the army and the BSF are maintaining high alert and have not allowed Pakistani designs to push militants into this side to succeed, a source said.



There has been considerable rise in violation of the 2003 ceasefire agreement by Pakistan since the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir on September 29, 2016.


India will skip the two-day Belt and Road Forum summit in Beijing, beginning Sunday, as a show of its concern over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project. Billed as Chinese president Xi Jinpings ambitious project, the Belt and Road initiative focuses on improving connectivity and cooperation among Asian countries, Africa, China and Europe.



The ministry of external affairs said no country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project runs through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.



Late on Saturday, ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said: Guided by our principled position on the matter, we have been urging China to engage in a meaningful dialogue on its connectivity initiative  One Belt, One Road (OBOR)  which was later renamed Belt and Road Initiative. We are awaiting a positive response from the Chinese side.



The spokesperson confirmed that India had received a formal invitation to participate in six separate forums that China is organising as part of the summit being held in Beijing on May 14 and 15. We are of firm belief that connectivity initiatives must be based on universally recognised international norms, good governance, rule of law, openness, transparency and equality. Connectivity projects must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said.



Indias move against the summit came in the backdrop of differences emerging between New Delhi and Beijing over several issues, including Indias entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group club, the UN ban on Jaish-e-Mohammed leader Masood Azhar and the Dalai Lamas visit to Arunachal Pradesh.



Indias decision, however, does leave it isolated as the US did a U-turn and decided to send a delegation. It was announced after a trade deal between the US and China. Japan, too, will be sending a delegation led by a vice minister. A number of other countries, including South Korea, France, Germany and UK, have deputed either ministerial or official delegations.



Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is leading a high-profile team of ministers to the summit, considering the role his country is playing in the CPEC project. As for other neighbouring countries, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe, Nepal Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara will lead the delegation. Bangladesh and the Maldives will also have official representations.




The Consortium of Indian Petroleum Dealers has deferred its decision to shut petrol bunks on Sundays to save operation costs.



A decision to continue operations was taken following an invitation by oil marketing companies to discuss their grievances. Dealers had earlier decided to shut bunks on all Sundays with effect from May 14, besides working in a single shift of 12 hours to cut operation costs.



In addition to more commission, dealers also want implementation of the Apoorva Chandra committee report.



Karnataka Petroleum Federation president B R Ravindranath said the next step would be decided after a meeting of oil companies in Mumbai. We do not want to cause any inconvenience to the public, he said.


The Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will be held in Beijing from May 14 to 15. Apart from 29 heads of state and government leaders, representatives of 61 international organizations and delegates from 110 countries, the secretary-general of the United Nations, the presidents of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund will attend. The initiative's strong appeal has played a determining role in attracting such a large number of significant figures to the summit.

However, some overseas media outlets are still prejudiced against China's initiative, regarding the One Belt and One Road as the country's geopolitical strategy.

Based on this mentality, any program related to the Belt and Road initiative is viewed as an attempt by Beijing to grab more strategic space, and as the Chinese government does not have enough capital to support its ambitions, all the investment projects related to the initiative are regarded as a form of Chinese enterprises pledging allegiance to the government. This is not true.

Connectivity is a global trend. Compared with the domestic market and a few successful economic communities, international exchanges and collaboration have more potential to bring economic growth.

Beijing's Belt and Road initiative has answered the economic call of regional countries and inspired them to think more about establishing development communities.

China will not squander money for its political goals. The Belt and Road initiative will direct China's excess capacity to reach the world in a more orderly manner, and establish mutually beneficial ties with participants under market principles.

The Belt and Road initiative highlights extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. All participants are equal, and there will be no hegemonic or politically dependent relationships.

Globalization and international democracy have paved the way for the Belt and Road initiative. With more economic opportunities, participant countries are more willing to integrate themselves into global development trends and become a part of the profit chain.

It is of vital importance to enhance infrastructure construction and connectivity for any country. The positive and peaceful atmosphere created by the Belt and Road initiative will help mobilize resources for mutual benefits.

China always plans ahead. The Belt and Road initiative has gradually become a grand vision that can offer guidance and boost the confidence of regional countries. Concrete actions have already been taken in countries along the route.

The Belt and Road initiative is poised to start a new wave of infrastructure construction and exert some historical effects. Suspicions and criticisms are normal at the current stage, which may make the initiative even more anticipated.
BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday called for expanding cooperation with Uzbekistan to achieve new progress in carrying out the Belt and Road Initiative.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who is in Beijing to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation scheduled for May 14 to 15.
Countries along Belt and Road become popular destinations for Chinese tourists: report

WUHAN, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Countries along Belt and Road have become popular destinations for Chinese tourists, according to a report issued by Lvmama.com, a Chinese online travel agency.

The report, based on bookings made on the Lvmama website, showed that the number of Chinese tourists visiting ASEAN countries in 2016 rose to nearly three times that of 2015.

The number of Chinese people visiting Central and Eastern Europe saw a year-on-year increase of 229 percent in 2016.

The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Serbia and Slovakia saw rapid growth in the number of Chinese tourists last year.

In the first four months this year, the number of visitors who traveled to Russia was nearly twice that of the same period last year.

Some 150 million Chinese travelers are expected to visit countries along the Belt and Road from 2016 to 2020, with their spending likely to top 200 billion U.S. dollars, according to China National Tourism Administration.
China and the US are expected to head toward a stable and cooperative relationship with a Friday joint announcement of deals on bilateral trade expansion and financial services cooperation between the two countries.

Those deals, which cover 10 areas, were the first tangible results of a 100-day action plan announced last month during a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump.

China will lift its ban on imports of beef from the US no later than July 16, while the US will issue a proposed rule on allowing the import of cooked poultry from China, according to a joint statement issued on Friday. China banned imports of US beef in 2003 after a mad-cow case in the US.

Meanwhile, the US will export liquid natural gas to China and treats China no less favorable than other non-FTA trade partners.

As of April 25, the US Department of Energy had authorized 19.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas exports per day to non-FTA countries, according to a release posted on the US Department of Commerce on Friday.

Those agreements on trade expansion indicate that China and the US are pursuing pragmatic cooperation and methods to balance the trade structure between the two countries, said experts.

"The agreements will result in reduction in the US trade deficit with China," Chen Fengying, an expert at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times.

China's trade surplus with the US reached 489.2 billion yuan ($70.9 billion) in the first four months of the year, latest customs data showed.

China does not deliberately pursue a trade surplus with the US, Yu Jianhua, vice minister of commerce, told a press conference following the announcement of the deal with the US.

Wang Jun, deputy director of the Department of Information at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, doesn't think the increase of market access for US agricultural exports will impact China's domestic farmers and industries. "The Chinese agricultural consumption is very large. And the imports of foreign products can meet middle-class demand for diversified goods," said Wang.

Take beef imports as an example. The Chinese mainland, alone, is the world's second-largest beef and veal importer after the US, with the imports last year rising 22.5 percent year-on-year to 812,000 metric tons, data from the US Department of Agriculture showed in April.

China will allow wholly foreign-owned financial services firms to provide credit ratings by mid-July. In December 2016, China's Ministry of Commerce proposed draft regulations to open up that market.

US-owned suppliers of electronic payment services will be granted "full and prompt market access" by China, which domestic experts said will bring some challenges to China's domestic mobile payment companies.

Still, the pros outweigh the cons, as the introduction of advanced US financial firms can facilitate the deepening of the reform of China's financial system, said Wang.

Moreover, Chinese banks will be treated the same as other foreign banks by the US under the agreement, while China will issue bond underwriting and settlement licenses to two qualified US financial institutions. The two countries also announced other agreements in cooked poultry, cross-border clearing, and biotechnology and settlement licenses.
Wolf Plan is topic of May 19 Commission meeting in Portland

Friday, May 12, 2017

SALEM, Ore.The Fish and Wildlife Commission will meet Friday, May 19 beginning at 8 a.m. at the Embassy Suites Portland Airport, Spruce and Oak Rooms, 7900 NE 82nd Ave.

The meeting will be livestreamed via ODFWs Periscope and Twitter accounts.

The only topic on the agenda is the Wolf Conservation and Management Plan Review. ODFW staff will present an overview of the initial draft Plan (the same one presented April 21 in Klamath Falls).

The Commission will then host a panel discussion with stakeholders. Representatives from Oregon Cattlemens Association, Oregon Farm Bureau, Oregon Hunters Association, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Cascadia Wildlands, Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife and Oregon Wild have been invited to be on the panel. Following that panel discussion, the meeting will open to other public testimony. Commissioners will not take any rule-making action on the draft Plan during the meeting, and a date for final adoption of a revised Wolf Plan has not yet been set.

The draft Plan is the result of a year-long review process to evaluate the current Wolf Plans effectiveness and address opportunities for improvement. The draft Plan incorporates the latest science about wolves and incorporates large amounts of Oregon-specific wolf data. It also updates base information about wolf status, population and distribution, plus management improvements based on actual field experience with wolves. (See a summary of changes to the Plan.)

The original Wolf Plan was initially adopted by the Commission back in 2005 after ODFWs largest-ever public process. The Plan was also reviewed in 2010.

The Commission is the policy-making body for fish and wildlife issues in Oregon and usually meets monthly.

###




Institute of Technology, Sligo has announced the appointment of Dr Michael Barrett as the new Head of School of Business and Social Sciences.

The Sligo town native succeeds Dr Perry Share who recently took up a new role as Project Manager of the Institutes bid (along with its Connacht-Ulster strategic Alliance partners GMIT and Letterkenny IT) to gain designation as a Technological University.

Dr Barrett is a past student of the former Sligo RTC, having studied Electronics. He joined the staff of IT Sligo in 1999 and since then has held senior Head of Department roles in Information Systems (Accounting & Computing), and in Business. He has also worked on a range of key strategic projects for the Institute. More recently, this included the development of Irelands first honours degree apprenticeship programme in a landmark collaboration with the Insurance Institute and the wider Insurance Industry. The new BA (Honours) in Insurance Practice had its first intake of new apprentices in September 2016.

As a Sligo man with a deep connection to both the Institute and the region, it is a privilege to lead the School of Business & Social Sciences and its talented staff through the next stage of its development, said Dr Barrett. I look forward to helping IT Sligo continue its path towards re-designation as a Technological University.

Congratulating Michael on his appointment, Dr Brendan McCormack, President of IT Sligo said Michael has been a passionate advocate for IT Sligo over the years, and has taken the lead of a range of Institute-wide projects. His work ethic and drive to move IT Sligo forward have earned him the respect of both the student and staff body here. I know that he will continue to enhance that reputation in his new role.

Dr Barretts appointment comes as IT Sligo continues with the refurbishment of its School of Business & Social Sciences building. The multi-million euro project, which is due for completion in September, will provide a transformed learning environment for the Institutes Business and Social Sciences students.

Dr Barrett begins his new role at the end of May.
The Donegal Democrat has been informed of the following deaths:

- Margaret Spratt (nee McGlynn), Church Lane, Letterkenny

- Felicity Fox, Merrion, Dublin/Bundoran

- Thomas McVey, Carland, Kerrykeel

- Jimmy McAlynn Hillhead, Castlefinn

- Eunan Busty Blake, Letterkenny

- Albert Wilson Long, Artigarvan and Raphoe

- Mary Jane Patton, Broadlea, Raphoe

Margaret Spratt (nee McGlynn), Church Lane, Letterkenny

The death has taken place at Deanfield Nursing home of Margaret Spratt (nee McGlynn), formerly of Church Lane, Letterkenny.

Reposing at WJ OBrien and Son Funeral Home, Eglinton from 6pm until 8pm this evening, Saturday, May 13th.

Funeral service will take place at 2pm at the funeral home tomorrow, Sunday, May 14th, followed by burial in Gortlee Cemetery, Letterkenny.

Felicity Fox, Merrion, Dublin/ Bundoran

The death has taken place at St. Vincents Private Hospital of Felicity Fox, Merrion, Dublin/Bundoran.

House and funeral home private. Removal on Tuesday, May 16th, to arrive at the Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, at 11.50am for funeral Mass at 12 noon. Cremation afterwards in Mount Jerome Crematorium, Harolds Cross, D6.

There will be a Mass for Felicity in the Star of the Sea Church, Bundoran, at 12 noon on Saturday, May 20th.

Family flowers only please. Donations, if desired, to Cancer Clinical Research Trust  Department of Medical Oncology, St. Vincents, Dublin 4.

Thomas McVey, Carland, Kerrykeel

The death has taken place of Thomas McVey, late of Carland, Kerrykeel.

His remains reposing at his home from 3pm on Friday, May 12th.

Requiem Mass at 2pm on Sunday, May 14th, in St Columbas Church, Massmount, with interment afterwards in the adjoining cemetery

House private from 10pm until 11am and on the morning of the funeral.

Jimmy McAlynn, Hillhead, Castlefinn

The death has occurred of Jimmy McAlynn, late of 35 Hillhead, Castlefinn.

His remains are reposing at his late home. Funeral from there at 2pm on Saturday, May 13th, for Requiem Mass at 2.30pm in St. Marys Church, Castlefinn.

Interment afterwards in St. Marys Cemetery, Castlefinn.

Donations in lieu of flowers please to the British Lung Foundation c/o Charles Lynch, Funeral Director, 50 Castlefin Road, Castlederg.

Eunan Busty Blake, Letterkenny

The death has taken place of Eunan Busty Blake, Crieve, Letterkenny.

Reposing at his home. Funeral from there on Saturday, May 13th, going to St. Eunans Cathedral, Letterkenny for 1.30pm Requiem Mass with burial afterwards in Conwal Cemetery.

Family flowers only please, donations in lieu, if desired, to St. Eunan's Residents Comfort Fund.

Family time from 10pm to 10am and on the morning of the funeral.

Albert Wilson Long, Artigarvan and Raphoe

The death has taken place at his home of Albert Wilson Long, late of 4 Ballyskeagh Road, Artigarvan and formerly of Drumfad, Raphoe.

Funeral from there on Saturday, May 13th, at 1.30pm, followed by Service in Leckpatrick Presbyterian Church at 2pm. Burial afterwards in the adjoining churchyard.

Family flowers only. Donations to Marie Currie c/o Mrs Ruth Haye, Funeral Director, 100 Spencer Road, Derry BT476AG.

Mary Jane Patton, Broadlea, Raphoe

The death has occurred of Mary Jane Patton, aged 101, late of Broadlea, Raphoe.

Her remains are reposing at Kellys Funeral Home Friday, May 12th, from 4pm until 8pm and Rosary at 8pm on Friday, May 12th; and on Saturday, May 13th, from 4pm until 9pm, with Rosary at 9pm

Funeral from there on Sunday morning at 10.40am going to St Eunans Church, Raphoe for Requiem Mass at 11am. Burial afterwards in the adjoining cemetery.

Family flowers only please. Donations in lieu if desired to the Alzheimer's Society, Donegal Branch c/o Sean Kelly and Son Funeral Directors, Oakfield, Raphoe or any family member.

If you wish to have a death notice included here, email us at editorial@donegaldemocrat.com and include a phone number for verification purposes only.
People who may be affected by plans to construct a 35km underground power line as part of a Donegal wind farm project are being asked to make their views known on it.

The deadline for submissions on the project, which has been processed by Cufgaze Limited, is on Tuesday.

The power line is to run from a proposed substation at Cark to an existing substation at Clogher. The plan and also includes a power line from the Lenalea wind farm to the proposed Cark substation.

Finn Valley Wind Action says it is concerned that there has been no public consultation about the proposed underground cable.

Marie Scanlon of Finn Valley Wind Action, said people should look at the map of the route to see if they could be affected by it.

We would encourage people to look at the route it runs on. Submissions are due by Tuesday so it only leaves a matter of days to raise concerns, she said.

We would be concerned at the level of public consultation as there has been no public consultation at all.

Concerns of the group include the impact on water courses and private, potential threats to the endangered freshwater pearl mussel in Lough Eske, as well as the possible disruption to homes.

There are so many houses on the route, and it covers a vast area .

Attempts to contact the agent for the project for comment proved unsuccessful.
Falcarragh's Darkness Into Light raised more than 14,500 for Pieta House last weekend.

Held in the forest on the grounds of Ballyconnell Estate in Falcarragh, the annual 5k drew more than 600 people in a walk/run through the forest that began at 4.15am.

Falcarragh was one of eight Donegal communities to host Darkness Into Light walk/runs last Saturday, May 6th. About 7,000 people took part in Darkness Into Light 5ks held in Letterkenny, Falcarragh, Donegal town, Maghery, Tory Island, Arranmore Island, Carrick and Buncrana.

A scene from Darkness Into Light in Falcarragh.

Across Ireland, more than 150,000 people took part in Darkness Into Light events last Saturday, with the Pieta House flagship awareness event also held in several locations abroad.

The Falcarragh event raised at least 14,500, with donations still being collected.

The choir in the orchard in Falcarragh's Ballyconnell Estate during Darkness Into Light.

Pieta House is to open the doors of its first centre in the northwest this Monday, when they begin working in their new location in Letterkenny. The charity offers free and accessible therapy to people experiencing suicidal ideation, people who have been bereaved by suicide and people who are engaging in self-harm.

While an official opening is planned for later in the year, Monday is to see the centre up and running in the top floor of the Grand Central building on Canal Road. This service is free of charge and a doctors referral is not required.

Pieta House also has a free 24-hour helpline, 1800 247 247.
The second Sunday in May is dedicated to Mother's Day. Originally celebrated in the US, it has also become popular in China as a way to express gratitude to mothers with gifts and greetings. Some experts suggest China should have its own equivalent of Mother's Day, instead of "borrowing" from the US. Should China create its own Mother's Day?

tailorsas (China)

This really is not a big issue, as long as you have appreciation for your mom who raised you and offered everything that she had, every day can be a Mother's Day. You don't have to give her a present, just tell her you love her, care about her, go shopping with her, cook for her, even the smallest thing can be affective.

A boy presents a handkerchief he made for his mother at a kindergarten in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province, May 9, 2013. Children made cards, handkerchiefs and other gifts for their mother to celebrate the coming Mother's Day. [Photo/Xinhua]

MichaelM (US)

If there is such a concern about 'borrowing' something from America, then, you shouldn't have a Mother's Day at all. If you look at Mother's Day, or any other day, from the standpoint of 'borrowing' from America or any other country, I think the whole point of having such a day has been missed. Why not focus on honoring mothers around the world rather than worrying about 'borrowing' from anyone? If Mother's Day is American, changing the date you have it won't make it any less. If you think like that (which I don't), then, it just becomes a knockoff holiday (like knockoff cars, appliances, tech gadgets, fashion, etc.). How about let's honor mothers and quit worrying about whose holiday it is.

Model Miranda Kerr is all smiles as she steps out with her son, Flynn Bloom, in New York, July 5, 2014. [Photo/IC]

1105852048 (US)

Actually, in most countries that celebrate Mother's Day, it is on the second Sunday of the month of May. But, if China wants to have it on a different day... no one really cares.

Sarah Jessica Parker is spotted walking her daughters to school in New York on April 24, 2015. [Photo/IC]

senoritazhao (China)

I think maybe it is those retail businessmen who want as many special days as possible, so that they can earn more money. On Mothers' Day, things are double the price than usual and it is super difficult to book a table for dining.

Something with Chinese traditions sounds nice, but [I] hope the special day would light our love for mothers, instead of following the fashion and fall into the trap dug by businessmen.

A young man sends mom a bunch of flowers as Mother's Day gift.[Photo/IC]

Catherinewang (China)

We need to have our own Mother's Day, given the fact that traditional value of filial piety is gradually disappearing in society. I'd love it if we can make it a filial piety festival when people take a day off to visit their parents and show their appreciation.

Chinese actress Liu Tao (center) poses with her son and daughter during a photo shoot for Mother's Day. [Photo/Xinhua]

francisco (China)

It doesn't matter if we have our own day as long as you show your love to your mom.

As a child, I just took my mother for granted. When I grew up, especially when I became a mother, I realized how much my mom has sacrificed selflessly and how great she really is! They deserve not only our respect but our care and love as well. We Chinese have the tendency to keep everything to ourselves, even though we love tenderly deep in our hearts. We, more often than not, don't express it directly. In this regard, we should learn from Americans. Say ILU whenever you feel it and give her a hug or have a heart to heart chat or do some housework so that your mom can have a rest. What you can give your mother is not very important at all. What matters is that you should do something to show you love [her], as often as you can, not just on Mother's Day.

Children present gifts they made for their mothers to celebrate the coming Mother's Day at a kindergarten in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province, May 9, 2013. [Photo/Xinhua]
Council buildings in Lifford, Donegal Town and Milford will be lit up in purple next week as part of a global campaign to raise awareness of Huntingtons Disease.

Huntingtons Disease is a rare hereditary degenerative condition which affects more than 750 people in Ireland and Huntingtons Disease Association of Ireland (HDAI) will join other HD organisations around the world next week to raise awareness for Huntingtons Disease from 15  19 May 2017.

Around 4,000 people in Ireland live with a high genetic risk of inheriting the disease and each child who has a parent with HD has a 50% risk of inheriting the gene that causes Huntingtons disease.

Huntington disease is a family disease devastating for both the body and mind. The symptoms, which may include uncontrollable jerking movements, slurred speech and progressive cognitive and emotional impairment, usually present between the ages of 30 and 50. Symptoms gradually worsen over the 1025 year course of the disease. Eventually, people with HD will be completely dependent on others.

It is hoped that greater awareness will decrease stigma surrounding the disease and encourage families impacted to seek support. Ireland lags behind most European countries with regard to HD research and specialist services. Dedicated clinics and specialist services are critical to pursue research and improve standards of care.

The HDAI supports families living with HD through counselling, support and information. HDAIs Chairperson Thomas Lillis said we are delighted these prominent buildings in Donegal have agreed to take part in the 'Light Up For HD'. It is a disease that is still widely misunderstood so anything that can be done to highlight the impact it has on people's lives is much appreciated. This is a global campaign with countries in North America and all over Europe taking part, so it's brilliant that buildings in Donegal and across Ireland can add their voice to raising awareness of this devastating condition.

Last year many iconic buildings in Dublin and around the world lit up to support the #LightItUp4HD campaign https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNGOR1sstb0&t=2s



A very significant event for the Huntingtons disease (HD) community takes place in Rome next week. Pope Francis is the first pope to recognise Huntingtons disease (HD) and will meet the worlds largest gathering of people with HD at a special audience in the Vatican on Thursday 18th May.

Irish families will be among thousands attending. Dr Niall Pender, Principal Clinical Neuropsychologist at Beaumont Hospital will also travel to Rome in solidarity with Irish patients and family members and will meet international HD experts attending the event. Pope Francis is the first Pope or Head of State to ever mention the condition. Shrouded in stigma and secrecy, families coping with HD often hide it away.

A group of HD advocates using the name - HDdennomore  pronounced Hidden No More have organised this event including Charles Sabine, Gene Carrier and ex NBC War Reporter who explains the purpose https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsGF0OYi-ac

This event will be live streamed via the Vatican YouTube channel. For further information on the event see: http://hddennomore.com



For more on Huntingtons Disease visit www.huntingtons.ie.
Cllr. Terence Slowey officially opened the Blackburn Bridge Realignment Scheme Phase 1 just outisde Ballybofey on Monday last, May 8th.

This 6.3m project was funded by Transport Infrastructure Ireland and was fully opened to the public last August following a 13 month construction period.

Cathaoirleach Cllr. Terence Slowey believes that this is another good example of the council working with Transport Infrastructure Ireland to improve the countys road network saying this project has significantly improved safety for all road users using this section of road and represents a major investment in the strategic road network in the county. I would like to commend everyone involved in this project which is a huge achievement in a relatively short time frame and considering the economic challenges experienced in the last number of years.

The existing road was narrow, with no hard shoulders or verges. The road alignment consisted of some long straights followed by tight bends. It had a poor road safety record where a number of fatal accidents occurred in recent years.

Cathaoirleach Cllr. Terence Slowey officially opened the Blackburn Bridge Realignment Scheme Phase 1 on Monday 8 May at the opening from left are Cllr Liam Doherty, Joe McHugh TD is the Minister of State for the Diaspora and International Development, Cllr Gary Doherty, Cathaoirleach Cllr. Terence Slowey, Cllr. Patrick McGowan, John McLaughlin, Director of Service, Roads and Transportation and Seamus Neely, County Manager, - Photo Clive Wasson

Work on this road, 2km south of Ballybofey, involved the widening and realignment of a 2.5km route to a 7.3m carriageway with hard shoulders and included the construction of a new bridge structure to cross the Burn Daurnett river.

Seamus Neely Chief Executive with Donegal County Council believes that this project represents an important investment in our roads network from a strategic perspective saying this realignment scheme represents a further improvement to the Atlantic Corridor linking Galway to Derry and onto Belfast and is part of the EU TEN-T Comprehensive Network. Infrastructural developments such as this are vital as they continue to improve access to the North West, both to and from the internal market.

Donegal based National Road Office staff and consultants have been working on the scheme since 2011 and during its construction there were up to 50 main contractor and sub-contractor workers employed on site.

Roughan & ODonovan, Jacobs, GVA Donal OBuachalla, IGSL where employed as consultants for the project and the main contractor was Wills Bros Ltd.

Local councillors, land owners, council staff and contractors with Cathaoirleach Cllr. Terence Slowey after he officially opened the Blackburn Bridge Realignment Scheme Phase 1 on Monday 8 May - Photo Clive Wasson

Other recently completed works funded by Transport Infrastructure Ireland on this immediate section of the N15 include the N15 Kilcroghery Footpath project providing safe pedestrian facilities south of the Goland junction and in 2015 the reconstruction of the Goland Bridge.

Design is currently ongoing on other priority improvements and safety measures for the next section of the N15 from Cappry towards Ballybofey, and works have initiated for a long-term solution as part of the TEN-T network Improvement Project within Donegal.

Fr John Joe Duff and Rev Ian Pullen performing the blessing before the Cathaoirleach Cllr. Terence Slowey officially opens the Blackburn Bridge Realignment Scheme Phase 1 on Monday 8 May - Photo Clive Wasson
Monday last was a good day for roads infrastructure in Donegal as two massive projects, one near Ballybofey and a second, a 5.1km project leading to the spectacular Gweebarra Bridge, were opened.

On Monday evening last Cathaoirleach Cllr. Terence Slowey officially opened the N56 Boyoughter to Kilkenny road scheme at the Gweebarra Bridge, Leitirmacaward.

This project is part of the overall N56 Dungloe to Glenties project and is the second section of the project following the completion of the Cloughbolie to Boyoughter Scheme in 2012.

Cathaoirleach Cllr. Terence Slowey with guests as he officially opens the N56 Boyoughter to Kilkenny road scheme at the Gweebarra Bridge, Leitirmacaward - Photo Clive Wasson

This road project encompasses the famous Gweebarra bends and the village of Leitirmacaward and is a total of 5.1km in length and includes a new cycle track along the entire length of the route.

Cathaoirleach Cllr. Terence Slowey said that this road project is extremely important not just for this part of Donegal but for the entire county. The Wild Atlantic Way has been a game changer for Donegal in terms of tourism and this type of infrastructure is absolutely essential if we are to fully realise the potential of the Wild Atlantic Way.

"I am delighted to see that this project has been included in the Governments recently published plan Building on Recovery  Infrastructure and Capital Investment Plan 2016  2021. This will ensure that the remaining phases of the project will be funded throughout the lifetime of the plan.

May Molloy, Pat Hanlon, Rosie Boyle, Margaret McCready, Rose Boner, Joe Gallagher and Nathan Gallagher at the offical opening the N56 Boyoughter to Kilkenny road scheme at the Gweebarra Bridge, Leitirmacaward by Cathaoirleach Cllr. Terence Slowey. - Photo Clive Wasson

This official opening will represent the completion of the second phase of major construction works along this part of the N56 and bearing in mind how difficult it has been to secure investment and funding particularly during the financial crisis, it is truly remarkable to see the completion of these major works in just a few short years.

This project is one of a number of Low Volume National Secondary Improvement Schemes being developed by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) along the Western Seaboard. These projects introduce a new road type  Type 3, which is a 6m wide carriageway with two 0.5m hardstrips (to reflect the relatively low traffic volumes) and an independent cycleway, and the realignment is to follow the existing road as far as possible to minimise impacts. The total project cost is estimated at 70 million.

Working on the scheme since 2010

The National Road Office (NRO) staff and consultants have been working on the scheme since 2010, the statutory processes are complete for all project phases and land acquisition is approximately 80% complete.



The first phase of this project from Cloughbolie to Boyoughter saw the removal of the Meenacarn Bends, and the completion of this second phase sees the removal of the infamous Gweebarra Bends.

Seamus Neely, Chief Executive of Donegal County Council said when the overall project is completed it will provide a major improvement to the infrastructure of West Donegal and will be a catalyst for further economic investment in the area. This project clearly demonstrates Transport Infrastructure Irelands ongoing commitment to investing in a sustainable roads network in Donegal enabling economic development and job creation in the county.

Kathleen Boyle, Thomas Monds, Christian Ward, Eileen Loughlin, Darby Breslin and Brendan Ward at the official opening of the N56 Boyoughter to Kilkenny road scheme at the Gweebarra Bridge, Leitirmacaward by Cathaoirleach Cllr. Terence Slowey. - Photo Clive Wasson

The next phase of the works from Kilkenny to Letterilly is currently out to tender, and it is expected that the construction will commence towards the end of this year.
Over eighty secondary school students sporting their stunning couture designs fashioned from junk stormed the stage at the 3Arena Dublin on Thursday, 27 April, competing at the Grand Finale of Bank of Ireland Junk Kouture.

After months of preparations the talented teenagers strutted the catwalk with their carefully choreographed routine in the hope of impressing the judges in front of thousands of screaming fans in Irelands largest indoor venue.

This is Colaiste Ris' second time competing in the National finals along with their teacher Ms.Mardeen Mc Caughey and where represented by three designs, Can You See Me Now, Wonkas Wonder and Pandoras Box. The Judges for the competiton included Louis Walsh, Una Healy, Jane Leavy, Rhys Ellis and Tracy Fahey, while Glenda Gleeson was the MC for the night.

Pandoras Box created by Emma Duffy, Chloe Murden and Grainne Byrne took to the stage delivering a mind boggling deeply important message of self-worth and promoting mental health awareness.

With a strong reference to the glamour and highly intricate detailing of Dolce & Gabbana Sparkling Night Collection this design used decorative wall paper, with luxe brocades in subtle pastel colours and hints of brilliant gold.

Broken pieces of jewellery, shells, pearls, chains, buttons and even old pieces of furniture combine to create a unique dress in the shape of a jewellery box.

The shoes are highly embellished with strips of pearls in metallic tones and the forever piece statement necklace is draped across a bare decolletage.

A truly fairy-tale finish.

As part of winning the title of Junk Kouture Eastern Winner 2017, the students of Colaiste Ris appeared on the Late Late Show on Friday night, Emma Duffy was interviewed by Ryan Tubridy and explained the design is used to promote mental health awareness.

The designers of Pandoras Box recognise that the pearl has become a metaphor for something rare, fine, admirable, valuable and unique and inside the oyster shell is a shiny pearl, different in colour, shape and size, just like humans where its important to open the box and display the emotions inside. With over 52 thousand views on Facebook it is evident that these students are succeeding in delivering this message nationwide.

Emma, Chloe and Grainne together with their teacher Ms. Mardeen Mc Caughey would like to take this opportunity to Thank everyone for the immense amount of support they have recieved.

The three Colaiste Ris students and Ms.Mc Caughey have won an all expenses paid trip to France where Pandoras Box will appear on the red carpet at the opening of the Cannes Film Festival later this Month.
(Global Times) 12:35, May 13, 2017

Members of the People's Liberation Army honor guards prepare to welcome foreign delegations to the Belt and RoadForum for International Cooperation which will be held in Beijing on Sunday and Monday. Photo: IC

Chinese investments related to the Belt and Road initiative have totaled $60 billion since 2013 and a large portion of outbound investment in the future will go to countries joining the initiative, a State planning agency official said on Friday.

Ning Jizhe, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, told a news conference in Beijing ahead of a forum on the initiative that China's total outbound investment will reach $120 billion to $130 billion a year over the next five years.

That would amount to $600 billion to $800 billion in total, Ning said, adding "this will be a big driving force for a steady recovery in the global economy, and for free trade and investment."

The scrutiny of outbound investments by Chinese regulators will not affect Belt and Road projects, Ning said.

China is set to strengthen its audit of SOE's overseas investments, cooperation with foreign enterprises, financial management system of overseas assets, their operating efficiency, and risk control, news portal Economic Information Daily reported on Tuesday.

On financing, Ning said China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China have extended $110 billion in loans for Belt and Road projects by the end of 2016, and China has signed currency swap deals with countries along the Belt and Road routes totaling 900 billion yuan.

More than 1,500 delegates

A total of 29 heads of state and government leaders will attend the upcoming Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang announced on Thursday. More than 1,500 special guests from 130 countries will attend the forum and over 4,000 reporters from across the world will cover the event.

The forum marks the highest-profile international meeting on the Belt and Road initiative since China proposed it in 2013.

The US is to send delegates to attend the Belt and Road forum, as it "recognizes the importance of China-proposed Belt and Road initiative," according to a statement released by the US Commerce Department.

Matt Pottinger, a special assistant to the US president, will attend the summit, according to China's foreign ministry.

Japanese Liberal Democratic Party's Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai has confirmed to attend a high-level conference during the forum.

"The attendance of the US and Japan conveys a positive signal to other Western countries. It shows a positive change in their attitudes and marks a good beginning," Li Haidong, a professor with the Institute of International Relations at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.

Li noted that "whether the attendance is symbolic or practical depends on whether they feel that they could benefit from the initiative."

Meanwhile, South Korea's presidential Blue House said Friday that five-term lawmaker Park Byeong-seug of the ruling Minjoo Party will head the government delegation attending the forum.

North Koreawill also send an official delegation to the forum, said China's foreign ministry.

"The Belt and Road initiative is expanding its influence in the world as some countries, which used to hold a wait-and-see attitude toward the initiative, have now decided to attend the forum. It showed that the initial benefits of the initiative have changed their passive attitude and attracted them to join the initiative," Ruan Zongze, vice president of the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Friday.

Ruan said that the US decision to attend the forum is connected to the recent warming of ties between the two countries.

During a meeting at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida last month, Chinese President Xi Jinpingtold his US counterpart Donald Trumpthat China welcomes US participation in the Belt and Road initiative.

In about one month following the meeting between the two leaders, China and the US have reached consensus on initial commitments in areas such as agricultural trade, financial services and energy to boost economic cooperation under a 100-day plan.

"South Korea is using the forum as an opportunity to improve the bilateral ties. Japan has previously been conservative and even opposed to it. The attendance shows a big change in the country's attitude, though it still has some concerns," said Ruan.
Quanzhou in east China's Fujian Province was the country's major port for foreign trade during the Song and Yuan dynasties (960-1368).

If a resident from ancient Quanzhou Bay was magically teleported to the modern city, they would be awed by the bustling streets, lights and noise, but they might also find some peace in local temples where the same religions are practiced to this day.

Foreign traders and missionaries, drawn to the starting point of Maritime Silk Road, were enchanted by what they found there and often elected to stay, bringing with them an array of religions, traditions and cultures.

Archeologists tell us that, in its heyday, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Taoism thrived side-by-side in Quanzhou.

Today, the centuries-old temples and mosques, many with a mixture of artistic styles, still receive believers and pilgrims from home and abroad. Now, with a local government determined to protect and renovate these unique edifices, a future which was once crumbling seems guaranteed.

Zhang Lianzhu has worked for 23 years in Quanzhou's Qingjing Mosque, the only surviving mosque in China from the Song Dynasty. She says that more and more people visit the mosque every year.

"Now, about 200 people come for Friday prayers. A few years ago, there were rarely more than 70," she said.

Zhang attributes the rise to better publicity and financial support from the government. In 2015, Quanzhou was one of the four venues outside Beijing to host the Spring Festival Gala, China's biggest annual TV event.

The government, which gave the mosque around 200,000 yuan (about 29,000 U.S. dollars) at the turn of the century, now donates four times that much, according to Zhang.

The mosque has always been important to Chinese Muslims, Zhang said. Each year, the mosque receives around 200,000 visitors from inland provinces and regions with large Muslim populations.

"These Muslims have a saying: If you cannot afford to travel to Mecca, go to Quanzhou instead," Zhang said. "Some go so far as to bottle our water used for cleansing before prayers and take it back home."

Many come to Quanzhou not just to pray, but to visit the Islamic cemetery, where two Islamic saints from 7th-century Quanzhou are said to be buried.

Zhang, a Muslim herself, said the city is well-known for its rich history of cultural diversity. "It is famed as a 'museum' of religions," she said.

Quanzhou Maritime Museum has the largest collection of Islamic and Hindu gravestones, capstones and inscriptions in the country, according to Chen Shaofeng, a historian at the museum.

Lin Yongquan, a priest at the Catholic church in Quanzhou, said there are about 2,000 Chinese Catholics in Quanzhou, and around 100 foreigners from India, the Republic of Korea and the Philippines.

"Many of these foreigners work in local factories," Lin said. "We set up a WeChat group for them and they talk about anything from religion to their everyday lives."

INTEGRATION

In Kaiyuan Temple, a Buddhist temple built around 685 during the Tang Dynasty, there are two columns with fragments of a temple dedicated to Hindu God Shiva.

"The interaction of religious cultures was frequent in Quanzhou. Some religious art has Chinese characteristics," said Wu Youxiong, a religious historian.

At the gate of Qingjing Mosque, two stones feature auspicious clouds, a traditional Chinese symbol.

Back in Yuan Dynasty, the word "Fo" -- the Chinese translation of Buddha -- was commonly used by local people to describe their own particular god, Wu said.

"The fact that these religions coexisted in harmony in Quanzhou was indispensable to interaction and integration," he said.

"I love living here as no one treats you differently because of your religious belief," said Hazim Alrikabi, an Iraqi businessman who has been in Quanzhou for 13 years.

Father Lin said religions in Quanzhou share strong bonds today. "I often meet with the heads of our Buddhist and Taoist temples and mosque during our various festivals."
President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a long-anticipated executive order that addresses a campaign promise to begin shifting the country toward the Buy American, Hire American strategy that appealed to much of the industrial working class population in the Rust Belt states.

The order calls on the U.S. government to shift purchasing toward domestically produced goods. It also sets in motion a change in immigration policies, which could exclude many qualified foreign professionals from Silicon Valley firms.

Trumps speech and signing ceremony Tuesday afternoon followed his appearance at the Snap-On Tools headquarters in Wisconsin, a state he narrowly won despite its usual role as part of the Democratic Partys blue firewall in the upper Midwest.

For too long weve watched as our factories have been closed and our jobs have been sent to other faraway lands, Trump told attendees at the event.

More than 70,000 U.S. factories have been lost since China joined the World Trade Organization, he noted.

End the Lottery

The executive order will end the practice that allowed Buy American programs to be circumvented by excessive waivers and endless exemptions, Trump said, noting that American workers have been losing out in an economic environment that has favored cheap, subsidized foreign goods.

Trump touched briefly on the H-1B visa issue during his speech, noting that visas are granted in a totally random lottery system, and saying that was the wrong approach.

Instead, they should be given to the most-skilled and highest-paid applicants, and they should never, ever be used to replace Americans. No one can compete with American workers when they are given a fair and level playing field, he said.

If the present system is flawed, its not clear what an effective replacement would look like, however.

Large technology companies want more highly educated foreign candidates for H-1B, and many hope that a study would help them, said Peter Vogel, a partner in Gardere, Wynne Sewell.

Many potential candidates lose out in the current complex lottery system, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Best and Brightest

Many Silicon Valley firms hire workers from India through the H-1B visa program, and they recruit them directly when they complete their engineering studies at major American colleges and universities, noted Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT.

One concern among IT vendors is that if the H-1B program is highly restricted, it would damage their ability to hire the best and the brightest minds to their workforce, no matter what their country of origin, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Trump has made a wide range of statements about the program, King added, sparking concerns about its future funding, confusion over the actual implications of the executive order, and worries about the long-range implications for existing workers and their companies.

Call to Action

The Consumer Technology Association on Tuesday called on Congress to take immediate action to address visa and immigration reform. CTA President Gary Shapiro praised Trump for calling attention to abuses in the program, and said the program needs to focus more on merit.

Congress should take the lead by passing reforms that are fair, effective and efficient, he urged.Legislators need to show leadership to help the technology industry support about 15 million American jobs and billions of dollars contributed to the U.S. economy.
An alleged spam kingpin with possible ties to election meddling in the United States was arrested in Spain last week under a U.S. international warrant.

The alleged spam czar, Pyotr Levashov, was taken into custody in Barcelona while vacationing with his family, according to news reports.

Levashov was arrested for interfering with the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, the Russian news outlet RT reported, but a U.S. Justice Department official told Reuters the arrest was a criminal matter without any national security connections.

On its list of the worlds top 10 worst spammers, Spamhaus, a spam-fighting group, ranks Levashov No. 7.

He allegedly partnered with convicted pump and dump stock scam specialist Alan Ralsky to carry out a wave of fake antivirus software scams. The two reportedly also ran the Waledac botnet that infected 70,000 to 90,000 PCs over several years and was capable of pushing out 1.5 billion spam messages a day.

Levashov has been able to evade prosecution for at least 20 years, said Vitali Kremez, threat intelligence director at Flashpoint.

From an email spam perspective, his arrest means well be seeing less incoming malicious email, he told TechNewsWorld.

Kelihos Clobbered

Meanwhile, the day after Levishovs arrest, the U.S. Justice Department announced it had taken down the Kelihos botnet, which is believed to be part of the Russians spam empire.

The operation announced today targeted an ongoing international scheme that was distributing hundreds of millions of fraudulent emails per year, intercepting the credentials to online and financial accounts belonging to thousands of Americans, and spreading ransomware throughout our networks, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the DoJs Criminal Division.

The ability of botnets like Kelihos to be weaponized quickly for vast and varied types of harms is a dangerous and deep threat to all Americans, driving at the core of how we communicate, network, earn a living, and live our everyday lives, he continued.

Our success in disrupting the Kelihos botnet was the result of strong cooperation between private industry experts and law enforcement, and the use of innovative legal and technical tactics, Blanco said.

Among the new legal tactics used by the bot busters was a new kind of warrant authorized by recent amendments to the Rules of Federal Criminal Procedure that allows law enforcement to redirect Kelihos-infected computers to a substitute server, and to record the Internet Protocol addresses of those computers as they connect to the server.

Those IP addresses can be used to provide assistance to people whose computers have been infected with the malware.

Rent a Botnet

Taking down Kelihos should disrupt the spam ecosystem, noted Keith Jarvis, a senior security researcher at DellsSecureWorks.

It was one of the larger, more active botnets out there, he told TechNewsWorld, and it was one for rent.

Levashov made more money renting out his botnets than he did spewing spam from them, according to investigative journalist Brian Krebs.

For US$200, vetted users could hire one of Levashovs botnets to send 1 million pieces of spam, Krebs noted. Auction and employment scams cost $300 per million, and phishing emails designed to capture usernames and passwords cost $500 per million.

Thats why we saw a wide variety of spam over Kelihos over the years, but we should see smaller volumes of spam in in-boxes for the foreseeable future, SecureWorks Jarvis said.

Election Meddling

Though a connection to the U.S. elections has not been established, Kelihos does have a known election connection.

The botnet was used in the 2012 Russian elections to send spam containing links to fake news stories saying Mikhail Prokhorov, a businessman who was running for president against Vladimir Putin, had come out as gay, according to The New York Times.

There isnt much public source information on the technical aspects of the Russian attacks on the DNC, so its hard to tell if spamming, one of Levashovs specialties, was a technique used by the hackers, observed Leo Taddeo, chief security officer for Cryptzone and a former FBI special agent.

What we do know from the indictments issued last month against the Yahoo hackers is that Russian intelligence officers protected, directed, facilitated and paid criminal hackers to collect information through computer intrusions in the U.S. and elsewhere, he told TechNewsWorld. This means we cant rule it out.

Its more than a possibility  its very likely to be true, maintained Avivah Litan, a security analyst with Gartner.

The guys conducting cybercrime are the same guys that meddled in the elections, she told TechNewsWorld. Theyre using the same infrastructure.
A worker at a steel company in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, in Jan 2015.[Photo/China Daily]

China will phase out about 50 million tons of crude steel capacity and over 150 million tons of coal capacity this year, the country's top economic planner announced Friday.

By the end of June, all facilities producing inferior-quality steel bars will be dismantled and supply of steel will be increased to avoid wild fluctuations of steel price, according to the implementation plan for cutting excess capacity in steel and coal sectors released by the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments.

As of Wednesday, 31.7 million tons of steel and iron capacity and 69 million tons of coal capacity have been cut, accounting for 63.4 percent and 46 percent of the annual goals.

The government will take more steps to help laid-off workers find work and encourage industrial mergers and reorganization, according to the plan.

The overcapacity cuts will target debt-laden "zombie enterprises" and adopt more methods based on market rules.
By Madlen Davies

Industrial pollution from Indian pharmaceutical companies making medicines for nearly all the worlds major drug companies is fueling the creation of deadly superbugs, suggests new research. Global health authorities have no regulations in place to stop this happening.

A major study published May 6 in the prestigious scientific journal Infection found excessively high levels of antibiotic and antifungal drug residue in water sources in and around a major drug production hub in the Indian city of Hyderabad, as well as high levels of bacteria and fungi resistant to those drugs. Scientists told the Bureau of Investigative Journalism the quantities found meant they believe the drug residues must have originated from pharmaceutical factories.

The presence of drug residues in the natural environment allows the microbes living there to build up resistance to the ingredients in the medicines that are supposed to kill them, turning them into what we call superbugs. The resistant microbes travel easily and have multiplied in huge numbers all over the world, creating a grave public health emergency that is already thought to kill hundreds of thousands of people a year.

When antimicrobial drugs stop working common infections can become fatal, and scientists and public health leaders say the worsening problem of antibiotic resistance (also known as AMR) could reverse half a century of medical progress if the world does not act fast. Yet while policies are being put into place to counter the overuse and misuse of drugs which has propelled the crisis, international regulators are allowing dirty drug production methods to continue unchecked.

Global authorities like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency strictly regulate drug supply chains in terms of drug safetybut environmental standards do not feature in their rulebook. Drug producers must adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) guidelinesbut those guidelines do not cover pollution.

Even the World Health Organization (WHO)a global public health body which has repeatedly called for concerted international action to tackle the dangerous threat of antibiotic resistancebuys antibiotics from companies whose drug ingredients are made in Hyderabad without carrying out environmental checks.

The international bodies say the governments of the countries where the drugs are made are the ones responsible for stopping pollutionbut domestic legislation is having little impact on the ground, say the studys authors. The lack of international regulation must be addressed, they argue, highlighting the grave public health threat faced by antibiotic resistance as well as the rampant global spread of superbugs from India, which has become an epicenter of the crisis.

Unprecedented Antimicrobial Drug Contamination



A group of scientists based at the University of Leipzig worked with German journalists to take an in-depth look at pharmaceutical pollution in Hyderabad, where 50 percent of Indias drug exports are produced. A fifth of the worlds generic drugs are produced in India, with factories based in Hyderabad supplying Big Pharma and public health authorities like World Health Organization with millions of tons of antibiotics and antifungals each year.

The researchers tested 28 water samples in and around the Patancheru-Bollaram Industrial zone on the outskirts of the city, where more than than 30 drug manufacturing companies supplying nearly all the worlds major drug companies are based. Thousands of tons of pharmaceutical waste are produced by the factories each day, the paper says.

Almost all the samples contained bacteria and fungi resistant to multiple drugs (known as MDR pathogens, the technical name for superbugs). Researchers then tested 16 of the samples for drug residues and found 13 of them were contaminated with antibiotics and antifungals. Previous studies have shown how exposure to antibiotics and antifungals in the environment causes bacteria and fungi to develop immunity to those drugs.

Environmental pollution and poor management of wastewater in Hyderabad is causing unprecedented antimicrobial drug contamination of surrounding water sources, conclude the researcherscontamination which appears to be driving the creation and spread of dangerous superbugs which have spread across the world. Combined with the mass misuse of antibiotics and poor sanitation, superbugs are already having severe consequences in Indiaan estimated 56,000 newborn babies die from resistant infections there each year.

German broadcaster NDR, which contributed to the study, identified 19 companies operating inside the area tested as suppliers of antibiotics to the European market. Of those 19, the Bureau has identified at least four companies which supply the UK and five which supply the U.S.

The companies in question strongly deny that their factories pollute the environment, and the sheer number of factories operating in Hyderabad means it is impossible to identify exactly which companies are responsible for the contamination found in the samples tested.

What is clear is one of the worlds biggest drug production hubs is producing dangerous levels of pharmaceutical pollution, and the international bodies tasked with ensuring drug safety are doing little to address it.

Health regulators have to take action, said Prof. Ramanan Laxminarayan, director of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy and a leading voice on antibiotic resistance. We need to take environmental contamination from bulk manufacturing facilities seriously and put an immediate end to the practice, he said. This should be a part of GMP without question and pharmaceutical companies throughout the world should be subject to an audit to ensure that they are compliant with what the industry has promised to do.

The Epicenter of a Global Crisis

The densely populated and increasingly prosperous city of Hyderabad in southern India was once an international trading centre for diamonds and pearls. Today, it is a major international hub for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, producing millions of tons of medicines, chemicals and pesticides each year.

Around 170 companies making bulk drugs like antibiotics operate in and around Hyderabad, the majority clustered in sprawling industrial estates along the banks of the Musi river. Companies in Europe and the U.S., as well as health authorities like WHO and the UKs NHS are reliant on drugs being produced in these factories.

The area has long been criticized for its pollution, which has continued unabated despite decades of campaigning by Indian NGOs, say the report authors. In 2009 the Patancheru-Bollaram zone was classified as critically polluted in Indias national pollution index and construction in the area was banned. But the government relaxed the rules in 2014 and building was allowed to begin again.

Last year Indias Supreme Court ordered the countrys pharmaceutical companies to operate a zero liquid waste policy, but massive violations have reportedly occurred, says the Infection report.

As Indias drug production industry has grown, so has the prevalence of superbugsa national crisis intensified by the widespread overuse and misuse of antibiotics, which are easily bought over the counter, and poor sanitation Alongside the creation of individual superbugs, genes and enzymes have developed which can pass between multiple types of bacteria, making them resistant to drugs.

India has become the epicenter of the global drug resistance crisis, with 56,000 newborn Indian babies estimated to die each year from drug-resistant blood infections, and 70 to 90 percent of people who travel to India returning home with multi-drug-resistant bacteria in their gut, according to the study.

The bacteria can remain in the gut without causing problems, but if they travel from there into a patients bloodstream or urinary tract they can cause serious infections. They can also pass on resistance to other bacteria in the gutso if a patient gets food poisoning the bacteria that caused it could acquire the resistance and become hard to treat.

An AMR Nightmare: David Riccis Story

David Ricci.

David Ricci was just 19 when his life changed dramatically. He was hit by a train while walking through the slums of the Indian city of Kolkata where he was helping care for orphaned children. He was left screaming in agonizing pain on the pavement until he blacked out. Later, at a local hospital, a surgeon took a bundle of knives wrapped in a dirty cloth and amputated his leg without any anesthetica traumatic event that was just the beginning of his ordeal.

Back in Seattle his wound became infected. Doctors pumped him with antibiotics with little effect until eventually they were forced to perform further surgery to cut out parts of his infected stump. Finally, he was told he had caught two superbugs, which the doctors struggled to treat. He was lucky the bugs were confined to the wound, doctors said. If they had got into his blood he would have died.

The bugs were immune to standard antibiotics so doctors had to to turn to stronger drugs used sparingly in modern medicine because they have nasty side effects. David was drip-fed colistin, a toxic antibiotic reserved for emergencies, but had to be taken off it after a week because his organs began to shut down. He was then given tigecycline, a new antibiotic developed for resistant infections. He had to inject the drug for six months, the dose bumped up whenever the infection returned. It made him feel so nauseous he could barely watch television or make a cup of coffee; he had to spend his days lying around in pain, hoping this course would finally kill the bacteria. It felt like I was being treated for cancer, he said. I would wake up thinking Please take me off it, please make this stop.'

David had picked up various bugs in India that contained a gene known as NDM-1, named after New Delhi where it was first discovered in 2008. NDM-1 gives bacteria ability to produce enzymes which break down carbapenems, a group of powerful antibiotics which are used to treat infections that have become resistant to other drugs. Bacteria that are able to resist carbapenems have been called the nightmare bacteria by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention because half of all people who contract a bloodstream infection from them die.

NDM-1 has spread across the world since it was discovered. At least 175 people in the U.S. have been treated for an NDM-1 infection since 2009, although there are likely to have been many more cases as hospitals are not required to report it. While many cases come from abroad, infections in patients who have not left the U.S. are now being reported.

NDM-1 is also starting to appear in the UK. There have been 1,129 reports of the bacteria in England since 2003 and this is thought to be a conservative figure.

David eventually recovered, but antibiotic resistance has changed the course of his life. he works with campaigning organizations and talks to members of congress about the issue, and wants to work in medicine in the future.

I feel like I have a purpose, he said. The whole experience has made me feel lucky to be alive.

Antimicrobials Found at Levels Thousands of Times Higher Than the Safe Limit

Many previous studies have highlighted pharmaceutical pollution in India and Chinawhich together produce most of the worlds antibioticsand shown how such pollution fuels the proliferation of superbugs worldwide. The authors of the new Infection study set out to provide a detailed picture of the levels and types of pollution in Hyderabad and its links to drug resistance.

Researchers took water samples from rivers, lakes, groundwater, drinking water and surface water from rural and urban areas in and around the industrial estate, as well as pools near factories and water sources contaminated by sewage treatment plants. Four were taken from taps, one from a borehole, and the remaining 23 were classed as environmental samples.

The samples were tested for bacteria resistant to multiple drugs (known as MDR pathogens, the technical name for superbugs). The researchers then tested 16 of the samples for the antibiotics and antifungals used to treat infections.

All samples apart from one taken from tap water at a four star hotel were found to contain drug-resistant bacteria. All 23 environmental samples contained carbapenemase-producing bacteriaa group of bugs dubbed the nightmare bacteria because they are virtually untreatable and kill 40-50 percent of people whose blood gets infected with them.

Of the 16 samples then tested for drug residue, 13 were found to be contaminated with antibiotics and antifungals, some in disturbingly high levels. The researchers compared the levels of residue to limits recommended by leading microbiologists; once levels exceed those limits it is likely that superbugs will develop.

A sample taken from one sewer contained concentrations of the antifungal drug fluconazolea drug used in ointments for fungal infections such as thrush and athletes foot or given intravenously for more serious infectionsat levels 950,000 times higher than the recommended safe limit. The researchers repeatedly analyzed this finding to make sure it was correct. To our knowledge, this is the highest concentration of any drug ever measured in the environment, wrote the authors.

A member of the inspection team looks at a pond connected to a sewer in the industrial zone. Christian Baars / NDR

Samples from sewers in the industrial area were also found to contain extremely high concentrations of nine different antibiotics. Levels of moxifloxacinused to treat lung, skin and sinus infections as well as tuberculosiswere up to 5,500 times higher than the recommended limit, while another common antibiotic ciprofloxacin was found at levels up to 700 times above that recommended. Concentrations of the antibiotics clarithromycin and ampicillin were found at levels more than 100 times higher than the safe limit.

Excessively high concentrations of antibiotic and antifungal residue were found in the natural environment. Christian Baars / NDR

The amounts of antimicrobials found in the new tests were eye-wateringly high, said Dr. Mark Holmes, a microbiologist at the University of Cambridge. The quantities involved mean the amount in the water is almost the same as a therapeutic dose, he said, calling on the Indian authorities to investigate immediately by testing each factorys effluent. Thats not just getting rid of a few tablets down the toilet.

Pharmaceutical pollution is not the only way in which antibiotics get into the Indian environmentexcrement from people and animals and waste from hospitals and farms also contain residues of the drugs. But some of the levels detected in the recent testing mean the residues can only have come from bulk manufacturing, according to scientists.

Prof. Joakim Larsson, of the University of Gothenburg believes the levels of antimicrobials found could not be explained by anything else other than industrial discharges. So it tells us that the problem is still there, it needs to be solved, he told German journalists who worked on the report.

The pharmaceutical industry in Hyderabad produces enormous amounts of waste each day, says the Infection report. Effluent is transported in trucks to one waste treatment plant, it says, where it is treated before being sent to a mega sewage plant. There, it is mixed with sewage and further treated then discharged into the nearby Musi river.

Adhering to the zero liquid waste policy ordered by the Supreme Court requires expensive technology, and some waste is still clandestinely sent to the waste treatment plant or dumped straight into the surrounding environment, according to the report.

Links to U.S. and UK Markets

Virtually all of the worlds major drug companies are supplied by production plants in Hyderabad. Various companies whose factories are located next to or near sites where the water samples were taken supply the U.S. and UK markets, though with such huge amounts of antibiotics present throughout the Indian environment it is impossible to concretely link specific factories to specific test results.

Using the Bulk Drug Manufacturing Industrys 2015 manual, which lists all Indian drug manufacturers, their locations and their products, journalists at NDR were able to identify 19 companies operating in the Patancheru-Bollaram area which produce the antimicrobial drugs found in the water samples. (There may be other unnamed manufacturers operating in the area or companies which do not advertise which antimicrobials they produce).

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism has linked a number of these companies to the U.S. and UK markets. MSN Pharmachem is one of the fastest growing drug manufacturers in India. It makes the raw ingredient of the antibiotic moxifloxacin on behalf of international drug companies Macleods and Sun Pharmaceuticals, which then turn it into a finished product supplied to the World Health Organization.

Other major companies operating in the zone which supply the U.S. and UK markets include Aurobindo, a leading Indian producer which exports to more than 150 countries around the globe and Mylan, a company which claims its products fill one out of every 13 prescriptions dispensed in America. Mylan also supplies the European Union market, and says it is the fourth biggest supplier of generic (non-branded) drugs in the UK.

The companies strongly refute suggestions that their factories are responsible for pollution.

MSN Pharmachem said it conformed to the highest industry standards, applicable laws and regulations and operated a zero discharge policy at its factories.

Our sites are regularly monitored internally and inspected externally, said a spokesperson. We are committed to a clean environment, health of all our employees, neighbors, partners and customers.

Aurobindo said it was impossible any pollution could have originated from its factories as it also operated a zero liquid waste policyall waste is treated and recycled within the plants. It also said the topography and water flows of the relevant locations meant not even rainwater or drain water would be able to flow from its factories to the sample collection sites.

Mylan also said its factory could not have contributed to the residues identified by the researchers, as all its plants operated a zero liquid waste policy whereby all effluent is recycled and reused on site. It has its own wastewater treatment systems at all its Hyderabad plants, said a spokesperson, which use advanced technology to eliminate harmful waste. These plants are operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week by qualified individuals, said the statement.

Macleods and Sun Pharmaceuticals did not respond to requests for comment.

A WHO spokesperson said the organization did not buy the drug ingredients, just the final medicine, and had no contact with ingredient manufacturers. Manufacturing sites are typically inspected for Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) which focuses on ensuring consistent quality for the product in question from the perspective of human health risk, said a statement. GMP does not address waste management and environmental management measures vis-a- vis emissions and pollution controlas here relevant domestic environmental and industrial regulations would apply.

Food Poisoning Turned Into a Near-Death Experience

Andrew, 57 and his wife Sally fell ill with upset stomachs soon after arriving in New Delhi to take up a new job.

While his wife quickly recovered, Andrew took weeks to get better. He had another bout of severe sickness and diarrhea a few months later, and kept getting ill sporadically for the rest of the year.

What we didnt know then was that hed contracted a serious bacterial infection that was now living in his body, said Sally. His personality changed. He became extremely anxious, he couldnt relax, felt ill and was distracted. I was so worried, our life was really deteriorating in every aspect.

His condition got worse over time, and Andrew was admitted into hospital where he was told he had a urinary tract infection.

The hospital prescribed powerful intravenous antibiotics, which initially seemed to work, but a few weeks later he woke up with a fever. He was rushed back to hospital, where doctors said dangerously ill with sepsishis organs were shutting down.

He recovered enough to return to the UK, where doctors at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said his infection contained NDM-1. Tests showed it was resistant to all antibiotics save one, fosfomycin. Andrew and Sally got their affairs in order, fearing he would die if the infection returned.

Friends began to avoid him believing they might catch the bacteria. Now retired and under the care of specialists, he and his wife worry that NDM-1 is so widespread in India it is only a matter of time before it becomes more common in the UK.

Unless companies are called for account for their distribution of waste, until the Indian government starts teaching hand hygiene in hospitals and in catering facilities like hotels and restaurants, the possibility of this infection spreading worldwide is huge, said Sally. Its a cliche to say I dont want people to go through what we went through but its true. Its changed our life.

Names have been changed to protect identities

No Mention of Pollution in Global Regulations

There are reams of regulations and stipulations that manufacturers have to adhere to in order to export their products to the U.S. and Europeknown as the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) framework. These focus on making sure drugs are safe, pure, and effective.

Stringent inspections by the FDA, WHO and European authorities check that these rules are being followed.

However these regulations do not address environmental concerns. Inspectors have no mandate to sanction a factory for polluting, failing to treat its waste or other environmental problemsthis falls within the remit of local governments.

Within India, there are environmental regulations covering what ingredients factories are allowed to produce, how they use water and how they dispose of their waste. In Hyderabad, the Telangana State Pollution Board inspects factories based on these.

However these inspection have been labeled toothless by local and international campaign groups. In November 2015, an analysis of Telangana State Pollution Board inspection reports by the Centre for Science and Environment in Delhi found that 15 bulk drug manufacturers within the Patancheru Bollaram industrial area were producing ingredients for which they did not have permission, using more water than the permitted limit, and dumping more effluents and hazardous waste than allowed.

Lots of promises have been made. More than 100 drug companies (including Mylan) signed a declaration at the World Economic Forum in Davos at the beginning of last year pledging to clean up production; commitments which were repeated in an industry roadmap released by 13 major manufacturers in the run-up to the first ever high-level United Nations meeting on antimicrobial resistance last September.

Last week the European Commission also published a roadmap acknowledging the release of antimicrobial ingredients into the environment during manufacture may pose a risk. It promised it would explore how to address the challenge in 2018, but fell short of committing to actual policy.

The UK government promised to take action on pollution in NHS supply chains following a previous Bureau report last October, but could not comment on whether this had been followed up due to purdah rules prohibiting any policy announcements in the run-up to an election.

And WHO, along with sister UN agencies, signed a Statement of Intent last December aimed at advancing environmental and socially responsible procurement of their health products. Just this week, WHO director-general Margaret Chan warned the world was moving towards a post-antibiotic era and called once again for concerted global action. She listed actions which were urgently needed, including cutting antibiotic prescriptions, developing new drugs and coordinated government policies around the world. She did not mention pharmaceutical pollution.

The European Public Health Alliance, an umbrella group for more than 90 non-profit organizations, lambasted the failure of international regulators to do anything about the rife pollution which was a clear cause of AMR.

This glaring omission must be rectified by including legally binding environmental standards in GMP protocols, particularly with regard to contamination with antimicrobial substancesas a condition for authorization and import of drugs, said a spokesperson. Voluntary agreements are not enough to stop a race to the bottom, where pharmaceutical companies exploit weak links in global supply chains, in places where there is little or no enforcement of vital environmental standards.

Tighter regulations on pollution must be introduced, said Dr Yohei Doi, associate professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and it was up to international buyers of drugs such as the FDA to make this happen. Its the buyers in the U.S. that pay for these things, he said. As long as people buy these drugs, the companies will keep making them in this way.

The documentary by NDR, WDR and SZ, The Invisible EnemyDeadly Superbugs from Pharma Factories, will air on May 8 at 10:45 p.m. on the channel ARD. An English version will appear on the channels YouTube feed.

Reposted with permission from our media associate The Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
Footage captured by aerial drones as part of a narwhal research camp in Tremblay Sound, Nunavut, is giving biologists new insights into the behavior of one of the worlds most mysterious whales.

Narwhals have a long tusk, which is actually a canine tooth that spirals counterclockwise up to nine feet forward from the head of adult males, and a small percentage of females. In the footage, a narwhal can be seen using quick taps of its tusk to stun Arctic cod, rendering them immobile and thus easier to capture and eat.

The footage is significant, both for partially unravelling the mystery of the narwhal tusk and because it shows that narwhals feed on their summering grounds. This helps researchers determine which areas are key narwhal habitat, and need to be considered for protection as the range of the narwhal faces increasing pressure from industrial development.

The behavior was captured by two drones belonging to documentary filmmaker Adam Ravetch and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, which was leading the narwhal research camp.

What we know (and dont know) about narwhal:

 The volume of research is very small compared to other whales, because narwhals live in remote locations that are difficult to access.

 Scientists know even less about the evolution of the narwhal tusk, which is actually a tooth, though it likely serves more than one purpose. Over the years, theories have included that it is an ice pick, a weapon to win a mate and a tool for echolocation.

 Recent research suggests that the tusk has thousands of nerve endings, as well as pores that allow narwhals to sense the environment around them.

 Every summer, the nutrient-rich waters of Canadas Lancaster Sound host more than 80,000 narwhals, three quarters of the worlds population.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada, with support from WWF-Canada, the Vancouver Aquarium, and the Pond Inlet Hunters and Trappers Organization, will continue research this year on narwhal behavior and movements in the Eclipse Sound. Additional research through WWF-Canadas Arctic Species Conservation Fund will seek to identify important narwhal calf rearing habitat in the region.

This footage, while also stunning to watch, will play a significant role in the future of narwhal conservation, David Miller, president and CEO for WWF-Canada, said.

As the Arctic warms and development pressure increases, it will be important to understand how narwhal are using their habitat during their annual migration. With this information in hand, we can work to minimize the effects of human activities on narwhal, Miller continued.

More research needs to be conducted to determine how they behave across their range, including the identification of calving and rearing areas. WWF-Canada is looking forward to partnering with Fisheries and Oceans Canada again this year on narwhal research in order to further our understanding of these mysterious animals.
1. How many vaquitas are left?

A survey released earlier this year estimated the vaquita population was as low as 30 individuals. An all time low for the porpoise, the population is half of what it was just the year before. And a 97 percent drop from the year before that.

2. What do vaquitas look like?

The worlds smallest porpoise, vaquitas measure up to 5 feet long and weigh up to 120 lbs. The vaquitas unique facial markings of a black ring around each eye and black curved lips have been compared to a smiling panda. They are dark gray on their dorsal (top) surface with pale gray sides and a white underside with light gray markings. Newborns generally have darker coloration.

3. Where do vaquitas live?

Vaquitas only live in the northern end of Mexicos Gulf of California. Besides the vaquita, the Gulf of California has tremendous biological and economic importance. It supports an extraordinary diversity of marine life including sharks, whales, marine turtles and many species of reef fish. The Upper Gulf of California is considered globally unique because of its ecological characteristics, enormous biodiversity and the amount of species that live in this area.

4. Why are vaquitas so endangered?

Unsustainable and illegal fishing practices are the main drivers pushing vaquita to extinction, particularly due to bycatch from illegal fishing. Vaquitas share waters with the much sought-after totoaba fish and fishing nets inadvertently catch and drown the porpoise. Demand for totoaba swim bladdersbelieved to cure a variety of illness and diseases in Chinese medicineis driving the vaquita to extinction. The swim bladders are often illegally smuggled over the U.S. border and then shipped to China where it can sell up to USD 8,500 per kilogram in the black market.

5. What can be done to save the vaquita?

Mexican President Pena Nieto has committed to protecting the vaquita. But totoaba fishingthe main threat to vaquitashas continued to increase. And of course, vaquita numbers have dropped to dangerous lows.

The solution is a fully enforced gillnet ban and improved community engagement to save the vaquita and preserve the Gulf of Californias outstanding universal value.

World Wildlife Fund is asking for an immediate, increased response from the Mexican government, World Heritage Committee and CITES Parties, NGOS and civil society groups to protect the last remaining vaquitas and set the Upper Gulf of California on a path to recovery. Failure to act will result in the imminent extinction of the vaquita.

Take action and ask Mexican President Pena Nieto to enforce protection of the vaquita.
(Reuters/Jayanta Shaw)Young Christian Indians rally against persecutions.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has pledged his support and payers for persecuted Christians around the world, as well as to members of other religions persecuted for their beliefs.

"Your faith inspires me, it humbles me, and it inspires all who are looking on today." Pence said.

He was speaking to persecuted Christians including Fr. Douglas Bazi, a Chaldean Catholic priest from Iraq who survived a 2006 kidnapping and torture before ministering to Christian refugees fleeing ISIS in 2014.

"On behalf of the President of the United States, I say from my heart," Pence noted, "we're with you, we stand with you."

The vice president on May 11 addressed the first annual World Summit in Defense of Persecuted Christians, hosted by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in Washington, D.C., Catholic News Agency reported.

The summit brings together Christian leaders and groups from all over the world, including clerics of Protestant, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic churches, current and former members of the U.S. Congress, and representatives of Open Doors USA, Samaritan's Purse, and the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative.

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse President Franklin Graham spoke at the summit, giving a summary of the suffering faced by Christians around the world.

"As it has been said, the persecution of one Christian, affects us all," Graham told the 130 Christian leaders gathered in the U.S. capital, Christian Headlines reported.

"I would like to remind all of us that no one has suffered more than our Lord Jesus Christ. May the story of the Lord Jesus Christ and His suffering for us be the focus of the primary message of this conference."

COPTIC CHRISTIANS

Graham spoke of Coptic Christians in Egypt who have been faced increased persecution and Russian Christians who faced persecution under a Communist government and who are still facing discrimination today.

"Other Christians face persecution in societies that are riddled with corruption and lawlessness, drug cartels. Or, they are killed or imprisoned because of civil wars or tribal conflict," he continued, according to The Christian Post.

It was meant to bring attention to the plight of persecuted Christians and advocate for their rights in countries where they are targeted or harassed for their beliefs. In attendance were persecuted Christians from 130 countries.

Pence honored Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C. and Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, from the stage. He also honored Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk of the Russian Orthodox Church and Metropolitan Tikhon, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America.

"Each one of you bears witness to the power of truth to transform lives," Pence told them.

The summit was held at a time that millions of Christians face violence, harassment, and imprisonment in more than 100 countries. Pence noted recent Palm Sunday bombings of Coptic churches in Egypt and the destruction of churches in Iraq as examples.

"I believe that ISIS is guilty of nothing short of genocide against people of the Christian faith, and it is time the world called it by name," he said.

The Russian Orthodox Church's Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chair of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations, also addressed the summit on May 11.

He said the 21st century has brought a "new vast wave of persecution of Christians, particularly severe in those countries where the dominant religion is Islam."

"Yet the persecutors are not those moderate Muslims, but extremists and terrorists hiding behind Islamic slogans and Islamic rhetoric," he asserted.

The Orthodox metropolitan called on "Islamic leaders throughout the world to condemn terrorism as something that contradicts the teachings of the Quran," asking "may this clear and precise condemnation resound from the lips" of leaders of countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, and Turkey.

Hilarion also cited the Middle East and North Africa as areas where Christians are especially targeted, and lie "in the pathway of the political and/or economic interests of those forces who are not afraid to use terrorists in pursuit of their goals, pretending that they are fighting for freedom and democracy."

Inter-Christian and inter-religious dialogue is key to the international community uniting to aid persecuted Christians, he insisted.
Tehran, Iran, May 13

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Iran and Pakistan are going to form a joint border security commission, it was announced a few days after a terrorist attack took some 10 lives of Iranian guards at the border with Pakistan.

The news was announced by Sartaj Aziz, adviser to Pakistans prime minister on foreign affairs, who said the first meeting of the commission will be held this month, Press TV reported May 13.

He added four representatives from each country will attend the meeting which is to be held either in Iran or Pakistan.

Last week Irans Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with Pakistans Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control Nasir Ali Khan to discuss the recent terror act.

An attack by terrorists from inside the Pakistani border claimed the lives of 10 Iranian border guards on April 11. Iran censured Pakistan for not maintaining firm security grip over its western borders.

On May 10, Pakistans Foreign Ministry summoned Irans ambassador in Islamabad over remarks made by the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri, who had warned that if Islamabad does not provide ample security over the border, Tehran would consider doing so itself. If the terrorist attacks continue, we will deal crushing blows to their safe havens and cells, wherever they are," Baqeri had said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 13

By Azad Hasanli  Trend:

Azerbaijani karate fighter Farida Abiyeva, who reached the 61 kg karate finals at the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games, told reporters in Baku that she dedicates her victory to the Azerbaijani people.

I am already in the finals and tonight I will be competing with an Iranian female athlete, she said. With Gods help I will win a gold medal.

The Baku 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games started May 8 and will last until May 22 in Azerbaijans capital.
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Baku, Azerbaijan, May 13

Trend:

Water polo competitions have started within the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku.

Teams from Turkey and Indonesia are competing in the first day of the competitions, while teams from Azerbaijan and Iran will meet at 18:00 (GMT +4 hours).

The Baku 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games started May 8 and will last until May 22 in Azerbaijans capital.
Low-flying helicopter spooks livestock

One of the Island's local authorities is urging livestock owners to come forward if their animals have been spooked by low-flying helicopters.

Garff Commissioners shared a post on Facebook from the Manx Farming and Food Matters page, revealing some farmers in the Corrany Bridge area have been affected.

The incidents happened on Thursday, resulting in livestock going through the fences surrounding the area.

Two farmers have since recovered their livestock, but the Commissioners are worried other owners in the area may not yet be aware their livestock is missing.

The local authority wants anyone who was affected by this incident or similar incidents in the future to get in touch.
The affective turn in the humanities, combined with a deeper consideration of emotions in human life, has generated a large body of scholarly research over the past two decades. A host of introductory and deeper theoretical studies in the form of edited volumes and single emotions studies (there is even a textbook in the pipeline) have marked the arrival of the study of emotions as a coherent subject even at the undergraduate level (Plamper 2015).1 Academic discourse on these issues does not seem to show signs of waning either. A recent special issue of PMLA journal, a publication of the Modern Language Association of America, was dedicated to emotions, with a chapter on rasa, emotion, and affect theory (Dharwadker 2015).2 Emotions in Indian Thought-Systems and A Rasa Reader: Classical Indian Aesthetics, the books under review, are both welcome additions to this scholarship, which has yet to fully engage with the ancient world and more so, with classical India. Uniquely, both volumes are perfect companions to each other. The former, a theory of real felt emotions, finds a good bedfellow in the latter, an anthology of source texts on rasa, a theory of aesthetic emotions; definitions and considerations in both volumes often bring the reader close to theories of affect. Together, one finds a rich discourse on a multitude of emotions and feelings that cannot be named as suchand indeed need not be named in some cases.

This review proceeds in three stagesfirst, a look at Emotions in Indian Thought-Systems, in which I tease out the main overlaps and points of intersection between the edited volumes many chapters. Following this, I look more closely at A Rasa Reader, in which I draw attention to various arguments that seem relevant to literary and cultural studies, and discourses about emotions and affect. My approach to these two books is that of an inexpert but interested party, one with some engagement with discourses on emotions, affect and rasa, and as one who would like to know more for his own work. In this review, given the materials under consideration, I do not differentiate between affect, emotion, feelings and moods. Such distinctions are neither salient for these texts nor for the historical actors discussed within them, even though such distinctions often occupy an important critical space within modern humanities. One of the only distinctions often theorised in both texts is a distinction between bhava (emotion) and rasa (aestheticised emotion)but even here, a rigid distinction does not make sense, as the sources reveal. I see myselfand many general interest academic readers like meas ideal readers of these two books, not entrenched in the smaller nuances of Sanskrit philosophical conventions but who have often ventured into these materials for their work, for teaching, or for a general understanding. My comments and evaluations in this review article are, thus, directed with an eye towards the non-specialist reader, one who may not have the time to slowly pore over each of the primary sources discussed in both of these books nor have the requisite linguistic skills, but is nonetheless interested in both the specifics and general outlines.
Details added (first version posted on 13:53)

Baku, Azerbaijan, May 13

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBA) has filed an appeal to the New York court to aid the restructuring of $3.34 billion in debt, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Hurt by a steep decline in oil prices and subsequent currency fluctuations, the Azerbaijani bank sought protection, according to The Wall Street Journal.

If approved by a judge, the bank would receive the benefits of US law, including protections that halt lawsuits and otherwise prevent interference from creditors.

It was earlier reported that the IBA commenced a process of voluntary restructuring within the framework of its financial improvement.

The restructuring plan contemplates a restructuring process to be effected through an exchange of IBAs senior and junior foreign currency obligations for direct sovereign obligations of Azerbaijan.

The process will lead to a meeting of all creditors affected by the restructuring plan. If approved by two-thirds of the affected creditors by value the plan will be accepted and become binding on all of them.

Pending the implementation of the planned restructuring process, and to ensure equal treatment of all affected creditors, IBA has suspended payments of principal and interest with respect to all obligations to be included in the operation (other than interest under trade finance facilities).

Depositors in IBA will not be impacted by the proposed restructuring, and that the Banks normal services and operations will continue to be conducted during the forthcoming process.

The Ministry of Finance has noted with concern the deteriorating financial and capital position of International Bank of Azerbaijan, Samir Sharifov, Azerbaijans minister of finance, said in a statement, The Wall Street Journal reported. Re-establishing the financial viability of IBA is critical so that the bank can continue to provide important banking services to the Azerbaijan economy.

Azerbaijans Ministry of Finance is supportive of the efforts of IBA to restore its financial viability, the minister added.
Courtesy photo

Are your employees stressed out and potentially suicidal? Two reports released this week indicate they could be.

The HR Digest reported that the incidence of employee suicides has intensified since 2007 and that more than a million workers have killed themselves since 2003 (30,000 of them are in the United States). The causes? Pressure from competition with colleagues, rivals and deadlines. Another study conducted by researchers at three British universities and published in the Journals of Gerontology confirmed that workers are indeed stressed, and the most stressed out ones are lower-level employees.
For almost 50 years, Don Pedro has been giving Tex-Mex fans what they want: enchilada combo plates, frozen margaritas, puffy tacos, nachos and pumped-up versions of taqueria staples like carne asada, fajitas and caldo de res in a sprawling hacienda-style space thats durable enough for kids but presentable enough for business. Its not a taco shop, but tacos play supporting roles in Mexican dinners and a few small plates, like fish tacos, grilled street tacos and a pricey trio of fried cabrito tacos for $16.89.

Tacos: Im not going to gamble $17 on temperamental roasted goat tacos, and Im not inclined to pretend that a streamlined Tex-Mex warehouse is a place to get street tacos. So I go straight to my fajita litmus test. If a restaurant can pull off a respectable sizzle platter with homemade tortillas, Ill put in the work to make the tacos happen.
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REDFORD  On an overcast Tuesday afternoon 20 years ago, Esequiel Hernandez, a quiet, gangly youth who grew up in this dusty border hamlet, set out after school on his regular walk to the Rio Grande with his herd of goats and an old .22 rifle.

Heading back, with storm clouds gathering, he was trailed through the brush by four armed and heavily camouflaged Marines. The surveillance team from Camp Pendleton in California had been sent in secretly days earlier to watch for drug smugglers along the river.

Thus the stage was set for an accidental drug war tragedy that would bring heartbreak to a close-knit family, ignite a national debate about militarization of the border and force a suspension, albeit temporary, of the use of armed troops for border security.

Within sight of his home, Hernandez, 18, was shot and killed by Cpl. Clemente Banuelos after he allegedly pointed his rifle at the Marines.

According to them, Hernandez earlier had shot twice in their direction. He died quickly of a chest wound, without receiving medical aid.

When I got the call that he was shot, I was in Alpine. I got here in about two hours, and he was still here. The justice of the peace had not arrived yet, Margarito Hernandez, 48, an older brother, recalled during a recent visit to the site, marked by an ornate white metal cross.

Hernandez doubts his younger brother ever saw the hidden Marines, much less shot at them intentionally. The Texas Rangers came to a similar conclusion, as did the local prosecutor who sought a murder charge.

Three grand juries heard evidence but did not indict Banuelos or the other Marines, leaving the Hernandez family bitterly disillusioned.

I understand he did what he was trained to do. I dont say he should have been sent to prison, but it was wrong. In this case, there was no justice, said Hernandez, a police officer in nearby Presidio. My mom never came out of shock. She died a few months ago. She never recovered.

Although the family members eventually were awarded $1.9 million to resolve a civil suit filed against the government, they were denied their opportunity to publicly vindicate Esequiel, said Bill Weinacht, their lawyer.

Because their grievances were never aired in court, we didnt have a tribunal take up these matters and get to the bottom of them. If wed had a public jury trial on the criminal aspect of this, the family would have gotten some closure on this at least, he said.

Historically, the killing of a U.S. citizen on American soil by the military is a rare and politically explosive event.

When National Guardsmen fired on Kent State University students protesting the Vietnam War in 1970, killing four and wounding nine others, the nation reacted with shock. Hundreds of universities closed during the student strike that followed, and opposition to the war intensified. The killings prompted an intense re-examination of how public protests should be handled by armed soldiers.

In the wake of the Hernandez killing, the subtle militarization of the border, in which active- duty Marines and soldiers had worked alongside Border Patrol agents and others since the late 1980s, came under harsh scrutiny. A few months earlier, a Green Beret had shot and wounded an armed Mexican intruder near Brownsville.

The Esequiel Hernandez case was a watershed. It really did make things pause for a number of years in the use of armed troops, said Timothy Dunn, a professor at Salisbury University in Maryland and author of a book on border militarization. It wasnt entirely stopped but it was scaled back, and 9/11 couldnt undo that immediately.

Soon after the Redford shooting, then-Defense Secretary William Cohen suspended the use of the military in antidrug patrols along the border. Border Patrol sector chiefs in Texas also announced a halt to the collaborations with armed military personnel.

Multiple investigations ensued, citizen delegations went to Washington when congressional hearings were held and fingers were pointed. But the only thing on which most agreed was that the death of Hernandez, a high school sophomore who loved folkloric dancing and horses, was a senseless tragedy.

As more light was shed on the incident, it seemed that everything that could have gone wrong did so, beginning with the out-of-state Marines failure to grasp that a lightly-armed teenager meandering through the brush with his goats might not be a menacing drug scout.

This encounter was fraught with misunderstanding, misperceptions and gross errors, and it graphically illustrates the dangers to human rights posed by the militarization of domestic law enforcement, Dunn wrote.

A review by the Marine Corps found fault with numerous aspects of the covert mission. A House subcommittee led by Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, likewise was critical of the Justice Department for its investigation of the killing, which absolved the Marine Corps of wrongdoing.

Two years later, the military announced a new policy: Armed ground troops could only be deployed along the border with the specific permission of the secretary of defense or his deputy.

In the wake of 9/11, as many Americans came to see immigration as a national security issue and accept that a hardening of the border was necessary, the Hernandez incident faded from the public consciousness.

By 2006, President George W. Bush was sending thousands of National Guard troops to the Southern border. And now, President Donald Trump has vowed to impose harsh new immigration controls and build an impenetrable border wall.

At one point this spring, according to a draft internal document obtained by the Associated Press, the Trump administration apparently considered mobilizing 100,000 National Guardsmen for the Southern border, an idea that was quickly disavowed.

But even without such a dramatic event, the border military paradigm has changed, said Camilo Perez Bustillo, formerly of the Border Human Rights Documentation Project in El Paso.

The rhetoric permeates everything we say and think about immigration, basically the assumption that immigrants are dangerous and are criminal and have something to do with a threat to the United States, said Perez Bustillo, now director of the Human Rights Center at the University of Dayton.

The nightmare began with the Hernandez case. It became prophetic of something we couldnt imagine 20 years ago. Now its playing out in slow motion with the wall and all that, he added.

History of tensions

Throughout Redfords history, its strong cultural ties to Mexico, periodic cross-border tensions and occasional friction with American authorities have been recurrent themes.

Founded in the 1870s by Mexican colonists who were offered free land in Texas, the isolated settlement downriver from Presidio first was known as San Jose del Polvo. The first major task for the settlers was to build a 6-mile-long canal to divert irrigation water from the Rio Grande.

For more than a century, the river bottom fields produced cotton, melons, onions, alfalfa and other crops in abundance.

Redford had a public school by 1886 and a post office a year later. In 1912, residents erected the San Jose Catholic Church.

A century ago, during an extended period of border unrest during the Mexican Revolution, U.S. cavalry troops were sent to Redford to protect it from bandits and incursions by Mexican troops.

In one battle of the revolution at La Loma de Juarez, government troops defeated those led by Pancho Villa, prompting a panicky retreat across the Rio Grande.

After the battle, Redford was a mass of confusion as both refugees and retreating soldiers crossed the river and promptly surrendered to American troops, Sul Ross State College student Jack Chappell wrote in a 1965 history of Redford.

Still standing on a bluff south of town are the ruins of a large adobe trading post erected near the old cavalry barracks during that chaotic era. Hernandez regularly passed it on his way to the river, and once scratched his name in an outside wall.

At times, conflicts arose between Redford residents and the armed outsiders sent to keep peace, Chappell wrote.

Sometimes during this turbulent period on the border, lawmen, or those appointed to keep law and order, were as much to be feared as the bandits and smugglers who followed the Rio Grande, he wrote, describing confrontations between villagers and soldiers, as well as the killings of several Texas lawmen under mysterious circumstances.

Questions remain

Twenty years after the shooting, the Hernandez criminal case remains unresolved, at least in the minds of those who investigated.

We were not satisfied with the final conclusion at all, but it is what it is. In my personal opinion, some criminal violations occurred but the grand jurors saw fit not to indict, said retired Texas Ranger Capt. Barry Caver, who oversaw a case that quickly ran into unusual problems.

The first came on the day of the killing when his lead investigator was denied access to the four Marines in order to question them, he said.

We felt we were being stonewalled by the Marine Corps and their leaders because we didnt feel like we were getting all the information. Its sort of like when you go against Big Brother. Its very tedious and problematic, he said.

Caver said he came to believe that Hernandez never saw the armed intruders in the brush, and that any shots he fired on his walk were random.

The kid was totally minding his own business and they killed him because they were a little trigger-happy. It was a totally messed-up situation, he said.

Former District Attorney Albert Valadez, who presented the case to two Presidio County grand juries, believes a prosecutable homicide was committed.

As I look back on it, I still feel the circumstances were such that the grand jury should have indicted Banuelos for the murder of Esequiel Hernandez. None of the others were criminally responsible, he said.

Undermining the Marines self-defense claim, that Hernandez was pointing the rifle at them when he was shot, was the location of his fatal wound, according to Valadez.

He was right-handed and right-eye dominant. When he fired the rifle, he would shoulder it on his right shoulder. He was hit in the right rib cage and it couldnt have happened if he was aiming his rifle at the Marines, he said.

New military protocols

Over the past 20 years, the military has adopted measures to avoid violent encounters between civilians and troops on the border, said Marine Col. Ladaniel Dayzie, deputy commanding officer of Joint Task Force North, based in El Paso.

Formerly known as Joint Task Force 6, it provides volunteer military personnel to assist the Border Patrol and other federal agencies in conducting counter drug and counter transnational organized crime operations. The military support missions range from road construction to ground reconnaissance to intelligence analysis.

I cant see how it could happen again. The rehearsals and the process we go through with the law enforcement partners is such that we can almost completely rule out it happening, Dayzie said.

For starters, he said, military units assigned to the border are now required to work with a local law enforcement agency while in the field, and are ordered to avoid confrontations, even if threatened. If something like the Redford situation arose, they would respond entirely differently, he said.

The military personnel would take cover and avoid getting shot at, versus maneuvering to follow the threat, he said.

But despite these changes, the basic problems with militarizing a domestic security mission remain largely unchanged, Dunn said.

The essence of militarization is the military acting like police and the police acting like the military, either of which implies treating social issues inherent in law enforcement as though they are military problems or threats to be eliminated or otherwise neutralized, too often via force which such is unnecessary, he said.

Exhibit A of police acting like soldiers, he said, was the 2012 killing of two unarmed Guatemalan immigrants near La Joya in the Rio Grande Valley. They were shot from a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter while riding under a tarp in the bed of a fleeing pickup.

Public records showed DPS officers had fired guns from helicopters five times while pursuing vehicles.

The DPS said its officers thought the truck in LaJoya was carrying drugs. It later modified its policy on shooting from aircraft to make self-defense a critical component.

The La Joya killings provoked a wave of protests by civil rights groups and Guatemalan consular officials.

There is no law enforcement use-of-force policy anywhere in the country that would justify that kind of callous killing, said Elliott Tucker of the South Texas Civil Rights Project.

Dying town

Redford had more than 100 residents in 1997, but since has lost both vitality and population. To the casual motorist passing by on Texas 170, the vacant buildings and adobe ruins might suggest a town slowly being abandoned.

In recent decades, the elementary school, the Baptist Church, the post office and the last store in town have closed. Farming went into decline after a failed attempt to clean out the canal in 2004, and after the dikes along the river were breached by the great flood of 2008 and left unrepaired.

In the aftermath of 9/11, traditional informal crossings all along the border were closed, including one in Redford.

Here they still joke that they can hear the roosters in Mexico crowing in Spanish, but no longer can residents freely visit friends and relatives just across the river in El Mulato, Valle Nuevo or El Salitre.

Most of the Hernandez clan still lives here, and Margarito comes regularly from Presidio.

Redford is dying, The big change was the river crossing, he said, fondly recalling weekend trips as a boy to visit relatives in Mexico.When I was a kid, we had three stores and a gas station. There was an old man who had a donkey who would come over here from Mexico to get the mail.

It was a community then. Almost everyone had a little herd of goats. When someone killed a pig, everyone got a taste. But time has gone by and people have lost their way of living, he said.

To Enrique Madrid, 69, a local activist, historian and former storekeeper, the Hernandez killing remains an unhealed wound.

Were all suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome thats 20 years old. Its something well never forget and I dont guess anyone will give us any medication for it, he said.

Madrid says the anniversary comes as human rights and security issues on the border again are at the forefront.

Its very timely. Were heading in the same direction again. All those drones they are flying on the border. Im sure they are armed. And that wall. Its not only inhuman, its un-American. You dont wall people off, you sell them refrigerators, he said.

Back in 1997, Rosendo Evaro, 84, was both the postman and bus driver who drove Redford kids to school in Presidio. He remembers Esequiel as a quiet teenager who rode in the back of the bus and never caused trouble.

There was a great sadness about what happened to this boy. I had just left him at home and a few hours later, he was dead. They were a very good family, he said of the Hernandez.

Its all mistakes that people make. When I was in Korea, our own airplanes bombed us, he said, adding that now, 20 years later, there is little left to be said.

We people just forget about it because nothing can be done.

jmaccormack@express-news.net
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A dozen young shutterbugs from Washington Elementary School have become a familiar sight in the Nolan Street area on the East Side, carrying single-lens reflex cameras as they seek everyday gems hidden beyond the poverty, violence and gentrification linked to their world.

Their prints show the camaraderie of two African-American men. Theres a portrait of two young Latinas, framed by a padlocked, metal-framed door, aiming their cameras back at their classmate. And theres an image of Jesus, glowing from votive candles at a sidewalk memorial above words scrawled on the curb: Miss You.

The scenes are courtesy of the Light Catchers Society, an after-school photography club founded by Francisco Morales Cortes, Washington Elementary Schools 2016-17 Teacher of the Year. He said feedback about the fifth-graders has been positive.

Ill have people say, Yall are doing an amazing thing, said Cortes, 33. The people in the community see the value. They probably werent exposed to it and wished they had the opportunity when they were young.

The students exhibit, titled Light of the East Side: I Call This Home. will be on display from 6 to 10 tonight at the AP Art Lab, 1906 S. Flores St. The students photographs will be available for purchase, and proceeds go toward equipment and summer initiatives for the youngsters.

A grant from the San Antonio Independent School District Foundation helped fund the students first photo exhibit at the Second Saturday event. SAISD education liaison Mary Elizabeth Cantu said the kids know how their neighborhood is being talked about and Cortes gives them the avenue to document their community as they see it through their lenses.

Its invaluable what hes providing for the school, Cantu said. Instead of the kids art being on the walls of the hallway or blackboard, it elevates the artwork and they can have pride in what they create.

Cortes, also a freelance photographer and bilingual class teacher, created the after-school club to expose his students to photography and to give them a creative outlet and a community voice through art.

Photography gave me more confidence to be myself, and I wanted to give them that opportunity, Cortes said. Its interesting to see how their eye changed over the course of months. They managed not to lose that and become more visually analytical.

In November, each student wrote an essay about why they wanted to join the club. With parent support, Cortes provided warm-up exercises to make the class less intimidating. He said the timid came out of their shells and he was surprised when a student compared a camera to a box with a hole in it that gave them a voice.

Recently, before they penned thank-you cards to donors and supporters, each student picked an image from a photography book and explained why they liked the photo. Trinity Zuniga Markle, 11, picked a scene of an African-American girl wearing gilded wings.

I like this image because the little girl is dressed in an angel costume, Trinity said, but she looks depressed, beautiful and melancholy.

That is great vocabulary, Cortes said, standing in the light of a projection screen casting the photo.

He said he wants the children to be able to explain their feelings and views  he doesnt want people to dismiss their opinions because they cant express themselves.

Wilvontae Curtis-Toliver, 10, learned to get close, stand straight and focus on his subjects. His favorite picture is a classmates portrait of him standing on a rock, with sunlight shimmering upon him.

Now that Im here I can see things I didnt really notice, Wilvontae said. I didnt really appreciate it in the beginning.

They learned that wasnt the case for others.

Cortes recalled when the kids showcased prints of their work on an old building. A week later, they returned to find the structure had been demolished. The kids went through the rubble and took a doughnut-hole-sized piece of the wall  theyve added it as part of their exhibit.

vtdavis@express-news.net
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, May 13

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

A program will be developed in Turkmenistan to combat corruption and bribery, the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper reported May 13.

The countrys President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has entrusted this to the State Security Council and the Turkmen Parliament.

Addressing a government meeting, Berdimuhamedov noted that results of inspections revealed bribery and corruption among officers of law enforcement agencies, as well as in other structures.

The Turkmen president said that bribery and corruption lead to a decrease in effectiveness of government agencies and society, slow down the growth of economy, create serious obstacles to the states development.

Berdimuhamedov also spoke about revising the relevant laws and toughening the punishment for bribery and corruption.
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Former Mayor Julian Castro today plans to endorse Ron Nirenberg in his campaign to unseat Mayor Ivy Taylor in the June 10 runoff.

After addressing Nirenbergs volunteers at the candidates campaign headquarters  the same place where Castro and his predecessor, Phil Hardberger, housed their mayoral bids  Castro will join the supporters in a West Side block-walking effort.

What I see in Ron is that he has a strong vision for San Antonio, for stronger economic growth, for improvements in neighborhoods all over the city, Castro said. And his vision includes everybody. I had a chance to work with him for a time on the council and was very impressed with his work as a councilman, his advocacy on issues like water, and the vision he has for the city, so Im proud to support him.

Nirenberg and Taylor emerged as the top two vote-getters in the May 6 general election, a race that also fielded a dozen other candidates, including Bexar County Democratic Party Chairman Manuel Medina.

Taylor finished with the highest plurality of the vote, garnering 42 percent. Nirenberg earned 37 percent, a finish surprising everyone but his campaign team. Medina accounted for 15 percent of the vote  or 15,049 voters that both Nirenberg and Taylor would like to win over.

A Castro endorsement could help Nirenberg in that endeavor. Though the only elected positions Castro has served in have been nonpartisan ones  councilman and then mayor  he was seen as a rising Democratic star during his mayoral tenure and offered a keynote address at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

As Nirenberg and Taylor continue to fight for shares of the electorate, they need support from big-money donors. The mayor has been seen as friendly to the business community and lists supporters such as banker Eddie Aldrete, car dealership magnate Ernesto Ancira, roofing company owner Mike Beldon and other big names such as Peter Holt, Lowry Mays, Red McCombs, Graham Weston and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff.

But Nirenberg has been building support from the business community, too. Next week, Ed Whitacre, the former chairman and CEO of General Motors, is hosting a fundraiser for Nirenberg at El Mirador. The host committee also includes philanthropist Gordon Hartman, TechBloc co-founder Lew Moorman, retired tech business magnate and philanthropist Harvey Najim, Toyota supplier Fernando Reyes and Bill Kleese, former chairman of the board for Valero Energy.

Colin Strother, who joined Taylor this week as a consultant overseeing the runoff campaign, said Nirenberg is targeting the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, while Taylor is focusing on all San Antonians. Nirenberg considers himself an independent with support from both liberal and conservative factions.

Mayor Taylor is focused on representing the entire city, and Ron Nirenberg is focused on the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. Thats why the first call he made Saturday night was to Manuel Medina. The mayor is running on a pro-jobs, pro-community, pro-public safety platform that includes all San Antonians, not just one political faction, Strother said. To be fair, Secretary Castro was out of town for the past few years and may not be familiar with Rons inability to accomplish one thing that has helped San Antonio families. This endorsement is based on a shared ideology rather than a record of service.

Castro, who was elected in 2009 and re-elected in 2011 and 2013 with overwhelming majorities, could help drive voters on the South and West Sides to return to the polls in a race that will likely see robust North Side voting.

Ron has asked for my support, he said. And I am going to do my best to get out there and let folks know why hed be the best mayor.

The same year Castro was elected mayor, Taylor won the District 2 seat on the City Council. In 2013, Nirenberg joined Castro and Taylor on the council.

A year later, Castro gave up his office when then-President Barack Obama tapped him to become housing secretary.

In his departure, the council appointed Taylor to finish the remainder of Castros term. Nirenberg wanted the appointment, but as a first-term councilman couldnt garner the support from his colleagues.

Taylor won the appointment, partially because she told the council that she had no intentions of running for the office in 2015. But she changed course, ran and won the seat shed been appointed to in an impressive victory against three well-known challengers.

Shes taken some positions Castro says he disagrees with, and he vehemently disagreed with comments Taylor made during the general election; on April 3 she attributed the deepest systemic causes of generational poverty in San Antonio to broken people who are not in a relationship with their Creator.

Visiting impoverished neighborhoods over the years, Castro said, hes seen that people need help from the outside, not because of a lack of a religious conviction.

Castro said Nirenberg would be a mayor for all San Antonians.

Ron appeals to everyone, regardless of their background, said Castro, who lives in the same house in District 7 that he lived in while serving on the council and as mayor. Thats one of the things I like about him.

Early voting in the runoff begins May 30 and ends June 6.

jbaugh@express-news.net

Twitter: @jbaugh
An appeals court has dismissed a lawsuit against Guadalupe County brought by the developer of a McQueeney subdivision where  midway through construction in 2007  two dozen lots were placed in the Guadalupe River flood plain, subjecting them to federal regulations.

The Federal Emergency Management Agencys flood map revisions brought 24 lots into the 100-year flood plain, and Woodlake Partners complained that the countys resulting requirement that homes built there be elevated amounted to inverse condemnation.

Elevated homes would be cost-prohibitive to construct and would devalue the roughly 160 existing ground-level homes in the riverside development, the plaintiffs argued in the lawsuit, filed in 2011 in state district court in Seguin.

The county fathers signed off (on a subdivision plat), and then they pulled the rug out from under us, said Marc Hill, an attorney for the father-and-son Woodlake partners, Dennis Huber and Lance Huber. They took private property for a public purpose without compensation.

The partners plan to appeal the 4th Court of Appeals decision last month, which overturned state District Judge William Olds denial last year of the countys motion.

Besides asserting governmental immunity, the countys lawyer, Michael Shaunessy, argued in pleadings that the plaintiffs have no evidence  that any harm resulted from any intentional act of Guadalupe County.

Had the county not adopted the revised FEMA maps, Woodlake Partners would still have faced the same hurdles to developing the 24 lots because lending institutions couldnt legally make loans secured by property in a flood hazard area unless it is covered by flood insurance, Shaunessy argued.

And, the pleadings state, if the county had refused to adopt the new maps, the plaintiffs wouldnt have been able to get federally subsidized flood insurance for the lots and FEMA would have canceled its flood insurance program in the county. About 2,000 homeowners in Guadalupe County are now in the federal flood insurance program, officials said.

If any harm to the plaintiffs did occur, the culprit was FEMA, not the county, Shaunessy argued: Plaintiffs cannot properly fuse or merge the actions of FEMA with those of the county as if they were one entity.

Shaunessy disputes Woodlake Partners claim that building on the lots would be cost-prohibitive, and he said Woodlake could have asked FEMA to revise the map but didnt.

The 24 lots havent flooded, said David Eveld, Hills co-counsel for Woodlake Partners. He said his clients lost most of their investment in the project, opting not to construct elevated homes because, he said, nobody would buy that house in a normal neighborhood.

In ruling in the countys favor, the justices noted that FEMA regulations required homes in flood plains to be built 1 foot above base flood elevation. They also cited lenders requirement for homes there to have flood insurance to secure financing.

County actions did not harm Woodlake, the court concluded April 12, because Woodlake Partners would be required to comply with those same provisions to develop the lots based on federal regulations.

Were very pleased. We believe the court made the correct decision, County Judge Kyle Kutscher said Friday. Its unfortunate that the landowners were impacted by the FEMA regulations.

Residents in the subdivision, where home values range from about $300,000 to more than $1 million, are familiar with the issue but havent been following the protracted legal wrangling, said Larry McDaniel, president of the homeowners association there.

zeke@express-news.net
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RIO GRANDE CITY  In his 10 years on the police force, Joe Solis has detained more people than he can easily recall. And in all that time, only once has this assistant police chief had cause to alert immigration officials.

But with passage of Senate Bill 4, the state law that forbids local officials from preventing law enforcement officers from inquiring about immigration status once a person is lawfully detained, Solis is wary of how it will take hold in this border city.

Well have to see what adjustments we have to make, Solis said. If we start seeing calls drop, thats when well know that this law is really affecting our community.

The new law, which has drawn harsh comparisons to Arizonas so-called show-me-your-papers law, has sent a ripple of fear across the borderlands. As communities in deep South Texas process the practical implications of the new state law, local leaders seek to ease fears of an imminent crackdown on immigrants in city streets and in fields where undocumented workers are essential to bringing in crops for the multimillion-dollar produce industry in the Rio Grande Valley.

In a region on the front lines of immigration enforcement, with more than 3,000 Border Patrol agents patrolling the Valley, the federal agents relationships with local law enforcement is symbiotic. While many police officers and sheriffs deputies say the new law does nothing to confuse their role in the community or empower them to round up undocumented immigrants, they worry that the distinction will be lost on some, threatening to erode hard-won relationships and complicating investigations.

The perception is where I have the problem, said Hidalgo County Sheriff J.E. Eddie Guerra. The reality is that nothing has changed for us.

About a dozen police chiefs joined Guerra this week to clarify that their policies will not change under SB 4, which allows the state to impose civil penalties and remove officials from office and which criminalizes declining a detainer from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. If a person is lawfully detained, city and county law officers have it within their discretion to ask the legal status of that person, an option that is judiciously applied, the sheriff and local police chiefs said.

In general, local law enforcement in the Valley share a close relationship with immigration officials. Guerra has a deputy assigned as liaison with the Border Patrol, and ICE has a permanent presence in his jail. Immigration officials have come to rely on the sheriffs relationship with landowners to gain access to their properties in the course of an investigation.

Im their voice, Guerra said of community members. They cant do that with Border Patrol because theyll get lost in the bureaucracy.

When Guerra took over the reins in Hidalgo County in 2014, he inherited an office with a bruised reputation after the conviction of former Sheriff Lupe Trevino on money laundering charges. During those first few months, reports of crime trickled into his office, if they came at all. One neighborhood, populated by many immigrant families, had three drive-by shootings one night, and no one called 911.

He said he sent his deputies to root out the culprits, then set about winning back the trust of the community, largely by ensuring them that his office was not there to pursue residents because of their immigration status.

And, guess what happened, crime went up, Guerra said. I will accept that because now I have the trust in that community.

Strained relationships

But that trust is strained in a region where immigration policies vary from one city to the next. What triggers one officer to deliver a person to immigration agents and another to do exactly the opposite is a troubling inconsistency, according to observers.

When pressed on what might cause an officer to ask a person about their immigration status, McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez said there are too many factors involved to offer an example.

Each case is different, a frustrated Rodriguez insisted, noting things are rarely clearly black or white. The world is gray.

A couple of years ago, an Alamo resident was returning home from work when local police stopped him for speeding. When the police officer asked for his drivers license, the man offered a Mexican identification instead. The officer turned the man, who has for the past decade lived in the Valley as an undocumented immigrant, over to the Border Patrol. He spent the night in immigrant detention, was released the next day and was told to expect a hearing in immigration court, which has never come.

Yes, Im afraid, said the 44-year-old construction worker, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of being deported. Im always thinking when I go to work, or to Walmart or to the park, that the next time they stop me theyll send me back to Mexico.

In the days since Gov. Greg Abbott signed SB 4 into law, the response from immigrant communities has been predictably cautious. In some families, children who are U.S. citizens have taken over running errands to shield their parents from unnecessary scrutiny.

Meanwhile, the offices of immigration attorneys have filled with desperate immigrants fearful of the new law. Community organizing groups are making new efforts to inform residents of their rights.

There are some who are feeling the urge to go back into the shadows, said John Michael Torres, a spokesman for La Union Del Pueblo Entero. At the same time, there are people who feel the urge to come out and get involved.

Constitutional issues

This week, the American Civil Liberties Union issued a travel advisory that warns anyone traveling to Texas to anticipate the possible violation of constitutional rights when stopped by law enforcement.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a pre-emptive federal lawsuit seeking to uphold the constitutionality of SB 4, citing the states independent sovereign responsibility to protect its residents.

Undeterred, the League of United Latin American Citizens, officials from El Cenizo, a small town near Laredo, and the Maverick County sheriff filed a lawsuit over the measure, which takes effect in September, claiming that the law infringes on the rights of city and county officials.

In the Valley, LUPE has pressed local officials to defy the law, but there have never been sanctuary institutions in the Valley; in fact, cities have made a point of distancing themselves from the sanctuary label, even as federal and state law enforcement have flooded the border in recent years.

State lawmakers appropriated $800 million in 2015 to send 250 Department of Public Safety troopers to the border, mainly in Starr and Hidalgo counties. Valley residents were rattled by the omnipresent troopers. Reports of field hands refusing to work in Starr County disrupted farming operations, and though relations with the community have since improved, some there have voiced concerns over how troopers might interpret SB 4.

For its part, the agency said it has only just begun reviewing what effect the new law will have on its troopers, according to DPS spokesman Tom Vinger.

Bad news for growers

Texas fruit and vegetable producers say SB 4 threatens to deepen labor shortages across the state, driving up costs and possibly forcing the agricultural industry out of Texas.

A similar measure passed in 2011 in Georgia cost that state 40 percent of its workforce and $140 million worth of fresh produce that ended up rotting in the fields, according to the Texas International Produce Association. Texas is the eighth-largest producer of fresh produce in the country; vegetables alone generate about $500 million per year, association officials said.

The increased presence of law enforcement along the border has already created labor challenges for those traveling and working along the border, said Dante L. Galeazzi, the associations CEO and president. Were worried that the matter of the perception in the worker community on this type of legislation could further shrink the ag labor force. Fewer laborers drives production costs up and could ultimately drive production out of Texas.

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down provisions of the Arizona law in 2012, ruling that the law was pre-empted by federal law. Under the 2010 Arizona law, widely criticized for inviting racial profiling, local law enforcement officers were given the authority to check the immigration status of anyone suspected of being in the country illegally.

Ricardo Rodriguez, the Hidalgo County district attorney, said SB 4 has anti-discrimination language written into it, but proving discrimination claims in a region where 90 percent or more of the public identifies as Hispanic could be difficult.

Despite assurances that local law enforcement officers will not pursue immigrants, some observers argue that officer discretion, especially under the new law, is something of a Pandoras box.

Choosing to contact immigration officials only scares people away from wanting to talk to police, said Carlos M. Garcia, an McAllen-based immigration attorney. We dont know what an agents discretion is going to look like under SB 4.

On a sun-baked afternoon, Solis, the Rio Grande City officer, pulled over a man speeding through town at 15 mph over the speed limit. The man had a Texas drivers license and had crossed the border from Mexico, another unique aspect of policing the border.

The man had come in near Rio Grande City to avoid cartel violence in Reynosa, he explained in Spanish. Perhaps in another environment, the exchange would have warranted further questioning, but Solis let it pass.

I let him go with a warning, Solis said. I used my discretion.

anelsen@express-news.net

Twitter: @amnelsen
AUSTIN  Attorney General Ken Paxton is expected to appear in court next week to try to remove the judge who has presided over his felony securities fraud case.

State District Judge George Gallagher set a hearing for May 18 at the Harris County Civil Courts Building in Houston to hear arguments on a motion Paxton's criminal defense team filed this week with Presiding Judge Mary Murphy of the First Administrative Judicial Region.
Concerns about an ugly student confrontation prompted Texas Southern University in Houston to cancel a scheduled commencement address Saturday by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, the second-ranking Republican in the Senate.

The decision at the historically black college comes amid a student petition demanding that Cornyn be blocked from speaking and urging that all graduating students and their families express their discontent if he does.

By Friday, 863 people had signed the petition on change.org, an online activist petition network. The petition was sponsored by 26-year-old Rebecca Trevino, 2017 graduate in social work from San Antonio. In an interview Friday, she said she had no desire to censor Cornyn, but rather to represent the values of the school.

RELATED: Cornyn on list to replace ousted FBI leader

What I want people to realize is that this is our commencement, Trevino said. This is something weve worked hard for and we want someone who represents us and our values.

The schools decision comes amid a growing national debate about free speech on college campuses, following increasingly frequent student protests and several high-profile cancellations, mostly directed at conservative speakers.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was booed at a commencement address this week at Bethune-Cookman University, a black college in Daytona Beach, Florida. It also comes weeks after the University of California at Berkeley pulled the plug on a speech by conservative commentator Ann Coulter in the wake of protests led by a student group. That decision followed clashes over President Donald Trump, and the cancellation of an appearance by right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos amid destructive student disturbances.

DeVos, amid heckling, boos and gown-clad graduates turning their backs, could be seen on news footage Wednesday appealing for respectful dissent. Lets choose to hear each other out, she said.

Cornyn aides said the decision to cancel his appearance was the schools, not his. Sen. Cornyn was honored to be invited to address TSUs graduates, but he respects the administrations decision and looks forward to continuing to engage with the university in the future, said a Cornyn spokesman.

Texas Southern released a statement saying the decision was made for the sake of the students and their families: Every consideration is made to ensure that our students graduation day is a celebratory occasion and one they will remember positively for years to come. We asked Senator Cornyn to instead visit with our students again at a future date in order to keep the focus on graduates and their families.

Trevino said she posted the change.org petition a week ago, after hearing about Cornyns invitation. This is an issue thats important to me and my classmates, she added. We have a lot of pride in our school, and were very protective of who comes by.

In an online appeal for signatures, she said Cornyn and his political party create and support policies that cause harm to marginalized communities. She also cited Cornyns votes to approve DeVos and Jeff Sessions as attorney general, and his support for voter ID law.

The student petition also cites his opposition to federal funding for sanctuary cities and his past support for a constitutional ban of same-sex marriage.

Word spread among students on social media on Thursday night before the schools official announcement Friday, said sophomore Kernard Jones, who is studying political science.

When students realized that the speechs cancellation was fact, not rumor, there was a sense of jubilation, he said.

He said the petition took off because many students saw Cornyns speech as hypocritical since they did not see the senator as invested in TSU or any historically black university.

(Cornyn) really doesnt have a connection with Texas Southern University, Jones said. Im pretty sure if we were to shut down tomorrow, then he wouldnt put up that much of a fight to keep us open. And thats what really makes us as students really turn our backs on him.

Marcus Smith, a graduating senior and the student newspapers editor, said he wasnt surprised that the university made a change based on the concerns of student activists.

Last year, a Take Back TSU campaign on social media led to safety improvements around campus.

When the students rally together and use their voice, a lot gets done and a lot can happen, he said. I knew it was only a matter of time before it would be changed.

Texas Southern, founded in 1927 as the Houston Colored Junior College, is considered one of the nations leading historically black colleges, with nearly 10,000 students. About three-fourths of the students are African-American, with the rest a mix of other races, including Hispanics, whites and international students.

Among its most famous graduates was the late Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, who chose Texas Southern after racial segregation prevented her from attending the University of Texas at Austin.

Cornyns first visit to TSUs campus was in February 2016. Then, he toured TSUs aviation and engineering program, its pharmacy simulation lab and the Thurgood Marshall School of Law, where he met with faculty and students.

This is my first time here, but it is long overdue, he said, according to a university publication from the time.

Cornyns invitation to speak at commencement was reportedly extended in part because of his help in securing federal funding for historically black colleges.

In February, Cornyn praised Trump for signing an executive order to prioritize federal support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs): For generations these institutions have provided Texas students with high quality education and a great sense of community and history, he said. The Presidents commitment today is significant, and I hope even more Texans will be afforded the chance to become a part of these storied institutions across our state.

Trevino said she understood that, and that there was no intention to disrupt his speech or create an ugly scene. In no way would we do anything violent, she said. Thats the farthest from what we are. The protesters plan, she said, was to stand up silently and face away when Cornyn spoke. No shouts, no boos. Just a silent and peaceful form of protest, she said.

U.S. Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee and Al Green will give the commencement address.
Youre walking downtown on a Saturday night when a San Antonio police officer stops you and asks for proof that you accurately filled out your federal income-tax return.

Its an absurd premise, to be sure, but it gives you a sense of what this state has stepped into with Senate Bill 4, the polarizing ban on sanctuary cities that Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law last Sunday.

The unlawful presence of an undocumented immigrant in this country is a civil violation that falls under the jurisdiction of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Similarly, a botched income tax return is a civil violation that falls under the jurisdiction of the IRS.

Federal not local; civil not criminal.

Of course, you can only take the parallels so far. Undocumented immigration is seen through the prism of homeland security, while problems with your income tax returns are viewed as bureaucratic matters that dont endanger anyone. But the common denominator is that neither issue belongs under the purview of local police officers, who are no more equipped to handle immigration questions than they are to assess an improperly calculated tax deduction.

Al Kauffman, a St. Marys University School of Law professor and civil-rights attorney, has seen how profiling can take over when immigration enforcement becomes a state and local concern. In the early 1980s, he handled a case in the Panhandle involving Department of Public Safety agents rounding up individuals suspected of immigration violations. He recalls that one of the people rounded up was charged with the crime of being wet.

Immigration officers are trained to do these things, Kauffman said. Theyre trained to talk to people, to talk about their status  where they were born, what papers they have, etc. Theyre trained to evaluate it and local officials are not.

I think thats one reason why in this (SB 4) debate, you saw that the police chiefs dont want anything to do with it. Because they dont want their officers asking about things where they dont know the law.

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus and Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar made it clear that they saw SB 4 as detrimental to local law enforcement, with McManus saying, SB 4 is bad for public safety. It will not make our streets safer.

Under SB 4, local law-enforcement agencies (including campus police departments) will face civil penalties (up to $25,500 after the first offense) if they adopt, enforce or endorse a policy that prohibits or materially limits the enforcement of immigration laws.

This threat has some immigration-law experts warning that SB 4 could be more damaging than Arizonas much-derided 2010 law, SB 1070. Thomas Saenz, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, recently said the Texas law recalls the 1950s McCarthy era when loyalty oaths were imposed inappropriately on public officials.

SB 4 also will put a barrier between police officers and the carrying out of their inherent mission. For example, if a female undocumented immigrant is sexually assaulted, she will almost certainly be less likely to report it, because doing so will subject her to the risk of deportation.

Police dont want people afraid to be witnesses for them, Kauffman said.

The governor and the majority of this states lawmakers, however, have made it clear that they dont care what police want.

Brehm critiques her own ad

Campaign finance reports are generally pretty dry documents, but District 8 council candidate Cynthia Brehm is doing her best to add some spice to the simple listing of contributions and expenditures.

Brehm turned her 30-day C&E report, filed April 10, into a Yelplike review, as she critiqued the quality of a Facebook video for which her campaign paid $600 to filmmaker Cesario Garcia.

Where the form asked for the purpose of the expenditure, Brehm wrote, Unfortunately, (2) unusable, sub-standard, poor quality videos.

Brehm found the videos too dark looking, while Garcia says in his defense that he had to edit rambling clips of the candidate in which she provided no message.

Brehm offered a thumbs-up, however, to the cinematic efforts of Strong Foundation Films, which her campaign paid $1,000 for what she described on her finance report as high quality, usable videos.

Fortunately for IHOP, Brehm did not apply her poison pen to the Feb. 13 meals she bought there for campaign volunteers.

ggarcia@express-news.net

Twitter: @gilgamesh470
We always have a residual population of APL, but what happened in January and February 2017 is that we had a large rain event in large parts of the landscape and that made it nice and green, so then weve had this background population which has increased in numbers, she said.
Using stud sires in our breeding operation that display excellent phenotype and in the top percentile of the breed for genotype, are important qualities for us and represented by the sires in this years sale draft.
In the sale on Friday, May 19, not only will there be a good run of beef steers and heifers but there will be an increased number of dairy steers on offer compared to last month.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, May 13

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

Turkmenistans President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has made personnel changes in the government, Altyn Asyr TV channel reported.

The corresponding documents were signed by the president during the expanded meeting of the countrys Cabinet of Ministers.

Muhammetmyrat Aydogdyev was appointed deputy prime minister for industry and was dismissed from the post of chairman of Turkmenkhimiya state concern.

Batyr Atdaev was dismissed from the post of the deputy prime minister, supervising the trade complex and entrepreneurship and was appointed to another post.

Orazmyrat Gurbannazarov was appointed deputy prime minister and was dismissed from the post of governor of Dashoguz province.

Mergen Annabaev was dismissed from the post as the chairman of the State Committee of Turkmenistan for Environmental Protection and Land Resources for serious shortcomings in his work. Batyrmyrat Orazmyradov has replaced him in this post.

Yazgeldi Annayev was dismissed from the post of the director general of Turkmen Atlary State Association. He was replaced by Mergennepes Annanepesov, who previously served as deputy director general of Turkmen Atlary State Association.

Mammet Bairamgulyev was appointed as the governor of Dashoguz province, and was dismissed from the post of governor of Dashoguz city.
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Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, May 13

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

Turkmenistans parliament has endorsed the appointment of Batyr Atdaev the countrys prosecutor general, reads a message from the countrys government.

This issue was considered on the proposal of the countrys President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

Previously, Batyr Atdaev served as the deputy prime minister in charge of trade. Earlier, he was the chairman of the Supreme Chamber of Control.

Former prosecutor general Amanmyrat Khallyyev was dismissed from this post after the issue of bribery and corruption among law enforcement officers was raised at the meeting of the State Security Council of Turkmenistan.
The latest on the bus incident in Turkish resort

Baku, Azerbaijan, May 13

By Orkhan Quluzade  Trend:

15:25 (GMT+4) A bus carrying tourists has overturned in the resort area of Marmaris in the Mugla Province of southwestern Turkey, Dogan news agency reports.

As many as 20 people were killed and 11 were injured in the road accident.

The bus was carrying the tourists from Izmir to Mugla Province.

Head of the Marmaris municipality Ali Acar said that the accident was caused by a drivers fault.

14:36 (GMT+4) A bus carrying tourists has overturned in the resort area of Marmaris in the Mugla Province of southwestern Turkey, Dogan news agency reports.

Reportedly, 17 people were killed and 13 were injured in the road accident.

Rescue teams and ambulances have been sent to the scene.
Inking isn't just fashion. It's also about baring your soul to the world. A tattoo could be significant on many levels  emotional, inspirational, philosophical...

From celebrities to the common man, an increasing number of people are opting for this body art. While inking is not a new trend in the television industry, BT updates you with the latest brigade of small-screen actors who have joined the tattoo wagon.



Narayani Shastri and Hubby are the Lords of Rings



Actress Narayani Shastri, who tied the knot with British national Steven Graver (Tony) last year, got identical rings inked on their ring fingers. So, where did the idea stem from? "Both of us hate jewellery. I have lost a lot of jewellery and my husband doesn't wear any. So, we decided to get rings inked on our fingers just after our wedding," she replies. That's not all. The couple also got a tattoo to mark their engagement. "The tattoo reads 'Lucky me, Lucky us'," she says.



Matching game for Ssudeep and Anantica





Actor Ssudeep Sahir and his wife Anantica have got themselves inked with the word 'Always'. The actor says, "The word has more sentiments attached to it than just getting our names tattooed on each other. Also, it perfectly captures what we share; it's a bond for keeps. I got the word inked on my lower arm, while Anantica has hers on the upper forearm." Married for 11 years, the duo's relationship has survived the pressures of showbiz. Ssudeep says, "If you are not happy in a marriage, it is not a good place to be in. Fortunately, Anantica and I have an amazing understanding. We also have our differences of opinion, but we always hear each other out. More importantly, we are best friends first and have the same priorities in life  family and happiness. We never forget to tell each other 'I love you'. It may sound cliched, but I think it's nice to make your partner feel special."



My Son My Life





Dalljiet Kaur got her first tattoo  her son's name  on the occasion of Gudi Padwa. She says, "I got a Viking sign with my son's name Jaydon and a heartbeat inked on my arm. While the Viking sign signifies a fulfilling life, the name and the heartbeat, is my way of telling my son that he is my life. It's not a fad. A tattoo is the only thing you take to the grave, and I will be more than happy to take my son's name with me. I got tattooed on Gudi Padwa and it feels like the beginning

of a new life for both of us."



Aashka Goradia's Moment of truth





Aashka got 'Satyam Shivam Sundaram' inked in Hindi during her visit to the US. She says, "It's a constant reminder of what I believe in  it means truth is God and God is beautiful. Truth is all you need; God is in your truth."



Ssumier Pasricha's circle of life





Ssumier's fascination for ink can be gauged by the fact that he has got three tattoos in total. The latest is a maple leaf design on his calf. Says the actor, who's also popular as Pammi Aunty, "Every tattoo has a significance. My first tattoo on my shoulder is a tribal sign, which means nothing, but looks elegant. The second one is of Durga Maa on my back. That's because I am a true believer of the Goddess. The maple leaf signifies change of phase, season and circle of life."

In no mood to stop, Ssumier is already planning his fourth tattoo.



Three arrows, one meaning





Dheeraj Dhoopar got a tattoo of three arrows around a month ago. He says, "They signify the thought that before aiming for greater heights, one must first pull back like a bow and arrow."

With this addition, he now has two tattoos. The first one says 'Loved'. "It's my favourite tattoo ever. I got it done

because I've always felt loved by God, people and the universe," he sums up.



Sun sign on Mansi Srivastava's arm





After contemplating for long, Mansi finally took the plunge recently. "I wanted a tattoo that represented me, but I couldn't zero in on a design. However, during a recent trip to Singapore, I happened to walk into a tattoo studio, where I instantly fell in love with the Virgo sign. I got it inked on my arm," she says, adding, "My next tattoo will follow soon and this time around, I will do a proper research."



Mom's the word for Aly Goni





When in distress, dial mom and that's the mantra actor Aly Goni follows. Flaunting his love for his mother, the actor got her name  Ruby  tattooed recently. He says, "I love her the most and I wanted to ink the name of a person who will be special forever. There is nobody like mom and nothing can change my love for her."



It's gratitude, passion and faith for Sanam Johar





The choreographer had sketched a design  a person in flames kneeling down with his hands up in the air  when he was young, but mustered the courage to get it inked only recently. He says, "The hands look like the horns of a bull, which signifies my zodiac sign Taurus. While the flames represent my passion for dance, the posture signifies gratitude towards God for whatever he's given me in life."

Sanam has three tattoos in total. He tells us, "The first one is my parents' names in Punjabi. The calligraphy was done by my sister; I loved it so much that I got it inked on my left shoulder. I also have 'Ek Onkaar' on my left hand, signifying my faith that there's only one higher power."












Outlining causes of the $95 billion US trade deficit in textiles and apparel, four US textile trade associations  the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), American Fiber Manufacturers Association (AFMA), Narrow Fabrics Institute (NFI), and United States Industrial Fabrics Institute (USIFI)  have suggested remedial actions to tackle the same.

In their joint comments submitted to the US department of commerce, the coalition of domestic textile manufacturers have recommended six specific actions to tackle the US trade deficit and spur growth in US textile and apparel jobs and output. The recommendations are elimination of unnecessary exceptions in free trade agreements (FTAs), expansion and improving Buy American programmes, prioritising customs enforcement, tackling currency manipulation, enacting comprehensive tax reform, and addressing regulatory burdens.

The US textile industry strongly supports the (Trump) Administrations desire to investigate the causes of our nations trade deficit and respectfully requests that the Administration take steps as soon as feasible to address the root issues associated with this persistent and severely damaging problem, the associations said in their joint comments.

Outlining causes of the $95 billion US trade deficit in textiles and apparel, four US textile trade associations  the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), American Fiber Manufacturers Association (AFMA), Narrow Fabrics Institute (NFI), and United States Industrial Fabrics Institute (USIFI)  have suggested remedial actions to tackle the same.#

In addition, NCTOs Upholstery Fabrics Committee (UFC) has submitted a separate statement detailing the reasons for the US trade deficit in upholstery fabrics, focusing on the imbalance with China in particular. The UFC recommended that the US government should self-initiate countervailing duty and dumping procedures against Chinese upholstery fabrics. Doing so would provide a mechanism to assess appropriate penalty tariffs on Chinese imports of woven upholstery fabrics in roll form, in cut-and-sewn kits, and in upholstered furniture, it noted.

Cut-and-sewn kits are comprised of upholstery fabrics that are cut, sewn and attached to furniture frames and filled with foam. Since they enter the US duty free, they are a huge issue and represented an estimated $829 million of Chinese exports to the US in 2016. Addressing imported Chinese upholstery fabrics and cut-and-sewn kits would encourage increased imports of finished upholstered furniture, so the downstream finished product from China should be covered as well, UFC said in its statement.

Praising President Trump for ordering review on causes of significant US trade deficits, NCTO president and CEO Auggie Tantillo said, A trade deficit study like this should have been initiated years ago.

If America is to reverse its trade-related red ink and create more jobs, policymakers must have a better understanding of the policies and economic factors responsible for driving production offshore, he added. (RKS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
After All, Iulia Never Liked Katrina

Rumours have been always rife that Iulia Vantur is one possessive girlfriend and never liked Katrina Kaif, for the obvious reason!

Will this picture create any trouble in Salman Khan's personal life? Time will tell!

Meanwhile, Check BTS Pics Of Katrina

A few minutes ago, Katrina posted this picture and captioned it as saying, "Very natural posers 50 degrees in the desert , but posing is a must . #tigerzindahai."

Why So Beautiful, Katrina Kaif?

"Tiger time ... in the desert ....," Katrina Kaif captioned the picture.

Kat With Ali

"Abu Dhabi . #TigerZindaHai . Aliiiiiiii," captioned Katrina Kaif.

Katrinas Flower Power..

"Flower power ( it was Reza's idea ) #AbuDhabi #TigerZindaHai," wrote Katrina Kaif, while sharing this picture on Instagram.

When Aditya Chopra Clicked Katrina Kaif

"Hard at work , prep time for Tiger Zinda Hai at yrf . Photography by Aditya Chopra #adityachopradoesexist," captioned Katrina Kaif.

Katrina On Working With Salman

On a related note, Katrina has recently praised Salman Khan for being a very supportive co-star and had said, "I know they are there to make sure that the best happens to the film. Salman has the added advantage of knowing me well as a person, while Ali is one of my dearest friends, so that's the best possible place possible anyone can work in."

Im In Good Hands: Katrina On Salman

"And that's exactly what I feel when I am on the sets of Tiger Zinda Hai - I know that I'm in really good hands and I have people like them to help me every step of the way," had insered Katrina Kaif.

Salmans Recent Post For Katrina

You all must be aware that Katrina Kaif has been roped in Aamir Khan's upcoming film, Thugs Of Hindostan.
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 12, 2017 / Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Ocwen Financial Corporation ("Ocwen" or the "Company") (NYSE: OCN) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court, Southern District of Florida, and docketed under 17-cv-80500, is on behalf of a class consisting of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Ocwen securities, seeking to recover compensable damages caused by defendants' violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

If you are a shareholder who purchased Ocwen securities between May 11, 2015 and April 19, 2017, both dates inclusive, you have until June 20, 2017 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll free, ext. 9980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased.

[Click here to join this class action]

Ocwen Financial Corporation is diversified financial services holding company. The Company's primary businesses are the acquisition, servicing, and resolution of sub-performing and nonperforming residential and commercial mortgage loans, as well as the related development of loan servicing technology and business-to-business e-commerce solutions for the mortgage and real estate industries.

The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operational and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Ocwen engaged in significant and systemic misconduct at nearly every stage of the mortgage servicing process; (ii) the foregoing conduct, when it became known would subject the Company to heightened regulatory scrutiny and potential criminal sanctions; (iii) as a result of the foregoing, Ocwen's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On April 20, 2017, the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a press release entitled, "Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sues Ocwen for failing borrowers throughout mortgage servicing process," reporting that the Company had generated errors in borrowers' accounts, failed to credit payments, illegally foreclosed on homeowners, and charged borrowers for add-on products without their consent.

On that same day, it was further reported that the North Carolina Office of the Commissioner of Banks and state regulators from more than twenty states issued a cease-and-desist order to Ocwen's subsidiaries as a result of the Company's mishandling of consumer escrow accounts and a deficient financial condition. The Order "specifically prohibits the acquisition of new mortgage servicing rights and the origination of mortgage loans by Ocwen Loan Servicing (NMLS number 1852), a subsidiary of Ocwen, until the company is able to prove it can appropriately manage its consumer mortgage escrow accounts."

On this news, Ocwen's share price fell $2.91, or 53.89%, to close at $2.49 on April 20, 2017.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Florida, and Los Angeles, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.

SOURCE: Pomerantz LLP
PARSIPPANY, N.J., 2017-10-11 16:17 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avis Budget Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:CAR) has selected its Avis Car Rental and Budget Car Rental Licensees of the Year for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. This year's recipients for the region are Avis Iceland and Budget Lebanon. Each honoree accepted the accolade at a celebratory event held in Greece. The annual Licensee Awards recognize licensee partners that have demonstrated growth in annual financial performance, measured against their respective country's economic conditions, excellence in customer service and alignment with the brand's initiatives. "As a mobility solutions provider with a presence in approximately 180 countries around the globe, we rely on the expertise and professionalism that our licensees offer Avis and Budget customers in the countries in which they operate," said Mark Servodidio, president, International, Avis Budget Group. "Avis Iceland and Budget Lebanon have invested in their businesses, and delivered strong growth and high levels of customer satisfaction. We applaud their hard work and dedication." Avis Car Rental in Iceland has been independently owned and operated for 30 years, offering a wide selection of well-maintained vehicles, as well as ancillary services and coverages to enhance the driving experience. Budget Lebanon has been in operation for 20 years, providing customers with quality vehicles at great value prices. About Avis Budget Group Avis Budget Group, Inc. is a leading global provider of mobility solutions, both through its Avis and Budget brands, which have more than 11,000 rental locations in approximately 180 countries around the world, and through its Zipcar brand, which is the world's leading car sharing network, with more than one million members. Avis Budget Group operates most of its car rental offices in North America, Europe and Australia directly, and operates primarily through licensees in other parts of the world. Avis Budget Group has approximately 30,000 employees and is headquartered in Parsippany, N.J. More information is available at www.avisbudgetgroup.com. Contact: Alice Pereira (973) 496-3916 PR@avisbudget.com

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Electronic dance music fans in Delhi were in for a treat on 9 May 2017, as the world's leading online music broadcaster Boiler Room made its debut here. The third edition of the 12-part series Boiler Room x Budweiser Discover What's Brewing featured house music legend and Grammy-award winning producer Roger Sanchez, London-based rising star and selector par excellence Josey Rebelle, one of Indias favourite electronic producers BLOT!, and up-and-coming DJ and producer Abhi Meer. The invite-only show saw more than 500 people grooving at the venue, and more than 1,94,000 viewers streaming the event online.

Founded in 2010 by Blaise Bellville, Boiler Room evolved from a webcam taped to a warehouse wall to a global broadcaster streaming the best in underground music, from techno and hip hop to jazz and contemporary classical. With over 12 million dedicated monthly unique users, its award-winning content reaches over 60 million music fans every month. The self-proclaimed online home of the underground gives an audience uncatered for by mainstream radio or TV the chance to hear fresh dance music that rarely gets played in a club  without even setting foot in a club. The series has spotlighted some of the globes most iconic DJs and burgeoning artists on-the-rise across a diverse mix of scenes and subcultures in city locations all over the world, with shows in Mumbai, Santiago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Miami and Bengaluru. The first ever Boiler Room in India was held in Mumbai in December 2016.

Roger Sanchez has been DJing across the five continents for two decades. A prolific remixer  he won the Grammy for the Best Remix Recording for No Doubts Hella Good in 2003  Sanchez also hosts his own radio show, Release Yourself. Accompanying him was Rinse FM resident Josey Rebelle, who has been spotlighted as a DJ to watch out for by the press and her peers alike over the past couple of years.

We spoke to both of them about their experience of the Indian electronic music culture and audiences, the evolution and future of EDM, and their upcoming projects and tours:

Having DJed at clubs and festivals across the world, how would you rate your experience of the Indian electronic music culture and audiences here? Did you expect to make your Boiler Room debut in India?

Roger Sanchez: It has been interesting because the first time I came over, I wasn't quite sure know what to expect. I found the Indian audience to be very receptive. I think since then they have become more knowledgeable about music and obviously with the Internet, they have been absorbing music that has been coming up. I find that they've become more into the whole scene and been developing their own vibe and scene in pockets, which I really, really like. Obviously, the commercial scene has been big for quite a while now but it's the underground, proper house music scene  I love that. I have been to India at least 4-5 times, and the first time I was here was for Sunburn.

Having said that, India is probably not the place I would have expected to play my first Boiler Room at. But I really find it interesting because I think that in different countries, you have very concentrated pockets of real fans that come out as opposed to doing it in New York or Berlin where there is such just so much talent that its kind of expected. It's genuine excitement here, and that makes it very fun.

Josey Rebelle: I had the most amazing time DJing in New Delhi. I had never been to India before and, even though some of my DJ friends who have played here already told me it was amazing, when I DJ in a new country for the first time, theres always that tiny element of worry about whether people will be into it.

But that was totally misplaced here  in fact, I was blown away by how hungry the crowd was for all the underground house, acid, dark techno and break beats I played. The audience made me feel like I could play whatever I wanted  and that is the dream!

What was your experience performing with Indian artists BLOT! and Abhi Meer?

Roger Sanchez: I wasn't aware of their stuff till recently, so I can't sit here and say that I know that too well. But whenever I am introduced to a new act, I start researching and see what they do. I am curious to know more!

Josey Rebelle: When I walked into the venue and heard the sick tunes that Abhi Meer was playing, thats when I knew for sure it was going to be a sick night. And BLOT!s performance afterwards was brilliant. I was so happy to be on the line-up with them  alongside, of course, the legend that is Roger Sanchez who literally blew the club apart!

Roger, you have been an international DJ, remixer and music producer for the past 20 years. Josey, as a DJ, you have a finger in all the pies  be it house, techno, disco, groove, soul, garage and more. Talk to us a little about the evolution of EDM over the years? What according to you, is its future?

Roger Sanchez: When I first started playing, dance music wasn't a defined scenewith the exception of disco which was very big in the States and around the world. I came at the beginning of the hip-hop scene which had jazz, funk and disco all mixed in to create this sound and that was then cut up to create hip-hop. House music came from Chicago to New York and I was pretty much at the inception of that. So, I have seen each of these scenes successively breed another scene. And it has been exciting to see how globalised it has become from when I first started and see some of the sounds come back around, which is exactly what happened with disco and house music coming back. The scenes have splintered into sub-genres but at their core they still share the same principles of losing yourself on the dance floor and finding new sounds. I always find that very exciting and interesting.

I don't follow fads and trends and I find that dangerous. I have what my personal music tastes are and I represent that. What I don't do is stay stuck in one particular period of time or one particular genre. I love music in generaleverything from soul to funk to jazz, hip-hop and Latin. All these different musical influences comprise what I do myself, and its interesting because being open to these sounds means I continue to be open to new sounds.

Josey Rebelle: For me, the future has to be about embracing all elements of our global underground music community. Its easy to be lazy and turn to the same old outlets for music every time, for DJs to play the same old safe sets, for promoters to book the same old safe line-ups for every single club or festival because theyre scared that people wont embrace anything else. So, its brilliant that Boiler Room is exploring scenes across the world, shining a light on places that are underrepresented in typical major event line-ups and bringing people together to show how much we have in common. In a world where politicians are constantly seeking to divide us, coming together and being inclusive has absolutely got to be the future.

What are some of your upcoming projects and tours? What has you excited?

Roger Sanchez: I have quite a few releases lined up on my labels Undr The Radr and Stealth as well as a collaboration with Ultra Nate coming out on Cajual. My next Roger Sanchez single is with Cari Golden called Work 4 it out on Stealth. I also have collaborations in progress with MihalisSafras, Mike Vale, Cocodrills and many other new talents  its looking like an exciting year in music!

Josey Rebelle: Everything has me excited! I just love playing music, so I feel very blessed to have some great gigs coming up soon in places like London, Berlin and Amsterdam as well as my favourite festivals in Croatia. And it goes without saying that I would love to come to India again soon.
Popular MasterChef Australia judge Gary Mehigan, a fan of Indian food, is set to visit India again.

Mehigan posted a video in which one can see a dish being prepared.

He captioned the video which he shared on social media on Sunday: "Heading back to India very soon for World on a Plate. Got me thinking about all that delicious food! Can't wait. India, love India, Indian food, delicious, curry, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi."

World on a Plate India is an international food festival which will take place in Bengaluru and Mumbai soon.

He also shared a photo of Mumbai Dabbawalas, who deliver home-cooked food to office-goers  all with the help of some coding they scribble on the boxes.

The chef, who has been to India a couple of times, had earlier told IANS that he grew up "in the UK, so grew up eating lots of Indian food. But going to India, I realised how one-dimensional the Indian food being offered in the UK was".
After bagging a role in Baywatch, the TV series Quantico, Priyanka Chopra has bagged a role in another Hollywood film.

Chopra will star alongside Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory), Claire Danes (Homeland), Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures) in the film A Kid Like Jake directed by Silas Howard (who has helmed the series Transparent) reports Deadline.

The film is going to be based on Lincoln Center's celebrated play of the same name which is a story of Greg and Alex, a couple who want the best for their four-year-old, Jake. As they try to get him into private schools in New York, they discover they cannot afford the fees of these institutions. A part of what makes Jake special is that he prefers Cinderella to GI Joe is 'a gender-variant', a fact which the couple uses to try and apply for school scholarships. Jim Parsons will play Greg and Claire Danes will play Alex.

Chopra will portray Amal, their friend and a newly single mom who is also trying to navigate the school system along with her love life.

While there has been no confirmation from Priyanka Chopra about the film, the film's producer Paul Bernon made the announcement on Twitter.

Priyanka Chopra had recently revealed in a press conference in India that she missed doing Bollywood films and had shortlisted three three films that she was interested in. Meanwhilem Chopra will be seen next in Baywatch, which will release in India on 2 June and the third season of her series Quantico is in its pre-production stages.
Afghanistan's security forces have killed at least 12 militants of the Taliban terrorist movement in military operations in several provinces of the country over the past 24 hours, Sputnik reported.

According to Pajhwok news agency, the Afghan forces, backed by artillery, killed eight militants in the Shah Mansoor area of Tirinkot, the capital city of Uruzgan.

Three militants were killed in the Manogi district of northeastern Kunar province and one in the southern province of Helmand, the agency added.

Afghanistan has long been suffering from unstable political, social and security situation due to the activity of Daesh terrorist group and the Taliban. The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces are currently conducting joint offensive operations to combat terrorism across the country.
On Saturday evening, hundreds of people gathered at India Gate to hold a candle light march to mourn the death of Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz, according to media reports.

#WATCH Massive crowd turns up to pay tribute to late army officer Lt. Ummer Fayaz at Delhi's India Gate, abducted and killed by terrorists pic.twitter.com/QJWFBZENqj  ANI (@ANI_news) May 13, 2017



The Times of India reported that the candle light march began at 7 pm. Lt Gen (Retd) VK Chaturvedi, participating in the march, said that the country had lost a role model, while AAP leader Somnath Bharti also attending the meeting, said that he had come to the march as an ordinary man and that the nation was paying tribute to Fayaz, Times of India reported.

Many army veterans, students and tourists demanded that the death of the young lieutenant to be "avenged".

"His killing is condemnable. Each and every part of the society should condemn the incident and it should not be accepted at any cost. Stability should return to the Valley. The path Fayaz chose should inspire the people," former Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor said.

The march, that went around the India Gate circle, saw people raising slogans hailing his "sacrifice".

Cries of 'Bharat mata ki jai' rented the air along with others condemning Pakistan and militant groups in the Valley.

Many tourists who flocked the area also spontaneously joined the march.

The alumni association of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, where Fayaz studied before joining the Pune-based National Defence Academy, were among the marchers, along with members of the 124 Infantry Battalion of the Territorial Army.

"If Kashmiris want to go with Pakistan, let them go. I am sure Kashmir will be left with nothing within a few months. And if Pakistan does not abide by the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the Kulbhushan Jadhav case then the Indian Army should be given a chance to retaliate," Captain (retd) Ravi Verma said.

He was referring to the Hague-based ICJ staying the execution of the 46-year-old Indian, who has been sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of "spying".

Lieutenant Fayaz, from the troubled region of Kulgam district, was posted with 2 Rajputana Rifles and had applied for leave to attend a cousin's wedding.

He was on leave when he was picked up from his house at Harmein in Kulgam, 60 kilometres from Srinagar, on Tuesday. The body of the young officer was later found three kilometres from his house.

Fayaz, who studied at Navodaya Vidyalaya, a branch of government schools for gifted students, at Ashmuquam in south Kashmir, joined the Army after being commissioned in December. He belonged to the 129th batch of cadets from the prestigious Pune-based National Defence Academy.

This was for the first time that he had taken leave after joining the Army, a senior official said. He was supposed to have returned to his unit in the Akhnoor area of Jammu on 25 May.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley called Fayaz's murder "a dastardly act of cowardice" and called Fayaz a role model.

The Indian Army has vowed "to bring the perpetrators of this heinous act of terror to justice".

With inputs from PTI
Condemning the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee's (GEAC) decision to allow herbicide tolerant Bayers GM mustard, scientist and environmentalist Dr Vandana Shiva sent out the call across India to intensify resistance to genetically modified (GM) mustard and "the hijack of our food by the Monsanto and Bayer."

The GEAC gave a nod to Bayer's Herbicide Tolerant(HT) GM mustard on Thursday, despite a case still being heard in the Supreme Court and a commitment to the court that no decision will be made till the court gives further directions.

Indra Shekhar Singh speaks with Dr Vandana Shiva to know more about this decision.

What do you think about the GEAC decision to approve of GM mustard?

The GEAC has given the approval for GM Mustard that was rejected in 2002. Since then, it has been established to be inferior in yields compared to non-genetically modified organism (GMO) Indian hybrid. The approval is clearly a fraud perpetrated on the nation and has been granted under pressure from Monsanto and Bayer.

The GM mustard is actually a Bayer mustard. It is evident by looking at its history, traits and the patents on the component technologies. The GEAC committed a fraud in misleading the nation, that the GM technology in mustard was being used to increase yields through producing a hybrid.

The truth is that the GMO mustard is a herbicide resistant mustard, which is resistant to Bayer herbicide glufosinate, which is established to be a neurotoxin. Further, Bayer has hundreds of patents related to the GMO mustard. Bayer has now merged with Monsanto therefore one can call the GMO mustard a Monsanto/Bayer mustard.

While on the one hand, they are corrupting our regulatory agencies, Monsanto is also trying to influence the courts to try and undermine our patent laws. Article 3 J of the Indian Patent Act excludes seeds, plants and animals from patentability. Monsanto and Bayer are pushing GMOs in order to collect royalties from seeds, therefore they are doing two things simultaneous, pushing GMOs, while attacking our patent laws. The real game is: They'd like to patent our seeds and are therefore pushing a failed and toxic technology of genetic engineering on India, her farmers, and her citizens.

Is GM Mustard really dangerous? If so how?



The first danger of GM mustard is monopoly on India's mustard seeds, just like Monsanto established a monopoly on cotton seeds. The second danger is the spread of toxins in our agriculture, both through the spread of the herbicide glufosinate and well as the genetic modification which are toxic in and of themselves.

I have done a detailed review of the fraudulent assessment of GEAC. Let me tell the everyone: There have been no feeding studies conducted on animals or humans. Plus, there is no blood analysis available of the animals. Barnase, Barstar, Bar Genes have not tested for safety in GMO mustard. The GMO will cause devastation to not only biodiversity but also irreversibly impact Indian native mustard, bees, soil organisms.

Ever since these corporations entered India, we have already seen this with the case of Bt Cotton and the cycle of rural debt that pushed 3 lakh farmers to commit suicide.

On the one hand, the government is claiming that it has doubled farmers incomes, but on the other hand it is rushing to approve GMO mustard, which steals farmers' livelihoods and pushes them towards extreme steps. Simply speaking, GM mustard equals farmers suicides in Rajasthan and other mustard growing states.

You have been talking about Monsanto as a cartel? Why?



The cartel has its roots in World War II and Hitlers concentration camps. Monsanto and Bayer made explosives and lethally poisonous gases using shared technologies and sold them to both sides of both the World Wars. Bayer was part of IG Farben, Hitlers economic power and pre-war Germanys highest foreign exchange earner, with offices in the United States and Switzerland.

Monsanto entered into a joint venture with IG Farben, Hitlers supplier of Zyklon-B, a cyanide based pesticide used in concentration camps during the holocaust. Zyklon-B was used as evidence in the Nuremberg trials, finding IG Farben guilty of war crimes. Monsanto and Bayer also had a Joint Venture  Mobay. Mobay supplied ingredients for Agent Orange in the Vietnam War. Wars were fought, lives were lost, countries carved into holy lands  with artificial boundaries that suit colonisation and resource grab  while Bayer and Monsanto sold chemicals as bombs and poisons.

They were one as Mobay, part of the cartel of IG Farben. Controlling stakes of both corporations lie with the same private equity firms. The expertise of these companies is those of war.

The focus of the cartel is on India is because we are a land rich in biodiversity and in agriculture. By taking control if our seeds and collecting royalties, both through genetic engineering and biopiracy, as well as a making India a market for their toxic chemicals and GMO seeds, the cartel sees India as a huge source of profit.

In addition, at this point, when large parts of the world have banned this cartel, they are trying to destroy Indias regulatory and patent system to push through GMOs for patents and royalties. Finally, the same people who are trying to control our food through GMOs also control the pharmaceutical industry. So when people fall sick and get cancer, they have cornered the market on their treatment. What stands in their way is India's sovereignty. They're trying to attack that by corrupting our government agencies.

How can India defend our food sovereignty?



The approval from GEAC is merely a recommendation. The government, especially the environment minister, still has to take a final call. Secondly, agriculture is a state subject and biosafety laws of India require state approval. Chief ministers of mustard growing states such as Rajasthan should maintain their commitment to say no to GM mustard. This is the how the Bt Brinjal was stopped in India.

The government should offer farmers a support price for indigenous oilseeds in order to reverse the import dependence on edible oils such as GM soy bean oil and palm oil that was engineered in 1998 by the same interests, who are now using the same import dependence to promote GM mustard. In 1998, I had started the Sarson Satyagraha to defend our mustard and fight against its ban. Today, we need a Sarson Satyagraha in which every farmer and every citizen participates by refusing to use GM mustard seeds or GM mustard oil.

In 1857 we fought against the East India Company. That was our first independence movement. In 2017, we are being called to participate in the third freedom movementagainst poison in our foodsand freedom from the cartel hijacking our structures of governance and decision making.

Like salt and indigo triggered the Salt March and Champaran Satyagraha, let this new corruption give birth to a nationwide Sarson Satyagraha.
The statement made by Hizbul Mujahideen commander Zakir Rashid Bhat, alias Zakir Musa, has raised a storm in Kashmir Valley. Musa, who was part of Burhan Wani's group, has been active for four years.

The Hizbul commander, in an audio clip released on Friday, warned the Hurriyat leadership not to term Kashmir's freedom struggle as a political movement and threatened that he will chop off their heads and display them at Lal Chowk in Srinagar. People in the Kashmir Valley not only expressed their opposition to this view but many have reiterated that the ongoing movement in Kashmir is political rather than an Islamic struggle.

Though the anger against the Hurriyat leadership has been brewing for a long time for their failure to explore innovative ideas to take the political struggle forward, Musa's statement has come under sharp criticism from all quarters.

Junaid Qureshi, director of European Foundation for South Asian Studies, wrote on his Facebook page: Zakir Musa actually told the world that we Kashmiris are terrorists and that he and his organisation would like to emulate ISIS (Daesh). When you have Kashmiris like him, why would you need enemies?

For the first time since the new-age militancy started taking roots in Kashmir that people from all ideological quarters have come down heavily on the militant commander and despite the internet ban, people are using social media networks through VPNs to voice their opinions.

Junaid Azim Mattu, spokesperson of National Conference, tweeted: Millions bleed scream its a political problem-you pretend to be deaf. One man in the hills says its religious and everyone convinced!

Millions bleed; scream it's a political problem - you pretend to be deaf. One man in the hills says it's "religious" and everyone convinced!  Junaid Azim Mattu (@Junaid_Mattu) May 13, 2017

In another tweet, he said, Kashmir was and is a political problem that requires a political solution. The sentiment is ethnic, not religious. No statement changes that.

Kashmir was and is a political problem that requires a political solution. The sentiment is ethnic, not religious. No statement changes that  Junaid Azim Mattu (@Junaid_Mattu) May 12, 2017

Though the support for the new-age militants has grown over the years, many feel that it should not divert from its political goals. As a result, majority of the Kashmiris are condemning Musas pan-Islamic ideological views.

Mehraj Din, an Islamic studies scholar at the Kashmir University, wrote on Facebook: The statement of Zakir Musa is indubitably the most unfortunate episodes of our freedom struggle and it is equally irresponsible on his part to issue such a statement without taking the religio-political context into consideration. This statement is not even debatable  it should be condemned by all quarters of our society and it must be clearly understood that the cause is not subject to somebodys interpretation rather the individual/movement/group is subject to the cause. Whether it is Zakir Musa, Hurriyat, some liberal sitting in a coffee shop or an academician sitting in the any part of the world.

Writer and journalist, Jehangir Ali was more pointed and called Musa "a juvenile with a gun" on his Facebook page. A juvenile with a gun in his hand who thinks it's 'my way or highway' can't be a representative of my political aspirations! Send him to Syria. Send all those who want to 'establish Sharia' in Kashmir to Middle East where their brothers and sisters need them more than before. I want a Kashmir where people from all faiths live in harmony without the fear of getting persecuted for their religious beliefs. If that invites threats of beheading, so be it, he wrote.

Rais Paray, a college student, wrote Musas words have damaged and distorted the struggle beyond repair. Their media, which is every now and then trying to defame our struggle, now will use your words to counter our truth. It was/is a political struggle rather than what you claim it to be. If its not a political struggle according to you then you are heading towards another exodus which all of us will be held responsible. Also, your words were pathetic and at the times disrespectful. Your words have hung my head in shame, he wrote.

Kaiser Majeed, a resident of Srinagar, called Musa politically immature and unaware of the geopolitical situation around. By threatening leaders to stop calling Kashmir struggle a political problem, he has dented people's struggle for right to self-determination. And Caliphate is not established by hanging people who disagree with you, most importantly, tens of thousands of people have sacrificed their lives for the Kashmir cause, which is political in nature. If you fighting against Indian occupation, go ahead. If not, then dont harm our struggle. Our fight is against Indian occupation not against any religion, or to establish Caliphate. Period, he wrote on Facebook.
Srinagar: The Hizbul Mujahideen on Saturday distanced itself from the statement of its commander Zakir Musa against the separatist leadership, signalling a rift in the militant outfit which has been fighting for Jammu and Kashmir's annexation to Pakistan since 1989.

"The outfit has neither got anything to do with the statement of Musa nor the statement is acceptable to it," Hizbul Mujahideen spokesman Saleem Hashmi said in a statement from Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Terming Musa's remarks in an audio slideshow that surfaced in Kashmir's social media as his "personal opinion", Hashmi cautioned that any statement or step which will create confusion "can prove a death knell for our struggle".

In the 5.40-minute audio clip, Musa had warned the separatist leaders not to meddle in their aim to establish a caliphate in Jammu and Kashmir along the lines of the rule established by Islamic State in parts of Syria and Iraq.

Hashmi said the outfit was pondering over the statement of Musa and will not "hesitate in taking any step or rendering any sacrifice" in the interest of the ongoing struggle. Director General of Police S P Vaid had told PTI that the police had carried out a voice analysis and found that it was was Musa's voice.

The clip is seen as worrying twist in Kashmir's militancy which has largely been about independence and annexation to Pakistan without ever emphasising Islam or connecting it to jihad.

Hizbul Mujahideen is almost as old as the Kashmiri militancy which started in 1989. The group is made up almost entirely of local youths, and had always campaigned for joining Pakistan.

The clip surfaced after Hurriyat leaders recently sought to downplay the growing influence of Islamic State ideology in the Valley. Earlier this week, Hurriyat leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Yaseen Malik issued a joint statement in which they claimed that the Kashmir struggle has nothing to do with Islamic State, Al-Qaida and other such organisation.

Hashmi said the "entire leadership" demonstrated unity on all fronts after the killing of Hizbul's Burhan Wani in July last year and are striving to carry forward the ongiong "struggle for freedom and Islam".

"In such a situation, any statement or step which will create confusion can prove a death knell for our struggle and," Hashmi said and asked the youths to discourage "negative thinking and confused statements" in the media.
Hizbul Mujahideen commander Zakir Musas threat on Friday to the separatist Hurriyat leaders that they would be beheaded if they continued to describe Kashmir as a "political struggle" instead of an "Islamic uprising" may have gone viral in the social media, but in the process both the nature and the limited extent of the insurgency in the Kashmir Valley have been exposed. Unfortunately, this important aspect has not been properly taken note of by the chest-thumping "Kashmir experts" who will like the rest of the world to believe that the Kashmir Valley has been irretrievably alienated from the national mainstream because of Narendra Modi in Delhi and Mehbooba Mufti in Srinagar.

In my considered view, these chest-thumping experts should read a report in The Indian Express and an opinion piece by a serving IPS officer in Jammu and Kashmir in the Hindustan Times to realise that the secessionist terrorists in the valley are a tiny minority (some of them are not even Indians) and that they must not be encouraged to set the agenda for the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Zakir Musa and his Pakistani masters have resorted to the typical terrorist strategy of "injecting fears" in the minds of people and then influencing a gullible media to overplay the incident. However, the fact remains that people under threats may carry on the dictates (like the Kashmir Valley gets shut down whenever there is a call for the "bandh"), but that does not mean that the ordinary Kashmiris support the separatists. On the other hand, in the process, the Hurriyat leaders have been trapped. So far the four main militant groups in Kashmir  Hizbul Mujahideen; Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT); Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM); and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM)  collaborated with the Hurriyat leaders, who, in turn, had great friends and admirers in the Delhi establishment  media, think tanks, universities, NGOs and some leaders in every established political parties.

Though it has been widely well known that the separatists are first and foremost "Islamists" and biggest enemies of the valleys age-old Sufi tradition or Kashmiriyat (the philosophy of coexistence), their friendship with the Delhi establishment was based on the notion that the Kashmiris needed to preserve their autonomy. But once the focus shifts from autonomy to religion, the nature of the political parlance will change and that may not be in their interests. Besides, it will further expose their extremely narrow support-base.

It is in the above context that The Indian Express report and Hindustan Times opinion piece are important. According to The Indian Express, Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, who had visited the valley on Thursday, was told by the officials of the Jammu and Kashmir government that "the situation in the Valley is not as bad as is being portrayed, and the media is widely exaggerating the current unrest." He was told how of nearly 50,000 schools in the state, students from only four to five schools participated in stone-pelting and how "the number of youths joining militancy had not gone up." The state officials were anguished that the media was portraying the incidents as "a widespread phenomenon", which, in turn, was being misused by Indias neighbours to build a false narrative in the Valley at "little cost".

Writing in the Hindustan Times, Swayam Prakash Pani, the IPS officer, exploded the myth that more and more educated Kashmiri youth are joining the terrorist ranks. According to him, among the locals who took up arms, 38 are under-matriculate, 42 are matriculated, six are graduates, two post-graduates and two with technical training. And most of them have not been outside the state. As Pani writes, These statistics bust some of the popular myths advocated in the national media. The first myth is that individual recruits to terror outfits have a sound educational background. An investigation has established that in all most all cases, the academic brilliance attributed to them is far from the truth. The second myth is that the recruits are all radicalised youth. The reason for joining militancy in most of the cases has been found to be peer-group contact and not a strong radical lineage."

There are many other scholarly works that suggest that militancy in the Kashmir valley is concentrated in certain pockets. A study by the Observer Research Foundation says, "It is clear that the meaning of 'disturbance' changes significantly as we travel through Jammu and Kashmir's 'disturbed areas.' While four districts in the Valley  Srinagar, Pulwama, Kupwara and Baramulla  are unequivocally disturbed, and militant violence is moderately high in Anantnag and Poonch, the frequency and impact of militancy is considerably lower in the state's remaining districts. It is said that out of 25 police districts in Jammu and Kashmir, 11 are militancy free. It may also be added here that when one talks of militancy, one has to make a distinction between the locals and foreign militants. A recent police report by the state government suggests that foreign militants are present in considerable numbers in the districts of Shopian, Pulwama, Anantnag, Kulgam, Kupwara, and Baramulla.

The most important point is that all the militancy-prone districts of the valley cited above comprise only 7.2 percent of the total geographical area of the state that is with India at the moment. Should we then be blackmailed by the Islamic separatists who are a microscopic minority living in these areas?

It is worth mentioning here that in the wake of separatist tendencies and Pakistan's proxy wars in the Jammu and Kashmir, we generally give more emphasis on law and order in the valley, neglecting in the process the pathetic governance of the state for decades. Everybody tends to talk of only the Kashmir Valley, giving an impression that Jammu and Ladakh simply do not exist. So much so that now the dictum is that no person from Jammu and Ladakh could ever become chief minister of the state.

The sad reality is that there are grave regional imbalances. Jammu and Ladakh are very poorly represented in the state bureaucracy and other jobs. All the major industrial units such as HMT watch factory, the telephone factory, the television factory and cement factory are in the valley, even though the valley is not at all suitable for every kind of raw material needed come either from or through the Jammu region. And the matter has become so perverse that no Central scheme in Jammu can ever be allowed if a similar scheme is not replicated in the valley. For instance, the state of Jammu and Kashmir has two Central universities, two AIIMS, two IIT-like institutions, something other states in the country can never dream of.

Viewed thus, one should appreciate that the fact that the present the PDP-BJP coalition government represents for the first time in the true sense of the term all the three regions of the state. Here is perhaps the best opportunity in recent decades that there is a government in the state which every ethnic community  Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists  could consider its own. Pandering to the separatists and getting increasingly jittery to the incidents of stone pelting will negate all these gains. Muftis government needs all the best support to ruthlessly deal with the insurgents.
Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir Police claimed to have busted a module of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which had been trying to revive militancy in the Valley, with the arrest of seven persons, including an special police officer and a former Territorial Army personnel.

The module was working to revive militancy in the Doda- Kishtwar-Ramban region of Jammu and Kashmir. Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Jammu Zone S D S Jamwal told reporters that the arrests were made by a special investigation team (SIT) formed after the attack on a police post in Doda on 8 May, in which one special police officer (SPO) was killed and another injured.

Giving details, the IGP said that based on intelligence inputs the SIT had picked up some suspects and subsequently apprehended Abdul Rashid Harga alias Abdullah, a resident of Tanta.

Rashid had been an active member of LeT between 2001 and 2008 and had later surrendered. He was again arrested in 2013 and was released on bail in 2016. "After sustained interrogation, Rashid confessed to his involvement in the (Doda) firing incident and disclosed the names of his two associates -- his younger brother Showket Ali and Akthar Magary of Tanta," the IGP said.

Following their interrogation, four more persons -- Bashir Ahmed, who was earlier part of Territorial Army, his nephew and SPO Altaf Ahmed, Shafqat Hussain and Hafiz -- were arrested.

An AK-47 rifle and three magazines and ammunition have been recovered from them, the IGP said.

He said that Rashid had been in contact with Bashir Ahmed of Bangraw-Gandoh, who was earlier working in the 139 Territorial Army Battalion in Thathri. Bashir had asked his nephew Altaf Ahmed, who was working as an SPO in the police department in Doda district, to arrange a weapon.

The SPO had then stolen one AK-47 rifle and ammunition from the district police line in January. A case in connection with the weapon theft was registered at Doda police station.

The IGP claimed that Rashid was in direct communication with his Pakistani handler, Mohd Amin alais Khubeb aka Haroon alais Pinna of the LeT.

He said that Rashid, Akhtar and Shokat, on the direction of Khubeb, had been enticing youths of Tanta area to join the militancy.

The police officer said that Rashid had been regularly conducting meetings in various areas of the Chenab Valley and motivating former militants and those who had surrendered.
If you must break the law, do it to seize power. In all other cases, observe it, said Julius Caesar. There is a fundamental difference between men and the institutions that they build and leave behind. A man can be stabbed to death by other honourable men. But institutions dont fall like a curtain on their own Shakespearean end. What is at stake and is ultimately lost in such a scenario is the honour of the character that threatens to disrupt the symphony of it all.

In an exclusive chat with Firstpost, former Attorney General of India, Soli Sorabjee expressed his displeasure at the ongoing courtroom drama declared open by the Calcutta High Court Judge Justice CS Karnan when he named 20 corrupt judges of the country and wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding an investigation. A seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court passed the order sentencing him to six months in prison. The image of the judiciary has been tarnished in the eyes of the common man. It is unfortunate that Karnan has gone on to become the first judge of a Constitutional Court to be sentenced to imprisonment for contempt of court. He has brought down the image of the judiciary, he rued.

Justice Karnan's lawyer has told the Supreme Court that the judge who accused 20 sitting and retired judges of the higher judiciary of corruption, now wants to tender an unconditional apology but the court registry isnt accepting his application.

In terms of its moral impact, how different is the incident from when a Subrata Roy Sahara or a Vijay Mallya is caught on the wrong side of the law, we asked. The law is the same for everybody. Sorabjee feels what would have been worse is if the Supreme Court had taken a lenient view on the matter and tried to protect him. Instead of being bothered by the image that the incident sends out, the Supreme Court has rightly ensured that anybody who is found guilty, even if he is a guardian of the law, will not be spared if he breaks it.

The motive is still unknown but Soli Sorabjee feels the drama that Justice Karnan has staged isnt impetuous and there is a script. In response to the apex courts directive requiring him to have his head examined, from a makeshift court in his residence in Kolkata, Justice Karnan sentenced top Supreme Court judges (including the chief justice of India) to five years imprisonment penalising discriminatory action against the scheduled castes and tribes. Look how he played the Dalit card. I dont like this I am a Dalit, I am a Muslim business. Karnan is putting forward calculated defences and is persisting with them, said Soli Sorabjee, speculating that this could be a publicity stunt. Suddenly, the entire legal system has noticed this one high court judge. Who is Karnan, up until now we didnt know anything about him, he asked, calling Karnan a shrewd fellow.

But Justice Karnan has displayed non-conformist tendencies since November 2011, when he made a representation before the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), alleging that he was being mistreated on caste grounds by his brother judges at the Madras High Court.

Since the man is mere weeks away from retirement, wouldnt it have made sense for the Supreme Court to have waited instead of reaching this regrettably low point in the history of Indian judiciary? The Supreme Court had no option. He could have caused a lot more damage by the time of his retirement and supposing he wasnt retiring, he would have still been guilty of contempt of court. Oddballs like Karnan need to dealt with. Hes a mental case, stated Soli Sorabjee.

Contempt jurisdiction is different from impeachment. Contempt is not about the person involved but about the effect of his actions, explained Soli Sorabjee, who has been Additional Solicitor General and Solicitor General of India from 1977 to 1980. Exercise of contempt jurisdiction should be impartial and Karnan must be proceeded against. This is because a message has to go out that contempt is contempt and whether youre the PM or the CM or a judge, you will have to face the consequences.

What he isnt happy about is the gag order on the media from reporting Justice Karnans purported orders. I am not in favour of it at all. The gag order made no sense and was unnecessary. People will know what he says anyway.

On the one hand is a man making outlandish scandalous statements to make headlines and on the other hand is the Supreme Court that had no option but to sentence this man and make a point that it treats its own brethren no differently than the way it treats other members of civil society. A no-win situation.
Editor's Note: Parth MN is travelling across Maharashtra's Marathwada province on a People's Archive of Rural India fellowship to chronicle agrarian issues in the region, over a period of 6-8 months. Firstpost will reproduce his reports as and when he files them for Pari.

Vitthal Chavan has spent the last two months waiting for a call. On 28 February, he went to the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) centre in Osmanabads Kalamb taluka to register his nine quintals of tur  so that the government would then purchase it from him. But the official only wrote his name and number in a notebook and told him, You will get a call.

I have called them every alternate day, visited the centre 4-5 times since February 28, he says, sitting across the officials table at the centre on a steaming morning in early May. Vitthal has a nine-acre farm in Pangaon, and has once again travelled 25 kilometres to reach Kalamb only to ask if his tur (pigeon pea, a lentil) will be procured. Several other farmers with similar problems look on. They kept saying the storage is full or enough gunny bags were not available. Now the deadline is gone and I do not have any evidence of my registration."

Because of a bumper crop of tur last year, around mid-December 2016 the Maharashtra government set up NAFED centres in various districts and talukas to ensure that the traders who purchase produce from farmers do not rob them by negotiating throwaway prices for the abundant dal.

But the NAFED centres were grossly unprepared. The official at the Kalamb centre does not deny this. He is engaged in a discussion with S.C. Chavan, secretary of the Agriculture Produce Market Committee in Kalamb. "We are preparing a report and sending it to the government," says Chavan. "There are several farmers who had brought their tur before the deadline, but we could not accept it because of certain problems. The government will respond and we will act accordingly.

The deadline of the NAFED centres was extended thrice  to 15 March, 31 March and 22 April, after cabinet minister (cooperatives, textiles and marketing) Subhash Deshmukh promised the state would buy every bit of tur. This was a relief for farmers who had stacked the dal in their homes and were struggling to get it registered.

But after 22 April, the Maharashtra government refused to buy tur from farmers, and said the deadline will not be further extended. Only the officially-registered tur that the farmers had dropped off at centres before 22 April would be accepted by the government.

Vitthal Chavans stock was not in among this lot, though he  like many other farmers  had brought his tur to the centre ahead of the deadline. But with only an informal notation by the official, Vitthal has no evidence in hand that he came to the centre in time. How do I trust them? he anxiously asks. What if they just tear out the page where my name is written? It has been months since I harvested the crop. The stock is worth 45,000 rupees but it is lying at my house. If they do not buy it, I will have to sell it at a throwaway price [of even as low a Rs. 1,000 a quintal]. The tur can deteriorate once the monsoon begins.

Last year, after several years, farmers in Marathwada moved away from the water guzzling sugarcane and instead sowed tur, a traditional food crop. They shifted because drought was much more acute in 2016 than in previous years. And they got a bumper crop  20 lakh metric tonnes (across the state), says Subhash Deshmukh, compared to 4.4 lakh metric tonnes in 2015.

The shift away from sugarcane to a sustainable food crop could have, over time, helped conserve water. However, the governments handling of the crop is likely to make tur unattractive in the market for at least a year.

The wholesale market price for tur in Maharashtra was around Rs 10,000 quintal in 2014-15, which dropped in anticipation of a good crop. To the governments credit, had it not initiated the NAFED centres and fixed the minimum support price (MSP, decided by the state to support farmers) at Rs 5,050, the market cost would have plummeted below Rs 3,000 per quintal following the bumper crop.

But oddly, even when the impending quantity of production had become clear, the Indian government imported 57 lakh tonnes of tur from other countries at Rs 10,114 rupees per quintal  as it does every year in varying quantities.

The state, however, said in a GR (government resolution) that it has purchased more than the NAFED mandated 25 percent of the produce of Maharashtra farmers. By April, four lakh metric tonnes of tur has been already purchased, says Deshmukh, and another 1 lakh metric tonnes has been registered for procurement. We have followed the due procedure to ensure the farmers get their dues, he says.

But the official production figure of 20 lakh metric tonnes is conservative. Tur is often sowed as an interior crop  within two strands of sugarcane or other crops. It does not require much water, is harvested in about four months and is regarded as a bit of a bonus. Which is why many farmers only mention the main crop on their land documents. For the number of hectares under tur, the government only calculates the production of farmers who have stated tur on their papers. Reports indicate at least three times of what is registered this year is still languishing with farmers.

Meghnath Shelke, 58, a farmer from Dhanora village in Osmanabad, failed to get his six quintals of tur registered in spite of visiting the NAFED centre several times. Once they sent me back because they did not have a weighing machine, then they said if I leave my stock here, it could be stolen and the centre would not be responsible for it, he says, and points to six gunny bags of tur piled up in a tiny room of his house. For almost a month, the centre was shut. It never remained consistently open.

Besides tur, Shelke cultivates soybean and cotton on his eight acres. Every time he was sent back, he had to come home 10 kilometres from the NAFED centre carrying the six quintals. I have spent hundreds of rupees merely on the commute [by tempo], he says. The government had promised to buy every bit of tur. If the state does not live up to its promise, it will be a severe setback for us as we have to invest in preparations for the kharif season.

Vitthal, in the meantime, has given up and decided to head back to Pangaon in the afternoon. If the cropping season fails, we die. If it is a resounding success, we still die, he says. Already in debt and with a cropping season looming ahead, the timing of the tur crisis has been especially hard on the farmers of Maharashtra.

And after spending almost half a day at the NAFED centre, Vitthal still does not know if his tur will be accepted. As he leaves, he asks again when he should follow up. You will get a call, they tell him.

Postscript: At the time of publication, the government of Maharashtra has extended the deadline to May 31. That does not reverse the harassment the farmers have already gone through, nor does it assure a resolution to their problem in any lasting way.

The NAFED centre in Kalamb, Vitthal Chavan says, is now shut and his tur isn't being procured. When Chavan again phoned the official, he didn't get any specific answer.

This piece first appeared in People's Archive of Rural India and is reproduced by agreement with Pari
Fatehabad (Haryana): A former soldier's wife, shaken by recent attacks on Indian troops by Pakistan, has sent a 56-inch blouse to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an apparent reference to claims that he had a 56-inch chest, largely seen as a symbol of courage.

In a letter to the prime minister, Suman Singh, wife of ex-armyman Dharamvir Singh, reminded Modi that the Bharatiya Janata Party had before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls claimed if it came to power, Pakistan would not "dare" attack Indian soldiers.

"But the situation is even worse now," she wrote.

Her husband told reporters that the letter addressed to the prime minister, along with the blouse, had been submitted to the Zila Sainik Board in Fatehabad.

Dharamvir, who claimed he was a former district observer of the Aam Aadmi Party, said he had served in the Indian Army from December 1991 to 2007 and retired as a havaldar. Being an ex-armyman's wife, he said, Suman had expressed anguish at the recent spate of killings.

"She told me that women send their sons, brothers, husbands to the border to defend their motherland and not to get beheaded and get pelted with stones. Where has the 56-inch chest gone now, she asked," the Fatehabad resident said.

The ex-serviceman was asked if the gesture could be seen as an insult to the office of the prime minister.

"You tell me one thing  are we not being insulted? Our prime minister used to say never ever will our soldiers have to go through what they went through before. But what is happening under the present regime is even worse," he said.

Suman wrote in her letter that videos had surfaced "in which our soldiers are seen being slapped, humiliated and pelted with stones". Two soldiers were beheaded by Pakistan, she wrote. She referred to Lance Naik Hemraj, who was beheaded by Pakistans Border Action Team in January, 2013.

"At the time of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, we felt that no more of our soldiers will be beheaded like Hemraj and enemy will think ten times before doing such action, but they have been repeated," the letter said.

She urged the prime minister to give the Army a "free hand" to tackle the situation on the border. "The way the hands of our soldiers are tied they are unable to take the situation head on, which is most unfortunate," she wrote.

Dharamvir said he was deployed in Jammu and Kashmir for over 11 years. "I was part of several counter insurgency operations. I also got the Sena Medal from the President on two occasions. My son is also preparing to join the forces," he said.
Jammu: Schools along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri remained shut for the third consecutive day as authorities ordered their closure for an "indefinite period" as a precautionary measure after the killing of two persons in shelling by Pakistani troops.

The army has also shut schools along the Line of Control (LoC) in Balakote sector in Poonch and asked people not to move out in border areas.

All the schools situated along the LoC in Rajouri district were closed on 11 May after a woman was killed and two others including her husband were injured in Pakistani shelling on the intervening night of 10-11 May.

"We have closed the schools along the LoC in Rajouri district for an indefinite period," Deputy Commissioner of Rajouri Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said.

Two persons were killed and three injured when Pakistani army fired mortar bombs and automatic weapons along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Nowshera sector of Rajouri district.

The shelling has badly affected five-six hamlets along the LoC including Sheri Makeri, Namakdali, Jangarh, Laam, Bhawani and Khamba belts. It is the third ceasefire violation by Pakistan in as many days.

A woman had died while three persons were injured in firing and shelling by Pakistani troops earlier.

A 35-year-old woman was killed while her husband was injured as Pakistani army violated the ceasefire along the LoC in Nowshera sector on 11 May. As many as 27 families have been affected due to the shelling in which many houses, including a school have been damaged partially or severely, he said.

More than 40 farm animals were also reportedly killed in the firing, he added. Two relief camps have been established in Nowshera where 150 people have been settled. The district administration has also earmarked additional camps which may be required in case of further ceasefire violation.
Germanys state rail operator Deutsche Bahn had its systems infected by malicious software on Friday that locked thousands of computers globally in an unprecedented cyberattack, Sputnik reported citing local media.

The Bild newspaper reported that passenger information displays at several railway stations  including in Frankfurt and Neustadt  were affected by ransomware called WannaCrypt.

Germanys Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) issued a warning late on Friday, saying the program spread through networks on its own, and urged to install the newest operating system updates.

Error messages associated with the program, which locks a computer and demands a payment for restoring access, also popped up on computers of British hospitals and Russias Interior Ministry running Windows operating systems.

The massive cyberattack affected the United States, Spain, and Italy  a total of over 90 countries. IT security firm Kaspersky Lab registered some 45,000 infections worldwide, with Russia being hit the most. Microsoft said it had patched up its operating systems against the cyberthreat.
Islamabad: Pakistan on Saturday accused India of committing "ceasefire violations" and summoned the country's Deputy High Commissioner who countered the allegation by asserting that the cross-border firing was initiated by Pakistani troops to give cover to terrorists.

A Pakistan Army statement alleged that the Indian troops "committed ceasefire violations at LoC in Karela, Kotkoterra, Khuiratta, Sabzkot, Baroh, Tandar and Khanjar sectors".

Three civilians were injured in the firing, it claimed.

A Pakistan Foreign Office official said Pakistan "condemned the unprovoked firing" which allegedly targeted

civilian population.

Sources in the Indian High Commission confirmed the summoning of Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh and asserted

that the Pakistan Army initiated the ceasefire violation using artillery, mortar and small arms.

The summoning came on a day when Pakistani troops pounded Nowshera area of Jammu and Kashmir near the Line of Control (LoC) with mortars, killing two civilians and injuring three and forcing evacuation of hundreds of people from there.

Pakistani troops targeted Jangarh, Bhawani and Laam belts of Nowshera in Rajouri district.

The sources said Singh conveyed that the cross-border firing was initiated by Pakistani troops to give cover to

terrorists and the Indian troops responded only in self-defence.

"We have noticed increased movement of terrorists along the LoC," a High Commission source was quoted as saying.
Ludhiana: One person was killed and seven others of his family were seriously injured after they were attacked by three persons for stopping them from teasing their younger sister, police said on Friday.

24-year-old Chander Bose was killed and seven other members of his family were attacked at village Pahali late Thursday night, police said.

Police said that the family members who worked at a brick kiln in the village were having dinner when they were attacked with sharp edged weapons.

Two of the assailants were arrested.

Police said that one of the assailants had often been teasing the younger sister of the deceased.
Amid alarming rise in the cases of crimes against women, a shocking case of gangrape in Rohtak emerged after a mutilated body of a 23-year-old woman was found. The Haryana police discovered the body on Tuesday and sent it for post-mortem.

Stray dogs had bitten away the victim's face and lower portion of her body which was spotted by a passerby in the urban estate area of Rohtak on 11 May, they said. "Two persons, Sumit and Vikas, have been arrested in this connection," sub-inspector Sonipat, Ajay Malik told PTI. Sumit was an acquaintance of the victim, he further added.

The woman, who was a divorcee, was allegedly kidnapped from Sonipat on 9 May and taken to Rohtak in a car, police said.

The victim's parents had lodged a missing complaint at Sonipat police station. Malik said the woman was first raped and the suspects then hit her with a brick and smashed her face against a stone, adding that the victim sustained grievous head injuries.

However, according to a Times Now report, the woman was mutilated and tortured after she was raped by atleast seven men. She was killed after being raped involving at least seven people. Her skull was smashed in a way which indicates that she was run over by a vehicle in order to hide her identity, the forensic team which conducted the post-mortem was quoted saying in the report.

The family members of the victim, who were called in to identify the body, have accused a neighbour of involvement in the rape and murder.

An investigation into the case has already begun, according to ANI.

Haryana: Woman gangraped, her body found mutilated in Rohtak. Police begin investigation pic.twitter.com/YhJD6pVdzA  ANI (@ANI_news) May 13, 2017

The incident is a gruesome reminder of the 16 December, 2012 Delhi gangrape. The 23-year-old paramedic student, later identified as Jyoti Singh, was raped and brutally assaulted by six men, including a juvenile, in a moving bus. The accused then threw the woman and her male companion out of the vehicle, and left them to die by the roadside. The rape prompted citizens to take to the streets and the government to ponder upon women's safety.

The Supreme Court had last week upheld the conviction and death penalty to the accused Mukesh, Pawan, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Kumar Singh awarded to them by the Delhi High Court court on 13 March 2014.

Naveen Pujari, a Pune technie, was similarly subjected to brutality when she was abducted by the three men on 7 October 2009, while she was on the way to her home. She was raped in a moving car and was later killed in Zarewadi forests in the outskirts of the city. Her body was recovered two days later, while the accused were convicted 8 years after the incident.

A 2015 NCRB study had found the offender is known to the rape victims in 95 percent of cases. What is unknown is whether the statistic stands true for the victim of the Rohtak rape.

With inputs from PTI
New Delhi: The RSS held the CPM responsible for the murder of its worker in Kerala and accused the ruling party of "spearheading murder politics" to annihilate its political opponents in the state.

Condemning the brutal killing of its worker, the Sangh said that the spate of murders of swayamsevaks in Kerala under the CPM rule affirms the state government's conspicuous role in political killings.

"Murder politics is being spearheaded by CPM leadership to annihilate their political opponents, especially RSS from their strongholds," Akhil Bhartiya Prachar Pramukh of RSS, Manmohan Vaidya said in a statement.

With the gruesome murder of Biju, once again, the ruling CPM has reiterated that the party is reluctant to put down arms in Kannur and support the peace initiatives, he added.

Vaidya demanded police to take immediate action to bring all the accused, including the conspirators, to book and ensure a peaceful atmosphere in Kannur.

He asked all peace lovers in the country to protest against the continuing onslaught on basic human rights of RSS workers and other nationalist organisations in Kerala.

An RSS worker, Biju was hacked to death allegedly by suspected CPM activists at Payyanur town on Friday, prompting the BJP to demand imposition of the Armed Forces

(Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in Kannur district.

The killing is the first incident of political violence since "peace talks" in January between the leaders of the ruling CPM in Kerala and the BJP-RSS in Kannur.
New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi expressed deep shock and outrage over the brutal gang rape-and-murder of a young woman in Rohtak in Haryana, and highlighted the need for "revisiting" the issue of women safety.

"This savage and bone-chilling incident has shocked the conscience of the nation, reminding each one of us about the crying need for revisiting the important issue of women's safety and security," she said in a statement. Expressing heartfelt condolences to the family, Gandhi hoped that the Haryana government would take action against the perpetrators of the crime and provide necessary solace to the family.

A 23-year-old woman was gang-raped and brutally murdered with her mutilated body being found in Rohtak district, police said.

Stray dogs had bitten away the victim's face and lower portion of her body which was spotted by a passer-by in the urban estate area of Rohtak on 11 May, they said.

Two persons have been arrested in this connection, Superintendent of Police of Sonipat Ajay Malik said.
Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid has rightly diagnosed triple talaq as a man-made sin that cannot be condoned by Islam. But, his remedy for the practice, called abhorrent by the Supreme Court, is equally sinful because it is premised on the same argument as triple talaq  that of gender inequality.

On Friday, arguing in the Supreme Court against the practice that allows Muslim men to divorce their wives by simply pronouncing talaq thrice, Khurshid rightly pointed out that a "sin cannot be part of Sharia, which is god ordained." "Something which is sinful for the law ordained by god cannot be legal," Khurshid said.

The eminent lawyer's simple, yet incisive, argument effectively nails the issue. Triple talaq is a sin perpetrated just on Indian woman  it is not practised anywhere in the world except, ironically, the world's largest democracy  in the name of personal law that has no justification  moral, legal or religious.

To rephrase Khurshid's argument: Those who dump their wives just by pronouncing talaq three times not just commit an illegality, violate the founding principles of humanity and India's Constitution but are also sinners in the eyes of the god they revere.

As Ram Jethmalani, who is representing Muslim women who have challenged triple talaq in the Supreme Court, said: "No amount of advocacy by humans can make this abhorrent and repugnant practice valid." Unfortunately, Khurshid's solution to the problem is equally regressive and unjust, even though it may be validated by Quran and Islamic tenets, albeit for reasons that may not be valid today.

Khurshid told the apex court that it need not go into the triple talaq if it accepted his suggestion to declare the practice as "single talaq". What Khurshid meant was that even if a Muslim man pronounces triple talaq in a single sitting  says 'I divorce you, I divorce you, I divorce you' it need not repudiate a marriage. In fact, it should be considered as a "single talaq" that should be followed by a period of reconsideration and reconciliation.

"When a married Muslim man pronounces single talaq, a three-month iddat period kicks in during which reconciliation efforts are made by intermediaries. If reconciliation succeeds, he can revoke the talaq. If not, he announces talaq again and the same process gets repeated till the final talaq is pronounced, making divorce irrevocable," Khurshid said.

Prime facie, Khurshid's solution has some amount of Islamic legitimacy. Many Islamic scholars argue the Quran allows men to divorce their wives after pronouncing talaq twice, but over a period of three months of purity  where no sexual contact is permitted  and efforts at reconciliation. The waiting period also ensures that the wife is not pregnant. This initial declaration of talaq, according to scholars, is considered revocable (talaq rajaah) and does not terminate the marriage.

But, this practice of talaq followed by a period of iddat was meant to protect women, not to deprive them of their rights. In the pre-Islamic Arab world, scholars argue, men used to pronounce talaq hundreds of times to abandon and reclaim women at will.

"According to the Qur'an, divorce is not an arbitrary and whimsical thing. The method prescribed by the Qur'an for divorce is that one can give divorce twice only, i.e., on two different occasions and then either he has to keep the woman with kindness or leave her with benevolence. In pre-Islamic Arab society, they used to pronounce divorce even one thousand times and keep the sword of divorce hanging on her head. The Qur'an disallowed it and permitted pronouncement of divorce only twice," writes Ibrahim B Syed, president of the Islamic Research Foundation International.

But, Khurshid's solution doesn't sound valid simply because it violates the very principle of equality Muslim women are fighting for. Giving men the power to unilaterally initiate talaq proceedings makes a woman the victim of an unjust practice, especially when the very purpose of single talaq was to protect the rights of a wife in the pre-Islamic Arab world.

While advocating single talaq, Khurshid should answer just one question: Can a Muslim woman also initiate divorce of her own volition by taking recourse to this practice?

If the answer is no, his solution is equally irrational and sinful. Because in the eyes of god, men and women were created equal and any man-made law that violates this principal is gunaah-e-azeem.
Chennai: A team of West Bengal police personnel continued their search for Justice CS Karnan for the fourth day, but the Calcutta High Court judge still remained untraceable.

The search is continuing with the assistance of local police to comply with a Supreme Court order which sentenced the judge to six months imprisonment for contempt. The visiting team, with the aid of local police, have already questioned several persons, including the kin of Justice Karnan to trace his whereabouts.

Police sources said: "We are providing all assistance needed by our West Bengal counterparts to execute the court order sentencing the judge."

However, the efforts of police to locate the judge have not fructified so far.

A seven-judge bench of the apex court had on 9 May held Karnan guilty of contempt of court and sentenced him to six months imprisonment.

Justice Karnan, who has been on the warpath with the Supreme Court for last several months, is the first sitting judge of a high court to be sentenced. He is due to retire next month.

Yesterday, the apex court had said a "conscious decision" was taken by seven of its judges to sentence justice Karnan to six months imprisonment by holding him guilty of contempt.

"The seven judges assembled to take a conscious decision," a bench headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar had said.
Srinagar: The threat by Hizbul Mujahideen militant commander Zakir Musa to Hurriyat leaders has come at a time when the separatists have been holding constant dialogue with the representatives of national mainstream political parties over ending the logjam on Kashmir.

The separatists including the Hurriyat Conference(G) chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, met civil society delegation led by senior BJP leader and former External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha in October last year. A Kashmir conclave of different parties is expected in New Delhi this month. Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has said that the proposal to hold a conference in Delhi is an attempt to seek a "unified voice" on resolving unrest in the Kashmir valley.

Geelani had been vocal against any dilution of stand on Kashmir and bilateral talks with New Delhi and had even rebuffed former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf over his four-point formula on Kashmir which emphasised on porous borders and devolution of regional autonomy. He had out rightly rejected bilateral talks, stating that the dialogue either between India and Pakistan or Delhi and Srinagar was a futile exercise unless the issue is resolved through UN resolutions.

The dialogue between separatists and mainstream political parties came even as other Hurriyat members including Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) chairman, Shabir Shah, and Nationalist Front chairman, Nayeem Khan, broke up from the Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, blaming the amalgam of dilution of its stand on Kashmir. On 10 September, 2015, Shah, Khan and Anjuman-e-Shar-e-Shian president Agha Syed Hassan had joined Geelanis group after they had dissociated with the Mirwaiz-led group. According to sources, the trio had left the Mirwaiz faction after a senior Hurriyat leader had advocated that the resolution of the Kashmir problem has to be found while shelving the UN resolution. As per the UN resolution, a referendum was to be held to give the people of both the parts of Kashmir administered by Pakistan as well as this part of Kashmir the choice to decide on their final accession with either New Delhi or Islamabad.

Shah and Nayeem Khan had said in the Hurriyat(M) meeting that the Hurriyat shouldnt deviate from its 1993 constitution, whose preamble was that the UN resolutions are the bedrock of solution to the Kashmir problem." But in a recent development, Shabir Shah had resigned from the position of general secretary of the Hurriyat Conference and in his letter to Geelani, he had noted that Hurriyat had failed to live up to the promises of people. However, Shah reiterated that there should be no politics read into his resignation. "I was not able to do justice to the job. Since I was remaining mostly under arrest, I was not able to deliver effectively," he said.

However, three of the separatist leaders  Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and JKLF Chairman, Yasin Malik  have also significantly formed a joint conglomerate after the 2016 uprising which was triggered after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant commander Burhan Muzafar Wani. The joint statements are being issued by the three leaders including the calls for the shutdown.

While Geelani is influenced by Jamat-i-Islami ideology as its member, that seeks the revival of Islam to its pristine glory, both Mirwaiz and Malik maintain a moderate posture. Malik is advocating the freedom of Kashmir both from India and Pakistani rule, while Hizbul Mujahideen has been advocating merger of Kashmir with Pakistan. Geelani, Malik and Mirwaiz had in a joint statement termed the Kashmiri struggle a political movement which led to the Hizbul Mujahideen commander issuing a warning.

Despite his meetings with the mainstream politicians, there are many who still consider Geelani closer to the Pakistani establishment. However, political commentator and Kashmir legal expert, Dr Sheikh Showkat Hussain, differs. "Geelani is the one who took on the Pakistani establishment and even went against Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's four point formulae," he said.

Reacting over the threat, National Front Chairman, Nayeem Khan, said that the Hurriyat Conference is a recognised political forum which has "nourished the blood soaked struggle of people". He said that "we are seeking the resolution of Kashmir issue as per the international norms." He said that the it was for the United Jehad Council (UJC) Chief, Syed Salaudin, to issue any "clarification" over the situation that has developed after the warning by HM militant commander.

On Friday, hours after Zakir Musa released the video, UJC chief, Syed Salahudin, said that he has directed the militants on the ground to desist from issuing statements and consult the top commanders on policy and freedom matters. He said that there is no role of Al-Qaeda, Islamic State and Taliban in the freedom struggle of Kashmir.

The ongoing freedom struggle is aimed to throw the Indian forces out of Kashmir has been started by the people themselves. There is no role of any other force including Al-Qaeda, ISIS and Taliban, Salahudin told a local news agency, adding that there is also no need to involve them in this freedom struggle.
In 1965, at the age of 44, soon after the release of his landmark film Charulata, Satyajit Ray wrote the first draft of a short story, which featured a young boy, barely into his teens, describing the superlative analytical and detection powers of his older cousin brother. Although intended to be a light-hearted detective story, it had several comic elements, and there was very little of crime in it. But the fond relationship between the narrator and the protagonist was beautifully captured. That young boy was Tapesh Ranjan Mitra, or Topshe, and his 27-year-old cousin was none other than Prodosh Chandra Mitra, also known as Feluda, who was to go on to rule the heart and mind of every single reader of Bengali literature for the next several decades.

Even after 52 years since the first story was written, outside the state of West Bengal, from where he originated, Feluda hasnt had any national adaptations in popular media like cinema or the television (barring a forgettable one in which a pot-bellied Shashi Kapoor embarrassed everyone by playing the strapping young Feluda). In fact, the other great detective from Bengal  Byomkesh Bakshi  has seen at least two mainstream commercial adaptations in both these media. And yet, if you were to ask the average Bengali reader to name his or her favourite detective, chances are, Feludas name will be taken first. Why did this happen? What are the traits that Feluda has that a dozen other detectives dont?

Anyone who has read a Feluda novel, novella or story will tell you that the adventures are also mini-travelogues by themselves. And most people like the very idea of travelling. An adventure set in the verdant slopes of Pahalgam, or in the barren deserts of Jaisalmer, or the windy beaches of Puri, or in the dark, damp and serpentine lanes of Benaras is a far more attractive proposition than one set in a bungalow in urban Kolkata. Add to this the immaculate and artistic, yet terse description of the locales by Ray, and you already have the setting taken care of.

Then comes the sleuth himself. A quintessential Bengali young man  tall, smart, reserved, with an excellent sense of humour, upright, honest to the core, extremely well read, possessing photographic memory, interested in all things under the sun, foodie, excellent with wordplays and card tricks, physically fit, possessing certain extraordinary physical capabilities like being able to see clearly in almost pitch-dark, extremely logical and yet with a mind completely open to the paranormal and pseudoscience  Ray has given his creation certain qualities that set him apart from the stereotype that an average Bengali man in his early thirties tends to portray. Thats not all. Feluda fights the smugglers of Bombay, unmasks a racket manufacturing and distributing counterfeit medicine in Kathmandu and goes on a cross-country pursuit of a criminal trying to vandalise ancient temples of India, finally nabbing him red-handed in Ellora. He is, in that sense, a national hero  not just a private investigator.

At the same time, inspired (self-admittedly) by Conan Doyles immortal creation Sherlock Holmes, Ray has given Feluda certain grey traits which make it just about possible for the average reader to connect with him, to make him something less than a superhero. So, Feluda is not above bribing a chowkidar to get his job done, or losing a fistfight with a group of thugs, or suspending his job temporarily to sink into a lazy afternoon siesta, or stealing something from someone (only if the situation demands it!) Nor does he let go of a chance to make a sarcastic  but not snide  remark to make fun of his good friend and long-time companion  the riotously comic Lalmohan Babu, more popularly known as Jatayu. Despite all the admiration readers have for him, Ray made sure that Feluda is within everyones reach. Add to these Topshes innocent admiration of his cousin brother and his blind faith in Feludas capabilities, and we have the three musketeers going on some of the most memorable adventures readers have come across.

Another important reason for Feluda being so popular is the reader base. Most detectives who work in the realm of crime are written only for the adult readers. But perhaps as a continuation of his fathers and grandfathers contribution to childrens literature, or perhaps as a clever commercial masterstroke, Ray wrote Feluda for young adults, keeping in mind at the same time that all well-written childrens literature in the world are also read with equal enthusiasm and enjoyment by adults. In doing so, he immediately opened up his reader base to more than one demographic segment, so that when one generation of readers have passed on, theres the next to talk about his creation, thus making it virtually immortal. Of course, this has later been tried by several other writers, but no one has been able to match the sharp, visual and intelligent writing of Satyajit Ray.

But every journey has its own hardships. No matter which crime series you are reading in any part of the world, you will always find a creative arc in them, one with its own rise and fall. Feluda was no different. Serious readers and fans of the series will note the somewhat rocky terrain the stories hit somewhere around 1983-84. Perhaps owing to his failing health, or due to the tragic fact that his doctors had strictly forbidden him from doing what he loved to do the most  shoot outdoors  Ray seemed to have lost the magic touch which made Feluda so popular. In one of his own novels titled Nayan Rahashya (The Nayan Mystery), Feluda admits having received as many as fifty-six letters saying the same thing over and over again  Felu Mitras cases are not as interesting as they used to be, Jatayu is not being able to make us laugh anymore, Topshes descriptions have become dull and dreary  to which, of course, Jatayu flares up and takes furious exception, asking categorically if such readers think of him as a clown! Although Feluda immediately tries to calm him down, Jatayu continues to grumble and asks him why he hasnt thrown such stupid letters into the waste paper basket already. Feludas reply gives us an excellent and heart-warming peek into the mind of his creator, who was writing most of these stories from a hospital bed  No, Lalmohan Babu, I havent. Because over all these years, these very readers have supported me and liked my stories. One fine day, if they say that they are not liking me anymore, I cant simply dismiss their complaints just like that.

Thankfully, Feluda redeemed himself to some extent in that very novel. Although the descriptions were still rushed, and the humour was forced in places, the core puzzle in the mystery was still quite baffling and vintage Feluda. However, it was too late, because the very next year, Ray wrote his final Feluda novel, before he passed away after a few months, in 1992.

But these small blemishes could hardly tarnish an epic body of work that Ray had left behind. As a reader and a fan, of course, one ought to look at some of the absolutely mind-boggling Feluda stories that Satyajit Ray has given us. Sonar Kella (The Golden Fortress)  an epic adventure like no other  in which Feluda travels all the way to Jaisalmer to save a ten-year-old boy who claims to remember facts from his past life. Joy Baba Felunath (The Mystery of the Elephant God)  in which Feluda meets his arch-enemy, a man whose sheer cunning almost surpasses Feludas genius. Chinnomostar Obhishap (The Curse of the Goddess)  a story with puzzle after puzzle after puzzle, all of which Feluda solves with his razor-sharp intellect. Tintorrettor Jishu (Tintorettos Christ)  in which Feluda has to go all the way to Hong Kong to save a Renaissance age painting that has been stolen from an aristocratic family in rural Bengal. One could go on and on. Feluda epitomizes everything that an average reader wants to be. He is their hero in the truest sense of the term. And yet, he is a man of flesh and blood, not unlike one among them. Which is why, to fans of mystery novels, Feluda will remain, by far, the most endearing, the most popular detective Bengali literature has ever seen.

Bhaskar Chattopadhyay is an author and translator. His translations include 14: Stories That Inspired Satyajit Ray, and his original works include the mystery novels Patang, Penumbra and Here Falls The Shadow.
03:03 (GMT+4) At least four people died and five more were injured when a passenger train derailed in northern Greece on Saturday night, Reuters reported citing railway company TRAINOSE.

Video footage on Greek websites showed one carriage had ripped through the ground floor of a two-storey house. Other photographs showed carriages with smashed windows and others on their sides in a residential area.

The train was heading from Athens to the second-biggest city of Thessaloniki when it derailed in the town of Adendro, some 37 km (23 miles) away. The cause of the accident was not clear.

The driver was in critical condition, TRAINOSE said.

"Death came calling," the Athens News Agency quoted Yorgos Mylonas, a local resident, as saying. "I heard a strange noise and then I saw the train approaching and ramming into my neighbor's house," he said.

The agency reported about 100 passengers were on the train and some media said five carriages had derailed.

At least 12 fire trucks were deployed to the area, the fire brigade said, and a rescue operation was underway.

01:12 (GMT+4) At least 10 people were injured when a passenger train derailed in northern Greece on Saturday night, Reuters reported.

Photographs on Greek news websites showed one carriage on its side near a residential area.

The train was heading from Athens to the second biggest city Thessaloniki in northern Greece when it derailed near the town of Adendro. Its engine was propelled into a nearby house but the cause of the accident was not yet known, a police official said.

The Athens News Agency reported about 100 passengers were on board the train and some media said five carriages had derailed.

Twelve fire brigade trucks were deployed to the area, the fire brigade said and a rescue operation was under way.
New Delhi: Former Delhi minister Kapil Mishra mounted a fresh attack on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of using AAP MLAs as a "shield" after party legislator Sanjeev Jha announced a hunger strike to counter the rebel leader's ongoing fast.

Jha was detained by the police while he was proceeding to stage the planned hunger strike outside Mishra's residence. He was taken to Sarai Rohilla police station.

Jha has demanded that Mishra come clean on the claim that he saw Health Minister Satyendar Jain pay Rs 2 crore to Kejriwal.

In an "open letter" to Kejriwal, Mishra, whose hunger strike entered the fourth day, again pressed for divulging the details of foreign tours undertaken by five leaders of the party.

"How much drama will you create to hide one truth. You are trying all tactics to divert attention. "You (Kejriwal) made a strategy to use MLAs as a shield. However, only one MLA came forward to be that shield?" Mishra said, adding that his next "expose" would be tomorrow.

Earlier in the day, Jha who is an MLA from Burari, went to Rajghat, Mahatma Gandhi's memorial, to "seek blessings".

"On 7 May, Kapil Mishra had said that Arvind Kejriwal had met Satyendar Jain where he paid him Rs 2 crore. My question to him is at what time did he meet the chief minister. Which car did he use? I have the entire day's video footage. The whole world knows about Kejriwal's credentials and he (Mishra) should give evidence to back his claim. If it turns out to be true, even I will join him in his hunger strike against Kejriwal," Jha said.

Mishra hit back at Jha with another "open letter" and "advised" him to drink lots of water during the hunger strike.
Kolkata: BJP on Saturday alleged that Trinamool Congress had attacked its workers at Dinhata in West Bengal's Cooch Behar district, which was dismissed by TMC.

State BJP secretary Locket Chatterjee alleged that TMC activists attacked and damaged some two wheelers and a vehicle of the BJP workers.

"They (TMC) have beaten up our party workers. They attacked my vehicle too... Our workers resisted them. We will reply in the same language which they (TMC) understand," she said.

Dismissing the charge, TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee said that BJP did not have the people's support and was trying to resort to communal politics and violence.

"The administration will take action. They (BJP) may try to be the hero but in the end they will remain zero," he said.

TMC leader Rabindra Nath Ghosh accused BJP of raising comunal slogans.

Police were deployed in the area to maintain law and order.
Chandigarh: Haryana on Friday rejected Punjab government's claims that two neighbouring states had agreed to find through talks a solution to the contentious Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue.

A Punjab government release had earlier said that responding to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's call for discussions to resolve the decades-old contentious issue, the two states agreed to try and find a collective solution.

Rajnath's plea came after Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, hosting the 28th meeting of the Northern Zonal Council (NZC) here, pushed for consensual resolution of the dispute by calling for coordination of the states and the central government.

However, a Haryana government release issued here on Friday called it as "misleading and incorrect".

Haryana's Agriculture Minister, OP Dhankar, who was present in the meeting, said that Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had made it abundantly clear both in his printed speech and in his oral remarks that "there was no question of any dialogue on the SYL canal issue since the Supreme Court's judgment has attained finality and Haryana's execution petition is listed for hearing in July 2017".

"In fact, just like the stand of the Haryana Chief Minister, the Union Home Minister said that while all states must make serious attempts to resolve all issues through dialogue under the aegis of the Zonal Council, the failure thereof would leave the recourse to the courts as the only final option," Dhankar said.

He said that in fact when Haryana pointed out that it was an issue of national concern that despite the Indus Water Treaty, more than 3 MAF water goes to Pakistan, "Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder said that that happened only during the monsoon".

Khattar said in the meeting that Haryana is more than willing to accept this water even during monsoon.

"Amarinder reacted by saying that if they were to do so, Haryana would be flooded. Khattar explained to him how thousands of villages of southern Haryana go thirsty even during monsoons and that the elaborate but usually dry canal network of Haryana can accept this water.

"While Amarinder looked at his officers, Haryana CM said that construction of SYL canal was a must for this water to come to the parched fields of Haryana whether during monsoon or otherwise. At this stage, there was no reaction from Punjab," Dhankar said giving out details.

Later in the meeting, Khattar pointed out as to how Punjab was not even allowing linking of Hansi-Butana Canal

with Bhakra main line even though it did not involve drawing even a single drop of Punjab's water by Haryana.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Government release had earlier said that Amarinder suggested that the chief ministers and chief secretaries of both the states should sit and discuss the SYL issue threadbare in order to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution.

The Punjab Chief Minister suggested the Union Water Resource Ministry convene a meeting of the CMs and Chief Secretaries at the earliest to take it forward.

Amarinder pointed out that with an estimated 10 lakh acres of southern Punjab likely to go dry following the construction of the SYL, the region, which had seen the emergence of Naxalism, could become the hotbed of terrorism, triggering a national problem.

Though Haryana had less land, it had been given more water at the time of Punjab's reorganisation, said Amarinder, pointing out that Punjab did not get any share of the Yamuna water.

Khattar said in the meeting that his government is willing to work towards an "amicable settlement" of every issue, "but we must always honour agreements arrived at in the past".

"Since our faith in the Constitution of India is full and unflinching we would never hesitate in taking legal recourse in our determination to safeguard our interests and to protect the rights of the residents of the State," Khattar said, according to a Haryana government release.

"Haryana is a water stressed State as against the demand of 36.0 MAF water, the availability of water is only 14.7 MAF. We have to give, out of our own share in the Yamuna waters, extra water to Delhi in compliance of the Apex Court's orders, even as Punjab is not delivering Haryana's full share of the Ravi-Beas water", Khattar added.

Khattar also termed it "most unfortunate" that thousands of villages in Haryana and millions of hectares of land are even today bereft of the water "that is our due from Punjab".

Earlier, in his address, Amarinder reiterated his demand for re-assessment and re-determination of the availability of surface waters in the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers.

Noting that Punjab was suffering an ecological crisis because of depletion of ground water, he urged the central government to take expert advice on how to make reliable estimates of future flows in these rivers.

Others who attended the meeting were Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore, who is also UT Chandigarh's Administrator, Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal, Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave, J-K Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, Himachal Pradesh minister Thakur Kaul Singh and Rajasthan minister Ram

Pratap.
Srinagar: An audio slideshow has surfaced in Kashmir's social media that has voice of Hizbul Mujahideen militant commander Zakir Musa talking about establishing an Islamic caliphate besides threatening separatist leaders in the Valley.

The voice is that of Zakir Musa, Director General of Police SP Vaid told PTI here.

He said police carried out voice analysis and compared it with Musa's earlier videos and audios. "It's Musa only," Vaid said.

The 5.40-minute audio warns the separatist leaders not to meddle in their aim to establish a caliphate in Jammu and Kashmir along the lines of the rule established by Islamic State in parts of Syria and Iraq.

The clip was seen as worrying twist in Kashmirs militancy which has largely been about independence and annexation with Pakistan without ever emphasizing Islam or connecting it to jihad.

Hizbul Mujahideen is almost as old as the Kashmiri militancy which started in 1989. The group is made up almost entirely of local youths, and had always campaigned for joining Pakistan.

In the audio clip, the speaker also asks other non-violent separatists to either fight along with militants in the battle field or refrain from making statements about the present armed struggle.

The clip surfaced after Hurriyat leaders recently sought to downplay the growing influence of Islamic State ideology in the Valley.

Earlier this week, Hurriyat leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Yaseen Malik issued a joint statement in which they claimed that the Kashmir struggle has nothing to do with Islamic State , Al-Qaida and other such organisation.

The slideshows Urdu-language audio overlays pictures and quotes of jailed Indonesian national Abu Bakar Bashir and Yemni resident Anwar al-Awlaki. Both are considered as brain behind Islamic State and Al-Qaeda activities.

While confirming that the voice in the slideshow was that of Musa, senior police officials did not rule out the possibility that the banned Islamic State terror group was trying to create a base in the Valley.

The security agencies had warned that internet chats and establishing of contacts with possible handlers in Syria and Iraq by some youths have grown in the last six months.

Last month, two masked gunmen appeared at the funeral of a Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist in Pulwama during which they asked the gathering to follow the rules laid down by the Taliban and the Islamic State, and not support or raise slogans in favour of Pakistan.

They gave fiery speeches for over three minutes in which they spoke about pan-Islamisation and the importance of having Shariat as a law and fled after firing guns in the air.

Militant outfits including United Jehad Council, a conglomerate of terror outfits based out of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, as well as separatists were quick to downplay the incident but security officials viewed it with more seriousness.

The agencies felt that if the growing influence of Islamic State was not checked, it could be detrimental to the situation in the Valley.

There was no pinpointed information about the users other than the general areas of some villages in South Kashmir, Sopore in North Kashmir, Prang and Lar in Central Kashmir as well as Reasi, Kishtawar and Doda areas of Jammu region, they said.

During the recent protests across the Valley, Islamic State flags were waved in certain areas. Also, walls in some were splattered with slogans supporting the banned terror outfit.

The Indian Army has also been worried about the growing influence of the Islamic State ideology on the youth of the Valley and a study done last year showed that six out of 10 youths were watching videos of controversial Islamic preacher Zaki Naik or other jihadi videos.

However, In a statement today, Hizbul Mujahideen supreme commander Syed Sallahuddin also said there was no place for groups such as Islamic State , Al-Qaeda or the Taliban in Jammu and Kashmir.

"This movement is purely local and indigenous. It has no international agenda. Al Qaeda, Daesh (Islamic State ) or Taliban have no involvement or role in Kashmir," he said.
Kannur: An RSS worker was hacked to death allegedly by CPM activists at Payyanur town on Saturday, prompting the BJP to demand the imposition of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in Kannur district.

The killing is the first incident of political violence since January's "peace talks" between the leaders of the ruling CPM in Kerala and BJP-RSS in Kannur.

Police said the deceased, Choorakad Biju, was travelling on a motorcycle when some persons intercepted his vehicle at a bridge near Payyanur and launched a fatal attack on him.

Biju, a local RSS leader, was an accused in the murder case of CPM activist CV Dhanraj. He was out on bail.

Police said additional personnel were posted in the area as a precautionary measure.

The politically sensitive Kannur district has witnessed a series of violent clashes between the activists of the CPM and BJP-RSS over the last one year.

Biju's killing drew a strong reaction from Kerala BJP chief Kummanam Rajasekharan, who said Kannur should be declared a "disturbed area" and AFSPA should be imposed in the district in view of the "frequent" attacks on the workers of the saffron party.

"Since the government has failed to curb the violence, AFSPA should be imposed in Kannur to maintain law-and-order," he said, adding that a memorandum would be submitted to the Governor in this regard.

"CPM workers are unleashing violence against their political rivals and even the chief minister has failed to control them," alleged Rajasekharan.

He also claimed that the ruling party in Kerala had "unilaterally broken" the peace accord.

Kannur BJP chief Sathyaprakash said the party had called a hartal in the district tomorrow.

The Kannur CPM district secretariat condemned the incident and denied the allegation that its workers were involved in it. The secretariat, in a statement, also requested the state government to order a comprehensive probe into the incident.
Tapes of conversations with Mayawati on Uttar Pradesh election funding leaked by Naseemuddin Siddiqui have brought the murky process of political funding back to the fore. Its a well-known fact that party funding in India is not very transparent. The details of majority of the donors are not known. Most transactions take place in the form of cash.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants us to pay through card/e-wallet for even a pin we buy, his government has not issued similar instructions to political parties. The amendment brought in the Finance Bill, ostensibly to make political funding more transparent, has actually had an opposite effect. Now big corporate houses can make anonymous funding through electoral bonds.

The Association of Democratic Reforms has been tracking the political funding of parties for many years. Top twp parties  BJP and Congress  have not yet submitted their income and expenditure books of accounts to the EC for 2015-16, they are late by more than 180 days. These two parties are notorious for flouting the due date for submission of accounts. Almost each year is the same story.

Key highlights of funding of political parties for 2015-16 are as follows:

1. In the last decade, 71 percent of income of 5 national parties was from unknown sources

Political parties declare only names and other details of donors who contribute over Rs 20,000. These are called known sources of income. As per IT Act, they are not required to provide names of people who contribute less than Rs 20,000 per head. While BJP, BSP and CPM have lesser than average unknown source component of funding, Congress has the highest proportion of funding from unknown sources.

2. Donations are mostly made in cash

As per an ADR report, during 71 Assembly elections from 2004 to 2015, political parties collected 63 percent (Rs 2,108 crore) in cash and the balance 37 percent in cheque (Rs 1,245 crore).

During the three parliamentary elections of 2004, 2009 and 2014, political parties collected 44 percent of funds through cash (Rs 1,039 crore) and 55 percent by cheque (Rs 1,300 crores).

3. 72 percent of income of 5 national parties is from voluntary contributions

Parties have multiple sources of funding ranging from direct contributions to sale of coupons. While BJPs almost entire source of income is from donations/grants/voluntary contributions, Congress has the highest share of income from sale of coupons and publications. Only NCP, other than Congress, has this source of income because it is a splinter group of Congress.

CPM has the highest income from other sources. Other sources include levy income. As per the CPM Constitution, each member of the party should pay an amount as levy as prescribed by the central committee based on the income of each party member and has to pay Rs 2 every year as membership fee as well.

BJP receives 7 percent of its income from Aajiwan Sahayog Nidhi basically a lifetime membership programme where members need to make an annual contribution of Rs 1,000, Rs 5,000 or Rs 10,000. BSPs income from membership drive accounts for 10 percent of its total income.

4. Donations >Rs 20,000 declined by 84 percent in 2015-16, BJP tops the list

The total donations declared by national parties have declined from Rs 529 crores in 2014-15 to Rs 102 crores in 2015-16. BJP accounts for the maximum Rs 77 crores, while Congress Rs 20 crores of these contributions. The BJP and Congress have not declared their total incomes so it is difficult to state what percent of their income is from donors who contribute Rs 20,000 or more.

It is, however, a minuscule proportion of total funding of other national parties as shown below, ranging from 0 percent for BSP to 8 percent for NCP. For BJP and Congress, these numbers were as high as 50 percent and 68 percent respectively for 2014-15.

5. Cash component with reference to donations >Rs. 20,000 has declined significantly

The ECI passed an order on 29 August, 2014 stating that no tax deduction shall be allowed on the contributions made in cash by any person or company to a political party above Rs 20,000. This has led to a marked reduction in such donations. Only 1.42 percent of such donations were received in cash in 2015-16. Around 80 percent of such donations were received by Congress.

6. Corporates account for 3/4th of donations > Rs 20,000

BJP leads the pack with 88 percent of such donations received from corporates. All other parties have individuals contributing more than corporates with respect to contributions above Rs 20,000. Probably this is one of the reasons why Opposition makes a charge that BJP is being run by corporates. This shows that the hold of corporates on political parties is complete, however, this is not good for our democracy.

Break Up of Individual and Corporate Donations (>Rs. 20,000)

7. 27 percent of donations dont have PAN details

Congress party leads the list for providing incomplete information. It has not disclosed PAN details of 35 percent of its >Rs 20,000 donors. Only CPM and AITC have declared all PAN details.

Parties need money to contest elections. Rallies, advertising, travelling expenses of leaders all require money. Money is even required to bribe voters as we saw in Tamil Nadu recently. As per unofficial estimates, a total of Rs 18,000 to Rs 30,000 crores were spent on Lok Sabha election in 2014.

The cap on per seat expenditure is Rs 70 lakhs for bigger states and Rs 54 lakhs for smaller states for Lok Sabha. It's only but natural that you have rich candidates entering the fray as the aam aadmi can't make it. Parties also give preference to candidates who can self-fund not only their own seat but also contribute more towards overall general fund.

All this means that candidates need to get this money from financiers who after election are compensated through favours in contracts. If a candidate has put in his/her own money, then many look for return on investment which is the root cause of corruption in the country. This entire chain of activities ensures that significant amounts of black money is used in the entire election process.

To sum up, political funding in India is very murky. There is no transparency. The entire process is a harbinger of black money. Unknown sources, cash transactions, incomplete details, overwhelming proportion of corporate funding, non-adherence by parties of EC rules and deadlines smells all is not well. To make the process clean requires political will, which is seen lacking. Merely reducing threshold from Rs 20,000 to Rs 2,000 per donation will not help. Till this entire vicious circle is eliminated, more transparency is brought in, this will continue.
Osmanabad: Youth Congress activists on Saturday showed black flags to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis during his visit here to protest the state BJP president's controversial remarks against farmers.

Fadnavis was in Osmanabad in Marathwada region to inspect the work under Jalyukta Shivar Yojana, the state government's flagship water conversation programme, and various development works in the district.

When he arrived in Pardi village, Youth Congress workers assembled there waived black flags at the CM to protest the remarks of state BJP president Raosaheb Danve.

Danve reportedly said in Jalna earlier this week that the Fadnavis-led government had taken a slew of steps to tackle farm crisis, especially the row over procurement of tur dal, but farmers were still crying.

During their black flag demonstration, the Youth Congress workers also demanded waiver of farm loans taken by agriculturists.

Police resorted to cane charge to disperse the protesters, who were led by district Youth Congress president Umesh Raje Nimbalkar.

Nimbalkar and five other members of the Youth Congress were detained, a police official said.

Meanwhile, Opposition Congress slammed the BJP-led government over the police against against its workers.

In a statement in Mumbai, Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan said it reflected the "dictatorial attitude" of the Fadnavis government.

Chavan claimed the police in Jalna had put children of farmers in jail for protesting against Danve's comments. "This is undeclared emergency where the police force is used to quell a democratic protest."

"This is nothing but an attempt to silence those speaking against the BJP and its government," the former chief minister said.

Former minister and Congress MLA Madhukar Chavan also criticised the BJP-led government over the police action.
New Delhi: The CPM on Friday trashed BJP chief Amit Shah's claim that there was a "long misrule" in Tripura and his party would put an end to it saying the people of the state will reject the "communal" designs of the Centre's ruling party.

Countering the allegations that Chief Minister Manik Sarkar is involved in chit fund scandals, the CPM said the BJP is living in "fool's paradise" if it feels the Marxist leader's image can be "tarnished".

Former CPM general secretary Prakash Karat also accused the BJP of unleashing violence in the northeastern state to spread its wings there.

The BJP  which formed governments in northeastern states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur in the recent past  fancies wresting power from Sarkar when Tripura goes to polls next year.

"Shah has declared the BJP would oust the Left Front government in the assembly elections. BJP's and RSS' communal and reactionary designs will be firmly rebuffed by the people of Tripura," Karat said.

The Marxist leader made the remarks in an editorial of latest issue of party mouthpiece 'People's Democracy'.

Karat alleged that to fulfil its desire of "uprooting" the Left Front from power in the state, the BJP is "working overtime" to create conditions of confrontation.

He also cited recent incidents of clashes between cadres of the two parties.

"However, unlike in the other north-eastern states, the BJP is faced with a CPM which has a strong and deep rooted base among the people," he cautioned.

Karat further accused RSS-BJP workers of propagating a Hindutva agenda and spreading disinformation about the state government.

He charged the combine with trying to disrupt the unity among tribals of the state for achieving its "narrow" political gains by seeking to rope in tribal "extremist" parties like the Indigenous People's Front of India and Indigenous Nationalist Party of India.

Referring to the BJP's reported challenge to Sarkar that he hands over chit fund cases to CBI to prove his "honesty", Karat said, "The BJP is living in a fool's paradise, if it believes it can tarnish the image of Sarkar."

Karat sought to deflate the BJP's reported allegation, saying Sarkar had written to the Centre immediately after the exposure of the chit fund scams namely  Saradha, Rose Valley and others  demanding a probe by the central agency into the cases.

The CBI, he added, is investigating five out of the total 37 cases in this connection.

The rest 32 cases are being investigated by a Special Task Force under the supervision of the Tripura High Court, Karat added.
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Governor Justice (retd) P Sathasivam on Saturday asked Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to take immediate action to end violence and murders in the politically volatile Kannur district.

The governor issued the direction after a three-member BJP delegation met him at Raj Bhavan here earlier on Saturday and submitted a petition, seeking action on the killing of RSS functionary Biju in Kannur on Friday.

A Raj Bhavan statement said the governor forwarded the petition to the chief minister, asking him to take "immediate necessary action to put a curb on such disturbing incidents."

"It is necessary to send a positive signal to peace-loving citizens of the state," the statement said.

The BJP delegation, led by former union minister and MLA O Rajagopal, also sought implementation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in violence-hit areas of Kannur by declaring them as disturbed areas, the release said.

The petition claimed that since the present LDF government came to power, the Sangh Parivar lost 14 of its core workers in nearly 500 attacks by workers of ruling CPM.

The BJP petition also alleged that the state government was supporting the perpetrators of violence in Kannur district, the Raj Bhavan release added.

RSS worker Choorakad Biju (26) was hacked to death allegedly by CPM activists at Payyanur town in Kannur district, which has witnessed a series of clashes between ruling CPM and RSS for the past one year.
Bhubaneswar: Police on Saturday detained Student Congress president Itish Pradhan and some of his supporters on their way to the residence of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

They were marching towards Naveen Niwas to demand CBI probe into the mysterious death of engineering student Asutosh Mohanty alias Rishi last year.

The agitators holding Rishi's photograph were, however, stopped by the police and later taken to the police station.

Rishi had died in May last year in mysterious circumstances and the police were investigating the case.

The student Congress leaders alleged that the death of Rishi was linked to a sex clip involving a BJD leader.
Using one terrorist group to destroy another is unworthy of serious states, Turkeys prime minister said Friday while criticizing a U.S. decision to arm the PKK/PYD to defeat Daesh in Syria, Anadolu reported.

Turkey considers the PYD and its armed wing, the YPG, the Syrian offshoots of the PKK, a banned terrorist organization in the U.S., Turkey, and the EU. But Washington has pushed back, instead utilizing the groups partners in the fight against Daesh in northern Syria.

The YPG/PYD are whatever the PKK is to Turkey, a terrorist organization. One terrorist organization cannot be destroyed by another terror organization, premier Binali Yildirim told reporters about his brief meeting Thursday with U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis in London at conference on Somalia.

Such support is not an action suitable to serious states, he said. We have told our concern about this to America for a long time. They are not happy with the present situation either. They told us there was a requirement. We do not agree about that.

Yildirim said U.S. officials told Turkey they can extend various cooperation to combat the PKK, such as intelligence-sharing and monitoring financial resources.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Yildirim said the issue of weapons for the PKK/PYD would be addressed in detail during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans visit to Washington next week.

We hope the new U.S. administration will not repeat the mistakes of the old administration on both the FETO issue and the fight against Daesh in Syria, Yildirim said.

The defense secretary on numerous occasions made very, very clear, an unequivocal commitment that they would never allow those weapons to be turned against Turkey, he said as he underlined reassurances made by Mattis.

Turkeys concerns are understood but on the ground this was a tactical alliance and they had no choice, he said of the U.S. policy to add the YPG to the assault against Daesh in Raqqah, Syria.

Yildirim underscored the U.S.s policy in Syria was tactical rather than strategic.

Weve been trying to explain this, he said.

What is unfortunate is that this tactical plan doesnt even belong to this administration; it dates back to the previous administration, he added.

The prime minister also separately told the BBC that Turkeys messages will be clear during Erdogans visit to Washington.

We are not going to declare war on the United States, this is not the case.

We will say we are allies in NATO from the very beginning, so we are strategic partners. In order to fight terror in the region, you can only do it with Turkey, not with a terror organization, he said.

We faced a very serious coup attempt by the FETO organization. The head of this terror organization is living in the U.S. Since we are partners as we are friends and friendly countries, you should deport him as soon as legal procedures are complete.

Turkey has pressed the U.S. to extradite Fetullah Gulen, the leader of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO blamed for a defeated coup last July that martyred 249 people and left 2,200 others injured.

We are going to continue to fight terror organization whether its name is PKK, or PYD or YPG; doesnt matter, Yildirim said.

Asked if Turkey would continue to bomb the YPG in Syria if the group is armed by the U.S., Yildirim was succinct.

Of course, he said. If there is a threat we certainly will do.

The premier also praised remarks Thursday by British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon who agreed the PKK/PYD should be excluded from the Raqqah operation against Daesh.

Yildirim said Turkey proposed cooperation for a more effective fight against the PKK, that is also banned in Britain.
BAKU A court in Azerbaijan on Friday supported the blocking of the websites of several media outlets critical of the government, including the Azeri service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE).European institutions and rights bodies accuse the oil-producing former Soviet republic Azerbaijan and its leader, Ilham Aliyev, of tightening restrictions on the media and on people's freedom of expression.Azeri officials deny the accusations.The ruling by the court in the capital, Baku, came after a complaint by the Communications and High Technologies Ministry and after prosecutors accused several media websites of inciting mass protests and actions aimed at undermining the government.

Apart from RFE's Azeri website azadliq.org, the court ruled in favor of the blocking of the websites of opposition newspaper Azadliq and TV channels Meydan TV, Turan TV and Azerbaycan Saati.RFE is backed by the U.S. government and broadcasts news and other programming in 26 languages to countries including Russia, Ukraine and Afghanistan.It said in an article on its website that it would appeal Friday's court ruling, which it called "another blatant attempt" at silencing its reporting in Azerbaijan.

It said the Azeri government had already limited access to its website since March 27. "This verdict contradicts the European human rights convention, and that's why these websites cannot be blocked. We will appeal this verdict," Samed Ragimov, a lawyer for RFE and other blocked media outlets, told reporters.

Azerbaijan last year made online defamation of the president a criminal offense punishable by imprisonment. It criminalized defamation on the Internet three years ago, meaning many people now use aliases and covert accounts, but there was no separate mention of the president in the earlier law.With almost all traditional media strictly controlled by the Azeri government, social media networks have become outlets for people to voice criticism in a country suffering from the global slump in oil prices and a depreciating currency.The country's biggest bank, the International Bank of Azerbaijan, said on Thursday it had suspended payments on some of its debts. (Reporting by Nailia Bagirova; Writing by Margarita Antidze; Editing by Alexander Winning)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Beijing: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said China supports dialogue between Pakistan and India as the "most viable solution" to the Kashmir issue as he met his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang in Beijing.

"On the Kashmir issue, China has always been supportive of Pakistan's stance and has assured to continue extending the same cooperation in future as well," Sharif told media after his meeting with Li.

Pakistan's state-run APP news agency quoted Sharif as saying that both Pakistan and China favoured negotiations with India as the "most viable solution to the Kashmir dispute."

His comments followed recent clarification by China over India's objections to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang had told PTI on 3 May that China's position on the issue of Kashmir remains clear and consistent.

"It is an issue left over from history between India and Pakistan, and shall be properly addressed by India and

Pakistan through consultation and negotiation," he said.

"The building of the CPEC does not affect China's position on this issue," he said.

In his address to the United Services Institution in New Delhi on 5 May, Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohui had said China has taken care to India's stand that it should be resolved bilaterally in line with the Shimla Agreement.

"We supported the relevant UN resolutions before 1990s. Then we supported a settlement through bilateral negotiation in line with the Shimla Agreement. This is an example of China taking care of India's concern," Luo had said.

For its part, Pakistan has been questioning India's stance and calling for "multilateral approach" saying that the bilateral approach has failed.

Sharif is in China to attend the two-day Belt and Road Forum starting from Sunday.

In his interaction with the media, Sharif said the scope of CPEC had immensely increased with the Chinese investment swelling from $46 to $56 billion. He said such a huge investment was unprecedented in Pakistan's history, having objectives of progress and prosperity of the people.

He mentioned that Chinese companies were investing in Pakistans power and infrastructure sectors at a massive

scale, which had generated exemplary employment opportunities for the local people.

Sharif said the economic activity as a result of heavy Chinese investment had resulted in a positive impact on the lives of the common people in Pakistan.

He said his visit to China was significant in relevance with the economic conditions of Pakistan, adding "Pakistan was proud of its friendship with China."

He said economic development in Balochistan province, where China is building Gwadar port, was getting good results and several projects under CPEC were being completed at a fast pace. The 3000-km CEPC connects Gwadar with China's Xinjiang province.
Beijing: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said China supports dialogue between Pakistan and India as the "most viable solution" to the Kashmir issue as he met his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang here.

"On the Kashmir issue, China has always been supportive of Pakistan's stance and has assured to continue extending the same cooperation in future as well," Sharif told media here after his meeting with Li.

Pakistan's state-run APP news agency quoted Sharif as saying that both Pakistan and China favoured negotiations with India as the "most viable solution to the Kashmir dispute." His comments followed recent clarification by China over India's objections to the China-Pakistan Economic (CPEC) Corridor which passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang had told PTI on 3 May that China's position on the issue of Kashmir remains clear and consistent. "It is an issue left over from history between India and Pakistan, and shall be properly addressed by India and Pakistan through consultation and negotiation," he said.

"The building of the CPEC does not affect China's position on this issue," he said.

In his address to the United Services Institution in New Delhi on 5 May, Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohui had said China has taken care to India's stand that it should be resolved bilaterally in line with the Shimla Agreement. "We supported the relevant UN resolutions before 1990s. Then we supported a settlement through bilateral negotiation in line with the Shimla Agreement. This is an example of China taking care of India's concern," Luo had said.

For its part, Pakistan has been questioning India's stance and calling for "multilateral approach" saying that the bilateral approach has failed.

Sharif is in China to attend the two-day Belt and Road Forum starting from tomorrow.

In his interaction with the media, Sharif said the scope of CPEC had immensely increased with the Chinese investment swelling from $ 46 to $ 56 billion. He said such a huge investment was unprecedented in Pakistan's history, having objectives of progress and prosperity of the people. He mentioned that Chinese companies were investing in Pakistans power and infrastructure sectors at a massive scale, which had generated exemplary employment opportunities for the local people.

Sharif said the economic activity as a result of heavy Chinese investment had resulted in a positive impact on the lives of the common people in Pakistan. He said his visit to China was significant in relevance with the economic conditions of Pakistan, adding "Pakistan was proud of its friendship with China."

He said economic development in Balochistan province, where China is building Gwadar port, was getting good results and several projects under CPEC were being completed at a fast pace. The 3000-km CEPC connects Gwadar with China's Xinjiang province.
Washington: The White House on Saturday denied that President Donald Trump threatened the former FBI Director James Comey who was fired by him early this week.

"That's not a threat. He simply stated a fact. The tweet speaks for itself," the White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters at his daily news conference.

Spicer was responding to questions on a tweet by Trump early in the morning.

"James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press," Trump said in his tweet, a medium which he uses quite often.

Spicer did not respond to question that whether the White House taped the conversation between Trump and Comey, which the president was referring to.

"I've talked to the president. The president has nothing further to add on that," Spicer said as he repeated the same answer every time he was asked on this issue.

"On the dinner with James Comey, does anyone in this White House have an audio recording of what unfolded during the January 27th dinner between the former FBI director and the president of the United States?" he was asked.

"I'm not aware of that," Spicer said.

Meanwhile, top Democratic lawmakers led by Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi urged the White House to turn such a tape.

"In light of the varied and divergent statements from the White House press briefing room regarding the firing of both former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and the former FBI Director James Comey, the production of such tapes would allow the facts of these terminations to come to light," Krishnamoorthi wrote in a letter to White House on Friday morning.

"President Trump should release the tapes he referred to and come clean on the real reasons why Director Comey was abruptly fired in the midst of a critical investigation," said Congressman Joe Crowley, House Democratic Caucus chairman.

"If no such tapes exist, then the president owes the American people an answer for why he made such a threat."

"His false claims are nothing but thinly veiled attempts to create a distraction from his own incompetencies," Crowley said.

"Under normal circumstances, we would not consider credible any claims that the White House may have taped conversations of meetings with the President," Judiciary Committee ranking member John Conyers and Oversight Committee ranking member Elijah Cummings wrote in a letter to the White House counsel Donald McGahn.

"However, because of the many false statements made by White House officials this week, we are compelled to ask whether any such recordings do in fact exist."

"If so, we request copies of all recordings in possession of the White House regarding this matter," they said.

Separately, Comey has declined to testify before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence where he was asked to appear next week as part of its attempt to find the circumstances in which he was fired by Trump.
Bari: G7 finance ministers turned their focus Saturday to combating cyber crime in what Italy's Pier Carlo Padoan described as an "unfortunately very timely" discussion.

The ministers were expected to commit to stepping up international cooperation on the issue after a global onslaught that hit computer systems in nearly 100 countries.

The ministers from the group of seven wealthy democracies will say that cyber incidents represent a growing threat to their economies and that tackling them should be a priority, Italian officials said.

The talks, scheduled before Friday's events, focused particularly on the potential threat to the global financial system in the event of hackers being able to infiltrate the computer systems that run the global banking system, capital and equity markets.

The ministers, who also discussed inequality, and transnational tax evasion during their two-day review of the world economy, were due to wrap up their talks at lunchtime.

"We are agreed on many things ... including on the fight against cyber crime which is unfortunately very timely," Padoan said on his arrival for Sunday's closing session.

Friday's wave of attacks hit Britain's health service, Russia's interior ministry and French carmaker Renault, along with many other organisations around the world. The malicious software freezes files on computers, demanding a ransom to grant access to them.
Karachi: At least 10 labourers working on a road project near Pakistan's strategic Gwadar port in the restive Balochistan province were shot dead by unidentified motorcycle-borne gunmen on Saturday.

Gwadar deputy commissioner Naeem Bazai said the labourers worked on a road project and were from Sindh province. The labourers were attacked and shot from close range, said Muhammad Zareef, a senior paramilitary official. "They were working at two separate sites just two kilometres away from each other," he said.

Eight of the labourers died on the spot while two succumbed on their way to hospital.

The motorcycle-borne gunmen who fired indiscriminately fled the scene after the attack.

A special military C-130 aircraft flew the remains of the slain labourers for funerals to their hometown in Sindh's Naushahro Feroze district, the official said. The outlawed separatist group Baluch Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for the attack. Such attacks have become common in the mineral-rich province plagued by separatist insurgency since 2004.

Suspected separatists often target non-native labourers in the province. Last month, four Sindhi labourers were gunned down by suspected militants in Kharan district.

Balochistan's Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti confirmed the death toll. Condemning the incident, he said, "We will not bow down before terrorists."

Frontier Corps, police and Levies personnel have reached the spot and an investigation was underway. The attack comes a day after a suicide bombing targeted a convoy of Deputy Chairman Senate Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri. The attack in Mustang killed 26 people.

Saturday's attack happened near the Gwadar port, built with Chinese funding, as Pakistan and China ink agreements at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing to boost bilateral cooperation.

The deep-water port has a strategic importance for the Belt and Road initiative, a part of which  the $ 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)  connects Pakistan's southern region to China's western Xinjiang region through rail and roads.

The CPEC is billed as a 'game-changer' and manifestation of strategic partnership between Pakistan and China.

Pakistan has deployed a Maritime Security Force and Special Security Division to protect projects under CPEC, including Gwadar. The forces have been deployed to ensure safety of locals and foreigners working on the projects.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif may be facing investigations at home, but his image abroad appears to have improved ever since China placed Pakistan at the heart of its One Belt One Road (Obor) initiative.

What's more, he will be the first South Asian leader to meet with US President Donald Trump. Sharif flew to Beijing on Friday to attend Chinas mega Silk Road summit, where leaders of 22 countries, including Russian President Vladimir Putin will also be present.

India had been invited but has decided to boycott the event (though no official announcement has been made so far) being held in Beijing on Sunday and Monday to promote President Xi Jinpings pet project.

New Delhi has raised the red flag on Obor because China is building infrastructure in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which India claims as its own. This is the ostensible reason for India to stay away.

But India, like several Western countries, including the United States saw Obor as Chinas attempts to expand links between Asia-Africa and Europe, and Beijing using it to expand its sphere of influence across the three continents.

But after the mercurial US President Donald Trump met with his Chinese counterpart last month, the rhetoric changed. Trump has been all praise for the Chinese leader and is now sending a delegation to attend the summit.

All of Indias neighbours, with the exception of Bhutan, including Myanmar, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Nepal will be in attendance. China was keen to have India on board.

Even the normally high decibel, state-controlled Global Times had this to say in a recent piece: "If New Delhi has concerns about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as a flagship project in Obor, India's joining the initiative could cement its economic ties with China and possibly shift the initiative's centre of gravity."

With India out of action, Pakistan is hogging much of the limelight.

Sharif flew to Beijing on Friday at the head of an enormous delegation, including key cabinet ministers and Sartaj Aziz, the PMs adviser for foreign affairs. Sharif has already held bilateral talks with President Xi and Premier Li Keqiang ahead of the summit. A number of memorandum of understanding (MoU) were also signed on Saturday.

According to reports in the Pakistan press, a number of MoUs related to the China-Pakistan Economc Corridor will also be signed. These include construction of the Gwadar airport, an expressway and upgrading of rail tracks. Even as the MoUs were being signed, news of eight labourers being shot dead by unknown gunmen as they were building a road near Gwadar came in. Though the men were not directly involved in the Cpec project, they were working on the link roads.

Sharif is being accompanied by chief ministers of four provinces  Shahbaz Sharif from Punjab, Pervaiz Khattak from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Nawab Sanaullah Zehri from Balochistan and Murad Ali Shah from Sindhthe chief minsters were present during Sharifs meeting with the top Chinese leaders.

The PM said that their presence underlined the support that the provinces had for Cpec. The Pakistan prime minister will be in China for nearly a week before flying to Saudi Arabia for a meeting with US President Donald Trump. He has been invited by Saudi king Salman bin Abdul Aziz to the US-Arab Summit to be hosted in Riyadh when Trump makes his first foreign visit since taking office.

Trump leaves Washington on 19 May. After Saudi Arabia, he will go to Israel and The Vatican.

Unlike Barack Obama, the new US leader has already made it clear that he would back Saudi Arabia and the Sunni powers against Shia-dominated Iran. Like many in the US, Trump is suspicious of Iran and has already indicated that he does not support the nuclear agreement fleshed out by Iran, US, China, Russia, France, UK and Germany.

Apart from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman and other Sunni majority countries, Israel is also a bitter critic of the Iran nuclear deal, signed when Barack Obama was in power.

Benjamin Netanyahu is a friend of Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner and gets along famously with Donald Trump. Netanyahus personal equation with Obama was cold and Trumps victory

has once again restored the warmth in US-Israel ties. Having alienated the Muslim world with his travel ban soon after taking office, Trumps summit with Sunni leaders will be an exercise in bridge building.

Saudi Arabia and its allies will be delighted to get US backing. There will also be a push for regime change in Syria, at the summit, something which the cerebral Obama, having seen what happened in Iraq was reluctant to push.

According to the Pakistani press, Nawaz Sharif will invite the US president to his country. In the past, there was a strong China-Pakistan-US axis. It was, after all, Pakistan that facilitated Nixons visit to China.

But chances of that happening are dim. America has had a bitter experience with the Pakistan Army in Afghanistan. Two days ago, Washington blamed Pakistan for the deteriorating ties with India. Soon after becoming president, when Trump spoke to different world leaders, his call to Sharif was particularly warm. So much so that Sharifs office made it public.

Pakistans stock in the Arab world has gone up dramatically in the last few months, with its former army chief Raheel Sharif now commanding the Islamic Military Alliance, a virtually Sunni army with men drawn from 41 countries. Pakistan, which at one time had refused to join the Saudi alliance fighting in Yemen, has now gone back to the Sunni camp headed by Saudi Arabia.

It will be interesting to get a read-out of the Trump-Sharif meeting.
Beijing: Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe arrived in Beijing on Saturday to attend China's high-profile Belt and Road summit beginning on Sunday.

Wickremesinghe left for the Chinese capital immediately after seeing off Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the

end of his two-day visit to Sri Lanka last evening.

Wickremesinghe will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Xiang on a host of bilateral issues, his office has said.

Analysts here say Wickremesinghe's Beijing visit has gained significance as India has chosen to stay away from the summit, citing sovereignty concerns related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The Belt and Road Forum is being organised by China to showcase its multi-billion dollar Silk Road initiative of

which the $50 billion CPEC connecting China's Xinjiang with Balochistan through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is a part.

India has expressed concerns over China's growing presence and influence in Sri Lanka.

It was reported during Modi's visit that Sri Lanka had denied permission for a Chinese submarine to visit Colombo

port this week.

A similar submarine in 2014 had raised protests from New Delhi against the then Mahinda Rajapaksa government in

Colombo.

It has been argued that Rajapaksa's massive infrastructure projects presented the Chinese with a foothold in the island nation.

Sri Lanka borrowed mostly commercial loans to fund the infrastructure projects such as building a sea and airport in the Rajapaksa heartland of Hambantota in the deep south of the country.

Wickremesinghe, who is primarily the Economic Affairs Minister in the unity government of President Maithripala

Sirisena, has taken the lead in turning the Chinese-funded projects into Chinese equity due to Sri Lanka's inability to meet high Chinese debts.

His proposals have faced strong resistance from the Opposition which is being led by Rajapaksa who dubs

Wickremesinghe's plans as a sell out of state assets to China.
Washington: Osama bin Laden's son Hamza is poised to lead a stronger, larger al Qaeda and is "bent on avenging" his father's death, according to a former FBI agent familiar with the personal letters seized in a dramatic US raid that killed the al Qaeda leader in Pakistan's Abbottabad.

Hamza, 28, wrote those letters when he was 22 and had not seen his father bin Laden in several years. Ali Soufan, the former FBI agent who was the bureau's lead investigator of al Qaeda after the 9/11 attacks, told CBS News the letters reveal Hamza to be a young man who adores his father and wants to carry on his murderous ideology.

The letters collected in the raid by helicopter-borne US Navy SEALs at a secure high-walled compound in Abbottabad, a garrison town north of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, in May 2011 have now been declassified.

Only a handful of US military and senior officials around then US President Barack Obama knew of the raid that was reportedly in the planning for months.

For a new episode of '60 Minutes' on the network, Soufan described one of those letters from Hamza: "He tells him that...he remembers 'every look...every smile you gave me, every word you told me.'"

Hamza also wrote this: "I consider myself to be forged in steel. The path of jihad for the sake of God is what we live." Soufan said Hamza's potential as a leader was recognised years ago when he was still a boy. He was used in propaganda videos, sometimes holding a gun.

"He was a poster kid for the al Qaeda...and for members of al Qaeda, who were indoctrinated with these propaganda videos, he means a lot to them," Soufan said. This January, the US named Hamza a "specially-designated global terrorist" - the same classification bin Laden had.

He even sounds like his father, said Soufan. "His recent message that came out, he delivered the speech as if it's his father...using sentences, terminology that was used by Osama bin Laden."

Hamza has recorded four audio messages in the last two years.

"He's basically saying, 'American people, we're coming and you're going to feel it. And we're going to take revenge for what you did to my father...Iraq... Afghanistan'...the whole thing was about vengeance," Soufan said.
Islamabad: Pakistan and China are expected to sign an MoU for developing the North Indus River Cascade with investment of USD 50 billion to generate up to 40,000 MW

hydro electricity.

The memorandum of understanding is likely to be signed in Beijing on Saturday during the visit of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to China, according to The Express Tribune.

"The USD 50 billion investment comes on top of the USD 46 billion investment being provided by the Chinese government and Chinese banks for financing power and road infrastructure

projects in Pakistan under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)," the paper reported.

With the signing of the MoU  which will be witnessed by Prime Minister Sharif  Beijing will emerge as the biggest financier of infrastructure projects in Pakistan.

According to the studies conducted by the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), Pakistan has an identified potential of producing up to 60,000MW of hydroelectric power.

Some 40,000MW of this potential power is located in the region called the Indus River Cascade, which begins from Skardu in Gilgit-Baltistan and runs through Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa as far as Tarbela, the site of Pakistans biggest dam.

The Indus River Cascade includes Diamer-Bhasha Dam project for which Pakistan needs USD 15 billion financing.

Other multilateral donors were not willing to invest on this project but now China has come up to finance this mega project.

Sources said the Chinese side conducted survey and studies on the North Indus Cascade including the sites of Pattan, Thacoat, Bunji, Dasau and Diamer in February 2017.

The Chinese side in their last high-level meeting agreed to convert the survey and initial study to an MoU whereby the Chinese will conduct a detailed study spanning over a period of three months on a developing roadmap for financing that will lead to initiation and completion of these mega projects.

Sources said this will be Pakistan's first-ever private sector investment in mega projects in hydel resources as until now only Wapda led such projects.

The most important development could be the Chinese undertaking of these projects as it has a vast experience for building such huge dams.

According to the sources, the CPEC and the North Indus River Cascade can be the biggest-ever Chinese investment in Pakistan.

In 2015, the owner of the world's largest hydroelectric dam, China Three Gorges (CTG) Corporation, had expressed willingness to participate in a financing consortium to fund up to USD 50 billion of hydroelectric power projects in Pakistan.

The Chinese government-owned CTG expressed an interest in financing projects in Pakistan in conjunction with the International Finance Corporation, a World Bank subsidiary.

The CTG owns and operates the Three Gorges Dam, the worlds largest hydroelectric power plant with a capacity of 22,500MW, nearly matching in one power plant the entire installed capacity of the Pakistani grid of 23,500MW.

The mega undertaking may create further tension between Pakistan and India as the investment would be made in Gilgit-Baltistan region which is part of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday celebrated Mothers Day with a message that highlighted the role of mothers in building a healthy and peaceful society, Anadoly reported.

Erdogan said mothers are symbols of love, respect, mercy and sacrifice, who play significant roles in forming a healthy and peaceful society with their compassionate hearts.

Motherhood is not only about bringing a child into the world. A mother is the most important role model for shaping up a persons feelings, thoughts and characters, the president said.

He added that strong motherhood was behind societies with strong individuals, great nations and healthy relations.
By Andreina Aponte and Andrew Cawthorne

| CARACAS

CARACAS Elderly Venezuelan protesters on Friday threw punches and yelled curses at riot police blocking the latest in six weeks of demonstrations against President Nicolas Maduro's socialist government.Riot police with helmets and shields used pepper gas several times to control the crowd as hundreds of pensioners jostled against security lines to attempt a march from a Caracas square."Respect the elderly you sons of bitches!" shouted one bearded man, throwing a punch at an officer on the front line. Since launching protests against Maduro in early April, Venezuela's opposition has sought to vary tactics by staging silent and candle-lit marches, for instance, and rallies for women, musicians and medics.Each time, the ruling Socialist Party has tried to match them. On Friday, it organised its own rival old people's march next to the Miraflores presidential palace. At least 39 people have died in the unrest since April, including protesters, government sympathizers, bystanders, and security forces. Hundreds have also been hurt and arrested.Decrying Maduro as a dictator who has wrecked the OPEC nation's economy, opponents are seeking elections, foreign humanitarian aid, freedom for hundreds of jailed activists, and autonomy for the opposition-controlled legislature.

Maduro, a 54-year-old former bus driver and successor of Hugo Chavez, says his foes are seeking a coup with the support of the United States and encouragement of international media.Chanting "Freedom!" and "Down with Maduro!", the elderly protesters made it onto a highway but were blocked from their intended destination, the state ombudsman's office, by police with armoured vehicles. A representative of the office listened briefly to their grievances on the street instead.The crowd, including plenty of octogenarians plus a nun and one white-haired man dressed as Santa, sang Venezuela's national anthem in front of the security cordon. Opposition leaders joined them, hugging and linking arms with the pensioners.'MORE TEAR GAS THAN FOOD'

Venezuela's elderly have been hard hit by four years of brutal recession, leading to shortages of food and medicines, long lines at shops and runaway prices."Each tear gas cannister costs more than the minimum (monthly) salary, the government spends more on tear gas than providing food," complained university professor Francisco Viveros, 67."I'm here for the youth, the students, those who are going onto the streets. We've lived our lives so we should be at the front." There were also old people's protests in western Tachira and southern Bolivar states, with those demonstrations able to reach the local headquarters of the ombudsman.

Scores of government supporters also gathered in Caracas near Miraflores palace, wearing red, punching their fists in the air and chanting pro-Maduro slogans. "The opposition are killers," said Nelia De Lopez, 65, with a tattoo of Chavez on her arm.Long viewed by many poor Venezuelans as an out-of-touch elite, the opposition now enjoys majority support. It thrashed the government in 2015 parliamentary elections, but was blocked from holding a referendum on Maduro last year and suffered another blow when 2016 state elections postponed. Opposition leaders want the 2018 presidential vote brought forward, but there is no sign of that happening and Maduro is creating a controversial "constituent assembly" with authority to rewrite the constitution and shake up public powers."The opposition doesn't understand the constituent assembly, but it does know about death, assassination and terrorism," Socialist Party No. 2 Diosdado Cabello told a rally in east Monagas state, condemning violence by opposition supporters.While the opposition believes it has more momentum than at any other time during Maduro's four-year presidency, officials appear to be banking on protesters tiring in the streets and are also hoping for rise in oil prices to ease the economic crisis. (Additional reporting by Marco Bello and Carlos Rawlins in Caracas; Anggy Polanco in San Cristobal, Maria Ramirez in Ciudad Bolivar; editing by Girish Gupta and Tom Brown)

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Tehran: A leading figure of Iran's minority Sunnis endorsed moderate President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday ahead of this week's election, despite the government's "shortcomings".

Sunnis make up around five to 10 per cent of Iran's 80 million population, which is overwhelmingly from the Shiite sect of Islam.

Religious leader Molavi Abdol Hamid said "the atmosphere for Sunnis has been a little more relaxed" since Rouhani took power in 2013, and that most would support him in Friday's election.

Abdol Hamid repeated calls for greater Sunni representation in local and national government, and more action on discrimination.

"The Sunni community believes that this government, despite its problems and weaknesses, has had more strong points, and we hope if the current government takes office again, it will do more to resolve those problems and shortcomings," he said in comments carried by his website.

He was speaking in Sistan Baluchistan province, a Sunni-majority region in southeastern Iran bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Rouhani is leading in official polls, but faces a tough fight for re-election against conservative rivals who accuse him of failing to boost the struggling economy.
RIYADH Bahraini security forces detained family members of three U.K.-based activists on Saturday over their protests against the Gulf king's attendance at a royal horse show in Britain, one of the activists said.The activists have been protesting against King Hamads attendance at the Royal Windsor Horse Show. State-run Bahrain News Agency photographs have shown King Hamad with Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, the director of advocacy at the London-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, said his sister had received a call summoning her to Muharraq police station for interrogation on Saturday morning.

"This is a new low by the Bahraini authorities: blackmailing activists by detaining their family members in Bahrain," said Alwadaei.The father and sister of two other activists also informed their family members that they were being held.

A spokesman for the Bahraini interior ministry declined to comment.

Alwadaei's family members were previously detained in October, after he shouted at a car carrying King Hamad as it approached British Prime Minister Theresa May's office for a visit.A mainly Shi'ite Muslim-led opposition in Bahrain has faced a government crackdown since last year in the Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdom, which is home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet.The Bahraini government denies accusations of systematic rights abuses. (Reporting by Katie Paul)

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By Roberta Rampton

| WASHINGTON/LYNCHBURG, Va.

WASHINGTON/LYNCHBURG, Va. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he will move quickly to nominate a new FBI director, after he sparked a political firestorm by firing the man investigating possible collusion between Russia and the Trump presidential campaign.Trump told reporters he might even be able to make his decision on who should succeed James Comey to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation before he leaves on his first foreign trip late next week."Even that is possible," Trump said, speaking on Air Force One before departing for Lynchburg, Virginia, where he delivered a commencement address."I think the process is going to go quickly," he said, adding that the candidates under consideration were mostly well known. "They've been vetted over their lifetime essentially. But very well known, highly respected, really talented people. And that's what we want for the FBI."Critics have assailed Trump for abruptly dismissing Comey, who was leading the agency's investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, and possible ties between Moscow and the Trump presidential campaign.. Russia denies the claims and the White House says there was no collusion.

Trump made the remarks to reporters prior to speaking to about 50,000 people at Liberty University in Lynchburg, where he did not mention Comey or the controversy his dismissal on Tuesday caused. It was Trump's first public event outside the White House since Comey's ouster.A White House official has said Trump is considering 11 people to replace Comey. Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, Republican Senator John Cornyn, New York Appeals Court Judge Michael Garcia and former Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher will be interviewed on Saturday for the post, an administration official said.The decision is subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate, where Republicans have a majority.

At Liberty, the nation's largest Christian college, Trump peppered his remarks with the kind of anti-establishment rhetoric that fueled his maverick presidential campaign, telling graduates to challenge "entrenched interests." He thanked the crowd for their support and repeatedly invoked his own unlikely election victory. "Relish the opportunity to be an outsider," Trump said. "The more that a broken system tells you that you're wrong, the more certain you should be that you must keep pushing ahead."

He also had strong words that seemed aimed at critics of his administration. "No one has ever achieved anything significant without a chorus of critics standing on the sidelines explaining why it can't be done," Trump said. "Nothing is easier or more pathetic than being a critic, because they're people that can't get the job done." Liberty's president, Jerry Falwell, Jr., was a key early supporter of Trump during his campaign and helped rally support among religious conservatives. Trump, who has been preparing for his first foreign trip to the Middle East and Europe late next week, also will deliver the commencement address to the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, on Wednesday. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton. Writing by Roberta Rampton and James Oliphant.; Editing by Alistair Bell)

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JAKARTA At least two of Indonesia's major hospitals have been struck in the "ransomware" cyber attack that infected computers globally, a government official said on Saturday. Dharmais Hospital and Harapan Kita Hospital in Jakarta are affected by the ransomware, said Semuel Pangerapan, a director general at Indonesia's Communication and Information Ministry. "Efforts to localise the infected server are underway to prevent (the ransomware) from spreading," he said, adding that his ministry was working with other authorities, including the Health Ministry, to solve the problem.Cyber extortionists tricked victims into opening malicious malware attachments to spam emails that appeared to contain invoices, job offers, security warnings and other legitimate files.

The ransomware encrypted data on the computers, demanding payments of $300 to $600 to restore access. The attack, which leverages hacking tools believed to have been developed by the U.S. National Security Agency, has infected tens of thousands of computers in nearly 100 countries.

"This is so cruel," said Abdul Kadir, president-director of Dharmais Hospital.Nearly all computers across the hospital are affected, Kadir told Reuters, locking up its information technology (IT) system and with it patient medication records and billing.

The hospital is currently re-installing its system on back- up computers and servers, he said, adding that he expects operational delays as the hospital currently operates without IT.Globally, hospitals, companies, and universities have been affected, with the most disruptive attacks reported in Britain, where hospitals and clinics were forced to turn away patients after losing access to computers on Friday.Indonesia's communications ministry advised computer users to back up their data and update their security before connecting to the internet. (Reporting by Fransiska Nangoy and Agustinus Da Costa; Editing by Eric Meijer)

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In its first assessment of the security situation in south Asia, the Trump administration has bluntly held Pakistan responsible for destabilising the region.

Speaking to US lawmakers during a Congressional hearing on global threat evaluation, new US intelligence chief Daniel R Coats has blamed Pakistan for sponsoring terror and forcing a deterioration of its bilateral relationship with India.

Shortly after the testimony, the US slapped a bunch of stricter sanctions on Pakistan-based individuals and an organisation serving as facilitators and conduits of terror.

Coats's stance is a virtual validation of India's position that mother ship Pakistan runs the 'Ivy League of terrorism'. It is tempting to deduce that under Donald Trump, US has taken off the rose-tinted lens through which the previous Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations viewed Pakistan.

Does this indicate a strategic shift in America's Pakistan policy? Is it that the US is fed up of being fooled into bankrolling Pakistan's numerous terror factories that have turned south Asia into one of the world's most volatile zones? Before we explore these questions, let us take a look at Coats's comments that received wide coverage in Indian media.

The new US intelligence chief reckons that India's patience is running thin owing to "Islamabad's failure to curb support to anti-India militants" and the situation may "deteriorate further in 2017, especially in the event of another high-profile terrorist attack in India that New Delhi attributes to originating in or receiving assistance from Pakistan," according to a report in Times of India that has carried a version of Coats's written testimony.

The US holds that the recent dip is a combination of two factors: "New Delhi's growing intolerance of this (Pakistan's terror) policy, coupled with a perceived lack of progress in Pakistan's investigations into the January 2016 Pathankot cross-border attack."

That the Trump administration sees no hope for an immediate resolution or betterment of ties is evident from Coats's assessment that "easing of heightened Indo-Pakistani tension, including negotiations to renew official dialogue, in 2017, will probably hinge on a sharp and sustained reduction of cross-border attacks by terrorist groups based in Pakistan and progress in the Pathankot investigation."

Note that US is putting the onus of normalising the relationship on Pakistan. Little wonder that Coats's testimony is being interpreted in India as a much-awaited revision of US policy. But is it really?

Au contraire, it can be argued that this assessment presents no significant revision in US policy and does not change the ground situation in south Asia. Let me explain.

To the extent that Trump administration has been unflattering in recognizing Pakistan's role in destabilising the region and inflicting a proxy war against India, policymakers in New Delhi and Indian media can take some comfort that the US Department of State has ended the patently dubious habit of publicly marking India and Pakistan with the same brush.

At best, this is a hollow victory because Coats has articulated to the US Senate Intelligence Committee nothing that the world or the US didn't already know. This public admonition of Pakistan will neither alter the ground reality in south Asia nor stop the US line of credit for Islamabad. Consequently, it means little tangible benefits for India.

India is a good boy. The world knows that. But to expect Pakistan to stop being the bad boy just because the class monitor wrote its name on the blackboard is unrealistic. Start with a simple question. Why would Pakistan stop using terrorism as the cornerstone of foreign policy?

This time-tested strategy has brought it global notoriety and victimhood, twin narratives that it has successfully (if perversely) translated into billions of dollars and strategic benefits. It may alter its behaviour if there is some penalty involved. So let's parse Coats's comments to see if US has threatened to penalise Pakistan beyond the admonition.

Not only has Trump administration proposed no penalties for Pakistan for fomenting terror in south Asia, it seems to have bought into the same narrative that Pakistan has been peddling for decades while pulling wool over US eyes.

"Pakistans pursuit of tactical nuclear weapons potentially lowers the threshold for their use," held Coats in the testimony, adding: "Early deployment during a crisis of smaller, more mobile nuclear weapons would increase the amount of time that systems would be outside the relative security of a storage site, increasing the risk that a coordinated attack by non-state actors might succeed in capturing a complete nuclear weapons."

Here we have in a nutshell the Armageddon that successive US administrations have purchased from Pakistan in return for billions and billions of greenbacks.

As Frud Bezhan wrote in The Diplomat last year, Pakistan army and its powerful lobby groups in Washington have convinced the powers-that-be in the US that America "has only two options" in dealing with Pakistan. "One, Washington must tolerate and bankroll Pakistan's 'double game' in Afghanistan, where it is supports the Afghan insurgency even as it receives around $1 billion a year from Washington for its help in combating those same militants. Or, two, it can pressure Pakistan to root out terrorists and risk destabilizing a nuclear country with unimaginable costs to both Pakistan and the United States."

The "unimaginable costs" obviously mean "nuclear codes and weapons of mass destruction" falling into terrorists' hands and being used against the US or its allies.

This is such a scary nightmare that successive US administrations and their gold star generals have woken up with a start in the night, breaking into a cold sweat and reaching out to the bedside drawer to write the next cheque for Pakistan.

Far from what has been interpreted in Indian media, Coats's testimony is quite clear that as long as Pakistan's double dealing continues, there won't be any imminent threat to US interests.

"The threat to the United States and the West from Pakistani-based terrorist groups will be persistent but diffuse. Plotting against the US homeland will be conducted on a more opportunistic basis or driven by individual members within these groups. Pakistan will probably be able to manage its internal security," he wrote.

The comments are significant in a wholly different way. It gives a peek into US conviction that the Indian state has the ability to absorb the collateral damage arising out Pakistan's proxy war, and US seems to be confident that India will behave as a responsible nation in dealing with the threat.

The subtext is clear: India is alone in its asymmetric battle against Pakistan.
Ramallah (Palestinian Territories): Palestinians in the occupied West Bank voted on Saturday in municipal elections that underscored deep rifts between president Mahmud Abbas' Fatah party and Islamist rival Hamas which runs the Gaza Strip. Their failure to reconcile is seen as a major obstacle to any settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The West Bank and Gaza have not participated in an election together since 2006, when Hamas swept Palestinian parliamentary polls, sparking a conflict that led to near civil war in Gaza the following year.

Escalating tensions between Hamas and the more moderate Fatah led to Hamas's seizure of Gaza in 2007, while Abbas's party was left with control of the West Bank.

Voting for around 300 municipal councils opened at 7:00 am (0400 GMT) at dozens of schools across the West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel for half a century.

Hanna Nasser, chairman of the Palestinian election commission, said many of the contenders were from Fatah, while in some villages "clans and families" had decided on the candidate lists.

Hamas did not present any candidate lists of its own, saying the vote would only add to divisions. Polls were due to close at 7:00 pm and final results are expected on Sunday.

Fatah and unaffiliated candidates close to Abbas were expected to win the most seats, as they did in 2012 polls boycotted by Hamas. "It's important that everyone has a say" but also that those elected "assume the responsibility given to them," said Rami Nazal, a UN employee who voted in Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority.

Samir Beshari, a mechanic leaning on a walking stick as he exited a polling station in central Ramallah, said his choice "wasn't just political", as above all he believed "the winners should look after the city and all its inhabitants".

More than a million Palestinians were registered to choose from among 4,400 candidates in a vote that was seen as yet another sign that reconciliation may be a long way off. Even so, "municipal elections are better than nothing" in a country where "the situation is unlike anywhere else in the world", said Zina Masri, who voted before going to work.

Amjad Mustafa, the manager of a software shop in his thirties, said the vote was "an event not to be missed" after "a long time since we last took part in a democratic event".

The Palestinian high court ruled in October that the municipal elections should be held only in the West Bank because the judiciary in Gaza did not have the necessary "guarantees" in place  a decision denounced by Hamas as "political".

Subsequent efforts to hold the polls in both territories simultaneously were unsuccessful as the two parties failed to bridge their differences.

Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah accused Hamas today of sole responsibility for blocking the election in Gaza where he said it maintains a rival government that supports "separation".

Abbas, whose term was meant to end in 2009 but who has remained in office, has grown unpopular among Palestinians, but he remains their leader in the eyes of the world. He met US President Donald Trump in Washington on 4 May and is expected to do so again when Trump travels to the Middle East later this month.

Hamas meanwhile is considered a terrorist group by Israel and much of the West despite recent attempts by the movement to soften its image. After the 2006 election, the international community refused to deal with any government in which Hamas participated until it renounced violence and recognised Israel and past peace agreements.
By David Alexander and Susan Heavey

| WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON Donald Trump warned ousted FBI Director James Comey on Friday not to talk to the media, a highly unusual move that prompted fresh charges the president is trying to silence the man who led an investigation into possible collusion between Trump's election campaign and Russia. On Twitter, Trump appeared to suggest that if Comey gave his version of contacts between them, the administration might produce tapes of conversations, although it was not clear if such tapes exist. The veiled threat added to the storm over Trump's abrupt firing of Comey on Tuesday.Critics have assailed Trump for dismissing the FBI chief at a time when the agency is investigating alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, and possible Moscow ties to the Trump presidential campaign.The New York Times reported that the president asked Comey in January to pledge loyalty to him, which it said Comey refused to do. Such a request would undermine the standing of the FBI chief as an independent law enforcer and further fuelled charges that Trump has overstepped the norms of his office."James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!" Trump said in a string of Twitter posts on Friday morning.CBS Evening News, citing a source who has spoken with Comey, said on Twitter that Comey hopes there are "lots of tapes." CNN said Comey is "not worried about any tapes" Trump may have, citing an unnamed source familiar with the matter. The Federal Bureau of Investigation probe and parallel congressional investigations have cast a cloud over Trump's presidency since he took office on Jan. 20, threatening to overwhelm his policy priorities. Democrats accuse the Republican president of trying to dent the FBI probe by firing Comey, and have called for a special counsel to investigate the Russia issue.The No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, Richard Durbin, went further on Friday and said Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein should appoint an independent special prosecutor to pursue possible criminal charges in relation to Comey's firing, although he did not specify if he meant such charges should be against Trump.

In a statement, Durbin said that what he characterized as Trump's admission that he fired Comey because of the Russia probe was "dangerously close to obstruction of justice." Durbin added that Trump's tweet on Friday "could be construed as threatening a witness in this investigation, which is another violation of federal law." DINNER DETAILS

As has happened on previous occasions since Trump took office, different versions rapidly circulated of an event, in this case phone conversations between Comey and Trump and a dinner the pair had at the White House.The New York Times said Comey told associates he declined to make a pledge of loyalty to Trump when the president requested it while they dined just seven days after his inauguration. Comey instead told Trump he could count on his honesty, the Times said.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer told a news briefing that Trump did not demand Comey's loyalty. Asked to clarify whether there were any tapes as Trump suggested, Spicer said he had nothing further to add to the president's tweets.Trump says Comey had told him three times he was not under investigation in the Russia probe. He said in an interview on Thursday with NBC News that Comey gave him this assurance during the White House dinner and in two phone conversations. Trump said Comey wanted to have the dinner because he wanted to stay on in the job. Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper raised doubt about Trump's assertion that Comey had assured him he was not under investigation. "I would find that very inconsistent with what I know of Jim Comey," Clapper told MSNBC, adding it would have been "out of character for him to ask to stay on.Comey has not publicly discussed any conversations he has had with Trump. Acting FBI director Andrew McCabe sidestepped a question during a Senate hearing on Thursday on whether he ever heard Comey tell Trump that the president was not the subject of investigation.

'PERFECT ACCURACY

Trump also hit back on Friday at media reports questioning the credibility of White House accounts of why Comey was fired, which have changed over the course of the week, and threatened an end to regular White House press briefings. "As a very active President with lots of things happening, it is not possible for my surrogates to stand at podium with perfect accuracy!" Trump said. "Maybe the best thing to do would be to cancel all future 'press briefings' and hand out written responses for the sake of accuracy???" The White House initially said Trump fired Comey on the recommendation of the top Justice Department officials: Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Rosenstein. In the NBC interview on Thursday, Trump said he would have fired Comey regardless of any such recommendations.The White House has said Comey's firing was unrelated to the Russia probe. On Thursday, Trump told NBC he knew he ran the risk that by firing Comey he would "confuse people" and "lengthen out the investigation" into ties to Russia.The president said he never pressured Comey into dropping the FBI probe, and added that there was no "collusion between me and my campaign and the Russians."U.S. intelligence agencies concluded in January that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a campaign of interference in the election aimed at tilting the vote in Trump's favour. Moscow has denied any such meddling. Seeking to bolster Trump's case that he has had no concealed dealings with Russia, his lawyers said in a letter released by the White House on Friday that a review of Trump's tax returns from the past 10 years showed no income from Russian sources outside of a few exceptions, and indicated he did not owe money to Russian lenders. (Writing by Frances Kerry; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Alistair Bell)

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The war within Hizbul Mujahideen is out in the open as the militant outfit's top leadership has dissociated from the statement of commander Zakir Musa in which he had threatened to behead the Hurriyat leaders for terming the Kashmir struggle as a political movement. Musa, in a fresh video, hit back by saying that he stands by his statement and has dissociated with the Hizbul Mujahideen, but stated that a public warning will be issued before any one is killed.

Hizbul spokesman, Saleem Hashmi, has said that the statement of Musa "isnt acceptable and that the outfit has nothing to do with it." "This is the personal opinion of Zakir Musa. The resistance leadership and Kashmiri people were taking the movement ahead through united efforts. In these circumstances, any provocative statement or step could prove deadly for the movement," said Hashmi. He said that Hizbul Mujahideen is examining the statement issued by Musa and that they wouldnt hesitate to take any step in favour of the Kashmir struggle.

However, in the video statement which was issued by Musa, he said, "Hizbul Mujahideen has disassociated itself from my statement so I am disassociating myself from Hizbul. Hizbul said that they have nothing to do with Zakirs statement. If Hizbul doesnt represent me then I dont represent them. Now onwards I have nothing to do with Hizbul. I am on the right path and I am not associated with anybody and we will see who stands with me."

Musa also said that he did not mean to chop heads of every Hurriyat leader but only those who work and support secularism.

"I did not speak about a particular person or Geelani sahib but against those who are talking of freedom for a secular state. I know we will have to fight first the army which has occupied us, but our intention should be to fight for the freedom for Islam and not for the secular state."

Musa said that if militants are fighting for secularism then he will not lay down his life for that. "If we are fighting for the freedom in the name of secularism then I will not shed my blood." He also continued with his threat against moderate separatists. "I didnt talk about any particular Hurriyat leader, but against those moderates who support secular state after freedom. As I think even if we get freedom we will have to fight against those who are for secular state," he said.

Musa further added that he wants the creation of Islamic state and nothing will deter him from working towards that. "In your opinion it may be too early, but it is important to tell those people. If they support this then they can stand up against us. I dont care if anyone is with me, but Allah is with me. I stand by what I have said." He said that he has nothing against those who support the Islamic rule. "If their (Geelani and the others) intention is to enforce Shariya then I am not against them."

He said that Indian agencies cannot take advantage of his warning to the Hurriyat leaders and he will issue a public declaration before killing anyone. "People are saying that if anyone kills Hurriyat leaders the blame will come on us. But if we will have to kill anyone we will first issue a public declaration so that no Indian agency can take advantage. I am fighting for freedom for Islam only," he said.

Clarifying his stand, Musa clarified that he has nothing to do with the Islamic State or the al-Qaeda. "I dont know much about Islamic State and al-Qaeda as I have not done any research on them. But we cant believe those who are issuing declarations from their cozy rooms. I dont know whether Islamic State or al-Qaeda is right or wrong."

In the video message, he doesn't mind being called a RAW agent if he is talking about reposing faith of Islam. "If I say that we have to keep hope on Allah and this makes me Indian agent or part of Islamic State or Qaeda, then I am a RAW agent. It is Allah which decides on the life and death of people. It does not matter whether I live or die till I remember to fight for Islam and not a secular state. Some people will think I am wrong, but I am not against any particular person. If we keep hope on people then even if we have nuclear weapons we will not get help. We have to repose faith on Allah. I have talked of hanging only those who are for secular state."

He has also said that final goal of the militants should be to create Islamic state. "Some people are talking about Khilafat. We have to fight first oppression and then enforce Islamic shariah."
Watches are not rocket science. Or are they? Watches are not rocket...

Perhaps you dont have a PhD. Well, thats a shame, because with some watches, youll need one to understand how to tell the time. Perhaps you dont have a PhD. Well,...
Streaming service Netflix says it will hire 400 staff for its new Amsterdam-based European customer service headquarters and plans to announce at least six new original European projects before the end of 2017.

Netflix said Thursday that the first new series, "Dogs of Berlin," will be written, produced and shot in Germany and will launch in 2018. The second is a French production, "Osmosis," expected to begin production in 2018.

The company says that more than 400 people will work at its new Amsterdam customer service hub by the end of 2018, serving 11 countries in Europe.

Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings says in a statement that Europe "is a creative center for great storytelling that resonates around the world and we continue to invest in European content."
Singapore remains one of the top 2016 investment destinations among the countries linked by the Belt and Road initiative. (Photo : Getty Images)

Foreign investment in China's landmark Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) declined last year, according to official data, raising doubts about whether commercial enterprises are committed to a strategy for a Silk Road defined by modern geopolitics and profit-seeking.



The initiative, launched by President Xi Jinping in 2013, aims to connect China with Southeast and Central Asia, Asia, Africa and Europe through a network of roads, railways, ports and other infrastructure along the ancient Silk Road trade routes. Since then it has become a centerpiece of Chinese economic policy and the subject of a highly aggressive propaganda campaign.



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According to data from China's commerce ministry, foreign direct investment (FDI) from China to countries identified as part of the BRI dropped 2 percent in 2016 year-over-year and fell an additional 18 percent in 2017. Non-financial FDI to 53 BRI countries totaled $14.5 billion last year, making up only 9 percent of overall outbound FDI.



The decline occurred despite a 40 percent jump in China's outbound FDI in 2016, during which overseas investment reached a record high, prompting regulators to clamp down on foreign deals in a bid to slow down capital outflow.



Xiao Yaqing, chairman of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, which oversees state-owned enterprises, attributed the slump to the size of the investments.



"Big investments, especially overseas, mean that the numbers might not rise every year," he said. "Let's not look at year-on-year growth but at the development of the investment and the projects themselves. Over the long term, I believe investment into BRI countries will rise."



The geographic distribution of BRI-linked FDI by country raises a cloud over the investment into infrastructure. Among the BRI-linked countries, Singapore, a high-income nation with a highly developed infrastructure, became the leading investment destination in 2016.



Xiao disclosed figures showing that 47 state-owned SOEs were involved in 1,676 projects in BRI countries.



Several Chinese banks and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have also begun to complain that Beijing is pressuring them to undertake BRI projects that are deemed unprofitable.



"A lot of state-owned enterprises are stuck on this idea that 'the country is making me do it, and I don't want to do it,'" a recently retired senior executive at a large SOE told the Financial Times. "Well, do you want to be an SOE or don't you? Have you ever counted all the benefits you get from being an SOE?"



In addition to foreign investment, cross-border bank lending has also been a key component of the BRI. But loans outstanding from China Development Bank, the largest of China's three state-owned development lenders, dropped to $110 billion at the end of 2016, down from $111 billion from a year earlier, according to the bank's website.



Chinese experts have countered the published figures, saying that it does not paint a complete story.



Jia Jinjing, a researcher at Renmin University's Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies in Beijing, said that much of the outbound foreign investment passes through China through an intermediate country before reaching its final destination, thus making commerce data unreliable in gauging total BRI investment.



"We have to look at how many countries have signed BRI memoranda of agreement and how many heads of state or other important people and delegations will attend this summit," Jia sad. "This is the most important thing."


Youve seen them on the streets, on your commute and in your office; fidget spinners. The three-pronged pieces of plastic that are flicked for fun were originally designed as a therapeutic tool for children with ADHD and Autism to help calm fidgety behaviors and promote concentration. Kids (and adults alike) are buying spinners by bulk. Despite often times being a nuisance in the classroom, they have become a national trend.

These spinners have also created an economic boom that the toy industry has never seen before.

Right now we are in the midst of the biggest, fastest moving trend that I have ever seen in the toy industry, says Jackie Breyer, editorial director for The Toy Insider.

The fidget movement made its first major appearance at the North American International Toy Fair in February of 2017. Its estimated that over 200 million spinners have already shipped to retailers.

Smart manufactures and retailers began stocking the shelves in early March. Zing, a Portland, Oregon based toy manufacturer saw the writing on the wall. They noticed a growing trend on social media for everyday carry (#EDC) toys and quickly dove into the market. Once they saw spinners taking off, they fast-tracked their stackable, LED lit Spinzipz into production.

A fidget spinner is great for smaller companies because we can react quickly, and get the orders, we can ship fast, says Josh Loerzel, VP of sales and marketing for Zing.

Zing has already shipped over a million units, on track for two with the possibility of shipping out 4 million Spinzipz a month. Shipping several million pieces a month that still constitutes such a small piece of the actual overall demand, says Loerzel. For a small company like us, its a godsend.

Since the spinner trend is still turning, retail groups and associations cannot provide specific data on just how much spinners will add to retailers pockets. However, selling for $5-$10 a pop, Breyer suggests that if the 1,500 specialty retail shops in the nation can keep the momentum going past May, they could see $130,000-$150,000 in revenue.

Toys R Us for example are going to have licensed spinners - DC and Marvel comics spinners - so when you take that all in to account we could be looking at a half a billion dollars, says Breyer.

This makes our whole year, adds Loerzel.

Be sure to watch the video above for more insight on this spinning trend.
BlackRock Inc said on Friday that it voted in favor of a successful shareholder proposal calling for more climate change reporting by Occidental Petroleum Corp , in the first sign the world's largest asset manager was backing up its tough new talk on environmental matters.

Backers of the resolution called its passage a major victory, the first time such a measure succeeded at a major U.S. oil and gas company. Proponents said they were pleased by BlackRock's support, which they had sought.

"Todays historic vote puts the oil and gas industry on notice  the climate is changing and so are investor expectations of how companies should respond," said Laura Campos, a director at the Nathan Cummings Foundation, one of the resolution's proponents.

BlackRock, which has $5.4 trillion under management, traditionally has given few details of its reasoning behind specific proxy votes. On Friday, however, it said it was concerned about Occidentals pace of disclosure to date. It also gave details about its talks with other companies such as Chevron Corp, which BlackRock said has provided more detail on climate risks it faces such as a recent report it published.

A Chevron representative said the company would continue speaking with investors, and that it had held extensive dialog with proponents and other stockholders."

BlackRock spokesman Ed Sweeney said BlackRock would not explain every vote it casts in such detail but wanted to underscore how it promotes its corporate governance priorities in talks with companies.

"We want to highlight our engagement and articulate our voting decisions," he said.

Occidental Chairman Eugene Batchelder said in an emailed statement: "We look forward to continuing our shareholder engagement on the topic and providing additional disclosure about the company's assessment and management of climate-related risks and opportunities."

Major oil companies have long faced shareholder criticism for being slow to respond to climate concerns, though some have moved to mend fences with activists in recent years such as ExxonMobil's decision earlier this year to name a environmental expert to its board.

Specifically, the resolution at Occidental - which was also backed by Wespath Investment Management and state pension funds including the California Public Employees Retirement System - called on the energy company to explain the impact it could face from changes like new public policies on climate change, such as the 2016 Paris climate agreement.

BlackRock, Occidental's largest investor with about 8 percent of its shares, last year had opposed a similar resolution, which failed to get a majority of support from investors.

In a statement sent by Sweeney explaining the switch, the fund firm said its vote last year was meant to give Occidental time. But despite talks with Occidental, "we remain concerned about the lack of discernable improvements to the company's reporting practices" on climate issues, the statement said.

Last year a similar resolution was narrowly defeated with 249 million votes cast for it and 259 million votes cast against. The size of BlackRock's holdings suggested its switch helped give the proposal a majority of support this year. An Occidental spokesman said the company would provide details about the vote in coming days.

(Reporting by Ross Kerber; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli and Carmel Crimmins)
At $12.5 billion per ship, Ford-class supercarriers are the most expensive warships built for the U.S. Navy -- but not all aircraft carriers have to be that big.

The America-class small aircraft carriers that transport Marines on amphibious assault missions, for example, carry only a fraction of the firepower (no more than 20 F-35B fighters) of a full-size supercarrier (carrying up to 90 aircraft). But at just $3.3 billion, they also cost a lot less. Military shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls (NYSE: HII) builds both types of warship, and is more than happy to spend the Pentagon's money building whatever size carrier the Navy wants. In fact, Huntington Ingalls just finished building one of the America-class vessels well ahead of schedule.

Computer-generated image of how USS Tripoli (LHA 7) will look once fully outfitted. Image source: U.S. Navy.

From the shore with Tripoli

Hearkening back to the Marines' Hymn, the Navy's newest small aircraft carrier is named USS Tripoli (LHA 7). The Pentagon awardedHuntington Ingalls the contract to build Tripoli on May 31, 2012, requesting delivery in fiscal 2018. Less than five years later, she's already in the water.

Second in line after USS America (LHA 6), Tripoli closely resembles America in design, although Tripoli does incorporate significant strengthening of the flight deck to better accommodate launches and landings by Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) F-35B stealth jump jets.

Like America, Tripoli is an LHA-type warship that has been "optimized for aviation capabilities," according to the Navy's press release. Both vessels were built with the primary purpose of carrying and launching F-35B fighter jets, and so were outfitted with enlarged hangarsand more room for storing aviation fuel. To permit this, Huntington Ingalls removed from the vessels the stern "well deck," which, in previous LHAs, permitted the vessels to launch and receive waterborne landing craft for Marine beach assaults.

Post-Tripoli, the Navy plans to reincorporate well decks into its LHA designs, so that LHA 8 (to be named USS Bougainville) and subsequent LHAs will all be able to launch landing craft. Construction on Bougainville will begin next year, and should be complete by 2024.

What the America class means to Huntington Ingalls

Huntington Ingalls launched Tripoli on Saturday, May 1, 2017-- 13 weeks ahead of schedule.Ingalls ShipbuildingPresident Brian Cuccias credited Huntington's "vast knowledge and experience in the design and construction of these great ships" since the 1970s for its ability to get Tripoli built so quickly. (Final delivery is still expected to take place next year.)

Current plans call for the Navy to buy nine more America-class LHAs, modeled along the lines of Bougainville. At the current estimated $3.3 billion cost (a bargain -- because America herself cost $3.4 billion), that means Huntington can probably expect another $29.7 billion in revenue coming down the pike from building this one ship class alone.

And what it means to investors

More important for investors, it's key to remember that this revenue will be generated from Huntington's all-important Ingalls Shipbuilding division,which earns operating profit margins nearly twice as rich as those of Huntington's larger, but less profitable, Newport News Shipbuilding unit.Up until last quarter, at least, Ingalls was booking profit margin as high as 14%, versus barely 8% at Newport News. The faster Huntington Ingalls builds these ships, the faster it can book those profits.

Investors should cheer, therefore, to hear that Huntington Ingalls is building them just as fast as it possibly can.

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President Donald Trump said on Saturday he will move quickly to nominate a new FBI director, after he sparked a political firestorm by firing the man investigating possible collusion between Russia and the Trump presidential campaign.

Trump told reporters he might even be able to make his decision on who should succeed James Comey to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation before he leaves on his first foreign trip on Friday.

"Even that is possible," Trump said, speaking on Air Force One before departing for Lynchburg, Virginia, where he delivered a commencement address.

"I think the process is going to go quickly," he said, adding that the candidates under consideration were mostly well known. "They've been vetted over their lifetime essentially. But very well known, highly respected, really talented people. And that's what we want for the FBI."

Critics have assailed Trump for abruptly dismissing Comey, who was leading the agency's investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, and possible ties between Moscow and the Trump campaign..

Russia denies the claims and the White House says there was no collusion.

Trump made the remarks to reporters prior to speaking to about 50,000 people at Liberty University in Lynchburg, where he did not mention Comey or the controversy his dismissal on Tuesday caused. It was Trump's first public event outside the White House since Comey's ouster.

A White House official had said 11 people were under consideration - including acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, Republican Senator John Cornyn, New York Appeals Court Judge Michael Garcia and former Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher - to replace Comey as FBI chief.

Two new names, however, emerged on Saturday: FBI special agent Adam Lee and U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson. A source familiar with the process said Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, had interviewed Hudson, Lee and five others on Saturday.

The FBI Agents Association, which claims more than 13,000 active and retired agents as its members, on Saturday endorsed another candidate: former Representative Mike Rogers, who had also worked as an FBI agent.

At Liberty, the nation's largest Christian college, Trump peppered his remarks with the kind of anti-establishment rhetoric that fueled his maverick presidential campaign, telling graduates to challenge "entrenched interests." He thanked the crowd for their support and repeatedly invoked his own unlikely election victory.

"Relish the opportunity to be an outsider," Trump said. "The more that a broken system tells you that you're wrong, the more certain you should be that you must keep pushing ahead."

He also had strong words that seemed aimed at his critics.

"No one has ever achieved anything significant without a chorus of critics standing on the sidelines explaining why it can't be done," Trump said. "Nothing is easier or more pathetic than being a critic, because they're people that can't get the job done."

Liberty's president, Jerry Falwell, Jr., was a key early supporter of Trump during his campaign and helped rally support among religious conservatives.

Trump, who has been preparing for his first foreign trip - one that will take him to the Middle East and Europe - also will deliver the commencement address to the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton, Idrees Ali and Lucia Mutikani; Writing by James Oliphant and Tim Ahmann; Editing by Alistair Bell and Mary Milliken)
Four candidates are being interviewed Saturday to replace former FBI director James Comey on Saturday at the Department of Justice, Fox News has confirmed.

The four candidates meeting with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy Rod Rosenstein are:

Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher, who used to work in the Justice Department's Criminal Divsion; the acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, who recently testified before Congress about the agency's Russia collusion investigation; Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the current Senate Majority Whip and former attorney general of Texas who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee; Judge Michael J. Garcia of the New York Court of Appeals, who previously served as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York.

The administration is considering nearly a dozen candidates -- a list that includes top current and former lawmakers as well as law enforcement figures -- to replace fired FBI Director James Comey, a White House official briefed on the matter told Fox News on Friday.

We are moving quickly and expeditiously to pick an interim and a permanent replacement, and were doing our due diligencewere not going to cut any corners, the source told Fox News.

Shortlist for FBI director

Ray Kelly, the former and longest-serving New York City police commissioner

Mike Rogers, former House Intelligence Committee chairman and former FBI agent

Former Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher

Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C.

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas

Paul Abbate, executive assistant director for the Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Branch

Associate Judge of New York Court of Appeals Mike Garcia

Mayor of Colorado Springs John Suthers

Former federal appellate court Judge Michael Luttig, now executive vice president of Boeing

Larry Thompson, former deputy attorney general under President George W. Bush

Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe

The roster of contenders is extensive, including some names already reported such as former Rep. Mike Rogers and former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly as well as lesser-known law enforcement officials.

Kelly has long been known to Trump from his days serving as NYPD commissioner. Kelly spent nearly five decades in the NYPD serving in different commands. After his handling of the World Trade Center bombing in 1993, Kelly was mentioned as a possible candidate for FBI Director. Kelly also was Director of Police under the United Nations mission in Haiti, also serving in the Clinton administration as Treasury Department Undersecretary for Enforcement. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., endorsed Kelly as a candidate for secretary of Homeland Security during President Obamas first term, and later to head the FBI in 2011 when Robert Mueller stepped down from the post.

The list also includes several lawmakers on key law enforcement oversight panels. Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., led the congressional probe into Benghazi; Rogers is an ex-Michigan congressman who led the House Intelligence Committee and served as an FBI agent.

Others being considered to fill Comeys job are seasoned DOJ professionals. Thompson was deputy attorney general for President George W. Bush. John Suthers, now mayor of Colorado Springs, was a federal prosecutor, as was Mike Garcia. Garcia was appointed by Bush as a U.S. attorney and now serves as an associate judge on the New York Court of Appeals.

Those on the list with FBI-specific experience include Rogers and Paul Abbate, now assistant director in charge of the FBI.

Luttig, the executive vice president of Boeing, would cover Trumps penchant for plucking from the private sector to fill key administration roles. Luttig is also a former federal appellate court judge.

Acting FBI Director McCabe swiftly stepped into the role of acting director after Trump's controversial decision to fire Comey on Tuesday.

He seemed to undermine parts of the administration's narrative about the Comey firing during Senate testimony on Thursday. He argued that Comey had not generally lost the confidence of rank-and-file within the bureau despite suggestions to the contrary from the White House, and described the Russia meddling investigation as significant.

But the White House source told Fox News he is still "very much being considered for permanent and interim [director]  that has not changed."

The official added: Some of the things he said backed up some very important points. Of course this is a significant investigation, but it has turned up zero evidence of collusionthe place is leaking like a sieve, and if there was something out there, wed have heard by now.

Any full-time replacement for Comey would require Senate confirmation, and the president could be in for stiff resistance from Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans who have voiced concerns about the Comey firing.

The White House official told Fox News that the candidate list is fluid, and names could be added or removed as the process moves forward.

Fox News' Christopher Carbone contributed to this report.
No one had seen a unicorn Frappuccino until Starbucks introduced one a few weeks ago.

This was a frothing phosphate. A bedazzled, purple and pink drink -- available for a limited time only.

And now its gone.

Blend such a Frappuccino with the mythical unicorn and you really have something plucked out of the ether.

Some might say its like the House Republican ObamaCare repeal and replace bill.

Republicans talked about such a legislative potion for years. But alas, such a bill -- which could pass -- was elusive as the unicorn.

Until Republicans finally had it.

There were the tenets of the initial plan, crafted last year by House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., during his Year of Ideas and incorporated in his A Better Way agenda. But without major revisions, the House proved it couldnt adopt that prospectus.

The GOP seemed to court the votes of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, securing a last-minute agreement with Rep. Mark Meadows, R -N.C., about what constitutes essential health benefits covered in an insurance plan. But that didnt close the deal, and the GOP snatched the measure off the floor back in March.

In April, there was the addendum on health care risk pools crafted by GOP Reps. Dave Schweikert, Ariz., and Gary Palmer, R-Ala. But that didnt wrap things up, either. A little later, Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-N.J., teamed with Meadows on another amendment. It still didnt bring things across the finish line. Finally, Reps. Fred Upton, R-Mich., and Billy Long, R-Mo., cooked up additional money for risk pools to help cover the sick and poor. And finally, Republicans guided the beleaguered health care plan to passage.

Much like the unicorn Frappuccino at Starbucks, the GOP just kept stirring-in cloying sweeteners to appeal to House Republicans to vote for the bill.

This isnt a new tactic on Capitol Hill. Congressional leaders have long poured these sweeteners onto legislation to induce just the right number of members to vote yes to pass a bill. But all of the sugars and calories mixed into the health care measure almost reached a level of absurdity. They just kept adding things, coming up with a strange legislative concoction.

Black, high-octane, caffeinated coffee served in a Styrofoam cup wasnt good enough. Were long past the era of Chock full ONuts and Folgers Crystals. These days, people want their coffee with a shot of vanilla or caramel.

Americanos. Cafe Cubanos. Lattes and mochas and cappuccinos. Still, even cappuccinos werent good enough. So they whipped up Frappuccinos. And if regular Frappuccinos became passe, they delved into the novel -- birthing the unicorn Frappuccino.

The Saccharine concoction is seemingly infused with Lucky Charms, Trix and Froot Loops, sprinkled with pixie dust and served by Glenda the Good Witch, best enjoyed while watching My Little Pony.

Mix the drink and its color and taste starts to change. Thats kind of how the GOP health care bill appears. Just kind of thrown together and added on until they got something which could pass. It doesnt matter what it was. Just something that could pass, no matter the bizarre outcome.

Theyd never been able to pass anything before until now.

But like the unicorn Frappuccino at Starbucks, the House GOP health care plan wont be around long, either.

A bakers dozen of senators are already empaneled as part of a task force to draft their own health care bill.

Sure, senators may crib various provisions from the House measure, which finally made it past the House into the Senate package. And who knows if the Senate can ever cobble something together. But it wont be the unicorn Frappuccino of health care.

Like the unicorn Frappuccino, the American Health Care Act, the GOPs replacement for ObamaCare, is just a limited release until the Senate manages to assemble something which is reasonably palatable.

Who knows if the House can grapple with a Senate bill -- if and when senators muscle through their own plan?

Its entirely possible that the Senate may engineer a different contraption of a health care bill. The Senate bill could be something which resembles a warren of plastic tubes and tunnels -- worthy of a hamster habitat in the bedroom of a nine-year-old. But it wont be much like what they dreamt up in the House.

You cant blame congressional Republicans for going to these lengths to pass an ObamaCare repeal and replace package. And for the record, it should be noted that this plan doesnt actually repeal ObamaCare. It merely revises parts of the law. Republicans were desperate. They argued about ObamaCare for nearly eight years.

Some House Republicans felt like they were trapped on a Caribbean island attending the Fyre Festival as they served in the majority during the Obama presidency. Then all of a sudden the GOP scores control of the Senate, President Trump goes to the White House and Republicans see their chance to undo all that they perceived was wrong over the past eight years.

Thus they produced the Unicorn Frappuccino.

Sometimes thats all you can do on Capitol Hill. Rarely is a bill or the vaunted process on a major bill good or pretty. Theyre always dressing things up on legislation. Thats why its important not to level too much criticism at Republicans, regardless of the parliamentary outcome. Democrats faced the same issues. And if you think health care was ugly, imagine the various drinks coming later this year.

Tax Reform Tea. Debt Ceiling Delight. Shutdown Shakes.

Expect dwarves and elves and orcs and hobbits. It could be something right out of Lord of the Rings.

Like it or not, Republicans got a bill together and dragged it to passage on the House floor. Many thought that couldnt be done. If past is prologue, dont be so sure Republicans wont be able to advance health care or an infrastructure bill.

The question centers on just how sweet they can make the bill to command the requisite votes to usher it to passage.

The process isnt elegant. So dress it up as best you can. Pour in the rainbow food coloring, edible dye and chlorophyll. Make it appealing. Add sweeteners.

Voila. Maybe you can get a Unicorn Frappuccino health care bill. But for a limited time only. Pricing and participation may vary.
Federal investigators last month reportedly requested bank records of former Trump campaign adviser Paul Manafort as a part of a widening probe into potential Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

The Department of Justice requested Manaforts banking records from Citizens Financial Group Inc. back in mid-April, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. It is unclear if additional banks received similar requests.

Manafort has not been accused of any wrong doing. He has agreed to testify before congressional committees involved.

This comes as pressure mounts on the FBI and Congress to find out if Trump campaign associates colluded with Russia in any way that would have interfered with the November elections.

On Wednesday, the Senate Intelligence Committee subpoenaed former Trump National Security adviser Michael Flynn for papers related to the investigation. The FBI is also interested in Flynns potential role in any Russian interference.

Flynn was fired by President Trump after less than a month on the job, after the White House said he misled Vice President Mike Pence and other top officials about his communications with Russia's ambassador to the United States.

The New York officials are also looking into Manaforts real-estate and financial to see if there are any indications of money-laundering or fraud.

In the mid-2000s, Manafort purchased at least 6 properties for more than $16 million. This was right around the time he also started working as a political advisor for pro-Russian politicians in the Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported.

There were also reports in late March that raised questions about accounts in a Cyprus bank that might have been used for money laundering.

Through a spokesman, Manafort denies any wrong doing and said that all of his real-estate transactions were transparent and that the Cyprus accounts were related to legitimate work he had there.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Trump on Saturday urged graduates of Liberty University to never give up and find the courage to challenge the establishment and critics, much like he has done in Washington.

"In my short time in Washington, I've seen firsthand how the system is broken," he said. "A small group of failed voices, who think they know everything  want to tell everybody else how to live, Trump said in his commencement speech at the Christian school, in Lynchburg, Va.

But you aren't going to let other people tell you what to believe, especially when you know that you're right.  We don't need a lecture from Washington on how to lead our lives."

Trump, a businessman and first-time elected official, made three previous visits to Liberty but none likely as important as his January 2016 trip in which he asked and received the support of evangelical Christians.

Jerry Falwell Jr., Liberty's president, helped Trump win an overwhelming 80 percent of the white evangelical vote, in his 2016 White House victory.

"Nothing worth doing ever, ever, ever came easy," Trump said Saturday, in his first college commencement speech as president. "Following your convictions means you must be willing to face criticism from those who lack the same courage to do what is right. And they know what is right, but they don't have the courage or the guts or the stamina to take it and to do it."

Newly elected U.S. presidents often give their first commencement addresses at the University of Notre Dame, the country's best-known Roman Catholic school.

Former Presidents Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush did so during their first year in office. But this year, Vice President Mike Pence will speak at Notre Dame's graduation, becoming the first vice president to do so.

Notre Dame spokesman Paul Browne declined to say whether Trump had been invited to the May 21 ceremony, saying it was against school policy to reveal who had turned down offers.

Trump's remarks in Virginia marked his first extended public appearance since he fired James Comey as FBI director on Tuesday.

The president on Saturday didn't talk about Comey. And he has largely stayed out of public view since Tuesday, when he removed the head of the agency investigating Russia's role in the 2016 election, along with possible ties between Trump's campaign and the Russian government.

Aboard Air Force One, en route to Liberty, Trump said he could appoint a new FBI director by Friday, before departing on his first overseas presidential trip.

Several candidates were interview Saturday at Justice Department headquarters in Washington, D.C. Whoever is appointed would have to be confirmed by the Republican-led Senate.

A recent Pew Research Center survey marking Trump's first 100 days in office, a milestone reached on April 29, found three-quarters of white evangelicals approved of his performance as president while just 39 percent of the general public held the same view.

Im thrilled to be back at Liberty University, said Trump, who repeatedly thanked the stadium-filled crowd for helping him get elected. Boy did you come out and vote.

Christian conservatives have been overjoyed by Trump's appointment of Justice Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, along with Trump's choice of socially conservative Cabinet members and other officials, such as Charmaine Yoest, a prominent anti-abortion activist named to the Department of Health and Human Services.

But they had a mixed response to an executive order on religious liberty that Trump signed last week. He directed the IRS to ease up on enforcing an already rarely enforced limit on partisan political activity by churches.

He also promised "regulatory relief" for those who object on religious grounds to the birth control coverage requirement in the Affordable Care Act health law. Yet the order did not address one of the most pressing demands from religious conservatives: broad exemptions from recognizing same-sex marriage.

Still, Falwell, who endorsed Trump in January 2016 just before that year's Iowa caucuses, praised Trump's actions on issues that concern Christian conservatives.

"I really don't think any other president has done more for evangelicals and the faith community in four months than President Trump has," Falwell said.

Falwell became a key surrogate and validator for the thrice-married Trump during the campaign, frequently traveling with Trump on the candidate's plane and appearing at events. Falwell often compared Trump to his later father, the conservative televangelist Jerry Falwell, and argued that while Trump wasn't the most religious candidate in the race, he was the man the country needed.

"The more that a broken system tells you that you're wrong, the more certain you must be that you must keep pushing ahead," added Trump, who often complains about being underestimated during the presidential campaign.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Shanghai Disney Resort is set to celebrate its first anniversary this June 16. (Photo : Getty Images)

In line with its first anniversary this coming June 16, Shanghai Disney Resort said that it would soon welcome its 10 millionth visitor, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.



According to Robert A. Iger, chairman and CEO of Walt Disney Company, "As the resort has become a true national destination in China, [visitor numbers are] outpacing our most optimistic projections and the park's performance is exceeding our expectations."



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"In the next few days, Shanghai Disney Resort will welcome its 10 millionth guest," he remarked in a press conference.



In 2018, Disney eyes to unveil a new area in the Shanghai Resort, the Toy Story Land.



"The addition of the new Toy Story Land will add to the park's popularity . . . and it's just the first of several planned expansions in Shanghai," Iger shared.



Based on the firm's recently released report for its second fiscal quarter, it has raked in quarterly earnings worth $13.3 billion. Moreover, the company's net profits saw an 11 percent year-over-year increase as the figure jumped to $2.38 billion.



"Parks and resorts delivered another strong quarter, with operating income growth of 20 percent, driven by increases at Shanghai Disney Resort and our domestic parks and resorts," Christine McCarthy, Walt Disney's chief financial officer and senior executive vice president, noted.



Meanwhile, economist Zhao Huanyan of the Huamei Hotel Consulting said that the 10 million-mark is actually a sign of the growing significance of theme parks in the country's tourism industry.



Shanghai Disney Resort was established as a joint venture between Shanghai Shendi Group and Walt Disney



For this year alone, Disney has already released two international smash movies: "Beauty and the Beast" and "Rogue One."



For the next months, the company is set to release more much-anticipated films that are set to rack up their revenues. These projects include four Marvel movies ("Thor Ragnarok," "Black Panther," "Avengers Infinity War" and "Antman and Wasp") and live-action adaptations of "Lion King," "Aladdin," "Mulan" and "Dumbo."


This is a rush transcript from "Your World," May 12, 2017. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)



NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: The Comey stuff and all the back-and-forth about independent commissions, we have got to get a prosecutor on this, that regardless of what you feel on those matters, that it is going to delay progress on other matters, maybe the tax cuts, the health care thing, and that this could be a problem for the Republican agenda.

WILBUR ROSS, U.S. COMMERCE SECRETARY: Well, I think the Democrats have been throwing sand into everything to try to slow it down.

My perception is that they're scared to death that we're going to make the economy really jump-started, and that that will bode ill for them in the 2018 elections.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAVUTO: All right, if the commerce secretary is right, announcing a big China trade pact today, this is all about the Democrats worried that the president is gaining traction on his agenda.

House Republican Conference Chair Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers.

Very good to have you, Congresswoman.

REP. CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS, R-WASHINGTON: Thanks. Good to be with you.

CAVUTO: What do you think of what Wilbur Ross was saying, that this isn't so much about Comey and what the president knew and when he knew it and whether he tapes his conversations; this is all about making sure you guys don't get to do what you want to do?

MCMORRIS RODGERS: Secretary Wilbur Ross made a very important point.

We know that there's an organized effort by the left, it's well-funded, it's well-organized, and their goal from the very beginning has been to distract us, get us off our game, run down the clock.

And that's why it's more -- it's so important that we stay on our game, that we are getting points on the board and getting bills passed.

And that's why I'm proud that the House took action on the American Health Care Act that is fulfilling one of our promises to repeal and replace ObamaCare. And I'm anxious to get to work on tax reform, one of the best things we could do to get our economy growing.

CAVUTO: Are you worried, though, that, in the Senate, I guess they're going to start from scratch? And maybe that's just the way it goes. But you think, leaving aside the Comey stuff and all that nonsense, that things are getting delayed, getting pushed back?

MCMORRIS RODGERS: We -- we have just got to -- we have got to just stay -- we -- we have got to keep our eye on the goal.

And the Senate, they're going to work through their process. My understanding is that they still believe that they need -- they want to take action in the next few weeks, you know, maybe a month or two. But they recognize that this needs to happen. We need to repeal and replace ObamaCare.

Every day, we're receiving more news how ObamaCare is failing. And so that action needs to be taken. But we also need to work on tax reform. And we want to get a bill out of the House as soon as possible. We have been working on this for months.

CAVUTO: What is as soon as possible on the tax thing? What do you think that is?

MCMORRIS RODGERS: Well, my hope is that we can do this by August, at a -- that we can get a bill out of the House.

And we have been working on it for months. It's -- we need to do this. This is our once-in-a-generation opportunity to enact real tax reform. And America needs it. That's how we get our economy growing, get people back to work.

CAVUTO: But do you worry, though -- I'm sorry. And I can see what you're saying here, that you still want to move full speed ahead.

But when you saw this Comey development and you saw what -- the controversy over the firing, and whether the president tapes conversations, you know the drill, and you have heard all the hoopla back and forth -- that, at the very least, did something in you say, our agenda is getting pushed back, our agenda is getting pushed back?

MCMORRIS RODGERS: Yes, we have just to keep our eye on the goal.

Certainly, the media, you know, spinning this up, that's what they're talking about. But every day in the House, we have got to keep doing our work. And that's where getting the American health care bill passed out of the House last week was so important. We have been working for months on tax reform.

We want to work on the Dodd-Frank reforms. We have a long list that we want to do. We have already passed 13 major repeals of regulations that were stifling this economy that the president has signed. We -- all of that builds momentum. And we just got to keep it going.

CAVUTO: No doubt.

But does it ever bug you when the president maybe gets in the way of that or either tweets or says stuff that all of a sudden shifts the attention? It shouldn't. Obviously, people can do other things and chew gum at the same time, but that the president is the one who derails you.

MCMORRIS RODGERS: Well, the president, the media, it's a 24-hour news cycle.

(LAUGHTER)

MCMORRIS RODGERS: It has to be fed every day.

You know, I think, as legislators, this -- we have got to just stay focused on what our responsibility is. And the legislative process takes time to work bills through the committees.

CAVUTO: Well, do you think he should be tweeting at all, Congresswoman?

(LAUGHTER)

CAVUTO: Most of his tweets concern this back-and-forth with the media on press conferences, on the FBI. You know what I mean, that maybe it would be best for him not to do that?

MCMORRIS RODGERS: Well, you know, the president has -- he engages people directly through those tweets.

From my perspective, the president was a huge asset in getting our health care bill done. And he was meeting with the members. He's been meeting with House and senators. He's meeting with Republicans and Democrats, building those relationships, whether it's on health care, whether it's on tax, whether it's on infrastructure.

CAVUTO: All right.

MCMORRIS RODGERS: And so he is doing the job that needs to be done as president in the legislative process.

CAVUTO: Congresswoman, we're just learning that James Comey has declined an invite to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee and testify before them in a role as a former FBI director.

Are you, were you surprised?

MCMORRIS RODGERS: I had not heard that news.

I would think that the Senate Intelligence Committee is going to have to continue to work through its process, and perhaps will have to think of another way to get him to appear if they want to talk with him.

CAVUTO: All right.

The other quick question is, whoever replaces the FBI director -- I know this is a Senate matter -- but do you think that a non-politician, as some have said, someone who did not actively campaign, for example, for the president is the way to go?

MCMORRIS RODGERS: Well, we need someone that has the trust and confidence of the president, as well as the American people.

The FBI, it is so important that people have trust and confidence in that agency. And, ultimately, it's the president's decision to make as to who is going to best fulfill that role.

CAVUTO: All right.

Thank you very much, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Have a wonderful Mother's Day.

MCMORRIS RODGERS: Thank you.

CAVUTO: All right, thank you. All right.

END

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A woman has spoken of her horror after she was scammed out of 915 ($1,180) for a holiday getaway through Airbnb.

Georgia Brown said she had never used the online rental marketplace before, but was delighted when she found the perfect spot to celebrate her boyfriends birthday in Amsterdam in October this year.

After contacting the Airbnb host, the 20-year-old said she was asked to transfer the 915 ($1,180) payment to a bank account for the three-night stay at the four bedroom home.

UNITED FACES BACKLASH FROM MISSOURI MOM

But after receiving a confirmation email, the young woman called Airbnb to confirm  only to be told the email address was not an official address.

Quickly calling her bank Santander in a desperate attempt to stop the payment from going through, Georgia has now slammed Airbnb for not sharing enough warnings about scammers on the site.

She told The Sun Online: When I signed up, there were not terms and conditions that told you about the site.

I was reading through the description of the place and it said to book, please send through a query through this email address  it all seemed really friendly and he said they had availability.

Checking the accommodation with the friends she would be traveling with, Georgia got the contact details for the owner, confirmed the dates and paid the money.

She said: Because I hadnt used it before, I presumed people advertised on there and then you make payments to them directly.

After I paid them, I thought, Ill just check and I went on the Airbnb website. It took me a good half an hour to find anything about payments and it said that they should all be made through the website.

I called my bank straight away and explained, and they said theyll do everything we can.

But the young legal secretary said she was disgusted by Airbnbs response, saying: All I got was a Oh no, Georgia, you shouldnt have done that.

They shouldnt have had the advert on their website in the first place.

She said the advertisement told people looking at the rental that they would need to bank transfer the funds to the agents account, saying that Airbnb should police the advertisements better.

The young Essex woman is now fighting to get her money back, with the scammer since contacting her and asking for more details  leaving her hopeful that they still have not received the money and she will be able to get it back.

She said: I want to make more people aware  Air BnB is massively advertised, they want everyone to think their website is the safest.

In fact, by not having warnings about scammers they are putting a lot of people at risk.

Im not stupid, I can spot things like this but it looked so legitimate.

Airbnb preach about how they do all of these checks on the hosts, then how can something like this happen.

The Sun Online has since tried to contact the host but the number was disconnected.

An Airbnb spokesman said: Fake or misrepresented listings have no place in our community and our team is working hard to constantly strengthen our defenses and stay ahead of fraudsters.

We just introduced new security tools to help tackle fake listings and educate our community about staying safe online, including more warnings.

The most important thing to know is as long as you stay on the airbnb.com platform and only send money through Airbnb, you will always be protected. There have been over 160 million guest arrivals on on Airbnb and bad experiences are extremely rare.

The listing has since been removed from Airbnb.

A Santander bank spokesperson said: Our customer, Georgia Brown found a holiday property on Airbnb and sent an email to somebody she believed was the owner of the property.

A return email was received purportedly from Airbnb confirming beneficiary account details. Miss Brown then sent a payment of 913 to the bank account provided by the third party.

She has since discovered this is a scam and funds were not sent to Airbnb.

Santander were in contact with Miss Brown from the day of the transaction to start the process to try and recover the funds from the recipient bank. However, as the funds were sent overseas it can take up to 90 days to get a response.

Story first appeared in The Sun.
The federal government said Friday that it has settled on finalists to design President Donald Trump's proposed border wall with Mexico, but it won't identify them.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it will notify finalists over the next several days. It won't say how many there are, but it has said previously that it would pick up to 20 for contracts expected to be valued between $200,000 and $500,000.

An agency document released last month by Senate Democrats says authorities plan to select winners by June 14 to build prototypes in San Diego on a short stretch of land near the Otay Mesa border crossing with Mexico. It picked San Diego partly because the land is federally owned and to compare the prototypes to existing fencing nearby that was breached 800 times in a single year.

The prototypes should be about 30 feet (9 meters) long and 18 to 30 feet (5.5 to 9 meters) high. The agency says it should be impossible to scale without help and that it should be impenetrable to sledgehammers and battery-operated tools for at least an hour. It should also be aesthetically pleasing from the U.S. side.

Building a wall on the Mexican border was a cornerstone of Trump's presidential campaign and a flashpoint for his detractors. A stopgap measure to fund the government through September doesn't provide money for construction.
A Tennessee judge said Friday the former school teacher accused of kidnapping a teenager before fleeing to California must remain in custody.

The ruling came after a preliminary hearing in Nashville, according to a clerk at the U.S. District Court.

Court documents show prosecutors filed a motion for detention on May 9, arguing that Tad Eric Cummins, 50, is a flight risk.

The evidence supporting Defendants risk of flight and danger to the community is overwhelming, the motion said.

The document stated that Cummins abused his position as a teacher, exploited a students vulnerability, transported the 15-year old girl across state liness for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts, and engaged in sexual activities in numerous locations with the minor over a 30-day period.

He faces a state charge of aggravated kidnapping, sexual contact with a minor, and one federal charge of transporting a minor across state lines for sex.

On January 20, a Culleoka Unit School resource officer contacted the local sheriffs department with reports of an indecent relationship between a student and teacher, according to a criminal complaint filed by a Task Force officer with the FBI.

Officer Jonathan Hardison stated after numerous reports of inappropriate behavior between Cummins and Elizabeth Thomas, 15, the two met at a Columbia restaurant on March 13 - and then vanished, leading to a 38-day nationwide manhunt.

According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation an AMBER alert was issued the following day.

On March 17th, the TBI added the 50-year-old to the states Top 10 Most Wanted list, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation site states.

On April 20, Siskiyou County authorities found the former health science teacher hiding in a remotely located cabin with the girl.
The parents of a 17-year-old yeshiva student fatally shot in the West Bank by Hamas terrorists in 1996 filed a federal lawsuit Friday against two Chicago-area Palestinian-American groups to collect on a legal judgment stemming from the death.

Stanley and Joyce Boim filed the lawsuit in Chicago against American Muslims for Palestine and Americans for Justice in Palestine Educational Foundation. The Chicago Tribune reports the couple alleges the Bridgeview-based organizations are "alter egos" of three Islamic fundraising groups held liable several years ago for the death of their son, David, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Beit El.

The Boims initially filed a lawsuit in 2000, alleging the American Muslim Society, the Islamic Association for Palestine-National and the Quranic Literacy Institute gave to Palestinian charities that ultimately helped fund terrorism. A federal jury entered a $52 million judgment against the charities in 2004, and the trial judge tripled the amount to $156 million. A federal appeals court upheld the judgment in 2008.

Boims' attorney, Stephen Landes, said the family received only a fraction of the award because the defendants said they had no money to pay the judgment and shut down. He said the successor groups named in Friday's lawsuit formed later with many of the same men in similar leadership roles.

"What we ended up finding is they just tried to rebrand themselves, and they set up down the street," Landes said.

If the groups are allowed to move on without paying the judgment, Landes said, "it makes a mockery" of federal anti-terrorism laws.

Messages left with American Muslims for Palestine by the Tribune were not returned. Friday's lawsuit also names three individuals identified as leaders of the group, including Abdelbasset Hamayel, identified as its executive director and the secretary general of the defunct Islamic Association for Palestine.

Hamayel told the Tribune he was unaware of the lawsuit and declined to comment. He didn't immediately return a message left after-hours at his office by The Associated Press.

It's unclear if Americans for Justice in Palestine Educational Foundation is still operating; it doesn't have a separate website or a publicly listed phone number.
A Tucson woman is accused of substituting flour for infant formula in containers returned to several local stores for refunds, and police have warned the public to check formula containers' seals for tampering.

One child got sick from ingesting tampered formula but is in good condition after being treated at a hospital and released May 5, police said late Thursday.

Police Chief Chris Magnus held an unusual nighttime news conference to disclose the arrest and to warn the public. "We're concerned about this and wanted to get the information out as quickly as possible to avoid any other children from becoming sick," Magnus said.

Police said the suspect was motivated by money and apparently took place over at least several days and possibly for up to two months. The formula was either purchased or stolen, police said.

Dr. Francisco Garcia, chief medical officer for Pima County, said tests are being conducted to determine whether other substances were put in formula containers along with flour, such as something to make it more palatable.

Police said Jennifer LaPlante, 30, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of fraudulent schemes and artifices and child endangerment.

LaPlante remained jailed Friday. It wasn't immediately known whether she has an attorney who could comment on the allegations.

Police listed two Fry's grocery stores and two Walmart stores, all on Tucson's eastside, that are linked to the incident.

Officials at Arkansas-based Wal-Mart said they don't restock baby formula and are "deeply disturbed" by the Tucson incident.

"Our customers deserve safe, quality foods, and we have policies in place to help ensure that returned baby formula is not put back on our shelves," Wal-Mart spokesman Ragan Dickens said in a statement.

A police department spokesman, Sgt. Pete Dugan, said Friday he wasn't aware of additional reports of tampered formula.

However, detectives remained "smack-dab in the middle of the investigation," Dugan said. "They need to find out if there's others involved. They need to find out if there's other stores involved."

Officials advised recent purchasers of infant formula from Tucson businesses to check seals on containers and to see whether the formula smelled normal.

Parents shouldn't feed infants with any formula if there's any question of possible tampering, Garcia said. "Those seals should be intact," he said.
President Donald Trump is considering more than a dozen candidates to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey, choosing from a group that includes several lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials.

White House officials said Friday the president was moving expeditiously to find an interim FBI director along with a permanent replacement for Comey, who was fired Tuesday.

Eight candidates had interviews Saturday: Texas Sen. John Cornyn; acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe; attorney Alice Fisher; New York Court of Appeals Judge Michael Garcia; Adam Lee, head of the bureau's office in Richmond, Virginia; federal judge Henry E. Hudson of Virginia; former homeland security adviser Frances Townsend; and former Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers.

The overall list includes South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy and former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, according to two White House officials briefed on the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning.

The candidates under consideration as a permanent replacement for Comey:

__

SEN. JOHN CORNYN

Cornyn is the No. 2 Senate Republican and a former Texas attorney general and state Supreme Court justice. He has been a member of the Senate GOP leadership team for a decade and serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee. In the aftermath of Comey's dismissal, Cornyn said Trump was "within his authority" to fire him and said it would not affect the investigation of possible Russian ties to Trump's presidential campaign.

__

REP. TREY GOWDY

The South Carolina Republican is best known for leading the congressional inquiry into the deadly attacks on a U.S. facility in Benghazi, Libya, a panel that oversaw a lengthy grilling of Hillary Clinton in 2015. A former federal prosecutor and state attorney, Gowdy was elected to Congress in the 2010 tea party wave and has focused on law enforcement issues. He originally endorsed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for president before backing Trump in May 2016.

__

FORMER REP. MIKE ROGERS

Rogers is the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He served Michigan in Congress for more than a decade before stepping down in 2015. Rogers worked for the FBI as a special agent based in Chicago in the 1990s and briefly advised Trump's transition team on national security issues. His name was floated as a possible replacement for then-FBI Director Robert Mueller in 2013, and he received support from an association of FBI agents before President Barack Obama chose Comey.

__

RAY KELLY

Kelly was commissioner of the New York City Police Department for more than a decade, serving two mayors. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, he created the first counterterrorism bureau of any municipal police department and oversaw a drastic reduction in crime. But Kelly also came under fire for his use of aggressive police tactics, including a program that spied on Muslims and a dramatic spike in the use of stop-and-frisk, which disproportionately affected nonwhite New Yorkers.

__

J. MICHAEL LUTTIG

Luttig, the general counsel for Boeing Corp., is viewed as a conservative legal powerhouse from his tenure as a judge on the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals and his time as a Justice Department lawyer. He was considered for two U.S. Supreme Court vacancies that went to Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. Luttig clashed with the George W. Bush White House on a prominent terror case, rebuking the administration for its actions in the case involving "enemy combatant" Jose Padilla.

__

LARRY THOMPSON

A deputy attorney general under President George W. Bush, Thompson served as the department's No. 2 from 2001 to 2003. Among his most high-profile actions was allowing Syrian-born Canadian citizen Maher Arar to be deported to Syria, where he was tortured, after being falsely named as a terrorist. Thompson also served as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia and held several high-level positions at PepsiCo.

__

PAUL ABBATE

Abbate is a senior official at the FBI, currently responsible for the bureau's criminal and cyber branch. He previously led FBI field offices in Washington, one of the agency's largest, and in Detroit. He's been deeply involved for years in FBI efforts to fight terrorism, serving in supervisory roles in Iraq and Afghanistan and later overseeing FBI international terrorism investigations as a section chief. He's been with the FBI for more than 20 years, and is one of the FBI officials who interviewed this week for the role of interim director.

__

ALICE FISHER

Currently a partner at the law firm Latham & Watkins specializing in white-collar criminal and internal investigations, Fisher formerly served as assistant attorney general for the Criminal Division of the Justice Department. Fisher faced resistance from Democrats during her confirmation over her alleged participation in discussions about policies at the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. She also served as deputy special counsel to the Senate special committee that investigated President Bill Clinton's Whitewater scandal. If selected, she would be the bureau's first female director.

__

ANDREW MCCABE

A Duke-educated lawyer, McCabe was named last year as the FBI's deputy director, the No. 2 position in the bureau, overseeing significant investigations and operations. Since joining the FBI more than 20 years ago, he's held multiple leadership positions, including overseeing the FBI's national security branch and its Washington field office. McCabe became acting director after Comey was fired, but has shown a repeated willingness to break from White House explanations of the ouster and its characterizations of the Russia investigation.

__

MICHAEL GARCIA

A former New York prosecutor, Garcia has served as an associate judge on the New York Court of Appeals  the state's highest court  since early 2016. He served as the U.S. attorney in Manhattan from 2005 to 2008, and previously held high-level positions in the Commerce Department, the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security.

__

JOHN SUTHERS

A former U.S. attorney and Colorado attorney general, Suthers was elected mayor of Colorado Springs in 2015. He is widely respected among state law enforcement and many Colorado Democrats. Suthers was inspired to become a prosecutor after he spent part of an internship in the Colorado Springs district attorney's office watching the trial of a gang of soldiers convicted of killing various citizens, including actor Kelsey Grammer's sister, during a crime spree in the 1970s.

__

ADAM LEE

Lee, a longtime agent, is special agent in charge of the FBI's Richmond office. He worked in a variety of positions within the bureau. Before Comey tapped him to lead the Richmond office in 2014, he was section chief of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section, investigating some of the highest profile cases against government officials and civil rights violations in recent years. He also led the FBI's global Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Antitrust Programs.

__

HENRY E. HUDSON

Hudson is a federal judge in Richmond who earned praise from conservatives when he struck down the centerpiece of the Obama administration's health care law in 2010. He is a George W. Bush appointee who earned the nickname "Hang 'Em High Henry" for his tough-on-crime stand as a federal prosecutor and on the bench. He became a hero to animal rights activists when he sentenced NFL star Michael Vick to nearly two years in prison in 2007 for running a dogfighting ring.

__

FRANCES TOWNSEND

Townsend was homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to President George W. Bush after a series of high-profile Justice Department jobs.

Among other roles, Townsend is a national security analyst for CBS News. She worked as a federal prosecutor in New York under then-U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani, focusing on white-collar and organized crime. At the Justice Department, she worked in a variety of jobs including leading the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review, which helped oversee intelligence-gathering activities related to the nation's top secret surveillance court.

___

Associated Press writers Sadie Gurman and Eric Tucker in Washington and Nick Riccardi in Denver contributed to this report.

___

On Twitter follow Colvin at https://twitter.com/colvinj and Thomas at https://twitter.com/KThomasDC
Donald Trump, the real estate mogul-turned-president, offered simple words of advice to university graduates Saturday as he urged them to follow their convictions, prepare to face criticism and relish the opportunity to be an "outsider."

"It's the outsiders who change the world," Trump declared in his first commencement address to more than 18,000 graduates of Liberty University, a Christian school whose president was one of Trump's earliest and most outspoken supporters during last year's presidential campaign.

Trump kept to a largely upbeat message during the roughly 30-minute speech, never mentioning his stunning decision this past week to remove James Comey as FBI director. Trump said Comey is a "showboat" and "grandstander" who was fired because he wasn't doing a good job.

But the timing of Trump's decision raised questions as he remains frustrated by FBI and congressional investigations into Russia's role in the 2016 presidential campaign that ended with Trump's election, along with possible ties between Trump associates and the Russian government.

Trump said Saturday that he could name a new director by Friday, when he departs on his first foreign trip as president to Saudi Arabia, Israel, Italy and Belgium. Justice Department officials began interviewing candidates in Washington on Saturday.

Drawing parallels to what was widely viewed as a longshot presidential bid by Trump, who had never held elective office before winning the November election, Trump urged the graduates to never stop fighting for what they believe in.

"Remember this: Nothing worth doing ever, ever, ever came easy," he said. Tens of thousands of people packed an on-campus stadium to welcome Trump, the second sitting president to address the university's commencement ceremony, with applause and a standing ovation.

"Following your convictions means you must be willing to face criticism from those who lack the same courage to do what is right, and they know what is right, but they don't have the courage or the guts or the stamina to take it and to do it," said Trump, who did not wear a gown.

Trump advised the graduates to "never quit" and to carry themselves with "dignity and pride."

"Demand the best from yourself and be totally unafraid to challenge entrenched interests and failed power structures," Trump said, in a dig at the Washington political establishment he has vowed to shake up. "Does that sound familiar, by the way?"

Trump also urged graduates to "treat the word 'impossible' as nothing more than motivation" and "relish the opportunity to be an outsider."

"The more that a broken system tells you that you're wrong, the more certain you should be that you must keep pushing ahead," he said. "You must keep pushing forward."

Trump suggested they choose careers they love "or you most likely won't be very successful at it."

Trump won an overwhelming 80 percent of the white evangelical vote during the election, and a recent Pew Research Center survey marking his first 100 days in office  a milestone reached on April 29  found three-fourths of white evangelicals approved of his performance as president. Just 39 percent of the general public held the same view.

Christian conservatives have been overjoyed by Trump's appointment of Justice Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, along with Trump's choice of socially conservative Cabinet members and other officials.

But they had a mixed response to an executive order on religious liberty Trump signed last week directing the IRS to ease up on enforcing a rarely enforced limit on partisan political activity by churches. Trump also promised "regulatory relief" for those who object on religious grounds to the birth control coverage requirement in the Affordable Care Act health law.

Yet the order did not address one of the most pressing demands from religious conservatives: broad exemptions from recognizing same-sex marriage.

Jerry Falwell Jr., Liberty University's president who endorsed the thrice-married Trump in January 2016 just before that year's Iowa caucuses and became a key campaign surrogate, praised Trump's actions on issue that concern Christian conservatives.

"I really don't think any other president has done more for evangelicals and the faith community in four months than President Trump has," Falwell told The Associated Press in a telephone interview on Friday.

Trump spoke at Liberty University in January 2016, drawing some laughs when he referred to one of the Bible's books as "Two Corinthians" instead of the more common "Second Corinthians." In that speech, Trump promised to "protect Christianity."

He made the same pledge again Saturday.

"As long as I am your president no one is ever going to stop you from practicing your faith or from preaching what's in your heart," said Trump, an occasional church-goer. "We will always stand up for the right of all Americans to pray to God and to follow his teachings."

Trump is scheduled to address graduates of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, on Wednesday.

___

AP Religion Writer Rachel Zoll in New York contributed to this report.

___

Follow Darlene Superville on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap

Coast guard academy on Wednesday
A fingerprint match has helped identify the victim in a California fatal pedestrian accident featured on TVs Unsolved Mysteries more than 20 years ago.

Andrea Kuiper, 26, was killed when two cars ran her over on the Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach on the night of April 1, 1990. She carried no identification and her facial injuries left her unrecognizable.

Unsolved Mysteries aired her story on Jan. 20, 1995.

Kuipers fingerprints were on file in a national missing persons database.

The Orange County coroner finally got a hit last week thanks to a new partnership with the FBI, ABC 7 Los Angeles reported Thursday.

The FBI obtained Kuipers fingerprints when she applied for a job with the Department of Agriculture in 1987, the station reported.

We never forget her and would regularly pull out her file to see if we could think of anything new to try, supervising deputy Orange County coroner Kelly Keyes said.

Police investigating the accident were told her first name and that she might be from Newport News in Virginia, The Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

She was wearing a black dress, fishnet stockings and pink pumps when she was killed, according to her paper.

Her parents never reported her missing.

We are thankful to know what happened to our daughter after all these years, said her father Richard Kuiper of Virginia. Andrea was loved and respected. She was beautiful. But she was manic depressive, and therefore we had been through quite an adventure.

Kuiper told the Times that all the family has always wanted was to see her drive up in a car full of beautiful children and say, Hi, its me.
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An activist says three fellow campaigners have been detained in Bahrain over their protests targeting the tiny island nation's king during a horse show in the United Kingdom.

Sayed Alwadaei, the director of advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, said the arrests happened Saturday. He says those detained include his sister.

The detentions come as activists have been protesting King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa's presence at the Royal Windsor Horse Show taking place in Britain. Already, state-run Bahrain News Agency photographs have shown King Hamad there with Queen Elizabeth II and Dubai ruling family members.

Bahrain is in the midst of a major crackdown on dissent, years after its rulers crushed its 2011 Arab Spring protests. Authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Marvel Studios Hall H Panel (Photo : Getty Images/Alberto E. Rodriguez)

Throughout the years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe has brought in a solid list of talents actors to play either villain or hero. However, there have been instances where top stars weren't utilized well in the movies they were cast for. Here's a list of talented actors that were wasted in superhero films.



Advertisement

Taylor Kitsch as Gambit in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"



"True Detective" star Taylor Kitsch is a pretty decent actor who played the suave, card-slinging Cajun, Gambit. For the short time that he played the character, Kitsch proved that he could have been a good addition to the "X-Men" universe in the long run. Unfortunately, his character didn't live long in the film. What's worse, while Gambit will be getting his solo movie soon, the character has been recast, wherein Channing Tatum is filling in his shoes.



Hugo Weaving as Red Skull in "Captain America: The First Avenger"



Weaving is one of the most reputable actors in recent time, and that's because he is a really good actor. When he signed on to play Red Skull, a.k.a Captain America's staunch arch-nemesis in the comic books, fans were stoked. But the excitement withered when the character died by the end of the film, which means he won't be able to fight Cap much longer in the MCU.



"It was good to do it and try it out, but to be honest, it's not the sort of film I seek out and really am excited by," Weaving said about "Captain America," as reported by Collider.



Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin in "Iron Man 3"



Kingsley made for a very convincing, terrifying villain in "Iron Man 3," until it was revealed that he was nothing but a ruse. Mandarin is a long-time foe to Iron Man, and in the film he was portrayed as the mysterious villain with terrorist-like vibes. The biggest and most disappointing twist, however, was the fact that the Mandarin was just a drugged-up, washed-up actor from England posing as a terrorist. It was an unnecessary twist, and a great actor as Kingsley most certainly didn't deserve it.



Natalie Portman as Jane Foster in "Thor"



Portman is an Academy Award-winning actress, and MCU is more than lucky to have her. However, the actress was severely underused and reduced to playing the damsel in distress. Although her character is brainy, Portman more than deserved playing a strong female character, such as that version of Jane in the comics where she was worthy enough to even carry Thor's Mjolnir.



In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Portman said she is done with "Thor" for now, but added that the film "was a great thing to be a part of."


A nephew of world-renowned fashion designer Carolina Herrera was found dead inside a truck on a road near Venezuelas capital city.

The public prosecutors office said in a statement Friday that the body of 34-year-old businessman Reinaldo Jose Herrera was found the night before near Caracas. Another businessman was found dead in the same place.

According to Venezuelan media, the men were reportedly abducted by a group while eating at a restaurant in the eastern part of Caracas Thursday night. Authorities said the group asked for a ransom.

Despite the money being paid, Herrera and Fabrizio Mendoza, 31, were killed, authorities said.

The designer released a statement denouncing the ongoing violence in the South American country.

The family and I appreciate your kindness, she said, according to TMZ. Our only hope is that the tragic assassination of our young nephew, Reinaldo and his colleague, Fabrizio will serve to mitigate the terrible carnage and murders that are committed against our youth in Venezuela. The Electoral Results must be respected. The Communist Dictatorship must go."

Venezuela has among the highest murder rates in the world.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi is calling on the international community to lift an arms embargo on Libya so that weapons can be delivered legally to a powerful general he backs in the fractured country's east.

After meeting Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter in Cairo on Saturday, el-Sissi, himself a former military man, said that Hifter's Libyan National Army required the weapons to fight terrorism. Efforts should be made to stop foreign funding from flowing to terrorist groups in Libya, he added.

Libya descended into chaos following the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The oil-rich nation is now split between rival governments and militias.

Hifter is allied with the internationally-recognized parliament in eastern Libya and at odds with the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli.
A funeral service is underway for a Romanian tourist thrown into the Thames when an extremist plowed into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge.

Andreea Cristea, 31, was knocked into the river when Khalid Masood drove his rented SUV into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on March 22 and died two weeks later. Her boyfriend, Andrei Burnaz, suffered a broken foot. Masood rushed on to the grounds of Parliament, where he fatally stabbed a policeman before being shot to death by another officer.

Dozens of mourners attended the service at the St. Mary's church Saturday near the dockyards in the city in Constanta in eastern Romania, near the sea that she loved.
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Finance ministers from seven rich countries were wrapping up work Saturday on efforts to make growth more inclusive and to fight tax evasion and illicit money flows.

Officials from the Group of Seven are also taking the opportunity to hear more about the Trump administration's economic proposals from U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

Italy, the host country for the informal forum this year, wants the meeting to produce separate statements about fairer growth and fighting tax evasion.

Mnuchin is taking the opportunity to lay out the Trump administration's views on trade. During his presidential campaign, Trump charged that past administrations had failed to take a tough stand on enforcing trade agreements and this failure had cost millions of good-paying factory jobs and resulted in an enormous U.S. trade deficit.

The gathering in a 13th-Century seaside fortress in the southern Italian town of Bari is paving the way for a meeting of national leaders in Taormina, Sicily May 26-27.

The G-7 countries are Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, the United States and U.K., with representatives of the European Union also attending. The group's agreements, presented in the form of a final statement, aren't legally binding; instead they represent the leaders' political commitment to follow through.
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A Pakistani official says gunmen have killed 10 laborers who were working on a road project in the country's southwest

Local police official Abdul Salam says the attack took place Saturday near the recently completed Gwadar port in Baluchistan province, which was built with Chinese funding. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

China is building a network of roads and power plants under a project known as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor or CPEC. However, Salam said the road where the attack took place is not part of the project.

Saturday's incident comes a day after a bomber dispatched by the Islamic State group carried out an attack in Baluchistan that injured Pakistani lawmaker Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and killed 25 people.
North Korea launched some type of ballistic missile at about 10:30 a.m. Hawaii time, a Pentagon official confirmed to Fox News.

The missile was launched near Kusung and landed in the Sea of Japan. The type of missile is being assessed and the flight was not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile.



U.S. Pacific Command is fully committed to working closely with our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies to maintain security.



The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America.

South Korea's Yonhap reported the missile traveled about 435 miles.

The launch is the first in two weeks since the last attempt to fire a missile ended in a failure just minutes into flight.

The isolated regime attempted but failed to test-launch ballistic missiles four consecutive times in the past two months but has conducted a variety of missile testing since the beginning of last year at fast pace.

Weapons experts and government officials believe the North has accomplished some technical progress with those tests.

U.S. President Donald Trump warned in an interview with Reuters in late April that a "major, major conflict" with the North was possible, but he would prefer a diplomatic outcome to the dispute over its nuclear and missile programs.

The launch is the first since a new liberal president took office in South Korea on Wednesday, saying dialog as well as pressure must be used to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula and stop the North's weapons pursuit.

In a sign of Washington's growing concern about the North, the CIA announced Wednesday its establishment of an integrated "Korea Mission Center." It will be headed by a veteran operations officer to harness and direct the spy agency's efforts in addressing the nuclear and ballistic missile threats.

The center will draw on officers from across the CIA and "bring their expertise and creativity to bear against the North Korea target," an agency statement said.

This is a developing story and will be updated. Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
A senior North Korean diplomat said on Saturday that Pyongyang would engage in talks with the U.S. for negotiations if conditions are set.

Choi Son Hui, North Koreas foreign ministry director general for U.S. affairs, spoke briefly with reporters on Saturday in Beijing on route to Pyongyang. She was traveling from Norway, where she led a delegation that held an informal meeting with U.S. experts.

NORTH KOREA SAYS IT HAS RIGHT TO 'RUTHLESSLY PUNISH' DETAINED AMERICANS

The diplomats comments seemed to mirror that of President Trumps from an interview earlier this month with Bloomberg News.

If it would be appropriate for me to meet with him, I would absolutely, I would be honored to do it, Trump said, adding: If its under the, again, under the right circumstances. But I would do that.

Choi did not elaborate on what the Norths conditions are, but her comments raise the possibility of North Korea and the United States returning to negotiations for the first time since 2008, when six-nation talks over Pyongyangs nuclear weapons program fell apart.

ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE ATTACK ON HAWAII WOULD DEVASTATE THE STATE

When asked if talks were in the works with the new South Korean government as well, Choi said well see, the New York Post reported.

Tensions with North Korea and the U.S. have increased drastically in recent weeks as Congress voted overwhelmingly to impose new sanctions on Pyongyang for continued missile test launches despite several warnings.

As of this week, North Korea has detained four Americans over alleged hostile acts and threaten to ruthlessly punish them.

The State Department was unable to comment specifically on the cases of the four Americans who have allegedly been arrested by the North Korean government.

In regards to reports of recently detained U.S. citizens, the State Department said, we have no further comment due to privacy considerations.

In Norway, Choi met with former U.S. officials and scholars for what are known as "track 2" talks. The talks, which cover a range of nuclear, security and bilateral issues, are held intermittently, and are an informal opportunity for the two sides to exchange opinions and concerns.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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, Pope Francis is meeting privately with Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa at the start of the second day of his visit to the Fatima shrine in Portugal.

The high point of the pontiff's visit Saturday is the canonization Mass for two Fatima shepherd children who reported visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago.

Francisco and Jacinta Marto, siblings aged 7 and 9 respectively, died two years after the 1917 apparitions in the Spanish flu pandemic.

The visions drew huge popular interest, bolstering the persecuted Catholic Church in Portugal.

At the shrine, pilgrims were reciting the rosary or praying quietly as they await the pope's arrival and the Mass. Despite forecasts of rain, the sun is blazing.

Many people had spent the night camped out along the barricades in the shrine's vast square, which were draped in Fatima banners and scarves. Some people wrapped themselves in foil and blankets to guard against the chill.
'Worlds, Galaxies, And Universes: Live Action At The Walt Disney Studios' Presentation At Disney's D23 EXPO 2015 (Photo : Getty Images)

Walt Disney held on Thursday, May 11, the world premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales at the Shanghai Disneyland. Johnny Depp, star of the movie, came to China for the debut, indicating how important the Chinese film market is to Hollywood studios.



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Students Skip Classes



Besides Depp, co-stars Orlando Bloom and Javier Bardem also attended the premiere in which hundreds of Chinese fans of the franchise showed up for the afternoon viewing, Reuters reported. Some of them were students who skipped classes or missed an exam.



While recent Hollywood movies such as The Fate of the Furious and The Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 broke China box-office records, only 34 foreign movies could benefit from the large number of Chinese moviegoers because of the annual quota. However, a revenue-sharing deal between Beijing and foreign movie producers is up for a review in 2017 which raises the possibility of the number of annual foreign movie also rising.



Depps Alleged Train Wreck Behavior



While Chinese moviegoers are enjoying the privilege of being one of the first to watch the fifth franchise of Pirates of the Caribbean, in the U.S., it is not dead men but the crew of the movie who tell tales of Depps train wreck behavior on the movie set, The Independent reported.



Stories abound about the former husband of actress Amber Heard arriving very late for shooting and drinking on the set are spreading. As a result, the crew and extras had to wait for hours while shooting the movie at Australias Gold Coast.



In response to Depps behavior, a production staff was assigned to stay near the trailer of the actor to report when he turns on the trailers light which indicated that Depp is back and likely ready to shoot his scenes. Unnamed production crew claimed that Depps behavior led to his firing agent Tracey Jacobs in 2016, but Jerry Bruckheimer, the producer of the film, denied the incident happened.


A Romanian tourist thrown into the Thames when an extremist plowed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, was finally buried Saturday in this Black Sea port which was her hometown.

Andreea Cristea, 31, was knocked into the river when Khalid Masood drove his rented SUV into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge on March 22. She died two weeks later. Her boyfriend, Andrei Burnaz, who was about to propose, suffered a broken foot.

Masood rushed on to the grounds of Parliament, where he fatally stabbed a policeman before being shot dead by another officer.

The Romanian couple were on a short vacation to celebrate Burnaz's birthday.

About 150 mourners carrying flickering candles gathered at the St. Mary's church wearing badges with her photo which said: "Forever in my heart!" Two heart-shaped wreaths of white roses adorned her coffin. Orthodox Archbishop Teodosie of Tomis headed a phalanx of priests who wafted incense during the service, much of which was sung.

Cristea was pulled from the Thames and later had surgery for a blood clot on the brain. She died on April 6 when life support was withdrawn.

She was the fifth victim of Masood, a 52-year-old former convict who had embraced radical Islam. Dozens more were wounded in his rampage.

Teodosie called Cristea "young, beautiful, hard-working and full of love" and that "a destiny that was about to take flight had its wings cut," alluding to the forthcoming proposal from Burnaz, an engineer who stood quietly during the service and wept occasionally.

Elder sister Magda Toi posted recently on Facebook "Beautiful, delicate, difficult, caring, hopeful, vivacious; always ready to offer surprises.... even like this!"

"I miss your smile, I miss your voice, I miss you wherever you are," Toi also wrote.

After her death, her family and Burnaz described Cristea as "our shining ray of light that will forever keep on shining in our hearts," and said they would donate all the money raised on her behalf since the attack to charity.

Also killed in the attack were Utah man Kurt Cochran, 54; Britons Leslie Rhodes, 75, and Aysha Frade, 44; and 48-year-old police officer Keith Palmer.

Police believe Masood, who had convictions for violent crimes, acted alone.
For the second time in a week, a Russian fighter jet flew up close to a U.S. Navy reconnaissance plane in the Black Sea, a U.S. official tells Fox News.

This latest incident occurred about 30 miles from Russia in a northern portion of the Black Sea about 100 miles from Russian-held Crimea.

The two incidents occurred before and after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's visit to Washington and Alaska this week.

The latest incident occurred Friday morning, when another Russian Su-27 jet flew 40 feet from a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon recon plane flying in international airspace, according to U.S. officials.

A previous incident on Tuesday involved an armed Russian Su-27 jet flying within 20 feet of the U.S. reconnaissance plane

It is not immediately clear if the Russian fighter jet on Friday was armed or whether the same American and Russian jets were involved in this latest episode.

The Friday Russian intercept comes a day after Fox News first reported an armed Russian fighter jet with six air-to-air missiles under its wings came "dangerously close" to US Navy recon plane off the coast of Crimea, according to U.S. officials.

Fox News has since learned the Russian missiles were medium-range AA-10 air-to-air missiles, which NATO calls "Alamo."

The Pentagon has stepped up its reconnaissance flights in the Black Sea since 2014 when Russian annexed Crimea under the guise of a military training exercise. The U.S. Navy has also sent more warships to the region.

In February, Russian jets buzzed a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Black Sea. Last month, that same warship - USS Porter -- launched cruise missiles into Syria from the Mediterranean.

The US Army has deployed dozens of battle tanks and hundreds of soldiers to conduct joint training exercises in Romania along the Black Sea since first arriving in a February. More NATO exercises are expected in the region in the coming months.

On Thursday, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis visited Lithuania to reassure anxious Baltic NATO allies on Russia's doorstep.

In addition to the two incidents in the Black Sea, on Thursday, a Russian Su-24 attack jet flew south from eastern Russia into South Korea's air defense zone, forcing Seoul to scramble two F-16 fighter jets. More concerning to the Pentagon, the Russian jet flew 70 miles from the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier in the Sea of Japan.

Also on Thursday, a new shipment of Russian SA-21 surface-to-air missiles arrived in Syria, doubling the number of missiles the Russians have there, less than a week after pushing forward a new ceasefire agreement in Syria along with Iran and NATO-ally Turkey. While the U.S. government had a representative at the Syrian peace talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, the United States was not a party to the agreement.

President Trump's national security advisor H.R. McMaster told White House reporters Friday the United States would continue to "confront" Russia going forward.

What the president has made clear is that he will confront Russias disruptive behavior, such as the support for the murderous Assad regime in Syria  its enabling of Iran, and its very destructive policy and strategy that its executing across the Middle East."

But McMaster also said the Trump administration would explore areas where the two nations could potentially cooperate.

Russia "could best advance its interests from cooperating with the United States and others to resolve those conflicts rather than perpetuate them," McMaster said.
FREDERICKSBURG

First Christian Church, 1501 Washington Ave., will host a Mothers Day breakfast Sunday at 8 a.m., followed by Sunday school at 10 a.m. and worship service at 11 a.m. The baby bottles handed out on Sanctity of Life Sunday will be collected for Choices Womens Center. On Wednesdays the church offers Drive-Thru Prayer and Dial-A-Prayer from 6-7 p.m. The Drive-Thru Prayer is held under the carport in the parking lot. To reach Dial-A-Prayer, call 540/373-7716. 1stchristianchurchfredva.org.

Shiloh Baptist Church (New Site), 525 Princess Anne St. The Mens Ministry will host a Health Awareness Day today at 9 a.m. A baccalaureate service for high school and college/advanced degree graduates will be held May 20 at 2 p.m. Guest speaker is Dr. John Gordon III, director of administrative services for the City of Fredericksburg. The Social Justice Ministry will host a community meeting, Healthcare: How Changes to the Law May Affect You, to discuss healthcare on May 23 at 7 p.m. 540/371-1153.

Shiloh Baptist Church (Old Site), 801 Sophia St., will hold Mothers Day/Woman Day services on Sunday. The Rev. Lurene Perkins will preach at 8 a.m., and Minister Ritta Armstead will preach at 11 a.m.

SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY

Christian Outreach Tabernacle, 10108 Jim Morris Road, will host a LuLaRoe multiconsultant fundraising event today from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Concessions will be available for purchase. memygirlsandlularoeboutique@gmail.com.

Craigs Baptist Church, 14123 W. Catharpin Road, holds its AWANA program every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. The church is accepting early bird applications for vendors and crafters for the Oct. 7 Harvest Festival/Craft Show. 540/854-5284; churchbaptistchurch.org.

Hope Aglow Empowerment Church, 125 Olde Greenwich Drive, will provide food assistance to those in need every first and third Saturday 9-10 a.m. 540/899-2191; hopeaglow.org.

Hope Presbyterian Church, 11121 Leavells Road, will hold its Mission Yard Sale today from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Concessions include hot dogs and chili and a large bake sale. Proceeds benefit mission outreach to Haiti and Kenya and community outreach as well. 540/898-HOPE (4673); hopechurchva.org.

Salem Baptist Church, 4044 Plank Road, will hold an Indoor Upscale Collectibles Yard Sale on Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Wednesday until 7:30 p.m. Longaberger baskets and pottery, Henn pottery, Beanie Babies, Jim Shore, designer handbags and more. Benefits church project. 540/786-7320.

Trinity Bible Church, 6331 Campus Drive, holds a midweek Bible study Wednesday at 7 p.m. on the Book of Revelation. The church will also continue to host Sunday evening AWANA ministry from 5-7 p.m. admin@tbc.me.

Wilderness Baptist Church, 9701 Plank Road, will hold a gospel sing featuring The Finneys on May 20 at 6 p.m. 540/972-7491, spotsywbc.org.

World Harvest Cathedral Church, formerly at 56 Joseph Mills Drive, has moved to a new location at 9241 Courthouse Road. Worship services are from 10 a.m. to noon. 703/312-3091.

STAFFORD

Bethel Baptist Church, 1193 White Oak Road, will host the Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia Spaghetti Dinner/Gospel Sing Fundraiser for Building Fund on May 20 at 5 p.m. $10 per person, ages 5 and under are free. 540/371-4437.

Miracle Faith Ministries Church, 14 Miracle Valley Lane, will hold a Mothers Day service Sunday at 11:30 a.m., with speaker First Lady Lisa Logan. 540/361-7777; miraclefaithmin.com.

Rock Hill Baptist Church, 12 Van Horn Lane, will present Sight & Sound and The Green Dragon Trip on June 9, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. See its newest production Jonah and visit the Green Dragon for shopping and lunch on your own. The cost of the trip is $102 per person and includes bus transportation and admission to the show. Spaces are first come, first served. 540/752-0336, snewton@rockhillbaptistchurch.org.

Stafford Community Baptist Church, 676 Hope Road. Current meeting place is Red Roof Inn, 153 Garrisonville Road. The Rev. Bessie Juggins, assistant pastor at Shiloh New Site Baptist Church, will speak at Sundays annual Mothers Day service at 11 a.m. There will be no 6 p.m. service.

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Fredericksburg, 25 Chalice Circle, will host a book reading and discussion of The Worlds Religions by Husten Smith on Sundays through May 28, from 12:302 p.m. The discussion will be lead by the Rev. Doug McCusker. To register, contact Chris Johns at uuffdre@verizon.net.

KING GEORGE COUNTY

St. Stephens Baptist Church, 9142 Comorn Road, will host its annual Mothers Day Celebration services Sunday at 10 a.m. Bishop Anthony M. Jones will bring forth a Word from the Lord.

CAROLINE

First Baptist Church, 9262 Guinea Station Road, Woodford. The seventh annual Car, Truck, and Bike Show will be held today. Gates will open at 8 a.m. with judging at noon. Pre-registration is $12. Registration at the gate will be $15; proceeds will benefit the church building fund. Rain date is June 10. For more information, call 540/891-5691. Family and Friends Day will be held May 20, beginning at noon. Special guests will be the praise team from Oxford Mount Zion Baptist Church, Ruther Glen, and the Rev. Edward Taylor, Lynchburg. Dress is casual.

Macedonia Baptist Church, 7187 Macedonia Road, Woodford, will observe Womens and Missionaries Annual Day on May 21, during the 11 a.m. service. Macedonia women will be wearing white with purple accessories. Visiting missionaries are asked to wear designated colors. 804/633-6035; or Macedonia609@gmail.com

Round Oak Baptist Church, 15025 Pepmeier Hill Road, Woodford will host a benefit gospel sing on May 21 at 6 p.m. featuring Sonrise and Heavens Anointed. A love offering will be collected for Mike Witt. roundoakchurch.org.

St. John Baptist Church, 17080 S. River Road. The Spiritualettes Choir will celebrate its 35th anniversary on May 20 at 4 p.m. The Womens Conference will be held May 27 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The guest speaker will be the Rev. Delois Ferguson of Second Baptist Church, Ruther Glen. Register by May 23. Woodford. 804/448-3866.

St. Stephens Baptist Church, 29436 Sparta Road, Milford, will hold its annual Ushers Day Service on May 21 at 3 p.m. Guests will be the L.T.Williams Choir from Second Baptist Church of Ruther Glen and Brother Justin Morris of Henrico. Dinner will be served after the morning service. Ushers are asked to come in uniform.

CULPEPER COUNTY

Beulah Baptist Church, 9297 Eggbornsville Road, Rixeyville, will host a Sisterhood Tea/Womens Prayer Breakfast today at 10 a.m. Wear your favorite hat. Dr. Kenneth Pitts, pastor, hosts a conference call Bible study every Wednesday from 7-7:30 p.m. Free dial-in 302/202-1118; access code 862090. 540/937-5563; bbc9297@gmail.com.

REGIONAL

Temple of Deliverance, HCG, 5756 Zachary Taylor Highway, Mineral, will host its ninth annual Women Conference, A Christian Woman as a Pillar in this Changing World, today 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on May 27 at noon it will hold its Sisters Tea.

Union Baptist Church, 16230 Union Church Road, Beaverdam, will celebrate Leadership Day on May 21 at 3 p.m. The Rev. Jackie Lightfoot of Pilgrim Journey Baptist Church of Richmond, will be guest preacher and congregation. Dinner will be served immediately following the 11 a.m. service. 804/449-6779.
Melisa Pilipovic has always been good with money.

She opened her first savings account at Waynesboros First Bank & Trust Co. before kindergarten at the behest of her mother, who wanted her to understand how far money can go.

And she taught herself Quickbooks at age 13, as her entrepreneur parents also were learning the accounting software.

The Pilipovic family had to be good with their accounts. As refugees from war-torn Bosnia, Melisa and her parents, Zejna and Suljo Pilipovic, settled in Virginia after fleeing the country in 1997. She was 2 years old at the time and her parents had to figure out how to make a living in a country theyd never visited before.

On Saturday, shell receive her bachelor of science degree in business administration and accounting, one of 1,035 undergrads and 155 graduate students to cross the commencement stage this weekend.

Its a milestone she sees as symbolically completing her parents journey to create a bright future for her in the U.S.

Im so grateful, she said about her time at UMW. Its been a really amazing experience for me, but its also been really fulfilling for my parents. They came here, leaving everything they knew behind. And the life they wanted for me: Its happening.

Pilipovic was born in Velika Kladusa, a town in the far northwest of Bosnia and Herzegovina, near Croatia.

In 1991, Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence with several other republics that were formerly part of Yugoslavia. That move triggered a four-year civil war. And while estimates of casualties vary, at least 100,000 lives were lost in the war.

Her uncle was the first in the U.S. and filed paperwork for more family members to seek refugee status here. She said her father applied so she and her mother would have a better quality of life.

They flew into New York and from there, they were sponsored by a church in Waynesboro to become a part of that community.

Growing up, she watched her parents build two businesses, Foreign Valley Trucking and Forval Express, and said she was always fascinated by their hard work and business sense.

She is starting a full-time job with accounting and auditing firm KPMG in Washington, D.C., on June 5, auditing financials for the federal government. Pilipovic said she was drawn to the field because of her parents hard work and because of the stability of accounting as a profession.

Pilipovic said her experiences gave her a different outlook on higher education.

People tell me Im so mature for a college student, she said. And I just have a more positive outlook than a lot of students I encountered did. Its a better way to live. Its happier.

Pilipovic called UMW the best decision Ive ever made. She said the small campus gave her real connections with people, which resulted in great relationships and her job.

One of those connections is Lynne Richardson, the dean of the College of Business.

Melisa has done everything at UMW she should, Richardson said. I tell her shes done college right. Shes been engaged all the way from her first month.

She has been active in the Marketing Club, the Student Alumni Ambassadors, the College of Business Women in Business program and the deans student advisory board for the College of Business.

And shes made great friends. One of those is her roommate of four years, whose wedding shell be a bridesmaid in next year.

She is also a recipient of the 2017 RappahannockFredericksburg Rotary Clubs Ethical Student of the Year award, given to students who have been judged by their schools faculty to exemplify ethical standards. She said, especially going into accounting, it means a lot that the local business community saw those ethical standards in her.

After leaving UMW, Pilipovic doesnt want to stop learning. After she starts at KPMG, she wants to get her Certified Public Accountant license and will look into getting a graduate degree.

But graduation isnt the only celebration happening for Pilipovic this weekend. On Friday, she turned 22 and family flew in from around the country to celebrate with her. They all are coming to commencement this Saturday morning, a few of the roughly 5,000 people the annual event draws.

She goes back to Bosnia nearly every year to visit family, and said her grandparents also would have attended graduation if health concerns hadnt kept them from the long flight. She speaks Bosnian fluently, and she and her parents have stayed close to their ties there.

Then on Sunday, Pilipovic and her parents are spending a quiet Mothers Day at home.

Shes my best friend, she said about her mother.

She said graduating is exciting and overwhelming.

Its a part of my life, completing the American journey my parents set out for me, she said.
ONE thing is eminently clear from President Trumps decision to fire FBI Director James B. Comey: Public statements about ongoing bureau investigations can be hazardous to your job security, no matter what the intention.

FBI investigations have always been secretive, a standard that is meant to protect everyone involved, especially if nothing results from the probe. Just ask any of the many bureau employees in the Fredericksburg area, a short drive from the FBI Academy at Quantico, or ask reporters who have tried to ferret out information about investigations over the years. Though news can leak out (mostly from individuals who are interviewed or political opponents), the FBI usually confirms its involvement only if and when charges are brought against suspects.

All that changed in July when Comey announced that the bureaus probe of Hillary Clintons handling of classified emails was extremely careless, but she would not be prosecuted. Then 11 days before the election, he announced reopening the investigation after more emails had turned up. Though he again withdrew the threat of charges before Election Day, the damage was done.

Comey ostensibly commented on Clintons email case because so much information and misinformation was already public and there was growing concern over Russian interference in the election campaign after the hack of Democratic National Committee computers.

Comey also revealed in a March appearance before the House Intelligence Committee that the FBI was probing whether anyone associated with Trumps 2016 presidential campaign was involved in the Russian hacking.

In firing Comey, Trump cited Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosensteins finding that Comey breached standard procedure with his comments about the Clinton probe and, in doing so, undermined public confidence in the FBI. The president later described Comeys handling of the cases more bluntly, calling him a showboat and as a result, Trump said: The FBI has been in turmoil. You know that, I know that, everybody knows that.

But the timing of his dismissal raises questions. It is cause for serious concern when a president fires the head of an agency that is actively investigating his associates. The president is not above the law, and Trumps actions following Comeys firing have only served to raise suspicions.

This whole affair makes the Senates role in confirming the next FBI director all the more important. Senators must scrutinize whoever Trump puts forward to replace Comey to ensure that the next director will uphold the FBIs reputation for independence and nonpartisanship.

It is also essential that the investigation by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence into Russias attempts to influence the election, and whether members of Trumps campaign were involved, continue until the public has answers.

The committees chairman, North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard Burr, and vice chairman, Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, have worked well in a bipartisan fashion so far, though they differ over whether a special prosecutor should be appointed to investigate. Warner has called for one, saying he has lost confidence in Trumps Justice Department leaders.

We hope the committees work will continue expeditiously in a bipartisan fashion. Both Burr and Warner know their work is crucial. And its important that Republicans and Democrats on the committee keep working together to get to the bottom of what happened and produce a fair and thorough report that the public can trust. The panel should keep gathering facts, and turn to a special prosecutor if it runs into insurmountable roadblocks.

The American people need to know how Russia was trying to undermine our election, not to provide some explanation for Clintons loss or to de-legitimize Trumps victory, but so we can either take steps to combat such cyberwarfare in the future, or remove the cloud hanging over the new administration and let it work to build political and public support and move the country forward.

This isnt about Trump, or Clinton, or Comey. Its about maintaining confidence in the election process, which is the cornerstone of our democracy, and restoring faith in the FBI, the White House and federal government.
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Another Chinese teacher has been caught abusing physically students. The culprit this time is Zhou, a middle school teacher in Sichuan Province who used an extension cord to whip his students.



He was suspended by the school after photos circulated in Chinese social media sites that went viral which showed students kneeling down outside the school in Tongjiang County. Zhou made students kneel on a stair step and then whipped them one by one, Next Shark reported.



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Students Fail to Recite Homework by Heart



The whipping was triggered by the failure of some of Zhous students to recite their homework by heart, according to Shanghaiist. He first made them stand up for the rest of the class and then took them outside to classroom to hit them with the extension cord.



He was not content with whipping them with the cord. The angry teacher also punched and kicked the students around their ears to make them be more diligent in studying their homework. After suspending Zhou when the photos spread online, the school said it would investigate the teacher.



Parents Get Back at Abusive Teachers



Netizens suggested that Zhou be punished also physically by his student-victims. In previous incidents of student abuse in China, it was the parents who got even by beating the abusive teacher. In August 2016, the parents of a female high school student from Weixian Number 1 Middle School beat and stripped naked a male teacher who sexually assaulted their daughter.



Not all abusive teachers are males. Last week, the video of a female primary language school teacher in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, became viral when a courier posted on social media a film clip. The video showed the teacher dragging by the hair a young girl who refused to return to the classroom after having a lunch out with the students mother.


Gorsuchs views on contraception worry reader

In reading the recent many descriptions of our new U.S. Supreme Court justice, Neil Gorsuch, there was one statement that startled me. He believes that women should not be able to purchase birth control.

I am astounded and extremely concerned. I am an older woman whose mother long ago was an ardent advocate of helping women learn about and use birth control. Too many women then had large families, and could neither afford nor care for another baby, but for many reasons could not obtain or use birth control.

Today, we have womens health centers and many doctors and obstetricians who encourage planning of pregnancies and the use of contraception for the welfare of the mother and her babies.

I realize that some religions object to contraception, but I know many women who have gone against these edicts for the good of their health and family.

Having a Supreme Court justice who feels entitled to tell women what to do about these personal choices is frightening. I fear for a court that may regress to the days of men wanting to keep women barefoot and pregnant.

Incidentally, I am a woman who wanted six children, but only succeeded in having four, and who used birth control to plan my pregnancies.

Judith Murray

Locust Grove
Joshua Cole has a heart for service

We are fortunate to have Joshua Cole running for delegate in the Virginia House 28th District, which includes Stafford and Fredericksburg.

Because Joshua has a heart for public service, he began his election campaign before Del. Bill Howell announced his retirement. He believes in making a difference for people, not just making a name and a salary.

Mr. Cole attended Stafford County schools. He has worked for Howell and Mark Warner. Most recently, he was on the staff in the Virginia Senate.

Mr. Cole has witnessed stalemate up close, and is eager to work with delegates from both parties on issues that matter to all of us.

He cares about education, in particular the school pipeline-to-prison problem. And he is not afraid to tackle transportation issues that hold us back from a more vibrant economy.

Please take a look him up online or go to a town hall. He is eager to meet with voters and is not afraid to answer questions and work toward solutions to difficult problems.

Please consider voting for Democrat Joshua Cole in November.

Christi Carver

Fredericksburg
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64-year-old Moon Jae-in was elected as president of South Korea on May 9, 2017. (Photo : Getty Images)

Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korea's new president discussed efforts to defuse tensions in the region and agreed in their first conversation on Thursday to meet at a later date, urging both dialogue and sanctions over North Korea's weapons development while also aiming to ease Beijing's worries over a U.S. missile defense system.



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President Moon Jae-in, who was sworn in on Wednesday, first spoke to Xi and later to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over the phone, according to Reuters. The conversations circled around North Korea's rapidly developing nuclear and ballistic missile programs, which violate U.N. Security Council resolutions.



"The resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue must be comprehensive and sequential, with pressure and sanctions used in parallel with negotiations," Moon's spokesman, Yoon Young-chan, quoted Moon as telling Xi in a press briefing.



"Sanctions against North Korea are also a means to bring the North to the negotiating table aimed at eliminating its nuclear weapons," Yoon said, adding that Xi indicated his agreement.



Moon also said that he fully understands China's concerns over the South Korean government's decision to install a U.S. anti-missile system in defense against the North, which has led to increased strain between the two countries.



China claims the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, which became operational in March, undermines its security as its powerful radar can penetrate deep into the Chinese border and does little to curb the threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.



Moon, a former human rights lawyer, said in his first speech as president that he would address security tensions over the Korean Peninsula and promised to review the missile defense system.



"President Moon said he understands China's interest in the THAAD deployment and its concerns, and said he hopes the two countries can swiftly get on with communication to further improve each other's understanding," Yoon said.



In a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry, President Xi expressed hope that the new South Korean government will place great importance on China's major concerns and take tangible actions toward a healthy, stable development of bilateral ties.



The Xinhua News Agency quoted a South Korean senior official as saying that Moon will send envoys to Beijing to discuss issues regarding THAAD and Pyongyang's nuclear program.



Both leaders will keep in contact and hold a meeting in the near future, the report said.



The phone conversation was held a day after Xi sent a message congratulating Moon on his landslide election victory.


Farmers in Scotland can get free business advice and support through Scotlands Farm Advisory Service.

The service gives farmers access to its network of 85 specialist advisers and 21 associates spread across Scotland.

See also: Farm rents rise by 4% in Scotland

The advisers will help farmers look at ways they can improve the efficiency and sustainability of their businesses through varying amounts of one-to-one support, depending on what each farmer hopes to achieve.

Advisers will carry out an integrated land management plan to look at business sustainability, and also conduct a financial review.

The service can also give specialist advice on topics such as renewable energy, or carry out carbon audits to allow benchmarking of farm performance against other similar enterprises to identify areas with the most significant scope to make gains.

Mentoring

The programme also offers advice to new entrants and those who have been running their businesses for less than five years, through a mentoring support programme.

The mentor will provide guidance on the set-up and early growth years of a farm business.

The two-year free advice programme is part of a larger 20m project and has already received more than 370 applications for support since its launch in September last year.

Farmers who want to apply can get more information at Scotlands Farm Advisory Services website or can call 0300 323 0161 or email advice@fas.scot.
A mix of basic support measures available to all, supplemented by a menu of voluntary modular support options, have been proposed by the Ulster Farmers Union as the basis for a future domestic agricultural policy post Brexit.

While insisting that the range of policies contained in its paper are just ideas for further discussion, the UFU said now is the time to design a farm support system better suited to UK agriculture.

See also: NFU reveals new three-pronged approach to farm support

The UK government has already committed to providing equivalent funding to the UKs farming industry for 2019 in what would have otherwise been the final year of operation for the existing CAP, states UFU Discussion Document (PDF).

However, the delivery system will not necessarily be the same as it is now and the opportunity exists to develop a different, refreshed system that creates the conditions for a much more productive, sustainable and resilient agriculture sector.

Basic support measures

The basic support measures, which should be accessible to all and targeted at primary food producers, cover four areas:

A broad environmental programme  which includes things such as soil testing, fertiliser application and a low-level environmental scheme

An income safety net  which could include insurance policies, margin protection measures, futures markets, deficiency payments, intervention purchasing and direct payments linked to land productivity

Education and training  including continuous professional development for farmers and better funded R&D

Market promotion  including setting up a Northern Ireland Food Marketing Board

Modular support measures

These measures would be voluntary and cover six areas:

Productivity enhancement  such as 60% capital grants (with a 10% top-up for young farmers), increased capital allowances and funding to encourage new technology uptake

Animal and plant health  for example, measures to eradicate bovine TB and support for integrated pest-management plans

Restructuring support  including a new entrants scheme

Risk management  with enhanced volatility mitigation measures

Selective agri-environment schemes  such as higher level habitat and biodiversity payments and strategic flood prevention

Wider rural development  to support and encourage diversification and tourism

The paper also calls for the maintenance of current EU support funding levels, a suitable transition period and flexibility though devolution for each region of the UK to meet its farming needs.

The members of our policy committees have been ambitious and creative in their thinking and this discussion document shows what could be done with a healthy budget, said UFU president Barclay Bell.

The full document is to be discussed over the coming months at a series of stakeholder meetings, to tease out which of the options hold the most promise.
Brexit Effect on Nuclear Deal (Photo : Getty Images)

U.K. exporters are concerned that any delays by the British government in the implementation of new post-Brexit legislation could affect U.K. exports to China, according to an article in chinabevnews.com.



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Under the so-called "Great Repeal Bill," the British government will have to replicate existing EU laws as part of the Brexit process, which would also save the government from the complexity of rewriting thousands of laws in such a short period.



For some businessmen, it was not as easy as it may seem. For instance, food producers are concerned about the export health certificates issued by the EU, on whether it would still be legally accepted once the U.K. leaves the EU.



The problem could cause a delay in the British exports of food products to China while new agreements are being made, according to Pig World, a specialist publication.



The publication added that the situation could also severely harm British farmers amid the growing pork exports from the U.K. to China.



The report said that the export and import industry may face difficulties involving several areas of legislation; for instance, in the energy sector which involves the nuclear deal between China, U.K. and France.



Zheng Dongshan, senior vice president of China's CGN Power Company Limited, expressed the same concerns following news reports in February that the renewal of the U.K.'s nuclear power grid may suffer long delays due to Brexit.



During the same time, the British government was also planning to leave Euratom, as part of the Brexit process. Since 1957, the organization has directed the development of nuclear power and equipment in the EU. For the U.K., leaving the organization would mean that it has to concede to nuclear agreements with other countries, which could take months or years to finish.



In addition, the British government may have to form its own organization to manage nuclear power, a process that could also take time to initiate and establish, the report said.


You can bet the Preakness Stakes race online from New York in the comfort of your home at any one of the internationally licensed racebooks, none of which will ever require a social security number.

New York has a number of race tracks, but as a large state, much of the population has limited access.

The tracks include Aqueduct, Saratoga, Vernon Downs, Finger Lakes, Belmont and Monticello.

Off Track Betting sites in the state were shut down a few years ago.

In 2010, about 50 parlors around New York City were shuttered. Some 1,000 employees lost their jobs. And a revenue stream that had funneled tens of millions of dollars a year to breeders, track owners and related businesses dried up.

Most of the states horse racing venues and its newly opened casinos were expected to host Preakness Stakes viewing parties.

Saratoga will be one such venue with details below

When: Saturday, May 20, 2017 - 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM

Where: National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, 191 Union Avenue, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Cost: FREE ADMISSION

There will be food available for purchase from 9 Miles East Farm, beverages available for purchase provided by Saratoga Eagle, a race-day inspired 50/50 raffle and a silent auction.

There are advantages to betting at either internationally licensed online racebooks or US-based companies.

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U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is welcomed to the podium by University of Massachusetts Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy during commencement, Friday at McGuirk Stadium. Warren delivered the keynote address. GAZETTE STAFF/JERREY ROBERTS

Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, from left, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and University of Massachusetts Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy listen to the student speaker during commencement, Friday at McGuirk Stadium. GAZETTE STAFF/JERREY ROBERTS

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, waves to the audience at the University of Massachusetts Amherst during the processional, Friday at McGuirk Stadium. Walking behind her, left, is UMass Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy. GAZETTE STAFF/JERREY ROBERTS

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AMHERST  Just before taking the stage before thousands at the University of Massachusetts Amhersts commencement Friday, health care was on U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warrens mind.

With Republicans holding a firm grip on both houses of Congress and the presidency, the GOP is poised to completely rewrite health care policy in the United States, and Democrats may have very little say in the matter.

It is in that context that Warren, D-Massachusetts, sat down for a one-on-one interview with the Gazette Friday to talk about how Democrats may move forward on health care reform.

As the state whose health care reform more than a decade ago eventually became a model for the Affordable Care Act, Massachusetts has previously played a unique role in defining the health care conversation nationwide.

Massachusetts did this in 2006 and there were two important features of it, said Warren, a short time before giving the commencement address.

One is we did it bipartisan, she said, with Republican and Democratic support. The second is, we recognized we didnt get it right the first time out, and improved it with tweaks along the way.

Thats what it takes to get health care coverage across this country, she said.

That, however, stands in sharp contrast to what is currently happening in Congress, Warren said.

Last week, Republicans in the House narrowly passed a bill to repeal and replace much of the Affordable Care Act. That bill, known as the American Health Care Act, has now landed in the Senate, where it faces an uncertain future as Republicans there signal that they will work on their own health care bill.

Right now the Republicans have just simply set up a committee, they have locked the door, Democrats cannot come in, and theyre going to come out and tell us what they plan to do with health care, Warren said.

Democrats have been united in opposing whatever results come from those efforts, with House Democrats going so far as to sing, Na na na na, hey, hey, hey, goodbye to their Republicans counterparts when the American Health Care Act passed.

As for their own proposals, however, the Democratic Party appears split between its progressive wing, lead in large part by Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, and more centrist, establishment Democrats.

We have announced our values, Warren said. Were trying to get more health care coverage at lower cost, and well take any way that we can do that.

Single-payer to get a look

Warren said that means looking hard at proposals for single-payer health care  a system in which citizens pay the government to cover health care costs instead of individually buying insurance from private companies.

That system could be set up in a number of different ways, Warren said.

She mentioned organizing single-payer systems at the regional or state level, where legislation has already been introduced in places like California. Also on the table is Medicare for all, like the universal single-payer plan that Sanders has floated.

The core is saying, We have made a change in America from where we were 10 years ago, she said. And that is, weve come to understand, to believe, that health care is a basic human right.

I think having made that difference, we are now ready to take on the much bigger issue of how do we deliver the best health care to everyone at the lowest possible cost, Warren said. And I think thats going to push us in the direction of single payer.

Warren isnt alone in calling for universal or near-universal health care under a government-run system.

A 2016 Gallup poll found that the majority of Americans support replacing the Affordable Care Act with a federally funded system, and a recent Morning Consult/Politico poll found that a plurality of voters back single-payer health care.

Short-term measures

Warren said there are also more short-term measures that could improve access to health care and lower costs for Americans.

One piece we could do right now is we could lower the cost of drugs, we could do it by importing drugs from Canada, Warren said, referencing a bill she and Sanders have put forward to that effect.

If the goal is to give more health care coverage at lower cost, Im in, Democrats are in, she said.

With Republicans in control in Washington, however, Democrats will first have to deal with whatever comes from Senate and House Republicans, Warren said.

I am really worried, and Im worried because the original House bill knocked 24 million off health care coverage, raised costs for middle class families, she said, referring to the American Health Care Act. Why? So they could produce a tax break for a handful of millionaires and billionaires.

Warren said she has no doubt that Republicans will change that bill in the Senate, but because Democrats have been locked out of the process, she said she has no idea what those changes might be.

Whats more, Republicans can push their own health care bill through the Senate without any Democratic support if they run it through a legislative process known as reconciliation, which requires only 51 votes and would bar the possibility of a Democratic filibuster.

We dont have the votes, we are in the minority, Warren said. Whether or not we pick up enough Republicans to block it really is going to depend on people all across this country getting engaged: going to all those town halls, and making all those phone calls, and sending all those emails and text messages.

The struggle will continue for Democrats, who have not only lost control in Washington, but have in recent years lost the majority of statehouses and governorships across the country.

After giving the UMass commencement speech, Warren headed to a town hall meeting in Ware.

Dusty Christensen can be reached at dchristensen@gazettenet.com.
Councilwoman Suzie Price and Vice Mayor Rex Richardson are in the running for the city's top political post.
April 16, 1924  April 25, 2017

Eileen Murphy Ruth, 93, a former long-time resident of Corvallis, departed this life peacefully on April 25, 2017, in Moraga, California, with her loving children by her side.

She was born in Philadelphia, and grew up in New York City.

After graduating high school at the Dominican Academy, she graduated from Manhattanville College in Sociology in 1945.

She met a young Naval Officer, Robert H. Ruth, at a Tea Dance in 1941 and corresponded throughout his Naval tour. After her graduation, they married and moved to Oregon.

They eventually settled near the Oregon Coast. Her husband was a research forester at the Cascade Head Experimental Forest Station where they lived for seven years and had two children. The tasks of rural life  keeping a cow and chickens, and cooking on a wood stove were unfamiliar to a young woman who had lived her life in New York City, but she adapted well to her new lifestyle.

After moving to Corvallis in 1954, she devoted herself to homemaking and her two children. She eventually returned to school, earning a Masters degree in General Studies-Education with minors in both English and History at Oregon State University.

Beginning in 1961, Eileen taught 7th Grade English & Social Studies at Highland View Junior High until retiring in 1984. She enthusiastically shared her philosophy of life-long learning with her students.

After retiring, she focused on worldwide travel to Europe, Russia, the Middle East, North Africa and even made a trip around the world by herself when she was 70.

She was a gregarious, resilient, generous, and caring person with a smile that could light up a room. Her nurturing spirit extended beyond family and friends to dogs, birds and all living things.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Edna and Joseph Murphy.

She is survived by her son Richard Ruth, of Sunriver; her daughter Carol Procter, of Moraga, California; grandchildren Lisa Denman (Jason) of Utica, New York, and David Procter (Marisa) of San Carlos, California; and great-grandchildren Katherine and Henry Denman, and Callum, Luciano, and Victoria Procter.

Interment will be 11 a.m. on May 20, 2017, at St. Marys Catholic Cemetery, Corvallis. All those whose lives she touched are welcome to attend. Arrangements are under the direction of McHenry Funeral Home.
A receipt from a fast-food restaurant led investigators to William Chase Hargrove, the 27-year-old Corvallis man charged with murder in the execution-style shooting of his Russian girlfriend in the woods outside Alsea on April 17.

That was among several new details in the case that came to light on Friday, when a Benton County District Court judge unsealed the probable cause affidavit used to obtain search warrants in the case.

The document also revealed that the victim, a 27-year-old Russian woman named Anna Alekseyevna Repkina, had a gunshot wound to the back and top of her head and that the medical examiner who autopsied the body had placed the time of death at sometime between the evening of April 16 and the following afternoon.

Sgt. Chris Duffitt of the Benton County Sheriffs Office testified in the affidavit that the receipt was found at the scene of the crime, a dead-end spur off a logging road several miles from Alsea, a Coast Range community of fewer than 200 people about 25 miles southwest of Corvallis.

According to the affidavit, the receipt indicated that Hargrove and another man, Kevin Thomas, had made a purchase at a local fast-food joint. Investigators then questioned Thomas, who told them that he had left the trash from the meal, including the receipt, in Hargroves vehicle.

Benton County authorities have previously identified Repkina, who entered this country at Los Angeles International Airport on March 1, as the victim and indicated that she and Hargrove were involved in a problematic love triangle. Assistant District Attorney Amie Mutusko, the prosecutor in the case, said at Hargroves arraignment that his other girlfriend had demanded that he choose between them.

The court filing unsealed on Friday adds a number of details to that picture.

In the affidavit, Duffitt writes that Thomas told investigators that Hargove was dating both Repkina and a married woman. He also told investigators that he had lent Hargrove a shotgun about three weeks before Repkinas body was discovered  and that the weapon had not yet been returned.

Under questioning, Hargrove admitted to being in a relationship with a woman named Michelle Chavez and to picking her up at a store in Alsea for a rendezvous on April 16, but he denied having driven up the logging road where Repkinas body was found. He admitted to knowing Repkina but denied being romantically involved with her, saying he barely knew her and that he thought she had moved out of the area. According to the affidavit, Hargrove also admitted borrowing a shotgun from Thomas but said he had returned it.

But the affidavit goes on to provide other information that contradicts Hargroves statement on several key points.

For instance, it says that both Chavez and her husband, Rawley Greene, stated that Hargrove was living with Repkina and that they were engaged to be married. It also says Chavez told investigators she and Hargrove had once spent the night at the location where Repkinas body was later found.

Finally, it says that Chavez admitted giving Hargrove an ultimatum about choosing between his two lovers, telling him he needed to fix it and get rid of her.

Duffitt also writes that Thomas told investigators Repkina and Chavez had a very contentious relationship as they fought over Hargrove and that Chavez had confirmed Thomas account.

Search warrants were served at two residences associated with Hargrove. At 794 Montclair Drive NE in Albany, investigators found a backpack containing shotgun shells in his bedroom, and at 2021 NW Garfield Ave. in Corvallis they found evidence that Hargrove and Repkina were on the lease together and had been sharing the home since March 8, according to the affidavit.

Hargrove was arrested on April 19 and arraigned the following day in Benton County Circuit Court, where he pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder. He is being held without bail in the Benton County Jail. No trial date has been set.

Matusko declined to say on Friday whether a shotgun was used to kill Repkina, saying she could not reveal any additional details about the case. She also declined to say whether any additional charges or arrests might be forthcoming.

Hargroves court-appointed attorney, Mike Flinn, could not be reached for comment Friday. But in a statement previously released to the Gazette-Times, he counseled against a rush to judgment in the case.

Mr. Hargroves case is far from simple, he told the newspaper. There are a significant number of issues to address, and a substantial amount of evidence to review, including conducting an independent investigation, before passing judgment. Any current conclusions made about Mr. Hargrove are incredibly premature.
Out on Southwest Kendra Street a swarm of women wearing matching blue T-shirts and white aprons was hard at work Friday.

This is National Womens Build Week, a Habitat for Humanity project that began in 1998. The premise is simple: Women fan out across the country volunteering to help families build houses. More than 2,500 houses nationwide have been build with the assistance of the female crews.

The Kendra house, the sixth build week project that the Benton County chapter has participated in, will be occupied by the Morton family once it is finished next month. It is the 37th house to be built by the Benton chapter.

Kevin Groh, construction supervisor for Benton Habitat, noted that the house is just about done, except for cleaning and painting, landscaping, a little bit of concrete to pour, gutters, plumbing and carpet.

In short, there still was plenty for the volunteers to do.

Stacey Gose, a local businesswomen who makes work gloves for women, said she saw an advertisement about (the build) and thought it was a great opportunity to give back to the community and benefit the community.

Gose spent two days at the Kendra build and also donated gloves for the project. Lowes sponsors the event nationally and provided the T-shirts.

Inside the house, volunteers were wiping down walls and baseboards and scraping paint and other detritus off of windows. On the back porch a quartet of painters, three of them Lowes employees, were applying carriage house green paint to the siding.

The Lowes workers, Alyssa Barrette, Denni Dunaway and Natasha Jenk, were teamed with Benton Habitat veteran Jeanette Brewer, who has participated in all five previous build week projects.

We let everybody choose what they wanted to do, Brewer said.

Dunaway said she signed up because you get to be part of something bigger and help a family in need. It makes you feel good.

I love cleaning, Dunaway said. I helped scrape paint off the baseboards and cleaned the bathtub.

Wait a minute  cleaned the bathtub? In a new house?

It was full of construction debris, Dunaway said.

Groh estimated that 50 women will participate in the Thursday-through-Saturday build. He had hoped to involve them in front-yard landscaping, but the weather squashed that idea.

We didnt want people out in a huge ball of mud, Groh said.

Although women dominated the work cadre Friday, some men also participated, including Richard Pond, a six-year volunteer in a well-worn Benton Habitat ball cap.

Pond has been involved throughout the Kendra build, which is the first passive house to be tackled by an Oregon Habitat for Humanity chapter. (A passive house adopts voluntary standards for energy efficiency.) The thicker walls, extra insulation and need to keep the building airtight made it a complicated project, Pond said. Wed never done it before.

Groh noted that the environmentally friendly approach made the project take a little longer than normal. We all were learning as we went along, he said. The next time we can take advantage of efficiencies we learned along the way.

Evidence of the effect of the technology already is apparent.

Brewer said that from the back porch where she was painting, she could easily hear traffic on nearby Highway 34.

Inside? You couldnt hear a sound, she said.
President El-Sisi also affirmed the importance of lifting the arms embargo on the Libyan army, imposed by the United Nations on Libyan factions in February 2011

Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met Saturday with Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar in Cairo where the two discussed recent developments in the Libyan situation, a presidential statement read.

The Egyptian president reiterated that Egypt encourages political dialogue to end the Libyan crisis as well as reaching amendments to the Skhirat agreement, which was signed in Morocco in 2015 and mandates the reaching of a peaceful transition of power in Libya and the establishment of a national unity government.

El-Sisi stressed to Haftar, a figurehead in the east of Libya, the importance of reuniting the Libyan military, which was created 77 years ago by the hands of its people from different [Libyan] regions, the statement added.

The president also affirmed the importance of lifting the arms embargo on the Libyan army, imposed by the United Nations on all factions of Libya in February 2011 citing violent repression of civilian demonstrators by former president Muammar Gaddafi.

El-Sisi also pointed to the necessity of stopping the financing of terrorist groups and preventing their supplies of weapons.

For his part, General Haftar expressed his gratitude for Egypts role in efforts to end the Libyan crisis and its efforts to reach a settlement for the situation, the statement added.

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This log includes incidents in which there might have been a public disturbance or a risk to the public. Information comes from the Corvallis Police Department, the Benton County Sheriffs Office and Oregon State Police. It does not include all calls for service. The status of incidents might change after further investigation. Locations are approximate. People arrested or suspected in crimes are considered innocent until proven otherwise.

Corvallis Police Department

FRIDAY, MAY 12

WHEN YOU GOTTA GO: 3:55 a.m., 1800 block Northwest Arthur Circle. A man reported that he woke up to a college-aged man urinating in his bathroom. The resident asked the other man what he was doing and the man left immediately, leaving behind his wallet, shoes, socks, and pants. The resident declined to press charges and only wanted the man's property returned.

THURSDAY, MAY 11

ASSAULT: 7 p.m., 400 block Southwest Twin Oaks Drive. A woman reported that John Charles Kennedy, 79, of Corvallis punched her in the face twice after an argument. Kennedy reported that he did not punch the woman, but hit her with his elbow. Kennedy was cited on a charge of assault.

TUESDAY, MAY 9

ROOMMATE SCAM: Noon, 700 block Southwest Seventh Street. A man reported that he put an ad on Craigslist for a roommate and that a woman sent him a check for $2,850 and asked that the man return $1,400 via money gram. The man later learned the check sent to him did not clear and the woman stopped responding. There were no suspects.

Benton County Sheriff's Office

THURSDAY, MAY 11

COYOTE STALKER: 4:05 p.m., 3500 Jackson Creek Road. A woman on the lower horse trail of McDonald Forest reported that a coyote was stalking her, her horse and two dogs. A deputy arrived and observed the coyote circling the woman; the deputy escorted the woman out of the area.
Solarworld : Expert to help restructure insolvent company

Bonn After Solar panel manufacturer SolarWorld announced its insolvency, expert Horst Piepenburg is embarking on an attempt to save the company with 3300 employees in total.

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The district court Bonn appointed the Dusseldorf lawyer last Friday as preliminary insolvency administrator. This includes the four subsidiaries SolarWorld Industries Sachsen GmbH, SolarWorld Industries Thuringen GmbH, SolarWorld Industries Deutschland GmbH and SolarWorld Innovations, whose director filed for bankruptcy one day after the parent company.

63-year-old Piepenburg made a name for himself with several successful cases nationwide. In 2002, he managed to rescue the majority of 21.000 jobs at the insolvent Oberhausen enterprise Babcock despite its insolvency. Together with my team, I will look into the current situation of the company, explained Piepenburg, who informed the staff in Bonn personally about the state of affairs. According to SolarWorld, Piepenburgs first step is to secure salaries and wages for May, June and July through pre-financing the insolvency fund.

Production continues, said a spokesperson. In the future, Piepenburg has to decide, if for example new stock is to be purchased. Shortly, the question will arise, if the subsidiaries in Thurginia and Saxony will have to file for insolvency too. The search for an investor has the highest priority now.

Minister for economic affairs in Thuringia, Wolfgang Tiefensee, promised the states support visiting the manufacturer in Arnstadt. In the Thuringian town, SolarWorld employs 814 staff. The factory also secures hundreds of jobs at supplier firms. The production has to continue, said Tiefensee. With the future in mind and while searching for an investor, it would be most important to keep a producing facility in operation.

SolarWorld filed for insolvency for its parent concern last Thursday. The company blames Chinese dumping prices, beating down the market world wide, for its failure. Nationwide, SolarWorld employs approximately 2600 staff in the Bonn headquarters, in Arnstadt and in Freiberg (Saxony). They also have a facility in the United States.

The bankruptcy filing, which came as a surprise to many investors and employees, engages the finance controllers Bafin. They are currently investigating if the investors were informed in time about impending risks. According to the FAZ (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung), the hitherto company director Frank Asbeck played down the debt overload during the annual press conference only weeks before the bankruptcy filing.
A two-year-old boy and a Pakistani man died from injuries sustained in the attack; 10 others were injured

Egypt's foreign ministry strongly condemned on Saturday the terrorist attack on a Saudi Arabian town on Friday which left two dead and 10 injured, including four security personnel.

"Egypt stands in solidarity with Saudi Arabia against terrorism and extremism which aims to destabilise its security and stability," a statement from the ministry read.

The ministry also said that Egypt supports Saudi Arabia in taking all necessary measures to root out terrorist cells and foil their plans to protect the safety of its citizens.

Cairo reiterated its stance that all international efforts should unite in the face of terrorism to cut off its financial resources and limit the ability of groups to recruit new members.

The Friday attack targeted a construction site in a neighbourhood slated for redevelopment in the Shiite town of Awamiya, the Saudi interior ministry said earlier, adding that a two-year-old boy and a Pakistani man died from injuries sustained in the attack.

Workers in Almosara district "came under fire and their vehicles were targeted by explosives" from within the neighbourhood, the interior ministry added.



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Samsung Galaxy S8s fast charge battery pack is now available in the US News oi -Shilpa Finally, this arrived in U.S.

It was already known to everyone that the South Korean giant, Samsung would launch a portable battery pack for their much-hyped phones, Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus.

Now it's the turn of this new portable device to get some limelight. The device is out for sale in U.S and you can buy it either from Samsung website or from Amazon which is placed with a price tag of $59.99. As mentioned in the headline, this battery pack is having a capacity of 5,100 mAh. The company says that this device can offer up to two full charges on most of the recent smartphones.

This battery pack will have a USB Type-C port and also a standard USB port. This standard port is used for charging this battery pack. So, this lets you charge both the pack and the smartphone at the same time. The USB Type-C to microUSB converter is bundled along with this box, so it can support the older generation port as well.

6 reasons your smartphone battery is draining quickly

It also offers a fast charging support for devices that are compatible with this feature. On the other hand, the regular handsets will have a standard 2A output. The device with fast charging support has the capacity to charge up to 1.5x faster than the standard device.

To indicate the amount of power left in this portable battery, it comes with a LED indicator in it. The battery pack will have a strap for comfortable holding and the device is made available in silver and navy blue color variants.

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Test your squeeze force

As we know HTC is incorporating this technology in its phone for the very first time, this app will help users know how does this feature function. It will take the users through a short tutorial to test their squeeze force.

Apparently, users will be able to squeeze the frame of the U 11 to perform different functions such as taking pictures and opening apps.

Significance of this feature

Well, frankly we don't really know how the HTC's touch-sensitive frame technology will enhance the everyday usage, but considering the fact that the display sizes are continuously increasing by every other quarter, we can do with some new way of interacting with our smartphones.

Will it be a game-changer?

Even before HTC started posting teaser videos on YouTube, numerous leaks had suggested that the upcoming flagship from HTC will be featuring the touch-sensitive frame. Now, the question is if this will prove to be an USP for the U 11.

While we still don't know about the pricing, the device won't come easy on your pockets for sure. So we have to wait until its official launch to get answers to our questions.

Not the first phone to have this feature

Notably, we have previously seen Nubia Z11 series handsets to come with touch-sensitive frames as well, which enabled users to control multiple, customizable actions with gestures.

However, HTC's frame technology is a bit advanced which will allow users to even customize the actions, such as squeezing or swiping along its left and right sides to interact with the smartphone.

Only 3 days left for the launch

The much-hyped HTC U 11 is scheduled to launch on May 16, which is just 3 days away. By far, we have already quite a good idea about the specs line up of the smartphone and it is undoubtedly impressive.

So the U 11 is expected to give a tough competition to other flagship phones like Samsung Galaxy S8 and soon to launch OnePlus 5.
Xiaomi Redmi 3S sales set a new record in India: 4 Million units sold News oi -Samden Sherpa Xiaomi Redmi 3S also seems to be a popular smartphone in India.

Xiaomi has more or less changed the mindset that people have regarding Chinese phones or the brands themselves. Moreover, the company has managed to become one of the popular smartphone brands in India. In fact, recent reports have revealed that the Chinese handset manufacturer has secured the second largest smartphone brand after Samsung in the Indian market.

And the company has achieved such milestone by providing smartphones with a lot of features and high-end specs at a very low cost. Besides, Xiaomi has made a big impact in the smartphone segment and looks like the company will continue to do so in future.

SEE ALSO: Xiaomi Mi Max 2 camera sample confirms 12MP rear snapper

Meanwhile, Redmi Note 4 one of the company's offering has managed to attract a lot of consumers in the market. The smartphone even set new sales record for the company. While this has been that case, now Manu Kumar Jain, Vice President, and Managing Director, Xiaomi India has just posted a tweet about the sales of another smartphone.

#Redmi3S: 4M+ units sold in 9 months  Highest selling phone ever in online India  I hope our next device is as successful  @XiaomiIndia pic.twitter.com/6QS3czTII9  Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) May 13, 2017

This time it's the Redmi 3S. According to the twitter post by Jain, the Redmi 3S handset has become the highest selling smartphone in the online category in India. The company sold about 4 million units of Redmi 3S in a period of nine months. And this again just goes to show how popular the brand is in India.

Xiaomi Mi 6 ceramic edition to be released in 11 color options, reveals TENAA listing

While Xiaomi is continuing to set new milestones in the smartphone market, Jain has also announced a small contest with regards to this new found glory. His post reads, "RT my earlier tweet + tell why u love the 2-day battery of #Redmi3S." Also, 50 winners will be selected.

RT my earlier tweet + tell why u love the 2 day battery of #Redmi3S. 50 lucky fans to get F codes for our new product launching next week! https://t.co/D7dmmVe4cW  Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) May 13, 2017

So Mi fans as well interested people can enter the contest and win F-codes for Xiaomi's new products that are launching next week. Basically, this new product is expected to be the Redmi 4.

Best Mobiles in India

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Arms Caches in Venezuela Pose Threat, CIA Chief Says

By VOA News May 11, 2017

Venezuela has large caches of weapons that are at risk of falling into the wrong hands, the head of the Central Intelligence Agency told a Senate panel Thursday, adding, "It's a real threat."

CIA Director Mike Pompeo shared that assessment at a Senate intelligence committee hearing. The restive South American country is in its second month of often-violent street protests, with at least 39 deaths resulting from clashes between its socialist government's supporters and foes.

Pompeo's comment came in response to a question from U.S. Senator Marco Rubio. The Florida Republican had asked about threats posed by "groups armed by the regime of Nicolas Maduro to defend him from the protests."

Rubio has suggested that these armed groups, called "colectivos," could sell arms on the black market to drug traffickers or terrorist organizations such as FARC  which recently ended decades of war with Venezuela's neighbor, Colombia  or the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Pompeo acknowledged the threat but said the CIA had no evidence of contacts between terrorists and Venezuela's armed groups.

The groups' actions outside Maduro's control "do represent a risk, but we need more details," Pompeo said. "For now, we have no evidence that it is happening."

The CIA director said such collaborations most likely would have dangerous reverberations throughout the region.

Lost credibility

Dan Coats, director of national intelligence, told the Senate panel that Venezuela's "unpopular" government had lost its credibility after mismanaging its economy and stripping away some democratic norms. Maduro, who has jailed political opponents and delayed long-overdue elections, earlier this month called for a new constitution, fueling more anger among Venezuelans already bitter over severe and chronic shortages of food, medicine and other basics.

Venezuelan government security forces have used tear gas and rubber bullets to quell demonstrations.

"The unpopular and autocratic government of Venezuela will opt for more repressive methods to contain political opponents and discontent in the streets," Coats predicted.

The U.S. government has imposed sanctions on some individuals in Venezuela, including the country's vice president, related to suspected corruption and drug trafficking.

Last week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called the situation in Venezuela "a real tragedy" but said the U.S. government aimed for "working with others, including [in] interventions by others in Europe," to help resolve it.

Cuba and Mexico in focus

Given Venezuela's flailing economy, the Maduro administration has cut back on providing discounted oil to allies. That figured into Cuba's economy contracting by 0.9 percent last year.

Coats predicted Cuba's Communist government would "focus on preserving control while managing a recession."

He said U.S. officials also expect the Cuban government will focus on maintaining political control while transitioning to an era without a Castro in power. President Raul Castro announced several years ago that he would retire at the end of his current five-year term, which concludes in early 2018. He became president after his older brother, Fidel Castro, stepped down in 2008. The elder Castro died last November.

As for Mexico, U.S. intelligence authorities anticipate increasing political pressure on that government to combat crime and corruption as the 2018 presidential election approaches.

VOA's Spanish service prepared this report.

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Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) Begins Sailaway

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS170512-28

Release Date: 5/12/2017 1:59:00 PM

By Commander, Littoral Combat Ship Squadron ONE Public Affairs

MOBILE, Alabama (NNS) -- The Navy's newest littoral combat ship, the future USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10), departed from Mobile, Alabama, May 8, beginning her journey to her commissioning site in Galveston, Texas.

The ship's commissioning is scheduled for June 10, after which she will begin her transit to her eventual homeport of San Diego. As part of her sail around, Gabrielle Giffords will conduct regularly scheduled equipment and systems checks, training, visit several ports and transit through the Panama Canal.

"We are making the most of our sail around," said Cmdr. Keith Woodley, commanding officer and a native of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. "During the transit to San Diego we will be conducting routine maintenance checks and training. We will also begin our Combat Ship Systems Qualification Trials events which are designed to test the ship's ability to track and disable high-speed maneuvering surface targets and defeat long range anti-shipping air threats."

Gabrielle Giffords is the ninth littoral combat ship delivered to the Navy and the fifth LCS of the Independence variant. The Independence variant is noted for its unique hull, ability to operate at high speeds, and large flight deck size.

"We are pleased to receive the future USS Gabrielle Giffords into the LCS class," said Capt. Matthew J. Harrison, commander, Littoral Combat Ship Squadron ONE and a native of Columbia, Maryland. "Gabrielle Giffords will join her sister littoral combat ships in their homeport of San Diego in July and continue testing and training for future deployed operations."

LCS is a high-speed, agile, shallow draft, focused-mission surface combatant designed for operations in the littoral environment, yet fully capable of open ocean operations. LCS is complementary to the surface fleet, with the ability to counter and outpace evolving threats independently or within a network of surface combatants. Paired with advanced sonar and mine hunting capabilities, LCS provides a major contribution, as well a more diverse set of options to commanders, across the spectrum of operations.

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Philippines moving troops, equipment to disputed island in South China Sea

Iran Press TV

Fri May 12, 2017 4:25AM

The Philippines has started deploying troops and equipment to a South China Sea island whose sovereignty is disputed by Beijing.

Philippine troops and initial supplies arrived last week at Pag-asa Island, which is also claimed by regional power China, according to the head of the Philippine Military's Western Command General Raul del Rosario.

The general explained on Thursday that construction work planned on the island, which will cost about $32 million, includes reinforcing and lengthening an airstrip, work on building a dock, a fish port, solar power infrastructure, a water desalination plant, the refurbishment of housing for soldiers, and facilities for marine research and tourists.

Pag-asa, known internationally as Thitu, is the second-largest island in the Spratly archipelago. The island, which is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam, has been home to Filipino soldiers and fishermen for decades.

President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the reinforcements and construction work in the disputed territory last month but sought to reassure Beijing by saying that he was not "militarizing" the region.

Beijing claims most of the South China Sea, including waters and rocks close to the shores of neighbors, and has been building artificial islands and installing military equipment on them, including on some reefs in the Spratly chain, which are also claimed by Manila.

China protested a visit to the island by the Philippines' defense and military chiefs last month. It also warned Manila earlier this month that any construction on the island would be illegal.

"We view the occupation by the Philippine side of those islands as illegal. And so the building on it are also illegal," said Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua.

In reaction to the warning, the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the island and the Kalayaan Island Group are "a municipality of Palawan," a province of the Philippines.

The South China Sea, through which more than five trillion dollars in global trade passes every year, has been a source of tensions between China and some other regional countries, including Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam as well as the Philippines. The US has often interfered in the regional dispute as well, taking the side of China's rival claimants.

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DPRK slams U.S. Congress for passing new sanction law against Pyongyang

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 15:45, May 12, 2017

PYONGYANG, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Friday slammed the United States Congress for passing a new law to tighten sanctions against the DPRK.

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK has sent an open letter of protest to the U.S. House of Representatives, strongly condemning and resolutely rejecting the "North Korea Interdiction and Modernization of Sanctions Act" passed last week, said the official Korean Central News Agency.

"The passage of the above legislation amounts to the most heinous act against humanity, not only infringing upon the sacred sovereignty of the DPRK but also arbitrarily violating universal principles of sovereignty, equality and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries," the letter said.

The law is another example of the United States using domestic laws to "meddle in other's internal affairs and bring pressure to bear on another country," it said.

The DPRK legislature also pointed out that the hostile actions by the United States "will further handicap the U.S. in its attempt to resolve the nuclear issue (of the Korean Peninsula)."

"As the U.S. House of Representatives enacts more and more of these reckless hostile laws, the DPRK's efforts to strengthen nuclear deterrents will gather greater pace, beyond anyone's imagination," it added.

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DPRK poses "potentially existential threat": U.S. intelligence chief

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 13:07, May 12, 2017

WASHINGTON, May 11 (Xinhua) -- The nuclear program of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) posed a "potentially existential threat" to the United States, U.S. National Intelligence Director Dan Coats said on Thursday.

"It's clear that we have assessed this as a very significant, potentially existential threat to the United States that has to be addressed," said Coats at a U.S. Senate hearing on world threats.

Calling the DPRK "an increasingly grave national security threat" to the United States, Coats said the DPRK had taken "initial steps" toward fielding a mobile intercontinental ballistic missile.

However, Coats refused to reveal the U.S. intelligence community's estimation about when the DPRK would have an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of taking a nuclear warhead.

Tension has remained high on the Korean Peninsula over the past months between the United States and the DPRK over the U.S. threat to stage military attacks against Pyongyang in response to its nuclear and missile programs.

The United States and South Korea also held their largest ever joint military exercises in the past two months. At the end of April, the USS Carl Vinson nuclear aircraft carrier task group arrived in the waters off the Korean Peninsula for a separate joint naval exercise with South Korea.

However, a joint statement by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Coats said last month that U.S. President Donald Trump aims to use economic sanctions and diplomatic measures to pressure the DPRK to dismantle its nuclear and missile programs.

The statement also said that the United States remained "open to negotiations" toward peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula while staying "prepared to defend ourselves and our allies."

The DPRK said early this month that the current crisis on the Korean Peninsula is the most dangerous in half a century since the 1950-1953 Korean War.

"If the DPRK had not had access to the powerful nuclear force and had not gotten itself ready to counter the U.S. and its vassal forces' provocation with merciless military counteraction, the U.S. would have committed without hesitation the same aggression act in Korea as what it committed against other countries," the official Korean Central News Agency quoted a foreign ministry spokesman as saying on May 1.

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Russian president says ready to help ease Korea tension

Iran Press TV

Fri May 12, 2017 3:59PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow is ready to help calm down tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

In a 20-minute phone call on Friday, President Putin told his newly elected South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in, that the Kremlin was ready to extend aid to Seoul.

The Blue House, South Korea's presidential office, said Putin had expressed Russia's full readiness to play a "constructive role" in resolving the international dispute with North Korea.

Tensions have been mounting in the region over North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, which Pyongyang sees as a deterrent against a potential invasion by its adversaries.

Moon, however, is a liberal who advocates a more conciliatory approach to North Korea compared with his conservative predecessor.

In the phone call he expressed hope for North Korea to end its nuclear and missile programs and go the way of denuclearization.

Moon said he would make necessary efforts "to begin [peace] talks quickly between North and South Korea as well as the six-party talks." He was referring to peace talks involving the United States, China, Japan, Russia and the two Koreas.

Moon also expressed hope that the two countries would be able to cooperate in developing East Asia, including extending a natural gas pipeline from Siberia to South Korea, the Blue House said.

Putin said he was prepared to cooperate in all the discussed fields, according to the Blue House.

The Blue House added that the two leaders had invited each other for state visits.

Moon said he would send a special envoy to Moscow soon.

The two leaders said they looked forward to meeting each other face to face at the Group of 20 summit meeting in Germany in July.

North Korea has threatened South Korea and its main ally the United States of fierce retaliation in response to any sort of military aggression.

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North Korea parliament writes to US Congress to protest new sanctions

Iran Press TV

Fri May 12, 2017 8:21AM

North Korea's parliament has sent a protest letter to the United States House of Representatives, condemning the new American sanctions imposed on Pyongyang.

On May 4, the US House of Representatives passed new sanctions against Pyongyang, targeting the country's exports and shipping industry.

According to the North's KCNA, the foreign affairs committee of North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly, in a rare move, on Friday wrote to the US House of Representative, condemning the imposition of the sanctions as a "heinous act against humanity."

North Korea is subject to international sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, which Pyongyang sees as a deterrent against a potential invasion by its adversaries.

The new US sanctions ban ships owned or hired by North Korea from operating in US waters or docking at US ports. Products originating from North Korea would also be prohibited from entering the United States, according to the legislation.

Only one of the 420 US Representatives, namely Rep. Thomas Massie, voted against the sanctions.

The legislation also requires US President Donald Trump to report to the Congress within 90 days on whether North Korea has retreated on its activities or should be reinstated on the government's list of "state sponsors of terror." The extension of that designation would trigger even more sanctions.

Over the past weeks, tensions have been mounting on the Korean Peninsula.

Trump's administration has repeatedly said that "all options are on the table" in response to new tests of missiles and nuclear bombs by North Korea.

The US has sent warships, aircraft, and a nuclear submarine to the Korean waters to intimidate Pyongyang.

In response, North Korea has voiced readiness to fight off an invasion. Pyongyang has threatened the US, and its regional allies like South Korea and Japan, of fierce retaliation in response to any sort of military aggression.

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The general assembly of Egypt's judiciary state council submitted to the presidency on Saturday its sole nomination of first deputy Yehia El-Dakrory for chairmanship of the council, state news agency MENA reported.

The general assembly gathered, meeting quorum, on Saturday to nominate three individuals for chairman among the oldest seven deputies on the judicial body, in compliance with the recently-approved judicial authority law. However, the members agreed to name Dakrory -- the eldest deputy -- as their only nominee.

El-Dakrory is known for his ruling in June 2016, as head of an administrative court, that voided a border demarcation agreement signed by the Egyptian government and Saudi Arabia last April to put the two Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir under Saudi sovereignty.<

The new judicial authority law, ratified by president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in late April, grants the president the right to choose the heads of Egypt's judicial bodies from three nominees proposed from within each body.

If those nominations are not submitted by deadline, or if fewer than three people are nominated, the president must choose the head of the council directly according to seniority.

On 29 April, the administrative prosecution body submitted the names of three nominees for chairman to the president.

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DPRK Names S Korea Intelligence Chief as Suspect in Planned Attack on Leader

Sputnik News

14:12 12.05.2017(updated 14:26 12.05.2017)

North Korea's intelligence services have named key suspects in the case of the alleged preparation of a coup and attack on the country' leader Kim Jong Un, including head of the South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) Lee Byung-ho, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to the news outlet, Pyongyang has named two other South Korean intelligence officers as well as Xu Guanghai of the Qingdao Nazca Trade company as suspects and demanded their extradition from whatever country they were currently residing in.

Pyongyang reportedly stressed that the suspects would be investigated under North Korean law, regardless of their citizenship.

Last week, North Korean authorities suggested that both the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and NIS had planned an attack on Kim using biochemical substances.

 Sputnik

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Balochistan bombing by Daesh kills over two dozen

Iran Press TV

Fri May 12, 2017 1:18PM

More than two dozen people have been killed in a bomb attack in Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan.

The bombing was carried out near a mosque in the town of Mastung shortly after Friday prayers. The town is located 50 kilometers from the provincial capital, Quetta.

Shafi Zehri, a hospital doctor in Mastung, said over 35 people were also injured.

The Takfiri Daesh terrorist group claimed responsibility for the bombing, which was apparently meant to target the convoy of Deputy Chairman of Senate Abdul Ghafoor Haideri as it exited the mosque. Local reports said Haideri had suffered minor injuries in the blast. He was transferred to Quetta for treatment.

Anwar Haq Kakar, a representative of Balochistan's local government, said Haideri was in a "safe and sound" condition.

"I am alive, Allah (God) has saved my life, it was a sudden blast, broken pieces of the windscreen hit me, I am injured but safe. The driver and other people sitting next to me were badly injured," Haideri told local TV. The driver and two companions later died of injuries.

The official was on his way back to Quetta after distributing graduation certificates to students from a religious seminary.

Kakar said some of those injured in the blast were transferred by air to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Quetta.

The majority of the casualties were Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) members, some in a critical condition, according to local sources.

In 2014, JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman was injured in a bombing targeting his vehicle during a JUI-F rally in Quetta. Rehman had survived two other attempts on his life in March 2011, when he was targeted in two back-to-back attacks.

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Syria chemical incident US pretext to justify intervention: Assad

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Moscow, May 12, IRNA -- Washington fabricated the alleged chemical attack in Syria's town of Khan Shaykhun, in Idlib Province, to cover US intervention in the country, says President Bashar al-Assad.

In an interview with the Belarusian TV channel ONT Thursday evening, the Syrian President said that all the Western media campaign on the alleged chemical incident in Khan Shaykhun was aimed at "demonizing the Syrian state".

Washington used the chemical incident to justify its military intervention in Syria, as well, Assad said.

"It was part of the campaign waged on Syria with the aim of demonizing the Syrian state. In the initial stages of the war, they tried to promote this demonization among the Syrian people, i.e. convincing the Syrian people that their state is bad," he said.

"But afterwards, they couldn't do that, so they shifted towards convincing the Western public opinion in order to garner support for intervention and waging war," he added.

Assad also went on to say that the allegations leveled against Damascus that it has deployed chemical weapons against its own people, were also aimed at manipulating public opinion in the United States.

"As you know Trump is facing an internal predicament and internal conflicts within his administration. He also has conflicts with other forces and lobbies in the United States, with the media, and the large corporations," the Syrian president said.

"They wanted to wash their hands of the subject and to show that the problem in Syria is not ISIS and al-Nusra but the state which is killing its innocent citizens by using toxic gases," Assad said referring to the Western governments.

The Syrian president also denounced Western governments for their support of the terrorists in the country that continue killing innocent people.

"Conversely, when the terrorists in Aleppo hijack a part of the city with its population, and kill people in the other part with daily shelling, nobody says anything about it," Assad said.

"This doesn't concern them. They defend the terrorists. And when we liberate this city of the terrorists, it is a violation of human rights because for them the terrorists are the humans, and all those who are not terrorists do not exist neither on the political nor on the humanitarian map," he added.

He remained to be critical of the Western governments for their rejection of launching an investigation into the chemical incident in Khan Shaykhun.

"They refused to conduct investigations. Russia and Iran presented a draft proposal to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), and they refused to approve an investigation, because it will prove only one thing, that they were lying," he said.

2044**

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Turkey test-fires first domestically-manufactured ballistic missile

Iran Press TV

Fri May 12, 2017 4:49AM

Turkey has successfully test-fired its first homemade ballistic missile near the Black Sea coastal region of Sinop, the Turkish defense minister says.

"Our missile Bora (storm), with a range of 280km, was just test-fired in Sinop. It will strike its target in the Black Sea any minute now," Fikri Isik told broadcaster A Haber on Thursday.

The test was later described as successful.

"Turkey now makes its own missile. We have gained the self-confidence to make better ones," added the minister.

Bora has a payload of 450kg and it has been developed by Turkey's major weapons manufacturer Roketsan.

In recent years, Turkey has been pursuing a long-term plan of manufacturing weapons systems domestically, as Ankara's NATO allies refuse to transfer the technology to the country.

Turkey has also turned to non-NATO countries to access the know-how despite opposition from the alliance.

On April 28, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara and Moscow had "agreed in principle" on a deal for the purchase of the advanced Russian-made S-400 long-range air missile defense system.

Russia's S-400 air missile defense system is capable of engaging 36 targets simultaneously and shooting down aircraft at a range of 400 kilometers and ballistic missiles at a range of 60 kilometers.

In 2013, Ankara concluded a $3.4bn deal with China for its HQ-9 system, but it scrapped the agreement in 2015 due to NATO's opposition.

NATO argues that such systems are incompatible with the military alliance's infrastructure and that they allow non-members to spy on the operational process of the organization.

Turkey, however, argues that it seeks more competitive prices and technology transfer, which the Western firms are reluctant to offer to Ankara.

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Danville police released few details in an early Saturday morning shooting that left one man dead and a woman injured.

Police responded to the 600 block of Shelton Street at about 2:10 a.m. Saturday after receiving a report of a home invasion, according to a news release from the Danville Police Department.

Officers found a man and woman who had been shot. Both victims were taken to Danville Regional Medical Center.

The man was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital, according to the news release. The woman was still being treated early Saturday morning and her condition was not known.

Law enforcement could not provide any further information on the shooting, Danville Police Department Capt. A.P. Jackson told the Register & Bee on Saturday afternoon. Jackson declined to comment on the exact address of the incident, the identity of the deceased victim or any information on suspects.

A Register & Bee reporter observed no crime scene tape or police presence in the area of Shelton Street at about 8 a.m. Saturday. Residents on the small side street near the Danville Juvenile Detention Center declined to comment.

Police are still investigating.

This marks the third homicide in Danville this year. The bodies of Kelly Fears Wrenn, 49, and Ashley Lauren Joy Jones, 28, were found Jan. 8 on 334 Wrenn Drive. The women died of stab wounds, police reported in January.

There were 16 homicides in Danville in 2016, the most the city has had since the Danville Police Department began keeping records in 1953.

Anyone with information on Saturdays incident is encouraged to contact Danville Crime Stoppers at (434) 793-0000, the Danville Police Department at (434) 799-6508 or crimetips@danvilleva.gov. Information given will remain confidential.
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received on Saturday an invitation from his Saudi counterpart King Salman Ben Abdul Aziz to attend the upcoming Arab Islamic American summit in Riyadh on 21 May, which will be attended by US president Donald Trump, state news agency MENA reported Saturday.

Trump confirmed his attendance earlier this month, meaning that his first trips abroad as president will include Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Vatican.

Trump has previously said that he "will begin with a truly historic gathering in Saudi Arabia with leaders from all across the Muslim world."

"Saudi Arabia is the custodian of the two holiest sites in Islam," Trump said.

"It is there we will begin to construct a new foundation of cooperation and support with our Muslim allies to combat extremism, terrorism and violence and to embrace a more just and hopeful future for young Muslims in their countries," the US president said ahead of his visit.

According to a statement from the presidency cited by MENA, Sisi expressed his appreciation for the invitation.

The president added that he hopes the summit would achieve results that consolidate peace and security in the Middle East, especially at this critical phase and amid different challenges facing the region -- chief among them the fight against terrorism.

The invitation was delivered during a meeting between Sisi and Saudi Civic Service Minister Essam Ben Said in Cairo. Ben Said said that his country is looking forward to Egypt's participation at the summit.

Sisi and the Saudi minister stressed their respective sides' keenness to upgrade bilateral cooperation on all levels including on regional issues in order to consolidate Arab solidarity and joint action.

Sisi met with King Salman in late April in the Saudi capital, where the two Arab leaders said they looked forward to enhancing cooperation to face challenges and restore security and stability in the region, referring to the conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Libya.

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Syria's army captured an airbase in eastern Aleppo from the Islamic State group on Saturday, after more than two months of fierce clashes, a military source and monitor said.

The Jarrah airbase had been under IS control since January 2014, when the Islamist militants seized it from rebels who had captured it a year earlier.

"Regime forces took control of the Jarrah military airport after heavy fighting," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.

"The majority of the jihadists have withdrawn, and regime forces are carrying out clearing operations in the airport and engaged in limited clashes with remaining IS elements," he added.

Syria's army launched an offensive against IS in eastern Aleppo province in mid-January, backed by ally Russia.

So far it has taken control of more than 170 villages and towns in the area, according to the Britain-based monitor.

A military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, also confirmed the capture of the military base.

"The Syrian army has completed its capture of Jarrah airport and a number of the surrounding villages," he told AFP.

"It will continue its advances into the areas held by the terrorist organisation and... expand the areas it controls in eastern Aleppo province," he added.

The next key target for government forces in the area will likely be the town of Maskana, on the edge of Lake Assad.

Syria's army is just one of the forces battling IS in the country.

An alliance of Syrian Kurds and Arabs is also fighting the group further east, in Raqa province, with support from the US-led coalition.

More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.

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There are two boards full of the most current ink swabs in the shop, and you can take them down to compare and look at inks you like! There are two boards full of the most current ink swabs in the shop, and you can take them down to compare and look at inks you like!



Sailor Sailor



Montblanc Montblanc



Pilot Pilot



Graf von Faber-Castell Graf von Faber-Castell



Lamy Lamy



More Lamy and some others. More Lamy and some others.



Art work! Nakaya, Danitrio, AP, and more. Art work! Nakaya, Danitrio, AP, and more.



Stop over and say hi to Catherine! Stop over and say hi to Catherine!

A field trip to Sakura Fountain Pen Gallery in Diest, Belgium was both amazing and dangerous! Take a look through the pictures and you'll see why. Catherine knows her Maki-e and specializes in Japanese pens and stationery. There is also stationery, Hobonichi Planners, Blackwing pencils, a whole boat load of ink, accessories, and more. It's well worth a visit if you're in the neighborhood, and even if you're not, the journey is still worth it. It's a pen paradise!
From hospitals to transportation networks, no target has been off limits to ransomware attacks in recent history. Now, organizations in more than 70 countries are trying to recover from a May 12 ransomware incident being dubbed the WannaCry attack.In the UK, the ransomware targeted at least 16 hospitals, reportedly closing wards and diverting ambulances. But media reports also highlight activity in the U.S., China, Russia, Italy, Spain and Taiwan.While the original source of the WannaCry attack , so called because of the .WCRY extension on file names, remain unclear, its origin appears to be linked to an exploit dump in mid-April in which Shadowbrokers released exploits used by the National Security Agency (NSA).Though patches were issued to defend against the vulnerability ahead of its publication, it appears that many organizations that haven't installed the patch were affected.According to widespread media reports , whoever was behind the multinational attack demanded $300 in bitcoin cryptocurrency, a price that would double if not paid within a three-day time period.Mike Geraghty, chief information security officer (CISO) of New Jersey and director of the state's Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NJCCIC), said officials are still sorting through the details and reports surrounding the attack, and have yet to identify any exposures within their jurisdiction.Ransomware attacks have become an increasingly popular crime based on the relative ease of deployment, which often occurs through email phishing attempts. Once infected, an organization isnt left with many options, said Geraghty.If youre infected, youve really got two choices. You eat the data and say, Were not going to pay the ransom, or you do pay the ransom, he explained. We advise not paying the ransom because as more and more people do pay it, obviously, it emboldens the attackers that are doing this and it will continue to grow, and grow, and grow, and grow.The NJCCIC has so far identified around 162 common ransomware variants , roughly half of which have a known decryption tool or solution available.The best defense comes down to a combination of layered security and end-user awareness. Though he ventured the guess that many of the affected organizations were behind firewalls, he said they likely allowed connections into Server Message Block protocol ports rather than blocking them.Only services that are necessary should be allowed at the firewall," Geraghty said. "From there, you have to be filtering the data coming into the network, you have end-point protection, which is any malware stuff, youve got your Web gateway and mail filtering to block malware within email or coming through websites and such.Missouri CISO Michael Roling agrees that addressing the threat of ransomware boils down to three key areas: consistent system backups, vigilant patch management and solid end-user awareness.As weve seen with the attacks today, the dust is still settling, but the bad guys are using known vulnerabilities to distribute their ransomware. These vulnerabilities were patched back in March , so having good cyberhygiene and being able to properly manage your workstations and servers is vital.Though he was reluctant to comment on where a state like his would see the most risk from such a widespread attack, he would say the threat posed by ransomware became clearest to cybersecurity professionals in 2016 when attackers essentially shut down Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital.Up until that point, ransomware, everyone knew that it would encrypt your data and if you had backups, perfect; if you didnt, youre left with a tough choice," he said. "But when that occurred, I think we all realized the significance of what could happen to public safety and human lives."To better position the state of Missouri against the larger threat, Roling said agencies need to have solid data classification practices in place to ensure successful backups.Backups require agencies and other government entities to understand what needs to be backed up," he said. "The tried and true method of doing data classification is absolutely vital in ensuring protections against a ransomware attack.Whats more, he advocates for table-topping hypothetical incidents to find the gaps in communication and process and better prepare teams to respond real-world incidents.This preparation requires a host of federal, state and local intelligence sources, but also industry and native Internet sources.Traditionally they know what to do, but what tabletop exercises do very well is point out communication gaps and ways of streamlining those processes in the future," Roling said. "I think that is critical.
McLaren and Honda are now on the verge of F1 divorce.

That is the sensational claim of Germany's Auto Bild, as the Anglo-Japanese team's nightmare collaboration continued in Spain with a first-lap practice failure for Fernando Alonso.

After that disastrous session, McLaren owner Mansour Ojjeh and boss Zak Brown reportedly met with Mercedes chief Toto Wolff in the Mercedes motor home.

Reportedly, they discussed a Mercedes engine deal for 2018.

"Yes, we met," Wolff confirmed, but did not elaborate.

However, Auto Bild said a plan is being devised to save face for struggling Honda, who will reportedly announce a grand plan to work exclusively with Sauber in 2018 and beyond.

But the report said legal trouble could actually follow the split, as McLaren is bound to a long-term contract. And if Honda pursues a claim, McLaren might respond by claiming damages for loss of reputation, correspondent Ralf Bach said.

As for Sauber's new Honda deal, one rumour is that the Japanese manufacturer could seek to finally improve in F1 by getting assistance from field leader Mercedes and the independent engine specialist Avl.

"We are not doing anything for Honda. That is the current status quo," said Wolff in Barcelona.

"So unless that situation changes, I don't want to contribute to rumours out there that I think are damaging for Honda. We'll see what happens."

(GMM)
A leading figure of Iran's minority Sunnis endorsed moderate President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday ahead of this week's election, despite the government's "shortcomings".

Sunnis make up around five to 10 percent of Iran's 80 million population, which is overwhelmingly from the Shia sect of Islam.

Religious leader Molavi Abdol Hamid said "the atmosphere for Sunnis has been a little more relaxed" since Rouhani took power in 2013, and that most would support him in Friday's election.

Abdol Hamid repeated calls for greater Sunni representation in local and national government, and more action on discrimination.

"The Sunni community believes that this government, despite its problems and weaknesses, has had more strong points, and we hope if the current government takes office again, it will do more to resolve those problems and shortcomings," he said in comments carried by his website.

He was speaking in Sistan Baluchistan province, a Sunni-majority region in southeastern Iran bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Rouhani is leading in official polls, but faces a tough fight for re-election against conservative rivals who accuse him of failing to boost the struggling economy.

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Gunmen killed a Saudi child and a Pakistani man during an attack on workers at a building project in restive eastern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, the interior ministry said on Friday.

The gunmen tried to stop redevelopment work in the old quarter of the town of Awamiya, where authorities say Shia militants are hiding, said an interior ministry spokesman quoted by state news agency SPA.

They fired at security personnel and passersby, killing a two-year-old Saudi child and a Pakistani national and wounding ten others including six Saudis, he said.

"Workers were shot at by terrorist elements from the neighborhood to obstruct the project and protect abandoned houses used to ... kidnap citizens," said SPA.

The attack took place in Qatif, an oil-producing province home to a large Shia population that has witnessed protests for more rights in Saudi Arabia which is majority Sunni.

Residents and activists told Reuters on Wednesday that several people were injured during clashes between security forces who had entered the old part of the town known as al-Musawara (the walled part) backed by bulldozers.

A local newspaper reported Saudi security forces shot dead a wanted man.

Authorities say the narrow streets of the old town, built during Ottoman rule more than 200 years ago, have become a hideout for Shia Muslim militants believed to be behind attacks on security forces in the region.

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A senior North Korean diplomat said Saturday Pyongyang would be willing to hold talks with the United States if the conditions are right.

Choe Son-Hui, head of the foreign ministry's North America bureau, told reporters at Beijing's international airport that her country "will hold dialogue under right conditions" with President Donald Trump's administration.

She spoke as she was returning home from Oslo, where she met with US academics and former US officials including Thomas Pickering, former US envoy to the UN, and Robert Einhorn, the State Department's former special adviser for nonproliferation and arms control, Seoul's Yonhap news agency said.

The meeting took place amid a let-up in military tensions on the Korean peninsula after concerns over a fresh nuclear test by the North aimed to mark high-profile anniversaries in April failed to materialise.

After threatening military action, Trump said earlier this month he would be "honoured" to meet the North's leader Kim Jong-Un under the right conditions.

South Korea's new president Moon Jae-In, who took office this week, favours engagement with Pyongyang to bring it to the negotiating table, unlike his conservative predecessors.

He said after he was sworn on Wednesday that he would be willing to go to North Korea "in the right circumstances."

When asked whether Pyongyang is preparing to hold dialogue with the South's new government, Choe replied: "We will see".

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A Moroccan UN peacekeeper was killed Saturday in an attack in the Central African Republic's southeast, the United Nations said.

It said the overnight attack was staged by former rebels on a camp housing displaced people in the town of Bangassou, adding: "We confirm the death of a Moroccan UN peacekeeper."

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The Late Period burial site was discovered at the Tuna Al-Gabal archaeological site by a team from Cairo University

Tuna Al-Gabal archaeological site, near Upper Egypt's El-Minya, buzzed Saturday with journalists who flocked in to catch a glimpse of a newly discovered cachette of mummies, dating from the Late Period.

During excavation work in the area, which neighbours the birds and animals necropolis, a mission from Cairo University stumbled this week upon the cachette -- a term that describes an unmarked burial site used to house multiple mummies and protect them from looting.

Mission head Salah El-Kholi told Ahram Online that the cachette includes 17 non-royal mummies wrapped in linen and very well preserved. It was found by chance through a radar survey carried out in collaboration with experts from the university's faculty of science in early 2016 that revealed hollow ground.

El-Kholi said the mummies were found in burial shafts along with a collection of eight limestone sarcophagi, two of which were carved in clay. A number of baboon coffins were also found.

Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany described the discovery as important because it is the first made in the area since the discovery of the birds and animals necropolis by Egyptologist Sami Gabra between 1931 to 1954.

The discovery adds to a spate of recent finds at sites across Egypt. Most recently, a mission from the antiquities ministry stumbled upon the almost intact funerary collection of Userhat, the chancellor of Thebes during the 18th dynasty, in the Draa Abul Naga necropolis on Luxor's west bank.

El-Enany told reporters about this week's cachette discovery at a gala ceremony attended by El-Minya governor Essam Al Bedewi, the ambassadors of Belgium, Hungary and Serbia and a number of top officials from the ministry and Cairo University.

El-Kholi said that both clay sarcophagi are anthropoid coffins, one of which is in good condition while the other is partly damaged. Two papyri written in Demotic and a gold decoration with the shape of a feather were also found.

"This feather could be decoration on the hair dress of one of the deceased," El- Kholi said.

He said the papyri would be transferred to the Grand Egyptian Museum for restoration.

At a neighbouring site, the mission has also uncovered a number of Roman funerary houses made of clay. Inside they found a collection of different coins, lamps and other domestic items.

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Here's the thing: Android version updates are a painfully slow affair for every device that isn't a Nexus or Pixel. This has been the reality ever since the operating system's inception, and so far nothing has managed to change the situation. But Google thinks that it can help, at least somewhat, by incorporating a modular base into its OS, starting with the Android O release later this year.

Up until this point, here are the steps that have been required for an OS update on a non-Google device to make it into your hands:

Quite complicated indeed. But from this point on Android will gain a "Vendor Interface" (VI), thanks to a new development effort Google calls Project Treble. The VI's aim is to separate the "Vendor Implementation" (that is, "the device-specific, lower-level software written in large part by the silicon manufacturers"), from the Android OS framework.

The new VI will sit in between the Android OS framework and the aforementioned Vendor Implementation. And the new VI will be validated by a Vendor Test Suite (VTS), which is analogous to the Compatibility Test Suite (CTS) that Google has been using for API testing of apps. The VTS will ensure forward-compatibility of the VI.

The benefits of this approach are pretty obviously laid out in the images above. Before, the VI needed to be reworked after every single Android OS framework update, while from this point on that won't be the case anymore. This does indeed have the potential to speed up the update process for end users, but probably not by a lot. Your handset's manufacturer will still add its own "features" on top of the new Android release, and some of those will still need rewriting. Nothing changes from that point of view. It's only that, with Project Treble, no additional work will be required from silicon manufacturers before a device maker can get into that process.

Project Treble is already live in the first developer preview of Android O, and it will come to all new devices launching with Android O preinstalled.

In addition to all this, Google says it's working with its silicon and device making partners to move some of their code changes, such as specific features for a specific network in a specific country, into the Android Open Source Project code. That means the developers of that code (say, Sony and Qualcomm) won't need to rework those patches for every new Android iteration anymore.

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Haiti - FLASH : Moise distributes tractors





Friday, during his second visit to Maissade (Central Department) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20884-haiti-news-zapping.html in less than 8 days, President Jovenel Moise, accompanied by Deputy Romel Bauge (Commune of Maissade), of the Deputy and President of the Lower House Cholzer Chancy (Ennery), and Senator of the Center, Willot Joseph, proceeded to the handing of thirty tractors to farmers of the Central Plateau.



At the end of this handover of agricultural equipment, the Head of State inspected the dredging work that began on the Rio Frio River where he had announced on May 6th the construction of a bridge .



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-11106-haiti-agriculture-presentation-of-the-first-batch-of-agricultural-equipment-of-venezuela.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - USA : Renewal of the TPS, Congress maintains pressure





Following the recommendation of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), to terminate the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in January 2018 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20727-haiti-flash-us-immigration-service-recommends-the-end-of-tps.html Daniel M. Donovan, Jr. Member of Congress (Republican, 11th district of New York) in turn takes the defense of Haitians by writing a letter to Secretary John F. Kelly and Rex Tillerson of the US State Department to demand the extension of the TPS.



Letter from Daniel M. Donovan, Jr. :

"Dear Secretaries Kelly and Tillerson,



I write you today in support of extending the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Haiti. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) originally designated Haiti for TPS due to "extraordinary and temporary conditions" that prevented Haitians from safely returning home. Returning Haitians prematurely will have a negative impact on both the U.S. and Haitian economies and only increase instability on the island. Renewing TPS for Haiti is in our national interest, and I urge you to renew the designation for an additional 18 months.



On January 12,2010, Haiti was hit by a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake, the strongest to hit the country in 200 years. Much of the capital city of Port-au-Prince was destroyed, and the Red Cross estimated that one-third of the population was affected. The United Nations has reported that the earthquake cost Haiti 120% of its GDP.



Less than a year after the earthquake, Haiti was ravaged by a still-unchecked cholera epidemic that has killed approximately 10,000 and affected 900,000. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called it the "worst [cholera outbreak] in recent history."



On October 4, 2016, Haiti was hit by the first Category 4 hurricane to make landfall on the island in 52 years. Hurricane Matthew affected more than 2 million Haitians, killing 1,000 people and exacerbating the cholera epidemic. Tens of thousands of homes, schools, crops and livestock were destroyed, causing hunger, malnutrition and deaths in a widely reported food insecurity crisis. As we approach the 2017 hurricane season, we are deeply concerned that significant weather events will continue to disrupt Haiti's recovery.



Ending TPS for Haiti will hurt the U.S. economy. Haitian TPS holders contribute significantly to our economy, owning small businesses and supporting communities across the nation, especially in New York State, home to the second largest Haitian immigrant community in the country. A recent report issued by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center found that terminating TPS for Haiti would lead to a $2.8 billion reduction in U.S. GDP over a decade; $428 million in lost Social Security and Medicare contributions over a decade; $60 million in turnover costs for businesses; and $468 million in additional costs to taxpayers in terms of enforcement. Simply put, terminating TPS at a time when our economy needs support runs contrary to our national interest.



In December 2016, both U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Department of State reviewed country conditions in Haiti and came to the same conclusion: extraordinary and temporary conditions preventing these Haitians from safely returning to the island persist and TPS for Haiti should therefore be renewed. Haiti continues to rebuild from the lingering effects of the 2010 earthquake. Given the continued extremely difficult conditions, including the ongoing cholera epidemic and a food security crisis, I urge you to extend the TPS designation for Haiti for an additional 18 months.

Sincerely,



Daniel M. Donovan, Jr. Member of Congress

11th District of New York "



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20895-haiti-flash-tps-the-trump-administration-investigates-the-criminal-record-of-haitians.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20859-haiti-flash-tps-2-senators-and-8-members-of-congress-write-to-john-kelly.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20853-haiti-diaspora-tps-position-of-president-jovenel-moise.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20832-haiti-flash-black-caucus-supports-tps-extension.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20853-haiti-diaspora-tps-position-of-president-jovenel-moise.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20820-haiti-flash-tps-pressures-multiply-on-government-trump.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20779-haiti-flash-tps-16-us-senators-defend-haitians-in-the-usa.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20727-haiti-flash-us-immigration-service-recommends-the-end-of-tps.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20679-haiti-flash-nearly-60-000-haitians-fear-that-trump-will-not-renew-the-tps.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Politics : Installation of members of the Bureau of Social Grievances





Thursday in the annex of the Ministry of the Interior and Territorial Communities (MICT) in Champs de Mars, President Jovenel Moise and Max Rudolph Saint-Albin the Minister of the Interior, have proceeded to the installation of the members of the Bureau of Social Grievances : Sabrina Demasthil, Berthony Jean-Paul and Lindsay Rashana Louis.



The mission of this new Bureau is to allow to respond rapidly and effectively to the needs of different segments of the population, particularly organized groups, to contribute to a local response and, in general, to help the Government to reduce the precariousness of a large segment of the population.



In his remarks for the occasion the Head of State said that the initiative aimed to put the country on track for the dignity and work, stating that the Bureau of Grievances should also advise the authorities on any abuses that disrupt the proper functioning of institutions in terms of services to the population and combat corruption. This office will have to support among others the efforts of structures, such as the National Center of Equipments (CNE), whose equipment must be put exclusively at the service of the population.



Minister Saint-Albin welcomed this initiative, which will, according to him, promote the fulfillment of the campaign promises of President Moise, address the living conditions of the citizens, in dialogue and respect for the person and the law .



In addition, the authorities took advantage of this opportunity to validate the installation of a "Committee on Social Activities and Sanitation" attached to the Metropolitan Service of Collecting Solid Residues (SMCRS) composed of : Galate Saint-Jacques, Lesly Charles and Marie Nerlande Desir.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - FLASH : The Ministry of Foreign Affairs close to bankruptcy





Thursday in the Lower House, Chancellor Antonio Rodrigue, questioned on his roadmap by members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, drew up an inventory of his Ministry, describing the situation as very serious and alarming.



With a budget of 2.9 billion Gourdes, already spent more than 90% after only a little more than 7 months, the Chancellery is now unable to pay its contractors and diplomats abroad.



Some figures :

Debts: 1.4 billion Gourdes https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20863-haiti-flash-haiti-s-economy-at-the-edge-of-the-abyss.html ;

Staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Haiti: 641 members (571 civil servants and 70 contractors)

Number of diplomatic missions worldwide: 49;

Total number of employees abroad: 1,003 members (188 diplomats, 300 employees and 515 contractors);

Amount of total monthly allowances for the 49 diplomatic missions: US $ 4.3 million.



Antonio Rodrigue deplored the lack of a competent executives in the Directorates of the Ministry and the excessive number of staff abroad, pointing the finger at the authorities of previous governments. He said that if nothing is done to downsize the staffing "It is the insured bankruptcy of diplomacy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs", acknowledging that the Chancellery had no well definite foreign policy.



Faced with this critical situation, he said that according to its roadmap https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20519-haiti-politics-foreign-affairs-roadmap.html he intended to face the many challenges in reforming the Haitian diplomacy. He said that a Commission had been working on the reform since last April to: diagnose the situation and propose solutions, reform the structure within the framework of the law and develop tools and protocols in order to be better articulated front of our international partners.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20863-haiti-flash-haiti-s-economy-at-the-edge-of-the-abyss.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20519-haiti-politics-foreign-affairs-roadmap.html



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Attack of the PNH motorcade

Thursday at Delmas 31 around 7pm , unidentified armed individuals attacked one of the vehicles of the motorcade of Michel-Ange Gedeon, the Director General of the National Police of Haiti. In the exchange of shots, agent 1, Antoine Magath, of the 21st promotion was injured. The information was confirmed by Chief Inspector Garry Desrosiers, Deputy spokesperson of the PNH.



Fuel prices, dialogue of the deaf

On Friday, no agreement was reached between the Government and the transit union representatives. Worse, we are witnessing a genuine dialogue of the deaf and the confusion is such that we no longer even know how much the increases on both sides increase, as the proposals and counter-proposals are rejected, modified or revert to previous positions. The only thing certain is that the government wants an increase and does not intend to backtrack and that the unions are not willing to accept any increase.



Investigation on the Government Jean Charles ?

3 deputies: Alfredo Junior Antoine, Kenscoff (KID), Jean Marcel Lumerant Grand-Goave (INITEI and Yvon Geste Miragoane (PHTK) wrote to the President of the Lower House asking him to obtain the statement of disbursements for the period from October 2016 to 19 March 2017, for the purposes of an inquiry into the management of the Enex Jean Charles Government.



End of Mission on the international cooperation of CELAC

Friday, at the Hotel Kinam, Stevenson Jacques Thimoleon, the Director General of the Ministry of Planning and External Cooperation, closed the first mission of the Special Commission of the Working Group on International Cooperation Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).



Diaspora : Tourism and investments

Thursday, Tessa Jacques, Director General of the Center of Facilitation of the Investments (CFI), accompanied by several executives held a working session with Emilie Jessy Menos, the Minister of Tourism, accompanied by members of her cabinet. It was question of exploring strategies for research and development of means to promote diaspora investment in the tourism sector.



Economy : Haiti in Guyana

A Haitian delegation from the Ministry of Trade and Industry is in Guyana to attend the 44th Ministerial Meeting of the Trade and Economic Development Council (COTED).



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Published on 2017/05/12

After four years away from the small screen, Kim Nam-gil's comeback project might be tvN's latest drama with Kim Ah-joong.

Advertisement

On May 11th, cable network tvN announced plans to produce a new drama "Live Up to Your Name" to air in July, with offers out to Kim Nam-gil and Kim Ah-joong to star. If he accepts, Kim Nam-gil will be cast as a Joseon-era doctor of traditional medicine who is frustrated in his career by his status as the son of a concubine. He travels forward in time to modern-day Seoul where he meets a medical doctor (Kim Ah-joong, if she accepts), who hides her secrets underneath a cold exterior.

Time travel dramas can be hit (see "Tunnel - Drama" or "Queen In-hyun's Man") or miss (see "Dr. JIN"), but I just can't resist them. On the upside, the team seems like the type who can give us something a little deeper than the usual fish-out-of-water hijinks followed by prolonged angst. Hong Jong-chan recently won a Baeksang Award for "Dear My Friends" and the writer, Kim Sun-soo worked on "The Queen's Classroom", both of which had great female characters and a strong emotional core. I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do with such a fantastical premise, especially if Kim Nam-gil and Kim Ah-joong sign on.

Love,

Only of Noonas Over Forks
Published on 2017/05/13 | Source

Added episodes 3 and captures for the Korean drama "Suspicious Partner" (2017)

Advertisement

Directed by Park Seon-ho-I

Written by Kwon Ki-yeong

Network : SBS

With Ji Chang-wook, Nam Ji-hyun, Choi Tae-joon, Kwon Nara, Lee Deok-hwa, Nam Gi-ae,...

Formerly known as "Watch out for this Woman" (  , i yeo-ja-leul jo-sim-ha-se-yo)

40 episodes - Wed, Thu 22:00

Synopsis

"Suspicious Partner" will be a romantic comedy in a judicial setting with a killer thrown into the mix. A Taekwondo practitioner turned judicial trainee turned murder suspect.

Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2017/05/10

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Hawaii's Politicians are Steering a Course for Economic Decline like Bankrupt Puerto Rico

News Release from John C Carroll, May 12, 2017

Honolulu, Hawaii -- Only days ago, Puerto Rico filed for the largest municipal bankruptcy in our country's history. Former Hawaii state senator John Carroll believes that Hawaii's elected officials have been pursuing the same economic policies which led Puerto Rico, Detroit and Greece to become economic basket cases.

Citing the same chronic government over-taxation and overspending as Puerto Rico, the same unsustainable pensions and perks for state and county government employees, similar unaffordable projects like rail, plus the same high cost of living as Puerto Rico brought about by Hawaii's identical price-inflating shipping monopoly, Carroll maintains that Hawaii is quickly heading down the same road as these other troubled economies.

"It's simply not possible for Hawaii taxpayers to sustain so many attacks on their wallets while state and local politicians take steps to worsen our cost of living, which is now more than 67% higher than the national average. Our low-wage, service economy cannot fund either the artificially high prices of the Matson monopoly or the tax-hiking, big spending dreams of elected officials," says Carroll.

Carroll continues: "We can no longer ignore the parallels between Hawaii and these cautionary tales from elsewhere. Endless greed by Hawaii's ruling class today will lead to tomorrow's financial ruin. Even if we avoid the same bankrupt fate of Puerto Rico, Detroit and Greece, we will still experience the pain of an overextended Hawaii running out of money before long and having to make drastic cuts. Or we can make corrections now which right-size government and allow competition to drive down prices. The signs are all around us that Hawaii is following in the footsteps of Puerto Rico."

"If you thought our 'Furlough Friday's' were unpleasant, imagine being Puerto Rico and having to close down nearly 200 public schools because the money dried up. The time to act is now."

# # # # #
Pat McCann, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to criminal damage. Stock photo

A 70-year-old convicted garda murderer, who spent more than 30 years in prison, has received a partially suspended jail sentence for throwing a beer keg through a shop window.

Pat McCann previously appeared before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court charged with throwing the keg against the window of a Grafton Street jewellery store, causing more than 8,300 of damage.

McCann, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to criminal damage at John Brereton Jewellers on July 23, 2015.

Murdered

McCann was sentenced to death by hanging in 1980 for the murder of Garda Henry Byrne, who was shot dead after an armed robbery in Co Roscommon on July 7, 1980.

Detective Garda John Morley was also murdered during the incident.

McCann's death sentence was commuted to a 40-year term by President Patrick Hillery, and he was released in 2013.

Yesterday, Judge Melanie Greally imposed a sentence of two-and-a-half years, backdated to December 2016, with the balance suspended from June 1.

Garda Maria O'Hara told Maddie Grant, prosecuting, that McCann was drunk at the time of the offence.

Gda O'Hara said, while considerable damage was caused to the window, it did not break entirely and no jewellery was taken or damaged.
A hit-and-run driver who knocked down and killed Kildare councillor Willie Crowley in December 2015 has been jailed for four years.

Mr Crowley (56) died from head injuries in Naas Hospital a few days after he was struck by a car driven by Damien Klasinski (29) on the evening of December 15, 2015. He had been walking home from his local pub at the time.

Klasinski, of The Oaks, Newbridge, Co Kildare, drove off after hitting Mr Crowley.

"What am I supposed to do?" he asked the three passengers in the car.

The passengers came forward to gardai and Klasinski was arrested the next day, when they found him hiding in a wardrobe at a friend's home.

He told gardai in interview that he had panicked.

"I am very sorry. It was an accident. I'm really hoping this man recovers," he said.

He later pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to dangerous driving causing the death of Mr Crowley on Eyre Street, Newbridge.

Judge Melanie Greally adjourned the case earlier this month. Yesterday she handed down a five-and-a-half year sentence, suspending the last 18 months. She also disqualified him from driving for 10 years.

Klasinski, a Polish native, has 13 previous convictions, mainly for road traffic offences.

Remorse

The judge said Klasinski was entitled to credit for his plea of guilty, his admissions to gardai, his remorse, his employment history and family circumstances and the fact that, as a non-national, prison would be more difficult for him.

She also said that he drove too fast in conditions which demanded caution and a more moderate speed. He also had no licence or insurance.

The judge said this was the third time in 10 months that Klasinski was in trouble for driving offences.

In February 2015, he was driving while intoxicated and without insurance. In November 2015, he was again caught driving without insurance.

These offences did not come to court until the following year, when he received a two-year driving ban.

The judge said his decision to drive away from the accident showed an abject disregard for the life of his victim and was a serious aggravating factor.

In her victim impact statement, Mr Crowley's widow Claire Doyle said that her husband was taken from her "so brutally" and that her house was no longer a home.

"I have lost my husband, my best friend, my confidant and I do not look forward to my future," Ms Doyle said.

The victim's sister, Breda Crowley-Arnold, said her brother's name was a byword in her family for all that was good and admirable.

The judge said Mr Crowley was a man who gave unstintingly to his family and community and his death brought "incalculable suffering".

She added that Mr Crowley, who had planned to run in the next general election, had "bold and bright plans for the future".

Matthias Kelly, defending, said Klasinski realised the Crowley family had lost a cherished husband and was deeply remorseful.

He fully admitted what he had done and wanted now to offer his sincere apology and condolences to the family.
A Dublin man has been sent for trial accused of sexually exploiting girls as young as nine after contacting them on social media.

Mathew Horan (25) is charged over his alleged contact with three girls aged between nine and 12. He is also accused of producing and distributing child pornography involving thousands of movies and images, including animation clips.

Mr Horan had a book of evidence served on him when he appeared at Blanchardstown District Court. He was returned for trial to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Mr Horan, of St John's Crescent, Clondalkin, is charged with a total of 44 offences on dates in 2014 and 2015.

Judge David McHugh gave Mr Horan a formal warning that he must submit details of any alibis he intends to rely on to the prosecution within 14 days. He granted free legal aid.

The judge said he was doing this after "scanning the charge sheets" and noting they were of a "very serious nature".

Judge McHugh remanded Mr Moran on bail under existing terms. The accused did not address the court during the brief hearing. He has not yet indicated how he intends to plead to the charges.

Computer

Previously, Garda David Connolly said Mr Horan replied "no" when the 44 charges were put to him.

The charges include 27 counts of distribution of child pornography, eight counts of sexual exploitation of a child, six of possession of child pornography, one of producing it and one of encouraging its production.

The offences carry prison sentences of up to 14 years on conviction.

Gda Connolly said the accused's home was searched and a computer, external hard drive and mobile phones were seized. Mr Horan accepted ownership of them, the garda said.

Gardai allegedly found thousands of child pornography images and movies, as well as computer-generated animations and images of children.

The three alleged victims were interviewed by specialist gardai. One girl was allegedly contacted in July 2015 and the other two in November 2014.

A State solicitor said these children were of a "very young age and very vulnerable".

When his home was searched, the accused admitted he had accessed child pornography on the internet, said Gda Connolly.

The court heard the accused was living at home with his parents.
Sonia Blount had been in a brief relationship with Mr Locke

A man who set up a fake Facebook profile so he could meet his ex-girlfriend strangled her with his hands and cable ties he had bought earlier that day after she saw the items and screamed, a jury has heard.

Sonia Blount (31) had wondered if Eric Locke (35), who she called a "proper fruit loop", was behind the Facebook account.

She asked 'Shane Cully' for a selfie and was satisfied from the picture the man she was meeting was not Mr Locke.

Mr Locke has admitted he caused the death of Ms Blount at The Plaza Hotel in Tallaght on February 16, 2014, but says he did not mean to kill her and will be pleading the defence of diminished responsibility.

He had been in a brief relationship with Ms Blount and did not take the break-up well.

Detective Garda Camon Ryan told prosecutor Remy Farrell he began interviewing Mr Locke on February 16, 2014, after he handed himself in to gardai.

He told officers he had suffered with depression for years, but meeting Ms Blount had brought him "back up".

He said the relationship had ended about four weeks earlier and it took him "back down".

Mr Locke claimed he set up the fake 'Shane Cully' profile because he wanted to talk to her, but she was ignoring him at work and had blocked him on Facebook.

They had arranged to meet in The Plaza Hotel, and he told gardai Ms Blount got "a shock" when he walked into the room.

He said he wanted to "frighten her and talk to her" but denied he wanted to murder her.

He said she did not ask him to leave, but wanted them to leave together.

"I thought that, once we got to reception, she'd scream and that's what stopped me," he said.

Earlier that day, he had gone into town and bought a Stanley blade, pellet gun, cable ties and masking tape and brought them with him to the hotel room.

Mr Locke said Ms Blount was "terrified" when she saw the items.

"She was frantic. We had a fight and it happened. I used my hands on her neck," he said.

He pointed to the scratches on his face when asked if Sonia had done anything when he strangled her.

"She said: 'Eric, what are you doing?' but her voice was low," he told gardai.

He initially denied using anything other than his hands.

However, he admitted using the cable of a phone charger "briefly", after a bloodstained charger was shown to him.

He also said he had put her top in her mouth because he panicked.

Threatened

Aisling Halloran worked with Ms Blount and Mr Locke.

She said they seemed to like each other but they broke up after he called her a "slut" at a Vicar Street concert.

She said Ms Blount was in "such a state" when Mr Locke threatened to kill himself, but she "wanted to help him, as that's the type of person she was".

On February 14, 2014, Ms Halloran said Ms Blount told her she was meeting 'Shane Cully' that weekend. It was just "a casual thing", she said.

Ms Halloran said she asked Ms Blount if the person she was meeting could be Mr Locke pretending to be someone else.

Ms Blount admitted the "thought had crossed her mind" but she had asked 'Shane Cully' to send her a selfie and she was satisfied the person in the picture was not Mr Locke.

In her evidence, Ms Blount's sister, Claire Reddan, said Sonia had been in a relationship with her son's father, Lee, for three years, but he was "very controlling".

The relationship was "very on and off" and ended when Lee went to Canada in August 2013.

She said her sister started dating Mr Locke in December 2013 but it was "casual", "nothing major".

Ms Reddan told the court Ms Blount broke up with him following an argument and she told her she was "not going down that road again".

When Mr Locke went missing and threatened suicide in January 2014, Ms Reddan said Ms Blount was worried sick about it, was not sleeping and could not eat.

She told the jury that Ms Blount became concerned about Mr Locke's behaviour at work and was going to ask to change shifts, but hesitated doing it because she "didn't want to get him into trouble or lose his job".

Ms Reddan said she saw a Facebook post her sister made on February 9, 2014, saying "the s**t is going to hit the fan".

She knew it was about Mr Locke so she rang Ms Blount, who told her he was "a proper fruit loop" and he "kept looking at her in work and it freaked her out".

Depression

Detective Garda Kieran O'Neill said he found a letter sent by Mr Locke to Ms Blount in her bedroom after he searched it.

In the letter, dated January 24, 2014, Mr Locke again apologised for his behaviour after the Vicar Street gig.

He also told her he suffered from depression.

He said he was getting counselling to deal with his issues.

He said he was "a little disappointed and surprised" that she was not standing by him.

He also told her that if she had sent him a suicide text and he had known she was suffering from depression he "simply could not have walked away".

He signed off the letter saying he hoped they all "found happiness", telling her "no one deserves it more".

The trial continues on Monday.
The scene of the attack was sealed off pending a forensic examination, while gardai appealed for information

A man charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of a man following a row outside a Dublin nightclub has been remanded on bail.

Christopher Fitzgerald, a 34-year-old father, suffered serious injuries in the incident in Swords, north Co Dublin, in the early hours of Sunday.

Emergency services were called to the scene, where Mr Fitzgerald was being attended to by nightclub staff.

Mr Fitzgerald, originally from Dublin but living in Drogheda, Co Louth, was rushed to Beaumont Hospital, where he later died.

The scene of the attack was sealed off pending a forensic examination, while gardai appealed for information.

The accused, Daniel Fitzgerald (33), from Whitestown Avenue, Blanchardstown, Dublin, was charged on Wednesday with the unlawful killing of Christopher Fitzgerald on May 7 at Airside Business Park in Swords.

Sorry

Judge Michael Walsh had remanded him in custody with consent to bail and he faced his second hearing at Dublin District Court yesterday.

The judge had set bail in his own bond of 250, with a 7,500 independent surety. He also said that, instead of the independent surety, the court would accept 5,000.

Bail had been taken up and Mr Fitzgerald was released from custody ahead of his hearing yesterday, when the judge ordered him to appear again on July 7.

The defendant did not address the court during the hearing, but his solicitor Richard Young said there was consent to Detective Sergeant Ian Brunton's application for an eight-week adjournment.

At the first hearing on Wednesday, Det Sgt Brunton had told the court that, when Mr Fitzgerald was handed a true copy of the manslaughter charge, he replied: "I'm so, so sorry he passed away, I was only trying to defend myself."

The judge had agreed to impose bail conditions sought by Det Sgt Brunton.
A brutal gangster, whose mob is suspected of three unsolved murders, could be facing more jail time after he was caught with a mobile phone in his cell.

Cornelius Price (35) was holding the device when prison officers stormed the cell last Sunday night. The phone and a charger were seized from the psychopathic thug.

Jail sources say Price has not yet been disciplined in relation to the case but that is expected to happen in the coming days.

The case is expected to be referred to gardai.

"It should be no surprise that the brute was caught with a phone in jail. It is well known that he has been trying to reach out to the gang from behind bars," a source said.

"He is going mad now that he has been caught with the phone. He will probably blame someone for ratting on him."

Price was jailed for three years in February after being convicted of reckless endangerment of a garda at Balbriggan Garda Station more than three years ago following a trial at Dublin Circuit Court.

While not a suspect himself for any of the three murders, the gang is suspected of the killing of Benny Whitehouse (36), who was shot dead in September 2014.

Killing

In May 2015, Price was arrested and later released without charge by gardai investigating the Whitehouse murder.

The gang suspected of killing Whitehouse is also believed to be behind the suspected murders of Tallaght man Willie Maughan (34) and his partner Anna Varslavane (21), who were last seen near Price's house in the Gormanston area of Co Meath on the afternoon of Tuesday April 14, 2015.

One theory being investigated is that the couple were murdered because they were trying to break links with the gang, who they had been associated with in the months before their disappearance.

The mob is also suspected of a sickening incident last August, when the grave of Willie Maughan's brother, Michael Maughan, was dug up at Bohernabreena Cemetery in Tallaght. Price, however, was in jail at the time.

Price has never been arrested in connection with the suspected double murder of the couple, who are thought to have been shot dead and their bodies burned in a bonfire.

His compound in Gormanston has been the subject of major garda surveillance operations and has also been raided on a number of occasions, including last week.

Last year, Price was cleared of charges of attacking two close associates of Benny Whitehouse in an incident with a Stanley knife at a house in Balbriggan.

In November 2015, he was cleared of reckless endangerment charges in relation to a feud-related incident at a Balbriggan school two years earlier.
The mother of a young man who slipped into a river and drowned after taking drugs says injection centres will bring safer conditions for addicts.

Olive McKevitt's son, David McKevitt, drowned after he fell into the River Liffey at a particularly dangerous spot on November 12, 2015.

The 20-year-old, from Limekiln Road in Walkinstown, Dublin 12, had recently taken heroin, a post-mortem found.

"Injection centres would provide safe, clean environments for addicts where they have access to medical staff and counselling," Ms McKevitt said.

At present, addicts attending drug treatment centres are targeted by drug dealers, she added.

"If they attend the clinics, they are taken advantage of as they enter and leave, they are targets. They might want more than anything to give up, but it's very difficult," she said.

Her son's drug use had become a concern around a year before he died.

Ms McKevitt had asked him not to use drugs in the house. As a result, David was sleeping rough, often in a tent in the Phoenix Park.

Scream

His friend Michael Keane gave evidence of "stashing" belongings at different locations, as the pair could not "carry everything everywhere".

They left sleeping bags at Sir John Rogerson's Quay the night David fell in to the river.

"David was walking ahead of me, I heard a scream and a splash. I jumped in and tried to save him, then I lost sight of him and it was killing me," said Mr Keane.

Garda Keith Connor attended a call to the scene at 8.14pm and described the spot where David entered the water as "treacherous".

"There is a sheath of green algae across the flagstones," Gda Connor said.

The search and rescue helicopter based at Dublin Airport conducted sweeps of the river but Mr McKevitt's body was not recovered until four days later.

There was no CCTV footage available, Gda Connor said.

A post-mortem report by Professor Eamon Leen found the young man had high levels of heroin and the sleeping tablet Zopiclone in his system.

Coroner Dr Crona Gallagher returned a verdict of accidental death.

"The conditions there were such that anyone could have fallen in regardless of intoxication," Dr Gallagher said.

"This was a very tragic accident that lead to his untimely death."
POCAHONTAS, Va.  Smoke billowed from the Pocahontas Exhibition Mine as it officially opened Friday.

It was part of the effect used by the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy to provide a simulated accident for students from Tazewell County schools.

For the third straight year, the DMME took part in the mines opening along with the state Department of Forestry and other agencies.

After cheering as the mine rescue team brought DMME employee Gary Brown safely through the smoke to the surface, the students broke into groups for tours.

They learned science, history and other facts as they made their way on guided tours through the mine. They also learned about electricity and the environment.

We are happy to invite our students to what we hope proves to be another record-breaking season at the Pocahontas Exhibition Mine, said Mayor Ben Gibson. DMME is here with us for a third season and were grateful for their partnership in keeping our mine safe and providing valuable information to Tazewell County students

The Pocahontas Exhibition Mine is the only one of its kind in Virginia. Located in the town of Pocahontas in Tazewell County, the mine takes visitors underground to see how coal was produced in the 19th century. The 13-foot coal seam was first mined in 1882 and an operation remained there for 74 years. Pocahontas coal also once fueled the Navy.

In addition to volunteering to be trapped in the mine, Brown brought his mule and talked to the students about ponies, mules and dogs that were used to haul coal from the mine to the surface. They also saw artifacts from mining history and a working model of the preparation plant.

DMME is committed to preserve the rich history of coal mining in Virginia found at the Pocahontas Exhibition Mine, said Deputy Director Butch Lambert. The mine is the only of its kind in the Commonwealth and we want to secure future generations can come here to learn the importance of this mine and other coal mines across the state.

The forestry department presented a variety of apple and river birch trees to the town for planting at various sites.

Students from Abbs Valley Elementary and Graham Middle School attended the event. In addition, a class from Virginia Beach visited the exhibition mine via Skype.
REVIVALS

CEDAR BAPTIST CHURCH: Marion, Va., 2832 Lee Highway. May 15-19, 7 p.m. nightly: Revival, guest speaker Rev. Evangelist James Childers, special singing nightly, everyone welcome, 276-783-5682.

ADWOLFE FREEWILL BAPTIST CHURCH: Marion, Va., 1032 Grubmore Road. May 14, 6 p.m., May 15-17, 7 p.m. nightly: Revival, guest speaker David Osborne, everyone welcome, 276-783-5957.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

RUSSELLSS CHAPEL CHURCH: Marion, Va., 1409 Scratch Gravel Road. June 12-16, 6:45-8:45 p.m.: VBS, everyone welcome.

LIFE BRIDGE CHRISTIAN CHURCH: Kingsport, Tenn. 617 Donelson Drive. June 6-8, 6-8 p.m.: VBS Jedi Training Camp, including supper, ages 4 years-old-5th grade. June 9, 6 p.m.: Celebration meal, parents welcome, 423-246-0005.

SINGINGS

CLAY HILL BAPTIST CHURCH: Blountville, Tenn., 122 Hobbs Hollow Road. Meets every third Saturday, 5 p.m.: Sullivan County Red Back Church Hymnal sing, with guest speaker Bro. Neil Oliver from Zionville, North Carolina, 423-323-4085.

LEE STREET BAPTIST CHURCH: Bristol, Va., 1 Mary Street. May 13, 4 p.m.: Mothers Day Celebration, musical, everyone welcome.

CREEKSIDE MINISTRIES HOUSE OF PRAYER: Bristol, Tenn., 381 Glenwood Road. May 14, 11 a.m.: Gospel singing featuring Faithful 2, everyone welcome, 713-498-1191, 423-956-4092.

TRUE FAITH TABERNACLE CHURCH: Bristol, Tenn., 2803 Broad Street. May 14, 6 p.m.: Gospel singing featuring Faithful 2, everyone welcome, 713-498-1191.

GODS PENTECOSTAL CHURCH: Johnson City, Tenn. May 18, 6 p.m.: Gospel singing featuring Faithful 2, everyone welcome 713-498-1191.

COMMUNITY

HARRISON ANDERSON A.M.E. ZION CHURCH: Bristol, Va., 218 Oakview Street. May 13, 10 a. m.: Annual Mothers Day Prayer breakfast, guest speaker Minster Brenda Banks, everyone welcome.

RIDGEVIEW HIGH SCHOOL: Clintwood, Va., 310 Wolfpack Way, Auditorium. May 14, 6 p.m.: Community Baccalaureate service, special music featuring Seniors Patsy Sperow, Daniel Ibrahim and Kristen Fletcher, along with the worship band This is the Day, various pastors form the community, light refreshments to follow, everyone welcome, 276-895-0514.

SHAKESVILLE CHURCH OF CHRIST: Bristol, Va., 262 Kingmill Pike. May 16, 10 a.m.: Connecting People with God groups meets, making mats for homeless, breakfast will be provided, volunteers are needed to donate 2 hours a week, donate plastic grocery bags.

FIRST CHURCH OF GOD: Bristol, Tenn. 301 Georgia Avenue, corner Georgia Avenue & East State Street.: May, 20, June 17, July 15, Aug 19, Sept. 16, 4:30-7 p.m.: State Street Fish Fry, fish, coleslaw, hushpuppies, fries, soup beans, drink, plus homemade desserts, dine with us so we can feed others. Cost $10 full fish dinner, $8 small fish dinner, rain or shine, 423-956-2720.

FIRST BROAD STREET UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: Kingsport, Tenn., 101 East Church Circle. Volunteer two hours any day Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Marlene Hudson, 423-817-8332, to help with food, Bob Smith, 423-246-3966. Clothing and other donations can be brought to Single Vision or taken to Shades of Grace.

FAIRVIEW UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: Jonesborough, Tenn., 878 Highway 81 North. Third Saturday each month, 7-10 a.m.: Country breakfast, bacon, fresh ground sausage, eggs, pancakes, gravy, biscuits and more. Donations welcome, located 5 miles from downtown Jonesborough going toward Fall Branch.

YARD SALE

PENTECOSTAL CHURCH: Abingdon, Va., 17535 Jeb Stuart Highway off Exit 19 toward Damascus: Yard Sale, second Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Name brand childrens and maternity clothes, plus tons of good quality baby equipment. Proceeds benefit the Mayan malnourished children of Guatemala, and children in our orphanage and those in our orphans at home program. www.safehomesforchildren.org.

HOW TO SUBMIT

News and calendar items for the Religion section should be emailed only to features@bristolnews.com with Religion Calendar in the subject line or sent by mail to Religion Editor, Bristol Herald Courier, P.O. Box 606, Bristol, VA 24203. Mailed items must be typewritten. Deadline is noon Monday. Please include the complete address of event location, name and telephone number of a contact person. If you have questions, contact Dorothy Hurt at 276-645-2556 or email dhurt@bristolnews.com. The service is free.
Incumbents appear to be re-elected to school board
President Moon Jae-in in a telephone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump, "The alliance has been the core of South Korea's diplomacy and security and it will continue to be." Trump replied that South Korea is a "not just good ally but great ally" and promised to invite Moon to his country soon. That restores proper communication between the two allies, which was fatally disrupted by the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye late last year, paving the way for a summit as early as next month.

Communication is urgent because Trump has made some ominous pronouncements on the US$1 billion tab for deploying a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery here as well as the upkeep of the U.S. Forces Korea. Bloomberg reported that Trump was "livid... after reading in the Wall Street Journal that [National Security Adviser H.R.] McMaster had called his South Korean counterpart to assure him that the president's threat to make that country pay for a new missile defense system was not official policy."

Moon will have to prepare diligently for his meeting with Trump or the results could be sorely disappointing.

China, meanwhile, has warmly welcomed Moon's election win. Chinese President Xi Jinping telephoned Moon and urged him to consider how important the THAAD issue is for China and "take practical steps." Cheong Wa Dae said this was the first time a Chinese president to made a congratulatory call to a newly elected South Korean president. China worries that the THAAD system's powerful radar could be used to spy on its military activities. "An end to provocations by North Korea will make it easy to resolve the THAAD issue," Moon said.

Looking at the transcript of the phone call, Moon's comments sound as if Seoul is willing to relinquish its defense posture against the North if Pyongyang refrains from further provocations. If that is the case, it would mark the abandonment of a key defense option to protect the country from a North Korean attack, as well as a willingness to accept Chinese interference in the country's defense affairs.

Moon decided to send a special delegation to Beijing to discuss the THAAD issue. But they need to point out that the THAAD battery is a terminal-phase interceptor that is quite different from the more powerful system that is already deployed in Japan, which China never took any issue with.

Beijing has so far refused to listen to Seoul's rationale, so Moon's delegation should hide nothing when they meet with Chinese officials. They must remember that the international community is watching this conflict develop. Moon has already complained about China's economic retaliation, and the delegation must make it clear that such tactics are not going to work.

The telephone conversation with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe revealed differences in opinion between Seoul and Tokyo about a deal struck by Park over the compensation for victims of wartime sex slavery. Moon has vowed to renegotiate the agreement, which indirectly compensates the victims without admitting clear responsibility, but Abe is not likely to accept that.

This means Korea may have to scrap the deal unilaterally, and that will have huge repercussions. Moon left room for a possible solution by saying "past history must not impede the development of bilateral relations." Ties with Japan are not be taken lightly, since they directly affect relations with Washington. The new administration has its work cut out.


The European Union has demanded urgent talks with the United States over a possible extension of a ban on passengers taking laptops into the cabins of commercial aircraft to include some European countries, saying any threats faced are common.

The Trump administration is likely to extend the ban already applicable to flights originating from 10 airports including in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey because of fears that a concealed bomb could be installed in electronic devices taken onto aircraft, officials said.

In a letter to John Kelly, Secretary of Homeland Security, and Elaine Chao, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, and seen by Reuters, the EU executive said it was important that information concerning possible threats involving EU airports be shared.

"We therefore reiterate our willingness to pursue constructive dialogue and we propose that meetings are held as a matter of urgency, both at political and technical level, to jointly assess the risk and review possible common measures," wrote Violeta Bulc, EU Transport Commissioner, and Dimitris Avramopoulos, Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship.

While no decision has yet been taken, any restrictions could hit major European carriers such as Lufthansa, British Airways, Air France-KLM and industry sources have said airlines and airports have already been working on possible contingency measures.

The United States imposed the ban in March and was quickly followed by Britain which imposed restrictions on a slightly different set of routes.


Editor's Note: This column was written by Hickory Mayor Rudy Wright and was first published Sept. 16, 2014.

Hickory and our metropolitan area have been through a lot since the late 1990s and through the last decade with the Great Recession. Job losses to imports from free trade and a worldwide excess of fiber optic cable around the turn of the century hit us particularly hard, compared to any place in this state and almost any place across the country.

During these dozen plus years, weve quite successfully hunkered down, shrinking the scope of city government while expanding essential services like police and fire. Our tax rate today is 11 percent lower than in 2001, and our very important bond rating was upgraded despite little or no growth and high unemployment.

Today, we find our population stagnant, and in the age demographic 18-44 (and under 9), in significant decline. Our property values are also in decline. We must build jobs to grow population and grow population to build jobs. This means population growth in any age segment benefits us by creating jobs, but we must invest particularly in attracting and retaining career builders, business starters and family growers.

We know we are good at hunkering down but its time for a new approach. Foxholes have a distinct purpose and to use another analogy, it would be foolish to starve in one. Lets get out of the hole and make something happen, to build population and jobs.

We believe the focused, results-oriented city management style we have demonstrated will serve us well as we shift to a growth model to build jobs. The issue of $40 million in bonds will cost all of us, of course, but we believe the investment will be recovered three or more times over. At its maximum, the owner of a $100,000 house will have a share of the increased property taxes less than a visit to a fast food restaurant every two weeks, a small amount to protect and enhance value. And, after debt service falls back, we intend that the tax rate will drop back.

There are, of course, investments we can make without issuing bonds, instead using taxing authority  but the time it would require to make a substantial difference would not, in my opinion, serve us well as we continue to compete with locations in this state and region, and around the country.

We have seen communities like Rock Hill, Roanoke, Greenville, Durham, Chattanooga and many others parlay city investments into much larger investments by others.

You can be assured the funds we can obtain from a successful referendum and bond issue will not be spent frivolously. You have my word we will not allow them to become a giant cookie jar. Instead, every investment will be chosen carefully to ensure it meets the criteria that it benefits the entire city and will help build jobs and population. Beautification is not an objective but certainly will be a result. Doing things that will attract and retain young people and, for that matter, people of all ages, and the resulting jobs (and attracting and retaining good jobs), are the only objectives.

As I travel around the country and as was shown to Hickory City Council when we visited many regional cities that have made major investments in their infrastructure and quality of life, I have observed people and corporations and foundations are investing in cities that invest in themselves. And, those investments often result in tax credits and grants and other forms of participation by higher levels of government and others.

Here in Hickory we have made tremendous progress in renovating old structures and in demolishing non-salvageable structures to make way for future development and jobs. And we are committed to accelerating the process. With city investments of about $1 million weve seen $30 million of investments in Hollar Mill, Moretz Mill, Lyerly Mill, Piedmont Wagon and others. And many other buildings that have exceeded their useful lives have been torn down.

People are taking notice of our progress. Retired police officer Bob Winters, who retired with his wife to her hometown after working here many years, ran into me at a local restaurant and said, Wow, things have really changed along Main Avenue. Its looking great! And, for Moogfest in Asheville this summer, we were asked to participate in a panel discussion about city involvement in changing communities and economic development. Only Asheville and Hickory were represented among economic developers and others on the panel. A North Carolina State professor who moderated the discussion told the group he and his wife traveled through downtown Hickory on the way because his wife had read about the farmers market and one of its vendors. Speaking of the Sails, he remarked to the audience how different Hickory is now than it was 20 years ago when he last was there and how much they liked it. And, the comments go on and on.

Its our turn to prosper, but we all must participate. Please go through the information and presentations at the Citys web site  www.hickorync.gov (click on Bond Referendum Information in upper right hand corner), and also at www.BoostHickory.com. I think youll learn a lot and will better appreciate our need to invest in ourselves and the plan to grow jobs and population. Hickory has overcome adversity time and again, and with your help I know we will look forward to a brighter and prosperous future. Please dont hesitate to call me on my cell phone at 828-238-1465 with questions and input.

Its our future  the only one we have  lets make the most of it!

Rudy Wright is mayor of Hickory.
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A Madhya Pradesh police constable was arrested on Saturday on charges of raping a 10-year-old girl, allegedly with her mothers consent, in Jabalpur district. The childs mother was also arrested, police said.

According to the childs account, it appears the accused constable sexually abused her repeatedly for nearly a year, said a police officer associated with the case. The crime was reported Saturday after the child gathered the courage to defy her mother and confide in her grandmother, who lodged a complaint with the police.

The girl underwent a medical examination and the results are awaited, the officer added.

Police said the childs father has a job that involves frequent travelling and he is often away from home. About a year-and-a-half ago, he purchased a TV and a motorbike on installment but his cheques bounced. This led to a warrant being issued in his name.

According to the complainant, the accused constable went to her sons home with the warrant. Later, he struck up a relationship with his wife and then targeted the child, said the police officer.

The child told her grandmother that her mother used to lock her up with the accused constable in a room. The child also said the policeman used to beat her when she resisted the abuse, the officer added.

The childs grandparents have also informed the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) about the abuse.

Jabalpur womens empowerment officer Akhilesh Mishra said, The childs grandmother alerted us on Friday evening. It was hard to believe that the childs mother had allowed a man to rape her. We immediately informed the police and registered the childs statement. The girl is traumatised. However, she clearly told us what she had gone through.

Jabalpur city superintendent of police Anju Lata Patle said, The constable and the childs mother have been charged under different sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Police are waiting to record the statement of the childs father.

According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, Madhya Pradesh has been seeing among the highest cases of sexual abuse and crimes against children in the country.`

(With inputs from Monika Pandey)

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Two days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Amarkantak as part of the five-month-long Narmada Seva Yatras concluding function, Islamic clerics in Madhya Pradesh have issued a fatwa objecting to the ritualistic participation of Muslims in the event.

The religious ruling  pronounced by Jabalpur-based mufti-e-azam Maulana Mehmud Ahmed Qadri and Mufti Naeem Akhtar Qadri  termed shouting slogans such as Narmada-maiya ki jai (Hail Mother Narmada), participating in the kalash (pot) ritual, and showering flowers on saffron flags as unIslamic. It went on to state that members of the community who have already played a part in the event stand excommunicated from Islam unless they go for tauba (repentance) at the earliest and reaffirm their faith.

The fatwa also stressed that Muslims guilty of committing the afore-mentioned religious offences should not touch their wives until they repent. Those failing to go for tauba at the earliest would face social boycott, and their bodies wont be allowed into the community graveyard.

A copy of the fatwa, which is in HTs possession. (HT Photo)

Nearly a dozen Muslim leaders had accorded a grand welcome to the Narmada Seva Yatra when it reached Jabalpur on April 16. Several members of the community showered flowers on saffron flags and carried the kalash on their heads, even as others provided refreshments to Hindu devotees.

The fatwa was issued in response to a query by Jabalpur resident MM Khan regarding Islamic jurisprudence on the participation of Muslims in such a yatra. It said that three Muslim leaders have already repented for their najaayij and haraam (illegal and forbidden) acts, and promised to refrain from repeating them in the future.

Mufti-e-azam Maulana Mehmud Ahmed Qadri told HT that he was not against Muslims participating in the Narmada yatra, only in their carrying out various religious rituals such as the pooja, keeping the kalash on their heads, shouting slogans like Narmada Maiya ki Jai, and showering flowers on saffron flags. We cant allow our people to participate in unIslamic rituals. While I have no problems with the Narmada yatra, I dont want Muslims to do things that are not permitted in Islam, he said.

Masood Ahmed Khan, secretary of the state coordination committee for Indian Muslims, expressed similar sentiments. Islam had nothing against river conservation, but it does forbid idolatry and bowing down before anybody but the Almighty Allah, he said.

The 3,500-km yatra was launched on December 11 with the objective of conserving the Narmada, a river that many residents of the state depend on for subsistence.

(With inputs from Monika Pandey in Jabalpur)

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With smashing hits like Ishaqzaade, Gunday and 2 States to his credit, Arjun Kapoor has proved to be an actor par excellence. The 31-year-old actor, who is on a promotional spree for his much-awaited film Half Girlfriend, recently asserted that the character of Madhav Jha caught him off guard when he first read the script.

When Mohit Suri spoke to me and said he is sending me the script I obviously had an inclination that its Chetan Bhagats novel and everybody is aware of the basic story, but when I started reading it, Madhav Jhas character really caught me off guard, said Arjun.

I was thinking it would be typical but this character was very selfless and its was very different and unique from the other characters. Even his love is equally selfless. He does not love saying I am obsessed, I need you, you have to me mine rather he ends up saying its ok if you cant love me I will keep loving you no matter what. For me that was very special. I have got to play a different kind of role and thats I think its once in a lifetime that you get to play such a selfless character, he added.

When quizzed how challenging it was to play a Bihari boy in the film, the Ki and Ka actor shared, I have not lived in Bihar but I did get lucky as I have done Ishaqzaade and Tevar before and both of those were hard-line characters so somewhere I had the awareness of life of the people as I already had done two characters. So I tried to use that but we also wanted to do justice to Bihar. so for that you have to dive further into. Right from styling to the way he (Madhav) talks we tried to get into the depth of the role.

On a related note, Mohit Suris directorial Half Girlfriend which is an adaptation of Chetan Bhagats bestselling novel of the same name, will see the movies leading lady Shraddha Kapoor in the role of a rich Delhi brat, Riya Somani.

The movie is all slated to hit theatres on May 19.
Mothers love is Gods love. I dont even think that we should even try putting words to it, says Juhi Chawla. On the occasion of Mothers Day, HT spoke to the actor about the special day, her fond memories and more.

What does Mothers Day mean to you?

One part of me believes it is a marketing gimmick; one more reason for companies to sell more cards and flowers. On the other hand, I feel it is not really a bad thing. Its a good thing to remember your mum, make that special effort to say thank you and express your love for her, which you may forget to do on other days and take her for granted. I call up my mother-in law (Sunayana Mehta) and speak to her. If shes in town, I give her flowers and a card or even take her out for dinner. Thats how it goes.

How do you celebrate the day otherwise, and how do your kids make it special for you?

Last year, my husband (Jai Mehta), kids and I went out for dinner, which is rare. We put our phones and gadgets aside, and the two hours that we spent together were memorable.

How was your equation with your mother (Mona Chawla)?

I wouldnt even try defining a mothers love. You dont know it until you become one; you dont know it until you lose your mother. When I was a little girl, I loved my mother for even the way she looked. I loved the way she hugged me, the fact that she worked, she was respected, she was elegant and just everything that she did. I was a fan. I remember when I was small. I used to have nightmares. Sometime they were about exams and schools, and other times they were about my mum going away from me for some reason and I would sob in my sleep. I remember once in a while, she would get an asthma attack, and it used to scare the life out of me. I would hug her tight [during the time].

I never knew that one person I loved the most would be snatched away from me. I was shooting for Duplicate (1998) in Prague and she went for her morning walk and never came back. It shook my whole world. After that, I always say to people  not to take their mothers for granted. If I could have my mother back for a day, Id hug her so tight, put my head in her lap and just cry and tell her that I love her so much.

Whats that one advice you would like to give all mothers out there?

To all mothers, I would like to say  not to worry too much, our kids will turn out just fine, leave the kids alone sometimes to just play and be. Let them discover their capabilities and passions.

The actor, who was last seen in Chalk N Duster, will next be seen in Pushpaka Vimana and The Test Case.

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Dear mom,

Right from the time I opened my eyes, I remember seeing the most beautiful woman in front of me. That was and is you, mum. I see you now, growing, ageing so beautifully and gracefully. If anyone has taught me to age with grace and beauty, that is you, mum. I have seen you being compassionate, strong and tough all rolled into one. I have seen you care about everything and everyone, right from animals and birds to any living creature in distress. Youve always been so giving helping kids in orphanages,NGOs, being my strength, teaching me to fight and be emotionally tough, inspiring me to stand up for myself and voice my opinions. I have learnt so much from you. What I see in myself is a part of you.

I still remember the first time my daughter opened her eyes. We were in the hospital. I was lying with her at 1.30 in the morning and looking at this angelic, cherubic, pure face of God staring up at me so innocently. I suddenly remembered my teenage rebellion years. I still remember I called you up at 2am and I told you that all I want to say is sorry. When you asked me, for what, I told you, for all those years that I might have put you through those harrowing times, that maybe you would have spent sleepless nights because of me. I want to apologise for the doors that I have slammed on your face whenever we argued. I want to apologise a thousand times because I know how hurt you must have been.

Whether it was staying awake till the time I came back home from a friends party or sitting outside my door as I went through my first heartbreak sobbing away, you were always there.

However many times one apologises to ones parents,for the hurt we put them through , it is not enough.

Happy smiles!  A post shared by Raveena Tandon (@officialraveenatandon) on Jan 31, 2016 at 5:12am PST

Whether it was staying awake till the time I came back home from a friends party or sitting outside my door as I went through my first heartbreak sobbing away, you were always there.

And ones parents are always there.

You have been there to pick me up when I fell. From my first crush to the very end of personal and professional failures, you were there to pick up the pieces and put me back together again. A simple thank you is not at all enough.

I have had my first glass of champagne with you and dad. I have had my first beer with you two. Those nights of snuggling together and giggling away,discussing our first crushes.When I told you about my first crush, I remember you telling me about your crush, a Hollywood hero called Tony Curtis,(from the movie Some Like It Hot) There was always freedom given to me and an assurance that Im there and you can discuss anything with me.

.Follow @htshowbiz for more
There are two stories about the Inter-Services Intelligence of the Pakistan military. One is about its support for various jihadi groups which it then throws against India, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The other is the ISIs role as an instrument used by the Pakistani military to keep their countrys civil society under its thumb. This book is largely about the first story but what also becomes clear is that the ISIs two functions, ultimately, are the sides of a single coin.

The ISI had innocuous origins as a not particularly effective military intelligence agency founded soon after Pakistan was born. A covert operations division was created within the agency by the 1960s with an eye to helping Northeast and, later, Khalistani insurgents in India. However, as Kiessling argues, its primary task was the consolidation of the political situation at home. The ISIs principal task was internal political intelligence. It tried to outdo the Intelligence Bureau to act as an early warning system for the political establishment. The ISI was the more thuggish one responsible for applying pressure and delivering warnings  and even considered for assassinations. Ayub Khan, for example, asked then ISI director Brigadier Riaz Hussain to eliminate a political critic.

The ISI may have a larger-than-life profile in India today, but its early history was one of bungling. It was at sea during the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war, at one point accused of losing track of an entire Indian division.

The ISI director, Riaz Hussain, asked by Ayub Khan to explain his agencys shortcomings, complained, All these years we were not doing our real work of counterintelligence, because we were too busy chasing your domestic political opponents. A remarkable amount of the ISIs energy was spent on monitoring Pakistani politicians and even civil servants  at a later point it even tapped the line of an army chief.

Its greatest failure was to completely misread the Bengali revolt in East Pakistan, the civil war that followed and the subsequent Indian military victory. The ISI was able to get a copy of the Indian militarys combat plan but it made little material difference. In any case this success was overshadowed by the ISIs attempts to build up the Jamaat-e-Islami in a belief it could counter the Awami League and Bengali nationalism, a task that failed due to self-delusion and wishful thinking.

Worli, on 13 March, 1993 after the bomb blasts in Bombay. (Sanjay Sharma/HT Photo)

Pakistans men in khakhi were not the only ones who found the ISI useful. Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto boosted the ISIs domestic capabilities by setting up an internal political agency inside the agency in 1975 and he used the agency to watch both the opposition and his own party members. Of course, to counter the ISI, the ever suspicious Bhutto also set up a Federal Investigation Agency and then to watch both, a Federal Security Force. Yet it was Bhutto who helped a demoralized secret service regain its self-confidence after the 1971 disaster.

The turning point in the ISIs external abilities was the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the US-Pakistan covert alliance that followed. It also saw the ISI being led by Lieutenant General Akhtar Abdul Rehman, the most interesting, most successful but also the most controversial of all ISI directors. During his seven years the ISI trained tens of thousands of mujahedins, received billions of dollars in US funds and weapons, and in driving out the Soviet Union became imbued with a sense of religion and mission that was soon to be turned against India. We are second to none was a common refrain within the ISIs ranks after the Soviet defeat.

Author Hein G Kiessling (HarperCollins)

By the early 1990s, Kashmir had been added to the ISIs main concerns of Pakistani politics and Afghanistan. An Islamicist ISI director, Javed Nasir, was appointed by the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif and looked the other way as Nasir took the ISI across the world. The agency operated as far away as Bosnia but its priority was terrorist strikes against India including the 1993 Mumbai blasts. Sharif eventually removed Nasir, but only after intense US pressure.

The ISI was a late convert to supporting the Taliban, but became and remain their most fervent supporters. Today, Kashmir remains an area of activity sui generis and as for Al Qaeda, for the author, with his 13 years experience in Pakistan, there is no doubt that some ISI personnel must have known Osama bin Ladens place of residence. Keissling dismisses talk of an ISI within the ISI or the idea of rogue elements within the agency: it is strictly led and managed.

The books strength is the detail it provides about the ISIs role in the byzantine and ruthless internal politics of Pakistan.

Devastation after the bomb blasts in Bombay on 13 March, 1993. (Sanjay Sharma/HT Photo)

Thus the ISI was used by Pakistani dictator Zia ul Haque to create the Mohajir Quami Movement to eat into the Sindhi political base of Benazir Bhutto. By the end of the 1980s, the ISI was arming Sindhi nationalists to fight the MQM which had become a headache for Islamabad. Civilian leaders are no better. Sharif is almost addicted to using the ISI for dirty tricks at home and then ending up being the victim of the ISI joining the rest of the military and having the last joke on him.

There are some ISI heads who tried to re-invent their agency into a professional intelligence service, minus the politics -- Lieutenant General Nasim Rana who served till 1998 among them -- but they are rare and their reigns short-lived.

Read more: Flashback: How the Mumbai police cracked the 1993 bomb blast case

The complexity of the manoeuvring between military and civilian parties, presidents and prime ministers, spies and generals that went into the coups against the Bhuttos and, later, Sharif, would be the stuff of a cable TV mini-series. In Pakistan it is par for the course. The ISI comes out as one among many power centres, its role defined by the personality of its directors and the state of play between Pakistans ever-shifting civilian and military players. What emerges is a sense that the ISI is not a resident evil of Pakistan, it is merely a symptom of a malignant national polity for which there is no obvious cure.

Kiessling ends the book by saying that the next battleground for Pakistan and the ISI will be Balochistan, the venue of geopolitics and battlefield of economic interests between global and regional power players.
Its a muggy day in May, and we have just wrapped up a Brunch cover shoot in Lower Parel, an area in Mumbai characterised by both, 25 storey-tall five-star buildings and leftover chawls and mills.

As we descend the chipped stairs of the industrial complex where the studio is located, Shweta Bachchan-Nanda wants to turn around and head back up. Has she forgotten something? Should I send someone to get it?

No. Shwetas going back for something we cant imagine. Shes looking for Raju, the junior-most help, who is busy at the back, packing away equipment.

Thank you, Raju, she tells him. I just remembered I had forgotten to tell you bye!

The low-key Bachchan

Of her immediate birth family of four, Shweta Bachchan-Nanda must be the most low-key of them all. (Abheet Gidwani)

Meet the heartwarming face of Bollywood royalty. Anyone who knows her by name will agree that the daughter of Jaya and Amitabh Bachchan grew up in privilege. After marriage, she became a part of one of Indias topmost business families. Yet, at the shoot that day, Shweta Bachchan-Nanda was hardly the star. During lunch, she insisted that the entire crew of 10 squeeze into her tiny make-up room, which was originally meant for three. Her hamper of food from home was offered to everyone while she chomped onbelieve it or not, pizza!

Of her immediate birth family of four, Shweta must be the most low-key of them all. I dont garner that kind of interest or attention from the world at large, so yes, Im low-key, she says. I like it that way. Did she ever think of working in the movies? I dont believe I have the looks, talent or mental and emotional make up to be an actress, she says. I was an extremely shy and awkward young girl; I wouldnt have stood a chance in this kind of environment. You have to be extremely strong to live and work in films.

Shweta wrote a diary for years before she launched a column in a newspaper. (Abheet Gidwani)

I dont believe I have the looks, talent or mental and emotional make up to be an actress. i was an extremely shy and awkward young girl; I wouldnt have stood a chance in this kind of environment.

Yet, a couple of years ago, as her children reached their teens and Shweta was in her late 30s, she launched a column in a newspaper, offering her readers a peek into her life. She wrote about the joys and challenges of being a mother, wife, daughter and sister, she spoke of her changing equation with her growing children, and allowed the world into a personal space that had, thus far, been extremely private. What snapped? When did private Shweta Bachchan-Nanda become ready for public consumption?

Shweta laughs the hearty laugh no other Bachchan has. Firstly, youre wrong, she chides me. Youre a decade behind, because I really discovered myself in my 40s! I have always written, but only for myself. I kept a diary for years, but I never had the confidence or desire to make any of my work public. Public scrutiny makes me very uncomfortable.

Her column came about when her children left for boarding school and Shweta found herself at a loss. What do I do with this much free time, I asked myself. A dear friend kept goading me to start writing, and my mother always wanted me to write. I sent a sample piece, they loved it, and I was in, she says.

Parent-thesis!: Shweta Bachchan-Nanda On how to be a good mother Parenting is instinctual! Every mother inherently knows what is best for her child. I was a mother at 23! There are moments when you are overwhelmed but it all comes together magically. You can only actively parent your child till the age of 14-15. After that you have to let them be! It is imperative for their growth that you take a back seat. Let them make mistakes! You only learn and grow by your mistakes. Let them fail a test and experience how that feels. Only then will they have the desire to work harder. Let them date the wrong person and get their hearts broken; theyll learn to make better choices next time. This is their life. You can give them the tools to navigate it, but its unfair and unhealthy to try and tell them how to lead it. Always be on hand. Whether they have a cold and they need some pampering or a work crisis and they need to vent. Be on hand. Your child should know even if you are not physically present you are always there for them. And finally. do not have one set of rules for your sons and another for your daughters. Both should have equal opportunities.

Stories with a filter

As a mother, Shweta feels children, till they choose public life, should get their privacy. (Abheet Gidwani)

But isnt writing also about baring ones soul? For being an intensely private person like herself, didnt revealing details of her life bring with it a measure of insecurity? I wouldnt say insecurity, but yes, I was reticent, she admits. I still feel I hold back a lot. I suppose you have to be responsible, especially if so many people in your family are public figures.

Then how did she deal with the voyeurism of people whod obviously use her to gain a window into the goings on of her loved ones? How does one share ones life through ones columns, yet keep away from feeding unhealthy appetites?

Writing can give away too much, and I am very conscious about that, Shweta says. It would, for example, be terrible if I espouse an opinion and someone from my family has to bear the brunt of it. I would not be comfortable with that at all. But where unhealthy appetites are concerned, pretty much everyone on any kind of social media today is laid bare and up for public consumption. Privacy is a fading institution, and its not just someone who comes from my kind of background who has to handle it; everyone is going to get their 15 minutes of fame, and  at some point  each of them will have to navigate this.

Where, then, does she draw the line? Well, I am extremely cautious by nature, but if there is ever a doubt, I usually reach out to my parents and ask them what I should do. In fact, my mother is my harshest critic, and in my writing, it is often her appreciation that I seek the most. When I manage to meet her standards, nothing feels better than that!

Wasnt there a column a few months ago where Shweta appealed to people to leave her daughter out of their comments? I appeal to all to let my daughter have her private life back! Shweta had written. We know were treading on thin ice, but Shweta has an answer: The people who have given my father love and respect have always been very kind to us. Having said that, I also feel that children, till they choose public life, should get their privacy or be shielded as much as is possible or realistic. But then again, that may just be the overprotective mother in me saying this!

Shweta was accompanied by her father when she won the Hindustan Times Most Stylish Writer/Columnist award 2016 (HT Photo)

Shweta picks the best advice she has received from dad, Amitabh Bachchan If you want something and you dont get it, trust that you didnt get it because something better awaits you Wherever you go, always find a seat for yourself at the back. If they have to move you, they can only move you forward!

The modern mom

Shweta with her daughter Navya Naveli Nanda (Navya Naveli Nandas Instagram)

This statement, finally, brings us to the heart of this story. In addition to being the responsible Bachchan-Nanda she is, Shweta represents the modern Indian mother: One who may have spent years bringing up her children, but, as they reach their teens and ready themselves for the world outside, rediscovers a life for herself.

No, I am not their friend. I am their mother! I have a communicative and realistic equation with my children. When they were little, they came to me with bruised knees. Today, they come to me with bruised hearts.

What is Shweta like as a mom? Is she now emotionally a mother who is turning friend? No, I am not their friend, Shweta says definitely. I am their mother! I have a communicative and realistic equation with my children. When they were little, they came to me with bruised knees. Today, they come to me with bruised hearts. They ask my opinion, but they dont have to obey it. Im not strict about the teenage rites of passage stuff. I am strict about behaviour, that is very important to me.

And, does a mother finding her own interests make her a modern mom? I actually oscillate between traditional and modern. I like some of our Indian traditions. I like, for example, the respect we give our parents and elders here. It feels good, so I follow these traditions.

Finally, does being a mother who has her own life mean distancing yourself from your kids? I do not expect that I will know everything that is going on in my childrens lives, but I am always in on the important stuff. For me, that is enough. I do not want to live through them. I do not want them to live the life I plan for them. I want them to chart their own path; if they fail, there is no shame, and I will be there to pick them up.

Follow @JamalShaikh on Twitter

From HT Brunch, May 14, 2017

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Financial leaders of seven leading world economies will pledge stronger cooperation against cyber crime on Saturday and not to use foreign exchange to gain competitive advantage, but stick to their cautious wording on trade, a draft communique showed.

Finance ministers and central bank governors from the United States, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, Italy and Britain are meeting in the Italian city of Bari to discuss the world economy, combating terrorist funding, cyber security and taxes.

A draft communique of the meeting, to be published later on Saturday, said the seven countries would use all policy tools - fiscal, structural and monetary - to boost economic growth.

The draft, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, also said the G7 financial leaders would strengthen cooperation to counter cyber threats such as a global online attack which infected tens of thousands of computers in nearly 100 countries on Friday.

The statement said fiscal policy should be used to help job creation while keeping public debt on a sustainable path and monetary policy should help economic activity without fuelling strong inflation.

We reaffirm our existing G7 exchange rate commitments to market-determined exchange rates and to consult closely in regard to actions in foreign exchange markets, the draft said.

We reaffirm our fiscal and monetary policies have been and will remain oriented towards meeting our respective domestic policy objectives, using domestic instruments and we will not target exchange rates for competitive purposes, the draft said, underlining the importance of refraining from competitive devaluations.

But unlike a G7 leaders communique of 2016, the financial leaders in Bari did not endorse free trade and reject protectionism, reflecting pressure from the United States where President Donald Trump has signalled his scepticism about free trade deals.

The G7 financial leaders in Bari were set to repeat a line agreed by the broader Group of 20 in March which said: We are working to strengthen the contribution of trade to our economies.
Bengaluru Infosys Ltds chief operating officer UB Pravin Rao has assured employees that the management isnt planning any layoffs, and only under-performers may be asked to leave.

I would like to put to rest any speculation around planned layoffs. As has been the case in the past, we will primarily see some performance based exits, Rao wrote in an email to all employees on Wednesday.

The email, which was seen by Mint, was sent amid concerns over potential layoffs in the information technology (IT) industry amid slower growth. Seven of the biggest IT forms in India, including Infosys, plan to ask at least a total of 56,000 employees to leave this year, Mint reported on Friday.

As you are aware, the last financial year was a challenging one; our Q4 results were below expectations, the industry is going through challenging times and our core services business continues to be commoditized. In addition, geo-political events are further disrupting the traditional business model, Rao wrote.

He sought the support of employees to help the management tide over the difficult times.

We are working hard to get our momentum back, and Im confident that with your support, this will be possible sooner than later.

Infosyss senior management is now trying to address growing concerns among employees, many of whom are getting jumpy that in these challenging times, some of them may be asked to leave the firm. Infosys has already placed more than 3,000 of its 30,000 senior employees (Rank of JL6 and above) in the category of employees needing improvement. Additionally, Infosys also put on notice another 3,000 junior employees, making many believe that the company could ask 6,000 employees to leave the firm in the current year.

For now, Infosys declines to comment on how many employees have been asked to leave in the current quarter.

Our performance management process provides for a bi-annual assessment of performance, a spokeswoman for Infosys said. We do this every year and the numbers could vary every performance cycle

In this financial year, the nearly 170,000 junior employees of Infosys will get salaries that reflect the annual hike awarded to them from 1 July, instead of April. Rao did not give a reason for the delay.

The 30,000 senior executives would have to wait longer for their annual hikes. Rao said that the company will perform the compensation review in subsequent quarters.
I think Indians should go to China said my Bengali maid of years, whose state has been ruled by assorted party dadas for decades.

Why? I said, startled. My maid had just got back from a month in her village. There are no jobs back home. So there are hardly any men, all you see are girls and women, she rued.

But why should they go to China?

These days almost everything in the Indian market says Made in China. That means theyre making many things in Chinese factories, which means they have jobs. Our poor boys get university degrees but no jobs. Do you know how many educated Bengali boys and men are working as labourers, guards, drivers and shop assistants? she said indignantly.

But your state voted for years for the party that achieved that, I said gently.

Thats true. No factories, no jobs, no Made in India. Only Inquilab zindabad she said. And they did not educate me as girl, which is why Im doing housework.

My maid is at least twenty years younger than I so I was surprised that equality, as in the old patriarchal systems, still applied in her state only to man and man, not man and woman; half the human race was still left out despite didigiri long having replaced dadagiri. Regarding China, I thought it a pity that as with the West, so with the East: we were keen to import their noise, like Justin Beiber, as if we didnt make enough, and plastic thoughts and things from China; but not their civic sense, discipline or work ethic.

I remembered an old Chinese story about human resources. The Huns invaded northern China in 158 BCE. To strengthen the border, Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty appointed three generals, Liu Li, Xu Li and Zhou Yafu, to head a big outpost each. After some time the emperor went on a tour of inspection. The emperor and his escort were able to go straight into Liu Lis and Xu Lis garrisons. Indeed, the generals and their soldiers came out to receive him and see him off.

But not at General Zhous; instead, the imperial party was stopped at the gate by armed soldiers ready to shoot. Credentials were demanded from the emperor. When the garrisons gates were eventually opened, the emperors party was told that no galloping was allowed within the precincts and that they had to proceed at a slow, steady pace to where the garrison commander waited to receive his lord. General Zhou received the emperor in full uniform but did not kneel. Forgive me for not kneeling, Your Majesty, but according to military etiquette, soldiers in armour salute standing he said.

The emperor bowed and saluted the general and his troops. After inspection, he thanked General Zhou and rode away. The emperors officials wondered about the royal reaction to this polite but no-nonsense reception. But Emperor Wen said, Now thats a real general, with rules and discipline. The other two could be easily taken by the enemy but not this one. A lesson not lost on modern China today?

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Rodrigo Alves, 33, is the man who wants to look like a plastic doll so desperately that hes undergone 57 surgeries and more than a 100 cosmetic procedures since he was 17. Hes so plastic now that he cant feel his face, but thats not stopped him.

Alves was in Delhi for 10 days recently to get the colour of his eyes changed from brown to icy grey like his role model Ken, Barbies fantastically fashionable partner/boyfriend/playdate/accessory. Alves told British media that he wept on his flight home to London because his surgery was cancelled after tests showed his eye chambers were too small to hold the artificial lens.

Alves was in India not just because Indian doctors are the best, but also because a surgeon in Delhi agreed to consider doing a surgery fraught with risks for cosmetic reasons. I could not get this procedure done in London for cosmetic reasons only, he told HT.

Human Ken, was in Delhi to get the colour of his eyes changed. (Photo courtesy: Hangingshoesfilm.com)

Iris implants  where an artificial silicone iris is folded and inserted through a tiny incision in the cornea  are done to treat people whos irises are absent from birth (condition called aniridia) or from an injury, iris atrophy, or conditions such as coloboma (hole in the iris, retina, choroid, or optic disc). The risk of surgical complications is higher in people who get the implants for cosmetic reasons. This is why many surgeons refuse to do it for non-medical reasons.

Womb for more

How ethical is it for surgeons to perform extreme surgeries for reasons other than saving lives or improving health? Since people who opt for such elective procedures often have body dysmorphic disorders that makes them obsess about perceived imperfections in their appearance, the onus is on the surgeon to determine whether the benefits from surgery outweigh the risk.

No medical procedure comes without side-effects, but while a person undergoing heart surgery or kidney transplantation is choosing between life and potential complications, while people going for elective procedures are choosing appearance over often irreparable risks to their health and appearance.

A surgeon in Delhi agreed to consider doing Alves surgery that is fraught with risks. (Hangingshoesfilm.com)

A Pune hospital recently announced it will do womb transplantations to help two women  one with an absent uterus and the other with a defective one  carry their own babies. In both cases, the donors are the recipients mothers. Is undergoing transplantation to bear a child worth the risks to health and the constant threat of organ rejection? Arent adoption or surrogacy good enough options? Medical literature shows some implanted wombs were rejected and only around a third of the recipients have delivered a baby.

The delivery is always by cesarean section, and thats not the end of the surgeries. The implanted wombs are usually removed after the woman gives birth so that she can stop having immune-suppressing medicines to prevent organ rejection. And those who choose womb transplantation to experience carrying a baby are also disappointed -- nerves are not transplanted with the uterus, so the mother does not feel contractions or the baby kicking.

Which does make you wonder if the surgeons discuss the pros and cons with the patients thoroughly enough?

Extreme cut

Another surgery being misused is the Ilizarov technique developed to treat deformities, such as those associated with polio. The technique involves breaking the bones in both legs (femur) and then fixing metal wires on a clunky frame around them to pull the bones as they heal to add three to four inches to height over four months. Apart from infection, people who undergo surgery risk deformity and osteoporosis at healing sites.

Rodrigo Alves posing with locals during his Delhi visit. (Photo courtesy: Hangingshoesfilm.com)

Perhaps the most misused surgery these days is bariatric surgery, which most recently made news when the worlds heaviest woman Eman Ahmed, 36, came to India and lost more than 300 kg in less than three months. She weighed 495 kg before surgery and needed it. Many who get it done dont.

Many overweight people use it as a quick-fix weight-loss measure, oblivious to side-effects that range from the stomach pouch leaking and breaking to risk of osteoporosis, gastritis, heartburn, ulcers, gall bladder and kidney stones, and nutritional deficiencies.

Most elective surgeons plead that people whove made up their minds dont stop till they find someone who will do the job for them. What they must keep in mind before sharpening their scalpel or blade is that their priority is patent safety, and unless the surgery meets the four principles of medical ethics-- autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice  they cannot look their patient in the eye, irrespective of whether they are brown or icy grey.

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Meanwhile, staff of the corporation told the Crime Branch that the letter pad issued in the name of the mayor was fake.
The closest Ive ever got to Prince Philip was at my graduation in 1977. Perhaps because he became Chancellor of Cambridge in the preceding year he was personally present to handover the degrees. Unfortunately, I cant recall what he said or if he spoke at all. Yet if he only grunted, while his eyes lit up with mischief, it would be typical of the man.

In an age when were suffocatingly conscious of political correctness the prince has a reputation for being forthright and indiscreet but also witty and fun. His gaffes, as the British press calls them, have shocked a few but delighted many more. At times they tell the blunt truth while on other occasions theyre the sort of thing you wish you had said yourself.

Some of his funniest comments have been levelled at foreigners. On meeting Nigerias former president Olusegun Obasanjo, who was wearing traditional robes, he quipped: You look like youre ready for bed. On seeing an exhibition of primitive Ethiopian art he pronounced: It looks like the kind of thing my daughter would bring back from her school art lessons. And to a student who had been trekking in Papua New Guinea: You managed not to get eaten then?

Of Chinese food he told the World Wildlife Fund: If it has got four legs and its not a chair, if it has two wings and flies but is not an aeroplane, and if it swims and is not a submarine, the Cantonese will eat it. Asked in 1967 about a possible trip to the then Soviet Union he replied: I would like to go to Russia very much  although the bastards murdered half my family. But my favourite is this delightful statement: I declare this thing open, whatever it is, as he cut the ribbon to inaugurate Vancouvers City Hall.

Some of these comments are no doubt impolite. You might even say they smack of racism. But where would humour be without such ingredients? More importantly, the prince is equally outspoken about the British.

British women cant cook he once said before adding, They are very good at decorating food and making it attractive. On a visit to Scotland he asked a driving instructor: How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to pass the test?

On meeting Lord Taylor, the first black Conservative peer, the prince questioned: And what exotic part of the world do you come from? Birmingham Lord Taylor replied.

Sometimes the prince does correct himself but that only makes the joke better. Whilst touring a Glasgow factory his attention was caught by the state of a fuse box. It looks as though it was put in by an Indian, he exclaimed. Then he quickly added: I meant to say cowboys. I just got my cowboys and Indians mixed up!

The best part is that the prince is well aware of what hes up to. Fifty years ago he told the General Dental Council: Dontopedalogy is the science of opening your mouth and putting your foot in it, a science which I have practised for a good many years. As The Times commented last week, when the prince announced his retirement: Somehow, no matter how wide he opens his mouth or how deeply his foot becomes lodged in it, people never stay offended for long.

And now an admission: I like a risque sense of humour. Its not just different it also brightens up our lives.

The views expressed are personal

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I dont usually give such stupid headlines or write on topics that sound silly to begin with (actually, I do. Sorry) But thoda out of box thinking banta hai nah sometimes?. You see, I recently wrote a post about loving yourself, and much to my good luck, it went down really well with the readers. So many of you wrote back with a pledge to love only yourself, that I got seriously worried for the population growth of our country.

I couldnt think of anything sensible to write this week (dare you say whats new). But then I remembered today is Mothers Day. So I decided to recall something I had written on Mom and her rishtedaars, some time back. While the whole world goes all mush on this day, my moms likely to come after me with a stick for this. But look at the kind of risks Im willing to take, just so I have a different take than others. Anyway, the origin of these ramblings is a mail that a girl had written to me.

I have six maternal uncles and three aunts. Sometimes all visit our place, together, when there is some occasion. My mom fusses over them so much that I cant tell you. Even if I want to study in my room, Im expected to sit and chat with them and their families, and run errands. Can you please help? And please, please dont write my name or mom would kill me, read the mail.

Okay fine, if you insist, I wont write your name, Preeti, though I dont see any reason why your mother should kill you if your nana-nani loved and reproduced at such frequency. Im thinking of ways to help. But before I go on, let me state a clear disclaimer. Nothing that I write in this column pertains to my moms relatives. Nothing. If you are reading this, Ma, be known that in the interest of truth, and my ultimate safety, I am prepared to randomly repeat this disclaimer after every few sentences in the write-up.

Coming back to the point, we all have rishtedaar of all kinds, shapes and sizes, in our lives. But there are none to beat moms relatives. Ask your dad and his long sigh will tell you if Im right.

Mothers, actually, are the nicest of Gods creations and they bring all the sweetness and tolerance into this world. So what if this sweetness is slightly more when it comes to her side of the family? (Statutory disclaimer: Not applicable to my mom, at all). A woman leaves her home to settle into a new house and nurture it. Its obvious that her heart would go out to those she grew up with. Woh aur baat hai that this going out of the heart sometimes translates in going out the way when it comes to socialising with them.

A friend of mine often cribs, My mom is otherwise quite penny-wise but when it comes to buying gifts for her side of relatives on occasions, suddenly all restrictions vanish. (Statutory disclaimer: My mom does not, ever). Another one says, Mom talks to her sister almost every day. My mausi knows which exams Ive flunked and how many hours

I spend on Internet everyday. Shes always ready with advice, sometimes sarcastic comments, about my life, my career, what subjects I should choose and when I should get married.

Arrey, yaar its no big deal. All relatives in India are born advisers, whether from moms side or dads. Someday, youll also do this to someone. Till then, heres what I have to advise.

1. Thank God that you at least have relatives

Many dont. We are still in a generation when you at least know what a chacha, mausi, bua or mama means. At the rate young couples are opting for a single child or no kids, the next generation wont even know what the words mean. As irritated as you may sometimes get when the uncles and aunts drop in, do remember that the cool, firang friends you may have made on the Internet envy Indian families for the warmth and the way siblings, cousins and relatives connect. Its simply a case of counting your blessings. Sometimes we forget to.

2. Understand your moms psyche

A sociologist friend once told me that there are deep-rooted reasons behind why a married woman, in the Indian set-up or universally, is instinctively protective and soft towards her own relatives. Traditionally, from the time a marriage alliance is fixed, the girls side subconsciously behaves subservient to the guys family  always trying to ensure that ladke waale should not get upset, should be well taken care of, etc etc. The bride, in this case your mother (Disclaimer: not mine, surely), throughout her life afterwards, makes subconscious attempts to make up for it. She wants her parents, her siblings to feel important and loved. And hence, sometimes the fuss, which is so normal in fact justified. If you see any sense in the above theory, I can safely tell you that its mine and I have no sociologist friend. Otherwise, please think that these experts are crazy. They have a theory for any nonsense.

3. Finally, a word for the parents, especially mothers

(Disclaimer: Not mine. Ma, why are you even reading this? Its not about you, trust me. I love you). Always remember, maam, that no child, teenager or grown up person likes it when reminded in front of relatives that he/she should greet them with respect. If you wont keep harping namaste karo or touch their feet or the favourite of the Punjabis  beta, aunty se theek se milo, perhaps your kids would greet your relatives more warmly on their own. Im sure you didnt enjoy being told when you were young.

Also, it never helps to point out the flaws of your children in front of your relatives. Even if the poor relative tries to give a well-meaning advice (they mostly do), he/she becomes a villain in your childs eyes. Discipline your children in private, let the mama-mausis pamper them. Theyll soon start looking forward to the relatives visits. You can thank me then, for the advice. I do accept cash, with a heavy heart.

Sonal Kalra is trying to decode the meaning of the phrase theek se milo. Shes going to attempt something on her relatives. She may not be left with any, afterwards. Mail your sympathies to her at sonal.kalra@hindustantimes.com, facebook.com/sonalkalraofficial. Follow on Twitter @sonalkalra.

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Private operators make a quick buck through online bookings for visits to Corbett Tiger Reserve by luring tourists with attractions, such as gala feasts and photography competitions, officials said.

When the reserve gates were opened for tourists on November 15 last year, the management detected a case in which an operator had promised luxury breakfast to about 10 tourists near Khinanauli forest rest house (FRH).

The reserve does not offer such facility. The management realised that a private party had booked the groups visit.

We came to know of this discrepancy beforehand and managed to avoid it. We have canteens but no system of throwing feasts for the tourists, as promised by their operator, Corbett director Surendra Mehra told Hindustan Times.

Theres no provision under which the management can stop bookings for tourists. Taking advantage of this, private operators easily make bookings for visitors and earn handsome amounts; they pay only government rates to the reserve and promote packages.

Sources said many operators have started locking dates for visitors between June 1 and 14, though the management has not started online bookings for the period. Bookings are done only three days before because of chances of rainfall. The reserve will be shut down on June 15.

The bookings of many tourists have already been confirmed during the period when on-spot bookings are done. How are they doing it? asked a source in the forest department.

A website, goingwild.in, has declared its photography tour package for the next year as well. The operators are booking participation for April 2-6, 2018.

The management accepts lacuna in the online system owing to which common people fail to make bookings.

Some people reported this discrepancy regarding booking and we are trying to fix it, Mehra said.

The Corbett deputy director had reported this matter to the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in March this year, suspecting hacking of the official website through which bookings are made. About two years ago, the management had to shift to a separate website after the initial one was hacked for bookings.

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Following urban development minister Madan Kaushiks inspection and warning of action against officials last Sunday, local authorities jumped into action to identify over 300 encroachments in the Uttarakhand capital.

Swinging in to action, officials of multiple departments, under the leadership of the district administration, identified over 374 encroachers along a six-kilometer stretch from the Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT) to the Clock Tower, which was inspected by the minister on May 7.

As many as 114 encroachments were found between the Clock Tower and Prince Chowk, 57 from Prince Chowk to Matawala Bagh, 133 from Matawala Bagh to Niranjanpur Mandi, 50 from Mandi to Shimla Bypass tri-junction and 20 from the tri-junction to Turner Road. These include both government and private encroachments.

Notices will now be served to the squatters to remove encroachments, officials said.

Based on the identification process, we will now start issuing notices to the encroachers who will be given time to remove encroachments on their own. If they fail to do so, we will go ahead and demolish them, sub divisional magistrate (sadar) Vineet Kumar, who is the nodal officer for the campaign, told Hindustan Times on Saturday.

It is worth recalling that on May 7, Kaushik had conducted an extensive inspection from the ISBT to the Clock Tower in an open e-rickshaw during which he asked officials to take immediate action against encroachments.

Removal of encroachments will not only help streamline sluggish traffic movement in congested parts of the city but will also free up heavily encroached footpaths for pedestrians, urban development minister Madan Kaushik told HT.

Locals, however, questioned why the authorities only swing into action when reprimanded by their higher-ups. If only the officials worked proactively on their own, without waiting to be pulled up by their seniors, the situation (encroachments) would have been much better by now, said Rakesh Tiwari, a resident of Patel Nagar.

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A 24-year-old woman was shot dead in front of her brother allegedly by her spurned lover and his three accomplices. The incident happened at the womans Panchsheel Vihar residence near Khirki Extension in south Delhis Malviya Nagar early on Saturday morning, police said.

Two of the alleged accused, including the spurned lover Manoj, were arrested soon after. The other two, whose identities were withheld by the police, were at large till the filing of the report. The woman worked in a beauty parlour in Saket area, police said.

Chinmoy Biswal, additional deputy commissioner of police (south), said Manoj was identified and arrested after they found his mobile number saved in the womans mobile with the code name MS.

We examined the cell phone records of the woman and Manoj and it helped us locate Manoj and arrest him within six hours of the crime. Manojs friend, who was with him during the crime, has also been arrested, said Biswal adding raids were on to nab the other two suspects. The suspects were captured on a CCTV camera.

Around 12.30 am, Biswal said, the woman was at home with her brother and sister when Manoj along with four associates arrived. Manoj called out the womans name and asked her to meet him. She opened the door to ask Manoj to leave. An argument broke out between them. Hearing the commotion, the womans brother came out.

Manoj took out a pistol and fired at her. The bullet hit her chest and she collapsed. The attackers fled the crime scene, said Biswal. Hearing the gunshot, some neighbours came out and rushed the woman to a nearby private hospital where she succumbed to injuries later in the day. A case of murder was registered at the Malviya Nagar police station.

Investigators learnt that Manoj, who lived at Tigri in Neb Sarai, wanted to marry the woman. However, she had rejected his proposal.

Manoj was adamant. He began stalking and threatening her. The man had threatened to kill her brother if she did not accept his proposal, said an investigator. The woman had told her family about the threats.

Even though the womans family threatened to file a police complaint against him, Manoj didnt pay heed to the threats. Manoj has told us that he arranged the pistol from his friend, said the officer adding Manoj is unemployed.
Aam Aadmi Party MLA Sanjeev Jha was detained by Delhi Police on Saturday for trying to stage a hunger strike in front of the Civil Lines residence of suspended party member Kapil Mishra.

After being released, Jha shifted base and is on a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar.

Burari legislator Jha was taken into custody as he, along with about 30 supporters, went to protest outside Mishras residence without taking permission from the police.

After released by the police in the afternoon, Jha sat on the footpath of Under Hill road near Mishras house. By evening, he shifted his protest to Jantar Mantar, about which he tweeted, My hunger strike is on. I will continue my hunger strike from Jantar Mantar.

The development is the latest drama in the ongoing power struggle in Delhis ruling party, which was routed recently in the elections to the three Delhi municipal corporations.

The AAP also got drubbing in the assembly elections in Punjab and Goa, where the party had touted itself as major contenders for power.

The setback triggered intra-party squabbling that saw some party leaders even questioning personal integrity of party chief and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who came to power on anti-corruption plank.

Mishra is on a hunger strike at his residence for the past four days demanding that Kejriwal reveal the source of funding of the foreign trips of five AAP leaders  Sanjay Singh, Ashish Khetan, Satyendar Jain, Raghav Chadhha and Durgesh Pathak  in the last two years.

Mishra was removed as a Delhi minister and later suspended from the AAP after he levelled corruption charges against Kejriwal.

Delhi police took no action when Kapil Mishra sat on a dharna, but when I tried the same it detained me. The police, the Centre and Mishra are hand-in-glove. I will continue my hunger strike against Mishra wherever the police takes me, Jha said minutes before being taken away by the police in a bus.

Police said Jha and supporters were detained when they were marching towards Kapil Mishas home to sit on a protest. It is a preventive detention and they were kept at Sarai Rohilla police station, a police officer said.

One cannot be allowed to sit on a protest outside somebodys house. Jha can sit on a hunger strike at his own house, like Mishra is doing. Jha was even given the option to stage his protest at Jantar Mantar. But he refused, following which he was detained, the officer said.

Supporters accompanying Jha told HT that the police were fully prepared and had barricaded the road about 300 metres away from Mishras house.

Before coming to Civil Lines, Jha had gone to Rajghat to seek blessings.

Police officials said Jha did not have permission for the sit-in hunger strike. He could have gone to Jantar Mantar or Rajghat to do the strike. Nobody would have stopped him, a police officer said.
Axed Delhi minister Kapil Mishra, who is on an indefinite fast, has claimed his next expose will rattle the people of Delhi who trusted the Aam Aadmi Party.

On Friday, Mishra visited the Raj Ghat, the memorial for Mahatma Gandhi, where he had made startling allegations of corruption against Kejriwal on Sunday.

He broke down at the memorial.

He has been sitting on an indefinite strike since Wednesday and was advised hospitalisation be a team of doctors on Friday.

His blood sugar level has dropped to 81 mg/dL and intravenous fluids need to be started immediately. His pulse is low. He is going into dehydration because of poor salt intake. We have thus advised hospitalisation, said Dr Javed Salam of the Aruna Asaf Ali Hospital who examined Mishra.

He is demanding that the AAP divulge details of foreign tours undertaken by five leaders of the party.

I am feeling very lonely, so paid a visit to the Raj Ghat. Tomorrow, I will visit a Hanuman temple. I will reveal the next batch of expose on Sunday. After that, the people of Delhi will receive a jolt, especially those who trusted the AAP, he said.

His mother Annapurna, a former BJP mayor, wrote a letter to Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of spreading lies that the BJP was behind her sons stinging attacks on him and the AAP.

On Thursday, several AAP leaders had tweeted a picture in which Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari and Mishra were seen in one frame.

She claimed the picture was clicked at an event to felicitate AAP leader Kumar Vishwas father and was attended by Kejriwal and all his ministers.
A candle light march was held at India Gate on Saturday to pay homage to 22-year-old Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz, who was abducted and shot dead by suspected militants in Shopian district of Kashmir on May 10.

More than 500 people, including at least 100 ex-servicemen, participated in the march that began around 7pm.

Youth present at the march to mourn the death of the army officer said that the country has lost a role model. Army plays a key role in protecting our borders. We sleep peacefully at night because they are fighting against militants and keeping them at bay. They do their jobs in tough conditions.Those who kill brave men like Fayaz should not be spared, said Rishi Pandey, a 20-year-old science student.

Raising slogans of Vande Mataram and Bharat Mata Ki Jai, ex-servicemen said that the situation in Kashmir is deteriorating and the government ought to take strict action.

This candle march has been organised to pay our homage to Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz, a young army officer and an apple farmers son. Why was he killed? said commander (Retd) Pawan Sanan.

Fayaz had been commissioned into the Indian Army in December 2016. He was with the Rajputana Rifles in the Akhnoor sector.

The killing of the Army officer comes just a few days after militants killed five policemen and two bank guards in an attack on a cash van in Phambai area of Kulgam. The five Jammu and Kashmir policemen and the two guards killed in the attack were locals.

Another visitor, 44-year-old Sandeep Gupta, joined the march with his wife and 10-year-old daughter. They had come to know about the march through word-of-mouth.

Earlier I had read in newspapers about the army officers brutal death. It was very shocking. So I decided to join the march to pay my tribute to him. Thats the least we as common people can do, Gupta said.
Delhi University will start the online registration process for admissions to around 54,000 seats in undergraduate courses from May 22.

The university is starting the online registration process almost two weeks ahead of its usual schedule for courses in which admission is based on cut-off. The last date to fill the admission form has not been finalized yet.

Students can start filling the online registration form from May 22. As we are starting the registration earlier, students will have enough time to get their certificates and other documents in place, said M Pandit, member of DUs admission committee.

The online registration process for undergraduate courses, in which an entrance test is conducted, will begin from May 31. DU conducts entrance tests for courses such as Bachelor of Management Studies, BA (Hons) Business Economics, Bachelor of Business Administration (financial investment analysis).

There are around 1600 seats in undergraduate courses in which entrance test is conducted, said an official.

For postgraduate courses and research courses, the online registration will also start from May 31. Admission to postgraduate courses, MPhil and PhD will begin from May 31, said an official.

DU registrar Tarun Das said the registration process for all programmes and categories will be online. The eligible applicants are informed that the registration process of all the programmes will be completely online including Sports, Extra Curricular Activities (ECA), Kashmiri Migrants, CW (Defence), and PwD categories, Das said.

Das said the details of registration process and subsequent procedure will be available in a bulletin of information, which will be uploaded online soon on www.du.ac.in.

The university will hold a standing committee meeting to finalise the admission criteria for various courses on May 16. After Tuesdays meeting, changes in the criteria for different courses will be approved. Once the changes are approved, we will upload the information on university website, said officials.

There is still no clarity on whether entrance test for postgraduate and research courses will be conducted online, as planned earlier because there has been resistance from students bodies to conduct offline entrance tests.

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The mercury level is likely to shoot up to 43 degree Celsius again by Monday resulting in near heat wave conditions, weather officials have warned.

On Saturday, the day temperature hovered around 41.8 degrees Celsius just three degrees above the climatic normal. On May 7, the mercury had crossed the 44 degrees Celsius mark for the first time this season.

The hot winds coming in from the northwest and the dry conditions over Punjab and Haryana would force the day temperature to shoot up further. It could touch 43 on Monday, said a senior official of the regional weather forecast department.

Normally, the met department declares a heat wave when the day temperature shoots up by at least 5 degrees, above the climatic normal. A severe heat wave is declared if the mercury shoots at least seven degrees above the normal.

The climatic normal of May, which is an average of temperature during the month of May over 30 years, is 39.5 degrees Celsius.

But met officials have also spotted some relief brewing over the western horizon. It could bring some respite from the rising mercury level between Tuesday and Wednesday.

A western disturbance is likely to hit Delhi and NCR. Even though chances of rain are low, we are expecting some dust storms and thunderstorms, said a senior official.

The thunderstorm would cool down the air in the high altitudes and because of the convection current this colder air mass would come down to lower levels. As a result of this, the mercury level is expected to plummet by one or two degrees.

Such interim reliefs are normal during this time of the year as western disturbances and cyclonic circulations develop frequently. But sometimes they affect only the hilly regions of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh and the plains are denied of any respite.

If the thunderstorm is accompanied by rain, the mercury drops by at least 3-4 degrees, said the official.

The relief would be however short-lived. With very little moisture in the air and hot north westerly winds sweeping the city, the day temperature would again reach the 43 degrees Celsius mark from Thursday, met officials said.

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A candle light march was organised at India Gate on Saturday in tribute to Indian Army officer Ummer Fayaz who was murdered by suspected militants in Kashmir.

Lt Ummer Fayaz, a resident of Kulgam, was abducted from the house of a relative in the middle of a wedding function. His bullet-riddled body was found at Shopian in south Kashmir the next day, on May 10.

#WATCH Massive crowd turns up to pay tribute to late army officer Lt. Ummer Fayaz at Delhi's India Gate, abducted and killed by terrorists pic.twitter.com/QJWFBZENqj  ANI (@ANI_news) May 13, 2017

People holding candles at India Gate on Saturday. (Burhaan Kinu/ HT Photo)

Eyewitnesses said a group of armed men entered the house and took away Fayaz, who was sitting with the bride, as more militants waited outside.

A women marcher holding a candle and a poster of Ummer Fayaz. (Burhaan Kinu/HT Photo)

Though Kashmiri militant groups have denied killing the Army officer, intelligence agencies suspect that the crime was carried out jointly by Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen fighters.

Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba is also suspected to have a hand in the killing, described by the army as a watershed moment that would turn the tide against terrorism in the Valley.

Delhi: People pay tributes to late army officer Lt. Ummer Fayaz at India Gate, he was abducted and killed by terrorists pic.twitter.com/JpKUn7arq3  ANI (@ANI_news) May 13, 2017

A farmers son, Fayaz had been commissioned into the Indian army in December 2016. He was serving as a lieutenant with the Rajasthan Rifles division.

Army officials on Saturday dropped by Fayazs residence on the occasion of Chahrrum  the fourth day of mourning  and promised full support to his family and presented a cheque of Rs 75 lakh on the Armys behalf to the relatives of the deceased.

People participate in the candle light march at India Gate on Saturday. (Burhaan Kinu/ HT Photo)

Fayazs killing is the latest in a series of attacks on security men in the Valley.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday convened a high-level meeting to review dengue and chikungunya preparedness in the city.

The CM asked all stakeholders to make all possible efforts for a mosquito-free Delhi to ensure the capital does not witness a spurt in vector borne diseases this year.

Last year, Delhi saw its first ever chikungunya outbreak that affected 9,661 people. The year before last there was a dengue outbreak, with 60 people dying and about 16,000 people suffering from the mosquito-borne viral infection.

All stakeholders  Delhi government, civic agencies and all concerned need to work in close coordination to ensure a mosquito-free Delhi this year. Steps are taken every year to treat those who suffer from vector-borne diseases but this year the stress has to be on preventing breeding of mosquitoes, said Kejriwal in the meeting.

The meeting held at the Delhi Secretariat was attended by all ministers, senior officials of the Delhi government, representatives of the municipal bodies, all medical superintendants of Delhi government hospitals and members of the legislative assembly of Delhi.

The health department and the civic agencies presented their plans of action to prevent chikungunya and dengue this year.

Delhi lieutenant governor Anil Baijal met health officials twice to take stock of the situation, laying emphasis on community outreach programmes for disseminating information on prevention and control activities intensively and effectively.

Community must be informed and educated about the schedule of visits of Domestic Breeding Checkers in their respective areas and a system of robust feedback from the community has to be developed, he had said.

Agencies concerned were asked to identify vulnerable colonies/areas and display notice boards/billboards at the prominent places, indicating telephone number of control room for feedback from general public.

Real-time monitoring is the key, however, only about 30% of the health institutions in Delhi have been reporting their dengue positive cases to the state surveillance unit, which creates discrepancy in the data.

Last year, no one was keeping a track of chikungunya. Almost 300 cases had already happened in East Delhi before we realised. This year, from the beginning MCD is keeping a track of all cases, said a government official.

Government is ensuring all health facilities have sufficient stock of requisite drugs and diagnostic kits. There are adequate arrangements of patient beds earmarked for dengue and chikungunya in hospitals when the disease it at its peak, requiring hospitalisations.

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A 32-year-old woman was allegedly killed by her husbands nephew in south Delhis Tehkhand village near Okhla on Saturday afternoon.

The 25-year-old nephew allegedly stabbed the woman to death with a knife in front of her two daughters after she resisted his advances. He then allegedly attempted suicide by consuming poison and stabbing himself with the same knife, police said.

The woman died on the spot. The critically injured man was found near the Govindpuri Metro station and taken to hospital, said police.

Some onlookers informed the police. He was admitted to AIIMS Trauma Centre and underwent a surgery. His condition is critical, police said.

A senior police officer said that the murder came to light around 1 pm when the victims neighbour informed the police about the crime. A police team arrived and rushed the injured woman to ESI hospital where she was declared brought dead.

Doctors told us that she had a fatal stab wound in her abdomen, said the officer. A case of murder and suicide attempt was registered after the police learnt that after murdering the woman her nephew attempted suicide in the same room. The FIR was registered on the statement of the womans daughters, who were eyewitnesses to the crime.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) rebel Kapil Mishra has said he will make another expose on Sunday, which, he claimed, would leave no moral right for Arvind Kejriwal to remain the chief minister of Delhi.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, axed minister Mishra, who has been on a hunger strike for four days, said he would reveal more facts about Kejriwal at 11 am on Sunday.

This time, the expose is not related to Raghav Chadha or Durgesh Pathak. After I reveal the truth, Kejriwalji will have no moral right to be Delhis CM. The truth is so bitter that people would feel cheated by AAP and stop trusting the party, he said.

Mishra accused Kejriwal of using AAP MLAs as a shield after party legislator Sanjeev Jha announced a hunger strike to counter his ongoing fast. Jha was detained by police before he could begin his strike outside Mishras residence in Civil Lines.

Open letter wars

Jha, an MLA from Burari, wrote an open letter to Mishra before beginning his planned hunger strike on Saturday.

On May 7, Kapil Mishra had said that Arvind Kejriwal had met Satyendar Jain where he paid him Rs 2 crore. My question to him is at what time did he meet the chief minister. Which car did he use? I have the entire days video footage (of people entering Kejriwal), he wrote in the letter.

The whole world knows about Kejriwals credentials and he (Mishra) should give evidence to back his claim. If it turns out to be true, even I will join him in his hunger strike against Kejriwal, Jha said.

Mishra hit back at Jha with another open letter and advised him to drink lots of water during the hunger strike. You (Kejriwal) made a strategy to use MLAs as a shield. However, only one MLA came forward to be that shield? Mishra said.

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She was nine when her parents expired. Her aunt brought the girl to her home in Bihar from where an unknown woman kidnapped and trafficked her to a brothel in Delhis GB Road. For the next two years, the brothel owner raised her like a daughter.

But as she turned 11, the owner pushed her into flesh trade. She was forced to entertain five to six men in a day until Friday night when she was rescued in a joint operation of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) and Delhi Police.

The girl, now 15, was rescued from brothel number 58 after a man, who had met her in the brothel as a customer, messaged the womens panel chief Swati Maliwal on Facebook.

He left a message describing the girls situation at the brothel.

The DCW contacted the man and he was asked to visit the DCW office and provide other details about the girls whereabouts. After getting details, the commission approached the local police and sought their assistance in conducting a raid at the brothel.

DCW members and police staff raided the brothel and rescued the minor girl.

The girl told police that she was kidnapped from her aunts house by an unknown woman. She was asked to entertain her first customer at the age of 11. When she tried to resist, she was tied to a pole and brutally beaten up, DCW said in a statement.

The girl had made a couple of attempts in the past to escape from the brothel but was always caught because of the CCTV cameras installed in the brothel. She disclosed her desire to escape to one of the customers. But the brothel owner overheard their conversation and the man was beaten up.

He is the same man who informed us about the girl, said a DCW official. In her statement to the police, the victim said that her life is in danger and that she wants to take legal action against the owner of the brothel. An FIR under relevant sections was registered and the brothel owner, identified as Chanda, was arrested.
Two men have been arrested and a minor boy apprehended for the robbery and murder of a garment trader in north Delhis Sarai Rohilla a fortnight ago.

The arrested men are Kishan alias Handa and Mangal aka Lala. Mangal was involved in three crimes.

Police said the three allegedly shot Amarchand when he resisted their robbery attempt and slapped one of them. Kishan fired at Amarchands chest and he died on the spot, said police.

Jatin Narwal, deputy commissioner of police (north), said they first arrested Kishan on Friday night from Majnu ka Tila. A raid was conducted at Kishans hideout and he was caught with a countrymade pistol. The pistol was used for murdering Amarchand, said Narwal.

The interrogation of Kishan, Narwal said, led to the arrest of his partner Mangal. The teenager who was with them was also apprehended. Police recovered a black bag they had robbed from Amarchand, a garment trader in east Delhis Gandhi Nagar, and a scooter used in the crime.

On April 27, Amarchand and his two colleagues had gone to collect money from shopkeepers in Chandni Chowk. They collected R3 lakh and were returning to their rented room in Sarai Rohilla in an autorickshaw. The three alighted near DDA flats in Vivekanandpuri and were walking when the robbers tried to snatch the cash bag.

When Amarchand resisted, a robber took out a pistol. Amarchand entered into a scuffle with the three and slapped one of them. This enraged the robber and he fired a bullet that hit Amarchands chest, said an investigator. The robbers fled with the cash bag.

Amarchand was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared brought dead.

During the probe, police examined CCTV footage of the route taken by Amarchand and his co-workers from Chandni Chowk to Sarai Rohilla.

In one footage, the suspects were seen following the victims. Their photographs were circulated in police stations and it helped us locate and arrest Kishan, the officer added.

The teenager was produced before the juvenile justice board that sent him to a correction home for boys. The other two were sent to police remand for further probe.
The Punjab and Haryana high court has asked the Haryana chief secretary to set up a committee to examine serious lapses committed to notify the procedure for admission into post graduate courses in private and government medical colleges.

Counselling for 150-odd MD and MS seats is being carried out by Pt B D Sharma University of Health Sciences, Rohtak.

The high court also asked the government to compensate three petitioners with Rs 1 lakh each and other candidates who can lose admission or get less preferred branch due to May 5 notification, which has been quashed by court.

The high court bench of justice Rajesh Bindal, while cancelling the admissions, also asked the chief secretary to take remedial measures for the future and apprised the court on October 30.

The order came on the petitions in which 20% marks against the NEET score notified by the government in April to those candidates who were working in states rural areas were challenged. On May 5, however, the government came out with another notification that notified difficult and remote areas in supersession of the earlier notification. This notification was carried out after a petition in the high court alleging that weightage proposed by the state cant be given to candidates of rural areas as it will be in violation of Supreme Court orders.

On May 5, to defeat the points raised in petition, the government notified 68 community health centres (CHCs) and 268 primary health centres (PHCs), as falling in remote and difficult areas. However, the court found that out of 68 CHCs, 12 were in municipal committees/councils and ten places are sub- divisions of the concerned districts. Besides, a number of CHCs and PHCs mentioned in the notification are located along national or state highways. Some CHCs and PHCs were found in cities with a large population.

The HC observed that the entire exercise was done in a hurry without proper examination of facts and records. It deprecated the conduct of the state. In a state like Haryana, such a high percentage of community health centres and primary health centres cannot be located in difficult and remote areas, HC said.

HC also directed that in future the state should notify procedure for admission to PG courses well in advance.

In case such(seen this year) a blunder is committed in upcoming years and rules, regulations or binding precedents are violated while notifying procedure for admission, the officers concerned may be burdened with heavy personal costs, when the matter comes for judicial scrutiny, the HC said in its order.
Every year, the Cannes Film Festival (Festival de Cannes) witnesses Indian representation on the red carpet. And, while we have seen a flurry of Ralph & Russo gowns, a bit of Roberto Cavalli and a little Dolce & Gabbana too  theres nothing like a sari spotting among the pool of trails and couture gowns, at the French Riviera. And, no, we didnt love all of them. But, as we get set to welcome another year of the cinema (and style!) fiesta, that kicks off on May 17, heres a look at some sari-torial favourites that made an outing at Cannes, thanks to our Bollywood ladies.



ALL GOLD, EVERYTHING, VERSION 2002

Aishwarya Rai made her Cannes debut in 2012.

Heres a flashback to Aishwaryas first red carpet appearance in a Neeta Lulla sari. While some cried gold overdose, others went with the desi vibe. It has been 15 years since this look, and lets just say, it was great to see a sari make its mark  one way or another.

RUFFLES AND SHEER PLAY

Day 1! Press! With @sonamkapoor and Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla fun fabulous and fresh ruffle sari summer dress! Jewellery by @suhanipittie watch by @bulgariofficial #marathonglamour with @lorealparisin #Cannes2015 #newindia A post shared by Rhea Kapoor (@rheakapoor) on May 16, 2015 at 5:38am PDT

For a photocall at Cannes Film Festival in 2015, Sonam Kapoor went for this ivory-cream Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla sari with a sheer blouse  all topped with minimal makeup and a low-set braided bun. In recent years, Sonam has made sure she makes a case for the drape and we love that she mixes it up every time.

MINT + FLORALS

Richa Chadda in a floral Sabyasachi Sari at Cannes in 2015. (Sabyasachiofficial/instagram)

Richa kept it simple back in 2015 (and a little predictable?) by choosing a Sabyasachi sari in a minty hue with a vintage floral print. Did she look lovely? Well, yes. Would we love to see her serve some more individual style? Hell, yes!

THE SARI CHAMPION

Vidya Balan at Cannes in beautiful Red saree.She carries my designs with grace A post shared by Sabyasachi Mukherjee (@sabyasachimukherjee) on May 22, 2013 at 3:57am PDT

Doing red on the red carpet is a classic no-no, but, is there anyone who can stop Vidya? Not really. She went for this Sabyasachi drape back in 2013 and throughout her time as a jury member, she made sure she kept her sari-torial story going.

THE GAME CHANGERS GOT METTLE

Actress Sonam Kapoor poses for a portrait photograph in the Rimzim Dadu sari in 2016. (AP)

Leave it to Sonam to up the ante. This duo-toned blue and back metallic yarn sari by Delhi-based designer Rimzim Dadu caught us by surprise, and the result? Absolute love!

Making of the molten wire Sari. Each hair thin metal wire is stitched together to make the pallu of the Sari. Head to www.rimzimdadu.com to shop your favourite metal Sari. Use METALLOVE20 to get 20% off on your purchase. Happy Shopping ! : @dwaipayanmaz @dwaipayanmazumdarphotography A post shared by Rimzim Dadu (@rimzimdaduofficial) on Oct 28, 2016 at 3:04am PDT

MONOCHROME DIARIES

Nimrat Kaur in a monochrome sari at Cannes. (Agencies)

In 2013, Nimrat Kaur also went the sari way. The layered black and white drape, by designers Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla, was a simple pick. The side-swept hair, pearl-encrusted earrings and the red lip completed Nimrats look.

SOLD ON LINEN

#Thatsmile #nanditadas #cannes #linensari A post shared by Anavila Misra (@anavila_m) on Aug 24, 2015 at 5:25am PDT

Shes known to march to her own tune, and that is exactly what Nandita Das did in this gold linen sari by designer Anavila Misra. Super simple, super impactful!

And the linen sari debuts at the Cannes red carpet ! Nandita looks gorgeous in the metallic gold linen sari :) #nanditadas #cannes2015 #handwoven #linensari A post shared by Anavila Misra (@anavila_m) on May 13, 2015 at 8:15pm PDT

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Sushi lovers are being warned of the dangers of ingesting parasites from raw and undercooked fish, a study revealed on Friday. The study, published in the British Medical Journal Case Reports, said sushis (Japanese rice rolls with raw fish) growing popularity in the West could be linked to a rise in parasitic infections, the BBC reported.

The study followed the case of a 32-year-old man in Lisbon who was found to have parasite larvae on his gut lining. He had been suffering stomach pain, vomiting and fever for a week. A blood test showed mild inflammation and the area below his ribs was found to be tender. But it was only when the man said he had eaten sushi that doctors suspected he might have anisakiasis, reports the BBC.

Anisakiasis is a parasitic disease caused by anisakid nematodes (worms) that can invade the stomach wall or intestine of humans. A special kind of net was used to remove the larvae and the patients symptoms resolved immediately, the team from a central Lisbon hospital said.

They added that most cases of anisakiasis to date had been reported in Japan. Atlantic salmon and sea trout caught at sea or in rivers are also known to be at risk of being infected with the same species of parasite. The advice is to remove the guts of the fish, freeze it for at least four days and then cook thoroughly before eating.

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The Haryana government on Saturday assured buyers and developers that the proposed Haryana Real Estate Regulatory Act (HRERA) would be on an even keel and there would be no compromise on the spirit of the regulation.

Addressing the Invest Haryana summit organized by NAREDCO, state finance minister Captain Abhimanyu Singh appealed to the builders to meet the legitimate aspirations of the homebuyers and follow guidelines as prescribed by the state.

When questioned about the slow development of infrastructure in Gurgaon, the finance minister categorically told the captains of the real estate industry that they should deposit the pending external development charges to the tune of 17,000 crore. The money is needed for the development of infrastructure in the city. Unless developers deposit the money, things cant move forward. I assure that if the money is paid, the government would also pitch in with additional resources for the development of the city, Capt. Abhimanyu said.

While referring to the apprehensions of the apartment buyers regarding dilution of RERA in Haryana, the minister said that the Act would take the interests of all stakeholders into account. The regulator would become a facilitator for the homebuyers and the industry as opposed to being obstructionist, he said.

Read I Gurgaon homebuyers reject pro-builder RERA in its present form

He however made it clear that the first and topmost priority of developers should be to satisfy and serve the legitimate requirements of the buyers and that there should not be any compromise on that. He said the government would extend full support to all stakeholders with regard to meeting this objective.

The minister also announced that KMP expressway project would be completed within the next 365 days and the number of lanes would be increased to six. He also said that there is a proposal to set up an international airport in Hissar and the state government is in advanced discussion with the Centre on this.

Speaking on the occasion, ACS Finance and Planning, P Raghvendra Rao said all possible attempts are being made for the enactment of RERA in the state and necessary consultations are in progress with regard to the same. The Act would make all real estate transactions in the state transparent and clean, he added.

President, NAREDCO Haryana, Parveen Jain said that the need for a real estate regulator was felt because some developers did not adhere to their promises with regard to meeting project completion and possession deadlines. He called it a welcome step.

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New Delhi: There was another addition to the basket of vaccines under Indias universal immunization programme Mission Indradhanush, with Union health minister, JP nadda, on Saturday launching a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

The vaccine protects a child against severe forms of pneumococcal disease.

Introducing the vaccine at a function in this Himachal Pradesh town, Nadda emphasized upon the need for use of vaccines to protect children against diseases that are vaccine preventable.

No child should die in the country from vaccine preventable diseases is the goal and commitment of our government. Strengthening routine immunization is an essential investment in Indias children and will ensure a healthy future of the country.

The pneumococcal conjugate vaccine protects children against severe forms of pneumococcal disease such as pneumonia and meningitis.

The vaccine is being rolled out to approximately 21 lakh children in Himachal Pradesh and parts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in the first phase.

This will be followed by introduction in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan next year and eventually be expanded throughout the country in a phased manner.

Government has taken notable steps in the direction of total immunization, he said.

Under Mission Indradhanush more than 2.6 crore beneficiaries have been immunised. From 1% annual increase in coverage of full immunisation, Mission Indradhanush has resulted in a 6.7% annual expansion in the immunisation cover.

The immunisation programme started with providing protection against six vaccine preventable diseases, it will now offer protection to our children from 12 diseases, he said.

All these vaccines have been available in the private sector for many years, not only in India but also across the world.

While these vaccines in the private sector were accessible to only those who could afford them, by making them available under the UIP (Universal Immunisation Programme), the government is ensuring equitable access to those who need them the most, he said.

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Veteran actor Harrison Ford, who is reprising his role in the sequel to the 1982 film Blade Runner, has said revisiting any character is interesting.

Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford attend the Star Wars celebrations. (AFP)

Ford had essayed the lead role in Ridley Scott directorial Blade Runner, and is now reprising his role in the sequel titled Blade Runner 2049, directed by Denis Villeneuve.

The character Rick Deckard is woven into the story in a way that intrigued me. Theres a very strong emotional context. The relationship between the character Deckard, that I play, and other characters is fascinating.

I think its interesting to develop a character after a period of time - to revisit a character, Ford said in a video chat on Facebook, reports aceshowbiz.com.

Blade Runner 2049 is set 30 years after the original film and is based on an LAPD officer named K, played by Ryan Gosling, in search of Deckard who has been missing since the events of the first movie.

Blade Runner 2049 is set for an October release.

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Police in Mumbai are on high alert, scouring the city for 26 Pakistani nationals, who have gone missing for the past two to three weeks. Among them is a man who stayed in Juhu for nearly 10 years and ran a shop in the area.

Police said none of them provided accurate details about where they were staying or who they had come to meet while filling up the C-forms, a document all Pakistanis entering India have to fill.

This came to light when security agencies tried to trace them, said official sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is leading the manhunt, which was triggered by alerts from intelligence agencies about threats emanating from moles in Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence.

The search for the 26 people intensified when security agencies could not trace them based on information provided in the C-forms. The C-form has the address of the person or hotel in India where a Pakistani national is staying, the duration of the stay and a copy of the passport, visa and residential permit.

The Maharashtra ATS has sent teams to all hotels and lodging houses in Mumbai to look for them.

The alert centres around reports that the Indian Mujahideen (IM) cadre, believed to be from Bhatkal in Karnataka, had conducted reconnaissance in the city in the past few months.

Although the IM is no more the force it once was, its founders Riyaz Shahbandri alias Riyaz Bhatkal and his elder brother Iqbal are still in Pakistan and reportedly under the protection of the ISI.

Besides, two other Bhatkal natives, Sultan and Shafi Armar, are suspected to have been the Islamic States main recruiters in India. The two are believed to have been killed in Syria a few months ago.
Muzaffarpur A meeting of senior police officers of north Bihars Tirhut police zone has recommended disciplinary action against 52 policemen, many of them in senior positions, for allegedly aiding and abetting illegal liquor trade.

Tirhut zone inspector general (IG) Sunil Kumar, who chaired the meeting, said the decision to initiate disciplinary action was taken in the light of chief minister Nitish Kumars recent directive for exemplary punishment to policemen who had been letting illegal liquor trade flourish.

The meeting was attended by deputy inspector general of Muzaffarpur and Saran range and superintendents of police (SPs) 10 police districts in Tirhut zone. The 10 police districts in Tirhut zone are Muzaffarpur, East Champaran, West Champaran, Bagaha, Sitamarhi, Vaishali, Sheohar, Saran, Siwan and Gopalganj.

Kumar said directives had also been issued to SPs of all the 10 districts in the zone to start proceedings to confiscate property of all identified active liquor traders and auction the vehicles which were seized while transporting alcohol.

We have identified 244 persons active in liquor trade in north Bihar. Besides, 52 police officials have also been found abetting the illegal business. While the property of people involved in the illegal trade are to be confiscated, the names of erring police officials have been sent to the police headquarters for action and departmental proceedings, Kumar added.

He said the SPs and other officials concerned had also been asked to complete investigations in such cases in which huge consignments were seized. Altogether, 8,809 persons have been arrested, while 3.13 lakh litres of liquor seized in Tirhut division since total prohibition was effected in April 2106, he said.

Meanwhile, Muzaffarpur district magistrate Dharmendra Kumar Singh ordered confiscation of property of 10 liquor traders and auction their vehicles. He passedthe orders after hearing their appeals in 14 cases.

He also ordered attachment of property in nine cases, while directing for auction of 15 vehicles impounded for violation of the liquor law.

Bihar became a dry state on April 5, last year. Consuming, keeping or dealing in liquor is an offence under the states new excise prohibition law, which provides for imprisonment up to 10 years.

QUOTE

Decision to initiate disciplinary action taken in light of CMs recent directive for exemplary punishment to policemen who have been letting illegal liquor trade flourish

Sunil Kumar, Tirhut zone IG
A man lodged in jail for allegedly killing his wife in Bihars Muzaffarpur district, 71 km from state capital Patna, may soon walk free as the dead woman has been found alive and living with her paramour.

Manoj Kumar, a resident of Jagannath Dokra village in Saraiya police station area of Muzaffarpur, was arrested and booked in a dowry death case after his wife Rinki Kumari mysteriously disappeared on April 8, 2015, almost a year after their marriage.

Rinki Kumaris parents not only accused Kumar and his family members of killing her for dowry but also identified a body, found in the village a few days later, as that of their daughter.

The police promptly arrested my son and sent him to jail, said Kumars mother Lalita Devi, who succeeded in locating her dead daughter-in-law after two years of relentless effort.

Not convinced with the police investigation, I started looking for Rinki at all possible places. My search took me to Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh where her father, an armyman, had been posted. About six months back, I was able to locate Rinki, who was living in Jabalpur with her paramour Mayur Mallick, a resident of Sariaya, Devi said.

I immediately contacted Saraiya police station SHO Santosh Mishra, an IPS probationer, who sent a police team to Jabalpur to arrest Rinki and Mallick, she said.

Rinki Kumari and Mallick were brought here on Thursday and produced in the court of subdivisional judicial magistrate. While Rinki Kumari has been sent to a shelter home, Mallick is under police custody.

They would be produced in the court again on Monday. After recording of their statement in the court, the proceedings will be initiated to free Kumar, the Saraiya SHO said.

He said Kumar had been booked under sections 304B (dowry death) and 201 (tampering with the evidence) of the Indian Penal Code. Section 304B of IPC entails a jail term of seven years to life imprisonment, he said.

Meanwhile, Rinki Kumari told police that she had been seeing Mallick even before she was married to Kumar against her wishes. I remained in touch with my boyfriend even after the marriage. On Mallicks persuasion, I left home and went to Jabalpur with him. I have been staying with Mallick since 2015, she said.
India said on Saturday it will not accept any project that violates the countrys sovereignty and territorial integrity, effectively ruling out participation in the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) summit beginning Sunday in Beijing to showcase President Xi Jinping signature project.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a core part of the BRF, passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) which India claims as its territory.

Twenty-nine countries are expected to be represented by either by their heads of state or government at the BRF, President Xis ambitious initiative to connect Asia to Europe and Africa with a massive network of rail, road and maritime links.

In a statement on Saturday, the external affairs ministry said saying no country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Connectivity projects must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, the MEA said.

Guided by our principled position in the matter, we have been urging China to engage in a meaningful dialogue on its connectivity initiative...We are awaiting a positive response from the Chinese side.

The infrastructure project, couched in Chinas soft power projections, would help China get road routes that are necessary for both its energy needs and selling goods in Asian, European and African markets.

India is also concerned that the 3,000 km long project connecting Pakistans deep-water port Gwadar and Chinas Xinjiang stem from the fact the facility in Pakistan, which was taken over by the Chinese, could become a future naval base that will enable Beijing to increase its sphere of influence in the Indian Ocean region.

Beijing has been nonchalant about the CPEC impinging on Indias sovereignty as it passes through the Gilgit-Baltistan region in PoK. But, in recent days, China has tried to assuage Indias feelings by asserting that the commercial corridor will not have any impact on its stand that the Kashmir issue should be settled by New Delhi and Islamabad through dialogue.

Over the past year, New Delhi and Beijing have locked horns over Indias entry into the NSG club, a proposed UN ban on Jaish-e-Muhammad leader Masood Azhar and the Dalai Lamas Arunachal Pradesh visit.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi had said on April 17 that India would have a representative at the BRF.

Although Indian leader is not here, India will have a representative, Wang had told journalists.

In a u-turn on Friday, the US decided to send a delegation after initially saying it wouldnt attend.

Matthew Pottinger, a top adviser to the Trump administration and National Security Council senior director for East Asia will lead the US delegation. And Beijing will be undoubtedly pleased with this.

Playing down Indias absence at the meeting, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a press conference on Friday that Indian scholars would be attending the meeting.

Japan will be sending a delegation led by a vice minister.

The May 14-15 summit, which is expected to strengthen Xis power base as he gets set to begin his second five-year tenure later this year, will be attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A number of other countries, including South Korea, France, Germany and UK, have deputed either ministerial or official delegations.

Considering CPECs importance in the plan -- it is the only project at present with prospects of delivering early results -- Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to take centrestage to highlight its significance as a game changer for his country.

The Pakistani delegation will have five federal ministers and four chief ministers.

China has already committed $46 billion Chinese investments for various energy and infrastructure related projects in Pakistan.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe will be attending the meeting after hosting his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at home.

From Nepal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Krishna Bahadur Mahara will lead the delegation. Bangladesh and the Maldives will also have official representations.

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The Bihar government has sought the intervention of the neighbouring state of Jharkhand to restrain officials posted on the Jharkhand side of the border between the two states, from protecting those smuggling liquor into Bihar, where total prohibition is in force since April 5, 2016.

In a letter to the Jharkhand home secretary, Bihars additional secretary (home), Chandrashekhar Singh, has accused the circle officer (CO) of Deoghar in Jharkhand and the local police of being hands in glove with illicit liquor traders.

Specifically, Singh has charged the CO of Deoghar, a district on Jharkhands border with Bihar, with extending patronage to persons accused in cases lodged by Banka (Bihar) police, under the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, in February.

Citing evidence gleaned and recoveries made, in a case lodged at the Baunsi police station of Banka, the Bihar government has charged a licensed brewery in Deoghar, with transporting liquor surreptitiously into bordering district of Bihar.

Letters with the seizure list of the Bihar police, directed to Mohanpur and Jasidih police stations (in Jharkhand), have evoked no response, Singh has stated in his letter.

A case was finally instituted after the matter was taken with up by the Deoghar SP. But this case has too many loopholes. It does not mention many vital pieces of evidence and many accused were let off. It hints at involvement of local officials in protecting the accused, the letter mentioned.

Even though the letter, Bihar officials said, had been despatched on March 23, Jharkhand home secretary SKG Rahate, when contacted, said he had not come across any such letter from Bihar,. I will look into the matter, he told HT.

Bihars principal secretary (home), Amir Subhani, who also heads the excise department, said the Jharkhand police failed to take appropriate steps to cooperate with Bihar in enforcing total prohibition in this state.

Our SPs have been told to take up such matters with the SPs of districts of Jharkhand in case the seizure of the smuggled liquor and those accused of pushing it had connections with the neighbouring state, said Subhani.

Claiming total non-cooperation from Jharkhand in excise related cases, a senior police officer of Gaya in southern Bihar said Jharkhands excise department had dismissed a case lodged at the Barachatti (Gaya) police station, pertaining to a raid conducted on a Kokar-based godown of a brewery in Ranchi.

A person nabbed by the Gaya police had claimed he had received a consignment of liquor from Kokar based godown, but the Jharkhand excise department gave it a clean chit, he said.

Further, the police officer said, a team of Barachatti police station, located on borders of Hazaribag and Chatra districts of Jharkhand, had raided Pandewar area of Chouparan PS of Hazaribag, in February. But a report on the raid had yet to be received from Jharkhand.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar had urged his Jharkhand counterpart Raghubar Das to help cooperate in enforcing total prohibition in Bihar. But Das dismissed this as part of Kumars political agenda of Kumar. Moreover, the excise department of Jharkhand enhanced the quota of liquor supplied to districts bordering Bihar.

About nine lakh litres of liquor, both country-made and of foreign brands, have been seized by the Bihar police over the past one year, and 44,000 persons have been arrested in Bihar for violation of the liquor ban law.

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If ever evidence was needed to show that Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumars decision to impose total prohibition in Bihar with effect from April 5, 2016, enjoys unequivocal support of women, including girls about to enter into matrimony, it is here for all to see.

For the third time in Bihar this month, a young woman in bridal finery has refused to go ahead with her scheduled wedding at the last moment, after finding the groom and members of his wedding party, in an inebriated condition in flagrant violation of the liquor ban.

The incident took place Thursday night at Dumari village in Musahari police station area of Muzaffarpur district of north Bihar, about 75 km from state capital, Patna, across the Ganga river. The adamant bride was identified as daughter of Naresh Chaudhury of Dumari.

READ: Bride refuses to marry groom wedded to alcohol in dry Bihar

In similar developments earlier this month, a bride at Sujatpur village in Buxar district and another one from Bahilwada Gangaulia village under Saraiya police station of Muzaffarpur, last Saturday, had walked out of weddings in the midst of the ongoing rituals, after finding the grooms drunk.

In the latest instance, villagers said the baraatis were also held hostage for the entire night when they created unruly scenes after the brides refusal to tie the nuptial knot. It was only on Friday morning that they were allowed to go to Harauli Bhatthi, the grooms native village in neighbouring Vaishali district.

READ: Bride refuses to marry drunken groom in dry Bihar, boy held hostage by girls family

This happened only after the grooms family agreed to return the money and gifts given by the brides side as dowry. The groom, Chandan Chaudhury and his father, Jai Kumar Chaudhury, remained captive till the entire dowry was returned, said villagers.

Sources said all was well till jaimala (exchange of garlands), when the bride spotted that the groom and other members of the wedding party were drunk. The bride refused to go ahead with rituals when the drunk groom and his friends misbehaved with her family, the villagers added.

When she did not relent, Sohan Rai, mukhiya of grooms village, was called to resolve the matter.

Around 6.30 am on Friday, the grooms family informed me they had been held captive by the brides relatives. I reached Dumari and spoke to the bride, but she remained adamant. She said she would not allow her life to be ruined by marrying a drunkard, the mukhiya said.

The matter was finally settled when the grooms family agreed to return the money, utensils and other valuables given as dowry. The groom and his father, however, will stay at the brides home till the dowry is returned, said a villager.

The station house officer of Musahari police station, however, feigned ignorance about the incident. No complaint has been lodged, he said.

The refusal by girls to marry drunken bridegrooms is being seen as evidence of abhorrence of women of drunkenness and a tacit endorsement of Bihars liquor prohibition policy under which sale, possession or consumption of alcohol provides for imprisonment of up to 10 years.
A day after a massive ransomeware attack hit nearly 100 countries, including India, terrifying details were slowly emerging on Saturday as computers from hospitals in Britain to police stations in Andhra Pradesh were hacked into, keeping cyber security experts on tenterhooks.

In India, a section of computers at Andhra Pradeshs police departments were hacked. Computers in 18 police units in Chittoor, Krishna, Guntur, Visakhatpatnam and Srikakulam districts were affected.

According to Director General of Police N Sambasiva Rao, systems using the Windows operating system were hit by the cyber attack. The police chiefs computer with Apples operating system was safe.

R Jaya Lakshmi, superintendent of police, Tirupati Urban, said the ransomware encrypted data in some police stations, adding that they were not able to access data and hackers were demanding ransom in digital currency bitcoin to restore access.

The impact is minimal as we also keep offline record of FIRs and other documents, Lakshmi added.

Among the government agencies and companies affected globally were Britains National Health Service (NHS), the Russian Interior Ministry, Spains communications giant Telefonica, power firm Iberdrola, utility provider Gas Natural and FedEx in the US.

According to media reports, teams were working round the clock in response to the attack, which resulted in operations being cancelled, ambulances being diverted and documents such as patient records made unavailable in England and Scotland.

After denying reports that its computers had been targeted, the Russian Interior Ministry later confirmed that around 1,000 computers were infected. The ministry said the technicians had contained the attack.

Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab detected that variants of a malware called WannaCry were used that encrypted the files.

Once inside the system, the attackers install a rootkit, which enables them to download the software to encrypt the data. The malware encrypts the files. A request for $600 in Bitcoin is displayed along with the wallet -- and the ransom demand increases over time, Altaf Halde, Managing Director Kaspersky Lab (South Asia), told IANS.

Kaspersky Lab confirmed that the companys protection subsystems detected at least 45,000 infection attempts in 74 countries, mostly in Russia.

This is big and set to get bigger. We havent seen anything like this since Conficker in 2008, Amit Nath, Head of Asia Pacific-Corporate Business at cyber security firm F-Secure Corporation, told IANS.

Another cybersecurity firm Avast said it had seen 75,000 cases of the ransomware around the world.

Europol also warned a complex international investigation was required to identify the culprits.

Rail passengers in Germany were confronted with the ransom message when looking up train information at stations after Berlin-based railway company Deutsche Bahn was targeted.

Carmaker Renault was Frances first company to be affected by the ransomware while Portugal Telecom and a local authority in Sweden also faced a similar fate.

The ransomware infects victims by exploiting a Microsoft Windows vulnerability described and fixed in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS17-010.

Microsoft also said it would roll out the update to users of older operating systems that no longer receive mainstream support, such as Windows XP, Windows 8 and Windows Server 2003.

The seeds of the massive cyber attack were sown by a mysterious hacking group Shadow Brokers in April when it leaked a hacking tool called Eternal Blue developed by the US National Security Agency (NSA).

Interestingly, the same tool is believed to have been used by another anonymous hacking group to gain remote access to computers, that brought parts of the NHS to a standstill.

Its likely that regular online criminals simply used the information that the Shadow Brokers put on the internet and thought how can we monetise this, telegraph.co.uk quoted Graham Cluley, a computer security expert, as saying on Saturday.

The attack was the latest in the growing menace of ransomware in which hackers deliver files to computers that automatically encrypt their data, making it unusable until a ransom is paid.

This is not targeted at the NHS, British Prime Minister Theresa May was quoted as saying in BBC. Its an international attack, and a number of countries and organisations have been affected.

Hacking group or groups were yet to claim responsibility for the attack.

The Chinese online security company Qihoo 360 issued a warning about the virus, saying that many networks there had been hit and that some computers used to mine Bitcoin in China were among those infected.

The US Department of Homeland Security, in a statement, encouraged people to update their operating systems, CNN reported.

We are actively sharing information related to this event and stand ready to lend technical support and assistance as needed to our partners, both in the United States and internationally, the department said.

Meanwhile, the Group of Seven (G7) nations, which were holding a two-day meeting (May 12-13) of Finance Ministers and central bankers in Italy, released a draft statement committing to join forces to fight the rising threat of cyber attacks.
The Visakhapatnam police in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday claimed to have unearthed a major hawala racket operating from Kolkata that illegally funnelled out money to the tune of Rs 569 crore overseas.

According to Vizag Deputy Commissioner of Police, Navin Gulati, an FIR has been filed here against nine persons in the case but no arrests have been made so far.

We have discovered that the hawala racket received a sum of Rs 680 crore from abroad of which Rs 569 crore was sent outside the country using fake documents. All this is black money. We have also discovered that 30 fake companies were created and several fake bank accounts opened in many cities for these transactions, Gulati told reporters here on Saturday.

A father-son duo, Vaddi Srinivasa Rao and Vaddi Mahesh, has been named as prime suspects in the case. The duo, hailing from Srikakulam, had settled in Kolkata in the mid-1980s, the DCP said.

Two employees of the fake companies, two chartered accountants of Kolkata and three other investors have also been named as suspects in the case. The three investors appeared to be the kingpin in the racket. We have despatched search teams to different places to arrest the suspects, Gulati said.

Prima facie, there is some problem. The Income Tax Department also conducted some raids and their first impression is that a lot of bogus transactions have happened in this case. Fake foreign invoices were submitted to the banks and money has gone out of the country fraudulently without paying tax, he said.

We have registered an FIR and the IT department is co-operating with us. A detailed investigation into the case is needed and some clear picture may emerge on Monday or Tuesday, the DCP added.
India will likely skip the two-day Belt and Road Forum (BRF) summit, a signature project of President Xi Jinping beginning in Beijing on Sunday, due to New Delhis concerns over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that passes through a disputed area in Kashmir.

There was no formal statement from the external affairs ministry but sources said India wont attend the meet following a series on tussles between the two big Asian economies over matters related to sovereignty.

Twenty nine countries are expected to be represented by either their heads of state or government at the BRF, President Xis ambitious initiative to connect Asia to Europe and Africa with a massive network of rail, road and maritime links.

The infrastructure project, couched in Chinas soft power projections, would help China get road routes that are necessary for both its energy needs and selling goods in Asian, European and African markets.

The China-Pakistan economic corridor, a showpiece project of the initiative, passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). India has been protesting Chinas economic activities in PoK but skipping the high-profile meet amounts to making a very strong disapproval.

India is concerned that the 3,000 km long project connecting Pakistans deep-water port Gwadar and Chinas Xinjiang stem from the fact the facility in Pakistan, which was taken over by the Chinese, could become a future naval base that will enable Beijing to increase its sphere of influence in the Indian Ocean region.

Beijing has been nonchalant about the CPEC impinging on Indias sovereignty as it passes through the Gilgit-Baltistan region which India claims as its own. In recent days, China has tried to assuage Indias feelings by asserting that the commercial corridor will not have any impact on its stand that the Kashmir issue should be settled by New Delhi and Islamabad through dialogue.

Read more: Pride and diplomacy: Why India isnt attending Chinas Belt and Road Forum

Over the past year, New Delhi and Beijing have locked horns over Indias entry into the NSG club, a proposed UN ban on Jaish-e-Muhammad leader Masood Azhar and the Dalai Lamas Arunachal Pradesh visit.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi had said on April 17 that India would have a representative at the BRF.

Although Indian leader is not here, India will have a representative, Wang had told journalists.

While India is yet to formally announce that it wont attend the meet, the US in a u-turn on Friday decided to send a delegation to the BRF after initially saying it wouldnt attend.

Matthew Pottinger, a top adviser to the Trump administration and National Security Council senior director for East Asia will lead the US delegation. And Beijing will be undoubtedly pleased with this.

Playing down Indias absence at the meeting, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a press conference on Friday that Indian scholars would be attending the meeting.

Japan will be sending a delegation led by a vice-minister.

The May 14-15 summit, which is expected to strengthen Xis power base as he gets set to begin his second five-year tenure later this year, will be attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A number of other countries, including South Korea, France, Germany and UK, have deputed either ministerial or official delegations.

Considering CPECs importance in the plan -- it is the only project at present with prospects of delivering early results -- Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to take centrestage to highlight its significance as a game changer for his country.

The Pakistani delegation will have five federal ministers and four chief ministers.

China has already committed $46 billion Chinese investments for various energy and infrastructure related projects in Pakistan.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe will be attending the meeting after hosting his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at home.

From Nepal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Krishna Bahadur Mahara will lead the delegation. Bangladesh and the Maldives will also have official representations.

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President Pranab Mukherjee said on Saturday that Indira Gandhi remains the most acceptable Prime Minister to the people of India till today and recalled her decisiveness in effectively reorganising the Congress party after the electoral debacle in 1977.

Referring to Operation Blue Star, a military action to flush out militants hiding in the Golden Temple at Amritsar in 1984, Mukherjee recalled, As a student of history, I was mortally afraid to do anything with Golden Temple. And as a member of the cabinet, I could not avoid my responsibility of co-sharing the decision. But in meeting itself I said we are perhaps taking the most dangerous decision. The plight of Ahmad Shah Abdali after the Third Battle of Panipat always comes to my mind. He did something wrong with Golden Temple and what plight he had to face. Its not that she (Indira Gandhi) did not know it, she knew it very well. She said sometimes history demands action which may not prove correct later on but is relevant at that time and that this decision cannot be avoided. I have no intention of festering the wound.

Mukherjees remarks came as the Congress leadership is in the process of revamping the grand old party after a string of electoral defeats from 2014 onwards.

He recalled her decisions while restructuring the Congress after the second split in January 1978  the first divide happened in 1969  that helped the party make a strong comeback in state polls despite a huge setback in 1977.

On 2 January 1978, she was elected Congress president and by January 20, she completed the formation of the working committee, central parliamentary board and prepared the party for elections in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam and NEFA, he said.

Congress won decisively with two-thirds majority in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and emerged as the single-largest party in Maharashtra and along with the other faction, formed the government, he said.

One of the remarkable personalities of the 20th century all over the world and to the people of India even today, she is the most acceptable ruler, Prime Minister of a democratic country, he said.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, who was discharged from Sir Ganga Ram hospital on Friday, could not attend the event. Her speech was read by party vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

Quoting from his mothers speech, Rahul Gandhi said the brand of patriotism I saw in Indira Gandhi was a noble one that she imbibed from freedom struggle. The speech added Indira Gandhi was  always careful not to impose her will on me except in little things like forcing me to drink milk and eat spinach which I detested while I was expecting my first child.

Former PM Manmohan Singh also attended the event.

Mukherjee has also written a chapter in the book titled Indias Indira  A Centennial Tribute, which was released by vice-president M Hamid Ansari. Senior leader Anand Sharma has edited the book.
As many as 36 schools were ordered closed for three days as Pakistani troops continued to pound 35 villages and Indian posts with mortar shells along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmirs Rajouri district on Saturday.

This is in addition to 51 Nowshera schools that had been previously closed for an indefinite period. The new order from the deputy commissioners office has taken the number of closed schools in the district to 87. At least two civilians  including a minor girl  were killed on Saturday. Four of the nine people injured in the shelling are soldiers.

According to an order issued by Rajouri deputy commissioner Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, two schools in the Dandesar zone, 18 in Doongi and 16 in Manjakote  all located in a radius of five km from the LoC  have been closed till Wednesday.

These 87 schools have a total enrolment of 4,457 students. District administration officials have arranged for informal classes to be held at relief camps.

According to sources, mortar shelling began at Tarkundi and Naika area around 6.30 pm. Seven mortar shells landed in the vicinity of the village, forcing residents to lock themselves inside their houses. Three schools  one in Manjakote and two others in Nowshera zone  were damaged.

Smoke billows after a mortar shell fired by the Pakistani army explodes in Rajouri district on Saturday. (PTI)

The Nowshera, Qila Darhal and Manjakote areas bore the brunt of Saturdays shelling. Four soldiers of the Indian Armys 48 Rashtriya Rifles suffered injuries in the exchange of fire, said an intelligence source.

Rajouri deputy commissioner Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said the deceased were identified as 51-year-old Haji Tufail Hussain and his relatives 13-year-old daughter, Asiya Bi.

Heavy shelling during the day hampered our rescue and evacuation process as the road leading to Jhangar was constantly in the line of fire. More than 200 people from various villages have been shifted to various camps established by district administration where facilities of ration, cooking, drinking water, sanitation, first aid and proper accommodation have been provided, said Choudhary, adding that two more vehicles carrying around 70 people reached Nowshera  taking the number of migrants to 270.

So far, three camps have been made operational and 28 others notified in the wake of expected migration from affected villages, he said.

A fleet of six buses was inducted into Jhangar areas at 4 pm for evacuating around 400 people. Six ambulances were pressed into action for shifting injured. One mobile medical unit was stationed at Nowshera, and another deputed to forward areas.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday claimed to have busted a module of terror outfit Lashkar-e- Toiba (LeT), which had been trying to revive militancy in the Chenab valley, with the arrest of seven persons, including a special police officer (SPO) and a former Territorial Army personnel.

The module was working to revive militancy in the Doda- Kishtwar-Ramban region of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

It added that with these arrests, it has also cracked the May 8 attack on a police post in Doda district.

Two special police officersMohammed Younis and Kikkar Singhwere injured in the said attack. While Mohammed Younis succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday, Kikkar Singh is being treated at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh.

Inspector general of police (IGP), Jammu Zone, SDS Jamwal said, After the attack on the Tanta police post in Gandoh area of Doda, a special investigation team (SIT) was constituted which visited the spot and conducted a preliminary investigation.

Giving details, he said that acting on intelligence inputs the SIT picked up some suspects for questioning. Based on the information received from them, one Abdul Rashid Harga alias Abdullah, a resident of Tanta, was held. The IGP added that Abdul Rashid was an active LeT militant from 2001 through 2008, and had later surrendered. Abdul Rashid was rearrested in 2013 and later bailed out in 2016. After sustained interrogation, he confessed his involvement in the attack and also disclosed name of his two associates: his younger brother Shoket Ali and Akthar Magary, a resident of Tanta, the IGP said.

Following their interrogation, four more persons -- Bashir Ahmed, who was earlier part of Territorial Army, his nephew and SPO Altaf Ahmed, Shafqat Hussain and Hafiz -- were also arrested.

An AK-47 rifle, three magazines and ammunition have been recovered from them, the IGP said. Abdul Rashid was in contact with one Bashir Ahmed, of Bangraw in Gandoh. Bashir Ahmed was earlier in the Territorial Army, Jamwal said, and added Bashir Ahmed has a nephew, Altaf Ahmed, who is a special police officer (SPO) in the J&K Police in Doda district. Bashir had asked Altaf to arrange a weapon for him and Altaf stole one AK-47 rifle, along with ammunition, from the district police line Doda in January 2017.

According to the IGP, Altaf then handed over the weapon to Bashir Ahmed, who was in contact with Abdul Rashid Harga. On realising that the weapon given by Altaf belongs to the J&K Police, Bashir Ahmed asked Abdul Rashid to help him replace it with a similar weapon of any militant. The IGP further said that Abdul Rashid was in direct touch with his Pakistani handler Mohammad Amin alias Khubeb alias Haroon alias Pinna of the LeT. Furthermore, following the direction of Khubeb and other militant leaders from the Valley, Abdul Rashid, Akhter and Shokat had been enticing the youths of Tanta to join militancy.

On May 7, Abdul Rashid reportedly inspected areas around the Tanta police post and found that only two or three cops guard it. He then informed his associates about it and on the intervening night of May 7 and 8, they attacked the said post, injuring the two SPOs.

Following the attack, they tried to set the post on fire. However, due to the quick reaction of the injured SPOs they fled, said the IGP.

The police officer added that Rashid had been regularly conducting meetings in various areas of the Chenab Valley and motivating former militants and those who had surrendered to join militancy.

(With PTI inputs)
A 20-year-old woman was allegedly gang raped and killed in Haryanas Rohtak by her jilted lover and his friend, who smashed her face with a brick and crushed the body under the wheels of their car to conceal her identity, police said on Saturday.

Stray dogs had eaten the victims face and lower portion of her body which was spotted by a passerby in an secluded area of the city in Haryana on May 11, police added.

The two accused, Sumit Kumar from Sonepat and Vikas from Uttar Pradesh, have been arrested.

The victims private parts were also mutilated by the accused, police said, adding that sedatives were found in her stomach during the post-mortem. The incident took place on May 9.

The incident took place weeks after the Haryana government launched a special drive teams called Operation Durga to stop harassment of women in public places in the state, which has one of the worst sex ratio in the country.

A few days ago, Supreme Court upheld the death sentences to four men convicted of brutalising and killing a paramedical student in Delhi in 2012. The incident had sparked massive protests by students, forcing the government to overhaul laws governing rape.

Congress president Sonia expressed shock over the Rohtak incident and said the issue of womens safety needs to be revisited.

Sonepat city station house officer Ajay Kumar said Sumit admitted during questioning to have raped and murdered the woman.

He said they were close once, but not together anymore. He said an argument broke out between them and he committed the crime in anger, said Kumar. The accused were sent to two-day police remand by a court on Saturday.

The murdered womans parents alleged that Sumit had been forcing their daughter to marry him and had assaulted her earlier too. They demanded capital punishment for the accused.

Uska itna bura haal kiya.. aisa kisiki beti ka nai hona chaiyesarkar kehti hai beti paida karo aur ye darinde aise hatya karne lag rahe hain(Such brutality should not happen with anyones daughter..the government promotes girl child birth while these goons are so brutally killing them, the victims mother said.

She also demanded capital punishment for the accused.

Bring them in front of meI want to kill them with my own hands..they deserve only death..only and only death, she said.

The crime jolted Rohtak, which was shaken by the rape and murder of a mentally challenged Nepalese woman in the district in 2015. A court awarded death penalty to seven men convicted in the case.

This savage and bone-chilling incident has shocked the conscience of the nation, reminding each one of us about the crying need for revisiting the important issue of womens safety and security, Gandhi said in a statement.

Haryana is ruled by the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government.

(With agency inputs)

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On the eve of the visit of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to New Delhi, India on Saturday reiterated its political support to the Palestinian cause and said it continued to assist developmental projects there.

The external affairs ministry said the visit, during which Abbas will hold extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will provide an opportunity for reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral relations, the Middle East peace process, and regional and international issues.

Several MoUs on cooperation in various areas are also expected to be signed during the visit, the ministry added.

A delegation-level discussion between President Abbas and Prime Minister Modi will be held on May 16.

India and Palestine enjoy historically close and friendly ties. Apart from the political support to the Palestinian cause, India continues to support developmental projects in Palestine by extending technical and financial assistance, the ministry added.

The statement assumes significance given that there have been commentaries on the increasing proximity between the Modi government and Israel which may have a bearing on New Delhis relations with Palestine. In July, Modi will travel to Israel, the first Indian prime minister to do so.

During his visit to India, Abbas will visit C-DAC (the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) in Noida on May 15 to forge cooperation between Palestine-India Techno Park being built by India in Palestine and Indian IT industry.
Militants opened fire at security forces in a village in Tral township of south Kashmirs Pulwama district on Saturday, police said. A cordon and search operation was launched to nab them.

The security forces were patrolling Seer village when the militants opened fire at them, triggering a brief gunfight, a police official said.

Militants fired at a team of security forces in Tral in Kashmir (ANI Twitter)

There was no immediate report of any casualty, he said, adding that a cordon and search operation has been launched to track them.

Militants fired at a team of security forces in Tral in Kashmir (ANI Twitter)

Reinforcements have been rushed to seal the escape routes, the official said, adding that there was no fresh contact with the militants and efforts are on to flush them out.

Earlier in the day, at least two civilians were killed and seven persons, including four Indian Army personnel, were injured in heavy cross-border shelling by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district, officials said.

This was the third ceasefire violation along the India-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir in past three days.

Four soldiers of the Indian Armys 48 Rashtriya Rifles suffered injuries in the exchange of fire, and were taken to a garrison hospital, said an intelligence source.
On Friday, while the Madhya Pradesh State Board class 10 and class 12 examination results brought smiles to many students, it unfortunately also brought in despair and failure to several students. As per records this year, 51 per cent students failed class 10 and 33 per cent failed class 12.

This alarming figure brought about panic and grief among students leading to as many as 12 student suicides. Sadly, the state has seen close to 1,100 student suicides in the past six years, due to poor performance in examinations. A scheme Ruk Jana Nahi by the state government to prevent suicides has not helped much either.

In a heart wrenching incident, a class 12 student Naman Kabde committed suicide by injecting himself with a poisonous substance, obtained from his mothers (a nurse) medical kit. Kabde took this drastic step as he scored 74 per cent as opposed to his expected score of 90 per cent.

Another class 12 Kanchan Dubey from Jabalpur threw herself in front of a moving train as she failed a subject. She succumbed to her injuries on the spot. Devendra from Balaghat consumed poison as he failed in two subjects. Two siblings From Khamariya area, Satna district, Rashmi Pandey (class 12) and Deependra Pandey (class 10) allegedly committed suicide.

Class 12 students Tapish Miholiya (son of Virendra Miholiya, chairman of municipal body, Bhind), Reena Verma from Satna, Pragya Singh Kushwaha from Gwalior, Laxmi Kewat from Guna and Sumit Bairagi from Indore ended their lives by hanging from the ceiling fan of their respective rooms. The same practice was repeated by class 10 students Puneet Bagora from Indore and Pinki Prajapati from Tikamgarh.

Students Sakshi Vajpayeev (Gwalior), Rajan Singh and Rajeev Patel of Sidhi attempted suicide by consuming poison. They have been admitted to a hospitals in their town and their condition is stable now.

Activists and psychologists point out that societal pressure to do well in studies is a major reason behind the spike in number of suicides. They believe that instead of introducing various schemes, the government should emphasise on improving the quality of education.

An activist Rolly Shivhare said, The government should improve the education level. They should also strengthen the counselling centres so students in distress can share their problems with counsellors.

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Pakistans refusal to accept its role in disturbing peace in India and funding militants in Jammu and Kashmir is a serious challenge and it is necessary to isolate Islamabad at all international forums, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said on Saturday.

Road Transport, Highways and Shipping minister Nitin Gadkari said the Indian government has been consistently taking initiatives to resolve all the outstanding regional and bilateral issues with all neighbouring countries in a peaceful manner through dialogue.

But Pakistans intransigence in disturbing peace and tranquillity in the region harbouring terrorist outfits and funding extremists in Jammu and Kashmir is a serious challenge and we need to isolate Islamabad at all international forums, Gadkari said while addressing the Overseas Friends of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in London.

Gadkari called upon Britain to support Indias fight against terrorism in South Asia as this scourge against humanity was disturbing peace and hampering economic growth in the entire region.

State-sponsored terrorism with its epicentre in our neighbourhood is assuming alarming proportions and time has now come to take collective punitive actions against the perpetrators harbouring terrorist outfits, Gadkari said.

Gadkari said the Union government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi believed in peaceful co-existence and all round regional development and progress among the Saarc countries.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is unlikely to appeal against a court verdict acquitting former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activist Swami Aseemanand and six others in the Ajmer blast case, with government sources stating that experts have failed to find any legal infirmity in the ruling.

If the NIA accepts the verdict, it would be the fourth instance of the probe agency deciding against challenging court orders that let alleged perpetrators of so-called Hindutva terror attacks off the hook.

I cannot confirm or deny anything, NIA chief Sharad Kumar told Hindustan Times, when reached for his comments.

Three people were killed in an explosion at a famous shrine dedicated to Sufi saint Moinuddin Chisti in Ajmer on October 11, 2007. A special NIA court in Jaipur convicted three of the accused  Sunil Joshi, Devendra Gupta and Bhavesh Patel  of the crime in April, while acquitting Aseemanand and six others. Aseemanand was accused of mentoring Joshi, the ring leader of a group of extremists accused of carrying out several blasts across the country.

As Joshi was murdered in December 2007, the other two were sentenced to life imprisonment. If the NIA doesnt challenge the acquittal of the seven people, the judgment of the lower court will be considered final.

Aseemanand is also facing trial in two other blast cases involving the Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad and the Samjhauta Express. As the NIA did not challenge the bail orders received by the former RSS activist in both the cases, he was released from Hyderabad jail last month. He had spent over six years in various prisons.

The NIA had filed charges against five people, including main accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, for Joshis murder in August 2014. The agency said the killing was not linked to any wider Hindutva conspiracy. A court acquitted all the accused in February.

The NIA closed its probe into the Modasa blast the following year for lack of evidence.

Last May, the NIA let Thakur off the hook in the 2008 Malegaon bombings although she had been formally charged by the Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad seven years earlier.

When asked for his take on the acquittals in the Ajmer blast case, Sharad Kumar said: The investigation in the case was completed before I took charge of the agency. Therefore, I cannot comment on it.

Bhavesh Patel said in a written statement that he had contacted Congress leader Digvijaya Singh through spiritual leader Acharya Pramod Krishnan after his name surfaced in the case. Singh, in turn, arranged for a meeting with then ministers of state for home RPN Singh and Sriprakash Jaiswal as well as Sushil Kumar Shinde, their superior in the home ministry.

Patel claimed that they promised to release him on bail if he cooperates with the NIA and turns approver. However, they refused to help because he would not name RSS leaders Mohan Bhagwat and Indresh Kumar in his statement.

No comments, said NIA chief Sharad Kumar, when asked about Patels claims.

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At least two civilians including a minor girl were killed and nine people, including four soldiers were injured as Pakistan pounded 35 villages and Indian posts with mortars along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmirs Rajouri district on Saturday, officials said.

Nowshera, Qila Darhal and Manjakote areas bore the brunt of the shelling.

This was the third ceasefire violation by Pakistan in the past three days.

Four soldiers of the Indian Armys 48 Rashtriya Rifles suffered injuries in the exchange of fire, and were taken to a garrison hospital, said an intelligence source.

Rajouri deputy commissioner Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said the dead were identified as 51-year-old Haji Tufail Hussain and his relatives 13-year-old daughter, Asiya Bi.

The little girl was not his daughter. She had come from Surankote in Poonch to stay with Tufails family at Jhangar, he said.

Tufails wife Zaitoon Begum was critically injured and was admitted to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Jammu. Among four civilians injured in the day long skirmishes, two have been identified as Rekha Devi and Sonia Kousar of Jhangar.

The deputy commissioner along with senior superintendent of police (SSP) Yougal Manhas and other senior officers from health, animal husbandry, power, and essential services departments rushed to the affected areas to facilitate evacuation.

Map showing location of Nowshera.

Choudhary said that he has ordered the closure of 51 schools located along the LoC in Nowshera for an indefinite period. Later in the day, he also ordered the closure of 36 more schools in Dandesar, Doongi and Manjakote which are within 5 km of the LoC, for three days.

Ceasefire violation was reported in Nowshera around 7.30 am on Saturday. Heavy mortar shelling started early morning which went through the day in villages Sarya, Khamba, Bhawani, Kalsian, Mahanpur, Dhanaka, Ganya and Khori, situated within two km from the LoC.

Overall 26 villages in Nowshera and Qila Darhal Tehsils have been affected while nine villages in Manjakote Tehil of District Rajouri also remained in the line of fire for around three hours, said Choudhary.

Heavy shelling during the day hampered our rescue and evacuation process as the road leading to Jhangar was constantly in the line of fire. More than 200 people from various villages have been shifted to various camps established by district administration where facilities of ration, cooking, drinking water, sanitation, first aid and proper accommodation have been provided, he said and added that two more vehicles carrying around 70 people reached Nowshera taking the number of migrants to 270.

So far three camps have been made operational and 28 others notified in wake of expected migration from affected villages, he said.

A fleet of six buses was inducted into Jhangar areas at 4 pm for evacuating around 400 people. Six ambulances were pressed into action for shifting injured. One mobile medical unit was stationed at Nowshera and another deputed to forward areas.

Choudhary said that a rescue team also came under shelling ahead of Nonial area which led to suspension of rescue operation for around three hours.

Earlier in the day, defence spokesman Lt Col Manish Mehta said, Pakistani Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars from 0715 hours along the Line of Control in Nowshera sector.

The Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively, he said.

The damaged wall at a government school following firing of mortar shells by Pakistan at Nowshera on May 11. (PTI)

Many families from border villages in Nowshera left their homes on Friday following indiscriminate shelling by Pakistani troops.

Meanwhile, Pakistan armys ISPR (Inter Services Public Relations) alleged that Indian troops committed ceasefire violations at LoC in Karela, Kotkoterra, Khuiratta, Sabzkot, Baroh, Tandar and Khanjar Sectors in which three civilians of Sohana village suffered injuries.

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Union minister Prakash Javadekar on Saturday said incidents like the attack on an Army patrol in Kashmir by militants were part Pakistans tactics, which knew it could not fight and win a conventional war with India.

There are no two opinions. Pakistan knows that they cannot defeat India. They cannot fight a war against India and therefore what they are doing is, it is their strategy. But it will be defeated, even as they are isolated in the international forum, he told reporters here.

Javadekar was replying to a query on militants opening fire on a patrol party of the Indian Army in Tral township of south Kashmirs Pulwama district earlier in the day.

The Pakistani army also fired mortars and automatic weapons along Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmirs Rajouri district, where two persons were killed and three injured.

Javadekar said the nation believes in Prime Minister Narendra Modis leadership and recalled his warning after the Uri terror attack that it will not be forgotten and the sacrifice of 18 jawans will not go in vain.

In the light of what Pakistan has been doing, including the beheading of two soldiers by Pakistans special forces along LoC, our Prime Minister had made it clear (after the Uri attack) that the sacrifice of the soldiers will not go in vain.

The nation believes in the Prime Minister, he said.

He was also asked about Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of spying.

Javadekar said external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and others were looking into the matter. Also, we have won the international court verdict.

The Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) has stayed the execution of Jadhav following Indias submission that he was kidnapped from Iran where he was involved in business after retiring from the Navy.
Pakistan said on Saturday any misadventure by the India Army at the Line of Control could lead to unintended consequences as the two neighbours accused each other of violating a fragile ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

While New Delhi said two civilians  a father and daughter  were killed in Rajouri district in Jammu by mortars fire by Pakistan, Islamabad said three to eight people were killed on its territory in shelling by Indian troops.

Pakistan also summoned Indias deputy high commissioner JP Singh to protest the firing by Indian forces along the LoC, the foreign office said in a statement.

(The) Indian army has been targeting innocent civilians on both sides of line of Control in recent past. Any misadventure by Indian Army across Line of Control will be a miscalculation, shall be responded with full force and could lead to unintended consequences, the Pakistani armys media arm said in a statement.

Local media reported that as many as eight people, including five women, were injured in Azad Jammu and Kashmir in Indian shelling.

The statement added Pakistani troops effectively tackled the Indian aggression.

Indian troops resumed shelling at 7am without any provocation, targeting the civilian populations, Chaudhry Zulqarnain Sarfraz, senior superintendent of police (SSP) in Kotli district was quoted by a local newspaper.

The shelling had been intense and indiscriminate for about one and a half hours, but it has stopped now, he said.

In a related development, Pakistan Army chief general Qamar Javed Bajwa visited different sectors along the LOC on Saturday.

The deputy high commissioner was handed over a communique, stating that the ceasefire violations must be stopped forthwith. India must bring an end to incidents of unprovoked firing, it said.

Earlier on Thursday, one person was killed and ten others wounded in Kotli and Bhimber districts in Indian shelling. One of the injured persons  an elderly woman  succumbed to her wounds on Friday.

An Indian military spokesman said the father and daughter were killed by Pakistani army fire, and three of their relatives were wounded.

A mortar bomb hit a home in an Indian village near the LoC inflicting the casualties, army spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Manish Mehta said.

Mehta said Pakistani troops began firing weapons from small arms to mortars in the Nowshera sector of Kashmir, prompting a retaliation by Indian forces.

India and Pakistan often accuse each other of initiating the cross-border shelling that has killed hundreds of civilians over the years.

Clashes between their forces in Kashmir largely stopped after a 2003 ceasefire but exchanges of fire have been more common over the past couple of years.

(With agency inputs)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will arrive here on Sunday on a four-day state visit, it is reliably learnt.

This will be his third state visit to India after his visits in 2008 and 2012. His visit comes after President Pranab Mukherjee visited Palestine in October 2015 and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swarajs visit in January 2016.

According to sources, Abbas will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Abu Amr, Foreign Minister Riad Malki, Diplomatic Advisor Majdi Khaldi, Presidency Spokesperson Nabil Aburdeineh and Palestines Chief Judge Mahmoud Habbash.

Abbas will call on President Mukherjee and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, the sources said.

Vice President Hamid Ansari and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj are also expected to call on the visiting dignitary.

At least six to seven agreements in different sectors are likely to be signed following Tuesdays talks, according to the sources.

During the course of the visit, Abbas will address the Islamic Cultural Centre here.
The Visakhapatnam police on Friday booked a case against nine persons for allegedly laundering Rs 570 crore by floating shell companies and making fraudulent remittances into them through hawala transactions.

Following a complaint by the joint director of income tax (investigations) M V N Seshu Bhavannarayana, the MVP Colony police in the city filed cases against the nine persons, including Vaddi Mahesh, a resident of Kolkata and native of Srikakulam and who is supposedly the kingpin, and his father Vaddi Srinivasa Rao, proprietor of a stone crusher unit of Srikakulam.

Achanta Harish, Chanta Rajesh, Prasanta Kumar Roy Barman, Praveen Kumar Jha, Ayush Goel, Vineet Goenka and Visas Guptha were the other accused who were booked along with the two under IPC sections 420 (cheating), 120 b (criminal conspiracy), 465 (punishment for forgery), 468 (forgery) and 471 (using a forged document as genuine).

Sources said the police had taken 24-year old Vaddi Mahesh into custody and were interrogating him. The police suspect that the magnitude of his hawala transactions could be much larger.

According to the complaint, the accused had created false and forged documents, and established about 12 bogus companies in Visakhapatnam and Kolkata. They opened 30 bank accounts in the names of these companies at various places.

Inquiries by the income tax department and a preliminary investigation by the police revealed that Vaddi Mahesh opened many proprietary concerns and partnership firms in the names of his employees for transfer of funds, and claimed huge turnovers.

An analysis of the bank accounts of the accused indicated a total inward domestic remittance of Rs 680.94 crore, out of which an amount of Rs 569.93 crore had been remitted fraudulently to five companies in China, Singapore and Hong Kong towards purchase of customised software.

Investigations revealed that this amount was remitted into a single bank account, from where it was diverted to various other accounts.

This was done using forged documents. No software was ever imported from these companies, the police said, adding that the accused had violated the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Investigation is being done in India as well as abroad, they said.

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What do Indias top lawyers -- Soli Sorabjee, Harish Salve, Mukul Rohatgi and others -- have in common? They have all defended a mid-level bureaucrat in Uttar Pradesh who is accused of amassing disproportionate assets worth crores and running scores of fake bank accounts.

A bevy of legal luminaries have appeared multiple times in the Supreme Court and the Allahabad high court individually over the past three years to defend Arun Mishra, chief engineer with the UP State Industrial Development Corporation (UPSIDC).

The unusual part -- Mishra draws a monthly salary of just over Rs 1 lakh while it is understood that the lawyers often charge a fee ranging between five and twenty lakh per day.

Despite repeated attempts, Mishra was not available for comment. A peon at his office said he wasnt available and it wasnt clear when he would arrive.

The CBI arrested him in 2011 for allegedly operating 65 fake bank accounts with the Punjab National Bank, Dehradun, where he is supposed to have parked black money.

In 2011 also, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized his properties on Prithviraj Road in Delhis Lutyens Zone, and Dehradun. The Prithviraj Road property, apparently bought in the name of a company called Ajanta Merchants, where his wife and father are listed as directors, is alone worth an estimated Rs 300 crore.

Among his other alleged properties the ED is investigating, are 60 acres of land in UPSIDC Industrial Park on Kursi Road in Barabanki and the Asia School of Engineering and Management on another 52 acres of land.

Court records show he and his family have two palatial houses in upscale Gomti Nagar of Lucknow, five properties in Dehradun and 100 acres of land in Barabanki.

After the CBI investigation into the Dehradun fake accounts case, the SIT filed an FIR against Mishra over his alleged disproportionate assets in 2011 and the probe is ongoing.

The bureaucrat also faced charges in the 2007 Tronica City scam in Ghaziabad, where officers allegedly gave away more than 400 plots at throwaway prices.

Mishra had joined UPSIDC as assistant engineer in 1986 and became chief engineer in 2002 -- superseding many others  at a time he held the coveted charge of managing director of the corporation.

TAINTED TRACK RECORD Arun Mishra, chief engineer with the UP State Industrial Development Corporation, was arrested by the CBI in 2011 for allegedly operating 65 fake bank accounts with the Punjab National Bank, Dehradun, where he is supposed to have parked black money

The same year, the Enforcement Directorate seized his properties on Prithviraj Road in Delhis Lutyens Zone and Dehradun

After the CBI investigation into the Dehradun fake accounts case, the SIT filed an FIR against Mishra over his alleged disproportionate assets in 2011 and the probe is ongoing. The bureaucrat also faced charges in the 2007 Tronica City scam in Ghaziabad where officers allegedly gave away more than 400 plots at throwaway prices.

In August 2014, Mishra was dismissed from UPSIDC on the orders of Allahabad high court for getting his job on forged degrees. But he moved the Supreme Court challenging the high courts decision.

In the high court, he was defended by Shanti Bhushan, who apparently would fly down to Allahabad whenever there was a hearing, sources said. Soli Sorabjee, Harish Salve, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Gopal Subramaniam, Nageshwar Rao, Shanti Bhushan argued against his dismissal, at different stages, in the Supreme Court, which stayed the high courts order. Mishra rejoined as UPSIDC chief engineer within a month, in September 2014.

Rohatgi, now the countrys attorney general, appeared for Mishra in the SC in the case related to the CBI probe against him.

In 2016 Mishra was deprived of his powers as UPSIDC chief engineer and was restricted to oversee development work in nine revenue divisions. He then hired Kapil Sibal to fight his case in the SC.

Salman Khurshid appeared for Mishra in the SC in a case wherein the Allahabad HC had passed different orders relating to his alleged forged mark sheets and engineering degrees.
Victor Force commander Major General BS Raju and civil administration officials visited the family of martyred Kashmiri army officer Ummer Fayaz in Kulgam district to express their condolences on Saturday.

An Army spokesperson said they dropped by Fayazs residence on the occasion of Chahrrum  the fourth day of mourning  and promised full support to his family in their hour of need. The deceaseds relatives were also presented a cheque of Rs 75 lakh on the Armys behalf.

Fayaz, a lieutenant with the Rajasthan Rifles division, was abducted from the house of a relative in the middle of a marriage function on Wednesday night. His body was found at Shopian in south Kashmir the next morning.

Though Kashmiri militant groups have denied killing the Army officer, intelligence agencies suspect that the crime was carried out jointly by Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen fighters.

The Army has assured the family of all assistance, and promised to bring the perpetrators of this dastardly act to justice, the spokesperson said.

The authorities have also decided to rename the Army Goodwill School in Behibagh as the Shaheed Lt Ummer Fayaz Goodwill School in honour of the martyr. Besides this, the deputy commissioner of police  who accompanied the Victor Force commander  presented lieutenant Fayazs family with an ex-gratia cheque on the behalf of the Jammu and Kashmir government, and announced that his family members would be granted government jobs. Cheques from the Central AWWA Ex-Gratia Grant and National Defence Fund were also given to the family by an officer of 2 Rajputana Rifles, which was Lt Fayazs unit, the Army spokesperson said.

Condemning Fayazs cold-blooded murder, Major General Raju exhorted all sections of the society to help restore peace in the Valley. He also urged the elderly to guide youngsters away from the path of violence, and join the mainstream in an effort at nation-building, the spokesperson said.
KOLKATA: If you are undergoing treatment at a government hospital in West Bengal, chances are that you are being treated by a doctor who had never been to a medical college.

Arrest of three fake doctors within a span of past 10 days from state-run healthcare units blew the lead off what police believe a major recruitment scam in the health department.

Sleuths of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) investigating the case put the number of fake doctors, who got employment on the basis of forged documents, in the state to anywhere between 20 and 50.

Kaiser Alam, Khushinath Haldar and Snehasis Chakraborty treated patients for years before they ran out of luck.

What baffled investigators more is that Alam even worked for more than a year at a leading corporate hospital in Kolkata. A doctor of the hospital certified him as a meritorious physician.

Incidentally, chief minister Mamata Banerjee holds both the health and home portfolios.

The revelation comes as a major embarrassment for Banerjees Trinamool Congress government, which showcases health department as a success story.

The CID has now cast its net far and wide across Bengal to scour for such fake doctors. They suspect several health department officials and former medical college employees and doctors are involved in this racket that not only forged documents but also appointed doctors, in some cases, without any documents at all.

There may be 20, or more. We are conducting the investigation all over the state and it will take some time to scour the entire state, a senior CID officer leading the probe told HT. Another officer put the number past 50.

According to CID sources Alam and Chakraborty produced fake MBBS degrees to get the government job, while Haldar pulled off quite an achievement  he secured the job without producing any documents at all.

Significantly, these doctors are not quacks, but those who claim to possess MBBS and higher degrees though they never got admitted in such courses.

Investigators are not yet certain whether Alam even passed the plus two level board exam. His basic identity documents such as voters identity card seized from his residence are also suspected to be forged.

The sleuths suspect a former head of a medical college in north Bengal and his close relative are the kingpins of the racket. Sources said one of them prepared documents of a fake MBBS degree for Alam. Also on the radar of the sleuths is a senior official of the health department.

The CID has now sought educational details of the doctors who have been working in the government-run health institutions across the state for the past 10 years.

Armed with the database, the sleuths plan to tally the list of the doctors who are working in the state hospitals. Our primary focus is on the state-run hospitals and healthcare units, though we will also look into the private hospitals too, said a senior CID official privy to the investigation.

The investigators are also trying to find out whether the trio issued death certificates and carried out surgeries. If they issued death certificates, it might lead to legal complications. If the next of kin of those who died goes to court, it can lead to imponderables, said an investigator.

Haldar was employed in Madarihat block primary health centre in Alipurduar district. Alam was employed in a block primary health centre in Chopra in North Dinajpur and Chakraborty was working at Dhumpara primary health centre in Jalpaiguri.

Six IPC sections including fraud were slapped on them.
Heres a list of top stories to bring you up to date.

1) Pakistan to challenge International Court of Justices jurisdiction in Kulbhushan Jadhav case

Pakistan plans to argue the International Court of Justice has no jurisdiction in the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, sentenced to death for alleged espionage, because his purported activities are covered by the exceptions cited by Islamabad when it recognised the jurisdiction of the Hague-based institution. Sources in Islamabad told Hindustan Times that attorney general Ashtar Ausaf Ali, who will leave for the Hague over the weekend to represent Pakistan at a hearing on May 15, will contend that Jadhavs alleged activities were covered by the exceptions on hostilities and matters of national security.

Read the story here.

2) EC says EVMs with paper trail will be used for all future polls, Kejriwal sad it backed out of hackathon

All future elections will be held with voting machines that have a paper trail attached, the Election Commission said on Friday amid a storm of allegations that poll results were manipulated by faulty devices. The Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system records the candidate and symbol a person voted for but the voter cannot take the receipt home. After the meeting, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said the poll panel went back on its promise. Sad that EC has backed out of hackathon, Kejriwal tweeted.

Read the story here.

3) Hizbul threatens to behead Hurriyat leaders over Kashmir statement

A Hizbul Mujahideen leader has threatened to behead separatist Hurriyat leaders for calling Kashmir a political struggle instead of a religious war for the creation of an Islamic state. The threat is believed to be the first against the Hurriyat leadership who are acknowledged to represent the political views of a section of Kashmiris and had earlier held talks with the state and central governments many times. The message was delivered through a video clip. The person in the clip is heard but not shown. He did not identify himself but is believed to be of local Hizbul Mujahideen commander Zakir Musa.

Read the full story here.

4) Organisations in several European countries hit by ransomware cyber attack

A massive ransomware cyber attack on Friday targeted a number of organisations across Europe, including Britains state-run health service and Spains biggest telecommunications firm. There were also reports of infections from Italy, Portugal, Russia and Ukraine. Computer systems were infected by cyber criminals with malicious software called ransomware, which locks up computers and demands a ransom to restore access.

Read the story here.

5) RSS leader accused in murder case of CPI-M worker hacked to death in Kannur

An RSS office bearer accused in the murder of a CPI-M worker last year was hacked to death near Kannur on Friday. The RSS-BJP combine has called for a shutdown in the district on Saturday to protest the killing. According to the police, he was waylaid and allegedly hacked to death by a group of CPI-M workers. He died on the way to a hospital.

Read the story here.

6) Supreme Court compares triple talaq to death penalty, asks can a practice so abhorrent be legal

The Supreme Court on Friday compared the controversial practice of instant divorce in Islam to capital punishment, saying triple talaq was like death penalty  abhorrent but still allowed. A five-judge constitution bench led by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar is hearing pleas challenging the practice. Khehar drew a parallel with death penalty in response to a submission by senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid, who said triple talaq was sinful but lawful. Khurshid is the amicus curiae, or courts adviser, in the case.

Read the story here.

7) Angry over elopement, Yadavs vandalise Muslim households in UPs Sambhal

Timely police intervention prevented a Bulandshahr-like tragedy (in which a Muslim man was beaten to death) from occurring in Nandrauli village of Sambhal district on Wednesday night. Enraged by the elopement of a girl from their community with a Muslim youth, the Yadavs of the area vandalised over six Muslim households. A motorcycle was also torched in protest.

Read the story here.

8) US prepares to ban laptops on flights from Europe

The US is expected to broaden its ban on in-flight laptops and tablets to include planes from the European Union, a move that would create logistical chaos on the worlds busiest corridor of air travel. Alarmed at the proposal, which airline officials say is merely a matter of timing, European governments held urgent talks on Friday with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Read the story here.

9) China refuses comment on Sri Lanka saying no to PLAN submarine docking

China on Friday refused to comment on reports that Sri Lanka had turned down a request to allow a Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) submarine to dock in Colombo. A Reuters report from Colombo said Sri Lankan officials were unlikely to agree to Chinas request to dock a submarine anytime soon given Indias concerns. It might happen later, a second official told Reuters, adding China had requested approval sometime back to use the port around May 16.

Read the story here.

10) Delhi Daredevils spoil Rising Pune Supergiants march to IPL 2017 playoffs

Exceptional bowling and fielding in the death overs, especially from Mohammed Shami, ensured Delhi Daredevils spoilt Rising Pune Supergiants march to the IPL 2017 playoffs by registering a seven-run win at the Ferozeshah Kotla on Friday. The result meant Steve Smiths team are still not assured of a spot in the playoffs and their last league game against Kings XI Punjab assumes even more importance.

Read the story here.
New Delhi hopes Pakistan questioning the jurisdiction of International Court of Justice (ICJ) will not weaken its prospect of getting relief for former naval officer Kulbushan Jadhav who had been sentenced to death on charges of espionage and sabotage by a Pakistani military court.

The Indian hopes lie on the twin points that the case, a consular matter, is not about the compulsory jurisdiction of the ICJ over a matter. It can also get around the possibility of Pakistan invoking clauses from a bilateral pact on consular access.

The ICJ, a judicial arm of the UN, will begin hearing the case on Monday. India had approached the ICJ on Tuesday and obtained a stay on the execution of Jadhav. A day later, Pakistan said it was reviewing the jurisdiction of the ICJ.

On March 29, Pakistan had revised its declaration on compulsory jurisdiction, which spells out terms under which Islamabad accepts the ICJ on matters of dispute settlement.

While it could argue Pakistan could have anticipated the possibility of India moving ICJ, informed sources said the compulsory jurisdiction is not an issue here.

India moved the international court under 36 (1) of the ICJ statute, because both India and Pakistan are signatories to the Optional Protocol to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR). This international treaty has ICJ as the arbiter in disputes.

In this case, India invokes the Optional Protocol of the VCCR. The bases for jurisdiction are separate from what happened in 1999 where in an aerial incident, ICJ upheld Indian view on jurisdiction, said a source.

The Indian side also believes that the bilateral consular treaty with Pakistan will not be a factor here as Islamabad has been arguing that this treaty of 2008 exempts those cases that are related to national security.

But the UN charter says no party to any such treaty or international agreement which has not been registered in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article (102) may invoke that treaty or agreement before any organ of the United Nations. This means Pakistan might not be able to invoke the bilateral treaty before the ICJ.

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The Border Security Force (BSF) is all set to get more teeth to man the 198 km India-Pakistan international border using a newly developed technology that can detect intrusions and relay information immediately to the nearest post for action.

Developed by Delhi-based defence IoT firm, CRON Systems, the made-in-India technology is called Kavach (KVx) series laser walls and is a notch higher than the existing laser walls.

Laser walls, because of their beams, were visible. And the terrain and alignments (in the region) were a problem. We were looking for a wall that is invisible on the ground, cannot be felt, and is more effective, said Rakesh Sharma, former inspector general of BSFs Jammu Frontier.

CRON Systems have come up with this intrusion detection system based on infrared array, which is invisible. It is more advanced than laser walls, he said, adding that it can be used along the Jammu border with Pakistan which has 13 rivers and rivulets, besides unfenced marshy lands.

Kavach walls can also work in transparent water and glass, he said.

India shares nearly 3,000 km border with Pakistan, of which 198 km international border and 740 km Line of Control (LoC) falls in Jammu and Kashmir. Infiltration of Pakistani militants through this part has been a major issue for the BSF which guards the border.

Besides electric fencing, the force has tried using various technologies, including laser, to detect and prevent intrusions. Kavach walls are the latest in the series of developments undertaken by the force.

CRON Systems CEO Tushar Chhabra said BSF men use miCRON, a command and control platform, to manage the devices and monitor the border from their outpost.

The walls can immediately alert the nearest outpost about intrusion attempts and triggers action from a quick response tool (QRT), which is an internet of things (IoT) device.

It monitors large swathes of any territory from a single interface. All devices on miCRON use CRONet, an encrypted network, to communicate with each other, he said.

The all-terrain weather-proof system uses complex, encrypted technologies to monitor and communicate with the jawans. It massively improves troops visibility, patrolling and response capabilities, Sharma said.

On the installation, Chhabra said five KVx-series walls, connected with infrared (technology), can secure a kilometre-long stretch.

It takes less than a couple of hours for a 1 km stretch to install the technology. All we need is electricity to run the technology. And in case power is snapped, it can be run on UPS for 812 hours, he said.

BSF is currently pilot testing the Kavach walls along the Samba sector border on the Jammu Frontier, through which three heavily armed Pakistani militants had entered Indian territory on November 29 last year, and were shot dead by the BSF.

Sharma said the best brains from IITs were roped in. An Israeli air force veteran, Tommy Katzenellenbogen was also the part of the project.

CRON Systems has developed Kavach laser walls after working with our jawans on the ground and thoroughly understanding their needs and challenges. We are confident that it will be a force multiplier for us, he said.

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The scorching heat and glaring sun dont seem to deter the spirit of villagers clearing weed and silt from a dry lake in Bevanahalli, Mandya district.

Sowbhagya, one of the labourers, from the 75-member group is worried about completing the task assigned on time.

The authorities gave us a go ahead only two weeks ago. This lake needs a lot of work and it will take at least a year to clear it. We will have to work on a tight schedule because the Southwest monsoon will begin next month, she said.

The Karnataka governments inept administration of lakes made headlines earlier this year when Bellandur Lake in Bengaluru caught fire because industrial effluents were being let into it. Recently, an irrigation tank in a village in Hassan district caught fire for similar reasons. However, a third consecutive year of drought has led to precariously low levels of water in reservoirs across the state, with the government announcing that it will only be able to provide water for drinking purposes.

Coming together

Sowbhagya is one of the 3,000 women in Mandya district, who are busy reviving lakes, ponds and irrigation tanks in 31 villages. These women have come together to force the administration to give them designated work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

Women working at a lake rejuvenation project at Mandya, Karnataka. (Arijit Sen/HT Photo)

Shakuntala, a member of the group working in Bevanahalli, has never seen this kind of clearance conducted in lakes before.

The lake has gone dry for the first time, leaving us with no water even for our cattle, she said. It is this water crisis that the women are out to address. And, in the lake rejuvenation project they have not just found a solution to the lack of work because of the failure of crops, but they are also attempting to ensure that the water bodies in their villages help mitigate such situations in the future.

An alarming trend

The women voice their concern about an alarming trend of bore-wells in the village. Action needs to be taken quickly as now bore-wells are being dug up to the depth of 600ft. This was completely unheard of here, Sowbhagya said.

In Devipura, around 70 labourers are working on the village irrigation pond that has accumulated dry clay at the bottom.

Rathnamma, who is heading the project here, said, This tanks served as a source of drinking water for us, our cattle and also for domestic chores. Now, we have reached a stage where some of us are using bore-wells even for drinking water purposes.

Rathnamma added that this is the first time such work is being carried out. We hope to increase the carrying capacity of the tank to ensure it doesnt run dry like this again.

The women of Mandya are convinced that this is the way forward, inspired by the success of a similar movement by women in Gulbarga last year, where 28 water bodies were revived.

The way forward

KS Vimala, secretary of the Janawadi Mahila Sanghatane that came up with the idea, said, We decided to focus on these water bodies because the state government did not seem to be concerned. We decided to take the lead and show them the way, she said. Rathnamma said the battle had just begun and they would take it one step at a time.

We have faced opposition from within the villages and the administration, she said.

Protests to force the authorities to pay on time and to even let them continue with the work had become routine.

None of this has been handed to us. We have had to fight with the authorities at every stage, from asking them to pay us on time to agreeing to our demand to let us work, Sowbhagya said.

MNREGA workers at a lake rejuvenation project at Mandya, Karnataka. (Arijit Sen/HT Photo)

Rejuvenation a must

S Vishwanath, an expert on rainwater harvesting, said the movement has arrived at the right time. This is definitely a welcome step. Rejuvenating these water bodies will definitely help the groundwater table. The government must study how efficiently water is used and create awareness among local communities about the rational use of water, he said.

The movement, meanwhile, is spreading to other districts.

Work has begun in Kolar, which is an arid area where people traditionally depended on these water bodies.

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Radical militant leader Zakir Musa on Saturday severed ties with the Hizbul Mujahideen, hours after the outfit trashed his threat to behead separatist Hurriyat leaders, a development which could potentially impact militancy in Kashmir.

Indias blames Pakistan of stoking militancy in Kashmir but Musas decision signalled serious differences among homegrown militants in the valley and the outfits leadership, based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Musa said the armed insurgency  which has claimed the lives of thousands over civilian and security forces since 1989 -- was aimed at creation of an Islamic Kashmir.

...If Hizbul Mujahideen doesnt represent me, then I also dont represent them. From today onwards, I have no association with Hizbul Mujahideen, Musa said in an audiovisual statement on Saturday.

...Our intention should be that, we have to achieve azadi to establish Islamic rule and not for secular state. If we are fighting for secular state then my blood wont be spilled for that purpose.

HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video montage overlaid with Zakirs message.

The statement came within days of suspected Hizbul Mujahideen militants gunning down Indian army officer Ummer Fayaz in Shopian, the latest incident in the armed insurgency that has killed thousands of civilians and security personnel in Kashmir since 1989.

Security agencies said any impact of Musas decision  seen as a virtual split in the outfit  will depend on how many militants join him.

Musa is believed to be heading the HMs operations in Kashmir after the killing of the outfits commander Burhan Wani by security forces last year, that had sparked months-long street protests in Kashmir.

Official sources said the organisation in Kashmir operates very losely in small groups of five to seven people without much of a central command.

The rift surfaced on Friday after Musa had called the leaders of the Hurriyat Conference hypocrites, infidels, followers of evil and threataned to chop off their heads if they create hurdles in the path of making Kashmir an Islamic State.

He said their heads will be hanged in Srinagars Lal Chowk, which has emerged as the epicentre of anti-India protests.

Hurriyat leaders, including hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani and moderates Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik, recently denounced Islamist organisations such as the ISIS and al Qaeda, saying they had no role in Kashmir.

Earlier on Saturday, Hizbul Mujahideen spokesman Saleem Hashmi said the militant organisation does not subscribe to (Musas) statement.

Such a statement is unacceptable to us. It reflects the personal opinion of Zakir Musa. Post Burhan Wanis martyrdom, the nation and the leadership are united at every front and taking ahead the struggle for freedom and Islam to its end, Hashmi said in the statement emailed to a Srinagar-based news agency.

Analysts said separatists in Kashmir have always disassociated themselves from radical Islamist groups, mainly to maintain legitimacy as a political struggle that carried Kashmiris support.

Not only in the current geo-political situation, Kashmiri separatists have always distanced themselves from radicalised hardliners and groups such ss the ISIS and al-Qeada, said senior journalist Sheikh Mushtaq.

Even incidents of waving ISIS flags in Kashmir was aimed at riling the government, police said.

Police officials, however, said the pattern of violence on the ground might change.

He (Musa) represents the rabid element in militancy, he wants justification for robberies, civilian killings which he wants to find in radicalisation, said an official, who did not want to be named.

The state director general of police SP Vaid said that he foresees a split in militant ranks

It seems there is difference of opinion in the Hizb, lets wait and watch what happens.

The HM had split earlier in 2002 when a senior leader, Abdul Majid Dar, formed a splinter group after he was expelled from the group. Dars outfit faded away over the course of time.
Sunrisers Hyderabad joined Mumbai Indians in the IPL play-offs after defeating Gujarat Lions by eight wickets to finish with 17 points. In the second game of the day, Mumbai Indians defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by nine runs to seal the top spot in the points table and have two chances of qualifying for the final. However, with the slim margin of defeat, Kolkata Knight Riders also ensured secured qualification. (IPL 2017 full coverage)

With Gautam Gambhirs team slated to finish in third or fourth spot, the focus now shifts to the final place where it is now a shoot-out between Rising Pune Supergiant and Kings XI Punjab in the last league game. Here is what Rising Pune Supergiant and Kings XI Punjab have to do.

1) Mumbai Indians

P - 14, W - 10, L - 4, Points - 20

What they must do: Mumbai Indians have sealed top spot in the points table and they will have two chances to qualify for the final.

Even better for Rohit Sharmas team, their first qualifier game will be in their home ground of the Wankhede stadium.

2) Sunrisers Hyderabad

P - 14, W - 8, L - 5, N/R - 1, Points - 17

What they must do: With Kolkata Knight Riders losing to Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad are comfortably placed in second spot. However, they could be demoted to third spot if Rising Pune Supergiant win against Kings XI Punjab.

Mumbai Indians finished the IPL 2017 points table on top after beating Kolkata Knight Riders, who also managed to seal a spot in the play-offs. (BCCI)

3) Kolkata Knight Riders

P - 14, W - 8, L - 6, Points - 16

What they must do: Kolkata Knight Riders lost by nine runs to Mumbai Indians. The narrow loss did not affect their net run-rate which ensured they qualified for the play-offs. However, Gautam Gambhirs team are assured of playing the eliminator as they will finish in third spot.

They could be demoted to fourth if Rising Pune Supergiant win against Kings XI Punjab.

4) Rising Pune Supergiant

P - 13, W - 8, L - 5, Points - 16

Game remaining: vs Kings XI Punjab

What they must do: With Sunrisers Hyderabad winning and with Kolkata Knight Riders securing qualification, their last league game assumes huge importance.

A poor net run-rate of -0.083 is a huge impediment in their qualification process. A loss to Kings XI Punjab will see them getting eliminated

5) Kings XI Punjab

P - 13, W - 7, L - 6, Points - 14

Game remaining: vs Rising Pune Supergiant

What they must do: Sunrisers Hyderabads win has made their last league game a simple affair. They must beat Rising Pune Supergiant to qualify. If they lose, they are out.

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Chief minister Vasundhara Raje is angry with the way development works are being carried out in Bharatpur. The CM expressed her anger to administrative officials while addressing officials at the district collectorate on Saturday in Karauli.

A review meeting was held to give feedback on development works and government schemes running in the district.

Raje was on a three-day visit to Karauli from Thursday to Saturday to inspect different department offices under the Aapka Zila Aapki Sarkari programme. She found irregularities in most offices.

She also conducted a surprise visit to the water resources department in Hindaun City and found that people were involved in water tapping. Officials were asked to take action against them on Friday.

The principal of state government senior secondary school in Gudla of Hindaun City Pritibha Bharadwaj was suspended after Raje found irregularities t at the school.

After finding irregularities in schools and anganwadi centres, Raje asked education minister Vasudev Devnani and women and child development minister Anita Bhadel to come to Karauli and take action.

Police officials were asked to maintain law and order and ensure the security of the common man. Raje also took feedback from the police and administrative officials about crime in the area. She said that strict action will be taken against negligent officials.

Education minister Vasudev Devnani, who reached Karauli late on Friday night, inspected many state government schools. He will hand over a report to the chief minister within three days.

I have issued awaiting posting order (APO) to three teachers  Khusbu Jain, Saroj Sharm and Shakuntala Meena  of the senior secondary school in Kota Maholi and showcause notices to six teachers of a middle school in Khohari where the CM has found irregularities, Devnani said.

Secretary of all departments participated in the CMs meeting.
A Class 12 student from Kota has become party to a petition filed against pornographic websites in the Supreme Court.

Aakash Narwala, a 16-year-old student at a private school here, claimed that he had launched a crusade against such websites after seeing his schoolmates get addicted to them  much to the detriment of their academic progress. Last week, he filed an affidavit seeking permission to join Indore lawyer Kamlesh Vaswanis public interest litigation against Internet pornography in the apex court.

The student, who also claims to be a social activist, runs an NGO called Rape-Free India that spreads awareness on sex crimes through street shows and educational programmes. Pornographic videos and images objectify women, and they are easily accessible through the Internet. I have observed children of my age get addicted to pornography, spurring them to commit sexual crimes such as rape and molestation, his affidavit read.

Aakash Narwala runs an NGO called Rape-Free India that spreads awareness on sex crimes through street shows and educational programmes. (HT Photo)

Narwalas affidavit stated that he not only wants to safeguard women from crimes such as rape but also prevent adolescent children from committing heinous sexual offences. I decided to launch the Rape-Free India movement after meeting a juvenile who had raped a minor about four years ago. He was feeling guilty about it. I even sat on dharna in New Delhi to demand a ban on porn sites a couple of years ago, he said.

The students affidavit said easy availability of porn through the Internet is a serious impediment to the nations progress. It affects the younger generation, leading to the perversion of youth; loss of moral, familial and spiritual values; rise in sex crimes; and matrimonial disputes, it added.

After Narwalas father died several years ago, his mother took up a sweepers job. While the teenagers brother is a national-level bodybuilder, his sister is a writer.

Vaswanis petition, filed in 2013, had resulted in the apex court directing the Union government to devise a mechanism to ban pornographic websites.

Uploading and sharing of porn is outlawed under the Indecent Representation of Womens (Prohibition) Act-1986, Information and Technology Act, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences and several sections of the Indian Penal Code.
The Bengal Congress leadership on Saturday openly expressed its disapproval of any possible understanding between Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee for the upcoming Presidential election.

Trinamool claims that it is fighting the BJP but in Bengal every possible scope for the BJP to spread its tentacles are being provided by the ruling party, state PCC president and Behrampore MP, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury wrote to the Congress president on Saturday.

Read: Narada investigation an acid test for Bengal BJP

Chowdhurys two-page letter accused Trinamool Congress of attacking, intimidating and coercing Congress leaders and workers across the state. It also referred to the CBI investigations into the Rose Valley and Narada scams in which many Congress ministers, MPs and leaders are facing corruption charges.

The Sangh parivar organised Ram Navami on an unprecedented scale in Bengal this year. BJP state president Dilip Ghosh (carrying sword) took part in a procession in Kharagpur which is his Assembly constituency. (HT Photo)

The sudden move by the PCC leadership instantly became the talking point in political circles because Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to meet Sonia on Tuesday, reportedly to discuss a common strategy on the Presidential election.

I understand that the chief minister shall be meeting you soon for discussion on the strategy regard to election to the office of the President of India. It is important to rope in support of all political parties to oppose a RSS-BJP nominee at the national lever. At the same time, it is necessary to emphasise our abiding commitment to democracy and transparency. Under your leadership and guidance, Congress workers shall continue to fight for democracy and secularism and oppose both TMC and BJP in the state, Chowdhury wrote.

Read: Former Bengal governor Gopal Gandhi may be oppositions choice as presidential candidate

PCC sources said the decision to write the letter was backed by leaders such as state general secretary Omprakash Mishra, and Behrampore MLA, Manoj Chakraborty who have sharpened their campaign against Mamata Banerjee ever since Trinamool ministers and MPs faced CBI probe.

False cases under stringent provisions of the Indian Penal Code are being routinely slapped against those who refuse to fall in line under the dictate of TMC in connivance with police and administration. MLAs have been forced to switch sides under threat of false murder cases registered against them, Chowdhury wrote to Sonia Gandhi.

Read: Bengal couple who hosted Amit Shah joins Trinamool, BJP says they were kidnapped

The investigation in the various chit fund scams ordered by Calcutta High Court and upheld by Supreme Court has rattled the TMC and the party is facing a crisis, he added.

This is not the first time that Chowdhury has written to Sonia Gandhi. On the eve of the 2016 Assembly polls in Bengal, he advised the Congress president not to have any electoral alliance with Trinamool and spoke in favour of an understanding with the Left parties. Mamata Banerjees party, however, swept the elections.
The election for four municipalities in Bengals Darjeeling hills on Sunday will be keenly contested and perhaps the toughest since 1989 as the ruling Trinamool Congress is desperate to crack the political hegemony of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in the Darjeeling hills.

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), the party believed to have the biggest clout in the hills of north Bengal, has made the creation of a separate state of Gorkhaland its main campaign plank. On the other hand, Trinamool Congress is banking on the development and is dead against carving out a separate state with the Darjeeling hills.

Read: CM Mamta showers sops on Darjeeling Hills, preaches unity

TMC is desperate to register its first electoral win in the hills while the GJM is equally desperate to protect its political dominance.

Since the stakes are high for both camps, maintaining law and order may become a challenge for both those conducting polls and those policing the booths and streets of the municipalities. (HT Photo)

So the past few days, the rhetoric has been shrill. GJM posters urged the voters to uproot Bengals slavery and to secure our (read Gorkhas) future. The posters have also asked voters to vote for the GJMs candidates and to stop the sale of mother Gorkhaland.

Even the win of TMC in few municipal seats would be reckoned as acceptance of the TMCs brand of politics, and can give leverage to Mamata Banerjees party to expand its wings in the hills. The party fielded a number of its senior leaders and state ministers, including Mamata Banerjees nephew and Lok Sabha MP Abhisekh Banerjee, for campaigning.

Read: Administration wraps Darjeeling with CCTV cameras

The fate of the GJM and its leader Bimal Gurung, who is also the chief executive of the autonomous development body Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), would largely depend on the election results to be announced on May 17.

Though the GJM is still the biggest political force in the hills, Trinamool Congress and the Jan Andolan Party (JAP) are set to pose a tough fight for the Bimal Gurung led party.

Political equations have suddenly changed in the hills. The JAP which was believed to be close to the TMC is going all alone while the TMC has forged an alliance with the Gorka National Liberation Front, that carried out armed struggle for Gorkhaland in the eighties.

Read: TMC will face uphill task in Darjeeling civic polls, Bimal Gurung says it will be Gorkhaland versus Bengal

JAP which is likely to emerge as the second strongest local political party, is against both the GJM and TMC brand of politics and is asking people to vote for corruption free municipalities.

TMC is largely banking on the 15 development boards the state government formed in the hills, creation of new Kalimpong district and creation of new sub division of Mirik. Its leaders believe that it is the time for the leaders of the development boards to pay back the state government by voting for the TMC during municipal elections.

Since 1989 when the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) election was held, all elections in the hills were one sided as they were almost cake walks for the GNLF and the GJM. This is the first time that the electoral battle is going to be triangular.

Along with four hill municipalities, there other municipalities- Raiganj in North Dinajpur district, Domkal in Murshidabad and Pujali in South 24 Parganas illre going to the polls on Sunday.

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The project headquarters of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) has ordered a probe into the purchase of science kits for government-run upper primary schools after anomalies surfaced from three districts of the state.

The irregularities detected in Allahabad, Unnao and Shahjahanpur may just be the tip of an iceberg and may even lead to a wider scrutiny of procurement of science and maths kits at district level across Uttar Pradesh.

Guidelines for the use of science/maths kits To be used for satisfying curiosity and clearing doubts of students. Teachers should ensure that the students are well-versed with names and use of every device/equipment in the kit. Kits will be used by students only in the presence of teacher. One room to be designated as science lab in every junior high school while every Kasturba Gandhi School to have maths activity corner. Chart paper, poster, general knowledge info, names of scientists and their inventions should be displayed on the walls of the science lab.

Project director of SSA Vedpati Mishra has set up a three-member probe teams each for the three asking it to submit its report after checking documents and visiting schools and offices.

For Allahabad, the three-member probe panel is being led by divisional assistant director (basic shiksha), Allahabad, Ramesh Kumar Tiwari. The members of this panel include SSA expert Shikha Shukla and senior auditor in finance department of SSA Sanjeev Mehrotra. The team has been asked to submit its report by May 25.

The SSA ordered for probe after the headmasters of state-run upper primary schools alleged that the officials of education department were violating guidelines.

The headmasters said the block education officers were preventing them from purchasing kits and were forcing them to hand over cheques to them. They alleged that the block education officers were handling the procurement process after receiving kickbacks.

Last year, the state government had released Rs 42.53 crore to purchase science and maths kits for 52,980 junior high schools as well science kits for 745 Kasturba Gandhi residential schools in Uttar Pradesh.

The governments move aimed at helping students grasp the concepts of these subjects. The procurement of kits had to be completed by September 30.

Releasing the budget as part of the learning enhancement programme, the state project director of SSA had issued orders for kits from approved firms already listed on the official website of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).

A total amount of Rs 42.38 crore (Rs 8,000 per school) was released for the purchase of science kits while Rs 14.17 lakh (Rs 1,900 per school) was released for maths kit.

All basic shiksha adhikaris (BSAs) were also instructed to set up five-member committees comprising school management committees president and secretary besides science or maths teacher and two active parents, including a woman, in every school. These committees were responsible for procurement of kits and its proper use.

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A 20-year-old Muslim woman is battling for her life in a hospital after her brother shot her on Friday in the presence of their father because of her affair with a Hindu man, in Kamalpur Kafirpur village in Sambhal, about 100 km from Meerut.

The two men were sent to jail on Saturday following their arrest shortly after the shooting when the village watchman lodged a case of attempt to murder against them.

The condition of the girl was critical and her father and brother have been taken into custody for interrogation, deputy inspector general of police (DIG) of Moradabad range Omkar Singh told HT shortly before the duo was sent to jail.

The girls brother saw her while she was talking to her friend on Friday, and in fit of rage he allegedly shot her in presence of his father. The accused then made a futile attempt to dodge the police by concocting a story of loot in which miscreants had injured the girl.

But their lie was exposed when circle officer of Sambhal, Brahmpal Singh Baliyan reached the hospital where the injured girl narrated her horrifying story.

Read more: 16-year-old boy killed for honour in Bihars Purnia

Parts of Uttar Pradesh have been on a tinder box over inter-religious marriage recently, particularly where the man happened to be Muslim.

In Nandrauli village of Sambhal district, Yadavs of the area vandalised over six Muslim households following the elopement of a girl from their community with a Muslim youth earlier this week.

And in Bulandshahr recently a middle-aged Muslim man was beaten to death after a distant relative of his eloped with a Hindu girl.
A 53-year-old diamond merchant from Bandra lost Rs4.5 lakh after a man and woman posed as employees of a life insurance company and made him deposit the annual instalment of his policy in their account.

According to a police source, the merchant had an account in a private bank and through them he came in touch with the insurance company last year. He applied for a policy, under which he had to pay Rs5 lakh annually for five years. In 2016, he paid the first instalment through the bank.

But this year, he refused to pay through the bank, saying he did not like its service, according to the police. In March, he started receiving phone calls from the insurance company, reminding him to pay the yearly instalment, the police said. One of the callers told him that he need not pay through the bank and that he can send the amount directly to them. He gave two numbers to the merchant. According to the merchant, the man told him that April 12 was the deadline and that defaulting on the instalment would be a violation of the policy.

The victim then telephoned one of the numbers, where a woman said she was an employee of the insurance company. She told the merchant to pay Rs4.5 lakh, instead of Rs5 lakh. According to the police, she told the merchant there was a 10% discount as the money was being paid to them directly. She gave him a bank account number. The victim deposited the money before the deadline. He then called the woman who confirmed that she received the money.

However, on April 11 the merchant received a text message from the insurance company saying that it was going to debit the instalment from his account, the police said. The merchant telephoned their helpline number and got to know that they never called him over his yearly instalment. The two fraudsters knew the details of the merchants policy and that he was not paying his yearly instalment through the bank, police said.

An FIR was registered under relevant sections of the IPC and the IT Act.

Read

Beware of hackers, four emails from fraudster cost Mumbai company 6.89 lakh
After chief minister Devendra Fadnavis directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to share the daily details of their desilting work on storm water drains till June 10, the civic body said it will soon do so.

All the instructions (on desilting) of the CM will be followed, said Ajoy Mehta, Municipal Commissioner.

According to a source, the data will be uploaded on the BMCs website (www.mcgm.gov.in)

The details includes the percentage of silt removed and transported from both major and minor nullahs across the city. The Opposition has said the civic administration failed to transport the silt and which, if not lifted, will go back into the drains causing floods. The data will also include information on the silt removed from Mithi River.

Meanwhile, the civic chief has also asked all additional municipal commissioner (AMCs) and deputy municipal commissioner (DMCs) to oversee the work and has asked all 24 ward officers to regularly visit sites of road repairs and desilting on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the source said.

The desilting work has been the bone of contention between allies-turned-foes Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for two years with both parties trying to take credit for a flood-free monsoon and also blame each other for poor monsoon preparedness.

The recent order from Fadnavis came a day after Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said he was pleased with the work done by the BMC. He said it would be a flood-free monsoon for Mumbai. However, the BJP, which called the desilting work unsatisfactory, met the CM and asked that desilting work details are shared online.

In 2015, the civic body had carried out an inquiry into the drains desilting work, where malpractices were revealed.After the desilting scam was unearthed, former allies Sena and BJP have been fighting to take the credit for unearthing the scam. The BJPs senior leaders have been harping on how the party is freeing the civic body of corruption and mafia raj.

The cleaning of major storm water drains in the city started from April 1, whereasofficials started work on minor nullahs on April 7. The cleaning is important to ensure the city is not flooded during the rains. The BMC claims to have finished over 48.26% of its work and expects to finish the work by June.

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The Bombay high court has granted relief to a Samajwadi Party corporator and permitted him to file his nomination for the upcoming Bhiwandi municipal polls despite the fact that he was disqualified in 2013.

According to rules, Nooruddin Nizamuddin Ansari was not supposed to re-contesting for the next six years.

A bench led by Justice KK Tated granted relief to Ansari, who had filed his nomination as the Samajwadi Party candidate in the upcoming elections at Bhiwandi Nizampur Municipal Corporation.

Ansaris nomination was rejected by the returning officer after it came to light that in May 2013, he had been a corporator from the Congress party and had been disqualified for defying the party whip.

While his term as the Congress corporator would have come to an end in April 2017, earlier last year, the state government implemented an amendment that said if a councillor or member of a political party was disqualified from his or her post, he or she would not hold the same post for six years from the date of disqualification.

The amendment was brought into effect in December 2016.

Ansari, however, approached the high court through his counsel, advocate S M Gorwadkar, claiming that since his disqualification had come into effect in 2013, three years before the amendment, the six-year rule did not apply to his case.

While the state election commission opposed Ansaris plea in the court, arguing that the court must not interfere in the issue, the vacation bench noted that the issue needed further examination and so, the candidate be allowed to contest the elections.

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The Bombay high court on Saturday came to the rescue of a 79-year-old war widow who has been trying to get her pension for the past eight years.

The division bench of Justice Anoop Mohta and Justice Ravindra Ghuge directed the sainik welfare department of the Maharashtra government to release Tulsabai Suryavanshispension within a week after she submits the documents.

The directive was issued after the sainik welfare officer confirmed that Tulsabais husband, Ganpati Suryavanshi, had served in Indian Army during World War II and though he retired in March 1947 neither he nor any of his family members received any pension from the government.

According to the petitioner, the couple settled in Karnataka after retirement. When her husband died in 1985, Tulsabai moved to Maharashtra in search of livelihood and settled in Kolhapur district. There, she came to know that the state government offers pension to widows of World War II veterans. Former army officer in the area helped her collect necessary documents from the district sainik welfare office.

But when she applied for the pension, she was told that she was not eligible for the scheme her family had settled in Karnataka after retirement. The officials told her to approach authorities in Karnataka where a similar scheme was practised.

The Karnataka authorities, however, also held her ineligible as she was not a resident of the state and settled in Maharashtra along with her children after her husbands death.

After Tulsabais lawyer Dhairyasheel Sutar pointed out that the elderly woman urgently needed financial help, the bench directed the department to grant her the pension once she submits all the documents.
The anti-extortion cell of the Mumbai crime branch arrested three men from gangster Suresh Pujaris gang for their connection with two firing incidents in Nalasopara and Ulhasnagar on April 27. According to the police, the accused had also left extortion notes at the sites on Pujaris orders.

A police source said that they were tipped off that Raj Sheshrao Chauhan, 25, Ali Abbas Jaffer Khan, 27, and Sudhakar Khristopriya, 52, would meet in Kurla on Friday and nabbed them. The police found a 7.65 bore pistol, two magazines, eight live cartridges and Rs. 2.5 lakh in cash on them.

The police also recovered two bikes from them which they had stolen from Borivli and Kalyan. Both the bikes were used in the firing incidents.

Of the accused, Khristopariya was in direct touch with Pujari, said a police source while they are checking the criminal records of the two other accused.

On April 28, Chauhan and Khan went to a wine shop in Ulhasnagar after covering their face and fired a shot. Later, they he handed over a note to shop attendant. The note ordered the owner of the wine shop to call Pujari.

On the same day, allegedly on Pujaris direction, Khristopriya asked Chauhan and Khan to threaten a hotel owner in Nalasopara. The duo shot the hotels cashier while leaving another extortion note from Pujari. The ullet hit the cashier on the chest and his condition is critical, said an officer.

The trio met in Janata Hotel in Kurla (West) to plan their course of action and to share the money they had received for carrying out the firings, said deputy commissioner of police Dilip Sawant (crime branch). He added, We are now looking for one more suspect who is involved with the case.

The accused were produced in the court and remanded police custody till May 15.
All India Council for Technical College (AICTE), the apex regulatory body for technical institutes, has granted the state permission to set up 51 new technical institutes, which includes 40 pharmacy colleges. Among the new colleges are two architecture, four engineering, one polytechnic and five management colleges.

The state currently has around 400 pharmacy institutes, which offer diploma, graduation and masters courses to aspirants. The new institutes will add around 4,000 seats to the pool of close to 32,000 seats across the programmes.

On the other hand, around 29 institutes  most of them offering management and engineering courses  had applied to the body to be shut down. Of these, seven have been allowed to shut down permanently, while the others have been closed temporarily, because they failed to procure no-objection certificates from the government.

Experts said that the addition of new pharmacy colleges and the closure of existing management and engineering institutes is in accordance with the recent trends in professional education. While technical courses such as engineering, management and computer application are witnessing a dip in enrolment, the demand for pharmacy courses is on the rise.

Data from the state's Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) also shows that a large number of seats in Bachelor of engineering (BE), MBA and master of computer application is lying vacant. In contrast, most seats in Bachelor of pharmacy (BPharm) courses were filled.

Experts said that a boom in the pharma sector had fuelled the demand for pharmacy courses. "Unlike other sectors, the pharma sector didn't slow down even during the recession. There are plenty of jobs available in the industry, including allied industries such as insurance. In fact, none of the 60 students graduating from our college had any difficulty finding a job," said Krishna Iyer, chairman, Board of Studies in Pharmacy at the University of Mumbai, and a professor at Bombay College of Pharmacy, Kalina.

Gopakumaran Thampi, principal of Thadomal Shahani College of Engineering, Bandra, said that the government was promoting pharmacy colleges to boost the domestic pharmaceutical industry. "The government wants to promote generic medicines in the country," he said.

With a large number of seats lying vacant, many engineering and management colleges continue applying for a shut-down. "Unlike pharmacy institutes, too many engineering and management colleges were allowed to mushroom too quickly, even though they were not needed. As a result, the good institutes are still attracting students. However, the not-so-good ones are feeling the pain," said Iyer.

"Last year was bad for management courses. But with the government's push to manufacturing units, the enrolment in engineering and management will rise. It will still be a while before demand matches supply," said Thampi.

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The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has asked all institutes affiliated to it to volunteer as Aadhaar enrolment centres, where students, staff and their family will be able to get unique identification numbers. But most Mumbai schools said that they already had a lot of academic work and this would be an addition to their burden.

The CBSE, which has a network of schools across India, has partnered with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) as a registrar to collect biometric and demographic data from residents directly or through enrolment agencies.

CBSE chief RK Chaturvedi called for schools to support the central governments drive on Thursday. Under the new venture, CBSE seeks full cooperation from its affiliated schools to help students procure an Aadhaar number if they dont have one. The schools should enrol such students now, and make sure that kids getting admitted to the primary section also get their Aadhaar procedure sorted, said Chaturvedi.

According to the circular, the volunteer schools will have to procure electronic devices, such as printers, computers, biometric devices and other accessories as specified by the UIDAI, for Aadhar registrations. The schools will also have to allow CBSE authorities access to their premises and books.

School heads said that the board should have talked to them before taking such a decision. They said that they were already short of staff and space because of the various academic activities that they needed to carry out. Schools are on a summer break now. Although our office is open, teachers and most of the staff are on leave. This is not the right time for us to conduct such enrolment camps. Where is the manpower? said a principal of a CBSE school in Colaba.

Schools suggested involving Parents Teachers Association (PTA) and parent volunteers to help with the enrolment. They said that it will be possible to carry it out only on weekends. We already held Aadhaar camps for students for a few days with the help of parents, but if we have to help their families and other residents to get their Aadhaar cards too, we will need PTAs to conduct the drives, said Katherine James, principal, Orchids International School, Malad.

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While the government has made it mandatory for taxis and tempos to have devices limiting their speed to 80kmph installed, taxi unions have demanded more time, while tourist cab operators want the limit to be relaxed.

A day after the decision was announced, the Mumbai Taximens Union  one of the biggest unions of black-and-yellow taxis, wrote to the transport commissioner and asked for a three-month breather.

We have asked for more time as speed governors for cabs are not available in the market. Drivers too are not in a financial position to have them installed right away, said AL Quadros, the union leader. He said the union might move the high court.

Tourist taxi operators said the limit would increase travel time for passengers on intercity routes. The Federation of Tourist Taxi Operators (FOTTO) demanded the limit be increased from 80kmph to 100 kmph, and have also asked that the rule apply to private cars too.

READ: Mumbaiites, start early, your kaali-peelis, Ola, Uber cabs cant go beyond speed of 80kmph

If fitted with speed governors, tourist taxis will take the same time as buses, said Malik Patel, leader of FOTTO. He said private vehicles also need to be fitted with the governors, as those meet with more accidents.

RTO sources said they did not renew the fitness certificates of taxis that did not have the speed governors on Friday.

Meanwhile, some Mumbaiites welcomed the decision but many others were against it as it would increase their travel time.

Why does the government want to restrict taxi speed, when Mumbai traffic anyway limits their speed during the peak hours?, said Payal Shah, a Matunga resident.

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Officials from Maharashtra's public universities have objected to the state government's decision to exclude them from the senate, the top decision-making body at universities.

According to a recent government notification, the senate will have a representative from the non-teaching employees, but none of the officers who head departments and cells. Maharashtra University Officers' Welfare Association (MUNOWA) has written a letter to the state government, demanding that the officers are included in the senate.

"The senate is a representative body of all stakeholders associated with the university. Among its members are principals, teachers, students and university office-bearers. If the officers are not represented, who will voice our issues?" said Dinesh Kamble, president, MUNOWA.

The notification, which was issued after the state-enacted Maharashtra Public Universities Act 2016, specifies the eligibility criteria for members of various governing bodies of varsities, including the senate, academic council and management council. The act says that the university vice-chancellor should appoint one of the 'non-teaching employees' of the varsity into the senate, but restricted it to Class III and IV employees.

"By limiting the appointment to lower rank employees, the notification has overridden the act, which allows any university employee to be a member of the senate. The purpose of a notification is to clarify a law, not to overrule it," said Kamble.

The Maharashtra Universities Act 1994, which preceded the current act, had specifically excluded university officials including registrars, deputy registrars and assistant registrars, from the list of employees who can be a member of senate. However, this provision was removed in the new act, following demands from officers.

RS Mali, who heads the committee which drafted the rules, defended the decision to restrict senate membership to class III and IV employees. The assistant registrars and deputy registars get ample opportunities to make their voices heard. They are often invited to senate as special invitees. But the lower rank employees dont get any of these opportunities, he said.

Officials object to new qualification criteria for key varsity posts

Officials from the University of Mumbai (MU) and other state varsities have raised objections over new eligibility criteria for two key varsity posts.

The officials have opposed the rules requiring varsity's director for examination and evaluation to have served in examination department for five years and the finance and accounts officer to be a chartered accountant (CA) or cost accountant with five years of experience.

For a long time, the varsity officials have been protesting against stagnated promotions. In a letter to the state government, varsity officials said that the new criteria are unfair as they further diminish their chances of getting promoted to top positions in the varsity.

"Under the new rules, one cannot become the director of examination and evaluation unless he or she has spent five years in the exam department. However, it's not us, but the vice-chancellor, who decides which department we work in," said an official.

He adds that with the CA criterion for finance and accounts officer, the state government has made it virtually impossible for most of the university officials to make it to the office. "We can't be expected to study accountancy at this stage," he said.

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With 22 cadaver donations recorded in the first five months this year, Pune is spearheading the states cadaver donation programme.

According to state officials, Punes Zonal Transplant Coordination Committees (ZTCC) efforts to raise awareness about cadaver donation has contributed to the rise in numbers. The ZTCC is a quasi-government body that maintains a register of recipients and facilitates the donations. There are four ZTCCs in Maharashtra  Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad and Nagpur.

Mumbai recorded 18 cadaver donations this year, however, three of them were deemed unfit for organ donations. Meanwhile, Aurangabad and Nagpur have recorded three and four donations this year, respectively.

Arati Gokhale, central coordinator of Punes ZTCC, said that in the past two years, the body had worked extensively, both in public and private hospitals.

When we visited hospitals to sensitise people about cadaver donations, we found that most people did not have any clue about it. Many transplant coordinators said that they had trouble when they talked to relatives of brain dead patients about organ donation. They said most had trouble accepting the idea, she said.

Gokhale added, We started conducting regular medical education programmes for the hospital staff, especially the intensivists (a physician with advanced training and experience in treating critical illnesses). This may have resulted in the increased number of cadaver donations, Gokhale added.

Even in 2016, Pune had bettered Mumbai donation record with 59 donations. Mumbai had 58 donations.

Gokhale said that Phir Zindagi  a film made by ZTCC Pune in 2015  had gone a long way in sensitising people about the concept of organ donations.

Gauri Rathod, assistant director at the Directorate of Health Services, who also looks after the Human Organ Transplant Act, applauded the Pune ZTCCs efforts. Just like Mumbai, the ZTCC in Pune has worked hard at raising awareness at public hospitals, where most brain deaths are recorded, she said.

Cadaver donations this year

Pune 22

Mumbai 18

Aurangabad 3

Nagpur 4
The Shiv Sena has turned the official bungalow of its minister Ravindra Waikar into an office, after it had to surrender its Nariman Point office to make way for the Metro-3 line.

Waikars office is opposite Mantralaya. The Sena decided to use it as an office instead of the alternative one it was given at Ballard Pier. Waikar, however, has now demanded that he be allotted another bungalow, but the state administration has objected saying it may set the wrong precedent.

The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation proposed to shift at least eight offices of political parties, including Congress and NCP, to Ballard Estate. Almost all of them agreed, except the Sena, which asked the government for permission to use 1,600 sqft bungalow. After CM Devendra Fadnavis, who heads the General Administration Department (GAD) that oversees allotment of accommodation, allowed them to, Waikar submitted a demand for a new bungalow. The GAD, however, said it wont be able to allot another bungalow, as it has run out of them. A few ministers were even given flats at Nariman Point and Malabar Hill. The state owns 33 bungalows and nine flats in south Mumbai, but almost all of them are occupied.

When other parties are ready to shift to Ballard Estate, the Sena started using the bungalow as its office. This would set a wrong precedent as official bungalows have never been used as party offices. We have put up these facts in the file submitted to the CM, said an official from the department.

Waikar told HT, After the party denied allotment of the Ballard Estate office, we shifted to the bungalow by issuing a GR. There is nothing wrong in using a bungalow for party work. By refusing to shift to Ballard Estate, we saved government money.

Waikar confirmed he asked for another official residence, but added, I dont mind if the government does not give it to me.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) plans to reach out directly to farmers across 43,000 villages across Maharashtra to counter the Oppositions as well as its ally Shiv Senas consistent attacks on the poor handling of the agrarian crisis in the state.

The Shivar Samvad (farm dialogue) campaign, planned by the party from May 25 to May 28 will see party leaders holding meetings in every village to discuss efforts taken by the government so far to alleviate the crisis. The campaign is BJPs answer to the Oppositions Sangharsh Yatra, which demanded a farm loan waiver and the Senas more recent Shiv Sampark Abhiyan, a farmer outreach programme.

The campaign will aim at direct talks between BJP functionaries and farmers to highlight all government policies, from crop insurance schemes to agriculture subsidies being offered in the state. Nearly 4,000 elected party representatives, including chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, state president Raosaheb Danve, all elected legislators, members of parliament and corporators, will take part in the campaign. On the first day of the programme, the BJP will hold meetings across 16,000 villages with Fadnavis attending the ones in villages of Latur of Marathwada and Danve in tribal Nandurbar.

We have nearly 4,000 elected representatives who will actively take part in this programme. The idea is to sit with villagers and talk to them. Besides policies for farmers, we will also compare our governments three-year regime to the 15-year regime of the Congress-NCP alliance. This will highlight the differences, said labour minister Sambhaji Nilangekar Patil, a BJP leader.

He added that the party had assigned specific regions to senior leaders for this campaign. For instance, revenue minister Chandrakant Patil would be in charge of Kolhapur, finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar will look after Vidarbha and education minister Vinod Tawde would handle Konkan.

BJP has been facing flak from the Opposition for its poor handling of the farmers crisis. In the backdrop of the BJPs victory in the local polls, the Opposition had upped its ante against the ruling party by organising a state-wide Sangharsh Yatra. The Shiv Sena has also consistently slammed its ally on the issue of farmers.

The BJPs Shivar Samvad campaign will now tackle all the allegations made by these parties, added another senior BJP leader.

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Two people were killed and one seriously injured after two trucks collided on the Western Express Highway in Mumbai late on Friday.

The trucks had transported fish to Crawford Market and were returning to Karnataka. One of the drivers lost control of the vehicle as the road was slippery, said police. His truck overturned in the middle of the road and was rammed into by the second truck from behind.

Two cleaners travelling in the first truck died on the spot, while the fatally injured driver was taken to a nearby hospital with the help of the fire brigade and the Mumbai Police.

A part of the highway was shut so officials could move the truck that had been blocking traffic.

The Samata Nagar police registered a case of accidental death. Investigations are ongoing.
Two men on a bike snatched a mangalsutra worth Rs1.15 lakh from a woman travelling by autorickshaw in Dombivli on Thursday.

The police registered a case against the two unidentified men, who are yet to be traced. The 30-year-old woman is a resident of Vahulipo in Padgha. She had come to her relatives place in Dombivli and was returning home when the incident occurred.

The woman said she was with one of her relatives in the autorickshaw when the men rode close to the vehile. While one of them was wearing a helmet, the other had tied a handkerchief on the lower half of his face. The pillion rider hit her on her back and snatched her mangalsutra. The men then rode away.

The two-wheeler did not have a number plate. When the men snatched the womans mangalsutra, she lost her balance. If not for the autoricksaws iron bars, she would have fallen out and been seriously injured. She has abrasions on her neck owing to the force with which the mangalsutra was snatched, said an officer from Manpada police station.

The woman was taken to a nearby hospital and discharged after treatment. We suspect that the men are from Ambivli in Kalyan. We are also examining the CCTV camera footage for clues, added the officer.

The men were booked under section 392 (punishment for robbery) of 34 of the Indian Penal Code.

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Oscar winning composer AR Rahman will walk the red carpet at the 70th Cannes Film Festival with the lead cast, director and producers of trilingual magnum opus Sangamithra.

Rahman will be seen walking the red carpet of the opening night at the Cannes Film Festival, which begins on May 17.

About his Cannes outing this year, Rahman said in a statement: Im very excited working on this ambitious project Sangamithra. I am looking forward to joining the team at Cannes.

A Hindi, Tamil and Telugu trilingual, Sangamithra stars Shruti Haasan in the title role, while Jayam Ravi and Arya are the chief male protagonists. The film is directed by Sundar C, produced by Thenandal Studios and has Rahman as its music director.

Producer Narayanan Ramasamy, Chairman and Managing Director, Thenandal Studios, said: This is an ambitious epic period film under the Thenandal Studios banner and we are so proud to have on board Indias pride AR Rahman for this film.

This is a very prestigious project for us. The Cannes unveil with Rahman sir, Sabu sir, Sundar sir and the entire lead cast is just the beginning of the many milestones that Sangamithra is going to achieve with time -- for Tamil and Indian cinema.

Sabu Cyril, Tirru, Peter Hein, Anju Modi and RC Kamalakannan have been roped in to look after the production design, cinematography, stunts, costume and VFX respectively for the film.

The team is expected to return from Cannes and resume the pre-production preparations for the film, which is expected to go on floors in August.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Union minister of state for skill development and entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy on Saturday met Uttar Pradeshs industries minister Satish Mahana and discussed the scope of skill development for the youth in the state.

The two focused on initiatives that could serve as a major impetus to the industrial plans for the state. In the meeting, Mahana said that the state government has identified three industrial clusters in the region  Noida, Agra and Kanpur  for promoting development and initiatives in this regard.

He said that these clusters will help increase the pace of industrialisation in Uttar Pradesh, something which has been a long-pending requirement. He said that the state has a ready, well-equipped workforce with the latest skills and the technological know-how for this purpose.

Rudy said, We have courses under Skill India, aligned with the national skill qualification framework, which is specific to the requirements for the industrial sector. We would be more than happy to extend our support in building the new Uttar Pradesh, as envisioned by the prime minister.

Rudy said that the new initiatives will address the issue of migration of youth from Uttar Pradesh in search of better job prospects. The ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship (MSDE) has been working closely with the private sector to promote skill development in the state through its implementation, Rudy said.

More than 3.65 lakh students have undergone training in short-term skill development courses, of which more than 50% have been placed, Rudy said.

Representatives of the Uttar Pradesh skill development mission were also present at the meeting. They were asked to work closely with the Centre and induct schemes and projects to focus on the convergence of initiatives for a wider impact in the state.

Rudy said that the ministry will be helping the youth to get them trained in necessary technologies so that they can help in close monitoring of initiatives being run by the government and have a better impact.

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A 26-year-old woman was allegedly molested and harassed by a human resources executive of her company in Sector 63. The police have registered a case but have not made any arrest so far.

The incident was reported on Thursday by the victim, a resident of Khora in Ghaziabad, to the Phase-3 police.

She alleged that she has stopped going to work due to continuous harassment and lewd comments made by the executive.

The police said the according to the complainant, the accused calls her late night and sends inappropriate messages. When she had previously objected to his behaviour, the accused allegedly threatened to sack her.

The woman claimed that she had taken up the matter with senior officials of the company also, but no action was taken.

The woman requested the police to investigate the matter at the earliest and claimed to be in possession of recordings and obscene pictures sent by the accused. She told the police that the accused was sexually harassing her in several instances.

In our office, there is no dress code, but he would approach me and tell me to wear dresses of his choice. I was repeatedly asked to join him in parties outside the office and when I last refused, he said that I wont excel in life, the woman alleged.

The Phase-3 police have registered a case under Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty).

We have started investigating the matter and the accused will be questioned. The office is shut on the weekends, so we will visit the company on Monday to investigate the matter, said Umed Yadav, station house officer of Phase-3 police station.

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Six months on and economists tell us the economy appears to be recovering from the trauma of demonetisation. But has everyone recovered? Have those who depend most on cash recovered, the casual workers, the rickshaw-pullers, the weavers , the vegetable sellers, and so many others whose fragile economies were disrupted? Certainly not all of them have recovered. For instance micro-credit organisations have experienced a sharp rise in defaults on loan repayments, indicating the adverse impact of demonetisation on poorer working women. Nevertheless the UP election indicates that Prime Minister Modi was successful in portraying himself as a man of action attacking black money, the corruption it spawned, and the corrupt who deal in it.

Will the promise of a black-money-free India be fulfilled? The demonetisation and the measures which accompanied it have had a dramatic impact on the property market which was awash in black money. Suddenly cheques are not just acceptable, they are demanded by sellers and buyers. But what about political parties another major source of black money? The reforms of the rules governing contributions to political parties dont provide for any public disclosure of funding, political parties accounts will not be officially audited, and the parties are still not obliged to respond to RTI requests.

But its not just the politicians who will have to accept greater accountability to create a shiny white India. We journalists need to raise our game as does the judiciary. We both fail to insure that the guilty are punished so fear of being found out, which should be a powerful disincentive, does not restrain the corrupt or stem the flow of black money. We the media fail in our duty because we suffer from amnesia, we forget about stories. We raise the temperature and the let the story go off the boil. We conduct trials by television but soon get tired of the prosecution. We are always looking for new breaking news for fear readers and viewers will get bored with the old.

Recently I was reminded of a chronic case of our amnesia, the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh, allegedly involving some 2,000 people including the Chief Minister and some of his ministers. There is evidence to suggest that corruption in conducting examinations and tests for educational institutions and for government employment was rampant. Unqualified professionals such as teachers and doctors were let loose on the public. Around 45 mysterious deaths apparently connected with the scam have been reported. But eight years after the whistle was first blown on Vyapam we still dont know who were primarily responsible and that is not something the media is demanding to know.

As for the judiciary the phrase so often used by those accused of corruption, let the law take its course , says it all. That course rarely ends with timely conviction of the guilty so they do not fear the law.

So to fulfil the promises made to the worst sufferers from demonetisation, politicians of all parties will have to clean up their act, the media need to be watchdogs which bite, and the judges must see that justice is not denied by delay.

The views expressed are personal
The post-mortem on the body of a 39-year-old schoolteacher, who was found with multiple stab wounds in her car after she went missing from Panchkulas Sector 20 market where she had gone to buy pizza with her son on Thursday night, has ruled out the possibility of any sexual assault on her before the murder was committed.

Reena Devi

The victim, Reena Devi, who taught at Army Public School, Chandimandir , was found in a pool of blood in her white Maruti Celerio car at Bander Ghati near the Morni T-point. She was declared brought dead at the General Hospital, Sector 6, Panchkula. As many as 28 stab wounds and 50 injuries, including scratch marks, were found on the body, pointing towards a scuffle between the victim and the killer.

The autopsy says most of the injuries were on the left side of the body while there was one each injury on the head and the right arm. A stab wound in the victims chest proved to be fatal as it pierced through the lungs, the autopsy report says.

Vaginal swabs sent to laboratory

The victims vaginal swabs have been sent to the state forensic laboratory, Madhuban, in Karnal, to ascertain among other things the possibility of consensual sex before the murder. The crime weapon, a knife, two liquor bottles, two cigarette stubs and a helmet were found in the car.

The woman had been staying with her two sons at Zirakpur while her husband lives at Baddi where he works as security in-charge with a manufacturing unit. He visited the family on weekends, it has been learnt. Puru, the couples eldest son who accompanied to her to the market, did not inform the police.

At around 10:45pm on Thursday, a PCR van noticed the car with its lights and headlights on. The window from the drivers side was open. It was the police who informed Reenas husband about her murder on Friday morning.

No breakthrough, cops busy with CMs security

The city police have not made any breakthrough in the case with most of the cops being busy with the security of chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar who was in the city on Saturday.

After she went along with her son to buy pizza at Sector 20, she went somewhere. Her son returned home on his own. We are trying to verify all the statements. We have got some clues but cant share them right now, said Chandimandir station house officer (SHO) Mohit Handa.
An undertrial roped in two men to execute a murder from jail. This is the common thread the Panchkula and SAS Nagar police have found in their investigations in the murder of bouncer Amit Sharma alias Meet, who was shot dead by two assailants near a Saketri temple on Monday, but they are yet to make any arrest.

Gagandeep Singh, the alleged mastermind and prime accused who is already lodged in Punjabs high-security Nabha jail in an arms case, has been grilled in this connection.

Though all theories being floated point towards Gagandeep and his accomplices, sources say these revelations are still not backed by sufficient evidence.

It was the Panchkula police which first claimed that Meets old business rival Gagandeep along his two associates Sonu Shah and Surjeet Singh executed the murder and then they began the process to get his custody from the Nabha jail. SAS Nagar police had arrested Gagandeep in Kharar last year on charges of illegal supply of arms.

But Panchkula cops faced embarrassment when a day after Meets murder, their SAS Nagar counterparts got Gagandeeps custody and then claimed that he planned the killing from inside jail with the help of Amandeep Singh Mani and Harjinder Singh Ladi, both from Zirakpur.

It would have been nice on the SAS Nagar polices part if we were allowed to get Gagans custody since the murder took place in our jurisdiction. But their hasty behaviour and eagerness to take credit has made the matter complex, said a senior Panchkula police official.

We still are not sure whether Mani and Ladi are the real killers and it will be known only when we get Gagandeeps custody, he said. SAS Nagar senior superintendent of police (SSP) Kuldeep Singh Chahal said, We only acted swiftly in the case on a tip-off and shared all their inputs with our Panchkula counterparts.

THE ALLEGED KILLERS Amandeep Singh Mani and Harjinder Singh Ladi are involved in petty crimes earlier and it is for the first time that their names have figured in a murder case. A Zirakpur police official said Mani has been working as their informer for some time after he was acquitted in past cases. He has gone into hiding since his name cropped up in Amits murder case. Ladi worked as an electrician before he got involved in brawls. His family is said to have disowned him already.

VICKY GOUNDER LINK STILL UNEXPLORED

The police of both cities are tightlipped on the alleged links of Punjabs dreaded criminal Vicky Gounder with this murder. Vicky and Gagan both met in Nabha jail. Amits aides have also denied having any direct conflict with Vicky.

Mahender Singh, incharge of Mansa Devi Complex station where this case is registered said that Gagan will be in their custody on Monday as their application is already accepted in local court.

BUSINESS RIVALRY?

Panchkula police say Solid Manpower, a firm supplying bouncers to clubs, run by Gagandeep, who along with Sonu Shah and Surjeet Singh had business rivalry with Amit Sharmas firm The Black Bull, leading to the murder.

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The coffers of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which led a coalition government with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for ten years for two consecutive terms, seem to be empty.

Party president Sukhbir Singh Badal, a few days ago, issued a dictate to party leaders, MLAs, and former ministers to contribute Rs 5,000 each every month to manage party affairs and run its office. The party is considered one of the richest political parties in the country.

There are about 150 of us in the party, who would contribute to make a total of over Rs 7 lakh per month, for the party, SAD secretary Daljit Singh Cheema told HT. He remained education minister in the second tenure of the SAD-BJP government till March 2017. I am sure party leaders would willingly contribute to the party fund, said Cheema.

The SAD had exhausted coffers despite the fact that it received Rs 102 crore as donation from 2005 to 2015 as per the figures submitted to the Election Commission of India. The figures of donations of the two subsequent years up to 2017 were still to arrive.

We have to spend a lot to run the party, we organise rallies, hold meetings and give advertisements in the media on behalf of the party, and it requires a lot of money, said Cheema. The SAD has a luxurious office in Chandigarh and had hired staff to look after party affairs, which also required a lot of funds, said Cheema. The office became operational in 2009, and it required about Rs 5 lakh every month as running and maintenance expenses.

According to the party secretary, a major portion of the partys reserves was spent during the state polls in January. During the polls, the party also received a huge amount as donations, the fate of which was not known. The partys chartered accountants are keeping records of each and every single paise it receives as donation, said Cheema, clarifying that donations were not misused.

The party president has asked all former MLAs, MPs, and ministers and serving MLAs and MPs to contribute Rs 5,000 every month from their pensions and salaries. This is for the first time in the history of the SAD that donations were being sought from party leaders. A message was being sent to the donors that they have enjoyed power during the years of the Akali government and it would not be a problem for them to make a small contribution.

During ten years up to 2015, the SAD received donations from electoral funds, cement manufacturing companies, real estate developers and cycle manufacturing units which, sources say, cant be expected now in the same quantity as it is not a ruling party.

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Bihar JD(U) leaders are in Jharkhand to give a boost to the May 17 tribals rally in Ranchi, called to protest the amendments made by the Raghubar Das-led BJP government to the two decades-old tenancy laws.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, the chief guest at the rally, would join various tribal leaders on stage and exhort people to bring down the Das government.

Tribal activists, under the banner of Adivasi Sengel Abhiyan (ASA), are buoyed by the presence of JDU leaders and non-tribals, and feel that their support would strengthen the campaign.

The Kurmi/Mahato population in Jharkhand is huge. For long, they did not have a leader who could represent them strongly. With Nitish coming to Jharkhand, the (Raghubar Das) government would heed their voices, hoped ASA leader and former IPS officer, Arun Oraon.

Oraon said the Bihar chief ministers office has sent a confirmation letter of Nitishs participation in the May 17 rally.

He said the Ranchi unit of ASA are making all arrangements to host guests and participants.

The ASA is a conglomeration of tribal leaders from Jharkhand and comprises former MLAs, ministers, parliamentarians, educationists, civil society members and civilians who are opposed to the amendments made to the two tenancy acts, Chhota Nagpur Tenancy (CNT) Act and Santhal Pargana Tenancy (SPT) Act.

The BJP government has amended the two laws, allowing acquisition of tribal agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes.

While tribals fear their land will be taken for setting up of industries, the Raghubar Das government has repeatedly asserted that land would be acquired only for development projects like building schools, hospitals and constructing roads.

ASA leaders have asked all the 28 tribal legislators in the assembly to resign from the House and bring down the BJP government.

They are holding panchayat level meetings and mobilising villagers to socially boycott their legislators if he or she doesnt resign from the assembly or join them in the protests.

Beginning June 7, ASA will hold a jan adalat (peoples court) in every district wherein villagers will give a clarion call to their tribal MLA to quit or face social boycott.

But before that, the Abhiyan is planning to increase their volunteer base, and for this, they will visit villages of tribal heroes and icons like Birsa Munda, Sido-Kanhu and others, collect mud, and make at least 1,000 youth in each block of Jharkhand pledge to join the ASA campaign.

The movement is gaining momentum by the day and soon, it will take the shape of a movement that will go down into the annals of history as one of the largest tribal uprising in the state, ASA leader and former MP Salkhan Murmu said.
Its been actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasans long time dream to work in Hollywood and its still intact. However, he says, he wants to make films that can be watched worldwide and that he doesnt want to make them necessarily in Hollywood. I want to make a film that can be watched worldwide. Why not Chinese? Because, more people can definitely watch that. Between China and India, we can beat the West.

The veteran actor is gearing up for his television debut as the host of Tamil version of Bigg Boss. In an interview to Times of India, he said, he chose to be part of the show because of its reach. I would say that it is the demography of the audience and the number of people you can reach that made me take this. And, of course, the money you get also matters. I am in this business for the money, and I wont be doing films for free. What also matters is that televisions reach is fantastic because in the case of movies, you have to sell tickets, etc. So, for me, the more the merrier. Both the audience and the money is good.

He also spoke about how he will not miss an opportunity to direct a television series. But, once again, the money should be right. They got into it because there is more money in it than Hollywood films, and actors are coming in, too. The small screen is giving a run for the money for the complacent Hollywood, which knows only Hunger and Games. According to reliable sources, the Tamil version of the show will be made on a much bigger scale. As many as 15 participants will be part of the shows first season and will live in the house for 100 days. A palatial house with all the facilities is currently being constructed in Chennais EVP theme park.

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Baahubali has worked wonders for all who have been part of it, particularly its lead man, Prabhas. No wonder there is so much excitement about his next sci-fi action thriller, Saaho, to be helmed by Telugu writer-director Sujeeth.

Now the latest report is that Bollywood star Katrina Kaif will be seen with him in Saaho.

The makers of Saaho were keen on a Bollywood actor. After initiating talks with Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra and Amy Jackson, they finally zeroed in on Katrina. The actor, who had hit a low patch post Fitoor, is raring to go again.

Katrina, however, has four big films in her kitty at the moment - Kabir Khans Tiger Zinda Hai with Salman Khan, Jagga Jasoos with Ranbir Kapoor, Shah Rukh Khans next with Anand L Rai and Thugs of Hindostan with Bollywood heavyweights Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan, according to a report in Filmfare.

Prabhas, who has been a Telugu superstar even before Baahubali, has been catapulted into superstardom thanks to the films success. He is currently holidaying in the US and will resume work on Saaho in June.

Saaho is being directed by Telugu filmmaker Sujeeth.

After playing father and son in SS Rajamoulis magnum opus, Prabhas will be seen in a different role and in a very different setting, put together with a very different recipe: think fast-paced and high-tech action on a huge scale, with a healthy dose of romance, thrills and pinches of drama. As interesting as the title and lead actor is the rest of the intriguing cast, with some big names from all over Indian filmdom. The movie will be filmed at striking locations in, around and outside the country. Music is by the trio of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and lyrics will be written by Amitabh Bhattacharya. Needless to say that director of photography Madhie and production designer Sabu Cyril will do a spectacular job with the film.

Saaho will be made in four Indian languages -- Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi-on a budget of Rs 150 crore.

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As many as 35% working mothers in urban India avoid having a second child, a survey said on Friday, highlighting the need to devote more time and energy in taking care of parents and raising kids and increasing expenditure as key reasons.

Considering the stresses of modern marriage, job pressures and cost of raising children are key reasons why many mothers want to stop after their first child and decide not to add to their family, said a random survey of 1,500 working mothers having a single child conducted by ASSOCHAMs social development wing ahead of Mothers Day on May 14.

The survey was carried out in 10 cities -- Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow and Mumbai -- during the course of the past one month to gauge how much time working mothers generally spend with their son/daughter and their plans of having/not having another child and the reason for the same.

Of over 500 respondents who do not want to have another child, many said that they hesitate, knowing that their job/promotion might get jeopardised if they take another maternity leave.

The survey was carried out in 10 cities by ASSOCHAM. (Shutterstock)

Favouritism is another important reason as to why many respondents said they do not want another child to ensure that attention does not get divided, more so as gender is a common reason for favouring one child over another, said many respondents, citing various reasons as to why they prefer sticking to the single-child policy.

Majority of those who do not want another child said their spouse did not support their decision to stop at one child.

The government should provide certain supportive measures/incentives such as reducing taxes for families/parents with a single child, so that single-child policy can be better carried out, averred many of the respondents.

Almost two-thirds of the total respondents -- about 65% -- said they do not want their children to become lonely misfits and would rather make their kids understand the joys of sharing and companionship with a sibling.

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Moonlight disappears down the hills, Mountains vanish into fog, And I vanish into poetry  A Thousand Flamingos

Be it the soul of a poet or the tired mind and body of a city dweller, hills can reinvigorate and inspire all in a moment. The soothing expanse of green, the fresh air and the rhythm in life in hills can make you forget all the drudgery and dreariness. One such beautiful rendition of nature is Almora in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. Devoid of the familiar colonial influence in other hill stations, this place has preserved its rustic charm quite effortlessly.

Neem Karoli Kainchi Dham

En route to Almora from Kathgodam, lies Neem Karoli Kainchi Dham, a temple that is dedicated to Lord Hanuman. Though established in 1962 by sage Poornanand of Kainchi village for the devotees to stay in the ashram and practice meditation, the place has been getting a lot of attention since Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that this was the place that Apples founder late Steve Jobs advised him to visit when the formers company was going through a rough patch.

Rightly called the Land of Gods, this is a region where rivers flow with clear divine waters, hills are covered with pine, oaks and rhododendrons, and the numerous spots and legends make for a journey as splendid as the destination. One such exceptionally picturesque drive takes you to Chitai Golu Devta Temple (52km from Kainchi Dham). It was built during the 12th century and is characterised by countless bells hanging in the premises. Dedicated to Golu Devta, an incarnation of Lord Shiva, he is believed to fulfil every wish made with a clear conscience. People convey their wishes or problems to the deity by writing them on a paper and tying them around the temple premises.

Jageshwar Dham (Photo: Garima Verma)

Spiritual connect

And, as they say, legends and hills are inseparable; you would be intrigued to see many stamp papers hanging around with details of litigations. Once their wishes have been fulfilled, people come back and tie a bell as a token of appreciation to Golu Devta. The locals say that even those who fail to get justice in the court of law come here to seek justice and are rarely disappointed.

You wont be either when you end the day in Almora watching one of the most beautiful sunsets from your hotels window or balcony, savouring the Kumauni food made with the most simple yet the freshest ingredients, the Sun, meanwhile, lending the tall pines indescribable shades of red and orange. The region is replete with the wonders of the nature that you would be in for a sweet surprise when on your way to Jageshwar Dham the next day. Hardly 16 km. from Almora, a signboard by the Archaeological Survey of India, would capture you attention. Lakhudiyar, meaning one lakh caves, is home to many painted cave shelters once inhabited by cavemen. Acknowledged as the best in terms of illustrated scenes and activities of the primitive men in this region, colours of the paintings depicting their daily life, animals, hunting and more are still intact.



Another such spectacle is Katarmal Sun Temple. Hidden amid a cluster of hills and enveloped by lush green surroundings, you can reach this architectural marvel from the 9th century by trekking for three kilometers from the Kosi main market in Almora, or drive and then explore the way out through a two-kilometre unpaved road. Once in a year, the first ray of the sun falls straight on the temple and enlightens the statue of the Sun God. The day of the phenomenon attracts many devotees. There are 44 smaller temples around the main temple dedicated to various other Gods and Goddesses.

If Katarmal awed you, wait till you reach Jageshwar Dham, believed to be the place of Nagesh (eighth among the 12 Jyotirlingas). Inside a small valley, adjacent to meeting point of two river streams (Nandini and Surabhi) and hills covered with Deodar forests, the main temple complex here consists of 127 temples, the Mritunjaya temple being the oldest and Dandeshwar the biggest. There are around 500 temples across the hills surrounding the Jageshwar Dham, dating back from the 9th to 13th century. Apart from marvelling at the structures of the temples, you can spend hours admiring the surrounding beauty too.

Hidden amid a cluster of hills and enveloped by lush green surroundings is the Katarmal Sun Temple. (Photo: Garima Verma)

Try taking the road to Vridh Jageshwar, a three-kilometre uphill trek or 16 km by road from Jageshwar main complex to cherish the vibrant natural beauty of the place. Around 100 km from Jageshwar is Patal Bhuvaneshwar Cave temple in Pithoragarh district. The drive en route to Pithoragarh will mesmerise you with the view of the majestic snow-covered peaks of Nanda Devi, Nandaghunti and Panchachuli.

The entrance to Patal Bhuvneshwar Cave site. (Photo: Garima Verma)

The Limestone Cave

The limestone cave at Patal Bhuvneshwar is believed to be as old as the Earth. As mentioned in Skanda Puran, Lord Shiva resides in this cave and all other Gods and Goddesses come here to worship him. Around 822 AD, Adi Shankaracharya arrived at this cave and established a Shivlinga, for Lord Shiva. This is the place where the severed head of Lord Ganesha fell and the rest as we know is legendary.

On the journey back to Kathgodam, you can enjoy a few hours at Bhimtal, named after the mighty Pandava. Prominent attraction here is the Bhimtal Lake with an island at the centre. You can enjoy boating in the lake, mountain biking and hang gliding at Bhimtal before you go back to daily toil of life, albeit with a promise to yourself to head back to hills whenever you are in need of recharging your mind, body and soul.
Be it teaching household work, driving, or just providing never-ending encouragement and supportour television stars share their best memories with mommy dearest, on this Mothers Day.

 A post shared by Aashka Goradia (@aashkagoradia) on May 9, 2017 at 4:59am PDT

Aashka Goradia: I have only one word to describe my mother and that is Giver. She has been my biggest inspiration till date and will always be. I have acquired the trait of extreme patience from her, and not giving up easily on things that matter as well! She will forever be my ultimate role model.

Always dream with your eyes open so that you can actually make it happen! #RohanMehra #DreamBig #MondayMotivation #BeYou #Focus A post shared by Rohan Mehra (@rohanmehraa) on Apr 9, 2017 at 11:33pm PDT

Rohan Mehra: My mother is my backbone, my lifeline the most important part of my life. She influences me to value relationships. She has also taught me to be patient and focused in life. Before entering the Bigg Boss house, my mom used to prepare me mentally to be strong and courageous. She used to teach me household work especially cooking. We would spend time in the kitchen, and cooking with her is my best memory. I really look up to my mom for her patience and the way she handles our family with unconditional love and care.

Don't just look ahead, Look further... because what's forthcoming, Will decide how you look back at life!! #Think A post shared by rithvik D (@rithvik_d) on Mar 30, 2017 at 9:39pm PDT

Rithvik Dhanjani: Mom is like God, more than just God a friend, a believer, my supportsomebody I look up to. She is not just God, as God grants when you pray. My mom has granted my wishes even without praying. For me, if there is anything beyond God, it has to be my mom. I remember the time I was back home in Dubai and was struggling to explain to my father that I wanted to come to Mumbai and become an actor, but he just wouldnt listen as he always wanted me to be part of the family business. At that time, it was my mother who would every now and then secretly let me go, perform at my shows, and let me do whatever I liked doing. I would give all the money I earned to her, which she would save for me and that came in handy when I first came to Mumbai. So every moment in my life is filled with my mothers love and its because of her I am here today.

#throwback Damn u photobomber!! A post shared by Ridhima Pandit (@ridhimapandit) on Apr 12, 2017 at 9:46am PDT

Ridhima Pandit: My mother has faced a lot of hardships, she has raised me and my sister in such a manner that we can be put under any situation but we will still crack it and get out of it victorious, just like her. Her ability to be such an ace homemaker and provide us with so much security, love and tasty food makes me want to be like my maa in every possible way. Fond memories are too many; to just say one is so difficult. Something I remember clearly, is when my mother started to become my friend in my teenage years. She became a little less strict and I could confide in her regarding anything. She took away the fear from me and made me a strong independent woman. When I turned 18, first thing she made me learn was driving, so that I am never dependent on anybody [people or public transport) and so that I give no excuses to be late at night and hence follow deadlines and be safe.

Yes I'm grown up...but smallest things amaze me...proud to be naive A post shared by Shantanu Maheshwari (@shantanu.maheshwari) on Mar 30, 2017 at 9:38am PDT

Shantanu Maheshwari: My mother is my inspiration. She is a friend and a motivator. She has influenced my morals and has taught me to strive for my aspirations. My mother is a dance teacher, so when I was kid, she would send me to dance classes and make me participate in a lot of competitions. I was preparing for one of the competitions and my mom would sit and watch me practising.For some reason I wasnt doing the steps properly, so she got angry, slapped and yelled at me for doing it all wrong. I dont know whats so special about this incident but it is, in its own way, in my heart.

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Ten labourers were gunned down in southwestern Pakistan on Saturday while working on link roads to connect outlying towns to the countrys $57-billion Chinese Belt and Road initiative, security officials said.

The attack on the labourers took place some 20 km from the emerging port city of Gwadar in Baluchistan province that forms the southern hub of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

All the labourers were shot at close range, said senior levies official Muhammad Zareef, adding that the shooters were travelling on a motorcycle. The levies are a paramilitary force that oversees security in Baluchistan where police jurisdiction is limited to major urban centres.

Gwadars deep-water port is the exit point for a planned route from Chinas far-western Xinjiang region to the Arabian Sea.

Nadeem Javaid, who advises Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs government and works closely on the CPEC programme, told Reuters earlier in the week that the Gwadar-Xinjiang corridor should be operational from June next year.

He said Pakistan expects up to 4 percent of global trade to pass through it by 2020.

Baluchistan, however, has long faced security concerns. Separatist militants in the province have waged a campaign against the central government for decades, demanding a greater share of the gas-rich regions resources.

Security officials have said previously that militants trying to disrupt construction on the economic corridor have killed 44 workers since 2014, all of whom were Pakistani.

Pakistans military created an army division in 2015, believed to number more than 10,000 troops, specifically to protect CPEC projects and Chinese workers.

The men killed and wounded on Saturday had been working for the provincial government at two separate construction sites on three kilometres apart along the same road. Two labourers wounded in the shootings were taken to hospital where one of them died from his injuries, Zareef said.

The roads the labourers were working on are not specific CPEC-funded projects, but they are part of a network of connecting roads that are part of the corridor.

No group has admitted responsibility for the shootings but past attacks in the region have been carried out by separatists who view construction projects as a means to take over their land.

The shootings come a day after a suicide bomber targetting a Pakistani senator killed 26 people and injured 40, Baluchistan Home Minister Sarfraz Bugti said.

Fridays attack was claimed by Islamic State via its Amaq news agency.
Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari, the elder daughter of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, has severely criticised a parliamentary bill which seeks to punish restaurants and hotels for serving food in the day during the holy month of Ramzan, which starts later in May.

Under the Ehtram-e-Ramazan Ordinance, 1981, it is illegal for Muslims to eat or drink in public in the day during Ramzan. Earlier this week, the Senate Standing committee on Religious Affairs unanimously approved the Ehteram-e-Ramazan (Amendment) Bill, 2017, which increases punishment and fines imposed for eating or drinking in public.

Bhutto-Zardari took to Twitter to air her displeasure at the amendment.

People are going to die from heat stroke and dehydration with this ridiculous law. Not everyone is able. This is not Islam, she posted.

She later elaborated her initial tweet on the bill, writing, We are more than capable of resisting temptation and keeping our fasts.

Responding to another users tweet, Bhutto-Zardari questioned the presence of harsh punishments in Islamic law for those who eat and drink during Ramzan.

She insisted that the law was outrageous as it failed to consider that not everyone will be fasting in the month of Ramzan. Not everyone in Pakistan will be fasting  Children in school, the elderly, people with medical issues  Should we arrest them for drinking water? Bakhtawar tweeted.

Two years ago, a severe heat wave swept through Pakistan, with temperatures soaring as high as 49 C. The high temperatures resulted in the deaths of about 2,000 people from dehydration and heat stroke, a majority in Sindh province and its capital Karachi.

Many of those who died were fasting for Ramzan. The crisis prompted some clerics to advise people to stop fasting if their health is at risk.
Seventeen people were killed and 13 injured when a bus carrying Turkish tourists crashed near the southwestern holiday town of Marmaris, a local governor said on Saturday.

Television footage from the scene showed a yellow bus lying on its side surrounded by ambulances, with bodies nearby.

The governor of Mugla province, Amir Cicek, said the bus tipped over at a road bend as it was travelling from the coastal province of Izmir to the Marmaris tourist destination.

The serpentine road, on the side of a cliff, has been closed off to traffic, causing massive congestion.

Television reports showed that the bus landed on a lower section of the road, and Cicek told NTV television that an investigation was underway.

The buss brakes may have malfunctioned, he said.

The Hurriyet newspaper quoted Marmaris mayor Ali Acar as indicating an error by the driver, without giving further details.

Other media outlets reported that the bus left from the western city of Izmir carrying only women and children who were on a trip for Mothers Day, celebrated in Turkey on Sunday.

Marmaris is one of the countrys main resorts on the Mediterranean, and a popular weekend destination for many Turks as temperatures climb.
A huge range of organisations around the world have been affected by the WannaCry ransomware cyberattack, described by the EUs law enforcement agency as unprecedented.

Here are some of the affected victims, from major hospitals in Indonesia to Britains National Health Service (NHS) to Russian interior ministry.

Indonesia hospitals

At least two of Indonesias major hospitals have been struck in the ransomware cyber attack that infected computers globally, a government official said on Saturday.

Dharmais Hospital and Harapan Kita Hospital in Jakarta are affected by the ransomware, said Semuel Pangerapan, a director general at Indonesias Communication and Information Ministry.

Efforts to localise the infected server are underway to prevent (the ransomware) from spreading, he said, adding that his ministry was working with other authorities, including the Health Ministry, to solve the problem.

Germany railways

German rail operator Deutsche Bahn said on Saturday its systems were infected by a global cyber attack that caused computer turmoil in nearly 100 countries.

It said in a statement that train services were not disrupted but some electronic boards at stations announcing arrivals and departures had been affected.

Pictures posted online by travellers showed red windows appearing on announcement boards with a message demanding a cash payment to restore access. Deutsche Bahn said it was working to rectify the problem.

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said government computer systems were not affected.

The cyber attack hit international shipper FedEx and disrupted Britains health care system. Researchers at security software maker Avast said they had observed 57,000 infections in 99 countries with Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan the top targets.

Russian banks and ministries

Russias central bank was targeted, along with several government ministries and the railway system. The interior ministry said 1,000 of its computers were hit by a virus. Officials played down the incident, saying the attacks had been contained.

NHS

The British public health service - the worlds fifth-largest employer, with 1.7 million staff -- was badly hit, with interior minister Amber Rudd saying around 45 facilities were affected. Several were forced to cancel or delay treatment for patients.

Pictures on social media showed screens of NHS computers with images demanding payment of $300 (230 pounds, 275 euros) in the virtual currency Bitcoin, saying: Ooops, your files have been encrypted!

Renault

The French automobile giant was hit, forcing it to halt production at sites in France and its factory in Slovenia as part of measures to stop the spread of the virus.

Nissan UKs unit in Sunderland was hit by the attack, spokeswoman Lucy Banwell said.
Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari has called on Britain to support Indias fight against terrorism in South Asia, saying it had disturbed peace and hampered economic growth in the entire region, and that the time had come for collective punitive action.

Addressing the Overseas Friends of BJP in London on Friday, Gadkari, in the UK for a three-day visit to raise infrastructure funds and meet Londons transport officials, said state-sponsored terrorism was assuming alarming proportions.

The time has now come to take a collective punitive action against the perpetrators harbouring terrorist outfits. Our government believes in peaceful co-existence and all-round regional development and progress among Saarc countries.

But Pakistans intransigence in disturbing peace and tranquillity in the region, harbouring terrorist outfits and funding extremists in Jammu and Kashmir is a serious challenge, and we need to isolate Islamabad at all international forum, Gadkari said.

According to him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was striving to promote regional cooperation and improve bilateral relations with all of Indias neighbours.

During his visit, Gadkari launched a rupee-denominated masala bond at the London Stock Exchange and finalised a memorandum of understanding with Transport for London (TfL) authority on cooperation in urban transport policy planning, technology transfer and institutional organisation of transport.

TfL officials made a presentation before Gadkari on strategy and policy reforms, customer experience and data analysis in respect of London buses and other integrated modes of public transport in the Greater London area.

Under the proposed MoU to be signed later, TfL will share with the ministry of road transport and highways its expertise on the mobility and efficiency of transport system and methodologies to facilitate the planning and delivery of mobility solutions, including ticketing , passenger information, major project financing, infrastructure maintenance strategies and behavioural change and public transport promotion, official sources said.

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Republican US senator from Texas John Cornyn, who is the India Caucus co-founder and co-chair, is among the frontrunners reportedly being considered by the Donald Trump administration to head the FBI.

Cornyn, a lawyer by training, co-founded the caucus with Hillary Clinton in 2004 and has stayed on, and proudly flaunts it in his bio on his official website. He currently co-chairs the caucus in the Senate with Democrat Mark Warner.

The former director of the agency, James Comey, was fired by Trump earlier this week in a stunning move that has raised questions about the underlying motivation.

Acting FBI director Andrew McCabe is also in contention to head the agency, according to news reports. Attorney general Jeff Sessions and deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein will be interviewing the contenders over the next few days, with the final call to be Trumps.

Others on the list include white-collar defence lawyer Alice Fisher and New York state judge Michael Garcia, according to the Washington Post. Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and New Jersey governor Chris Christie have figured on other lists.

Trump told reporters on Saturday he could decide Comeys successor as early as next week, before he leaves for Saudi Arabia, Israel, Palestine and Rome  his first foreign travel as president.

Even that is possible, Trump said, when asked if it could be before he left. I think the process is going to go quickly. Almost all of them are very well known. Theyve been vetted over their lifetime, essentially. But very well known, highly respected, really talented people. And thats what we want for the FBI.

Meanwhile, questions continue to swirl around Trumps dismissal of Comey, who was overseeing an investigation into Trump campaign aides contacts with Russia and whether there was any collusion in the alleged meddling of the 2016 US election by Moscow.
President Donald Trump is considering nearly a dozen candidates to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey, choosing from a group that includes several lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials.

White House officials said Friday the president was moving expeditiously to find an interim FBI director along with a permanent replacement for Comey, who was fired Tuesday. Four candidates  Texas Sen. John Cornyn, acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, attorney Alice Fisher and judge Michael Garcia  have interviews scheduled Saturday.

The list also includes South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy, former Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers and former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, according to two White House officials briefed on the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning.

Heres a look at the 11 candidates under consideration as a permanent replacement for Comey.

Sen. John Cornyn

Cornyn is the No. 2 Senate Republican and a former Texas attorney general and state Supreme Court justice. He has been a member of the Senate GOP leadership team for a decade and serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee. In the aftermath of Comeys dismissal, Cornyn said Trump was within his authority to fire him and said it would not affect the investigation of possible Russian ties to Trumps presidential campaign.

Rep. Trey Gowdy

The South Carolina Republican is best known for leading the congressional inquiry into the deadly attacks on a U.S. facility in Benghazi, Libya, a panel that oversaw a lengthy grilling of Hillary Clinton in 2015. A former federal prosecutor and state attorney, Gowdy was elected to Congress in the 2010 tea party wave and has focused on law enforcement issues. He originally endorsed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for president before backing Trump in May 2016.

Former Rep Mike Rogers

Rogers is the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He served Michigan in Congress for more than a decade before stepping down in 2015. Rogers worked for the FBI as a special agent based in Chicago in the 1990s and briefly advised Trumps transition team on national security issues. His name was floated as a possible replacement for then-FBI Director Robert Mueller in 2013, and he received support from an association of FBI agents before President Barack Obama chose Comey.

Ray Kelly

Kelly was commissioner of the New York City Police Department for more than a decade, serving two mayors. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, he created the first counterterrorism bureau of any municipal police department and oversaw a drastic reduction in crime. But Kelly also came under fire for his use of aggressive police tactics, including a program that spied on Muslims and a dramatic spike in the use of stop-and-frisk, which disproportionately affected non-white New Yorkers.

J. Michael Lutting

Luttig, the general counsel for Boeing Corp., is viewed as a conservative legal powerhouse from his tenure as a judge on the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals and his time as a Justice Department lawyer. He was considered for two U.S. Supreme Court vacancies that went to Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. Luttig clashed with the Bush White House on a prominent terror case, rebuking the administration for its actions in the case involving enemy combatant Jose Padilla.

Larry Thompson

A deputy attorney general under President George W. Bush, Thompson served as the departments No. 2 from 2001 to 2003. Among his most high-profile actions was allowing Syrian-born Canadian citizen Maher Arar to be deported to Syria, where he was tortured, after being falsely named as a terrorist. Thompson also served as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia and held several high-level positions at PepsiCo.

Paul Abbate

Abbate is a senior official at the FBI, currently responsible for the bureaus criminal and cyber branch. He previously led FBI field offices in Washington, one of the agencys largest, and in Detroit. Hes been deeply involved for years in FBI efforts to fight terrorism, serving in supervisory roles in Iraq and Afghanistan and later overseeing FBI international terrorism investigations as a section chief. Hes been with the FBI for more than 20 years, and is one of the FBI officials who interviewed this week for the role of interim director.

Alice Fisher

Currently a partner at the law firm Latham & Watkins specializing in white-collar criminal and internal investigations, Fisher formerly served as assistant attorney general for the Criminal Division of the Justice Department. Fisher faced resistance from Democrats during her confirmation over her alleged participation in discussions about detention policies at the Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba. She also served as deputy special counsel to the Senate special committee that investigated President Bill Clintons Whitewater scandal. If selected, she would be the bureaus first female director.

Andrew McCabe

A Duke-educated lawyer, McCabe was named last year as the FBIs deputy director, the No. 2 position in the bureau, overseeing significant investigations and operations. Since joining the FBI more than 20 years ago, hes held multiple leadership positions, including overseeing the FBIs national security branch and its Washington field office. McCabe became acting director after Comey was fired, but has shown a repeated willingness to break from White House explanations of the ouster and its characterizations of the Russia investigation.

Michael Garcia

A former New York prosecutor, Garcia has served as an associate judge on the New York Court of Appeals  the states highest court  since early 2016. He served as the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan from 2005 to 2008, and previously held high-level positions in the Commerce Department, the Justice Department and Homeland Security.

John Suthers

A former US Attorney and Colorado attorney general, Suthers was elected mayor of Colorado Springs in 2015. He is widely respected among state law enforcement and many Colorado Democrats. Suthers was inspired to become a prosecutor after he spent part of an internship in the Colorado Springs district attorneys office watching the trial of a gang of soldiers convicted of killing various citizens, including actor Kelsey Grammers sister, during a crime spree in the 1970s.
Another day, another occasion for the internet to collectively aww at Justin Trudeau.

The Canadian prime minister who has won hearts across the world not just for his governments welcome to refugees, his liberal stance on gender and race, and his resemblance to a Disney prince (as one comedian put it), set hearts across the world aflutter when he took his youngest child to work on Wednesday.

Trudeaus Facebook page featured pictures of three-year-old Hadrien sitting in his dads office, poring over what seemed to be some very important work emails.

He was also seen facing down the press beside his father, undaunted by all the cameras....

And fielding weighty questions from journalists.

In between all the hard work, father and son even found time to play hide-and-seek...

And let off some steam by running down the corridors of his office.

Whats more, Twitter users even uploaded videos of the winsome twosome. Canadian journalist Julie Van Dusen posted one of them on their way to meet MPs.

Social media users were enchanted. Some praised Trudeau for his devotion to his family, and pointed out that it reminded them of Trudeau as a young child in the same building when his father was prime minister.

What a great example for the country. A Leader who makes sure he is an active and involved fattier. Bravo! I remember seeing some very similar pictures of another PM Trudeau with a little boy who looked very similar to this one, said Jai Mills, one Facebook user.

I am sure there are photos of little Justin in his dads office too. Amazing Prime Minister! said Joanne Orr.

Others couldnt resist comparing him to Donald Trump, and asking for Hadrien to take over as US president.

Is this your son PM Trudeau? Is he available to move into the US Whitehouse? I think he would be a much better and more experienced president then we currently have. (Hes absolutely adorable!), said Elva Campbell on one of the photos.

Whether you agree with her or not, theres no denying Trudeau once again won the internet.

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A top North Korean diplomat said Saturday that Pyongyang would be willing to meet with the Trump administration for negotiations if the conditions are set.

Choi Sun-hee, the top North Korean diplomat who handles relations with the US, spoke briefly to reporters in Beijing en route to Pyongyang. She was travelling from Norway, where she led a delegation that held an informal meeting with former US officials and scholars.

Choi did not elaborate on what the Norths conditions are, but her comments raise the possibility of North Korea and the US returning to negotiations for the first time since 2008, when six-nation talks over Pyongyangs nuclear weapons program fell apart.

President Donald Trump opened the door this month to talks, saying he would be honoured to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Tensions have mounted in recent months after the Trump administration said it would keep all options on the table to halt North Koreas nuclear weapons program, including a military strike. The North responded by pledging to retaliate with a devastating nuclear counterattack, a threat it has made in the past.

In recent weeks, North Korea has arrested two American university instructors and laid out what it claimed to be a CIA-backed plot to assassinate Kim. Choi did not address the matter of the detained Americans on Saturday.

In Norway, Choi met with former US officials and scholars for what are known as track 2 talks. The talks, which cover a range of nuclear, security and bilateral issues, are held intermittently, and are an informal opportunity for the two sides to exchange opinions and concerns.
Osama bin Ladens son Hamza is poised to lead a stronger, larger al Qaeda and is bent on avenging his fathers death, according to a former FBI agent familiar with the personal letters seized in a dramatic US raid that killed the al Qaeda leader in Pakistans Abbottabad.

Hamza, about 28 year old now, wrote those letters when he was 22 and had not seen his father bin Laden in several years.

Ali Soufan, the former FBI agent who was the bureaus lead investigator of al Qaeda after the 9/11 attacks, told CBS News the letters reveal Hamza to be a young man who adores his father and wants to carry on his murderous ideology.

The letters collected in the raid by helicopter-borne US Navy SEALs at a secure high-walled compound in Abbottabad, a garrison town north of Pakistans capital Islamabad, in May 2011 have now been declassified.

Only a handful of US military and senior officials around then US President Barack Obama knew of the raid that was reportedly in the planning for months.

For a new episode of 60 Minutes on the network, Soufan described one of those letters from Hamza: He tells him that...he remembers every look...every smile you gave me, every word you told me.

Hamza also wrote this: I consider myself to be forged in steel. The path of jihad for the sake of God is what we live.

Soufan said Hamzas potential as a leader was recognised years ago when he was still a boy. He was used in propaganda videos, sometimes holding a gun.

He was a poster kid for the al Qaeda...and for members of al Qaeda, who were indoctrinated with these propaganda videos, he means a lot to them, Soufan said.

This January, the US named Hamza a specially-designated global terrorist - the same classification bin Laden had.

He even sounds like his father, said Soufan. His recent message that came out, he delivered the speech as if its his father...using sentences, terminology that was used by Osama bin Laden.

Hamza has recorded four audio messages in the last two years. Hes basically saying, American people, were coming and youre going to feel it. And were going to take revenge for what you did to my father...Iraq... Afghanistan...the whole thing was about vengeance, Soufan said.
Amid border tension, Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Saturday toured some areas along the Line of Control, two weeks after a similar visit which was followed by the beheading of two Indian soldiers.

Bajwa visited troops deployed along the LoC in Nikial sector, Pakistan Armys media wing Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

He was briefed about the ground situation by a commander.

He (Bajwa) appreciated high state of operational readiness, effective response to Indian cease fire violations and high morale of troops, the ISPR said.

Bajwa was accompanied by commander Rawalpindi Corps Lieutenant General Nadeem Raza.

The LoC has been witnessing exchange of fire between Indian and Pakistani troops for the last several weeks.

On May 1, two Indian security personnel were beheaded, a day after Bajwa visited some areas along the LoC and promised support to the Kashmiris.

The soldiers killed were Naib Subedar Paramjeet Singh of 22 Sikh Infantry and Head Constable Prem Sagar of 200th Battalion of BSF.

Read more | Minor girl among 2 killed, 4 soldiers among 9 injured as Pak pounds Rajouri
As the young Congressman peered intently at the faces of Indian Americans around him in a small, crowded hall inside the Indian embassy in downtown DC, he felt a rush of emotion; he felt beholden to them. I stand on your shoulders to be in the United States Congress, he said, tapping the podium, as was his habit, with his pen. Please visit me in our office; my office is your office, and anything you need on any issue, you come to us and we will help you. Pramila, me, Ami, Ro and everyone else  we are at your service. He calls them the Samosa Caucus.

That was Raja Krishnamurthi, one of five Indian Americans elected to the US Congress that started its 115th two-year term in 2017. The three he mentioned by their first names were Pramila Jayapal, Ami Bera and Ro Khanna  all elected to the House of Representatives  and Kamala Harris, the one he missed, is the fifth of the group and the first American of Indian descent elected to the Senate.

They are all Democrats, relatively young  with Bera, Harris and Jayapal the oldest, at 51  and brimming with hope, plans and ambition. They made history in the past election by winning in record numbers. They are now caucusing as a group in the US legislature in the tradition of India Caucus, the Black Caucus and various other groupings, which, however, are officially recognised as such.

The Samosa Caucus is not there yet, but a beginning has been made.

Interview: An Indian American may one day be the US president, says Ami Bera

Basically, its really nice to be with my fellow Indian Americans in Congress, Krishnamurthi said in an interview, while sitting on the steps of the embassy, as he greeted the visitors rushing in and out, some of whom he recognised by face and name, who were clearly thrown by his impressive memory.

We all get along, we all talk often and we share  um  different ideas with each other  we sign on to each others bills and the one issue on which we all are pushing very hard is doing something about hate crimes, against any minority  Indian Americans, Hindu Americans, Muslim Americans, Sikhs, Jains  anyone.

Krishnamurthi is particularly proud of a letter he started that was promptly signed by the rest of the Samosa Caucus, and then by over 70 other lawmakers, urging the administration to address the issue of hate crimes, in the days following the shocking murder of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, an Indian engineer killed by an allegedly inebriated man who claimed to have mistaken him and his friend for middle-easterners, in other words, Muslims.

Krishnamurthi and the other lawmakers who signed, handed over the letter to the Secretary for Homeland Security John Kelly. Was that the first success of the caucus? Not sure about that, he said, laughing, but clearly proud of the effort. But sure hope it will be one among many.

The five Indian Americans elected to US Congress in 2016 for a two-year term starting 2017, are the pride of a tiny minority of around three million Americans of Indian descent who have begun seeking political clout commensurate with their economic strength as the wealthiest community in the country.

And they have their sights set on the loftiest political prize of all  the White House.

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal was born in India. She came to the US as a student and stayed on. (CQ-Roll Call,Inc)

Power bloc

Pramila Jayapal moved her first legislation with Harris. Called Access to Counsel Act, it was moved in the immediate aftermath of the outrage felt in the United States and the world over President Donald Trumps first executive order banning citizens from seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the United States. The legislation guaranteed legal counsel to those detained or stopped. Its been a wonderful couple of months working with our small group  the Samosa Caucus or the Fabulous Five (as they have also been called), whatever you want to call us, said Jayapal.

They were called the Fabulous Five at a ball thrown by Indiaspora, an organisation that does advocacy for the Indian American community, which is less than one per cent of the total population of the United States but punches above its weight because of its economic clout. But Samosa Caucus has a nicer ring to it, and it is original. You can take your pick, as Jayapal said.

They share an easy camaraderie and began bonding even before they arrived in DC to start work. They were on each others speed dial from the very early days, say staff, and were constantly checking with each other on what to do, where to go, whom to meet. With the exception of Khanna, who served in the commerce department in the Obama administration, none of them had more than a nodding acquaintance with DC, the much-derided city of power-brokers and self-serving lobbyists that every politician starts by running down but quietly fades into its fold with the passage of time.

After leaving the commerce department, Khanna moved back to California where he worked as a lawyer and ran for the House of Representatives. He won on his second attempt, as did Krishnamurthi, who lives in Chicago, Illinois. Jayapal lived in Seattle, Washington, where she was a member of the state legislature, and Harris was the attorney general of California. They were all new to Washington DC.

Ami Bera, 51, is a Washington DC veteran. He is the seniormost member of the caucus. (MCT via Getty Images)

Bera, on the other hand, was a DC veteran. Though a native of California, he has lived here for more than four years now, on and off, serving a third term. He has been inside the Beltway, a Ring Road-kind of highway that runs around Washington DC, seen the hardscrabble life of a politician  he bore all the bruises on his back, as a Democrat strategist said  and he knows J Street (not a street but a lobbying firm), from K Street, a street that houses some of the countrys marquee names in lobbying.

Bera quickly became their mentor for all things DC  assuming the role of the Dean of the Samosa Caucus, as a Democratic strategist who has worked closely with the Indian Americans said  advising them on where to stay in DC (unlike in India, lawmakers do not get state accommodation), where to go, which events to attend. Ami Bera has been wonderful to all of us, said Jayapal, informally speaking for the group. He has been generous with his knowledge, making sure that we go to certain events that he thinks we should go to, that we are involved in events he has been invited to, especially those with Indian Americans.

In his third term in Congress, Bera is quite the veteran. I remember four years ago, how overwhelming it was when I first got elected, Bera said, adding, Trying to hire staff, set up an office, select committees and just learning what it means to be a member of the House of Representatives. In fact, he was only the third Indian American ever elected to US Congress, coming four years after Bobby Jindal, who finished his two terms in 2008 and left to run for Louisiana governor. The first was Dalip Singh Saund, who had left Congress 45 years before, in 1963.

Ro Khanna shot to national fame with a widely reported visit to coal mines in Kentucky, a Republican state won in a landslide by Trump. He served in the commerce department of the Obama administration. (File photo)

The big picture

In an interview to this reporter in 2012, shortly after assuming office to start his first term, Bera had seemed impressed by how far the community had come. He spoke of the time when he served as an intern on Capitol Hill, home to the US legislature, in 1985, when there were hardly any Indian Americans around. Things have changed dramatically since.

Bera was himself tentative when he started off, a physician by training who switched to politics. But he settled down quickly, and the Beltways Indian Americans couldnt stop celebrating that they had one of their own in Congress, once again.

And now, there are five of them: the Samosa Caucus. But dont let them give you the impression its all kumbaya among them, an Indian American who knows them said on the condition of anonymity so as to be able to speak freely. And its more than sibling rivalry.

They keep an eye on each other, watch their moves as they chart their careers, build on their strengths and work on their weaknesses. Khanna, for instance, shot to national fame with a widely reported visit to coal mines in Kentucky, a Republican state won in a landslide by Trump. The news site, Politico, ran a story about it with this headline: Silicon Valley sends ambassador to Trumps coal country. Khannas Congressional District 17 in California is literally home to Silicon Valley.

Everyone is watching everyone. Also at stake is the community pot, which they will dip into to fund their elections, which can work as both seed money and a supplementary add-on. But Shekar Narasimha, a Democratic strategist and prolific fund-raiser for the party, said he was not worried. There is plenty of money going around for them to worry  the pot has been growing, from 2008 to 2012, to 2014 to 2016.

THE POWER PLAYERS

Potentially presidential: Kamala Harris, 51

The first Indian American elected to the US Senate, her heritage is mixed: African American (Jamaican from her her fathers side) and Indian American (her mother is from Chennai). Desis wonder which way she leans. She hasnt had as much of an outreach to the community as we would like her to, said an Indian American Democrat, who requested anonymity, but we understand she has a bigger constituency to cater to, the African-Americans. They are willing to cut her some slack, they say, if she needs to make it to the White House, a goal that appears tantalisingly close to the community because of the dizzying rise of Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to UN, a cabinet-level position that sets her up for a run, at least in the eyes of many Indian American Republicans.

Dean of the Caucus: Ami Bera, 51

A doctor by training, Bera, the senior-most among Indian American legislators, is into his third term. Each of his elections were nail-bitingly close. His politics is centrist, accommodative of the disparate streams of thought. He is said to be the Dean of the Caucus. Born to Gujarati immigrants from India, Bera has retained a strong, continuing link with India. In his previous two terms, he emerged as an influential voice on South Asia. He travelled to India and co-chaired the India Caucus in the House of Representatives. The Indian American community has done very well One day we may see an Indian American President  after all, this is the America we believe in, he said in an interview. He is, however, not a big fan of the name Samosa Caucus.

The Resistance: Pramila Jayapal, 51

Jayapal was born in India. She came to the US as a 16-year-old student and stayed on. She has emerged as one of the leading lights of the Resistance, a movement launched by Democrats to rally their troops against President Trump, leveraging her expertise as an immigrant lawyer. The objective of the bicameral legislation she moved with Senator Kamala Harris was to guarantee legal counsel to those detained or held under Trumps first executive order temporarily banning citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US. With her political hero Bernie Sanders, the hard-charging progressive, she moved legislation aimed at guaranteeing free college education to eligible students and helping others pay off their college loans.

Silicon Valleys ambassador to the US: Ro Khanna, 39

Khanna has been as busy as his other Indian American colleagues. He has sponsored one legislation and co-sponsored 108, essentially signing on to those moved by other lawmakers (just for perspective, Krishnamurthi sponsored 5 and co-sponsored 51, Jayapal 3 and 132 and Bera, 1 and 64). Among those Khanna co-sponsored was one that proposed tightening the H-1B visa programme to discourage outsourcing and encourage companies to hire locally. While this made him seem anti-India, Khannas position was that the nation was in the mood to fix abuse. Many Indian Americans said he has to represent his constituency. And his constituency is Silicon Valley. He was born in the US, but remembers vacations in India with his grandparents, who lived in Nizamuddin, New Delhi.

Raja Krishnamurthi s bipartisan effort as a legislator on hate crimes in the aftermath of the murder of Srinivas Kuchibhotla in Olathe, Kansas, was well received and widely covered in the media. (CQ-Roll Call,Inc)

Peoples person: Raja Krishnamurthi, 42

He has charted a course for himself that, said a Democrat strategist, is based on his belief that his best use is somewhere between all these Indian Americans, with a distinctly clear pitch to the community and a readiness to cooperate with it at every opportunity. His bipartisan effort as a legislator on hate crimes in the aftermath of the murder of Srinivas Kuchibhotla in Olathe, Kansas, was well received and widely covered in the media. More than 70 lawmakers, including his Samosa Caucus colleagues, signed a letter addressed to John Kelly, the Secretary of Homeland Security, on the issue. Krishnamurthi was born in Delhis Willingdon Hospital, since rechristened Ram Manohar Lohia hospital.

Being a Hindu who took the oath of office with a hand on the Bhagwat Gita, Tulsi Gabbard won over the community of Indian Americans, a majority of whom are Hindu, and has built on this support. (CQ-Roll Call)

A DISTANT DESI: Tulsi Gabbard, 36

Many mistake Gabbard, a Democrat, for Indian American, because of her name and her religion, which catapulted her to early fame in her legislative career as the first Hindu ever elected to US Congress. Gabbard is a Hindu though. Being a Hindu who took the oath of office with a hand on the Bhagwat Gita, she won over the community of Indian Americans, a majority of whom are Hindu, overnight and has built on this support. She has developed a relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, unmatched as yet by anyone in the Samosa Caucus. Modi sent BJP leader Ram Madhav to represent him at her wedding in 2015, for instance. And she was recently named co-chair of the India caucus of the House of Representatives, further strengthening her India credentials.
Saudi authorities blocked roads in a flashpoint Shia town Saturday, residents said a day after security officials said gunmen killed a two-year-old boy and a Pakistani man.

The gunfire targeted a construction site in a neighbourhood of the Shia town of Awamiya slated for redevelopment, the interior ministry said late Friday.

Workers in Almosara district came under fire and their vehicles were targeted by explosives from within the neighbourhood, the ministry said in a statement.

It did not say when the incident took place but said criminals engaged in the drug and arms trade tried to jeopardise the project and protect their terrorist activities that they launch from the abandoned houses in the neighbourhood.

As police responded to the shooting, suspects opened random and heavy gunfire at passersby and security men, killing a two-year-old Saudi boy and a Pakistani resident.

The ministry said 14 people were wounded in the shooting, including two Pakistanis, an Indian, a Sudanese and four policemen.

A resident, however, gave a higher toll, saying that a local security guard who was hit by a random bullet later died of his injuries.

It was the second time since Wednesday that gunfire sounded in Awamiya, a town on the Gulf coast.

Residents said the shooting broke out as authorities moved on the Almosara district.

Early Saturday more gunfire sounded in the neighbourhood and authorities blocked roads in the area, a resident said.

The situations miserable, another resident said, asking for anonymity. We think it will take a long time to finish this operation.

In March the ministry said a teenage suspect died from wounds after Saudi police responded under fire while looking for suspects hiding among abandoned homes in Almosara.

A local resident at that time told AFP that people had been living for more than a month in Almosara resisting the urban renewal project.

They had no water and their electricity came only from generators, the resident said, adding that they wanted to be given new houses and the area kept as a historical district.

Awamiya, a town of 30,000 in the Shia-majority Qatif district, was the home of Nimr al-Nimr, a Shia cleric put to death in January last year for terrorism.

Nimr was a driving force behind protests by Shia that began in 2011 and developed into a call for equality in the Sunni-majority kingdom.

Read more | Indian workers held captive by company in Saudi Arabia, embassy intervenes
As mid-career resumes go, this ones a doozy: Bryant Neal Vinas tried to kill US troops in Afghanistan, advised al-Qaida on potential bombing targets, then morphed into a prized informer for the US government.

After eight years in solitary confinement, the 34-year-old New Yorker is set to become a free man. Which raises the question: What in the world does he do next?

A federal judge on Thursday sentenced Vinas to time served on terrorism charges, a grant of leniency based on the valuable intelligence he gave US authorities after his capture in Pakistan. Among other things, he gave up the identities and whereabouts of some of the terror networks operatives.

Vinas, originally of Patchogue, will remain behind bars for another three months while officials figure out how to protect someone whos been credited with putting a target on his back by betraying ruthless terrorists.

Once thats determined, taxpayers will also have to foot the bill to rehabilitate him after years on the fringes serving on both sides of the law.

At least on the issue of how to earn a living, Vinas offered the judge his own vision for a job, counterterrorism analyst.

I would like to turn a bad thing into a good thing, he said.

Vinas lawyers insisted the idea has merit, saying their client has a brilliant mind with a knack for remembering names, faces and locations.

However, his fallback  working in construction  may be more realistic.

Mitch Silber, who headed intelligence analysis at the former New York Police Department before joining the firm FTI Consulting, said someone like Vinas could never get a security clearance or be trusted with sensitive information.

At best, he might convince a think tank to let him write or speak about his life mistakes and how he would discourage youth from being attracted to terror groups, Silber said.

Theres a long history of turncoat mobsters disappearing into witness protection after admitting to murder and mayhem and testifying against their bosses, perhaps most notably Salvatore Sammy the Bull Gravano, who brought down the notorious John Gotti.

But there is no clear template for a terrorist-turned-government cooperator.

One rare example is Saajid Muhammad Badat, the British man who was picked by al-Qaida along with Richard Reid to carry out the failed shoe bomb plot in 2001.

Reid was caught aboard a Paris-to-Miami flight with explosives. Badat backed out and pleaded guilty in a deal that got him an early release from prison in 2010.

Testifying in 2012 at the trial of a New York City man convicted in an al-Qaida plot against the subway, Badat said that he had used a job seekers allowance from Scotland Yard to gain employment he didnt disclose.

The government also paid for job training, housing, travel expenses for his family and even cellphone and internet costs, he said.

Vinas took the witness stand at the same trial, describing how, after growing up on Long Island and converting to an extreme form of Islam, he traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2007. With the nickname Bashir al-Ameriki, he won the trust of senior members of al-Qaida.

He even brainstormed with militants about bombing the Long Island Rail Road or a Walmart. Once he was captured, he switched sides and volunteered information that was reliable enough to open and close 30 terror investigations, prosecutors said.

The prosecutors didnt oppose his release. But they were skeptical enough about his prospects to push a judge to sign off on probation for life, mandatory mental health treatment and further cooperation in future terror cases, if needed.

The US government will pay for his mental health care, job training and any required protection.

In a private conversation after the sentencing, Vinas was relieved and he was grateful, said defense attorney Michael Bachrach. And he was looking forward to his new life.
It may not be on the same scale as mass cheating in some exams in India, but the latest report by Britains higher education watchdog has revealed the case of a law student using invisible ultraviolet ink to writes notes to help her.

Cheating and plagiarism are often detected in universities here, but they do not make as much news as images of mass cheating in India did recently. Academics and researchers have discerned an India link in the fine line between contract cheating and plagiarism.

The office of independent adjudicator (OIA) for higher education set out examples and number of complaints in its latest annual report, and said initiatives were helping protect and enhance national and international confidence in the sector.

One of the examples highlighted is of a law student who complained about the penalty imposed on her for cheating in an examination.

She had annotated a law statute book with invisible UV ink, creating 24 pages of unauthorised notes which she took into her examination. She was seen using the notes by other students and the invigilator, who retained the statute book as evidence.

The student did not deny the offence but appealed on the basis of unfair penalty, extenuating circumstances and procedural error. The provider determined there were no grounds for appeal and confirmed the penalty (to fail her in all modules for the year), the report said.

It added that Indian and other non-EU students  particularly postgraduate students  continued to be over represented in complaints to the OIA.

Our experience suggests that these students are more inclined to exhaust all the available processes for raising complaints.

The investment which they make in their studies is often substantial and many have made a significant commitment in taking on their course. International students pay higher fees and may also incur higher costs such as travel and, in some cases, visa applications.

Postgraduate students have often put their careers on hold to pursue their studies. The family circumstances and sponsorship arrangements for these students may also mean that they are likely to be under greater pressure to succeed in their course, the report added.

The law students example and complaints are part of the discourse of student experience in the UK that includes contract cheating and essay mills that offer ready assignments for a fee online.

Contract cheating with links to India was first reported in academic circles in 2008 by academics Thomas Lancaster and Robert Clarke based at Birmingham City University. They say it has since become more sophisticated, making it difficult to detect through usual plagiarism detection software.

Lancaster told Hindustan Times: Weve observed a lot of people from India bidding to complete academic work for students. They make offers that are very appealing to students from the UK, theyll do the assignment for what is a low price for a UK student, but a good living wage for the worker in India.

According to him, India-based advertising for such services mention possession of degrees from British universities, which suggests they are familiar with the British education system, making them attractive for potential student-customers.

He said: There are a lot of fluent English speakers in India. Students can hire these people and get their assignments produced to a similar standard as if theyd used a more expensive native English speaker.

For instance, in my area of computer science, we see requests for students to have their computer programming assignments completed for them. A programmer based in India can often complete an introductory assignment in a few hours, while this would take a new student a few weeks. It works out as a good deal for both parties, he said.
Syrias army captured an airbase in eastern Aleppo from the Islamic State group on Saturday, after more than two months of fierce clashes, a military source and monitor said.

The Jarrah airbase had been under IS control since January 2014, when the jihadists seized it from rebels who had captured it a year earlier.

Regime forces took control of the Jarrah military airport after heavy fighting, said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.

The majority of the jihadists have withdrawn, and regime forces are carrying out clearing operations in the airport and engaged in limited clashes with remaining IS elements, he added.

Syrias army launched an offensive against IS in eastern Aleppo province in mid-January, backed by ally Russia.

So far it has taken control of more than 170 villages and towns in the area, according to the Britain-based monitor.

A military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, also confirmed the capture of the military base.

The Syrian army has completed its capture of Jarrah airport and a number of the surrounding villages, he told AFP.

It will continue its advances into the areas held by the terrorist organisation and... expand the areas it controls in eastern Aleppo province, he added.

The next key target for government forces in the area will likely be the town of Maskana, on the edge of Lake Assad.

Syrias army is just one of the forces battling IS in the country.

An alliance of Syrian Kurds and Arabs is also fighting the group further east, in Raqa province, with support from the US-led coalition.

More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.
The British government does not yet know who was behind Fridays global cyber attack that disrupted the countrys health system, interior minister Amber Rudd said on Saturday.

Were not able to tell you whos behind the attack. That work is still ongoing, she told BBC radio.

The home secretary said Britains National Cyber Security Centre was working with the countrys health service to ensure the attack was contained, while the National Crime Agency was working with them to find out where it came from.

Rudd said the government did not know if the attack was directed by a foreign government.

On Friday, cyber extortionists tricked victims into opening malicious malware attachments to spam emails that appeared to contain invoices, job offers, security warnings and other legitimate files. Nearly 100 countries were impacted.

Rudd said the attack was not specifically targeted at Britains health service.

(The virus) feels random in terms of where its gone to and where its been opened, she said.

Though 45 health service organisations in England and Scotland were affected by malicious software, no patient data has been accessed or transferred, said Rudd.

The minister said lessons had to be learned from the attack.

There will be lessons to learn ... Why is it certain regions are affected more than others? Is it to do with the software? Is it to do with better IT?

Separately on Saturday, finance chiefs from the Group of Seven rich countries will commit to join forces to fight the growing threat of international cyber attacks, according to a draft statement of a meeting they are holding in Bari, Italy.
The United States is close to completing a series of arms deals for Saudi Arabia totaling more than $100 billion, a senior White House official said on Friday, a week ahead of President Donald Trumps planned visit to Riyadh.

The official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the arms package could end up surpassing more than $300 billion over a decade to help Saudi Arabia boost its defensive capabilities while still maintaining U.S. ally Israels qualitative military edge over its neighbors.

We are in the final stages of a series of deals, the official said. The package is being developed to coincide with Trumps visit to Saudi Arabia. Trump leaves for the kingdom on May 19, the first stop on his maiden international trip.

Reuters reported last week that Washington was pushing through contracts for tens of billions of dollars in arms sales to Saudi Arabia, some new, others already in the pipeline, ahead of Trumps visit.

The United States has been the main supplier for most Saudi military needs, from F-15 fighter jets to command and control systems worth tens of billions of dollars in recent years. Trump has vowed to stimulate the U.S. economy by boosting manufacturing jobs.

The package includes American arms and maintenance, ships, air missile defense and maritime security, the official said. Well see a very substantial commitment ... In many ways it is intended to build capabilities for the threats they face.

The official added: Its good for the American economy but it will also be good in terms of building a capability that is appropriate for the challenges of the region. Israel would still maintain an edge.

While in Riyadh, the official said Trump would attend three major events: A series of meeting with Saudi officials, a separate session with leaders of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council and a lunch with Arab and Muslim leaders, 56 of whom have been invited, to discuss combating extremism and cracking down on illicit financing.

Trump will discuss how to counter the threat from Islamic State militants, the war in Yemen and threats of ballistic missiles and maritime shipping in the Red Sea, the official said.

U.S. Navy commanders have accused Iran of jeopardizing international navigation by harassing warships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Gulf Arab states are optimistic about Trump whom they see as a hawkish leader opposed to their adversary Iran.

A major part of the agenda with Gulf leaders will be the Syrian civil war amid calls for de-escalation zones in Syria to provide a safe haven for Syrian refugees.

Besides Saudi Arabia, Trumps first foreign trip will also include visits to Israel, the Vatican, Brussels for a NATO summit and Sicily for a Group of Seven summit.
India will be a notable absentee at the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) over the weekend in Beijing to be attended by 29 heads of state and delegations from several countries, if it skips the high-profile summit in view of sovereignty concerns related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The forum is projected as Chinas grand display of economic prowess and its attempt to build a future strategic reach. Its packaged as the multi-billion dollar connectivity-led trans-continental project-- the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) or the One Belt, One Road venture.

If India is not attending the forum on May 14 and 15, it will seemingly not be for Chinas lack of efforts to convince its neighbour to attend and occupy a high-profile seat at the event.

Beijing dispatched dozens of invites right to the top ceremonial and political offices, to several current ministers, diplomats, former envoys besides scholars and journalists from India to attend the BRF.

The response was a bunch of regrets bearing different official seals.

But India can always turn around and say where was the invite or the diplomatic courtesy to inform New Delhi when Beijing decided to run its BRI flagship project, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) right through Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK) ?

An issue of sovereignty that probably is as core to India as is Tibet or Taiwan to China.

China not only didnt care about Indias position on PoK, it went right ahead and pumped billions of dollars into the CPEC.

The ties between the two neighbours have anyway been at a low for several months now for several reasons including Chinas blocking of Indias NSG attempt, Beijings all-weather support to Pakistan-based terror-suspect, Masood Azhar, from being listed at the UN, the CPEC, India playing the Dalai Lama-card.

On the surface, the BRI, floated by President Xi Jinping in 2013 September and October in Kazakhstan and Indonesia is based on three principles broadly explained as  Gong Shang (negotiate/talk), Gong Jian (construct/build) and Gong Xiang (share good results).

And, it is about five connectivities  political, infrastructure, capital, trade and people-to-people exchanges.

Diplomats privately say all this lofty talks will connect the dots to one, single end  increase Chinas influence in the world and in South Asia and play on Indias disadvantages in the region.

Not surprisingly, many Chinese academics feel its not true that Indias objection to the CPEC s the main reason for it not officially joining the BRI. The real reason, they say, is that New Delhi is wary of Chinas increasing clout globally and regionally and doesnt want to play second fiddle to Beijing.

Indias concerns about BRI are not due to its concerns about CPEC. It is about whether India would like to help China to build-up a new world order and regional order. Indian strategists and nationalists strongly believe that BRI is Chinas grand strategy to build a China-dominated world order. In that case, Indian strategists would like New Delhi to support the west (the US) dominated system and order, Hu Shisheng south Asia expert at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) said.

Indias absence at the Forum only showed that India doesnt like Chinas status in todays world, doesnt accept Chinas high-profile in the international arena, Long Xingchun, director of the Center for Indian Studies at China West Normal University told HT.

Noted international relations scholar Dai Yonghong said he was unable to understand Indias position on the BRI, especially New Delhis refusal to officially acknowledge it  indicating again that it is Indias unease with Chinas rise.

But the fact is that so far the Indian government hasnt officially positively responded to the BRI due to the so-called concerns over the CPEC, Dai said.

But sometimes, you cannot reasonably explain the situation. On the one hand, you are part of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar (BCIM)-Economic Corridor, which are part of the BRI. On the other, there is no positive official response to the forum, Dai said.

Dai of course didnt mention that the BCIM-EC predates the BRI by years and when the AIIB was set up, founding members  which included India  wasnt really aware about its links to the BRI.

But Indias absence might not have much impact on bilateral ties and economic cooperation.

Frankly, there will not be much impact on bilateral relations; all the high-level participants are from the countries which have impressive BRI projects. India has no such BRI project. Chinese leaders know very well that Indian government is not willing to be positive about BRI, Hu said.

From Indias perspective, it will miss some opportunities to know better about the China-proposed BRI, which is actually beneficial to India, Dai said.
Soft Brands Versus Hard Brands

Soft brands represent the movement of brand affiliations into the independent hotel market, bringing distinctive properties into an affiliation that expands the franchise company's audience while nurturing the creation of unique property-specific experiences for guests. By associating an independent property with a soft brand, the hotel is able to benefit from the expansive distribution channels and marketing reach associated with a brand. At the same time, the soft brand allows the hotel the freedom to define and shape the product offering. For the traditional hard-branded hotel, the core selling feature is the highly controlled, uniform guest experience across every hotel with the same name. In contrast, the soft brand allows the hotel to be special, characterized by the geography and culture of the region in which it is situated and the history of its own creation; only service standards and soft touches are maintained across all properties stamped with the same soft brand. In short, the soft brand creates a synergistic relationship between the service standards associated with a brand and the character of an independent hotel.

Through soft brands, franchise companies are expanding their product range and moving into previously untapped markets without compromising the long-established service standards that they have become expert at efficiently implementing and enforcing across multiple locations. But a growing shift in consumer needs is also driving the increasing popularity of soft brands. Soft brands are able to tap into the desire of consumers wanting a personal experience that they can document and relate to others through social media. At the same time, these same consumers prefer the ease of access and convenience that brand distribution channels and loyalty programs offer, along with the assurance of dependable service standards that a brand brings to a hotel stay.

Soft brands have become a hot commodity around the world as franchise companies aggressively move to stake territory in the independent hotel market where they previously had little presence, and expand into markets that have become saturated with traditional brands. In Canada, however, the movement towards soft brands has been relatively slow to get going. Currently, only 2,200 existing hotel rooms in the country belong to soft brands. The Canadian lodging market in many ways represents an untapped opportunity for converting independent hotels to soft brands. To effectively take advantage of this opportunity, however, one must understand not only the forces that are driving the growth of the soft-brand market in general, but also the conditions that are shaping the slow market uptake of soft brands in Canada.

Canadian Soft Brand History

In Canada, only three franchise companies currently have soft-branded hotels in the market: Ascend Collection by Choice Hotels, Autograph and Tribute by Marriott, and Best Western Premier Collection. Their major competitorsHilton, Hyatt, IHG, and Wyndhamhave yet to drive a stake into Canadian soil in the soft-brand category.

The first soft-branded hotel to enter the Canadian market was the Ascend Collection Inn on the Lake in 2009. This property, located in Fall River, Nova Scotia, was a conversion from an independent hotel. It was another four years before the second soft-branded hotel to come to Canada, when Autograph opened its first property in New Brunswick. The BW Premier Collection came to Canada in 2015, and Tribute followed in 2016. As of 2017, there are roughly 2,200 established rooms belonging to soft-branded properties, the majority of which belong to the Ascend Collection.

Source: HVS

All the major franchise companies are actively seeking Canadian properties for conversion to a soft brand, but only Autograph Collection has confirmed properties in the pipeline: four properties with a total of 641 rooms are being introduced to the Autograph Collection name in 2017. Other soft brands, Unbound by Hyatt and Tapestry by Hilton, are expected to open in 2018; however, no contracts have been confirmed. Meanwhile, Ascend Collection is actively scouring the country for appropriate properties to brand.

The Appeal of the Soft Brand

Individuality is central to the soft-brand concept. Each property remains distinct within the brand portfolio while still representing the essential quality that is the hallmark of the brand. For the traveller, soft brands function as a risk-management tool. As Jeff Cury, Senior Director of Development for Hilton, puts it, "There are a lot of adventurous travellers that enjoy the experience of an independent hotel but recognize there's risk in that, so soft branding alleviates a lot of the risk because it's still a brand, and if there's a problem, there is brand assurance."

The hospitality industry has shifted towards being a consumer-led market in which buyers are becoming more transactional and less sentimental. In other words, travellers are caring less about the hotel and more about the collection of loyalty points. Soft brands appeal to the transactional-hungry market by offering loyalty points while also serving experience-oriented travelers.

From an owner's standpoint, independent hotels lacking the distribution capabilities of a brand often rely heavily on Online Travel Agents (OTAs) to sell their producta costly technique. One core feature of soft brands is the access they provide to the internal functions that largely contribute to the success of a branded hotel: global marketing, central reservation systems, customer-relationship management, revenue- and yield-management support, and loyalty programs. "Soft brand memberships are all about value. Hotels are able to increase their revenue while lowering their distribution costs, resulting in higher profitability and value appreciation of the hotel," says Juan Duran, Director of Membership Development for the Ascend Collection.

The idea of a soft brand revolves around connecting independent hotels with brands without compromising the hotel's independent nature or undergoing extensive renovations to abide by traditional brand standards. In the past, independent hotels looking to convert to a brand have been rejected due to unfeasible property improvement plans and too wide of a gap between the standard brand requirements and their offerings. For these properties, soft brands are a viable option, providing a brand identity under which they are able to exist while still allowing them to keep their distinct features.

Why Aren't Soft Brands Growing as Fast in Canada?

Three main factors are causing the slow uptake of soft brands in Canada: the lack of suitable independent properties, a dearth of appropriate locations, and the current stage of market maturation.

In Canada, there tends to be a larger discrepancy between the quality of the independent supply relative to that of the United States and other countries. The branded properties are historically modular, and the independent properties that are suitable for conversion to a soft brand either have already become established with a brand or are hesitant to lose their independent status because they are already achieving success without brand support. While there are many reasons behind the limited supply of suitable upscale to luxury independent inventory, the main cause is that Canada is a risk averse market that foregrounds known yield for investors at the expense of creativity. For franchise companies, the limited supply of upscale independent properties in Canada is raising the value of the few upscale independent properties that currently exist. Many hotel investors and major brands are eyeing the same highly sought-after independent properties, making the soft brand-market in Canada highly competitive at the same time that it is severely restricted by a lack of inventory.

With the focus that soft brands have on celebrating the unique characteristics of each property's location, franchise companies are mainly looking for primary, urban, and resort destination markets to establish their soft brands. In Canada, these types of markets are few and far between, which makes the selection pool more limited, thereby increasing competition. "In Canada, there aren't as many urban destinations that would support soft brands, and the ones that do are currently being aggressively pursued, specifically major cities such as Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. As far as secondary and tertiary markets, as of right now they aren't a good fit for collection properties" says Michael Morton, Vice President of Owner Relations for Best Western.

Historically, Canada has lagged the United States in hotel trends. Canadian hoteliers tend to take action only after a concept has proven successful, which inevitably leads to a slower initial buildup. "The American hotel market is more mature than Canada, and historically there is a natural five- to ten-year delay in the adoption of niche segmentations," says Scott Richer, Vice President of Real Estate and Development for Hyatt. Only once concepts have a proven track record does the Canadian hotel market embrace a new product. Given that the first soft brand entered the Canadian marketplace in 2009, we can expect a boom in soft brands to take place sometime around 2020 if the pattern of the ten-year lag behind the US holds true.

Pipeline

Hotel pipeline reports are not only a strong indicator of which markets are expected to see growth, but they can also be used to see which brands are expanding along with trends that are shaping the industry, such as an increase in soft branded hotels. In Canada, the pipeline of traditional brands continues to grow, while currently, the soft brand pipeline is small.

In January 2017, Hilton launched its fourteenth brand and second soft brand, Tapestry Collection. Tapestry Collection is an upscale brand that focusses on keeping the hotel unique while providing Hilton standards and systems. As Jeff Cury, Senior Director of Development for Hilton, puts it, "Hilton gives owners the ability to be part of a hugely recognized brand, while still maintain a certain level of standard that doesn't require the hotel to be so prescriptive." Tapestry belongs to a lower scale than Curio, which is Hilton's more upper-upscale soft brand. Although neither Hilton soft brand is currently open in the Canadian market, Hilton's soft-brand presence in Canada is expected to grow in 2017.

The Unbound Collection by Hyatt was launched in 2016 but has yet to make a mark on the Canadian market. This upper-upscale soft brand was developed as an expansion of the Hyatt value proposition, creating an experience not otherwise available in the company's traditional hotel format. Each Unbound Collection property is known for its picturesque location and original identity. No announcements have been made for an Unbound Collection in Canada, but this brand is expected to enter the market by 2018.

Currently, Autograph Collection by Marriott is the only soft brand with confirmed properties in the Canadian pipeline for 2017. However, many of the major franchise companies with soft brands in their portfolios are actively seeking properties in 2017.

Expected Growth

With soft brands picking up pace in the US, Canada is expected to follow this lead and become more actively involved in this space, albeit to a lesser extent given the previously mentioned limitations. Once soft brand success is proven across the country, existing soft brands will push strongly to further increase their presence by expanding more rapidly across Canada. Moreover, brands who took a more reactive approach by not entering the soft brand market immediately will likely begin pushing their products into the Canadian hotel market.

To appeal to more market segments within soft branding, there is potential for major brands with established soft-brand collections to create additional lines that will cover the full range of chain scales. Launching additional chain scales for soft brands is a means for franchise companies to increase their reach, as a larger array of products has the potential to capture a wider range of consumers.

Conclusion

The Canadian lodging market is slow to act on new trends because the current stage of market maturation creates an environment that makes hoteliers wary of adopting untested innovations. Because of this, the soft brand concept has yet to be fully embraced in Canada, although this is expected to take place in the near future given the successful market uptake of soft brands in the United States and abroad.

In this stage of market maturation, Canada is still witnessing the growth in core brands because it is at heart a stakeholder-focussed market that places the greatest emphasis on yield for investors, leaving less room for creativity and entrepreneurial development. As the market matures and hoteliers are required to adapt to trends to stay competitive, there will be a shift from a stakeholder-focussed market to a customer-focussed market, which will contribute to the growth of soft brands.

The slow growth in the uptake of soft brands in Canada is due to the current degree of market maturation, the lack of suitable upscale independent inventory, and the limited number of appropriate primary markets that fit the soft-brand concept. As more unique properties are introduced across Canada and the soft-brand concept gains some traction, it is expected that many of the leading hotel brands will expand their product range into Canada, spurring the growth of soft brands.

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The hotels provide a total of 931 rooms, and are located in Cienfuegos, Trinidad and Camaguey

The new hotels mean that the company will operate five of its brands in Cuba: Melia, Paradisus, Innside by Melia, Sol by Melia, and Tryp

Melia Hotels International announced during the International Tourism Fair in Cuba that it will extend its presence in the centre of the island with the addition of 8 hotels, while also assisting in promoting multi-destination vacations.

The company is now committed to enhancing quality and service in the new hotels through their renovation and adaptation to its brand standards. According to Melia's Vice President, Gabriel Escarrer Jaume, "these eight hotels are an important challenge which we face with great enthusiasm and responsibility, given that we are also taking on a commitment to strengthen the multi-destination vacation segment, guaranteeing the service and quality of the Melia, Innside, and Sol House brands from the east to the west of the island."

The agreement between Melia Hotels International and the Cuban hotel groups, Gran Caribe, Cubanacan and Islazul, aims to promote organized multi-destination vacations that already include several towns and cities on the island, while at the same time adding new destinations, one of the objectives of a Cuban tourism strategy which seeks to enhance the visibility of a number of cities and regions with huge potential for quality tourism.

In the city of Cienfuegos, Melia will manage the 56-room San Carlos Hotel and the 49-room Union Hotel, both located in the historic centre of Cienfuegos, declared a World Heritage Site in 2005. The company will also manage the Jagua Hotel in the same city, operating 173 rooms under the Innside by Melia brand, Melia's most avant-garde urban brand, and one of its most highly-rated brands worldwide.

In Trinidad, the company will renovate and manage the 279-room Ancon Hotel under the innovative and youthful Sol House brand, as well as a new 102-room hotel to be built at the end of the Ancon peninsula and operated under the Melia brand.

Lastly, in Camaguey, Melia will begins to work with the Islazul hotel group to manage three hotels, two of them in the historic centre of the city: the 72-room Gran Hotel and the 58-room Hotel Colon. Innside by Melia will also be the brand applied to the 142-room Hotel Camaguey after an investment in renovation.

In 2015, Melia Hotels International celebrated the 25th anniversary of its operations in Cuba, and continues to announce that it maintains the same enthusiasm as ever for continuing to increase its quality and service in a destination it has always described as "privileged". The company will assume responsibility for the hotels on November 1 of this year, starting a transitional process in their management which will be completed by January 1, 2018.

About Melia Hotels International

Founded in 1956 in Mallorca (Spain), Melia Hotels International operates more than 390 hotels (portfolio and pipeline) throughout more than 40 countries, with brands including Gran Melia Hotels & Resorts, Paradisus by Melia, ME by Melia, Melia Hotels & Resorts, INNSiDE by Melia, Sol by Melia and TRYP by Wyndham. The Company is the global leader in resort hotels, while also leveraging its experience to consolidate the growing segment of the leisure-inspired urban market. Its commitment to responsible tourism has led the Group to become the third most sustainable hotel company in the world in 2018, according to RobecoSam, the investment company to produce the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Melia Hotels International is also included in the IBEX 35 Spanish stock market index and it is the Spanish hotel leader in Corporate Reputation (Merco Ranking). Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and Instagram meliahotelsinternational.com
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WASHINGTON - Beijing will open its borders to U.S. beef, while cooked Chinese poultry is closer to landing on American supermarket shelves under a U.S.-China trade agreement.

Trump administration officials hailed the deal as a significant advance toward boosting U.S. exports and closing America's trade gap with the world's second-largest economy. U.S. trade experts offered a more muted assessment, calling the agreement a modest fulfillment of past assurances made by China.

Among other things, the deal enables U.S. companies to export liquefied natural gas to China. It will also lower long-standing barriers that have affected matters ranging from agriculture to the operation of American financial firms in China.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross hailed the agreement, coming on the heels of President Donald Trump's April meeting with President Xi Jinping, as "a herculean accomplishment."

"This is more than has been done in the whole history of U.S.-China relations on trade," Ross said.

In Beijing, Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao told reporters the early results of the agreement showed that economic collaboration between the two sides "couldn't be closer."

But trade experts questioned the magnitude of the deal. "These are modest moves which by themselves will not have much effect on the U.S. economy," said David Dollar, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former Treasury official.

The beef exports and electronic payments in the agreement have long been promised by China. And the agreement does little to address some key issues of trade friction, such as automobiles or social media. While the Trump administration has touted a surge in U.S. manufacturing, this agreement does little to help that goal.

"The challenge is selling manufactured goods into China - there isn't anything in this deal to suggest China is going to become more open to U.S.-manufactured exports," said Brad Setser, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

It remains unclear how far China will go to allow more American exports. Previous administrations have hailed market-opening agreements only to be left disappointed.

"The key in these negotiations is specifics that are enforceable - literally, the devil is in the details," said Scott Mulhauser, a former chief of staff at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.
Oil and gas company executives believe that they're doing right by the world. Most people disagree.

In a survey conducted by the consulting firm EY, 75 percent of oil and gas executives rated themselves as good corporate citizens. But only 37 percent of the general public said the oil industry can be trusted to do the right thing.

The average people surveyed viewed renewable energy far more positively than oil, with natural gas falling somewhere in the middle. Only 14 percent of them thought oil and gas should be our primary source of energy, while 29 percent thought it shouldn't be. The rest were willing to tolerate it until alternatives are available.

That's nothing energy companies don't already know. Of the 109 executives surveyed by EY, just one in four said their industry had the public's trust.

That dim view is starting to matter now, EY says, because so much energy production happens on American soil. Negative perceptions of fossil fuels - fed by movies such as "Deepwater Horizon," widespread coverage of Exxon Mobil's efforts to discount climate science, and painful layoffs during the oil bust while CEOs of bankrupt companies made off with millions - are starting to influence both public policy and industry recruiting efforts.

Many young people would rather work for tech companies that they believe are operating in the public interest.

It's something the EY consultants like to call an industry's "social license to operate." Come off as too evil, and eventually the walls cave in. "This is a call to action," Deborah Byers, EY's U.S. energy leader, said at an event unveiling the research.

So, is there anything the oil industry can do to solve the problem?

The EY consultants suggest the oil industry's problem is one of perception. If only people knew what executives knew, they wouldn't be so eager for a quick transition to wind and solar.

"They don't have as many of the facts," said John Hartung, a U.S. strategy principal with the firm who spent 11 years at Mobil before it combined with Exxon. "The executives have run the numbers, and the younger generations have not."

But consumer perceptions seem based on facts, too. It's a fact that the Earth is warming fairly quickly now and scientists attribute most of the blame to carbon emissions from fossil fuels. It's a fact that oil spills have caused enormous damage to coastal environments. It's a fact that air quality regulations and more efficient cars, which the oil industry hasn't exactly championed, have meaningfully improved life in cities around the world.

Rather than a perception problem, the oil industry would seem to have a behavior problem. Some companies, like BP and the French company Total, have taken actions that conform with popular desires for cleaner power, shifting their portfolios away from oil and toward lower-carbon sources of energy, including natural gas.

It's a lot easier to fix your message when you have something real to talk about.
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BEIJING - China will seek to burnish President Xi Jinping's stature as a world-class statesman at an international gathering centered on his signature foreign policy effort that envisions a future world order in which all roads lead to Beijing.

The Belt and Road Forum opening Sunday is the latest in a series of high-profile appearances aimed at projecting Xi's influence on the global stage ahead of a key congress of the ruling Communist Party later this year. All feed a fundamental yearning among ordinary Chinese: to see their country's prestige and status rise.

Leaders from 28 countries are set to attend, including Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines. The most prominent attendee from the West will be Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni.

Other Western nations, including the United States, will be represented by junior officials. Washington is sending a delegation led by Matt Pottinger, special assistant to the president and senior director for east Asia at the National Security Council.

Britain, Germany and France are to be represented by finance officials.

That's partly because of developments at home, but also is a reflection of concerns that China may be exporting its standards on human rights, the environment and government transparency, while leaving poor countries with unsustainable levels of debt.

Yet the forum is as much about promoting Xi's image at home as it is about pushing his vision abroad.

His signature initiative is formally known as "One Belt, One Road."

It aims to reassert China's past prominence as the dominant power in Asia whose culture and economy deeply influenced its neighbors as far as Africa and Europe.

It speaks deeply to Chinese pride in their country's explosive economic growth and political clout after a century of humiliation at the hands of foreign powers that formally ended with Mao Zedong's communist revolution in 1949.

The initiative also furthers the Xi administration's reputation for muscular foreign policy. Under Xi, China has strongly asserted its claim to virtually the entire strategic South China Sea and established the Asian Infrastructure Development Bank as a global institution alongside the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and International Monetary Fund.
Saudi Arabia is preparing to cement ties with President Donald Trump by committing to unprecedented investments in the U.S.

The kingdom's sovereign wealth fund is set to announce plans to deploy as much as $40 billion into U.S. infrastructure, according to people familiar with the matter. The investment may be unveiled as early as next week to coincide with Trump's visit to the kingdom, said the people, asking not to be identified as the information is private. No final decisions have been made and the announcement may still be delayed, they said.

Saudi Arabia is eager to reset relations with the new U.S. administration after feeling shunned by President Barack Obama, who crafted the 2015 nuclear deal with their Shiite rival Iran. The kingdom claimed a "historic turning point" in bilateral relations after President Trump met Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the White House earlier this year. On May 19, Trump will make his first foreign trip since taking office, visiting Saudi Arabia and Jerusalem before heading to Europe.

A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the plans were in the works and that Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, had played a critical role in the discussions. A representative for Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund declined to comment. The Ministry of Finance didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump in March offered his support for developing a new U.S.-Saudi program in energy, industry, infrastructure and technology that could be valued at more than $200 billion in direct and indirect investments within the next four years, according to the White House. The president has said he intends to push for$1 trillion in U.S. infrastructure investments over the next decade, with $200 billion coming from taxpayers and the rest from the private sector.

Saudi Arabia is planning to expand its sovereign wealth fund into the world's largest as part of its attempts to diversify away from oil after prices slumped. The kingdom will transfer ownership of Saudi Arabian Oil Co. to the PIF, as well as the proceeds from the oil company's initial public offering. The fund could eventually control more than $2 trillion, bin Salman has said.

Since last year, the PIF has funneled about $50 billion of the kingdom's reserves into investments abroad, almost all of it into technology.

It has said it will commit as much as $45 billion to partner with SoftBank Group Corp. to set up a new $100 billion vehicle to invest in global technology. The fund also invested $3.5 billion in Uber Technologies last June.

Still, the Saudi government's economic reforms have caused push back at home as residents complained about slashed government spending and the suspension of some allowances for state employees. Bin Salman said this month that 50 percent to 70 percent of income from its initial public offering of Saudi Aramco, what may be the largest-ever listing, will be used on domestic investments.
NEW ORLEANS - An energy company pleaded guilty Friday to safety and environmental charges, agreeing to a $4.2 million penalty and avoiding manslaughter charges in connection with a 2012 offshore oil platform fire that killed three workers.

Court documents show Houston-based Black Elk Energy pleaded guilty to nine charges related to the Nov. 16, 2012, fire off Louisiana's coast. Prosecutors agreed to seek dismissal of three involuntary manslaughter counts.

The plea agreement filed in U.S. District Court in New Orleans says prosecutors believe it's appropriate because the company is in bankruptcy proceedings.

The penalty will be listed as an unsecured claim in the bankruptcy case. Also, prosecutors said the company won't re-emerge as an oil and gas operator or seek Gulf of Mexico energy leases.

Formal sentencing was set for August.

The company pleaded guilty to eight violations of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and one violation of the Clean Water Act.

A 2013 report by federal regulators identified a string of safety lapses that led to the blast, which killed Ellroy Corporal, Jerome Malagapo and Avelino Tajonera.

The platform was about 17 miles from Grand Isle, La., in about 52 feet of water.

It had been "shut in" and wasn't producing oil at the time of the explosion.

Workers were on the platform preparing to resume production. On the morning of Nov. 16, 2012, a worker ignited oil vapors while welding pipe, triggering a chain reaction that caused oil tanks to explode.
At least 21 cars at the Sienna Plantation subdivision were burglarized in the first two weeks of May, the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Department said.

Investigators believe two groups of people have been breaking into cars at the subdivision in a practice called "car hopping."
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Lisa Little, 39, sat on a wheeled office chair on the sidewalk of Congress Street at the U.S. 59 overpass, about two home-run lengths from Minute Maid Park.

Little said when she can't find a friend's couch to crash on, she sleeps at the overpass, where on Friday a dozen or so cardboard mats stretched across the sidewalk. "I've got nowhere to go," she said. "Then they try to criminalize you. You get tickets all day long."

Homeless people like Little who sleep under highway overpasses near downtown Houston spent the day winnowing their possessions to comply with a city ordinance that went into effect Friday. It's not a crime to sleep outside, but it is now illegal to set up tents "or any other structure for living" in a public place, and any personal belongings must fit inside a 3-foot cube.

The city ordinance instructs the Houston Police Department to tell people about the new requirements and give them a formal warning if violations continue. Only "a reasonable time" after the warnings can officers give citations, which carry fines up to $500. Arrests can follow, though the head of the mental health division made clear that handcuffs are a last resort.

"There's not a rush to arrest, or even cite," Capt. William Staney said. "We want to make sure that we give everybody due notice, that we help them come into compliance."

"We're not expecting many arrests," he said. "That's not the goal at all."

Caseworkers visit

Though the ordinance took effect Friday, a month after City Council approved it with a single dissenting vote, Staney said on the first day officers did not give any formal warnings.

For now, nonprofit caseworkers are visiting encampments to explain the rules, accompanied by police officers from the Homeless Outreach Team, who spend so much time with folks on the street they know each other by name.

Across the street from Little, an information sheet flapped in the wind Friday, taped to a chair nestled among a pile of belongings that stretched more than 10 feet along a fence.

People who sleep nearby said the owner had not been seen in days and might be in jail.

The pile illustrated what service providers say is a recent problem: encampments encroaching more and more on highly visible public space in Houston.

"We've never had tent cities before," said Thao Costis, CEO of Search Homeless Services. "There are no easy places for people to tuck away anymore."

That is a side effect of the city center's rapid development in recent decades, said Costis, who has worked with Houston's homeless since 1992.

Many used to camp along Buffalo Bayou, for instance, but now the area hosts a new park with popular running trails.

Though the Houston area has nearly 60 percent fewer homeless people than five years ago, those who remain often are more visible, which spurred resident complaints that, in turn, motivated council members to support twin ordinances to regulate encampments and panhandling.

Two blocks north of the ballpark, a red-topped tent that could fit at least six people sat near jerry-rigged structures alongside the Commerce Street overpass, just across Chartres Street from a trendy cafe filling up with lunch-hour customers.

More enforcement

Near the tent, a woman ate crackers and bologna as she sat on a chair planted among wood pallets covered with blankets.

"They tell me I have to have a 3-by-3 (box), and that's not sufficient," said the woman, who would only give her first name, Mary. "We shouldn't be pushed out from where we're living.  We have a right to live just like everyone."

Mary said she was on the list for a housing voucher but recently learned she would have to wait at least another year due to federal funding cuts.

Trash collectors had come Friday morning to pick up items that people were willing to toss, Mary said. But the jumble around her clearly had not shrunk enough to comply with the city ordinance.

HPD plans to slowly step up enforcement over the coming weeks.

"We understand that people don't like the blight of the tents," Capt. Staney said. "We're going to get rid of them, (but) it'll be a little longer."

"These are human beings we're dealing with," he added.

Officers giving citations first must offer to connect violators with medical care, addiction treatment or temporary shelter; only people who refuse help should be arrested, according to a department circular distributed Friday with Chief Art Acevedo's signature.

Both the information sheets and the formal warnings contain a list of shelters. However, many homeless people say they find shelters rarely have open beds, especially for people who don't fall into a special category such as military veterans or abused women. Little said she had tried to sleep at shelters but had little luck.

The HPD captain expressed optimism about the situation.

"Right now the shelters are working with us and saying that if somebody tells us they want shelter, we're going to get them shelter that night," Staney said. "That might not work for 100 percent of the people, but it will work for almost all of them."
A federal appeals court granted Harris County a last-minute reprieve late Friday in a contentious civil rights lawsuit, calling a temporary halt to a judge's order that would have altered the way cash bail is handled every week for hundreds of people jailed on misdemeanor charges.

In an order posted after the courthouse closed Friday, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted the request of the county's teams of lawyers to stop the order - set to take effect Monday - until the appeals court can further review the matter.

The court - posted by a three-judge panel - notes it issued the temporary halt to the order "in light of the lack of time before the district court's injunction will take effect and in order to allow full consideration of the following motions and any responses thereto."

First Assistant County Attorney Robert Soard said the ruling will give the court time to fully consider the issues.

"The county attorney is pleased that the 5th Circuit has granted the stay to give us more time to work toward a settlement that is in the interest of all the people of Harris County," he said late Friday. "They said, 'Let's just stop a minute.'"

Criminal Court at Law Judge Darrell Jordan - who was the only judge who did not want to appeal the decision - was disappointed with the appeals court decision.

"I don't know why we're still fighting this," he said. "Millions of dollars of Harris County money is going to be wasted."

Sheriff Ed Gonzalez had already been preparing paperwork for the expected release of about 80 indigent inmates locked up while awaiting trial on misdemeanors.

The county had argued in two separate motions filed by different teams of lawyers that the order by Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal in Houston would have upended the county's bail system and put the public at risk if the misdemeanor defendants were released.

"The injunction jeopardizes public safety - the harm is real and imminent," one group of lawyers argued.

Another request filed by a second team on behalf of the county's Criminal Court at Law Judges was even more blunt about the perceived impact of the Rosenthal's order.

"The district court's startling constitutional ruling prohibits the enforcement of state law, mandates the release of untold numbers of potentially dangerous arrestees, presents a grave risk to public safety, and radically upsets the status quo," according to the second motion filed Friday afternoon.

Attorneys representing the inmates dubbed the arguments "the same smoke and mirrors."

"In a last-ditch effort to avoid complying with the Constitution and federal and state law, Appellants resort to fear-mongering and hyperbolic rhetoric about the supposed 'danger' of Judge Rosenthal's order," they argued.

The appeals court decision comes amid growing opposition to the county's bail system and legal fees that had approached $3 million earlier this week.

Gonzalez, who took office Jan. 1, is among those who believes the bail system should be overhauled. He said about 100 inmates a day would have been affected by the new bail system.

"We are prepared to comply, allowing many inmates to return to their homes while their cases get resolved in court," he said Friday, before the ruling. "We need to make sure we keep peace in our community, but the system should be compassionate."

Gonzalez was joined by District Attorney Kim Ogg and Commissioner Rodney Ellis in supporting the changes.

Women out on bail

Community activists took matters into their own hands this week by working with the sheriff's office to identify and bail out mothers who were being held on low-level charges.

The Texas Organizing Project bailed out two women this week and was hoping to get a third out Friday, in time for Mother's Day on Sunday.

Rosenthal, chief judge in the Houston district, issued a temporary injunction last month to halt the county's current bail system, which she said violates the U.S. Constitution by treating low-income misdemeanor defendants differently than those who can pay to get out of jail.

In a sharply worded 193-page opinion on April 28, Rosenthal ordered the county to release qualified misdemeanor defendants on personal bonds if they are too poor to pay cash bail. Inmates who are facing additional, serious charges, or who have warrants or other legal restraints, are not included in the order.

She gave the county two weeks to prepare for releasing inmates on personal bond, with the order set to go into effect at just after midnight Sunday.

Judge rejected request

Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to appeal the decision, setting off a flurry of last-minute legal action throughout the week. After Rosenthal rejected a request to set aside her order to give the county more time, the county appealed to the 5th Circuit court.

The lawsuit was filed last year by two civil rights groups - Texas Fair Defense Project and Civil Rights Corps - and local law firm Susman Godfrey on behalf of Maranda ODonnell, a single mother who was held for two days on a charge of driving without a valid license because she couldn't afford the $2,500 bail.

Ellis said it's time for the county to stop the expensive fight.

"The county should stop wasting time and tax dollars defending the indefensible and start investing in our broken justice system," he said in a written statement before the appeals court ruling.
Concerns about an ugly student confrontation prompted Texas Southern University to cancel a scheduled commencement address Saturday by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, the second-ranking Republican in the Senate.

The decision at the historically black college comes amid a student petition demanding that Cornyn be blocked from speaking and urging that all graduating students and their families "express their discontent" if he does.

By Friday, 863 people had signed the petition on change.org, an online activist petition network.

Texas Southern released a statement saying that the decision was made for the sake of the students and their families: "Every consideration is made to ensure that our student's graduation day is a celebratory occasion and one they will remember positively for years to come. We asked Senator Cornyn to instead visit with our students again at a future date in order to keep the focus on graduates and their families."

Cornyn aides said the decision to cancel his appearance was the school's, not his. "Sen. Cornyn was honored to be invited to address TSU's graduates, but he respects the administration's decision and looks forward to continuing to engage with the University in the future," said a Cornyn spokesman.

Free speech debate

The school's decision comes amid a growing national debate about free speech on college campuses, following increasingly frequent student protests and several high-profile cancellations, mostly directed at conservative speakers.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was booed at a commencement address this week at Bethune-Cookman University, a black college in Daytona Beach, Fla. It also comes weeks after protests led a student group at the University of California at Berkeley to pull the plug on a speech by conservative commentator Ann Coulter. That decision followed clashes over President Donald Trump, and the cancellation of an appearance by right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos amid destructive student disturbances.

DeVos, amid heckling, boos, and gown-clad graduates turning their backs, could be seen on news footage Wednesday appealing for respectful dissent. "Let's choose to hear each other out," she said.

The change.org petition was sponsored by 26-year-old Rebecca Trevino, 2017 graduate in social work from San Antonio. In an interview Friday, she said she had no desire to censor Cornyn, but rather to represent the values of the school.

"What I want people to realize is that this is our commencement," Trevino said. "This is something we've worked hard for, and we want someone who represents us and our values."

She posted the petition online a week ago, after hearing about Cornyn's invitation. "This is an issue that's important to me and my classmates," she added. "We have a lot of pride in our school, and we're very protective of who comes by."

In an online appeal for signatures, she said that "Cornyn and his political party create and support policies that cause harm to marginalized communities." She also cited Cornyn's votes to approve DeVos, Jeff Sessions as attorney general, and his support for voter ID law.

The student petition also cites his opposition to federal funding for "sanctuary cities" and his past support for a constitutional ban of same-sex marriage.

Sense of 'jubilation'

Word spread among students on social media Thursday night before the school's official announcement Friday, said sophomore Kernard Jones, who is studying political science.

When students realized that the speech's cancellation was fact, not rumor, there was a sense of "jubilation," he said.

He said the petition took off because many students saw Cornyn's speech as hypocritical, as they did not see the senator as invested in TSU or any historically black university.

"(Cornyn) really doesn't have a connection with Texas Southern University," Jones said. "I'm pretty sure if we were to shut down tomorrow, then he wouldn't put up that much of a fight to keep us open. And that's what really makes us as students really turn our backs on him."

Marcus Smith, a graduating senior and the student newspaper's editor, said he wasn't surprised that the university made a change based on the concerns of student activists.

Last year, a Take Back TSU campaign on social media led to safety improvements around campus.

"When the students rally together and use their voice, a lot gets done and a lot can happen," he said. "I knew it was only a matter of time before it would be changed."

'No shouts. No boos.'

Texas Southern, founded in 1927 as the Houston Colored Junior College, is considered one of the nation's leading historically black colleges, with nearly 10,000 students. About three-fourths of the students are African-American, with the rest a mix of Hispanics, whites and international students.

Among its most famous graduates was the late congresswoman Barbara Jordan, who chose Texas Southern after racial segregation prevented her from attending the University of Texas at Austin.

Cornyn's first visit to TSU's campus was in February 2016. Then, he toured TSU's aviation and engineering program, its pharmacy simulation lab and the Thurgood Marshall School of Law, where he met with faculty and students.

"This is my first time here, but it is long overdue," he said, according to a university publication from the time.

Cornyn's invitation to commencement was reportedly extended in part because of his help in securing federal funding for historically black colleges.

In February, Cornyn praised Trump for signing an executive order to prioritize federal support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs): "For generations these institutions have provided Texas students with high quality education and a great sense of community and history," he said. "The President's commitment today is significant, and I hope even more Texans will be afforded the chance to become a part of these storied institutions across our state."

Trevino said she understood that, and that there was no intention to disrupt his speech or create an ugly scene. "In no way would we do anything violent," she said. "That's the farthest from what we are." The protesters' plan, she said, was to stand up silently and face away when Cornyn spoke. "No shouts, no boos. Just a silent and peaceful form of protest," she said.

U.S. Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee and Al Green will give the commencement address.
In the final weeks of World War II, a friendly delegation of child ambassadors from the Soviet Union gifted the U.S. Embassy in Moscow with a 2-foot-wide wooden carving of the Great Seal of the United States. The memento of the Allied victory hung in the ambassador's residential study for several years. Then, one fateful day, radio operators at the British Embassy started to pick up American conversations. It turned out that the wooden seal housed a secret, passive listening device that Western intelligence agencies deemed "The Great Seal Bug" or "The Thing."

Today's spycraft experts probably had this story on their minds as they watched President Donald Trump welcome the Russian Foreign Minister and Russian Ambassador into the Oval Office on Wednesday, alongside a member of the Russian state media and his photography equipment.

Every passing week brings news about cyberattacks on the United States and our allies, and yet Trump seems dedicated to ignoring or even defending the party responsible - Vladimir Putin's Russia.

Trump's administration remained remarkably silent after the French presidential election was hit by a Russia-backed email hacking and digital assault that appeared to target the eventual winner, Emmanuel Macron.

"Complicating Trump's silence is the fact that the president recently praised (Marine) Le Pen, who is friendly with Russian President Vladimir Putin," Politico reporter Eric Geller wrote this week.

Without a strong response from the United States, what's the incentive for the bad actors to stop?

The situation is exacerbated by Trump's refusal to accept U.S. intelligence agency findings about Russian involvement. As former FBI special agent Clint Watts testified before Congress back in March, Trump even used Russian online propaganda to boost his election campaign.

These sorts of cyberattacks aren't confined to the political realm. As Chronicle reporter Collin Eaton documented in a series, Houston's energy industry remains a vulnerable and alluring target. How long until our city falls under the digital cross hairs of foreign agents running amok?

To his credit, Trump did sign a cybersecurity executive order this week, though it isn't clear whether this is the anti-hacking plan that he had promised to release by April 20. Experts have described the order as a continuation of the Obama administration's efforts. U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., dismissed it as "more assessments, reports, and reviews" instead of "policy, strategy, and the resources to carry them out."

The order is already too little, too late for a cyberattack that on Friday struck hospitals and businesses across dozens of nations using stolen National Security Agency hacking tools. Edward Snowden, an NSA leaker and whistleblower who lives in Moscow, pointed to Russia as likely responsible for the heist.

The United States waits for the FBI to complete an investigation into the Russian cyberattacks. However, that effort risks stalling after Trump fired the man in charge - James Comey.

So why did Trump show Comey the door?

"In fact, when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, you know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story," he said in an interview with NBC.

Democrats and Republicans alike have a responsibility to resist Trump's agenda until the American people can be reassured of a thorough and independent investigation into Russia's online actions and intentions.

After the tidal wave of news during the past week, we can't help but speculate whether some Russian agent left a modern-day Great Seal Bug in the Oval Office. But the real worry is whether the thing that makes our nation less safe was put there by the voters.
I thought of my mother many times over the last few weeks. Her personal struggles getting health insurance came rushing back to me during the national debate over repealing the health care law in Congress. My mom had multiple sclerosis. When she could no longer work and lost her job-based insurance, she was uninsurable. Her only option was something called a "high-risk pool."

Before the Affordable Care Act, high-risk pools offered high-cost health insurance to people who were denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions. Obamacare ended the need for high-risk pools by ensuring that people could not be denied coverage or charged more because of a pre-existing condition.

To my shock, the "American Health Care Act" rammed through the U.S. House this month without any real debate brings back high-risk pools. Under the new proposal, if a state sets up a high-risk pool, it can gut coverage guarantees for people with pre-existing conditions.

Many Texas congressmen who voted for this back-to-the-future scheme, like U.S. Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston, have come home to constituents who are concerned and upset about the bill.

My mom faced a terrible trade-off - she raided her retirement savings to pay for her immediate health care needs, putting at risk her future financial security. She was able to maintain coverage in this rigged system only because she was just two years away from Medicare eligibility. Most Texans with pre-existing conditions and no access to job-based coverage weren't as fortunate. At its peak, the pool covered only around 30,000 Texans, a tiny fraction of the 6 million uninsured residents Texas had at that point. Just saying that a high-risk pool is available, but with no assurance of affordable premiums, is meaningless.

The health care repeal bill is bad for moms in many other ways. It will reduce access to prenatal care through both Medicaid and private insurance. Moms and babies fare worse when pregnant women get late or no prenatal care. Texas has recently experienced a disturbing spike in pregnancy-related deaths of mothers that puts our maternal mortality rate on par with developing countries. Sadly, any efforts to address maternal mortality will be undermined by the health repeal bill, which would cause 2.5 million Texans to lose health insurance over the next decade.

Then there is Medicaid. Texas Medicaid covers the cost of more than half of all births in Texas. It also insures more than 40 percent of all Texas kids, and pays for virtually all of the care for children with profound disabilities. Medicaid helps fund special education services in our schools. And it is Medicaid, not Medicare, that pays for the care of two out of three people in nursing homes.

In other words, Medicaid plays an essential role in helping mothers get health care - whether providing care during childbirth or care for our mothers as they age - and it helps moms keep their kids healthy too.

The health care repeal bill cuts $840 billion from Medicaid over the decade and causes 14 million Americans to lose their Medicaid coverage. Medicaid cuts will cause real harm to moms and their children.

The health care repeal bill blocks federal Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood for contraception and well woman exams for a year. To support moms, we need to ensure they have the tools to plan and space their pregnancies - in other words more, not less, access to family planning.

The health repeal bill opens the door to letting insurance companies charge more - possibly much more - to people with pre-existing conditions, including pregnancy, at the same time as it weakens assurances that pregnancy will be covered at all by many insurance policies.

Congress should commit that any health care bill will, at a minimum, pass the Jimmy Kimmel test  "no family should be denied medical care, emergency or otherwise, because they can't afford it." Congress should ensure that no one loses coverage and that out-of-pocket costs decline. Congress should ensure that Medicaid remains a strong pillar of our health care system, able to support moms at the beginning of our pregnancies and through our final years. Congress should ensure that women have more access to family planning services and that maternity is covered in our insurance like any other type of health care.

If we had such assurances, moms like me would have a lot more to celebrate this Mother's Day.

Pogue is a senior policy analyst for the Austin-based nonprofit think tank, Center for Public Policy Priorities.
M. Ryder

When Emily Johnson walked across the stage Friday at Rice University's commencement, her mom Mary's face beamed with pride. This is the dream of mothers everywhere - to see their children finish college healthy, happy and ready to make a difference.

Though she just graduated from college, in many ways Emily's life has come full circle. When she was born six weeks too early in a hospital in Englewood, Colo., Emily was placed on a breathing machine called CPAP, short for "continuous positive airway pressure." CPAP blows a bit of air and essentially props open premature babies' lungs so they don't have to fight for every breath. Because CPAP was available at Emily's birth hospital, she lived, and she and her mom were able to reminisce this week about the thrill Emily got when she received her confetti-filled acceptance letter from Rice four years ago. They also were able to marvel that Emily's time at Rice included working to help bring CPAP to hospitals in one of the world's poorest nations.
The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, the countrys largest single-day food drive on Saturday, provides residents with an easy way to donate food to those in need in the community.

Customers simply leave their donation of non-perishable goods next to their mailbox before the delivery of the mail. Letter carriers will collect these food donations on that day as they deliver mail along their postal routes and distribute them to local food pantries.

Last years event collected more than 255,000 pounds of food for pantries in southwest Missouri

Not only do 1 in 5 residents live below the poverty line and some go hungry in the Ozarks, local food pantries are struggling to keep their shelves full, according to organizers of the Letter Carriers Food Derive.

People are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag  paper or plastic  containing non-perishable foods, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, canned meats and fish, pasta, peanut butter, rice or cereal, next to their mailbox before the regular mail delivery.

Letter carriers will take that food to local food banks, pantries or shelters. Several partners are assisting the NALC in the food drive: the U.S. Postal Service, the National Rural Letter Carriers Association (NRLCA), the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), Valpak, AFL-CIO Labor Engagement Partnership with United Way of the Ozarks, the AFL-CIO, the AARP Foundation and Valassis.
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Dear fellow media executive,

Too many times in my career, I have had to remind myself that the colour of my skin matters.

Too many times, when I would rather focus on where merit has brought me, I have to say it matters that a Chinese-Canadian journalist could be a managing editor of a newsroom that wasn't printing or broadcasting in Chinese.

It matters because while there are more than enough talented people of colour in this industry -- even more so have come on board the last two decades -- those of us who are here are frustrated.

We have so far to go. And it's beyond time to talk about it. It's time to start doing.

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I know, because I am a senior leader in this industry. Before HuffPost, I have served in senior roles at newspapers, once my name inhabited a national sheet's masthead. I have sat among editors at daily news meetings. I have seen floods of interns stream into our newsrooms with the hope that the tide would turn.

Hope, it appears, doesn't amount to much.

You can see it in the bylines, in the ranks of columnists who shape the daily opinion, in the senior leadership of just about every Canadian media organization. Forget leadership, just go walk into any newsroom and look around -- then go outside and walk the streets of a city like Toronto and you know there is a disconnect.

Canada's newsrooms are not diverse. And we are all suffering for it.

"We have so far to go. And it's beyond time to talk about it. It's time to start doing."

We do not collectively reflect what the census (and common sense) will tell you about how Canada no longer resembles what it looked like 150 years ago.

Journalists -- no matter the stripe -- will tell you they are looking to tell good stories. They want to be fair, accurate and considered. It's true, but I believe that every person's experience creates a frame of reference for what matters -- what is news, what are stories that should be told. More so, when coverage becomes a "us and them" exercise, you know something is wrong.

Advertisement

Newsrooms are imperfect places shaped by human experiences -- stories stem from "kitchen table" conversation to the cultural class those journalists inhabit. Earlier in my career, as a still-green manager, I would watch award-winning features and front-page plans come to life based on "what I heard this weekend" -- in most cases the "what I heard" came from a mostly male, mostly white experience.

Jumpstart to conversation

Here's the rub. Having now led a newsroom for the past six years, I know it's possible to not only address diversity, but actually do it.

HuffPost Canada's senior leadership, including my boss, are all minorities. More than 50 per cent of my newsroom of 35 are visible minorities. When we speak about coverage of the black experience, or the LGBTQ experience or Muslim experience or being a child of the immigrant, our newsroom only needs to look around and realize we at least have a jumpstart to the conversation.

Why? Because we are talking about ourselves.

You should do it too.

Want to know the secret?

I'll give it away for free.

Hire diversely.

No, I don't mean think about it, or create a program to encourage it.

Do it.

And do it now. Your next hire -- from your next intern to your middle manager. To -- gasp -- your next editor-in-chief or managing editor or top columnist.

Advertisement

And your next hire and the next one after that.

You'll be only better for it, and you find a way to be relevant.
Ava Jones signing highlights NSD for Iowa women's basketball

Ava Jones' inspirational story added another chapter Wednesday when she officially signed with the Hawkeyes.
Cutting the ribbon on the Lime Street extension of the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail. Bike rentals were available. The length of the trail took a few tables to accommodate. Selectman John Duval was master of ceremonies. District 1 Highway Director Francisca Heming calls the extension a milestone for the trail and the town of Adams. Michael Knapik brings greetings from Gov. Charlie Baker. State Rep. Gailanne Cariddi has been involved with bike path efforts for years. State Sen. Adam Hinds says the trail is about taking advantage of area's assets. Historical Society President Eugene Michalenko gives some history about the trail and the rail. 'We are so lucky to have this beautiful path,' says Berkshire Bike Path President Marjorie Cohan. PreviousNext

Adams Celebrates Rail Trail Extension Opening



State and local officials lined up to cut the ribbon opening the trail.

ADAMS, Mass.  Bicyclists rolled into the Adams Station on Friday afternoon from all directions to celebrate the official opening of the 1.2-mile extension of the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail that goes from Hoosac Street to Lime Street.

Town officials, state representatives and those who played a critical role in the development of bike path turned out under sunny skies for an official ribbon cutting to celebrate its opening.



"This event has a special significance  and it is not every day that we have the opportunity to celebrate these kinds of projects," District 1 Highway Director Francisca Heming said, calling the extension another milestone for the trail and the town of Adams.



"With the completion of this section, it will be possible for more residents in more neighborhoods to walk or bike from their homes to the downtown."



Michael Knapik, a spokesman for Gov. Charlie Baker, called the project a great example of a state and community partnership.



"Anybody who wonders what a community can be in this complicated time of 2017, well this is a great example of what can happen when you can secure state and federal resources," he said. "You can make a difference literally for generations to come."



The $3.3 million project has been years in the making and is considered the initial phase in connecting the 12-mile long path north to North Adams. While the path from Lanesborough to the center of Adams opened more than a decade ago along an abandoned rail line, planning for the new extension was set back a few years to accommodate changes that will allow the Berkshire Scenic Railway to run alongside it from Renfrew to the refurbished Adams Station.



Construction began last year on state-funded extension and it was largely complete by snowfall. The town had already matched a state parks grant to rebuild an old car wash next to the trail into the Adams Station. Town leaders have hoped the station, trail and scenic railway will spark development and tourism in Adams struggling downtown.



State Rep. Gailanne Cariddi attributed the project's success to the town leaders who pushed the project along throughout the years.



"Without their foresight in envisioning this this type of development, it may not have come true," she said. "We have here not only an economic driver but something beneficial to the health of this community and all of those who use the trail in Berkshire County."



State Sen. Adam Hinds added that the citizens' determination had a role in the trail's implementation.



"Truthfully it was all of you sitting out there who decided to have a common vision and get together a lock elbows until it was done," Hinds said. "We are turning a corner with economic development and that is what I love about this trail not only is it good for exercise, but is part of what we are using to brand ourselves ... and it takes advantage of our assets."
U.S. Rep. John Lewis gives the commencement address at MCLA on Saturday, telling the graduates to be brave, bold and courageous. Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash makes an unannounced appearance. The line of graduates makes their way through the gates and up to the Amsler Campus Center. PreviousNext

Civil Rights Icon John Lewis Tells MCLA Grads to 'Get in the Way'



President Jamie Birge shakes the hand of a graduate wearing Birge's trademark fashion statements  a bowtie. See more photos here. NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  An icon of Civil Rights Movement, U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Alanta, Ga., urged the class of 2017 to "be brave, be bold, be courageous" and turn the world upside down.

"There are forces in America today that want to take us back to another place, another time," he told the graduates at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on Saturday morning. "We've come too far, we've made too much progress and we must not go back, we must go forward as a nation."

The Georgia Democrat was met with rounds of applause as he spoke from the stage at MCLA's 118th commencement exercises in the Amsler Campus Center. As he completed his speech, someone from crowd yelled out, "we love you, John Lewis!"

He recalled growing up on his father's farm with its cotton, corn, peanuts, hogs and cows. With the idea of becoming a minister, he and his siblings would gather the chickens for practice preaching  and the birds would bob and shake their heads. They wouldn't say "amen," Lewis said, but they seemed to have listened to him more than some of his colleagues did ... and produced more, too, he added to laughter.

But his family would quiet him when he asked why there were signs for colored and white, why he and his friends had to sit in the balcony at the theater while the white children were on floor, why he couldn't get a library card.

Don't get in the way and don't get I trouble, they told him, it's just the way things are.

But as teenager he heard about Rosa Parks refusing to give up her bus seat, and about the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

"It inspired me to find a way to get in the way ... and I got in the way," he said.

Lewis would join King and the Civil Rights Movement and help organize the 1963 March on Washington as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. He would be arrested 40 times, and five more while representing Georgia's 5th District. The last time was in 2013 during a protest by Democratic lawmakers at the Capitol as they tried to push the Republican House leadership to bring forward an immigration bill that Lewis said had enough bipartisan support to pass.

"It doesn't make sense for millions and millions of people, including little children, to be living in fear in the United States of America," Lewis said. "Set them on the path to citizenship."

As King had once said, Lewis continued, "we all came to this land in different ships, but now we're all in the same boat."

More recently, Lewis was in the news after stating the incoming president was "illegitimate," which led Donald Trump to tweet that Lewis, who has fought for equal rights for 50 years, was "all talk."

In an impromptu speech, Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash brought greetings to Lewis from Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, after joking he'd stopped first at a giant pancake breakfast in Springfield.

"Gov. Baker has asked me especially Congressman Lewis, to thank you for being here, for sharing your special leadership with this class and continuing to be the inspiration you are not only to this class but to the entire commonwealth," he said. "We're so lucky to have had you serving in Congress. We look forward to your continued service and we hope that out of this audience is the next Congressman John Lewis ready to serve. ...

"So thank you sir for all that you've done for this country."

The 13-term congressman does feel that there has been progress. He told of how whites and blacks had come to hear him speak at book signing in the library that once had refused him a library card. And the time an elderly former Ku Klux Klan member had come to his office to admit he had beaten Lewis and his friends when they'd entered a white waiting room. He asked for forgiveness.

"He cried, his son cried. The three of us cried together. It is the power of the way of peace," the congressman said. "We must have the ability to forgive. To respect the dignity and the words of everybody ...

"I believe there is the spark of the divine in everyone and we don't have the right to abuse it."

He encouraged them to adhere to the philosophy of peaceful resistance, and to push back against the "mean spirit" that's been evident recently. Don't hate, he said, because that's too heavy a burden to carry but rather love as much as possible.

"Get out there, get in the way, get in trouble, good trouble, necessary trouble and make some noise," he shouted.

Lewis was presented an honorary doctor in public service, one of three distinguished guests getting honorary degrees on Saturday. Anne W. Crowley, a 1977 MCLA graduate and former senior adviser to New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, received an honorary doctor of humane letters for her work in the public and private sphere; Berkshire Health Systems President and CEO David E. Phelps also received an honorary doctor of public service. All three will have books placed in Freel Library in their names.

Among the speakers was Student Government Association President Timothy P. Williams of Coxsackie, N.Y., who was earning a bachelor's degree in political science, and special education teacher Christopher Tamburrino, earning a master's of education. Graduates Crysta Cheverie, Victoria Fernandez and Virvioly Valdez sang "American the Beautiful" and were joined by the chorus for "You Will Be Found."

Christine Condaris, faculty marshal and professor in the Fine and Performing Arts Department, led the procession; Cynthia Brown, vice president of academic affairs presented the candidates and Graziana Ramsden, professor of language, announced the candidates. The usual gathering on the lawn afterwards was moved to Venable Hall because of the threat of rain.

As many of the graduates prepared to enter the workforce, Secretary Ash asked them to consider Massachusetts, saying many of existing and new businesses have told him they are unable to find the skilled workers they need.

"I would say across every spectrum there are jobs available," he said. "Here in Massachusetts, there's an opportunity to do anything you want anywhere you want."

President James Birge charged them with making the world a better place.

"There is a pressing need in the world for thoughtful intelligent, creative people the world and our communities are calling for more MCLA graduates to ameliorate the conditions that have become so oppressive and so dangerous for so many," he said, reminding them that the college's motto of "in light there is truth."

"MCLA has lighted the lantern of truth in you use this light to reveal what you can do to improve the world for all of us."
Sweets companies fall into foreign hands

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnamese investors develop their businesses well in the beginning stages of growth, but have difficulty after expansion, analysts say.













Vietnamese investors develop their businesses well in the beginning stages of growth, but have difficulty after expansion, analysts say.



In mid-2016, Kido, formerly named Kinh Do, sold the remaining 20 percent stake to the foreign partner, worth VND2 trillion, officially ending the 23-year period of developing the Vietnamese sweets brand.Prior to that, in 2014, Kido sold 80 percent of the sweets manufacturing division to Mondelez International from the US in a deal worth $370 million, or VND7.846 trillion.

As such, the well known sweets brand, has officially become 100 percent foreign owned. The founder of Kinh Do brand repeatedly said that selling the sweets manufacturing division was a business strategy intentionally pursued by the group, and that this was not a hostile takeover deal.



Kido now gathers its strength in making ice cream, while it has jumped into the vegetable oil market.



The M&A deal is considered the largest in the confectionery industry in the domestic market.



In 2013, Kinh Do once successfully took over Vinabico, a brand established in 1974. With the deal, the company, which was a joint stock company, became a single limited company. And after the merger, Vinabico no longer has the independent legal status since early 2015.



Another Vietnamese sweets brand  Bibica  is also in the danger of being swallowed by foreign investors.



Unlike Kinh Do and Mondelez International, which had a stake transfer deal on a voluntary basis, Bibica has been the target of a hostile takeover intention from South Korea's Lotte Group.



After many years of collecting shares and struggling to obtain seats on the board of directors, Lotte now has two representatives in the board. The partner from South Korea has become the biggest shareholder in Bibica, representing 44 percent of the companys charter capital.



Analysts noted that many big sweets brands have changed hands or disappeared in the last five years.



According to Kantar Worldpanel, the Vietnamese cookies market grows by 7 percent per annum. BMI estimates that the total revenue would reach VND40 trillion by 2018.



However, with the gradual disappearance of well-known local brands, the market will be controlled by foreign investors.



The senior executive of a Vietnamese sweets company admitted that domestic manufacturers were worn out from the competition in the home market.



The important characteristic of the industry is that the input materials, including wheat, sugar, flavor, cream and butter are all imports. Therefore, it is difficult to compete in prices and quality with foreign products, he said.



While domestic enterprises are reluctant to renovate technology because of limited financial capability, foreign manufacturers have modern technologies and long-term strategies to conquer the Vietnamese market.





RELATED NEWS

Sweets market bitter for chocolate manufacturers

Sweets market gets less sweet





Thanh Lich
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Follow our Eurovision liveblog here

Graham Norton has honoured Sir Terry Wogan once again with a touching tribute at this year's Eurovision song contest in Kiev, Ukraine.

Wogan, who sadly died of cancer aged 77 early last year, commentated the song contest for the UK from 1971 until 2008. His dry, sardonic remarks became synonymous with Eurovision night. He passed the baton onto Norton in 2008, who has continued in a similarly acerbic style.

Norton urged viewers back home to raise a glass to the Eurovision broadcasting legend in the vT ahead of song nine.

In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Show all 55 1 /55 In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Portugal's Salvador Sobral celebrates after winning the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Reuters In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Portugal's Salvador Sobral holds the trophy as he celebrates on stage after winning during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Portugal's Salvador Sobral celebrates with team during the voting at the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Reuters In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 IMRI of Israel performs his song 'I Feel Alive' at the grand final show of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Rex In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Israeli singer representing Israel with the song 'I Feel Alive' Imri Ziv performs on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Polish singer representing Poland with the song 'Flashlight' Katarzyna Mos aka Kasia Mos performs on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Polish singer representing Poland with the song 'Flashlight' Katarzyna Mos aka Kasia Mos performs on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Belarussian indie pop band representing Belarus with the song 'Story of my life' Naviband composed by Belarussian singer and guitarist Artem Lukyanenko and Belarussian singer and pianist Ksenia Zhuk perform on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Naviband from Belarus perform during the Grand Final of the 62nd annual Eurovision Song Contest 2017 EPA In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Austrian singer representing Austria with the song 'Running on air' Nathan Trent performs on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Austrian singer representing Austria with the song 'Running on air' Nathan Trent performs on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Singer Artsvik, representing Armenia, performs the song 'Fly With Me' during the final of the 62nd Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Artsvik of Armenia performs her song 'Fly with Me' at the grand final final show of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Rex In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Amy, Shelley and Lisa Vol of the band OG3NE, representing the Netherlands, are seen on stage during the final of the 62nd Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Amy, Shelley and Lisa Vol of the band OG3NE, representing the Netherlands, perform the song 'Lights and Shadows' during the final of the 62nd Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Sunstroke Project, representing Moldova, perform during the final of the 62nd Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 SunStroke Project representing Moldova with the song 'Hey Mamma', perform on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Singer Joci Papai, representing Hungary, is seen on stage during the final of the 62nd Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Representing Hungary with the song 'Origo', Papai Jozsef aka Papai Joci performs on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Singer Anja, representing Denmark, on stage during the final of the 62nd Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Anja from Denmark performs during the Final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 AP In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Francesco Gabbani of Italy performs his song 'Occidentalis Karma' at the grand final final show of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Rex In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Singer Francesco Gabbani, representing Italy, during the final of the 62nd Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Representing Portugal with the song 'Amar Pelos Dios', Salvador Vilar Braamcamp Sobral aka Salvador Sobral performs on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Portugal's Salvador Sobral performs on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Representing Azerbaidjan with the song 'Skeletons', Diana Hajiyeva aka Dihaj gestures as she performs on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Representing Azerbaidjan with the song 'Skeletons', Diana Hajiyeva aka Dihaj performs on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Croatian singer and songwriter representing Croatia with the song 'My Friend', Zeljko Houdek aka Jacques Houdek performs on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Zeljko Houdek performs the song 'My Friend', on stage during the Grand Final rehearsal of Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Isaiah Firebrace from Australia during the Final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 AP In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Isaiah Firebrace of Australia performs with the song 'Don't Come Easy', during the Grand Final rehearsal of Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Demy from Greece during the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 AP In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Demy from Greece performs the song 'This is Love', during the final of the 62nd annual Eurovision Song Contest 2017 EPA In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Spanish singer, songwriter, and guitarist representing Spain with the song 'Do it for yor lover', Manel Navarro performs on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Spain's Manel Navarro performs the song 'Do It For Your Lover' during the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Reuters In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 JOWST from Norway during the Final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 AP In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Representing Norway with the song 'Grab the moment' JOWST performs during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Lucie Jones of United Kingdom performs her song 'Never Give Up on You' at the grand final final show of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Rex In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 British singer representing United Kingdom with the song 'Never give up on you', Lucie Jones performs on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Hovig of Cyprus performs his song 'Gravity' at the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Rex In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Cypriot singer representing Cyprus with the song 'Gravity', Hovig Demirdjian performs on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Ilinca Bacila and Alex Florea representing Romania with the song 'Yodel it', perform on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Ilinca Bacila and Alex Florea representing Romania with the song 'Yodel it', perform on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Rex In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Isabella Levina representing Germany with the song 'Perfect life' performs on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Rex In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Isabella Levina representing Germany with the song 'Perfect life' performs on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 O.Torvald from Ukraine during the Final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 AP In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 O.Torvald from Ukraine perform the song 'Time' during Grand Final of the 62nd annual Eurovision Song Contest 2017 EPA In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Blanche of Belgium performs her song 'City Lights' at the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Rex In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Blanche of Belgium performs the song 'City lights', on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Robin Bengtsson of Sweden performs the song 'I can't go on', on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Robin Bengtsson of Sweden performs the song 'I can't go on', on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Kristian Kostov of Bulgaria performs his song 'Beautiful Mess' at the grand final show of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Rex In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 Bulgarian-Russian singer Kristian Kostov representing Bulgaria with the song 'Beautiful mess', performs on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 French singer Alma, representing France with the song 'Requiem' performs on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images In pictures: Eurovision song contest 2017 French singer Alma, representing France with the song 'Requiem' performs on stage during the final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Getty Images

This year's UK entry is former X Factor contestant Lucie Jones who will perform the track 'Never Give Up On You' in Kiev and, judging by the initial reaction from press and fans, she is looking likely to finish in a better position than last year's entry by Joe and Jake who finished 24th out of 26 (you can find the full list of odds here).

You can find a full list of the ceremony's running order here, and go here to follow along with our live blog.
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Brunching out..

Within minutes of arriving at Asia de Cuba, the central London eatery specialising in Chino-Latino cuisine, our waiter brought us a Bellini to commence our Bottomless Cocktail Brunch experience. It would be the first thing to touch my stomach since dinner the night before, but I needed some help in opening my mind to the fusion style menu. Its not that I dont like Chinese or Cuban food individually, its just a term that Im suspicious of  after all, all food is fusion, just look at fish and chips  but I was willing to give it a go.

We started with plantain and malanga chips with black bean hummus, followed shortly after by a cigar box of guava and cream cheese pastelitos, shrimp churros, mini Cuban sandwiches, chicken chicharrones and ropa vieja spring rolls.

Recommended Aqua Shard brunch review

For the main we chose the breakfast tortilla; the crispy calamari salad with banana, chayote, cashews, hearts of palm and orange-sesame vinaigrette and the mojo duck confit with brown rice, orange, basil, chilli and a poached egg. If this wasnt enough, there was the option of unlimited Mexican donuts, pleasant enough to linger over with a coffee. The menu was a fun break from the usual brunch options even if the robust Latin flavours overwhelmed any of the more delicate Asian accents.

A highlight of the visit was endless stream of cocktails, with the option to make your own Bloody Mary at the bar, rendering you unable to do anything productive with your day, but what else are Saturdays for?

Brunch is served Friday  Sunday, 12-2.45pm. The Bottomless Brunch for 35 includes unlimited cocktails, starters and a choice of one main course from the a la carte menu. The Premium Bottomless Cocktail brunch for 45 includes a champagne upgrade. Another possibility is the Cuba Roast Upgrade for 10 extra per person.

45 St Martin's Lane, London WC2N 4HX; 020 7300 5588; asiadecuba.com

Brunching in...

Tenderstem Scandi open sandwich

Brunch like a champion with this Scandi-inspired smorrebrod recipe. The Scandi sandwich is all about going topless, stacking a delicious combination of avocado, smoked salmon and steamed tenderstem broccoli on a slice of wholesome dark rye or pumpernickel. This is guaranteed to get your day off to a delicious start.

Prep time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 5 mins

Serves 2

Approx. 120g of tenderstem broccoli

50g creme fraiche

2 tbsp fresh chopped dill, plus extra to garnish

2 tsp horseradish sauce

2 slices of dark rye or pumpernickel bread

1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced

100g smoked salmon

Small bunch of watercress

Lemon wedges and freshly ground pepper to serve

Place the broccoli in a steamer and steam for 3-4 minutes.

Mix together the creme fraiche, chopped dill and horseradish sauce in a small bowl and set aside. Lightly toast the rye bread or pumpernickel.

When you are ready to serve, divide the creme fraiche, horseradish and dill mixture between the two slices of toast and spread evenly to cover. Arrange the avocado slices on top and then add the smoked salmon slices.

Top with the lightly steamed tenderstem broccoli, a few sprigs of watercress, dill and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

For more tenderstem recipes, visit tenderstem.co.uk
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Preserving food isnt new. Weve been drying it, curing it, pickling it, and burying it (yes, in the ground) for thousands of years. Ive always shied away from preserving, worrying that one false move in the kitchen and I could poison an entire dinner party. But all that was about to change: I was on a mission to learn how to ferment foods.

Fermented foods are the new holy grail in the food world, which is funny when you think that until the arrival of refrigeration we were fermenting foods all the time  leaving milk on the counter or placing chopped cabbage in a salt brine. Now it seems like you cant pick up a menu without seeing fermented foods like kimchi, kombucha and kefir on it. Part of the reason is obviously taste but the other is that fermented foods have loads of health benefits including helping to restore healthy bacteria in our guts.

To get started, I needed a guide to hold my hand who comes in the form of Sharon Flynn. Shes been running The Fermentary in Melbourne, Australia where she sells her own fermented foods plus runs classes to would-be fermenters. With a round trip ticket to Australia not on the cards, I turned to her book instead. After contacting her, it turns out that Im not the only one nervous about dipping my toes into fermenting. She says her students are almost always skittish at first, Pasteurisation was fabulous but it did create unnecessary fear in the home kitchen.

The fermentation process can take a long time but the preparation is usually quick (Tara Pearce)

And while Id lumped all preserving together, it soon becomes clear that fermenting is completely different. Canning relies on killing all bacteria in order to preserve your food  often with vinegar or sugar and always with heat. Fermentation relies on the bacteria to do the preserving and the food remains raw, she says.

Flynns book starts with the basic how-tos and how-not-tos then dives into different types of fermented foods  including vegetables, milk and dairy, drinks, Japan (a cuisine arguably built around fermented foods), and condiments and dressings. The recipes start with the simplest sauerkrauts and move on to brines and dry salt ferments and even fermented drinks.

The Kilner fermentation set which uses a wooden push-top lid with an air lock system (Kilner)

Reading her book, you can understand why her classes are so popular. She answers your questions before you think to ask and doesnt overwhelm you with too much science. And very quickly, you figure out that its not that hard. And  surprisingly  its really fun.

Quickly I amassed a collection of glass jars and containers (see myth two). I also got my hands on a Kilner fermentation set. The classic Kilner jars are great for fermenting but their new set goes an extra step. Basically, its got a wooden push-top lid with an air lock system so carbon dioxide created during fermentation can escape without having to manually let the gas out. It also comes with a set of weights to keep food submerged under brine.

Day one I made a sauerkraut (still fermenting but the early signs are good) and then Flynns brine fermented green beans, which were as simple as packing beans into a jar and covering with brine. At her suggestion I added in some extras: lemon peel, mustard seed and garlic. They only need three to five days sitting at room temperature and theyll be ready to eat. I also tried a Kkakdugi  a kimchi made from daikon radish  from a book called Kimchi by two sisters who run a family restaurant in Stockholm.

Cabbage has to be pounded to make sauerkraut (Tara Pearce)

And what are Flynns favourites? A tough one but when pushed, I love milk kefir and adding black sesame with a touch of brown  or better  coconut sugar) to it. Its nutty sour, tangy and so good for you. Kimchi and Smokey Jalapeno Kraut are right up there for going with nearly everything and making an ordinary meal fabulous.

In one week, Ive gone from fear of fermenting to fanatical. Next up, Im game to try Flynns recipe for yoghurt that uses chilli stems. Here are a few things Ive learned:

Sharon Flynn wants everyone to give fermenting a go (Tara Pearce)

Myth 1: Fermenting can go horribly wrong

Fermenting is about trusting your senses and taste buds and having fun in the kitchen. Enjoy the process  the worse thing that is going to happen is that it wont work  just like any other kitchen flop. Not that serious, just disappointing, Flynn reassures. Obviously if there is black or coloured mould, if its soggy or slimy, smells wrong or tastes nasty  throw it. But often there are harmless yeasts on the surface that can be scraped off and whats underneath is just fine.

Myth 2: You need a lot of kit to ferment

Its all pretty basic and none of it expensive, which is part of what Flynn likes about it. My main wish is that there be no barrier for people to start fermenting  expensive kits and packets of starter culture and yeast are not necessary. Having said that  once you get into it there are some beautiful, often heirloom pieces you can get and enjoy sitting on your bench.

Myth 3: It takes a lot of time to make fermented food

Yes, it can take a long time to ferment food but the actual preparation time is usually very short. Flynn calls it, The slowest kind of fast food. And theres something mesmerising about seeing bubbles appear at the top of your sauerkraut and knowing that its doing something, even when youre not.

Fermentation relies on bacteria to do the preserving and the food remains raw (Tara Pearce)

How to ferment carrots

Giving a child, or yourself, a fermented carrot stick to snack on is so many levels up on a regular carrot in flavour, and of course in nutritional value. Just like I promised, this is fast slow food ready to grab and eat at any time. All the preparation is done before. Just peel and cut the carrots into rounds or sticks, depending on how youd like to snack on them. I like rounds because they are bite-sized and perfect for munching on while Im at the computer or watching TV. Sticks are great for dipping and also to give the kids to take with them as an on-the-run snack  often in the car.

The brine ratio should be roughly 3%.

Preparation time: 510 minutes

Fermentation time: 1 wee

Equipment: 1 L (34 fl oz) jar, follower, weight your favourite flavour combination

300 g (10  oz) carrots (or enough to fill your jar), peeled and chopped

about 23 tablespoons fine salt

1 litre (34 fl oz/4 cups) water (or enough to cover your carrots)

Add your favourite flavour combination to the jar if you wish. Fill the jar with the carrots. Make a brine with the salt and water and pour over the carrots, using as much as you need to cover them completely. Follow and weigh them down and seal the jar.

They are ready to eat when you think they are delicious (about a week). When youve decided they are sour enough, pop them into the fridge for safekeeping. Theyll last for months like that.

Ferment for Good: Ancient Foods for the Modern Gut by Sharon Flynn (Hardie Grant) 16.99; Kimchi: Essential Recipes of the Korean Kitchen by Byung-Hi & Byung-Soon Lim (Pavilion) 14.99
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Six NHS trusts in England are still being affected by the ransomware cyber attack, Home Secretary Amber Rudd has said following a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra committee.

Ms Rudd said 48 of the 248 trusts in England were hit by the program but the other 42 had managed to recover control of their systems.

The problems forced hospitals to cancel appointments and delay treatment as medical files could not be immediately accessed and have affected thousands of companies and government departments in some 100 countries around the world, including the US and Russia.

The attack's spread was limited after a cyber analyst, working while on holiday, accidentally triggered a hidden kill switch in the malicious software.

The 22-year-old, who tweets as @MalwareTechBlog, said he bought a domain name buried in the WannaCry programs code for just $10.69 (8.29).

When the ransomware tried to use the address as a trigger mechanism it was diverted, halting a huge number of potential attacks.

Ransomware locks users out of their files and demands payment  in this case, in the Bitcoin cryptocurrency  to release them.

After the Cobra meeting, Ms Rudd said: Of the 48 that have been impacted, most of [the trusts] are back to normal course of business.

So only six of them have some limits on their business.

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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

She claimed the problems were not a sign that the NHS had been unprepared for such an attack.

If you look at who's been impacted by this virus, its a huge variety across different industries and across international governments, Ms Rudd said.

This is a virus that attacked Windows platforms. The fact is the NHS has fallen victim to this.

Recommended Amber Rudd says files may have been lost in NHS cyber attack

I don't think it's to do with that preparedness. There's always more we can all do to make sure we're secure against viruses, but I think there have already been good preparations in place by the NHS to make sure they were ready for this sort of attack.

However, she admitted, there's always more that can be done to protect against viruses.

The Japanese car giant Nissan admitted on Saturday morning that its Sunderland factory had also fallen victim to ransomware.

Frances Renault was also affected.

A Nissan spokesman said: Like many organizations around the world, some Nissan entities were recently targeted by a ransomware attack. Our teams are responding accordingly and there has been no major impact on our business. We are continuing to monitor the situation.

Though the problem is infamous in the UK for the damage it has done to NHS systems, the effects have focused most specifically on Spain and Russia, according to experts.

 Theresa May praises NHS staff in wake of cyber attack

This cyber attack is much larger than just the NHS, said Travis Farral, the director of security strategy for cyber security firm Anomali Labs. It appears to be a giant campaign that has hit Spain and Russia the hardest.

The software is believed to be using an American cyber-weapon leaked to the public earlier this year. The ransomware is taking advantage of EternalBlue, an exploit spies used to secretly break into Windows machines, according to the Register.

Microsoft patched the issue earlier this year, but only on version of the Windows operating system that it continues to support. Up to 90 per cent of NHS computers still run Windows XP, according to a report published in the British Medical Journal earlier this week.

The operating system was released in 2001, and Microsoft cut support for it in 2014. People can continue to use it, but doing so comes with enormous risks.
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A 22-year-old cybersecurity analyst accidentally shut down vast numbers of attacks by the devastating WannaCry ransomware by buying a domain name hidden in the program for about 8.29.

The domain name is believed to have been written into the software by the hackers to act as a kill switch.

Each time the program tried to infect a computer, it would try to contact the webpage. If it failed, WannaCry would carry on with the attack, but if it succeeded it would stop.

The analyst, who tweets as MalwareTech and works for Kryptos Logic, a security firm, admitted he had not realised that buying the domain name, for just $10.69, would have this fortunate effect.

WannaCry has infected tens of thousands of computers across the world, shutting down vital systems used by the NHS in Britain.

The program locks the user out of their computer and demands a ransom paid in BitCoin to return control.

Speaking to the Daily Beast, MalwareTech said he noticed the domain name, a string of nonsensical letters ending in gwea.com, in the code.

I saw it wasnt registered and thought, I think Ill have that, he told the website.

After buying the domain name, he pointed it to a sinkhole server, which is used as a safe place to dump malicious web traffic, hoping simply to get more information about WannaCry.

Immediately we saw five or six thousand connections a second, MalwareTech said.

He said this appeared to have stopped large numbers of attacks, but confessed he had done this completely by accident.

And he warned people should still take precautions because the hackers could simply slightly alter the program to carry on making attacks.

If we did stop it, theres like a 100 per cent chance theyre going to fire up a new sample and start that one again, he said.

Recommended The terrifying software that has infected hospital computers

As long as people dont patch, its just going to keep going.

His realisation that he had helped stop some of the attacks, particularly in the US, was played out on his Twitter account.

Some analysts are suggesting by sinkholing the domain we stopped the infection? Can anyone confirm? he wrote.

I will confess that I was unaware registering the domain would stop the malware until after I registered it, so initially it was accidental.

Dan Goodin, security editor at the ArsTechnica blog, wrote: The virally spreading worm was ultimately stopped when  MalwareTech  took control of a domain name that was hard-coded into the self-replicating exploit.

The domain registration, which occurred around 6am California time, was a major stroke of good luck, because it was possible only because the attackers had failed to obtain the address first.

The address appeared to serve as a sort of kill switch the attackers could use to terminate the campaign.

 NHS cyber-attack: Amber Rudd fails to confirm that files are safe

MalwareTech's registration had the effect of ending the attacks that had started earlier Friday morning in other parts of the world.

As a result, the number of infection detections plateaued dramatically in the hours following the registration. It had no effect on WCry infections that were initiated through earlier campaigns.

Ryan Kalember, of security firm Proofpoint, told the Guardian that MalwareTech should get the accidental hero award of the day.
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On 7 May, Emmanuel Macron claimed a decisive victory over Marine Le Pen in the French presidential election. This news provides welcome relief for globalists and fellow EU supporters in a political landscape which until now has been dominated by rising populism and profound uncertainty.

For entrepreneurs across Europe, Macrons presidency is the sign of a new pro-business era. France is currently home to the second largest venture capital market in Europe, behind only the UK, and favourable changes to the business environment could heighten cross-channel competition and see this order inverse.

Data collected by the French Private Equity Association shows that its members invested 5.5bn (4.7bn) in the first half of 2016, up a staggering 47 per cent from the same period a year earlier. We are optimistic that Mr Macrons arrival will support and sustain the pace of these investments across Europe.

The first quarter of this year was the European technology sectors second-best in terms of number of mergers and acquisitions since 2013, with France leading by deal volume. With such positive industry momentum, it begs the question: Will a Macron presidency really make that much of a difference to French tech?

We believe Macrons presidency could be a pivotal moment in Europes ability to challenge the dominance of Silicon Valley. President-elect Macron has publicly stated that fostering innovation and disruption will be key to raising Frances growth potential and fighting unemployment, with his previous actions as a minister for the Economy, Industry and Digital Affairs supporting this ambition for French tech.

In 2015, Macron was the driving force behind the French tech movement, pioneering the creation of free limited partnership companies with laws around Growth and Activity established that August  the so-called Macron law. The Macron Law sought to remove layers of red tape that handicapped and frustrated so many sectors of the French business community.

More recently, in 2016, he was the architect of many pro-market reforms, driving initiatives such as the Labour Laws, aimed at boosting labour market mobility.

We expect these reforms to be pushed forward by not only a pro-business President but also a ministry composed of new representatives from the business community as well as experienced politicians. Unlike previous presidents, Macron is a former businessman not a just a politician and we expect this bias to be reflected in his choice of ministers and policy priorities.

Frances entrepreneurs expect Macron to build on these pro-market reforms. They are anticipating reductions in regulatory and compliance costs, as well as the introduction of a simpler corporate tax regime.

Looking beyond France, businesses see the opportunity to strengthen Frances position as a leading source of innovation and economic power within the EU, whilst bringing a softer pro-market approach to European regulation. Although we are optimistic about the opportunity for economic reforms, it is important to remember that Macron could struggle to form the parliamentary majority necessary for implementation and these changes could take some time.

France has recently taken several major steps to cement its status as a hotbed of entrepreneurial talent and activity.

In April 2017, the government, in cooperation with telecoms entrepreneur Xavier Niel, backed the creation of Pariss Station F, an ambitious project billed as the world's largest incubator. This startup campus, set to be the Parisian Silicon Valley, can hold up to 1,000 international start-ups across 34,000 square metres of office space.

Station F is emblematic of the larger cultural shift taking place in France, a move to encourage entrepreneurship and provide innovative business leaders with the resources and training necessary to build global businesses. A move we hope Macron will continue to support.

Macron now has a chance to emerge as an influential political leader but also a powerful proponent of innovation for all of Europe. Macrons reputation in the US is strong, garnering extensive support from the French expatriate population.

In New York, Chicago and Boston he harvested over 92 per cent of votes from French residents in the US, and Obamas public endorsement can only serve to strengthen his appeal. He has the potential to change the global perception of the European tech industry, challenging the public assumption that it could never compare to start-up environments elsewhere in the US or UK. Within Europe, Macron can show the rest of the EU how a pro-business and global-minded policy agenda has the ability to transform a countrys economy.

Entrepreneurs already face enough challenges when it comes to building and growing a business. But by electing Macron, the French are opening their doors to new and innovative ideas whilst continuing to be part of the broader global community.

We see increasing numbers of serial entrepreneurs and innovation becoming less local and more global in spirit. Its only a matter of time before these ideas and this optimism helps France and Europe to challenge Silicon Valleys mantle as the worlds home of innovation.

Christophe Baviere is chief executive officer of Idinvest, an investor in European small and medium-sized companies
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Boris Johnson says the EU could be forced to pay Britain a Brexit divorce bill as he blasted the bloc's negotiators for trying to bleed this country white.

The Foreign Secretary claimed the UK had very good arguments to demand money from Brussels after making major contributions to European assets.

It is expected to cost the UK up to 84bn to settle its liabilities when the country leaves the EU  a figure Mr Johnson branded absurd.

He said Britain could definitely walk away from negotiations without paying as he accused European officials of trying it on.

Recommended

He told The Daily Telegraph he thought Britain may even end up receiving a payment, saying: I think there are very good arguments.

There are assets, I don't want to get too much into the detail of the negotiation but there are assets that we share, that we have paid for over the years and there will need to be a proper computation of the value of those assets.

I certainly think the bill that's been presented at the moment is absurd.

Mr Johnson said the EU is ruthless in its negotiating techniques, citing a shameful leak of details of a meeting between Prime Minister Theresa May, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier.

They are going to try to bleed this country white with their bill, he said.

The logic behind this bill is absolutely preposterous. We could definitely walk away.

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 former Mayor of London also raised fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin could interfere with the general election to undermine faith in democracy altogether and to discredit the whole democratic process.

He told The Telegraph Mr Putin would rejoice if Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was elected and said a hack attack is a realistic possibility after NHS hospitals were hit by a major cyber attack.

Putin would certainly rejoice to see British defences weakened, Britains foreign policy become less active, to see us detached from the United States, that would be absolute grist to Putins mill, that would be just what he wants, he added.

Clearly we think that is what he did in America, it's blatantly obvious that's what he did in France.

In the western Balkans he is up to all sorts of sordid enterprises, so we have to be vigilant.
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The death of elderly Brexit voters could lead to a second referendum delivering a result in favour of Britain staying in the EU, novelist Ian McEwan has claimed.

In a string of highly-charged comments, the Atonement author said: A gang of angry old men, irritable even in victory, are shaping the future of the country against the inclinations of its youth.

By 2019 the country could be in a receptive mood: 2.5 million over-18-year-olds, freshly franchised and mostly 'Remainers'; 1.5 million oldsters, mostly Brexiters, freshly in their graves."

The author's comments, reported by The Guardian, came during a conference in Westminster on Friday.

Accompanied by speakers including anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller, Mr McEwan said leaving the EU would harm Britain.

This country, like a depressed teenage self-harmer, takes out a razor to scour a forearm and now contemplates its own throat, the author said.

Truly, Brexit has stirred something not heroic or celebratory or generous in the nation, but instead has coaxed into the light from some dark, damp places the lowest human impulses, from the small-minded to the mean-spirited to the murderous.
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Child sexual exploitation is being woefully underreported, the NSPCC has warned.

The charity said that manipulative tactics used by offenders mean many child victims are unaware they are being groomed or exploited, and often adults are unable to identify the signs.

NSPCCs policy manager Lisa McCrindle told The Independent that sophisticated grooming practices mean any child can be vulnerable, as abusers tap in to what young people want.

We often deal with young people at a time in their life when they are easily influenced. Groomers can give them access to alcohol and drugs, and make them feel grown up, which makes them feel they are choosing those relationships, when in reality they are being exploited, she said.

Groomers know what they are doing and groomers want to use that against young people who are particularly vulnerable to being groomed. It is abuse, recognised as child abuse, and it needs to be treated as such.

Efforts to tackle child sexual exploitation have come under the spotlight in recent years following scandals in Rochdale, Rotherham and Oxford.

Earlier in the year, ministers pledged an extra 40 million to help agencies do more to fight sexual abuse, trafficking and exploitation.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA

However, Ms McCrindle said the very nature of grooming makes it difficult to recognise as groomers often succeed in deceiving both the victim and those around them.

Many people interpret this as choices the girls are making rather than recognising them as vulnerable children, she said.

Thats why its so important that there is relationship education in schools, so they know what a good relationship looks like and what an unhealthy abusive relationship looks like.

It comes days after a report found the normalisation of underage sex was exposing children and young people to the risk of sexual abuse.

Research by the Family Education Trust pointed to a culture in which normalises underage sexual activity as part of the reason professionals failed to detect the abuse of young people in Rochdale, Oxfordshire and Rotherham.

Recommended Every child has a right to receive lessons about sex

NSPCC Chief Executive Peter Wanless said: Young people will not always recognise that they are being exploited and treated as property.

We want every child to be able to spot exploitation for what it is and, if they find themselves in danger, know that it is categorically not their fault.

We are imploring any adult who suspects a child is being exploited to pick up the phone and call the NSPCC Helpline.

This abuse is sadly still woefully under-reported and, for us to help these children, we need people to speak up.

The warning from the NSPCC comes ahead of the start of Three Girls, a new BBC drama based on grooming and sexual abuse cases in Rochdale.
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Britain has not fought in a just conflict since the Second World War, Jeremy Corbyn has said.

During a speech at Chatham House in London, the Labour leader was asked about British deployment of troops to areas of conflict since the end of the Second World War.

He mentioned operations in East Timor and Cyprus, but pointedly omitted a number of key British military campaigns post - 1945, such as Suez in 1956, The Troubles in Northern Ireland (1969-2002), the Falklands war in 1982 and more recently, the international campaign against Isis.

He added that the world is more unstable than even at the height of the Cold War. The approach to international security we have been using since the 1990s has simply not worked.

He said: Yes there are deployments  largely through the United Nations  that I think are the right thing to do.

I mentioned what went on in East Timor and the great help done in the peace keeping in Cyprus by the British forces."

Rob Gray, an army veteran, told The Daily Telegraph Mr Corbyns comments were an insult to friends who died in Northern Ireland, and accused him of caring more about IRA [and] Hezbollah dead.

The Labour leader questioned the legitimacy of the First World War, but acknowledged that the Second World War was just.

In addition Mr Corbyn, who is a member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, would not confirm that he would be prepared to use nuclear weapons in a conflict.

He said: If circumstances arose where that was a real option, it would represent complete and cataclysmic failure. It would mean world leaders had already triggered a spiral of catastrophe for humankind."

Mr Corbyn heavily criticised the so-called "war on terror", saying the interventions upon which it was based had failed.

"They have not increased our security at home  just the opposite," he said.

The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn Show all 11 1 /11 The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn He called Hezbollah and Hamas friends True. In a speech made to the Stop the War Coalition in 2009, Mr Corbyn called representatives from both groups friends after inviting them to Parliament. He later told Channel 4 he wanted both groups, who have factions designated as international terror organisations, to be part of the debate for the Middle East peace process. I use (the word friends) in a collective way, saying our friends are prepared to talk, he added. Does it mean I agree with Hamas and what it does? No. Does it mean I agree with Hezbollah and what they do? No. Reuters The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Corbyn thinks the death of Osama bin Laden was a tragedy Partly false. David Cameron used this as a line of attack at the Conservative Party conference but appears to have left out all context from Mr Corbyns original remarks. In an 2011 interview on Iranian television, the then-backbencher said the fact the al-Qaeda leader was not put on trial was the tragedy, continuing: The World Trade Center was a tragedy, the attack on Afghanistan was a tragedy, the war in Iraq was a tragedy. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn He is haunted by the legacy of his evil great-great-grandfather False. A Daily Express expose revealed that the Labour leaders ancestor, James Sargent, was the despotic master of a Victorian workhouse. Addressing the report at the Labour conference, Mr Corbyn said he had never heard of him before, adding: I want to take this opportunity to apologise for not doing the decent thing and going back in time and having a chat with him about his appalling behaviour. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Corbyn raised a motion about pigeon bombs in Parliament This one is true. On 21 May 2004, Mr Corbyn raised an early day motion entitled pigeon bombs, proposing that the House register being appalled but barely surprised that MI5 reportedly proposed to load pigeons with explosives as a weapon. The motion continued: The House believes that humans represent the most obscene, perverted, cruel, uncivilised and lethal species ever to inhabit the planet and looks forward to the day when the inevitable asteroid slams into the earth and wipes them out thus giving nature the opportunity to start again. It was not carried. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn He rides a Communist bicycle False. A report in The Times referred to Mr Corbyn, known for his cycling, riding a Chairman Mao-style bicycle earlier this year. Less thorough journalists might have referred to it as just a bicycle, but no, so we have to conclude that whenever we see somebody on a bicycle from now on, there goes another supporter of Chairman Mao, he later joked. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn 'Jeremy Corbyn will appoint a special minister for Jews' False so far. The Sun report in December was allegedly based on a rumour passed to the paper by a Daily Express columnist who has written pieces critical of the Labour leader in the past. The minister did not materialise in his shadow cabinet. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Corbyn wishes Britain would abolish its Army False. Another gem from The Sun took comments made at a Hiroshima remembrance parade in August 2012 where Mr Corbyn supported Costa Ricas move to abolish it armed forces. Wouldnt it be wonderful if every politician around the worldabolished the army and took pride in the fact that they dont have an army, he added. The caveat that every politician must take the step suggests Mr Corbyn does not support UK disarmament just yet. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Corbyn stole sandwiches meant for veterans False. The Guido Fawkes blog claimed that the Labour leader took sandwiches meant for veterans at at Battle of Britain memorial service in September but a photo later emerged showing him being handed one by Costa volunteers, who later confirmed they were given to all guests. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn He missed the induction into the Queens privy council True. After much speculation about Mr Corbyns republican views and willingness to bow to the monarch, his office confirmed that he did not attend the official induction to the privy council because of a prior engagement, but did not rule out joining the body. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Corbyn refuses to sing the national anthem. Partly true. The Labour leader was filmed standing in silence as God Save the Queen was sung at a Battle of Britain remembrance service but will reportedly sing it in future. Mr Corbyn was elusive on the issue in an interview, saying he would show memorials respect in the proper way, but sources said he would sing the anthem at future occasions. The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn He is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cheese True. The group lists its purpose as the following: To increase awareness of issues surrounding the dairy industry and focus on economic issues affecting the dairy industry and producers.

Under a Labour government, he plans to create a Minister for Peace, who would work across the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

He shied away from calling himself a "pacifist, although he stated he would seek economic and diplomatic solutions to problems, with military action being the genuine last resort.

Speaking to Channel 4 News afterwards, he said he might not send military support to Nato countries under threat, and emphasised instead a diplomatic approach, which may include sanctions.

On the subject of Donald Trump, Mr Corbyn reiterated the strong relationship between the US and the UK, but insisted that pandering to an erratic administration will not deliver stability, and criticised the US president for recklessly escalating confrontation with North Korea.
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A metal detectorist has learned he has hit a 2m jackpot after uncovering Britain's biggest ever Viking treasure.

Derek McLennan unearthed the 10th-century collection of rare Viking artefacts in a field in Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland's south-west in 2014.

The haul of about 100 items included silver bracelets and brooches, a gold ring, an enamelled Christian cross and a bird-shaped gold pin.

The bulk of it is silver jewellery, but it also contains textiles and a range of precious metal and jewelled items described as outstanding and exceptional by experts, including a rare gold ingot, beads, crystals and a decorated silver-gilt cup thought to be of Byzantine origin.

Mr McLennan passed on the treasure to the Queens and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer (QLTR), which rules on found goods and property without an owner.

David Harvie, from QLTR, described the hoard as of outstanding international significance and one of the most important finds ever discovered in Scotland.

QLTR ruled the collection should be handed over to Scotlands National Museum for display, provided it can pay Mr McLennan 1.98m to acquire the treasure.

Sharon McKee, Mr McLennans partner, who is also involved in the treasure hunting, wrote on Facebook: We are honoured and feel privileged to have saved this internationally significant treasure and we look forward to the many exciting discoveries that will be further revealed.

We cannot wait for its eventual display in Scotland's National Museum.

An early medieval cross, part of a hoard of Viking treasure which has been unearthed (Derek McLennan/PA Archive/PA Images)

Unlike the rest of the UK, where the awards are split between the finder and the landowner, in Scotland rules on discoveries allow the finder to keep the full amount of the award.

The National Museum of Scotland said the haul was unique because it brought together a variety of objects hinting at previously unknown connections between people across Europe in the 10th century.

Director of National Museums Scotland, Dr Gordon Rintoul, said he was delighted the treasure had been allocated to the museums.

We now have six months to raise 1.98m to acquire this unique treasure for the nation and ensure it can be enjoyed by future generations both at home and abroad, he said.

An archaeologist preparing the top level for removal of the hoard of Viking treasure found by Derek McLennan (Derek McLennan/PA Archive/PA Images)

The Galloway Viking Hoard campaign group has called for the items to be displayed in the south-west of Scotland close to where they were discovered.

National Museums Scotland said it will work with Dumfries and Galloway Council to display some of the hoard in the region.
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A four-year-old has been described a miracle boy after he survived underwater without oxygen for 28 minutes.

John-Henry Birtle, who attends a primary school in Newark-on-Trent, was on holiday in Slough with his family when he was found at the bottom of a pool and almost drowned.

His mother, Roseanne, told the Newark Advertiser she jumped into the pool to pull him out and hotel staff members administered CPR for 20 minutes before his pulse returned.

He was starved of oxygen for 28 minutes. For those 28 minutes he was gone, she said.

John-Henry then spent 13 days on life support in John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, before he was transferred to Nottingham Childrens Hospital for specialist treatment.

Doctors told his parents because of the length of time he remained without oxygen, the four-year-old was unlikely to walk or talk again but the child walked out of hospital five weeks later.

He is now eating and drinking normally and his speech has began to return. He is my miracle boy, his mother said.

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She said: All the clinical staff, the nurses, speech therapists, the physio team and occupational therapy team, have been absolutely fantastic.

When you get to spend a long time in hospital you see how hard they work and what a brilliant job they do.

Barbara Cathcart, chief executive of Nottingham Hospitals Charity, said John-Henrys story was a remarkable one of hope and healing.
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A doctor who predicted a cyber attack on the NHS in an article published just two days ago has said he had no idea it would be on this kind of scale.

Dr Krishna Chinthapalli, a neurology registrar at a London hospital, told The Independent the enormous scale of the attack made him worry about who is behind it, adding that experts must now race to decrypt the malware and identify the root cause of the attacks.

Dozens of hospital trusts across the country have been plunged into chaos this evening with scheduled appointments cancelled and emergency patients diverted following a huge cyber attack.

The NHS was just one of the victims of the hack, with computers elsewhere in Europe and in Asia taken over, too.

The neurologist said the hackers appeared to be using ransomware, a specific type of malware which locks the owner out of their computer until they pay to get back in - but he said he was worried the attack could be something even more sinister.

It looks like hackers are demanding ransom payments, so it might just be a group of hackers with financial motives," he said. "But of course everyone is worried about cyber security and cyber terrorism on a larger scale these days, so who knows"

Dr Chinthapalli, who had his article, 'The hackers holding hospitals to ransom', published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) on Wednesday, described NHS organisations as the ideal victims of cyber attacks, and said dozens of smaller hacks had happened in the past.

"This has been going on for at least a couple of years now, where hackers are targeting hospitals," he said.

From a Freedom of Information request we know that over one third of NHS trusts have admitted to being hacked - but [in the past it seems to have been] individual organisations [targeted].

He said hospitals affected by today's attack - which is on an unprecedented scale - might choose to pay the hackers to release their computers, as had happened in the past.

In my article I mention that one hospital came out publicly last year and said that they had paid a ransom to the hackers it may be that others decide to do that," he said.

Otherwise, IT security companies will need to be employed to decrypt the ransomware, he said, adding that he believed the government was already involved in handling the hack, as well as the wider NHS.

"Decryption has to be the key," he said. "And its time sensitive - so the longer the hospital computer is locked down, the longer it means you dont have access to patient information.

Hospitals are "ideal" targets for hackers, he said, because it is so imperative that doctors have access to patients records at all times.

"Hospitals need access to those records day in day out," he said. "If you lock systems we cant access blood tests or scans or clinical information, so what drugs patients are taking - what medications - what the dosage is, what theyre allergic to, all of that for example. That severely hampers what I can do - so today I saw patients and with virtually all of them I was accessing a computer during the conversation."

Targeting hospitals could prove very lucrative for hackers he said, with medical records selling for ten times more than credit card information on the black market.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA 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 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty 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 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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 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There are several things unaffected hospitals can do immediately to ensure their safety, he said - firstly they need to warn users not to click on suspicious links or open suspicious emails, and instead to report and delete them. IT departments need to install anti-virus firewalls. And, most importantly, hospitals should frequently back up patient data.

"Papworth hospital [in Cambridgeshire] was attacked and the head of IT there said they were lucky because they had backed up the data just a few minutes before," he said. "Now they back up their data every hour and they store it on older technology, magnetic tapes, and that has the advantage that it cannot be manipulated by the internet."

He said the purpose of his BMJ article was to raise awareness of the NHS' vulnerability and encourage hospitals to take steps to prevent an attack.

"Unfortunately its too late for that now," he said. "But hopefully unaffected NHS organisations can still learn from this and take immediate action."
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Edward Snowden has blamed the National Security Council for not preventing a cyber attack which infiltrated the computer systems of organisations in 74 countries around the world.

In a tweet, the National Security Council (NSA) whistleblower said: Despite warnings, @NSAGov built dangerous attack tools that could target Western software. Today we see the cost.

Dozens of hospital trusts across the UK have been hit by a huge cyber attack, believed to be the biggest of its kind ever recorded, which plunged the NHS into chaos.

The malicious software, which locked up computers and held users' files for ransom, is believed to have been stolen from the NSA and leaked.

Reports say the ransomware is taking advantage of EternalBlue, an exploit used by NSA spies to secretly break into Windows machines.

According to the New York Times, a group calling itself the Shadow Brokers began to post software tools that came from the US governments stockpile of hacking weapons last summer.

The malware, called Wanna Detector, is also believed to have been leaked in WikiLeaks Vault 7 release earlier this year.

Mr Snowden said the US Congress should be asking the NSA if it is aware of any vulnerabilities of the software that could be exploited.

"If @NSAGov had privately disclosed the flaw used to attack hospitals when they *found* it, not when they lost it, this may not have happened," he tweeted.

The whistleblower pointed the finger of blame at the NSA and said that if it had disclosed system vulnerabilities, "hospitals would have had years - not months - to prepare".

 NHS cyber hack: Five key questions answered

The Times reported this was the first time a cyber weapon developed by the NSA, which was funded by American taxpayers, had been stolen and unleashed against patients, hospitals, businesses and governments.

The US never acknowledged the cyber weapons posted by Shadow Brokers belonged to the NSA but it was reportedly confirmed by former intelligence officials.

Mr Snowden said the NSA had been warned of the dangers of building these cyber weapons but now the attack will raise questions over countries intelligence services ability to prevent the tools from being stolen and turned against them.

Hackers seemingly took advantage of the fact hospitals had not updated their IT systems.

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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 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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

Dr Krishna Chinthapalli, a doctor who predicted a cyber attack on the NHS in an article published just two days ago, has said hackers had been targeting hospitals for a couple of years.

His article, 'The hackers holding hospitals to ransom', published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) on Wednesday, described NHS organisations as the ideal victims of cyber attacks, and said dozens of smaller hacks had happened in the past.

Earlier this week, the BMJ said up to 90 per cent of NHS computers still ran Windows XP and previous reports found public health organisations were using an outdated version of Microsoft Windows that was not equipped with security updates.

Britain's National Cyber Security Centre said teams were working "round the clock" to restore hospital computer systems. The cost of the cyber attack is not yet known.

The attack has been reported in 74 countries, including Ukraine, India, Taiwan, Japan and Spain, with Russia believed to have been hit the hardest.
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The NHS faces a weekend of chaos after an unprecedented cyber-attack forced hospitals to cancel and delay treatment for patients.

Thousands of patients across England and Scotland are stuck in limbo after A&E wards, GP surgeries and other vital services across the NHS were infected with a virus based on hacking tools developed by US cyber-warfare agents.

Non-emergency patients have been advised to use health facilities frugally, while those who are critically ill have had to be diverted to unaffected hospitals as computer systems failed in A&E units.

NHS trusts have requested new patients do not come to A&E, but instead to ring 111, or 999 in the case of an emergency.

To ensure that all back-up processes and procedures were put in place quickly, the trust declared a major internal incident to make sure that patients already in the trusts hospitals continued to receive the care they need, a spokesperson for East and North Hertfordshire NHS trust said.

NHS Blackpool Clinical Commissioning Group tweeted: We are aware of an IT issue affecting some GP computer systems. Patients are asked for understanding whilst the issue is resolved.

Please avoid contacting your GP practice unless absolutely necessary. Should you wish to obtain non-urgent medical advice, please call 111. Please also only attend the Walk-In Centre and A&E department if absolutely necessary.

 NHS cyber-attack: Amber Rudd fails to confirm that files are safe

Other trusts stressed that some of the problems were being caused by protective measures, rather than the cyber attack itself.

Following a suspected national cyber attack we are taking all precautionary measures possible to protect our local NHS systems and services, NHS Merseyside said on Twitter.

The attack plunged the NHS into chaos on Friday afternoon as patients across the UK had their appointments and operations cancelled and medical staff were locked out of test results, X-rays and patient records.

Doctors warned that the infiltration  said to be the largest cyber-attack in NHS history  could cost lives.

At least 30 health service organisations are said to have been infiltrated by the malicious software, while many others shut down servers as a precautionary measure, meaning all systems were offline and hospitals were unable to accept incoming calls. Staff had to carry out work with pen and paper and without access to any digital files.

Recommended NHS cyber attack used US government software leaked by WikiLeaks

Microsoft today took the highly unusual step of delivering a public patch for Windows XP, despite having officially ended its support for the 16-year-old operating system in 2014, after the attack exploited vulnerabilities within it.

The hack, which brings up a message telling users they can recover files but only if they send $300 in bitcoins to a specific address, appears to be an example of ransomware  criminals breaking into computers, taking sensitive files hostage and only allowing their owners to have access when they pay enough money.

The attack is said to have hit around 100 countries across the globe.

US firm FedEx announced on Friday night that its operations in the US were affected, while researchers with security software maker Avast said they had observed 57,000 infections in 99 countries with Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan the top targets.

In a statement posted on its blog, Microsoft said seeing the cyber-attack take hold was "painful".

"Seeing businesses and individuals affected by cyber attacks, such as the ones reported today, was painful. Microsoft worked throughout the day to ensure we understood the attack and were taking all possible actions to protect our customers," the statement read.

"We are taking the highly unusual step of providing a security update for all customers to protect Windows platforms that are in custom support only, including Windows XP, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2003. Customers running Windows 10 were not targeted by the attack."

The Government and NHS bosses are now facing growing questions over the attack amid suggestions preventative measures could have been taken months ago.

A former NHS Trust chairman told Sky News: "The NHS will have practised for this, but it's had an impact right the way across the NHS, and I think this took the wind out of the NHS' sails. IT plays such a huge role in modern healthcare at looking at past notes. It's so interconnected.

"Over time, Microsoft has held us to ransom, and of course the NHS hasn't got the money to pay for it. In 2014 when Windows stopped supporting, the NHS played 5m to have an extra year's support. There has not been enough investment over a long enough period in IT.

"The question for the politicians now is what are you going to do about IT in not only the NHS, but the public sector more widely."

Home Secretary Amber Rudd admitted files may have been lost, telling BBC Breakfast: We will find out over the next few days if there are any holes in [the backing-up of files].

There may be lessons to learn from this but the most important thing now is to disrupt the attack, let's come back to afterwards whether there are lessons to be learned.

In a separate interview on the BBC's Today programme, Ms Rudd said: Windows XP is not a good platform for keeping your data as secure as the modern ones, because you can't download the effective patches and anti-virus software for defending against viruses.

 Government urged to clarify whether NHS bodies could have stopped cyber attack

CQC (Care Quality Commission) does do cyber-checks on the NHS trusts, on hospitals when they do their visits, and they will be advising NHS trusts to move to modernise their platforms and I think that after this experience, I would expect them all to move forward with modernising."

Ms Rudd will chair a Cobra meeting in Whitehall today (Saturday) at 2.30pm.

Scotland's Health Secretary Shona Robison meanwhile said there was a level of confidence that GP systems would run as normal on Monday, and that any lessons from the cyber attack on NHS computer systems will be learned.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, 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cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. 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The NHS has been hit by such attacks before, but this was by far the worst, experts said, taking down an unprecedented number of trusts and hospitals.

The attack came soon after a report was published in the British Medical Journal in which neurologist Dr Krishna Chinthapalli warned hospitals that they were at risk of an attack.

We should be prepared: more hospitals will almost certainly be shut down by ransomware this year, he wrote.

He warned just hours before the hack broke out that IT departments needed to do more to keep hospitals safe, and that such hacks  which have already hit some hospitals in the US  were a problem waiting to happen.
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Nissan's Sunderland car factory has been hit by a cyber-attack.

It comes after the NHS was held to ransom when malware struck on Friday, locking doctors out of their computers.

A Nissan spokesman said he could not confirm whether production had been affected. The plant's standard working week is Monday to Friday.

The spokesman said: "Like many organisations, our UK plant was subject to a ransomware attack affecting some of our systems on Friday night. Our teams are working to solve this issue."

French carmaker Renault has also been affected. "Measures are being put in place to stop the spread of the virus. It's the first step," a spokeswoman said.

The ransomware  which locks down files until money is paid  is a new version that is rapidly spreading across the world. It has affected thousands of computers in nearly 100 countries.

Patients across England and Scotland were in limbo after the malicious program spread through accident and emergency, GP surgeries and other vital health services.

Non-emergency patients have been advised to use health facilities sparingly, while those who are critically ill have had to be diverted to unaffected hospitals as computer systems failed in A&E units.

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. 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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

Though the problem is already infamous in the UK for the damage it has done to NHS systems, the effects have focused most specifically on Spain and Russia, according to experts.

"This cyber attack is much larger than just the NHS," said Travis Farral, director of security strategy for cyber security firm Anomali Labs. "It appears to be a giant campaign that has hit Spain and Russia the hardest."
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Business leaders have warned Theresa May she will damage the economy by renewing the Governments commitment to reduce net migration to under 100,000 a year.

Five leading business groups have told The Independent they are worried the controversial target to cut the figure  which stood at 273,000 for the year to September  to tens of thousands will deny companies the foreign workers they need to meet the huge challenges they face post-Brexit.

Although business groups want the Prime Minister to think again, the target set by David Cameron in 2010 looks certain to be repeated in the Tory manifesto next week.

Ms May has overruled Cabinet colleagues including Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, who hinted at a more flexible approach. Some ministers fear the target will never be hit.

Reacting to the business criticism, a Conservative spokesman said: Under the strong and stable leadership of Theresa May, the UK will continue to attract the brightest and best to give the economy the skills needed while bringing net migration down to sustainable levels.

By contrast Jeremy Corbyn appears to have no plan for immigration and would put the Brexit negotiations and our economic progress at risk.

But Josh Hardie, the deputy director-general of the CBI, said: It is right that the UK takes control of immigration but the starting point must be the outcomes that we want for people, in work and in public services, not a single, blunt target that risks backfiring at a pivotal time for the UK economy.

Dr Adam Marshall, the director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, agreed. He said the target did not reflect what businesses in Britain needed, and risked reducing jobs and investment.

He said: Politicians may think a terrible idea is a vote-winner, but that doesnt make it any less terrible.

An arbitrary target for migration isnt what the British people want, or what British businesses need, to navigate the challenges and opportunities of Brexit. There is a huge difference between controlling immigration, which people understand and accept, and setting an arbitrary target that damages jobs and investment.

The Institute of Directors said such a target was a poor substitute for a proper immigration policy. Instead, Seamus Nevin, the institutes head of employment and skills policy, said setting arbitrary numbers which are not linked to the skill gap would achieve nothing without the infrastructure in place to enable the target to be met.

His comments were echoed by the chief executive of London First, Jasmine Whitbread. She said: Business understands the need for control over immigration, and is up for working with government to achieve this in a phased and realistic way. But a net migration target makes no sense whatsoever - it would be an arbitrary number and prove impossible to meet without risking serious damage to the UK economy.

For Verity OKeefe, the senior employment and skills policy adviser at EEF, the manufacturers body, the governments target to cut net migration by tens of thousands has made it more difficult and costly for employers to recruit the people they need.

If we want to prevent a skills cliff-edge, government should be opening its doors to global talent, not closing them," she said.

Chuka Umunna, Labours former shadow Business Secretary, slammed the government target as incompatible with businesses recruitment needs and called for the target to be dropped.

He said: Businesses could not be clearer: they need the talent and hard work of Europeans to thrive and innovate. This is true of all the major sectors of our economy, whether manufacturing or science, hospitality or farming.

The Governments extreme target to reduce migration to the tens of thousands is simply incompatible with this. It should be dropped immediately, not least because no one thinks it is achievable and so it only serves to erode trust in the system. Ministers would be applauded for their bravery if they change course.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA 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 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty 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

The warnings from business leaders come as The Independent and the Open Britain group are running a Drop the Target campaign urging the Government to abandon its goal.

Further evidence of the need for a more flexible approach to migration after Brexit emerged in a survey of other trade groups by Open Britain.

The Federation of Small Businesses found that one in five small firms employs EU workers, and that 59 per cent of those companies are worried about skills shortages after Brexit.

Some 13 per cent with EU employees would consider moving their business abroad if there were additional barriers to recruiting in the EU.

The British Hospitality Association said that, without future EU migration, the sector would face a recruitment crisis, with more than 60,000 workers a year needed on top of the usual 200,000.

EU citizens account for 27 per cent of the workforce in the food and drink industry and provide a highly-valued solution to the skills gap.

According to the National Farmers Union, the sector needs EU and non-EU seasonal and permanent labour to ensure the timely delivery of high quality affordable food to consumers.

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry said uncertainty was creating the negative impression that the UK is closed to foreign workers, making it harder to market the country as an attractive destination for the talent essential to the industry.

Free movement of labour within European borders should continue, said the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, which pointed to more than 5,000 vacancies in the automotive sector.

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association said: Any future controls on the movement of people must ensure continued access to a skilled workforce: winemakers, pickers and the hospitality sector.
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Ukips decision to field candidates in little more than half of all constituencies could hand the Conservatives a landslide election victory, analysis suggests.

Just 377 out of 650 seats in the UK will have the option to vote for Paul Nuttalls party, and polls indicate the majority of those who voted Ukip in recent years will now vote Conservative rather than Labour.

And 29 of the seats where Ukip will not stand a candidate are marginal, with 26 of these held by Labour  increasing the likelihood of a large Conservative majority. Polling has suggested around half of Ukip voters are ready to switch to the Tories even where the party is fielding a candidate.

If 50 per cent of Ukip voters across the country do in fact vote Conservative on 8 June, this would translate into 36 extra seats. If 70 per cent plump for the Tories, this should deliver them 54 extra seats.

In 2015, Ukip was on the march, considered one of the major four parties and granted a place in TV election debates that excluded the Greens. Standing candidates in 624 constituencies, they took over 12 per cent of the vote, although the party won just one seat under the first-past-the-post system.

But cash-strapped Ukip has seen its support collapse in the wake of the Brexit vote, with the party leadership riven by internal feuding.

With Article 50 triggered and Prime Minister Theresa May promising there is no going back on Brexit, Ukip has increasingly been depicted as a party without a purpose, managing to hold onto just one seat at the local council elections last week and losing 145.

Ms May has appeared to park her tanks firmly on Ukips lawn with tough talk on immigration, promising to get numbers down to tens of thousands over the next five years if the Conservatives are re-elected.

 Brexit is already starting to make families poorer, Bank of England warns

Mr Nuttall announced the party will not stand candidates in seats where there are strongly pro-Brexit MPs  a policy which will mainly benefit the Conservatives are there were only nine pro-Leave Labour MPs. Nor will the party field candidates where a Tory challenger has the chance to oust Europhile MPs of any other party.

This means the Tories could pick up votes from Ukip supporters in the traditionally Labour heartlands in the north and the midlands, as well as in several London marginal constituencies.

Out of the 50 Labour constituencies with the smallest majorities in 2015, 23 will have no Ukip candidate. If the former Ukip voters defect mainly to the Tories, this could cost Labour a significant number of seats.

Labour MPs considered at risk from Ukips decision not to field a candidate include Cat Smith, a Corbyn ally and shadow minister defending a majority of just 1,265 in her Lancashire seat where Ukip received more than 4,000 votes in 2015.

The seat with Labours smallest majority is the City of Chester, where Chris Matherson will defend a majority of just 93 votes in a constituency where Ukip won more than 4,000 votes in 2015.

And Ukip is not fielding a candidate in Ilford North, where Labours pro-Remain candidate Wes Steering holds a slim majority of 589, and where Ukip won over 4,000 votes in 2015.

Also at risk from the danger of purple-to-blue conversion could be Peter Kyle in Hove, Tulip Siddiq in Hampstead and Kilburn, Paula Sheriff in Dewsbury, Mary Creagh in Wakefield and Helen Goodman in Bishop Aukland.

How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Show all 8 1 /8 How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Weetabix Chief executive of Weetabix Giles Turrell has warned that the price of one of the nations favourite breakfast are likely to go up this year by low-single digits in percentage terms. Reuters How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Nescafe The cost of a 100g jar of Nescafe Original at Sainsburys has gone up 40p from 2.75 to 3.15  a 14 per cent risesince the Brexit vote. PA How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Freddo When contacted by The Independent this month, a Mondelez spokesperson declined to discuss specific brands but confirmed that there would be "selective" price increases across its range despite the American multi-national confectionery giant reporting profits of $548m (450m) in its last three-month financial period. Mondelez, which bought Cadbury in 2010, said rising commodity costs combined with the slump in the value of the pound had made its products more expensive to make. Cadbury How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Mr Kipling cakes Premier Foods, the maker of Mr Kipling and Bisto gravy, said that it was considering price rises on a case-by-case basis Reuters How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Walkers Crisps Walkers, owned by US giant PepsiCo, said "the weakened value of the pound" is affecting the import cost of some of its materials. A Walkers spokesman told the Press Association that a 32g standard bag was set to increase from 50p to 55p, and the larger grab bag from 75p to 80p. Getty How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Marmite Tesco removed Marmite and other Unilever household brand from its website last October, after the manufacturer tried to raise its prices by about 10 per cent owing to sterlings slump. Tesco and Unilever resolved their argument, but the price of Marmite has increased in UK supermarkets with the grocer reporting a 250g jar of Marmite will now cost Morrisons customers 2.64 - an increase of 12.5 per cent. Rex How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Toblerone Toblerone came under fire in November after it increased the space between the distinctive triangles of its bars. Mondelez International, the company which makes the product, said the change was made due to price rises in recent months. Pixabay How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Maltesers Maltesers, billed as the lighter way to enjoy chocolate, have also shrunk in size. Mars, which owns the brand, has reduced its pouch weight by 15 per cent. Mars said rising costs mean it had to make the unenviable decision between increasing its prices or reducing the weight of its Malteser packs. iStockphoto

Caroline Flint, the Labour MP in Don Valley and former frontbencher, could also be at risk, along with Tracy Brabin who was elected for the Yorkshire constituency of Batley and Spen following the murder of Jo Cox.

Analysis by BuzzFeed found the Conservatives will pick up 29 seats where Ukip is not fielding a candidate if eight of ten former Ukippers vote for the Tories.

The SNPs Calum Kerr and Liberal Democrat Norman Lamb could also suffer from the lack of Ukip candidate in their constituency.

Mr Nuttall said Ukip is doing the noble thing in not contesting seats where there are serving Eurosceptic MPs  including in seats such as Vauxhall, held by Labours Kate Hoey who campaigned for Leave.

He said: Where branches have campaigned with candidates or MPs on Vote Leave platforms... they would have taken a decision to stand down to ensure we get as many Brexit MPs into the House of Commons. I think it is a very noble thing to do, to put country above party.

But he denied the partys decision not to field candidates will hand certain victory to the Conservatives.

I am confident that our poll ratings will go up as the campaign progresses but there are a huge bank of people in the north, in the midlands and in working class communities in the south who will never ever vote Conservative. Period.
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The Green Party has pledged to end immigration detention, starting with the release of the most vulnerable female asylum seekers who have suffered rape, sexual abuse or torture.

The promise comes in the partys manifesto for women, which was being launched outside the Yarls Wood detention centre for female asylum seekers, ahead of a demonstration at the Bedfordshire facility.

Also included in the document was a promise to decriminalise the sale and purchase of sex, following recommendations from the United Nations and Amnesty International that banning prostitution reduces womens safety.

And the manifesto set out plans to preserve womens healthcare facilities, reinstate sexual health services and end pay freezes for public sector workers.

The party would also roll out a UK-wide strategy to tackle domestic violence, scrap the so-called rape clause for child benefit claimants and restore legal aid so that victims do not have to face their abusers in court.

Green Party deputy leader Amelia Womack said: Detaining asylum seekers is inhumane, costly and totally unnecessary.

Women who are coming to the UK seeking refuge are being detained in appalling conditions in centres like Yarls Wood, often for years with no end to their incarceration in sight.

We can be so much better than this  a confident and caring country that welcomes people in need instead of closing our borders, building walls and locking up vulnerable people who need help.

The bold policies were announcing today show that the Green Party is committed to standing up for everyone, and we are not afraid to speak out about issues other parties would rather shy away from.

From asylum seekers to sex workers, as well as all of us who use the NHS, these policies set us on the path to building a tolerant, inclusive society.

Under the Green plans, vulnerable asylum seekers who have experienced rape, sexual abuse or torture would immediately be released from detention so their claims can be processed in the community.

The party would impose a three-month maximum processing time for asylum applications, with the long-term aim of closing all detention centres.
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More voters expect to pay higher taxes under a Conservative government than under a Labour one, according to a ComRes opinion poll for The Independent. The finding, which contradicts the image of Labour as the tax-and-spend party, comes in the week that the partys draft manifesto, containing plans to raise taxes on companies and on people earning more than 80,000 a year, was leaked.

The poll gives the Conservatives an 18-point lead, suggesting Theresa May is heading for a majority of 144 seats, the same as Margaret Thatchers in 1983. But the Tory lead has been cut from the huge 25-point advantage in the last ComRes poll three weeks ago. The Conservatives are on 48 per cent (down two), Labour on 30 per cent (up five), Liberal Democrats on 10 per cent (down two) and Ukip on 5 per cent (down two).

In a striking finding, most voters, 53 per cent, would expect to pay more tax if the Conservatives win the general election than if Labour win it. In a forced-choice question, 47 per cent said the opposite. The poll also found that 86 per cent of people expect Ms May to win the election  just 14 per cent said Jeremy Corbyn was likely to  so it is possible that the answers to the tax question reflect voters belief that the Conservatives will win, and will put up taxes. Ms May this week repeatedly refused to rule out rises in the level of tax.

In other findings, the poll found limited support for tactical voting. Faced with a choice, 87 per cent said: I will vote for the party which I think is best for Britain; only 13 per cent said: I will consider voting for a party I don't usually support to stop one party winning too large a majority.

It found that most voters  53 per cent  do not believe Theresa May when she says she wants to try and help people who are just about managing; 47 per cent say they do believe her. And with less than four weeks to go to polling day a third of voters  32 per cent  have yet to make up their minds how to vote.

When asked to compare party leaders, Ms May was seen as best to lead Britains negotiations over Brexit by 50 per cent as against 15 per cent for Mr Corbyn; most likely to keep Britain safe from terrorism by 47 per cent to 14 per cent; and most likely to reduce net migration to the UK by 38 per cent to 9 per cent. On this question, Mr Corbyn was ranked third behind Paul Nuttall, leader of Ukip, on 18 per cent.

Mr Corbyn was seen as most likely to deliver improvements to the NHS by 38 per cent to 28 per cent for Ms May, and the Labour leader was also seen as best to look after the interests of hard-working families by 35 per cent to 32 per cent for Ms May. Significantly, the Prime Minister, who wants to extend selection in schools, was seen as most likely to raise school standards by 35 per cent to 28 per cent for Mr Corbyn.

Ms May, who on Tuesday appeared on BBC1s The One Show with Philip, her husband, also won the desert island test, with 26 per cent saying she was the one Id most want to be stranded on a desert island with: 19 per cent opted for Mr Corbyn; 8 per cent preferred Tim Farron, leader of the Lib Dems; 3 per cent Mr Nuttall; and 3 per cent  40 per cent in Scotland  Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the SNP. But 41 per cent did not want to be stranded with any of them.

ComRes interviewed 2,007 GB adults online 10-12 May 2017. Data were weighted to be demographically representative of all adults and by past vote recall. Voting intention figures are calculated using the ComRes Voter Turnout Model. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Full tables on the ComRes website.
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Theresa May is using the 'Remain' bus used in last years Brexit referendum campaign to tour the country.

The Prime Ministers general election battle bus has Theresa May: For Britain and strong, stable leadership plastered across it.

Its previous history of working for the Remain camp was discovered by an eagled-eyed Twitter user who noticed the license plates on the two buses were identical.

Ms May set off on the bus for the first time from Northumberland and joked she had used every type of transport other than horses, The Daily Telegraph reported.

"This election is not about who people might have voted for before. It's about who they want to see leading this country over the next five years," Ms May said, addressing local Tory activists.

She also said that with 27 days to go before the election, campaigning would now step up.

The Labour Partys bus, which has for the many not the few emblazoned on it, is also apparently recycled and is the same one that was used for the partys 'Remain' campaign.

The Independent has contacted the Conservative Party for a comment but at the time of publication none had been provided.
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A patient being treated at a psychiatric hospital in Illinois has reportedly been shot and killed by police after holding a nurse hostage in a stand-off that lasted for several hours.

A SWAT team killed the patient, named as Tywon Salters, 21, a prison inmate who was being treated at the Delnor Hospital in the Chicago suburb of Geneva.

The armed officers reportedly moved in after negotiations broke down, according to CNN.

Kane had taken the member of staff hostage after grabbing a gun from a police officer after he was brought to the hospital for treatment.

Hostage negotiators and the SWAT team rushed to the hospital when the incident began at around 1pm local time, according to Kane County Sheriffs spokesman Patrick Gengler.

The inmate was believed to still be holding the gun on a female hospital employee at about 4pm local time, with the hospital placed on lock down.

Mr Gengler said Salters was being held on charges related to a stolen vehicle and had been in the custody of the county jail since 11 April.

The prisoner was transferred to the hospital on Monday, but Mr Gengler said he could not release details as to why he was hospitalised at this stage.

The lock down has now been lifted from the hospital and no other injuries have been reported.
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The United States is close to completing a series of arms deals for Saudi Arabia totaling more than $100bn, a senior White House official said on Friday, a week ahead of President Donald Trump's planned visit to Riyadh.

The official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the arms package could end up surpassing more than $300bn over a decade to help Saudi Arabia boost its defensive capabilities while still maintaining US ally Israels qualitative military edge over its neighbours.

We are in the final stages of a series of deals, the official said. The package is being developed to coincide with Mr Trumps visit to Saudi Arabia. Mr Trump leaves for the kingdom on 19 May, the first stop on his maiden international trip.

Reuters reported last week that Washington was pushing through contracts for tens of billions of dollars in arms sales to Saudi Arabia, some new, others already in the pipeline, ahead of Mr Trumps visit.

The US has been the main supplier for most Saudi military needs, from F-15 fighter jets to command and control systems worth tens of billions of dollars in recent years. Mr Trump has vowed to stimulate the US economy by boosting manufacturing jobs.

The package includes American arms and maintenance, ships, air missile defence and maritime security, the official said. We'll see a very substantial commitment. In many ways it is intended to build capabilities for the threats they face.

The official added: Its good for the American economy but it will also be good in terms of building a capability that is appropriate for the challenges of the region. Israel would still maintain an edge.

While in Riyadh, the official said Mr Trump would attend three major events: a series of meeting with Saudi officials, a separate session with leaders of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council and a lunch with Arab and Muslim leaders, 56 of whom have been invited, to discuss combating extremism and cracking down on illicit financing.

Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Show all 33 1 /33 Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's first 100 days in office were marred by a string of scandals, many of which caught the eye of the Independent's cartoonists Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Trump's first 100 days have seen him aggressively ramp up tensions with his nuclear rivals in North Korea Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump has warned of a "major, major conflict" with the pariah nation lead by Kim Jong Un Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump dropped the "mother of all bombs" on alleged ISIS-linked militants in Afghanistan, amid an escalation of US military intervention around the globe Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump has been accused of falling short of the standards set by his predecessors in the Oval Office, including Franklin D Roosevelt Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The tycoon's ascension to the White House came at a time when the balance of power is shifting away from Western nations like those in the G7 group Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Western politicians, including the British Conservative party, have been accused of falling in line behind Mr Trump's proposals Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Brexit is seen to have weakened Britain, reducing still further any political will to resist American leadership Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump's leadership has been marked by sudden and unexpected shifts in global policy Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Trump's controversial missile strike on Syria, which killed several citizens, was seen by some analysts as an attempt to distract from his policy elsewhere Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The President has also spent a large majority of his weekends golfing, rather than attending to matters of state Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Though free of gaffes, a visit from Chinese president Xi Jinping spotlighted trade tensions between the two states Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons One major and unexpected setback came when Mr Trump's Healthcare Bill was struck down by members of his own party Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump has been a figure of fun in the media, with his approval at record lows Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons A string of revelations about Mr Trump's financial indiscretions did not mar his surge to the White House Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Outgoing President Barack Obama was accused of wiretapping Trump Tower by his successor in America's highest office Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The alleged involvement of Russian intelligence operatives in securing Mr Trump the presidency prompted harsh criticism Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The explosive resignation of Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who lied about his links to the Russian ambassador, was just one scandal to hit the President Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Many scandals, such as the accusation Barack Obama was implicated in phone-hacking, first broke on Mr Trump's Twitter feed Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's election provoked mass protests in the UK, with millions signing a petition to ban him from the country Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump cited a non-existent terror attack in Sweden during a campaign rally Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump stands accused of stoking regional tensions in Eastern Asia Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons North Korea has launched a number of failed nuclear tests since Mr Trump took power Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Theresa May formally rejected the petition calling for Mr Trump to be banned from the UK Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons When Mr Trump's initial so-called Muslim ban was struck down by a federal justice, the President mocked the 69-year-old as a "ridiculous", "so-called judge" Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons A week after his inauguration, Theresa May met with Mr Trump at the White House Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's first days in office were marked by a hasty attempt to follow through on many of his campaign promises, including the so-called Muslim ban Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's decision to ban citizens of many majority-Muslim countries from the US sparked mass protests Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Revelations about Donald Trump's sexual improprieties were not enough to keep him from being elected President Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons British PM Theresa May was criticised by many in the press for cosying up to the new President Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons One of Mr Trump's top aides, Kelly Anne Conway, was mocked for describing mistruths as "alternative facts" Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons British PM Theresa May was quick to demonstrate that her political aims did not hugely differ from Mr Trump's Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's inauguration, on 20 January 2017, sparked protests both at home and abroad

Mr Trump will discuss how to counter the threat from Islamic State militants, the war in Yemen and threats of ballistic missiles and maritime shipping in the Red Sea, the official said.

US Navy commanders have accused Iran of jeopardising international navigation by harassing warships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Gulf Arab states are optimistic about Mr Trump whom they see as a hawkish leader opposed to their adversary Iran.

A major part of the agenda with Gulf leaders will be the Syrian civil war amid calls for de-escalation zones in Syria to provide a safe haven for Syrian refugees.

Besides Saudi Arabia, Mr Trumps first foreign trip will also include visits to Israel, the Vatican, Brussels for a NATO summit and Sicily for a Group of Seven summit.
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Donald Trump has admitted the FBI's investigation into alleged Russia ties among his associates was a factor in his firing of director James Comey.

At first, a Justice Department memo released by the White House suggested Mr Comey was fired for his poor handling of the bureaus investigation into Hillary Clintons use of a private email server.

But the President told NBC's Lester Holt on Thursday night he had already decided to sack Mr Comey before his deputy attorney general recommended it, adding by way of explanation that "this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story".

Mr Trump, speaking about the Russia probe, also said Mr Comey was "the wrong man for that position" and "I want that thing to be absolutely done properly".

Mr Comey had been leading the investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the presidential election and claims of ties between Mr Trump's associates and the Kremlin.

He had also led the probe into the email practices of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who blamed him in part for her defeat.

Mr Trump told NBC: "When I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said you know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story, it's an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won.

"And the reason they should have won it is the electoral college is almost impossible for a Republican to win. Very hard. Because you start off at such a disadvantage. So everybody was thinking, they should have won the election. This was an excuse for having lost an election."

Asked whether he was "angry" with Mr Comey because of the Russia investigation, Mr Trump said: "I just want somebody that's competent. As far as I'm concerned, I want that thing to be absolutely done properly."

He added: "Look, I want to find out if there was a problem with an election having to do with Russia. Or, by the way, anybody else. Any other country. And I want that to be so strong and so good. And I want it to happen. I also want to have a really competent, capable director. He's not. He's a showboat."

Mr Trump reiterated his position that there was no collusion between his campaign and the Kremlin.

The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Show all 17 1 /17 The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Muellers team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. Getty The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. AP The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign. AP images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia. Creative Commons The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Getty Images

Mr Holt asked the President whether he had considered the "optics" of firing the man leading a probe into alleged Russia links the day before that country's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, was due to meet him in the Oval Office.

Mr Trump said: "I never thought about it.It was set up uh a while ago and frankly, I could have waited but what difference does it make? I'm not looking for cosmetics. I'm looking to do a great job for the country."

The President also re-stated what he had told the outgoing FBI director in his termination letter  that Mr Comey had told him three times he was not personally under investigation.

He and Mr Comey "had a very nice dinner, and at that time he told me, You are not under investigation, which I knew anyway," he said in the NBC interview. "Then during a phone call he said it, and then during another phone call he said it. In one case I called him, and in once case he called me."

Mr Trump claimed Mr Comey asked to have dinner "because he wanted to stay on" as director. People close to the now-ex director denied this was the case in interviews with NBC.

During a White House briefing, deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she did not view it as a conflict of interest that Mr Comey told the President he was not under an investigation at a meeting where the FBI director was also asking to remain head of the bureau.

In the NBC interview, Mr Trump also defended his decision to wait 18 days to fire former national security adviser Mike Flynn after he was warned over the general's contact with Russia's ambassador to the US. He said: "This man has served for many years, hes a general, Hes, in my opinion, a very good person.

"I believed itd be very unfair to hear from somebody we dont even know and immediately fire them."

That unknown person was acting Attorney General Sally Yates, who was herself later fired for failing to defend and implement the first of Mr Trump's executive orders relating to a Muslim travel ban.
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President Donald Trump abruptly fired FBI Director James Comey this week, in a move that has left more questions than answers.

Only four years into his 10-year term, Mr Comey was leading the criminal investigation into whether Trump campaign advisers colluded with Russian operatives to influence the 2016 presidential election. While presidents have the authority to fire their FBI directors for any reason, Mr Comey is only the second FBI Director ever to be dismissed.

Here are eight things that happened after Comey was fired.

1) Donald Trump contradicted his entire White House team

The night Mr Trump fired Mr Comey, the White House said the president acted based on advice from Jeff Sessions and his deputy Rod Rosenstein. That night, Press Secretary Sean Spicer also told reporters: It was all him, meaning Mr Rosenstein. This was echoed by Mike Pence, who said Trump was acting on the Department of Justice recommendations.

But on Thursday, Mr Trump told NBC that regardless of recommendation, I was going to fire Comey.

Right.

2) Donald Trump threatened to stop his administration talking to the press

After the onslaught of criticism for the way the White House has changed details of its Comey firing narrative, Mr Trump tweeted on Friday that because of his busy schedule and with lots of things happening, it was not possible for my surrogates to stand at podium with perfect accuracy.

... Maybe the best thing to do would be to cancel all future 'press briefings' and hand out written responses for the sake of accuracy??? he said in another tweet.

3) The Deputy Attorney General 'threatened to resign'

ABC News reported that Mr Rosenstein was on the verge of resigning, upset that the White House had pinned him as the reason for the Comey firing.

In perhaps another sign of mixed messaging from the Trump administration, Vice President Mike Pence said that when Mr Rosenstein brought the recommendation to the president that the director of the FBI should be removed, President Trump provided the kind of strong and decisive leadership the American people have come to be accustomed from him.

4) Sean Spicer huddled with staff 'among' White House bushes

According to a report by the Washington Post, press staff at the White House told reporters that Mr Spicer wouldnt do a briefing after dropping the bombshell that Mr Trump fired his FBI director. But as Democrats and Republicans began to increasingly question Mr Trumps decision, Mr Spicer and two prominent spokeswomen hurried to defend the president on TV.

Mr Spicer reportedly avoided the press huddle awaiting him by spending several minutes hidden in the bushes. However, the original article was amended for the sake of accuracy: Spicer and his staff had been standing among the bushes, apparently.

5) Trump claimed Comey assured him 'three times' that he was not under FBI investigation

Mr Trump said he and Mr Comey had a very nice dinner, and at that time he told me, You are not under investigation, which I knew anyway.

Then during a phone call he said it, and then during another phone call he said it, Mr Trump elaborated. In one case I called him, and in once case he called me.

The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Show all 17 1 /17 The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Muellers team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. Getty The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. AP The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign. AP images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia. Creative Commons The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Getty Images

6) Sean Spicer didn't deny that Mr Trump has bugged the White House

The White House refused to confirm or deny whether someone in the West Wing is in possession of a recording of the dinner between Mr Trump and Mr Comey.

Mr Trump tweeted on Friday: James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!

Mr Comey reportedly said he hopes there are tapes of his various conversations with Mr Trump.

7) Trump met with Vladimir Putin's senior diplomat the day after firing Comey

The White House barred reporters from witnessing the meeting between Mr Trump and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, but granted access to Russian state media. David Cohen, the former deputy director of the CIA, is among those alarmed by the decision to allow a Tass news agency photographer into the Oval Office, which some argued could present a security risk.

8) Trump gets two scoops of ice cream

Time Magazine revealed that the president has two scoops of ice cream with his chocolate cream pie while everyone else at the table receives just one. He is also served Thousand Island dressing instead of the creamy vinaigrette for his guests.
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Former FBI Director James Comey has reportedly said he hopes there are tapes of his various conversations with Donald Trump.

Hours after Mr Trump issued a veiled threat on Twitter in which he said Mr Comey better hope that there are no tapes of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press, a report said the former FBI Director had responded by saying he was not concerned.

CNN said a source had said the meeting over dinner on January 27 had been requested by Mr Trump, and that Mr Comey had already been told he was going to stay in his position.

It is absolutely untrue that Jim asked to have dinner or that he asked to have his job, the network quoted the source as saying: That is a complete fabrication.

Meanwhile, NBC quoted a source close to Mr Comey as saying: He hopes there are tapes. That would be perfect.

The proxy war of words between the two men came days after Mr Trump announced he had fired Mr Comey, claiming that he had taken the decision because of his handling of the investigation into Hillary Clintons use of a private email server. Few observers believed that explanation.

The White House has been scrambling to keep its straight its story about the firing of Mr Comey, something that Mr Trump has not made easy.

 Donald Trump says James Comey told him multiple times he was not under investigation

Initially, a succession of officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, said Mr Trump took the decision after acting of the recommendation of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

But in an interview with NBC, Mr Trump said he had made up his mind to fire the FBI Director before obtaining memos from the two senior officials in the Justice Department. Indeed, as it became clear that the documents had been hastily put together to create cover for Mr Trump, Mr Rosenstein reportedly threatened to resign.

Regardless of recommendation, I was going to fire Comey, Mr Trump said, referring to the ousted law enforcement official as a showboat and a grandstander.

The FBI has been in turmoil, Mr Trump claimed. You know that, I know that, everyone knows that.

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. 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Mr Trump also claimed in the NBC interview that he had asked Mr Comey directly if he was under investigation personally as part of the bureaus investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russias alleged effort to influence the 2016 presidential election.

I said, If its possible, would you let me know, am I under investigation? He said you are not under investigation, Mr Trump said. He said the discussions happened in two phone calls and at a dinner in which Mr Comey was asking to keep his job.

Mr Comey has not confirmed Mr Trumps account of the events. The New York Times cited two unnamed associates of Mr Comey who recounted his tale of a January dinner with the president in which Mr Trump asked for a pledge of loyalty.

Mr Comey declined, apparently, instead offering honesty. When Mr Trump then pressed for honest loyalty, Mr Comey told the president: You will have that.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders disputed the report and said the president would never even suggest the expectation of personal loyalty.

CNN said its source said Mr Comey knew it was possible he would lose his job, especially when he did not agree to pledge loyalty and later with the fallout over refuting the presidents claims that President Barack Obama ordered the wiretapping of Trump Tower. However, the manner in which he was fired came as a surprise to him.
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Donald Trump is set to appoint a former business professor for a position that is supposed to serve as the top scientist of the Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Sam Clovis currently serves as the senior White House advisor for USDA and was a Trump campaign aide.

He worked as a public policy and business professor at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa and has said that climate change is simply a mechanism for transferring wealth from one group of people to another."

"We need more science" on climate change before doing anything to combat it, Mr Clovis said. However ProPublica reports that he "has never taken a graduate course in science and is openly skeptical of climate change."

President Obamas undersecretary for USDA research, Catherine Woteki, said Mr Clovis' appointment is akin to "appointing someone without a medical background to lead the National Institutes of Health," ProPublica reports.

National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump Show all 24 1 /24 National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump Joshua Trees in the Mojave Trails, California Encompassing 1.6million acres, this monument includes mountain ranges, sand dunes and ancient settled lava, meaning it is studded with gems and minerals. The Mojave Trails make up 105-miles of Route 66. Kiskamedia-iStock National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, Maine This is the Atlantic Oceans first marine national monuments, and covers almost 5,000 square miles of underwater canyons and mountains off the coast of New England. It was named a national monument in September 2016, shutting off commercial fishermen. The act protects resources and species including whales, deep-sea corals, Kemp's Ridley sea turtles (left), and deep-sea fish. Getty Images National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump Bears Ears National Monument, Utah Bear Ears is a 1.3million acre monument characterised by cliffs, plateaus, rock formations, rivers and canyons, and is the site of an estimated 100,000 archaeological sites, including ancient cliff dwellings. It was created in December 2016, in what was hailed as a victory by Native American tribes and conservationists but a blow to Republicans who wanted to area open for energy developments. The land is considered sacred to a number of tribes, who visit the area to collect herbs and wood for medicinal and spiritual healing, as well as to perform rituals. Bear Ears is a 1.3million acre monument characterised by cliffs, plateaus, rock formations, rivers and canyons, and is the site of an estimated 100,000 archaeological sites, including ancient cliff dwellings. It was created in December 2016, in what was hailed as a victory by Native American tribes and conservationists but a blow to Republicans who wanted to area open for energy developments. The land is considered sacred to a number of tribes, who visit the area to collect herbs and wood for medicinal and spiritual healing, as well as to perform rituals. Getty Images National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump Sand to Snow, California Over 240 species of birds and 12 wildlife species that are endangered and threatened live on what the Bureau of Land Management describes as one of the most biodiverse areas of Southern California. Unfolding across 154,000 acres of land, the monument includes thirty miles of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, used for camping, hiking, hunting, horseback riding, and skiing. Flickr/Creative Commons/Bureau of Land Management National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump Basin and Range, Nevada This area - which is about twice the size of the city of Los Angeles - gets its name from its typography, which abruptly alternates between mountain chains and flat valleys that are comparable to the moons surface. The monument covers 704,000 and encompasses desert mountains and valleys, as well as Native American rock at and sites. It was designated in 2015 Bureau of Land Management/Creative Commons National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump Berryessa Snow Mountain, northern California The monument comprises of 330,780 acres of land, and includes the Cache Creek Wilderness. It was designated as a national monument in in 2015. It is the habitat of animals including bald and golden eagles, black bears, mountain lions, tule elk, black-tailed deer, norther spotted owls, as well as salmon and some of the worlds rarest plants. Native American tribes have lived in the area of 11,000 years. Bureau of Land Management National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump Organ Mountains Desert Peaks New Mexicos Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks covers 496,000 acres of land, and includes canyons, mountains and the Chihuahua Desert. It was used to train WWII bomber pilots and crews for NASAs Apollo space program. Bureau of Land Management National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump Rio Grande del Norte The Rio Grande del Norte National Monument is made up of rugged plains that are 7,000 above sea level which spread across 242,500 acres of land. The topography includes volcanic cones - including the Ute Mountain which stands at 10,093ft - canyons, and rivers. People have been living in the area since prehistoric times. Bureau of Land Management National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump Mariana Trench Marine National Monument, Northern Mariana Islands and Guam The monument established in 2009 protects 95,216 square miles water in the Mariana Archipelago, which consists of submerged islands and volcanic sites. Velvetfish /iStock National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump Pacific Remote Islands Soldierfish swim off Baker Island, which are part of the Pacific Remote Islands. This collection of islands became the most widespread collection of marine and terrestrial life protected areas on the planet under a single country's jurisdiction when it was designated in 2009. Public Domain National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump Papahanaumokuakea, Hawaii Papahanaumokuakea is the worlds largest marine protected area, and is almost double the size of Texas. The remote area stretches 583,000-sq miles, and is home to tuna and the endangered Hawaiian monk seal among others. Public Domain/NOAA National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump Upper Missouri River Breaks Designated in 2001, the monument protects badland featuring rock outcroppings, steep bluffs and grassy plains. Bureau of Land Management National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump Sonoran Desert The desert has an area of 100,000sq miles and covers parts of Mexico, Arizona, California, Sonora, Sinaloa, and Baja California, and is the habitat of unique plants and animals including the organ pipe cactus. Tonda-iStock National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump Carrizo Plain The grassy plain sitting to the northwest of Los Angeles is 50miles long and 15miles wide in some parts. It was designated in 2012 because of its archaeological value. Zeiss4Me/iStock National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump Vermilion Cliffs, northern Arizona and southern Utah This monument has an intense red colour thanks to the iron oxide in its deposited silt and dunes. It was designated a monument in 2000. fotoVoyager/iStock National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona President Clinton declared the Ironwood Forest a monument in 2000. It covers 188,619 acres and is home to endangered animals, plants, as well as the ironwood trees which give it its name. Creative Commons National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump Hare Handford Reach, Washington This area is named after the bend in the free-flowing area of the Columbia River. It was designated a monument in 2000. Public Domain National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump Canyons of the Ancients Designated a monument in 2000, its 176,056 acres feature archaeologically significant landscapes including the settlement of the Ancient Pueblo people in the 10th century. iStock National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump Giant Sequoia In 2000, President Bill Clinton set aside an area around 328,000 of land in central California where giant sequoia trees grow. As he made the designation President Clinton said: "These giant sequoias clearly are the work of the ages. They grow taller than the Statue of Liberty, broader than a bus." pavliha/iStock National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument Established as a monument in 2000, the area stretches across over 1million acres of land which has no paved roads or visitor services. It takes its name from the Paiut word meaning tanned elk hide, and features canyons, mountains and buttes. Bureau of Land Management National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump Grand Staircase Escalante, Utah Encompassing almost 2million acres of land, the monument designated in 1996 features platueas, colourful cliffs, and canyons Creative Commons/John Fowler National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump San Gabriel Mountains This monument - established in 2014 - is not on the list of White House monuments under review, but meets Zinkes criteria. It encompasses 246,000 acres of land. Rennett Stowe/Creative Commons National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump Rose Atoll marine National Monument The monument, established in 2009, covers 13,400 square miles in the South Pacific Ocean and encompasses a Samoan island. It is the habitat of creatures including rare giant clams and reef sharks. National monuments reviewed by Donald Trump Gold Butte National Monument, Nevada Situated to the northeast of Las Vegas, this monument covers 300,000 of desert land which features rock art, sandstone towers and the habitat of the threatened Mojave Desert tortoise Bureau of Land Management

Ms Woteki, who holds a PhD in human nutrition and also worked for President Clinton's administration in food safety, said this position is the chief scientist of the Department of Agriculture. It should be a person who evaluates the scientific body of evidence and moves appropriately from there."

In her position as undersecretary for research she was tasked with everything from assisting local farmers and agricultural workers to address severe drought, flooding, and shifting weather patterns, Zika, Ebola, and had the USDA create Climate Hubs across the country to develop local solutions to combating climate change.

Mr Clovis holds a PhD from the University of Alabama, however his writing concerned federalism and counter-terrorism. He also has a conservative radio programme, Impact with Sam Clovis.

He also told E&E News during the 2016 campaign that under Mr Trump's USDA would not focus on the damage being done by climate change at all, but direct resources to lightening regulations and increasing agricultural trade.

There is no word when Mr Trump will announce Mr Clovis' appointment or what impacts will be felt by career federal employees working in the agency's research and climate change programmes.
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Just over two years have passed since an aftershock rocked Nepal causing widespread panic and further loss of life after the devastating April 2015 earthquake.

More than eight million people were affected by the two disasters that killed over 9,000 and laid waste to the countrys landscape. More than a million children lost either their parents, their homes or their schools  or all three.

The Kathmandu Valley was one of the hardest hit areas of the April 2015 earthquake, with the shock waves bringing the citys ancient and beautiful temples crashing to the ground.

Construction efforts in the city have been monumental, with local communities pulling together to help with the work.

The Sunkoshi Higher Secondary School in Sokhubeshi was one of the tens of thousands levelled in the earthquake.

Workers have been busy constructing a semi-permanent building to replace the school.

Eleven-year-old Mina, a student who attends the school in the Sindhuli Valley, was working in a maize field with her grandparents when the disaster struck.

I had no idea there was going to be an earthquake, she says.

I was terrified but I didnt cry. I was a bit worried when I saw the school was damaged, that the earthquake would happen again.

Now that they are rebuilding the school it is wonderful. I like coming to school. I want to be a teacher when Im older.

Rebuilding lives in Nepal Show all 12 1 /12 Rebuilding lives in Nepal Rebuilding lives in Nepal Most of the workers helping build in Nepal are migrants from India Chris Parkes Rebuilding lives in Nepal Brick factories and the red clay blocks they produce are in demand after the earthquake. For every set of bricks workers bring to the truck, they receive a token, and each token translates into payment. So the more they work, the faster they work, the more they get paid Chris Parkes Rebuilding lives in Nepal Works are underway to restore buildings like this one across Nepal Chris Parkes Rebuilding lives in Nepal Chris Parkes Rebuilding lives in Nepal Chris Parkes Rebuilding lives in Nepal Rebuilding lives in Nepal Many buildings were destroyed in the devastating earthquake and the aftershock that followed Chris Parkes Rebuilding lives in Nepal Mina is a shy 11 year old with strikingly beautiful eyes. Her favourite subject is Nepali. She walks half an hour each way to get to her school in the Sindhuli Valley each day Chris Parkes Rebuilding lives in Nepal 65-year-old Rebati, dressed in a vivid blue sari, is Musahar woman from Itharwa, Dhanusha. When we send our children to school, they are sent back if they walk across land owned by someone else, she says Chris Parkes Rebuilding lives in Nepal Street Child of Nepal and UNICEF new classroom site at Sunkoshi Higher Secondary School Chris Parkes Rebuilding lives in Nepal Thousands of students will be able to study in the new buildings being constructed Chris Parkes Rebuilding lives in Nepal The temporary Sunkoshi school building will be one of 25 Chris Parkes

Sunkoshi will be one of 45 new schools built by UK charity Street Child that will help 7,200 children receive an education over five years  something that would not have been possible without the generosity of supporters such as the Swedish Postcode Foundation.

The buildings are temporary, however, and they will eventually need to be replaced with more permanent structures.

And the work that lies ahead for Nepal goes beyond its buildings. One thing that has become evident during the post-earthquake effort in Nepal, is that it is the most marginalised communities that have a disproportionately difficult time getting back on their feet after a disaster like this.

Researchers for Street Child have identified communities of invisible children who are still falling through the net in Nepal, and who still have almost no access to education.

One of the most marginalised communities in Nepal is that of the untouchable Musahar caste.

The Musahar  which means Rat Eater in Bhojpuri  are so cast out by society that some people even refuse to drink the tea or eat the food they prepare.

They are politically marginalised, economically exploited and socially humiliated, and face an endless cycle of dependency and poverty.

In Nepal, most citizens, even lower caste ones, own land. But the Musahar are denied citizenship and therefore have none of the legal rights afforded to citizens.

The international community needs to see that your work isnt done once youve rebuilt the buildings that were destroyed by the earthquake, says Ramya Madhavan, Street Childs Nepal Programmes Manager.

Until you address peoples chronic vulnerabilities, the things that make them vulnerable in the long-term, anything that you do to address their acute vulnerabilities is only going to be a Band-Aid solution.

Yes, you can build them a house. Yes, you can build them a school. But until you hit those deep, underlying issues, when the next disaster strikes were going to be in exactly the same position.

To find out more about Street Childs work in Nepal or to help marginalised communities and children impacted by the earthquake, visit www.street-child.co.uk
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North Korea would agree to meet with Trump administration officials if the conditions are set, a senior North Korean diplomat has said amid ongoing concerns about the rogue states development of nuclear weapons and intercontinental missile technology.

Choi Sun-hee, who handles relations with the US, did not explain what conditions would be necessary as she spoke to an Associated Press reporter and other journalists in Beijing after arriving back from an informal meeting with US experts in Norway.

The US and North Korea last held face-to-face talks in 2008, when international negotiations over the latters nuclear weapons collapsed.

President Donald Trump said earlier this month he would be honoured to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

South Koreas Yonhap news agency reported Ms Choe met Suzanne DiMaggio, director of the US think tank New America, Thomas Pickering, a former US ambassador to the United Nations, and Robert Einhorn, a former special adviser on arms control to the US State Department, in Oslo.

And Ms Choe confirmed: I met with Pickering and I will discuss it when given the opportunity in the future.

When asked if the North was also planning talks with South Korea, she added: We will observe the situation.

A US State Department official said the track-two talks in Norway did not have official recognition.

Track-two meetings are routinely held on a variety of topics around the world and occur independent of US government involvement, a State Department official said.

A North Korean defector recently warned that Mr Kim would launch a nuclear weapon if he believed his regime was under threat.

He would wage nuclear war even if he knew it would mean finishing himself and harming the North Korean people because he is young and ambitious and doesnt care about the lives of North Koreans, the defector told The Independent. He also doesnt know anything about their lives.
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North Korea launched a missile from a test facility near the country's west coast in the early hours of Sunday morning, US and South Korean officials said.

The South Korean military said the missile flew about 435 miles, or 700km.

The missile is said to have flown for 30 minutes before landing the Sea of Japan.

US officials said they are working to determine what kind of missile was tested, and whether it was successful in reaching its intended destination.

The last known North Korean missile test launched in April failed just minutes after launch.

Amid heightened tensions, military experts in the US had reportedly been expecting the North to fire a KN-17 medium-range ballistic missile.

The launch came just days after South Koreans went to the polls to elect a new president.

Inside the daily life in North Korea Show all 19 1 /19 Inside the daily life in North Korea Inside the daily life in North Korea People reading a newspaper at the metro station Inside the daily life in North Korea Thoughts of the leaders on the tram. They have about a dozen of these on every tram, all with different thoughts Inside the daily life in North Korea Young people training for a big upcoming festival Inside the daily life in North Korea People at the Pyongyang's annual marathon Inside the daily life in North Korea Many stars on one of the trolleys in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea An intimidating poster in a primary school in North Korea. Inside the daily life in North Korea Solar panels installed on a street lamp. Inside the daily life in North Korea A poster on the window next to one of the venues we visited in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea Kids playing football next to the Arch of Triumph. After a while tourists were allowed to join, so some of us did Inside the daily life in North Korea Class in an educational center in Pyongyang (where people over 17 years old can attend any classes they choose after school, for free) Inside the daily life in North Korea People waving at me during the Pyongyang marathon Inside the daily life in North Korea People having a great time dancing at a public park Inside the daily life in North Korea A metro driver in a metro station in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea Fireworks to mark the birthday of the Eternal President Kim Il Sung on our last night in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea My wonderful tour guide at a public park Inside the daily life in North Korea One of the parks in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea A person rowing some boats for the day at a river in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea The National War Museum Inside the daily life in North Korea Public park in Pyongyang

New South Korean President Moon Jae-in took office on Wednesday following his victory in Tuesday.

Regarded as the country's first liberal leader in a decade, he has said he is open to visiting the hardline communist North.

I will quickly move to solve the crisis in national security. I am willing to go anywhere for the peace of the Korean Peninsula  if needed, I will fly immediately to Washington. I will go to Beijing and I will go to Tokyo. If the conditions shape up, I will go to Pyongyang, Mr Moon said in his first address to the country's National Assembly.
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At least four people have died and five have been seriously injured after a passenger train derailed in northern Greece.

The train was heading from Athens to the second biggest city Thessaloniki in northern Greece when it derailed near the town of Adendro.

Its engine was propelled into a nearby house but the cause of the accident was not yet known, a police official said.

Firefighters work near debris in Adendro (Reuters)

Witnesses said two people were seen jumping off the balcony of the house. Railway company Trainose said the driver was in a critical condition.

The Athens News Agency reported about 100 passengers were on board the train and some media said five carriages had derailed.

Twelve fire brigade trucks were deployed to the area, the fire brigade said and a rescue operation was under way.

Adendro is around 23 miles from Thessaloniki.
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The Italian captain of the Costa Concordia cruise liner that crashed into a reef in 2012 and capsized, killing 32 people, lost his final appeals bid on Friday.

The Court of Cassation, Italy's highest criminal tribunal, upheld Francesco Schettino's lower court convictions and his 16-year prison sentence.

Schettino was convicted of manslaughter and causing the shipwreck while captaining the luxury liner sailing near Giglio Island off Tuscany. He was also convicted of abandoning the capsizing vessel with passengers and crew still aboard.

"Finally, Schettino begins to pay for his wrongdoing," Michelina Suriano, one of the lawyers representing passengers, said after the ruling.

Defense lawyer Saverio Senese called the ex-captain a scapegoat and expressed "great bitterness" over the final decision.

He said Schettino, when told by phone about the verdict, said he respected the decision and was standing outside Rome's Rebibbia Prison on Friday evening, ready to begin serving his sentence.

Senese said he would study the court's ruling to see if there were grounds to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. Lawyers for passengers have also expressed disappointment that only Schettino ultimately was going to prison, since they contended that others working for the cruise ship company also shared some blame.

"For our clients, a chapter has been closed," said Massimiliano Gabrielli, a lawyer who represented some passengers. "We are sorry that the only one who will go jail tomorrow is Schettino."

Some 4,200 passengers and crew were aboard the Costa Concordia during a Mediterranean cruise when the ship collided on 13 January 2012 with the reef. The rocky reef speared the vessel's side, allowing tons of water to rapidly pour inside.

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The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. 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

Prosecutors argued that Schettino had steered the ship too close to the island's coastline. They also contended he downplayed the severity of the crash, wasting valuable rescue time.

Some of the dead drowned in the sea, others perished in the ship's lift shafts when the vessel capsized and sea water rushed into the space. Some survivors were plucked to safety by helicopters after the liner overturned, while others swam to safety to the island in the dark, cold winter's night.

The wreckage, raised in a dramatic engineering feat, was eventually towed to the Italian mainland to be broken up for scrap.

AP
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A sperm bank boss used his own samples to impregnate women through IVF treatment, it has been claimed.

Parents and children are now going to court to ask for DNA tests on Jan Karbaat, who ran the Bijdorp clinic near Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

Mr Karbaat died last month aged 89.

Women who used the medical centre claimed they have noticed their children have similar features to Mr Karbaat and that features such as eye colour do not match their official donors' profiles, the Daily Telegraph reported.

One even said he had admitted the practice, boasting to her of his good health and intelligence, and claiming he told her it was a noble thing to do. I see at home how my son's life has been affected. He was so angry when Karbaat died, and that he was taking this to his grave, she said.

Their lawyer, Tim Bueters, told Dutch media the women felt like they were raped by Karbaat, who reportedly told them he was obtaining fresh seed from a room adjacent to where insemination took place.

Petitioning a court for the right to carry out DNA testing on Mr Karbaat, he said: It's a fundamental right to know where you came from.

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

Lisette de Haan, for Mr Karbaat's family, said there was not the slightest evidence to support the women's claims. She asked that the family's privacy be respected.

Authorities have already seized one of his toothbrushes and a nasal trimmer.
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The seven-year-old Syrian girl who captured the worlds attention by tweeting about the Syrian civil war has been granted Turkish citizenship.

Bana Alabed started tweeting and sharing pictures of her experience of the war during the siege of eastern Aleppo.

In December, Bana and her family were evacuated from war-torn East Aleppo to Turkey after the city fell back under the control of the Syrian government.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave ID cards to Bana, her mother, father and two younger brothers during a reception at Ankara Esenboga Airport on Friday.

The Turkish Presidencys official Twitter account also shared pictures of the encounter, including one of the seven-year-old hugging Mr Erdogan.

On her own Twitter account, Bana wrote: I am a Turkey citizen now".

Banas tweets, which she writes with the help of her mother Fatameh, an English teacher, are followed by nearly 370,000 people, including J.K. Rowling and Mr Erdogan.

The schoolgirl is also writing a memoir about her harrowing experience of the war.

Her memoir, Dead World, will also tell the story of how she and her family escaped the war in Syria and are rebuilding their lives, away from their homeland.

Dead World is expected to be published in the autumn of 2017 by international publisher Simon & Schuster and a young readers edition by imprint Salaam Reads will follow shortly after and will be made available as an audio book on Simon & Schuster Audio.
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A 14-year-old boy whose parents allegedly kept him confined in the family home for his entire life has been freed and taken into care.

Police in the Israeli city of Hadera said said they found the teenager in a severe state of neglect after they broke into the apartment.

Called in by neighbours because of the stench emanating from building, officers said they had expected to find a body. Instead they found the boy and his parents, both of whom are in their 60s.

Investigators quickly established that the teenager was sometimes kept in a homemade cage made of scrap metal outside the apartment. He was let out at night into a nearby courtyard once or twice a month.

His parents, who are believed to be from Russia, moved to Hadera eight years ago. They failed to register that they had a child with the local government.

During police questioning, they denied they had abused their son and claimed that serious medical problems had made his confinement necessary.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. 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A neighbour told local army radio he called the authorities after seeing the boy through a window looking like a zombie in a horror film.

He said: I saw his eyes and the way he looked, which said help me'."

Investigators concluded the parents did not intend to harm the child and they were released on probation.

The boy is being cared for by social services while he undergoes a thorough medical examination.
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At midday in Hasensham internally displaced persons (IDP) camp, just outside Mosul, the pathways between rows of UN branded tents are deserted. A handful of people sit in shade under blankets strung across the ropes anchoring their makeshift homes to the ground; its too hot to do much else.

Im glad it is safe here, but its so boring, and its so hot, 12-year-old Yusof says. We dont even have a fan in our tent. Sleeping is hard and its going to get hotter.

Its only mid May and the temperature is already hitting 37C. Roads, which a month ago were muddy from spring rain, now leave dust on shoes and clothing, and the sunlight reflecting off thousands of white tents is blinding even with sunglasses.

A family walks past a drinking water tank at Hasensham IDP camp, 30 km (18 miles) to the east of Mosul (Bethan McKernan)

Last July, Basra in southern Iraq broke records when at 54C it became the hottest place on earth outside Death Valley. The mostly Kurdish north of the country didnt fare much better when the mercury reached 49C.

While searing heat is a part of every Middle Eastern summer, the abnormally high temperatures led the Baghdad government to declare a mandatory four-day holiday to help people cope.

That was back before the US-backed Operation Inherent Resolve to retake the city of Mosul from Isis began.

Iraqi coalition forces announced the campaign to liberate Mosuls estimated 1.5 million citizens from more than two years of Isis brutality in October 2016, an operation both the Iraqi and US military confidently predicted would be over by the end of the year.

 Iraqi forces launch push to retake western Mosul from IS

Seven months later, after a gruelling street-by-street battle which has seen heavy civilian casualties, more than 620,000 people have been displaced by fighting in total, and the battle for Mosuls city centre still rages.

While many people have been able to return home, around 480,000 are currently living in UN or Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) run camps, and more arrivals keep coming: 11,000 have fled south to Haman al-Alil in the last week, and up to 450,000 people are thought to still be trapped or unwilling to leave homes behind the front line.

Luckier civilians are bussed to IDP settlements by the army, but many new arrivals reach their destinations after walking for hours, dodging Isis IEDs (improvised explosive devices), sniper and mortar fire  a journey which will become even more dangerous under the scorching summer sun.

The campaign was not supposed to last this long. While the UN and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have prepared contingency plans for new arrivals, building several annexes so existing temporary settlements can cope with demand, but now the weather is getting hotter they face new challenges.

Some older camps have housed IDPs since Isis swept across almost one third of Iraq in the summer of 2014, and at this point have installed power lines and semi permanent breezeblock housing. While still basic, the set up allows families to use fans inside  or at least rely on the cool concrete to bring indoor temperatures down to a bearable level.

A testing kit used by NGO Wash (Water, hygience and sanitation) teams in which samples turn purple to double check whether treated water is safe to drink (Bethan McKernan)

At Hasensham, conditions are more rudimentary, and while Unicef dug three boreholes near the local river before escaping civilians began arriving last autumn, more are going to be needed soon.

Water from the boreholes is chlorinated and distributed at tanks around the site several times a day  a process known as water trucking.

Currently, teams budget for an average of 10 litres of drinking water per person per day  but Chopy, Unicefs Wash (water, sanitation and hygiene) programme facilitator at the camp, said that 15 litres will be needed before summer.

We have three boreholes currently, and we are drilling another  its a race but we hope to be ready, he said. A lot depends on whether we get a big new influx of people, but its impossible to know at this stage.

Ramadan, the month-long Muslim celebration in which adults are not supposed to eat or drink during daylight hours, begins 26 May  and also poses a problem, Chopy said. We can move food deliveries and the water trucking to the night, thats not a problem. Its more the complications that might arise from dehydration.

Inside Mosul itself, in areas to the east of the Tigris River, which were the first to see families move back into their homes, creating routes to truck safe drinking water into liberated neighbourhoods was the first measure humanitarian agencies put in place. Yet as the weather grows warmer the current supplies will not meet demand, said Melany Markham, media coordinator for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in Iraq.

People from Mosul are so resilient, its incredible, she said. Families who have gone home to the east of the city have been trying to be self reliant, digging their own wells, in some cases. But its not safe. The water is not clean, its sulphurous.

NRC and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have this week been trying to get a damaged water sanitation plant in West Mosul up and running again, but progress is often stalled by the precarious security situation. Work on all 25 damaged plants is not expected to be completed for three months.

Residents displaced by fighting queue for water after a tank is refilled in Hasensham IDP camp near Mosul (Bethan McKernan)

In the Karaj al-Shamal neighbourhood, Reuters reports that residents tired of waiting for the state or charities to get their water supply back online pooled their resources to repair the mains water pipe themselves  only to see it destroyed again in a coalition air strike the same day it was finished.

During a visit to the West Mosul plant there was a dead body floating down the river from which people are supposed to get drinking water from, Ms Markham said.

If that doesnt show quite how extraordinarily difficult the situation here is, I dont know what does.

To read more about Unicefs work in Iraq and donate to the emergency appeal click here.
F-4E fighter jet crash in August caused by engine nozzle defect: Air Force The crash of a South Korean F-4E fighter jet in August was caused by an engine nozzle problem, the Air Force said Wednesday. It announced the outcome of its probe into the cause...
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Alitalia is looking for love. Well, a rich suitor at any rate.

The Italian national airline continues to defy gravity and stay afloat, as it has done for years, pumped up by about 12m a week in support from various generous benefactors. The Italian finance minister has just lent Alitalia around 400m, which should be enough to keep it going through the winter even though union members roundly rejected a rescue plan that had been hammered out by management and unions.

Recommended Why Alitalia airline is too Italian to fail

La vita was more dolce for a time in the 20th century, when leisure and business travel was expanding. As recently as 1992, Alitalia and British Airways could keep a straight face and insist that, yes, the lowest possible return fare between London and Rome was 250. Anyone with the temerity not to stay over a Saturday night would pay double.

It would be unfair to single out Italy, and Alitalia; a quarter-century ago the same story played out in Spain, Germany and Scandinavia. But while Iberia, Lufthansa and SAS have adapted, painfully and slowly, to low-cost competition, Alitalia has stubbornly refused to believe the world has changed.

And, in some ways, it hasnt. I am indebted to anna.aero, the airline network news and analysis website, for digging up an Alitalia marketing poster of a suave airline captain and the message Well show you how to live beyond your means.

The glory days of Alitalia (anna.aero)

The anna.aero project began in 2007, before the economic crisis had bitten, and even then one of the earliest stories was contemplated the possible consequences if Alitalia had collapsed. Many analysts, journalists and economists have expended plenty of effort over the past decade looking at exactly that subject.

But for as long as Alitalia has a hotline to benefactors and a monopoly on key domestic routes, as I wrote last week it is probably too Italian to fail. Alitalia has the prime link from Milan Linate to Rome Fiumicino to itself; anna.aero says: Linate has been artificially constrained for many years and is also the most convenient airport for downtown Milan.

The Italian airline also faces no competition to Romes main airport from Venice, Genoa and Trieste. For the Rome-Venice route, I checked a whole range of dates, including a wet Wednesday in mid-November, and the lowest fare remained stubbornly at 70 one way. For a 250-mile hop, that price looks way too high.

Most legacy airlines have embraced competition. They may envy the lower cost bases of budget rivals such as easyJet and Ryanair, but they adapt to survive and, sometimes, thrive. Not Alitalia. Instead, it looks for partners who can help it withstand the heat. Two decades ago that was the Dutch airline KLM, later augmented by Air France.

Then, in the summer of 2014, news emerged from Abu Dhabi: Etihad pumped in around half a billion pounds and acquired 49 per cent of Alitalia. The cunning plan of the Gulf airline: Build a reinvigorated Alitalia as a competitive, sustainably profitable business. Those were the words of James Hogan, Etihad President and Chief Executive.

He added: We believe in Alitalia. It is great brand with enormous potential. With the right level of capitalisation and a strong, strategic business plan, we have confidence the airline can be turned around and repositioned as a premium global airline once again.

Alitalia is the perfect ambassador for Italy and all that it represents. As we revitalise the brand, the airline will increasingly embody all that we recognise as quintessentially Italian  the history, culture, food and fashion. It must be an airline of which Italians can be proud.

However ultimately it has to work as a business and the goal is for sustainable profitability from 2017.

That went well, then. The Italian partner burned through the cash at a phenomenal rate, and nearly three years on is as far from being a competitive, sustainably profitable business as ever it was. But as Alitalia continues to fly on the benevolence of the Italian taxpayer, Mr Hogan was replaced this week at the helm of Etihad.

The man who has taken over, Ray Gammell, is conducting a strategic review. I imagine Alitalia's bosses expect a swift break-up, and are already looking for the next donor, sorry partner. Quite likely it will be that old flame, the Italian state.

Meanwhile, its business as usual at the Italian airline  which has even launched a new route this month, connecting Rome with Kiev seven nights a week  out at 11pm. Getting people to the Ukrainian capital at 2.50am doesnt look the biggest earner in aviation, but the decades have shown thats not necessarily a concern for the perfect ambassador for Italy.
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Two important things happened this week that may affect the outcome of the election. Not this election, of course. I mean the next one. The outcome of this election is not seriously in doubt. But some of the things that will decide the next one are being decided now.

First, when nominations for candidates closed at 4pm on Thursday, the Corbynites had succeeded in getting only one more of their number selected in a winnable seat: Laura Pidcock in Durham North West. This is not enough to get another Corbynite on the ballot in a Labour leadership election. They need 15 per cent of Labour MPs and MEPs to nominate a candidate. Although Corbynite MPs tend to be in safe seats  Corbynism can thrive only if it is well insulated from the views of swing voters  Labour would have to go below 25 per cent of the vote and 140 MPs for Rebecca Long-Bailey to reach the threshold. Bad as the election might be for Labour, I dont think it is going to be that bad.

That is it for Long-Bailey, then. Like a queen bee, the shadow Business Secretary is being fed, protected and groomed by the worker bees of Momentum and John McDonnell, the shadow Chancellor. But she will not be a candidate next time round. Labour MPs are not going to make that mistake again, of nominating someone with whom they disagree for the sake of widening the debate.

UK General Election 2017 Show all 47 1 /47 UK General Election 2017 UK General Election 2017 12 June 2017 British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street for the 1922 committee on June 12, 2017 in London, England. British Prime Minister Theresa May held her first cabinet meeting with her re-shuffled team today Getty Images UK General Election 2017 12 June 2017 DUP leader Arlene Foster stands alongside deputy leader Nigel Dodds as they hold a press conference at Stormont Castle as the Stormont assembly power sharing negotiations reconvene following the general election on June 12, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Discussions between the DUP and the Conservative party are also continuing in the wake of the UK general election as Prime Minister Theresa May looks to form a government with the help of the Democratic Unionist parties ten Westminster seats. Stormont and the political situation in Northern Ireland has been in limbo following the collapse of the power sharing executive due to the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme scandal which implicated the DUP Getty Images UK General Election 2017 12 June 2017 Priti Patel, International Development Secretary leaves 10 Downing Street Getty Images UK General Election 2017 12 June 2017 Larry the Downing Street cat runs ahead of Michael Fallon Britain's Secretary of State for Defence as he arrives for a cabinet meeting at Downing Street in London, Britain, June 12, 2017. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth REUTERS UK General Election 2017 12 June 2017 Michael Gove, Environment Secretary leaves 10 Downing Street on June 12, 2017 in London, England. British Prime Minister Theresa May held her first cabinet meeting with her re-shuffled team today Getty Images UK General Election 2017 12 June 2017 Scottish National Party Leader Nicola Sturgeon (C) leaves after speaking to the media in Parliament Square. Getty Images UK General Election 2017 12 June 2017 British Prime Minister Theresa May (C, L) holds the first Cabinet meeting of her new team. Getty UK General Election 2017 11 June 2017 British Prime Minister Theresa May attends church in her constituency with her husband Philip May, a few days after disappointing results in a general election. Rex Features UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 Leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn leaves Labour Party HQ this morning, following a general election yesterday. Parliament is hung, with no individual party gaining an overall majority. Post general election reaction. Rex UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JUNE 09: DUP leader and Northern Ireland former First Minister Arlene Foster (C) holds a brief press conference with the DUP's newly elected Westminster candidates who stood in the general election Getty Images UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 A " Get May Out" demo took place opposite the gates of Downing Street, calling for May to resign, after the shock election results and Mays coalition with the DUP. Rex Features UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 A demonstrator wears a mask depicting Britain's Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party Theresa May, poses with a mock gravestone bearing the words "Hard Brexit, RIP", during a protest photocall near the entrance 10 Downing Street in central London AFP/Getty Images UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May arrives at the Conservative Party's headquarters in London Reuters UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 Britain's Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party Theresa May flanked by her husband Philip delivers a statement outside 10 Downing Street in central Londo Getty UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 Britain's Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party Theresa May leaves Buckingham Palace in London the day after a general election in which the Conservatives lost their majority Getty Images UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 A TV cameraman watches the door of 10 Downing Street in London Getty Images UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is greeted by his Office Director Karie Murphy as he arrives at Labour Party HQ in Westminster, London, after he called on the Prime Minister to resign, saying she should 'go and make way for a government that is truly representative of this country' Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May arrives at the Conservative Party's headquarters with her husband Philip in London REUTERS/Peter Nicholls UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 Ukip leader Paul Nuttall speaks during a press conference at Boston West Golf Club where he announced that he is standing down as party leader Joe Giddens/PA UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, leaves the counting centre for Britain's general election with her partner Jen Wilson in Edinburgh, Scotland REUTERS/Russell Cheyne UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale celebrates with candidate for Edinburgh South Ian Murray as he retains his seat at the Meadowbank Sports Centre counting centre in Edinburgh, Scotland Getty Images UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 First Minister Nicola Sturgeon speaks to the media at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, as counting is under way for the General Election Andrew Milligan/PA Wire UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson at Meadowbank Sports Centre in Edinburgh, as counting is under way for the General Election PA UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Nicola Sturgeon reacts at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland EPA UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 Jeremy Corbyn, leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, arrives at the Labour Party's Headquarters in London REUTERS/Marko Djurica UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 UKIP Leader Paul Nuttall leaves in a car following the vote count for the constituency of Boston and Skegness in Boston, England Anthony Devlin/Getty Images UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 British Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Theresa May speaks at the declaration at the election count at the Magnet Leisure Centre in Maidenhead, England. Getty Images UK General Election 2017 8 June 2017 A policer officer enters a polling station in London AP UK General Election 2017 8 June 2017 A woman leaves after casting her vote at the Hove Museum and Art Gallery near Brighton, in southern England Getty UK General Election 2017 8 June 2017 A polling station sign is seen on a telephone box outside the polling station at Rotherwick Hall, west of London Getty UK General Election 2017 7 June 2017 A woman walks past a general election display in the window of a betting shop in Camden on June 7, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. Britain goes to the polls tomorrow, Getty Images UK General Election 2017 7 June 2017 Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May visits Atherley Bowling Club during an election campaign visit on June 7, 2017 in Southampton, England. Britain goes to the polls tomorrow June 8 to vote in a general election. Getty Images UK General Election 2017 6 June 2017 A supporter wears a pair of Jeremy Corbyn decorated tights at a general election campaign event in Birmingham, central England, on June 6, 2017. Britain goes to the polls on June 8 to vote in a general election only days after another deadly terror attack in the nation's captial. AFP/Getty Images UK General Election 2017 6 June 2017 A picture taken in London, shows election leaflets from various parties displayed ahead of the United Kingdom's general elections. Britain goes to the polls on June 8 to vote in a general election only days after another terrorist attack on the nation's capital AFP/Getty Images UK General Election 2017 6 June 2017 Election workers, George Gaunt and Luca Tragid deliver the first ballot boxes, on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh AFP UK General Election 2017 6 June 2017 British Prime Minister Theresa May meets with Conservative party supporters during an election campaign visit to a bakery during an election campaign visit on June 6, 2017 in Fleetwood, north-west England. Britain goes to the polls on June 8 to vote in a general election only days after another terrorist attack on the nation's capital Getty Images UK General Election 2017 5 June 2017 British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during a general election campaign visit to a removals depot in Edinburgh AFP/Getty Images UK General Election 2017 3 June 2017 Pro-Independence supporters hold a march through Glasgow AFP/Getty Images UK General Election 2017 3 June 2017 Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn campaigns for the upcoming general election in Beeston, Nottinghamshire AFP/Getty Images UK General Election 2017 3 June 2017 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn reacts to supporters after a rally at Beeston Youth and Community Centre as he visits the East Midlands during the final weekend of the General Election campaign on June 3, 2017 in Nottingham, England. If elected in next week's general election Mr Corbyn is pledging to create a million new jobs and to scrap zero-hours contracts Getty Images UK General Election 2017 1 June 2017 Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party leader Ruth Davidson joins a selection of Scottish Conservative election candidates and activists during campaigning on May 1, 2017 in South Queensferry, Scotland. With only seven days to go until the general election on June 8th, polls are showing the SNP out in front and the Conservatives set to close in on Labour. Getty Images UK General Election 2017 29 May 2017 Prime Minister Theresa May canvasses in Richmond with Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith on May 29, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. After suffering defeat in the London Mayoral election Zac Goldsmith resigned over the Government's position on Heathrow expansion. He stood as an Independent but lost in a by-election to the Liberal Democrats. Britain goes to the polls on June 8 to elect a new parliament in a general election Getty Images UK General Election 2017 22 May 2017 Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron poses for a selfie taken by carer April Preston during a General Election campaign visit to the Barlow Medical Centre, in Didsbury, Manchester Yui Mok/PA UK General Election 2017 22 May 2017 Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May speaks at an election campaign event in Wrexham, Wales Reuters UK General Election 2017 22 May 2017 Britain's main opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, and Labour's former deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, exit the party's general election campaign 'battle' bus as they arrive at an event in Kingston upon Hull, northern England Getty Images UK General Election 2017 22 May 2017 Britain's main opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn walks with supporters between venues, before speaking again at another general election campaign event in Kingston upon Hull, northern England Getty Images UK General Election 2017 22 May 2017 An anti-fox hunting protester is taken away and arrested by police outside the venue where Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May was due to launch the Welsh Conservative general election manifesto at Gresford Memorial Hall in the village of Gresford, near Wrexham, North Wales, on May 22, 2017. Britain goes to the polls on June 8 to elect a new parliament in a general election AFP/Getty Images

If Momentum wants to keep the leadership, then, it must prevail on Jeremy Corbyn to stay on. As was established in court last year, as incumbent leader, he does not need nominations to stand again. We can ignore for the moment the talk of changing the rules: the so-called McDonnell amendment to reduce the threshold, to make it easier for another Corbynite to stand. I dont think that rule change would get through Labour conference but it doesnt matter anyway, because there will be a leadership election in September, before the rules can be changed. Several candidates will stand, whether Corbyn stays or goes.

Corbyns people insist privately that he will stay on even if Labour lose, but they have an interest in putting pressure on him to do so. He will be 68 later this month and, although his resilience and fight in this campaign has been impressive, we cannot know what he will do on 9 June. He plainly feels a strong sense of duty to the cause, but he is also human.

Even if he stays on, though, we are moving towards the end of the Corbynite experiment. After a big general election defeat, Corbyn can lose. Many of the 313,000 members and supporters who voted for him last year did so because they thought he hadnt been given a fair chance. Many of them have been disillusioned by his incompetence and his support for Brexit, but what will really change attitudes is election defeat. He will have been given his chance, and even if they still believe in him, they will be discouraged by the failure of the voters to respect his mandate.

 General election polls and projections: May 13

As Owen Smith learnt the hard way last year, however, you cannot beat somebody with nobody. So the all-important question  after Will Corbyn stand?  is who the other candidates would be. Yvette Cooper and Chuka Umunna will definitely stand, I am told. But I am not sure either of them can beat Corbyn. Corbyn supporters may be disillusioned with their leader on 9 June, but they still see Cooper and Umunna as Blairites and therefore worse than Tories. Cooper, 48, as chair of the Home Affairs select committee, has cut through with her plea for compassion for refugees. Her embryo leadership campaign is already running ads on Facebook. But she voted for the Iraq war, which is still important to large numbers of the Labour selectorate. Umunna, 38, is probably the best communicator, but people are reluctant to rally to him after he ducked out after a few days last time.

Of the rest on the bookmakers lists, Keir Starmer, 54, has not yet broken through. Clive Lewis, 45, has broken with Corbyn without gaining much support elsewhere (and may lose his seat). Dan Jarvis, 44, seems to have wandered off. And David Miliband, 51, failed to get himself a seat.

That leaves Lisa Nandy, 37, who was shadow Energy Secretary until last June. She has the soft left profile that could appeal to former Corbynites, but as far as I can tell, she isnt interested in the leadership. If she decided to go for it, though, she would be in a strong position.

Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner has hinted tuition fees would be scrapped by Labour (Getty)

Which brings us to the other thing that happened this week. At the Labour manifesto meeting on Thursday, Angela Rayner, also 37, the shadow Education Secretary, clashed with McDonnell. She wanted less emphasis on the promise to phase out tuition fees, and more on early years education. This is important because she is right. Abolishing tuition fees is expensive and it is the wrong priority: a subsidy to people who will tend to be better off. But it is also significant because she is prepared to distance herself from the Corbyn-McDonnell leadership, to which she has been loyal.

Admittedly, Rayner had a terrible five minutes the day before, when Nick Ferrari of LBC asked her how many children aged five to seven are in classes larger than 30  her main election pledge being to cut those class sizes. The answer is 500,000, but all she could say was that it is a substantial number. If she can learn from her mistake, though, she could be a formidable candidate. Her life story, leaving school at 16, single parent, care worker and union rep, is a parable of how a Labour government lifted up a working-class northerner.

I dont know if she has all the qualities to be an effective leader, but the thing about election campaigns is that they are often a testing ground for throwing up unexpected talent. A colleague of mine put a bet on her to be the next leader at odds of 55/1 this week. That may be much less of an outside bet than it seems.
EU chief negotiator on Brexit Michel Barnier and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair at a conference of the European People's Party at the Druids Glen Hotel, Co Wicklow Picture: PA

Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan was asked what he meant when he told the BBC that Brexit was "a proper mess".

With half a chuckle he looked at the assembled media who trekked to a meeting of the European People's Party in Druid's Glen and replied: "It's a mess not of Ireland's making."

It's as far as anyone in Government has gone to calling out not just the attitude of the British government but also the majority of voters in the UK.

The minister was among friends in Wicklow and perhaps feeling a bit more ballsy having heard speakers from other EU countries.

Ireland's approach to the Brexit situation has been to try to remain friends with everybody. We're on 'Team EU' but understand the Brits.

Yet it's becoming increasing obvious that Theresa May's talk of "as close a relationship as possible" between the UK and the EU is just another of her soundbites.

She has accused the EU of trying to gang up on her. The 27 call it unity.

Over breakfast Manfred Weber, a German MEP and chair of the EPP, mused that Mrs May's now infamous 'Brexit means Brexit' phrase can be used a different way.

"Leave means leave," he said, adding that the UK can't "cherry-pick" and cling on to the bits of the EU it likes.

He suggested that London doesn't get it but in time "people will experience what Brexit means".

"We are ready to negotiate a fair way forward but we have clear red lines."

It was fighting talk that echoed some of what the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier said in the Dail this week, albeit the Frenchman used a softer tone.

Mr Barnier's speech didn't bring anything new to the debate during his two days in Ireland this week but his presence was significant.

Mr Barnier has met every EU leader but by speaking in the Dail and taking Phil Hogan's Border tour he signalled that Ireland really is high on his agenda.

It was his way of trying to gain the trust of people like Richard Boyd Barrett, who rightly questioned why Irish people should believe EU technocrats, given Jean-Claude Trichet's threat that a "bomb would go off" in Dublin if we burned the bondholders. Mr Barnier's visit also served to heighten awareness of the Irish cause. The media-shy politician attracted journalists from 'Agence France-Presse', 'Le Soir', the 'Wall Street Journal', 'Der Spiegel', 'Politico', 'Le Monde', 'Die Welt' and the 'Financial Times', among others.

It helped that the EPP brought Tony Blair over too for a glorified photo opportunity where he initially refused to take questions from the media.

Brexit has offered Mr Blair an opportunity to re-enter the political debate. His reinvention has many parallels with Bertie Ahern's.

Both were architects of the Good Friday Agreement which has never faced a threat quite like Brexit over the past two decades. Mr Blair now believes elements of the agreement may have to be reworded to take account of Brexit.

"There's bits of the Good Friday Agreement that specifically assume that Britain and the Irish Republic are in the European Union, so there's obviously changes of language but I don't think it should mean a change of substance," he said.

Like everybody else at the EPP meeting he argued Northern Ireland should be "a special case".

"The biggest challenge is going to be a challenge for the European Union because after Brexit the border becomes the border between the UK and the European Union. If there is goodwill, and ingenuity and I don't know, the use of technology and other things, I think we can minimise disruption."

Alas the mood on both sides so far suggests goodwill is in short supply.
Discussions are ongoing between the Department of Agriculture and cattle tag suppliers in an effort to come up with a solution to a funding shortfall at the ICBF, which has now reached over 400,000.

The shortfall comes on the back of a decision by the Department to allow multiple companies supply cattle tags in Ireland and the highlighting of the voluntary nature of the ICBF levy.

The ICBF is a farmer-led body which receives its funding from a number of sources including farmers, the breeding industry and the State.

The funding model used by the ICBF for many years involved one third of income coming from farmers, one third from service organisations and one third from an annual grant from the Department.

The tag levy, which formerly raised approximately 900,000, has been a critical source of funding for the ICBF for many years, constituting approximately 20pc of core funding.

However, according to figures supplied by Fianna Fail TD, Jackie Cahill in the Dail this week - between October 1 and March 31, 50,633 farmers and herdowners ordered 2.057m tags.

Some 25,069 of those herdowners opted not to pay the levy, resulting in 1,091,238 tag sets that did not contribute the levy to the ICBF - approximately half of all tags.

This, he says has resulted in a shortfall in funding of 414,670 for the ICBF for that six-month period.

However, Minister for State Sean Kyne said the Department has been working with the ICBF and tag providers with the objective of finding a solution that addresses the funding shortfalls.

He said a proposal was put to the tag supply companies - Mullinahone, Cormac Tagging and Datamars - that the tag price should be increased to incorporate the ICBF levy.

I understand that further meetings are planned over the coming weeks.

Obviously, if there is to be any increase in the tag prices, the Department would be required to explain why this is happening and the importance of it, he said.
A group of Dublin 4 residents have made a bid to overturn the green light for a 50m luxury apartment plan by a company backed by businessman Denis O'Brien.

Residents from Nutley Square lodged an appeal with An Bord Pleanala against a decision by Dublin City Council to give planning permission for the five five-storey apartment blocks containing 90 apartments.

In its ruling, the City Council ordered that the top floor in the fifth block be omitted.

Mr O'Brien acquired the site in Donnybrook from UCD in 2008 when he gave UCD 15m in cash and another three-acre site at Roebuck to the college in a land-swap plus cash deal.

Mr O'Brien's Purleigh - in a bid to maximise the return on the investment - lodged plans for the 90-unit development at the end of last year to replace a previous 71 unit plan granted planning permission by the appeals board.

Now, the residents' appeal is the last remaining barrier facing Purleigh in its plans to develop the scheme in one of the most sought-after addresses in the country.

In their objection against the plan, Nutley Square Management Co claim that the Purleigh apartments development is overbearing, out of scale and out of character in terms of its appearance with the exiting housing in the area.

The residents' group argues that the Purleigh proposal "does not respect the existing character, context and urban form of the surrounding area".

The residents have also stated that the development does nothing to protect, provide or improve the residential amenities of our neighbourhood.

They argue that the development "is compatible in relation to character, height and density within existing developments in the area".

In the planner's report recommending that planning be granted, the planner stated that the proposal is considered to be acceptable and in line with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

Consultants for Purleigh, Hughes Planning and Development Consultants, told the City Council that "the development proposal seeks to deliver a high quality residential development at a scale and density which makes the most efficient use of serviced land within Dublin's metropolitan area".

The consultants also pointed out that the development seeks to enhance the appearance of the area through high quality design.
Some 29 accounts had money taken from them without the authorisation of the members. (Stock picture)

Gardai are investigating the theft of 400,000 from a Co Cork credit union. Fermoy-based Synergy Credit Union insists all the money taken from members' accounts has been returned, and the person responsible for the theft is co-operating with an investigation.

The woman responsible is understood to be a long-serving staff member, who has now left the lender.

It comes months after Rush Credit Union in Co Dublin was shut down after a series of fraudulent activities was discovered.

Chief executive of Synergy Martina Cotter confirmed in a statement that it had discovered "irregularities on a small number of member accounts" last September.

Consultancy Grant Thornton was commissioned to undertake an investigation.

Ms Cotter said: "The credit union also informed all relevant authorities as soon as the matter came to light, including An Garda Siochana, and all appropriate steps were taken to resolve the matter swiftly."

She said the internal probe by the credit union has now finished and affected accounts have been replenished to their correct balance.

"The credit union is insured to deal with such matters and no members' savings were lost," she added.

The 16,200 members of the Co Cork lender are due to attend its annual general meeting next Thursday, an event that is now expected to be a stormy affair.

The discovery of the theft has delayed plans to merge Synergy with St Patrick's CU in Cork city. The combination of the two lenders would lead to a body with assets of 73m and 17,000 members.

It is understood that the theft amounts to 407,442, with Synergy Credit Union having to spend another 160,000 on the probe into the missing money.

Some 29 accounts had money taken from them without the authorisation of the members.

The individual who is understood to be responsible for the loss of the money has accepted her role in it.

Ms Cotter said: "We cannot comment in any greater detail, except to say that an individual has accepted responsibility, co-operated with the investigation in full and is no longer employed by the credit union."

The CEO of the credit union reassured members that their savings are secure, and continue to be protected by the State Deposit Guarantee Scheme.

She stressed that Synergy Credit Union has a very strong balance sheet with reserves in excess of 14pc, which is above what is required by the Central Bank. Membership continues to grow and now stands at over 16,200. The credit union continues to operate as normal.

The Central Bank said it was aware of a number of irregular transactions that have taken place in Synergy Credit Union.
Izabela Tomas with her son Casper in her new home in Doughiska in Galway. Photo: Andrew Downes

Twenty happy families got the keys to their new homes this week as part of a joint venture to deliver 300 units between Co-Operative Housing Ireland and Galway City Council.

Residents will become shareholders in their local co-op and will have a say in the management of their community.

Mother-of-two Izabela Tomas (31) told the Irish Independent that she was "over the moon" and "so excited" be included in the new housing scheme.

"I have been on the council's waiting list for over 10 years. Last year, my landlord told me that he was selling the house I was renting, so looking for a new home for my children and I has been a nightmare," she said.

"We have received the keys to our new home and moved in on Thursday. It's a really lovely place and it's in a great location."

Some of the families and individuals that have secured a home were drawn from the council waiting list, while others are coming out of homelessness.

The scheme, which will cost 3.8m, saw the first tranche of apartments and townhouses launched in the Doughiska area of Galway city.

A further 90 units are under development in Galway city and 200 additional homes are planned for the wider region in the coming 12 to 18 months.
The Housing Agency says 1,443 homes are needed in Ennis, Co Clare, to meet projected population growth out to 2020. Some 4,292 are identified as empty (Stock photo)

More than 65,000 houses have been left empty for five years or more as the country grapples with the deepest housing crisis in its history.

Startling figures from Census 2016 reveal that more than two years' supply of houses and apartments have been lying idle since at least 2011, and that a total of 183,000 vacant units are in our towns and cities where demand is highest.

An analysis of the data reveals that tens of thousands are located in the heart of our urban areas, and not in isolated pockets of rural Ireland with little or no demand.

Some 31,000 units are vacant in Dublin city alone of which almost 6,000 have been empty for five years or more. In Galway city, there are more than 2,800 of which 700 are empty since at least 2011, and in Cork city there are almost 4,300, with almost 1,200 empty for more than 60 months.

Much of the housing demand identified by the Housing Agency could be met by renovating or upgrading vacant properties in these cities. But there are also swathes of property which could be brought back into use in important towns to help boost regional development and ease pressure on prices and soaring rents in the main cities.

The Housing Agency says 1,443 homes are needed in Ennis, Co Clare, to meet projected population growth out to 2020. Some 4,292 are identified as empty. Sligo needs 1,111 units, but 1,270 are vacant. Clonmel in Tipperary requires 579, but 612 have been identified as vacant.

In the cities, among the reasons why so many properties are vacant is due to the "financialisation of housing", experts said, where investors bought expensive homes as an investment. Among the highest vacancy rates in the capital is around Ballsbridge, where 321 homes are vacant, 52 for five or more years. Property prices have risen almost 10pc in the last 12 months.

Read More

In rural areas, among the reasons include owners being in nursing homes, passing away, issues over probate or a lack of demand. Some units may be undergoing renovation, being sold or rented, however, more research is needed.

The Government has made efforts to address the vacant homes crisis, including the introduction of the 'Repair and Lease' scheme where property owners are provided with grant aid to renovate properties which are leased back to the State. Some 140m is budgeted out to 2021 for 3,500 units. There is also a 50m 'Buy and Renew' scheme being piloted, where local authorities or housing bodies will purchase the property. Additional funding for both schemes will be made available if demand exceeds proposed budgets.

The Government's Vacant Homes strategy, due to be published in the coming weeks, will also target areas of highest housing demand and create an Empty Homes Office to work with local authorities to identify and bring properties back into use. Councils will be allocated extra staff to assist, and penalties for owners of unused properties are also proposed.

"A number of targeted measures to bring these properties back into use are under consideration, looking at various options that involve a carrot and stick approach," a source said. "The State needs to ensure that we are proactively making efforts to get properties back into the market."

DIT lecturer Lorcan Sirr said the Government's Repair and Lease scheme was welcomed, but that existing stock needed to be used. "This is the low hanging fruit. It will take three to four years for homes to be built on State lands, this could have an impact in 12 months."
The stars of Redwater give a little insight about their characters and the fictional town of the show in new videos released ahead of its debut on RTE on Sunday night.

Irish stars Fionnula Flanagan, Ian McElhinney, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Emily O'Toole Acheampong, Stephen Hogan and Peter Campion paint a picture of the Byrne family who live in the small Irish village.

The first episode will see Eastenders characters Kat and Alfie Moon (Jessie Wallace and Shane Richie) descend upon the village in search of her long lost son.

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Despite promising Alfie that she will keep a low profile, Kat cant rest  and is on the hunt for men who could possibly be her son.

Andrew (Peter Campion), son of Roisin (Maria Doyle Kennedy) and Padraig (Stephen Hogan) and wife of local Garda Bernie (Susan Ateh), seems the perfect fit.

As the celebrations for an annual fundraiser spill into the local pub, Kat finds an ally in Lance (Ian McElhinney). Hes been in Redwater forever, seems to know everyone and everything. Life and soul of the party Kat is in danger of exposing her identity and her secret.

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As Kat relentlessly pursues her quest for confirmation that Andrew is her long-lost son, she ruffles feathers with Andrews mother Roisin at their family farm, further fueling the rumour mill  until Agnes (Fionnula Flanagan) intercepts and sends Kathleen politely on her way.

Alfie once again has to play peacekeeper, pulling Kathleen into line and making peace with the locals, allowing the dust to settle. Distracted by her quest, Kat fails to notice that Alfie is hiding his failing health from her.

Redwater, Episode 1 of 6, RTE One, Sunday, May 14th at 9.30pm

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Video of the Day
A heartfelt love song lasting comfortably under three minutes is the secret to UK success in the Eurovision Song Contest, new analysis suggests.

Nearly all of Britains Eurovision winners or second-place finishers have run safely short of the maximum time limit of 180 seconds.

And a simple declaration of love is more likely to win points than something clever or obscure.

The analysis, carried out by the Press Association to mark the UKs 60th anniversary of participation in Eurovision, should give hope to this years UK entrant Lucie Jones.

Her song Never Give Up On You is four seconds short of the three-minute limit and has lyrics covering familiar topics such as loyalty and relationships.

Recent UK contestants have pushed the three-minute rule to the limit, such as Daz Sampsons school-themed song Teenage Life in 2006 and Scoochs airline-spoof Flying the Flag (For You) in 2007.

Both of these songs ran just over three minutes and both finished near the bottom of the scoreboard.

By contrast, Britains best performance of this century so far was in 2002, when Jessica Garlick came third with the lovesick song Come Back.

The UKs first 20 years in the contest saw the country enjoy consistent success with concise songs concerned almost exclusively with romance.

Contestants finished near the top half of the table every single year except 1957.

Video of the Day

Britains comparatively poor performance in the past 20 years has been marked by songs tackling a variety of topics in a mixture of styles.

Since 1998, the UK has never finished in the top half of the table except on three occasions: 2002, 2009 and 2011.

Other factors are likely to have hampered Britains chance of success.

A rule change introduced in 1999 has allowed countries to perform songs in any language, with most of them choosing English.

Tactical voting and political factors  such as nations voting only for their nearest neighbours or allies  may also have hurt the UK.
The attack happened in a branch of Nando's in Santry

A diner having a meal with family at a Nandos restaurant was beaten with a claw hammer in a violent attack in front of up to 100 frightened customers, a court heard.

Two accused, Martin Maughan (28) and Michael Mongan (39), allegedly set upon the man while groups of children celebrating their first communion looked on.

The court heard the man was also pepper-sprayed by one of the accused during the attack, which happened after derogatory remarks were allegedly made about Mr Maughans disabled daughter.

Judge Fiona Lydon refused to grant bail to Mr Maughan and remanded him in custody for the directions of the DPP to be made available. Mr Mongan was granted bail under conditions at Dublin District Court and both cases were adjourned.

The defendants, both from Sillogue Green in Ballymun, are each charged with assault causing harm.

Mr Maughan, a father-of-six, is further charged with producing a hammer as a weapon.

The incident happened at Nandos, Omni Park Shopping Centre, Santry, on May 7.

Gardai objected to bail, citing the nature and seriousness of the charges and their belief that the accused could threaten the alleged victim.

Garda Daniel Lynch told the court the restaurant was full to capacity when two men entered the premises.

According to the prosecution, Mr Maughan was armed with a claw hammer and approached the alleged victim, striking him a number of times about the body.

The man attempted to flee, jumping over the counter and running through the kitchen area. Mr Maughan chased after him, striking him again as he ran out of the restaurant. The man was also allegedly pepper-sprayed.

He ran back inside the restaurant and Mr Mongan was said to have punched him in the face.

Customers feared for their safety and fled.

Gda Lynch said the accused left the scene, were identified on CCTV and stopped in a van on the Ballymun Road.

The victim suffered bleeding and bruising.

Gda Lynch said he believed the incident stemmed from derogatory comments made previously about Mr Maughans daughter, who has spina bifida. Mr Maughans sister was married to the victims brother, the garda added.

Garda Paul Butler said it was alleged Mr Mongan, a father-of-four, punched the man a number of times in the face.

Objecting to bail, he cited the sheer violence alleged.

A defence solicitor applied for bail, saying the accused enjoy a presumption of innocence and would abide by conditions.

Judge Lydon refused it in the case of Mr Maughan, who was remanded in custody to appear in Cloverhill District Court later this week.

She granted bail to Mr Mongan, on condition he signs on at his local garda station, observes a curfew and has no contact with the alleged victim.

He is due to appear in court again on June 16.
The new president of the University of Limerick (UL) has told staff to prepare for further revelations in the whistle-blower controversy that has hit the college.

Prof Des Fitzgerald addressed staff at a series of meetings on the campus over the past week.

Meanwhile, a review into the governance, HR and financial practices and procedures at UL has been announced by Education Minister Richard Bruton.

It will be conducted by Mr Richard Thorn, President Emeritus of Sligo Institute of Technology, and overseen by the Higher Education Authority (HEA). It is expected to report by September 30.

The issues at UL go back a number of years and have already been the subject of a review by consultants Mazars, which were appointed by the HEA.

It centres around a number of protected disclosures and other complaints about expenses claims and other financial transactions received from employees and former employees of the University.

Efforts, to date, to bring the matter to conclusion have failed and, when Prof Fitzgerald took office last week, he contacted the Department of Education seeking an independent review.
Pioneering Dublin-based property entrepreneur Felicity Fox has died at the age of 49 following a short illness.

A graduate of the Bolton Street Auctioneering and Property course, she started her career in the 1980s in a small agency in Clanbrassil Street.

She moved to Douglas Newman Good (DNG) where she made an instant impression on the south central city circuit, selling homes in a tough market.

Ms Fox was promoted to manager of the city centre branch and built business in Portobello, Ranelagh, Rathmines and Harold's Cross.

In 2002 she struck out on her own and set up an agency in Dublin city centre, which attracted trendier city-based vendors. She steered the agency through the worst property market crash in history before establishing Felicity Fox as a leading Dublin property brand as the firm emerged from the recession.

She was married to Edmund Douglas, a DNG founding member. Her former boss Keith Lowe, CEO of DNG, described her as "very special" and "a top class estate agent", noting that she "made the south central postcodes her own".
The Irish Independent has learned that garda management has now been forced to strengthen its controls surrounding the monitoring of phone calls after the senior garda blew the whistle. Photo: RollingNews.ie

AN Irish Independent investigation has found that innocent members of the public had their phones tapped by Garda intelligence.

Our investigation has also seen accounts of where a decorated detective has said he was put under pressure to routinely bypass strict protocol to listen in on private conversations for almost a decade.

The officer says, according to court documents, that he came under so much pressure to tap phones without having a court order, it took a toll on his health.

We also found:

gardai tapped phones of innocent members of the public they confused with criminals

phone taps by gardai were put on the wrong people

one officer said he felt under pressure to place taps on phones without legal authority

when the officer raised concerns with his superiors about this activity, his authorities sidelined him

when the officer sued over his treatment, the State settled the case in the last few weeks

The State avoided the full extent of the phone tapping scandal being made public after agreeing an out-of-court settlement with the senior officer who repeatedly raised concerns about the legality of the covert surveillance.

The settlement was made just days after the force was rocked by the Tusla sex abuse file scandal. It is understood the State also agreed to pay off a number of other garda and other plaintiffs within the space of a few hours on the same day last February.

The most sensitive case that garda bosses tried to keep under wraps centres upon a former detective involved in the forces Crime and Security Section at Garda HQ.

Read More

The Crime and Security Department is essentially the forces secret service. The officer, in his suit against the State, said he repeatedly flagged his concerns about suspected illegal phone tapping within the force. The detective was tasked with intercepting phones calls for almost a decade. He is an officer who was decorated for valour and assigned some of the most sensitive investigations involving terrorists and major organised criminals.

Wiretaps were routinely placed on the phones of the countrys most well-known criminals uncovering significant information and intelligence. A lot of this intelligence led to successful prosecutions including against well known criminal figures - some of whom became household names jailed for drug trafficking. It also uncovered evidence against terrorists later found guilty of directing IRA activities.

Read More

The facility to intercept mobile phone calls by the Monitoring Unit of the Crime and Security Section only become available to gardai in 2002 and led to a series of successful criminal prosecutions.

However, concerns began to be raised that pressure was being put on act outside the law by placing phone taps without the necessary court orders.

It is alleged:

innocent members of the public have also had their phone conversations listened to without their knowledge.

Garda management were also warned that warrants for phone taps were being put in place where officers provided little or no documentation to support their justification.

many of the applications for warrants were sloppy and had no supportive documentation.

when concerns were raised, the detective felt he was sidelined and offered a transfer out of the Crime and Security Department

in one case the officer felt the motivation for the phone tap was political.

Our investigation also uncovered information that during the monitoring of terror suspects calls, conversations with politicians were heard.

A garda spokesperson said the force does not comment on actions taken by third parties.

The statement also said that the carrying out of covert surveillance is enshrined in legislation and that authorisations for intrusive surveillance are granted by a court.

In relation to lawful interception, the Interception of Postal Packets and Telecommunications Messages (Regulation) Act 1993 provides that an authorisation for interception may only be granted by Ministerial warrant on application from the Garda Commissioner (and the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces) and only for the purposes of the investigation of serious crime or protecting the security of the State.

The provisions of both Acts are subject to independent judicial oversight by Judges of the High Court, the statement said.

The Designated Judge has complete and unrestricted access to all cases, documents, records, and personnel pertaining to the operation of the relevant legislation.

In addition, each Designated Judge reports to the Taoiseach on an annual basis on the operation of the legislation. These reports are laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas.

The spokesman said the legislation provides for a complaints mechanism if an individual believes they have been subject to surveillance or whose communications have been intercepted. In these cases, individuals may apply to the Complaints Referee.

Surveillance

The Department of Justice said it would not be appropriate to comment on the officers allegations given that he pursued a legal action against the State.

Had the case surrounding phone tapping been heard by the High Court, senior officers would have been forced to give unprecedented testimony about the forces covert surveillance.

The Irish Independent has learned that garda management has now been forced to strengthen its controls surrounding the monitoring of phone calls after the senior garda blew the whistle.

But the claims that garda bosses repeatedly ignored concerns surrounding the application of phone taps is likely to cause alarm within political circles.

The allegations pre-date the tenure of Garda Commissioner Noirin OSullivan, who is facing major questions over her handling of the Templemore College scandal.
NHS hospitals across the North, East and West Midlands, and London were reporting IT failures, in some cases meaning there was no way of operating phones or computers. File photo: Depositphotos

The HSE has placed a temporary ban on external access to its network over fears that its systems could be targeted in a cyber attack.

The health authorities convened a special meeting last night following a global spate of ransomware cyber attacks affecting at least seven countries.

The attacks, which see a virus encrypt a computer's files and demand payment in bitcoin to decode them, began with an assault on NHS hospitals across Britain, using malware called Wanna Decryptor.

NHS hospitals across the North, East and West Midlands, and London were reporting IT failures, in some cases meaning there was no way of operating phones or computers.

It has now emerged that the HSE has taken "protective measures" to remove external access to its IT systems, in what it is treating as a "major incident".

The HSE has also said that it is monitoring the situation and is liaising with both NHS England and NHS Scotland to gather intelligence and offer any necessary assistance.

In a statement after last night's meeting, the HSE said: "It was decided that, as a protective measure, the HSE's Office of the Chief Information Officer would remove all external access to the HSE's network to protect the integrity of clinical IT systems throughout our health system."

The ransomware cyber attacks affecting companies and government organisations in at least seven countries began yesterday morning.

Pictures posted on social media showed screens of NHS computers with images demanding payment of $300 (274) worth of the online currency Bitcoin, threatening to delete files within seven days.

At some hospitals, patients were being told not to come to A&E with all non-urgent operations cancelled.

Russia, Ukraine, and Taiwan were the worst hit by the attacks. Attacks were also detected in Spain, the Philippines, and Kazakhstan, Turkey, Vietnam, Germany, Indonesia, and Japan.

Twitter users also reported similar attacks in Pakistan and Italy.
A garda forensics officer at the home of 94-year-old Jimmy Campion, who was beaten with his walking stick as he confronted thugs breaking into his house in Roscrea, Co Tipperary Picture: Mark Condren

Gardai have identified a travelling gang they believe is responsible for a spate of burglaries in Munster and Connacht over the past couple of years.

The gang's latest target was former hurler Jimmy Campion (94), who was beaten savagely across the head with his walking stick as he confronted the thugs breaking into his Co Tipperary home on Sunday evening.

Investigating gardai raided the homes of several suspects in south county Dublin yesterday as part of their inquiries.

Searches were carried out at the properties and items seized by officers for forensic examination including clothing thought to have been worn by the burglars during the break-in at Mr Campion's home and a number of mobile phones. The raids followed a close study of CCTV footage taken from security cameras in the Old Dublin Road area of Roscrea where Mr Campion lives with his 87-year-old wife, Maura.

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Some of the suspected criminals have disappeared from their homes since the incident and are believed to have "gone to ground".

Gardai say that at least four thugs were involved in the Roscrea burglary.

Members of the gang are prime suspects for a series of burglaries across the western region over the past 24 months and are also thought to be responsible for several break-ins in other Munster counties.

Officers say the gang struck fear into the heart of rural communities by targeting particularly vulnerable homeowners, including elderly pensioners like the Campions, and others living alone in isolated areas.

Gardai said those involved in the Roscrea incident were particularly violent - the assault on Mr Campion left him needing several stitches for his head wounds - and they also ransacked the couple's home.

"This was very nasty. We could have been looking at another 'Ballysaggart' because of the victim's age," one officer said.

This was a reference to an incident outside Lismore, Co Waterford, last February when 90-year-old Paddy Lyons suffered severe blows to his head and face during a robbery and died from his injuries.

The suspects for the Roscrea crime are members of a travelling gang, which is one of a number that has terrorised provincial towns and rural communities and some of them have been questioned in the past about robberies and assaults.

But none of the gang is linked to the Co Waterford assault.

Last night specialists from the Garda Technical Bureau were preparing the clothing seized in the south-Dublin raids for forensic examination while the mobile phones were sent to the computer crime unit to be checked out.

A senior officer told the Irish Independent: "Our inquiries and searches were not about arrests at this stage, but were part of an evidence gathering operation and the results will be included in a file on the incident."

However, it is expected that arrests will be made following further inquiries.

Gardai have set up an incident room at Roscrea station and have asked anybody with information to contact the investigation team on 0505 24230 or to phone the confidential line 1800 666111.

Meanwhile, Mr Campion is said to be making a good recovery from his injuries after being discharged from the Midland Regional Hospital in Portlaoise earlier in the week.
A leading cyber security expert has said that all countries should be concerned about ransomware as criminals don't "discriminate" and "every country is under threat".

Cyber security expert, Dinos Kerigan-Kyrou, told Independent.ie said that "criminals don't care about nationality".

"Ransomware does not discriminate. It can attack any computer anywhere; the criminals really don't care about nationality."

Mr Kerigan-Kyrou was giving his expert view in wake of cyber attacks which are making their way across Europe and are being treated by the HSE as a major incident.

Read More

A suspected case of the ransomware has been identified in a computer system in Ireland at a HSE funded centre.

However, the infection at the centre in Wexford has been isolated and prevented from spreading.

"Their motive is money. Thankfully their motive is not to crash health systems - although that can of course happen as a byproduct of their reckless actions," said Kerigan-Kyrou.

Earlier today, the HSE said they were treating the cyber attacks as a "major incident".

A HSE spokesperson told Independent.ie: "On foot of that meeting it was decided that, as a protective measure, the HSEs Office of the Chief Information Officer would remove all external access to the HSE's Network to protect the integrity of clinical IT systems throughout our Health System."

Mr Kerigan-Kyrou, praised the HSE for their actions.

"The HSE is doing absolutely the right thing, but it's very hard to completely isolate computers and networks. There's no 'separate' internet for critical infrastructure such as health. It's the same internet you or I use. Trying to remove a computer from the network is called 'air gapping' but in reality it's incredibly hard to do as there is almost always a link somewhere."

Mr Kerigan-Kyrou said his he concerned about the the theft of Intellectual Property from the companies that underpin the Irish economy.

"My biggest concern is the long-term nature of such attacks - in fact its multiple attacks which are happening day in day out in countries that have industry with huge research and development, such as Ireland, Germany, and the US.

"This is not like ransomware where your computer shuts down; this is much more insidious and long-term. You dont realise its happening. And because we dont see it no one talks about it."

When asked if there was an overlap between terrorism and ransomware, Kerigan-Kyrou said that terrorists are using the internet to catch all governments "by surprise".

"It is perfectly possible that there may be overlap between terrorist financing and ransomware.

"However, based only on the open source information I've seen I do not believe that terrorists are the primary drivers of this particular situation. Everything seems to indicate that the primary motive is profit so it seems to indicate criminal activity only.

"I think terrorists would have used these vulnerabilities in a different way for different purposes."

Mr Kerigan-Kyrou also said that individuals could be targeted by ransomware attacks.

"Cybersecurity is the responsibility of each and every person. It is not anymore an 'IT' issue. To think of it only as a problem for the 'IT person' is actually very dangerous and opens up your company or organisation to huge cybersecurity danger."
Cyber attacks which have thrown the NHS into chaos are making their way across Europe and are being treated by the HSE as a major incident.

Computer systems in over 70 countries were rendered useless once infected by ransomware, which blocks access to a computers hard-drive and forces victims to pay a sum of money in order to regain access to files.

The scale of the attacks have been described as unprecedented by cyber-security experts. Here's everything you need to know so far:

1. What exactly happened?

Computers across the world have been infected by a ransomware virus, rendering their hard-drives unusable and demanding payment in order to de-encrypt the computer systems. The number of people affected and the speed by which the attack has spread is unprecedented.

The Guardian reported this morning that up to 74 countries have been hit by the virus, though it is not believed to have reached Ireland yet. Russia is reported to have been hit the hardest, with its Interior Ministry falling victim of the attack.

2. When did this happen?

The attack was carried out yesterday, Friday May 12. It is being described by cyber-security experts as one of the biggest ransomware outbreaks in history.

Authorities said they were communicating with more than 100 energy, transportation, telecommunications and financial services providers about the attack.

3. What is ransomware?

Ransomware or 'Cryptoware' is a type of malicious software that infects computers, rendering the information contained in them unreadable. A message appears on the computers screen, instructing victims to pay a sum of money to an account. A code is then issued to de-encrypt the computers hard-drive.

Security experts said this morning that the ransomware appeared to be infiltrating organisations through innocent looking emails, which instruct employees to click on an email attachment. The virus then spreads internally from computer to computer when employees share documents and other files.

Affected users can restore files if they have them backed up on an external hard-drive, or may be forced to pay the ransom to avoid losing their data entirely.

4. Was this expected?

The ransomware is reported to exploit security holes in Microsoft software, which were highlighted several weeks ago by TheShadowBrokers, a group that has published what it calls hacking tools used by the NSA as part of intelligence gathering.

Shortly after this was released, Microsoft said they had issued software patches for these holes. However, many companies and individuals have not yet installed the fixes or are using older versions of Windows and Microsoft that do not support the fix.

5. What do we know so far?

Affected organisations have been hit by ransoms starting at $300 in the online currency bitcoin, before increasing to $400, $500 and $600 after a few hours, according to security researcher, Kurt Baumgartner.

In addition to Russias interior ministry, the biggest targets are reported to be the Ukraine and India, countries where it is more common to find older versions of Windows in use. Organisations in the United States have been affected, though the effects are not said to be widespread.

The NHS was majorly affected by the attack, which is believed to have been carried out by a criminal organisation. Hospitals were forced to cancel operations, divert ambulances and staff were forced to use their mobile phones to make calls and take notes by hand.

Affected hospitals asked people not to come to A&E unless absolutely necessary.

The National Cyber Security Centre is investigating the attack and is working alongside NHS Digital and the National Crime Agency.

6. What does this mean for Ireland?

The HSE are treating this as a "major incident", though no Irish organisations are said to have been hit by the ransomware yet. A special meeting convened last night in order to "consider the situation."

A HSE spokesperson told Independent.ie: "On foot of that meeting it was decided that, as a protective measure, the HSEs Office of the Chief Information Officer would remove all external access to the HSE's Network to protect the integrity of clinical IT systems throughout our Health System."

The HSE said it will continue to monitor the situation closely and work alongside NHS Scotland and NHS England to gather intelligence.

A spokesperson for the Department of Education said:

"At present, there are no reports of any incidences of this malware in Ireland. The NCSC is monitoring the situation carefully, and cooperating with the HSE, with industry and with the Garda Cyber Crime Bureau. The NCSC has also been in contact with similar bodies in other EU countries, including the UK, and will continue to act as conduit for technical information around this issue."
A passenger died on a flight that was forced to divert to Shannon Airport on Friday evening.

It was the second time in five days that a passenger on board a transatlantic flight passed away after suddenly falling ill.

Yesterday, Air Canada flight AC-849 from Londons Heathrow Airport to Toronto in Canada diverted to the mid-west airport after the crew declared a medical emergency.

The Boeing 777 jet was about and hour into its journey and approximately 400 km north west of Mayo when the crew turned around. The flight rerouted to Shannon with cabin crew members battling to resuscitate the elderly woman.

The flight landed safely at 5.15pm and was met by airport emergency services and National Ambulance Service paramedics. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene and the county coroner informed.

Her body was removed to University Hospital Limerick where a postmortem examination is expected to be carried out while efforts are also being made to repatriate the remains to Canada.

The flight continued its journey to Toronto about two hours after landing at Shannon.

Last Monday, an 88-year-old man died after the Delta Air Lines flight from Amsterdam to Atlanta on which he was travelling from Amsterdam to the US diverted to Shannon.

Meanwhile, also on Friday, Austrian Airlines flight OS-93 made an unscheduled landing at the mid-west airport after the crew declared an emergency just north of Mayo. The crew reported they had a man on board whom they believed to have suffered a heart attack.

The passenger was assessed at the airport before being removed to hospital by ambulance.

The mid-west airport handled a 30 medical emergencies alone in 2016. In two incidents, passengers passed away on board before they landed at Shannon despite the best efforts of crew and medics on board
Housing Minister Simon Coveney was in Kinvara yesterday to open the new wastewater treatment plant. Photo: Andrew Downes

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that the Government's controversial Help-to-Buy scheme for first-time buyers may add to demand pressures in the market.

Its latest report on Ireland has highlighted housing as one of several challenges facing the country.

The Help-to-Buy scheme introduced earlier this year offers first-time buyers who purchase a new-build home the opportunity to claim tax back of up to 20,000. It has faced criticism by opposition politicians and economists amid claims it is contributing to a rise in property prices.

The IMF report says housing pressures have risen in Ireland, driven by a mismatch between renewed demand for housing and a lag in supply.

In relation to the Help-to-Buy scheme, Michelle Shannon - the current IMF head of mission to Ireland - said: "We have cautioned that this could contribute to demand pressures."

The Department of Finance last year announced that there would be a review of the scheme which is to begin soon.

Ms Shannon said the IMF welcomed this review as it could provide an evidence-based opportunity to assess the impact of the scheme.

She said any decision on whether the scheme should be amended, continued or got rid of would depend on the review's outcome.

A Department of Finance spokesman said Minister Michael Noonan had committed to the review and the Government would listen to its findings.

The spokesman said: "The scheme is there to help people and incentivise extra building and the provision of housing."

He added that increasing supply was the Government's number one priority.

Mr Noonan recently rejected suggestions that the Help-to-Buy scheme increased house prices in the first three months of the year. He told a Dail committee that around 10m had been injected into the market due to the scheme so far and there were "no circumstances" where that level of extra spending could drive prices up.

The IMF report was as a result of a routine annual mission to Ireland and is not related to the Troika bailout that the nation exited in 2013.

It warns that external risks to the economy are high.

The report says Brexit is the "most pressing and far-reaching challenge for Ireland".

While its effects have been modest to date, the impact over the medium term is expected to be negative and significant.

The IMF report also says that Housing Minister Simon Coveney's Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness "appropriately focuses on support for vulnerable families" as well as measures to kick-start expansion in housing supply.

"While signs of progress are emerging, a more robust supply response will take time," it says.

Mr Coveney said he was confident that sufficient social housing would be developed to ease the homelessness crisis in the country.

He said that a combination of measures were now in place to provide housing across all levels.

"We have about 8,500 social housing units in the pipeline at the moment across 503 different projects, involving every county in the country. My message to all of the chief executives and to the councils is very clear, I want you to be giving the level of priority to delivering social housing that we are trying to give a lead on in the department of housing. I expect a sense of urgency in terms of delivering those projects."
The Bob Dylan concert in Dublin on Thursday night was one of the worst musical experiences of my life. Dylan's descent to has-been status was reflected by the large number of audience members who walked out en masse before the concert was over.

Dylan's expressionless interaction with the audience was absolutely zero; not a hello, a thank you, a goodnight or even a wave of the handnothing at all. He and his band walked off stage after just 90 minutes.

They came back and did two songs but many people had already left.

However, there are many who appear to be happy to continue elevating this man to god-like status and find whatever he does or doesn't do totally acceptable.

My position is that since there was no greeting from him at the beginning, during or at the end the concert, I couldn't be bothered applauding as I normally would at a concert at which the artist respects the audience. If he wants no interaction, it can work both ways.

His choice of material was dreadful and his rendition of standards made famous by Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole sounded like a drunk singing on a bus. Dylan's voice is fine for his own catalogue of beautiful songs, but it is not suited for the music of others.

The only highlight was his excellent band of musicians who did a great job propping him up; without them, his performance would have collapsed - yet he didn't once introduce, acknowledge or thank them.

One could forgive Bob Dylan for delivering a poor performance if he just had the graciousness to acknowledge in some small way his loyal audience, who had paid hard-earned money for tickets which were by no means cheap.

Many had travelled very long distances to see his show. He delivered pitifully few of the songs these people had come to hear.

Sad to say, the concert highlighted the fact that Bob Dylan is well past his sell-by date.

David Bradley

Drogheda, Co Louth

Ridiculous to fine us over CO2

Ireland is apparently liable to incur substantial fines from the EU for failure to meet its CO2 emissions targets. This is an extraordinary outcome as Ireland is actually extremely efficient in its use of energy and in its productivity in terms of CO2 emissions.

This is because we do not have any large energy-intensive industries and our economy is based on service provision, tourism and agriculture. Nevertheless, we should not be penalised on this account.

Figures for 2015 show that Ireland ranks second in the world in energy efficiency per unit of GDP at $20,754 per ton of energy consumed expressed as BOE (barrel of oil equivalent), a considerably higher figure than Germany and substantially better than the EU average, with only the non-EU country Switzerland doing better than us.

We are also extremely efficient in terms of CO2 emissions, which stand at $7,850 of GDP per ton of CO2 emitted. Only Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and France are more efficient than us on this measure, largely because they have very high levels of non-CO2 emitting electricity generation from hydro power and nuclear, while Denmark imports large amounts of hydro-generated electricity from Norway.

Again we are considerably better in this regard than Germany and the EU average. So why are we being penalised?

David Whitehead

Kinvara, Co Galway

Charles's cupla focal

During his latest visit to Ireland, Prince Charles apologised for his poor grasp of Irish. He needn't have bothered. The vast majority of those present wouldn't have had a clue either.

Niall Ginty

Killester, Dublin 5

Secret to Eurovision success

Surprise, surprise, we've missed out on reaching the finals of Eurovision for the fourth consecutive year. I'm gutted and all, but seriously - what do we have in common with the likes of Serbia and San Marino?

If we want to be competitive again, we must recruit the best songwriter in the land and pay them a fortune to write a quality song. Ccouple this with a solid singer and we have something decent. It's as simple as that.

Or actually, anyone have Bono's number?

Sam Curtin

Co Cork

Turning the tables on danger

Given the potential exposure of restaurateurs to injuries caused by table legs being concealed by tablecloths, is it time to amend the Special Restaurant Licence (Standards) Regulations, 1988, which currently state: "Dining tables shall be solidly made and either:

(a) Completely covered with good quality and suitable tablecloths; OR

(b) Surfaced with polished hardwood or a good facsimile thereof or with material of a comparable quality, and have good quality place mats."

Some US restaurants are losing the tablecloths to appear modern and save money. One such restaurant is Masselow's at Northern Quest Resort & Casino outside Spokane, Washington, which undressed its tables when it rebranded as Masselow's Steakhouse this spring.

"A big part of it was to make the restaurant more approachable, but the bonus was the money saved," says Bob Rogers, the restaurant's executive chef. Even though the tablecloths were washed in-house, the resource, labour and replacement costs added up.

"I'd rather put that money toward something that will enhance guest experience," he said.

Caroline Fanning

Caroline Fanning Solicitors, Dublin 18

In defence of secular atheists

Nick Folley (Irish Independent, Letters, May 11) bemoans the contributions of "secular atheists" - as if all secularists are atheists.

For example, he makes no mention of Jewish, Muslim or for that matter Christian secularists. In an interview with 'La Croix' last year, the Pope said: "States must be secularI believe that secularism accompanied by a strong law which guarantees religious freedom provides a framework for moving forward."

No group should receive favourable treatment or be penalised by the State. A secular outlook is one that advocates the separation of Church and State, which is a fundamental doctrine of democracy.

I can only presume that Mr Folley opposes separation of religion and state in all countries, including countries where Christians suffer state-sponsored prejudice and discrimination and where the freedoms of speech and expression are suppressed.

By sheer co-incidence, these countries tend to be places where blasphemy laws exist. I wonder if Mr Folley is aware of the sentencing of Jakarta's Christian governor to two years in prison on blasphemy charges this week?

Rob Sadlier

Rathfarnham, Dublin 16
ECP summons Gilani, son



ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Saturday summoned Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Yousaf Raza Gilani and his son Ali Haider on March 22, in connection with the disqualification plea filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).



The Election Commission is pleaded to take action against Yousaf Raza Gilani and his son under Section 174 of the Election Act 2017 in light of the leaked video in which Ali Haider Gilani was seen telling the MNAs how to waste their vote.



The notice issued by the ECP Law Wing has directed the newly-elected Senator to appear in person or through his lawyer for the hearing which will be conducted on Monday.



The notices have been served to the petitioners namely Farrukh Habib, Kanwal Shauzab and Malika Bukhari, who filed plea seeking disqualification of Senator Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani over the leaked video of Ali Haider Gilani.



Ali Haider Gilani, an MPA from Multan, was telling members of the National Assembly how to waste their votes in order to benefit his father Yousaf Raza Gilani in the Senate elections.INP




A large-scale painting by Dundalk artist Michelle Rogers which highlights endangered animals and plants is being exhibited for four days in a church in Venice this week.

'Eco Primavera', which is being shown in St. George's Anglican Church, incorporates more than one hundred small threatened and endangered species of insects, frogs, birds, and flowers as an environmental homage to Italian painter Sandro Botticelli.

'Botticelli adored nature and painted over one hundred flowers in his own 'Primavera',' Michelle explains. 'Historically we paint things that are important, and for me recording endangered species is a way of preserving them, giving them recognition so they won't disappear completely.'

Our planet is in the midst of its sixth mass extinction of plants and animals, called the Holocene extinction. We're currently experiencing the worst spate of species die-offs since the loss of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.'

Michelle's mid-career retrospective opens at Rathfarnham Castle, Dublin, on June 16.
This May Irish Heart is encouraging 3,000 volunteers to help sell their iconic happy hearts and raise vital funds to save lives from sudden cardiac arrest, which claims 5,000 lives in Ireland every year.

Money raised for the Happy Heart appeal will go towards Irish Heart's CPR programmes to create lifesavers in every community in Ireland.

For more than 50 years, Irish Heart has been fighting heart disease and stroke and empowering the people of Ireland to live longer, happier lives.

Central to the mission of Irish Heart is to help save more lives from cardiac arrest through CPR training. Cardiac arrest could happen to someone at work, in your community, or at home so it's essential to know exactly what to do, and be confident in doing it, according to Irish Heart.

Mairead Mc Meel, North East fundraising manager at Irish Heart said: 'This year's Happy Heart Appeal target is 500,000 - a 40% increase on last year - and these vital funds ensure that we can continue to provide essential CPR training to every community in Ireland.'

'If a loved one or someone you know goes into a sudden cardiac arrest, you are their main chance of survival. Not a passer-by. You and your hands. CPR saves lives and so do volunteers. Now more than ever, we need more volunteers for our Happy Hearts Appeal, so that we can raise funds for programmes like our vital CPR training. Join us and volunteer on May 12th to keep more hearts beating, because we desperately need more lifesavers.'

If you'd like to support the 'Happy Heart' appeal by volunteering a few hours of your time and selling pins on 12th May, simply log on to www.irishheart.ie/happyhearts.

For more information contact: Mairead Mc Meel at mmcmeel@irishheart.ie
One of the beautiful coats from the Oige collection

A Ravensdale fashion graduate will showcase her collection as one of the future faces of fashion design at the eagerly awaited Ulster University graduate fashion show which takes place at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast on May 19.

Luisa Murray, a graduate at the university's Textile Art, Design and Fashion degree, is putting the finishing touches to her collection and is looking forward to seeing her creations on the catwalk.

And the world of fashion is well known to Luisa as her parents, Gerry and Siobhan Murray, owned a number of the United Colors of Benetton stores and worked in retail for a number of years. It was at home that Luisa picked up her love for fashion and at her former secondary school, St Vincent's, that she found her talent for creativity, nurtured and developed by art teacher Mrs Mullen.

Luisa went to O Fiaich College for a year to complete a portfolio course before starting at the University of Ulster in 2014.

In the first year, students study a range of topics such as weave, embroidery, print and fashion, with specialist options available from second year onwards. Luisa concentrated on print making using different techniques such as digital and 3D printing to create a wife variety of designs.

In third year, the Ravensdale woman worked at Dunnes Stores in Dublin on the Joanne Hynes collection, an experience she really enjoyed.

Her college collection, called 'Oige' is inspired by Irish femininity and Irish design with slip dresses created with hand illustrated digitally printed fabrics and coats in velvet with ruffle detailing.

Supported by Santander Universities, Ulster University's graduate fashion show provides an invaluable platform for young designers to reveal their runway collections as they prepare to launch their fashion careers, both locally and globally. Previous Ulster University graduates have gone on to work for international designers as well as major retailers including House of Fraser, Inishmaan and Douglas and Graham.

Tickets are on sale now at just 15 per ticket at: getinvited.to/festivalartdes/ulster-university-graduate-fashion-show-2017.
The man leading the search for the four remaining 'Disappeared' says that British undercover soldier, Robert Nairac, is buried 'somewhere in North Louth' and has made a fresh appeal for information about the location of the burial site as the 40th anniversary of the mystery looms.

Geoff Knupfer from the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains (ICLVR) told Primetime reporter Barry Cummins that it is his belief that Nairac, a Grenadier Guard who was abducted from the Three Steps pub in Drumintee in May 1977, was buried and possibly reburied in the 'general vicinity' of where he was killed.

Mr Knupfer entirely rejected the 40-year-old rumours that Nairac's body was disposed of at a meat processing factory at Dulargy, Ravensdale, shortly after his death and asserted that it is the commission's belief that he was buried and possibly moved and buried again 'and maybe again'.

The Primetime show revealed that while there has been information given by republicans about the location of 13 of the Disappeared, which has led to the recovery of ten so far, there has been no information given to the commission about where Nairac could be. Instead, Mr Cummins said, myths have grown up around the life and death of the undercover solider who was, at the time of his death, based at Bessbrook barracks.

It had been established that Nairac was armed with an under shoulder holster and a Browning pistol and had been in the Three Steps pub the night before he went missing returning a second time, calling himself 'Danny McErlean' and claiming he was from West Belfast.

The programme revealed that Nairac's cover was blown after 'some locals got suspicious' and there was a struggle with him before his gun fell to the ground. He was forced into a car and brought across the border.

The report showed archive footage of Nairac's parents speaking about their son in 1978 and also featured the missing man's friend, and former solider, Fr William Burke who is now a Catholic priest in the South of England. Fr Burke and Mr Cummins visited the spot at the Flurry Bridge in Ravensdale where Nairac was beaten and then shot dead.

The priest broke down as he said prayers at the location and he appealed for information about Nairac's whereabouts so his family, including his two sisters, can give him a Christian burial.

In addition, the show revealed how the ICLVR took the unique step in investigating Nairac's background and his work for the British Army including persistent rumours that he was involved or helped set up a number of atrocities including the Miami Showband Massacre. Mr Knupfer said he believed these rumours have led to the lingering silence around the location of Nairac's remains. He said: 'We tried to research his background, to try to find out if these rumours were fact or fiction and we have not found a shred of evidence for these wild accusations that he was involved in murder and mayhem'.

Significantly, the murder of IRA man John Francis Green, in Castleblayney in 1975, was another incident Nairac's name was linked to. Mr Green's brother, Leo, a former hunger striker, said his family's view is that Nairac 'had an active part' in the murder but they had no concrete evidence.

Leo said: 'Although we have a view that Robert Nairac was involved in some way in my brother's death, there's no feeling of acrimony towards him or his family'. He said that both men were victims and he thought it 'very strange that his (Nairac's) body was disappeared'.

'I can't think of a particular reason why they would hide the fact that Robert Nairac has been killed by the IRA. Anyone with information should bring it forward'.
Two Dublin men who were found guilty of handling a caravan that had been stolen in Newry and followed across the border by the owner have been given community service after they were deemed suitable by the Probation Service.

Details of the incident, which happened on January 25 last year, were revealed after the men pleaded not guilty to handling stolen property.

Edward Wall, (25), Newtown Park Tallaght and Martin Wall (37), Fortunestown Lane, Tallaght, were before the court, along with a third man.

The victim had told the court how he had spotted his Hobby Excelsior caravan being towed by an Isuzu and he followed it, contacting the PSNI and then the Gardai as he followed it along the motorway.

Close to junction 18, a number of Garda vehicles appeared, including armed members of the Regional Response Unit and the Isuzu pulled over. The key of the caravan was found in the jeep.

In interviews with Gardai, the defendants denied knowing the caravan had been stolen. All three said they met with a member of another Traveller man around Newry where, they claimed, Edward Wall bought the caravan with 3,000 in cash.

The men added they didn't think there was anything suspicious about the alleged transaction.

Martin Wall, a father of six, has a number of previous convictions, including for robbery. Edward Wall, the court heard, has a number of dangerous driving and traffic convictions.

The cases were adjourned to last week for community service suitability reports and Judge John Coughlan was told the pair were suitable for community service.

Edward Wall was given 120 hours instead of six months in prison, while Martin Wall was given 200 hours instead of nine months.
Having run throughout the months of February, March and April, with a live final on April 23, the winners of the first-ever Stepping Stones: Battle Of The Bands have just been announced.

Winning the Judges' Prize, Kilcoole four-piece Feuds will now have a professional video shoot with Robin J Kavanagh, plus a professional photo shoot with Pablo Photography.

All-girl five-piece Taken were the winners of the Public Prize.

They will also get the video shoot and photo shoot, as well as two days of studio recording with Hive Studios' Eoin Whitfield.

Both bands will also be given a framed certificate of their Stepping Stones win.

The bands will be invited to perform support slots in major venues in the town.

The competition itself was made possible by the funding of the 1,500 worth of prizes, donated by both Greystones Municipal District Council and the newly-formed Greystones 2020.

The plans are in place to make Stepping Stones: Battle Of The Bands an annual event.

The project will also include showcase gigs throughout the year.

The judges and organisers were stunned by the quality of this year's entries.

Special mentions went out to Emily Beattie, Next To The Attic, and folk duo Lauren McBride and Sam Cox for their excellent performances in the competition.
It was Paul Wrynn's performance in 'The Godfather' that won him the best actor 'Oskar' at a glittering ceremony in the Parkview Hotel recently.

This was part of the Enniskerry Oskars, raising 16,000 to be shared between Enniskerry GAA and Enniskerry Youth Club AFC. Alan King, a member of both clubs said that this was the first time they joined forces for a fundraiser.'Everyone got on brilliantly, it was a great night,' said Alan.

He said that many members of the community participate in activities with both local clubs.

Other awards presented in Newtown included best actress, which went to Lauren Kelly for her role as Sharon Curley in The Snapper. Katie Walsh won best supporting actress for Bridesmaids, while Eoin Byrne won best supporting actor for playing Flanagan in The Field.

Ella Finnerty and Lewis Finney, who played young Forrest and young Jenny in Forrest Gump, received the 'best newcomers' Oskar, while Dermot Rafferty received an award for 'best extra', having played a soldier getting killed in A Few Good men.

The audience dressed up for the occasion and looked fantastic. They enjoyed prosecco and nibbles, as well as the selection of short films, with MC Adam Burke at the helm.
Irish Rail has launched a new website. At first glance It looks a great improvement on the old one. It went live on Monday, April 24. It has many advantages on the previous one. It's easier to navigate. The new site allows you see the direction you will be sitting. With the old site people often complained that they would prefer to be facing in the direction of travel but were unable to make such a decision when booking online.

According to a spokesperson for Irish Rail 83 per cent of passengers book on line, have Leap Cards, monthly tickets or buy annual Taxsaver Tickets. Those figures would seem to indicate that the overwhelming majority of the paying travelling public are computer literate. Last year, 2016, Irish Rail carried 42.8 million passengers, which was an increase of eight per cent on the previous year. And so far this year their numbers are up four per cent on the corresponding period for 2016.

On the May Bank Holiday Sunday I made a return trip from Dublin to Tralee. Yes, the fabulous blue skies added to the adventure but I have to say I was greatly impressed with the service. We do a lot of giving out in Ireland but so often when things work well there's not a whisper from us.My morning train to Tralee, which cut right through the finest land in the country was fabulous. The train was clean and arrived on time in Tralee. The fact that it was a quiet train added to the luxury. By Sunday most people had done their travelling and were at their destinations.

The return journey later that day meant a crowded train back to Dublin. Again, it all worked to excellent timing and we arrived in Dublin one minute early, three hours 44 minutes from Tralee to Heuston Station is most acceptable.

It did occur to me on both journeys Irish Rail have been ever so quiet about their new website. I only found out about it from the passenger sitting beside me on the up journey that Sunday. Why not advertise it and tell passengers about the positive changes. They could use the on-board intercom system to tell passengers.

With the new website there are different types of tickets, all at different prices. There are Non Flexible, Medium Flexible and Fully Flexible tickets. If you go for the Non Flexible ticket you have to travel on the booked train but if you book a Medium Flexible ticket you can change to the train before or after the one you have booked. The Fully Flexible option is an open ticket, which allows the passenger to travel at any time. There are rules and conditions, which have to be fulfilled but the new system is imaginative and smart.

And more good news, over 1,000 passengers are using the new service through the Phoenix Park tunnel at peak times every day. It is planned to extend this service to weekends and off-peak times. The tunnel was built in 1877. The track has been relayed and automatic signalling installed. The new service began rolling through the tunnel in November. At present trains travel no further south than Newbridge but it can't be long before they steam on to Portlaoise.

Who knows where they might stop? Well done Irish Rail.
St Mary's and St Gerard's National School in Enniskerry won the top prize in the 2nd to 4th Class age category for its entry 'Marvellous Macaroons' at the National Scratch Coding Competition.

The competition was held in the Kemmy Business School, at the University of Limerick, last Wednesday, as part of Tech Week 2017.

The winners were selected from over 500 entries nationwide and judged to be the best in their respective categories.

Scratch is a visual programming language that makes it easy for young people to create their own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art - and share their creations on the web.

Using Scratch allows students to develop creative and critical thinking, problem-solving and communication skills as they work collaboratively or individually on Scratch projects.

In operation since 2010, the National Scratch Competition has established itself among both teachers and students as a leading platform and showcase for Ireland's aspiring digital creators. The competition is run by the ICS Foundation, the social enterprise arm of the Irish Computer Society and supported by Lero, the Irish Software Research Centre.

Tech Week provides hands-on opportunities to learn about how computing and related technology are shaping every area of life. The aim is to stimulate thinking around future opportunities for study and careers in technology, through learning in the wider areas of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects.

Jim Friars, CEO, Irish Computer Society said: 'I'd like to thank all of the students who participated in this year's final and congratulations to the winners who produced some great games and animations. Fun competitions like Scratch can help young people to understand more about what technology has to offer and gain confidence in their digital aptitude. As technology becomes increasingly pervasive and has an increasing impact on our lives, it will become even more imperative for students to learn how to formulate innovative solutions and express creativity through the use of technology.'
Rita McKiernan celebrating her 90th birthday with her children Jim, Paul and Maureen  then and now!

Rita McKiernan from Delgany Park in Greystones celebrated her 90th birthday last weekend at the Parkview in Newtown, in the company of her family and friends.

Rita was joined by around 70 guests from the area, where she has lived for almost 30 years. She is a very active member of the community, and Rita is a member of Delgany ICA, Three Trout Bridge Club and of the Holy Rosary Church Choir Greystones.

She got a great surprise in Newtown at the weekend when her loved ones gathered for the party on such a happy occasion.

Rita was born Rita O'Connor in Connolly Avenue, Inchicore, on May 8, 1927.

Her mum was Mary and her dad was Patrick, both of them born in Dublin although their parents were from Tipperary and Offaly/Dublin respectively. Patrick worked with the Great Southern and Western Railway in Inchicore.

Rita went to school in Goldenbridge and worked in the Irish Sweep. She married the love of her life, John McKiernan, on August 17, 1955.

John was from Kilcogy, Co. Cavan, and had come to Dublin to work, living in Inchicore. Their initial years of marriage were spent in Harrow, Middlesex, before returning in 1962. Jim and Maureen were born in London, while Sean and Paul were born after they returned to live in Foxrock. Sadly, Sean was killed, aged 2, in a traffic accident on December 21, 1964, and the family still treasure the memories of his short life.

Rita and John lived in Foxrock until 1990 when they took the great and ambitious step to move to Delgany Park. They got involved in bridge, bowling, choir and Rita joined the ICA. They both loved County Wicklow so much and were immersed in the parish of KIlquade where Rita is still a Eucharistic Minister. John passed away at the end of 2008 and is still greatly missed by the family. He was a lovely gentle person and no doubt is taking interest in the celebrations for Rita.

Rita's sister Maureen lived beside them in Delgany Park until she passed away in 2005.The two Inchicore women truly loved their years in Delgany.

Rita is surrounded by so many lovely Wicklow friends as she moves into her 91st year and she is truly grateful for all of the love she has found from them. The staff of the Parkview Hotel in Newtownmountkennedy were wonderful as Rita and her family and friends celebrated on Saturday.
RECORDER REPORT



LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Ahmed Khan Buzdar said on Saturday that development projects for all districts of the province are being approved on need basis.



He was talking to the provincial ministers and members of the Punjab Assembly from different districts who called on him, here today.



The CM said the present provincial government has launched mega projects in far-flung and backward areas which were neglected in the past. He assured to resolve the problems on priority basis and no one will be allowed to create hurdles in the resolution of genuine issues.



He said, public service is the main agenda of the PTI government and all out resources are being canalized for this purpose.



The CM advised the PDM to abjure negative politics as there is no room for opportunists in the new Pakistan. Propaganda-based politics is the favourite modus operandi of the opposition but propagandists will remain frustrated as before, he said.




Repair works at 13 historic structures throughout County Wicklow are set to take place after it was announced last week that the projects were to receive over 137,000 in funding.

Ten buildings will receive a total of 67,800 under the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS), which supports small-scale, labour-intensive projects to repair and conserve historic projects, while three structures have been allocated a total of 70,000 under the Structures at Risk Fund (SRF), which aims to reduce the risk of deterioration of Ireland's architectural heritage and safeguard at-risk structures.

Under the BHIS, St Crispin's Cell in Greystones has been allocated 6,500 for the stabilisation of masonry; the sum of 4,000 has been set aside for window replacement at The Cottage on Sea Road in Arklow; and Nature's Gold in Greystones will receive 8,200 for the repair and upgrading of historic window shutters.

Many of the funding allocations under the BHIS were for churches in the county. Wicklow Parish Church will receive 8,500 for external fixture repair; 2,500 has been assigned St Kevin's Church of Ireland in Hollywood for external wall repairs; St Joseph's Church in Valleymount has been allocated 9,000 for roof repair, structures and coverings, including leadwork; 9,000 has also been set aside for stabilisation of the ruins of Kilmurray Church in Newtownmountkennedy; funding for interior structural repair has been granted for both St Michael's Church in Aghold, Coolkeano (6,500), and Shillelagh Parish Church (8,500); and, finally, 5,100 has been allocated to the conservation/protection of historic window glass at Christchurch in Delgany.

Under the SRF, Russborough House in Blessington has been granted 10,000, while both All Saint's Church in Carnew and St Saviour's Church in Arklow have been allocated 30,000.

Noting Wicklow's 'rich and varied architectural heritage, with over 700 properties on the Record of Protected Structures', Wicklow County Council's Heritage Officer Deirdre Burns said that the availability of such funding was 'key to ensuring the survival of these structures'.

Bryan Doyle, Chief Executive of Wicklow County Council, said that the council was 'looking forward to working with property owners and managers to co-ordinate conservation works under the BHIS and SRF.

'The two schemes are expected to leverage significant additional private funds which in turn will generate employment in the conservation and construction industries.'
Aaron ODonohue, joint founder and owner of Dr Coys Health Foods, celebrates the deal to supply the companys nutritional chocolate bar as an in-flight snack for Ryanair

Two entrepreneurs from Wicklow have landed a deal to supply their 'Nutritional Chocolate Bar' as an in-flight snack on Ryanair.

The deal is a huge success story for Alison Stroh and her brother Aaron O'Donohue who launched their business in Greystones less than three years ago with an idea to develop a chocolate bar with certified health benefits that they could take to a worldwide market.

This is set to instantly transform Dr. Coy's Health Foods into a European brand, building on the remarkable success that the siblings have already achieved in developing their company as one of the most vibrant and innovative nutritional food brands in Ireland.

Its award winning range of five healthy 'Nutritional Chocolate Bars' has already been listed in Selfridges in the UK, all leading Irish retail chains including SuperValu, Centra, Avoca, Brown Thomas, Lloyds Pharmacy and Applegreen

the bars are also the snack of choice during U2 tours.

'This is a game-changing deal for our business. Ryanair expects to fly more than 130 million passengers this year with over 1800 flights a day. It puts our brand in front of a market that is nearly 30 times the population of Ireland and this will see a significant increase in sales. This also means increasing our operations with regard to production, logistics and marketing,' said Alison Stroh.

The company has already been approached by potential investors. This deal raises the company's international reach and offers an investment opportunity to capitalise on the expansion.

The bars were developed with renowned German oncologist and biologist Dr Johannes Coy. This reinvention of chocolate has lower effects on blood glucose levels compared to chocolate containing sugar.
I'm afraid I don't believe there is such a thing as blasphemy, just outrage from those insecure in their own faith.

So tweeted Stephen Fry in 2012, yet the erudite comedian still faced an allegation of blasphemy when an Irish citizen took umbrage with comments he made in 2015 during an up-close and personal interview with veteran broadcaster Gay Byrne on RTE's 'The Meaning of Life'.

When asked what Fry would say if he found himself 'locked outside the pearly gates', Fry responded: 'I would say, 'bone cancer in children? What's that about?' before declaring that the God who created this universe is an 'utter maniac'.

While such remarks caused outrage with one individual - to such an extent that the matter went to the DPP before eventually being dropped on Monday - it has sparked a wider debate over why Ireland has a Defamation Act at all.

Moreover, such a scenario is grist to the mill of atheists who insist there is no defence for merging religious ethos with the everyday running of the state.

The Fry controversy comes at a time when tensions are already simmering over religious associations with the new national maternity hospital, while the government recently made it mandatory for TD's to stand during the daily prayer service in the Dail.

But the controversy also reinforces a need for rational debate between those seeking a secular society and those who believe in the merits of having a blasphemy law which was enacted as recently as 2009.

Such a law places Ireland in an international club with countries such as Pakistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Yemen, where the penalty of blasphemy is death. In Ireland, if Fry was found guilty, he would have faced a fine of up to 25,000.

There are wider implications though. News of Fry's blasphemy charge made headlines around the world and subjects Ireland to international ridicule, particularly from the UK where its press has been busy regurgitating an image of a 19th Century backwater Ireland.

In a democracy, people have the right to question doctrines without constraint from religious doctrine and one should ask what exactly is Fry guilty of?

His questioning of how an omnipresent God can stand idly by as 'terrible injustices' are meted out is a logical human response.

For example, his questioning of God's powerlessness in preventing bone cancer in children may be echoed by parents in hospital wards when faced with such heartbreak.

Freedom of expression must not be sacrificed on the altar of religious doctrine. We all have a right to question our status on this earth. However, secularists must also be cognisant of the need for respect.

'Trendy' atheism, whose sole purpose is to denigrate the religious beliefs of others, is equally as self-serving as an unbending religious doctrine.

Time might well relegate Fry's blasphemy allegation to the realms of absurdity and a referendum may indeed be the only source of closure to finally remove the antiquated law.

But, for now at least, we should all avail of the opportunity it has given us to try and reach a comprise with those we disagree with.
The delights of late spring and summer fashion made for an appealing hosting at the Millstreet Community School Transition Year fashion show.

Florals and frills dominated the proceedings as did jewelry and accessories.

With the school gymnasium transformed into a fabulous fashion arena, style buffs young and old turned out in huge numbers to catch a glimpse of seasonal ware for the remainder of spring and into summer.

The creme de la creme of North/Mid Cork and Kerry boutiques showcased the latest designs and there was a wide choice of colour palates to select, enthusiasts viewing the vibrant hues or the muted shades.

The presentation kept the impressive attendance enthralled as models both male and female from the school's Transition Year, along with their elders, paraded with elegance and confidence.

The event was an organisational triumph for the TY pupils assisted by co-ordinator Derry Morley, fashion show director Liz Galwey, and Principal Pat Piggott in addition to staff members.

Tidy Towns effort seeks local support

Millstreet Tidy Towns Association is always looking for a helping hand towards offsetting costs that's expected to be in excess of over 10,000 this year.

PRO Aine Murphy explained the mammoth work undertaken by the group on a voluntary basis and with a very limited fund.

"Essentially, we don't have one and rely totally on grants received and very kind donations. This year is a particularly tough as we need to replace some rather expensive pieces of equipment, such as the lawnmower, which can cost up to 2,000, and strimmers", she said.

With a series of international events coming up over the summer months, all involved in Millstreet TT are keen to put the best foot forward.

"In short, we are looking for sponsors, whether it is an individual or a local company or business. We are very lucky with our current sponsors and are very appreciative of their support.

"The fact remains that the entire town benefits from the work of Millstreet Tidy Towns, last year alone, Millstreet Town won 1st in the Anti Litter Competition, Bronze Medal in the Tidy Town Competition 2016 and we ran workshops with both of the Primary Schools and Community School".

Any individual, local company or business that would like to donate sponsorship can contact any member of Millstreet Tidy Towns Committee.

Marie wins German scholarship

Congratulations to Millstreet native Marie Farrell, a second year BA student of French and German Studies at Mary Immaculate College, who has been awarded the prestigious DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) scholarship to study in Germany.

The funding awarded will allow Marie to participate in a four-week German Studies summer course at the University of Munich (LMU), comprising language, literature and cultural studies, the University recognized as one of Europe's premier academic and research institutions and has continuously been placed as the top German university in The World University Rankings.

Founded in 1925, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is a publicly-funded independent organisation of higher education institutions in Germany. The DAAD supports over 100,000 German and international students and researchers around the globe each year making it the world's largest funding organisation of its kind.

Marie enjoyed German as a subject at secondary level, and participated in an after-school initiative introducing local pre-school children to German as a foreign language. Excelling in German Studies in her first two years at MIC, Marie holds a passion for foreign languages, literatures and cultures in addition to enjoying great interest in theatre studies.

Dr Sabine Egger, Acting Head of German Studies at MIC congratulated Marie on her success in a highly competitive application process.

"My colleagues and I are absolutely delighted for Marie and proud of her achievement," she said. "The scholarship will allow her to further improve her German, and to have a taste of German - and Bavarian - culture in an outstanding place. Furthermore, the scholarship will provide Marie with an excellent platform to reach higher goals in her future academic and professional career."

Marie is off to Munich in July.
Just a few miles separate Millstreet and Rathmore so there was plenty rivalry involved when their GAA clubs emerged Cork and Kerry's lone representatives in the All Ireland Scor Finals hosted in the Waterfront Hall, Belfast last weekend.

And, compared to many a sporting battle, there was no separating the pair in the table quiz final that brought the country's top teams to the spacious location on the banks of the Lagan.

The questions came thick and fast before another seasoned combination, Monaleen from Limerick landed the outright spoils.

Taking top five positions were the Cork and Kerry hopefuls, with Millstreet fast off the mark with a team of Pat Sheehan, Liam Flynn, Jerry Doody and John Tarrant. However, Rathmore are known for their endurance, piping up the answers to finish strongly through the experience of John O'Sullivan, Dan Vincent O'Connor, Tony Moynihan and Donie O'Leary.

No date for a replay is yet confirmed but the expectations is it will be closer to home than a visit to the Ulster capital.
Minister for Local Government Simon Coveney has confirmed that he expects a 130 page report on government reform in Cork to be published within the next number of weeks.

The report in question will address whether Cork City Council should expand or merge with Cork County Council.

Minister Coveney, who has stated that he supports the merger, refused to be drawn on what the committee's recommendations in the matter would be; however, he did say that he was very happy with the report's findings and recommendations and has said that it could be used as an example nationwide.

"I have some questions in relation to the initial draft that I've asked the advisory group to take a more detailed look at. For example, they were using 2011 census figures and making assumptions around the 2016 census figures but I would like the report to have the updated 2016 census figures.

"And then there were some other issues that were being recommended which I think makes sense," he said.

"But I just wanted to get further evidence from them as to the basis of those decisions. I think its a very good piece of work and when we launch it, I hope we will get political consensus," he added.

It remains to be seen whether the merger will take place, however, Mr. Coveney's predecessor Alan kelly commissioned Alf Smiddy to look at the issue and he concluded a merger between the two local authorities would be the best option.

This has, however, been disputed by academic members of the review, such as Professor Dermot Keogh and Dr. Theresa Reidy, who said that the two authorities should remain with Cork City Council being expanded.

Any such merger would rely on the support of Fianna Fail, with it's leader, Micheal Martin, opposed to the merger of the councils.
The Health Service Executive has expressed concern after statistics showed a 50% increase in meningitis case in Cork and Kerry last year.

Figures released showed that in Cork and Kerry last year, there were 18 confirmed cases of meningitis, compared with just 12 the previous year.

Of those 18 cases, two people tragically died as a result, one with confirmed Group C strain.

Worryingly, six of those cases have occurred in the first two months of 2017, leading to fears that more people, particularly children and elderly, could be at risk of contracting the disease.

Of the three cases contracted this year, three were Group B strains and three were Group C.

Commenting on the findings, the HSE said, "Tragically, there have been two deaths. This compares to three cases in the same time period in 2016.

"The increase in cases of meningococcal disease in Cork and Kerry is a concern, particularly the increase in cases of MenC.

The HSE have stressed that all precautions are being taken to stop the spread of the disease and stated that there are a number vaccinations to prevent the disease.

"The current MenC vaccine schedule is -MenC vaccine at 6 months and booster at 13 months, MenC adolescent booster in 1st year secondary schools, delivered by HSE immunisation teams.

"This booster has been offered to 1st year students since the 2014/2015 school year, so this is the third year of the programme."

The HSE have said that the recent cases cases are not directly linked to non vaccination in children, however they were quick to point out the decreasing number of vaccinations in children as a cause for concern.

"Uptake statistics show a drop off in uptake of the MenC booster at 13 months compared to the two, four and six month vaccines," the report said.

"The most recent figures show that only 88% of 2 year olds have had their 13 month booster dose at of MenC.

The Cork/Kerry Community Healthcare Organisation said in a statement that while the latest figures are a source of concern, meningitis cases have continued to decrease through the years.

"While any increase at all is a cause for concern, we would like to stress that numbers are lower than they were historically."

Since 1992, meningitis cases have decreased at a phenomenal rate, going from 11 cases per 100,000 to 0.75 cases per 100,000.

Despite this, cases have been gradually increasing since 2011.

Priscilla Lynch, Head of Health and Wellbeing, wants to remind parents of the importance of childhood vaccinations in the first year.

"We would like to take this opportunity to remind parents of the importance of the free childhood vaccination schedule and especially the MenC vaccine at 6 months, 13 months, and first year in secondary school and MenB, which is given to babies born after October 1 2016, at two months, four months and twelve months," she said.
Cork North West TD, Aindrias Moynihan has criticised the Minister for Disability, Finian McGrath for failing to deal with the 'rocketing' number of Cork young people waiting more than 12 months for an occupational therapy assessment.

Deputy Moynihan raised the issue last week in the Dail with Minister McGrath as data shows that 993 young people in Cork were waiting more than 12 months for an assessment.

"What needs to be remembered is that this isn't 993 young people waiting for treatment, it is 993 young people waiting to be assessed to see do they need treatment," said Deputy Moynihan.

"The number of young people waiting for an assessment longer than 12 months has doubled from August 2015 to January 2017 when fewer than 500 were on the list [in 2015].

In reponse to a parliamentary question tabled by Deputy Moynihan, Minister McGrath told the Dail: "I have been informed by the HSE that there continues to be an increase in referral rates to the Primary Care Occupational Therapy Services in the Cork and Kerry Community Healthcare Organisation area. The number of referrals for the months January to March 2017 have increased by 20% on the same period last year which is impacting on the numbers waiting more than a year for occupational therapy services."

However, Deputy Moynihan was not asuaged by the response.

"Taken in isolation, these figures are shocking in and of themselves. However, it's even worse when we look at the national picture. There is double the number of young people in Cork waiting for assessment longer than 12 months than in the whole of Dublin," continued Deputy Moynihan.

"Occupational therapy is vital to assist people to do the everyday things that they want and need to do when faced with illness, injury, or disability. This is even more pertinent when it is a young person.

"In the Minister's reply, there is a suggestion that, due to an increase in the number of referrals for assessment, up by 20% from January to March 2017, the surge in those waiting can be justified. However, this doesn't account for the doubling of those waiting longer than 12 months from August 2015 to January of this year.

However, there was some cause for optimism in the minister's response. To address the waiting list issue, a pilot initiative to deal with children aged 3 to 5 years, which will have the effect of reducing the waiting lists overall in an eight month period, is currently under consideration. If approved, this pilot initiative will get underway later this year," said Minister McGrath.

This initiative is in addition to the current work of the HSE National Therapy Service Review Group established to address therapy waiting times, including those for access to Occupational Therapies," added the minister. "This joint Primary Care and Social Care project will include a detailed analysis of waiting times and resource deployment across the country.

"It will seek to make the services more responsive to people's needs and also to put in place a standardised approach to the delivery of Occupational Therapy services across the country.

Deputy Moynihan accepted that this latest initiative was cause for some optimisim. "While this is a welcome development, and the pressure on some groups will be eased, it does not address the root cause of the growing waiting list," said Deputy Moynihan. "However, I am dismayed that the Minister and the HSE will not be in a position to roll it out until later this year.

"The priority being given to this issue is simply not good enough. I will continue to highlight this issue until the HSE starts treating it with the urgency that it deserves," concluded Moynihan.
Minister Michael Creed TD has welcomed improvement works for schools in Cork North West under the Summer Works Scheme.

Nine local schools are to benefit from 47m in total funding:

 Firmount NS, Donoughmore, (Toilet facilities)

 Banteer NS (Mechanical)

 Inchigeela NS (Toilet facilities)

 Scoil Lachtain Naofa, Cill na Marta (Mechanical)

 SN Na Mona Fliche, Macroom, (Roof repairs)

 Rockchapel NS, (Roof repairs)

 SN Baile Muine, Ballineeen, (Toilet facilities)

 St. Mary's, Enniskeane, (Toilet facilities)

 Colaiste Choilm, Ballincollig (Mechanical)

The Summer Works Scheme allows schools to carry out the works during the summer months, at a minimum level of disruption to students and the teachers.s
Twenty local youths will experience the trip of a lifetime this summer when they participate in a five day Sail training Ireland course which coincides the the Drogheda Maritime Festival.

The course is made possible by the Drogheda Sail Training Bursary Scheme which sponsors Drogheda youths to take part in this unique and often life changing experience.

Drogheda Port Company hosted a Sponsors Launch for the Drogheda Sail Training Bursary recently which marked a unique new sponsorship structure between Public and Private enterprise from the locality. Drogheda Port Company and Louth County Council have teamed up with Irish Cement and Fast Terminals to form the new financial driver of this youth sail training initiative which is going from strength to strength.

The Bursary was established back in 2013 by Sail Training Ireland and Drogheda Port Company in association with a number of local companies, and was the first of its kind in Ireland, the anchor scheme, which has led to the subsequent development of similar bursaries in Cork, Belfast, Waterford and Derry so far.

The scheme offers young people the opportunity to undertake voyages on classic sailing ships as part of the working crew and the experience often has a profound effect on their outlook on life. It also helps the young people involved to develop a good work ethic, motivation, confidence, resilience, a sense of adventure and in some cases sets them on a path for a maritime career. 'It can be a really positive experience and it have have a transformational effect for some of the young people in terms of what they want to do with the rest of their lives,' said Sail Training Ireland CEO Daragh Sheridan.

Twenty trainees are chosen from those nominated by community groups, youth organisations and schools and there are two voyages during the training course, one which sails in to Drogheda to coincide with the Maritime Festival and a second which leaves town at the end of the festival.

There will be ten participants on each voyage with the first one leaving Dublin on June 5th to arrive in Drogheda on June 9th in time for the start of the festival.
Acorn Life, a 100% Irish owned Life Assurance Company have recently announced plans to open a new branch in the Louth/Fingal area under the management of Seamus O Hanlon.

The new venture will create 15 new jobs in the region and is part of Acorn Life's ambitious nationwide growth strategy which will see the company's branch network and staff numbers nearly double over the next five years.

From humble beginnings in Galway in 1989, Acorn Life has grown into a company with over 300 staff and financial advisers, assets under management of 709 million at the end of 2016 and premium income of 123 million during the year.

The company provide protection, pensions, savings and investment solutions to the Irish public and their success is built on providing financial advice through long term relationships in local communities.

Speaking at the announcement Keith Butler, Sales Director said 'At Acorn Life we believe that a business grows when its people grow. We have ambitious plans to grow further in the coming years and are actively looking to add financial advisors to our branch network nationwide.

'We are particularly focussed on recruiting self-starters, preferably with a track record in entrepreneurship or business development. We provide an all-embracing support system to help these individuals build a financial services career and gain the relevant professional qualifications.

'We are delighted to welcome a respected financial professional of the calibre of Seamus O Hanlon on board to lead our Acorn Life team in the Louth/Fingal area and we know his knowledge and experience will help grow our business into the future.'

Former GAA star O'Hanlon, who has held various senior management roles during his 30 year career in the Financial Services industry in the North East, is excited by the opportunities and challenges which lie ahead.

'The last few years have been really great for Acorn Life. The company has gone from strength to strength, culminating in the most recent achievement - to be the first Life Assurance Company in Ireland to be awarded the Deloitte Best Managed Companies Award. The designation is a symbol of Irish corporate excellence and recognises companies that are focussed on their core vision, create stakeholder value, excel in all area of their business and celebrate the contribution of the entire organisation.'

'My role with Acorn Life involves building and developing a team of financial advisors in the Louth/Fingal area and to enable them become successful business owners in the Irish financial services market. We specialise in taking ambitious men and women from both financial and non-financial backgrounds and transforming them into Qualified Financial Advisors (QFA).'

If you are a motivated self-starter with the will to win and the determination to create your own success story, then you will benefit from the guidance and opportunity offered by Acorn Life. Get in touch with me today on seamus.ohanlon@acornlife.ie.
An investigation into gender discrimination within the Ardee Municipal District council has been called after a heated exchange at last week's meeting in Collon.

Cllr Colm Markey suggested the move, which Director of Services Joe McGuinness said would be passed to the Meetings Administrator. 'They will take time to consider it before deciding if it should be passed on to the Protocol Committee,' he added.

The investigation was called following a debate over odours on the River Dee in Ardee. Cathaoirleach Dolores Minogue and Cllr Jim Tenanty clashed at the end of the discussion, with Cllr Tenanty storming out of the gathering, held in the Mattock Rangers clubhouse.

The matter arose after Cllr Tenanty raised the issue of an odour on the Dee, stating that 'everybody was on our backs' over it.

He had contacted Irish Water and received two emails from them. One said they called out and found 'no odours' and on the second occasion they didn't see any sewage in the river.

'You can see it going into the river,' Cllr Tenanty stated. He said pollution had to be policed.

Cllr Dolores Minogue said she also got a call ftom the public about the odour and 'got abuse over it.'

It was then that the debate became heated between Cllr Tenanty and Minogue, with Cllr Tenanty leaving the room.

Cathaoirleach Minogue asked if the disagreement was 'anti women or anti chair', adding that she had been 'attacked on other occasions'.

Cllr Colm Markey said 'he didn't think allegations could be made' with Cllr Minogue responding, 'I'm not going to be accused of bullying'.

Cllr Pearse McGeough said, 'I respect any chair' and the only issue he has with chairs are when 'they are the subject of pacts.'

'I think if there is gender discrimination, I think there should be an investigation,' Cllr Markey proposed, Pearse McGeough agreeing.

Cllr Minogue added that she didn't want to be called the victim in this. She said she felt 'let down by certain councillors' .
It has stood the test of time. For many decades it has watched on as Collon has changed and developed, new people arriving, great friends leaving.

But next Saturday morning, at 11am, Collon's famed Church of Ireland will be the focal point as a campaign is formally launched to save the church roof.

Friends of Collon Church have come together to launch the campaign to re-slate the outer roof. so that the stunning plaster ceiling can be saved.

Various events have taken place so far as part of the project.

Seamus Roe, vice president of the Louth Archaeological Historical Society, will chair the event with background information from three speakers.

Dr Christine Casey, Associate Professor of Architectural History, Trinity College, will speak about the architecture of the building.

John Rountree, chairman of the Friends of Collon Church, will outline the fundraising done so far.

And Mairead McGuinness, Vice President of the European Parliament, will formally launch the fundraising appeal.

All are welcome to attend and see the inside of a spectacular building.
There was a welcome boost for thirteen Louth schools set to undergo major improvement works over the summer months, after funding was confirmed last week.

The 'summer works scheme' will see mechanical, sanitation and roofing upgrades to primary schools across the county.

The full list of schools includes:

Tallanstown N.S, Presentation Convent, Kilsaran N.S, Baile An Ghearlanaigh, Bellurgan N.S, Stonetown N.S, Dromiskin mixed N.S, Tullyallen N.S, SN San Nicolas, Castlebellingham, Monksland N.S, Faughart N.S, S.N Padraig, Drogheda, St.Josephs N.S Dundalk and Realt Na Mara Dundalk.

Louth TD Fergus O'Dowd made the announcement, saying:

This local investment is part of an overall allocation of 47million for vital school projects around the country.

'Works will be carried out in schools in Louth over the summer months, so the disruption to students, teachers and other school staff will be kept to a minimum.

"I am confident that school authorities here in Louth will be able to achieve best value for money on prices for jobs, and I call on schools to ensure that they maximise the benefit to their schools of the works sanctioned by my Fine Gael colleague, Education Minister Richard Bruton.'

He added: 'The Action Plan for Education, which aims to make the Irish education and training service the best in Europe within a decade, puts a big priority on investment in school educational infrastructure.

'This announcement confirms the Government's continuing prioritisation of capital funding for school buildings here in Louth which will enhance the learning and working environment for pupils and teachers.'

The Louth TD said the summer works scheme is designed to allow schools to carry out small and medium scale building works that will improve and upgrade existing school buildings.

Some 438 schools at both primary and secondary level around the country will receive 47 million for vital school improvements through the scheme.

This year, almost 500 million will be invested in school building infrastructure under the school building and modernisation programme.
A man involved in a post office robbery has had his jail term more than doubled following an appeal by prosecutors that his original prison sentence was "unduly lenient".

Daniel Kavanagh (26), of Owensilla, Ballymun, Dublin 9, had pleaded guilty at Dundalk Circuit Criminal Court to possession of a double barrelled sawn-off shotgun and robbery of the Mace Store at Clogherhead, Co Louth on April 20, 2015.

He was sentenced to four years imprisonment with the final two suspended on July 21, 2016.

The Director of Public Prosecutions successfully sought a review of Kavanagh's sentence on grounds that it was "unduly lenient". The Court of Appeal accordingly imposed five years jail terms on each of the two counts to run concurrently.

Giving judgment, Mr Justice Alan Mahon said two individuals wearing hoods entered the store, which included a sub post office, at about 12.30pm on the day in question. One of them carried a sawn off shotgun while the other, Kavanagh, carried a plastic bag.

There were three staff members present.

One of the men demanded cash from the staff member in charge of the post office section of the premises. The individual carrying the shotgun used it to strike the glass panel at the post office unit causing it to shatter.

The shotgun was also pointed directly at a staff member, Miss Rafferty, and a sum of 2,250 in cash was handed over.

On leaving the premises, the raiders were challenged by Det Garda Carey, who had been sitting outside in an unmarked garda car. He produced his official firearm, in response to which the raider carrying the shotgun pointed it directly at him.

The man then dropped the shotgun and he, Kavanagh, along with the driver of the raider's vehicle, escaped.

Kavanagh ran towards the back of the premises where he was later apprehended.

The raider's car was driven at Det Gda Carey who was forced to jump out of its way. He was struck on the hip and ankle but was not injured. The cash was recovered at the scene.

Kavanagh had 15 previous convictions including two for possession of firearms and ammunition in July 2015 - committed three months after this offence.

Mr Justice Mahon said the Court of Appeal viewed Kavanagh's sentence as unduly lenient, and outside the wide range of discretion enjoyed by a sentencing judge, because of the particularly serious nature of the offences and the circumstances in which it was committed.

Kavanagh had been sentenced on the first count - possession of firearms - with the second count taken into account on a full facts basis.

Even if he had been sentenced on both counts, "which ought to have been done," Mr Justice Mahon said, the sentence imposed on the first count "would remain unduly lenient".

Mr Justice Mahon, who sat with Mr Justice John Edwards and Mr Justice John Hedigan, said the Court of Appeal would impose a seven year sentence in respect of the first count with the final two years suspended.

Mr Justice Mahon said the sentencing judge ought to have imposed a separate and distinct sentence in respect of the robbery count.

While it was accepted that there existed some element of fear on the part of Kavanagh, which contributed to his participation in the robbery, it was an incident in which he freely participated.

He knew a shotgun was to be produced for the purposes of "terrorising staff and customers", and this along with his own aggressive behaviour served to emphasis the seriousness of the offence.

The court imposed a second sentence of seven years imprisonment with the final two years suspended. Both sentences were to run concurrently.
A remarkable Balbriggan woman who has devoted her life to helping others is now reaching out for your help in her own time of need as she bids to make a Disneyland dream, a reality.

Three years ago, Edel Kennedy founded Balbriggan charity, North County Outreach and since that time, Edel and a small team of volunteers have enlisted the help of locals to provide food and basic clothing for homeless people on Dublin's streets.

Edel has worked tirelessly for the cause but is now facing a struggle of her own as she battles cancer while continuing to do her amazing work for the homeless.

In March last year Edel presented to A&E with a blood clot in her leg and chest pain. She was told that a bone scan of her sternum was clear and a consultant told her that the pain could be 'all in your head'.

But in September 2011, when 19 weeks pregnant with her son Ben, Edel's car had been written off by another driver on the way to the cinema, causing her to suffer chronic pain, starting in her back and eventually affecting her whole body.

The following year, she finally had to quit her job in AIB bank, after 10 years, as the post-traumatic stress from the accident triggered the chronic pain condition, fibromyalgia, in Edel's brain.

Through all of that, the Balbriggan woman was still able to look beyond her own challenges to help others, setting up her homeless charity three years ago.

When Edel's chest pain worsened last year, another visit to her GP led to further CTs and a bone biopsy, which eventually confirmed cancer in her sternum. Liver cancer showed up too, and further tests in the Beaumont breast clinic confirmed a terminal diagnosis of stage four metastatic breast cancer.

The young mum of three children was told her cancer was too far advanced for surgery, and that it was a case of keeping her well for as long as they could, with little chance of remission.

'I told them I simply wouldn't accept that, as I couldn't leave my babies,' Edel bravely explained.

The next day she started a public blog to document her cancer journey, writing down her fears and hopes.

A gruelling five months later, on every medical and well-being intervention she could manage, Edel made it into remission.

The doctors were shocked, but warned her not to be too overjoyed, as her cancer is so widespread and aggressive that she only has an 8% chance of living five more years.

Edel's husband Bryan, is her full time carer and they have some home help from others to keep the household and Edel's busy charity running.

As well as the cancer, Edel has five other serious conditions which include asthma, fibromyalgia, chronic anaemia, reflux disease and recurrent DVTs. She is on 25 tablets a day, as well as daily injections, and is in chronic pain 24/7.

The family is trying to get a council bungalow locally, as Edel can no longer get upstairs in her house, which is torture for the brave mum, as her children are very young.

Edel and Bryan have three children; Erin (9), Ben (5) and Jake (4). Edel speaks lovingly of her little girl Holly, 'who is in heaven', having died when Edel was five months pregnant in February 2011. Shortly after this loss, Bryan lost his job and, three years later, the family lost their house to the bank, and moved to Balbriggan to start afresh.

With time on their hands they started North County Outreach two years ago to help homeless people, less well off than themselves, distributing donated food, clothes and toiletries in Dublin city centre.

Even with her chronic pain and tragic prognosis, Edel and Bryan still go into town every week and feed around 300 homeless people.

'That's something we never stopped doing, despite the big C jumping into our lives, and we won't stop at all, if I can help it; there is always someone less fortunate than you are out there,' Edel said.

She added: 'Right now we are living life to the fullest we can, I'm trying to stay positive because I believe a positive mind is a positive body. Each day here with my babies is a blessing, so we are hoping to make some dreams come true and make some awesome memories for the family.'

The family goal is to get to Disneyland together, before Edel's health worsens, to create some special memories and fulfil a lifelong dream and this is where you can help someone who thinks about nothing else but helping others.

There is a go-fund-me account, called Del's dream, which is raising money to help the Balbriggan family.

Edel said: 'I am absolutely overwhelmed by how many people have helped me so far; friends, family and strangers. I've only been given an 8% chance of living for another 5 years, but I don't look that far ahead.

'Right now I've got to focus on the here and now, and on making memories with my family; - that's why this trip to Disney is so important to us.'
A victim of a stabbing who became abusive towards gardai and spat blood into a garda's mouth shouting 'I have AIDS' has been sentenced to two months in prison.

Paul Goffrock (24), who was stabbed in the leg following an alleged domestic incident, became aggressive and launched himself off a couch at Garda Campbell Brennan.

While Gda Brennan was attempting to speak to him, the defendant, who had blood on his face, spat into the garda's mouth.

The garda had to receive a course of antibiotics and was off work for two weeks as a result.

The defendant continued with his violent behaviour towards gardai and medical personnel at Balbriggan Garda Station.

Refusing medical assistance, he again informed gardai he has AIDS.

He only calmed down at the garda station after he spoke to his parents.

The defendant, of Lambourne Road, Clonsilla, Dublin 15 pleaded guilty to assaulting Gda Brennan at Bremore Pastures Way in Balbriggan and violent disorder at Balbriggan Garda Station on January 10, 2016.

Garda Colin Fitzpatrick told Swords District Court gardai were called to the house following an alleged domestic violence incident.

The defendant had a stab wound to his leg and started shouting abuse towards gardai after gardai removed two young children from the house as they felt it was not a safe environment for them to be in.

When he was arrested, the jailer at Balbriggan Garda Station was unable to enter details in the custody record due to the defendant erratic behaviour while ambulance personnel had to wear specialised clothing while attending to the defendant in the cell.

He then attempted to spit blood at Gda Fitzpatrick.

A sample of the defendant's blood was taken which proved negative for HIV and Hepatitis, the court heard.

After the defendant's solicitor asked Judge Dermot Dempsey would he consider allowing the defendant engage with the Probation Services, Judge Dempsey said he was already given the opportunity but moved addresses so did not receive his appointment notifications.

'He was someone with a stab wound running amok,' remarked Judge Dempsey.

The solicitor said the defendant's behaviour arose out of a domestic incident and 'tempers were flared.'

'There was a break down in the relationship and it went further than it should have. It was a terrible thing for the garda to encounter but the clock can't be turned back,' the solicitor said.

After the solicitor said the defendant had apologised to Gda Brennan, Gda Fitzpatrick said no apology was ever given.

Judge Dempsey imposed a two month sentence for the assault charge and said he won't consider suspending any part of it.
Cousins Jenna Cullen, Ballycanew, and Caoimhe O'Donohoe, Hollyfort, at Halford's Hair Studio after they got their hair cut for the Rapunzel Foundation and the Irish Cancer Society

Cousins Caoimhe O'Donohoe (6) from Hollyfort, and Jenna Cullen (9) from Ballycanew, recently returned to school at Gaelscoil Mosholog sporting a stylish new look.

They had been letting their hair grow for quite some time, and decided to make a change, and help two very good causes at the same time.

The team at Halford's Hair Studio generously donated their skills and time to calm the girls nerves as they faced losing 14 inches from their hair, but Maeve Halford and Elaine Ryan made sure they were left smiling afterwards with their stylish new bobs.

As well as donating the hair to the Rapunzel Foundation, which is the required length for making wigs for those living with hair loss, the girls also sought sponsorship from family and friends, and raised an impressive 750 for the Irish Cancer Society.

They sent a huge thank you to everyone at Halford's for their generosity and support, and to all who donated.
Acclaimed writer John Banville recalled growing up in Wexford when he gave a reading at Enniscorthy Library last Thursday night.

Born in Wexford in 1945 John Banville is considered to be one of the most imaginative literary novelists writing in the English language today. He was educated at the Christian Brothers primary school and at St. Peter's College. He began his journalism career in 1969 working as a sub-editor at The Irish Press and later became Literary Editor at The Irish Time.

During that time, he published his first book, Long Lankin, which is a collection of short stories and a novella.

Known for his dark humour, sharp wit, and cold, precise prose Banville is considered a master stylist of the English language. His stated ambition to blend poetry and fiction into some new form' has yielded a highly acclaimed body of work that includes dozens of mystery and literary novels, short stories, plays, and screenplays.

He has also published numerous crime fiction novels under the pseudonym 'Benjamin Black,' beginning with Christine Falls in 2006.

Executive librarian with Enniscorthy Library Jarlath Glynn said the reading had been a great success.

'John read from his latest book Time Pieces: A Dublin Memoir' and it was exceptionally well received. It was a reflection of his life especially his time as a student in Dublin and growing up in Wexford.

'It was very interesting. He spoke of family and growing old and looking back with a different perspective. He also spoke a lot about the art of writing which added to the reading. He was very witty and humorous and that came across strongly on the night.

'He said that he writes very slowly, writing and re-writing several times, all of which he does with paper and pen rather than a computer.

'Afterwards there was a question and answer session and with a number of writers in the audience this proved very interesting.'
You'd never know from talking to him that Damian O'Callaghan is a native of Cork, such is the passion and love in his voice as he waxes lyrical about the stunning landscapes and natural beauty that exist here in Kerry.

It might all have been so different for the former jarvey driver - turned actor, director and screenwriter had he not ventured across the border to Kerry one weekend on the off chance that he might secure a part-time job at The Gleneagle Hotel - but thankfully for fans of his films and especially, fans of home-grown films, he managed to secure the job and in his own words, "the rest is history."

Every actor has their own unique beginnings in the craft, whether they are introduced to the stage as a child or whether they discover it later in life - in Damian's case here, it was an off chance meeting with a young actor called Donal Courtney that first put him on the path to where he is now.

"I trained in the Briciu Theatre Company with people like Donal Courtney, Martin O' Brien and a certain Fossa man known as Michael Fassbender - we trained in acting up in the old Aras Phadraig and we did plays like 'Philadelphia Here I Come' and we had a great time - it was Donal Courtney that actually approached us originally, we used to be regulars in the old Strawberry Tree pub in Killarney and that's where the hub of the Briciu Theatre Company was," said Damian, talking to The Kerryman.

"He asked us if we wanted to do a play with him and it was presented as almost a challenge to us and so we accepted of course and so the first ever play that we all ever did was 'Philadelphia, Here I Come' - we were performing in front of Leaving Certificate students and I remember that once we got on stage on, the buzz and the adrenaline rush that I felt was amazing - I was hooked from this moment on; I found that I had an appetite for performing, my role as Ned was a comedy one and so once I got the first few laughs from the audience, the acting and performing bug was there from then on," he continued.

A natural storyteller, Damian said that working as a jarvey driver around Killarney and its surrounding areas for well over 10 years helped him to unknowingly develop his skills for a future career as a writer and director.

"I'll say this, it was the best job that I ever had because to me, it felt like you were constantly on holiday - you were driving people and tourists around and they were always in a good mood, they were always friendly; you're bringing them around the Lakes of Killarney, you're meeting new and interesting people, you'd sometimes have eight people in your carriage and it was almost like a mini-stage in a way, you're telling stories, you're making jokes and so for me, it's just really fond memories."

"The more people you are meeting, the more stories that you are telling and are being told means leads to more ideas you get to hear and the more ideas you hear, it all feeds back into your own storytelling ability." he added.

As happy as he was telling his stories to groups of tourists, Damian knew that he had much more to give in terms of his ability to weave together all the fabrics of a story and so he handed back his reins and headed back to college, where he earned a degree in Business - a degree which allowed him to realise his dream of helping to set up a production company - and so OC Productions was born.

The mission statement for OC Productions states that their aim 'is to create professional and artistic feature films, shorts, advertisements, trailers, corporate content and music videos. We thrive to produce entertaining, provoking and moving film from script to screen that inspire audiences around the world; so far, judging by the positive reaction that their latest productions 'Bouncers' and more recently, Damian's debut feature film 'The Gift' have received, it is safe to say that the company is well on its way to achieving this mission.

"I'm not film-making full time just yet, the company is full time though; at the moment, I'm just hoping to make as much of the film-making as I can and as many productions as I can you know? I did a play called 'Let's Be Frank' in Siamsa Tire a number of years ago and it was about a well known comedian from Tralee and so when he passed away, I decided to write a play and I put some of his material into it and I mixed it with my own material aswell from my Jarvey days and it turned out to be a sell-out for Siamsa."

"It had a great response in the town and people seemed to really enjoy it and so this success gave me the confidence and the motivation again to go on and create further projects - I made the short film ' Bouncers' which was basically about two bouncers on the door of a nightclub and it just gave the audiences a different view of there perception of bouncers and what goes on - it was a nice, light-hearted comedy and it went down very well in the Kerry and Cork film festivals and the Charlie Chaplin comedy festival aswell - people loved it."

'The Gift', which is a harrowing tale of one mans planned suicide attempt, is Damians and OC Productions first attempt at a full length feature film, was released to a number of cinemas around Ireland towards the end of April and Damian says that he is blown away by the success that the film has seen - something which he says has a lot to do with the generosity, the unwavering support that he received from Killarney people and the stunning landscape that is Kerry.

"It [The Gift] was very well received, I mean, to get a such a response for their first feature film is fantastic and to get as wide a release as we did for our first film, that in itself is a huge achievement for me, the cast and the all the crew that were involved in the film."

"It's not just our team that should be proud of the film, it's the people of Killarney and the businesses of Killarney that were instrumental in motivating and supporting us to keep going - they gave us such great encouragement and they wanted to promote the town and the film tourism of the town aswell - we get to highlight Killarney and people nationally get to see what a beautiful place that we live in."

It is a beauty and location that Damian thinks needs to be utilised more in order to help build a foundation upon which a new generation of filmakers and local acting talent will be able to build upon.

"You're going back in time in some of the places, there's no evidence of the 21st Century there and that's what people want to see - the American's especially, they want to come over and see the old Ireland and they're going into beautiful nature - the iconic scenery that we have is sublime; I would encourage as many film makers as possible to film in Kerry because as I've said, we have so much to offer here."

"We need to exploit the resources and the scenery that we have here and we need to put more money into funding more independent film-makers here - we have another fantastic resource here in Cinema Killarney and Tom Cooper who is very supportive of local films here and he gave me great help with my own work aswell."

Some of the resources in Kerry which Damian talks about is the large pool of highly talented upon which he drew from for when working on 'The Gift'.

"There's a big appetite for acting in Killarney and there was a lot of local actors that acting in 'The Gift' alongside the professional actors; actors like Owen Roberts, Donal Courtney, Martin O' Brien, Peg Sullivan and they were all just fantastic on set and they really shone on the screen."

""We have fantastic talent here and we should support that as much as we can - if you look at the ETB Training studio in Tralee, they have brilliant 3million studio there - so we have the resources - the problem is the funding. We need to get funding for the independent film-maker - they need that support because otherwise, these great films that are out there, just won't be able to be made."

"There are a lot of great film-makers out there from Killarney and the Kerry area, who just want the chance to make their film and for them to be allowed access to funding, it's instrumental to them being able to make their film a reality - we do need the support to make this happen."

Never one to rest on his laurels, Damian is already hard at work on his next productions, one of which stars legendary comedian Brendan Grace - until then looks like we'll just have to wait with baited breath for the next 'gift' from Damian.
Fifteen Kerry people are preparing to help youngsters explore their spirituality and faith within the Catholic Church after they were certified by the Diocese of Kerry as its new youth ministers on Friday.

The group received their certification - after completing a special course - as youth ministers from Bishop of Kerry Ray Browne at a special ceremony at the John Paul Pastoral Centre in Killarney on Friday night.

"As parishes reached out to engage with young people, the need for trained adult leaders was identified. This course has developed the confidence and competence of leaders to deliver effective ministry with young people."

"It also nurtures the personal and spiritual growth of leaders for ministry in today's Church," Diocese spokesperson Mary Fagan said.

Youth Ministry is described as the 'response of the Christian community to the needs of young people, and the sharing of the unique gifts of youth with the larger community'.
Despite strong opposition from the Kerry Law Society and local traders the Courts Service is still strongly considering plans to move Tralee's courthouse to a new site on the outskirts of the town.

The iconic 182-year-old building on Ashe Street is one of five courthouses across the country that the Courts Service has identified as priorities for urgent refurbishment works in the next few years.

Recently Tanaiste and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald told a delegation from Tralee Chamber Alliance that she was committed to maintaining a court service in Tralee.

However, she would not commit to keeping the courthouse on its current site and said the Courts Service would have to acquire additional property in order to complete the necessary improvements to Tralee Courthouse.

Fitzgerald said that the cost of upgrading the existing building would be significant and the construction of an entirely new courthouse on a greenfield site is the preferred option.

Opponents of the proposal to move the courthouse say the building could be extended onto a largely vacant site immediately to the rear of the existing building.

In a letter to Kerry County Council the Tanaiste's Private Secretary Niall Colgan poured cold water on that proposal, though he did not dismiss it entirely.

"I understand that it has been suggested that a site to the rear of the courthouse could be acquired. However, this site is currently in use by An Post and is also the location of a telecommunications mast," he wrote .

"The Courts Service is currently considering a number options including the feasibility of developing on this site as well the possible development of a new courthouse on a site at Ballymullen Barracks," wrote Mr Colgan.
Kerry airport has enjoyed a bumper year with after tax profits soaring at the airport.

In its annual report - published ahead of the airport's AGM on June 1 - the company reported after tax profits of 287,613 for 2016.

That represents a massive jump of over 256,000 on the previous year when after tax profits were just 30,980.

Passenger numbers passing through the airport were also up significantly with 325,670 passing through the airport - a year on year increase of six per cent.

Passenger numbers on the Kerry Dublin route grew by 10 per cent while both the Kerry London and Kerry Frankfurt routes saw nine per cent more passengers in 2016.

Kerry Airport Chairman Denis Cregan said 2016 had been a positive year for the airport.

"The year 2016 was once again, for second year in succession, one of positive growth in terms of an increase of six per cent in passenger numbers using the facility year-on-year as well as achieving greater efficiencies in overall profitability," said Mr Cregan.

"We continue to see new opportunities within the airline industry and a new twice-weekly service to Berlin starting in November 2017 is a welcome addition to our services to Germany," Mr Cregan said.

"It's vitally important that our existing passengers increase their support and frequency on the Kerry Dublin flight and that we actively promote the advantages of using the service to potential customers currently using other modes of travel to access the capital," said Mr Cregan.

Turnover at the airport increased from 5.8m to 6m an increase which management said reflected increased passenger related revenues for the year.

Management also reported that during 2016 over 581,000 was spent on areas of safety and security.

This included upgrades to security facilities and fire fighting equipment. This was carried out with the support of funding from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.

The airport is now operating a 14 and a half hour day with staffing levels accounting for the equivalent of 47 full time staff.

Kerry Airport's AGM will be held at The Earl of Desmond Hotel in Tralee on Thursday, June 1.
The Sisters of Mercy are opposed to a proposal to re-inter the bodies of several women who died while incarcerated in Tralee's old Magdalene Asylum and Laundry.

In March Cllr Toireasa Ferris called for the women who died in the asylum - which operated in Balloonagh from 1856 to 1910 - to be exhumed and re-interred in a public graveyard, as was the case with boys who died while imprisoned at the CBS run St Joseph's Industrial School.

The sisters of Mercy subsequently wrote to Kerry County Council voicing their opposition and suggesting that the women would be happy where they are.

In the letter Sisters of Mercy Provincial Leader Sister Miriam Kerrisk said the order believed the women would be content with their place of rest.

"We hold the women that this request concerns in deep respect. When they died they were laid to rest in this cemetery in Balloonagh. A sense of belonging and a sense of place are important to all of us," said Sr Kerrisk.

"This grave is in a place with which the women would have been familiar. It is likely that their familiarity they may have been content with this burial place," she wrote

Sister Kerrisk said the graves have been cared for ever since by members of the order and provisions have been made to ensure the grave is maintained into the future. She added that anyone is free to visit the grave.

Is it reasonable then to suggest that the most respectable way of honour these women's dignity is to allow them rest in peace where they were first interred?" asked Sr Kerrisk.

According to the headstone five women are buried in the grave though it has been suggested there may be several more.

Sr Kerrisk said the order has no knowledge about any descendants of the five identified women and no descendant has ever approached the order suggesting that any of the women be exhumed and buried elsewhere.

"I have no knowledge of who may be the descendants of the five women and therefore of how the proposal to exhume and re-inter would impact upon family," Sr Kerrisk said.

Sister Kerrisk also pointed out that as the Sisters of Mercy no longer owns the site, the consent of St Brendan's Trust -which holds property on behalf of the Diocese of Kerry - and Baile Mhuire Ltd - which runs a nursing home on the site of the former asylum and laundry - would be required prior to any exhumation.

The Magdalene Laundry in Tralee shut its doors in 1910 and, according to information contained in the 1901 Census, 12 women were incarcerated there at the time of its closure.

The women were mainly aged from 22 to 60, though one young inmate was just 12. While it always remained a relatively small operation, hundreds of women passed through its doors - most pending around three years in the laundry.

Though it was called an asylum it did not cater for the mentally ill and it was operated as a refuge for prostitutes and 'fallen women'.
UNESCO is to rule on plans to extend the Killarney National Park Biosphere, with proposals for a wider 'Kerry Biosphere' to be given consideration.

Kerry County Council (KCC) and the National Park and Wildlife Service (NPWS) will this week request the retention of the existing Killarney National Park Biosphere Reserve, as well as the proposed extension to surrounding areas including parts of the MacGillycuddy Reeks and the Lough Leane catchment.

The Killarney reserve is one of just two reserves in Ireland and UNESCO is expected to make a decision by mid June. The decision will not affect planning restrictions as it is a non-statutory accreditation and it is hoped it will boost funding opportunities as well as branding for tourism and agricultural products.

Areas are recognised as biosphere reserves for demonstrating a balanced relationship between people and nature. Killarney National Park received its UNESCO recognition in the 1980s due to the rare habitats and wildlife within the park.

"The newly defined biosphere reserve will be known as the Kerry Biosphere Reserve," a council spokesperson said. "The core area, including State-owned lands dedicated to long-term conservation within Killarney National Park and the Eirk Bog Nature Reserve, will remain largely the same.

"The proposed Buffer Zone includes areas within the National Park, the MacGillycuddy Reeks and Caragh River Catchment Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and the Castlemaine Harbour SAC. A proposed Transition Area includes parts of the Lough Leane Catchment and the MacGillycuddy Reeks," the spokesperson added.

Killarney Municipal District Cathaoirleach Brendan Cronin said "There are no statutory implications if this designation comes into effect and communities within the new biosphere boundary will not be subject to any additional planning restrictions or limitations.

"Similar to Tidy Towns and Blue Flag awards, this is an incredible opportunity to showcase greater Killarney and Kerry as an exceptional area for nature, culture and sustainable development."

South and West Kerry Municipal District Cathaoirleach John Francis Flynn said he hopes to see the accreditation extended to other parts of the county.
France is back baby!

The country of cool has produced a new president who just about trumps Trump on political inexperience. A political neophyte of 39 who married his former drama teacher, a lady 24 years his senior.

Emmanuel Macron swept to victory on a change vote tide on Sunday night over Far Right candidate Marine Le Pen winning power without any mainstream backing and French people can't get enough of him. The youngest leader of France since Napoleon, Macron was the perfect anti candidate. His back story is like something out of an arthouse R rated French movie.

Macron's relationship with Brigitte Trogneux has propelled him to the front pages of newspapers and magazines across France, a country where liaisons are as common as baguettes by all accounts. Trogneux was Macron's drama teacher when he was 15. She left her husband, and the father of her three children, to be with him and the relationship has stood the test of time.

I have been fortunate enough to have visited France a few times, once on an Inter Rail trip with some friends and on two subsequent holidays. To me the country - which is synonymous with 'cool' and sex - has so many associations with freedom going back to the French Revolution, that the victory seems bigger and more significant than previous victories over Far Right parties in Austria and elsewhere.

As the home of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, France has led the way in the arts, food, fashion, film over the years. The subject of numerous terrorist attacks in recent times, the election of Macron is an antidote to the hate spewed by Le Pen (and her father before her) which plays into the hands of terrorist groups like Isil.

There is no doubt that Macron - who takes over the reins of power from the hugely unpopular Francois Hollande this weekend - was a unique candidate. He was audacious, a Europhile, fiery, intelligent and centrist. His election has had the effect of a bomb going off on the staid political landscape of France and beyond. Donald Trump's election in November was similarly impactful, if not in the same positive way.

Imagine a candidate with Macron's love life and lack of political backing working his way to the front seats in the Dail.

Imagine the coverage in Irish newspapers! The condescending columns would be endless.

There is a staleness and a pathetic streak to Irish political life at the moment. A useless mutually assured dereliction of duty pact seems to have been agreed upon by Fianna Fail and Fine Gael.

Speaking on the radio on Sunday, Fianna Fail party leader Michael Martin admitted that the government lacked focus and that this impacted upon its decision making processes. The divvying up of power between two or three parties has ended up costing this country dearly, from the Irish Water omnishambles to the latest inevitable infighting and jostling for position.

It remains to be seen how effective Macron - who served as economic minster for Hollande - will be in bringing the improving French economy forward, but it goes without saying that his election has provided a shot in the arm to the European Union with Brexit looming.

After some time in the doldrums and suffering from an identity crisis, the cultural and economic power that is France may soon roar back to life, while we're stuck with kittens looking over each other's shoulders.
Wexford Hospital: numbers on trolleys compare well with most other hospitals in the country

A total of 36,043 patients were on hospital trolleys here in the first four months of this year, according to a new report.

However Wexford General Hospital has one of the lowest rates in the country.

Cork University Hospital was the most overcrowded in April for the second month in a row and 658 people were forced to use trolleys at CUH last month, up a staggering 130 per cent compared to ten years ago.

The figures were released by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation last Wednesday morning ahead of their three-day conference, which took place in Clayton Whites Hotel.

The Trolley/Ward Watch statistics show that overcrowding is on the rise in hospitals outside of Dublin. 27,200 people were on trolleys at 25 hospitals outside of the capital in the first four months of this year, up nearly 3,500 from the same period in 2016.

At Wexford General Hospital the figures show that a total of 540 people were on hospital trolleys during the first four months of this year. This compares with a figure of 1,417 for the same period in 2006.

The number of patients on trolleys at Wexford General Hospital exceeded 1,000 on two occasions over the past 12 years.

The figures show that between January and April 2006 there were 1,417 people on trolleys at the hospital. This reduced to 434 for the same period in 2007 while it stood at 510 for the same period in 2008.

The figures stood at 424 and 461 respectively for 2009 and 2010 while it rose significantly to 1,200 between January and April 2011.

It dropped to 388 for the same period in 2012 before rising to 681 in 2013. In 2014 the figure stood at 322 and again rose sharply in 21015 to 981 before dropping to 435 between January and April 2016 and this year it stands at 540.

Comparing the figures for the number of patients on trolleys at Wexford General Hospital for the month of April since 2006 the figures show that the average number of people is 150 although this varied greatly year on year.

In April 2006 there were 259 patients on trolleys at the hospital; 3 in 2007; 162 in 2008; 191 in 2009; 51 in 2010; 287 in 2011; 55 in 2012; 264 in 2013; 106 in 2014; 206 in 2015; 59 in 2016 and 163 in 2017.

The three most overcrowded hospitals last month were CUH (658 people on trolleys), University Hospital Limerick (649) and South Tipperary General Hospital (493).

The INMO's General Secretary Liam Doran said the situation needs to be urgently addressed.

'These latest statistics confirm that our health services continue to be too small to adequately and safely meet the demands being placed upon it. The shortage of beds in acute hospitals and step-down facilities remains a real problem in this ongoing crisis.

'Additional services, either in terms of acute beds, step-down beds and/or community intervention teams are dependent on there being additional nursing staff.

'It remains the stark reality that without nurses and midwives we cannot meet current demand let alone in the future', he said.
Sligo Chamber of Commerce has helped persuade an Oireachtas Transport Committee to back an upgrade to the N4.

The Committee has agreed to recommend to the Minister for Transport that he include the N4/N5 in a Capital Programme review currently underway.

The four members of Sligo Chamber were among a group of nine Chambers from the Midlands, West and North-West who met with the Oireachtas Joint Committee for Transport last week.

They included CEO Aidan Doyle, Finbarr Filan, Bill Carty and Dr Brian McCann of IT Sligo.

They lobbied the Committee, made up of senators and TDs, to support the inclusion of the N4/N5 motorway upgrade project in the Government's mid-term Capital Funding Programme review and allocate funding to it.

Senator John O'Mahony was supported by all parties in his recommendation that Minister Shane Ross includes the project in the review.

Dr. Brian McCann of Sligo IT and representative of Sligo Chamber gave detailed evidence to the committee in relation to the necessity for a road upgrade to the regions, primarily since the N4/N5 corridor is one of the main arterial routes in the country and the last one to be developed.

Dr. McCann highlighted significant statistics supporting the argument for the upgrade of the roads, not least that part of the road network there is currently running at 120% capacity.

Commenting following the meeting, President of Sligo Chamber of Commerce and Industry Des Faul said the project had huge potential for Sligo.

"The investment required for the design stage of the next phase of the project from Mullingar to the Leitrim border is in the order of only 5 million over the next three years. That level of investment will see the project ready for CPO and construction once funding becomes available. This project has the potential to impact positively the entire North West and North Midlands for decades to come," he said.

Site Director of Abbott Longford and currently President of IBEC in the Midlands region Ciaran Corcoran told the Committee how adequate road infrastructure dovetailed with economic and inward investment into the country and indeed the regions serviced by these roads.

Chairman of the Committee, Brendan Griffin TD also indicated that he would ensure the minutes of the meeting would be forwarded to Minister Ross and Minister Donohoe such was the importance of the project.

The next stage of the programme to move the project forward will be a request to meet with An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, TD and Minister Donohoe to impress upon them the importance of this project.
StormTroopers are set to pound the streets of Wicklow later this month. Rather than quashing revolt or hunting down rebels, they will be drumming up support for the latest fundraiser for the Martin family in Rathnew.

Joining them on their mission of raising awareness of the Family Yoga Festival on Sunday, May 28, will be the Transformer 'Bumblebee'.

The one-day festival will take place from noon to 4 p.m. on the Abbey Grounds in Wicklow town and will include meditation, reiki healing, sound bowel therapy and mini holistic therapies.

There will be a silent yoga disco at noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. while yoga instructor Anthony Kearney will lead a two-hour workshop open to all levels of experience.

A family event, there will be face painting, balloon modelling, magic shows, games, kids' yoga and lots more to keep the children entertained - not to mention the walkabout by the Stormtroopers and Bumblebee.

Tickets, costing 5 (children free) are available from Bridge Street Books or at the gate.
A community archaeology event will take place later this month in response to the growing interest in community-based archaeological and heritage recording in Co Wicklow.

The free, day-long seminar, organised by the Heritage Office of Wicklow County Council in association with the Heritage Council, will take place in the Brockagh Resource Centre in Laragh on Saturday, May 27.

As well as showcasing national initiatives such as the Heritage Council's Adopt A Monument Scheme, the seminar will also focus on the work of local projects and groups, such as the Glendalough Heritage Forum, the Medieval Bray Project, the Glenmalure Pure Mile group and the Preban graveyard heritage committee.

The day will include a range of illustrated presentations, a short film screening and a workshop session. There will also be an option of a field trip to the nearby Glendalough Graveyard Trail, led by Joan Kavanagh.

Participants will also hear of opportunities to get involved in hands-on archaeological excavation under the supervision of UCD's School of Archaeology at Glendalough in August, along with opportunities for submitting 'rock art' sightings to the Wicklow Rock Art project.

A presentation on the Spinans Hill Photogrammetry project will keep guests up to date will some of the latest archaeological initiatives. This project uses drone technology to capture high resolution aerial photographs to create a three dimensional model of Spinans Hill in Baltinglass, one of the largest archaeological monuments in Ireland.

'We have a wealth of archaeology in county Wicklow and many groups and individuals are doing fantastic work to find out more about it, very often to facilitate the creation of heritage trails and signage as part of local tourism projects,' said Deirdre Burns, Heritage Officer with Wicklow County Council. 'Groups typically face similar challenges in sustaining their activities and this event will be a wonderful opportunity for different groups and individuals to share experiences'.

The event is free but booking is required. To secure a place, visit https://communityarchaeologywicklow.eventbrite.ie, email dburns@wicklowcoco.ie or call 0404 20100.
Leslie and Lynda Martin are very close to their target of 250,000 after 'Get Moving for the Martins', a 5k run/walk in Avondale House and Forest Park which got a huge community response to help the family fund their six-month stay in Italy.

Over 120 people turned up for the Martin Family Trust event and raised an astonishing 4,961 with more money still to come in from people who could not make it on the day but still raised money through their sponsorship cards.

Organiser Gillian Murphy donated most of the refreshments for after the race while other attendees brought a lot of baked goods on the day.

'I would like to thank everyone for the donations. Also Pop-Up Races for providing us with chips for times and online registration; Billy Porter who planned the route for us; the local businesses who gave us prizes for our raffle; and Coillte for letting us hold the event at Avondale House.'

The funds raised were presented to Sinead Martin, an aunty of Ciaran and Cathal Martin from Rathnew, who are both in Italy, where Ciaran is receiving treatment at the moment, with their parents Leslie and Lynda.
Men, women and children crawled out of their beds in huge numbers to attend the second Darkness into Light 5k in Baltinglass.

With over 1,000 people taking to the streets for the inaugural event last year, organisers were happy to report that it seems a similar number left their comfy beds in the dead of night to begin this year's walk at 4.15 a.m. last Saturday morning.

Darren Maguire from First Team Fitness was on hand to warm up the crowd before the start, encouraging them to stretch as the wiped the sleep from their eyes.

A number of participants travelled home to west Wicklow from UK and other parts of Ireland in order to take part in Darkness into Light - a fact which made organisers very proud to hear.

The walkers and runners took off along a beautiful tealight-lined route and arrived back at the finish line as the sun began to rise.

The committee of Julie O'Loan, Lorraine Dowling, Shirley O'Neill, Gavin Faron, Colette Bollard and Jean Allen have sent a heartfelt 'thank you' to everyone to supported the event, from those who pulled on their walking shoes to take part to the volunteers who helped the event run without a hiccup and, of course, the many local businesses and groups who offered their support and helped the second Darkness into Light in Baltinglass be every bit as successful as the first.
A cyber-attack on the NHS has forced hospital wards to close, patients to be turned away and operations to be cancelled as at least 30 health service organisations in England and Scotland were infiltrated by the malicious software.

What exactly is ransomware, how is it spread and what happens next?

The NHS faces a weekend of chaos after the ransomware took hold on Friday afternoon, locking machines and demanding money to release the data.

It was reported up to 99 other countries had fallen victim to the attack  including the US, Russia, Spain and India  which had targeted a multitude of hospitals, companies and government agencies.

The malicious software appeared to exploit a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows that was supposedly identified by the US National Security Agency for its own intelligence-gathering purposes and was later leaked to the internet.
Theresa May wants to introduce new internet regulations that allow teenagers to wipe their social media history to prevent embarrassing posts coming back to haunt them.

Heres what you need to know.

How will it work?

The Tories say that if they are returned to power in the General Election, they will give users a new entitlement to require the major social media platforms to delete all of their records from before the age of 18.

Why are they doing this?

Almost half of children aged between eight and 11 have handed over privacy rights to platforms with little or no understanding of what they were doing, according to a recent report by the Childrens Commissioner for England. There are concerns they could be embarrassed by their postings later in life, for example when they apply for a job.

Are the Conservatives proposing any other online safeguards for young people?

They say they want to work with the industry on technical changes to protect children from images of violence, pornography and other inappropriate content. Where a technical fix is not possible, mandatory safeguards will be introduced.

How will it be enforced?

The Conservatives say they will put in place a statutory sanctions regime giving regulators the power to fine or prosecute companies who fail in their legal duties and to order the removal of content that clearly breaches UK law. Ministers say companies operating in the UK will be obliged to comply, even if they are based overseas.

What do the opposition say?

Labour says in government the Conservatives consistently refused to legislate to tackle illegal content online and that tough talk now, just weeks before the election, is meaningless.
The border wall was one of Donald Trump's key campaign vows

Finalists have been selected to design President Donald Trump's proposed border wall with Mexico.

US Customs and Border Protection said it will notify finalists over the next days.

It will not say how many there are, but it has said previously it would pick up to 20.

An agency document released last month by Senate Democrats said authorities plan to select winners by June 14 to build prototypes in San Diego on a short stretch of land near the Otay Mesa border crossing with Mexico.

Building a wall on the Mexican border was a cornerstone of Mr Trump's presidential campaign and a flashpoint for his detractors.

AP
A police force has warned Facebook users against sharing missing children posts online, as they may be putting a life at risk.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said that it can be dangerous to share posts on social media which feature information and or images of missing children because they may not be lost.

They [the children] may actually be hiding for their own safety, the RCMP stressed on its Facebook page.

For example - a parent who has been forbidden any access to their children through a court order might put their children's photos on Facebook and claim them as missing. The other parent and child may be in hiding for their own protection.

The post continued: By sharing these photos, you may be putting a life at risk.

The RCMP went on to urge the public to check the source of any image being shared. If the image did not originate from a confirmed police source of from a reputable media outlet showing that officers are actively searching, the post is likely not legitimate.

Highlighting how social media users can believe that they are helping children when they share such posts, people left comments underneath the post expressing their shock and thanking the RCMP.

I never thought of that I will be doing more research from now on. Thanks for sharing, wrote one Facebook user.
Donald Trump warned ousted FBI Director James Comey on Friday not to talk to the media, a highly unusual move that prompted fresh charges the president is trying to silence the man who led an investigation into possible collusion between Trump's election campaign and Russia.

On Twitter, Trump appeared to suggest that if Comey gave his version of contacts between them, the administration might produce tapes of conversations, although it was not clear if such tapes exist. The veiled threat added to the storm over Trump's abrupt firing of Comey on Tuesday.

Critics have assailed Trump for dismissing the FBI chief just as the agency is investigating alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, and possible Moscow ties to the Trump presidential campaign.

The New York Times reported the president asked Comey in January to pledge loyalty to him and that Comey refused to do so. Such a request would undermine the standing of the FBI chief as an independent law enforcer and further fueled charges that Trump has overstepped the norms of his office.

"James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!" Trump said in a string of Twitter posts on Friday.

Trump told Fox News he did not ask Comey to pledge loyalty and only wants him to be honest. Trump said he would not talk about the existence of any tapes.

James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017

When James Clapper himself, and virtually everyone else with knowledge of the witch hunt, says there is no collusion, when does it end?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017

CNN said Comey is "not worried about any tapes" Trump may have, citing an unnamed source familiar with the matter.

The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mark Warner, told MSNBC that Congress would want to look at the tapes, if they exist.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation probe and parallel congressional investigations have clouded Trump's presidency since he took office on Jan. 20, threatening to overwhelm his policy priorities.

Democrats accuse the Republican president of trying to dent the FBI probe by firing Comey and have called for a special counsel to investigate the Russia issue.

Expand Close Donald Trump has sought to explain the sacking of James Comey (AP) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Donald Trump has sought to explain the sacking of James Comey (AP)

The No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, Richard Durbin, went further on Friday and said Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein should appoint an independent special prosecutor to pursue possible criminal charges related to Comey's firing, although he did not specify if he meant such charges should be against Trump.

But Rosenstein does not see the need at this time for a special prosecutor, CNN reported. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

Trump told Fox News in an interview he did not think an independent probe was necessary.

In a statement, Durbin said that what he characterized as Trump's admission that he fired Comey because of the Russia probe was "dangerously close to obstruction of justice."

Expand Close Former FBI director James Comey, who Mr Trump sacked / Facebook

Twitter

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Whatsapp Former FBI director James Comey, who Mr Trump sacked

Durbin said Trump's tweet on Friday "could be construed as threatening a witness in this investigation, which is another violation of federal law."

Comey declined an invitation to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee in a closed meeting on Tuesday for scheduling reasons, said Warner's spokesman. An official familiar with the matter told Reuters that Comey had agreed in principle to testify behind closed doors at some point.

As has happened on previous occasions since Trump took office, different versions rapidly circulated of an event - in this case phone conversations between Comey and Trump and a dinner they had at the White House.

The New York Times said Comey told associates he declined to make a pledge of loyalty to Trump when the president requested it while they dined just seven days after his inauguration. Comey instead told Trump he could count on his honesty, the Times said.

Trump says Comey had told him three times he was not under investigation in the Russia probe. He said in an interview on Thursday with NBC News that Comey gave him this assurance during the White House dinner and in two phone conversations. Trump said Comey wanted to have the dinner because he wanted to stay on in the job.

Comey has not publicly discussed any conversations he has had with Trump.

Trump also hit back on Friday at media reports questioning the credibility of White House accounts of why Comey was fired, which have changed over the course of the week, and threatened an end to regular White House press briefings.

"As a very active President with lots of things happening, it is not possible for my surrogates to stand at podium with perfect accuracy!" Trump said. "Maybe the best thing to do would be to cancel all future 'press briefings' and hand out written responses for the sake of accuracy???"

Trump told Fox News he would decide in "the next couple of weeks" whether the briefings would continue.

The White House initially said Trump fired Comey on the recommendation of the top Justice Department officials: Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Rosenstein. In the NBC interview on Thursday, Trump said he would have fired Comey regardless of any such recommendations.

The White House has said Comey's firing was unrelated to the Russia probe. On Thursday, Trump told NBC he knew he ran the risk that by firing Comey he would "confuse people" and "lengthen out the investigation" into ties to Russia.

The president said he never pressured Comey into dropping the FBI investigation, and added that there was no "collusion between me and my campaign and the Russians."

Trump told Fox News he was surprised by the fierce reaction of Democrats. "I thought that this would be a very popular thing, that I did, when I terminated Comey, because all of the Democrats couldn't stand him," Trump said.

Comey had angered Democrats over his handling of the probe of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.

Trump is considering 11 people to replace Comey, a White House official said. Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, Republican Senator John Cornyn, New York Appeals Court Judge Michael Garcia and former Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher will be interviewed on Saturday for the post, an administration official said.

U.S. intelligence agencies concluded in January that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a campaign of interference in the election aimed at tilting the vote in Trump's favor. Moscow has denied any such meddling.

As part of the Russia investigation, the Justice Department last month requested former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort's banking records, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Seeking to bolster Trump's case that he has had no concealed dealings with Russia, his lawyers said in a letter released by the White House on Friday that a review of Trump's tax returns from the past 10 years showed no income from Russian sources outside of a few exceptions, and indicated he did not owe money to Russian lenders.
US President Donald Trump kisses First Lady Melania Trump during an event for military spouses in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, yesterday. Photo: Saul Loeb/Getty Images

Donald Trump, the US president, escalated his feud with James Comey yesterday after apparently suggesting that their private conversations were recorded and warning the former FBI chief against leaking information.

"James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!" Mr Trump wrote on Twitter.

The message followed reports that Mr Trump asked for a pledge of loyalty from Mr Comey during a private dinner shortly after the inauguration in January.

Unnamed associates of Mr Comey told the 'New York Times' that the FBI director turned down Mr Trump's demand, instead offering the president his honesty.

Expand Close Former FBI director James Comey, who Mr Trump sacked / Facebook

Twitter

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Whatsapp Former FBI director James Comey, who Mr Trump sacked

Sean Spicer, Mr Trump's spokesman, repeatedly refused to say last night whether or not conversations in the White House, including in the Oval Office, were being recorded.

Fixated

Mr Comey was "not worried about any tapes" Mr Trump may have of their conversation, according to reports.

Mr Trump is said be "fixated" by news coverage of his decision to fire Mr Comey while the FBI was conducting an investigation into alleged collusion between Moscow and the presidential campaign.

Yesterday he defended the struggle by his administration to come up with a consistent timeline and threatened to cancel press briefings.

Mr Trump tweeted: "As a very active president with lots of things happening, it is not possible for my surrogates to stand at podium with perfect accuracy!"

He added: "Maybe the best thing to do would be to cancel all future 'press briefings' and hand out written responses for the sake of accuracy???"

Mr Trump also cited comments from James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, at a senate hearing earlier this week that he was not aware of any evidence demonstrating collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia.

"When James Clapper himself, and virtually everyone else with knowledge of the witch hunt, says there is no collusion, when does it end?" Mr Trump tweeted.

Press aides have repeatedly insisted that Mr Trump decided to dismiss Mr Comey on the advice of Rod Rosenstein, the US deputy attorney general.

This was contradicted by Mr Trump when he told NBC News he had planned to fire Mr Comey regardless of Mr Rosenstein's recommendation.

In the interview, Mr Trump also connected the decision to the FBI's Russia investigation.

"[I]n fact when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said you know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story," Mr Trump said.

Mr Trump sought to play down his Russia connections in the interview.

A letter released yesterday from the president's lawyers publicly set out the Russian transactions reported on Mr Trump's tax returns for the first time.

The letter, dated March 8, said that a review of the past 10 years of tax returns did not reflect "any income of any type from Russian sources".

Property

But the letter noted "exceptions", citing income from the 2013 Miss Universe pageant held in Moscow and a property sold to a Russian billionaire in 2008 for $95m.

The unnamed Russian billionaire is believed to be Dmitry Rybolovlev, whose financial empire springs from his companies' production of potash, used for fertiliser. His purchase of the home has been previously reported.

Mr Spicer was asked about the possibility of White House recordings three times. At one point he said: "I've talked to the president. The president had nothing further to add."

He denied that Mr Trump had threatened Mr Comey by suggesting there were tapes.

Mr Spicer said: "That's not a threat, he's simply stated a fact. The tweet speaks for itself. I'm moving on."

Asked if it was true that Mr Trump had asked Mr Comey for a pledge of loyalty at their January 27 dinner, he replied: "No." ( Daily Telegraph London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Warsaw's mayor has unveiled a monument to a Second World War hero who volunteered to go to the Auschwitz Nazi death camp, informed first hand on the atrocities there, and was later killed by the communist regime.

The stone-and-metal memorial for Captain Witold Pilecki is located near the place where in September 1940 the clandestine army fighter let himself be caught by the occupying Nazi Germans.

It was a step towards becoming an inmate of Auschwitz, which the Nazi Germans operated in southern Poland.

Capt Pilecki's son and daughter and other descendants joined hundreds of Warsaw residents and authorities at Saturday's ceremony.

Deputy prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Capt Pilecki was twice victorious, first when he was ready to sacrifice his life in the defence of Poland and second when the memory of him and other resistance fighters survived the communist regime.

Capt Pilecki wrote and smuggled out secret reports from Auschwitz to his superiors before fleeing in 1943. As a freedom fighter, he was caught and executed by the communist government imposed on Poland after the war.

His body was dumped in a mass grave and his name was taboo, as the regime wanted to erase the memories of freedom fighters. Historians are still looking for his remains.

Democratic Poland is making efforts to fill in such blank pages from the nation's past with ceremonies honouring wartime and anti-communist heroes.

AP
Thousands of animal rights activists have protested in Madrid to demand an end to Spain's long tradition of bullfighting.

The march went through the Spanish capital's city centre on Saturday, with several groups united under one message: "Bullfighting is violence and you can stop it."

Animal rights activists say the gory fights are among the world's most blatant forms of animal cruelty, with bulls lanced and finally stabbed through the heart.

Matadors are praised for killing with a single stab, though some do not succeed in finishing off the animal with repeated thrusts.

The march, scheduled during the famed San Isidro week-long fair featuring numerous bullfights in Madrid's famous Las Ventas bullring, is part of a growing divide between those who see bullfighting as animal cruelty and others who defend it as part of Spain's traditional culture.

Protesters also demanded a change in legislation under which animal cruelty would be subject to Spain's criminal code.

Spokeswoman Laura Gonzalo called for an immediate halt to all bullfights.

"It's time for all of society to unite and say 'enough'," she said, while questioning the motive behind recent government tax cuts for bullfighting events.

Spain's deep tradition of bullfights was named part of the country's cultural heritage in a law passed in 2013.

Madrid's mayor Manuela Carmena has not banned bullfighting events, but she has eliminated annual subsidies for their promotion.

AP
A tour bus tipped over at a road bend on the way to Turkey's Marmaris tourist destination

At least 23 people have died and 11 others are in a critical condition after a tour bus tipped over, fell 15 meters (50ft) down a cliff and then hit a car on a serpentine mountain road, Turkish authorities say.

Deputy governor of Mugla province, Kamil Koten, told Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency the driver is among the dead and most of those killed were women.

Governor Amir Cicek said the bus flipped over at a road bend as it was travelling from the coastal province of Izmir to Marmaris, a popular tourist destination.

Mr Cicek said the passengers were all Turkish and the cause of the accident is unclear, pending investigation.

Anadolu said the bus was in a convoy of six, carrying mostly women and children for a Mother's Day event.
CONCORD- Gazing out over the 858 graduates at the Rowan-Cabarrus Community College ceremony on Friday, commencement speaker Shakia Simpson told fellow graduates she was going to honor their achievement with some simple facts.

Simpson said that most people tell students to dream big and the education theyve worked hard for will help them accomplish those dreams.

But thats not completely accurate. Thats more like alternative facts, Simpson said. Now the people who are telling you to chase your dreams arent lying or being dishonest, they are just omitting pieces of vital information and also leading with optimism.

A mother of four and a United States Army veteran, Simpson told graduates they didnt make it this far by merely dreaming. She said they made it to graduation day because of work ethic, sacrifice and commitment.

Simpson admitted that in the past she never actually believed she would be standing on stage wearing a cap and gown. But it was possible because she made a decision not to let her decisions in the past become roadblocks.

We made a choice to forego our excuses. We stopped dreaming and started setting goals, she said.

For the conclusion of her speech, Simpson quoted poet George Herbert saying, Hope is the poor mans bread, but if you live by it you will die of hunger.

She said instead of just hoping, students should set goals instead and work until they were a reality.

So in regards to our future endeavors and aspirations, if dreaming, wishing and hoping is out of the question, all thats left is knowing, doing and being, Simpson said. Know more. Do more. Be more. 

Breaking down the numbers

The graduation was held at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center on Friday, May 12.

During her welcome, Rowan-Cabarrus President Dr. Carol Spalding said the Class of 2017 earned over 1,300 different degrees, diplomas and certificates; including many online.

Education is the best investment anyone can make. We congratulate you on your achievement and your investment of time which will improve your life and the lives of your family and the community, Spalding said to the graduates.

Also, 256 High School Equivalency students graduated.

Student Excellence Award Winners

Along with presenting students with their degrees, diplomas and certificates, three students were presented with awards of excellence.

- Najma Hasan was this years nominee for the state of North Carolinas Dallas Herring Achievement Award. The award was established to honor the late Dr. Dallas Herring whose philosophy taking people where they are and carrying them as far as they can go is the guiding principle of the North Carolina Community College System.

Not only was Hasan selected on the local level, but she was also named the top student up for the award in the state.

Hasan came to the United States as a refugee from Somalia four years ago. English wasnt her first language and she didnt have a high school diploma.

But on Friday Hasan graduated with her associate degree in nursing.

- Aaron Humphrey was the recipient of the 2017 Academic Excellence Award.

Once a young man who thought he didnt like school, he is now planning to teach. During his time at Rowan-Cabarrus he found a love of learning.

- Kathryn Bailey Wingler was honored as the colleges nominee for the Governor Robert W. Scott Student Leadership Award. The award is named in honor of Robert W. Scott who served as North Carolinas governor from 1969-1973 and as president of the North Carolina Community College System from 1983-1995.

After putting her career on hold to help others, Wingler realized that she could be the artist she dreamed of with a little extra creativity and a drive to network.
Four years back, Shah Rukh Khan and his wife Gauri Khan welcomed their third child, AbRam Khan . But, apart from the little bundle of joy that entered their lives, there were a lot of rumors that hit them.

Since the youngest son was born out of surrogacy there were stories making rounds that he not their son but their "grandson" i.e. AbRam is their elder son Aryan Khan's "love child". These speculations were all around the town but King Khan never reacted to any of them.

However, this time he broke his silence and gave a classy reply!

During his TED talk session the Baadshah of Bollywood narrated the incident.

While addressing the audience he picked up the topic and said: "Four years ago, my lovely wife Gauri and me decided to have a third child. It was claimed on the net that he was the love child of our first child who was 15 years old. Apparently, he had sown his wild oats with a girl while driving her car in Romania. And yeah, there was a fake video to go with it. And we were so disturbed as a family. My son, who is 19 now, even now when you say "hello" to him, he just turns around and says, "But bro, I didn't even have a European driving license."

Yeah. In this new world, slowly, reality became virtual and virtual became real, and I started to feel that I could not be who I wanted to be or say what I actually thought, and humanity at this time completely identified with me. I think both of us were going through our midlife crisis, and humanity, like me, was becoming an overexposed prima donna."

Watch the complete video here:

Featured Video

Indeed, we must say SRK, like always has put his words in the most sober way and we can't stop loving him more with every passing day!
New York, May 12(Just Earth News): Following last yearas leak of confidential financial documents from a Panama law firm, a United Nations rights expert yesterday called on the countriesa authorities to continue to impose greater due diligence on financial and banking institutions.

Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky said that such reforms would enable parties to prevent and denounce tax fraud, rather than facilitating or taking advantage of them.

"The main component of illicit cash flows at the global level is tax fraud. These funds, which circulate and are deposited in the shadows of the financial and corporate systems, consolidate poverty and inequality in the world," the UN Independent Expert on foreign debt and human rights stressed.

Asked by UN News if this lack of regulations on taxes is what made Panama appear to some as a fiscal paradise, Bohoslavsky noted that the tax component is the most important when companies and wealthy people choose to do business in one country or another, or when simply transferring their funds between countries.

Previously revealed documents, which popularly have been associated with the Panama Papers, have shown how corporations, wealthy individuals and politically exposed persons have systematically hidden assets in more than 21 offshore jurisdictions.

While the expert said the focus of the Panamanian authorities should be on the fight against tax evasion, he also acknowledged their efforts to promote financial and corporate transparency and to strengthen the financial regulatory system, adding that Panama now has a more robust system than it did a few years ago.

As for his eight-day Panama visit, he said: "The most onerous tax evasions must be severely punished within the framework of a comprehensive strategy covering all dimensions of tax fraud." He added that financial and non-financial intermediaries have the 'duty of knowing the client' and should have the obligation to report suspicious transactions.

In the briefing the expert further advocated for the adoption of clear legislation "to prevent conflicts of interest of public officials and to ensure the autonomy of regulatory agencies."

He added that such evasion consolidate poverty and inequality because it deprives social programs and services of resources, and does not allow public investment in productive infrastructures that drive development.

In this regard Bohoslavsky recalled that reducing illicit financial flows is clearly linked to reducing poverty and social inequality and will advance the 2030 Agenda and the corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Curbing such flows was also agreed to at the Third International Conference on Financing for Development held in July 2015 in Addis Ababa. The outcome, referred to as the Addis Ababa Action Agenda calls for strengthening support for the work of the UN Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters to improve its effectiveness and operational capacity, and engagement with the UN Economic and Social Council.

Independent experts or special rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.

Photo: World Bank/Gerardo Pesantez

Source: www.justearthnews.com
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15 years ago, the team of Devdas that included Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, SRK, and Sanjay Leela Bhansali attended the Cannes Film Festival where they represented their film. There were several iconic moments from the festival and now Aish is all set to relive all those moments. Reports claim that on the 70th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival this year, their official beauty partner LOreal Paris have plans of celebrating in a unique way.

Agency

Outdoor Cinema will showcase films selected and introduced by six LOreal Paris actress ambassadors.

Agency

The actress, who is set to walk the red carpet as L'Oreal Paris brand ambassador on May 19 and 20, will also be attending the brand's Paris Open Air Cinema event. Devdas will be screened on May 20. In a media statement, Aishwarya was quoted saying,

"We attended the festival not just as artists but as proud representatives of Indian cinema, showcasing a film that meant so much to us. The kind of reception we got for the movie was truly overwhelming and I will cherish it all my life."

Besides Aishwarya, Bollywood actresses Sonam Kapoor and Deepika Padukone will also walk the Cannes red carpet. The festival is scheduled to take place from May 17 to 28.
After the tremendous response that Prabhas' film Baahubali received, the actor flew down to the US for a well-deserved vacation. Prabhas dedicated four years of his life to Baahubali and he didn't take any film or endorsements in between, which speaks a lot about his work ethics.

However, considering how passionate the superstar is about acting, we will resume the shoot as soon as he lands back in India.

Instagram

Reports claim that Prabhas will begin shooting for his next film titled Saaho. A report by Filmfare claims that it's neither Deepika or PC who has been cast but it's Katrina Kaif who has been finalised to play the female lead in the big-ticket film.

Twitter

2017 is surely a great year for Kat since she has been getting some really amazing offers. Just a few days ago, Aamir Khan took to his social media accounts to break the news of Katrina being roped in for Thugs of Hindostan, which has a mind-blowing cast that consists of Aamir himself and Amitabh Bachchan.

Finally we have our last thug..... Katrina ! Welcome aboard Kat :-)  Aamir Khan (@aamir_khan) May 11, 2017

Katrina, who has already worked in the South Indian film industry during the initial years of her acting career was seen in Malayalam film Balram vs. Tharadas in 2006.

She also did Telugu films like Malliswari and Allari Pidugu.

Sulekha

Helmed by Sujeeth, Saaho will be produced in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi. Even though Katrina herself hasn't confirmed the reports, we are hoping that it's true because Prabhas and Kat will look really great together.

The film will go on the floors in July.
Larsen & Toubro bagged its biggest defence order worth Rs. 4,500 crore to supply gun systems to the Indian army, the engineering company said in a statement on Friday.

Wikipedia

L&T will supply 100 units of 155mm/52 calibre Tracked Self-Propelled Gun systems to the Indian army over 42 months. This is our biggest order and it gives us revenue visibility for the next three and a half years, Jayant Patil, head of defence and aerospace at L&T, told ET.

L&T, supported by South Korean technology partner Hanwha Tech Win (HTW), had bid for this Buy Global acquisition programme of the defence ministry in 2011. It beat three others to emerge as the sole qualified bidder after a series of user trials and evaluations, based on the performance of the K9 VAJRA-T self-propelled Howitzer.

The K9 VAJRA-T gun is an enhanced version of HTWs K9 Thunder, customised and co-developed by L&T and HTW to suit the specific requirements of the Indian army, including desert operations.

defensenews

HTW has sold over 1,000 units of the K9 Thunder self-propelled Howitzer, which are in service in Korea and other countries. Our order pipeline is strong and we hope to bag some more big-ticket orders in the current fiscal year to contribute significantly to L&Ts order book, Patil said. L&T has invested heavily in the defence sector and has built a shipyard that can build submarines.
India is keeping a close eye on the Chinese submarine that was denied permission by the Sri Lankan authorities to dock at Colombo. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to the southern neighbour, made sure that it does not slip to the mighty Chinese plan to check India from all corners.

AFP/ Representational Image

The development came on Friday, the same day Indian Prime Minister Narendra landed in Colombo for a state visit. The Yuan-class conventional submarine which is part of the People's Liberation Army-Navy's (PLAN) anti-piracy fleet was "picked up" by Indian Navy's Poseidon-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft as soon as it crossed the Malacca Strait on April 19-20.

AFP/ Representational Image

According to reports the submarine is still in the Indian Ocean Region and is likely to head towards Karachi port.

Even though the Sri Lankan officials have not given the exact reason for the denial of the docking request, Reuters quoting a senior official reported that Lanka was "unlikely" to agree to China's request to dock the submarine at any time, given India's concerns.

Another official told the news agency that the China's request to dock this month had been rejected but that a decision on a further docking had been postponed.

"It might happen later," the second official told Reuters, adding that China had requested approval to use the port around May 16 "some time back".

The timing of the move is significant as Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is scheduled to travel to Beijing to hold talks on China's ambitious Maritime Silk Route plan.

This is not the first time India has expressed its concern over Chinese ships in its backyard. The last Chinese submarine to dock in Colombo was in October 2014, which triggered an official protest for New Delhi.

India has also expressed concern over the Hambantota port project and the Colombo port city project, two massive Chinese-backed infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka signed by the previous Mahinda Rajapaksa government.

AFP

Rajapaksa had throughout his term in office favoured China, snubbing neighbour India, when it came to infrastructure schemes.

India saw the move as the Chinese trying to spread its influence in the southern Indian Ocean.

AFP

The current Sri Lankan government headed Maithripala Sirisena is seen more pro-India than his predecessor, though he has said that his country welcomes investments from all countries including China.
Light combat aircraft Tejas today "successfully" test fired an air-to-air missile, paving the way for powering the indigenously-built aircraft with missiles having beyond visual range capabilities (BVR).

BCCL

The test-firing was conducted on a manoeuvrable aerial target at the interim test range in Chandipur in Odisha.

The defence ministry said the objective of the test was to assess the integration of the Derby BVR missile with avionics, fire-control radar, launchers and missile weapon delivery system of Tejas.

BCCL

"The flawless launch was demonstrated with all onboard systems performing satisfactorily and the missile scored a direct hit on the target with the complete destruction of it.

"The test firing achieved all its planned objectives. The Derby firing is a major step towards clearing BVR capabilities on light combat aircraft for FOC (final operational clearance)," it said in a statement.

The sensors at the interim test range tracked the target and the missile.

"The missile launch was performed in lock on after launch mode for a BVR target in the look down mode and the target was destroyed," the statement by the ministry said.
India plans to launch next month its most powerful rocket that is capable of transporting a heavier 4-tonne communications satellite and described as a game-changer in the first of its kind space mission.

Aiming for a greater share of the multi-billion dollar global space market and to reduce dependency on international launching vehicles, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said today it is hoping to launch the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle(GSLV) Mark-III in the first week of June.

A successful launch of this rocket will be yet another major step towards being self-reliant in the countrys space programme. The ISRO currently has the capability to launch payloads of up to 2.2 tonnes into the intended orbit and anything above that it had to tap foreign launch facilities.

ISRO

GSLV Mark-III is our next launch. We are getting ready. All the systems are in Sriharikota. The integration is currently going on, ISRO Chairman AS Kiran Kumar told reporters in Hyderabad.

The whole process of assembling the various stages and then integrating the satellite into the heat shield, these activities are going on. The first week of June is when we are targeting this launch, he said.

ALSO READ: For ISRO Seven Is Surely Not The Limit, Agency Is Planning 12 Launches Per Year And A Mission To Venus

AFP

The ISRO views operationalisation of this rocket as a game-changer mission. GSLV Mark-III will be Indias most powerful launch vehicle built to lift the heaviest Indian communications satellites to space. It can put satellites weighing 4 tonnes in space, double the weight that the current GSLV-Mark-II can lift.

It will also enable ISRO to launch from India heavier communications spacecraft to geostationary orbits of 36,000 km. Because of the absence of a powerful launcher, ISRO currently launches satellites above 2 tonnes on European rockets for a big fee.

ALSO READ: ISRO's Record Threatened By SpaceX's Plan To Launch 4,425 Satellites In Orbit In Six Years

AFP

Noting that communications satellites built beyond the capacity of 2.2 tonnes have to be launched from foreign soil, Kiran Kumar said efforts are on to launch satellites upto four tonnes and even beyond in India itself.

The GSLV Mark-III is intended to launch satellites into geostationary orbit and as a launcher for an Indian crew vehicle.

It features an Indian cryogenic third stage and a higher payload capacity than the current GSLV.

ALSO READ: ISRO Launches Indias Gift To Neighbouring Countries  South Asia Satellite GSAT-9

ISRO

The satellite would carry Ka and Ku-band payload along with a Geostationary Radiation Spectrometer (GRASP) payload to monitor and study the nature of the charged particles and influence of space radiation on spacecraft and electronic components.

It would also employ advanced spacecraft technologies including bus subsystem experiments in the electrical propulsion system, indigenous Li-ion battery and indigenous bus bars for power distribution, among others.

The technology on lithium-ion batteries developed by ISRO is good for the space programme in terms of cost-effectiveness, but it requires the efforts of industry to develop it to reduce costs, Kiran Kumar said.
All the schools along the LoC in Rajouri has been ordered to remain shut for an "indefinite period" as a precautionary measure after the killing of two persons in shelling by Pakistani troops.

BCCL

The army has also shut schools along the Line of Control (LoC) in Balakot sector in Poonch and asked people not to move out in border areas.

All the schools situated along the LoC in Rajouri district were closed on May 11 after a woman was killed and two others including her husband were injured in Pakistani shelling on the intervening night of May 10-11.

BCCL

"We have closed the schools along the LoC in Rajouri district for an indefinite period," Deputy Commissioner of Rajouri Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said.

Two persons were killed and three injured when Pakistani army fired mortar bombs and automatic weapons along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Nowshera sector of Rajouri district.

The shelling has badly affected five-six hamlets along the LoC including Sheri Makeri, Namakdali, Jangarh, Laam, Bhawani and Khamba belts.

BCCL

A 35-year-old woman was killed while her husband was injured as Pakistani army violated the ceasefire along the LoC in Nowshera sector on Thursday.

As many as 27 families have been affected due to the shelling in which many houses, including a school, have been damaged partially or severely.

Two relief camps have been established in Nowshera where 150 people have been settled.
A huge mystery creature washed up ashore on a beach in Indonesia, that has left marine biologists totally baffled.

facebook

The 15-metre long creature was found by Asrul Tuanakota on Hulung Beach on Seram Island who initially took it to be a boat or a shipping vessel.

facebook

The authorities said that the animal had been decaying for at least three days after it got beached and blood had turned the water red, reports Jakarta Globe.

facebook

As soon as the news spread, tourists thronged the beach to witness this oddity. While some claimed that it was a whale, others believed it to be a giant squid.

facebook

The locals called on their government to help clear the carcass off the beach as it had begun decomposing. Experts think that the skin characteristics of the animal hint at it being a rare species of some giant dolphin family.

facebook

However, since the creature's body was covered with fur, experts remain doubtful of its true identity as dolphins don't have fur.
Pakistan has amended its 1981 Ehtram-e-Ramazan Ordinance to attach a fine of (Pakistani) Rs 500 to the jail term for "smoking" and/or "eating openly" during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

AFP

The senate also increased the fine for restaurants or hotels that flout this rule to Rs 25,000 from Rs 500. Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari the daughter of former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto sharply criticised the hypocrisy of her country allowing terrorists to roam free but jailing people for eating during Ramadan.

AFP

The Bhutto scion pointed to the fact that no one is jailed or punished for "being a terrorist" or "attempting to kill school girls like Malala (Yusafzai)", but "drinking water during Ramazan" can get one thrown in jail.

https://t.co/eiY7UamIfp people r going 2 die from heat stroke &dehydration with this ridiculous law. Not every1 is able. This is not Islam.  Bakhtawar B-Zardari (@BakhtawarBZ) 11 May 2017

3month imprisonment 4 drinking water during Ramazan but being a terrorist, attempting 2 kill school girls #Malala & u can keep smiling on tv  Bakhtawar B-Zardari (@BakhtawarBZ) 12 May 2017

But not every1 in  will be fasting -children in school/elderly/people with medical problems. Should we arrest them 4 drinking water   Bakhtawar B-Zardari (@BakhtawarBZ) 12 May 2017

Fasting is 1 of the 5 pillars of Islam. It is an imp obligation. But where is law re punish every1 around u with arrests?! Not in Islam. https://t.co/CmOVEbXf31  Bakhtawar B-Zardari (@BakhtawarBZ) 12 May 2017
As Pakistan continues to violate ceasefire from across the border, at least two civilians have been killed, while four jawans have sustained injuries in Rajouri district. According to reports coming from the ground, over 50 schools were closed due to the firing from Pakistan's side.

AFP/Representational Image

The deceased have been identified as 15-year-old Asiya and her father Haji Tufail, residents of Rajouris Nowshera area. After Nowshehra, Pakistan resorted to heavy shelling in Manjakote in the adjoining Rajouri district.

Police officials said heavy cross-border firing and shelling started in the villages of Khori, Dhanaka, Jhangad and Khamba at 7:30 a.m. Pakistani troops used 120 mm mortar shells, they said.

AFP/Representational Image

Four Army personnel are feared injured in the shelling. However, there is no official confirmation of the same. Ceasefire violations, which continued intermittently this week and left a woman dead, have already displaced 96 villagers in the border district.
Lebanon: Hedonism and War

By Andre Vltchek

May 11, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Palestinian refugee camps are up in flames, across the country, a result of the disputes between the rival factions, but also of unsavory influences from abroad. As everyone knows here, there are, for instance, the Al Qaida-affiliated militants hiding in the South.

There are Israeli incursions into Lebanon, both by land and by water. There are also drones, flying habitually from Israel into and through the Lebanese airspace.

There is great tension between Israel and Hezbollah, over Syria, but not only.

Lebanese forces are fighting DAESH, mainly in the Northeast of Lebanon, on the mountainous border with Syria. Hezbollah is fighting DAESH, too, but independently.

In the 7th year into the war in Syria, there are still more than 1 million Syrian refugees living on Lebanese territory, some in awful conditions and many with extremely uncertain future. The exact number is unknown (UNHCR stopped the registration of all new arrivals approximately 2 years ago), but is believed to fluctuate between 1 and 2 million.

There is mounting tension between the Syrian and the Lebanese communities, as they are now competing for already sparse jobs and public services (including such basic utilities like water), while Palestinian refugees have been stranded in Lebanon already for decades, with very little social, political and economic rights.

There is a drug epidemic, from its production (mainly in the Bekaa Valley), to its unbridled consumption in Beirut.

A new government has finally been formed in December 2016, after more than 2.5 years of absence of any functioning administration. However, the Prime Minister is a Sunni Muslim, Saad Hariri, who is openly hostile to Syria and has directly expressed support for the recent US attacks against the neighboring country. Mr. Hariri has long been accusing Hezbollah and Syria of assassinating his father, Rafik Hariri, in February 2005. Mr. Hariri has dual citizenship, that of Lebanon and also of Saudi Arabia where he was born (in Riyadh). On the other hand, the President of Lebanon is now a Maronite Christian, 83-years old Michel Aoun, who came to power thanks to the unfailing support given to him by Hezbollah, the fact that puts him at odds with the Prime Minister.

There is an ongoing struggle, even deadlock, amongst the political parties (in Lebanon often synonymous with sectarian divisions), over such varied issues as the electoral law, waste management, international political alliances, foreign military funding, gender-based discrimination, employment as well as all basic social services (or acute lack of them).

* * *

Lebanon is literally surrounded by perpetual conflicts. Syria, the country in great agony is right next door, north and east of tiny Lebanon, while mighty and aggressive Israel is threatening the country from the south. The United Nations troops are patrolling the so-called UN 2000 Blue Line or the de facto border between Lebanon and Israel. In fact, UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon) has for years been covering a large part of the countrys territory. It all feels like a war zone.

In fact the region consists of a series of temporarily dormant conflicts that are ready to explode again, at any moment, with destructive, murderous force.

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The occupied and devastated Golan Heights is just across the borderline, too. Officially, The Golans are still part of Syria, but the Israelis have already purged most of its population, resettling it with their own citizens. During my visit, some 4 years ago, the situation was already dire, the area scarred by barbed wires, with Israeli military posts and vehicles everywhere. Many local houses were destroyed, as punishment. If you drive to the geographical extreme, you can see the Golan Heights from Lebanon. You can also see Israel, while Syria is always there, right behind the majestic and bare mountains.

The UN peacekeepers come from all parts of the world, including South Korea, Indonesia and Europe. Right before the Coastal Highway ends, near the city of Tyre, the motorists pass through the last Lebanese checkpoint. The UNIFIL protected area begins, with armored vehicles, sandbags and watchtowers. It reads, on the concrete blocks intended to slow down the traffic:

Peace to Lebanon, Glory to Korea!

Palestinian refugee camps are overflowing. Syrian refugees (some in awful conditions) are working like slaves in the Bekaa Valley, begging for money in Sidon and Beirut, or if they are wealthy, renting lavish seafront condominiums on the Corniche of the capital city.

* * *

Despite all the bravado, Lebanon is scared; it is petrified.

Everybody knows that Israel could hit at any moment, again. It is said that Israelis are already stealing Lebanese oil from the seabed, but the weak and almost totally defenseless country can do almost nothing against one of the mightiest military forces on Earth.

All over the country, there are dormant cells of ISIS (DAESH) and of other extremist militant groups, overflowing from war-torn Syria. The ISIS is dreaming about a caliphate and the access to the sea. Lebanon is right there, a perfect location.

Both Russia and China are keeping a relatively low profile here, not too interested in operating in this divided and uncertain political climate. In Lebanon, there are very few permanent loyalties left;allegiances are often shifting andare frequently dependent on outside funding.

Saudi Arabia and Iran are always present here, and so is the West. Hezbollah (on several lists of the terrorist organizations of the West) is the only pan-Lebanese force capable and willing to provide at least some basic social services for the poor, as well as determined military and ideological defense against Israel.

Many political analysts are predicting that Lebanon will collapse, totally, and soon. But it is still here, determined and defiant. How, nobody knows. For how long, is a total mystery!

Patrolled by the UN, overflowing with refugees, Lebanon is shining into the night. Its Ferraris are roaming through its streets, without mufflers, until early morning hours. Its nightclubs are seducing hedonist visitors from the Gulf. Its art cinemas are as good or even better than those in Paris. At the AUB Medical Center, the best Middle Eastern surgeons are treating the most horrid war injuries from the area.

Here, war and self-indulgence are living side by side. Some say it is nothing else other than a bare cynicism. Others would argue:

No, it is life! Life of the 21st century world; exposed, brought to the extreme, but in a way honest.

Andre Vltchek is a philosopher, novelist, filmmaker and investigative journalist. He has covered wars and conflicts in dozens of countries. Three of his latest books are revolutionary novel Aurora and two bestselling works of political non-fiction:  Exposing Lies Of The Empire  and  Fighting Against Western Imperialism . View his other books here . Andre is making films for teleSUR and Al-Mayadeen. Watch Rwanda Gambit , his groundbreaking documentary about Rwanda and DRCongo. After having lived in Latin America, Africa and Oceania, Vltchek presently resides in East Asia and the Middle East, and continues to work around the world. He can be reached through his website and his Twitter .
Home Classified America By Robert C. Koehler May 13, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - For a journalist  especially one covering government and politics  the most suspicious, least trustworthy word in the language ought to be: classified. As the drama continues to swirl around Russiagate, or whatever the central controversy of the Trump administration winds up being known as, that word keeps popping up, teasingly, seductively: It appeared that there was a great deal more (former acting Attorney General Sally) Yates wished she could share, the Washington Post informed us the other day, for instance, but most of the information surrounding everything that happened remains classified. And the drama continues! And I have yet to hear a mainstream journo challenge or question that word or ask what could be at stake that requires protective secrecy even as the U.S. government seemingly threatens to collapse around Michael Flynn, Americas national security advisor for three weeks, and his relationship to Russia. Is there really any there there? Im not suggesting that there isnt, or that its all fake news. Trump and pals are undoubtedly entwined financially with Russian oligarchs, which of course is deeply problematic. And maybe theres more. And maybe some of that more is arguably classified for a valid reason, but I want, at the very least, to know why its classified. What I read and hear feels, instead, like collusion: journalists unquestioningly honoring bureaucratic keep-out signs as objective, even sacred, stopping points. Public knowledge must go no further because . . . you know, national security. But the drama continues! And this is troubling to me because, for starters, nations built on secrecy are far more unstable than those that arent. Job #1 of a free, independent media is the full-on, continuous challenge to government secrecy. Such a media understands that it answers to the public, or rather, that its a manifestation of the public will. Stability and freedom are not the result of private tinkering. And peace is something created openly. The best of who we are is contained in the public soul, not bequeathed to us by unfathomably wise leaders. So I cringe every time I hear the news stop at the word classified. Indeed, in the Trump era, it seems like a plot device: a way to maintain the drama. . . . there was a great deal more Yates wished she could share, but most of the information surrounding everything that happened remains classified. Stay tuned, and keep your imaginations turned to high! This is Russia were talking about. They messed with our election. They attacked us in cyberspace. Wed tell you more about how bad things are, but . . . you know, national security. If nothing else, this endless retreat behind the word classified is a waste of the Trump presidency. This administrations recklessness is opening all sorts of random doors on national secrets that need airing. Its not as though the country was sailing along smoothly and keeping the world safe and peaceful till Donald Trump showed up. Trump could well be making a bad situation worse, but, as William Hartung pointed out: After all, he inherited no less than seven conflicts from Barack Obama: Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. The United States is engaged in endless war, at unbelievable and never-discussed cost, to no end except destruction in all directions. Those who have launched and perpetuated the wars remain the determiners of whats classified and what isnt. And Russia lurks silently in the background as a new Cold War gestates. And the media participate not in reporting the news but promoting the drama. Occasionally this has not been the case. Remember the Pentagon Papers? Daniel Ellsberg photocopied a multi-thousand-page secret history of the Vietnam War in 1971 and handed it over to the New York Times. It was classified! But papers printed it. And Sen. Mike Gravel later read portions of the text aloud at a Senate subcommittee hearing. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter These portions, notes history.com, revealed that the presidential administrations of Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson had all misled the public about the degree of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, from Trumans decision to give military aid to France during its struggle against the communist-led Viet Minh to Johnsons development of plans to escalate the war in Vietnam as early as 1964, even as he claimed the opposite during that years presidential election. Our own government, in short, is as untrustworthy as the governments of our allies and our enemies. Government officials left to operate free of public scrutiny  bereft of public input  have proven themselves over and over to be shockingly short-sighted and cold-blooded in their decision-making, and indifferent to the impact they have on the future. It is nearly a truism, writes Jeffrey Sachs, that U.S. wars of regime change have rarely served Americas security needs. Even when the wars succeed in overthrowing a government, as in the case of the Taliban in Afghanistan, Saddam Hussein in Iraq, and Moammar Khadafy in Libya, the result is rarely a stable government, and is more often a civil war. A successful regime change often lights a long fuse leading to a future explosion, such as the 1953 overthrow of Irans democratically elected government and installation of the autocratic Shah of Iran, which was followed by the Iranian Revolution of 1979. All of this, and so much more, preceded Trump. Hes only the tail end of our troubles. Robert Koehler is an award-winning, Chicago-based journalist and nationally syndicated writer. His book, Courage Grows Strong at the Wound is available. Contact him at koehlercw@gmail.com or visit his website at . The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. What's your response? - Scroll down to add / read comments Please read our Comment Policy before posting - It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section. Click here to comment on our Facebook page
The Soft Coup of Russia-gate





The Russia-gate hysteria has grown stronger after President Trumps firing of FBI Director Comey, but the bigger question is whether an American soft coup is in the works, reports Robert Parry.



By Robert Parry

May 13, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Where is Stanley Kubrick when we need him? If he hadnt died in 1999, he would be the perfect director to transform todays hysteria over Russia into a theater-of-the-absurd movie reprising his Cold War classic, Dr. Strangelove, which savagely satirized the madness of nuclear brinksmanship and the crazed ideology behind it.

To prove my point, The Washington Post on Thursday published a lengthy story entitled in the print editions Alarm at Russian in White House about a Russian photographer who was allowed into the Oval Office to photograph President Trumps meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The Post cited complaints from former U.S. intelligence officials who criticized the presence of the Russian photographer as a potential security breach because of the danger that a listening device or other surveillance equipment could have been brought into the Oval Office while hidden in cameras or other electronics.

To bolster this alarm, the Post cited a Twitter comment from President Obamas last deputy CIA director, David S. Cohen, stating No, it was not a sound decision to admit the Russian photographer who also works for the Russian news agency, Tass, which published the photo.

One could picture Boris and Natasha, the evil spies in the Bullwinkle cartoons, disguised as photographers slipping listening devices between the cushions of the sofas.

Or we could hear how Russians are again threatening to impurify all of our precious bodily fluids, as Dr. Strangelove character, Gen. Jack D. Ripper, warned us in the 1964 movie.

Watching that brilliant dark comedy again might actually be a good idea to remind us how crazy Americans can get when theyre pumped up with anti-Russian propaganda, as is happening again now.

Taking Down Trump

I realize that many Democrats, liberals and progressives hate Donald Trump so much that they believe that any pretext is justified in taking him down, even if that plays into the hands of the neoconservatives and other warmongers. Many people who detest Trump view Russia-gate as the most likely path to achieve Trumps impeachment, so this desirable end justifies whatever means.

Some people have told me that they even believe that it is the responsibility of the major news media, the law enforcement and intelligence communities, and members of Congress to engage in a soft coup against Trump  also known as a constitutional coup or deep state coup  for the good of the country.

The argument is that it sometimes falls to these Establishment institutions to correct a mistake made by the American voters, in this case, the election of a largely unqualified individual as U.S. president. It is even viewed by some anti-Trump activists as a responsibility of responsible journalists, government officials and others to play this guardian role, to not simply resist Trump but to remove him.

There are obvious counter-arguments to this view, particularly that it makes something of a sham of American democracy. It also imposes on journalists a need to violate the ethical responsibility to provide objective reporting, not taking sides in political disputes.

But The New York Times and The Washington Post, in particular, have made it clear that they view Trump as a clear and present danger to the American system and thus have cast aside any pretense of neutrality.

The Times justifies its open hostility to the President as part of its duty to protect the truth; the Post has adopted a slogan aimed at Trump, Democracy Dies in Darkness. In other words, Americas two most influential political newspapers are effectively pushing for a soft coup under the guise of defending democracy and truth.

But the obvious problem with a soft coup is that Americas democratic process, as imperfect as it has been and still is, has held this diverse country together since 1788 with the notable exception of the Civil War.

If Americans believe that the Washington elites are removing an elected president  even one as buffoonish as Donald Trump  it could tear apart the fabric of national unity, which is already under extraordinary stress from intense partisanship.

That means that the soft coup would have to be carried out under the guise of a serious investigation into something grave enough to justify the Presidents removal, a removal that could be accomplished by congressional impeachment, his forced resignation, or the application of Twenty-fifth Amendment, which allows the Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet to judge a President incapable of continuing in office (although that could require two-thirds votes by both houses of Congress if the President fights the maneuver).

A Big Enough Scandal

That is where Russia-gate comes in. The gauzy allegation that Trump and/or his advisers somehow colluded with Russian intelligence officials to rig the 2016 election would probably clear the threshold for an extreme action like removing a President.

And, given the determination of many key figures in the Establishment to get rid of Trump, it should come as no surprise that no one seems to care that no actual government-verified evidence has been revealed publicly to support any of the Russia-gate allegations.

Theres not even any public evidence from U.S. government agencies that Russia did meddle in the 2016 election or  even if Russia did slip Democratic emails to WikiLeaks (which WikiLeaks denies)  there has been zero evidence that the scheme resulted from collusion with Trumps campaign.

The FBI has been investigating these suspicions for at least nine months, even reportedly securing a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant against Carter Page, an American whom Trump briefly claimed as a foreign policy adviser when Trump was under fire for not having any foreign policy advisers.

One of Pages alleged offenses was that he gave a speech to an academic conference in Moscow in July 2016 that was mildly critical of how the U.S. treated countries from the former Soviet Union. He also once lived in Russia and apparently met with a Russian diplomat who  apparently unbeknownst to Page  had been identified by the U.S. government as a Russian intelligence officer.

It appears that is enough, in these days of our New McCarthyism , to get an American put under a powerful counter-intelligence investigation.

The FBI and the Department of Justice also reportedly are including as part of the Russia-gate investigation Trumps stupid campaign joke calling on the Russians to help find the tens of thousands of emails that Clinton erased from the home server that she used while Secretary of State.

On July 27, 2016, Trump said, apparently in jest, I will tell you this, Russia: if youre listening, I hope youre able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing.

The comment fit with Trumps puckish, provocative and often tasteless sense of humor, but was seized on by Democrats as if it were a serious suggestion  as if anyone would use a press conference to seriously urge something like that. But it now appears that the FBI is grabbing at any straw that might support its investigation.

The (U.K.) Guardian reported this week that Senior DoJ officials have declined to release the documents [about Trumps comment] on grounds that such disclosure could interfere with enforcement proceedings. In a filing to a federal court in Washington DC, the DoJ states that because of the existence of an active, ongoing investigation, the FBI anticipates that it will  withhold all records.

The statement suggests that Trumps provocative comment last July is being seen by the FBI as relevant to its own ongoing investigation.

The NYTs Accusations

On Friday, in the wake of Trumps firing of FBI Director James Comey and the Presidents characterization of Russia-gate as a total hoax, The New York Times reprised what it called The Trump-Russia Nexus in a lead editorial trying to make the case of some fire behind the smoke.

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Though the Times acknowledges that there are many unknowns in Russia-gate and the Times cant seem to find any evidence of collusion, such as slipping a Russian data stick to WikiLeaks, the Times nevertheless treats a host of Trump advisers and family members as traitors because theyve had some association with Russian officials, Russian businesses or Russian allies.

Regarding Carter Page, the Times wrote: American officials believe that Mr. Page, a foreign policy adviser, had contacts with Russian intelligence officials during the campaign. He also gave a pro-Russia speech in Moscow in July 2016. Mr. Page was once employed by Merrill Lynchs Moscow office, where he worked with Gazprom, a government-owned giant.

You might want to let some of those words sink in, especially the part about Page giving a pro-Russia speech in Moscow, which has been cited as one of the principal reasons for Page and his communications being targeted under a FISA warrant.

Ive actually read Pages speech and to call it pro-Russia is a wild exaggeration. It was a largely academic treatise that faulted the Wests post-Cold War treatment of the nations formed from the old Soviet Union, saying the rush to a free-market system led to some negative consequences, such as the spread of corruption.

But even if the speech were pro-Russia, doesnt The New York Times respect the quaint American notion of free speech? Apparently not. If your carefully crafted words can be twisted into something called pro-Russia, the Times seems to think its okay to have the National Security Agency bug your phones and read your emails.

The Ukraine Case

Another Times target was veteran political adviser Paul Manafort, who is accused of working as a consultant for a pro-Russia political party in Ukraine and for Ukraines former president, Viktor Yanukovych, who was backed by the Kremlin.

Left out of that Times formulation is the fact that the Ukrainian political party, which had strong backing from ethnic Russian Ukrainians  not just Russia competed in a democratic process and that Yanukovych won an election that was recognized by international observers as free and fair.

Yanukovych was then ousted in February 2014 in a violent putsch that was backed by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt. The putsch, which was spearheaded by right-wing nationalists and even neo-Nazis, touched off Ukraines civil war and the secession of Crimea, the key events in the escalation of todays New Cold War between NATO and Russia.

Though Im no fan of U.S. political hired-guns selling their services in foreign elections, there was nothing illegal or even unusual about Manafort advising a Ukrainian political party. What arguably was much more offensive was the U.S. support for an unconstitutional coup that removed Yanukovych even after he agreed to a European plan for early elections so he could be voted out of office peacefully.

But the Times, the Post and virtually the entire Western mainstream media sided with the Ukrainian coup-makers and hailed Yanukovychs overthrow. That attitude has become such a groupthink that the Times has banished the thought that there was a coup .

Still, the larger political problem confronting the United States is that the neoconservatives and their junior partners, the liberal interventionists, now control nearly all the levers of U.S. foreign policy. That means they can essentially dictate how events around the world will be perceived by most Americans.

The neocons and the liberal hawks also want to continue their open-ended wars in the Middle East by arranging the commitment of additional U.S. military forces to Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria  and perhaps a new confrontation with Iran.

Early in Obamas second term, it became clear to the neocons that Russia was becoming the chief obstacles to their plans because President Barack Obama was working closely with President Vladimir Putin on a variety of projects that undermined neocon hopes for more war.

Particularly, Putin helped Obama secure an agreement from Syria to surrender its chemical weapons stockpiles in 2013 and to get Iran to accept tight constraints on its nuclear program in 2014. In both cases, the neocons and their liberal-hawk sidekicks were lusting for war.

Immediately after the Syria chemical-weapons deal in September 2013, key U.S. neocons began focusing on Ukraine as what National Endowment for Democracy president Carl Gershman called the biggest prize and a first step toward unseating Putin in Moscow.

Gershmans grant-giving NED stepped up its operations inside Ukraine while Assistant Secretary Nuland, the wife of arch-neocon Robert Kagan, began pushing for regime change in Kiev (along with other neocons, including Sen. John McCain).

The Ukraine coup in 2014 drove a geopolitical wedge between Obama and Putin, since the Russian president couldnt just stand by when a virulently anti-Russian regime took power violently in Ukraine, which was the well-worn route for invasions into Russia and housed Russias Black Sea fleet at Sevastopol in Crimea.

Rather than defend the valuable cooperation provided by Putin, Obama went with the political flow and joined in the Russia-bashing as key neocons raised their sights and put Putin in the crosshairs .

An Unexpected Obstacle

For the neocons in 2016, there also was the excited expectation of a Hillary Clinton presidency to give more momentum to the expensive New Cold War. But then Trump, who had argued for a new detente with Russia, managed to eke out an Electoral College win.

Perhaps Trump could have diffused some of the hostility toward him but his narcissistic personality stopped him from extending an olive branch to the tens of millions of Americans who opposed him. He further demonstrated his political incompetence by wasting his first days in office making ridiculous claims about the size of his inaugural crowds and disputing the fact that he had lost the popular vote.

Widespread public disgust over his behavior contributed to the determination of many Americans to resist his presidency at all junctures and at all costs.

Russia-gate, the hazy suggestion that Putin put Trump in the White House and that Trump is a Putin puppet (as Clinton claimed), became the principal weapon to use in destroying Trumps presidency.

However, besides the risks to U.S. stability that would come from an Establishment-driven soft coup, there is the additional danger of ratcheting up tensions so high with nuclear-armed Russia that this extreme Russia-bashing takes on a life  or arguably many, many deaths  of its own.

Which is why America now might need a piercing satire of todays Russia-phobia or at least a revival of the Cold War classic, Dr. Strangelove, subtitled How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.

[For more on this topic, see Consortiumnews.coms  Watergate Redux or Deep State Coup .]

Investigative reporter Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories for The Associated Press and Newsweek in the 1980s. You can buy his latest book, Americas Stolen Narrative, either in print here or as an e-book (from Amazon and barnesandnoble.com ).

This article was first published by Consortium News

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.

Wilkerson: Trump "Needs a Good War" and Pence is Waiting in the Wings to Lead It
Washington is Preparing a Nuclear First Strike on Russia.

Are You Ready to Die?

By Paul Craig Roberts

Fifty years ago, the streets of Leningrad taught me one thing: If a fight is inevitable, you must strike first. Vladimir Putin

May 13, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - In George Orwells 1949 dystopian novel, 1984, information that no longer is consistent with Big Brothers explanations is chucked down the Memory Hole. In the real American dystopia in which we currently live, the information is never reported at all.

On April 2616 days agoLt. Gen. Viktor Poznihir, Deputy Chief of the Main Operations Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces, stated at the Moscow International Security Conference that the Operations Command of the Russian General Staff has concluded that Washington is preparing a nuclear first strike on Russia.

See:

https://www.rt.com/news/386276-us-missile-shield-russia-strike/

http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/04/us-forces-preparing-sudden-nuclear.html

https://www.times-gazette.com/ap%20general%20news/2016/10/12/russia-china-to-mull-joint-response-to-us-missile-shield

http://themillenniumreport.com/2017/04/us-forces-preparing-sudden-nuclear-strike-on-russia-moscow-security-conference/

The Times-Gazett in Ashland, Ohio, was the only US print media that a Google search could turn up that reported this most alarming of all announcements. A Google search turned up no reports on US TV, and none on Canadian, Australian, European, or any other media except RT and Internet sites.

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I have been unable to find any report that any US Senator or Representative or any European, Canadian, or Australian politician has raised a voice of concern.

No one in Washington got on the telephone to tell Putin that this was all a mistake, that the US was not preparing a nuclear first strike on Russia, or ask Putin how this serious situation could be defused.

Americans do not even know about it, except for my readers.

I would have expected at least that the CIA would have planted the story in the Washington Post, the New York Times, CNN, MSNBC, and NPR that General Poznihir was expressing his personal opinion, nothing to be taken seriously. But apparently Americans and their European vassals are not to even know that such an accussation was made.

As I reported some time ago and more recently in my column about North Korea, the Chinese leadership has also concluded that the US intends a nuclear first strike against China.

Alone either Russia or China can destroy the US. If they act together, the destruction of the US would be redundant. What is the intelligence, if any, and morality, clearly none, of the US leadership that recklessly and irresponsibly invites Russia and China to preempt Washingtons attack on them with an attack on the US?

Surely not even insouciant Americans are so stupid as to think that Russia and China will just sit there and wait for Washingtons nuclear attack.

I lived through every stage of the Cold War. I participated in it. Never in my life have I experienced the situation where two nuclear powers were convinced that the third was going to surprise them with a nuclear attack.

I supported Trump because he, unlike Hillary, said he would normalize relations with Russia. Instead he has raised the tensions between the nuclear powers. Nothing is more irresponsible or dangerous.

We currently are in the most dangerous situation of my lifetime, and there is ZERO AWARENESS AND NO DISCUSSION!

How can this be? Putin has been issuing warnings for years. He has told the Western presstitute media on more than one occasion that they, in their dishonesty, are pushing the world to nuclear war. Putin has said over and over, I issue warnings and no one hears. How do I get through to you?

Maybe the morons will hear when mushroom clouds appear over Washington and New York, and Europe ceases to exist, as it will if Europe continues the confrontation with Russia as is required from Washingtons well-paid vassals.

Within the last several years I reported the Chinese governments reaction to US war plans for a nuclear strike on China. The Chinese showed how their submarines would destroy the West Coast of the US and their ICBMs would finish off the rest of the country.

I reported all of this, and it produced no response. The Memory Hole wasnt needed, as neither Washington nor the presstitutes nor the Internet noticed. This is insouciance to the thousandth degree.

In America and its subservient, crawling on their knees vassal states, the information never gets reported, so it never has to be put down the Memory Hole.

If you convince someone that you are going to kill them, they are going to kill you first. A government, such as what exists in Washington, that convinces powerful countries that they are targeted, is a government that has no respect whatsoever for the lives of its own people or the peoples of the world or for any life on planet Earth.

Such a government as Washington is evil beyond all measure, as are the media whores and European, Canadian, Australian, and Japanese vassal states that serve Washington at the expense of their own citizens.

Despite all their efforts to believe otherwise, the Russian and Chinese leaderships have finally arrived, belatedly, at the realization that Washington is evil to the core and is the agent of Satan.

For Russia and China, the Satanic Evil that rules in the West has reduced the choice for Russia and China to them or us.

Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following. Roberts' latest books are The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West , How America Was Lost , and The Neoconservative Threat to World Order .
Home Syria - "The regime will be there" - U.S. Concedes Raqqa ... And The Syrian East? By Moon Of Alabama There are strong rumors that the U.S. intends to launch an invasion of east-Syria from Jordan with the aim of occupying the whole eastern area. The Syrian army and its allies launched a move towards the east (red) to prevent such an outcome . A new Wall Street Journal piece, primarily about the ISIS held city of Raqqa on the Euphrates, casts doubt on long term U.S. plans for such an occupation. Its core quote: "We wont be in Raqqa in 2020, but the regime will be there." There were already doubts that a big U.S. move in east-Syria was really going to happen. Jordan opposes any such move. While the U.S. and Jordan have trained, equipped and paid Syrian "rebels" to hold a zone of control in south-west Syria, little preparations have been seen for a large move in the south-east. The U.S. has so far vetted and trained at most 2,000 local Arab fighters in the area. Fewer are ready to go. Even with U.S. special forces embedded with them these forces are way too small to take an ISIS defended city or to capture or to hold a significant area. At least ten to twenty thousand troops would be needed (likely more) for such an endeavor. The current force is probably only tasked with taking a few border stations to close down the border between Syria and Iraq. (A move that Syrian and Iraqi forces will try to prevent.) The upcoming taking of Raqqa by U.S. forces and its Kurdish proxies is now endorsed by the Syrian government and its Russian allies. It seems that an agreement has been made without any public announcement. This agreement may well extend to the other eastern areas south of Raqqa. From the WSJ: The Kurd-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces captured Tabqa Wednesday, a day after the U.S. pledged to arm the fighters. On Monday, the Damascus government for the first time endorsed the groups battle against Islamic State, with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem complimenting the SDFs fight against Islamic State at a press conference in Damascus, describing the force as legitimate. The SDF is now the only ground force with both U.S. and Syrian government approval in the fight against Islamic State as the offensive on Raqqa draws near. The group has long co-existed with the Syrian government, unlike U.S.- backed factions that Damascus deems terrorists in light of their goal to oust President Bashar al-Assads regime.

...

U.S. President Donald Trump has made clear he opposes the expensive nation-building missions that have historically accompanied U.S. counterterrorism operations to support local governments and prevent insurgents from returning. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter For these reasons, Western diplomats say the post-capture plan is for the SDF to hand over the administration of Raqqa to a local civilian council friendly to the Syrian regime. That council could eventually transfer control of the city back to the regime, these diplomats said.

...

On Thursday, Russias Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said Moscow supports the formation of local councils to administer territory taken from Islamic State but said they must not circumvent the Syrian governments authority, in comments carried by Interfax news agency. The U.S. military will be going in [to Raqqa] and trying to figure out who the tribal leaders are, said an American official involved in the anti-Islamic State campaign. The regime knows these details. They have a natural home-field advantage and have a way of slowly getting back in. We wont be in Raqqa in 2020, but the regime will be there. Those are unexpected words under two aspects. First - a U.S. government official acknowledges, for the first time, that control of the area will go back to the Syrian government and second - Syrian and Russian officials are informed of and agree with these U.S. plans. A member of the currently selected Raqqa civilian council denied that the Syrian government will take charge but I doubt that she would be informed of such a high level issue. It is likely that this scheme extends to other parts of south-east-Syria and even to the north-eastern Kurdish held areas. U.S. Gulf allies and Israel would like the U.S. to occupy the east and to "block" a "Shia crescent" that reaches from Iran through Iraq and Syria to Hizbullah in Lebanon. But any U.S. position there would be a hostile occupation which would have to fight off Syrian government forces, local Arab resistance, remnants of ISIS and Shia militia from Iraq. The "Shia crescent" is anyway a chimera. Iran was well able to supply Hizbullah in Lebanon even as Iraq was occupied by U.S. forces. At that time the road from Iran to Syria was blocked, the alleged "Shia crescent" was interrupted but supplies to Hizbullah still flowed unhindered. Turkey, a U.S. NATO ally, will never agree to a Kurdish statelet in north-east Syria. Even a somewhat autonomous Kurdish area will only be tolerated if the Syrian government is in supreme control of it. A U.S. occupied zone in the landlocked Syrian east is of no strategic value to the U.S. It is surrounded by potential enemies and it would permanently require significant military resources. A return to Syrian government control is the best alternative. But despite a likely agreement the Syrian government forces will continue their moves towards the east. The U.S. can not be trusted. In September 2016 a ceasefire and cooperation deal was agreed upon between Secretary of State Kerry and the Russian government. The fight against ISIS would be coordinate between all countries, including Syria. The U.S. military sabotaged the deal by launching air attacks on Syrian government forces in Deir Ezzor which were besieged by ISIS. This enabled ISIS to take a significant part of the government held areas there and to nearly eliminate all those forces. The U.S.-Russian agreement fell apart. Any agreement with the U.S. that ISIS areas in Syria will fall back to government control, independent of who liberated them, should be welcome. Military hawks in the Trump administration, the sectarian Gulf countries as well as Israel will try to interrupt such a move. The Syrian government and its allies must therefore continue their own operations and liberate as many ares as possible by themselves. They must stay aware that a Trump administration might, at any time, revert to the old plan of establishing a "Salafist principality" in the area - even when such an unruly proxy would make little sense for it. This article was first published by Moon Of Alabama The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Reports: Unusual troop movements in Jordan near Syrian border ; Tanks, armor, and other support equipment moved to Jordanian compound 43 km from Syrian border as US, Jordan launch major military exercise. 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
Egregious Lies and Crimes Are The Foundation of Western Foreign Policy

By Mark Taliano

May 13, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Syrians are just like you and me.

They seek to live happy, secure lives, in which they can thrive and prosper.

NATO terrorists are destroying Syria, and they have been destroying Syria for about six years. Infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, water supplies, electric plants, roads and bridges have been and continue to be targeted and destroyed.

Video by Pierre Le Corf

Syrian resident and documentary film maker Tom Duggan bears witness to the terrorists willful destruction of schools and school infrastructure throughout Syria as well as the theft of factory equipment and the willful destruction of factories in Aleppo.

NATO terrorists deny Syrians safety, and the means to earn a living. They seek the complete destruction of Syria, its history, and its secular identity.

The real, evidence-based account of Syrias plight is obliterated by the Wests criminal mainstream media complex, which serves as an appendage of the warmongering elites.

Humanitarian Pierre Le Corf demonstrates that the sources for the Western news stories are not only embedded with the terrorists, but that, in some instances, as is the case with the infamous White Helmets, the sources are the terrorists.

Evidence from the liberation of Aleppo reveals that the White Helmets are FSA, that they are al Qaeda/al Nusra, and that they are Daesh/ISIS.

Video by Pierre Le Corf

Prof. Tim Anderson compiles the evidence from the above video in the photo montage below.

Western governments have lost their legitimacy. They do not represent the informed will of the people whom they claim to represent. They conduct their criminal foreign policy based on a foundation of lies.

The original source of this article is Global Research - Copyright  Mark Taliano , Global Research, 2017

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The Russian Hacking Fiasco





By Mike Whitney

May 13, 2017 " Information Clearing House " -Theres no proof that Russia hacked the US elections.

Theres no proof that Russian officials or Russian agents colluded with members of the Trump campaign.

Theres no proof that Russia provided material support of any kind for the Trump campaign or that Russian agents hacked Hillary Clintons emails or that Russian officials provided Wikileaks with emails that were intended to sabotage Hillarys chances to win the election.

So far, no one in any of the 17 US intelligence agencies has stepped forward and verified the claims of Russian meddling or produced a scintilla of hard evidence that Russia was in anyway involved in the 2016 elections.

No proof means no proof. It means that the people and organizations that are making these uncorroborated claims have no basis for legal action, no presumption of wrongdoing, and no grounds for prosecution. They have nothing. Zilch. Their claims, charges and accusations are like the soap bubbles we give to our children and grandchildren. The brightly-colored bubbles wobble across the sky for a minute or two and then, Poof, they vanish into the ether. The claims of Russia hacking are like these bubbles. They are empty, unsubstantiated rumors completely devoid of substance. Poof.

It has been eight months since the inception of this unprecedentedly-pathetic and infinitely-irritating propaganda campaign, and in those eight months neither the media nor the politicos nor the Intel agents who claim to be certain that Russia meddled in US elections, have produced anything that even remotely resembles evidence. Instead, they have trotted out the same lie over and over again ad nauseam from every newspaper, every tabloid and every televised news program in the country. Over and over and over again. The medias persistence is nearly as impressive as its cynicism, which is the one quality that they seem to have mastered. The coverage has been relentless, ubiquitous, pernicious and mendacious. The only problem is that theres not a grain of truth to any of it. It is all 100 percent, unalloyed baloney.

So it doesnt matter how many Democratic senators and congressmen disgrace themselves by lighting their hair on fire and howling about evil Putin or the imaginary threats to our precious democracy. Nor does it matter how many hyperbolic articles appear in media alleging sinister activities and espionage by diabolical Moscow Central. It doesnt matter because there is have absolutely zero solid evidence to support their ludicrous and entirely politically-based claims.

Whether Russia was involved in the US elections or not, is a matter of pure speculation. But speculation is not sufficient grounds for appointing a special prosecutor, nor are the lies and misinformation that appear daily in our leading newspapers, like the dissembling New York Times, the dissemblingWashington Post and the dissembling Wall Street Journal. The call for a special prosecutor is not based on evidence, it is based on politics, the politics of personal destruction. The Democrats and the media want this tool so they can rummage through whatever private information or paperwork anyone in the Trump administration might possess. So while they might not dig up anything relevant to the Russia hacking investigation, they will certainly gather enough sordid or suspicious information to annihilate the people in their crosshairs. And thats precisely what the special prosecutor provision is designed to do; it provides the administrations rivals with the weapons they need to conduct a massive fishing expedition aimed at character assassination and, ultimately, impeachment.

But, why?

Because Donald Trump had the audacity to win an election that was earmarked for establishment favorite and globalist warmonger-in-chief, Hillary Clinton. Thats what this witch hunt is all about, sour grapes.

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But why has Russia been chosen as the target in this deep state-media scam? What has Russia done to deserve all the negative press and unsupported claims of criminal meddling?

Thats easy. Just look at a map. For the last 16 years, the US has been rampaging across North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. Washington intends to control critical oil and natural gas reserves in the ME, establish military bases across Central Asia, and remain the dominant player in an area of that is set to become the most populous and prosperous region of the world. Its the Great Game all over again, only this time-around, Uncle Sam is in the drivers seat not the Queen of England.

But one country has upset that plan, blocked that plan, derailed that plan.

Russia.

Russia has stopped Washingtons murderous marauding and genocidal depredations in Ukraine and Syria, which is why the US foreign policy establishment is so pissed-off. US elites arent used to obstacles.

For the last quarter of a century since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union the world had been Washingtons oyster. If the president of the United States wanted to invade a country in the Middle East, kill a million people, and leave the place in a smoldering pile of rubble, then who could stop him?

Nobody. Because Washington owns this fu**ing planet and everyone else is just a visitor.

Capisce?

But now all thats changed. Now evil Putin has thrown up a roadblock to US hegemony in Syria and Ukraine. Now Washingtons landbridge to Central Asia has been split in two, and its plan to control vital pipeline corridors from Qatar to the EU is no longer viable. Russia has stopped Washington dead-in-its tracks and Washington is furious.

The anti-Russia hysteria in the western media is equal to the pain the US foreign policy establishment is currently experiencing. And the reason the foreign policy establishment is in so much pain, is because they are not getting their way. Its that simple. Their global strategy is in a shambles because Russia will not let them topple the Syrian government, install their own puppet regime, redraw the map of the Middle East, run roughshod over international law, and tighten their grip on another battered war-torn part of the world.

So now Russia must pay. Putin must be demonized and derided. The American people must be taught to hate Russia and all-things Russian. And, most of all, Russia must be blamed for anything and everything under the sun, including the firing of a completely worthless sack of sh** FBI Director, James Comey, who at various times in his career approved or defended some of the worst abuses of the Bush administration.including torture , warrantless wiretapping, and indefinite detention. (ACLU)

This is the low-down, good-for-nothing scalawag that the Democrats are now defending tooth in nail.

Its pathetic.

Russia has become the all-purpose punching bag because Washingtons plans for global domination have gone up in smoke.
Will America Partition Syria?





U.S. strategy seems to be shifting toward creating a buffer state between Iran and Israel.



By Sharmine Narwani

May 13, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - BEIRUTGiven the rhetoric of most U.S. policymakers, one might conclude that the conflict in Syria is about establishing freedom and democracy in the Levantine state. But no genuine aspiration for democracy ever came from a line-up of allies that includes countries like Saudi Arabia, Israel , Qatar, and Turkey. Seen from the Middle East, American intervention here appears to be aimed at putting the last genuinely independent Arab state under Washingtons sphere of influenceand cutting off a key Iranian ally in the region.

Today, after six years of regime-change operations that failed to unseat Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and install a compliant regime in Damascus, the wests strategy seems to be shifting toward partitioning Syria. Specifically, the new U.S. policy would seek to sever the unimpeded geographic line between Iran and Israel by creating a buffer entity that runs through Iraq and Syria.

But heres the twist: in Syrias northeast/east and in Iraqs northwest/west, where the Islamic State once occupied a vast swathe of territory, ISIS has helped to enable this U.S. goal by delineating the borders of this future buffer zone.

The only question is which U.S. asset will rule that buffer zone once it is liberated from ISIS. Would it be Sunni Arabs of the sectarian variety? A declassified 2012 Defense Intelligence Agency report seemed to suggest this option when it confirmed U.S. and Western support for the establishment of a Salafist Principality on the Syrian-Iraqi border.

Or will it be a Kurdish-ruled zone? U.S.-Kurdish machinations have, after all, borne a similar Shia-thwarting buffer on Irans western border with Iraq, with the creation of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) headed by the famously opportunistic and corrupt Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani.

Either way, what transpired is this: ISIS occupied the areas flanking Syria and Iraqs northern border. The U.S.-led coalition has had a presence in these territories for several years, without impairing ISIS control. At the right time, under U.S. cover, Kurds are moving in to recapture them.

Kurds constitute a minority in all these governorates, which is how the presence of ISIS became a valuable U.S./Kurdish strategic asset. ISISs invasion of these areas is delineating the borders of the new entity and depopulating itcreating an opportunity for Washington to champion the Kurds as the primary liberating force within those borders, after which Kurds can claim this territorial bounty.

This is conquest masquerading as liberation, says Assyrian writer Max Joseph , who explains how KDP Peshmerga forces disarmed Assyrian Christians and Yezidis two weeks before ISIS invaded in August 2014, then retreated from their promise to protect those populations just as ISIS entered Sinjar and the Nineveh Plains.

In the immediate aftermath of the ISIS invasion, Reuters quoted a KRG official saying: Everyone is worried, but this is a big chance for us. ISIL gave us in two weeks what Maliki couldnt give us in eight years.

By disarming and disabling communities who live in territories the Kurdish leadership have designs on controlling, then letting a ready-made aggressive foreign force invade and uproot native communities, forcing them to flee, KRG forces backed by Western airstrikes will be seen as retaking land never even theirs, explains Joseph.

Two years later, in July 2016, the KRGs Peshmerga ministry gave credence to those claims by announcing that Peshmerga forces will not withdraw from areas they have recaptured from the Islamic State.

This is nothing less than an attempt to establish Kurdistan, a nation for the historically stateless Kurds, which has long-envisioned swallowing up parts of Syria, Iraq, Turkey, and Iran.

Some context helps explain the current situation. The KDP-ruled Kurdish entity in Iraq currently governs vast areas stretching from Irans western border to the Turkish border, stopping short east of Mosul and Kirkuk (an oil-rich city it openly covets). But the KDP has aspirations that run through Mosul to the western province of Ninevehthe historic home of a Christian Assyrian populationwhich would create a contiguous line across the north of Iraq to the Syrian border.

Last week, the Kurdistan flag was hoisted above all government buildings in Kirkuk a move deemed unconstitutional and opposed by local non-Kurdish leaders and the Iraqi government alike.

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A Syrian-Kurdish Entity?

In Syria, one can see a picture developing that mirrors Iraqs experiences with the Kurds, Americans, and ISIS. Under U.S. patronage, areas occupied by the terror group are allowed to be recaptured by Kurdish forces, with a smattering of subordinate Arab Sunni forces to lend broader legitimacy.

Kurdish-controlled territory now traverses much of Syrias three northern governorates where Kurds remain a minorityHasakah, Raqqa, and Aleppoand has earned the wrath of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has sent in troops and Arab proxies to break this Kurdish corridor, placing him in direct confrontation with the objectives of Washington, his NATO ally.

The Kurdish Nationalist Party (PYD) and its military wing. the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), have unilaterally declared Hasakah a federal Kurdish state , a designation that is unrecognized by the Syrian government and other states. But Kurds barely make up 40 percent of the governorates population, which consists of Assyrians, Arabs, Armenians, Turkmen, and other ethnic groups as well. Likewise, in Aleppo , the most populous of Syrias 14 governorates, where 40 percent of Syrian Kurds reside, Kurds make up only 15 percent of the population and are a majority only in Afrin and Ayn al-Arab (Kobane).

Meanwhile, Kurdish nationalists identify all of Hasakah and northern Raqqa/ Aleppo as Rojovaor Western Kurdistaneven though significant Kurdish populations live outside these areas and significant non-Kurdish populations live within them. Furthermore, many of these Kurds are not of Syrian origin, but fled Turkey last century after several failed uprisings against that state. The entire Kurdish population of Syria amounts to about 10 percent (although figures are slightly disputed both upward and downward). Hundreds of thousands of Kurds have since fled the conflict in Syria for safer shores. And there is not a single contiguous line of Kurdish majority-populated areas from the northeast to northwest of Syria.

Yet the U.S. is storming ahead with Project Buffer State, erecting military bases left, right, and center, in violation of Syrias sovereignty and international law. Various news reports claim the Pentagon and its 1,000 or so troops in Syria have established up to six bases in the north of the countryin the Rmelan region near the Iraqi border, in Qamishli (Hasakah), Kobane (Aleppo), and now in Tabqa, several dozen kilometers west of the ISIS capital of Raqqa.

But the American plan to storm Raqqa has stalled due to Turkeys refusal to be excluded, and its objection to Syrian Kurdish involvement. Washington wants its Syrian Defense Forces (SDF) allies to liberate the city, but this group consists mainly of YPG Kurds who are aligned with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) , a Turkish and U.S.-designated terrorist group. The U.S. pretends these Kurdish militias are the only fighting force that can defeat ISIS. Never mind that the Syrian army and its allied troops have been defeating ISIS and al-Qaeda-affiliated militants around the country for years.

The inconvenient fact is, besides the Kurdsnot all of whom back the U.S. project on the Syrian-Iraqi borderno forces have fought ISIS and other terrorist groups more successfully than the Syrian army and its Iranian, Russian, and Hezbollah allies.

By contrast, ISIS actually expanded and strengthened after the U.S.-led coalition began its strikes against the terror group. Recall ISIS trekking in plain sight across the Syrian border from Iraq to capture Palmyraor tankers filled with ISIS oil crossing over to Turkey with nary a U.S. strike. It wasnt until the Russian air force entered the fray and shamed the U.S. coalition that ISIS began to suffer some defeats. Washington had only really contained ISIS within the borders it was shaping, not struck any serious blows to the group.

After all, it is Washingtons awkward alliance in the regionSaudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, Britain, France, Israelthat has supported the growth of ISIS and like-minded extremists. U.S. President Donald Trump even went so far as to accuse his predecessor Barack Obama of being the founder of ISIS.

Certainly, Obama watched as his Turkish NATO ally allowed ISIS freedom of movement across its borders and purchased its stolen oil in bulk. We also now know via email leaks that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was aware that U.S. anti-ISIS coalition allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar were funding ISIS.

Why would Washington tolerate allied support of the very terrorist group it claims to want to destroy? By portraying ISIS as the worst of all terror groups, al-Qaeda and its affiliatesby far the most efficient fighting force against the Syrian army and its allieswere able to fly under the radar to fight for regime change. Furthermore, a globally demonized ISIS has also provided justification for direct Western action that might otherwise have been impossible after humanitarian interventions lost their allure, post-Libya. Finally, this supposedly very dangerous ISIS was able to invade and occupy, for great lengths of time, territories on the Syrian-Iraqi border that would create the boundaries for a buffer state that could eventually be liberated and led by Western-controlled proxies.

Stealing Syria

If the U.S. forges ahead with plans to lead its Kurdish allies into the Raqqa battle it will risk further alienating Turkey. Dont expect ISIS to be defeated, however. Instead, expect ISIS to be driven southward toward Deirezzor and other eastern points along Iraqs border, where the terror groups presence can act yet again as a U.S. strategic asset specifically, by moving the fight away from Washingtons Kurdish project in the north and hindering the ability of Iraqi militias to cross the border in aid of Syrian troops.

Thats not such a leap. Deirezzor is where U.S. fighter jets bombed the Syrian army for an hour straight last September, killing over 100 Syrian forces. The strikes enabled ISIS to capture several strategic points around Deirezzor airport, which the Syrian state was dependent on to protect populations in the ISIS-besieged area. The Pentagon swore it was an error, the Syrians and Russians swore it was not.

Meanwhile, in Syrias south, U.S.-backed militants , aided by Jordanians, Saudis, and the usual Western suspects, are rallying their forces to expand the ground battle inside Syria.

Why the sudden surge of activity? Mainly because the Syrian government and its allies have, since the liberation of East Aleppo in January, succeeded in pushing back terrorists in key areas, regaining strategic territory, and striking reconciliation and ceasefire deals in other parts of the state.

Western states with the United States at their head interfere in favor of the terrorists whenever the Syrian Arab Army makes a significant advance, Assad observed in a recent interview.

But the U.S. overestimates its capabilities. With few troops on the ground, radical militants as allies, and pushback from Syria, Iran, Turkey, Russia, and Iraq, Washington will face a steep climb ahead.

In fact, all U.S. gains could be abruptly reversed with this one Kurdish card . Nothing is more likely to draw Syrians, Iraqis, Turks, and Iranians together than the threat of a Kurdish national entity that will seek to carve itself out of these four states. And as the U.S. tries to establish self-rule by its allies in the northeast of Syria, it will once again be confronted with the same crippling infighting that comes from foisting an un-organic leadership onto populations.

Syria will become an American quagmire. Washington simply cannot manage its partition plans with so few troops on the ground, surrounded by the terror forces it so recently spawned, as able adversaries chip away at its project. Stealing Syria will not be an easy trick.
Home Trumps Deep Ties To Russian Mob



Documentary By Zembla



Dutch TV did what no American TV network dares, suggesting Trump's past includes illegal racketeering. Powerful billionaires suspected of money laundering and fraud, and of having contacts in Moscow and with the mafia. What do these relationships say about Trump and why does he deny them?



Zembla is a Dutch television documentary programme by VARA and NPS. The documentaries are based on in-depth research. The program often deals with controversial topics. Posted May 13, 2017 Part 2 THE DUBIOUS FRIENDS OF DONALD TRUMP: THE RUSSIANS By Dutch Public Broadcasting Although still in its early days, Donald Trumps presidency is coming under fire. The Russians are alleged to be in possession of sensitive information about Trump. And that exposes Trump to blackmail. Fake news, tweets Trump: I have nothing to do with Russia  no deals, no loans, no nothing! Trump swears he has no ties with the Russians. But is that actually the case? For months, the FBI have been investigating Russian interference in the American presidential elections. ZEMBLA is investigating another explosive dossier concerning Trumps involvement with the Russians: Trumps business and personal ties to oligarchs from the former Soviet Union. Powerful billionaires suspected of money laundering and fraud, and of having contacts in Moscow and with the mafia. What do these relationships say about Trump and why does he deny them? How compromising are these dubious business relationships for the 45th president of the United States? And are there connections with the Netherlands? ZEMBLA meets with one of Trumps controversial cronies and speaks with a former CIA agent, fraud investigators, attorneys, and an American senator among others.

ZEMBLA: 'The Dubious Friends of Donald Trump: The Russians' Wednesday 3 May 2017, 9:10pm, VARA on NPO 2 and on this page. Dossier 1 KazBay B.V. Investigations conducted by ZEMBLA show that Bayrock has formed a business construction in the Netherlands, which may have been used to siphon off one and a half million dollars. In this enterprise, Bayrock collaborated with Viktor Khrapunov, a fugitive ex-mayor and governor from Kazakhstan. The Kazakhstan government accuses Khrapunov of systematically looting hundreds of millions of public assets. The network of companies works as follows:

The hub of the enterprise is the Dutch letter box company KazBay B.V. In the act of incorporation it states that KazBay is owned by two companies: the Dutch firm Bayrock B.V. and the Swiss company Helvetic Capital S.A. This email explains that Trumps business partner Bayrock Group L.L.C. is behind Bayrock BV, and that the actual owner of Helvetic Capital S.A. is none other than the wife of Viktor Khrapunov.



This mail clearly refers to the use of a Dutch go-between company. Its contents also reveal that the Dutch construction was formed by the law firm of Rudy Giuliani who, at the time, was a partner in Bracewell & Giuliani LLP, and is also a Trump confidante. In this agreement Bayrock and Khrapunov agree to deposit 1.48 million dollars in KazBay. On 25 September, Bayrock transfers its share of 740,000 dollars, evidence of which is recorded in the bank statements .



Bayrock informs an investor that the 1.48 million was invested in mining operations in Kazakhstan. According to this email the business partner asks to see records of the expenses. Bayrock, however, appears unable to account for the 1.5 million dollars. When ZEMBLA asks about the suspect investments, Bayrock declines to answer. In a response Bayrock told ZEMBLA that: Bayrock B.V. and KazBay B.V. were entities formed with the advice of outside legal counsel as part of the structuring of an investment by Bayrock. The investment was not successful and the structure subsequently was abandoned. We have vociferously denied the baseless allegations made in the Kriss lawsuit. We will not comment on matters that are subject to ongoing litigation. In the Kriss vs Bayrock lawsuit a former Bayrock employee accuses the company of perpetrating large-scale tax fraud and of running a criminal organisation. The Dutch intermediaries were directors of KazBay for eighteen months. During this time, various articles were published, exploring the murky past of Bayrock and Khrapunov. Six months ago, the Financial Times wrote this article about Khrapunov and his business partner Bayrock, accusing KazBay of operating as a money laundering channel. Dossier 2: Trump & Felix Sater Donald Trump appeared entirely unconcerned by the criminal background of his then business partner Felix Sater. In an email to an investor, Saterobserves that Trumps main consideration was to turn the situation to his own financial advantage. In the email, Sater refers to a meeting that took place on 23 January 2008. According to internal documents belonging to Bayrock, the gathering was an important meeting which required the presence of all Trump SoHo business partners. Prior to the meeting, Sater appears to have been in contact with Trump. I n an e-mail Sater tells his colleagues: Donald is happy with me. At the time of the meeting, Trump is fully aware of Saters past. A month earlier, on 17 December 2007, the New York Times published an article on Sater and his criminal deeds. On 19 December 2007, Donald Trump declares his intention to look into the matter. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter Frederick Oberlander Frederick Oberlander is a New York-based attorney specialised in tax law. He took legal action as far as the United States Supreme Court calling for the public disclosure of the sealed legal dossier of Felix Sater. His attempts have proved largely successful. Previously, a variety of lower courts had ruled that Oberlander was enjoined from in any way revealing secret documents on Sater that he had obtained from a Bayrock employee, and instructed not to refer to the case at all. 'qui tam' case

Oberlander has been conducting legal proceedings against Bayrock for years. He instigated whats known as a qui tam case against the company in 2015. qui tam is a specifically American law suit filed by a private individual, acting as prosecutor (a private Attorney General) to recover misappropriate government funds (in this case taxes). In the case against Bayrock, the public prosecutor of the State of New York has given Oberlander the go-ahead to represent a group of clients who are suing Bayrock on behalf of themselves and the State of New York. According to Oberlander, Tevfik Arif, Felix Sater and Julius Schwartz are guilty of perpetrating various types of fraud, and have attempted to conceal their fraudulent activities.



Dossier 3: Bayrocks deal with the FL Group This presentation divulges that the Icelandic investment company FL Group is one of Bayrocks strategic partners. In 2007, the two companies sign a million-dollar property development agreement. Donald Trump approves the agreement, and also adds his signature . Court documents state that Russian investors, who are supporters of Vladimir Putin, are said to be behind the FL Group. The documents also refer to a covert plan concocted by FL and Bayrock. Together, the companies are purported to have been planning a tax fraud amounting to 250 million dollars. In their above-mentioned response, Bayrock let us know they have no intention of commenting on cases that are subject to ongoing litigation. The FL Group (now known as Stodir after a restructuring in 2009) informed Zembla as follows: - " FL Groups total investment in the Bayrock project(s) was USD 80 million. - After the restructuring, we had our advisors and lawyers review the project, with the aim to recover value or find out if Stodir had any rightful claims  but without any success and no value was recovered. - we have no knowledge or information about most of your questions, apart from the ones that relate directly to FL Group. - We see no evidence about Russian investors in FL Group, at least no Russian entity was ever registered on FL Groups shareholders list. - We see no evidence about FL Group investing in Kazakhstan."



Reactions to 'The dubious friends of Donald Trump: the Russians':



Felix Sater denies having threatened people with violence. In spite of repeated requests, Sater has not answered ZEMBLAs questions. Donald Trump, Alexander Machkevich and Viktor Khrapunov have not responded either. This is the statement of Bayrock and Tevfik Arif : Bayrock B.V. and KazBay B.V. were entities formed with the advice of outside legal counsel as part of the structuring of an investment by Bayrock. The investment was not successful, and the structure subsequently was abandoned. We have vociferously denied the baseless allegations made in the Kriss lawsuit. We will not comment on matters that are subject to ongoing litigation. FL Group (which is now called Stodir after going through a restructuring in 2009) lets ZEMBLAs know: - "FL Groups total investment in the Bayrock project(s) was USD 80 million. - After the restructuring, we had our advisors and lawyers review the project, with the aim to recover value or find out if Stodir had any rightful claims - but without any success and no value was recovered. - We have no knowledge or information about most of your questions, apart from the ones that relate directly to FL Group. - We see no evidence about Russian investors in FL Group, at least no Russian entity was ever registered on FL Groups shareholders list. - We see no evidence about FL Group investing in Kazakhstan."



Frederick Oberlander

Frederick Oberlander is a New York-based attorney specialised in tax law.



He took legal action as far as the United States Supreme Court calling for the public disclosure of the sealed legal dossier of Felix Sater. His attempts have proved largely successful. Previously, a variety of lower courts had ruled that Oberlander was enjoined from in any way revealing secret documents on Sater that he had obtained from a Bayrock employee, and instructed not to refer to the case at all.



Oberlander has been conducting legal proceedings against Bayrock for years. He instigated whats known as a qui tam case against the company in 2015. qui tam is a specifically American law suit filed by a private individual, acting as prosecutor (a private Attorney General) to recover misappropriate government funds (in this case taxes).



In the case against Bayrock, the public prosecutor of the State of New York has given Oberlander the go-ahead to represent a group of clients who are suing Bayrock on behalf of themselves and the State of New York.



According to Oberlander, TevfikArif, Felix Sater and Julius Schwartz are guilty perpetrating various types of fraud, and have attempted to conceal their fraudulent activities. https://zembla.vara.nl/dossier/uitzending/the-dubious-friends-of-donald-trump-the-russians 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 Trumps alleged mob ties : Donald Trumps possible links with organized crime have been under scrutiny for many years. Joy Reid and her panel detail the alleged connections. 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
Emerging images from an accident scene shows several officials of the Nigeria Custom Service massively injured in the line of operation.

A Hausa social media media platform has reported a ghastly motor accident involving some officials of the Customs who were chasing smugglers in the northern part of the country.

Tragedy struck when the vehicle of the officials had an accident and several people were injured. The death rate is currently unknown but their vehicle was mangled and officers could be seen lying in agony before being evacuated for medical attention.

See more images:
The Kano State House of Assembly has set up an 8-man committee to investigate the allegations levelled against the Emir of Kano, Mallam Muhammadu Sanusi II, bordering on alleged misappropriation of funds.

Flamboyant Emir of Kano and former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Muhammadu Sanusi II is in trouble and may be dethroned anytime from now by the Kano state government.

To actualize the plan, the Kano State House of Assembly has launched an investigation against him over alleged abuse of office and improper conduct.

The emirate council is already being investigated by the state anti-corruption agency over allegation of financial fraud running into billions of naira.

The House on Wednesday, constituted an 8-man committee to investigate eight offences allegedly committed by the emir.

The committee was constituted following a motion by Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmad Gama, Nassarawa Constituency.

The 8-man committee was headed by a member representing Warawa, Alhaji Labaran Abdul.

The allegations are:

1. Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and the state legislators are mismanaging the state resources while on an official visit to China.

2. Making remarks in Kaduna on the proposed Kano light rail project which had tarnished his (Gama) image, the government and the assembly as well.

3. Allegation by the emir that the state governor and his entourage wasted one month in China seeking for loan to construct the light rail in the state.

On the above allegations, Gama said First of all, we did not spend one month in China. We only spent four days and our mission was to find out the capability of the company to handle the rail project but not to secure any loan as alleged by the emir.

He added that the emirs allegation had caused serious embarrassment to him (the lawmaker), the state government and the House of Assembly within and outside the state.

Other allegations levelled against Sanusi include:

1. Intentionally attacking President Muhammadu Buhari whenever he got an opportunity to speak at a public gathering. He said this had contravened the culture of traditional institution.

2. Embezzlement of funds belonging to the emirate council.

3. Tarnishing the image of the emirate by assigning his daughter to represent him at a public function, introducing strange religious issues and involvement in politics.

4. Downgrading the honour of the Kano emirate council by assigning his daughter to represent him at a function organised by the #BringBackourGirls# group in Abuja, saying it was against the emirates tradition.

On this Gama said: There are many responsible members of Kano emirate council members that can represent the emir at the event instead of his daughter. This is the first time we are witnessing this kind of representation in the history of Kano emirate council.

The mode of dressing of the Emirs daughter at the event was an embarrassment not only to the emirate council but the entire people of Kano, he lamented.

Gama, therefore, appealed to the house to investigate the activities of the emirate council with a view to correcting things.

It would also be recalled that the Kano state Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission is currently investigating Kano emirate council over alleged embezzlement of over N6 billion in three years.

It was gathered that, three officials of the emirate council were expected to appear before the commission today (Thursday) to answer some questions as a continuation of the ongoing investigation which the commission commenced last month.

However, the Chairman of Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Agency, Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado said that Kano state House of Assembly did not notify the commission on its decision to launch investigation into the activities of the emirate council.

He said, The commission has suspended its investigation pending the outcome of the Assemblys. This is because according to the section 16 of the commissions law, we are prevented from investigating any matter that is before the State Assembly, Executive and or court of law.

And the law of the commission is a product of Kano State House of Assembly. So, as a mark of respect, we have suspended our investigation into the embezzlement of over N6bn by the Kano State Emirate Council pending the outcome of the House of Assemblys investigation.

When contacted for comment, Walin Kano, Alhaji Mahe Bashir Wali, said the emirate had not yet received any invitation letter from the State House of Assembly in respect of the probe.

I only heard about the development on television, but we did not receive any invitation letter from the house in that respect, he said.

Source: NaijaLoaded
A relative of one of the rescued Chibok girls, Peter Joseph, says the Federal Government has barred the girls from telling their parents or relatives about their experiences in Boko Haram captivity.

Joseph said this during a programme on Al Jazeera titled, The Stream.

He said his niece was one of the 21 schoolgirls rescued in October 2016 while his sister is still in Boko Haram captivity.

Joseph said over six months since their rescue, the schoolgirls had not been united with their families.

He said in December last year, the girls were allowed to return to Chibok but were kept in a government facility where their parents visited them. He said the girls were not allowed to go to their parents homes.

Joseph said, I think there is something that the Federal Government does not want us to know and that is why they are keeping them away. Even when they [the schoolgirls] travelled to Chibok, they were not allowed to go to their houses.

They were kept in government facilities in Chibok and anyone who visited them was made to sign a register, state the village where they came from, whom they wanted to see and then a time limit was given, after which you were asked to leave and there were certain things that you were not allowed to ask the girls.

You cant ask them about their experiences in Sambisa Forest. I mean, we dont get it. Even now that 82 girls have been rescued, what has the government done about them? Up till today, the families have not met the girls.

Joseph berated the Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan, for saying that the girls were free to leave the government facilities anytime they wanted.

He said, The Women Affairs minister is not saying the truth about this. What does she mean by the girls can leave at anytime when they dont even allow family members or people that are concerned about them to come close to them?

I wish she was here so that I would be able to ask her some questions personally because this thing has been bothering us the members of the family. The fact still remains that the Nigerian government needs to be open to the family members; the government needs to be open to everyone that is concerned.

We dont get it. I mean, are you trying to hide something? Is there something they dont want us to hear from the girls? What are they hiding from us?

Joseph said it seemed the girls had been transferred from Boko Haram captivity to government captivity.

He said, Nobody is allowed to see them. So, its like another imprisonment, but this one has to do with the government.

However, a top government official told our correspondent that the girls were being kept away from their families and friends for security reasons.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak with the media, said the girls were being prevented to speak because investigations were ongoing.

He said, We are preventing the girls from saying too much because we dont want them to say anything about their location that could tip-off the terrorists. We are still negotiating the release of 113 girls and any sensitive information that is released could jeopardise negotiations or investigations.

All efforts to get Alhassan proved abortive as her mobile phone was switched off as of the time of filing this report.
The former National President of Iron and Steel Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Mr Otori Saliu, has advised the Federal government to use part of the recovered loots to revive the Ajaokuta Steel Plant.

Saliu gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.

He urged the Federal Government to use part of the recovered loots to complete the remaining two per cent of the Ajaokuta steel company.

According to him, the facilities in Ajaokuta steel can not be compared or found in any steel company abroad; it is integrated and can produce steel for making cars and fix cars.

The Ajaokuta steel is integrated, it has 43 plants where steel needed for cars, aeroplane, among others, can be manufactured and assembled because it is an integrated steel plant, he said.

He said that government should expedite action with strong political will to get Ajaokuta running, adding that some past administrations had promised to revive the steel company during political campaigns, but failed to fulfill the promise.

According to him, workers are working on the abandoned company 24 hours, especially at the down stream end of the plant to prevent it from submerging due to its closeness to River Niger.

In spite of their commitment to safeguarding the upstream and downstream sections of the steel plant, the Federal Government has continued to pay Ajaokuta workers low salary.

We are trying our best to test run the equipment in the plant to ensure they are still functioning.

We have staff working at the down stream section 24 hours pumping out water that found its way into the plant, if this is not done, Ajaokuta could submerged within few days.

NAN reports that stakeholders in the steel sector have urged the Federal Government to expedite action in reviving the Ajaokuta steel through Public-Private Partnership model.

Source : ( PM News )
The unrest in Ikorodu has continued as lives and properties have continued to be lost.

Four youths were lynched by a mob in Araromi suburb of Ikorodu, Lagos on Friday when a land-grabbing matter degenerated into an attack and counter-attack.

It was gathered that learnt from residents of the community that around 10am on Friday, the victims had stormed a building site around the community, in retaliation for a previous attack.

A resident, who pleaded anonymity, alleged that the victims were land-grabbers popularly called omo-onile in Lagos.

According to the resident, on Thursday evening, there was an attack by land-grabbers on the people working on the land in question.

We dont really know the identity of the people involved but it seemed today, the people who were attacked on the land on Thursday, reinforced and came to the area today, he said.

Saturday PUNCH learnt that the four victims had successfully carried out their attack and were on their way back when they were ambushed around Araromi and a crowd lynched them when some weapons were found on them.

Some residents said it was believed that they were followers of Badoo, a dreaded rapist and robber who had been accused of carrying out many attacks in the past year in Ikorodu and environs.

A resident explained that the victims were chased to Araromi by the people they earlier attacked, accusing them of killing one of them.

Saturday PUNCH had not been able to confirm such killing as of the time of filing this report.

But when the victims were confronted at Araromi, a crowd that gathered became violent when they were told that they were Badoos followers.

A community leader in the area, Alhaji Karim Adebola, told Saturday PUNCH that he received a call when the youths were first apprehended.

He said, When they called me that they had caught four Badoos boys, I told them to be patient. I called a policeman around Imota and told them to help find out what was happening in our community because I was not at home.

They called me after they got there and said the four youths had been killed before they got there. I later got the reports that the residents said they found guns on the victims. They said the victims were being chased from Okegbodo till they were caught at Araromi.

Shortly after the murder of the youths, a mob of youths from another community where the victims were said to have come from, descended on Araromi and started destroying houses.

Adebola who called on police authorities in the state for help, explained that some houses were being burnt as the angry youths protested the killing.

It was learnt that the rampaging youths denied any connection between the victims and Badoo.

As of the time of filing this report, the identity of the victims had not been determined.

A video shot at the scene of the victims lynching, which was obtained by our correspondent showed they might have been beating to death with large sticks as their battered bodies lay in a heap with tires around them as many people in the crowd standing around the corpses held phones recording the scene.
Theres this Kenya lady who has exposed her husbands mistress and narrated how she has been milking him dry. According to the lady, she snooped on her husbands phone and found out that he has promised her a plot of land.

This woman want to ruin my marriage. She snatched my husband and flew to Dubai. My husband is crazy about her. He has promised her a plot and is even sending her money in Dubai. Amekula pesa za mzee wangu mingi sana through Mpesa The lady ranted.

She vowed to teach her a lesson by be-witching her.  I will visit Zanzibar and be-witch her. She will know I am from Kabete The lady further ranted.

This is how she posted, and see photos of her husbands curvy clande in the next page.

Source; Facebook
One of the negotiators of the Federal government has explained why some Chibok girls has decided not to return home,the Chibok girl said she found her husband at the terrorist camp and would love to be with him.

In a new video released by the terrorist group, four of the supposed Chibok girls, one of them armed with AK 47, explained why they do not want to return home.

The girls spoke in Hausa that she was not ready to leave her husband saying she has found a new home.

Source: ( Linda Ikeji )
A suspicious Nigerian has been arrested in Malawi while criminally concealing some thousands of dollars.

The Malawi Police at Kamuzu International Airport (KIA), Lilongwe, on Monday afternoon May 8, arrested a 43-year old Nigerian national for attempting to externalise US$7,000 (MK5 million), which was hidden in his hand luggage.

KIA Spokesperson Sapulain Chitonde, identified the suspect as Egemonye Christian Chinedu, from Nnewi and holder of a Nigerian Passport number A05010761.

Chinedu was apprehended inside the Departures Lounge at around 13:00 hours, as he waited to board a Nigerian-bound Kenyan Airways flight.

Chitonde told The Maravi Post that the suspect was physically searched by Police Officers manning the check point, and the said amount of US$7,000, was discovered.

The KIA Spokesperson said the Nigerian failed to provide evidence from authorised Forex dealers, when he was asked to show supporting documents.
The Nasarawa State Chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, has commenced an indefinite strike this Saturday morning following the state governments inability to meet their demands. The workers had earlier given the state government up till May11, 2017 to meet their demands or face an industrial action.

The state Secretary of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mohammed Naibi said the strike became imperative after the expiration of the ultimatum given to the state government.

In his words, In the past six years, all the civil servants in the state had stagnated with no promotion and annual increment. Pensioners were also not paid their full entitlements as and when due; these are some of our grievances.

The state government has however threatened to sanction workers who fail to report to their duty posts. Thomas Ogiri, the states Head of Service, called on workers to disregard the strike directive, saying the NLC was in disarray.

He directed permanent secretaries and chief executives of commissions, boards and parastatal, and agencies to take attendance of their staff saying that failure to comply with the directive would attract punishment while absenteeism would not be condoned.
The leadership of the Nigeria Police Force has been mandated by the court of law to make available some millions of naira to their embattled Peace Corp counterpart.

An Abuja High Court has issued a garnishee order attaching the money belonging to the Nigeria police in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the purpose of settlement of judgment debt incurred by the police in the judgment against them.

The garnishee order is directing the police to pay the incorporated trustees of Peace Corps of Nigeria and its National Commandant, Ambassador, Dickson Akoh a sum of N11,270,000 from its account with number 0020054161043 maintained at the CBN.

The N11.2m was awarded in favor of the judgment creditors by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja judgement delivered against the police on March 26,2014.

Although, the judgment was delivered in 2014, the National Commandant of the Peace Corps, Ambassador, Dickson Akoh was said to have prevailed on lawyers not to enforce the judgment in the interest of cordial relationship between his organization, police and other arms of security agencies.

However, the board of PCN was said to have resolved to enforce all the existing judgments against police, in view of the continued antagonism, harassment and intimidation of officers and men of the Corps.

Justice Sylvanus Chinedu Oriji, issued the garnishee order upon an exparte motion argued on behalf of the Peace Corps of Nigeria by Barrister J. E. Chukwuma.

In an enrollment of court order dated March 17,2017, and signed by the judge and the court Senior Registrar, Mr. Akpabio Micheal Brown, the garnishee was issued, so as to satisfy the judgment debt awarded against police and in favour of the creditors comprising Mr Shuaib, Mr Peter Ojoma and miss Joy Obakachi.

The court had in 2010 declared that, the directives, instructions, signals and orders issued to all police zones, officers and agents by police to ban and disrupt the activities of the Peace Corps were Unlawful and unconstitutional.

The court in the judgment declared that the detention of the officers of the Peace Corps at the Force Criminal Investigation Department in Garki and Apo Legislative Quarters police station for a total of 29 days was Unlawful and unconstitutional.

The judgment held that Peace Corps was a bonifide legal association surely authorized by law to carry out its functions with the aim of realizing its aims and objectives and that the seizure of its properties by police was also Unlawful and unconstitutional.

A restraining order was issued by the court against the police from disrupting the lawful activities of the Peace Corps and also ban police from further arresting or detaining the PCN officials.

Apart from the restraining orders, the court imposed a fine of N11.2m on police to be paid to the arrested and detained Peace Corps officers as compensation for the unjust, Unlawful and unconstitutional police action against them.

Meanwhile, the CBN being the custodian of the garnishee is to appear before the court on May 24 to show cause why the garnishee order nisi shall not be made absolute.
The news which was shared on Facebook, tells how a police woman, Helen Sunday, attached to the Enugu State Deputy Governor was shot dead by unknown gunmen.

The Facebook user wrote:

Graphic photos below VIEWERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED

Source: Yabaleftonline
A Naval Officer identified as Wale Allen was murdered by his brother, over the property of their father. This was disclosed by a Police detective, Uthman Lamidi, on Friday who told an Ikeja High Court presided by Justice Raliatu Adebiyi.

Wale was allegedly murdered by Abiodun Allen, 31, following an argument over their fathers property.

According to the detective, Wale, who was serving in Port Harcourt, had visited the family home to settle a dispute over their late fathers property which was allegedly taken over by Abiodun.

Led in evidence by the prosecutor, R. O. Ahmed-Muili, Mr. Lamidi told the court that Abiodun was 27 years old when he committed the offence at 11.00 p.m. on Feb. 20, 2013 at their familys house located at 5, Oritse St., at Imude community in Oto-Awori Local Council Development Area.

He also explained the series of events that led to Abioduns arrest by the Police.

In 2013, I was serving at Ilemba-Hausa Police Station, Ajangbadi.

At 8.00 a.m. on Feb. 21, 2013, I was on duty at the police station and I got a distress call from the Baale of Imude community that someone who had committed murder was being held at the palace.

When I got to the Baales palace, I saw the defendant and I was informed by people in the palace that he had killed his brother and I immediately arrested him and took him to the crime scene.

At the crime scene, I saw the deceased (Wale Allen) in the pool of his blood in a bush at the back of the building.

I interrogated him on the spot and he admitted that he stabbed the deceased with a broken bottle.

He said he wanted to bury his brothers body before he was caught red-handed, Mr. Lamidi said.

He added: I made an attempt to move the corpse to the mortuary but the relatives of the deceased declined, saying they wanted to bury him in a traditional way.

I brought a photographer who took pictures of the crime scene. The photographer, however, cannot be currently located as the pictures were taken a long time ago and his shop was demolished alongside other shops on the street.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Ahmed-Muili, the prosecutor, wanted to tender the crime scene photographs as evidence but it was opposed by Abioduns counsel, Mrs Y.A. Ajayi, on the grounds that the defence was not aware of the existence of such photographs.

The defence is objecting, we were not informed about the pictures and we cannot be taken by surprise, she said.

Following the defences objection, the crime scene photographs were withdrawn by the prosecution.

Mr. Lamidi, in his evidence, also said that the defendant as well as two witnesses  Kehinde Allen and Sunday Agbogorin made statements to the police.

The defendant was `charged and cautioned in English Language and we took his statement where he confessed to the murder.

Since it is a capital offence, the case was transferred to the Homicide Division of the State Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Panti, Yaba.

I made a statement to the police at the CID and I returned to my duty post, the detective said.

While also being cross-examined by Mr. Ajayi, Mr. Lamidi denied the claim that Abiodun was restrained when he apprehended him at the Baales palace.

When I saw him at the Baales palace, many people surrounded him as his hands were not tied, I handcuffed him and he followed me to the crime scene, he said.

The judge adjourned the case until June 12 for continuation of trial.

(NAN)
Alfred Andrew, 40, has been arrested for stealing from his boss, a businessman and a resident of Gwarimpa Housing Estate, FCt Abuja, Benedict Emmanuel.

On May 6, businessman and resident of Gwarimpa Housing Estate, FCT, Abuja, Benedict Emmanuel, noticed that a stack of foreign currency he kept in his house had disappeared.

But little did he know that his good-natured security guard, 40-year-old Alfred Andrew, a Bauchi State indigene, had suddenly become a millionaire, while keeping his home safe.

At 40, Andrew, who studied Mass Communication and Information Technology, went from joblessness to enrolling in an evangelical school, through which he became a pastor.

Yet, he said he needed more out of life.

Andrew said he moved to Plateau State to look for a job until the poor condition of the job forced him to move to Abuja where he took up a security guard job on a N25,000 salary in 2014.

But three years down the line, Andrew thought fate had finally smiled upon him when bundles of foreign currency fell on him while he was rifling through his boss belongings one day when the latter was out of the house.

He said, That day, I was sweeping when I saw a key on the floor. I tried it on the padlock on my boss apartment and it opened. I went inside the house and was searching through his belongings when something fell on me from the top of his wardrobe.

I then realised it was foreign currency. I climbed on a chair to see what was on the top of the wardrobe and noticed that there were currencies from different countries. They were so much. That was the first time I would see so much dollars. I have only seen such large amount in movies.

I was tempted to take the money. Before, I had been hearing of whistle-blowers but I was not sure who to contact. I didnt know who to report to. I didnt have the number of the whistle-blowers (sic). I was scared. I didnt know who to trust in Nigeria. I might tell someone and the person may turn things around against me.

Andrew said he started to pick out of the bundles of currencies gradually whenever his boss was out of the house.

Then, he took the step of counting how many wrapped bundles of currency were on the wardrobe.

I confirmed from someone the amount in the bundles. He said it was N130m after it was converted. I didnt touch that one because it was sealed. I was only taking from those bundles, he said.

According to him, for over a month after he started stealing out of the currencies, his boss did not notice.

He said he noticed that each time his boss travelled out, he came back with more foreign currencies.

He said he only checked whenever his boss was away from home to see if the money had increased or decreased. But every time he went into the room, he was always tempted to take part of it.

If you just pulled a small amount, by the time you count it, there might be more than thirty dollar notes, he said.

At a point, Andrew went beyond just pulling little amounts of cash from the bundles and took a few million-naira worth.

He said, I took some amount and converted it to N24.4m and put it in my account.

When Andrews boss, Emmanuel, first noticed that a huge part of his cash was gone, he became suspicious of his security guard only when he discovered that the latter was using an iPhone 7 cell phone even though his salary was just N25,000.

When Andrews room was searched, expensive designer clothes were also found there.

He was apprehended when Emmanuel informed the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team.

At the police station, he confessed and N24 million was found in his account.

He also took the police to an apartment that he rented in town where expensive phones were recovered from his girlfriend.

Andrew said, I bought clothes and mobile phones. I was not even able to wear any of the clothes because I bought them recently. Part of the money I had recently changed to naira was in my bag when I was searched.

Last Friday when my boss discovered the cash missing, he ordered that nobody should go out of the compound and started searching everybody. His sister who is an official with the Department of State Services came also and checked my phone and bags.

They took my passport, ATM cards and everything I had before handing me over to SARS. I told my oga I would implicate him by reporting him to EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission). He said he had been good to me, but I told him his wife had not given me food over the last three years. It is part of the reasons why I did what I did.

Even when I was employed, I was told my salary would be increased every four months. I was told I would also be fed but that promise was not kept. My boss said the money was not his.

Andrew said he knew that what he did was wrong but that anytime he asked his boss for money, he always told him he had no money even though he knew about the foreign currencies in the house.

The police have said the suspect would be charged to court soon.

Source: Yabaleftonline
A South African Lady has cried out after her ex-Nigerian-husband refused to let her be, assaulting her at all times that she lives in fear, even after divorcing him.

Read her heart-felt story below;

I didnt want to publicize this but this is beyond my control. i cant even go to the shop without fearing that a man i once called my husband could come and kill me and leave me by the street to be eaten by dogshe cheated multiple times i forgave thatall throughout the years he beat me up even

While pregnant with his own children ..GUESS WHAT I FORGAVE HIM FOR THAT TOO. he stole from me, from my family LOL HE EVEN stole the ring he bought me and pawned it IN FACT HE PAWNED EVERYTHING WE OWNED EVEN A CAR FOR R5000 I still forgave him.even when his girlfriend sent me naked pics of them in bed and harassed me i still forgave that.

AM I NOT HUMAN??DONT I HAVE A BREAKING POINT??? STAY FOR THE KIDS SAKE THEY SAY!!!!!! UNTIL IM DEAD? i moved out and stayed alone with my kids i cant even go to the shop without fearing that the will come and attack me.

APPARENTLY in their culture theres nothing like divorce, well in my culture theres nothing like domestic violence YEAH IM SNAPPING COZ IVE HAD ENOUGH.this morning i locked the flat went down and come out of the gate no knowing he now knows where i stay GUESS wgat he attacked me again and im bleeding once again..

AS USUAL. HE took my bag took my phones and slapped me.his last words I WILL DISTURB YOU TILL U DIE NO ONE LEAVES ME AND GETS TO MOVE ON IN PEACEwell even while still married to him i never did find peace,but he wouldnt know coz he spent most of his nights out with friends, even christmas days were for him and his s***S .IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO ME ,AT LEAST YOU ALL KNOW NOW.

My kids will grow up without a mother,,,,,and yeah i did try the police and got zero help from there i guess it true what people say the police only act when theres a dead body. I guess SOON MY FAMILY WILL BE UPLOADING FUNERAL#NONHLESFUNERAL.
Mrs. Taiwo Momoh, a Lagos texile dealer who recently attempted to take her life in the Lagos Lagoon, has appealed to the government to stop her prosecution.

But she lamented her treatment in the hands of the police after she was rescued from jumping off the Third Mainland Bridge.

Momoh said she was put in a cell at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba, for four days, which further depressed her as neighbours started ridiculing her.

This is just as the Lagos State Office of the Public Defender said the government would give the 58-year-old medical assistance with a view to making her get over her suicidal thoughts.

Momoh had put off her shoes and was about taking a dive into the Lagoon late March, when she was rescued and handed over to officials of the Rapid Response Squad.

After she was taken to the office of the state Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, she lamented that she became suicidal after a bureau de change operator defrauded her of N18.7m.

She had said her Swiss textile creditor had been on her neck, adding that her situation became compounded after her shop was burgled.

During a visit to her Ajah residence on Thursday, Momoh pleaded with the government to drop the charges against her, which she said had subjected her to shame and ridicule.

She said, I dont know how I got to the Third Mainland Bridge. What is strange is that even if I am driving, I dont take the bridge as it scares me. So for me to want to jump into it is strange, I believe it is a spiritual attack.

All I can remember was that I left home alone. I got down from a cab. The driver didnt try to stop me. I didnt know where I was. I was disoriented, until I got to Alausa (RRS office) that I regained consciousness. I was in the CPs office, who treated me well and even came to visit me the next day when I arrived home.

What was painful to me was that the police locked me up at the SCIID for four days after I was arrested. I slept on the floor; they collected my phone. I had to wear the same dress for four days. They didnt give me food. It was on Monday that I was able to call my son, who then contacted a friend of mine. I was taken to Ebute Meta Magistrates Court, where I was asked to enter a plea. How can I do that in my state of depression? I begged them to forgive me and let me go home.

When I got back, I was still disturbed as I became conscious of people staring at me. Because of that, I didnt go out for a while. Please just help me to beg the government not to prosecute me, I have suffered enough. I am scared.

I never want to collect loan for business again in my life. It is a shameful thing, one should be satisfied with what one has.

The Director of OPD, Mrs. Olubukola Salami, who consoled Momoh, said the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health, and the agency were planning to secure medical treatment for her in line with the provisions of the Criminal Code, Section 235 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
The Federal government has comfirmed that it will discuss the health of President Muhammadu Buhari with Nigerians, as those who think that they would soon begin to see updates on the health status and treatment of their President in London are mistaken.

A top source at the presidency told Saturday Punch that such updates are completely unnecessary.

The source insists there is no need for such updates since Buhari handed over to Acting President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

The President traveled to London last Sunday, about 57 days after returning from Europe.

The source also said Buharis health crisis is different from that of the late Umaru YarAdua and it would be unfair to treat both cases as the same.

He said, The case of YarAdua could not be compared to that of President Buhari. YarAdua did not hand over to Jonathan when he was sick for several months.

However, Buhari handed over to Osinbajo, which means there is no reason to panic since government is running smoothly.

Another source said the president should be allowed to recuperate, adding that there is no point asking for details about his health condition.

Since Buhari has traveled to London for treatment, let us give him some time to recuperate and in due time, he will let Nigerians know about his health.

In any case, it is those who are with him in London that will be getting information on his health.

We, who are here in Nigeria, do not speak with the President daily so we cant give updates on his health.

Over the last week, there have been growing debates on whether or not Buhari should be interested in seeking a second term.

Some observers believe his strange ailment has forced him to remain outside the country for a significant part of his first term.

However, a top presidential aide has argued that the president will be fit enough to withstand the rigors of a political campaign ahead of the 2019 elections.
The Olivette, Mo., City Council will hold a public hearing on May 23 to consider a rezoning request that would add self-storage as a permissible use under special permit in its commercial-office/retail district. The text amendment was proposed by developer Nolan Real Estate Interests LLC, which is under contract to acquire the vacant parcel at 9538 Olive Blvd. The company intends to build a multi-story EZ Storage facility, according to city documents.

The target property formerly housed a Hardees fast-food restaurant. The zoning change would specifically allow fully enclosed, drive-through self-storage via special permit. The storage facility would likely include a resident manager as well as street-level retail bays facing Olive Boulevard, according to a January letter submitted by Nolan Real Estate principal Steve Nolan. The facility will have a high floor-area ratio, as the back portion of the building and the upper floors will be used as the indoor self-storage facility, Nolan wrote.

Resident Larry Koenig publicly opposed the project during a first reading of the zoning amendment on Tuesday, arguing the area has too many self-storage facilities, according to the source. We need self-storage limited to an industrial area as opposed to a prime commercial space, for a business that wouldnt generate sales tax, he told the council.

EZ Storage currently operates four locations in the St. Louis market, with its typical facility being three to five stories, according to the Nolan letter.

Based in Texas, Nolan Real Estate Interests is an affiliate of Nolan Inc./Nolan Brothers of TX, which operates the EZ Storage brand. Nolan Inc. owns 25 self-storage facilities in Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri and Pennsylvania, comprising approximately 1.96 million net rentable square feet. The company ranked No. 55 on the 2016 Inside Self-Storage Top-Operators List.
A recent Aon survey found that damage to reputation and brand was the top-ranked risk facing businesses globally.The 2017 Global Risk Management Survey, which questioned 1, 843 respondents, found that reputation damage was a more pressing concern for businesses than cybercrime, political risk and economic factors.While there are some insurance products currently available that can help to mitigate brand and reputational risk, Jason Disborough, CEO, multinational accounts at Aon Risk Solutions, said that businesses and brokers should look at existing policies to see if they are covered for brand or reputational risks.Senior leaders must have an understanding of their existing policies and what they are already covered for, Disborough told Insurance Business.By having this level of understanding, companies may be able to ensure that their insurance coverage is tailored to their specific needs and that brand and reputational events are in fact adequately insured.Disborough noted that brand and reputation risk could be considered a consequential risk as it is often triggered by a crisis event linked to another risk.Aons research found that, globally, only 51% of businesses have a plan linked to a reputational risk event while two thirds of Australian firms have prepared and reviewed the risk.To prepare effectively, brokers should advise businesses that identification of internal and external vulnerabilities is key as this will allow a focus on specific areas of exposure.As modern business continues to take shape online, brand and reputation becomes much more important.Social media is a key element to understanding and containing brand and reputational risk, Disborough said, as the use of social media can play an important role in determining the ultimate outcome of a brand or reputational crisis.Having a strong grasp and understanding of social media channels allows organisations to not only monitor sentiment in real-time but also to participate in a two-way dialogue about unfolding situations, which often can involve sensitive or fragile situations, Disborough continued.
Whatever your opinion on the replacement of the Emergency Services Levy (ESL), the change is coming  and now its less than 50 days away.To mark the countdown to ESL being removed from insurance premiums in New South Wales, a host of insurers will be reaffirming their commitment to pass on savings to consumers. Of course, as of July 01, the New South Wales Government will fund metropolitan and rural fire brigades, as well as the State Emergency Service, via the property-based fire and emergency services levy  potentially leaving insured households around $47 a year better off.According to Insurance Council of Australia CEO Rob Whelan, the changes are long overdue.In just over six weeks, insurers will stop passing on to policyholders an inefficient tax that, for many years, had added about 20% to home building and contents premiums, and 30% to commercial policies, he said on Friday.No longer will the cost of properly funding the emergency services fall only on those who buy insurance. All households and businesses rely on these life-saving services, and it is only fair that the entire community contributes to their resourcing.The CEOs of more than 100 insurers recently signed a declaration pledging to fully remove the ESL from policies from July 1. When insurers give evidence to the ESL Insurance Monitor, Professor Allan Fels, at next Tuesdays Public Inquiry in Sydney, they will willingly make the same promise.According to Whelan, insurers believe the move is in the best interest of customers.Prof. Fels oversaw Victorias switch from the Fire Services Levy on insurance to a property-based tax to fund its emergency services in 2013. In his final report to the Victorian Government, Prof. Fels stated he was confident that savings attributable to the elimination of FSL have been passed onto consumers, he noted.NSW policyholders will also receive all savings attributable to the removal of the ESL.
Cover expected to pay out within three days of a claim
The cyber attack that spread rapidly around the globe was stifled when a security researcher disabled a key mechanism used by the worm to spread, but experts said the hackers were likely to return as many computers remain at risk.

Hackers can still gain easy access to personal computers that lack a security update issued in March by Microsoft Corp. to fix the vulnerability in its Windows operating system. The company, which had labeled the March patch as critical, said it was now providing a security update for all Windows customers.

The malware, using a technique purportedly stolen from the U.S. National Security Agency, stopped care Friday at hospitals across the U.K., affected Russias Ministry of Interior and infected company computer systems in countries from Eastern Europe to the U.S. and Asia. While most organizations wont suffer as much as the U.K. health-care facilities, the incident renewed the debate about the risk of governments stockpiling flaws in commercial technology and using them for hacking attacks.

In the U.K., 45 organizations in the National Health Service were affected, Home Secretary Amber Rudd said Saturday, and hospitals in London, North West England and Central England urged people with non-emergency conditions to stay away as technicians tried to stop the spread of the malicious software.

There will be lessons to learn from what appears to be the biggest criminal cyber attack in history, Rudd said in response to a letter from opposition Labour Party spokesman Jonathan Ashworth. Our immediate priority as a government is to disrupt the attack, restore affected services as soon as possible, and establish who was behind it.

Last year an acute-care hospital in Hollywood paid $17,000 in bitcoin to an extortionist who hijacked its computer systems and forced doctors and staff to revert to pen and paper for record-keeping.

Hospitals are also fertile ground for identity thieves because of their often-lax security policies. Bloomberg Businessweek wrote in 2015 about a spate of malware infections at hospitals where radiological machines, blood-gas analyzers and other devices were compromised and used to siphon off the personal data of patients.

Business Targets

Other victims were most likely small and medium-sized businesses. Some larger organizations, such as Spains Telefonica SA and FedEx Corp. were also infected. A spokesman for Telefonica said the hack affected some employees at its headquarters, but the Spanish phone company is attacked frequently and the impact of Fridays incident wasnt major. FedEx said it was experiencing interference, the Associated Press reported.

French carmaker Renault SA halted production at some factories to stop the virus from spreading, a spokesman said Saturday, while Nissan Motor Co.s U.K. car plant in Sunderland, in northeast England, was affected without causing any major impact on business, an official said.

In Germany, rail operator Deutsche Bahn faced technical disruptions on electronic displays at train stations, but travel was unaffected, the company said in a statement on its website. Newspaper reports showed images of a ransomware message blocking train details.

Russias Interior Ministry, with oversight of the police forces, said about 1,000 computers were infected, which it described as less than 1 percent of the total, according to its website.

While any sized company could be vulnerable, many large organizations with robust security departments would have prioritized the update that Microsoft released in March and wouldnt be vulnerable to Fridays attack.

Users Tricked

Ransomware is a particularly stubborn problem because victims are often tricked into allowing the malicious software to run on their computers, and the encryption happens too fast for security software to catch it. Some security expects calculate that ransomware may bring in as much as $1 billion a year in revenue for the attackers.

More than 75,000 computers in 99 countries were compromised in Fridays attack, with a heavy concentration of infections in Russia and Ukraine, according to Dutch security company Avast Software BV. Russias Interior Ministry, with oversees the countrys police forces, said around 1,000 computers were infected, which it described as less than 1 percent of the total, the New York Times reported. The ministry said technicians had stopped the attack and were updating the departments antivirus defense systems, according to the Times.

March Patch

Microsoft cited its March security update and said it had added detection and protection against the new malware after it was reported. We are working with customers to provide additional assistance, the company said in a blog posting.

The company took the highly unusual step of releasing free security patches for unsupported out-of-date operating systems, including Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.

The attack was apparently halted in the afternoon in the U.K. when a researcher took control of an Internet domain that acted as a kill switch for the worms propagation, according to Ars Technica.

I will confess that I was unaware registering the domain would stop the malware until after I registered it, so initially it was accidental, wrote the researcher, who uses the Twitter name @MalwareTechBlog. So long as the domain isnt revoked, this particular strain will no longer cause harm, but patch your systems ASAP as they will try again.

There is a high-probability that Russian-language cyber criminals were behind the attack, said Aleks Gostev, chief cyber security expert for Kaspersky Lab.

Ransomware is traditionally their topic, he said. The geography of attacks that hit post-Soviet Union most also suggests that.

With assistance from Stepan Kravchenko, Ksenia Galouchko, Robert Hutton and Jack Sidders.

Related:

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics Cyber Russia
The US and China have reached a 10-point trade deal that opens the Chinese market to US credit rating agencies and credit card companies.



Under the deal, China will also lift its ban on US beef imports and accept US shipments of liquefied natural gas. In return, Chinese cooked chicken will be allowed into the US market and Chinese banks can enter the US market. US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the deal should reduce China's trade surplus with the US by the end of 2017.



Mr Ross told CNBC that the US had agreed to treat Chinese financial institutions in the same way as other foreign banks that wanted to open up activities in the US. "Clearly China, whose banks are among the largest in the whole world, wants access to the US banking market," he said.



"As long as they can comply with the normal rules, they will get access."



Softer approach The deal marks the first tangible results of trade talks that began last month. The agreement is seen as an indication that US President Donald Trump is adopting a less confrontational approach with Beijing than he promised during last year's election campaign.



Mr Trump had threatened to label China a "currency manipulator" and impose trade tariffs on its goods, but has since softened his position.



He had also attempted to link US-China trade talks to concerns over North Korea's nuclear ambitions, urging Beijing to exert more pressure on Pyongyang.



However, after the trade deal was announced, China's vice-minister of finance, Zhu Guangyao, said economic issues should not be politicised.



"On the connection between the North Korean nuclear issue and our economic '100 days' plan' negotiations, I can tell you frankly that our economy team focused all their efforts on economic issues," he told journalists.



Analysis: Karishma Vaswani, Asia business correspondent The criticism that foreign investors usually have of doing business with China is that typically it is China that benefits far more than the foreign business partner. That has been the rallying cry of President Trump on the campaign trail, and he has promised to get China to play by the rules.



This agreement looks set to at least give the impression that he is doing that. It certainly benefits the US by giving American financial services and American beef exporters more access to China's growing middle classes. But China isn't one to give away something for nothing. In return, Beijing gets an important reshaping of its global image from the US.



No longer do you hear the words "currency manipulator" or "unfair trade partner" from Trump's lips. Instead, the US in a statement recognised the importance of China's One Belt and One Road initiatives, and even says it will send representatives to attend the summit - something previous administrations have thus far eschewed. China also gets to sell its cooked poultry products to the US - a market it has been keen to tap too.





| Soruce: BBC |
Big day for Robbie Keane today as his eldest son, Robert makes his First Holy Communion.

The former Ireland captain and his family attended the church ceremony before enjoying a meal in the Old Street Restaurant in Malahide.

Proud dad, Keane posted a few photos of the day on social media and they're all sorts of adorable.

In the Instagram photos, 8-year-old Robert look very dapper in his three-piece-suit, white rosette and champagne flute full of sprite.

The former LA Galaxy player also posted a few family portraits with his wife, Claudine and son Hudson.
Concluding its latest post-bailout visit, an IMF delegation yesterday gave a broad thumbs-up to Irelands continuing recovery, but noted the country still faces several challenges. While international corporate tax challenges and Brexit are the obvious external risks, the IMF said domestic concerns still remain. It added that while the countrys crisis repair is progressing, it remains incomplete.

As well as calling for the introduction of a well- structured land tax on vacant sites, a speeding-up of loan restructuring for distressed but viable construction firms and a further streamlining of the planning process, the IMF has welcomed the planned review of the Governments Help-to-Buy scheme, which it said may add to demand pressures.

The rapid increase in house prices calls for close monitoring, with a view to maintaining prudent lending and mitigating financial stability risks, said Michele Shannon, outgoing head of the IMFs Ireland mission team, who noted that Irelands housing pressures have risen since the last performance check.

Her remarks coincided with fresh CSO data showing residential property prices rose by 9.6%, on a year-on-year basis, in March  with an average 8% rise in Dublin prices being outpaced by a near 12% jump outside of the capital.

Ms Shannon said the Irish economy requires future-proofing from any re-emergence of a boom-to-bust economic cycle and that fiscal buffers need to be rebuilt. While the medium-term outlook for the Irish economy remains positive, momentum cant be taken for granted and substantial financial crisis legacy issues remain.

She said while signs of progress are emerging in the housing market, a more robust supply response will take time. She added that debt remains high and non-performing loan levels remain elevated, but that they have reduced and the main banks are making steady momentum.

Healthy growth is expected to continue, albeit at a moderating pace, Ms Shannon said. However, she noted the broad-based growth in the jobs market and said the Irish recovery story, to date, had not been a foregone conclusion.

While Brexit represents the most pressing and far-reaching challenge for Ireland, international corporate tax policy changes  notably the Trump administrations planned slashing of the US corporate tax rate and the EUs common tax scheme proposals  also pose an external risk. To that end, the IMF stressed the need for a more broad and stable tax base here.

Recent corporate tax windfalls point to concentration risks and potential volatility. In this context, unexpected revenue upsides should be saved, she said, also noting that pressure on government spending space remains high. While declining to comment on personal tax policy, Ms Shannon said a review of tax expenditures should be considered and a reduction of Vat exemptions would strengthen revenue.

Asked about the partial sale of the Governments near total stake in AIB, Ms Shannon said the timing would be up to the Irish Government, but agreed the best use of the sales proceeds would be to pay down government debt.
The accounts for Monsoon-Accessorize Ireland Ltd show that the business generated pre-tax profits of 1m for the 12 months to the end of August. However, the companys revenues fell from 14.17m to 13.6m.

The chief factor behind the return to profit was an exceptional credit of 777,918. This followed the company recording an exceptional cost of 2.6m in the previous financial year.

In the accounts, the companys management said the Irish divisions cost base continues to be reviewed and challenged to ensure that the business maintains its road to recovery.

Although results in the early part of the year were impacted by the performance of the Monsoon Ladies brand, actions taken in the wider group to address this issue has seen in the latter part of the year a steady improvement in the results of the business, it said.

The principle activity of the firm is the sale of womens and childrens clothing, accessories, homeware and gifts. Numbers employed by the company reduced from 85 to 80, with staff costs declining marginally from 2,768m to 2,76m.

In relation to the exceptional gain, a note attached to the accounts states that following a review of the firms property portfolio, net onerous lease provisions were reassessed resulting in an exceptional gain of 777,918.

Monsoon-Accessorize Irelands cash reduced from 144m to 1.27m last year. The firms revenues include other operating income of 720,053 made up mainly of management charges. The profit last year takes account of non-cash depreciation costs of 316,481 and operating lease costs of 3.39m.

The firms UK parent last year had revenues of 392.29m but slipped into the red to record pre-tax losses of 3.36m.

This followed exceptional costs of 3m.

At the end of its latest financial year, the Irish divisions shareholder funds stood at 5.6m. This takes account of accumulated losses of 4.45m and other reserves of 6.13m.

The firm also had a share premium account of 3.99m.
Chief executive Ross McEwan has been trying to clean up RBSs balance sheet and end a string of legal cases against the bank. This would open the way for the British government to sell its more than 70% stake in RBS held since it had to step in with a more than 45bn bailout during the financial crisis.

Mr McEwan said the bank could settle a multibillion-dollar lawsuit by the US Federal Housing Finance Agency separately from an investigation by the Department of Justice, which has stalled because of changes in the US government since the election of Donald Trump.
Devised by Mark Murphy, senior lecturer in culinary arts at the Institute of Technology Tralee, and Mark Doe of Just Cooking cookery school in Firies, the programme aims to promote the importance of healthy eating to enhance physical and mental wellbeing, while developing confidence and self-esteem.

It also encourages second-level students to consider a career in the culinary industry, to combat the current chef shortage crisis.

A lot of these students might never have looked at the food industry, and thats not just training to be a chef, its also about food product development, food product design, food photography, food journalism, environmental health officers  its a colossal industry, says Mark Murphy.

The emphasis is less on competition and more on outcomes and skills learned through the mentoring programme. Students learn about the nutritional value of food and the importance of sourcing quality, local products, as well as how to present that at the table. Each student is assigned a mentor and communicates with them by email and photographs in the months leading up to the final.

Now in its fifth year, 2,000 students have been through the programme, from the 16 schools that participated in 2012 to the 500 students from all over Munster this year.

Chef Murphy hopes it will be rolled out through the institutes of technology nationally in the years ahead. A food culture develops at the roots and not when someone is 23 or 24 years of age. We could solve our obesity problem in this country at primary and second level overnight if there was the political will to do so, he said.

The students had to come up with their own recipe ideas after attending cookery demonstrations and a workshop with nutritional therapist Susie Cox.

For Orlaith OConnell, 16, a transition year student at St Aloysius College in Carrigtwohill, Co Cork, a family holiday in Italy inspired her spinach and ricotta stuffed pasta in tomato sauce, served with a wild garlic and basil pesto dressing  the only vegetarian savoury dish to make it to the final.

Orlaith picked wild garlic near her home in Glanmire and used the flowers to garnish her dish, even bringing enough to decorate the plates of the other apprentices.

Ciara Hurley, 17, from Maria Immaculata Community College in Dunmanway entered for the second time with a healthy dessert with her lemon, courgette and pistachio cake served with beetroot yoghurt.

Id say the whole town of Dunmanway is after tasting it at this stage and they all liked it, she said.

Coming in joint second place, Lauren Wall from St Declans Community College in Kilmacthomas, Co Waterford drew her inspiration from her locality.

I grew up by the sea and I love fish, so I cooked herb- crusted cod, said Lauren who revealed that she is considering the culinary industry as a career.

She tied with Emily OHara of Midleton College, who prepared pan-seared bream, while Kelly English from St Colmans Community College, also in Midleton, came third with her lemon trio and chocolate surprise dessert.

It was a case of second time lucky for Supreme Apprentice Chef Padraic Randles, 17, from Pobalscoil Inbhear Sceine in Kenmare, whose duck with a potato rosti and savoy cabbage wowed judges.

Padraic took part in the programme last year and as a result chose home economics as a Leaving Certificate subject.

Head of Food Tourism at Failte Ireland, John D Mulcahy, said there was a shortage of around 5,000 chefs each summer but the Apprentice Chef Programme gave him hope.
Hugh Maguire was yesterday given a suspended jail sentence after the case had previously been adjourned to permit him to seek addiction treatment at Coolmine in Co Dublin.

Elizabeth OConnell, defending, spoke of Maguires period in treatment: Not only has he passed but passed with flying colours.

She reminded Judge Gerard OBrien of his previous warning the case was serious enough to merit a hefty jail term. However, the judge last year gave Maguire a chance to turn his life around and the evidence was he did so.

Judge OBrien said: There were excellent testimonials from last year and even better ones this year. He showed remorse on the night.

The judge imposed an 18-month suspended jail sentence yesterday.

Garda Aoife Hayes had previously stated at Cork Circuit Criminal Court the victim had been working a second job at night in order to pay her mortgage. But she had since quit that job as she was in fear of travelling home alone, late at night.

Maguire, of 28 Ravensdale Road, Mahon, Cork, admitted an attempted late-night robbery of the car at the Esso station on South Link Road, Cork on July 14 last year. He also admitted a related charge of attempted seizure of the car by force.

Garda Hayes said the woman was sitting in her Nissan Qashqai at around 11.30pm when a man, later identified as Maguire, pulled her from her vehicle. She was knocked to the ground and banged her head off tiles. She was assisted by two men.

She ran to the safety of the garage where the door was locked against Maguire.

She was able to lock the car so Maguire could not interfere with it. However, he continued to make efforts to gain entry. Eventually, he gave up and walked away but was identified on CCTV.
Three shepherd children in Portugal were jailed and threatened with being boiled alive when they claimed 100 years ago that the Virgin Mary had appeared to them. The Catholic Church doubted them, too.

But the childrens visions would strengthen the faith of Portugals persecuted Catholics and make the small farming town of Fatima one of the worlds foremost pilgrimage sites. It has 6m visitors a year.

Now, two of three are about to become the Catholic Churchs youngest saints who did not die as martyrs. Today, Pope Francis plans to observe the centenary of their visions by canonising Francisco and Jacinta Marto when he makes his first pilgrimage to Fatima.

Francis will also likely seek to make Fatimas message of peace and prayer relevant to today, church officials say. According to church lore, the Virgin Mary urged penance, sacrifice, and turning away from sin during her appearances to the children.

At Fatima, the Pope could make an appeal to humanity that if you dont change your criteria, be it political or economic, the world will suffer, said Monsignor Carlos Azevedo, who led the Church commission that compiled the 15 volumes of documentation about the Fatima phenomenon.

Jacinta was seven years old, and Francisco nine, when they first witnessed the apparitions on May 13, 1917, along with their 10-year-old cousin, Lucia dos Santos. While the Marto siblings died two years later during the Spanish flu pandemic that followed the First World War, Lucia became a Carmelite nun and died in 2005, aged 97. Efforts are underway to beatify her, too, but couldnt begin until after she had died.

According to Dos Santos written accounts, the Virgin Mary appeared to the three children six times in 1917, in a field near Fatima where they grazed their sheep. The visits culminated in October with the Miracle of the Sun, when others in Fatima reported seeing the sun spinning in the sky. For believers, it was proof that the apparitions were authentic.

Three months after the first reported vision, with news of their claims spreading, local administrative officials placed the children in separate cells and attempted, over three days, to coerce them into recanting. They were told they would be fried in olive oil if they continued with their lies.

But the children held firm.

Authorities said it was a prank, said Francisco Marto, 78, whose father was Jacinta and Franciscos older brother.

Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, the retired head of the Vaticans saint-making office, said the childrens steadfast faith, and refusal to disavow their visions, made them worthy of sainthood. Himself Portuguese, Cardinal Martins pushed through the Martos beatification in 2000, and will travel with the Pope to see them canonised.

Before, we couldnt even talk about the beatification of children in the history of the Church, because the principle prevailed that they didnt yet have the skills to exercise the heroic level of Christian virtues required as a first step, said Cardinal Martins.

Portuguese history helps explain the authorities initial hostility to the childrens story. The country was proclaimed a republic after the 1910 assassination of King Carlos I, and the first republican governments in Lisbon were determined to curb the Catholic Churchs influence. Religious teaching at schools was banned, and many bishops went into exile.

Portugal also had entered the First World War in 1916. Food shortages brought widespread hardship, and people yearned for spiritual sustenance. The Fatima apparitions coincided with that need.

It was a strong moment of an eruption of the supernatural, in that difficult moment, said Msgr Azevedo, now a Vatican official.

A nun waits in the rain for the arrival of Pope Francis in the Sanctuary of Fatima yesterday. Picture: Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty

The Virgin purportedly revealed three secrets to the children, containing apocalyptic warnings that seemed to foreshadow the Second World War and the rise of communism. The contents of the secrets went undisclosed for many years, and the third secret wasnt revealed until 2000  a foretelling of the May 13, 1981 assassination attempt on St John Paul II in St Peters Square.

The mystery furthered Fatimas appeal, even as the government tried to curb its popularity.

In 1921, with crowds numbering in the tens of thousands turning up on apparition anniversaries, the government tried in vain to outlaw large-scale religious gatherings. After the Church recognised the apparitions as authentic in 1930, people flocked in greater numbers to the site of the visions. Eventually, Church-friendly governments assumed power, the anti-clerical laws were rescinded, and Portugal re-emerged as the mostly Catholic country that it is today.

Francisco, the 78-year-old nephew of the future saints, runs a souvenir store across the road from the tiny stone house where the Marto family lived, in the secluded village of Aljustrel, about 2km outside Fatima. He still remembers his grandfather sitting on the stone stoop and telling stories about his children to pilgrims visiting the shrine.

The old family house is well-preserved, with dry-stone walls, bare timber roofs, small windows, and ill-fitting wooden doors. Some of the nine Marto children  Francisco and Jacinta had seven siblings  had to sleep in the barn with the farm animals. Only four would make it to adulthood.

The childrens parents didnt seek out celebrity and were reluctant centres of attention.

Lucias pragmatic parents complained that pilgrims trampled their crops.

Life didnt change much. They kept on farming, Francisco said. His father, though, did get a construction job at the Fatima basilica, where the three seers are entombed.

The shrine, with its basilica overlooking a vast square, is now the economic lifeblood of this otherwise unremarkable town.

Stores selling souvenirs  statues of the Virgin Mary, rosaries, even wax limbs  line the streets, while hotels, restaurants, and cafes rely on a steady parade of tourists and pilgrims. One million of them are expected for Pope Franciss visit.

Many come to toss wax limbs into a huge fire pit as they pray for healings. The shrines Church of the Holy Trinity, dedicated in 2007, can seat 8,633 people.

Everyone used to be poor and humble in the town, said Antonio Vieira, 79, and another nephew of the new saints. Whod have guessed that Fatima would turn out like this?
The deputy chief medical officer at the Department of Health, Dr Colette Bonner, said the Health Information and Quality Authority is conducting a health technology assessment of the vaccine.

Dr Bonner told a meeting of the joint committee on health that the evaluation was a lengthy process and, in the meantime, the focus would be on increasing the uptake of the HPV vaccine in girls.

The public health medicine consultant at the HSEs National Immunisation Office, Dr Brenda Corcoran, said the vaccine uptake rate in Ireland has dropped to 50% for the first of the two doses of HPV but had not dropped any further and appeared to have stabilised.

Dr Corcoran said a comprehensive communications campaign will be launched between now and September, with information presented as clearly as possible.

Dr Bonner said unfounded false claims had been made of an association between the HPV vaccine and some conditions experienced by a group of young women.

There is no scientific evidence that the HPV vaccine causes any long-term illness. However, this misinformation has led to a significant drop in uptake rates, she said.

Dr Bonner said people need to be aware that a personal decision not to vaccinate has a wider public impact.

Their decision might put their life and that of their child at risk as well as vulnerable individuals, she said.

Parents want to do everything possible to make sure their children are healthy and protected from preventable diseases. Vaccination is the best way to do that, said Dr Bonner.

A study published in the Irish Medical Journal found that five unvaccinated children died from preventable illnesses over a four-year period.

There were 19 unvaccinated children admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit in Our Ladys Childrens Hospital in Dublin between 2011 and 2015 who lost limbs, suffered seizures and strokes, and needed skin grafts.

Meanwhile, HSE director general Tony OBrien has defended the health authoritys assistant national director of public health, Dr Kevin Kelleher, who said there was evidence that giving nurses chocolates encouraged them to get the flu vaccine.

Liam Doran, general secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, said Dr Kellehers comments were absolutely objectionable.

Mr OBrien tweeted: Much ado about nothing. Such ideas generated by staff themselves, including nurses, and have been shown to work. Vaccine rates real issue.
PDFORRA, which represents 7,000 frontline Army, Naval Service, and Air Corps enlisted personnel, has set out its stall ahead of the new round of negotiations with the Government about improved pay and conditions for its members.

PDFORRA is demanding comparable treatment to all public service employees, and has highlighted the dire pay that some Defence Forces members receive. For example, the Naval Services younger members are getting nearly half the minimum wage, while working massive hours on migrant rescue missions in the Mediterranean Sea.

Its National Executive Committee (NEC) has outlined what it wants from national pay talks to negotiate a successor to the Lansdowne Road Agreement.

PDFORRA vice president, Mark Keane, said the NEC meeting decided to push its agenda for members, because of the additional financial burden borne by its members, following barrack closures and extensive organisational restructuring.

At times, this saw hard-pressed members having to sleep in cars to save petrol money, Mr Keane said.

He added that PDFORRA members had endured more than most under the austerity measures exacted by the Government in recent years.

We have looked at the improving budgetary situation, the detrimental impact of the Defence Forces reorganisation, and the treatment and priorities of other public service unions and associations, and, looking at all of these factors, PDFORRA had drawn up a bargaining agenda, Mr Keane said.

The agenda includes a decrease in, or eradication of, pension-related deduction (PRD) and/or pay increases; the restoration of a 10% cut to allowances implemented under the Haddington Road Agreement, and the restoration of outstanding pay awards already recommended under adjudication.

Meanwhile, the Garda Representative Association, which represents rank-and-file members of the force, has warned that upcoming pay talks must not unfairly target gardai.

Earlier this week, public service union sources said a three-tier system of pension contributions would have to be brought in, with gardai, judges, and government ministers  who are all on fast accrual schemes  to pay the highest rates. However, the GRA said garda pensions had been successively devalued in both 1995 and 2013; with gardai being forced into compulsory retirement as early as age 55, regardless of their financial needs.

The garda pension is hard-earned, and a deferred payment for work already done. In essence, any accelerated accrual can be regarded as danger money, it said.
The medium-term outlook remains positive. Healthy growth is expected to continue, albeit at a moderating pace, Michele Shannon, outgoing head of IMFs Ireland mission team said as her delegation completed its latest post-bailout review.

While Brexit represents the most pressing and far-reaching challenge for Ireland  particularly for tourism, export and agri- related businesses  Ms Shannon stressed the need for a broader-based tax base and stronger financial buffers to counter changes to international corporate tax policies being proposed in the US and across the EU.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), which is in charge of the multi-million euro junction upgrade, is to lay the fibreoptic cables in advance of the work to ensure they feed information to a series of flashing signs which will be strategically placed on roads which feed into the area.

TII spokesman Sean ONeill said a key factor in managing the impact of the work will be the ability to communicate to drivers in real-time.

Therefore, a fibre network will be installed that will allow us to utilise an extensive variable message signage [VMS] and inform drivers on approaching routes in advance of potential impacts, or allow people to adjust their plans in accordance with the actual traffic movements on any given occasion, he said.

The bulk of the construction work will not take place until 2019.

Next year, in advance of that, TII, which was formerly the National Roads Authority, will lay down the fibreoptic cabling and get the VMS systems in place.

The plan is to have extensive traffic management systems in place ahead of the main construction phase which will assist in managing the hourly and daily impacts for road users, Mr ONeill said.

This is all part and parcel of an intelligent, real-time transportation information network which ultimately will be part of the day-to-day operations.

It is expected that the VSM systems will remain operational until the project is completed, which TII say is likely to be in early 2021.

The Dunkettle upgrade project will be one of the most complex ever undertaken in the country, similar to the Red Cow upgrade in Dublin, Mr ONeill said.

He admitted that, because of the complex nature of the project, there will be disruption, although he added that TII would be doing everything in their power to make sure these disruptions are kept to a minimum.

The VSM systems are expected to be installed on all major roads leading to the Jack Lynch Tunnel, such as the M8, N8, N25, and N40.

This will provide motorists with advance warning of delays and expected journey times, so during any serious disruption, they can divert.

TII says the upgrade is vital as junction is at over- capacity  100,000 vehicles use it each day.

Bord Pleanala gave the green light to the upgrade in 2013.

The plan involves creating a number of dedicated local access roads around the junction, thus separating those making local journeys from regional and national journeys.

The signalised roundabout at the north end of the tunnel will be removed for total free flow and a dedicated slip road will be built on the city side of the tunnel so traffic can directly access the northbound lanes of the M8.
Jason Corbett, 39, was found dead in the early hours of August 2, 2015, in the home he shared with his wife Molly Martens, 33, in Panther Creek, Wallburg, North Carolina.

Ms Martens father, Thomas Martens, 67, has also been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter.

Mr Corbetts two children from a previous marriage  Jack, 12, and Sarah, 9  were seen by social workers at the Dragonfly House, a childrens advocacy centre, in the days following his death.

However, documents filed yesterday in the Superior Court in Davidson County saw the State of North Carolina request that recordings and statements from the childrens interviews be deemed inadmissible as evidence for the trial, which gets underway on July 17.

These recordings and interviews constitute inadmissible hearsay, Assistant District Attorney Gregory Brown wrote.

The State prays the Court order counsel for the defendants to make no reference to said recorded statements or interviews unless and until the court conducts a hearing outside the presence of the jury and deems the statements admissible, the application stated.

The request is the latest development in the pre-trial wranglings between the prosecution and the Martens.

Last October, the court ruled that a doctor at the Dragonfly House who had seen the children in the aftermath of their fathers death must release her notes to the Martens.

At the time, the court ruled that the defendants right to a fair trial outweighs any confidentiality statutes or other confidential protections shielding the requested documents from production and the interests of justice require the materials be produced.

In June last year attorneys for Ms Martens sought a court order preventing the use of a statement given by Jack Corbett in Limerick  where the Corbett children now live with their aunt  as evidence.

At the time it was claimed the statement was given under coercive circumstances without any of the safeguards to ensure trustworthiness or reliability.

In the motion to exclude the Limerick statement, the defence attorney claimed that while at the Dragonfly Centre, the Corbett children said their father would physically and verbally abuse Ms Martens.
The Prince of Wales and the Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald echoed the same opinion as they shared a stage at the British Ambassadors Irish residence yesterday.

In these challenging times it is more important than ever that we strengthen the connections between us and forge new ones wherever we can, said Charles.

Glasnevin Cemetery historian Conor Dodd with Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Minister Heather Humphreys and chairman of Glasnevin Trust John Green at Glasnevin Cemetery. Picture: PA

He had been speaking about his visit to Glasnevin Cemetery earlier in the day, describing how he was deeply moved by this, the most memorable moment of his four-day visit.

It is so very important that we are able to come together to honour the memory of so many men and women, from all sides, whose sacrifice shaped our shared history.

Everywhere we have been, as on our previous visits, ladies and gentlemen, I have been so struck by the strength of the connection between our people and between our economies and these bonds shape our shared prosperity and security and they are everywhere you look, he said.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny chats with Prince Charles at Government Buildings. Picture: Colin Keegan

The prince then spoke of a conversation he had with Taoiseach Enda Kenny at lunchtime that day.

The Taoiseach told me earlier today that 1.2bn worth of trade crosses the Irish Sea every single week and I am also told that there are 2m people in Britain who claim Irish lineage. I suspect the real number may be even higher still.

What I do know for certain is that in the United Kingdom, Irish people make such an extraordinary and essential contribution to so many parts of our society and our economy, he said.

The Prince of Wales speaks to former Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave and Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald at Glencairn House. Picture: PA

Ms Fitzgerald also reflected on the bond that exists between Ireland and the United Kingdom.

It is a great sign of the strength of the relationship between our two countries that you have now become regular visitors here, she said.

Your Royal Highness visit to Glasnevin this morning is an important gesture of respect to the diverse narratives of the past.

In a world loud with controversy and change, respect, kindness, and generosity still matter, still add up for how we should be accounted for, she added.

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and Fianna Fail TD Sean Haughey share a joke with Prince Charles at Glencairn House, Dublin.

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams was in attendance at the British Ambassadors residence and said that this visit was about reconciliation.

This visit, like the last visit, was about reconciliation, he said.

Mr Adams then stated that the future is not written and therefore, peaceful progress was essential.

The history is the history and its really, really important, but the future hasnt been written and we need to write the future and it needs to be, particularly in these Brexit days, it needs to be a history which is based upon the best we can possibly get for all the people of this island, he said.

One of the key things about this visit, and visits like this, is that we are showing a way to keep moving forward in a peaceful way, a harmonious way, a way that brings people together, he added.
Actually, she did a whole lot more. Armed with notes from her nutritionist and some kitchen gadgets from her auntie, she started to experiment.

Now, eight years later, she has a different take on life, on health, on food  and a new book to explain how she went from having dark circles under her eyes to having the energy of a labrador. And, she adds, the sense of humour of a teenage boy.

Yet, a seasoned wisdom hops off the pages of Finns World, a book that is full of recipes for delicious, health-giving food that just happens to be gluten-free.

But this is a book about living, as much as it is about eating. The subtitle, Do what you love. Love what you eat, encapsulates Finns philosophy in a few words, and her book explains how she has put it into action.

She was always a happy and active child but, for years, had bouts of unexplained stomach problems. She went from specialist to herbalist to homeopath, but got no satisfactory answer.

Things got much worse when she went to college to study earth and ocean sciences. Her diet was full of wheat-laden student fare  cereal, toasties, pizza. She felt continually drained and had uncontrollable stomach cramps every time she ate.

As I lost strength and weight, I gave up all the sports I loved so much and I started to look like a bobble-head doll on the dashboard of a car, says the 27-year-old with characteristic humour.

She started to eat a vegetarian diet and eliminated wheat on the suggestion of a GP. She found her food choices were very limited and added more rye and barley, which are both harmful to coeliacs. Things got even worse.

Eventually, I couldnt carry a stack of plates up the stairs in the vegetarian restaurant where I was working, she says.

When she was 18, she was diagnosed a coeliac, although she says, these days, there is much better awareness of the condition and people are diagnosed much more quickly.

She began to eat meat again and paid a fortune for gluten-free food which was often awful. She recalls the sawdust pharmacy bread: You sneeze and it collapses.

But things were starting to look up. Her health improved and she began to develop gluten-free recipes for the foods she missed. There were two criteria  they had be delicious and they had to affordable.

She was pretty good at finding some pretty cool names too. In the book, youll find recipes for No-Amish-beard-required corn bread; Oh, Mon Dieu, French toast; Pae-Eile and Disco Barbie Beetroot Soup.

The food, however, was only part of the story. She had completed her masters in marine biology but had a long commute to work in Dublin. Her friends were scattered all around the country and she wasnt able to do what she loved on the east coast, either  surf.

Finn, short for Findabhair, the Irish version of Guinevere, decided to look around for cooking courses and ended up with a scholarship for a full culinary programme at St Angelas College in Sligo.

There, she sat beside a girl from Bundoran in Donegal and had something of a lightbulb moment.

If she moved there, shed have sea, surf and community all in the one place. And cooking of course. Since she moved there, she says shes found wonderful local suppliers and now works as a private chef when shes not surfing.

Her advice to anyone who has any digestive difficulties is to see a doctor, but you dont need any reason to try her gluten-free  and cheap  recipes.

More Irish people are doing just that. Her book was published just as Bord Bia released a report showing that one in five Irish people shop for gluten-free food regularly, even though just 1% of the population is coeliac.

Now, all those people who spend up to 66m a year on gluten-free products have a book full of new gluten-free recipes to try.

Finns World is published by Gill Books, 22.99
In the Bole area of Addis Ababa, gorgeous young women take selfies at a trendy juice bar on their iPads.

Metres away, street children high on exhaust fumes stagger through traffic, hands outstretched beseechingly for alms.

The booming Ethiopian capital is a viewing deck on the jagged cliff-face of capitalism.

Ethiopias regional diversity and unique uncolonised history make it an unforgettable destination.

Numerous tour companies offer high-end, hermetically sealed encounters with Ethiopia; you see jeep-loads of rich Europeans disgorging at the biggest hotels in Addis, road-weary from tours of the countrys countless attractions.

Ethiopia was the first Christian country in the world, and the seat of the Abyssinian empire. Its mountain highlands are the birthplace of coffee.

From the Afar valley came early human ancestors like 3.2-million-year-old Lucy, the fossilized Australopithecus also known as Dinkinesh, which endearingly translates as you are marvellous in Amharic, the official language.

Following a bumper year for tourism in 2015, when Ethiopia was named Best place to Travel in 2015 by the European Council on Tourism despite a severe drought and mounting food insecurity in some regions, 2016 was beset with greater difficulties.

The government declared a six-month State of Emergency in following 55 deaths in a violent riot in the Omoria region, where the countrys majority ethnic group, the Omoro, threatened insurgency in a series of progressively larger protests against government, who, they say, disproportionately represent the interests of a powerful Tigrayan minority.

The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs issued travel warnings for certain areas, although Addis was unaffected.

Despite the ban later being lifted, for tour operators like Irishman Tony Hickey, who settled in Ethiopia in the 1980s, the impact was detrimental and, he says, unnecessary.

Negative travel advisories have huge impacts on employment in tourism, he says. Hundreds of thousands of people were affected.

The country is safe, Tony says: 42,000 runners came here for Africas biggest road race, the Great Ethiopian Run, last November.

It passed off without incident.

The threat of terrorism is greater in many European countries than here, and the threat of violent crime is greater in most US cities than cities in Ethiopia.

Hickey runs an independent company called Ethiopian Quadrants, providing tailored itineraries taking in the best of authentic Ethiopia, from the Simian mountains and the mysteries of Lake Tana to the carved rock churches of Lalibela.

But I always tell people that they have to make time to take in Addis by night, he says.

Despite a decade of economic growth, Addis is a cosmopolitan city in the heart of a poor, rural country; according to latest figures, 58% of Ethiopias population is classified as destitute.

The narrative you hear most frequently is that your tourist dollar is aiding the economy but unless youre careful, its lining the pockets of people who are already wealthy, and propping up systemic inequality.

Allow for hitches like laser machines not working or internet being down; youre travelling in one of the worlds poorest countries and services arent as smooth as you may be used to.

TO DO

To understand the ingrained Ethiopian mistrust of Faranji (foreigner  its how youll be greeted on the street), the brutish behaviour of wannabe colonisers is clear in the Ethnological Museum in the palace of the last emperor, Haile Selassie: many of the treasures are accompanied by a placard stating the date they were looted by Italian or British forces and the date they were returned.

The Red Terror Martyrs Memorial Museum is essential but harrowing. Learn about the reign of the brutal Derg regime from tour guides who were themselves victims of the notorious Mengistus torture.

Taxi drivers will point out the Italian Embassy, where two of Mengistus commanding officers sought shelter following the 1991 liberation of Addis. They still live there to this day.

Gebre Kristos Desta, the father of Ethiopian modern art, taught at Addis Ababa University. A fantastic collection of his visceral and dynamic work lies in a dedicated museum in the University grounds.

Entoto is the highest mountain overlooking Addis Ababa, at 3,200m, a fantastic vantage point to view the city.

Unless you can set aside a whole day to walk up the winding road to the colourful Church of St Maryam at the top, take a taxi or bus up and walk down.

Mercato, Africas largest street market selling every single commodity you can imagine, is an unmissable assault on the senses.

FOOD AND DRINK

Dont visit Addis without a traditional coffee ceremony.

Reeds are scattered on the floor, the beans are roasted in front of you and a bowl of smoking incense accompanies your brew.

Nor should you forgo a palpitation-inducing espresso from the 50-year-old Italian machine in To.Mo.Ca Coffee in the Piazza area, frequented by a young, hip crowd.

Ethiopias cuisine is based on Injera, a flat bread made from barley-like tef flour, and a variety of different spicy stews.

With most signs in Amharic script, its difficult to make spontaneous restaurant choices. Tej Bet are the ubiquitous bars that serve Tej, Ethiopias national drink, a honey wine brewed to three different strengths. The sourest is an acquired taste, as is Turbo, a blend of beer, wine and Sprite.

2000 Habesha restaurant does traditional cuisine and cultural evenings for tourists with music and breathtakingly energetic dances. The Bunratty Castle of Addis, its twee but fun, and caters to domestic visitors as well as jolly adventure-seeking Italians drunk on Tej.

Fendika Azmari Bet in Kazanchis is owned by a former Azmari singer. Azmari music is a complex traditional music where singers use poetic lyrical forms to sing songs with two distinct layers of meaning.

Road Runner Bar and Pizzeria in Haya Hulet is owned by Tony Hickey. With open outdoor fires and music in the evenings, the best thing about it is the Friday night get-togethers, where ex-pats, locals and tourists fresh from one of Tonys tours mingle and chat.

www.ethiopianquadrants.com

GETTING AROUND

Ethiopian Airlines fly Dublin- Bole International Airport. Tourist visas are available on arrival. Most hotels arrange a free shuttle service.www.ethiopianairlines.com

Addis on foot is a chaotic but law-abiding city and any threat is to your possessions, not your person; I walked everywhere alone and, apart from verbal hassle, felt safe. Heet is the Amharic for go away  unfortunately useful.

Getting lost isnt a problem, with countless blue taxis to hail.

Ask how much before you get in: 150 birr (6.50) for a 4km journey is an acceptable price for a faranji.

Theyre amazingly dilapidated but weaving through the streets in a Lada so sodden with petrol fumes that you stick your face out the window like a dog, Michael Jacksons Thriller blasting from the stereo, is strangely satisfying.

Try the amazing chaos of the minibus system; beat-up minivans career down the street with a youth hanging out, shouting the destinations. Its 1 birr (about 4c) for a few stops.

WHERE TO STAY

The reassuring homogeneity of a Radisson or Sheraton may be alluring, but your birr will trickle down more effectively if you find mid-range, locally owned hotels instead of allowing multinationals to cream off a profit.

The Addis Regency, close to St Georges church, comes highly recommended. Staff and management are extremely friendly and helpful. The Caravan Hotel on Mickey Leyland street is another good option.

Its close to an area known as Chechnya, which has some red-light activity at night, but its safe and well-run, if a little cheerless.
For visitors to Singapore, a trip to the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel is a rite of passage, where you can perch on a padded stool and sip a cerise-colored Singapore Sling in the 130-year-old building named after the countrys founder.

But theres a new kid in town. Atlas, housed in what locals affectionately call the Batman Building due to its similarities to Gotham Citys Wayne Tower, bills itself as having the worlds largest collection of gin.

Its owner, Vicky Hwang, thinks that after a five-month renovation and two years of planning, the 7,400 square foot Art Deco space will be able to rival Raffles thanks to an extensive menu of 1,011 bottles and counting.

The drinks menu at Atlas is currently a work in progress but already stretches to 60 pages, and thats without tasting notes.

Inside, you can find Ki No Bi Kyoto Dry Gin, produced at Japans first dedicated gin distillery in the south of Kyoto using Japanese botanicals .

If you prefer more of a dry style, go for the Forest Dry Gin Quersus, a classic Belgian gin aged in a former Montrachet white wine barrel.

Jason Williams, Atlass master of gin, describes the collection as one of the worlds largest, most diverse and thoughtfully curated physical collections of quality gins.

They include Pollination Gin, which is made at the Dyfi Distillery in mid-Wales using botanicals foraged from the Unesco-recognised Dygi Biosphere Reserve. Another, called Gin La Republica  Andina, is a Bolivian gin distilled at 4,000m above sea level .

One factor common to all the bottles in the collection is strength. Every one is at least 40% ABV, according to Williams. Gin is better when its stronger. You get those botanicals like perfume.

The best of the collection is displayed in the three-story-tall gin tower with carved wooden columns and glass shelving that serves as the centrepiece of the room.

In the venues previous incarnation, the tower was a wine refrigerator. When a customer selected a bottle from the upper reaches, a wine angel bartender would don a pair of wings before being whisked to the top with a pulley system, where she would pluck it from its shelf.

At the time, it was incredible. Twelve years later, it was a bit gimmicky, said Hwang.

Getting your hands on more than 1,000 of the worlds most distinctive gins isnt easy. After drawing up an extensive inventory of the worlds best bottles, the tough part was sourcing them.

While many distillers were happy to submit a bottle for the collection, others were harder to come by, so Atlas came up with a novel solution  employ a barren of gin mules (yes, the collective noun for mules is barren), friends and family around the globe, to bring them into the country.

Whenever someone was coming to Singapore, if there was a bottle we needed, we would let them know, and they would buy the bottle and mule it back for us, Hwang said. We had all these gin mules all over the world.

While sourcing the bars plush furnishings, Hwang flew to Spain so she could sit on a chair and and personally test whether its stuffing was comfortable enough for guests.

She jokingly describes herself as a nightmare client for design firm Hassell, who worked with Hwang throughout the refurbishment.

It got to the point where I would take a picture, Id be like, I want this seat, and the carpet needs to be more like this. The lobby makeover was a major overhaul, with just the walls and ceiling remaining intact.

Hwang wont say how much it cost to renovate, or what the bars profit expectations are. She reveals only that the bar pays rent, like any other tenant.

Diane Aw, head of retail services at Singapore real estate company Colliers International, estimates the space would rent for about 48,000 a month, taking into account location, its Art Deco grandeur, and the limited number of bar operators with the capacity to fit out such a space.

If your idea of a good drink involves sipping on a glass of bubbly that spent 75 years on the seabed, you can do that at Atlas thanks to a selection of rare champagne bottles straight from the private collection of Hwangs Uncle George.

Among them? Shipwreck champagne. The story goes that 4,400 bottles of 1907 Charles Heidsieck and Co champagne were being transported to Russias Tsar Nicholas II when the Swedish freighter Jonkoping was sunk by a German U-boat.

In 1997, salvage crews recovered some 2,000 bottles from the seabed, where the contents had been preserved at a perfect pressure by the dark, ice-cold water.

Its actually the same champagne that they drank on the Titanic, Hwang explains.

Propped up on a shelf behind the bar is a portrait of Hwangs late grandfather, property magnate CS Hwang, founder of the Chyau Fwu Group. Today the family-run empire includes one of Hong Kongs largest housing estates and developments in China and Europe.

Despite the modest size of the portrait, the late tycoons presence looms large in Parkview Square where Atlas is housed  it was his last major building project before his death in 2004, aged 78.

His legacy was very much in the forefront of Vicky Hwangs mind when it came to tearing up the original lobby bar. They took all the furniture out, and then they started breaking the marble, and I literally had a panic attack, Hwang recalls. I was like, Oh my god, thats my grandfathers marble. If I mess this up theyre all going to kill me.
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ARCHDALE  U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., told reporters here Friday that he has no regrets about supporting President Donald Trumps campaign and that Trump is acting within the bounds of the executive branch as he decides who should head the FBI.

Make no mistake: The president has every right in his job to pick the head of the FBI and to trust the head of the FBI. Clearly, the president lost trust in James Comey. Why? Thats a question the president will have to answer, said Burr, chairman of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Trump fired Comey this week ostensibly because of his handling of the FBIs investigation of Hillary Clintons use of a private email server; critics say that Trump is trying to quash the agencys investigation into potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign to influence the presidential election. Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, testifying before Congress on Tuesday in place of his fired boss, said the agencys investigation was highly significant.

Burr said Tuesday he was troubled by the timing of Trumps firing of Comey. But on Friday, before a tour of the Thomas Built Buses manufacturing plant, Burr said that, as things stand, Trump apparently was not involved with Russias attempt to influence the results of the election.

To date, there has been no evidence of collusion, Burr said.

Conversely, Burr said Trumps tweet about Comey on Friday was inappropriate.

James Comey better hope that there are no tapes of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press! Trump wrote on Twitter.

The tweet came the morning after Trump asserted Comey had told him three times he wasnt under FBI investigation.

In the afternoon, White House press secretary Sean Spicer repeatedly refused to say definitively whether recording devices had been placed in the White House, and he tried to downplay the notion that the president threatened the former FBI director.

The president has nothing further to add on that, Spicer said when questioned about a recording system. The tweet speaks for itself.

Comey has not confirmed Trumps account of discussions that included the FBIs probe of Russias interference in the 2016 presidential election and allegations of Trump campaign collaboration with the Russians.

On Friday, a person close to the former director recounted a Comey-Trump dinner in January at which Trump asked for a pledge of loyalty, The Associated Press reported. Comey declined, instead offering honesty. When Trump then pressed for honest loyalty, Comey told him, You will have that, recounted the Comey associate.

As chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Burr invited Comey to speak with committee members Tuesday in a closed session. But Comey declined in the invitation on Friday.

Burr also reiterated his opposition to a special prosecutor, saying that it would delay the investigation.

This is our job, Burr said.

Meanwhile, the Senates No. 2 Democrat, Dick Durbin of Illinois, said Friday that Trump was dangerous and that his credibility has been destroyed.

On MSNBCs Morning Joe, Durbin suggested that the presidents move to fire Comey amid its Trump-Russia investigation was dangerous because he may be obstructing justice.

Trump, in an interview Thursday with NBC, said he had been intending to fire Comey for months and that it had nothing to do with the Russia investigation.

But he also said, In fact when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story, its an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won.
Allen Binns, a senior at Reagan High School, pondered the question for, oh, half a second.

Is sloshing through a stream at Stone Mountain State Park in waders a better way to spend a Friday morning than sitting in a classroom?

By far, by far, Binns said with a big smile. Its better to have this type of hands-on experience than writing a paper.

Those hands got wet and dirty, touched crawdads, rubbed against bark and gripped a fly rod earlier this month during the annual Trout in the Classroom program at Stone Mountain State Park, which is run by the Blue Ridge chapter of Trout Unlimited, in partnership with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

About 200 middle- and high school students from eight schools in Forsyth, Davidson and Davie counties romped around the park on a beautiful day, learning about clean water, stream habitats and conservation. Organizers also hope the day plants a seed of appreciation for the outdoors.

This is about STEM, said Don Davidson, referring to the acronym for science, technology, engineering and math, and letting kids see, feel and touch.

Davidson coordinates the program for the North Carolina Trout Unlimited Council. Started in North Carolina nine years ago, Trout in the Classroom is now in 78 schools, most of which are west of Greensboro, where trout streams are more plentiful than in the warmer waters in the central and eastern part of the state.

Its a months long program that starts with classrooms tending to trout eggs provided by Trout Unlimited.

Lori Heath, a science teacher at Reagan, has gotten kids from her classes involved in the program for the past three years. She keeps a 50-gallon tank with a chiller, also provided by Trout Unlimited, in her classroom. The eggs must be kept in the dark when they first arrive, so kids tape paper on the tank.

Throughout the year, students from all seven of her classes monitor the water for temperature and pH balance, making sure it does not become too acidic.

The local program culminates with schools releasing their fry (the name for small fish) into the East Prong of the Roaring River, which parallels one of the main roads meandering through the park. The stream is populated with trout raised in hatcheries around the state, said Kevin Hining, an education specialist with the wildlife resources commission.

Students hauled coolers and buckets filled with fry to the bank and emptied them into the stream. Different schools had different size fry.

The fry in the cooler from East Davidson High School were slender and small. Preston Eagle, a junior, cleaned the water in the classroom tank three days a week dating back to the fall.

Im ready to let them go, but Im not, he said. Its kind of like life. Theyre just getting bigger.

Hunter Spangler, a senior, had other ideas.

Id rather eat them, he said.

Heath said she cant take all the students from her seven science classes to the trout release so she chooses five from each class who have shown the most interest in the fry.

The thing I like most is getting kids who have never even gone into the woods. You get them out and in the water and they put all the pieces together of what they learned in class, not just in a book or their imagination, Heath said. Ive had some tell me they didnt realize insects laid eggs in the water or all the invertebrates in the water. And some will say, Ive never fished before. I might go back and try it sometime. 
WASHINGTON  President Trumps abrupt firing of FBI Director James B. Comey will intensify focus on the issue Trump has been so eager to dismiss  his knowledge of contacts between Michael Flynn and other associates and Russia.

White House arguments that Trump sacked Comey for mishandling the investigation of Hillary Clintons emails are implausible, but no more so than some of the arguments the Trump team has made about Flynns firing in February. Sources say the White House has been talking about firing Comey since before the inauguration; why they pulled the trigger now is unclear, but FBI agents, including those who dislike Comey, were said to be dazed and upset Tuesday night.

The Comey putsch heightens the mystery at the center of the Flynn case: Why didnt Trump react sooner to warnings about Flynns involvement with Russia? Why didnt Trump listen to President Barack Obamas caution against hiring him? Why did Trump wait 18 days before removing his national security adviser after urgent advice that Flynn could be blackmailed?

After Comeys dismissal, critics are likely to examine more sharp-edged theories of the Flynn case and other Russia matters. One obvious possibility is that Trump didnt take action earlier because he already knew about Flynns Dec. 29 discussion with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak about sanctions, and knew that Flynn had misrepresented the Kislyak call to Vice President-elect Mike Pence.

Flynns discussion with the Russian ambassador at such a sensitive time, when the United States was punishing Russia for hacking the 2016 election, was arguably a violation of the Logan Act, which bars private meddling during a confrontation with another country. It was problematic behavior, as former acting attorney general Sally Yates said in her riveting testimony Monday.

But the Kislyak call wasnt a hanging offense, and it probably wasnt even a prosecutable one. Trump could have said back on Dec. 29 that Flynn had talked with Kislyak in hopes of averting Russian reprisals for U.S. sanctions announced that day. Trump certainly wasnt shy about crediting President Vladimir Putin on Dec. 30 for his great move in not retaliating. Is it really plausible that Trump hadnt talked to Flynn before posting that tweet?

Trump has been digging a hole for himself from the beginning on Russia-related issues. Its an odd pattern of behavior. Trump may have done nothing improper involving Russia, but why does he act so defensive?

In a book called Spy the Lie, a group of former intelligence officers explain the behavioral and linguistic cues that indicate when someone is being deceptive. Interestingly, many of these are evident in Trumps responses to questions about Russias covert involvement in U.S. politics.

The authors list of tip-offs includes going into attack mode, inappropriate questions, inconsistent statements, selective memory and the use of qualifiers, such as frankly, honestly and truthfully. The authors point is that people who are innocent answer questions simply and directly.

Comeys firing takes the country closer to the dangerous collision that has been looming since allegations began about possible connections between Trump and his associates and the Russian covert influence operation Comey has been investigating since July.

Trump will now appoint a new FBI director whose mission will include investigating Trump himself. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, having recused himself from the Russia investigation, will now face criticism that he reneged on his promise by recommending the firing of the person leading the probe.

The most delicate role in this dark tale is the one played by Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein. He has been widely praised as a solid prosecutor. But his long, rambling letter supporting Comeys removal was closer to a civics essay than a lawyerly statement. It cited a grab bag of op-eds and public statements to scold Comey.

For a newcomer to a top role at the Justice Department, Rosenstein was strangely insistent: The FBI is unlikely to regain public and congressional trust until it has a Director who understands the gravity of the mistakes and pledges never to repeat them. Having refused to admit his errors, Comey  cannot be expected to implement the necessary corrective actions.

Will the next FBI director truly be free to pursue the investigation that Comey began? Will a bureau already riven by political divisions and back-biting truly regain confidence and public trust? Can the Justice Department oversee the Russia matter? Already, congressional pressure is building for an independent counsel  which is the most sensible way to restore a measure of public confidence after this debacle.
This weeks event: Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates testifies before a Senate committee that she warned the White House that then-National Security Adviser Mike Flynn was vulnerable to Russian blackmail.

Mike Walker: 1. This tempest in a murky teapot is an unpleasant reminder that Washington is now peopled with political mediocrities of varying levels of deceit and incompetence: Trump, the Clintons, Pelosi, Schumer, McConnell . . . A pox on them all.

Linda Petrou: 3. Because the Democrats in the Senate slowed down the confirmation of President Trump's Cabinet officials, Obama officials were retained in an acting position to allow for the departments to continue their work. Sally Yates was an Obama appointee who was named acting attorney general until Jeff Sessions was confirmed. However, she was fired by President Trump for insubordination when she refused to defend his travel ban. Most of the questions in the hearing this week she did not answer because they were intelligence unable to be discussed in public. She states she told the White House that Mike Flynn had lied to the VP and therefore was open to blackmail by the Russians. The White House in fact did fire Flynn, but not at that moment. So what do I think about Sally Yates? She is a partisan who was left in charge of the Department of Justice temporarily and made political hay out of it. This entire situation is much ado about nothing. 

Anne Wilson: 10. In todays world of fake news versus real news, it is important that the truth be known about the Trump administrations involvement with Russia. Although Sally Yates did a magnificent job testifying, to the naysayers who claim Yates was being partisan this should be all the more reason to appoint a neutral, independent commission to get to the bottom of any Russian connection. Sen. Richard Burr, chairman of the Intelligence Committee, has an opportunity to shine by adamantly insisting on an independent investigation. The seriousness of this matter reaches far beyond partisanship. The world is watching, and the security of our country is at risk.

John Harrison: Sally Yates showed integrity and consummate professionalism. Her ac-count of the events surrounding the Flynn debacle was convincing and raised many questions about how the White House performs and how the country is being governed. The subsequent firing of James Comey at the FBI by a president, whose campaign may be subject of a bureau investigation into Russian electoral interference, reinforces this apprehension. It raises the unavoidable suspicion that this is an attempt to conceal possible nefarious activity by Trump's acolytes.

Echoes of Richard Nixon? Yates 10, Trump 0.

JoAnn Dunn: That was Yates opinion, and Flynn was eventually fired. The press is all over this, but has long avoided pointing out that the Clintons were absolutely vulnerable to blackmail or pay for play when they took billions from countries hostile to the U.S. As soon as Hillary Clinton lost the election, the donations dried up. We even have Obama on an open mic telling the former president and prime minister of Russia, Medvedev, to tell Vlad Putin that he would have more flexibility after he was re-elected in 2012more flexibility for what? Clearly we have more to fear with Democratic politicians than with the current administration.

Jim Monroe: Somewhere between 0 and 10 -- It's really sad that a career government employee is seemingly jumping up and down and waiving her arms but still gets ignored.

Lt. Gen. Flynn is the kind of guy that comes along every once in a while that can look you square in the eye and tell you a story that's nowhere near the truth. The 18 days that it took them to finally fire him are a heartbeat in a four-year administration, but I'm sure they were busy doing other important stuff. They did finally do the right thing.

Ex-secretary Yates is continually referred to as a holdover from the Obama administration, but she could also be classified by the Obama administration as a holdover from the Bush administration.

Pat Blankenship: 7. I watched ex-AG Yates testimony live on television, and I would like for the government to get to the bottom of this inasmuch as it has implications for national security. However, I know no more now that I did prior to Yates obfuscated testimony.

I have a notion that regular Americans will never be told the truth. Kind of like hiding government emails in a private computer server.

Carroll Leggett: 10. Sally Yates was as credible as any witness possibly could be. The democratic system in the U.S. has remained viable because of dedicated public servants like Yates who overlap administrations -- Both Republican and Democrat -- and provide continuity and consistency.

One of the most appalling things about this administration has been its willingness to launch personal attacks on career employees, including those in the intelligence community, and question their integrity. It says far more about the attackers and their lack of re-spect for the American political system than those whose integrity they seek to impugn.

Tony Gagliardi: The story is unworthy of any rating so I give it a 0. Yates believed that Lt. Gen. Flynn could be blackmailed because he talked to the Russian ambassador. That is an example of her poor judgment.

I don't know why he was not truthful with the vice president, but what did he do that was wrong? He talked to an ambassador, big deal. What he said might be problematic, but we do not know what was said. We know that Obama fired Flynn because he spoke against him, but if Flynn was such a problem, why did Obama allow his top security clearance to be renewed?

Don Witte: 10. Fabulous that the truth is coming out now, but too bad that our president is not enough of man to take responsibility for anything he disagrees with. That applies to many other Republicans who are just yes people.

Linda Hill: 8. Warnings, conversations with Russians, blackmail and threats. Are these more smoke and mirrors? I am confused. Until we know more about the content of the conversations and dig deeper into the meaning of all this, perhaps we should withhold judgment. Is this a game of Who do you trust?

Stephen Flynn: 10. Sally Yates' testimony showed what a real attorney general looked like. Professional, not dodging questions. Her actions were to protect the security of America, not partisan politics, yet Trump is still attempting to intimidate her and shifting his problem to anyone else.

Her actions while attorney general were heroic, and our senators should be thanking her instead of trying to distract everyone from the real issue, that Russia has influence inside the White House with this administration.

Hayes McNeill: 6. Too often these days, we see a steady stream of examples of our government at its worst. How encouraging it was to glimpse Sally Yatess testimony. Smart and honest, forthright and fearless, stubbornly non-partisan -- just the kind of public servant that we should pray to have at a time when so many politicians are plainly only interested in serving themselves.

John Wayne Lambeth: 7. Sally Yates was so troubled that then-National Security Adviser Michael Flynn misled Vice President Mike Pence about his communications with the Russian ambassador that she warned White House counsel he was vulnerable to blackmail. She goes on to say that Flynn had lied to administration officials about his conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak before Trumps inauguration.

Yates herself was a holdover from the Obama administration. Sounds like this was going on well before Trump took office. Sounds like some foxes got caught in a hen house, Flynn and Yates.

Trump said he would drain the swamp. I think he should have done this earlier myself. Its a big mess. I hope that all this will be handled and over, for Americas sake.
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission [official website] of Thailand on Thursday ordered Facebook Thailand [official website] to remove a video of King Maha Vajiralongkorn and other posts by Tuesday or face legal action. The video claims to show the king in casual dress showing his tattoos and walking with a woman. The video was deemed illicit by the NBTC and ordered removed [Bangkok Post reports] from the social media site. Facebook has said[VICE report] it plans to comply with the request.

Free speech rights around the globe are still contested. Chinese human rights lawyers Xie Yang and Li Heping were released [JURIST report] from prison Tuesday after being detained for nearly two years on charges of attempting to subvert the countrys ruling Communist Party. Ireland Health Minister Simon Harris said [JURIST report] Monday that the countrys blasphemy laws were embarrassing and called for their repeal. A Tunisian court sentenced [JURIST report] British DJ Dax J to a year in prison in April for public indecency and offending public morality after the artist played a remix of the Muslim call to prayer in a nightclu
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Thursday signed [press release] the Fairbanks Declaration [text] to affirm protection of the arctic climate. The move was a part of the 10th Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting [official website], with goals to maintain peace, stability and constructive cooperation in the Arctic. The signing of the declaration included reaffirming the threat of climate change and a promise to work together to solve issues facing the Arctic region.

Note again that the Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of the global average, note with concern that the pace and scale of continuing Arctic warming will depend on future emissions of greenhouse gases and short-lived climate pollutants, reiterate the importance of global action to reduce both greenhouse gases and short-lived climate pollutants to mitigate climate change, and call for the Arctic Council to undertake additional analyses to contribute to the assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and continued collaboration with all levels of governments

The measure is not binding on the US or any partner.

Climate concerns and solutions are still a contested issue. The US Senate on Tuesday rejected [JURIST report] a measure that would rollback methane gas regulations. The Trump administration in March asked [JURIST report] the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to postpone ruling on the Obama administrations climate change regulations. Also in March, US President Donald Trump signed [JURIST report] an executive order reforming the previous administrations energy policies. UN human rights experts called [JURIST report] on global leaders in February to take urgent action on air pollution to ensure world citizens enjoy what the UN calls the human rights to life and health in environments free from contamination.
MINDEN  Spring planting season involves more than corn and soybeans for some Nebraska farmers.

Its also a time to plant trees and shrubs as windbreaks that protect farmsteads, fields and livestock facilities, and add native grasses to create wildlife habitat on corners of pivot-irrigated cropland.

We need to keep these trees growing, keep conservation projects going, farmer Marshall Paulsen said during a driving tour of projects hes undertaken the past 21 years on his farm southeast of Minden. They include re-purposing pivot corners in 1996, 2002 and 2007 in cooperation with the Holdrege-based Tri-Basin Natural Resources District and Pheasants Forever, and planting windbreaks in 2005 and 2015.

We never had quail here when I grew up, Paulsen said as two quail ran through pivot corner grass in front of his pickup. ...The upland birds and deer come in here. You drive up here in the summer and see birds.

Although he likes to hunt and fish, he said restoring habit now is more about enjoying birds that are attracted to the trees, shrubs and grasses. The pivot corners arent picturesque, he added, but the plants have grown well there.

One incentive to turn the corners into wildlife habitat was the difficulty in farming them. Paulsen said his converted corners are on rough ground and in the hard-to-access middle of fields.

Theres a lot of land around that could be used for this kind of deal, he said.

Paulsen enhanced his windbreaks by planting fruit trees along with more typical windbreak plants such as red cedars and honeysuckle.

Paulsen and Tri-Basin Land Resources Manager Charlie Brooks said the tree and shrub programs offered by Nebraskas NRDs help mitigate the loss of wildlife habitat as old farmsteads were cleared to install pivot irrigation systems.

It was started to help rural farmers provide shelter for livestock. It was an offshoot of the old SCS (Soil Conservation Service) effort to plant trees for windbreaks after the Dust Bowl years, Brooks said about NRD tree programs offered in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agricultures Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Although interest in converting pivot corners to wildlife habitat has waned in recent years, traditional windbreaks still have habitat benefits, he said.

Weve mainly just gone to windbreaks for building sites, Brooks said as he watched red cedar and ponderosa pine trees, and chokecherry shrubs being planted at such a site southwest of Kearney this week. ... Ten years ago, we would have three pivot corners at least every year. Were a victim of these new corn varieties that are drought tolerant and of a wetter weather pattern.

Tri-Basin contracts with Jaeger Enterprises of Ogallala for spring tree and shrub planting on farms in Kearney, Phelps and Gosper counties. Kerri Jaeger, who leads a 10-member crew, said she and her husband, Josh, did volunteer planting for Pheasants Forever in 1994 and decided in 1997 to go into the contracting business.

The process starts by creating a furrow. Drip tape is unrolled into the furrow bottom and individual trees or shrubs are put into the furrow by a person seated on a tractor-pulled planter. A second smaller tractor pulls a custom unit from which a porous fabric conservation mulch is unrolled on top of the closed furrow. Slits are cut in the fabric for the seedling tops.

Brooks said landowners can learn about tree planting at local NRD or NRCS offices. Well get together with them and write up a plan, he said.

Tri-Basin offers a 50 percent cost share for windbreaks.

Pheasants Forevers Corners for Wildlife program has a 75 percent cost-share for seed and wildlife shrubs, and a five-year payment of up to $100 per acre, per year. Participating NRDs, including Tri-Basin, provide free planting.

Its best to start thinking about it in November, Brooks said. But we can put a lot of plans together in March yet. There usually is an on-site visit after a plan is completed.

Landowners must prepare the planting sites. You disk it or till it a little bit to get it ready for next spring, Paulsen said, and then go over it again closer to planting time.

Brooks said seedlings for all plans prepared by Tri-Basin and NRCS are ordered by NRD staff, with most trees purchased from the Bessey Tree Nursery at the Nebraska National Forest near Halsey.

Sometimes there is a shortage or they have a failure, and we have to supplement from other nurseries, he added.

Plants are picked up or delivered around April 1 and stored at 35 degrees in Tri-Basins tree cooler  a converted truck box. Brooks said the seedlings are sorted, boxed and labeled with each landowners name.

Most NRDs offer the same plant species, but each may have its own program features and costs. Brooks said trees, the fabric mulch and planting costs $1.50 per foot in the Tri-Basin counties, with drip tape another 35 cents per foot.

Approximately 30,000 linear feet of tree and shrubs were planted this week, which he said compares with 35,000 last year. We could go 40,000 to 50,000. They (the contractor) would stay for as long as we could plant, Brooks said.

Paulsen said he waters some new plantings the first year if the weather was dry. A lot of trees seem to make it under that fabric mulch, he said, which allows moisture to collect and stay around the plants.

In years when trees are still small, but growing, he might mow around them, and he makes sure they arent buried by snowdrifts.

Like kids, its fun watching them grow, and then theyre on their own, Paulsen said. ... You do one project and it kind of leads to another. You see the benefits.
KEARNEY  Ron L. Lieske of Horner Lieske McBride & Kuhl Funeral and Cremation Services was honored for 50 years of service as a funeral director at the Nebraska Funeral Directors Association annual convention that was May 2-4 at the Younes Conference Center in Kearney.

Lieske was raised in Upland and graduated from Upland High School. He attended Kearney State College, then graduated from San Francisco College of Mortuary Science. He began his career in 1965 and has been a licensed funeral director since 1967. He has been associated with Horner Lieske McBride & Kuhl Funeral Home since 1968.

Lieske is a member of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, has served on the Good Samaritan Hospital Board, Kearney Sertoma Club and the Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce. For the past two years he has also been the chairman and coordinator for the BBQ on the Bricks in downtown Kearney.
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

Go to form
FILE - In this Sept. 20, 2016 file photo, Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, before the Senate Banking Committee. Lawyers suing Wells Fargo on behalf of aggrieved customers say in court filing late Thursday, May 11, 2017, the bank may have opened about 3.5 million unauthorized accounts, far more than the figure bank and regulators disclosed last year. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, file)
FILE - In this Feb. 16, 1969, file photo, President Richard M. Nixon, is shown at his desk in the White House. For the first time since an Oval Office taping system was removed by NixonAos chief of staff nearly 44 years ago, a president has hinted that White House conversations might again be secretly recorded. If so, President Donald Trump is following a problematic precedent. While several presidents secretly recorded conversations without problems, the practice is most associated with Nixon. His recordings became prime evidence during the Watergate investigation that ultimately led to his resignation. Sooner or later, recordings are likely to become public.(AP Photo/File)
Stuff reports:

Two new Great Walks are part of a Government pledge to pour $178m into tourism infrastructure and the conservation estate. Tourism Minister Paula Bennett and Conservation Minister Maggie Barry jointly announced the establishment of a $102m tourism infrastructure fund, alongside an extra $76m for the Department of Conservation (DOC). Barry said it had not yet been decided where the two new Great Walks would go. Were going to do a really good job to ensure theyre in the right place, theres a lot of conversations to be had yet then we have to do a business plan.

I suspect one will be in the Coromandel.

Ive done seven of the nine existing Great Walks and was looking forward to completing them once Ben is a bit older. But the Government seems to be creating new ones faster than I can walk them, so not sure when I will get to finish all 12 of them.

Forest & Birds advocacy manager Kevin Hackwell is less impressed and raised concerns the new walks would lead to price increases for New Zealanders who would compete with tourists for access. Of particular concern is the idea to work with private partners to co-fund these Great Walks. This is a significant step towards privatising the conservation estate. Essentially, its the unpopular charter school model, brought to conservation, said Hackwell.

Oh what absolute nonsense. Its called sponsorship. Air New Zealand is already a major sponsor. They dont own the Great Walks, they just help fund them.

Such a shame to see organisations that used to be devoted purely to conversation become just another left wing activist group.

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Homeland Security issues warning about WannaCry Ransomware on Microsoft Windows OS



WASHINGTON  According to numerous open-source reports, a widespread ransomware campaign is affecting various organizations with reports of tens of thousands of infections in as many as 74 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Russia, Taiwan, France, and Japan. The software can run in as many as 27 different languages.



The latest version of this ransomware variant, known as WannaCry, WCry, or Wanna Decryptor, was discovered the morning of May 12, 2017, by an independent security researcher and has spread rapidly over several hours, with initial reports beginning around 4:00 AM EDT, May 12, 2017. Open-source reporting indicates a requested ransom of .1781 bitcoins, roughly $300 U.S.



This Alert is the result of efforts between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to highlight known cyber threats. DHS and the FBI continue to pursue related information of threats to federal, state, and local government systems and as such, further releases of technical information may be forthcoming.



Initial reports indicate the hacker or hacking group behind the WannaCry campaign is gaining access to enterprise servers either through Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) compromise or through the exploitation of a critical Windows SMB vulnerability. Microsoft released a security update for the MS17-010 vulnerability on March 14, 2017. According to open sources, one possible infection vector is via phishing emails.





Technical Details



Indicators of Compromise (IOC)



IOCs are provided within the accompanying .xls file of this report.



Yara Signatures



rule Wanna_Cry_Ransomware_Generic {



meta:



description = "Detects WannaCry Ransomware on disk and in virtual page"



author = "US-CERT Code Analysis Team"



reference = "not set"



date = "2017/05/12"



hash0 = "4DA1F312A214C07143ABEEAFB695D904"





strings:



$s0 = {410044004D0049004E0024}



$s1 = "WannaDecryptor"



$s2 = "WANNACRY"



$s3 = "Microsoft Enhanced RSA and AES Cryptographic"



$s4 = "PKS"



$s5 = "StartTask"



$s6 = "wcry@123"



$s7 = {2F6600002F72}



$s8 = "unzip 0.15 Copyrigh"



condition:



$s0 and $s1 and $s2 and $s3 or $s4 or $s5 or $s6 or $s7 or $s8



}



/*The following Yara ruleset is under the GNU-GPLv2 license (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html) and open to any user or organization, as long as you use it under this license.



rule MS17_010_WanaCry_worm {



meta:



description = "Worm exploiting MS17-010 and dropping WannaCry Ransomware"



author = "Felipe Molina (@felmoltor)"



reference = "https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/41987/"



date = "2017/05/12"



strings:



$ms17010_str1="PC NETWORK PROGRAM 1.0"



$ms17010_str2="LANMAN1.0"



$ms17010_str3="Windows for Workgroups 3.1a"



$ms17010_str4="__TREEID__PLACEHOLDER__"



$ms17010_str5="__USERID__PLACEHOLDER__"



$wannacry_payload_substr1 = "h6agLCqPqVyXi2VSQ8O6Yb9ijBX54j"



$wannacry_payload_substr2 = "h54WfF9cGigWFEx92bzmOd0UOaZlM"



$wannacry_payload_substr3 = "tpGFEoLOU6+5I78Toh/nHs/RAP"



condition:



all of them



}





Initial Analysis



The WannaCry ransomware received and analyzed by US-CERT is a loader that contains an AES-encrypted DLL. During runtime, the loader writes a file to disk named t.wry. The malware then uses an embedded 128-bit key to decrypt this file. This DLL, which is then loaded into the parent process, is the actual Wanna Cry Ransomware responsible for encrypting the users files. Using this cryptographic loading method, the WannaCry DLL is never directly exposed on disk and not vulnerable to antivirus software scans.



The newly loaded DLL immediately begins encrypting files on the victims system and encrypts the users files with 128-bit AES. A random key is generated for the encryption of each file.



The malware also attempts to access the IPC$ shares and SMB resources the victim system has access to. This access permits the malware to spread itself laterally on a compromised network. However, the malware never attempts to attain a password from the victims account in order to access the IPC$ share.



This malware is designed to spread laterally on a network by gaining unauthorized access to the IPC$ share on network resources on the network on which it is operating.





Impact



Ransomware not only targets home users; businesses can also become infected with ransomware, leading to negative consequences, including



 temporary or permanent loss of sensitive or proprietary information,  disruption to regular operations,  financial losses incurred to restore systems and files, and  potential harm to an organizations reputation.



Paying the ransom does not guarantee the encrypted files will be released; it only guarantees that the malicious actors receive the victims money, and in some cases, their banking information. In addition, decrypting files does not mean the malware infection itself has been removed.





Solution



Recommended Steps for Prevention



 Apply the Microsoft patch for the MS17-010 SMB vulnerability dated March 14, 2017.

 Enable strong spam filters to prevent phishing e-mails from reaching the end users and authenticate in-bound e-mail using technologies like Sender Policy Framework (SPF), Domain Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC), and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) to prevent e-mail spoofing.

 Scan all incoming and outgoing e-mails to detect threats and filter executable files from reaching the end users.  Ensure anti-virus and anti-malware solutions are set to automatically conduct regular scans.

 Manage the use of privileged accounts. Implement the principle of least privilege. No users should be assigned administrative access unless absolutely needed. Those with a need for administrator accounts should only use them when necessary.

 Configure access controls including file, directory, and network share permissions with least privilege in mind. If a user only needs to read specific files, they should not have write access to those files, directories, or shares.

 Disable macro scripts from Microsoft Office files transmitted via e-mail. Consider using Office Viewer software to open Microsoft Office files transmitted via e-mail instead of full Office suite applications.

 Develop, institute and practice employee education programs for identifying scams, malicious links, and attempted social engineering.

 Have regular penetration tests run against the network. No less than once a year. Ideally, as often as possible/practical.

 Test your backups to ensure they work correctly upon use.





Recommended Steps for Remediation



 Contact law enforcement. Homeland Security strongly encourages you to contact a local FBI field office upon discovery to report an intrusion and request assistance. Maintain and provide relevant logs.



 Implement your security incident response and business continuity plan. Ideally, organizations should ensure they have appropriate backups so their response is simply to restore the data from a known clean backup.





Defending Against Ransomware Generally



Precautionary measures to mitigate ransomware threats include:



 Ensure anti-virus software is up-to-date.

 Implement a data back-up and recovery plan to maintain copies of sensitive or proprietary data in a separate and secure location. Backup copies of sensitive data should not be readily accessible from local networks.

 Scrutinize links contained in e-mails, and do not open attachments included in unsolicited e-mails.

 Only download software  especially free software  from sites you know and trust.

 Enable automated patches for your operating system and Web browser.





Report Notice



DHS and FBI encourages recipients who identify the use of tool(s) or techniques discussed in this document to report information to DHS or law enforcement immediately. They encourage you to contact DHSs National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) (NCCICcustomerservice@hq.dhs.gov or 888-282-0870), or the FBI through a local field office or the FBIs Cyber Division (CyWatch@ic.fbi.gov or 855-292-3937) to report an intrusion and to request incident response resources or technical assistance.





References:

Malwarebytes LABS: "WanaCrypt0r ransomware hits it big just before the weekend

Malwarebytes LABS: "The worm that spreads WanaCrypt0r"

Microsoft: "Microsoft Security Bulletin MS17-010"

Forbes: "An NSA Cyber Weapon Might Be Behind A Massive Global Ransomware Outbreak"

Reuters: "Factbox: Don't click - What is the 'ransomware' WannaCry worm?"

GitHubGist: "WannaCry|WannaDecrypt0r NSA-Cybereweapon-Powered Ransomware Worm"





Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security



Published May 13, 2017
Dancers perform during the press preview for "Daeshim Dance" at the Seoul Arts Center, Thursday. / Courtesy of Seoul Arts Center



Contemporary choreographer Ahn stages show with height-disabled dancers

By Yun Suh-young

Well-known contemporary dancer and choreographer Ahn Eun-mi stages another one of her unique and socially meaningful shows this weekend.

The "Daeshim Dance," which will be performed until Sunday at the Seoul Art Center's CJ Towol Theater, is one involving non-professional dancers with restricted growth disabilities. The title of the show is a combination of Chinese characters "dae" and "shim," which, combined, means a "big heart."

Ahn's dance company, the Ahn Eun Mi Company, wanted to show that height is not a barrier to dance and shed light on the importance of communication with minorities through the performance. The show is second in a three-part project Ahn is organizing in the long run. She had already showcased her first, "Anshim Dance" collaborating with visually-impaired people to show that impaired sight can actually awaken senses in the movement.

"This time we collaborated with two young men with height disorders. Their physiques are different from us; they live in a different world. I had always wanted to collaborate with people like them. It will be a new experience for the audience," Ahn said during a press conference Thursday.

"It will be the first time for the audience to see height-impaired dancers on stage, especially in contemporary dance. These two men are not trained dancers, but we rehearsed for the past two months and they have so much to show. They have immense energy."

Ahn's company publicly recruited anyone who was willing to participate and Kim Beom-jin and Kim Yoo-nam were the two who knocked on their door. The 25- and 27-year-olds are a travel writer and a part-time comedian and met for the first time at Ahn's studio.

"It's a new experience for them as well and a challenge. But as we practiced we realized the size of the physique or height is unimportant if the energy is huge. They both have their own killer moves," said Ahn.

"The question was how far could they go? Their movements were limited. The techniques used by a dance of average height are different from theirs. So we spent some time just hanging out with for a while to figure out their strengths. From the beginning we noticed they had a sense of rhythm and humor. We had so much fun and were inspired by them."

The 70-minute performance is filled with techno-style music and vibrant colors, with costumes reminiscent of circus troupes. Costumes are one-pieced spandex outfits with vertical stripes in various colors.

"The stripes represent the length in life. We all live different lengths of lives," said Ahn. "I wanted to question how we can measure the visible length in comparison to the psychological length. So we designed an outfit with lines stretching out infinitely."

The movements are closest to freestyle dance but with sequence and logic in the techniques. Ahn is often referred to as the Pina Bausch of Korea, the German contemporary dancer who went down in history for her innovative moves. Ahn's company was invited by the Pompidou Centre to participate in a festival later this year and is also scheduled to perform in England, Germany, and Bulgaria.

"Yoo-nam flies away at the very end. Things that can't happen in real life can happen on stage. I hope these two gentlemen will grow to become important figures in the Korean contemporary art scene. They want to become actors and I said to them they should establish their own company," said Ahn.

"I hope this performance can be a turning point for them to show who they are to the world. With their energy and stamina, they will be breaking our prejudices on stage."

Visit sacticket.co.kr for more.
A group of experts participate in The Korea Times roundtable meeting in Seoul, Wednesday, in time with the inauguration of President Moon Jae-in. From left are Hyung Tae-gun, senior adviser of Yulchon, Yonsei University professor Sung Tae-yoon, Korean Academic Society of Business Administration Chairman Han In-goo and Chairman Yoo Jang-hee of the National Academy of Sciences' humanities and social science division. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul



By Park Hyong-ki

President Moon Jae-in should redefine the roles of the state and the market before carrying out his pledges and economic policies over the next five years, a group of experts said Wednesday.

Han In-goo, chairman of the Korean Academic Society of Business Administration (KASBA), said Korea needs to be cautious about raising corporate taxes and strengthening regulations on big companies.

"We need to redefine what the government can do and what the market can do in the economy," Han said in a roundtable discussion hosted by The Korea Times.

"Korea needs to be careful when it comes to issues concerning corporate taxes and regulations when economies such as the United States and France are looking to lower taxes and promote a business-friendly environment."

Han, also a professor at KAIST College of Business, added that the government needs to implement policies that can help boost competitiveness of domestic companies abroad and promote a level playing field at home where small businesses can thrive.

"The government should manage and oversee the economy in line with market principles," he said.

Yoo Jang-hee, chairman of the National Academy of Sciences' humanities and social science division, and Hyung Tae-gun, senior adviser at Yulchon law firm, concurred.

Han, Yoo, Hyung and Yonsei University professor Sung Tae-yoon participated in the roundtable held on day one of the Moon administration.

"I believe the Moon government needs to send a clear message to the market that it respects that Korea is a free market economy," said Yoo who also headed the Korea Commission for Corporate Partnership.












Namdaemun circa 1911

By Robert Neff

For the past several days, the air quality in Korea has been horrible -- filled with dust and pollution. Many blame desertification in China due to its rapid industrialization but this phenomenon is not new -- it is one that has plagued the Korean Peninsula for hundreds of years.

Historical records from the Three Kingdoms period indicate dust storms occurred at least as far back as 174 A.D. One powerful dust storm in the early sixth century left the capital of Baekje shrouded in darkness as if it were night and a couple of decades later, Silla suffered one that lasted for five days. Perhaps the strangest of these weather phenomena took place in 644 when a red-tinged snow fell in Pyongyang.

The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty provide even more examples.

In November 1412, a horrendous dust storm mixed with fog blanketed the land. The visibility was so bad that people could not even see the person standing in front of them and the sudden spring-like weather melted the ice on the rivers.

In the spring of 1419, another storm struck but this time the dust was black and the people described it as a black ink rain.

In March 1550, a three-day dust storm struck the peninsula with "thick fog that looked like smoke after the rain." Everything was covered with yellowish brown or white dust.

Some people felt that the gods were behind these storms. Chinese emperor Yang Guang (r. 604-618) was said to have been punished by the storms for his imprudent construction projects that caused great hardships for his people. After several storms struck Korea in the 1470s, one of King Seongjeong's fortune tellers suggested the monarch's own construction projects -- including repairing the South Gate in Seoul -- might be the cause. The king dismissed his insinuations and the construction continued.

There is also anecdotal history from Westerners living in Korea. An American, who grew up at the American gold mining concession (OCMC) in northern Korea during the early 20th century, recalled:

"With the spring came the dust storms and many people have probably heard of the term yellow sky and I can remember seeing the yellow sky as a child. Every spring the winds would bring the dust from the Gobi Desert in Manchuria down over where we lived and for days at a time the sun would be obscured and at times it was just a faint glow in the sky and the fine dust permeated everything."

The annual event played such a major role in the gold miners' lives that it inspired one of them to write a novel, "Yellow Dust." His fictional account of a robbery of a gold shipment was colored by descriptions of real events surrounding the gold mine and the lives of the miners. It is somewhat strange to note that he never mentioned the dust storms in his book -- perhaps the yellow dust he was referring to was gold dust.

While most dust storms are said to originate in China, there was one, if we are to believe the legends, that originated in Korea and deeply worried the emperor of China. It seems that in the mid-16th century, the Chinese emperor looked out his window and witnessed a strange yellow cloud in the distance coming from the Korean Peninsula. The emperor, fearing trouble had erupted in Joseon, sent one of his trusted officials to Seoul to determine the cause of this strange event.

The official made haste and soon arrived in the Korean capital. He was somewhat surprised to see the country was not under attack and no natural calamity had occurred that would explain the strange phenomenon that his emperor had witnessed. After doing some investigation he discovered it was the Korean cavalry.

The Korean cavalry, consisting of 700 men mounted on the fierce little Korean ponies, often practiced near what is now known as the Independence Gate. "[So] fierce were the mock battles and skirmishes fought there [by the Korean cavalry] that a great cloud of dust would rise into the sky and quite obscure the setting sun." It was this cloud of dust that the emperor had witnessed.

The Chinese official promptly returned to China and informed his emperor that the Korean cavalry was the cause of the cloud. In response, the emperor solved his dust storm problem by demanding Korea reduce its cavalry to 600 men.

If only it was that easy to solve the problem now.



Robert Neff is a historian and columnist for The Korea Times. He can be reached at robertneff103@gmail.com.
Director-general of the North America bureau chief of North Korea's foreign ministry Choe Son-hui (left) arrives at the Beijing Capital International Airport, Friday, as she returns from Norway and transfers a flight to North Korea. / Yonhap



A senior North Korean diplomat in charge of U.S. affairs said Saturday Pyongyang will hold talks with Washington "under the right conditions," raising the possibility bilateral contact amid U.S. President Donald Trump having expressed his willingness to meet with the North's leader.

Choe Son-hui, director-general of the North America bureau chief of North Korea's foreign ministry, told reporters at the Beijing Capital International Airport that her country "will hold dialogue under right conditions" with the U.S. administration.

Choe led a North Korean delegation that met with a group of American experts, headed by Suzanne DiMaggio -- director of the U.S. think tank New America -- in Oslo, Norway, earlier this week, according to South Korean diplomatic sources.

DiMaggio is known as an Iran specialist well-versed in the Obama administration's nuclear talks with the Middle Eastern nation. Thomas Pickering, former U.S. envoy to the U.N., and Robert Einhorn, U.S. State Department's former special adviser for nonproliferation and arms control, were also among the American experts' group.

The diplomat was in Beijing and was returning to Pyongyang. When asked what she discussed with Pickering, Choe answered, "I met with Pickering and I will discuss it when given the opportunity in the future."

This week's meeting took place amid a let-up in military tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The North did not conduct a nuclear test or a long-range rocket launch in April despite a view that it may take such a provocative act to mark a series of key political events in the month.

It was also held as South Koreans picked Moon Jae-in of the liberal Democratic Party as their new president. Expectations are running high over a change of mood in inter-Korean ties that have long been frosty.

When asked whether Pyongyang is preparing to hold dialogue with Seoul's Moon administration, Che replied, "We will observe the situation."

The U.S. government has stated that it will not attach any special meaning to the so-called "track two" dialogue in Oslo.

"Track-two meetings are routinely held on a variety of topics around the world and occur independent of U.S. government involvement," a State Department official said.

But North Korea watchers took note of the timing of the meeting this time, saying it may provide the two sides with a chance for a type of "exploratory" talks.

U.S. President Donald Trump often talks tough about North Korea, emphasizing the need to put more pressure on the Kim Jong-un regime.

He recently said, however, he would meet Kim "under the right circumstances."

"If it would be appropriate for me to meet with him, I would absolutely, I would be honored to do it," Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg News earlier this month. (Yonhap)
By Park Si-soo



North Korea launched a ballistic missile Sunday morning from a site near its border with China, South Korea's military said, in its first military provocation since Moon Jae-in was elected South Korean president last week.

The missile flew some 700 kilometers for 30 minutes, and landed in the East Sea. The flight distance suggests a success of the missile test.

"North Korea fired an unidentified missile at around 5:27 a.m. today from an area in the vicinity of Kusong, North Pyongan Province," the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement. "The South and the U.S. are analyzing more details about the missile."

The U.S. Pacific Command, based in Hawaii, also announced that it detected and tracked the launch of the missile.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce places a bouquet on a bench next to the bronze comfort woman statue in Glendale, California, in January 2014. / Korea Times file



By Ko Dong-hwan

The U.S. Supreme Court has dismissed Japanese government efforts to remove from California a "comfort women" statue that symbolizes victims of Japan's sexual slavery during World War II.

The court on Monday decided not to review the case brought by U.S. plaintiffs who were supported by the Japanese government. It ended Japan's three-year bid to remove the statue. U.S. politicians involved in the case and civil rights groups applauded the decision.

Glendale's comfort woman statue is the first erected outside Korea.

U.S. Republican Ed Royce, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told the Japan Times: "By remembering the past, including the women who suffered immensely, we help ensure these atrocities are never committed again.












By Park Si-soo



In another embarrassment for Japan, the U.N. Committee against Torture has called on Japan and South Korea to revise their controversial comfort women' deal for ending the dispute over women forced into Japanese military brothels before and during World War II.



The agreement should be modified to "ensure that the surviving victims of sexual slavery during World War II are provided with redress, including the right to compensation and rehabilitation and the right to truth, reparation and assurances of non-repetition," the committee said in a report.



The report came two days after South Korea's new President Moon Jae-in hinted at scrapping the controversial deal in his first phone call with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.



The deal was reached in December 2015 to resolve the comfort women dispute "finally and irreversibly." In line with the terms of the deal, Tokyo disbursed 1 billion yen ($8.76 million) to a South Korean fund last year to help former comfort women and their families. Many South Koreans, including most of the victims, have rejected the agreement.



"President Moon noted the reality was that most of his people could not accept the agreement over the sexual slavery issue," Moon's chief press secretary Yoon Young-chan said shortly after the phone conversation.




First lady Kim Jung-sook, surrounded by her neighbors bidding farewell, leaves her home in Hongeun-dong, Seoul, to move to presidential residence Cheong Wa Dae, Saturday. / Yonhap



South Korea's new first couple moved into their presidential home Saturday, the presidential office said, four days after Moon Jae-in was sworn in as the country's new president.

Their official residence at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae had been under repair as it had been vacant since at least March when former President Park Geun-hye was removed from office.

Moon came into office Wednesday, one day after a rare presidential election caused by the ouster of his former conservative predecessor.

Repair works at the presidential residence began immediately after his inauguration, but they required the time spent, forcing the president and his wife, Kim Jung-sook, to continue staying at their old residence in northwestern Seoul, according to Cheong Wa Dae officials.

President Moon, in the meantime, had to commute daily to and from Cheong Wa Dae, they noted.

When the first couple stepped out of their old residence for the last time Saturday afternoon, dozens of neighbors and supporters were gathered in front, wishing them farewell and a safe trip, while some expressed hope they will be as much cheered when they returned after Moon's five-year term. (Yonhap)
Multinational sea drill intended to send message to China postponed after French landing craft runs aground on Guam

Multinational military drills on Guam designed to show support for the free passage of vessels in international waters amid concerns China may restrict access to the South China Sea have been indefinitely postponed after a French landing craft ran aground Friday.US Navy Captain Jeff Grimes, chief of staff for Joint Region Marianas, said he didnt know when the drills would resume.Currently we are working with our partners to include the Coast Guard, the Guam Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and other federal and local agencies and stakeholders to further assess the situation, Grimes said.Finally, I have directed that we stop all operations associated with this exercise until we conduct a further assessment of the situation as we gather all the facts.A French catamaran landing craft ran aground just offshore, said Jeff Landis, a spokesman for Naval Base Guam. The vessel didnt hit coral or spill any fuel, he said. No one was injured. Fridays landing was meant to be a rehearsal for a drill at Tinian island on Saturday, Landis said.Two French ships on a four-month deployment to the Indian and Pacific oceans were to be featured in the drCommanders did not name the type of vessel grounded. However the descriptions suggest it could have been a L-CAT fast amphibious landing catamaran.The L-CAT can be deployed from the well deck of the French amphibious assault ship FS Mistral, which is in Guam for the exercise.The Mistral is leading the Jeanne dArc amphibious task force in a tour through Asia. The French defence ministry, in summary of the mission, described it as a potent support to French diplomacy.The Mistral, which left France in February, can carry up to 35 helicopters and four landing barges, as well as several hundred soldiers. The ship visited Japan this month before heading to GuamThe exercises involving the US, UK, France and Japan were expected to begin Friday and last a week.The drills around Guam and Tinian islands were scheduled to include amphibious landings, delivering forces by helicopter and urban patrols.Joining were Japanese forces, UK helicopters and 70 UK troops deployed with the FS Mistral. Parts of the exercise were to feature British helicopters taking US Marines ashore from a French vessel.The message we want to send is that were always ready to train and were always ready for the next crisis and humanitarian disaster wherever that may be, US Marine Corps Lieutenant Col Kemper Jones, the commander of the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, said before the exercises were to begin. About 100 Marines from Jones unit were expected to be part of the drills slated for this weekend and next week.China claims virtually the entire South China Sea and has aggressively tried to fortify its foothold in recent years by transforming seven mostly submerged reefs into island outposts, some with runways and radars and  more recently  weapons systems. The work is opposed by the other claimants to the atolls and the United States, which insists on freedom of navigation in international waters.Western critics fear Chinas actions could restrict movement in a key waterway for world trade and rich fishing grounds.China says its island construction is mainly for civilian purposes, particularly to increase safety for ships. It has said it wont interfere with freedom of navigation or overflight, although questions remain on whether that includes military ships and aircraft.Mira Rapp-Hooper of the Centre for New American Security, a Washington think tank, said the exercises will send a strong message in support of a rules-based order in Asia at a time when Chinas actions have raised questions about this.A reminder in this exercise is that lots of other countries besides the United States have an interest in that international order, said Rapp-Hooper, who is a senior fellow with the centers Asia-Pacific Security Programme.The Guam exercises come amid modestly growing European interest in the South China Sea, said David Santoro, a senior fellow for nuclear policy at Pacific Forum CSIS, a Honolulu think tank.What Im hearing from the French and to some degree the British, is an increased interest in whats going on in Asia and how they can help, Santoro said.Japan, which sent 50 soldiers and 160 sailors and landing craft, has been investing in amphibious training so it can defend its own islands. Tokyo is concerned China might attempt to take over rocky, uninhabited outcrops in the East China Sea that Japan controls but Beijing claims. Japan calls the islands Senkaku while China calls them Diaoyu. Japan has also expressed an interest in vessels being able to freely transit the South China Sea.Guam and Tinian are about 2,400 kilometres south of Tokyo. Theyre about the same distance to the east from Manila, Philippines.
Mexican activist who solved her daughters cartel murder found dead despite police protection

CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico  A mother who spent years searching for her missing daughter in northern Mexico and organized others to look for their disappeared relatives was shot to death in her home, authorities said Thursday.The group Citizen Community in Search of the Disappeared in Tamaulipas, to which Miriam Rodriguez belonged, said she was killed Wednesday night while at her home in the town of San Fernando in Tamaulipas state.The Tamaulipas state attorneys office said in a statement that Rodriguezs killer would be brought to justice.The statement denied reports that a man blamed by Rodriguez for her daughters slaying was free following a prison escape.The man, who has been charged but not yet tried in the killing of Karen Alejandra Salinas Rodriguez, was part of an escape of 29 prisoners in March, but was recaptured almost immediately, it said.Still, the statement said, the state government responded to Rodriguezs request for protection after the escape, sending police to patrol outside her home three times a day.San Fernando is about 145 kilometres south of Brownsville, Texas, and is a critical point on drug- and migrant-smuggling routes to the border. In 2010, gunmen for the Zetas drug cartel killed 72 migrants who had been travelling toward the border in one incident in San Fernando.The citizen group said Rodriguezs tireless search had eventually led to her daughters remains in an unmarked grave and she identified to authorities the man she held responsible. That is the man that the prosecutors office says is back in prison awaiting trial in the case.Such groups have spread across Mexico in recent years as people search for their loved ones in the face of government inaction or indifference. Some 30,000 people have disappeared in the decade since Mexico announced a war on drug cartels.Tamaulipas state Gov. Francisco Cabeza de Vaca went on Twitter to condemn Rodriguezs killing and promise justice.
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, visited Badger High School early Friday afternoon, taking some questions from students.

Later, he stopped off at Prestige Paint, a subsidiary of Geneva Supply, in Delavan. There he also met with students from Delavan-Darien and Big Foot high schools, who are participating in the company's BizTank Program.

The program, which is starting up this year, will take in 40 or so junior and senior high school students who want to learn how to start up and run a business.

Outside the school, on the sidewalk, about 50 people from a group called Citizen Action were on the sidewalk protesting the recent U.S. House of Representatives approval of the American Health Care Act, which opponents are labeling Trumpcare.

When some protesters attempted to walk to the school doors, about 300 feet from the sidewalk, as Ryan was arriving, they were warned back by police officers.

There were no disruptions inside the school auditorium where Ryan was serenaded by the Badger High School choir and orchestra, which performed "America the Beautiful."

As the students filed in, Ryan talked with members of the Badger student council.

After 35 minutes at Badger, Ryan then made the trip to Delavan, where he met with Jeff Peterson and Jeff Becker, founders of Geneva Supply and toured the Prestige Paint warehouse.

Geneva Supply provides products and packaging for Amazon.com and other online retailers. Geneva Supply started Prestige Paint because Amazon wanted to sell paint, but couldn't because other paint manufacturers had sales contracts with other retailers.

The company also started BizTank to bring practical business knowledge to high school students.

Ryan commended Peterson and Becker for their entrepreneurial skill and also for their dedication to the next generation in starting BizTank.

He also took some questions from the press entourage that followed him.

Ryan said he would not answer any Twitter comments by President Trump.

"I'm not going to comment on the tweets of the hour or the minute," he said. He also would not comment on U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, conducting a town hall meeting in Ryans district.

On health care, Ryan contended that Obamacare, which he did not name, is collapsing. He said that the American Health Care Act is an attempt to return health care to the control of the states.

Asked if he could guarantee that everyone would have health care under the ACHA, Ryan went to the next question.
PRESS RELEASE

Nazi Hit Squads Launch New Attack on Opposition Leaders in Ukraine

May 12, 2017 (EIRNS)Early on the morning of May 9, Ukranian political leader and Chairman of the Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine (PSPU) Natalia Vitrenko was held prisoner in her own apartment by regime-sanctioned neo-Nazi gangsters (National Corps, formerly Azov), threatening her physically and preventing her from leaving the apartment. The same happened to PSPU co-founder Vladimir Marchenko at his apartment.

They have issued various statements and have specific requests for support actions to publicize these attacks, and continuing violation of freedom of speech, etc., in post-coup Ukraine. A video which Vitrenko recorded outside her apartment door, after the incident, showing the Azov graffiti, can be seen here. (Russian-language releases are linked to from the main page of her site.)

Immediately below is the May 9 statement issued by Vitrenko and Marchenko:

To the President of Ukraine P. Poroshenko

Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yu. Lutsenko

Chairman of the Security Service of Ukraine V. Hrytsak

Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine O. Avakov

Human Rights Ombudsmen of the Supreme Rada of Ukraine V. Lutkovska

Unchained Nazis Commit Acts of Terror Against Vitrenko and Marchenko on May 9



Statement

I have addressed you repeatedly, stating that the inaction of Ukrainian law enforcement agencies with regard to Ukrainian Nazis has created the conditions for them to carry out political harassment, vigilantism, and murder against journalists, political figures, and citizens of Ukraine, whose political views and values do not coincide with their Nazi ideology. There are countless examples, from the May 2, 2014 tragedy in Odessa to the murders of O. Buzyna, O. Kalashnikov, P. Sheremet, et al. The Ukrainian regimes proclamations of the European values of freedom of speech, freedom for opposition activity, freedom of expression, and political pluralism, in reality have turned out to be empty words and false promises to cover up the monstrous reality, that the Ukrainian Nazis are out of control and are going unpunished, while law enforcement agencies do nothing to defend the rights and freedoms of Ukrainian citizens, including opposition politicians, under the Constitution and under [international] Conventions. On May 4, 2017, on the eve of the celebration of the Great Victory [in World War II], I personally wrote to you, demanding that you defend our rights and freedoms, and indeed our lives, from physical reprisals by the Nazis, whose threats had come out in the media, as I indicated in my Appeal. Despite my Appeal, once again the law enforcement agencies took no action. As a result, at 7:30 a.m. on May 9 my apartment doorbell began to ring, and demands to open the door were made by a group of people representing the "National Corps." They demanded that I refrain from taking part in the days mass rallies and that I stop supporting the Russian world. The doorbell-ringing and threats by the Nazis were continuous. I called the police, who arrived after one hour and determined that offensive graffiti had been painted on the door of my apartment and that the Nazis were continuing to blockade it. At 8:00 a.m. on the same day a group of 15 armed men attacked my deputy, Peoples Deputy of Ukraine of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Convocations Vladimir Marchenko. First they blocked the driveway of the building where Marchenko lives with his family, and then they physically pushed aside the concierge, broke into the building, and went upstairs to Marchenkos apartment. They began to ring the doorbell and demanded the door be opened, and then cut off the lights and started smashing the door and trying to break the lock. They spray-painted the door with some kind of poisonous paint, the smell from which (or from some kind of gas) got into the apartment. At that time, in addition to Vladimir Romanovich (Marchenko), his wife and daughter, also his two minor grandchildren were in the apartment, and were naturally terrified. Vladimir Marchenko had to call the police. After half an hour, one person arrived, who was absolutely incapable of dispersing the blockade, defending V. Marchenkos family from Nazi threats and insults, or allowing freedom of movement for all the members of the family. Or did the police have no intention of doing those things?! I demand an immediate investigation of the acts of terror committed against me and Marchenko, and criminal prosecution of both the organizers of these depredations and those who carried them out. I demand the protection of our rights and freedoms, including security. Consider this statement of mine to be an official statement to the police from me personally and from Vladimir Romanovich Marchenko.

Chairman of the PSPU Natalia Vitrenko

May 9, 2017 11:05 a.m.
PRESS RELEASE

Turkey, Russia and China To Hold Trilateral Summit in Beijing

May 12, 2017 (EIRNS)The Presidents of Turkey, Russia, and China will hold a summit in Beijing on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum. Prior to that summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meet separately meeting with Xi. Erdogans delegation departs today for China.

The three leaders will discuss recent developments in Syria amid their efforts to expand the cease-fire between the regime and the opposition through the Astana process in which Turkey, Russia, and Iran have acted as guarantors.

Erdogan is also expected to sign the blueprint on behalf of Turkey at the Belt and Road Forum.

From China, Erdogan will travel to Washington to meet U.S. President Donald Trump on May 16. They will also meet on May 24 or 25 on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Brussels, and then the G20 summit that will take place in Hamburg on July 7-8, whose memberships also include China and Russia.
PRESS RELEASE

U.S. Announces and Motivates Beijing Delegation, China Welcomes It

May 12, 2017 (EIRNS)Chinas Foreign Ministry stated today that it welcomes the naming of a United States delegation to the Belt and Road International Forum, calling it "an indication of the United States appreciation of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative."

The American delegation leader is Matthew Pottinger, who is National Security Council senior director on East Asia; Pottinger is also named special assistant to President Donald Trump for "his visit to observe the summit."

Pottinger served as a Marine officer under Gen. Michael Flynn in Afghanistan, and was appointed to the National Security Council by General Flynn. He speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese. He was active in managing the Mar-a-Lago summit between President Trump and President Xi of China.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer today responded to a question on why the delegation was sent, at greater length than his answers to many other questions. "Its a major trade initiative," Spicer said. "Theres a lot of ports and other infrastructure theyre looking to do. And through those discussions that Secretary Ross and Secretary Mnuchin and others had at Mar-a-Lagothat is something they [China] have done. Were going to continue to work with them. Obviously, trade is a major issue for us. And what theyre looking to do is of great importance to our economic and national security, and theyve asked us to send people to that. And we have asked them to things that were doing as well. And I think the President has shown, in terms of the relationship that hes built with President Xi and their delegation, those relationships are clearly paying dividends, both on the national security front, and on the economic front."
PRESS RELEASE

Retired U.S. Diplomat Outlines Advantages of Belt and Road Initiative

May 12, 2017 (EIRNS)In an interview with NBC-TV May 11, retired U.S. diplomat Chas Freeman outlined the advantages of the United States participating in the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. Freeman, who served in government in various posts for 30 years, and served as the major translator for President Nixon on his trip to China in 1972, described the Belt and Road project as "potentially the most transformative engineering effort in human history."

He highlighted that the countries involved boast about 55 percent of global economic output, 70% of the worlds population and an estimated 75% of known energy reserves.

"Americans currently conceive of power in almost exclusively military terms, which is ironic, because we claim to believe in the power of markets to shape events, and the Belt and Road Initiative relies on markets,"

Freeman told NBC News.

"American aloofness" is not an answer to the strategic challenge posed by the initiative, he argued. "If we dont seize exports opportunities where they exist, the jobs will go to others, not Americans," Freeman added. Belt and Road is still a vision, but if its realized in a significant way, all roads in Eurasia will "lead to Beijing" in time, according to Freeman.

"China will become the center of economic gravity as it becomes the worlds largest economy," he added.
The last time transportation expert Seth Kaplan was bumped from a flight, he walked away with $800 and a good excuse for missing the first session of a San Diego business conference.

Such compensation may start sounding like chump change.

In the wake of last months United Airlines passenger-dragging scandal, the Chicago-based carrier and several other U.S airlines have promised to overbook fewer flights and offer better incentives  up to $10,000 in cash or travel vouchers at United and Delta Air Lines  if fliers are asked to give up their seats. Those policy changes could combine to make passenger bumping even more rare and lucrative.

People who are bumped are going to be happy, said Kaplan, managing partner of the trade publication Airline Weekly. It works out well for airlines and for customers.

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 A passenger was dragged out of a United Airlines plane due to the airline overbooking the flight, creating yet another PR nightmare for United Airlines.

Is overbooking outdated?

Passenger bumping became a hot issue after video surfaced last month of 69-year-old Dr. David Dao being forcibly removed from a United jet. Yet, despite the public outcry over passenger treatment, most airlines already were quietly working to bump fewer travelers by finding better ways to crunch travel data.

Southwest Airlines  the nations largest domestic carrier  quickly followed the United incident by announcing that it would no longer overbook flights. And JetBlue pointed out during the uproar that it has never overbooked.

The two carriers contend that overbooking is an outdated practice that costs more than it adds to the bottom line.

Airlines for years have routinely sold too many tickets for flights because they know a small percentage of travelers wont show up. Carriers can maximize revenues by selling those empty seats to last-minute fliers for a huge markup.

Industry experts say overbooking can result in a 1% revenue increase for an airline because last-minute tickets can sell for two or even three times the average seat price without a hike in overall costs.

Overbooking allows airlines to increase capacity on fixed-cost assets, said Bruce Spear, a partner at Oliver Wyman, a management consultant firm.

But if airlines miscalculate how many passengers wont show up, problems erupt.

The nations 15 largest carriers spent $23.6 million last year to compensate passengers who had to give up seats on overbooked flights, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

And then theres the ill will caused by confrontations with passengers who dont want to be bumped, especially when most passengers are equipped to immediately post unflattering videos.

The information is so good that airlines can overbook and rarely inconvenience the passengers.  Henry Harteveldt, industry analyst

Why overbooking is on the decline

Federal data show that the nations biggest airlines are bumping fewer passengers than ever before.

In 2016, the largest U.S. carriers bumped at a rate of 6.2 passengers for every 100,000 fliers who boarded, the lowest rate since the U.S. Department of Transportation began keeping that data in 1995 when the rate was 10.6 bumped passengers for every 100,000 fliers.

A big reason for the decline is that airlines have become better at forecasting how many passengers wont show up for a flight. This means carriers can gauge more accurately how many seats they can resell.

By analyzing the passenger makeup on each flight, airlines can now get a better idea of how many passengers are likely to miss their flight.

Business travelers, for example, are more likely to miss a flight because of meetings that run late or other scheduling problems. Also, business travelers are more likely to buy refundable tickets, so they face fewer penalties for missing a flight.

However, a family traveling for vacation is less likely to miss a flight because they usually buy cheaper, nonrefundable tickets.

The information is so good that airlines can overbook and rarely inconvenience the passengers, said Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst at Atmosphere Research Group.

Other industry changes also have contributed to the decline in overbooking. For example, more passengers buy nonrefundable tickets than in the past, making it more likely that nearly all fliers will show up for a flight.

Southwest is stopping the practice of overbooking flights. JetBlue says it has never overbooked. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press)

How Southwest and JetBlue avoid selling too many seats

At Southwest Airlines, almost 99% of passengers show up for flights, so the number of unexpected empty seats has dropped dramatically, said Brandy King, a spokeswoman for the Dallas-based carrier.

Although airlines want to fly each plane as close to full capacity as possible, they also want to sell each seat for the highest price they can.

Thanks to better forecasting tools, King said, Southwest can more accurately predict how many people will want to buy last-minute seats for a premium rate. Knowing this, Southwest can estimate how many seats to set aside for those last-minute buyers.

Putting it all together, the bottom line benefit is so modest, we decided it was more beneficial to reduce the number of oversold flights, she said.

In addition, Southwest Airlines recently finished installing a booking software program that better manages seat inventory on each route. This allows the airline to see how many seats are available on all flights between two airports.

JetBlue also has a very low rate of no-shows, partly because it is a point-to-point airline that doesnt operate a lot of hubs with connecting flights. And it serves mostly leisure travelers, who are not big on missing flights.

When a customer purchases a flight, they shouldnt need to worry about not getting a seat just because another customer has shown up at the gate, JetBlue spokesman Morgan Johnston said.

Delta CEO Edward Bastian said the carriers automated system designed to reduce overbooking problems has been effective. (Paul Sancya / Associated Press)

Airlines try bidding systems and iPads

United Airlines has long had a practice of overselling each flight by less than 3%. For a flight with 150 seats, that means the carrier would typically sell 154 tickets.

But after the Dao incident, the Chicago-based carrier said it would cut back on overbooking, especially on flights that have historically had a lower rate of volunteers to give up seats and on the last flight of each day.

United also said it plans to create an automated system that asks passengers during the check-in process if they would be willing to give up their seats in the case of an overbooked flight.

Delta has operated a similar system since 2011. When Delta fliers check in online or at an airport kiosk, they are asked to bid on how much they would want in travel vouchers to give up their seats. If the flight is overbooked, Delta gives a voucher to the flier who offered the lowest bid.

The Atlanta-based carrier has even given its gate agents the authority to award a passenger an iPad as compensation for giving up a seat. Delta bumped at a rate of one passenger for every 100,000 fliers last year, behind only Hawaiian Airlines for the lowest rate among the nations biggest carriers.

Our system, Delta Chief Executive Edward Bastian said, works pretty well.

hugo.martin@latimes.com

To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter.

ALSO

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Flier beware: 5 things to know before you head to LAX this weekend (and Monday and Tuesday too)
Disneyland fans who are suffering attraction withdrawal should get some relief this summer when the Anaheim park reopens some familiar features that closed last year to make way for construction of the new Star Wars land.

Disney said Friday that Fantasmic, the Disneyland attraction that combines fire, water and lights, will relaunch this summer with new special effects and new movie scenes. No specific date for the opening was announced.

The nighttime spectacle closed Jan. 10, 2016, along with several other attractions at Rivers of America to allow construction to begin on the 14-acre Star Wars land along the nearby banks of the river. Some of the other attractions are expected to reopen this summer as well.

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In a blog post, Disney said Fantasmic would reopen with new mist screens that will combine with innovative, state-of-the-art projection technology for brighter and more vibrant visuals than ever before.

In addition, the show will feature new scenes from Disney animated classics like Aladdin, including a scene that depicts Aladdin and Jasmine floating over a bed of fog on their flying carpet.

Although the construction of Star Wars land is still two years from completion, Disney on May 27 is scheduled to open Guardians of the Galaxy  Mission: Breakout, a reworking of the classic Tower of Terror attraction at California Adventure Park.

The drop-tower ride represents part of Disneys infusion of Marvel superheroes into the resort.

In addition to the tower overhaul, Disney plans to launch Summer of Heroes this month. The four-month celebration of superheroes will include dance parties, face-to-face meetings with costumed characters and a training initiative for young wannabe heroes.

hugo.martin@latimes.com

To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter.
A new mother called Alaska Airlines with a problem: Her elite status with the carriers loyalty reward program was going to expire because she wasnt planning to fly with her baby anytime soon.

That was the birth of a first-of-its-kind program in the U.S. It is called Elite Leave, and it allows new parents to freeze their elite status on the Alaska Mileage Plan for a year.

Foreign carriers like Air Canada, British Airways and Qantas offer similar programs, but no other U.S.-based carrier gives such a break to new mothers.

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At Alaska Airlines, once you accumulate enough points on the Mileage Plan program to earn elite status, you retain that status for the next full calendar year. But to maintain your status for the following year, you need to continue to accumulate loyalty points.

Brian Kelly, an expert on loyalty reward programs who founded the website The Points Guy, said the system keeps fliers on a hamster wheel, constantly accruing and monitoring their points total.

Under the new Elite Leave program, which Alaska Airlines announced just in time for Mothers Day, new mothers  and fathers  can extend their status until the following calendar year without having to earn new points. To qualify, fliers need to email Alaska Airlines with some basic information and a letter from a doctor or an employer, showing proof of pregnancy or parental leave from work.

hugo.martin@latimes.com

To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter.
He said, she said. Then he said more, and then she said more. They both kept saying things. But no matter how much they said, it was impossible to determine what had actually happened between the two freshmen in the Princeton University dorm room when they were very drunk. Was it consensual sex or rape?

In a nutshell, thats Anna Zieglers new play Actually, having its world premiere at the Geffen Playhouse in a co-production with the Williamstown Theatre Festival.

Tackling an issue as topical and thorny as consent on college campuses suggests a writer who doesnt fear, or even enjoys, poking a hornets nest. David Mamets Oleanna, which provoked heated discourse about gender politics and student/professor power imbalances in the 1990s, is an obvious precedent. Zieglers parties are both students, but Ziegler one-ups Mamet by adding race to the provocations on offer: The accuser, Amber (Samantha Ressler), is white and Jewish; the defendant, Tom (Jerry MacKinnon), is black.

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But unlike Mamet, who fueled fires by making both characters in Oleanna behave in unsavory ways, Ziegler sets out to portray Amber and Tom as likable. Because Tom is an accused rapist, she has to work a bit harder on his behalf. Amber may have levied the accusation, but she also pursued Tom avidly into bed and entertains romantic fantasies about him even at the disciplinary hearing. Tom may have ignored Ambers voice at a critical moment, but otherwise hes an unusually sensitive guy. Both, its implied, are really victims here, of a culture that relies on packs of unsupervised, ill-informed, intoxicated teenagers to establish its sexual ethics. (The descriptions of campus social life are likely to make parents cancel their tuition checks: After 7, you have to go out and drink till youre sick, Amber explains casually.) You can almost feel Ziegler dealing her cards into scrupulously even piles, careful never to stack the deck too high in either direction.

If ultimately this setup feels a bit rigged, the minute-to-minute game-play in this production, tautly directed by Tyne Rafaeli, is gripping. The action takes place entirely inside a plain wooden box, like a giant diorama (by scenic designer Tim Mackabee), bare except for two chairs, where Tom and Amber are displayed like museum specimens. Sitting side by side, they only occasionally speak to or even look at each other; for the most part, each addresses the audience directly, guilelessly, like a trusted friend.

Both actors excel at conveying their characters doubts and illusions about themselves, so that our sympathy keeps ping-ponging between them as they describe the paths that brought them together. Insecure, lonely Amber insists that she only got into Princeton because she was competing against other mediocre female squash players. Like Zosia Mamets character, Shoshanna, on HBOs Girls, shes a chatterbox prone to uptalk, babbling out a continual word salad of incongruous references and startling propositions: Jews and blacks are alike, she contends, in both never wanting to go camping and the deep and unending fear that any moment well be rounded up and killed.

Tom comes from an inner-city school, where a teacher saved his life by introducing him to the piano. Talented and good-looking, in his first two months of college he has had his pick of sexual partners and the only reason he asks mousy Amber out at all is that he feels sorry for her. But he doesnt easily warm to her and often finds her irritating, as when she assumes that he got into Princeton because hes black. Thats not a micro-aggression, she defends herself. No, because its, like, a macro-aggression, Tom counters.

The play works so hard to make romance between these two implausible that when they do get together, the machinery starts to rattle. Although the characters are beautifully rendered and complex, their behavior on the night in question remains difficult to credit. Also, a quibble: the descriptions of Princeton feel a little generic (In real life Ziegler attended Yale); more specific references might enhance the authenticity. But if Actually doesnt entirely succeed as a story, its a beautifully acted character study destined to trigger discussions about a problem that, despite decades of argument, isnt getting better.

         

Actually

Where: Audrey Skirball Kenis Theatre at the Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles

When: 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Ends June 11

Tickets: $60-$82

Info: (310) 208-5454 or www.geffenplayhouse.org

Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Support coverage of the arts. Share this article.

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Inside L.A.s newest museum. A first look at designs for Obamas presidential library. And the death and life of Chris Burden. Im Carolina A. Miranda, staff writer for the Los Angeles Times, with all your culture news needs:

Marciano sneak peek

Maurice Marciano, left, founder of the Marciano Art Foundation, with artist Sterling Ruby, at the foundation site. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

El Lay, youve got another museum bout to land in your midst. The Marciano Art Foundation, the private museum of collector Maurice Marciano, is set to open its doors to the public at the end of this month in its newly renovated gallery space at the old Scottish Rite Masonic Temple on Wilshire Boulevard. The Times Deborah Vankin got an advance tour from Marciano himself. Its like a dream, he tells her. Los Angeles Times

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Obamas library  take one

The Obama Foundation released preliminary designs for the former presidents library in Chicago, designed by architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien. The concept, writes Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne, leans toward the stark and monolithic  and theres something not just tight-lipped but a bit sepulchral about the proposal. Los Angeles Times

Obamas library will opt out of the presidential library network operated by the National Archives and Records Administration, and instead will be run by the private Obama Foundation. Chicago Tribune

Capturing the life of an iconoclast

He was the artist who delighted Los Angeles with Urban Light, the street lamp installation at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. And he was the one who had himself shot in the arm as a work of performance in the 70s. Now the late Chris Burden is the subject of the new documentary Burden, by Richard Dewey and Timothy Marrinan, and its debuting in Los Angeles this weekend. Los Angeles Time

Streetcar in dance

The Scottish Ballet will interpret Tennessee Williams 1947 play A Streetcar Named Desire as part of the Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance series at the Music Center, debuting May 19. The creative team, dominated by women, turn the ballet into the heroine Blanches story. I wanted the dance season to speak to where the field is going, Music Center President Rachel Moore tells The Times Jessica Gelt. As women gain leadership positions in arts organizations and corporations, their voices do make an impact. Los Angeles Times

Plus, its the 70th anniversary of Williams fabled work of theater. Los Angeles Times

An opera for your tablet

Which leads me to Lisa Bielawas new opera, Vireo: The Spiritual Biography of a Witchs Accuser, which was designed to be streamed online. Filmed in diverse locations, from Santa Ana to Alcatraz Island, the opera will be available as episodes via KCET. Plus, its story, about women and hysteria, couldnt be more timely, writes contributor Catherine Womack: Like Hulus adaptation of Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale, the story of Vireo feels eerily pertinent today. The female gaze here is strong. Bring it, muchachas! Los Angeles Times

Concert for a slain student

Gustavo Dudamel conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Walt Disney Concert Hall earlier this year. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)

Gustavo Dudamel dedicated a recent performance to the victims of violence in Venezuela, including a 17-year-old musician who was killed at an antigovernment protest. We play for all our children, he stated, to build a better future for them with peace and love. The artistic director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic also spoke with Times classical music critic Mark Swed about the future of the orchestra as beloved chief executive Deborah Borda departs. Los Angeles Times

Plus, Swed caught an unusual performance of work by Bach played on cello, mandolin and bass  by musicians Yo-Yo Ma, Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer. Los Angeles Times

An ambitious mix

Archduke, the new play by Rajiv Joseph, currently at the Mark Taper Forum, takes as inspiration the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand (the tipping point that led to World War I). The play, writes Times theater critic Charles McNulty, is more impressive in its bold outline than in its scene-by-scene execution. But it skillfully employs history to tell a contemporary tale of duped men, brainwashed into believing they are freedom fighters when their path is the dead end of terrorists. Los Angeles Times

Times contributor Margaret Gray shadowed Joseph during the first preview performance. There was note-taking and drinks. Los Angeles Times

Gallery scene

Times art critic Christopher Knight has once again been hitting the town with the research assistant. On the lineup:

 Bruce Yonemotos multi-room, video-based installation at Cal State L.A.s Luckman Gallery, which he describes as a collaged tone poem about a pervasive sense of dislocation that characterizes our heavily mediated environment. In other words, timely. Los Angeles Times

 Pippa Garners new show at Redling Fine Art in Hollywood, featuring satirical objects that riff on consumerism and societys baser instincts. Garner, writes Knight, has an ear for lifes mundane madness. Los Angeles Times

 Jessie Homer Frenchs enchanting debut exhibition at Various Small Fires, also in Hollywood: a selection of modest easel paintings, made between 1988 and 2014 that serves as a rumination on mortality. Los Angeles Times

Gallery scene, the sequel

Plus, I paid a visit to Nicodim Gallery in Los Angeles, where I felt just a little bit of rapture over The Basilisk, a group show organized by curator Aaron Moulton that looks at the esoteric across types of cultural production  be it objects created by MFA artists or the alien-minded Unarius Academy of Science. Los Angeles Times

And Times reviewer Sharon Mizota saw Simon Birchs The 14th Factory installation in Lincoln Heights. Her take: a herculean vanity project. #fire #fire #fire Los Angeles Times

NEA and military veterans

Ben Donenberg, the founder and executive artistic director of the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles, chats with Ariel Bell, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Bosnia. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The National Endowment for the Arts has lived to see another year thanks to the approval of a new spending bill. But the cultural agency is likely to remain controversial among conservatives, who have long derided it as welfare for artists. The NEA, however, is an important source of funding for arts groups that work with military veterans. This includes the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles, which uses its grants to hire veterans as crew. Los Angeles Times

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American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Misty Copeland, shown in San Pedro in 2015. (Christina House / For The Times)

 Ballerina Misty Copeland is sharpening her acting skills. New York Times

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 Dancer Sergei Polunin has once again walked away from a Royal Ballet production, leaving the company in a lurch. The Times of London

 The ACLU has filed a complaint on behalf of a U.S. artist detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Artforum

 Art dealer Jack Tilton has passed away. ARTnews

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 Essayist and playwright Ariel Dorfman on reading Herman Melville to understand the age of Trump. The Nation

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Sign up for our weekly Essential Arts & Culture newsletter 

carolina.miranda@latimes.com

@cmonstah
A Shakespearean history play for a history that hasnt happened yet, Mike Bartletts 2014 blank verse drama King Charles III makes its way Sunday night to the PBS showcase Masterpiece. As he did onstage in London and New York, Tim Pigott-Smith (who died suddenly a little more than a month ago) plays Prince Charles in the days after the death of his long-lived mother, the current and seemingly permanent Queen Elizabeth II.

That Charles great frustrated desire has been to wear the crown his mother keeps from him is one of those things many people think they know, outside of British Commonwealth as well as in. And Bartletts Charles does conform to that view, confessing, in an early address to the audience, that in his youth he imagined the Queen the victim of a helicopter crash, a rare disease, so at an early age Id be in charge, before me years of constant, stable rule.

But now that the day has arrived (The Queen is dead is dead, long live the King, thats me), disorder follows apace. The political event that sparks the drama  the new (though as yet uncrowned) kings opposition to a bill limiting freedom of the press  pits Charles against his Prime Minister (Adam James), Parliament and members of his family.

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As written by Bartlett and movingly imagined by Pigott-Smith, Charles is heroic and hapless, eager to find actual meaning in the effectively meaningless job hes been raised for, a weak character whose sudden expression of spirit is potentially his undoing.

For if my name is given through routine and not because it represents my view, then soon Ill have no name, and nameless I have not myself, he says of his refusal to be a royal rubber stamp.

By putting Charles on what most would consider the right side of the question, and suggesting that the voice of the people is not always a principled one, Bartlett protects his hero from buffoonery. Charles worry that once fragile politicians can, whilst claiming public sensitivity, go censoring what is writ or not, it will be easier to govern as corrupt than bother being held unto account is, after all, familiar and timely.

If King Charles III never quite escapes its ruling conceit, it nevertheless makes for a pleasurable experience. It allows fine actors to speak in iambic pentameter, the mightiest of all metrical lines, which confers a sort of dignity on any character that speaks it. Its a literary game, a character study, a meditation on the enduring power of Britains powerless monarchy, and a Shakespeare pastiche that incidentally has the flavor of a modern-dress version of an actual Shakespeare play. Director Rupert Goold, who earlier directed the Ben Whishaw Richard II and Patrick Stewart Macbeth for television, gives the production a solemn weight that does not get in the way of the fun.

The real figures of the royal family easily fit into this neo-Elizabethan intrigue. Even the suggestion that Prince Harry (Richard Goulding) might be what the Bard would have called a bastard, conforms to the canon. (That he is involved with a commoner, played by Tamara Lawrance, merely prefigures reality.) Diana (Katie Brayben) is here, too  as a prophesying ghost, of course  along with her successor Camilla (Margot Leicester) and royal couple William (Oliver Chris) and Kate (Charlotte Riley), called the king and queen of column inches and fashioned here into something to remind you of Macbeth. Kate, for her large part, is not satisfied to be a plastic doll,. a male-created bland and standard wife whose only job is prettying the prince and to produce an heir  and spare.

One suspects that life within the family, though not without ambitions and resentments and Buckingham Palace intrigue, would remain more settled than this, even in a crisis. Yet, if events as they play out do not seem entirely likely, especially given the levels of official chaos the actual people of Earth have proved capable of tolerating, as imagined here they make for a smart, dark, amusing good time.

robert.lloyd@latimes.com

Follow Robert Lloyd on Twitter @LATimesTVLloyd

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There are a couple of things you need to know going into the second season of Netflixs award-winning comedy-drama Master of None, which began streaming Friday.

Number one: The first two episodes take place in Italy. Maybe creators Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang like good food and wine and talked Netflix into bankrolling the trip, since we last saw Ansaris main character Dev impulsively board a plane en route to pursue his love of pasta-making. (Note to Netflix: Trips abroad arent supposed to take place until, like, the fourth season. Please see The Brady Bunch Hawaiian vacation.)

Dev, who spent most of last season home in New York, with a quick detour to Nashville, is all of a sudden making pasta and learning Italian and were supposed to find it as entertaining as he does. Its not. Even when he attempts to parody the black-and-white classic Bicycle Thieves (in Devs case, the stolen item is his cellphone).

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Heres the second thing: Its worth hanging in past the first two draggy episodes abroad. Because when Dev returns to New York, Master of None is great again, picking up where last season left off with the thirtysomething trying to make a living as an actor, find the right girl and navigate the high expectations of his immigrant parents. If the setup sounds generic, its Ansaris unique perspective on American life that makes this show work. He knows how to mine pop culture for material that connects with anyone raised around a radio, TV or video game in the 80s or 90s.

Devs an Indian American whose childhood was steeped in Star Wars and Quran surahs his parents made him read. Hes an aspiring actor in a field in which people of his hue rarely find non-terrorist roles. He is a great observer with a knack for fitting in, even if hes often considered a fish out of water.

Season 2 may start out slow, but by Episode 3, Religion, it makes up for the early slog.

It kicks off with various scenarios of kids being forced to attend religious services with their parents  a Catholic, a Jew, a Hindu, all whining that they dont want to go.

It cuts to Dev as a child, visiting a friends house, where he eats his first slice of bacon. His mom calls in the middle of the meal, he tells her what hes eating, she scolds him and says Muslims cant eat pork. Its haram! (forbidden).

Young Dev then has a decision to make. Cue rapper Tupacs song Only God Can Judge Me as he continues to enjoy the forbidden strip of deliciousness.

From there he hides his love of pork, and later alcohol, from his parents just as some of his friends have hidden the fact that theyre gay from their devout Christian parents.

But as any kid raised in even a secular Muslim household knows, breaching the pork rule is something that just isnt talked about because IT NEVER HAPPENS! Except it does, and Ansari has the guts here to tackle it.

His Muslims arent the ones of Homeland, who always seem to be praying to scary music. They come in all shapes and sizes, with varying degrees of religiosity. Some are pious, others avoid mosque like its a trip to the dentist.

When an auntie and uncle on the more pious end of the spectrum come to town, his father and mother (played by Ansaris real-life parents) ask Dev to join them for dinner. Dev knows this means fronting as though hes more observant than he is.

His dad greets him with As-salaam-alaikum (peace be unto you) in front of the couple.

Dev takes a deep breath and then puts on the show for his parents: Waalaikum salaam, he answers.

Just hours before hed skipped Eid prayer to attend a barbecue festival, eating baby back ribs with another Muslim friend to the tune of Poisons Nothin But a Good Time.

But after a few days of pretending, he cant stand it anymore: When ordering at a Chinese restaurant with his parents and auntie and uncle, he orders a pork dish. Theyre all aghast.

Im actually not that religious, and I eat pork, he admits. But its OKay cause Im a good person, Im 33, I can make those decisions and I can eat what I want and I want pork with the broccoli.

His mom, who slaps him on the back of the head, is devastated.

She says later at home, I cant believe you did this. Auntie and Uncle were very offended.

Dev says to his parents, We all have our own interpretation [of the faith]. You eat non-halal, used to smoke cigarettes, you dont wear hijab. Why cant I have my interpretation where Im just nice and I eat pork?

I get it, he continues. For you guys, your religion has a cultural value. For me its being called terrorist and being pulled out of airport lines.

His mom cuts him off: Thats because you lost your passport three times.

For anyone, the episode is about coming to grips with the religion you were raised with. For kids of immigrants, its also about cutting a new path between cultures.

As Devs father says to him, Its not about eating pork. Its not about the religion. Its about you ignoring us and not realizing who you are.  When you act like this, we feel we have failed you.

A good comedy can make you cry.

In the end, Dev reads the Quran and finds a passage that supports his end of the argument.

He texts dad: See, youre not supposed to be forcing others to be religious.

Dad texts back: At least you read it. AND DONT EAT NO CRISPY PORK.

Dev: Ill try  does bacon count?

Dad: Boy, get outta here.

They are joking now. They have gotten over the hump.

And in the process, theyve changed the way Muslims are seen on TV.

------------

Master of None

Where: Netflix

When: Anytime

Rating: TV-MA (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 17)

lorraine.ali@latimes.com

@lorraineali
Do you have tsundoku? Thats what they call book hoarding in Japan. Im Carolyn Kellogg, book editor, and Ill admit Im a book collector (but I hope not hoarder, or at least, not quite). Welcome to this weeks books newsletter.

THE BIG STORY

Japan, perhaps not coincidentally, is where Marie Kondo launched her world-changing decluttering movement with The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Writer Mark Haskell Smith follows her lessons  and some from the many books that have cropped up to surf the Kondo wave  and declutters his own home. One of the big questions, he explains in this essay, was what to do with all of his books.

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Mark Haskell Smith after getting rid of hundreds of books. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

A MASTERFUL LINCOLN BIOGRAPHY

In Wrestling With His Angel: The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln Vol. II, 1849-1856, the second volume of his massive political life of Lincoln, the Democratic operative and writer Sidney Blumenthal sketches Abraham Lincoln in the wilderness  after his single term in the House, before his landmark Senate campaign against Stephan A. Douglas  that challenges the established notion that for more than half a decade the future president sat quietly and idly in Illinois, more a passive observer than an activist as his party, his vision of America and his country split apart, tumbling to civil strife and then to civil war. Lincoln was not only seeking a newer world, as Tennyson put it in a poem written a decade earlier, or the way to assemble one. He was also seeking his main chance. Read the review by David Shribman.

Abraham Lincoln (National Portrait Gallery / AP)

ROXANE GAY IN L.A.

If you didnt make it to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Tuesday night, dont fret  Agatha French attended the benefit there for PEN Center USA and wrote about the candid conversation between Roxane Gay and Randa Jarrar.

REMARKABLE MOMS

Although the childrens book Heather Has Two Mommies was nothing but celebratory, it was at the center of some of the biggest culture war debates of the 1990s. We didnt think it was going to become what it became, its author, Leslea Newman, told me this week. Since reissued and updated with new art and additional text, the earliest and hard-to-find first editions have become collectible.

And then theres this: My American dad was a dreamer, and he painted my mother in these oversized terms  she was Miss Burma, she was the most famous actress in Burma for a time, she was a woman warrior, Charmaine Craig tells the Times. So she was inspired to research that story, and go back a generation to her grandparents, and take the novelistic leap. That book is Miss Burma and she tells us all about writing it.

Charmaine Craig (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

WRITING THRILLERS IN THE AGE OF TRUMP

Any days news supplies plots so fantastic that most make-believe story lines pale in comparison, John Altman writes. The thriller writer  whose next book, False Flag, debuts Tuesday  reveals what its like to ply his craft during Donald Trumps tumultuous administration.

BESTSELLERS

Bill OReilly was dismissed from Fox News in April, but his book Old School: Life in the Sane Lane still has a presence. The treatise on old-school values, co-written by Bruce Feirstein, is now in its fifth week on our nonfiction bestseller list, hanging in at No. 9.

RICHARD FORD

 Between Them: Remembering My Parents  is a lovely volume, writes Thomas Curwen, told from a sons protective if not defensive voice for two lives drawn thin by the circumstance of his birth. Richard Ford is, of course, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist of The Sportswriter. Now in his 70s, he has decided to pen a memoir  devoted to his parents. Read our review.

Richard Ford (Raul Arboleda / AFP/Getty Images)

carolyn.kellogg@latimes.com

@paperhaus
Former Angels third baseman Doug DeCinces was convicted Friday of insider trading stemming from allegations that he received stock tips from a neighbor that garnered him about $1.3 million in profits.

DeCinces was indicted in 2012 on 13 counts of insider trading after prosecutors alleged he benefited from inside information from his neighbor James Mazzo, who was chief executive of Advanced Medical Optics Inc., a Santa Ana-based medical supply company.

Fridays jury verdict, which convicted DeCinces on all counts, ended a nearly two-month trial in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana that centered on stock trades made before Advanced Medical Optics was bought by Abbott Laboratories in 2008. At the time, Advanced Medical Optics was struggling with mounting debt and revenue losses.

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Prosecutors alleged that Mazzo tipped off DeCinces about the companies merger before it happened. DeCinces bought additional stock in Advanced Medical Optics and tipped off his friend David Parker, along with family members and his physical therapist, authorities said. Parker, of Utah, bought 25,000 shares of Advanced Medical Optics stock, according to court filings.

Abbott purchased the company for about four times the price its stock was trading for. After the merger was made public, Advanced Medical Optics stock price increased by 143%, court filings state.

Prosecutors said DeCinces sold all of his shares in the company, netting him about $1.3 million. Parker also sold his shares, earning $346,920, according to court documents.

The jury also convicted Parker of three counts of insider trading.

A sentencing hearing for DeCinces and Parker has not been scheduled.

Jurors could not agree on whether Mazzo provided DeCinces and Parker with information related to the merger. Jurors deadlocked 8 to 4 in favor of conviction, prompting District Judge Andrew Guilford to declare a mistrial in Mazzos case.

DeCinces attorney Kenneth Julian called the verdict against his client disappointing but said he planned to file a motion for a new trial.

I believe we have several strong grounds for such a motion, he said, though he did not elaborate.

In August 2011, DeCinces agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle allegations by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that he made huge profits after the merger was announced. In the settlement, DeCinces did not admit to or deny the allegations, according to the SEC.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Fry writes for Times Community News
The four people vying for two pivotal seats on the Los Angeles Board of Education agree on at least two things: The campaign has been brutal, and theres a lot at stake.

The nastiness leading up to the May 16 runoff election has been generated by independent campaigns set up on behalf of the candidates because of the elections importance.

Charter school partisans and unions had spent about $13 million combined through Friday. The candidates themselves had spent another $1.5 million.

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If the charter-backed candidates prevail, charter advocates will win their first governing majority on the seven-member body. If the election goes entirely the other way, unions will strengthen their influence on a board that leans pro-labor. In that scenario, the board would be more likely to limit the growth of charters in the nations second-largest school system, which has more charters and more charter students than any other school district.

Think of this as the great Charter War of 2017, said Dan Schnur, former director of the Unruh Institute of Politics at USC. The stakes are unusually high, substantively but even more symbolically. The outcome of these races will determine control of the largest school district in the western United States.

Union-backed school board President Steve Zimmer and charter supporter Nick Melvoin are vying for the seat in District 4, which stretches from the Westside to the west San Fernando Valley. Kelly Gonez, with charter support, and Imelda Padilla, with union backing, are competing in District 6, in the East Valley.

Zimmer, the lone incumbent, has borne the brunt of the pummeling. And although holding him responsible for the state of the school system is fair game after eight years in office, most of the attacks in a flood of mailers are exaggerated or false.

So too with Zimmers opponent, Melvoin. Though negative mailers have correctly noted that both Melvoin and the Trump administration support the rapid expansion of charter schools, Melvoin is neither a Republican nor a Trump supporter.

Charters are privately operated public schools that are exempt from some rules that govern traditional campuses. Most are nonunion, and all are competing with district-operated schools for students and the education funding that comes with them.

The most powerful charter groups have opposed any board member who supports limiting the growth of charters. Zimmer finished a strong first in the March primary, but he would be in trouble if supporters of his two other primary challengers consolidated behind Melvoin.

Zimmer has voted to approve or renew most charter petitions, but he also has spoken forcefully about putting the brakes on charter growth. Otherwise, he has said, the Los Angeles Unified School District faces catastrophic financial losses that would cripple its ability to serve students not enrolled in charters.

Outside of a charter school that is offering real innovation, I cannot see why we would agree to authorize more and more charter schools, Zimmer said in an interview. Instead, we need to make sure that all our charters  and all our other schools  in Los Angeles are serving students at the same level as some of our highest performers.

Limiting charter growth is not something that Melvoin is willing to entertain until every school in L.A. is a school we would send our own kids to, as he put it during a recent forum.

Melvoin, 31, grew up in Brentwood, the son of a prosperous Hollywood producer. He went to Harvard University after attending Harvard-Westlake, a prestigious local private school. Then he taught for two years at Markham Middle School in Watts.

Because of funding cuts during the recession and last-in, first-out seniority rules, Melvoin was laid off and had to return as a long-term substitute teacher before he was officially rehired.

While still a teacher, he took part in a lawsuit that unsuccessfully challenged the seniority system but led to changes that protect faculty at schools staffed primarily by young teachers. Later, he took part in a lawsuit seeking to end traditional teacher job protections  tenure as well as seniority. That effort prevailed at trial court but failed on appeal.

More recently, Melvoin worked for school-reform groups that promoted charter schools and favored limiting union influence. He signed up to be an L.A. Unified substitute teacher last year but did not work in that capacity, even though his campaign initially claimed that he did.

Zimmer, 47, spent 17 years as a teacher or counselor and founded a community service organization. When he was a first-time candidate, he won the endorsement of both the teachers union and local philanthropists who typically oppose union-backed candidates.

Some union leaders found Zimmer too independent in office and groused about dropping their support  until it became clear four years ago that reelecting Zimmer was their best way to stave off charter-backed candidates. By then, the philanthropists who once liked Zimmer had largely turned against him, some on the premise that Zimmer opposed some policies of then-Supt. John Deasy.

Over time, Zimmer has grown closer to the teachers union, sharing its opposition, for example, to the use of student test scores as a substantial portion of a teachers evaluation.

As the only incumbent on the ballot, Zimmer has been in the sometimes uncomfortable position of defending L.A. Unified.

He touts the districts record graduation rate and rising percentage of students eligible to apply for admission to a state college. On the campaign trail, hes typically silent, however, about his concern that graduation numbers may have been inflated by a lack of rigor in credit-recovery courses.

Melvoin, of course, brings it up, along with the districts $13.6-billion unfunded liability for future employee health benefits. If Zimmer hasnt fixed that by now, Melvoin says, give someone else a chance.

Zimmer counters that, over time, hes earned employee unions trust, which will be needed to make headway on that problem.

If you set aside the mudslinging by the outside campaigns, the other school board contest is about contrasting qualifications and backgrounds.

At a recent candidate forum in Sylmar, Gonez and Padilla agreed that some charter schools are great and some are not. Both pledged to support strong charters and teachers. They both said that L.A. Unified needs to bolster parent involvement and decried the influence of outside interests.

Its difficult to say whether, if elected, they would prove as independent as they claim or fall back on the positions of their financial backers.

Gonez, 28, has about five years of teaching experience, most of it prior to a two-year stint in Washington, first as an assistant and then as a policy adviser to an assistant education secretary in the Obama administration. Last fall, she began teaching middle school science at a charter. (Current District 6 board member Monica Ratliff, who did not run for reelection, was a teacher when she won the seat.)

Gonez attended Catholic schools before graduating from UC Berkeley and talks about nearly dropping out from the stress of working three jobs while in college. She often speaks of her classroom experiences and her family background.

Growing up in this community, I saw the struggles my mom went through because she was an immigrant, because English wasnt her first language, because of her skin color, Gonez said of her Peruvian mother at a recent forum. Thats what motivates me; its the experience of my family.

Padilla at the same forum responded to questions almost entirely in Spanish. She said later her goal was to address Spanish-language attack ads against her.

Padilla, 29, who also went to UC Berkeley, noted that she went to public schools in her district throughout her childhood, during which she overcame rickets  with surgery to straighten her legs  and gang influences. (Her brother, she said, was not so fortunate and is currently in prison.)

She said her passion is keeping youth out of jail.

She has been an organizer for Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, which promotes economic equality and strong communities, and a coordinator for Pacoima Beautiful, which focuses on neighborhood improvement. She also was a deputy to that areas city councilwoman, Nury Martinez.

I love being engaged in my community, she said in an interview.

howard.blume@latimes.com

Twitter: @howardblume

anna.phillips@latimes.com

Twitter: @annamphillips
Mount Washington residents Carol Jacques and her husband, Bill, backed incumbent Gil Cedillo in the Los Angeles City Council District 1 primary. The couple are voting for him again in Tuesdays runoff election.

Jacques said Cedillos record on immigrant rights and focus on opening parks in the city helped persuade her to favor the longtime politician over challenger Joe Bray-Ali.

It was a question of experience, said Jacques, who moved to Mount Washington three decades ago.

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Voters like Jacques are key to Cedillos campaign as he seeks reelection Tuesday and tries to shore up support in neighborhoods that have historically snubbed him.

The councilman dominated in the southern end of the district in the primary, winning the working-class neighborhoods of Pico-Union, Westlake and Chinatown, according to an analysis of election data by The Times.

Bray-Ali triumphed in the more affluent northern section of the district, winning precincts in Mount Washington and Highland Park.

With the election approaching, each candidate spent time last week focusing on the others base.

Cedillo held two meet-and-greet events at homes in Highland Park, a neighborhood where he also maintains a campaign headquarters.

Bray-Ali talked up his campaign to voters at a pool deck at an upscale residential building just west of downtown.

His campaign is still dealing with fallout from comments he posted on Voat, a website that features uncensored content from users, some of it racist.

His wife, Susan Wong, posted a YouTube video Thursday explaining that Bray-Ali didnt cheat on her, despite his admission last month that hed slept with other women between 2011 and 2014.

The couple were on a break at the time, Wong said, and she and her husband have no secrets.

A Lincoln Heights resident, Bray-Ali made a name for himself in Northeast L.A. with his Highland Park bike shop, which is now closed, and his multiyear fight for bike lanes on Figueroa Street.

Bray-Ali didnt have the budget to run a districtwide campaign during the primary, he said in an interview this week.

The focus then was where we can get votes, the easiest right now, where people already know me, he said. For the runoff, Bray-Ali is knocking on doors in Pico-Union, he added.

That neighborhood is part of Cedillos base, an area where residents greet the politician with hugs because of his work on behalf of immigrants who are in the country illegally, said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.

A former state legislator, Cedillo led efforts to grant drivers licenses to those in the country without legal status and to provide college financial aid to young people who were brought to the country illegally.

Cedillo is the champion for our community, Salas said. Her groups political arm has endorsed him.

Cedillo received 49% of the vote and Bray-Ali got 38% in the March primary.

The incumbent has faced criticism from some neighborhood groups for failing to engage with constituents. Cedillo said his office has replaced staff members in the last six months and that residents can expect an upgrade.

Complicating his reelection bid is a pattern of low voter turnout in the areas that support him. Voters in low-income areas typically turn out less than those voters in more affluent areas.

The median household income in 2015 was $29,600 in Pico-Union and $29,000 in Westlake, according to a Times analysis of U.S. census data.

By contrast, the median household income that year was $62,000 in Mount Washington and $47,600 in Highland Park.

Fewer people voted in the March primary in Pico-Union than in Mount Washington, which had the highest turnout of any neighborhood in the district, according to The Times analysis.

Mike Trujillo, a Los Angeles-based Democratic strategist, said he believes that voter turnout in the primary fell along economic, racial and tribal lines.

Voters want to vote for the candidate thats most like them, he said.

A Times analysis of voting patterns shows that Cedillo won many of the same neighborhoods that he also won in his 2013 City Council race against then-City Council aide Jose Gardea.

He also fared poorly in that 2013 election in some of the same areas that he lost in his recent primary.

The councilman acknowledged that winning over votes in the districts northern area is important.

We have a strategy that goes districtwide, he said. You have to campaign everywhere.

Times staff writer Sandra Poindexter contributed to this report.

dakota.smith@latimes.com

Twitter: @dakotacdsmith
Federal criminal immigration charges were filed this week against a Mexican national suspected of injuring a 6-year-old San Ysidro boy in a DUI hit-and-run crash earlier this month.

Constantino Banda-Acosta, 38, has been removed from the U.S. at least 15 times since 2002 for being in the country illegally, authorities said. Based on federal court records, this appears to be the first time he has been criminally charged.

The complaint, filed in San Diego federal court, charges Banda-Acosta with being a deported unauthorized immigrant in the United States.

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Banda-Acosta is suspected of speeding through a stop sign in San Ysidro on May 6 and striking a Honda Accord in which Lennox Lake was riding with his family on the way home from a trip to Disneyland.

Lennox suffered a skull fracture and other injuries.

Banda-Acosta was arrested about a mile away by Border Patrol agents in his damaged pickup. He has pleaded not guilty.

The injured boys father, Benjamin Lake, spoke to reporters Friday outside Rady Childrens Hospital where his son is recovering. He said the background of the case is upsetting.

He has recovered well enough to be moved out of the hospitals intensive care unit, his father said.

Were just really focused on Lennox right now, he said. Were praying that the justice system does what they need to do.

According to the federal complaint, Banda-Acosta was first removed from the U.S. via the Tecate Port of Entry in San Diego County on Nov. 12, 2002. He was most recently removed on Jan. 17 at the San Luis Port of Entry in Arizona.

Banda-Acosta is currently in a San Diego County jail on felony charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, driving with a blood-alcohol level of more than .08% and hit-and-run, plus a misdemeanor charge of driving without a license. If convicted, he faces a possible sentence of seven years and eight months in prison.

If convicted of the federal immigration charge, he could face additional prison time.

Banda-Acosta has been arrested in San Diego County before, on charges of domestic violence, DUI and driving on a suspended license, according to court records. Those arrests resulted in misdemeanor convictions.

Further details about Banda-Acostas deportations cannot be released due to privacy rules, Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Lauren Mack said.

Mack could not speak specifically about this case, but said, On a regular basis ICE files charges against people whove illegally entered the U.S. after being deported. We have also increased our efforts to seek criminal prosecution against egregious immigration violators.

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com.
One afternoon this week, Jeanette Vizguerra received an unexpected phone call: the mother of four who had taken refuge inside a Denver church for 86 days was told she had been granted temporary relief from deportation.

She immediately called her children to tell them the news.

We came running to the church and my mom told me that we had won, her 13-year-old daughter, Luna Vizguerra, said Friday, the day after her mother learned of the temporary reprieve. She gave us a hug. I couldnt believe it.

Jeanette Vizguerra, an immigrant rights activist, sought refuge at a Denver church in February when her stay of removal expired. She had been scheduled to meet with Immigration and Customs and Enforcement agents but missed her meeting and declared sanctuary to avoid the possibility of being deported back to Mexico. Deportation would have meant being separated from her family and the place shes called home for 20 years.

Her case struck a chord at a time when many people in the country illegally are worried about their future under President Trump, who has called for deporting undocumented immigrants who have been convicted of crimes.

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In March, Trump announced he would form a new agency within the Department of Homeland Security called VOICE, for Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement. The program aims to call attention to crimes committed by people who are in the U.S. illegally.

And shortly after his inauguration, Trump signed an executive order that threatened to strip federal funds from sanctuary cities  places where officials declare that they will not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. In Texas this month, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law a state measure that could impose fines or jail time on law enforcement officials who refuse to honor immigration detention requests.

These events, along with harsh rhetoric voiced against illegal immigration during the presidential campaign, have spurred religious leaders from various faiths to defend immigrants. Across the country, many are offering their houses of worship as place of refuge to people fearing deportation.

As for Vizguerra, she also faced the threat of deportation during the Obama administration after she was convicted of being in possession of forged documents when she was pulled over for a routine traffic stop, according to documents from her legal team.

In September 2012, while her deportation appeal was still pending, Vizguerra returned to Mexico when she learned that her mother was dying. She returned to the U.S. several months later and was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. She pleaded guilty to one count of illegal entry and was sentenced to one year of unsupervised probation.

But like many immigrants in the U.S. illegally under the Obama administration, Vizguerra was able to avoid being deported because she was considered a low priority.

Trumps presidency has changed that.

In February, Vizguerra was denied her sixth stay of removal renewal application, prompting her to seek refuge at the First Unitarian Church in Denver. A few years ago the church granted sanctuary to Arturo Hernandez, who lived on church grounds for nine months.

On Friday morning, Vizguerra left the church for first time after being granted a stay of removal.

Her public profile brought politicians and immigrant advocates to her defense. In April she was named as one of Time magazines 100 most influential people on the planet.

This is a special day for me, because I will be able to celebrate Mothers Day with my children and grandchildren, Vizguerra said at a news conference Friday. Even though Ive been continuing the fight from the inside, I have missed my kids  the fight is for them.

Vizguerra faced the threat of deportation for eight years; her last stay of deportation request was denied Dec. 6.

Vizguerras legal team said that this time her stay of removal was granted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement because of private bills introduced on her behalf by three Colorado Democrats in Congress  Sen. Michael Bennet and Reps. Jared Polis and Ed Perlmutter. They also introduced legislation for Hernandez. He, too, has been granted a stay.

Although the bills have not become law, its been past practice of the agency to grant stays of removal when such legislation is introduced.

But on May 5, acting ICE Director Thomas Homan sent a letter to federal lawmakers that said the agency had changed its policy. Immigration officials will no longer grant automatic stays of removal for those who have private immigration bills pending.

Instead, ICE will consider and issue a stay of removal for up to six months only if the chairman of the House or Senate judiciary committee, or appropriate subcommittee, makes a written request to ICE.

There were at least 30 immigrants, including Vizguerra and Hernandez, who had private bills pending and were granted stays of removal before ICEs new policy went into effect, according to Julie Gonzales, policy director at the Meyer Law Office and part of Vizguerras legal team.

In a statement about Vizguerra and Hernandez, Bennet said, These Coloradans have lived in our state for years, contributed to our economy, and should never have been targets for deportation in the first place.

While the announcement was a welcome relief for Vizguerra and her family, her future in the U.S. remains uncertain. Her stay of removal allows her to live in the U.S. until March 15, 2019.

As Vizguerra left her sanctuary, with family and supporters at her side, her kids were eager to make up time together after months apart.

The church was 40 minutes away from where I lived and went to school, Luna Vizguerra said. Now my mom is going to be able to take me to school. Tomorrow we are going to have a family day.

melissa.etehad@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter @melissaetehad

ALSO

Texas announces lawsuit against local officials considered hostile toward sanctuary cities ban

LAUSD is making it harder for immigration officials to enter schools

How Houston has become the most diverse place in America

UPDATES:

3:05 p.m.: This article was updated to with additional background on sanctuary cities and to report that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has changed its policy concerning private bills introduced in Congress on behalf of immigrants seeking relief from deportation.

This article was originally published on May 12 at 7:05 p.m.
Administration efforts to contain the damage from the abrupt firing of FBI Director James B. Comey were again thwarted by President Trump himself, when he suggested Friday that he had secretly recorded conversations in his own White House.

Comey better hope that there are no tapes of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press! the president wrote Friday morning as part of a series of Twitter posts expressing frustration with the persistence of a story he has continued to fuel.

Asked whether Trump has such recordings, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer repeatedly refused to answer.

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Ive talked to the president. The president has nothing further to add on that, he said several times during the daily White House briefing.

Spicer also said that Trumps tweet was not a threat. Hes simply stating a fact.

Trump himself also declined to answer a question about taping.

That I cant talk about. I wont talk about that, he said in an interview on Fox News.

Trumps taunting tweet appeared to be a response to a New York Times story citing two close associates of Comey who related what they said was the former FBI directors account of a January dinner with the president. During that dinner, Trump asked that Comey pledge loyalty to him, the associates said, something which Comey declined to do and later expressed concern about.

The article said Comey had told the associates about the dinner on the condition that they not talk to others about it while he served in his post  a condition that ended when Trump fired him Tuesday afternoon.

According to the article, Comey said he had pledged his honesty and explained the tradition of political independence in his position. He told Trump that he could not be considered reliable in the conventional political sense, the New York Times reported.

The White House confirmed that the two had dinner, but disputed Comeys account of the conversation.

Democrats and former prosecutors called the White Houses refusal to rule out the possibility of a surreptitious recording system extraordinary. Presidents starting with at least Dwight D. Eisenhower are known to have taped conversations in the White House, but the practice was believed to have ended after it became a central part of the scandal that led to the resignation of President Nixon in 1974.

For a President who baselessly accused his predecessor of illegally wiretapping him, that Mr. Trump would suggest that he, himself, may have engaged in such conduct is staggering, Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement.

Schiff and others called for the president to either immediately turn over any recordings to Congress, or admit that there are no tapes. If such recordings exist, they would be considered presidential records, which must be preserved under post-Watergate federal law.

Trumps tweet came less than 24 hours after he provided a timeline of the decision on Comey that contradicted what his communications team and even his own vice president had stated days earlier.

Speaking to NBC News, Trump said he had planned to fire Comey with or without a memo from Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein spelling out reasons why the bureau would benefit from new leadership. Trump added in the interview that he was concerned about the Russia thing.

In another tweet, he insisted again that neither he nor his associates had colluded with Russian agents to influence the 2016 election. He said former Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper and virtually everyone else with knowledge of the witch hunt had confirmed as much.

Clapper denied that in an interview Friday.

I dont know if there was collusion or not. I dont know if there is evidence of collusion or not, nor should I have in this particular context, he told MSNBCs Andrea Mitchell. Although he had worked closely with Comey, the FBI would not have told him about a domestic criminal or counterintelligence investigation of that sort, he said.

Clappers previous statement that he had seen no evidence of collusion referred only to evidence gathered by intelligence agencies, not the FBI, he said.

A spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that Rosenstein had agreed to brief the full Senate next week about the Russia investigation and his own involvement in the decision to fire Comey.

The former FBI chief has declined an invitation to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee, although the panels senior Democratic member, Sen. Mark R. Warner of Virginia, held out the possibility that Comey might testify in the future.

It is our hope that in the not too distant future that we can find time for him to come in and talk to the committee, Warner said on MSNBC.

The White House, meanwhile, released the text of a letter from a law firm representing Trump that it claimed corroborated the presidents contention that there was no Russian involvement in his personal or business interests.

Attorneys from the Washington office of the law firm Morgan Lewis, in a letter written two months ago and addressed to Trump, said a review of his tax returns did not show income from Russian sources or debt owed to Russian lenders  with a few exceptions. Those included roughly $12 million he received for hosting the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow and $95 million he got for the sale of an estate in Florida to a Russian billionaire. That amount was far more than what Trump had paid for the property.

The letter left numerous questions unanswered. For example, it said that Trump had mostly not received money from Russian entities, but it did not address the possibility of Russians passing money through entities based in other countries. And it covered a 10-year period, so did not say anything about money Trump might have received before 2006.

The tax lawyers who sent the letter were the same ones who set up the trust arrangement in which Trump partially separated from his business interests before taking office.

Trump has grown frustrated about the Russia investigation, Spicer told reporters later, because this has been a subject that comes up over and over again when its been very clearly stated on multiple occasions that theres no collusion that occurred.

Spicer insisted that Trump had not taken action to undermine the FBIs investigation.

I think hes growingly concerned, as well as a number of American people who are growingly concerned that there is this perpetuated false narrative out there. Thats, I think, the nut of this, he told reporters.

News briefings like that might be going away, Trump has suggested. Both on Twitter and in an interview with Fox News, he questioned whether theyre a good idea.

On Twitter, the president wrote: It is not possible for my surrogates to stand at podium with perfect accuracy! because he does so many things.

Just dont have em, unless I have them every two weeks, and I do them myself, he suggested to Fox News Jeanine Pirro. I think its a good idea.

Trump said Spicer does a good job, but gets beat up.

Spicer, during his briefing with reporters, sought to explain why so often statements he has made prove to be misleading or incorrect.

The president is an active president. He keeps a very robust schedule, Spicer said. And I think sometimes we dont have an opportunity to get in to see him to get his full thinking.

michael.memoli@latimes.com

For more White House coverage, follow @mikememoli on Twitter.

ALSO

Sessions orders return to tough drug war policies that trigger mandatory minimum sentences

For political street fighter Nancy Pelosi, theres new power in opposing Trump

Political turmoil mounts as Trump provides a new account of when he decided to fire Comey
Happy weekend. Mothers Day is Sunday, and if you havent booked a reservation at your mothers favorite mimosa watering hole, its not too late to cook her breakfast yourself. We have recipes, unsurprisingly, including strawberry shortcake, Belgian waffles, croque madame  and Momofukus crack pie. If your mother isnt really an eggs Benedict and Champagne person and prefers food trucks and Hainan chicken, as some of us do, then you might take her downtown to our Night Market, which runs through Sunday night as part of Food Bowl, our month-long food festival.

Or you could head to chef Scott Conants latest Italian restaurant in L.A., as Jonathan Gold has been doing: His new review is of the Ponte. In other stories this week, Noelle Carter talks to Mario Batali about ugly food, and what he does in his own Italian restaurant kitchen to help cut down on food waste. Local cookbook writer Martha Rose Shulman gives recipes for making your own rice bowls, we have grilled cheese pro tips, a story about aging beer (yes, really), and news about a new Fathers Office. So welcome to mid-May: Check out whats happening at our food festival, and at your nearby farmers markets.

 Amy Scattergood

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More fun with spaghetti

Chef Scott Conant has been here before  with his late Beverly Hills restaurant Scarpetta  and so has his twenty-something-dollar spaghetti. At the Ponte, the chef returns with a version of that dish, as well as other Italian dishes, as well as flights of tiny Negronis. Does it mean anything in particular special when a chef is identified with the most basic dish in the Italian repertoire? It is awfully good spaghetti.

A Q&A with Mario Batali

The famed chef was in town recently for Food Bowl, as part of a panel discussion with chef Massimo Bottura about food waste  and of course to visit Mozza, the restaurant he owns with Nancy Silverton. So Test Kitchen director Noelle Carter caught up with Batali, to ask him about sustainable kitchens, ugly foods and what we can all do about the $165 billion worth of food that goes to waste every year.

Beyond brown rice

Now that were all eating so many grain bowls, food writer and cookbook author Martha Rose Shulman considers the kind of specialty rice that we can put in them these days. Black rice, red rice, even pink and purple rice  theres a lot more than white and brown rice that we can cook with. And yes, she gives recipes.

Grilled cheese pro tips

Among the many food trucks and restaurants that have been gathered at Grand Park for the Food Bowl Night Market: the Grilled Cheese Truck. Noelle talks to chef Dave Danhi about the art of the grilled cheese sandwich, as well as why we all love the stuff so much, grilled cheese no-nos, and how many he estimates hes made over the last eight years.

How to age beer

Youll be forgiven if you think that aging is something that should happen to good wines and spirits  rather than craft beer. Quite the opposite, as mostly were told that beer should be as fresh as possible. But beer writer John Verive says that aging beer is actually a thing, and a very good thing at that, in certain circumstances. (Sour ales, high abv, etc.)

Fathers Office to open in DTLA

Deputy Food editor Jenn Harris talks to chef Sang Yoon about his third Fathers Office, set to open later this year in the Arts District. And in other food and drink news: The Pasta Sisters are taking over the now-closed Bucato space in the Helms Bakery complex; and chef Chris Phelps from Salts Cure has opened a new breakfast-only restaurant called, helpfully, Breakfast.

The Los Angeles Times Food Bowl: Want to spend 31 days exploring the food of this city through a Night Market, forums, dinners, films, pop-ups and more dining and drinking? Our month-long food festival runs through May 31. Whats happening this coming week? A screening of the James Beard documentary; Filipino Food Night; and Beast Feast, with Fergus Henderson, Dario Cecchini, Nancy Silverton and more.

Goldbot: you can now talk to Jonathan Gold any time you want  or at least the robot version of him that now lives on Facebook Messenger. You can ask Goldbot for a personal restaurant recommendation based on location, type of food or price. The bot will also deliver Jonathan Golds latest reviews straight to your device.

The Daily Meal, the food and drink website under the editorial direction of Colman Andrews is now one of our partners. Check out its 101 best pizzas in America and other stories, recipes and videos.

Jonathan Golds 101 Best Restaurants, the authoritative annual guide to local dining, is online for subscribers and now features his 2016 Best Restaurants. If you didnt get a copy of the booklet, you can order one online here.

Check us out on Instagram @latimesfood

Check out the thousands of recipes in our Recipe Database.

Feedback? Wed love to hear from you. Email us at food@latimes.com.

Pasta al pomodoro, for $22, at the Ponte. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Red rice salad with favas, walnuts and red peppers. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It is Saturday, May 13. Heres what you dont want to miss this weekend:

TOP STORIES

Baca heads to jail: Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, once a towering, respected figure in policing, was sentenced Friday to three years in federal prison for his role in a scheme to obstruct an FBI investigation of abuses in county jails, marking an end to a corruption scandal that has roiled the Sheriffs Department for several years. Los Angeles Times

Plus: Outside the courthouse after the ruling, Baca was defiant as ever, castigating the sentencing and telling reporters that he was in the right for actions he took in 2011 for which he will now serve a three-year prison term. Los Angeles Times

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How unions wield influence: Heres how construction worker pay is dominating Californias housing debate. The State Building & Construction Trades Council of California, also known as the Building Trades, is the most powerful group influencing the Legislatures response to the housing crisis. Los Angeles Times

Whats up in Congress: Now that the House of Representatives has voted to repeal and replace Obamacare, some Republicans are nowhere to be found, while the Resistance is licking its lips and preparing for the 2018 midterm elections. Los Angeles Times

Bad accident: A bus carrying Tesla employees crashed into a vehicle on a California highway Friday morning, killing an off-duty law enforcement officer, police said. The Guardian

Mazel tov! This California couple went all the way to Mount Everest to tie the knot. The photos are amazing and well treasure them for the rest of our lives, but the experience also brought us closer together, husband James Sissom, 35, said. It was life-changing. People

What a room! In the Century City home she shares with her daughter, Madeline, and son, Graham, 10, Carrie Livingston has turned a tween bedroom into a Pop Art dream. Los Angeles Times

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

Los Angeles Times reporter Joe Serna first reported on the discovery of a lead and bronze 3 foot-long coffin that was more than a 100 years old in San Francisco  a childs coffin  a year ago. This week he published a crazy story about how a group of genealogists figured out who was the occupant of that coffin. Serna explained how the story came together:

Can you imagine something like this happening today? A relatively young, bustling city eager to grow decides its best option to make more room for the living is by digging up all its dead and hauling them a days trip south. Well, this happened in Colma, and were not just talking about a cemetery here or there for a new development. They took out all the cemeteries they could  minus the National Cemetery in San Francisco, which is federal land. And they did it by hand!

My reporting on the discovery of Edith Cook in a 140-year-old casket under a garage took me to the City of the Dead, Colmas actual tagline, which its residents repeat with pride.

There I learned all kinds of macabre details about San Franciscos history with the dead which is, to put it mildly, controversial.

In the late 19th century, the city was essentially receiving more bodies in the form of prospectors, traders and settlers than it could feasibly handle. At some point, the notion of simply digging up all the dead  hundreds of thousands of bodies in all states of decomposition  gained enough traction that an effort was actually launched.

This part of the citys history is what will stay with me the longest from reporting this story. The research teams efforts to identify Edith Cook are admirable, but the case left me with a lingering melancholy at the realization that without a doubt there are more bodies like this out there.

Families who couldnt afford the relocation costs saw their loved ones remains put in a mass grave that today is a grassy knoll with a single plaque on top. Their headstones were melted down to create San Franciscos curbs and breakwater at Fishermans Wharf.

The entire decades-long effort created a small cottage industry for the movers. Trains were outfitted with luxury cars for the wealthy. Group-discounts were available. If a family couldnt afford to move their loved one on a train, it was a days ride by horse and wagon and there was a cost for that too.

Edith Cooks casket may have been rare for the time but as I learned in reporting this, the story of how her body was left there is not.

This weeks most popular stories in Essential California:

1. Young Bannon disciple Julia Hahn is a case study in extremism. The Intercept

2. In Venice, where money meets misery, hoping for an end to homeless camps. Los Angeles Times

3. James Comey was caught flat-footed and learned of his firing from TV while talking to FBI agents in L.A., a source says. Los Angeles Times

4. UC Davis and former professors clash over who owns the fruits of research. Associated Press

5. What $2,100 rents you in Los Angeles. Curbed LA

ICYMI, here are this weeks Great Reads

Golden State warrior: Xavier Becerra is the general in Californias battle with Trump, and he sees parallels with Texas battle with Obama. The Atlantic

Gang threat: Donald Trump is right. The MS-13 is a real threat from L.A. to Central America. But his idea wont work. New Yorker

Movie alert! The new film Lowriders, starring Eva Longoria and Demian Bichir, is a peek into East L.A.'s custom-car culture. I want people to realize that these cars are a work of art and our expression, says Cartoon, a.k.a. Mark Machado. Los Angeles Times

Get that degree  in yoga: Loyola Marymount University is the only school in America where you can get a masters in yoga studies. Its surprising there arent more programs like this, experts say, given yogas popularity. Los Angeles Times

Looking Ahead

Monday: Groundbreaking for a new bike hub at Union Station.

Monday: The Academy of Motion Pictures marks the 75th anniversary of Bambi.

Saturday: The Long Beach Lesbian and Gay Pride Festival and Parade.

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Benjamin Oreskes and Shelby Grad. Also follow them on Twitter @boreskes and @shelbygrad.
It might not feel this way to the Los Angeles Unified school board, but the district owes a lot to charter schools. The publicly funded but typically privately managed schools have served as educational models, proving that low-income students of color can and do achieve. They have provided their students with a pathway to college during a time when L.A. Unified shamefully failed to offer all the required college-prep courses at some of its high schools. And as their numbers have grown, charter schools also have become the competition that challenged L.A. Unified to up its game, which is why the district has been opening more of its popular magnet schools.

But what the board seemed to remember most about charter schools during a recent meeting was that they attract students, which means they also draw state funding that would otherwise go to district schools. L.A. Unifieds finances are wobbly to say the least, so that was enough for the board to endorse legislation that would severely undermine the charter-school movement in California.

The original version of the bill (SB 808) would have allowed only school districts to authorize charter schools; right now, the state and county departments of education can approve charter applications that have been turned down by their local districts. It also would have allowed district school boards to reject charter applications if the new school would impose a financial hardship on a district, no matter how educationally promising the school might be, or how badly parents in the neighborhood might need a higher-performing school where they could send their kids.

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Political wrangling is overshadowing the very real need for reform in Californias charter sector.

Most charter schools arent good for school districts bottom lines, so the L.A. Unified board might just as well have hung a big Kill the Charters sign on its dais.

Although lawmakers have tempered some of those provisions, the boards endorsement of them is another sad example of how political wrangling is overshadowing the very real need for reform in Californias charter sector. Most of L.A.s charter schools have benefited local students, according to a study out of Stanford University. But not all of them have done so, and statewide, the picture is more mixed. California was at the forefront of passing laws to encourage charter schools, but those laws never included the necessary regulations that would guard against unsavory practices and low performance. These are problems that the legislature should try to address.

For example, dozens of charter schools websites say that they require parents to volunteer significant amounts of time to the school, an unfair deterrent to families that cant afford to do so. A 2016 report by the American Civil Liberties Union outlined other ways that charter schools allegedly kept out students who were less likely to succeed: creating lengthy and daunting applications, sometimes available only in English; demanding Social Security cards and other documents that would reveal a familys immigration status, discouraging applicants who werent fluent in English; requiring documentation of special-education needs; forcing kids whod earned low grades in previous schools to take extra classes; and expelling students who got low grades once admitted.

Such practices violate at least the spirit of the open-admissions rule thats supposed to govern charter schools, but the law has been mushy about its requirements and who enforces them. California also spends too little on charter-school oversight, allowing bad practices by charters to continue for too long. And its true that county and state boards have been too quick to approve charters that districts had rejected, and too hands-off. There have been serious concerns, for instance, about the financial dealings of the Celerity Educational Group, a charter organization with several schools in the region, yet the state board brushed those aside in approving two new Celerity schools last year. Only now, with a federal investigation under way and Celeritys accreditation threatened, has the board refused to renew two other Celerity schools.

Two other bills that were justifiably supported by the L.A. Unified board would address limited concerns: AB 1360 would require charter schools to follow the same rules as traditional public schools on admissions, suspensions and expulsions. And AB 1478 would require charter school operators to comply with the states public-records and open-meetings law.

But this is merely a start. Whats missing is comprehensive legislation to make sure that charter schools operate fairly and fulfill their promise of superior public education, with proper oversight that itself needs to be regulated so that it is both effective and just. Its been a quarter of a century since the Legislature passed the bill that gave charter schools their start in California. Back then, few could have foreseen the complications that would arise. But arise they did, and Sacramento has been allowing them to fester for too long.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook
To the editor: The photographs of President Trump taken by a Russian state photographer (American media were not allowed into the meeting) with the Russian foreign minister and ambassador, the day after sacking FBI Director James Comey, are more pieces of circumstantial evidence that show Trump should be investigated by a special prosecutor. (Russias foreign minister has cordial talk at White House against a tumultuous backdrop, May 10)

We know that many of the presidents men met with Russian representatives when their government was attempting to throw the election in his favor. Trump encouraged the illegal hacking by the Russians and celebrated WikiLeaks release of illegally obtained information. Trump officials took out of the Republican Party platform any mention of punishment of Russia for annexing Crimea. Trump praised Putin and Russia throughout the election campaign. After the election, on the very day President Obama announced sanctions against Russia, the now-disgraced former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn was on the phone with the Russian ambassador discussing the sanctions, against which Moscow did not retaliate. Jared Kushner, Trumps top advisor, also met with the Russians.

Now, after Comey asks for more resources for his agencys investigation, Trump fires him. The Republicans sit idly by while the U.S. government is burning, and Trump is photographed meeting in the White House with his potential co-conspirators. No wonder the photos show them laughing  the joke is on us.

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We need a special prosecutor to get to the bottom of this now. If we do not, we will be living in Trumps alternative universe, being told what to do by a dictator.

Dave McLane, Pasadena

The writer is a civil rights and criminal defense attorney.

..

To the editor: A picture says a thousand words. Never has that saying been more true than with the picture on the front page of Thursdays Times.

I cannot remember a time when our democracy faced a greater threat than under this presidency. Impeachment cannot come soon enough.  Richard Johnson, Santa Monica

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Trump met in the Oval Office the day after Comeys firing. The credit for the picture goes to the Russian Foreign Ministry, because the American press was banned from the meeting.

I cannot remember a time when our democracy faced a greater threat than under this presidency. Impeachment cannot come soon enough.

Richard Johnson, Santa Monica

..

To the editor: As the approval ratings of Trump continue to fall, Republicans in Congress will reverse their support of the president. Like the wealthy survivors of the Titanic, they will rush to the lifeboats as the 2018 midterm election draws closer.

The outrage at congressional town halls across the country over the terrible House-approved Obamacare replacement and now the fallout of Trumps firing of Comey make obvious that the Trump ship is sinking. And while the president values loyalty above everything else (like the rule of law or colluding with the Russians), the Republicans in Congress, who are selected by their constituents, will become more vocal and turn against the very man who helped them get elected.

In the end, its the voice of the people that will ultimately decide Trumps fate. Republicans will listen not because they are motivated by their sense of whats in Americas best interest, but because they want to get re-elected.

No amount of bluster or threats from the president can change that.

Richard Melamed, Marina del Rey

..

To the editor: How simple it would have been if Trump had simply released his income tax returns (as promised to the American people, pending completion of an IRS audit) and asked for those interested government officials to investigate them and clear his name.

Then he could get out from under the awful and dirty little clouds of false news makers that have pursued the much-maligned poor innocent guy, who has been stopped from carrying out all the wonderful things he had in store for the American people.

But instead, Trump keeps opening his mouth and continues to contradict himself whenever he gets a chance. Many of us parents, teachers and religious leaders call it lying.

Judith Markoff Hansen, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: Though shamefully executed, I dont have a problem with the firing of Comey. The suspect timing, however, comes straight from Trumps playbook of diversionary tactics because all this Russia poking unnerves him.

Now the country is slapped with the fact that one person can block the creation of an independent investigation into possible Russian connections to Trump and associates. By citing a spurious rationale for not considering this, master obstructionist and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) shows himself to be not only partisan but mostly concerned with the Republican legislative agenda and his own position.

Alas, our quaint democratic concept of checks and balances seems to be atrophying from lack of use.

I am dismayed by the current state of my country because there is an egotistical liar in the Oval Office who behaves increasingly like an autocrat. Trump is dangerous.

If I were younger, I would move to France.

Marilyn Moore Shultz, San Clemente

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
Ever since Donald Trump was elected president, some letter writers have been drawing comparisons between him and the failed American leaders of the past. The name that most often comes up is Richard Nixon, who up until last week readers have held alongside Trump as overseeing a vaguely similar scandal-plagued administration.

Those comparisons have became more frequent and focused this week, after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, a sacking that readers say bears a striking similarity to Nixons dismissal of Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox in 1974. Here are some of those letters.

Harmon Sieff, a past president of the Santa Monica Bar Assn., recalls his days working as a young staff member on Capitol Hill during Watergate:

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In 1974, I was an almost lawyer hired by the Republican House leader as a legal grunt in the U.S. Capitol building. Impeachment investigations were everywhere, but it was clear that my task was not to defend Nixon, but to identify the law of impeachment and find the truth.

When the smoking gun was discovered, no one was more disappointed than my Republican bosses.  Harmon Sieff, former House Republican staff member

I scrutinized voluminous Nixon versions of transcribed tapes, and later compared them (expletives deleted) to the actual tapes. I found hundreds of discrepancies.

I was never asked to advocate or obfuscate. When the smoking gun was discovered, no one was more disappointed than my Republican bosses, who recognized that their ultimate loyalty was to the Constitution, not their party or president. Three courageous and patriotic Republican leaders visited the White House to inform the president that it was time for him to go.

We can only hope that current Republican leaders are equally courageous, patriotic and committed to the truth.

Huntington Beach resident Peter Morin wants todays Republicans to draw inspiration from Watergate:

Equating Trump with Nixon and Watergate is spot on. There were men of courage in politics in the 1970s; but then, as now, there were also White House lackeys deflecting as best they could.

Its time for the Republicans to call for a special prosecutor and put the peoples interest above theirs and the GOPs. We put the lawmakers there to represent our interests, and we can take them out.

Elizabeth Rumelt of Santa Barbara draws two historical parallels:

Many people are now forcibly reminded of Nixons firing of special prosecutor Archibald Cox. Perhaps Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein, whose memo critical of Comey served as the initial rationale for the FBI directors firing, should look a little further back in history for the fate of those who carry out the wishes of an autocrat to do an injustice to a person of integrity.

The knights who took the word of King Henry II as command and rushed to rid him of this meddlesome priest by assassinating the Roman Catholic archbishop of Canterbury were not thanked by the king and were punished by the pope. Rosenstein may learn he has made a bad bargain.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
A growing number of legal experts say President Trump has opened himself up to a charge of obstruction of justice this week when he said this Russia thing with Trump was on his mind when he fired FBI Director James B. Comey.

The federal law against obstruction of justice, a felony, is written broadly and applies to pending investigations. It can cover anyone who corruptly  endeavors to influence, obstruct or impede the due and proper administration of the law under which any pending proceeding is being had before any department or agency of the United States. In another section, the word corruptly is defined as acting with an improper purpose.

Trumps repeated references to the Russia investigation in interviews, tweets and the letter firing Comey could be interpreted as an effort to obstruct or impede the investigation, the legal experts said.

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The threat is not a completely theoretical one: President Nixon, who was forced to resign under threat of impeachment, and President Clinton, who was impeached, were both accused of obstruction of justice.

Trump, however, would have several defenses. One of the most powerful, although not flattering, lines of defense would be that he did not act with an improper purpose, but, instead, acted simply because he was impulsively angry.

At first, the presidents aides had insisted the FBI chief was dismissed based on the recommendation of top Justice Department officials and because of his botched handling of the 2016 email investigation involving Hillary Clinton.

But Trump in a TV interview on Thursday said he made the decision to fire Comey prior to consulting the Justice Department, because the FBI chief was a showboat and was mishandling the department.

He acknowledged that the Russia investigation was one of the things he considered. In fact, when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story. Its an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won.

Then on Friday, Trump responded to reports by Comey supporters that during a private dinner months ago, the president demanded Comey pledge his loyalty to him, and Comey refused. The White House denied such a pledge was sought.

In a tweet Friday that many viewed as a veiled threat, Trump wrote, James Comey better hope that there are no tapes of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!

The president has also revealed that he had three conversations with Comey, including one in which he directly asked whether he was under investigation. Trump says Comey three times assured him that he was not.

Comey told a House committee in March that his investigators were looking into possible illegal coordination between the Trump campaign and Russians.

Legal experts said the presidents statements look to be damaging.

If one of the reasons the president fired Mr. Comey was to subvert or influence FBI investigations of Trump campaign associates, it is hard to resist the conclusion that this was obstruction of justice, said Ryan Goodman, a New York University law professor and the editor of the Just Security blog.

No defense lawyer would have wanted their client to utter the incriminating words the president said on NBC to Lester Holt.

Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe agreed. I think President Trump inadvertently laid a solid basis for an obstruction of justice count in a bill of impeachment with his fateful Lester Holt interview. Trump seems to be his own worst enemy.

Former White House Counsel Bob Bauer, who served under President Obama, said Trump may have blundered into legal trouble because he does not understand or accept that the president should not involve himself in a criminal investigation.

Nonetheless, his public comments may have set into motion legal complications, or worse, for himself and his administration, Bauer wrote on the Lawfare blog.

It does seem clear that the president has opened himself up to a line of inquiry into whether this call, in conjunction with other actions, represents attempted obstruction of justice.The president has admitted that he called the director of the FBI to determine whether he was being investigated in what has been officially declared to be an active, ongoing criminal investigation, Bauer wrote. And when the investigation appeared to be expanding, Trump fired Comey, he noted.

But in a criminal case, prosecutors must prove the defendant acted out of a corrupt or improper purpose.

Its not an easy charge to prove because the key is motivation, said Jennifer Daskal, a law professor at American University.

In part of his NBC interview, Trump said he did not seek to halt the FBIs Russian inquiry, but rather sought to make sure it was done well.

As far as Im concerned, I want that thing to be absolutely done properly, the president said. Maybe Ill expand that, you know, lengthen the time. Regarding the investigation, he added, I want that to be so strong and so good. And I want it to happen. Those comments give the president and his lawyers evidence to rebut any claim that he sought to obstruct the FBI inquiry.

But Daskal also said Trumps comments could still cause him trouble. He keeps undercutting his own arguments. And his words and actions increasingly point in the direction that he acted to tamp down the investigation, she said.

In 1974, Nixon faced an impeachment charge of seeking to obstruct the FBIs investigation of the Watergate scandal involving his campaigns effort to bug the offices of the Democratic National Committee. And in 1998, Clinton was impeached by the Republican-controlled House for perjury and obstruction of justice for his efforts to conceal his sexual affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

However, unlike Nixon and Clinton, who sought to hide their efforts, Trump has been unusually open and public about his criticisms of the FBI investigation. He tweeted that the Russian-Trump collusion story is a total hoax, when will this taxpayer funded charade end?

david.savage@latimes.com

On Twitter: DavidGSavage

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Trump promotes sons Justice with Judge Jeanine interview President Trump promoted via Twitter an interview with his son Eric Trump just before it aired Saturday night on Fox News Justice with Judge Jeanine. Eric Trump on @JudgeJeanine on @FoxNews now!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 21, 2018 Eric Trump called into the show to defend his father from criticism prompted by the first government shutdown in more than four years, as well as a series of Womens March events that saw protesters in dozens of cities take to the streets to oppose the presidents policies. .@EricTrump joined me over the phone from Mar-a-Lago ! pic.twitter.com/Hro3TzUW52  Jeanine Pirro (@JudgeJeanine) January 21, 2018 Speaking to host Jeannine Piro  who is reportedly an old friend of the presidents  Eric Trump offered effusive praise for his father, ticking off glowing statistics to illustrate the strength of the U.S. economy and gains against Islamic State fighters overseas. My fathers working like no ones ever worked before to bring back this country and to fulfill his promise to make America great again, said the executive vice president of the Trump Organization. He also repeated a sentiment recently expressed on Twitter by his father: That Democratic lawmakers forced a government shutdown on the anniversary of the presidents inauguration in a bid to distract from his achievements. You look at this whole government shutdown, and the only reason they want to shut down government is to distract and to stop his momentum, Eric Trump said. I mean, my father has had incredible momentum. Hes gotten more done in one year than arguably any president in history. Facebook

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Trump tweets: a perfect day for all Women to March President Trump hailed the nationwide Womens March gatherings Saturday. On Twitter, the president called it a perfect day for all Women to March, seeming to imply that those taking part were celebrating his administrations accomplishments: Beautiful weather all over our great country, a perfect day for all Women to March. Get out there now to celebrate the historic milestones and unprecedented economic success and wealth creation that has taken place over the last 12 months. Lowest female unemployment in 18 years!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 Participants in the marches across the United States were actually seeking to deliver a powerful rebuke to Trumps policies and mount a crucial mobilization for this years midterm elections. But Trump continued to tout his administrations unprecedented success in tweets sent later in the day: Unprecedented success for our Country, in so many ways, since the Election. Record Stock Market, Strong on Military, Crime, Borders, & ISIS, Judicial Strength & Numbers, Lowest Unemployment for Women & ALL, Massive Tax Cuts, end of Individual Mandate - and so much more. Big 2018!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 The Trump Administration has terminated more UNNECESSARY Regulation, in just twelve months, than any other Administration has terminated during their full term in office, no matter what the length. The good news is, THERE IS MUCH MORE TO COME!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 21, 2018 In addition to the roll call of major American cities where womens marches took place  including New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Dallas, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta  protesters also raised their voices in suburbs and small towns, reflecting the aim of coalescing a broad-based movement on the anniversary of Trumps inauguration to oppose the presidents stance on immigration, healthcare, racial divides and an array of other issues. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Laura King. Facebook

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Trump calls shutdown a present from Democrats By Associated Press President Trump is blaming Democrats for the government shutdown  tweeting that they wanted to give him a nice present to mark the one-year anniversary of his inauguration: This is the One Year Anniversary of my Presidency and the Democrats wanted to give me a nice present. #DemocratShutdown  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 That comes after Senate Democrats late Friday killed a GOP-written House-passed measure that would have kept agencies functioning for four weeks. Democrats were seeking a stopgap bill of just a few days in hopes that would build pressure on Republicans, and they were opposing a three-week alternative offered by GOP leaders. Democrats have insisted they would back legislation reopening the government once theres a bipartisan agreement to preserve protections against deporting about 700,000 immigrants  known as Dreamers  who arrived in the United States illegally as children. Trump on Saturday accused Democrats of holding our Military hostage over their desire to have unchecked illegal immigration: Democrats are holding our Military hostage over their desire to have unchecked illegal immigration. Cant let that happen!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 Democrats are laying fault for the shutdown on Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress and the White House and have struggled with building internal consensus. In a series of tweets hours after the shutdown began, the president tried to make the case for Americans to elect more Republicans to Congress in November in order to power through this mess: Democrats are far more concerned with Illegal Immigrants than they are with our great Military or Safety at our dangerous Southern Border. They could have easily made a deal but decided to play Shutdown politics instead. #WeNeedMoreRepublicansIn18 in order to power through mess!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 He noted that there are 51 Republicans in the 100-member Senate, and it often takes 60 votes to advance legislation: For those asking, the Republicans only have 51 votes in the Senate, and they need 60. That is why we need to win more Republicans in 2018 Election! We can then be even tougher on Crime (and Border), and even better to our Military & Veterans!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 #AMERICA FIRST!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 The stopgap spending measure won 50 votes in the Senate, including five from Democrats. Although the House and Senate were in session Saturday, it was unclear whether lawmakers would take any votes of consequence. Trump had been set to leave Friday afternoon for a fundraiser at his estate in Palm Beach, Fla., where he intended to mark the inauguration anniversary. But he remained in Washington and ended up scrapping his plans to attend the Saturday fundraiser. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweet casts doubt on likelihood of averting shutdown President Trump appeared to cast doubt on the likelihood of reaching a deal to avert a government shutdown Friday night in a tweet. Trump also sought to blame Democrats for what would be the first shutdown since 2013. His message came just hours before the midnight deadline by which lawmakers must pass a measure to fund government agencies, or some operations will cease. Not looking good for our great Military or Safety & Security on the very dangerous Southern Border. Dems want a Shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the Tax Cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 Despite last-minute negotiations Friday between Trump and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, Congress remained deadlocked over a spending bill and the federal government was headed toward a shutdown at midnight. Senate Democrats  joined by some GOP deficit hawks and immigration allies  were set to filibuster a stopgap funding bill approved by the House on Thursday. A Senate vote was planned for 10 p.m. Eastern, and even White House officials predicted it would fail. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Lisa Mascaro. Facebook

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Trump signs surveillance law after confusing tweets By Associated Press President Trump on Friday signed a bill into law to renew a foreign intelligence surveillance program, announcing his action in the latest in a series of confusing tweets about the spy program: Just signed 702 Bill to reauthorize foreign intelligence collection. This is NOT the same FISA law that was so wrongly abused during the election. I will always do the right thing for our country and put the safety of the American people first!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2018 Trumps tweet on Jan. 11 created chaos in the House just before it voted to reauthorize what is known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. He linked the intelligence program to a dossier that alleges his presidential campaign had ties to Russia. That caused people to wonder if he didnt support the program that allows U.S. spy agencies to collect intelligence on foreign targets abroad. Trump and other Republicans have alleged that Obama administration officials improperly shared the identities of Trump presidential transition team members mentioned in intelligence reports. Democrats say there is no evidence that happened. Shortly before the House vote, and after conferring with House Speaker Paul Ryan, Trump did an apparent about-face. This vote is about foreign surveillance of foreign bad guys on foreign land, he tweeted. We need it! Get smart! In his tweet announcing that he had just signed the bill, Trump wrote: This is NOT the same FISA law that was so wrongly abused during the election. I will always do the right thing for our country and put the safety of the American people first! There are no obvious links between the dossier Trump spoke of, which includes salacious but unsubstantiated allegations against him, and the reauthorization of the spying program, or between the program and Trumps oft-repeated claims that the Obama administration conducted surveillance on Trump Tower during the presidential campaign. Facebook

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In tweet, Trump suggests that Pennsylvania trip is a political one The White House press office was once again forced to walk back a tweet from President Trump on Thursday morning after he described a trip to Pennsylvania later in the day as a political one  a statement that would force the Republican Party, not taxpayers, to pay for the journey. The White House had said Trump was going to an industrial equipment company outside of Pittsburgh to highlight the good economy and new tax cuts, making it an official, policy-oriented event. It was widely assumed that the trip had a political cast  the area is holding a special election to fill a congressional seat vacated by a Republican who resigned. Trump, by his tweet, seemed to confirm that politics was the whole purpose: Will be going to Pennsylvania today in order to give my total support to RICK SACCONE, running for Congress in a Special Election (March 13). Rick is a great guy. We need more Republicans to continue our already successful agenda!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018 Trump later shared via Twitter a pair of video clips of his speech at H&K Equipment, in which he touted the tax cuts he signed into law just before Christmas and tried to turn the conversation back to his accomplishments after weeks dominated by distractions, including questions about his mental health and comments about immigration that some considered racist: Departing Pittsburgh now, where it was my great honor to stand with our incredible workers, and to show the world that AMERICA is back - and we are coming back bigger and better and stronger than ever before! pic.twitter.com/kWPgylqFzj  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018 AMERICA will once again be a NATION that thinks big, dreams bigger, and always reaches for the stars. YOU are the ones who will shape Americas destiny. YOU are the ones who will restore our prosperity. And YOU are the ones who are MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! #MAGA pic.twitter.com/f2abNK47II  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018 The Republican National Committee, rather than the White House, is supposed to pay for political travel so that taxpayers are not financing party activities; for trips that combine policy and politics, parties have split the cost under past presidents. Neither the RNC nor the White House responded to emails sent Thursday asking who would pay. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement later Thursday suggesting that taxpayers would foot the bill. She insisted that Trump would be conducting government business while in Pennsylvania. Read More This post contains reporting from the Associated Press and Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook

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Trump tweets praise of Bob Dole after awarding him Congressional Gold Medal By Associated Press Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole knew the art of the deal before President Trump published the 1987 book of the same name. The two shared a stage under the Capitol dome Wednesday as Dole, 94, accepted Congress highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, for his World War II service and decades of work in the House and Senate. Trump later praised Dole in a tweet, attaching to his message a video composed of clips from the ceremony: Today, we witnessed an incredible moment in history  the presentation of Congress highest civilian honor to our friend, and true AMERICAN HERO, Bob Dole. #CongressionalGoldMedal pic.twitter.com/qNQqDLRmCk  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 17, 2018 At the ceremony, the president saluted Dole as a patriot and gave tribute to Doles struggle as a veteran who worked his way back from a grievous shoulder wound he suffered in Italy. He knows about grit, said Trump. But it was Doles penchant for working across the aisle that earned him his latest award, according to the legislation. Bob Dole was known for his ability to work across the aisle and embrace practical bipartisanship, reads the legislation Trump signed in September. Some of the awards 300 recipients include George Washington and Mother Teresa, according to the Congressional Research Service. Read More Facebook

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Trump touts report that seeks to link terrorism cases with immigration By Joseph Tanfani The Trump administration on Tuesday released a report attempting to link terrorism with migration, arguing that it was evidence of the need to dramatically reshape the nations immigration system. New report from DOJ & DHS shows that nearly 3 in 4 individuals convicted of terrorism-related charges are foreign-born. We have submitted to Congress a list of resources and reforms....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 ....we need to keep America safe, including moving away from a random chain migration and lottery system, to one that is merit-based. https://t.co/7PtoSFK1n2  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The report, ordered by President Trump in an executive order last year, said that 75% of the 549 people convicted of terrorism charges since 9/11 were born outside the U.S. Administration officials called that a sign that the U.S. needs to scrap its policy of family preferences for visas, which they call chain migration, and a diversity visa lottery program. But the report did not specify how many  if any  of the convicted terrorists entered the country through those means. It also did not detail how many of the convictions were related to attacks or plans in the U.S. versus overseas and how many involved people who went to fight overseas for the Islamic State or another terrorist group. Those details were not available, officials said. The report, due last year, is being released in a highly charged moment in the immigration debate, as Trump and some Republicans in Congress seek tough new border and immigration measures in return for a deal protecting the 690,000 people in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Trump also fired off a pair of tweets on the topic earlier Tuesday: We must have Security at our VERY DANGEROUS SOUTHERN BORDER, and we must have a great WALL to help protect us, and to help stop the massive inflow of drugs pouring into our country!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The Democrats want to shut down the Government over Amnesty for all and Border Security. The biggest loser will be our rapidly rebuilding Military, at a time we need it more than ever. We need a merit based system of immigration, and we need it now! No more dangerous Lottery.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The focus of our immigration system should be assimilation, a senior administration official said on Tuesday, speaking on condition that his name not be used. He said the nation should give priority to potential immigrants who speak English, who have an education and those who are committed to supporting our values  not family members of people already here. The official said the timing of the report was coincidental. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweets welcome to president of Kazakhstan By Associated Press President Trump said Tuesday that he and the president of Kazakhstan are united in a shared determination to prevent North Korea from threatening the world with nuclear devastation. Trump and President Nursultan Nazarbayev discussed North Korea along with other issues during meetings at the White House. Today, it was my honor to welcome President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan to the @WhiteHouse! pic.twitter.com/TerYFZViax  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 Trump said Kazakhstan, once part of the Soviet Union, is a valued partner in our efforts to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons. Together we are determined to prevent the North Korean regime from threatening the world with nuclear devastation, he said, as both presidents addressed journalists between meetings. Nazarbayev noted that his country once had one of the worlds largest nuclear arsenals but voluntarily gave it up after the Soviet Union collapsed. He said his country is in talks with Iran, which was the focus of a global deal that lifted some economic sanctions in exchange for Irans curbing its nuclear program. Trump has sharply criticized the Iran nuclear deal and threatened last week to pull out soon unless other countries fix what he says are terrible flaws. Read More Facebook

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Trump falsely claims his approval rating among black Americans has doubled By Alex Wigglesworth President Trump lashed out at the news media Tuesday morning in a tweet denouncing the special counsel investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion among members of his campaign team. Do you notice the Fake News Mainstream Media never likes covering the great and record setting economic news, but rather talks about anything negative or that can be turned into the negative. The Russian Collusion Hoax is dead, except as it pertains to the Dems. Public gets it!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 It wasnt immediately clear exactly what prompted the presidents tweet, but it appeared as though he was watching Fox & Friends. A short time later, Trump tweeted a headline from a report that aired during that mornings episode: 90% of Trump 2017 news coverage was negative -and much of it contrived!@foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 The segment focused on the latest survey results from conservative watchdog Media Research Center, which purportedly analyzed the evening news broadcasts on ABC, CBS and NBC from Jan. 20 to Dec. 31 and found that 90% of the statements made about Trump were negative. Study: 90% of Trump media coverage in 2017 was negative pic.twitter.com/vbrwup4Drg  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) January 16, 2018 But believe it or not, through all this negative coverage, they did a survey of 600,000 people about how black America views this president, co-host Brian Kilmeade said. His numbers have actually doubled in approval. Trump highlighted the statement in another tweet: Unemployment for Black Americans is the lowest ever recorded. Trump approval ratings with Black Americans has doubled. Thank you, and it will get even (much) better! @FoxNews  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2018 But its not true. The claim appears to have originated from a misreading of data from the online polling firm SurveyMonkey, according to factcheck.org. The firm polled 600,000 Americans in 2017 and found that Trumps approval rating among blacks actually dropped from 23% early in his presidency to about 17%, as of the week ending Jan. 3. Some conservative outlets, including Breitbart, produced an average from those and other SurveyMonkey figures and compared them to the scores Trump received from black voters in the 2016 exit polls. That methodology is not sound. And since the statistics measure different things, the comparison is misleading. Facebook

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Trump goes after senator who surfaced his immigration remark By Associated Press President Trump turned his Twitter torment Monday on the Democrat in the room where immigration talks with lawmakers took a famously coarse turn, saying Sen. Richard J. Durbin misrepresented what he had said about African nations and Haiti and, in the process, undermined the trust needed to make a deal. Senator Dicky Durbin totally misrepresented what was said at the DACA meeting, Trump tweeted, using a nickname to needle the Illinois senator. Deals cant get made when there is no trust! Durbin blew DACA and is hurting our Military. Senator Dicky Durbin totally misrepresented what was said at the DACA meeting. Deals cant get made when there is no trust! Durbin blew DACA and is hurting our Military.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2018 Trump was referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects young people who came to the United States illegally as children. Members of Congress from both parties are trying to strike a deal that Trump would support to extend that protection. Trump also cast doubt on the likelihood of reaching an agreement in tweets sent earlier Monday: Statement by me last night in Florida: Honestly, I dont think the Democrats want to make a deal. They talk about DACA, but they dont want to help..We are ready, willing and able to make a deal but they dont want to. They dont want security at the border, they dont want.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2018 ...to stop drugs, they want to take money away from our military which we cannot do. My standard is very simple, AMERICA FIRST & MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2018 On a day of remembrance for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Trump spent time at his golf course with no public events, bypassing the acts of service that his predecessors staged in honor of the civil rights leader. Instead, Trump dedicated his weekly address to Kings memory, saying Kings dream and Americas are the same: A world where people are judged by who they are, not how they look or where they come from. That message was a distinct counterpoint to words attributed to Trump by Durbin and others at a meeting last week, when the question of where immigrants come from seemed at the forefront of Trumps concerns. Some participants and others familiar with the conversation said Trump challenged immigration from shithole countries of Africa and disparaged Haiti as well. Without explicitly denying using that word, Trump lashed out at the Democratic senator, who said Trump uttered it on several occasions. Read More Facebook

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Trump thanks pundit for laudatory Fox & Friends spot By Alex Wigglesworth President Trump thanked Fox News personality Stuart Varney after Varney praised Trump during an appearance on Fox & Friends. In a pair of tweets early Sunday, Trump quoted from Varneys commentary, in which he argued that Trump deserves more credit for the booming economy. The pundit, who also hosts a show on Fox Business Network, cited moves by some corporations to raise workers minimum wage or pay out one-time bonuses in response to the GOP tax cuts. President Trump is not getting the credit he deserves for the economy. Tax Cut bonuses to more than 2,000,000 workers. Most explosive Stock Market rally that weve seen in modern times. 18,000 to 26,000 from Election, and grounded in profitability and growth. All Trump, not 0...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2018 ...big unnecessary regulation cuts made it all possible (among many other things). President Trump reversed the policies of President Obama, and reversed our economic decline. Thank you Stuart Varney. @foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2018 Varney was reacting to a quote from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), who on Thursday called the bonuses handed down to workers pathetic in comparison to the gains corporations are expected to see from the tax cuts. In terms of the bonus that corporate America received versus the crumbs that they are giving to workers to kind of put the schmooze on is so pathetic, Pelosi told reporters. Its pathetic. Varney shot back Sunday that the bonuses, along with explosive stock market growth, are enriching all Americans. This is a huge shot in the arm, its the result of this tax cut deal and I think President Trump should get the credit for it, he said. .@Varneyco Sets the economic record straight after Nancy Pelosi calls U.S. mass bonuses crumbs pic.twitter.com/BvjIHGm3HE  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) January 14, 2018 The sweeping tax plan passed last month lowers the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and cuts personal income taxes. Analysts say the benefits will largely flow to corporations and the wealthy, as theyre more likely to be in positions to share in corporate profits. For instance, Wells Fargo & Co., which responded to news of the tax overhaul by announcing it will raise workers pay to at least $15 an hour, also reported that it expects to pay an effective tax rate of 19% this year, down from about 31% in previous years. That should amount to tax savings of more than $3 billion annually. On average, middle-class Americans are expected to see a very small tax cut in the near term and a tax increase after 2025, when all of the tax cuts for individuals expire. The tax cuts for corporations, however, are permanent.  This post contains reporting from Times staff writer James Rufus Koren. Facebook

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Trump touts MLK proclamation in tweet, but ceremony is overshadowed by reports of racist remarks By Associated Press President Trump signed a proclamation Friday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, noting the contributions of a great American hero. Today, it was my great honor to proclaim January 15, 2018, as Martin Luther King Jr., Federal Holiday. I encourage all Americans to observe this day with appropriate civic, community, and service activities in honor of Dr. King's life and legacy. pic.twitter.com/samlJsz1Nt  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018 Overshadowing the event was mounting backlash from Trumps comments during a private meeting with lawmakers the day before. A short time after the meeting, which was called to discuss a possible immigration deal, reports emerged that Trump had asked participants why the United States should accept immigrants from shithole countries in Africa, Central America and the Caribbean. Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin, the Senates second-ranking Democrat, appeared to confirm those reports on Friday. Trump did not respond Friday to several questions about the incident, including whether he actually used vulgar language to describe African nations, or if he is racist. The president said at the White House that love was central to the slain civil rights leader. Trump said the nation celebrates King for standing up for the self-evident truth Americans hold so dear, that no matter what the color of our skin or place of our birth, we are all created equal by God.  This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook

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Trump criticizes Democrats in tweet calling for stricter immigration rules President Trump hit out at Democrats on Thursday night in a tweet calling for stricter immigration rules. Trump wrote that members of the party seem intent on having people and drugs pour into our country from the border with Mexico: The Democrats seem intent on having people and drugs pour into our country from the Southern Border, risking thousands of lives in the process. It is my duty to protect the lives and safety of all Americans. We must build a Great Wall, think Merit and end Lottery & Chain. USA!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018 It wasnt immediately clear exactly what prompted the tweet. Earlier Thursday, Trump rejected a bipartisan compromise to resolve the standoff over so-called Dreamers, young immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children but have temporary permits to work, attend school or serve in the military. The president drew widespread condemnation after reports emerged that he had asked participants in an Oval Office meeting about the proposal why the United States should accept immigrants from shithole countries in Africa, Central America and the Caribbean. Read More Facebook

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Trump touts bill aimed at improving border screening for fentanyl By Associated Press President Trump signed legislation Wednesday aimed at giving Customs and Border Protection agents additional screening devices and other tools to stop the flow of illicit drugs. Speaking at a surprise bill-signing ceremony while flanked by members of Congress from both parties in the Oval Office, Trump described the bill as a significant step forward in the fight against powerful opioids such as fentanyl, which he called our new big scourge. He echoed that language Thursday in a tweet: Yesterday, I signed the #INTERDICTAct (H.R. 2142) with bipartisan members of Congress to help end the flow of drugs into our country. Together, we are committed to doing everything we can to combat the deadly scourge of drug addiction and overdose in the United States! pic.twitter.com/ELZvFol5Lo  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2018 The legislation will pay for new portable and fixed chemical screening devices to detect and intercept fentanyl at ports of entry and in the mail, along with other laboratory equipment and personnel, including scientists. Trump has made fighting the opioid epidemic a centerpiece of his administration, though critics say he hasnt dedicated nearly enough money or resources to make a difference. Trump suggested during his remarks on Wednesday that hed like to take a more aggressive approach to the drug crisis  but the countrys not ready for what he has in mind. So were going to sign this. And its a step. And it feels like a very giant step, but unfortunately, its not going to be a giant step, because no matter what you do, this is something that keeps pouring in, he said. And were going to find the answer. There is an answer. I think I actually know the answer, but Im not sure the countrys ready for it yet, he added. Does anybody know what I mean? I think so. Facebook

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Trump applauds news that Toyota-Mazda plant is slated for Alabama By Associated Press Japanese automakers Toyota and Mazda on Wednesday announced plans to build a mammoth, $1.6-billion joint-venture plant in Alabama that will eventually employ about 4,000 people. President Trump lauded the news in a tweet: Cutting taxes and simplifying regulations makes America the place to invest! Great news as Toyota and Mazda announce they are bringing 4,000 JOBS and investing $1.6 BILLION in Alabama, helping to further grow our economy! pic.twitter.com/Kcg8IVH6iA  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 Good news: Toyota and Mazda announce giant new Huntsville, Alabama, plant which will produce over 300,000 cars and SUVs a year and employ 4000 people. Companies are coming back to the U.S. in a very big way. Congratulations Alabama!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2018 Several states had competed for the project, which will be able to turn out 300,000 vehicles per year and produce the Toyota Corolla compact car for North America and a new small SUV from Mazda. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and company executives held a news conference to announce that the facility is coming to the Huntsville area not far from the Tennessee line. Production is expected to begin by 2021. The decision to pick Alabama is another example of foreign-based automakers building U.S. factories in the South. To entice manufacturers, Southern states have used a combination of lucrative incentive packages, low-cost labor and a pro-business labor environment, because the United Auto Workers union is stronger in Northern states. Read More Facebook

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Trump highlights call for border wall in tweets on visit with Norways prime minister By Associated Press President Trump praised Norways prime minister in a tweet on Wednesday after Erna Solberg became the first foreign leader to visit with the president in 2018. Today, it was my great honor to welcome Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway to the @WhiteHouse - a great friend and ally of the United States! Joint press conference: https://t.co/qWR1BhfQZI pic.twitter.com/PJvwznjRCO  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 Trump also shared via Twitter a video clip of a joint news conference he held with Solberg on Wednesday afternoon. In the clip, Trump responds to a question from a reporter by saying there can be no bipartisan immigration deal absent funding for his long-promised wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. Republican and Democratic lawmakers have been seeking a solution for hundreds of thousands of so-called Dreamers, young people who were brought to the United States as children and are living here illegally. The United States needs the security of the Wall on the Southern Border, which must be part of any DACA approval. The safety and security of our country is #1! pic.twitter.com/4CFzQXb5aS  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 We need the wall for security, we need the wall for safety, we need the wall for stopping the drugs from pouring in, Trump said Wednesday.  Any solution has to include the wall because without the wall, it all doesnt work. On Tuesday, Trump drew widespread attention when he said during a meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers that he would be agreeable to signing a stand-alone bill to protect the Dreamers, before moving on to a more comprehensive immigration bill. That contradicted the Republican consensus that Dreamers fate needed to be part of a broader immigration bill that would include some version of Trumps promised border wall and other immigration reforms. Trump backed away from a stand-alone Dreamer bill in subsequent tweets and public comments. Read More This post contains reporting from Los Angeles Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook

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Trump praises Cabinet in tweet touting meeting By Associated Press President Trump promoted a meeting of his Cabinet on Wednesday, sharing via Twitter a link to a video of the session posted on the White House YouTube account. In his tweet, Trump thanked his Cabinet for working tirelessly on behalf of our country and wrote that the last year has been one of monumental achievement. I want to thank my @Cabinet for working tirelessly on behalf of our country. 2017 was a year of monumental achievement and we look forward to the year ahead. Together, we are delivering results and MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! https://t.co/ptXa1hAPwW pic.twitter.com/yv6RALkQf3  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 The former reality television star continued to dispense accolades at the meeting Wednesday, greeting reporters in the Cabinet Room by saying: Welcome back to the studio. Then he proceeded to relive a Cabinet Room session from the prior day, when he had allowed reporters and TV cameras to stick around for much of his meeting with a bipartisan group of legislators on the thorny issue of immigration. It was a tremendous meeting. Actually, it was reported as incredibly good. And my performance  you know, some of them called it a performance  I consider it work, Trump said. Trump went on to say he had received letters from news anchors calling it one of the greatest meetings theyve ever witnessed. He added that the media will ultimately support Trump in the end, because theyre going to say, if Trump doesnt win in three years, theyre all out of business. Asked for examples of letters received from news anchors, the White House said it had received private communications. It also offered a series of positive on-air comments and tweets from journalists about the unusual access to the meeting. During his remarks, Trump swung from praising his own meeting coverage to telling journalists that they were dependent on his presidency for ratings to threatening a strong look at libel laws. Still, Trump thanked the journalists in front of him, joking: Youve gotten very familiar with this room. I appreciate your nice comments yesterday. Facebook

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Trump blasts DACA ruling in tweet calling courts broken and unfair By Lisa Mascaro President Trump denounced the federal courts Wednesday as broken and unfair after a district judge in San Francisco issued a nationwide injunction keeping protections in place for so-called Dreamers. Trump tweeted: It just shows everyone how broken and unfair our Court System is when the opposing side in a case (such as DACA) always runs to the 9th Circuit and almost always wins before being reversed by higher courts.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 On Tuesday night, U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco temporarily blocked the Trump administrations decision to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, which has protected from deportation some 700,000 people who came to the country illegally as children. Alsup granted a request by the state of California, the University of California and other plaintiffs to stop Trump from ending DACA on March 5. The administrations decision to end DACA, which was announced in September, was based on a flawed legal analysis, Alsup wrote in his decision. Dreamers would be irreparably harmed if their DACA protections, which allow them to live and work legally in the U.S., were stripped away before the courts had a chance to fully consider their claims, he ruled. The action is the mirror image of a ruling in 2015 by a federal judge in Texas who ruled in favor of that state when it sought to block President Obama from expanding DACA to include the parents of Dreamers. Trump administration officials praised that judicial ruling. By contrast, they sharply criticized Alsups decision. Read More Facebook

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Trump thanks lawmakers for productive immigration meeting, says deal must include border wall President Trump thanked a bipartisan group of lawmakers for participating in a meeting on immigration legislation on Tuesday. Much of the discussion involved so-called Dreamers, an estimated 700,000 young people who were brought to the country illegally as children and are now facing deportation. In a tweet, Trump wrote that there was strong agreement to negotiate a bill to protect Dreamers, as well as put into place some of the reforms favored by Republicans. Thanks to all of the Republican and Democratic lawmakers for todays very productive meeting on immigration reform. There was strong agreement to negotiate a bill that deals with border security, chain migration, lottery and DACA. https://t.co/SdqAQ3aL3z pic.twitter.com/8DYHZHspAy  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 The most notable exchange of the meeting came when Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the San Francisco Democrat, asked Trump whether he would be agreeable to signing a stand-alone bill to protect the Dreamers, before moving on to a more comprehensive immigration bill. Yeah, I would like to do it, Trump responded. The statement drew widespread attention because it contradicted the Republican consensus that Dreamers fate needed to be part of a broader immigration bill that would include some version of Trumps promised border wall and other immigration reforms. Trump later backed away from a stand-alone Dreamer bill, tweeting that a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico must be part of any deal: As I made very clear today, our country needs the security of the Wall on the Southern Border, which must be part of any DACA approval.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 Pressure has been mounting for Congress to broker an immigration deal by Jan. 19 as part of a must-pass budget package to fund the government. This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Noah Bierman. Facebook

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Trump thanks officers and veterans in tweets President Trump doled out a slew of accolades Tuesday via Twitter. He thanked the nations law enforcement officers, including in his message a hashtag denoting a day of appreciation organized by a national support group for law enforcement families. On behalf of the American people, THANK YOU to our incredible law enforcement officers. As President of the United States - I will fight for you, and I will never, ever let you down. Now, more than ever, we must support the men and women in blue! #LawEnforcementAppreciationDay pic.twitter.com/Qb4uxB4JRm  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 Trump later expressed gratitude for federal immigration agents, in particular: .@ICEgov HSI agents and ERO officers, on behalf of an entire Nation, THANK YOU for what you are doing 24/7/365 to keep fellow Americans SAFE. Everyone is so grateful!#LawEnforcementAppreciationDay

President @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/HXCpTlruVo  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 The president thanked veterans as he cited his administrations efforts to curb the number of veteran suicides by improving mental health treatment for the high-risk group: Today, it was my great honor to sign a new Executive Order to ensure Veterans have the resources they need as they transition back to civilian life. We must ensure that our HEROES are given the care and support they so richly deserve! https://t.co/0MdP9DDIAS pic.twitter.com/LP2a8KCBAp  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 Trumps tweet included photos of the president signing an executive order Tuesday directing the secretaries of Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs to develop a plan to provide seamless access to mental health and suicide prevention resources for 12 months for members leaving the armed forces. Also on Tuesday, Trump touted a law he signed the day before designating the birthplace of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. a national historic park: It was my great honor to sign H.R. 267, the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park Act, which redesignates the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site in the State of Georgia as the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park. https://t.co/Qe0b6HBFTY pic.twitter.com/QTgaqTawPT  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2018 And he thanked House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) for sharing a video compilation comprised of clips of politicians and commentators praising the GOPs tax cut bill: Thank you @GOPLeader Kevin McCarthy! Couldnt agree w/you more. TOGETHER, we are #MAGA https://t.co/QaxtqpyXTR  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018  This post contains reporting from the Associated Press and Times staff writer Alex Wigglesworth. Facebook

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Trump hails tax bill in tweets recapping speech to farmers By Associated Press Connecting with rural Americans, President Trump on Monday hailed his tax overhaul as a victory for family farmers. Farm country is Gods country, Trump told the annual convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation. Trump became the first president in a quarter-century to address the federations convention. His Southern swing also included a stop in Atlanta for the national college football championship game. Cant wait to be back in the amazing state of Tennessee to address the 99th American @FarmBureau Federations Annual Convention in Nashville! #AFBF18



On my way now - join me LIVE at 4:00pmE: https://t.co/QaljAqekdD. pic.twitter.com/Wm7Io0hYT8  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 Joined by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and a group of Tennessee lawmakers, Trump said most of the benefits of the tax legislation are going to working families, small businesses, and who  the family farmer. The package Trump signed into law last month provides generous tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans, and more modest reductions for middle- and low-income individuals and families. In every decision we make, we are honoring Americas PROUD FARMING LEGACY. Years of crushing taxes, crippling regs, & corrupt politics left our communities hurting, our economy stagnant, & millions of hardworking Americans COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN. But they are not forgotten ANYMORE! pic.twitter.com/MdYS7xnukQ  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 The president vastly inflated the value of the package in his speech, citing a total of $5.5 trillion in tax cuts, with most of those benefits going to working families, small businesses and who? The family farmer. The estimated value of the tax cuts is actually $1.5 trillion for families and businesses because of cuts in deductions and the use of other steps to generate offsetting tax revenue. We have been working every day to DELIVER for Americas Farmers just as they work every day to deliver FOR US. #AFBF18 pic.twitter.com/QDH7fvFkZ7  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 From Nashville, Trump traveled to Atlanta to watch Alabamas Crimson Tide and Georgias Bulldogs face off Monday night in the College Football Playoff National Championship. We are fighting for our farmers, for our country, and for our GREAT AMERICAN FLAG. We want our flag respected - and we want our NATIONAL ANTHEM respected also! pic.twitter.com/16eOLXg6Fi  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 Before departing for the game, Trump referenced his ongoing defense of the American flag and the national anthem, saying there was enough space for people to express their views. We love our flag and we love our anthem, and we want to keep it that way, he said. Facebook

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Trump tweet hails drop in unemployment rate for African Americans By Associated Press President Trump touted a drop in the unemployment rate for African Americans on Monday in a tweet. African American unemployment is the lowest ever recorded in our country. The Hispanic unemployment rate dropped a full point in the last year and is close to the lowest in recorded history. Dems did nothing for you but get your vote! #NeverForget @foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 The rate fell to 6.8% in December, the lowest level since the government began tracking such data in 1972. The reasons range from a greater number of black Americans with college degrees to a growing need for employers in a tight job market to widen the pool of people they hire from. Trump also hailed the development via Twitter on Saturday. His latest tweet on the topic came about an hour after it was discussed during an episode of Fox & Friends, according to Mediaite. Facebook

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Trump talks up the economy and dresses down the media in Sunday tweets With President Trump cheering from the sidelines, the White House on Sunday pressed its defense of the presidents fitness to govern, as fired former aide Stephen K. Bannon reversed course and apologized for his role in a new books explosive portrait of Trump. The presidents critics, meanwhile, said Trumps stream of taunts and insults in response to the book  Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, released last week  served only to underscore the authors unsettling portrayal of Trumps year-old presidency, depicting a leader whose own aides consider him childish, ignorant and dangerously erratic. Trump provided more ammunition Sunday morning, as he continued to attack the book via Twitter while preparing to depart Camp David for the White House: Leaving Camp David for the White House. Great meetings with the Cabinet and Military on many very important subjects including Border Security & the desperately needed Wall, the ever increasing Drug and Opioid Problem, Infrastructure, Military, Budget, Trade and DACA.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 Ive had to put up with the Fake News from the first day I announced that I would be running for President. Now I have to put up with a Fake Book, written by a totally discredited author. Ronald Reagan had the same problem and handled it well. So will I!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 The most vehement defense of Trump on Sunday came from senior advisor Stephen Miller, a onetime Bannon acolyte who distanced himself from his former mentor. In a combative appearance Sunday on CNNs State of the Union, Miller called the book grotesque and writer Michael Wolff the garbage author of a garbage book. Trump is known to closely monitor aides televised performances in putting forth his case, and he gleefully weighed in within moments of Millers televised clash with host Jake Tapper. CNN has long been a particular target of Trumps ire. Jake Tapper of Fake News CNN just got destroyed in his interview with Stephen Miller of the Trump Administration. Watch the hatred and unfairness of this CNN flunky!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 Trumps reaction, however, seemed to bolster Tappers on-air depiction of Miller as using his appearance on the show to play to the president rather than addressing questions put to him. I get it  theres one viewer that you care about, the host said exasperatedly after Miller turned the discussion repeatedly to negative news coverage of the president while deflecting specific queries. Later on Twitter, Trump took up two themes that have been prevalent on his social media feeds recently. The president again went after the news media, tweeting that the recipients of his self-proclaimed most dishonest & corrupt media awards of the year, which he promised earlier in the week to announce on Monday, would actually be revealed the following Wednesday: The Fake News Awards, those going to the most corrupt & biased of the Mainstream Media, will be presented to the losers on Wednesday, January 17th, rather than this coming Monday. The interest in, and importance of, these awards is far greater than anyone could have anticipated!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 Trump later lauded a New York Post opinion piece that compared him favorably with his predecessor, President Obama, as well as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. In quoting the op-ed, Trump initally misspelled consequential as consensual, but he deleted those tweets and re-sent the messages. His is turning out to be an enormously consequential presidency. So much so that, despite my own frustration over his missteps, there has never been a day when I wished Hillary Clinton were president. Not one. Indeed, as Trumps accomplishments accumulate, the mere thought of...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 ...Clinton in the WH, doubling down on Barack Obamas failed policies, washes away any doubts that America made the right choice. This was truly a change election  and the changes Trump is bringing are far-reaching & necessary. Thank you Michael Goodwin! https://t.co/4fHNcx2Ydg  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018 Trump also continued talking up the economy, which has been enjoying a period of strong gains. The Stock Market has been creating tremendous benefits for our country in the form of not only Record Setting Stock Prices, but present and future Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. Seven TRILLION dollars of value created since our big election win!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2018 In addition to Miller, other senior administration officials made the rounds of Sunday news talk shows to decry the claims made in Wolffs book. CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Wolffs characterization of Trump as averse to digesting classified briefing material was ludicrous, and the ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, insisted that that those around Trump love their country and respect their president. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Laura King. Facebook

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Responding to book that mocks his intelligence, Trump tweets hes like, really smart By Tracy Wilkinson President Trump declared himself a very stable genius on Twitter on Saturday and later in a televised news conference called the author of a book that questioned his mental fitness a fraud. His comments came on a bone-cold day at Camp David during a weekend retreat with top administration officials and Republican congressional leaders strategizing on the years legislative agenda, including matters such as infrastructure, immigration, welfare reform and national security. Now that Russian collusion, after one year of intense study, has proven to be a total hoax on the American public, the Democrats and their lapdogs, the Fake News Mainstream Media, are taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook and screaming mental stability and intelligence.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 ....Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart. Crooked Hillary Clinton also played these cards very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 ....to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius....and a very stable genius at that!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 Still, Trumps explosive rebuttal to author Michael Wolffs claims not only opened the day, but it also ensured the presidents capability to fill the highest office in the land was a topic that would not go away. In his early-morning tweets, Trump said two of his greatest assets have been mental stability, and being, like, really smart. He noted that his former Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, played these cards [about competence] very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star to President of the United States (on my first try). Read More Facebook

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In morning tweets, Trump touts job numbers and takes digs at news media By Associated Press President Trump used Twitter on Saturday morning to tout a drop in the unemployment rate for African Americans. He also used the tweets as an opportunity to take digs at media outlets whose past coverage he has found to be critical. The African American unemployment rate fell to 6.8%, the lowest rate in 45 years. I am so happy about this News! And, in the Washington Post (of all places), headline states, Trumps first year jobs numbers were very, very good.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 The unemployment rate for African Americans fell to 6.8% in December, the lowest level since the government began tracking such data in 1972. The reasons range from a greater number of black Americans with college degrees to a growing need for employers in a tight job market to widen the pool of people they hire from. Still, the rate for black workers remains well above those for whites and some other groups, something experts attribute in large part to decades of discrimination and disadvantages. Robust job creation has lowered unemployment for all Americans. U.S. employers added nearly 2.1 million jobs in 2017  the seventh straight year that hiring has topped 2 million. In his tweet, Trump praised a report that noted the numbers, touting the fact that it appeared in the Washington Post (of all places). Minutes later, Trump renewed his attack on an ABC News reporter who was suspended last month after filing an erroneous report on Michael Flynn, Trumps former national security advisor. Brian Ross, the reporter who made a fraudulent live newscast about me that drove the Stock Market down 350 points (billions of dollars), was suspended for a month but is now back at ABC NEWS in a lower capacity. He is no longer allowed to report on Trump. Should have been fired!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 The reporter, Brian Ross, was reportedly reassigned within ABC News upon returning from his unpaid suspension. But on Saturday, Trump wrote that he should have been fired. Trumps tweets came hours before he was set to host congressional Republicans and administration officials at Camp David. The meeting scheduled to begin at midmorning Saturday was expected to touch on the budget, infrastructure, immigration, welfare reform and the shape of the midterm election this fall. Facebook

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Trump commends Sen. Rand Paul after he proposes eliminating all U.S. aid to Pakistan President Trump commended Sen. Rand Paul after the Kentucky Republican announced plans to introduce legislation that would eliminate all U.S. aid to Pakistan. Trump tweeted Friday night: Good idea Rand! https://t.co/55sqUDiC0s  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 On Thursday, the Trump administration announced it was suspending security assistance to Islamabad until the country moves aggressively against local militants who have attacked U.S. troops in neighboring Afghanistan. Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration at the apparent inability of Pakistani authorities to rein in militants who cross out of the countrys rugged tribal areas to attack U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson. Facebook

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Trump continues to lash out at Sloppy Steve Bannon in tweets on tell-all book By Associated Press President Trump is praising a major Republican donor family for distancing themselves from his former advisor Steve Bannon. Trump tweeted Friday: The Mercer Family recently dumped the leaker known as Sloppy Steve Bannon. Smart!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 Trump has continued to lash out at Bannon over an explosive new book that quoted his former aide as questioning Trumps competence and describing a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower among Donald Trump Jr., Trump campaign aides and a Russian lawyer as treasonous and unpatriotic. On Thursday, billionaire GOP donor Rebekah Mercer issued a statement distancing her family from Bannon. Mercer is a co-owner of Breitbart, the populist website Bannon helps run. I support President Trump and the platform upon which he was elected, Mercer said. My family and I have not communicated with Steve Bannon in many months and have provided no financial support to his political agenda, nor do we support his recent actions and statements. The book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, quickly shot atop Amazons best-seller list, and the publisher moved up its release date by four days, to Friday. Trump took up the topic again on Twitter on Friday night, denouncing both Bannon and the books author, Michael Wolff, in starkly personal terms: Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book. He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad! https://t.co/mEeUhk5ZV9  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018 Trumps message linked to a meme depicting a parody book cover titled, Liar and Phony, that featured a photo of Wolff and disparaging quotes about the author. In a tweet sent earlier Friday morning, Trump suggested the book was intended to serve as a distraction from the FBIs investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, which Trump wrote is proving to be a total hoax. Well, now that collusion with Russia is proving to be a total hoax and the only collusion is with Hillary Clinton and the FBI/Russia, the Fake News Media (Mainstream) and this phony new book are hitting out at every new front imaginable. They should try winning an election. Sad!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 That came amid reports that Trump directed his White House counsel to tell Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions to not recuse himself from the Justice Departments Russia investigation. Trumps effort to keep Sessions, a vocal and loyal supporter of his election bid, in charge of an investigation into his campaign offers special counsel Robert Mueller yet another avenue to explore as his prosecutors work to untangle potential evidence of obstruction. Read More Facebook

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Trump praises the economy ahead of meetings at Camp David By Associated Press President Trump is praising the strength of the U.S. economy ahead of meetings at Camp David with congressional Republicans. Trump tweeted early Friday: Dow goes from 18,589 on November 9, 2016, to 25,075 today, for a new all-time Record. Jumped 1000 points in last 5 weeks, Record fastest 1000 point move in history. This is all about the Make America Great Again agenda! Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. Six trillion dollars in value created!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 The president also told reporters on the South Lawn that the tax cuts are really kicking in after Congress passed a package of tax cuts at the end of 2017. And the president praised the December jobs report, which found U.S. employers added 148,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate stayed at 4.1%, the lowest level since 2000. The modest but steady pace of hiring is a reassuring sign for investors who have been buoyed by the just-passed Republican tax plan and have been sending stock market indexes roaring to uncharted heights. The president is meeting with Republican congressional leaders and members of his Cabinet on Friday and Saturday to discuss the 2018 agenda. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweets as Dow crashes through 25,000 By Associated Press President Trump dispatched a congratulatory tweet as the Dow Jones industrial average rose above the 25,000-point mark Thursday, just five weeks after its first close above 24,000. Dow just crashes through 25,000. Congrats! Big cuts in unnecessary regulations continuing.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 After the Dow closed above 25,000, Trump shared a graphic depicting the stock indexs record-setting rise. MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/iONbr1DkVk  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 Later in the day, the president was back on Twitter, complaining that news outlets had barely covered the stock market milestone. He suggested that the strength of the economy would be the biggest story on earth, had it unfolded during the presidency of his predecessor. The Fake News Media barely mentions the fact that the Stock Market just hit another New Record and that business in the U.S. is booming...but the people know! Can you imagine if O was president and had these numbers - would be biggest story on earth! Dow now over 25,000.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 The Dow broke past 1,000-point barriers in 2017 on its way to a 25% gain for the year, as an eight-year rally since the Great Recession continued to confound skeptics. Strong global economic growth and good prospects for higher company earnings have analysts predicting more gains, although the market may not stay as calm as it has been recently. The Dow has made a rapid trip since it reached 24,000 points Nov. 30, partly on enthusiasm over passage of the Republican-backed tax package, which could boost company profits this year with across-the-board cuts to corporate taxes. Read More Facebook

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Trump reacts to Fire and Fury book in tweet lashing out at author and Sloppy Steve President Trump lashed out at the author of a soon-to-be-released book about the chaotic first year of his presidency Thursday night. In a tweet, Trump called Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, a phony book and claimed that hed never spoken to its author, Michael Wolff. Look at this guys past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve! Trump wrote. He appeared to be referring to former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, whose stunning criticisms of Trump and his circle figure prominently in the title. I authorized Zero access to White House (actually turned him down many times) for author of phony book! I never spoke to him for book. Full of lies, misrepresentations and sources that dont exist. Look at this guys past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018 Trumps tweet came hours after he had his lawyer demand that Henry Holt & Co. and Wolff stop publication the book. Instead, the publisher expedited the books release to Friday, four days before it was slated to hit bookstore shelves, in response to unprecedented demand. Published excerpts on Wednesday and Thursday whetted that appetite and roiled Washington. Bannons comments, including that it was treasonous and unpatriotic for Trumps son Donald Trump Jr., son-in-law Jared Kushner and campaign manager Paul Manafort to have met in 2016 with Russians said to have dirt on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, prompted Trump on Wednesday to rebuke his former advisor, saying Bannon had lost his mind. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writers Brian Bennett and Alex Wigglesworth. Facebook

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Trump thanks senators who attended meeting on immigration President Trump tweeted thanks to Republican senators who attended a meeting about possible immigration legislation on Thursday. In his message, Trump also listed his top priorities when it comes to any type of overhaul of the nations immigration system. Thank you to the great Republican Senators who showed up to our mtg on immigration reform. We must BUILD THE WALL, stop illegal immigration, end chain migration & cancel the visa lottery. The current system is unsafe & unfair to the great people of our country - time for change!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Trumps tweet echoed his remarks at the beginning of Thursdays meeting, when he insisted again that constructing a border wall and overhauling two legal immigration programs must be part of any deal with Democrats to protect the so-called Dreamers from deportation. Two-year deportation protections and work permits given under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program begin to expire March 6 under an executive order. Trump announced in September that he was ending the Obama-era program, but told Congress to draft a law to continue protections for people brought to the country illegally as children  a group that has widespread public support. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writer Brian Bennett. Facebook

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Trump resumes Twitter war against kneeling NFL players President Trump has resumed his Twitter war against NFL players who kneel during the national anthem to protest social injustice and racial inequality. In a tweet early Thursday, Trump replied to a supporter who shared a meme that appears to depict family members lying on the grave of a fallen soldier with the caption: This is why we stand. Show this picture to the NFL players who still kneel! Trump wrote. So beautiful....Show this picture to the NFL players who still kneel! https://t.co/tJLM1tvbvb  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 The president has denounced players who kneel during the anthem in previous tweets. Hes also called for the firing of players who do so. His latest message came amid news that the NFL finished the regular season with TV ratings that fell nearly 10% below the previous season. Analysts attribute the drop to controversies facing the league, as well as changing viewing habits and a possible saturation point in the number of games available. Read More This post contains reporting from Times staff writers Stephen Battaglio and Alex Wigglesworth. Facebook

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Trump credits himself with facilitating talks between North and South Korea By Associated Press President Trump says his tough stance on nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula is helping push North Korea and South Korea to talk. Trump tweeted early Thursday: With all of the failed experts weighing in, does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between North and South Korea right now if I wasnt firm, strong and willing to commit our total might against the North. Fools, but talks are a good thing!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 That assertion is in conflict with some of the presidents own statements. Last year, he ridiculed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for talking about negotiations with the North. This week, Trump seemed open to the possibility of an inter-Korean dialogue after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a rare overture toward South Korea in a New Years Day address. But Trumps ambassador to the United Nations insisted that talks wont be meaningful unless the North is getting rid of its nuclear weapons. The overture about talks came after Trump and Kim traded more bellicose claims about their nuclear weapons. In his New Years Day address, Kim repeated fiery nuclear threats against the United States. Kim said he has a nuclear button on his office desk and warned that the whole territory of the U.S. is within the range of our nuclear strike. Trump mocked that assertion Tuesday evening in a tweet. Facebook

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After disbanding his vote fraud panel, Trump still says voting system is rigged By Brian Bennett One day after disbanding his troubled voter fraud commission without any findings of fraud, President Trump continued to call the U.S. voting system rigged and said states should require that Americans have voter-identification cards. In two tweets on Thursday morning, Trump blamed the commissions failure on the lack of cooperation from mostly Democrat States that refused to hand over voter rolls because they know that many people are voting illegally. However, voting supervisors in Republican-led states refused as well, objecting on privacy and other grounds. Many mostly Democrat States refused to hand over data from the 2016 Election to the Commission On Voter Fraud. They fought hard that the Commission not see their records or methods because they know that many people are voting illegally. System is rigged, must go to Voter I.D.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 As Americans, you need identification, sometimes in a very strong and accurate form, for almost everything you do.....except when it comes to the most important thing, VOTING for the people that run your country. Push hard for Voter Identification!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Despite Trumps assertions, analysts have not found evidence of widespread voter fraud. Trump created the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity in May after alleging, without proof, that millions of illegal votes were cast for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. Trump was elected after winning a majority in the electoral college, but the nationwide count showed Clinton received nearly 3 million more votes. The commission sought personal data on voters across the country and faced mounting lawsuits in recent months over privacy concerns. Read More Facebook

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Trump touts another good day for stocks, credits tax cut By Associated Press President Trump touted another good day for the stock market Wednesday in a tweet. Stock Market had another good day but, now that the Tax Cut Bill has passed, we have tremendous upward potential. Dow just short of 25,000, a number that few thought would be possible this soon into my administration. Also, unemployment went down to 4.1%. Only getting better!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Big gains for technology and healthcare stocks helped U.S. indexes set records again Wednesday. Some analysts attributed the surge to investor enthusiasm for Trumps $1.5-trillion tax cut. All told, Wall Street analysts estimate the tax package should boost earnings for companies in the Standard & Poors 500 index by roughly 8% this year. Thats much more generous than the average tax cut of 1.6% that middle-class families will receive, according to the Tax Policy Center. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 The public has been less enthusiastic about the tax law. A Monmouth University poll last month found that nearly half of Americans disapproved of it, with only 26% in support. Still, as Trump also noted on Twitter, some workers have seen a benefit: So far, dozens of companies have announced bonuses and higher minimum wages as a result of the tax cut. AT&T, Comcast, Bank of America, and American Airlines have all pledged to pay $1,000 bonuses to their employees. Some 40 U.S. companies have responded to President Trumps tax cut and reform victory in Congress last year by handing out bonuses up to $2,000, increases in 401k matches and spending on charity, a much higher number than previously known. https://t.co/bmWrwWzxMR  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 Investors also appear less concerned than many politicians about how the additional profits will be used. The Trump administration says it expects companies will plow much of the extra profit back into their businesses, purchasing more software, machinery, and other equipment. Those investments will make workers more productive and provide a key boost to the economys long-run growth. They should also boost wages and salaries for employees. Opponents of the tax law respond that companies are more likely to pass the windfall on to shareholders in the form of higher dividend payments and share buybacks, which raise the price of those shares still in investors hands. Previous cuts in corporate tax rates, in the United States and overseas, havent always led to higher wages. For Wall Street, its all good, at least in the short run. Most analysts take the view that either way, companies and the economy will benefit. Facebook

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Trump reacts to death of Mormon Church president By Associated Press President Trump mourned the death of Mormon Church leader Thomas S. Monson on Wednesday evening. Trump tweeted a link to a statement in which he said that Monson demonstrated wisdom, inspired leadership, and great compassion and delivered a message of optimism, forgiveness, and faith. Melania and I are deeply saddened by the death of Thomas S. Monson, a beloved President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...https://t.co/ETD3fWtfU3  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 A church bishop at the age of 22, Monson became the youngest church apostle ever in 1963 at the age of 36. He served as a counselor for three church presidents before assuming the role of the top leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in February 2008. After a life of church service, Monson died Tuesday at his home in Salt Lake City, according to church spokesman Eric Hawkins. He was 90. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweets that Iranian protesters will see great U.S. support at the appropriate time By Associated Press President Trump continued to express support for Irans anti-government protesters on Wednesday. In a tweet, Trump commended the protesters and pledged that the United States will support them at the appropriate time. Such respect for the people of Iran as they try to take back their corrupt government. You will see great support from the United States at the appropriate time!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 Trumps tweet Wednesday morning came as Iranian Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo sent a letter to United Nations officials complaining that Washington was intervening in a grotesque way in Irans internal affairs. The President and Vice-President of the United States, in their numerous absurd tweets, incited Iranians to engage in disruptive acts, the ambassador wrote to the U.N. Security Council president and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The U.S. didnt immediately respond to the letter, which maintains that Washington has crossed every limit in flouting rules and principles of international law governing the civilized conduct of international relations. At least 21 people have been killed and hundreds arrested in Iran during a week of anti-government protests and unrest over economic woes and official corruption. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people took part in counter-demonstrations Wednesday backing the clerically overseen government, which has said enemies of Iran are fomenting the protests. Trump has unleashed a series of tweets in recent days backing the protesters, saying Iran is failing at every level and declaring that it is time for change in the Islamic Republic. Facebook

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Trump congratulates Sen. Orrin Hatch upon news of his retirement By Associated Press President Trump congratulated Sen. Orrin Hatch for an absolutely incredible career upon news of Hatchs impending retirement. In a tweet Tuesday afternoon, Trump called Hatch a tremendous supporter and wrote that he will be greatly missed in the Senate. Congratulations to Senator Orrin Hatch on an absolutely incredible career. He has been a tremendous supporter, and I will never forget the (beyond kind) statements he has made about me as President. He is my friend and he will be greatly missed in the U.S. Senate! pic.twitter.com/0VjzLEeHTl  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Hatchs decision to retire from the Senate after four decades lets the Utah Republican walk away at the height of his power after helping to push through an overhaul of the tax code and persuading Trump to downsize two national monuments. Retirement also preserves the 83-year-olds legacy by allowing him to avoid a bruising reelection battle that would have broken his promise not to seek an eighth term. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweet exaggerates progress in improving veterans care By Associated Press President Trump played up tremendous progress in improving care for veterans in his first year on Tuesday in a tweet. His message linked to an Instagram video describing eight accomplishments that show Trump is fighting for our veterans. But it overstates the impact of these steps. We will not rest until all of Americas GREAT VETERANS can receive the care they so richly deserve. Tremendous progress has been made in a short period of time. Keep up the great work @SecShulkin @DeptVetAffairs! https://t.co/ir25vW15hx pic.twitter.com/OtuzIgxMn6  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Of the eight achievements cited, two are ceremonial proclamations recognizing National Veterans and Military Families Month and National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Two are pieces of legislation that extended the troubled Veterans Choice program on a temporary basis. This became necessary because the Trump administration repeatedly miscalculated the amount of taxpayer dollars available to pay for care from private doctors outside the Veterans Affairs system when veterans had to endure long waits for treatment at VA medical centers. The departments poor budget planning caught lawmakers off guard. A fifth claim involves telehealth, a step letting doctors practice medicine across state lines using digital technology. Announced in August, it has yet to take full effect because a proposed VA regulation hasnt been completed. The VA wants authority to practice across state lines to come from legislation, not a regulation. On Wednesday, the Senate approved a telehealth measure that now goes to the House. A sixth claim refers to legislation that streamlines the appeals process for disability compensation claims within the VA. This step has had limited effect so far because it applies to new disability claims, not the 470,000 pending claims. The last two initiatives make it easier for the VA to discipline employees. The department has pointed to more than 1,300 employees who have been fired under Trumps watch. Because their infractions are not detailed in public documents, the effect on veterans care is not fully known. Facebook

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Trump unleashes his first tweetstorm of 2018 By Noah Bierman President Trump clearly didnt resolve to change his Twitter habits this year. With nine disparate tweets over three hours on Tuesday morning, the first working day of 2018, Trump continued to exploit social media to be the most aggressive commentator in chief in American history. For any other president, his posts would have made for a monumental day of (mis-)statements. Yet for Trump, the series  attacks on political foes and media, provocations of foreign leaders and self-praise for events he had nothing to do with  was all but unremarkable. His Twitter barrage  sent between 7:09 a.m. and 10:16 a.m.  reflected a familiar gamut after nearly a year in office: Attacks on political foes: Nearly 14 months after his election, Trump called for the jailing of Huma Abedin, Crooked Hillary Clintons top aid (his misspelling, another occasional feature of Trump tweets). Crooked Hillary Clintons top aid, Huma Abedin, has been accused of disregarding basic security protocols. She put Classified Passwords into the hands of foreign agents. Remember sailors pictures on submarine? Jail! Deep State Justice Dept must finally act? Also on Comey & others  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 In the same tweet, he disparaged the Deep State Justice Dept, headed of course by his appointees, calling on it to act against James B. Comey, the FBI director he fired for investigating the Russia thing. Diplomatic provocations: Trump again called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Rocket man, ridiculed the volatile nuclear-armed foe for recent military defections and openly speculated about potential talks between North and South Korea. Sanctions and other pressures are beginning to have a big impact on North Korea. Soldiers are dangerously fleeing to South Korea. Rocket man now wants to talk to South Korea for first time. Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not - we will see!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not  we will see! Trump wrote. Later Tuesday, Trump tweeted: North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times. Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 Also later Tuesday, Trump tweeted an attack on Pakistan, his second in as many days, and added a new one against Palestinians: It's not only Pakistan that we pay billions of dollars to for nothing, but also many other countries, and others. As an example, we pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They dont even want to negotiate a long overdue...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 ...peace treaty with Israel. We have taken Jerusalem, the toughest part of the negotiation, off the table, but Israel, for that, would have had to pay more. But with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Undermining media: Trump offered Congratulations! to A.G. Sulzberger, who took over as publisher of the New York Times this week. The Failing New York Times has a new publisher, A.G. Sulzberger. Congratulations! Here is a last chance for the Times to fulfill the vision of its Founder, Adolph Ochs, to give the news impartially, without fear or FAVOR, regardless of party, sect, or interests involved. Get...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 ....impartial journalists of a much higher standard, lose all of your phony and non-existent sources, and treat the President of the United States FAIRLY, so that the next time I (and the people) win, you wont have to write an apology to your readers for a job poorly done! GL  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 But the two-part post was really yet another slam against a perceived media foe: Trump said the paper had a last chance to fulfill its journalistic mission, and accused it of relying on phony sources and substandard reporters  just days after he granted another exclusive interview to the paper. As a bonus, the tweet contained a recycled falsehood, that the paper apologized after the election for reporting on him unfairly. It didnt. Trump later said on Twitter that he would soon announce the most dishonest & corrupt media awards of the year. Stay tuned! I will be announcing THE MOST DISHONEST & CORRUPT MEDIA AWARDS OF THE YEAR on Monday at 5:00 oclock. Subjects will cover Dishonesty & Bad Reporting in various categories from the Fake News Media. Stay tuned!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 The president also tweeted a quote from Fox Business Networks Lou Dobbs Tonight, which aired a segment praising Trumps first-year accomplishments. Dobbs reportedly joined Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday for a gala to celebrate New Years Eve. President Trump has something now he didnt have a year ago, that is a set of accomplishments that nobody can deny. The accomplishments are there, look at his record, he has had a very significant first year. @LouDobbs Show,David Asman & Ed Rollins  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 Taking credit: Trump congratulated himself for policing the border with Mexico, an area where his policies and anti-immigration rhetoric are believed to have had some effect on reducing illegal crossings. Thank you to Brandon Judd of the National Border Patrol Council for your kind words on how well we are doing at the Border. We will be bringing in more & more of your great folks and will build the desperately needed WALL! @foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 He took credit for employee bonuses by companies after he signed Republican tax cuts into law last month. Companies are giving big bonuses to their workers because of the Tax Cut Bill. Really great!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 But the jaw-dropper was Trump congratulating himself for planes not crashing. Since taking office I have been very strict on Commercial Aviation. Good news - it was just reported that there were Zero deaths in 2017, the best and safest year on record!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 It was the safest year on record worldwide, but the American streak without commercial jet passenger deaths goes back to 2009. Trump, who has promoted deregulation as one of his top accomplishments, has not signed off on any new airline safety regulations. The White House pointed to new security screening of passengers, to electronic devices to prevent terrorist attacks and to Trumps support for privatizing air traffic control  a proposal that has gotten nowhere in Congress. Falsehoods: Trump said President Obama, in brokering the 2015 nuclear arms limitation deal with Iran, foolishly gave money to the brutal and corrupt Iranian regime. He didnt. The people of Iran are finally acting against the brutal and corrupt Iranian regime. All of the money that President Obama so foolishly gave them went into terrorism and into their pockets. The people have little food, big inflation and no human rights. The U.S. is watching!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 The nuclear deal, which included major U.S. allies as signators, released Irans own funds that had long been frozen. Trumps art of the deal: When Trump sees a big deal looming, he often blasts the other side  to gain leverage, as hes written. This week he resumes a showdown with Democratic lawmakers over funding the government and immigration protections for so-called Dreamers, who were brought to the country illegally as children. Democrats are doing nothing for DACA - just interested in politics. DACA activists and Hispanics will go hard against Dems, will start falling in love with Republicans and their President! We are about RESULTS.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Trump, who in September ordered a gradual end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, sought to shift blame for the resulting controversy, saying Democrats are doing nothing for DACA and are just interested in politics. Trump has insisted that any help for Dreamers be paired with funding for a border wall and a crackdown on legal immigration. Democrats, and some Republicans, are opposed. Read More Facebook

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In tweet, Trump suggests U.S. will withdraw financial assistance to Pakistan By Shashank Bengali Pakistan lashed out Monday after President Trump accused its leaders of lies & deceit and suggested the United States would withdraw financial assistance to the nuclear-armed nation it once saw as a key ally against terrorism. It was the presidents latest broadside against Pakistan after a speech in August in which he demanded its leaders crack down on the safe havens enjoyed by Taliban militants fighting U.S.-backed forces in neighboring Afghanistan. The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2018 U.S. Ambassador David Hale was summoned to the Foreign Ministry to discuss the presidents statement, U.S. Embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire said. Pakistan lodged a strongly worded protest and asked for clarification about Trumps comments, according to two foreign office officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Pakistans prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, called a Cabinet meeting for Tuesday and a meeting of the National Security Committee on Wednesday to discuss Trumps New Years Day tweet. Read More Facebook

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Trump continues to tweet in support of Iranian protesters By Laura King President Trump expressed renewed support Sunday for protesters in Iran, declaring that people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. In a tweet from his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, the president said the nationwide economic protests that began on Thursday  and have taken on wider political overtones as they have grown in size  were a signal that Iranians will not take it any longer. Big protests in Iran. The people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. Looks like they will not take it any longer. The USA is watching very closely for human rights violations!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017 Trump has tweeted about the protests for three days straight as Iranians took to the streets despite a heavy police presence, tear gas and scores of arrests. The defiance gained urgency after two people were reported shot to death in the city of Dorud, about 200 miles southwest of Tehran. As the conflict escalated, Iranian authorities on Sunday slapped a temporary ban on Instagram and the messaging app Telegram, which were widely used to fan protest fervor. Iran, the Number One State of Sponsored Terror with numerous violations of Human Rights occurring on an hourly basis, has now closed down the Internet so that peaceful demonstrators cannot communicate. Not good!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017 Irans leaders already are casting Trumps increasingly effusive expressions of support for the demonstrators as opportunistic meddling and are painting the demonstrators as foreign pawns, adopting a strategy that some analysts say could jeopardize the legitimacy of the nascent antigovernment protests. Read More Facebook

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Trump tweets condolences after Colorado deputies are shot in ambush, one fatally By Associated Press A man fired more than 100 rounds at sheriffs deputies in Colorado early Sunday, killing one and injuring four others, before being fatally shot himself in what authorities called an ambush. Two civilians were also injured. President Trump expressed sorrow, writing on Twitter: My deepest condolences to the victims of the terrible shooting in Douglas County @DCSheriff, and their families. We love our police and law enforcement - God Bless them all! #LESM  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017 Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said deputies came under fire almost
Marilyn Hammang and Barb Busche hope area residents will give just a little of themselves to help others.

Hammang and Busche are involved in the local Red Cross blood drives.

A blood drive is planned from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Fremont Mall.

Other blood drives are set from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 22 and 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. May 23 at Fremont City Auditorium, 925 N. Broad St.

Theres really a need for blood, said Hammang, bloodmobile coordinator.

American Red Cross statistics indicate that every two seconds someone in the United States needs blood.

A single car accident victim may require as many as 100 pints of blood.

Blood cannot be manufactured  it can only come from generous donors, the Red Cross states on its website.

Hammang said almost 200 people donate during the two-day drive at the city auditorium, with Monday usually being the biggest day for donations.

She added that the city auditorium is a wonderful location for the blood drives.

Well have people come through, going on vacation or going to see the kids, and theyll go down Broad Street and theyll stop in, Hammang said.

Parking is available on the east and west sides of the building, she added.

Before giving blood, the website states that donors should:

Eat iron-rich foods such as red meat, fish, poultry, beans, spinach, iron-fortified cereals and raisins, the website states.

Get a good nights sleep.

Drink an extra 16 ounces of water or non-alcoholic fluids before the donation. Your body needs the fluids, said Busche, food and volunteer coordinator. You need to be well-hydrated.

Eat a healthy meal before the donation. Avoid fatty foods, such as hamburgers, fries or ice cream before donating. Fatty foods can affect the tests done on the blood. If theres too much fat in your blood, your donations cannot be tested for infectious diseases and the blood will not be used for transfusion.

Wear clothing with sleeves that can easily be rolled up.

Bring a donor card or drivers license for identification.

Donors also should have a list of any prescription or over-the-counter medicines they may be taking.

Walk-in donors are welcome. Donors also may make an appointment by calling Marilyn at 402-721-6354 or Kyle at 402-910-0681 or by visiting redcrossblood.org and entering FremontAuditorium.

When they come to a site, donors sign in and read the required information, Busche said.

Donors also may go to the Rapid Pass screen on the Red Cross website, read the requirements, complete the health history questions and email or print out and bring the information.

The donors will be taken to a private booth, where their temperature and blood pressure will be checked. A small sample of blood will be taken for a hemoglobin test. Those who can operate a computer use it to complete a list of health questions.

An interpreter will be at the auditorium for Spanish-speaking donors, Busche said.

After the donation, the donor is taken to table for snacks and juice and should have something to eat and drink.

Donors who come to the auditorium may have a sandwich. Hammang said Pinnacle Bank provides the funds for the sandwiches. Ruth Register donates the orange juice.

Busche estimates she and friends make at least 200 sandwiches for the event. They make egg salad, ham salad and cheese spread sandwiches. Those are served with pickles and chips, ice tea, water, coffee or milk.

Every two months, Busche also contacts a local church to supply volunteers and cakes.

I never have to worry about the kitchen, Hammang said. She (Busche) is my saint from heaven.

Busche estimates it will take a donor one to 1  hours of time. That includes donating and eating.

Even if donors dont eat, they will be observed for a period of time.

After donating, donors should continue to drink water throughout the day, avoid heavy lifting and try not to exert themselves too much for the rest of the day, the website states.

More information about donating may be found on the Red Cross website.
A rally to raise money for burn survivors rolled through the Southland this week with members from the Burbank and Glendale fire departments participating.

Hosted by the nonprofit group Firefighters Quest for Burn Survivors, the 20th annual Quest Rally ran from Tuesday to Friday with agencies across Southern California holding fundraisers to benefit local burn centers and foundations. The money raised will also be used to directly help burn survivors and their families.

Several stops were made throughout Glendale and Burbank, with the cities fire agencies taking part in the fundraising effort.

According to the nonprofit, the creation of the group and the rally was spurred in part by retired Glendale firefighter Bill Jensen.

Jensen, a Burbank resident, was one of six firefighters who were caught up in a firestorm while battling a massive wildfire in Calabasas in 1996.

The fire ended up consuming more than 4,000 acres. Jensen suffered burns on about 70% of his body. He was given only a 5% chance of survival by his doctors, according to nonprofit officials.

Jensen survived his injuries and, along with several other firefighters, established the Quest for Burn Survivors. Since its inception mroe than two decades ago, the organization has raised more than $2 million for burn victims.

andy.nguyen@latimes.com

Twitter: @Andy_Truc
Water restrictions in Huntington Beach brought on by the statewide drought may be rolled back.

The City Council on Monday will discuss ending the restrictions following Gov. Jerry Browns statement last month that the drought has ended.

Huntington is enforcing Level One restrictions, which require limits on watering lawns and obligations to fix plumbing issues, according to a report submitted by City Manager Fred Wilson.

If the council approves the item, then the city will move back to its general conservation requirements.

Waste management agreement

In other business, the council will consider forming a committee to renegotiate the citys longstanding waste management contract.

Council members Lyn Semeta and Erik Peterson have proposed that the council consider forming a committee, including them, to negotiate a new waste management agreement with Republic Services, formerly known as Rainbow Environmental Services.

The council members said in a statement that Huntington Beach residents generally pay a higher rate than other customers throughout the county, which they hope to rectify with better terms and pricing.

Semeta and Peterson also hope to amend an undesirable evergreen contract with automatic renewals instead of a bidding process.

If the council approves the item, then the committee would work with City Attorney Michael Gates to negotiate the new contract with Republic.

Downtown district improvements

The council will also consider moving forward with efforts to improve parts of downtown.

An item, submitted by Councilman Patrick Brenden and Mayor Pro Tem Mike Posey, requests for city staff to make a list of needed repairs in an area bounded by First and Sixth streets, Pacific Coast Highway and Pecan Avenue.

The restorations would start within 30 days.

Included in the analysis is the pier, Pierside Pavilion and the beach boardwalk.

Under the proposal, city staff would continue to monitor and provide reports on the improvements to the council.

The statement says downtown is the figurative gateway of the city and needs to be held to a higher standard.

Surf City Circle of Honor

The council will also discuss allocating $10,000 to the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum for its Surfing Circle of Honor event based on an item submitted by Mayor Barbara Delgeize.

Five hundred surfers will paddle off the shore of Huntington Beach on June 20 to form a record-breaking circle to promote the International Surfing Museum and a bid to be the host city of surfing in the 2024 Summer Games.

Part of the team organizing the Surfing Circle of Honor. (Ben Brazil / Daily Pilot)

The group of surfers is vying for two Guinness Book of World Records, the largest paddle-out and floating logo, which has been deemed the Surfing Circle of Honor.

Diana Dehm, the museums executive director, has said its been embroiled in difficult financial times and the circle of honor will help promote the renowned monument to surfing.

benjamin.brazil@latimes.com

Twitter:@benbrazilpilot
The Laguna Beach Planning Commission on Wednesday will revisit downtown parking and Laguna Canyon zoning.

Analyzing parking trends is one of the citys tasks, as it revises the downtown specific plan, a planning document that outlines guidelines for development while recognizing the role of parking and transportation.

Commissioners first discussed the parking issue in March, but raised more questions and requested city staff return with more information.

One of the key questions commissioners will address will be whether the city should adopt a blanket requirement about how many parking spaces businesses must provide.

The city hired IBI Group, a planning and design firm, to tally the number of private and parking spaces within a 115-acre survey area and monitor their hourly use during weekdays and weekends last August and September.

There are 3,365 spaces  1,691 private and 1,674 public, according to IBIs report.

Based on the number of public and private parking spaces used during peak periods, IBI suggested that all non-residential sites such as restaurants and retailers, provide 2.92 spaces for every 1,000 square feet, far fewer spaces than existing requirements.

The Laguna Canyon discussion will center on recommendations from urban planning firm MIG, which the city hired to address land use in the area.

One of MIGs tasks is to define standards for terms such as rustic, rural and small-scale.

The city has concerns with multiple suggestions from MIG, including the maximum number of units per acre for artist work/live projects, according to a city staff report.

MIG recommends four units per acre based on current residential standards in the area and the communitys desire to preserve rural character, the staff report said.

The city, however, says the standard is more restrictive than density standards allowed for single-family residences, the report said.

Wednesdays meeting begins at 6 p.m. at City Hall at 505 Forest Ave.

Staff reports for both items are available on the citys website at lagunabeachcity.net. Click on the Planning Commission agenda.

bryce.alderton@latimes.com

Twitter: @AldertonBryce
I was recently deeply moved by an occurrence.

It happened as I attended a meeting at Orange Coast College. I served as the colleges community relations director for 37 years and retired in 2008.

As the meeting got underway, I noticed a large black-and-white photo on the wall. It featured my grandfather and was taken, I believe, in 1943. Grandpa was an executive chef and civilian employee at the Santa Ana Army Air Base.

Today, OCC sits astride 164 acres of former air base property.

My grandfather, William M. Thomlinson, was head chef of the bases 11 mess halls from 1942 to 1945. He and I worked on the same plot of land  separated by three decades.

The picture, in an OCC conference room, is of my grandfather and several guests attending a SAAAB banquet. Granddad is standing near comedian Bob Hope and other Hollywood notables. The focus of the photo is a huge ice carving of Hope and his famous ski-slope nose. The carving was executed by Gramps.

My maternal grandparents, Bill and Effie Thomlinson, moved to Southern California from Oklahoma in 1936. My mother, who was 12 at the time, accompanied them.

For five years, my grandparents owned a Tulsa restaurant. They hitched their 17-foot trailer to the car and headed for Santa Monica, moving into a palm-fringed trailer park near the pier.

They loved California.

For a year, Bill was executive chef at Thelma Todds Sidewalk Cafe, a roadhouse on Pacific Coast Highway. Then, Granddad went to work as assistant chef at Earl Carrolls Hollywood nightclub at Sunset and Vine.

In 1942, he was recruited to sleepy Orange County to work as a civilian at the newly established pre-flight training facility, Santa Ana Army Air Base. The base trained 150,000 aviation cadets, including my father, during the war.

Bill was hired as executive chef of the bases 11 mess halls. He arrived in Orange County alone and rented a room in Santa Ana. In June of 42, my mother graduated from Santa Monica High. That summer, she and Grandma joined him at a trailer park on Newport Boulevard near the bases main gate.

They purchased a home on Balboa Island in 1943. The home  consisting of a two-bedroom house and a second-story apartment over the garage  set them back $7,500!

My mom went to work as secretary to cadet mess officer, Maj. Philip Caldwell. My grandfather gave her a glowing recommendation but she didnt need it. She was a pip!

My father, Bill Carnett, who didnt yet know my mom, completed cadet training at SAAAB but washed out of flight school because of an inner-ear problem. He returned to the base and ran a mess hall, working indirectly for my grandfather.

Moms office was located adjacent to the parade ground near the Baker Street entrance. My wife, Hedy, and I have lived a stones throw from that spot for 42 years.

One day, a steward stopped by my office and asked me why I didnt have a boyfriend, my mom, now 93, recalls. He said, Theres this good-looking sergeant in Mess 11. Mind if I tell him about you? 

Bill Carnett stopped to see her the next day. Soon they were dating.

There was a war on, my mom recalls. No time to waste!

To be honest, my grandfather didnt much like my father.

He regularly saw him in the mess hall and thought he was cocky, Mom said. I thought he was cute.

They were married in March 1944, and remained that way for 62 years until Dads death in 2006.

They were married at Chapel by the Sea in Corona del Mar. A reception was held at my grandparents home. The cake, made by my grandfather, was served with champagne. The couple honeymooned at the Coast Inn in Laguna Beach.

Grandpa worked at the base until the end of the war. I was born in January 1945. Grandpa died of a heart attack the following October. He was 41.

Sadly, I never knew him.

But, seeing that picture on the wall at OCC  well, it did my heart good!

JIM CARNETT, who lives in Costa Mesa, worked for Orange Coast College for 37 years.
The American Nurses Assn. has designated May 6 through 12 National Nurses Week, and as the week closes, the News-Press is highlighting the work of nurses for their work at three Glendale hospitals.

May 12 is also the birthday of British nurse Florence Nightingale, a pioneer of modern nursing.

Brian Gold, director of perioperative services at Dignity Health Glendale Memorial Hospital, has been a nurse for more than 20 years and said he always saw himself in the operating room, even as a little kid. It helped that his father was a surgical resident at one time and left a set of medical retractors in the kitchen for Gold to experiment with.

There is nothing more thrilling and rewarding than taking care of someone when they cant take care of themselves, Gold said.

Glendale Memorial recruited Gold about five years ago when he was director of surgery at Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital. While there he also acted as a scrub nurse for many of the total joint replacements that came through the hospital  many of the patients were celebrities and athletes.

At Glendale Memorial, Gold is responsible for patient quality and assuring that everyone else in the operating room  surgeon, nurses, surgical techs and anesthesiologist  is taken care of.

[Nurses] interact with patients at the worst part of their lives, Gold said. A nurses ability to asses someone is focused on the entire body. Its philosophically different than pure medicine in terms of approach  not just dealing with disease but dealing with the person.

Melissa Stehlin has spent nearly 27 years in obstetrics and has been on staff at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital for 17 years, most recently, as director of perinatal services.

Stehlin worked for a home health agency when she first moved moved to California from Florida, and, at the advice from nurses during a visit to Verdugo Hills, she applied to the Glendale hospital.

I love the atmosphere and warmth of the community field, and thats what drew me in, Stehlin said.

Honored with several distinctions over her career, Stehlin said her biggest accomplishment was when she became director of perinatal services in 2013.

As a labor and delivery nurse, Stehlin says shes had the privilege of bringing in beautiful miracles everyday but now she enjoys her role overseeing the perinatal side of the hospital. Since perinatal services triage patients, perform surgeries and deliver babies, Stehlin considers her unit a whole hospital condensed into a small package.

I want to make the best day out of somebodys most wonderful moment, Stehlin said.

Irvin Cabanas first and only job as a nurse since graduation has been with Glendale Adventist Medical Center. Although not as seasoned as the previous two nurses  hell hit nine years in October  Cabana has already done well enough to fill in as critical care nurse manager during the past several months.

Hes since returned to his regular role as Surgical Intensive Care Unit charge nurse and its a position hes wanted since nursing school. Cabana started in telemetry and used it as a stepping stone into the emergency room.

Cabana has worked at all critical care units at the hospital and currently takes care of patients with neurological afflictions, such as those who suffered a stroke, head injury and postoperative heart patients, many of whom, he says, make an appreciative visit to the hospital every so often.

To me nursing is a calling because if you dont go into it with full dedication it will be very hard, Cabana said. Its hard in general but to just give somebody a second chance is just amazing.

jeff.landa@latimes.com

Twitter: @JeffLanda
Recently, Los Angeles has seen a dramatic and alarming 43% increase in traffic-related fatalities, with 260 traffic deaths occurring in 2016. This rate is continuing to increase and in 2017 is already significantly higher than it was at this time last year. Unfortunately, these rising rates of local traffic fatalities are part of a nationwide upward trend.

Traffic accidents are a growing threat to the lives of people across the state, especially in densely populated areas such as the 43rd Assembly District. Undoubtedly, distracted driving due to cell phones and other issues are partly to blame. But illegal street racing and reckless driving are also part of the problem  a problem we need to address urgently, before more lives are lost.

My bill, AB 1393, which just recently passed the Assembly with bipartisan support and is now on its way to the Senate, would mandate a 30-day impound penalty for any car used in a speed contest or reckless driving. I should note that reckless driving is a special designation not for average speed violations, but for driving that clearly and inarguably endangers the lives of others through highly excessive speeds and handling. This bill would also require that all illegal modifications  like tinted windows and modified exhaust pipes  be removed from the car before it could be released back to the owner.

According to numerous studies and statistics, mandatory 30-day impounds and the confiscation of illegal modifications are proven deterrents to those who participate in reckless driving and racing. Under current law, it is often the case that drivers who have had their cars impounded for these crimes simply pay the fines and return to the road. The penalties required by AB 1393 would prove an effective deterrent against recidivism.

At the same time, my bill takes into consideration certain limited exceptions, for instance, if a teenager illegally raced a family car that a parent depended on for transportation to and from work. In that case, the authorities would work with the family to make sure they would not be adversely affected by the irresponsible behavior of a minor child.

During my seven years on the Glendale City Council, one of the persistent and intractable issues our city faced was ongoing problems with street racing, pedestrian accidents, and speeding. Ive seen first-hand the impact of high-speed accidents on the individual families involved and the community at large. But as we can see from the data coming back from across Southern California and even across the country, this is not an isolated problem.

We need action across all levels of government to address traffic safety, from reengineering our streets and pedestrian crosswalks to intensified education and enforcement. One important piece of the puzzle is giving law enforcement the tools they need to hold reckless drivers accountable, and to deter them from breaking the law again. AB 1393 is designed to break the cycle of illegal street racing and save lives.

My hope is that AB 1393 will see the same level of support in the Senate and the Governors office as it had in the Assembly and we can see our streets become a safer place for both drivers and pedestrians.

LAURA FRIEDMAN (D-Glendale) represents La Canada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, Glendale, Burbank and neighboring communities in the the 43rd Assembly District.
The La Canada Flintridge City Council will hold a series of public hearings Tuesday to gather feedback from residents and the public on a number of local issues.

The councils regular meeting, which takes place at 6 p.m., will be preceded by another public hearing, held by the Los Angeles County Sanitation District No. 28 and scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in La Canada City Hall.

All of the following meetings will take place in City Council chambers, located at 1327 Foothill Blvd., in La Canada.

No expansion of businesses in citys R-3 multifamily zone

Council members will be asked to adopt an ordinance that, in part, amends the citys current zoning code to prohibit certain commercial businesses  operating in the R-3 multifamily zone, on the south side of the 1400 block of Foothill Blvd. and at 2160 Foothill Blvd.  from expanding, unless for the accommodation of disability-based laws.

Accessory dwelling unit regulations to be eased citywide

Another public hearing will be held regarding the adoption of an ordinance amending the citys zoning code to decrease the regulation cost and time frame for approval of accessory dwelling units, including the conversion of residential garages into living spaces. The change in regulation comes in response to three state laws passed by Gov. Jerry Brown aimed to address housing issues throughout the state.

Temporary ban on the demolition of structures 50 years or older

Council members will also be asked to adopt an urgency ordinance establishing a 45-day moratorium on the issuance of any demolition permit for any structure 50 years or older within city limits, to take effect immediately.

The temporary ban on demolition is to take effect while the citys Planning Commission continues to define the parameters of a new historic preservation ordinance.

Sewer charges discussed in special Sanitation District hearing Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.

The regular meeting of the La Canada City Council will be preceded at 5:30 p.m. by a special public hearing held by Los Angeles County Sanitation District No. 28, also in Council Chambers.

At that hearing, residents will be able to provide input on the districts service charge report, which highlights the collection of a wastewater service charge as a separate line item on the property tax roll.

To levy such service charges over the past 20 years, parcels were divided into two groups: homes and businesses directly connected to the La Canada Water Reclamation Plane (WRP) Outfall or Foothill Boulevard Main Trunk Sewers, or tributary to the La Canada WRP (Group A); and homes and businesses within the city of La Canadas Sewer Assessment Districts (Group B). Both groups pay the same rate per sewage unit but until now, only Group A was responsible for the loans associated with the districts sewer construction. Since the repayment of those loans is now complete, all parcels will now be charged at the same rate.

For 2017-18, the per sewer unit charge will be $138, increasing to $140 per sewer unit in 2018-19 and $142 in 2019-20. Any protest must be submitted in writing prior to the conclusion of the public hearing. The protest must identify a residents parcel by including the Assessors Identification Number (parcel number) and be signed by the owner.

For more information on the sewer service charge, call Los Angeles County Sanitation District staff at (855) 240-9506 anytime Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. or visit www.lacsd.org.

To contact La Canada City Hall, call (818) 790-8880 or visit www.lcf.ca.gov. For the agenda to Tuesdays council meeting, click here.

sara.cardine@latimes.com

Twitter: @SaraCardine
The Trump administration will stay focused on economic growth and national security no matter the outcome of its climate change policy review, a U.S. official told delegates at a United Nations convention in Germany on Saturday.

It is clear that the administration will not take actions that are contrary to the overarching focus of competitiveness and economic growth, said Trigg Talley, a deputy special envoy for climate change at the State Department.

Talley led an unusually small U.S. delegation of seven officials to the 10-day U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change talks in Bonn. The conference was held to start designing rules for implementing the Paris accord to limit average global warming to 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.

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Reflecting the shift in its governments views on climate change after President Trumps inauguration in January, the U.S. delegation was far smaller than the 44-member contingent sent to Bonn for similar talks a year ago. The previous U.S. government led by Barack Obama played a leading role in achieving the 2015 Paris agreement.

Talley dodged the most pressing question at the gathering: Will the United States remain committed to the Paris accord despite Trumps campaign vows to cancel it?

But the U.S. diplomat still managed to surprise the delegates grilling him about the U.S. pledge as part of the accord to reduce its carbon emissions by 26% to 28% by 2025, informing them that the United States would not contribute this year to the Green Climate Fund, a financial mechanism that aims to help poor nations deal with climate change.

We have a new U.S. administration, and along with that comes a substantial change in priorities and approaches, Talley told the representatives of nearly 200 countries that signed the agreement who have been meeting all week.

The administration has not developed a formal policy on climate change, both domestic and international climate change issues, he said.

Trump and some Republican leaders have expressed doubt about scientists assertions that climate change is human-induced. He called it a Chinese hoax in 2012 and threatened to cancel not only U.S. participation in the Paris accord, but also the $2 billion in pledges the Obama administration made to the Green Climate Fund.

With Trumps advisors divided about whether the United States should pull out of the accord, the White House last week said Trump would not make a decision on that until after the May 26-27 Group of 7 meeting in Sicily.

Some Trump advisors, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, say the United States should stay in and simply reduce its carbon emission reduction targets in the nonbinding accord.

Tillerson on Thursday signed a document that affirms the need for international action against climate change, an act that added further uncertainty to the direction of climate policy under the Trump administration.

According to the document, signed by Tillerson and foreign ministers from seven Arctic nations who met in Fairbanks, Alaska, the participants concluded their meeting noting the entry into force of the Paris agreement on climate change and its implementation, and reiterating the need for global action to reduce both long-lived greenhouse gases and short-lived climate pollutants.

The administration has not developed a formal policy on climate change, both domestic and international climate change issues.  Trigg Talley, deputy special envoy for climate change at the U.S. State Department.

Called the Fairbanks Declaration, the document says leaders signed it recognizing that activities taking place outside the Arctic region, including activities occurring in Arctic states, are the main contributors to climate change effects and pollution in the Arctic, and underlining the need for action at all levels.

Talleys bombshell announcement that the U.S. would stop contributing to the Green Climate Fund reverberated through the conference center on the banks of the Rhine River.

That is very worrisome, said Mariana Panuncio-Feldman, the World Wildlife Funds senior director of international climate cooperation. It raises questions about whether the U.S. is committed. Honoring our pledges to the fund is not only in the interest of the world, but its also in the interest of U.S. national security.

The 30 minutes of questioning that Talley faced after his 10-minute statement to delegates was polite and professional. Talley seemed to answer as clearly and succinctly as he could, given the unclear U.S. position, and later was praised for his efforts by a number of delegates.

Talley pointed out that U.S. carbon dioxide emissions had fallen by 11.5% from 2005 to 2015 despite steady economic growth over that period.

I think the most salient point he made is that you actually dont need to compromise economic growth when reducing emissions, Panuncio-Feldman said. He showed the delegates a slide and the big point that jumped out was that emissions declined as [gross domestic product] increased. The United States has shown in the last few years that it is possible to have growth with reduced emissions.

Kirschbaum is a special correspondent. Times staff writer William Yardley contributed to this report.
Hospitals and health clinics across England and Scotland battled to bring their computer systems back online Saturday after being paralyzed by a global ransomware attack.

Thousands of operations at National Health Service facilities were canceled Friday, ambulances were diverted from affected hospitals and patients waiting for routine outpatient appointments and even chemotherapy treatment were told that their records could not be accessed and they would have to go home.

Some patients were just moments away from surgery when they were suddenly informed that nonemergency operations had to be postponed. Others waiting to go home were told they could not be discharged because of the hack.

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I was booked in to have a septal myectomy, a heart operation, Patrick Ward told the BBC after being discharged from St. Bartholomews Hospital in London on Friday. It is very serious. Ive been waiting for it for many, many, many months now.

He said that after he had been prepped for the surgery, his doctor told him the procedure would have to be delayed because hospital systems had been hacked. Ward said he was told that the medical staff were concerned they would be unable to give him the right blood should he need a blood transfusion because that process was linked to the hacked computer system.

The attack affected 48 National Health Service centers  or about 20%  in England and Scotland, British Home Secretary Amber Rudd said Saturday. By early evening, Rudd said all but six of them were back to normal, but the massive attack had brought vast swaths of the system to a standstill for at least 24 hours.

St. Bartholomews is part of the largest NHS trust in the country, which canceled all outpatient appointments at its centers Saturday in an effort to bring the ominous cyber infection under control. Doctors elsewhere in the country were also forced to send patients home. and some medical staff returned to using pen and paper until they were again able to access patient records, appointment schedules and emails electronically.

Medics across Britain first became aware something was wrong when a message popped up on their infected computers informing them that their documents, files and databases had been encrypted and could be released only if a $300 ransom per machine was paid in bitcoin.

Experts at the National Cyber Security Center have been working with the health service around the clock to contain the damage, get the health system up and running again, and recover lost files.

But Rudd said there was no evidence that patient data had been compromised.

At the moment, we are clear that no patients data has been accessed or transferred in any way, she said.

Despite the widespread disruption and confusion, emergency services were not affected, although the public was urged to use the NHS wisely and not make unnecessary visits. NHS England said anyone in need of lifesaving or emergency treatment should still head to the nearest emergency room.

Old computer systems and the complex digital network connecting NHS facilities are believed to have made the health service especially vulnerable to this kind of attack. Rudd acknowledged Saturday that many NHS trusts still use Windows XP operating systems that are not a good platform for keeping your data as secure.

She said Britain was a world leader in terms of cybersecurity, but that did not make its systems impenetrable.

Cybersecurity is a huge industry and it is an area where we can all do better to protect our businesses and personal information, and I would expect NHS trusts to learn from this, and to make sure they do upgrade, Rudd said.

The hack did not affect any facilities in Wales or Northern Ireland, but it was unclear why.

The government described the hack as an international attack and not targeted specifically at the health service. The governments emergency council known as the Cobra committee was scheduled to meet Saturday to discuss the situation.

Nobody underestimates the difficulty of dealing with cyberattacks, Rudd said. We have known for a number of years that this is one of the most dangerous threats to this country.

Boyle is a special correspondent
A Wilson Borough man arrived home Friday afternoon to the smell of smoke and found a fire in his kitchen, borough fire Chief Joseph Sipel said.

Borough firefighters quickly got the blaze under control at 2332 Second St., preventing flame damage in the adjoining homes, he said.

No one was injured in the fire, reported shortly before 4:45 p.m. The home was ruled uninhabitable until repairs can be made, Sipel said. The American Red Cross of Eastern Pennsylvania was responding to assist with housing.

The cause remained under investigation, but the point of origin appeared to be in the kitchen, according to the fire chief.

Arriving home, the resident found his rental home filled with smoke, Sipel said.

Borough firefighters responded, as did the Easton Fire Department, Palmer Municipal Fire Department and West Easton's Safety First Volunteer Fire Co.

A neighboring home in the row saw some smoke, but firefighters cleared it out and the residents were expected to be able to return there Friday night, Sipel said.

"The guys did a really good job of knocking it down," Sipel said of the fire, noting it was out within about a half-hour of firefighters' arrival.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A gropu of locals in a south Laois town badly hit by the recession, is working hard to revive business and community life.

Among several ambitious projects that Mountrath Community Forum has set itself, is to convert the old Telfords Garage in the town centre, into an Enterprise Hub for new start-up businesses.

The large painted grey garage building has a prominent position in the town centre, so its renovation would have a second bonus, of boosting the visual impact of Mountrath.

The forum has already signed a lease on the premises.

Cllr James Kelly, a member of the forum, estimates that the big job of restoring it, including electrical work, would cost in the region of 200,000.

We have applied for Leader funding, and we plan to apply for support from Enterprise Ireland as well, he said.

Restaureur Eddie Phelan is also on the forum, and is hopeful that the hub could be up and running as soon as this year.

We hope to have it up and running in the next few months, bringing much needed regeneration to the town centre, he said.

They have identified some local entrepreneurs interested in renting space in the centre.

We already have a graphic design company and a fitness group ready to set up there, he said.

 It will have five or six units. The forum will offering business mentoring to anyone that needs a little help, and there will be shared secretarial services on site . All small businesses can apply, Mr Phelan explained.

The forum has already won an award for its enterprise plans.

Last November, members gave a presentation to the judges at the National Enterprise Town Awards 2016.

Before judging, in liaison with owners, they had painted up several vacant buildings in Mountrath.

In our presentation we focused on the future of the town in terms of enterprise and opportunity, said chairman Martin Meade.

The forum were given a Merit Award, winning 1,500, which they gave to Mountrath Mens Shed to fund their activities and buy materials.
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A Kildare man features in a new book which is due out in the coming days and which outlines the deaths of Gardai in the early years of the State.

In terms of the book, The Fallen: Gardai Killed in Service 1922-49, Daniel Duff, from Askinraw in Suncroft is unusual for two reasons.

In the first instance, unlike the others mentioned in the book, he did not die. Secondly, he came to be in danger because he murdered another member of the force, rather than an external agent.

The book is written by Galway man Colm Wallace.

In November 1944, Garda Daniel Joseph Duff arrived at Pallasgreen Garda station in Co. Limerick directly from the Garda depot. He was the third eldest of seven sons. At school he was considered a brilliant student and after leaving Newbridge College he joined the Defence Forces for a year and a half where his conduct was described as excellent. On leaving the army, he enlisted in An Garda Siochana in June 1944. Pallasgreen, Co, Limerick was his first assignment.

In Pallasgreen he was one of two Gardai who were assigned to protect a landowner who was embroiled in a dispute.

The pair, the Suncroft man and Garda James Byrne from Co. Wicklow worked from 11pm-6am each night, with longer hours in the summer, and both were armed with a Webley .45 calibre revolver.

The pair spent nine months on duty, seven nights a week, and with limited sleep during the day. While they initially got on well, they began to quarrel over time.

On the 25th September, 1945, the pair of them turned up with a few pints on board and sharp words were exchanged leading to loud quarrelling and eventually, to extreme violence.

According to Garda Duff, Garda Byrne made a quick movement to his pocket. The Suncroft man believed he was going for his gun, and did likewise.

Garda Duff pulled out his own gun and fired two shots, hitting his colleague in the heart and killing him instantly.

In the hours and days that followed, Garda Duff was charged and tried with murder.

A three-day trial ended with the jury found him guilty and the judge donned the black cap and sentencing him to be executed on December 11.

Five days before he was due to be executed, the sentence would be commuted to one of penal servitude for life.

The author believes there may have been a certain amount of sympathy for the talented young guard who seemed to have been under great strain at work.

On top of this, there is little doubt that it would have been a national scandal to put to death a so-called guardian of the peace working for the government. Perhaps for this reason, Duff avoided becoming the only member of An Garda Siochana to be executed for murder.

Garda Duff served a little over five years in prison and was released in November 1951.

The Fallen: Gardai Killed in Service 1922-1949 about twenty-one Gardai killed in the line of duty in the Irish Free State is available in all good book shops and is on amazon.com
There were some familiar names in Irish horse racing greeting the Duchess of Cornwall in Kildare this afternoon.

Fianna Fail Deputy for Kildare South, Fiona O'Loughlin was delighted the visit was brought to Kildare: "The fact that Kildare was picked out, along with Kilkenny being the only two visits outside of Dublin, I think really goes to show that our county is wonderful, and is home to so much."

Prince Charles and Camilla started off their morning in Kilkenny, where they were shown the art of hurling by legend Henry Shefllin.

Prince Charles was then taken to the United Nations Training School Ireland at the Curragh Camp for a tour while Camilla was escorted to the stunning Irish National Stud grounds.

SEE MORE: WATCH: Prince Charles inspects Irish army helicopter at Curragh during Kildare royal visit

Sinead Hyland, member of staff at the stud was delighted to be welcoming Royalty, of which they'd be no stranger to.

In 2011, the Queen famously visited the landmark tourist Irish National Stud during her historic visit to Ireland.

"County Kildare is the thoroughbred county of Ireland. This is a nice place for the retired geldings to live out but still meet their fans", said Sinead.

Her Highness arrived at the National Stud shortly before 4pm, wearing a stunning mint green tweed jacket made in Donegal, which she received as a gift on her last visit to Ireland.

Greeted by Matt Dempsey, Chairman of the Irish National Stud and outgoing CEO John Osborne, Jessica Harrington and local Fine Gael TD for Kildare South Martin Heydon.

Kildare based horse trainer Jessica Harrington has had a phenomenal year so far, winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March and followed up by the recent Punchestown Gold Cup. Jessica was also behind the Irish Grand National winner Our Duke. She was in high spirits at the visit today.

The Duchess speaking to Kildare Horse Trainer Jessica Harrington

The Duchess started off her visit with a tour of the Sun Chariot Yard, named after legendary racemare Sun Chariot.

There she was greeted by some familiar names in horse racing, retirees like Kicking King, Beef or Salmon and Hardy Eustace.

She stroked and handed some carrots to the legendary Hurricane Fly, and joked: "I won't be eating carrots again soon!".

Her Highness was then brought to meet the famous thoroughbred racehorse Invincible Spirit, the most significant stallion the stud has ever had.

SEE MORE: WATCH: Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, meets Invincible Spirit at Kildare's National Stud

The Duchess was extremely inquisitive about the horses, and appeared to have a strong interest.

She then met students from the equine unit in the National Stud, from all around the world, and spoke to each of them one-by-one.

She continued to meet and greet, including local Councillors such as Fine Gael Cllr Mark Stafford, Fianna Fail Deputy for Kildare South, Fiona O'Loughlin and Fianna Fail' TD for Kildare North James Lawless.

The Duchess of Cornwall was presented with a native Irish Birch Tree by Chairman of the National Stud, Matt Dempsey, to conclude the visit.

Speaking after, Cllr Fiona O'Loughlin said it was a wonderful event. "The Duchess herself was incredibly charming.

"I think the Prince's visit to the Curragh was really significant, because when you think of Kildare it's the home to the Defence Forces, the home to the horses and the home to many other gems."

The Royal couple visited the Lilywhite county as part of an Irish tour.

They started their four-day trip in the north on Tuesday (May 9), visiting the hometown of the late poet Seamus Heaney in Co. Derry.

Yesterday (May 10), they were greeted by President Higgins and his wife Sabina at Aras an Uachtarain in Dublin.

The Royals are now making their way back to Dublin where they will visit the historic Glasnevin Cemetery tomorrow.

Camilla with the famous Hurricane Fly
Twenty-seven Catholic priests are now over the age of 75 in the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin, with 12 over 80 years of age.

These startling figures were revealed by Bishop Denis Nulty in a letter to parishioners at masses across the county last Sunday.

Our major challenge is the falling number of priests. At present there are 90 priests ministering in our diocese: 27 of them are over 75. This stark figure reminds us that a radical reappraisal of what a parish community should be, how it should be organised, co-ordinated, funded and ministered, if necessary, he said.

The Bishop is planning a number of meetings to discuss these challenges. The priest per population ratio in the diocese has increased by 46% since 2006 with one priest per 3,462 people. However, it is thought that figure is higher in the diosceses Kildare parishes.

READ MORE: Mass to mark beatification of Kildare priest

There are three deaneries  or clusters of parishes  in the diocese with Kildare falling under the umbrella of the Kildare and Leighlin North Deanery. Fr Paul Dempsey who is vicar of North Deanery and parish priest of Newbridge, points out Kildare parishes have a higher population compared to other areas in Laois and Carlow.

If you look at Newbridge parish, it takes in Caragh and Prosperous and then you have Naas which includes Sallins and Two Mile House, you would have 50,000 people alone, he said.

However, he is positive about the process and about lay people getting more involved in church administration.

Its about people taking responsibility in their own parishes and bringing the church into the future, he said.

Fr Dempsey said each deanery faced different challenges with Kildare (north deanery) having more churches than other areas in the diocese.

There are 31 churches in Kildare with 33 priests (some retired).

Bishop Nulty warned parishoners that they could expect changes to religious services provided by priests.

READ MORE: Bishop launches new 'Mass of the People' in Newbridge

There will be changes for lay people who, for example, are perhaps used to having a Mass at a certain time and place. A revision of Mass times, funeral times, wedding and baptism times are obvious issues in our diocese, as is the ongoing viability of some churches in lesser populated areas continuing to have weekly Mass.

In his letter the Bishop said; There will be a meeting of all the priests in the three deanery areas during May, leading to a meeting in Mount St. Annes on June 20 for priests, involved lay people from each parish, religious and permanent deacons, he said.

Further meetings are planned in the autumn to which all parishioners are invited.

The average age of priests in the diocese has risen from 56 in 2006 to 67 today.

There are currently eight deacons working in the diocese with four more due to be ordained in three years time.

At present there are 44 lay people on parish pastoral councils, 33 on baptism teams, 21 in liturgy groups and 11 parish funeral ministry teams. A total of 1,181 lay people serve on primary school boards of management.

A growing trend has seen priests return from the missions or priests from other countries coming to Ireland to take up their duties.

At present, there are five priests from abroad working in the diocese.
Every student looks forward to the Summer break, but for one Drumkeerin teenager, June 2017 will mark a real summer with a difference - a volunteering trip to Katmandu in Nepal!

17-year-old Beth Waters, a Transition Year student at Lough Allen College, is one of five girls in Ireland who will be making the trip to Nepal in early June with Projects Abroad.

Speaking to the Leitrim Observer just days before the start of National Volunteering Week, Beth says she first became interested in volunteering two years ago when she was just 15, but I decided to wait until I was older and wiser she laughingly admits.

Doing research on volunteering projects around the world, one of the first Beth came across was a organisation called Projects Abroad.

They seemed the best and I applied to them to get involved, explains Beth.

After selecting a location for her volunteer work - Nepal - she started to fundraise for the trip.

Through a gofundme page, other donations, fundraising locally and with the help of her teacher, Ann Foley, who Beth says was a real support and great help, she was able to reach her goal in April this year.

Since then Projects Abroad has put Beth in contact with the four other Irish girls who will be travelling to Nepal with her to work on the same project

All the volunteers for this project are between 16 and 19 years of age.

We have a group chat running on facebook so we can speak to each other before we head out in June, adds Beth.

In front of her is a 14 hour flight to Katmandu, Nepal. From here she and and her fellow volunteers will go to the are where they will be working for their two week stay.

Their duties include organising games and fun activities for disadvantaged children and helping out with basic renovation work in a local community.

Beth and her fellow volunteers will also be treated to experiences of local culture, crafts and dance.

Beth admits she is a little nervous of the trip but is really looking forward to the experience.

I love the idea of giving back something to a community in need, she says.

I think with things like charities you can give money but you don't know where that money is going to be used. Volunteering you get to see the difference you are making.

Beth says that she hopes other young people look at volunteering.

I think it is so important for us to all realise what's going on the world. Not everyone is as lucky as we are and by volunteering we get a chance to give back .
There are more than 900 new parts on the new Toyota Yaris which will hit the Irish market in time for the 172 sales.

The new Yaris sees significant improvements to the outgoing models design, dynamic performance and styling.

It will be available in five grade options Terra, Aura Luna, Luna Sport and Sol, four of which, uniquely for the B segment, are all available in hybrid.

Hybrid currently accounts for more than 35% of Yaris sales in Ireland.

The new Yaris will hit the market with an entry price of 15,950 for the 1.0-litre 3-door Terra petrol (road tax 180). There are also 1.5, 1.4 D-4D and Hybrid versions, the latter prices beginning at 19,575.

The Toyota Safety Sense active safety systems is fitted as standard to all new Yaris models

The new Yaris makes a stronger style statement, displaying new front and rear designs that give the car a stronger harmony of design and project a more active and dynamic look.

The appearance is also more refined, with detailing in the bodywork and the cabin and new colour choices that enhance the models already high levels of perceived quality.

The focus for changes to the Yaris interior was to keep the look and ambience of the cabin feeling fresh and modern, introducing new upholsteries, colours and trim details and upgrading the instrumentation and controls to ensure excellent ergonomics and HMI (human-machine interface) performance.

Yaris Hybrid remains a unique proposition in its segment, with best-in-class CO2 emissions. Yaris Hybrid noise and vibration levels have been significantly reduced with new engine mounts, roll restrictor, front driveshaft and sub frame.

New-design engine mounts, shock absorber adjustments and retuned electric power steering improve Yaris Hybrids ride comfort and steering accuracy.

The new Yaris brings big-car safety into a small, city-sized package with the adoption of Toyota Safety Sense as standard across the range, including a Pre-Collision System with Autonomous Emergency Braking, Automatic High Beam, and Lane Departure Alert.

Road Sign Assist is also available as standard on all but the Luna grade.

Steve Tormey, Chief Executive of Toyota Ireland, pointed out the Yaris has a 14% market share in the B segment. The company believes the new Yaris will appeal to both current and new customers.

The huge increase in customer acceptance of hybrid which we have experienced over the past 12 months puts us in an enviable and unique position in the market, and we expect continued growth in this trend with the new Yaris," he added.

The Terra grade standard features include 15 steel wheels (new design), electric door mirrors, front power windows, CD player with six speakers, remote central locking, Toyota Safety Sense-pre collision system and auto highbeam and rain sensor, the latter two being new specification at this level.

The Luna adds 15 alloy wheel, 7 Toyota Touch 2 (no CD player), 4.2 colour TFT, rear-view camera, front fog lights, Bluetooth, grey and black fabric seat trim, leather steering wheel with black inserts and Toyota Safety Sense  lane departure alert and road sign assist.

On top of all that the Sol adds 15 alloy wheel (new design), air conditioning, front and rear power windows, projector headlights, choice of premium interior trim  burgundy or warm grey, door moulding with chrome insert, back out C pillar.

Why not take a test drive today.
At the last General Election, we did this Beware Blukip thing to warn against a Tory/UKIP coalition. At the time, I thought it was a bit ill-advised because my real worry was the Tories getting a majority. They did that and look what havoc they have wreaked since.

If the Labour manifesto is supposedly going back to the 70s, the Conservative one will be going back even further to a rose-tinted view of the 1950s, rolling back as much of the social progress weve made in my lifetime as it can.

I mean, fox hunting. Really.

It now emerges that UKIP are standing in only 377 seats in this election and, frankly, are unlikely to win any of them. This should give us no relief whatsoever because their agenda has now been adopted by the Conservative Party.

As Tom Brake put it:

UKIP are standing aside for the Conservatives because they know Theresa May has adopted their divisive agenda wholesale. As Nigel Farage has said, Theresa May is now using the exact words and phrases he has been using for the last 20 years. The scene has been set for a Conservative landslide that would be bad for peoples jobs, our schools and the NHS. But its not too late to ensure a strong opposition and a better future for this country. The Liberal Democrats are the only party can challenge Theresa May, fight to protect our schools and hospitals and stand up against a bad Brexit deal.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
Jo Swinson has been talking to the local East Dunbartonshire paper the Milngavie and Bearsden Herald about why she is standing for Parliament, hoping to regain the seat she held for 10 years until 2015:

She said: It was a really close result last time and I loved working as a local MP for my home area, a community that I love and where Id grown up. I would love to do that again. That is coupled with a deep concern about the direction of the country. There are real challenges ahead such as the Brexit negotiations and the uncertainty of another independence referendum. Im determined to do what I can to fight against another independence referendum and get the country back on the right track.

She also talked about the issue of tuition fees, saying that she has learned from that experience:

Ms Swinson says that she realises that people are still angry with the Liberal Democrats for going into a coalition with the Conservatives and for breaking some manifesto commitments, such as on student tuition fees. And she admits that voting to raise tuition fees was a mistake. She said: Everyone makes mistakes. We were trying to create a policy within a set of restrictions when we should have challenged the constraints and gone to the treasury to find the money. I take responsibility for that mistake and it has taught me to trust my instincts more in the future.

You can read the whole interview here.

If you can help Jo regain her seat, volunteer here or donate here.

* Newshound: bringing you the best Lib Dem commentary in print, on air or online.
The Aberystwyth Liberal Democrats and particularly its strong and close-knit branch of Young Liberals are in shock today after learning that the incoming Vice-Chair of the Welsh Young Liberals (IR Cymru) Emily Price died in hospital last night.

She had been taken ill after being elected as a Town Councillor in Aberystwyth last week.

On social media, I see her described as beautiful, gentle, kind, funny, someone who was going places  clearly someone who was a popular and well-loved member of her community.

Last Monday she handed in her university dissertation. She had been going to do her Masters in the town next year.

Mark Cole, whos an Honorary President of IR Cymru, paid tribute to Emily:

Emilys sudden and tragic loss is incomprehensible. Emily was a real character and she was a beloved member of the Aberystwyth University students group of which she was until recently the President. She had helped lead a revitalised society that put so much effort into recent Parliamentary, Assembly and Council campaigns. But she also led a renaissance in the social activities of the group  I havent known such a close-knit and family-like group of liberal students in Aberystwyth for many years and Emily was very much the happy matriarch of this growing brood of young liberals. I was delighted when Emily herself was elected to Aberystwyth Town Council last week having recently accepted an offer to stay on do study a Masters in the town. She was going to contribute so much more to the civic life of her University town. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her but she will be remembered with great fondness and love for everything that she achieved in her tragically short life and for everything that was left undone.

Feel free to share memories of Emily in the comments and know that the thoughts of the Liberal Democrat Voice team are with her friends and family as they come to terms with her loss.

You dont expect, when youre in your teens and early twenties, to be losing one of your peers. I remember when I was at university, a couple of my fellow students died, one in a bicycle accident and the other incredibly quickly from a vicious form of Leukaemia. Thirty years on, I still remember the light and intelligence and positivity that they brought to the world. Emilys time with us may have been heartbreakingly short, but what she gave to those around her will inform, inspire and motivate her friends for the rest of their lives.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
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NO date has yet been given for the closure of the Cahermoyle House Nursing Home in Ardagh which is currently home to approximately 25 residents.

But residents, their families and staff members have been informed of the closure.

This is an ongoing situation, the director of nursing, William Beaton told the Limerick Leader.

My role, responsibility and my wish is to make sure that everything is done to protect the welfare of all involved.

Mr Beaton declined to give any reasons for the closure.

But now Sinn Feins Cllr Seamus Browne has called on the HSE to step in and prevent the home closing down. And he has claimed the owners had cited financial difficulties as the primary reason.

It is unacceptable that the facility should be allowed to close, he said. This is a facility that provides a very high standard of care, but simply because it is not financially viable as a business, it will be closed.

The HSE should immediately act to ensure that the nursing home is stabilised financially, and does not cease trading until at least all current residents have found appropriate alternative care.

The difficulty is, the residents of Cahermoyle will have to be moved to other locations if the nursing home is to close. This will have an obviously upsetting effect for many of the residents and there will even be difficulty in finding such alternative beds, Cllr Browne said.

Furthermore, given our ageing population and the already existent shortage of nursing home beds it is simply ludicrous that such a facility should be allowed to close, he added.

He warned that the closure would put additional strain on other homes and even hospitals and also expressed concern for the staff members currently employed there.

It would make sense, Cllr Browne said, for the HSE to take it over on a long-term basis.

Cahermoyle House was the home of William Smith OBrien who took part in the 1848 Young Irelanders rebellion and of his daughter, the poet and activist Charlotte Grace OBrien. It was later a novitiate for the Oblate Fathers before becoming a nursing home.
A CONVICTED drug dealer who was selling wholesale quantities of cocaine from a mobile ice-cream van at parks and public events has been jailed for two years.

Paul Collopy, aged 41, who has an address at Glenbrook, Bloodmill Road, previously admitted having a large quantity of cocaine for the purpose of sale or supply on November 25, 2014.

The drugs, which had a street value of around 6,000, were found concealed in and ice-cream van which was parked outside his home

Collopy was removing a tub of cocaine from the engine block under the bonnet when gardai arrived.

A further quantity of cocaine was found in a money bag on a shelf in the van while 5,000  the proceeds of drug dealing  was found inside the house.

The bag also contained two "tick lists" which indicated around 45,000 worth of cocaine had been sold.

Detective Garda David McGrath said Collopy was a chronic cocaine and crack cocaine addict and that he believed he was acting as a drugs wholesaler rather than a street dealer.

Collopy started transporting coal on a horse and cart when younger but after getting involved in the ice cream business, discovered it was an easy way to hide and sell drugs.

Det Garda McGrath said the father-of-three, who has 70 previous convictions, was spending up to 200 a day to feed his habit around the time of the offence.

He previously served a five year prison sentence after he was convicted, in December 2007, of possession of cocaine worth around 17,000.

He was released in 2011 but received a further lengthy prison sentence last year after he admitted having heroin, worth almost 27,000 in Ennis on November 22, 2015 - two months after he was charged in connection with the Limerick offence.

Imposing sentence, Judge Tom ODonnell noted there was a commercial element to the defendants offending and that he was an active dealer.

He said Collopys admissions and guilty plea were mitigating factors as was the fact he is making efforts to with his addictions.

Noting the defendant is currently serving a six year prison sentence (for the Ennis offence) the judge said he had to be conscious of the principal of totality. He imposed a four year sentence, suspending the final two years.

The sentence is to be served consecutively to the sentence he is currently serving.
A COUNCILLOR has called for gun and hunting clubs to be utilised in reducing the mink population in County Limerick.

Cllr Bill ODonnell raised his concerns about the member of the weasel family at a Cappamore-Kimallock municipal district meeting.

They need to be trapped and humanely dispatched, said Cllr ODonnell.

When contacted by the Leader after the meeting, Eamon ORiordan, chairman of Kilmallock/Kilfinane Anglers Association, said minks are playing a major part in the decimation of fish stocks in rivers.

It is very serious. It is more serious than people realise. Numbers are growing and growing  they have no natural predators, that is the biggest problem, said Eamon.

While he describes them as secretive animals he says you will see them along the banks of rivers and tributaries throughout the county.

They are clever. I would see them often enough when I would be fishing up along the river. You see them scurrying along the bank, he said.

Eamon says minks kill anything they can.

They kill for the sake of killing  for the fun of it. It isnt that they kill fish and eat them  they will kill them and leave them there. I have seen quite a lot of evidence of fish they have killed and they left on the bank afterwards.

It isnt just salmon and trout, they would take anything - ducks, pheasants, any of the wild fowl that are on the river, said Eamon, who stresses that he has no problem with otters in the rivers.

They are native, the minks are not native  they have been introduced and have no enemies so they are multiplying and multiplying. They can travel long distances and come up along tributaries. I would see them as being a major threat to fish stocks. They are having a very bad effect on rivers, he said.

The species found in Ireland is the American mink. They are usually escapees from mink farms which were established in Ireland in the 1950s.

When the price of fur crashed there wasnt much demand for mink. In general, they are about 18 to 24 inches in length, including its bushy 5 to 7 inch tail and weigh 1 1/2 to 3 lbs, according to Wildlife Management Services.

As an example of their density, one angler counted 11 minks in a Kilmallock town section of the river Loobagh and another spotted 13 in a stretch located about half a mile outside the town. They can have upto 10 offspring.

This shows how quickly they can populate an area. A farmer further downstream recently saw an adult mallard duck taken down and drowned by a mink, said Eamon.

Anne Goggin, senior executive engineer in the councils environment section, said it is a huge concern for anglers.

I became aware of it as an issue through dealings with anglers and rivers trusts. Minks dont have any natural predators in this country so they are thriving and numbers are increasing.

They are very aggressive animals. They do huge damage to birds and fish, said Anne.
THE boss of one of Limericks biggest employers believes the company could double its workforce in the coming years.

Clive Bellows, who heads Northern Trusts Irish operation, believes the financial services firm could add a further 1,000 people to its books locally.

He was speaking at an event in Limericks Clayton Hotel, which focused on how to make the Mid-West region a financial hub.

Mr Bellows believes Northern Trust  which has bases at the Ballysimon Road and in the National Technology Park  will continue to be able to grow in the city due to the number of talented graduates coming from the University of Limerick and the Limerick Institute of Technology.

Seven years ago, our Limerick office only had 100 people. Were now close to 1,000 people. When I joined, I had in my mind wed grow to 500 people. But now I see no reason we cannot grow closer to 2,000 people over a ten year period, he said.

Around half the staff we have in Limerick have come straight from the University of Limerick or the Limerick Institute of Technology. The quality of graduates we have here are exceptional, Mr Bellows said.

IDA Irelands Mid-Western manager Niall OCallaghan welcomed Mr Bellowss comments, but said improvements still need to be made to the citys infrastructure.

We have worked hard to build the cluster which already exists. Is there a potential for more activity? Were always out there trying to fight for the foreign direct investment in the market. ButId err on the side of caution as to what needs to be done in the city to attract more investment. Thats where my focus is, said Mr OCallaghan, who also addressed the conference.

He said vast improvements need to be made to the traffic issues around the University of Limerick and the National Technology Park.

Were seeing some improvements in the pipeline in terms of office space in Limerick. But its slower than what wed like.

Wed like to see this come to the market a lot quicker. But if you have the location, talent and infrastructure in place, as we do, there is no reason we cannot win more investment, the IDA boss added.

The conference at the Clayton Hotel was organised by the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (Ibec).

The purpose of the event is to bring capital beyond the capital.

Among the other guest speakers were the founding UL president Dr Edward Walsh, Denis McCarthy, who heads Fexco, and Shane Blake the human resource manager at another financial firm ACI Worldwide.
May 12, 2017, 3 PM

New York Times reporter James Barrons new book about the British Guiana 1856 1 Magenta provides delightful vignettes of the colorful characters who have owned the worlds most expensive stamp. The One-Cent Magenta Inside the Quest to Own the Most Valuab

By Charles Snee

When I was a youngster in the mid-1970s, I was fascinated with superlatives, and the Guinness Book of World Records was my bible.

Tucked somewhere among the pages of my well-worn copy was the record for the worlds most valuable stamp.

A somewhat grainy black-and-white picture showed an odd-looking, eight-sided stamp from an exotic sounding country: British Guiana.

I dont recall if I ever consulted an atlas to find British Guiana on a map. But I vividly remember the stamps value, as cited in the Guinness Book: $286,000. And the stamp was described as unique, one of a kind.

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Now Ive learned over the years that unique is a word tossed around with surprising imprecision.

In the case of that mysterious stamp, however, the adjective fits like a glove  there is only one. It is, in fact, unique.

And that fact persuaded a very wealthy man who designs shoes to go after what stamp collectors the world over know as the British Guiana 1856 1 Magenta.

On June 17, 2014, at the Sothebys auction house in New York City, Stuart Weitzman, bidding anonymously, paid a record $9.48 million for the rarest stamp in the world.

Watch Linn's video of the Sotheby auction of the British Guiana 1 Magenta here.

Also in attendance that evening was James Barron, a 40-year veteran reporter for The New York Times who, as it turned out, was embarking on writing a book about the 1 Magenta.

That book, The One-Cent Magenta Inside the Quest to Own the Most Valuable Stamp in the World, was published earlier this year, on March 7.

Had it not been for a chance encounter, however, Barrons rollicking history of the stamp might never have come to fruition.

As Barron wryly puts it in the first sentence of the opening chapter of his book, My descent into Stamp World started at a cocktail party that had nothing to do with stamps.

At that soiree, Barron bumped into David Redden, vice president and an auctioneer for Sothebys. Barron, his reporters instincts in high gear, was angling for a possible story, and he knew Redden might have a nugget for him.

Redden informed him that he was about to sell an old postage stamp. Thus began Barrons quest to learn all he could about the 1 Magenta.

Before the stamp hit the auction block at Sothebys, it had to go through a rigorous authentication process, which included visits to the Royal Philatelic Society London and the National Postal Museum.

At the NPM, Barron and Redden carefully watched Thomas Lera, an expert in scientific analysis, put the stamp through a series of noninvasive tests that verified its genuineness.

Barrons recounting of the NPM visit and highlights of the stamps history, headlined The Mona Lisa of Stamps to Be Auctioned at Sothebys, appeared in the May 2 issue of the Times.

That story, Barron told me, got the attention of Algonquin Books, which decided a book about the stamp was worth pursuing.

Barron got the green light, and before too long he was immersed in what he affectionately calls Stamp World.

He sought to recount the fascinating history behind the stamp in a way that would appeal to seasoned philatelists and non-collectors alike.

When he attended the Sothebys sale in June 2014, stereotypes hed heard about nerdy, closeted collectors were dispelled. That was not my notion from what I saw at the sale, he said.

Rather, he observed people who were part of a pleasantly cloistered, detail oriented world.

And that world  Stamp World, as Barron calls it  comes to life in vivid, entertaining ways throughout his book.

In a talk presented March 25 at the Garfield-Perry March Party show in Cleveland, Barron recounted some of the flamboyant characters associated with the 1 Magenta whom he profiles with a nuanced balance of humor and reverence.

Among these philatelic luminaries is Arthur Hind, an industrialist from Utica, N.Y., who shelled out $32,500 for the stamp in 1922.

Although he had other great rarities in his collection, Barron writes that Hind considered the 1 Magenta his most important purchase, for it was the one that brought him what he cherished most: fame.

Forty-eight years later, Irwin Weinberg added to the stamps fame when he and eight investors teamed up in a limited partnership and purchased it for $286,000 at Robert A. Siegels Rarities of the World sale in 1970.

For the next 10 years, Weinberg raised the publicity of the stamp to dizzying heights, marketing the hobbys rarest artifact with hoopla and hype.

From philatelic exhibitions around the world to an appearance on To Tell the Truth, Weinberg was the stamps greatest promoter.

In Weinbergs formulation, which Barron quotes, I was trying to introduce it to the world, and maybe find a buyer.

Weinberg and a group of investors found that buyer in 1980, when John. E. du Pont paid a record $935,000, also at a Siegel sale.

A first-rate collector, du Pont bid under the pseudonym Rae Maeder, a clever anagram of Demerara, the locale in British Guiana where the stamp had been printed and postmarked.

Of particular interest to this reviewer is Barrons recounting of du Ponts close, decades-long friendship with Robert Odenweller, whom Ive known since my early days with Linns and count as a philatelic colleague and friend.

As Barron puts it, du Pont, according to a recollection from du Ponts mother, viewed the now-retired airline pilot and accomplished philatelist as the brother he never had.

When du Pont was in prison for the 1996 murder of Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler Dave Schultz, Odenweller paid him visits and delivered news from Stamp World.

John du Pont died in prison in 2010. Four years later, his most famous possession came to Stuart Weitzman, a luminary on the turbo-charged stage of fashion design who, Barron writes, was once a boy in Queens with a couple of stamp albums  and stared at the empty space for the one-cent magenta.

Although Weitzman fell away from the hobby as a teenager, he never forgot about the worlds rarest stamp. And he resolved that one day he would own it.

With that mission accomplished in June 2014, Weitzman agreed to put the stamp on display at the National Postal Museum.

The NPM exhibit featuring the 1 Magenta opened June 4, 2015, and is scheduled to run until November 2017.

Near the end of his tome, Barron observes that Weitzman doesnt consider himself a stamp collector but a collector of one-of-a-kind objects.

Some in the philatelic fraternity might be tempted to dismiss Weitzman because of this outlook, but Id wager that the previous owners of the 1 Magenta also were magnetically drawn to it because it is unique.

In a very real sense, the 1 Magenta has transcended its philatelic nature to become a globally famous object of allure and desire.

It has been a record-setter time after time not because it is a stamp but because it is the only one of its kind, Barron concludes.

Thankfully, Barrons The One-Cent Magenta is not unique. Copies are readily available at bookstores and through online retailers such as Amazon.

Once youve read it, pass it along to a collector friend. Better still, give it to someone outside Stamp World  they just might want to join in the fun and excitement of collecting stamps.
Extreme births

(Image credit: Paul Gilham/Getty)

Giving birth to the next generation can be an extreme event for mothers (and, if you're a sea horse, fathers) in the animal kingdom.

In appreciation of all the mothers out there on Mother's Day, Live Science has compiled a list of the eight most extreme animal births. Read on to see cute animal babies, and to gain a new respect for the mothers who went through great feats to bring their children into this world.

Naked mole rats

(Image credit: Smithsonian's National Zoo)

Naked mole rats (Heterocephalus glaber) are incredibly social mammals that live in colonies. But each colony has just one reproductive female: the queen.

She isn't part of a family line, however. Rather, if another female wants to become queen, "she has to go up to the current queen and kill her," said Kenton Kerns, the assistant curator of small mammals at Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

Once she becomes queen, the matriarch starts having babies, usually about 10 to 15 at a time, which is fairly similar to the number of pups birthed by other rodents, such as mice or rats. However, the number of the litter grows over time. That's because naked mole rats are the only mammals whose bones grow after they reach adulthood, Kerns said.

"Every time the [queen] gets pregnant, her intervertebral disc space  the space between her vertebrae on her spine  will get just a tiny bit bigger, and then bigger and bigger every time she has a litter," Kerns told Live Science.

At her peak, the queen can give birth to a litter of 33 babies, each about the size of a "robust kidney bean," he said. This litter size is the largest of any mammal on Earth, Kerns said.

Prehensile-tailed porcupine

(Image credit: Smithsonian's National Zoo)

The prehensile-tailed porcupine (Coendou prehensilis) from South America goes through two extreme events during birth. For starters, these porcupine babies are born fully quilled. The quills are soft in the womb, but harden once exposed to air. Still, giving birth can be difficult, especially if the baby is born breech (bottom first), Kerns said.

The second extreme factor comes from the place of the birth: a tree. Kerns said he has never seen a newborn porcupine fall out of a tree, but it likely happens in the wild occasionally.

"The last one we had here [at the National Zoo], we watched him cling for dear life onto a branch while the umbilicus was coming off," Kerns said.

Tenrec

(Image credit: Smithsonian's National Zoo)

The tiny tenrec looks like a cross between a shrew and a hedgehog, but it is neither. In fact, this animal is more closely related to the elephant than to either of these animals.

Tenrecs are covered with spines. Unlike the porcupine, whose quills have barbs that can get stuck in the skin of predators, the tenrec keeps its spines its entire life.

Still, just like the porcupine, the tenrec mother must give birth to a spiky baby. The spines are soft in the womb but harden once they hit the air, as with the porcupine. But the prehensile-tailed porcupine usually has just one baby at a time. Tenrecs have between two and 10 babies per litter, which is a lot of spikes to deal with, Kerns said.

Short-eared elephant shrew

(Image credit: Clyde Nishimura/FONZ Photo Club/Smithsonians National Zoo/Flickr/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

The short-eared elephant shrew (Macroscelides proboscideus) is tiny; it measures about 4 inches (10 centimeters) long and weighs no more than 1.5 ounces (43 grams), according to the National Zoo.

But Mom's weight can increase by 50 percent when she has two babies. Each newborn weighs about 0.3 ounces (10 g), so a litter of two would weigh about twice that.

"Think about being 40 g [originally] and having 20 g [0.7 ounces] worth of baby," Kerns said. "That is half of your body weight when you're not pregnant that you just gave birth to."

Giraffes

(Image credit: Paul Gilham/Getty)

The giraffe's birth is extreme because of the long drop the baby takes the moment it enters the outside world.

In a typical giraffe birth, the baby's front hooves poke out of the mother first, followed by the nose and head. After about 30 to 60 minutes of labor, the mother pushes the baby out. Then, the calf unceremoniously drops about 6.5 feet (2 meters) to the ground, making a terrific thud.

It might sound inhumane, but the fall is necessary. It ruptures the amniotic sac, allowing the baby to start breathing on its own, Laurie Holloway, a spokesperson for the Dallas Zoo, told Live Science in 2011.

Spotted hyenas

(Image credit: Rob Belterman/Sunshine/Zuma)

Spotted hyena births are not for the faint of heart. In the final stages of pregnancy, high-ranking female spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) expose their fetuses to high levels of androgen, a male sex hormone linked to aggression, Live Science previously reported.

This extra androgen can make the pups more aggressive, giving them an edge over their peers, but it can also cause the mother's reproductive organs to grow. For instance, the clitoris, which contains the birth canal, can extend 7 inches (18 centimeters) from the body, Kay Holekamp, a professor of integrative biology at Michigan State University, told Live Science in 2006.

"Imagine giving birth through a penis," Holekamp said. "It's really weird genitalia, but it seems to work. Although giving birth through a 'penis' isn't a trivial problem."

What's more, the hyena's birth canal is just an inch (2.5 cm) in diameter, and a 2-lb. (0.9 kilograms) pup can rip through the tissue as it exits the mother. Poor Mom can die from these rips, as is evidenced by the high death rate among first-time hyena mothers, Live Science reported.

Kiwis

(Image credit: Jon Arnold Images Ltd/Alamy)

The kiwi's egg occupies up to 25 percent of its mother's body, making it the largest egg, proportional to body size, of any bird in the world, according to the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City. That's one egg-treme egg to lay!

Due to the egg's size, kiwi birth is equivalent to a chicken laying a 1-lb. (0.4 kg) egg or a human giving birth to a 4-year-old child, according to Audubon.

Luckily, there's an upside to mom's large load. The egg is so big that the baby is fairly developed by the time it hatches, according to the AMNH.

Humans

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Humans can also have extreme births. For one thing, it can be fatal to the mother: About 830 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth every day, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). However, access to health care is improving, the WHO said. Between 1990 and 2015, maternal mortality dropped by about 44 percent worldwide, the WHO reported.

Even when it's not deadly, human birth can be extreme for the mother. Women who go into labor experience contractions, a tightening of the uterus that works to push the baby down the birth canal, according to the American Pregnancy Association. Their cervix dilates, and then they push until they evict both the baby and the placenta.

If a cesarean (C-section) is needed, doctors will make an incision through the abdominal and uterine walls so that the physicians can pull out the baby, the association said. In the United States, about 32 percent of all births are C-sections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Human babies need a lot of TLC  tender love and care. But they can help make a loving family  and maybe even a Mother's Day card if they remember when they're older.
Different species? No problem

(Image credit: Grigorita Ko/Shutterstock)

Mother's Day is a time to celebrate the important role that moms play in the lives of their children. But human mothers aren't the only ones worth celebrating. There are plenty of hardworking mothers in the animal kingdom that also deserve recognition for their parenting. In fact, some animals' maternal instincts even go beyond the bounds of their species. Check out these incredible stories of interspecies parenting  from a French bulldog that adopted wild boar piglets to a cat that nursed baby chicks.

French bulldog and piglets

(Image credit: Michael Sohn/AP)

A French bulldog named Baby "adopted" six little wild boar piglets when they were brought to the Lehnitz animal sanctuary outside Berlin, Germany, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Only three days old, the piglets were shivering from cold when they arrived. Baby started snuggling them and keeping them warm, a sanctuary worked told the AP. The piglets' mother was likely killed by a hunter, and the litter was found in a forest. While the piglets were bottle-fed, Baby would attend their feeding and look over the litter, reported the AP.

Macaque monkey and kitten

(Image credit: Solent News/Rex/Zuma)

This long-tailed macaque was photographed tenderly holding a white-and-ginger kitten, which was only about 7 weeks old, in her arms as if it was her own baby. According to the photographer, the pet monkey cared for the feral kitten  grooming it and ensuring it was safe from harm  on the edge of a small river in the village of Lingsar, Lombok, Indonesia.

Dog and baby pig

(Image credit: Animal Press/Getty)

Katjinga, an 8-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback, became a surrogate mother for Paulinchen, a tiny Vietnamese pot-bellied pig, after the piglet was rejected by her mother. The giant farm dog gladly accepted the piglet as one of her own pups, and even started feeding her with her own milk.

Baboon and bush baby

(Image credit: Alamy)

This seven-month-old yellow baboon was rescued in northern Kenya and brought to the Animal Orphanage at the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) headquarters in Nairobi. There, the baboon met a young galago, or bush baby, that was rescued in central Kenya. After meeting at the orphanage, the baboon "adopted" the galago, giving it affection and protecting it as if it were her own offspring.

Greyhound and owl

(Image credit: Newscom)

After a tiny, baby owl named Shrek had to be taken from her mother for her own protection at just three days old, a dog stepped in as caretaker. Torque, a 6-month-old greyhound, bonded with the owl at an animal center and would act as the bird's protector.

Hippo and tortoise

(Image credit: Newscom)

Baby hippo Owen was separated from his family during a tsunami, and was taken to a sanctuary in Mombasa, Kenya. At the sanctuary, Owen was scared, according to his caretakers, and hid behind a giant tortoise named Mzee. Mzee, a 130-year-old male Aldabran tortoise, became Owen's new "mother." The pair was soon inseparable, with the young hippo nudging the ancient tortoise to take walks together.

Duck and chicks

(Image credit: JoAnn Schultz/YouTube)

This duck was determined to be a mother, according to her owner, but was alone on the farm without a mate. An unattended nest of chicken eggs drew the duck in, and she sat on the nest until the eggs hatched  treating the chicks like her own.

Dog and Siberian tigers

(Image credit: China Photos/Getty Images)

A golden retriever at the Changchun Zoo in China became the surrogate mother for a pair of newborn Siberian tigers. The tigers were delivered by an 8-year-old circus tiger, but the dog took on mothering duties, including nursing the tigers along with two puppies.

Elephant and sheep

(Image credit: National Geographic/YouTube)

When Themba's mother died, the 6-month-old elephant calf had difficulty adjusting to life in his new home at a rehabilitation center, according to a National Geographic video. A conservation team thought the young elephant could use the company of a new maternal figure, which turned out to be a male sheep from a nearby farm. Albert the sheep made Themba calmer and more comfortable, and the calf slowly gained his health back.

Gorilla and kittens

(Image credit: kokoflix/YouTube)

Koko the gorilla adopted two kittens on her 44th birthday, and her maternal instinct quickly kicked in, according to the Gorilla Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes the protection and preservation of gorillas and other great apes. Koko nurtured and protected the kittens as if they were her own babies. The gorilla's caretakers said looking after the kittens energized Koko's world.
THE REV. MARY THERESA STRECK

Background: She is a priest, a founder of the Upper Room Inclusive Catholic Community in Albany and member of the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests.

She was born in Albany, graduated from Vincentian Institute in 1965 and joined the Sisters of St. Joseph in Latham. She taught elementary school at St Jude's in Wynantskill and St. Augustine in Lansingburgh and art at Catholic Central High School in Troy.

She earned master's degrees in elementary education at Sage College and art education at SUNY New Paltz, and doctorates in education leadership from the Sage Colleges and ministry from Global Ministries University. Her husband, Jay Murnane, died at 59 in 2004. She lives in Menands in the home where she grew up.

When did the Upper Room Inclusive Catholic Community begin?

Four years ago, I was the first woman to be ordained a priest by the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests. My ministry with the newly forming inclusive community began when I sent out an email to my friends to come to my home for liturgy. Twenty-five people came, over 40 were there for the second liturgy. We moved from my home to Troy and, on Pentecost 2014, named ourselves the Upper Room.

Why did you choose that name?

We met on the second floor of an old factory in Troy, and we were reminded of Jesus who gathered with his disciples in the Upper Room for the Last Supper. We decided we were a modern-day expression of the Upper Room.

How is the Upper Room different from a Catholic parish?

We are looking at a new model of church that is not hierarchical and truly respects its membership. We are not just adding women priests to a leadership role. I am part of a leadership team of ordained and non-ordained calling forth the gifts of the community. Everyone is invited to contribute to a shared homily and to participate in the eucharistic prayer, which means everyone recites the words of Jesus at the Consecration, not only the priests. Our creed is based on contemporary Catholic theology and reflects Jesus' teaching in the gospel. Our focus is not on dogma but on living the compassion of Jesus in our world. This is a huge paradigm shift that is happening slowly in the Catholic Church.

Why does the Upper Room Community consider itself Roman Catholic?

The church is our heritage. We chose to stay Catholic because we love its mystical, social justice and sacramental tradition. We want to renew the church by reclaiming its early roots. We are creating an open table where all are welcome, especially those on the margins.

When we began meeting, we had all read Matthew Fox's "Original Blessing," which opened the door. Fox was a Dominican priest and one of the visionaries of our time who outlined the difference between atonement theology and a theology of blessing. We realized we're not born in original sin, but original blessing. Roy Bourgeois, who provided a liturgy for our ordination, is prophetic and heroic, though he paid dearly to follow his conscience. It cost him his membership as a Maryknoll priest.

What is your relationship with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany?

We have never been confrontational with the Albany diocese. I think Pope Francis is a wonderful pope for our time, providing great leadership in many areas of social justice. He has called for a commission that may recommend opening the door to women deacons. I see women deacons as a possible first step toward women priests and the full equality of women in all areas of ministry in the church.

I hope that a future dialogue will lead to an appreciation of women priests in a renewed priestly ministry in a discipleship of equals.

How is the Upper Room community connected with the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests?

Six members of the Upper Room Inclusive Catholic Community have been ordained by the association. Two members will be ordained at the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Albany on July 8. The Roman Catholic Women Priests movement began in 2002 with the ordination of seven women in Germany. It has grown to 250. I participated in the most recent ordination in Asheville, N.C., on April 30.

You've been a nun, a teacher, a community organizer, a wife and widow, and you're a priest.

I knew when in the third grade at St. Pius X in Loudonville that I was going to be a Sister of St. Joseph. When I joined at 17, I was just a kid learning what it meant to be a woman. It was an amazing place to grow up. I learned to be a strong woman because I was with other strong women of faith with a focus on ministry and service. I ended up living on Eighth Street in Troy in an apartment with other nuns, including Mary Jane Smith when she began her ministry with Unity House. She was a powerhouse.

I left the sisters after 18 years and continued my ministry the next day. I didn't leave because I was dissatisfied. I left because I found my soul mate and the love of my life. What followed were the best years of my life. I already had a lot of formal education, but being with children and young adults, that was my real education.

I had been developing programs with an education component for public housing residents at the Taylor Apartments, and I was working with Jay Murnane. Jay was an Albany priest in campus ministry, a chaplain at RPI and Sage College, and a wonderful presence in the diocese, living at the Taylor Apartments and working with his neighbors. We started the Ark after-school art program in 1978 and the Ark Community Charter School in North Troy in 2001 to continue to work with children struggling with issues caused by poverty.

The school closed in 2014. The state judged the level of learning only by standardized tests, and we fell short. But the children were brilliant. We've watched those kids go on and be successful in middle and high school. The first child who came to the Ark in 1978 is now executive director of its after-school program partnering with the Lansingburgh School District.

Will inclusive Catholic communities with women priests be accepted by the pope and church hierarchy?

We can hope. One hundred years from now, we'll say, "Of course, women should be priests." But change will never happen unless you have a Joan of Arc or Rosa Parks. It takes an open mind and communities, like the Upper Room, living the vision of gospel equality now.

The church is going through another Reformation that is shaking up the clerical and hierarchical system. We are evolving as a church and we're a part of the growing pains. It is important that we have creative thinkers who are added to the discussion.

Thirty-three million Catholics have left the church over a variety of issues like the church's teaching on divorce and remarriage, gay, lesbian and transgender relationships.

We're the pioneers of a church where all are welcome to receive sacraments. We're the Rosa Parks of the church. We are leading the church into its future, which is now.

We meet Sundays at 10 a.m. in Albany at the New Covenant Presbyterian Church, 916 Western Ave.

What's next?

Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan and I started People's Catholic Seminary for women interested in walking the path to ordination. It provides a seminary experience without walls that presents theology for the 21st century from a progressive perspective to inspire and educate individuals and groups who embrace a vision of church that is inclusive, liberating, empowering and equal.

 Rob Brill
LONDON - As the world began to understand the dimensions of "Wanna Decrypt0r 2.0," the ransomware that has crippled computers worldwide Friday, a British cybersecurity researcher was already several steps ahead.

About 3 p.m. Eastern, the specialist with U.S. cybersecurity enterprise Kryptos Logic bought an unusually long and nonsensical domain name ending with "gwea.com." The 22-year-old says he paid $10.69, but his purchase might have saved companies and governmental institutions around the world billions of dollars.

By purchasing the domain name and registering a website, the cybersecurity researcher claims that he activated a kill switch. It immediately slowed the spread of the malware and could ultimately stop its current version, cybersecurity experts said Saturday.

Hidden in the malware, the kill switch probably was not supposed to be activated anytime soon. Perhaps, it was never supposed to be there in the first place.

When Darien Huss, a researcher with U.S. cybersecurity company Proofpoint, came across the strange domain in the code Friday evening, he immediately flagged his discovery on social media.

Alerted by the finding, a 22-year-old unidentified researcher who tweets using the handle @MalwareTechBlog decided to take action, without knowing what impact registering the domain would have.

While spreading to computers, the malware made requests to the unregistered website ending with "gwea.com." Until around 3 p.m. Friday, all of those requests went unanswered - likely triggering the activation of the malware.

For hours, a nonexistent website helped to cripple computers worldwide.

But as soon as the researcher registered the website out of curiosity about the unusual domain name, automatic requests immediately skyrocketed, according to screenshots published on his Twitter account. It was only then that the cyber researchers realized that they might have accidentally activated a kill switch in the ransomware.

"If the domain successfully resolves to an IP address, the malware will stop running," explained cybersecurity expert McArdle.

Speaking to The Washington Post on Saturday, the 22-year-old, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said using a domain name as a kill switch appeared unprecedented to him. "Previous malware has used such a check to detect analysis environments but not in a way which can be used to stop the malware," he said.

It remains unknown, however, whether the website domain really was supposed to be a deliberate kill switch. Cybersecurity expert McArdle said an accidental flaw in the ransomware is more likely.

"At first glance, this may appear to be a deliberate kill switch in the malware for the authors' use," said McArdle, referring to the possibility the malware's creators included the domain to be able to stop its spread if their operation gets out of control.

But "in reality it's a flaw that actually allowed for the spread of the malware to be greatly slowed down, albeit accidentally, by the researcher who registered it early during the outbreak," McArdle said.

Friday's discovery may have slowed the malware's spread, but it is unlikely to stop it, security experts said, because the malware's creators could soon release a different version without a kill switch. Given the international disruption the ransomware caused within a few hours, however, the current slowing of the malware could give companies crucial time to update their security softwares or to conduct backups.
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Coronado, Calif.

Chaos is President Donald Trump's style, yet as long as the Republican delivers on health care, taxes and tapping a new FBI director as solid as his Supreme Court pick, GOP leaders say everything will be just fine.

While Trump's abrupt firing of FBI Director James Comey roiled Washington, Republicans who attended the national committee's spring meeting outside San Diego this week defended the president's actions and insisted that they would have little political impact on midterm elections next year.

Even Trump's Friday morning tweetstorm warning Comey that he had better hope there are no "tapes" of their private conversations and threatening to cancel White House media briefings failed to dent his support among GOP leaders.

Gordon Kinne, a Missouri committeeman, said the president's latest tweets about Comey were an effort to keep the public informed, calling Trump "a different guy." Kinne said the firing was unavoidable.

Trump is "just cut from a different mold. He's a different type of candidate than we've ever had before. He is a true businessman, so he kind of makes decisions that way. It kind of shocks people. They're not used to it," Kinne said.

Republicans said the issues that Trump campaigned on would determine if the party keeps both houses of Congress.

Ron Nehring, a former California Republican Party chairman, said Comey's firing was far more important to journalists and Washington insiders than voters.

"Every day that something unexpected comes up out of the White House, we see people freaking out and then outside of Washington it doesn't really have that big of an impact," he said.

Dirk Haire, chairman of the Maryland Republican Party, said every president brings a new style.

"President Trump's style is chaos," Haire said. "Would I personally like that? No, it would drive me nuts. That's just the way he operates."

Among leading talk radio conservatives on Friday, criticism was directed at the news media for the use of anonymous sources on the story, not Trump. Laura Ingraham tweeted that the reporting was "false," while Hugh Hewitt said Comey's successor was what mattered.

Hewitt did critique Trump's suggestion that the White House cease holding briefings. Trump "needs more direct on-the-record" contact with the media, "not less."

The harshest criticism came from conservative Erick Erickson.

"The overwhelming majority of Trump voters will double down in their support of Trump," Erickson wrote on his website Friday morning. "Many of us see this as unhinged, suspicious and headed toward impeachment-level."

At the RNC meeting, Kris Warner, a West Virginia committeeman, predicted that Comey's successor will put to rest any voter misgivings about Trump's handling of the FBI, holding up the president's selection of Neil Gorsuch for a long-vacant seat on the Supreme Court.

"I expect nothing short of someone beyond reproach and (it) will be exactly what the country needs," said Warner, a Trump delegate at last year's party convention. "Look at his Supreme Court pick. Very impressed with that, and I would expect him to do the same with the FBI."

Party leaders said Trump was right to fire Comey, or at least that he had a right to do it.

Kyle Hupfer, chairman of the Indiana Republican Party, said picking the FBI chief is a president's prerogative, despite tradition that the post be held for 10 years regardless of who occupies the White House. He said backlash to Comey's dismissal was "not resonating" with Indiana voters.

On Thursday, about 300 protesters marched on the beach, chanting, "Hey, hey, ho, ho, Donald Trump has got to go!" They were kept a good distance from the iconic Hotel del Coronado, where some party members looked out from a patio bar.
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Fran first met Charlie, a potato farmer, when he delivered a batch of winter potatoes to her parents. He wore patchy blue jeans and a holey T-shirt. He hadnt shaved.

I said, My, shes pretty, Charlie said.

Later on, Fran saw Charlie at the farmers market in downtown Midland. He hadnt noticed her.

I thought he was a tramp, Fran said, laughing.

But by their second date, he had cleaned up.

She sat on my lap so often, she wore them out, Charlie said of the new pants he donned. We only needed one chair anywhere we went.

Fran Longsdorf turns 78 on Tuesday and Charlie will be 83 on Wednesday. On June 8, theyll have been married 61 years.

Fran said she grew up on a farm, the youngest of 12. Her father had 120 acres, a sizeable spread in those days. At one point she was washing 600 eggs every day.

I was raised a farm girl, I know what hard work was, she said.

But at 15, Fran said she was not mature enough to marry. Still she told her parents, of Charlie, Thats the man I want to marry.

In June 1956, they tied a knot that would come to hold for six decades. Charlie had asked her parents permission to marry Fran. She turned 17 in May that year, and Charlie was five years her senior.

We got married at 8 oclock at night (on a Friday) because he had to milk the cows, Fran said.

Charlie wasnt the only one to clean up. On that second date, Charlie said, I told her if she wanted another date, shed have to quit (smoking).

And I did, no problem, Fran said.

The Longsdorfs have lived west of town off M-20 for decades. Theyd come to tend a 35-acre spread of sweet corn, which theyd sell at the farmers market at lot No. 5. Fran remembers picking at 5:30 a.m. and loading the ears into a Suburban with the seats removed and a camper attached to a pickup.

They were standing in line at 7 oclock in the morning for our corn, Fran said.

One of the customers, as Fran recalls, was Alden B. Dows housekeeper. Others came from the Upper Peninsula, Ohio and Illinois. Fran said they were the first in the area to harvest Illini Xtra Sweet hybrid sweet corn, which packed at least double the sweetness over others.

He was known at work as Sweet Corn Charlie, Fran said.

They also sold peppers, squash, green beans, yellow beans, beets, pumpkins, Indian corn, gourds, winter squash by the bushel, Swiss chard (a bunch sold for a dime) and watermelons (30 to 40 pounds each).

We sold quite a bit of stuff down there, Fran said.

Charlie would work his way up the ranks at The Dow Chemical Co., first as a bagger in the 206 building and later as an operator at the 440 building. He retired in 1991.

Their last year at the market was 1979. This week, the couple perused the new Wednesday evening market on its opening day. It was their first trip back in six or seven years. Charlie is in a wheelchair and Fran, who sometimes uses a walker, said its difficult to get around. But it wasnt crowded, Charlie said. They saw a few people they knew.

It was interesting the way its changed over the years, he said. There were an awful lot of flowers and things they didnt have back then. They didnt sell popcorn back then.

The Longsdorfs stopped growing in 1997 due to Charlies health. Fran, whos also had health issues, is a retired minister and now a visiting minister at Aldersgate United Methodist Church. She also took care of elderly in their nine-room home on Sandow Road, which was formerly a church.

Both keep busy these days. Fran has made scarves for Special Olympics, hats for babies and preemies. In one night, her nimble hands find a pattern to stitch a full dress for a small doll. Charlie researches genealogy, checking websites that match his DNA to ancestors around the world.

They have a small lot with cucumbers, beets, pickles, yellow beans and green beans in the ground this year.

I cant give up on that, Fran said.

The two sat outdoors on Monday afternoon on a swing their son had made. From the porch they looked out to a combed field of dirt that will yield new crops this year. The Longsdorfs arent able to harvest the plot themselves anymore; they rent the land out. Fran cuddled their well-behaved but timid Yorkshire terrier, Meiko, whose stringy fur swayed in the unusually cool breeze that sounded low-hanging rows of wind chimes. She reached in to kiss a smiling Charlie.

She had a gleam in her eye that attracted me, Charlie said, remembering a love that started six decades ago.

Weve been happy. Gods blessed us, Fran said. Weve never had a major fight.

What does the future hold for the longtime Midlanders?

Going to heaven, Charlie said.
The unrepentant one-time Massey Energy chief executive Don Blankenship completed a one year prison sentence this week and immediately took to Twitter and cable television to lambaste the people he says unfairly blamed him for the accident that killed 29 miners in April 2010.

Blankenship was convicted of conspiring to violate mine safety and health standards at Massey's Upper Big Branch Mine, where the accident took place. He received the maximum jail sentence and was fined $250,000.

But Massey's tweet storm since his release on Wednesday illustrates that even in the coal patch, bitter disputes and personal enmities can last a long time.

Blankenship was not charged with directly causing the disaster, but he was accused of violating a long list of safety standards including mine ventilation, roof support and dust control, measures that have been effective in preventing mine explosions.

And while a jury acquitted Blankenship of felony charges, several investigations into Upper Big Branch - including one by the Mine Safety and Health Administration and one by an independent panel set up by the governor - concluded that Massey's pattern of safety lapses led to the accident.

Blankenship, however, blames the regulators. "Again one or the other lied. MSHA or prosecution witnesses. Which one is it?" he tweeted on May 11, referring to the Mine Safety and Health Administration, formerly headed by former mining union chief Joe Main.

And Blankenship has aimed several tweets at Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va. , who told ABC News in 2014 that Blankenship "has blood on his hands." On Thursday, Blankenship tweeted that Manchin "said I conspired to commit safety violations that caused the death of 29 miners. Not true. He needs to apologize now."

"I challenge Sen. Manchin to debate UBB truth. A U.S. Senator who says I have 'blood on my hands' should be man enough to face me in public."

In another missive he added, "Chemistry and forensic science make the UBB truth clear. Political science made it necessary that the Joes - Manchin and Main hide truth."

"A U.S. Senator who says I have 'blood on my hands' should be man enough to face me in public," he said in another, challenging Manchin to a debate.

The feud with Manchin goes back 15 years. Blankenship opposed a bond offering that Manchin backed when he was governor. They also tangled over a film Blankenship produced about the mine disaster after he left the company.

"Don hasn't changed one bit in his explanation of what actually happened or in the bias that went into this investigation and prosecution from the beginning," said William Taylor, a partner at the law firm Zuckerman Spaeder who represented Blankenship. "And he's right."

"I think to Don's credit he has not been cowed and he continues to believe that the truth has not really been told or if it has been it's been obscured by the constant chorus that Massey was a dangerous place to work," Taylor added.

Taylor noted that President Barack Obama called the disaster a failure of management before investigators could even get inside the mine.

Blankenship has also responded to critics by saying that MSHA rules led to the mine explosion.

But the independent investigative panel blamed both the company and MSHA. It said that Massey "did not live up to that charge" to run a mine safely and the mine safety administration failed to crack down on violations.

In March 2010, one month before the accident, the Upper Big Branch mine received 50 citations - for poor ventilation of dust and methane, failure to maintain proper escape ways, and the accumulation of combustible materials.

The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration cited the mine for 1,342 safety violations from 2005 through the accident for a total of $1.89 million in proposed fines, according to federal records. The company has contested 422 of those violations, totaling $742,830 in proposed penalties, according to federal officials.

In sentencing Blankenship, a West Virginia judge cited the chief executive's hard life story and said: "Instead of being able to tout you as one of West Virginia's success stories, however, we are here as a result of your part in a dangerous conspiracy."
New York

The head of New York City's troubled jail system resigned his post Friday, after he was criticized for using his city-owned SUV to repeatedly drive to vacations in Maine.

Department of Corrections Commissioner Joseph Ponte, who led Maine's state prison system for three years before he was hired to reform New York's Rikers Island jail in 2014, announced he was retiring in a statement that thanked correction employees for their work "to bring about meaningful reform and build a culture of safety at the department."

"I'm confident that all the hard work we've accomplished has positioned the department for even more meaningful reform in the days ahead," he said.

His departure comes after weeks of criticism over alleged ethical lapses.

New York's Department of Investigation, an anticorruption agency, released a report last month saying Ponte spent 90 days out of state last year in his department SUV. About a third of those days away came during the workweek.

City officials generally aren't allowed to use their taxpayer-funded vehicles for personal trips out of the region, the report said.

The report said other officials at the agency used their vehicles for trips to Cape Cod, the Hamptons and other destinations.

Ponte promised to repay the city, but a subsequent report accused corrections officials of using internal affairs officers to eavesdrop on conversations between Department of Investigation investigators and inmate informants at the jail.
Hackers unleashed an attack that disabled computers in dozens of nations Friday using a software flaw that once was part of the National Security Agency's surveillance tool kit.

The resulting wave of online chaos affected tens of thousands of machines worldwide, snarling operations at the Russian Interior Ministry, Spanish telecommunications giant Telefonica and Britain's National Health Services (NHS), where hospitals were hobbled and medical procedures interrupted.

Europe, Latin America and parts of Asia were hit particularly hard, although in the United States, FedEx also reported falling prey to the malware. The attack was the latest in a growing menace of "ransomware," in which hackers deliver files to computers that automatically encrypt their data, making it unusable - until a ransom is paid.

"This is not targeted at the NHS," British Prime Minister Theresa May told reporters. "It's an international attack, and a number of countries and organizations have been affected."

The hack renewed a long-running debate about the dangers of intelligence agencies such as the NSA collecting and using software flaws for espionage, rather than quickly alerting companies to vulnerabilities so they can fix them.

In this case, the NSA found a flaw in Microsoft software that made the hack possible. The agency reported the flaw to company after a security breach was discovered in August, according to former U.S. officials speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic.

Microsoft fixed the problem in a patch it released in March, before a group calling itself the "Shadow Brokers" publicly released it online in April.

But system administrators appear to have applied the patch inconsistently, leaving some computers vulnerable. The vulnerability gave the hackers what amounted a lock pick to the Microsoft software on computers that did not receive the update from the company or that used outdated operating systems.

It was not clear who was behind the campaign, which, experts said, was the first known time a hacker group used the NSA tools released by the Shadow Brokers to conduct a large-scale hack.

"These attacks underscore the fact that vulnerabilities will be exploited not just by our security agencies but by hackers and criminals around the world," the American Civil Liberties Union, a frequent NSA critic, said in a statement.

The NSA did not respond to requests for comment, but some experts expressed sympathy for the agency because it had warned Microsoft about the problem.

Peter Eckersley, technology projects director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based civil liberties group that has sharply criticized the NSA for its aggressive surveillance, said: "In this instance, it's a little unfair to blame the NSA. They could have been following the best possible defensive practices, and this probably would have gone down the same way."

Powerful NSA hacking tools have been revealed online

But the speed and scale of the malware spread startled experts. "It's one of the first times we've seen a large international global campaign," said Chris Camacho, chief strategy officer for Flashpoint, a cyber-intelligence company. "It's pretty shocking. This morning people woke up thinking it was only in Europe. Now it's hitting countries around the world. It's global."

Cybersecurity experts said that the malware arrived through "phishing" attacks in which recipients of emails were tricked into opening phony links. Once one computer in a system was infected, the malware spread to other machines on the same network. In some cases, the malware was delivered in spam emails.

The ransomware spread so quickly because it was delivered by a special digital code developed by the NSA to move from one unpatched computer to another, security experts said. They warned that the malware now could move from large networks to individual users.

"This could be the very first instance of the use of a 'ransom worm,' " Camacho said, coining a term that refers to a ransomware file that spreads across networks.

The program is called "Wanna Decrypt0r 2.0" and appears to support 28 languages, underscoring the global ambitions of its creators, said cybersecurity experts.

In a statement Friday, Microsoft said it had taken further steps to protect systems against the malware. "In March, we provided a security update which provides additional protections against this potential attack," the company said. "Those who are running our free anti-virus software and have Windows Update enabled, are protected. We are working with customers to provide additional assistance."

The Moscow-based Internet security company Kaspersky Lab said Friday that its security software - one of several major packages available to users worldwide - had detected "more than 45,000 attacks of the WannaCry ransomware in 74 countries around the world, mostly in Russia," using another name for the program. Kaspersky noted that the actual number of attacks may be far higher.

The program locks computers and then launches a ransom note in a text file, according to researchers at the Avast security software company in the Czech Republic. The note says that "you need to pay service fees for the decryption" and asks for $300 worth of bitcoin, a digital currency that is difficult to track, to be sent electronically to an address. It was not clear who would receive the funds.

A sum of $300 is a fairly low ransom when compared to some previous attacks, such as the one that took place in June at the University of Calgary, which agreed to pay nearly $16,000 in bitcoin to an unknown group of hackers.

The WannaCry ransom note also states, dryly: "Don't worry about decryption. We will decrypt your files surely because nobody will trust us if we cheat users."

The attack in Britain had immediate impacts in hospitals across the country. Operations were canceled, emergency room services were scaled down, and medical personnel went back to using handwritten notes.

Richard Harvey, 50, was just about to undergo surgery Friday afternoon on his leg following a motorcycle accident when a nurse told him that the procedure had been canceled due to a cyberattack.

"I'm a bit of a nervous person and had to get settled about the operation, which I was. Now I had to go through that again," said Harvey, a former hospital porter who had been fasting since the previous evening in preparation for the operation at Royal London Hospital in east London. "A cyberattack? That doesn't happen every day."

Stephen Hirst, a doctor in the northern English town of Preston, told the BBC that the first sign of the infiltration was an error message warning that "we'd have to pay money to unlock the computer, because it's been encrypted."

"It's compromising having to open files and complete prescriptions. It's interfering with day-to-day functioning," Hirst said.

Doctors were using pen and paper as the National Health Service struggled to get computers back online. Routine appointments were being canceled.

The BBC reported that a list of affected locations included London, Blackburn, Nottingham, Cumbria and Hertfordshire.

Health officials offered no indication of when services might return to normal or whether patient records could be permanently lost to the attack.

"The most exploitable industry in the world is the health-care sector," said Tom Kellermann, chief executive of Strategic Cyber Ventures. He said the industry is chronically hobbled by regulation and insufficient investment in computer security.

Cybersecurity has been high on the agenda of many high-level gatherings of Western military and political leaders.

A report issued Wednesday by the European Commission called for greater attention to cyberthreats as the world becomes "more vulnerable to cyberattacks, with security breaches causing significant damage." It said the commission plans a full review of European Union cybersecurity measures by September.

In August, the Shadow Brokers group began to release virtually the NSA's entire library of powerful hacking tools. The releases continued throughout the fall and into the spring.

- - -

Witte reported from London. Todd Frankel in Washington, Karla Adam in London, Andrew Roth in Moscow and Marina Lopes in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this report.

- - -

Video: Worldwide hack exploits flaw identified in leaked NSA document

A massive cyberattack hit tens of thousands of computers in dozens of nations. Reports of the attack first surfaced in Britain, where the National Health Service described serious problems. (Sarah Parnass / The Washington Post)

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Video: Decoding Internet Security: Spear phishing

Here is what you need to know about spear phishing: a targeted attack hackers use to steal your personal information. (Sarah Parnass, Dani Player / The Washington Post)

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RICHMOND, Va. - Gov. Terry McAuliffe and the Republican legislature have escalated a long-running fight over whether a handful of his vetoes are valid - a battle that could determine whether the Democrat is able to pull off his marquee campaign pledge to expand Medicaid before leaving office in January.

McAuliffe on Friday issued an executive order directing state agencies to recognize the state budget as he sees it - including five vetoes he made to various parts of the two-year spending plan.

One of those vetoes, issued a year ago, rejects language that the General Assembly had inserted to prevent him from expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act without its permission.

Republicans said at the time that the governor lacked the power to strike that language, known as the "Stanley Amendment" for the legislator who authored it, state Sen. William M. Stanley Jr. (R-Franklin). The House Clerk's Office, which prints the final laws, ignored the veto, as it had when he vetoed similar language in the budget passed in 2014.

While McAuliffe and the legislature have sniped in the past over the disputed vetoes, the sharply worded executive order - which accused the House clerk of "a profound abuse of authority" - and the furious GOP response - which blasted the move as a stunt meant to advance McAuliffe's potential 2020 presidential bid - suggested the stakes were higher than ever.

Republicans saw the order as a sign that McAuliffe was laying the groundwork to circumvent a General Assembly staunchly opposed to expansion. The governor's spokesman confirmed that he was, once again, exploring that possibility.

"The governor is committed to this," McAuliffe spokesman Brian Coy said. "We've never stopped looking for a way to bring these taxpayer dollars home. There are obstacles that we are working to overcome there, but we don't view the Stanley Amendment to be one of them."

McAuliffe won the governorship in 2013 on a promise to expand the federal-state health-care program under the Affordable Care Act. He said expansion would provide care to 400,000 uninsured Virginians, boost the state economy and create tens of thousands of health-industry jobs.

Republicans have opposed expanding what they say is a wasteful program and questioned whether Washington can afford to keep its promise to foot most of the bill - potentially leaving Virginia on the hook for the $2 billion-a-year tab.

The timing of the order surprised some, given McAuliffe's diminished push for expansion in recent years and the ACA's imperiled status in Washington, where the House of Representatives has passed a plan to repeal key parts of the law. McAuliffe took Virginia to the brink of a state government shutdown over the issue in his freshman year but has since focused on economic development, a goal with bipartisan appeal.

Should McAuliffe pull it off, expansion would substantially bolster the legacy of a politician mentioned as a potential Democratic contender for president in 2020. McAuliffe has said he has not ruled out a run but will remained focused on his job as governor until his term is over.

"Frustrated by my successful veto of 120 of their bills, General Assembly members have resorted to legislating through the budget, using the appropriations power to change existing law in Virginia," McAuliffe said in his order. "This is an abuse of legislative power and a violation of the Constitution of Virginia. Moreover, the House Clerk's refusal to publish actions taken by the Governor is a profound abuse of authority, purporting to endow an unelected ministerial officer with some extra-constitutional power to override the Governor's vetoes based on his own legal opinions."

House Clerk G. Paul Nardo declined to comment.

"The clerk's actions were consistent with past practice under both Republican and Democrat speakers with both Republican and Democrat governors over the past 21 years," House Speaker William Howell, R-Stafford, said in a written statement. "The [state] Supreme Court is abundantly clear about the limits of the governor's line-item veto authority and there is no doubt Governor McAuliffe exceeded that authority."

Senate Majority Leader Thomas Norment Jr., R-James City, called McAuliffe's order a "case study in executive arrogance" and suggested that it "amounts to a thinly veiled press release to promote his 2020 presidential ambitions."

Virginia's governor enjoys a line-item veto, but Republicans note that state Supreme Court rulings require that he strike a budget item in its entirety when he vetoes it and that he lacks the power to strike out conditions or restrictions that apply to an item.

In 2014, Republicans contended that McAuliffe could not veto the Stanley Amendment without striking the entire Medicaid program. McAuliffe's office disagreed but never challenged the House clerk's decision to leave his veto out of the final law.

Last year, Republicans structured the anti-expansion amendment to apply to the entire state budget, not just the Medicaid program. McAuliffe contends that approach unconstitutionally limits his line-item authority.

The difference of opinion could be the basis for a legal challenge by Republicans, particularly if McAuliffe moves ahead with expansion.
WASHINGTON - Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Friday that he has directed his federal prosecutors to pursue the most severe penalties possible, including mandatory minimum sentences, in his first step toward a return to the war on drugs of the 1980s and 1990s that resulted in long sentences for many minority defendants and packed U.S. prisons.

Civil rights groups, Republican lawmakers and even the conservative Koch brothers issued swift condemnations of the policy, saying that Sessions was taking the nation backward. Aggressive prosecutors, however, are likely to embrace the measure as giving them more tools to do their jobs.

In the later years of the Obama administration, a bipartisan consensus emerged on Capitol Hill for sentencing reform legislation, which Sessions, as a senator from Alabama, opposed and successfully worked to derail.

In a two-page memo to federal prosecutors across the country, Sessions overturned former attorney general Eric Holder's sweeping criminal charging policy that instructed prosecutors to avoid charging certain defendants with offenses that would trigger long mandatory minimum sentences. In its place, Sessions told his more than 5,000 assistant U.S. attorneys to charge defendants with the most serious crimes, carrying the toughest penalties.

In a speech Friday, Sessions said the move was meant to ensure that prosecutors would be "un-handcuffed and not micromanaged from Washington" as they worked to bring the most significant cases possible.

"We are returning to the enforcement of the laws as passed by Congress, plain and simple," Sessions said. "If you are a drug trafficker, we will not look the other way, we will not be willfully blind to your misconduct."

Holder, who launched his new charging orders in August 2013, called the Sessions policy "an unwise and ill-informed decision" that "will take this nation back to a discredited past."

"The policy announced today is not tough on crime," Holder said. "It is dumb on crime. It is an ideologically motivated, cookie-cutter approach that has only been proven to generate unfairly long sentences that are often applied indiscriminately and do little to achieve long-term public safety."

Sessions said prosecutors would have discretion to avoid sentences "that would result in an injustice," but his message was clear: His Justice Department will be tougher on drug offenders than its predecessor.

"These are not low-level drug offenders we, in the federal courts, are focusing on," Sessions said. "These are drug dealers, and you drug dealers are going to prison."

His policy was praised by Lawrence Leiser, president of the National Association of Assistant United States Attorneys.

"The new guidance announced by Attorney General Sessions will restore the tools that Congress intended assistant U.S. attorneys to have at their disposal to prosecute drug traffickers and dismantle drug trafficking enterprises," Leiser said. "These tools are in accord with what Congress has authorized and deemed necessary to fight crime and assure public safety."

But Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has pushed hard for sentencing reform, said the policy will "accentuate" existing problems in the criminal justice system.

"Mandatory minimum sentences have unfairly and disproportionately incarcerated too many minorities for too long," Paul said in a statement. "Attorney General Sessions' new policy will accentuate that injustice."

The Holder memo instructed prosecutors to avoid charging certain defendants with drug offenses that would trigger long mandatory minimum sentences. Under that policy, defendants who met a set of criteria - such as not belonging to a large-scale drug trafficking organization, gang or cartel - qualified for lesser charges and therefore less prison time.

On Friday, Sessions disputed the idea that prosecutors would unfairly punish nonviolent offenders under his policy.

"Drug trafficking is an inherently dangerous and violent business," Sessions said. "If you want to collect a drug debt, you can't file a lawsuit in court. You collect it with the barrel of a gun."

Civil liberties groups condemned the measure as a return to ineffective policies - and mass incarceration.

"Jeff Sessions is pushing federal prosecutors to reverse progress and repeat a failed experiment - the War on Drugs - that has devastated the lives and rights of millions of Americans, ripping apart families and communities and setting millions, particularly Black people and other people of color, on a vicious cycle of incarceration," Udi Ofer, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Campaign for Smart Justice, said in a statement.

A representative of Charles and David Koch, who have pressed for a change in sentencing policy, also criticized the Justice Department's new memo.

"We favor a different approach, which requires changing some of the existing federal laws," said Mark Holden, chairman of Freedom Partners, the funding arm of the Koch-backed political network, and general counsel for Koch Industries.

"There are less costly and more effective ways to help low-level offenders who aren't a threat to public safety other than incarceration," Holden said.

The new policy is expected to lead to more federal prosecutions and an increase in the federal prison population. In February, Sessions seemed to prepare for that, reversing a directive from former deputy attorney general Sally Yates for the Justice Department to stop using private prisons to house federal inmates.

In speeches across the country, including his first major address as attorney general, Sessions has talked of his belief that recent increases in serious crime might indicate that the United States stands at the beginning of a violent new period. He has noted that the homicide rate is half of what it once was, but he has said he fears times of peace might be coming to an end if law enforcement does not quickly return to the aggressive tactics it once used.

In his speech Friday, Sessions made many of the same points.

"The murder rate has surged 10 percent nationwide, the largest increase in murder since 1968, and we know that drugs and crime go hand in hand. They just do," Sessions said. "The facts prove that's so."

With mandatory minimum sentences, large quantities of drugs can force judges to impose stiff sentences - 10 years for a kilogram of heroin, five kilograms of cocaine or 1,000 kilograms of marijuana. Prosecutors can use the threat of such sentences to facilitate plea bargains.

Holder had directed prosecutors to essentially ignore the quantities to avoid triggering stiff sentences. Sessions's memo says there could be exceptions, but those cases must be approved by a U.S. attorney, assistant attorney general or other supervisor, and the reasons documented in writing.

"There will be circumstances in which good judgment would lead a prosecutor to conclude that a strict application of the above charging policy is not warranted," the memo says. "In that case, prosecutors should carefully consider whether an exception may be justified."

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Video: Sessions thinks violent crime is on the rise across America. He's wrong.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said over and over again that he sees the uptick in violent crime in a few major cities in the US as the start of a "dangerous trend." Let's take a look at the numbers. (Daron Taylor / The Washington Post)

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Video: What the attorney general's new charging policy means

Former attorney general Eric Holder called the reversal of his 2013 policy "dumb on crime." The Post's Matt Zapotosky explains what Attorney General Jeff Session's new policy means. (Gillian Brockell / The Washington Post)

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President Donald Trump is a job creator for the press in at least one regard: When he does something historic, The New Yorker must find somebody who's up to the art of the deal.

Fortunately for Francoise Mouly, the magazine's art director, there's one man who consistently spins sociopolitical events with requisite whimsy through watercolor.

"Whenever a new Trump debacle starts to unfold on the political scene, I worry about whether artists can find the right response," Mouly tells The Post's Comic Riffs about her call for covers. "It's not easy to be up to the task, and many of the sketches that came in had the unraveling of the country, the Constitution, our institutions."

But then arrived the sketch by Barry Blitt, the illustrator whose scores of New Yorker covers include such iconic works as "Deluged" (a post-Katrina Oval Office), "Silly Walk Off a Cliff" (his Monty Python-ized Brexit) and "The Politics of Fear" (featuring the "radicalized" Obamas).

"Barry Blitt sent this one where, with an easy glide of his pen, he outlined the heart of the issue, giving voice to the outrage we feel on both sides of the aisle," Mouly says of the cover titled "Ejected," whose visual metaphor invokes the recent United passenger debacle.

"It's a perfect example," Mouly says, "of how deep artists can go by embracing nonsense and illogic - a response on par with Trump's actions."

Of the May 22 cover, Blitt wryly told The New Yorker: "It's probably a bit of a leap. James Comey is 6-feet-8 - he probably would have been happy to give up his seat in a cramped cabin."
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A federal appeals court granted Harris County a last-minute reprieve Friday in a contentious civil rights lawsuit, calling a temporary halt to a judge's order that would have altered the way cash bail is handled for hundreds of people jailed on misdemeanor charges.

In an order posted after the courthouse closed Friday, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted the request of the county's teams of lawyers to stop the order - set to take effect Monday - until the appeals court can further review the matter.

PILING UP: Harris County legal bills hit $2.8M as pressure mounts to settle contentious bail lawsuit

A three-judge panel of the court notes the temporary halt to the order was issued "in light of the lack of time before the district court's injunction will take effect and in order to allow full consideration of the following motions and any responses thereto."

First Assistant County Attorney Robert Soard said the ruling will give the court time to fully consider the issues.

"The county attorney is pleased that the 5th Circuit has granted the stay to give us more time to work toward a settlement that is in the interest of all the people of Harris County," he said late Friday. "They said, 'Let's just stop a minute.'"

Neal Manne, who is among the lawyers representing the inmates, said he respects the temporary ruling.

"We have great confidence that Judge Rosenthal's decision and injunction will eventually be upheld," he said.

Criminal Court at Law Judge Darrell Jordan - who was the only judge who did not want to appeal the decision - was disappointed with the appeals court decision.

"I don't know why we're still fighting this," he said. "Millions of dollars of Harris County money is going to be wasted."

FEDERAL RULING: Harris County bail system unconstitutional, federal judge rules

Sheriff Ed Gonzalez had already been preparing paperwork for the expected release of about 80 indigent inmates locked up while awaiting trial on misdemeanors.

The county had argued in two separate motions filed by different teams of lawyers that the order by Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal in Houston would have upended the county's bail system and put the public at risk if the misdemeanor defendants were released.

"The injunction jeopardizes public safety  the harm is real and imminent," one group of lawyers argued.

Another request filed by a second team on behalf of the county's Criminal Court at Law Judges was even more blunt about the perceived impact of the Rosenthal's order.

"The district court's startling constitutional ruling prohibits the enforcement of state law, mandates the release of untold numbers of potentially dangerous arrestees, presents a grave risk to public safety, and radically upsets the status quo," according to the second motion filed Friday afternoon.

Attorneys representing the inmates dubbed the arguments "the same smoke and mirrors."

"In a last-ditch effort to avoid complying with the Constitution and federal and state law, Appellants resort to fear-mongering and hyperbolic rhetoric about the supposed 'danger' of Judge Rosenthal's order," they argued.

The appeals court decision comes amid growing opposition to the county's bail system and legal fees that had approached $3 million earlier this week.

Gonzalez, who took office Jan. 1, is among those who believes the bail system should be overhauled. He said about 100 inmates a day would have been affected by the new bail system.

"We are prepared to comply, allowing many inmates to return to their homes while their cases get resolved in court," he said Friday, before the ruling. "We need to make sure we keep peace in our community, but the system should be compassionate."

Gonzalez was joined by District Attorney Kim Ogg and Commissioner Rodney Ellis in supporting the changes.

Two women out on bail

Community activists took matters into their own hands this week by working with the sheriff's office to identify and bail out mothers who were being held on low-level charges.

The Texas Organizing Project bailed out two women this week and was hoping to get a third out Friday, in time for Mother's Day on Sunday.

"People shouldn't be in jail, deprived of their freedom, separated from their family and unable to vigorously defend themselves just because they can't afford bond," said spokeswoman Mary Moreno. "People should not be assumed to be guilty and have to prove their innocence. That is not how our criminal justice system is supposed to work."

Rosenthal, chief judge in the Houston district, issued a temporary injunction last month to halt the county's current bail system, which she said violates the U.S. Constitution by treating low-income misdemeanor defendants differently than those who can pay to get out of jail.

In a sharply worded 193-page opinion on April 28, Rosenthal ordered the county to release qualified misdemeanor defendants on personal bonds if they are too poor to pay cash bail. Inmates who are facing additional, serious charges, or who have warrants or other legal restraints, are not included in the order.

She gave the county two weeks to prepare for releasing inmates on personal bond, with the order set to go into effect at just after midnight Sunday.

Judge rejected request

Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to appeal the decision, setting off a flurry of last-minute legal action throughout the week. After Rosenthal rejected a request to set aside her order to give the county more time, the county appealed to the 5th Circuit court.

The lawsuit was filed last year by two civil rights groups  Texas Fair Defense Project and Civil Rights Corps  and local law firm Susman Godfrey on behalf of Maranda ODonnell, a single mother who was held for two days on a charge of driving without a valid license because she couldn't afford the $2,500 bail.

Two similar lawsuits filed on behalf of two other people were merged into the case in August.

Ellis, who opposed the vote authorizing the county's attorneys to appeal the decision, said it's time for the county to stop the expensive fight.

"The county should stop wasting time and tax dollars defending the indefensible and start investing in our broken justice system," he said in a written statement before the appeals court ruling. "Jailing poor people accused of misdemeanors simply because they cannot afford bail does nothing to make our communities safer, and it is outrageous to claim otherwise."
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A Boerne lawyer who formerly was a state district judge in Harris County has received five years probation, surrendered his law license and must attend a rehabilitation program under a plea deal that resolves one of two felony drug cases against him, officials said Friday.

Kendall County District Attorney Nicole Bishop said Kevin D. Fine, 50, pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempted possession of a controlled substance, a third degree felony.

He was arrested Jan. 8, 2016 by Boerne police in an undercover operation initiated in response to tips that Fine was soliciting sex and drugs in return for his services as a criminal defense lawyer, she said.

Fine was free on bond in that case when he was arrested May 2 on the same charge in Kerrville for allegedly trying to obtain drugs from a legal client, officials said, resulting in the revocation of his bond in Kendall County.

Before moving to Boerne, in 2008 Fine was elected as a Democrat to the bench in Harris County's 177th District Court.

As part of the plea deal, Fine agreed in court Tuesday to enroll in an in-prison rehabilitation program, to be followed by a residential aftercare program, said Bishop, who called addiction an evil and ugly condition.

Mr. Fine was given a fair and just plea that will provide him with the highest level of treatment available to us in the criminal justice system, she said, noting the loss of his law license also will preclude him from violating what was his sworn duty to his clients.

Fine is free on $25,000 bond on the charge in Kerrville.

zeke@express-news.net
A revealing report by ProPublica uncovered that Texas voter ID law, court-ordered changes to it, and the states woefully inadequate attempts to execute the law and educate the public about it contributed to a process that, in our view, did far more damage to the 2016 election than the largely fictional malady the law was intended to prevent. That would be in-person voter fraud, which is exceedingly rare.

The report by Jessica Huseman  and published in the Texas Tribune recently  pointed to state lapses in explaining the law to voters and local election officials. Among them:

The voting instruction manual the state said it would send to community organizations and county party officials were largely not received.

The law itself appropriated only $2 million for voter education  a sum far short of what was needed even if the law hadnt undergone successful legal challenge (the law was intentionally crafted to discriminate, a court ruled).

The law enforcement agency tasked with providing the free IDs  the Texas Department of Public Safety  was requiring that applicants be fingerprinted, which likely scared away many likely voters. Moreover, the IDs were not free, as they initially required that applicants secure in-state birth certificates for a fee or out-of-state birth certificates, also with cost attached. Later, the state relented on fees for the in-state birth certificates, but the damage was done.

The voter ID law, which required voters produce one of seven specific types of photo ID, was folly from the start. But, worse, state efforts to educate voters on how a court ruling changed the law to allow votes without these IDs did not reach out enough and did not effectively educate.

Whether this was intentional or a matter of underfunding or lack of expertise (more on this later), the effect was clear  poll workers were unclear about the court-mandated changes to the voter ID law and, consequently, voters didnt know their rights.

Jacque Callanen, Bexar Countys head election official, angry about poor state performance, told ProPublica, Ive been doing this for 22 years. This was the most complicated and emotionally charged election Ive ever seen.

San Antonio voting was featured in Husemans article. Because of the inadequacies, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund sued the county. Within days, the county agreed to retrain poll workers, correct signs and update voice mail instructions for voters. But its clear that this was a statewide issue, affecting all Texas counties.

The article also highlighted the apparent lack of expertise at the secretary of state office that oversees state voting, also raising the question of whether this occurred because of a purge in the agency of those who objected to Texas voter ID law. This turnover resulted in a brain drain that hobbled the agencys abilities to manage the election. The agency denies that a purge occurred.

The notion that the turnover had any connection to personal political opinions of employees is patently false, said secretary of state spokesman Sam Taylor.

But few of the replacements, the article reported, had extended experience in elections and many were connected to the Republican Party. For instance, the person appointed to be director of elections in the agency  Keith Ingram  previously managed appointments for Gov. Rick Perry.

Whether the purge occurred is, in a sense, moot. For whatever reasons, missteps occurred.

In June, federal Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos will hear arguments on possible remedies to the Legislatures intentional discrimination on the voter ID law. Among those remedies is again requiring Texas to get federal preapproval for any changes to its voting laws, once automatically required of states such as Texas with histories of voter discrimination.

Yes, a Justice Department in a Trump administration might not be expected to give the needed scrutiny to such laws, but it would be an important step nonetheless. It will put the burden on Texas to prove it doesnt discriminate. And Texas intent has been so transparent on such laws that even a Trump Justice Department could be hard-pressed not to see it.

In the meantime, the Legislature is considering a revision of its voter ID law. No, scrap it altogether.

This is a solution for a problem that doesnt exist.
Hamza bin Laden, the son of al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, has released a new message offering advice for martyrdom seekers in the West. Hamza encourages followers to lash out on their own, but only after carefully preparing their attack so they may inflict damage far beyond anything the enemy has ever imagined.

As Sahab, al Qaedas propaganda arm, released the junior bin Ladens message less one week after a similar appeal was issued by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula leader Qasim al Raymi. The lone mujahid effort was first launched by AQAP, but the groups rivals in the Islamic State have had far more success in inspiring and guiding individual attacks since 2014. The messages from Raymi and now Hamza bin Laden are likely part of al Qaedas effort to regain the initiative with respect to this tactic.

Hamza calls on individual jihadists to avenge the children of Syria, the widows of Palestine, the free honorable women of Iraq, and the orphans of Afghanistan.

Exercise patience and deliberation, for it is among the qualities loved by Allah and His Messenger, peace be upon him, Hamza says. Accomplish your goals with secrecy. Attain the highest level of perfection in your actions, exercise utmost care and caution, and prepare diligently to inflict crippling losses on those who have disbelieved.

Hamza specifically references AQAPs Inspire Magazine, saying followers can benefit from it. (Interestingly, his father was reportedly less impressed by Inspire and even complained about some of the tactics advocated therein.)

Be perfect in your choice of targets, so that you may damage your enemies more, Hamza advises. Be professional in your choice of weapons. It is not necessary that it should be a military tool. If you are able to pick a firearm, well and good; if not, the options are many.

Osamas heir encourages individual jihadists to follow in the footsteps of martyrdom-seekers before them, arguing they shouldnt underestimate themselves. There is no reason to emigrate to the jihadists battlefields abroad, according to Hamza, because professionally executed individual operations in the West have outweighed numerous operations in the East. (Al Qaedas rivals in the Islamic State have made the same argument.)

Know that inflicting punishment on Jews and Crusaders where you are present is more vexing and severe for the enemy, Hamza continues. It is sharper than a hundred warheads directed against their agents.

Hamza wants followers to prioritize their targets.

First, everyone who transgresses against our pure Religion, or against our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) should be struck. Hamza specifically mentions the Jan. 2015 Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris, which was claimed by AQAP and carried out according to Ayman al Zawahiris general orders.

Next, look out for Jewish interests everywhere. But if the jihadist is not able to locate these, then target American Crusaders.

If you are unable to go for American Crusaders, target the interests of the Crusader member states of NATO, Hamza continues. And since Russia has forgotten what it tasted in Chechnya and Afghanistan, and has returned once again to interfere in matters concerning Islam, do not exclude it from your targets of priority. Give Russia a pertinent reminder of the days of your predecessors.

Hamza and other al Qaeda leaders want jihadist attacks to send a clear message to their enemies. I strongly advise that the message you intend to convey through your blessed operation must be explained unequivocally in the media, he advises. It is absolutely imperative that people should know the objective of your operation.

We in al Qaeda emphasize the importance of conveying the following messages to Western states, and we advise you to do the same, Hamza says. He provides a list of al Qaedas priorities for individual jihadists:

1. Our Religion and our Prophet (peace be upon him) are RED LINES. Let those who cross these lines take heed from Charlie Hebdo. 2. Palestine is a cause of our Islamic Ummah [worldwide community of Muslims]. And anyone who supports Jewish occupiers shall never dream of peace, with the permission of Allah. 3. Sham is a cause of our Islamic Ummah. Our people in Sham are faced with genocide. And everyone who participates in tormenting them with bombings or by aiding Bashar [al Assad] and his allies shall not escape punishment. 4. Our lands are occupied. The Land of the Two Sanctuaries [Saudi Arabia] is occupied. We shall continue to target you until you withdraw your forces from the Arabian Peninsula and from every single land of Islam. 5. Our airspace is violated by your aircrafts which unleash their deadly payload on our children. Our wealth and resources are expropriated every single day.

Hamzas audio message is embedded in a video that is just over ten minutes long. Various operations, including the Dec. 2016 assassination of a Russian ambassador in Turkey, are lauded throughout the video.

As Hamzas audio begins to play, an image of the Fort Hood shooter, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, is shown on screen. The photo of Hasan is followed by footage from the Nov. 5, 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, video from a service for the victims, and a brief clip of AQAP ideologue Anwar al Awlaki, who inspired Hasan.

An image of Ramzi Yousef, who orchestrated the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and other plots, is also included at the outset, as is footage from the 1993 bombing in lower Manhattan.

As Sahab released Hamzas message with Arabic and English-language transcripts. Al Qaeda has been releasing messages with an English translation on an increasingly frequent basis. Recent messages from Ayman al Zawahiri and Raymi were also released with English transcripts.

Screen shots from the video accompanying Hamza bin Ladens audio message:

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.
Yesterday, a suicide bomber dispatched by the Islamic States Wilayah Khorasan (Khorasan province) attacked a vehicle carrying Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, the deputy chairman of Pakistans Senate. Haideri, who is a senior figure in the Jamiatul-Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), was wounded and subsequently hospitalized.

Dozens of others were killed or injured in the blast, which occurred in Mastung, a town in the Baluchistan province.

The bombing was quickly claimed online by the Islamic States Amaq News Agency and then in a separate statement from the group. Wilayah Khorasan also released a photo of its martyr, identifying him by the alias Abu Nandalah al-Khurasani. The picture can be seen below.

By the grace of Allah, istishhadi [martyr] brother Abu Nandalah al-Khurasani (may Allah accept him) was able to detonate his explosive vest on the convoy of the murtadd [apostate] Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, the vice president of the taghut Pakistani Congress near Quetta City in Pakistan, the Islamic States statement reads. The bombing resulted in his injury, the killing of more than 30 murtaddin of the police, intelligence personnel and bodyguards, and the injury of more than 40 others, and all praise is due to Allah.

The JUI-F organized an online campaign to show support for Haideri. Prominent figures, such as former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf, have condemned the bombing. JUI-F also created an image in Haideris honor that supporters are using online. The image, which can be seen above, includes rough English text that reads: LongLive Haidri.

JUI-F is led by Fazl ur-Rehman, a member of Pakistans assembly and the leader of the opposition. Both he and the JUI-F have been longtime supporters of the Taliban. He is widely credited with helping to create and sustain the Afghan Taliban by training many of its members in JUI-F madrassas located in the Baluchistan province and northwestern Pakistan.

JUI-F is an ideal target for Wilayah Khorasan as it both supports the Taliban, the Islamic States main rival in the region, and participates in Pakistans government. Years before the Islamic State planted its flag in Pakistan, jihadists targeted JUI-F leader Rehman in suicide attacks.

The bombing demonstrates that while Wilayah Khorasan has suffered significant losses, especially in neighboring Afghanistan, the group is still capable of carrying out lethal operations.

Wilayah Khorasan was built by former Afghan and Pakistani Taliban commanders who defected from their organizations to swear allegiance to Abu Bakr al Baghdadis self-declared caliphate. This local talent provides Baghdadis loyalists with an indigenous network that is difficult to uproot.

Mastung is not far from Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, which is a hub for numerous jihadist groups. Wilayah Khorasan has carried out other operations in Quetta and elsewhere in Baluchistan over the past year. However, some of these attacks have been claimed by other jihadists, making it difficult to discern who was responsible.

For example, both the Islamic State and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan Jamaat-ur-Ahrar claimed responsibility for a suicide attack at a hospital in Quetta last August. Scores were killed or wounded in that bombing, which targeted lawyers who had gathered to mourn the head of the Baluchistan Bar Association. [See FDDs Long War Journal report: Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, Islamic State claim suicide attack at Pakistani hospital.]

The Pakistani Taliban and the Islamic State both claimed an Oct. 2016 suicide assault on a police academy in Quetta that killed at least 60 people and wounded more than 100. Pakistani officials claim still another jihadist group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al Alami, carried out the assault. [See FDDs Long War Journal report: Islamic State, Pakistani Taliban claim suicide assault in Quetta.]

In addition to Pakistani officials and civilians, the Islamic State has also repeatedly targeted its jihadist rivals in the Afghan Taliban, some of whom operate in Pakistan. In mid-April, for instance, Wilayah Khorasan claimed the assassination of a prominent Taliban member in Peshawar.

For more background on the Islamic States Wilayah Khorasan, see FDDs Long War Journal report: 2 American service members killed fighting Islamic State in eastern Afghanistan.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal. 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.
Culture / Art Republik

May 13, 2017 | By Art Republik

The 27th edition of the European Union Film Festival (EUFF), Singapores longest running foreign film festival, will run from May 11 to May 21, 2017 and for the first time, all the films will be screened at the National Gallery Singapore (NGS). Dr. Michael Pulch, European Union Ambassador to Singapore noted that the Gallery provides the important cultural context for the EUFF to grow as the European Unions flagship cultural event in Singapore.

27 feature films which run the gamut from dramas to thrillers, comedies to animation have been selected to showcase Europes diversity of cultural expressions and multifaceted artistic vision in the field of cinema. While European films in languages other than English are shown at selected cinemas across the island, the upcoming festival will offer audiences in Singapore an opportunity to access a variety of films that rarely receive commercial screenings outside Europe. The selected films are all recent and have been well received within their country of origin while some like Finlands The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki which picked up the Prix Un Certain Regard at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival have been internationally acclaimed.

NGS, which houses the largest public collection of modern art in Singapore and Southeast Asia is an interesting choice of location for the film festival. Drawing on the linkage between art and film NGSs CEO, Ms Chong Siak Ching stated, The interplay between art and film is something that has fascinated us, and films have been a staple of the Gallerys programming. Film tickets to the festival will include free admission to NGSs galleries so that the attendees can appreciate and enjoy the collection of Southeast Asian artworks, many of which are infused with European references.

Fitting right into the theme of art and film is the Swiss film The Chinese Lives of Uli Sigg. The documentary offers insights into the life of Uli Sigg who, in the span of 40 years, built up one of the largest collection of Chinese contemporary art. Director Michael Schindhelm explains that the film is about the modernisation of China, and that the artworks in Siggs collection appear to tell the stories of an unprecedented epoch filled with economic, social and ecological changes. The film gives Chinese artists of three generations and their works a voice and through it, they speak about society. Both Sigg and the films director Michael Schindhelm will be present for the film screening on 16 May and the post-show conversation.

The Danish film Marie Kryer (2012), traces the tragic life of the wife of the Danish painter P.S. Kryer. As his mental illness deteriorates, Marie is torn between her roles of wife, mother and artist. She meets and falls in love with the Swedish composer Hugo Alfven but as she leaves her husband for her new love, more tumult lies ahead of her.

Literary arts enthusiasts can look forward to a number of adaptations: Goodbye Berlin (Tschick) (2016), which will open the festival, is a film adaptation of the cult novel Why We Took The Car by Wolfgang Herrndorf; Problemski Hotel (2015), draws on Dimitri Verhulst internationally acclaimed book of the same name; and Beyond Sleep (2016) is based on the best-selling novel Nooit Meer Slapen (1966) by Willem Frederik Hermans.

The Film Festival not only opens a window into the intriguing world of European cinema but also offers Singapores film-goers an opportunity to discover the work of local talent through its film school partnership programme. Working for the third time with Ngee Ann Polytechnics School of Film and Media Studies, the EUFF will present short films by students and alumni of the school alongside the official film selection.

The Festival will also allow film fans the chance to engage with productions from countries that rarely make it to the movie screens here such as Latvia, Malta, Poland, Romania and the Slovak Republic: Maltas entry is a romantic comedy titled 20,000 Reasons (2016) about two Maltese families who do not see eye-to-eye and an heiress in a race against time to get married; Romanias Two Lottery Tickets (2016), which won the Comedy Award at the 2017 St. Augustine Film Festival and a Special Mention at the Zurich Film Festival (2016), revolves around three protagonists who find out that it is not enough to be declared winner at the lottery but that one needs to suffer to become a millionaire; and Slovak Republics Soul at Peace, a story of friendship and betrayal (2009), set in the mountain town of Ciery Hiron tackles issues of patriarchal families, racial discrimination and lumber theft alongside tradition, faith, friendship, and love.

And though the United Kingdom has elected to leave the European Union, for now it is still very much a part of it and therefore included in the EUFF. Selected from the United Kingdom is the film Electricity (2014) which traces the journey of a young girl with epilepsy who goes in search of her brother whom she has long thought was dead.

Of the 27 movies, seven are in English while the rest have English subtitles. Each film highlights a specific country but all together, the works are representative of Europes multifaceted cultural heritage.

More information at euff.sg

This article was written by Durriya Dohadwala and originally published in Art Republik.
Bernie Madoff is unfortunately one of many. Source: Bloomberg/Getty Images.

If the one of the wealthiest people in Congress can get duped by a fraudster to the tune of $18 million, how can there be any hope for the rest of us?

So asked headlines after court documents revealed Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) fell prey to a bogus investment scheme run by the now-convicted William Dean Chapman, a Virginia-based "financial advisor." Chapman promised 122 willing victims to sign their stocks over to him as collateral for a three-year cash loan worth 85% of the stocks' value. When the loans matured, Chapman was supposed to return the collateral. Instead, he sold the shares to pay earlier creditors and fund his lavish lifestyle, bilking clients out of $35 million total.

Ordinarily, the shenanigans of one shyster from Virginia wouldn't make national news. For fraud to hit the A-block, it typically must be of Madoffian proportions or hit Hollywood. But this scam whacked one of our richest Congressmen-a self-made multimillionaire who rose from his poor childhood in the Bronx to get a BA in economics from Harvard and a JD from Harvard Law, both with honors. He built a successful law practice representing whistleblowers in fraud cases, headed up a telecom firm and won his first House seat in 2008. In short, not the kind of guy you'd expect to get duped-hence, some say, if he's vulnerable, we all are!

But in my view, this isn't true. Money and status don't protect against fraud-awareness does. Knowing a few basic structural facts can make it exceedingly difficult for you to get duped. For one, keep greed in check and have realistic expectations. Second, be a discerning investor. Your advisor should be able to clearly articulate his or her strategy in a way you understand. Third, crucially, never give a manager custody of the assets. Ever! That is giving your advisor not only the reins over strategy, but access to the cash. Limit it!

The victims overlooked one or all these three factors. Had they not done so, it wouldn't have been hard for any of Chapman's victims to spot the scam. It had all the classic signs. One, it was too good to be true-instant cash today, all your investments back tomorrow!

Chapman's strategy also violates the third point: It was complex and shadowy, with his strategy drowning in sophisticated lingo that didn't really mean anything. A close examination of Chapman's alleged strategy would tell you there was no way he could ever live up to his commitments. Consider: If you pledged $1 million in stocks as collateral for a $850,000 loan-and over a hundred other clients were doing the same-where would the advisor get the cash? According to the SEC's filing, Chapman "assured borrowers that [he] would engage in 'hedging' strategies, would 'hedge,' or would enter into contracts with counterparties that would ensure the portfolios could be returned." But that isn't what hedges do! A true hedge is simply a position that moves in the opposite direction of a certain asset (or basket of assets). A hedge on the pledged collateral would simply be put options or short positions-they zig when stocks zag. Saying this guarantees return of the securities or their full value (including all gains during the contract period) in cash is like Bernie Madoff saying his split/strike option strategy would guarantee 10% a year. If you buy that, you'll buy oceanfront property in Arizona.

The biggest red flag, however, is the easiest for anyone to guard against: Chapman made all of his clients sign their stocks over to him. He took possession-essentially temporary ownership-of them. He couldn't have sold his clients' stocks and made off with the proceeds if they weren't in his possession. By convincing clients to give him custody, rather than keep their stocks in brokerage accounts in their own name, he removed all protection against fraud.

If any advisor encourages you to keep your money with them, and not in an account in your name (ideally at an unaffiliated third party), run. Even if you don't think you smell fraud! Even if he seems like a nice guy, even if you've known him for years! Think of it this way: Who would you trust with your money? If you handed someone a million bucks for safekeeping, who would you trust to do the right thing? Anyone? Your spouse, perhaps, but I'd imagine that's about it.

No advisor who puts investors first will make clients sign over their hard-earned money. Honorable advisors understand the importance of checks and balances-they recognize clients have already placed a great deal of faith in them by entrusting them to develop and manage a portfolio strategy that could make or break their financial future. To deserve that trust, they know they must be as transparent as possible. They know that if they took custody of your money, you'd lie awake at night worrying they could run off with it. Advisors with the right values-who want the best and only the best for each client-don't want to be the source of that worry.

To avoid being a statistic, look for advisors who put investors first, always and everywhere. Sure, this doesn't guarantee investment success-the advisor's overall values, expertise, investment philosophy, approach, resources and long-term track record are hugely important. But finding an advisor who takes their responsibility seriously-who keeps clients' assets separate and in their own name; who has incentives to help clients reach their goals, not sell a product-will help guard you against the Chapmans and Madoffs of the world.

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Lower fares, better on-time performance, fewer lost bags, better in-flight services, aircraft, and flight crew are some of the factors that determine this years most satisfying airline companies. A new study, which reveals the most satisfying airline companies in North America, finds out that overall customer satisfaction with airlines has reached its highest level ever, continuing a trend that now stretches five consecutive years.

The J.D. Power 2017 North America Airline Satisfaction Study measured passenger satisfaction with North American airline carriers based on performance in seven factors (in order of importance): cost & fees; in-flight services; aircraft; boarding/deplaning/baggage; flight crew; check-in; and reservation. Satisfaction is calculated on a 1,000-point scale.

Its impossible to think about airline customer satisfaction without replaying the recent images of a passenger being dragged from a seat, but our data shows that, as a whole, the airline industry has been making marked improvements in customer satisfaction across a variety of metrics, from ticket cost to flight crew, said Michael Taylor, travel practice lead at J.D. Power. As recent events remind us, however, airlines have significant room for improvement. Airlines still rank among the bottom tier of most service industries tracked by J.D. Power, far lower than North American rental car companies or hotels.

Scores are higher this year than one year ago in all of the study factors that measure customer satisfaction. This performance contributes to the steady improvement in customer satisfaction with North American airlines.

Here are some key findings of the 2017 study:

Overall satisfaction reaches for the sky: Overall satisfaction with the airline industry in 2017 increases by a significant 30 points to 756 (on a 1,000-point scale), continuing a trend of steady performance increases that began in 2013. Both traditional and low-cost carriers have shown improvement, with the traditional carriers continuing to close the satisfaction gap with low-cost carriers (740 vs. 784, respectively).

Lower costs, fewer problems, satisfaction with crews drive improvement: The average North American airfare fell 8.5% in 2016 to $349, helping to drive satisfaction levels in the cost and fees factor in the study to the highest level since 2006. Improved on-time performance, fewer lost bags, historically low bump rates and high scores for flight crews also contribute to the overall increase in airline customer satisfaction.

Social media is feedback tool of choice: Among business travelers, 21% posted a comment about their airline experience on social media, while 8% of leisure travelers did the same. It is worth noting that nearly three-fourths of social media comments are described as positive by those posting. The most commonly used social media platforms are Facebook (81%) and Twitter (41%). When an airline responds to any social media postwhether its positive or negativethere is a noteworthy 121-point lift in passenger satisfaction.

Ladies and gentlemen, the overhead bins are full: After a slight dip in 2016, passenger problems with overhead storage has become more common, with 14% of passengers in 2017 reporting this as an issue on their flight. Satisfaction among flyers having difficulty with overhead storage is 82 points lower than among those who dont have difficulty. The problem is inversely related to age, as travelers in younger generations are more likely to experience a problem with overhead storage than are older travelers.

Bumping occurs infrequentlybut significantly affects satisfaction: Although instances of denial of boarding and re-booking to another flight (bumping) have reached historic lows in frequency, they have the greatest negative influence on overall satisfaction. However, when there are delays, such as those caused by weather or mechanical issues, satisfaction levels fall by 101 points when a traditional carrier is delayed and by 59 points when a low-cost carrier is delayed.

Study Rankings

Alaska Airlines - Premium Class

Among traditional carriers, Alaska Airlines ranks highest for the 10th consecutive year, with an index score of 765. Alaska Airlines performs particularly well in all seven factors of the study. Delta Air Lines ranks second (758), improving in all seven factors.

Southwest - check-in

Among low-cost carriers, Southwest Airlines ranks highest for the first time with a score of 807, performing particularly well in all seven factors. JetBlue Airways ranks second (803), improving in six of the seven factors.

The study measures passenger satisfaction among both business and leisure travelers, and is based on responses from 11,015 passengers who flew on a major North American airline between March 2016 and March 2017. The study was fielded between April 2016 and March 2017.

For more information about the North America Airline Satisfaction Study, visit http://www.jdpower.com/resource/jd-power-north-america-airline-satisfaction-study
WHAT: The Kalispell Chamber will be hosting a private community meeting with congressional candidate Rob Quist to discuss his platform for the upcoming special election on Thursday, May 25.

WHY: In an effort to stay informed with current events and political trends, the Kalispell Chamber hosts a variety of speakers throughout the year. Montana is in the midst of a special election due to the recent appointment of the states sole congressional representative, Ryan Zinke, to head the Department of the Interior.

DATE: Monday, May 15, 2017

4:00  5:00pm

WHERE: Kalispell Chamber of Commerce

15 Depot Park

Kalispell, Montana 59901

RSVP/INFO: Please RSVP to the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce by 12:00pm on Monday, May 15th. [email protected] or (406) 758-2803. Please note this event is by invitation only.
Mexico is the second-most deadly conflict zone on the globe, according to a new study. The country has surpassed both Iraq and Afghanistan to become the worlds most violent country after Syria. Nearly 23,000 people were killed in Mexico in 2016, while around 17,000 were killed in Afghanistan and 16,000 in Iraq during the same time period.

Gun battles between rival criminal organizations or with Mexican authorities have taken place on streets and in public places during broad daylight. The Mexican government dedicates substantial resources to protect visitors to major tourist destinations and has engaged in an extensive effort to counter criminal organizations that engage in narcotics trafficking and other unlawful activities throughout Mexico.

The highest numbers of deaths were reported in the states of Sinaloa and Guerrero, known for fighting among competing, increasingly fragmented cartels.

As the Armed Conflict Survey by IISS shows, intentional homicides jumped by 22.8% from 2015 to 2016. Violence continues to increase. The first two months of 2017 were the most violent January and February on record, with 3,779 homicide cases registered by the authorities. The following month was even worse: March 2017 saw 2,020 murders. This was the highest monthly tally since June 2011, a bloody moment in the midst of Mexicos war on drugs. In December 2006, President Felipe Calderon deployed the armed forces to the streets with the mission of crushing the cartels. But the resulting conflict brought misery to Mexico: 105,000 people lost their lives in intentional homicides between that month and November 2012.

Resort areas and tourist destinations in Mexico generally do not see the level of drug-related violence and crime that are reported in the border region or in areas along major trafficking routes.

The U.S. Department of State issued a travel warning on December 6, 2016. The statement warns U.S. citizens about the risk of traveling to certain parts of Mexico due to the activities of criminal organizations. The statement says that U.S. citizens have been murdered in carjacking and highway robberies, most frequently at night and on isolated roads.

Global Affairs Canada does not have a nationwide travel advisory in effect for Mexico but says that travelers should exercise a high degree of caution due to high levels of criminal activity, as well as demonstrations, protests and occasional illegal roadblocks throughout the country. Global Affairs Canada advises against non-essential travel to the northern states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo Leon (except the city of Monterrey), Sinaloa (with the exception of Mazatlan), Sonora (except the cities of Hermosillo and Guaymas/San Carlos), and Tamaulipas as well as western states of Guerrero (including Acapulco but excluding the cities of Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo and Taxco) and Michoacan (excluding the city of Morelia) due to the high levels of violence and organized crime. For the same reason, avoid non-essential travel to the areas of Jalisco state that border the states of Michoacan and Zacatecas, as well as the areas of Colima state that border Michoacan.
When asked, most people would say that a smile takes years off your appearance. According to the latest study, it is quite the reverse. Research shows that, if you want to appear younger, a look of surprise is your best bet. Share on Pinterest According to the latest study, smiling makes you look 1 year older. If you want to stay looking young, there are a number of things you might choose to do  exercising, eating right, and getting enough sleep. Also, you might try smiling less. Smiling is typically associated with youth and vibrancy, and anyone who has ever watched a makeup commercial knows that. However, scientists have discovered that, if you smile, other people will, on average, rate you as older. A new study from Western University in Canada, published this week in the journal Psychonomic Bulletin and Review proves this point and probes a little deeper into our subconscious.

Breaking down misconceptions Co-author Melvyn Goodale, director of the Brain and Mind Institute at Western University, says, There is a belief out there that people who smile look younger than when theyre not smiling. Of course, you certainly look happy and healthy when you smile, at peace with yourself, and that probably carries over to the idea that you look younger when you smile. Earlier research has shown that people often rate smiling faces as younger. The authors of the current paper believe that these results are misleading. Many older studies presented participants with pictures of the same person smiling in one photo and with a neutral expression in the other. Because of peoples misconceptions about perceiving a smiling face as younger, people would respond according to their belief. In the current study, the authors used a design that ensured this bias would not affect their results. Goodale and co-author Tzvi Ganel, of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, showed participants the same faces photographed smiling and neutral, but arranged them to ensure that each participant only saw either a smiling or neutral version of each person during their trial. In this way, peoples natural belief that smiling makes you look younger could not be triggered. People were asked to rate how old they thought the faces were. After the study was done, we found people rated the smiling faces, on average, 1 year older than the same faces in neutral expressions. Melvyn Goodale In a second set of trials, the researchers included images of people wearing a surprised expression. In this instance, people rated the faces to be 2 years younger. So, perhaps the key to looking youthful is to maintain an appearance associated with a constant state of shock.
Hispanic patients with an acute ischemic stroke have longer door-to-needle times than non-Hispanic white patients, investigators at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital in New York City, NY, reported at the 69th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.

Share on Pinterest Researchers have identified delayed treatment times for Hispanic ischemic stroke patients.

Dr. Jonathan Cauchi and colleagues conducted a study to determine whether there were differences in door-to-needle (DTN) times based on race and ethnicity, even among acute ischemic stroke patients arriving within the tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) time window.

In acute ischemic stroke, administration of intravenous TPA improves long-term clinical outcomes, with better outcomes occurring with earlier administration.

Prior research has shown racial and gender differences in stroke care and outcomes. Notably, in patients who receive TPA, there is a higher rate of hemorrhagic complications in black and Asian patients, but TPA efficacy is not affected by race or ethnicity.

There are limited data on whether race or ethnicity affects DTN times.
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Three age cohorts were examined; children ages 5 and below, 6 to 11 and 12 to 18. The youngest cohort of children, ages 5 and below, was defined as having early-onset pancreatitis.Pancreatitis is a disease which occurs when the pancreas becomes inflamed and internal enzymes irritate and damage the pancreas itself. It can be triggered by physical trauma, specific viral infections, some medications or ingestion of a toxin. Although it is considered rare among children, recent studies have shown that the number of pediatric pancreatitis cases has increased.Children are now susceptible to the disease almost as often as adults, which is approximately 1 in 10,000."It's widely known that alcohol and smoking are easily identifiable risk factors in adults who develop pancreatitis," said Giefer. "However, determining the underlying causes of the disease in children has been challenging to uncover. This study allowed us to test and evaluate the association between age of onset and characteristics of patients with ARP and CP."The most significant findings of the study emerged from the youngest cohort. In patients ages five and below with early-onset pancreatitis, 71 percent possessed at least one pancreatitis-associated gene mutation. This number was significantly greater than the group with later-onset pancreatitis.The two common genetic mutations found in the group with early-onset pancreatitis were cationic trypsinogen (PRSS1) and chymotrypsin C (CTRC). PRSS1 mutations were found in 43 percent of patients, while CTRC was found in 14 percent."Building upon previous data related to the PRSS1 mutations found in patients with early-onset pancreatitis, we learned that combined with our current data, patients with PRSS1 are more likely to have an aggressive disease course," said Giefer."The more we understand and discover important details such as this, the closer we are to developing treatments that could modify the disease course in patients."Further research will investigate whether the disease course, response to treatment and outcomes are dependent on the age of the first pancreatitis attack in children."Overall, this research sheds light on a disease that not only affects adults, but an increasing number of children," said Giefer."The findings provide us with an improved understanding of the genetic factors involved in early-onset pancreatitis, which will help the pediatric community to improve the evaluation and treatment process for patients."Source: Eurekalert
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The research study conducted on women who enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study, with an average age of 61 years, provided blood samples between 1989-1990. They had no history of stroke or cancer.The study participants were asked to complete questionnaires about their lifestyle and medical history for every two years.To understand the possible association of beta-2 microglobulin with stroke, the research team measured the protein levels in about 473 study participants who had an ischemic stroke and participants who did not have a stroke.The study results were also matched based on other factors which could increase the stroke risk. The stroke occurred at an average of nine years after the study.The findings revealed that:Participants who had an ischemic stroke had higher levels of beta-2 microglobulin protein than those who did not have a stroke.The level of protein was 1.86 milligrams per liter in people with stroke when compared to 1.80mg/L in those who did not have a stroke.The participants were divided into four groups based on the protein levels.Women with the highest quarter of beta-2 microglobulin levels had a 56% increased risk of stroke when compared to the bottom quarter.Out of the 283 women, around 163 of them had strokes in the top quarter and of the 227 women, 106 participants had stroke in the bottom quarter.The study results were adjusted for factors which could affect stroke risk. This could include physical activity, high blood pressure and diabetes.The study was conducted only on white women and it could not find any changes in the protein levels.Rist, said, "Given the high rate of disability from stroke, it is important to identify people who may be at higher risk of this disease. This protein could be a marker that might help us in the fight against stroke.""Further studies are needed to determine if beta-2 microglobulin levels can be modified through lifestyle changes."Source: Medindia
Say cheers as you celebrate World Cocktails Day, this Saturday. Sip on one-of-its-kind mixes, crafted to entice your taste buds at these awesome places.

1. Bombay Cocktail Bar

A chic, theatrical and luxe space, with mixologists curating some yummy cocktails! Try their Signature Cocktails such as the Coquito, the Nomayo with added flavors like coffee, cloves, Flavored Alcoholic Chuski and more.

Bombay Cocktail Bar

Address: Deluxe House, Ground floor, Plot no b-50, Off new link road, Andheri West

2. Razzberry Rhinoceros

Beach, music, and cocktails! What else could you ask for? Enjoy some scintillating Cocktails like the Mumbai Cosmo and the Old Fashioned Cold Brew for all you coffee lovers while you experience the sea breeze.

Razzberry Rhinoceros

Address: Juhu Beach Hotel, Juhu Tara Road, Next To Tulip Star

3. China House

How bout drinking cocktails according to your Chinese Zodiac! Choose from a Basil and Lime Caprioska if you are an Ox or an Oriental Cocktail if you're born in the year of the Rooster. Now, aint that cool?

China House

Address: Grand Hyatt, Off Western Express Highway, Santacruz East

4. Lord of The Drinks

The famed Delhi lounge is here to give you a perfect ambiance for a splendid evening! Get mesmerized with cool Cocktails such as the Old Life, a whiskey blended and smoked or try a Mint Papaya Rita made with tequila.

Lord Of The Drinks

Address: B26/1, Aver Road, Veera Desai Industrial Road, Opposite VIP Plaza, Near Infintiy Mall, Off New Link Road, Andheri West.

5. 1Above

An elegantly designed contemporary rooftop lounge, where you can unwind to the beats of the live music. 1Above offers signature Cocktails such as Mango Gingertini which is Gin based and made fresh for you.

1Above

Address: 2nd Floor, Kamala Trade House, Lower Parel

6. Hitchki

With delightful options like the Boondi Mojito, Babu Moshai, Balam Pichkari, Tu Anaaaari and more, available only at Rs. 99! Drink to your hearts content.

Hitchki

Address: 59, Dr. V B Gandhi Marg, Kalaghoda, Fort

7. Social Offline

Cocktails at Social are always at their quirky best! Try the Cosmo Explosion which is Vodka based, topped off with some Candy floss.

Social Offline

Address: Across outlets

8. Salt Water Cafe

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. So head on over to Salt Water Cafe to find the perfect balance of work and play by creating the ultimate drink, the Cafe Martini. An odd ball combination of coffee, vanilla vodka and kahlua, the traditional James bond drink has been given a caffeinated twist to really get your taste buds tingling.

Salt Water Cafe

Address: Bandra West or Churchgate

9. Masala Library

Known for the ultimate food and drink experience, Masala Library has come up with some great cocktails! The Masala Library Margarita, which is their signature is a deconstructed tequila base beverage.

Masala Library

Address: Ground Floor, First International Financial Centre, Bandra Kurla Complex

10. Butters

This tipsy gastropub, whips up some mean cocktails. The most loved being their Sunny Side Up, made with Baileys in a cookie shot!

Butter

Address: 105/107, Mistry Mansion, Opposite Bombay High Court, M.G Road, Fort

11. Grandmamas Cafe

Grandmamas special cocktails are full of love! Grandmamas Spiced Toddy, the Weight Watcher, and the Anti- Ageing Caipiroska are some of the signature cocktails you should try.

Grandmama's Cafe

Address: Across outlets

12. D:Oh

The spontaneously quirky all-day cafe aka Play cafe has some crazy cocktails. Try a few Adult Freakshakes such as the Beery Eyed, the Red Red with ice cream, the White Walker or Beer Cocktails like the Red Eye and the Michelada.

D:Oh

Address: Across outlets in Lower Parel and Andheri

13. Hoppipola

Everyones favorite Hoppi has Cocktails which are derived from various parts of India. You can try The Atlantis which is truly amazing or check out The Drunken Paan instead.

Hoppipola

Address: Across outlets in Bandra, Powai, Malad, Lower Parel

14. The Daily Bar and Kitchen

Always known for its unique cocktails, the Daily Bar and Kitchen should be a must-try destination. Check out flavours like smoky, tobacco, and peach. The Contender is a brilliant Coffee Cocktail for you to check out.

The Daily Bar & Kitchen

Address: Ground Floor Behind Shoppers Stop, SV Road, Linking Road, Bandra West

15. JW Mariott Sahar

Try cocktails such as Floral Summer which is a gin base or the Darjeeling Delight, a coconut shell rum-based drink.

JW Marriott Sahar

Address: Mariott Sahar, International Airport Road, Andheri East
Vatsal Kataria, a photographer from New Delhi, has found the perfect solution to getting incredible shots of famous landscapes without even leaving his studio. Hes taking miniature photography to another level by building hyper-realistic miniature versions of landscapes.

I visited all these places from my studio. I created all of this miniature landscapes here in my studio with help of very basic products. I used old cardboards, plaster, polystyrene sheets, newspapers and acrylic colours. I always wanted to do something different so I created this series. Creating set is important but for me painting is the real challenge because it's the paint job which brings life to my art, he posted on Bored Panda.

Check out his amazing work.

1. His own personal Ayers Rock

2. The Temple Of Apollo

3. This tiny Stonehenge

4. He build his own island

5. A snowy cottage

6. Even the pyramids

7. These rocks in the ocean

8. And a lake

Heres a video of him making his own island.

All Image Credit -  Vatsal Kataria
We have heard all about how Akshay Kumar recently donated Rs 9 lakh each, to the families of the 12 CRPF personnel killed in the March 11 Naxal ambush in Chhattisgarh. Similarly, even Gautam Gambhir also recently pledged to educate the kids of 25 CRPF martyrs who lost their lives in the Sukma Naxal attacks. He is even going to donate all his IPL earnings for their well-being.

Just like them, even Vivek Oberoi has also made a powerful gesture in providing help. His infrastructure company, Karrm Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd, has donated 25 flats to the families of CPRF (Central Reserve Police Force) martyrs in Thane, Mumbai.

Even the CRPF are applauding Vivek Oberoi for this incredible gesture.

CRPF xpress it's gratitude 2 @vivek_oberoi Karrm Infa Ltd 4 allotng 4 & resrvng 21 flats in thr housing project 4 Martyrs kin fm Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/C34J1bILqd  CRPF (@crpfindia) May 12, 2017

According to a CRPF officer, 4 of the 25 flats have already been allotted to the families of slain jawans, including three killed in a Naxal attack in Sukma, Chhattisgarh on March 11. The remaining 21 will soon be handed over to the paramilitary force. He further added that preference for the flats would be given to jawans from Maharashtra, as the flats are within the state.

Vivek is also receiving lots of praise on Twitter. Heres how theyre applauding him :

Vivek Oberoi Donates 25 Flats To Martyred #CRPF Jawan's Families.



Salute & Respect For Such A Noble Gesture. Others Must Also Come Forward. pic.twitter.com/bqhswqCFco  Sir Ravindra Jadeja (@SirJadeja) May 13, 2017

I salute vivek oberoi for his great contribution to our crpf martyrs by giving 25 luxury flats in Thane ( M.H.) to their families. Jai hind  Raja (@rajasvmorai) May 13, 2017

@vivek_oberoi God bless you for donating 25 flats to CRPF martyrs families. @narendramodi @PMOIndia sir, pls highlight such magnanimous acts. Jai Hind!  Ankur Bal (@BalAnkur) May 13, 2017

@crpfindia @htTweets Great job. Increased public awareness & expectations making film stars to reflect heroism in real life too. Only reel stardom is not enough  Praveen Singh ?? (@Praveensinghsh) May 13, 2017

So thoughtful of him. Hopefully, this will inspire more and more people to come out and help.
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BAD AXE  Huron Medical Center recently announced the appointment of William Mayes as its interim chief executive officer.

Mayes brings with him a strong background in administration, having served as executive director of the Michigan Association of School Administrators in Lansing for 10 years as well as superintendent of the Huron Intermediate School District for 17 years. He also served as superintendent and principal at North Huron Schools for a number of years.

Mayes served on the Huron Medical Center Board of Trustees from 1996-2005. During his tenure on the board, Mayes was elected vice chairman from 2001-2003, and chairman from 2003-2005. Additionally, he was chairman of the boards planning committee and was a member of the executive committee, labor relations committee and nominating committee.

A native of Huron County, Mayes resides with his wife, Karen, in Port Austin.

Just last week, the hospital announced that current CEO William Castle would be stepping down as head of HMC to pursue employment elsewhere. His final day with the organization will be June 2.
LANSING  To go along with the standard Just say No to Drugs, a new anti-drug program is being developed with the help of a Thumb area prosecutor.

Tuscola County Prosecutor Mark Reene was among those who recently met in Lansing to discuss new efforts to stop methamphetamine (meth) production in Michigan.

Reene joined Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, State Senator John Proos, along with representatives from the Michigan Retailers Association, Michigan Pharmacists Association and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA).

The meeting focused on discussing a new public awareness campaign designed to curb smurfing.

Smurfing has nothing to do with the blue, cartoon characters. It is a practice to make an illegal drug, explained Reene.

Smurfing is when methamphetamine producers pay others to buy them cold or allergy medicine containing pseudoephedrine, which is found in over-the-counter medications like Claritin-D and Sudafed. It is a key ingredient in producing meth.

The number of meth production cases has grown in the state, Reene said. In 2011, there were 505 cases. That more the doubled. In 2015, there were 1,180. Each meth production brings the element of risk and a major public health crisis.

Pseudoephedrine is available as an over-the-counter medication for treatment of colds and flu, but also processed in the illegal cooking of meth.

The process of meth cooking, includes a hazardous and volatile combination of ingredients like pseudoephedrine and other chemicals such as antifreeze, fertilizer, drain cleaner, lantern fuel and sometimes battery acid. Cooking is the chemical reaction of the ingredients.

In the meeting with the AG, Michigan Retailers Association, Michigan Pharmacists Association and Consumer Healthcare Products Association, we worked on developing an ad campaign against buying for meth dealers, Reene said. It will expand awareness that doing so is a crime with consequences.

If you are buying cold and allergy medicines for a meth cook, you are committing a felony and putting the life of others at risk, he added.

Those who are found to be buying pseudoephedrine products for a meth dealer will be arrested and charged with a felony thats punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Smurfing is not just a user problem, it is a health, safety and public welfare issue, too, Reene said. People who make meth can be found throughout the state, so informing our citizens about the warning signs of smurfing will help curb the threat at its initial stages and enhance public safety.

Meth production is extremely dangerous because it is a volatile substance. Its fumes are so caustic they permanently contaminate the processing area.

The Anti-Smurfing Campaign that is being developed is an educational effort aimed at bringing awareness to consumers about the illicit nature of smurfing and the resulting societal problems associated with methamphetamine production, according to Reene.

The publicprivate partnership was developed by CHPA, a national trade group representing the manufacturers of over-the-counter medicines, and it is based on extensive research and message testing that has proven to yield positive results.

Talking about how anyone can inadvertently play a role in the process of meth production is one of the keys to stopping the problem in its tracks, stated Schuette in a press release. The message is clear: if youre buying over-the-counter medicine for a meth cook, youre breaking the law and contributing to one of the most serious problems in Michigan.

The posters and other collateral material will be a proactive way to discourage smurfing.

In Michigan, purchases of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine are tracked by the National Precursor Log Exchange (NPLEx) to monitor sales of the medications. That is why meth cookers turn to others to buy pseudoephedrine.

The NPLEx law was sponsored by Senator John Proos and singed into law in 2011. In 2016, the NPLEx network blocked the sale of 8,744 boxes of cold and allergy medicine.

For more information, visit www.Meth-KnowTheConsequences.com.
On July 9, 1962, Hawaii was hit by a massive electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack, which took down the state's communications systems and traffic lights in a matter of minutes -- virtually everything that ran on electricity.

The EMP wasn't an attack by a foreign government; rather, the U.S. government had set off a 1.4-megaton nuclear warhead at a height of 248 miles above Johnston Atoll in an operation the military named "Starfish Prime." The test caused radio disruptions in Hawaii, California, and Alaska, and knocked out six satellites above the Pacific.

"No one expected the test to impact Hawaii, because it was 850 miles away," said Toby Clairmont, deputy administrator for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, which is located within one of Hawaii's most recognizable landmarks, Diamond Head. "This kind of blast does not hurt people, but as we've seen, it shuts down power and phones and goes after infrastructure and could cause problems at medical facilities."

With North Korea developing its nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile capabilities, Hawaii defense experts are concerned North Korea could target the 50th state with an EMP attack. Such an explosion, if executed high enough in the atmosphere, could be hundreds of miles from Hawaii and still damage its operations and communications.

"This is not theoretical. It has already happened," said Clairmont, noting significant damage was done to both civilian and military electrical and communications systems.

The concern regarding the threat of an EMP attack on Hawaii's electrical grid and communications systems "is real and must be taken seriously," U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, told Fox News.

"Almost every aspect of our lives is reliant on electricity, much more so than in 1962 -- everything from banking to health care to communications to automobiles -- so you can imagine the devastating impact such an attack could have," Gabbard said.

In Hawaii, there is an added layer of risk even if the attack were not directed at Hawaii, Gabbard said.

"If an attack occurred on the mainland and the electric grid were shut down on the West Coast, it would create a crisis in Hawaii through the total disruption of our food and energy supply chain," Gabbard said.

Hawaii is possibly a more desirable target than other states, warned Dean Cheng, senior research fellow with the Asian Studies Center at the Heritage Foundation, in part because the headquarters for the United States Pacific Command at Camp Smith is on Oahu, and the state has 11 military bases, including Pearl Harbor.

Dave Benham, spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Command, said his agency is ready to counter any threat to U.S. interests in an area of responsibility that spans half the globe.

"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," Benham said.

While some experts claim an EMP attack isn't a likely concern, National Geographic notes that a Congressional commission of scientific and military experts warned in 2004 that an EMP attack could cause a massive blackout and damage financial and power networks.

"Depending on the specific characteristics of the attacks, unprecedented cascading failures of our major infrastructures could result," the 2004 commission warned in a statement. "In that event, a regional or national recovery would be long and difficult and would seriously degrade the safety and overall viability of our Nation."

A later report in 2008 by the Congressional Research Service confirmed that an EMP attack could cause substantial damage.

One solution Gabbard is advocating for is utility companies upping their security in preparation for any kind of attack.

"I've long advocated for investing in hardening our core infrastructure and electrical grid against the threats of today and tomorrow, whether it be an EMP attack or a cyberattack," she said.

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Camp Lejeune Town Halls Aim to Help Those Exposed to Toxic Water. Heres How You Can Go.

Retired Marine Master Sgt. Jerry Ensminger made it his mission to tell the world that if they lived or served on Camp Lejeune...
Carl Long

Carl Long's hood is missing the sponsorship logo from Veedverks.

(Orlin Wagner | AP Photo)

NASCAR sure loves all its sponsors. Except this one, it appears.

The hood of Carl Long's No. 66 Chevy will look a little bare under the lights tonight at Kansas Speedway after NASCAR stripped the sponsorship decal.

Veedverks, a Colorado-based marijuana vaping company, had bought and paid for the spot on Long's car, but their logo was removed from his car Friday. A NASCAR spokesman told the Associated Press it was never vetted and approved.

Veedverks' Twitter account retweeted this, though:

This was all an elaborate scheme to buy Carl some used tires bc he got screwed in 2009 and GoFundMe had $316 on Wednesday, @NASCAR.  Veedverks (@veedverks) May 13, 2017

Long hasn't participated in a NASCAR Cup race since 2009.

That year, he was fined $200,000 for an oversized engine. Unable to pay, Long was banned from the Cup series. He was reinstated this season, and showed up at Kansas on Friday -- with a logo on his hood that would eventually be removed.

Long will start last in the 40-car field in tonight's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Go Bowling 400 (whew, sponsors!) at Kansas Speedway.
A new position in Wyoming's city government has been filled by a former member of the city staff.

Megan Sall has been hired as the assistant city manager - a hybrid position that combines communications responsibilities with the former duties of the deputy city manager.

The new job comes after the retirement of Deputy City Manager Heidi Isakson in March.

Sall previously served as assistant to the city manager, downtown development authority director and community services coordinator for the city.

She also served as a legislative aide for former state Congressman Judd Gilbert, a republican, and campaign coordinator for former state Congressman Jason Allen, also a republican, during his bid for U.S. Congress in 2010.

Sall then headed to Washington D.C. to become program manager at International City/County Management Association.

After returning to the area, Sall served as the business development manager for The Right Place, then as project and engagement manager at CQL Inc., before taking on the new assistant city manager role.

The position includes being the city manager's principal representative in economic development, downtown development and other administrative affairs along with monitoring city projects and being a liaison between the city manager and department leaders and the community. As the city's communication director, she provides city website and social media management and responds to media inquiries.

"We are excited to have Megan back at the city in this new and expanded role," City Manager Curtis Holt said. "She brings a passion for municipal work, community engagement and the city of Wyoming, along with a strong understanding of who we are.

"Megan's past work with us, along with the expertise and skills she has developed in the interim, will allow her to be a tremendous asset to our continued growth and development."

Sall has a bachelor's degree in international relations and a master's degree in public administration, both from Grand Valley State University.

Along with her work for the city, she serves on the GVSU board, planning committee for the Great Lakes Software Excellence Conference and as a cabinet member for the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Gateway Transformation Campaign. She also mentors at the Cook Leadership Academy at GVSU.
"Beasts of No Nation" courtesy photo | Netflix

By John Serba | jserba@mlive.com

Need a Netflix recommendation? Never fear. Your intrepid, highly opinionated movie critic is here to help. A while back, I listed 25 movies you should watch on the streaming service, and now I'm following up with an additional 25. And yes, you cynics out there, Netflix indeed features 50 movies worth watching - and then some, I might add. Here are fresh recommendations, available as of May 13, 2017.

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'All Good Things'

Did you watch the brilliant HBO documentary series The Jinx: The Live and Deaths of Robert Durst? Well, this drama starring Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst - both excellent - is based on the unsolved murder believed to be perpetrated by Durst in 1982. Making All Good Things led director Robert Jarecki to the true story, which eventually became The Jinx.

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'Anvil: The Story of Anvil'

One of the great music-biz documentaries is about a band you probably dont know exists - although this 2008 film put them in a spotlight brighter than the Canadians heavy metal sounds ever inspired. I call this movie, a chronicle of Anvils decades-long struggle to earn a living as a recording and touring act, the poverty-ridden flipside to Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, and a real-life riff on This is Spinal Tap. Its a fascinating, funny and sad examination of the disarmingly tender friendship between musicians Steve Lips Kudlow and Robb Reiner and, by extension, the human condition.

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'Beasts of No Nation'

Note to True Detective fans: first season director Cary Fukunaga makes movies, too. Beasts is his 2015 drama - a Netflix original movie - about African child soldiers, starring the ever-charismatic Idris Elba. Note: Fukunagas excellent Jane Eyre, starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender, is also streaming.

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'Coraline'

Author Neil Gaiman is once again atop the pop-culture bubble thanks to the new, critically acclaimed TV adaptation of his bestseller "American Gods." He also penned the book that inspired "Coraline," a superb, terrifically creepy stop-motion-animation story about a girl who discovers a door to a parallel world that seems better than her own. Until she meets her Other Mother, at least.

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'Downfall'

More people have seen the myriad Adolf Hitler rant parody clips on YouTube - e.g., Hitler reacts to the sub-prime mortgage crisis - than have seen the film that inspired them. Bruno Ganz plays the fascist dictator in this biodrama chronicling the final days of World War II. Its a tremendous film.

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'The Fly'

If youve ever wanted to see Vincent Price play a guy with a giant insect head, well, here you go. A cult horror classic from 1958, and one of Prices most beloved roles.

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'Glengarry Glen Ross'

I have a great lead for you here: Watch this impeccably written 1992 film - courtesy David Mamet, based on his play - for its meticulous characterizations of desperate salesmen, played by Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey and Alec Baldwin. Is this the greatest boys-club cast ever? Its at least a finalist.

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'Gremlins'

Because one can never get enough 80s nostalgia. Or creatures exploding in microwaves.

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'Heathers'

This dark, dark 1989 comedy about vicious high school cliques - starring Winona Ryder, Christian Slater and Shannen Doherty - boasts one of the most highly quotable scripts ever. Show this in a triple-feature with Clueless and Mean Girls.

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'Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey'

Two dogs and a cat are on the road together after they mistakenly think their owners abandoned them. A corny kiddie Disney flick from 1993? Sure, why not, if only as a nostalgic look back at a world when live-action dogs and cats were played by real dogs and cats, and not created with computers. Also, hey, Michael J. Fox and Sally Field are in this? Side note: Heres hoping Disneys deal with Netflix means more goofy old catalog titles like this make it to the streaming service.

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'The Immigrant'

Filmmaker James Gray is enjoying some critical acclaim for his current release "The Lost City of Z." But it'll be hard to top his previous film, 2014's "The Immigrant," a sumptuously photographed 1920s-set drama starring Marion Cotillard as a desperate French woman, new to America, who's exploited by Joaquin Phoenix's unscrupulous creep. Jeremy Renner plays the righteous fellow who steps in to help her. This is a great movie.

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'The Impossible'

If your couch armrests need a good gripping, fire up this intense survival drama about a family separated and swept away by a tsunami while on vacation. Naomi Watts was Oscar nominated for her performance; Ewan McGregor and Tom Holland co-star.

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'Kubo and the Two Strings'

Trivia: Kubo is one of the very few animated films ever Oscar-nominated for its visual effects. The story of a boy on a quest for his fathers powerful samurai armor is a beautiful display of stop-motion - it employs puppets and 3D-printed figures - and features the voices of Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron and Matthew McConaughey.

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'The Midnight Meat Train'

Here's this list's requisite hoot: a terrible, just terrible horror film starring a pre-superstar Bradley Cooper ("The Hangover" came a year later) as a photographer stalking a serial killer who cuts people up on a subway train. As a wise film critic friend of mine once put it, this thing offers "a heaping helping of grade-A turkey." Serve it up at your next "MST3K" party.

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'Milk'

I still would've given the Oscar to Mickey Rourke for "The Wrestler." But don't begrudge Sean Penn his award for playing groundbreaking gay activist Harvey Milk in this excellent bio from director Gus Van Sant.

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'Mulholland Dr.'

Considered by some to be David Lynchs masterpiece (I'm a "Wild at Heart" supporter, for what it's worth), this surreal thriller stars Naomi Watts as an amnesiac whose dreams are blurring into reality. Put any concerns about logic and linear narratives on pause when you watch this, and let Lynch suck you into his bizarre world.

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'Pete's Dragon'

This live-action (with CGI dragon, of course) Disney remake is charming and well-directed by David Lowery, who trades strong indies ("Ain't Them Bodies Saints") and big-budget stuff like this. His next project is the "Peter Pan" remake.

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'The Prestige'

"Inception," Christopher Nolan's other "between Batman" movie, tends to steal the spotlight. But this twisty 2006 thriller starring Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale as rival magicians trying to out-trick each other is well worth a watch - or a re-watch.

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'Queen of Katwe'

This terribly overlooked family-friendly based-on-a-true-story drama does something remarkable - it makes you feel good without manipulating you. Madina Nalwanga is brilliant as Phiona Mutesi, a Ugandan teen who goes from illiterate girl to international chess champion, and pulls her family out of poverty in the process. David Oyelowo is her dutiful coach, and Lupita Nyong'o is her stressed-out mother; both are excellent. Mira Nair's direction is colorful and inspired.

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'The Secret Life of Pets'

This 2016 animated box-office hit - about what pets do when their owners arent around - is a recent Netflix addition.

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'The Shining'

Is this the scariest movie ever made? Yes. Does it need any introduction or further description? No. Already seen it? Watch it again.

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'Snow Buddies'

The immortal 1997 Disney film Air Bud - about a Golden Retriever who plays basketball real good - spawned one of the most creatively vital franchises in cinema history. Once Bud subsequently mastered football, baseball, soccer and volleyball (hockey gets no respect, again), the series shifted to Buddies, about a pack of Golden Retriever pups conquering the world with cuteness in no less than seven films, all of which are on Netflix. I choose Snow Buddies over Space Buddies, Santa Buddies, Air Buddies, Super Buddies, Spooky Buddies and Treasure Buddies because I like snowy cinematography, and the Buddies befriend a widdle Husky pup.

Inventory note No. 1: the two "Santa Paws" films are spinoffs, part of the "Buddies" narrative, but please note, "The Search for Santa Paws" is actually a prequel to "Santa Buddies," despite being released a year later. Inventory note No. 2: "Drinking Buddies" is not, and I underscore not, part of the franchise.

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'We Need to Talk About Kevin'

This 2011 psychodramatic thriller stars Tilda Swinton - playing the mother of a boy displaying troubling behaviors - in whats among her many, many fine performances to date. Its an exquisite display of acting, and Lynne Ramsays direction matches it. Dont overlook this dark, challenging story.

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'Wet Hot American Summer'

This 2001 comedy has a passionate cult following - its chock-full of pre-fame stars (Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Amy Poehler) and boasts an approach to comedy thats almost anti-funny, with jokes and gags so lame, you laugh at them. Its an offbeat curiosity that spawned an eight-episode, direct-to-Netflix prequel series.

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'Who Framed Roger Rabbit?'

A watershed technical achievement upon its release in 1988, this live action/animation combo is still very funny and visually convincing. Its also a superb send-up of classic Hollywood noir.

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"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" courtesy photo | Disney/Marvel

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'The Fate of the Furious': The franchise's dumbest entry yet
Casting Goldie Hawn and Amy Schumer as a mother-daughter comedy duo offers great potential. But it goes unfulfilled with "Snatched," which is a significant disappointment. The movie frequently strands the two wildly talented funnywomen in a comedy vacuum, assuming - hoping? - they can alchemically generate laughs by merely existing in the same space together.

It doesn't work that way, of course. Hawn and Schumer are forced to grit their teeth through a wildly uneven script, where the jokes splat and fizzle when they should crackle and pop. Previously, screenwriter Kate Dippold penned a terrific screenplay for Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy in 2013's "The Heat," crafting characters that balanced nuance with broad appeal, and worked to the stars' strengths. But "Snatched" is more in line with Dippold's flop all-female "Ghostbusters" remake from 2016 - both squander significant talent, are good ideas poorly executed, and feature hastily sketched characters and weak jokes in screenplays begging for another draft or three.

Schumer plays Emily, a thinly rendered egocentric dimbulb. She loses her retail job and her budding rock-star boyfriend in the same day. Each time, after the initial shock of loss, she tries to play it off as if it was her idea, Schumer coming off funny and sad but mostly sad. Savor those early moments of relative emotional involvement in the character, because it's the last time there's any complexity to Emily, whose inner life is a hollowness coated with a thin veneer of obnoxiousness. Emily has more in common with a stereotypical Adam Sandler persona than Schumer's shrewdly unapologetic commitmentphobe in the 2015 hit "Trainwreck," which was much more ambitious, and crafted comedy from character, not the other way around. ("Trainwreck" was also written by Schumer, which probably is no coincidence, but definitely is an argument against her being a hired gun with minimal creative input.)

"Snatched" is an auspicious return to the cinema for Hawn, a one-time America's-sweetheart type with an Oscar nomination (for 1980's "Private Benjamin"), who hasn't made a movie in 15 years. Schumer reportedly pursued Hawn's involvement, and must have given a passionate pitch, because the script doesn't give the veteran actress much to work with, or enough kindling to generate much chemistry with her co-star. You go to the film hoping for good dialogue and some salty exchanges, and go home with nothing particularly memorable.

Hawn plays Linda, Emily's long-divorced mother, who dotes on her many cats and caters to every whim of Emily's agoraphobic dolt of a brother, Jeffrey (Ike Barinholtz). She has a half-dozen locks on her door, and can't bring herself to submit her profile to a dating website. Emily drops by to cry on her mom's shoulder, and eventually cajoles/guilts Linda into going to Ecuador with her - a trip she had planned to take with her boyfriend. "Let's put the 'fun' in 'non-refundable'!" Emily exclaims.

Somewhere in this muddle of a screenplay is an unexploited liberal-conservative family dynamic: Emily is outgoing to a fault, Jeffrey is terrified to walk out the front door, and Linda used to be like her daughter, but now is more like her son. (The movie has little interest in exploring why this is.) Instead, we're subject to flaccid bickering: Emily snipes at her brother, "You're so gay for Mom." Deep in the film, Emily and Linda touch upon a fundamental difference in perspective between parent and offspring - mom thinks they never see each other, daughter believes they see each other all the time. But the idea is dropped right then and there, in the mud of a Columbian jungle.

Oh, right - the jungle. The plot drops Emily and Linda in a grimy cell after they're kidnapped by creeps, who demand a ransom for their release. The movie toys with the crass cultural stereotype of gullible white tourists being abducted by unscrupulous brown people while visiting exotic South American locales, and the story's casual xenophobia might be less troublesome if it was played as satire, or made us laugh before we realize its potential for offensiveness. The movie's poorly realized concept cheapens it, transforming its attempts at black comedy into thoughtless crudity.

During their adventure, Emily and Linda meet a fistful of goofy characters. Wanda Sykes and Joan Cusack, playing a pair of loony tourists, are dropped in randomly as ineffective comedic spice, although they eventually devolve into plot devices. Christopher Meloni is a khaki-coated quasi-adventurer helping the duo escape the bad guys. Tom Bateman is a tall, dark and handsome type who woos Emily, and may or may not be involved in the kidnapping. As the wacky brother, Barinholtz is the only cast member who finds any traction - in one of the movie's only comedically functional bits, he threatens an unresponsive U.S. Embassy rep (Bashir Salahuddin) with endlessly annoying phone calls until a government rescue unit is assembled.

The title "Snatched" is perhaps intended to be a crude and edgy feminist double-entendre, but it never meets its potential. It's heavily populated with female characters, which is thankfully becoming less novel these days, but they're nearly substance-free, in a movie that's nearly laugh-free. Prior to the film, Schumer and Hawn take part in a PSA-type preamble thanking the audience for coming to a theater, the ideal place to see a film. I agreed with the sentiment wholeheartedly in concept, yet for most audiences, "Snatched" is the kind of inessential movie people wait to watch at home on their streaming service of choice. I recommend making a trip to the theater to see something smarter and funnier.

FILM REVIEW

'Snatched'

2 stars (out of 4)

MPAA rating: R for crude sexual content, brief nudity, and language throughout

Cast: Amy Schumer, Goldie Hawn, Tom Bateman, Ike Barinholtz

Director: Jonathan Levine

Run time: 90 minutes
um

A collapsed sewer pipe was located on a residential property owned by the University of Michigan on Friday, May 12, Cornwell Place, where the collapsed pipe allowed small amounts of sewage to percolate slowly up through a UM parking lot on Glen Court. MLive file photo

ANN ARBOR, MI - A partially collapsed sewer pipe on a University of Michigan residential property led to a leak of sewage that percolated up around a parking lot on Glen Court on Friday, May 12.

The property was located just off of Glen Court on Cornwell Place, where the collapsed pipe allowed small amounts of sewage to percolate slowly up through a UM parking lot on Glen Court. No further information about the residential property was available.

UM estimates an infrequent flow rate of less than 0.25 gallons per minute. At this time, it is not clear when the slow percolation began, but UM staff indicated that small amounts of water without odor may have been present at some point earlier this spring.

At that time, according to a news release from UM, it did not seem out of the ordinary because of a combination of the condition of the lot, its proximity to a large steep grass slope,and a lack of odor from the water.

The impacted area is being treated with lime to neutralize and accelerate decomposition of any remaining sewage, and the parking lot is going to be barricaded once it is vacated. The residents at the residential property have been relocated to stop further discharge until the pipe repair is made.

In accordance with regulatory protocols, UM staff contacted the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to inform them of this incident.
DEARBORN, MI - Greenhills School students spent a night at the museum for their prom on Friday, May 12.

Students from the college preparatory school in Ann Arbor took chartered buses to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, enjoyed dinner together and then had time to dance or explore the museum.
ANN ARBOR, MI - From new high-rises to streetscape improvements now underway, big changes are coming to South University Avenue.

But perhaps the biggest change yet will come when nearly an entire block of commercial buildings along the north side of South U just east of the University of Michigan's Central Campus Diag gets torn down to make way for a 12-story development with new apartments above ground-floor retail.

The City Council on May 1 unanimously approved the development known as The Collegian North. Proposed by Oakland County developer Ron Hughes of Hughes Properties, it will rise 150 feet tall and include a total of 55 apartments with 243 bedrooms targeted toward UM students.

Sean Havera, vice president of construction for Hughes Properties, confirmed on Friday, May 12, the project will be moving forward next month.

He said crews will be doing utility disconnect work in June to coordinate with the Downtown Development Authority's streetscape project.

"We will begin formal demolition in August through September and begin foundation late September or early October," Havera said.

Construction is expected to be complete in summer 2019.

Ulrich's Bookstore is among the buildings to be demolished, but the store is expected to return as one of the tenants.

Potential uses of the ground-floor commercial spaces include food service establishments, banking and retail.

Only two existing buildings on the north side of South U between East U and Church will remain standing after Hughes is done demolishing most of what's there now. The new building will rise between the TCF Bank building at the corner of Church and South U and the Espresso Royale coffee shop next to the Diag.

In addition to Ulrich's Bookstore, some of the other businesses that have in modern times occupied the buildings set to be demolished include Ulrich's Spirit Shop, the 3rd Rail Arts Collective, The Nail Nook, Fred's, Top Rated Online, a Chase Bank ATM and the YCI Clothing store.

Hughes is planning to similarly redevelop much of South U on both sides of the street in the coming years and already has unveiled plans for another high-rise development known as The Collegian East, which will replace smaller commercial buildings that once housed the now-closed Safe Sex Store, the now-closed Middle Earth gift shop and Mo Mo Tea.

Several storefronts on South U have remained vacant in recent times in anticipation of the new developments.

Another high-rise development just south of South U is currently under construction between East University Avenue and Church Street.
1002WCC_KYM011

Foliage changes color as Fall approaches on the Washtenaw Community College campus on Thursday, October 2, 2014 in Ann Arbor. Katie McLean | The Ann Arbor News

(File photo | The Ann Arbor News)

ANN ARBOR TOWNSHIP, MI - Police are seeking a suspect in a reported sexual assault on the Washtenaw Community College campus.

The college released a crime alert at 5:39 p.m. Friday, May 12.

The alert says the assault was reported Thursday in the men's locker room of the Fitness Center, 4833 East Huron River Drive in Ann Arbor Township.

A man in a hot tub feels someone inappropriately touched him, said sheriff's office spokesman Derrick Jackson.

The suspect is a white male, per the college.

The Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident.
BAY CITY, MI -- A 20-year-old accused of repeatedly having sex with a minor is to undergo a second psychiatric evaluation.

Bay County District Judge Mark E. Janer on Tuesday, May 9, granted a motion to have Rylan D. Hanson obtain an independent examination. The motion was filed by defense attorney Andrea J. LaBean.

The psychiatric professionals who eventually meet with Hanson will gauge his criminal responsibility and competency to participate in future court proceedings.

Janer previously had Hanson sent to the Center for Forensic Psychiatry in Ypsilanti for an assessment of his competency. Based on the findings of staff there, Janer ruled Hanson was competent for trial.

Hanson on Jan. 19 was arraigned on three counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. The charge involves penetration and is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Court records indicate a girl told authorities she had vaginal sex with Hanson on three separate dates in August 2016 at various locations in Bay County. No additional details were provided.

In Michigan, the age of consent for sexual activity is 16.

Hanson's case is scheduled for another competency hearing before Janer on Friday, May 26.
chandler.jpg

Chandler, a pit bull terrier mix, was found Friday, May 12, in a Detroit park with severe abdominal injuries, possibly from a botched neuter attempt.

(Courtesy of Detroit Dog Rescue)

DETROIT, MI - A five- to six-week old puppy with a gaping wound in his abdomen, possibly from a botched neuter attempt, was found Friday in a Detroit park.

Thanks to the efforts of the nonprofit Detroit Dog Rescue the pit bull terrier mix now called Chandler will undergo a $6,000 surgery and likely survive, but it is not clear what sort of long-term care he will require, said Executive Director Kristina Rinaldi.

"I've seen a lot working in Detroit. I've seen so much," Rinaldi said. "This is the worst wound that I think I've ever seen."

Chandler's reproductive organs are basically falling out of his body, she said. The portion of his abdomen containing the testicles has been removed. "And this wound is so deep. This is horrific. It's bad."

Images of the injuries, possibly weeks old, had to be blurred for social media sites.

An unknown person found the dog Friday afternoon in Chandler Park in eastern Detroit. He was turned over to Detroit Animal Control, who alerted Detroit Dog Rescue, a no-kill shelter, said Rinaldi, who established a GoFundMe page.

In 13 hours, the page raised more than $7,300 and pictures of Chandler on the rescue organization's Facebook page were shared hundreds of times, generating much sympathy and outrage.

We've blurred out some of his injuries, because we know it's graphic. Little Chandler was mutilated by possibly a... Posted by Detroit Dog Rescue on Friday, May 12, 2017

"A normal mind could not do this to a puppy for any 'reason.' And then to dump him injured and suffering??? That is illness," one person commented.

Rinaldi does not have many details on how the dog came to be found or what might have happened to the puppy; Detroit Dog Rescue, working with the Michigan Humane Society, is looking for information.

"He was in quite a bit of pain, but he has been so sweet the whole time."

Whatever occurred certainly is criminal, she said. "This is animal cruelty."

It is torture "of the worst kind," and it is unnecessary; many active outreach groups offer low-cost spay and neuter services, she said.

Chandler is now at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services in Bloomfield Hills.

He is to undergo surgery, but might need more procedures and follow-up care, preferably with the best surgeons. Rinaldi urged further donations. "Anything anyone wants to give is truly appreciated."

Eventually, the dog will go to a foster home capable of handling his medical needs; his bandages are going to have to be regularly changed.

Detroit Dog Rescue will then try to find him an adoptive home.

Anyone with details on Chandler is encouraged to call Detroit Dog Rescue at 313-458-8014.
FLINT, MI -- People of all ethnic backgrounds learned and interacted with individuals from different countries at the third annual Communities First, Inc.'s (CFI) Taste of Culture event in Flint.

The event began at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 13 in the gymnasium of Greater Heights Academy in Flint. Taste of Culture was put on by Culture Shock, CFI's arts and cultural outreach program. It featured people from more than 10 different countries, including Nigeria, the Bahamas, the United Kingdom, Japan and Mexico.

Open displays gave facts about their native country, including the country's population, politics, ethnic diversity and more.

Food from these different countries was also provided free of charge.

Andrew Morton represented the United Kingdom and was most excited to learn about other cultures, while also sharing his culture and "challenging people's perceptions."

Morton most recently went back to England last spring for a study abroad program with the University of Michigan-Flint.

Meanwhile, across the gymnasium, Hilniqua Gibson educated people about her native country -- the Bahamas.

She was born and raised in the Bahamas and moved to Michigan at the age of 18 to attend Kettering University in Flint. She goes back to her native country as often as she can.

"Especially during the colder months," she exclaimed.

Gibson still keeps in touch every day with her family, who all live in the Bahamas.

Glenn Wilson, president and CEO of CFI, says the event has grown every year since it began in 2015 and believes it will continue to grow with each successful year.

"I want to introduce people to culture creatively, and people want to share their culture and heritage and we wanted to give those people a platform," Wilson said.

Wilson says his goals for the event include educating and informing people of different cultures and empowering the community.

"We want to introduce people to things they haven't been introduced to yet," he said. "We want to find a way to make other people appreciate other cultures."
GRAND BLANC, MI -- Students from Holly High School had a roarin' good time at a '20s-themed prom on Friday, May 12.

With decorations created by the high school's art students, the Captain's Club at the Woodfield Country Club in Grand Blanc was transformed into a scene from "The Great Gatsby" for a prom night that proved "a little party never hurt nobody."

Click through the gallery to see The Flint Journal's photos from the night.

The Flint Journal and MLive.com are photographing the special moments for students from proms across Genesee County and the state.

Follow all of our prom coverage and see hundreds of photos of Genesee County proms here.

Anyone who attended the Holly prom can submit their own photos via email to flphoto@mlive.com.
GOODRICH, MI -- It was a first time prom voyage for Goodrich High School Friday night.

Nearly 300 Martians boarded charter buses from the high school in Atlas Township headed for Michigan Stadium on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor for their "Friday Night Lights" themed prom.

Leslie Stewart, junior class sponsor, came up with the idea before the beginning of the 2016-17 school year.

"I was looking for something a little different from the country club," she said, of looking for a "wow" factor. "I'd see the Big House on MLive (for prom) at other schools."

Checking out venues including Ford Field and the Palace of Auburn Hills, with some having been already booked for prom weekend, Stewart was able to secure the stadium.

"Everyone is really excited about it," she said, with staff and parents more than willing to chaperone for the event during which students had a chance to tour the field and home locker room.

They ate dinner and danced inside the Jack Roth Stadium Club, with lights on the field turned on when day turned to night.

The Flint Journal and MLive.com are photographing the special moments for students from proms across Genesee County -- including Beecher, Holly, Montrose, Linden, Flushing, Hamady High School, and Flint Southwestern Classical Academy this weekend -- and the state.

Have a look at MLive's prom coverage here.

Anyone that attended the Goodrich High School prom can submit their own photos via email to racosta1@mlive.com or via text to 810-429-3865.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -The ex-wife of former Greenville police Chief Mark Reiss was convicted of charges related to her use of his health insurance after they divorced.

Christine Reiss, 48, was ordered jailed Thursday, May 11, after a Kent County Circuit Court jury found her guilty of three charges of healthcare fraud for making a false claim, making a false statement and concealing information.

She was cleared of seven other charges.

Judge Mark Trusock, who presided over the jury trial this week, set sentencing for June 22.

Mark Reiss, the former director of Greenville Public Safety Department, resigned in February after he was ordered to stand trial in Montcalm County Circuit Court on felony healthcare fraud charges.

His trial is set for June 6.

He failed to remove his ex-wife from his Blue Cross health policy after their August 2014 divorce, police say. She used his health insurance nine times after their divorce, costing Blue Cross $113,000, investigators say.

Mark Reiss

State police say Greenville workers are required to report status changes to the city. The attorney for Mark Reiss has argued that he told several city officials about his divorce.

Blue Cross received an anonymous tip in late 2015 about the alleged crime and contacted state police who investigated.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- About 60 people turned out for an "I Am a Pre-Existing Condition" rally in downtown Grand Rapids to decry the latest Republican effort to reform health care.

Rally organizers used a Facebook page to generate support for their cause.

They gathered on the Gillett Bridge near the Ford Museum, with many carrying signs stating "I am a pre-existing condition."

Organizers distributed yellow postcards for people to sign with their names and zip code, with plans to send them on to local U.S. House members Rep. Justin Amash, R-Cascade Township and Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland.

"We're hoping that they understand we're watching what they're doing. They should know that a lot of the community is not supporting their action," said Nokomis Schultz, who helped organize the event with Lauren Taylor.

"There's a lot of outrage over this," she said.

The Republican bill that passed the House on May 4 has drawn criticism for numerous reasons, with one of the most significant a provision that opens the door for insurance companies to charge higher premiums for people with pre-existing conditions.

People who do not maintain continuous insurance coverage could be at risk.

Al Abbasse, a political science and economics instructor at Ferris State University in Grand Rapids, was injured during military training 46 years ago and uses a cane-like brace to walk.

He receives treatments about every two months.

Abbasse spoke about the House-passed bill at Friday's rally.

He believes close to 30,000 veterans could lose health care coverage under the plan.
5EF9FE42-9F0C-4D98-82B8-CC51546A0C56.jpg

Grand Rapids restaurateur Jeff Lobdellhe, right, has bought Pete's Grill & Tavern from longtime owner Todd Zaccanelli, who is retiring.

(Courtesy | Restaurant Partners)

BYRON TOWNSHIP, MI -- Grand Rapids restaurateur Jeff Lobdell says he has purchased

.

The acquisition keeps the longtime Byron Township restaurant open after owner Todd Zaccanelli retires.

"Pete's Tavern has been Byron Center's local gathering place for 70 years and like many of our places it shares similar values of friendly service, fun atmosphere, and great food at affordable prices," Lobdell said in a statement, announcing the purchase.

Lobdell is president and founder of Restaurant Partners, Inc, a Grand Rapids based company with 11 brands and 20 locations throughout West Michigan and the greater Traverse City area employing over 750 people.

The Grand Rapids area eateries include Sundance Grill, Beltline Bar, The Omelette Shoppe, Grand Coney, Bagel Beanery, Red Geranium and the recently acquired Rockwell Republic. Traverse City-area properties include Boone's Prime Time Pub, The Omelette Shoppe, and Flap Jack Shack.

Zaccanelli has owned both the Pete's Grill & Tavern and its building, at 2588 84th St. SW in downtown Byron Center, for 30 years.

Chuck and Catherine Haase built the restaurant, which opened in 1948 as Chuck's Place, according to Annmarie Hasse, the couple's daughter-in-law.

"In 1959 Chuck Haase passed away. In those days it was frowned upon for a woman to own a tavern/restaurant," Hasse told MLive and The Grand Rapids Press. "In 1961, it was sold to Roger and Betty Simons. Catherine Haase bought it back in 1964 along with her son-in-law Everett Bieber and named it Ev & K's. It finally left family ownership in 1967 when it was sold to Clyde Peters and named Pete's Place."

As part of the recent sale, Lodbell's firm is acquiring the 84th St. Market & Party Store that shares a parking lot with the restaurant.

Lobdell says he has no plans to change the eatery's name.

"This restaurant belongs to the people of Byron Center and I look at my company as the caretaker," Lobdell said.

He added that Zaccanelli first approached him about buying the restaurant because he knew Restaurant Partners would keep the business running as he always had.

"This is wonderful marriage of a great restaurant brand with a great restaurant company," said Lobdell, adding that his firm is inheriting a "terrific" staff known for its service to guests and the community.

"I'm confident that we can learn a lot from them and they can benefit greatly from us. I'm most excited about the co-branding possibilities," Lobdell said.

Lobdell has a national reputation as a restaurateur. He is a former board chairman of the Michigan Restaurant Association and recently received the MRA's Distinguished Service Award. He is currently a director with the National Restaurant Association.
HOLLAND, MI -- Authorities are investigating whether two recent arsons are connected.

The fires happened in the early morning hours of Wednesday, May 10 and Friday, May 12.

Holland firefighters about 4:10 a.m. Wednesday responded to 333 Washington Avenue and found heavy fire coming from the back of the house.

The fire destroyed most of the top story of the 1 1/2-story house.

No one was injured and firefighters learned the house was under renovation and vacant.

Then at 6:40 a.m. Friday, May 12, police responded to the former Macatawa Dairy Dock at 341 West 17th St. on a report of vandalism.

Officers found that portions of the siding had been burned and melted, but with no fire when they arrived.

Investigators determined both fires were intentionally set.

Anyone with information about the two fires can call Silent Observer at 1-877-88-SILENT or email policetips@cityofholland.com
BROOKLYN, MI - Summer jobs are available at Michigan International Speedway through Americrown.

The catering company is hiring bar tenders, food runners, suite attendants, dishwashers and more to staff NASCAR races at the track.

A job fair is set for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 20, at MIS, 12626 U.S. 12.

The speedway hosts the Firekeepers Casino 400 June 16-18 and the Pure Michigan 400 Aug. 11-13.

For more information, visit www.mispeedway.com.
Artificial intelligence or AI as it is called in cyber parlance, and believed to be the next big thing in information and technology, can play key role in good governance, a senior Microsoft official has said.

"We are seeing that governments are benefitting through Artificial Intelligence and are able to bring (governance) closer to people in their countries," Dave Forstrom, director of communications for the Artificial Intelligence (AI) group at Microsoft, told PTI.

"Absolutely," he said when asked if AI can be a tool in good governance.

"In terms of helping create good governance we're seeing an approach industry-wide right now where it's focused on ethical design and those principles that will help to really govern that," he said on the sidelines of the Microsoft's annual developers conference Build 2017.

Microsoft's India-born CEO Satya Nadella has identified AI as the center piece of the company's growth strategy.

Forstrom said Microsoft is having partnerships with a number of governments in this regard.

"Singapore is one that we recently worked with last year to actually help them create bots to better engage their customers," he said.

"We're seeing organisations, we're seeing governments, Singapore being one of them, where they've actually been working at creating bots where people can come to their bot through their website and be able to access any information that they want. They can ask questions, it really shortens the process and the interaction between government and customer," Forstrom said.

With the amount of data that is being now generated, it is but natural that artificial intelligence has now arrived at a take off stage, he said.

Microsoft, he said, is currently working with numerous governments on different AI related technologies, not just bots, but also cognitive services and how they can take those and infuse those into different solutions for folks who govern.

In India, for instance Microsoft is working on the applicability of AI on improving approach to agriculture and crop sowing.

"It's a great example of what we're doing in India where we're actually using the power of AI to help farmers determine best times for seeding and for sowing their crops. And they're seeing 30 per cent return from it," Forstrom said.

The senior Microsoft official said AI could be of great usage in various fields, including public health, law and order, education and even city sanitation and cleanliness.

But AI comes with challenges too, he said.

"How do you make sense of the data that exists within an organisation, within a government? AI is starting to help fuel that, and a lot of the products and services, the tools that are coming out, are helping to fuel that too," he said in response to a question.

At the same time, he acknowledged that AI has a long way to go.

"If you look at where we are in terms of AI's progression, it has been around for 50-60 years, the historical research and what's been going on. But it's only been these last few years where we really see things start to accelerate because of these areas like cloud computing, progress in terms of algorithms and the power of data, being able to use these massive amounts of data, but it's really early days now," Forstrom said.

"We're actually able to see tangible results and outcomes now in terms of how we can use AI in consumer scenarios and business scenarios. We will start to see that just continue to explode exponentially as we move forward over the next ten years," he said.
DES MOINES  Gov. Terry Branstad, slated to become U.S. ambassador to China this month, OKd his final state budget Friday by approving a $7.269 spending plan for fiscal 2018, likely his final bill action as governor.

Branstad capped his 23rd legislative session as governor by taking action on the final 10 bills on his desk before signing the budget bill, with few changes in the plan sent him by the GOP-controlled Legislature.

When you look at the volume and diversity of policy issues that were addressed this year, I am proud to say this has been one of the most significant and productive sessions in our history, Branstad said.

We have a relatively low volume of item-vetoes, demonstrating the success of working together with the House and Senate to implement policies to make Iowa more competitive and prosperous, he added. Im proud of the work that weve done this year.

Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, who will become Iowas first female governor after Branstad resigns, also praised the work of majority Republicans who control both the Iowa House and Iowa Senate, saying the significant actions taken this session would make Iowa an even greater place to live, work and raise a family.

There is no doubt that we have made Iowa more competitive, and Im eager to get to work with the Legislature next year to continue growing Iowas future, she said in a statement.

BROKEN PROMISES

Not everyone shared that view.

Rep. Chris Hall, D-Sioux City, ranking House Appropriations Committee members, said majority Republicans failed taxpayers in this years budget process.

Lt. Gov. Reynolds and Gov. Branstad missed a huge opportunity to listen to Iowans and correct the mistakes of GOP lawmakers, Hall said in a statement.

The GOP budget means students will be paying higher tuition, fewer at-risk kids will be able to attend preschool and homeowners will pay higher property taxes, he said. Iowans have every right to be frustrated with the broken promises Republicans made to the people of Iowa this session.

Matt Sinovic, executive director of Progress Iowa, criticized the Branstad-Reynolds administration for failed budget choices that severely underfund critical public services and priorities while authorizing $150,000 for Reynolds transition to the governorship.

"Instead of helping move her boxes a few feet down the hall, that transition budget could have meant three weeks of clean water in central Iowa, books for 157 students at the University of Iowa, or school supplies so 300 teachers wouldn't have to pay out-of-pocket to provide the best learning environment possible, Sinovic added.

LITTLE INCREASE

Next fiscal years $7.269 billion general-fund budget is an increase of $9 million, or 0.12 percent over the current fiscal years spending after an $88.2 million de-appropriation passed earlier this year.

The new budget is $28.1 million below the expenditure limitation, with a projected ending balance is $106.9 million with reserve funds estimated to total $$625.1 million  which is $112 million below the statutory 10 percent maximum, according to the Legislature Services Agency.

CUTS TO HEALTH

The $3.73 billion standing appropriations bill includes a 1.11 percent boost in state aid to K-12 schools that totals $40 million. It also includes funding to begin paying back the $131 million borrowed from the states cash reserve to cover a projected budget shortfall this fiscal year.

Another major provision of the $7.269 billion budget is $1.77 billion for health and human services. Thats 1.5 percent, or $27.9 million, less than the current years revised spending and about $70 million below the amount budgeted for this fiscal year before midyear budget cuts.

Within that spending plan, majority Republicans set aside $3 million to fund womens health care clinics that do not offer abortions. The money would pay for contraceptives, exams and other reproductive health services for Medicaid patients. GOP lawmakers rejected federal dollars to avoid funding services at Planned Parenthood clinics in Iowa.

Suzanna de Baca, president/CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, called the action to defund her health agency a shocking and outrageous political act that will hurt thousands of Iowans with devastating short- and long-term health consequences.

In light of this news, we are turning over every rock, dotting every i and crossing every t, to explore our options to defend our mission and patients, de Baca said in a statement. We will do all we can to keep our health centers open in as many communities as possible, and we will continue to provide high-quality care to as many patients as possible.

UNIVERSITIES CUT

The fiscal 2018 general-fund budget also contains a scaled-back $908.4 million for higher education, the Iowa Department of Education and other state education functions. House File 642 included 6 percent reductions for the University of Iowa and Iowa State University and about a 3 percent cut for the University of Northern Iowa for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

The $98.4 million infrastructure budget bill includes $73.9 million for the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund, $10 million for the Technology Reinvestment Fund, $12 million for the State Bond Repayments Fund, $760,000 for the Revenue Bond Capitals Fund, $5.2 million for water quality and $3 million for the Renewable Fuels Infrastructure grants.

In addition the budget bill directed state officials to identify state facilities that could be sold to find revenue for maintenance needs, but Branstad used his item-veto to remove that directive.

Other budget bills approved by the governor provided $559 million budget for justice systems and $178.8 million for the judicial branch to operate the states court system.

POLICIES OKD

Among other policy proposals Branstad accepted in the budget bill were changes:

 Requiring law enforcement agencies to indefinitely retain sexual assault evidence kits.

 Repealing a requirement that state buildings dedicate no less than one-half of 1 percent of construction costs to fine arts elements.

 Requiring businesses selling alternative nicotine and tobacco vaping products to collect state sales tax and not sell to anyone under age 18.

 Requiring county auditors to arrange candidate names on the ballot in descending order based on previous election results.

 Closing a loophole in Iowas gun-permit application that allows sheriffs to continue asking permit applicants about their criminal background.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) has invested more than SGD 100 million in Indian carrier Vistara, twice the amount initially planned, a daily reported.

The airline is "encouraged" by Vistara's performance so far but an SIA spokesman declined to confirm funding details, citing commercial confidentiality, according to The Straits Times.

Profits are not expected until 2020 at the earliest but the New Delhi-based carrier, which has been flying domestically for more than two years, is growing nicely, the Singapore daily cited analysts as saying.

In June next year, the 49-per cent SIA owned Vistara will collect its 20th aircraft, a significant milestone which will pave the way for the airline to operate international flights.

Tata Group owns the rest 51 per cent stake in joint venture airline.

Under Indian civil aviation rules, Vistara must have at least 20 planes before it can fly outside the country.

The launch of international flights is a key part of SIA's strategy to expand its own reach and reduce the dominance of Middle Eastern carriers which have a strong hold on the growing India-Europe and India-United States markets.

When SIA and Tata first announced in 2013 the intention to launch Vistara, the plan was for a joint USD100 million investment.

The financing has since more than doubled on the back of high operating costs in India, stiff competition from other Indian carriers that has prompted steep fare cuts, and costs associated with plans to go international, reports out of India have suggested.

Industry think-tank Centre for Aviation, said in a recent report that Vistara is expected to order 100 planes - including 50 widebodies - before next month.

The airline currently has 13 aircrafts serving 45 domestic routes, a Vistara spokesman said.

No new plane order has been made, she said, adding that the airline is still evaluating its options.

Vistara has not ruled out leasing planes from SIA, she said.

While the aviation landscape in India is "very challenging and competitive", the opportunity is also "massive and there is a great potential for growth", The Straits Times quoted the spokesman as saying.

According to the International Air Transport Association, India has replaced Japan as the third-largest domestic aviation market in the world.

SIA has said repeatedly that it is in the Indian market to stay, despite the tough operating environment.

To create more value for consumers, SIA and its regional arm SilkAir recently struck a codeshare partnership with Vistara.

This means that an SIA customer can book a single ticket to fly from Singapore to New Delhi, and, from there, transfer to a Vistara flight to any of 10 domestic destinations.

The Vistara spokesman said such agreements "play a very important role for us in spreading greater awareness about our brand in international markets, and, for us, these partnerships are assets that we're building to support our international aspirations".
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The market this week rallied on positive sentiment around better monsoon prospects, global cues as well as likely recovery in corporate earnings.

The Nifty raced past 9,367 and made a new peak at 9451. It closed 1.2% higher at 9,400 for the week ended May 12. Meanwhile, the Sensex too clocked fresh record highs, and reclaimed mount 30K.

Experts have been hoping for a recovery in earnings from this year and that will drive the markets further up.

Earnings growth is expected to pick-up and be in the range of 15-18 percent over next two years, believes Harshad Patwardhan, Chief Investment Officer, Edelweiss Mutual Fund.

Commodity prices having stabilized is a good news for aggregate earnings growth. We believe that growth will be in the region of 15-18 percent over the next 2 years, Patwardhan told Moneycontrol in an interview.

Having said that, there are global voices which see them to be positive only from the next year onwards.

Valuations are a risk. But you can live with it if earnings see a pickup, which will happen in 2018 and not this year, Andrew Holland, CEO of Avendus Cap Alt Strategies had told CNB-TV18 in an interview.

The earnings trend so far has been marginally better compared to previous years, but there are companies which have failed to impress brokerage houses.

Moneycontrol takes a look at 5 stocks that brokerages have a sell call post their earnings announcements.

Siemens

Brokerage: Kotak | Rating: Sell | Target: Rs 940

Kotak observed that even if Siemens reported 25 percent YoY jump in revenue growth, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) margins declined by 380 basis points.

What stood out was the rise in raw material costs to a 68 percent. This actually hit the EBITDA margins. The volatility in margins is the hallmark of Siemens, it said in its report.

The brokerage house now awaits for clarification from the management.

The companys order inflows were up 96 percent YoY led by the Pugalur-Thrissur HVDC order from PGCIL in JV with Sumitomo Electric to be executed from factories in India, the report added.

We will update estimates post management clarification at the analyst meet on May 15, 2017, the brokerage said in its report.

Asian Paints

Brokerage: CLSA | Rating: Sell | Target: Rs 970

The brokerage house had a sell call on the stock as valuations appear expensive.

Asian Paints is a strong growth story but this is well captured in the valuations at 50x Mar-18CL. We tweak our estimates and continue to rate SELL with a revised target of Rs 970 based on 35x Mar-19CL, the brokerage said in its report.

CLSA highlighted that the Q4 EBITDA was below expectations, but was ahead in terms of net earnings, which came in at 10 percent, 3 percent ahead of the estimates.

India decorative rebounds but weak international

While the Indian decorative business saw a rebound, international business was weak, it observed. The decorative business segment in India rebounded to low double digit volume growth. In the international business, Egypt was impacted by devaluation while Ethiopia was impacted by unavailability of foreign exchange, it said in its report.

Havells India

Brokerage: Goldman Sachs | Rating: Sell | Target: Rs 440

The global investment bank based its arguments on market expectations running ahead of fundamentals.

While Q4 results do demonstrate a strong brand power, intense competition will keep margins in check, it said.

Further, it sees limited impact on operating leverage going forward. We incorporate the completed acquisition of Lloyd consumer business into our estimates. Hence, despite FY18E/19E revenue increasing by 24/26 percent, EBITDA increases by 12 percent/8 percent only, it said in the report.

It retains sell on the stock trading at peak valuations and with an expectation of muted growth in profitability.

Hero MotoCorp

Brokerage: Goldman Sachs | Rating: Sell | Target: Rs 2,888

The global investment bank stated that its guidance was at odds with the industry trends. Their FY18 volume guidance is of double digit growth against industry growth of high single digit. This guidance appears to be in contrast to the last 5 years when Hero grew by 1 percent CAGR against industrys 6 percent CAGR, it said in its report.

Given Heros segmental exposure (12 percent scooters, 22 percent economy motorcycles (MC), 64 percent executive MC, 2 percent premium MC and segmental growth trends Goldman Sachs thinks that the managements expectations imply optimistic growth, especially given the increasing competition.

Going forward, it sees risks of higher than expected volume growth, decreased competition and success of new launches and lower commodity prices as key risks to the stock.

Avenue Supermarts

Brokerage: Kotak | Rating: Sell | Target: Rs 580

D-mart stock has had a stellar run post the IPO and is now trading at 49X FY2019E P/E which is expensive according to analysts tracking Avenue Supermarts in Kotak.

The stock at CMP is trading at 49X FY2019E P/E, expensive in our view. We retain SELL with an unchanged DCF-based target price of Rs580, it said.

While we remain sanguine on the companys growth prospects as well as the profitable business model, we believe current valuations are pricing in all positives, said the report.
A day after India's bio-tech regulator GEAC gave its nod to commercial use of GM mustard, activists opposing the move today asked the government to reject the proposal and dissolve the GEAC immediately.

The 'Coalition for a GM-Free India', a platform of hundreds of organisations representing farmers, consumers, and scientists, wrote to Union Environment Minister Anil Dave expressing "disappointment and shock" over the approval by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC).

They demanded the regulatory body be immediately dissolved given its "repeated unaccountable functioning".

Meanwhile, Environment activists Vandana Shiva asserted that GM mustard will lead to "genetic contamination" of pure organic mustard and pollution of food.

The GEAC, India's GM crop regulator, had yesterday recommended the commercial use of genetically modified mustard in a submission to the environment ministry amid opposition by anti-GM groups, including RSS-affiliated bodies.

Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave now has to take the final call on approval of GM Mustard.

Ministry sources told PTI that although they were expecting the approval from the Minister today itself, the process has been delayed by a week.

"By clearing GM mustard, the GEAC has shown itself to be anti-science, anti-farmers, anti-environment and anti- consumers.

"We appeal to you (Dave) to summarily reject the application for approval of GM-Mustard. We also urge you to dissolve the GEAC immediately, given their repeated unaccountable functioning," the Coalition said in the letter written to Dave.

The Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants (CGMCP), Delhi University South Campus, had submitted an application to the GEAC for the environmental release of GM mustard (Brassica juncea) hybrid DMH-11 and the use of parental events (varuna bn 3.6 and EH2 mod bs 2.99) for the development of a new generation of hybrids.

With its green signal, the GEAC has pushed the hybrid plant developed by scientists at the Delhi University closer to becoming the country's first edible GM crop.

"The GEAC is a compromised body, which works only for corporate interests. Every word of their safety dossier was prepared by corporations.

"And in fact most of the members of the GEAC have been directly associated with corporates and lobby groups and now are only serving to promote their corporate interests," Shiva said in a letter to Dave.

The Coalition also said the GM HT Mustard is a "hazardous" herbicide-tolerant food crop, which has adverse impact on a large number of Indian farmers, agricultural workers and consumers.

It said that previously, it has shown, through rigorous analysis of all available materials that how it will increase chemicals in food and farms and how regulators should have never allowed it to proceed this far.

"The appraisal was shoddy while the tests were rigged and many tests not taken up. The need for GM mustard was never questioned and answered.

"The GEAC has ignored all the many valid questions raised by scientists and others and chose to function in an unscientific and biased fashion. Importantly, there was no integrity apparent in the processes adopted," the Coalition said in a statement.

It said when the rest of the world is shunning GM crops, India would be "foolish" to rush into GM mustard commercialisation.

"There is absolutely no reason, not a single one, why the GEAC should have recommended this for approval. Herbicide Tolerant crops increase chemical usage.

"Our conservative estimates show that even 25 per cent adoption of GM mustard in India's mustard cultivation area will lead to more than 4 crore employment days being lost by poor women in mustard growing areas, which are mainly BJP- ruled states," the Coalition said.
The 24-page notice issued by the Income Tax department to Young Indian (YI) Pvt Limited termed Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi as the real beneficiary of the transaction carried out to acquire properties worth Rs 2,000 crore.

CNN-News18 has accessed a copy of the I-T notice, a day after a political storm broke out in the wake of the Delhi High Courts refusal to stay the tax proceedings against YI and its directors.

Apart from its indictment of Sonia and Rahul, the notice reveals that I-T department has ascribed a role of complicity on Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as well. Dated January 10, 2017, the notice claims that Priyanka played a role in ascertaining that YI, which has Sonia and Rahul as its majority shareholders, comes in control of 100 per cent shares of this company.

As per the notice issued under Section 148 of the I-T Act for a reassessment of YIs income for the financial year 2010-11, a clear-cut case of attempts to evade taxes through sham transactions and incorrect reporting of financials was made out. YI was incorporated as a non-profit making company with its stated objective as: Youth commitment to the ideal of democratic and secular society.

The I-T notice, however, questions every step in the series of the transaction which, it contended, resulted in transferring control of assets worth around Rs 2,000 crore from Associated Journals Ltd (AJL)  the publishers of now-defunct The National Herald newspaper, to Sonia, Rahul and other directors of YI. Congress leaders Motilal Vora and Sam Pitroda, perceived as trusted aides of Nehru-Gandhi family, figured as other directors in YI. The I-T points out AJLs properties at Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Panchkula and Patna to provide an estimated value of assets that allegedly stand transferred to YI after the takeover.

The takeover of AJL by YI has resulted in the acquisition of all the immovable properties of AJL along with the right to enjoy a huge rental income of several crores from some of the properties. Since more than 75 percent shares of YI are held by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, they were the real beneficiary of the transaction, states the I-T notice.

The department censures the manner in which AJL, which allegedly owed Rs 90 crore to Congress, was taken over through shareholding by YI in lieu of Rs 50 lakh. Rs 50 lakh was reportedly paid by YI to Congress for assuming the Rs 90 crore loan. The I-T department found it curious that all the people involved in the series of transactions were common and were connected to Congress, AJL and YI.

If one looks at illogical sequences of events and the celerity at which these transactions were made by the common office-bearers of AJL, YI and AICC, then conclusion is simple to guess that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, along with their trustworthy associates, have taken over property of more than Rs 2,000 crore for a paltry sum of Rs 50 lakh, reads the notice.

The department adds: A pre-meditated scheme was devised to obtain control over immovable properties of AJL worth several hundred crores by persons who incorporated YI... acquisition of property was the real target of the transaction.

It further maintains that the swiftness with which the properties of AJL at prime locations across India were acquired by YI by making a meager investment of Rs 50 lakh through the takeover of AJL was possible due to common office-bearers of these parties, who were in-charge of management of all the parties to these transactions.

This proves that all the three entities were same and one in reality but on the paper, these three are distinct and different legal entities, says the notice.

About the alleged role played by Priyanka, the I-T department claims: In order to achieve the object of taking over 100 percent shares of AJL by YI, Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi Vadhera also purchased additional 47513 and 26244 shares of AJL through Rattan Deep Trust and Janhit Nidhi Trust respectively.

The department, in its notice, has furnished brief profile of Sonia, Rahul, Fernandes, Vora, Pitroda and Suman Dubey to assert those office bearers of Congress, directors of the YI and the AJL are common persons. which had helped these entities in carrying out transactions among these entities with great speed even without following the logical sequence of transactions as a prudent businessman, which lead to an irresistible conclusion that these transactions were pre-determined, pre-planned and stage-managed, it contends.

Describing the transactions as sham, the notice states that even though AJL continues to remain a legal entity with a right to hold properties, the true character of these transactions has to be judged by looking at reality and after removing the veil of AJL, YI and All India Congress Committee.

The real purpose of the loan from INC and allotment of share to YI by AJL was in reality only to transfer immovable properties of AJL to YI along with full right over rental income and business income from real estate business of AJL without paying any taxes. The artificially inserted steps have no business purpose except for evading taxes on income earned by YI on the takeover of immovable properties of AJL, according to the I-T notice.

It accused YI of unfair reporting of its financials by calling transaction of taking over the loan of AJL as an insignificant investment. How come full takeover of a company having properties worth Rs 1600 crore or more could be an insignificant investment? There appears to be a conscious effort to avoid detection of real transaction leading to the payment of taxes, questions the notice.

Read More: http://www.news18.com/news/india/national-herald-case-i-t-dept-calls-sonia-rahul-beneficiaries-of-rs-2000-crore-assets-drags-priyanka-too-1400523.html
The shadow of corruption related to the Indian Premier League continues to grow larger as six more people have been arrested, this time by the Ghaziabad police.

The arrests took place close to mid-night on Friday. The police has recovered cash of around Rs 70 lakh, along with mobile phones.

These arrests come just a day after three people were arrested in Kanpur by the UP Crime Branch after a tip off from the BCCI's Anti Corruption Unit. The arrested men were allegedly betting on the Delhi Daredevils vs Gujarat Lions match, which was the first IPL match to be played in Kanpur this season.

The people arrested were identified as Ramesh Nayan Shah, a businessman from Thane, and local residents Ramesh Kumar and Vikas Kumar. Ramesh Kumar had a contract to put hoardings at the Green Park stadium and had booked the room for Shah, who was in touch with a bookie from Ajmer named Bunty.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Kanpur, has said that role of two Gujarat Lions players is under scanner. Possibility of Shah being in touch with these two players has not been ruled out, but has not been confirmed yet.

Earlier on Thursday, the Delhi Police busted a similar racket where six people were arrested in Shahdara area in East Delhi. Speaking to CNN-News18 an official confirmed the arrest and seizure of laptops, mobile phones and LCDs among other things.

Read More: http://www.news18.com/cricketnext/news/ipl-betting-six-arrested-in-ghaziabad-as-net-widens-1400477.html
NASSCOM

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Industry body Nasscom today sought to allay fears of mass layoffs in the Indian IT sector and claimed the industry continues to be a "net hirer" with over 1.5 lakh people being employed on net basis every year.

Stating that the reports of mass layoffs were incorrect, it said workforce realignment, linked to performance appraisal processes, is a regular feature every year.

"Skilling and workforce realignment are essential to remain competitive in international markets. It needs to be appreciated that such workforce realignment is a normal part of the internal process of companies based on their own operational imperatives," Nasscom said in a statement.

It pointed out that no significant changes have been reported or observed this year.

"Such reports are incorrect. In fact the industry continues to be a net hirer with over 1.5 lakh people being employed on a net basis each year, though the focus is shifting from scale to skill," it said.

Over the last few weeks, reports of layoffs across the sector have been making headlines.

IT majors like Wipro, Infosys, Cognizant, and more recently, Tech Mahindra have initiated annual performance reviews, a process that also weeds out bottom performers or non performers. Estimates suggest that thousands of employees in the sector could be shown the door over the next few weeks.

The development comes at a time when Indian IT firms are facing challenges in the business environment and stricter work permit regime in countries like the US, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.

While the companies have termed these layoffs as part of normal business decisions, many believe these are directed more towards controlling costs.

With the US hardening its stance on outsourcing, IT firms are under pressure to hire locals instead of taking Indian employees on work visas to client sites. This also impacts their margins.

IT companies have been one of the largest recruiters in the country. Apart from the impact of stringent visa regime, increasing automation of processes would also lead to reduction in hiring in coming years.
Have a long-term outlook | Timing investment is logically impossible because the best entry and exit opportunities are known only in hindsight. No one can predict market movements with certainty. Therefore, it is important to allow your investments to compound over a long term.

Chinese investments related to the Belt and Road initiative have totalled to USD 60 billion since 2013 and Beijing plans to invest USD 600 billion to USD 800 billion in the next five years, an official here has said.

Ning Jizhe, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, was quoted by the state media ahead of the two-day Belt and Road Fourm (BRF) said that Chinese investment are expected to touch USD 120 billion to USD 130 billion a year over the next five years.

"That would amount to USD 600 billion to USD 800 billion in total, Ning said, adding "this will be a big driving force for a steady recovery in the global economy, and for free trade and investment."

The scrutiny of outbound investments by Chinese regulators will not affect Belt and Road projects, Ning was quoted by the state-run Global Times as saying.

On financing, Ning said China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China have extended USD 110 billion in loans for Belt and Road projects by the end of 2016 and China has signed currency swap deals with countries along the Belt and Road routes totalling 900 billion yuan.

Ning said from 2013 to 2016, Chinese companies invested over USD 60 billion in the countries and regions, creating more than 180,000 local jobs, and paid USD 1.1 billion in tax to local governments.
FBI Director James Comey waits before testifying at a House Intelligence Committee hearing into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 20, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

In an ominous warning, President Donald Trump declared today that fired FBI Director James Comey had better hope there are no "tapes" of their private conversations. Trump's tweet came the morning after he asserted Comey had told him three times he wasn't under FBI investigation.

Comey has not confirmed Trump's account, which concerns the FBI's probe of Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election and allegations of Trump campaign collaboration with the Russians.

And today, a person close to the former director recounted a Comey-Trump dinner in January in which Trump asked for a pledge of loyalty. Comey declined, instead offering "honest." When Trump then pressed for "honest loyalty," Comey told him, "You will have that," recounted the Comey associate.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders disputed that report and said the president would "never even suggest the expectation of personal loyalty." Officials did not immediately respond to questions about whether Trump recorded his discussions with the FBI director.

Details of the dinner were first reported by The New York Times Trump, in an interview Thursday with NBC News, had this version: "I said, 'If it's possible, would you let me know, am I under investigation?' He said you are not under investigation." Trump said the discussions happened in two phone calls and at a dinner in which Comey was asking to keep his job.

The president's Twitter comments today again raised the specter of Richard Nixon, whose secretly taped conversations and telephone calls in the White House ultimately led to his downfall in the Watergate scandal. Trump's firing of Comey already has left him with the dubious distinction of being the first president since Nixon to fire a law enforcement official overseeing an investigation tied to the White House.

Trump was widely known to record some phone conversations at his office in Trump Tower during his business career, sometimes remarking to aides after a call as to whether or not he had taped that one.

"I would note that New York is a one-party consent state, and President Trump has always abided by the law," said Sam Nunberg, a former campaign aide, noting that it is not required in New York for both parties on a call to be aware that it was being recorded.
RALEIGH  A legislative effort to raise the age for some juvenile offenders has instead raised concerns about costs.

Most lawmakers agree that, in most cases, 16- and 17-year-olds should not be criminalized as adults, but the impact on taxpayers of leaving those kids in the juvenile system has become a sticking point.

Legislators pored over the cost estimates for House Bill 280, the Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Act, during a May 11 meeting of the House Appropriations Committee. Under the legislation, teens younger than 18 charged with nonviolent crimes would qualify as juveniles. It would take effect Dec. 1, 2019.

The Senate budget included a raise-the-age provision but no funding for the program. It set the start date at Dec. 1, 2020. The Senate was debating the 2017-19 budget as this article went to press.

HB 280 would cost $44.3 million in annual recurring expenses beginning in 2020, said Mark White, a fiscal research staffer at the General Assembly.

Rep. Chuck McGrady, R-Henderson, said costs are a recurring concern.

One of the problems with this bill in the past is that its been about the money, he said.

North Carolina is the only state yet to reform its juvenile age limit. Last month, New York raised its juvenile age limit to 18.

The General Assembly in recent years has enacted several criminal justice reforms that have wound up reducing taxpayer costs and helped some low-level offenders get out of the prison system and become productive members of the community.

McGrady, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, told legislators to view this bill as another investment.

What about the long range here? When you get the juveniles out of the criminal justice system and your recidivism rate drops, whos going to benefit from that in terms of jail space down the road? Its just not a near-term thing, he said.

The Senates budget proposal, released earlier this week, included a stripped-down version of raise the age. Under that proposal, 16-and-17-year-olds with misdemeanors only would be placed in the juvenile system.

Most of the money in HB 280 would go to the Division of Juvenile Justice, White said.

Unlike adult courts, the juvenile system provides court counselors to assist kids and families. Juvenile cases also require the judge to spend more time working with the offenders.

The provisions can get expensive, White said.

But the legislatures fiscal analysis overstated some of the numbers involving costs, said William Lassiter, deputy commissioner of juvenile justice at the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.

HB 280s fiscal note designates need for a 96-bed Youth Development Center estimated to cost the state an additional $10.8 million.

There arent enough sentenced kids to fill that space, Lassiter said, adding that he could do with another 60 beds, then add more later if needed.

Fiscal research does an outstanding job of analyzing cost, he said. What they cannot do is analyze the benefits. Every cost-benefit analysis that you guys have commissioned as legislators has shown that this proposal will save the state money.

North Carolinas juvenile justice system has saved the state more than $40 million in recurring funds since 2008. System reforms and dropping delinquency rates have allowed for the savings.

The state should reinvest that money in the system, Lassiter said.

HB 280 passed the committee by voice vote. It may be taken up by the full House next week.
A local brewery that turned into a national destination has been named the Burke County Attraction of the Year for 2017.

Fonta Flora Brewery received the honor in a vote by board members of the Burke County Tourism Development Authority. TDA Executive Director Ed Phillips said the brewery was chosen based on the number of visitors it draws to Burke County.

Fonta Flora has been open three years and in that time has become a destination brewery that brings thousands of visitors to Burke County for our craft brew scene, Phillips said.

The brewery established its reputation early on, winning a gold medal at the 2014 Great American Beer Festival and capturing a second gold medal at the 2015 festival. It also founded the State of Origin Beer Festival in 2014. The one-day festival, which showcases beer made in North Carolina from local ingredients, fills the courthouse square in downtown Morganton each June.

Head brewer Todd Boera is recognized nationally, and also internationally, for his contributions to very unique craft beer styles, Phillips said. When the brewery does special bottle releases, there will be a few hundred people lined up on North Greene Street in Morganton waiting to purchase their allotment. These people are from all over the United States. They dont ship it, so the only way to get it is to be here.

David Bennett, a co-owner of the brewery, said it has been a pleasant surprise to see so many people traveling to Morganton to taste their craft beers.

The initial thrust for us was to be a localized spot catering to a local customer base. The way it has morphed into a destination is a shock to all of us, said Bennett. Its neat that you can go into our tasting room on the weekend and see a mix of local people from Burke County and people coming in from all over the world.

Bennett gives full credit to Boera for the popularity of the brewery as a tourist attraction.

We have a nice location and a good setting, but the real attraction is the product we make, said Bennett. Its definitely a mixture of art and science and Todd has that down pat.

The popularity of the brewery has led to the construction of a second Fonta Flora location. A new production facility and tasting room is slated to open by the end of the year at the old Whippoorwill Dairy property in western Burke County near Lake James.

Fonta Flora is the second winner of the Burke County Attraction of the Year award, joining the History Museum of Burke County, which captured the inaugural award in 2016.

There are a lot of great things to do in Burke County, so to be named Attraction of the Year, we feel very honored, Bennett said.

For information on Fonta Flora, visit www.fontaflora.com.
RICEVILLE | For the past 36 years, Bob Noble has seen many changes in cattle feeding and the beef industry as a whole.

The industry, he believes, is a "noble" profession.

Not every morning, but doing chores on Christmas morning is almost a religious experience, because you know you are taking care of nature and providing for humans," he said.

Bob, his wife, Jayne, and their three children live on the farm where Bob was raised west of Riceville.

Nobles have fed cattle on the farmstead for the past 36 years. My dad, Harlan, was a general farmer with different types of livestock including milk cows," Noble said. "The last 20 years Dad fed cattle."

Prior to returning to his home farm, Noble, who graduated from Oklahoma State, worked at one of the huge Monfort cattle feeding facilities near Greely, Colorado, which finished out about a 100,000 head of fat cattle a year.

In 1981, he returned home and began farming near Riceville. He is District 5 director of the Iowa Cattlemen's Association and is a voting delegate for the Iowa Cattlemen's Association on the marketing committee for the National Cattlemen Beef Association.

Over the years, he said obvious changes of technology includes feeding with implants, additives and distiller products from ethanol plants.

In the 1960s, Noble said Iowa was the top cattle feeding state in the country, until the Russian corn deal in the 1970s.

Cattle feeding operations then moved to the higher plains and southwest, where Noble said producers used milo and sorghum to fatten their beef.

During that period, Noble said Iowa fell to 11th in the nation in beef production, but now its coming back, because of the distillers' byproduct. Iowa is now ranked fourth or fifth in the nation, according to Noble.

Distillers' grain has brought cattle feeding back to Iowa, and packing plants are moving back, too, he said.

In the Corn Belt, Noble said one of the biggest problems for the cattle industry is public industry.

He feels livestock producers have been demonized because of some reports of animal abuse.

Most people do a very good job of taking care of livestock, he said.

To offset that, Noble said producers need to get their stories to consumers.

Noble once participated with a small packing company that labeled each carcass so customers could pull up an app to see the story of the cattle farmers who produced the beef. A restaurant owner told Noble the unique service impressed his clientele.

Marketing beef and buying replacement cattle has also changed, Noble said.

Packing company buyers used to travel from farm to farm looking for cattle to purchase, but today Noble uses a marketing service. When Noble is ready to sell cattle, the service is contacted and the representative works with various packing companies, striking the deal between the producer and the company.

When Noble looks for replacement feeders, he uses the same service. The marketing agent, who is in contact with cow-calf operations, will find the size and condition of cattle Noble requests and sets up delivery dates and times. Though the marketing service costs, Noble said it saves lots of time and travel.

Due to modern record keeping, The Beef Quality Assurance Program can visit farms to verify drug records, evaluate how cattle is handled, observe pen conditions and check for good animal husbandry.

"It links the producer with the public, and puts a face to the steak they consume, he said.

While current U.S. trade talks with China seem promising, Noble cautioned China is resistant to using a non-hormone growth promoter, which is common in U.S. beef production. Noble said that is a major problem in exporting beef to China.

Noble said he is also concerned whether the government will continue to allocate funding for the Foreign Animal Disease Program. Bio-security is a big issue, Noble said.
Mount Pleasant, SC (29464)

Today

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 64F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 64F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Courtesy photo

FirstCapital Bank of Texas was recognized Thursday for its community involvement. Employees Hazel Halliburton, Nydia Andriano and Sarah James accepted the Texas Bankers Foundations Cornerstone Award on behalf of FirstCapital at the Texas Bankers Association's 133rd annual convention in San Antonio.

FirstCapital conducts its Purple Cow Challenge annually to let employees suggest ways for the bank to stand out among its competitors, according to a company press release. Andriano, a credit administrator, suggested donating turkeys to families in need during the Thanksgiving holiday. The company and its employees donated money to provide food for those in need.
Michael Nagle/Bloomberg

Industrial equipment and technologies company Gardner Denver went public on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, and in the process, surprised employees by announcing more than $100 million in equity grants to about 6,000 employees.

Forty employees at the companys Odessa facility are now stockholders. Gardner Denver employees who qualify will receive stock equal to 40 percent of their salary. The grants were made to permanent employees not already part of the equity program.
Probation violation -- Joseph P. Fitzgerald, 57, Mason City, 60 days in jail.

Carrying weapons -- Paul J. Desautel, 59, Draxton, North Dakota, deferred judgment, one year probation, $625 civil penalty.

Operating while under the influence -- Chandler A. Jepsen, 21, Mason City, deferred judgement, one year probation, $1,250 civil penalty.

Operating while under the influence -- Donyale M. Jones, 29, Mason City, two days in jail, $1,250 fine.

Absence from custody -- Gabriel L. Everetts, 27, Mason City, 60 days in jail, $315 fine.

Methamphetamine possession -- Donyale M. Jones, 29, Mason City, two days in jail, $315 fine.

Domestic abuse assault causing bodily injury -- Taylor M. Everett, 26, Mason City, deferred judgment, one year probation, $315 civil penalty.

Marijuana possession -- Dylan L. Sporaa, 22, Iowa City, deferred judgment, one year probation, $250 civil penalty.

Dismissed -- Paul J. Desautel, 59, Draxton, North Dakota, operating while under the influence.

Operating while under the influence -- Paul R. Acosta, 22, Forest City, deferred judgment, one year probation, $1,250 civil penalty.

Methamphetamine possession -- Nichole A. Perry, 26, Mason City, deferred judgment, one year probation, $315 civil penalty.

Possession of a controlled substance, third or subsequent offense (marijuana) -- Ryan D. Ihde, 36, Mason City, two years in prison (suspended), $625 fine (suspended), two years probation, 180 days at residential correctional facility.

Dismissed -- Ryan D. Ihde, 36, Mason City, methamphetamine possession.

Probation revoked -- Katey Paulsen, 28, Mason City, 90 days in jail.

Driving while revoked -- Brian N. McDaid, 51, Clear Lake, $1,000 fine.

Third-degree theft -- Anthony G. Hoffman, 36, Ionia, 14 days in jail, $315 fine, $3,900 restitution.

Operating while under the influence, second offense -- Scott M. Demro, 26, Clear Lake, seven days in jail, $1,875 fine.

Probation violation -- Tina R. Collica Smith, 36, Belmond, 40 days in jail.

Probation violation -- Michael P. Reich, 30, Mason City, 180 days at residential correctional facility.

Probation violation -- Aaron M. Hermen, 29, Mason City, 100 days in jail.

Violation of no contact order -- Aaron M. Hermen, 29, Mason City, seven days in jail.

Third-degree theft -- Richard D. Stinson, 27, Nevada, 90 days in jail, $625 fine (suspended).

Dismissed -- Paul R. Acosta, 22, Forest City, unlawful possession of a prescription drug.

Dismissed -- Paul A. Acosta, 22, Forest City, possession of a controlled substance.

Domestic abuse assault (strangulation) causing bodily injury -- Lucas S. Winfrey, 32, Dougherty, two years in prison with all but two days suspended, two years probation, $625 fine.

Trespassing resulting in injury or damage greater than $200 -- Aura A. Lane, 24, Mason City, seven days in jail, $315 fine, $343 restitution.

Probation revoked -- Sharla D. Murphy, 44, Mason City, 35 days in jail with credit for 28 days inpatient substance abuse treatment.

Marijuana possession -- George L. Higgins, 20, Mason City, two days in jail, $315 fine.

Absence from custody -- Joey D. Speaks, 35, Mason City, 30 days in jail, $315 fine.

Operating while under the influence -- Daniel M. Judon III, 40, Mason City, two days in jail, $1,250 fine.

Operating while under the influence, second offense -- Terri J. Watt, 40, Mason City, seven days in jail (to be served through in-home monitoring), $1,875 fine.

Operating while under the influence, second offense -- Joseph B. Welsh, 23, Nora Springs, seven days in jail, $1,875 fine.

Operating while under the influence -- Jacob J. Nierengarten, 18, Sheffield, deferred judgment, one year probation, $1,250 civil penalty.

Contempt of court -- Thomas W. Jones, 29, Osage, six days in jail.

Possession of a controlled substance, third or subsequent offense -- Paul J. Dailey, 49, Mason City, five years in prison (suspended), five years probation, $750 fine (suspended), 180 days at residential correctional facility.

Invasion of privacy -- Paul J. Dailey, 49, Mason City, 365 days in jail with all but 90 days suspended (to be served concurrently with drug sentence), $315 fine, $993 restitution to the Crime Victim Compensation program, one year probation followed by up to 10 years of supervision by the Iowa Department of Corrections, sex offender registration.

Dismissed -- Paul J. Dailey, 49, Mason City, indecent contact with a child.

Marijuana possession -- Jacqueline M. Abernathy, 28, Charles City, deferred judgement, one year probation.

Dismissed -- Jonathan J. Elphic, 32, Mason City, forgery.

Dismissed -- Jonathan J. Elphic, 32, Mason City, driving while barred.

Found not guilty -- Jonathan J. Elphic, 32, Mason City, third-degree theft.

Driving while barred -- Aaron T. Brininstool, 38, Mason City, seven days in jail, $625 fine (suspended).

Driving while barred -- Aaron T. Brininstool, 38, Mason City, seven days in jail, $625 fine.

Dismissed -- Aaron T. Brininstool, 38, Mason City, unlawful possession of a prescription drug.
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TITONKA | William H. Kennedy went missing during the Pearl Harbor attack of Dec. 7, 1941, but his mother, Elizabeth, never lost hope he would come home.

On Friday, four decades after Elizabeth's death, the remains of Fireman 1st Class Kennedy were laid next to hers in a country cemetery south of Titonka.

Just in time for Mother's Day.

"I'm just giddy about the fact that it's Mother's Day weekend," said relative Lorrie McNally, of Emmetsburg. "He's been brought home to her on Mother's Day weekend."

Kennedy was one of the 429 crew members killed when the USS Oklahoma sank during the Pearl Harbor attack.

Hit by Japanese torpedoes, the Oklahoma quickly capsized.

The only battleship that suffered more crew deaths that day was the USS Arizona, which still lies at the bottom of the harbor and is the site of a memorial to the 1,177 officers and crewmen who died in the attack.

The remains of 24-year-old Kennedy, then unidentified, and his crewmates were buried in the Halawa and Nu'uanu cemeteries in Hawaii.

Officials eventually moved the remains to Schofield Barracks on the island of Oahu, where staff attempted to identify the crewmen so they could be returned to their families.

Thirty-five sailors from the Oklahoma were successfully identified at that time.

The others, including Kennedy, were buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.

Crewmen remained there until 2015, when the Defense POW/MIA Accunting Agency began exhuming remains for DNA testing. Kennedy was identified when staff found a DNA link with his niece, Sharon Miller, and her son, Jamie Miller, of Colorado.

Miller never met Kennedy, but she knew that her grandmother  Williams mother, Elizabeth Kennedy  kept a photo of her lost son on her dresser.

"I went through a lot of correspondence from (Elizabeth) to my mother, and that's when we discovered that she never, never got over his death," Miller said.

Kennedy arrived in Iowa on Thursday. Planeside honors were conducted when Kennedy's casket arrived at Des Moines International Airport.

McNally was one of the relatives who attended the ceremony.

"I just wanted to shout, 'You're home, Willie! You're home!,'" she said, laughing. "'You're finally here.'"

Family members, well-wishers and a few busloads of local students attended his funeral on Friday at Titonka Methodist Church.

He was accompanied by representatives of the Navy and the Iowa Patriot Guard Riders, as well as a number of local VFW honor guards. Among them was Titonka's William H. Kennedy VFW Post #4071, which was named in Kennedy's honor.

They held flags along the walkway to the church.

Two bald eagles circled the church during the service.

Kennedy was buried with military honors at Buffalo Township Cemetery, his final resting place.

His mother had a headstone waiting for him.

"I think she would've been really happy (about William's return) and she would've had closure, because all she knew was he was missing in action," Miller said. "That's it."
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Disney debuted its new nighttime fireworks show Happily Ever After at the Magic Kingdom on Friday, and simply put, its amazing.

Disney debuts new fireworks show Happily Ever After

Scenes from 25 Disney, Pixar movies projected onto Cinderella Castle

Happily Ever After replaces Wishes after 13 year run

Attractions Insider

For opening night, thousands of people gathered around Cinderella Castle, filling up Main Street U.S.A. and the surrounding lands.

The new show is an extraordinary technological feat, showcasing the most advanced digital projections and special effects Disney has ever used for a production such as this.

Scenes from at least 25 Disney and Pixar movies are projected onto Cinderella Castle, accompanied by new music, lasers and fireworks--so many fireworks.

Happily Ever After is also longer, coming in at a hefty 18 minutes.

The result is nothing short of spectacular.

The new show includes scenes from The Little Mermaid, The Princess and the Frog, Toy Story, Pocahontas, Aladdin, Moana and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Producers were able to weave all the films scenes and their music together, integrating Brave, Cars and Up (for example) in one sequence.

One of the highlights of the show is the villains sequence which features a larger-than-life Ursula, Scar, and serpent Jafar, who attack the castle. The lightning and pyrotechnics are mesmerizing.

A surprising and emotional inclusion is a sequence featuring Hercules and the song Go the Distance, which is sure to make any Disney fanatics heart swell. Ill admit, I got a little teary-eyed. The Hunchback of Notre Dame sequence is a close second.

One of the most visually stunning elements of the show is the I See the Light moment from Tangled. Dozens of lanterns lift across the castle.

Happily Ever Afters theme song--performed by Angie Keilhauer and Jordan Fisher--has an uplifting message.

There are several other surprises throughout the show, but I wont spoil them here.

The new show replaces Wishes, which ended its 13 year run on Thursday.

Wishes fans need not fret, Happily Ever After has some carry-overs from the previous show.

Tinker Bell, in a dazzling new costume, still makes her flight across the night sky.

Also, dreams is still a prominent theme despite all the other show changes.

Happily Ever After is a worthy successor and exactly the kind of nighttime spectacular the Magic Kingdom needs. Its definitely a must-see during your next trip to Walt Disney World.

Happily Ever After is scheduled for nightly performances starting at 9 p.m.
OSAGE | Kathleen Marie Freund, 92, of Osage, died Friday, May 12, 2017, at Mitchell County Regional Health Center in Osage.

Cremation has taken place.

Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, May 18, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Osage with Father Raymond Burkle officiating.

Inurnment will be in Sacred Heart Cemetery.

A gathering will be held from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday at the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home in Osage with a rosary at 5:30 p.m.

Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home, Osage, Iowa, is in charge of arrangements.
MASON CITY | A jubilee ceremony for two Sisters of Mercy who ministered in Mason City will be held Aug. 6 at the McAuley Life Center in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

Sister Mary Corita Heid, a 60-year jubilarian, graduated from the University of Iowa with a master's degree in health care administration in 1970. She then served in communities in Michigan and Iowa, including Mason City.

She was president of the Sisters of Mercy Health Corporation in Farmington Hills, Michigan, from 1986 to 1993 and served as a full-time trustee of the Mercy Health System from 1994 to 2015.

She currently serves on the Mercy Health Network of Iowa Regional Board and the Covenant Health System Board in Edmonton, Alberta in Canada.

She continues as a spiritual director for residents of North Iowa.

Sister Julia Mary Madden, also a 60-year jubilarian, ministered as a nurse practitioner in various hospitals in Michigan and Iowa, which included Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa from 1995 to 2006.

She retired in 2013 and moved to Michigan.
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Summer is just around the corner and Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine has recommended 10 swimming holes to visit across the state as temperatures heat up.

From West Texas to northern areas of the state, there are swimming holes for everyone. On this list, the magazine recommended Blanco State Park, Balmorhea State Park and Devils River State Natural Area, among others.
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BRIDGEPORT  With a State Police investigation expected to take several months, the Bridgeport community and Jayson Negrons family and friends are waiting for answers.

But a video surfaced Friday that could raise more questions about the teens death. It apparently showed Negron alive and moving on the ground, handcuffed, in the moments after he was shot by a Bridgeport police officer on Tuesday.

Police said Negron, 15, and Julian Fyffe, 21, were in a stolen car that officers followed from Park Avenue and through a Walgreens parking lot. The pursuit and Negrons life ended on Fairfield Avenue when he was shot by Bridgeport police officer James Boulay, whose bullets also wounded Fyffe in the shoulder, according to police.

A copy of the minutelong video, whose authenticity could not be confirmed, was acquired by Hearst Connecticut Media and later posted online by an unknown party. It appeared to have been taken by someone standing next to a car in the Walgreens parking lot, an area police had blocked off with caution tape after the shooting, which happened just after 5 p.m.

If the video is authentic, it is not clear how soon after the shooting it was recorded. Negron was pronounced dead at the scene, and his body lay in the street for hours afterward while the city police secured the area and then turned the investigation over to State Police.

Bridgeport police Chief Armando Perez said Friday that medical personnel got there relatively quickly, although he said he did not know the exact time of the response.

Calls for change

Perez said he knew of the videos existence, but had not watched it and did not plan to.

Im not going to look at it, he said. I refuse to look at it. Its a state police investigation and if someone has it, it should go to the state police. They are charged with this investigation.

In the background of the video, blaring ambulance sirens can be heard as bystanders question what happened.

They shot him, one male voice said.

They shot him, right? another asked.

Yeah, they shot that man, the first man replied.

At one point in the video, Negrons head appeared to face right, his left cheek pressed to the pavement. The camera panned away and returned to show Negron face-down. Throughout the video, his hands and body appeared to move multiple times.

The video appeared to show an officer approach Negron and address him, but it was unclear what the officer said. Later in the video, the same officer, now wearing purple latex gloves, appeared to go back to where Negron was lying on the ground. As the officer appeared to reach for Negrons body, the video ended.

David McGuire, executive director of the ACLU of Connecticut, said the video is evidence of the need for statewide police reform.

The callous disregard that Bridgeport police officers showed for Jayson Negron during his last moments of life is unacceptable, McGuire said in a statement. Their behavior was outside the realms of human decency and democracy.

The City of Bridgeport must immediately act to create true accountability, transparency, and respect for human life in the Bridgeport Police Department, McGuire said. As a state, Connecticut must not make the mistake of believing that police excessive force and police accountability are simply Bridgeport problems, or pretend that racial disparities in policing do not exist.

Conflicting accounts

State Police Western District Major Crime Squad detectives are investigating the shooting, in keeping with protocol in shootings where police officers are involved.

There will be a thorough and complete investigation, States Attorney Maureen Platt said. This is a serious matter and must be treated as such. ... The community is entitled to expect that these investigations will be conducted professionally and completely.

An earlier statement released by state police included a synopsis of the incident. But Perez has given some conflicting accounts.

One point of contradiction is whether the Bridgeport police officer who was hit by the stolen vehicle is the same officer who fired the shots that killed Negron and injured Fyffe.

The state police statement said the officer who fired the shot and the officer who was hit by the car were not the same man. But, according to Perez, the officer who was struck was the one who fired the shots.

When Perez was asked later in the past week whether it was the same officer, he said he was just repeating what his officers told him about what happened.

Meanwhile, a funeral for Negron, who was a sophomore at Bunnell High School in Stratford, has been scheduled for Wednesday at 10 a.m. Burial will be at Park Cemetery, on Lindley Street in Bridgeport.

Money was collected for some of the funeral costs Wednesday evening during a rally held on Fairfield Avenue. Since then, a GoFundMe page has been created to help pay for Negrons funeral expenses. As of Friday evening it had raised over $4,300.
Mexicos army seized 12 assault rifles and over 1,100 pounds of marijuana from the riverbanks of Nuevo Laredo, authorities said.

Troops said they came across the contraband Tuesday night while patrolling an area. Authorities did not disclose the location where the items were seized.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said that he could have a new FBI director in place before he departs for his first overseas trip Friday, an ambitious goal that would give him just a few days to fill one of the most important and sensitive posts in government.

"Even that is possible," the president said aboard Air Force One when asked whether he might make a selection before leaving for Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Vatican.

Trump briefly addressed journalists before flying to Lynchburg, Virginia, where he delivered a commencement speech at Liberty University. Justice Department officials spent the day conducting the first interviews for candidates to replace James Comey, whom Trump fired Tuesday.

Eight contenders interviewed on Saturday, including Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas; acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe; Alice Fisher, a white-collar defense lawyer who previously led the Justice Department's criminal division; Michael Garcia, a judge on the New York State Court of Appeals who previously served as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York; Adam S. Lee, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Richmond field office; U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson, who presides over the Eastern District of Virginia; Frances Townsend, a former Bush Homeland Security adviser; and former House Intelligence Committee chairman Mike Rogers.

Rogers picked up the endorsement Saturday of the FBI Agents Association, the union representing active and retired agents. Rogers, a Republican, is also a former FBI special agent.

In a statement, association president Thomas O'Connor said Rogers' background "sets him apart." The union also backed Rogers in 2013, the last time the FBI director position was open.

Fisher, who would be the first woman to lead the FBI if selected, was the first of the candidates to be interviewed, pulling into the Justice Department in a BMW just before 8 a.m. and leaving a little more than an hour later. She declined to comment.

Lee arrived at the Justice Department just before 1 p.m. He had been under consideration to take over the bureau on an interim basis, but an official said he is now interviewing for the permanent job. Lee did not answer questions as he walked into the building.

Just before 2 p.m., two black SUVs drove through security and into the Justice Department courtyard. An official said McCabe was aboard one of them. He was the third interviewee of the day.

By 5 p.m., Cornyn and Garcia had concluded their interviews, and Hudson was speaking with Justice Department officials.

Cornyn is the second-ranking Senate Republican and a strong defender of Trump, a president who often places a premium on loyalty. The New York Times reported Thursday that Trump asked Comey to pledge his loyalty to the president and that Comey refused. The White House disputed that account.

If loyalty is a key factor in the hiring decision, McCabe might be at a disadvantage. His allegiance appears to remain with Comey; in fact, McCabe in congressional testimony Thursday directly contradicted a White House claim that "the rank and file of the FBI had lost confidence in their director."

"That is not accurate," McCabe said. "He enjoyed broad support in the FBI and still does to this day."

The candidates who were interviewed Saturday are among a nearly a dozen being considered, the AP reported. Trump told reporters that "we could make a fast decision" because "almost all of them are very well known."

"They've been vetted over their lifetime, essentially, but very well known, highly respected, really talented people," the president said. "And that's what we want for the FBI."

Trump's pick will have to be confirmed by the Senate. FBI directors serve 10-year terms but can be removed at any time by the president, as Comey was.
WASHINGTON - Dueling accounts emerged Friday of private conversations between fired FBI director James Comey and President Donald Trump, who suggested that there may be "tapes'' of the discussions in which he said Comey told him he was not under investigation.

Comey associates said he was wary of private meetings and discussions with the president and did not offer the assurance, as Trump has claimed, that Trump was not under investigation as part of the probe into Russian interference in last year's presidential election.

"James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!" the president tweeted Friday morning, raising the prospect that the president or his staff may have secretly recorded the FBI director during phone calls or a one-on-one dinner.

But it's also possible that Comey created a written record of the conversations after the fact - something he has done in the past when he's been involved in sensitive discussions about tough legal or ethical issues, according to people who have worked with him.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer declined to explain whether the president records his conversations. "The president has nothing further to add on that," said Spicer, who denied that the tweet was meant to intimidate. "That's not a threat, he simply stated a fact."

In the wake of Trump's statements, congressional Democrats demanded any recordings of conversations between Trump and Comey.

Since abruptly firing Comey on Tuesday, the president has claimed that Comey repeatedly told him he was not under investigation. He also said Comey requested the January dinner meeting at which he asked to keep his job in the new administration.

Associates of Comey, however, sharply dispute Trump's version of events.

Comey got an invitation to a late-night dinner at the White House on Jan. 27, one week after the inauguration. The director, associates said, did not want to go because he was wary of any appearance of impropriety, but he felt like he should.

"It's kind of hard to say no to your commander in chief," said one Comey associate. "He certainly didn't go over there to ask to keep his job."

Comey also didn't want word of the dinner to get out because "he was worried about the public perception," the associate said.

A second Comey associate said Trump pressed the FBI director to pledge his loyalty to the president, but Comey demurred. Those details were first reported by the New York Times, in an article that may have prompted Trump's tweet Friday about tapes and leaks. White House officials deny that the president sought a pledge of loyalty from Comey.

Associates of Comey were indignant that the president reportedly expected a pledge of loyalty from the head of an agency that has long sought to maintain a stark degree of independence. And they dismissed the notion that a tape of the conversation would hurt Comey.

"In that matchup, I sure know where I'd put my money - the longtime prosecutor running the FBI,'' said a third Comey associate.

The first associate said: "First of all, he's a lawyer and a prosecutor, so he understands the legal limits. He's got a strong ethical and moral compass. He's also always been careful in conversations about what he can say and can't say.''

That associate also discounted the suggestion by Trump that Comey should stop "leaking.''

"First of all, a private citizen can go say whatever he wants to the media," the associate said, adding that an illegal leak involves classified information, not details of conversations that happen in the government.

The entire issue of leaks has been a sore point between the White House and the FBI, according to current and former officials. Trump administration officials have complained to the FBI for months about leaks and have urged the bureau to be more aggressive in hunting the sources of such information, according to people familiar with the discussions. FBI officials are investigating some leaks of classified material but have resisted pressure from the administration to probe nonclassified matters, these people said.

The first Comey associate also said the president does not appear to understand that "Comey's not the one driving" the Russia probe. "It's an investigation that's on record. You're not going to just shut it down by firing the FBI director."

Comey has declined a request to testify next week behind closed doors to the Senate Intelligence Committee. Sen. Mark Warner (Va.), the ranking Democrat on the committee, told MSNBC that "it's our hope in the not-too-distant future that we can find time for him to come in."

A key player in Comey's firing, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, has agreed to appear before the full Senate next week, though it's unclear whether that session will be public or private.

Rosenstein has come under intense criticism from Democrats for writing a memo criticizing Comey for his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation - a document that was initially cited by White House officials as the reason for Comey's ouster, before Trump acknowledged that he had already planned to fire the director.

While it had been reported that Comey's firing came days after he asked Rosenstein for more resources for the Russia probe, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said that Comey did not make that request, and that the investigation had and continues to have all the personnel and resources it needs.

Comey was less than four years into his 10-year term as director when he was dismissed. The president can fire an FBI director at any time for any reason, but because of the agency's long tradition of independence from politics, presidents tend to refrain from doing so. Comey's firing raised particular alarms among Democrats who fear that it will weaken the bureau's independence as it investigates whether any Trump associates coordinated with Russian officials during last year's election.

Since Comey's firing Tuesday, his deputy, Andrew McCabe, has been running the FBI as the acting director. Initially, officials said they were interviewing a handful of candidates to immediately take over as acting director while the White House searched for a nominee. On Friday, however, officials indicated that McCabe is likely to remain awhile longer, at least into next week.

A number of names have surfaced as possible nominees to lead the FBI, including Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., Republican former congressman Mike Rogers and former New York police commissioner Ray Kelly.

Former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, whose name has also been floated, said in an interview that he would not be a candidate.

"I'll tell you the exact reason - I'm too much of a partisan. I think the next director should be somebody who is generally nonpartisan," Giuliani said. "I wouldn't see me fitting the profile, for the reason that I was such a strong supporter of the president."

- - -

The Washington Post's Matt Zapotosky contributed to this report.
If he has his way, Paul Allen will have 90,000 square miles of African territory covered with smart sensors and drones by the end of this year to bring hyper-connectivity to Africa's remotest, most wildlife-packed corners. It's the biggest conservation tech project to date: a command-and-control system for rangers to record and respond to poaching threats, from Kenya to Tanzania.

Allen's Domain Awareness System (DAS), a project he is funding through his company Vulcan, is as simple in concept as it is complex in execution. It's unsexy in the most fundamental of ways - and yet it's the likely key to one of sexiest philanthropic causes of our time.

The basic idea: studying endangered animals' movements in order to get ahead of poachers on a scale that allows Big Data to predict threats across entire regions.

- - -

For years, local rangers have protected wildlife with boots on the ground and sheer determination: armed guards spending days and nights surrounding elephant herds and horned rhinos, on the lookout for rogue trespassers.

Allen's DAS uses technology to go the distance that humans cannot. It relies on three funnels of information: ranger radios, animal tracker tags, and a variety of environmental sensors such as camera traps and satellites. This being the product of the world's 10th-richest software developer, it sends everything back to a centralized computer system, which projects specific threats onto a map of the monitored region, displayed on large screens in a closed circuit-like security room.

For instance, if a poacher were to break through a geofence sensor set up by a ranger in a highly-trafficked poaching corridor, an icon of a rifle would flag the threat alongside any micro-chipped elephants and radio-carrying rangers in the vicinity.

Think of DAS as similar to a comprehensive camera system in Vegas casinos, with park managers replacing pit bosses on the hunt for cheats and camo-sporting rangers in place of the security guards that flank blackjack tables. Except in this case, when alerts strike, managers aren't preventing the hemorrhage of a couple hundred thousand dollars; they're dispatching help to save one of 352,271 estimated remaining elephants, or one of 30,000 surviving rhinoceroses.

"By nature, I am attracted to tough problems - problems that, by definition, require innovative and dramatic solutions," said Allen from his office in Seattle, where his philanthropic company, Vulcan Inc., is based. "[The DAS project] is the ideal combination of two of my interests - technology and the preservation of [the savannah elephant,] one of Africa's most iconic species."

DAS was first put into the wild in October 2016, when Ted Schmitt, lead program manager at Vulcan, and his team deployed the technology at the Lewa Conservancy, a 55,000-acre preserve in Kenya. Then it was brought to Odzala National Park, founded in 1935 and one of Africa's oldest national parks in the Republic of Congo. Six other African conservation sites in partnership with Save the Elephants, African Parks Network, and Wildlife Conservation Society soon followed.

But its most high-profile partner is Singita, the network of standard-setting luxury safari lodges run by conservation guru Luke Bailes. If DAS is the un-sexiest player in this space, Singita is the very sexiest - it has properties in the Serengeti, in Tanzania, and Kruger National Park in South Africa - and the lodges have the most sumptuous design, the largest wine collection, and often the highest price tag among its competitive set.

DAS was installed at the five-lodge Singita Grumeti reserve in March, using sensors to illuminate a key corridor for poachers intent on crossing to the neighboring Serengeti. Bailes calls the system a "revelation and a game-changer." He said the "layered approach of technology and boots on the ground enables Singita Grumeti to significantly enhance its effectiveness in dealing with poaching."

Part of the success is Vulcan's holistic approach: Schmitt's team developed the software and provided capital for equipment and hardware, and they've also invested in training, technical input, support, setup, mentoring, and guidance. Though the partnership is just two months old, "the impact has been significant," Bailes said.

- - -

According to Schmitt, DAS happened almost by accident. In January 2014, the Vulcan team had been dispatched to Kasane, Botswana, to help kick off the first pan-African elephant census in more than 40 years. "We had all of the best and most famous scientists that do wildlife research and census-taking come together, trying to address a common problem."

The issue: how to survey hundreds of thousands of square miles in order to get an accurate idea as to how many elephants are still living and how many have died? Ultimately, the group decided to systematically fly in grid-like patterns over 17 African countries, carefully threading and weaving above the continent, photographing herds and carcasses, and counting the old-fashioned way.

There was talk of using drones, but the area's scope was too large for the battery-powered devices, and researchers feared the technology wasn't consistent enough. The situation was too urgent for any technological mishaps, Schmitt said.

In the end, his team came away with two major insights. First, the population of savannah elephants has declined by 30 percent in the last seven years, primarily due to ivory poaching. Second, having tons of data on elephant poaching is useless unless conservationists can make sense of it in real time. It's precisely the type of nut that Schmitt and Allen live to crack.

Schmitt's first instinct was to harness as much data as possible, casting a wide net across the African savannah. "But what a lot of [park managers] were telling us was that they were already overwhelmed by the information they had. They couldn't use it effectively." What they needed was a way to aggregate and visualize data. They needed software.

"All of the tools that are out there are designed for the military," Schmitt said. "They're very expensive, for highly trained individuals, and not suited to the wildlife and conservation domains." Rangers were instead using a decades-old system.

Building DAS took about 12 months and the partnership of many on-the-ground organizations who gave feedback. Threats differ by location, it turns out: In Tanzania, wildlife snares and bush-meat hunters are a big problem, while ivory poaching is a more common issue in Kenya. Then there are less malicious issues, such as bush fires, or a cow that has wandered from a local farm to big game predators.

Schmitt and his team designed a system capable of recognizing all these factors. Some can be reported by rangers over radio; others can be picked up by seismic sensors, satellites, drones, camera traps, and speed detectors.

"With every type of enforcement, the most urgent task is figuring out where the bad guys are," Allen said. "You might have the best people and equipment money can buy, but unless you know where to direct your response, you're essentially powerless. The intel this system provides will help conservancies use their limited resources much more effectively."

- - -

It will take two to five years to get real measurements from conservationists, but the feedback for DAS has been promising already. Though no animals have yet been saved as a direct result of DAS, rangers in two separate cases were able to use DAS alerts to intercept poachers who had already made a kill.

Poachers are not the only significant threat to wildlife in Africa. The system has helped rangers in Kenya prevent human-wildlife conflict by spelling out which farms' cattle are most likely to roam into conservation areas. By working with locals to rein in the livestock, rangers can prevent retaliatory killings by farmers that happen when, say, a lion preys on that wandering cow.

Bailes' Singita is just one glowing report card of several. "The area managers we've been working with feel that this is a game-changer," Schmitt said. "They know they've needed something like this. And they're pretty no-nonsense-they'll kick something out quickly if it's not useful."

What's been surprising to the Vulcan team is how DAS has unified conservationists who had previously been focused only on their individual reserves. "All of these groups are now sharing best practices with each other, more now than they ever had been. They'd all been doing the best they can in their regions, but stepping back and exchanging information has proved to have tremendous value in itself," said Schmitt.

The next hurdle is bringing connectivity to places that still don't have it, such as the jungles and forests of Congo. Enhancing connectivity where it exists but is low will also be key; it's what will allow DAS to show alerts in real-time (rather than on a delay). Then, Schmitt said, comes the exciting part: "Once you have more and better data, you get to this place where we have real expertise. Where you can ask, 'How do you analyze data and call up patterns and proactively identify threats?'" If Big Data is step one, machine learning is the very big step two.
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SAN ANTONIO  The Bexar County Sheriffs Office and the Heidi Search Center asking for help in finding a 16-year-old girl who has been missing since Tuesday, said the search is over.

Cassandra Munoz was found Friday near the 6700 Block of Walzem Road on the Northeast side of Bexar County by the Bexar County Sheriff's Office missing person's unit.
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Craig Hensley cradled a white-eyed vireo in his hand, a metal band wrapped around its leg as Hensley walked to a clearing with a gaggle of kids around him.

Hensley  a state and federally licensed bird bander  chose a little girl to help him release the bird. Youre going to feel his claws on your palm, OK? he said to the girl, who nodded. He counted to three and took his fingers off the vireo.

The tiny bird  which weighed 10 grams, or the equivalent of four pennies  sat on the girls palm, peering at the the sea of childrens faces circling it. Hensley walked up slowly, placing his middle finger underneath the girls hand. With a gentle but quick tap upwards, the vireo popped up and took flight.

The Mitchell Lake Migratory Bird Festival, sponsored by the Mitchell Lake Audubon Center, was part of 2017s International Migratory Bird Day. The event celebrates migratory birds as they travel northward from their winter homes in the Southern Hemisphere.

Some are as small as the vireo or various warblers such as the Wilsons warbler, which with its yellow face and black forehead looked like a bumblebee poking between a handlers fingers.

Hensley has been banding birds for more than 31 years and also is a park interpreter at the Guadalupe River State Park. The bands help ornithologists  people who study birds  track where the birds have been. Hensley and others working with him also measure the birds weight, bill length and width, and other statistics for cataloging.

Some of these birds, including the tiny ones, may make trips from as far as South America to Canada as they follow their main food source  insects.

They come here because theres that huge outburst of insect development in our spring and summer, so theres plenty of food for their offspring, Hensley said. Then in the fall, because theyre primarily insect eaters theyve got to leave to go find food to survive the winter months.

The migration adds birds to an area that already has more than 300 species of birds and a major rookery, or nesting ground, for nearly 1,500 egrets.

But the celebration of these migrations is a chance to engage children and adults alike in educating them on the epic journeys some of these fragile creatures undertake twice a year.

Its a gateway drug into nature, Tom Inglet, a docent for the 1,200-acre Mitchell Lake Audubon Center, said of how important the event is for educating children. Its a way to involve them in the natural world.

Inglet, who along with his wife has been volunteering at various organizations for more than 15 years, said these events allow experts to highlight the fragility of these animals, who have been affected by everything from climate destruction to human development.

All you have to do is watch the news to know that were in deep kimchi, Inglet said. They had canaries for the coal mines to tell the guys when to leave; well, most of the bird species and a lot of them seriously are crashing.

On May 5, nearly 400 migrating birds were killed when they crashed into the 23-story American National Insurance building in Galveston, the citys tallest. The majority of the birds were warblers of varying types, many with brilliant spring plumage. In an online post, the Audubon said the birds, which may have been exhausted from crossing the Gulf of Mexico, may have mistaken the buildings lights for the moon or sun during a storm.

Thats why Hensley shows the newest generation not only what it takes to do the scientific portion of his job, but also what it feels like to be that close to one of these fleeting figures.

You put a bird in a childs hand, they dont forget it, Hensley said.
The World Health Organization has confirmed an Ebola outbreak in a remote forested part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the first in that country since 2014. At least nine people are suspected of being infected, and three have died.

The outbreak has raised alarms about the possibility of a new epidemic.

"An investigation team led by the Ministry of Health and supported by WHO and partners has deployed and is expected to reach the affected area in the coming days", said Peter Salama, WHO's executive director for emergencies, in a statement.

The WHO said it was informed on Tuesday of a cluster of undiagnosed illness and deaths, including hemorrhagic symptoms, in the northeastern part of the country, bordering the Central African Republic. On Thursday, the DRC's health ministry informed WHO that of five laboratory samples tested, one tested positive for Ebola virus at a laboratory in Kinshasa. That confirmed case was one of the three people who died.

The Ebola infection was confirmed from tests on a group of people exhibiting symptoms since April 22 in the province of Bas-Uele in northeast DRC.

The ministry said it is beginning to trace the contacts of those who may have been infected and that it is issuing protective kits for the health workers involved.

"Our country must confront an outbreak of the Ebola virus that constitutes a public health crisis of international significance," the ministry said.

On April 22, the confirmed Ebola victim drove across part of the vast province on motorbike to reach medical care. He had blood in his vomit and stool. There are conflicting accounts of whether he was able to reach the regional hospital in Likati. A sample of his blood was taken to Kinshasa, but because Bas-Uele is so remote, it took 10 days before the sample arrived in Kinshasa, the capital, and was tested.

By that time, both the original patient and the driver of the motorbike who took him to the hospital, his brother, had died, according to Alima, a medical humanitarian organization working in the country.

The body of the original patient was taken back to his village for burial, and a follow-up ministry health team later identified six others who had fallen ill in the same village, according to officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who are participating in coordination meetings but not yet been asked to provide epidemiological or laboratory support.

The health workers who treated the patients without protective gear are now also in grave danger of contracting the disease. Because the confirmed case traveled across Bas-Uele, contact tracers will now have a more difficult task ahead of them, seeking and isolating possible Ebola cases in at least two disparate villages, according to Alima.

But health personnel dispatched to the region are hopeful that the outbreak will mirror previous, limited Ebola outbreaks in the country.

"There will be more cases, but it is more likely to look like other outbreaks in Congo, a smaller outbreak, ending faster," said Susan Shepherd, Alima's medical coordinator.

"It's very isolated there," said Silvain Yuma, chief of staff at the ministry of health

One of those previous outbreaks was in the neighboring province of Haut-Uele in 2012. There were 41 cases there and 18 deaths. The outbreak lasted for around four months.

DRC officials said the confirmed infection involved the Zaire strain, which was the most common one present during the 2014-15 outbreak. Scientists are in the late stages of developing a vaccine that targets that specific strain, and it is likely to be made available for use if the outbreak is found to be large enough to warrant such an intervention. The vaccine has not yet been approved the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but could be made available under an emergency use authorization.

An agreement between Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and Merck, the developer of the vaccine, ensures that the vaccine is available in case of an outbreak, said Gavi's chief executive, Seth Berkley, in a statement. "The fact that this is a country that has experience dealing with Ebola should give us hope that we won't see a pandemic on the scale of the 2014 outbreak that hit West Africa," he said.

The WHO and others will determine if and when deployment of vaccine into this outbreak is warranted. The WHO has previously said it was preparing to make an initial 300,000 doses of the vaccine available in case of an outbreak.

Yokouide Allarangar, WHO representative in the DRC, said in a statement on Friday that the first teams of specialists - including epidemiologists, biologists, and experts in the areas of social mobilization, risk communication and community engagement and also personnel specializing in water, hygiene and sanitation - are scheduled to reach the affected area, which is about 800 miles from the capital Kinshasa, "today or tomorrow."

Allarangar also appealed to other medical organizations to join in the response. A number of them, including Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), have already offered their support.

The CDC, which established an office in the DRC in 2002, also has staff in the country working on a vaccine trial for monkeypox, a rare viral disease that is endemic in the DRC.

Unlike the countries in West Africa that were hardest hit by the 2014 Ebola epidemic, the DRC has had much more experience with the disease, including seven previous Ebola outbreaks since the virus was first discovered in the country in 1976.

The DRC was not one of the main three African countries hit by the 2014 epidemic, but the toll on the country was significant. The WHO confirmed 66 cases with 49 deaths. Worldwide, more than 28,600 people were infected and 11,300 died. The countries at the epicenter of the crisis - Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia - have all been Ebola-free since at least June of last year.

That outbreak was a wake-up call for global public health officials whose response has been widely criticized for being slow and disorganized. Many new measures have been set up to respond to future epidemics, such as better communication systems and quarantine procedures, but there's still much more that is needed.

A review on the world's pandemic readiness published in the New England Journal of Medicine last year said that an investment of at least $4.5 billion is needed each year for improving detection and response tools. The paper, funded by philanthropic and academic groups, including the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Ford Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, had a sobering prediction: that at least one pandemic event will almost certainly occur in the next 100 years and that there is a 20 percent chance of four or more.

- - -

The Washington Post's Kevin Sieff contributed to this report from Nairobi.
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Police are investigating a one-man, three-hour SWAT standoff in a North Side neighborhood Saturday.

No one was seriously injured during the standoff, which started in a house in the 300 block of Lively Drive just after noon. There, 32-year-old Jose Perez initiated a physical confrontation with a young woman in the front lawn of the residence. After the man allegedly pulled out a pistol, police responded to the scene, according to San Antonio Police Chief William McManus.

He fired the shots into the ground, witnesses say, McManus said.

The man then went back inside the house, with the girl. Two other individuals  believed to be the suspects mother and brother  were also inside the house with the suspect when police arrived on the scene. After officers determined that the man was armed, a SWAT-style standoff ensued, police said.

Police did not classify the incident as a hostage situation, despite initial reports the man was holding the other three individuals against their will. The young girl and the other two individuals both left the building of their own will as the standoff dragged on, McManus noted.

There were three people in there with him ... but we dont know if anyone was held hostage McManus said. All three came out about an hour (of the standoff).

After talking with negotiators, the suspect eventually emerged without a fight.

He will probably be charged with aggravated assault, said McManus, who added that the man is no stranger to the SAPD. Police officers do have a history ... with this man... and (that history is) possibly drug-related.

Staff writer Rye Druzin contributed to this report.

jgerlach@express-news.net
Many people have misconceptions or misunderstandings about the judicial system in this country and the people who work within it, especially concerning the role and difficult tasks of trial judges.

We need only look at the recent past to find prime examples of one misconception: President Donald Trumps criticism of two judges  acting independently of one another  on two separate occasions because of Trumps disagreement with their decisions.

The first of these criticisms came about last summer, when Trump was a candidate; the second began in February of this year, after he took office.

Trump first repeatedly criticized Gonzalo Curiel, a U.S.-born federal judge of Mexican descent who had ruled against Trump University, Trumps for-profit education company. Based on the judges heritage, Trump alleged that Curiel had an absolute conflict because of Trumps hard stance on immigration and his proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexican border. At the time, House Speaker Paul Ryan called Trumps comments the textbook definition of a racist comment.

Just three weeks or so after Trump took office, he lambasted U.S. District Judge James Robart (a George W. Bush appointee), whose ruling blocked Trumps executive order halting the U.S. refugee program and stopping entries into the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries.

Even Trumps first nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch, asked during his confirmation testimony before the U.S. Senate s Judiciary Committee to comment on Trumps criticism, called it disheartening and demoralizing.

The danger of the type of negative rhetoric displayed by Trump is that it creates and foments further negative behavior by others toward judges, which isnt conducive to an independent judiciary, an essential prerequisite of our democracy and form of government.

The negative impact of such unwarranted criticisms was aptly stated in 2005 by Judge Joan Lefkow, whose mother and husband here murdered by a past defendant in her court.

In testimony before Congress, she told the lawmakers, I ask you to publicly and persistently repudiate gratuitous attacks on the judiciary.

It seems to me that even though we cannot prove a cause and effect relationship between rhetorical attacks on judges and violent acts of vengeance by a particular litigant, fostering disrespect for judges can only encourage those that are on the edge, or the fringe, to exact revenge on a judge who ruled against them.

Trumps criticisms could also possibly offend Chief Justice John Roberts of the U.S. Supreme Court, who has been widely known to publicly support all lower court judges, and their dedication to their duties and rulings, despite the risk of being criticized.

The chief justice, in his annual report this year, called judges selfless, patriotic and brave. He added: This is no job for impulsive, timid or inattentive souls.

He wrote further about life-tenured judges: You might be asking why any lawyer would want a job that requires long hours, exacting skill and intense devotion  while promising high stress, solitary confinement, and guaranteed criticism.

He concluded, The answer lies in the rewards of public service.

Its no wonder that misconceptions, as exemplified by Trump, exist. After all, our school structure, from elementary school through college, offers little instruction on the judiciary. Only in law schools, where a small minority of our students are found, does one get a glimpse of our courts and complex laws, and the various judicial structures of our states and federal government.

Often, there are no easy answers to questions about the judiciary. Or the answers arent satisfying. There are times when there is no consensus even among legal experts as to a correct answer.

Our laws are sometimes unnecessarily complex. They may not lend themselves to hard and fast rules or simple answers.

But the nature of our laws, as well as their purpose, do on occasion justify complexities that may or may not be simple to explain. And thus arises our misunderstanding and distrust of our laws.

There lies the irony in all this. A few years ago, I participated in a program put in place by my alma mater, the law school at Georgetown University. My task was to interview applicants for admission to the school who lived in the Austin area. At some point in the interview, Id ask each applicant a particular question, not necessarily expecting her or him to give me the answer I was seeking but only to find out about their impressions or understanding of the field they were about to enter.

Heres the question: Apart from who, such as those involved in law enforcement and our judicial system, what maintains order in a structured society?

I was seeking a concept for the root of the answer. After my 52-plus years as a practicing attorney, almost 14 of which were spent as an appellate judge and after that, 17 years as an arbitrator, mediator or hearing officer, I finally came to comprehend that what truly maintains such order in our society is our citizens tacit agreement, understanding or acceptance to obey and respect the law.

Think about that for a moment. Under our republican form of government, we in this country, collectively, have chosen to enact laws under which we have implicitly agreed to be governed. Without it, the answer to the question suggests, wed have no order in this country. That tacit agreement is what gives strength to our laws. That is what our laws owe their existence to.

So I pose the question: Isnt it ironic that we often misunderstand or distrust the same laws we ourselves made possible by our bond to comply with and be governed by them?

Rudy Apodaca, a former chief judge of the New Mexico Court of Appeals, is an Austin attorney/writer.
The United States and Russia could be entering a period in their relationships that is more positive than ever  ironically because of Syria, which is thought to be a major point of contention between the two countries.

The U.S.-Russian connection was looking extremely tense because of the U.S. missile strike on Bashar Assads forces in Syria. In reply, Russia stopped the memorandum of coordination with U.S. air forces there. But the U.S. and Russia ultimately seemed satisfied with the results of the first visit of U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Moscow.

This means that the potential benefits of future cooperation on Syria turned out to be more important for Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin than the points of conflict before that meeting.

Putin has, for a long time, been using international events to promote himself inside Russia. A prime example was Russias annexation of Crimea (and its actions in Ukraine). Afterward, Russia faced significant economic sanctions, but Putins support among Russians increased to more than 80 percent.

With the Crimean annexation, Putin seemed to tap into the imperial ambitions of ordinary Russians. Thus, they were ready to face a cooling down of Russias relationship with the U.S. and the European Union.

And, in fact, Russias participation in the Syria conflict can give Putin further opportunity to exploit the reactions of other nations even more. He can use this to build support for the Russian presidential election in March 2018.

The Russian presence in Syria is a chance for the Kremlin to pretend to be again among the leading world countries. This ambition fits comfortably into the presidential campaign Putin is going to announce in June. Thats because the anti-Western rhetoric, which the Kremlin has been using for the last three years, now bores people.

Finally, it is time for the Kremlin to say something positive, especially important since any promises about internal policies appear unrealistic because of bad economic conditions. Russia can say it is cooperating with other countries and the U.S. for a noble goal  the fight against terrorism.

Now, after the terrorist attack in St. Petersburg in March, Russians will see the Russian presence in Syria as a practical policy, one that can prevent new acts of terrorism in their country.

And an anti-terrorism policy will help the Kremlin deal with another problem  the rise of political opposition groups inside the country. A few weeks ago in many Russian cities, there were demonstrations against the regime. Pretending to fight terrorism, the Kremlin can more easily legitimize the suppression of protesters and opposition groups.

Trump also faces problems inside his country  his support among the U.S. population is very low, about 40 percent. This loss of popularity is tied, though not exclusively, to the ongoing scandal about his possible ties with Russia. The most recent person to fall under suspicion was his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who is also one of the presidents closest advisers.

Many of Trumps election promises seem to be put on hold by Democratic opposition and the dawning of various political realities. Launching an air attack on Assads forces allowed Trump to get Democratic support, at least for a time, though he has come under criticism for not having a long-game strategy in Syria.

And the strike allowed Trump to show Americans that he is able to aggressively confront Putin, who was cast before as his bosom buddy. According to a CBS poll, only 35 percent now think he is too friendly with the Russian president, though a few months ago this idea was shared by 48 percent.

After the Tillerson meetings in Russia, the rhetoric about the U.S.-Russian relationship changed. Most major U.S. newspapers were writing about Russian ties with Trump as if it were a proven fact. After the meetings, however, the coverage was about Tillerson not making any meaningful connection with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin.

For Trump, of course, it is better to be described as a bad diplomat than as a Russian stooge.

At the same time, the strike didnt really damage any important weapons of Syria  or of Russia. So, the Kremlin was willing to see it as a demonstration of force but not an actual use of force. This was proven by the fact that, after the strike, Tillerson still was invited to meet both Lavrov and Putin.

Going forward, Russia and U.S. cooperation in Syria may become an endless repetition of this game  Trump pretending to be aggressive without really being so, and Russia pretending to forcefully respond, while still maintaining diplomatic contacts.

Russia and the U.S. found a way to deal with Syria that was beneficial for both countries  at least politically at the top. Those who will lose in this political game, however, could be Syria and the EU.

For Syria, the civil war, between nominally equal forces, could last for years. And this means more refugees will flee to Europe, but only a few will go to the U.S. or Russia. The first is too far  and is led by a president trying to erect barriers  and the second is not refugee-friendly in terms of social support.

Moreover, the EU will certainly face more terrorist attacks.

To prevent that from happening, EU leaders need to make the U.S. and Russia actually (not pretend) to cooperate in the Syrian conflict  working jointly on a political solution and also really fighting ISIS jointly.

But who can say if the Russian and U.S. presidents are as ready to invest in substantive and meaningful cooperation as much as they are to invest in their own popularity?

Anastasya Manuilova is a reporter for Kommersant newspaper. She is based in Moscow.
If Trumpcare ever gets out of the Republican-controlled Congress, the man himself will sign it sight unseen.

But here is the rub: When the wheels of the patient gurney hit the hospital hall and there is no insurance money right behind it, we can all lament the fallacy of Chumpcare.

Robert Paul

Accomplices in pain

The recent House vote on Trumpcare shows that Republicans such as Lamar Smith and Paul Ryan are the real death panel.

By repealing parts of the Affordable Care Act, which provided expanded Medicaid and subsidies for health insurance purchased on the exchange, they have endangered the health of 24 million Americans, thousands of whom may die and tens of thousands of whom may suffer bankruptcy trying to stay alive. The 217 men and women who voted for Trumpcare are guaranteed to have blood on their hands if the Senate Republicans pass it.

Congress isnt the only group to blame, though. Every one of you who voted for a Republican in 2016 is complicit in the suffering this will cause millions of Americans.

J.C. Dufresne, Cibolo

Cruel medical fraud

President Donald Trump and the House have committed a cruel fraud on the American people, Republican, Democrat, and independent alike, by passing the American Health Care bill to replace Obamacare.

Trump promised repeatedly to cover all Americans with insurance with cheaper premiums. But this bill will force millions, including legions of Trump voters, off their current health insurance and raise premiums for the middle-aged and those with pre-existing conditions. It also cuts $800 billion from Medicaid. The only people who will have lower premiums are young healthy men. The true beneficiaries of the bill are the top 2 percent of taxpayers.

Conclusion on Republican mis-leadership: sad!

Stephen Amberg

Visiting the past

Thank you for the SA Tricentennial articles, 1718-2018.

San Antonio is a beautiful city that is engulfed in history. The articles have renewed my interest in all stories about my lovely home. Keep up the good work.

Stella Morales Perez

Ineffective wall

If it is true that China, Russia, Iran and lesser forces are against the U.S., we have no business building a wall between us and our friends, Mexico. We should work to form a triumvirate of the U.S., Mexico and Canada, a partnership that would help ensure peace and serve as an economic force for North America.

If we must build a wall, we should work with Mexico to build it along their southern border, not ours. This might deter the influx of bad guys from Central America.

If we help Mexico improve its economy, the flow of immigrants would reverse, since the immigrants would rather work in Mexico than the U.S. This solves the problem at a much lower cost than building an ineffective wall, and it would retain the good will of our neighbor to the south.

Dick Baile, Houston

Its not nonsense

Re: Fiesta fashion, Your Turn, May 3:

I cannot speak for other coronation groups, but I can for Lutheran Coronation.

Yes, we spend six to eight months handcrafting the gowns and trains. Each family pays for its own, but we buy as much as possible on sale or at wholesale. We get together with friends and families, working on them in groups at no cost to the families. We are all volunteers.

Past gowns are displayed during Fiesta throughout town. This year we had them at Franklin Park Sonterra, Los Patios, Parman Library and the Sunshine Cottage, plus elementary schools and other venues.

Our court also volunteers at charitable events all year.

The social butterflies, as the letter writer called our court members, work hard at the parades. We decorate our float, taking it to 17 to 20 parades a year throughout the region (so the gowns and trains get a lot of use). This year during Fiesta, the trailer we used to help transport our float was stolen, so now our small, nonprofit organization faces a large, unexpected expense to replace it.

So, if you have a few extra dollars to throw toward such nonsense, please look up our gofundme page.

Sandy Liwang

The whole of life

We can make it easier to own a gun, but we cannot find it in our hearts to make it easier for noncitizens to become a longterm part of our communities.

Our state and our country seem interested only in from what we can raise a profit, but the whole of life is not about this kind of profit. The whole of life is in the relationships we build with all kinds of people. Its in the balance we gain through knowing people who are not like us, as well as those who are like us.

This balance becomes a strength for all involved.

Cathy Hooker

Boycotts work

Re: The downside of consumer boycotts, Timothy Werner, Another View, May 5:

This piece was fraught with diversions and obfuscations about both the power and the results of boycotts, as we just experienced with the protests forcing the Murdoch family to depose the despicable Bill OReilly.

The assertion that boycotts are actually taking power away from those who are the least able to effect political change should make all of us laugh.

Mr. Werner, the consumer boycott remains one of the most powerful and effective ways to express outrage, to expose bullies and to cause change by everyday citizens. Social media has only raised the volume of expression and outrage. Its recent successes should have dissuaded you from making such a ridiculous assertion in writing and then disseminating it.

Ruben Zamora
Not to be sniffed at: human sense of smell rivals that of dogs, says study Guardian (Chuck L)

15 large great white sharks spotted near CA paddleboarders Euronews (furzy)

Thousands evacuated following floods in Quebec and Ontario WSWS (martha r) :-(. Any readers affected? And why no Federal assistance?

A watch fights tremors and woman finds ability to write TechXplore. Chuck L: On the schmaltzy side, but with good reason.

Global Hack

China?

GDPs vs. what China spent on eating out in 2016 The Atlas (resilc)

Indias finance minister meets with Maruti Suzuki chairman WSWS (martha r)

Laptop Ban

Brexit

New poll finds huge public support for Jeremy Corbyns manifesto promises Business Insider

Sneering at Corbyn does Tories no favours The Times

Why are British Columbians Voting Liberal, Against Their Own Interest? Real News Network. An interview with Michael Hudson

Syraqistan

Imperial Collapse Watch

Comey Defenestration. The Democrats smell blood. Trump has been making matters worse for himself with every utterance on this topic. The Hill, which is unusually up the center in how it plays things, has far more Trump negative headlines than it typically runs. And critically, Mitch McConnell has relented and has allowed an invitation to be extended to Rod Rosenstein, the #2 at the DoJ, for a closed-door briefing.

But Trump has seemed to be hopelessly damaged goods before and yet has managed to pull himself up to being merely disreputable and wildly unpredictable, which bizarrely has worked for him so far. Will this time be different?

In addition, Rosenstein (see link below) is not backing a special prosecutor, at least for now. As crazy-making, reckless, and destabilizing as Trumps bullshitting is (and I think he is a prototypical bullshitter, he doesnt care what the truth is and makes it all too obvious), until someone can get him in a setting where he has been sworn to tell the truth, his statements can and do have great political significance, but its far from clear what if any legal significance they have, since Trump contradicts himself all the time. Mind you, Trump asking Comey three times as to whether he was being investigated is terrible optics, but Comey never never never should have seen Trump for dinner (and even worse, Trump claims Comey asked for the dinner to pitch for staying at the FBI) and should never had answered the question re whether Trump was a target.

FBI staffers have issued Comey would never do that, its outside protocol type denials, but Comey flagrantly violated protocol last summer when rendering a legal judgment on Hillary Clintons e-mails, which is not the FBIs job.

So the question is if Trump can keep this mess from escalating further until the Memorial Day recess. My sense is that even if Republican voters are getting edgy about Trump, when their Congressscritters go home to their districts, theyll find health care is a much bigger priority. On the one hand, the Republicans dont have good answers. On the other hand, if the Democrats succeed in making Trump the centerpiece of what Congress does for the next six plus months, that guarantees the Republicans will get very little done legislatively when it was already hard for them to get anything done with the Freedom Caucus nutjobs acting as spoilers. Not getting anything done is a prescription for many to be turfed out in 2018.

Finally, my guess is the Trump tweet regarding maybe having taped Comey tapes was a high stakes poker play to check Comey. Trump is leery of being recorded in private; recall that when he was accuses in the Steele dossier of having his golden showers party in Moscow, Trump said he repeatedly told his staff to be completely circumspect when in foreign hotels, since they could be bugged. Since the Comey-Trump conversations werent fresh, and memories are never precise or complete unless you have David Boies perfect verbal recall, the idea that Trump might have an actual record would put Comey at risk at being caught out in exaggerating or omitting parts of the conversation that could be spun as having a vendetta against Trump. And the proof seems to be that Comey has declined an opportunity to appear before the Senate next week. However, if Trump has been taped, I cant imagine this would be good for him in the long run, and so any immediate win with Comey would come back to haunt him.

Sources: Rosenstein sees no need for special prosecutor in Russia probe CNN

Trumps warning to Comey deepens White House crisis The Hill

Senate panel investigating Russia outraged by Comey firing Politico

Trump on Comey tapes: I cant talk about that The Hill

White House Refuses to Say Whether Trump Tapes Conversations Bloomberg

Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein to brief Senate on Russia investigation Washington Post. Oddly, I dont see this reported on The Hill or Poltico, which typically are all over this sort of thing. But I cant imagine Schumers office would misreport this. However, the invitation came from McConnell, and youd expect his office to confirm the session. And if I were Rosenstein, I wouldnt be keen about facing this sort of thing: Democrats: Rosenstein should resign if he wont appoint a special prosecutor Politico.

Comey wont speak to Senate committee next week The Hill

GOP senators wont buck Trump on Comey firing Politico

Comeytose in Washington Counterpunch. Good except it repeats the story set in motion by the New York Times that Trump fired Comey over asking for more budget for the Russia investigation. The #2 at the FBI denied that before the Senate in hearings the next day. Curiously, from what I can tell, no one in the MSM has taken note of that or corrected the earlier stories. Update: NBC says that Comey said he asked the DoJ not for more FBI resources but more prosecutor resources to write subpoenas and warrants.

Washingtons political crisis over the Comey firing: A harbinger of revolutionary upheavals WSWS (martha r)

Lawyers who said Trump has no ties to Russia named Russian law firm of 2016 Guardian (Katharine)

Former Trump Adviser Paul Manaforts Bank Records Sought in Probe Wall Street Journal

Trump Transition

Obamacare

Still Not an Activist Jacobin. Important. Resilc: When does she get her own cable channel?

How the Sanders Phenomenon Unleashed a Socialist Movement Counterpunch (martha r)

Bernie Sanders to campaign in Billings on 4-city Montana tour for Rob Quist Billings Gazette

Even The Cable Lobbys Questionable Survey Shows Most Americans Want Net Neutrality Consumerist (Chuck L)

Tunnel Collapse at Hanford Nuclear DumpHarbinger of the Collapse of the Entire Industry? Common Dreams (martha r)

Concealed Carry on Campus: Why I Resigned From the University of Kansas Counterpunch (Chuck L)

Lawyer with Responsibility for Mortgage Crisis Appointed to Take Care of Mortgage Banks Real News Network. An interview with Bill Black.

When will the next global shock arrive? MacroBusiness. Useful discussion of the very low VIX.

Wells Fargos Fake Accounts Grow to 3.5 Million in Suit Bloomberg

Class Warfare

How local governments keep poor people in jail just because theyre poor Rare (resilc)

For-Profit Colleges Are Reinventing Themselves to Profit Off Low-Income Students Truthout

Antidote du jour. From Michael B:

Here is an antidote from a very faithful reader in Victoria, BC, Canada. Two hummingbird chicks stand up on their nest contemplating their first flight. They flew off the next day.

And a bonus video from Pat P. What brave duckings!

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
It had become very difficult to get people to apply for Community Employment (CE) schemes in Clonmel, it was stated at a meeting of Clonmel Borough District.

District Administrator Paul Murray said that people weren't responding to ads for CE schemes in the town, although they were applying for places in schemes held in other towns in the area, such as Carrick-on-Suir and Tipperary.

Long-term unemployed people now had to take a course for twelve months and during that time they couldn't apply for a CE scheme.

Mr. Murray suggested that they request a meeting with the operators of the CE scheme.

A recruitment course had to be undertaken but clearly this was an issue for Clonmel.

Cllr. Martin Lonergan said they had a similar problem in his area.

Cllr. Siobhan Ambrose said they just couldn't allow a situation to continue where Clonmel was the only district that couldn't recruit staff.

This scheme was too important to allow that to happen.

Her views were supported by Cllr. Michael Murphy.

Cllr. Marie Murphy understood that the criteria for CE schemes was being widened so that more people could take part.

She said the age limit for eligibility for the scheme had been reduced from 25 to 21.
Clonmel Lions Club recently celebrated its 50th anniversary and was honoured with a reception at the Town Hall, hosted by District Mayor Andy Moloney.

County Council members Siobhan Ambrose, Michael Murphy and Martin Lonergan were also present.

All of the club's past presidents were represented along with Clonmel Lions Club's current members, one of whom, Jack Prendergast, is a founding member.

Lions Ireland District Governor Paul Allen was also present.

Fiona Rea, Beth O'Grady, Mayor Andy Moloney, Catherine Murphy and Noeleen Bergin.

District Mayor Andy Moloney paid tribute to the Lions Club for its selfless contribution to the people of Clonmel over the past 50 years.

It was noted that although the Lions Club was renowned for its Christmas Food Appeal there was a large amount of other work undertaken by the club in the community.

Over the years the club has provided assistance to a wide variety of local projects including the Christmas Food Appeal, Message in a Bottle, Intel Ideation Camp, Riding for the Disabled, the Youth Awards and Screening for Diabetes.

Current president, Conrad Burke thanked the local community for its amazing support and goodwill over the years.

He said that without this help and assistance the club couldn't achieve any of its goals or projects.

The Lions Club motto is 'We Serve' and with the support of the local community, we can achieve amazing things, said Mr. Burke.

As a volunteer organisation, when a euro is raised it goes directly to charity and therefore back to the local community, he stated.

Des Morrissey, Eileen May, Mayor Andy Moloney, Marie Molloy and Michael O'Brien.

More Clonmel news...

Like to sing? Clonmel choir is looking for new members.
(Natural News) Adequate sleep and caffeine intake were found to be just as effective as some commonly-used analgesics such as ibuprofen in easing pain, according to a recent animal study published in the journal Nature Medicine. According to researchers at the Boston Childrens Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, chronic sleep deprivation leads to increased pain sensitivity. The research team inferred that people who suffer from chronic pain may get relief from sleeping more or taking medications that promote wakefulness.

As part of the study, the research team tested the effects of acute or chronic sleep deprivation on mice and measured the animal models sleepiness and sensitivity to both painful and non-painful stimuli. The scientists also assessed the efficacy of standard pain medications such as ibuprofen and morphine against wakefulness-promoting agents like caffeine and modafinil. The research team also used tiny headsets that took electroencephalography and electromyography readings to monitor the animals sleeping patterns. In addition, the researchers induced sleep loss in the animals by entertaining them.

We developed a protocol to chronically sleep-deprive mice in a non-stressful manner, by providing them with toys and activities at the time they were supposed to go to sleep, thereby extending the wake period. This is similar to what most of us do when we stay awake a little bit too much watching late-night TV each weekday. Mice love nesting, so when they started to get sleepy (as seen by their EEG/EMG pattern) we would give them nesting materials like a wipe or cotton ball. Rodents also like chewing, so we introduced a lot of activities based around chewing, for example, having to chew through something to get to a cotton ball, researcher Alexandre Latremoliere was quoted in saying in ScienceDaily.com.

The researchers found that five consecutive days of moderate sleep loss was associated with increased pain sensitivity in mice when they were exposed to various stimuli such as heat, cold, pressure or hot chili compound. The experts also found that common painkillers like ibuprofen did not inhibit pain hypersensitivity associated with sleep loss. In addition, morphine exhibited reduced efficacy in easing chronic pain in animal models. However, both caffeine and modafinil successfully blocked pain hypersensitivity in mice. The findings represent a new kind of analgesic treatment, researchers said. (Related: Know more about the seven health benefits of drinking coffee)

Caffeine works well in humans too

Mounting evidence from a large number of studies show that caffeine may help ease chronic pain in humans. A small study published in the journal BMC Research Notes revealed that coffee consumption may relieve neck pain. During the study, the researchers examined 48 patients and found that those who drank coffee reported less pain over the course of 90 minutes compared with the controls. The experts also noted that coffee drinkers had less intense pain than nondrinkers by the end of the study.

Another study showed that drinking coffee relieves post-workout pain. To carry out the study, researchers at the University of Georgia examined nine female college students who did not drink coffee on a regular basis and did not regularly undergo resistance training. The study revealed that participants who consumed caffeine an hour before the exercise routine reported a 48 percent decrease in pain compared with those in the placebo group. The researchers also found that participants who drank coffee prior to the sub-maximal exercise test exhibited a 26 percent reduction in pain.

A lot of times what people use for muscle pain is aspirin or ibuprofen, but caffeine seems to work better than those drugs, at least among women whose daily caffeine consumption is low, said lead researcher Professor Patrick OConnor. The findings were published in The Journal of Pain.

You can learn how to take better care of yourself with the help of the articles from HealingArts.news.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

ScienceDaily.com

Articles.LATimes.com

News.UGA.edu
(Natural News) France has always blazed a trail in the fashion industry; and this time, theyre doing it through a new policy that requires their models to present a doctors certificate to prove that they are healthy enough to work. The policy was issued last week by the French Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, ABCNews.go.com reported. In a statement, ministry officials said that the aim of the new policy is to end the promotion of unrealistic beauty ideals and prevent eating disorders among the youth. The objective is also to protect the health of a category of the population particularly affected by this risk: models.

Under the policy, doctors are required to pay specific attention to Body Mass Index (BMI) when they evaluate the models health. This could put many underweight models out of work, even though the accuracy of BMI as a health indicator has long been debated. The policy specified that even models under 16 have to go through the same assessment. The medical certificate they present will be valid for two years. Additionally, the ministry issued a measure, effective October 1, that will require advertisements to disclose any image manipulation on a model by marking commercial photographs with the label photographie retouchee.

Violating these policies could cost companies and agencies a lot of money. Those that hire models without medical clearance could face a hefty fine of up to 75,000 euros and be imprisoned for up to six months.

While the move has been applauded by many as a step in the right direction in the campaign against eating disorders, there is some concern about using BMI to evaluate the health of models. In an article published in the journal Obesity, doctors argued that BMI is no longer an effective tool to diagnose obesity, saying that some people with high BMIs are considered unhealthy but are otherwise found to have good blood pressure, properly functioning livers, and normal cholesterol levels.

The fashion industry has long been criticized for promoting impossible beauty standards, not just to the general public, but among the models that struggle to build a career in a notoriously discriminating field. A recent study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders surveyed 85 female fashion models to assess unhealthy weight control behaviors and perceived pressure from their agencies to lose weight. According to the results, models reported being pressured to lose weight, which increased the risk of engaging in unhealthy weight control behaviors. The study has prompted over 40 top models to sign an open letter urging the American fashion industry to take more measures against eating disorders, saying they will promote the brands and companies that lead the initiative on social media.

The letter, entitled #DEARNYFW, read: too often, models are being pressured to jeopardize their health and safety as a prerequisite for employmenttogether we are challenging you to make a serious commitment to promote health and diversity on the runway. Through our social media platforms, which collectively reach millions of people, we will recognize the industry leaders who step up to this challenge.

While the fashion industry has always been associated with eating disorders, they are not the only ones who experience it. In fact the problem is more widespread than people realize. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), over 30 million people suffer from an eating disorder in the US across all ages and genders. Eating disorders directly result in the death of at least one person every 62 minutes, and have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. Additionally, 13 percent of women over 50 engage in eating disorder behaviors, showing that it is not exclusive to teenagers and fashion models.

Sources include:

ABCNews.go.com

Social-Sante.gouv.fr

OnlineLibrary.Wiley.com 1

OnlineLibrary.Wiley.com 2

NationalEatingDisorders.org

ANAD.org
There are enormous landforms underneath the ice sheets of the Antarctica, some of them as big as the Eiffel Tower, and they are contributing to the thinning ice shelves.

According to a report from Science Daily, a team of scientists led by the Universite libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in Belgium and the Bavarian Academy of Sciences in Germany recently found an active hydrological system of water conduits and sediment ridges below the Antarctic ice sheet. These strange subglacial formations -- called eskers -- are estimated to be five times bigger than other similar landscapes.

Forming eskers

One of the features of ice sheets are subglacial conduits that run under it funnelling subglacial melt water towards the ocean. New research revealed that these conduits widen progressively as they approach the ocean.

This widening of the conduit and subsequent decrease of the water's velocity lead to the accummulation of sediments at the conduit's portal. Over thousands and thousands of years, these sediments build up, forming eskers that grow to be massive ridges as big as the Eiffel Tower.

Ancient ice sheets that have exposed eskers include the Scandinavian Ice Sheet, according to a report from Science Alert.

Eskers' role in melting ice shelves

The researchers discovered that these ridges scratch deep incisions at the bottom of the ice as the ice moves over them, creating ice-shelf channels where ice is thinner and more vulnerable to melting from the warmer ocean. It was previously believed that ice-shelf thinning only occurs in the ocean, but the researchers found that the scars from the gigantic landforms below contribute to instability even while its still on land.

"Our study shows that ice-shelf channels can already be initiated on land, and that the size of the channels significantly depends on sedimentation processes occurring over hundreds to thousands of years," lead author Reinhard Drews explained.

The paper detailing the findings was published in the journal Nature Communications.
A race for Congress in Georgia is now linked to San Francisco. That's all because of a unique political advertisement.

Democrat John Ossoff and Republican Karen Handel are battling in a special election for Georgia's 6th congressional district seat in the House of Representatives. In hopes to paint Ossoff, who has admittedly received campaign donations from California, as being out of touch with Georgia voters, backers of the ad linked the Democratic challenger to liberal San Francisco stereotypes.

People depicted in the ad appear to represent San Francisco-based hippies or hipsters singing Ossoff's praises. One man can be heard saying Ossoff is "one of us" and another totes that "San Francisco loves them some Jon Osshof."



Jason McDaniel, an associate professor of political science at San Francisco State, said the creators of the ad "want to paint their opponent as unacceptably different."

"One of the purposes of the ad might be to really make people aware that you need to donate money if you care about Republicans maintaining control of Congress," he said. "They're trying to make sure that the stakes are clear."

McDaniel added that the ad could be effective for Republicans because it is receiving attention. On the other hand, McDaniel said a casual voter who comes across the ad might actually vote for Ossoff because of how many times his name is mentioned.

Some tourists in the city by the bay said the advertisement missed the mark. One man mentioned that the ad "didn't seem like San Francisco at all" and another said it was weird that someone from Georgia would be talking about San Francisco during their race for office.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee told NBC Bay Area he has yet to see the ad, but he believes politicians in other parts of the country should focus on their local needs.

"I'm sure if it's (Ossoff's) opponents, it will probably portray us in a negative light, but I say this, I think people of Georgia, and in particular this particular race, they need to register what their needs are," Lee said.
Police are investigating after a man was killed in a single-car crash in Massachusetts Saturday morning.

Brockton police say it happened around 9 a.m. on West Chesnut Street.

The driver, a man in his 20s, hit a pole for reasons that are still being investigated. He was the only person in the car at the time of the crash.

No other details, including the victim's name, were immediately available.

State police's accident reconstruction team assisted local police in the investigation.
With less than three weeks left until the end of the legislative session, Governor Bruce Rauner is busy jamming both work-related and campaign events into his schedule.

After leaving a school in Bloomingdale Friday, Rauner headed to a midday fundraiser at Bentley's Pancake House in the northwest suburb. The flier for the fundraiser, which was emailed to supporters, asked for donations from $5 to $50.

Rauner again refused to discuss his re-election campaign during the event and has not formally announced that he's a candidate in the 2018 race.

A growing list of Democratic candidates have announced campaigns in recent months. Among them are billionaire J.B. Pritzker, Chris Kennedy, State Sen. Daniel Biss, Chicago Ald. Ameya Pawar, downstate school Supt. Bob Daiber and business owner Alex Paterakis.
A Chicago-area man says he mistakenly got into another man's car who was posing as an Uber driver and was beaten as the driver and a female passenger demanded cash.

Zachary Chirillo was leaving a bar in Wicker Park and ordered an Uber he says. When a car pulled up, he unwittingly got into a man's car who was posing as an Uber driver.

"[The driver said] 'Hey, are you waiting for your Uber?' And I said 'Yes,'" Chirillo said.

That's how easy Zachary Chirillo says it was to get him into the car of criminals.

"I realized we were going away from the Dan Ryan to go home," he told NBC 5. "He's like 'I think my phone reset, any way you can give me your address again,' I said 'No problem.'"

The driver, and a female passenger, now had Zachary's Chicago Ridge address.

"He's like 'It's gonna be over $100. I'm like, 'I know, just run my credit card.'"

But the driver demanded cash and Chirillo says they ended up at a downtown ATM.

He says the driver told him to fill his gas tank and buy him so food so they could call the fake fare even, but Chirillo refused.

He says things escalated from there into a fight with the man at a busy intersection. He says the female passenger came in from behind with a tire iron and struck him three times. He wrestled the tire iron away from the female passenger and threw it at the car's window, shattering it, he said.

Chirillo said witnesses saw that part, but didn't help him, and despite being beaten and bloodied police thought he was the instigator and arrested him for criminal destruction of property. He says the couple was let go.

"I understand there's destruction of property," he says. "But I am bleeding everywhere. It didn't just happen."

His story is one of several fake Uber driver stories around the nation, including one poser charged with kidnapping and sexually assaulting women he picked up in the Chicago area.

Chirillo says hopes others can learn from his mistake.

It's been two weeks, but Chirillo just now has the time and nerve to file his report with police, he says. He says he's going to do so at a different district.

Uber said it confirmed with the Chicago police the man Chirillo said tried to rob him was not a driver for the rideshare company.
NEW ORLEANS, May 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, the former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until July 5, 2017 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG), if they purchased the Companys securities between August 29, 2013 and February 27, 2017, inclusive (the Class Period). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.



What You May Do

If you purchased securities of Signet and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, call toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or email KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com). If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by July 5, 2017.

About the Lawsuit

Signet and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On February 27, 2017, The Washington Post reported widespread claims of sexual harassment and discrimination by approximately 250 former employees of Signets Sterling Family of Jewelers division against Company management and executives, including Signets current CEO, Mark Light. The details of the claims originated from a private arbitration proceeding in June 2013, but had remained under seal until February 26, 2017. The report further detailed that the arbitration encompassed a certified class of 69,000 women who are current or former employees of the Company.

On this news, the price of Signets shares plummeted.

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

KSF, whose partners include the Former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is a law firm focused on securities, antitrust and consumer class actions, along with merger & acquisition and breach of fiduciary litigation against publicly traded companies on behalf of shareholders. The firm has offices in New York, California and Louisiana.

To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com.
The rainy weather held out long enough for runners to take their marks for the 24th annual CT Race in the Park on Saturday.

The 5K, held every year in New Britains Walnut Hill Park, drew thousands of people all with the same goal: to raise money to find a cure for breast cancer.

At the survivors breakfast, women wore pink ribbons on their hats like a badge of honor. Each one signifies another year of being cancer free. Anne Clark, of Newingtom, has 37 ribbons.

Everybodys together in here. Were all in the same situation, said Clark.

Hundreds of survivors gathered inside a tent to share their personal stories of hope.

Its all nice to see the same people that are in the same boat and its always inspirational, said Barbara Metzen, of Newington.

Outside thousands lined up, raising money for researchers racing to find a cure.

Since the first 5K 24 years ago, the CT Race in the Park has drawn survivors, their families, and the loved ones of those whove lost their brave battle with this deadly disease.

Its the cause, its the hope, its the celebration of life, said Joyce Bray, President of the CT Breast Health Initiative.

Over the years, the race has raised more than $3 million for breast cancer research going on in Connecticut.

A lot of research and grant work is done and it would be nice to find a cure right here in Connecticut, said Rick Buckley, a past board member and race volunteer.

Joanne Bozadjian has been part of this race since the start. Saturday, she volunteered in honor of her late sister-in-law.

I think of Kathy and the strides that have been made and hope that we can find a cure right here in Connecticut, said Bozadjian.

The finish line that those gathered on Saturday believe theyre one step closer to crossing.
The family of Jordan Edwards, who was shot and killed by former Balch Springs police officer Roy Oliver have yet to speak publicly. They are taking time to grieve and figure out what happens next.

Those who have lived through something similar say behind that silence is a pain most wouldnt understand.

Sara Mokuria is more than just an advocate with Mothers Against Police Brutality, shes actually lived through police-involved death.

We believe that those closest the problem are closest to the solution, she said.

Before meeting with the Edwards family and District Attorney Faith Johnson this week, she met up with NBC 5 at her fathers grave in Dallas.

I hate to come here, she said quietly looking down at the headstone.

Her father died in 1992 at the hands of Dallas police.

When they arrived, they killed him in front of me, my baby sister and my mother, she remembered.

Jordans brother was in the car with him when police say Oliver fired. She knows personally what its like to see a loved one die.

I can tell you that it has rocked my life and taken me decades to work through, she said.

She understands why the Edwards silence says so much more than most can comprehend.

They are feeling angry. They are feeling confused, she said. They are feeling overwhelmed with grief and sadness.

Mokuria also knows what the future could hold.

Time doesnt heal and time doesnt normalize it, she said quietly. The pain just feels different.

Until the family is ready to speak up, she will be one of the many who will stand up for them.

Jordan belongs to the Edwards Family but justice for Jordan belongs to all of us, she said.
The 29th Annual Candlelight Vigil at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial honored 394 officers who have died in the line of duty.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly spoke at the event and lead the crowd in the candle lighting.

"We mourn these fallen officers. We cannot avoid this dark truth," Sessions said. "We are here because these men and women gave everything, gave their very lives, for us."



The names of 394 officers that were killed in the line of duty were read out loud, 143 of those officers have died last year. The other 251 died before 2016, but their names had never been added to the memorial.

"We gather tonight on the National Mall, under the shadows of two of this citys most recognizable monuments, joined by the need and desire, the privilege, to honor the 21,183 names on the sacred Memorial walls," said Craig W. Floyd, President and CEO of the Memorial Fund.

With this year's additions, there are now 21,183 names engraved on the memorial. The names represent all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, federal law enforcement and military police agencies.



"We dedicate the names of the 394 officers added this year to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, recognizing the sacrifices these men and women made to protect their country and communities," Floyd said.

Twenty-four officers from Texas were added at Saturday's memorial, including the five that were killed in the July 2016 ambush in Downtown Dallas.

An estimated 30,000 people attended the ceremony, including surviving family members, friends and law enforcement colleagues, according to the Memorial Fund's press release.


There's encouraging news out of Sacramento now about the state's budget situation.

But Governor Brown is warning that the outlook won't stay so upbeat for very long.

The huge deficit that was projected in the governor's first budget proposal back in January has shrunk after strong "revenue growth" since then.

He's now able to lock in priority spending, while keeping a wary eye what might happen beyond the fiscal year that starts July 1.

"In California, we don't live in a fixed world of straight-line revenues that keep rising and never go down, Brown told reporters at a news conference Thursday. They go up, and they go down."

He broke out charts showing a scary pattern of red budget ink that plagued California in the ten recessionary periods since World War II.

Brown expressed a commitment to making education, health care, child care and so-called "anti-poverty" programs real spending priorities.

What were described as relatively minor cuts will still be imposed in various other areas.

The governor says hes concerned about "ongoing pressures from Washington" such as threats that federal funds with be withheld from California and certain other states, and the possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

"He's taking it real seriously, said Sara Libby, managing editor of NBC 7s media partner Voice of San Diego, who extensively covers state government issues.

And he even issued, as he was presenting the new budget, Libby added, kind of a warning to the Republican members of Congress from California that this will be a huge hit to the state if you help push this through."

Republican state legislators are criticizing Brown for not putting more money into the "rainy day fund" ahead of an economic downturn.

One cited continued spending on "high-speed rail"-- the so-called Bullet Train.
NBC News has been able to confirm that North Korea has fired an unidentified projectile.

Officials confirmed that the projectile was launched shortly Sunday morning, Seoul time.

According to reports from NBC News, a South Korean news agency is reporting that the launch was believed to be a ballistic missle.

South Korean military officials said, "We are looking into more information on the projectile."

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is made available.
A South Florida police K-9 underwent surgery Friday evening after he was shot during a police standoff.

Palm Beach Sheriff's Office posted a photo to Facebook of Kasper in the operating room after suffering a gunshot in his hind leg. He is expected to survive.

Kasper has been with PBSO for two years and has been assigned to may presidential details, according to NBC affiliate WPTV. It is unknown if the dog will be affected long-term by the injury or if he will return to his police duties following the surgery.



Police fatally shot Philip O'Shea, 46, after they said he fired shots at deputies trying to apprehend him. The suspect was involved in an armed robbery and a carjacking Friday, police said.

Three deputies involved in the shooting were not injured. They are on administrative leave, as part of standard protocol.

The sheriff's office said O'Shea had an extensive criminal history and was wanted in North Carolina in connection with a motel robbery.

State law enforcement agents plan to investigate the shooting.
The International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia was celebrated in Cuba on Saturday. The special day was celebrated with the traditional conga and a parade in Havana as a confirmation of the islands recognition on the Cuban LGBTQ communitys rights.

This year, the Cuban Campaign Against Homophobia, which is the tenth annual celebration, focused on the prevention of bullying or homophobic harassment in schools. Mariela Castro, who is the daughter to Cuban President Raul Castro and is the Director of the National Sex Education Center, says this type of violence in Cuba is scarce.

Parade goers came from all over the world, including the United States, to support the Cuban LGBTQ community, which has similar problems to those around the world, like same sex marriage.
Activists marched the streets of Miami Saturday urging the Department of Homeland Security to renew Temporary Protected Status for Haitians.

Organizations from across South Florida rallied alongside TPS recipients outside of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office, located at 8801 NW 7th Ave., calling for an extension of TPS-- which is set to expire July 22.

"I have friends and I have family who are now facing deportation and this is why I'm here today," said Haitian demonstrator Eltard Alexis.

Earlier this week, Secretary John Kelly asked Department of Homeland Security staff for the criminal history of thousands of Haitians living in the United States on protected immigration status.

Federal law regarding TPS does not specify a recipient's behavior as criteria for extending the program. Those who receive the status immigration are heavily screened before they are granted the protected status, according to immigration experts.

Congress created TPS back in 1990 for people whose countries are too devastated by political or natural disasters to safely return. The Obama administration granted temporary protective status to Haiti in 2010 after a massive earthquake devastated the island-nation, killing an estimated 220,000 and displacing 1.5 million.

"The situation on the ground in Haiti is not the type of situation you want to send people back to," said Pedro Gassant with the Haitian Lawyers Association. "You have about 58,000 Haitians who have temporary protective status on the basis of the earthquake that occurred in 2010 and last year in the fall you had a significant hurricane that occurred that has displaced entire villages."

Gassant says Haitian immigrants see the United States as a country of hope, change, and economic stability. now their calling on President Donald Trump to extend TPS.

Demonstrators say they can not ignore the TPS issue given the large Haitian community in South Florida.

"We are l'union fait la force," Gassant said. "We believe in unity. Unity is strength and that's on our flag because we believe with unity we can accomplish anything and that's why we're here today."
A California woman who suffers from painful injuries says shes determined to make sure airlines treat handicapped people with respect after she was barred from an airport lounge  and a place to rest  because of her service dog.

Micaela Bensko lives with spinal injuries that require she lie down regularly or suffer severe pain. Thats why she spent $75 for a ticket to the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at JFK Airport, only to be denied at the door by an agent, even as she was in her wheelchair.

Im not sure what their policies are, but with Virgin Atlantic policy, with any service animal you have to have some sort of paperwork, the agent told Bensko in a video she recorded moments after being denied access to the lounge because of her service dog.

I cant even lay down, its all hard concrete, Bensko said in the video as she tried to lie down on the floor of the airport.

Bensko said she posted the video to YouTube because she was fed up with being treated differently.

Every time I travel I experience something, she told News 4.

She rarely travels but wanted to share her 15th anniversary with her husband, who works in Germany. Their trip in New York went well until her ordeal with the agent.

Virgin Atlantic has since said Bensko needed no such paperwork to enter the lounge with her service animal.

"We are sincerely sorry for the experience Ms. Bensko had at JFK earlier this week, and would like to reassure all customers that support dogs are welcome in our clubhouses, a spokeswoman for Virgin Atlantic said in a statement.

Bensko believes the humanity has been removed from air travel.

We have these cases, and 48 hours later theres a big settlement, but nothing changes, she said.

She says she wont stop until airlines make it a policy that people with disabilities are treated with dignity and according to each airlines rules.

I do believe that if you feel firmly about something, you can make something happen, and Im dead set on it, because this has got to stop, she said.

Bensko said all she wants is a promise from the airlines that theyll train their staffs on how to treat people, especially those with disabilities.

Virgin Atlantic said it sent an urgent message out to its staff after Benskos incident to make sure everyone is aware of the rules. The airline has also launched an investigation into how it happened.

Benskos story was just the latest negative interaction between airline staff and passengers, including the doctor who was dragged from a United plane after refusing to leave an overbooked flight last month.


Keon Robinson, the sex offender suspected in the horrific sex attack and robbery of a 31-year-old German tourist as she walked back to her Airbnb in Manhattan last week was sent back to jail after facing a judge on Friday.

Robinson, 28, was remanded after being charged with a number of crimes, including assault, robbery, sex abuse and attempted rape.

Police believe Robinson was the man who violently attacked the tourist on May 4, an attack that was caught on surveillance video.

The video shows a man grabbing the woman from behind, appearing to choke her while taking her bag, prosecutors say. He then grabs her bag, and when she tries to get it back, punches her, causing her to fall to the ground.

The man in the video continues to punch the woman as shes on the ground, eventually removing some of her clothing and sexually assaulting her repeatedly while continuing to punch her, according to prosecutors account of the video. He then stole her bag and left her passed out and partially naked on the sidewalk, prosecutors said.

The woman suffered a number of physical injuries, including a gash to her head, a broken tooth, and bruising, prosecutors said.

Robinson was also charged in connection with another robbery on Bradhurst Avenue in Hamilton Heights on April 24. Detectives had also been looking to question him in connection with that attack, and another one on April 27.

In the April 24 robbery, prosecutors say a man followed behind a woman at 4 a.m. before coming up to her with his hand in his pocket and saying, I have a gun, give me your bag. The woman screamed and the man punched her in the face before grabbing her bag, which had a credit card in it.

Prosecutors say video from a Target store shows Robinson using the credit card hours after the attack.

He was arrested after police found him hiding in a home in Schenectady around 9 a.m. Thursday. He resisted arrest and fought with law enforcement officers before he was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force, along with members of the NYPD, New York State Police and local Albany police, officials said. His arrest came after the U.S. Marshals worked several leads.

In addition to the two robberies, police believe Robinson may be connected to other unsolved sex crimes in New York City.

Robinson is a former parolee who served seven years for first-degree robbery and first-degree sexual abuse. He was released in 2014 and is a registered Level 3 sex offender, meaning authorities believe him to have a high-risk for repeat crimes and consider him an ongoing potential threat to public safety.

Robinson was jailed again, this time on a parole violation, last summer, NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said at a news briefing Monday. He got out in January. The pattern of attacks began several months later, Boyce said.
An NYPD officer who volunteered to serve in Iraq where he was killed in a dangerous mission was honored Saturday evening in Washington, D.C.

Staff Sgt. James D. McNaughton was honored at the National Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial. His name was added to the memorial and a candlelight vigil was held in his honor, along with 393 officers that were killed in the line of duty.

McNaughton became a police officer shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, and volunteered to serve to Iraq in 20015, the Army said. He was a military police officer in the Army reserve.

"We gathered all the civilian police officers in the unit and told them what the situation was. They were to train Iraqi police," said Brig. Gen. John Hussey, who was at the time McNaughton's battalion commander.

"Jimmy McNaughton stepped forward," Hussey said. "He stepped up because he knew a lot of these guys were married and had kids, and he didn't want them to be put in harm's way."

The first attempt to get McNaughton's name on the memorial was rejected. His supporters tried again, this time submitting the application through the Army instead of the NYPD, and were successful.
A key District of Columbia council member said she will fight to close legal loopholes exposed by a News4 I-Team investigation.

Renters are exploiting a decades-old D.C. law to make huge profits, but in the process, they're holding up home sales and costing buyers and sellers thousands of dollars.

"We know that this was not the intent of the law. and so we have to address it," said D.C. Councilwoman Anita Bonds, who chairs the committee on housing and neighborhood revitalization.

Bonds acknowledged it will likely be a bitter fight, as is anything involving tenants' rights in the District.

In this case, everyone seems to agree the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) serves a purpose: It keeps longtime renters from being booted out of gentrifying neighborhoods.

TOPA was designed to protect affordable housing by giving renters the first chance to buy their place if it goes up for sale.

But the News4 I-Team found some renters are also using it to hold sales hostage while they negotiate for a piece of the profits.

"I'm not trying to make the sale fall apart, I'm trying to change who the buyer is," said TOPA attorney Andrew McGuire, who converted his entire law practice to handle only these cases.

McGuire estimates TOPA rights amount to a $100 million per year industry in DC; he's even trademarked the phrase, "Got TOPA?"

TOPA rights are a commodity and should be able to be shopped around on the open market, he says.

"If you get TOPA rights and somebody knocks on your door and says I'll give you $500, how do you know they're not worth $500,000?" McGuire said.

The DC Association of Realtors believes this use of TOPA will ultimately raise the price of homes and rents across the District because those who have to pay renters to leave a property will simply pass that cost on to the next buyer or renter.

DCAR President Colin Johnson said the law does serve a purpose when large apartment buildings in gentrifying neighborhoods go condo, but he doesn't think it's effective for single-family homes or row houses where a renter only has one room or the English basement.

"I think the law definitely needs changing," Johnson said. "I don't see what the advantage is for a tenant to be able to trade their rights to somebody else and how that helps them either purchase a home or stay within a home."

DCAR said its members are seeing too many abuses of the law, and they've yet to see one renter successfully buy a whole building. Instead, renters are selling their rights to buy to the highest bidder.

"In many cases, these are not senior citizens who are being displaced in a transitioning or developing neighborhood," DCAR CEO Ed Krauze said. "These are smart young smart people who have figured out 'I can get some money.'"

"It's like someone actually sticking a gun to your head," said Yolanda Smith, who's been trying to sell a home she owns. "Had I known I would never, ever, ever rent property in Washington, D.C."

A first-time home buyer named Clara spent years as a renter and sees the value in tenants having rights, but she agrees the law needs fixing after losing her contract on a Capitol Hill row house the night before closing.

"It was just, poof, just taken away from me," said Clara, "I was up for collaborating with [the tenant] to figure out what she wanted and what she needed to stay ... but instead what I got back was, 'What's your best offer?'"

Councilwoman Bonds said she's heard the complaints.

"As it is with any law from at least that far back in our history, there are changes that need to be made," she said. "One of the things we have to do is clearly define 'tenant.'"

Realtors told the News4 I-Team plenty of tenants who don't pay rent and aren't on the lease, are still getting paid -- even if they only lived in the apartment for a few weeks and even if they'd already moved out when it went up for sale.

Bonds said she's also aware of the new industry of TOPA chasers that's popped up to recruit renters.

"We know that this was not the intent of the law. and so we have to address it," Bonds said.

She said she plans to convene a working group this summer with representatives from the real estate industry and tenants groups to work together on fixing the law.

The DC Realtors Association has already drafted proposed legislation to eliminate TOPA in single unit sales.

Reported by Jodie Fleischer, produced by Rick Yarborough, shot by Steve Jones and Jeff Piper, and edited by Steve Jones.
Paul and Gail Casey spent countless nights fearing the worst as their son Patrick served in the Army, fighting in Afghanistan.

Wed waited the entire year Pat was deployed, waiting for that call. Gail Casey told News4 from her home outside Albany, New York, where Patrick grew up.

To the Caseys' relief, that dreaded call never came. Patrick Casey returned home from Afghanistan and retired from the Army in 2011. He enrolled at George Washington University in a masters degree program for international studies. But just months after returning from war, Casey was killed during a street fight outside a McDonalds fast food restaurant in downtown D.C.

Paul and Gail Casey were devastated. They never expected to lose their son like this. The grief was almost overwhelming for the couple.

Its horrible to think were never going to see our son again, Gail Casey told News4 in 2011.

But that grief soon turned to horror and anger when police and prosecutors said her son was to blame.

He was blamed for this, and people that know him said, 'Dont worry about it,' because anybody that knows him, that knew him, would know he was not like that, but thats whats out there, thats whats out there on the web, Gail Casey said.

Metropolitan Police Department Capt. Michael Farish led the investigation at the time. Shortly after the fight, Farish held a press conference on the steps of police headquarters telling reporters Casey instigated the fight with a push.

The initial push came from, we believe it was Mr. Casey, it may have been someone who was with him," Farish said in 2011. "Were still ironing that out. But that was the initial push.

A few months after that press conference on Nov. 29, 2011, the U.S. Attorneys Office wrote Farish informing him they would not pursue charges against the three men involved in the fight and classified Patrick Caseys homicide as justifiable and consistent with an individual acting in defense of another.

The Caseys were not convinced. They pointed to an eye witness who told police and prosecutors one of the three men had sucker punched Casey and while Casey had faced off with one of the men, they were not fighting at the time Casey was punched.

They were 10-to-15 feet apart when this other guy threw the sucker punch, Max Podlone said.

Podlone was a third year law student at the time. He can be seen on the surveillance video from inside the McDonalds standing right next to the three men when they walked in the restaurant.

They were drunk and belligerent and rambunctious. Podlone said. The three guys were acting like drunk and out of control and sort of horsing around in the middle of everything. I pulled my two friends and I said we have to keep an eye on these guys, theyre going to start a fight. We were all in line to get our food and the line was huge. It probably took another 10 or 15 minutes before I looked up and saw them starting a fight with Patrick.

The Caseys pleaded with police and prosecutors to further investigate, but the case was closed.

They only looked at information that supported the conclusion that they had reached," Paul Casey said. "This wasnt fair, it wasnt impartial. Due process never took place.

Feeling let down by the criminal justice system, the Caseys started their own investigation.

They gave us pieces of a puzzle - they dont fit, Gail Casey said. We have to find out what the true pieces are, and that started our quest.

That quest has lasted more than five years. The Caseys sought the help of the Network for Victim Recovery, a D.C.-based nonprofit. They also hired a civil attorney to help uncover the truth.

We had to get the surveillance video, we had to get the police files, we had to do everything, Gail Casey said. And one of the ways you get information is with a civil suit.

The Caseys sued the three men, eventually dropping their case against one of them and resolving with the other two out of court.

According to the Caseys civil attorney, Brendan Klaproth, depositions from those lawsuits revealed inconsistencies between the three mens stories. It further revealed all three had been to more bars and ordered more alcohol that night than they originally told police, Klaproth said.

The Caseys also filed suit against McDonalds. That lawsuit is currently on appeals. Klaproth said McDonalds could have prevented Patrick Caseys death.

If they had a security guard on duty or had just called 911, Patrick would be alive today, Klaproth said.

A spokesperson for McDonalds declined to comment.

The Caseys and their attorneys presented their new evidence to police, who passed it along to prosecutors. Five years and three months after their son was killed, the U.S. Attorneys Office issued another letter to D.C. police changing the status of the case but still declining to prosecute the man who threw that fatal punch.

Insufficient evidence exists to meet the governments burden to rebut a claim of self defense, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Flynn wrote.

Despite prosecutors' reluctance to bring charges, Matt Ornstein with the Network for Victim Recovery said its rare for the U.S. Attorney to change its classification of a homicide five years after it occurred.

Its a big deal, Ornstein said. It's incredible, really. Everything thats happened has been driven by them. They really made it their lives, and it shows.

While the Caseys feel the prosecutors change in classifying the death vindicates their son, they still want charges filed against the man they say killed their son.

Whatever comes from it, we feel our son will be exonerated, Gail Casey said.

D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham said his office is reviewing the case once again.

It hasnt been finally determined exactly whats going to happen," he said. "We are in the process right now of having conversations with the U.S. Attorneys Office to see what the ultimate resolution will be. I think its too early to tell what the ultimate outcome will be. Im very familiar with the case, very familiar with the Casey family. They lost their son. They are very determined to get justice in this case, and were going to support them in that endeavor.

The U.S. Attorneys Office declined to comment for this report. An attorney for the man who punched Patrick Casey told News4 he was unaware the U.S. Attorney had changed its position but declined to comment further.
Authorities said a 48-year-old Washington, D.C.-man has been sentenced to prison for sexually abusing his daughter.

Prosecutors have not identified the man in order to protect the privacy of his daughter. U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillip's office said the man was sentenced Friday to 21 years in prison.

Prosecutors said the man sexually abused his daughter over several years in Washington as well as Maryland's Prince George's and Baltimore counties.

Police said the abuse began when the victim was around 12 years old and continued until she was about 16. Authorities said the victim estimated that he had sex with her 200 to 300 times.

Prosecutors said he pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances and one count of incest.
Two 19-year-old men have been charged for hanging a noose from a light fixture outside a middle school building in Anne Arundel County, police said.

A teacher found the noose about 11 a.m. Thursday at Crofton Middle School at 2301 Davidsonville Road in Crofton, Maryland. The school's custodian immediately removed the noose.

On Friday, Conner Charles Prout, of Crofton, and John Adam Havermann, of Pasadena, Maryland, were charged for trespassing school property, disturbing school operations, disorderly conduct and trespassing posted property, police said.

Prout has been arrested, and Havermann turned himself in later Friday evening, police said.

Surveillance video showed the two suspects getting access to the school's roof in the early Thursday morning and hanging the noose, police said.

"I am hopeful that this swift arrest offers at least some degree of closure for the students, faculty and staff at the Crofton Middle School," said Anne Arundel police Chief Timothy Altomare. "There is no place in our community for the sentiment communicated by such an act, and we will always give 100 percent effort to bring to justice anyone who commits a crime espousing hateful ideology.
President Donald Trump said Saturday that "we can make a fast decision" on a new FBI director, possibly by late next week, before he leaves on his first foreign trip since taking office.

"Even that is possible," Trump told reporters when asked whether he could announce his nominee by Friday, when he is scheduled to leave for the Mideast and Europe.

Eight candidates to be the bureau's director were interviewed Saturday by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, at Justice Department headquarters, according to NBC News. They are among more than a dozen candidates Trump is considering, a group that includes several lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials.

"I think the process is going to go quickly. Almost all of them are very well-known," Trump said aboard the plane that took him to Lynchburg, Virginia, where he gave the commencement address at Liberty University. "They've been vetted over their lifetime essentially, but very well-known, highly respected, really talented people. And that's what we want for the FBI."

The Trump administration is looking to fill the job, which requires Senate confirmation, after Trump abruptly fired Director James Comey on Tuesday.

The first candidate to arrive was Alice Fisher, a high-ranking Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration. She left after about an hour and a half inside the building and declined to comment to reporters.

Among those interviewed was Adam Lee, special agent in charge of the FBI's Richmond, Virginia, office. Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe also interviewed for the permanent post despite his repeated willingness to break from White House explanations of Comey's ouster and its characterizations of the Russia investigation. GOP Sen. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Senate leader and a former Texas attorney general, also interviewed.

Also interviewing Saturday were Michael J. Garcia, an associate judge on New York's highest court, and U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson, a George W. Bush appointee who struck down the centerpiece of the Obama administration's health care law in 2010. That's according to two people familiar with the search process who weren't authorized to publicly discuss the deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Sessions has faced questions over whether his involvement in Comey's firing violates his pledge to recuse himself from investigations into Russian interference in the election. Some lawmakers have alleged the firing was an effort to stifle that FBI probe.

Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said Sessions and Rosenstein are involved in the interviews because the FBI director reports to them as attorney general and deputy attorney general. They can make recommendations, but the president will ultimately make the hiring decision.

Former Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers was the last addition in Saturday's round of interviews. The FBI Agents Association urged Trump to pick Rogers, saying his diverse background makes him the best choice for the job. Rogers is the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee who also worked as an FBI special agent based in Chicago in the 1990s.

Fisher formerly served as assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Criminal Division. She faced resistance from Democrats during her confirmation over her alleged participation in discussions about detention policies at the Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba.

Frances Townsend, former homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to President George W. Bush also met with Justice officials.

Fisher and Townsend were the only women on the list of candidates. The FBI has never had a female director. Each has worked in high-profile positions in the Justice Department.

Lee, a longtime agent, has worked in a variety of positions within the bureau, including as section chief of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section, investigating some of the highest profile cases against government officials and civil rights violations in recent years.

Hudson earned the nickname "Hang 'Em High Henry" for his tough-on-crime stand as a federal prosecutor and on the bench.

Garcia, a former New York prosecutor, held high-level positions in the Commerce Department, the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security.
An Army corporal who lost his life during the Korean War will be buried with full military honors this weekend in his Vermont hometown, after advanced DNA analysis helped identify his remains.

The newly-identified remains of 20-year-old George Perreault Jr. returned home to Vermont this week in a flag-draped casket.

His niece, Karen O'Brien of Salem, Massachusetts, who was a baby when Perreault died, said she has waited a lifetime to lay her uncle to rest.

I cant even begin to tell you how happy we are about this, OBrien told NBC Boston Friday. We want to show him the honor he should have gotten in 1951.

A cemetery headstone made for Perreault more than 60 years ago marked an empty grave; until now.

We get the chance to honor him, OBrien said of a military burial scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, Perreault, who grew up in Winooski and neighboring Burlington, faced intense combat in the Korean War and went missing in 1951.

Three years later, the U.S. government declared him dead, but there was no body for his loved ones to bury.

Finally, six decades later, a long-awaited match: OBrien and her late mother had given blood samples and cheek swabs that helped military scientists positively identify human remains that North Korea handed over in the early 1990s.

Following a Catholic Mass Saturday, Perreault will be buried in Winooski with full military honors, alongside his parents.

He was their only son, OBrien said. I know theyre up [in heaven] saying, Its happened!

There are many families like George Perreaults who are still waiting for answers. The U.S. Defense Department said roughly 7,750 American military personnel who served in the Korean War are still unaccounted for.

Advancements in DNA analysis are, however, giving some of those families new hope.

It fulfills the nations promise that no one will be left behind, Brig. Gen. Mark Lovejoy of the Vermont Army National Guard said of the militarys ongoing work to identify service members who are currently unaccounted for. We will continue to do everything within our power to find our missing in action, and we will never stop.

Karen OBrien said she appreciates that determination, and is very glad her uncle George is back where he belongs, with those who loved him the most.

Im just gratefulfor my grandparents and my parents and my auntthat were bringing him back to them, OBrien said. They lost him and were bringing him back.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, said Cpl. Perreaults sacrifice will never be forgotten.

I commend the POW/MIA Accounting Agency for their tireless efforts to locate and identify the remains of Corporal Perreault, more than six decades after he first went missing, Sen. Sanders said in a written statement. I am pleased, at long last, this Vermont hero will be buried in Winooski next to his parents.

OBrien praised the office of Sen. Sanders, who worked on coordinating logistics with Delta Airlines, the Burlington International Airport, the Vermont Army National Guard, and the U.S. Army Casualty Assistance Center to facilitate the return of Perreaults remains to the Burlington Airport.
Police officers from across the country converged on the nations capital this weekend ahead of National Police Week.

The names of nearly 400 officers will be added to the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington this year. Among them are Massachusetts State Police Trooper Thomas Clardy and Auburn police Officer Ronald Tarentino Jr.

Both President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will be attending Monday's services.

Thousands came to honor the slain officers at the emotional 29th annual candlelight vigil Saturday evening.

"We are here because these men and women have given everything," U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. "They gave their lives for us."

A full list of events can be found here.



Clardy, 44, was killed on March 16, 2016. He had stopped a car for a traffic violation on the Massachusetts Turnpike in Charlton when his cruiser was hit by another vehicle. The driver who hit him was allegedly under the influence of marijuana.

"It was just really the shock value that was going," Massachusetts State Police Superintendent Col. Richard McKeon said. "It filtered throughout the state police and it was really a terrible day. And I've seen it in other officers and agencies as well."

Tarentino, 42, was shot in the back on May 22 during a traffic stop in Auburn. The suspect was later killed in a shootout after firing at police.

"I told them that it was going to be very, very difficult," Auburn Police Chief Andrew Sluckis recalled. "We had a long road ahead of us, but we would get through it and we would get through it together."

Sluckis added his department is still trying to get through it, nearly one year later.

In all, nine officers were added to the memorial - including Sgt. Charles Bradley of the Cambridge Police Department, who was killed decades ago.

"Present CPD Officer Steve Lyons, through hard diligent work, uncovered Sergeant Bradleys death on December 13, 1934," said said Jeremy Warnick, public information officer for Cambridge Police. "Sergeant Bradley was killed on duty after being struck by a motor vehicle. It was through Officer Lyons's hard work that he also located Sergeant Bradley's descendants."

Perry Russom will have live reports from Washington, D.C., through Monday.
A man and women who allegedly attacked loss prevention officers with hot coffee and pepper spray in a New Hampshire store have been arrested.

Police arrested Lance Holloman, 30, and Melody Williams, 31, both from Boston, in Manchester, New Hampshire on Friday.

Police say the two were shoplifting clothing items and accessories at Lord & Taylor, located in the Mall at Rockingham Park, on Feb. 16.

When loss prevention officers attempted to stop the pair, Holloman threw a hot cup of coffee into the face of one of the officers, according to police. Williams then pepper sprayed both officers before the two fled the mall.

The value of the stolen merchandise is $686

Both of them have been charged with two counts of robbery each and will be arraigned on Friday, May 12, 2017 in the 10th Circuit Court District Division in Salem, New Hampshire.
A fourth-grader in Walpole, Mass., who is battling cancer for the second time is getting some high-tech help, thanks to a robot that allows him to attend class while he is still at home recovering.

Phillip Lippolis, 11, was diagnosed with leukemia and recently received a bone marrow transplant to try and fight it. The transplant left his immune system so weak, doctors told him he would not be allowed to physically go to school for at least a year.

They told us and he cried all the way home, his grandmother, Jean Allen said. He just wants to be a kid and he cant.

His depression faded when Lippolis found out he was getting a robot that keeps him connected to school. The robot, which he and his classmates have named Philbot, can move up and down and even roam the hallways, all while Lippolis is on video and controlling it back at his home.

There was never a time when we thought he wasnt here, Cheryl Ivatts, his teacher at Boyden Elementary said. Hes always just been here, which is amazing.

The robot was made possible by a Maine based non-profit called Grahamtastic and a grant from Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern New England.

The actual total grant was $15,000 and it funded not only Philbot, but about 22 additional iPads and laptops for other children going through the same thing, Executive Director Karen McEachern said.

Lippolis hopes to be back in class by early next year, but said the robot makes him feel like he never left.

I though it was amazing I get to see everyone and be able to roam freely, Lippolis said.
Neighbors of the woman who found the body of a wanted murder suspect in the trunk of her car Friday afternoon say they may have seen him nearby.

The body of Ross Elliott, 51, who had been wanted in connection to a fatal shooting on Thursday in Lowell, Massachusetts, was found in a car parked at a Chelmsford medical center.

The driver of the car had come from Lowell for a doctors appointment. Upon returning to her car she found her trunk ajar and noticed a human hand sticking out of it.

Those who live next to the elderly woman who found the suspects body say they think they saw him, too.

We were just working on the deck and all the sudden this fellow comes through the driveway and my son saw him but he didnt think anything of it," neighbor Karen McCarthy said. "Then the police started going that way when he jumped the fence because they checked all around the garage and found nothing."

No one in that neighborhood reported hearing gunfire. Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said a preliminary investigation indicates he died of a gunshot wound.

How he died and why he allegedly killed his ex-girlfriend remain part of the investigation.

Authorities say Elliott gunned down 44-year-old Nicole White in front of family members, including her young daughter, at her apartment on Stevens Street in Lowell early Thursday morning. The shooting resulted in a manhunt that stretched into Friday.

Court documents show Elliott had been arrested several times, including an incident in 2005 when he was charged with armed assault to murder after he allegedly held a five-inch knife to his girlfriend's neck. He was also charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in a separate incident that same year.
A top North Korean diplomat said Saturday that Pyongyang would be willing to meet with the Trump administration for negotiations "if the conditions are set."

Choi Sun-hee, the top North Korean diplomat who handles relations with the U.S., spoke briefly to reporters in Beijing en route to Pyongyang. She was traveling from Norway, where she led a delegation that held an informal meeting with former U.S. officials and scholars.

Choi did not elaborate on what the North's conditions are, but her comments raise the possibility of North Korea and the U.S. returning to negotiations for the first time since 2008, when six-nation talks over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program fell apart.

President Donald Trump opened the door this month to talks, saying he would be "honored" to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Tensions have mounted in recent months after the Trump administration said it would keep "all options on the table" to halt North Korea's nuclear weapons program, including a military strike. The North responded by pledging to retaliate with a devastating nuclear counterattack, a threat it has made in the past.

In recent weeks, North Korea has arrested two American university instructors and laid out what it claimed to be a CIA-backed plot to assassinate Kim. Choi did not address the matter of the detained Americans on Saturday.

In Norway, Choi met with former U.S. officials and scholars for what are known as "track 2" talks. The talks, which cover a range of nuclear, security and bilateral issues, are held intermittently, and are an informal opportunity for the two sides to exchange opinions and concerns.


Soup Run and Foodstore  Norwich Vineyard

Norwich Vineyard church runs two food projects - a weekly Soup Run for Big Issue sellers in Norwich city centre and a monthly Foodstore project, collecting food donations from church members and creating two-day boxes for local families.



Peter Elwick, who organizes the Soup Run, said: We walk a route through the city centre seeing the Big Issue vendors. We also look out for rough sleepers and offer them hot drinks and sandwiches.



It is an opportunity to have a chat with somebody and just see how they are doing. It is really good to develop a relationship with them. Part of the motivation for me is the scripture in Matthew 25 where Jesus is saying very clearly, if you are not doing this for these people then you are not doing it for me. I want to try to be a bit of Jesus really as we go around.



Factfile

Project: Soup Run

Who: Norwich Vineyard

What: Free sandwiches, a drink and a chat

Where: Norwich city centre

How many: 10 people x three weeks each month

Contact: Peter Elwick at peterelwick@gmail.com or on 07908 761492



The Foodstore project collects food donations from church members one Sunday each month, boxes it up to feed a family for two days and distributes them via agencies such as Surestart, a doctors surgery, the church, social services and childrens services.



Organiser Austin Perkins said: It gives us an opportunity to show the community that we are there and that we care.



Factfile




High profile speakers to visit Sheringham church

2017: Lighthouse Community Church in Sheringham has announced its programme of worship evenings with nationally recognised speakers, to take place on selected Sundays this summer and autumn. Tony Rothe reports.



Collectively known as Stir 17, these evenings are open to everyone, but aimed particularly at encouraging and inspiring Christians from churches in North Norfolk and across the county.



Helen Roberts, pictured above, will be the speaker on Sunday June 4. Helen oversees the senior leadership team at Wellspring Church in Watford, encouraging staff in their roles to mobilise scores of volunteers engaged in their many life-changing ministries. Helen is an inspiring communicator who loves to help people step into greater freedom as followers of Christ. She is married to Tim Roberts and they have three children.



Debra Green OBE, right, will be speaking on Sunday July 2. Debra is the national director and founder of Redeeming Our Communities (ROC), founded in 2004. She has twenty years of experience in bringing organisations together towards the goal of social transformation, starting with her home city of Manchester. Since 2003, this work has expanded and she has acted as a consultant to many other towns and cities with significant results. She has also had three books published.



Debra will also be speaking, along with Clive Calver from Evangelical Alliance, at Game Changers, the ROCYourWorld conference taking place in Manchester on June 9 and 10. Visit https://roc.uk.com



Ian Savory, senior pastor at Lighthouse Community Church, said With these Stir 17 events, we will be hearing other Christians tell their story and sharing their perspective on what God is doing in our day and in their area of influence. We are asking God to build faith among us for what He can do in North Norfolk and beyond.



The speaker on September 3 will be Ross Paterson, with Dave Bell and The Moment band on October 8.



The Stir 17 evenings start at 7pm, with coffee from 6.30pm. The venue is Lighthouse, 62 Cromer Road, Sheringham.



Visit http://lighthousesheringham.org/



e-mail office@lighthousesheringham.org



phone 01263 825155 or 01263 660012

















Do you have a news story or forthcoming event relating to Christians or a church in North Norfolk?
A ransomware attack appears to be spreading around the world, leveraging a hacking tool that may have come from the U.S. National Security Agency.

The ransomware, called Wanna Decryptor, struck hospitals at the U.K.s National Health Service on Friday, taking down some of their network.

Spains computer response team CCN-CERT has also warned of a "massive attack" from the ransomware strain, amid reports that local telecommunications firm Telefonica was hit.

The ransomware, also known as WannaCry, works by leveraging a Windows vulnerability that came to light last month when a cache of mysterious hacking tools was leaked on the internet.

The tools, which security researchers suspect came from the NSA, include an exploit codenamed EternalBlue that makes hijacking older Windows systems easy. It specifically targets the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol in Windows, which is used for file-sharing purposes.

Microsoft has already patched the vulnerability, but only for newer Windows systems. Older ones, such as Windows Server 2003, are no longer supported, but still widely used among businesses, according to security experts.

That may have painted a giant bulls-eye for hackers to target these systems. The developer of Wanna Decryptor appears to have added the suspected NSA hacking tools to the ransomwares code, said Matthew Hickey, the director of security provider Hacker House, in an email.

Security firm Avast said it has detected the ransomware, largely attacking Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan.

Another security research firm, MalwareTech, has created a page monitoring the attacks. They appear to have gone worldwide.

The Wanna Decryptor ransomware strikes by encrypting all the files on an infected PC, along with any other systems on the network the PC is attached to. It then demands a ransom of about $300 to $600 in bitcoin to release the files, threatening to delete them after a set period of days if the amount is not paid.

Security experts are urging organizations to patch vulnerable systems, upgrading to the latest versions of OSes, and making backups of any critical files.
A gamble on a relatively unknown technology four years ago is paying off for a logistics company, which is using the software to shave millions of dollars off its bandwidth connectivity costs. Today freight forwarding company JAS Global is leveraging a software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) to run cloud applications, according to JAS CIO Mark Baker. Eventually, Baker hopes to use the SD-WAN as the backbone of a predictive analytics strategy to grow the business.

SD-WANs allow companies to set up and manage networking functionality, including VPNs, WAN optimization, VoIP and firewalls, using software to program traffic routing typically conducted by routers and switches. Just as virtualization software disrupted the server market, SD-WANs are shaking the networking equipment market.

Cisco Systems earlier this month agreed to acquire SD-WAN startup Viptela for $610 million in a bid to accelerate its market strategy. A big driver for Ciscos move is that SD-WANs are gaining traction in corporations, with over 3,000 paying customers and 100,000 branches deployed worldwide, according to Gartner.

JAS Global JAS Global CIO Mark Baker

SD-WANs weren't on many CIOs' radars in 2012, which is when Baker first became acquainted with the technology. Baker was consolidating global IT operations, which after years of expansion had tacked on more subsidiaries, many of which ran their own accounting, warehousing and other transactional applications. After convincing the board and C-Suite that JAS should replace its custom software with available vendor applications, Baker selected one global ERP system from WiseTech Global, a logistics industry standard.

The big SD-WAN gamble

But there was a catch. WiseTechs CargoWiseOne application ran off a single SQL Server database. Baker needed to find a way to ensure that the app could keep up with the logistics transactions required to support 4,000 employees spread around the world in 240 locations, including remote locales such as South Africa, Brazil and China. JAS was already supporting global apps and email with MPLS networks and VPNs but Baker was concerned about the potential costs of powering the crucial ERP software, which required sub-150 millisecond latency with a global MPLS network. Setting up and provisioning an MPLS system also takes several months.

WiseTech CEO Richard White recommended Baker take a look at SD-WAN technology from Aryaka. Baker took Whites advice and after looking at Cisco and Riverbed Technology, settled on the startup. Aryaka uses a global private network and SD-WAN software platform to deliver data and apps around the world with MPLS-grade connectivity and fidelity.

"For a global company it's easy to go from Atlanta to L.A. or London to Paris, but when you start talking about going across the pond or north and south hemispheres there is a huge latency challenge to overcome when you're lacking a traditional MPLS network," Baker says. "The challenge lies in delivering applications and services to business users and customers and optimizing that on a global scale."

Introducing the technology also proved challenging. Baker says the SD-WAN model "scared the hell out of" his nine Cisco network engineers because they didn't know how to operate it relative to traditional MPLS networks and VPN connections. "They didn't understand that it was not about managing the network at an ISO Cisco code level anymore," Baker says. "It was about working with application developers and business users and determining the optimum way to deliver an application anywhere in the world."

The big pay-off

Steering through the learning curves, JAS rolled out Aryaka in June 2012. The software connected JAS' ERP, email and other apps at a fraction of the cost of MPLS systems. Baker estimates he saved as much as 66 percent of bandwidth connectivity costs using Aryaka and cut provisioning time from six to eight months to less than a month. "It allowed us to deliver an ERP system on a global scale and overcome some massive local infrastructure challenges by leveraging simple internet bandwidth at a fraction of the cost of the MPLS services that we had or that would have had to pay for to put in place," Baker says.

Baker has begun to run cloud applications, such as the Zoom video conferencing application, on its SD-WAN network, replacing a hodgepodge of WebEx and Skype instances while boosting collaboration for JAS employees and trimming travel costs.

Baker is particularly excited about using the SD-WAN system for predictive analytics that will help JAS customers gauge whether their cargo will arrive on time. JAS plans to use Aryaka to ingest data from airline and ocean freight schedules and weather information and funnel it into a Microsoft Azure data lake.

Running machine learning algorithms against the data, the system will predict the probability of whether, for example, a Delta Airlines plane carrying a compressor part needed by workers on an oil rig will make its flight from Los Angeles to Houston. Baker says JAS customers are keen to "know the probability of an event happening" that would impact their shipments. Theoretically, such information could give JAS a leg up in negotiating customer deals.

"With the foundation of SD-WAN, we can talk about moving into machine learning and artificial intelligence, helping us weave JAS into the supply chain of each and every customer," Baker says. "[SD-WAN] has become a disruptive technology because it elevates network connectivity as a business value."

This story, "How a logistics firm leverages SD-WAN for competitive advantage" was originally published by CIO .
By Express News Service

MUMBAI: For the first time in 10 years, the state-level gross fiscal deficit (GFD) to GDP ratio stood at 3.6 per cent in FY16, breaching the three per cent ceiling of fiscal prudence, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

For 20 states, the situation worsened with Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh clocking deficits between five per cent and 10 per cent. This was primarily due to significant capital outlays, loans and advances to power projects. A year before, the consolidated debt to GDP ratio was 2.7 per cent, 3 per cent during FY17, but will likely moderate to 2.6 per cent in FY18.

The threshold of three per cent fiscal deficit to state GDP ratio was first recommended by the 12th Finance Commission and later endorsed by both 13th and 14th Finance Commissions. At the consolidated state level, three per cent of GFD-GDP ratio was previously breached in 2004-05.

According to RBIs State Finances 2016-17, released Friday, outlook for revenue receipts is uncertain due to GST, though centre will compensate the revenue loss for five years. State governments are also setting up their pay commissions, which may impact projected deficit indicators, it said adding, On a comparable basis, the revised estimates of the GFD for 2016-17 were higher by 0.4 percentage point over the budgeted ratio  raising concerns about potential fiscal slippage.

As per RBI, 25 states that indicated improvement in fiscal metrics during FY17 may not materialize and are expected to consolidate their fiscal position.

State governments face severe resource constraints as their non-debt receipts are often insufficient for fulfilling developmental obligations, forcing them to resort to market borrowings. Over a period of time, such borrowings may result in the accumulation of debt liabilities, which, if unchecked could pose major challenges, it noted. Notwithstanding the deterioration, empirical evaluation reveals that the current fiscal policies of states are sustainable in the long run. Relaxations in market borrowings provided by the 14th Finance Commission have allowed states to mobilise additional resources.

MUMBAI: For the first time in 10 years, the state-level gross fiscal deficit (GFD) to GDP ratio stood at 3.6 per cent in FY16, breaching the three per cent ceiling of fiscal prudence, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). For 20 states, the situation worsened with Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh clocking deficits between five per cent and 10 per cent. This was primarily due to significant capital outlays, loans and advances to power projects. A year before, the consolidated debt to GDP ratio was 2.7 per cent, 3 per cent during FY17, but will likely moderate to 2.6 per cent in FY18. The threshold of three per cent fiscal deficit to state GDP ratio was first recommended by the 12th Finance Commission and later endorsed by both 13th and 14th Finance Commissions. At the consolidated state level, three per cent of GFD-GDP ratio was previously breached in 2004-05. According to RBIs State Finances 2016-17, released Friday, outlook for revenue receipts is uncertain due to GST, though centre will compensate the revenue loss for five years. State governments are also setting up their pay commissions, which may impact projected deficit indicators, it said adding, On a comparable basis, the revised estimates of the GFD for 2016-17 were higher by 0.4 percentage point over the budgeted ratio  raising concerns about potential fiscal slippage. As per RBI, 25 states that indicated improvement in fiscal metrics during FY17 may not materialize and are expected to consolidate their fiscal position. State governments face severe resource constraints as their non-debt receipts are often insufficient for fulfilling developmental obligations, forcing them to resort to market borrowings. Over a period of time, such borrowings may result in the accumulation of debt liabilities, which, if unchecked could pose major challenges, it noted. Notwithstanding the deterioration, empirical evaluation reveals that the current fiscal policies of states are sustainable in the long run. Relaxations in market borrowings provided by the 14th Finance Commission have allowed states to mobilise additional resources.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) senior leader and ex-journalist Ashish Khetan on Saturday said that he has got a death threat from right wing groups. Khetan has written a letter to Home Minister Rajnath Singh asking him to take necessary action.

Khetan, in his letter to home minister said that on Friday he got a death threat letter at his office. I received a threatening letter at my office claiming that my killing is imminent. The letter advocates the cause of terror accused Sadhvi Pragya and those who are accused of killing the noted rationalist Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, the political activist from Maharashtra, Govind Pansare, the scholar, MM Kalburgi, and many other innocent Indians. It then pronounces my death sentence with the threat that it will be carried out soon, Khetan said in his letter.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday expressed shock and urged Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to act in the matter.

"Extremely shocking. Ashish Khetan receives death threat. Hope Rajnath Singh ji will take action," Kejriwal tweeted on Saturday.

Ashish Khetan said that this not the first time he has received a death threat and that he had received a letter last year. I had received a similar threat letter in July last year. I had then sent a complaint to Police Commissioner of Delhi. Unfortunately, I didnt get a response, Khetan said.

Meanwhile, Delhi police officials are claiming that they have not received any formal complaint.

(With inputs from PTI)

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) senior leader and ex-journalist Ashish Khetan on Saturday said that he has got a death threat from right wing groups. Khetan has written a letter to Home Minister Rajnath Singh asking him to take necessary action. Khetan, in his letter to home minister said that on Friday he got a death threat letter at his office. I received a threatening letter at my office claiming that my killing is imminent. The letter advocates the cause of terror accused Sadhvi Pragya and those who are accused of killing the noted rationalist Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, the political activist from Maharashtra, Govind Pansare, the scholar, MM Kalburgi, and many other innocent Indians. It then pronounces my death sentence with the threat that it will be carried out soon, Khetan said in his letter. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday expressed shock and urged Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to act in the matter. "Extremely shocking. Ashish Khetan receives death threat. Hope Rajnath Singh ji will take action," Kejriwal tweeted on Saturday. Ashish Khetan said that this not the first time he has received a death threat and that he had received a letter last year. I had received a similar threat letter in July last year. I had then sent a complaint to Police Commissioner of Delhi. Unfortunately, I didnt get a response, Khetan said. Meanwhile, Delhi police officials are claiming that they have not received any formal complaint. (With inputs from PTI)
By IANS

NEW DELHI: Delhi's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) on Saturday interrogated six engineers of the Public Works Department (PWD) in connection with an alleged corruption of Rs 10 crore involving Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's late brother-in-law Surender Kumar Bansal.

"We have questioned six engineers of the PWD today (Saturday)," ACB chief Mukesh Kumar Meena told IANS. However, he refused to share details.

The ACB action follows the filing of three cases on May 9 against Bansal and senior PWD officers in connection with the alleged corruption charge.

On May 9, the ACB had summoned the engineers to join the probe for their role in the scam.

The case involving Bansal, who died on May 7 in a Gurgaon hospital, relates to a drain project and improvement of curbs from Shani Mandir to Bakoli village up to Drain No. 6 on the National Highway-44.

The FIRs do not mention Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Kejriwal's name, although complainant Rahul Sharma, Convener of NGO Road Anti-Corruption Organisation, had accused the Chief Minister of helping kin Bansal to get fake bills of around Rs 10 crore cleared.

The three FIRs were registered against Bansal and the PWD officers after it was discovered that the bills were cleared by different companies for different works.

"Bansal got the pending bills of around Rs 10 crore cleared due to Kejriwal's influence. He set up three companies -- Ranu Construction, Pawan Construction and Kamal Construction -- in whose names he got the bills cleared from the PWD," NGO's General Secretary Vilav Awasthi told IANS.

According to the officials, the ACB had questioned Sharma for a couple of hours on May 11. The ACB team also visited the PWD office to collect some files and documents related to the scam the same day.

The matter was being investigated by the Delhi Police Economic Offences Wing, but it was later transferred to the ACB.

NEW DELHI: Delhi's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) on Saturday interrogated six engineers of the Public Works Department (PWD) in connection with an alleged corruption of Rs 10 crore involving Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's late brother-in-law Surender Kumar Bansal. "We have questioned six engineers of the PWD today (Saturday)," ACB chief Mukesh Kumar Meena told IANS. However, he refused to share details. The ACB action follows the filing of three cases on May 9 against Bansal and senior PWD officers in connection with the alleged corruption charge. On May 9, the ACB had summoned the engineers to join the probe for their role in the scam. The case involving Bansal, who died on May 7 in a Gurgaon hospital, relates to a drain project and improvement of curbs from Shani Mandir to Bakoli village up to Drain No. 6 on the National Highway-44. The FIRs do not mention Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Kejriwal's name, although complainant Rahul Sharma, Convener of NGO Road Anti-Corruption Organisation, had accused the Chief Minister of helping kin Bansal to get fake bills of around Rs 10 crore cleared. The three FIRs were registered against Bansal and the PWD officers after it was discovered that the bills were cleared by different companies for different works. "Bansal got the pending bills of around Rs 10 crore cleared due to Kejriwal's influence. He set up three companies -- Ranu Construction, Pawan Construction and Kamal Construction -- in whose names he got the bills cleared from the PWD," NGO's General Secretary Vilav Awasthi told IANS. According to the officials, the ACB had questioned Sharma for a couple of hours on May 11. The ACB team also visited the PWD office to collect some files and documents related to the scam the same day. The matter was being investigated by the Delhi Police Economic Offences Wing, but it was later transferred to the ACB.
Vijaya Pratap By

Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Taiwan is a place where, when words fail, smiles make up. People are friendly and hospitable. Some of them may not be able to converse in English but they are ever ready to extend a helping hand if you are stuck. They are forever courteous and eager to please their guests. What more to say? During my visit to Taiwan, I experienced a universal, affable love that is all pervasive - it was all around me and in abundance. These days of technical mad rush, Taiwanese people do stop, smile and welcome you to their country.

Kaohsiung

My first stop was Kaohsiung, second major city of Taiwan. Since its start in the 17th century, Kaohsiung has grown from a small trading village to a prominent industrial centre of Southern Taiwan. The Pier 2 Art Center in Kaohsiung is a hub of outdoor and indoor art warehouses and museums. It is set around an old and charming unused wharf. The Pier 2 Warehouse main building was used to store sugar, but now houses different contemporary art throughout the year. It is the best place in Kaohsiung for modern art fans, and the area bustles with young art lovers and visitors. The district comprises several other art galleries and museums, which are all next to each other that are full of modern art sculptures, statues and decorated buildings. There are miles of walking paths and a cycle path.

Ping-Tung

In the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, amazing under water life is exhibited with national habitats ranging from mountains to the sea, thus creating a virtual world. Divided into three main sections, the aquarium is quite educative. It is like following the journey of a raindrop from a mountain-top to the deep recess of the ocean. Waters of Taiwan deals with the water ecology from high mountains through river mouths to the sea in Taiwan. Coral Kingdom Pavilion houses an 80 metre underwater tunnel, presenting varied coral reef ecology in South China Sea. Waters of the World has the earths ancient, lofty, deep and cold ocean ecology topics, wherein the most characteristic part is the 10-meter-high acrylic viewing window of the Giant Kelp Tank, which is the highest in the world. In addition, the penguins from the South Pole and the belugas from the North Pole raised in the museum are popular with visitors. Touch pools are specially designed allow people to get close to marine lifevisitors are encouraged to touch small living creatures like starfish, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, sea hares, crabs etc.

Kenting

Kenting National Park is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Taiwan and the Luzon Straits. Amid Coral Sea cliffs teemed with fringing reefs along the west coast, the park features a large number of mountains, coral tablelands, a vast lake, limestone caves, unique sand rivers and sand waterfalls formed by the combined effects of winds and rivers, as well as coral cliffs, sunken caves and stalactites.

But what I liked the most was the night market in Kenting. It was so vibrant with people, games, mobile bars, clothes, footwear, and a myriad other things that would interest a tourist and a shopper. Two nights I freaked out in the night market, buying souvenirs and also things that I didnt really need.

Taipei

The highlight of my Taiwan visit was certainly my memorable stay at Mandarin Oriental, Taipei which is ideally located in the heart of the city on Dunhua North Road, Taipeis main boulevard renowned for its vast canopy of trees. Its extraordinary environment with beautiful European-inspired architecture is complemented by elegant and tasteful interiors. Going around the hotel was like visiting a museum, which I would do often. More than 1,700 art pieces include works of art from renowned artists, stunning antiques, and sculptures designed by the award-winning artists. I was told that the magnificent 1,400-kg chandelier in the Lobby Entrance has 50,000 pieces of crystal beads and light amber crystal drops and took over nine months to make from initial designs to installation. At their Cafe Un Deux Trois, the French Restaurant I had the best of the French breakfasts with champagne. Bencotto, the Italian restaurant served authentic, heart-warming cuisine from a team of Italian chefs in a lively, atmospheric setting with a large open kitchen. I enjoyed the ultimate in fine patisserie, cakes and pralines and later burned all the calories in their beautiful swimming pool. All this spelt class and exclusive elegance, pampering me to the core!

(The author is a documentary filmmaker and travel writer; she blogs at vijayaprataptravelandbeyond.com)

HYDERABAD: Taiwan is a place where, when words fail, smiles make up. People are friendly and hospitable. Some of them may not be able to converse in English but they are ever ready to extend a helping hand if you are stuck. They are forever courteous and eager to please their guests. What more to say? During my visit to Taiwan, I experienced a universal, affable love that is all pervasive - it was all around me and in abundance. These days of technical mad rush, Taiwanese people do stop, smile and welcome you to their country. Kaohsiung My first stop was Kaohsiung, second major city of Taiwan. Since its start in the 17th century, Kaohsiung has grown from a small trading village to a prominent industrial centre of Southern Taiwan. The Pier 2 Art Center in Kaohsiung is a hub of outdoor and indoor art warehouses and museums. It is set around an old and charming unused wharf. The Pier 2 Warehouse main building was used to store sugar, but now houses different contemporary art throughout the year. It is the best place in Kaohsiung for modern art fans, and the area bustles with young art lovers and visitors. The district comprises several other art galleries and museums, which are all next to each other that are full of modern art sculptures, statues and decorated buildings. There are miles of walking paths and a cycle path. Ping-Tung In the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, amazing under water life is exhibited with national habitats ranging from mountains to the sea, thus creating a virtual world. Divided into three main sections, the aquarium is quite educative. It is like following the journey of a raindrop from a mountain-top to the deep recess of the ocean. Waters of Taiwan deals with the water ecology from high mountains through river mouths to the sea in Taiwan. Coral Kingdom Pavilion houses an 80 metre underwater tunnel, presenting varied coral reef ecology in South China Sea. Waters of the World has the earths ancient, lofty, deep and cold ocean ecology topics, wherein the most characteristic part is the 10-meter-high acrylic viewing window of the Giant Kelp Tank, which is the highest in the world. In addition, the penguins from the South Pole and the belugas from the North Pole raised in the museum are popular with visitors. Touch pools are specially designed allow people to get close to marine lifevisitors are encouraged to touch small living creatures like starfish, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, sea hares, crabs etc. Kenting Kenting National Park is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Taiwan and the Luzon Straits. Amid Coral Sea cliffs teemed with fringing reefs along the west coast, the park features a large number of mountains, coral tablelands, a vast lake, limestone caves, unique sand rivers and sand waterfalls formed by the combined effects of winds and rivers, as well as coral cliffs, sunken caves and stalactites. But what I liked the most was the night market in Kenting. It was so vibrant with people, games, mobile bars, clothes, footwear, and a myriad other things that would interest a tourist and a shopper. Two nights I freaked out in the night market, buying souvenirs and also things that I didnt really need. Taipei The highlight of my Taiwan visit was certainly my memorable stay at Mandarin Oriental, Taipei which is ideally located in the heart of the city on Dunhua North Road, Taipeis main boulevard renowned for its vast canopy of trees. Its extraordinary environment with beautiful European-inspired architecture is complemented by elegant and tasteful interiors. Going around the hotel was like visiting a museum, which I would do often. More than 1,700 art pieces include works of art from renowned artists, stunning antiques, and sculptures designed by the award-winning artists. I was told that the magnificent 1,400-kg chandelier in the Lobby Entrance has 50,000 pieces of crystal beads and light amber crystal drops and took over nine months to make from initial designs to installation. At their Cafe Un Deux Trois, the French Restaurant I had the best of the French breakfasts with champagne. Bencotto, the Italian restaurant served authentic, heart-warming cuisine from a team of Italian chefs in a lively, atmospheric setting with a large open kitchen. I enjoyed the ultimate in fine patisserie, cakes and pralines and later burned all the calories in their beautiful swimming pool. All this spelt class and exclusive elegance, pampering me to the core! (The author is a documentary filmmaker and travel writer; she blogs at vijayaprataptravelandbeyond.com)
G Parthasarathy By

Prime Minister Narendra Modis Act East Policy has been motivated by two primary objectives.

Firstly, objective has been to rapidly expand trade, economic and investment ties with the fast-growing economies of East and Southeast Asia. Secondly, India has to ensure that at a time when China is forcibly seizing control of Islands, well beyond its legally recognised maritime frontiers, partnerships are being built with ASEAN members and maritime powers, like Japan, to ensure shipping lines of communication across Indian Ocean and South China Sea are kept open and secure.

The 2014 Modi-Obama Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and the Indian Ocean Region proclaimed: We affirm the importance of safeguarding maritime security and ensuring freedom of navigation and over flight throughout the region, especially in the South China Sea.

During his recent visit to New Delhi, the Commander of the US Pacific Fleet Admiral Scott Swift questioned the rationale of Chinas One Belt One Road policies, designed ostensibly to promote regional maritime and road connectivity, across Indian and Pacific Oceans. He noted that Chinas warships are increasingly patrolling Indian Ocean. There is also concern about Chinas policies of seizing Islands in South China Sea, in violation of International Covenants.

While Admiral Swift may have sounded reassuring in Delhi, there is a growing unease in our eastern neighbourhood, most notably among ASEAN countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia, and even American allies such as Japan and South Korea, about the whimsical approach of the Trump administration. Trump has snubbed allies, such as Australian Prime Minister, while showering constant praise on Chinese President Xi Jinping. This has come after he had unilaterally abrogated the Free Trade Trans-Pacific Partnership, signed by the US, Japan, South Korea, Australia and a number of ASEAN members, among others.

The serious concerns of ASEAN leaders about Trumps policies were evident during the recent ASEAN Summit in the Philippines. While some governments urged reiteration of past policies, declaring Chinese construction and militarisation of artificial islands in South China Sea inadmissible, the Manila Summit avoided any mention of these Chinese actions. This, despite the fact that President Trump spoke personally to Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte. China predictably welcomed this new ASEAN position. If Trump regards himself as great in striking deals, Jinping has clearly outmanoeuvred him in ASEAN. ASEAN countries evidently prefer to do deals with Jinping than Trump.

It is evident that China has outsmarted the US, across our eastern neighbourhood, with American credibility now low. Beijing believes the path is clear for consolidating its policy of seizing and militarising disputed islands across its maritime boundaries. While Trump recognises the key role of Singapore, it was only the head of the military junta in Thailand and Duterte, who had abused Obama, who were found worthy of receiving personal phone calls from Washington.

These developments are going to impact Indias economic and strategic ties with its eastern ASEAN neighbours. With the US having walked out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the way is clear for China to emerge as the dominant economic partner for ASEAN. Chinese mouthpiece Global Times has gleefully noted how China can now promote its proposals for regional economic integration, through its

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, while gleefully claiming that its terms will be such that New Delhi will be excluded. India now faces new challenges in implementing Modis Act East Policy.

G Parthasarathy

Former diplomat

dadpartha@gmail.com

Prime Minister Narendra Modis Act East Policy has been motivated by two primary objectives. Firstly, objective has been to rapidly expand trade, economic and investment ties with the fast-growing economies of East and Southeast Asia. Secondly, India has to ensure that at a time when China is forcibly seizing control of Islands, well beyond its legally recognised maritime frontiers, partnerships are being built with ASEAN members and maritime powers, like Japan, to ensure shipping lines of communication across Indian Ocean and South China Sea are kept open and secure. The 2014 Modi-Obama Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and the Indian Ocean Region proclaimed: We affirm the importance of safeguarding maritime security and ensuring freedom of navigation and over flight throughout the region, especially in the South China Sea. During his recent visit to New Delhi, the Commander of the US Pacific Fleet Admiral Scott Swift questioned the rationale of Chinas One Belt One Road policies, designed ostensibly to promote regional maritime and road connectivity, across Indian and Pacific Oceans. He noted that Chinas warships are increasingly patrolling Indian Ocean. There is also concern about Chinas policies of seizing Islands in South China Sea, in violation of International Covenants. While Admiral Swift may have sounded reassuring in Delhi, there is a growing unease in our eastern neighbourhood, most notably among ASEAN countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia, and even American allies such as Japan and South Korea, about the whimsical approach of the Trump administration. Trump has snubbed allies, such as Australian Prime Minister, while showering constant praise on Chinese President Xi Jinping. This has come after he had unilaterally abrogated the Free Trade Trans-Pacific Partnership, signed by the US, Japan, South Korea, Australia and a number of ASEAN members, among others. The serious concerns of ASEAN leaders about Trumps policies were evident during the recent ASEAN Summit in the Philippines. While some governments urged reiteration of past policies, declaring Chinese construction and militarisation of artificial islands in South China Sea inadmissible, the Manila Summit avoided any mention of these Chinese actions. This, despite the fact that President Trump spoke personally to Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte. China predictably welcomed this new ASEAN position. If Trump regards himself as great in striking deals, Jinping has clearly outmanoeuvred him in ASEAN. ASEAN countries evidently prefer to do deals with Jinping than Trump. It is evident that China has outsmarted the US, across our eastern neighbourhood, with American credibility now low. Beijing believes the path is clear for consolidating its policy of seizing and militarising disputed islands across its maritime boundaries. While Trump recognises the key role of Singapore, it was only the head of the military junta in Thailand and Duterte, who had abused Obama, who were found worthy of receiving personal phone calls from Washington. These developments are going to impact Indias economic and strategic ties with its eastern ASEAN neighbours. With the US having walked out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the way is clear for China to emerge as the dominant economic partner for ASEAN. Chinese mouthpiece Global Times has gleefully noted how China can now promote its proposals for regional economic integration, through its Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, while gleefully claiming that its terms will be such that New Delhi will be excluded. India now faces new challenges in implementing Modis Act East Policy. G Parthasarathy Former diplomat dadpartha@gmail.com
By Express News Service

MUMBAI: In yet another relief to Sadhvi Pragya, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), on Friday, made it clear to the special court in Mumbai that they have no objection to her discharge in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case.



After the Bombay High Court granted her bail on April 25, Sadhvi Pragya had moved the discharge application in the special court on May 3. During the hearing on Friday, the NIA made it clear that they wont object to the plea.



We have not objected to the discharge plea of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur. In the chargesheet we had already said that there is no prosecutable evidence against her, special NIA prosecutor Avinash Rasal told the media after the hearing.



The next hearing is likely to be on May 29, he added.



In its chargesheet filed last year, the NIA had dropped all charges against Sadhvi Pragya and five others in the case, while charges under the stringent MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) were given up against all the other 10 accused including Lt Col Prasad Purohit.



Sufficient evidence has not been found against Sadhvi and five others, the agency had said.



The Bombay High Court granted her bail observing that prima facie there is no case against her.



Sadhvi, 44, was released from judicial custody on April 27 after the bail formalities were completed in Bhopal, where she is currently undergoing treatment at Khushilal Ayurvedic Hospital for cancer.



Sadhvi Pragya is accused of plotting the September 2008 Malegaon blast that killed Six people and injured nearly 100 others.



Twelve people, including the Sadhvi and Army Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit, were arrested for their alleged role in the blast.

MUMBAI: In yet another relief to Sadhvi Pragya, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), on Friday, made it clear to the special court in Mumbai that they have no objection to her discharge in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case. After the Bombay High Court granted her bail on April 25, Sadhvi Pragya had moved the discharge application in the special court on May 3. During the hearing on Friday, the NIA made it clear that they wont object to the plea. We have not objected to the discharge plea of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur. In the chargesheet we had already said that there is no prosecutable evidence against her, special NIA prosecutor Avinash Rasal told the media after the hearing. The next hearing is likely to be on May 29, he added. In its chargesheet filed last year, the NIA had dropped all charges against Sadhvi Pragya and five others in the case, while charges under the stringent MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) were given up against all the other 10 accused including Lt Col Prasad Purohit. Sufficient evidence has not been found against Sadhvi and five others, the agency had said. The Bombay High Court granted her bail observing that prima facie there is no case against her. Sadhvi, 44, was released from judicial custody on April 27 after the bail formalities were completed in Bhopal, where she is currently undergoing treatment at Khushilal Ayurvedic Hospital for cancer. Sadhvi Pragya is accused of plotting the September 2008 Malegaon blast that killed Six people and injured nearly 100 others. Twelve people, including the Sadhvi and Army Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit, were arrested for their alleged role in the blast.
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: Four days after killing of 22-year-old Lt Ummer Fayaz by militants in south Kashmirs Shopian district, Army on Saturday renamed one of their schools in Valley after the young officer and presented a cheque of Rs 75 lakh to his family.

Armys Victor Force Commander Maj Gen B S Raju alongwith Deputy Commissioner and SP Kulgam and other top police, civil and army officials today visited Lt Ummer Fayazs house at Sursuna village in south Kashmirs Kulgam district to attend his 4th day mourning.

Lt Fayaz was abducted from his relatives residence at Batapora in Shopian district on Tuesday evening and his bullet ridden body was recovered from an orchard in Hermain village of Shopian on Wednesday morning.

He had gone to his relatives residence to attend the marriage of his cousin.

Maj Gen Raju met the family members and expressed his condolences and sympathies with the bereaved family. He assured them of assistance from the army.

He presented a cheque of Rs 75 lakhs on behalf of the Army to the family.

He further told the young officers family that it has been decided to rename the Army Goodwill School Behibagh as Shaheed Lt Ummer Fayaz Goodwill School.

The Deputy Commissioner, Kulgam also presented a cheque of exgratia amount from J&K government to Lt Fayazs family and announced that a government job would be provided to the family members of slain officers.

The cheques from Central AWWA Ex  Gratia Grant and National Defence Fund were also presented to the family by an officer of 2 Rajputana Rifles, the unit in which Lt Ummer Fayaz was commissioned, a defence spokesman said.

Later, Maj Gen Raju told media that Lt Fayaz was an intelligence and efficient boy.

His fight started four years back when he decided to join NDA after passing 12th class examination, he said adding, I would like to give credit to his father and mother for deciding to enroll him in NDA.

He said although Lt Fayaz had only four months services in army but he was a hero for him.

His death will not go in waste. The perpetrators of this dastardly act would be brought to justice in our own way, Raju said.

He said army will launch an operation against the militants involved in killing of the young officer.

We want to ensure that our operation does not affect the civil population. It will be against the militants, he said.

Maj Gen Raju urged the elders to sensitise the misguided youth to shun the path of violence and join the mainstream and contribute towards nation building.

Police has blamed Hizbul Mujahideen militants for abducting and killing the young army officer.

Police yesterday released posters of three Hizb militants involved in killing of Lt Fayaz and announced reward for those giving information about the trio who have been identified as Ishfaq Ahmad Thoker; Gayas-ul-Islam Thoker and Abbas Ahmad Bhat, all locals.

Meanwhile, United Jehad Council (UJC), a Muzaffarabad-based conglomerate of militant groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir, has condemned killing of Lt Umar Faiyaz and denied involvement of militants in his killing.

SRINAGAR: Four days after killing of 22-year-old Lt Ummer Fayaz by militants in south Kashmirs Shopian district, Army on Saturday renamed one of their schools in Valley after the young officer and presented a cheque of Rs 75 lakh to his family. Armys Victor Force Commander Maj Gen B S Raju alongwith Deputy Commissioner and SP Kulgam and other top police, civil and army officials today visited Lt Ummer Fayazs house at Sursuna village in south Kashmirs Kulgam district to attend his 4th day mourning. Lt Fayaz was abducted from his relatives residence at Batapora in Shopian district on Tuesday evening and his bullet ridden body was recovered from an orchard in Hermain village of Shopian on Wednesday morning. He had gone to his relatives residence to attend the marriage of his cousin. Maj Gen Raju met the family members and expressed his condolences and sympathies with the bereaved family. He assured them of assistance from the army. He presented a cheque of Rs 75 lakhs on behalf of the Army to the family. He further told the young officers family that it has been decided to rename the Army Goodwill School Behibagh as Shaheed Lt Ummer Fayaz Goodwill School. The Deputy Commissioner, Kulgam also presented a cheque of exgratia amount from J&K government to Lt Fayazs family and announced that a government job would be provided to the family members of slain officers. The cheques from Central AWWA Ex  Gratia Grant and National Defence Fund were also presented to the family by an officer of 2 Rajputana Rifles, the unit in which Lt Ummer Fayaz was commissioned, a defence spokesman said. Later, Maj Gen Raju told media that Lt Fayaz was an intelligence and efficient boy. His fight started four years back when he decided to join NDA after passing 12th class examination, he said adding, I would like to give credit to his father and mother for deciding to enroll him in NDA. He said although Lt Fayaz had only four months services in army but he was a hero for him. His death will not go in waste. The perpetrators of this dastardly act would be brought to justice in our own way, Raju said. He said army will launch an operation against the militants involved in killing of the young officer. We want to ensure that our operation does not affect the civil population. It will be against the militants, he said. Maj Gen Raju urged the elders to sensitise the misguided youth to shun the path of violence and join the mainstream and contribute towards nation building. Police has blamed Hizbul Mujahideen militants for abducting and killing the young army officer. Police yesterday released posters of three Hizb militants involved in killing of Lt Fayaz and announced reward for those giving information about the trio who have been identified as Ishfaq Ahmad Thoker; Gayas-ul-Islam Thoker and Abbas Ahmad Bhat, all locals. Meanwhile, United Jehad Council (UJC), a Muzaffarabad-based conglomerate of militant groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir, has condemned killing of Lt Umar Faiyaz and denied involvement of militants in his killing.
Abhijit Mulye By

Express News Service

MUMBAI: It turned out to be an embarrassing moment for the Shiv Sena on Friday when it came to light that an ex-corporator was introduced as a party MLA during a visit to drought-prone villages of Marathwada region as part of Senas programme.

Gautam Chabukswar, who represents Pimpri constituency (near Pune) in the current Assembly, was supposed to visit Osmanabad, one of the districts worst affected by drought.

However, former Mumbai corporator Yashodhar Phanse was introduced to the people as Chabukswar by former MLA Omraje Nimbalkar. The Sena had undertaken the Shiv Sampark Abhiyan programme to establish connect with the people in its strongholds last week.

A video of one meeting where Phanse was being introduced as Chabukswar by Nimbalkar went viral on social media on Friday.

Sena president Uddhav Thackeray had called an urgent meeting of 27 out of 40 MLAs who had skipped the party programme last week without citing any reason. Chabukswar told The New Indian Express that he was in Himachal Pradesh for meditation and Phanse denied charges that he impersonated the MLA. Nimbalkar said he didnt know Chabukswar personally and hence inadvertently mentioned him during the programme.

For last 15 days, I was in Himachal Pradesh and am now reaching Pune after completing my meditation course. I do not have any idea about the person, who went to the village impersonating me, Chabukswar said. He said he did not attend the meeting called by Thackeray.

The tussle between political parties in Maharashtra has grown fierce with all devising special programmes to reach out to people.

The Opposition parties had organised Sangharsh Yatra in three phases over past one month to highlight the issue of crop-loan waiver. The Shiv Sena too immediately announced its Shiv Sampark Abhiyan to take the political credit for highlighting the issues of crop-loan waiver and Tur dal procurement.

BJP, meanwhile, had announced its Shivar Samvad Sabha mission.

MUMBAI: It turned out to be an embarrassing moment for the Shiv Sena on Friday when it came to light that an ex-corporator was introduced as a party MLA during a visit to drought-prone villages of Marathwada region as part of Senas programme. Gautam Chabukswar, who represents Pimpri constituency (near Pune) in the current Assembly, was supposed to visit Osmanabad, one of the districts worst affected by drought.However, former Mumbai corporator Yashodhar Phanse was introduced to the people as Chabukswar by former MLA Omraje Nimbalkar. The Sena had undertaken the Shiv Sampark Abhiyan programme to establish connect with the people in its strongholds last week. A video of one meeting where Phanse was being introduced as Chabukswar by Nimbalkar went viral on social media on Friday. Sena president Uddhav Thackeray had called an urgent meeting of 27 out of 40 MLAs who had skipped the party programme last week without citing any reason. Chabukswar told The New Indian Express that he was in Himachal Pradesh for meditation and Phanse denied charges that he impersonated the MLA. Nimbalkar said he didnt know Chabukswar personally and hence inadvertently mentioned him during the programme. For last 15 days, I was in Himachal Pradesh and am now reaching Pune after completing my meditation course. I do not have any idea about the person, who went to the village impersonating me, Chabukswar said. He said he did not attend the meeting called by Thackeray. The tussle between political parties in Maharashtra has grown fierce with all devising special programmes to reach out to people. The Opposition parties had organised Sangharsh Yatra in three phases over past one month to highlight the issue of crop-loan waiver. The Shiv Sena too immediately announced its Shiv Sampark Abhiyan to take the political credit for highlighting the issues of crop-loan waiver and Tur dal procurement. BJP, meanwhile, had announced its Shivar Samvad Sabha mission.
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: Two civilians including a teenage girl were killed and three others injured on Saturday after Pakistani troops fired from automatic weapons and resorted to mortar shelling on army posts and civilian areas along Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.

As a precautionary measure, authorities have closed 87 schools in the Nowshera sector for an indefinite period.

Defense spokesman in Jammu, Lt Col Manish Mehta said Pakistani troops resorted to indiscriminate firing from small arms and automatic weapons on army posts and civilian areas in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district from 7.15 am.

He said the Pakistani troops also fired 82 mm and 120 mm mortar shells towards their posts and civilian areas.

An official said two civilians including a girl were killed in Pakistani troops day-long firing and shelling in village Sarya, Khamba, Bhawani, Kalsian, Mahanpur, Dhanaka, Ganya and Khori in Nowhsera sector of Rajouri district.

The deceased were identified as 51-year-old Tufail Hussain and 13-year-old girl Asiya.

The girl was relative of Tufail and was staying in his house when the mortar shell fired from Pakistani troops hit the house, the official said.

He said three others including the wife of Tufail identified as Zaitoon Begum sustained injuries.

They have been hospitalized, the official said adding the condition of Zaitoon is critical.

Deputy Commissioner Rajouri, Shahid Choudhary, said 26 villages came under Pakistani troops firing and shelling.

He said five villages were seriously affected by the firing and shelling.

Shahid said there was a narrow escape for the rescue teams as shells hit Baba Khori area from meters away.

The rescue buses were de-inducted due to escalation in Pakistani shelling.

According to DC, at least 87 schools falling within a radius of 5 kms at LoC in Nowshera sector have been closed for indefinite period.

51 schools have been closed in Nowhsera sector while 36 schools in Manjakote and Doongi zones of the Nowshers sector have also been closed till further orders, he said.

There is an enrollment of 4600 in 87 schools that will remain closed as a precautionary measure due to Pakistani troops firing and shelling, the DC said.

He said in todays firing, at least two schools were damaged in Jhangar area of Nowshera sector while a mortar shell hit Middle School Thathiali in Manjakote area.

He said the decision to close the schools has been taken to ensure the safety of the students and the staff.

It was for the third consecutive day that Pakistani troops breached border ceasefire and fired on security forces posts and civilian areas.

On Friday, a border guard was injured after Pakistani Rangers fired towards BSF posts and patrol party in Arnia sector of Jammu.

Earlier, on Thursday, a woman was killed and her husband and close relative injured in Pakistani troops firing and shelling along LoC in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district.

SRINAGAR: Two civilians including a teenage girl were killed and three others injured on Saturday after Pakistani troops fired from automatic weapons and resorted to mortar shelling on army posts and civilian areas along Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir. As a precautionary measure, authorities have closed 87 schools in the Nowshera sector for an indefinite period. Defense spokesman in Jammu, Lt Col Manish Mehta said Pakistani troops resorted to indiscriminate firing from small arms and automatic weapons on army posts and civilian areas in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district from 7.15 am. He said the Pakistani troops also fired 82 mm and 120 mm mortar shells towards their posts and civilian areas. An official said two civilians including a girl were killed in Pakistani troops day-long firing and shelling in village Sarya, Khamba, Bhawani, Kalsian, Mahanpur, Dhanaka, Ganya and Khori in Nowhsera sector of Rajouri district. The deceased were identified as 51-year-old Tufail Hussain and 13-year-old girl Asiya. The girl was relative of Tufail and was staying in his house when the mortar shell fired from Pakistani troops hit the house, the official said. He said three others including the wife of Tufail identified as Zaitoon Begum sustained injuries. They have been hospitalized, the official said adding the condition of Zaitoon is critical. Deputy Commissioner Rajouri, Shahid Choudhary, said 26 villages came under Pakistani troops firing and shelling. He said five villages were seriously affected by the firing and shelling. Shahid said there was a narrow escape for the rescue teams as shells hit Baba Khori area from meters away. The rescue buses were de-inducted due to escalation in Pakistani shelling. According to DC, at least 87 schools falling within a radius of 5 kms at LoC in Nowshera sector have been closed for indefinite period. 51 schools have been closed in Nowhsera sector while 36 schools in Manjakote and Doongi zones of the Nowshers sector have also been closed till further orders, he said. There is an enrollment of 4600 in 87 schools that will remain closed as a precautionary measure due to Pakistani troops firing and shelling, the DC said. He said in todays firing, at least two schools were damaged in Jhangar area of Nowshera sector while a mortar shell hit Middle School Thathiali in Manjakote area. He said the decision to close the schools has been taken to ensure the safety of the students and the staff. It was for the third consecutive day that Pakistani troops breached border ceasefire and fired on security forces posts and civilian areas. On Friday, a border guard was injured after Pakistani Rangers fired towards BSF posts and patrol party in Arnia sector of Jammu. Earlier, on Thursday, a woman was killed and her husband and close relative injured in Pakistani troops firing and shelling along LoC in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district.
By PTI

CHANDIGARH: Haryana tonight rejected Punjab government's claims that two neighbouring states had agreed to find through talks a solution to the contentious Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue.

A Punjab government release had earlier said that responding to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's call for discussions to resolve the decades-old contentious issue, the two states agreed to try and find a collective solution.

Rajnath's plea came after Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, hosting the 28th meeting of the Northern Zonal Council (NZC) here, pushed for consensual resolution of the dispute by calling for coordination of the states and the central government.

However, a Haryana government release issued here tonight called it as "misleading and incorrect".

Haryana's Agriculture Minister, O P Dhankar, who was present in the meeting, said that Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had made it abundantly clear both in his printed speech and in his oral remarks that "there was no question of any dialogue on the SYL canal issue since the Supreme Court's judgment has attained finality and Haryana's execution petition is listed for hearing in July, 2017".

"In fact, just like the stand of the Haryana Chief Minister, the Union Home Minister said that while all states must make serious attempts to resolve all issues through dialogue under the aegis of the Zonal Council, the failure thereof would leave the recourse to the courts as the only final option," Dhankar said.

He said that in fact when Haryana pointed out that it was an issue of national concern that despite the Indus Water Treaty, more than 3 MAF water goes to Pakistan, "Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder said that that happened only during the monsoon".

Khattar said in the meeting that Haryana is more than willing to accept this water even during monsoon.

"Amarinder reacted by saying that if they were to do so, Haryana would be flooded. Khattar explained to him how thousands of villages of southern Haryana go thirsty even during monsoons and that the elaborate but usually dry canal network of Haryana can accept this water.

"While Amarinder looked at his officers, Haryana CM said that construction of SYL canal was a must for this water to come to the parched fields of Haryana whether during monsoon or otherwise. At this stage, there was no reaction from Punjab," Dhankar said giving out details.

Later in the meeting, Khattar pointed out as to how Punjab was not even allowing linking of Hansi-Butana Canal with Bhakra main line even though it did not involve drawing even a single drop of Punjab's water by Haryana.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Government release had earlier said that Amarinder suggested that the chief ministers and chief secretaries of both the states should sit and discuss the SYL issue threadbare in order to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution.

The Punjab Chief Minister suggested the Union Water Resource Ministry convene a meeting of the CMs and Chief Secretaries at the earliest to take it forward.

Amarinder pointed out that with an estimated 10 lakh acres of southern Punjab likely to go dry following the construction of the SYL, the region, which had seen the emergence of Naxalism, could become the hotbed of terrorism, triggering a national problem.

Though Haryana had less land, it had been given more water at the time of Punjab's reorganisation, said Amarinder, pointing out that Punjab did not get any share of the Yamuna water.

Khattar said in the meeting that his government is willing to work towards an "amicable settlement" of every issue, "but we must always honour agreements arrived at in the past".

"Since our faith in the Constitution of India is full and unflinching we would never hesitate in taking legal recourse in our determination to safeguard our interests and to protect the rights of the residents of the State," Khattar said, according to a Haryana government release.

"Haryana is a water stressed State as against the demand of 36.0 MAF water, the availability of water is only 14.7 MAF. We have to give, out of our own share in the Yamuna waters, extra water to Delhi in compliance of the Apex Court's orders, even as Punjab is not delivering Haryana's full share of the Ravi-Beas water", Khattar added.

Khattar also termed it "most unfortunate" that thousands of villages in Haryana and millions of hectares of land are even today bereft of the water "that is our due from Punjab".

Earlier, in his address, Amarinder reiterated his demand for re-assessment and re-determination of the availability of surface waters in the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers.

Noting that Punjab was suffering an ecological crisis because of depletion of ground water, he urged the central government to take expert advice on how to make reliable estimates of future flows in these rivers.

Others who attended the meeting were Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore, who is also UT Chandigarh's Administrator, Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal, Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave, J-K Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, Himachal Pradesh minister Thakur Kaul Singh and Rajasthan minister Ram Pratap.

CHANDIGARH: Haryana tonight rejected Punjab government's claims that two neighbouring states had agreed to find through talks a solution to the contentious Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue. A Punjab government release had earlier said that responding to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's call for discussions to resolve the decades-old contentious issue, the two states agreed to try and find a collective solution. Rajnath's plea came after Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, hosting the 28th meeting of the Northern Zonal Council (NZC) here, pushed for consensual resolution of the dispute by calling for coordination of the states and the central government. However, a Haryana government release issued here tonight called it as "misleading and incorrect". Haryana's Agriculture Minister, O P Dhankar, who was present in the meeting, said that Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had made it abundantly clear both in his printed speech and in his oral remarks that "there was no question of any dialogue on the SYL canal issue since the Supreme Court's judgment has attained finality and Haryana's execution petition is listed for hearing in July, 2017". "In fact, just like the stand of the Haryana Chief Minister, the Union Home Minister said that while all states must make serious attempts to resolve all issues through dialogue under the aegis of the Zonal Council, the failure thereof would leave the recourse to the courts as the only final option," Dhankar said. He said that in fact when Haryana pointed out that it was an issue of national concern that despite the Indus Water Treaty, more than 3 MAF water goes to Pakistan, "Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder said that that happened only during the monsoon". Khattar said in the meeting that Haryana is more than willing to accept this water even during monsoon. "Amarinder reacted by saying that if they were to do so, Haryana would be flooded. Khattar explained to him how thousands of villages of southern Haryana go thirsty even during monsoons and that the elaborate but usually dry canal network of Haryana can accept this water. "While Amarinder looked at his officers, Haryana CM said that construction of SYL canal was a must for this water to come to the parched fields of Haryana whether during monsoon or otherwise. At this stage, there was no reaction from Punjab," Dhankar said giving out details. Later in the meeting, Khattar pointed out as to how Punjab was not even allowing linking of Hansi-Butana Canal with Bhakra main line even though it did not involve drawing even a single drop of Punjab's water by Haryana. Meanwhile, the Punjab Government release had earlier said that Amarinder suggested that the chief ministers and chief secretaries of both the states should sit and discuss the SYL issue threadbare in order to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution. The Punjab Chief Minister suggested the Union Water Resource Ministry convene a meeting of the CMs and Chief Secretaries at the earliest to take it forward. Amarinder pointed out that with an estimated 10 lakh acres of southern Punjab likely to go dry following the construction of the SYL, the region, which had seen the emergence of Naxalism, could become the hotbed of terrorism, triggering a national problem. Though Haryana had less land, it had been given more water at the time of Punjab's reorganisation, said Amarinder, pointing out that Punjab did not get any share of the Yamuna water. Khattar said in the meeting that his government is willing to work towards an "amicable settlement" of every issue, "but we must always honour agreements arrived at in the past". "Since our faith in the Constitution of India is full and unflinching we would never hesitate in taking legal recourse in our determination to safeguard our interests and to protect the rights of the residents of the State," Khattar said, according to a Haryana government release. "Haryana is a water stressed State as against the demand of 36.0 MAF water, the availability of water is only 14.7 MAF. We have to give, out of our own share in the Yamuna waters, extra water to Delhi in compliance of the Apex Court's orders, even as Punjab is not delivering Haryana's full share of the Ravi-Beas water", Khattar added. Khattar also termed it "most unfortunate" that thousands of villages in Haryana and millions of hectares of land are even today bereft of the water "that is our due from Punjab". Earlier, in his address, Amarinder reiterated his demand for re-assessment and re-determination of the availability of surface waters in the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers. Noting that Punjab was suffering an ecological crisis because of depletion of ground water, he urged the central government to take expert advice on how to make reliable estimates of future flows in these rivers. Others who attended the meeting were Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore, who is also UT Chandigarh's Administrator, Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal, Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave, J-K Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, Himachal Pradesh minister Thakur Kaul Singh and Rajasthan minister Ram Pratap.
By Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: A 22-year-old woman was abducted, gangragped and murdered by her jilted lover and his friend with her mutilated body being found in Rohtak. Stray dogs had bitten away the victim's face and lower portion of her body which was spotted by a passerby in the urban estate area of Rohtak on May 11, police said. The woman belonged to Sonepat in Haryana.

"Two persons, Sumit and Vikas, have been arrested in this connection," SP Sonipat, Ajay Malik said. Sumit was an acquaintance of the victim, he added.

After raping her, the alleged accused Sumit from Sonepat and his friend Vikas from Uttar Pradesh, mutilated her private parts with a sharp-edged weapon. They dumped her body at a secluded plot in the Urban Estate area of Rohtak town.

The body of the deceased woman was spotted by a passerby on Thursday. As per the post-mortem, the deceased was hit on the face by a brick probably to hide her identity and her skull was smashed in a way which indicates that she was run over by a vehicle.

The autopsy report indicates sexual molestation, mutilation of private parts, rape and murder. Some sedative was also found in her stomach.

Police sources claimed, according to the parents of the deceased, Sumit had been forcing their daughter to marry him. As she had refused his marriage proposal, the accused had come to their house with his friends leading to a heated argument post which their daughter slapped him.

The woman, who was a divorcee, was allegedly kidnapped from Sonipat on May 9 and taken to Rohtak in a car, police said.

The victim's parents had lodged a missing complaint at Sonipat police station.

(With PTI inputs)

CHANDIGARH: A 22-year-old woman was abducted, gangragped and murdered by her jilted lover and his friend with her mutilated body being found in Rohtak. Stray dogs had bitten away the victim's face and lower portion of her body which was spotted by a passerby in the urban estate area of Rohtak on May 11, police said. The woman belonged to Sonepat in Haryana. "Two persons, Sumit and Vikas, have been arrested in this connection," SP Sonipat, Ajay Malik said. Sumit was an acquaintance of the victim, he added. After raping her, the alleged accused Sumit from Sonepat and his friend Vikas from Uttar Pradesh, mutilated her private parts with a sharp-edged weapon. They dumped her body at a secluded plot in the Urban Estate area of Rohtak town. The body of the deceased woman was spotted by a passerby on Thursday. As per the post-mortem, the deceased was hit on the face by a brick probably to hide her identity and her skull was smashed in a way which indicates that she was run over by a vehicle. The autopsy report indicates sexual molestation, mutilation of private parts, rape and murder. Some sedative was also found in her stomach. Police sources claimed, according to the parents of the deceased, Sumit had been forcing their daughter to marry him. As she had refused his marriage proposal, the accused had come to their house with his friends leading to a heated argument post which their daughter slapped him. The woman, who was a divorcee, was allegedly kidnapped from Sonipat on May 9 and taken to Rohtak in a car, police said. The victim's parents had lodged a missing complaint at Sonipat police station. (With PTI inputs)
By ANI

SRINAGAR: Amid the ongoing firing by Pakistan along the Line of Control, an Indian Army patrol party fired was upon by terrorists in Pulwama's Tral area of Jammu and Kashmir.

The entire area has been cordoned off as the Army is sweeping the area for the presence of untoward elements.

Meanwhile, two civilians have been killed as Pakistan Army continued its unprovoked ceasefire violation in Nowshera sector of Jammu and Kashmir, to which the Indian troops are giving a befitting reply.

"Pakistani Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars from 0715 hours along the Line of Control (LC) in Naushera sector," said an official statement.

The Indian posts are retaliating strongly and effectively and the firing is presently on.



After Nowshera, another ceasefire violation was reported in Majakote.

The district administration has rushed relief and rescue teams to the site and have also established relief camps in Nowshera.

SRINAGAR: Amid the ongoing firing by Pakistan along the Line of Control, an Indian Army patrol party fired was upon by terrorists in Pulwama's Tral area of Jammu and Kashmir. The entire area has been cordoned off as the Army is sweeping the area for the presence of untoward elements. Meanwhile, two civilians have been killed as Pakistan Army continued its unprovoked ceasefire violation in Nowshera sector of Jammu and Kashmir, to which the Indian troops are giving a befitting reply. "Pakistani Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars from 0715 hours along the Line of Control (LC) in Naushera sector," said an official statement. The Indian posts are retaliating strongly and effectively and the firing is presently on. After Nowshera, another ceasefire violation was reported in Majakote. The district administration has rushed relief and rescue teams to the site and have also established relief camps in Nowshera.
By Express News Service

MUMBAI: The Mumbai police are looking for 26 Pakistani nationals who have gone missing from various places in the city.

The development assumes significance against the backdrop of the recent arrests in this city of operatives of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan.

The manhunt was launched after the Mumbai police realized that at least 26 Pakistani nationals had submitted misleading C-forms, the mandatory documents every Pakistani national visiting India has to fill up giving information about the places or persons he or she is likely to visit.

Most of these 26 persons were noticed missing in the past two or three weeks. But one of them was a shopkeeper had lived in the posh Juhu suburb of Mumbai for 10 years.

Police are looking for the missing Pakistanis in hotels and lodges across the state.

The Anti-Terrroist Squad (ATS) of the Mumbai Police is leading the search. However, police officers were reluctant to speak openly about it.

Sources said the ATS believes operatives of Indian Mujahidin (IM) recently conducted a recce of Mumbai. Though the IMs backbone has been broken, its founders including the Bhatkal brothers from Karnataka are believed to be in the protection of ISI in Pakistan.

The possibility of an Islamic State angle to the missing Pakistanis is being investigated, sources said.

MUMBAI: The Mumbai police are looking for 26 Pakistani nationals who have gone missing from various places in the city. The development assumes significance against the backdrop of the recent arrests in this city of operatives of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan. The manhunt was launched after the Mumbai police realized that at least 26 Pakistani nationals had submitted misleading C-forms, the mandatory documents every Pakistani national visiting India has to fill up giving information about the places or persons he or she is likely to visit. Most of these 26 persons were noticed missing in the past two or three weeks. But one of them was a shopkeeper had lived in the posh Juhu suburb of Mumbai for 10 years. Police are looking for the missing Pakistanis in hotels and lodges across the state. The Anti-Terrroist Squad (ATS) of the Mumbai Police is leading the search. However, police officers were reluctant to speak openly about it. Sources said the ATS believes operatives of Indian Mujahidin (IM) recently conducted a recce of Mumbai. Though the IMs backbone has been broken, its founders including the Bhatkal brothers from Karnataka are believed to be in the protection of ISI in Pakistan. The possibility of an Islamic State angle to the missing Pakistanis is being investigated, sources said.
YATISH YADAV By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: There will be no tax evasion probe against BSP supremo Mayawati. The Income Tax Department has returned two cases against her to its Noida unit citing jurisdiction issues and the apparent lack of clinching evidence of tax fraud amounting to crores of rupees.

Back in December 2016, three months before the UP Assembly election, the department had revived six tax evasion petitions (TEPs) against Mayawati and others. Some cases were shifted to Income Tax Noida from Lucknow and notices were served to certain real estate developers who were allegedly linked to the tax dodging scandal.

On March 27, after the UP election result, two TEPs were sent to Income Tax Delhi. The most interesting and intriguing part of the entire tax-fraud saga is that Income Tax Delhi returned the file to the Noida office within 48 hours. It appears that it is now headed for a quiet burial.

As per documents accessed by Sunday Express, the principal commissioner of Income Tax Noida sent the two TEPs (120159742X and 140112297Z) on March 22 to Income Tax Delhi which received them on March 27. On March 29, the file was returned to the Income Tax commissioner of Noida citing lack of evidence.

The first of these tax evasion cases (TEP No. 120159742X) was submitted to the chief election commissioner alleging that some bogus and ghost companies were controlled by Mayawati and her friends and family.

Further, a case study of these companies -- showing cash/bank balance/investments of Rs 1200 crore -- and a further list of companies that were allegedly controlled by Anand Kumar, Mayawatis brother, were forwarded to examine the funds parked in them as well as the dubious bank/cash transaction made by them.

Perusal of tax jurisdiction details of these companies show none of the above companies as per list provided being assessed in the current jurisdiction of ACIT, CC06. Hence, this office is not in the position to verify the genuineness of funds lying in these companies or genuineness of transaction entered by them, said the Income Tax note (a copy of which is in the possession of Sunday Express).

While declining a probe, the note interestingly goes on to acknowledge the list of companies mentioned in the petitions. The Income Tax letter says: However, the list of companies as submitted through TEPs has been taken on record for further reference.

In the second case, the Income Tax Department observed, No specific details related to construction of Mahal costing 150 Lac Cr. In Gautam Budh Nagar has been provided by the TEP petitioner.

Further, no specific details about properties in Lucknow, Saharanpur, Agra etc. worth Rs 6 Lakh Crore have been provided, neither any specific detail have been provided with regard to properties worth Rs 12 Lakh Crore (in 125 cities) as such held by Anand Kumar. In the absence of any specific details submitted by the petitioner, this office is not in position to carry any inquiry in this regard, Income Tax further said.

This newspaper investigated the tax evasion cases against the BSP chief that were handled by the Income Tax Department in an earlier regime. During UPA rule in 2012, a case allegedly involving Rs 2 lakh crore and linked to some top builders and Yadav Singh, then chief engineer of Noida Authority, was laid to rest by the Income Tax (Investigation) wing, which argued: In the TEP no concrete evidences so as to point out evasion of income tax, has been provided. In the TEP, corruption and favoritism prevalent in NOIDA authority has been highlighted. Looking into the nature of transactions, there appears to be no need to conduct enquiries and the TEP may be referred to UP government/NOIDA authority for examining the charges of corruption in the authority.

Further, in May 2013, the Income Tax Department said an open probe could be ordered and summons can be issued to examine the alleged tax scandal.

To verify the allegations, as directed by DIT (Inv)-I, there is a need to conduct open enquiries. If approved, summons u/s 131 of the Income Tax Act may be issued to Noida authority to produce necessary details and examine on oath, the Income Tax note said.

Section 131 of the Income Tax Act empowers officers to conduct inquiries. The act provides powers to summon individuals and witnesses and examine them under oath and compel production of books and other documents.

A year and a half later later, tax authorities raided Yadav Singh for allegedly acquiring a huge fortune disproportionate to his income by way of a tender scam of thousands of crores.

MAYA TAX BOMBSHELL

Under present regime, 2016-17

- I-T Department revives 6 tax evasion petitions just before UP polls

- Some cases forwarded to Noida I-T office

- Notices served to builders linked to alleged tax fraud case

- After the election results, 2 cases forwarded to I-T Delhi

- Within 48 hours I-T Delhi returns the case, cites jurisdiction issues and lack of evidence.

Under UPA-II regime, 2013

- Rs 2 lakh crore alleged scandal closed due to lack of evidence

- Corruption probe against NOIDA authorities recommended by I-T Department.

- Yadav Singh, then chief engineer of NOIDA, raided by I-T department in Nov. 2014.

NEW DELHI: There will be no tax evasion probe against BSP supremo Mayawati. The Income Tax Department has returned two cases against her to its Noida unit citing jurisdiction issues and the apparent lack of clinching evidence of tax fraud amounting to crores of rupees. Back in December 2016, three months before the UP Assembly election, the department had revived six tax evasion petitions (TEPs) against Mayawati and others. Some cases were shifted to Income Tax Noida from Lucknow and notices were served to certain real estate developers who were allegedly linked to the tax dodging scandal. On March 27, after the UP election result, two TEPs were sent to Income Tax Delhi. The most interesting and intriguing part of the entire tax-fraud saga is that Income Tax Delhi returned the file to the Noida office within 48 hours. It appears that it is now headed for a quiet burial. As per documents accessed by Sunday Express, the principal commissioner of Income Tax Noida sent the two TEPs (120159742X and 140112297Z) on March 22 to Income Tax Delhi which received them on March 27. On March 29, the file was returned to the Income Tax commissioner of Noida citing lack of evidence. The first of these tax evasion cases (TEP No. 120159742X) was submitted to the chief election commissioner alleging that some bogus and ghost companies were controlled by Mayawati and her friends and family. Further, a case study of these companies -- showing cash/bank balance/investments of Rs 1200 crore -- and a further list of companies that were allegedly controlled by Anand Kumar, Mayawatis brother, were forwarded to examine the funds parked in them as well as the dubious bank/cash transaction made by them. Perusal of tax jurisdiction details of these companies show none of the above companies as per list provided being assessed in the current jurisdiction of ACIT, CC06. Hence, this office is not in the position to verify the genuineness of funds lying in these companies or genuineness of transaction entered by them, said the Income Tax note (a copy of which is in the possession of Sunday Express). While declining a probe, the note interestingly goes on to acknowledge the list of companies mentioned in the petitions. The Income Tax letter says: However, the list of companies as submitted through TEPs has been taken on record for further reference. In the second case, the Income Tax Department observed, No specific details related to construction of Mahal costing 150 Lac Cr. In Gautam Budh Nagar has been provided by the TEP petitioner. Further, no specific details about properties in Lucknow, Saharanpur, Agra etc. worth Rs 6 Lakh Crore have been provided, neither any specific detail have been provided with regard to properties worth Rs 12 Lakh Crore (in 125 cities) as such held by Anand Kumar. In the absence of any specific details submitted by the petitioner, this office is not in position to carry any inquiry in this regard, Income Tax further said. This newspaper investigated the tax evasion cases against the BSP chief that were handled by the Income Tax Department in an earlier regime. During UPA rule in 2012, a case allegedly involving Rs 2 lakh crore and linked to some top builders and Yadav Singh, then chief engineer of Noida Authority, was laid to rest by the Income Tax (Investigation) wing, which argued: In the TEP no concrete evidences so as to point out evasion of income tax, has been provided. In the TEP, corruption and favoritism prevalent in NOIDA authority has been highlighted. Looking into the nature of transactions, there appears to be no need to conduct enquiries and the TEP may be referred to UP government/NOIDA authority for examining the charges of corruption in the authority. Further, in May 2013, the Income Tax Department said an open probe could be ordered and summons can be issued to examine the alleged tax scandal. To verify the allegations, as directed by DIT (Inv)-I, there is a need to conduct open enquiries. If approved, summons u/s 131 of the Income Tax Act may be issued to Noida authority to produce necessary details and examine on oath, the Income Tax note said. Section 131 of the Income Tax Act empowers officers to conduct inquiries. The act provides powers to summon individuals and witnesses and examine them under oath and compel production of books and other documents. A year and a half later later, tax authorities raided Yadav Singh for allegedly acquiring a huge fortune disproportionate to his income by way of a tender scam of thousands of crores. MAYA TAX BOMBSHELL Under present regime, 2016-17 - I-T Department revives 6 tax evasion petitions just before UP polls - Some cases forwarded to Noida I-T office - Notices served to builders linked to alleged tax fraud case - After the election results, 2 cases forwarded to I-T Delhi - Within 48 hours I-T Delhi returns the case, cites jurisdiction issues and lack of evidence. Under UPA-II regime, 2013 - Rs 2 lakh crore alleged scandal closed due to lack of evidence - Corruption probe against NOIDA authorities recommended by I-T Department. - Yadav Singh, then chief engineer of NOIDA, raided by I-T department in Nov. 2014.
By PTI

MUMBAI: Congress supporters who showed black flags to Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday earned the wrath of the police in Marathwada Saturday. Police beat them back with staves after they got a little too close to the Maharashtra chief minister.

The protestors waved flags in Fadnaviss face to show their ire at the remarks of Maharashtra BJP chief Raosaheb Danve who called farmers ungrateful saalein (a pejorative term literally meaning brother-in-law) last Wednesday.

The chief minister was touring rural Marathwada on Saturday, and local Youth Congress workers massed at Pardi village in Osmanabad district to demonstrate their ire. Fadnavis went to Pardi to review a water conservation project along with the local MP Ravindra Gaikwad of the Shiv Sena, who earned notoriety recently for beating an Air-India officer with a slipper.

As Fadnavis inspected a farm pond, the Youth Congress workers turned aggressive and began to shout slogans demanding loan waiver for farmers and procurement of tur dal.

Sensing the protesters were getting too close to the CM, police charged with their batons to scatter the crowd. The mobs leader Umesh Raje-Nimbalkar and five comrades of his were arrested.

Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan condemned the attack. First they abuse farmers and then they resort to a lathi-charge when they protest. Farmers will teach a lesson to the government, Chavan said.

Chavan also condemned similar tactics to quell protesters outside Danve-Patils residence in Jalna. Police have used excessive force to curb a constitutional protest. This is an undeclared emergency, Chavan said.

MUMBAI: Congress supporters who showed black flags to Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday earned the wrath of the police in Marathwada Saturday. Police beat them back with staves after they got a little too close to the Maharashtra chief minister. The protestors waved flags in Fadnaviss face to show their ire at the remarks of Maharashtra BJP chief Raosaheb Danve who called farmers ungrateful saalein (a pejorative term literally meaning brother-in-law) last Wednesday. The chief minister was touring rural Marathwada on Saturday, and local Youth Congress workers massed at Pardi village in Osmanabad district to demonstrate their ire. Fadnavis went to Pardi to review a water conservation project along with the local MP Ravindra Gaikwad of the Shiv Sena, who earned notoriety recently for beating an Air-India officer with a slipper. As Fadnavis inspected a farm pond, the Youth Congress workers turned aggressive and began to shout slogans demanding loan waiver for farmers and procurement of tur dal. Sensing the protesters were getting too close to the CM, police charged with their batons to scatter the crowd. The mobs leader Umesh Raje-Nimbalkar and five comrades of his were arrested. Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan condemned the attack. First they abuse farmers and then they resort to a lathi-charge when they protest. Farmers will teach a lesson to the government, Chavan said. Chavan also condemned similar tactics to quell protesters outside Danve-Patils residence in Jalna. Police have used excessive force to curb a constitutional protest. This is an undeclared emergency, Chavan said.
By Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: Full truck body scanners will soon be installed at the Integrated Check Post at Attari on Indo-Pak border which will facilitate Indias bilateral trade with Pakistan and Afghanistan. At present, every truck which goes to Pakistan and comes from the neighbouring country is manually checked with the help of sniffer dogs.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju, who unfurled a 107-foot tall tricolor here on Saturday, admitted that installation of these scanners was delayed but said that now the Union government had formed a committee for installation of the full-body scanners.

The installation of full truck body scanners at the ICP was delayed due to a complaint that a company was quoting higher rates. Once we receive a complaint, we have to verify all the allegations. Thus it took time, said Rijiju.

He also met the officials of Landport Authority of India, Customs, Border Security Force and other agencies at the ICP. Sources said that two full-body truck scanners at a cost of Rs 50 crore and high definition CCTV cameras costing Rs 5 crore would be installed.

Besides these, around 1.50 lakh square feet area where cargo is stored will be made into a concrete open perch and a 10,000 square feet space will be used to store gypsum, cement, soda ash and dry fruits which are imported from Pakistan.

An official pointed that in the past, the Customs Department had written several times to the Union government to install these scanners but in vain. As per the Land Ports Authority of India Act 2010, it is mandatory to install scanners at all those places through which international trade is carried out.

CHANDIGARH: Full truck body scanners will soon be installed at the Integrated Check Post at Attari on Indo-Pak border which will facilitate Indias bilateral trade with Pakistan and Afghanistan. At present, every truck which goes to Pakistan and comes from the neighbouring country is manually checked with the help of sniffer dogs. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju, who unfurled a 107-foot tall tricolor here on Saturday, admitted that installation of these scanners was delayed but said that now the Union government had formed a committee for installation of the full-body scanners. The installation of full truck body scanners at the ICP was delayed due to a complaint that a company was quoting higher rates. Once we receive a complaint, we have to verify all the allegations. Thus it took time, said Rijiju. He also met the officials of Landport Authority of India, Customs, Border Security Force and other agencies at the ICP. Sources said that two full-body truck scanners at a cost of Rs 50 crore and high definition CCTV cameras costing Rs 5 crore would be installed. Besides these, around 1.50 lakh square feet area where cargo is stored will be made into a concrete open perch and a 10,000 square feet space will be used to store gypsum, cement, soda ash and dry fruits which are imported from Pakistan. An official pointed that in the past, the Customs Department had written several times to the Union government to install these scanners but in vain. As per the Land Ports Authority of India Act 2010, it is mandatory to install scanners at all those places through which international trade is carried out.
Balbir Punj By

The result of CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) would be Pakistan turning into a country like Greece and taking unprecedented loans in the name of CPEC. Our voice will not be heard until and unless we rebel. This is what Pakistans own intellectual Dr Qaiser Bengali, an economist, was saying in Karachi last week addressing a meeting. It was an expression of the growing concern among social scientists, activists and analysts.

Those involved in the meeting have seen Islamabad sliding irretrievably under Beijings thumb in the same manner it came under American hegemony by joining the CENTO, Washingtons group set up to counter growing Soviet influence during the Cold War. They are probably the few remaining civil society activists who oppose the Chinese hegemony.

The CENTO arms and cash that Pakistan obtained under that pact with the US were used to build up Islamabads stance vis-a-vis India. In 1965 and 1971, these were used to get India to surrender. But time and again (including 1999s Kargil), it was Pakistan that had to face total defeat and seek the intervention of the US, USSR and China to get itself out of the sure exposure of its failure, both at the diplomatic and military level.

Without taking the right lesson from the repeated defeats, Pakistan has now gone over to China which is seeking to dominate the world. The warning to Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif from Pakistans own intelligentsia has come right at the time Sharif is leaving for Beijing to attend Chinas Belt and Road Forum, of which CPEC is a part.

The benefits are all for China: The rail and road line link Beijings troubled province of Xinjiang to the sea.

Xinjiang is a Muslim-dominated province. Inspired by their religion, the Muslim Uighurs are battling the communist countrys anti-religious assertions. China has banned wearing of hijabs by Muslim women, even the use of normal Muslim names including those resembling the Prophets name (Muhammad) and holding of religious gatherings like Friday prayer groups.

Any public expression of religious identity by the Muslim minority in these areas leads to atrocities by the Chinese army. Pakistan, which calls itself the sword arm of Islam, is not only turning a blind eye to this ruthless suppression of human rights of fellow Muslims, but has also emerged as Beijings sidekick.

The CPEC would be piling debt on a debt-ridden (a debt of $73 billion) economy because of the soaring trade deficit ($28 billion) of the economy of Pakistan. For all practical purposes, the Islamic state is in economic decline. Pakistan, for decades, has lived by exploiting the Wests anti-Indian Cold War mentality. But almost all Western governments have become well informed about Islamabads real intentions.

Beijing keeps its options in Pakistan alive by extending economic loans and aid in the name of using Pakistani territory as the fulcrum of its own One Belt, One Road policy of rallying Asian countries under its leadership. The Pakistani intelligentsia is saying that the proposed rail, road and industrial belt through Pakistan is Chinas attempt to get rid of its huge surplus of steel, cement etc. in the wake of a steep fall in Chinese exports to the West.

By giving all this as part of its loan to Pakistan, China is seen as raising Pakistans debt load which is already high. Ultimately by 2030, when the project is to be competed, Pakistan will be subservient to China like Greece was compelled to please its creditor Germany this decade.

To please Islamabad, Beijing, which does not even allow Muslim citizens of China (in Xingiang and other provinces) to use many Muslim names, backs terror leaders of Pakistan by vetoing their listing in international registers of terror-mongers. So China attempts to suppress jihadi terror in its own territories but supports Pakistan and prevents the listing of people like Masood Azhar and JuD leader Hafiz Saeed as terrorists, and thus hinders the international battle to contain and destroy Islamist terror that has affected countries across the world from the US to Europe to Japan.

It is informative to recall that the former US Joint Chiefs of Staff head Mike Mullen called yet another Pakistani terror outfit, the Haqqani network, as the veritable arm of Pakistans ISI.

New Delhi has therefore done the right thing in not attending the OBOR Forum that Beijing has organised in the name of reviving the ancient Silk Road. However, China is hell-bent on going ahead with this idea even as it threatens to take over territories of several Southeast Asian countries like Philippines and Vietnam in the South China Sea and raises claims over the Indian territory of Arunachal Pradesh.

The main purpose is to hold up Beijing as the one leader without a second in the world as the 21st century is increasingly being described as the Asian century. For Pakistan, it is a big opportunity to be a satellite of a power that is seeking to encircle India now that America is refusing to buy Islamabads anti-India political merchandise.

But leading Pakistani thinkers are waking up to the danger of such a policy whose sole objective is to destroy India, even as New Delhi is getting increasingly admired for its global economic salience and strong roots of democracy and peaceful economic change.

The anti-Indian (read anti-Hindu) virus is so deeply entrenched in the body polity of Pakistan that it has no qualms playing second fiddle to China which is denying even basic human rights to its Muslim minority. And why are our in-house secular and Muslim leaders who shout hoarse against perceived atrocities by Israel on Muslims, keeping quiet over this issue?

Balbir Punj

Former Rajya Sabha member and Delhi-based commentator on social and political issues

Email: punjbalbir@gmail.com

The result of CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) would be Pakistan turning into a country like Greece and taking unprecedented loans in the name of CPEC. Our voice will not be heard until and unless we rebel. This is what Pakistans own intellectual Dr Qaiser Bengali, an economist, was saying in Karachi last week addressing a meeting. It was an expression of the growing concern among social scientists, activists and analysts. Those involved in the meeting have seen Islamabad sliding irretrievably under Beijings thumb in the same manner it came under American hegemony by joining the CENTO, Washingtons group set up to counter growing Soviet influence during the Cold War. They are probably the few remaining civil society activists who oppose the Chinese hegemony. The CENTO arms and cash that Pakistan obtained under that pact with the US were used to build up Islamabads stance vis-a-vis India. In 1965 and 1971, these were used to get India to surrender. But time and again (including 1999s Kargil), it was Pakistan that had to face total defeat and seek the intervention of the US, USSR and China to get itself out of the sure exposure of its failure, both at the diplomatic and military level. Without taking the right lesson from the repeated defeats, Pakistan has now gone over to China which is seeking to dominate the world. The warning to Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif from Pakistans own intelligentsia has come right at the time Sharif is leaving for Beijing to attend Chinas Belt and Road Forum, of which CPEC is a part. The benefits are all for China: The rail and road line link Beijings troubled province of Xinjiang to the sea. Xinjiang is a Muslim-dominated province. Inspired by their religion, the Muslim Uighurs are battling the communist countrys anti-religious assertions. China has banned wearing of hijabs by Muslim women, even the use of normal Muslim names including those resembling the Prophets name (Muhammad) and holding of religious gatherings like Friday prayer groups. Any public expression of religious identity by the Muslim minority in these areas leads to atrocities by the Chinese army. Pakistan, which calls itself the sword arm of Islam, is not only turning a blind eye to this ruthless suppression of human rights of fellow Muslims, but has also emerged as Beijings sidekick. The CPEC would be piling debt on a debt-ridden (a debt of $73 billion) economy because of the soaring trade deficit ($28 billion) of the economy of Pakistan. For all practical purposes, the Islamic state is in economic decline. Pakistan, for decades, has lived by exploiting the Wests anti-Indian Cold War mentality. But almost all Western governments have become well informed about Islamabads real intentions. Beijing keeps its options in Pakistan alive by extending economic loans and aid in the name of using Pakistani territory as the fulcrum of its own One Belt, One Road policy of rallying Asian countries under its leadership. The Pakistani intelligentsia is saying that the proposed rail, road and industrial belt through Pakistan is Chinas attempt to get rid of its huge surplus of steel, cement etc. in the wake of a steep fall in Chinese exports to the West. By giving all this as part of its loan to Pakistan, China is seen as raising Pakistans debt load which is already high. Ultimately by 2030, when the project is to be competed, Pakistan will be subservient to China like Greece was compelled to please its creditor Germany this decade. To please Islamabad, Beijing, which does not even allow Muslim citizens of China (in Xingiang and other provinces) to use many Muslim names, backs terror leaders of Pakistan by vetoing their listing in international registers of terror-mongers. So China attempts to suppress jihadi terror in its own territories but supports Pakistan and prevents the listing of people like Masood Azhar and JuD leader Hafiz Saeed as terrorists, and thus hinders the international battle to contain and destroy Islamist terror that has affected countries across the world from the US to Europe to Japan. It is informative to recall that the former US Joint Chiefs of Staff head Mike Mullen called yet another Pakistani terror outfit, the Haqqani network, as the veritable arm of Pakistans ISI. New Delhi has therefore done the right thing in not attending the OBOR Forum that Beijing has organised in the name of reviving the ancient Silk Road. However, China is hell-bent on going ahead with this idea even as it threatens to take over territories of several Southeast Asian countries like Philippines and Vietnam in the South China Sea and raises claims over the Indian territory of Arunachal Pradesh. The main purpose is to hold up Beijing as the one leader without a second in the world as the 21st century is increasingly being described as the Asian century. For Pakistan, it is a big opportunity to be a satellite of a power that is seeking to encircle India now that America is refusing to buy Islamabads anti-India political merchandise. But leading Pakistani thinkers are waking up to the danger of such a policy whose sole objective is to destroy India, even as New Delhi is getting increasingly admired for its global economic salience and strong roots of democracy and peaceful economic change. The anti-Indian (read anti-Hindu) virus is so deeply entrenched in the body polity of Pakistan that it has no qualms playing second fiddle to China which is denying even basic human rights to its Muslim minority. And why are our in-house secular and Muslim leaders who shout hoarse against perceived atrocities by Israel on Muslims, keeping quiet over this issue? Balbir Punj Former Rajya Sabha member and Delhi-based commentator on social and political issues Email: punjbalbir@gmail.com
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government on Friday decided to retain the staffers, who were transferred by the reinstated state police chief T P Senkumar, in the same posts at the police headquarters. The government has also asked the DGP to keep away from controversies.

The Home Departments decision came close on the heels of a report submitted by Senkumar over the controversy while transferring a female staffer. Senkumar had submitted the report to Additional Chief Secretary (Home and Vigilance) Subrata Biswas on Thursday. Kumari Beena, a junior superintendent of T-branch (headquarters) was transferred by Senkumar to U-branch, soon after he was reinstated as the police chief. Senkumar issued the transfer orders citing she sat on a complaint regarding the death threat to Koduvally MLA Karat Razaq for around four months.

Senkumar had appointed Suresh Krishna in place of Beena. Interestingly, he had earlier faced departmental action from IG (Headquarters) Suresh Raj Purohit.



In his report, Senkumar said it was his discretion to transfer a staff in the police headquarters and said there were some intelligence inputs against Beena. The Home Secretary had sought an explanation from Senkumar following Beenas complaint.



Senkumar has also apprised Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of the situation and said there was a deliberate attempt to create controversy.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government on Friday decided to retain the staffers, who were transferred by the reinstated state police chief T P Senkumar, in the same posts at the police headquarters. The government has also asked the DGP to keep away from controversies. The Home Departments decision came close on the heels of a report submitted by Senkumar over the controversy while transferring a female staffer. Senkumar had submitted the report to Additional Chief Secretary (Home and Vigilance) Subrata Biswas on Thursday. Kumari Beena, a junior superintendent of T-branch (headquarters) was transferred by Senkumar to U-branch, soon after he was reinstated as the police chief. Senkumar issued the transfer orders citing she sat on a complaint regarding the death threat to Koduvally MLA Karat Razaq for around four months. Senkumar had appointed Suresh Krishna in place of Beena. Interestingly, he had earlier faced departmental action from IG (Headquarters) Suresh Raj Purohit. In his report, Senkumar said it was his discretion to transfer a staff in the police headquarters and said there were some intelligence inputs against Beena. The Home Secretary had sought an explanation from Senkumar following Beenas complaint. Senkumar has also apprised Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of the situation and said there was a deliberate attempt to create controversy.
Toby Antony By

Express News Service

KOCHI: What have superstitions in Malaysia got to do with wildlife in Kerala? The mystery is unravelled by one word - trafficking. Superstitious beliefs in the Southeast Asian nation have apparently led to a spurt in wildlife trafficking in the state, as indicated by the recent seizure of wildlife articles and animals. Sand boa - a non-venomous snake found across Kerala and South India - is one such reptile frequently caught by wildlife traffickers for sale abroad, fetching high prices in the international market.

P M Sajith, an inspector with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), had caught four sand boas meant for overseas trade in the past year from different parts of Ernakulam district.



In Malaysia, a superstition exists possessing sand boa will bring money home, Sajith told Express.



A few weeks ago, we had a case in which we caught a person from Edavanakkad looking to sell a sand boa. In the guise of a potential customer, we approached him and he demanded Rs 10 crore for a red sand boa. We bargained and brought the price down to Rs 5 crore. We have information people from countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Japan are coming to Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to buy sand boas. Even though traders demand crores of rupees for sand boa, on an average, each sand boa is procured for around Rs 20-50 lakh.

Apart from sand boa, turtles, lizards and ivory are associated with superstition in Malaysia. Since these animals fetch good amounts, more people are getting engaged in such illegal activities. We suspect these goods are sent outside through the Myanmar and the Nepal borders. There are also attempts to smuggle out wildlife through airports. But, considering the high risk, wildlife products and animals are taken by road, said an officer with Forest Flying Squad.



In a recent trend, Sajith said, more youngsters are getting involved in the trafficking of wildlife products. In a majority of the cases reported in Ernakulam, youngsters aged 18-30 would be involved. For making easy money, they get involved in such illegal trade, he said. Forest officers said, once the monsoon starts, illegal trade would shift gears.

KOCHI: What have superstitions in Malaysia got to do with wildlife in Kerala? The mystery is unravelled by one word - trafficking. Superstitious beliefs in the Southeast Asian nation have apparently led to a spurt in wildlife trafficking in the state, as indicated by the recent seizure of wildlife articles and animals. Sand boa - a non-venomous snake found across Kerala and South India - is one such reptile frequently caught by wildlife traffickers for sale abroad, fetching high prices in the international market. P M Sajith, an inspector with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), had caught four sand boas meant for overseas trade in the past year from different parts of Ernakulam district. In Malaysia, a superstition exists possessing sand boa will bring money home, Sajith told Express. A few weeks ago, we had a case in which we caught a person from Edavanakkad looking to sell a sand boa. In the guise of a potential customer, we approached him and he demanded Rs 10 crore for a red sand boa. We bargained and brought the price down to Rs 5 crore. We have information people from countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Japan are coming to Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to buy sand boas. Even though traders demand crores of rupees for sand boa, on an average, each sand boa is procured for around Rs 20-50 lakh. Apart from sand boa, turtles, lizards and ivory are associated with superstition in Malaysia. Since these animals fetch good amounts, more people are getting engaged in such illegal activities. We suspect these goods are sent outside through the Myanmar and the Nepal borders. There are also attempts to smuggle out wildlife through airports. But, considering the high risk, wildlife products and animals are taken by road, said an officer with Forest Flying Squad. In a recent trend, Sajith said, more youngsters are getting involved in the trafficking of wildlife products. In a majority of the cases reported in Ernakulam, youngsters aged 18-30 would be involved. For making easy money, they get involved in such illegal trade, he said. Forest officers said, once the monsoon starts, illegal trade would shift gears.
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR:As many as 81.11 per cent students have cleared the annual Plus Two Science examination, the results of which were announced by School and Mass Education Minister Badri Narayan Patra on Friday at Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) headquarters here. The percentage is slightly higher than the last years 80.80.

While Balasore district recorded the highest pass percentage of 93.61, the lowest 52.51 was scored by Jharsuguda district. Apparently, Jharsuguda has been securing the lowest pass percentage for the last three academic sessions - 2015-16 (53.87) and 2014-15 (57.96). CHSE Chairman Surendra Lal said an inquiry will be initiated to find out the reasons behind low scores of students of the district.

Three colleges scored zero result as none of the students managed to clear the examination. These colleges are Binayak Junior College at Jeypore, Krushna Prasad Womens College at Daspalla and Tapoban Junior College of Science and Technology. Two students each from these colleges took the test but failed to clear it.

A total of 90,643 students had appeared the examination this year of which 73,523 passed. While 19,087 students got first division, 26,322 were placed in second and 27,597 in third division. As many as 27 students have scored above 90 per cent. Girls have yet again outshined boys by scoring 82.36 per cent. The pass rate of boys was 80.29 per cent.

The Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste students have done marginally well as compared to last year. Last year, their pass percentage was 65.30 and 72.42 respectively while this year, it is 65.96 and 73.58.

The CHSE Chairman said students can apply online for rechecking till May 28. They will have to pay `200 per paper. Results of Arts, Commerce and Vocational streams will be announced by May 31.

This year, 3,80,707 students appeared for the examinations in all the four streams of Arts, Science, Commerce and Vocational. Of them, 2,43,106 appeared the tests in Arts stream and 28,481 for Commerce. This apart, 8,573 Vocational students, 1,007 compartmental and 8,550 correspondence students also took the tests.

In wake of the goof-up in Mathematics and Chemistry papers by CHSE during this years exam, the Council had decided to debar the printing press, where the question papers were printed, for a period of three years. Moreover, the expenditure incurred in cancelling the Mathematics test on March 14 and rescheduling the Chemistry exam to March 30 will be borne by the printing press firm. The CHSE had mistakenly sent Chemistry papers in place of Mathematics to 14 examination centres on March 14.

Govt to prescribe books

This year, the State Government will prescribe books for all Plus Two subjects in three streams of Arts, Science and Commerce. Informing this to mediapersons, CHSE Chairman Surendra Lal said till now, the Council allowed students to study from books approved in the syllabus. However, from this academic session, books will be prescribed to Plus Two students. While these books will be based on CBSE pattern, questions for next years Plus Two tests will only be from these prescribed books, said Lal. The syllabus that was changed last year will remain the same. The step is being taken to prepare students to face national-level entrance examinations and bring them at par with CBSE students. Currently, Class XI and Class XII students read books that are only prescribed by NCERT or CBSE.

BHUBANESWAR:As many as 81.11 per cent students have cleared the annual Plus Two Science examination, the results of which were announced by School and Mass Education Minister Badri Narayan Patra on Friday at Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) headquarters here. The percentage is slightly higher than the last years 80.80. While Balasore district recorded the highest pass percentage of 93.61, the lowest 52.51 was scored by Jharsuguda district. Apparently, Jharsuguda has been securing the lowest pass percentage for the last three academic sessions - 2015-16 (53.87) and 2014-15 (57.96). CHSE Chairman Surendra Lal said an inquiry will be initiated to find out the reasons behind low scores of students of the district. Three colleges scored zero result as none of the students managed to clear the examination. These colleges are Binayak Junior College at Jeypore, Krushna Prasad Womens College at Daspalla and Tapoban Junior College of Science and Technology. Two students each from these colleges took the test but failed to clear it. A total of 90,643 students had appeared the examination this year of which 73,523 passed. While 19,087 students got first division, 26,322 were placed in second and 27,597 in third division. As many as 27 students have scored above 90 per cent. Girls have yet again outshined boys by scoring 82.36 per cent. The pass rate of boys was 80.29 per cent. The Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste students have done marginally well as compared to last year. Last year, their pass percentage was 65.30 and 72.42 respectively while this year, it is 65.96 and 73.58. The CHSE Chairman said students can apply online for rechecking till May 28. They will have to pay `200 per paper. Results of Arts, Commerce and Vocational streams will be announced by May 31. This year, 3,80,707 students appeared for the examinations in all the four streams of Arts, Science, Commerce and Vocational. Of them, 2,43,106 appeared the tests in Arts stream and 28,481 for Commerce. This apart, 8,573 Vocational students, 1,007 compartmental and 8,550 correspondence students also took the tests. In wake of the goof-up in Mathematics and Chemistry papers by CHSE during this years exam, the Council had decided to debar the printing press, where the question papers were printed, for a period of three years. Moreover, the expenditure incurred in cancelling the Mathematics test on March 14 and rescheduling the Chemistry exam to March 30 will be borne by the printing press firm. The CHSE had mistakenly sent Chemistry papers in place of Mathematics to 14 examination centres on March 14. Govt to prescribe books This year, the State Government will prescribe books for all Plus Two subjects in three streams of Arts, Science and Commerce. Informing this to mediapersons, CHSE Chairman Surendra Lal said till now, the Council allowed students to study from books approved in the syllabus. However, from this academic session, books will be prescribed to Plus Two students. While these books will be based on CBSE pattern, questions for next years Plus Two tests will only be from these prescribed books, said Lal. The syllabus that was changed last year will remain the same. The step is being taken to prepare students to face national-level entrance examinations and bring them at par with CBSE students. Currently, Class XI and Class XII students read books that are only prescribed by NCERT or CBSE.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: A vacation judge of the Madras High Court has granted bail to mining baron Shekher Reddy (49), who had been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 20 last.



Justice S Baskaran, who granted the relief on Friday said that Reddy and his associates Prem Kumar and Srinivasalu can be released on bail on their executing a personal bond for `10 lakh each with two solvent sureties each for a like sum to the satisfaction of the VIII Additional Sessions Court, CBI cases, Chennai.

Shekhar Reddy

They shall stay at New Delhi and report before the officer in charge of PMLA case, ED at Delhi, daily at 10 am, until further orders.



They shall surrender their passport before the ED and shall not leave the country without obtaining prior permission from the ED.

Earlier, the judge pointed out that the petitioners had been interrogated and were in custody for over 50 days in this case. In such circumstances, the plea of the petitioners that they have co-operated with the ED at all stages of investigation, that the amount alleged to have been recovered from them are their own business income, that there is no material to prove that they are guilty of the offence and that as the limitations of Sec 45 (1) of PMLA is not applicable it should be treated as regular bail under Sec 439 CrPC, should be entertained, the judge said.

In view of the above said discussion, this court is of the view that the petitioners have made out a case for grant of bail. Accordingly, their criminal original petitions seeking bail are allowed, the judge said.

The judge, however, dismissed the anticipatory bail applications from Dindigul Rathinam and Pudukottai Ramachandran, the other associates of Reddy.

Originally, the CBI had seized `147 crore, including `34 crore in new 2,000 note currency and 177 kgs of gold and arrested and remanded Reddy in judicial custody in December last year. The other accused were arrested subsequently.



They, however, came out on bail in the middle of March last.



The Enforcement Directorate arrested them on the same charges on March 20 last and remanded them in judicial custody.

CHENNAI: A vacation judge of the Madras High Court has granted bail to mining baron Shekher Reddy (49), who had been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 20 last. Justice S Baskaran, who granted the relief on Friday said that Reddy and his associates Prem Kumar and Srinivasalu can be released on bail on their executing a personal bond for `10 lakh each with two solvent sureties each for a like sum to the satisfaction of the VIII Additional Sessions Court, CBI cases, Chennai. Shekhar ReddyThey shall stay at New Delhi and report before the officer in charge of PMLA case, ED at Delhi, daily at 10 am, until further orders. They shall surrender their passport before the ED and shall not leave the country without obtaining prior permission from the ED. Earlier, the judge pointed out that the petitioners had been interrogated and were in custody for over 50 days in this case. In such circumstances, the plea of the petitioners that they have co-operated with the ED at all stages of investigation, that the amount alleged to have been recovered from them are their own business income, that there is no material to prove that they are guilty of the offence and that as the limitations of Sec 45 (1) of PMLA is not applicable it should be treated as regular bail under Sec 439 CrPC, should be entertained, the judge said. In view of the above said discussion, this court is of the view that the petitioners have made out a case for grant of bail. Accordingly, their criminal original petitions seeking bail are allowed, the judge said. The judge, however, dismissed the anticipatory bail applications from Dindigul Rathinam and Pudukottai Ramachandran, the other associates of Reddy. Originally, the CBI had seized `147 crore, including `34 crore in new 2,000 note currency and 177 kgs of gold and arrested and remanded Reddy in judicial custody in December last year. The other accused were arrested subsequently. They, however, came out on bail in the middle of March last. The Enforcement Directorate arrested them on the same charges on March 20 last and remanded them in judicial custody.
By AFP

LONDON: Cyber security experts rushed to restore systems on Saturday after an unprecedented global wave of cyberattacks that struck targets ranging from Russia's banks to British hospitals and a French carmaker's factories.

The hunt was on for the culprits behind the assault, which was being described as the biggest cyber ransom attack ever.

State agencies and major companies around the world were left reeling by the attacks which blocked access to files and demanded ransom money, forcing them to shut down their computer systems.

"The recent attack is at an unprecedented level and will require a complex international investigation to identify the culprits," said Europol, Europe's policing agency.

The attacks, which experts said affected dozens of countries, used a technique known as ransomware that locks users' files unless they pay the attackers a designated sum in the virtual Bitcoin currency.

Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at the Helsinki-based cyber security company F-Secure, told AFP that the attack was "the biggest ransomware outbreak in history", saying that 130,000 systems in more than 100 countries had been affected.

He said that Russia and India were hit particularly hard, in large part because the older Windows XP operating software is still widely used in the countries.

The attacks apparently exploited a flaw exposed in documents leaked from the US National Security Agency (NSA).

The attacks hit a whole range of organisations and businesses worldwide.

French carmaker Renault was forced to stop production at sites in France and Slovenia, saying the measure was aimed at stopping the virus from spreading.

In the United States, package delivery group FedEx acknowledged it had been hit by malware and said it was "implementing remediation steps as quickly as possible."

Russia's interior ministry said that some of its computers had been hit by a "virus attack" and that efforts were underway to destroy it.

The country's central bank said the banking system was hit, and the railway system also reported attempted breaches.

The central bank's IT attack monitoring centre "detected mass distribution of harmful software" but no "instances of compromise", it said.

Russia's largest bank Sberbank said its systems "detected in time attempts to penetrate bank infrastructure".

Germany's Deutsche Bahn computers were also impacted, with the rail operator reporting that station display panels were affected.

Self-replicating 'worm'

In a statement, computer security group Kaspersky Labs said it was "trying to determine whether it is possible to decrypt data locked in the attack -- with the aim of developing a decryption tool as soon as possible."

On Saturday, a cyber security researcher told AFP he had accidentally discovered a "kill switch" that could prevent the spread of the ransomware.

The researcher, tweeting as @MalwareTechBlog, said that the discovery was accidental, but that registering a domain name used by the malware stops it from spreading. Computers already affected will not be helped by the solution.

But @MalwareTechBlog warned that the "crisis isn't over" as those behind it "can always change the code and try again".

The malware's name is WCry, but analysts were also using variants such as WannaCry.

Message to users: 'Oops'

Britain's National Cyber Security Centre and its National Crime Agency were looking into the UK incidents, which disrupted care at National Health Service facilities, forcing ambulances to divert and hospitals to postpone operations.

Pictures on social media showed screens of NHS computers with images demanding payment of $300 (230 pounds, 275 euros) in Bitcoin, saying: "Ooops, your files have been encrypted!"

It demands payment in three days or the price is doubled, and if none is received in seven days the files will be deleted, according to the screen message.

"Ransomware becomes particularly nasty when it infects institutions like hospitals, where it can put people's lives in danger," said Kroustek, the Avast analyst.

A hacking group called Shadow Brokers released the malware in April claiming to have discovered the flaw from the NSA, Kaspersky said.

Although Microsoft released a security patch for the flaw earlier this year, many systems have yet to be updated, researchers said.

"Unlike most other attacks, this malware is spreading primarily by direct infection from machine to machine on local networks, rather than purely by email," said Lance Cottrell, chief scientist at the US technology group Ntrepid.

Some said the attacks highlighted the need for agencies like the NSA to disclose security flaws so they can be patched.

G7 finance ministers meeting in Italy discussed the attacks and were expected to commit to stepping up international cooperation against a growing threat to their economies.

LONDON: Cyber security experts rushed to restore systems on Saturday after an unprecedented global wave of cyberattacks that struck targets ranging from Russia's banks to British hospitals and a French carmaker's factories. The hunt was on for the culprits behind the assault, which was being described as the biggest cyber ransom attack ever. State agencies and major companies around the world were left reeling by the attacks which blocked access to files and demanded ransom money, forcing them to shut down their computer systems. "The recent attack is at an unprecedented level and will require a complex international investigation to identify the culprits," said Europol, Europe's policing agency. The attacks, which experts said affected dozens of countries, used a technique known as ransomware that locks users' files unless they pay the attackers a designated sum in the virtual Bitcoin currency. Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at the Helsinki-based cyber security company F-Secure, told AFP that the attack was "the biggest ransomware outbreak in history", saying that 130,000 systems in more than 100 countries had been affected. He said that Russia and India were hit particularly hard, in large part because the older Windows XP operating software is still widely used in the countries. The attacks apparently exploited a flaw exposed in documents leaked from the US National Security Agency (NSA). The attacks hit a whole range of organisations and businesses worldwide. French carmaker Renault was forced to stop production at sites in France and Slovenia, saying the measure was aimed at stopping the virus from spreading. In the United States, package delivery group FedEx acknowledged it had been hit by malware and said it was "implementing remediation steps as quickly as possible." Russia's interior ministry said that some of its computers had been hit by a "virus attack" and that efforts were underway to destroy it. The country's central bank said the banking system was hit, and the railway system also reported attempted breaches. The central bank's IT attack monitoring centre "detected mass distribution of harmful software" but no "instances of compromise", it said. Russia's largest bank Sberbank said its systems "detected in time attempts to penetrate bank infrastructure". Germany's Deutsche Bahn computers were also impacted, with the rail operator reporting that station display panels were affected. Self-replicating 'worm' In a statement, computer security group Kaspersky Labs said it was "trying to determine whether it is possible to decrypt data locked in the attack -- with the aim of developing a decryption tool as soon as possible." On Saturday, a cyber security researcher told AFP he had accidentally discovered a "kill switch" that could prevent the spread of the ransomware. The researcher, tweeting as @MalwareTechBlog, said that the discovery was accidental, but that registering a domain name used by the malware stops it from spreading. Computers already affected will not be helped by the solution. But @MalwareTechBlog warned that the "crisis isn't over" as those behind it "can always change the code and try again". The malware's name is WCry, but analysts were also using variants such as WannaCry. Message to users: 'Oops' Britain's National Cyber Security Centre and its National Crime Agency were looking into the UK incidents, which disrupted care at National Health Service facilities, forcing ambulances to divert and hospitals to postpone operations. Pictures on social media showed screens of NHS computers with images demanding payment of $300 (230 pounds, 275 euros) in Bitcoin, saying: "Ooops, your files have been encrypted!" It demands payment in three days or the price is doubled, and if none is received in seven days the files will be deleted, according to the screen message. "Ransomware becomes particularly nasty when it infects institutions like hospitals, where it can put people's lives in danger," said Kroustek, the Avast analyst. A hacking group called Shadow Brokers released the malware in April claiming to have discovered the flaw from the NSA, Kaspersky said. Although Microsoft released a security patch for the flaw earlier this year, many systems have yet to be updated, researchers said. "Unlike most other attacks, this malware is spreading primarily by direct infection from machine to machine on local networks, rather than purely by email," said Lance Cottrell, chief scientist at the US technology group Ntrepid. Some said the attacks highlighted the need for agencies like the NSA to disclose security flaws so they can be patched. G7 finance ministers meeting in Italy discussed the attacks and were expected to commit to stepping up international cooperation against a growing threat to their economies.
By AFP

WASHINGTON: The Pentagon said Friday it played no part in an unusual deal in which Islamic State jihadists were allowed to leave a key town in Syria -- only for some of them to be killed anyway.

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces had independently cut a deal with the jihadists that let a group of about 70 of them leave Tabqa, an important city by a dam near the IS stronghold of Raqa.

But as soon as they left the city, US aircraft tracked and killed several of them, officials said.

"This was an agreement for them to leave the Tabqa dam and to leave the remaining portions of the city that ISIS held," Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said.

"It doesn't change the fact that when we see ISIS fighters on the battlefield and have a clean shot at them, we will continue to take it."

Davis stressed the jihadists were not considered to have surrendered.

According to a US official, the SDF deal had been in the works for a couple of weeks.

The US knew about it, but "it wouldn't have been our preference," the official told AFP.

The SDF, a Kurdish-Arab alliance fighting IS in Syria, allowed the fighters to leave Tabqa in return for dismantling bombs surrounding the dam, surrendering their heavy weapons and quitting Tabqa city.

Nothing about that precluded the jihadists from being pursued, Major Adrian Rankine-Galloway said.

"This is combat. They didn't make a deal with us," he said.

Military leaders frequently say the objective is to annihilate IS, and for the most part the jihadists have fought to the death rather than surrender to security forces in neighboring Iraq or the SDF in Syria.

The US official said America always observes the laws of armed conflict and Geneva Conventions, meaning an unarmed IS fighter waving a white flag would not be targeted.

The seizure of Tabqa in the north of Syria after weeks of fighting represents one of the most important victories for the SDF.

Davis said a dam-assessment team was headed to the structure to make sure it had not been damaged by IS, although so far there had been no issues detected.

Last week the Pentagon announced President Donald Trump had approved supplying arms to the Kurdish contingent of the SDF, a controversial decision that has angered Turkey, which views the fighters as terrorists.

"We are very mindful of the Turkish concerns on this," Davis said.

"We are going to assure that every step of the way that we are receiving assurances from the SDF that they are using (the weapons) only to fight ISIS. We will be monitoring it in real time."

WASHINGTON: The Pentagon said Friday it played no part in an unusual deal in which Islamic State jihadists were allowed to leave a key town in Syria -- only for some of them to be killed anyway. The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces had independently cut a deal with the jihadists that let a group of about 70 of them leave Tabqa, an important city by a dam near the IS stronghold of Raqa. But as soon as they left the city, US aircraft tracked and killed several of them, officials said. "This was an agreement for them to leave the Tabqa dam and to leave the remaining portions of the city that ISIS held," Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said. "It doesn't change the fact that when we see ISIS fighters on the battlefield and have a clean shot at them, we will continue to take it." Davis stressed the jihadists were not considered to have surrendered. According to a US official, the SDF deal had been in the works for a couple of weeks. The US knew about it, but "it wouldn't have been our preference," the official told AFP. The SDF, a Kurdish-Arab alliance fighting IS in Syria, allowed the fighters to leave Tabqa in return for dismantling bombs surrounding the dam, surrendering their heavy weapons and quitting Tabqa city. Nothing about that precluded the jihadists from being pursued, Major Adrian Rankine-Galloway said. "This is combat. They didn't make a deal with us," he said. Military leaders frequently say the objective is to annihilate IS, and for the most part the jihadists have fought to the death rather than surrender to security forces in neighboring Iraq or the SDF in Syria. The US official said America always observes the laws of armed conflict and Geneva Conventions, meaning an unarmed IS fighter waving a white flag would not be targeted. The seizure of Tabqa in the north of Syria after weeks of fighting represents one of the most important victories for the SDF. Davis said a dam-assessment team was headed to the structure to make sure it had not been damaged by IS, although so far there had been no issues detected. Last week the Pentagon announced President Donald Trump had approved supplying arms to the Kurdish contingent of the SDF, a controversial decision that has angered Turkey, which views the fighters as terrorists. "We are very mindful of the Turkish concerns on this," Davis said. "We are going to assure that every step of the way that we are receiving assurances from the SDF that they are using (the weapons) only to fight ISIS. We will be monitoring it in real time."
By AFP

Elderly protesters braved pepper spray in scuffles with riot police on Friday as they marched in the latest anti-government protests in Venezuela.

With wheelchairs and walking sticks or on their feet shouting and waving their fists, some 2,000 demonstrators challenged police who blocked their way in central Caracas and fired pepper spray to deter them.

"We do not want a dictatorship, we want to grow old with dignity, medicine, food and freedom," said Lourdes Parra, 77, wrapped in a red, yellow and blue Venezuelan flag.

Defying calls for early elections, President Nicolas Maduro also rallied elderly supporters, who yelled slogans in support of him and his late predecessor Hugo Chavez.

"With Chavez and Maduro, the grandparents are safe," they yelled in a crowd in front of the presidential palace.

Infant deaths

The demo drew attention to the suffering of Venezuelans, particularly the elderly, in an economic crisis that has caused shortages of food and medicine in the oil-rich country.

Carlos Rivas, 67, stood in the front line of the demo with empty medicine boxes.

"I have no medication and my pension doesn't buy me anything," he told AFP.

The health ministry on Wednesday released data showing deaths of infants under the age of one soared by 30 percent in 2016 and deaths of women linked to childbirth by 65 percent.

Cases of malaria also rose by 76 percent to more than 240,000, even though the disease was said to have been eradicated in Venezuela.

The next day the government fired minister Antonieta Caporale, the official journal said.

Wednesday's data referred to 2016, but Caporale took over as health minister only in January this year.

Hospital shortages

Hospitals and protesters are complaining of severe shortages of medical supplies from an economic crisis that has fueled opposition calls for early elections.

Elected in 2013, Maduro is resisting pressure for an early vote, calling the crisis a US-backed conspiracy.

His opponents have branded him a dictator.

A collapse in prices for Venezuela's crucial oil exports has left the country short of cash to import medicine and basic goods.

The Venezuelan Medical Federation says hospitals have only three percent of the medicines and supplies they need to operate normally.

Deadly unrest

Deadly unrest broke out on April 1. Security forces have fired tear gas and water cannons at protesters who have hurled stones, petrol bombs and excrement.

The government and opposition have accused each other of sending armed groups to stir up violence in the protests.

The death toll from the unrest hit 38 on Wednesday, when a 27-year-old man was shot dead in a protest in Caracas, the government said.

President alleges 'coup'

Maduro has accused the opposition of mounting an "armed insurgency" and a "coup."

"Nothing and no one will hold us back. We will succeed in neutralizing this ambush," he vowed late Thursday, referring to the protests.

"Venezuela demands that the rioting and the coup d'etat stop."

The opposition called for protesters across the country to come out in processions of vehicles on Saturday.

Elderly protesters braved pepper spray in scuffles with riot police on Friday as they marched in the latest anti-government protests in Venezuela. With wheelchairs and walking sticks or on their feet shouting and waving their fists, some 2,000 demonstrators challenged police who blocked their way in central Caracas and fired pepper spray to deter them. "We do not want a dictatorship, we want to grow old with dignity, medicine, food and freedom," said Lourdes Parra, 77, wrapped in a red, yellow and blue Venezuelan flag. Defying calls for early elections, President Nicolas Maduro also rallied elderly supporters, who yelled slogans in support of him and his late predecessor Hugo Chavez. "With Chavez and Maduro, the grandparents are safe," they yelled in a crowd in front of the presidential palace. Infant deaths The demo drew attention to the suffering of Venezuelans, particularly the elderly, in an economic crisis that has caused shortages of food and medicine in the oil-rich country. Carlos Rivas, 67, stood in the front line of the demo with empty medicine boxes. "I have no medication and my pension doesn't buy me anything," he told AFP. The health ministry on Wednesday released data showing deaths of infants under the age of one soared by 30 percent in 2016 and deaths of women linked to childbirth by 65 percent. Cases of malaria also rose by 76 percent to more than 240,000, even though the disease was said to have been eradicated in Venezuela. The next day the government fired minister Antonieta Caporale, the official journal said. Wednesday's data referred to 2016, but Caporale took over as health minister only in January this year. Hospital shortages Hospitals and protesters are complaining of severe shortages of medical supplies from an economic crisis that has fueled opposition calls for early elections. Elected in 2013, Maduro is resisting pressure for an early vote, calling the crisis a US-backed conspiracy. His opponents have branded him a dictator. A collapse in prices for Venezuela's crucial oil exports has left the country short of cash to import medicine and basic goods. The Venezuelan Medical Federation says hospitals have only three percent of the medicines and supplies they need to operate normally. Deadly unrest Deadly unrest broke out on April 1. Security forces have fired tear gas and water cannons at protesters who have hurled stones, petrol bombs and excrement. The government and opposition have accused each other of sending armed groups to stir up violence in the protests. The death toll from the unrest hit 38 on Wednesday, when a 27-year-old man was shot dead in a protest in Caracas, the government said. President alleges 'coup' Maduro has accused the opposition of mounting an "armed insurgency" and a "coup." "Nothing and no one will hold us back. We will succeed in neutralizing this ambush," he vowed late Thursday, referring to the protests. "Venezuela demands that the rioting and the coup d'etat stop." The opposition called for protesters across the country to come out in processions of vehicles on Saturday.
By IANS

KABUL: Two local Taliban leaders were killed when the Afghan air force struck a militants' hideout in restive southern Helmand province, the Defence Ministry said on Saturday.

"The strike was conducted on specific intelligence inputs in Musa Qala district, killing Ustad Toor Jan and Fidda Mohammad and three militants' vehicles were also destroyed following the raid," the ministry said in a statement posted on its official Facebook page.

In addition, the army personnel conducted a cordon and search operation in neighbouring Marja district, capturing 10 Taliban militants and destroying three vehicles, it said.

Furthermore, three militants were killed and eight injured in a separate operation in surrounding areas of Tirin Kot, capital of neighbouring Uruzgan province, Xinhua news agency reported.

The army bomb disposal teams also found and defused 28 roadside bombs and landmines in Uruzgan within the past 24 hours, the statement added.



KABUL: Two local Taliban leaders were killed when the Afghan air force struck a militants' hideout in restive southern Helmand province, the Defence Ministry said on Saturday. "The strike was conducted on specific intelligence inputs in Musa Qala district, killing Ustad Toor Jan and Fidda Mohammad and three militants' vehicles were also destroyed following the raid," the ministry said in a statement posted on its official Facebook page. In addition, the army personnel conducted a cordon and search operation in neighbouring Marja district, capturing 10 Taliban militants and destroying three vehicles, it said. Furthermore, three militants were killed and eight injured in a separate operation in surrounding areas of Tirin Kot, capital of neighbouring Uruzgan province, Xinhua news agency reported. The army bomb disposal teams also found and defused 28 roadside bombs and landmines in Uruzgan within the past 24 hours, the statement added.
By AFP

WASHINGTON: US Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Friday ordered prosecutors to seek the toughest possible charges and punishment against criminal suspects, reversing the Obama administration's effort to end extreme sentencing of drug users and other non-violent offenders.

The move is needed to address a rise in violent crime in cities across the country, Sessions said, tying it to drug use and saying the new policy "promotes respect for our legal system."

But critics, led by former attorney general Eric Holder, blasted the move as likely to revive the application of harsh "mandatory minimum" sentencing that was overwhelmingly applied to poor African-American and Hispanic communities during the crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s.

Sessions told Justice Department attorneys around the country in a two-page memo that when prosecuting cases, they should apply the most serious charges possible that can be proven in court.

"By definition, the most serious offenses are those that carry the most substantial guidelines sentence, including mandatory minimum sentences," the memo said.

"This is a key part of President Trump's promise to keep America safe," Sessions told a gathering of police officers in New York.

"We are returning to the enforcement of the law as passed by Congress - plain and simple."

'Unfairly long sentences'

Holder called the move "unwise and ill-informed," saying it will "take this nation back to a discredited past."

"It is an ideologically motivated, cookie-cutter approach that has only been proven to generate unfairly long sentences that are often applied indiscriminately and do little to achieve long-term public safety," he said in a statement.

Holder was instrumental in former president Barack Obama's effort to reverse a three-decade swelling of the prison population largely by black men arrested on minor drug and other offenses.

A 1986 "War on Drugs" law meant to address the rise in crack cocaine forced judges to mete out lengthy sentences for repeat offenders. Subsequent laws across the country laid down tough minimums for other crimes.

But the net effect was that small-time crack users and dealers -- mostly African Americans -- were jailed en masse, often on sentences lasting decades, while white users of cocaine got off easily.

Black and Hispanic offenders were far more likely to be hit with mandatory minimum sentences than those of other races, a 2011 report by the US Sentencing Commission said.

In a July 2015 policy shift, Obama and Holder -- both African-Americans -- blamed mandatory minimum sentencing for filling prisons to record levels, 2.2 million people at the time, ruining salvageable lives and sending prison system costs skyrocketing.

The new policy gave prosecutors and judges more leeway to adjust charges and sentences to better fit the crime, Obama said at the time.

Sessions: policy addresses crime wave

But Sessions implicitly blamed that shift for a rise in crime, citing higher murders, drug overdose deaths and other crimes across the country.

"We intend to reverse that trend," he said.

He ordered prosecutors in most cases to stick to recommending sentences based on mandatory minimums. Those who want to recommend lighter punishment will have to get permission from their superiors in addition to providing written justification.

Critics in Congress blasted the new policy.

"Mandatory minimum sentences have unfairly and disproportionately incarcerated too many minorities for too long," Republican Senator Rand Paul said. "Attorney General Sessions' new policy will accentuate that injustice."

"The US already locks up more of its own citizens than any other country," Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan tweeted. "We can't incarcerate our way out of this addiction epidemic."

WASHINGTON: US Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Friday ordered prosecutors to seek the toughest possible charges and punishment against criminal suspects, reversing the Obama administration's effort to end extreme sentencing of drug users and other non-violent offenders. The move is needed to address a rise in violent crime in cities across the country, Sessions said, tying it to drug use and saying the new policy "promotes respect for our legal system." But critics, led by former attorney general Eric Holder, blasted the move as likely to revive the application of harsh "mandatory minimum" sentencing that was overwhelmingly applied to poor African-American and Hispanic communities during the crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s. Sessions told Justice Department attorneys around the country in a two-page memo that when prosecuting cases, they should apply the most serious charges possible that can be proven in court. "By definition, the most serious offenses are those that carry the most substantial guidelines sentence, including mandatory minimum sentences," the memo said. "This is a key part of President Trump's promise to keep America safe," Sessions told a gathering of police officers in New York. "We are returning to the enforcement of the law as passed by Congress - plain and simple." 'Unfairly long sentences' Holder called the move "unwise and ill-informed," saying it will "take this nation back to a discredited past." "It is an ideologically motivated, cookie-cutter approach that has only been proven to generate unfairly long sentences that are often applied indiscriminately and do little to achieve long-term public safety," he said in a statement. Holder was instrumental in former president Barack Obama's effort to reverse a three-decade swelling of the prison population largely by black men arrested on minor drug and other offenses. A 1986 "War on Drugs" law meant to address the rise in crack cocaine forced judges to mete out lengthy sentences for repeat offenders. Subsequent laws across the country laid down tough minimums for other crimes. But the net effect was that small-time crack users and dealers -- mostly African Americans -- were jailed en masse, often on sentences lasting decades, while white users of cocaine got off easily. Black and Hispanic offenders were far more likely to be hit with mandatory minimum sentences than those of other races, a 2011 report by the US Sentencing Commission said. In a July 2015 policy shift, Obama and Holder -- both African-Americans -- blamed mandatory minimum sentencing for filling prisons to record levels, 2.2 million people at the time, ruining salvageable lives and sending prison system costs skyrocketing. The new policy gave prosecutors and judges more leeway to adjust charges and sentences to better fit the crime, Obama said at the time. Sessions: policy addresses crime wave But Sessions implicitly blamed that shift for a rise in crime, citing higher murders, drug overdose deaths and other crimes across the country. "We intend to reverse that trend," he said. He ordered prosecutors in most cases to stick to recommending sentences based on mandatory minimums. Those who want to recommend lighter punishment will have to get permission from their superiors in addition to providing written justification. Critics in Congress blasted the new policy. "Mandatory minimum sentences have unfairly and disproportionately incarcerated too many minorities for too long," Republican Senator Rand Paul said. "Attorney General Sessions' new policy will accentuate that injustice." "The US already locks up more of its own citizens than any other country," Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan tweeted. "We can't incarcerate our way out of this addiction epidemic."
By Associated Press

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said Saturday that "we can make a fast decision" on a new FBI director, possibly by late next week, before he leaves on his first foreign trip since taking office.

"Even that is possible," he told reporters when asked whether he could announce his nominee by Friday, when he is scheduled to leave for the Mideast and Europe.

Four candidates to be the bureau's director were in line Saturday for the first interviews with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, at Justice Department headquarters. They are among nearly a dozen candidates Trump is considering, a group that includes several lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials.

"I think the process is going to go quickly. Almost all of them are very well known," Trump said while flying to Lynchburg, Virginia, where he was giving the commencement address at Liberty University. "They've been vetted over their lifetime essentially, but very well known, highly respected, really talented people. And that's what we want for the FBI."

The Trump administration is looking to fill the job, which requires Senate confirmation, after Trump abruptly fired Director James Comey on Tuesday.

The first candidate to arrive was Alice Fisher, a high-ranking Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration. She left after about an hour and a half inside the building and declined to comment to reporters.

Among those also expected to be coming were acting FBI director Andrew McCabe, Michael J. Garcia, an associate judge on New York's highest court, and GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Senate leader and a former state attorney general. That's according to two people familiar with the search process who weren't authorized to publicly discuss the deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Fisher formerly served as assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Criminal Division. She faced resistance from Democrats during her confirmation over her alleged participation in discussions about detention policies at the Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba. She also was deputy special counsel to the Senate special committee that investigated President Bill Clinton's Whitewater scandal.

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said Saturday that "we can make a fast decision" on a new FBI director, possibly by late next week, before he leaves on his first foreign trip since taking office. "Even that is possible," he told reporters when asked whether he could announce his nominee by Friday, when he is scheduled to leave for the Mideast and Europe. Four candidates to be the bureau's director were in line Saturday for the first interviews with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, at Justice Department headquarters. They are among nearly a dozen candidates Trump is considering, a group that includes several lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials. "I think the process is going to go quickly. Almost all of them are very well known," Trump said while flying to Lynchburg, Virginia, where he was giving the commencement address at Liberty University. "They've been vetted over their lifetime essentially, but very well known, highly respected, really talented people. And that's what we want for the FBI." The Trump administration is looking to fill the job, which requires Senate confirmation, after Trump abruptly fired Director James Comey on Tuesday. The first candidate to arrive was Alice Fisher, a high-ranking Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration. She left after about an hour and a half inside the building and declined to comment to reporters. Among those also expected to be coming were acting FBI director Andrew McCabe, Michael J. Garcia, an associate judge on New York's highest court, and GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Senate leader and a former state attorney general. That's according to two people familiar with the search process who weren't authorized to publicly discuss the deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity. Fisher formerly served as assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Criminal Division. She faced resistance from Democrats during her confirmation over her alleged participation in discussions about detention policies at the Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba. She also was deputy special counsel to the Senate special committee that investigated President Bill Clinton's Whitewater scandal.
Estimados amigos,

Les doy cordialmente la bienvenida a este Blog informativo con articulos, analisis y comentarios de publicaciones especializadas y especialmente seleccionadas, principalmente sobre temas economicos, financieros y politicos de actualidad, que esperamos y deseamos, sean de su maximo interes, utilidad y conveniencia.

Pensamos que solo comprendiendo cabalmente el presente, es que podemos proyectarnos acertadamente hacia el futuro.

Las convicciones son mas peligrosos enemigos de la verdad que las mentiras.

There are decades when nothing happens and there are weeks when decades happen.

You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.

No soy alguien que sabe, sino alguien que busca.

Only Gold is money. Everything else is debt.

Las grandes almas tienen voluntades; las debiles tan solo deseos.

Quien no lo ha dado todo no ha dado nada.

History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.

If you know the other and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.
By PTI

BEIJING/ISLAMABAD: China and Pakistan today signed six pacts to boost cooperation on the USD 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, including one on building an airport at the strategic Gwadar port city, with President Xi Jinping asserting that ties with Islamabad were a priority.

The pacts were signed in the presence of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang ahead of the much-publicised Belt and Road (B&R) Forum beginning tomorrow.

The agreements included accords of cooperation in diverse fields, framework of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative, Economic and Technical Cooperation with assistance of 1.5 billion yuan (USD 210 million) for Gwadar Airport, 0.8 billion yuan (USD 115 million) for Economic and Technical Cooperation for Gwadar Airport and 1.1 billion yuan (USD 160 million) for East bay Expressway, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

After the MoUs and agreements were signed, Xi told Sharif that the bilateral ties remain "a priority for China" and Beijing was willing to enrich the "all-weather" strategic and cooperative partnership with Pakistan.

Sharif also attended a presentation made by China's National Energy Administration (NEA) on the construction of Bhasha Dam, a project which he said is of critical importance for the future of Pakistan.

Pakistani media reported that Chinese companies had "conducted survey and studies on the North Indus Cascade project.

The report said China's interest in providing USD 50 billion to fund the project could generate 40,000 MW hydro electricity.

The pacts deal with the increasing bilateral cooperation within the framework of China's ambitious Silk Road project, upgrading the main railway track between Karachi and Peshawar - referred to as ML-1 or Main Line-1, and an MoU for the establishment of a dry port in Havelian, Radio Pakistan reported.

Three agreements were signed pertaining to economic and technical cooperation worth 3.4 billion yuan (about USD 490 million) for the strategic Gwadar port in southern Pakistan and East Bay expressway, a 19 kilometre controlled access road under construction in Gwadar.

Sharif, the only head of government to be represented at the B&R summit, is leading perhaps the largest delegation to Beijing - four chief ministers and five federal ministers.

Li said China is willing to work with Pakistan in translating mutual political trust into more fruits of mutually beneficial cooperation.

Citing positive results achieved in the cooperation on the corridor, Li said both the sides should efficiently dovetail their development strategies, advance major transportation and energy projects as scheduled, enhance cooperation on industrial capacity, and boost a balanced development of trade.

Li expressed the hope that Pakistan will intensify its efforts in protecting the safety of Chinese personnel in the nation, and ensure the security of related projects.

On the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a part of the B&R initiative, Xi said the supplementary projects in and around the Gwadar port in the restive Balochistan province should be steadily advanced and the study on the construction of industrial parks along the corridor facilitated.

The deep-water port and the CPEC is of significance to China as they together facilitate Beijing's access to the Arabian Sea and resultantly links it with Eurasia and Africa.

The Gwadar port opposite the Mumbai's port housing the Indian Navy's western naval command provides a berth for China in the Arabian Sea and to the Indian Ocean.

China has already announced plans to station its marines there as well in Djibouti in Horn of Africa in Indian Ocean.

India opposes the CPEC as it runs through the Pakistan- Occupied Kashmir. In the last few days, China tried to assuage India's feelings by asserting that the commercial corridor will not have any impact on its stand that the Kashmir issue should be settled by India and Pakistan through dialogue.

But India is not attending the high-profile B&R summit. It worries over a 3,000-km-long project connecting the Gwadar port and Xinjiang stem from the fact Gwadar, which was taken over by the Chinese, will become a future naval base.

During his meeting with Sharif, Xi stressed that a long- term planning for the corridor should be completed as soon as possible and cooperation programmes covering energy, transportation infrastructure and people's livelihoods should be promoted.

The two countries should not only continue high-level exchanges, but increase interactions between governments, legislative bodies and political parties, Xi was quoted as saying by China's state-run Xinhua news agency.

He said the two countries should strengthen cooperation on areas including anti-terrorism and security, and enhance coordination on major international and regional affairs.

Xi said China wants to deepen cooperation with Pakistan under the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Sharif said Pakistan will continue to cooperate with China under multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations and the SCO to contribute to stability and development in the region and beyond. He said the China-Pakistan friendship is solid and stressed that it was a national consensus to deepen ties with Beijing and participate in the B&R initiative.

Pakistan is willing to work with China in actively implementing various projects related to the CPEC and steadily pushing forward the cooperation on energy and infrastructure construction, including the Gwadar port project, he said.

"Pakistan fully supports China's vision of the Belt and Road Forum," Sharif said at a separate meeting with Premier Li.

"Pakistan considers China its most valuable friend," he said, adding that the participation of the chief ministers of all the four Pakistani provinces at the B&R forum was an indication that "we are all one for [the success of] the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor", he said.

Sharif said that the country will accelerate the construction of the corridor and take measures to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and enterprises.

Pakistan hoped that bilateral industrial and trade cooperation will be strengthened, and will work to facilitate Chinese enterprises' investment in the nation, he said.

After their meeting, Li and Sharif witnessed the signing of documents related to cooperation on economy and technology.

He reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment for the completion of early results under the CPEC.

Pakistan's Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, who is incharge of the CPEC, meanwhile told state-run APP that on the agenda of Sharif's visit to Beijing also included deals to build an airport and expressway in Gwadar.

BEIJING/ISLAMABAD: China and Pakistan today signed six pacts to boost cooperation on the USD 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, including one on building an airport at the strategic Gwadar port city, with President Xi Jinping asserting that ties with Islamabad were a priority. The pacts were signed in the presence of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang ahead of the much-publicised Belt and Road (B&R) Forum beginning tomorrow. The agreements included accords of cooperation in diverse fields, framework of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative, Economic and Technical Cooperation with assistance of 1.5 billion yuan (USD 210 million) for Gwadar Airport, 0.8 billion yuan (USD 115 million) for Economic and Technical Cooperation for Gwadar Airport and 1.1 billion yuan (USD 160 million) for East bay Expressway, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported. After the MoUs and agreements were signed, Xi told Sharif that the bilateral ties remain "a priority for China" and Beijing was willing to enrich the "all-weather" strategic and cooperative partnership with Pakistan. Sharif also attended a presentation made by China's National Energy Administration (NEA) on the construction of Bhasha Dam, a project which he said is of critical importance for the future of Pakistan. Pakistani media reported that Chinese companies had "conducted survey and studies on the North Indus Cascade project. The report said China's interest in providing USD 50 billion to fund the project could generate 40,000 MW hydro electricity. The pacts deal with the increasing bilateral cooperation within the framework of China's ambitious Silk Road project, upgrading the main railway track between Karachi and Peshawar - referred to as ML-1 or Main Line-1, and an MoU for the establishment of a dry port in Havelian, Radio Pakistan reported. Three agreements were signed pertaining to economic and technical cooperation worth 3.4 billion yuan (about USD 490 million) for the strategic Gwadar port in southern Pakistan and East Bay expressway, a 19 kilometre controlled access road under construction in Gwadar. Sharif, the only head of government to be represented at the B&R summit, is leading perhaps the largest delegation to Beijing - four chief ministers and five federal ministers. Li said China is willing to work with Pakistan in translating mutual political trust into more fruits of mutually beneficial cooperation. Citing positive results achieved in the cooperation on the corridor, Li said both the sides should efficiently dovetail their development strategies, advance major transportation and energy projects as scheduled, enhance cooperation on industrial capacity, and boost a balanced development of trade. Li expressed the hope that Pakistan will intensify its efforts in protecting the safety of Chinese personnel in the nation, and ensure the security of related projects. On the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a part of the B&R initiative, Xi said the supplementary projects in and around the Gwadar port in the restive Balochistan province should be steadily advanced and the study on the construction of industrial parks along the corridor facilitated. The deep-water port and the CPEC is of significance to China as they together facilitate Beijing's access to the Arabian Sea and resultantly links it with Eurasia and Africa. The Gwadar port opposite the Mumbai's port housing the Indian Navy's western naval command provides a berth for China in the Arabian Sea and to the Indian Ocean. China has already announced plans to station its marines there as well in Djibouti in Horn of Africa in Indian Ocean. India opposes the CPEC as it runs through the Pakistan- Occupied Kashmir. In the last few days, China tried to assuage India's feelings by asserting that the commercial corridor will not have any impact on its stand that the Kashmir issue should be settled by India and Pakistan through dialogue. But India is not attending the high-profile B&R summit. It worries over a 3,000-km-long project connecting the Gwadar port and Xinjiang stem from the fact Gwadar, which was taken over by the Chinese, will become a future naval base. During his meeting with Sharif, Xi stressed that a long- term planning for the corridor should be completed as soon as possible and cooperation programmes covering energy, transportation infrastructure and people's livelihoods should be promoted. The two countries should not only continue high-level exchanges, but increase interactions between governments, legislative bodies and political parties, Xi was quoted as saying by China's state-run Xinhua news agency. He said the two countries should strengthen cooperation on areas including anti-terrorism and security, and enhance coordination on major international and regional affairs. Xi said China wants to deepen cooperation with Pakistan under the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Sharif said Pakistan will continue to cooperate with China under multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations and the SCO to contribute to stability and development in the region and beyond. He said the China-Pakistan friendship is solid and stressed that it was a national consensus to deepen ties with Beijing and participate in the B&R initiative. Pakistan is willing to work with China in actively implementing various projects related to the CPEC and steadily pushing forward the cooperation on energy and infrastructure construction, including the Gwadar port project, he said. "Pakistan fully supports China's vision of the Belt and Road Forum," Sharif said at a separate meeting with Premier Li. "Pakistan considers China its most valuable friend," he said, adding that the participation of the chief ministers of all the four Pakistani provinces at the B&R forum was an indication that "we are all one for [the success of] the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor", he said. Sharif said that the country will accelerate the construction of the corridor and take measures to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and enterprises. Pakistan hoped that bilateral industrial and trade cooperation will be strengthened, and will work to facilitate Chinese enterprises' investment in the nation, he said. After their meeting, Li and Sharif witnessed the signing of documents related to cooperation on economy and technology. He reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment for the completion of early results under the CPEC. Pakistan's Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, who is incharge of the CPEC, meanwhile told state-run APP that on the agenda of Sharif's visit to Beijing also included deals to build an airport and expressway in Gwadar.
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Cellino and Barnes, injury attorneys, may soon be fighting for custody of their iconic phone number and jingle.

WGRZ-Buffalo reports that Ross Cellino filed a lawsuit against Stephen Barnes in State Supreme Court on Wednesday, with the intention of dissolving their law firm of 22 years.

The charges made by Cellino remain unclear, and no petitions have been e-filed yet. Barnes is scheduled to appear in court on May 19th to respond to the suit.

His attorney Terry Connor could not be reached for comment. The person who answered the phone at 800-888-8888 could not offer details, either.

The Buffalo News spoke to attorney Paul Cambria, whose firm sometimes competes with Cellino and Barnes: "If this goes forward, it will be like a huge divorce  a huge business divorce. This law firm has been very successful and has all kinds of assets."

He added, "They basically invented themselves out of thin air, with very thoughtful, successful, innovative advertising. ...They became a huge success. They do have some very good attorneys over there and a good reputation. I was driving down Fairfax Avenue in [Los Angeles] last week, and right in front of me was a bus with their logo and their phone number on it. ... Amazing."

While the injury firm may be no more, the duo's legacy, an unscratchable itch in the auditory cortex of Greater New York, will live on for years to come.
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Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk).
"Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria pose a complex challenge. This is why Germany, with its German Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy DART2020, is making sustained efforts to protect the health of humans and animals", says BfR President Professor Dr. Dr. Andreas Hensel. "In the spirit of the One Health strategy, this calls for interdisciplinary research by veterinarians and experts in human medicine as well as molecular biologists and epidemiologists, as successfully demonstrated by the RESET and MedVet-Staph network projects."

Since 2010, these research networks have been investigating the development, spread and mechanisms of resistance to certain antibiotics in cases of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in humans and animals. Alongside the BfR, numerous universities and scientific institutions in Germany are involved in the network projects.

The RESET network investigates resistance to the particularly important antibiotic classes of cephalosporins and (fluoro)quinolones in intestinal bacteria such as Escherichia (E.) coli.

Some strains of these bacteria can destroy cephalosporins. In this process, they use enzymes known as "extended-spectrum beta-lactamases" (ESBLs) and AmpC beta-lactamases (AmpCs). The strains can pass on this destructive capability to other bacteria. Analyses conducted in the RESET network have shown that ESBL- or AmpC-producing E. coli are widespread in livestock. These bacteria were detected in all investigated poultry-rearing businesses. They were also found in 85% of investigated pig production and dairy cattle businesses as well as in 70% of cattle production businesses. Moreover, E. coli and Salmonella that can additionally destroy carbapenems were found in livestock in Germany for the first time. These antibiotics are used in hospitals to treat infections with multi-resistant bacteria.

The administration of antibiotics is not always responsible for the occurrence of resistant bacteria. E. coli that produce ESBLs or AmpCs also occur in groups of animals (in particular in broilers) that have had no contact with antibiotics. The bacteria and resistance genes can be transferred along the production chain and be transmitted to other foods in the kitchen.

In studies, ESBL-E. coli were found in 6.3% of the healthy general population and with similar frequency among pig farmers. In German hospitals, the share of ESBL-positive E. coli and Klebsiellae among all hospital acquired infections with these enterobacteria increased from 11.9% to 15.4% between 2007 and 2012.

Overall, the molecular biology analyses showed that various ESBL-forming bacteria possess the ability to be exchanged between humans, animals and their environment. Direct transmission of the bacteria with their resistance genes is evidently relatively seldom. Nevertheless, the resistance genes can be exchanged between different bacteria, and this makes it more difficult to trace them. It is therefore currently not possible to exactly assess the significance of livestock for the colonization and infection of humans with ESBL- or AmpC-forming enterobacteria.

RESET coordinator Professor Dr. Lothar Kreienbrock at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover says: "Our newly created joint database enables us to perform overarching analyses of both the data on the origin of samples from humans, animals, food and the environment as well as the data on the properties of the bacteria strains. Based on this joint strain and data collection, for example, we have succeeded for the first time in detecting the transmissible colistin resistance gene (mcr - 1) in E. coli from German livestock." He adds that the task now is therefore to further extend and consolidate these options developed together with the German Research Platform for Zoonoses and the TMF (technology and methodology platform for interconnected medical research) in the spirit of the One Health strategy.

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The MedVet-Staph network focuses on the importance of the transmission of antimicrobial-resistant staphylococci including the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains (MRSA) between animals and humans. MRSA colonises around 0.8% of healthy people in the general German population (mostly in the nasal or throat area). By comparing the genetic fingerprint, it is possible to distinguish livestock-associated MRSA types from MRSA typically found in hospital acquired infections. Network coordinator PD Dr. med. Robin Kock from the University of Munster says: "The findings of the MedVet-Staph network have underlined that the transmission path between animals and humans is something that it is essential to bear in mind if we want to understand the spread of MRSA. We have shown that in particular direct contact with MRSA-carrying livestock, as occurs with farmers or vets, constitutes a high risk for transmission. More than 80% of farmers involved in pig production carry the bacterium."

MRSA is found with increasing frequency as a wound infection pathogen not only in livestock but increasingly also in horses, cats and dogs. The MRSA detected in these animals differs from the MRSA in livestock, however.

During the course of the project, it was not only MRSA but also other bacteria that were detected in livestock and farmers - bacteria such as enterococci and coagulase-negative staphylococci, which are resistant to substances such as linezolid or daptomycin - which are used in human medicine as reserve antibiotics. Further research is therefore necessary on the occurrence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in livestock and food as well as in pets and the environment.

The MedVet-Staph research network also investigated the extent to which livestock-associated MRSA can lead to disease in humans. The frequency of livestock-associated MRSA clones has increased overall in Germany, although there are marked regional differences: in individual regions with intensive livestock farming (in the northern region of North Rhine-Westphalia, for example), these bacteria are responsible for over 10% of severe MRSA infections in humans.

However, not all cases of detection in humans can be attributed to direct contact with positive animals. The MedVet-Staph network proved that 38% of the people in rural regions colonized with livestock-associated MRSA types had no direct contact with livestock. It must therefore be assumed that the bacteria are also passed on via other routes (e.g. human to human). According to research findings of the BfR and from Denmark, there are similarities between MRSA from poultry meat, in particular, turkey meat, and bacteria isolates from humans. This suggests that, in individual cases, livestock-associated MRSA can also be transmitted to humans via food. Experimental studies with broiler meat were conducted at the BfR in this regard. It was shown that the processing and preparation of contaminated food in domestic kitchens can result in the migration of MRSA and ESBL-forming E. coli to other foods which are then consumed by people without further heating. At the same time, however, the significance of this transmission path appears to be relatively minor.
Kolkata: The Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (GCMMF), which markets the Amul brand of milk and dairy products, is expecting 20 per cent sales growth in 2017-18, a company official said in Kolkata on Saturday.



According to the official, the firm also had plans to invest Rs 2,500 crore over the next three years to build new milk processing plants across states to enhance its processing capacities.



The dairy firm intends to be India's biggest FMCG company, surpassing Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) by the end of 2018-19, according to him.



"We plan to grow 20 percent in the current fiscal and we wish to be the biggest FMCG company in India by 2018-19 crossing HUL," the firm's Managing Director RS Sodhi told reporters in Kolkata.



"If we have to grow by 20 percent, we have to expand milk procurement from outside Gujarat. We procure about 200 lakh litres of milk per day. Of this, around 15 percent of milk is being procured from outside Gujarat. There is a need to procure 13-14 percent more milk to meet the growth target," he said.



Apart from Gujarat, the firm collects milk from Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal and Maharashtra. It will start procuring from Bihar and Jharkhand as well.



"We are working out to enter Tamil Nadu and Kerala," he said.



"We invest about Rs 800 crore every year for setting up new processing plants. We have planned to invest Rs 2,500 crore to build up processing plants across states," Sodhi said.



The firm registered a provisional turnover of Rs 27,085 crore for the financial year 2016-17, up by 18 per cent from sales turnover of Rs 22,972 crore in the previous year.



He said the firm achieved a compound annual growth rate of 19 per cent in the last seven years because of higher milk procurement, continuous expansion in terms of adding new markets, launching of new products and adding new milk processing capacities across India.



GCMMF has planned to achieve a turnover of Rs 50,000 crore by 2020-21, Sodhi said. It also plans to enhance its milk processing capacity from the current level of 300 lakh litres per day to 380 lakh litres per day in the next three years.



Speaking about the firm's West Bengal plan, he said the dairy major was setting up a plant in Howrah district with an investment of Rs 250 crore. "The plant will handle about 10 lakh litres of milk per day and is expected to be commissioned in the next one year," Sodhi added.
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The woman was, according to the police, abducted by seven men while she was on her way to work. And in a throwback to Delhis infamous Nirbhaya case, preliminary investigations also found that she had been penetrated by a sharp object causing severe internal injuries.

A group of unidentified men have gangraped a woman and brutalised her before crushing her head in Haryanas Rohtak district.Police said the attackers mutilated her private parts after the rape and ran a vehicle over her face to prevent identification. The incident allegedly occurred on May 9 but the body was recovered much later from Rohtaks IMT area.The body was identified based on a missing person complaint filed by the victims parents on May 9. The family has alleged that their neighbours were involved in the heinous act.The gruesome incident comes a week after the Supreme Court upheld the death penalty handed to four men who were convicted of raping a 23-year-old physiotherapist in Delhi on December 16, 2012. The woman, christened in the media as Nirbhaya or fearless, died 13 days later at a Singapore hospital where she was taken for treatment.The sensational case had galvanised the country and triggered a change in India's rape laws.
He said, I came to know that recently he declared Jihad against India and threatens to create another Pakistan. Such a statement is against the law and there should not be any leniency in dealing with such persons in terms of legal action.

Interestingly, Siddiqullah - who slammed Barkati - himself was seen roaming in a red beaconed car on Saturday. When asked, he said, I am a minister and I will remove it whenever I will receive any such order.

His remarks invited massive criticism from the opposition leaders and also on social networking sites.

: West Bengal minister and the state secretary of Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind Siddiqullah Chowdhury on Saturday slammed Maulana Nurur Rehman Barkati - the Shahi Imam of Kolkatas Tipu Sultan Mosque  for his objectionable comment against India.Hours after police forcibly removed red beacon from his car, Chowdhury held a press conference and said, For the last few days we have noticed that he is making statement like an arrogant person and his remark against our mother country is highly condemnable.If he is threatening to create another Pakistan, let him stay in Pakistan. He can happily go to Pakistan and stay there. No one will stop him, a visibly annoyed Chowdhury said while adding that why he is so obsessed with red beacon.I dont understand why an Imam is so infatuated with power and red beacon. This is against the Quran, he said.Meanwhile, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind supporters protested outside Kolkata's Tipu Sultan Mosque and raised slogans against Barkati. They also clashed with the supporters of Barkati.A team of Kolkata police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. A police picket has been deployed in the area to maintain law and order situation in the areaOn Friday, Barkati had said that no one has the guts to remove the red beacon from his car. It's been with us for hundreds of years. It is the RSS which is illegal, Modi is illegal not the red light on my car. Don't try disturbing Muslims in Bengal, he had said.He should stay within his limit, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said.Recently, the central government issued an order mentioning that after May 1 no one will be able to put red beacon atop his or her vehicle. Only Blue light will be used for emergency purpose. Neither the states nor the Centre will have power to give any special permission (for use of beacon lights), the order reads.
Beijing: China supports dialogue between Pakistan and India as the "most viable solution" to the Kashmir issue, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Saturday.



Sharif met his Chinese counterpart, Le Keqiang, and told the media that as far as the issue of Kashmir goes, China has always been supportive of Pakistan's stance. "China has assured to continue extending the same cooperation in future as well," PTI quoted Sharif as saying.



Pakistan's state-run APP news agency quoted Sharif as saying that both Pakistan and China favoured negotiations with India as the "most viable solution" to the Kashmir dispute.



His comments followed recent clarification by China over India's objections to the China-Pakistan Economic (CPEC) Corridor which passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.



Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang had told PTI on May 3 that China's position on the issue ofKashmir remains clear and consistent.



"It is an issue left over from history between India and Pakistan, and shall be properly addressed by India and Pakistan through consultation and negotiation," he said.



"The building of the CPEC does not affect China's position on this issue," he said.



In his address to the United Services Institution in New Delhi on May 5, Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohui had said China has taken care to India's stand that it should be resolved bilaterally in line with the Shimla Agreement.



"We supported the relevant UN resolutions before 1990s. Then we supported a settlement through bilateral negotiation in line with the Shimla Agreement. This is an example of China taking care of India's concern," Luo had said.



For its part, Pakistan has been questioning India's stance and calling for "multilateral approach" saying that the bilateral approach has failed.



Sharif is in China to attend the two-day Belt and Road Forum starting from tomorrow.



In his interaction with the media, Sharif said the scope of CPEC had immensely increased with the Chinese investment swelling from USD 46 to USD 56 billion. He said such a huge investment was unprecedented in Pakistan's history,having objectives of progress and prosperity of the people.



He mentioned that Chinese companies were investing in Pakistans powerand infrastructure sectors at a massive scale, which had generated exemplary employment opportunities for the local people.



Sharif said the economic activity as a result of heavy Chinese investment had resulted in a positive impact on the lives of the common people in Pakistan.



He said his visit to China was significant in relevance with the economic conditions of Pakistan, adding "Pakistan was proud of its friendship with China."



He said economic development in Balochistan province, where China is building Gwadar port,was getting good results andseveral projects under CPEC were being completed at a fast pace. The 3000-km CEPC connects Gwadar with China's Xinjiang province.



(With inputs from PTI)
"Guided by our principled position in the matter, we have been urging China to engage in a meaningful dialogue on its connectivity initiative, One Belt, One Road which was later renamed as Belt and Road Initiative. We are awaiting a positive response from the Chinese side," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said in a statement.

: India on Saturday made it clear that it was boycotting China's much-touted Belt and Road Forum (BRF).In a strongly-worded statement, issued hours before the opening of the forum in the Chinese capital, the Ministry of External Affairs said the connectivity initiative must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity.Communicating its reservations about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship project of the all-weather allies, which India thinks doesn't address its concerns, the PTI reported."Regarding the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is being projected as the flagship project of the BRI/OBOR, the international community is well aware of Indias position. No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.Noting that India has received a formal invitation to participate in the six separate forums that China is organising as part of the Belt and Road Forum being held in Beijing on May 14-16, he said India is of the firm belief that connectivity initiatives must be based on universally recognized international norms, good governance, rule of law, openness, transparency and equality."Connectivity initiatives must follow principles of financial responsibility to avoid projects that would create unsustainable debt burden for communities; balanced ecological and environmental protection and preservation standards; transparent assessment of project costs; and skill and technology transfer to help long term running and maintenance of the assets created by local communities," he said.Indian officials maintain that New Delhi has objections related only to the CPEC traversing through Gilgit and Baltistan of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).(With inputs from PTI)
Although the Indian leader is not here, India will have a representative," Wang had told journalists here on April 17 without specifying who would be representing India.

While this is the outcome of hectic diplomatic lobbying by China, unlike India, none of the other countries have sovereignty-related issues with the One Belt and One Road initiative.

Indias decision to skip the meeting came after a year of bilateral discord over Chinas stubborn opposition to Indias entry into the NSG and a UN ban against Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Muhammad leader Masood Azhar.

India will give China's highly touted One Belt One Road Summit, slated to start this Sunday, a miss in the light of sovereignty concerns related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). A flagship programme that solidifies China's all-weather ally, Pakistan, CPEC is expected to remain dominant in the two-day meet.Without any official word, PTI quoted informed sources as saying that India will skip the meeting, contrary to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's announcement that India will have a representative at the Belt and Road Forum (BRF), a prestigious initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping.It was a tough call for India to make as China in the last few days has managed to rope in a number of western countries, including the US, which on Friday agreed to send a top official after Washington clinched a lucrative trade deal.Playing down Indias absence at the meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told the media on Friday that Indian scholars would be attending the meeting.Japan, at the receiving end of strong criticism from China in the last few years, particularly over the disputed islands in the East China Sea, has also agreed to send a high-level political delegation that includes a vice-minister.The May 14-15 summit, which is expected to strengthen Xis power base as he gets set to begin his second five-year tenure later this year, will be attended by 29 heads of state and government, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.A number of other countries, including South Korea, France, Germany and UK, have deputed either ministerial or official delegations.Considering CPECs importance in the plan  it is the only project at present with prospects of delivering early results  Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to take centrestage to highlight its significance as a game changer for his country.He is leading perhaps the largest delegation  four chief ministers and five federal ministers.China-Pakistan Friendship Association President Sha Zukang has told the official media that China has already committed $46 billion Chinese investments for various energy and infrastructure related projects in Pakistan.Besides Sharif, the only head of government to be represented at the summit will be Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe who will be attending the meeting after hosting his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at home.Sri Lanka has over $8 billion Chinese investments.From Nepal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Krishna Bahadur Mahara will lead the delegation. Bangladesh and the Maldives will also have official representations. Bhutan has no diplomatic relations with China.China, too, protested Indias decision to permit the Dalai Lama last month to visit Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as South Tibet.In the last few days, China has tried to assuage Indias feelings by asserting that the commercial corridor will not have any impact on its stand that the Kashmir issue should be settled by India and Pakistan through dialogue.About B & R, Indian officials maintain that New Delhi has objections related only to the CPEC traversing through Gilgit and Baltistan of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) though the project is of strategic concern.Indias worries over a 3,000-km long project connecting Pakistan's deep-water port Gwadar and Chinas Xinjiang stem from the fact Gwadar, which was taken over by the Chinese, will become a future naval base.The Gwadar port opposite the Mumbai's port housing the Indian Navys western naval command provides a berth for China in the Arabian Sea and to the Indian Ocean.China has already announced plans to station its marines there as well in Djibouti in Horn of Africa in Indian Ocean.(with PTI inputs)
New Delhi: Police on Friday arrested a man who allegedly tried to kill the husband of a woman he used to stalk. After he was arrested, he told the police that he was inspired by Shah Rukh Khan's act in Bollywood movie "Darr".



After Vivek Kumar Aggarwal, 37, got to know that police had launched a manhunt for him, he attempted to commit suicide by consuming sleeping pills and was admitted to a hospital.



However, he was arrested on Saturday, police told PTI.



Vivek, who was working as a real estate agent in Kirti Nagar, had first come in contact with the woman in 2012 (she was still unmarried).



He later fell in love with her and wanted to marry her, police said, adding that he initially started following her without her knowledge.



He managed to get her number from the firm she worked for and started messaging and calling her. Initially, she didn't pay attention but once he sent her something suggestive, she blocked him, they added.



In December, the woman got married and then Vivek decided to kill her husband, police said.



The 37-year-old tried to kill her husband in February by allegedly shooting him, but the latter escaped unhurt.



On April 20, the accused again attacked the woman's husband while he was near his house in Vijay Vihar, police said.



A case was filed then and a team led by Abhinendra, SHO of Vijay Vihar police station, began investigating the case.



In order to throw police off-track, Vivek even posted a letter to the woman's house claiming to be the sister of a woman, who had committed suicide after the husband had "impregnated" her, police said.



He changed residence and even consumed sleeping pills in an alleged suicide attempt, but the law caught up with him.



Police, however, managed to zero in on Vivek, and he was arrested after being discharged from a hospital following his alleged suicide attempt on Friday.



He told the police that he was a fan of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan and had seen Darr several times.


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Pakistan may not accept the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which has stayed the execution of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, a media report has said.According to Dunya News, Attorney General of Pakistan was on Friday briefed on Jadhav's case after the Hague-based ICJ stayed the execution of the 46-year-old Indian, who has been sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of "spying".In the briefing, it was stated that Pakistan does not accept the international courts jurisdiction to order the state of Pakistan on issues that involve its national stability, the channel said.An expert on international law said Pakistan could raise the issue of jurisdiction before the ICJ, citing a 1999 case pertaining to the shooting down of an Atlantique aircraft in which India had refused to accept the courts jurisdiction on the pretext that it could not hear cases related to disputes between the Commonwealth countries.India, in its appeal to the ICJ, has accused Pakistan of "egregious" violations of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and asserted that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he was involved in business activities after retiring from the Indian Navy but Pakistan claimed to have arrested him from Balochistan on March 3, 2016.Jadhav was sentenced to death for "espionage and subversive activities".India acknowledges that Jadhav had served with the Navy but denies that he has any connection with the government. It also said that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran. India has also handed over to Pakistan an appeal by Jadhav's mother, initiating a process to get his conviction overturned.The ICJ will hold public hearings in the case on Monday "The hearings will be devoted to the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by India," the ICJ had said in a release.India had told ICJ that Jadhav "will be subjected to execution unless the court indicates provisional measures directing the government of Pakistan to take all measures necessary to ensure that he is not executed until th(e) Court's decision on the merits" of the case.India also pointed out that Jadhav's execution "would cause irreparable prejudice to the rights claimed by India".Earlier, the ICJ president had written to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, saying, "In my capacity as president of the court,... I call upon Your Excellency's government, pending the court's decision on the request for the indication of provisional measures to act in such a way as will enable any order the Court may make on this request to have its appropriate effects."(With PTI inputs)
Kathmandu: Nepal has formally inked a major deal with China to join President Xi Jinping's ambitious 'One Belt One Road' initiative to link Asia with Europe, a move that could raise concerns in India.



The long-discussed deal between Nepal and its much bigger neighbour comes just days before China hosts a summit for 28 leaders near Beijing on May 14 and 15, showcasing the ambitious plan.



Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Yu Hong and Nepal's Foreign Secretary Shankar Bairagi signed an MoU at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kathmandu. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Minister for Foreign Affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat were present during the signing ceremony.



"This agreement will bring Nepal and China closer through road connectivity and bring home the Chinese investment," Mahat said.



"With the signing of the MoU, a new chapter has begun in the area of foreign investment and trade promotion," he said, adding Nepal would reap benefits from the Chinese project which would expand to Europe and Africa. "Nepal needs the maximum investment and we want Chinese investment channelled in Nepal through this new project."



"Nepal would benefit from this important project initiated by China and that this should be taken as a significant achievement of Nepal's development endeavour," Bairagi said.



Yu expressed hope that the project would contribute to enhancement of China-Nepal cooperation as well as to the economic development of the South Asia region itself.



The One Belt, One Road Initiative (OBOR) spearheaded by President Xi Jinping would see 60 percent of the global population and around a third of global GDP-linked through a network of Chinese-bankrolled ports, railways, roads and industrial parks.



The deal will see China plough money into Nepal for a series of projects including boosting its road network, power grid and a new railway connecting the capital Kathmandu with Lhasa in Tibet.



Nepal signing the deal with China may cause concerns in India, which has opposed Beijing's initiative. India has reservations over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, part of the OBOR, as it is proposed to pass through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.



India, which has traditionally enjoyed great economic and political ties with Nepal, has faced increasing competition from China in recent years.



Landlocked Nepal relies heavily on imports from India and completely on Indian ports for sea access.



Analysts have also expressed concerns over the Asian giant's attempt to take a lead in global commerce, cautioning that an integrated world trade system where China's Communist party sets the rules could come with serious risks and hidden costs.



New York-based Fitch Ratings said that political motivations might trump "genuine infrastructure needs and commercial logic", leading to "a heightened risk of projects proving unprofitable".



Struggling countries could be saddled with Chinese loans requiring payment regardless of project performance, Fitch Ratings said.



(With agency inputs)






Lucknow: The BJP government in Uttar Pradesh has decided to take the load off students and has declared Saturdays to be no-bag days in all state-run primary and secondary schools.



The students, instead, will engage in extracurricular activities aimed at strengthening ties between students and teachers, an official release issued by Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma said on Friday.



The state government also has plans to give more impetus to co-education.



The government will formulate a three-member committee, headed by secretary (basic education), to prepare a digital database of all teachers, so as to eliminate any traces of corruption in schools administration.



The department has also decided that the power of settling any dispute in the management committee would now rest with a registrar of chit fund society, rather than the district school inspector. Sharma has directed the Chief Secretary (Education) to prepare a proposal on the same and submit it within a week.



Additionally, the state government has also asked the principal secretary to ensure that teachers are not made to do any extra work, other than help during census, election and during a natural calamity. The Teacher Transfer Policy, as set by the Haryana government, was also discussed during the meeting.
Kolkata: The red beacon has been finally removed from the car of Noor-Ur-Rehman Barkati, the Shahi Imam of Kolkata's Tipu Sultan Mosque.



According to sources, the lal batti was removed by Kolkata Police forcefully.



However, PTI reported that Barkati voluntarily got it removed. "No, there was no political pressure on me to remove the red light. How will political parties put pressure on me? I am the Shahi Imam and will follow the law," Barkati told PTI.



This comes after a case has been registered against Barkati for using red beacon. The case was registered in Topsia police station after a complaint by a BJP leader.



Barkati had earlier told CNN-News18 that he will not stop using red beacon come what may. He also claimed that it's not something that can be enforced.



I don't think this even matters. It is pointless. There are red beacons everywhere, on top of planes, then why not cars? Barkati had said.



He said he'll stop using red beacon only when everyone else does so too.



The cleric further claimed that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has given him the permission to use red beacon and that Shahi Imam has been given the nod by the erstwhile British government.



There is no point. After a few days everyone will be using it again. Even Mamata didi has done it. But nobody will follow it for long. Their (Centre's) own ministers won't follow, he said.



BJP leader Sudhanshu Mittal said it is preposterous for anyone to claim himself to be above law. Such people are being patronised by the political leaders of West Bengal. It speaks volumes of the kind of administration there is in the state. The politics of appeasement has crossed all limits. Here is a man who openly defies the law, who openly propagates violence saying any Muslim who joins RSS or BJP must be thrashed, he added.



(With PTI inputs)
Mumbai: Bollywood fashionista and actress Sonam Kapoor, along with sister Rhea Kapoor, launched their first-ever fashion brand 'Rheson' here on Friday. Rhea revealed that it was originally Sonam's idea to have their own brand.



At the launch event Rhea, who has been styling Sonam for quite some time, was asked whose idea it was to come up with a fashion brand and instantly said: "It was Sonam."



"Many brands had approached Sonam for endorsement. They wanted to design and start a fashion line with her. But then Sonam came and told me 'Lets make our own brand. Lets do it right'," said Rhea, adding she was the 'Rhe' part of Rheson.



"It has to be authentic. There is no point giving your name to something when you are not designing it or not being part of it. Specially if it is fashion," asserted Sonam, the 'son' part of 'Rheson'.



Sonam, in a statement, said: "We wanted to work on something that is owned by us and had our personal touch on every level. The key to the birth of Rheson was to give girls a platform wherein they do not have to spend money to look stylish.



"It's like accessible, affordable glamour. We did not wish to create a couture brand. Our forte lies in the fact that our clothes should become your best friends."



The 'Neerja' actress also said that the reason behind campaign #NoRhesonICantQueue! is to empower women.



"We want to empower women. There is no such thing in this world which women can't achieve. If we put our heart and mind into it, there are no boundaries. Five years back when we started, it was just an idea to have our own brand. And today this idea has come to a fruition so there is no reason that you can not achieve anything," she told media on the occasion.



Asked about Cannes, Sonam said: "It will be very special. My sister will be designing for me. We always try to do something new, some India story."



Asked if any specific theme would be seen, she just said: "You just have to wait and watch."



Sonam, who will next be seen in Veerey di weddding, also said that the film's shoot will start soon.
Image: Youtube/ A still from the trailer of Alien: Covenant





The franchise has gone through a lot but Alien: Covenant feels like a return to both Scott and the originally meant status of the series: a rigid sci-fi horror movie, featuring ferocious, acid-dripping space crustaceans, an evil robot and a bunch of dead-meat crew members.



In short, the film follows suit its 1980 original in thrills and chills combined, which is a relief too. However, if one is expecting some path breaking sci-fi show, this might feel like a letdown. The personal enjoyment you derive from the film probably depends on what you thought of Scotts 2012 semi-prequel, which essentially was a high-minded sci-fi chiller that presumed to explain the origins of not just the Alien series but of mankind itself.



Scott teased as much by suggesting that the off-canon entry contained the DNA of the Alien series, though its creatures werent nearly as scary and the mission was ultimately seen as a disappointment for the franchise fans. Maybe that was the reason that Scott took a step back and brought the much-loved gruesome nostalgia which you can't help but get scared, despite knowing what might be up next.



Go for the film to get a scary dose of nostalgia and you will come out with a certain satisfaction, otherwise just re-watch the classic and assume what all mystery lies of humankind in space.



Ratings:3/5







Ridley Scott defined Sci-Fi horror in the times of mushy, figurine science fantasy of Star Wars. In 1980, Scott gave the world what would become a cult in Alien pathogens and a spine-chilling edge of the seat thriller. Then, revisiting his world, he introduced the prequel of his grumsy Alien in 2012 with Prometheus. Again, he revisits the same genre with the sequel to Prometheus with Alien: Covenant and much to fans rejoice, doesn't disappoint. A full onslaught film brings up the thrill of the Alien which Prometheus failed to abide, despite being entertaining.Alien: Covenant takes place 10 years after the event of Prometheus, where a colonising spaceship carrying around 2000 breeders in hypersleep and hundreds of preserved human embryos. The ship is headed to Origen 6, a fully tested planet until ship's captain decide to follow a ghost signal and starts off an ill-fated event that shaped the entire franchise, more or less. This latest chapter is essentially a Prometheus sequel with aliens in it. Though the current movie is named for its spaceship, the Covenant, its plot concerns what became of Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbenders Prometheus characters, Elizabeth Shaw and renegade robo-butler David, after they escaped a planet that looked like an insidiously dangerous version of Iceland.
Image: Yogen Shah

: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan didn't attend the launch of the first song from his forthcoming film Tubelight on Friday. He is busy shooting for Tiger Zinda Hai in Abu Dhabi, says director Kabir Khan.Kabir, who has helmed Tubelight, attended the launch with composer Pritam, lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya and choreographer Remo D'souza, among others here.Asked why Salman wasn't present on the occasion, Kabir said: "Salman is busy shooting in Abu Dhabi for his film Tiger Zinda Hai. When he will come back, we will meet again."He added: "We will be leaving for Dubai to promote the music this month and release the trailer on May 24."D'souza said he enjoyed working with Salman along with 1000 dancers for the song, Radio.Pritam added: "I tried to capture the 1960s' era in the musical arrangement as the film is set in that time. I did the instrumentation of the song accordingly. Since I've been working with Kabir for quite some time, I understand his musical sensibility better."Asked why he chose radio as an element of the song, Bhattacharya said: "Radio was a very common and an important medium during that era, and how can I write 'DJ wala babu' for a 1960s' song?"Kabir confirmed that the film will release in China and that the team is processing for it.He also mentioned that the film is an adaptation of the 2015 movie "Little Boy"."Yes, it is the official adaptation of 'Little Boy'. Though the story of the boy was on a religious context, we love the seed of the idea and that is why we bought the rights of the story from the makers, and used it in our film that has war and history," said Kabir."Tubelight" is set to release on June 23.
New Delhi: The Delhi police on Saturday detained the Aam Aadmi Party MLA Sanjeev Jha, who tried staging a counter hunger strike in front of Kapil Mishra's residence. The police said that Jha tried to "break the public peace".



Kapil Mishra, on the other hand, has been sitting on an indefinite hunger strike protesting the corruption in the AAP.



"We have detained Sanjeev Jha, as he attempted to break the public peace," a senior police official told IANS.



The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator had not taken prior permission to sit on a hunger strike outside the Civil Lines house of Mishra, according to police.



The police detained Jha after he refused to back off from his decision to sit on protest.



Jha, a legislator from Burari, had on Friday announced he would sit on indefinite hunger strike against Mishra for his "defamatory allegations" against AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.



Mishra has been on hunger strike since Wednesday at his official residence, demanding that Kejriwal reveal the source of funding of the foreign trips of five AAP leaders - Sanjay Singh, Ashish Khetan, Satyendar Jain, Raghav Chadhha and Durgesh Pathak - in the last two years.



Mishra was removed as a Delhi minister a week ago in a sudden move and later suspended from the AAP.



Ankit Bhardwaj, the man who tried to attack sacked Delhi minister Kapil Mishra on Wednesday at his hunger strike site, had quit his job as a chartered accountant to work for the Aam Aadmi Party, police said.



Bhardwaj, a resident of Moti Bagh, had allegedly attacked Mishra and tried to grab his neck.



(With inputs from IANS)




In a two page letter to Gandhi, Chowdhury said, "I understand that the CM (Mamata) will be meeting you to discuss strategy for the Presidential elections. It is important to rope in support of all political parties to oppose a RSS-BJP nominee. At the same time, it is necessary to emphasise our abiding commitment to democracy and transparency."

Sources said, Chowdhury decided to write to the Congress chief after workers expressed anger over the possible meeting between Sonia and Mamata in Delhi. They alleged that party workers are being attacked by Trinamool supporters every day. "The central leadership instead of raising the issue are extending hands to the TMC chief. We condemn this," a state Congress leader told News18.

: West Bengal Congress President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Saturday expressed his discontent over party president Sonia Gandhi's possible meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to discuss the strategy for the Presidential elections.Chowdhury stressed that the Congress central leadership in Delhi should be careful while dealing with Mamata because most of the Trinamool leaders are under scanner in Narada and Saradha case."Under your leadership and guidance, Congress workers will continue to fight for democracy and secularism and oppose both TMC and BJP in the state," his letter reads.Chowdhury in his letter also said besides the history of cohabitation with BJP in the past, TMC has also been "soft on RSS, enabling RSS to spread its wings in the state.""We are committed to fight democracy. We are equally committed to fight for secularism. Both the objectives are equally important for us. Hence, our fight against undemocratic, dictatorial and corrupt TMC would continue together with our ideological commitment in favour of liberal and secular values and to defeat BJP," the letter further said.
Lucknow: Preparations are in full-swing for the International Yoga day to be held in Lucknow on June 21. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath are expected to grace the occasion, along with 50,000 yoga practitioners.



A meeting was presided over by the chief secretary, Rahul Bhatnagar, where the joint secretary of Ministry of AYUSH was also present, along with other medical education officials. The event is likely to be held under the auspices of the Centre and state government.



Chief Secretary Rahul Bhatnagar has asked authorities to make arrangements for at least 100 secondary education students from all over the state to participate in the event. The government will make all the fooding, lodging as well as the return arrangements for students.



Senior citizens, aanganwadi workers and around 500 divyangs will also be motivated to participate in the International Yoga Day celebrations. Participants will be given mineral water bottles, along with T-shirts specially designed for the event.



Bhatnagar has also directed officials to take all the necessary steps to streamline the mega event. Officials have been directed to inspect Ramabai Ambedkar ground and other possible sites which can be utilised for the event.



Participation of PM Modi in the International Yoga Day Celebrations is said to be certain. However, the authorities still await an official confirmation.



The Chief Secretary has asked the officials to set up a control room and nodal officers for PM Modi's visit. Also, a grand rehearsal for the event will be done on June 18 and 19 to ensure a smooth functioning on June 21.



Earlier, Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Government had not participated in the International Yoga Day celebrations for the last two years even when it was organised by different central departments at KD Singh Babu stadium in Hazratganj area of Lucknow. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP leaders and workers were active participants on both the occasions.



The United Nations General Assembly, after a call by the PM Modi in 2014, announced June 21 to be celebrated every year as International Yoga Day. The first International Yoga Day celebration was organised at Rajpath in New Delhi on June 21, 2015, in which representatives of more than 190 countries had participated. Last year, the International Yoga Day celebrations took place in Chandigarh.






Kolkata: The West Bengal government has announced a massive drive to attract investment in the state from foreign players.



The announcement was made at an administrative meeting on Friday where it was decided that officials from Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) would be sent to 19 countries over the six months.



State secretariat sources told News18 that the CM was 'desperate to bring investment'.



"Last year, she visited Germany but that trip failed to bring any noticeable investment in Bengal. This time she wants to move forward aggressively on this matter. She has already had a detailed meeting with IDC officials and prepared a blue print on land bank, tax slab, rebate etc, sources added.



The CM, during the meeting, asked IDC officials to meet potential foreign investors on a monthly basis.



Industry associations like Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (ASSOCHAM) are helping IDC. Over the next six months, IDC officials are set to visit Australia, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, South Africa, Japan, USA, Italy, Bangladesh, Taiwan, China, etc.



The IDC will write monthly reports on the progress made, which will be submitted directly to Mamata.



The CM has already come in the line of fire from the opposition leaders for failing to woo investors in Bengal.



According to Confederation for British Industry (CBI) and the UK India Business Council around 1.96 million jobs have been created directly by FDI from 2000 to 2015. During these years, Bengal got only 3% of its share in terms of FDI.



However, states like Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka got a FDI shares of 36%, 29% and 13% respectively.



This year, during Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS), representatives from 29 countries participated. A total investment of Rs 2.35 lakh crore was committed by the representatives in areas like transnational waterways, coastal zonal infrastructure, civil defence, transport, sports, heavy industry, electricity generation, and other sectors.
The election commission in Botswana has reportedly invited experts to hack into India-made EVMs, which are being considered for use in the general elections in the country in 2019. The move comes in after opposition leaders in Botswana rejected the introduction of the machines, citing allegations of security breaches, especially after the recent controversy in India.

"The Indian company will demonstrate how secured the EVMs are. The session is to be held on May 18. The Botswana government has also invited hackers in the country," said Ismail Akwei, a journalist with africanews.com, adding that the opposition coalition has decided to boycott the demonstration process, citing allegations made in India and by some other researchers.

: The raging debate in India over the possible tampering of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) has, it seems, spill over to the African continent.According to the journalist who broke the story in the African nation, the Botswana government is set to enter into an agreement with an Indian public sector company which manufactures EVMs.While News18 could not verify the authenticity of the account, but a Facebook page, said to be the official account of the Botswana government says, The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) with a team of experts from Bharat Electronics Limited of India will conduct a demonstration session on how the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) with the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) works on the 18th May 2017 at 08:30hours at Fairground Holdings. The session will be attended by Political Parties representatives, Information Technology (IT) experts, Political Analysts and Academics with expertise on IT, Media and Civil Society. The demonstration session will offer an opportunity for those with the knowhow to disrupt, hack and compromise the secure performance of the machines to do so. All those with the technical capability to hack the EVM are invited to come forward and register with the Project Coordinating Unit.In India, only two Indian PSUs manufacture EVMs  Bharat Electronic Limited (BEL) and Electronics Corporation of Indian Limited (ECIL).
The United Nations Security Council first imposed sanctions on North Korea in 2006 and has strengthened the measures in response to its five nuclear tests and two long-range rocket launches. Pyongyang is threatening a sixth nuclear test.

The UN Security Council North Korea sanctions committee has been meeting with regional blocs at the United Nations to push for enforcement of existing sanctions and assist countries with questions on how to implement the measures.

The United States is negotiating with Pyongyang ally China on strengthening UN sanctions. North Korea has in the past year stepped up its ballistic missile tests, firing dozens of various types of rockets, according to South Korea.

: North Korea made a global appeal in a letter released on Friday for states to reconsider enforcing UN sanctions on the Asian nation as Washington seeks to step up pressure on Pyongyang to end its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.In the letter to 192 UN members and two observer states - dated Thursday - North Korea urged them to "reconsider any of their implementation activities until the legality of those 'sanctions resolutions' are to be clarified."North Korea has repeatedly requested that an international forum of legal experts be established by the United Nations to clarify the legal basis for the UN sanctions.In a press statement attached to its letter, North Korea's UN mission accused the United States of trying to intimidate countries into fully implementing UN sanctions by "openly threatening that they would be faced with 'strong measures of sanction' by the US."North Korea argued that there would be no need for Washington to "beg or threaten" countries to implement the measures if the sanctions had a clear legal basis.US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson last month urged the Security Council to act before North Korea does.North Korea also sent a rare letter of protest to the US House of Representatives on Friday warning that a new package of tougher sanctions would only spur its development of nuclear weapons, North Korea's state media reported.Last month, North Korea reconvened the Foreign Affairs Committee, which was abolished in the late 1990s, in what analysts saw as an attempt to improve relations with the outside world amid its deepening isolation.
Islamabad: A Pakistani team will visit Nepal to probe the disappearance of a retired Pakistan Army officer from Lumbini near Nepal's border with India.



"A team comprising government officials from the Ministry of Interior will proceed for Nepal to examine the firsthand facts," the Nation reported.



Lt Col (Rtd) Mohammad Habib Zahir went missing soon after he landed in the Nepalese town of Lumbini last month where he was supposed to appear for an interview.





The family of the retired Pakistan Army officer has told police that he may have been kidnapped by "enemy spy agencies".



Saad Habib, a son of the missing officer, in an FIR said that his father was received by one Javed Ansari in Nepal who took him to Lumbini.



The Pakistani team will take the statement of Ansari, the host and airline officials/hotel management to assess as to who arranged the bookings etc, the daily said.



The team will seek any other information from fellow passengers or any other person concerned and also take statement of the police officer in-charge of the city/town from where he went missing, it said.





Zahir, who retired in October 2014 and belonged to artillery wing of the army, was currently employed with a private firm in Pakistan and had posted his CV online for employment.



A caller identified as 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.
While several presidents secretly recorded conversations without problems, the practice is most associated with Nixon. His recordings became prime evidence during the Watergate investigation that ultimately led to his resignation. Sooner or later, recordings are likely to become public.



Trump tweeted Friday that former FBI Director James Comey "better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press."





As a very active President with lots of things happening, it is not possible for my surrogates to stand at podium with perfect accuracy!....

 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017



James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!



 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017



Under a post-Watergate law, the Presidential Records Act, recordings made by presidents belong to the people and can eventually be made public. Destroying them would be a crime. The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, has already seized on the tweet and asked that Trump give Congress any recordings of conversations with Comey.



Trump "is emulating some of the worst aspects of Richard Nixon and for those of us watching from the outside, we have to ask why," said Naftali. "Why would he bring up the taping system? Why? I'm not saying he has one, but why would any president after Nixon even jest about a taping system?"



And at his New York office during the campaign, workers believed Trump had a system set up to record phone calls.



For the first time since an Oval Office taping system was removed by President Richard Nixon's chief of staff nearly 44 years ago, a president has hinted that White House conversations might again be secretly recorded. If so, President Donald Trump is following a problematic precedent."The lesson for presidents since Nixon was, do not tape your Oval Office conversations," said Timothy Naftali, a professor at New York University and the first federal director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California. "It can only get you in trouble."The extraordinary if ambiguous tweet came three days after Trump fired Comey, who was overseeing the bureau's investigation into Russian meddling in the presidential election and whether anyone in Trump's campaign was involved.Trump has rejected the probe as "fake news," and claimed Comey assured him at a dinner and in two phone calls that he wasn't under investigation. Comey hasn't spoken publicly since he was fired, but an associate said Trump's claims are puzzling, adding that Trump sought a loyalty pledge from Comey during the Jan. 27 White House dinner, which the ex-director declined to give.That and similar reports apparently led to Trump's tweet.White House spokesman Sean Spicer didn't comment when asked whether Trump recorded Comey or if recording equipment exists in the Oval Office.Federal law allows the secret recording of conversations so long at least one person in the conversation is aware of the recording. Trump's home state, New York, has a similar law. But in Florida, where Trump has his Mar-a-Lago estate, both parties must consent to any recording.There is a rich history of secret presidential recordings since Franklin D. Roosevelt. Tapes of John F. Kennedy in the Oval Office helped cement his reputation as a strong leader during multiple crises. Lyndon Johnson also recorded conversations.But Nixon's recordings are the most famous. His dismissal of a special prosecutor, Archibald Cox, who subpoenaed the White House for the president's tapes marked the beginning of the end of his presidency. Nixon chief of staff Alexander Haig had the recording system  complete with five listening devices in the president's desk in the Oval Office  removed on July 16, 1973, but it was already too late. Nixon resigned a year later.Trump worried about recorded conversations  and recording his own conversations  well before he got into politics, according to former Trump Organization executives.After Trump tweeted in March that President Barack Obama had ordered a wiretap on his phones in Trump Tower, three ex-employees told The Associated Press that as a businessman, Trump not only worried about possible listening devices in his phones and office but had also occasionally taped his own phone conversations. Trump once denied doing so."I would note that New York is a one-party consent state and President Trump has always abided by the law," said Sam Nunberg, a former campaign aide, referring to the law that permits taping conversations without the knowledge of one of the participants.
The Trump administration is foundering at breakneck speed these days, and it can feel overwhelming just trying to keep up.

#Russia

As I write this, less than 24 hours has passed since President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. This was a stunning development for all but a handful of senior officials in the White House.

#Russia

Already, The New York Times is adding more to this harrowing story. As Matthew Rosenberg and Matt Apuzzo report, just days before he was fired, Comey asked the Justice Department for a significant increase in resources for the bureaus investigation into Russias interference in the presidential election, according to four congressional officials, including Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois.

The very next paragraph: Mr. Comey made his appeal to Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, who also wrote the Justice Departments memo that was used to justify the firing of Mr. Comey this week, the officials said.

#Russia

Chances are that no matter when you are reading this column, more has already been discovered about Comeys firing. Just as surely, its bound to make us feel even worse about this Den of Disaster, formerly known as the White House  where, by the way, less than 24 hours after Comey was fired, Trump (presumably still president of the United States) met with #Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and #Russia Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

I do hope you had the chance to check out the photos of the three of them yukking it up in the Oval Office. Ho-ho, what fun.

Their gabfest was in the Oval Office (I mentioned that, right?), but it was closed to American journalists.

Lucky us, we got photos anyway.

From #Russia.

No joke.

Let us segue for a moment to Iowa, where Rep. Rod Blum, fresh off his vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act, surrounded himself with black schoolchildren, whom he quickly dumped after he didnt like a reporters question.

The ever-so-white 62-year-old Blum had insisted on verifying the residence of every person wanting to attend his town hall meeting later that day. Ill leave it to your imagination to wonder why.

#Russia

Blum got testy with a local reporter who asked about the residency requirement.

The brief exchange, in front of the young children, between KCRG-TV reporter Josh Scheinblum and Blum:

Scheinblum: Some would make the case that you represent all Iowans. The decisions that you make impact all Iowans. So shouldnt all Iowans have a voice at the table or at least have the option to?

Blum: Laughs. I dont represent all Iowans. I represent the First District of Iowa. Thatd be like saying, Shouldnt I be able to  even though I live in Dubuque  go vote in Iowa City during the election because Id like to vote in that district instead?

Scheinblum: Would you still take donations from a Republican in Iowa City?

Whell.

Im done, Blum said, standing up and yanking off his microphone as the children around him tried to figure out what was happening. This is ridiculous. Hes going to sit here and just badger me.

Congressman, come on, take a seat, Scheinblum pleaded.

Nope. Off he went.

Blum told The Washington Post: Well, we get there and we were ambushed. ... It was very apparent that he had an agenda. Its my right to say that this interview is over.

Remind me to wish the future former Rep. Blum well after next years midterms, OK?

In the meantime, I hope someone explains to the children, who were meant to be props, that just because Blum and the president act this way doesnt mean they should start treating fellow humans as discardable, too.

By the way, the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum has had it up to here with descriptions of Trump as Nixonian.

FUN FACT, the library tweeted this week. President Nixon never fired the Director of the FBI #FBIDirector #NotNixonian.

To which we can only reply: #Russia.

Schultz is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and professional in residence at Kent State Universitys school of journalism. Email her at con.schultz@yahoo.com.
InStyle by UWI

The show, InStyle was put together by the office of Institutional Advancement and Internationalisation, Fund-raising and Alumni Affairs, in collaboration with the Division of Student Services and Development.

The goal was to raise funds for student scholarships, as well as increase and maintain alumni affairs. It was also an opportunity to promote local talent in the fashion industry by giving designers a forum to showcase their work.

Some of the countrys fashion industry veterans as well as up and coming designers were featured.

The stunning pieces were designed for the evenings theme, Ocean Style, and showcased Indo and Afro-Trinidadian inspired styles as well as other pieces reflective of TTs cultural diversity. InStyle is the first major fashion show hosted by the university and is set to be an annual affair on the UWI social calender.

Guest performers included Mungal Patasar and Pantar, Len Boogsie Sharpe, Nailah Blackman and Akeem Preedy Chance. In attendance were Sharon Rowley and Tonya Rowley-Cuffy, wife and daughter of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, Minister of Community Development, Culture and The Arts Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly and Trade and Industry Minister Paula Goopee-Scoon.
There Was No Red Wave,

'That's for Darn Sure'
Michelle Obama slammed Trump administration efforts to delay or roll back her healthy-eating initiatives Friday, saying parents should "think about why someone is OK with your kids eating crap." The former first lady, speaking at a health conference in Washington, DC, said healthy school lunches should not be a partisan issue, NBC Chicago reports. "If we want to make this country great, our kids need to be healthy," she said. "Not some, but all." She urged parents to examine the motives of those opposing anti-childhood obesity measures. "You have to stop and think, 'Why don't you want our kids to have good food at school?" she said.

Earlier this month, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue, saying some new standards had "gone too far," took measures including postponing sodium restrictions and waiving whole grain requirements, the BBC reports. In her talk Friday, Obama rejected the criticism that her policies led to kids throwing away food. "How about we stop asking kids how they feel about their food because kidsmy kids includedif they could eat pizza and french fries every day with ice cream on top ... they would think they were happy, until they get sick," she said, per the AP. "You know what? Kids don't like math either. What are we going to do? Stop teaching math?" (Michelle Obama has ruled out a run for higher office.)
A longtime Los Angeles County sheriff was sentenced to three years in federal prison Friday by a judge who accused him of "blind obedience to a corrupt culture," the AP reports. According to KABC, Lee Baca, who served as sheriff for 15 years, was found guilty of obstructing justice for his role in a scheme to hamper an FBI investigation into alleged abuses at Los Angeles County jails. Guards were accused of beating inmates, and during an FBI investigation in 2011, deputies under Baca moved the FBI's prison informant to keep him from agents, told the informant and other deputies not to cooperate with the FBI, and threatened to arrest the lead FBI agent in an effort to intimidate her, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The three-year sentence for Baca, who's 74 years old and suffering the early stages of Alzheimer's, is one more than prosecutors requested and a far cry from an attempted plea deal of fewer than six months. Judge Percy Anderson was critical of Baca for not taking responsibility for his role in the obstruction plot, saying he would have sentenced Baca to five years in prison if not for his Alzheimer's. Your actions embarrass the thousands of men and women who put their lives on the line every day, Anderson told Baca during sentencing. After sentencing, Baca said it "was an honor" to serve Los Angeles County for more than 48 years. It's unclear where Baca will serve his sentence, which starts in July. He was the 21st person convicted in relation to the jail misconduct and ensuing obstruction. (Read more Lee Baca stories.)
"We thought LSD was going to change the world," the Telegraph quotes Nicholas Sand as saying. The man who estimates he manufactured enough acid for nearly 140 million doses during his lifetimeand who one law-enforcement officer once called "an icon in the world of illicit drugs"died of a heart attack April 24 in California, the New York Times reports. He was 75. Sand, the son of a chemist and Soviet Union spy who worked on the Manhattan Project, took his first acid trip in 1964back when LSD was still legal. During that first trip, he heard a voice tell him his "job on the planet" was to "turn on the world" through psychedelics. He heeded the voice, becoming a chemist in his own right.

Sand's Orange Sunshine was one of the "signature" drugs of the 1960s, with Timothy Leary calling it the best LSD out there. It was distributed by a group known as The Brotherhood of Eternal Love, and Sand became the "alchemist" of Leary's church, the League for Spiritual Discovery. Sand has said he wanted to bring "peace and love" to all people. "We thought LSD was going to change the world," the Telegraph quotes him as saying. After years on the run, Sand was imprisoned on drug and tax-evasion charges. He was released in 2001 still fully believing in the mission he was given on that first acid trip 37 years earlier. (Read more LSD stories.)
NASA says it has weighed President Trump's request to have astronauts on the maiden flight of its huge new rocketbut the price tag is too high. Acting NASA administrator Robert Lightfoot says it would cost up to $900 million more to have the Orion capsule crew-ready when it goes into space with NASA's Space Launch System "super rocket," CBS reports. Lightfoot says granting Trump's request would also further delay the first launch, which he says has already been pushed back from late 2018 to some time in 2019. A study found that adding astronauts would be "technically feasible," but "we decided that the baseline plan we had in place was the best plan," Lightfoot told reporters Friday.

NASA plans to send the rocket beyond the moon, and it says not having astronauts on board will allow them to push it much harder during its three-week maiden flight, reports Popular Mechanics. Lightfoot says the plan is still to have astronauts in an upgraded version of the Orion capsule in a second flight scheduled to take place two years after the first. The Space Launch System is the centerpiece of NASA's plan to have humans on Mars by the 2030s, though critics including Newt Gingrich, who has advised Trump on space issues, believe that with private companies like SpaceX working on reusable rockets, the SLS might be obsolete by the time it launches, the New York Times reports. (Read more NASA stories.)
Leonardo DiCaprio and a new accent of his will star in a movie about undercover detective Giuseppe Joe Petrosino, famed for attempting to investigate the mob in Manhattan around the turn of the 20th Century, but also for serving as the namesake of a park that was once ground zero for the NIMBY Citi Bike fights.

The Post reports that DiCaprio will aim for another Oscar in The Black Hand, which is based on the Stephan Talty book of the same name. No one else is attached to the film at the moment, but Paramount has agreed to distribute.

Petrosino, who immigrated from Italy to New York as a child, joined the NYPD under then-police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt in 1883, and founded its Italian Squad, which focused on policing the Italian Mafia. He notably worked to bust the Italian Black Hand gang, hence the name of the book.

In 1909, Petrosino was assassinated while on assignment in Palermo, Sicily; his murder remained a mystery until 2014, when investigators in Sicily discovered he was executed as part of a mob hit put out by a prominent member of the Sicilian Mafia.

The city named a very small square in Soho after Petrosino, which, in 2013, was one of the first spots to get a Citi Bike docking station. Some neighbors were not happy the bikes took up so much space in the park and took the matter to court, but the Department of Transportation ultimately got to keep the rack there. This is a full circle story for Leo, who was once famously photographed on a Citi Bike.
New South Korean president Moon Jae-in was sworn in this week, but it was his bodyguard whoin the words of BuzzFeedhad the internet "feeling the thirrrrrst." Twitter users were quick to notice a handsome face hanging around in photos of the new president. "If I charge towards the South Korean president, will this bodyguard tackle me?" one Twitter user asks "for a friend." Others are composing fan fiction about Moon's bodyguard, describing him as a "square-jawed serious romantic lead," according to the New York Post.

The Post identifies the good-looking bodyguard as 36-year-old Choi Young-jae, a member of Korea's Special Warfare Command and married father of two daughters. But fans in South Korea are calling him "Face Hegemony" because he'll "lead the way for the new president" through handsomeness, Quartz reports. But it's not just him, South Koreans are describing Moon's entire cabinet the "handsome brigade" while looking forward to life under the new "reign of beauty," according to Next Shark. (Moon better hope his bodyguard is as competent as he is photogenic, as he's said he's willing to visit North Korea in search of peace.)
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PORT CANAVERAL, Florida - An Executive Order signed by President Donald J. Trump on Friday titled "Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States" which temporarily bans entry of foreign nationals from seven countries that are linked to terrorism triggered both protests and detentions on Sunday at Port Canaveral, Florida.





Seven people returning from Royal Caribbean Cruise were detained after they disembarked the ship around 10 a.m. on Sunday due to their ties with Syria. All seven were released around 4:30 p.m. after a background check determined that they all were legally permitted to be in the United States.









"In applying the provisions of the president's executive order, I hereby deem the entry of lawful permanent residents to be in the national interest," Secretary of Homeland Security, John Kelly said in a statement on Sunday regarding similar detentions that occurred this weekend at ports and airports across the U.S. as a result of Trump's travel ban.





"Accordingly, absent the receipt of significant derogatory information indicating a serious threat to public safety and welfare, lawful permanent resident status will be a dispositive factor in our case-by-case determinations."





The Department of Homeland Security noted in a statement that " ... less than one percent of the more than 325,000 international air travelers who arrive every day were inconvenienced while enhanced security measures were implemented. These individuals went through enhanced security screenings and are being processed for entry to the United States, consistent with our immigration laws and judicial orders ... No foreign national in a foreign land, without ties to the United States, has any unfettered right to demand entry into the United States or to demand immigration benefits in the United States."





"Only 109 people out of 325,000 were detained and held for questioning. Big problems at airports were caused by Delta computer outage,protesters and the tears of Senator Schumer," President Trump tweeted Monday morning. "Secretary Kelly said that all is going well with very few problems. MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN! There is nothing nice about searching for terrorists before they can enter our country. This was a big part of my campaign. Study the world!"

There is nothing nice about searching for terrorists before they can enter our country. This was a big part of my campaign. Study the world!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2017

As the cruisers were being released from detention, several dozen protesters arrived at Exploration Tower to protest President Trump's travel policy on Sunday afternoon.
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New Delhi:

There is speculation that Rajinikanth's next film with director Pa Ranjith will be based on the life of Mumbai late underworld don Haji Mastan Mirza but as of now sunder Shekhar, man claiming to be late Haji Mastanas adopted son has sended a notice to Rajinikanth wher he has asked the actor not to depict Mastan as a smuggler & don.



In a video message he said aMr Rajinikanth, it is good that you have decided to make a film on Haji Mastan. But remember if Haji Mastanas image is projected as a villain in your upcoming movie, then you (Rajinikanth) and your team have to pay the price. Our party workers will not leave you, they will create some trouble for youa.A

He also warned actor through a letter saying aDepicting him as smuggler and underworld don is highly unacceptable and defamatory. He was never convicted in any court for smuggling or underworld activities,a.

Don't call him don, he was businessman. If you don't know I'll tell: Sunder Shekhar, claims to be Haji Mastan's son on notice to Rajinikanth pic.twitter.com/7wy1p9TjtF a ANI (@ANI_news) May 13, 2017

Haji Mastan Mirza, who hailed from Tamil Nadu was a businessman and founder of Bharatiya Minorities Suraksha Mahasangh. However, the letter and the video are being monitored by Mumbai police officials but the cops have not issued any statement.





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Kolkata:

A life-size statue of the megastar has been installed at a temple here by All Bengal Amitabh Bachchan Fans' Association, as Amitabh Bachchan's "Sarkar 3" hit the screens on Friday.

The statue has been sculpted by Subrata Bose.

"We have installed the 25-kg statue at a temple dedicated to Bachchan after offering prayers for his film's success, "ABFA state secretary Sanjay Patodiya said.

"The six-feet-two-inches tall fibre glass statue is a bit higher than the actual height of the Shahenshah. We did it to make it visually appealing", he added.

Read more: Yess!! Amitabh Bachchan to play Rishi Kapoor's father in their upcoming movie

Fans on Friday, including members of the association, turned out in large numbers dressed as Bachchan's character, Subhash Nagre, from the Ram Gopal Varma-directed movie.

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New Delhi:

Actor Rajkumar Rao is very happy to do back-to-back romantic comedies after he has done a series of serious roles.

Trapped did take a mental and physical toll on me. It was a very taxing film to do. While Behen Hogi Teri and Bareilly Ki Barfi are fun films. But my commitment towards my work is the same. I had to learn the accent, work on the character but it was all fun this time, Rajkummar told PTI.

The 32-year-old actor says it was not a conscious decision enter the mainstream commercial space.

I feel fortunate and lucky that people are thinking of me in each and every genre. Behen Hogi Teri and Bareilly Ki Barfi are wonderful stories and I have good roles in both the films, he says.

The actor told that he is receiving good encouraging comments from industry people.

They are happy to see me in this avatar and they are saying I should do this often. But I dont have any plan... I do the work that I like.

Rajkumar is paired opposite Shruti Hasan in Behen Hogi Teri. The film is scheduled to release on June 2.

Ashwiny Iyer-directed Bareilly Ki Barfi features him along with Ayushmann Kurrana and Kriti Sanon and it will release on July 21.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi:

Aam Aadmi Party MLA Sanjeev Jha once again attempted to sit on hunger strike on Saturday afternoon despite repeated detention by the Delhi Police due to lack of permission.



AAP leader is attempting to stage a protest outside the residence of sacked minister Kapil Mishra in wake of corruption allegations levied by Mishra against AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal.



Earlier in the day, Delhi Police had detained Jha for staging the protest without permission. However, he seems to be determined to protest.



Kapil Mishra on Saturday wrote an open letter to AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Mishra has been sitting on fast in last four days.



Kapil stressed in the letter that unless Kejriwal reveals the details of the foreign visits of AAP leaders, he will not withdraw from fast.



Sacked leader also threatened that he is planning to reveal big facts in front of country on Sunday which will clear everything about foreign trips of AAP leaders. Kapil said that Kejriwal wont be able to maintain silence after the facts will be revealed.

Read | AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha along with his supporters detained by police en route hunger strike site for lack of permission

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New Delhi:

Aam Aadmi Party MLA Sanjeev Jha, who was planning to hunger strike to protest against allegations made by sacked AAP leader Kapil Mishra on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, arrested by police on account of lack of permission for carrying out hunger strike. Sanjeev detained by police along with his supporters.

Earlier in the day, Sanjeev said that he will protest outside the residence of former Water Minister Kapil Mishra. Sanjeev said that the allegations made against Kejriwal are false.

I will join Mishras protest if he provides credible evidence against Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal, said Sanjeev Jha.

Kapil Mishra on Saturday wrote an open letter to AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Mishra has been sitting on fast in last four days.

Kapil stressed in the letter that unless Kejriwal reveals the details of foreign visit of AAP leaders, he will not withdraw from fast.

Sacked leader also threatened that he is planning to reveal big facts in front of country on Sunday which will clear everything about foreign trips of AAP leaders. Kapil said that Kejriwal wont be able to maintain silence after the facts will be revealed.

Also read: AAP to KHAAP - Kapil Mishras open letters and Kejriwals farrago of distortions, misrepresentations, conceit and corruption

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New Delhi:

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has clarified its stand on a row over after it showed Akshai Chin as part of China in a textbook. NCERT said the map in which the error was observed was not of India but South East Asia.

"Chapter four, " Alternative Centres of Power", focuses on the European Union, ASEAN and China. The map which figures on page 56 is not a map of India, but a map of East and South East Asia. It was prepared by the University of Texas. The source of the map was mentioned at the bottom. The map states that Boundary representation is not necessarily authoritative," the NCERT said in a statement.

The map in a Class 12th Political Science textbook, ' Contemporary World Politics' showed Akshai Chin as part of China and the book was published in February 2007. The textbook covers major events in world politics since the beginning of the Cold War era.

NCERT has come under major fire for showing Aksai Chin coloured in the same yellow as China.

Akshai Chin is a border area which is long been claimed by India based on the internal survey of British-India govt. After the 1962 Indo-Sino war, the Chinese declared a unilateral ceasefire, withdrawing from Arunachal Pradesh but not Akshai Chin.

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New Delhi:

India is likely to boycott Chinas Belt and Road Forum (BRF) beginning in Beijing on Sunday in view of sovereignty concerns related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the initiative that is expected to figure prominently in the two-day meet.



While there is no official word with the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi declining to comment, informed sources told PTI that India may not take part in BRF. This is contrary to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yis announcement last month that India will have a representative at the meet, a prestigious initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping.



The likely boycott will leave India in a tight spot as China in the last few days has managed to rope in even the US, which on Friday agreed to send a top official after Washington clinched a lucrative trade deal.



It is a tricky situation for India because it cannot get any diplomatic dividend by attending it. On the contrary, it may be embarrassing for the Indian delegation to sit through the programme when CPEC is highlighted and may have to walk out, an Indian scholar attending the BRF meeting told PTI on the condition of anonymity.



Indian officials maintain that New Delhi has objections related only to the CPEC traversing through Gilgit and Baltistan of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). India treats the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir as its integral part.

Read | Nepal sign agreement on China's new 'Silk route' plan, One Belt One Road Initiative



Staying away from the meet may isolate India in the region as all countries in South Asiabarring Bhutan which doesnt have diplomatic relations with Chinawere participating, a top Chinese official in New Delhi had said last week. He had warned that New Delhis absence will not be constructive for bilateral ties.



Playing down Indias absence at the meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang had told the media yesterday that Indian scholars would be attending the meeting.



Japan, at the receiving end of strong criticism from China in the last few years particularly over the disputed islands in the East China Sea, has also agreed to send a high level political delegation that includes a vice minister.



The May 14-15 summit, which is expected to strengthen Xis power base as he gets set to begin his second five-year tenure later this year, will be attended by 29 heads of state and government, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.



A number of other countries, including South Korea, France, Germany and UK, have deputed either ministerial or official delegations.



While this is the outcome of hectic diplomatic lobbying by China, unlike India, none of the other countries have sovereignty related issues with the One Belt and One Road initiative.



Considering CPECs importance in the planit is the only project at present with prospects of delivering early resultsPakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to take centrestage to highlight its significance as a game changer for his country.



He is leading perhaps the largest delegationfour chief ministers and five federal ministers.



Besides Sharif, the only head of government to be represented at the summit will be Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe who will be in Beijing immediately after hosting his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at home.



From Nepal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Krishna Bahadur Mahara will lead the delegation.



Bangladesh and the Maldives will also have official representations.Indias stand on the meet comes after a year of bilateral discord over Chinas stubborn opposition to its entry into the NSG and a UN ban against Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Muhammad leader Masood Azhar.



China, too, protested Indias decision to permit the Dalai Lama last month to visit Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as South Tibet.



In the last few days, China has tried to assuage Indias feelings by asserting that the commercial CPEC will not have any impact on its stand that the Kashmir issue should be settled by India and Pakistan through dialogue.



Indias worries over the 3,000 km long CPEC project connecting Pakistans deep-water port Gwadar and Chinas Xinjiang stem from the fact that Gwadar, which was taken over by the Chinese, will become a future naval base.



The Gwadar port across the waters from Mumbais port housing the Indian Navys western naval command provides a berth for China in the Arabian Sea and to the Indian Ocean.



China has already announced plans to station its marines there as well in Djibouti in Horn of Africa in Indian Ocean.

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New Delhi:

In a shoking incident after a baby snake was found in the mid-day meal that was served to the children in Government Girls Senior Secondary School at National Highway-2 in Faridabad following which the Chief Minister's flying squad inspected six schools in the district to take stock of the situation.

The district administration has sent the sample for laboratory test in Chandigarh. The administration has also stopped other schools to serve the food as the same agency supplies the meal in 371 schools in the district.

The squad checked mid-day meals in schools at Uncha Gaon,Chandravali, Ahairvad and Tigaon Road in the district.

Haryana: A small snake found in mid-day meal at a Government Girls Senior Secondary School at NH-2 in Faridabad. (May 11). pic.twitter.com/G99n3tDTv7 a ANI (@ANI_news) May 12, 2017

"We took in writing about any short comings in the quality of food being served in their schools from the principals concerned," said Deputy Superintendent Dinesh Yadav.

#Visuals: A small snake found in mid-day meal at a government school at NH-2 in Faridabad, Haryana (May 11). pic.twitter.com/PlFqmNQrx3 a ANI (@ANI_news) May 12, 2017

Carrot sticks were found in the rice being served to the students, said Rajendra Singh, Assistant sub inspector in the squad. The report about the quality of the food has been sent to the chief minister, he added.



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New Delhi:

Demands to declare Pakistan a terror state were raised outside Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi by Jammu and Kashmir's National Panthers Party (NPP) on Saturday.



"Pakistan has made Jammu and Kashmir a living hell. Pakistan soldiers are ceaselessly indulging in ceasefire violations and also beheading our soldiers. Their dastardly actions have destroyed the state peace," said one of the protestor.



Citing the sufferings and death of innocent civilians, besides the attack on Indian troops, the demonstrators further added that such brutal acts will not be tolerated any more.



"Our government has not taken any stern action so far, which is why Pakistan has been so daring in beheading our soldiers. From the past three years Pakistan has enhanced the number of ceasefire violations. We blame it on government's foreign policy towards Pakistan," said another protester.

Read | Hizbul Mujahideen leader threatens to behead Hurriyat leaders for terming Kashmir struggle 'political'



Representatives at the protest asked Indian Government to take strong actions against Pakistan and hoped that international community would do the same, " How can one simply keep beheading the soldiers? What kind of policy is it? We are hopeful that the Government will not only take a strong action but the international community will also favour India in declaring Pakistan a terror state, " the protestors said.



The demonstrators shouted out slogans like 'Declare Pakistan a terror state' and were seen holding the placards displaying quotes like 'Down with Pakistan' jotted down on them.



Heavy police forces have been deployed outside the High commission to deal with the protestors.



Earlier in the day, Pakistan once again violated ceasefire and attacked Indian Army post in Nowshera sector of Jammu and Kashmir. The attack resulted in the death of two civillians.



"Pakistani Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars from 0715 hours along the Line of Control (LC) in Naushera sector," said an official statement.



The Indian Army posts are retaliating strongly and effectively and the firing is presently on.

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New Delhi:

A team of Delhi Police including DGP on Saturday reached at sacked AAP Minister Kapil Mishraas house to "forcefully" admit him in the hospital after doctorsa instruction.

Police is saying they have to take me away forcefully. I refuse. I need the second opinion, Mishra tweeted. A A

aDoctors have instructed us to admit Mr Kapil Mishra, our DCP is trying to convince him to get admitted. He will be admitted to the hospital as suggested by the doctors treating him,a said Delhi Police.

However, Mishra claimed that his physiological condition is fine and refused to accept the report of doctors directly reporting to Satyendra Jain.

He said this is the conspiracy against him before his big expose on Sunday.

My physiological condition is fine. I refuse to accept reports of doctors directly reporting to Satyendra Jain. a Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishraAAP)A May 13, 2017

aa aaaaa aa aa aaaaaa aa aaaa aaaa aaaaaaaaa aa aaaa aaaa aaa Doctors giving false reports while I am on camera absolutely fine a Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishraAAP)A May 13, 2017

doctors working under stayendra jain giving fake reports to end my fast a Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishraAAP)A May 13, 2017

Kapil Mishra is sitting on a aSatyagrahaa demanding AAP to reveal details of foreign visits of its leaders Ashish Khetan, Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chaddha and others.

Here are the live updates

#10:30 PM: A team of doctors from RML hospital arrives outside Kapil Mishra's residence

#10:00 PM: Doctors who gave this report are directly reporting to Satyender Jain. On camera, my sugar level is 87 and they are saying it's 58: Kapil Mishra

#9:50 PM: Kapil Mishra denies to follow orders from a doctor that reports to Satyender Jain. Mishra says won't budge unless a doctor of AIIMS or RML hospital recommends him to do so.A

#9:15 PM: Dr Bijendra of Aruna Asif Ali hospital says Kapil Mishra's only sugar levels are low but it is potentially a life threatening condition, thus he needs urgent hospitalisation

#9:00 PM: AA doctor from Aruna Asif Ali hospital arrives at Kapil Mishra's house for his health check up

#8:50 PM: Heavy Police deployment outside Kapil Mishra's house as he continues his Satyagrah.A

A

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New Delhi:

Haryana Police has arrested two accused in gruesome Rohtak gang rape case and a SIT has been formed for fast investigation in the case, said ADGP Law and Order, Muhammad Akil.

In a shocking incident, a girl was brutally gang-raped and murder by her alleged lover after she refused to marry him.

The mutilated body of the girl was found in an empty plot in Rohtak. The incident is said to have occurred on May 9.

"The victim was tortured and her body was mutilated after the gang rape. She was killed after being raped involving at least seven people. Her skull was smashed in a way which indicates that she was run over by a vehicle in order to hide her identity," the forensic team has stated.

The forensic reports also suggested that the victim was mutilated with sharp-edged weapons.

The distraught parents have claimed that this ghastly attack was carried out by the girl's neighbour and have demanded capital punishment for the rapists.

The horrible incident happened few days after the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence for 4 convicts in Nirbhaya gang rape case.

Two arrests have been made, SIT formed for fast probe in the case: ADGP Law and Order, Muhammad Akil on woman gangraped in Rohtak #Haryana pic.twitter.com/3A6eAQ91PF a ANI (@ANI_news) May 13, 2017

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New Delhi:

The Kashmir-based Hizbul Mujahideen on Saturday distanced itself from the statement of its commander Zakir Musa against the separatist leadership of Hurriyat Party, signalling a rift in the militant outfit which has been fighting for Jammu and Kashmirs annexation to Pakistan since 1989.



The outfit has neither got anything to do with the statement of Moosa nor the statement is acceptable to it, Hizbul Mujahideen spokesman Saleem Hashmi said in a statement from Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).



Terming Musas remarks in an audio slideshow that surfaced in Kashmirs social media as his personal opinion, Hashmi cautioned that any statement or step which will create confusion can prove a death knell for our struggle.



On Friday, a video had gone viral on social media which had a slide show of messages and quotes by international terrorists and philosophers with an audio message by Zakir Musa. In the message, Musa clearly states that the political struggle of Kashmir is not the same as Islamic struggle. He even threatened Hurriyat leaders that if they termed their struggle political Hizbul will chop their heads off and hang them in the middle of Lal Chowk in Srinagar.

Read | Hizbul Mujahideen leader threatens to behead Hurriyat leaders for terming Kashmir struggle 'political'

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Srinagar:

A top Indian Army officer has revealed that there are over 100 active militants in south Kashmir and army is conducting operations to comb them out.



According to a media report, the army official has said that south Kashmir has witnessed a spurt in terror activities.



Major General BS Raju, General Officer Commanding (GoC) of Victor Force which is responsible for security in south Kashmir, also said that the Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police are trying to dissuade the local youth from joining militancy by engaging with their families.



He said a full scale cordon-and-search operation, like the one conducted in Shopian recently, will be carried out only in places where the armys operations are hampered.

Read | Army to re-introduce CASO as 'permanent feature' of counter-terror operations in Kashmir



We get to listen that the situation is out of control. But it is very much in control, said Raju Behibagh after visiting the family of Lt Ummer Fayaz, who was abducted and killed by militants three days back while on leave.



I am aware of the presence of the militants in the area (south Kashmir) and I must tell you that because of the high vegetation that is there, they are having slight amount of freedom but we are doing operations in a way to restrict their movement and subsequently neutralize them, the GoC told reporters.



Several areas of south Kashmir, including Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian, have been witnessing repeated militant attacks on security forces in the recent months.



There have also been a number of incidents of weapon-snatching and stone-pelting, including by college students.

Read | Army assures family of Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz to punish perpetrators of crime



Responding to questions, Maj Gen Raju said there are more than 100 militants in south Kashmir and most of them are locals.



We are also ensuring that new recruitment is prevented and preventive operations are taking place wherein we are engaging with the families of the people and the students who are likely to get onto this track.



So, a joint effort is being made by the army, the police and the civil administration to ensure that this scourge of militancy does not spread, the army commander said.



He said while the situation is calm in general, there is little bit of agitation in few educational institutes which leads to some violence.



...The life is going on normally, the schools are functioning normally in 95 per cent of the schools. I visited many government schools. It is only a few schools where there is a little bit of agitation which leads to some violence because of the stone pelting that they are doing and because of the reaction of the police, Maj Gen Raju said.



He said students are filled with enthusiasm and want to move forward in life in which the army would provide them every support.



There are four to five colleges, 40-50 students who create ruckus. Some virus has entered them which we have to remove. I am sure that the summer will be peaceful, he added.

Read | Combing op in South Kashmir taking place to bring situation under control after recent bank loots, attacks on cops: Army Chief



Referring to the massive search operation conducted by the security forces in Shopian district on May 4, the army commander said such actions would be taken only at places where anti-militancy operations are interfered with.



The army is here for maintaining peace and we will make efforts so that peace prevails. We hear media reports that the army is conducting massive search operations. I want to say that we will launch such an operation only where we think that the situation is a bit bad or the place where there is interference in armys operation, he said.



At other places, specific intelligence-based operations will continue so that common people do not face any hardships, he added.



In view of Lt Fayazs killing, the army commander was asked whether there was any advisory like the one issued by the state police asking its personnel to refrain from visiting their homes for some time.



There is no such advisory but yes, we have said that anybody (local army man) who is coming into the areas (to visit their homes), he should inform the nearest army camp so that we can provide security to him, he said.

(With Inputs from PTI)

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Jammu:

The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday claimed to have busted a module of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which had been trying to revive militancy in the Chenab valley, with the arrest of seven persons, including an SPO and a former Territorial Army personnel.



The module was working to revive militancy in the Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban region of Jammu and Kashmir.



Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Jammu Zone S D S Jamwal told reporters here that the arrests were made by a special investigation team (SIT) formed after the attack on a police post in Doda on May 8, in which one special police officer (SPO) was killed and another injured.



Giving details, the IGP said that based on intelligence inputs the SIT had picked up some suspects and subsequently apprehended Abdul Rashid Harga alias Abdullah, a resident of Tanta.



Rashid had been an active member of LeT between 2001 and 2008 and had later surrendered. He was again arrested in 2013 and was released on bail in 2016.

Read | Indian Army conducts cordon-and-search operations to neutralise 100-plus active militants in south Kashmir



After sustained interrogation, Rashid confessed to his involvement in the (Doda) firing incident and disclosed the names of his two associateshis younger brother Showket Ali and Akthar Magary of Tanta, the IGP said.



Following their interrogation, four more persons



Bashir Ahmed, who was earlier part of Territorial Army, his nephew and SPO Altaf Ahmed, Shafqat Hussain and Hafizwere arrested.



An AK-47 rifle and three magazines and ammunition have been recovered from them, the IGP said.



He said that Rashid had been in contact with Bashir Ahmed of Bangraw-Gandoh, who was earlier working in the 139 Territorial Army Battalion in Thathri.



Bashir had asked his nephew Altaf Ahmed, who was working as an SPO in the police department in Doda district, to arrange a weapon.



The SPO had then stolen one AK-47 rifle and ammunition from the district police line in January. A case in connection with the weapon theft was registered at Doda police station.



The IGP claimed that Rashid was in direct communication with his Pakistani handler, Mohd Amin alais Khubeb alais Haroon alais Pinna of the LeT.



He said that Rashid, Akhtar and Shokat, on the direction of Khubeb, had been enticing youths of Tanta area to join the militancy.



The police officer said that Rashid had been regularly conducting meetings in various areas of the Chenab Valley and motivating former militants and those who had surrendered.

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New Delhi:

Pakistan on Saturday violated ceasefire with heavy mortar shelling in Nowshera sector of Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir. Two civilians dead, three others injured in ceasefire violation by Pakistan. The Indian Army posts are retaliating strongly and effectively. The firing is presently on. It is the third consecutive day of Pakistan violating ceasefire in J&K.

Pakistani Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars from 0715 hours along the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera sector, PRO, Ministry of Defence (MoD) Jammu- Lt Col Manish Mehta said.

The Indian Army posts are retaliating strongly and effectively, he said, adding that the firing is currently going on.

A BSF jawan suffered minor injuries yesterday when Pakistani Rangers violated ceasefire along the International Border and fired few bullets, warning the Indian troops working ahead of fence with a tractor in Arnia area in Jammu district.

BSF troops guarding the IB had also retaliated.

On May 10th and 11th, Pakistani troops resorted to mortar

shelling and firing of automatic weapons on civilian areas near the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir, killing a woman and injuring two people including husband of the deceased lady.

Two Pakistani soldiers were injured in retaliation by the Indian side.

In the wake of the Pakistani action in Naushera tehsil of Rajouri district, the schools in the area were closed down and an evacuation plan was activated under which over 1200 people from various border hamlets are being shifted to safer places.

After the Pakistani shelling, Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Nowshera tehsil had issued an order, directing closure of all schools in the area as a precautionary measure.

An evacuation plan has been put in place in view of the intermittent shelling and firing along LoC, the officer had said.

The shelling has affected five-six hamlets along the LoC including Sheri Makeri, Namakdali and Khamba since Wednesday night.

As many as 27 families have been affected due to the shelling in which many houses, and a school, have been damaged partially or severely, he said.

More than 40 farm animals are also reported killed in the firing, he added.

A woman, identified as Akhtar Bi, was killed in Pukharni village on Wednesday night. Her injured husband, 40-year-old Mohammad Haneef, has been given a compensation of Rs 1 lakh. Another villager also received minor injuries.

On May 11, Pakistan had summoned Indias deputy high commissioner in Islamabad to condemn the alleged ceasefire violation by India along the LoC in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir that killed a man and injured three others.

Also read: BSF jawan injured as Pak violates ceasefire in Arnia of Jammu and Kashmir

Also read: J&K: One killed as Pakistan violates ceasefire in Nowshera sector



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New Delhi:

The India Gate on Saturday saw an outpouring of grief and outrage over the abduction and killing of 22-year-old Kashmiri army officer Ummer Fayaz by militants.



Hundreds of army veterans, students and tourists took out a candle light march in his memory, with many voicing their demand for the death of the young lieutenant to be aavengeda.



aHis killing is condemnable. Each and every part of the society should condemn the incident and it should not be accepted at any cost. Stability should return to the valley. The path Fayaz chose should inspire the people,a former Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor said.



The march, that went around the India Gate circle, saw people raising slogans hailing his asacrificea. aBharat Mata ki Jaia rented the air along with cries condemning Pakistan and militant groups in the valley.



Many tourists who flocked the area also spontaneously joined the march in the evening.



The alumni association of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, where Fayaz studied before joining the Pune-based National Defence Academy, were among the marchers, along with members of the 124 infantry battalion of the Territorial Army.



aIf Kashmiris want to go with Pakistan, let them go. I am sure Kashmir will be left with nothing within a few months. A And if Pakistan does not abide by the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the Kulbhushan Jadhav case then the Indian Army should be given a chance to retaliate,a Captain (retd) Ravi Verma said.



He was referring to the Hague-based ICJ staying the execution of the 46-year-old Indian, who has been sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of aspyinga.



Lieutenant Fayaz, from the troubled region of Kulgam district, was posted with 2 Rajputana Rifles and had applied for leave to attend a cousinas wedding.



He was on leave when he was picked up from his house at Harmein in Kulgam, 60 kilometres from Srinagar, on Tuesday. A The body of the young officer was later found three kilometres from his house.



Fayaz, who studied at Navodaya Vidyalaya, a branch of government schools for gifted students, at Ashmuquam in South Kashmir, joined the Army after being commissioned in December last year. He belonged to the 129th batch of cadets from the prestigious Pune-based National Defence Academy.



This was for the first time that he had taken leave after joining the Army, a senior official said. He was supposed to have returned to his unit in the Akhnoor area of Jammu on May 25.

Delhi: People pay tributes to late army officer Lt. Ummer Fayaz at India Gate, he was abducted and killed by terrorists pic.twitter.com/lEtQVsgvqT a ANI (@ANI_news) May 13, 2017

A

Delhi: People pay tributes to late army officer Lt. Ummer Fayaz at India Gate, he was abducted and killed by terrorists pic.twitter.com/JpKUn7arq3 a ANI (@ANI_news) May 13, 2017

A

#WATCH Massive crowd turns up to pay tribute to late army officer Lt. Ummer Fayaz at Delhi's India Gate, abducted and killed by terrorists pic.twitter.com/QJWFBZENqj a ANI (@ANI_news) May 13, 2017

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New Delhi:

The head of Hizbul Mujahideen Zakir Musa on Saturday quit the terror outfit after the group refused to back his statement warning that separatist leaders would be beheaded for calling the Kashmir issue "political".



Musa announced his decision to quit through a fresh audio message released on social media.



Musa had taken over Hizbul after the killing of Burhan Wani in July last year.



"Following my last audio message, a lot of confusion is being spread in Kashmir. I stand by my speech and by my message," Musa said in the latest audio clip released on social media.



Earlier in the day, Hizbul Mujahideen distanced itself from the statement of Musa against the separatist leadership of Hurriyat Party, signalling a rift in the militant outfit which has been fighting for Jammu and Kashmirs annexation to Pakistan since 1989.



The outfit has neither got anything to do with the statement of Moosa nor the statement is acceptable to it, Hizbul Mujahideen spokesman Saleem Hashmi said in a statement from Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Read | Will consider giving security to Hurriyat leaders if they ask: J&K CM Mufti

Terming Musas remarks in an audio slideshow that surfaced in Kashmirs social media as his personal opinion, Hashmi cautioned that any statement or step which will create confusion can prove a death knell for our struggle.

Reacting to the statement, Musa said in his audio message: "Hizbul Mujahideeen has said that we have nothing to do with the statement of Zakir Musa. So, if Hizbul Mujahideen doesn't represent me then I too don't represent them. From today onwards, I have no association with Hizbul Mujahideen."



Musa, in his early 20s, said he had not said anything against a particular person or Hurriyat Conference Chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, "but I have spoken only against that individual who is against Islam and talks about freedom to establish a secular state".



"We are fighting for 'Azadi baraye Islam (Freedom for the sake of Islam)', I am fighting for freedom for the sake of Islam. My blood will spill for Islam and not for a secular state," he said.

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New Delhi:

The Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, condemning the killing of an RSS worker said the incident was very unfortunate and those behind it will be punished as per law.

Concerned persons have to be cautious to see that the situation is not turning worse. The government will make all efforts to bring the guilty before the law, he told reporters in Kannur.

For the past one year, there have been many instances of a tussle between ruling CPI(M) and RSS. Friday, an RSS worker Choorakad Biju was allegedly killed by a CPI(M) activist at Kannur district of Kerala.

After the incident, BJP demanded Governor Justice (Rtd) P Sathasivam to declare Kannur as a disturbed area and impose AFSPA.

Also Read: Kerala: RSS leader, accused of year-old murder of CPM activist, hacked to death

Union minister Giriraj Singh slamming the CPI(M)-led LDF government in Kerala said, There is no freedom of speech in Kerala. There is only terrorism and Gunda Raj prevailing here.

BJP had observed a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Kannur and nearby Mahe on Saturday to protest the killing of Choorakad Biju.

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Washington:

The Trump administration has blamed Pakistan for deteriorating Indo-Pak relations and warned that the ties might worsen if another "high-profile "terror attack emanates from across the border.

"Islamabad's failure to curb support to anti-India militants and New Delhi's growing intolerance of this policy, coupled with a perceived lack of progress in Pakistan's investigations into the January 2016 Pathankot cross-border attack, set the stage for a deterioration of bilateral relations in 2016," Daniel Coats, director of National Intelligence, told lawmakers during a Congressional hearing.

Testifying before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence along with top intelligence officials, Coats said the relations between India and Pakistan became more tense following two major terrorist attacks in 2016 by militants crossing into India from Pakistan.

"They might deteriorate further in 2017, especially in the event of another high-profile terrorist attack in India that New Delhi attributes to originating in or receiving assistance from Pakistan," Coats said in his testimony before the Senate committee on world wide threats.

Supporting India's pre-condition for bilateral talks on Islamabad stopping support to cross border terrorism, Coats said increasing number of cross-firing incidents along the Line of Control, including the use of artillery and mortars,might aggravate the risk of unintended escalation between the two countries.

"Easing of heightened Indo-Pak tension, including negotiations to renew official dialogue, will probably hingein 2017 on a sharp and sustained reduction of cross-border attacks by terrorist groups based in Pakistan and progress in the Pathankot investigation," Coats said.

Last year, heavily-armed terrorists sneaked in from across the border and attacked the Pathankot Air Force Stationin Punjab. The attack had claimed the lives of seven security personnel while four terrorists were killed.

Coats said Pakistan is concerned about its international isolation due to its dwindling position against India's rising international status, expanded foreign outreach and deepening ties with the US.

"Pakistan will likely turn to China to off set its isolation, empowering a relationship that will help Beijing to project influence into the Indian Ocean," said the top US intelligence official.

In his remarks ahead of the possible release of the Afghanistan policy of the Trump Administration, he said "Pakistani-based terrorist groups will present a sustained threat to the US interests in the region and continue to planand conduct attacks in India and Afghanistan."

"The threat to the US and the West from Pakistani-based terrorist groups will be persistent but diffuse. Plotting against the US homeland will be conducted on a more opportunistic basis or driven by individual members within these groups," he said.

Noting that Pakistan will probably be able to manage its internal security, he said anti-Pakistan groups are likely to focus more on soft targets.

"The groups we judge will pose the greatest threat to Pakistan's internal security include Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, ISIS-K, Laskhare Jhangvi, and Lashkar-e Jhangviai-Aiami," he said, adding that the emerging China Pakistan Economic Corridor will probably offer militants and terrorists additional targets.

"Pakistan's pursuit of tactical nuclear weapons potentially lowers the threshold for their use," Coats warned.

"Early deployment during a crisis of smaller, more mobile nuclear weapons would increase the amount of time that systems would be outside the relative security of a storage site,increasing the risk that a coordinated attack by non-state actors might succeed in capturing a complete nuclear weapon,"he said.

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New Delhi:

Nepal on Friday inked a major deal with China as part of its new Silk Road drive, a huge infrastructure project which will span 65 countries and is part of the Asian giants push to increase its global influence. The move which is capable of linking Asia with Europe, could however raise concerns in India.

The One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative spearheaded by Chinese President Xi Jinping, days ahead of a summit in Beijing is part of Chinas plans to build a modern-day Silk Road.

The OBOR forum will be held in Beijing on May 14 and 15. Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Yu Hong and Nepals Foreign Secretary Shankar Bairagi signed a MoU at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kathmandu.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Minister for Foreign Affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat were present during the signing ceremony.

This agreement will bring Nepal and China closer through road connectivity and bring home the Chinese investment, Mahat said.The agreement was important for Nepal in terms of expansion of road connectivity and construction of railways, he said.

Mahat expressed hope that the deal would help in attaining economic prosperity for the country.With the signing of the MoU, a new chapter has begun in the area of foreign investment and trade promotion, he said, adding Nepal would reap benefits from the Chinese project which would expand to Europe and Africa.

Nepal needs the maximum investment and we want Chinese investment channelled in Nepal through this new project.Nepal would benefit from this important project initiated by China and that this should be taken as a significant achievement of Nepals development endeavour, Bairagi said.

Yu expressed hope that the project would contribute to enhancement of China-Nepal cooperation as well as to the economic development of the South Asia region itself.

The MoU aims to forge cooperation on promoting connectivity of facilities, trade connectivity and financial integration, according to the Foreign Ministry statement. The OBOR aims to enhance connectivity and cooperation among countries, primarily between China and the rest of Asia and Europe through land as well as maritime routes.China had sent a draft proposal on OBOR to Nepal late in 2016.

After a month-long consultation, the Nepalese side had sent back the draft to Beijing with some changes.Nepal signing the deal with China may cause concerns in India, which has opposed Beijings initiative. India has reservations over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, part of the OBOR, as it is proposed to pass through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

India, which has traditionally enjoyed great economic and political ties with Nepal, has faced increasing competition from China in recent years. Landlocked Nepal relies heavily on imports from India and completely on Indian ports for sea access.

With PTI inputs

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Washington:

According to a former FBI agent Osama bin Laden's son Hamza is poised to lead a stronger, larger al Qaeda and is "bent on avenging" his father's death.

The agent is familiar with the personal letters seized in a dramatic US raid that killed the al Qaeda leader in Pakistan's Abbottabad.

Hamza, about 28 year old now, wrote those letters when he was 22 and had not seen his father bin Laden in several years.

Ali Soufan, the former FBI agent who was the bureau's lead investigator of al Qaeda after the 9/11 attacks, told CBS News the letters reveal Hamza to be a young man who adores his father and wants to carry on his murderous ideology.

The letters collected in the raid by helicopter-borne USNavy SEALs at a secure high-walled compound in Abbottabad, agarrison town north of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, in May 2011 have now been declassified.

Only a handful of US military and senior officials aroundthen US President Barack Obama knew of the raid that was reportedly in the planning for months.

For a new episode of '60 Minutes' on the network, Soufan described one of those letters from Hamza: "He tells himthat...he remembers 'every look...every smile you gave me,every word you told me.'

"Hamza also wrote this: "I consider myself to be forged in steel. The path of jihad for the sake of God is what we live.

"Soufan said Hamza's potential as a leader was recognised years ago when he was still a boy. He was used in propaganda videos, sometimes holding a gun.

"He was a poster kid for the al Qaeda...and for membersof al Qaeda, who were indoctrinated with these propaganda videos, he means a lot to them," Soufan said.

This January, the US named Hamza a "specially-designatedglobal terrorist" - the same classification bin Laden had. He even sounds like his father, said Soufan.

"His recentmessage that came out, he delivered the speech as if it's hisfather...using sentences, terminology that was used by Osamabin Laden."

Hamza has recorded four audio messages in the last two years. "He's basically saying, 'American people, we're coming and you're going to feel it.

And we're going to take revenge for what you did to my father...Iraq... Afghanistan'...the whole thing was about vengeance," Soufan said.

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When the state attorney general recently asked Connecticuts highest court to revive the lawsuit brought by Sandy Hook families against Remington Arms, it might have appeared that he was taking sides.

Instead, Attorney General George Jepsen was demonstrating that the families longshot lawsuit has broader implications than holding the nations oldest gun maker liable for Connecticuts worst crime.

Jepsen objects that a lower-court judge dismissed the lawsuit in 2016 because the families didnt have a direct business relationship with Remington. Jepsen says the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act does not require a direct relationship in order to seek relief, and that the dismissal will discourage people from seeking justice in other product liability cases.

CUTPA should be construed liberally to effectuate its public policy goals, writes the attorney general in a nine-page petition to the Supreme Court, known as a friend-of-the-court brief.

Although Jepsen doesnt take sides in the petition, his intervention can only aid the families plea to have their lawsuit returned to state Superior Court, their lead attorney said last week.

It is always significant when the attorney generals office weighs in on behalf of the state, said Joshua Koskoff of Bridgeport. The attorney general speaks for citizens on legal matters such as this, so to have his interpretation be compatible with what we are saying is very validating.

The 10 families sued the manufacturer, the distributor and the retailer of the AR-15-type rifle bought by Nancy Lanza and later taken from an unlocked closet by her son Adam and used in the massacre of 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook School.

Although federal law shields the gun industry from most liability when firearms are misused, the families advanced their case by arguing that Remington negligently entrusted the rifle through reckless marketing to civilians.

Remingtons attorneys successfully counter-argued that the families did not satisfy the definition of negligent entrustment in federal law, and that the families did not have legal standing to sue under the state CUTPA law because they were neither customers nor competitors of the gun companies they were suing.

When Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis threw out the families lawsuit one month before the presidential election, it dropped from the national headlines.

But now the lawsuit is back in the news. Remington filed its response to the families Supreme Court appeal last week, arguing that the AR-15-style rifle in question was manufactured, distributed and sold legally to a qualified adult buyer.

Imposition of legal liability on those who simply manufactured and lawfully sold legally owned firearms that were later used in crimes would circumvent Connecticut law and ... lead to limitless liability, wrote Remington lead attorney Jonathan Whitcomb of Stamford.

The Supreme Court will give the families another opportunity for written arguments before a hearing is scheduled later this year.

One outside legal observer said the attorney generals intervention could have a big impact on the Supreme Courts decision on whether to send the case back to trial court, with implications beyond the lawsuit itself.

If the trail courts verdict stands, it could limit the number of people who bring claims of unfair trade practices to court, said John Thomas, a law professor at Quinnipiac University. I think that is very important.

The key to CUTPA

The attorney general is the most prominent outside party to date to have petitioned Supreme Court to return the case to trial court.

Other outsiders who have filed petitions include a group of emergency room doctors and trauma surgeons, the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents, the Newtown Action Alliance, and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

Although Jepsens petition does not take sides, he has spoken in favor of gun control recently.

For example, in 2016, after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a challenge to the gun control laws Connecticut passed in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre, Jepsen said, [W]hether its defending our current laws from legal challenge or enacting new measures to help protect our most vulnerable citizens from gun violence - we will continue to work to the best of our abilities to address gun violence.

Jepsens office said he had no comment about his petition on Friday.

Jepsens chief argument is that the lower-court judge in her verdict placed an unnecessary restriction in the CUTPA law requiring the Sandy Hook families to have a business relationship with the gun companies they are suing.

His argument mirrors an argument made by the familys lead attorney.

The CUTPA standing question a very important issue not just for this case but for the citizens of the state, Koskoff said. We need a vibrant CUTPA law that can deter deceptive conduct and compensate people who have been aggrieved.

Remingtons lead attorney also declined to comment on Friday.

Whitcomb addresses the attorney generals argument in Remingtons response filed last week. He argues that the trial court judge was correct in ruling that the families had no business relationship with Remington and therefore had no standing to sue under CUTPA.

[The families] do not allege they are consumers of defendants products, defendants business competitors or in commercial relationships with defendants, Whitcomb writes. [The families] claim to standing, if accepted, would expand CUTPAs reach in ways that the legislature did not contemplate and that this court has not countenanced.
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WASHINGTON  When Gus, a thoroughbred racehorse, arrived at the HORSE of Connecticut rescue farm last spring, he had been kept in a stall so long volunteers had to teach him how to roam free.

He didnt know what to do, said Volunteer Coordinator Suzie Cosban. He literally stood at the gate, and we had to chase him to teach him to run and play and be a horse.

Now, Cosban told a tour group visiting during an open house Saturday, 5-year-old Gus is making up for lost time. As the horse leaned over the fence to let the visitors stroke his nose, Cosban said he can usually be found playing pat-a-cake with his new friend, Legend, a 15-year-old rescue.

Gus transformation is just one, and by far not the most drastic, that Cosban shared with the group on the rainy afternoon.

She said most of the rescued horses are so sick when they arrive, they dont trust people or let their personalities show. Watching the horses regain their personalities during rehabilitation is her favorite part of the job, she said.

When they all come back to life and trust us again, thats the most rewarding, she said. Theyre wounded, theyre frail, theyre scared. And then they trust you again.

The farm has saved over 700 horses since it opened in 1981.

Thirty-five years later, and they just keep coming, farm manager Patty Wahlers said. They dont stop.

All 21 horses at the farm Saturday, except the farm managers horse, were rescued by the organization, either after an investigation of cruelty or through voluntary surrender.

The nonprofits staff, along with hundreds of volunteers each year, work to bring the horses back to health. They host volunteer days, workshops and education programs to increase awareness about proper horse care.

Once the horses are healthy, they are available to sponsor, lease or adopt.

Other horses on the tour included Fiona, the great-grandaughter of the famous Secretariat, who came to the farm starved and suffering from a rare lung disease. Cosban said she needs to feed and sing to the thoroughbred while grooming her to win her trust.

The children on the tour group, who are part of a 4-H Club troop from Norfolk, ended the tour with a lesson in grooming on Amara and Sassafras, two mustangs that were once wild horses. The troop, called Icebox Clovers, held out their hands one by one to feed the mares carrots and hay.

Most of them had never interacted with a horse before today, said troop leader Kim Luciano.

Cosban said teaching young volunteers like the troop is the second most-rewarding part of working with HORSE of Connecticut.

Its important that they learn and that we take the time to teach them about it, Cosban said. Even I never knew that so many horses existed that need rescuing.
The company culture is the heart of the organization. Goals, processes and policies should be tied to it. So when leadership styles within the organization match that culture, success should follow, right? Thats what you would think, but an interesting study conducted by researchers from Georgia State University suggests the opposite.

The research, which was published in the June issue of the Journal of Applied Psychology, found that CEOs who adopt a leadership style similar to the company culture actually have a negative impact on the organizations performance. Among the 119 U.S. organizations studied, firms were most effective when CEO leadership style and organizational culture differed.

Why? Leaders who conform to the norm dont bring anything new to the table -- they arent innovating. But leaders cant completely ignore established values and practices either. Its a fine line to walk, but a leader who gets it right is more effective and brings more value to the company.

Heres how to find that delicate balance between company culture and innovative leadership style:

Complement the culture -- dont undermine it.

Company culture defines the values of the workplace and how employees should behave. So while leaders should be innovators, they shouldnt challenge and undermine a culture just to say they did -- there needs to be a good, strategic reason in leading outside the culture.

Instead of thinking of ways to undermine the culture, look at ways to build on the business by using strategies the culture overlooks.

For example, the researchers from Georgia State University explain that company cultures tend to fall into one of two categories: task-oriented or relationship-oriented. In a task-oriented culture, employees focus on reacting to external problems such as customer needs and the actions of competitors. In a relationship-oriented culture, however, employees focus on internal issues such as communication and collaboration.

So in a task-oriented culture, leaders can take a more collaborative approach and help employees to better communicate and work together. In a relationship-oriented culture, leaders can innovate by staying on top of industry trends and guiding teams to attack them.

Dont oppose the culture -- use a unique leadership style to work with it and leverage the strengths of employees.

Find whats missing.

Although company culture is meant to guide employee actions and bring teams together, many employees have a negative view of these principles. In fact, a survey of 1,200 employees and executives conducted by researchers at VitalSmarts in July found a gap in how leaders and employees view company culture.

Among those surveyed, leaders were much more likely to say they wanted innovation, initiative, candor and teamwork, while employees said obedience, predictability, deference to authority and competition with peers were really valued by the organization.

Leaders who go along with what they think is the norm are missing these huge differences and are blind to many of the issues and concerns employees have on a regular basis.

Listen to employees -- what are they complaining about? What do they think could be made better? Whats missing from the culture? Find where these disconnects are happening and fill in the gaps. Use leadership and personal leadership style to address these issues, build on the culture and make it better for employees.

Encourage innovation.

Employees take their cues from leaders. So when leaders stick to the established culture, employees think they need to stay inside the box as well. Theres a lack of innovation at every level.

After all, the VitalSmarts survey found that employees were 53 percent more likely to say their company culture encourages them to conform, follow the rules and make a good impression than leaders were. So while leaders want employees to innovate, employees feel the opposite.

Encourage employees to challenge and question assumptions and anything thats considered normal in the culture. Set an example by doing the same. Innovate, ask questions and push for positive change.

While employees should be encouraged to think outside of the box, dont encourage them to adopt a negative view of the company culture. The goal should be to improve the workplace and the business as a whole, not to trash its values. Lead with an innovative attitude and employees will follow suit.

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MONTREAL, May 12, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - As part of the Signature Canada 150 project entitled "Dictee P.G.L. 150: Travelling through History", Dictee P.G.L. and the Ligue Nationale d'Improvisation (LNI) will be travelling across Canada in May 2017.

"I am delighted that, for Canada 150, the Fondation Paul Gerin-Lajoie's Travelling Through History project is celebrating Canadian history and our country's Frenchlanguage culture through the art of words. Take part in the crossCanada tour's activities presented by the Ligue Nationale d'Improvisation. Don't miss this event!"

 The Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage

The LNI's comedians will make stops to host workshops and improv matches in VIA Rail Canada stations (or nearby). These activities are among the hundreds of events organized with VIA Rail's participation to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation.

THE STOPS Departing from Vancouver:



May 16, 2017: Vancouver

Match, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. : Pacific Central Station

May 20, 2017: Winnipeg

Match, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. : Union Station

May 23, 2017: Toronto

Match, noon to 1 p.m. : Alliance Francaise de Toronto (This event is fully booked!)

THE STOPS Departing from Halifax:

May 19, 2017: Halifax

Match, 11 a.m. to noon : Halifax VIA Rail Station

May 25, 2017: Montreal

Match, noon to 1 p.m. : Ecole de technologie superieure

On May 26, the two teams will meet at the Canadian Museum of History to celebrate the history of Canada's Francophonie in a special way. Free tickets are now available: goo.gl/lkxPdR

The project has been made possible with support from the Government of Canada, VIA Rail Canada, Theatre de la LNI, the Alliance des radios communautaires du Canada, MAtv, Canal Savoir, Francolab and the Canadian Museum of History. The Fondation Paul Gerin-Lajoie would also like to thank the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, Alliance Francaise in Toronto and Vancouver, and Ecole de technologie superieure supporting the cross-Canada tour.

ABOUT THE FONDATION PAUL GERIN-LAJOIE AND LA DICTEE P.G.L.

The Fondation Paul Gerin-Lajoie celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2017. It is active in Canada and internationally, promoting its mission of Education for All! In Canada, it is undoubtedly best known for La Dictee P.G.L., an educational initiative that was introduced in 1991.

SOURCE Fondation Paul Gerin-Lajoie

For further information: Noemie Boucher, Director of Communications, [email protected], 514-288-3888 ext. 235

Related Links

https://fondationpgl.ca/accueil/


Western Innovation Initiative funding will help companies quickly move their ideas to market

WINNIPEG, May 13, 2017 /CNW/ - Western Economic Diversification Canada

Three innovative businesses in Manitoba will be able to get their products to market faster and more efficiently with today's Government of Canada investment of $4.5 million.

The Honourable Bardish Chagger, Minister of Small Business and Tourism, today announced that three Winnipeg companies will receive financial support under the Western Innovation Initiative (WINN). As a result of these investments, Complex Games, a game company, will be able to take its product to the digital market. While Sightline Innovation, an advanced machine-learning company, will be able to commercialize its quality control product. And GORP, an energy bar company based in Niverville, will be able to produce a ready-mix energy bar product that will reach a broader market.

As these companies move their products from the research and development to the marketplace, more than 90 jobs are expected to be created for Canada's middle class.

The funding announced today showcases the Government of Canada's commitment to developing innovation in Canada. It builds on competitive regional advantages while promoting western Canadian business interests in the international marketplace.

Minister Chagger made this announcement on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for Western Economic Diversification Canada.

These investments are among several successful projects being announced under the Western Innovation (WINN) Initiative. The program provides $100 million in repayable contributions to small- and medium-sized companies in Western Canada. Eligible companies can apply for funding to support activities that move ideas to market more quickly.

Budget 2017 introduced Canada's Innovation and Skills Plan, an ambitious effort to make Canada a world-leading centre for innovation, to help create more well-paying jobs, and help strengthen and grow the middle class.

Quotes

"The Government of Canada is proud to support these innovative Manitoba companies as they generate economic growth, create jobs, and further the innovation landscape. Sightline Innovation, Complex Games and The Great GORP Project demonstrate the drive, determination and creative talent that contribute to making Canada a world leading innovation economy."

- The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for Western Economic Diversification Canada.

"The Government of Canada is proud to support innovative Manitoba small and medium-sized enterprises like Sightline Innovation, Complex Games, and The Great GORP Project. The products and technologies being showcased today are examples of how Canadian companies are investing in innovation, driving growth, and creating good middle-class jobs in Manitoba and across Western Canada."

- The Honourable Bardish Chagger, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism

"Sightline Innovation is pleased to receive the support of the federal government, through the Western Innovation Initiative, for its artificial intelligence and advanced sensors platform. Since moving to western Canada our development efforts and client engagement have accelerated through the hire of a highly skilled international team and a collaborative business-led artificial intelligence and machine learning environment. We have found that international programmers who move to western Canada to further their studies are among the best in the world and more than happy to plant roots in the region if the work is here.

"This investment by the federal government supports the expansion of Sightline's platform into the manufacturing space, providing AI-driven quality assurance processes to help usher Canadian businesses into Industry 4.0. Connecting a "smart" sensor with unprecedented inspection capabilities to machine-learning software that becomes more accurate over time will drive efficiency, encourage innovation, and help Canadian manufacturers compete on the world stage."

- Wally Trenholm, CEO, Sightline Innovation

"The WINN program has been essential for creating opportunities for Canadian firms to develop their own technology and products for sale on the global market. We are extremely grateful to have received support under this program as it is crucial for accelerating our long-term growth potential and competitiveness."

- Noah Decter-Jackson, CEO and Creative Director, Complex Games Inc.

"Without the funding I received from the WINN program I'm certain that I would not have been able to move forward with my new product development and equipment purchase. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity this funding has opened up. I will be able to grow my company and create more job opportunities in my community because of it!"

- Colleen Dyck, CEO, The Great GORP Project Inc.

Additional Links

Backgrounder

Government of Canada Announces $4.5 Million for Innovative Manitoba Businesses

May 13, 2017  Winnipeg, Manitoba  Western Economic Diversification Canada

WINN is a $100 million five-year federal initiative that offers repayable contributions for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with operations in Western Canada, in order to help move their new and innovative technologies from the later stages of research and development to the marketplace.

Today's announcement is for three WINN projects in Winnipeg area:

Project Proponent Project Description Western Innovation Initiative Funding Complex Games Inc. To develop and commercialize a cutting-edge narrative-driven video game for the digital market. $1,000,000 Sightline Innovation To commercialize an advanced machine-learning quality-control product and an accompanying optical sensor. $3,465,792 The Great GORP Project Inc. To commercialize a ready-mix energy bar product and expand export sales to the United States. $ 77,500 TOTAL PROJECT FUNDING $4,543,292

The intent of WINN is to promote the development and diversification of the western Canadian economy by providing financial support to qualified SMEs to help them accelerate the commercialization of innovative products, processes, and services in Western Canada and by stimulating greater private sector investment in western Canadian commercialization activities.

By helping to seize opportunities for innovation, Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) will support the creation of jobs and growth while ensuring that new opportunities for success are realized and new products, processes, and services are brought from the test bench to the marketplace.

Additional Links

Follow us on Twitter: @WD_Canada, @MinofSBT

WD Homepage

WD Toll-Free Number: 1-888-338-WEST (9378)

TTY (telecommunications device for the hearing impaired): 1-877-303-3388

IF THERE IS A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN ANY PRINTED VERSION AND THE ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THIS NEWS RELEASE, THE ELECTRONIC VERSION WILL PREVAIL.

SOURCE Western Economic Diversification Canada

For further information: Karl W. Sasseville, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, 343-291-2500; Jonathan Dignan, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Small Business and Tourism, 343-291-2700; Lorne Pelletier, Director, Policy, Planning and External Relations, Western Economic Diversification Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 204-510-7659, [email protected]
Moon Express is one of only two teams in the Google Lunar XPRIZE competition with a verified launch contract for its 2017 lunar mission. In October 2015, Moon Express announced that it had signed the worlds first multi-mission launch contract with Rocket Lab USA for 3 lunar missions between 2017 and 2020.

Moon Express sees the moon as critical for humanity to become a multi-world species, and that our sister world, the Moon, is an eighth continent holding vast resources than can help us enrich and secure our future.

MoonEx had been planning to place the International Lunar Observatory (ILO) on the Moon as early as 2018. The plan calls for placement of both a 2 meters (6 ft 7 in) radio telescope as well as an optical telescope at the South Pole of the Moon.

Rick Tumlinson, chairman of Deep Space Industries, plans to land its first prospector on an asteroid by 2020.

Deep Space Industries will use small scouts to explore and study prospective targets. A larger robot will land on high value asteroids to mine and process material. It will use solar power to evaporate and capture water from the sample.

Water, we believe, is relatively easy to harvest from asteroid materials, said Tumlinson.

By 2025 they could be producing serious quantities of resources.

Deep Space Industries and the University of Tennessee were awarded NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program funding for developing technology to slow spacecraft carrying asteroid resources as they return to Earths orbit.

The purpose of asteroid mining is to collect fuel and building materials harvested from near Earth asteroids and provide them to commercial and government missions. One major challenge to making asteroid mining a reality is slowing down the returning mining spacecraft as they approach Earth. Returning from distant destinations, these spacecraft will be traveling at high speeds, so slowing them down enough to slip into orbit is quite difficult.

Current braking methods call for the returning asteroid mining spacecraft to expend a great deal of propellant to slow itself down enough to achieve low Earth orbit insertion. However, propellant is heavy and valuable, so if another way of slowing the spacecraft could be devised, it would significantly help the economics of asteroid mining missions.

The NASA grant will research the manufacturing of an aerobrake system from the asteroids regolith (soil) collected from mining operations. The idea is that the fully laden asteroid mining spacecraft will use the collected material to manufacture a braking system during its journey back to Earths orbit. The aerobrake system would act as a large heat shield that would allow the spacecraft to pass through Earths atmosphere, creating enough drag to slow down the payload without using propellant.

Using aerobrakes instead of propellant will expand by 30 to 100 times the number of asteroids where water and other supplies can be affordably delivered to markets in Earth orbit, said Dr. John S. Lewis, chief scientist at DSI. In the near future, explains Lewis, asteroid resources will support space stations, expeditions to the Moon and Mars, and the transfer of payloads from low orbit to geosynchronous orbit by space-based tugs refueled with asteroid propellant.

Planetary Resources is also focused on water.

You can concentrate that solar energy and heat up the surface of the asteroid and literally bake off the water in the same way youd bake a clay pot, says CEO Chris Lewicki.

Both Lewicki and Tumlinson want to supply building materials in space, which could allow for the construction of super-massive floating structures that would be ungainly to launch from Earth.

This was the old L5 colonization vision.

National Space Society has updated analysis of the enormous growth potential of orbital space colonization and near earth settlement. If the single largest asteroid (Ceres) were to be used to build orbital space settlements, the total living area created would be well over a hundred times the land area of the Earth. This is because Ceres is a solid, three dimensional object but orbital space settlements are basically hollow with only air on the inside. Thus, Ceres alone can provide the building materials for uncrowded homes for hundreds of billions of people, at least.
Weekly US oil production is back to 9.3 million barrels per day and is nearing the 9.6 million barrel peak in mid-2015.

OPEC raised its outlook for U.S. production growth by 285,000 barrels a day to 820,000 a day in 2017. The number of drilling rigs operating in the country has more than doubled since May, data from Baker Hughes Inc. shows, as shale explorers emerge from a two-year rout buoyed by the initial price gains after OPEC announced its plan.

OPEC members are still sticking with their pledge to reduce output, the report showed. Production from all 13 members slipped by 18,200 barrels a day to 31.73 million last month, with Saudi Arabia continuing to pump below its official target.

As crude oil production in the Permian Basin of western Texas and eastern New Mexico has increased, pipeline infrastructure has also increased to deliver this crude oil to demand centers on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

One indicator of a potential shortfall in available takeaway capacity in the Permian is a negative spread between the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil at Midland, Texas, and the price of WTI at Cushing, Oklahoma.

Going forward, the Midland versus Cushing discount, which recently widened to more than $1 per barrel (b), is unlikely to be either as large or as persistent as it was following the rapid increase in Permian production from 2010 to 2014. At points in both late 2012 and mid-2014, WTI-Midland was priced at least $15/b lower than WTI-Cushing. Pipeline capacity expansions and other market changes are now underway to deliver more Permian crude oil to demand centers.

Pipeline infrastructure in the Permian is now better equipped to handle new production than it was in 2014. Several pipelines that came online to accommodate rising Permian production in recent years, such as Magellans BridgeTex pipeline, Sunoco Logistics Permian Express pipeline, and Plains All Americans Cactus pipeline, are undergoing expansions that are set to come online later this year, adding approximately 340,000 b/d of capacity.

In addition to expansions of existing pipelines, Enterprise Product Partners is building a new Midland-to-Houston pipeline with a capacity of 450,000 b/d, expected to come online later this year. Other pipeline expansions are planned for gathering systems and intra-Permian pipeline infrastructure to bring increasing volumes of oil to the larger pipeline origin points like Midland. After 2017, several more new pipelines and expansions are planned, or are in the planning stages, that could carry any additional increases in Permian production.

The Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico is the new star of the U.S. shale oil revolution. Land prices in the Permian have skyrocketed, drilling activity has tripled since last year and production there is poised to soar despite cheap oil prices.

The First Texas oil boom was from 1900 to 1940. Texas oil production previously peaked at about 3.4 million barrels per day in 1972 and then 3.6 million barrels per day in 2015.

Some are predicting the Permian could eventually surpass the colossal Ghawar field in Saudi Arabia as the worlds biggest oilfield.

The key is that the unique geology of the Permian allows frackers to hit multiple layers of oil as they drill into the ground. Thats what sets the Permian apart from other major oilfields, making it lucrative to drill there even at todays sub-$50 prices.

Oil explorers have paid as much as $60,000 an acre in the Permian Basin, according to Wood Mackenzie. Thats a stunning 50 times higher than the price four years ago.

Land in the Permian is now fetching 10 times what oil explorers will pay for the Bakken, the North Dakota shale formation that used to be the face of the American shale oil boom.

Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) CEO Scott Sheffield is even more optimistic, arguing that the Permian could eventually exceed the 5 million barrels per day pumped each day from Saudi Arabias Ghawar field, the biggest in the world.

The Wolfcamp shale in the Midland Basin portion of Texas Permian Basin province contains an estimated mean of 20 billion barrels of oil, 16 trillion cubic feet of associated natural gas, and 1.6 billion barrels of natural gas liquids, according to an assessment by the U.S. Geological Survey. This estimate is for continuous (unconventional) oil, and consists of undiscovered, technically recoverable resources.

According to Scott Sheffield, Executive Chairman and CEO of Pioneer Natural Resources, the Permian will end up being bigger than the Ghawar field, with more than 75 billion barrels in the Spraberry and Wolfcamp plays alone, 40 billion barrels in the Delaware, and more in new zones being discovered, like the Wolfcamp C. Sheffield thinks the totals will exceed 160 billion barrels.

Permian production at 2.3 million barrels per day is 840 million barrels per year. Doubling production to 4.6 million barrels per day or 1.7 billion barrels per year could be maintained for nearly 100 years.

A Permian producing at 5-7 million barrels per day would mean overall Texas production could reach 6 to 9 million barrels per day. Texas by itself would almost have as much oil production as Russia or Saudi Arabia.
By GMM 13 May 2017 - 11:25





Max Verstappen says Red Bull is "still the third team" in F1, despite high expectations about the teams car upgrade for Barcelona.

Some reports suggested the teams chassis upgrade warranted the description of the car as a B spec.

But designer Adrian Newey played that down. "This is not a new car. Not even half-new. Its a normal upgrade," he told Auto Motor und Sport.

However, team boss Christian Horner thinks Red Bull nonetheless succeeded in closing the gap to Mercedes and Ferrari.

As for the B car, he said: "I think that was probably overstated slightly in various media outlets, but its a pretty significant upgrade.

"I think we are closer to Ferrari and Mercedes than weve been at any point so far this season," Horner added.

Still, Newey acknowledged that he has more work to do.

"I have been quite involved in other projects for the last two years and so there have been difficulties in communicating with my colleagues," he said. "We will improve that."

He played down claims Red Bulls biggest problems for 2017 were correlation issues between the wind tunnel and the track, and the FIAs clampdown on clever suspension systems.

"It would be foolish to deny that," said Newey. "But the suspension doesnt explain everything."

So at the end of the day, Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull have all made fairly equal steps forward in Barcelona, with Lewis Hamilton surmising: "Everyones taken a step forward. So nothing has really changed."
PAUL SCHNEIDEREIT: Treatment centre for PTSD in first responders, military opens in Nova Scotia

Imagine its your job, every day, to be ready to rush to scenes where men, women or even children had been killed or badly injured, often in horrific circumstances. Really, consider what that might be like. If youre like most of us, the thought ...
A jail inmate being treated at a hospital outside Chicago is holding an employee hostage after taking a gun from a correctional officer, authorities said Saturday.SWAT teams and crisis negotiators are on scene at Delnor Hospital in Geneva, about 65 kilometres west of Chicago, said Patrick Gengler, spokesperson for the Kane County Sheriff's Office.Gengler said the standoff was contained to one section of the emergency room. Officials said the male inmate from Kane County Jail gained control of the officer's weapon around 12:30 p.m.The emergency room has been cleared, said Gengler. Patients elsewhere in the hospital haven't been evacuated, but authorities said no one else is being allowed on the hospital's campus.Geneva spokesperson Kevin Stahr said ambulances are on standby for anyone arriving at the hospital who may need urgent care.
A man purporting to be a Boko Haram fighter threatened in a video that the group will bomb Nigerias capital, Abuja, a statement that should serve as a wake up call for Nigerias security services.Reuters said the suspected fighter for the terrorist group made the threat in a video obtained by Saharareporters and Dubai-based Nigerian journalist, Ahmad Salkida.More bombs attacks are on the way, including Abuja that you feel is secured, said the man in the video in Hausa. As he spoke, he was flanked by four other armed men.In April, Department of State Services (DSS) said it had thwarted plans by Boko Haram to attack the British and U.S. embassies in Abuja.About 82 girls were freed last Saturday in exchange for Boko Haram commanders after being held captive for three years. They were among about 219 kidnapped by the jihadist group from the town of Chibok in northeast Nigeria in April 2014.In a second video seen by Reuters, one of a group of four females covered in full-length Muslim veils claiming to be among the abducted girls said she did not want to return home.We dont want to reunite with our parents because they are not worshipping Allah, and I urge you to join us, she said, holding a rifle and speaking in the Hausa. She added: We have not been forcefully married to anybody. Marriage is based on your wish.Both videos are yet to be authenticated.Mediator and lawyer Zannah Mustapha said some of the abducted girls refused to be released, fuelling fears that they have been radicalised.Boko Haram has killed about 20,000 people and forced more than two million people to flee their homes since 2009 in an insurgency aimed at creating a state adhering to strict Islamic laws in the northeast of Africas most populous nation.The militant group, which has been driven to the fringes of land bordering Niger, Chad and Cameroon, carries out cross-border attacks and occasionally sends suicide bombers to kill innocent Nigerians.
The Tor Tiv, Prof. James Ayatse, said establishment of ranches was the only solution to the recurring clashes between Farmers and Herdsmen in the country.Ayatse said this on Friday in Abuja at a two-day National Security Summit.He said that regulating the movement of the herdsmen would be difficult, adding that it was only practicable on paper.Ayatse said that the country stood to benefit from the introduction of ranches as jobs would be created for Nigerians.He said that ranching would not stop free movement of herdsmen especially if they were passing through a particular state.If you allow free movement without control, you put everybody at risk and this is what we are seeing in Benue, ranching is part of the control,he said.The Tor Tiv said that creating ranches did not go against the ECOWAS Treaty of free movement of persons in the sub-region as it was being thought.He said that a committee had been constituted in conjunction with the police in his domain, to identify the bad eggs and hand them over to the police.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Benue House of Assembly had recently passed a Bill prohibiting open grazing and allowing the establishment of ranches in the state.The bill is entitled: Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, 2017.The bill stipulates that anybody who engages in open nomadic livestock herding or grazing in the state, outside the authorised ranches, shall be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction, be liable to five years imprisonment or N1 million fine or both.On criminality in the country, Ayatse blamed unscrupulous politicians for breeding thugs and abandoning them after elections.He called on INEC to evolve modern strategies to check issues of ballot box snatching and other forms of election rigging in the country.Ayatse said that unless Nigeria as a country planned toward having an enduring security system, it would fail in other aspects of national development.
Professor Gbenga Okunlola, chairman, Mining Implementation Strategy Team (MIST), in this interview with Ruth Tene Natsa, gives insights into the potentials and challenges of the mining industryConsidering that the key function of your team in the mining sector is monitoring, do you have an idea of how much the economy has been losing to the leakages in the sector?I wont want to put a value on that, but its enormous. We are talking in terms of over the years, not just one to two years when there has been loose monitoring. We have lost billions of dollars. If you know the amount of gold that is being produced in this country, you would marvel, even at artisanal level. Everyday not less than a hundred ounces is produced minimally and an ounce of gold is about $1200 in the market.Multiply that by a hundred and we are talking about between $800 and &$1000 on a daily basis and this has been going on over the years. Just today I was hinted that there is another artisanal work that has just opened up in Ilesha with over 500 artisanal miners now, just in the last one week and of course what would be won there, is not going to be less than 200/300 ounces just on the surface alone. But again you have to spend money to block these leakages.What, then, are the key functions of your team?The overall functions of the Mining Implementation strategy Team is to see to the implementation of the roadmap. If you can recollect, there was a roadmap that was developed by the ministry for the mining sector for the next 10 years and was approved by the Federal Executive Council. One of the recommendation of the roadmap was that before six months, to set up a strategic team that would also monitor the implementation of the roadmap, so that is the essence of the MIST, to monitor the implementation and develop strategies for the implementation of the roadmap.Another key function is to improve funding,How do you intend to go about this?There cant be any development in the sector without adequate funding. And as you already know, the mines sector in the last few years, has been moribund. And one of the suggestions that has been done by many professionals is that the sector has to be funded. Public service funding, to strengthen the institutions for data generation, for mines monitoring, environmental compliance, funding in terms of logistics, additional personnel as well as integration with the finance and private sector which should drive it. The government has to be the one to play not just regulator, mediator, but also have to kick-start, make it attractive, create the environment, get the governance structure, ensure a level playing field, make the place conducive in term of availability, reducing tensions in relation to ownership of licenses and also create an atmosphere where foreign investment can come in. And what they are looking for is stability, availability of the resources, sustainable policies and good returns on their investments. So once these things are put in place, you can move forward, but all these things have to start by funding the primary structure, the agency that should produce the initial data, funding the roadmap itself. Since we started, we have met, the teams have been constituted about four teams, the governance , technical , communication, monitoring and evaluation.How does the committee help check these?Our committee is not an enforcement committee, what we are doing is to advise and assist the ministry and we have done that. You need to strengthen the Mines Inspectorate. And I would like to give it to this minister. In the last one year they bought 38 vehicles in one fell swoop, that has never been done before. They were launched when the MIST was to be launched. But what is 38 vehicles when you have to monitor over a thousand (1000) mining sites, but that is a beginning and it is a huge expenditure. Now the government has given about N30 billion from the National Resources Fund, which is fantastic in relation to what the society is saying, but when you look at it, its just about $10million and that is not even enough to develop a world class gold which could cost as high as $20 or more million dollars, but that is a starting point, so it is also important that the committee is working with the ministry to get this funds released so that at least, the much efforts currently on going in the sector can be kick started. So strengthen the agencies and the institutions, then they would be able to monitor. But again over the years the mines inspectorate have been understaffed. I do not know how many staff are in Osun, maybe about five or six and maybe one vehicle.So we need more personnel. I have told you we are losing almost $800,000million on a monthly basis that is almost $300 million in a year. That is for one commodity gold, we are not talking about what goes on in lead and zinc, the gemstones. There are not less than 200 artisanal working sites for gemstones in Nigeria. In Ibadan alone we have not less than 10 to 20 sites, not to talk of other states, even in the North east with the industrial minerals. Let me also add that with the little effort that has been done, the minister had said $600 million had been added to the Federation Account, but now they have contributed about N3billion in the last year, that is a quantum leap, that is times five, just with this minimal effort. Imagine if there is a concerted effort, the industry can contribute about N300billion a year.The roadmap recommends the setting up of a mega regulatory agency, what is your view on that?I will not want to comment on that because we have not got there yet. There is a plan but we are taking these things one after the other.Do you see this as a solution to the sectors leakages?We need strong governance and institutions and sometimes we need to look at things both ways, will it work or not? But lets look at it from the structure we have had up till now, it will be easier to have an administrative structure that would not be dissipated, but if its going to be subsumed under some form of bureaucracy, then there will be a problem, so this has to be spelt out properly. Its a proposition, an idea and something that is part of the roadmap, but like I said, we take these things one after the other.As president of the NMGS, what is the role of the society in ensuring the development of the sector?Let me again thank President Muhammadu Buhari, because we, as professionals, are meant to be critics. I am a professional but I believe in inclusive advocacy, if you see a politician or a government that is doing what you say they should do, it is only responsible for us to encourage them and say well done and everything that the NMGS has been saying concerning the Solid Minerals get a focus, get a clear policy, get a roadmap, get an Implementation strategy, fund these agencies, they have done all of that. From the information I am getting, the NGSA has been funded more than they have been funded before. We have told them break down the NNPC into organs that could be businesslike, dont make it a cumbersome hegemony and just today I read in the papers that productions has increased in the refineries. We have also told them to go into modular refineries , it will not only solve social problems, but would make administration a little bit more cogent and more profit if well managed, so as well we have seen some activities in this areas. Apart from that we encourage our younger members to get into entrepreneurship. The geological survey can do with well over 200 geologists, they do not have enough, and this country is big over 900 square kilometers with just about 200 geosciences is not enough.With your optimism, do you really believe this sector can be returned to its glorious days?Returning it to its former days of glory is too little, it is supposed to be more than that, we cant be going to the 1920s up to 70s, how many commodities did we have in Nigeria then? Majorly tin, columbite, coal and peripheral gold and all that, but we dont want to go back, we have 44 solid minerals in this country. I am an economic geologists, that is my specialisation, and I say it is not 44, we have more than that, I know we have not less than 50-60 mineral types in Nigeria that can be commercial. Let me give you an example, I was trying to develop a small country home, and wanted to dig a well and when they were bringing out the earth, I saw that it was good lateritic clay and that is what we used to build my boys quarters. And what did we do, we just got this equipment from South Africa that compacts the clay and then with interlocking and without any cement addition we started arranging it, and that is it.
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on Monday

KIA Spokesperson Sapulain Chitonde, identified the suspect as Egemonye Christian Chinedu, from Nnewi and holder of a Nigerian Passport number A05010761.

Chinedu was apprehended inside the Departures Lounge at around 13:00 hours, as he waited to board a Nigerian-bound Kenyan Airways flight.

Chitonde told The Maravi Post that the suspect was physically searched by Police Officers manning the check point, and the said amount of US$7,000, was discovered.

The KIA Spokesperson said the Nigerian failed to provide evidence from authorised Forex dealers, when he was asked to show supporting documents.

"To his defence, Chinedu said he got the money in Tete Mozambique, where he operates a clothing shop. He claimed that unspecified officers at the border (Mozambique, Malawi), told him not to worry about the cash. He said the advice made him to overlook the paperwork process, because it implied that there would be no problem to travel out with it.

"Currently, the suspect is in Police custody, and is expected to appear in court, to answer charges of illegal possession of foreign currency, and attempting to externalise forex. The police at KIA are appealing to the general public, to buy or exchange money, at designated foreign exchange facilities, to avoid similar incidents, Chitonde said.

The suspect Chinedu has been living in Tete, Mozambique, for the past three years.

The Malawi Police at Kamuzu International Airport (KIA), Lilongwe,afternoon May 8 arrested a 43-year old Nigerian national for attempting to externalise US$7,000 (MK5 million), which was hidden in his hand luggage.Source: The Maravi Post
Nollywoods biggest-ever movie ups the stakes with gorgeous locations in one of the worlds most dynamic and exciting destinations. Lagos, Nigeria - The rumours that have been swirling around for months have finally been confirmed  Nigerias highest-grossing film, The Wedding Party, will be shooting scenes for a sequel in Dubai. Stars of the hit film begin arriving in the emirate on May 11 for a two-week schedule.

For hundreds of thousands of fans, the news is a dream come true, as they anxiously await the next adventure. And, with the recent engagement of Banky W and Adesua Etomi, who got married as Dozie and Dunni in the original film, the anticipation has reached fever pitch on social media.

The Wedding Party 2: Destination Dubai brings us up to date with the newly-married couple who are now expecting a baby. Is reformed bachelor Dozie ready for this? Felix and Obianuju are still working on their relationship  but has he given up Small Chops for good? Everyones favourite character, Tin-Tin, is up to her usual hilarious antics, while being indulged by her beloved Bam-Bam. Will crazy best man Sola succeed in getting close to the feisty Yemisi and does Nonso go all the way with Deardre, after that surprise kiss at the end of the last movie. And, of course, there is another wedding. Who will it be this time and why are they all in Dubai?

The fun and intrigue play out against the backdrop of Dubais most jaw-dropping locations and the characters get to sample the Nigerian visitors favourite pastime  shopping. Even for movie fans who have visited before, it promises to be a revelation of Dubais best attractions and most elegant hotels, including Atlantis, Armani, Palazzo Versace and the Ghaya Grand. The film is also supported by Diageo and its premium brands. Mo Abudu, Executive Producer for EbonyLife Films, is delighted to be in Dubai for the shoot. Ever since Dubai Tourism partnered with us on the Grand Premiere of The Wedding Party, its been my dream to bring the sequel here. We werent sure if it was going to be possible, but the amazing success of the movie made it more likely and Dubai Tourism came through for us, along with Tour Brokers International and Wontra Travel. With a great script by Naz Onuzo, an experienced director, Niyi Akinmolayan, the original cast and the beautiful sights and sounds of Dubai, we think we may have a bigger blockbuster on our hands.

In an all-out attempt to broaden the appeal of this much-anticipated sequel, the producers, The ELFIKE Collective, have added a number of popular Nollywood stars and personalities, including Patience Ozokwo aka Mama G, Chigul, Seyi Law and Elenu, and international cast members. With scenes shot in Lagos, London and Dubai, the film promises to be a visual feast.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has fired the country's Health Minister Antonieta Caporale days after the government's first release of health data in two years showed soaring infant and maternal mortality rates.Vice President Tareck El Aissami announced on his Twitter account, that pharmacist Luis Lopez was replacing Caporale.The firing came after the health ministry recently released new data showing infant and maternal deaths and cases of malaria are skyrocketing in the country already grappling with severe medical shortages.The data from her office showed that confirmed malaria cases in 2016 stood at 240,000, a 76% increase over the previous year. Maternal or pregnancy-related deaths rose 66%, to 756. Last year, 11,466 infants died, a 30% increase.The new health minister, Lopez, has been the deputy minister of hospitals for the national government and secretary of health for the Venezuelan state of Aragua, according to state-run news agency AVN.
If the United States is serious about Boko Haram and #BringBackOurGirls, President Trumps administration should #BringBackFundingForGlobalWomen. Saturdays release of 82 of the so-called Chibok girls three years after nearly 300 girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram is certainly a victory for Nigeria



Here is an interesting article published by The Washington post on how US president Donald Trump's policy could hurt the recently released 82 Chibok school girls.For the tireless Nigerian #BringBackOurGirls advocates, for the families who have been waiting to have their daughters and sisters back, and of course for Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who promised in 2015 to negotiate to free the girls.For those who wondered whether Trump cares about Africa, we at least know he has an inkling of interest in Nigeria. Buhari was the first African president to have a phone call with Trump to discuss the war against Boko Haram.Earlier this year, Trumps transition team reportedly asked the State Department why the Chibok girls had not been freed yet and why the United States was even bothering to help Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram. Some of the recently released girls from Chibok are shown in Abuja, Nigeria, on Monday. (Stefan Heunis/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images) If the United States is serious about Boko Haram and #BringBackOurGirls, President Trumps administration should #BringBackFundingForGlobalWomen.Saturdays release of 82 of the so-called Chibok girls three years after nearly 300 girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram is certainly a victory for Nigeria  for the tireless Nigerian #BringBackOurGirls advocates, for the families who have been waiting to have their daughters and sisters back, and of course for Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who promised in 2015 to negotiate to free the girls.For those who wondered whether Trump cares about Africa, we at least know he has an inkling of interest in Nigeria. Buhari was the first African president to have a phone call with Trump to discuss the war against Boko Haram.Earlier this year, Trumps transition team reportedly asked the State Department why the Chibok girls had not been freed yet and why the United States was even bothering to help Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram. Members of the GOP have used the Chibok girls as political pawns. (Remember when New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie blamed Hillary Clinton for the kidnappings?) Now, one effect of the girls release may be to reveal how the Trump administrations policies hurt women and girls around the world who face violence in conflict zones.The Trump administrations reinstatement of the so-called Mexico City policy, or global gag rule, which restricts U.S. aid to organizations that provide information about abortion or abortion access, will suffocate efforts to provide help to women freed from Boko Haram, including any future Chibok girls that are released.Bringing back girls and women trapped by Boko Haram goes beyond releasing them from the grip of terrorists  the victims need to be nursed back to health and reintegrated into society. Boko Haram is estimated to have kidnapped around 2,000 women and girls.The sad truth is that many of these women and girls may have been raped repeatedly, infected with sexually transmitted diseases, beaten or even shot. Boko Haram leaders reportedly intentionally try to impregnate the women that they capture in order to produce a new generation that will adhere to the groups ideology. Beyond the physical scars, former Boko Haram captives are in need of trauma counseling and mental-health care.The Nigerian government also requires the girls to go through de-radicalization camps for a period of time before releasing them into society. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which is the the U.N.s reproductive health agency, was completely defunded by the Trump administration under the global gag rule, even though UNFPA denies that it provides abortions or sterilizations to women around the world.The UNFPA is tasked with providing lifesaving health care to pregnant women, particularly in conflict zones. In Nigeria, UNFPA works with women in Boko Haram-affected areas in the northeast of the country, including women and girls who have been freed by the group. The organization provides psycho-social support, shelter, bedding, doctors for health screenings (including for sexually transmitted diseases) and transportation for families to be reunited with newly freed women and girls.The most recently released Chibok girls are currently being treated in a facility in Abuja. So far, more than 100 of the Chibok girls have been released. UNFPA treated 24 Chibok girls who were released in October and has initiated support to 81 of the recently released girls. Eugene Kongnyuy, UNFPAs deputy representative in Nigeria, told me over the phone on Tuesday that the U.S. funding cuts have already hurt their ability to help kidnapped women and girls recover after being freed from Boko Haram.We receive less funds, so our capacity to respond now is limited, he said. The United States used to contribute funding to our regular resources. Kongnyuy continued: This year we requested $1 million from the U.S. government for our gender-based violence program in the northeast, and initially it was approved. A few days ago, we were informed that the funding would not come. We could have used that money to respond quicker to the needs of the recently released girls. Kongnyuy said that it cost around $300,000 to rehabilitate the 24 girls freed in October. He expects the costs for the recently released girls to be more than four times that amount. Kongnyuy said he was reaching out to the UNFPA headquarters in New York to request more emergency funds. We are happy that the Chibok girls were released, Kongnyuy said. But if more girls are released, we will be under pressure and without additional funding, we will not be able to cope. We really regret that the United States took this decision [to defund UNFPA] based on false information. UNFPA does not provide or fund abortions. I wish the [United States] could reconsider funding us.
A former Nigerian Minister of Information and Culture and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Tony Momoh has stated th...

A former Nigerian Minister of Information and Culture and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Tony Momoh has stated that President Muhammadu Buhari will run for the 2019 presidential elections.

According to him, the current administration has delivered on its promise and should be given accolades instead of criticisms .

Speaking with Sun, the elder statesman noted that people from the south east region of the country will support him unlike in 2015, considering the political big wigs that recently joined the ruling APC.

He said, Politics is dynamic, active. I dont believe in judging anything. Buhari is on ground and in my way of calculation, I dont see anything coming between now and 2023 that will dismantle what is already on ground. I dont argue over 2019, because he will contest.
UK pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), have been dragged to court by a 26-year old student, Khaliah Shaw, who claimed she received...

UK pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), have been dragged to court by a 26-year old student, Khaliah Shaw, who claimed she received the wrong dosage of a medication that caused her skin to burn off. .





According to Khaliah Shaw, a graduate student at Georgia College and State University in the US, she was prescribed an anti-seizure medication lamotrigine, marketed as Lamictal in the US in 2014, according to a report by 11Alive, an NBC-affiliated TV station in Atlanta.

Within weeks of taking the drug, Ms Shaw claims blisters broke out over her body. She

told the news outlet she was in excruciating pain and felt like she was on fire. .





The ordeal led to her diagnosis of Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a rare skin disorder that usually occurs in reaction to a medication or an incorrect dosage. Ms Shaw spent five weeks in a medically induced coma while her skin slowly peeled off. .





She told the news outlet that the syndrome left her skin scarred and she is slowly losing her vision, while her finger nails might never grow back. .

. The syndrome has no cure and doctors told her she might relapse. Theyre telling me this could happen again, and theyre telling me if it did happen again, that it would be worse, Ms Shaw told 11Alive.




Three suicide bombers were killed early Saturday morning as they attempted to gain access into the Department of Works, University of Maiduguri in Borno State.The incident occurred at 1.10am, Saturday.A security guard at the University was also killed by the explosions.Meanwhile, the corpses have been evacuated by rescuers from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Borno State Emergency Management Agency, (BOSEMA)The university authorities and security agencies are expected to provide more updates on the attack.The University Public Relations Office, Ahmed Mohammed, who spoke with journalists, said he was yet to ascertain the damage or casualty figure as a result of the incident.I was told about the bomb blast, but I am still working on it to ascertain the degree of damage. It is very unfortunate. Ahmed said.
President Muhammadu Buhari is currently in London on a follow-up medical consultation with his doctors who, according to the Presidenc...

President Muhammadu Buhari is currently in London on a follow-up medical consultation with his doctors who, according to the Presidency, are to determine the length of his stay. In line with the Section 145 (1) of the Constitution, he transmitted power to his deputy, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, backed up with a letter to the National Assembly.In the absence of President Buhari, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo will take some crucial decisions on national issues. Here are four of them below.1. Board appointmentsA number of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) members are still hoping for appointments into the various boards of federal agencies and parastatals. They must have been curiously waiting Buharis next batch of appointments before the president embarked on the current medical trip to the United Kingdom. Worry might be needless since Osinbajo has affirmed that President Buhari handed over to him before jetting out to the UK.With May 29 nearing, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, had recently said the present administration has a lot of good stories to tell on Nigerias Democracy Day. Since Nigerias return to civil rule on May 29, 1999, successive presidents have often been the ones telling those stories, using an early morning nationwide broadcast address as an avenue. This years Democracy Day may be a veritable moment for President Muhammadu Buharis administration to present its mid-term score card. In the event the presidents London doctors decide that he stays there beyond May 29, Nigerians are most likely to wake up to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo delivering a nationwide broadcast address.2. Assent to the 2017 budgetThe most exigent presidential function awaiting Osinbajos action is the signing of the 2017 Appropriation Bill which was passed by both chambers of the National Assembly on Thursday. The lawmakers had, two days earlier, jerked up the budget by N143 billion from the N7.298 trillion proposed last December by President Muhammadu Buhari to N7.441 trillion.This is not Osinbajos first time of assenting to bills. He had on February 18 during Buharis last 49-day medical leave, signed seven bills.Nigerians look forward to seeing the acting president sign the 2017 budget. If this happens, it would douse insinuations in some quarters that the budget may be sent to the United Kingdom for President Buharis assent.3. Inauguration of two new ministers-designate/cabinet reshuffleThe two ministers-designate, Professor Stephen Ocheni, from Kogi State and Malam Suleiman Hassan, from Gombe State, are due for inauguration into the Federal Executive Council. The Senate had, last week, screened and confirmed them sequel to their nominations by President Buhari in March.Ocheni was nominated to replace the Late Minister of State for Labour and Employment, James Ocholi who, along with his wife and son, died last year in a road crash; while Hassan is to replace a former Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, who resigned recently to work as Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN).Some had expected Acting President Osinbajo to swear in and administer the oath of office on Ocheni and Hassan before the commencement of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting which he presided over on Wednesday, but that did not happen. Their inauguration was not scheduled for that councils session, and the Presidency has kept silent on this.In the past, ministers were inaugurated first week after their confirmation by the upper legislative chamber. Administering oath of office on new ministers also comes with the bigger responsibility of assigning portfolios to them. Even in spite of President Muhammadu Buharis vow that not all ministers would get portfolios in lieu of the virtually empty treasury inherited, none of them is portfolio-less.If Professor Osinbajo is to inaugurate the two new ministers and assign portfolios to them, a minor cabinet reshuffle is likely to be effected. How he handles this will certainly be interesting to Nigerians, especially those who believe that President Muhammadu Buharis cabinet is due for re-jigging.4. Decision on the fate of the suspended SGF and the NIA DGThe report of the investigations into the allegations against the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ayo Oke, was expected to be submitted to President Buhari on Monday. It is not clear yet whether the president received the report before heading for London Sunday night.Coincidentally, the three-man presidential panel is headed by Professor Yemi Osinbajo, with the National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno, and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, as members.Babachir was investigated for alleged violations of law and due process in the award of contracts under the Presidential Initiative on the North-East. Oke was investigated over the claim made by the National Intelligence Agency to the large amounts of foreign and local currencies by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a residential apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos State.President Buhari had on April 19 suspended the duo pending the outcome of the investigation. Days after the conclusion of the investigations, the fate of the two officials is still hanging in the balance. If the president had received the panels report before his trip, Acting President Osinbajo is expected to act on it.
Islamic terrorist Boko Haram group has, in a new video release, confirmed the earlier claims by the Federal Government that some of the a...

Islamic terrorist Boko Haram group has, in a new video release, confirmed the earlier claims by the Federal Government that some of the arrested terror groups members, particularly terrorist commanders, were swapped with the recently released Chibok girls in a deal it entered with the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government.In the video clip just released, the terrorist group claimed that some of its dreaded commanders who had been variously arrested by security operatives were exchanged with the 82 recently released Chibok girls.However, in the latest video released to Ahmad Salkida, a journalist who had previously involved in various negotiations between government and Boko Haram, the group countered the Nigerian governments claims that only five of its commanders were released.In a series of tweets, Mr Salkida said: The video has Shuaibu Moni, one of the swapped BH commanders issuing threats to Nigerian authorities and its president.The commander in the video declared that it is not true that only 5 commanders were released, warning of imminent bombing of Abuja.He further said that theres been no sulhu dialogue with government and there wont be. Only war is between us, he declared. Recall that on May 6, Boko Haram released 82 more Chibok schoolgirls they kidnapped more than three years ago, bringing the number of the freed girls to 103.
The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, Femi Adesina, has said nobody can arm twist the President into re...

The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, Femi Adesina, has said nobody can arm twist the President into revealing his health status to Nigerians.

Adesina made the remark while reacting to a question on the possibility that Nigerians will be told the actual health status of President Buhari.





It is only the president himself that can declare that. And when he came back from London on March 10, he said it that he had never been that sick in his life. That is a declaration of his health status.

It is within his prerogative to do that. Nobody can do it for him. Not even the doctors treating him can do it for him. Under the Hippocratic Oath, nobody can do it except the patient.

Nobody; under the Hippocratic Oath, it says that even the doctor has no right to reveal the health status of his patient to anybody. So, its only Mr President that can say what exactly is wrong with him.

Dont forget that in June last year, he went abroad to treat an ear problem. That ear problem had first been treated here in Nigeria and then, when he was going on vacation, he used that opportunity to also consult specialists in London.

When he came back, he told the country that this was what was wrong with him. So, the prerogative is, his own to disclose and if he wants to disclose, he will. But nobody should be asking him to do it. That would be an infringement on his right.

While stressing that the constitution does not compel the President to reveal his health status, Adesina said,

Nobody should be in suspense in the real sense of the word. Its like they say, you dont have to use Panadol for another persons headache.

If anybody has put himself in suspense, hes just doing it for himself because its not necessary. The law does not compel a president to reveal what is wrong with him. It does not.
A Helena couple who filed a lawsuit challenging the proposed demolition of Central School has asked the court to prevent the city and school district from taking any action on a demolition permit while the case is pending.

Alan and Nancy Nicholson filed the lawsuit in Helena District Court in March, arguing that the city of Helena didnt follow the Helena Historic Preservation Ordinance or its Growth Policy in issuing a demolition permit for the school.

On May 10, attorneys for the Nicholsons filed an application for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the city and Helena Public Schools. The request asks the court to halt the city from granting, issuing or taking any other or further approval, permit or other action that allows the Helena Public School District No. 1 to demolish Central School until such time that a Show Cause Hearing can be set.

The request asks for similar restrictions on the district, and asks that the district provide normal and minimal maintenance to the school and property until a hearing is set.

When reached Friday, Alan Nicholson called the latest court filling a logical step to keep the city from issuing a permit, as the court considers the merits of the lawsuit, and whether the city acted properly.

The Nicholsons, who have a long history of advocating for historic preservation in Helena, cite the historic value of Central School in opposing demolition. Built in 1914 and 1921 and designed by prominent regional architect George H. Carsley, Central School is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The school has been vacant since March 2013 after the district shuttered it due to seismic safety concerns.

In the recent school elections, voters overwhelmingly approved a $63 million bond that includes funding for a new Central School.

The Helena City Commission approved the districts application for a demolition permit ahead of the election with the commissions process the subject of the litigation. The district has not picked up the permit.

Several parents in the Central School neighborhood have filed a motion last week asking a Helena judge to let the planed demolition of the building proceed.

School district Superintendent Jack Copps said Friday that the injunction request was disturbing in light of the election results.

This action by Alan and Nancy Nicholson has the potential to delay the construction of a new Central School, he said. Equally and maybe even more important, it interferes with the mandate of 74 percent of voters who voted to build a new Central.

City of Helena Attorney Thomas Jodoin was out of the office Friday.
Benue State Governor, Dr. Samuel Ortom, has described President Muhammadu Buhari as the medicine the nation needs to get over its myriad...

Benue State Governor, Dr. Samuel Ortom, has described President Muhammadu Buhari as the medicine the nation needs to get over its myriad of challenges precipitated by gruelling corruption.Ortom told senior journalists in Abuja that the president is the only one who has shown courage and boldness in confronting corruption headlong while other leaders merely celebrated graft as part of governance. The governor said, Buhari remains the medicine for Nigeria. Despite his age, he is willing to add value, instil discipline and wipe away corruption in Nigeria.Before him, nobody was bold enough to confront corruption. It is good for Nigerians to pray for him. For us in Benue we have declared three days fast for Buhari for his quick recovery so that he can come back to work for us. We have no business with poverty in Nigeria but indiscipline and corruption have combined to keep us down.We need Buhari to take us to the Promised Land, Ortom said. Giving details of the anti-grazing bill, which the Benue State House of Assembly recently passed into law, the governor explained that it was meant to end the incessant violent confrontations between farmers and herdsmen in the state and create wealth for all.Ortom made it clear that while the herdsmen had the right to produce cattle and sell meat for economic survival, Benue State farmers also have the inalienable right to tend their land and sell the crops for living. According to him, the bill does not in any way amount to asking the Fulani herdsmen to quit Benue State but to make them to put their cattle in ranges and conduct their business with some level of control and safety for their lives and others in the state. He said, We in Benue State have a job to do and we will certainly do it. The anti-grazing bill does not say herdsmen should use gun and kill people. We are not sending any herdsmen away from Benue but they must ranch their cattle under the law.The ranching bill is meant to protect both the farmer and the herdsman. I challenge anyone against the bill to give me a better alternative to the current challenge we have on our hands. I like superior arguments and if there is any on the matter, I would quickly adjust, he said.The governor accused the most wanted militia in the state, Terwase Akwaza, aka Gana, as an agent of the Boko Haram terrorists working to bring down the state, after killing his Special Adviser on Security, Denen Igbana. Ortom said, Gana is linked with Boko Haram terrorists to destroy and maim people in Benue. He initially accepted our amnesty and pleaded with us to allow him to bring in other members of his deadly gang under his control.He surrendered 87 guns that day and extended his amnesty for another one month. To rehabilitate the boys, we gave him contract to do for the state.But he wasnt sincere as he went back into crimes. He killed my SA in charge of Security and since having been fingered for heinous crimes and being declared wanted by the Police headquarters in Abuja, he has been fighting us using his large followership. Only a God is helping us.If we had not identified this man as a terrorist, he would have overrun us. On his alleged feud with the Rivers State Governor, Orton declined to comment further on any matter relating to Wike. We dont want to join issues with Wike because I am a Christian. I have no issue against him and we were both ministers under Jonathan and we know ourselves, the governor said.
President Muhammadu Buharis Personal Assistant on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie, on Friday said the relationship between the President and the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, will remain cordial till 2023 and beyond.If Buhari decides to contest for a second term with Osinbajo in 2019 and wins, their second tenure is expected to end in 2023.Onochies position was contained in a message she posted via her Twitter handle, @Laurestar, and on her Facebook page.She was reacting to a statement credited to a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, in which he criticised Osinbajo for saying Buhari treats him like a son.The presidential aide wondered why the former minister must comment on all developments in the polity.She wondered how Osinbajos statement that Buhari treats him like a son has become a source of anger and anxiety for Femi Fani-Kayode.She expressed surprise that Fani-Kayode could not understand father/son relationship, respect, decency and loyalty, saying, No he cant. He doesnt possess the capacity to even begin to comprehend any sort of relationship. None!Onochie expressed the confidence that Fani-Kayode and others could not, no matter how they try, put a wedge between Buhari and Osinbajo.She said the bond that held the two leaders together was not personal, but that they shared commitment to Nigeria and Nigerians.Illustrating with different pictures of Buhari and Osinbajo from the campaign period that heralded the 2015 presidential election to the inception of the present administration, Onochie said the leaders would remain united beyond 2023.She wrote, As it was in the beginning So it is nowAnd so shall it be till 2023 and thereafterOsinbajo had during his visit to the Emir of Katsina, Abdulmumin Usman, on Thursday, said he was at home in the state because the President, who hails from the state, treats him like a brother and son.I feel very much at home in Katsina; more so, because this is the state of the President who has taken me as a brother.In fact, the President has taken me as a son in the way he treats me, Osinbajo had said.He also said with the kind of responsibilities assigned to him, Buhari had left no one in doubt that both of them can live together as brothers.While saying that the President believes in the unity of the country, the Acting President prayed that God would preserve Buhari, who is currently on medical vacation in London, the United Kingdom.The amount of responsibilities President Buhari has given me shows he seriously believes we can live together as brothers.I pray the Lord will preserve our President to continue to lead as the nation has voted him to do. He seriously believes in Nigerian unity, he added.
The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, on Friday dismissed allegations by parents ...

The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, on Friday dismissed allegations by parents of 21 earlier released Chibok girls that they have been restricted from having access to their daughters.

Shehu, in a series of tweets on his social media handle described the claims by the parents as totally false.

He noted that the girls, who were to visit their parents during the Easter period could not due to security concerns.

The tweets read, It is time to put to rest the falsehood that parents of the 24 Chibok Girls who returned earlier are not allowed to see them. Cross section of the Chibok Girls recently released from Boko Haram

This claim is outrightly false. By an arrangement put in place, the 24 girls will go home to spend time with their families every three months.

They were due to go during Easter but security advice was against that.

Instead, Government made arrangements for the parents to come to their girls in Abuja in batches.

Eighteen of the parents left Abuja on Friday, May 5 after spending three days with their daughters. This can be verified.
The state governor accused of building a hotel with $3 million of the controversial London-Paris Club loan refund has sneaked into Aso R...

The state governor accused of building a hotel with $3 million of the controversial London-Paris Club loan refund has sneaked into Aso Rock Presidential Villa in search of soft-landing, according toIt was gathered yesterday that the embattled governor had in the last 48 hours been roaming the corridors of the Presidential Villa in desperate search for help.He was said to have offered to refund the balance of $2.5 million quietly to the EFCC without being further investigated, given that one of the proxies used to launder the funds had already surrendered $500,000 to the anti-graft agency.It was learnt that the governor, who disguised to enter the Villa, avoided the prying eyes of journalists at the seat of power.A government source said: The governor was looking visibly disturbed, but it was obvious he was seeking help. The manner he managed his shuttle to the Villa suggested that he had something up his sleeves.I think he is ready to refund $2.5 million since one of his proxies has paid back about $500,000.The governor had audience with some government officials.We learnt he made a commitment to pay back quietly to avoid any political backlash.He also does not want to be exposed or his proxies subjected to trial.The truth is that this government will not give waiver to anybody or group in its anti-corruption campaign.Already, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has recovered about N1.420 billion from some firms and a consultant who benefited from the N19 billion illegally deducted by the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF).from the loan refund.Out of the sum, about N1.2 billion was frozen in the account of a consultant alone.A top source, who spoke in confidence, said the EFCC was already on the trail of all those who benefitted from the N19 billion cash.The source said: Apart from the N8 billion left in the NGFs naira account, our detectives have recovered about N1.420 billion from some companies and consultants who were used to launder some of the London-Paris Club refunds.While a company refunded N200 million, the other paid back undeserving N20 million. We froze about N1.2 billion in a consultants account.The cash refunds have clearly shown that some of the London-Paris Club funds were siphoned for private use.This is why the EFCC is determined to ensure a comprehensive investigation of the scandal.Responding to a question, the source added: The ultimate objective of this commission is to recover the diverted funds and ensure judicious use of the loan refunds by states.The law will, however, be applied to those used for the illegal funds. This is not a war against the NGF or any particular governor.The presidency had so far released N1. 266.44 trillion to the 36 states in the past one year, including N713.70 billion special intervention funds to states.Following protests by states against over-deductions for external debt service between 1995 and 2002, President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the release of N522.74 billion (first tranche) to states as refunds, pending reconciliation of records.Each state was entitled to a cap of N14.5 billion, being 25 per cent of the amounts claimed.The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, said the payment of the claims will enable states to offset outstanding salaries and pension which had been causing considerable hardship.The governors had sought for the loan refunds to states and local governments at a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on May 24, 2016.
The Federal Government has urged youths in the country to exploit the internet to earn legitimate money and become self-reliant.

The Federal Government has urged youths in the country to exploit the internet to earn legitimate money and become self-reliant.The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, Adejoke Orelope-Adefilure stated this in Osogbo at a one-day digital training for 3,500 youths in Osun state.Orelope-Adefilure said the federal government would continue to encourage the youths to be self-reliant and economically independent through the provision of legitimate means.The one-day digital training with the theme Diversifying the Nigerian Economy: Enabling Youths through Digital Skills Training was organised by the office of the President for the youths in Osun.The training took place in 6 locations across Osun state with more than 3,500 youths drawn from all the local government areas of the state. The participants were taken through digital marketing and opportunities that abound for youths in the digital world.The Special Adviser to Governor of Osun State, Mr Rauf Aregbesola on Federal Matter, Honourable Yidiat Babalola said the essence of the training was to assist the youths to get jobs and become self-reliant. She said the youths would be able to use internet for empowerment after the training.
Fresh military violence yesterday broke out in Cote dIvoires two largest cities involving some of the soldiers who were behind a m...

Fresh military violence yesterday broke out in Cote dIvoires two largest cities involving some of the soldiers who were behind a mutiny in January.The violence came a day after the Ivorian television broadcast some of the mutinous soldiers meeting with President Alassane Ouattara. They apologized for their actions and dropped their demand for unpaid bonuses.Tensions erupted afterward and heavy gunfire rang out overnight in the second-largest city of Bouake, according to residents yesterday .Armed soldiers also demonstrated in Abidjans Plateau district.The mutinous soldiers are former rebels who helped put Ouattara in power after his predecessor refused to cede office after losing the 2010 election. They have sought higher pay and better living conditions, leading to the January mutiny.
Fifteen-year-old Imole Oke, an only child, was two years old when he lost his father to diabetes, and was put in care of his distraught gra...

Fifteen-year-old Imole Oke, an only child, was two years old when he lost his father to diabetes, and was put in care of his distraught grandmother, Racheal, 84.

For Racheal, after a period of unhappiness and gloom, it was refreshing to see her late son in Oke, her grandson. Holding and caring for him had lightened the gloom, until about three weeks ago, when that changed.

On Monday, April 24, 2017, Oke was sent to buy petrol at a fuel station close to the Okes residence in Mile 12 area of Lagos but has not come home till date.

Truly, Racheal has lived the agony of losing someone she cherished with all of her heart, but doubts that she can survive any more loss.

Since the incident, family members have been worried about Racheals health and eating habit and assurances that they were doing all they could to find Oke have not helped.

I cannot eat; I cannot bathe. How can I eat when my grandson is still missing? Racheal asked.

Although Racheal retired many years ago as a trader and lives in a drab building in a rundown part of Lagos, she was desperate to have her grandson back, even if it means paying a huge ransom.

When my son died, I consoled myself that he left a son behind- his only child. And now, we cannot find him and dont know what happened to him. I see my late son in the boy, so I am devastated by the incident. His loss is a huge blow and my only prayer is that I see him alive again. If he was kidnapped and his abductors want ransom, I will give it to them. They should ask for anything they want, I will give it to them as long as they can return my grandson to me. I will pay any amount they want to collect, she said with a note of desperation.

The fuel station Oke, a Junior Secondary School Two pupil of Ayedere Ajibola Secondary School, Ketu, went to, is just about 300 metres away from his grandmothers house.

His mother, Ebunola, lives with her mother in Ikorodu and only visits her son at his paternal grandmothers house in Mile 12 when she wants to see him.





She expressed sadness over the incident, she said:

He is a gentle boy and wouldnt hurt a fly. We have looked everywhere for him but there has been no luck and nobody has contacted the family to demand for ransom. We are confused and dont know where to go to again,

Okes case has been reported by the family at Ketu Divisional Police Headquarters, where the police promised to work with other stations to find him.

His uncle, Felix Oke, who said it has been hard for the family since his nephew was missing, however, added that they lacked the courage to search for Oke at nearby morgues and hospitals.

The family lacks the courage to go to the hospital or the mortuary to look for him to see if there is any chance that he may be there. No, we are not going to do that. And I know that if he were to be in a hospital, he would have called our mobile telephone numbers because he knows them by heart, he said.

According to Felix, the family has resorted to prayers as it had no idea of where else to go.

He said, Apart from reporting the case to the police, we have announced it on a radio station. It was not the first time he had gone to buy fuel there so initially, when he did not return on time, they thought he had lost the money that was given to him and was afraid to come home. So they went to the station to ask for him but the attendants there said they attended to many boys of his age group and could not identify him. There was no account of any incident along the route to the fuel station, so we were perplexed. We went to our second family house in Ketu to see if he had gone there but there was no sign of him. So we started calling everyone we know to check if they saw him, but still, there was nothing. He left home around 7.15 am on that day. And that was not the first time that he was sent to buy fuel or anything.

A source at the Ketu Police Divisional Headquarters said that kidnapping was not common in the area, but that it was not being ruled out along with the fact that Oke could have run away from home to join a gang.
THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), have declared that the current N18,000 minimum wage, being paid to Nigerian workers is an insult, while the N56,000 they jointly proposed to the government a year ago is grossly inadequate.Deputy President of NLC and Chairman, May Day Planning Committee, Comrade Peters Adeyemi, made this known when he spoke exclusively with Sunday Tribune, in Abuja on the issue of minimum wage and the workers protest against top government official that disrupted the May Day rally at Eagles Square, Abuja.Following the ugly incidence that forced the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, the Speaker, House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, who represented President Muhammadu Buhari; and other top government functionaries out of the May Day venue, the Federal Government held a crucial meeting with labour last Tuesday.While justifying happened during the May Day, Comrade Adeyemi, who is also the General Secretary of NASU, said Nigerian workers are being insulted with the minimum wage of N18, 000.He stated that the N56,000 earlier proposed is now less than $200 per month is grossly inadequate, hence, labour cannot afford to be flexible during negotiation by the Tripartite Committee on minimum to be set up any moment from now.With the present economic reality, he pointed out that labour will not shift its position on its earlier demand for N56,000, adding that labour will not go into negotiation with government and failed to achieve anything.He said:The truth of the matter is that it is not possible for labour to go into a struggle like this and come out with nothing. It has never happened and it is not going to happen in our time.It is as simple as that. It is not going to happen in our time because everything points to the fact that what is currently paid is clearly an insult.Comrade Adeyemi added: Why wont be rigid? In the face of all these wastages and stealing, will you as a labour leader go and ask for Peanut? I dont think you will do that and that is not the position of Labour.If we go there and we are talking about the flexibility of labour even before we start, it means that we are not serious, it means that we didnt do our work well that we dont have justification for our demand.Before that amount was put to government, labour has done its own work properly, put into consideration everything now, if you look at the cost of food in 2011, when we had the last minimum wage and now, everything has changed.He pointed out that today, N18,000 cannot buy a bag of rice, while N56,000 cannot pay for a return ticket from Abuja to Lagos.Adeyemi said: So what I am saying is that ideally, N56,000 is grossly inadequate as minimum wage if you take statistics and data of minimum wage across the range of countries in Europe and in some Africa countries.What we are demanding for here is that if the will is there, its something that is doable. N56,000 cannot pay for a return ticket from Lagos to Abuja and Abuja to Lagos. There is no magic about that. The economy is bastardized, bargaining power of the people has being decimated, there are thieves everywhere in government.labour is already putting in place strategies to confront the governors, adding, I am sure I will tell you that the labour leaders are strategizing as to how to confront these people.He regretted that some of the governors were kicking against were taking between N400 million and N1 billion monthly for security votes which they dont account for, adding that they took that position so that they would have enough money to play around.My take on this is that those saying that are clearly insincere, dis-honest, they are people who want a lot of money to be floating so that they can steal the money and amongst the elements are governors who are pushing that even N18,000 they cannot pay.But these are the same elements that collect every month N300million, N400million, N500million, N1billion as security vote without accounting for the money.He also warned that the fight against corruption wont be won if workers are paid poorly.He emphasized that the action of workers at the May Day rally in Abuja was not a surprise to him, rather, he said the action was positive.It is a very positive development. Dont be surprised I am sounding like this because there is tendency for people in Government to think that its the leadership of labour that is deliberately fomenting trouble in the country; that we dont have the backing of our members.They have seen themselves that look, if we tell them something that they need to move fast on this matter, they have every reason to listen to us because those workers are already out of patient and they have seen it. So, for me it is positive.
Nigerian nationals have topped the list of foreigners arrested for drug smuggling in Navi Mumbai over the past five years.

Indian Police

Nigerian nationals have topped the list of foreigners arrested for drug smuggling in Navi Mumbai over the past five years.According to the sources from the anti-narcotic cell of Navi Mumbai police, a total of 66 narcotic related cases were registered between 2012 and April, this year in the city. Nigerian nationals were involved in 14 of these cases, the police said.Since 2012, the police have arrested 14 foreign nationals for smuggling drugs to the city and 13 of them were from Nigeria, while one was from Ghana.Barely a week ago, the police arrested one Nigerian from Kopar Khairane who had come to sell mephedrone rock and powder. Around 25 gram of the drug in powder form and 85 gram in rock form collectively worth Rs 3.30 lakh was seized from his possession. As far as foreign nationals are concerned, several Bangladeshis were also arrested in the city in different crimes. But they were mainly into fake currency notes scam, cheating, theft and robbery. None of them were arrested for trading drugs.Tushar Doshi, deputy commissioner of police (special branch) said, When it comes to drug smuggling by foreign nationals, by and large all the criminals are from Africa in general and from Nigeria in particular.The number of foreign nationals including those from Africa has also increased in the city over the past two years. The police said that these Nigerians work in networks which also operate in other cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Pune. Apart from their countrymen, several Indians are also working in those networks. Maya More, police inspector from the anti-narcotic cell said, These criminals collect their drugs from people in their networks and then smuggle those to different cities.The biggest problem faced while trying to get details about their business is the language issue. We cannot interrogate them properly after their arrests, as many of them cannot speak proper English or any Indian language. Ads by ZINC Officials from the city special branch told Hindustan Times that presently around 950 foreign nationals from nearly 70 counties are staying in Navi Mumbai and around 50 of them are Africans. Amit Shellar, police sub-inspector from the anti-narcotic cell said, Most of the Nigerians arrested for drug smuggling, had come to India on a business visa. Initially, they would export garments from Mumbai to their country. However, when their business would fail, they would trade drugs for easy money.According to the crime branch official, such networks are operating in the city through word-of-mouth publicity. They initially target students from the affluent families and help in forming a habit of taking the drug. Once they create a good number of customers, they keep selling it to them, an officer said on condition of anonymity. Apart from drug smuggling, several Nigerians were also arrested for online cheating, credit card and debit card frauds among others.












Popular Nigerian prophet, TB Joshua, has donated 7 million and bags of rice to over 250 Nigerian deportees who arrived from Libya Thursday night.Over 258 Nigerian returnees from Libya have arrived the country aboard a chartered Airbus A330-200 with registration mark 5A-LAT operated by Libya Airlines.The aircraft landed about 9:43pm at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.The voluntary returnees included four children and one infant. were made up of of 233 males, 25 females.Their return was made possible by the International Organisation for Migration, IOM, and the Nigerian embassy in Libya.The deportees in the early hours of the Friday stormed The SCOAN located at Ikotun-Egbe, Lagos looking very unkempt, malnourished and weak.The cleric posted about their arrival on his official Facebook Page:On Friday 12 May 2017, 258 Nigerians who were deported from Libya rushed to The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) in search of refuge. After learning of their impromptu arrival, Prophet T.B. Joshua and the Emmanuel TV Team immediately provided foodstuff and financial support.Many were frail and unkempt due to the hardship they had endured. Moved by compassion, Prophet T.B. Joshua gave each of them a cash gift totaling 7Million alongside two bags of rice and Morning Water to start their lives afresh. Glory be to Jesus Christ! Be a good giver- first to God, and then to your fellow men.Recll that TB Joshua recently declared his intention to leave Nigeria and relocate his ministry to the nation of Israel.Speaking at his church service on Sunday 30th April 2017, Joshua disclosed that he had just returned from the Holy Land after holding meetings with three prominent Israeli mayors of Jerusalem, Tiberias and the Jordan Valley.TB Joshua said Israel offered him both land and facilities in an area around the biblical site of the Sea of Galilee for the Nigerian Pastor to organise meetings for international pilgrims.This is where my Father in Heaven came from  its non-negotiable, Joshua explained, adding it was not a decision he undertook lightly.Its the best place for you to meet Prophet T.B. Joshua. After your healing, blessing and deliverance, you can move around all the spiritual monuments which will establish your faith, he clarified.Photo credit: Emmanuel.tv
Vice President Mike Pence, the latest high-profile out-of-state figure to campaign on behalf of Greg Gianforte, spoke Friday at MetraPark in Billings.

But it was President Donald J. Trump who attendees and protesters mentioned when explaining why they were in the sun on a hot May afternoon.

Holly Mangum, her 9-year-old son Casey, Kayla LaFountain, and LaFountain's 1-year-old daughter Ayva arrived after the doors had already opened for the rally at the Montana Pavilion.

"We're for Trump," Mangum said. "We're fully Trump supporters, and I feel like the guy they're rallying for today fully supports Trump and all his policies and views. I did a lot of research on (Hillary) Clinton, and she's an evil person."

LaFountain put it succinctly. "Trump's real. Hillary's just fake in my eyes."

Protest

The Democratic candidate for Montana's May 25 special election is musician and cowboy poet Rob Quist, and about 100 protesters came out to support Quist and denounce Trump.

One protestor, Amy Gill, wore a "Pillamina" costume and stood among pink-clad crowd in support of Planned Parenthood.

"I've been on birth control since I was 16 and a lot of it wasn't for sex. It was for health issues," Gill said. "I had a lot of period problems, and I needed a way to control that. Birth control kind of saved my life in that way. What I do with my body is of no concern to anyone else, and people don't realize that for some reason."

Nearby, Bridget Neils held a sign saying "If you cut off my reproductive choice, can I cut off yours?"

"I think it's offensive that Gianforte is trying to defund Planned Parenthood," she said. "I went to Planned Parenthood in high school, and it was a really safe and nonjudgmental place for me to get essential health care that I really needed."

Toward the end of the line of pink stood Bill McCrae.

"I'm profoundly concerned about the direction this country is taking under the current administration. I cannot in any way shape or form imagine good coming of it. It will only get worse if Gianforte is elected," McCrae said. He said Richard Nixon looked saintly compared to Trump, citing when the president fired former FBI Director James Comey in the midst of an investigation into the Trump presidential campaign's possible ties to Russia.

"We have a reality show president who seems to think he can bully and bluff his way through office."

'A good guy'

Tom Tuck came from Belgrade with his granddaughter to see Pence.

Tuck said he was part of the Montana delegation to the Republican National Convention last summer and is a strong supporter of Trump. Tuck believes Gianforte will support the president's agenda in Congress.

"Greg's a good guy. He's a strong man of faith that really loves America," Tuck said. "I think he'll do a good job. I think he'll do, honestly, a better job than Zinke was doing."

The most important issue at stake in this election is "peace," Tuck said. "One of the things Donald Trump, I think, was very successful running on was not trying to get so involved in so many foreign adventures."

Among the first in line to see Pence was John Turcotte. Turcotte said he believes Gianforte can't easily be bought. With the candidate's wealth and business background, Gianforte will vote and act in Montanans' interests, he said.

"People in Congress breathe, take up seats and space. But what have they done?" Turcotte said. "Greg Gianforte can stand up, say 'no' or 'yes' and mean it."

McRae saw it differently, arguing Quist's lesser wealth is not a liability, but an asset that will help him understand Montanans.

"A man with those kinds of resources (that Gianforte has) simply cannot understand what most Montanans face on a day-to-day basis," McRae said. "Quist does because he's suffered through those slings and arrows, if you will."

Nick Wolf and John Wardell stood quietly behind the protesters, holding signs in support of the Second Amendment and ending the Federal Reserve. Both said they intend to vote for Libertarian candidate Mark Wicks.

"Democrats and Republicans are equal to me," Wardell said. "Republicans say they're for small government until they get elected. Democrats say they're for the people until they get elected. It's all a bunch of bull crap."

Not everyone in the crowd had decided their vote.

"I've got some pretty good ideas," said Mitch Anderson, who waited in line to see Pence with his 20-year-old daughter Michelle. "But I haven't (made up my mind)."
Multiple suicide bomb attacks at the University of Maiduguri, on Saturday, delayed the commencement of the Computer-Based Test for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, candidates at centres in the university.The News Agency of Nigeria reported that three suicide bombers, early today detonated their explosives, at the gate of the University killing a security guard and injuring one soldier.The six test centres in the university recorded low turn out following the incident.Mrs. Kaka John, a JAMB staff, said that the exam did not commence on time because of the early morning bomb blast, which made many candidates stay away.We were supposed to start very early at 9:00 a.m. but I think because of the fear, the students did not show up. This made us start around 10am. Also, the security agencies did not also show up on time because many of them had moved to the scene of the blasts. Also, the NSCDC did not show up on time, she said.Haliru Umar, The JAMB Supervisor, at the ETC Centre one and two said that about 4,000 students would be sitting for the exam in the centre.In this centre this morning, we started with about 250 students. We still have about 17 more sessions for the exams."So far, the exercise was very successful as some of them have started coming out.We have taken good security measures by providing sufficient security to protect the students to enable them to write their exams successfully, he said.Halima Isa, one of the Candidates said she wrote the test in fear but said it was successful.We were scared because there was bomb last but I think everything is fine now, she said.
Here is an interesting article published by The Washington post on how US president Donald Trump's policy could hurt the recently relea...

Here is an interesting article published by The Washington post on how US president Donald Trump's policy could hurt the recently released 82 Chibok school girls.







If the United States is serious about Boko Haram and #BringBackOurGirls, President Trumps administration should #BringBackFundingForGlobalWomen. Saturdays release of 82 of the so-called Chibok girls three years after nearly 300 girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram is certainly a victory for Nigeria





For the tireless Nigerian #BringBackOurGirls advocates, for the families who have been waiting to have their daughters and sisters back, and of course for Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who promised in 2015 to negotiate to free the girls.





For those who wondered whether Trump cares about Africa, we at least know he has an inkling of interest in Nigeria. Buhari was the first African president to have a phone call with Trump to discuss the war against Boko Haram.





Earlier this year, Trumps transition team reportedly asked the State Department why the Chibok girls had not been freed yet and why the United States was even bothering to help Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram. Some of the recently released girls from Chibok are shown in Abuja, Nigeria, on Monday. (Stefan Heunis/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images) If the United States is serious about Boko Haram and #BringBackOurGirls, President Trumps administration should #BringBackFundingForGlobalWomen. Saturdays release of 82 of the so-called Chibok girls three years after nearly 300 girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram is certainly a victory for Nigeria  for the tireless Nigerian #BringBackOurGirls advocates, for the families who have been waiting to have their daughters and sisters back, and of course for Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who promised in 2015 to negotiate to free the girls.





For those who wondered whether Trump cares about Africa, we at least know he has an inkling of interest in Nigeria. Buhari was the first African president to have a phone call with Trump to discuss the war against Boko Haram.





Earlier this year, Trumps transition team reportedly asked the State Department why the Chibok girls had not been freed yet and why the United States was even bothering to help Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram. Members of the GOP have used the Chibok girls as political pawns. (Remember when New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie blamed Hillary Clinton for the kidnappings?) Now, one effect of the girls release may be to reveal how the Trump administrations policies hurt women and girls around the world who face violence in conflict zones.





The Trump administrations reinstatement of the so-called Mexico City policy, or global gag rule, which restricts U.S. aid to organizations that provide information about abortion or abortion access, will suffocate efforts to provide help to women freed from Boko Haram, including any future Chibok girls that are released.





Bringing back girls and women trapped by Boko Haram goes beyond releasing them from the grip of terrorists  the victims need to be nursed back to health and reintegrated into society. Boko Haram is estimated to have kidnapped around 2,000 women and girls.





The sad truth is that many of these women and girls may have been raped repeatedly, infected with sexually transmitted diseases, beaten or even shot. Boko Haram leaders reportedly intentionally try to impregnate the women that they capture in order to produce a new generation that will adhere to the groups ideology. Beyond the physical scars, former Boko Haram captives are in need of trauma counseling and mental-health care.





The Nigerian government also requires the girls to go through de-radicalization camps for a period of time before releasing them into society. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which is the the U.N.s reproductive health agency, was completely defunded by the Trump administration under the global gag rule, even though UNFPA denies that it provides abortions or sterilizations to women around the world.





The UNFPA is tasked with providing lifesaving health care to pregnant women, particularly in conflict zones. In Nigeria, UNFPA works with women in Boko Haram-affected areas in the northeast of the country, including women and girls who have been freed by the group. The organization provides psycho-social support, shelter, bedding, doctors for health screenings (including for sexually transmitted diseases) and transportation for families to be reunited with newly freed women and girls.





The most recently released Chibok girls are currently being treated in a facility in Abuja. So far, more than 100 of the Chibok girls have been released. UNFPA treated 24 Chibok girls who were released in October and has initiated support to 81 of the recently released girls. Eugene Kongnyuy, UNFPAs deputy representative in Nigeria, told me over the phone on Tuesday that the U.S. funding cuts have already hurt their ability to help kidnapped women and girls recover after being freed from Boko Haram.




Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike has called on the All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop giving unnecessary excuses and justify the mandate Nigerians gave the party.He made this call yesterday, while flagging off the dredging/sand filling of Abalama in Asari-Toru and Bakana in Degema local government areas of the state.Governor Wike said that the Rivers State government was redefining politics in Nigeria by ensuring that campaign promises were kept.He said at the separate flag off of the land reclamation projects: We are redefining the pattern of politics in Nigeria. You cannot use people and dump them. We cannot give everyone money, but we can execute projects that everybody will benefit from.Speaking on the failure of the APC Federal Government to live up to the expectation of Nigerians, he said: We are not like those who said they will make one naira to equal one dollar. Instead of actualising their promise, they are busy giving excuses.The governor urged the APC Federal Government to settle down and focus on fulfilling the several promises they made to Nigerians.He said that the APC got the mandate on the strength of its promises to Nigerians, saying that it was uncharitable for the APC government to blame previous government, when it should be working.The governor said the dredging, stand filing and reclamation projects, which run through the three Kalabari local government areas, would entrench development in the area.He announced that the sum of N500 million had been released to complete the Degema General Hospital, pointing out that he would liaise with the Commissioner of Police to build a police station in the community to forestall insecurity.
Ahmed Makarfi, Caretaker Chairman, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has disclosed that he would not like to see his children get acti...

Ahmed Makarfi, Caretaker Chairman, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has disclosed that he would not like to see his children get active in politics.





They should take interest in it, but not to participate, the former governor of Kaduna State said.

According to him, many people think all politicians made money from politics and he would not want that kind of perception for his children.

If they want to be active politically, they should first of all grow up to be something in their own right, otherwise people would say oh, you took public fund, everything he has is public. But when youre your own person, people would know that you did not come into office as a pauper, he said Sometimes people dont remember that some people were people of meat before they found themselves in public office, and just think whatever is around a person is taken from public office.

He said his children are far more ambitious than him on the side of entrepreneurship, But I can also see a bit of interest in political issues, from their comments. If they talk to me sometimes, they say if we cant get it done, they would make it done when its their time they which is good. It is good for those growing up to be active observers, not passive ones. They should begin to develop ideas on how we can take this country to greater heights.

On his rumored presidential ambition in 2019, Makarfi said Everybody has ambition. But Im not that kind of super-ambitious person.
BILLINGS  Vice President Mike Pence laid out much of the Trump administrations broad goals Friday as he took the stage in Billings to stump for Congressional candidate Greg Gianforte.

Pence laid out campaign-era priorities, including tax cuts and higher military spending. And he said that the Republican running for Montanas at-large district would help them pass those measures.

We need more allies in Congress to make America great again, Pence said, and we need Greg Gianforte.

Far from the administration personnel turnover and Senate inquiries, Pence touted the administration's accomplishments of the first 100 days in office, saying that they've reaffirmed support for border security and municipal police forces.

He mentioned the recent trade deal with China, which could expand trade of U.S. products like beef, some of which is sourced in Montana.

And for each issue line, he would toss in Gianforte's name.

Make no mistake about it," Pence said. "President Trump is going to build a wall. And Greg Gianforte is going to help us do it.

Pence is the second big name to come to Montana this week to stump for Gianforte, who was fresh off a tour of the state with Donald Trump Jr. The high-profile appearances have drawn crowds as the campaign hopes to get the biggest bang during the abbreviated special election cycle.

Trump visited Billings a year ago while on the campaign trail.

He arrived at the Montana Pavilion at MetraPark from an afternoon trip to the Crow Reservation alongside Sen. Steve Daines and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who last occupied the seat thats up for grabs.

Gianforte faces Democrat candidate and musician Rob Quist in the May 25 election. Libertarian Mark Wicks is also on the ballot.

Democrat Sen. Bernie Sanders will be in Montana late next week to stump for Quist.

Daines and Zinke spoke first, rousing the crowd that was enthusiastic but left a lot of standing room in the pavilion.

Our country and our military is important," Zinke said. "And I can tell you this: The world is safer when America is strong. And we need representatives that understand that.

Gianforte, who was slow to embrace Trump during his failed gubernatorial run last fall, was on Friday repeating the president's slogan to "make America great again."

He echoed Pence's line from earlier that afternoon, announcing to the crowd that the "war on coal" is over under the new presidency.

He called for term limits on members of Congress and a restriction on politicians becoming lobbyists "when they come out of office." Trump imposed such a lobbyist ban as one of his first executive orders.

Gianforte said he was committed against gun control policies, saying that an "east-coast reporter" once called him to ask if he actually owned a gun. The candidate acted out a frightened stutter as he re-enacted the reporter saying "gun."

"The right number of guns is always one more," he said.

Among the speech lines were "repeal and replace" promises for Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act. A Republican replacement passed the U.S. House but faces a tougher battle in the Senate.

The Quist campaign focused on health care in a statement coinciding with the Pence visit.

"Days after Gianforte announced his support for a disastrous health care bill that would raise costs for consumers, eliminate health coverage for 70,000 Montanans, and end protections for pre-existing conditions, Vice President Pence came to thank him," said campaign spokeswoman Tina Olechowski.

She reflected concerns that the GOP health care replacement plan would hinder access for sicker people, as well as the 71,000 Montana Medicaid recipients who gained coverage under Obamacare.

But those are Friday's rally, including Pence, thanked the sympathetic crowd for supporting Zinke and Trump in November. They urged them to do the same later this month.

This president has rolled his sleeve up," Pence said. "He's gone to work to make America great again, and America is back.
MISSOULA  A homeowner in the upper Rattlesnake neighborhood shot and killed a cinnamon-phase black bear on his porch Thursday night.

Authorities said they suspect the bear had become habituated to human food, and warned that a second bear exhibiting similar behavior has been reported in the area.

As happens every spring in the Rattlesnake, "droves of bears" began coming into the valley about a week and a half ago after a winter of hibernation, said Jamie Jonkel, an FWP wildlife management specialist.

FWP recently reminded residents that they should take down bird feeders; keep garbage inside closed garages, secured sheds or bear-resistant trash cans; keep their pet food inside, clean up chicken and livestock feed and remove all odorous substances that can attract bears.

Nevertheless, FWP began receiving reports of that cinnamon-phase bear entering garages and tipping garbage cans in search of food. Several people tried to frighten it off, but it would come right up to their homes, leaning on their doors and slobbering, a behavior that indicates it has been fed by humans.

"Someone's been throwing hot dogs or slices of bread to this guy," Jonkel said.

Then last night, a resident of the upper Rattlesnake who preferred to remain anonymous had a run-in with the bear, Jonkel said. He spotted it in his backyard, attempting to roll his bear-resistant garbage can. He tried hollering at the bear, but the animal came up to his porch. The man, who had his small dog with him, shot and killed the bear.

Since there's another bear in the area exhibiting similar behavior, authorities remind residents that it's illegal to feed any wildlife or leave out attractants. Garbage, for instance, should be secured and not placed out until 5 a.m. the day of pick-up.

Once bears have become habituated to human food, they'll likely end up pursuing more, which may place them into contact with humans  and, ultimately, result in their being killed.

Newcomers fed bears in the Rattlesnake neighborhood several years ago, Jonkel said.

"You get new folks in there and they think it's pretty cute to drink cocktails on the back porch and throw hard candy and Wonder Bread" out for the wildlife, Jonkel said. "Now we have another bear exhibiting similar behavior."

Anyone with information about residents intentionally feeding bears is asked to contact the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks at 406-542-5500 or use the anonymous tip line, 1-800-TIP-MONT.

For more information on laws in the "bear-buffer zones" including the Rattlesnake, go to missoulabears.org.
The head of Louisiana's largest and most influential anti-abortion group said Monday his organization intends to push the Legislature to not give up any ground from the state's strict ban on abortion and make the law even stricter by removing one 
Tulane pitcher J.P. France (14) comes home with a pitch during the game between UCF and Tulane at Turchin Stadium on Saturday, May 6, 2017. (Photo by Michael DeMocker, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)(Michael DeMocker)
Sometimes people think that the night shift is lonely and quiet. If you believe that, then you should talk to a night shift ICU nurse and hear the real story!

Sally Payne is a registered nurse at Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital and has been a staff and charge nurse on the night shift in the Intensive Care Unit for 25 years. She will tell you how challenging and rewarding her job can be!

Sally and her significant other, Steve, and their three cats, Paris, Nikki and Claude, spend their days together. She loves to travel and enjoys dance fitness classes at the YMCA. But, come evening, she heads to Jennie Ed for the night shift where she says she feels more autonomous and can exercise her critical thinking skills.

Health care is always changing, and Im always learning and being challenged, she said.

Sally loves working at MJEH because of all the friends shes made over the years and the special relationships she shares with management and administration due to the work she does away from bedside nursing.

Sally explained, Working in health care is important to me for the patients that touch my life, and I hope I have touched theirs as well. I hope Ive eased their pain and given them some comfort in their time of need.
WASHINGTON  Beijing will open its borders to U.S. beef, while cooked Chinese poultry is closer to landing on American supermarket shelves under a U.S.-China trade agreement.

Trump administration officials hailed the deal as a significant advance toward boosting U.S. exports and closing Americas trade gap with the worlds second-largest economy. U.S. trade experts offered a more muted assessment, calling the agreement a modest fulfillment of past assurances made by China.

Among other things, the deal enables U.S. companies to export liquefied natural gas to China. It will also lower long-standing barriers that have affected matters ranging from agriculture to the operation of American financial firms in China.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross hailed the agreement, coming on the heels of President Donald Trumps April meeting with President Xi Jinping, as a herculean accomplishment.

This is more than has been done in the whole history of U.S.-China relations on trade, Ross told reporters Thursday evening at the White House.

In Beijing, Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao told reporters the early results of the agreement showed that economic collaboration between the two sides couldnt be closer.

But trade experts questioned the magnitude of the deal.

These are modest moves which by themselves will not have much effect on the U.S. economy, said David Dollar, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former Treasury Department official.

The beef exports and electronic payments in the agreement have long been promised by China.

The agreement does little to address some key issues of trade friction, such as automobiles or social media. While the Trump administration has touted a surge in U.S. manufacturing, this agreement does little to help that goal.

The challenge is selling manufactured goods into China  there isnt anything in this deal to suggest China is going to become more open to U.S.-manufactured exports, said Brad Setser, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

It remains unclear how far China will go to allow more American exports. Previous administrations have hailed market-opening agreements only to be left disappointed.

The key in these negotiations is specifics that are enforceable  literally, the devil is in the details, said Scott Mulhauser, a former chief of staff at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

The more these agreements include real, concrete outcomes rather than platitudes, rehashing old ground or punts to the future, the better they are, Mulhauser said. American companies, workers, farmers and more are eager for more access to Chinese markets, and theyll look to ensure reality matches the rhetoric of these promises.

Trump made Americas wide trade deficits and especially the gap with China a major issue in his campaign and during the early days of his administration.

Hes argued that Americas perennial trade gaps have cost millions of factory jobs and he has pledged to take a tougher stance in trade negotiations to lower the imbalances.

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, Trumps nominee for U.S. ambassador, should be in China soon to continue work between the two countries. U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said Thursday he expects Branstad to be confirmed next week.

By next week, hell be ambassador to China, as far as I can tell, Grassley said in a conference call with reporters, according to the Des Moines Register.

Under the new agreement, the United States is inviting Chinese companies to import U.S.-produced liquefied natural gas. The Energy Department has authorized natural gas shipments of 19.2 billion cubic feet per day to China and other interested countries that lack a broader free trade agreement with the United States, the Commerce Department said.

China is turning more to natural gas as a way to reduce its dependence on coal and combat the countrys extensive air pollution. The move would allow China to diversify its supply and provide a major market for American suppliers, though the expansion could lead to higher prices for U.S. consumers.

The agreement would also ease import restrictions on agricultural goods, including ending Chinas ban on beef imports, which was imposed in 2003 after a case of mad-cow disease. In exchange, the U.S. would allow the sale of cooked Chinese poultry  a move Ross said could be done safely.

The agreement would also streamline the evaluation of U.S. biotechnology product applications; pave the way for allowing American-owned suppliers of electronic payment services to begin the licensing processes in China; and facilitate the entrance of Chinese banks into the U.S. banking market.

The agreement grew out of negotiations the countries agreed to start after Trumps meeting at his Mar-a-Lago estate with the Chinese president.

Americas trade deficit in goods and services with China totaled $310 billion last year, by far the largest imbalance with any country.

The two countries have also agreed to hold talks this summer to be led by Ross, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Vice Premier Wang Yang to work on a one-year plan.

While Trump had earlier said China could receive more favorable trade terms from the U.S. in return for help in persuading North Korea to cease its nuclear and missile activities, Zhu downplayed any suggestion of a link between the two.

Both sides have a deep and close understanding that the U.S.-China economic relationship cant be politicized. Zhu said.

 Associated Press writers Gerry Shih in Beijing and Josh Boak in Washington, and Nonpareil editor Mike Brownlee, contributed to this report.
The Noon Rotary Club honored five teachers for their contributions to education in Council Bluffs.

Each year the club recognizes a teacher from the citys two public school districts  Lewis Central and Council Bluffs  as well as a teacher each from St. Albert, Iowa School for the Deaf and Iowa Western Community College.

The Rotary welcomes an opportunity to say thank you to five wonderful teachers that touch the lives of children in our community, said Martha Bruckner, Rotarian and superintendent of the Council Bluffs Community School District, during a meeting held Thursday afternoon at The Center.

The club recognized Austin Thies, a middle school teacher from St. Albert Catholic Schools; Monika Venteicher, a nursing instructor from Iowa Western Community College; Denise Hoag, a computer science teacher from Thomas Jefferson High School; Julie Holland, a teacher from Iowa School for the Deaf; and Nicole Baker, an art teacher from Lewis Central Middle School. Each teacher was awarded a certificate and $100.

Club member Carol Wood said the organization is an active supporter of education that understands the importance of teachers.

Students from Council Bluffs five high schools were also honored on May 4. They were: Dallas Volentine of Lewis Central, Danielle Mefferd of Thomas Jefferson, Jacob Kaufman of Abraham Lincoln, Elizabeth Van Camp of Iowa School for the Deaf and Mackenzie Trowbridge of St. Albert.

Wood said the club will honor firefighters, police officers and sheriffs deputies next week on May 18 at The Center.
Our biggest fundraising day of the year is almost here! Please help us support our communitys homeless cats and reduce the overpopulation of cats by donating to SOLAS on May 24th during Pottawattamie Gives! Go to pottawattamiegives.org to schedule your donation, and it will process on May 24th. Thank you!

Lloyd and Stormy are 9-week-old little boy kittens who are ready for their furever homes. They get along well with other cats and love to play. Lloyd and Stormy have been raised around large dogs  but they still need to be introduced to any dog slowly. These guys can be adopted together or separately. However, it would be great if they could stay together.

Evee is a Snow White beauty! She can be shy at first but really likes spending time with people  once she knows them. Shell follow you wherever you go. Evee is smart and even knows her name. She has a funny pet peeve of doors being closed. Shell paw at the door until someone opens it!

Evee likes to play and really likes catnip! One other thing you should know about Evee is that she has chronic runny eyes. They dont seem to bother her and she doesnt need medicine. Evee is healthy and is ready for her furever family.

Franky is a playful young guy who likes to play with toys and his sister, Molly. Hes a very handsome fellow in a medium length gray tabby suit  just like his sister. Have you ever heard of cats who like water? We hadnt either until these two came along. If their foster mom leaves the water running they take showers! They get daily showers (by their choice) which keeps them clean and fluffy. They are super playful and always together. Plus they both love to cuddle with people.

Pottawattamie Gives is a 24 hour opportunity to give to SOLAS on May 24. The Pottawattamie County Community Foundation has partnered with Omaha Gives for a day of fundraising to benefit local charities.
More information has been released about a collision that killed a North Platte man Thursday, but the investigation continues.

Michael B. Torres Sr., 73, died after the pickup he was a passenger in collided with a semitrailer truck.

According to Investigator John Deal, the semi was traveling east on Walker Road and stopped at the stop sign before turning left onto Newberry Access just before 3:15 p.m. The semi had completed its turn and was traveling north when the pickup struck the trailer. The impact caused the pickup to roll, and it eventually stopped on its top on the median near the Flying J truck stop.

Several witnesses said the pickup had been traveling at high speed, Deal said.

Torres and the pickup driver, Emmett Wood, 40 of North Platte, were taken to Great Plains Health. Torres was pronounced dead soon after he arrived at the hospital. Wood had non-life-threatening injuries, and he was later released.

The semi driver, Jeffery D. Owens, 30, of Arlington, Texas, was not taken to the hospital.

Deal said it was reported that the two men in the pickup were not wearing seat belts. The pickup was totaled and the semi had what appeared to be minor damage.

As required by state law, both drivers submitted blood samples for testing. Deal said the results would not be available for several days. Torres is scheduled to undergo an autopsy.

The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office and the Nebraska State Patrol assisted with the investigation. The patrol conducted a reconstruction of the wreck, but the results are not complete.

"The investigation is in its preliminary stages," Deal said, and it has not yet been determined whether criminal charges are applicable.
Getting to Destination Imagination may prove difficult for two teams

Two teams of students from Hershey are headed to Destination Imagination global finals in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The fourth- and sixth-graders earned their place in the competition and will meet and participate with students from across the world.

During the past five weeks, the group hosted several fundraising events to raise the $16,000 needed to get to Knoxville.

But theyre $2,500 short of their goal. So theyll hold another fundraiser from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at Budkes Powersports, 695 Halligan Drive.

We will have food for the Nebraska Law Ride

participants and food for the general public as well, said team coordinator Mandy Abbott. We leave on May 22 so we need to have all the money by May 19 (Friday).

Destination Imagination, an after-school program, focuses on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). The purpose of the DI is to help kids tap into their creativity and learn the skills they need to build successful careers in the 21st century, according to the DI website.

The teams competed in Kearney at the state competition for the right to advance to the finals.

The fourth grade team took second place and the sixth-grade team took first, Abbott said.

There are five students on each team. The fourth-grade team includes Katie Abbott, Jordan Arensdorf, Jaycie Reitz, Shelby Smyth and Aubrie Zogg. The sixth graders are Brandy Bode, Eva McConnell, Jace Zahl, Cole Schwager and Cruz Brooks.

These kids have worked so hard in the last few weeks, said organizer Starla Arensdorf. We have had some amazing sponsors here in North Platte and in Hershey that have exceeded our expectations with their donations, but we still need help.

Those who would like to donate should contact Abbott at 308-650-1961. For more information on the program, visit globalfinals.org.
CHICAGO  The Times won five awards in the Chicago Headline Club's Peter J. Lisagor Awards contest.

Joseph Pete won two awards, Best Arts Reporting and Criticism, for "Rebirth of the Star Plaza Theatre," and Best Technology Reporting, for "Beyond steel: High-tech manufacturing."

Bill Dolan and Joyce Russell won Best Deadline Reporting, for "Lake County sheriff, No. 2 indicted on bribery charges; Portage mayor indicted separate for bribery in related scheme on the same day."

Giles Bruce won Best Science, Health, Technology or Environmental Reporting, for "Dealing with opioid addiction in the Region."

Former Business Editor Keith Benman won Best Business or Consumer Reporting, for "Ex-NiSource execs net lucrative golden parachutes, options."

Other finalists from The Times were:

Lauren Cross, Best Deadline Reporting, for "Elevated lead levels found in drinking water in some homes."

Bill Dolan, Best Investigative Reporting, for "Union leader gets second OWI break; news story uncovers prosecutor error, city court malfeasance."

Dan Carden, Best Political and Government Reporting, for "Controversial abortion bill shoved through Legislature meets its demise."

Marc Chase, Best Editorial Writing, for "Cure the Scourge of Lake County cronyism."

Joseph Pete, Best Business or Consumer Reporting, for "Art of the deal: How East Chicago lured Hoist Liftruck, 500 jobs."

Steve Hanlon, Elvia Malagon and Matt Schubert, Best Sports Story, for "Spilled drink leads to Griffith bus rollover on way to semistate."

Jonathan Miano, Best News Photo, for "East Chicago lead crisis"; Best Feature Photo, for "The Lima Lima Flight Team in Gary," and Best Sports Photo, for "Cubs win!"

Damian Rico, Best Feature Photo, for "Munster woman gets McCartney's autograph tattooed on arm."

The awards were announced and presented Friday night at the Union League Club.
HAMMOND  Gavit Middle/High School Principal Michelle Ondas teared up and became choked up as she commended her teachers and students for the school being named one of two National Title I Distinguished Schools for the state of Indiana for the 2015-16 school year.

Title 1 is a federal program that provides funds to elementary and secondary schools that have many children living in poverty. It is designed to help students receive the remedial education needed in core subjects.

Gavit Middle/High School in the School City of Hammond was honored for Closing the Achievement Gap and Allison Elementary School in School Town of Speedway was commended for Exceptional Student Performance.

The Gavit Gladiators came out in full regalia of purple and gold to show their school spirit, with a performance by the cheerleaders, the band and Gavit student Ronnie Porter sang the national anthem.

Ondas told students and teachers she was so happy to be making the announcement at the conclusion of Teacher Appreciation Week which made it extra special.

Gavit has about 1,630 students in sixth through 12th grade.

Guest speaker Lee Ann Kwiatkowski, chief of staff for the Indiana Department of Education, said they looked at schools across the state, and determined Gavit Middle/High School has shown high growth alongside student achievement.

"Gavit utilizes creative approaches to motivate students and promote student engagement," she said. "The schools growth mindset promotes a culture that all children can succeed. A strong collaboration between middle and high school teachers allows for a seamless transition from middle to high school. The school has built a team atmosphere within the building through the sharing of instructional strategies and ongoing collaboration.

"Gavit also developed a mentoring program between high school and middle school students which has helped to build a powerful and positive culture within the school. At Gavit, every student is encouraged to dream big daily, and established partnerships with families and community organizations help grow successful practices," Kwiatkowski said.

Kwiatkowski also toured several classrooms and said the school seems to be "data driven."

Gavit senior Malcolm Lang said he didn't initially realize the significance of the event but seeing the entire school out and so many dignitaries in attendance, as well as the support and emotion on display, that it's a very important honor.
MICHIGAN CITY  Journee Shannon and Hope Davis-Bey, two sixth graders at Lake Hills STEM Magnet Elementary School and best friends, combined two of their loves, robots and horses, which they put on display Friday afternoon as the culmination of the citywide Week Of Code.

Using Lego Robotics, they programmed a robot to move using code they learned during the activity, while other Lego blocks, in the shape of horses, incorporated other curriculum they learned in other classes.

We wanted to show how humans and animals work together and how to keep them healthy, said Davis-Bey, citing a number of different equine diseases, to which Shannon added, and that horses can be service animals.

Week of Code is a collaboration between a number of community partners including Michigan City Area Schools, the Unity Foundation of LaPorte County, and the Economic Development Corporation of Michigan City.

Integrating curriculum is one objective of the Week of Code, says STEM Coordinator Shelley Deutscher.

Weve been coding all-year long. We have a LEGO Robotics team, they use technology like Raspberry Pi and Ozobots, and we have a 3-D printer. Our students do service projects utilizing coding and they meet on Saturdays and after school so there is a real commitment, Deutscher said.

For younger students who may begin with programming a toy mouse to follow a sequence of commands using directional buttons, it is the first step in making a life-long connection.

Its fun and its engaging for them, said Deutscher, but they take it seriously too so they can tell you the science behind it.

Fifth grader Kalila Davis-Bey said that she likes coding because she thinks its fun.

I like coding because you can make video games and animate stories. I made an animation using Scratch on Chromebooks. Its a race and two people can play, she said.

When asked if it was hard to code she responded, Nah, not really, and said she would like to pursue a career in animation because todays animation seems so realistic.

Sixth graders Victor Contreras and Nikolai Razo also made animations using Scratch on Chromebook, a program that helps to teach coding.

Some things are simple, but they always have a script, Contreras said, demonstrating his dancing robot animation that he even set to music.

Razo said there were glitches with his animation, but he was working through them.

Godzilla is upside down sometimes, Razo said.

Problem solving and discovering ways to work around obstacles is part of the learning process that will prepare students for the future, said Kevin McGuire, technology director for the Michigan City Area Schools.

Why do we do this? We know the demand for coders is growing every day and we wanted to have that awareness in Michigan City schools, to show kids what coding is. This is part of our push to introduce the K through eight computer science standards set by the Indiana Department of Education, McGuire said.

Rishi Verma, a senior at Michigan City High School, said that he plans to pursue coding in college and beyond as he heads to Purdue University this fall to study engineering.

I know coding will help me in my college and professional career and Ive learned a lot, Verma said of his membership on the schools robotics team.

Superintendent Dr. Barbara Eason-Watkins thanked students and teachers for their hard work during the Week of Code and she encouraged them all to continue their efforts.

I was so proud when I visited our schools and saw our young people so excited about coding and it wouldnt happen without the teachers who work so hard as well as our partners, Eason-Watkins said.

McGuire said that efforts will continue through a program called Michigan City Coder Dojo which will feature after-school programs at community partner locations, and technology tool kits for teachers.
MERRILLVILLE  Police are seeking the public's help in identifying a suspect in a Friday afternoon bank robbery.

Police were dispatched about 4:50 p.m. to Centier Bank, 6001 Broadway, in Merrillville, for a report of a robbery that had just occurred, according to Merrillville Detective Sgt. George Fields.

Fields said police were told a man entered the bank and passed a note to the teller that read "This is a robbery, give all the money in your drawer!"

The bank teller handed the alleged robber an undetermined amount of cash, Fields said in an email. No weapons were displayed, according to police.

The suspect was described as an older black man with glasses and wearing a black long-sleeved sweatshirt, a silver necklace with a pendant, and dark pants.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Fields at 219-648-2267.
On May 12, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh Republic) Karen Mirzoyan received Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk.

During the meeting, the sides discussed a range of issues related to the current situation on the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Artsakh and Azerbaijan. In particular, In particular, Karen Mirzoyan drew attention to the cases of ceasefire violations, which have recently become frequent.

In this context, the need for the immediate implementation of the agreements reached at the Summits in Vienna, May 16, 2016, and St. Petersburg, June 20, 2016, aimed at the expansion of the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and the establishment of mechanisms for investigating the incidents on the Line of Contact was stressed.

The sides also touched upon a range of issues related to the activities of the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.
EAST CHICAGO  Any repeal or weakening of EPA's lead poisoning prevention regulations would be disastrous for heavily polluted, poverty-stricken communities with older housing stocks  including East Chicago  that rely on the federal agency to protect residents, several organizations warned in a joint statement Friday.

The EPA is accepting public comment until Monday on the federal agency's plans to identify regulations to potentially repeal, replace or modify, pursuant to an executive order issued earlier this year by President Donald Trump.

As of Friday, 53,258 comments had been received. Public comments can be filed at this link: https://goo.gl/DV1v9y

Under Executive Order 13777, Trump directed the EPA and other agencies to identify regulations that are potentially unnecessary, too costly and inhibit job growth. In proposing the elimination of EPA programs that protect against lead-based paint hazards, Trump has further argued oversight should be handed off to the states.

Trump has said he wants to curb President Barack Obama-era environmental regulations on industry and slash the EPAs budget by nearly one-third, with some cuts to lead hazard elimination programs.

The groups' letter was submitted Friday as part of the EPA public comment process and penned, in part, by groups advocating on behalf of residents living in the city's USS Lead Superfund site that include the Chicago-based Sargent Shriver National Advocacy Center, University of Chicago School of Law Environmental Clinic, Loyola University Health Justice Project, and the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law Environmental Advocacy Center.

About 70 percent of the country's Superfund sites  hazardous lands targeted by the ERA for cleanup  are within a mile of public or federally subsidized housing, the letter states. In East Chicago's case, the West Calumet Housing Complex, evacuated beginning last summer when EPA disclosed dangerously high levels of lead and arsenic in the soil, was built in the 1970s directly on top of the footprint of a former lead smelter.

"EPAs regulations are designed to notify the public of lead-based paint hazards and evaluate and reduce these hazards in the nations housing stock in a safe manner that will not threaten the health and safety of occupants," the letter states. "The repeal or weakening of EPAs lead hazard reduction standards will increase the threat of lead poisoning among children and create a false sense of safety among residents who assume EPA is fulfilling its duty to protect them."

The groups' letter also argued for stronger regulations, not weaker ones, under EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule  which requires EPA-licensed contractors to oversee significant housing projects that involve disturbances or repair of lead paint. They also argue for strengthening EPA's Lead Disclosure Rule, which requires disclosure of lead hazards in older homes for rent or purchase.

The majority of East Chicago's housing stock was built before 1978 and likely contain lead paint. It's estimated 23 million homes across the country contain lead paint  and one in three homes with children under age 6 have significant lead paint hazards, the letter states.

"Home renovation and lead-based paint activities are among the greatest source of lead contamination and lead hazard exposure to occupants. Lead in the environment does not dissipate, making it likely that a developing child will inhale or ingest it and become lead poisoned," the groups said.

Families in the USS Lead Superfund site have been exposed to cumulative health risks  with lead in the dirt, dust and, in some cases, paint or drinking water. While the city is in full compliance with the federal Lead and Copper Rule, the EPA late last year discovered high levels of lead in some Superfund homes' drinking water.

The lead in the soil and lead in the water are unrelated. Up to 90 percent of East Chicagos water lines could be lead and EPA recommended residents should assume they have lead lines and use a certified water filter.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt last month visited East Chicagos Superfund site  his first visit to any Superfund site in the country. He vowed to protect people's health in East Chicago and restore confidence.

To read other comments submitted to the EPA, visit https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190-0042
GARY  Two men were wounded by gunfire Friday.

Gary police were dispatched at roughly 5:30 p.m. to the 1000 block of West Fifth Avenue, where they learned two men had been shot and sought treatment at Methodist Hospital Northlake Campus, Lt. Dawn Westerfield said.

The location of the incident was not immediately made available.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Gary Detective Sgt. Micheal Barnes at 219-881-1210. Details will be released as they become available, Westerfield said.
CROWN POINT  Hundreds of Col. John Wheeler Middle School eighth-graders got up close and personal Friday with the history of their school's namesake.

Each year, in the final leg of their final year at the school, Wheeler eighth-graders learn about the Civil War, America's bloodiest conflict, in their history classes.

Few of them know that for three years, they've attended a school named for a Civil War hero who died in the bloodiest battle of our nation's bloodiest war in 1863.

On Friday, the students learned about Wheeler's sacrifices, and those of other Region Civil War veterans buried in one of Crown Point's oldest cemeteries.

They also participated in living history and re-enactment activities sponsored by the Calumet Region Civil War Preservation Project, the South Shore Civil War Memorial Trail and the Region-based 20th Indiana re-enactment group.

Wheeler commanded the actual 20th Indiana Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. A monument at Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania notes his death while leading fighting Hoosiers, including hundreds of Northwest Indiana men, into battle near the Gettysburg Wheatfield area.

Wheeler died from a Confederate sharpshooter's bullet in what would become one of the deadliest days for fighting in American history.

As part of Friday's program, students learned Wheeler's story while visiting his grave site during a Civil War veterans' tour at Historic Maplewood Cemetery in Crown Point.
SCHERERVILLE  Two residential subdivisions that stalled during the Great Recession could be developed over the next few years, according to presentations made at a recent Schererville Plan Commission study session.

Chris Kovich and Gary Torrenga want to develop a 72-lot R-1 residential subdivision called Amberleigh at 12905 W. 77th Ave. on the site of a parcel originally called Chesterfield Estates. A decade ago, the Plan Commission gave the green light to Chesterfield Estates, but the developer didnt follow through, Torrenga said during his presentation

Kovich is someone who lives and breathes Northwest Indiana, Torrenga told the current Plan Commission, adding the pair has worked together developing other subdivisions including Somerset in Munster.

Give us the same consideration that was given 10 years ago for a totally sound subdivision, Torrenga said.

Kovich said the prices of homes in Amberleigh will be in the $315,000 to $360,000 range with entry level ranch homes offering 1,700 to 1,800 square feet. He said he hopes homes will be under construction during the 2017 building season.

This will attract a certain type of owner, Torrenga said. Amberleigh will allow them more latitude in building a larger house.

Plan Commissioner William Jarvis made a motion to have the potential builders bring examples of home designs to a future Plan Commission study session.

We want to reincarnate what I thought was a great plan that never got built, Torrenga said.

Luers Farm proposal updated

In a second presentation before the Schererville Plan Commission, potential developers of Luers Farm residential development outlined what had been accomplished since the last study session, incorporating recommendations by commissioners.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Drapac Capital Partners and its affiliate, St. Bourke Development, envision Luers Farm as a single-family residential development that is environmentally friendly and encourages community spirit, according to Max Cookes of Drapac Partners.

Cookes highlighted plans for a proposed 319-acre residential-only community with an additional 159 acres south of 101st Street. Only 290 acres of the Luers Farm property is buildable because of the presence of wetlands, easements, flood plains and flood limits, he said. The Luers Farm plan would incorporate those features into the community rather than try to mitigate them, Cookes said.

The new concept plan provides significantly more open space by preserving existing farm parcels to protect the existing community character, he said. Luers Farm will provide a broad diversity of residential products and different types of parks and open spaces."

Walking and biking trails throughout the development and community gathering spaces including gazebos will also be part of the Luers Farm development to foster community spirit, he said.

Lots in the subdivision would be three widths  70 feet, 80 feet and 90 feet, allowing for different sized homes to be built.

Luers Farm has the lowest density of surrounding subdivisions, and we have the most open space because 40 percent (of the land) is undevelopable, Cookes told commissioners. There will be no private roads, no gates.

Lot size doesnt determine the value of the home, he said. Houses will be built to certain standards that can be on small lots.

The reason is to capture and ensure the curbside appeal of the neighborhood, when smaller houses are closer to the road, Cookes said. It adds diversity.

The homeowners association will be professionally managed and all home plans must be approved by an architectural review process so the subdivision doesnt look like Lego-Land, he said.

There will be no vinyl siding. The front of the home must have a reasonable quantity of bricks, stone or other architectural enhancements. There must be two architectural details on the home such as garbled dormers, shed dormers, front porches, shutters, facade offsets and offset garages, Cookes said.

Lots must also be maintained, including structure and landscaping, to community standards, he said.

An EMS site for police and fire in case of an emergency will also be allocated, he said.

As suggested by commissioners, Luers Farm will provide green space and amenities between the farmland and residential lots, Cookes said. The farm parcel will include community farms as well as a professionally farmed area leased to a farmer to grow soybeans and corn.

The Schererville comprehensive plan calls for Burr Street to be extended south. However, a traffic study performed by First Group Engineering Inc. indicated that extension isnt necessary. Cookes said the traffic study also recommended a traffic signal be added at Burr and 91st Avenue and that left turn lanes or passing blisters will be needed at all PUD entrances.
MICHIGAN CITYMembers of the LaPorte, Michigan City, and Indiana state law enforcement community gathered with family of fallen police officers and retired police officers in the auditorium of Elston Middle School on Friday afternoon for the LaPorte County Law Enforcement Peace Officers Memorial Service.

Michigan City Chief of Police Mark Swistek led the memorial service and said that it was a tradition set by President John F. Kennedy in 1962 who declared May 15 Peace Officers Memorial Day.

A career as a police officer is one of the most dangerous and most rewarding careers. Today is a day to honor law enforcement officers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving our LaPorte County community, Swistek said.

Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill delivered the keynote address and told the crowd that the best way to honor the fallen police officers is by supporting the active police officers.

"We will honor the memories of the fallen beyond mere words. We will remember them with real actions and commit real resources," Hill said.

LaPorte County Sheriff John T. Boyd also spoke and said that last year and this year have been especially dangerous for police officers.

There have been 145 police officers killed in the line of duty in the United States in 2016, and so far this year we are up 22 percent. Each year nearly 60,000 police officers are assaulted in the line of duty, but due to training and equipment, most were able to return to work, though not all, Boyd said.

Boyd asked the family members of fallen police officers in the audience to stand as the participants applauded their sacrifice.

Behind each hero is a mother, a wife, a daughter, a husband, a father, and a son," Boyd said. "We are going to work harder and smarter than ever before. We make a pledge that we will come home to you at the end of our shift.

Michigan City Mayor Ron Meer also spoke and thanked families and officers for their dedication to the community, as did Doug Samuelson, president of the local Fraternal Order of Police.

Each day over 900,000 police officers go to duty in the United States, not knowing if they will come home to their families, said Sameulson, who shared memories of the officers he said he keeps in his heart when he goes to work.

Attendees viewed a slide presentation of each police officer in LaPorte County who has died in the line of duty or retired and passed away, and family members placed carnations in a memorial stand before adjourning for a fellowship and a luncheon.
PORTAGE  Imagine a place where a disabled youngster can play, equally, alongside her able-bodied siblings.

They can share a swing or interact on the same level of an elevated platform; a place, say organizers, where all children are treated the same.

That place will be Hannah's Hope Playground at Founders Square Park.

"We believe we are ready to get this rolling," said Niki Avina, of Highland, a member of the playground committee of Hannah's Hope, a nonprofit founded by Mary and Mike Martinez of Valparaiso and named after their daughter.

Hannah was born in 2009 with severe special needs, likely due to a prenatal stroke. Before she died in 2012, the Martinezes formed Hannah's Hope, a nonprofit organization which raises funds to assist other families with special needs children.

While they have provided equipment and funding for treatment and medication, they wanted to build something more tangible to honor their daughter and began fundraising to build an all-inclusive playground. Working with the city of Portage, it was decided the 17,500-square-foot playground would be located at Founders Square Park.

The design for the playground was unveiled last week during a gala fundraiser.

It will be one of two demonstration playgrounds of its type in the country, Avina said. The other is in Utah.

The group chose Sinclair Recreation of Holland, Michigan, to provide the equipment from Game Time Equipment of Fort Payne, Alabama.

The cost of the playground will be about $300,000 for the equipment; about $250,000 for the surface and $15,000 for installation supervision.

Portage Parks Superintendent Jenny Orsburn said they are applying for a matching grant from Game Time Equipment which could pay for half the cost of the equipment. It has also been designated a community build project in which volunteers, under the supervision of Sinclair Recreation, will construct the playground. Local unions have already stepped forward to volunteer their time to construct the playground.

Orsburn said they should know the fate of the grant by August, then be able to order the equipment and set an installation date. The city has committed to complete the site work and maintain the playground. Holladay Properties, which is constructing a residential/retail development adjacent to the park, donated $50,000 in impact fees for its construction and has pledged $2,500 a year for 20 years for its maintenance.

"We were told to dream big at Hannah's Hope and we did. We have fund raised for five years," said Avina, adding the May 6 gala fundraiser was successful beyond the group's dreams.

An auction held at the event, said Orsburn, raised enough funding for one piece of equipment alone, an accessible teeter-totter.

"We were blown away by the generosity of the community," she said.

The park will be one of a kind, said both Orsburn and Avina.

There will be eight types of swings alone, said Avina. One will allow disabled and abled children to swing together. A monkey bar-type apparatus will allow a child in a wheelchair to pull himself through without assistance. Ramps, she added, won't dead end. They will lead to an activity.

The playground is also designed to provide therapeutic services for children in which they can exercise with their therapist, parent or other caregiver.

"It is all about not feeling excluded. It will be a place where every child can play," Orsburn play.
Con Edison says they have recovered nearly 600 gallons of oil from the East River following a spill earlier this week.

Officials also say samples of the water have tested positive for PCB, a known carcinogen.

The agency is advising people not to eat any fish or shellfish from the river.

The Coast Guard has also banned recreational boats from the area.

On Sunday afternoon, a transformer at one of Con Ed's Brooklyn sub-stations failed, causing 31,000 gallons of oil to spill into the East River.

The agency said it is working with the Coast Guard, the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), and other agencies on the cleanup.

The DEC is investigating the spill.
posted by , ,

Seedstars World, the biggest seed stage startup competition for emerging markets is coming back to Africa to scout for the top high growth startups and entrepreneurs and accelerate them on their path to global success.

On this 2017 edition of the tour, they will visit over 25 cities across Sub-Saharan Africa to host bootcamps and pitch competitions, adding countries such as Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia to its tour. The winner from each country is invited to the final at the Seedstars Global Summit in Switzerland to compete for up to $500,000 in equity investment and additional multiple prizes and perks.

1) Applications



Step 2: Apply to one of the 15 local events in Africa through the Step 1: Make sure you have a venture profile published on the VC4Africa platform with your most recent pitch deck attached.Step 2: Apply to one of the 15 local events in Africa through the online form

2) Pitching events

At each Local Event, up to 10 pre-selected startups are invited to pitch in front of an expert jury and quality audience to determine the winner. The event brings together key entrepreneurs, investors, corporates and institutions from the local ecosystem combined with a unique global Seedstars World flavour. The winner of each Local Event gets a free trip to Seedstars World Regional Summit and the Global summit in Switzerland, with a chance to win up to 500,000 USD and other amazing tech prizes.

3) Final Event

The winner of each Local Event will be invited to Switzerland to represent his startup and country at the global finals. The Final Event is a weeklong adventure consisting of a bootcamp, international conference and investor forum. Its an amazing chance to meet with investors, build a global network and grow your business. And dont forget there is up to USD 500,000 mn in equity investment on offer to the winning startup and additional money prizes!

Why compete?

Equity Investment

There is a prize package consisting of up to $ 500,000 in equity investment and more in cash and in-kind prizes. Youll be exposed to VCs, corporates and angels searching for investment opportunities.

Coverage & Prestige

All Seedstars World events are heavily covered by local and international press with around 1000 articles on us last year. Represent your country at the worldwide Seedstars Summit in front of an international audience.

Partnerships & Family

Join the close knit Seedstars Family of talented entrepreneurs in 65+ countries. Find potential partners and business opportunities through the community and at the various events.

Learn & Grow

We hand pick top-quality mentors from all over the world with experience in relevant industries. Benefit from the knowledge of corporate leaders, serial entrepreneurs, accelerator directors and investors.

Time investment

If you get selected

1 day for the Bootcamp hosted 2  3 days before the event

1 day for the Local Event

If you win:

 7 days for the regional summit in december

 7 days for the global summit in Geneva

Criteria

 Maximum 2 years since founding date

 Maximum USD 0.5m funding

 Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

 Need to use technology to solve a local or regional issue

Culled at: https://vc4a.com/seedstars-world/2017-seedstars-world-in-africa/ Apply at: https://vc4a.com/seedstars-world/2017-seedstars-world-in-africa/apply/
In 2011, as Facebook inched ever closer to 1 billion active monthly users, it faced a vexing crisis: uproar about a facial recognition algorithm that tagged people in photos without their consent.

Six years later, and as Facebook nears the 2-billion-user milestone, that complaint almost seems quaint.

Consider the problems facing the worlds biggest social network today. The Menlo Park, California, company is taking fire for spreading propaganda and misinformation, potentially influencing the outcome of elections in the United States and abroad. Its being criticized for allowing hate and terror groups to foment on its platform. And its scrambling to stamp out horrific videos of suicides and murders streamed live.

That these setbacks come at a time when Facebook now reaches a quarter of the globes population only underscores how much the stakes have grown for the company. It connects people in ways never experienced before, providing the only outlet for free speech in some countries. Facebook is one of the few companies in Silicon Valley that can proclaim without a hint of irony that it has changed the world.

Armed with enormous power, the nations fifth-largest company by market capitalization has to take into account both the needs of shareholders and the communities it serves. How Facebook navigates its journey toward its next billion users could portend not just the financial health of the company, but also the health of the societies increasingly influenced by its products.

The more mature their tools become, the more profound the challenges they have, said Mike Hoefflinger, a former Facebook marketing employee who wrote Becoming Facebook, a book about the companys evolution into a behemoth valued at $430 billion.

My sense is that theyre absolutely maturing into their role in the world, Hoefflinger continued. But the history of Silicon Valley has taught us that no company, no matter how great, can dominate forever.

That vulnerability  and a willingness to adapt  has rarely been more evident than since the 2016 presidential election. Against the backdrop of a bitterly divided country, Facebook, which did not respond to a request for comment, has provided valuable clues as to how it will behave in the new political era.

Initially, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg dismissed the notion that his platform helped spread propaganda and partisan clickbait that some say helped Donald Trump win the election. Zuckerberg even went so far as to call the idea crazy. But as criticism mounted, the 32-year-old executive began addressing the issue more forcefully and accepting his platforms role.

Facebook partnered with independent fact-checkers to help vet content, it restricted ads from fake news sites and it tried to educate users about how to spot hoaxes in several countries undergoing elections, including in Britain, Germany and France. To combat criticism that Facebook only fortifies the echo-chamber effect online, the company is testing a Related Articles feature that will give users more perspectives on the news.

Zuckerberg was also compelled to take action over the rise of livestreamed violence on Facebooks popular video broadcasting platform.

Last month, Zuckerberg had to kick off the companys annual developers conference by offering condolences for the murder of 74-year-old Robert Godwin Sr. in Cleveland. Video of the crime was uploaded onto Facebook by the gunman, 37-year-old Steve Stephens, who later bragged about the killing on Facebook Live.

Last week, Zuckerberg announced plans to hire 3,000 more moderators to screen content for disturbing material.

Viewed collectively, observers say the recent actions by Facebook show a company deep in soul-searching mode. They cite Zuckerbergs sweeping 5,600-word manifesto in February, which argues that Facebook can forge a global community by expanding the number of users connected on the platform through groups, like ones for parenting or neighborhoods.

Building a global community that works for everyone starts with the millions of smaller communities and intimate social structures we turn to for our personal, emotional and spiritual needs, Zuckerberg wrote.

The hope is that those connections will spill over into the physical world to strengthen bonds between people  even if it means taking a break from Facebook. Its something of an antidote to the feeling of isolation for which social media is so often blamed.

Zuckerbergs attempts to quell its problem with fake news and the like are all steps in the right direction for mitigating Facebooks shortcomings, experts say. But the question invariably remains: How can Facebook ever have enough moderators, fact-checkers or even sophisticated enough artificial intelligence to back up its lofty intentions?

Two billion users is a challenge no company has ever had, said David Kirkpatrick, CEO of media company Techonomy and author of The Facebook Effect.

Just dealing with suicide prevention alone is a huge challenge, he added. And freedom of speech is such a multifaceted issue that it could occupy all of Zuckerbergs time.
The notion that the University of Nebraska at Omaha could merge with the University of Nebraska Medical Center burst above the surface late last week.

But the concept would be explored not by the NU system, but through a study conducted by State Sen. Merv Riepe and the legislative Health and Human Services Committee that Riepe leads.

This was my idea, Riepe, of Ralston, said Friday. Theres no malice in why Im doing this.

The legislative resolution tackles head on what has been murmured and wondered about ever since NU President Hank Bounds inserted Dr. Jeffrey Gold as not only UNMCs chancellor, but also UNOs interim chancellor.

Bounds told the UNO and UNMC communities through an email Thursday that the legislative study proposal wasnt his idea. But Bounds has stopped just shy of completely ruling out a merger. He has said he hoped Gold could find ways for the two institutions to collaborate more and discover efficiencies.

The state is in a budget crisis, and the NU system, which received about $570 million in state money this fiscal year, expects to make big cuts.

I do think there are some things that should be put together between UNO and UNMC, Bounds told the UNO Faculty Senate last week. His aim isnt to alter UNOs momentum or change its course, he said.

But he again made no promises. No one knows what the future holds, he said.

Then came Riepes legislative resolution to study the feasibility of a merger, and the pros and cons of a merger.

Riepe said he didnt inform Bounds because his deadline to file it was Wednesday and he did so in haste.

UNO is a 15,600-student metropolitan university with colleges that include arts and sciences, business administration, education and others.

About two miles to the east, UNMC enrolls 3,860 students in health sciences, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health and other programs.

Riepe said he hasnt developed a firm plan for how to conduct the study, but it might include looking at how the University of Iowa, the University of Michigan and other institutions offer traditional college programs while running medical schools, too.

He said he has a bachelors degree from UNO and has no desire to destroy UNO or UNMC.

I want to see the university thrive, but thats not a matter of just putting more and more money into it, he said.

The matter came up after NU sought a replacement for UNO Chancellor John Christensen, who is retiring from UNOs top job this year. The search failed to produce a successor this spring, and Bounds decided to move UNMC Chancellor Gold into a second role as UNOs interim chancellor, perhaps for two years or more.

State Sen. Mike Groene of North Platte co-signed the legislative resolution. As Education Committee chairman, Groene said, he wont commit his panel to do the study because it already expects to do a couple of studies.

But Riepe and his staff can do the study on their own, Groene said, perhaps with a bit of help from his staff. Groene said he signed on to Riepes legislative resolution because he believes there are too many university administrators and staffers and wants to see efficiencies achieved.

I said, Ill sign because I agree with you. Weve got to cut costs somewhere,  Groene said Friday. Hes not trying to hurt the university.

The chairman of the NU Board of Regents said Friday that he was startled by the legislative proposal.

Lets put it this way  I was surprised to read what the senator has in store, said Regents Chairman Bob Whitehouse of Papillion. The concept of merging UNO with UNMC has never been brought forth by the president (of NU) to any members of the board that Im familiar with.

Bounds said in his email Thursday to UNMC and UNO that he is ready to be a resource to legislators on the study. But UNO and UNMC have distinct and important missions to serve our state, he said.

NU Regent Hal Daub of Omaha said he knew of no intention at NU to merge UNO and UNMC.

But it certainly shouldnt be an idea excluded from the conversation about efficiency and combined resources, Daub said.

He said he wouldnt have expected the proposed study to have come from the Nebraska Legislature. But he commended Riepe for the idea.
Amye Aggen

 Fifth-grade teacher at Springville Elementary School

 Bachelors from the College of St. Mary and masters from Concordia University

 12 years with OPS

An admirer said, Amye has very high expectations for her students. She doesnt allow them to use excuses not to get work done. Her tough-love approach has students respecting and loving her for those high expectations.

Thomas Allen

 Social studies teacher at Bryan High School

 Bachelors from Peru State College

 15 years with OPS

A student said, Since having Mr. Allens class, I have become more outgoing and open. He really is a wise, smart man who changed the way I view things. He made me become a better student and an overall better human being.

Amy Batten

 Guidance counselor at Springville Elementary School

 Bachelors from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and masters from the University of Nebraska at Omaha

 15 years with OPS

A colleague said, When students are going through a hard time, she makes it a point to see them in her office, and shows them that she cares, listening attentively and giving them advice. Miss Batten wants the best for all students and encourages them to do well so they can be successful adults.

Connie Colton

 Math teacher at McMillan Magnet Center

 Bachelors from UNO and masters from UNL

 25 years with OPS

A parent said, She has made it clear that she believes in my son, and this has been important to his development in his early teen years. Her classes are academically rigorous, and I am thankful that he has had the opportunity to learn and grow under her.

Patricia Freyermuth

 Fourth-grade teacher at Crestridge Magnet Center

 Bachelors from UNO and masters from Concordia University

 12 years with OPS

A colleague said, Pat is very good with a child that is struggling to accomplish a task. She is calm and reassuring to her students and works her magic with them.

Tomie Green

 Social studies teacher at McMillan Magnet Center

 Bachelors from UNO

 24 years with OPS

An admirer said, I am in awe as I watch this teacher work. He identifies each student as an individual, teaching them at their own pace. He spends many hours after school helping students.

Kathleen Higgins

 Special education teacher at Druid Hill Elementary School

 Bachelors from Florida State University and masters from UNO

 25 years with OPS

An admirer said, Katie loves teaching and loves her students. She is persistent in obtaining the resources she needs for her students. Katie will contact supervisors, speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, building engineers, autism consultants, etc. to get what she needs for her students.

Pamela Homan

 English teacher at Burke High School

 Bachelors from Providence College and masters from the College of St. Mary

 12 years with OPS

A student wrote: Ms. Homan cares about students more than any other teacher I have ever had. She has impacted my school life and my life outside of school. Ms. Homan has taught me things that will stick with me for the rest of my life.

Randall Howard

 Social studies teacher at Burke High School

 Bachelors from UNO and masters from Concordia University

 Eight years with OPS

A student wrote, Mr. Howard has probably been the most influential person in my life. He made my freshman year in high school such an easy transition. He is a teacher who is willing to go the extra mile to get to know his students and make a relationship with them that no one else has with their students.

Jodi Kelly

 Kindergarten teacher at Columbian Elementary School

 Bachelors from Nebraska Wesleyan University and masters from Doane College

 18 years with OPS

A parent said, Mrs. Kelly has a true talent for making children and families feel welcome and loved. She is everything you would want your child to have in a teacher  fun, positive, creative, energetic.

Leandra London

 Special education teacher at the Integrated Learning Program

 Bachelors and masters from UNL

 Four years with OPS

A student said, She would build my confidence and keep telling me that I could do the work, even when I wasnt so sure that I could. She always made me feel smart, and she always told me that I would achieve my goals if I just worked hard enough. She was right.

Pamela Schmeits

 Kindergarten teacher at Jefferson Elementary School

 Bachelors from Dana College

 20 years with OPS

A colleague said, Her students leave her class doing things that no one could imagine a 5- or 6-year-old could accomplish. Pams students leave her class but never leave her heart. They were loved so fully in her classroom that her presence still brings them joy.

Celio Silva

 Social studies teacher at Norris Middle School

 Bachelors from Peru State College and Grace University

 21 years with OPS

A colleague said, Mr. Silva is that special teacher that students will remember. He cares about who these kids are now and who they will become in the future. He cares enough to make kids accountable for their actions.

Kimberly Talamantes

 English teacher at South High School

 Bachelors from UNO

 Five years with OPS

A student said, Mrs. Talamantes is one of the kindest people I have ever met. If she can help someone in any way, she will offer them her assistance. When she gives you a hug it makes your day a little brighter than what it was before.

Julie Trimble

 Kindergarten teacher at Saddlebrook Elementary School

 Bachelors from Iowa State University and masters from UNL

 Eight years with OPS

A parent said, Ms. Trimble goes above and beyond for each student in her kindergarten class. My daughter looks forward to going to school every day. She comes home chatting non-stop about her day and can never decide which part of the day was her most favorite.
Its a gray, rainy, sleepy kind of morning, but inside Jodi Kellys kindergarten classroom at Columbian Elementary, spirits are high.

She pops some music in and starts the class off with a song, psyching up her students for the school day.

Rise and shine and welcome to school, her class sings. Were so glad youre here.

She quickly puts them through their paces, leading songs about the weather and the days of the week. Kelly, dressed in a skirt and wedge heels, leads as her kids count to 100 while pumping their arms, kicking their legs and marching in place.

Whew, Mrs. Kelly got a workout today. Did you? she asks her class.

Kellys talents have made her one of 15 Omaha Public Schools teachers to earn the 2017 Alice Buffett Outstanding Teacher Award.

The award, handed out each year since 1988, goes to 15 OPS nominees with at least two years of teaching experience. The award is named for an aunt of Omaha investor Warren Buffett who taught high school home economics in OPS for more than 35 years.

The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation sponsors the awards. Each winner receives an engraved medallion, $10,000, and $500 in McDonalds gift certificates. Awardees, who are nominated by colleagues, students and parents, were recognized at a dinner Friday night.

Kelly, Columbian staff and parents say, brings energy and enthusiasm to her classroom. Its a bright, cheerful place filled with buckets of markers, piles of books and a storage container with four cheeping chicks inside, part of a science lesson on the life cycle of chickens. Theres a blue claw-foot tub with plenty of soft pillows inside  perfect for students who need a minute to calm down  and the walls are covered with student artwork and vocabulary words.

She truly is a gift to teaching, said Columbian Principal Nanette Beller. When I am watching her lessons, Im just, like, Wow, how did she think of that? 

Her positivity is contagious, and Kelly can quickly adapt lessons to suit a childs learning style, Beller said.

Kelly was stunned to learn she was one of the winners.

She got the call one night in late March. She was making tacos for her family, which includes four kids. They were chatting. The TV was on. She locked herself inside the bathroom for a moment of peace and quiet  Its constant chaos at our house, she said  and got word that she had won the Buffett award.

A wave of emotions just took over, she said. It was just a tremendous honor.

Parents praised her in nominating letters for the award, and her students were no less enthusiastic.

She might come to my birthday party on Saturday, kindergartner Grady Pearsall said.

Kelly, 40, has been an OPS teacher for 18 years, including 12 at Columbian, located near 127th and Farnam Streets. Previously she taught third grade at Rose Hill Elementary School.

But kindergarten has her heart, she said.

I love watching them start off at the school as kindergartners, as itty-bitty babies, and I get the pleasure of watching them grow up until theyre in sixth grade, she said.

Long gone are the days when kindergarten was filled with naptime and coloring. On Wednesday morning, Kellys class listened to her read a Curious George book and picked out the details that made up the beginning, middle and end of the story.

This is why Mrs. Kelly loves what she does, she praised her class. We teach you a skill, and you apply it. Youre becoming independent learners.

Students rotated through different stations in the morning. They wrote in their journals, worked on Fathers Day projects, read silently to themselves and cradled the four tiny chicks.

You can kiss them on the head if youre careful, kindergartner Nina Spanjer said as she planted a kiss on one.

Kelly grew up in Fremont and thrived in school. Her career epiphany came when she took a job as a lifeguard in high school, giving swimming lessons to younger kids.

I think it was right then, working with those little kiddos, that I discovered my patience for children and my love for them, she said. I thought You know what? This is really enjoyable. It didnt really seem like work.

She loves teaching in OPS and doles out plenty of credit for her success to the staff and administrators at Columbian; Elizabeth Mazanec, her paraprofessional who helps out in the mornings; and the families she forges relationships with.

The end of the school year is always special, she said. Former students come back to help in her classroom or extend invitations to high school graduation parties. Some students are even considering a career in education.

It makes me feel like Ive touched, or maybe even changed, a life, she said.
26 Pakistani nationals go missing in Mumbai

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

A shocking news of 26 Pakistani nationals missing in Mumbai is trending on social media on Saturday. According to reports, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad is on alert to trace the missing Pakistanis.

The report quoted the police saying that none of the Pakistani national has given accurate information about their whereabouts and their contact in the city while filling up C-form which a Pakistani is required to fill while entering India.

According to rules, people who provide accommodation to foreigners must submit the details of the residing foreigner in Form C to the Registration authorities within 24 hours of the arrival of the foreigner at their premises. This will help the registration authorities in locating and tracking the foreigners.

Twitterati responded to the news with awe and questioned government's apathy for the current state of affair.

None of 26 Pakistanis given accurate details abt where,to whom they had come to meet while submitting C-form.They r missing for weeks now  Sumit Sharma  (@SumitSharma_91) May 13, 2017

Mumbai Police on alert as 26 Pakistanis go missing in city. Form C submitted by them has false details. Y the heck there is no Cross Check?  Akash rajput (@_rajputakash) May 13, 2017

@UnSubtleDesi @arunmcops @vivekagnihotri What are 26 Pakistanis doing in Mumbai, first of all? Were they not under profiling and constant monitor?  Balakrishna Ch (@cbkwgl) May 13, 2017

What were 26 Pakistanis doing in mumbai in the first place?  Baby Kejriwal (@babykejriwal) May 13, 2017

@UnSubtleDesi @arunmcops @vivekagnihotri What are 26 Pakistanis doing in Mumbai, first of all? Were they not under profiling and constant monitor?  Balakrishna Ch (@cbkwgl) May 13, 2017

OneIndia News
Caution: This new ransomware in India makes your ornate new clothes

75,000 ransomware attacks hit 99 countries on Friday

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

There have been 75,000 ransomware attacks in 99 countries on Friday. Ransomeware attacks have been targeting organisations across the world. A majority of the attacks targeted Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan.

The ransomware locks down all the files on an infected computer and asks the computer's administrator to pay in order to regain control of them, CNN reported.

The ransomware, called "WannaCry," is spread by taking advantage of a Windows vulnerability that Microsoft released a security patch for in March. But computers and networks that haven't updated their systems are at risk, the report also stated.

Affected machines have six hours to pay up and every few hours the ransom goes up, said Kurt Baumgartner, the principal security researcher at security firm Kaspersky Lab.

According to the report, organizations in the UK have been hit, and some of those hospitals have canceled outpatient appointments and told people to avoid emergency departments if possible.

Russia's Interior Ministry released a statement acknowledging a ransomware attack on its computers, adding that less than 1% of computers were affected, and that the virus is now "localized." The statement said antivirus systems are working to destroy it.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 10:59 [IST]
Amit Shah's Mission Telangana: 12 per cent Muslim quota to be opposed

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

After deciding to contest the Telangana assembly elections 2019 on its own, the BJP says that the state would witness a sea change. The BJP has decided to contest the 2019 elections on its own, Dr K Laxman the president of the Telangana's BJP unit state.

The party would contest on its own without any alliances or seat adjustments he said. We are confident of coming to power in the state on our own, he also said. Amit Shah will begin his three=day visit to the state from May 24 onwards, he also informed.

Mission Telangana:

The BJP will look to replicate the Uttar Pradesh formula in Telangana as well. It would want to polarise the Hindu votes and split the Muslim votes which is normally claimed by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, the MIM and the Congress.

The BJP had adopted a similar formula in UP and feels that it may work in Telangana as well. The BJP would look to bag a majority of the seats in Telangana on its own. The strategy being chalked out would focus largely on opposing the 12 per cent quota for Muslims given by the Telangana government. This would provide the BJP a plank to kickstart its campaign and polarise the Hindu votes in its favour.

The BJP would rope in the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad to drive across this message. The quota would primarily affect the students and hence the message needs to come from their student's wing. Several programmes speaking about such issues will be held in the run up to the elections.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 7:01 [IST]
Should Kashmir be given to Pakistan: Row erupts after this question appears in MP civil service exam

From hijab to Kashmir, Zawahiri was Al-Qaeda's voice for everything anti-India

Army is not against Kashmiris, General Rawat on fighting terror in J&K

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

New Delhi, May 13: At a time when Kashmiris have been further alienated from the mainstream India, the latest remark by Army chief General Bipin Rawat will go a long way in building bridges between the security forces and civilians in Jammu and Kashmir.

In an interview to Indian Express, General Rawat said, "Army is not against Kashmiris, our job is to separate the terrorists from the Kashmiri people and target the terrorists."

"We understand that all Kashmiris are not involved in the so-called militancy. There are a few, select in number, who indulge in terror and violence. Our job is to separate the terrorists from the Kashmiri people and target the terrorists," he added.

The Army chief's comment has come at a time when the security forces are busy in counter-insurgency operations in the Valley in the wake of several terror strikes in the state.

According to Indian Express, General Rawat also rejected claims that the Army has returned to the Cordon and Search Operations in the Valley as a part of its counter-insurgency strategy in the state.

Recent reports suggested that Army would perform more CASO in Kashmir after security personnel conducted a CASO in 15 villages in Shopian district recently. Around 4,000 soldiers of the Rashtriya Rifles were involved in the operation.

"We are not returning to classical CASO in Kashmir, because we know they cause hardship to the local people. These are area search operations. It is not even a cordon," General Rawat said.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 11:39 [IST]
Some CBI officers had 'setting' with TMC, so ED was sent to probe Bengal scams: Dilip Ghosh

BJP and TMC workers clash in Cooch Behar, indulge in vandalism

India

oi-Anusha

By Anusha Ravi

Workers of the Trinamool Congress and BJP clashed at Bhetaguri under Dinhata Police Station of Cooch Behar on Saturday afternoon. Both groups accused each other of vandalism and assault.

TMC workers allegedly attacked two BJP leaders in West Bengal's Cooch Behar, vehicles vandalized. pic.twitter.com/mvSivj1eoD  ANI (@ANI_news) May 13, 2017

Clashes started after two TMC workers allegedly assaulted BJP workers and vandalised cars. BJP workers in retaliation ransacked TMC office.Convoy of BJP leaders Locket Chatterjee and Jayprakash Majumdar was allegedly attacked by Trinamool Congress workers. BJP leaders claimed that they were assaulted by TMC supporters when they were en route Dinhata. The BJP leaders accused the police of remaining mute spectators as a group of TMC workers continued to vandalise their vehicles.

TMC workers, however, rubbished all allegations made by the BJP. They accused BJP workers of vandalising their office and vehicles parked out side the office. Security has been intensified in the locality with Rapid Action Force also being deployed. Situation remains tense after the clashes.

The incident comes days after a person was killed and three others sustained serious injuries following a massive blast in the party office of TMC at Aushgram in state's Burdwan district.

OneIndia News
CBI books Andhra Pradesh MLC for duping IFCI

India

oi-Anusha

The Central bureau of investigation registered criminal cases against Andhra Pradesh legislator Vakati Narayana Reddy for cheating financial institutions. The Telugu Desam Party MLA is accused of producing fake documents for a loan and causing losses of Rs 205.02 crore to Industrial Finance Corporation of India Ltd.

An MLC from Nellore Vakati Narayana Reddy along with seven other individuals was booked by the CBI. Cases, including those under the Prevention of Corruption Act, were registered against six companies and unknown public servants who reportedly helped in executing the fraud. The MLC's firm VNR Infrastructures Limited faces the charge of obtaining Rs 190 crore loans for executing projects between 2014 and 2015 against the security of immovable property. Not only did the MLC fail to repay the loan, but the property that was offered as security was given highly inflated values with malafide intentions.

The CBI registered cases after the IFCI said that it had suffered a loss of Rs 206.02 crore. Searches were conducted at properties belonging to Reddy in Nellore, Hyderabad and Bengaluru on Friday. While the MLC is yet to be arrested, he has been asked to appear for questioning.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 14:54 [IST]
Colombo-Varanasi flight will ensure China no longer central to Buddhist traditions

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Sri Lanka announced a direct flight between Colombo and Varanasi. This is seen as a move to check China's increasing influence on Sri Lanka. The decision was largely welcomed by the Buddhist monks and this decision is likely to boost spiritual tourism.

China has been working to present itself as a central to Buddhist tourism. However the manner in which it has dealt with the Tibet issue, China has been perceived as anti-religious. In this context, Modi's move to promote spiritual tourism with the focus on Buddhists is likely to go a long way in countering the Chinese.

This flight would not only help Buddhists in Sri Lanka reach Varanasi without wasting much time, but also facilitate Hindu pilgrims visit the island nation with ease. Hindu pilgrims often visit places associated with the Ramayana in Sri Lanka. The Buddhists who come to Varanasi from Sri Lanka would also get a chance to visit Bodh Gaya with much ease thanks to this direct flight.

The flight would also ensure that both Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims would have to pay 40 per cent less than what they already used to. Currently the average flight costs between Colombo to UP and Bihar stands at Rs 25,000. However with the introduction of this new flight the prices would drop further as it is a direct flight.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 6:25 [IST]
Delhi, Chandigarh, Bengaluru to pay homage to braveheart Lt Ummer Fayaz

India

oi-Anusha

People from Delhi and Chandigarh are all set to pay homage to Lt Ummer Fayaz who was abducted and killed by Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists. The Flags Of Honour foundation has organised a candlelight march for the brave soldier and a proud son of Kashmir who was martyred in a cowardly act.

Join in today 13 May in #NewDelhi & #Chandigarh to pay homage to #Braveheart Lt Ummer Fayaz and at #Bengaluru tomorrow 14 May. JaiHind!  pic.twitter.com/WSlWDkNw4g  Flags Of Honour (@FlagsOfHonour) May 13, 2017

Homage will be paid to Army officer Lt Ummer Fayaz on Saturday in New Delhi's India Gate at 7 PM while in Chandigarh people have been invited to pay respects at Plaza, Sector 17 at 7.45. Those in Bengaluru will congregate to pay homage to India's son in Bengaluru on Sunday at 7.30 PM at the National Military Memorial.

Lt Fayaz, the son of an apple farmer and a proud soldier was abducted on Tuesday and his body was found the next day in Kashmir's Shopian. Militants from the Hizbul abducted an unarmed, off-duty army officer who had visited his native to take part in a wedding celebration. India's defence Minister, Arun Jaitley called it a 'dastardly act of cowardice' and the army vowed to punish his killers.

The soldier who hailed from Kulgam of Kashmir was commissioned into the army only in December 2016. The Kashmir police have put up posters with pictures of three Hizbul terrorists wanted for the killing of the army officer. Reward has ben announced for any information on three terrorists suspected to be involved in the abduction and subsequent killing of Lieutenant Fayaz. Ishfaq Ahmad Thoker, Gayas-ul-Islam and Abass Ahmad Bhat are the suspects in the case.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 15:06 [IST]
Former PIO Ramamohan Rao's demise a big loss to information service

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

Former Principal Information Officer to the Government of India I. Ramamohan Rao passed away at Gurgaon's Medanta Hospital on Saturday. He was 83-years-old.

He had served as a media adviser to four former prime ministers - Rajiv Gandhi, V.P. Singh, Chandrashekhar and P.V. Narasimha Rao.

He hailed from Karnataka's South Canara district and started his career with the government's Information Service in the 50s. He did extensive coverage of 1965 and 1971 wars.

He was a recipient of Dr. MV Kamath Memorial Award and had also authored a book "'Conflict Communication - Chronicles of a Communicator".

Mr. Rao's book is an inspiration for budding journalists and those in information service as he discusses in detail how sensitive government matters should be communicated to the media.

Shocked to learn about the demise of Sri Ram Mohan Rao Fmr PIO, PIB . A visionary in Govt communication, huge loss for IIS service. RIP  M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) May 13, 2017

My association with him goes back to the 90s when he was the PIO and occupied an office in New Delhi's Sashtri Bhawan. I was hardly 10-years old then and can still recall how humble and down to earth he was. I have had the privilege of visiting the PIB office from a very young age as my father used to work there.

Even later during my stint at ANI, he would fondly inquire about my work and give valuable tips on how write to news items. His energy, despite being in 80s, was infectious and he was always abreast with current affairs and political developments of the country. He served as mentor and chief editor at ANI till he was bed ridden earlier this year. He regularly wrote columns and kept inspiring the young journalists there.

Mr. Rao actively took part in the activities of Delhi Karnataka Sangha and held many important positions there. He was a proud Kannadiga and people of Karnataka origin in Delhi used to look up to him with reverence.

His health started deteriorating after the untimely demise of his son Dr. Rohit Rao in 2016. Mr. Rao was shaken by Dr Rohit's demise and took him a long time to come to terms with the loss.

OneIndia News
Establishing the Caliphate

In the audio clip, Moosa is heard speaking about establishing a Caliphate in Kashmir. The 5.40-minute long clip also warns separatist leaders of Kashmir not to meddle in the move to set up a caliphate in Jammu and Kashmir along the lines of the rule established by the ISIS in parts of Syria and Iraq.

Quoting Awalaki

In the slide show there is also a quote from Imam Anwar Al Awlaki, the ideological mentor of the al-Qaeda. "If you know the truth you have to follow it even if the scholars are not following it," the slide states

Verify the promise

The clip further has a slide which says, " dont fall for the Dunya. It has a quote from the Quran as well.

Need for Islamic State

The next slide speaks about the establishment of an Islamic State. There is no space for democratic consultation it says.

To survive

The next clip speaks about how one must be a lion in order to survive in a nation of sheep.

In the end...

Depicting cloudy skies, a clip also speaks about how everything in the end would belong to Allah.

Jihad

With a man holding a gun in the background, the slide calls for Jihad.

Need for Khilafah

The slide depicts the need for a khilafah or caliphate. It asks how long will this take?

Islam and politics

This slide speaks about how can one take out Islam from politics when it covers all aspects of human lives.

Under my feet

A brazen call is made to stamp man made laws. It indicates that the Shariat law will rule.

Evolution

A quote from Al-Albani, it indicates how the evolution of a man should take place.

What they fear

Do not care if you have have big beard and pray five times. What they fear is the unity of Muslims, the slide states.

Tawheed

This slide speaks about how Tawheed is invalid until one knows Allah. This is a quote from Imaam al-Muzaanee.

Defeated by hypocrites

In this slide while quoting Sheikh Abdullah Azzam, it says that Muslims are defeated by hypocrites.

Live by it

Another slide on Tawheed speaks about how one must live and die by it.

In the grave what Allah will ask

Allah will only ask if you are a Muslim or kafir and nothing else, this slide states.
IRCTC update: 151 trains cancelled on Nov 09; here is the complete list

Good bye brave son of India

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

Hundreds of people gathered at New Delhi's iconic India Gate on Saturday to pay homage to Lt Ummer Fayaz who was abducted and killed by Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists.

Some of the people were heard raising slogans like, "Tum kitne ummer maroge har ghar se ummer niklega and hum le kar rahenge azadi (How many Ummer will you kill, every home will produce an Ummer. We will take freedom at any cost"

The Rajputana Rifles officer, who was commissioned into the army only in December 2016, was abducted from his on Tuesday and his body was found the next day in Kashmir's Shopian.

Militants from the Hizbul abducted an unarmed, off-duty army officer who had visited his native to take part in a wedding celebration.

Candlelight vigil held The Flags of Honour foundation has organised a candlelight march for the brave soldier and a proud son of Kashmir who was martyred in a cowardly act. Ummer's supreme sacrifice unites nation Homage was paid to Lt Ummer Fayaz on Saturday in New Delhi's India Gate at 7 PM while in Chandigarh people gathered to pay respects at Plaza, Sector 17 at 7.45. Those in Bengaluru will congregate to pay homage to India's son in Bengaluru on Sunday at 7.30 PM at the National Military Memorial. Betrayed by his own Ummer Fayaz had gone home to attend a wedding in the family. He was abducted when he was sitting with the bride. The family did not approach the police or the Army thinking that the terrorists wouldn't harm a Kashmiri. But it emerged later that it was the locals who had passed on the information about Ummer's whereabouts to militants. A dastardly act by militants The autopsy report indicated that Lt Fayaz was shot from a close range. His body was found at a bus stand at the Harmain village on Wednesday morning. The incident comes in the wake of the Hizbul declaring an open threat to local Kashmiris who either join the Army or the police force.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 20:42 [IST]
Bihar assembly elections 2020: Heres how you can cast your vote using the EVM and VVPAT

Hackathon or not? AAP-EC fight over EVM continues

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Delhi's ruling party-the Aam Aadmi Party-has been in the forefront over the issue of the tampering of the electronic voting machines. On Friday, the EC hosted a meeting with 55 political parties to discuss over the EVM row in the national capital.

The EC officials also gave a detailed demonstration on various security features of the EVMs. However, now the AAP alleges that the EC has backtracked from its earlier stand of conducting a hackathon where anyone can have an access of the EVMs of the EC and can prove whether they could be tampered or not.

The EC on its part maintains that challenge to tamper EVMs is still on. Since it is a technical issue, clarity is very less about the matter.

Here we bring you a few images of the meeting between the officials and politicians that took place in the national capital on Friday...

Demo on EVMs, VVPATs EVMs and VVPATs being demonstrated during an all-party meeting convened by the EC to discuss the reliability of the EVMs in New Delhi on Friday. Trust us, EVMs are reliable Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi during the all-party meeting convened by the poll watchdog to discuss the reliability of the EVMs--an issue flagged by opposition parties--in New Delhi on Friday. Sir, please talk to us Zaidi mobbed by journalists before the meeting. Brainstorming A view of the meeting on Friday. Listen to us The EC officials addressed the meeting. Not convinced? AAP leader Manish Sisodia with AIADMK members at the meeting.

Photo credit: PTI

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 11:06 [IST]
Imam Barkati takes red beacon off, Minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury still has

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

West Bengal minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury, who questioned Shahi Imam Barkati of Tipu Sultan Mosque over red beacon, was caught using it himself on Saturday.

Asked about the use of red beacon the minister said he was the minister in the governemnt, he would remove the red beacon moment after receiving the order copy.

West Bengal minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury who questioned Shahi Imam of Tipu Sultan Mosque over red beacon, using it himself on his vehicle pic.twitter.com/YKVsRJCRX6  ANI (@ANI_news) May 13, 2017

Earlier, Maulana Noor-ul-Rehman Barkati finally removed the red beacon from his car. The Imam who was in the news for refusing to remove the 'lal batti,' finally changed his mind. It is, however, unclear what led to this changed decision of his.

The ban of red beacon:

The ban on red beacon doesn't spare even vehicles of the country's top dignitaries such as the President, Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of India. However, ambulances and vehicles of the fire service, police, and army will be exempted to use blue flashing beacons to sail through traffic.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued notification regarding exemption to the use of colored beacons. Nitin Gadkari, Road Transport and Highways Minister, became the first minister to remove the red beacon light from his official vehicle soon after the Modi government banned the 'lal batti'.

(OneIndia News with agency inputs)

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 19:05 [IST]
Talented, driven and great potential: President Putin is all praise for India and Indians

India will not take part in OBOR conference

India

ians-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, May 13: India on Saturday refused to be a part of China's One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative citing its objections to the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, that passes through Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Citing the CPEC that is being touted as a flagship part of OBOR, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said: "No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity."

In a statement, a day ahead of the launch of the two-day summit in Beijing, he said: "Guided by our principled position in the matter, we have been urging China to engage in a meaningful dialogue on its connectivity initiative, 'One Belt, One Road' which was later renamed as 'Belt and Road Initiative'.

"We are awaiting a positive response from the Chinese side," he added.

"Regarding the so-called 'China-Pakistan Economic Corridor', which is being projected as the flagship project of the BRI/OBOR, the international community is well aware of India's position. No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity," Baglay said.

China is organising the two-day Belt and Road conference in Beijing starting Sunday which will be attended by 29 Heads of State including Russian President Vladimir Putin and a US delegation, and see the participation of over 100 countries. India's non-participation comes as the top leadership of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Myanmar are attending, while Bangladesh and Nepal are sending high-level delegations. Bhutan is not attending.

On Friday, Nepal officially inked a deal with China on OBOR for development of cross-border connectivity.

The $46-billion CPEC is part of OBOR, Chinese President Xi Jinping's signature foreign policy initiative.

New Delhi firmly opposes this corridor of Beijing's project linking Xinjiang in China and the Gwadar port in Pakistan because it passes through Pakistani-administered Kashmir. India lays claim to the disputed region.

The general view was that India attending the forum might amount to surrendering its claim over the region.

However, Beijing has repeatedly sought to allay New Delhi's fears, saying China will not change its position on the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan. Beijing terms the dispute as bilateral.

Citing other problems, Baglay said: "We are of firm belief that connectivity initiatives must be based on universally recognised international norms, good governance, rule of law, openness, transparency and equality.

"Connectivity initiatives must follow principles of financial responsibility to avoid projects that would create unsustainable debt burden for communities; balanced ecological and environmental protection and preservation standards; transparent assessment of project costs; and skill and technology transfer to help long term running and maintenance of the assets created by local communities. Connectivity projects must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity," he added.

Noting India shares the international community's desire for enhanced physical connectivity and believes that it should bring greater economic benefits to all in an equitable and balanced manner," Baglay said it was "working with many countries and international institutions in support of physical and digital connectivity in our own immediate and near neighbourhood".

He said that expansion and strengthening of connectivity was an integral part of India's economic and diplomatic initiatives and referred to New Delhi's Act East policy that focuses on the 10 nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and the Trilateral Highway project underway to link India, Myanmar and Thailand.

Baglay said that under New Delhi's Go West strategy, it engaged with Iran on the Chabahar Port and with Iran and other partners in Central Asia on the International North South Transport Corridor. India, Iran, and Afghanistan have signed a trilateral agreement to develop the Chabahar port that will will be vital to link south and central Asia.

[US U-turn on China puts India in a fix]

He also referred to the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) motor transport agreement saying it is an initiative that is aimed at enhancing logistics efficiencies in the South Asian region.

"We are also actively considering acceding to TIR (Transports Internationaux Routiers or International Road Transports) Convention," he said. The TIR Convention establishes an international customs transit system.

IANS
2 non-local labourers shot at by terrorist in J&K's Anantnag

FM Nirmala Sitharaman hints at possibility of Centre considering restoration of state status to J&K

In J&K, 14,000 dropouts find their way back to schools

J&K: LeT terror module busted, five arrested

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

A terror module of the Lashkar-e-Taiba was busted in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district on Saturday, said reports.

Five persons have been arrested and a cache of weapons were also seized.

In February this year, Jammu and Kashmir police busted a module of Hizbul Mujahideen terror outfit and arrested a militant along with nine others who were 'influencing' young and innocent boys in Baramulla district.

In April, the Delhi Police special cell and Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) busted an ISIS-inspired terror module spanning five states. Three persons were arrested then.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 17:55 [IST]
In pictures, grandeur of Terminal 2 of Kempegowda International Airport which PM Modi will inaugurate

Karnataka Government transfers Anti-Corruption Bureau cop

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

The Karnataka government shunted out a Superintendent of Police with Anti-Corruption Bureau (Vigilance), Bengaluru City, for carrying out raids on influential officers in the government.

Superintendent of police (Vigilance) S Girish was transferred to administration wing in ACB. Dr. T. D. Pawar, IPS, Internal Security Division, was transferred with Immediate effect to the ACB (Vigilance). According to reports, S Girish, IPS, has served only nine months in the ACB.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah government has been criticized for undue political interference in police transfers. V Shashidhar of Akhila Karnataka Police Mahasangha had filed a complaint with Lokayukta against the Chief Minister for violating the Supreme Court's 2006 judgment in the Prakash Singh case, wherein state governments had been directed to constitute a Police Establishment Board to deal with transfers of cops.

In 2016, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had set up Anti-Corruption Bureau ruling out any threat to the institution of Lokayukta created under the Karnataka Lokayukta Act, 1984.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 12:09 [IST]
BJP wants Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, says Shah; asks other parties must make stand clear on the issue

'There is partnership between TRS and BJP', says Rahul Gandhi in Telangana

Kerala: BJP demands AFSPA after RSS worker's murdered

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Thiruvananthapuram, May 13: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday sought the imposition of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in Kannur, a day after the hacking of an RSS office bearer, which Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has brushed aside, terming it a one-off incident.

On Friday evening, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh office bearer Biju in his early 30s was hacked to death at Payyanur in Kannur, the hot spot of political murders.

The state Bharatiya Janata Party leadership has accused the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist activists of the murder, which the Left party has denied.

A dawn-to-dusk shutdown is being observed in Kannur district on Saturday. So far it has passed off peacefully with shops, markets and establishments -- all closed and public vehicles off the road.

BJP's lone legislator O Rajagopal and a team of party leaders on Saturday called on Governor P Sathasivam asked for the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act to be imposed in Kannur.

Rajagopal said, "Today the Kerala Police has become an outfit of the CPI(M) and miserably failed to protect the lives and property of citizens.

"The police are always linked to the leaders of the CPI(M), who direct them. The only way peace can return to Kannur is with implementation of the AFSPA," he told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.

"The good thing is Kannur has an Army camp and we have requested the Governor to see that AFSPA is implemented," said Rajagopal.

The police has registered a case against seven persons in the crime. They have found out that the murder of Biju was carried out by a gang of four persons, who came in an Innova car.

Biju along with his friend was driving a two-wheeler, when an Innova car knocked them down and he was hacked to death.

The victim, who was out on bail, was the 12th accused in the July 2016 murder of CPI-M worker Dhanaraj.

Vijayan who arrived in Kannur on Saturday told reporters that things appeared to be calm following an all-party meeting that discussed political rivalries.

Vijayan said: "Those talks did a world of good and everyone should be careful to see that things are under check. It was an unfortunate incident that occurred yesterday (Friday) and it is seen as a one-off incident."

Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has blamed both the CPI-M and the BJP for the happenings in Kannur. "Both these parties are responsible for what's happening in Kannur and they have to find a way out of this," said Chandy.

IANS

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 15:43 [IST]
Kerala CM calls RSS worker's murder 'unfortunate', BJP shuts Kannur down

India

oi-Anusha

A day after an RSS worker was hacked to death in Kannur, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called the incident unfortunate. The CM also held that the murder will not stop peace talks between members of the BJP and CPI(M) being held in Kannur. The BJP meanwhile, brought life to a standstill with a hartal in Kannur over the murder of Biju.

8 workers of the BJP and RSS have been murdered ever since CPI(M) came to power in Kerala in May 2016. The dawn to dusk Hartal call given by the BJP affected regular life in Kannur and Mahe. Private buses, as well as government-run KSRTC buses, stayed off roads. Offices and shops remained shut. The state government that had initially planned to have additional buses from the KSRTC ultimately decided to suspend regular service as well.

At least 7 workers of the CPI(M) have been booked by the police over Biju's murder which is suspected to be a retaliatory attack. Biju was an accused in the murder case of Dhanaraj, a CPI(M) worker who was hacked in 2016. "This is an unfortunate incident but is also a one-off incident. All culprits will be arrested. This will not affect the efforts to bring peace to the district," Pinarayi Vijayan said. He is likely to visit Kannur on Saturday to take stock of the situation.

Considering the volatile situation, security has been beefed up in Kannur especially Payyannur. Dozens of policemen have been deployed to patrol roads even as shops and establishments remained closed. The BJP deemed it an act of 'leftists terror' and accused the CPI(M) government of encouraging political murders by turning a blind eye towards them.

The Kerala BJP unit Chief K Rajasekharan claimed that CPI(M) workers celebrated the murder of the RSS activist and shared a video of the reported celebration on twitter.

Brutality, beastiality at its worst- Kannur Communists celebrate murder of RSS Karyakartha Biju, whom they beheaded.#JungleRajInKerala pic.twitter.com/WDwFgOypUp  KummanamRajasekharan (@Kummanam) May 13, 2017

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 13:15 [IST]
Militants open fire at patrolling security forces at Tral

India

oi-Anusha

Militants fired at security forces in Kashmir's Tral on Saturday. The local police claimed that security personnel who were patrolling in the area were fired at triggering a brief gunfight. A cordon and search operation was launched soon after the attack.

J&K: Army patrol party fired upon by terrorists in Pulwama's Tral. Area cordoned off. (visuals deferred by unspecified time) pic.twitter.com/pSVmRr1WOd  ANI (@ANI_news) May 13, 2017

The security forces were patrolling Seer village in Pulwama when the militants opened fire at them. While no reports of casualty emerged a search operation was launched to hunt down the militants who fired at the security forces. Escape routes were sealed off in an attempt to capture the militants, the police claimed.

The attack comes on a day when civilians were killed as a result of ceasefire violation by Pakistan along the line of control in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district.

OneIndia News
Coastal Andhra to get heavy rainfall in next 2-3 days: IMD

Nine persons booked for Rs 569 cr scam: Andhra Police

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Visakhapatnam, May 13: Andhra Pradesh police have registered a case against nine persons for fraudulently sending Rs 569 crore abroad through fake companies.

On a complaint by the Income Tax Department, the police in this coastal city registered a First Information Report and sent search parties to Kolkata and other places to nab the accused.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Naveen Gulati told reporters in Visakhaptnam on Saturday that one Vaddi Mahesh, his father Vaddi Srinivas Rao and two other accused formed 12 bogus companies to facilitate transfer of funds and reporting turnovers. They opened 30 accounts in different banks in Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Kolkata and other places.

Of the Rs 680 crore domestic remittances in these banks accounts, Rs 569 crore was sent to five foreign companies in China, Singapore and Hong Kong.

"The total transaction is fraud and the money was sent without paying tax and by producing fake certificates," Gulati said.

An income tax official had lodged a complaint against the accused with MVP Colony police station. The preliminary investigation revealed that foreign remittances were meant for purchase of customised software but no software was ever imported.

The accused include two chartered accountants Prasanta Kumar Roy Barman and Praveen Kumar Jha, both residents of Kolkata. They allegedly helped the accused by providing fake certificates which along with fake foreign invoices were submitted to the banks.

"Prima facie, it is black money and it appears to be a hawala like transaction," the officer said, adding that it was a complicated case and more clarity is expected by Monday or Tuesday.

Mahesh, Srinivas Rao, both natives of Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh but settled in Kolkata along with Achanta Harish and Achanta Rajesh of West Godavari district established 12 bogus companies.

Ayush Goel, Vineet Goenka, Vikar Gupta -- who deposited the money in 30 bank accounts -- were also booked.

IANS

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 16:57 [IST]
Imran Khan discharged from hospital, to resume long march from same point where he was shot

This cop from Pakistan became a millionaire overnight: Here is how

NPP wants Pak declared a terror state

India

oi-Gulam Rabbani

By Gulam Rabbani

New Delhi, May 13: National Panthers Party of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday staged a protest outside the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi demanding to declare Pakistan a terror state.

"Pakistan has made Jammu and Kashmir a living hell. Pakistan soldiers are ceaselessly indulging in ceasefire violations and also beheading our soldiers. Their dastardly actions have destroyed the state peace. How can one simply keep beheading the soldiers? What kind of policy is it? We are hopeful that the Government will not only take a strong action but the international community will also favour India in declaring Pakistan a terror state. " said one of the protestors to ANI.

One of the protestors said that the attacks Pakistan terrorist responsible for the deaths of innocent civilians, besides the attacks on Indian troops. He added that such gruesome acts will not be tolerated anymore.

Another protestor said that the government has not taken any stern action so far, which is why Pakistan is dare enough in beheading the jawans.

He added that since three years Pakistan had violated number ceasefire along the LoC. He said that the protesters blame the government for not having a proper policy towards Pakistan.

The protestors shouted out slogans like 'declare Pakistan a terror state' and were seen holding placards displaying quotes like 'down with Pakistan' jotted down on them.

Heavy police was deployed outside the high Commission to disperse the protestors.

Earlier in the day, two civilians have died in a cease fire violation by Pakistan at the Rajouri sector in Jammu and Kashmir. For the second time in three days, a ceasefire violation by Pakistan has been reported from the Nowshera sector. There have been no reports of casualties.

The violation was reported from the Nowshera sector of Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier this week a ceasefire violation by Pakistan had taken place in the same area. One woman was killed in the incident.

The Indian Armed forces personnel had responded to the violation by Pakistan. One person was also injured in the incident. Pakistan had used 120 mm mortars.

The incident took place in the wee hours of Thursday. Reports stated that there was a heavy exchange of fire between the two sides.

The firing by Pakistan was unprovoked. It may be recalled that there was a similar incident in the same sector in April as well. Pakistani troops resorted to mortar shelling, besides using automatic and small arms fire.

The incident took place in the wee hours of Thursday. Reports stated that there was a heavy exchange of fire between the two sides. The firing by Pakistan was unprovoked.

It may be recalled that there was a similar incident in the same sector in April as well. Pakistani troops resorted to mortar shelling, besides using automatic and small arms fire.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 14:59 [IST]
Osama Bin Laden's son looks to avenge his father's death

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Hamza is hell-bent on avenging the death of his father, Osama Bin Laden. The revelation was made by a former FBI agent who is familiar with the personal letters seized during the raid that killed Laden, the leader of the al-Qaeda.

Hamza who is 28 now wrote these letters six years back. Ali Soufan, the former FBI agent who was the bureau's lead investigator of al-Qaida after the 9/11 attacks, told CBS News the letters reveal Hamza to be a young man who adores his father and wants to carry on his murderous ideology.

The letters collected in the raid by helicopter-borne US Navy SEALs at a secure high-walled compound in Abbottabad, a garrison town north of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, in May 2011 have now been declassified.

For a new episode of '60 Minutes' on the network, Soufan described one of those letters from Hamza: "He tells him that...he remembers 'every look...every smile you gave me, every word you told me.'" Hamza also wrote this: "I consider myself to be forged in steel. The path of jihad for the sake of God is what we live."

Soufan said Hamza's potential as a leader was recognised years ago when he was still a boy. He was used in propaganda videos, sometimes holding a gun.

(With agency inputs)
Race for KPCC president post: Either me or Kharge, says Parameshwara

India

oi-Anusha

The current chief of Congress in Karnataka Dr G Parameshwar has asked the high command to let him continue in the post. Parameshwara who is also Karnataka's home minister is said to have told Rahul Gandhi that if the party chooses to replace him, it should appoint Mallikarjun Kharge to the post.

Barely days after Karnataka in-charge general secretary K C Venugopal returned to Delhi after meeting party workers in the state, Rahul Gandhi summoned Parameshwara. During a meeting on Friday, Parameshwara is said to have asked the party to choose between him and Mallikarjun Kharge, both prominent Dalit leaders to lead the state unit.

Sources close to Parameshwara claimed that he briefed Rahul Gandhi about the need to have a Dalit face at the helm of affairs. AHINDA has been Congress' traditional vote bank and not having a Dalit leader, Parameshwar is said to have told Congress leaders, will have a negative impact in the elections. With elections barely a year away, Parameshwar asked the party's senior leadership to retain him in the post and promised to work together with all tall leaders and ensure a victory for the party in the 2018 assembly elections.

With the likes of D K Shivakumar, S R Patil, M B Patil in the race for the post, Parameshwar has told the leadership that appointing Kharge may bring about a balance in terms of representation. The senior leadership of the Congress is making all arrangements to send Kharge back to Karnataka to monitor the party ahead of the elections. While it is almost certain that he would return to state politics, his role and post are unclear.

Parameshwar was called to Delhi on Friday and held a meeting with Rahul Gandhi. His meeting with the central leadership of the party comes after K C Venugopal filed his report on his maiden visit to Karnataka after being appointed the in-charge general secretary. While a barrage of complaints was raised against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC President Dr G Parameshwara, the latter is said to have assured the central leadership that retaining him is the best viable option to avoid confusion in the party. It is to be seen if the leadership is convinced with his assurance.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 11:44 [IST]
UP ATS picks up two more accused in Al-Qaeda radicalisation case

Relief for students, UP govt calls for 'No school bag day' on Saturdays

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Lucknow, May 13: In a bid to take load off students, the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Uttar Pradesh has decided that Saturdays will be a 'no bag day' in all government run primary and secondary schools, an official said.

Students would engage in 'joyful activities' and there would be efforts to enhance a positive relationship between the students and teachers on this day, the official said on Saturday.

A go-ahead for this initiative was given by Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma, who is also the Education Minister. Co-education would also be encourage in these institutions.

The Education Department officials met on Friday and decided that the power of settling disputes in management committees would no longer rest with the manager of the school but with the Registrar of such societies.

Principal Secretary (Secondary Education) has been directed by Dinesh Sharma to repave a proposal within a week and send it to him for approval.

A directive has also been issued not to put school teachers and the staff on census, election duties and also during natural calamities.

The Bharatiya Janata Party government, soon after taking over the reins of the state had declared that it was committed to improve the education system.

IANS

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 13:08 [IST]
Kejriwal now claims BJP offered to spare Sisodia, Jain if AAP backs out of Gujarat polls

AAP \"merely a party of UT Delhi\", only Cong can challenge BJP in Gujarat, HP: Azad

Sacked AAP leader Kapil Mishra's hunger strike enter day 4

India

oi-Gulam Rabbani

By Gulam Rabbani

New Delhi, May 13: Ousted Aam Aadmi Party minister Kapil Mishra's indefinite hunger strike on Saturday entered the fourth day. Kapil Mishra said that his 'satyagraha' against corruption won't stop till he receives an accurate information about the expenses being made with the AAP for foreign tours.

"I am feeling well even after four days of fasting. Arvind Kejriwal should face the truth. He should provide me information soon if they don't have anything to hide," Mishra told ANI,

He responded on AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha who also decided to go indefinite hunger strike outside of Mishra's house, he said that everyone has right to protest outside his house and full protection should be provided to the MLA.

On Friday, East Delhi Municipal Corporation first mayor and Mishra's mother Dr Annapurna Mishra too joined him in taking on AAP convenor Kejriwal.

Mishra's mother had allegedly said that his son was accused of being an agent of Bharatiya Janata Party adding that she never thought Kejriwal would behave in such a manner. Annapurna said that she asked Kejriwal to speak out on the issue related to the alleged tanked scam. She added that Kapil never wanted to join AAP but it was Kejriwal who forced him to join the party.

She asserted that Kapil is an agent of truth but not of BJP adding that she is proud of him for carrying out 'satyagraha'.

She blamed Kejriwal for sacking her son and highlighted that AAP supremo had proved what kind of person he is.

On May 10, the sacked AAP leader began his hunger strike who stirred a controversy by making corruption allegations against Arvind Kejriwal.

On Thursday he vowed to continue his hunger strike till the AAP makes details of foreign travels by some of its leaders public.

Mishra had earlier asked Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal to divulge details of expenses incurred for various foreign trips by party leaders - Sanjay Singh, Ashish Khetan, Satyendra Jain, Raghav Chadha and Durgesh Pathak.

"I will continue to sit on hunger strike till details of international travel expenses of five AAP leaders are shared," Mishra, who is on a hunger strike since Wednesday at his residence in Delhi's Civil Lines, said. In August last year, former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit was reportedly examined by the ACB in connection with her alleged involvement in the scam.

Kapil turns the table:

Mishra had been accusing BJP of protecting Sheila Dikshit. But on May 8, he alleged that the AAP government was trying to protect her.

Mishra had reportedly submitted evidence to the ACB alleging that Kejriwal-led government had influenced and delayed the probe into the scam.

In June 2015, AAP government had set up a fact-finding committee to look into alleged irregularities in procuring around 385 stainless steel water tankers by the DJB during Dikshit's tenure.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 11:21 [IST]
FM Nirmala Sitharaman hints at possibility of Centre considering restoration of state status to J&K

In J&K, 14,000 dropouts find their way back to schools

Stone pelting is widely reported, but attempts to change J&K is never discussed: Mehbooba

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

In a veiled attack on the media, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has said that stone pelting incidents in the valley are widely reported and discussed on news channels but the issue of attempts to change the state is never discussed.

She said news channels wait for Friday so that something untoward happens in the valley so that they can hold discussions.

"If a kid pelts stone, hold flag, electronic media discusses that 24x7, but they don't talk about you trying to change picture of Jammu and Kashmir," news agency ANI quoted Mehbooba as saying.

Mehbooba had even on Wednesday vented her ire at TV channels for spreading "false propaganda" about the state.

Last week, Mehbooba had said only Prime Minister Modi can resolve the Kashmir crisis and the state would support his decision.

She said that her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee also tried to resolve the Kashmir situation, but since then no efforts were made by subsequent governments.

Last month, Mufti met Prime Minister Modi at his residence in New Delhi and briefed him about the security situation in the Valley. After the meeting, she told reporters that it was important to resume the dialogue process initiated by former Prime Minister Vajpayee.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 20:01 [IST]
Sukma attack: Villagers provided shield to naxalites says report

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

A report on the Sukma attack in which 25 CRPF jawans were martyred states that 3 villagers had helped the naxalites. There were three villagers who had taken part in the attack at Sukma in Chhattisgarh, the report further stated.

The report was filed following an internal inquiry conducted by the CRPF.

Most of the villagers from Burkapal, Chintagufa and Kasalpara were "passive participants," in the attack. They provided food and shelter to the naxalites the report also stated. After the encounter was over, some villagers in Kasalpara even provided medical aid to injured Maoists, it further said.

The villagers have however stated that none were in the village at the time of the attack. All had to gone to another village to celebrate Biju Pondam (harvest festival), the villagers also said.

The Chhattisgarh Police had taken into custody a former sarpanch of Chintagufa on the charge that he was involved in the attack. The CRPF team came under attack while it was providing protection to a road construction team in Sukma. But with 4 per cent telecom connectivity, retaliatory and rescue operations were hampered after the attack, the report further stated. The CRPF says that they were outnumbered by the naxalites. Further the naxalites had used both women and children as human shields, the CRPF also stated.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 5:57 [IST]
How a Kerala trans womans death highlighted need for urgent revamp of sex reassignment surgery

Tharika Banu, TNs Ist transgender to clear Class 12 exams, wants to become a doctor

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Chennai, May 13: It was a major victory for the transgender community across the country after Tharika Banu became the first transgender from Tamil Nadu to pass the Class 12 examinations in the science stream.

Chennai: Tharika Banu becomes the first transgender in Tamil Nadu to clear class 12th examinations pic.twitter.com/ocR7mqzcgT  ANI (@ANI_news) May 12, 2017

The results of Class 12 examinations were declared by the Tamil Nadu Board on Friday. She was a student of the Kamarajar Girls higher secondary School in Chennai.

A visibly happy Tharika told reporters that she wanted to become a doctor. "After a long struggle I was able to join school. Many have helped for my studies," Tharika added.

It was because of transgender activist Grace Banu, who adopted Tharika two years ago, that she managed to complete her school education. "My aim is to make her a doctor," Grace said.

Tharika's Head Mistress, M Mary said, "We gave her counseling and sufficient arrangements. Because of that she has passed today".

Because of large-scale discrimination faced by transgenders, a very few from the community attend schools. Thus activists say Tharika's achievement is huge and should be celebrated to encourage more transgenders to get education.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 6:38 [IST]
That's a first: Kochi metro employs 23 transgenders

India

oi-Anusha

In a first of its kind effort by any government-owned company, the Kochi Metro has appointed 23 employees from the transgender community. In a move to promote rightful share of employment for transgenders, the Kochi metro will engage them in serving passengers and selling tickets in the Aluva-Palrivattom corridor.

This is perhaps for the first time that a government-run company has formally recruited transgenders. "We would like to give members of the transgender community their rightful share in different jobs at stations. There will be no discrimination between them and women workers," said Elias George, Kochi Metro Rail Ltd MD told The Hindu.

The initiative hopes to change the society's perception of those from the transgender community. Giving them the equal opportunity to work with men and women and earn a dignified life is the aim, officials added.

With this, Kochi metro hopes to set a precedent and make way for firms, both private and government, come forward to give transgender people the opportunity to work. Due to stereotyping people from the community are denied jobs and education but the trend is slowly changing. All transgender employees of the Kochi metro will be given designated work at ticket counters, housekeeping functions and passenger service. Those appointed are ecstatic to be working in an organised sector.

"Even when we do get jobs, we are often made fun of. If I work in an office, the other workers, for example, will make fun of how I walk like a woman. I will be the laughingstock," the Hindu quoted one of the newly appointed staff as saying. Workers are being trained and will be deputed in five stations between Palarivattom and Maharaja's College Ground on this corridor.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 15:48 [IST]
TTV Dinakaran to be brought to Chennai on transit warrant

India

oi-Anusha

Currently lodged in the Tihar jail, TTV Dinakaran will be brought to Chennai on June 8. The Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in Egmore issued a 'prisoner on transit warrant' against the AIADMK deputy general secretary. The court asked the Enforcement Directorate to produce Dinakaran on June 8.

Dinakaran will be produced in person so that the court can go ahead and frame charges against him in connection with a Foreign Exchange Regulation Act case that was registered two decades ago. Judge Malarmathy held that charges under six counts of FERA were already framed against him for transferring $1.04 crore to Dipper Investment through Barclay Bank. The court had planned to frame charges against him in another FERA case registered for illegally routing $ 36.36 crore and 1 lakh pounds for starting a star hotel in the UK.

Dinakaran was asked to appear in person for every hearing but post his arrest and consequent imprisonment at the Tihar jail, the court has issued a transit warrant. He has not been able to appear for framing of charges in the second FERA case registered against him by the Enforcement directorate. While an option of video conference was considered for a brief period, the court decided it was best to produce him in person. On June 8, the enforcement directorate has been asked to produce Dinakaran in person where charges will be framed against him.

Dinakaran is currently placed under judicial custody in Delhi after he was arrested for allegedly attempting to bribe election commission of India officials. He along with middleman Sukesh Chandrasekhar has been accused of attempting to bribe officials in a bid to gain a favourable verdict in the AIADMK symbol row case. The bribery case is now being looked into as a money laundering case as well.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 13:32 [IST]
Suspended ex-Andaman chief secretary Narain claims was in Delhi on day of alleged rape

Man booked for rape of 12-year-old after video of injured girl surfaces on internet

Man rapes 8-year-old to use her blood for removing obstacles to his marriage

Two arrested after horrific gang rape and murder in Haryana

India

ians-IANS

By Ians English

Chandigarh, May 13: In a savage gang-rape reminiscent of the 2012 Nirbhaya incident, a young woman from Haryana's Sonepat district was abducted, brutally raped and murdered. Her head and face were smashed with a blunt object and crushed under the wheels of a vehicle.

Two men, including her neighbour who was stalking her, have been arrested.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi has expressed "deep shock" over the rape.

The incident comes days after the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of four accused in the December 16, 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape.

The Haryana woman, aged around 22 years, went missing on May 9, as per the complaint filed by her family.

Her body was found on the outskirts of Rohtak town, 70 km from national capital Delhi, early on Friday.

Police officials said that forensic experts have disclosed that the victim was sexually assaulted and her body was badly mutilated. Stray dogs had bitten off parts of the body.

S.K. Dhattarwal, Head of the Department of Forensic Medicine at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), Rohtak, said that the post-mortem examination of the body indicated sexual assault, mutilation of private parts and murder.

Police was told that the victim's head and face were smashed with a hard object and crushed under the wheels of a vehicle. This, according to the police, was done to hide her identity.

The Haryana Police have launched an investigation into the brutal gang rape and murder. The arrested men were being interrogated, a police officer told IANS.

The two men arrested have been identified as Sumit and Vikas.

Police said that Sumit was a neighbour of the victim in Sonepat and had been stalking her. He was pressurising her to marry him but she had refused.

Police officials alleged that Sumit planned the gang rape and murder to teach a lesson to the woman.

Expressing deep shock and outrage over the brutal gang rape and murder, Congress President Sonia Gandhi hoped that the Haryana government would take action against the perpetrators.

"This savage and bone chilling incident has shocked the conscience of the nation, reminding each one of us about the crying need of revisiting the important issue of women's safety and security," she said.

A mentally unstable Nepalese woman was brutally gang raped and murdered by seven men in Rohtak district in February 2015. The accused were awarded the death penalty by a local court in December 2015.

IANS
Bobby Hughes' family was worried about the food truck. They were used to sit-down wedding dinners with towering cakes. But Hughes and his Colombian bride, Angelica, were opting for a more relaxed approach when they asked the owners of a local food truck to cook up a South American-inspired menu for their Houston wedding.

"My Texas relatives are meat-and-potatoes people," Hughes says. "So there was some concern about the food. I was asked if people should bring their own sandwiches."

No sandwiches required. Hughes says his family and other guests ended up being impressed with the custom menu created by Consumed  a self-billed "Mobile Food Dispensary." Normally purveyors of upscale burgers and fries, the owners worked with the couple to offer Argentine empanadas, goat cheese and pesto-slathered sliders, veggie tacos and Arepa, a traditional Columbian flat cornbread topped with pulled chicken and jicama slaw.

Hughes' brother-in-law, Julian Alvarez, had suggested using the food truck after learning that the couple's wedding venue didn't have a kitchen. Alvarez knew the owners of Consumed from their usual spot outside the Down the Street bar, and he offered to pay for the food as a wedding gift. The couple loved the idea, and appreciated not having to agonize over seating arrangements.

Hughes recommends a food truck to anyone who wants something relaxed and different, but he says couples should manage their expectations.

"It's a food truck," he says. "They're not going to serve everyone at the same time, but in the meantime your guests can have drinks and talk. It really takes the edge off."

Mei Li, owner of a Boston truck called Mei Mei , agrees that trucks add to a casual, fun atmosphere.

"It's fun for guests to walk up and order," she says. "It's a new experience for a lot of people, and adds a level of excitement and options that a traditional caterer can't provide."

Mei Mei, run by three siblings and offering a locally-sourced, Chinese-American menu, has been so successful that it also now has a sit-down location and a shipping container-based lunch counter.

Having done many weddings, Li suggests that couples consider the style of their wedding, the number of guests and the limitations of the venue when selecting a truck for their special day. Also, learn what a food truck can or can't do.

"Food trucks don't usually offer table linens, waitstaff or cleanup after the meal. You may need to negotiate that or hire an outside vendor for those services," Li says.

Chat directly with the chefs, she says, to make sure the menu items make sense for the crowd size.

"Nobody wants to wait a long time to eat at a wedding," Li says. "Be willing to be flexible and creative  the operator will know best what will work."

Li recommends using a truck for either the cocktail hour or the main meal, and limiting menu items to three or four options. Another option is to have chefs serve appetizers directly from the truck and then bring family-style portions to each table, or provide a buffet.

For those who prefer a traditional sit-down dinner but still want the fun of a truck, consider a dessert van.

"Everything is already made, so it's like a dessert buffet that I'm constantly refilling," says Lora Kleinwachter, owner and head chef of The Bumblebee truck in Denver.

The Bumblebee, a curvy, 1962 P-30 van that's even cuter than its name, was rescued and refurbished into its current, Instagram-worthy state and has been traveling to weddings and events ever since.

"People love to take pictures with the Bumblebee, and kids freak out when they see her," Kleinwachter says.

While her menu options include full-scale cakes, she often suggests the most portable treats  like baked doughnut holes or chocolate trifle cups.

"By dessert time, people are often dancing and socializing," she says. "Guests, especially the children, love anything that's easy to eat and carry around."

While many savory food trucks can save couples money compared to a sit-down dinner, dessert trucks can be a splurge. With a $1,000 minimum plus travel and hourly service charges, Kleinwachter knows her truck can cost more than the average cake. Yet she says many couples hire her because they want something special.
Burqa clad woman who hurled bomb at CRPF camp is member of rabid Asiya Andrabi headed Dukhtaran-e-Milat

X, Y, Z, Z+ and SPG: The whys and hows of security categories in India

In a first, CRPF appoints 2 women cadre officers as IG of RAF, Bihar sector

Vivek Oberoi donates 25 flats to martyred CRPF jawans' families

India

oi-Gulam Rabbani

By Gulam Rabbani

Thane, May 13: After Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar who donated Rs 1.08 crore to the families of of twelve slain jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force, another actor Vivek Oberoi has donated 25 flats to the families of jawans martyrs in Thane.

Accroding to reports, actor Oberoi's company Karrm Infrastructure Pvt Ltd has donated 25 flats for the families of jawans.

Reports said that Vivek's organisation has written a letter to the CRPF fraternity on the same who had laid their lives for the nation in different operations.

It is believed that four flats have already been given to the families.

It is said that the company had released the list of the families to whom the the flats are allotted and the rest of the list will be announced soon.

April 24, 2017, a day to remember:

Twenty five CRPF personnel lost their lives in an encounter with 300 naxalites in Chhattisgarh. An encounter that broke out with the Naxalites at Sukma in Chhattisgarh after the patrolling party of the CRPF was fired upon.

25 personnel were seriously injured in the attack. However they breathed their last at hospital.

A chopper was sent to the spot to evacuate the injured. Reinforcement parties from the nearest CRPF camp too were sent to the spot.

The encounter took place between the Burkapal-Chintagufa area at around 12.25 pm. This area is the worst hit by Naxalites.

The jawans who lost their lives were from the 74th battalion of the CRPF. All the weapons, wireless and ammunition belonging to the jawans were looted by the naxalites.

In a second attack, three CRPF personnel were injured by Maoists in Daltonganj, Jharkhand.

It may be recalled that 12 CRPF personnel had been killed earlier this year in the same area in an encounter with the Naxalites. Following the incident, a high-level meeting was chaired.

The meeting has been called by the Home Secretary and several other officials would also attend. The meeting took stock of the situation. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh too had called for an emergency meeting following the attack.

Meanwhile Minister of State Ahir Singh visited Raipur to take stock of the situation. A high-alert was declared in Chhattisgarh.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 11:15 [IST]
WhatsApp fined over $ 3 million for new privacy policy

India

oi-Prabhpreet

By Prabhpreet

In what must be seen as a clear warning to all WhatsApp users around the world, the company has been fined for 'forcing' users to share their personal data with the global social network giant Facebook.

The messaging platform, which was bought by Facebook in 2014, has been fined 3.3 million dollars in Italy over a new privacy policy that came into effect in August 2016, which allows the transfer of the user's personal information to its parent company.

A public interest litigation regarding the new privacy law has already be filled in the Indian Supreme Court, preliminary hearing for which has been scheduled for May 15.

But instead of allaying concerns of users, while presenting its view in front of a five-judge-bench of the country's top court last month, Facebook's counsel, had said, "Those who find the new privacy policy irksome or violative of their fundamental rights, can quit. We've given full freedom to users to withdraw from Facebook and WhatsApp."

The new policy seems to be under the scanner and being criticised not only in India but around the world, as according to reports, the popular app has been asked by data protection authorities of all the 28 members of the European Union to not share the user's data with its parent company as there are concerns over the validity of the consent given by the user.

"We're reviewing the decision and we look forward to responding to officials," a WhatsApp spokesman has been reported to have said.

In April, the Indian government had told the apex court that it was considering bringing in a law to protect user data and its sharing on internet messaging services and social networking sites.

The Delhi High Court order on September 23 last year, which had allowed WhatsApp to roll out its new privacy policy, while saying that it could not share the data collected before September 25 that year, was challenged in the Supreme Court.

While acquiring WhatsApp, Facebook had claimed that the respect for the privacy of its users was "coded into its DNA."

But in Europe, Italy's anti-trust regulator which has fined the company, reportedly alleged that "the opportunity for WhatsApp users to refuse the handover of data to Facebook was available 'but it was inadequately flagged'."

Also in April, Facebook, was banned from collecting information of WhatsApp users by German authorities, after it was found to have breached data protection laws after it was found to have breached data protection laws.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 16:19 [IST]
Why PM Modi is silent on Tamil fishermen issue, asks DMK

India

oi-Gulam Rabbani

By Gulam Rabbani

Chennai, May 13: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham party on Saturday raised doubts on the steps initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to redress issues of Tamil Nadu fishermen in his two-day visit to Colombo. It said that it has appreciated PM Modi's announcement of 10,000 houses for Indian origin Tamils in Sri Lanka.

On the road in Sri Lanka...overwhelmed! pic.twitter.com/0j7dZDk1op  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 12, 2017

"Tamil fishermen have been shot at and a lot of them were killed and the seizure of their boats has become a routine aspect of the Sri Lankan Navy. If the Prime Minister can find a permanent solution to the fishermen problem, I think that will be a very big relief," DMK leader Sarvanan told ANI.

Prime Minister Modi assured Tamils that the government and people of India are with them in their journey towards peace and greater prosperity.

What DMK had said earlier:

On May 12, asserting that Tamils in Sri Lanka were natives of the land, the DMK had urged PM Modi to ensure that they are treated equally and impartially in the island nation.

DMK leader TKS Elangovan told news agency ANI that only Modi, who is on a two-day visit to India's southern neighbour, can ensure that all ethnic groups in Sri Lanka, including the Tamils, are treated without any discrimination.

Elangovan said Modi's visit will go in vain if this cannot be ensured. Modi on Thursday left on a two-day visit to Sri Lanka where he will be the chief guest at the International Vesak Day celebrations.

The visit follows the invitation of Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena. It is Modi's second trip to Sri Lanka as Prime Minister after March 2015.

Last month, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe visited India.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 11:55 [IST]
With fatwa Imams such as these, how can Modi give up his security cover

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

There appears to be no stopping this Imam who gets away by flaunting his proximity to West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee. He does not seem to let go of his lal batti or red beacon. All his statements are directed against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and there have been at least two police complaints against him.

Kolkata's Imam Barkati unapologetic for flouting ban on 'lal batti'

The cleric Noor-ur-Rehman Barkati had left the nation in splits when he said it was the British who gave him permission to sport the red beacon. He gave the most bizarre logic to defend his statement. He said that we still followed the laws laid down by the British and hence he falls under that ambit.

He repeatedly says that he will not take out the red beacon from his vehicle. The West Bengal Chief Minister has not asked me to take it out, he says while flaunting his proximity to her.

On Friday he came up with another bizarre explanation to retain the lal batti on his car. He said he would take it out on the condition that Modi gives up his security. Let the PM and his cabinet ministers give up their security including black cat commandos. Let them give up other privileges such as flying inn choppers and I will give up my red beacon, he said.

He went on to also rant about the police complaints that have been filed against him. He said that these complaints are like awards to him. He once again challenged the RSS while accusing them of dividing Hindus and Muslims. He said if they were so brave, then they must go to the borders and fight. He even said that he should be made the general of the Indian Army. Make me general and I will show how to fight the enemies of the country. We know how to fight he also said.

To a jibe by the CPI(M) that his statements were in fact helping the RSS, the Imam said, " let them first fight the RSS. If they do then I will shut my mouth."

Known as the fatwa Imam, he was in the news for issuing a fatwa against against Modi for making the decision on demonetisation. He has also issued fatwas against Salman Rushdie, Taslima Nasreen and several others.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 8:32 [IST]
Denied permission by Colombo, Chinese submarine head to Karachi

International

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

After being refused permission to dock at Colombo, the Chinese submarine is most likely to head towards Karachi in Pakistan. India is keeping a close watch on the movement of the submarine which is making its way towards Karachi.

The movement of the submarine is being picked up by the Indian Navy's Poseidon-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft. The Navy has tracked seven Chinese submarines in the Indian Ocean Region between Devember 2013 and February 2014.

There have been two Chinese submarines, nuclear one alternating with a diesel-electric one coming for three months each into the IOR every year. These submarines usually come through the Malacca Strait and then exit through the Sunda Strait.

It may be recalled that ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Sri Lanka, permission had been denied for a Chinese submarine to dock. This was considered to be a major victory for India. India had raised concerns over the docking of the Chinese submarine at Sri Lanka several times. It was said that the docking of the Chinese submarine in Sri Lanka was aimed at gathering information about India's strategic assets.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 6:34 [IST]
Imran Khan discharged from hospital, to resume long march from same point where he was shot

This cop from Pakistan became a millionaire overnight: Here is how

Gadkari calls for isolating Pakistan at international forums

International

ians-IANS

By Ians English

London, May 13: Pakistan's refusal to accept its role in disturbing peace in India and funding extremists in Jammu and Kashmir is a serious challenge and it is necessary to isolate Islamabad at all international forums, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Saturday.

Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari said the Indian government has been consistently taking initiatives to resolve all the outstanding regional and bilateral issues with all neighbouring countries in a peaceful manner through dialogue.

"But Pakistan's intransigence in disturbing peace and tranquillity in the region harbouring terrorist outfits and funding extremists in Jammu and Kashmir is a serious challenge and we need to isolate Islamabad at all international forums," Gadkari said while addressing the Overseas Friends of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in London.

Gadkari called upon Britain to support India's fight against terrorism in South Asia as this scourge against humanity was disturbing peace and hampering economic growth in the entire region.

"State-sponsored terrorism with its epicentre in our neighbourhood is assuming alarming proportions and time has now come to take collective punitive actions against the perpetrators harbouring terrorist outfits," Gadkari said.

Gadkari said the Union government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi believed in peaceful co-existence and all round regional development and progress among the Saarc countries.

IANS
Imran Khan discharged from hospital, to resume long march from same point where he was shot

Pak will say ICJ has no jurisdiction in Kulbhushan Jadhav case

International

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Pakistan has decide to argue before the International Court of Justice that the stay on the execution of Kulbhushan Jadhav was an order passed without jurisdiction. Pakistan's attorney general would contend that Jadhav's alleged activities were covered by the exceptions on hostilities and matters of national security.

Jadhav was convicted by a military court in Pakistan on the charge that he was an Indian spy. India on the other hand contends that he was wrongfully arrested and sentenced to death. While arguing before the ICJ, India had said that Jadhav was a former navy officer turned businessman. The ICJ had stayed his execution.

The ICJ is set to hear the matter on Monday. Pakistan's Ashtar Ali will put forward the arguments on behalf of his country. Earlier this week, Pakistan's Prime Minister had met with army chief General Qamar Bajwa and discussed the issue. On Monday, India too would argue for the reversal of the verdict by the Pakistan military court on Kulbhushan Jadhav. India will be represented by senior advocate Harish Salve.

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 6:03 [IST]
US U-turn on China puts India in a fix

International

oi-Prabhpreet

By Prabhpreet

In a step which could see India put under tremendous pressure, the United States of America has decided to take a U-Turn from its initial position and is set to participate in China's One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative, being organised in Bejing.

The event, is to showcase and build momentum for its new 21st-century silk route, both land and maritime, and other similar initiatives which would lead to increasing connectivity with Asian and European countries and solidify its place in the world as a major trading partner.

In India, along with concerns over its sovereignty, it is also seen as a continuation of Chinese strategy of 'strings of pearls' which China uses to flex its muscle in India's neighbourhood.

The step of the US has put India in a dilemma as the change in its stance is early signal that the Trump administration is reframing the US-China relationship, according to Jagannath Panda, from the Institute for Defense Studies and Analysis, New Delhi.

India, which is still undecided on whether to send its representatives to the event to be held this Sunday and Monday, maintains that China has not built an environment of trust to carry out the belt and road projects.

The country's concerns on the Chinese project stem from what it perceives to be a lack of regard shown to issues raised by it that projects which are part of OBOR impinge its sovereignty.

For example, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is a part of the larger project, by which China is set to link the Xinjiang province with the Gwadar port in Pakistan and is to be built in Balochistan, passes through Gilgit-Baltistan region which India claims as its own.

Concerns such as these have led to the serious thoughts whether to send representatives to the event or not and if yes, officials of what level are to attend. Reports have claimed that the country may be represented by junior embassy level officials.

The thinking is that even if it does not attend, it may not lead to any immediate material loss to it as OBOR is not a membership-based organisation, and may even get India praise in certain quarters for taking a principled stand.

Other than officials, academics from India may be present at the meet which is to see representation from over 50 countries including organisations such the World Bank.

The US has now decided to send senior representation to the event, with an inter-agency delegation led by Matthew Pottinger, a top adviser to the Trump administration and National Security Council senior director for East Asia to take part.

But many see it to be a trade-off between the country and China after the latter's commitment to buy American beef as part of the Donal Trumps's '100-day plan' agreement, and in return, the US will not only attend the event but also allow Chinese banks to expand their operation in the US.

The decision seems to be a direct result of the meeting between Trump and the Chinese President Xi Jinping when the Chinese leader visited the US last month. Chinese vice-finance minister Zhu Guangyao is reported to have said, "We welcome all countries to attend. And we welcome the United States' attendance as the world's largest economy."

Out of the representatives of different countries, head of state's of more than 29 countries are to be present for the programme. And now with the entry of the US into the fray, along with countries like Britain and Germany, China's dominant position in the programme may be somewhat diluted.

Other countries that are taking part include Japan and South Korea, which have military differences with China, as well as other countries engaged in territorial disputes with China over the South China Sea issue, including Vietnam and Indonesia. Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka will also take part.

China may be put under pressure on the issue of transparency as other developed countries may ask for more details related to its plans, and whether it would follow internationally-accepted standards on environment and labour in the projects which include six economic corridors but have not seen any reliable map made available.

According to reports, Tom Miller, author of a recent book, China's Asian Dream, said, "What actually gets built will depend on what deals Chinese companies or the government make with other countries, abroad or on the deals that the Chinese government makes with other governments abroad, and no one knows exactly what those are going to be."

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Story first published: Saturday, May 13, 2017, 12:48 [IST]
North Korea: Missile tests were practice to attack South, US

North Korea denies US claims of supplying arms to Russia

Will hold dialogue with US 'under right conditions': N Korea

International

ians-IANS

By Ians English

Beijing, May 13: Pyongyang will hold talks with Washington "under the right conditions", a senior North Korean diplomat said on Saturday, raising the possibility of bilateral contact after US President Donald Trump expressed his willingness to meet the North's leader.

Choe Son-hui, Director-General of North Korea Foreign Ministry's North America bureau, told reporters in Beijing that her country "will hold dialogue under right conditions" with the US administration.

Earlier this month Trump said he would be "honoured" to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

His comments followed months of rising tensions over North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear programme.

Choe led a North Korean delegation that met a group of American experts, headed by Suzanne DiMaggio -- director of the US think tank New America -- in Oslo, Norway, earlier this week, Yonhap news agency reported.

DiMaggio is known as an Iran specialist well versed in the Obama administration's nuclear talks with the Middle Eastern nation.

Thomas Pickering, former US envoy to the UN, and Robert Einhorn, US State Department's former special adviser for non-proliferation and arms control, were also among the American experts' group.

When asked what she discussed with Pickering, Choe answered: "I met Pickering and I will discuss it when given the opportunity in the future."

On holding a dialogue with South Korea's new President Moon Jae-in, Choe said: "We will observe the situation."

IANS
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A distracted driver involved in a crash at a town of Sun Prairie intersection in March that left four people injured was charged with two felonies.

Albert L. Washington, 25, was charged with two counts of reckless driving causing great bodily harm in a Dane County courtroom on Thursday after police say the car he was driving ran a stop sign and struck a van carrying four people at Highway 19 and Twin Lane Road on March 16 at 7:32 a.m. Washington also was charged with two counts of reckless driving causing injury, which is a misdemeanor.

The driver of the van, Nathan Johnson, who was trapped inside the vehicle, is still in the hospital after he suffered six broken ribs, a collapsed lung and a broken arm in three places, according to a criminal complaint. One passenger suffered a lung injury and two passengers suffered cracked vertebrae and assorted other injuries, the complaint said.

According to the criminal complaint:

Johnson told a Dane County Sheriff's Office deputy that he was traveling about 55 mph to 60 mph on Highway 19 when a Chevy Monte Carlo drove through a stop sign while traveling on Twin Lane Road and broadsided his van on the driver's side. Washington initially told police that he had stopped at the stop sign but changed his story after the deputy told him that data from the Monte Carlo's airbag module showed the car was traveling 68 mph at less than one second before deployment of the airbags.

Washington then told the deputy he was running late to an appointment and looked at his phone that said he had to travel 6.1 miles before he had to turn. When he looked up, he saw the stop sign and cursed just before the crash occurred. "I saw the stop sign too late," Washington told the deputy.
Newsy 30 May 2022

Watch VideoThe weekend arrest of Paul Pelosi, the husband of U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, on suspicion of driving under..
Ventricular Assist Device Market By Geography Products Analyzers 2016 - 2024

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North America Ventricular Assist Device Market: SnapshotThe market for ventricular assist devices (VAD) in North America has exhibited an excellent rate of growth and the rate of adoption of these devices continues to remain strong. Several factors are responsible for the rising demand for ventricular assist devices in the region, with the chief ones being the rising rate of incidence of cardiovascular diseases and the vast pool of patients awaiting donor hearts for transplant.It is estimated that advance heart failure affects nearly 2.3% of the total population of North America and is a major socioeconomic burden. The rise in the regions geriatric population, which is a demographic more susceptible to heart failures, the rising population of smokers, strong focus on R&D activities aimed at the development of more effective devices, and favorable government initiatives are also driving the market for ventricular assist devices in the region.Transparency Market Research states that the market will exhibit a promising 9.20% CAGR over the period between 2016 and 2024, rising from a valuation of US$0.49 bn in 2015 to US$1.07 bn by 2024.Obtain Report Details @LVADs to Continue Amass Maximum Share in North America VAD MarketThe key ventricular assist devices in the North America market include bi-ventricular assist devices (Bi-VADs), left ventricular assist devices (LAVDs), right ventricular assist devices (RVADs), and total artificial hearts (TAHs).Of these, the segment of left ventricular assist devices has been witnessing a relatively higher demand for ventricular assistance in the North America market. The trend is expected to remain strong over the next few years, with the segment expected to exhibit a promising 9.6% CAGR over the period between 2016 and 2024. The segment of total artificial hearts is also expected to exhibit growth at a promising pace over the said period as technological advances allow the development of products with excellent operational capability. The increasing availability of such products is leading to their increased use as a bridge to transplant and in destination therapy.Increased R&D Activities and Awareness to Help U.S. Retain DominanceFrom a geographical perspective, the ventricular assist devices market has been examined for the U.S. and Canada. Of these, the U.S. accounted for over 80% of the overall market in 2015 and is expected to continue to account an equally significant share over the next few years as well. The U.S. market is expected to retain its dominance owing to the presence of some of the North America and global markets leading companies, a significant rise in new research and development activities, and increased patient awareness about the variety of products available in the market to effectively manage a number of heart disease.The Canada market presently accounts for a relatively meagre share in the North America ventricular assist devices market but is expected to witness growth at a steady pace in the next few years. The rising rate of incidence of cardiovascular diseases and a favorable reimbursement picture are expected to fuel the market for ventricular assist devices in the country in the next few years. Moreover, the market in Canada is also expected to benefit from the low intensity of competition in the vendor landscape, which makes the country a promising investment ground for companies aspiring to enter into the field of ventricular assist devices.The highly competitive market for ventricular assist devices in North America features vendors such as Abiomed, Berlin Heart GmbH, Sunshine Heart Inc., St. Jude Medical, SynCardia Systems LLC, and Heart Ware International Inc. To gain a larger share in the market, companies have relied upon strategies such as product innovation and strategic alliances with new vendors and companies with technological prowess.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Browse market research blog:
Laser Capture Microdissection Market Global Analysis, Trends and Forecast by 2016 - 2024

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Laser Capture Microdissection Market: OverviewLaser capture microdissection (LCM) technology is a contamination free procedure for obtaining subpopulations of tissue cells under direct microscopic visualization. Furthermore, laser-capture microdissection technology isolates specific cells by dissecting unwanted cells. Laser capture microdissection technology harvests the cells of interest directly to give pure enriched cells. This technology helps in preserving the genuine morphology of the dissected cell or tissue sample. The laser capture microdissection technology by type can be segmented into software, instruments, consumables, and services. Furthermore, the market for laser capture microdissection by system can be segmented into infrared LCM, ultraviolet LCM and Immunofluorescence LCM. In addition, by end users the laser capture microdissection market can be segmented into biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and government research institutes among others. Moreover, by application the market can be segmented into research and development and diagnostics among others.The laser capture microdissection market by geography has been segmented into Europe, Asia Pacific, North America and Rest of the World (RoW).Obtain Report Details @Laser Capture Microdissection Market: Trends and OpportunitiesIncreasing expenditure on healthcare along with technological advancement in the field of healthcare is one of the major driving factors for the laser capture microdissection market. Furthermore, increasing information regarding the technical advantages obtained from laser-capture microdissection techniques is fueling the market at the global level. In addition, growing funding and expenditure on research and development activities of companies involved in this market is stimulating the growth of this market. High maintenance and manufacturing cost of accessories and equipment along with lack of expertise professionals in this field is some of the restraining factors which may hinder the growth of this market.Research and development and diagnostics among others are major application areas of laser-capture microdissection technology. Furthermore, government research institutes and hospitals are major end users of this technology. Moreover, ultraviolet LCM and infrared LCM are leading the market globally. Increasing preference of laser-capture microdissection technology in forensic science and molecular biology under the research and development application segment is one of the major driving factors for the market.Laser Capture Microdissection Market: Geographical and Competitive DynamicsWith the increasing technological advancement and growing application of laser-capture microdissection (LCM) technology in pharmaceuticals, hospitals and research and development institutes are fueling the market globally. North America dominated the market for laser-capture microdissection in 2014 and is expected to maintain its position over the forecast period 2015 to 2023. U.S. is the major market across North America. Moreover, with the increasing expenditure on research and development activities of companies dealing in this market along with increasing awareness regarding the technological advancement is driving the market for laser-capture microdissection across Asia Pacific. China, Japan, India, contributes in the positive growth of this market across Asia Pacific. Growing application areas of this technology in the fields such as forensic science, diagnostics and molecular biology are having a positive impact on the growing market for laser-capture microdissection in Rest of the World (RoW).Some of the key players operating in the laser capture microdissection market are Carl Zeiss AG (Germany), Molecular Machines & Industries (Germany), Ocimum Biosolutions LLC (U.S.), DeNova Sciences Pte. Ltd. (Singapore), Danaher Corporation (U.S.), Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (U.S.), Indivumed GmbH (Germany), AvanSci Bio, L.L.C. (U.S.), Theranostics Health, Inc.(U.S.) and 3DHISTECH Ltd. (Hungary) among others.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Browse market research blog:
Malignant Neoplasm Therapeutics Market Research: Value Chain Analysis and Forecast 2024

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Malignant neoplasm is believed to be one of the extended conditions of neoplasm. It is a form of cancer that develops an abnormal growth of tissues usually leading to the formation of a tumor. The primary cause of this disease is understood as damaging of DNA under certain circumstances that further escalates to a stage of cancer. The very beginning of malignant neoplasm is the occurrence of abnormal patterns of growth in the tissue known as dysplasia or metaplasia.Higher Prevalence of Malignant Neoplasm in Geriatric Population Driving the Market GrowthThe global cancer incidences have increased to a considerable number over the past few decades owing to a rise in the geriatric population, increasing life expectancy and changing lifestyle. In addition, factors such as advanced cancer diagnostics and early initiation of the treatment are fuelling the global malignant neoplasm therapeutics market. Development of targeted therapies are revolutionizing the conventional concepts of cancer treatment and are likely to get higher preference in the coming years. Moreover, a higher success ratio of these latest cancer drugs compared to traditional anti-carcinogenic treatment is expected to further drive the market growth in the near future. These latest drugs are capable of countering more than one type of cancer. For example imatinib, which was first developed for treating a single type of cancer was later found effective on multiple cancer types.Novelty in cancer treatment has significantly influenced the present treatment models. However, a complete cure for the disease is still not ascertained. Further, many of the advanced treatment models are often expensive and only available in developed regions of the world. In some case, delay in integration of the novel drugs into current treatment methods limit the options for the patient. Other factors such as price risk and credibility of the drugs are few of the other concerns for the market.View Report-Over the years, the subject of oncology has received paramount attention from biomedical researchers, health care experts and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Owing to a severe need for effective treatment of cancer, heavy investments are being made in further research and development of the particular subject. Many of the pharmaceutical companies such as Novartis International AG and Pfizer Inc. are introducing a range of anti-carcinogenic drugs under their brand names promising to be more efficient. The global malignant neoplasm treatment market has become increasingly competitive in the recent years with more player joining in. Currently, most drug manufacturers offer two primary cancer therapeutic programs, namely cytostatic hormonal treatments and antineoplastics.Malignant Neoplasm Therapeutics Market: Regional SegmentationOn the basis of region, the global malignant neoplasm therapeutics market has been segmented into six key regions namely North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. North America is considered as one of the largest market of malignant neoplasm therapeutics owing to a strong presence of drug manufacturers in the region and availability of advanced healthcare facilities. In terms of value, the U.S accounts for a healthy portion of the global malignant neoplasm therapeutics market attributed to the growing demand for cancer treatment in the country. In addition, Europe is one of the other regions where the market is growing at a considerable rate and is expected to continue a similar in trend in the coming years.Key PlayersFew of the key players identified in the global malignant neoplasm therapeutics market include F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Novartis International AG, Sanofi S.A., AstraZeneca plc, Eli Lilly and Company, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd, Pfizer Inc. Bayer AG, Amgen, AbbVie Inc and Celgene Corporation.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)Request a brochure of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving Malignant Neoplasm Therapeutics Market during 2016- 2024About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
BURLINGTON  A Burlington man who taught at Kenosha Tremper High School has been arrested after he allegedly had a sexual relationship with a student, and possibly two students, in the Kenosha Unified School District.

Douglas A. Richmond, 41, of the 600 block of State Street, had a sexual relationship with a student in 2009-10, according to criminal complaints filed in Racine and Kenosha counties.

The accuser told Racine County Sheriffs Office investigators that she had intercourse with Richmond multiple times and at least one of those times was at his mothers house in the Town of Burlington. He also reportedly had sexual encounters with her at her home in Kenohsa and at Petrifying Springs County Park. The relationship reportedly continued after she graduated and he reportedly went to her dorm room at Carthage College.

The accuser said she first met Richmond when he was her high school teacher. He reportedly taught a physics honors class. She said he flirted with her and alleges that it escalated into a physical relationship.

She said she met Richmond at the park and ride at Highway 11 and Interstate 94, where he allegedly kissed her for the first time.

Richmond has been charged in both Racine and Kenosha counties with sexual assault of a child by a person who works or volunteers with children, a felony. The criminal complaint does not indicate why charges were issued now, about seven years after the incident.

It is alleged that there may be more than one victim.

After Richmonds court appearance, detectives from the Racine County Sheriffs Office learned of another minor who allegedly had a sexual relationship with Richmond while he was a teacher at Kenosha Indian Trail High School, the Racine County Sheriffs Office said in an email Friday afternoon.

A Kenosha Unified spokeswoman confirmed that Richmond was an employee of the district, but has not been in recent years.

Due to personnel reasons, I cannot release details, Tanya Ruder, the districts chief communications officer, said in an email.

According to the Racine County Sheriffs Office, Richmond was last employed as a pastor at Fox River Christian Church in its music and IT departments.

Richmond has a preliminary hearing set for 9 a.m. Thursday in Racine County Circuit Court. He remained in custody as of Friday afternoon at the Racine County Jail, according to online records.
Aerosol Therapy Market Research Report: Key Growth Factors and Forecast 2024

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Aerosol is suspension of liquid or solid particles in a carrier gas, which makes use of it for treatment of respiratory system related diseases. Different forms of drugs can be utilized for aerosol therapy such as solid particles, liquid particles, solutions, and suspensions. Until recently, aerosol therapy concentrated primarily on treatment of asthma and COPD for which, pressurized metered-dose inhaler device was used. However, the role of aerosol therapy is expanding beyond the initial focus. This expansion eliminated CFC-based traditional metered-dose inhalers devices. This will ultimately boost the market growth of aerosol therapy in the field of gene therapy, inhalation therapy and vaccination. Aerosol therapy is a natural and easiest way to treat asthma, COPD, cystic fibrosis, and broncho pulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Aerosol therapy is also used to deliver insulin, vaccines of influenza and measles, and pain medications. Aerosol treatment therapy gives an excellent and cost-efficient drug delivery. This therapy is effective for patients who cannot use metered-dose inhalers; primary inhalation devices are produced that guarantee breath-actuated aerosol delivery with minimal side effects.Aerosol therapy provides a fast and non-invasive way for treatment of lung disorders as the drug is delivered at the receptor site. Effectiveness of the therapy depends on how deeply aerosol particles infiltrate into the bronchial track and where the particles are deposited. A particle size under 2m is ideal and can permeate up to the peripheral airways. That is why most commercially available aerosol devices produce droplets of roughly this size.As per the World Health Organization, about half the cases of asthma and COPD are due to hereditary weakness and the other cases are due to environmental factors. The effect of pollution is likely to intensify globally along with industrialization of areas, and increasing the number of vehicles. Current government activities and rising healthcare investments are drivers of aerosol therapy market, which would upgrade over the examination time frame. Increasing prices are major factor that is restraining the growth of the market in terms of value.View Report-The global market for aerosol therapy is segmented on the basis of product type, technology, disease indication, end user and geography:Segmentation by product type:InhalersDry Powder Inhalers (DPIs)Metered Dose Inhalers (MDIs)NebulizersUltrasonic NebulizerCompressed Air-Jet nebulizersVibrating membrane deviceBronchodilatorsSegmentation by technology:Manually operatedDigitally operatedSegmentation by disease indication:AsthmaCOPDBPDOtherSegmentation by end user:HospitalsClinicsAmbulatory Surgical CentersIndividualCurrently metered dose inhaler majorly contributes to the market and is expected to dominate the market over the forecast period. As per the data, COPD is third leading cause of death and fifth leading cause of disability. Also, factors like increasing pollution, improper lifestyles are the factors that drive the growth of the market.On the basis of regional presence, global aerosol therapy market is segmented into five key regions viz. North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. Asthma symptoms were detected in 26 million persons who live in the U.S., of which, 19 million comprise adults and 7 million comprise children. With this rate, North America is expected to dominate the market. Asia Pacific (mostly China and India) market is estimated to grow at a relatively fast rate over the forecast period.The largest manufacturers of aerosol therapy devices are Merck, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, GlaxoSmithKline, and AstraZeneca Plc. In 2001, SmithKline Beecham and GlaxoWellcome merged together and became GlaxoSmithKline, who became a key player in this field. Also, Novartis AGTeva Pharmaceuticals, Opko Health, Omron Healthcare Co., Covidien plc., GE Healthcare Ltd., Philips Healthcare, Agilent Technologies, Inc. Ltd, GF Health Products, Inc. are other important players in this market.Request a brochure of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving Aerosol Therapy Market during 2016- 2024About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Devices Market Research Report: Latest Trends and Forecast Analysis upto 2024

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Continuous positive airway pressure therapy is the most common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea that uses constant mild air pressure. These continuous positive airway pressure devices are used to keep the airways open while sleeping and also to control the output pressure by keeping the airflow pressure unbroken. The global continuous positive airway pressure devices market is growing at a steady pace and offers high growth opportunities for market players during the forecast period. One of the major drivers of the global market is high prevalence of sleep disorders. As per the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, it is estimated that over 350 Mn people worldwide suffer from sleep apnea. Thus, the growing awareness of sleep apnea and related comorbid conditions such as high blood pressure, and obesity have led to increased demand for continuous positive airway pressure devices. Similarly, advances in technology such as use of oxygen devices, improved mask design and oral appliances are expected to provide support and propel the growth of the global continuous positive airway pressure market.Though delivery of continuous positive airway pressure through a nasal mask is the most common modality of treatment, other systems exist for interfacing with adults and children. Nasal continuous positive airway pressure is regularly used in infants, however its use is debatable. Studies have revealed nasal continuous positive airway pressure reduces ventilator time but an augmented incidence of pneumothorax was also prevalent. Oral masks and naso-oral masks are frequently used when nasal congestion or obstruction is an issue. Devices which combine nasal pressure with maxillary advancement devices (MAD) also exist. The continuous positive airway pressure device requires to be used every night. Some patients complain of nasal congestion, mask discomfort, and nose and throat dryness when using continuous positive airway pressure. Others find the device to be too cumbersome and constrictive, particularly when travelling. Unfortunately, these complaints sometimes lead to inconsistent use or abandonment of the device altogether. Proper mask fitting and use of a humidifier can resolve these issues.View Report-Geographically, continuous positive airway pressure devices market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa. The continuous positive airway pressure devices market is currently dominated by the Americas, accounting for more than half market share, followed by the Middle East & Africa region and the Asia Pacific region. In the Americas, the U.S. was the largest revenue contributor because of the increased diagnosis of sleep apnea in patients. Similarly, Asia Pacific expected to witness higher growth in continuous positive airway pressure devices market due to increasing disease prevalence in the countries like India and China. The market will typically witness a higher growth rate in countries such as the Germany, Spain, U.K., Italy and France. The continuous positive airway pressure devices market in the U.K. is developed and well-established, and is comparatively it is easier to enter the market for new players, making the positive airway pressure devices market in the country more prominent than in any other European countries. The growth of this market in Europe is attributed to well-defined regulatory guidelines and increasing prevalence of sleep apnea during the forecast period.Continuous positive airway pressure devices market is dominated by big players while the remaining market is fragmented. The dominating players compete based on factors such as product features, price and reliability. However, the emerging players are developing innovative devices to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and other sleep related respiratory conditions, which could pose a threat to major players in terms of revenue during 2016-2024. The top vendors in the market are ResMed and Philips Healthcare. Other prominent vendors include Apria Healthcare, Apex Medical, Armstrong Medical, Bremed, BMC Medical, Cardinal Health, Dehaier Medical Systems, Curative Medical, DeVilbiss Healthcare, Genstar Technologies, Drager Medical, Hans Rudolph, Hersill, Heyer Medical, InnoMed Technologies, HOFFRICHTER GmbH, Intersurgical, Medtronic, Invacare, PAHSCO, Pneumocare, Penlon, Pulmodyne, Smiths Medical, Sleepnet, SOMNETICS, Sturdy Industrial, and Weinmann Gerate fur Medizin.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)Request a brochure of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Devices Market during 2016- 2024About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Market Research Report: Comprehensive Analysis and Future Estimations 2024

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Global Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Market: TrendsThe market for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is expected to grow globally under the influence of high prevalence of OCD and life style changes causing changes in thinking processes. According to International OCD Foundation, approximately 2-3 million adults are living with OCD in the United States. The International OCD Foundation also states that nearly 500,000 American children have OCD. A large number of cases of OCD go unreported as many people are not aware that there is any such specific disease. Also, many people hide their illness in order to avoid embarrassment.Global Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Market: OverviewObsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may be defined as an anxiety disorder that is characterized by unreasonable and uncontrollable thoughts and fears that lead an individual to perform repetitive behaviors. Obsessive-compulsive disorder compels a person to get stuck on a particular thought or fear. For example, a person afraid of contamination may wash his/her hands repetitively in an order to make sure his/her hands are clean. Likewise, a person may check a gas stove multiple times to be sure that its really turned off. Usually people affected with obsessive-compulsive disorder possess both obsessions as well as compulsions; however, in many cases individuals may have either obsessions or compulsions.Some common thoughts that usually pop up in mind of people with obsessive-compulsive disorder are fear of being contaminated by germs or dirt, excessive thinking about religious or moral ideas, superstitions, having things orderly or symmetrical, doubts that stove is turned off and thoughts of hurting oneself or others. These thoughts cause people with obsessive-compulsive disorder to perform actions like repeatedly checking of things such as locks and switches; repeatedly reciting certain words with intent to reduce anxiety, ordering or arranging things and accumulating wastes like newspaper, wine bottles or empty food containers. The exact causes of OCD are not known, however, some possible reasons may include differences in brain structure and genetic factors.The treatment involves psychotherapy as well as medication. Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is a specific type of psychotherapy that has been useful in treating people with OCD. Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) teaches a person multiple ways of thinking, reacting and handling a particular situation. Most commonly used medications for treating OCD include antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications. A child suffering from PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections) is prescribed antibiotics for treating strep infections and SSRI medicines (citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine, sertraline and paroxetine).View Report-Global Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the market for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW). North America was the largest regional market in 2013, followed by Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW). One of the major factors responsible for North Americas leading position in this particular market is well established health coverage in the region and high level of awareness regarding the illness. In Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW) regions, the market is expected to grow in coming future owing rise in prevalence of people with OCD and increasing wareness regarding the disease. Japan, China, India, Australia and New Zealand are the most potential markets in the Asia-Pacific region.Global Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Market: Key PlayersSome major companies and research institutions that are extensively engaged in the development, manufacturing and marketing of OCD drugs include Abbott Laboratories, Pfizer Ltd., Merck & Co., Sanofi, Novartis AG, University of South Florida, Ortho-McNeil Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC and Indiana University.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)Request a brochure of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Market during 2016- 2024About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
United States Car Washer Market Report 2017

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This report studies sales (consumption) of Car Washer in United States market, focuses on the top players, with sales, price, revenue and market share for each player, coveringWash Tec GroupColeman HannaRyko Solutions, Inc.Sonnys Enterprises, IncFill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @Market Segment by States, coveringCaliforniaTexasNew YorkFloridaIllinoisSplit by product types, with sales, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, can be divided intoType IType IISplit by applications, this report focuses on sales, market share and growth rate of Car Washer in each application, can be divided intoApplication 1Application 2Obtain Report Details @Table of ContentsUnited States Car Washer Market Report 20171 Car Washer Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Car Washer1.2 Classification of Car Washer1.2.1 Type I1.2.2 Type II1.3 Application of Car Washer1.3.1 Application 11.3.2 Application 21.4 United States Market Size Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) of Car Washer (2012-2022)1.4.1 United States Car Washer Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Car Washer Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2022)2 United States Car Washer Competition by Manufacturers2.1 United States Car Washer Sales and Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.2 United States Car Washer Revenue and Share by Manufactures (2015 and 2016)2.3 United States Car Washer Average Price by Manufactures (2015 and 2016)2.4 Car Washer Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.4.1 Car Washer Market Concentration Rate2.4.2 Car Washer Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.4.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 United States Car Washer Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by States (2012-2017)3.1 United States Car Washer Sales and Market Share by States (2012-2017)3.2 United States Car Washer Revenue and Market Share by States (2012-2017)3.3 United States Car Washer Price by States (2012-2017)4 United States Car Washer Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by Type (2012-2017)4.1 United States Car Washer Sales and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)4.2 United States Car Washer Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)4.3 United States Car Washer Price by Type (2012-2017)4.4 United States Car Washer Sales Growth Rate by Type (2012-2017)5 United States Car Washer Sales (Volume) by Application (2012-2017)5.1 United States Car Washer Sales and Market Share by Application (2012-2017)5.2 United States Car Washer Sales Growth Rate by Application (2012-2017)5.3 Market Drivers and OpportunitiesAbout UsQYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact Us1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
United States Automotive Paints Industry 2015 Market Research Report

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The United States Automotive Paints Industry 2015 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Automotive Paints industry.The report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Automotive Paints market analysis is provided for the United States markets including development trends, competitive landscape analysis, and key regions development status.Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and Bill of Materials cost structures are also analyzed. This report also states import/export consumption, supply and demand Figures, cost, price, revenue and gross margins.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @The report focuses on United States major leading industry players providing information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials and equipment and downstream demand analysis is also carried out. The Automotive Paints industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed. Finally the feasibility of new investment projects are assessed and overall research conclusions offered.With 130 tables and figures the report provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Table of ContentsChapter One Industry Overview1.1 Definition and Specifications of Automotive Paints1.2 Classification of Automotive Paints1.3 Applications of Automotive Paints1.4 Industry Chain Structure of Automotive Paints1.5 Industry Overview of Automotive Paints1.6 Industry Policy Analysis of Automotive Paints1.7 Industry News Analysis of Automotive PaintsBrowse full table of contents and data tables of Report @Chapter Two Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Automotive Paints2.1 Bill of Materials (BOM) of Automotive Paints2.2 BOM Price Analysis of Automotive Paints2.3 Labor Cost Analysis of Automotive Paints2.4 Depreciation Cost Analysis of Automotive Paints2.5 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Automotive Paints2.6 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Automotive PaintsChapter Three Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of United States Key Manufacturers in 20143.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of United States Key Automotive Paints Manufacturers in 20143.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of United States Automotive Paints Key Manufacturers in 20143.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of United States Automotive Paints Key Manufacturers in 2014Chapter Four Production Analysis of Automotive Paints by Regions, Technology, and Applications4.1 United States Production of Automotive Paints by Regions (Key Provinces) 2010-20154.2 United States Production of Automotive Paints by Product Types 2010-20154.3 United States Sales of Automotive Paints by Applications 2010-20154.4 Price Analysis of United States Automotive Paints Key Manufacturers in 20154.5 United States Capacity, Production, Import, Export, Sales, Price, Cost and Revenue of Automotive Paints 2010-2015Chapter Five Sales and Revenue Analysis of Automotive Paints by Regions5.1 United States Sales of Automotive Paints by Regions 2010-20155.2 United States Revenue of Automotive Paints by Regions 2010-20155.3 United States Price Analysis of Automotive Paints Sales by Regions 2010-20155.4 United States Price, Cost and Gross of Automotive Paints 2010-2015Chapter Six Analysis of Automotive Paints Production, Supply, Sales and Market Status 2010-20156.1 Capacity Production Sales Revenue of Automotive Paints 2010-20156.2 Production Sales Market Share Analysis of Automotive Paints 2014-20156.3 Import, Export and Consumption of Automotive Paints 2010-20156.4 Supply, Consumption and Gap of Automotive Paints 2010-20156.5 Import, Export and Consumption of Automotive Paints 2010-20156.6 Cost, Price, Revenue and Gross Margin of Automotive Paints 2010-2015Chapter Seven Analysis of Automotive Paints Industry Key Manufacturers7.1 Dupont7.1.1 Company Profile7.1.2 Product Picture and Specification7.1.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross, and Revenue7.1.4 Dupont SWOT Analysis7.2 HURST7.2.1 Company Profile7.2.2 Product Picture and Specification7.2.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross, and Revenue7.2.4 HURST SWOT Analysis7.3 Lesonal7.3.1 Company Profile7.3.2 Product Picture and Specification7.3.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross, and Revenue7.3.4 Lesonal SWOT Analysis7.4 PPG7.4.1 Company Profile7.4.2 Product Picture and Specification7.4.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross, and Revenue7.4.4 PPG SWOT AnalysisQYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.QYResearchreportsContact Us1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Molded Plastics Market - GCC Industry Analysis, Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2023

Molded Plastics Market

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GCC, short for Gulf Cooperation Council, represents the alliance of some of the worlds leading producers of petrochemicals  the key raw materials required for the production of synthetic polymers. These six countries are the major exporters of raw polymer to the entire globe and are second only to India when it comes to the growth rate of the polymer market. Thus, GCC countries play a major role in the overall development of the global plastics industry and are a key determinant of growth of the molded plastics market.With high fragmentation in terms of number of suppliers and a level of extreme consolidation when it comes to geographic placement of major vendors, the GCC molded plastic market features a splendid mix of intense competition and plenty of untapped growth opportunities. Transparency Market Research states that companies in the market will focus more on expansion strategies in the next few years; strengthening product portfolios by including new product verities and ventures in foreign markets will be amongst the most preferred growth strategies.Obtain Report Details @The overall market will expand at a healthy CAGR of 8.3% over the period between 2015 and 2023, and rise from a valuation of US$7.19 bn in 2014 to US$14.22 bn by 2023. In terms of volume, the GCC molded plastics market stood at 2.82 mn tons in 2014.Market to Gain Traction across Packaging SectorIn 2014, the GCC molded plastic market attributed a dominant share of nearly 52% to its applications in the packaging industry. The sector will continue to be the dominant application for molded plastic in the GCC market and will account for nearly 56% in the overall market by 2023.The packaging industry in the region is flourishing owing to the constant rise in trade activities and the substantial rise in the market for industrial and consumer goods in response to the vast rise in the regions population. This has created manifold growth opportunities for molded plastics in the packaging sector in the past few years and will continue to drive the regions molded plastic market in the years to come.The building and construction industry is another highly attractive application area for the GCC molded plastic market as it accounts for a major share in the overall consumption of molded plastics in the region. Stimulated by the rising population in the region, increased government spending on developing residential building projects as well as public and private infrastructure projects will also prove to be beneficial for the GCC molded plastics market in the next few years.Fill the form to gain deeper insights on this market @Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman to Present Attractive Growth OpportunitiesThe GCC molded plastics market will gain the most attractive returns from operations across Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman in the next few years. Saudi Arabia being home to nearly 60% plastic converters in the overall GCC molded plastics market, will continue to be the leading supplier of molded plastic in the market. The market for molded plastics in these countries will also benefit from the flourishing construction industry.The UAE and Kuwait have been rated as moderately attractive countries for the GCC molded plastics market. The market in these countries has suffered a huge blow from the steep drop in crude oil prices observed recently. However, the construction industry has allowed for average growth of the molded plastics market in these countries.Some of the leading companies operating in the highly fragmented GCC market for molded plastics, which accommodates over 1,000 plastic converters, are Harwal Group, Al Barshaa Plastic Product Company LLC., Genoa Plastic Industries, Takween Advanced Industries, and Obeikan Investment Group.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insights for decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, TMR employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact Us:-Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog:
Clear Brine Fluids Market - Rise in Oil and Gas Drilling Activities to Enhance Sales, Research By 2023

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With increasing oil and gas drilling activities worldwide, companies operating in the global clear brine fluids market are being presented with lucrative opportunities to expand their business. As developed nations are striving to gain energy security, they are focusing on the development of shale reserves as a part of their strategy. The rise in oil and gas drilling activities for this purpose is likely to drive the sales of clear brine fluids as they are used in the completion process of oil and gas extraction. The increased drilling activities for the exploration of unconventional resources is an opportunity that manufacturers of clear brine fluid can capitalize on. However, the unstable economic and political situation in the Middle East is likely to impede oil and gas exploration activities resulting in a dip in the sales of clear brine fluids.As a result of all these factors, the global clear brine fluids market is likely to expand at a 6.2 % CAGR from 2015 to 2023. The market was worth US$891.3 mn in 2015 and is projected to touch a valuation of US$1,444.7 mn by 2023.Browse Market Research Report @Rise in Oil and Gas Drilling Activities to Enhance Sales of Clear Brine Fluids in North AmericaWith leading oil and gas companies operating in the region, North America emerged as the largest region in the global clear brine fluids market. As developed nations are motivated to gain energy security, the oil and drilling activities in the region are increasing rapidly. To maintain their position in the market and not be dependent on OPEC for energy sources, the countries in North America have increased their drilling activities to discover more shale reserves. North America accounted for 65.7% in terms of volume of the global clear brine fluids market in 2014 and is expected to hold a share of 64.8% by 2023.Asia Pacific emerged as the second largest region in the global clear brine fluids market owing to the presence of a large number of shale gas reservoirs in the region. China holds the largest share in the recoverable shale gas industry, which has made it the largest region in terms of consumption of clear brine fluids in Asia Pacific. The ongoing oil and gas drilling activities in Asia Pacific are subsequently boosting the sales of clear brine fluid in the region.Fill the form to gain deeper insights on this market @Potassium Chloride Brine Fluids Products Segment to Witness Fastest GrowthPotassium chloride brine fluids are used for stabilizing water sensitive clays during the extraction completion process. It helps in controlling the formation damage and pressure in reservoirs during the extraction process, thus making it the most used clear brine fluid among various end-use industries. The global potassium chloride brine fluids segment is projected to expand at a CAGR of 6.5% in terms of revenue between 2015 and 2023.The calcium chloride brine fluids products segment is expected to witness the second fastest growth in the coming years. The single-salt composition of calcium chloride brine fluids makes it an effective component used in the formation of brine completion and workover fluids. Owing to the increasing demand for calcium chloride brine fluids in the oil and gas industry for preventing clay hydration during drilling, this product segment is likely to grow at a steady pace in the coming years.The leading companies in the global clear brine fluids market are Israel Chemicals Ltd., Great Lake Solutions, Albemarle Corporation, and TETRA Technologies Inc.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insights for decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, TMR employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact Us:-Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog:
United States Smart Drying Racks Market Report 2017

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This report studies sales (consumption) of Smart Drying Racks in United States market, focuses on the top players, with sales, price, revenue and market share for each player, coveringXcentrikLbestHKMr.BondHotataCobbeASJMarket Segment by States, coveringCaliforniaTexasNew YorkFloridaIllinoisFill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @Split by product types, with sales, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, can be divided intoBambooFabricMetalPlasticWoodSplit by applications, this report focuses on sales, market share and growth rate of Smart Drying Racks in each application, can be divided intoBathroom&BedroomClosetKitchenLaundry RoomLiving RoomOfficeTable of ContentsUnited States Smart Drying Racks Market Report 20171 Smart Drying Racks Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Smart Drying Racks1.2 Classification of Smart Drying Racks1.2.1 Bamboo1.2.2 Fabric1.2.3 Metal1.2.4 Plastic1.2.5 Wood1.3 Application of Smart Drying Racks1.3.1 Bathroom&Bedroom1.3.2 Closet1.3.3 Kitchen1.3.4 Laundry Room1.3.5 Living Room1.3.6 OfficeBrowse full table of contents and data tables of Report @1.4 United States Market Size Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) of Smart Drying Racks (2011-2021)1.4.1 United States Smart Drying Racks Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2021)1.4.2 United States Smart Drying Racks Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2021)2 United States Smart Drying Racks Competition by Manufacturers2.1 United States Smart Drying Racks Sales and Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.2 United States Smart Drying Racks Revenue and Share by Manufactures (2015 and 2016)2.3 United States Smart Drying Racks Average Price by Manufactures (2015 and 2016)2.4 Smart Drying Racks Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.4.1 Smart Drying Racks Market Concentration Rate2.4.2 Smart Drying Racks Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.4.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 United States Smart Drying Racks Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by States (2011-2016)3.1 United States Smart Drying Racks Sales and Market Share by States (2011-2016)3.2 United States Smart Drying Racks Revenue and Market Share by States (2011-2016)3.3 United States Smart Drying Racks Price by States (2011-2016)4 United States Smart Drying Racks Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by Type (2011-2016)4.1 United States Smart Drying Racks Sales and Market Share by Type (2011-2016)4.2 United States Smart Drying Racks Revenue and Market Share by Type (2011-2016)4.3 United States Smart Drying Racks Price by Type (2011-2016)4.4 United States Smart Drying Racks Sales Growth Rate by Type (2011-2016)5 United States Smart Drying Racks Sales (Volume) by Application (2011-2016)5.1 United States Smart Drying Racks Sales and Market Share by Application (2011-2016)5.2 United States Smart Drying Racks Sales Growth Rate by Application (2011-2016)5.3 Market Drivers and Opportunities6 United States Smart Drying Racks Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis6.1 Xcentrik6.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors6.1.2 Smart Drying Racks Product Type, Application and Specification6.1.2.1 Bamboo6.1.2.2 Fabric6.1.3 Xcentrik Smart Drying Racks Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2011-2016)6.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview6.2 Lbest6.2.2 Smart Drying Racks Product Type, Application and Specification6.2.2.1 Bamboo6.2.2.2 Fabric6.2.3 Lbest Smart Drying Racks Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2011-2016)6.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview6.3 HK6.3.2 Smart Drying Racks Product Type, Application and Specification6.3.2.1 Bamboo6.3.2.2 Fabric6.3.3 HK Smart Drying Racks Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2011-2016)6.3.4 Main Business/Business OverviewQYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.QYresearchreportsContact Us1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Global Automotive Usage-Based Insurance Market Will Hit At CAGR Of 7.93% During Years 2017-2021

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"The Report Global Automotive Usage-Based Insurance Market 2017-2021 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"About Automotive Usage-Based Insurance MarketThe global automotive UBI market is at a nascent stage and has low penetration in the overall automotive insurance market. The market is seeing an influx of new players owing to its growth potential and the emergence of smartphone app technology in automotive UBI. The competition is expected to intensify during the forecast period because of product extensions and technological innovations. Many international players are expected to grow organically during the forecast period by expanding their customer base and creating differentiated products through partnerships with insurance companies.Technavios analysts forecast the global automotive usage-based insurance market to grow at a CAGR of 7.93% during the period 2017-2021.Get Sample Copy of this report @Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global automotive usage-based insurance market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report presents the vendor landscape and a corresponding detailed analysis of the top four vendors in the market.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:APACEuropeNorth AmericaView Report @Technavio's report, Global Automotive Usage-Based Insurance Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendorsIntelligent Mechatronic SystemOcto TelematicsHubioSierra WirelessOther prominent vendorsBaseline TelematicsMasternautTomTom TelematicsMarket driverGovernment initiatives encouraging use of telematics.For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeMaintenance of data accuracy for optimum UBI scores.For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendShared data plans to reduce number of data subscriptions per user.For a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this reportWhat will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?You can request one free hour of our analysts time when you purchase this market report. Details are provided within the report.Table of ContentsPART 01: Executive summaryPART 02: Scope of the reportMarket overviewTop-vendor offeringsPART 03: Market research methodologyResearch methodologyEconomic indicatorsPART 04: IntroductionKey market highlightsOverview: Automotive digital insurance through telematicsAutomotive UBI: Market dynamicsValue chain analysisPART 05: Market landscapeMarket overviewWorking of automotive UBIMarket size and forecastFive forces analysisPART 06: Market segmentation by UBI typeGlobal automotive UBI market by typeGlobal automotive app-based UBI marketGlobal automotive embedded UBI marketPART 07: Geographical segmentationSegmentation of automotive UBI market by geographyAutomotive UBI market in EuropeAutomotive UBI market in North AmericaAutomotive UBI market in APACPART 08: Market driversGovernment initiatives encouraging use of telematicsRegulations for motor insuranceGrowing smartphone usageGrowing demand for embedded telematics solutionsRising connected car marketDemand for fleet management solutions in logistics sector to push UBI adoption in commercial vehiclesPART 09: Market challengesMaintenance of data accuracy for optimum UBI scoresPotential for information security breachOperational issues pertaining to UBILack of standardization in telematics industryAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA: Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Adoptive cell therapy for cancer treatment Market size and Key Trends in terms of volume and value 2017-2027

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Adoptive T Cell Therapy referred as lymphocyte transfusion, which is being tested for the cancer treatment and chronic infections. Adoptive T Cell Therapy can increase the Anti-tumor immunity, enhance vaccine efficacy, etc. There is three basic treatment for curing cancer: surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. The new technique or therapy, i.e., adoptive T cell therapy emerged as a fourth therapy for the cancer treatment. Because adoptive T cell therapy targeting cancer by natural mechanism, the immune system uses to distinguish between healthy and pathologic tissue rather than by its anatomic location or tendency to divide. Adoptive T-cell therapy (ACT) is a potentially powerful approach to cancer treatment that relies on the infusion of tumor-specific T cells. Anti-tumor immunity stimulates by two primarily different strategies which have been tested in humans: these are therapeutic vaccination and passive immunization. Adoptive T cell therapy also called as passive immunization. Furthermore, recent studies indicate that tumor infiltration by human T cells is a powerful predictive biomarker of survival for the various different type of cancers.The global adoptive T cell therapy market is categorized based on various modes of treatment, pipelines product and end users. The treatment segment is further sub-segmented into autologous adoptive T cell therapy and allogeneic Adoptive T cell therapy. The pipeline product segment includes various clinical trial phases such as phase I, phase II and phase III.Request Report Sample@Regarding geographic, adoptive T cell market is segmented into five major regions such are North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. North America dominates the global adoptive T cell therapy market due to a high number of ongoing clinical trials. The U.S. represents the largest market for adoptive T cell therapy followed by Europe.Adoptive T cell therapy for cancer market faced a critical situation wherein, several ongoing clinical trials still in pipelines such as adoptive T cell therapy in breast cancer after HER2 vaccination is under phase I and phase II clinical trials phase. Companies continue to evaluate the role of adoptive T cell therapy for the treatment of advanced stage cancers.Cambridge Healthtech Establishment's Fourth Yearly adoptive t cell Treatment occasion will concentrate on the means expected to convey receptive cell treatments to the patient. Clinical advance with Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CAR), T cell Receptor (TCR), and Tumor infiltering Lymphocytes (TIL) will be tended to top to bottom, and new procedures for target revelation will be looked into. Accentuation will likewise be put on clinical case investigations to promote the comprehension of T cell receptor receptors and their biology. Extra concentration will be given to assembling difficulties and answers for scale-up. Generally speaking, this occasion will address clinical advance, case analyses, and basic parts to make Adoptive T cell treatments feasible. Adoptive t cell market expands rapidly in forecasted period due to ongoing clinical trials and increasing rate of incidence and prevalence for various type of cancer, the adoption rate for adoptive T cell therapy will also increase due to its natural mode of mechanism against cancerous cells.Visit For TOC@Some of the major companies operating in the global adoptive cell therapy market areAmgen, Merck, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, Genentech, Roche, Bristol-Myers Squibb and others.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Dispensing Spouts Market Globally Expected to Drive Growth through 2027

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Dispensing spouts are commonly used for resealing of packaging after removing the desired quantity of product from the packaging. Dispensing spout is extensively used in packaging of products in liquid or viscous form. Dispensing spout makes the product easy to carry and easy to use without letting the package get torn out even after frequent use of the product. The dispensing spout has created space for manufacturers to innovate different designs and form of packaging to attract more customers by increasing the appeal of the product through packaging. The dispensing spout is in the shape of a cap, pump, dropper or valve for handling small to large quantity of packed products. The dispensing spout is commonly mounted on the top or bottom of the package to utilize the product completely and efficiently.Dispensing Spout Market: Market DynamicsThe need for frequent use of the product in smaller quantity has led to the innovation of dispensing spouts, enabling the consumer to use the products conveniently according to their desired need. The wide range of application along with the convenience offered by the dispensing spout has influenced the consumer preference positively while propelling the demand for dispensing spout market. The use of dispensing spout in packaging creates an opportunity for the manufacturers to reduce the use of the raw material while creating a win-win situation for both manufacturer and the environment, by reducing cost and carbon footprint of packaging respectively. However, the use of water dispensing spout for common places such as offices, malls, schools, etc. is prone to have bacterial growth which may limit the market growth opportunities of the dispensing spout market. The increasing trend for buying products in economic quantity is expected to create a positive impact on the dispensing spout market. Dispensing spout has vast range of application in markets such as beverages, food, home care, toiletries, household chemicals, etc. The functionality of dispensing spout to allow repeated usage makes it a sustainable form of packaging.Request Report Sample@Dispensing Spout Market: Market SegmentationDispensing spout market is segmented by material type, sealing type, spout type, packaging type and end use industries.Based on the material used, dispensing spout market is segmented into:MetalPlasticPETHDPEBased on the Sealing type, dispensing spout market is segmented into:LinerWithout LinerBased on the type of spout, dispensing spout market is segmented into:CapDropperPumpsValveBased on the packaging type, dispensing spout market is segmented into:PouchBottleLiquid cartonsJarsTubesBulk Grocery bagsBased on the end use industry, dispensing spout market is segmented into:Food and beveragePharmaceuticalHomecare and personnel careChemical and petrochemical industryOthersDispensing Spout Market - Regional Outlook:Regionally global dispensing spout market is segmented intoNorth AmericaLatin AmericaEastern EuropeWestern EuropeAsia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ)Middle East & Africa (MEA)JapanNorth America is expected to lead the dispensing spout market as the consumer goods market in the region is being aligned with the dispensing spout market. Factors such as consumer preference and manufacturing practices in the North American region are contributing to the growth of dispensing spout market. Dispensing spout market in APEJ region is expected to grow over the forecast period attributing the changing lifestyle and retail pattern in the South East Asia and China regions. The overall demand for dispensing spout market is expected to increase as the use of dispensing spout helps in reducing the carbon footprint of the packaging material and cost of the product for the end users.Visit For TOC@Dispensing Spout Market - Key Players:Some major players of the dispensing spout market are AptarGroup, Inc., Nilkanth Polyplast., O.Berk Company, LLC, Rieke Corporation, Weener Plastik GmbH, Elkay Manufacturing Company, Inc., Guangdong Danqing Plastic Packaging & Printing Co., Ltd., Uflex Ltd., Tacom SA, Liqui-Box Corporation, Stern Engineering Ltd., Poppelmann GmbH & Co. KG, Glenroy, Inc., and Precision Valve Corporation, Tomlinson Industries.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Clamshell Packaging Market size and forecast, 2017-2027

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Clamshell packaging is very common and popular form of packaging among industry players operating in the consumer market segments. Clamshell packaging is durable and efficient in protecting the product from external environment. Protective packaging properties of clamshell packaging consequently improves the shelf life of the food products. Clamshell packaging is commonly transparent and hence is used to communicate information about product and company to consumers. For packaging of different products, clamshell utilizes standard mold bases which can be customized according to the shape of the product. The clamshell packed goods are easily nested hence minimizing the storage cost during shipping of the goods.Clamshell Packaging Market: Market DynamicsClamshell packaging accounts for a significant part of the thermoform packaging market. Thermoform packaging market is estimated to be over US$ 30 billion and is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 4% over the forecast period. The convenience offered by the clamshell packaging over other forms of packaging in terms of visibility of the product and in term of protection from external environment has made clamshell packaging a popular practice among global manufacturers and suppliers. The opportunities provided by clamshell packaging for packaging of goods in various forms and sizes has increased the use of clamshell packaging in various industries, thus increasing the demand for clamshell packaging market. The increasing preference for e-commerce platforms for procuring consumer goods over internet technologies and rapid growth of modern retail formats especially in the emerging economies are some factors propelling the clamshell packaging market. Clamshell packaging, along with being cost effective is also easy to manufacture as it is manufactured with a monolayer of a substrate. However, clamshell packaging which is not a sustainable form of packaging requires rigorous use of plastic and hence confines the clamshell packaging market. The stringent government policies, especially in the European region, can limit the use of clamshell packaging. However, the trend of manufacturing clamshell packaging from recycled material can open new gates of opportunity for the clamshell packaging market.Request Report Sample@Clamshell Packaging Market: Market SegmentationClamshell packaging market is segmented by material type and by end use.Based on the type of material used, clamshell packaging market is segmented into:PEPPPETPVCOthersBased on end use, the clamshell packaging market is segmented into:Food industryElectronic goods industryConsumer goods industryClamshell Packaging Market: Regional OutlookRegionally global clamshell packaging market is segmented intoNorth AmericaLatin AmericaEastern EuropeWestern EuropeAsia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ)Middle East & Africa (MEA)JapanClamshell packaging is heavily demanded by manufacturers and suppliers of consumer goods in US and Canada region. The mature markets of US and Canada propel the North America clamshell packaging market to dominate the global market for clamshell packaging. North America clamshell packaging market is followed by Eastern and Western Europe where demand for consumer and electronic goods packed in clamshell is anticipated to grow at a steady rate over the forecast period. Prominent demand for clamshell packaging is expected to come from countries including UK, Germany, Italy, Spain and Russia. Developing economies in Latin America and APEJ region are also expected to register rapid growth for clamshell packaging market due to increase in penetration of e-retail format in the region and presence of many medium and small manufacturers. The entrance of the big players in the emerging economies is propelling the demand for the clamshell packaging market.Visit For TOC@Clamshell Packaging Market: Key Players:Some key players of clamshell packaging market are National Plastics, Inc., VisiPak, Plastic Ingenuity, Key Packaging Co., Blisterpak, Inc, Amcor Limited, Uflex Ltd, Placon, Fabricators & Manufacturers Association Int'l, Universal Plastics Corporation, ClearPack Engineering, Inc, Dordan Manufacturing Company, Highland Packaging Solutions, Helmy Assoc & Co., Inc., Walter Drake, Inc, McLoone Metal Graphics, Inc, Panic Plastics Inc., Shanghai Light Industrial Products Imp. & Exp. Corp., Ltd., and Klara Wen Dongguan Jiasheng Plastic Packaging Products Co., Ltd, etc.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global ZigBee Remotes Market 2017-2021: Globally Growing At CAGR 46.85%, Significant Forecast, Trends And Opportunity

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"The Report Global ZigBee Remotes Market 2017-2021 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"About ZigBee Remotes MarketZigBee is a wireless and open, global standard with added benefits such as low-cost, low-power wireless M2M networks. The ZigBee standard is the only wireless technology that enables device-to-device communication in any market and functions on IEEE 802.15.4 physical radio specification in unsanctioned bands that include 2.4 GHz, 900 MHz, and 868 MHz.Technavios analysts forecast the global ZigBee remotes market to grow at a CAGR of 46.85% during the period 2017-2021.Get Sample Copy of this report @Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global ZigBee remotes market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from the sales of ZigBee remotes.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:AmericasAPACEMEAView Report @Technavio's report, Global ZigBee Remotes Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendorsAtmelGreenPeak TechnologiesNXP SemiconductorsSilicon LaboratoriesSMK ElectronicsSTMicroelectronicsTexas InstrumentsUniversal ElectronicsUniversal Remote ControlMarket driverIntroduction of ZigBee RF4CE radio frequency technologyFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeLack of awareness regarding ZigBee technology and its limited throughputFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendNeed for low energy wireless technologyFor a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this reportWhat will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?You can request one free hour of our analysts time when you purchase this market report. Details are provided within the report.Table of ContentsPART 01: Executive summaryPART 02: Scope of the reportMarket overviewTop-vendor offeringsPART 03: Market research methodologyResearch methodologyEconomic indicatorsPART 04: IntroductionKey market highlightsAttributes of ZigBee mesh networkAdvantages of using ZigBee in products and services:PART 05: Overview of ZigBee standardsZigBeeZigBee RF4CEZigBee PROZigBee IPZigBee remote control 2.0ZigBee 3.0PART 06: Overview of wireless industry alliance6LoWPANConsortium for Smart Energy Profile 2 InteroperabilityHomePlug Powerline AllianceWi-Fi AllianceZigBee AllianceZ-Wave AllianceAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA: Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Eye Cosmetic Packaging Market Volume Analysis, size, share and Key Trends 2017-2027

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Eye cosmetics available in many different shades and colors are used by women for their daily grooming. Cosmetics packaging manufacturers are providing effective and visually attractive packaging solutions, including eye cosmetics packaging, in order to meet the marketing objectives of cosmetics brands. Eye cosmetic packaging is influential in terms of product branding. For marketing of eye cosmetic products, the shape, material, and durability of the eye cosmetic packaging are considered as an important factor. Eye cosmetic products are usually expensive, hence packaging plays an important role in adding value to eye cosmetics products. There are many factors considered for designing eye cosmetic packaging such as material being used, graphics printed on them or it might be specific to the product being sold. Acrylic and PP plastic containers are very popular as is affordable, durable and is easily customized. Eye Cosmetic packaging not only increases the shelf life of the product but also improves the aesthetic value and shelf space appeal of the product.Eye Cosmetic Packaging Market: Market DynamicsPackaging manufacturers catering to diverse industries not only have to provide packaging and storage solutions but also have to consider the role of packaging in branding and product attractiveness. Eye cosmetic packaging market is directly co-related to the cosmetic packaging industry. The cosmetic packaging industry is estimated to be over US$ 30 billion which is expected to grow at a growth rate of 4% over the forecast period. Eye cosmetics being a luxury product, the demand for eye cosmetic packaging market is influenced by the rise of the disposable income of the consumers in emerging economies. The concern among young urban class with respect to their looks and appearance is an important factor attributing to the increase in consumption of the eye cosmetics hence boosting the eye cosmetic packaging market. Earlier people used to wear makeup occasionally, but now they are using makeup on a regular basis which is supporting the demand for eye cosmetic packaging market. The increasing number of the working women is widening the base of the consumers of eye cosmetics contributing to the eye cosmetics packaging market. However, the presence of chemicals in eye cosmetics and their side effects may hamper the eye cosmetic packaging market. In the backdrop of ease in availability of the eye cosmetics and entrance of the bio-based eye cosmetics, the demand for the eye cosmetic packaging market is expected to move vertically upward.Request Report Sample@Eye Cosmetic Packaging Market: Market SegmentationEye cosmetic packaging market is segmented by the type of material used, type of product.Based on the type of material used, eye cosmetic packaging market is segmented into:PaperboardGlassPlasticMetalBased on the type of product, Eye cosmetic packaging market is segmented into:Eye shadowEyelinerMascaraFalse eye lashesEyebrowsConcealer & PrimerBrush & toolsSets & PalletsEye Cosmetic Packaging Market: Regional OutlookRegionally global eye cosmetic packaging market is segmented intoNorth AmericaLatin AmericaEastern EuropeWestern EuropeAsia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ)Middle East & Africa (MEA)JapanNorth America region is expected to lead the eye cosmetic packaging market over the forecast period due to its large consumer base for eye cosmetic. APEJ and Latin America region is expected to deliver rapid growth for the eye cosmetic packaging market over the forecast period owing to the densely populated areas within the region and the rise of the disposable income especially in the emerging economies such as China, India, and Brazil. The growth of the eye cosmetic packaging market in the Eastern & Western Europe is expected to be sluggish over the forecast period.Visit For TOC@Eye Cosmetic Packaging Market: Key PlayersSome key players of eye cosmetic packaging market are Amcor Limited, HCP Packaging, Cosmopak, 3C Inc, Alpha Packaging, Color Carton Corporation, ChingFon Industrial Co., LTD, Anomatic, Arcade Beauty, APC Packaging, Epopack Co., Ltd, AptarGroup, Libo Cosmetics Co., Ltd, Quadpack Group.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
In-Depth Analysis Of Air and Gas Leak Detectors In Global Market During The Forecast Period 2016 - 2020

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "In-Depth Analysis Of Air and Gas Leak Detectors In Global Market During The Forecast Period 2016 - 2020" to its huge collection of research reports.Air and gas detectors are used to detect the presence of multiple gases in an area. The detectors help in detecting any flammable gases (such as methane and propane), kerosene or toxic gases (such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and sulphur dioxide), and oxygen depletion. These detectors are used to monitor gas leaks so that a process can be shut down in the event of a gas leakage. The detector also sounds an alarm upon detecting a leakage so that workers can escape.Technavios analysts forecast the global air and gas leak detectors market to grow at a CAGR of 3.57% during the period 2016-2020.Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global air and gas leak detectors market for the period 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers revenue generated from the sales of air and gas leak detectors.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:AmericasAPACEMEATechnavio's report, Global Air Gas Leak Detectors Market 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendorsEmerson Electric Co.MSA Safety Inc.Honeywell AnalyticsTyco Fire & Integrated Solutions (UK) Ltd.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Market driverIncrease in oil and gas upstream investmentsFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeChange in energy mixFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendAdoption of wireless gas detectorsFor a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this reportWhat will the market size be in 2020 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?Make an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Impact of Existing and Emerging Rotogravure Printing Machine MarketTrends And Forecast 2017-2027

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Product information in terms of specifications, usage, cautionary notes, track and trace information, etc. is of prime significance to manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, retailers and end consumers. Printing equipment and machineries have brought essential value to the overall packaging market by enabling packaging manufacturers to supply packaging systems with print capabilities. Rotogravure printing machine is extensively used in the packaging industry for printing on packaging items like polythene packets, food pouches, confectionary wrappers, soap wrappers and many flexible packaging materials. Rotogravure printing machine is a high-speed printing machine which is used for printing consistently on films of different densities while maintaining consistency and accuracy. Rotogravure printing machine is highly efficient, and reduces the waste by unprecedented amount in order to minimize the cost of packaging. Rotogravure printing machine improve the overall margin for packaging manufacturers by providing efficiency in operations.Rotogravure Printing Machine Market: Market DynamicsThe growing consumption of food and beverage products particularly for consumer packed goods, has led to rise in demand for rotogravure printing machines, which in turn is boosting the rotogravure printing machine market. The growth in packaging equipment market affects the rotogravure printing machine market. The consumable packaging market is estimated to be US$ 700.0 billion, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3% over the forecast period. Crucial factor supporting the rotogravure printing machine market is the efficiency in speed and cost of the rotogravure printing machine that provide high image quality on the packaging material. The rotogravure printing machine is easy to operate and has a low labor cost which is an important factor for the growth of the rotogravure printing machine market. However, the initial investment required for the installation of rotogravure printing machine may limit the scope of the rotogravure printing machine market. The presence of substitutes for rotogravure printing machine such as flexographic printing machinery is a key restraint for the growth of rotogravure printing machine market. Moreover, advancement in printing technology may make the rotogravure printing machine obsolete which may hamper the growth of the rotogravure printing machine market over the forecast period. However, the use of flexible packaging for food and consumer goods is extensive, so rotogravure printing machine market holds a good potential over the forecast period.Request Report Sample@Rotogravure Printing Machine Market: Market SegmentationRotogravure printing machine market is segmented by the type of material used for printing, by application and end-use industry.Based on the types of material used for printing, rotogravure printing machine market is segmented into:Polyester filmsOPP filmsNylon filmPE filmPaperCarton boardAluminum foilBased on the application, rotogravure printing machine market is segmented into:PublishingPackaging labelsSecurity PrintsDecorative printingBased on the end-use industry, rotogravure printing machine market is segmented into:Food and beverage industryPharmaceutical industryConsumer goods industryOther industriesRotogravure Printing Machine Market - Regional Outlook:North AmericaLatin AmericaEastern EuropeWestern EuropeAsia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ)Middle East & Africa (MEA)JapanIn the backdrop of the rapid growth of manufacturing industries in APEJ region rotogravure printing machine market is expected to move vertically upward over the forecast period. North America is expected to follow the APEJ region in rotogravure printing machine market. The Eastern and Western Europe is expected to witness a steady growth for the rotogravure printing machine market, attributed to increasing consumer preference for printed packs of products. The increased consumer preference for procurement of products in smaller quantity may support the growth of rotogravure printing machine market in Japan over the forecasted period. Comparatively rotogravure printing machine market is growing at a lower rate in MEA region.Visit For TOC@Rotogravure Printing Machine Market - Key Players:Some key players for the rotogravure printing machine market are BOBST, Shaanxi Beiren Printing Machinery Co., Ltd, Wei Machine Industry Co., Ltd, J M Heaford Ltd, Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd, Windmoeller & Hoelscher Corporation, Queen's Machinery Co., Ltd, Comexi Group, DCM-ATN, Rotatek, KKA GmbH, and Gruppo Cerutti.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Squeeze Tube Market Trends and Segments 2017-2027

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Squeeze tube packaging is commonly made of plastic that is cylindrical in shape. Squeeze tube lets the usage of the product in required quantity without getting deformed. Squeeze tube has one end sealed, and the other end is enclosed with a cap which is open to dispense the required quantity of the product. The squeeze tube is commonly used for packaging of viscous fluids. Squeeze tubes primarily cater to the personal care industry, household goods, pharmaceutical industry, food industry and lubricant industry that makes the squeeze tube market an attractive industry for packaging manufacturers. Plastic is the majorly used material in the manufacturing of squeeze tubes. Different attributes of plastics are combined to achieve different properties of the end product such as barrier property, low cost, printing capability, etc. Squeeze tubes are efficient in the packaging of products in small quantity. Squeeze tubes have enabled manufacturers to supply products to the end users in various quantity.Squeeze Tube Market: Market DynamicsSqueezable tube market is related to the flexible packaging market. The flexible packaging is estimated to be about US$ 250 billion which is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3% over the forecast period. Squeeze tube packaging market is driven by the convenience offered by the squeeze tubes for using the products in viscous liquid form. Squeeze tube can frequently be reused without creating a mess and deforming the packaging of the product. The reusability of the squeeze tube is another factor contributing to the growth of the squeeze tube market, as squeeze tube is refilled once it has been emptied. The squeeze tube enables the manufacturers to manufacture the products of different sizes hence motivating manufacturers to push the squeeze tube market. Squeeze tube not only increases the shelf life of the product but also reduces the packaging cost of the product as it does not require secondary packaging. The raw material required for the manufacturing of squeeze tube is commonly plastic which is cheap and easily available. However, the presence of substitutes of squeeze tube such as stand up pouches can reduce the size of squeeze tube market. The inability of the squeeze tube packaging format to pack the product in larger quantity may limit its use. The rising concern of the regulatory authorities all around the world on the extensive use of plastic may hamper the squeeze tube market. However, on the backdrop of the convenience squeeze tube packaging, the squeeze tube market is expected to grow vertically upwards. Squeeze tube being a sustainable form of packaging can provide many opportunities for the squeeze tube market over the forecast period.Request Report Sample@Squeeze Tube Market: Market SegmentationSqueeze tube market is segmented by type of material used, by the end use industry and end-use product.Based on the type of material used, squeeze tube market is segmented into:LDPEHDPEMDPELLDPEEVOHBased on the end use industry, squeeze tube market is segmented into:Personal care industryHousehold goodsPharmaceutical industryFood industryLubricant industryOthersBased on the end use product, squeeze tube market is segmented into:GelsLotionsSauceSkin creamLiquid soapsConditionersShampoosDetergentsMedicationsOthersSqueeze Tube Market: Regional OutlookRegionally global squeeze tube market is segmented intoNorth AmericaLatin AmericaEastern EuropeWestern EuropeAsia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ)Middle East & Africa (MEA)JapanSqueeze tube market is significantly large in North America and Eastern and Western Europe due to the lifestyle of the consumers in the regions. North America is expected to lead the squeeze tube market over the forecast period. Rapidly growing economies such as Brazil in Latin America, India, and China in APEJ region is estimated to account for the highest growth rate for the squeeze tube market over the forecast period owing to the high consumption rate and the presence of densely populated areas in the region.Visit For TOC@Squeeze Tube Market: Key Players:Some key players of squeeze tube market are Amcor Limited, Alpha Packaging, Maynard & Harris Plastics, Berry Plastics Corporation, MPack sp. z o.o, The Whole Package, LLC, CL Smith, Montebello Packaging, Yangzhou City Sharp International Trade Co. Ltd, Pack-Tubes, Vista Packaging, Auber Packaging Co., Ltd.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global E-Book Market Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2014 - 2020 | Researchmoz

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "E-Book Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2014 - 2020" to its huge collection of research reports.An electronic book or e-book is a book in digital form and consist of both text and images. These books are readable on the electronic devices such as computer, mobile phone and tablets. Thus, the rising adoption of these smart devices is the major factor driving the global demand for e-books. Additionally, the environment protection campaigns from governments across the globe especially for saving trees is reducing the use of paper, which further increases the demand for e-books.Moreover, the emerging trend of collecting information online for research or educational purpose is adding to the growth of e-books market. The fragility of books to wear and tear and need of adequate care, combined with high cost is further negating the demand for books. The market finds tremendous growth potential in countries where customers can read in both English as well as their mother tongue. This directly has an impact on volume sales of e-books in a particular geography. However, it is important to consider regulatory framework for copyrights, which are important in e-books context. Thus, the potential threat of piracy is the major challenge for the growth of e-book market.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The recent expansion of distribution platforms and channels, especially the e-retail, has brought publishing of e-books to an entirely new dimension. Globalization and digitization (internet) have made activities such as book launch an entirely global event, targeted towards global readers. As a result, the publishing groups now have widespread geographic reach. The British publishing houses, in particular lead the market in terms of geographic presence in all the commonwealth countries. The major publishers of the U.S. such as Bertelsmann, Hachette and Swedish Bonnier too have strong presence in the publishing market of North America and Europe.According to International Publishers Association, in 2013, the book publishing market was dominated by countries such as the U.S., China, Germany, Japan, France and United Kingdom, accounting for 60% market revenue share. However, the market for printed books is declining with the digitization of books and its easy availability and exchange over the internet. This trend is supporting the growth of e-book market in these geographies. Moreover, in countries such as the U.S and the U.K, the readers are adopting e-books at faster rates as compared to the printed books.The major players in the e-books value chain includes publishers, aggregators, distributors, service providers, educational organizations, professional organizations and online reading platform providers. There are several e-book publishers in market such as Dotbooks, Bloombury India, Completely Novels, Diamond Comics, Open Road Integrated Media, Publish Green, Morgan and Claypool Publishers, Lulu, Penguin Random House, Hachette, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster and several others. The aggregators and distributors are basically companies that offer business to business (B2B) services. The aim of such companies is to connect the content and distribution services.There are several aggregators and distributors in the global e-book market such as ACK Media, Andrews UK Limited, Bookbaby, Smashwords, Pigeon Labs, Tertiary Publishing, Ciando, Dawson France, eBook Architects, Green Apple Data Centre, and Planet Media. In addition, there are many educational and professional organizations that play important role in offering professional education by publishing e-books. Some of the major educational organizations include Scholaristic India, Hurix, Learnetic, Piron Corporation, and Oneclick among others.In addition, there are several online reading platforms that allow publishers and authors to upload their books on the internet based platforms for commercial as well as non-commercial purposes. Moreover, the readers can review the books and give their valuable comment for the same. Some of the popular online platforms available in the market are 24 Symbol, Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (DDB), La Librairie Numerique Africaine, Nubico, Skoobe and Yindo among others. The pricing strategy adopted by the players in e-book market varies as per the regional markets. This also helps in highlighting the publishers assessment towards the potential of the given geographical region for e-books market.This research report analyzes this market on the basis of its market segments, major geographies, and current market trends. Geographies analyzed under this research report include- North America- Asia Pacific- Europe- Rest of the WorldThis report provides comprehensive analysis of- Market growth drivers- Factors limiting market growth- Current market trends- Market structure- Market projections for upcoming yearsThis report is a complete study of current trends in the market, industry growth drivers, and restraints. It provides market projections for the coming years. It includes analysis of recent developments in technology, Porters five force model analysis and detailed profiles of top industry players. The report also includes a review of micro and macro factors essential for the existing market players and new entrants along with detailed value chain analysis.Reasons for Buying this Report- This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamics- It provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growth- It provides a six-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to grow- It helps in understanding the key product segments and their future- It provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitors- It helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segments- It provides distinctive graphics and exemplified SWOT analysis of major market segmentsMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Global Commercial Printing Market Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2014 - 2020

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Commercial Printing Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2014 - 2020" to its huge collection of research reports.Commercial printing industry refers to the services offered by printing industry for commercial applications. Commercial printing services include binding, composition, layout, graphic design, plate making and press production. Commercial printers are used to construct phone books, magazines, labels, catalogs, advertising brochures, newspaper inserts, corporate reports, direct mail marketing, for printing financial documents, business forms, promotional materials and training manuals. Besides paper printing, printing presses also print on apparels, textile products, metal, glass and plastics. Most of the commercial printing units offer multiple services such as design and prepress; printing; finishing that include binding, cutting, and folding along with fulfillment including storing, packaging and shipping. Services included in commercial printing are lithographic printing, screen printing, flexographic printing, gravure printing, book printing, quick printing, loose leaf binding, prepress and trade binding services.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Offset technology is the most widely used commercial printing technology. However, there is a shift in trend presently in commercial printing from offset technology to digital high speed inkjet technology. The transformation is due to the fact that inkjet is more effective and efficient way to print mails and other complex personalized messages than the offset technology. Reduced costs for color printing and better return on investments are some of the other advantages that has resulted in wide doption of inkjet technology. The demand for commercial printing is majorly driven by advertising needs of businesses such as advertising firms and the volume of commercial printing is highly dependent on the growth of the economy, particularly the consumer spending power.Large printing presses gain profitability by bulk buying materials such as ink and paper, thus serving a large customer base nationwide and making effective use of presses. However, small press companies compete by offering a service to specific applications. The demand for printing services is recurring and depends on economic activities in the country, owing to which major players are prepared for demand fluctuations by deploying multifunctional printing equipment that caters to the demand of various printing applications.. Currently, the commercial printing market is facing many challenges. Digital technology is a major threat to the commercial printing market. Prices for digital printing are reducing below the offset printing prices, owing to which companies that delays to shift to digital printing are expected to be at risk.Decreasing sales and the plummeting unit selling prices are also factors hampering industry profit of the commercial printing market. Companies in commercial printing market require a substantial capital investment to remain competitive, however, with a reducing sales volume, maintaining consistent market share is a challenge.However, the current trends in the commercial printing market are helping sustainability of the market in the competitive environment. Some of these trends are, advancements in offset printing leading to lowered cost per page, mass customization of printing services that helps to cater variety of customers and new printing technologies such as digital plate making has enabled acquisition of a wide customer base.Some of the major companies in the commercial printing market include Cenveo, Inc., Quad/Graphics, Inc., R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company, Dai Nippon Printing Co. Ltd., Toppan Printing Co. Ltd., TC Transcontinental, Inc., Vistaprint NV, Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA, Lagardere SCA and Quebecor World, Inc. among others.This research report analyzes this market on the basis of its market segments, major geographies, and current market trends. Geographies analyzed under this research report include- North America- Asia Pacific- Europe- Rest of the WorldThis report provides comprehensive analysis of- Market growth drivers- Factors limiting market growth- Current market trends- Market structure- Market projections for upcoming yearsThis report is a complete study of current trends in the market, industry growth drivers, and restraints. It provides market projections for the coming years. It includes analysis of recent developments in technology, Porters five force model analysis and detailed profiles of top industry players. The report also includes a review of micro and macro factors essential for the existing market players and new entrants along with detailed value chain analysis.Reasons for Buying this Report- This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamics- It provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growth- It provides a six-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to grow- It helps in understanding the key product segments and their future- It provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitors- It helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segments- It provides distinctive graphics and exemplified SWOT analysis of major market segmentsMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
At A CAGR Of 20.17% Data Center Market In Southeast Asia To Grow During The Period 2016-2020

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Data Center Market in Southeast Asia 2016-2020" to its huge collection of research reports.The services offered by a data center facility can be identified based on a tier system. Every data center is associated with a tier ranking from one to four, which indicates its physical infrastructure, cooling, power, promised uptime, and redundancy levels.The data center tier system was introduced in 2005 and is developed and maintained by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA). The Uptime Institute developed the four tier levels in order to identify whether a data center satisfies business requirements.Technavios analysts forecast the data center market in Southeast Asia to grow at a CAGR of 20.17% during the period 2016-2020.Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the data center market in Southeast Asia for 2015-2020. To calculate the market size, the report takes into account revenue generated from capital expenditure of the following:ServersStorageNetworkTo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The market is divided into the following segments based on infrastructure:IT equipmentPower management solutionsCooling solutionsGeneral constructionRackSecurityDCIMTechnavio's report, Data Center Market in Southeast Asia 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendorsAmazon Web Services (AWS)Digital RealtyEquinixGoogleMicrosoftNTT CommunicationsSingTelMoratelindoStarhubOther prominent vendors1-NetAIMSAktif SetegapBasis BayBiznet NetworksCAT TelecomCenturyLinkColtDCIDigitalOceanExitraFREENETFujitsuGlobal SwitchHanel-CSFHDC Data CenterHeiTech Padu BerhadINETIOi-Tech Network SolutionsKDDI GroupKeppel Data Center HoldingMaxisMekongNetMy TelehausNexPacific Link (PLT)Telstra (Pacnet)Racks CentralSigma Cipta Caraka (Telekom Indonesia)SKALI GROUPTCC TechnologyTelinTrueIDCVADSViewQwestMarket driverIncreased demand for cloud data centersFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeHigh construction and installation costsFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendConstruction of green data centersFor a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this reportWhat will the market size be in 2020 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?Make an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
FORT ATKINSON - Doris W. Hetts, age 94, of Fort Atkinson, passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 6, 2017, at Aster Senior Living in Fort Atkinson. Doris was born Oct. 16, 1922, to Clarence and Christina (Becker) Trieloff.

Doris was the salutatorian for her high school graduating class in 1940. After high school she worked for James Manufacturing as a receptionist-switchboard operator for one year. She then became secretary for the Wisconsin Dairymen's Association for four years before marrying her high school sweetheart, Allen C. Hetts, on June 30, 1945, and coming to Crescent Beauty Farm.

Along with raising five children and keeping a beautiful farmstead Doris' activities were many and varied. Doris was a lifelong member of St. John's Community Church serving as secretary for the Ladies Aid Society for many years. She was a member of both the State and National Holstein Associations and served as a delegate to the National Convention. She spent many hours volunteering at the Dairy Shrine Museum, Fort Atkinson Hospital, American Red Cross, and The Nearly New Thrift Shop, just to name a few.

Doris was an incredibly hard worker. Along with the usual chores of a farm wife and mother, she handled all of Allen's correspondence, advertising, and promotion materials necessary for their business. Upon Allen's untimely death in 1973, Doris continued the dairy farm with sons Roy and Rodney until 1988 when the Crescent Beauty Herd was dispersed.

In 1985 Doris was honored at the World Dairy Expo, being named "National Dairy Woman of the Year."

Doris was known as "Mom" to over 40 Japanese trainees that came to Crescent Beauty Farms to work and learn farming and the dairy industry in the United States. Consequently, she made seven trips back to Japan over the years to further support and represent Crescent Beauty Farms and also visit her Japanese "family."

Doris is survived by her children, Randy (Timothy) Connery of Cottage Grove, Rhonda Shore of Sun Prairie, Roy (Karen) Hetts of Fort Atkinson, Renee (Jack) Beilke of Sun Prairie, and Rodney (Kelli) Hetts of Fort Atkinson. She is also survived by her brother, Carroll (Jean) Trieloff of Fort Atkinson; proud grandmother of 10, great-grandmother of six, and nieces and nephews.

Doris was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Allen C. Hetts; infant son, Ralph Lee; and sister, Lurline Borchardt.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, May 20, 2017, at ST. JOHN'S COMMUNITY CHURCH, N2560 County Road J, Fort Atkinson. Visitation will be at 9:30 a.m. until time of service at 11:30 a.m.

As an expression of sympathy, memorials can be made to St. John's Community Church, Fort Atkinson, and Rainbow Hospice, 147 W. Rockwell St., Jefferson, WI 53549.

The Nitardy Funeral Home in Fort Atkinson is assisting the family. The family of Doris Hetts would like to thank Aster Senior Living and Rainbow Hospice for their loving care.
Global Injection Molding Compounds Sales Market Report 2017 | Now Available at Researchmoz.us

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Injection Molding Compounds Sales Market Report 2017" to its huge collection of research reports.In this report, the global Injection Molding Compounds market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Geographically, this report split global into several key Regions, with sales (K MT), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Injection Molding Compounds for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesChinaEuropeJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaTo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Global Injection Molding Compounds market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Injection Molding Compounds sales volume, Price (USD/MT), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingHexionHitachi ChemicalBASFHuntsman InternationalEastman ChemicalRTP CompanyPremix IncAurora PlasticsPurgexWest-ChemieOn the basis of product, this report displays the sales volume (K MT), revenue (Million USD), product price (USD/MT), market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoPhenolicEpoxyPolyesterOthersOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate of Injection Molding Compounds for each application, includingElectricalsAerospaceAutomotiveOthersTable of ContentsGlobal Injection Molding Compounds Sales Market Report 20171 Injection Molding Compounds Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Injection Molding Compounds1.2 Classification of Injection Molding Compounds by Product Category1.2.1 Global Injection Molding Compounds Market Size (Sales) Comparison by Type (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Injection Molding Compounds Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Phenolic1.2.4 Epoxy1.2.5 Polyester1.2.6 Others1.3 Global Injection Molding Compounds Market by Application/End Users1.3.1 Global Injection Molding Compounds Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Electricals1.3.3 Aerospace1.3.4 Automotive1.3.5 Others1.4 Global Injection Molding Compounds Market by Region1.4.1 Global Injection Molding Compounds Market Size (Value) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Injection Molding Compounds Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 China Injection Molding Compounds Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Europe Injection Molding Compounds Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Injection Molding Compounds Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Injection Molding Compounds Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Injection Molding Compounds Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value and Volume) of Injection Molding Compounds (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Injection Molding Compounds Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Injection Molding Compounds Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2022)2 Global Injection Molding Compounds Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application2.1 Global Injection Molding Compounds Market Competition by Players/Suppliers2.1.1 Global Injection Molding Compounds Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Injection Molding Compounds Revenue and Share by Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Injection Molding Compounds (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Global Injection Molding Compounds Sales and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.2.2 Global Injection Molding Compounds Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.3 Global Injection Molding Compounds (Volume and Value) by Region2.3.1 Global Injection Molding Compounds Sales and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)2.3.2 Global Injection Molding Compounds Revenue and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)2.4 Global Injection Molding Compounds (Volume) by Application3 United States Injection Molding Compounds (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 United States Injection Molding Compounds Sales and Value (2012-2017)3.1.1 United States Injection Molding Compounds Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.2 United States Injection Molding Compounds Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.3 United States Injection Molding Compounds Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)3.2 United States Injection Molding Compounds Sales Volume and Market Share by Players3.3 United States Injection Molding Compounds Sales Volume and Market Share by Type3.4 United States Injection Molding Compounds Sales Volume and Market Share by Application4 China Injection Molding Compounds (Volume, Value and Sales Price)4.1 China Injection Molding Compounds Sales and Value (2012-2017)4.1.1 China Injection Molding Compounds Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4.1.2 China Injection Molding Compounds Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4.1.3 China Injection Molding Compounds Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)4.2 China Injection Molding Compounds Sales Volume and Market Share by Players4.3 China Injection Molding Compounds Sales Volume and Market Share by Type4.4 China Injection Molding Compounds Sales Volume and Market Share by Application5 Europe Injection Molding Compounds (Volume, Value and Sales Price)5.1 Europe Injection Molding Compounds Sales and Value (2012-2017)5.1.1 Europe Injection Molding Compounds Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)5.1.2 Europe Injection Molding Compounds Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)5.1.3 Europe Injection Molding Compounds Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)5.2 Europe Injection Molding Compounds Sales Volume and Market Share by Players5.3 Europe Injection Molding Compounds Sales Volume and Market Share by Type5.4 Europe Injection Molding Compounds Sales Volume and Market Share by Application6 Japan Injection Molding Compounds (Volume, Value and Sales Price)6.1 Japan Injection Molding Compounds Sales and Value (2012-2017)6.1.1 Japan Injection Molding Compounds Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)6.1.2 Japan Injection Molding Compounds Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)6.1.3 Japan Injection Molding Compounds Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)6.2 Japan Injection Molding Compounds Sales Volume and Market Share by Players6.3 Japan Injection Molding Compounds Sales Volume and Market Share by Type6.4 Japan Injection Molding Compounds Sales Volume and Market Share by ApplicationMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Market Volume Analysis, size, share and Key Trends 2017-2025

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Latin America Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Market: OverviewThere has been a tremendous increase in agricultural and food exports and imports globally. Growth in production, consumption, and trade of perishable, processed, and packaged food items has driven the need to design and manufacture efficient and effective refrigeration equipment for the commercial sector. Refrigeration is one effective method to store and transport perishable food items across and within nations. Rise in income level has raised the spending capacity in economically developed as well as developing nations. Level of income in an economy has a huge impact on the spending capacity of the population on consumption of processed and packaged food items. Export of meat demands the need for effective transportation refrigeration equipment. Appropriate refrigeration equipment play a vital role in preventing food wastage due to spoilage during storage and transportation.This 106-page report gives readers a comprehensive overview of the Mobile Robotics market. Browse through 25 data tables and 25 figures to unlock the hidden opportunities in this market.Production, storage, and transportation of perishable food items require appropriate refrigeration equipment and the rise in food trade has increased the demand for refrigeration equipment in the commercial sector significantly. The rise in income levels of an economy also boosts the spending capacity of the population on leisure travel. To meet the accommodation and meals of travelling population, the hospitality industry has witnessed a tremendous growth. This industry also keeps pace with the changing food consumption patterns due to huge penetration of stored, processed, and packaged food in the food industry. Out of which arises the need to equip the restaurants and food storage areas with efficient and energy saving refrigeration and storage equipment. Hotel industry relies largely on refrigeration in order to maintain food supply. The Increasing number of restaurants also is a vital reason to drive the demand for efficient commercial refrigeration equipment.Latin America Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Market: SegmentationThis research report provides an in-depth analysis of the commercial refrigeration equipment market in Latin America based on product type, application, refrigerant type, and country. On the basis of product type the commercial refrigeration equipment market in Latin America is segmented into transportation refrigeration equipment, refrigerator and freezer, beverage refrigeration, commercial refrigeration equipment parts, and others. On the basis of application the commercial refrigeration equipment market in Latin America is segment into food services, food and beverage retail, food and beverage distribution, food and beverage production, and others. On the basis of refrigerant type the commercial refrigeration equipment market in Latin America is segmented into fluorocarbons, inorganic, hydrocarbon/Natural.The report segments the Latin American commercial refrigeration equipment market by country into Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Rest of Latin America. It also encompasses the key factors by country in the commercial refrigeration equipment market in Latin America. It further offers analysis of the factors that drive and restrain the growth of commercial refrigeration equipment market in Latin America. It discusses the prevailing market trends and prospective growth opportunities in the commercial refrigeration and equipment market country wise and segment wise. It provides market estimates and forecasts for all the segments in terms of revenue (in US$ Mn). Also provided in the report is the competitive landscape of the major players in the Latin American commercial refrigeration equipment market.Companies Mentioned in the ReportThe major players profiled in the report include Metalfrio Solutions SA, Beverage-Air Corporation, Illinois Tool Works, Inc., Dover Corporation, Daikin Industries, Ltd., United Technologies Corporation - (Climate, Controls and Security Unit), Hussmann International, Inc., Lennox International Inc. The company profiles offer a descriptive overview of the companies with respect to the company details, company description, SWOT analysis, revenue and regional market share, and strategic overview. The report also offers a competitive landscape of these players for the year 2016.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Mobile Robotics market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.The Latin America commercial refrigeration equipment market is segmented as below:By Product Type Transportation Refrigeration Equipment Refrigerator and Freezer Beverage Refrigeration Commercial refrigeration equipment parts OthersBy Application Food Services Food and Beverage retail Food and Beverage distribution Food and Beverage Production OthersBy Refrigerant Type Fluorocarbons Inorganic Hydrocarbons/NaturalBy Country Brazil Mexico Argentina Chile Rest of Latin AmericaAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insights for decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, TMR employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact Us:-Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Thalassemia Industry Key Trends, Size, Growth, Shares And Forecast Research Report 2016

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Thalassemia Market Report: 2016 Edition" to its huge collection of research reports.Thalassemia is a hereditary blood disorder in which a persons body makes an abnormal form of hemoglobin, which is the protein molecule in red blood cells (RBCs), which carries oxygen. The disorder results in unwarranted damage of red blood cells, which leads to anemia. Anemia is a condition in which the body doesnt have adequate amount of normal and healthy red blood cells. There are majorly two types of thalassemia based on these proteins known as the Alpha thalassemia and the Beta thalassemia. There is also a third type viz. Sickle beta thalassemia, which is like a combination of sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia.Even though it is a rare genetic disorder, the number of people affected by it has been growing with time. While those with thalassemia minor have hardly any threat to their life and only require occasional blood transfusion to sustain, thalassemia major patients need to go for periodic transfusions for a sustained life. In case of infants, thalassemia major often leads to still birth or cause death shortly after the babys birth. Presently the only cure for thalassemia is a bone marrow transplantation therapy, which is done mostly for severe cases of thalassemia.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The key factors which are anticipated to drive this market include rising healthcare expenditure, rising spending on stem cell therapy research and development and rising population in the East-Asia and Pacific region of the world. Some of the noteworthy developments of this industry include the advances in the iron chelation therapy, development of gene therapy and fetal hemoglobin inducers as potential curatives for thalassemia. However, the growth of respective industry is challenged by the high cost of treatments, lack of alternative treatments and unmet market of the Asia-Pacific.The report provides a comprehensive study of global thalassemia market and also major regional markets. Furthermore, market dynamics such as key trends and development; and challenges are analyzed in depth. The global thalassemia industry is highly competitive consisting of several companies including the Lonza group, Acceleron Pharma, BlueBird Bio and Sangamo Biosciences etc. The competitive landscape of the respective market, along with the company profiles of the leading players are also discussed in detail.Table of Content1. Overview1.1 Introduction1.2 Types of Thalassemia1.2.1 Alpha Thalassemia1.2.2 Beta Thalassemia1.2.3 Sickle Beta Thalassemia1.3 Signs and Symptoms1.4 Treatment Options1.4.1 Blood Transfusion1.4.2 Bone Marrow Transplant2. Global Thalassemia Market2.1 Global Thalassemia Incidence by Severity2.2 Global Thalassemia Diagnosis by Category2.3 Global Transfusion-Dependent ? Thalassemia by Region2.4 Global Thalassemia Market by Therapy2.4.1 Global Bone Marrow Transplant Revenue2.4.2 Global LentiGlobin BB305 Revenue2.4.3 Global Luspatercept Revenue3. Regional Analysis3.1 The US Thalassemia Market3.1.1 The US ? Thalassemia Carrier Patient Population3.1.2 The US ? Thalassemia Major Patient Population3.1.3 The US Transfusion-Dependent ? Thalassemia Patients3.1.4 The US ? Thalassemia Sibling-Matched Stem Cell Transplant3.2 Europe Thalassemia Market3.2.1 Europe Transfusion-Dependent ? Thalassemia Patients3.2.2 Europe Transfusion-Dependent ?-Thalassemia Major/Intermediate Patients4. Market Dynamics4.1 Growth Drivers4.1.1 Rising Healthcare Expenditure4.1.2 Rising R&D Spending on Stem Cell Therapy4.1.3 Rising Population in the East Asia and Pacific Region4.2 Key Trends and Developments4.2.1 Gene Therapy for Curing Thalassemia4.2.2 Advances in Iron Chelation Therapy4.2.3 Fetal Hemoglobin Inducers4.3 Challenges4.3.1 Unmet Market of the Asia-Pacific4.3.2 High Cost of Therapies4.3.2 Lack of Alternative Treatments5. Competitive Landscape5.1 Competition in Bone Marrow Therapy5.1.1 Revenue Comparison of the Global Key Players5.1.2 Profit Margin Comparison of the Global Key Players5.1.3 Market Cap Comparison of the Global Key Players5.1.4 Revenue Comparison of Key Players of the US5.2 Competition in Emerging Therapeutics5.2.1 Product Pipeline Comparison of Emerging PlayersMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Researchmoz | Global Infant Formula Market Analysis, Growth, Trend and Research Report 2016

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Infant Formula Market Report: 2016 Edition" to its huge collection of research reports.Infant formula is a manufactured food designed and marketed for feeding to evolved babies and infants under 12 months of age, usually prepared for bottle-feeding or cup-feeding from powder (mixed with water) or liquid (with or without additional water). A variety of formulas are available for infants younger than 12 months old who are not drinking breast milk. The global infant milk formula (IMF) market is the fastest growing category within the larger baby food market. Milk formulas can be divided into four distinct types: toddler formula, stand formula, follow-on formula and special formula.The report Global Infant Milk Formula Market provides a comprehensive study of the infant formula market along with a detailed study of its various segments. The major trends, growth drivers as well as issues being faced by the industry are being presented in this report. The four major players in the industry, Nestle SA, Danone S.A., Mead Johnson Nutrition and Abbott Laboratories are being profiled.The key factors driving the growth of the infant milk formula market are rising population of working women, increasing disposable income in China, rapid growth of e-commerce in the Chinese market, growth in urbanization, increasing globalization and growing global GDP. Some of the noteworthy trend and developments of this industry are importance of lipid levels in brain and vision development in infants, growing demand of organic baby food and adoption of western baby food. However, the expansion of global infant milk formula market is being hindered by restriction in China on infants milk powder brands, regulatory changes, increasing competition, ecological argument and contaminated milk powder issues.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The developing world, especially the Asia and Pacific region has provided the headroom for the global market expansion. Among various regions, China is one of the prominent markets for infant milk formula.By combining SPSS Inc.s data integration and analysis capabilities with our relevant findings, we have predicted the future growth of the industry. We employed various significant variables that have an impact on this industry and created regression models with SPSS Base to determine the future direction of the industry. Before deploying the regression model, the relationship between several independent or predictor variables and the dependent variable was analyzed using standard SPSS output, including charts, tables and tests.Table of Content1. Infant Formula Market  An Introduction1.1 Types of Infant Formula1.2 Infant Formula Value Chain Analysis2. Global Baby Food Market Analysis2.1 Global Baby Food Market by Value2.2 Global Baby Food Market Share by Product Type2.3 Global Baby Food Market Growth by Region2.3.1 Asia Pacific Baby Food Market by Value2.3.2 Brazil Baby Food Market by Value3. Global Infant Milk Formula Market Analysis3.1 Global Infant Milk Formula Market by Value3.2 Global Infant Milk Formula Market Share by Region  Value3.3 Global Infant Milk Formula Market by Volume3.4 Global Infant Milk Formula Market Share by Region  Volume3.5 Global Infant Milk Formula Sales Share by Products3.6 Global Infant Milk Formula Consumption by Region4. China Infant Milk Formula Market4.1 Chinas Infant Milk Formula Market by Value4.2 Chinas Infant Milk Formula Market by Volume4.3 Chinas Milk Formula Market by Product Type4.4 Chinas Milk Formula Market Growth by Product4.5 Chinas Milk Formula Market by Channels4.6 China Milk Formula Market by Place of Origin5. South Korea6. Market Dynamics6.1 Growth Drivers6.1.1 Increased Popularity of Internet Retailing in Chinese Infant Formula Market6.1.2 Rapid Growth of Urbanization in China6.1.3 Rising Population of Working Women6.1.4 Globalization of Infant Formula Market6.1.5 Accelerating Economic Growth6.1.6 Abandonment of One Child Policy6.1.7 Increasing Disposable Income in China6.2 Key Trends6.2.1 Lipid Levels in Brain & Vision Development in Infants6.2.2 Growing Demand for Organic Baby Food6.2.3 Demand for Eco-friendly Packaging6.2.4 Adoption of Western Baby Food6.3 Challenges6.3.1 Restrictions in China on Infant Milk Powder Brands6.3.2 Increasing Competition6.3.3 Ecological ArgumentMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Global Parkinsons Disease Industry Key Trends, Size, Growth, Shares And Forecast Research Report 2016

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Parkinsons Disease Market Report: 2016 Edition" to its huge collection of research reports.Parkinsons Disease (PD) is a chronic and progressive neurodegenerative or movement disorder which involves the malfunction and death of vital nerve cells in the brain, called neurons. Parkinsons primarily affects neurons in an area of the brain called the substantia nigra. The early signs and symptoms may be mild and may go unnoticed initially. The cause of this disease is mainly unknown with no cure till date but there exist several treatment options such as medications and surgery.The current treatment market for Parkinsons disease has several unmet needs as no treatment has yet been successful in fully restoring the function that produces dopamine. However, the treatment currently only aims at controlling and relieving symptoms. The Parkinsons disease treatment market remains flooded by both branded and generic drugs. The market is expected to experience fluctuations in branded sales due to patent expiries and subsequent entry of generics in the market. Several biologics are under development for the treatment of Parkinsons along with possibility of developing Stem Cell as a treatment therapy.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The Parkinsons disease market is expected to acquire modest growth driven by launch of new therapies and increasing rate of drug treatment due to increasing healthcare expenditure and ageing population. The major growth drivers of the Parkinsons disease market includes rising level of toxin exposure, increasing life expectancy, rising male population worldwide, ageing population, healthcare expenditure and pesticide consumption. However, the growth of the market will also remain challenged by generic erosion, current treatment limitations and increasing risk of developing Melanoma.The report, Global Parkinsons disease Market analyzes the currently prevailing condition of the market along with its future scope of development. The specific markets of the U.S., the European Union and Japan are being discussed in the report. The major trends, growth drivers as well as issues being faced by the industry are being presented in this report. The major players in the industry are being profiled, along with their key financials and strategies for growth.Table of Content1. Market Overview1.1 Introduction1.2 Fundamental Features1.3 Types of Parkinsons Disease1.4 Risk Factors1.5 Treatment Options2. Global Market2.1 Global Parkinsons Disease Drug Market by Value2.1.1 Global Parkinsons Disease Drug Market by Region2.1.2 Global Parkinsons Disease Market by Drug Class2.1.3 Global Parkinsons Disease Patient Population by Severity2.1.4 Global Parkinsons Disease Patient Population by Region3. Regional Markets3.1 The U.S.3.1.1 The U.S. Parkinsons Disease Market by Value & Volume3.1.2 The U.S. Parkinsons Disease Market Value by Category3.1.3 The U.S. Parkinsons Disease Market Volume by Category3.1.4 The U.S. Parkinsons Disease Market by Drug Class3.1.5 The U.S. Parkinsons Disease Branded Drugs Market3.1.6 The U.S. Parkinsons Disease Generic Drugs Market3.2 The European Union3.2.1 The E.U. Parkinsons Patient Prevalence & Diagnosis3.2.2 The European Parkinsons Disease Drug Market by Value3.3 Japan3.3.1 Japans Parkinsons Disease Drug Market by Value4. Market Dynamics4.1 Growth Drivers4.1.1 Rising Level of Toxin Exposure4.1.2 Rising Life Expectancy4.1.3 Rising Male Population4.1.4 Increasing Ageing Population4.1.5 Global Healthcare Expenditure4.1.6 Pesticides Consumption4.2 Trends4.2.1 Late-Stage Drug Development for Parkinsons Disease4.2.2 Stem-Cell Therapy as Potential Treatment4.2.3 Biologics under Development for Parkinsons Disease4.3 Challenges4.3.1 Generic Erosion4.3.2 Parkinsons Treatment associated with Higher Risk of Melanoma4.3.3 Current Treatment Limitation5. Competitive Landscape5.1 The U.S. Parkinsons Disease Branded Drug Market by Company5.2 The U.S. Parkinsons Disease Generic Drug Market by CompanyMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Global Butyric Acid Derivatives Market Dynamics and Growth Rate 2016-2024

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Global Butyric Acid Derivatives Market: OverviewButyric acid derivatives, also known as butyrate or butanoate, is salt or ester of butyric/butanoic acid. Sodium butyrate, calcium butyrate, potassium butyrate, magnesium butyrate, tributyrin etc. are some of butyric acid derivatives. Amongst all sodium and calcium butyrate are predominantly consumed by the animal feed Product segment. Butyric acid derivatives are mostly offered in micro-encapsulated form for controlled release of the butyrate in animal colon. Butyric acid salts are primarily used for boosting animal colon and gastrointestinal health and to increase the overall meat yield from the animal.The report estimates and forecasts the butyric acid derivatives market on the global, regional, and country levels. The study provides forecast between 2016 and 2024 based on volume (kilo tons) and revenue (US$ Mn) with 2015 as the base year. The report comprises an exhaustive value chain analysis for each of the product segments. It provides a comprehensive view of the market. Value chain analysis also offers detailed information about value addition at each stage. The study includes drivers and restraints for the Butyric Acid Derivatives market along with their impact on demand during the forecast period.This 178 -page report gives readers a comprehensive overview of the Butyric Acid Derivatives market. Browse through 24 data tables and 65 figures to unlock the hidden opportunities in this market.The study also provides key market indicators affecting the growth of the market. The report analyzes opportunities in the Butyric Acid Derivatives market on the global and regional level. Drivers, restraints, and opportunities mentioned in the report are justified through quantitative and qualitative data. These have been verified through primary and secondary resources. Furthermore, the report analyzes substitute analysis of Butyric Acid Derivatives and global average price trend analysis.Global Butyric Acid Derivatives Market: Research MethodologyThe report includes Porters Five Forces Model to determine the degree of competition in the Butyric Acid Derivatives market. It comprises qualitative write-up on market attractiveness analysis, wherein end-users and countries have been analyzed based on attractiveness for each region. Growth rate, market size, raw material availability, profit margin, impact strength, technology, competition, and other factors (such as environmental and legal) have been evaluated in order to derive the general attractiveness of the market. The report comprises price trend analysis for Butyric Acid Derivatives between 2016 and 2024.The study provides comprehensive view of the Butyric Acid Derivatives market by dividing it into animal feed, product and geography. The butyric acid derivatives market for animal feed Product has been segmented by product into sodium butyrate, calcium butyrate, and others. Based on animal feed the market is segmented as poultry, swine, and other (ruminants, aquaculture, pets etc.). The segments have been analyzed based on historic, present, and future trends.Regional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for Butyric Acid Derivatives in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). Key countries such as the U.S., France, Germany, Norway, the U.K., China, India, ASEAN, South Africa, Mexico, and Brazil have been included in the study. Market segmentation includes demand for individual Animal Feed and Product in all the regions and countries.Global Butyric Acid Derivatives Market: Competitive AnalysisThe report covers detailed competitive outlook that includes market share and profiles of key players operating in the global market. Major players profiled in the report include Perstorp Holdings AB, Nutreco N.V., Kemin Industries Inc., Innovad, and Palital GmbH & Co. KG. Company profiles include attributes such as company overview, number of employees, brand overview, key competitors, business overview, business strategies, recent/key developments, acquisitions, and financial overview (wherever applicable).Secondary research sources that were typically referred to include, but were not limited to company websites, financial reports, annual reports, investor presentations, broker reports, and SEC filings. Other sources such as internal and external proprietary databases, statistical databases and market reports, news articles, national government documents, and webcasts specific to companies operating in the market have also been referred for the report.In-depth interviews and discussions with wide range of key opinion leaders and industry participants were conducted to compile this research report. Primary research represents the bulk of research efforts, supplemented by extensive secondary research. Key players product literature, annual reports, press releases, and relevant documents were reviewed for competitive analysis and market understanding. This helped in validating and strengthening secondary research findings. Primary research further helped in developing the analysis teams expertise and market understanding.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Butyric Acid Derivatives market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.The global butyric acid derivatives market has been divided into the following segments:By Product Sodium Butyrate Calcium Butyrate OthersBy Animal Feed Poultry Swine Others (Ruminants, Aquaculture, Pets etc.)By Region North Americao U.S.o Canada Europeo Germanyo Franceo Italyo U.K.o Spaino Rest of Europe Asia Pacifico Chinao Indiao Japano ASEANo Rest of Asia Pacific Middle East & Africao GCCo South Africao Rest of Middle East and Africa Latin Americao Brazilo Mexicoo Rest of Latin AmericaAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insights for decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, TMR employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact Us:-Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
New Study Reveals Global Peripheral Artery Disease Market Report 2016 | Researchmoz

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Peripheral Artery Disease Market Report: 2016 Edition" to its huge collection of research reports.Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) is a medical condition in which plaque builds up on the artery walls, blocking the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the legs, stomach, and arms. Major factors causing PAD are smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, advancing age and a personal history of vascular disease. The earliest symptom of Peripheral Artery Disease is a cramp-like muscular discomfort called intermittent claudication, while numbness, tingling, weakness or fatigue is also experienced. Patients with severe PAD often develop ulcers in their legs and feet. Its prevention involves a lifelong program involving certain lifestyle changes like healthy eating and physical exercise.Medical Diagnosis of PAD includes methods like Ankle-Brachial Index, Ultrasound, Angiography, Catheter Angiography and Blood Tests. There are a number of treatment options for the disease that can be used alone or mixed with other devices. They are Percutaneous Trans Luminal Angioplasty (PTA), Drug-Coated Balloons, Stents, Drug-Eluting Stents, Arterial Bypass and Atherectomy.The global peripheral artery disease market, bolstered by rising healthcare expenditures has seen a persistent growth in the last few years. The report provides an overview of the entire global peripheral artery disease market including the devices market and the atherectomy market. Certain key trends like increased used of DCBs and favorable reimbursements have also been discussed. Growth drivers including rising ageing population, obesity and healthcare expenditures find mention in the report along with the challenges and limitations including underpenetrated treatment market for PAD.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Competition in the global peripheral artery disease market is rather fragmented with big companies recording excellent profits while smaller companies continue to gain prevalence through research and innovation.The report has forecasted future trend in the global Peripheral Artery Disease market by combining SPSS Inc.s data integration and analysis capabilities. Regression models have been created by employing various significant variables that have an impact on the market. Before deploying the regression model, the relationship between several independent or predictor variables and the dependent variable was analyzed using standard SPSS output, including charts, tables, and tests.Table of Content1. Market Overview 1.1 Introduction1.2 Causes of Peripheral Artery Disease1.3 Prevention1.4 Diagnosis1.4.1 Symptoms1.4.2 Medical Diagnosis1.5 Treatment Options for Peripheral Artery Disease1.5.1 Percutaneous Trans Luminal Angioplasty (PTA)1.5.2 Drug-Coated Balloons (DCBs)1.5.3 Stents1.5.4 Drug-Eluting Stents (DES)1.5.5 Arterial Bypass1.5.6 Atherectomy2. Global Peripheral Artery Disease Market2.1 Global Peripheral Artery Disease Market by Value2.2 Global Peripheral Artery Disease Prevalence2.3 Global Peripheral Artery Devices Market2.3.1 Peripheral Artery Devices Market by Treatment2.3.2 Drug Eluting Stents Market by Volume2.3.3 Drug Eluting Stents Market by Geography3. Regional Peripheral Artery Disease Market3.1 The U.S.3.1.1 The U.S. PAD Diagnosed Cases3.1.2 The U.S. PAD Interventions and Penetration3.1.3 The U.S. DCB Procedures and Penetration3.1.4 The U.S. DCB Market by Value3.1.5 The U.S. Stents/PTA Procedures and Penetration3.2 The European Union3.2.1 The EU PAD Diagnosed cases3.2.2 The EU PAD Intervention and Penetration4. Peripheral Atherectomy Market4.1 Global Peripheral Atherectomy Market4.2 Regional Peripheral Atherectomy Market4.2.1 The U.S. Peripheral Atherectomy Market by Value4.2.2 The European Union Peripheral Atherectomy Market by Value5. Market Dynamics5.1 Growth Drivers5.1.1 Rising Ageing Population5.1.2 Rising Proportion of Health Expenditure in Emerging Economies5.1.3 Increasing Obese Population5.1.4 Rise of Drug-Coated Balloons in the US5.1.5 Escalating Healthcare Spending5.2 Trends5.2.1 DCBs Spur Growth of Atherectomy Market5.2.2 DCB the Preferred Treatment for ISR5.2.3 Favorable Atherectomy Reimbursements5.3 Challenges5.3.1 PAD market is underpenetrated5.3.2 PAD Devices to be Hurt by DCBs5.3.3 Limitation of Peripheral Interventions6. Competitive Landscape6.1 Global Peripheral Artery Disease Market by Company6.2 Global Peripheral Atherectomy Market by Company6.3 The US Peripheral Atherectomy Market ShareMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
LATAM Cord Blood Banking Services Market is Anticipated to Show the Robust Growth During 2015 - 2023

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Transparency Market Research has published a new market report titled, Cord Blood Banking Services Market - LATAM Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2015 - 2023. According to the report, the LATAM cord blood banking services market was valued at US$196.9 mn in 2014 and is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 9.4% from 2015 to 2023 to reach US$445.4 mn by 2023.The report provides with detailed analysis of current and emerging market trends associated with Latin America (LATAM) cord blood banking services, bifurcating them based on type of storage. Over the last two decades, the global stem cell therapeutics industry has experienced impressive growth. The major sources for stem cell banking are storing of peripheral blood and bone marrow, and umbilical cord blood (UCB); wherein UCB is by far considered as the largest component for hematopoietic stem cells. Donated cord blood has become one of the most reliable sources for stem cells over the last decade and is thus considered as a valuable biological resource. Thus, considering the high demand for cord blood and the components derived from such stem cells, there is need for maintaining a substantial cord blood inventory. It has also been reported that most of these cord blood units are sourced from public cord blood banks and it is expected that by 2015, the need for such cord blood units will rise to approximately 10,000 units per year across the globe.This 91 page report gives readers a comprehensive overview of the LATAM Cord Blood Banking Services Market. Browse to unlock the hidden opportunities in this market:The cord blood banking services industry is highly fragmented in nature and is characterized by diverse policies which vary from one country to other in LATAM. At present there is a division between private and public cord blood banking companies in which, private cord blood banks serve only individual families, whereas public banks serve the general population. Private cord blood banks offer cord blood storage (autologous donation) for personal use of donors and their family in consideration of an annual payment. Private cord blood banks promote the concept that though the probability of requiring autologous cord blood is currently less for hematopoietic conditions, its usage in treating non-hematopoietic conditions is more prevalent and is estimated to increase in the future. Majority of private cord blood banks use similar storage technologies as those of public banks. However, the method of collection varies in the sense that private banks send collection kits to patients who in turn hand them over to the obstetrician.Public cord blood banks are constantly seeking accreditation and regulation compliance as they apprehend the risk of surviving in an inadequately regulated industry that supplies clinical products. Public banks are funded by governments, research societies or non-government organizations for offering autologous banking services to the society. However, such banks assume the cost of USD 35,000 to 40,000 per unit to cover the costs of establishment and operation of cord blood inventory. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG) ethics committee has also quoted that parents do not need to take on the additional burden of privately storing cord blood units as there are very less chances of the child ever using his or her own cord blood. Instances have also been observed of parents filing lawsuits after realization of the futility of private storage of cord blood when the child was diagnosed with genetic disorders. Considering this, the ACOG encourages obstetricians and gynaecologists to provide their patients with accurate information regarding the advantages and disadvantages of private cord blood banking.Request a sample of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving LATAM cord blood banking services market during 2015 - 2023:The key players in LATAM cord blood banking services market are America Cell Biobank, Inc., Banco de Cordon Umbilical (BCU), CrioCenter, and Redcord S.A. among others.About us:Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Pain Management Therapeutics Market: Industry Overview and Key Factors

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With generic medicines accounting for a more than two-thirds of the global pain management therapeutics market, several small- and medium-scale generic drug manufacturers will venture in the market and make it highly saturated in the near future, states TMR in a recent report. The segment of branded pain management therapeutics features the presence of some of the leading international pharmaceutical giants, including Merck & Co, Inc. Pfizer,Inc., Endo Health Solutions, Johnson & Johnson, and Purdue Pharma LP.In the branded drugs segment, the top two companies, Pfizer,Inc. and Purdue Pharma LP, accounted for over 50% share in 2015. Over the forecast period, the overall share of the branded drugs manufacturers in the global pain management therapeutics market will further decline. Major vendors will lose market share to emerging vendors such as Depomed, Inc. and AstraZeneca plc. and the competition in the generic drugs segment will further intensify, quotes a TMR analyst.This 130 page report gives readers a comprehensive overview of the pain management therapeutics market. Browse through 13 data tables and 64 figures to unlock the hidden opportunities in this market:Alarming Rise in Prevalence of Chronic Diseases Emerges as High-impact DriverThe number of patients suffering from chronic pain is rising at a substantial pace globally. According to the WHO, nearly 116 mn people were suffering from chronic pain in 2011 in the U.S. alone. According to another survey, one in five people in Europe suffer from chronic pain every year.The rising prevalence of chronic diseases such as a variety of cancers and diabetes further contribute to the further contributes to the number of people suffering from chronic pain, encouraging the use of pain management drugs. Medications for alleviating the pain occurring from cancer therapy and from the intrusion of cancer cells in bones and other body parts, for instance, accounted for over 28% share of the overall pain management therapeutics markets overall valuation in 2015.Rising Geriatric Population and Favorable Regulatory Scenario to Boost Consumption of Pain Management DrugsThe vast rise in the worlds geriatric population is also expected to emerge as a key growth driver for the global pain management therapeutics market from 2106 to 2024. Aged people are more prone to diseases such as arthritis, joint or bone pain, epilepsy, depression, nerve damage, diabetic neuropathy, and a variety of injuries owing to low immunity levels or gene alteration. The global population of geriatrics (people aged more than 65 years) is expected to rise to 2 bn by 2050, accounting for nearly 22% of the projected global population by then. This demographic will lead to a substantial rise in the overall global demand for numerous pain management drugs, thereby driving the global pain management therapeutics market.Additionally, favorable regulations are playing a key role in the increased rate of development, approval, and commercialization of novel molecule combinations and drug delivery techniques in the pain management therapeutics sector. The instigation of a large number of regulatory healthcare reforms, favoring development of methods for the improved diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain, will help the pain management therapeutics tread along a promising growth path in the next few years.Patent Expiries of Blockbuster Drugs and Rising Uptake of Generics Could Pose Existential Threat to Established PlayersRequest a sample of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving pain management therapeutics market during 2016 - 2024:Impending patent expiries of several blockbuster pain management drugs in the global market is one of the key high-impact challenges for the global pain management therapeutics market presently. Cheaper generic versions of once high-earning drugs will deal a huge blow to the overall revenues of several established vendors in the global pain management therapeutics market in the next few years.The factor will also cause a substantial decline in the overall revenues of the global market. Moreover, the rapid influx of several new vendors with generic versions of once groundbreaking medications will lead to intense competition in the market for generic drugs for pain management therapeutics.In terms of product types, the global pain management therapeutics market is presently dominated by opioids and Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS), which collectively accounted for over 52% of the markets overall revenues in 2015. North America dominated the market, accounting for over 56% of the overall market in the same year.On a whole, the global pain management therapeutics market is expected to expand at a 3.7% CAGR over the period between 2016 and 2024. At this pace, the market is expected to rise from a valuation of US$60.2 bn in 2015 to US$83.0 bn by 2024.This review of the global pain management market is based on a recent market research report, titled Pain Management Therapeutics Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2016-2023.About us:Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Cardiovascular Monitoring and Diagnostic Devices Market: Latest Trends & Insights 2024

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Being the leading cause of death and witnessing a high rise in prevalence, the class of ailments that come under the purview of cardiovascular diseases is witnessing increased focus from healthcare, research, and government bodies alike. A large number of companies are venturing into the market with an innovative range of products for diagnosing and treating a variety of cardiovascular diseases. Research and development activities are being granted increasingly more funds and governments bodies are implementing various health schemes aimed at reducing the prevalence and improving awareness about cardiovascular diseases.Transparency Market Research states that the global cardiovascular monitoring and diagnostic devices market held an opportunity of US$1.8 bn in 2015. The market is expected to expand at a 6.4% CAGR over the period between 2016 and 2024, and rise to a valuation of US$3.1 bn by 2024.Electrocardiogram (ECG) Systems Lead on Account of Cost Effectiveness and High EfficiencyThis 93 page report gives readers a comprehensive overview of the cardiovascular monitoring and diagnostic devices market. Browse through 13 data tables and 28 figures to unlock the hidden opportunities in this market:The product segment of ECG systems presently holds the largest share in the global cardiovascular monitoring and diagnostic devices market. The widespread presence and high preference for ECG systems in developed and developing regions alike are key to the segments leading market position. ECG systems are expected to remain the key contributor to the markets overall revenues over 206 and 2024 as well, expanding at a 6.3% CAGR in the global market.However, the segment of implantable loop recorders is expected to witness the fastest expansion, a 7.1% CAGR from 2016 to 2024. The segment is projected to benefit from the rising awareness about the use of these devices in diagnosing syncope. As several cases of the disease remain undiagnosed when other conventional diagnostic methods are used, implantable loop recorders are gaining an increased level of adoption across medical diagnostic centers globally. The valuation of the segment is expected to reach US$152.7 mn by 2024.The segment of Holter monitors also holds immense growth promise owing to the rising prevalence of conditions such as arrhythmia and conduction block. The segment was valued at US$416.1 mn in 2015 and is expected to expand at a high single-digit CAGR from 2016 to 2024.North America to Continue Taking Largest Share of Pie but Emerging Economies Hold More PromiseNorth America accounted for the largest share of the overall revenues of the global cardiovascular monitoring and diagnostic devices market in 2015. The region is expected to remain the largest market over the period between 2016 and 2024 as well. Factors such as favorable reimbursement policies, high awareness about available diagnosis and treatment methods among patients and physicians, favorable reimbursement policies, and efficient healthcare infrastructure are factors that will help North America remain at the forefront of the global market. Europe, the second largest contributor to the global cardiovascular monitoring and diagnostic devices market in 2015, will also remain a lucrative owing to large scale healthcare infrastructure development activities and rising prevalence of cardiovascular disease.Request a sample of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving cardiovascular monitoring and diagnostic devices market during 2016 - 2024:However, developing regions such as Latin America and Asia Pacific will present the most promising growth opportunities for the global cardiovascular monitoring and diagnostic devices market over the period between 2016 and 2024. The presence of vast untapped growth prospects, rising healthcare expenditure, and increasing awareness about the efficiency of available techniques and devices in effectively curing several cardiovascular conditions will remain key to the overall growth of the market.Several research studies also state that the risk of cardiovascular diseases is substantially high in mid- and low-income economies. This substantiates the fact that a large variety of cardiovascular monitoring and diagnostic devices will be consumed in Asia Pacific and Latin America in the next few years. The market for these devices will expand at a 7.5% in Asia Pacific and a 7.3% CAGR in Latin America over the period between 2016 and 2024.In the highly dynamic global market for cardiovascular monitoring and diagnostic devices market, the top two vendors, GE Healthcare and Philips Healthcare accounted for a more than 55% of the global market in 2015. Other key vendors in the market are Spacelabs Healthcare, St. Jude Medical, Inc., and Siemens Healthcare.About us:Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Biodegradable Stents Market: New Market Research Report Announced; Global Industry Analysis 2016 - 2024

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The global biodegradable stents market, in terms of its competitive landscape, is expected to continue showing a consolidated nature over the coming years. The companies Biotronik, Boston Scientific, Inc., and Abbott Laboratories, led the global biodegradable stents market in 2015, through a wide array of diverse products and a generally high reliability quotient. The above three names held a whopping 61.5% of the global biodegradable stents market in 2015, thanks to their infallible research and development efforts. Their expansion strategies have also allowed them to retain their leadership in the global biodegradable stents market. Meanwhile, over the coming years, the market is expected to show a greater deal of investment in the more sophisticated products and technologies.As stated in a research report recently published by Transparency Market Research, the global biodegradable stents market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 30.1% within a forecast period from 2016 to 2024. The market was valued at US$18 mn in 2015 and is expected to rise till US$1.7 bn by the end of 2024.This 165 page report gives readers a comprehensive overview of the biodegradable stents market. Browse through 24 data tables and 62 figures to unlock the hidden opportunities in this market:CVD Count Rises, Spurs Demand of All Types of StentsThe CDC had stated that nearly 370,000 people have died of coronary heart disease in the U.S. alone, per year. The global biodegradable stents market has been expanding at an extremely swift pace within this context of growing CVD patients, and not just in developed economies, but emerging ones as well. The demand for biodegradable stents  which was till now considered a relatively niche branch  is witnessing an even greater upsurge in demand. Biodegradable stents are being considered a highly rated option due to the fact that they are easier to implement and get completely absorbed into body fluids, which makes it highly convenient for patients as well, states a TMR analyst.The global biodegradable stents market is one of the markets related to the overall stenting procedures in the world that as a whole is witnessing an extremely high rate growth in demand. The demand and preference for stenting procedures is also expected to surpass conventional bypass surgeries due to their relative ease of use, further giving the global biodegradable stents market scope of growth. In comparison to bypass procedures, stenting procedures are faster, cheaper, and allow the patient to heal faster and lead a much healthier life during recovery.Request a sample of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving biodegradable stents market during 2016 - 2024:German Demand for Stenting Procedures Puts Europe Ahead in Global Biodegradable Stents MarketIn terms of geography, the global biodegradable stents market is distributed into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and Latin America. The report states that Europe is expected to arise as the dominant region in the global biodegradable stents market over the coming years. Europe is expected to surge at a CAGR of 27.2% from 2016 to 2024 in the global biodegradable stents market, a growth rate primarily attributed to the high demand and government support shown for the market in Germany.Unaffordability of Biodegradable Stents Dissuades PatientsAlthough the global biodegradable stents market is showing a high growth rate, it is currently being restrained by the high cost of the most product offerings. As a result, the rewards of using biodegradable stents are getting overlooked. The high pricing of these stents is expected to restrain the overall markets growth in the coming years. Furthermore, the slow adoption rate of these stents in regions and countries where medical awareness is relatively low is also hampering the progress of the global biodegradable stents market.The information presented in this review is based on a Transparency Market Research report, titled, Biodegradable Stents Market (Stent Type - Coronary Artery Stent and Peripheral Artery Stents; Material - Polymer Based and Metal Based; End Users - Hospitals, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories, and Ambulatory Surgery Centers) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024.About us:Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Biomedical Refrigerators and Freezers Market is expected to expand at a 4.21% CAGR over the period between 2016 and 2024

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Transparency Market Research has published a new market report titled, Biomedical Refrigerators and Freezers Market (Product Type  Ultra Low Temperature (ULT) Freezers, Plasma Freezers, Shock Freezers, Blood Bank Refrigerators, Laboratory/Pharmacy/Medical Refrigerators, and Laboratory/Pharmacy/Medical Freezers; End-user  Hospitals, Research Laboratories, Pharmacies, Diagnostic Centers, Blood Banks, and Others)  Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 20162024. According to the report, the biomedical refrigerators and freezers market was valued at US$ 2.9 Bn in 2015 and is projected to expand at a CAGR of 4.2% from 2016 to 2024 to reach US$ 4.3 Bn in 2024.This 167 page report gives readers a comprehensive overview of the biomedical refrigerators and freezers market. Browse through 21 data tables and 60 figures to unlock the hidden opportunities in this market:North America held the largest share of the global biomedical refrigerators and freezers market in 2015. The market in the region is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 3.9% from 2016 to 2024. Dominance of this region is attributed to the developed health care infrastructure and high adoption of advanced health care technologies. In addition, significant rise in life sciences research for treatment of cancer and neural diseases is boosting demand for biomedical refrigerators and freezers in North America. Presence of large number of blood banks, hospitals, and research institutes drives the biomedical refrigerators and freezers market in the U.S. Moreover, periodic introduction of advanced technologies such as multiple compressor equipment, green technology, energy-efficient equipment, and RFID-enabled equipment coupled with higher adoption of these technologies boosts the growth of the biomedical refrigerators and freezers market in the country.Plasma freezers are widely used in blood banks. Rising blood donations in the U.S. is driving demand for plasma freezers in the country. According to the American National Red Cross, around 9.2 million people donate blood in the U.S. each year. Seventy-four of 76 American National Red Cross member blood banks are situated in the U.S. Each blood bank has five to six refrigerators on average. Around 38% of the population of the U.S. is eligible for donating blood; however, only 10% donate blood each year. Hence, blood organizations are promoting blood donations in the country to reduce the demand-supply gap.Europe was the second largest market for biomedical refrigerators and freezers in 2015. Higher adoption of newly developed disease treatment options such as cellular therapies and organ transplant is increasing demand for biomedical refrigerators and freezers across the region. According to the National Health Service (NHS), every day, around 8,000 blood transfusions are carried out in the U.K. This has increased demand for plasma freezers in the country. Presence of a multitude of pharmacy stores (standalone and hospitals) and rising number of research laboratories are driving demand for laboratory refrigerators in Germany.Request a sample of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving biomedical refrigerators and freezers market during 2016 - 2024:Asia Pacific is projected to be the fastest growing market for biomedical refrigerators and freezers during the forecast period. Presence of key players, emerging economies, rising awareness, and availability of products at affordable prices are the major factors anticipated to drive the biomedical refrigerators and freezers market in the region. Japan has the second largest biotechnology industry in the world after the U.S. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development patent database, Japan ranks second with 11.5% of the biotechnology patents across the globe. The market in other Asian countries is expected to expand at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period.The biomedical refrigerators and freezers market is highly fragmented, with several local players competing with few global players. Some of the players operating in the global biomedical refrigerators and freezers market include Aegis Scientific, Inc., Eppendorf AG, Haier Biomedical, Leibherr Group, Panasonic Healthcare Co., Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Terumo Corporation, Philipp Kirsch GmbH, and Helmer Scientific.About us:Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Halal Cosmetics Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Trends, Forecast 2025

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Halal is an Arabic term which means lawful or permissible. Halal cosmetics are body and skin care products which are known to be free from the materials that are forbidden by the Islamic society. Halal cosmetics are based on the concepts of Halal and non-Halal, Najis and Mutanajis, safety and quality. Halal cosmetic is considered as an innovation to the cosmetic industry as it introduces new external and internal operations that will serve the growing customer needs. Halal cosmetics are concerned towards halal compliance that are basically applied upon the entire supply chain which ranges from sourcing of raw materials to manufacturing, transportation, freight handling and warehousing.Obtain Report Details @Growing consciousness among the consumers regarding the usage of ingredients in cosmetic products are resulting to the increase in halal cosmetics products. Government had identified halal cosmetics as certified halal by the Islamic Religious Department in Malaysia without the use of animal fat, gelatin or other chemicals. Halal cosmetics are known to be safe for Muslim as well as the non-Muslim consumers in terms of process, nature of the products and the knowledge of the ingredients used. Health hazards such as cancer and other distortions associated with the cosmetic products containing nano-particle ingredient resulted to a shift in consumer preference towards halal cosmetics products.The global halal cosmetic products market has been segmented into different product types into skin care products, hair care products, make up products and others. Hair care products segment is expected to grow at a rapid rate in terms of revenue as compared to the other type of products. Skin care segment and make up products are expected to lead the market during the forecast period..The rise in demand for halal cosmetics is manly prejudiced by the halal logos. Manufacturers of halal cosmetic products are engaged upon continuous research and development in order to develop new products and conducts regular survey in order to know the customers concerns towards halal cosmetics. Increasing number of Muslim population and preference towards consumption of beauty products is considered to be a major driver for the global halal cosmetics market.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @However lack of knowledge regarding the halal cosmetics among the consumers leading to lower adoption rate is holding back the market for hala cosmetic products. Monopoly of the non-Muslim companies and governments stringent rules and regulations are restraining the global halal cosmetics products market.Additionally, South Asian halal cosmetics market are generating opportunities due to the presence of large Muslim population and high awareness regarding the halal cosmetic products. Growing number of women working population are generating business opportunity for more investment in the halal cosmetic industry.The market for halal cosmetic products has been segmented into by geography namely North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Asia Pacific is anticipated to capture the largest market share due to the presence of emerging countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Maldives coupled with their improving socio economic factors. Malaysia consists of great potential to emerge as a global halal hub due to the rising demand of cosmetics and toiletries products. Middle East which includes United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia among others is expected to have an important customer base due to their improvement in income levels coupled with structured Islamic society. Manufacturers use halal certification logo a way to inform and reassure their target customersGlobal key participants in the industry includeDarling MMA Bio Lab Sdn Bhd, Ivy Beauty Corporation Sdn Bhd, Talent Cosmetic Co., Limited, The Halal cosmetics company, PHB Ethical Beauty, Sampure Minerals Amara Cosmetics Inc., Inika, Maratha Tilaar Group, Clara International, Saaf Skin care, Prolab cosmetics, IBA Halal Care, NUTRALab, Zelcos, Nizona Corporation, Croda among others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Non-Woven Fabrics Market: Emerging Trend to See Promising Growth Opportunities in Future!!

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Recent years have witnessed a technological up gradation in the textile manufacturing industry across the globe. Non-woven fabrics are unique, engineered and high-tech fabrics which are manufactured by bonding together or felting of the fibers mechanically. Non-woven fabrics market has witnessed a shift owing to several advantages over the woven fabrics such as overlapping of yarns. Global non-woven fabrics market is at an augmentation stage currently and is expected to witness substantial growth over the forecast period, 20172025. Some of the key factors which are creating an appreciation for the growth potential of non-woven fabrics are as follows high tensile & tear strength and also withstands high temperature for some applications.Obtain Report Details @Global Non-Woven Fabrics - Market Dynamics:Non-woven fabrics market hold anticipation due to the drivers having upward growth of the textile industry. Significant change in the lifestyle and convenience of emerging economies across the globe has triggered the growth potential for non-woven fabrics market. In addition, it was observed that the increase in disposable income of developing countries is some of the key drivers for the dynamic growth of non-woven fabrics market. Moreover, non-woven fabrics have lesser initial cost owing to mass production as compared to the woven and knit fabrics. Rapid industrialization and recent innovations in the field of textile technology are other factors fueling demand for non-woven fabrics globally. The growth of the global non-woven fabrics market is moderately hampered by higher cost for raw materials. Global non-woven fabrics market are facing challenges owing to increase in raw material prices. Non-woven fabrics market also faces problems related to increasing stringent regulations and norms for the textile industry.Fill the form to gain deeper insights on this market @The market for Non-woven fabrics in North America is to remain dominant for the highest growth in revenue as compared to other regions over the forecasted period, 2017-2025. The market in Latin America for Non-woven fabrics is expected to witness above average growth for the further few years. The economic development in Brazil is projected to have a positive impact on the market for non-woven fabrics. In Western Europe, countries like Germany, France, and the UK are expected to have a stagnant growth of non-woven fabrics market over the forecast period. Eastern Europe is also expected to have anticipation in the growth potential in Russia and Poland for non-woven fabrics market. Non-woven fabrics market in India and China are expected to have considerable growth in terms of market value owing to technological advancements in the textile industries for these emerging economies. Furthermore, markets for non-woven fabrics in other regions of Asia-Pacific are also expected to have growth owing to increase in disposable income and spending power among the consumers of this countries. The Non-woven fabrics market in the MEA region is expected to witness a sizeable increase in the revenue contribution of the sales in GCC countries and South Africa.Global Non-Woven Fabrics Market  Key Players:Few of the key players in the non-woven fabrics market are E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co, Ahlstrom Corporation, Avintiv, Inc., Kimberly-Clark Corporation, P.H. Glatfelter Co, Freudenberg SE, Suominen Corporation, Toray Industries Inc., Albarrie, etc.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Industrial Gloves Market: Disposable Gloves to Remain High in Demand on Account of their Low Price

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Asia Pacific Industrial Gloves Market: SnapshotConsidering industrialization witnessed in Asia Pacific over the last few decades, the demand for industrial gloves has soared higher than ever. The region has emerged as a lucrative market for a majority of the leading manufacturers, as they target capitalizing on untapped opportunities across developing nations. Besides this, the fact that the leading players in the rubber industry are domiciled in Asia Pacific has catapulted the region at the fore of the overall industrial gloves market. As workers operating in the rubber industry are often exposed to hazardous environment, wearing industrial protective gears is imperative for them. Growth witnessed in the regions rubber industry will therefore give significant impetus to its industrial gloves market. This also entails volatility witnessed in the demand for rubber will subsequently have a negative impact on the Asia Pacific industrial gloves market.Moreover, stringent regulations have compelled industries to invest in industrial protective gears, thus creating opportunities for the Asia Pacific industrial gloves market. Exhibiting a CAGR of 7.6%, the Asia Pacific industrial gloves market is forecast to reach US$1.25 bn by the end of 2025. The markets valuation was US$0.66 bn in 2016.Browse Report:Disposable Gloves to Remain High in Demand on Account of their Low PriceBased on product, the dominance is expected to be with the disposable gloves segment through the course of the forecast period. It held nearly 75.4% of the Asia Pacific industrial gloves market in 2016. Manufacturing cost for the same is low compared to its re-usable counterparts. This is a key factor contributing towards the segments growth, as it allows producers to maintain a lower price point thus attracting a large number of consumers.Based on materials, rubber dominated the industrial gloves market in 2016 and is expected to remain the lead through the forecast period. Rubber gloves, also known as latex gloves are natural material which is made from rubber. Some of the key attributes of rubber gloves include its proper fitting, high level of touch sensitivity, good for wearing for a long period of time, durable against high-risk situations that involves infectious materials, cost effective, bio-degradable, and has a high level of elasticity among others. However, rubber has several adverse effects on human health such as irritant dermatitis, which is not considered extremely dangerous if neglected. It can cause cracks in the skin through which latex particles infiltrate, thus creating latex allergies on the individual. Delayed cutaneous hyper sensitivity is another effect caused due to extensive use of rubber/latex gloves which is manifested within 6 to 48 hours post exposure to latex particles. Due to these factors, this particular material is expected to lose demand in the future.For more information on this report, fill the form @Based on application, chemicals and pharmaceuticals accounted for the dominant share in 2016. Both industries are expected to maintain their respective positions throughout the forecast period. Workers in chemicals as well as pharmaceutical industries are exposed to hazardous chemicals and thus require high quality industrial protective gears. Also governments keep a strict vigil on these industries to ensure workers health and safety. Spurred by this, the market is expected to witness high demand for industrial gloves from chemicals and pharmaceutical industries.Malaysia to Remain Most Lucrative Market for Industrial Gloves in Asia PacificBy country, Malaysia has emerged as the most lucrative market for industrial gloves in Asia Pacific. It held over 49.9% of the market in 2016. The country is expected to remain dominant through the forecast period. The flourishing rubber industry will support growth of the industrial gloves market in Malaysia in the coming years. Besides this, China and Thailand are expected to hold considerable share in the market. Industrialization witnessed in these nations will drive the industrial gloves market.Some of the leading players operating in the Asia Pacific industrial gloves market are Top Glove Corporation Bhd, Hartalega Sdn Bhd, and Kossan Rubber Industries among othersAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Industrial Bulk Packaging Market Mexico: Demand for Drums to Remain High

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The Mexico market for industrial bulk packaging has been expanding steadily for the last few years. The rise in industrialization and the increased shipment of goods in this country have driven a significant demand for industrial bulk packaging here. Boosted by this, this market was expected to reach US$232.0 mn by 2016.Going forwards, the improving performance of the manufacturing sector and the rising industrial output are likely to reflect positively on the performance of the industrial bulk packaging market in Mexico over the forthcoming years. With a stable economic condition in the country, the market is anticipated to gain substantially from the rebounded performance of the chemicals sector, which is one of the prominent consumers of bulk industrial containers. Projected to rise at a CAGR of 5.50% between 2016 and 2024, the market is likely to reach a value of US$357 mn by the end of 2024.Browse Report:The manufacturers of industrial bulk packaging materials are leveraging their in-house research and development capabilities to innovate products that suit specific requirements. Along with this, the players are also emphasizing on the technological advancements of their current offerings to meet the exact requirements of customers. However, this is a difficult marketplace, where customer-specific needs are rarely communicated to product developers, which, to an extent, hampers the markets growth. Apart from this, the supply chain complexities are also creating manufacturing issues for producers, which is likely to hinder this market in the long run.Drums, intermediate bulk containers (IBCs), pails, and jerry cans are some of the key products available in the Mexico industrial bulk packaging market. Among these, the demand for drums has been significantly higher than other products and is expected to remain so, rising at a CAGR of 4.90% from 2016 to 2024. Plastic, steel, and fiber/paperboard are the main components of the drum segment. With players shifting towards the sustainable packaging solutions over plastic and steel materials, the fiber/paperboard sub-segment is likely to witness considerable rise over the next few years.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @Among others, IBCs are also projected to exhibit a significant rise in their demand in the near future, thanks to the remarkable progress in the chemical industry in Mexico. On the other hand, the demand for pails is expected to grow at a moderate pace over the forthcoming years, driven by their usage in a broad range of mid-sized applications, such as paints and coatings. Similarly, Jerry cans are also anticipated to witness stable growth rate in the years to come.Chemicals and Petrochemicals to Surface as Leading Application Area of Industrial Bulk PackagingThe chemicals and petrochemicals, food and beverages, and the pharmaceuticals sectors are the prime application areas of industrial bulk packaging across the world. The chemicals and petrochemicals sector have been registering a strong demand for industrial bulk packaging in Mexico, acquiring the top position among the end users. Analysts predict the scenario to remain so over the forthcoming years, increasing at a CAGR of 5.20% from 2016 to 2024.Containers, such as rigid IBCs and drums, are mostly preferred for the packaging of chemicals and petrochemicals products and are expected continue like this in the near future due to high concentration of these products. The demand for industrial bulk packaging is also anticipated to increase considerably in the pharmaceuticals industry over the next few years.Some of the leading vendors of industrial bulk packaging in Mexico are Hoover Container Solutions Inc., Mauser Group B.V., International Paper Co., Greif Inc., Menasha Corp., Cleveland Steel Container Corp., and Composite Containers LLC.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
By Brett Campbell | For the Oregonian/OregonLive

In July 2015, when then-President Barack Obama announced that the United States would begin normalizing relations with Cuba, Portland composer David Bernstein thought about music. Not the usual suspects when talking about one of the Western hemisphere's most important musical traditions -- jazz, Buena Vista Social Club, Desi Arnaz -- but contemporary classical music.

It was a natural for Bernstein, who'd helped found Cascadia Composers almost a decade ago to provide performance, promotion, networking and other opportunities for composers in the Pacific Northwest. Since then, the organization had become one of the nation's largest (60 members) and most successful, staging dozens of concerts featuring over 300 homegrown compositions in Portland and Eugene.

But they'd never attempted anything as ambitious as what Bernstein had in mind: sending Oregon composers to Cuba to have their music performed by Cuban musicians, and reciprocating with a Portland concert featuring American musicians playing works by today's Cuban composers. Neither had anyone else.

"I'd known music of some Cuban composers like Leo Brouwer," Bernstein said. "I'd hear it played at various contemporary music festivals. I wanted to get to know what it was like now, and I wanted to get to know them."

This Friday, Bernstein's vision becomes reality when Cascadia enlists the Portland new music ensemble Fear No Music to perform eight pieces by leading Cuban composers, with two in attendance, at a "New Pearls from the Antilles" concert. The following evening, audiences can hear new music inspired by Oregon at a second Cascadia Composers concert.

Hearing Havana

Via the Los Angeles-based organization Project por Amor (Project for Love), which had led artistic tours of Cuba for years, Bernstein connected with Havana composer Guido Lopez-Gavilan, who ran the city's well-regarded new music festival. After months of emails and phone calls, five Cascadia members traveled to Havana last November for the city's prestigious contemporary music festival. Over 10 days, they heard dozens of works by Cuban and other composers as well as their own music performed by Cuban musicians. "They did a wonderful job with my piano trio," Bernstein said. "We were well satisfied with the performance level of our music."

They also explored Havana's music-drenched culture, including contemporary classical music scene. "Cuba has this rich musical culture. It's been so isolated from the U.S. but not from what's going on in the rest of the Western world," Bernstein said. "They've had major composers visiting from Asia, Latin America and Europe. They have a very sophisticated conservatory where they've been exposed to the major composers from the 19th and 20th centuries, just like we have."

Cascadia Composers had hoped to welcome a similar number of Cubans to Oregon for this weekend's concert. "I found out there was nothing being done like this since the reopening of relations," Bernstein said. "We couldn't get funding for all the Cuban composers."

They were able to bring two. The esteemed Lopez-Gavilan, who helped coordinate the exchange, will conduct his 1987 string quartet "Habanera Sensual...y Contradanza Caprichosa." Jose V. Gavilondo Peon, a young faculty member at the country's main music conservatory who leads a new music ensemble, wrote his new "Half-Remembered Dreams" for flute, percussion and piano for this concert, which features other chamber music for string quartet, piano trio, solo piano and more.

Update: Jose V. Gavilondo Peon was the sole Cuban composer to come to Portland after funding fell through at the last minute for Lopez-Gavilan.

They and the other composers represented on Friday's program are part of a major Havana arts organization that represents musicians and artists of all kinds. Bernstein predicts that Portland listeners will be surprised at the range of musical approaches on display Friday. "Stylistically, they're very diverse from another," he says.

Oregon-inspired music

The Cubans -- along with the rest of us -- get to hear the similarly varied sounds of the Pacific Northwest in Cascadia's second concert of the weekend. Saturday's "Sense of Place" show includes music inspired by bodies of water, the Banfield Freeway, roses, the Tilikum Crossing bridge, Oregon's state bird, a now-defunct bar, a park covered in snow last winter, and more. The eight pieces' instrumentation ranges from solo piano to saxophone and percussion, to piano trio, string quartet, electronics, voice and piano, and more. It's an ideal opportunity for the Cubans -- and for us Oregonians -- to hear locavore music inspired by our own environment.

And after this weekend? "I hope this will be the beginning of an ongoing relationship between composers in our two countries," Bernstein said. "And I hope other groups, not just composers, will take up exchange missions like this."

***

Cascadia Composers, "New Pearls from the Antilles," featuring Fear No Music

When: 8 p.m. Friday, May 19; pre-concert chat featuring Cuban and Oregon composers at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Temple Baptist Church, 1319 N.E. Seventh Ave.

Tickets: $5-$20, Brown Paper Tickets

Cascadia Composers, "Sense of Place -- Sounds of the Pacific Northwest"

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 20

Where: Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church, 2828 S.E. Stephens St.

Tickets: $5-$20, Brown Paper Tickets
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Peter Rock

(Handout photo)

Notes from The Oregonian/OregonLive books desk.

Vancouver writers festival: Portland author Peter Rock will be among the speakers at Clark College's third annual Subtext Literary Festival, part of the Columbia Writers Series. Rock has a new novel, "Spells: A Novel Within Photographs" (Counterpoint Press, 192 pages, $21.95); he'll also appear at 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 15, at Powell's City of Books, 1005 W. Burnside St. The festival also includes a writing workshop and student and faculty readings. Events are scheduled from May 15 through 18 in the Penguin Union Building at Clark College, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver. Admission is free.

Feminist YA: Young-adult novelists Amber Keyser and Elana K. Arnold will discuss feminism, cultural expectations of the female body, LGBTQ identity, reproductive rights, women's empowerment and more during a conversation at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 23, at Literary Arts, 925 S.W. Washington St. Both will read from their most recent books: Keyser's "Pointe, Claw," set in a highly competitive elite Portland ballet school, and Arnold's "What Girls Are Made Of." They'll be joined in conversation by Sara Gundell of the blog Novel Novice.

"We are Aztlan": A new anthology about Mexican Americans in the Northwest includes a demographic look at Woodburn, which has become a majority-Latino town, with people of Mexican descent representing more than 90 percent of the Latino population. "We are Aztlan!: Chicanx Histories in the Northern Borderlands" (WSU Press, 282 pages, $29.95) was edited by Jerry Garcia (the term "Chicanx" has come into vogue as a gender-neutral term for people of Mexican heritage, just as "Latinx" is being used for people of Hispanic descent). "The Mexicanization of a Northwest Community: The Case of Woodburn, Oregon" is among nine scholarly pieces in the book. There's also a piece on Maria Luisa Alanis Ruiz, co-founder of the Chicano/Latino Studies program at Portland State University and the Portland Guadalajara Sister City Association.

Focus on Book Arts: Registration is open for the Focus on Book Arts conference, which will be held June 20-25 at Pacific University in Forest Grove. The public is welcome at the artists' shop, which sells book-related arts and crafts, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. June 21-24; the trade show, featuring vendors of artwork, supplies, books and other items, 5-9 p.m. June 23 and 8 a.m.-2 p.m. June 24; the keynote lecture by Laura Russell of Portland's 23 Sandy Gallery, 7 p.m. June 21; and a related book art exhibit, now through June 10 in the Collins Gallery at Portland's Central Library, 801 S.W. 10th Ave. Conference information/registration: focusonbookarts.org.

Jimmy Buffett: Portland music writer Ryan White (a former pop music critic for The Oregonian/OregonLive) has published a new biography of the man who made Margaritaville a billion-dollar brand, "Jimmy Buffett: A Good Life All the Way" (Touchstone, 368 pages, $26.99). White will read from the book at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 16, at Powell's City of Books, 1005 W. Burnside St. White stopped by the newsroom Friday to talk about the book; see a recording of the Facebook Live stream below.
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Portland school board candidates from left to right: Jamila Singleton Munson (Zone 4), Rita Moore (Zone 4), Virginia La Forte (Zone 5), Julia Brim-Edwards (Zone 6), Joseph L. Simonis (Zone 6), Scott Bailey (Zone 5), Ed Bos (Zone 6), David Morrison (Zone 6), Zach Babb (Zone 6)

(Photos courtesy of candidates )

Tuesday's election is high stakes for those who care about the future of Oregon's largest school district. Voters will decide not only a $790 million construction bond but also the winners of three contested Portland school board races.

All three incumbents are stepping down, so voters have a chance to inject new blood. The seven-member panel will hire the next superintendent and oversee Portland Public Schools as it tries to earn back public trust. Last year's lead in drinking water scandal cast a harsh light not only on hazards in schools but also the district's ability to hold its employees accountable.

The seven slots on the board are allocated to certain zones, but board members run districtwide. So voters who live inside the Portland Public Schools' boundaries can vote in all three races.

Vying to replace Steve Buel in Zone 4 are Jamila Singleton Munson and Rita Moore.

Singleton Munson is new to the Portland schools advocacy scene, but not to education or Portland. She graduated from Grant High and went on to build a career in education, getting her start through Teach For America, teaching in impoverished public schools. From there, she led charter schools that focused on underserved youth. Now she heads Teach For America's Summer Institute.

Singleton Munson's history with alternatives to traditional public schools and teacher preparation programs has drawn skepticism in Portland, but Singelton Munson says she is firmly against policies that would divert revenue from public schools. She says she would offer a badly needed and underrepresented voice on a mostly white board.

Her signature issue is collaboration, she says.

"There are too many big challenges from building safety to social equity to community engagement that cannot be tackled if the board is working at cross purposes," she said. "Instead, I will work with my fellow members of the board to build agreement on how we can take on these challenges."

Moore has been an activist in Portland Public Schools for the past 15 years, a passion that started when her son, now graduated, was a student. Moore has served on an array of committees in the district. The policy analyst is campaigning on a platform that she's seen the district's dysfunction firsthand and is thus well-equipped to fix it.

"I have been a critical friend to the district for many years: never afraid to point out problems, but always with an eye toward working together to fix them," Moore said. "I have a bias toward taking action because our children can't wait."

The contest for Pam Knowles' Zone 5 is largely between Scott Bailey and Virginia La Forte.

Bailey's advocacy in Portland Public Schools goes back almost 20 years. From his vantage point as someone who attends a multitude of meetings and has served on a slew of committees, the district lacks the basic systems. "Too many initiatives going on with no coordination or prioritization. Lack of thorough planningthis is a district that too often thinks a PowerPoint is a planwhich leads to poor implementation," he wrote.

The troubled district, he says, needs leaders with "broad and deep knowledge" and Bailey, an economist, argues he fits that bill.

His rival, La Forte, a small business owner and marketing specialist, is running on a platform that the district needs accountability and she can bring it. Her evidence? A successful campaign to get action on lead paint at Alameda Elementary and other schools.

"I'm a relentless student advocate with first-hand experience navigating a district in crisis to successfully address environmental hazards, accountability, fiscal responsibility and equity issues," she said. "I have deep management experience with 20-plus years as a professional focusing on strategic planning, budget oversight, creative development and client management."

As for who will replace Tom Koehler in Zone 6, the race is mainly between Julia Brim-Edwards and Joseph "Josie" Simonis. Simonis is new to the Portland Public Schools scene, but the freelance scientist has gained traction. Simonis' promise to elevate the voices of diverse perspectives in the district has resonated with students.

Simonis goes by the pronouns they and them. "Their platform focuses on providing services to traditionally underserved students," the Portland Student Action Network's endorsement said. "As a disabled nonbinary candidate, Josie would bring crucial representation to the board. They plan to work to promote inclusive school environments for queer and trans students."

Simonis is up against political powerhouse Brim-Edwards, a Nike executive who served on the board from 2001 to 2005.

"As a graduate of Portland schools and a parent of three, I was inspired to run because even during this moment of serious vulnerability for Portland Public Schools, I remain optimistic about the future of our schools and believe I can help lead our school district to a better place." Brim-Edwards said. "Many Portland students aren't graduating from high school, and some graduates are not prepared for college or the workforce. Only marginal progress will be made unless we address the lack of leadership and accountability at the top of the district as well as a lack of efficient systems and school and teacher supports."

 Bethany Barnes

Got a tip about Portland Public Schools? Email Bethany: bbarnes@oregonian.com
At least five of Portland's school board candidates say they would lean toward using a different approach to hiring a superintendent than Oregon's largest district used in its failed search process this year.

That search was highly secretive and leaned heavily on the recommendations and work of a Chicago-based superintendent search firm.

School board candidates' tough talk about how best to hire Portland Public Schools' next superintendent follows the collapse of months-long efforts by the current seven-member board. Tuesday's election will change out three of those decision-makers, setting the stage for a sea change in Portland Public Schools.

"The failure of the current search process for a new superintendent is disappointing to parents, staff and the community," said Julia Brim-Edwards, who is vying to replace Tom Koehler in Zone 6. "That the failure surfaced so late in the process and after the search firm has been paid is troubling."

She and at least three other board candidates criticized search firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates.

"The recruitment materials they developed were remarkably unattractive," said Rita Moore, who is running to replace Steve Buel in Zone 4. "Who would want to come to a district that is described by the recruiter as having a 'hostile parent culture'? How about 'an engaged community'?"

Finding quality candidates in the next search is a serious concern.

"It is clear that the consultant firm will need to be challenged to target candidates that meet the needs" of Portland at this juncture, said Jamila Singleton Munson, who is running against Moore.

Scott Bailey, who is running to replace Pam Knowles in Zone 5, said the board should write a better job description, with community input. He called the job description the current board produced "a hodgepodge." Better spelling out what the district seeks in its leader should help it find the right person, he said.

Brim-Edwards, who served one the board when it hired Vicki Phillips as superintendent in 2004, wrote that, "The new search needs to be nimble and move ahead without delay. There are many strong and successful superintendents in Oregon and in the Pacific Northwest. Despite serious challenges facing the district, I am optimistic that the Portland School Board can recruit and hire a top notch educational leader."

"This needs to be a recruitment and the Board will need to demonstrate early that it knows this is a top priority for this spring and summer," she said.

Brim-Edwards and Joseph "Josie" Simonis, who are running against each other, both took particular issue with the failed search producing a single finalist, leaving the board flat-footed when a background check caused board members to sour on their top choice.

"The district needs to work to build internal HR capacity, not shunt taxpayer dollars to external for-profit companies to run our hiring searches," Simonis said. "As was the case here, the money was functionally wasted, as the district was given only one finalist candidate, which is not an effective search. In addition, because the work was outsourced, PPS staff and the institution were not able to 'learn from mistakes' on the frontlines of the search."

The need to infuse stability in the district's human resources department, which just lost its director and has had a history of stumbles, was shared by Virginia La Forte, who is running against Bailey Zone 5.

"I personally wouldn't rely solely on a search firm to assess candidates for a position of this magnitude," La Forte said. "We need both external and internal review to find a truly great fit."

Bailey said voters can directly contribute to a more successful superintendent search by choosing the right new members for the board.

"If the new board functions well, we will attract better candidates," he said.

 Bethany Barnes

Got a tip about Portland Public Schools? Email Bethany: bbarnes@oregonian.com
Portland State University campus

Portland State University's campus in southwest Portland on a recent day.

(Andrew Theen/The Oregonian)

Portland State University officials have selected a finalist to lead the university as its ninth president, the school said late Friday.

Without naming the candidate, the school said its Board of Trustees would vote on a lone finalist during a special meeting set for Monday morning.

The school previously named three finalists:

Rahmat Shoureshi: Shoureshi is the interim president of New York Institute of Technology. The 64-year-old started as the provost and head of academics at the New York school in 2011 and was appointed to the interim role in January. According to his bio, Shoureshi worked as dean of the engineering and computer sciences school at the University of Denver for eight years before moving to New York. The engineer has a Ph.D. and master's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is an expert in robotics and other engineering fields.

Jonathan Koppell: Koppell is the dean of the College of Public Service & Community Solutions at Arizona State University. The 46-year-old started in that position in 2011, according to his bio. He previously taught in the political science department at Yale University. Koppell earned a bachelor's degree at Harvard University, and obtained a master's degree and doctorate from the University of California at Berkley. Koppell grew up in the Bronx. His father, Oliver, was elected to the city council and state assembly, and served as New York's attorney general.

Jack Knott: Knott is the dean of the Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California. The 69-year-old has been the dean of the program at the Los Angeles school since 2005. Before that, Knott was the head of the government and public affairs institute at the University of Illinois. He also worked at Michigan State University. Knott received a master's degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1971 and his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley in 1977. According to his biography, Knott has pulled in more than $120 million for USC's public policy school during his tenure.

The next president will succeed Wim Wiewel, who will step down at the end of this school year but remain on the faculty. He arrived at the school in 2008.

The Board of Trustees will meet at 10 a.m. Monday at the University Boardroom in the Academic and Student Recreation Center at 1800 SW 6th Ave. in Portland.

-- Elliot Njus

enjus@oregonian.com

503-294-5034

@enjus

Andrew Theen contributed to this report.
1spicer.JPG

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer conducts the daily news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House May 9, 2017 in Washington, DC. Spicer took questions about former acting Attorney General Sally Yates' testimony in Congress.

(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

By Jennifer Rubin

On Tuesday, in the pre-James-Comey-firing world, Sean Spicer was asked why the president didn't fire Michael Flynn as soon as then-acting Attorney General Sally Yates provided evidence that he had lied to the vice president and therefore compromised himself with the Russians.

Spicer declared at his daily press briefing: "The president does not want to smear a good man. Let's look at, again, how this came down. Someone who is not exactly a supporter of the president's agenda, who, a couple of days after this first conversation took place, refused to uphold a lawful order of the president's. Who is not exactly someone who was excited about President Trump taking office or his agenda."

Let's count the things that are wrong with this:

1. Yates was not attempting to "smear" Flynn. She delivered a factual report of easily verified wrongdoing. She did not recommend Flynn's firing. It was the administration that sat on stunning evidence of Flynn's misdeeds. Apparently no one in the Trump team thought it important to find out whether what she was saying was true and then act on it in a timely manner.

2. A "good man"? A "good man" does not conceal payments from foreign governments and lie to the vice president about his contacts with Russian officials.

3. Trump's excessive deference toward Flynn doesn't occur in a vacuum. The public learned on Tuesday (and the president almost certainly before that) of a grand jury's subpoena directed at associates of Flynn. This may well explain -- what else does? -- why he continues to defend the "honor" of a man who sparked the conflagration now consuming the presidency.

4. The smear of Yates. Spicer concocted a wholly baseless allegation that Yates was a political opponent of Trump, someone who was acting as a political operative, not as a 27-year veteran of the Justice Department.

Her warning, of course, was on point -- as we know, since Trump finally fired Flynn. So on what basis can Spicer still claim she was an unprincipled partisan?

5. Partisan paranoia prevented removal of a compromised national security adviser. That's what Spicer is saying.

No matter what an independent voice says, the Trump White House doesn't believe it. This is putting loyalty above all other considerations. If you are with Trump, you cannot be wrong; if you are questioning his actions or choices, you cannot be right. That is the description of someone intellectually and temperamentally unfit to defend the United States. He believes only what and who he wants to believe. It sure does make him -- and the country -- vulnerable to threats and scandals, especially since the people with him are inexperienced, unknowledgeable and unwilling to deliver bad news.

Spicer here exemplifies the compulsive dishonesty of an administration whose first instinct is to impugn others' motives when their own are so obviously suspect. They practice the art of character assassination casually, without concern for their own credibility, let alone of those whom they slander.

The term "McCarthyism" is vastly overused, but in watching the grotesque distortion of facts and cavalier indifference to preserving the standards of the offices these Trump underlings hold, one cannot help but recall the disdain that Joseph Welch unleashed for Joe McCarthy at the "McCarthy-Army" hearing on June 9, 1954.

The answer then, as now, is no -- decency is not in evidence.
Oregon Schools Rating System

In this Sept. 8 2015 file photo, a kindergarten teacher reads to her students at Nancy Ryles Elementary School in Beaverton.

(Don Ryan/AP Photo)

By Hanna Vaandering, Betty Reynolds and Matt Thatcher

Every Oregon student deserves access to a quality public education. This is not a partisan opinion. It is a value shared by Republicans, Democrats and everyone in between. We can all agree that investing in students' futures will bring long term prosperity to our state, and improve the lives of future generations.

But despite our shared values, our state has spent decades shortchanging students and public education. Our class sizes have swelled to the third largest in the nation. Electives like art, physical education and music have been cut, and school days have been slashed. According to Education Week, Oregon's per-student funding ranks 39th in the nation. And today, state funding for schools is $2 billion short of what it will take to provide a quality learning environment for every student.

Students are paying the price of inadequate school funding. Large class sizes make it nearly impossible for many to receive the individualized attention they need to learn. Shorter school years rob students of important learning time. Cutting electives means fewer programs to keep kids engaged and graduating on time.

Since 1990, we have been asking students and educators to do more with less. Oregon's current $1.6 billion budget deficit is the latest chapter in this unfortunate narrative.

Without new revenue, school districts will be forced to make devastating cuts to next year's budgets. This will translate into more crowded classrooms with fewer educators to provide the individual attention students need. It will mean fewer electives. And, most of all, it will put a greater burden on students to succeed at the same level as their peers in other states - without equal support and resources.

Of course we need to be discussing ways for the state to save money, but we can't simply cut our way to stability and success. We need a new direction in Salem. It's time to make students a priority.

This week, Oregon legislators put forth revenue proposals that would help bridge our budget deficit. This is a positive first step toward making our tax system more fair while protecting Oregon's students and families from debilitating cuts. Our elected leaders must take bold action and pass a plan that will ensure long-term sustainable funding, not just a short-term fix.

We have a real opportunity this legislative session to begin to fund the quality schools Oregonians say they want. This is a choice that can't be postponed any longer. We can make Oregon schools great for students, not just enriching their futures but also filling the needs of our state's economy. Or, we can continue to skate by with increasingly insufficient resources, to the detriment of another generation of Oregon students.

The choice is clear. We need to send an unequivocal message to our legislators: They must reject cuts to public education and find ways to make long overdue investments in our schools.

Please attend hearings in Salem, send emails, make phone calls and attend town halls. We must do everything we can to hold lawmakers accountable. Please remind them that Oregonians' desire for quality schools is not a partisan issue. It is an Oregon issue. And the time for our elected leaders to act is now.

Hanna Vaandering is president of the Oregon Education Association; Betty Reynolds is president of the Oregon School Boards Association; and Matt Thatcher is president of the Confederation of Oregon School Administrators.
Portland May Day Rally 2017

May Day in downtown Portland

(Dave Killen/Staff/File)

To the writers objecting to police in riot gear because it sets a tone and looks too militaristic: They wear this to protect themselves, not project an image.

And to the writers objecting to the police response to a few thrown bottles, smoke bombs and a couple broken windows: How about you stand there, and I throw a can of Pepsi at you? Maybe you'll see the need for the gear they wear then.

Portland has shown itself to be willing to escalate a peaceful protest into a riot very easily. The Portland Police Bureau, being made up of flesh and blood human beings, rightfully should dress to go home unscathed.

Kate Ayers, Northwest Portland
1southwest.JPG

In this Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, file photo, a Southwest Airlines plane takes off from Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla.

((AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

By Fredrick Kunkle

U.S. airlines have received some well-deserved criticism lately for their routine mistreatment customers.

Their sins include, but are not limited to: overbooking; tinier and tinier seats; bigger disparities between the comforts of first class swells and the human cargo in economy; and fees, fees, fees. The event that brought all this into focus, of course, was the outrageous assault on a United Airlines passenger who was dragged off a plane last month.

But maybe it's time air travelers also look in the mirror to see why so many jetliners have become venues for Mile High cage fights. Those folks might see a reflection of the Ugly American. The whiny American. The entitled American.

Just this week, we've been treated to a fight night on a plane at Burbank Bob Hope Airport in California that ended with a Southwest Airlines flight attendant buried somewhere in the scrum. At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida, passengers started duking it out with sheriff's deputies and each other after Spirit Airlines canceled hundreds of flights amid a labor dispute with pilots.

On Wednesday, a Kansas City woman went on the evening news to talk about her "humiliation" after she had to pee in a cup on a United Airlines flight last month because she has "overactive bladder," KCTV News 5 reports. The TV segment - which contains grainy re-enactments of the moment The Cup is passed - said that flight attendants forbid the woman to get up from her seat after takeoff, even though they were handing out drinks. The woman told the TV station that said the seat belt light was still on because of turbulence.

The airline, however, told the news station in a statement that the woman had tried to get to the lavatory, in violation of federal regulations, while the April 9 flight was on its final descent.

Before the pee cup, there were the leggings girls, and several diverted flights after fighting broke out over reclining seats and efforts to thwart same with the "knee defender."

Many of these incidents were captured on video and posted on social media, the many-eyed watchdog that has given us firsthand looks at abuses people endured from the airlines or law enforcement that might otherwise have gone unreported.

But smartphone cameras have captured scenes of a lot of people acting badly, too. Some incidents even have a whiff of having been ginned up to create faux outrage, perhaps for someone's 15 minutes of Facebook fame or in the hope that the airlines can be shamed into coughing up free seats or more.

"We are definitely seeing a small number of passengers who appear to be manipulating the public outrage at airlines to try to get something, or to disobey crew member instructions," Taylor Garland, a spokeswoman for the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), said Wednesday. "We believe this is unfair to the vast majority of passengers who just show up for a flight that they want to be safe, efficient, uneventful and friendly, and get on with their travel plans."

Garland said she knew of a recent budget flight where a passenger took a seat in an exit row, which costs more than other seats and to which the passenger was not assigned. A flight attendant told the passenger to return to his seat, and the person complied. But for the rest of the flight, the passenger hurled verbal abuse at the flight attendant, Garland said.

"Because everyone's on edge, there wasn't much action taken," Garland. "It wasn't a firestorm national media event, but little things like that undermine the role the crew plays in the cabin, which is to enforce federal regulations for the safety and security of everyone on that plane."

There's no doubt that the airline monopoly has inflamed everyone's nerves with its casual callousness toward customers. A day after members of Congress wagged their fingers at United Airlines chief executive Oscar Munoz and other airline bosses, news broke that American Airlines would soon be shoehorning more passengers into some of their planes.

But the problem - to view the video from Fort Lauderdale and California - is also us.

(c) 2017, The Washington Post
Much of the wisdom doled out at UW-Madisons spring commencement ceremony on Saturday came with a punchline  which is perhaps to be expected when the keynote speaker is the creator of one of televisions most popular comedies.

UW-Madison alumnus Steve Levitan, co-creator and executive producer of ABCs Modern Family, addressed about 42,000 students, loved ones and other observers at Camp Randall Stadium.

Levitan offered five pieces of advice to nearly 6,300 graduates participating in the ceremony: take chances while youre young, succeed or fail on your own terms, persevere through failure, be calm during crises and follow your passion.

Each bit of advice was bolstered by Levitans own experience, including the time he threw an unwarranted tantrum in a broken elevator that ended up fixing itself, and his frequent career changes in the years after college.

After graduation, Levitan went on to work as a broadcast journalist in Madison, but found he didnt have a passion for his work.

He wanted a more creative job, so he moved to Chicago to work for an advertising firm. After realizing sitcoms were made by human beings and I was a human being, Levitan moved to Los Angeles and landed a job as a staff writer for Wings.

Both Levitan and Chancellor Rebecca Blank spoke of the necessity to take risks.

Trying new things will teach you a lot about yourself  even, and maybe especially, when you dont succeed, Blank said, adding, The key to success is not avoiding risks, its embracing them and learning from the result.

In 1997, one of Levitans risks led to successfully creating his first original sitcom, Just Shoot Me!, but after that, he faced a bumpy road. Nine show ideas either survived just one season or werent picked up at all. It wasnt until 2009, in partnership with Christopher Lloyd, that Levitan found his next success in the wildly popular Modern Family.

Now, gratefully, Im introduced as the co-creator of Emmy-winning Modern Family,  Levitan said, and no one remembers Im the idiot who failed nine times in a row.

Kate Criter, of Plymouth, faced her own challenges on her journey to earning her bachelors degree in retail and consumer behavior. During her third year, Criters grades didnt meet UWs standards, and the university dismissed her.

I got kicked out of this university, I had to come back a year later, Criter said. I think this means a lot more to me than people realize.

A new era

Levitan spoke of some of the complications that students face in the information age. He said when he graduated, choices were simpler: either go to grad school or work for a big company. Its different now, he said.

Now theres so much you could do, it becomes paralyzing, Levitan said. With the world at your fingertips, you always feel like you should be making something and putting it online, or amping your presence on LinkedIn, or keeping up with all the amazing things everyones doing on social media.

Plus, your phones always dying, Levitan said.

Technological advances that can encumber students helped textile and fashion design graduate Emily Kinville in ways one wouldnt expect. Professors in her department integrated equipment and methods from other departments, like the laser cutters in the College of Engineering, into lessons for fashion design.

Kinville, originally from Kenosha, is well on her way to a successful career. She is living in New York City  she flew in for the ceremony  and attending the Fashion Institute of Technology. She also landed an internship at Ralph Lauren.

While the success is her own, she attributes it to UW.

I wouldnt be in New York City doing what I love if I didnt come here, Kinville said. And I almost didnt come here, which kind of scares me.

Always part of you

Kinville, like many others, said the large enrollment of UW was intimidating at first, but her professors helped her through the stress of finding her place among the 40,000-some students.

In the closing of her address, Blank reminded students that they hold their own place in the schools history.

You will always be part of UW, Blank said, and I hope that UW will always be part of you.
BLOOMINGTON  Mayor Tari Renner is seeking to revive Bloomington's long dormant Cuban sister city committee.

Since his October trip to the island nation, Renner has been trying to re-establish a relationship between Bloomington and Caibarien, a resort community with a population of about 39,000.

"We have the sister city designation. All of the documents actually had been passed and approved not only by the council, but by the government of Cuba back in 2002," said Renner.

Despite United States trade and travel embargoes with Cuba since the 1960s, the Twin Cities started sister city relationships with two Cuban towns  Bloomington with Caibarien and Normal with Remedios. By 2004, the exchange stopped when the U.S. government clamped down on those kinds of visits.

The late Gary Hoover was among members of the Cubamigos Sister City Association of Bloomington-Normal who traveled to Cuba to sign the sister city agreements.

He said last year the association still existed, but had not done much because it had been unable to have contact with its counterparts in Cuba. Hoover died in January.

Renner is checking with the city's legal department to see if the City Council will need to pass another ordinance to re-establish the Cuban sister city committee.

Renner hopes to open the committee membership application process after the council discusses and possibly votes on the matter in June. Renner would appoint the members.

"The sister committee would have to be balanced by people who are educators, business people, people interested in the cultural component and people who will help raise money (for cultural and educational exchanges)," said Renner.

While Normal officials are supportive of any effort to re-establish a relationship with its sister city of Remedios, it's not something the town's staff or City Council would initiate, said Normal Mayor Chris Koos.

"Our position on these sister city relationships is we're more in a support role instead of an activation role," said Koos. "We look to the people trying to form these committees to initiate the contact and start the process, and we would help them along."

Bloomington and Normal also have sister city relationships in England, Japan and Russia.

Koos did not participate in the trip to Cuba that Renner made with a group of Illinois municipal officials.

Renner said he saw possible opportunities for trading partnerships and untapped agribusiness markets.

"With the government, business and commercial contacts I made while there, there's a lot of possibilities, especially if Bloomington is the first at the table when relationships are finally normalized," said Renner. "I would love to have the first Cuban cigar shop in the entire Midwest right here in Bloomington."

Last year, then-President Barack Obama, by executive order, opened up travel and lifted restrictions on the sale of Cuban rum and cigars to American tourists.

"Americans now have an embassy in Cuba, but we don't have totally normalized relationships," said Renner. "Obviously, that can't happen until Congress acts to lift the embargo."
WISCONSIN DELLS  State Republicans gathered here Saturday to celebrate a winning streak that reached new heights in November and to warn party faithful not to let it all come crashing down in 2018.

The annual event featured speeches from a range of state and national figures, including U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, as well as Gov. Scott Walker announcing that hes ready to run for a third term.

Its important we take time to congratulate ourselves, said U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy. As we come out of this weekend, we do have to recognize that the left is energized, theyre angry and theyre motivated and theyre coming hard.

U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said the Wisconsin model for winning elections and governing  making promises and then following through on them  is serving as a blueprint for the national GOP agenda, including the recent House vote to replace the Affordable Care Act.

We thank you for getting us to where we are, Ryan said. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. The House. The Senate. The White House.  This is the chance we have, and we understand how important this is.

Most speakers keyed in on defeating Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin next year as the last obstacle to claiming control of all branches of state government and major statewide elected offices. Several potential GOP Senate candidates also mingled with the roughly 800 registered participants hoping to pick up supporters.

A straw poll of 296 GOP activists conducted by Wispolitics.com found 47.3 percent supported state Sen. Leah Vukmir, R-Brookfield, to challenge Baldwin. Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, came in second with 13.9 percent support, followed by Madison real estate developer Eric Hovde, Rep. Dale Kooyenga of Brookfield, trucking company heiress Nicole Schneider and U.S. Marine veteran and Milwaukee businessman Kevin Nicholson.

Were not done yet

Walker announced hes ready to run for a third term in 2018, emphasizing the states Top 10 ranking in workforce participation, health care and business climate.

Entering to the 1980s John Fogerty pop anthem Centerfield, Walker declared, Im ready and I hope you are too.

We are now a top 10 state because we were not afraid to go big and go bold, Walker said as audience members waved red Top 10 Wisconsin signs. But I got to tell you, were not done yet, there is more work to be done.

State Democratic Party chairwoman Martha Laning responded to Walkers announcement by saying he has failed to deliver on a promise to help Wisconsin families pursue the American dream.

When given the choice between helping those at the very top or giving working-class families the ability to rise in society he has consistently chosen those who already have much, Laning said. We need a governor that will put working families first, make work pay and truly invest in our childrens future.

Unlike last years convention, when the name of the partys presumptive presidential nominee was hardly spoken and few wore his paraphernalia, speakers rallied behind President Donald Trumps victory  the first by a Republican in Wisconsin since 1984  and his record so far in office.

Thats exciting, state GOP chairman Brad Courtney said of Trumps victory. Weve come far, but in 2018 everything we have fought for is on the line again.

Looking to 2018

Though the Democratic Party has yet to find a challenger for Walker, Courtney said a candidate will emerge and it will be a tough race. Courtney said the Walker campaign wont have field operations because it will be relying on the state party to mobilize voters.

Hes giving us the keys to his campaign, Courtney said.

Attorney General Brad Schimel, who is up for re-election next year, took shots at announced Democratic challenger Josh Kaul, the son of former Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager.

Next November Democrats are running one of Hillary Clintons own lawyers against me, Schimel said, referring to Kauls role during the 2016 Wisconsin recount. He has made a career of suing states like ours to undo voter ID laws that protect the integrity of your vote.

Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesman Brandon Weathersby criticized Schimel for spending $10,000 on commemorative coins for staff, misrepresenting the states progress on clearing a backlog of thousands of untested rape kits and not signing on to a letter signed by 20 other attorneys general calling for a special prosecutor to investigate Russias involvement in the 2016 election.

Wisconsin deserves a real attorney general who will make public safety a top priority and work on the publics behalf  not their own, Weathersby said.

The event, held at Chula Vista Resort, was more low-key than other years, at least since Republicans swept into power in 2010, said Brian Westrate, 3rd Congressional District party chairman.

The Democrats dont have a candidate for governor, Westrate said. Theres not much to talk about.

The party decided not to take up resolutions as part of the weekends agenda, which 4th Congressional District chairman Bob Spindell said disappointed many of the partys grass roots.
BLOOMINGTON  A mother whose teenage daughter was sexually abused by a 50-year-old man she met on the internet spelled out the consequences of the crime Friday at the man's sentencing hearing.

In a plea agreement with the state, Mark Friedman, 50, of Loves Park in northern Illinois, was sentenced to three years in prison in exchange for his guilty plea to aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

Without the plea deal, Friedman was eligible for seven years. He also could have received probation for the offense that requires him to register for life as a sex offender.

The single mother said she struggles with medical bills and worries about the safety of her child, who is having difficulty separating the fantasy of a criminally inspired encounter from the fact that she was sexually abused by a man old enough to be her father.

"You preyed on her vulnerability and low self-esteem," said the mother, who says she is now afraid to leave the girl at home alone.

"I'm afraid she'll be the next missing teen on the Bloomington Police Department Facebook page," the woman said in a lengthy victim impact statement read to Judge Robert Freitag.

According to the mother's statement, Friedman met the girl on the internet and picked her up during the night on two occasions in January. He took her to Dawson Lake on the east side of McLean County where he molested her before leaving her at a gas station.

"Please don't let this man hurt anyone else," the mother asked the judge.

Assistant State's Attorney Jacob Harlow said Friedman admitted to police that he met the girl on the internet and was aware she was a minor.
In January Patently Apple posted a report titled "The U.S. Fair Trade Commission Sues Qualcomm for Forcing Apple to use its Chips in iDevices." The report noted that the U.S. Fair Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against Qualcomm accusing the biggest maker of mobile phone chips of illegally maintaining a monopoly over semiconductors used in cellphones and pocketing elevated royalties from customers. Earlier today the FTC responded to Qualcomm's motion to dismiss the case.

The FTC argued that Qualcomm's customers "accept elevated patent royalties they otherwise would refuse" only because they are forced "to negotiate in the shadow of Qualcomm's threat to withhold chips." As a result, "Qualcomm collects far more in royalties than other licensors in the industry with comparable patent portfolios."

Amicus Brief: Samsung

C/NET's report noted that "It's also being reported that Samsung, Samsung, the world's biggest handset maker, hasn't filed any lawsuits against Qualcomm, but it did file an amicus brief in support of the FTC on Friday, saying the court shouldn't dismiss the antitrust suit. In it, the company noted that it's a Qualcomm customer (it uses Qualcomm's chips in devices like the Galaxy S8), and it's also a potential competitor (Samsung builds and sells chips).

'In both capacities, Samsung has directly experienced, and been directly harmed by, the exclusionary conduct alleged in the FTC's complaint,' it said in a court filing Friday. '"Qualcomm refuses to license its [standard essential patents] on fair, reasonable, and on-discriminatory ... terms so that Samsung can make and can sell licensed chipsets. Given its position, Samsung is uniquely situated to assist the court in understanding the important antitrust principles at stake in this case.'

Samsung said in its filing that Qualcomm agreed to fairly license its technology if standards bodies adopt tech that required the use of Qualcomm patents. But the South Korean company said Qualcomm hasn't kept its side of the bargain. Instead of licensing its standard essential patents to rival chipmakers, it only gives licenses to handset manufacturers.

'Because Qualcomm does not license [chipset] competitors, handset manufacturers have no choice but to accept Qualcomm's onerous terms,' Samsung said. 'Qualcomm directly excludes competitors and harms competition.'

Amicus Brief Intel

Intel, one of Qualcomm's main rivals in semiconductors, also filed an amicus brief on Friday. The company, which was late and has struggled in the mobile chip market, became a supplier of iPhone mobile chips in Apple's latest models, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.

'Although Qualcomm has driven nearly all of its competitors out of the premium LTE chipset market, Intel has not thrown in the towel,' Intel said in a court filing.

The company noted that Qualcomm's business dealings with Apple 'put Intel's commercial success at risk and will do so in the future if Qualcomm is allowed to persist in its anticompetitive tactics. As the only remaining competitor in the premium LTE chipset market ... any harm to Intel's premium chipset business will have profound anticompetitive effects on the market as a whole.'"

For more on this, you could also check out FOSS Patents report here. The report provides a full copy of the FTC's Opposition to QCOM's Motion to dismiss along with Florian Mueller's top notch commentary on the case.

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.

Other Recent Reports on Apple - Qualcomm

Qualcomm Plans Retaliation against Apple and ask the International Trade Commission to Stop iPhone Sales

Qualcomm Lowers Q3 Fiscal 2017 Guidance due to Apple Holding back Royalty Payments
Patna: Criminals in Patna under Kankarbagh police station on Friday snatched a gold chain at gun point from the wife of former Bihar minister Mithilesh Kumar Singh.

The mugging took place shortly after 6:00 am Friday when Suprabha Singh and her neighbor and retired IAS officer J S Tiwari's wife were on their way to the nearby park for their morning walk

Three men on a motorcycle pulled next to the couple and stuck a pistol on Mrs. Singh's head before snatching the gold chain from her neck. The three men then fled on their motorcycle but not before they were captured on a security camera in the area.

An FIR was lodged with the Kankarbagh police station.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manu Maharaj said the police have retained the surveillance image of the criminals who, he said, would be nabbed soon.

Singh was a minister in the Ram Sundar Das government in the late '70s and early '80s.

Officials said the same gang of three men tried to rob another woman of her valuables earlier at around 5:00 am in Shri Krishna Nagar though their efforts were thwarted by the woman who started to scream for help forcing the criminals to retreat.
Patna: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, facing criticism from nearly all quarters for allegedly abandoning the agenda of development and being perennially obsessed with implementation of prohibition and making it a national law, accused the people of Bihar for not standing behind him 100% of the time on all issues.

"While outsiders are constantly showing Bihar in a bad light, it is even more shocking and frustrating when our own people try to defame the state. We have always worked for the people of Bihar with a sense of growth vis a vis social justice but that does not stop some people from constantly criticizing the government and show Bihar in negative light," he said while participating in the 6th annual Anti-Trafficking conclave in Patna on Friday.

Kumar, who himself is an ardent critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, took a shot at the Center saying that though Bihar ranked 22nd in the nation in terms of crime numbers, the media regularly took shots at the state while ignoring Delhi that topped the same chart despite its law and order being under the direct jurisdiction of the Center.

"Even the smallest crime in Bihar is highlighted in national media while serious and heinous crime in other states are ignored with intent to create a negative image of our state," the Janata Dal  U leader said.

The Chief Minister then turned his focus on the topic of the day which was human trafficking.

"We have relentlessly working on reducing and ending the despicable social evil of human trafficking from the state. In 2012, police rescued 225 human trafficking victims while arresting 207 traffickers. Between 2012 and 2016, 1022 people engaged in human trafficking were arrested while 1481 victims were rescued by our law enforcement officials. In 2016, Bihar registered 8,327 cases of missing children out of which 5,256 were recovered and brought back home safely," Kumar said adding his government launched a program in 2016 under which families get Rs. 25,000 from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund each time a missing child is recovered and reunited with the family.

The conclave was jointly sponsored by the US Consulate General in Kolkata and Shakti Vahini, an NGO involved in saving women and children from human trafficking.
News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism.
Users of old Windows systems can now download a patch to protect them from this weeks massive ransomware attack.

In a rare step, Microsoft published a patch for Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and Windows 8all of them operating systems for which it no longer provides mainstream support.

Users can download and find more information about the patches in Microsofts blog post about Fridays attack from the WannaCry ransomware.

The ransomware, which has spread globally, has been infecting computers by exploiting a Windows vulnerability involving the Server Message Block protocol, a file-sharing feature.

Computers infected with WannaCry will have their data encrypted, and display a ransom note demanding $300 or $600 in bitcoin to free the files.

Fortunately, Windows 10 customers were not targeted in Fridays attack. In March, Microsoft patched the vulnerability that the ransomware exploitsbut only for newer Windows systems. Thats left older Windows machines, or those users who failed to patch newer machines, vulnerable to Fridays attack.

Researchers originally believed the ransomware was spread through attachments in email phishing campaigns. That no longer appears to be the case.

MalwareTech Infection attempts from the WannaCry ransomware.

Once a vulnerable PC becomes infected, the computer will attempt to spread to other machines over the local network as well as over the internet. The ransomware will specifically scan for unpatched machines that have the Server Message Block vulnerability exposed.

Businesses can prevent this by disabling the Server Message Block protocol in vulnerable PCs. They can also use a firewall to block unrecognized internet traffic from accessing the networking ports the Server Message Block uses.

Fortunately, Fridays ransomware attack may have been contained. A security researcher who goes by the name MalwareTech has activated a sort of kill-switch in WannaCry that stops it from spreading.

As a result, over 100,000 new infections were prevented, according to U.K.s National Cyber Security Centre. But experts also warn that WannaCrys developers may be working on other versions that wont be easy to disable.

Its very important everyone understands that all they (the hackers) need to do is change some code and start again. Patch your systems now! MalwareTech tweeted.

Unfortunately, the kill-switchs activation will provide no relief to existing victims. The ransomware will persist on systems already infected.

Fridays ransomware attack appears to have spread mainly in Europe and Asia, with Russia among those nations hardest hit, according to security researchers.

Security experts are advising victims to wait before paying the ransom. Its possible that researchers will develop a free solution that can remove the infection.

This story was updated at 11:33 AM on May 15 to add and correct misinformation from researchers.
There is the need to ensure that illegal mining or galamsey is successfully brought to an end, without the marring of the good relations between Ghana and China.



Dr. Kweku Appiah, who prefers to be called a Friend of China told the Ghana News Agency in an interview, in Accra, that: It is very important to note that illegal mining or galamsey, is not the official policy of the Government of China, hence the need for circumspection in dealing with the issues.



We need to look at the causes, who are involved, and what measures can be put in place so that by the time we have resolved the galamsey problem, we would also not have destroyed our good relations with China, he said.



He said illegal mining was counter-productive by all standards, and anyone who insisted on the illegal activity had to be condemned without any reservations.



Dr. Appiah said whilst it was a known fact that some citizens of China had been arrested for indulging in illegal mining, the galamsey issue entailed a lot more than the involvement of the Chinese, therefore, it was important that the media reported on the entirety of the situation for the public to be thoroughly educated.



I would plead with you, the media, to reach out to the Chinese Embassy, Chinese institutions and Chinese NGOs, so we collaborate to solve the issue, he said.



Dr. Appiah said the most important thing to do, was to find medium and long-term solutions to the problem.



Mr. Danny Mawuenyega, also a Friend of China, said: In our recent interactions with the Chinese Ambassador, she has emphatically expressed her willingness to collaborate with Ghanaian authorities to bring to book Chinese citizens who flout the laws of the country.



We think there must be a collective effort to resolve this problem.



The media has teamed with the major stakeholders in the mining and environmental sector to rid the country of activities by illegal miners that destroy the land and pollute the water bodies.



Some Chinese citizens have since been arrested for their complicity in the illegal trade, thus bringing the spotlight on the Asian country, which is Ghanas major development and trading partner.



The Chinese Embassy in Ghana has expressed concern about the negative publicity the country was receiving, and called for circumspection to avoid stereotyping and maligning top Chinese officials.



China-Ghana trade volume hit a historic high of US$6.6 billion in 2015, increasing by 18.2 per cent on year-on-year basis.



Chinas direct financial investment in Ghana reached US$174 million, the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Madam Sun Bashing, disclosed last year.



At the 67th Anniversary celebration of the Founding of the Peoples Republic of China, she stated that the value of Chinas newly signed contracts in Ghana reached around US$1.3 billion, ranking high in Africa.



The Chinese Government also supports educational, social and cultural activities in Ghana with the awards of grants and scholarships.

Source: GNA









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A soon-to-be-published book about Cardinal George Pell has made shocking claims about Australias highest-ranking Catholic official, alleging that he is guilty of sexually abusing two boys in the late 1990s.

Cardinal: The Rise And Fall Of George Pell is written by ABC journalist Louise Milligan, who has covered Pell extensively in the past, and previously revealed allegations of sexual abuse against him on the 7:30 program.

Per reports in The Age, the two boys were both students at St Kevins College in Toorak, and sang in the choir at St Patricks Cathedral in East Melboune at the time the alleged abuse occurred.

Milligan alluded to these allegations on 7:30, but her book goes into more detail, and includes the testimony of one. It is claimed that the boys were abused in a back room of the church, and both requested to leave the choir soon after.

She spoke to one of the alleged victims, now aged in his 30s; the other died of a drug overdose in 2014, and did not speak about his abuse with his family, but according to his mother, he admitted it to a friend before his death.

In 1996, when he was Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, Pell set up the Melbourne Response, a compensation scheme for victims of sexual abuse by priests.

The alleged abuses outlined by Milligan would have taken place after this date, and in the book, she writes:

One of the things that has helped George Pell and his defenders to bat off or gloss over the allegations of [other alleged victims] is the seeming ambiguity of the behaviour, depending on how it is cast. Its the notion that this was simply horseplay or a bit of rough and tumble and that [the victims], damaged men, had simply misinterpreted what was going on. The story of [the choirboys] has no such ambiguity. If these allegations are true, they point to utter, sinful, hypocrisy.

In June 2002, Pell was accused of inappropriately touching a boy in the early 1960s, while a seminarian, and in February 2016, it was revealed that he was the subject of a police investigation with respect to the abuse of up to ten minors.

In October of last year, three Victorian police officers flew to Rome to question Pell about specific allegations involving two boys in the 1970s.

There is no suggestion that Pell is guilty of any of the alleged instances of abuse, and he himself has vehemently denied all accusations.

Source: The Age.

Photo: Franco Origlia / Getty.
As young Aussie Cassandra Sainsbury remains in prison in Colombia, her mother and sister have signed on for a tell-all interview with Nines 60 Minutes, commanding an eye-watering sum rumoured to be in the vicinity of $1 million.

Meanwhile, her fiance Scott Broadbridge will be telling his side of the story to the rival Seven network, signing on with the Sunday Night program for an undisclosed (but probably not insignificant) chunk of change.

While interviews of this sort are fairly obligatory in the feeding frenzy that follows a high-profile arrest, Sainsbury herself is not happy, and has blasted her family for speaking to the media without her permission.

My mum and sister havent told me anything of what theyre doing, she told News Corp from her Bogota prison cell.

Theyre just going out and doing it on their own. Thats my problem. Its my story. They need to get permission from me to sell my story.

Sainsburys mother Lisa and sister Khala have arrived in Colombia to visit her, but are not expected to see her until at least this weekend; she has requested to see fiance Broadbridge first.

In her first round of interviews, the 22-year-old said that every day is hard in the El Buen Pastor womens prison, where she has been incarcerated for a month. She said of her fellow inmates:

They are all talking about me quite obviously behind my back and theyre not afraid to push past me and push me around. Theres just a lot of chaos here. Quite a few of the inmates here are very pushy with me. They push past me. They start abusing me in Spanish because they know I dont understand it and I havent actually done anything wrong.

She is also concerned for her health, saying:

I started losing feeling in my arms. Its not all the time but its becoming an often occurring thing, and when I went to the doctors about it they basically just gave me vitamins and said its stress. And I said, well no, because you know this happened a few years ago and I lost complete feeling in half my body and they just wanted to just like push it under the rug.

Sainsbury maintains her innocence, saying that she was set up and did not know of the drugs found in her luggage. Reportedly, she remains undecided as to whether she will plead guilty to the charges for a lesser sentence.

Source: Adelaide Advertiser / News Corp.

Photo: Supplied.
President Trump Gets A Head Start On Shaping The Federal Courts: Scott Horsley had this audio segment on Mondays broadcast of NPRs All Things Considered.

Stephen Montemayor of The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Minnesota Justice David Stras, Trumps pick for Eighth Circuit, enjoys broad swath of support; Minnesota Supreme Court Justice David Stras is not beholden to anyone. The newspaper also published an editorial titled The diversity problem on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals: Justice Stras has earned nomination, but court is too male, white.

Don David of The Forum of Fargo, North Dakota reports that Donald Trump picks Minnesota Supreme Court justice for federal court.

Bob Collins of Minnesota Public Radio reports that On MN Supreme Court, David Stras found unlikely allies.

Paul Egan of The Detroit Free Press reports that President Trump names Justice Joan Larsen to U.S. 6th Circuit.

Jonathan Oosting and Melissa Nann Burke of The Detroit News have an article headlined Trumps fed court nominee Larsen on fast track. The newspaper also published an editorial titled Smooth Joan Larsens rise to appeals court.

Fatima Hussein of The Indianapolis Star reports that Trump nominates Notre Dame professor for federal judgeship.

Notre Dame Law School issued a news release titled Professor Amy Barrett Nominated to Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit.

And Andrew Wolfson of The Louisville Courier-Journal reports that President Trump taps Louisville conservative John K. Bush for court.
LEWISBURG - A Union County man is headed for trial on a homicide charge in part because a Bucknell University student went to police with a dash-cam video.

"We appreciate the fact he came forward with the video," said Union County District Attorney D. Peter Johnson. "Not everyone does that. It was pretty cool."

The video was part of the evidence presented at a preliminary hearing Thursday that resulted in Terrell Ralick Jordan, 33, being held for trial on criminal homicide and aggravated assault counts.

The student, who Johnson did not identify, and his girlfriend were driving about the night of March 4 and caught part of the incident on his dash-cam, he said.

The video, which shows Jordan chasing Boone, contradicts the suspect's claim of self-defense, Johnson contends.

The stabbing occurred outside in the 100 block of South Seventh Street, several blocks from the Bucknell campus.

The motive, according to police, was online messages Jordan had sent Boone's girlfriend. Boone is alleged to have challenged Jordan to a fight, they said.

Jordan claims Boone had the knife but dropped it, he picked it up and used it to protect himself, police said. Jordan also was known to carry a knife, they said.

The knife used to stab Boone has not been recovered, they said.

The dash-cam video debunks what Jordan told police they went in opposite directions after the altercation, Johnson said.

A trail of blood showed Boone crossed Seventh Street and eventually fell to the ground outside 48 S. Seventh St., where he pounded on the front door seeking help.

Boone, the father of a 7-year-old daughter, was taken to Evangelical Community Hospital where he later died, but not before identifying Jordan as his assailant, police said.

Jordan was arrested in Mifflinburg where he lived and is being held without bail.
Updates and anti-virus protection are keys to protecting your computer against the "WannaCrypt" ransomware causing global havoc, said a midstate IT consultant.

On Friday, the latest round of ransomware crippled hospitals in Great Britain and disrupted computer services in Russia, Ukraine, Spain and India, as well as the U.S.

"The number one thing is making sure your Windows system has the latest update, and your anti-virus has the latest definitions," said Pat Rumbaugh of Business Information Group of York, an IT consulting firm.

Computer users should exercise extra caution with emails, he said.

If you're not expecting an email from someone, don't open it and don't reply, he advises. There could be an attachment or embedded link that's infected. Call the person and ask if they sent the email, Rumbaugh said.

In a business setting, companies should make sure they have firewalls with advanced threat protection.

At home, computer users can also purchase firewalls, but they can cost at least $1,000, he said.

If you have an older Windows operating system, take advantage of Microsoft's unusual offering of free updates for these systems.

Read Microsoft's guidance on the WannaCrypt attacks.

Deploy Microsoft Windows updates.

These steps will reduce the risk of ransomware infecting your computer, but it's not a sure thing.

"There's nothing that's foolproof...The hackers and virus people are always a little bit ahead. It takes anti-virus companies a bit to get up to date," Rumbaugh said.

Still, some viruses are old and can easily be protected against by firewalls and anti-virus software.

"It's like washing your hands every day around a sick child. You have to limit your exposure," Rumbaugh said.

Here are his tips on how to avoid becoming a ransomware victim:

Be vigilant when it comes to email.

Hover over the top of the email address to see if it is correct. Some emails can be spoofed and are just a letter different than the correct one.

Look for clues or other indications that the message is not legitimate such as misspelled words, bad or awkward grammar in the message or odd domain names that could be one letter different from the actual one.

Download Microsoft and anti-virus updates.

If infected, don't pay ransom.

A sign your system has been hit may be a screen that opens telling you to call a number and pay a certain amount, usually in bitcoin currency. "And typically it will have a timer," Rumbaugh said. "I recommend you do not contact them or pay," he said. "Then we are just funding criminal enterprise and they will just be able to continue."

If infected, unplug your PC, take battery out of your laptop.

Disconnect your computer from the network and unplug it from the wall. If it is a laptop, pull the battery out. Ransomware users can remotely power up computers, Rumbaugh said. If the infection happens in a business setting, call your IT department.

Back up your computer.

The ransomware threat shows the importance of having data backed up on your computer, Rumbaugh said. "Once you're infected and encrypted you can't get data back unless you have a backup."
LOCK HAVEN - A judge has voided a vote that awarded a long-term contract valued in the millions of dollars to operate five short-line railroads in eight central Pennsylvania counties.

Clinton County Judge Michael F. Salisbury on Thursday agreed with the SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority that its 7-3 vote on July 8, 2015, which awarded a seven-year contract with a five-year option to Carload Express of Oakmont, did not constitute a majority.

The authority sought a court ruling because Carload contended the seven affirmative votes constituted a majority. The authority argued and the judge agreed nine votes were needed for a majority.

Salisbury wrote the parties were aware during the request for proposal process the authority would go by a nine-vote standard.

He further noted all 16 members attended the 2015 meeting, but six abstained, so nine votes would constitute a majority.

Had the vote stood, Carload would have replaced Susquehanna Union Rail Co. of Northumberland, the holding company for North Shore Railroad Companies that has been the operator since the authority was formed in 1983, to buy track the former Conrail was abandoning.

The authority is pleased with the detailed attention the court gave to this matter and in reaching its decision, said Jeff Stover, its executive director.

The authority expects to meet in the near future to examine the appropriate process and timing for continuing the selection process, he said.

The existing contract expires June 30, but Carload and Susquehanna have agreed the existing one will remain in force until all issues are resolved.

The authority owns more than 200 miles of track over which the following railroads operate:

Lycoming Valley Railroad in the Williamsport area, Nittany & Bald Eagle between Lock Haven and Tyrone with a branch into Bellefonte and Juniata Valley in the Lewistown area.

North Shore between Northumberland and Berwick by way of Danville and Shamokin Valley between Sunbury and Mount Carmel through Shamokin.

There are connections with Norfolk Southern in Northumberland, Lock Haven and Tyrone and with Canadian Pacific in Sunbury.

The authority receives approximately $1.2 million annually that represents 10 percent of North Shore's gross revenue. The money is used for capital projects because North Shore is responsible for maintenance.

The North Shore company in April was named Short Line Railroad of the Year by Railway Age magazine. Marketing director Todd Hunter called that a significant honor because there are 500 short lines in the United States.
The mayor's race in Harrisburg has received much of the attention this election season, but another important race is playing out that could directly impact the city's future and its children.

There are seven candidates vying for four open seats on the Harrisburg School Board. Those voted in will join existing leaders on the nine-member board.

The school board will be tackling several important issues next year, including whether to retain Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney, whose contract is set to expire after eight years leading the district.

The school district remains in a delicate position both financially and educationally, and is facing a deadline next year to exit the state's recovery program.

The city's main high school suffers from perennial low test scores and a graduation rate that has increased to 53-percent, but still ranks among the bottom of the state's nearly 700 school districts.

The district also has been plagued by high turnover of teachers and administrators, among other problems including the deteriorating condition of some school buildings.

PennLive could not reach Knight-Burney or her spokeswoman or administrative assistant on Friday by email or phone.

Many city leaders acknowledge that the ability to attract new families is tied to the recovery of the school district.

This year's race has raised some controversy with three candidates who have felonies in their criminal histories. Prosecutors have said candidates with felonies would not be allowed to take their seats because state law forbids it.

The candidates-- Richard Soto, Cory Williams and Gerald Welch-- are defiantly remaining in the race, saying they should have a right to serve if they have turned their lives around, setting up a possible showdown if they should win on Tuesday and again in the general election in the fall.

The winners of the Democratic primary typically win in the general election, as Democrats outnumber Republicans in the city six to one.

Critics of the candidates with felonies say the election of a candidate who may not be able to serve will only slow the school board down with confusion and possible vacancies at a time it cannot afford distractions.

Candidate Carrie Fowler said her challengers with felony convictions should pursue a change in state law to be able to run instead of forcing a run against state law "on the backs of a broken school system. If they cannot serve once elected, the school district will sit in limbo until they can figure it all out."

PennLive vetted the various candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for four-year terms to find out their backgrounds and priorities. (We're not including Percel Eiland, who is running unopposed in the primary for a two-year term.)

Here are the various candidates' bios and positions, listed in order as they will appear on the ballot.

JUDD R. PITTMAN

Judd Pittman, 36, a former teacher in the Harrisburg School District, filled a seat vacated by a resignation, then won a two-year seat on the board. Now, he is seeking reelection to a four-year term. He works as a special consultant to the secretary of education on STEM at the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

He has two master's degrees and won two different "teacher of the year" awards. He was endorsed by the Harrisburg teachers' union, the Capital Region Stonewall Democrats and the Harrisburg Capital PAC. He cites among his accomplishments: cultural competence professional development and a more systematic approach to selecting professional services.

His top priorities if re-elected would be:

Positive School Climate, including decreasing class sizes K-2nd grade.

Academic Recovery- a tighter focus on data-based decision-making.

Community Engagement

A well rounded (social, emotional, mental and academic) education for all students in Harrisburg City Schools.

With regard to the superintendent's future in Harrisburg: Pittman said the board should take a quantitative and qualitative approach to reviewing her past eight years.

"The analysis needs to dive deeper then just the superintendents traditional evaluation. We need to use the recovery plan, state assessments, graduation rates, staff, student, community and parent feedback, school climate metrics, and assessment of her core leadership team as the quantitative metrics," he said. "Then also consider her ability to generate a culture of innovation, sustain grow and replicate our pockets of success, engage in a proactive approach, and possess the confidence for an audacious vision for success that rally's our staff and community. She needs to let go of many of the old allies and look to surrounding herself with innovators... Our kids deserve us taking a hard look at our current leader and ultimately deserve the best possible person to ensure their future success."

CORY M. WILLIAMS

Cory Williams, 29, was born and raised in Harrisburg and is a carpenter by trade. After graduating from John Harris High School, he studied at Morris College in Sumpter, South Carolina before returning home.

Williams got into legal trouble years ago with felony convictions for burglary and forgery misdemeanor convictions for bad checks and receiving stolen property.

His burglary conviction stemmed from a 2010 break-in at Rowland Academy, a middle school in the very district he seeks to oversee. His most recent conviction occurred in 2014.

Williams said he has been working hard to put his past behind him and that he learned a lot from his missteps. Part of why he is running for school board, he said, was to try to help other young men avoid the kind of things that left him with a criminal record.

His top priorities if elected would be:

Improving the graduation rate

Improving academic performance for the majority ot students

Holding teachers, administrators and board members accountable for working 100-percent for the kids.

Williams said he would push to review the superintendent's contract "because she's not getting the job done."

RICHARD SOTO

Richard Soto, 48, single-handedly started the Just 4 the Kidz youth center in Hall Manor, one of the city's roughest housing projects in 2003. But after two years, he got caught up in a federal drug sting and was sent back to prison. Police say they found heroin in his desk at his community center. He returned to Harrisburg in 2013 prepared to reinvent himself again.

"What I did is in my past," he said. "I owned up to it."

Now he said he's ready to give back to the community. He hosted a job fair last year at the Southside Boys and Girls Club that netted jobs for 120 people, he said.

His top priorities if elected would be:

Stop unnecessary and wasteful spending

Better vet contracts for consultants

Improve the graduation rate and test scores.

Soto said he would seek to replace the superintendent after public hearings. He said she has been unavailable to most parents in the district and he would want to allow questions.

DANIELLE ROBINSON

School Board President Danielle Robinson is running for reelection for a second full term. She was elected president in December 2015, after former president Jennifer Smallwood resigned. She currently represents the only board member with a student in the school district.

Robinson works as a computer forensic analyst after studying at Bloomsburg University and ITT Technical Institute. She was endorsed by the teachers' union and Capital Region Stonewall Democrats.

Her top priorities if re-elected would be:

Completing the initiatives outlined in the Act 141 Recovery Plan. This Plan has helped the District achieve financial stability and laid a blueprint for us to rebuild our District.

Raising the academic standards and post-high school expectations of our students. Starting in kindergarten through high school and continuing through college, trade school, or military.

Continuing to advocate for the dedicated teachers.

Robinson said she would seek to renew the contract of the current superintendent, saying the district need consistency, that Knight-Burney faces many challenges outside her control and that she thinks Knight-Burney is doing a "great job."

CARRIE M. FOWLER

Carrie Fowler, 46, a social worker and community organizer, joined the race for school board because she said she saw the need for "a strong advocate for our children. I have dedicated my life to being a voice to the voiceless... I believe In our youth and want the best for them!"

Fowler graduated Friday night with a master's degree in social work and a 4.0 grade-point average. She said she recommitted herself to pursuing a career in social work after going into treatment for alcohol addiction. She was arrested for driving under the influence in 2015 and 1995.

Fowler said two social workers helped her when she was at rock-bottom and that inspired her to turn her life around. She said she is continuing counseling and attends meetings bi-weekly.

Her candidacy was endorsed by the teachers' union, Capital Region Stonewall Democrats and the Harrisburg Capital PAC.

Her top priority if elected would be:

Taking care of the kids. "We need to provide more emotional, behavioral, and academic support. "

Regarding the future of the superintendent, Fowler said she has never met the superintendent. "A person can not make a determination about someone without speaking with them and hearing their intentions...I only make a decision once I have had the opportunity to listen to that person individually. I try to stay open minded."

JAMES R. THOMPSON

School Board member Jim Thompson, 60, is running for re-election. He previously served as vice-president and chairman of the budget and finance committee.

Thompson is a graduate of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) with a Master of Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University. He cites among his accomplishments on the board: restored full-day kindergarten, expanded preschool, saved the CASA charter, joined the Dauphin County Technical School, and built a $33 million fund balance. After five years on the board, he said he knows how things get accomplished on the school board and how and when to challenge the administration.

Thompson was endorsed by the teachers' union and the Harrisburg Capital PAC.

If re-elected, his top priorites would be:

1. improve elementary performance: Reduce K class sizes to 16 kids. Group K by ability. Expand Pre-K. Read at grade-level by 4th grade or retain kids.

2. Maintain financial health: Invest fund balance to reduce operating costs. Eliminate variable-interest SWAP debt. Recruit top business and finance leadership.

3. Increase the graduation rate: Initiate GED programs for Harrisburg adults. Collaborate with City to end truancy. Partner with HACC for more career pathways and dual degrees.

Regarding the superintendent, Thompson said he would open up the search for a new superintendent. "Knowing what I know now, eight years is long enough," he said.

BRIAN K. CARTER

Brian Carter, 24, graduated from John Harris High School and is currently serving as a community activist and volunteer. This is his first run at a political office and Carter said he decided to join the race to help boost the district's test scores and graduation rates. He did not provide more detailed information about his platform and candidacy or where he stood on the current superintendent after several requests Friday.

GERALD A. WELCH

Gerald Welch, 53, has lived in the city since 2008 and works as both a behavior specialist and for Harrisburg Area Community College, where he is in workforce development. He said his job at HACC entails helping ex-offenders transition back into society so they can learn a trade.

Welch has a felony drug conviction in his history from 1986. After that, Welch said he obtained his GED, earned a bachelor's degree, then a master's degree in social work and is now two semesters away from earning his second master's degree.

"I did not get my education until I got in trouble," he said. "I know how powerful an education can be."

He decided to run for school board after seeing the district's abysmal graduation rate.

If elected, he said his top priorities would be to work towrard:

Culturally Competent Curriculum

Increased Graduation Rates

Remove test scores as measure for success

Welch said he would want to sit down with the superintendent before deciding on her future. He said he would want to know the issues she faced, what was behind her decision-making and if she had ideas that she could not employ because the school board "pigeon-holed her."

UPDATE: This article was updated to add endorsements and update Pittman's section.
Congressman Scott Perry is done having children.

That personal choice is at the heart of his decision in public service to repeal Obamacare and replace it with a plan that doesn't cover maternity care.

Rep. Scott Perry, R-Dillsburg, is standing by his vote to repeal Obamacare despite pressure from constituents.

"I don't want maternity care," Perry said during a recent meeting with Alissa Packer from Indivisible Action PA 4th and insurance actuary Stephanie Gray. "I have two children, and we're not having any more. I don't want to pay for maternity care."

You can see the full exchange in the video above, which is getting national attention on the eve of Mother's Day.

Perry, a Republican from York County, explained his position after Gray said the Obamacare replacement may feel like a war on women or could disproportionately impact women.

Obama's Affordable Care Act guaranteed maternity benefits in the insurance marketplace. The recently passed GOP health care plan, the American Health Care Act, does away with that.

Gray said if Pennsylvania takes the waiver for the essential health benefits, maternity care would be one of the first things eliminated.

"Prior to the Affordable Care Act, unless you have employer-based insurance, you cannot buy maternity care," Gray said.

READ MORE:

Packer then described it as a societal issue. "Who is going to take care of you when you're old?" she said to Perry.

"But that has nothing to do with maternity care," Perry said. "We're talking about the cost of bearing children."

Packer, who talked as protesters rallied outside of Perry's Wormleysburg office days after the health care vote, said to the congressman, "Women who are having the children need to have them in a safe manner."

Perry said, "No, I agree completely, but I'm not having any more. You're asking me to pay for things that I'm never going to use."

A recent Kaiser Health Tracking Poll found that 89 percent of Americans support the Affordable Care Act's requirement that all private health plans include coverage for maternity care. The poll found the requirement was supported by 86 percent of Republicans and 94 percent of Democrats.

The replacement plan supported by Perry and House Republicans, known as the American Health Care Act, narrowly passed the House in a 217-213 vote on May 4. It would allow states to let insurers charge people with pre-existing conditions higher premiums.

The bill also guts the Medicaid program, which approximately 1 in 4 women of reproductive age rely on to access no-cost, reproductive health care, including birth control, cancer screenings and maternity care.

Women with Medicaid would be barred from accessing preventive care at health centers, including services for:

birth control

cancer screenings

STD testing and treatment

Women would also pay more on health insurance if they have breast, ovarian or uterine cancers.

The House bill, if approved by the Senate and signed into law by President Donald Trump, would also allow insurance companies to deny coverage for gynecological services and mammograms.

Senate leaders said they would not vote on the House plan and will instead draft their own legislation.

Sen. Pat Toomey, a Lehigh Valley Republican, is one of 13 senators - all men - working on the Senate plan.

Staff writer Ivey DeJesus contributed to this report.

Pat Toomey helps draft Senate healthcare bill, Bob Casey demands GOP stops sabotaging health system
13 reasons why.png

An image from the Netflix series "13 Reasons Why" is shown. The show has been both praised and criticized for its depictions of teen suicide. Image via Netflix.

Some of the victims are in elementary school.

An increasing number are young girls.

All have chosen to end their lives as a youth suicide epidemic, fueled by adolescent angst and social media, grips communities nationwide.

In central Pennsylvania, York County is seeing a spike.

Last year, there were 11 suicides by individuals younger than 25, an average of nearly one a month. Of those, 10 were children between the ages of 13 and 17.

"Last year was horrible. It was a very deadly year for us," said Cindy Richard, a York County suicide prevention expert who provided the statistics. "The number last year was the highest in history in York County and we're looking at why."

For now, there are only theories and the occasional posthumous explanations that help form them.

When Billy Sechrist found his 15-year-old daughter Shania hanging in their home in May 2016, he also found the note she had left behind. In it, the freshman at William Penn High School in York said that while she loved her family, she couldn't bear the pain of being bullied any more, YorkDispatch.com reported.

"I tried telling you something bad would happen, but no one listened," the father said, reading from the note.

"A person can only take so much," he added.

Richard said stories like Shania's are unnervingly common these days, especially in counties like York and states like Pennsylvania, where suicide remains one of the leading causes of death for young adults and adolescents.

Pennsylvania saw an average of 74 youth suicides each year between 1990 and 2014, according to the most recent data available from the state Department of Health.

Within those numbers are suicides involving children between the ages of 5 and 9. One, a 9-year-old boy in Carlisle, was found hanged to death in his bedroom in 2013, according to Cumberland County's Coroner. The coroner declined to provide the boy's name because of his age.

Gabriel Taye

More recently, in January, 8-year-old Gabriel Taye of Cincinnati, Ohio, took his own life just days after he was bullied and assaulted at school. The September death of 9-year-old Jackson Grubb in West Virginia followed a similar pattern.

"Please stop bullying," one of Grubb's sisters wrote on Facebook hours after his death. "I just lost my brother jackson ... he hung himself ... keep me in ur prayers ... thanks for all the support too."

In Pennsylvania, advocates and families are both daunted and fearful as they struggle to understand the unique pressures facing children in modern day America and to grasp the intricacies and pitfalls of an adolescent experience often far different from their own.

"When I was in school, you could go home or go to school to get away from wherever the stress was," Richard explained. "But today, kids can never get away from social media and the bullying on social media..."

For preventionists like Richard, it is a race to reach those children before the pressure does. When they do, the outcomes are reaffirming. When they can't, countless lives are changed forever.

'13 Reasons Why'

Beyond York County, a national suicide rate that declined for decades is now steadily reversing, with the largest increases seen among girls between the ages of 10 and 14. The rate for that particular demographic tripled over the past 15 years from 0.5 to 1.7 per 100,000 people, NPR reported.

Not included in those figures are the many unsuccessful suicide attempts undertaken by young females nationwide each year.

"The deaths are but the tip of the iceberg," said Sally Curtin, a statistician with the National Center for Health Statistics.

Against this backdrop, a new and massively-popular Netflix series is being both praised for its highlighting of the youth suicide epidemic and criticized for its handling of the subject matter.

The series, "13 Reasons Why," an adaptation of Jay Asher's young-adult novel of the same name, is a fictional account of a young female student's suicide and the fallout that ensues. The plot centers on audiotapes left behind by the victim in which she details the roles others played in her decision to ultimately end her life.

Mental health advocates and others have criticized the show for promoting teen suicide and for its portrayal of unresponsive mental health professionals.

School districts in Pennsylvania and other states, meanwhile, have warned parents about letting their children watch the show, citing graphic content and concern for potential copycats.

"It really concerns me that many of my high school students are telling me that their middle school-aged siblings are watching it," said Francesca Pileggi, a high school counselor and executive director with Aevidum.

Aevidum, a suicide prevention group, was formed in 2003 following the self-inflicted death of a sophomore student at Cocalico High School in Lancaster County. The group's program has since been adopted at elementary, middle and high schools across Pennsylvania and is present in at least four other states.

"It is worrisome to think of middle school students trying to process that content and I feel like Hannah's suicide could easily be interpreted as a solution to the difficult things Hannah (the show's protagonist) is facing," Pileggi said of the Netflix series.

In York County, Richard had a slightly different take on the show, saying she believes it helps reveal lesser-known truths about the suicide crisis currently confronting communities like hers.

"I think it shows how (suicide) affects families and how it affects a school district and how mental health can fall between the cracks in schools or any type of big place like that -- a hospital, prison or whatever," Richard said.

Regardless of these differing schools of thought, counties in Pennsylvania and across the nation are watching closely to make sure the fears around "13 Reasons Why" aren't realized.

READ MORE: Schools superintendent: Students are harming themselves and citing '13 Reasons Why'

In Lebanon County, Kevin Schrumm, an administrator with the local Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities/Early Intervention Program, said there is a "very active" suicide prevention task force that meets there monthly with a number of ongoing outreach initiatives. They include print campaigns and television commercials addressing suicide and directing those who need it to find help.

"I always say one suicide is too many, and I'm particularly disturbed when a young person dies by suicide," Schrumm said.

"Lebanon County has been very fortunate in that we have historically had very few teen suicides, and I think that's at least partially a result of our school personnel and our task force and our community," he said.

According to Schrumm, Lebanon County has no teen suicides so far this year. There were two in 2016, when the victims were identified as a pair of 18-year-old males. Two were also reported in 2013, each involving a 17-year-old male. And in 2012, there was one suicide, that of a 19-year-old male.

In fact, despite the relative increase in suicide rates among young females, males -- and white males in particular -- continue to carry one of the greatest risks.

"It's always going to be white men and guns," Richard said. "Nothing usually changes with that."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, white males are victims in roughly 63 percent of teen suicides, and suicides have become the second-leading cause of death among teenagers in the United States, behind accidents and ahead of homicides.

Suicide rates are also higher in rural areas due to social isolation, economic hardship, limited access to mental health and emergency health care services, and the prevalence of firearms, according to the CDC.

The Youth Suicide Prevention Program reports that Native American youth have the highest rate of suicide among ethnic groups, while the World Health Organization lists gay youth as two-to-three times more likely to attempt suicide than other young people.

As for firearms, the CDC says they're present in nearly half of all suicides committed by male victims.

In Pennsylvania, of the roughly 1,850 total youth suicides between 1990 and 2014, almost one-half involved firearms, according to health department data.

"But we don't go out there talking about gun control," Richard said of advocates and preventionists. "We live in York County, which is a huge hunting county, and in my personal opinion it's not guns that kill people, it's people that kill people."

Richard said focusing on gun control to prevent suicides would do little to address the underlying causes of such behavior. But she often urges family members or gun dealers to think twice if they suspect a person they know, or a customer, is considering it.

"We had one guy who said what he was going to do with the gun, and the gun shop owner didn't think anything of it and thought he was kidding," she said. "But that's exactly how he did it."

'It never ends'

Meanwhile, Pileggi, the high school counselor and executive director of Aevidum, said there are no simple answers with a problem as vast and complex as this.

Pileggi said she was 17 when her own cousin committed suicide, an event that helped push her into her current line of work.

"It isn't possible to attribute a single circumstance to youth suicide," she said.

"Risk factors that we do know include having a mental illness, triggering life events (death of a friend or family member -- especially if by suicide), a breakup, academic struggles, discipline trouble -- like a school suspension, bullying, health problems, history of abuse, and low self esteem. ... In regards to social media, cyberbullying has been linked as a contributing factor in many suicides," Pileggi said.

In response, state legislatures in Texas and Pennsylvania have pursued or adopted anti-cyberbullying laws in recent years as lawmakers look to crack down on virtual forms of harassment as well.

And while it's unclear what impact bills and laws like these might actually have on teens and youth suicide rates, there is a clear sense among advocates and grieving families like Shania's that something must be done.

"I think what we've really been noticing here in York County is the stress level our kids are under," Richard said, adding that she's aware of children as young as 8 who are beginning to self-harm.

"Today, kids can never get away from social media and the bullying on social media and the problems and stress they're having between home and school, it never ends," she said.

Richard then offered advice for anyone who may know a struggling child: "When dealing with kids, you need to spend a little more time with them ... you have to build that trust and do a little more listening than talking."
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4.52-mile section of Route 422 in Lebanon County will be repaved.

(PennDOT)

Work is beginning on a project to repair and repave 4.52 miles of Route 422 from west of Annville to the west side of Lebanon.

Preparatory work began this week for repaving of Route 422 from Clear Spring Road at the North Annville-South Annville township line to 25th Street at the North Lebanon-North Cornwall township line in Lebanon County.

Drivers can expect shifting traffic patterns and lane restrictions with flaggers directing traffic through intersections between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. weekdays as crews prepare the road for night-time milling and resurfacing later this summer.

Pennsy Supply Inc. will be doing the work, at a cost of $3.7 million. The project includes base repair, milling of the existing road, replacement with a three-inch bituminous overlay, curb cuts, new guiderails, signs and markings. The work is scheduled to be done by mid-November.

Some sections of U.S. 422 average more than 17,400 vehicles daily. To avoid delays, travelers should allow for additional time in their plans or seek an alternate route.

For more traffic information, follow live traffic updates, accident reports and road closures below from PennDOT, Total Traffic Network and other Twitter sources.

Get a look at conditions on local roads -- via PennDOT traffic cameras -- anytime here on PennLive. For Pennsylvania Turnpike updates and possible travel delays visit the Turnpike website here.

Tweet us at @pennlive with any incidents you see on your commute or send a submission to submissions@pennlive.com.
President Donald Trump gestures after speaking to members of the media aboard Air Force One before his departure from Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Saturday, May 13, 2017. Trump is traveling to Lynchburg, Va., to give the commence address for the Class of 2017 at Liberty University. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
What do you do after you win an Academy Award? Ardmore's Benj Pasek is heading back to TV.

Pasek and composing partner Justin Paul won the Oscar for original song this year for "City of Stars" from La La Land. Recent Tony nominees for the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen, they earlier scored the Tony-nominated A Christmas Story: The Musical, which Fox announced Friday would become a live, three-hour event for the network in December.

With some new songs, naturally, by Pasek and Paul, who a few seasons ago were also responsible for several original songs on NBC's Broadway-set show Smash.

Read more: Friends Central's Benj Pasek tearing up Hollywood, Broadway

Pasek's not the only local connection for A Christmas Story, on which Fox Broadcasting and Warner Horizon Unscripted Television are partnering with producer (and University of Pennsylvania grad) Marc Platt (who was also a producer on La La Land).

Northeast Philadelphia native Mike Darnell, the former head of alternative programming for Fox  where he was responsible for, among other things, a little show called American Idol  is now president of alternative and unscripted television at Warner Bros.

"I can't believe how incredibly lucky we are to have Marc Platt producing this iconic Christmas classic," said Darnell in a prepared statement. "Marc is the defining voice in this genre and it's amazing to have this caliber of talent leading what is sure to be a new standard in live musical events."

Fox also announced on Friday plans for another live event, a production of the Tony- and Pulitzer-winning musical Rent, with Platt as executive producer.
The criminal justice pendulum swung in an unexpected direction with the indictment of District Attorney Seth Williams on corruption charges. With Democrats holding an overwhelming voter registration edge in the city, that raises the stakes in Tuesday's primary to choose the party's nominee to replace Williams.

Among an impressive field that includes a judge who resigned to run for the office, four former assistant district attorneys, a former federal prosecutor, and a civil rights defense attorney, RICH NEGRIN stands out. His background and reputation make him better prepared to restore the office's dignity.

Negrin is a former assistant district attorney who built his administrative chops as managing director for Mayor Michael Nutter. He is well prepared to manage a $52 million budget and 594-employee department.

Negrin's independence from the oligarchy known as the city Democratic Party should help him keep his promise to go after corruption. But his first job, if elected, will be to improve morale in an office that was battered by Williams' indictment for allegedly taking gifts in exchange for favors.

Negrin also has a deep emotional understanding of what it means to be a crime victim. At age 13, he witnessed his father's murder by a Cuban terrorist group.

Beth Grossman, another former assistant district attorney, is unopposed in the Republican primary.

In the primary for city controller REBECCA RHYNHART, a former city treasurer, would bring a fresh perspective to an office adequately run by Alan Butkovitz for nearly 12 years. Rhynhart's past roles as city budget director and chief administrative officer should give her powerful insight in monitoring how the city spends its taxpayers' dollars.

Count Rhynhart as a member of the city's growing cadre of enthusiastic policy wonks who have figured out the best way to achieve good government is to be a part of it. Like Negrin, she hasn't been part of the old Democratic Party guard, which should ensure the independence needed to ignore petty politics and keep an eye on the public's money.

Republican Mike Tomlinson, a certified public accountant, is unopposed in the Republican primary.

Two questions are also on Tuesday's ballot:

The first rather innocuously asks: "Shall the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be amended to allow award of certain contracts based on best value to the City?" Sounds reasonable until you realize "best value" doesn't necessarily mean "lowest bid." The question assumes it is impossible to write bid specifications to ensure both value and price. The city already has the power to demand quality work from contractors and fire them for poor performance. Vote No.

The second ballot question asks for a charter change to create a Community Reinvestment Commission, which would include representatives of the public, private, and philanthropic sectors who would create strategies to improve low-income neighborhoods. Seems like it shouldn't take a charter change to create a committee for that purpose. But the goal is worthy of a YES vote.

Also on the primary ballot are elections to fill seats on the state Supreme, Superior, and Commonwealth courts, and the city's Common Pleas and municipal courts. For guidance, voters can refer to the recommendations of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (www.pabar.org) and Philadelphia Bar Association (www.philadelphiabar.org).
Photo: Michael Schlosser

An assailant who grabs an officer may be acting either aggressively or with deadly force. An aggressive assailant demonstrates behavior that is likely to cause physical injury. A deadly force assailant demonstrates behavior that is likely to cause death or great bodily harm.

For example, a subject who grabs an officer in a wrist grab or bear hug would likely be an aggressive assailant. By contrast, a subject who grabs the officer in a chokehold could very well be acting with deadly force. A chokehold might strangle the officer or submit the officer to unconsciousness. If an officer is unconscious, then everything available to the officer (including his or her service weapon) becomes available to the assailant.

As always, the distinction between aggressive and deadly force is based on the officer's perception, how a reasonable officer would respond in that moment, and the totality of the circumstances. For example, if an officer is grabbed by an assailant, the officer may consider: the assailant's size and strength, the skill level of the assailant, the size of the officer, the skill level of the officer, the presence nearby or involvement of other weapons, the degree of threat posed by the offender, the number of officers present, the number of suspects present, and the officer's level of exhaustion. Then, of course, the officer must use reasonable force based on the totality of the circumstances.

Depending on the circumstances and based on the "reasonable officer" standard, an officer may choose to use a physical technique to escape a grab, attack with personal weapons (hands, feet, elbows, head butt, and so on), get to a tool such as a TASER, or, in a worst-case scenario, elect to use deadly force.

The following are some basic escapes from various chokeholds. Keep in mind these escapes can include strikes on the assailant with personal weapons both before and during the escape.

Front Headlock Escapes

If an assailant gets you in a front headlock where the assailant is facing you, a move known as the "guillotine choke," here are two defensive techniques that will help you defeat the attack, assuming the grab is with the assailant's right arm (right side).

You should immediately grab the assailant's wrist and inside the assailant's forearm and elbow area, pulling the choke away from your neck, while simultaneously turning your head toward the assailant's body. Both motions will help prevent a choke. After this immediate response, you can execute these two options for escape.

Opposite Side TakedownPlace your right hand over the assailant's back, grabbing onto the assailant's clothing, if possible. This will keep the assailant from lifting and driving you backward to complete the choke. If the assailant tries to lift you, the assailant will have to lift your entire body weight, keeping pressure off your neck. Now use your left hand to press against the assailant's upper leg or knee, keeping it in place and preventing knee strikes to your head. Keep a low base and move slightly back, pulling the assailant into a lower position. You can then work your way around to the opposite side of the choke, slightly behind the assailant. Working from a low, wide base with knees bent, place your left arm behind the assailant's legs, using it to drive toward the assailant's lower body, and lifting, while using your head and upper body to drive the assailant backward. This will result in taking the suspect to the ground and result in you being in a side-control position on the ground. From this position, you can bring your right forearm across the suspect's neck and apply pressure, forcing the assailant to release the choke.

Body Rotation EscapeA technique involving fewer steps, and perhaps less training, involves first grabbing the wrist and elbow of the assailant. Stepping beside the assailant with your right leg, continue with a quick, tight, clockwise rotation, making a complete turn toward the subject while lowering your body. The finishing move could end in an escape or a takedown, while you continue to maintain contact with the assailant's arm. It is important to create as much space as possible for your head to escape the choke. This technique is made more difficult if there is a large difference in size or strength.

Side Headlock Escapes

If an assailant grabs you from behind and initiates a headlock from the side, there are many options for escape. Grab the assailant's wrist and inside forearm, pulling the choke away from your neck while simultaneously turning your head toward the assailant's body. Both motions will help prevent a choke. After this immediate response, here are two options for escape.

Rear Waist TakedownUsing the hand farthest away from the assailant, maintain a grip on the assailant's wrist, pulling the wrist and arm away from your neck. Using the opposite hand, reach around the assailant and grab his or her upper arm. You can now perform a basic rear waist takedown. To begin this simple takedown, step beside the assailant (foot next to foot) and then straighten the opposite leg behind the assailant. Now sit while pulling back on the assailant, taking him or her to the ground. Bring your right forearm across the suspect's neck and apply pressure, forcing the suspect to release the choke.

Face Rip-back EscapeGrab onto the assailant's wrist, pulling the assailant's arm away from your neck. Creating a wide base so your leg is behind the assailant, use your inside hand to reach back and grab the assailant's face, jerking it backward and down while driving your hips forward and looking to the sky. Another option is to extend the back leg, loading it for a knee strike, before striking the opponent's knee while driving the head back. Eye gouging is another option, but that's an extreme response and should be considered just below deadly force in intensity.

Choke from Behind Escapes

If someone approaches you from behind and gets you in what's called a "rear naked choke," there are many options for escape. As with all escapes from chokes, grab the suspect's arm and pull it away from your neck. If you can do so, get your chin tucked to your chest, which will help prevent the choke.

Now before you perform the escapes, you need to make a preparatory move and maneuver the assailant into a side head lock. Once in the side headlock position, you can perform one of these escapes.

Shoulder TossGrab the assailant's arm, then build a strong base by separating your feet and bending your knees. Then bending your knees, work your way back while leaning forward. This can put the assailant off balance, placing his or her weight on top of you. At that point, with the assailant's feet not firmly planted, you can literally flip the assailant over your shoulder of the same arm the assailant has around your neck. Slamming the assailant to the ground will likely force him or her to release the chokehold.

Scratching the Surface

There are many techniques for escaping chokeholds. This article just scratches the surface. Find the ones that work for you, depending on your size and skill level.

Whether the technique is explained in this article or you learn about it somewhere else, you have to be confident with it before you can use it in the field. And the only way to be confident with a move is to practice it.

Remember to incorporate your tools into your practice. You are not an MMA fighter, you are a sworn law enforcement officer. Be sure to include moving to draw a tool, cuffs, baton, OC, TASER, or even duty pistol (if deadly force is warranted) in your practice. Additionally, make sure your practice includes the use of the personal weapons you were born with: fists, knees, feet can be used to execute strikes, foot stomps, and kicks when viable and reasonable. It is critical for all officers to understand the proper use of force and practice escape skills necessary for their survival.

Dr. Michael Schlosser, Ph.D., is the director of the University of Illinois Police Training Institute, and the Institute's lead control and arrest tactics instructor. He retired from the Rantoul (IL) Police Department as a lieutenant.
Police stopped a potential bloodbath outside Brooklyn Criminal Court  thanks to Facebook, officials said Thursday.

NYPD officers grabbed three gang members planning violence outside the courthouse on Joralemon St. in Brooklyn Heights on Wednesday after finding a Facebook Live video that showed they had a gun and planned to shoot members of a rival crew, police sources said.

Officers monitoring social media sites of gang members found the video around 10 a.m. Wednesday. It showed Rashid Celestine, 19, Davon Arthur, 20, and Envoy Bullock, 24, in a car and armed with a silver pistol.

The officers quickly determined the three men were on their way to court, where both Bullock and Celestine were slated for appearances on prior charges, the New York Daily News reports.



Bullock and Celestine were taken into custody as soon as they were spotted outside the building. A loaded 9-mm. pistol was found on one of the two men, officials said.

Police later arrested Arthur, who had apparently dropped out of the plan and gone back to East New York.

All three were charged with criminal possession of a weapon. Their arraignments were pending Thursday.
Panasonic's new Arbitrator BWC is tougher and offers more battery life than previous models. (Photo: Panasonic)

In response to requests from law enforcement users of the Arbitrator Body Worn Camera (BWC), Panasonic has re-engineered the system from the inside out and even tweaked its evidence management software.

Greg Peratt, Panasonic's director of evidence management, says the company identified three aspects of the Arbitrator BWC that it wanted to improve in its third-generation (Mark III) version of the BWC, including extended battery life, increased durability, and enhanced compatibility with other Panasonic evidence capture systems such as in-car video and surveillance cameras.

"The number one concern with the Mark II was battery life," Peratt says of the previous generation Arbitrator BWC. Some agencies using the Mark II were shutting off features such as pre-event recording to try to milk more operating time out of the system.

To solve this problem, Peratt says the evidence management team at Panasonic brought in some of the company's top battery engineers and portable electronic device designers. Panasonic is one of the world's leading battery manufacturers. "So we went to the battery division and asked them to produce the highest capacity battery in the smallest compartment possible," Peratt explains. In addition, the electronics inside the BWC were re-engineered to minimize power drain.

The combination of the new battery and the re-engineered electronics gives the new Mark III system a battery life of 12 hours or more in standard configuration, which includes pre-event recording and Bluetooth triggering. The new Panasonic BWC can be set up to automatically begin recording when the lightbar on the wearer's vehicle is activated, when the wearer's vehicle experiences a certain amount of G-force, when the vehicle's weapons lock is released, and under other conditions.

Peratt says customers also want more rugged body cameras. "The problem is that if the camera breaks on duty it will probably break in a situation, and then you don't have video of the incident. Trying to explain that to the public can cause or increase controversy," he explains.

To make its BWC more rugged, Panasonic turned to some of the top experts in the field, the engineers who work on the Toughbook team. The result is that the new Arbitrator BWC Mark III is one of the most rugged body cameras on the market. It's rated IP67, which means it is dust tight and can be immersed in up to 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes. In addition, the new body camera is MIL-STD-810G compliant, which means it can survive extremes of heat and cold and has passed the six-foot drop test.

The final major customer request that the BWC Mark III needed to meet, according to Peratt, was to make the Unified Evidence Management Software more compatible with other Panasonic surveillance tools. It was already compatible, he says, "but it wasn't as seamless as we wanted it to be." The software is now easier to use, and the process of combining evidence from Panasonic body-worn cameras, surveillance systems, and in-car cameras in the same file is now streamlined.

Peratt believes the new Panasonic Arbitrator BWC Mark III body camera will offer users an improved experience over the previous version. "We listened to our customers and now I think we really have a true home run product," he says.

The new Arbitrator BWC Mark III is now available in the primary configuration. The secondary (point of view) camera will be available in June.

http://us.panasonic.com/bwc
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Attorney-General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III as good as ordered his underlings to sometimes be unethical.

In his May 10 memo to US Attorneys nationwide, he trampled on what holds prosecutors to higher standards than ordinary lawyers. Prosecutors must not only win cases, but they must also see that justice be done. Sessions pretty much said forget about that until later, putting decent-minded prosecutors in a bind.

It is a core principle, Sessions directed, that prosecutors should charge and pursue the most serious, readily provable offense. In other words, accuse a suspect of the worst thing you can right off the bat. As sensible as that sounds, it runs afoul of professional ethics in many jurisdictions, not to mention the Justice Departments own manual for prosecutors.

Others have more than adequately observed that this amounts to a roll-back of the Obama Administrationss commitment to fairness in sentencing. It brings back over-the-top prison sentences that persecuted people of color disproportionately. But what really gets my dander up is what Sessions did to the citizens who steer our national justice system firsthand: federal prosecutors.

The real core principle guiding the Department of Justice is that justice be done. In state after state, and even our nations capital, ethics rules warn that A prosecutor has the responsibility of a minister of justice and not simply that of an advocate. And Sessionss predecessor, Eric Holder, told U.S. Attorneys that prosecutors must individually evaluate the unique facts and circumstances and select charges and seek sentences that are fair and proportional. It is the prosecutors role to bring suspects to justice  fairly.

This is why the DOJs manual itself lists things that a prosecutor must consider, even if a crime seems provable. For example, a prosecutor may consider national justice priorities, how non-serious the crime is, how small a role a suspect played, and whether the suspect had a criminal record. All these factors matter in seeing that justice be done. It is therefore sensible  and ethical  for a prosecutor to weigh them early on.

This week, however, Sessions said to never mind all that and through the book at every poor slob dragged in handcuffs through the jailhouse door.

This cannot be healthy. Public trust in law enforcement and prosecutors depends on people feeling that the system is fair. Being vengeful is corrosive of the public trust. As explained to PoliticusUSA by Mark Zaid, a leading national security lawyer and critic of government malfeasance, the Sessions memo reinforces the notion world-wide that the US is vindictive rather than rehabilitative when it comes to our criminal justice system. Rather than address our need for criminal justice reform in a positive manner it will only exacerbate the many problems we have.

It is not enough for Sessions to pronounce from on high that his directive is moral and just. Ethics and the need to seek true justice existed long before he came to office and will endure despite his orders. Hopefully.
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SHANGHAI (Reuters)  The company owned by the family of senior White House aide Jared Kushner will skip roadshow events in China this weekend seeking money from local investors for a real estate project in exchange for a shot at U.S. immigrant visas, a company spokesman said.

Nicole Kushner Meyer, Jareds sister, appeared at marketing events last weekend in Beijing and Shanghai in an effort to raise $150 million from Chinese investors through the controversial EB-5 visa-for-investment program.

According to marketing materials from one of the organizers of the roadshow, sales events for the project are scheduled in the southern cities of Shenzhen on Saturday and Guangzhou on Sunday.

No one from Kushner Companies will be in China this weekend, James Yolles, spokesman for the firm, said.

The company and KABR Group are raising money for a two-tower apartment complex in New Jersey called One Journal Square, marketing materials showed.

Kushner Companies earlier this week apologized for Meyer having mentioned Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trumps son-in-law, in discussing the project. The company said Meyer had done so only in an attempt to make clear that her brother was not involved.

Kushner Companies apologizes if that mention of her brother was in any way interpreted as an attempt to lure investors. That was not Ms. Meyers intention, it said.

In addition to Meyer, Laurent Morali, president of Kushner Companies, was included in marketing materials online for the China road show.

Jared Kushner, whose White House portfolio includes relations with China, sold his stake in Kushner Companies to a family trust early this year.

The EB-5 program allows wealthy foreigners to, in effect, buy U.S. immigration visas for themselves and families by investing at least $500,000 in certain development projects.

A member of the audience at the marketing event in Shanghai said Meyer spoke for about 10 minutes during last Sundays event and described her familys humble roots.

According to the New York Times, in Beijing on Saturday she told the audience of about 100 people the project means a lot to me and my entire family.

(Reporting by John Ruwitch; Additional reporting by Koh Gui Qing in New York; Editing by Tony Munroe and Lincoln Feast)
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Republicans, both elected and appointed, are betraying their oath of office by not appointing independent investigators for the Trump Russia probe. The security of the United States is on the line. This is no time for more of their partisan party first attitudes.

Its not just the House and Senate investigations that need to appoint an independent investigator or select committee to get around Republican obstruction of the Russia probe. Its also the Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Jay Rosenstein who need to appoint an independent special counsel to get around their own possible involvement (Sessions as Trump campaign member but also as writer of letter advocating reasons to fire Comey and Rosenstein for writing similar letter but also as possible witness to Trumps possible obstruction of justice).

Constitutional law expert Lawrence Tribe and Norm Eisen made the case that Trumps firing of Comey is worse than breaking a law in a USA Today opinion column (my bold), If President Trumps shockingly sudden firing of FBI Director James Comey had violated some statute or constitutional provision, our judicial branch could easily have remedied that misstep. What the president did was worse. It was a challenge to the very premises of our system of checks and balances precisely because it violated no mere letter of the law but its essential spirit. No one, not even a president, is above the law. And thus no public official, high or petty, can simply fire those our system trusts to investigate and remedy that officials possible bribery, treason, or other disloyalty to the nation.

One of the many problems with the way Republicans are handling (or not handling, to be more precise) Donald Trumps possible collusion with a hostile foreign government is they are refusing to operate the Legislative Branch as a check on the Executive Branch.

Republicans (elected and appointed) selective interpretation of the law is to suggest that in spirit, they think the law only applies to other people. The law does not apply to Donald Trump or the people who will help him cover up RussiaGate.

Their interpretation of their Constitutional duty is as troubling as their interpretation of their oath of office.

The U.S. Constitution, Article VI, clause 3 reads, The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

The oath reads, I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

It should not be too much to ask that the AG and Deputy Attorney General of the DOJ aim to carry out the spirit of the law and whose first loyalty is to the country.

Right now, we have an AG and Deputy AG who interfered in an investigation being carried out by the faction of the FBI that investigates enemies to the U.S., from within.

Republicans are OK with that. Which means Republicans are not carrying out their pledge to be loyal to this country. The only way we can even try to fix this is if people vote Republicans out of office in 2018.
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Trump will talk about anything, but he is suddenly refusing to discuss whether he is illegally taping conversations in the White House.

Video:

During an interview that will air on Fox News on Saturday, Trump said of the Comey tapes, Well, that I cant talk about. I wont talk about that. All I want is for Comey to be honest and I hope he will be, and Im sure he will be, I hope.

If he wasnt taping conversations in the White House, it would be easy for Trump to say so. By not wanting to talk about tapes of conversations, Trump is making it very clear that he is taping conversations, but he doesnt want to confirm their existence because will want those tapes for the Russia investigation.

The other possibilities involve there being no tapes, because Donald Trump is making it all up, or the third possibility is that someday Trump will release self-incriminating tapes and proclaim that they prove his innocence.

In the past, Trump has embraced and loved to discuss his absolutely fantastic lies. On a good day, one can still get him to go off on a deranged tangent about the size of his inauguration crowd, or the millions of illegal voters that voted for Hillary Clinton. This is the same man who once claimed that he sent investigators to find Obamas real birth certificate.

Trump lives in a fantasy, which is why his silence on the tapes suggests that they might actually exist.

For once, Trump isnt talking which is why investigators better get their subpoenas ready, because the Trump tapes could be real.
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Anyone who pays attention knew a Friday morning twitter tantrum was imminent. For while Trump prides himself for his ability to use the element of surprise, there are two things for which he is so predictable it must sting his fragile ego.

Trump will obsess over media coverage of him and when the coverage isnt favorable hell tweet that its fake news. In Trumpland, the emperor decides what is true and what isnt. Anything that makes Trump look good is true anything that shows him how he really is, is not.

Maybe the best thing to do would be to cancel all future "press briefings" and hand out written responses for the sake of accuracy???  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017

It isnt like things like transcripts, video recorded by countless media outlets will get in the way of a lie to rehabilitate the image Trump wants the little people to see  an image of a benevolent dictator who tells it like it is.

It isnt limited to the Russia question, though frankly that would be enough. As Sarah Jones reported, the Trumps own lawyers admitted Trump does have business dealings with Russia  which contradicts Trumps prior statements.

Trump has so many official versions of the Comey firing. It was because Comey was mean to Hillary. It was on the advise of Jeff Sessions who said he recused himself from all matters related to the Russia investigations, one of which was led by former FBI director Comey.

That brings us to the second thing. When the public record presents facts that make Trump look bad, hell threaten the messenger via twitter be it the former FBI director

James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017

 or the former Attorney-General, Sally Yates.

Ask Sally Yates, under oath, if she knows how classified information got into the newspapers soon after she explained it to W.H. Counsel.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 8, 2017

These threats when taken within the time and context of events are an obstruction of justice  the first offense in the articles of impeachment against Nixon.

Trump twitter threatened Yates just before damning testimony by her and James Clapper before a Senate Sub-Committee  this past Monday. Trump threatened Comey  days he fired Comey which was days after the former FBI director sought more resources to investigate the Trump campaigns alleged collusion with Putin during the 2016 election.

When both things happen in tandem, you get what happened today  a twitter tantrum where Trump makes his war on America and the Constitution public via Twitter. A big part of me wishes this is just melodrama  something we could dismiss as the musings of a senile former reality TV star.

In an opinion piece published in USA Today, Laurence Tribe, Richard Painter and Norman Eisen wrote:

If President Trumps shockingly sudden firing of FBI Director James Comey had violated some statute or constitutional provision, our judicial branch could easily have remedied that misstep. What the president did was worse. It was a challenge to the very premises of our system of checks and balances precisely because it violated no mere letter of the law but its essential spirit.

In short, Trump is on public record saying he is above the law of the land because he is president. And as Tribe et all point out, this goes beyond breaking a law or an ethics violation.

If only advising Mr. Trump that this is America, not Russia or a country ruled by the handful of dictators he praises for their strong leadership could solve this.

But it has gone beyond giving Trump some basic instruction on the U.S. constitution because Trump is at war with the very spirit of our constitution.

This week alone he threatened the former acting Attorney-General and the former FBI director  both of whom were fired from their positions because they wouldnt drop the investigation of the nature of Trumps relationship with Vladimir Putin. He threatened both should they go public with what they know.

Trump went on to compromise the Deputy AGs integrity, and thats after he got advise from the AG who supposedly recused himself from all matters related to the Russis question. In Putins Russia the emperors roar would be enough to silence questioning.

But this is America. The drumbeat of calls for a Special Counsel is getting louder. The FBIs wrath over the firing of Comey is surpassed by the ethics of career professionals  who swear their loyalty oath to America, its constitution and law.

Republicans are running out of time to choose America and the Constitution over the dictatorial aspirations of an orange, intellectually challenged version of Nixon.
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By Gina Cherelus

(Reuters)  U.S. Senator John Cornyn will no longer deliver the commencement address at Texas Southern University this weekend, the school said after U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was booed at another historically black university.

More than 800 people signed a petition started by a Texas Southern University student who opposed the universitys invitation to the Republican senator to speak at Saturdays graduation in Houston.

The petition said Cornyns backing of DeVos and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, among other things, showed that he supported discriminatory policies and politicians.

We have the right to decide if we want to refuse to sit and listen to the words of a politician who chooses to use his political power in ways that continually harm marginalized and oppressed people, the petition said.

The university, which will graduate more than 1,100 students on Saturday, said every effort had been made to ensure its ceremony was a celebration that would be remembered for the right reasons.

Cornyn has been invited to meet with Texas Southern University students in the future, the school said in a statement.

Libby Hambleton, a spokeswoman for Cornyn, said in an email that the senator was honored to have been invited to speak, but that he respects the administrations decision and looks forward to continuing to engage with the university in the future.

It was not immediately clear who would replace Cornyn at the ceremony.

Texas Southern Universitys action came after graduates at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida, booed, jeered and turned their backs on DeVos in protest on Wednesday as the education secretary gave a commencement speech.

Bethune-Cookman students, alumni and political activists, angered by comments DeVos has made about historically black colleges and universities, gathered tens of thousands of signatures on petitions seeking to have the invitation to DeVos rescinded.

DeVos, who is a proponent of school choice, said in February that such schools were real pioneers when it came to choice, without acknowledging racism as the main factor that led to the creation of such institutions.

She subsequently noted that historically black colleges were created because other institutions were not open to African-Americans.

(Reporting by Gina Cherelus in New York; Editing Daniel Wallis)
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The Resistance cant even mock the Trump Administration without being topped by their actual behavior.

On the day that Donald Trump announced he might just cancel White House briefings and the White House just stopped answering the phone all together, a woman posted to Facebook pictures shes putting in random bushes of a cutout of the top half of Sean Spicers head.

The weirdest thing about this is that it is the least weird news about Sean Spicer or Donald Trump.

It actually totally makes sense.

Kelsey Hayes of Politico Europe shared this:

Seen in my FB feed: Some lady made a cutout of the top half of Spicer's head and is sticking it in random bushes pic.twitter.com/R7WHodwbx7  Kelsey L. Hayes (@kelseylh) May 12, 2017

If you thought Spicers head in the dark among the bushes was perhaps a low point or an anomaly, I give you the White House not answering the phone.

Brian Stelter and the CNN Money team reported in their newsletter, At the moment, the White House doesnt seem to be providing any spokespeople for the Sunday shows. Fox News Sunday; host Chris Wallace said Friday morning: We cant even reach anybody at the White House  theyre not available, theyre not answering the phone.'

This is all trickling down, so to speak, from the man in charge. Donald Trump threatened to replace Sean Spicer with himself during an interview with Jeanine Pirro, in which he also threatened to just cancel those daily White House briefings.

After admitting that his communications staff couldnt keep up, Trump came up with the solution of replacing the daily briefing with himself. The President said, We just dont have them, and we do Unless I have them every two weeks and I do them myself. We dont have them.

It doesnt work like that when youre the leader of the free world. Theres this thing called accountability and in service of that, the enshrined freedom of the press. The press has to be given updates on the actions of the White House. If Trump et al cant manage to be accurate, the solution is not to cancel the briefings. Maybe try harder, get organized, give information to the people tasked with relaying it.

Only in the Age of Trump would the actions of citizens mocking the bizarre behavior of the U.S. President and his staff be topped by the actual crazy behavior of the U.S. President and his staff.

The people are allowed to do things like putting Sean Spicers head in the bushes to make fun of the in-the-dark-among-the-bushes meeting with the press Spicer held to announce the firing of former FBI Director James Comey.

The Washington Post first wrote of that debacle that Spicer emerged after several minutes hidden in the darkness and in the bushes. But they updated that to among, the way a paper must to avoid being called Fake News by President Donald Trump, who holds himself to no standard of accuracy, accountability, or reality.

Trump just makes things up and then gets angry and lashes out when the press wont repeat his trumped up accusations verbatim without fact checking them.

Among the bushes, you guys. Among. Not in. Thanks.

Usually, the people who are not in the White House are given the latitude to express themselves in whatever way they choose. But the Resistance cant compete with the real Donald Trump and his White House of crazy.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Showers this evening becoming a steady rain overnight. Low 64F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Showers this evening becoming a steady rain overnight. Low 64F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Clemson City Council will welcome a fresh face and new perspective after the Nov. 8 election, while Pickens County elected its first female Democratic council member. Read moreClemson council incumbents keep seats, welcome new face
Gregory Yee covers the city of Charleston. He's a native Angeleno and previously covered crime and courts for the Press-Telegram in Long Beach, CA. He studied journalism and Spanish literature at the University of California, Irvine.
After nearly six years with Rochester Catholic Schools, director Michael Brennan announced he'll be leaving the school on Friday.

Brennan, who joined the school in July 2011 , announced his last day will be June 30 because he's taking a job as president of Holy Family Catholic High School in Victoria.

Brennan called the decision "bittersweet" in an email to staff and families Friday.

"You have been a source of inspiration and hope in so many ways  making this a less-than-easy decision," Brennan said in the email. "After much consideration and above all  prayer  we feel called to step beyond the threshold of this door that God has opened for us, and we are excited to begin a new chapter in our lives."

He noted the move to the southwest metro would bring him closer to family.

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"Please know that you are in good and trusted hands with the leadership of our school system," his email continued. "The RCS Board of Trustees will be reaching out with more details regarding the next steps in this transitional period."
AUSTIN  Now that the city's recreation center is going to be built on the site of the old Austin Municipal Plant, the annual arts festival was in need of a new place to celebrate creativity.

After considering more than 20 sites, Austin ArtWorks Festival organizers announced this week week that the new venue for 2017 will be on the green space south of the Historic Paramount Theatre on Fourth Avenue Northeast, in the heart of downtown Austin.

The festival is a free, two-day event  Aug. 26 to 27. It was first held in 2012 as a celebration of visual, performing and literary artists, many of whom have ties to Austin and the region.

Since then, the event has grown in popularity among both guests and residents. The festival was designed to offer the community a broad selection of experiences in the arts in one weekend.

Last year's festival saw a record 7,500 attendees, and there's hope this year's event at the new site might break that record. Applications are being accepted until May 15 from interested artists looking to showcase their work. Applicants undergo a jury review before invitations to the exhibit are extended.

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"Our artists will set up their exhibition booths on the green space and the other key festival amenities will fan out from there," said Bonnie Besse Rietz, co-chairwoman of the ArtWorks Festival.

The event is free.

Here's the line up of what's expected at this year's Austin ArtWorks Festival:

 Tom Hormel'soriginal prints are to be displayed at the f ormer city Park and Recreation buildingon Fourth Avenue Northeastwith live classical musicplayed at the site throughout the event. Hormel is also an accomplished music composer and proficient in many visual mediums which will be represented among the original prints on exhibit at the ArtWorks Festival including

acrylic, digital and needlepoint. Hormel donated his original prints to the AACA, and all proceeds from the sale of the art will support the AACA.

 An outdoor stage, food trucks and demonstrating artistswill be located in the parking lot west of the green space, and south of the Spam Museum.

 Authors will be showcased at Sweet Readson Main Street in downtown.

 Austin ArtWorks Centeron Main Street features demonstrating artists, live music and a trunk showby artist David Snyder.

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 The Dick Schindler Celebration event "Artrageous,"an interactive speed painting and music experience where artists sing, dance and create large-scale artwork live on-stage, is taking place for Saturday evening at the Paramount Theatre.Mayo Clinic Health System-Albert Lea Austin sponsors the event as tribute to the late Dr. Dick Schindler. Tickets go on sale July 13.

 There will be a series of events put on the week of the the ArtWorks Festival, including a concert at the Hormel Historic Home, Matchbox Children's Theatre production of "No One will Marry a Princess with a Tree Growing Out of Her Head!" Family Art Fun at the Austin Public Library, Gallery opening at ArtWorks Center for Shelly Aquino Brandon and John Durren and capped off with an alley concert at Dusty's on Friday evening.

"We are excited that this site closely connects to the Historic Paramount Theatre and the Austin ArtWorks Center which are our organization's two year-round sites," said Laura Helle, Austin Area Commision for the Arts executive director, and city councilwoman. "We also expect the event to generate even more traffic to downtown businesses."
Megan Johnston's year running the Rochester Art Center was marked by staff turnover and financial struggles. And those struggles continue, with five staff members being laid off as interim leadership tries to right the museum's financial ship.

The turmoil at the publicly subsidized museum came as a shock to Rochester civic leaders, but not to trustees of the Georgia museum Johnston ran years before she came to Rochester.

Johnston, they say, left a trail of financial and personnel problems at the LaGrange Art Museum in LaGrange, Ga., that haunted the institution for years. Public documents and interviews show debt ballooned at the institution, which ran up hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses.

It's not clear whether the Rochester Art Center's hiring committee looked closely at Johnston's professional past before hiring her as executive director. Johnston left that job suddenly and without explanation earlier this year.

Some community leaders were bewildered by the abrupt departure of a person they described as outgoing, enthusiastic and committed to transforming the museum.

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"I was surprised, but more than that I was saddened," said Mary Ellen Landwehr, who worked with Johnston and the Rochester Art Center on a project that put sculptures along Rochester's bike trails, the type of work that earned Johnston praise for community engagement.

"Megan had a level of personal enthusiasm that was almost magnetic," Landwehr said. "She would get easily excited about anything that had to do with art."

Community engagement is a prominent theme in Johnston's career, and it was a big reason the Rochester Art Center hired her in 2015 after a national search. She described herself as a hard worker with "very high expectations of myself and others."

At the RAC, Johnston says her accomplishments include expanded free family art days, and staging an Andy Warhol exhibit.

But if praise for Johnston's approach to art was consistent, people who worked with her raise serious concerns about her management of staff and finances.

Red ink

In LaGrange, she took over in late 2009 and left a year and a half later. After Johnston left, the IRS came calling. The museum owed $60,000 in unpaid payroll taxes.

A month after Johnston left the Lagrange Art Museum, the IRS notified the museum that five-quarters worth of federal tax returns had not been filed. The letter indicates the first missing payment was due about half a year after Johnston started at the museum, and there were no further payments over the rest of her tenure.

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Johnston says she did not know this. But that's not what Bobby Cammon, former vice president of the museum's board, says. Cammon said the museum's treasurer told him Johnston ordered the treasurer to withhold the payments to prevent paychecks from bouncing.

Karen Briggs, the LaGrange museum's current executive director, said Johnston made some questionable financial decisions as the Great Recession was straining the museum's budget. Among them, the nonprofit LaGrange museum was subsidizing a for-profit gallery nearby that it had an artistic partnership with.

Publicly available financial documents indicate the LaGrange Art Museum suffered a financial meltdown in the two years that spanned Johnston's tenure. Nearly $38,000 in cash on hand dwindled to $1,000 six months after she left.

Total red ink approached $330,000. Debt exploded from $10,000 to more than $240,000. And management costs were quadruple the amount spent on arts programming.

In a series of interviews and emails with MPR News, Johnston explained that she was in the process of stabilizing the LaGrange museum's finances. Revenue and contributions had rebounded slightly by the end of 2011, six months after she left.

The debt, however, crippled the institution.

Turnaround

Johnston left after about 18 months for a sequence of other jobs. Her next stint leading an arts institution was in Ireland, where she took over at a financially troubled gallery. She spent 14 months there.

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During her first six months the gallery reversed a deficit and posted a surplus. Revenue fell, but spending declined much more.

The gallery's fortunes were on the upswing and its finances were in good shape when she left for Rochester in fall 2015, Johnston said.

But staff turmoil surfaced in Rochester. During her tenure at the RAC, nearly all the center's full-time employees left or were fired.

Former RAC staffers say her management style was controlling, unpredictable and distrustful, and fueled the turnover.

Nicole Nfonoyim-Hara was among the employees who quit. Johnston, she said, set the tone early on by belittling her during a staff meeting

"She told me that I needed a chaperone and that I was inexperienced," Nfonoyim-Hara recalled. "She just kept saying this at the meeting until I was in tears."

Misunderstood

Johnston said she inherited a talented but inefficient staff rife with interpersonal conflicts, so she managed with a firm hand.

"I worked very, very hard," she said. "And while a small few may not have liked the methods that were employed, I absolutely tried to find common ground with staff for a better way of working.

Publicly available documents make it clear the Rochester center was struggling financially before Johnston arrived. Ongoing construction at the civic center next door seriously hurt foot traffic and revenue.

Johnston said she didn't ignore the problem but responded with a strategic austerity plan meant to improve the center's grim financial picture.

"You have to look for efficiencies," she said. "Spend smart, take calculated risks for amazing programs and market the heck out of them."

Artist Su Legatt defends Johnston's tenure and praises her for being a curator who deeply understands the artist's vision.

But she said Johnston's strong personality can be misunderstood.

"That assertiveness and confidence doesn't always fit well with people," Legatt said.

It's not clear why Johnston left the Rochester center. She has signed a non-disclosure agreement and received severance. Board members have been mum on the subject.

A recent financial audit of the RAC said there is substantial doubt about the RAC's ability to survive, and city officials say they are watching the center closely. Taxpayers' annual contributions have totaled more than $1 million over several years.

After hearing about Johnston's tenure at the LaGrange Art Museum, Rochester City Council President Randy Staver said he hopes future RAC leadership searches are more thorough.

"Clearly I think this is going to beg the question of making sure these organizations are following an appropriate process," he said.
PLAINVIEW  A Kellogg man was injured in a single-vehicle accident Friday morning when he swerved to avoid traffic stopped for a school bus north of Plainview.

Brian Keith Irish, 48, was driving southbound on Minnesota Highway 42 in Plainview Township at 7:15 a.m. when the accident occurred, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. When Irish swerved to avoid traffic that had slowed suddenly to allow a school bus to pick up children, his Ford Bronco entered the ditch and rolled.

Irish was transported to Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Marys Campus with injuries that were not life-threatening and later was discharged.
UTICA  U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, DFL-1st District, said he wanted to see a Farm Bill for 2018 that valued land stewardship and soil health, invested in local farmers and local food economies, rewarded crop diversity and soil health, and focused on family farmers over corporate interests.

"Our Farm Bill," Walz said, echoing the call from members of the Land Stewardship Project, which hosted a roundtable with Walz on Thursday in Utica.

Walz, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, listened as three separate farmers explained how they got into farming, and how help from a good farm bill in Washington, D.C., would positively impact them and other small farmers.

"Times are tough for rural communities," said LSP member and staffer Tom Nuessmeier from Le Sueur, who presented the framework of a farm bill designed by the LSP. "Farm families are suffering" while corporate agriculture is given advantages. "Independent owner-operators are the backbone of the community, and we need to support that."

Nuessmeier said the goal for the day was to have a serious discussion of the 2018 Farm Bill.

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Points of focus included getting new farmers access to land and developing local markets for locally grown food, said Bryan Crigler, owner of Herbal Turtle Farms in Winona. "I started in farming by paying attention to food I was putting in my body and my family's," he said.

Today, he added, there is a growing public interest in knowing where their food comes from, but there are still impediments to keeping local markets open. "It feels like it's in constant jeopardy," Crigler said. "As Minnesotans, we should be very proud of our local farms and do everything we can to support our local farmers. I'm very hopeful for the future of our agriculture."

Walz said he believed in the agenda set forth by LSP  items including expansion of crop subsidies to alternative crops and reforming crop insurance regulations to both be more inclusive and reward those farmers who use good practices with better insurance rates  but the climate in the nation's capital, with Republicans controlling the House, Senate and White House, means finding ways to sell ideas to an audience focused more on tax cuts.

"We need to frame the story showing how this is about free markets, entrepreneurs and show how it's good for the country," Walz said.

For example, when Democrats talk about expanding subsidies to anything beyond traditional row crops like corn, the case needs to be made that organic small farmers are small business owners who are reacting to a market need, not "tree huggers."

Walz, who has announced he is running for governor of Minnesota, said he is one of a dying breed in Congress. "I'm one of only nine rural Democrats," he said. "I'm the only one endorsed by the Sierra Club or any other environmental organization."

Still, on a farm bill likely to be his last, Walz said he wanted to put environmental teeth into the bill, and he touted past victories in that vein. For example, anyone planting on new, marginal land would not be eligible for federal assistance on those acres. And there is a conservation compliance component to doing so.

"Now I'd say there's never been a more progressively environmental farm bill (than the last one)," Walz said. "And I know most of you are saying, damn that bar is low there." But the key, he said, is framing the argument in a way that appeals to Republicans and their pro-business outlook.

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Here are several points to the Land Stewardship Projects Farm Bill framework that were endorsed by U.S. Rep. Tim Walz on Thursday.

* Support local food economies by expanding Farm-to-Food Bank and Farm-to School initiatives.

* Disqualify factory farms from receiving Environmental Quality Incentives Program funding.

* Expand through increased funding the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program.

* Support good farming practices such as use of cover crops and soil health enhancement. This includes subsidies for diverse crop rotation and conservation plans for all farmers receiving public subsidies for crop insurance.
News reports indicate that illegal immigration has dropped sharply since President Trumps inauguration, even though no progress has been made in building the wall. Similarly, it appears that the flow of refugees has declined, even though the presidents travel orders, including his reduced ceiling on refugee admissions, has been tied up in the courts by partisan judges. The Star Tribune reports: Minnesotas refugee stream slows to a trickle.

The pace of refugees arriving in Minnesota slowed markedly in recent months, even though President Trumps executive order pausing resettlement remains mired in the courts. Arrivals hit a low of 66 statewide in March, roughly one-fifth the level of a year ago, before rebounding slightly in April. Somalis, who last fall were a majority of refugees in the state, made up less than a quarter of last months arrivals, based on new data from the State Department.

This chart shows the numbers:

The reasons for the decline are not clear, but it seems that fewer refugees are being interviewed overseas:

[T]here is speculation that federal vetting of new refugees is grinding to a halt. A recent Washington Post article cited Homeland Security officials who said their department has stopped interviewing refugees overseas  a key prerequisite for resettlement.

Which led to this wonderful quote by a disgruntled liberal:

Eric Schwartz, outgoing dean of the University of Minnesotas Humphrey School and a former Obama administration resettlement official, said the uncertainty is deeply troubling. If the administration has decided that the way they are going to implement the executive order is simply to stop interviewing people, he said, then they will succeed in thwarting the intent of the courts.

The horror! A president trying to thwart the intent of the courts! I think, rather, a couple of liberal activist judges are trying to thwart the intent of the president.

The Strip quotes one of my colleagues at American Experiment. We have been trying to find out the costs to taxpayers of supporting refugees in Minnesota. Suffice it to say that it isnt easy to get the data:

But for those who cheered Trumps move, the monthly arrivals are frustrating. At the Golden Valley-based Center of the American Experiment, Vice President Kim Crockett says Minnesota could still hit the 2,200 to 2,300 range of some recent years. Crockett has pressed for a fuller accounting of state and local resettlement costs. She said the executive order would have offered an opening to explore both cost and the cultural integration of refugees. The recent case of a Michigan doctor charged after performing genital mutilation on two Minnesota girls revived such questions, she said. Minnesota is culturally predisposed to generously offer our home to all strangers, no matter their religion or culture, she said. But we are naive if we think new arrivals can easily assimilate and become productive citizens.

Of course, if there is one thing Minnesotans can properly be accused of, it is being naive.
That certainly is how Democrats try to portray him. Trump firing Comey = Nixon firing Cox. Right? Wrong. But here is another one: With tapes tweet, Trump evokes Nixons White House.

The reference is to this tweet by the president:

James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017

That might have been dumb, but in any event, the press jumped all over it:

For the first time since an Oval Office taping system was removed by President Richard Nixons chief of staff nearly 44 years ago, a president has hinted that White House conversations might again be secretly recorded. If so, President Donald Trump is following a problematic precedent. While several presidents secretly recorded conversations without problems, the practice is most associated with Nixon. His recordings became prime evidence during the Watergate investigation that ultimately led to his resignation.

Which, of course, is what the AP hopes will happen to President Trump. But what about those several presidents who have recorded conversations without problems? Might that actually be all of them?

There is a rich history of secret presidential recordings since Franklin D. Roosevelt. Tapes of John F. Kennedy in the Oval Office helped cement his reputation as a strong leader during multiple crises. Lyndon Johnson also recorded conversations. But Nixons recordings are the most famous.

Of course they are! The Democrats used them to bring him down. The Democrats want to tie President Trump to Richard Nixon, as though his possible taping of Oval Office conversations over the last several months were unusual.

But did Barack Obama also secretly tape his Oval Office conversations? Twitchy has the story:

In 2012, journalist Mark Bowden gave a talk at the Pritzker Military Museum in Chicago about his new book, The Finish: The Killing of Osama bin Laden. As part of the research for that book, Bowden spent 90 minutes interviewing President Barack Obama in the Oval Office. The interview went well  until it didnt. Bowden: As I stood up to say goodbye to the president, I looked down and my tape recorder had died.  That thing had always worked like a charm but there it was, just as dead as a nut on the table. So I said my goodbyes and as I was walking out of the Oval Office with Ben Rhodes, I said, Ben, youre not going to believe this, but my recorder died in the middle of that somewhere. Ah dont worry about it, he says, we record everything in here. Well get you a transcript before you leave. And he did. That anecdote speaks volumes about the subject at hand: A recorded, transcribed conversation that was conducted without the subject knowing.

While the APs story linked at the top of this post is ambiguous, it suggests that the Oval Office taping system was removed, and not replaced, after the Nixon administration. This appears not to be true:

Btw I checked with USSS source: the Oval Office still has recording capability. Hopefully with better audio quality than Nixon had. https://t.co/XE869mNqIV  Yashar (@yashar) May 12, 2017

Putting all of that together, there seems little reason to say that Trump is the new Nixon, as it relates to recording in the Oval Office. It might be more accurate to say that Trump is the new Barack Obama, but I am sure Trump would rather be associated with a reasonably competent, if deeply flawed, presidentRichard Nixon.
We noted here a week ago the tepid reaction of Claremont McKenna College to the violent disruption of Heather Mac Donalds appearance there a few weeks ago, printing the entirety of Dean Peter Uvins lugubrious memo to the faculty that outlined how to let off the offending students.

Now comes word out of Middlebury College about the punishment to be meted out to the students who violently assaulted Charles Murray and sent Middlebury professor Alison Stanger to the hospital with whiplash and a concussion. According to John Leo at Minding the Campus, the offending student are . . . going to have a letter of reprimand placed in their file. A temporary letter at that, as the letter will be removed if the student commits no further infractions before the end of the school year. No wonder Middlebury tried to keep the details of their punishment secret.

So thats it rioters: if you get caught, Middlebury will . . . send you a letter! Written in disappearing ink. Thatll show em.
At Politico, Hadas Gold reports that New York Times publisher Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr. is making a personal appeal to subscribers who canceled because Bret Stephens transgressed some tenet of the religion of climate change (f/k/a global warming) in his debut as a Times columnist. Say it aint so, Pinch!

Sulzbergers apology reiterates the adherence of the Timess to every jot and tittle of the faith as well as the Timess commitment to continued evangelization. Have no doubt! I thought some readers might be interested in taking a look at the whole thing. Here is the text of the email message Sulzberger sent out yesterday afternoon to readers who cited Stephens as the reason for canceling their subscriptions (internal links omitted, whole thing with links posted here, via Chris DAngelo/Huffington Post):

Our customer care team shared with me that your reason for unsubscribing from The New York Times included our decision to hire Bret Stephens as an Opinion columnist. I wanted to provide a bit more context. Every subscriber to The Times is a stakeholder in our work and, as such, you are entitled to an explanation of our strategy and actions.

First, its worth underscoring that The Timess newsroom, which functions separately from our Opinion department and is led by executive editor Dean Baquet, has sharply expanded the team of reporters and editors who cover climate change. No subject is more vital. Here are a few recent examples that demonstrate the depth of our commitment to this story:

 Our architecture critic, Michael Kimmelman, worked with the photographer Josh Haner to show, quite vividly, how rising waters threaten Chinas cities.

 We featured a detailed look at nearly two dozen environmental rules, regulations and other Obama-era policies rolled back during President Trumps first 100 days in office.

 The reporters Damien Cave and Justin Gillis presented a devastating firsthand account of the profound trouble facing Australias Great Barrier Reef.

 A recent issue of the Sunday magazine dedicated to the climates future asked: How do we live with the fact that the world we knew is going and, in some cases, already gone?

 And the reporters Nadja Popovich, John Schwartz and Tatiana Schlossberg expertly distilled public opinion data about climate change into a series of six maps.

This journalism is unrivaled in its sophistication and imagination. The support of our subscribers is what allows us to pursue such ambitious stories all over the globe. I encourage you to sign up for a free newsletter from our climate desk to discover future stories and insights.

Meanwhile, The Timess Opinion pages remain an independent and unblinking forum for debate from a wide range of viewpoints among open-minded, informed writers and readers. I dont think, in these polarizing and partisan times, theres anything quite like it in American journalism.

As on so many consequential questions these days, Americans on the right and left are talking past each other about how best to address climate change, and we are determined to put these different points of view into conversation with each other in hopes of advancing solutions.

We feel very fortunate to have a principled, independent-minded conservative writer like Bret Stephens join our team. Brets work has joined a running debate in our pages that has also recently included Bill McKibben, a founder of the climate advocacy platform 350.org, warning that, President Trumps environmental onslaught will have immediate, dangerous effects, as well as the Times editorial board arguing for a carbon tax. We have, as always, invited our readers into this conversation, too, publishing their letters and comments as the debate has unfolded.

Our editorial page editor, James Bennet, and I believe that this kind of debate, by challenging our assumptions and forcing us to think harder about our positions, sharpens all our work and benefits our readers. This does not mean that The Times will publish any commentary. Some points of view are not welcome, including those promoting prejudice or denying basic truths about our world. But it does mean that, in the coming years, we aim to further enrich the quality of our debate with other honest and intelligent voices, including some currently underrepresented in our pages. If you continue to read The Times, you will encounter such voices  not just as contributors, but as new staff columnists.

Im grateful for the support you have provided to our journalism in the past, and I hope you may consider supporting it again in the future. Youll always have a home here at The Times and we welcome your feedback at [email protected]

Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr.

Publisher

The New York Times
This is by far the most important news story of the day, but it seems to have been buried beneath an avalanche of James Comey coverage: Dozens of countries hit by huge cyberextortion attack:

Dozens of countries were hit with a huge cyberextortion attack Friday that locked up computers and held users files for ransom at a multitude of hospitals, companies and government agencies. It was believed to the biggest attack of its kind ever recorded. The malicious software behind the onslaught appeared to exploit a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows that was supposedly identified by the National Security Agency for its own intelligence-gathering purposes and was later leaked to the internet.

I believe a criminal gang called Shadow Brokers stole and leaked NSA documents that identified a security flaw in Microsoft software. As I understand it, the vast international attack that is occurring now exploits the security flaw identified in the leaked NSA files.

Britains national health service fell victim, its hospitals forced to close wards and emergency rooms and turn away patients. Russia appeared to be the hardest hit, according to security experts, with the countrys Interior Ministry confirming it was struck. All told, several cybersecurity firms said they had identified the malicious software in upward of 60 countries, including the United States, though its effects in the U.S. did not appear to be widespread, at least in the initial hours.

Can you imagine if Russia hadnt been hit? The whole thing would have been Trumps fault, somehow.

Computers were infected with what is known as ransomware  software that freezes up a machine and flashes a message demanding payment to release the users data.

***

Security experts said the attack appeared to be caused by a self-replicating piece of software that enters companies and organizations when employees click on email attachments, then spreads quickly internally from computer to computer when employees share documents and other files. Its ransom demands start at $300 and increase after two hours to $400, $500 and then $600, said Kurt Baumgartner, a security researcher at Kaspersky Lab.

The world-wide attack apparently is the work of a criminal gang. I dont understand how they can collect the many small ransom payments they evidently are demanding without getting caught. Doesnt there need to be a bank in the picture somewhere? But the criminals no doubt have figured this out better than I have.

By Kaspersky Labs count, the malware struck at least 74 countries. In addition to Russia, the biggest targets appeared to be Ukraine and India. Hospitals across Britain found themselves without access to their computers or phone systems. Many canceled all routine procedures and asked patients not to come to the hospital unless it was an emergency. Doctors practices and pharmacies reported similar problems. Patrick Ward, a 47-year-old sales director, said his heart operation, scheduled for Friday, was canceled at St. Bartholomews Hospital in London. Tom Griffiths, who was at the hospital for chemotherapy, said several cancer patients had to be sent home because their records or bloodwork couldnt be accessed. Both staff and patients were frankly pretty appalled that somebody, whoever they are, for commercial gain or otherwise, would attack a health care organization, he said.

Anyone surprised by this hasnt been paying attention for a long time.

But todays attack was only intended, apparently, to extract ransom. Equally talented hackers could bring down hospitals, government agencies and corporations without making any demands, simply to cripple a given country or region. Such cyber warfare has been feared for a long time. It looks like it finally has become a reality.
The award winning Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, has been elected into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, along with 228 new members, the Academy announced on Wednesday.

Three other Nigerians were also elected into the revered Academy. They include: Nigerian geographer, Akin Mabogunje, from the University of Ibadan. He was elected into the History section in the Academy. The President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede was elected into the Business, Corporate and Philanthropic leadership section of the Academy.

Former Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Chairman, Attahiru Jega, was elected into the Public Affairs and Public Policy section of the Academy.

In the announcement by the Academy of Arts and Science, Chimamanda was listed among 40 Foreign Honorary Members from 19 countries elected by the Academy.

In March, Chimamanda was also elected into the Nigerian Academy of Arts and Letters, the second Nigerian to be so honoured, after Professor Wole Soyinka. She will be inducted in May.

The new class will be inducted at a ceremony on October 7, 2017, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Among the people elected are some of the worlds most accomplished scholars, scientists, writers, artists, as well as civic, business, and philanthropic leaders. They will all form the 237th class of the academy.

Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is one of the countrys oldest learned societies and independent policy research centres, convening leaders from the academic, business, and government sectors to respond to the challenges facingand opportunities available tothe nation and the world.

Members contribute to Academy publications and studies in science, engineering, and technology policy; global security and international affairs; the humanities, arts, and education; and American institutions and the public good.

Members of the 2017 class include winners of the Pulitzer Prize and the Wolf Prize; MacArthur Fellows; Fields Medalists; Presidential Medal of Freedom and National Medal of Arts recipients; and Academy Award, Grammy Award, Emmy Award, and Tony Award winners.

It is an honor to welcome this new class of exceptional women and men as part of our distinguished membership, said Don Randel, Chair of the Academys Board of Directors. Their talents and expertise will enrich the life of the Academy and strengthen our capacity to spread knowledge and understanding in service to the nation.

In a tradition reaching back to the earliest days of our nation, the honor of election to the American Academy is also a call to service, said Academy President Jonathan Fanton.

Through our projects, publications, and events, the Academy provides members with opportunities to make common cause and produce the useful knowledge for which the Academys 1780 charter calls.

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No fewer than 20 cultural troops from the U.S. and 10 African countries have confirmed their intentions to participate in the African Drums Festival in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The Secretary to the Ogun government, Taiwo Adeoluwa, who disclosed this on Tuesday at a news conference to unveil the official logo of the festival, said it would hold from April 20 to April 22 in Abeokuta.

He said that 12 states in the country had also confirmed their participation in the festival, which he described as an expanded form of the maiden edition of the Nigerian Drums Festival held in Abeokuta in 2016.

He said that the growth and acceptance of the festival as a melting-pot for cultural fraternity necessitated the need to yield to the demand to scale up its scope beyond Nigeria to include the African continent and other countries.

The legion of commendations and acknowledgements showered on the first edition were as a result of the cultural renaissance it created on the African continent, particularly with the unveiling of the worlds tallest drums of 17 and 18 metres at the event.

We are working toward the registration of the tallest drum in the Guinness book of records as part of efforts to stamp the state and Nigeria on the world map, he said.

Mr. Adeoluwa explained that the festival was packaged as an avenue to enhance the economic value of its citizenry by showcasing talents and the rich cultural heritage of the state.

We are indeed astonished by the high level of confirmation by over 20 cultural troupes from within Nigeria, across Africa and even the U.S., he said.

Foreign countries, which have confirmed their participation, according to Mr. Adeoluwa include Togo, Haiti, Republic of Benin, Congo Brazzaville, Burkina Faso and the U.S.

The state governor, Ibikunle Amosun, while unveiling the logo, assured that the numerous guests, who would be attending the event from across the world that they will have a feel of our dear state and its hospitality.

Mr. Amosun, who was represented by the deputy governor, Yetunde Onanuga, said: We are proud to showcase the display of different drums, dances, and performances from different parts of Africa as an integral part of our cultural heritage, which must be preserved.

(NAN)

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Nigerias Romeo Oriogun has been named winner of the 2017 Brunel International African Poetry Prize.

The competition is open to African poets worldwide who are yet to publish a full poetry collection.

The poetry prize award of 3,000 cash prize is in its fifth year.

Romeos beautiful and deeply passionate writing on masculinity and desire in the face of LGBT criminalisation and persecution earned him the top spot.

The judges said, Romeo Oriogun is a hugely talented, outstanding, and urgent new voice in African poetry. His poetry is wide ranging but at its heart are deeply passionate, shocking, imaginative, complex and ultimately beautiful explorations of masculinity, sexuality and desire in a country that does not recognise LGBT rights. We wish him all the best for the future.

Oriogun lives and writes in Udi, a small town in Enugu State. His poems have been featured in Brittle Paper, African Writer, Expound, Praxis, and others. He is the author of Burnt Men, an electronic chapbook published by Praxis Magazine online.

Oriogun explained that he entered the Brunel International African Poetry Prize because in Africa there are very few spaces for queer writing, I thought it was a means of sharing my poems. He described reaching the shortlist as a blessing and a surprise.

In discussing hardships and threats in Nigeria he said: Sometimes this is the price I pay for writing but it is better than keeping quiet. I know queer people may not be free to love openly in my lifetime but it is a journey and we are laying the stones for the future.

The judges were unanimous this year in their decision that among a shortlist of ten stunning new poets, selected from nearly 1,200 entries, Oriogun  who only begun writing three years ago  should receive the prize, said the organisers.

.

The judges include Chris Abani (Northwestern University); Kwame Dawes (University of Nebraska); Safia Elhillo (winner of the 2015 Prize); Patricia Jabbeh Welsley (Penn State University) and chair and founder, Bernardine Evaristo (Brunel University London)

The latter said, Romeo Oriogun is a hugely talented, outstanding, and urgent new voice in African poetry.

Aside from Oriogun, Nigerian poets Saddiq Dzukogi, Rasak Malik Gbolahan, and Kechi Nomu were also shortlisted for the prize alongside Sahro Ali (Somalia) Leila Chatti (Tunisia), Kayo Chingonyi (Zambia), Yalie Kamara (Sierra Leone), Richard Oduour Oduku (Kenya) and Nick Makoha (Uganda).

All the winners and most of the shortlisted poets of the past four years have had poetry pamphlets published with APBF in their New Generation African Poets series of box sets, in partnership with U.S. publishers Slappering Hol Press and Akashic Books. Some of these poets have also published, or are about to publish, their first full length collections.

African poetry is now undergoing a revolution with the publication of many brilliantly unique poets who are changing the literary landscape of the continent, the prize judges said.

The previous winners of the award are: 2013, Warsan Shire (Somalia); 2014, Liyou Libsekal (Ethiopia); 2015, Safia Elhillo (Sudan) and Nick Makoha (Uganda); 2016, Gbenga Adesina (Nigeria) and Chekwube Danladi (Nigeria).

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A-list Kannywood actress, Umma Shehu, has described her colleague, Ummi ZeeZee, as a small fry.

Ms. Umma, said this in a recent chat with PREMIUM TIMES Hausa. Her statement was a response to ZeeZees interview with the same paper wherein she described herself as the best actress in Kannywood.

ZeeZee who was allegedly betrothed to a former military ruler, Ibrahim Babaginda, last featured in a Kannywood film in 2006.

Nonetheless, she has charged the present crop of Kannywood actresses to keep bowing to her because none of them can take her number one spot.

In the controversial interview with PREMIUM TIMES Hausa, ZeeZee was quoted as saying, Nafi duka yan matan Kannywood Aji meaning,I am the most superior to all of them in Kannywood right now.

But, Ms. Umma has called ZeeZees bluff and has also challenged her to return to Kannywood to see if she can make an impact.

PREMIUM TIMES Lere Mohammed caught up with Ms. Umma who is barely two years in the industry and the 26-year-old actress had this to say:

PT: What are your thoughts about ZeeZees comment?

Umma: ZeeZee is just an ordinary actress even when she was an active player in the Hausa film industry. She was never better that Fati Mohammed, Safiya Musa and many others. I simply think she is just a zero behind a decimal point. She is looking for cheap popularity because her name is missing on the list of Kannywood A-list actresses.

PT: Dont you think she said that because you guys are not good enough?

Umma: Yes she has her mouth and she is entitled to her opinion but to be frank, ZeeZee cant match the present crop of Kannywood actors. I say this with all confidence because I have watched her movies. There was nothing spectacular about her acting or delivery and like I said earlier, we look forward to being as great as the likes of Fati Mohammed, Safiya Musa, Mansurah Isah and many others.

PT: So why do you think she made those comments?

Umma: You know some years back she was listed as one of the richest Kannywood actresses because she rode in a convoy of cars with personalised plate numbers. But, she thought that was all acting or being an actress entailed. Nobody knows the source of her wealth and she has gone bankrupt. She currently owns one car. Her acting was different and her earnings and investments was only known to her. I cant go into details because I dont know anything about her investments. Simply put, there is and was nothing special about ZeeZee.

PT: Dont you think people might think you are simply being jealous of ZeeZee?

Umma: No, I am not jealous of her. I watched her films and there is nothing extraordinary about them.

PT: Do you think you can stand her if she decides to return to acting?

Umma: I will beat her hands down and this is not an empty boast. In her heyday she did what she could do, but she cannot make a simple impact right now. Yes, let me repeat it again she cannot fit in to this generation of actors.

PT: Do you think you are one of Kannywoods best actors?

Umma: I am not. I have people whose acting skills and I admire and learn from them. They include Jamila Nagudu, Nafeesat Abdullahi, Fati Washa, Hadiza Gabon, Hafsat Idris, Aisha Tsamiya, to mention but a few. ZeeZee is not my match and neither are the aforementioned.

PT: On a personal note, do you like her?

Umma: Yes I do even as we speak. She is a colleague but she is not better than all of us. And I am challenging her to please return to the film industry so we can see what she can boast of, acting-wise.

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The new Executive Council members of the Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria, MOPPAN, are trying to come to terms with the daunting nature of the many challenges facing the association they were last week elected to lead for the next two years.

This is in spite of the fact that, even before the election that took place at Royal Tropicana Hotel, Kano, most of the problems bedevilling Kannywood as an industry were visible to almost all the stakeholders.

When the association zoned its presidency to Kaduna State, two popular producers, Yakubu Lere and Abdullahi Maikano Usman, immediately indicated interest. Mr. Maikano is the Chairman of Iman Ventures and Communications Nig. Ltd while Mr. Lere is Chairman of Lerawa Films Production.

They eventually slugged it out with Al-amim Ciroma, a popular Kaduna film director, actor and former editor of LEADERSHIP Hausa, for the position. Mr. Ciroma is now a director of the Abuja-based Hausa weekly newspaper.

Mr. Maikano emerged winner with 57 votes, ahead of Mr. Lere who polled 14 votes. Mr. Ciroma got 13 votes. The electorate was constituted by five representatives of each of the northern state chapters of MOPPAN. The association is comprised by the different guilds of Kannywood producers, directors, actors, editors and scriptwriters.

PREMIUM TIMES HAUSA learnt that, even as they celebrated their election, the new executive members were troubled by the monumental problems of MOPPAN.

As at the time of the election last weekend, its purse was virtually empty. A source told PREMIUM TIMES Hausa that the association had been evicted from its rented office along Zoo Road in Kano.

But even more worrisome is the disunity in the association, exacerbated by the suspicion of government interference in the election.

MOPPAN came into being as a counterpoise to the Arewa Film Makers Association championed by Hamisu Lamido Iyan Tama of Iyan Tama Multi Media Company, an A-Class producer and actor.

Abdulkarim Mohammed was the first, followed by Sani Muazu and Umar Faruq Jibrin, a lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Bayero University, Kano, as well as Chairman of Kwality Film Production. Mr. Jibrin was also Commissioner of Information during the second tenure of Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano.

A few hours before the elections last week in Kano, there was a rumour that the Kaduna State Government had sent a delegation to monitor the event. PREMIUM TIMES HAUSA confirmed the presence of some officials of the state at Royal Tropicana Hotel, venue of the elections about 20 hours before the exercise commenced.

It was not surprising therefore that both Messrs. Lere and Ciroma were bitter over their defeat in the presidential election. An associate of Mr. Ciroma railed to PREMIUM TIMES HAUSA that some voters were allegedly induced financially to change their minds a few hours before the election. But Mr. Ciroma gamely congratulated Mr. Maikano after the election and promised to work with him.

The two defeated presidential candidates may have been victims of political circumstances. Whereas Mr. Lere is an open antagonist of the Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, Mr. Ciroma was at the forefront of a war of words with the Kano State government when a popular musician, Sadiq Zazzabi, was arrested for allegedly violating the states censor law.

Another factor that probably affected Mr. Ciroma was his vehement stance against the suspension of Rahma Sadau from Kannywood by the Kano chapter of MOPPAN. PREMIUM TIMES HAUSA learnt that some of the voters decided against voting for Mr. Ciroma because his presidency might influence the lifting of Ms. Sadaus suspension.

Many participants were also not happy that Katsina State did not win a single position in the new exco. When PREMIUM TIMES HAUSA interviewed the newly sworn-in MOPPAN President, Mr. Maikano, he pointed out that it was an election and not selection. But he said he was not happy, as a person, that no contestant from Katsina sSate won any of the 12 positions.

Let me tell you what happened when an official of Kaduna Youth Development called three of the contestants, including me. They told us that they wanted us to assure them that this election will not bring crisis in Kaduna. You know, there was a primary election in Kaduna before, which was later rejected.

.

He believed that he won the election because of his immense contributions to the development of Hausa films in the north.

Mr. Maikano, however, promised to carry all Kannywood stakeholders along.

I belong to everybody and I dont have a single enemy. Let us come together and work for the benefit and for the purpose of taking Hausa film industry to a greater height.

The new MOPPAN president is the producer of Samira, Zumudi, Jinin Masoya, Dare Daya, Imani, Mutum Sai Allah etc. He is also the scriptwriter of the series, Gatanan Ku and Rayuwa.

When PREMUIM TIMES HAUSA asked Mr. Maikano about the state of the purse of the association, he said the handover was not yet formulated. On the issue of the associations headquarters, he said it was resolved immediately after their inauguration in Kano

The newly elected leadership of MOPPAN include:

President: Abdullahi Maikano Vice President 1: Salisu Muazu President Vice 2: Nasiru B. Muhammad Vice President 3: Adamu Jahun Secretary General: Ahmed Alkanawy Assistant Secretary: Abdullahi Dan Asabe Treasurer: Nura Hussaini PRO: Maikudi Cashman Financial Secretary: Bello Achida Organising Secretary: Ahmed Hashim Auditor 1: Haruna Goodwill Auditor 2: Tijjani Faraga.

Read the Hausa version here: Zaben MOPPAN: Maikano ya doke Lere, Ciroma

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The children of Olusegun Obasanjo, former Nigerian president, and Kessington Adebutu, owner of Premier Lotto, on Thursdayhad their traditional wedding.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that the ceremony took place despite the controversy surrounding the date of the marriage.

Taiwo Obasanjo, the grooms mother, had in a letter to The Methodist Church of Nigeria, said the dates chosen for the wedding of Abraham Obasanjo to Tope Adebutu  May 11 and 13  would precipitate untold misery for the country.

The two dates were chosen and compelled by Satan for them to lure unsuspecting numerous souls to a banquet of death, that will result in strange holocaust in our nation, Mrs. Obasanjo had said.

After the wedding, you will be hearing and seeing incidents of plane crashes, fire incidents, multiple road accidents, tankers and trailer killing people, cancers, diseases of kidney, liver, prostrate, eyes issues and diverse health problem causing strange death in people and the economy situation will worsen.

Earlier, Mrs. Obasanjo had filed a suit at an Ikeja High Court, seeking to stop the wedding but Lateefat Okunnu, the presiding judge, dismissed the suit on the grounds that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear it because the groom, 33, is an adult.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the ceremony, which held at the Balmoral Hall of Federal Palace Hotel in Lagos, was attended by prominent Nigerians including politicians, business moguls, and traditional rulers.

The white wedding is expected to take place on Saturday.

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A-MA-LA: a tri-syllabic word that salivates may be the middle name of this rustic city, and its new carnival of the palate.

When you hear about amala, there are various questions that pop into your head. Sometimes one wonders, why are people so enamoured with a dish whose colour is most unlikely to attract the retina? Why is it that when people step into Ibadan for the first time the one thing they are, almost invariably, asking for is an amala buka?

As a child growing up in Ibadan, I know that at some point in my life I have had memories that were tied to the legendary amala. There were days when we would drive past any of the canteens in Ibadan and I cannot help but imagine pots of steaming amala with the signature gbegiri and ewedu soup, a combination called abula. For sure, culture is the way of life of a group of people and part of our culture is our food. Our food sometimes defines our identity.

We all have wondered for years now what makes amala special? Anybody can prepare amala at home on a gas cooker, so whats the special thing about the buka amala? The answer to that question is probably simple. It is the euphoria, that strange feeling you get when you have just 45 minutes to spare for a lunch break and you have no car, and you must have Bodija Market amala for lunch. So what to do? You pick a bike and already 10 minutes of your time is gone, rush into the buka and the queue is terrible; the noise annoying and the heat maddening  there is obviously no air condition but you must eat that amala. When it is finally your turn you still have to spend five minutes arguing with the lady who is supposed to give you meat but when you start eating the amala, your fingers are burning and you are all drenched in sweat but you dont stop, you keep eating. Finally done, you take that toothpick and put it in your mouth even when you have nothing there I guess that is what makes amala special; yet, all we amala fans arent totally unaware of the sometimes suspect sanitary condition of some city joints. I sometimes strangely imagine if this really isnt a mark of its authenticity?

This grassroots love seems to have been identified by the Oyo State government. And the government, in conjunction with the Commission for Museums and Monuments and the National Museum of Unity, Alesinloye Ibadan, presented this Ajodun Oka, the amala fiesta which they titled The Making of Amala. And though I did not make the opening ceremony, but have it on authority that the event, which took place at the Trans Amusement park, Ibadan, was commissioned by the governor of Oyo state who was represented by his wife Mrs Florence Ajimobi. Mrs Ajimobi urged Nigerians to embrace African cultural values. There was also in attendance the state Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr. Toye Arulogun.

There were different stalls awarded to different participants from various canteens in Ibadan North to aid them in the preparation of this delicacy. We had canteens like Omolayo, Iyadunni and Iya Oyo; just a slight chip of the iya- omo canteen-naming predilection of Ibadan where most canteens are named after a mother and/or a child. There were also stalls for side attractions like the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training which displayed different books and even a grasscutter. The various canteens are expected to prepare amala and abula, while people are expected to go eat, and have fun free of charge!

Any surprise at the timing of this festival? A dwindling income from oil reserves forcing federating units and states to look inwards, some have suggested. Tapping into a potential local market of indigenous passion of palate, is another way some have explained it. What seems incontrovertible is that Nigeria is becoming highly culturally conscious everyday, and although we have a lot of festivals, we do not really have a lot of festivals depicting our indigenous delicacies and their preparations. The Ajodun Oka serves as an opening to showcase Nigerian food such as amala, and to encourage everyone, particularly the new generation to embrace indigenous food, especially when they are highly organic and healthy.

Iwalewa Olorunyomi writes from the Department of Classics, University of Ibadan.

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A U.S. service member has been killed in Somalia during a Somali-led mission against the al-Shabaab militant group, military officials said on Friday.

The U.S. Africa Command said the service member died on Thursday while U.S. forces were advising and assisting a Somali National Army operation about 40 miles (60 km) west of Mogadishu near Barii, Somalia.

U.S. forces were conducting an advise and assist mission alongside members of the Somali National Army, it said in a statement.

U.S. forces are assisting partner forces to counter al-Shabaab in Somalia to degrade the al Qaeda affiliates ability to recruit, train and plot external terror attacks throughout the region and in America.

A Mogadishu-based security source told Reuters that the two other U.S. servicemen were wounded during the operation, when U.S. troops were hunting an al Shabaab commander near the Shabelle river,

There were no casualties among the Somali special forces, he said.

Al-Shabaab wants to overthrow the weak Western-backed Somali government and impose its own strict brand of Islamic law.

Somalia has been torn apart by civil war since 1991, when clan-based warlords overthrew a dictator and then turned on each other.

(Reuters/NAN)

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The extremist Boko Haram sect on Friday released a new video appearing to show some abducted Chibok girls explaining why they would prefer to remain in the custody of the terrorist sect rather than return to their families.

A negotiator who facilitated the recent release of 82 of the girls had said some of the abductees were reluctant to be freed.

In the video, uploaded to YouTube by Sahara Reporters, one of the girls, clutching an AK47 rifle, responded to questions from a man believed to be a Boko Haram commander. Other girls were seen sitting around her.

Below is a trancript of the question-and-answer session between the commander and the girl.

Male voice:

These are some of the Chibok girls who said they are not going back to their parents they prefer to stay back and practice Gods religion. We will now ask them why they are refusing to return.

Q & A

Q: What is your name?

A: My name is Maida Yakubu

Q: Where are you from?

A: From Chibok

Q: What are your parents names?

A: My mothers name is Esther Mutari and my fathers name is Yakubu Kaba

Q: what is the name of your school?

A: GDSS Chibok

Q: Why did you refuse to return to your parents?

A: Because they are in town of infidels, we want them to accept Islam and join us to practice the religion and rest in the hereafter

Q: What is the truth about the allegation that you are married off by force, is that true?

A: It is not true, only those who agreed to marry are married off

Q: What message do you have for your parents

A: My message to them is for them to accept Islam and practice the religion of God.

Q: What message do you have for the people of Nigeria?

A: I call on all Nigerians to leave any book that is not from God and follow the Holy book and sayings of the prophet. Gods religion will continue to prosper whether you like it or not, if you refuse, you will die in frustration.

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As the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) began its 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), candidates commended JAMB as others lamented the hitches experienced at the exam centres.

Some of the candidates who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in some parts of the country decried poor internet network.

NAN observed orderliness at most of the exam centres visited as students took their turns to write the exam.

The two-hour exams is expected to hold for seven days excluding Sunday across the country.

Some of the candidates in FCT, Osun, Ebonyi and Nasarawa states, expressed dissatisfaction over poor internet challenges at their respective CBT centres especially at Kunike International School, Ilesa road in Osogbo.

Also, candidates at the Risewise CBT centre in Kuchikau, Nasarawa state, lamented poor internet facilities.

Dauda Geoffrey at the CBT centre, Kuchikau, told NAN that he experienced some challenges ranging from bad network to system powering off as a result of power failure.

He said the operators in the centre were, however, able to manage the problems, adding that the experience can deter candidates from full concentration in the exam.

Generally, the exam was good but some of us experienced some hitches while writing the exam because some of the computer systems were malfunctioning.

They were logging in and out and we also experienced a situation where some of the systems were outrightly switched off.

But the officials were able to manage the situation because for those of us with the challenge, we have to wait for some candidates to finish then we move to their system to write our exams, he said.

Geoffrey, however, said he would rather prefer the old method of paper and pencil in writing the exam as it was stressed free.

Faith Attah, also noted that the only problem faced in the centre was that of network failure, adding that JAMB authority should look for ways of solving the problems for the next batch of candidates.

She said this would help erase the doubt of hitch-free exam from the public.

Also, Dare Monday appealed to JAMB to put in place effective and efficient structure in the conduct of the exam.

Some of the candidates also decried the unfriendly attitude of some JAMB staff that showed less concern to candidates who needed immediate attention or faced with some immediate challenges.

Earlier, Ayodele Ojo, JAMB supervisor at the centre, said the problems were minor, but promised to proffer immediate solution before subsequent batches.

Mr. Ojo also said the exam was smooth, adding that all the candidates were familiar with the computer as there was no problem of having to put them through the system.

He said that over 98 per cent of the first batch reported and wrote the exam.

He said the remaining candidates who failed to appear would be made to face the consequence as no other exam would be conducted for them.

The exam is going on, we have checked in the candidates and like every human scheme, we are still expecting a few candidates, he said.

Adebayo Oyelabi, one of the UTME candidates told NAN on Saturday in Osogbo, said he experienced poor network and wrong password in the event of logging into the JAMB website.

Mr. Oyelabi said the computer systems at Kunike denied a lot of candidates access to the UTME site, which eventually led to distraction before the intervention of the coordinator and normalcy was later returned.

The computer will tell us, No exams for you which made some of us to become uncomfortable.

Some candidates have to be taken from one position to another position just to ensure easy access to the portal, he said.

In Abakaliki, Rose Eze, JAMB official from Abuja and supervisor at Mastersoft Technology LTD, JAMB UTME approved centre told NAN that the innovation of the board is more preferable compare to the past system.

Ms. Eze said that the board Instruction, registration, procedures and portal, gave credit to the new development.

Ms. Eze expressed satisfaction over conducts of students at the Abakaliki centre and stated that there are no challenges of bad network or computers breakdown.

She said that the students were advised earlier to be conscious of time to end their examination properly before time.

Generally, the exam is well conducted and no challenges experienced in this centre.

JAMB new innovation is more preferable to other method of examination and we advised them to be time conscious to conclude their exams before time,  she said.

Ogomu Okereke and Ndidiamaka Ukpia, JAMB candidates at the centre in their separate interviews acknowledged the innovation and advised the board to sustain it.

NAN reports that Mojeed Alabi, the 2017 UTME General Monitoring Officer for Osun, Oyo and Ogun states had told NAN about the level of preparedness at ICT centres in Osogbo for the Jamb examination. (NAN)

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The National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, on Saturday issued an emergency advise to Nigerians about a rampaging ransomware virus that emerged across the globe on Friday.

Within the last 24 hours, no fewer than 100,000 computers were reported affected in 99 countries by ransomware, which encrypts a computer and demands a $300 ransom before unlocking it.

The virus, also known as WannaCry or Wannacrypt, is believed to be part of the United States National Security Agency hacking tools that were leaked earlier in the year.

The ransomware virus swept computers running on Microsoft Windows Operating System, especially those not currently supported such as Windows XP, Windows 8 and Windows Server 2003, across the globe.

In March, Microsoft, in an unusual move, released a patch for all the old, non-supported operating systems to protect computers vulnerable to the NSA leaks.

But the ransomware virus proved so malicious that Microsoft had to issue another patch for all Windows OS-based computers dating back as far as 14 years.

Notable organisations affected by the virus since Friday include the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK, along with Telefonica in Spain. Courier giant, FedEx, was also hit by the virus, Sky News reported.

All recent Microsoft computers are automatically protected from the virus, reports said.

In a statement issued by its Director General, Ibrahim Pantami, NITDA gave Nigerians guidelines on how to protect their personal and workplace computers from being affected by ransomware.

Should your system be infected by ransomware, isolate the system from your network to prevent the threat from further spreading. In addition, the following actions can be taken immediately:

 Remove the system from Network.

 Do not use flash/pen drive, external drives on the System to copy files to other systems.

 Format the System completely and get fresh OS copy installed.

For emergency assistance, contact NITDA Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team (CERRT) on: 800-9988-7766- 5544 or e-mail: support@cerrt.ng.

As a general precautionary measure, NITDA recommended that individuals and organisations should:

 Regularly update their operating systems with the latest patches.

 Regularly update their software applications with latest patches.

 Avoid downloading and opening unsolicited files and attachments.

 Adjust security software to scan compressed or archived files.

 Avoid indiscriminate use of wireless connections, such as Bluetooth or infrared ports.

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The Nigerian Ports Authority says it is ready to end joint venture agreements with two companies that managed and dredged the Lagos and Bonny access channels, after a PREMIUM TIMES investigation showed both firms sidestepped the nations procurement laws to win multibillion naira contracts, yet failed to deliver due benefits to government.

The firms, Lagos Channel Management and Bonny Channel Management, were formed in 2006, after NPA entered into joint venture partnerships with some technical partners, including Dredging International, Vinci, IPEM and Dapesa Maritime International.

The partnership, according to official sources, was for capital and maintenance dredging of the Lagos and Bonny channels, the provision of navigational aids and removal of wrecks. NPA holds 60 percent stakes in the companies.

But for more than a decade, NPA officials fraudulently bypassed federal public procurement laws to award multibillion naira contracts to the private companies, an investigation by PREMIUM TIMES showed in 2016.

Bonny Channel Management got at least N717 billion worth of contracts without openly bidding for them. No competitive procedure was followed in the awards, as required by law.

Each year, NPA said, the two companies got contracts worth $70 million without competition.

The ports authoritys new managing director, Hadiza Bala-Usman, who was appointed last year, has now initiated a process of terminating the joint venture agreements.

In an April 2017 letter, obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, Mrs. Bala-Usman requested legal advice from the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, after intimating him of the NPAs decision to terminate the agreements.

She said while the broad objectives for setting up the joint venture companies remain laudable, the new management was concerned about the structure of the agreements based on the following:

I. The effect of the Procurement Act 2007 and the seeming circumvention of same in joint venture agreements  Whilst noting that two of the agreements (Bonny and Lagos Channel Management Companies) pre-dated the Procurement Act, the mode of execution of yearly budget and expenditure needs to be clarified in line with the objective of open competitive bidding as enshrined in Public Procurement Act 2007.

II. Profit  Despite the volume of uncompetitive dredging works being awarded to the joint venture companies annually, which is in the range of $70,000,000 (Seventy Million United States Dollars), they declare minimal profit to shareholders (including NPA with 60 per cent ownership).

III Audit  The present arrangement where the technical auditor is paid by the joint venture company allows for conflict of interest and may affect the quality of the evaluation reports provided by the auditor.

Mrs. Usman said the arrangement with the companies as conceptualized is incapable of delivering optimum benefit to the government.

She continued that a review of the operations and the returns on capital invested by the government, indicated that in the face of dwindling revenues of government, a more cost effective approach could be adopted.

She then said the NPA would have to opt for other methods of carrying its dredging activities, instead of the abused joint venture deals.

It has become apparent that other options or models of carrying out the dredging activities of the authority should be identified and explored, including but not limited to migrating from the present model of joint venture arrangement to management contracts, she said.

The NPA managing director could not be reached to comment for this story. Multiple telephone calls to her failed to go through. Some of our sources in the agency later said she was travelling in Indonesia.

A review of the NPAs joint venture agreements suggests a system whereby its officials, in collaboration with private sector partners, steal revenues from the government through fraudulent procurement process, and sometimes needless contracts.

For instance, while a technical consultant hired by NPA, Mobetek International Ltd., clearly advised against the establishment of a channel management company for the Calabar navigation channel, according to an official correspondence seen by PREMIUM TIMES, NPA still went into a joint venture deal with Niger Global Engineering and Technical Company Limited, a firm owned by Hope Uzodinma, the Senator representing Imo West Senator.

The NPA partnered with Mr. Uzodinmas firm to form the Calabar Channel Management, and handed the company $12.5 million in 2014, without any bidding, for the dredging of Calabar channel.

The consultant had advised against the establishment of a management company for the Calabar channel because the volume of the ship traffic was low and did not justify a joint venture arrangement which is normally funded from ship dues.

Yet, Mrs. Usman told the Minister for Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, that the Calabar dredging work was never done, and the matter, PREMIUM TIMES is aware, is now being investigated by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

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The Kano State governments anti-corruption agency has suspended probe into the financial dealings of the Emirate council.

The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission was investigating alleged misuse of N6 billion.

The states House of Assembly launched a separate investigation of the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sunusi II, following allegations of funds misappropriation, defamation of character, breach of oath of office/oath of allegiance, abuse of office privileges and protocol, and political and religious interference.

The chairman of the anti-corruption body, Muhyi Gado, said the commission was suspending its probe indefinitely.

He said the commission could not continue as the House was also conducting an investigation.

Mr. Gado declined further comments.

But a source told PREMIUM TIMES that the commission viewed the investigation by House of Assembly as interference and an effort to scuttle the probe.

We are not happy with the coming in of the House of Assembly into this matter and we cannot continue doing the same thing with them; that is why we allowed them to do it themselves, the source said.

You see many would rather see the House interference as purely political while our own has nothing to do with that. We do things professionally according to the dictate of laws.

The source said the commission was prepared to resume the probe if the House allowed it.

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The management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has assured Nigerians of adequate surveillance at the nations airports following the outbreak of Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday, saying that at least one person had been confirmed dead due to the virus in the countrys north-east.

Henrietta Yakubu, FAANs Acting General Manager, Corporate Affairs, spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday, saying that there was no direct flight from Congo to Nigeria.

Ms. Yakubu also assured that all the preventive measures being put in place at the airports were still in place.

She said that the Port Health officials were at alert at all airports, adding that the authority had also informed them of the need to increase surveillance.

We dont have direct flights from Congo, we only have from Rwanda but I want to assure members of the public that we still have all preventive measures in place at our airports.

There are sanitizers at our arrivals with the scanning apparatus called Thermal scanners being installed by the Port Health Services.

The scanners have camera monitors that display pictures aside the capturing of temperature.

Passengers still fill that form to ensure that everybody arriving the country through our airports are not potential carriers of deadly diseases.

The port health officials are always at alert and we will also inform them of the need to increase their surveillance.

So, there is no cause for alarm, she said.

Nigeria experienced the Ebola outbreak in July, 2014 when a Liberian American, Patrick Sawyer, who had the disease flew from Liberia to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and died five days later.

Nigeria was able to curtail the disease and was subsequently declared Ebola free by WHO. (NAN)

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A Police detective, Uthman Lamidi, on Friday told an Ikeja High Court presided by Justice Raliatu Adebiyi how a Naval officer, Wale Allen, was stabbed to death with broken bottle by his elder brother over their late fathers estate.

Wale was allegedly murdered by Abiodun Allen, 31, following an argument over their fathers property.

According to the detective, Wale, who was serving in Port Harcourt, had visited the family home to settle a dispute over their late fathers property which was allegedly taken over by Abiodun.

Led in evidence by the prosecutor, R. O. Ahmed-Muili, Mr. Lamidi told the court that Abiodun was 27 years old when he committed the offence at 11.00 p.m. on Feb. 20, 2013 at their familys house located at 5, Oritse St., at Imude community in Oto-Awori Local Council Development Area.

He also explained the series of events that led to Abioduns arrest by the Police.

In 2013, I was serving at Ilemba-Hausa Police Station, Ajangbadi.

At 8.00 a.m. on Feb. 21, 2013, I was on duty at the police station and I got a distress call from the Baale of Imude community that someone who had committed murder was being held at the palace.

When I got to the Baales palace, I saw the defendant and I was informed by people in the palace that he had killed his brother and I immediately arrested him and took him to the crime scene.

At the crime scene, I saw the deceased (Wale Allen) in the pool of his blood in a bush at the back of the building.

I interrogated him on the spot and he admitted that he stabbed the deceased with a broken bottle.

He said he wanted to bury his brothers body before he was caught red-handed, Mr. Lamidi said.

He added: I made an attempt to move the corpse to the mortuary but the relatives of the deceased declined, saying they wanted to bury him in a traditional way.

I brought a photographer who took pictures of the crime scene. The photographer, however, cannot be currently located as the pictures were taken a long time ago and his shop was demolished alongside other shops on the street.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Ahmed-Muili, the prosecutor, wanted to tender the crime scene photographs as evidence but it was opposed by Abioduns counsel, Mrs Y.A. Ajayi, on the grounds that the defence was not aware of the existence of such photographs.

The defence is objecting, we were not informed about the pictures and we cannot be taken by surprise, she said.

Following the defences objection, the crime scene photographs were withdrawn by the prosecution.

Mr. Lamidi, in his evidence, also said that the defendant as well as two witnesses  Kehinde Allen and Sunday Agbogorin made statements to the police.

The defendant was `charged and cautioned in English Language and we took his statement where he confessed to the murder.

Since it is a capital offence, the case was transferred to the Homicide Division of the State Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Panti, Yaba.

I made a statement to the police at the CID and I returned to my duty post, the detective said.

While also being cross-examined by Mr. Ajayi, Mr. Lamidi denied the claim that Abiodun was restrained when he apprehended him at the Baales palace.

When I saw him at the Baales palace, many people surrounded him as his hands were not tied, I handcuffed him and he followed me to the crime scene, he said.

The judge adjourned the case until June 12 for continuation of trial.

(NAN)

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The family of Michael Alvarez, a two-year-old child diagnosed with Ulcerated Infantile Haemangioma, has accused Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw, and Project Alert, a non-governmental organization, of misinformation and a deliberate campaign of calumny over funds raised for the treatment of the disorder.

Ms. Henshaw and the NGO had come to the childs rescue, last year, and had begun soliciting for funds from the public for treatment.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt the childs mother is of unsound mind and her whereabouts unknown.

In a press statement obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, the childs family accused Ms. Henshaw and the NGO of playing Lord over the family all because they had helped raise funds for the care of Baby Michael.

The family particularly described the actions of the NGO as malicious and dubious.

They, however, forgot to understand the full legal implications of soliciting for funds for the care of a minor, the statement, issued on Friday, said.

It is, therefore, the desire of the family to work with any other nongovernmental organization with a similar objective in a view to use the public funds already raised to take care of Baby Michael as that is the primary reason for the funds raised.

Ms. Henshaw had, through Project Alert, intervened to help save Baby Michaels life after seeking and obtaining the familys consent early last year.

It must be said that the family and Project Alert enjoyed a cordial working relationship in admitting Baby Michael to Lagos University Teaching Hospital until the medical staff of LUTH embarked on industrial action sometime in June 2016, the childs family continued.

Consequently, Baby Michael was moved, along with his grandmother, to Project Alerts shelter at 21 Akinsanya Street, off Isheri Road, Berger, Lagos.

In November of 2016, the family began to ask if any arrangements were being made to fly the baby out for medical treatment as promised, particularly as Baby Michael was not showing any visible improvement.

But Project Alert, the childs family stated, said they raised about N6 million, a disclosure which led to a dispute between the NGO and the family.

The dispute led to Josephine Chukwuma, Project Alerts Executive Director, allegedly threatening to use the Department of Social Services under the Ministry of Youth and Social Development to deny the family access to their child.

Mrs. Chukwuma went ahead with her threat when on 23rd day of December, 2016, officials from the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development visited LUTH with the stated intention of directing officials of LUTH to discharge Baby Michael for onward admission to a motherless babies home.

The family said it then demanded full custody of the child after learning that Project Alert had withdrawn its care without any notice to the family.

We hereby reiterate our call for a full, audited account of monies received and expended on behalf of Baby Michael and to use the said funds for his healthcare.

Phone calls and text messages to Ms. Henshaw were not responded to.

But Mrs. Chukwuma, responding to PREMIUM TIMES enquiry, described the attitude of the childs family as unfortunate.

She added that the account housing the funds raised for the babys treatment had been audited.

That is why we announced at the press conference of May 3rd, 2017, that since the family asked us to back off in February at a meeting with the Director of the Child Protection Unit, Social Welfare Department, Alausa, the Project Alert boss said, We can no longer keep peoples money, so we are refunding the monies.

It is unfortunate that while a sick child is staring them in the face, the family (his aunt, Syndi, and the boys grandmother) are busy antagonizing and insulting the very people who came to their aid.

The family is busy telling lies all over the place to people who would be initially sympathetic but when they get to know the full story, would try calling them to order and they will reject and move to another.

Mrs. Chukwuma said they had already begun contacting those who donated money for the childs treatment for their refund.

People have contacted us and we are collating the requests in preparation to start refunding, she said.

50 percent of the money was donated by Kate Henshaw and her friends. You ought to see the insultive text messages she has been sending to Kate. Kate said shes done with the family and regrets trying to help.

While denying claims of a promise to treat the child abroad, Mrs. Chukwuma said the first five weeks of the boys stay in hospital were solely paid by Ms. Henshaw.

How could Kate promise treating the child abroad when she didnt know exactly what was wrong with the boy and had not thought at the time there would even be a need to do public fundraising?

They said they contacted a hospital in India that gave them a N12 million bill and they showed us. Lies. Even their first lawyer, Bisuga & Co. can attest to that. We had a meeting with them in November 2016 and Beacon Solicitors is their third lawyer.

They said we refused to continue Baby Michaels medical treatment. Lies. She (Syndi) asked both the Social Welfare and Project Alert to back off, just because based on the medical report from a consultant at LUTH, the Social Welfare went visiting their home at Ikorodu and decided to place the boy in an orphanage for a period of time to help monitor and ensure good hygiene and strict adherence to his medical needs, Mrs. Chukwuma said.

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The Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE) became a centre of misery entrepreneurship under the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, with companies raking in, through fraudulent procurement process, billions of Naira and paying kickbacks to the embattled cabinet secretary, according to bank documents and the report of the Senate Committee on the Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North East.

PREMIUM TIMES had a rare access to the report which sums up the evidence the Senate submitted to the Yemi Osinbajo-led presidential investigative committee probing allegations of contract fraud and breach of due process against Mr. Lawal.

The report is due for presentation before the Senate this week.

PINE was established to help coordinate and lead efforts at rebuilding infrastructure and rehabilitate millions of victims of Boko Haram insurgency that has devastated Nigerias North East. About 100,000 people have died since the insurgency began in 2009, according to official figures.

As shown in the Senate report  with evidences of bank transactions as well as Central Bank of Nigeria, Corporate Affairs Commission and Bureau of Public Procurement documents  Mr. Lawal superintended the conversion of the agency to a criminal, and bizarre money making enterprise, awarding contracts to cronies whose firms did not pass the requirements set by law.

Some of the beneficiaries paid parts of the proceeds of the contracts to Mr. Lawals company and his private account in tranches.

After receiving payments from PINE, at least five companies separately paid about N450 million to the Eco Bank account (182001809) of Rholavision Engineering Limited owned by Mr. Lawal according to CAC and self-admission, and his private account (0003004417) with Diamond Bank, bank statements showed.

According to a CBN confirmation attached to the report, Mr. Lawal was still the signatory to the account of Rholavision until February 15, 2017 which shares the same Bank Verification Number with his personal account and 13 other accounts in commercial banks.

Between March 29, 2016 and April 20, 2016, Josmon Technologies Limited transferred N317 million to Rholavision after receiving two grass-cutting contracts worth N530.6 million for the removal of invasive plant species in Yobe State.

The transfers were made in tranches, mostly N10 million per transaction, and N47 million on the last day.

For the grass-cutting contract, Mr. Lawals Rholavision was awarded the consultancy contract on March 8, 2016, while the owner was in the service of the government as federal cabinet secretary, in breach of Nigerias code of conduct for public officers and the Public Procurement Act.

But apart from that contract which formed the basis of the call by the Senate that Mr. Lawal be removed and prosecuted by President Muhammadu Buhari last December, the suspended SGF was also into other fraudulent deals with companies using PINE as conduit pipe.

For instance, on August 8, 2016, JMT Global Technologies Ltd transferred N30 million from its Zenith Bank account 114357188 to Rholavision. Then, JMT had just got eight contracts for rehabilitations/renovations in Adamawa State for the sum of N199.4 million.

Also Messrs Adamawa Boreholes and Drilling Companies Ltd transferred N18 million to Mr. Lawals company, after clinching N54.8 million contract to renovate seven classrooms at Yeskule Girls Secondary School, Michika Adamawa State.

Similarly, Barde Brothers Multi-Services Limited which was also awarded seven contracts to renovate classrooms in Adamawa State for N145 million returned N71 million to Mr. Lawals company account on October 10, 2016, and another N13 million between July 7, 2016 and September 9, 2016 to his private account.

Procurement Without Regard For Law

Apart from the companies from which Mr. Lawal got kickbacks, there are other dozens of companies that received PINE contracts in manners that suggested disregard for law and due process.

Between November 2015 and July 2016, the agency received over eight billion naira (N8,352,865,587), out of which N6.8 billion was expended on projects and N231.5 million on recurrent expenditures.

PINE, according to the report of the Senate committee, awarded 39 contracts to various companies to carry out the removal of invasive plant species plants, rehabilitation/renovation works, food supplies, consultancy services and provision of shelter (supply of tarpaulin cabins) etc.

But the committee found that all the contracts were awarded under the principle of emergency procurement stipulated in section 43 (i) and (ii) but absolute disregard for sub-section (iii) of the same section 43 of the Public Procurement Act.

According to a BPPs review attached to the report, none of the bidders for all the contracts had the full requirements stipulated in section 16 of the Public Procurement Act and, thus, none was eligible to be awarded contract. Such requirements include CAC registration, tax payment, PENCOM certificate, VAT, ITF and BPP registration.

Yet, some of the companies disqualified by the BPP, like Josmon, Rholavision, Adamawa Borehole, Dantex and Yuby Ventures among others, eventually got contracts.

The report also revealed the procurement process at PINE was done without evidence of advertisement for all rehabilitation contracts carried out; no evidence of submission of bidders register; and evidence of bid return sheets.

The report added that PINE had no evidence of having the approval of the Federal Executive Council for contracts above N50 million as envisaged by the procurement law.

Mr. Lawal, now on suspension, is currently being probed by the presidential investigative committee.

But officials of PINE, especially the boss, Umar Gulani, may also face the wrath of the law.

During the public hearing of the Senate committee last year, Mr. Gulani could not account for how billions released to his agency were utilized.

As officials and their accomplices in the private sector stole funds meant for victims of war, over 400 thousand children face acute malnutrition in the North East, according to UNICEF, which says 134 children could die daily in the circumstance of no action.

Some 65,000 people are in famine-like conditions, the worst level of food insecurity, and facing starving to death for lack of food. It is a very unique situation in the world, UNICEF said.

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Three suicide bombers were killed in the early hours of Saturday when they attempted to infiltrate the Department of Works of the University of Maiduguri in Borno State.

The incident occurred at about 1.10 a.m last night Saturday.

A security guard at the University was also killed from the explosions which occurred at about 1:10 a.m.



The corpses have being evacuated by rescuers from the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, and Borno State Emergency Management Agency, BOSEMA, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

Saturdays attack is the latest in the series of attacks by suicide bombers on Borno communities. It also marks at least the third on the Maiduguri university in 2017 with a professor among the victims of earlier attacks.

The suicide attacks by suspected members of the Boko Haram have occurred despite the terror group losing most of the territory it once controlled to the Nigerian military.

The group recently released 82 Chibok girls from captivity, over three years after they were kidnapped from their secondary school in Chibok, Borno State. The girls were released as part of a prisoner swap that also saw the government release an undisclosed number of Boko Haram suspects.

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The Supreme Court on Friday described as baseless the case which led to the June 27 decision of the Federal High Court to nullify the election of Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, for alleged tax evasion.

Justice Okon Abang had in a ruling on an application filled by an Abia State businessman, and member of the Peoples Democratic Party, Samson Ogah, described the emergence of Mr. Ikpeazu as governor of Abia State under the platform of the PDP as null and void.

Mr. Abang based his decision on the fact that his court found the state governor guilty of tax evasion.

In a unanimous ruling, however, the Appeal Court on August 18 reversed that decision for lacking in merit.

A five-member panel of Supreme Court justices led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, on Friday upheld the August 18 decision of the Appeal Court, stressing that the allegation of tax evasion is baseless, since taxes were usually supposed to be deducted by the state and the certificates for payment of tax presented in court would have come from the state government.

Im a government employee and it is also common knowledge that tax is deducted at source, said Mr. Onnoghen.

They give you a tax clearance certificate, you are not the person who produced the tax certificate. If they say bring your tax clearance, I have my file and my pay slip, if you ask I will say this is my pay slip.

If they dont send it on time I will ask for my tax clearance because I may need it. When they send it to me and there is anything wrong with it, why should I be held responsible? The long and short of it was that this case was a no case.

Mr. Ogah who emerged runner up to Mr. Ikpeazu in the PDP primaries ahead of the 2014 election had challenged the emergence of Mr. Ikpeazu as flagbearer of the party for about two years. The Supreme Court ruling now puts to rest Mr. Ogahs challenge and validates Mr. Ikpeazus election.

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Polish President Andrzej Duda and French President-elect Emmanuel Macron in a Friday telephone conversation agreed that the new French president would chair the next summit of the Weimar Triangle comprising France, Germany and Poland.

Minister Krzysztof Szczerski, head of the Polish president's political cabinet told PAP that the two presidents stressed it was "significant that the Weimar Triangle starts as quickly as possible to operate in its new composition at the level of heads of government and state". The minister added that the date of the meeting was still to be set. First it has to be arranged with German Chancellor Angela Merkel who is currently engaged in her country's election campaign. "Most important seems to be the consent that we have reached, namely, a Polish-French initiative to hold a Weimar Triangle summit at the earliest possible time", said Szczerski. The minister added the two presidents had also discussed plans of political cooperation. Asked whether they referred to ideas of strengthening the integration of euro zone countries, Minister Szczerski said that both, Duda and Macron wanted to hold a discussion on Europe's future during a separate two-way meeting. "President Macron clearly stressed that trade and the European industry were those fields of the European policy where Polish-French partnership should especially thrive", said Szczerski. (PAP)
ATLANTIC CITY  Stockton University student speaker Joaquim Cendana told a huge crowd at the Boardwalk Hall commencement ceremony Friday he learned three great lessons at Stockton that went beyond the classroom.

The first is that everyone is a lifelong learner, the second is the importance of service and the third that even when times are tough, never stop showing kindness, love and caring.

Our college experience is not defined just by grades, he said.

This year was the first Stockton graduation at Boardwalk Hall, and President Harvey Kesselman was thrilled with how well it went. Nearly 1,400 graduates received their degrees in 2 hours  30 minutes faster than the colleges goal. Each graduates name flashed across two 30-foot screens as they scanned a barcoded ticket before walking to the stage.

No matter what hardships we have had, we can all spread kindness by our own acts, Cendana said.

He recalled meeting alumnus Nick Sena, who was in a car accident that killed his mother, Angela. Sena attended Stockton to be close to a hospital for medical care, then later set up a scholarship in his mothers memory at Stockton.

Guest speaker state Sen. Jim Whelan, D-Atlantic, cited Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln in advising the graduates to not be afraid of failure as they find their path in life.

Dont be afraid to make mistakes, he said. Keep going. Youll make more mistakes, but eventually you will get it right.

This is awesome, he said, citing the colleges history in holding its first classes at the Mayflower Hotel in Atlantic City. He watched the crowd from a balcony before the event, then went outside to pose for photos with graduates on the Boardwalk.

The only glitch was a lighter turnout than average by faculty, some of whom boycotted the event in protest of their lack of a state-negotiated contract.

Kesselman thanked the faculty and staff who did attend.

They havent had a contract for two years, but they are here to support you today, he told the cheering graduates.

Faculty Senate President Brian Tyrrell, who was scheduled to speak, did not attend. Contacted by phone, he called it a very, very hard decision but one he felt he had to make in support of faculty about the impact the lack of raises has had, especially on young faculty just starting out.

We didnt want to be disruptive, but we wanted to send a message, he said. He said he appreciated Kesselman acknowledging the issue.
Question: I have a strange brown mug that was with ceramic ware left behind years ago by a tenant of one of our stores. It is 4 inches high, 3 inches in diameter and has a rim, handle and sides decorated with randomly placed holes. Its bottom is impressed with G.E. Ohr Biloxi Miss. I am curious about the mug, its purpose, maker and if it is a collectible.  A. A., Swedesboro

Answer: The mug, called a puzzle mug, was known as a tavern joke mug from the 15th to the 19th centuries, when it was used for wagering at German, English and American inns.

The mugs puzzle is to figure out which holes to cover and which one to sip from while imbibing a favorite beverage. By sipping from the correct secret hole, a drink can be enjoyed without spilling the mugs contents.

Inside the mugs wall is a tunnel connected to one of the holes on the rim. The puzzle is solved when a quaffer drinks from that hole while covering the other holes with his or her fingers. However, when drinking in a conventional way, beverages pour out through those holes as the mug is lifted.

Your mug was made by George Edward Ohr (1857-1918), the unconventional, self-proclaimed Mad Potter of Biloxi, an American artist whose innovative clay forms and vivid, colorful glazes captured the attention and patronage of thousands from 1880 to 1909.

Made on a pottery wheel in his studio, Ohrs profusion of pots, vases, mugs, inkwells, jugs, flowerpots, planters, bowls and teapots featuring twisted, pinched and crumpled edges, found their way into rural kitchens and fashionable city parlors.

Ohrs flowing beard and hair, as well as the abstract designs of his pottery, resulted in his being regarded as an oddball or loony by many of his Mississippi neighbors, and in 1909 he closed his studio.

Fifty years after his death, when nearly 7,000 of his pieces stored in crates were discovered, a resurgence of interest in Ohr pottery led to premium prices during the 1970s and 1980s.

Sums paid for George E. Ohr puzzle mugs in excellent condition ranged from $400 to $575 since last year.

Question: Last summer, our son bought several prints of old, colored movie posters at a storage unit clean-out. A framed one, 81 inches high and 41 inches wide, shows Charlie Chaplin and a small boy standing together. Charles Chaplin, The Kid, 6 Reels of Joy and A First National Attraction are printed beside the pair on the poster. We would appreciate information about Chaplin, the movie and the posters possible value.  C. A., Ocean City

Answer: Born in London, the son of music hall entertainers, Charles Spencer Chaplin (1889-1977) was a famous film actor, writer and director whose successful career spanned six decades, during which he experienced the motion picture industrys transition from silent to sound movies.

In 1910, Chaplin arrived in America, where he appeared in silent Keystone comedy shorts and created his role of The Tramp. By 1918, he was producing his own silent screen classics. Chaplin wrote, directed and starred in The Kid a popular silent comedy-drama about an orphaned infant raised by a tramp who is separated from the child but later happily reunited with him.

Your sons movie poster is typical of advertising used to promote films from the 1920s through the 1940s. Such posters as well as smaller lobby cards were distributed to theaters for a movies three or four day showing, then sent to the next theater where the film was scheduled to play.

Old movie posters are very collectible, and original posters advertising movies made before 1940 are rare.

The original poster created for The Kid was made to advertise the 1921 release of the film. Such posters command thousands of dollars in perfect condition and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.

Asking prices for later copies produced by licensees range from $700 to $900, and a digital version sold for $150 last year.

Your son may want to contact a movie collectibles specialist for a formal appraisal. Leila Dunbar of Leila Dunbar Appraisals & Consulting LLC has appraised items for Warner Bros. and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at leila@leiladunbar.com.

Alyce Hand Benham is an antiques broker, appraiser and estate-liquidation specialist. Send questions to: Alyce Benham, Life section, The Press of Atlantic City, 1000 W. Washington Ave., Pleasantville, NJ 08232. Email: treasuresbyalyce81@gmail.com. Letters may be used in future columns but cannot be answered individually, and photos cannot be returned.
WILDWOOD  On Friday, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced Vincent Kanes appointment as director of the agencys Wilmington, Delaware, medical center.

A day later, he was peppered with questions from veterans at American Legion Post 184.

Kane said the meeting was to get feedback on plans to set up a new medical clinic in Cape May County. Currently, veterans seeking care in the county are directed to a double-wide trailer on the U.S. Coast Guard base in Cape May.

The Coast Guard base clinic has been there for almost 20 years, said Kane, who has worked for the VA for 18 years. It has kind of outlived its usefulness.

When you look at Cape May County, it has not been well served by the VA, he said.

He said he is waiting on approvals from VA leadership in Washington before he can start a competitive bidding process to build a clinic.

The facility could open by early 2019, Kane said.

About 20 veterans attended the information session.

They grilled Kane about psychiatric care, local health services and the potential new clinic.

Most of us in this room have been listening to the same spiel for 15, 20 years, said Johnnie Walker, of the Disabled American Veterans.

We want to give Mr. Kane the benefit of the doubt and the opportunity, Walker added after the meeting. I think things are changing for the better.

Harry Weimar, who has led rallies calling on the VA to provide better care to veterans in Cape May County and to veterans affected by the Agent Orange herbicide used in Vietnam, was cautiously optimistic about a new clinic.

I believe it will happen, but it will take a long time, said Weimar, commander of the American Legion post.

Kane said no decisions have been made about the location of the new clinic.

A similar meeting with veterans is scheduled for 2 p.m. July 15 at the Cape May County Police Academy in Cape May Court House.

The Wilmington VA Medical Center also oversees clinics in Atlantic and Cumberland counties.

Kane oversees care for about 30,000 veterans and an operating budget of more than $224 million, according to a press release.
OCEAN CITY  Business owners in the resort rejoiced Saturday as Martin Z. Mollusk predicted summer will come early.

On a dark, rainy day, the citys mascot saw his shadow  with the help of an artificial light  during the annual Martin Z. Mollusk Day celebration at the Music Pier.

Martin seeing his shadow means summer will come a week early, according to local lore.

We see his shadow! Summer is coming early to Ocean City! proclaimed Michael Hartman, who helps plan special events.

The hermit crab character made his first creep onto the Ninth Street beach on a cool, windy March day in 1974. Legend has it Martin once saw only a partial shadow, and summer arrived just 3 days ahead of time, city officials said. Martin Z. Mollusk was the brainchild of retired city publicist Mark Soifer.

Fellow weather prognosticator Punxsutawney Phil sent Martin a letter wishing him best of luck and letting him know he would love to come to the resort to visit.

The early arrival of summer was news to 5-year-old Addison Bechtold, of Ocean City. Addison said she cant wait to get to the beach and called Martin cool.

During the pomp and circumstance associated with pontificating crustaceans, Ocean City Primary Schools choir sang as a performer in a Martin costume did Cam Newtons trademark dab dance. A real hermit crab Martin was led to the stage by Philadelphia Eagles long snapper John Dorenbos.

Before Martin the crab made his prediction, Dorenbos, a trained magician, performed a card trick with 11-year-old city resident Cole Watson.

The trick was really cool, Cole said. Im still trying to figure out how he did it.
BOSTON, May 13, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Data being presented at the 112th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA) shows new facts related to the impact of certain genetic mutations on the risk and development of prostate cancer, in particular metastatic disease. Scott Eggener, MD, associate professor of surgery and director of the Prostate Cancer Program at the University of Chicago Medicine will moderate a special session for the media, which will be hosted at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston, MA on Saturday May 13, 2017 at 9:30 a.m. EDT.

Study Details

Malignancies in Male BRCA Mutation Carriers  Results from a Prospectively Screened Cohort of Patients Enrolled to a Dedicated Male BRCA Clinic (#PD07-10): An analysis was conducted between February 2014 and July 2016 to find the cancer rate and type in a group of 154 known male BRCA mutation carriers. Of the study cohort, 92 (60 percent) had mutations of the BRCA1 gene, 61 (40 percent) had a BRCA2 mutation and one patient had a mutation on both genes. Patients ages 40 and older were screened for prostate, breast, colorectal, pancreatic and skin cancers using a standard protocol and findings were reported.

A total of 24 patients (16 percent) in the cohort were diagnosed with cancer upon enrollment or during initial screening, with a median age of 55 years at diagnosis.

Four patients had multiple malignancies (two to four cases per patient). Prostate cancer was identified in seven of the 93 patients (8 percent) with BRCA1 mutation, and three of the 62 patients (5 percent) with BRCA2.

Overall, these data indicate cancer rates in male BRCA mutation carriers may be substantially higher than those reported for the general population in matching age groups. Additionally, prostate cancer was prevalent among BRCA1 carriers and not restricted to BRCA2, as some previous reports have shown.

Study Details

Frequency of DNA Repair Gene Mutations in Localized and Metastatic Prostate Cancer (#PD03-02):

Using samples from 936 localized and metastatic prostate cancers, researchers studied the distribution of DNA repair gene mutations to characterize changes in repair pathway genes. In addition to assessing the frequency of these mutations in primary vs. metastatic prostate tumors, the study also sought to find if prostate tumors with DNA repair defects were particularly sensitive to platinum-based chemotherapy and poly(adenosine diphosphate [ADP]-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor therapy.

Of the samples in the study, 228 showed at least one likely functional mutation in a DNA repair gene (24.4 percent). Mutations were identified in 20.1 percent of prostate tumors and 18.8 percent of bone metastases. The highest rates of DNA repair mutations were found in visceral metastases (such as brain, pelvis and liver, which were significantly higher than either prostate tissue or bone sites). The most commonly mutated genes in the DNA repair pathway were BRCA2 (11 percent), ATM (66 percent), MSH6 (2.5 percent), MSH2 (2 percent), ATR (1.6 percent), MLH1 (1.3 percent), and BRCA1 (1.2 percent).

"These studies reveal new insights into the role genetic mutations play in the development of prostate cancer, particularly metastatic disease," Eggener said. "For some patients, a detailed understanding of these mutations could have a meaningful impact on the timely diagnosis and treatment of their disease."

NOTE TO REPORTERS: Experts are available to discuss this study outside normal briefing times. To arrange an interview with an expert, please contact the AUA Communications Office at 410-689-3932 or e-mail [email protected].



About the American Urological Association: The 112th Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association takes place May 12  16 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston, MA.



Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association is a leading advocate for the specialty of urology, and has more than 21,000 members throughout the world. The AUA is a premier urologic association, providing invaluable support to the urologic community as it pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care through education, research and the formulation of health policy.



Contact:

Christine Frey, AUA

443-909-0839, [email protected]

SOURCE American Urological Association

Related Links

http://www.AUAnet.org


CORNUCOPIA, Wis., May 13, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The organic industry's most aggressive industry watchdog, The Cornucopia Institute, reinforced their call upon USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue to correct a chronic pattern of gross incompetence and corruption at the National Organic Program (NOP) with new management.

The letter to Perdue follows the release of a new investigation by the Washington Post documenting massive shipments of fraudulent organic grains entering the U.S. from China and Eastern Europe. The May 13 article, The labels said 'organic.' But these massive imports of corn and soybeans weren't., details how easy it has been for exporters to sell gross amounts of fraudulent commodities into the U.S. markets.

"This is the second organic major-league scandal uncovered this month by the Washington Post and it confirms a longstanding pattern of negligence and corruption documented by our researchers," said Will Fantle, Cornucopia's Codirector.

Cornucopia has filed numerous formal and well-documented legal complaints seeking to force the USDA to examination of a wide range of alleged wrong doings at organic factory farms and other industry scofflaws. All too often the complaints have been dismissed without investigation, or, when found meritorious, penalties have been negotiated down to a "light slap on the wrist" for offenders with details cloaked in secrecy, according to Cornucopia.

The organic sector is a robust and rapidly growing piece of the food pie, with annual sales now topping more than $40 billion. "Clearly there is a hunger by many in America for food that is safer and more nutrient-dense," Fantle noted. "But consumers are being cheated and ethical farmers are being robbed of income while the USDA fails to vigorously defend, as charged by Congress, organic integrity."

The NOP overseas approximately 150 independent agencies worldwide that do inspections. "Its accreditation program is fundamental in ameliorating the inherent conflict of interest in businesses hiring their own certifiers," stated Anne Ross, an attorney with Cornucopia with a background in food and agricultural law.

Cornucopia has updated an outstanding complaint with the USDA's Inspector General about corruption at the NOP. The agency has ignored well-documented concerns of improprieties in imports since The Cornucopia Institute published their report on growing Chinese "organic" soybean sales into the U.S. in 2009.

READ THE FULL RELEASE

Contact:

Mark Kastel, [email protected], 608-625-2000

SOURCE The Cornucopia Institute

Related Links

https://www.cornucopia.org


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Fedora Update Notification

FEDORA-2017-6bfa33dd9d

2017-05-12 14:08:49.129907

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Name : proftpd

Product : Fedora 24

Version : 1.3.5e

Release : 2.fc24

URL : http://www.proftpd.org/

Summary : Flexible, stable and highly-configurable FTP server

Description :

ProFTPD is an enhanced FTP server with a focus toward simplicity, security,

and ease of configuration. It features a very Apache-like configuration

syntax, and a highly customizable server infrastructure, including support for

multiple 'virtual' FTP servers, anonymous FTP, and permission-based

directory

visibility.



This package defaults to the standalone behavior of ProFTPD, but all the

needed scripts to have it run by systemd instead are included.



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Update Information:



With the previous security update for CVE-2017-7418, setting

`AllowChrootSymlinks off` could cause login failures depending on filesystem

permissions. This fixed release uses the IDs of the logging-in user to perform

the directory walk, looking for symlinks, to be more consistent with similar

checks done during login. * http://bugs.proftpd.org/show_bug.cgi?id=4306 *

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1443507

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References:



[ 1 ] Bug #1443507 - wrong uid used for accessing home directory : no login

possible

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1443507

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This update can be installed with the "dnf" update program. Use

su -c 'dnf upgrade proftpd' at the command line.

For more information, refer to the dnf documentation available at

http://dnf.readthedocs.io/en/latest/command_ref.html#upgrade-command-label



All packages are signed with the Fedora Project GPG key. More details on the

GPG keys used by the Fedora Project can be found at

https://fedoraproject.org/keys

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To unsubscribe send an email to package-announce-leave@lists.fedoraproject.org


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
Mumbai, May 8 : An absconding Kolkata business tycoon Nillesh Parrekh was arrested on Monday by the CBI on his arrival here from Dubai in an ongoing probe into the Rs 2,223 crore loss to 20 Indian banks, an official said here.

The accused is a former promoter/chairman of M/s Shree Ganesh Jewellery House (I) Pvt. Ltd. in Kolkata and had fled to Dubai during investigations. He was held at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport here after he flew in from abroad.

Following a complaint by the State Bank of India (SBI), the CBI had lodged cases against his company and its promoters, directors, chairman and several others under the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The SBI complaint pertained to cheating of a consortium of 25 member-banks, including 20 public sector banks, to the tune of around Rs 2,223 crore.

The accused had allegedly defrauded the banks by diverting funds, and showing fraudulent exports to shell companies floated in Hong Kong, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and other places.

Parrekh and others were also accused of availing of export finance from another member-bank so that the export proceeds could be realised by the banks to pay off the liability of import finance.

The accused also siphoned off working capital loans for long-term uses like construction of factory to clear his other liabilities.

They allegedly shipped stocks offered as primary security to foreign subsidiaries without the knowledge of lenders and also falsely projected huge losses to banks through bogus bullion trade and merchant trade not financed by banks.

The accused was slated to be presented in a Special CBI court later on Monday evening.
Bengaluru, May 11 : In a bid to reach out to its customers directly, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi on Thursday unveiled its first offline store in India named "Mi Home".

Located at Phoenix Market City in Whitefield here, the store that showcases some of the flagship products including Mi 5 and Redmi Note 4 will be open for the public from May 20.

India, where Xiaomi has emerged as the second largest smartphone seller and recorded a turnover of $1 billion in 2016, is the fourth country after Hong Kong, China and Singapore to have an exclusive offline store.

"More stores will soon come up in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai. The company has a target of opening 100 such stores across the country in the next two years," Manu Jain, Vice President and Managing Director, Xiaomi India, told reporters here.

"At the store, the products could be purchased or pre-booked against a small token amount if the product is out of stock," Jain said, adding that on re-booking an out-of-stock product, a customer specific code would be generated to prioritise the shipment.

The offline store would help establish a direct connect with the customer and help cope up with the huge demand as the company, that sells over a million smartphones every month, at times goes out of stock.

"Mi Home is the offline avatar for the online mi.com. There's a special reason for calling it Mi Home because we want you to feel very comfortable. At Mi store, you will feel like home. You can try our products and play games," Jain added while showing a photograph of a Mi fan at one of the stores in China.

China has 72 Mi stores housing various products including smart scooter, smart cooker, laptops and the latest flagship phones Mi 6 and Redmi Pro.

"Over 24,000 Mi fans visited the store on day one in China," Jain told reporters here.

According to media reports, Xiaomi has become the most preferred smartphone upgrade choice for the Indian consumers.

The company now aspires to double its turnover from $1 billion in 2016 to $2 billion this year.

When asked if the company plans to introduce other smart products in the Indian market, Jain told IANS: "We are working towards that. However, some of the products like smart cookers don't have their usage here."
Washington, May 12 : US President Donald Trump on Friday warned fired FBI chief James Comey against leaking their private conversations to the media.

"James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!", Trump said in a tweet.

Comey, who was leading an inquiry into possible collusion between Trump election campaign officials and Russia, was fired on Tuesday.

Trump has since insisted he was told by Comey that he was not under investigation, Fox News reported.

The US President said he had been told twice by Comey over dinner and once over the phone that he was not a target of the inquiry.

"I had a dinner with him, he wanted to have dinner because he wanted to stay on," Trump said.

"...And I said, 'I'll consider we'll see what happens'... And at that time he told me, 'You're not under investigation,' which I knew anyway," said Trump.

Trump added: "In one case I asked him... He said: 'You are not under investigation'."

The US President, speaking to NBC News on Thursday, gave his first in-depth remarks since the surprise ousting of Comey earlier this week.

"Look he's a showboat, he's a grandstander," Trump said.

"The FBI has been in turmoil. You know that, I know that. Everybody knows that. You take a look at the FBI a year ago, it was in virtual turmoil -- less than a year ago. It hasn't recovered from that."

Trump said he had planned to fire Comey for some time, but "there's no good time to do it, by the way."

The President also said that his surrogates cannot be expected to have "perfect accuracy" in their communications with the press, as he hit out at the "fake media" coverage of his decision to fire Comey.

Trump dismissed the FBI investigation into the alleged Russian meddling in the US election as a "charade" and has said Democrats are using "fake news" about collusion with the Russians as an excuse for losing the election.

When he fired Comey earlier this week, Trump garnered comparisons to former President Richard Nixon and his infamous decision to remove the special prosecutor investigating Watergate crimes in 1973.

The Watergate scandal accelerated drastically when it was revealed Nixon taped conversations in the White House.
Washington, May 13 : Personal letters seized in the raid that killed former Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden revealed that his son wants to carry on his murderous ideology and is bent on "avenging his dad's death", according to a former FBI agent.

"That son today is poised to lead a stronger, larger Al Qaeda," Ali Soufan, who was leading the Federal Bureau of Investigation's probe of the terror group after the September 11, 2001, attacks, told CBS News in an interview.

Soufan described a letter from the son, Hamza, that was collected in the raid and now declassified.

"He tells Osama (in the letter) that he remembers 'every look...every smile you gave me, every word you told me'".

Hamza would be about 28 now and wrote the letter when he was 22 and had not seen his father in several years.

Hamza also wrote this: "I consider myself to be forged in steel. The path of 'jihad' for the sake of God is what we live."

Hamza's potential as a leader was recognised years ago when he was still a boy, says Soufan.

The child was used in propaganda videos, sometimes holding a gun.

"He was a poster kid for the Al Qaeda, and for members of Al Qaeda, who were indoctrinated with these propaganda videos, he means a lot to them," Soufan told CBS News.

The US has named Hamza a "specially designated global terrorist" -- the same classification his father once held.

"He even sounds like his father," says Soufan.

"His recent message that came out, he delivered the speech as if it's his father...using sentences, terminology that was used by Osama bin Laden."

Hamza has recorded four audio messages in the last two years.

Soufan believes Hamza can inspire and unite the jihadi movement, adding "Al Qaeda is stronger than ever. I don't believe even bin Laden in his wildest dreams thought that he will have followers who command armies, troops, lands."

Osama Bin Laden was killed in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 2, 2011, by US Navy SEAL Team Six.

Following his death, dozens of letters written by him to his family and senior members of Al Qaeda were released.
Jammu, May 13 : Indian and Pakistani troops traded heavy fire on Saturday along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district.

"Pakistan Army initiated indiscriminate firing and shelling on our positions on the LoC in the Naushera sector," Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta told IANS.

They are using small arms, automatics and mortars, he said.

"The firing started at 7.15 a.m. Our forces are effectively retaliating," Mehta added.

Fourteen families from border villages in the Naushera sector left their homes on Friday following indiscriminate shelling by Pakistani troops.
Washington, May 13 : White House spokesman Sean Spicer said that the trade consensus reached by China and the US showed that the bilateral relationship is already "paying dividends".

"As the President has shown, in terms of the relationship that he's built with (Chinese) President Xi (Jinping) and the rest of the team built with their delegation, those relationships are clearly paying dividends," Spicer told a daily press briefing on Friday.

Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao on Friday confirmed the initial results of a 100-day action plan for China-US comprehensive economic dialogue, covering agriculture, financial services, investment and energy, Xinhua news agency reported.

Some highlights of the outcome are that China will allow imports of US beef; Washington is to import poultry from China.

The US expects China and other partners to import liquefied natural gas and Beijing will allow wholly foreign-funded financial services to provide credit ratings in Asian country.

Most of the agreements are expected to be implemented by July 16, Zhu said.

Spicer also suggested that the US government is eyeing further cooperation with China under the Belt and Road Initiative.

"It's a major trade initiative," Spicer said, adding that "we're going to continue to work with them".

The US will send a delegation to the upcoming Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation scheduled for May 14-15 in Beijing.

According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang, the Washington delegation will be led by Matt Pottinger, special assistant to the president and senior director for Asia at the National Security Council.
New Delhi, May 13 : He has been named the "Hottest Chef of America" by People magazine and has won a Michelin star for his restaurant in New York, but Chef Vikas Khanna's roots remain in India -- and he now wants to take the country's regional cuisines to the world.

"My focus for the next 10 years will be on regional cuisine. Though it is extremely tough to assimilate all of Indian cuisines under one roof, I am trying my best. I want to bring as much of India as possible to the US," Khanna, 45, told IANS in an interview on the sidelines of an event where he launched Quaker Nutritious Food products.

Khanna has put Indian gastronomical delights on the world food map and was recently named by Gazette Review in its list of Top 10 Chefs in the World.

His charm is no secret. From serving food to the Obamas to gifting his book "Utsav" to a host of global personalities, Khanna has immensely contributed to giving Indian culture and delicacies a global identity.

Twelve handcrafted, gold-gilded, hand-painted copies of "Utsav" were created. They have been presented to world leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former US Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, Britain's Queen Elizabeth, religious leades like the Dalai Lama and Pope Francis and celebrities like Lata Mangeshkar, Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, among others.

The 12th was to have been presented to Apple founder Steve Jobs, but he died before this could happen. It was auctioned earlier this year and went for a whopping Rs 30 lakh (more than $46,000) that will feed 200,000 under-privileged children in India through the NGO Smile that Khanna supports.

Talking about his love for regional cuisines, nothing can be more exciting for him than discovering the hidden recipes of the eight northeastern states.

"I would love to explore the northeast more. I have travelled extensively in the northeast, even have taken choppers to go to the remote corners of the region to know about their hidden food and recipes. Their way of life has not been touched because of connectivity issues. Things are very pure and natural over there," Khanna explained.

On his many trips to the northeast he encountered several techniques that cannot be performed in a modern kitchen.

"I have found how, in places where there is no refrigeration, people are preserving food. For instance, take spinach, add garlic, wrap it in a banana leaf and bury it under the ground. It'll virtually be fresh for ever. The whole of the northeast is home to such natural culinary tricks," he pointed out.

His love for regional recipes is evident from "Utsav", a magnum opus of 1,200 pages that covers the length and the breadth of the country. The book, which took 12 years to compile, also explores the festivals, ceremonies and rituals that symbolise India.

"But still it covers only 12 per cent of what we have. The remaining 88 per cent cannot be penned down. You will not get to know them because they are from diverse regions and so many of the recipes have been forgotten," the chef lamented.

Khanna opened his first restaurant, Junoon, and, in virtually no time, it started attracting praise from every quarter. Junoon has been awarded a Michelin star by the Michelin Guide for six consecutive years since 2011.

Former US President Bill Clinton once said to him: "Vikas, I hope you will focus on selling culture and not food. Because culture is more important than the food."

"More than focusing on food, we need to highlight our culture as cuisines are equally a part of it. We are aware of Western dishes because of their marketing. We have so much of beauty and diversity, but we don't push it," Khanna lamented.

Asked about the trends that would rule the gastronomic world this year, he said it was the Spanish Tapas cuisine for him. And what would be over done? "Punjabi food," was the quick reply.

Everything else apart, he is also working on a new book.

"My new book, 'My First Kitchen', is going to be released soon. It is a massive book on how to run your kitchen, how to do parties in your kitchen, how to make cocktails and mocktails, and how to be very , very conscious about your cooking," Khanna said.

(Somrita Ghosh can be contacted at somrita.g@ians.in)
Washington, May 13 : US President Donald Trump has not yet made a decision on whether to send additional American troops to Afghanistan, according to an administration official.

"The President wants to hear from our allies as well," said National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster at a White House on Friday briefing on Trump's upcoming trip to the Middle East and Europe.

He added that Trump will discuss the issue with allies at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit in Brussels and Group 7 (G7) meeting in Sicily, Italy, later this month, Xinhua news agency reported.

US media reported earlier that Trump would decide as soon as this weekend on whether or not to send hundreds of additional American troops to Afghanistan.

Former President Barack Obama had planned to reduce the current number of 9,800 US troops in Afghanistan to some 5,500 by the end of 2015 and withdraw all troops by the end of 2016 when his presidency came to an end.

However, given the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, the Obama administration repeatedly postponed the withdrawal.

US National Intelligence Director Dan Coats warned on Thursday that the situation in Afghanistan would most likely deteriorate in the future even if the US and its allies offer more military aid.

"The intelligence community assesses that the political and security situation in Afghanistan will almost certainly deteriorate through 2018 even with a modest increase in military assistance by the United States and its partners," said Coats at a Senate hearing.

Currently, there are about 8,400 U.S. troops and another 5,000 NATO forces on the ground in Afghanistan to train and assist Afghan forces against the Taliban and conduct counter-terrorism missions.
Jammu, May 13 : Two civilians were killed and two others were injured on Saturday in indiscriminate shelling and firing by Pakistan Army in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, defence sources said.

The Pakistani Army started firing and shelling at 7.15 a.m. in Naushera sector of the Line of Control (LoC).

The Indian Army retaliated to the unprovoked, indiscriminate firing and shelling by Pakistan Army, Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta told IANS.

Heavy firing and shelling is still on in the area with the Pakistani Army using small arms, automatics and mortars.

Defence sources also said the Pakistan Army has started targeting Indian positions in Manjakot area of Poonch district as well. The two sides are now trading heavy fire in that area on the LoC.

Fourteen families from border villages in the Naushera sector left their homes on Friday following indiscriminate shelling by Pakistani troops.
Melbourne, May 13 : A staff member from a restaurant in Australia's Melbourne city has been fired after issuing a receipt to a black man with a racial slur, the media reported on Saturday.

On Friday, Rutendo Ruth Muchinguri posted a photo on Facebook of the receipt her husband Nicholas received from the Burger Project restaurant, owned by celebrity chef Neil Perry's Rockpool Dining Group, the Guardian reported.

"It is so disappointing that in a place where my husband spent his hard earned money, he received this sort of disgracefully discriminatory treatment. It's exhausting that in 2017, in a modern and multicultural society some of your staff remain insensitive." The employee had scribbled the 'N' word on the bill.

A company spokesperson told the Guardian Australia on Saturday they were "disappointed and saddened that Nicholas Muchinguri was treated in this manner by one of our employees."

"It is not behaviour or language that we support or condone in any way and does not reflect the values or culture of our business," he added.

"Neil reached out to Nicholas directly this morning and apologised personally, conveying his deep disappointment that this occurred."
Srinagar, May 13 : Militants on Saturday opened fire at an army patrol in Jammu and Kashmir's Tral region, following which security forces launched a search operation in the area.

Militants hiding in the Seer Jagir village in Tral opened fire at the army patrol.

"A search operation has been started," a police official said.

Tral is part of Pulwama district which along with Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag districts of south Kashmir are believed to be heavily infested with militants.

The firing comes days after a Kashmiri army officer was killed by militants in Shopian when he was on leave to attend a family wedding.
Islamabad, May 13 : A set of recommendations has been sent to the Prime Ministers Office and the Foreign Office, strategising how to plead Pakistans point of view on Monday before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the conviction of alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav.

Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on espionage charges and earlier this week, the ICJ at the Hague in the Netherlands suspended the death sentence.

"We have sent our recommendations to the Prime Minister's Office and the Foreign Office," Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf told Dawn on Friday.

Ausaf said a robust reply would be advanced by Pakistan in a forceful manner, refuting all allegations levelled against it and also pointing out atrocities India was committing in Kashmir, the Dawn report said.

He said it was necessary to keep all measures and options confidential so that the "other side might not know the strategy being devised".

Ausaf is expected to lead the Pakistan side before the ICJ. But he did not rule out the possibility of engaging someone from abroad, saying the endeavour would be to hire the best minds on international law to advance Pakistan's standpoint.

However, he acknowledged that time was short since the hearing would begin on May 15.

Islamabad said the Indian move (to approach ICJ in Jadhav case) was an attempt to divert attention from "state-sponsored terrorism in Pakistan" and that it was analysing the ICJ's authority in the matter.
Beijing/Islamabad, May 13 : China and Pakistan on Saturday inked various infrastructure agreements, including on setting up ports and for further developing Gwadar port, ahead of the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) forum that begins on Sunday, media reported.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

The first MoU is related to cooperation within the framework of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st century Maritime Silk Road initiative, Radio Pakistan reported.

An MoU was also signed on upgradation of the main railway line track ML-I and establishment of Havelian Dry Port.

Three agreements related to economic and technical cooperation worth 3.4 billion Yuan for Gwadar port and East Bay expressway.

Federal Ministers, Advisor on Foreign Affairs and Chief Ministers of all four provinces were also present on the occasion.

Sharif also reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment for completion of early harvest projects under CPEC.

Sharif on Saturday also held meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and assured that Islamabad will fully support Beijing's OBOR initiative, Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.

The meeting focused on intra-regional trade and connectivity as a crucial factor for sustainable development of Asia and beyond, it added.

The Pakistan side conveyed that China's strategic policies in the region were for peace and prosperity.

Sharif voiced gratitude for China's support for the launch of the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and said: "The CPEC presents a great opportunity for strengthening regional economy."

The two sides discussed progress on CPEC - an important part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's One Belt, One Road vision.

Sharif in his statement also congratulated Premier Li Keqiang on hosting the OBOR forum.

Chief ministers of Punjab, Khyber Paktunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh were also present in the meetings.

The composition of his delegation to China, particularly the presence of four Chief Ministers, is testimony to the broad-based Pakistan-China friendship, Sharif was quoted as saying.

"Sharif told the Chinese President that presence of all Chief Minister in the meetings reflects national harmony that prevails in Pakistan with regard to the country's relationship with China," the news agency quoted sources as saying.

Sharif said China was Pakistan's "strategic partner" which has always stood by the country.
Los Angeles, May 13 : Supermodel Miranda Kerr and her Snapchat founder and fiancA Evan Spiegel are set to marry soon.

"Kerr and her fiancA are poised to get married imminently. The supermodel's family has already flown into Los Angeles from Australia," usmagazine.com quoted a source as saying.

The former Victoria's Secret Angel, 34, and the Snapchat founder, 26, announced their engagement in July 2016 after more than a year of dating.

Kerr revealed the news by posting an Instagram photograph of her classic round diamond ring. "I said yes!" she captioned the photograph. The couple met in 2014.

According to the source, the couple will have "an extravagant wedding, in true Evan style".

This will be the second marriage for Kerr, who was previously married to actor Orlando Bloom from 2010 to 2013. They co-parent their six-year-old son, Flynn.
Srinagar, May 13 : Zakir Musa, who was heading the Hizbul Mujahideen, quit the militant outfit on Saturday after the group refused to back his statement warning that Hurriyat leaders would be beheaded for calling the Kashmir issue "political".

Musa, who took over the outfit after the killing of Burhan Wani in July last year, announced he would not be associated with the Hizb from Saturday onwards.

"Following my last audio message, a lot of confusion is being spread in Kashmir. I stand by my speech and by my message," Musa said in the latest audio clip released on social media.

Musa on Friday said his organisation would chop off the heads of Hurriyat leaders and hang them in Srinagar's Lal Chowk for calling the Kashmir issue "political in nature" and not an "Islamic struggle".

However, on Saturday the Hizbul Mujahideen said the outfit does not subscribe to the statement issued by Musa.

"Such a statement (Musa's) is unacceptable to us. It reflects the personal opinion of Zakir Musa," Hizb spokesperson Saleem Hashmi said in a statement emailed to a local news agency in Kashmir.

Reacting to the statement, Musa said in his audio message: "Hizbul Mujahideeen has said that we have nothing to do with the statement of Zakir Musa. So, if Hizbul Mujahideen doesn't represent me then I too don't represent them. From today onwards, I have no association with Hizbul Mujahideen."

Musa, in his early 20s, said he had not said anything against a particular person or Hurriyat Conference Chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, "but I have spoken only against that individual who is against Islam and talks about freedom to establish a secular state".

"We are fighting for 'Azadi baraye Islam (Freedom for the sake of Islam)', I am fighting for freedom for the sake of Islam. My blood will spill for Islam and not for a secular state," he said.

On Friday, in an audio, which went viral on social media, Zakir said: "I am warning all those hypocrite Hurriyat leaders. They must not interfere in our Islamic struggle. If they do, we will cut their heads and hang them in Lal Chowk."

He said he was clear in his motives of "fighting to impose a Shariat in Kashmir and not resolving the Kashmir issue by calling it a political struggle".

Militants from the group are believed to be behind the killing of Kashmiri Army officer Ummer Fayaz earlier this week.
Beijing, May 13 : India is likely to skip China's mega Belt and Road forum beginning here on Sunday as New Delhi is yet to confirm its participation, though most of its neighbours are attending.

India's unwillingness to confirm its participation for the two-day summit stems from its objection to the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a key artery of China's Belt and Road project, which cuts through Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which is claimed by New Delhi.

Last week, Union Defence and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said that India has "serious reservations" about China's massive connectivity project that aims to build a trade and infrastructure network linking Asia with Europe and Africa.

"I have no hesitation in saying that we have serious reservations about it because of sovereignty issues," he had said to a question.

New Delhi is not likely to send anyone for the event, a source had told IANS earlier.

Phone calls to the Indian embassy went unanswered.

On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang said Indian scholars were coming for the meet.

India's likely non-participation comes as the top leadership of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Myanmar are attending, while Bangladesh and Nepal are sending high-level delegations. Bhutan is not attending.

On Friday, Nepal officially inked a deal with China on OBOR for development of cross-border connectivity.

China's Foreign Ministry has said that 29 heads of state, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, will attend the May 14-15 forum. They will be among the 1,500 or so Chinese and foreign delegates at the event.

Among India's neighbours, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has arrived along with four Chief Ministers, while Sri Lankan Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe is also attending.

Countries like the US, Japan, South Korea and France have decided to send official representations for the meet.

The OBOR project is inspired by the Silk Road, the trading route of the 16th-18th centuries between Europe and Asia. It is proposed to be a vast network of sea and land routes -- comprising railway lines, roads, ports and other infrastructure - across several countries. According to reports, China is said to be spending $1 trillion on it. The project was introduced by President Xi Jinping in 2013 and is seen as his signature foreign-policy effort.

China has identified 65 countries, plus itself, along the Belt and Road, which together account for 60 per cent of the world's population and 30 per cent of its GDP, according to the Hong Kong-based think tank Fung Business Intelligence.

A joint communique will be issued at the end of the OBOR summit, being touted by Chinese state media as one of the year's most important international events.
Jammu, May 13 : Two civilians were killed and three injured in Pakistan shelling on the LoC in Naushera sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, leading to an exchange of firing and shelling between Indian and Pakistan armies there as well as in Rajouri sector.

The Indian Army said Pakistani forces used small firearms, automatics and mortars, to which Indian forces retaliated effectively and strongly.

The shelling/firing was still continuing when last reports came in on Saturday evening.

"After Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked and indiscriminate shelling and firing on the Line of Control in Naushera sector, our troops retaliated effectively and strongly. Exchange of firing is still on at three places in Naushera and Rajouri sectors," Defence Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta told IANS here.

He said two civilians were killed and three injured in Pakistani shelling that began at 7.15 a.m.

The civil administration in Rajouri district announced indefinite closure of all schools along the Line of Control in the area till further orders.

As many as 14 families from the border villages in Naushera sector fled their homes on Friday following indiscriminate shelling by Pakistani troops.

On Saturday, more villagers were seen abandoning their homes to take shelter in safer places away from the line of enemy fire.

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti regretted the loss of lives in the shelling and said that war will not resolve anything.

Talking to reporters, she said: "Conflicts and war will not resolve anything. We always maintain that India and Pakistan should work together for peace and not for confrontation."
New Delhi, May 13 : Delhi's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) on Saturday interrogated six engineers of the Public Works Department (PWD) in connection with an alleged corruption of Rs 10 crore involving Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's late brother-in-law Surender Kumar Bansal.

"We ave questioned six engineers of the PWD today (Saturday)," ACB chief Mukesh Kumar Meena told IANS. However, he refused to share details.

The ACB action follows filing of three cases on May 9 against Bansal and senior PWD officers in connection with the alleged corruption charge.

On May 9, the ACB had summoned the engineers to join the probe for their role in the scam.

The case involving Bansal, who died on May 7 in a Gurgaon hospital, relates to a drain project and improvement of kerbs from Shani Mandir to Bakoli village up to Drain No. 6 on the National Highway-44.

The FIRs do not mention Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Kejriwal's name, although complainant Rahul Sharma, Convener of NGO Road Anti-Corruption Organisation, had accused the Chief Minister of helping kin Bansal to get fake bills of around Rs 10 crore cleared.

The three FIRs were registered against Bansal and the PWD officers after it was discovered that the bills were cleared by different companies for different works.

"Bansal got the pending bills of around Rs 10 crore cleared due to Kejriwal's influence. He set up three companies -- Ranu Construction, Pawan Construction and Kamal Construction -- in whose names he got the bills cleared from the PWD," NGO's General Secretary Vilav Awasthi told IANS.

According to the officials, the ACB had questioned Sharma for a couple of hours on May 11. The ACB team also visited the PWD office to collect some files and documents related to the scam the same day.

The matter was being investigated by the Delhi Police Economic Offences Wing, but it was later transferred to the ACB.
Chandigarh, May 13 : The Haryana Police have arrested two persons after a young woman from Haryana's Sonepat district was allegedly abducted, gang raped and brutally killed by them, police officials said on Saturday.

The shocking incident, a cruel reminder of the December 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case of New Delhi, came only days after the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of four accused in the case. The victim's body was found on the outskirts of Rohtak town, 70 km from national capital Delhi.

Police officials said that forensic experts have disclosed that the victim was sexually assaulted and her body was badly mutilated. Stray dogs had bitten off parts of the victim's body.

S.K. Dhattarwal, Head of the Department of Forensic Medicine at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), Rohtak, said that the post-mortem examination of the victim's body indicated sexual assault, mutilation of private parts and murder.

Police was told that the victim's head and face were smashed with a hard object and crushed under the wheels of some vehicle. This, according to the police, was done to hide her identity.

The Haryana Police have launched an investigation into the brutal gang rape and murder. The arrested men were being interrogated, a police officer told IANS.

The woman, aged around 22 years, went missing on May 9, as per the complaint filed by her family.

Those arrested have been identified as Sumit and Vikas.

Police officials said that Sumit was a neighbour of the victim in Sonepat and had been stalking her. He was pressurising her to marry him but she had refused.

Police officials alleged that Sumit planned the gang rape and murder to teach a lesson to the woman.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi expressed deep shock and outrage over the brutal gang rape, murder and mutilation of the body of the victim. She hoped that the Haryana government would take action against the perpetrators of the crime.

A mentally unstable Nepalese woman was brutally gang raped and murdered by seven men in Rohtak district in February 2015. The accused were awarded the death penalty by a local court in December 2015.
Kolkata, May 13 : Two days after openly defying the Centre's order and stating that he would keep using the red beacon on his vehicle, Maulana Noor-ur Rehman Barkati, the Shahi Imam of Tipu Sultan Masjid, on Saturday claimed that he has removed the beacon from his car.

"I have removed the beacon," a visibly annoyed Barkati told the reporters.

Earlier in the day, the state Mass Education Extension & Library Services Minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury termed Barkati as an RSS agent for "providing ammunition to the RSS" by constantly making controversial statements and demanded that the Muslim cleric should go to Pakistan.

"We are Indians. If an Indian citizen sides with Pakistan then he should go to Pakistan," Chowdhury said at a press conference on Saturday evening.

Reacting to the allegations, Barkati called the state minister both a "traitor" and "an RSS agent" and accused Chowdhury of creating a divide between the Hindus and Muslims.

"He is a traitor and an RSS agent himself. He should remove the red beacon from his car first. He is trying to create a divide between the Hindus and Muslims in the state," the cleric retorted.

Barkati had openly claimed that he would not follow the Centre's order of removing the red beacon two days ago and indicated that he has the consent of state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the matter.

"I have been using this for many years and would continue to do so. I do not bother about the Centre's rule. In the state, we follow the rule of the state," Barkati said on Thursday.

"Mamata Banerjee has told me to keep using the beacon. I keep talking to her every now and then," he claimed.

Protesting against his actions, a city-based NGO on Friday lodged police complaints against Barkati at several police stations including Topsia and Garihat for violating the Centre's rule and demeaning the Indian constitution.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Yuva Morcha supporters demonstrated in central Kolkata demanding Barkati's immediate arrest. Similar protests were held in Howrah with BJP supporters burning his effigy.

The Centre, seeking to put an end to 'VIP culture', had decided that red beacons would be removed from all vehicles, including that of Prime Minister from May 1.
New Delhi, May 13 : India on Saturday refused to be a part of China's One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative citing its objections to the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, that passes through Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Citing the CPEC that is being touted as a flagship part of OBOR, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said: "No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity."

In a statement, a day ahead of the launch of the two-day summit in Beijing, he said: "Guided by our principled position in the matter, we have been urging China to engage in a meaningful dialogue on its connectivity initiative, 'One Belt, One Road' which was later renamed as 'Belt and Road Initiative'.

"We are awaiting a positive response from the Chinese side.

"Regarding the so-called 'China-Pakistan Economic Corridor', which is being projected as the flagship project of the BRI/OBOR, the international community is well aware of India's position. No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity."

China is organising the two-day Belt and Road conference in Beijing starting Sunday which will be attended by 29 Heads of State including Russian President Vladimir Putin and a US delegation, and see the participation of over 100 countries.

India's non-participation comes as the top leadership of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Myanmar are attending, while Bangladesh and Nepal are sending high-level delegations. Bhutan is not attending.

On Friday, Nepal officially inked a deal with China on OBOR for development of cross-border connectivity.

The $46-billion CPEC is part of OBOR, Chinese President Xi Jinping's signature foreign policy initiative.

New Delhi firmly opposes this corridor of Beijing's project linking Xinjiang in China and the Gwadar port in Pakistan because it passes through Pakistani-administered Kashmir. India lays claim to the disputed region.

The general view was that India attending the forum might amount to surrendering its claim over the region.

However, Beijing has repeatedly sought to allay New Delhi's fears, saying China will not change its position on the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan. Beijing terms the dispute as bilateral.

Citing other problems, Baglay said: "We are of firm belief that connectivity initiatives must be based on universally recognised international norms, good governance, rule of law, openness, transparency and equality.

"Connectivity initiatives must follow principles of financial responsibility to avoid projects that would create unsustainable debt burden for communities; balanced ecological and environmental protection and preservation standards; transparent assessment of project costs; and skill and technology transfer to help long term running and maintenance of the assets created by local communities. Connectivity projects must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Noting India shares the international community's desire for enhanced physical connectivity and believes that it should bring greater economic benefits to all in an equitable and balanced manner," Baglay said it was "working with many countries and international institutions in support of physical and digital connectivity in our own immediate and near neighbourhood".

He said that expansion and strengthening of connectivity was an integral part of India's economic and diplomatic initiatives and referred to New Delhi's Act East policy that focuses on the 10 nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and the Trilateral Highway project underway to link India, Myanmar and Thailand.

Baglay said that under New Delhi's Go West strategy, it engaged with Iran on the Chabahar Port and with Iran and other partners in Central Asia on the International North South Transport Corridor. India, Iran, and Afghanistan have signed a trilateral agreement to develop the Chabahar port that will will be vital to link south and central Asia.

He also referred to the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) motor transport agreement saying it is an initiative that is aimed at enhancing logistics efficiencies in the South Asian region.

"We are also actively considering acceding to TIR (Transports Internationaux Routiers or International Road Transports) Convention," he said. The TIR Convention establishes an international customs transit system.
New Delhi, May 13 : Sacked Delhi Water Minister Kapil Mishra on Saturday alleged that a conspiracy was on to make him end his indefinite hunger strike, saying the doctors were giving "false" reports on his medical condition.

"Doctors working under (Health Minister) Satyendar Jain are giving fake reports to end my fast," Mishra said in a series of tweets.

"Doctors giving false reports while I am on camera -- absolutely fine."

"I refuse to accept reports of doctors directly reporting to Jain. On camera the sugar level is 87 and they are saying 58," the former Minister said.

"... they are recommending immediate forcible hospitalisation," he said.

"A conspiracy to end my satyagrah (peaceful hunger strike) just before a big expose tomorrow (Sunday)," said Mishra, who was also suspended from the AAP.

Mishra has been on a hunger strike since Wednesday at his official residence here, demanding that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal must reveal the source of funding of the foreign trips of five Aam Aadmi Party leaders -- Sanjay Singh, Ashish Khetan, Raghav Chadhha, Jain and Durgesh Pathak -- in the last two years.

Mishra has said he will make what he said a "big expose" at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

In another tweet, the former Minister said that "police was saying to take him away forcibly".

"I refuse. I need second opinion," Mishra demanded.

He also slammed the Health Minister and said that his physiological condition is fine.

Mishra was removed as a Delhi minister on March 6 in a sudden move and later suspended from the AAP. He then said he saw Kejriwal taking Rs 2 crore from Jain.
Rohtak/Chandigarh, May 13 : In a savage gang-rape reminiscent of the 2012 Nirbhaya incident, a young woman from Haryana's Sonepat district was abducted, brutally raped and murdered, with her head and face smashed with a blunt object and crushed under the wheels of a vehicle. Two men, including her neighbour who was stalking her, have been arrested.

The distraught parents of the victim have demanded immediate death penalty for the accused. The mother of the victim said on Saturday that she wanted to kill the accused herself.

Police officials said that othere men could be involved in the gruesome gangrape and murder.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi has expressed "deep shock" over the rape.

The incident comes days after the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of four accused in the December 16, 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape.

The Haryana woman, aged around 23 years, went missing on May 9, as per the complaint filed by her family.

Her body was found on the outskirts of Rohtak town, 70 km from national capital Delhi, early on Friday.

Police officials said that forensic experts have disclosed that the victim was sexually assaulted and her body was badly mutilated. Stray dogs had bitten off parts of the body.

S.K. Dhattarwal, Head of the Department of Forensic Medicine at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), Rohtak, said that the post-mortem examination of the body indicated sexual assault, mutilation of private parts and murder.

Police was told that the victim's head and face were smashed with a hard object and crushed under the wheels of a vehicle. This, according to the police, was done to hide her identity.

The Haryana Police have launched an investigation into the brutal gang rape and murder. The arrested men were being interrogated, a police officer told IANS.

The two men arrested have been identified as Sumit and Vikas.

Police said that Sumit was a neighbour of the victim in Sonepat and had been stalking her for some time. He was pressurising her to marry him but she had refused.

Police officials alleged that Sumit planned the gang rape and murder to teach a lesson to the woman.

Expressing deep shock and outrage over the brutal gang rape and murder, Gandhi hoped that the Haryana government would take action against the perpetrators.

"This savage and bone chilling incident has shocked the conscience of the nation, reminding each one of us about the crying need of revisiting the important issue of women's safety and security," she said.

A mentally unstable Nepalese woman was brutally gang raped and murdered by seven men in Rohtak district in February 2015. The accused were awarded the death penalty by a local court in December 2015.
New Delhi, May 13 : President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday said Indira Gandhi was still the "most acceptable ruler" of the country and hailed the late Prime Minister for her decisiveness and fearlessness.

"To the people of India, she is the most acceptable ruler of a democratic country, even today," Mukherjee said at the launch of the book "India's Indira - A Centennial Tribute" during her birth centenary year.

He said that Indira Gandhi's short period in political wilderness revealed her true strength.

"She remained undaunted in the face of attacks and criticism. She never lost courage. If the Congress party came back into power within a short period of three years, it was because of Gandhi's hard work and determined action," said Mukherjee at the event attended by Vice President Hamid Ansari, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi among others.

"When Congress was defeated in 1977, when I met her, the first thing she told me was 'Pranab, don't get unnerved by the defeat. This is the time to act. And she acted," he said.

The President, who had served as a minister in her cabinet, said that she had "waged a relentless war against communal and sectarian violence, throughout her life" while successfully rising above "divisive identities of caste, community, religion and creed and established a direct connect with people".

"It was this unhindered rapport that made her acceptable from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Mizoram to Dwarka. She had only one identity - that of an Indian," said the President.

He said that Indira Gandhi's life was infused with a tremendous passion for India and its people, and hailed her contributions towards the progress and development of India.

About Indira Gandhi's decisiveness, Mukherjee referred to several of her bold decisions including the Operation Blue Star the 1984 military operation to remove Sikh militants from the Golden Temple in Punjab.

"Sometimes history demands some action which may not prove correct later on, but perhaps is most relevant at that time," he said.

"Fearlessness in action and boldness in decision making was the unique hallmark of her character," said Mukherjee who was presented the first copy of the book edited by senior Congress leader Anand Sharma.

"It was in Indiraji's time that India became the third largest reservoir of skilled scientific and technical manpower, the fifth military power, the sixth member of the nuclear club, the seventh in the race for space and the tenth industrial power," he said.

Gandhi was Prime Minister from 1966 to 1977 and then from 1980 to 1984 when she was assassinated.
Hyderabad, May 14 : Hyderabad police on Saturday registered a case against BJP legislator Raja Singh Lodh, who described old city of Hyderabad as "mini Pakistan" and made some other objectionable remarks.

Singh, who is a member of Telangana state assembly from Goshamahal constituency in the city, had told a television channel in an interview that the Constitution and the law currently in force are not his priorities.

The controversial MLA also stated that he is preparing a private Army and training the youth with the lethal weapons to fight with others.

"His interview is provocative, promoting enmity among the public and leading to the disturbance of peace, public order and communal harmony," Deputy Commissioner of Police V. Satyanarayana said.

A case under section 153-A of Indian Penal Code has been booked against him at Mir Chowk police station in the old city.

Meanwhile, police have also booked Mohammed Abdul Majid of Darasgah Jihad-o-Shadat (DJS) on same charges for conducting mass drill with "arms" and lathis on at Hazrat Ujale Shah Edigha ground on May 12 and for making provocative speech.

According to police, he was conducting classes for volunteers/members and youths in the name of self defence.

A case against Majid has been booked in Saidabad police station.
Islmabad, May 14 : Senior Pakistan civilian and military leaders on Saturday reviewed security situation in southwestern Balochistan province following two terrorist incidents, which have claimed the lives of 37 people.

Officials in Balochistan's Gwadar said that unidentified gunmen attacked labourers in two different locations on Saturday and killed at least 10 of them. Several others were injured. All the slain labourers belonged to Sindh province and were engaged in road construction.

No group has claimed responsibility. But provincial Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti blamed "agents of foreign hostile agencies" for the terrorist attack.

Local authorities said the gunmen fled on motorcycles after the incidents.

On Friday a suicide bomber struck a convoy of the Deputy Chairman of the Senate Abdul Ghafoor Haidery in Mastung area and killed 27 people and injured over 30 more. Haidery was injured in the attack that was later claimed by the Islamic State.

The military said that a high level security coordination conference was held in the military headquarters in Quetta, the provincial capital in which senior civil and military officials took review of security situation in the province.

"Participants discussed challenges and expressed their resolve to bring enduring peace and stability in the province through a comprehensive and coordinated joint response," an army statement said.

Meanwhile Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned the tragic incident of indiscriminate firing targeting innocent laborers working on a road in Gwadar, the prime minister's office said.

The Prime Minister said that all efforts will be made to maintain peace in the province at all cost.

"We will ensure all necessary measures to fully realize our dream of a developed and prosperous Baluchistan," he said.
The depth and breadth of the research was fantastic - including very detailed survey results, market analysis, competitive analysis, price points, regulations, logistics, and packaging recommendations

Indiana UniversityPurdue University Fort Wayne Doermer School of Business selected Hoosier Hill Farm for an International marketing research project in December of last year. "We were contacted by professor Ahmed Rachdi who wanted to interview us for the program", said Peter Roesner, president of Hoosier Hill Farm LLC. "the following week we met with Ahmed and Dr. Melissa Gruys, dean of the Doermer School of Business and we elected to participate".

In February, the class traveled to Morocco to launch a market research program on behalf of two Fort Wayne companies: Hoosier Hill Farm LLC and DeBrand Fine Chocolates.

While they were there, the IPFW students worked jointly with teams of Moroccan students enrolled in a similar marketing research course at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane. The trip was led by IPFW's Ahmed Rachdi, the instructor of D490 Special Study in International Business who is also a native of Morocco.

May 5th students presented to the group of business members the results of their research, which included each student explaining different segments of the study.

Roesner noted that "all of the students showed a genuine and cohesive interest in our products. The depth and breadth of the research was fantastic - including very detailed survey results, market analysis, competitive analysis, price points, regulations, logistics, and packaging recommendations. It was evident by the amount of detail and specific observations that these students were completely immersed in the facts and tasks of the project."

The IPFW and AUI students ran marketing research focus groups together to gather data for the client firms.

"We feel the results of the study were positive and our Belgium sister company may be the best logistics strategy to reach into the Moroccan marketplace with US made goods, since the labeling requirements are similar to the European Union". Says Roesner, referring to Hoosier Hill Farm's parent company Willshire Capital which has a subsidiary in Belgium.

Hoosier Hill Farm LLC, based in Fort Wayne, was ranked By Inc. Magazine as No. 174 on its Inc. 500 for 2016, an exclusive ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies.
A star of such hits as The West Wing and Parks and Recreation, Rob Lowe is best known as a leading actor, but recently has also placed an emphasis toward education as the host of a public television series called Informed. This program concentrations on educating society about solutions to modern-day challenges. The most recent episode appropriately explores the health benefits of practicing yoga.

With waistlines around the country growing, its no surprise that improving fitness is a growing challenge for many Americans. Likewise, mental health problems are on the rise among Americans. Along with a rise in addiction, the number of diagnoses of clinical depression, severe anxiety, and other mood disorders is growing. While many seek bariatric surgeries and various medications to deal with these issues, health professionals continue to push natural alternatives, such as practicing yoga.

Yoga practice can positively affect both physical and mental health in a positive way. Its not a practice that is reserved for the elite either. Anyone can practice yoga and learn to find comfort and value in its slow, steady poses and movements. The upcoming episode focuses on the numerous benefits that yoga practice can offer anyone whos interested in improving their health.

Informed is a program developed for public television. In keeping with the high standards of broadcasts that will reach a national audience, each episode is thoroughly reviewed. Since the series inception, it has received numerous awards. This particular episode along with the other Informed programs will air on Public Television and PBS Member Stations nationwide.
St. John Properties gathers today with hundreds of Harry Potter fans (in costume) to wave the wand for special needs access to the Pleasant Grove Library. On the library steps surrounded by the citys children, the City Council is set to vote to accept St. John Properties commitment to construct an elevator and sky bridge. This will enable wheelchair access to the Librarys Resource Center, the Childrens Library and finally allow the restrooms to be ADA accessible. Work on the elevator is set for completion by year-end, complimenting the companys 60-acre master planned development known as Valley Grove.

"We so appreciate the generosity of St. John Properties and its partners, states Pleasant Grove City Councilman Eric Jensen. This new elevator is overdue as we seek to better serve all children and our community members with special needs. Our dream of a Childrens Library can now become a reality.

We all have the power to make a difference, states Edward St. John, chairman and founder of St. John Properties. We have the choice to make it personal and discover where there is need. Its the most important thing we do. We take pride in giving back to the communities in which we have a presence.

The Edward St. John Foundation provides financial assistance to formal education programs. More than $60 million has been contributed, pledged and gifted by the Foundation, St. John Properties and Edward St. John to a variety of not-for-profit organizations.

We must give equal credit to our exceptional Utah-based contractors contributing to this effort, states Daniel Thomas, regional partner for St. John Properties, Utah. Children are the future of Utah Valley and we seek to help them become all they can be.

Utah Valley Rising

The state added 42,100 jobs between November 2015 and November 2016, according to the Utah Department of Workforce Services. Utah Valleys tech heavy silicon slopes are pulling the epicenter of population growth south of the state's capitol city as new jobs and new homes dot the Utah County landscape according to the University of Utah's Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. This is driving increased demand for office space in Utah Valley.

About St. John Properties

Established in 1971 by Edward St. John, St. John Properties has evolved from a developer of commercial buildings into a long-term real estate investment company. Now expanding in Utah, St. John Properties is attracted by the States economic strength, pro-business climate, quality of life, and projected growth. St. Johns new Valley Grove development in Pleasant Grove marks the companys commitment to Utahs quality of life with its 40th LEED certified commercial office building.

Media Contact:

John Pilmer, PilmerPR

801-369-7535

jpilmer(at)pilmerpr.com
When Postpartum Packs a Punch Stories of mothers struggles with postpartum depression are an antidote for stigma, because they let mothers know that they are not alone.

As a new mother, author Kristina Cowan was overwhelmed after experiencing a traumatic birth and postpartum depression. As a journalist, she wanted to use her story to help other mothers. In When Postpartum Packs a Punch, Cowan weaves together her story with those of other parents, and uses these stories as a balm to help heal and stir hope. The stories represent diverse backgrounds and perspectives that underscore the prevalence of mood disorders after childbirth. They also show how an overcoming spirit can fight terrors of the mindand win.

When Postpartum Packs a Punch offers solace to mothers who have experienced traumatic birth and perinatal mood disorders, as well as a chorus of different voicesparents, experts, and researchers. All are singing the same song: while the U.S. has made strides in caring for new mothers, there is still room for improvement. Stigma silences women, and blinds those on the sidelines. Stories of mothers struggles are an antidote for stigma, because they let mothers know that they are not alone.

Praise for When Postpartum Packs a Punch

First I had a baby. Then I felt crazy. Such a powerful and poignant beginning to this important book on postpartum illness. What Kristina Cowan offers goes way beyond the courage of sharing her own and other personal stories. When Postpartum Packs a Punch speaks the language that postpartum families long for; it is rich with compassion, hope, and much-needed resources. This book is hugely informational, it is comforting, it is healing. 

-Karen Kleiman, MSW, LCSW

Founder of The Postpartum Stress Center, and author of Therapy and the Postpartum Woman and The Art of Holding in Therapy

If there was ever a book for fathers to educate themselves about perinatal mental health, it is this incredible book.

-Mark Williams

Founder of International Fathers Mental Health Day, speaker, author, and campaigner

Are you feeling the punch of the postpartum period? Many new parents do. But in her book, When Postpartum Packs a Punch, Kristina Cowan helps the reader understand the scientific and personal sides of this often-unanticipated problem. This well-researched and well-written book can help you see that you are not alone in your struggle, and that there is help.

-Dr. Jonathan S. Abramowitz

Clinical psychologist, professor, and international expert on OCD and anxiety disorders

Like a thunderclap on a cloudless day, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders upend a womans vision of herself as a mother, as a person. With unflinching honesty, Kristina Cowan chronicles her odyssey through the heartbreak of depression following her sons birth. Using her story as a backdrop, Cowan weaves a tapestry of other womens voices, those who love them, and those who treat them. This enlightening book uniquely describes the history and development of international treatment models, which are finally being adopted and adapted in this country, serving up hope, inspiration, and reassurance.

-Dr. Margaret Howard

Director of the Day Hospital and Womens Behavioral Health at Women and

Infants Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island

Kristina Cowans book, When Postpartum Packs a Punch: Fighting Back and Finding Joy, is a great contribution to reliable education and research on perinatal mental health. As are most therapists and advocates, I am careful and protective when I recommend books to parents who are struggling with distress and trauma related to pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. Im also determined to share evidence-based research in the field with providers and researchers. Cowan puts her expert reporting and expressive skills to work here, and the result is a resource that is informative, hopeful, and motivating. Including the subject of posttraumatic stress as a common perinatal mental health issue is just one example of the unique contributions in this book. We need more resources like this using clear evidence to help families and providers improve the landscape for perinatal mental health. The information and personal excerpts empower families, as well as providers and policy makers. Together, and with solid information like this, we can make the landscape easier to travel, and our ability to care more effective. Cowan writes, Changing the way PMADs are discussed, both formally and informally, is crucial. ... By saying, Ive been where you are, and its awful. But I got through it, and so will you, we show new mothers theyre not alone. We offer hope, which is the heart of this book.

-Wendy Newhouse Davis, Ph.D.

Counseling & Consultation, and executive director of Postpartum Support International

Kristina Cowan started writing when she was 5. Years later, she earned a masters degree in journalism from Northwestern University, and these days she covers mental health and womens issues. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband and two young children. When Postpartum Packs a Punch is her first book.

Praeclarus Press is a small press founded by health psychologist, Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, focusing on womens health. The mission of Praeclarus Press is to publish books that change peoples lives. Praeclarus Press is based in Amarillo, Texas.

When Postpartum Packs a Punch is available at PraeclarusPress.com.
Mercy Medical Center At Mercy, we strive to create a positive and engaging workplace that keeps employees challenged and fulfilledThis honor is further testimony to the efforts of everyone who makes Mercy a great place to work, said Mercy president and CEO Thomas R. Mullen

Mercy Medical Center has been ranked as one of the top 300 midsize employers in the United States by Forbes magazine, a leading national business publication. Mercy was among only seven mid-sized companies in Maryland to make the list, landing at No. 174 for companies with 1,000-5,000 employees nationwide.

To determine the ranking, Forbes looked at how likely workers were to recommend their employer to someone else and how they feel about the other employers in their industry.

From U.S. News and World Reports Top Hospitals recognition to six straight years honored with the Women's Choice Award as one of America's 100 best hospitals for patient experience, Mercy continues to receive accoladesthis one from Forbes is particularly gratifying as it reflects the opinion of our employees, the people who put Mercys mission into action every day, said Thomas R. Mullen, President and CEO, Mercy Health Services, Mercy Medical Center.

A survey of 30,000 U.S. workers was conducted in a variety of industry sectors, including health care, from which the best employers were selected.

At Mercy, we strive to create a positive and engaging workplace that keeps employees challenged and fulfilled. We believe that engaged employees enable us to consistently provide exceptional care to our patients daily, in keeping with the values and the mission of the Sisters of Mercy. This honor is further testimony to the efforts of everyone who makes Mercy a great place to work, Mr. Mullen said.

The companies on the Forbes lists of best midsize and large employers were chosen based on an independent survey conducted by Statista, an online statistics provider. To see the full list of America's Best Employers, visit Forbes.com.

Founded in 1874 by the Sisters of Mercy, Mercy Medical Center is a university-affiliated medical institution with a national reputation for womens health care. In addition to the Forbes announcement, Mercys has also been recognized as a Best Place to Work by Beckers Hospital Review in 2013 and by Baltimore Magazine in 2012.

-30-
With massive tornadoes hitting Texas the end of April, taking at least four lives, injuring dozens more and destroying countless homes, it couldnt be more timely to recognize National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day. The awareness event serves as a call-to-action to prepare for not only tornadoes but also all types of emergencies, and the Texas Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA) urges pet owners to include pets in disaster preparation plans.

One of the key components of developing a disaster preparation plan is establishing an evacuation strategy, which involves determining how to get your pets safely out of the house and off the property and finding a safe place to stay. Many disaster shelters do not accept pets, so find one that does ahead of time or secure an alternative safe haven for your pets. Consider making arrangements for boarding in case of home destruction. In addition to dogs and cats, it is crucial to plan ahead and make sure farm animals and livestock are also accounted for.

It is important to assemble a survival kit for each of your pets. Just as humans need food, water and additional items such as medication, pets will need an ample supply of these things as well. In the kits, there should be at least three days worth of food and water, photos of pets for identification, proof of health care, emergency contact information and your veterinarians contact information. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has species-specific guides and resources available to the public to ensure you have all possible necessities.

Making sure your pet is properly identified is also imperative. If your pets happen to get lost during an evacuation or a disaster, you will have a much better chance of finding them if they are microchipped and tagged. It is also important to maintain an up-to-date contact information list with phone numbers for the veterinarian, fire department, police station, animal shelter and the nearest relative or friend who could shelter your pet.

We may not always be together at home with our family and pets when disaster strikes, so we have to be prepared to communicate with and relocate our family and pets, said TVMA Immediate Past President Sam Miller, DVM, of Village Veterinary Clinic in Houston. In the event you are away from home, it would be a good idea for a neighbor or family member to have access to your house so they can assist in your disaster response.

About the Texas Veterinary Medical Association

Founded in 1903, the Texas Veterinary Medical Association is a professional association composed of more than 3,700 veterinarians committed to protecting public health, promoting high educational, ethical and moral standards within the veterinary profession and educating the public about animal health and its relationship to human health. For more information, call 512/452-4224 or visit http://www.tvma.org.

###
The Alliance of California Judges announced their strong opposition to twin bills currently pending in the California legislature that would radically alter the states current bail system.

Assembly Bill 42 and Senate Bill 10 are identical bills that ostensibly seek to eliminate all financial conditions of bail, while implementing a risk-based computer system to inform judges which defendants they should release on their own recognizance and who to keep in jail.

However, the Alliance of California Judges warns that the proposed changes are far too radical and would have disastrous ramifications for court system, as well as the public-at-large. The organization which is comprised of more than 500 judges and retired judges from across the state issued their statement as the bills continue to work their way through the California Assembly and Senate.

These twin bills go way too far, and their effect would be a near shutdown of the court system and a serious risk to public safety, said Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Steve White, President of the Alliance of California Judges.

SB 10 (authored by Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys)) and AB 42, authored by Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) were presented as providing for the creation of a fairer system in which the poor cannot be held in jail indefinitely, while wealthier individuals are allowed to buy their way to freedom.

But a key concern expressed by Judge White is that the essence of these bills run counter to the letter and the spirit of the California Constitution

Judge White also said, Our member judges make thousands of rulings on bail issues every day. We recognize that not everyone has the ability to post bail pending trial. We address that concern by adjusting bail amounts and releasing defendants on their own recognizance or on pretrial release under appropriate circumstances. We know that our current bail system needs further reform. But the proposals contained in these bills are simply too drastic, and the effects on public safety and court congestion could be catastrophic.

The proposed bills strip judges of the authority to set bail in the majority of cases and they substitute a different set of priorities for judges to follow in those cases for which they could still set bail. Judge White says this new vision for bail cannot be reconciled with the Victim's Bill of Rights and Marsy's Law according to the states constitution.

As amended by Proposition 8, the Victim's Bill of Rights specifies, In fixing the amount of bail, the court shall take into consideration the seriousness of the offense charged, the previous criminal record of the defendant, and the probability of his or her appearing at the trial or hearing of the case. Prop 8 passed with 83 percent of the popular vote in 1982.

Meanwhile, Proposition 9s Marsys Law, was passed by voters in 2008. It mandates, In setting, reducing or denying bail, the judge or magistrate shall take into consideration the protection of the public, the safety of the victim, the seriousness of the offense charged, the previous criminal record of the defendant, and the probability of his or her appearing at the trial or hearing of the case. Public safety and the safety of the victim shall be the primary considerations.

A person may be released on his or her own recognizance in the court's discretion, subject to the same factors considered in setting bail.

Judge White notes that AB 42 and SB 10 are well-intended attempts to address the fact that the bail system affects persons of differing income levels differently. But he adds that nearly every county now has a pretrial services division in place to screen defendants and recommend their release on appropriate conditions, without bail, when doing so does not pose a serious danger to the public or a significant risk of non-appearance.

He strongly urged that AB 42 and SB 10 be reconsidered and substantially amended.

Additional concerns noted by Judge White include:

The bills would heighten the risk to public safety

Those arrested for selling drugs, committing identity theft, vandalizing homes and businesses, stealing huge sums of money, or burglarizing dozens of businesses would all presumptively be granted pretrial releasewithout having to appear before a judge, post bail or submit to any conditions upon release. These bills also inexplicably exclude residential burglary from the list of crimes for which arrestees are not to be considered for release without judicial authorization.

These proposals would create more congestion in our busiest courts.

Under the proposed legislation, judges in most cases could set bail or impose pretrial release conditions such as electronic monitoring only after a hearing. We can expect that prosecutors will be requesting lots of these hearings. Our arraignment courtsalready the busiest courts in the entire judicial systemwould become completely clogged with bail hearings.

The bills completely upend the way in which we handle arrest warrants, to the detriment of the court system and the arrestees themselves.

By eliminating the judge's ability to set a bail amount when issuing a warrant, the proposed legislation virtually ensures that wanted suspects will not be brought to justice in a timely manner, if at all. Moreover, those arrested on warrants could not be released until a judge makes an individualized ruling that considers the arrestees ability to pay. Arrestees who might otherwise simply pay their bail and be released from custody will instead languish until their cases can be heard.

The bills place an undueand wholly unrealisticburden on the prosecution.

The bills would require in some cases that the prosecuting agency be prepared for a contested hearing with live witness testimony in less than 24 hours, at risk of a dangerous felon being set free. The bills also create a presumption of release pending trial that law enforcement will seldom be able to rebut within the timelines contemplated by the bill, even when the court is faced with a violent criminal facing serious felony charges.

The bills inject the concept of the presumption of innocence into a context in which it simply doesnt belong.

The proposed legislation would require judges to consider the presumption of innocence in making pretrial release decisions. This provision makes no sense. While the presumption of innocence is at the heart of our criminal justice system, its a concept that applies at trial, not in the context of rulings on bail. Both the United States and California Supreme Courts have long maintained that the presumption of innocence has no application to a determination of the rights of a pretrial detainee during confinement before his trial has even begun." (Bell v. Wolfish (1979) 441 U.S. 520, 533; see also In re York (1995) 9 Cal.4th 1133, 1148.)

About the American Bail Coalition

The American Bail Coalition is dedicated protecting the Constitutional right to bail and the promotion, protection and advancement of the surety bail profession in the United States. Comprised of the nations largest surety insurance companies, ABC works with local communities, law enforcement, legislators and other criminal justice stakeholders to utilizes its expertise and knowledge of the surety bail industry to develop more effective and efficient criminal justice solutions. http://www.americanbailcoalition.org

# # #

MediaVista Public Relations:

Elliott Chang

elliott(at)mediavistapr.com

(323) 938-5879

Cara Downs

cara(at)mediavistapr.com

(323) 316-5228
The goal is to provide the most up-to-date articles about cosmetic surgery techniques written in a manner that is easy for the average reader to understand. - Cosmetic Town Senior Editor

Cosmetic Town, an online plastic surgery and information community, announces an immediate and complete revision of its database of medical articles about cosmetic surgery.

The website editorial team is now updating hundreds of medical articles dating back to 2013.

According to the senior editor of Cosmetic Town, The goal is to provide the most up-to-date articles about cosmetic surgery techniques written in a manner that is easy for the average reader to understand. Updating our medical journals, and then having them reviewed and approved by board-certified doctors, allows us to publish the most current and medically accurate information. Each in-depth article covers how the procedure is performed as well as the benefits and risks involved with the surgery. Our readers are given a complete overview of the procedure to help them understand the surgical process.

The Cosmetic Town website has over 300 medical journals covering various cosmetic surgery procedures including breast augmentation, body contouring, butt augmentation, cosmetic dentistry, tummy tucks, rhinoplasty and dermal fillers. The senior editor noted that each medical journal is peer reviewed by our Board of Advisors comprised of board-certified doctors. This process helps to ensure the accuracy and completeness of our article database.

The Cosmetic Town editorial team has interviewed elite doctors from all over the country who are specialists in their field of medical study. We are thankful for the opportunity to consult with these doctors of such great skill and reputation. These interviews allow us to update and expand our medical journals with the most up-to-date information as of their publication, stated the senior editor. He went on to say, Our medical journals provide reliable and complete answers about cosmetic surgery to educate potential patients trying to make an informed decision before undergoing a surgical procedure.

About Cosmetic Town

Cosmetic Town is an online cosmetic medicine publication that also features doctors who were endorsed and highly recommended by their peers. This reliable and streamlined database allows users to easily navigate the website and access the information they need with just a click of a button. Users can also stay informed and get the latest news on plastic surgery by reading the regularly updated news section. Visiting the forum page is also another way for users to stay engaged and keep each other up to date.
Out of the Dust (Discovery House Music)

Following the successful March release of their self-titled national debut album (Discovery House Music), husband-and-wife duo Out of the Dust are preparing for a busy summer with an upcoming 30+ city tour and a digital exclusive Deluxe Edition of Out of the Dust available on June 9th, featuring 5 additional acoustic tracks.

To help celebrate, NewReleaseToday.com (NRT) kicked off a month of Out of the Dust music video premieres starting on May 12th with the exclusive premiere of "All That I'm Made For. On May 19, NRT will give music fans a first look at the music video for "You Pursue, followed by "Your Will (May 26), "Make Us Whole (June 2) and "How Deep The Father's Love For Us (June 9).

NewReleaseTodays "All That I'm Made For Video Premiere:

http://www.newreleasetoday.com/news_detail.php?newsid=2313

From coast to coast, Out of the Dust has been resonating with audiences as Chris and Stephanie Teague share their real-life story of downfall, heartbreak, and miraculous redemption that is woven deep into the fabric of their music. The 11 songs on Out of the Dust were birthed from a difficult and raw time in their lives, including a separation, divorce, and remarriage. Their lyrics address not only the pain and reality that life brings, but the hope and healing that Jesus offers. These memorable songs speak to the hearts of listeners as they make sense of their own lives as Chris and Stephanie tell their own story with the hope of encouraging any heart thats ever been broken.

After growing up in church and marrying young, like so many young men, Chris slowly and quietly lost all faith in God during college. Even while slipping deeper into drugs and every other whim of his heart, he secretly managed an alter ego for years around church friends, family, and even Stephanie. Finally, everything surfaced one Thursday night in January 2010 as Stephanies life unraveled before her eyes. Their young marriage quickly collapsed in divorce as Chris walked away from God, friends, and everything he had built with Stephanie. What happened next cant be called anything other than a miracle. His independence very rapidly found him in the darkest and most desperate place of his life, and it was there that he was shown the depth of his selfishness and pride. Incredibly, in just over a year, God mended their hearts, restored their marriage, and still continues to breathe new life into their story today.

Chris and Stephanie's amazing story carries a message of restoration that is artistically delivered in their musica mix of indie, folk, and pop styles that is stirring, thoughtful, and uniquely their own. Their influences range from the intricate lyricism and ambience of Fleet Foxes to the fun, quirky melodies of Ingrid Michaelson and the skillful, acoustic arrangements of John Mayer. Out of the Dust is a vulnerable portrait of the brokenness and uncertainty found in the human experience, yet it offers hope and redemption to an aching world. The album features sweeping arrangements of strings and instrumentation from skilled producers Joe Causey (Colony House, Jenny & Tyler) and Kyle Cummings.

Out of the Dust will hit the road this summer, heading out over 30 cities from coast to coast on their Can We Come Over Summer House Tour in association with Food for the Hungry. Theyve also been added to Family Lifes popular Love Like You Mean It Cruise in early 2018, which is already sold out.

Upcoming Tour Dates:

May 12 - Nashville, TN - TBNs "JUCE LIVE - Airs nationwide - Check local listings!

June 4 - Bell Buckle, TN - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

June 8 - Puyallup, WA - Lighthouse Christian Center

June 9 - Snohomish, WA - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

June 10 - Seattle, WA - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

June 12 - Spokane, WA - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

June 15 - Marion, IN - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

June 16 - Wapakoneta, OH - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

June 17 - Brookville, OH - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

June 18 (AM) - Fairfield, OH - Calvary Chapel Worship Service

June 18 - Batavia, OH - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

June 24 - Monroe, LA - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

June 25 - Monroe, LA - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

June 27 - Florence, AL - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

July 18 - Palmyra, PA - Encounter Church

July 19 - Lexington, VA - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

July 20 - Fayetteville, NC - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

July 21 - Sanford, NC - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

July 25 - Lees Summit, MO - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

July 26 - Trenton, MD - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

July 27 - Osceola, IA - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

July 28 - Searsboro, IA - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

July 30 - Kankakee, IL - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

August 9 - Macon, GA - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

August 11 - Kingsland, GA - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

August 12 - St. Marys, GA - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

August 13 - Kingsland, GA - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

August 19 - Cleveland, TN - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

August 20 - Manchester, TN - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

August 25 - Lebanon, OH - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

August 26 - Mason, OH - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

August 27 - Wapakoneta, OH - Can We Come Over Summer House Tour

February 11-17 - Atlantic Ocean - Family Lifes Love Like You Mean It Cruise

Visit Out of the Dust online:

http://www.outofthedustmusic.com

twitter.com/theoutofthedust

facebook.com/outofthedustmusic

instagram.com/outofthedustmusic
MOLINE -- Soldiers from the Rock Island Arsenal were on hand to cheer for veterans of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War when their Honor Flight returned to the Quad City International Airport on May 4, 2017.

The flight, organized by Honor Flight of the Quad Cities, took the veterans to see war memorials in Washington, D.C.

Soldiers from the U.S. Army Sustainment Command and the First U.S. Army cheered them on as they boarded the airliner. The soldiers were also there to welcome them home after a long but exciting day.

Its a great opportunity to share with the veterans and welcome them back. ... For me its about letting them know what it feels like to be welcomed back after leaving and now coming home, said Maj. Lanelle Pickett, commandant, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, ASC. Regardless of what it was like when they left, the coming-back piece is very important, and being welcomed back properly is equally important.

The Rock Island community has always been supportive of veterans. We participate in events, and the community participates in events to honor soldiers, he said.

This event was also special for the veterans, many of whom had never seen some of the war memorials in the nations capital.

This is a great deal. We appreciate all the help to get these veterans to D.C, said Tom Bruck, a Navy and Vietnam War veteran. I am excited to see the World War II monument and only wish that my dad, a World War II veteran, could have been able to see it.

Mr. Bruck served from 1968 to 1970, including one tour in Vietnam on the USS OBannon, a destroyer based out of Pearl Harbor.

Participants began their trip with a 7 a.m. flight to the nations capital and a tour of the various war memorials. It ended at 10 p.m. as the veterans returned to a huge crowd from the community and Rock Island Arsenal, ready to welcome them home.

Honor flights are free for qualified veterans. Veterans can apply online at honorflightqc.org/application-forms.
Henry County's public safety committee voted Friday to recommend a more modest fee schedule for police dispatching applied over more entities.

The new proposal would include fire and emergency services departments for the new fees.

The new rate would be $6.11 per police dispatching event, which would be about $34,000 for the city of Colona. That compares to the original proposal for $40,000 the first year building up to $161,000 by the fourth year when the rate hit its final increase. Colona is the biggest town of those affected because Geneseo and Kewanee do their own dispatching.

Police dispatching fees have been calculated at $722,000 per year. Many of those costs remain the county's, being generated in unincorporated areas. At the recommended rate of $6.11 per event, the proposal would generate about $86,000 per year.

Committee member Shawn Kendall did a lot of the work with rates and said he would have preferred charging $6.25 per dispatching event and excluding Orion and Cambridge as well as the fire and ambulance services.

Colona fire could probably absorb the costs, but a lot of them are not going to be able to come up with the costs, he said. Even if it's just $1,000, they're going to be holding pancake breakfasts to do so.

He did say the sheriff's department is now able to pinpoint "events" so that those in unincorporated areas aren't charged to towns such as Colona, which had been a concern.

Board chairman Roger Gradert said the county can't keep kicking the can down the road. You're not going to make everybody happy on whatever we decided here, he said.

He also said the fees won't preclude layoffs. He noted the 28 agencies may decided to have the state, or Kewanee or Geneseo, dispatch for them.

The committee also discussed but took no vote on whether to recommend the county board place a public safety tax on the ballot for a fourth time. County administrator Colleen Gillaspie will bring more information to the committee prior to an expected vote at its June 8 meeting.

Several times it was stated that a successful public safety tax referendum would eliminate the need for dispatching fees.

Committee chairman Marshall Jones summarized the trade-off, saying if a public safety tax passes then we don't need to do anything on this. This will be taken off the table.

The tax was most recently put to voters last November, where it failed with 11,547 votes (48 percent) to approve and 12,340 votes against. With far fewer people voting in March 2014, only 21 percent supported it  1,169 to 4,288 against. In November 2008 the measure received the support of 31 percent, with 6,964 in favor and 15,849 opposed.

The chief selling point is that a portion of the tax would be paid by people coming through Henry County, such as tourists and traveling motorists, instead of residents.

Mr. Gradert said the tax doesn't apply to groceries or new car purchases, and a half-cent tax wouldn't discourage a driver from stopping on the interstate to buy gas in the county.

It's the lowest impact to county taxpayers without a doubt, with the highest return, he said.

Henry County is projecting a $226,000 deficit on a $12 million general fund budget for this fiscal year and has adopted a resolution for a zero deficit for next year. Out of that $12 million, the 24-hour-staffed sheriff's department, which encompasses public safety, has a budget of $5 million.
When a court says something is legal," does that make it moral? For the sake of discussion, consider three quite disparate things: cruelty to animals, abortion and slavery.

On May 2, this paper ran an article about a former Galva resident who used a pellet gun to shoot a cat in the eye, and who was charged with Aggravated Cruelty to Animals, a Class 4 felony (which carries the possibility of 1-3 years imprisonment).

I have no sympathy for people who shoot out the eyes of cats. For me, the conduct should be illegal. I also think its immoral. But there is another "cruelty" -- that to a viable unborn child -- that shocks me far more.

In Gonzales v. Carhart (2007), the U.S. Supreme Court wrote "Abortion methods vary depending to some extent on the preferences of the physician ... the term of the pregnancy and the resulting stage of the unborn childs development.

"Between 85 and 90 percent of the approximately 1.3 million abortions performed each year in the United States take place in the ... first trimester.

"Of the remaining abortions ..., most occur in the second trimester. The surgical procedure referred to as dilation and evacuation or D&E is the usual abortion method in this trimester. Although individual techniques for performing D&E differ, the general steps are the same.

"The doctor ... inserts grasping forceps through the womans cervix and into the uterus to grab the fetus. The doctor grips a fetal part with the forceps and pulls it back through the cervix and vagina, continuing to pull even after meeting resistance from the cervix. The friction causes the fetus to tear apart. For example, a leg might be ripped off the fetus as it is pulled through the cervix and out of the woman. The process of evacuating the fetus piece by piece continues until it has been completely removed. A doctor may make 10 to 15 passes with the forceps to evacuate the fetus in its entirety ...

Have you sympathy for that fetus? Since Roe v. Wade, women have had the legal right to abortion. The fetus generally has had no rights; merely a duty to die.

One-hundred and fifty years ago, Abe Lincoln, during his Galesburg debate with Senator Stephen A. Douglas for the open Illinois U.S. Senate seat, drew a distinction between legality and morality. For Lincoln, slavery was a "legal right," but not a "moral right." For Lincoln, slavery was a moral wrong.

"Every thing that emanates from Sen. Douglas, or his coadjutors, ... carefully excludes the thought that there is anything wrong in slavery -- that there is anything whatsoever wrong in slavery.

"If you will take the Judge's speeches -- his declaration that he "doesn't care whether slavery is voted up or down" -- you will see at once that this is perfectly logical, if you do not admit that slavery is (morally) wrong.

"If you do admit that it is (morally) wrong, Judge Douglas cannot logically say he doesn't care whether a wrong is voted up or voted down.

"Judge Douglas declares that if any community wants slavery they have a right to have it. He can say that logically, if he says that there is no wrong in slavery; but if you admit that there is a wrong

in it, he cannot logically say that anybody has a (legal) right to do (moral) wrong."

Now, substitute the word "abortion" for the word "slavery" in Lincoln's speech.

A cat is not a person. Yet, our laws protect cats. A fetus, even if viable (even one minute before birth), is not a person -- but only in a legal or "constitutional sense" (because it is not yet born). Medically and scientifically, that fetus is unquestionably a human person. Since the fetus carried both maternal and paternal DNA, it is a human person distinct from either parent.

So, should a cat have greater protections in our courts than second and third trimester unborn children who are "viable?

The slave owner closed his eyes to the moral question. Are those who demand "abortion on demand" doing the same?
Emmanuel Macron's victory in the French presidential elections has thwarted the revolution that his rival Marine Le Pen promised. Le Pen effectively sought an end to the European Union, a move that would likely have resulted in far-reaching economic turmoil. Meanwhile, her ties to the Kremlin could have greatly weakened NATO unity in the face of future Russian aggression. Domestically, her election could have created mass upheaval from those who opposed her.

The very fact that Le Pen did as well as she did is a sobering statement about the state of affairs in the country of the French Revolution.

But the very fact that Le Pen did as well as she did is a sobering statement about the state of affairs in the country of the French Revolution.

Macron now faces an immense challenge. France will need adroit political skill at the helm to mend the wounds the election has exposed in the French body politic and create a governing coalition from among France's now-weakened centrist parties.

In 1962, French President Charles de Gaulle famously quipped about how hard it was to govern a country "which has 246 types of cheese." The French populace is no less fractious today. In Sunday's election, for example, many supporters of the candidate of the left, Jean-Luc Melenchon, refused to join Macron to help defeat Le Pen.

At their root, France's problems are economic.

The country has suffered for over a decade from the crumbling of the generous social and economic contract the French hammered out in the decades after World War II. Efforts at financial and structural reform have failed or been too limited to create jobs and overcome the unemployment generating discontent nationwidein marginalized Muslim communities, the troubled suburbs of France's metropolitan centers and working-class neighborhoods fallen on hard times.

Macron will need to tackle these economic problems head-on. His experience with public and private finance may come in handy here. But ultimately his background is that of a technocrat rather than a politician, and these are political, not technical, problems.

Macron may have won a significant portion of the popular vote, but his legitimacy will be tested no sooner than the French parliamentary elections scheduled for next month.

Macron's election is evidence that support remains for liberal-democracy and the European Union. But the struggle over its future is far from over.

On the wider European stage, Macron's election is evidence that support remains for liberal-democracy and the European Union. But the struggle over its future is far from over.

Whereas Jacques Chirac defeated Le Pen's predecessor Jean-Marie Le Pen in 2002 by a margin of 64 percent, Macron won by only 32 percent. In the Dutch parliamentary elections in March, far-right politician Geert Wilders did not emerge at the head of the pack, as some had feared, but did make significant gains. Right-wing nationalism is strengthening in Central Europe, especially in Hungary, but also in other countries. Meanwhile, in Germany, the "Alternative for Germany" party is looking more and more like a right-wing nationalist party.

Europe still faces a massive migrant crisis that will require decades of European social and economic adjustment. Russia's pursuit of a multifaceted campaign of active measures and subterfuge designed to disenfranchise democratic sentiment across the continent shows no sign of relentingand could well have been involved in the hack of Macron's campaign emails last week. Many European economies beyond France are not growing fast enough, and Britain's impending exit from the European Union may hurt the French economy and Europe's resource base.

The French Revolution was in many ways the birthplace of modern European democracy. After World War II, France was a pioneer of European integration and the theory and practice of social welfare. But, like many of its European neighbors, French history since 1789 is checkered with bouts of fascism and communism. Optimism about Europe's liberal-democratic foundations shouldn't be overdone. Vigilance must not wane.

Christopher S. Chivvis is associate director of the RAND International Security and Defense Policy Center and author of The Monetary Conservative: Jacques Rueff and Twentieth Century Free Market Thought and The French War on Al Qa'ida in Africa.

This commentary originally appeared on U.S. News & World Report on May 9, 2017. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
As Venezuela descends into a nightmare of starvation and violence, the long-standing debate over the feasibility of socialism takes on new relevance. Years of explicitly socialist policies from the Chavez and Maduro regimes have taken their toll, as nationalization and a variety of other attempts to abolish or subvert market processes have destroyed what was once one of South America's richest countries.

Even with the wealth of their oil reserves, redistribution and price controls have brought production, and therefore consumption, to a halt. Once they exported grain to the rest of the world, now they can't even feed their own people.
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Bindi Irwin is setting the record straight on mom Terri Irwin's relationship with Russell Crowe.

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The 18-year-old Australian television personality said in an interview Thursday with E! News that Terri, 52, is "just friends" with the New Zealand star.

"My dad is still very much my mum's soulmate," Bindi said of late dad Steve Irwin.

"Mum always says they'll always be married. To her, they're always going to be together. In this life and the next, they're a couple and a team."

"We do love Russell, but mum and Russell aren't actually in love," she insisted.

"Russell is a wonderful wildlife warrior. He was a dear friend of dad's and now a dear friend of ours. He feels like family to us, but mum and Russell? Just friends, for sure."

Terri and Russell have been linked off and on since Steve died at age 44 in 2006.

Terri said in the September issue of Australian Women's Weekly that she hasn't dated since "The Crocodile Hunter" star passed.

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"I haven't gone on a single date since Steve died," she told the magazine. "If I hadn't met Steve, I probably would have never married because I wasn't looking for love when I met him."

Bindi herself has been dating American wakeboarder Chandler Powell since 2015.

She denied in the E! interview that she and Powell are living together, but said the 20-year-old is now splitting his time between Florida and Australia.

"We are doing very, very well. I'm so lucky," the star gushed. "Chandler is wonderful. I'm very blessed."
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We sought Rs 2,000 crore from government to revamp security infrastructure at bases and installations. But it is yet to give a single rupee: Armed forces.

The armed forces will have to spend money on revamping security infrastructure from funds allocated in defence budget: Defence ministry.

The government is yet to sanction a single rupee for fortifying military bases across the country, notwithstanding the demand by the three services for Rs 2,000 crore to plug the gaps in their security in the wake of the Pathankot terror attack.

A total of 3,000 sensitive bases, including 600 highly sensitive installations of the Army, Navy and the Air Force were identified by the forces months after the daring attack on Pathankot air base.

We had sought Rs 2,000 crore from the government to revamp the security infrastructure at the bases and installations. But the government is yet to give a single rupee, sources in the armed forces said.

The Army has already spent Rs 325 crore from its "internal" funds on building boundary walls, sentry posts, and installing security cameras and sensors, they said.

Defence ministry sources, however, said the armed forces will have to spend money on revamping the security infrastructure from funds allocated in the defence budget.

They said previous defence minister Manohar Parrikar had decentralised powers and authorised local commanders to spend money on such projects.

The armed forces had together sought Rs 2,000 crore to strengthen security infrastructure at all "highly sensitive, sensitive and moderately sensitive bases" during the current and next financial years.

A security audit of defence bases was carried out on the recommendation of a committee headed by Lt Gen Philip Campose which was set up after the terror attack on the forward Pathankot air force base last year. The committee was asked to recommend measures to beef up security at the military bases.

The sources said following the security audit, revised standard operating precedures (SOPs) were sent to the commands of all three services to revamp their security management, including putting in place a multi-tier security structure.

A parliamentary panel had in March come down hard on the defence ministry for failing to take any concrete measures to beef up security at frontline military bases, and said the scenario is as "vulnerable" as has been "exposed" during the Uri and Pathankot terror attacks.

The Campose Committee had submitted its report to the defence ministry last May.

The parliamentary panel had said security arrangements at military establishments were dynamic in nature and called for maintaining a robust and strong response mechanism to emerging threats.
A former soldiers wife, shaken by recent attacks on Indian troops by Pakistan, has sent a 56-inch blouse to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an apparent reference to claims that he had a 56-inch chest, largely seen as a symbol of courage.

In a letter to the prime minister, Suman Singh, wife of ex-armyman Dharamvir Singh, reminded Modi that the Bharatiya Janata Party had before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls claimed if it came to power, Pakistan would not dare attack Indian soldiers.

But the situation is even worse now, she wrote.

Her husband told reporters that the letter addressed to the prime minister, along with the blouse, had been submitted to the Zila Sainik Board in Fatehabad.

Dharamvir, who claimed he was a former district observer of the Aam Aadmi Party, said he had served in the army from December 1991 to 2007 and retired as a havaldar.

Being an ex-army mans wife, he said, Suman had expressed anguish at the recent spate of killings.

She told me that women send their sons, brothers, husbands to the border to defend their motherland and not to get beheaded and get pelted with stones. Where has the 56-inch chest gone now, she asked, the Fatehabad resident said.

The ex-serviceman was asked if the gesture could be seen as an insult to the office of the prime minister.

You tell me one thing -- are we not being insulted? Our prime minister used to say never ever will our soldiers have to go through what they went through before. But what is happening under the present regime is even worse, he said.

Suman wrote in her letter that videos had surfaced in which our soldiers are seen being slapped, humiliated and pelted with stones. Two soldiers were beheaded by Pakistan, she wrote.

She referred to Lance Naik Hemraj, who was beheaded by Pakistans Border Action Team in January, 2013.

At the time of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, we felt that no more of our soldiers will be beheaded like Hemraj and enemy will think ten times before doing such action, but they have been repeated, the letter said.

She urged the PM to give the army a free hand to tackle the situation on the border.

The way the hands of our soldiers are tied they are unable to take the situation head on, which is most unfortunate, she wrote.

Dharamvir said he was deployed in Jammu and Kashmir for over 11 years. I was part of several counter insurgency operations. I also got the Sena Medal from the President on two occasions. My son is also preparing to join the forces, he said.
India will skip Chinas high-profile Belt and Road summit beginning in Beijing on Sunday in view of sovereignty concerns related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship project of the initiative that is expected to play a dominant role in the two-day meet.

While there is no official word, informed sources said that India will not take part in the meet, contrary to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yis announcement that India will have a representative at the Belt and Road Forum, a prestigious initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Although Indian leader is not here, India will have a representative, Wang had told journalists on April 17 without specifying who would be representing India.

It was a tough call for India to take as China in the last few days has managed to rope in a number of western countries, including the US which on Friday agreed to send a top official after Washington clinched a lucrative trade deal.

Playing down Indias absence at the meeting, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told the media on Friday that the Indian scholars would be attending the meeting.

Japan, at the receiving end of strong criticism from China in the last few years particularly over the disputed islands in the East China Sea, has also agreed to send a high level political delegation that includes a vice minister.

The May 14-15 summit, which is expected to strengthen Xis power base as he gets set to begin his second five-year tenure later this year, will be attended by 29 heads of state and government, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A number of other countries, including South Korea, France, Germany and UK, have deputed either ministerial or official delegations.

While this is the outcome of hectic diplomatic lobbying by China, unlike India, none of the other countries have sovereignty related issues with the One Belt and One Road initiative.

Considering CPECs importance in the plan -- it is the only project at present with prospects of delivering early results -- Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to take centre stage to highlight its significance as a game changer for his country.

He is leading perhaps the largest delegation -- four chief ministers and five federal ministers.

China-Pakistan Friendship Association President Sha Zukang has told the official media that China has already committed $46 billion Chinese investments for various energy and infrastructure related projects in Pakistan.

Besides Sharif, the only head of government to be represented at the summit will be Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe who will be attending the meeting after hosting his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at home.

Sri Lanka has over $8 billion Chinese investments.

From Nepal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Krishna Bahadur Mahara will lead the delegation. Bangladesh and the Maldives will also have official representations.

Bhutan has no diplomatic relations with China.

Indias decision to skip the meeting came after a year of bilateral discord over Chinas stubborn opposition to Indias entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group and a UN ban against Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed leader Masood Azhar.

China, too, protested Indias decision to permit the Dalai Lama last month to visit Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as South Tibet.

In the last few days, China has tried to assuage Indias feelings by asserting that the commercial corridor will not have any impact on its stand that the Kashmir issue should be settled by India and Pakistan through dialogue.

About B & R, Indian officials maintain that New Delhi has objections related only to the CPEC traversing through Gilgit and Baltistan of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir though the project is of strategic concern.

Indias worries over a 3,000 km long project connecting Pakistans deep-water port Gwadar and Chinas Xinjiang stem from the fact Gwadar, which was taken over by the Chinese, will become a future naval base.

The Gwadar port opposite the Mumbais port housing the Indian Navys western naval command provides a berth for China in the Arabian Sea and to the Indian Ocean.

China has already announced plans to station its marines there as well in Djibouti in Horn of Africa in Indian Ocean.
India Gate on Saturday saw outpouring of grief and outrage over the abduction and killing of 22-year-old Kashmiri army officer Umar Fayaz by terrorists.

IMAGE: People light candles to pay tribute to late army officer Lt Umar Fayaz at India Gate. Photograph: Atul Yadav/PTI Photo

Hundreds of army veterans, students and tourists took out a candle light march in his memory, with many voicing their demand for the death of the young lieutenant to be avenged.

His killing is condemnable. Each and every part of the society should condemn the incident and it should not be accepted at any cost. Stability should return to the valley. The path Fayaz chose should inspire the people, former Indian Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor said.

The march, that went around the India Gate circle, saw people raising slogans hailing his sacrifice. Bharat Mata ki Jai rented the air along with cries condemning Pakistan and terrorist groups in the valley.

Many tourists who flocked the area also spontaneously joined the march in the evening.

The alumni association of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, where Fayaz studied before joining the Pune-based National Defence Academy, were among the marchers, along with members of the 124 infantry battalion of the Territorial Army.

IMAGE: People shout in a rally to pay tribute to the slain army official. Photograph: Atul Yadav/PTI Photo

If Kashmiris want to go with Pakistan, let them go. I am sure Kashmir will be left with nothing within a few months. And if Pakistan does not abide by the ruling of the International Court of Justice on the Kulbhushan Jadhav case then the Indian Army should be given a chance to retaliate, Captain Ravi Verma (retired) said.

He was referring to the Hague-based ICJ staying the execution of the 46-year-old Indian, who has been sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of spying.

Lieutenant Fayaz, from the troubled region of Kulgam district, was posted with 2 Rajputana Rifles and had applied for leave to attend a cousins wedding.

He was on leave when he was picked up from his house at Harmein in Kulgam, 60 kilometres from Srinagar, on Tuesday. The body of the young officer was later found three kilometres from his house.

Fayaz, who studied at Navodaya Vidyalaya, a branch of government schools for gifted students, at Ashmuquam in south Kashmir, joined the army after being commissioned in December last year. He belonged to the 129th batch of cadets from the prestigious Pune-based National Defence Academy.

This was for the first time that he had taken leave after joining the army, a senior official said. He was supposed to have returned to his unit in the Akhnoor area of Jammu on May 25.
A Shiv Sena leader representing Maharashtras drought-hit district of Osmanabad allegedly sent a proxy to his constituency to address drought hit farmers.

Former corporator Yashodhar Phanse posed as Shiv Sena MLA Gautam Chabukswar and visited the constituency of Chabukswar, after party chief Uddhav Thackeray had directed all MLAs of the drought hit areas to meet farmers.

This happened as part of Uddhav Thackerays Shiv Sampark Abhiyan in which the Sena chief asked party legislators to tour Marathwada region on May 6 and 8 and meet the distressed farmers.

When confronted, both Chabukswar and Phanse denied the allegations.

For the last 15 days I was in Himachal Pradesh and I am now reaching Pune after completing my meditation course. I dont have any idea who went impersonating me, Chabukswar said. I do not even know this person, he added.

Phanse said he was not introduced as a legislator during the tour. Chabukswar was not with us, but former legislator Omraje Nimbalkar joined us. There was no question

of introducing me as a legislator. These allegations are false, he said.

Former Chief Minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said the opposition leaders would soon meet and decide what action should be proposed against the MLA.

A committee of the state legislature should hear Chabukswar, but I will recommend highest possible punishment for him, Chavan said.

Meanwhile, a Sena source said that Thackeray pulled up 27 party legislators who skipped the farmer outreach program.

Sena chief will hold a meeting of party legislators on May 19 at Nashik where he is expected to announce Sampurn Karz Mukti (complete debt waiver) campaign, the source said.

-- With inputs from ANI

Image: Shiv Sena MLA Gautam Chabukswar
From 2-7 to sectional champs, Monrovia has one question: 'Why not us?'
I have learned the hard way not to put my personal life on the Internet. But suffice it to say that, God willing, things should be pretty much back to norm...

3 weeks ago
Myanmars parliament on Tuesday appointed a 15-member commission to crack down on corruption, which remains a major problem in the country as it evolves from decades of harsh military rule to a democracy.



But lawmakers and other public figures warned that the panel, led by a retired top general, must act tough to weed out graft by overseeing the implementation of the Anti-Corruption Law passed last year.



The commissions members were chosen from among a list of former senior civil servants, lawyers, auditors, lawmakers, and military generals submitted to parliament by President Thein Sein last week.



Five appointees were chosen from Thein Seins list, while another five each were chosen from nominees submitted by parliaments upper and lower house speakers.



The commissions two leadersformer Maj. Gen. Mya Win, and former ambassador to China and army brigadier general Tin Oowere among the nominees from the presidents office, and were announced by parliament speaker Shwe Mann during Tuesdays session.



I announce that Mya Win is appointed as the commissions chairman and Tin Oo is appointed as the commissions secretary, Shwe Mann said.



Myanmars Anti-Corruption Law aims to eradicate graft through a transparent government to protect the public from losses related to corruption, to take effective action against corrupt public officials, improve the countrys economic development, and attract foreign investment.



An anti-corruption working committeechaired by Vice President Sai Mauk Khamwas put into place on Jan. 8 last year, but the Anti-Corruption Law called for a new commission to enforce the legislation.



According to the law, passed in July last year, Myanmar nationals aged between 45 and 70 can be elected as members of the commission, whose period of service is to coincide with the presidents and may only last two terms.



The commission is comprised largely of former government staff whose previous work is less known to the public.



Lawmakers expressed hope Tuesday that the new commission will effectively root out corruption in Myanmar, which ranked 157 out of 177 countries on Transparency Internationals annual survey of corruption perceptions last year.



Hopes for commission



Aung San Suu Kyi, head of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), cited Transparencys survey while emphasizing the need to tackle graft in the country.



Our nation is on the list of countries with a bad image for corruption, she told RFAs Myanmar Service.



That must be reformed and is the responsibility of the government. That means not only parliament, but people from the administrative ministries [working together].



NLD lawmaker Win Myint said that even with the passing of the Anti-Corruption Law and the establishment of the working committee, the new commission will need to do more than its working committee predecessor to ensure Myanmars image is improved.



This time, the commission must do specifically what it has to, according to the law that was specifically written on corruption, he said.



If we really want to rid ourselves of graft, we must have the desire to work against it. If not, our country will remain on the list of countries with bad perceptions of corruption.



Hla Shwe, a member of parliament from the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), told RFA that the commission has to point out who is corrupted, but expressed confidence that members of the panel would willingly do so.



Government intervention



Others expressed less assurance that a commission would be enough to bring an end to the countrys rampant corruption problem.



Thet Zin, the chief editor of The World Today Magazine, said the problem wont go away if the government doesnt do the right things, regardless of whether a commission is formed.



People are saying that the judicial sector is the worst-affected by corruption in this country. Government people know about it, but it wont be dealt with unless they take action against these people, he said.



Attorney Robert San Aung said authorities should move directly against those who are responsible for graft, rather than forming a commission to do so.



We have had a committee on corruption before, but nothing changed. Although we now have a commission, if it doesnt do anything with the peoples interest in mind, it will be a total waste.



Commission leaders



Ahead of Tuesdays confirmation of the committee members, some had expressed doubts that a panel led by two former generals in the military, which was notoriously corrupt during Myanmars era of junta rule, would effect true change in the country.



The online Irrawaddy journal quoted Win Tin, a co-founder of the NLD, as saying that it is unlikely that retired generals and directors who used to be members of the military are free from graft.



The commissioners should be those who will act fairly and are experts on the issue, said Win Tin, who warned that those connected with the former military regime would not be able to investigate its corruption.



Speaking colloquially, it would be like appointing the head prostitute as the chairman of the commission for the elimination of prostitution, he told the journal.



Last month, the World Bank warned Myanmar against corruption as it unveiled a U.S. $2 billion aid package designed to provide better health care and improve supplies of electricity.



Many donors abandoned Myanmar during its nearly 50 years of military rule, which left the countrys economy in ruin.



Reported by Win Naung Toe, Nay Myo Tun and Ba Aung for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.




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FREDERICKSBURG  Melisa Pilipovic has always been good with money.

She opened her first savings account at Waynesboros First Bank & Trust Co. before kindergarten at the behest of her mother, who wanted her to understand how far money can go.

And she taught herself QuickBooks at age 13, as her entrepreneur parents were also learning the accounting software.

The Pilipovic family had to be good with their accounts. As refugees from war-torn Bosnia, Melisa and her parents, Zejna Pilipovic and Suljo Pilipovic, settled in Virginia after fleeing their country in 1997. She was 2 years old at the time, and her parents had to figure out how to make a living in a country they had never visited before.

Today, shell receive her bachelor of science degree in business administration and accounting, one of 1,035 undergrads and 155 graduate students to cross the commencement stage this weekend.

Its a milestone she sees as symbolically completing her parents journey to create a bright future for her in the U.S.

Im so grateful, she said about her time at Mary Washington. Its been a really amazing experience for me, but its also been really fulfilling for my parents. They came here, leaving everything they knew behind. And the life they wanted for me: Its happening.

Pilipovic was born in Velika Kladusa, a town in the far northwest of Bosnia and Herzegovina, near Croatia.

In 1991, Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence with several other republics that were formerly part of Yugoslavia. That move triggered a four-year civil war. And while estimates of casualties vary, at least 100,000 people died in the war.

Her uncle was the first in the U.S. and filed paperwork for more family members to seek refugee status here.

They flew into New York and from there, they were sponsored by a church in Waynesboro to become a part of that community.

Growing up, she watched her parents build two businesses, Foreign Valley Trucking and Forval Express, and said she was always fascinated by their hard work and business sense.

She is starting a full-time job with accounting and auditing firm KPMG in Washington, D.C., on June 5, auditing financial information for the federal government. Pilipovic said she was drawn to the field because of her parents hard work and because of the stability of accounting as a profession.

Pilipovic said her experiences gave her a different outlook on higher education.

People tell me Im so mature for a college student, she said. And I just have a more positive outlook than a lot of students I encountered did. Its a better way to live. Its happier.

Pilipovic said graduating is exciting and overwhelming.
When an atheist asked Tom Perriello how his Catholicism would affect his approach to governing Virginia and whether he could keep the two separate, the former Democratic congressman answered carefully. Faith, he said, is both one of the most powerful forces for justice in the world and a vehicle for repression and dehumanization.

My relationship with my church is complicated, Perriello told the crowd in a small room at a Richmond LGBT community center in mid-March. And my faith is complicated.

Once a leading light of the religious left who made faith-based outreach a key feature of his successful 2008 run for Congress in the conservative 5th District, Perriellos political comeback bid has focused more on the secular than the sacred.

Summing up his political calling in past campaigns, Perriello often quoted the biblical prophet Micahs description of what God asks of his followers: to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. When Perriello talks about what motivated him to make a surprise run for governor and challenge Lt. Gov. Ralph S. Northam for the Democratic nomination, the story has been a little more ominous. And it starts with the election of President Donald Trump.

I think you saw with Trumps election that people are willing to overlook all of these behaviors that I grew up certainly being taught were un-Christian in order to get a particular party elected, Perriello said in a recent interview. I think it has been a wake-up call to many that we perhaps need some more prophetic voices out there.

In one of the first major elections of the Trump era, Perriellos candidacy presents an early test of how faith may or may not factor in to Democrats efforts to reconnect with rural and small-town voters who sunk Hillary Clintons candidacy last year. Despite Trumps defiance of the traditional pieties of Republican politics, he won a majority of Christian voters, particularly white evangelicals, while Clinton drew more support from those with no religious affiliation.

Trumps racist and sexist language and the decision by leaders of the religious right to embrace him anyway, Perriello said, create an opportunity to continue the mission of the faith-based progressive groups he helped organize in the mid-2000s, which tried to nudge religious voters away from issues related to sex and sexuality while elevating poverty, the environment and social justice.

It was about trying to return the moral conversation in the United States back to love of neighbor, Perriello said.

A case study

Sociologist Rebecca Sager, who embedded with Perriellos congressional campaigns in 2008 and 2010 as a case study of faith-based Democratic politics in action, concluded that Perriellos first campaign stemmed from beliefs held by some in the Democratic Party that by abandoning faith and ceding what it meant to be a religious or moral voter to the Republican Party, Democrats had lost the soul of the country.

Their goal was to create an intensely faith-saturated campaign, moving away from merely doing some level of god talk to doing a god walk, Sager writes in the upcoming book Religion and Progressive Activism: New Stories about Faith and Politics.

In his earlier campaigns, Perriello asked his staff and volunteers to tithe 10 percent of their time through charitable work at homeless shelters and food banks.

The faith that Perriello says fuels his fervor for caring for the poor, his readiness to travel to foreign hot spots such as Sierra Leone and Darfur to promote peace, and his admiration for progressive Catholic leaders like Pope Francis and the late Bishop Walter F. Sullivan of the Richmond Diocese could take more prominence in the general elections broader appeals to the middle. But in a June 13 Democratic primary shaping up as a battle over who has the strongest claim to progressive purity, Perriellos religious convictions are, in some ways, a potential liability.

His nuanced earlier stance on abortion  saying he was personally opposed, but fully supportive of the Supreme Courts 1973 Roe v. Wade court decision that enshrined abortion as a constitutional right  has resurfaced as opponents try to paint him as a political shape-shifter.

He tried to masquerade as being a conservative, said former 5th District congressman Virgil Goode, a Democrat-turned-independent-turned-Republican who lost his seat to Perriello in 2008 by a little more than 700 votes.

In many ways, Perriellos challenge mirrors that of another Catholic Democrat from Virginia: U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine. Like Perriello, Kaine, a Northam backer, is an Ivy League-educated lawyer whose faith took him overseas. Kaine took a year off from law school at Harvard to be a Catholic missionary in Honduras. Both men say they believe in demonstrating faith through action, and both have delicately tried to separate the political from the personal.

Catholics in Alliance

The Northam campaign has sought to highlight Perriellos involvement with Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, a progressive group he co-founded in 2004 whose website includes abortion among racism, violence, human trafficking, the death penalty and torture on a list of affronts that further degradation to human dignity and to life.

We are pro-life, said Christopher Hale, CACGs executive director. We think that life begins at conception, but it doesnt end there.

The groups political advocacy drew criticism in a 24-page broadside from a pro-choice Catholic group.

From the beginning, a central tactic of CACG was to play down abortion rights and reframe the debate in terms of reducing the number of abortions as a way to assure Catholics that they could safely vote for Democratic candidates, reads the introduction to a 2009 publication from Catholics for Choice.

A mention of Perriellos former group in the so-called Catholic Spring messages released last year after Clinton campaign chief John Podestas email account was hacked cuts against the notion that the group had right-wing motives.

We created Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good to organize for a moment like this, wrote Podesta, who has endorsed Perriello, in a 2012 email. He was responding to an associate who asked him who could plant the seeds of the revolution to push the Catholic Church in a more progressive direction on gender equality and contraception.

Hale said Perriello was never a staffer at CACG and was not involved in the day-to-day operations.

It would be unfair to associate our views with Tom Perriellos views, Hale said.

Asked if he still personally opposes abortion, Perriello said his own beliefs are not particularly relevant when it comes to policy.

Thats not something that is mine to judge, he said, adding later that he has no constitutional or moral problem with when a woman decides to start or expand a family.

Though Perriello has said he believes he can win over Trump voters with a message of economic populism, it remains to be seen how faith will factor in to that calculation. Authenticity and values were part of what helped him break through in 2008, he said, and he believes thats what Trump supporters and other voters care about.

Religion is at its best when its used to overcome divides, he said, stressing that the search for common values must include people of all faiths and secular brothers and sisters as well.

The Catholic guilt that Perriello says fueled his interest in public service and politics has led to an incredibly meaningful life.
Hyderabad, May 12 (IANS) Five persons were killed when a car collided with a parked truck in Telangana's Ranga Reddy district early on Friday, police said.



The accident occurred on Hyderabad-Bengaluru highway in Nandigama block.



The speeding car rammed into the stationary truck from the rear side, killing all the occupants of the car.



The car was on its way from Hyderabad to Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh.



Such was the impact of the collision that the front portion of the car was badly mangled and entangled to the truck. Rescue workers had a tough time in retrieving the bodies.
By Michael Tanner

As Senate Republicans prepare for their turn in the health care meat grinder, it increasingly appears that the question of pre-existing conditions will be toughest to address. This is an issue so fraught with emotion as to cry out for some straight talk.

First, lets be clear about who were talking about when the conversation turns to pre-existing conditions: people who are already sick or at high risk of becoming sick. Insurance is  or should be  about managing risk. We buy coverage to protect us against events that are unlikely to happen but would carry a catastrophic cost if they did. Our premiums reflect both the likelihood of those events and the potential price of the medical care theyd require.

Consider that, in 1752, Benjamin Franklin started the Philadelphia Contributionship for the Insurance of Houses from Loss by Fire, the first wide-scale commercial-insurance company in the United States. In providing Philadelphians with insurance against the then-frequent calamity of house fire, Franklin made the common-sense decision to charge those who lived in wood houses, which were more likely to burn, higher premiums than those who lived in brick houses.

The Affordable Care Act essentially eliminated this type of risk-management, mandating identical premiums for both brick and wood houses, or in this case, someone in perfect health and someone in very ill health. It is this Gordian knot that congressional Republicans are attempting, in their usual inept way, to cut.

A lot of numbers have been thrown around about how many Americans have pre-existing conditions. Barack Obama, for example, has suggested that the number is as high as 133 million. But these figures grossly exaggerate the number of Americans who would be affected by changes to the ACAs pre-existing-conditions provisions. They include, for example, Americans on Medicare or employer-provided health insurance, neither of which are subject to medical underwriting. If you get your health insurance at work, the companys overall costs may increase to reflect its claims experience in the event that Congress reform bill gives insurers the right to charge more for those with pre-existing conditions, but your individual contribution will not increase because you have such a condition.

Democrats have also been circulating a long list of medical problems that meet the technical definition of pre-existing condition. Many of those conditions have little more than a marginal impact on premiums, and others are explicitly addressed by state laws that ban insurance companies from charging more for those who have them. For example, some commentators have claimed that insurers might call rape or domestic violence pre-existing conditions. But even if an insurer was willing to bear the public outrage from doing so, 44 states currently prohibit the practice. Those that dont ban it explicitly, including states such as Vermont, would enact a ban at the first hint that an insurer might change its policies to punish a victim of rape or domestic abuse.

This politically motivated hysteria does not make the question of how the system should treat those with pre-existing conditions any less pertinent, of course. If you have a pre-existing condition, you are not being insured in any real sense, because there is no risk to manage or spread over a larger pool. But your health care costs still need to be paid, and there are essentially just four ways to allocate those costs.

We could require that people with pre-existing conditions bear all the costs themselves, either by paying an actuarially fair premium or by forgoing insurance and paying their costs out-of-pocket. For some the increases will be modest, more an inconvenience than a crisis. Charity care might fill in some of the gaps, and federal law would continue to require that hospitals provide emergency care. Nevertheless, it is likely that many people would not receive the care they need. As a result, virtually no one favors this option.

Second, other people in the insurance market could pay the costs. Thats how the ACA works. The ACA mandates that healthy people, who are unlikely to use insurance, buy it anyway, and charges them much higher premiums than would normally be justified by their actuarial risk. The young and healthy essentially subsidize care for the older and sicker. This has the perverse effect of forcing some people who are struggling financially, such as those just out of college, to subsidize people who might be much better off financially. It also doesnt work, as the ACAs implementation showed, because not enough healthy people sign up to pay for the influx of sick people. Insurance companies then either drop out of the market, cut back on high-quality providers, or raise premiums. All of this in turn forces healthy people out of the insurance pool, threatening to create an adverse-selection death spiral.

Third, you can try spread the cost of insurance subsidies over the entire tax-paying population. Thats the theory behind high-risk pools. Individuals with pre-existing conditions would be removed from the general insurance pool, allowing premiums for the rest of us to drop to levels reflecting our reduced risk. Most peoples premiums will go down, while those in the high-risk pools face much higher premiums. To be feasible, this option thus requires government to subsidize premiums for those in the high-risk pools. Before the ACA, some 226,000 Americans were enrolled in high-risk pools in the 35 states that offered them. Some state pools were well-designed and worked fairly well, while others had problems. It remains to be seen whether a new generation of high-risk pools would be better. The major problem with this option is that it attempts to preserve the illusion that people with pre-existing conditions are being insured, when in actuality the uninsurable are uninsurable and there is little point in continuing to include insurance-company middlemen between them and their health care providers.

Finally, we can take those with pre-existing conditions completely out of the insurance market and have taxpayers pay directly for their care  including them, for example, under Medicaid. That is the approach advocated by Sen. Rand Paul, among others. Its biggest downside is an increased risk of adding substantially to federal and state spending at a time when the growth in Medicaid costs is already squeezing out other priorities such as education and infrastructure. Another risk is that directly paying providers might recreate the many problems plaguing existing programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and the VA, with the specter of price controls, rationing, oppressive taxation, and debt looming as costs rise.

None of these options includes a magic money tree that provides free care. We are arguing about who should pay, which is a natural and healthy debate to have in a democracy. But too much of the discourse surrounding this issue pretends that treating people with pre-existing conditions is cost-free. Moreover, all of this debate takes place against the backdrop of the ACAs ongoing implosion. The laws protections for those with pre-existing conditions may not count for much if, in the near future, there are no plans being sold on exchanges in their markets, or if none of the available plans cover the doctors or hospitals they need. And even where insurers have not yet pulled out of Obamacare, people with pre-existing conditions are currently being hurt by high premiums and deductibles wrought by the laws flaws.

This is not to suggest that the GOPs proposal is in any way coherent, of course. In their endless quest to be a little bit pregnant on the topic, Republicans have crafted a bill that manages to borrow the worst aspects of all the above models, and their unwillingness to be frank about the trade-offs involved deserves all the derision it has received.

But if Democrats have a better answer, we have yet to hear it.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
LYNCHBURG  Scores of left-leaning protesters greeted the arrival of President Donald Trump in Lynchburg on Saturday with jeers, chants and calls for the chief executives impeachment just 16 weeks into his presidency.

More than 100 people lined up along Wards Road at the entrance of Liberty University starting around 8 a.m. to voice their displeasure with Trump as he was about to land aboard Air Force One before speaking speak at the schools commencement.

Much of the protest centered not just on policy, but his handling of the job since he took office, with several demonstrators saying they fear his campaign colluded with Russian operatives and accusing him of trying to wield his authority to cover it up.

A small gaggle of Trump supporters countered the protests by the Seven Hills Progressive Society, carrying a banner nearby bearing Trumps pledge to Make America Great Again. Short-lived shouting matches erupted at times between a few Trump backers and the larger group of anti-Trump demonstrators.

Bus loads of graduation goers turning into the LU campus watched as demonstrators waved signs bearing phrases such as Impeach Trump and Mr. Hate Leave My State while in unison calling out phrases like Hey hey, ho ho. Donald Trump has got to go.

Motorists at the traffic light at Harvard Street variously beeped in praise of the protestors or yelled and gave thumbs-down signs in the hours leading up to the presidents arrival.

Criticisms of Trump  borne out by dozens of signs dotting the spread of protests on the sidewalk across Wards Road from LU  ran the gamut of concerns from the impact of tax cuts to social issues and immigration.

A common thread running through the protest: a deep apprehension of Trump and his relationship with Russia, as well as his firing of James Comey as FBI chief on Tuesday and the fallout since, including his tweets that some have interpreted as threats to Comey not to leak anything that could damage the White House.

Its time for Congress, the Justice Department and the FBI to stand up and address the issues of this presidency, said Karen Nuzzo, a semi-retired school teacher from Bedford. Theres something rotten at the core of this presidency. It has to be brought to public. ... Its obvious that Trump is trying to obstruct the investigation.

Nuzzo voiced worry over the future of U.S. democracy and said the country appears to be tumbling quickly toward an oligarchy under Trump.

Im coming at this as a patriot, she said. It rises to the level of an American emergency.

Impeachment should already be on the table based on whats known about Trumps conduct, said Jennifer Lewis, a mental health worker from Waynesboro who carried a sign calling on Congress to impeach him.

What tipped the scale for Lewis, she said, was the president suggesting Comey should be concerned about tapes of their conversations before making any leaks to the press.

That is just one of the many reasons he needs to go, Lewis said, calling it a direct threat aimed at intimidating Comey. You cant just talk to people like that.

Neal Sumerlin of Lynchburg, a retired Lynchburg College professor, was nuanced on the impeachment question in that he believes a great deal more investigation is still needed into what transpired with Russia.

Sumerlin carried a sign urging the appointment of a special prosecutor, also known as a special counsel, to look into the Russia affair and whom Trump would not be able to fire.

Whether impeachment is justified or not is a separate issue, he said. If Donald Trump isnt guilty, he is sure acting like a guilty man by shutting these things down.

Sumerlin said the president appears to lack even a basic grasp of constitutional law. He seems to think he can run it the way he ran his family business, Sumerlin said. There are three coequal branches of government. He doesnt seem to understand what I learned in ninth-grade civics.

That remark came the same morning LUs School of Law conferred an honorary law degree on Trump, who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania.

Some people came from a relative distance to rally against Trump. Dave Copper, a retired postal worker wearing an anti-war pin, said he made the trip from Staunton and joked as Trump landed in town, the game show host is here.

Its an opportunity to make our voices heard. Hes out of control and if he wont resign he should be impeached, Copper said. He seems to be an egomaniac.  His whole demeanor is frightening.

Regarding what specifically Trump had done to warrant an impeachment, Copper said he seems to run roughshod over the country.

Across town where another group of Trump critics got together, the scene was a lot quieter.

Volunteers with Lynchburg Democrats converged on Rush Homes Armstrong Place, which provides disability housing, for a Day of Action designed not as a protest of the president but a civic outreach.

With about 40 people over the course of the day joining in, the volunteers pulled weeds, painted walls, organized the library and swept up piles of leaves to spruce up the place.

Katie Webb Cyphert, chair of the local Democratic Committee, said the party reaches out to all precincts in the city, and that includes LU, even though there are not many Democrats identified on the campus.

We have the obligation to develop relations, and protesting the graduation just did not fit into that, she said.

Maria Childress, committee vice chair, said she did not believe Trumps commencement speech was a good protest venue. Its a graduation. Its about the students whove worked so hard to get there, she said.

None of that is to say the Democrats who gathered well away from the LU campus are in any way happy with Trump. As Cyphert described his presidency, Its a mess. Its an absolute mess.
Thousands of Harry Potter fans converged on downtown Roanoke Saturday, making it their own Hogwarts heaven.

The City Market building was converted into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a castle in the series of fantasy novels that inspired the gathering. The books were required reading for the best understanding of the Roanoke Harry Potter Festival.

D.J. Ford, for example, has read each of the seven books 11 times, starting when he was 5.

Ive been into it for as long as I can remember, Ford, 22, said as he waited in a line that formed outside the market building.

Ford was wearing a black robe and holding a broom that would have allowed him to fly over the festival-goers ahead of him to the front of the line  had he been in a Harry Potter book or movie.

Reality was another thing.

But it didnt diminish the magic for Ford and many of the 8,500-some people who attended Saturdays festival.

Its just something to believe in, Megan Bowles said of the appeal of Harry Potter.

Youve got to have something in this crazy, chaotic world that makes sense, said Bowles, who was selling magic wands at the festival. Its a way to escape reality and be in your own world for a little bit. And then you come back and you have hope for the world.

This much was real: The Roanoke Harry Potter Festival was a smashing success in its first year. Large crowds came downtown on a day that began with gray skies like the ones in the United Kingdom, where author J.K. Rowlings novels are set, and ended with bright sunshine.

Market bars and eateries were turned into common rooms belonging to the various houses in the series  Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.

Community High School, Center in the Square and the library hosted educational programs, including lectures on dragonology, potions, the science of magic, and the place that Harry Potter has claimed in pop culture and hero literature.

One look at the crowd made it clear that this phenomenon crosses all generations.

We have grandparents walking around in full wizard regalia, said Katrina Hill, a teacher at Community School who helped organize the festival as its Minister of Magical Cooperation. Its something that touches people of all ages and across all experiences.

Sure enough, the celebration of a childrens book included some adult beverages.

At Lucky, which changed its name for a day to the Blind Pig after a speakeasy in one of the Potter books, bar manager Taylor Mann got creative. He and his staff concocted a gin-based drink they called When Harry met Ginny.

Ginny Weasley is a character in the book who later marries Harry Potter. The drink they inspired contained Deaths Door Gin, strawberry reduction with a touch of habanero pepper, vermouth and a splash of absinthe set on fire.

Harry Potter is a childrens book, but it goes far beyond that, Molly Robinson of Lewisburg, West Virginia, said as she sipped her drink. Having events that are adult-focused but with a Harry Potter theme really solidifies that.

Vendors lining the streets sold a variety of merchandise. One popular attraction was the brooms made by a family business that traveled all the way from Denver, Pennsylvania, to find a brisk business.

Were happy, Randy Meckley of Meckley Brooms said. Its worth the trip.

Some of the more hard-core Potter fans made their way to Electric Eye Custom Tattoos at 16 West, which served as the Ravenclaw Common Room. There, they could choose from nearly a dozen Harry Potter themes for a permanent tribute.

Its quite a commitment, to put it on your body for the rest of your life, tattoo parlor owner Monica Moses said.

For a tattoo on the back of her neck, Whitney Horton of Dublin chose an image of the Golden Snitch, the third and smallest ball used in Quidditch, a wizarding sport played on broomsticks.

What better way to remember the festival than with a tattoo? she said.
Glenn Davis, the underdog Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, traveling the state in a recreational vehicle, spent weeks attacking GOP rival Jill Holtzman Vogel over taxes.

Vogel, a well-funded state senator, mostly ignored the delegate from Virginia Beach.

But the attacks finally provoked a response.

Vogel authorized a counterattack on Davis in advertisements on Facebook. Glenn Davis has supported 10 separate tax hikes & the largest tax hike in Virginias history, one ad says.

Now, Davis is asking the State Board of Elections to investigate whether Vogels Facebook ads violate state law requiring disclosure. And one of the ads created the false implication that a newspaper is attacking him.

Vogel, of Fauquier County, is in a contentious race with Davis and state Sen. Bryce Reeves , R-Spotsylvania .

A headline in one of her ads says, Glenn Davis has launched a series of false and negative attacks that seem desperate, and it lists the website www.pilotonline.com, which is The Virginian-Pilot newspaper. The ad falsely gives the appearance that the newspaper posted the content as a story.

Davis said he clicked the link and it went to a column he wrote for the Pilot in 2014 about Medicaid.

At no place, he said, was there any disclosure about who paid for the ad. But when he clicked a Facebook link to find more information, he was directed to the Vogel campaign.

One reason youre seeing this ad is that Jill Vogel wants to reach people interested in Ed Gillespie, based on activity such as liking pages or clicking on ads, a Facebook pop-up read. Gillespie is the front-runner for the GOP nomination for governor.

Virginia law requires campaign advertising to state who paid for or authorized an ad. For online ads, state law says:

Any print media advertisement appearing in electronic format shall display the disclosure statement in a minimum font size of seven point; however, if the advertisement lacks sufficient space for a disclosure statement in a minimum font size of seven point, the advertisement may meet disclosure requirements if, by clicking on the print media advertisement appearing in electronic format, the viewer is taken to a landing page or a home page that displays the disclosure statement in a conspicuous manner.

Davis readily admitted hes been attacking Vogel, but said he hasnt hidden it.

One of her ads makes it look like the Pilot is the one writing the negative article about me and attacking me, he said.

He also questioned why Vogel, at a candidate forum Saturday in Isle of Wight County, said: Im the only candidate in this race who has never attacked my opponents. Ive never run one negative ad. And I promise you people appreciate that.

Vogel campaign manager Pat Trueman said by email Thursday that the ads comply with state law and were very clearly from Jill Vogels campaign and any recipient could determine that easily.

The Vogel campaign has pulled the ad with the misleading pilotonline link. That issue will be corrected, Trueman wrote.

And what about Vogels claim that shes the only candidate not running negative ads?

Responding to false attacks is not negative campaigning and Jill Vogel will continue to be the only candidate in this race running a positive campaign  while defending herself when necessary, Trueman wrote.

Vogel has been the recipient of attacks in the campaign. It remains unclear who funded an advertising campaign that compares her to Hillary Clinton.

But Davis complaint is the not the first time Vogel has been accused of impropriety.

Reeves has a pending defamation lawsuit in Stafford County. Its not against Vogel, but he is seeking to depose her and her husband about an email someone sent last fall to some of his supporters alleging he had an affair with an aide.

Reeves has denied the allegation, said it is defamatory, and issued subpoenas yielding information he says can prove Vogel and her husband were behind the attack.

Vogel is the managing partner of the law firm Holtzman Vogel Josefiak Torchinsky PLLC, which specializes in campaign finance and election law. Shes also the chairwoman of the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee.

The three-member board of elections determines whether a candidate has violated state election law on disclosure requirements.

Candidates can receive a civil penalty of up to $1,000, or $2,500 if a violation is within 14 days of an election. If the board finds the violation is willful, it can find a candidate guilty of a criminal misdemeanor.
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Large stock awards didn't weigh down the pockets of three Valley chief ... Business Journal rankings of highest-paid CFOs. Click through the gallery above to see the ranking for Arizona's top ... Read More Two Arizona institutions ranked in the highest 10% of schools on the latest U.S. News ... ranked No. 10 globally. Other top 100 rankings for ASU were in the fields of Economics & Business ... Read More Maryland also came in first place in a recent U.S. News & World Report analysis of the wealthiest states. The report looked at 10 metrics to determine the rankings, including voter accessibility ... Read More U.S. News also ranked hospitals in the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas. The number 1 hospital in Arizona is Mayo Clinic-Phoenix. See also Best Children's Hospitals in Arizona. How We Rank and Rate ... Read More Theres no evidence in Arizona or elsewhere in the United States that fraud, problems with ballot-counting equipment or other voting issues had any impact on the 2020 presidential election outcome. Read More An Arizona business is appealing to the U.S. Court of Appeals after ... Joe Bishop-Henchman, NTUF Executive Vice President and lead attorney on the case. The state says we can pay and file for a ... Read More A business plan is a document that you create that outlines your companys objectives and ... being concise. An executive summary should be one to two pages and no more. This is just enough ... Read More SILICON SLOPES, Utah--(BUSINESS ... s SME BI market study, said Howard Dresner, founder and chief research officer for Dresner Advisory Services. As with all of our reports, rankings are ... Read More Among UA's nonconference opponents, Tennessee (which will visit McKale Center on Dec. 17) was ranked No. 11 while four other Maui Invitational teams were ranked: Creighton at No. 9, Arkansas No ... Read More The anchors of Fox Business Network have ... Many of the TV-news sectors top executive got their start in the A.M., including former CNN chief Jeff Zucker, current CNN head Chris Licht; NBC ... Read More Two local universities are apparently the best in the world, according U.S. News ... Rankings, released Tuesday. Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) landed ... Read More CLEVELAND, Ohio  Archbishop Moeller returned to Cincinnati on Saturday with a 25-10 win against St. Ignatius in Parma and remains the states No. 1-ranked ... Ohios best teams in all ... Read More
Business News Mississippi Business Recalls Meat Poultry Frozen Products | RobinsPost News & Noticias

DENVER (KDVR)  Prepared chicken ... the voluntary recall on Tuesday after a customer reported having an adverse reaction, the company said in a news release. The products contain cashews ... Read More Also, if you have specific questions about food safety, you can call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854. The products ... recall of a whopping approximately 24,461 pounds of ... Read More STURGEON BAY - Door County Custom Meats and Venison Processing is voluntarily recalling a variety of ready-to-eat meat products ... Consumer Protection, the recalled products include: Jalapeno ... Read More A recall of 148,000 pounds of chicken products has been announced Saturday by the USDA due to possible contamination with hard clear pieces of plastic, the agency said. Read More U.S. Agricutlure Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the investment of $73 million in 21 grant projects through the first round of the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP). MPPEP delivers ... Read More The products were sold in multiple states. The voluntary recall affects Albertsons Companies' ReadyMeals Chicken Salad Quad and Chicken Salad Sandwich Club Tray that may contain undeclared cashews ... Read More The recall doesn't include its iconic original pine-scented Pine-Sol, which is its only product registered as a disinfectant. The products recalled by the Oakland, California-based company also ... Read More Federal law prohibits any person from selling products subject to a Commission ordered recall or a voluntary recall undertaken in consultation with the CPSC. SHARE THIS POST Find News News ... Read More (WBAY) - A meat shop in central Wisconsin, Johnsons Sausage Shoppe in Rio, is voluntarily recalling 18 products, including beef, chicken ... The DATCP says the recall was initiated because ... Read More PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Costco is recalling some of its hummus products for possible mold. They are recalling certain Kirkland Signature brand Pine Nut Hummus, sold between Sept. 21 to Oct. 18. Read More The recall doesn't include its iconic original pine-scented Pine-Sol, which is its only product registered as a disinfectant. The products recalled ... of breaking news and live events ... Read More
Health News Venezuela Replaces Health Minister After Data Shows Crisis Worsening | RobinsPost News & Noticias

after walking for weeks in order to cross into Colombia and continue his journey to the United States, in San Antonio del Tachira, Venezuela, on Sept. 25, 2022. YURI CORTEZ/AFP via Getty Images ... Read More At least 36 people were confirmed dead after a mudslide swept through a town in Venezuela over the weekend, the country's interior minister said ... mlr/bgs The Barron's news department was ... Read More The Biden administration has extended an olive branch to Venezuela. It might sway Caracas to resume talks with the opposition for elections, and eventually let Venezuelan oil back on the world market. Read More Don't miss out on the headlines from QLD News ... over the health data going live too early at 7.45am, instead of the agreed to time of 10am as requested by the Ministers office. Read More Rescue workers in Venezuela are clearing rocks and mud from ... The corpse was taken to a health center that has been pressed into service as a morgue. He was buried with a man who tried ... Read More PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Panama on Monday announced the appointment of Janaina Tewaney as its new foreign minister, a surprise move which makes her the third person to hold the post since President ... Read More 11/7 ) Political Cartoon: 'Don't Forget to Stretch' Kaiser Health News provides ... (Fourcade, 10/13) New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show "most" U.S. adolescents ... Read More Germanys health minister is urging the countrys 16 states to consider stepping up measures against the coronavirus amid a rise in new cases BERLIN -- Germany's health minister on Friday ... Read More If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis ... News Digital. She added, "We also need to encourage others in our life to do the same." "Mental ... Read More Conversely, watching disturbing news media can dampen your psychological health, according to a 2020 study in Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World. This survey included more than ... Read More BERLIN (AP)  Germany's health minister on Friday urged the ... he said. Continue Reading Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. Read More BERLIN (AP)  Germanys health minister on Friday urged the countrys 16 states to consider stepping up their measures against the coronavirus amid a rise in new cases. Health Minister Karl ... Read More
Health News Horrifying 7000 Bodies Of Former Mental Health Patients Found Buried Under Mississippi Medical Campus | RobinsPost News & Noticias

A major study looking at the long-term mental health implications of Covid-19 infection has found that patients over the age of 50 are particularly at risk of a raft of psychological issues. Read More Royal College of Psychiatrists found patients mental health was deteriorating ... It is calling for a year-on-year increase of medical school places from 7,000 to 15,000 by 2028/29 and a ... Read More But we do know that just seeing the news ... and the mental health of the people in it. A survey after a 2022 shooting in Buffalo, NY -- when a white man targeted all Black people -- found that ... Read More "There are silver linings: The pandemic has made many of us more comfortable talking about the fact that mental health is an important part of all health," Unutzer told Fox News Digital. Read More To commemorate World Mental Health Day 2022, News-Medical speaks to Prof ... with existing mental health conditions and services. We found profound effects of the pandemic on access to care ... Read More Others note that there's only so much negative news coverage a person can take before it affects their mental health ... sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville who was ... Read More medical and social needs are met. Unfortunately, negative attitudes and beliefs toward people who have a mental health condition are common. Others' judgments almost always stem from a lack of ... Read More compared to all other groups who rated mental health as their main concern. Socioeconomic status impacted patients' needs, and survey results found that rising inflation and spending is creating ... Read More The world health body said that the pandemic has created a global crisis for mental health, in a statement Monday, adding that it is fueling short- and long-term stresses and undermining ... Read More According to the release, patients waiting to be onboarded into mental health services are having to wait days, or weeks, at emergency department or medical ... the release. Under the grant ... Read More EDINA, Minn. -- Monday is World Mental Health Day and along with bringing awareness, the theme this year is to make mental health and well-being a priority for all. This comes as a new study shows ... Read More
Health News Venezuela Health Minister Fired After Revealing Data Showing 66 Rise In Maternal Deaths | RobinsPost News & Noticias

CARACAS, Venezuela  Rescuers worked to clear rocks and mud from the streets of a north-central city in Venezuela on Tuesday, three days after it was ... was taken to a health center that ... Read More A landslide in Venezuela has left at least 25 people dead and more than 50 missing after a river overflowed ... local media at the scene. Interior Minister Remigio Ceballos said at least 25 ... Read More BERLIN (AP)  Germany's health minister on Friday urged the country's 16 states to consider stepping up their measures against the coronavirus amid a rise in new cases. Health Minister Karl ... Read More Conflicting reports have come out about the same European colon cancer study, leaving many confused whether or not colonoscopies are a successful way to reduce colon cancer deaths. Health ... Read More Also: Medicare fraud accusations against Cigna, health care data ... News says at least 29 cases and four deaths have been confirmed in Lee County this year, with all but two cases diagnosed after ... Read More "We are seeing increasing rates of suicides and drug overdoses, sometimes referred to as deaths ... that mental health is an important part of all health," Unutzer told Fox News Digital. Read More Advertisement The office analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to produce the report. It found the number of monthly maternal deaths ... virus. Health News // 2 hours ... Read More Rescue workers in Venezuela are clearing rocks and mud from ... The corpse was taken to a health center that has been pressed into service as a morgue. He was buried with a man who tried ... Read More Germanys health minister is urging the countrys 16 states to consider stepping up measures against the coronavirus amid a rise in new cases ... and 165 COVID-related deaths. Read More BERLIN (AP)  Germanys health minister on Friday urged the countrys 16 states to consider stepping up their measures against the coronavirus amid a rise in new cases. Health Minister Karl ... Read More
Health News North Carolina Health Department Closed Due To Bed Bugs | RobinsPost News & Noticias

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported the first flu-related death of the 2022-23 flu season on Wednesday afternoon. An adult in the western part of the ... Read More The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported that a child in the eastern part of the state has died due to the flu. It is the first pediatric death ... Read More Since bed bugs don't carry disease, their bites are generally not considered a serious risk to our health. Usually found ... camp in our bedding (via Medical News Today). For this reason, bed ... Read More Avian influenza, commonly referred to as bird flu, has been detected in birds in North Carolina and ... citing the states Department of Agriculture. Meanwhile, health officials in Orange ... Read More A spokesperson for Mecklenburg County's health department said in ... and winter, Kody Kinsley, North Carolinas health secretary, said in a Thursday news release. State health officials ... Read More The waitlists include 488 at the Community Alternatives Program for Disabled Adults, 6,000 on the North Carolina Child Care Subsidy Statewide waitlist, 472 waiting to enter state facilities and ... Read More FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.  North Carolina has no "stop and identify ... said hes ready to file a lawsuit against the Fayetteville Police Department. "I'm probably one of the most innocent people ... Read More North Carolina. His family said he was having a mental health crisis. In body camera footage released by police in June, an officer sprints into the parking lot and apparently goads on Rodriguez ... Read More Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, seen on Oct. 24, 2022, is owned by Atrium Health. Atrium Health, North Carolina's largest hospital system, has declared publicly that in 2019 ... Read More Director Brandon Wilson said mental health ... week in North Carolina alone. The group recently received the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant from the U.S. Department ... Read More Five people  including an off-duty police officer  are dead after a shooting Thursday in eastern Raleigh, North Carolina ... Jason Borneo said during a news conference Thursday night. Read More (WGHP)  The North Carolina Department of Health and ... of the state died due to complications from the flu during the third week of October, according to an NCDHHS news release. Read More
Politics News California Politics Updates Gov Brown S Adds Cash To Budget Mcclintock Calls For Independent Prosecutor For Russia Investigation | RobinsPost News & Noticias

If it sounds like theres a familiar name already on the ballot, heres why: When Harris left office, Gov ... unlikely jump into politics in his mid-20s. Like many of Californias most ... Read More Republican Tom McClintock wins reelection to U.S. House in Californias 5th Congressional District. Californians reject sports gambling by wide margins after most expensive ballot question races in U. Read More According to the latest finance bulletin from the California Department of Finance, general fund agency cash receipts for ... with the states politics is at least part of the reason why ... Read More San Francisco's three-year plan to build a single public toilet for $1.7 million could be going down the drain as California Gov ... updates, exclusive interviews, and more Fox News politics ... Read More Theres always politics involved ... OFarrell said in a news conference. The expanding fallout from the recordings has included calls for Los Angeles to adopt an independent redistricting ... Read More California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday again ... Get the latest race updates, exclusive interviews, and more Fox News politics content. Read More LOS ANGELES (AP)  Californias ... calls to address the way politics can still influence the redrawing of district maps after the census count each decade. My office will conduct an ... Read More Gavin Newsom will almost certainly win reelection as governor of California ... politics at the same time and place as Newsom, with the pair even sharing political advisers. While Newsoms ... Read More This year, California voters could play a key role in determining the balance of power in the House of Representatives. Do you know what congressional district you live in? Or whos competing to ... Read More Calls for all three councilmembers to ... JW: Yes, that could be the main way it could cut. But politics are rarely binary. Its very possible it will play both of those ways and also six ... Read More (Inside California Politics)  Candidate for California Governor Sen. Brian Dahle, R-Bieber, joined Inside California Politics co-host Nikki Laurenzo to discuss his campaign. Sen. Dahle trails ... Read More Black and Latino constituents often build alliances in politics ... former executive director of the Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs at California State University, Los Angeles, said ... Read More
Politics News California Politics Updates Gov Brown S Adds Cash To Budget Mcclintock Calls For Independent Prosecutor For Russia Investigation | RobinsPost News & Noticias

According to the latest finance bulletin from the California Department of Finance, general fund agency cash receipts for ... with the states politics is at least part of the reason why ... Read More Republican Tom McClintock wins reelection to U.S. House in Californias 5th Congressional District. Californians reject sports gambling by wide margins after most expensive ballot question races in U. Read More Black and Latino constituents often build alliances in politics ... former executive director of the Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs at California State University, Los Angeles, said ... Read More San Francisco's three-year plan to build a single public toilet for $1.7 million could be going down the drain as California Gov ... updates, exclusive interviews, and more Fox News politics ... Read More Theres always politics involved ... OFarrell said in a news conference. The expanding fallout from the recordings has included calls for Los Angeles to adopt an independent redistricting ... Read More California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday again ... Get the latest race updates, exclusive interviews, and more Fox News politics content. Read More LOS ANGELES (AP)  Californias ... calls to address the way politics can still influence the redrawing of district maps after the census count each decade. My office will conduct an ... Read More This year, California voters could play a key role in determining the balance of power in the House of Representatives. Do you know what congressional district you live in? Or whos competing to ... Read More Calls for all three councilmembers to ... JW: Yes, that could be the main way it could cut. But politics are rarely binary. Its very possible it will play both of those ways and also six ... Read More If it sounds like theres a familiar name already on the ballot, heres why: When Harris left office, Gov ... unlikely jump into politics in his mid-20s. Like many of Californias most ... Read More Republican Tom McClintock wins reelection to U.S. House in California's 5th Congressional District. Read More
Elections News Breaking Mzembi Loses The Unwto Elections | RobinsPost News & Noticias

Polls got it wrong about the midterm election results. Heres why - From large numbers of independent voters to suburban women to younger voters turning up in better-than-expected numbers, the ... Read More Some states have already smashed early voting records set in the presidential election of 2020. But, as CBS News chief White House ... mail-in voting in 2020, lost Pennsylvania to President ... Read More You see what this has translated to in terms of how many seats gained and lost ... election. Republicans took the Senate and getting to their highest level in the House since 1928. It was a late ... Read More Welcome to Fox News Election Brief, a newsletter with the latest updates from the 2022 midterm elections campaign trail. Subscribe now to get Fox News' Election Brief in your inbox. Read More When Bash pressed her on if shed accept the results if she lost, Lake replied, Im going to win the election. And I will accept that result. Later in the week, Fox Newss Tucker ... Read More The Senate is currently split 50-50, however Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, can cast a tie-breaking ... s party loses on average 29 House seats the first midterm election, according ... Read More To really understand an election, you have to understand the motivations ... We've got the data for it: tens of thousands of interviews in our CBS News polling over the year where people ... Read More NBC elections analyst Steve Kornacki discussed ... especially with some of the news last week around inflation, maybe really have returned to the fore. There was that "New York Times"/Sienna ... Read More With midterms less than three weeks away, CBS News is diving deep on groups of voters who will likely have a big impact on the outcome. Face the Nation Moderator and CBS News chief foreign affairs ... Read More This isn't their first election. This should have been addressed before Trump lost in 2020 ... with fact-checking organizations and news outlets like the AP, which is part of Meta's fact ... Read More The 2022 midterm elections will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 8. The midterms are elections that occur halfway through a president's four-year term. All 435 seats in the U.S. House are up for ... Read More
Elections News Future Elections To Have Paper Trail Voting Says Poll Body 10 Facts | RobinsPost News & Noticias

Soaring demand and a shortage of manufacturers during the pandemic have pinched national paper stockpiles, leaving little room for error. Read More
Elections News Armenia Campaign Silence Declared Ahead Of Yerevan Elections | RobinsPost News & Noticias

Ahead of the January ... spreading an endless stream of election falsehoods. The right-wing media world, and in particular, far-right cable outlet One America News fueled Trumps false claims ... Read More With midterm elections just over two weeks away ... Power the Polls, told CBS News the group is tracking about 400 jurisdictions nationwide that are still looking for more workers. Read More Election crimes fall into broad categories: Ballot/voter fraud Campaign finance violations Civil rights violations, such as voter suppression or voter intimidation While individual states and ... Read More Theres a tendency in politics  built over many years  of viewing elections as end points. As in, we spend two years debating and squabbling over the right direction for the country and ... Read More campaign finance violations and civil rights violations such as voter suppression and voter intimidation. "Free and fair democratic elections are one of the founding pillars of the United States ... Read More The 2022 midterm elections will take place on Tuesday ... but experts note there are tight races ahead  heightening uncertainty about which party could emerge with a majority in the House ... Read More Read more from Fox News' Paul Steinhauser: Fetterman lowers expectations ahead of only debate with ... GET THE LATEST ELECTION COVERAGE AND LIVE UPDATES FROM THE DEBATES at Fox News' midterms ... Read More MADISON (WKOW) -- The November Election is fast approaching and candidates on both sides of the isle are working hard to earn your vote. On Saturday, Governor Tony Evers kicked off a canvas launch in ... Read More When the polls close at 8 p.m., go here for a look at the latest results for the 2022 midterm election. Tonight ABC7 News will bring ... Mitt Romney's presidential campaign who is running for ... Read More As education increasingly becomes a focus in the midterm election, a new Fox News registered voter survey finds 8 in 10 parents are concerned about whats being taught in schools. The only issue ... Read More Four of the eight board director seats that are up in the Nov. 8 election lack ballot-qualified candidates, leaving a write-in field as the only option. Of the rest, just two have competitive races. Read More More than 5.8 million ballots have been cast across 39 states in the 2022 midterm elections, according to data from election officials, Edison Research and Catalist. In the battleground states of ... Read More
Elections News Presidential Elections In Iran Rouhani Versus Everyone In Last Tv Debate Before The Vote | RobinsPost News & Noticias

A leading ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin met Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi on Wednesday on a trip to deepen trade and security cooperation, as Moscow looks to shore up its economy and ... Read More On Tuesday, Israelis are going to the polls to elect a new Knesset, or parliament. It's the fifth time in less than four years that voters are casting ballots. Holding elections that often is bound to ... Read More Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi speaks during a parliament session in Tehran, Iran October 4, 2022. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS ... Read More
Potus News Us Treasury Department Unit Set To Provide Financial Records In Trump Russia Investigation | RobinsPost News & Noticias

The United States Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network took enforcement actions against crypto exchange Bittrex for allegedly ... Read More A Texas sheriff announced that his department was opening an investigation into DeSantis' flights, seeing as as they originated in San Antonio. The letter from the Treasury is the first ... Nations ... Read More FILE PHOTO - Elizabeth Rosenberg, Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes at the U.S. Department of the Treasury ... between the United States and Turkey in addressing ... Read More The Treasury Department sanctioned a Russian ... Biden blowback shows coal still has sway in US politics Uss, the son of a regional governor in Russia, was arrested in Italy on Monday. Read More The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and Financial ... as the OFAC investigation. Effectively, Bittrex will have to pay a penalty of about US$29 million. Read More The details were shared in a presentation with senior finance officials from nearly 30 nations Friday, who gathered at the Treasury Department for an update from Deputy US Treasury Secretary Wally ... Read More the U.S. Treasury Department said on Tuesday. Adeyemo, who has led work on U.S. sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, will represent the United States when the Asian Economic Cooperation ... Read More The former treasury ... Department of Justice, which they say constitutes a crime. Barrack has pleaded not guilty. Mnuchin, whose testimony on Thursday lasted under 30 minutes, served as United ... Read More Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Russia's economy is projected to contract "this year and the next" due to historic sanctions. Russia's GDP is expected to contract by 6.2% this year and 4.1% ... Read More The Biden administration aims to shorten the timeline for when Russia runs out of the weapons and components its military needs in Ukraine, Deputy Treasury ... the key for us is to keep going ... Read More Senior U.S. Treasury Official Traveled to Turkey to Discuss Sanctions on Russia By Daphne Psaledakis and Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A senior U.S. Treasury Department official traveled to ... Read More WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A senior U.S. Treasury Department ... in the private financial and commercial sectors, according to a statement. The Treasury said the meetings "affirmed the importance of close ... Read More
Science News Tennessee Pastor Greg Locke All Liberals Believe In Stupid Things Like Socialism And Science | RobinsPost News & Noticias

Anti-LGBTQ pastor Greg Lock of the Global Vision Bible Church in Tennessee ... as if he talks like that when he meets people. How do you want me to address you? The news you care about ... Read More A Tennessee grandfather fell to his death in a ... Boyd would not name the man. He said all the skydivers taking part in the pregame stunt were expert skydivers with the group jumpTN. Read More Almost all the 15 Black ... covered by the Knoxville News Sentinel, of racist behavior in the department, which serves a town of more than 180,000 people in eastern Tennessee. Read More At all," Ainge said ... that I actually think that Tennessee has a legitimate opportunity to go get a win over Alabama. In none of those past games did I feel like that." The reigning Heisman ... Read More A distinguished physicist has some notes for Tennessee fans who tore down the goal posts last Saturday: Its all about leverage. A little science could ... he told Knox News of the excitement. Read More the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said. The bear entered through a set of French doors that were locked but not deadbolted, wildlife officers told news outlets. A trap was set and a bear ... Read More A wanted fugitive known as "Two Face" was captured in Tennessee on Tuesday following a standoff with police, authorities said. Christopher Lewis Curtis, who was wanted on multiple felony warrants ... Read More However, Americans tend to be less likely to believe scientists ... Unlike politicians, science supporters probably cant win by making others look bad. Just like the press, members of ... Read More Following the victory, Tennessee has received a lot of love from the national media, and they are now being projected for some big-time bowls, which we take a look at here. All in all ... Read More It was like, Where is this coming from?' It was Vol Nation." The GoFundMe had generated more than $70,000 by Saturday afternoon, as Tennessee ... actions and kind things. It kind of gave ... Read More Alabama and Tennessee will meet in a top-ten matchup ... Ex-Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy became the latest member of the Crimson Tide to share a story about a past Third Saturday in ... Read More Tennessee basketball is ranked No. 11 in the preseason Associated Press poll, the fourth time it has been ranked in the preseason top 25 in the past five seasons. UT was No. 18 entering the 2021 ... Read More
Science News Program Hopes To Bring On More Science Teachers | RobinsPost News & Noticias

The UTeach program is meant to attract people who hold a degree in a STEM field, which means science ... hopes the state and federal government dedicate more money to training and paying teachers ... Read More He was probably 4 years old. Wilkerson Elementary in Conroe ISD started a STEM program as part of the class rotation. STEM teacher Megan Gaskins gives the students challenges to demonstrate different ... Read More Jennifer Waters, program advisor for the Facilitating Coordination in Agricultural Education, says this is one of the most valuable lessons students learn by participating in the National FFA ... Read More The idea for the after-school program arose from the nature centers strategic planning, which took place five years ago and looked at how it could expand programs to serve families. Read More Proof that most Australian teenagers are writing at primary-grade level is reviving an old-school teaching style known as explicit instruction. Read More Children are more likely to thrive in the subject if theyre encouraged to experiment and explore rather than to be scientists. Read More Retired teacher Vanessa Guffey hopes to bring a classroom perspective to the ... I know what teachers face and its a lot more now than it was before, she said. I have some good ideas ... Read More Navigating science classes at Yale is often a daunting task: courses tend to have prerequisites, reputations of high workloads or both. Read More The festival helped realize a major goal of the WSS program: to bring together ... and millions more have viewed our programs online. World Science U is WSF's online education platform, offering ... Read More Soon enough, AI competency will be an essential workforce skill. A group of computer scientists and learning science experts are considering what a foundational introduction to AI might look like for ... Read More It may be hard to believe, but the vision for what could be the largest investment in downtown Wichitas history had its roots in a Houston choir class in the 1970s. Read More In the United States, the Biden administration announced a multi-agency program that create will hundreds of security-based registered apprenticeship programs earlier this summer. The US government ... Read More
Technology News College Celebrates Graduation With Technology | RobinsPost News & Noticias

As UTeach at The University of Texas at Austin celebrates 25 years of preparing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers, it is rising to meet challenges, including a ... Read More It was celebration all the way weekend, as Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun, graduated 823 scholars with 47, bagging first class from the Colleges of Natural and ... It is Nigerias most ... Read More A project titled Accelerated Telerehabilitation Infrastructure and Clinical Viability was funded by the U.S. Department of the Treasury through the Wyoming Health a ... Read More The new leaders of these schools are like the chief executives of Chanel or Rolex, burnishing brands that operate at the highest end of the higher ed market. Read More He also works to raise awareness about HBCUs or historically Black colleges and universities, which produce almost 20 percent of all African-American graduates and 25 percent of Americas Black ... Read More A GROUNDBREAKING new educational facility full of state-of-the-art tech will train future inventors and innovators from around the county. Read More Universal Technical Institute (UTI) joined forces with the Imagine America Foundation (IAF) more than 20 years ago and together has reached a milestone of 12,000 scholarships awarded to UTI students ... Read More Crowder Alum, Julian Garrett, now attending Missouri State University, placed 3rd in After Dinner Speaking, 5th in Prose Reading, and was among the top 10 ranked speakers in Lincoln-Douglas debate. A ... Read More As Queens College ... technology for the aspirationals and millennials. The newspaper is a public trust dedicated to the pursuit of truth and reason covering a range of issues from breaking ... Read More A GROUNDBREAKING new educational facility full of state-of-the-art tech will train future inventors and innovators from around the county. Read More The North Idaho College Dental Hygiene Clinic includes a sensory room and a sterilization room for cleaning and disinfecting instruments. Read More The partnership will assist students transitioning from a two-year associate degree at UA Rich Mountain to a four-year bachelors degree from the U of A. Read More
Technology News Beth Combines Ethereum Modern Technology As Well As Deep Discovering To Create A New Generation Mutual Fund | RobinsPost News & Noticias

Ethereums slow growth wont put the alternative chains out of business, most people agree. But as an investment, ETH has got them beat this year. Read More After years of anticipation, the cryptocurrency ethereum finally implemented a ... number that serves to validate transactions and create new coins. This is what's known as mining. Read More The drop in Ethereums daily active addresses comes as ETH price flatlines, raising fears about a potential drop ahead. The number of Ether DAA dropped to 152,000 on Oct. 21, its lowest level ... Read More New token supply increased until Oct. 8, as Ethereum remained in inflation. Since then, more tokens have been burned through transaction fees, making ETH deflationary. More than 49,000 ETH has ... Read More The one-day chart for Ethereums price showed a rebound above the $1,240 support level, keeping the Ethereum price prediction bullish. The altcoins support level has moved due to the price ... Read More The Business Journals' Book of Lists provides you with more than 1,000 of the hottest area companies in their fields, by ranking. VMLY&R announces today the appointment of Abbie Baehr as chief ... Read More The most well-known blockchain powered by intelligent contracts introduced in 2015 is Ethereum (ETH ... enables the creation of new chains and uses ground-breaking technology to decentralize ... Read More Another key indicator, the networks performance in fee-generation has hit a one month high. These factors are likely to drive the assets price higher. Analysts believe Ethereum is in the ... Read More Listen to article 1x 1.2x 1.5x AN important global debate is underway about the disruptive impact of new technology. There is no doubt modern technology ... of fake news for example is not new. Read More Donegal announced a pair of key promotions that will strategically position Mountain States Insurance Group ExxonMobil would like to congratulate the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta ... Read More Ethereums gains outstripped those of Bitcoin on an intraday and seven-day basis. There was a surge in the number of new Ethereum addresses created on Sunday. Santiment tweeted that ... Read More
Travel News Mumbai Leads Indian Cities In Online Travel Searches | RobinsPost News & Noticias

Or, spend time in India's southern states to explore stunning beaches along Goa's coast or visit ... international travel under their belt. There's no denying India's great cities can be dangerous ... Read More Rightly known as the City That Never Sleeps, Mumbai is one of the coolest cities in the country for party animals. The city, undoubtedly, has a very vibrant nightlife and is gradually making its ... Read More The festive rush has resulted in a 20-25% increase in airfares for flights between Delhi and Mumbai...the [cities with] busiest airports in the country, online travel ... 80-90% in searches ... Read More Load Map What is the travel distance between Bergen, Germany and Mumbai, India? How many miles is it from Mumbai to Bergen. 3938 miles / 6337.6 km is the flight distance between these two places. Use ... Read More The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will today launch the nation's first digital rupee pilot project for the wholesale segment.In a statement, the central bank said that it will "soon commence pilot ... Read More The Association Les 3 Vallees announces today the launch of a new online travel agency  Les 3 Vallees Travel - to provide consumers globally a simple and direct way to book vacations to the ... Read More Goyal said his priority in Mumbai will be to cut down railway-related deaths. Verma, a 1994-batch officer of Indian Railway Traffic Services, is yet to list his priorities. Also Read: Mumbai ... Read More Vietjet's first direct flights from Indian ... for the city to increase international tourist arrivals in the absence of major markets like China, Da Nang news portal reported. Last month Vietjet ... Read More A court in Mumbai on Tuesday sentenced eight Bangladeshi nationals to four years' imprisonment for living in India illegally. Additional Sessions Judge A A Joglekar held them guilty under the ... Read More They have also made a variety of packages including these beautiful places to suit different travel needs. Kolukkumalai Trekking is the most adventurous trek in India, and it is a real treat to ... Read More Phagwara: On a complaint lodged by a resident of Palahai Gate in Phagwara, Harbans Lal, the city police registered a case under Section 406, 420 and 120B of the IPC and Punjab Travel Professions ... Read More The IQAir found that during the year 2021, Delhi was the worst polluted city in India followed by Kolkata, Mumbai, and Hyderabad ... (With IANS inputs) For breaking news and live news updates ... Read More
Us News Turkish Pm Us Promises Kurds Won T Stay In Raqqa | RobinsPost News & Noticias

it has remained popular with US allies and is currently employed by Turkish and Iraqi defence forces. Pence sighs when asked about McCarthy's comment calling the US 'Ukraine's blank cheque' Any US ... Read More Washingtons security cooperation with Turkey and Greece does not come from a position of partiality or imbalance towards any single partner, US Ambassador to Turkey ... exchange between him and ... Read More Turkey's Erdogan to Meet Swedish PM Kristersson to Discuss Extraditions, NATO Bid ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said he will meet Sweden's new prime minister ... Read More If there's one thing you can say about Southerners, it's that we don't do ... cozy turkey soups. This Thanksgiving, make like a Southerner and buy that extra bird. You can thank us later! Read More BARTIN, Turkey (Reuters) -The death toll after an explosion in a coal mine in Turkey's northern Bartin province on Friday has reached 41, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday. Read More Turkeys main opposition party applied to the ... press and social media laws with the stated aim of combating fake news. Critics fear that the measure will be used to further crack down on ... Read More The comments, he said, certainly wont help improve Pakistani public perceptions of the US, but I doubt itll impact bilateral relations in a big way. Commenting on Islamabads ... Read More This bullying is not correct, foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a news conference in southern Turkey on Friday. We dont think its right for the US to use it as an element ... Read More Senators make appeal to EPA after series of Guardian articles revealed that communities of color often face high lead levels US legislators are calling for increased measures to protect American ... Read More Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he has agreed to meet with Swedens new prime minister in Ankara to ... Kristersson and Erdogan as positive news. We believe that close dialogue ... Read More
Us News North Korea Will Talk To Us If Conditions Are Right | RobinsPost News & Noticias

A senior US official had said Washington would be willing to engage in arms-control talks with Pyongyang. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read More Michael Morell sits down with North Korea expert Markus Garlauskas to discuss his assessment of North Korea's missile tests and the threat of nuclear weapons under Kim Jong Un's regime. Read More The United States said on Friday its policy towards North Korea had not changed after a senior US official responsible for nuclear policy raised some eyebrows by saying Washington would be willing to ... Read More North Koreas Foreign Ministry has criticized the United States for expanding combined military exercises with South Korea that it claims are practice for an invasion ... Read More Such joint drills, coupled with sanctions against North Korea ... talk about a denuclearization of the peninsula." Thus far, however, Kirby said that "Mr. Kim has proven unwilling to take us ... Read More Washington has exhausted viable options for containing North Koreas missile and nuclear programs and now must prioritize deterring the regime from using its weapons to carry out attacks against ... Read More (Korean Central News Agency ... why North Korea is shooting missiles. Theyre really afraid of America and other countries attacking them. I think North Korea should talk to us rather than ... Read More Just this week, North Koreas Korean Central News Agency (KCNA ... KCNA had vowed that North Korea will counter the US if the joint drills were carried out. Accordingly, Chung said ... Read More North Korea ... to tell the US and South Korea that any demonstrations of alliance solidarity and readiness will be in vain, Rand Corporation analyst Soo Kim told the AFP news agency. Read More The state-run Korean Central News Agency ... that North Korea was powerful and resolute in its will to maintain its "strongest nuclear response posture" to defend its right to exist. Read More The unprecedented number of missiles fired recently has led to an escalation in tensions not seen in several years between North Korea, South Korea, Japan and the US. An expert on North Korea and ... Read More North Korea ... All this talk about tactical nuclear weapons, whether it comes from [Vladimir] Putin or from Kim Jong-un, is irresponsible and dangerous US ambassador to South Korea Philip ... Read More
Us News North Korea Reportedly Says Talks With Us Possible Under The Right Conditions | RobinsPost News & Noticias

The United States and its partners ... responded to U.S. offers for talks. VOAs Korean Service contacted North Koreas U.N. mission in New York asking under what circumstances Pyongyang ... Read More Officials from the United States ... North Korea's new nuclear policy is creating a serious tension on the Korean Peninsula, Cho told a joint news conference after talks with U.S. Deputy ... Read More The KCNA report ... news agency. We probably wont see North Korea backing down anytime soon, and from all appearances, it appears the allies may not fold easily this time, either. The ... Read More North Korea Says It Will Not Overlook Any Kind of Military ... said in a statement carried by the North's official KCNA news agency. "In the future, too, our army will never allow any provocation ... Read More Some experts say the new missile may aim to target a faraway site like Alaska or Hawaii. Another missile that North Korea said was launched from a silo under ... The United States, which deploys ... Read More TOKYO  The United States ... up his successor US President Joe Bidens offer of working-level talks. Japans Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Takeo Mori said North Koreas ... Read More U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman is warning North Korea against escalating its provocations TOKYO -- The United States ... in a joint news conference after three-way talks in ... Read More dismissed the idea of restarting talks, saying North Korea "felt no necessity to do so," KCNA reported. Kim Jong Un's media moments 33 photos The report also said that North Korea's October 4 ... Read More An unparalleled scale of response would be warranted if North Korea ... a news conference in Tokyo. Cho made his comments alongside Japans vice foreign minister Takeo Mori and US Deputy ... Read More North Korean news media also published photos that purported to show a ballistic missile rising from under ... Korea claimed the ability to deliver nuclear warheads to the continental United States. Read More North Korea's recent flurry of ... after large-scale navy drills by South Korean and US forces, state news agency KCNA said on Monday. North Korea fired two ballistic missiles early on Sunday ... Read More
Us News Us May Deport Group Of Indonesian Christians | RobinsPost News & Noticias

Two local officials in Indonesia joined Islamist organizations call to block construction of a Christian church, triggering objections nationwide ... Read More RELATED: Study: More than 3/4 of Republican evangelicals want US declared a Christian nation Fuentes, a right-wing extremist who heads the group America ... in his tradition may be moving away ... Read More A Christian group is spending $100 million on a new campaign to promote Jesus Christ and the values they believe he held. The "He Gets Us" campaign ... told NBC News. "We wanted to help them ... Read More And in 2001, while our nation was attacked by terrorists, a strong Christian man from Cranberry, New JerseyTodd Beamersaid, Lets roll. God, I ask you to help us roll in these dark ... Read More The Northern States Christian Elders Forum (NOSCEF), has accused ... In December 2021, Bola Ahmed Tinubu met with a group in Abuja and sold the Muslim-Muslim Ticket. We warned that every ... Read More I believe that many of us ... Jesus may have prevented his crucifixion if he had owned AR-15 rifles. How many AR-15s do you think Jesus would have had? Boebert asked a crowd at a Christian ... Read More Last week's newsletter from the Christian ... Both may have sounded the same on the debate stage, but both of them have notably different records. Not only has Paul LePage given us written ... Read More Last weeks newsletter from the Christian ... Both may have sounded the same on the debate stage, but both of them have notably different records. Not only has Paul LePage given us written ... Read More SEQUIM  The Olympic Peninsula Christian Writers Group will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The public is invited to attend the free meeting on Zoom. The guest speaker is Heidi Gaul from the Willamette ... Read More It's curious that no Republican candidates have selected to be endorsed by a group that wants to say no to Christian nationalism, he said. So we're not trying to blame them for us being partisan, ... Read More
Us News Us 150m Cjia Expansion 62 Complete | RobinsPost News & Noticias

Report by Quincy Institute says current US arms policy and practice too often fuel war rather than deterring it Despite an election pledge by Joe Biden to not check [Americas] values ... Read More US border authorities encountered more than 2 million migrants, some of whom repeatedly tried to cross the border, in fiscal year 2022, according to newly released US Customs and Border Protection ... Read More Catch up on the latest tech news with the Built In Chicago Weekly Refresh. Puttshack raised $150M. Puttshack is a high-tech mini-golf ... for Sustainable Developments Materials Marketplace (US BCSD). Read More The third-largest maintenance workers union opposed the deal, saying concerns over paid time off remained unaddressed The USs third-largest railroad union rejected a deal with employers ... Read More The Associated Press contributed to this report. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox ... Read More CNN chief business correspondent Christine Romans and reporter Matt Egan explain what that means for consumers. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories Please give an overall site rating: ... Read More Which housing markets are cooling the fastest? Why does Goldman Sachs predict the US housing market will continue to fall in 2023? Is the housing market going to crash? What is going on with the ... Read More US 34 reopened Friday afternoon but I-25 remained closed, several hours after two semis collided between I-25 and Rocky Mountain Avenue. The closure was put in place due to fire activity after one ... Read More Inflation at the wholesale level rose 8.5% in September from a year earlier, its third straight decline though it is still at a painfully high level WASHINGTON -- Inflation at the wholesale level ... Read More "For us working class people ... "Honestly, nothings going well," Mike, from New Jersey, told Fox News. "I go to Italy Tuesday. I might just stay there." "I got to pay more for everything ... Read More Sign up for the New Economy Daily newsletter, follow us @economics and subscribe to our podcast. More than half of professional forecasters say that the greatest ... Read More The attacker was within the Russian Federation, according to a senior official. Some of the nation's largest airports have been targeted for cyberattacks Monday by an attacker within the Russian ... Read More
Us News Syria Daily Russia Us May Be Involved In De Escalation Zones | RobinsPost News & Noticias

The Kremlin has declined to comment on a Wall Street Journal report which claimed the United States held undisclosed talks with top Russian officials on avoiding further escalation in the Ukraine war. Read More According to the 2017 agreement among Iran, Russia, and Turkey as the guarantor countries of the Astana Peace Talks, four de-escalation zones ... news sources reported that Syrian Democratic Forces ... Read More Pentagon Chief Tells Russia's Shoigu He Rejects Any Russian Pretext for Escalation WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in a phone ... Read More The U.S. says it sees no indication Russia is ... told ABC News. Over the weekend, in an unprecedented series of phone calls to senior defense officials in the United States, the United Kingdom ... Read More It was a very rare moment, said Syria expert Samuel Ramani, and a sign that Russia and the US still want deconfliction in Syria. A staunch opponent of the Syrian regime, Washington ... Read More Russia's Lavrov Says U.S. De Facto Involved in Ukraine War LONDON (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that the United States had long been involved in the war in ... Read More The news site reported that some observers believe Surovikins appointment signals that Russia will concentrate its war effort on one area. Russias entry into the civil war in Syria ... Read More while Russias military leadership in Moscow has become less involved in day-to-day management of operations in Syria, including with military coordination with Israel. The moves follow a ... Read More two powers that have offered Russia some relief in the face of Western sanctions, expressed concern after the deadly missile strikes across Ukraine on Monday and renewed calls for de-escalation ... Read More "We did not expect any other reaction from the [US] administration," Antonov stressed ... leads to further escalation and increased the risks of a clash between Russia and NATO," the Russian diplomat ... Read More the extremists sleeper cells have continued to carry out deadly attacks in Syria and Iraq. IS fighters once held large parts of the two countries. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events ... Read More "They discussed the situation in Ukraine which is rapidly deteriorating," the defense ministry said in a readout of the call. "It is trending towards further uncontrolled escalation." ... Read More
Us News Official North Korea Open To Us Talks Under Conditions | RobinsPost News & Noticias

The United States said on Friday its policy towards North Korea had not changed after a senior US official responsible for nuclear policy raised some eyebrows by saying Washington would be willing to ... Read More WASHINGTON: The United States said on Friday (Oct 28) its policy towards North Korea had not changed after a senior US official responsible for nuclear policy raised some eyebrows by saying Washington ... Read More North Korea is testing a record number of missiles and possibly prepping for a nuclear test, but observers warn the Biden administration is reluctant to impose significant costs. Read More North Korea's new nuclear policy is creating a serious tension on the Korean Peninsula, Cho told a joint news conference after talks with ... in the Taiwan Strait under Chinese President ... Read More WASHINGTON--The United States said Friday its policy toward North Korea had not changed after a senior U.S. official responsible for nuclear policy raised some eyebrows by saying Washington would be ... Read More US Vows Full Military ... in a joint news conference after three-way talks in Washington, leaving Sherman to make a solo media appearance. Sherman said North Korea needs to understand that the ... Read More The United States, Japan and South Korea warned on Wednesday that an unparalleled scale of response would be warranted if North Korea conducts a seventh nuclear bomb test. Washington and its ... Read More Shermans talks will ... including North Koreas missile launches and Taiwan. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday China is determined to bring Taiwan under its control, possibly ... Read More The unprecedented number of missiles fired recently has led to an escalation in tensions not seen in several years between North Korea, South Korea, Japan and the US. An expert on North Korea and ... Read More Washington and its allies believe North Korea ... talks with top Russian officials about avoiding further escalation in the Ukraine war. World U.N. hearings probing alleged Israeli rights abuses ... Read More Denys Shmyhal says no reason to evacuate any city not near frontlines; Kyiv refuses to negotiate until Russian troops have left its territory ... Read More
Us News Us May Close 100bn Defence Deal With Saudi Arabia | RobinsPost News & Noticias

Saudi Arabia is the largest customer of US weapons, with more than $100bn in ... really is in defence of our national interest and security interests," Blumenthal said during a news conference ... Read More The U.S. has expressed concerns about threats that Iran poses to Saudi Arabia and says it would not hesitate to respond if necessary. What Happened: "We are concerned about the threat picture, and we ... Read More Pentagon officials would not corroborate a Saudi report of a potential imminent attack from Iran on Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Read More An official describes it as a credible threat of an attack soon or within 48 hours. Concerns of a possible attack come after the Biden administration criticized Tehran for sending drones to help ... Read More Biden visited Saudi Arabia ... news has been particularly poorly received in the US, where the likely consequence of rising petrol prices are painful for Biden before crucial midterm elections. It ... Read More Saudi Arabia and the US have shared information indicating Iran may attack the kingdom or other nations in the region sometime soon, leading Washington and Riyadh to adjust their military posture, ... Read More Democrats call for suspension of transfer of Patriot missiles in wake of turning point in relationship with Saudis Democrats on Capitol Hill have suggested transferring US weapons systems in ... Read More Saudi Arabia on Thursday expressed its "total rejection" of the outpouring of condemnation from the US over the Opec+ decision to issue a major production cut, saying its decision was based on the ... Read More Saad Ibrahim Almadi's son speaks with ABC News' Linsey Davis about his fight to free his father, who has been imprisoned in Saudi Arabia because of tweets he published. The Biden White House and ... Read More Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, suggested moving US air-defense systems from Saudi Arabia to Ukraine after ... Sign up for a weekly brief collating many news items into one untangled thought ... Read More In the wake of Crown Jewel 2022, to call the series of Saudi Arabia PLEs "financially successful" for WWE would be a massive understatement. Read More
Us News Dhs Wants Criminal Histories Of Haitians Seeking To Stay In Us | RobinsPost News & Noticias

He has said he is seeking ... to make Haiti a great country instead of repeating defamation found on the internet." U.S. Representative Val Demings last week introduced the Haiti Criminal ... Read More Two Haitian politicians are facing U.S. sanctions over allegations they abused their positions to traffic drugs in collaboration with gang networks and directed others to engage ... Read More He has said he is seeking ... to make Haiti a great country instead of repeating defamation found on the internet. US representative Val Demings last week introduced the Haiti Criminal ... Read More DHS is currently under a court order to enforce ... lawful entries through airports into the interior of the U.S. Asylum-seeking migrants from Venezuela cross the Rio Bravo river to turn ... Read More The Defense Department will pick up travel costs for service members and their dependents who might be forced to cross state lines for reproductive healthcare needs, the Pentagon announced Thursday. Read More If some states dont want to do their job on that ... He argued that 95 percent of the people seeking asylum to the US are economic migrants  not politically persecuted foreigners ... Read More Thursdays order (PDF) includes privacy protections meant to shield members of the US military from repercussions related to abortion-related decisions and sets guidelines so that local ... Read More The Merced county district attorney's office said in a news release that it would not make ... of the four Indian-origin Sikhs killed in the US have raised more than USD 300,000 to support their ... Read More Asylum-seeking migrants from Venezuela cross the Rio ... humanitarian relief and remain in the U.S. for an extended period. DHS is currently under a court order to enforce Title 42. Read More The Pentagon is looking at how to help Ukraine defend itself against the Iranian drones Russia is using to kill civilians and destroy infrastructure, White House spokesman John Kirby said Thursday ... Read More American IDMs of RF components such as silicon-based filters are all proceeding with capacity expansions in the US, looking to seek government subsidies under the newly legislated Chips and ... Read More
World News How To Make The Uk Election Interesting To The World | RobinsPost News & Noticias

America has been talking about a red wave. The American Republican Right have been predicting that this weeks midterm elections would smack their Democrat opponents right ... Read More Sir David Butler, a trailblazing former BBC election analyst who pioneered exit polls and the concept of vote swing, has died at the age of 98. The polling maestro was hailed as "the father of ... Read More If Ms Lake, a former television news anchor ... at a July rally attended by Mr Trump. An election denier in any one of those positions could make significant changes to election rules. Read More Trump issues ominous 2024 threat to DeSantis and pushes baseless voter fraud claims - Former president rumoured to be launching campaign a week after the midterm cycle ends ... Read More On election night 2022, openly political commentators could have a significant impact on our tinderbox of a nation. Read More Prime ministers judgment called into question after making Williamson minister again ... Read More Elon Musk has been criticised for urging independent-minded voters to back Republican candidates in this weeks midterm elections. The Tesla and SpaceX boss, who bought Twitter for $44 billion last ... Read More Malaysian student societies abroad are banding together to make sure that postal votes arrive on time for GE15. Read More The UK blue chip index lower as investors remain cautious ahead of the US election results and inflation figures ... Read More FTSE 100 closes 10 points lower; Marks & Spencer falls after update; ITV hit by falling ad revenues; 4.45pm: FTSE closes in the red. The FTSE 100 finished a little lower on Wednes ... Read More In less than two weeks, one of the world's biggest democracies ... The last election was peaceful, he said. "Now we have a president who does not make it very clear whether he will obey the ... Read More
World News Contemporary Housing To Reinforce Finland S Unesco World Heritage Fortress | RobinsPost News & Noticias

President Zelensky made official the candidacy of the historic centre of Odesa for inscription on UNESCOs World Heritage List in a speech to the Organizations Executive Board on Tuesday afternoon. Read More Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ... World Heritage List. Places ... Read More The 8 Best UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the USA ... La Fortaleza, which translates to strength or fortress, is the oldest European construction in the U.S. Intended to protect the strategic ... Read More of many of the world's most precious sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List, and potentially to the World Heritage system itself. This year is the 50th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention ... Read More The world's first geological tomb for nuclear waste is rapidly taking shape more than 400 metres below the forests of Finland ... power in the 1950s. Sky News was given rare access to the site ... Read More A job boasting free housing, a daily commute that may involve a jet boat, and working in one of the world's Unesco heritage sites ... Westland Wayne Costello told news outlet Stuff that the ... Read More Ukraine formally submitted a request for the historic center of Odesa to be designated as a UNESCO World ... indirectly damage World Heritage. RFE/RL journalists report the news in 27 languages ... Read More ADDS details on World Heritage Committee session, Zelensky wants UNESCO to exclude Russia ... since the invasion on February 24. The Barron's news department was not involved in the creation ... Read More but for staging another anti-Russian show," the official Tass news agency reported. Kuznetsov is chairperson of the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee. Unescos director-general Audrey ... Read More This dedicated digital trail connects the countrys 13 place-based Unesco designations, including world heritage sites, biospheres, global geoparks and creative cities. It aims to take visitors ... Read More Ukraine has prepared a nomination file for Odesa to be included in the World Heritage List, and is passing it on to UNESCO  United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Source: ... Read More
2022 US holiday sales estimated to grow amid concerns about inflation The US National Retail Federation (NRF) says it expects holiday retail sales will grow 6%8% over last years record holiday season, but the organization also says that consumers will spend cautiously amid a high-inflation and high...

Zimbabwe starts enforcing new mining royalty policy Zimbabwe has started enforcing a new regulation that allows the state to collect mining royalties in both cash and minerals as it seeks to grow its reserves of precious metals. "Royalties remitted to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority in respect of...

Tertiary identifies several copper soil anomalies at Zambia project AIM-traded mineral exploration and development company, Tertiary Minerals says provisional results from its detailed soil sampling programme at the Jacks copper project in Zambia show defined multiple copper soil anomalies in different areas of the exploration...

Botswana to host KP permanent secretariat The Kimberley Process (KP), a multilateral tool for the prevention of conflict diamonds, unanimously elected Botswana to host its permanent secretariat. The secretariat is scheduled to become operational by 2024, according to Reuters.
Turnout for general election less than expected for Saline County

Ballots are still being counted as of Wednesday, but it seems the turnout for the 2022 general election was lower than expected by the county clerk.
Tokelau achieved a new milestone in its national development and nationhood aspirations when it officially launched its 4G LTE mobile network.

Minister for Telecommunications, Mose Pelasio in his keynote address to the nation said the milestone brings us on par in the world of modern communications.

It is an enabler to unlock national developments on our lands and seas and I am honoured to have been part of the team that brought this to our people, he told guests at the official launch event on Fakaofo.

The event was broadcasted to the other two islands of Nukunonu and Atafu via video on multicast.

The 4G Mobile network is a modern Broadband ICT platform that was once a dream of our past generations is now made real by this generation.

The network covers all three islands of the Tokelau group which has a land mass of 12 square kilometers but an ocean real estate of 518,000sq. km.

For the government of Tokelau, it views the 4G network as key to enabling government sectors responsible for essential services such as Education, Health, Commerce, Transportation as well as social economic activities to bring them up to the levels enjoyed by developed countries of the world. To bring the benefits of digital telecommunications to the people of Tokelau and its diaspora.

Teletok CEO, Tealofi Enosa said the many challenges that were overcome during the implementation and testing phases have all been worth it now that the network is up and running.

This provides a significant improvement to our borderless communications and an historical milestone of building digital bridges between the islands and to the outside world, he said.

The milestone comes with a number of notable achievements in respect to small island nations according to Mr. Pelasio.

Not many countries in the world have leapfrogged the technology by taking on board the latest cutting edge version without having to go through the experiences and expensive builds of earlier generations. It was by consensus, that a jump from 2G, 2.5G and 3G straight to 4G was justified.

He also added, Tokelau is the first ever Pacific country, other than New Zealand and Australia, to explore the attributes and the many capabilities of a full LTE solution on Huawei latest radio equipment with significant connectivity coverage and the advance voice technology VOLTE.

Historically, initial negotiations started on February 2015 for a 2.5G network. However, a review of the 2014 World Bank report which recommended a 3G or 4G network; and a New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs support for a 3G or 4G network led to a revision of the initiative.

Consultations carried out between my office and Teletok management, and as a result a 4G solution was selected given the fast growth of mobile generations technology, said Mr. Pelasio. The decision was endorsed by Tokelaus parliament, the General Fono which approved a capital injection of NZ$1.05million to the project.

In March 2016, the first construction of towers foundations and related facilities took place on the islands by Telecom Pasifika Samoa. By November 2016, engineers from 4G mobile supplier Bluearcus Technologies Inc., began the installation and testing of the system.

The other success factor of the initiative was the involvement and unanimous support from the three villages.

All three villages played major roles providing support to build the towers and shelters. Moving forward, we must shoulder together the burden of our nature, interact well at all levels with clean and pure hearts with better coordination and respecting our departments and Nuku boundaries.

What lies ahead is we need to reengineer a suitable ICT infrastructure on our lands, build a strong ICT capacity, continue to collaborate closely with New Zealand as the political mother of our national development, and more importantly, believe in ourselves that we can do anything holistically by upholding our our cultural values.

The show of unity and ownership during the project will be critical in the way forward, to keep the network relevant with the evolving technology and needs of Tokelau.

Our Board with the support of New Zealand through the Office of the Administrator of Tokelau has approved other major initiatives, revealed Mr. Pelasio.

The fibre optic cable on land is an ongoing discussion with interested vendors while the submarine fibre optic cable is presently under review between Teletok and Wellington.

Minister Pelasio paid special acknowledgement to the Board of Directors of Teletok, Council for the Ongoing Government, New Zealand government and the Office of the Administrator of Tokelau, Taupulega of the three villages, and Teletok.
And so its Mothers Day once again. Today is a special day for all the mothers of this country and when it comes to such a day, we all have mothers and different stories to tell.

Indeed, whether you are young, old, the Prime Minister, a farmer, a fisherman or the Head of State, we all have women who nurtured, taught, inspired and helped us to become the people we are today.

In other words, no matter who we are, what we do and where we are from, we wouldnt be where we are if it was not for the love and care of our mothers.

We live in a world full of problems and challenges.

And the relationship between mother/son/daughter and father is not immune from these tests. As a matter of fact they can become very tough at times so that the relationship is not always smooth sailing.

Such is life though. Whats a journey without challenges?

But there is always a special bond between you and your mother that overrides everything and anything. Its a bond formed and developed over nine months during the pregnancy before you and I knew anything or anybody else.

Its bond formed and strengthened by the love of a mother.

For nine long months  and sometimes longer  a mother slaves over giving life to you and me, her unborn child. Its love that makes her tolerate the pain. It is love that stops her from being so careless to the point the foetus is lost prematurely.

As men, were not going to pretend that we understand what it feels like to walk around with another life in our bellies. Which is why we salute all the mothers of Samoa and the world today.

It is probably fair to say that the role of motherhood is not acknowledged often enough. When we talk about the development of women, we often talk about jobs, positions, education and other issues. Its okay but none of these would be possible if it wasnt for the role of motherhood.

We often pay lip service to its importance and we rarely really sit down to acknowledge what it takes. Do we know the cost? Do we know what it requires? Do we want to know?

Thats why days like today are important. Some people say that days like Mothers Day  among others - are out-dated and have become a boon for businesses to exploit members of the community through the commercialisation of the celebration. Theyve got a point.

But here is the issue, if it means its an opportunity for all of us to sit down and say thank you mom  since most of us are too busy to say it anyway  then days like today are well worth it.

We repeat, the role of our mothers in nurturing us is perhaps the most important role in the world.

Why? Well, they are nurturing the future. Everyone who has become a someone came from a loving mother. The point is that life is impossible without caring mothers.

Why? Where would you be if they didnt care?

Would you have lived if they didnt love you?

Now Ive heard this question a few times. How do we measure the success of a mother?

Its a tough one, to be honest. And the answer would vary between people.

Personally, I think the measure of a mother is not the number of university degrees she has. Its not the powerful positions she holds. Its not the flash house, new car and the expensive clothes she wears.

Dont get me wrong; Im not saying mothers shouldnt have any of these. If would be great if they do.

But not all mothers are the same and we cannot measure them with the same measuring tape. In my humble opinion, the measure of a successful mother is found in the quality of life of the people she raised.

Its found in whether her husband and children are happy. Its found in whether she has provided a platform  whatever level that is  for her family to grow physically and spiritually.

Its found in how she has contributed to the development of her extended family, church, village and country. And around all of us today are such mothers.

Young and old, every mother in Samoa has contributed one way or another to the development of our country.

Some might have contributed more than others but thats beside the point.

Ladies and gentlemen, whether your mother is a cleaner, farmer, weaver, a lawyer, doctor or the C.E.O. of a government department or a multi-national company or simple housewife, take time to say thank you today.

Take the time to acknowledge them and tell them we appreciate what theyve done.

Our mothers are priceless. We cannot thank them enough.

On that note, the Samoa Observer Newspaper Group wishes all the mothers of Samoa a happy Mothers Day.

Have a joyous Mothers Day, Samoa, God bless!
The Mafoe family in Saina will join the rest of the nation today to honour the mothers in their family.

This comes with a unique challenge. There are a lot of moms to spoil since the family has five generations of women living.

But there is a simple solution. With the matriarch of the family, Anaseini Tupou Mafoe, strong and well, she is more than likely to get all the attention today.

And she deserves it. Anaseini was born in 1918 and she has just celebrated her 99th birthday on 21 February 2017.

A mother of 13 children, Anaseini was married to the late Mafoe Tupu of Saina. Her eldest daughter is 82. She is living in New Zealand. The youngest of her 13 children is 60-year-old well-known prominent Pastor, Apostle Viliamu Mafoe.

Born in Tonga, she was brought to Samoa at the age of five, after her father Hagafili Tupou passed away.

My mother is Samoan and so our grandfather from Saoluafata came to Tonga to bring us here and Ive lived here ever since 1922.

Anaseini, who has a sharp memory, spoke of when their mother refused to live in Saoluafata.

I don't recall why we left but back then there were no cars, so when my mother was upset about something, she packed our bags and we walked all the way from Saoluafata to Saina."

Along the way, we were hungry, thirsty and tired but we had no choice, mum was determined that we were not going back to Saoluafata."

We reached Saina at night and the first thing we did with my sister and two brothers, was ate all the food we could find, she said giggling.

Anaseini said this was where she met the love of her life, Mafoe Tupu who was her neighbour.

She paused for a while and then said Mafoe was a fisherman.

Mafoe was loving and caring father who always put his family over everything. I miss him till this day, she said.

The elderly woman told the Samoa Observer that shes never held a formal job.

Im a housewife, I tend to the daily chores, cook the food and look after my children. Its really an easy daily routine and I loved every bit of it.... being a mother and taking care of my children keeps me going.

The secret to the Anaseinis longevity?

Anaseini is a prayer warrior and she prays more than 10 times a day and eats fish all the time.

I pray for my son who is a pastor, my children, grand children and all of my children.... its all I do, pray and eat during the day.

At church today, Anaseini told the Samoa Observer that she has been given the honoour of speaking on behalf of all the mothers at church.

Im going to say.... the Masta is back and I will be back next year and the year after next... she laughed out loud, clapping her hands.

Bossy and independent as ever, Anaseini says while it takes a long time to walk to the bathroom, kitchen or to her bed, she does not need anyones help.

I tell my children, I can do it, I will not be carried by anyone, I am able to do what I want, when I want on my own."

Even my money that my kids send from off island, I know where each penny goes. I demand to see the bank statements and receipts, I may be old but I am not blind, she said laughing along with her granddaughter Losaline De Bakker-Mafoe who lives with her.

Losaline says the old lady is very bossy and refuses to take any medication.

When she has a headache, or a stomach ache, shell endure the pain just because she refuses to take the medicine.

Up to date with whats happening in Samoa, Anaseini said she was heartbroken to hear news about domestic violence  and a recent case where a mother was killed by her husband.

She left behind, her children... her husband is incarcerated and who will watch their seven children? she said.

I have been praying for the children of this family, I know they miss their parents.

Im sure their aunties and uncles will take care of them, but its not the same when the parents are not around... I know that for a fact.

The elderly mother urges the men to deviate from assaulting their wives, physically and verbally.

Men should spoil, love pamper, and take care of their wives whom are dear and loved by their families.

This is what you signed up for when you got married but problems should not be an excuse for you to show how manly you ware by assaulting your wife.

Youre not a man. Real men dont strike women, she said.

Her last words for Mothers Day?

Ive lived my life to the fullest and being alive for 99 years on this earth is an abundant blessing that me and my family are grateful for.... Happy Mothers day to all mothers of Samoa.
In the midst of celebrating the God-given rights of the mothers, the first educators of the generations of humanity, we dedicate this day to our daughter who is a devoted mother to her children, Manamea Apelu-Schwalger for her personal strength and unwavering faith in God during her battle with cancer.

More than a year had passed when the medical doctors told her that she had only three months to live. Manamea did not give up as she is not one to quit anything.

She sought medical treatment in New Zealand.

The Oncologist in New Zealand gave her two choices: to return to Samoa and spend her last days with her loved ones or undergo a cancer treatment that has no guarantee she will survive. Against all the odds, Manamea decided to take the latter choice.

Manamea returned to Samoa a few days ago, healthy with a sunny disposure to life, to celebrate Mothers Day with her loved ones, families, relatives and friends.

We pause to praise and offer our humblest gratitude to the All Mighty, the Providence, the Great Healer for the mystical healings of our daughter and mother that has enabled us to share this Special Mothers Day.

Please allow us to take this opportunity to express our deepest felt appreciationsand to make a note of the support from the various Institutions, groups, and individuals. We are limited by space to mention by name all the good Samaritans that lend the much-needed help by way of thoughts, prayers, and money during Manameas critical moments in the fight with cancer.

First, our thanks, and appreciations go to the Honourable Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Neioti Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi and the good members of Cabinet along with the support staff.

Despite the busy and weighty tasks performed at the offices of the honourable ministers, you found the time to include Manameas case in your deliberations that resulted in the people of Samoas contribution to the cost of the cancer treatment for our daughter.

No doubt many of the God-fearingcitizens of our country joined the Honourable Prime Minister and members of Cabinet in remembering our daughter through their healing prayers.Again, we say thank you and may God sustain your loving hearts that you may continue as brilliant stars for the unity of our beloved Samoa.

We acknowledge and thank you to both the Cancer Societies of Samoa and New Zealand for attainingthepeaceful home for Manamea near the cancer hospital during the early and critical momentsof the cancer treatment.

We also acknowledge and praise the Oncologist, Dr. Rita Sasidharan for her courage and expertise in the execution of her decision on the path to take in administering the medications. We thank you also for your beyond theduty of call concern in negotiating with the medicine suppliers the free use of drugs in the remaining three cycles come the first week of June 2017.

Thank you, Tina and GregDe Suzafor creating and monitoring the GiveALittle Page.

The page rekindles old memories of the guests that were hosted by Taufua Beach Fale and had also created new friends. Your untiring efforts are reciprocated by the degree of the generous contributions through GiveALittle. Thank again to both of you and the contributors through GiveALittle Page.

Moreover, our special gratitude and thank you to Reverend Etisone Tine ma lefaletua and all the people of Lalomanu, Aleipata for your constantremembrance of our daughter in your prayers along with comforting and encouraging words. May our loving God waft His unfathomable grace and spirit upon each and all of you.

Special thanks go out to families and friends around the world who joined us across borders in the many days of fasting. Thank you to Cisco and Silivia and the children including mama Fia for making their home our home,away from home, where we congregate in prayer sessions as well laughed and shed tears of joy and sorrow.

To the many friends and relatives that traveled to Auckland to present their monetary gifts and comforting words to Mana, we sincerely say thank you very much. Your visits were a solace, and we are grateful to God for that.

To the Management of M & J Ah Fook Enterprises, from the bottom of our hearts,we are grateful to you for the generous donation.

Toour partnering families, namely, the Schwalgers, the Annandales, aigasa Tuiletufuga Saaga and aigasa Tuiletufuga Mamea Ropati, aiga sa ToomalataI, and Afioga Eletino and the children we only say thank you on behalf of Mana. We feel it in our hearts what you are going through as well. May God unite us all.

To our immediate families in Samoa and overseas: Aiga sa Taufua and the Apelus.Our journey with daughter, Mana will not have been easy without your dedicated support. We are grateful to our brothers in Australia, Reverend MatuuTaufua and family, and Reverend Francis Sioseand family for the constant prayers and the many telephone calls with words of reassurance.

Thank you to the Taufua brothers and sisters who on several occasions traveled from as far as Samoa, Australia, and Christchurch to visit Mana in Auckland.

Thank you for the prayers and the monetary gifts that you showered upon us.. Moreover, ourhearts are joyous by the actions of the Taufua siblings, cousins, nephews, nieces, aunts and uncles in organizing the synchronized sessions of prayers across borders during the many days of fasting.

We pray and hope that the youths of our families will carry forward as a service to their societies the actions and attitudes displayed to us in times of strenous uncertainty.Thank you to the Apelu clan in Auckland for the fishing, money and organizing an enjoyable outing by way of the picnic in Auckland.

To our sons in the USA, Canada,Australia and Samoa your regular telephone calls and FB messages add happiness and laughter to your sister. Thank you for the financial help. We are graciously very proud of you and your beloved spouses in the ardent love you have shown us and your sister.

Lastly, we are indebted and at a loss for words to the anonymous supporters and those whom we did not discern for their generous financial assistance and prayers. Your participation had enlightened and moved our hearts to confirm that the achievement of the reality of peace through love and compassion is not only possible but is inevitable. God Bless Mothers Day.
El Cajon Valley High School junior Zahra Nazeri has only lived in the United States for three years, but already she knows how to capture some of its beauty.

The 18-year-old Afghani native took top honors in Helix Water Districts photo contest for local high school students.

Her photo  Red Reflection  focused on a drop of water dangling from a piece of grass showing a bright red hibiscus flower was named Best in Show by the districts judges. She earned $250 from Helix for her shot.

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Zahra said this is the first year she had taken a photography class and the first time she had entered a photo contest. She said taking photographs is a spiritual and artistic thing for her.

When I started to take pictures I was really paying attention about the sign of God that made it in this world, she said. My goal is to be a dentist, but I like to take a pictures from nature and sometimes draw pictures.

The district received received 96 photos by 57 students from four Grossmont Union High School District schools: El Cajon Valley, El Capitan, Mount Miguel and Grossmont.

Thirteen students and their work were honored with first, second and third places in color and black & white categories, as well as best in show. Cash prizes ranged from $25 to $200.

Winning photos are on display in the Helix Districts lobby on University Avenue. Other entries from students should be mixed in for a run through the next several weeks, said district spokesman Ted Salois.

Zahra took the winning photo on her school campus and entered it in the contest along with two other photos she snapped with her Canon SL1 and its macro lens.

I love this photo that she took, said her instructor Matthew Rabasco, who has been teaching photography for 24 years. We did a workshop that day on macro lens water photography outside of our class.

He said Zahra and her friends were so excited they stayed out all period and produced some amazing photos.

This was the best of the bunch, he said. The sharpness is spot on. The light and the composition and the fact that it is red all add up to the success of this photo.

The competition is celebrating its 15th year of bringing awareness to water issues in East County.

In addition to Zahra, other contest winners are:

Black & White:

1  Mohammed Jiyad, El Cajon Valley

2  Austin Finch, El Capitan

3  Destiny Kassab, Mount Miguel

Honorable Mention  Angel Ramirez, El Cajon Valley

Color:


Work continued Saturday on a massive reorganization of airline terminals at Los Angeles International Airport, the nations second-busiest commercial airport.

Officials said that the first day of the terminal relocations, which began late Friday and will continue over the next five days, went smoothly. The moving involved towing aircraft to new locations, installing new signage and moving computers, furniture and ground service equipment.

It went extremely well. There was an army of people out there, said Mary Grady, a spokeswoman for LAX. It was unbelievable how quickly people were working. We said it would be well-choreographed and it was. All in all, it is going well.

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The reorganization involves moving Delta Air Lines operations from Terminals 5 and 6 to Terminals 2 and 3 and shifting 14 other carriers into the facilities vacated by Delta. Among the airlines involved in the move this weekend are Virgin America, Virgin Australia, Allegiant, Boutique Air, Frontier, Sun Country and Volaris.

Delta, the largest operator affected by the move, will take three days to complete its relocation effort. As of Saturday morning, Delta flights were arriving at and departing from Terminals 3, 5 and 6.

The largest terminal move in LAX history will allow the Atlanta-based airline to expand its local operations, adding seven passenger gates, and allow better access to Tom Bradley International Terminal for itself and its partners: Aeromexico, Virgin Atlantic and WestJet.

Delta will pick up the $60-million tab for all of the relocations.

1 / 7 Cars move slowly outside Terminal 5 on Friday as the airline relocation begins at Los Angles International Airport. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times) 2 / 7 A passenger checks in amid barriers and boxes in Terminal 5. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times) 3 / 7 New JetBlue check-in kiosks are surrounded by barriers as passengers check in for Delta flights in Terminal 5. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times) 4 / 7 New Delta Airlines check-in kiosks stand in Terminal 3 as the airline relocation begins. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times) 5 / 7 New Delta Airlines check-in kiosks stand in Terminal 3. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times) 6 / 7 Jonathan Aldama and son Elias, 3, of Anaheim wait for their Frontier Airlines flight to Florida in Terminal 3, with wrapped Delta kiosks behind them. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times) 7 / 7 A contractor unwraps new wheelchairs for Delta Airlines passengers in Terminal 3. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

Though the first night of the terminal relocations was uneventful, airport officials said there were some minor problems with the accuracy of flight information provided by some travel websites unaffiliated with the airlines and the airport.

They also said additional signage was needed in certain terminal areas to inform passengers of the changes. LAX had put out about 1,000 signs of various types for the relocation.

Charles Pannunzio, an airport spokesman, said both problems were being addressed Saturday.

LAX officials estimated that the undertaking on Friday night involved 176 movers, 30 volunteers, 1,100 dollies and 3,500 boxes.

About 300 computers were moved along with the furniture, office equipment and aircraft. An estimated 600 computers were relocated in the days leading up to Friday night.

The first phase of the move involved eight airlines. It began about 10 p.m. Friday and was largely completed about 4:40 a.m. Saturday, a few minutes ahead of schedule, Grady said.

On Saturday morning, volunteers were in place to help passengers reach their flights and neon green-painted shuttles were operating to move them between terminals.

As the affected airlines resumed operations Saturday, airport officials said there were no flight delays related to the move and few complaints from passengers who had trouble finding their planes.

There were just a handful of travelers who needed to be transferred by shuttle to terminals, Grady said. Passengers have apparently gotten the message.

Seven airlines have now completed their moves to new terminals. Delta will continue with the second phase of its move overnight Sunday and into Monday. At the same time, Avianca and Interjet airlines will move from Terminal 2 to Tom Bradley International Terminal (with check-in at Terminal 3), and Spirit Airlines will move from Terminal 3 to Terminal 5.

The next phase of the reorganization will take place overnight Tuesday and into Wednesday. The affected airlines include Delta, Air Canada, Hawaiian and Southwest International. XL France will move from Terminal 2 to Terminal 6 on June 4.

Airline and LAX officials advised passengers to arrive earlier than normal at the airport, download boarding passes, check their flight status and consult their airlines websites. In addition, Delta has added shuttle buses on airport roads and the tarmac side of the terminals to transfer passengers who arrive at the wrong gates.

Additional information about the move can be found on Deltas mobile app and LAXs website.

dan-weikel@latimes.com

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UPDATES:

12:45 p.m.: This article was updated with information about the completion of some airline relocations.

9:45 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from airport officials and more details about the progress of the move.

This article was originally posted at 8:20 a.m.
I had never stood directly on top of the San Andreas fault. Not to my knowledge, anyway, but as a California native, Ive probably stumbled over it a time or two.

So I jumped at the chance to tour the fault with geophysicist Lucy Jones, the queen of quakes and go-to authority on why the ground keeps shaking.

Its human nature to live in denial, especially in California, where natural beauty is a sedative. We know the state is cracked and creviced from head to toe, San Francisco once burned to the ground, and were overdue for another massive shaker that could take lives, cripple the economy and leave millions of people without water and power for months.

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But the mind steers us around horrors wed rather not contemplate. And then along comes Jones, who isnt timid about waking people up and scaring the hell out of them.

Our building code only asks that buildings not kill you

We departed from a Palm Desert hotel in two buses packed with city officials who were attending a conference of the Southern California Assn. of Governments. Jones wanted to show them the landscape of lethal forces in the hope they might shore up building codes and take other measures to diminish the potential for catastrophe.

The city of Los Angeles, thanks to Jones collaboration with Mayor Eric Garcetti, enacted retrofitting requirements and safety and response standards that are beyond those of most cities in the nation. Santa Monica has done well in that regard, too, in Jones opinion, and San Francisco is coming along. (Times reporters helped push this process along with some aggressive reporting on the deadly seismic risks L.A. faces.)

But state building requirements arent tough enough, and Jones said local communities need to take up the slack.

Our building code only asks that buildings not kill you. It does not ask that they be usable after a quake, said Jones.

Thats bad policy and bad business, too, as Jones sees it. Given the possibility of a 7.8 rupture of the San Andreas, we could have massive destruction of buildings, with multimillion-dollar landlord investments reduced to rubble. We could also see the collapse of transportation routes and disruption of communication, power, water and gas arteries that cross the fault in the Cajon Pass and elsewhere. In other words, the economy could rupture as deeply as the ground.

Our first stop was at a seismic sensor in Indio, very near the fault, and also very near a massive housing development. In a major San Andreas rupture, well see widespread damage in Los Angeles. But the shaking is greater the closer the fault, said Jones. In the 6.5 quake that hit the San Fernando Valley in 1971, houses that straddled the quake were destroyed.

Next, at Thousand Palms, Jones and U.S. Geological Survey geologist Kate Scharer showed us rock formations that tell the story of the time between major quakes. The stretch of the fault from the Salton Sea to Desert Hot Springs has had a major quake every 200 years on average. Its been 300 years since the last.

And then along comes Jones, who deals in reality, and doesnt mind scaring the hell out of people.

Seismologist Lucy Jones points out how the San Andreas fault has sculpted the landscape along the San Gorgonio Pass. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

How do you use science to make a community safer?

The caravan then rolled west along Interstate 10. We exited onto Highway 62, drove up the San Gorgonio Pass and pulled off the road under a crop of windmills.

Scharer led us down a craggy slope to a little ravine she identified as the Banning strand of the San Andreas fault. She had me and my colleague Ron Lin, an earthquake guru, stand next to each other, but on different sides of the fault line.

In a 7.8 earthquake, she said, Id move in one direction (toward Alaska) and Lin in the other (toward Mexico). Within about 10 seconds, wed be standing as much as 30 feet apart, if we were still standing. Thered be a gash in the earth, Scharer said, with crevices spidering off the main rupture. It would appear as if the ground had shattered.

Days later, I cant get that image out of my head.

How do you use science to make a community safer? asks Jones, who has retired from the USGS but still serves as visiting associate at the Caltech Seismological Laboratory and runs the Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and Society.

Its a timely question, not just where earthquake potential is concerned, but because the scientific consensus on climate change is under attack.

Reality is real, Jones wrote last month for The Times in an op-ed defense of science, and it doesnt care what you believe.

She explained why scientists would be marching en masse on Earth Day, even as the president and national leaders threw doubt on the role humans have played in global warming.

Science is not a set of facts or even techniques and procedures, Jones wrote. Science is a process for understanding the nature of the world.

Not that she understands everything, but science is more interested in what we dont know than what we do. I noticed Jones was wearing a crucifix and asked her about it, because faith and science dont always share the same laboratory.

Her grandfather was a professor of theology, she said, and her father was an aerospace engineer. Lucy grew up an Episcopalian and a believer, developed some doubts as a young adult, then circled back through and beyond the cosmos when she studied the big-bang theory.

We went from nothing to everything in something less than 10 to the minus-38th seconds. Let there be light, said Jones. If creation really happened, I find it a working hypothesis that theres a creator.

Geologist Kate Scharer walks directly on the San Andreas fault during a tour in the Coachella Valley. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

What is the moral duty of a scientist?

Faith and science are not incompatible, said Jones, and neither are science and art. She studied Chinese language and literature in college and plays the the viola da gamba in an orchestra, and in a state full of originals, Jones could be president of the club, except that shes too busy explaining whats happening beneath our feet every time the ground moves.

What is the moral duty of a scientist? Jones asked on the bus.

For many, its to do essential research. For Jones, its to translate the findings in practical terms. If a car is bearing down on a pedestrian, she said, you dont yell, hey, Force equals mass times acceleration. You give them something they can use, like hey, get out of the way.

The plates along the San Andreas are moving at a seismically swift rate of roughly an inch or so a year, building up underground pressure that is guaranteed to produce an epic rupture.

It could happen in a hundred years or it could happen before you finish this paragraph, and Jones is yelling at us to get our building codes and utility lines in order, make our homes as safe as possible and have earthquake kits and water supplies ready.

Science tells its not a matter of if, but when.

Get more of Steve Lopezs work and follow him on Twitter @LATstevelopez

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Homicide investigators found gun accessories, including a full magazine, as well as syringes in the home of the man who shot seven people before San Diego police killed him, court documents show.

A search warrant affidavit also revealed that a sister of gunman Peter Selis rushed to the apartment complex on April 30, fearing that he might be involved.

Eve Selis told officers that her brother lived there and was extremely distraught and depressed over a recent break-up with his girlfriend.

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The affidavit by San Diego police homicide Det. David Spitzer set out facts of the case to support the need for a warrant to search Peter Selis apartment.

Among the items seized May 1 from a bedroom were a full gun magazine, found in the pocket of a chair, and a gun-cleaning kit in a closet. A gun lock was on a desk. Lying on the bed were a box for the lock, a bag containing a holster and gloves and a cardboard box containing syringes.

A computer tablet lay on the floor. A black bag of miscellaneous pills was in the bathroom.The affidavit did not describe the syringes or their possible purpose.

Selis, a 49-year-old auto mechanic, was deeply in debt after two bankruptcies and had been threatened with jail. Late on that Sunday afternoon, he went to the pool at the La Jolla Crossroads Apartments with a duffel bag and sat in a lounge chair.

The area was crowded, and many of the people were attending a birthday party.

According to the affidavit, Selis drank from a beer bottle, then pulled a pistol from the bag. He started shooting and, after firing two rounds, called his ex-girlfriend and told her what he was doing and that police were coming.

One of his victims, Monique Clark, 35, a mother of three, died. The search warrant document said she was shot once in the chest.

As news reports of the shooting were broadcast, Eve Selis rushed to the complex and described her brother for police, the court record says. Her description matched the shooters.

Fearing Selis may have potentially harmed any roommates or his ex-girlfriend, the decision was made to enter his apartment, the affidavit said. Seven officers went in, but found no victims. The warrant for a full search was obtained the next day.

pauline.repard@sduniontribune.com

Repard writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune
On Aug. 10, 2015, the U.S. Coast Guard off-loaded in San Diego a cache of cocaine with a street value of more than $1 billion from its anti-drug team seizures coordinated with the Navy.

A portion was from a below-the-radar smuggling vessel known as a narco sub.

These 30-to-40-foot semi-submersibles are stripped of gadgetry and specifically designed to evade detection by radar, night goggles, infrared sensors and other high-tech surveillance.

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On May 17 at 8 p.m., the Science Channel is airing a segment on narco subs as part of its Outlaw Tech series. It is focusing on the Stratton, the vessel that off-loaded the huge drug haul in San Diego, and on its captain, Nathan Moore.

Narco subs, Moore told me, often are adapted from the hull of a sailboat. They are crafted of wood and fiberglass and painted to blend with the color of the ocean. While they arent true submarines, just a small conning tower rises above the water line for pilot observation.

To avoid a telltale wake, they operate at low speeds, about 8 to 10 knots, and often drift during the day, running engines at night. The narco subs are getting more sophisticated as theyre looking for ways to outsmart us, Moore said of the drug runners.

The Science Channel focused on Moores interception of a narco sub loaded with 16,000 pounds of raw cocaine 210 miles south of the Mexican coast. The sub was spotted by a Navy surveillance aircraft, which alerted Moore.

The Stratton sped through the night. We got to the guys before the sun came up, and the crew didnt have time to scuttle the sub, Moore said.

These seizures are tremendously important for our overall operation, he added, noting that they patrol off the South and Latin American coasts trying to intercept pure cocaine, before processing expands it by seven or eight times.

The Coast Guard seized its first drug smuggling sub in 2006 and has intercepted nearly 40 since, reports Lt. Donnie Brzuska. In fiscal year 2016, ending last September, $3 billion in drugs were seized, a record year, and only half-way through fiscal 2017, the confiscated drug value already had reached $2.8 billion.

Last year, the Coast Guard nabbed six narco subs, but none so far this year.

We dont know the number, but we know they are out there and continue to be used, Moore says. (The U.S. government catches only about 15 percent by one estimate.)

The more chilling news: drug bust evidence indicates smugglers are advancing to full-fledged submarines.

Believe it or not: Marty Bloom and his wife, Sherry, had planned to host a concert fundraiser at their home last Saturday for the local music group Opera Neo. At the last minute, though, they had to cancel their classical music soiree for a most unusual reason: The disappearance of my street, Marty informed me.

Four days before the event, heavy equipment rolled in and tore up the couples five-decade-old concrete street in La Jolla. While the Blooms were assured it soon would be repaved with new concrete, there would be no place for attendees to park for this concert.

Looking sharp: Its hard to imagine a foot-tapping tune about immunization. But if anyone could create one, Peter Yarrow, of the former folk singing trio Peter, Paul and Mary, could fill the bill.

While known for such songs as Puff the Magic Dragon and If I Had a Hammer, Yarrow also serenaded San Diego Rotary Club Thursday with a new tune written to underscore Rotary Internationals Dont Wait, Vaccinate campaign.

Yarrow, too, is dedicated to social causes, including world peace and anti-bullying. To that end, he founded student-oriented Operation Respect 17 years ago and a Dont Laugh at Me program stressing conflict resolution.

While there, Yarrow spent extra time interacting with 40 welcoming Hoover High School attendees. It didnt matter that his career peaked before they were born.

First lady Melania Trump welcomes military mothers to the White House on May 12 for a 2017 Mothers Day celebration in the East Room, as President Donald Trump applauds. (Andrew Harnik / AP)

Mom alert: Seldom do I publicize messages circulating on the Internet, but a Mothers Day missive so perfectly addresses the age-old question: What do you want for Mothers Day? that Im passing along a portion of the anonymous sentiment:

What do I want?  I want you. I want you to keep coming around, I want you to ask me questions, ask my advice, tell me your problems, ask for my opinion, ask for my help or just say, Hey, wanna watch a movie together? I want you to come over and feel like you can rant about your problems, rant about life, whatever, and I promise I will just listen.

Tell me about school, your worries, your friends. I want you to continue sharing your life with me. Come over and laugh with me, or laugh at me, I dont care. Hearing you laugh is music to me. I spent the better part of my life raising you the best way I knew how. Now, give me time to sit back and admire my work and maybe make just a couple of adjustments.

I want you to spend your money making a better life for you and to be generous and kind and share with others. I truly have ALL the things I need. I want to see you happy and healthy. When you ask me what I want for Mothers Day, I say nothing because youve already been giving me my gift all year and from the moment you were born. I just want YOU.

Happy Mothers Day.

diane.bell@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1518

Twitter: @dianebellSD

Facebook: dianebell.news
A federal appeals court ruled Friday that San Diego County and a sheriffs deputy cant be held liable for shooting a man to death in San Marcos in 2013.

The decision by a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals came in a lawsuit filed by the relatives of David Lee Brown, who was fatally shot inside his home on Aug. 24, 2013.

The decision reversed an earlier ruling by San Diego federal Judge John Houston. He concluded the deputy was not shielded from liability by the doctrine of qualified immunity, which says law enforcement officers can use lethal force if they believe they are in imminent danger of being killed or wounded.

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While the appeals court ruling in favor of the county wipes out a significant portion of the case, the suit may not be over, a lawyer for the Brown family said. There are still claims for wrongful death and negligence under California state law, and the case could be sent back to San Diego Superior Court where those claims would be contested.

Brown was shot in the kitchen of the home he shared with family members. They had left the house and called deputies because Brown was acting erratically. He suffered from mental illness, diabetes, and was under the influence of Valium and alcohol, the court ruling said.

Deputies found him in the kitchen with several kitchen knives in his pockets. They ordered him to raise his hands and drop to his knees, and he complied. But once on his knees, he reached for a knife in his back pocket and was then shot by Deputy Adrian Moses.

Houston ruled the deputy used excessive force and was not entitled to immunity because there were inconsistencies in the accounts of Moses and two other deputies who were there.

The appellate court agreed in the excessive force finding but not on immunity. Courts have ruled that it must be clearly established at the time of the encounter that what an officer is accused of doing would be excessive force. In a case earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court forcefully reiterated that standard.

The appeals court concluded that at the time Brown was shot there was no case or precedent that put Moses on clear notice that using deadly force in these particular circumstances would be excessive.

James Chapin, the countys lawyer, called the decision a good ruling and said the case may move to state court. Brian Dunn, lawyer for the family members, agreed. Were still in court, he said.

Twitter: @gregmoran

greg.moran@sduniontribune.com
When Bonnie Dumanis first ran for district attorney in 2002, her winning campaign hammered incumbent Paul Pfingst for his handling of the Stephanie Crowe murder case. The slain 12-year-old girls parents appeared on Dumanis behalf in a TV commercial. They gave her a photo of Stephanie to put on her desk.

Now, as Dumanis prepares to step down in July after more than 14 years in office, she has groomed as her successor one of the prosecutors in the Crowe case, Summer Stephan.

The endorsement is another twist in a case thats already among the most topsy-turvy and controversial in San Diego County history. And its angered the Crowe family.

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Another sucker punch from someone who promised to be on the side of justice, but turns out only cared about my murdered daughter as a campaign prop, said Cheryl Crowe, Stephanies mother. How do people like her sleep at night?

Pfingsts office originally charged Stephanies brother and two of his high school friends. That case collapsed when Stephanies blood was found on a shirt worn by a transient seen in the neighborhood the night of the killing. He eventually was tried and acquitted, leaving the case officially unsolved and a community deeply divided about what to believe happened.

Dumanis said she understands Cheryl Crowes anger and pain, understands how as the prosecutor in the case Stephan became to the family the face of a colossal judicial failure. But because Stephan was not the original prosecutor, inheriting a case that was already a mess, its unfair to blame her, Dumanis said.

Stephanie Crowe was never a prop in my campaign, Dumanis said, and I would not have her picture on my desk right now as I promised if she didnt mean anything to me, if they didnt mean anything to me, and if this case didnt form the cornerstone of how I operate as the DA.

A grim discovery

Stephanie Crowe was found dead on the floor of her bedroom on Valley Center Road in northeast Escondido on Jan. 21, 1998. The seventh-grader had been stabbed nine times.

Escondido police quickly zeroed in on her brother, Michael, 14, and then two of his high school friends, Joshua Treadway and Aaron Houser. The killing was fueled by sibling rivalry and a passion for role-playing video games, according to detectives, who got the teens to make incriminating statements after lengthy interrogations.

In arresting the teens, police dismissed as a suspect Richard Tuite, a 28-year-old transient with a history of arrests, mental illness and drug abuse. He was seen by several people in the neighborhood that night  a couple of them alarmed enough to call 911  as he knocked on doors and peered in windows, looking for a woman he knew named Tracy.

Police brought him in for questioning and confiscated his clothes but concluded that he was a bungling prowler incapable of going into the house, stabbing Stephanie and leaving without waking any of the other five people sleeping there.

But in January 1999, a year after the slaying and with jury selection underway for Treadways trial, tests done by a DNA expert in the Bay Area found spots of Stephanie Crowes blood on the red sweatshirt Tuite was wearing the night of the killing. Charges against the teens were dismissed six weeks later.

Richard Tuite is shown at his 2013 retrial for the murder of 12-year-old Stephanie Crowe. Tuite was acquitted. (John Gastaldo / San Diego Union-Tribune)

The investigation was handed over in February 2000 to the Sheriffs Department, which alleged that Tuite was the killer and arrested him. The state Attorney Generals Office prosecuted the case, and in 2004 Tuite was convicted of voluntary manslaughter after a three-month trial and sentenced to 17 years in state prison.

His conviction was overturned in 2011 by a federal appeals court, which ruled that his trial had been unfair because a judge limited defense cross-examination of a witness. Retried in 2013, Tuite was acquitted after a six-week trial.

The Crowes sued for civil-rights violations and received more than $9 million in settlements, most of it from the cities of Escondido and Oceanside, which employed the police detectives who put together the case against the teens.

In 2012, Michael Crowe and Treadway were given a rare factual finding of innocence by a Superior Court judge, who ruled that no reasonable cause exists to believe they were involved in the murder.

Michael Crowe lives now in Oregon with his wife and three children. He recently got a degree in math from the University of Oregon. His mother and father, Steve, live nearby, where theyve been watching with interest the recent developments in the District Attorneys Office.

Rush to justice

During her campaign against Pfingst, Dumanis said his offices handling of the case was a rush to justice that resulted in charges being filed against the wrong people. She noted that Treadways attorney, Mary Ellen Attridge, was the one to push for DNA testing of Tuites clothes and said prosecutors should have done that.

What happened to the Crowes was intolerable, Dumanis said. First they were victimized by a murderer, then they were victimized by our criminal justice system, including the district attorney. We cannot let this happen to another family in San Diego County.

A couple of weeks before the election, Cheryl and Steve Crowe appeared in a 30-second TV commercial for Dumanis in which a narrator says, Paul Pfingst ignored evidence and wrongfully prosecuted the Crowes son, making such a mess the attorney general had to take it over.

Bonnie Dumanis debates then-District Attorney Paul Pfingst in July 2002. She went on to unseat him in the November election. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Pfiingst defended his deputy district attorneys then, and he still does. Stephan didnt mishandle the case, he said. The case fell apart. And that was something that was exploited.

Now a lawyer in private practice, Pfingst said he sees some irony in Dumanis backing Stephan as her successor and working to line up endorsements and other support for her. But he said her turnaround doesnt bother him.

Its politics, he said. I get politics. Thats what politicians do. Now, the politics have changed, so Dumanis opinion has changed. Thats not Summers fault.

Stephan was the second deputy district attorney assigned to the case. She got involved about five months into it, after the teens had been charged and a grand jury had indicted them. She thought the assignment would be temporary while the original prosecutor, Gary Hoover, worked another murder.

But after she handled a month-long hearing in July 1998 that determined the teens should be tried as adults, she became the lead prosecutor. She worked another crucial hearing in December 1998 about whether the statements the three boys made to police  the key evidence against them  would be admissible at trial.

A month later, the blood was found on Tuites shirt.

Then-District Attorney Paul Pfingst is shown at a July 2002 debate with his challenger, Bonnie Dumanis. She won the election in November. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Since then, she has distanced herself from the case. In an interview on Thursday, Stephan said all the decision-making had been made by the time she got involved. In a deposition for the civil suit in 2002, she said she never wanted to be assigned to the case because I wasnt there from the beginning. I wasnt familiar with everything, and I didnt think it was fair for me to pick up somebody elses case.

She said she pushed for dismissal of the charges against the teens after the blood was found on Tuites shirt because that discovery created reasonable doubt about their guilt. In her deposition, she said she declined to sign the motion to dismiss that her office prepared because she wasnt comfortable with the way it was written. The 40-page document was in large part a recapping of evidence the office believed showed the teens were guilty.

Publicly, though, Stephan repeatedly expressed confidence in the case, and the Crowes remember her as an aggressive advocate. Shes not anybody who should have any kind of power, Cheryl Crowe said.

She remembered one hearing during which Stephan said she was the only one who seemed to care about Stephanie Crowe, the murder victim. I dont think so, Cheryl Crowe said out loud, drawing an admonition from a bailiff.

Steve Crowe said he was so upset by Stephans characterizations of his family as dysfunctional that he called her one night at home and asked, How far are you going to push us? How much do you think we can take? If I end up with a bullet in my head one day, I want you to know, lady, that its going to be in your lap.

As part of the civil suit, they sued her for defamation for comments she made on the news program 48 Hours after the charges were dismissed. Stephan, who said she didnt want to do the show but was ordered to by Pfingst, made statements that, to the Crowes, sounded as if she still believed the teens were guilty.

Stephan said her comments had been severely edited and distorted. Interviewed for 2 hours and 20 minutes, just 129 seconds of what she said were aired. A federal judge agreed and dismissed Stephan from the suit.

Red flags?

Critics say Stephan missed or ignored red flags that should have told her the case against the teens might implode. No fingerprints, blood or hair tied them to the crime scene. No witnesses saw Treadway or Houser, too young to drive, walking in the neighborhood. Experts disagreed about whether a knife police found under Treadways bed could have been the murder weapon.

After the hearing that decided the three should be tried as adults, Judge Laura Palmer Hammes criticized key aspects of the prosecutions case and said, If this were a court trial, these boys would be not guilty. She released them from custody while awaiting trial.

Five months later, Judge John Thompson threw out all of Michael Crowes confession and all of Aaron Housers statement as illegally obtained. He also barred the majority of Treadways confession, leaving intact a crucial two-hour statement that detailed how the teens committed the murder but ruling it couldnt be used at trial against Michael Crowe or Houser.

Deputy District Attorney Summer Stephan is shown in October 2013 at the arraignment of Brendan ORourke, who was convicted in a shooting at Kelly Elementary School in Carlsbad. (Charlie Neuman / San Diego Union-Tribune)

There were also signs that Escondido police had not taken Tuite seriously as a suspect. They didnt examine his clothing until three months after the killing and then used a new testing technique that failed to find the victims blood. They didnt fingerprint him or draw blood for DNA testing until later. They returned to him items from his pockets that might have been taken from the Crowe house on the night of the murder.

Attridge, Treadways lawyer, declined to comment about Stephans handling of the case. In a deposition for the civil suit, she said, I think (Stephan) is a very hard-working prosecutor. I also think she is an incredibly unthinking prosecutor when it comes to her dealings with law enforcement. I think she thinks in black and white when things are not black and white, and I found that to be a huge source of frustration.

Stephan is a prosecutor who gets very much invested emotionally in her job because she feels that she is somehow representing victims of crime, Attridge said. Thats what she thrives on. But it can also lead to over-reaching, Attridge said. She described as imaginative and not based in fact some of the theories about the teens motives that Stephan put forward.

Her zealotry, Attridge said, was exceeded only by her myopia.

In her deposition, Stephan said, All I can tell you is that when I was prosecuting the case, I did it by the book to the best that I can do it.

At the time, Stephan had been a deputy district attorney for about eight years. Shed handled several major cases, including the successful prosecution of three people for killing Kettie Hancock, the night manager of a clothing store in the Midway District, in 1996. She once dropped charges in a road-rage killing after deciding police had arrested the wrong person.

After Dumanis took office, Stephan was named assistant chief of the Vista branch office and has been promoted over the years to her current post as chief deputy. She has been in charge of the sex crimes and stalking unit and has led the efforts to combat human trafficking.

Dumanis told her management staff in December that she wanted Stephan to succeed her. A month later, she announced she would not seek a fifth term in 2018, and Stephan filed election papers to run for the seat. The only announced candidate so far, she has received endorsements from Sheriff Bill Gore, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and several law enforcement labor unions.

Last month, Dumanis said she would step down on July 7, clearing the way for the county oard of Supervisors to appoint an interim district attorney to finish out her term. Stephan has applied for the post, along with two former prosecutors, Adam Gordon and Greg Walden, who have both said they will not run in the next election.

The supervisors are expected to make the appointment in late June.

john.wilkens@sduniontribune.com
It was a day of celebrations, hugs, high-fives and goodbyes for thousands of graduates receiving their degrees at San Diego State University on Friday.

You can see why commencement is, for me, the best day of the year, said SDSU President Elliot Hirshman. A day of pride and celebration, and I hope that each of you will embrace the joy of this day and give thanks to those who have supported you.

The morning commencement was one of eight scheduled for SDSU, which will graduate more than 10,000 students though Sunday.

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About 1,700 students graduated from the College of Arts and Letters on Friday morning, and an afternoon commencement was scheduled for the College of Sciences, which has about 1,780 graduates, the largest class at the university this year.

The ceremonies are the last for Hirshman, who is leaving SDSU at the end of June.

I hope that youll continue to learn and to grow, that youll laugh and love, that youll embrace a noble purpose in your life and that ultimately youll be the person you hope to be, he said.

1 / 23 Donald Goode, an International Economics degree candidate in the College of Arts and Letters at San Diego State University throws his arms up for his mom to take a photo of him before the commencement ceremony began, Friday morning. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 23 San Diego State University degree candidates head to their seats at Viejas Arena and the commencement ceremony for the College of Arts and Letters. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 23 Juan Trejo takes a photo of his son, also Juan, a degree candidate in Economics before the commencement ceremony for the College of Arts and Letters at San Diego State University began. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 23 San Diego State University degree candidates head to Viejas Arena and the commencement ceremony for the College of Arts and Letters. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 23 San Diego State University degree candidates head to their seats at Viejas Arena and the commencement ceremony for the College of Arts and Letters. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 23 Eric Sebring, an Economics degree candidate in the College of Arts and Letters at San Diego State University gets ready for the commencement ceremony. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 23 Eric Sebring, an Economics degree candidate in the College of Arts and Letters at San Diego State University wears a lei made out of $1 bills. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 8 / 23 Degree candidates have their photo taken after walking across the stage during the commencement ceremony for the College of Arts and Letters at San Diego State University. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 9 / 23 Claire Schmitt, a Bachelor of Arts degree candidate in International Security and Conflict Resolution waves her arms as she walks across the stage during the commencement ceremony for the College of Arts and Letters at San Diego State University. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 10 / 23 Degree candidates in the College of Arts and Letters at San Diego State University take photos and enjoy themselves during the commencement ceremony, held inside Viejas Arena. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 11 / 23 Degree candidates in the College of Arts and Letters at San Diego State University listen during the 108th commencement ceremony, held inside Viejas Arena, Friday morning. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 12 / 23 Andrea Skorepa addresses the degree candidates in the College of Arts and Letters at San Diego State University after she received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. She perhaps is best known in San Diego as the executive director of the non-profit organization, Casa Familiar in San Ysidro. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 13 / 23 Degree candidates in the College of Arts and Letters at San Diego State University listen during the commencement ceremony, held inside Viejas Arena, Friday morning. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 14 / 23 Andrea Skorepa addresses the degree candidates in the College of Arts and Letters at San Diego State University after she received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. She perhaps is best known in San Diego as the executive director of the non-profit organization, Casa Familiar in San Ysidro. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 15 / 23 Yixiao Du, a Bachelor of Arts degree candidate in Economics waves to family and friends before the commencement ceremony for the College of Arts and Letters at San Diego State University began. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 16 / 23 A San Diego State University degree candidate heads to Viejas Arena and the commencement ceremony for the College of Arts and Letters. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 17 / 23 San Diego State University degree candidates head to Viejas Arena and the commencement ceremony for the College of Arts and Letters. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 18 / 23 Ayan Ali, a Bachelor of Arts degree candidate in Social Science, Islamic and Arabic Studies adjusts her shoe while waiting for the commencement ceremony for the College of Arts and Letters at San Diego State University to begin. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 19 / 23 Degree candidates in the College of Arts and Letters at San Diego State University enjoy the commencement ceremony. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 20 / 23 Degree candidates in the College of Arts and Letters at San Diego State University enjoy the commencement ceremony. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 21 / 23 Degree candidates in the College of Arts and Letters at San Diego State University listen during the 108th commencement ceremony, held inside Viejas Arena, Friday morning. Between Thursday May 11, and Sunday May 14, about 11,000 students will go through commencement at the university. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 22 / 23 SAN DIEGO, CA: May 12, 2017 | Degree candidates in the College of Arts and Letters at San Diego State University listen during the commencement ceremony. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune) 23 / 23 Family and friends, some taking photos, attend the commencement ceremony for the College of Arts and Letters at San Diego State University. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Commencement speaker Andrea Skorepa, who was presented with an honorary doctorate degree from the university Friday, had a similar encouraging message.

Your generation can and will determine our future, said Skorepa, a community activist and president and CEO of Casa Familiar, which offers more than 30 programs for families in San Ysidro and the South Bay area.

Skorepa graduated from SDSU in 1971 but said she didnt attend her commencement ceremony because it was the peace and love days.

While many things have changed since then, Skorepa also saw many similarity between the graduates generation and hers.

You have many of the same issues that have become more institutionalized, she said. Your generation faces new issues on the global level and on local agendas.

Skorepa urged graduates to not just talk the talk, but to become engaged in their communities, communicate one-on-one with people rather than through technology and to not get their information only from social media.

Find your passion, which may be different from your degree, she said. Find others with the same passion and create with them new levels of passion.

She also told graduates to be and do their best, and was a little apologetic for the state of the world they faced.

We messed it up, but we did the best that we could, and now its up to you to fix it, she said. Thats reality, folks.

As families and friends arrived and made their way to the ceremony inside Viejas Arena, many stopped at stands on campus to buy flowers for their favorite graduates.

Many graduates sported Hawaiian leis also bought on campus or brought from home.

While engineering students are known to construct the best mortarboards, students at Friday mornings ceremony held their own for creativity.

One said simply, Love is love. Another said, Thanks mom and dad and beer. One carried a personal challenge said, I didnt come this far to only go this far.

One cap had the face of a cat with ears that protruded over the rim, and another featured a Star Wars storm trooper helmet. One of the longest messages read, Whatever you decide to do, make sure it makes you happy.

Like many graduates, Anna Conkey wore several ceremonial cords around her neck, including a red-and-white one for being a student donor and a dark one that recognized her as a veteran. Her 3-year-old daughter, MacKayla, liked to play with them as they dangled before her.

The reason I joined the Navy was to pay for college, said Conkey, 29. Im so excited and relieved its finally over, and Im very excited about starting the next path in life.

Conkey was a double-major, earning degrees in English and journalism, and said she picked SDSU because of the reputation of the journalism department.

She was one of about 4,000 students who participated in a new donor program that raised $50,000 for the university.

Graduate Alflorence Knighton, an African Studies major, was also among the graduates who wore the red-and-white cord identifying donors. She said she thought it was important to support her school, which she felt had supported her over the past four years.

For me personally, its been a long journey, said Knighton, who has a 9-year-old son and described herself as older than most graduates.

This is like a second chapter in my life, she said.It hasnt been easy. Its amazing to be here and make it this far.

Knighton said she transferred to SDSU from Grossmont College and had some difficulty adjusting to the bigger campus.

But everyone here was so friendly, and there were great mentors, she said. When you dont think you can, theyre pushing you to continue on.

Graduations continue Saturday with Fowler College of Business at 8 a.m., the College of Health and Humans Services at 1 p.m. and the College of Engineering at 5:30 p.m.

Commencements on Sunday begin at 9 a.m. with the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts, followed at 2 p.m. with the College of Education and Division of Undergraduate Studies.

Yosef Richardson, 22, is graduating with a degree in management from Fowler College of Business.

Born in Ethiopia, Richard spent a year in an orphanage before he was adopted at age 9 by an American family, who lost custody of him three years later because he had been put to work in a pet store.

Today he works for Apple and plans to go into management.

Its a pretty big road to be on, he said. I dont know how I got here. Richardson said he wants to help people find what theyre good at, a leadership quality he said he learned at SDSU.

gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

760-529-4939
In one corner of downtown, the murky, long-running debate around San Diegos homeless crisis appears to have a new forum  discussion of dog parks.

City plans to add an off-leash play area for pets to Childrens Park met with rave reviews at a planning meeting last month, where at least five dozen residents of nearby condo towers lauded the proposed addition as a buffer between themselves and the homeless people who congregate there.

A city planner agreed the enclosed, 6,000-square-foot dog run and fitness area, situated in the parks northeast corner, would discourage gathering of the homeless.

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The April 25 gathering at the Childrens Museum  which faces the park in question  was the third such meeting convened by project architect Glen Schmidt. It quickly became a discussion of neighbors concerns about the homeless presence at the 1.5-acre park, at Front Street and Harbor Drive.

Gigi Gonzalez, one of the organizers of a petition drive in support of the off-leash dog park, spoke in favor.

We have, on our petition, 1,093 signatures from 92101 to support this, Gonzalez said. This is a time to let our furry friends play ball.  I guarantee you it will bring better people.

Three other attendees at last months meeting suggested ditching the planned addition of a park restroom, citing concerns that it would attract more homeless people. Several lobbied for additional surveillance and security workers to keep an eye on vagrants. The city already pays staffers to monitor downtown park restrooms after dark.

Questions posed by members of the Downtown Community Planning Councils public spaces committee, a citizen advisory panel on land use issues, echoed some of the same concerns. After hearing more than an hour of public comment, the committee forwarded to the full planning council a park blueprint that included the fenced-in dog and exercise areas, along with a restroom, childrens play area and seating for a beverage vendor.

Board members at Civic San Diego, the city-owned nonprofit agency charged with downtown redevelopment and land use decisions, are expected to hear the proposal May 24. City Parks and Recreation board members could take a final vote on the plan next month.

Tim Graham, a spokesman for the Parks and Recreation department, wrote in a statement on Friday that the agency had seen an uptick in public support for off-leash dog areas, especially in more densely populated parts of town. He did not directly answer a question about what might be behind that phenomenon.

As previously mentioned, city parks are for everyone to enjoy, he said. Were looking to provide options that the public wants to encourage people to use park space more regularly.

San Diego city officials have been criticized for removing park benches  and installing beds of pointy rocks  in efforts to keep the homeless from gathering or sleeping in certain downtown locations. Some see a dog park proposal as another potentially mean-spirited strategy.

Richard Dusansky, a retired economics professor and resident at the nearby Horizons condos, said the dog park proposal bears more than a passing resemblance to the other efforts. He was the only one to speak against the plan at last months meeting.

Dusansky told the Union-Tribune the move was immoral, as a not-so thinly veiled attempt to steer the areas homeless into someone elses backyard.

Youre talking about giving over half of a childrens park to the dogs, he said.I would benefit from what theyre doing, but I just think its disgusting.

Michael McConnell, a longtime homeless advocate, used the same adjective to describe the effort, which he also called dehumanizing.

He likened the move to the recent emergence of privately contracted security patrols meant to shoo the homeless away from businesses, the latest in what he sees as a string of attempts to harass and criminalize the unsheltered.

Schmidt, the architect tasked with the $3.6 million redesign, told residents at the Childrens Museum meeting that the idea behind the dog park addition was to activate the parks existing open space. Adding amenities attractive to park goers should, he said, make the park a far less attractive hangout place for vagrants.

Civic San Diego planner Kathleen Brand agreed the intent was to get more functional adults into the space.

She said Gonzalez and others first raised the notion of nesting a dog park in Childrens Park in 2015. Brand recalled downtown planners started looking at similar proposals in other parks after a 2009 consultants report listed off-leash dog parks second on residents wishlist for public space improvements. Meeting minutes show downtown residents and planners have floated dog park blueprints at four existing and proposed downtown parks over the past eight years.

An ordinance passed in 2002 cleared a path for the creation of several off-leash parks around the city. A City Attorneys opinion authored two months later made clear the city was within its rights to police other types of conduct in the designated dog areas.

A database obtained by The San Diego Union-Tribune earlier this month shows police havent written an off-leash dog ticket within a mile of the park for at least five years. Many such tickets have been written in Pacific Beach and Balboa Park.
With the Trump administration putting border crime and immigration issues in the spotlight, The San Diego Union-Tribune wanted to provide a snapshot of what kind of cases are typically being prosecuted along San Diegos stretch of the U.S.-Mexico line. Federal courts reporter Kristina Davis explains the idea behind this weeks In Depth story and how she went about reporting it.

Q: How did you come up with the idea for the story?

A: During the presidential campaign, I kept hearing rhetoric that seemed to imply that illegal immigration and drug trafficking along the U.S.-Mexico border was going completely unchecked. As someone who has covered public safety and the court system for years, I know that is not true.

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There are many dedicated law enforcement officers who work along the border making arrests every day. I see those cases in federal court constantly  the human smugglers, the drug couriers, the unauthorized immigrants with criminal backgrounds. I wanted to find a way to tell the story of what is typical along the San Diego-Tijuana border, in a way that might help provide a baseline for future discussions of border crime and immigration.

Q: How did you go about reporting the story?

A: I decided to pick a 72-hour window and look at every case that was filed for federal prosecution in San Diego that had a nexus to the border. I picked April 21 to 23. Then I wanted to tell those stories. I relied heavily on court documents filed by the arresting agency, as well as sat in court the following week as the defendants and material witnesses appeared before a judge and argued for bail. I reached out to all of their defense attorneys hoping to know more about the cases, but understandably most said it was too early in the process to open up their clients to the media.

Staff photographer John Gibbins and I also spent four hours the afternoon of April 21 at the San Ysidro Port of Entry to observe operations, as many of the border-related arrests happen here. Coincidentally, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly were in town that day for border tours, but they did not come to San Ysidro.

What this story does not show are the many, many more unauthorized immigrants who are caught and handled administratively in immigration court, or any drug cases that might be prosecuted in state court.

Q: What was the San Ysidro Port of Entry like?

A: I have written about so many drug busts here over the years so it was interesting to see the operations first hand. First of all, I should have worn a hat. The pre-primary area  the area where cars wait in line before they get to an inspection booth  is brutal with the sun blasting the asphalt, not to mention all the noxious car fumes.

Customs and Border Protection officers roam this area looking for suspicious behavior and can pop in your car and search it. The officers who work the booths only work four-hour shifts, partly due to the exhaust fumes. Operations there appeared to be efficient and effective, but we know that drugs and unauthorized people still slip through.

Q: What surprised you reporting this story?

A: Ive heard hundreds of border-related cases being adjudicated while sitting in San Diego federal court over the past few years, so I know how common they are here. Yet I was still surprised when the U.S. Attorneys Office told me roughly 90 percent of the cases it handles have a nexus to the border. Much more than I would have guessed. With the Trump administration wanting to increase border prosecution numbers, it will be interesting to see how U.S. attorneys decide to balance that with other priorities, and what that will look like in real life here.

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @kristinadavis
The Nissan Sentra pulled up to the inspection booth at the San Ysidro Port of Entry at 2:19 a.m. on a recent Friday.

The driver, Ricardo de Jesus Vigil Aguayo, gave the Customs and Border Protection officer his U.S. passport. He was on his way to work in Miramar, he said.

It might have been the Sentras California license plate, or the driver himself, but something set off an alert in the officers computer system. The car needed to be searched further.

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Under the massive canopy and bright lights of the secondary inspection area, Vigils secret was discovered: a man and a woman squeezed inside the trunk of his car.

Daozeng Sun, a tall, lanky Chinese man, had hoped to make it to New York. He was supposed to pay his smugglers $58,000 for the trip across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Cecilia Gervacio Garcia, who speaks the Mixteco language of indigenous people in central Mexico, was headed for Los Angeles. She was unclear exactly how much money she was on the hook for.

The three were arrested and jailed: Vigil on a human smuggling charge and his illicit passengers as material witnesses to testify against him.

And so began a somewhat typical morning at the busiest land border crossing in the Western Hemisphere. Here, 38,000 vehicles and 18,900 pedestrians on average enter the U.S. daily as part of a constant ebb and flow of people who are visiting family, commuting to jobs, sightseeing, shopping, searching for economic opportunity and seeking a safe haven.

Its the people who are doing it illegally who have become one of the priorities of President Donald Trumps administration, which has put San Diego and the rest of the southwestern border region on the national radar.

Trump wants to tighten security and ratchet up enforcement at the U.S.-Mexico line. Twice since he took office in January his Homeland Security secretary, John Kelly, has toured San Diegos border, the last time in April with Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Both talked tough about border crime and illegal immigration.

To give a snapshot of the more serious crimes common along San Diegos border with Mexico, the Union-Tribune observed operations at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, combed federal court records, attended court hearings, and interviewed law enforcement and attorneys. Weekends are busy times at the border, so we focused on a 72-hour period that began on Friday, April 21, and continued through Sunday, April 23. Heres what we found.

Illegal crossings

Just before sunrise on April 21, Border Patrol Agent Ojeda  who, like most law enforcement officers, is identified by last name only in court documents  was on duty near an area known as Zuellners. It is about seven miles east of the Tecate Port of Entry, and about a half mile north of the border fence. He checked the area for what  or who  had set off a seismic intrusion device.

Shoe prints indicated maybe three people were headed north. The prints led him to dense brush about 100 yards away, where he found Sergio Dominguez Ramirez hiding with two others.

The trio of Mexicans admitted they were in the U.S. illegally.

Dominguez had been deported before, in April of last year, through El Paso, Texas. He has a criminal record in the United States. He wasnt processed administratively in immigration court as the two others were. He will be prosecuted in federal court in San Diego.

Farther to the north is the Border Patrols Pine Valley checkpoint, where agents usually stop and scrutinize traffic on Interstate 8 looking for drug loads and unauthorized immigrants. But it was closed that morning, so Agent Lopez observed passing traffic from his parked vehicle near Kitchen Creek Road, keeping an eye out for something suspicious. At 8:30 a.m., a gray Nissan Altima passed that was riding especially low  an indicator the car was weighed down with people. He began to follow.

A quick check with dispatch confirmed the car had been flagged in the agencys computer system as possibly being used for human smuggling.

The driver  U.S. citizen Brandon Cisneros, a 23-year-old unemployed high school dropout from Moreno Valley in Riverside County  slowed the car to 30 mph in the 70 mph zone. The people riding in the back sat up straighter. One person lay across their laps.

Lopez stopped the car at the Sunrise Highway exit. The four in the back, including a married teenage girl, admitted they were Mexicans here illegally, paying anywhere from $700 to $7,500 to be smuggled into the U.S.

As the agent was about to handcuff Cisneros, he fled into the thick brush and up a hill. A Border Patrol dog found him nearby. Cisneros was arrested.

Immigration trends

It was a distinctly different border in the 1980s and earlier, one with little fencing and fewer patrols. Groups of unauthorized immigrants would stage in Mexico at twilight and surge across the border into San Diego at dark. Border Patrol agents would catch who they could, but they would usually be vastly outnumbered.

That largely ended with 1994s Operation Gatekeeper, an effort under President Bill Clintons administration to fortify the infrastructure and patrols along San Diegos populated areas. Illegal crossings moved east, into rougher terrain.

Todays reality is vastly different, said Deputy U.S. Attorney Mark Conover, the second-in-charge at the office and the local border security coordinator  a position Attorney General Sessions created last month in each of the 93 U.S. Attorneys Offices.

Night and day, Conover said of then and now. People arent crossing in large groups, there are not hundreds amassing and running on freeways. People are trying to elude law enforcement rather than overwhelm from law enforcement.

That means coming in hidden compartments in vehicles, sneaking in small groups through fencing, using real or fake entry documents, or coming in by boat along the coast.

In the past few months, the number of people crossing illegally into the U.S. has slowed to a trickle  from 2,928 apprehensions in January along the California border to 1,356 in March. The numbers had been trending downward for a while under President Barack Obamas administration, beginning with the Great Recession.

The Department of Homeland Security attributes the recent decline to Trumps aggressive stance on immigration enforcement.

In San Diego, Conover said, that has also meant fewer immigrants coming to the ports of entry and claiming asylum.

We are repatriating more people than before, he said.

Instead, they are trying to sneak in, he said.

Of the unauthorized immigrants caught along the Southern California border, few are prosecuted criminally. Prosecution guidelines have historically focused on crossers who have been previously deported several times, who have criminal records or who crossed under aggravated or especially dangerous circumstances.

Sessions, carrying out the new presidents agenda, wants to bolster those numbers.

While dramatic progress has been made at the border in recent months, much remains to be done, Sessions wrote in an April 11 memo to prosecutors. It is critical that our work focus on criminal cases that will reduce illegality.

That includes using existing federal laws whenever possible to prosecute immigration-related violations.

Everything the attorney general memo said to do, we plan on doing, Conover said. Its just a question of when we get the resources to be able to fully implement all of it. It would require more resources to prosecute everyone illegally crossing the border.

He added: I hope the prosecutions we do continue to have a deterrent effect on people coming to the U.S. illegally. It can be dangerous for them. And if they come here and get their lives disrupted and get deported, it doesnt do good for anybody.

Sniffing out drugs

It was not quite lunchtime on April 21 at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry  San Diegos second busiest crossing  when Luis Roberto Revilla drove his green Honda Accord into primary inspection booth No. 4. Revilla, a U.S. citizen, said he was going to work that Friday at a body shop in Otay Mesa.

The Customs and Border Protection officer staffing the booth slapped the sides of the car. The rear quarter panels on both sides didnt sound right  more solid than hollow. Plus, the interior panel did not fit as tight as it should.

Another officer ran the car through a massive X-ray machine nearby, which revealed anomalies on the passenger side. A drug-sniffing dog then circled the car and gave the signal: There were drugs inside.

Officers pulled out 18 packages of marijuana concealed in the quarter panels and trunk, more than 52 pounds in all.

Similar inspections and searches were happening at the San Ysidro Port of Entry that afternoon.

It was a routine Friday, despite Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary Kelly being in San Diego for a visit to the border. But they were skipping this crossing and instead touring immigrant detention facilities in Otay Mesa.

Lines of vehicles waiting for admission into the U.S. stretched back into Mexico, idling and creeping forward toward rows of primary inspection booths. Yellow bumps in the road mark the international border on this stretch of asphalt.

Music in Spanish and English from car stereos drifted from open windows. Drivers scrolled through their cellphones, read books or stared ahead waiting their turn. One driver in a white Toyota Camry held a cold can of Coca-Cola to his cheek as the temperature climbed past 80 degrees.

Weaving between the vehicles and through clouds of exhaust were teams of officers with CBPs Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement Team. They chatted with drivers and quickly swept through suspicious vehicles, searching backseats and trunks, tapping the sides for density.

We are looking for something that stands out, said CBP spokeswoman Angelica de Cima.

At one of the 25 booths, part of a new construction project to modernize and enlarge the port of entrys operations, Officer Jonathan Zinn inspected entry documents, asked drivers where they were headed and scrutinized their vehicles.

Port Director Sidney Aki oversees the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa ports of entry and the Cross Border Xpress tunnel connecting San Diego to the Tijuana airport. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune)

A gray Volkswagen Eurovan decorated with surfer decals caught his attention. The density of a side panel seemed off.

The driver was referred to a secondary area for an inspection, but the van came up clean. Zinn smiled and shrugged when he found out what had thrown him off: a table built into a door, a classic VW van feature.

Meanwhile, in the neighboring inspection lane, the driver of a gray SUV was led away in handcuffs. Officers determined he was wanted on a warrant out of Nevada for burglary and identification fraud.

Like many of Zinns generation, the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, instilled a deep sense of patriotism and ultimately swayed him to join the ranks of public service. Raised in Connecticut, he later moved to San Diego to work for a Christian nonprofit that builds houses for the poor in Mexico. He joined CBP in 2012.

It really changed who I was, Zinn, 34, said of the attacks. Every day I come to work with the mind-set that thats not going happen on my watch. We are the front line of the U.S.

One of his most memorable busts? Stopping a man in a wheelchair at the Otay Mesa pedestrian crossing. We found out the person didnt need the wheelchair, and he had a diaper filled with methamphetamine, Zinn said.

Officers typically seize about a dozen drug loads a day from the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa ports of entry combined, said Port Director Sidney Aki, who oversees the two crossings and the Cross Border Xpress bridge connecting San Diego to the Tijuana airport.

Methamphetamine, manufactured in massive amounts in Mexican superlabs from chemicals overseas, remains the No. 1 hard drug crossing the border, Aki said. Cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and prescription pills are also common. Marijuana, the cash crop of Mexican cartels for decades, has remained stable over the past few years  a trend that will be closely watched as California soon begins legal recreational sales of the drug.

How are the drugs coming in? Its cyclical, Aki said, as smugglers try to stay one step ahead of port enforcement.

In the past, its been trunk loads and tires. Then they see our officers catch on, and all of the sudden its rear quarter panels and roofs. Then we catch on, then its engine manifolds, he said.

And while the number of seizures has remained steady, the size of the drug loads, and the purity of the drugs, has amplified.

Ten years ago, a 10-pound meth seizure was a big deal, Conover said. Now, we see 100-, 200-pound seizures regularly.

Cocaine, meth and an escape

The next major drug seizure came Saturday morning.

At the San Ysidro Port of Entry, CBP Officer Lee guided his drug-sniffing dog between the vehicles waiting in line at the primary inspection booths. At 8:10 a.m. on April 22, as the pair neared a Saturn Aura, the dog alerted to the cars undercarriage.

Fresh tool markings marred the bolts connecting the strut to the frame. Another officer drilled a small hole, threaded a fiber optic camera into the void and saw packages. An access panel behind a spare tire revealed fresh paint and spray-on mud.

Nine packages containing 24 pounds of cocaine were recovered.

The driver, Jorge Sanchez Andrade, a U.S. citizen with no criminal history who has lived in Mexico the past 25 years, admitted he was paid $3,000 to deliver the drugs to San Diego. He was arrested on a drug importation charge.

A relatively quiet Saturday along the border  in terms of crime, at least  morphed into an action-packed Sunday for those working the line.

Just past midnight on April 23, a sensor went off in an area agents call the Goldmine  about two miles east of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, near where the two fences turn into one. Gerardo Diaz, a Mexican citizen, was found walking in the area and arrested. He had been deported through San Ysidro just three days earlier, and he was back.

He was taken to the Border Patrols Chula Vista station to be held on a charge of being a previously deported unauthorized immigrant found in the U.S.

Back at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, Carlos Ortega Hernandez walked up to the pedestrian crossing at 8:25 a.m., hoping the CBP officer would give him a break. He was a U.S. citizen but didnt have any identification on him, Ortega explained. He said he was returning home because he had been reported as a missing person.

His fingerprints told a different story. He was a Mexican citizen with no authorization to be in the U.S., and hed been removed from the country in January 2014 and October 2016. He was arrested on an attempted entry after deportation charge.

About noon, Border Patrol Agent Wynglarz was directed to a spot known as Buttewig/Mine Ridgeline, about 12 miles east of the Otay Mesa crossing. Another agent had observed four people walking north. There, Wynglarz found four people hiding in brush.

Masedonio de Jesus Flores told the agent hed crossed illegally the day before and was headed to Chula Vista. He works in agricultural fields, making about $200 a month.

He had been deported to Mexico last May and had other immigration violations on his record. He was arrested on a charge of being a previously deported unauthorized immigrant in the U.S.

At precisely the same time de Jesus Flores was being arrested in the desert, David Elvis Maxwell was waiting in lane No. 14 in San Ysidro to approach a booth in what he said was his brothers white Toyota Camry. He was visiting his sisters in San Diego, he told the officer who walked up to the car.

As the officer did a routine search of the backseat, his elbow crunched on something in the backrest. With help from an X-ray and drug-sniffing dog, officers detected and pulled out 31 packages of methamphetamine hidden in door panels and the backseat, totaling 40 pounds.

A more thorough search of the car turned up another 10 pounds of meth.

Maxwell, a FedEx driver, later admitted he was approached by a man at a Tijuana nightclub who offered him $3,000 to smuggle the drugs.

The day took an unusual twist around 2:40 p.m. when Border Patrol agents got word that Diaz, the man theyd found several hours earlier in the Goldmine area, had somehow managed to escape from the Chula Vista station where hed been held.

At 6:45 p.m., a citizen reported seeing Diaz walking along Via Del Bardo in San Ysidro. Diaz climbed into the passenger side of a black Ford F-150. Agents approached right away and arrested him, taking him back to the station.

Groundhog Day

About 91 percent of the cases prosecuted by the U.S. Attorneys Office in San Diego and Imperial counties have a nexus to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Spend any length of time in court here and it starts to feel like Groundhog Day for many of the regulars  the same cases, the same stories, the same characters.

It is deja vu every time you go there, said San Diego defense attorney Michael Crowley, who has represented border cases here for 30 years.

Most of the unauthorized immigrants come to visit family members and to find work, said defense attorney Michael Messina, who has represented hundreds of border cases over the decades.

Everyone has a story and some of them are quite remarkable in the degree of hardship they have to overcome just to live day to day, Messina said.

The people who agree to participate in high-stakes smuggling crimes have their own motives.

It covers the gamut, Crowley said.

There are career bad guys and those plugged into the cartels. There are also a lot of people who need to make a quick buck.

Crowley remembers one case with three sisters who were the most unlikely drug couriers. They were so plain spoken, so down to earth, he said. Their mother had fallen ill with cancer, and theyd told everyone at their church.

Word got back to a drug organization, which persuaded the women to strap meth to their bodies under their big, flowery dresses, Crowley said.

Cartels have their ear out for desperate people all the time, he said.

Casinos and bars are a common place where smuggling operations troll for couriers. You are a mark if you are a U.S. citizen with a border crossing card. Or an LPR (legal permanent resident), Crowley said.

Some organizations threaten violence against recruits and their families, or coerce lovers to become involved, or tap into a drug addicts habit.

Then there are blind mules, the border crossers who unwittingly carry drugs in their vehicles. Crowley is convinced there are more blind mules than federal authorities will ever admit.

Risky business

The weekend ended with a dramatic  and dangerous  finale.

Late Sunday night, a sensor went off in an area known as Triple Nickel  about a mile east of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry and 2 miles north of the Mexico border. An agent headed there on his all-terrain vehicle at 11:42 p.m. and saw the lights of a Ford Expedition parked on Alta Road.

The vehicle slowly moved, then stopped. Yelling came from the car, then it drove away.

Supervisory Agent Contreras saw the Expedition coming toward him on Otay Mesa Road and made a U-turn to follow it. The SUV driver began to make erratic moves, tapping brakes and making a hard turn on to state Route 125 north.

Another sharp turn kicked up a cloud of dust as the SUV crashed into the end of a guardrail and into a ditch.

Seven people were scattered around the wreckage  some on the ground complaining of injuries, others standing nearby. A boy suffered cuts to his face and neck.

They admitted to paying from $1,000 to $5,000 to be smuggled into the U.S. One passenger said the driver, Miguel Angel Tejada Loaiza, 21, seemed to purposely jerk the wheel of the vehicle to cause it to roll over.

Tejada, a Mexican citizen without permission to be in the U.S., has no criminal history. He was arrested on suspicion of transporting unauthorized immigrants.

Whats next?

Trumps border crackdown is just beginning to play out, and its not known how the new priorities will affect the smugglers and unauthorized immigrants who have been common to the U.S.-Mexico border  and to U.S. courtrooms  for decades.

For now, the perception of a crackdown, and the fear reverberating on both sides of the border, appears to have had a drastic effect on the number of people trying to cross illegally. Criminal organizations that control immigrant smuggling routes have upped their prices in response.

But will that last? The $1.1 trillion bipartisan spending plan Trump signed this month contains no funding for his border wall or hiring of 15,000 additional border and immigration officers. Even if those two campaign promises do get funded later, they wouldnt happen quickly.

The budget does, however, call for $1.5 billion for border security measures, including upgrades to infrastructure and technology.

The wall, if its built  although there is the question of if that is realistic and going to happen  will impact migration, predicted Eric Olson, deputy director of the Latin America program at the Wilson Center, a Washington, D.C.-based, non-partisan think tank. Will it stop migration? Illegal migration? Probably not. It may reduce it somewhat, but actually stopping it is like trying to stop prostitution. Theres always going to be demand for labor and motivations, and people will find ways to go around it, over it or under it.

But Conover, the deputy U.S. attorney, said the work being done at the border cant be underestimated, especially when it comes to intercepting drugs bound for the U.S.

We get the opportunity to affect the entire nation, he said.

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @kristinadavis
A National City firefighter was stabbed by a womans son while giving her first aid Friday, police said. Another woman also was stabbed in the attack.

Police officers arrested the 34-year-old son after getting the mother to safety.

Fire crews were sent to a home on Euclid Avenue, near 18th Street, about 1:30 p.m. to aid a woman reported to have fallen, police said. She was lying in the driveway with a head injury.

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Firefighters were tending to her when her son attacked them with a knife, police said. One firefighter was stabbed in the upper torso. Another woman who was outside the house also was stabbed.

The son retreated into the house and the firefighters backed away, radioing for help, police said. Officers got the mans mother away from the driveway. Then they ordered her son to come out, and he did. He was taken into custody.

The firefighter and the woman who was stabbed were taken to a trauma center. Their wounds were not considered life-threatening, police said.
A human smuggler was convicted Friday of hurling a softball-sized rock at a U.S. Border Patrol agent, striking him in the face, during a foiled smuggling attempt near Jacumba.

Martel Valencia-Cortez, a 39-year-old Mexican citizen, turned himself in at the San Ysidro Port of Entry four months after the November 2015 assault.

Following a four-day trial and eight-hour deliberation, a San Diego federal jury also convicted Valencia-Cortez of three counts of human smuggling for financial gain. He faces a maximum of 35 years in prison at his sentencing in August.

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The trial included testimony from the agent who was injured in the attack and some of the immigrants who were smuggled illegally into the U.S. by Valencia-Cortez.

Authorities said it was a chilly night, on Nov. 15, 2015, when Border Patrol agents spotted Valencia-Cortez guiding 15 people through rocky terrain near Carries Mountain. As agents closed in on him, Valencia-Cortez threw a rock at an agent roughly 30 feet away before running back to Mexico, prosecutors said.

The softball-seized rock struck the side of the agents face. The pain of the blow caused the agent to feel dazed and disoriented, so much so he felt as if he were going to pass out, according to testimony during the trial and court documents. The agent also thought the rock knocked out his teeth and broke his jaw.

The conditions are treacherous in some sections of the border, and our courageous agents put their lives on the line every day to protect our country, Acting U.S. Attorney Alana Robinson said in a statement. This verdict tells us that the safety of our agents is of paramount importance and attacks on our agents will come at a high price.

Border Patrol officials have called Valencia-Cortez one of San Diegos most dangerous human smugglers, known for assaulting agents, threatening and intimidating people hes smuggled, and driving the wrong way on streets and freeways to evade arrest.

Two months before the assault with the rock, Valencia-Cortez was deported to Mexico after serving a prison sentence of two years, nine months for human smuggling.

Breaking News

Email: david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com

Phone: (619) 293-1876

Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez
Highlights of RE/MAX DIRECTs Awards Night were the production awards the agents received from RE/MAX International.

Lori Hoge received her Executive Award plaque, Steve Pollett received an Executive Award plaque, Tarrah Roane received an Executive Award plaque, Andrea Stykel received an Executive Award plaque, Susan Willis received an Executive Award plaque, Laura Wolfe received a 100% Award plaque, and Cristina Vaughn received a 100% Award plaque and special recognition as highest in production.

Jeff (Gan) and I both received Chairman Club Awards and special recognition for 20 years of service with RE/MAX International, said Broker Jan Ryan. Andrea Stykel and Steve Pollett also received special recognition for being with RE/MAX for 20 years.

RE/MAX DIRECT was recognized with a Total Volume Achievement Award for a single office closing over $75 million in 2016.

Jeff and I started Ryan Gan Real Estate in 1990 and bought a RE/MAX franchise in 1996, said Ryan, who has been selling real estate since 1977 and has had her Brokers license since 1981. Susan Willis, a licensed Broker with us, has started a mentoring program for new agents, and along with the RE/MAX training program it has fast-tracked our new agents.

Laura Leeman is the offices Spanish-speaking agent.

In addition to real estate, Ryan has gained a name for herself as the originator of the Annual Yard Sale in San Diego Country Estates. When she started it in 1988 in a neighborhood of several streets in the Estates, she was nervous no one would come. Not only were cars lined up that morning, but the event has grown to more than 100 homes in Country Estates, with people calling her as early as six months in advance for the date. Her 27th Annual Ramona Yard Sale will be Saturday, May 13, beginning at 7 a.m..

Maps of participating homes are at the RE/MAX DIRECT office at 1410 Main St., Ste. A, and at Java Hut and the Village Store in the Village Shopping Center in Country Estates.

The office also supports one of its agents, Lindsey McMorran, with her Here with Hope Foundation that assists families facing the challenges of having a child who is battling cancer.

RE/MAX is once again sponsoring tethered balloon rides in the RE/MAX balloon in the Oct. 7 Ramona Air Show, said Ryan. We appreciate the trust and support Ramona has given us throughout the years and think there is no better place in the world to live.
There is much to say about Mr. Fontanas remarks (in the Sentinels April 27 issue), so I will start with his first criticism, i.e., Mr. Cosentino did not deny Indivisibles top down model. I am thankful for the chance to rectify that omission now. Ramona Indivisible is not a top down movement. It is very transparent. Its funding is very simple, it depends on donations, usually small sums of $1 to $5 (of course, anyone can make a large donation at any time, but I dont think that has happened yet).

Anyone can access their Facebook page online. Everyone is welcome to their meetings (naturally it is assumed that visitors will follow the normal decorum expected at a public meeting).

Mr. Fontana goes on to say, he did counter, absurdly, that Big Oil and Big Tobacco invented the Tea Party. A little close reading would show that I never said that, although I did quote Jeff Nesbit and I suggested a possible inference that might arise from what Nesbit said, which is why I posed the questions, Did the tobacco companies write the script for the tea party?

Mr. Fontana informs us that Mr. Nesbit is executive director of Climate Nexus, but doesnt give us any reason why that is relevant. He then goes on to say that Mr. Nesbit is a prolific author of 19 books, all novels. Fontana says, which leads on to conclude that his narrative alleging Big Oil and Big Tobacco invented the Tea Party is purely fiction. An amazing conclusion, but not surprising given that Mr. Fontana starts with an ad hominen attack on Mr. Nesbit.

Mr. Nesbits role as executive director of Climate Nexus has nothing to do with Ramona Indivisible, but is intended to bring into question Mr. Nesbits trustworthiness, rather than analyze his argument, hence, an ad hominen.

Mr. Nesbits book, Poison Tea, has 97 footnotes (pp. 221-231) documenting his narrative of 209 pages. When was the last time anyone has seen a novel of similar length with any footnotes? Fontanas conclusion is fallacious, viz., the evidence doesnt support the conclusion. To say that since Nesbits other 19 books are fiction therefore his next book must be fiction does not follow. One of the most famous English philosophers of the 20th century, Bertrand Russell, wrote more than 50 books of non-fiction and when he finally wrote a book of short stories it was immediately accepted for what it was, i.e., fiction. There wasnt anyone who concluded that his fiction was really non-fiction, based on the fact that his previous work was non-fiction.

This reminds me of a story that Russell wrote in one of his books on logic. He was discussing cause and effect and said that just because event A has always come before event B in the past, it doesnt necessarily follow that the next event A will be followed by event B. He gives an example of a man who makes a special sound to call his chicken every night and when the chicken comes he feeds it. This routine goes on every night for weeks, until one night the chicken hears the usual sound and comes running to his owner who immediately grabs him and chops off his head. So it doesnt follow that the past conjunction of the two events will always hold true for future events.

Mr. Fontana states that Mr. Cosentino would have you believe that the Koch brothers are the only ones who contribute large sums of money to promote a political agenda. I didnt say that nor did I intend to. In fact, I directed the reader to an article in the New Yorker by Jane Mayer. In that article Mayer points out that the Democrats also have big money donors.

Mr. Fontana continues, What Mr. Cosentino failed to mention is that of the top 10 corporate entities making political contributions, eight of the top 10 contribute exclusively to progressive/liberal causes. Unfortunately, Mr. Fontana neglected to give us his source for this information. If we assume he is using the Open Secrets listing of top donors, which shows Koch Industries way down at number 31 in the pecking order, as Mr. Fontana has it. This is where he says, Does one sense a bit of hypocrisy here? I would not say hypocrisy at this point, but perhaps a bit of irony, since his number 31 (Koch Industries), which had a budget of $889 million for campaign 2016, as reported by CBS news and the New York Times on Jan. 21, 2015, should only spend less than $11 million (it was $10,964,516) of that money, especially since 100% of it went to Republicans and conservatives (according to this source) strains credulity.

The last three paragraphs of his commentary focus is on the charge that the Tea Party is not anti-taxes or anti-regulation or anti-government but only against excessive taxes, excessive regulation, and anti big government. I agree with the Tea Party on this, but the problem here is that excessive can be a very subjective, hard to pin down, adjective. Excessive for one may be just right for another. Who will be in charge of meaning here?

I would like to move on to another topic. First, I want Mr. Fontana to know, since he is a Tea Party member (and, I need to mention that I am an Indivisible member, in case that hasnt become obvious by now) that I agree on some of the Tea Partys core beliefs as they are described in the Tea Partys Platform. For example, the sixth one in the Platform statement, viz., Promote Civic Responsibility  Citizen involvement at the grassroots level allows the voice of the American people to be heard and directs the political behaviors of our representatives at both the local and national level so they, in turn, may be most effective in working to preserve the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness of this countrys citizens.

I also agree with number 9, Avoid the Pitfalls of Politics, but it is too long for this space, but Im sure you, Mr. Fontana, know what it says about big money, special interests, etc.

In closing, I want to say that I think this exchange of views is healthy for a democracy and I want to thank the Ramona Sentinel for giving the community some space to carry on a dialogue of this kind.

In our discussions we must remember that we are all together as Americans, though we may differ on the issues. I think we all want to give our children and grandchildren the best country possible  a democracy with a sturdy foundation, remembering that disagreement shouldnt mean being disagreeable.

As for community, my wife and I have lived in Ramona for 41 years and we have seen it undergo many changes. Our children have attended Ramona elementary, middle school, and graduated from high school here in Ramona.

I feel a commitment to my community of Ramona. I have had over 3,000 students take one or more of my classes at Ramona High School. I have also met with many of their parents. I have served on the Ramona school board and am presently a member of the Friends of the Library.

My commitment to my country includes four years in the U.S. Air Force. I was also among the first volunteers in the National Teacher Corps and served for two years. In addition, I was in the U.S. Peace Corps for two years, a total of eight years of service, without being career military or career civil service, just an ordinary citizen who loves his country.

I believe that Mr. Fontana and I both love our country and want to see it survive and thrive, although we have different ideas on how to do it. I dont question his patriotism and I like to think that he doesnt question mine.

Dante Cosentino is a Ramona resident.
New online child privacy rules will keep anonymous advertisers and marketers from siphoning personal information about preteens but wont restrain innovation among technology companies and businesses that rely on the Internet to reach consumers, government officials said Wednesday.

But those assurances failed to win over software developers who said the cost of complying with the new regulations and the risk of violating them will cause many responsible businesses to abandon the childrens marketplace.

Information about children that cannot be collected unless a parent first gives permission now includes the location data that a cellphone generates, as well as photos, videos, and audio files containing a human image or voice, according to the rules announced Wednesday. Data known as persistent identifiers that allow a person to be tracked over time and across various websites are also considered personal data and covered by the rules, the agency said.

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The rules offer several new methods for verifying a parents consent, including electronically scanned consent forms, video conferencing and email.

The rules issued by the Federal Trade Commission ensure that a 14-year-old law, the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act, keeps pace with evolving technology, including cellphones, tablets, software apps, and social networking sites, the agencys chairman, Jon Leibowitz, said at a Capitol Hill press conference.

The agency tried to achieve a balance between protecting kids and ensuring that a key sector of the U.S. economy keeps growing, Leibowitz said.

Liability for violations of the rules wont extend to Google, Apple and other companies that operate online stores offering public access to kids apps, the FTC said. Google and Apple had warned that if the rule were written to include their stores, they would exclude many apps specifically intended for kids. That would hurt the nations classrooms, where new and interactive apps are used by teachers and students, Apple said.

But the Application Developers Alliance, an industry association in Washington, said the rules leave the app industry, which is made up primarily of small businesses, liable for violations. The risk may drive entrepreneurs out of the childrens app marketplace, said Jon Potter, the alliances president.

Companies are not excluded from advertising on websites directed at children, allowing business models that rely on advertising to continue, Leibowitz said. But behavioral marketing techniques that target children are prohibited unless a parent agrees to them. You may not track children to build massive profiles, he said.

The law was passed more than a decade ago, when no one could have anticipated what the Internet would look like or how adults and children would conduct their affairs online, said Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Rockefeller, D-W.Va. The changes, which the FTC has been developing for the last two years, are long overdue, he said.

Public interest groups hailed the changes. The rules will provide a stern reminder to companies and developers that they need to do more to build a trustworthy online space for kids and families, said James Steyer, chief executive officer of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit group in San Francisco that studies childrens use of technology.

Release of the rules comes a week after the FTC disclosed that it was investigating an unspecified number of app developers that may have violated the law by gathering information from kids without their parents consent. The agency examined 400 kids apps that it purchased from the online stores operated by Google and Apple. It determined that 60 percent of them transmitted the users unique device identification to the software company or, more frequently, to advertising networks and companies that compile, analyze and sell consumer information for marketing campaigns.

The agency included in the rules new methods for securing verifiable consent after the software industry and Internet companies raised concerns over how to confirm that the permission actually came from a parent. Electronic scans of signed consent forms are acceptable, as is video-teleconferencing between the web site operator or online service and the parent, according to the agency.

The FTC also said it is encouraging technology companies to recommend additional verification methods. Leibowitz said he expects that this will unleash innovation around consent mechanisms.

Emailed consent is also acceptable as long as the business confirms it by sending an email back to the parent, or calling or sending a letter. In cases of email confirmation, the information collected can only be used for internal use by that company and not shared with third parties, the agency said.
CORCORAN, Calif. (AP)  California corrections officials say they are investigating the death of a state prison inmate as a possible homicide.

They said Wednesday that a 43-year-old inmate was found unconscious in his cell at California State Prison, Corcoran, late Tuesday afternoon.

The inmate was pronounced dead at the prisons medical facility. His name was not immediately released because relatives had not been notified.

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He was originally sentenced in San Diego County for armed robbery, but later had time added for drug possession, assault and conspiracy to commit a crime as a second striker in prison.

Officials said the victims cellmate is considered a suspect. He is serving a life sentence for a Kings County murder.

The prison has nearly 3,400 inmates 50 miles south of Fresno.
COLUMBIA, S.C.  S.C. House Speaker Jay Lucas expects his fellow state representatives to behave.

That expectation could weigh heavily in the Darlington Republicans investigation into a confrontation Thursday between two state representatives from Orangeburg. The investigation is the third in Lucas three years as speaker, a level of activity that indicates Lucas does not tolerate misbehavior, State House observers said Friday.

Lucas has a good reputation, said longtime State House watchdog John Crangle, adding, Therefore, he can point fingers at House members who he thinks are out of line.

Lucas rose to the top post in the House in 2014 after former Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, resigned and pleaded guilty to using campaign money for personal expenses.

Because of the circumstances of his promotion, Lucas is sensitive to ethical violations, Crangle said. Lucas also knows the Houses reputation took a hit because of the Harrell scandal.

Part of Lucas job when he took over was to clean up that scandals mess and insist on integrity and ethical conduct, Crangle said.

Speaker Lucas recognizes that we are adults, who have been elected to represent the citizens of South Carolina, and thats exactly what he expects of us, said House Majority Leader Gary Simrill, R-York, a longtime Lucas friend.

Under Lucas, the speakers office has investigated:

Rep. Nelson Hardwick, R-Horry, who resigned in May 2015 after allegations of sexual harassment were leveled against him. After Hardwick resigned, the speakers office turned over the results of its investigation to the State Law Enforcement Division. Last December, Hardwick pleaded guilty to assault and battery in the third degree, according to the Myrtle Beach Sun News.

Rep. Eddie Southard, R-Berkeley, who resigned after a House page filed a sexual harassment complaint. Southard said he quit to protect his family, honor and reputation. However, the S.C. House Ethics Committee ordered him to pay a $2,000 fine as part of a settlement, which did not admit or contest the allegations.

In addition, Lucas was prepared to expel Rep. Chris Corley, who was indicted on criminal domestic violence charges after police said he beat his wife. The Aiken Republican resigned from his seat earlier this year  just as a resolution calling for his expulsion, sponsored by Lucas, was about to hit the House floor.

Now, the Speakers Office is investigating a State House confrontation on Thursday between state Reps. Gilda Cobb-Hunter and Jerry Govan, both Orangeburg Democrats. The two reportedly became embroiled in a confrontation over legislation to consolidate Orangeburg County school districts on the last day of the legislative session.

This matter is being investigated by the Speakers Office and, as such, its inappropriate, in my mind, for me to comment at this time, Cobb-Hunter said Friday.

Thursday, Govan said he and Cobb-Hunter had a disagreement over a bill but would not elaborate. We did have differences of opinions on a few things, but the matter was concluded with the passage of the bill.

The Speakers Office, which would not comment Friday, is required to conduct an investigation when a complaint is filed. Once it has concluded, the findings of that investigation can be referred to law enforcement or the House Ethics Committee.

In 2004, Govan was removed from the powerful House Judiciary Committee and assigned to a less prominent panel after he and another lawmaker, then-state Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Richland, got into a heated argument over a bill.

Govan and Harrison said no blows were struck in that incident. However, a lawmaker who intervened said a blow from someone grazed his face.
DARLINGTON, S.C.  Hurricane Matthew in early October of 2016 cost the Pee Dee in many ways, one of which was a beloved fishing site with handicapped accessibility.

Dargan's Pond, located in eastern Darlington County on Georgetown Road, just over the Florence County line, offered handicapped-accessible parking with flat and firm ground between the parking area and the pier out into the pond.

The site is shared between the DNR, which leases portions of it, and Clemson University, which owns it through its Pee Dee Research and Education Center.

Dargan's Pond is now expected to be closed through at least the spring of 2019.

While the pier is still there the road to the parking lot is now gone, some of the parking area is gone, a small pond adjacent to the larger pond is gone and the lake is down several feet  exposing shellfish beds and tree stumps.

Portions of the boat ramp hang in mid-air, more than six feet above mud and water.

"It blew out with great gusto," said Robert Stroud, freshwater fisheries biologist with South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, referring to the small pond that caused much of the parking-area damage.

A 2-3 acre pond was adjacent to the much larger Dargan's Pond and was stocked with catfish and such, Stroud said. The smaller pond was used for youth fishing rodeos and other activities.

"It was quite a flood of biblical and historic proportions," he said.

"It's a big loss for the community," Stroud said. "There doesn't appear to be any quick fix in sight."

Beyond the damage done to the DNR facility on the east bank of the pond, Stroud said, repairs also need to be made to areas of the dam on the Clemson side of the facility.

There are no handicapped-accessible fishing options available. Lowthers Lake, across Georgetown Road from Dargan's Pond, isn't that handicapped accessible and there aren't any plans to construct any handicapped-accessible fishing options in the area, Stroud said.

"It's causing problems for people who want to get out and fish," he said.

Stroud said that DNR and Clemson were waiting to hear back from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on what help would be available for the pond

As things stand, it looks like Dargan's Pond will be closed to fishing through June 2019 with a projected reopening date of July 2019.

"A lot has to fall into place" to meet the July 2019 reopening, he said.
You may have experienced the frustration of someone driving slowly in the left lane followed by the exhilaration of finally passing them and pulling away. This is the experience currently being enjoyed by the tax collectors who are leaving you and your wallet in the dust.

The South Carolina House first raised your gas tax by 10 cents. The Senate then pulled up behind them, flashed their headlights and blew on by as they upped the raid on your wallet by another two cents. House members then cheered huzzah, and now that it is the law, the only thing moving faster will be the meter on the gas pump the next time you fill up.

The new law contains a few other nuggets, including half-price college for all, an income tax bait and switch, and a big can of RINO  reform in name only. None of them will fix your roads, but your wallet will never be the same.

The tax collectors included a provision for half-price college for anyone  anyone. No SAT/ACT score requirements, no grade requirements, just show up and sign your name. Students or their families then may claim half the tuition as an income tax credit.

I want to lower your tax burden by any way possible, but I had to chuckle when the proponents of tax credits for higher education school choice heralded them as the savior of poor teenagers in South Carolina. Many of the same people mock my efforts to offer school choice for younger poor children as the end of the world as we know it. Strange how that works.

The tax collectors also created a brand new state-level earned income tax credit. Proponents of this new tax credit want to leave more money in the wallets of lower-income South Carolinians, and amen to that! But it will not stay there long when those folks have to use their tax savings to pay more for gas to get to work in order to spend the first 3 months of the year just to send enough income tax to government to be able to claim a credit that they then will give back to the government at the gas pump. This, ladies and gentlemen, is your government at work.

The tax collectors also included income tax credits for the cost of vehicle maintenance. But they set those credits to expire in seven years. The gas tax hike, of course, goes on forever. The taxpayer is down and then gets kicked.

Now, about the RINO. The tax collectors mandated that the SCDOT secretary prepare and publish online the annual report that includes expenditures and a list of SCDOT business partners. That already is available on the website published by the comptroller general; ergo, RINO.

The tax collectors directed the SCDOT Commission to hold a minimum of six regular meetings annually and other meetings as needed with a one-week notice. The commission already meets monthly, and the publication of materials is required by the Freedom of Information Act; ergo, RINO.

The tax collectors declare that the commission is not to enter into the day-to-day operations of the agency and is prohibited from taking part in contractual negotiations or decisions which must be left to the SCDOT secretary. But guess who appoints the SCDOT secretary--the commission; ergo, RINO.

The tax collectors do allow the governor to remove commissioners without the approval of the General Assembly. But guess whom the governor must beg for approval when he nominates a new commissioner? The General Assembly. This is a reform, technically, and so was reshuffling those famed deck chairs on the Titanic.

And, of course, the tax collectors included no structural changes to the Transportation Infrastructure Bank. And the band played on as the unsinkable sank.

Raising your taxes will not fix your roads. Half-price college will not fix your roads. Putting low-income South Carolinians on a financial see-saw will not fix your roads. All of the RINO will not fix your roads. I have traveled the state over the past month talking about roads, and my message has been clear: put SCDOT into the cabinet under the governor in order to hold one person accountable, and hands off your wallet!

I wish that taxpayers had been afforded more time to really understand this bill and let their legislators know their thoughts. But when you hit a pothole tomorrow and then hit the same one two years from now, at least youll know why it never was fixed.
Press Release

May 12, 2017 Sen. Bam consults students and AFP to craft effective ROTC program Sen. Bam Aquino organized a workshop to consult students, members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and other stakeholders regarding proposals to revive the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) in schools to help craft an effective program that "will reflect the true purpose of ROTC". "The ROTC is a priority legislation of this government. We want to set aside our pre-conceived notions. We're here to listen to each other," said Sen. Bam in his opening address. "This is an open discussion to learn directly from the people that will be affected by ROTC reforms. By the end of this, we should have a deeper understanding of the needs of our reserve force and find potential improvements to the ROTC program," added Sen. Bam. The discussion is also expected to tackle whether Senior High School is the best place to revive the program and whether it should be mandatory or not. During his eight-month tenure as chairman of the Committee on Education, Sen. Bam committed to reach out to different sectors regarding the proposal to revive ROTC in schools. He visited the Army Reserve Command (ARESCOM) of the Philippine Army at Camp Reigo De Dios in Tanza, Cavite to get input from officials and professionals who have been undergoing training as reserve officers. Sen. Bam met with ARESCOM officials, led by Commandant Rito Petinglay and Col. Bernie Langub, where they discussed the importance of reserve officers' role in the context of national security in this present situation. The senator also discussed increasing the budget to provide better training and a better program for the reserve corps. "We talked about modernizing and updating the ROTC, taking into account national security, counter-terrorism and cyber security," the senator said. During his visit, Sen. Bam also raised the possibility of professionals beefing up the country's reserve force. "We should look to professionals as a source for reserve forces. We can encourage them to join by giving incentives and other benefits," said Sen. Bam. In addition, Sen. Bam said there are volunteers who wish to join the reserve corps. Three bills calling for the revival of the ROTC are pending with the Committee on Education - Senate Bills 1131, 200 and 189, authored by Sens. JV Ejercito, Sherwin Gatchalian and Manny Pacquiao, respectively. The ROTC became optional in 2002 through Republic Act 9163 or the National Service Training Program (NSTP) Act of 2001.
Press Release

May 13, 2017 ANGARA'S GIFT TO MOMS ON 'MOTHER'S DAY' IS 'FIRST 1000 DAYS' BILL SENATOR Sonny Angara gave mothers a fitting 'gift' on the occasion of "Mother's Day" celebration by filing a measure that will ensure appropriate health care program for them and their children in their first 1,000 days. This developed as Angara urged his fellow senators to show their care for Filipino mothers by ensuring the smooth and prompt approval of the "First 1,000 Days Act" (SBN 136) bill that seeks the implementation of a comprehensive health care program to protect mothers and their children from malnutrition in their first 1,000 days. Section 3 of the senator's bill provides the establishment of a "First 1,000 Days Program" in every barangay by the Department of Health (DOH), in coordination with the Departments of Interior and Local Government, Social Welfare, and Development, and Science and Technology through the National Nutrition Council and Food and Nutrition Research Institute. "The program will develop and implement a practical and comprehensive health care plan for pregnant and lactating women as well as provide health and nutrition for their children from 1 to 1,000 days," Angara said. The lawmaker, who also authored the "Expanded Maternity Leave Benefits Act," stressed that "womb-to-crib" measures boost maternal and child health, cuts child deaths, improves nutrition, and provides a pathway to good education and out of poverty. Under his bill, a child's first 1,000 days, the period covering the 9 months of a mother's pregnancy and her child's first two years- has been dubbed a 'window of opportunity.' This period is extremely crucial to a child's fair start in life." The "First 1,000 Days Program" interventions are ensuring nutrition to pregnant mothers and adolescent girls, improved breastfeeding practices (0-6 months), improved complementary feeding practices (7-24 months), improved protection against undernutrition and disease (6-24 months), and improved feeding of children who are sick and undernourished. Included in the said program, among others, are vaccinations and nutritional supplements for infants to be provided by the DOH, check-ups, pre-natal and ante-natal counselling by local government units, and public information drive on breastfeeding and proper hygiene to be done in schools and barangay health centers. To implement these, Angara wants the government to train and tap barangay health personnel and other community health professionals. A policy brief in 2015 by the Philippine Legislators Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD) said getting proper nutrition in the first 1,000 days is crucial for physical growth of children, a pathway out of poverty for poor households, and a driver of growth for countries. The PLCPD also said that proper nutrition in the first 1,000 days prevents more than one-third of child deaths per year, improves school attainment by at least one year, increases wages by 5 to 50 percent, reduces poverty because well-nourished children are 33 percent more likely to escape poverty as adults, and empowers women to be 10 percent more likely to run their own business and break the intergenerational cycle of poverty. "The 'First 1,000 Days Program' under this proposed measure lays the proper foundation for the country's future growth and development," said the senator. Angara, who authored the Magna Carta of Women when he was a congressman of the lone district of Aurora, is an active member of the PLCPD.
Firefighters stamped out pockets of burning debris Sunday from the still-smoldering remains of a massive building project in Emeryville gutted by fire.

Neighbors along the 3800 block of San Pablo Avenue stopped to stare at the twisted heap of metal and blackened lumber as investigators began working to determine the cause and origin of the inferno.

Its a little scary  fires are dangerous, Valerie Jackson said as she sipped her morning coffee along a fence near where smoke still billowed from the charred heap.

Still on her mind were several major fires in the East Bay, including a blaze that destroyed the very same construction project in July.

Its crazy, she said. Its almost as if someone didn't want it up.

The buildings developer seemed to agree and is convinced two fires in less than a year isnt a coincidence. Investigators, though, will wait until their weeks-long probe is complete before drawing any conclusions about how the fire started.

The fire, which was reported at 4:58 a.m. Saturday, engulfed the $35 million housing and retail development known as the Intersection near Interstate 580 and the Oakland border. It spread to nearby buildings, forcing evacuations and causing additional damage, officials said.

At least 35 residents from 15 units were evacuated from the neighboring block of Adeline Street because officials worried that the partially burned crane at the construction site would collapse. Alameda County Fire Department tweeted early Sunday that crews safely removing the crane overnight under the supervision of agents from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Between 80 and 100 firefighters responded from the Alameda County and Oakland fire departments to battle the huge blaze, with firefighters using cranes to dump water on the fire as black smoke billowed into the sky.

The Oakland Fire Department deployed 15 engines, three trucks and three battalion chiefs, while Alameda County sent four engines, a truck, two battalion chiefs, a fire captain and a public information officer, said Oakland Battalion Chief Zoraida Diaz.

There were no reports of injuries, though some security guards said they suffered some smoke inhalation.

The cause was under investigation, but Rick Holliday of Holliday Development, the company developing the site, said he doesnt believe that two major fires within 10 months of each other could happen by chance.

This is obviously arson, he said, frustrated. This is an attack on housing.

Diaz said investigators dont know yet where the fire originated within the building. When fire crews arrived, the entire building was already engulfed, with each individual floor fully involved.

We dont know if it was intentional because its still under investigation, she said.

The upscale residential and commercial development is being built in a rapidly changing part of Emeryville.

The neighborhood, just north of Interstate 580, is a mix of retail strip malls, old storefronts and warehouses along San Pablo Avenue and sleek new multistory apartment and condominium buildings erected over the past few years.

To the south and west, the site is flanked by mostly older single-family houses, many of them badly in need of repair.

The fire damaged more than just the construction site on Saturday, with flames jumping to some of the townhomes on nearby Apgar Street.

Orly Zamir, 26, who moved into one of the town houses in January, said her roommate woke up first and ran to get her.

Get up, the building is on fire, we have to run out, she said her roommate told her. I opened my eyes, and all I saw was orange.

Zamirs window faced out toward the construction site, and she could feel the heat from the growing flames as they reached toward her home.

We have a sunroof between our bedrooms, and it was melting, Zamir said, her voice shaking. Everything is gone.

Fire crews had to be sent to other nearby residential areas, as strong winds carried embers blocks away, threatening homes and charring vegetation. On Market Street between 34th and 35th streets, neighbors said embers the size of grapefruits fell from the sky onto buildings, blackening tall trees and covering the area with ash.

Just before 9 a.m. Saturday, the roof of a house near 34th Street caught fire, but firefighters were able to keep the flames from spreading to other homes.

Jie Tang, 56, said through a translator that he woke to the crackling of flying embers. When he looked outside, he saw flames rising from the Intersection project. He watched as an ember fell on the roof of an abandoned house next to his.

Big fire, embers everywhere, the whole sky, he said. Cars moving and all the embers following the cars everywhere. It was so scary.

Ira Gibson, 40, said he woke to an ember flying into his home on 36th Street, a block from the big fire. He grabbed a hose and started spraying down his backyard and roof.

Firefighters told residents to evacuate and helped escort out some of his neighbors, he said. Other neighbors said firefighters helped douse rooftops and porches with water.

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American Red Cross workers were on scene to provide assistance.

The mixed-use project at the intersection of five streets was to include 105 residential units and 21,000 square feet of retail, and was supposed to open this year. But in less than a year, the project has now been hit twice by devastating fires.

On July 6, firefighters battled a blaze at the site that sent dozens fleeing as it spread to at least five nearby homes, an auto shop and cars along San Pablo Avenue. That fire, which caused no injuries, started about 2:45 a.m.

The San Francisco Business Times reported in March that investigators had determined that the first fire was probably caused by youths lighting fireworks on the unfinished fifth floor of the building, which then consisted of wood framing. However, the official cause of that fire is still under investigation. No arrests have been made, but several neighbors shared the developers suspicions that the fires were just too similar to be just bad luck.

Its the same exact pattern, said Mike Dyels, 49, who owns a warehouse across the street. Last time, the crane burned down and then the building. And that happened this time.

Holliday Development installed 12 security cameras and hired two armed security guards, Rick Holliday said.

The Intersection project was first approved in August 2013. Permits for groundbreaking on the site were issued in June 2015, and construction began soon afterward.

Holliday Development promoted the buildings easy access to transportation, electric car charging stations and other environmentally friendly features.

After the first fire, developers Rick and Nancy Holliday wrote on their website, While saddened by the fire that scarred the buildings at the corner of 39th and San Pablo, we want to take a moment and express our deep and heartfelt gratitude to all who came to fight the fire and deal with this event.

They said they were pained for those who were inconvenienced and suffered losses along with us. ... Focusing forward, Holliday Development has its sights set on putting this tragedy behind us, as best we can, and rapidly rebuilding this project to bring beautiful housing, office space, restaurants and more to the community as soon as possible.

The last fire set construction back, but they were scheduled to finish in October, Rick Holliday said. He said Saturdays fire will set development back by at least nine months.

I dont know why someone is burning houses down, but they need to stop, Holliday said. Its horrible. We will be fine as developers, but this is just a mess. Words cant even describe how horrible this is.

He said as frustrated as he felt, he wasnt going to let the fires deter the development.

It wont stop us from building housing, Holliday said.

Michael Cabanatuan, Sarah Ravani, Vivian Ho and Evan Sernoffsky are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com, sravani@sfchronicle.com, vho@sfchronicle.com, esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @ctuan, @SarRavani, @VivianHo, @EvanSernoffsky
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As the rich strains of Jesus Christ, Yesterday, Today and Forever filled the air, a long train of white-clad clergy members filtered into the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco, where hundreds had gathered Friday to remember the late Archbishop George Niederauer.

Now it is his memory, not his voice, that speaks to us, Cardinal William Levada said of Niederauer, his friend of more than 65 years.

The two met at age 14 while both were attending St. Anthony High School in Long Beach. Levada returned from a business trip to Rome to be with Niederauer in the final weeks of his life.

Niederauer died May 2 at age 80 at the Nazareth House retirement home in San Rafael, several months after being diagnosed with lung disease and only two days after the 55th anniversary of his entry into the priesthood. He was archbishop of San Francisco from 2005 until his retirement in 2012.

Niederauer spent more than half a century in service to the church, so it was fitting that several verses from Romans 14 were read at his memorial: For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

We are here to commend his soul to his creator, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone told the assembled mourners, as the smell of incense wafted across the pews and sunlight transformed the cathedrals long, narrow stained glass windows into ribbons of multicolored light.

Niederauer was remembered as a man of God who served the church for decades and who loved film and teaching.

He earned a doctorate in English literature from the University of Southern California and taught English and a film appreciation course at St. Johns Seminary College.

I once heard one of his former students remark that he never taught a boring class, said Levada.

When Niederauer moved from his home in Menlo Park to Nazareth House after his diagnosis, he remarked almost casually, Well, it looks like this will be my final move, Cardinal Levada recalled at the clerics funeral.

Niederauers death was not unexpected, and Levada recalled the conversations they had in the archbishops final months of life.

Of course, he experienced moments of anxiety about his approaching death, Levada recalled. Once, he asked me, Have the doctors told you how long this will take? he said. They had not.

He liked to know things exactly. But he dealt with the incertitude (with) serenity in the face of imminent death, Levada said.

Niederauer wrote about fear and pain in his 2003 book, Precious as Silver: Imagining Your Life With God.

Perfect love does cast out fear, but it doesnt anesthetize against suffering. Without the paralysis of fear, however, we can walk throughout our lives with Jesus into the Fathers eternal embrace, he wrote.

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.

Niederauers career was not without controversy  in particular, he was widely considered to be instrumental in the passage of Proposition 8, the 2008 California ballot measure banning same-sex marriage, helping to secure $20 million in donations to promote the measure. But there was no sign of politics or upheaval at Fridays Mass, only mourning.

Among the long procession into the cathedral were clergy members who had traveled from as far away as Salt Lake City, where Niederauer spent 11 years as bishop, to pay their respects.

The viewing was held Thursday at Mission Dolores Basilica on 16th Street.

Cordileone thanked the sisters of Nazareth House for the care they provided to Niederauer at the end of his life.

It was a great comfort to us to know that he was so well taken care of by you, Cordileone told them.

Niederauer died two days after celebrating his last holy Mass, said Levada. You might say his day was done.

Filipa Ioannou is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: fioannou@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @obioannoukenobi
SEATTLE  A year ago, when Amazon.com let a homeless shelter for families move into a former motel it owned, it was viewed as a nice but fleeting gesture.

The motel was on a chunk of downtown property where Amazon planned to eventually erect yet another set of sparkling buildings to meet its insatiable need for office space in this city, where it has come to embody both the regions economic boom and its struggles with affordability. The hotel would be torn down and the shelter kicked out when that time came.

Instead, Amazon has decided to let the shelter stay. In an unusual arrangement, the company has agreed to give the shelter, Marys Place, a permanent home inside one of the new office buildings for which it will break ground in the fall.

Amazon will give roughly half of the six-story building to the shelter, providing it with 47,000 square feet of space with private rooms that can hold 65 families, or about 220 people and their pets. The facility, expected to open in early 2020, will have its own entrance and elevators.

I see it as this huge gift because everywhere we go, we end up leaving, said Marty Hartman, the executive director of Marys Place, which runs seven transitional shelters around the Seattle area meant to house families until they can find permanent homes. You come in and become a fabric of the neighborhood youre in, and then you say goodbye. Thats a hard thing for a lot of people to do.

In an interview at the current Marys Place site owned by Amazon, which was bustling with families returning to the shelter for the evening, John Schoettler, Amazons vice president for global real estate and facilities, said the company would spend tens of millions of dollars on the design and construction of the shelters portion of the building. Amazon will pay the utilities for Marys Place, which will occupy the space rent free, although the organization will continue to pay its own staff.

Schoettler said Amazon originally allowed the shelter to stay in the motel because of the severity of Seattles homelessness crisis, which had prompted the citys mayor to declare a state of emergency in 2015. Schoettler said Amazon was impressed by Marys Place, and he described its plan to give the shelter a permanent home as an investment in the neighborhood.

In San Francisco, Google, Salesforce and others have funded a campaign to find permanent housing for homeless people. But Nan Roman, president of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, a nonprofit advocacy group in Washington, D.C., said she was unaware of any other private corporation integrating a homeless shelter into its building.

Too often, homelessness gets pushed to the other side of the tracks, Roman said. Keeping them as neighbors is nice.

In Seattle, the plan could also help burnish Amazons image, which has taken some hits, including being a target of antigentrification activists.

Amazon has also been bashed for being disengaged from civic life relative to local stalwarts known for their philanthropic giving, like Boeing, Microsoft and Starbucks. More recently, that has begun to change, with gifts like Amazons $10 million donation for the construction of a computer science building at the University of Washington.

Its reputation in Seattle has certainly suffered, said Alan Durning, executive director of Sightline Institute, a nonprofit research organization focused on the Pacific Northwest. Doing things like this may be in its enlightened self-interest, right on site for the world to see.

Amazon is also a different company from just a few years ago. It has 30,000 employees in the city, making it Seattles largest private employer, and it has transformed large swaths of the downtown and South Lake Union neighborhoods.

While the company not long ago consistently lost money, Amazon now regularly turns a profit thanks to its lucrative cloud-computing business, giving it more financial breathing room for activities like philanthropy.

Seattles homelessness crisis has also worsened, with tent encampments sprouting up by the side of freeways, under bridges and in parks. The surrounding King County area had the third-largest homeless population in the country last year, after New York and Los Angeles, according to an annual report to Congress by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

More than 10,000 people are homeless in the area, with more than 4,000 of them living on the streets, the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness estimated in a report last year.

One of the residents of Marys Place, Patricia Abbott, a mother of four, said she became homeless after losing her job when her son was injured and she needed to tend to his medical needs. She has been at the facility for six months and learned of Amazons support for the organization at the shelters Christmas party when she received an American Girl doll for one of her children from the company.

Theres people out there who really do care, Abbott said.

Schoettler said he proposed the plan to let the shelter remain at a meeting in January of Amazons senior leadership, including CEO Jeff Bezos. Schoettler made the invitation to Hartman of Marys Place last week, she said in an interview on Monday.

Its permanent, Schoettler said, pausing for a moment before adding, until homelessness is solved.

Nick Wingfield is a New York Times writer.
Lawyers suing Wells Fargo on behalf of aggrieved customers say the bank may have opened about 3.5 million unauthorized accounts, far more than the figure that bank and regulators disclosed last year.

In a court filing late Thursday, lawyers representing customers told a federal judge in San Francisco that they believe bank workers created 3.5 million unauthorized accounts over the last 15 years, based on public information, negotiations, and confirmatory discovery. The bank had put the total at about 2 million possibly unauthorized accounts.

Bank spokesman Ruben Pulido said the new claim is unverified and only an estimate.

The unauthorized account numbers reported in the filing are ... based on a hypothetical scenario and have not been verified, Pulido said. The number of unauthorized accounts estimated in the filing do not reflect actual unauthorized accounts.

Pulido declined further comment and the bank has not disclosed its own revised estimation.

Wells Fargo said last month that its review showed bogus accounts being opened as far back as 2002.

The San Francisco bank has seen declines in new accounts and branch traffic, and has been working to restore the trust of its customers since the practices came to light. The biggest scandal in the banks history led to the abrupt retirement of its CEO, John Stumpf. In response to the scandal, Wells has changed its sales practices, ousted other executives and contacted tens of millions of customers to check on whether they truly opened the accounts in question.

The bank initially agreed to pay $110 million to settle claims dating back to 2009. But it agreed to add $32 million to the settlement to include claims starting in May 2002.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

The new estimate was based on the expanded time frame and was included as part the customers lawyers request that the judge approve the proposed settlement. A hearing is scheduled for next week.

After paying attorneys fees, the $142 million will first go to cover any customers out-of-pocket losses or fees that they may have incurred due to the unauthorized accounts. All remaining money will be split among the all affected customers.

Paul Elias is an Associated Press writer.
A string of mysterious car fire throughout Contra Costa County, including two that occurred in Lafayette on Friday, have authorities on the hunt for a serial arsonist, officials said.

At least 12 car fires have occurred in the county since the first of the year, said Fire Marshal Robert Marshall of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.

Fires are occurring all over the county, Marshall said. We believe it to be the same person or group of people.

Two cars were set ablaze early Friday in Lafayette.

The first was reported at 2:06 a.m. at the intersection of Juanita Drive and Saranap Avenue. The second occurred about 10 minutes later and just a mile and a half away on the 1100 block of Crescenta Court, Marshall said.

These are established neighborhoods that have trees and vegetation, Marshall said, adding that the fires present a danger because theyre capable of spreading.

On Monday, firefighters extinguished a car fire on Fraga Court in Martinez, Marshall said. Two days later, there was a car fire in Walnut Creek on LeRoy Lane, followed by another on nearby Padre Street in Lafayette.

Two other vehicle blazes that broke out in Brentwood on Thursday caused additional concern when they were set ablaze in the driveways of the homes  one of which was under the bedroom of a 6-year-old girl, Marshall said.

All of the car fires appear to be related, Marshall said.

No injuries reported from the fires. Marshall said the cars targeted were all destroyed.

The overnight hours is when we see these fires, Marshall added.

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.

Marshall warned residents to report any unusual behavior in their neighborhoods.

Even if its in the middle of the day, you never know if somebody is going to come back and see what work they did, he said.

Anyone with information can contact the the countys Arson Tip Line at (866) 50-ARSON.
Paul Chinn / The Chronicle

A Suisun City man killed a motorcyclist when he crashed into him while driving drunk in Richmond early Saturday, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Kevin Mauricio Paredes-Orozco, 31, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence, reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident in connection with a hit-and-run on Interstate 80.
NOGALES, Ariz.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions toured the U.S.-Mexico border Tuesday and unveiled what he described as a new get-tough approach to immigration prosecutions under President Trump.

The nations top law enforcement official outlined a series of changes that he said mark the start of a new era to rid American cities and the border of what he described as filth brought on by drug cartels and criminal organizations.

He announced the changes at a news conference following a morning tour of the border that included visiting a port of entry. He later visited with Customs and Border Protection officers and agents.

Sessions credited Trump for a steep drop-off of border apprehensions this year and said the administration will bring more felony prosecutions against immigrants entering the country illegally.

This is a new era. This is the Trump era, he said. The lawlessness, the abdication of the duty to enforce our immigration laws, and the catch and release practices of old are over.

He said all prosecutors would carefully protect the civil rights of people charged with crimes, and he defended Trumps proposed border wall, saying it will be another tool to fight illegal immigration.

Sessions has been expanding the Justice Departments role in the anti-immigration agenda of the Trump administration. But his speech Tuesday during his first visit to the border offered the most comprehensive look yet at his plans for federal prosecutions of those in the country illegally.

He directed the nations federal prosecutors in a Tuesday memo to prioritize immigration-related cases, with an eye toward targeting people who cross the border illegally and those who come back after being deported.

Sessions urged federal prosecutors to intensify their focus on immigration crimes such as illegal crossing or smuggling others into the U.S., even though such prosecutions are already happening on a large scale. Half of federal arrests in 2014 were for immigration-related offenses, according to a Pew Research analysis released this week, based on the most recent federal statistics.

Critics blasted the initiatives announced by Sessions as fear-mongering and anti-immigrant rhetoric not rooted in facts.

Once again, Attorney General Sessions is scaring the public by linking immigrants to criminals despite studies showing that immigrants commit crimes at lower rates than the native born. He and President Trump are wasting more federal taxpayer dollars going after illegal border crossers instead of protecting the American public, said Gregory Z. Chen, director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Astrid Galvan is an Associated Press writer.
The suspicion was unmistakable: President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey in a brazen attempt to disrupt an investigation of his campaigns relationship with Russia.

All the confusion about this has been sown by Trump and his aides, who offered a by now familiar flurry of contradictions and digressions that appeared designed to obfuscate and distract from that bald move to fire the man pursuing an investigation Trump has called  a hoax.

The administration initially characterized Comeys dismissal Tuesday as a result of newly minted Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosensteins dispassionate dismay at Comeys handling of the investigation of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. The American people were thereby asked to believe that six months after the Clinton probe concluded, and three months after Trumps inauguration, the president and his aides were strenuously objecting to the events that may well have put them in power.

Not only was this absurd on its face; it was immediately undermined by numerous accounts from within the White House and, in the span of two days, by Trump himself. On Thursday, thoroughly contradicting the official explanations of subordinates ranging from a deputy press secretary to Vice President Mike Pence, Trump told NBCs Lester Holt that he intended to fire Comey in any case and acknowledged the Russia investigations role in his decision. Trump later underscored his motive, and the Nixonian overtones of the whole affair, with a tweet warning Comey not to talk to reporters lest he produce tapes of their conversations that may or may not exist.

Trumps disdain for the truth reached its illogical conclusion Friday, when he took to Twitter to declare the impossibility of providing accurate information and question the need for daily White House press briefings. While abandoning even the pretense of engagement with reporters would mark a dark day indeed for American democracy, the spectacle of Fridays briefing, like many in recent months, did not put the tradition in its best light. At one point, press secretary Sean Spicer repeatedly asserted that former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper had said there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, even as NBCs Kristen Welker correctly and repeatedly reminded him that Clapper had said no such thing.

The administrations through-the-looking-glass communications strategy diverts attention not only from the obstruction of the Russia investigation but also from its gathering weight. After all, this was the week that former acting Attorney General Sally Yates, the first top law enforcement official Trump fired, testified that 18 days before Trump grudgingly dismissed national security adviser Michael Flynn, she had warned the White House that he could be compromised by his Russian contacts. And it was also the week that Trump met behind closed doors with Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, the very Russian official with whom undisclosed meetings led to Flynns ouster and Attorney General Jeff Sessions recusal from the FBI investigation  apparently forgotten by the time Sessions advice was cited along with Rosensteins to explain why Comey, the man leading that investigation, was fired.

Given such plainly troubling facts, its no wonder Trump has no use for them.
Historians will tell you that Adolf Hitler was not plagued by leakers and anonymous sources within his government. Joseph Goebbels did not routinely race to the Frankfurter Zeitung to plant embarrassing or inconvenient information about the boss. Stalin, likewise, didnt rail against anonymous saboteurs within his inner circle. Well, maybe he did now that I think about it, but he usually allayed such concerns by having those people killed or sent to the Gulag. But he didnt kill them for leaking to the press, because there was no press in any meaningful sense to leak to.

In other words, for the people who seem to think that Donald Trump is an authoritarian tyrant, the fact that his administration has been plagued by leaks and anonymous sources talking out of school should be oddly reassuring.

At the same time, the roaring torrent of leaks from the White House is extremely dismaying for many Trump supporters, starting with Trump himself. His decision to fire FBI Director James Comey was reportedly driven in part by his belief that Comey wasnt doing more to hunt down leakers.

In some instances, Trump is right to be angry. The leaking of classified information, including transcripts of his conversations with foreign leaders, is illegal and dangerous.

But in other cases, Trumps anger is directed at members of his own staff and probably his own family, who use the media to undermine competitors in the administration. Senior adviser Steve Bannon uses his old website, Breitbart.com, to throw brickbats at his enemies. Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and a sort of prince regent in the Trump administration, is widely believed to use MSNBCs Morning Joe for similar purposes.

The whole spectacle is actually pretty hilarious. They shouldnt be allowed to use sources unless they use somebodys name, Trump thundered in a speech in February. Let their name be put out there. A few weeks later, Trump met in the Oval Office with news anchors who attributed his comments to a senior administration official. Indeed, the president frequently calls reporters  Americans he describes as enemies of the people  on background, doling out dollops of anonymous information.

Of course, thats not new. All presidents do it. And all administrations give the press information thats not for attribution.

Whats new in this White House is not the phenomenon of leaking but the scope and nature of it. After every meeting, participants race to their phones to put their anonymous spin on what happened. The reports read like parody. The Washington Posts in-depth story on the Comey firing was based on the private accounts of more than 30 officials at the White House, the Justice Department, the FBI and on Capitol Hill, as well as Trump confidants and other senior Republicans.

On Twitter it is common to see people dismiss any inconvenient leak as fake news  the presidents favorite term for any inconvenient or unflattering coverage. What seems lost on his knee-jerk defenders is that these leaks are coming from the presidents own handpicked team. Ive gotten calls from members of the administration on background, and Im not even a political reporter, never mind a particularly sympathetic columnist.

What explains it? Beyond the normal messaging there are several answers. Some reporters Ive talked to note that few people in the Trump White House have much experience working in a White House, contributing to the shocking lack of internal discipline and clear lines of authority.

Some reporters tell me its simply (posterior)-covering. Maintaining good relationships with the press is an insurance policy. Its always useful to have friends in the media, particularly if an administration goes off the rails. Being able to tell reporters, Well, you know it wasnt me when stuff hits the fan could save your career. Another explanation is that this kind of palace-intrigue reporting has become a staple of the new media climate.

All these explanations are probably true. But I think the problem ultimately goes back to the president himself. He thrives on drama, particularly drama he creates. He cares about, and monitors, media coverage like no president in American history. Trump likes to pit subordinates against each other, which encourages staffers to be free agents. This dynamic is exacerbated by his glandular zigzagging on policies and his failure to provide a consistent philosophical or policy agenda beyond make the boss look good. In short, he values loyalty above all else but offers few incentives for it.

Jonah Goldberg is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a senior editor of National Review. Email: goldbergcolumn@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter @JonahNRO.)
Americans who came of age after World War II have enjoyed living in a republic with a certain sense of invincibility. Sure, there were challenges  the Cold War, Vietnam, Watergate, 9/11  but nothing comparable to the existential threat to our freedom and way of life that summoned the the Greatest Generation to save civilization from an encroachment of fascism. The red flags of the threats from within, from McCarthyism hysteria to Nixonian overreach, were recognized and checked before they metastasized into irreversible harm to our democratic institutions.

Now comes another test of our systems resiliency.

The actions of the 45th U.S. president, Donald J. Trump, have challenged us to defend the defining traits of the great American experiment in ways we have rarely confronted. He has scoffed at the conclusion reached by every U.S. intelligence agency that Russia tried to interfere in the 2016 election. He has called investigations into suspicions that his campaign colluded with the Russians a hoax and a taxpayer funded charade motivated by sore losers.

Then, in a move of stunning audacity, last week he fired FBI Director James Comey, who was leading that investigation. It was reminiscent of Oct. 20, 1973, when President Richard Nixon ordered the firing of the Watergate prosecutor in the Saturday Night Massacre.

The red flags are rippling anew.

Trump has claimed that Comey assured him that he was not a subject of the investigation. Trump told NBC News last week that he posed the question during a dinner meeting in which Topic A was Comeys desire to stay on as FBI director.

Consider the implication. A president, holding the power to retain or fire an FBI director, sought inside information about his personal status in one of the most significant and politically sensitive investigations in the land. Remember, obstruction of justice was Article I in the 1974 impeachment case against Nixon and Article III in the 1998 impeachment of President Bill Clinton.

If a local mayor was under investigation and he fired the police chief and the city manager, most people would say, That stinks. Thats not how it works in this country. said Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Dublin.

I reached out to Swalwell and Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, each a member of the House Intelligence Committee, which has been looking into the Trump-Russia allegations.

In many respects it is  how do I put this?  a textbook analysis of how to destroy a democracy, Speier said. If you look at the things hes done: Hes sowed discontent, dismay, disregard, disillusionment in the American people. He has undermined the media. ... He has this sense of omnipotence that is not well placed.

Swalwell added three more Ds: deceive, distract, disrupt.

Speier cited Trumps attacks on the judiciary and his scapegoating of minorities  specifically mentioning the travel ban from selected nations with Muslim-majority populations  as further attempts to undermine the traditions of pluralism and democracy.

Swalwell has been gathering co-sponsors  he just gained his second Republican last week  for legislation to create an independent commission to look into the Russian meddling in the 2016 election. If we do nothing, if we create a permissive environment for adversaries to carry out interference in campaigns like that, were going to lose the free and fair elections that we cherish, he said. Part of what makes our country special is that we have spirited fights all the way to the ballot box, but once a winner is declared, the losing side accepts the result and the winning side is able to govern with legitimacy.

A cloud engulfs the Trump presidency, not because any objective analysis has concluded that the Russian interference decided the result, but because of Trumps curious coziness with Russias government and the Trump family empires potential financial entanglements.

The 800-pound gorilla is: How much does Russia have on the president? Speier said.

If there is a note of optimism from the two House Intelligence Committee members, it comes from the decided uptick they have seen in public interest and participation. Swalwell detected the surge of resistance in the pink hats for the womens march he saw coming off planes at Dulles Airport right after the Trump inauguration. Speier recently drew 1,900 people at a town hall at a middle school in Half Moon Bay.

People are anxious in our country, Swalwell said. Their faith in critical pillars of our democracy has been shaken.

The framers of the U.S. Constitution created three equal branches of government for moments like this: to assure the rule of law would prevail over the whims of any ruler.

John Diaz is The Chronicles editorial page editor. Email: jdiaz@sfchronicle.com

This is America? Open challenges to a free press

President Trump has called journalists enemies of the American people. The war against truth is on:

Reporter arrested

What happened: Reporter Dan Heyman of Public News Service persistently tried to question Tom Price, Trumps secretary of health and human services, about the GOPs overhaul of Obamacare as he headed to a meeting at the state Capitol in Charleston, W.Va., last week. Heymans inquiry: Prices response to domestic violence being a pre-existing condition in the new legislation.

Twist: Heyman was handcuffed by the state Capitol Police and charged with willful disruption of governmental processes. He spent eight hours in jail before being released on $5,000 bail.

Upshot: This criminalization of a reporter practicing journalism is more typical of a banana republic.

Disinformation

What happened: The White House claimed Wednesday that Trump acted on the strong recommendation of two top officials in the Justice Department in firing FBI Director James Comey. This talking point was repeated by a spokeswoman at an official White House briefing and on Capitol Hill by Vice President Mike Pence.

Twist: In an interview with NBC News, Trump openly contradicted them. He said he had made the decision to fire Comey, and it would have gone forward regardless of what the Justice officials had recommended. News reports suggested that Trumps actions may have been motivated by Comeys request for more resources for the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Upshot: Who should Americans believe? This administrations credibility is shot.

Russians first

What happened: On the day after Comey was fired, the White House press corps was kept out of a meeting between Trump, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russias ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak  whose interactions with Trump campaign officials have been the subject of various investigations.

Twist: Photos from the meeting from Itar-Tass, the state-owned news agency, emerged in Russian media.

Upshot: The Russians got their trophy shots. The White House, claiming it did not think the photos would be published, alleges it was tricked. The most favorable interpretation: Its not a good look to be duped on your home turf when youre president of the United States.
ARLINGTON, Texas  Josh Phegley came off the seven-day concussion disabled list Friday, giving the As three catchers, at least until left-hander Sean Manaea returns from the DL on Monday to start at Seattle.

Phegley said he had concussion symptoms for only two days after taking a foul ball off the mask at Minnesota and has felt fine since.

Great, Phegley said. Its good to be back.

Bruce Maxwell appeared as if he might be the next catcher on the concussion list after getting dazed by a foul ball off the mask Wednesday, but he has passed every concussion test, including impact tests Friday that measured his ability to remember photos and patterns.

Everything is cool, Im tracking balls well, Maxwell said. Just a minor scare. Ive caught four games up here and got hit in the face every game. I got crushed the other night.

Maxwell turned to Texas catcher Jonathan Lucroy for advice Friday; Lucroy has had several lengthy stints on the DL because of concussions.

Lucroy told me the best mask on the market when it comes to concussion prevention and testing is the one he has, a new model made with magnesium and he uses bigger pads that cover his mouth, too, because when he got hit last year, the bar hit him in the mouth, Maxwell said. So I called All-Star (equipment company) right away and ordered one.

Maxwell was expected to be sent to Triple-A Nashville upon Phegleys return, but because right-hander Jharel Cotton was demoted Thursday in advance of Manaeas return, there is an extra roster spot, giving manager Bob Melvin a four-man bench.

With three catchers, Melvin can pinch-hit without taking the risk of having no catchers available in the event of an injury. It allows me to make more moves in-game which were a little more comfortable with, Melvin said.

Manaea, who left his April 26 start after two innings with shoulder tightness, should be around the 90-pitch mark against the Mariners. Hell get an extra day of rest after his rehab outing Tuesday.

Melvin said that reliever John Axford (shoulder) will make a rehab appearance with Triple-A Nashville on Saturday.

Susan Slusser is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.

On deck

Saturday

at Rangers

5:05 p.m. NBCSCA

Gray (0-1) vs. Martinez (0-2)

Sunday

at Rangers

12:05 p.m. NBCSCA

Graveman (2-2) vs. Griffin (4-0)

Monday

at Seattle

7:10 p.m. NBCSCA

Manaea (1-2) vs.

TBA

Leading off

Sugar rush: The As have been using Skittles, which they have redubbed Hittles, as a rally prop since a fan gave them some during spring training; Friday, the company sent several boxes of the candy to the clubhouse.

 Susan Slusser
Berkeley Police Department

Investigators have tracked down a cache of a half million dollars worth of cosmetics stolen from Walgreens and CVS stores throughout the Bay Area, and arrested two people on suspicion of buying the pilfered merchandise, officials said Friday.

Rosa Jimenez, 43, and and Enrique Rodriguez, 50, both of San Leandro, were arrested Wednesday when police found the loot in their home and storage unit, according to the Berkeley Police Department.
Peace walk: In honor of Mothers Day, a walk on the Golden Gate Bridge to build bridges, not bombs. Marchers will gather on either end of the bridge at noon and meet in the middle. For information: www.indybay.org/newsitems/2017/05/10/18799306.php.

Indivisible: A general meeting to plan weekly actions. The meeting is from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church, 1661 15th St., San Francisco. For information: http://bit.ly/2q6ZhRY.

Monday

Roundtable: Bay Area political journalists, including The Chronicles Joe Garofoli, discuss the second 100 days of the Trump presidency. It starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Commonwealth Club, 555 Post St., San Francisco. For information: http://bit.ly/2r425wN.

Wednesday

Conversation: A discussion about how social media play into political mobilization and change the nature of protests. The event is from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the World Affairs Auditorium, 312 Sutter St., Suite 200, San Francisco. For information: http://bit.ly/2q5SZCF.

Thursday

Abortion rights: NARAL Pro-Choice America holds a happy hour to raise funds to support its fight for reproductive freedom. The event is from 6-8 p.m. at Tank18, 1345 Howard St., San Francisco. For tickets: http://naral.org/menforchoicesf.

Farming film: A screening of Sunu, a documentary about the struggle of Mexican farmers to grow traditional, non-genetically modified corn. The screening is from 7-9 p.m. at the Arlene Francis Center, 99 Sixth St., Santa Rosa. For information, contact Occupy Sonoma County at (707) 877-6650 or www.occupysonomacounty.org.

May 21

Peace talk: A conversation with Susan Griffin, author of more than 20 books, on the topic How War Erodes and Destroys Democracies. Hosted by the Womens International League for Peace and Freedom. The free event is from 3-5 p.m. at the Ed Roberts Campus, 3075 Adeline St., Berkeley. For information: www.wilpfeastbay.org.

May 24

Fake news: A conversation with Joaquin Alvarado, CEO of the Center for Investigative Reporting, on the obligation of the government and media to filter fake news. The event is from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the World Affairs Auditorium, 312 Sutter St., Suite 200, San Francisco. For information: http://bit.ly/2qw0OCF.

May 27

Immigration discussion: The Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity will host a discussion on immigration, followed by postcard writing to support social justice. The event is from 10 a.m.-noon at Northern Police Station Community Room, 1125 Fillmore St., San Francisco. For information: info@owlsf.org.
One day after a civil grand jury recommended the ouster of the Contra Costa County District attorney who had admitted to a host of campaign finance violations, the union representing dozens of county prosecutors voted Friday to affirm the panels decision.

The seven-member board of the Contra Costa County District Attorneys Association voted unanimously that it had no confidence in District Attorney Mark Peterson, meaning they believe he should step down, said Aron DeFerrari, the boards president.

I know that as a group were extremely disappointed in what Mr. Peterson has done, and we take the recommendation of the civil grand jury very seriously, DeFerrari said. As prosecutors, we place a great deal of trust in jurors.

The boards unprecedented vote in the county  which pits the union directly against their own boss  is largely symbolic and has no legal implications, but it levies more public pressure on Peterson to step down. The district attorney has been fending off calls for his resignation since he admitted in December to inappropriately spending more than $66,000 of his campaign money on himself.

The recommendation of the grand jury, though, does have a legal impact. Their findings will next go before a Contra Costa County Superior Court judge, who has the discretion of either appointing a special prosecutor or assigning the case to a willing district attorney from a neighboring county.

If Peterson is found guilty at trial  a process that could take well over a year  he would be removed from office. No criminal charges have been filed against him.

Though Peterson later repaid the misspent campaign funds, along with a hefty fine, and acknowledged his mistakes, a grand jury cited his willful misconduct and recommended his removal from office in the Thursday filing. A spokeswoman for Peterson declined to comment Thursday and did not immediately return a request for comment Friday.

The union board cast its no-confidence vote during an emergency meeting at 8 a.m. Friday.

The board plans to meet Tuesday with the entire union membership, consisting of 90 deputy district attorneys, to discuss the no-confidence vote in Peterson. The union will collectively vote on whether to affirm the recommendation of its board on May 22, DeFerrari said.

Board members were concerned about possible consequences stemming from their vote, considering they had essentially determined that their own boss should be fired.

If were retaliated against, were retaliated against, DeFerrari said. Theres a lot of concern amongst the membership that taking action against the boss, the DA, could jeopardize peoples careers.

DeFerrari emphasized the importance, and the rarity, of a grand jury issuing such a finding against a public official, saying he believed the jury speaks for the people of the county.

The grand jurys report specifically cited 600 instances, or transactions, that Peterson admitted to making from his campaign funds over a four-year period beginning in 2011, referring to them as malfeasance.

Peterson  who spent the money on hotel stays, movie tickets and phone bills, among other expenses  later repaid the funds in full after a state audit was announced.

The district attorney, who served as the treasurer of his own campaign committee until 2015, told The Chronicle in a December statement that he was humbled and embarrassed by my mistakes, for which I take full responsibility, and I apologize for my regrettable errors.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @michael_bodley
Firefighters were summoned to a Danville high school after a chemical concoction, cooked up during a third-period science class, went rogue.

The San Ramon Valley Fire Department were called to Monte Vista High School at 11:15 a.m. on Friday after a science experiment began producing a high volume of gas, according to battalion chief Dan McNamara.

A student told the East Bay Times that while presenting a project on the Briggs-Rauscher reaction, his mixture of household chemicals turned a dark shade of purple, rather than the expected dark blue.

"My teacher thought it wasn't anything bad since it was such a small rate of gas. Then it began to get worse and more gas began coming out," the student told the Times.

The science teacher promptly evacuated the classroom and the rest of the science building until the fire department arrived to evaluate the scene. Twenty-two students and one teacher were given physical evaluations, and none were transported.

About 1:30 p.m., students and staff had the all clear to re-enter the building.

McNamara says the department has had "a few calls like this," most of which are precautionary.

Read Michelle Robertsons latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.
AC Transit announced the terms of its deal with Oaklands school district that allowed for a one-year extension of bus service to three schools in the Oakland hills.

Though AC transit board members voted Wednesday in favor of extending service through the 2017-2018 school year, the transit agency did not at that time specify the terms.

On Friday, a transit agency spokesman, Robert Lyles, said the short-term compromise includes $1 million in new funding  $500,000 pledged by the school district and the other $500,000 coming from the regional Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

The school district still owes AC Transit about $700,000 in back bills, though, Lyles said  an amount that was not forgiven in the extension deal.

The bus service to Skyline High, Montera Middle and Community Day schools will also benefit from $900,000 worth of new efficiencies  including altering school schedules to allow AC Transit to use some of the same buses for two schools at once, said John Sasaki, a spokesman for the school district.

Schedules at the three schools could be moved either forward or backward by as much as 35 minutes a day, Sasaki said. The maneuver could free up as many as 12 buses, he said, cutting costs for AC Transit.

It would just help in the overall scheme of things to make everything more efficient for AC Transit and enable us to do the same job with fewer buses, Sasaki said.

The future of the three bus lines had been threatened after the school district abruptly stopped paying for the $2.25 million-a-year service in January, saying that after 20 years of the arrangement officials realized they were paying fees that AC Transit did not charge in other counties.

AC Transit has contested that, claiming the three lines to the Oakland hills schools cost $3 million a year alone to run  far more than comparable services in other counties.

More than a dozen stakeholder groups along with Oakland government officials joined together to strike the one-year compromise, but AC Transit warned that more work needs to be done.

Without a long term financial fix this threat to supplementary service looms next year, AC Transit General Manager Michael Hursh said in a statement.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com
A San Francisco couple whose home in the Marina district sits atop the remains of an old Pacific Gas and Electric Co. gas plant have sued the utility, saying contamination from the facility threatens the health of their young children.

In the suit, filed Tuesday, Dalene Bramer and Joseph Gabany also say the contamination has prevented them from expanding the home as planned or using its backyard as a play area for the children.

The couple want PG&E to clean up the site and pay damages, with the amount to be determined in court.

Its time for PG&E to own their toxic waste site and do the right thing here, Bramer said, in a statement released by the couples lawyer, Stuart Gross. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco.

PG&E has spent the past seven years taking soil samples in the Marina, where the company used to run two plants that manufactured a fuel similar to natural gas, using coal and sometimes oil as the raw material. Both plants, built in the late 1800s, were largely destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and were later demolished to make way for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition.

The utility has found soil tainted with such cancer-causing chemicals as benzene and naphthalene. PG&E has scooped out and replaced contaminated earth from 18 properties in the neighborhood, though it has not done so for Bramer and Gabanys home. In eight of those cases, the utility took the highly unusual step of buying the homes to get at the tainted dirt. The company then resold two of the homes after finishing its cleanup.

PG&E declined to comment specifically on the lawsuit.

While we dont believe these sites pose a health concern, we want to work together with each property owner to address any potential remediation needs specific to their property, said company spokesman Jeff Smith.

Bramer and Gabany, in their complaint, say they did not know about the former gas plants or the contamination when they bought the house on North Point Street in 2009, the year before PG&Es testing and cleanup program in the Marina began.

They were planning a family at the time and wanted the homes sizable backyard  a rarity in San Francisco  as a play space for their future children. The couple now have 4-year-old twins.

According to the complaint, Bramer and Gabany negotiated with PG&E for more than a year on the types of soil tests to be conducted, with the couple insisting that the earth be tested for lead. PG&E initially refused to test for lead, the complaint says. Although lead has been found at other manufactured-gas plant sites, testing and cleanup efforts at these types of plants nationwide usually focus on toxic polyaromatic hydrocarbons instead.

Soil samples from the property were tested for lead, in addition to polyaromatic hydrocarbons, last year. The tests found dangerous levels of both types of contamination, with lead levels 56 times higher than California regulators consider safe, according to the suit. The contamination started less than a foot below the grounds surface.

The complaint says PG&E told the couple that any lead found on the site did not come from the gas plant.

Gross, the couples lawyer, could not be reached for comment.

David R. Baker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dbaker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DavidBakerSF
WASHINGTON  Steve Jobs made Apple into a top American retailer by designing crisp, modern stores with features reminiscent of the companys products. Glass boxes and aluminum panels abounded.

But as Apple moves to turn its stores into experiences  places for concerts, art exhibitions and photography classes  the tech giant has begun to pursue distinctive yet familiar buildings that its customers might admire as well.

In Washington, Apple has set its sights squarely on the Carnegie Library in Mount Vernon Square. One of thousands of libraries built nationwide with funds donated by steel tycoon and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, it opened in 1903 as the first desegregated public building in the city.

Apple officials say they plan to restore the building to its original grandeur and outfit Carnegie as a place to hold free concerts, art exhibitions, workshops for teachers and coding classes for children.

Trial programs at other Apple Stores have included presentations from community artists and photographers, as well as concerts and talks by bigger names  the hip-hop producer RZA led an Art of Beatmaking session at the Apple Store in Brooklyn last fall. The company plans to release a schedule of events around the country this month.

The ultimate goal, of course, is to sell more iPhones and iPads. Where the Carnegie Library once housed the citys book collection, Apple plans a Genius Grove, a tree-lined sales floor where associates will show customers how to make the best use of Apple products for music, photography or other passions. The Cupertino company already operates a Genius Grove in its flagship San Francisco Apple Store on Union Square.

This is a way of creating a reason to come to the store, to touch and feel our products, but also to have an engaging experience with someone who is passionate about the same thing, said B.J. Siegel, the senior design director for Apples retail division.

Finding historic buildings with stories rooted in their communities are part and parcel to the experience Apple is trying to create, Siegel said. The company has opened stores in a former restaurant bay in New Yorks Grand Central Terminal, in a Depression-era brick storefront in Brooklyn, and in a 130-year-old former bank in Paris.

Rather than plastering the buildings with the familiar logo, Apples designers say they will focus on restoring the buildings historic character. It can take a little work to find the stores signs and logo  which is the point.

For us, it wasnt about coming in and leaving our mark, Siegel said. It was about bringing the history back out and respecting it.

Weve discovered that big, garish logos on historic buildings dont work very well, so often we try to find more subtle ways to brand the building.

That couldnt be further from the failed strategy of the previous pursuit of the Carnegie Building. The International Spy Museum proposed moving into the building more than three years ago, but it sought to double the size of the 63,000-square-foot structure by adding two expansive, glass-encased wings. The Historic Preservation Review Board turned the proposal away.

Apple does plan to install a skylight in the Carnegie Buildings roof above a central events area, and there are bound to be questions about handing one of the citys more cherished buildings to a corporation.

But there is wide agreement among officials that the Carnegie Building could be better used. Despite its visible location, it serves mainly as an office space for the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., and as a venue for the occasional wedding or reception organized by Events DC, which manages the building.

When Apple signed a letter of intent in December to lease the building, Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a statement saying that an Apple Store there could link D.C.s rich history to our continued economic renaissance, will demonstrate the strength of our retail market, and will tell companies across the globe that the District is open for business.

Even the Historical Society isnt going anywhere; Siegel said that Apple considers it a benefit to have such a unique community institution as a neighbor, and that the organization would maintain offices on the second floor. Gregory ODell, president and chief executive of Events DC, said he is working to support Apple with its plans as well as our partners in the Historical Society.

Apple is scheduled to present its plans to the areas Advisory Neighborhood Commission on Monday evening.

In New York, Apple picked up a historic preservation award for its work restoring the sort of buildings that, in Jobs era, it would not have considered.

Angela Ahrendts, Apples senior vice president for retail, considers it essential to the companys future that it be more than a place to buy things.

Starbucks figured it out, for being a gathering place, right? Meet me at Starbucks, Ahrendts told CBS in a recent interview.

Ive told my teams, Ill know weve done a great job if the next generation ... says, Meet me at Apple.

Jonathan OConnell is a Washington Post writer.
The retail landscape is littered with the casualties of changing consumer behavior. Shoppers are looking for bargains online, department stores are struggling, and once-mainstay brands are closing permanently.

Then there is Stitch Fix, a mail-order clothing service that offers customers little choice in what garments they receive, and shies away from discounts for brand name dresses, pants and accessories.

Despite a business model that seems to defy conventional wisdom, Stitch Fix continues to grow.

For the fiscal year that ended in July, the company recorded sales of $730 million. It has been profitable since 2014 and has raised just $42 million from outside investors, a relatively modest sum for a high-flying Silicon Valley startup.

And while Stitch Fix executives say they have no specific plans to go public, the company is well positioned to file for an initial public offering as soon as this year.

Should Stitch Fix go public, it would be the biggest retail offering since Etsy two years ago. Perhaps more important, it would be a Silicon Valley rarity: a profitable company that did not raise money at a sky-high valuation, and one that could potentially tap the public markets at a price many times greater than its current value.

Stitch Fix is not the first company to try this business model. Similar startups, from clothing rival Trunk Club to cosmetics specialist Birchbox, have found a market mailing consumers a grab bag of items and offering free returns for anything unwanted.

But many such startups have had trouble keeping costs down, and customers around. Nordstrom, which bought Trunk Club in 2014 for a reported $350 million, wrote down nearly $200 million from the business value last year.

Those businesses have mostly struggled to grow and remain profitable over a long period of time, said Mark Cohen, a professor at Columbia Business School who previously served as CEO of Sears Canada. Will a loyalist want to receive this every month? Is anyone interested in consuming this much apparel and accessories?

So far, Stitch Fix has found success where other online clothing startups have struggled. To the companys founder, Katrina Lake, success comes down to delivering what consumers want: making it easier to shop.

Theres been a lot of innovation around being the cheapest or fastest, she said in an interview at a Stitch Fix warehouse in South San Francisco. In her view, what was important was helping customers find clothing they liked without taking lengthy shopping trips and returning dozens of items.

Stitch Fix was founded in 2011 and was initially run out of Lakes apartment in Cambridge, Mass. At first the company catered only to women, but has since expanded to offer mens clothing, plus sizes and maternity wear.

Each box contains a handful of selections from trendy brands like Citizens of Humanity, Scotch & Soda and Barbour. Up next is a luxury level featuring clothes from higher-end labels like Theory, with prices from $150 to about $500 per item.

Expansion plans like that drive home the diverging fortunes of struggling traditional retailers and fast-growing online rivals.

Online retailers who sell luxury products for less are undercutting sales at high-end department stores like Neiman Marcus. Nordstrom recently announced layoffs and told investors it plans to focus on e-commerce, despite its Trunk Club write-down. And J. Crew, which has hundreds of stores around the country, has suffered three straight years of losses and is deeply in debt.

While early e-commerce startups like One Kings Lane, Gilt Groupe and Fab were failures for investors, the category has picked up steam in the past few years as traditional retailers have looked to startups to lift their businesses. Walmart bouth Jet for $3 billion. Last year, the subscription razor service Dollar Shave Club was sold to Unilever for $1 billion. And the online pet store Chewy.com was acquired by PetSmart, reportedly for more than $3 billion. Some startups have also moved away from models that compete for customers on price or rely on fads, like flash sales.

Stitch Fixs pitch is straightforward enough: Trust the company to pick out your tops, bottoms, shoes or accessories for you.

When customers sign up, they fill out an extensive form detailing style preferences, clothing needs and price points. The startups algorithms then churn out a set of potential choices, which one of its 3,400 stylists  most of them part time  then tailors to the individual customer before sending out five items in a package. Customers receive a 25 percent discount if they buy everything in the box, and anything they do not want can be returned free.

At the companys warehouse, Eric Colson, formerly a top data scientist at Netflix, spoke to the role that data science  once the province of high-tech giants  plays in nearly every aspect of the Stitch Fix business.

Colson excitedly illustrated on whiteboards how the companys systems can narrow down a broad range of womens pants to a relative few that each individual customer is statistically likely to keep.

Customers say, This thing you picked out for me, I would never have picked it out for myself, he said.

Algorithms have even cut the number of steps needed for workers to pick out clothes for individual clients.

Some people call this the Moneyball of fashion, said Bill Gurley of the venture capital firm Benchmark, who sits on Stitch Fixs board. The level of data science done at this company ... is incomparable.

But that data-driven approach has also been yoked to Lakes insistence on running a financially healthy company. Given her early troubles raising money from outside investors, Lake worked toward becoming profitable early.

We had a lean plan and a lean-lean plan, she said.

Stitch Fix declined to say what percentage of items are returned.

Running so cheaply meant not taking out ads during Stitch Fixs early days. But word of mouth helped the company grow  and eventually drew investors like Gurley, whose interest was piqued by the number of assistants at his firm who swore by the service.

Yet the question remains whether customers who are initially thrilled by receiving a custom box of clothing will remain customers for months or even years.

Lauren Rivellino, an optometrist in Charlotte, Va., was a Stitch Fix enthusiast when she subscribed in 2015. She loved trying clothes on at home rather than in a poorly lit dressing room, and most items were flattering and reflected her style.

But a year later, Rivellino stopped using the service. I really have nothing bad to say about them, she said in a recent email. I just dont shop a lot.

Stitch Fix executives declined to share their retention statistics, but claim that they are above industry averages. Lake and Colson acknowledged that clients stop using the service for a variety of reasons, from dissatisfaction to their closets simply filling up.

But the two also say that the company can analyze scores of data points to figure out ways to coax these customers back to the fold.

Michael J. de la Merced and Katie Benner are New York Times writers.
WeWork Cos., the worlds largest co-working company, rents out office space in 140 locations around the world, which means its daily needs are basic but essential: working Internet, clean conference rooms and fresh coffee.

To keep customers happy, WeWork hires a small army of community staff, to run the WeWork spaces every day. These 1,200 workers make up more than half of the companys workforce. In the Bay Area, they run 10 locations in Berkeley, San Jose and San Francisco. But as WeWork shot from 350 to 2,200 employees in two years, some community staff said they were overworked, underpaid and misclassified as ineligible for overtime. Some of their allegations have resulted in legal disputes, and now the company is under scrutiny by state and federal authorities.

One former worker sued the company a year ago claiming she was owed overtime pay. Last year, WeWork settled a case in arbitration with a second ex-staffer, according to a person who had been briefed on the matter but was not authorized to speak about it. A third said shes planning to sue soon. For some of these workers, the glamour of a job at WeWork, a company now valued at $18 billion, at first obscured the question of whether they were being unfairly denied pay.

WeWork executives said theyve spent the last year trying to make workers happier by raising pay, clarifying job roles and offering nontraditional perks like trips to Australia. They acknowledge that rapid expansion left staff working hard without much guidance or proper training, but said the problems are fixed. Those issues are very much behind us at this point, and theyve been behind us for close to a year, said WeWork President Artie Minson.

Interviews with more than a dozen former WeWork employees, seven of whom worked there within the last year, echo the allegations and suggest that some problems linger. Former workers describe a chaotic and disorganized company, where young employees are promised they can Do What You Love, a company motto. But they were expected to work long hours and told to Hustle Harder, another slogan often found on WeWork office walls. Many former workers spoke only on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation from the company.

Im a Millennial, and we dont really know our rights, said Rachel Wynn, a 27-year-old former associate community manager in Washington, who left in 2015 and is planning to pursue a lost-wages case against WeWork. She and other former staffers said they spent much of their time brewing coffee, arranging catering and fixing printers. Sometimes the job involved catching mice and dealing with office party detritus, including used condoms in the meditation room and vomit in the phone booths.

The startup worlds approach to work  strenuous hours and unwavering devotion  can lead to wild success for some employees but can weigh heavily on others, especially low-ranking, non-technical employees. Theres an enormous amount of misclassification at startups, said Cliff Palefsky, an employment lawyer in San Francisco. Many of the people who are working very long hours should be getting overtime. They either dont know or they dont want to rock the boat.

Wynn argued that WeWork misclassified her and her fellow community staffers as managers to avoid paying them overtime. She said they werent making many independent decisions in their jobs  which can be a federal requirement for someone to be denied overtime  and instead, were mostly doing menial tasks.

Because I had manager in my title, I thought that part of my job was staying late, Wynn said. I didnt know it shouldnt be that way.

WeWork said that Wynn and Tara Zoumer, a 30-year-old former associate community manager in Berkeley who sued the company last year, exercised substantial independence and autonomy in their roles. They both worked on small teams running a WeWork location.

WeWork has had a difficult 12 months. Last summer, it cut 7 percent of its workforce and slashed its 2016 profit forecast by 78 percent, citing problems like delayed openings and higher-than-expected construction costs. The worker complaints highlight problems that dont show up in financial documents and in many cases, havent been previously reported.

Employees who work more than 40 hours a week are required to be paid time and a half for any hours beyond that, with some exceptions, including one for workers whose primary duty is making independent and substantial decisions about the business. Thats the exemption that WeWork used for years to avoid paying overtime to community staffers.

Last year, the Labor Department passed a rule that would ensure that lower-paid full-time workers  making $47,476 a year or less  would automatically be eligible for overtime. The rule was supposed to go into effect Dec. 1 but was blocked by a judge. In November, WeWork raised salaries for community staff as part of a company-wide pay reassessment. It bumped associate community managers salaries to around $50,000 or more, which keeps them from being guaranteed overtime.

Zoumer, who is suing the company over lost overtime wages and wrongful termination, said she wasnt managing anyone but spent her time doing a million tiny jobs like fluffing pillows and setting up catering. She left in November 2015 and sued a few months later.

Long hours and late nights are common at WeWork, and the community staff said they had particularly intense demands on their time. All staffers are expected to attend weekly meetings that could last for several hours after their shifts ended at 6 p.m. Community workers were also expected to stay late for evening events. Twelve-hour workdays were commonplace, said three former staffers. Receptionists now get overtime pay since a change in status last year.

Former community staff said their jobs included post-work rounds of shots and two weekend retreats a year where employees were expected to attend but were not paid or given time off in exchange. WeWorks annual Summer Camp, held by a lake in the Adirondack mountains in August, featured Ice Cube and canoes full of beer. It includes WeWork members. Its yearly winter employee summit was held in Los Angeles in January and included a concert by the Chainsmokers. The median age at the company is 28.

Some new employees found the experience intoxicating. It was like something out of a movie. It doesnt quite feel real that its a company that is putting on this event, Zoumer said. A huge stage, top headliners, crazy lights. It felt like a rave.

It was a sharp contrast to working at a WeWork office every day. Buildings have a ratio of one community worker for about 90 members, the company said. The community staff are also responsible for finding new members. Former staffers said the pressure to meet sales targets was intense. The goal was to get butts in seats as fast as possible, said Wynn. WeWork said it has hired 60 dedicated salespeople in the last year to help relieve the load.

WeWork executives said they have been working to improve the job satisfaction of community workers. In August, the company created a culture committee, where worker representatives can give feedback.

Former employees said they stayed at the company as long as they did because they felt an emotional bond to WeWork. Employees were often reminded that they were part owners of the company. When WeWork started getting bad reviews on Glassdoor, Chris Hill, the chief community officer, asked community employees to submit positive reviews, according to three former employees. WeWork declined to comment.

At all the meetings, people were always reminded of how lucky they are to be there, how were all so lucky to be part of this experience, Zoumer said. The company lingo was said so often  that we all hustle harder.

Ellen Huet is a Bloomberg writer. Email: ehuet4@bloomberg.net
Foot traffic is down, tours feel light, stores arent moving as much Chinatown kitsch as they usually do, business owners said Friday.

The question is why, and no one seems to be sure.

At a news conference in the Clarion Music Performing Arts Center, members of several small-business advocacy groups blamed President Trumps embattled travel ban for a slowdown that some business owners say has amounted to anywhere from 10 to 50 percent less spending than usual for this time of year.

But the San Francisco Travel Association, which tracks tourism and issues annual forecasts on how many visitors the city can expect, anticipates an increase in tourism of nearly 2 percent in 2017.

Visitors are expected to spend as much as $9.22 billion in the city, nearly 3 percent more than they did in 2016, according to the associations most recent forecast, from March.

Tourism is not down really, said Laurie Armstrong, the associations director of media relations for the U.S. and Canada. It seems to be doing just fine.

Thats of little comfort to business owners like Cynthia Yee, who runs Chinatown Ghost Tours and said the usual foot traffic associated with spring break travelers and summer tourists has been notably absent in Chinatown all year.

My phone used to be busy all the time, especially with summer coming, Yee said. No one calls me anymore. We used to have three or four guides out every weekend. Now, its just me.

Although Trumps ban, designed to keep travelers from six Muslim-majority countries out of the U.S. over fears of terrorism, has been stalled for months by federal court proceedings, San Francisco Council of District Merchants Associations President Henry Karnilowicz said the damage has largely been done.

Its not just these six countries were talking about, its everyone else who thinks, America isnt looking so friendly right now; Id rather go to Canada or somewhere else instead, Karnilowicz said.

Searches for flights to the U.S. were down about 18 percent as of February of this year, shortly after the travel ban was enacted, according to travel agency Hopper, which looked at data from 122 countries.

Yet the travel association expects 2.9 million international visitors this year (with more than 526,000 from China). Thats a slight bump of a third of a percent over last years tourism numbers.

Other factors could, of course, be at play for Chinatown, such as online shopping and an overall slowdown in retail spending.

In an effort to entice tourists and shoppers back to the famed San Francisco neighborhood, the Chinatown Merchants Association will hold its first-ever sidewalk sale on May 20.

Marissa Lang is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mlang@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Marissa_Jae
Attorney General Jeff Sessions is telling the nations federal prosecutors to file the stiffest charges they can prove in every criminal case  a signal that the U.S. federal prison population, which declined under President Barack Obama, is likely to rise again.

Any inconsistent previous policy ... is rescinded, effective today, Sessions said in a memo Thursday night to the nations 94 U.S. attorneys offices, indicating a revival of the prosecution and imprisonment regimen known as the war on drugs.

In particular, he said, the Trump administration is discarding Obama administration policies that directed prosecutors to refrain from filing charges that carry mandatory minimum sentences  prison terms the judge must impose after a conviction  for crimes such as nonviolent drug offenses.

Those policies, along with rules changes by the U.S. Sentencing Commission and an easing of some drug laws by Congress, reduced the federal prison population from about 220,000 to 190,000, the first decline in three decades.

Any reversal in federal prosecution and sentencing policy wont affect state governments, whose prisons house 90 percent of the nations inmates and whose policies have generally become less punitive in recent decades. In California, the voters have approved three sentence-reducing initiatives since 2012, and Gov. Jerry Brown and state lawmakers have taken steps to reduce the prison population by 40,000 in response to federal court orders.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

California is going in the exact opposite direction, said attorney Donald Specter, executive director of the Prison Law Office, which represents inmates in the federal court case.

Its a tragedy that our attorney general (Sessions) hasnt learned from decades of experience that the policies that hes now requiring are going to ruin thousands if not hundreds of thousands of peoples lives and will cost hundreds of millions of dollars that could be used more productively.

San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon also weighed in, saying the Trump administration had opted for defenseless policies that are devoid of principle instead of funding programs that can educate our kids and keep them out of the criminal justice system.

However, Kent Scheidegger, legal director of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation in Sacramento, which sides with prosecutors, said no one should be surprised that the Trump administration is stepping back from Obamas general trend in going too far, watering things down.

Sessions, a former prosecutor, told the U.S. attorneys offices that a core principle of the administrations policy is that prosecutors should charge and pursue the most serious, readily provable offense, the charge that carries the most substantial (federal) guidelines sentence, including mandatory minimum sentences.

But his memo, and a speech Friday to a police group, contained few specifics.

While asserting that drugs and crime go hand in hand and that drug trafficking is an inherently violent business, he told the police group that he is giving prosecutors discretion to avoid sentences that would result in an injustice and that they would not be micro-managed from Washington.

Sessions is sending a message that were going to be the tougher, harsher Justice Department on drug crimes, but theres a big question mark on what the practical impact will be, said Laurie Levenson, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and a former federal prosecutor.

She noted that Sessions memo did not spell out the injustice exceptions to seeking maximum sentences, or say how the government would pay for expanded prosecutions and imprisonment. We didnt win the war on drugs when we had this approach before, Levenson said.

Stanford Law Professor Robert Weisberg, co-director of the schools Criminal Justice Center, said Sessions memo was a flashback to a 2003 directive by then-Attorney General John Ashcroft, who also ordered federal prosecutors to charge the most serious, readily provable offense that carried the longest sentence.

The Ashcroft memo was a rhetorical statement, and its hard to say it got enforced, Weisberg said. He said the U.S. attorneys chosen by President Trump  who has not appointed any of them yet  would probably encounter a lot of initial resistance from their staff attorneys for drastic policy changes ordered from Washington, leading to considerable staff turnover.

One unanswered question involves enforcement of the federal ban on marijuana in states that have legalized its use  California is among 29 states that allow use of the drug for medical purposes, and among eight states that have legalized personal use by adults.

The Obama administration, after an initial crackdown, declared a policy of allowing states to follow their own laws, although that policy was not always followed in practice.

Sessions has called marijuana a dangerous drug, but Trump, as a presidential candidate, said he was 100 percent in favor of medical marijuana.

Last week, the president signed a short-term federal budget that included language, inserted by Congress since 2014, that prohibits the Justice Department from spending any funds to interfere with implementation of state medical marijuana laws. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled in August that the provision bars the federal government from prosecuting marijuana patients or suppliers who comply with their states laws.

But Trump added a signing statement suggesting he might disregard the restrictions: I will treat this provision consistently with my constitutional responsibility to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.

Some medical marijuana advocates said Trump was inviting renewed federal raids on state-licensed pot dispensaries. But Dale Gieringer, California director of the National Association for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said Friday he doesnt anticipate any federal action  at least until this fall, when the federal budget will again come before Congress.

Theyve got bigger fish to fry, Gieringer said of the Justice Department. They dont have the manpower to enforce those federal laws, even with bad intentions.

Chronicle news services contributed to this report.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
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Blue Bottles bid to move into the former Bean There space at 201 Steiner St. has been halted by the Planning Commission.

Residents were opposed to the popular Oakland-based coffee chain opening a store in the neighborhood. At a hearing yesterday, Planning commissioners voted four to two against approving Blue Bottle for a conditional use permit.

At the hearing yesterday, neighbors spoke both for and against the proposed Blue Bottle expansion, including concerns with parking and traffic at the corner of Waller and Steiner streets. According to a tipster, opponents to the planned Blue Bottle greatly outnumbered those in support at the public meeting.

In terms of the many projects and chain stores we've seen in nearby neighborhoods, said one neighbor, this should be rejected [to send] a message [that] the property owner should rent to a local.

Rent increases  are happening all over the city, argued another neighbor. Blue Bottle is not responsible for an increase in rent.

Since it has 34 locations worldwide and is considered formula retail, Blue Bottle requires a conditional use permit to open any new store in San Francisco.

After Blue Bottle announced its intentions earlier this year, controversy has surrounded the issue. Some neighbors are still bitter over the landlordsrefusal to renew Bean Theres lease after 21 years, forcing it to shutter.

As we reported on Monday, Lower Haighters opposing Blue Bottlecalling it the next Starbucksgathered and protested at 201 Steiner St. Flyers were posted around the neighborhood, reading:

Blue Bottle Coffee has applied for a special exception to the Planning Code to build a new location at the corner of Steiner & Waller. They feel they deserve the exemption because they are a "mom & pop" business. Blue Bottle is not a "mom & pop" business: they are an international corporation with over $120 million in investment capital that plans to expand 40-50% annually. Finance journals describe them as the next Starbucks.

Over 1,300 signatures were collected against Blue Bottles conditional use permit application.

Neighbors sent a loud and clear message, said Dean Preston, who co-founded the community organization Neighbors United following his run for District 5 supervisor. "We will not allow chain stores to move in, jack up neighborhood rents, and drive out small businesses.

The final motion for the Planning Commission to officially deny Blue Bottles conditional use permit will be on the agenda of a future meeting.

Thanks to tipster Robyn L. for being on top of this!
LOUISVILLE, Ky.  In Appalachian states hit hardest by the opioid epidemic, the tough-on-crime policy announced Friday by Attorney General Jeff Sessions runs counter to a recent emphasis on treatment and less prison time for low-level drug offenders.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., strongly opposed the Department of Justice directive, which reverses an Obama-era policy that prescribed leniency for nonviolent, low-level drug offenders.

We should treat our nations drug epidemic as a health crisis and less as a lock em up and throw away the key problem, Paul said in a statement.

Sessions argued that a spike in violence in some big cities and the nations opioid epidemic call for a return to harsher prison sentences. The memo announced Friday urges U.S. attorneys to charge steeper crimes that would trigger long mandatory prison sentences, including for drug offenders.

Kentucky and West Virginia have some of the highest rates of drug abuse overdose deaths in the country. Last year, 864 people died of overdose deaths in West Virginia. Both states saw a double digit percentage increase in the overdose death rate between 2014 and 2015.

Former U.S. Attorney Kerry Harvey, who was the top federal prosecutor for the eastern half of Kentucky, said he was concerned that a multifaceted approach emphasizing prevention and treatment was being abandoned by the Trump administration.

There was a real momentum for a time, and I think its safe to say its dead now, toward a broader criminal justice reform effort, and that was a bipartisan effort, Harvey said. He said the Obama administration embraced that philosophy and many conservative lawmakers, such as Paul, were also on board.

In terms of the drug problem, my philosophy was pretty simple: For people who were addicts, thats an illness, and addicts needed treatment beds, and professional drug dealers needed prison beds, Harvey said.

However, Harvey said he doesnt think the move will create a sea change in how federal drug cases are handled in Kentucky because most low-level offenders are handled by state prosecutors rather than in federal court.

Kentucky in recent years has enacted laws that increased prison substance abuse treatment and modified sentences for certain drug offenses.

Longtime eastern Kentucky Congressman Hal Rogers, a Republican, said in a statement that he strongly supports the use of drug courts and other evidence-based alternatives to incarceration for low-level offenders.

Dylan Lovan is an Associated Press writer.
1 Officers killed: A sheriffs deputy and a community service officer died in Modesto when their patrol car struck a building and caught fire Saturday. Stanislaus County Sheriffs Deputy Jason Garner and his passenger, Officer Raschel Johnson, were responding to a burglary call when their car swerved and hit an auto wreckage business. California Highway Patrol Officer Thomas Olsen said the patrol car was engulfed in flames by the time emergency personnel arrived at the scene. The cause of the crash is under investigation. Garner was a nine-year veteran of the department, and Johnson had worked there for 15 years.

2 Terminal relocation: A major moving day at Los Angeles International Airport went off without a hitch, managers said Saturday. Seven airlines switched terminals overnight, while Delta Air Lines completed the first of three days of moving operations. Several other airlines are moving Sunday. The relocation involves moving planes, transporting hundreds of computers and thousands of boxes, hauling furniture and changing signs. In all, 15 airlines are swapping terminals while others are switching ticket counters within terminals. The shuffle was prompted by Deltas move, and that airline is picking up the costs.
AUSTIN, Texas  The sister of Sandra Bland, a black woman found dead in a Texas jail after a confrontational traffic stop with a white state trooper, says it is gut-wrenching that lawmakers stripped police reforms from a bill named after her sibling and are now pushing a weakened compromise that painfully misses the mark.

Blands death in 2015 was a national flash point in the Black Lives Matter movement . The 28-year-old Chicago woman was stopped near Houston for not signaling a lane change, forcibly pulled from her car and found dead in jail days later.

A leaner Sandra Bland Act enters the homestretch of the Texas Legislature far from the sweeping package of police accountability and anti-racial-profiling measures originally filed in March. In the face of opposition from law enforcement groups and Republicans, the bill was drastically slimmed down and now mostly focuses on better jail trailing and mental health care access.

What the bill does in its current state renders Sandy invisible, Sharon Cooper, Blands older sister, said in an interview. Its frustrating and gut-wrenching.

Saying she was speaking on behalf of the Bland family, Cooper said the legislation as it now stands isolates the very person it seeks to honor and makes compromises at the expense of the family. It painfully misses the mark for us, she said.

Cooper stopped short of saying Blands name should be removed the bill  a move some frustrated black community organizers in Texas say they would welcome given the changes.

Democrats who carried the measure say they did the best they could while up against the political realities of the Republican-controlled Legislature. The bill unanimously cleared the Senate last week and must now clear the House before the legislature adjourns on May 29.

Authorities say Bland hanged herself in the Waller County Jail with a plastic garbage bag in jail three days after being pulled over in July 2015. Dashcam video shows Trooper Brian Encinia ordering Bland out of the car and drawing his stun gun while yelling, I will light you up!

Bland can later be heard screaming off-camera that the trooper was about to break her wrists. Family, friends and activists have expressed skepticism that Bland committed suicide.

Paul J. Weber is an Associated Press writer.
WASHINGTON  President Trump said he could have a new FBI director in place before he departs for his first overseas trip Friday, an ambitious goal that would give him just a few days to fill one of the most important and sensitive posts in government.

Even that is possible, the president said Saturday aboard Air Force One when asked whether he might make a selection before leaving for Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Vatican.
Hyderabad, May 13 (IBNS): Hyundai Motor India Limited, the countryas second largest automobile maker and the largest exporter, on Saturday released a unique social digital campaign celebrating the upcoming aMotheras Daya. The film #ToughLove salutes all the mothers for saying aNo To Underage Drivinga.

On the release of the Mothers Day film, Puneet Anand, Sr.GM & Group Head- Marketing said, Hyundai has always been an advocate of Safe and Responsible driving. Our long term Road Safety CSR campaigns #BeTheBetterGuy under the aegis of Safe Move have strongly focused on Behavioral Change among masses. The Underage Driving is a serious issue in the society with extreme consequences. Mothers play a crucial role in encouraging responsible behavior and inculcating the right values in children. To celebrate and Salute the spirit of their courage for being a tough mother, we dedicate this inspiring #ToughLove film to all the Mothers on this Mothers Day.

The #ToughLove film depicts teenagers venting their restlessness for driving and riding automobiles. The film features the teenagers angst towards their mothers while - Riding as pillion, sitting in a car, school bus, local train as they feel their mothers are too tough on them. All these reactions conclude with a responsible smile of the

Watch the Video on : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXAD7TQzb4I
An arson task force arrested a 36-year-old man Saturday in connection with a string of mysterious car and structure fires in Contra Costa County.

The man, whom police did not identify, was taken into custody just before 1 a.m. in a residential area of Benicia, just blocks from another burning vehicle. Fire investigators said he appeared to have set fire to the vehicle, which was parked in a driveway.

Were relieved, Robert Marshall, fire marshal of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, said at a news conference in Concord. Were hoping the fires will stop, at least in this regard.

The man, a Contra Costa County resident, was charged with 43 counts of arson, some related to the same fires and nearby structures that were also damaged. His bail was set at more than $3.1 million, according to fire officials.

Marshall said the man is suspected of setting fires in the area going back to at least the beginning of this year, but he would not provide any further details on the specific fires and how investigators tracked him down.

There were common threads, and that was partially how we were able to locate a suspect, Marshall said.

Fire investigators did not immediately release any additional information.

In addition to Contra Costa County fire investigators, the task force included the Contra Costa district attorneys office, California Highway Patrol, Lafayette Police Department and Concord Police Department.

At least 12 car fires have occurred in Contra Costa County since the beginning of the year, including two cars that were set ablaze in Lafayette on Friday.

Earlier in the week, firefighters extinguished a car fire on Fraga Court in Martinez, followed by another in Walnut Creek on LeRoy Lane and another on nearby Padre Street in Lafayette.

Two vehicle blazes that broke out in Brentwood on Thursday caused additional concern because they were set in the driveways of homes, one of which was under the bedroom of a 6-year-old girl.

All the cars that were set on fire were destroyed. In some cases, structures were damaged as well. No injuries were reported.

The recent rash of fires follows other serial arsonist incidents in Contra Costa County, including two years ago when authorities arrested a man suspected of setting fires to hillsides in the middle of the night, Marshall said.

Cynthia Dizikes is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cdizikes@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @cdizikes
Guwahati, May 13 (IBNS) : Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Union Minister of State (independent charge) for Petroleum and Natural Gas jointly performed Bhumi Pujan for a multi-speciality hospital to be built at Rojabari at a function held at Rojabari in Sivasagar district on Saturday.

The duo also ceremoniously launched the construction work of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology (RGIPT) to come up at Sivasagar district.



It may be noted that the multi-speciality hospital will be built at sprawling land of 50 acre and the proposed 362 bedded hospital will be built at a cost of Rs 312 crore.



Speaking on the occasion Chief Minister Sarbanadna Sonowal said that during the last 11 month, the present state government has been resolutely working to uplift the poor section of the society.



He also said that in order to materialise the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the State Government has been relentlessly striving to achieve Sabka Saath Sabka Bikash.



Sonowal also said that the Prime Ministers Sabka Saath Sabka Bikash has an undertone of Swargadeo Sukaphaas principle of equality as the State Government has accorded top priority to take all sections of the people on board to provide better health care facilities and quality education along with other amenities.



Sonowal said that Prime Minister Modi has started a new trend by abolishing VIP culture and promoting an ambience where Every Person is Important.



He also said that RGIPT will serve the need of youths of the State in getting quality education within the State itself and without having to go outside.



Acknowledging AASUs role in bringing this institution to fruition, Sonowal said that it is the solemn duty of each and every individual to maintain the institution as the best in the country.



While thanking the Union Minister of State (i/c) for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan for his role in releasing oil royalty, Sonowal said that the Centres action has boosted the States economy.



Sonowal said that the gesture is an indication of Centres commitment to take Assam to a higher growth trajectory.



Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan while speaking on the occasion said that it has been a long standing demand of the people of Assam for an Institute of Petroleum Technology and a Multi-Speciality Hospital which would cater to the needs of large of part of Assam.



He also informed that Babasaheb Ambedkar Vaidyakiya Prathisthan has been entrusted with the responsibility of running the Multi Speciality Hospital in partnership with the ONGC, so that quality medical facilities can be provided to the poorest of the poor at affordable cost.

He also announced that the new hospital will be named after Swargadeo Sukaphaa who immortalised the Ahom Kings contributions in establishing Assam where all sections of the people can lead a life of dignity and equality.



On the occasion he announced that another medical college will be set up in Sivasagar with 60:40 partnership. He also promised of starting nursing schools from the Petroleum Ministry at different locations like Digboi, Duliajan, Numaligarh, Bongaigaon and Guwahati.



Pradhan also said that there had been resentment among the youths of the State for not getting the dues from the petroleum resources extracted from the State. But under the leadership of Modi, our Government is providing the due share for its resources and developing the entire region at a fast pace. The institute like RGIPT will enable the youths of the State to obtain necessary skills to get employment in petroleum sector.



Member of Parliament Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, Rameswar Teli, MLA Jogen Mohan, Tapan Gogoi, Kushal Duori, Chairman cum Managing Director, ONGC D.K. Sarraf and a host of other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Kolkata, May 13 (IBNS): A fresh complaint has been lodged against Kolkata's Tipu Sultan Mosque's Shahi Imam Maulana Nurur Rehman Barkati for allegedly provoking communal sentiments through his recent statements and using red beacon on his car when Indian government's ban on red beacon atop vehicles has already come into effect since May 1, reports said.

According to reports, Syed Uj Jaman, a Muslim law student from Dankuni in Kolkata's neighbouring Hooghly district of West Bengal, registered a complaint against Imam Barkati at a local police station on Friday.

The young student claimed that recently during few events and press conferences, Barkati made a series of controversial comments, which could trigger communal tension in the state.

"If they (BJP & RSS) are trying to make India a Hindu country, then why would not India be a Muslim country when there are more than 30 crore Muslims in India," Barikati recently said.

"If RSS has plans to make India a Hindu country, we will protest and fight against it. Then give us Pakistan, we will fight for Pakistan," Barkati further said, going a step ahead, according to local media reports.

Meanwhile, according to the law student, usage of red beacon on Barkati's SUV, despite of the ban, is illegal and he mentioned it in his complaint.

Syed Uj Jaman, however, requested the officer-in-charge of Dankuni Police Station to investigate the matter and take appropriate legal action against the accused.

Earlier on Friday morning, a man from Kolkata, Suraj Kumar Singh, lodged a complaint against Imam Barkati at Topsia Police Station after the religious leader allegedly refused to give up red beacon from his vehicle, according to reports.

Local media reports said that Imam Barkati is still using 'lal batti' (red beacon) on his SUV when the Central government has put a ban on it since May 1.

Days ago when Barkati was asked about this, he told local reporters that he won't remove red beacon as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has given him permission to use it as he is a religious leader.

"West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee gave me permission to use red beacon on my car and it's a heritage practice as erstwhile British government gave permission to my ancestors to use lal batti," Barkati said.

"I won't accept Central government's ban on lal batti," he added.

Meanwhile, demanding Barkati's arrest, BJP's youth wing on Friday staged demonstration in central Kolkata's M.G. Road area and the party has called for a rally to city police headquarters at Lalbazar on May 25 on the same issue.

Barkati on Friday called a press conference again and claimed that nobody has guts to arrest him.

"I would only remove red beacon from my car when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will give up his all securities," Barkati said.

Barkati also blamed the media for showing up his red beacon issue.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)
Srinagar, May 13 (IBNS) : Suspected Terrorists on Saturday opened fire on an army patrol party in Tral town of South Kashmir's Pulwama district, media reports said.

Security forces have cordoned off the area and a combing operation is on.

Earlier in the day, two civilians- a father and his daughter-were killed and three injured after Pakistani troops started firing from high calibre weapons violating ceasefire in the Line of Control in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district.
Beijing, May 13 (IBNS) : India is likely to stay away from Chinaas Belt and Road summit beginning in Beijing on Sunday, virtually boycotting its ambitious initiative for cross border connectivity that runs through Pakistan occupied Kashmir, NDTV reports.

The decision has been taken on the ground of sovereignty as India considers POK its part.

Christened as China Pakistan Economic Corridor, the 57 billion-dollar project envisages connectivity across Asia on to Europe through ports, railways and roads.

Besides Pakistan, India's other neighbours Sri Lanka and Nepal are attending the summit.

The US too has decided to attend, marking a U-turn in its position, NDTV says.

Earlier this week, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said India supports connectivity across the region, but there is a problem with the Pakistan end of "One Belt, One Road" (OBOR). .

"As far as OBOR is concerned, you know that our position is that since the so-called CPEC forms a part of OBOR, that is where our difficulty is," he said.

"It passes or proposes to pass through what is sovereign Indian territory and we have made our views in this regard very, very clear to the Chinese side."

The Chinese initiative is also being seen as a move to establish its dominance in Asia, including India's neigbhours.
Chandigarh, May 13 (IBNS) : In a ghoulish act, seven men have gang-raped a woman and brutalised her before crushing her head under the wheels of a vehicle in Haryanaas Rohtak district, CNN-News 18 reported.

Police said the attackers, who are yet to be identified, mutilated the woman's private parts after the rape and ran a vehicle over her face to prevent identification.

The incident allegedly occurred on May 9 but the body was recovered much later from Rohtaks IMT area.

According to police, the woman was abducted by seven men while she was on her way to work.

The body was identified based on a missing person complaint filed by the victims parents on May 9.

The family has alleged that their neighbours were involved in the heinous act.

The gruesome incident comes a week after the Supreme Court upheld the death penalty handed to four men for the rape and murder of a 23-year-old physiotherapist in Delhi on December 16, 2012.
Kolkata, May 13 (IBNS): Convoy of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Locket Chatterjee and Jayprakash Majumdar was allegedly attacked by Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporters at Bhetaguri area under Dinhata Police Station limits in Cooch Behar district of West Bengal on Saturday afternoon, local media reports said.

The incident reportedly took place at Bhetaguri under Dinhata Police Station of the district.

BJP leaders claimed that several activists of the state's ruling party vandalized their vehicles and manhandled them when they were going towards Dinhata from Cooch Behar town to meet few of its activists, who were allegedly beaten by TMC supporters.

"Besides showing us black flags and grooms, around 15-20 TMC goons, carrying arms, sticks, iron rods and bricks, suddenly attacked our convoy near Bhetaguri area and they ransacked several cars, bicycles and motorbikes of our convoy and assaulted our activists," Locket Chatterjee told IBNS.

"Police force was there behind our convoy, but they did absolutely nothing when we were attacked by the TMC," Chatterjee added.

Meanwhile, denying all allegations, Cooch Behar district president of TMC, Rabindranath Ghosh, said, "BJP's allegation is completely false, rather their activists vandalized our party office at Bhetaguri."

"Their supporters also vandalized several motorcycles, cycles, autorickshaws and e-rickshaws, which were parked near our party office," Ghosh said.

A huge police force along with Rapid Action Force (RAF) have been deployed to the area as the situation remains tense there.



(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)
Srinagar, May 13 (IBNS): Successor of late militant leader Burhan Wani, Zakir, alias Musa, has announced that he has severed ties with Hizbul Mujahideen.

From today on, I have no association with any outfit. I am of my own. I dont represent Hizbul Mujahideen, Zakir said in the latest six-and-a-half minute audio shared on social media on Saturday.

In the audio clip, Zakir reiterates his position that the Kashmir struggle is for the establishment of Shariah, not a secular state and he stands by his earlier statement.

However, he said, he didnt name any individual in his last statement.

I have only said that I will hang those who want to establish a secular state. Because after we get freedom from India, we may have to fight with those who support a secular state, Zakir said, adding that people may seem it too early, but it was necessary.

Musa had earlier warned Hurriyat leaders that their heads will be chopped off here for interfering in the militant group's "struggle for Islam".

In an audio message released on Friday from unknown location, Musa was quoted as saying "I am warning all those Hurriyat leaders we will cut their heads and hang them in Lal Chowk if they interfere in our Islamic struggle.

Zakir asserted that his outfit was clear in its motives of "fighting to impose a Shariat in Kashmir and not resolving the Kashmir issue by calling it a political struggle".



(Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri)
Guwahati, May 13 (IBNS): New twists added in the jewellery shop looted case in Guwahati, while police arrested two more persons including a most wanted drug peddler in connection with the robbery case.

The crime branch of Guwahati city police on Friday night arrested Pakhi Miya alias Samsul Haque Talukdar, a most wanted drug peddler from Murajhar area in Nagaon district.

Police also arrested a Manipur based robber Bikram Engte from Manipuribasti area in Guwahati last night, who was camping at a hotel.

A top police official said that, the drug paddler had provided arms and ammunition to the robber gang which were used in robbery.

Earlier, the crime branch of Guwahati city police had arrested Prem Singh (security guard), Nilkamal Singh and Basanta Singh for alleged involvement in the robbery incident at the MP Jewellers.

Guwahati city police commissioner Hiren Nath said the police will soon arrest the gang of four who looted several kilograms valuable jewellery.



(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
New Delhi, May 13 (IBNS): INS Rajput, Indian Navy's front line guided missile destroyer entered Yangon, Myanmar for an Operational Turn around (OTR) from May 11-13.

The ship was given a traditional welcome and received by Commodore Thant Sin Lay Deputy Commander Naval Dockyard. Captain RA Shah, Commanding Officer INS Rajput called on Commodore Nay Win , Commander, Ayeyarwady Naval Regional Command.

Later, Capt RA Shah, Commanding Officer, INS Rajput laid wreath for the Martyrs of the First and Second World War at Yangon War cemetery.

He also called on His Excellence V Misra, the Indian Ambassador of Myanmar.

During the visit, 35 Indian Naval officers visited the Myanmar Naval Training Command and 35 Myanmar Navy officers and 160 under trainee sea cadets visited the ship and were given a guided tour of the ship.

The sea cadets interacted with the junior officers of the ship during the visit. A friendly volleyball match was also with Myanmar navy personnel.

Team Rajput comprising 05 officers and 05 sailors also visited Thanlyin Orphanage School and distributed notebooks, stationary and food packets to the students of the orphanage as a good will gesture.
Kolkata, May 13 (IBNS): Amidst a huge controversy, the Kolkata Police on Saturday removed red beacon from the SUV of Tipu Sultan Mosque's Shahi Imam Maulana Nurur Rehman Barkati, reports said.

According to local media reports, Maulana Barkati was using red beacon on his car when the Central government's ban on lal batti has come into effect since May 1.

Days ago, Imam Barkati refused to give lal batti up from his vehicle and said that he would use it in future.

"West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee gave me permission to use red beacon on my car and it's a heritage practice as erstwhile British government gave permission to my ancestors to use lal batti," Barkati told reporters.

"I won't accept Central government's ban on lal batti," he said.

Earlier on Friday, at least two complaints were lodged against Barkati at different police stations in Kolkata and its adjoining Hooghly district and after being directed by state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the city police officials on Saturday morning detached the red beacon from his vehicle, sources said.

Meanwhile, cabinet minister and the state secretary of Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind, Siddiqullah Chowdhury, on Saturday hit out at Barkati over his alleged anti-national remarks.

"I don't support Imam Barkati's anti-India remarks, those are highly condemnable. He neither has right nor permission to use lal batti on his car," Siddiqullah Chowdhury said, during a press conference here at Kolkata Press Club.

"If Barkati wants to fight for Pakistan, then he can leave India and stay happily there in Pakistan. Nobody will stop him," Chowdhury added.

Days ago, Barkati told reporters that he would not remove red beacon from his vehicle and nobody has the guts to arrest him.

Attacking the BJP and RSS, Barkati said, "If they (BJP & RSS) are trying to make India a Hindu country, then why would not India be a Muslim country when there are more than 30 crore Muslims in India."

"If RSS has plans to make India a Hindu country, we will protest and fight against it. Then give us Pakistan, we will fight for Pakistan," Barkati further said, going a step ahead.

Meanwhile, supporters of Siddiqullah Chowdhury and Maulana Barkati reportedly engaged in a verbal clash and scuffled with each other in front of Tipu Sultan Mosque in Kolkata's downtown Esplanade area on Saturday evening when Siddiqullah's followers shouted 'Go back Barkati' slogans.

Following the incident, a heavy police force rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.

However, according to the latest update, Barkati has lodged a complaint against Siddiqullah Chowdhury and his Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind at Bowbazar Police Station.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)
Not only do narwhals  the bonafide unicorns of the sea  exist, but they can accomplish some pretty magical feats with their tusks.

Until today, the purpose of this long tooth was unclear, but new drone footage taken in the Northeastern region of Canada has finally lifted the curtain on these mysterious mammals.

Captured by researchers from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the footage shows the pale porpoises using their long tusks to stun Arctic cod before capturing and devouring them.

Watch the rare footage above.

"This is an entirely new observation of how the tusk is used," Brandon Laforest, a senior specialist of Arctic species and ecosystems with WWF-Canada, told National Geographic.

The footage is a feat for researchers as narwhals are rarely visible in their ice-choked Arctic habitat.

Narwhals are a species of whale, says National Geographic, differentiated by their long tusks that can grow up to 8.8 feet long in males. The mammals actually have two teeth, one of which grows through the upper lip into the spiraling tusk that is often mistaken for a horn. Females have been observed to grow tusks as well, although smaller in size.

Prior to the drone discovery, scientists previously believed the tusk played a role in mating rituals, whether for battling suitors or showing off for potential female partners.

David Miller, president and CEO of WWF-Canada, notes in a press release that the "footage, while stunning to watch will play a significant role in the future of narwhal conservation."

This scientists captured the drone footage while tracking the movements of Arctic narwhals in order to "identify critical habitat that needs to be protected," Rob Downie, head of WWF Polar Programmes, told the Daily Mail.

Narwhals "are one of the species that are most vulnerable to climate change," said Downie, as global warming has led to an "unprecedented loss of sea ice in their Arctic home."

Read Michelle Robertsons latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.
BEIRUT  Syrian Kurdish-led forces were closing in Saturday on the de-facto capital of the Islamic State group in Syria, seizing a cotton mill only a couple of miles north of the city and clashing with the militant group on a number of fronts, activists and Kurdish media reported.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, backed by U.S-led coalition air strikes, advanced as they clashed with the militants in a multipronged offensive northeast and northwest of the city.

The offensive brings the SDF 2.5 miles from the northeast edge of the city, the Observatory said. Fighting was also reported about 3.7 miles north of Raqqa and 8 miles to the northwest, the Observatory said.

The Raqqa Campaign, a Facebook page affiliated with the Kurdish-led forces, said the fighters seized the cotton mill on Saturday. Kurdish Hawar news agency said the Kurdish-led fighters also seized the office of a farmers union, a local ruling party headquarters and a prison used by the militants.

The Kurdish-led forces said Friday they expect to advance on Raqqa this summer, following their capture of a strategic town and dam, about 25 miles west of the city.

The city is near, very near, said Nasser Haj Mansour, an adviser for the SDF.

Kurdish activist Mustafa Bali said the SDF are moving fast to reach the outskirts of Raqqa city, but that the battle for the city is likely to take time. He said in one push, the SDF moved across 5 miles of terrain with good air cover, arriving 2.5 miles north of the city.

The activist-run Raqqa Being Slaughtered Silently group said the public markets in Raqqa have been closed. Later, the activist-run group said the militants ordered merchants to evacuate the vegetable market for the next few days.

The campaign to recapture Raqqa appeared to be accelerating following a decision by the Trump administration to arm the Kurdish-led forces with heavy weapons, giving a push to their ground partner to move toward the city, held by the militants since 2013. The weapons have not yet been delivered to the Kurdish-led forces, which include an Arab fighters unit.

Turkey strongly objects to Kurdish-led forces leading the campaign. Turkey considers the main component in the Kurdish-led SDF to be an extension of the domestic insurgents it labels as terrorists, and fears their growing influence in northern Syria.

Also Saturday, activists reported that Syrian government forces were able to regain control of an air base in the northern province of Aleppo from Islamic State militants. Al-Jarrah air base was seized by the militants in 2014. The recapture by government troops comes amid an offensive in rural Aleppo to drive Islamic State out of one of its last remaining territories in the province, Maskaneh, which borders Raqqa.

Meanwhile, near Damascus, Syrias military said it has captured from rebel fighters a major suburb on the eastern edge of the capital. Activists disputed the governments claim it has total control of Qaboun, one of the few remaining areas under rebel control in Eastern Ghouta, a rebel-stronghold that forms an arc from the northern to the eastern edge of Damascus.

Al-Ikhbariya state TV later aired a report from the neighborhoods southeastern edge, as gunfire crackled in the background. A field commander, who marched amid sand berms that rebels used for cover, said soon the neighborhood would be 100 percent free of rebels.
WASHINGTON  A high school dropout turned seafood entrepreneur is leading Indonesias crackdown on illegal fishing, winning plaudits from conservationists and awards as far away as Washington despite her explosive methods.

A favorite tactic is seizing foreign fishing vessels and then blowing up the empty boats into smithereens to send a message to her countrys neighbors.

Susi Pudjiastuti, honored last week in Washington for her ecological work, has led the charge in destroying hundreds of fishing vessels in the past two years as the Indonesian governments minister for maritime affairs and fisheries. Her efforts havent eliminated a problem that has plagued the archipelago nation for decades, she said, but they have boosted fish stocks and curbed smuggling.

Catches of anchovies, king prawns and yellow fin tuna are up, helping local fishermen and reducing food prices, Pudjiastuti said.

What we actually earn also is respect, Pudjiastuti said in the American capital, where she joined other recipients of the annual Peter Benchley Ocean Awards  named for the author of Jaws. She was cited for her efforts in protecting Indonesias marine ecosystem, and tackling poachers and organized crime.

They cannot just do anything anymore, Pudjiastuti said.

For China and others in the region, sensitive politics also are at play. Indonesias uncompromising approach has irked neighbors whose boats have been caught up in the dragnet for operating in seas plagued by territorial disputes. The campaign may partly reflect Indonesias desire to show it is in control of its vast territory of 17,000 islands.

Pudjiastuti, 52, has won popularity at home as the campaigns leader, defying initial skepticism when she was tapped as minister in 2014. She hadnt even graduated high school, but she spent three decades as a seafood entrepreneur and knew the business. She also had run her own charter airline, Susi Air, to distribute and export produce.

Matthew Pennington is an Associated Press writer.
Guwahati, May 13 (IBNS): The sleuth of Dibrugarh police is all set to grill over 100 newly appointed officers of Assam Civil Service (ACS), Assam Police Service (APS) and other associate services in connection with the cash-for-job scam of Assam Public Service Commission (APSC).

A top official of Dibrugarh police said that, police has collected vital evidence against over 100 government officers whose were appointed in 2015 and 2016 under APSC.

None will be spared who involved in the scam, the police official said.

Recently, the sleuths of Dibrugarh police had arrested three ACS offices namely Bhaskar Jyoti Sarma, Bhaskar Dutta and Amit Sarma in connection with the cash-for-job scam.

Earlier, police arrested former chairman of APSC Rakesh Paul and his two associate members Samedur Rahman, Basanta Doley and five other persons in connection with the APSC scam.

Meanwhile, a four-member team of Dibrugarh police had interrogated Rakesh Paul, Samedur Rahman, Basanta Doley and arrested three ACS officers at Guwahati central jail.

During interrogation, the three ACS officers revealed several issues in APSC during Rakesh Paul regime as how jobs were sold, the police official said.

The forensic reports of several answer scripts under APSC also indicated as anomalies were took place in selection process, the official said.

On the other hand, Dibrugarh police is likely to submit the final report of investigation process into the cash-for-job scam before the court in the month of July next.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath,Image: Google Maps)
Guwahati, May 13 (IBNS): Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Union Minister of State (Independent charge) for Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan launched the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) for the BPL families of Assam in a programme held in Upper Assamas Dibrugarh district on Saturday.

The PMUY aims to safeguard the health of women & children by providing them with a clean cooking fuel  LPG, so that they dont have to compromise with their health in smoky kitchens or wander in unsafe areas collecting firewood.

The LPG connection will not only help the poor, but will also give them a life of dignity, Sonowal said at the launch of PMUY adding that the Union Government and the Assam governments primary focus has been the welfare of the poor.



The Assam CM said that there are many families in the country who are still deprived of LPG as cooking fuel and have to rely on firewood, coal, dung cakes etc. as primary source of cooking.



The smoke from burning such fuels causes alarming household pollution and adversely affects the health of Women & children causing several respiratory disorders, Sonowal said.

Sonowal further lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his vision which would relieve the women from the drudgery and help in conservation of nature.

He also appreciated the union government for their unconditional support to unleash an era of development in Assam and North East citing that more than Rs 7000 crore oil royalty has been released by Govt. of India during last 11 month.

Giving details about the developments which are taking place in Assam under the BJP lead coalition Government, Sonowal informed that the state has received around Rs 6300 crore investment in last eleven months which would provide direct and indirect employment to around 80,000 youth.



The Assam CM also said that under Prime Ministers vision for sabka saath  sabka vikas, Assam is marching rapidly on the path of development and as a result of which, electrification of railway line and doubling of railway track, record number of projects for improvement of surface commencement have been initiated.



Union Minister of State (Independent charge) for Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan while delivering his speech said that Govt. of India will provide 5 Cr LPG connections to BPL families in the country with a support of Rs 1600 per connection within March, 2019.



Assam Government will also provide Rs 1000 per PMUY connection to the beneficiaries, which shall make LPG connection more affordable, Pradhan said.



Stating that the launch of PMUY was delayed in Assam due to certain technical reasons, the Union Minister said that though Aadhar Card is a mandatory provision to avail the benefit of this scheme, this has been relaxed for the beneficiaries of Assam as per request of the Chief Minister.



Identification of the BPL families for PMUY is done through Socio Economic Caste Census Data. In Assam, there are around 70 lac households, out of which 33 lac already have LPG connection. Around 90 percent of the families who still do not have LPG connection will be covered through PMUY and other Govt. schemes within March, 2019, Pradhan said.



The Union Minister further informed that ONGC and other Oil companies will also carry out activities for beautification of historical towns like Dibrugarh, Sivasagar etc. OIL will invest Rs 25 crore for development of Kamakhya Temple, Pradhan said.



Reiterating the central governments commitment, the Union Minister also said that the petroleum ministry has already taken up an exhaustive plan to develop North East at par with rest of the country under 2030: Vision Document (Petroleum Sector).



Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 1, 2016 in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh. Over 2.20 Crore LPG connections have been given in 1st year of launch of this scheme. In order to ensure womens empowerment, especially in rural India, the connections will be issued in the name of women of the households. Rs 8000 Crore has been allocated towards the implementation of the scheme.



PMUY is likely to result in an additional employment of around 1 Lakh and provide business opportunity of at least Rs 10,000 Crore to the Indian Industries.



Launch of this scheme will also provide a great boost to the Make in India campaign as all the manufacturers of cylinders, gas stoves, regulators, and gas hose are domestic.

Union Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain, State Food and Civil Supplies Minister Rihon Daimary and MP Rameswar Teli also spoke on the occasion.

MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, MLAs Prashanta Phukan, Binod Hazarika, Teros Gowala, Bimal Bora, Rituparna Baruah, Naren Sonowal, Chakradhar Gogoi, Sanjay Kishan, Suren Phukan and Bolin Chetia were also present amongst other in the programme.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
New York, May 13(Just Earth News): Notwithstanding the challenges faced by countries in Asia and Pacific, the region has witnessed economic and social achievements beyond expectations over the past 70 years, according to the head of the United Nations body assisting with development efforts.

As Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Shamshad Akhtar leads an entity with a geographical scope that stretches from Turkey in the west to the Pacific island nation of Kiribati in the east, and from Russia in the north to New Zealand in the south, and covers a region that is home to 4.1 billion people, or two-thirds of the worlds population.

Founded in 1947, as the then Economic Commission for Asia and the Far-East, to assist the regions countries with economic reconstruction in the devastating aftermath of the Second World War, the Commissions geographical scope and mandate were expanded in the 1970s to reflect changes on the ground.

When ESCAP convenes its 73rd session next week at its headquarters in Bangkok, top government officials will discuss further strengthening the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In addition, member States will deliberate on regional cooperation for sustainable energy, an issue vital in a region where millions suffer from severe energy insecurity and lack of access. Also on the agenda are exchanges on infrastructure development in least developed, landlocked developing and Pacific island developing countries, applications of space technology for environment and resilience against water-related disasters.

UN News spoke to Akhtar, a Pakistani national and seasoned economist, about development efforts in the region, including ongoing challenges, as well as the work of ESCAP and what is expected during the upcoming session.

UN News: Can you tell us about the current socio-economic development snapshot of the region and how this has changed over the past 70 years?

Shamshad Akhtar: Asia-Pacific is a very vibrant and dynamic region. It has come a long way since ESCAP was created in 1947 to assist countries emerging from the devastation of World War II.

I have to say that the region has witnessed economic and social achievements beyond expectations  it is the region that led the drive for poverty reduction and is on Friday known for being the driver of the global economic recovery. Asia-Pacific is the region that on Friday accounts for 40 per cent of global trade.

UN News: That said, Asia and the Pacific also has its fair share of challenges. Can you elaborate?

Shamshad Akhtar: Of course the region has challenges. Because the region is growing very fast, pollution is a major concern. Greenhouse gas emissions from Asia-Pacific account for over half of the total greenhouse gas emissions around the world [and this is] just based on the performance of few countries.

There are about 400 million people still poor in the region. This number rises to 900 million if measured using the multi-dimensional poverty index. So reducing poverty is a major issue

Secondly, the region has been at the frontier of export-led development. Now it is time for it to move towards domestic-driven growth. Given its potential and the value-added relationships that it has developed, Asia-Pacific has the potential to further stimulate the regional demand.

Another challenge is poverty. There are about 400 million people still poor in the region. This number rises to 900 million if measured using the multi-dimensional poverty index, so reducing poverty is a major issue.

Furthermore, some larger economies in the region are undergoing rebalancing from excessive structural surpluses to stimulating more domestic demand-led growth.

Also, there is the question on how to absorb the growing workforce because there will be significant demographic changes that the region will face  both in terms of further growth in population as well as in terms of the rise in the aging population.

UN News: In light of these challenges, as well as for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, what has ESCAP been doing to assist its members?

Shamshad Akhtar: For the 2030 Agenda, ESCAPs intergovernmental focus and work programme has been transformed to support the development of a cohesive, coherent and coordinated institutional framework, which is called the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development.

Also, our member States have worked with us to develop a regional road-map for implementation of the 2030 Agenda and they have also given mandates to have a regional follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda.

We will carry on this work while continuing to support the implementation of sustainable development through our second core mandate  Regional Cooperation and Integration in Asia and the Pacific. We are also updating our analysis of regional cooperation and integration to help strengthen the sustainable development agenda. This will in turn, help the region get connected in a much more sustainable manner.

At the same time, the 2030 Agenda includes a number of transboundary goals so we hope to leverage regional cooperation and integration to fast-track implementation of these particular goals.

We are also supporting the means of implementation of the 2030 Agenda: We have a track for financing for development in Asia-Pacific where we are raising awareness on the significance of, as well as on the means of, boosting domestic resource mobilization, in particular the tax-to-GDP ratio as well as formulating tax policies that are supportive of the sustainable development agenda.

We also continue to work on infrastructure financing and capacity building, and also looking at climate change, financial inclusion, science, technology and innovation, and a range of other issues.

UN News: You mentioned the fact that the Asia-Pacific region is very diverse. How are you able to cover the entire region while operating out of Bangkok?

Shamshad Akhtar: The ESCAP region covers a lot of countries. It has 53 member countries and nine associate members. Given the diversity of the region, we have subregional offices across the region: one in Suva, Fiji, for the Pacific; in Incheon, Republic of Korea, for North and North-East Asia; in Delhi, India, for South and South-West Asia; and in Almaty, Kazakhstan for North and Central Asia.

These offices both maintain relationships with the countries as well as coordinate and conduct core work programmes in their respective subregions. The work programme of the subregional offices and the functional divisions [at ESCAP headquarters in Bangkok] are aligned, making sure that leadership comes from the principal office in Bangkok and support from the subregional offices.

UN News: The Commission will be holding its seventy-third session during the week of 14 May. What are the major issues on the agenda?

Shamshad Akhtar: The session will be revolving around issues concerning sustainable development as well as the regional cooperation and integration agenda. We will also be discussing a thematic report on energy efficiency. Having expanded our work programme to include energy, this will help us promote sustainable energy for all, while enhancing energy connectivity in the region and diversifying energy sources to include renewable sources.

We will also be discussing the overall economic and social situation in the region in addition to our core mandate of sustainable development and how they mutually support each other.

UN News: What are the major outcomes expected this year?

Shamshad Akhtar: Deliberations at the Commission will provide us with greater understanding on what support the region and the countries need from ESCAP. The Commission will guide us on what we can do for the member States to further support them in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and other mandates that have been assigned to us. But the ultimate test will be how we can match the demand with the supply.

UN News: Would you like to add anything else?

Shamshad Akhtar: One thing I would like to mention is that regional commissions are a very important arm of the United Nations. However, because they are not based in New York, they often are not so visible.

The technical work done at the subregional level or at the country level is actually being done by the regional commissions.

We play a very important role in connecting the global with the national through the bridge of the regional commissions. We are going to be supporting a lot of knowledge-sharing and all kinds of technical work at the regional level, not for the sake of doing it, but to ensure that these are all consolidated with the discussions at the global level.

Photo: ESCAP

Source: www.justearthnews.com
New York, May 13(Just Earth News): Less than four weeks after opening its last camp, the United Nations refugee agency welcomed families fleeing the fighting in western Mosul this week with its twelfth camp set up deal with the ongoing emergency in and around the Iraqi city.

The risk to people fleeing Mosul is now very great, with people having to move being in grave danger. People speak of conditions that are desperate and worsening. Families arriving from West Mosul report heavy bombing and fighting, said a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Andrej Mahecic, on Friday at the regular bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.

They also tell UNHCR that there are no basic services in the city, no food, no water and no fuel. Some families have told us they have been living on one meal a day; often just bread, or flour and water, sometimes supplemented with tomato paste, he continued.

The newest camp was built in response to the ongoing Mosul emergency  less than four weeks since UNHCR opened the Hammam al-Alil 2 camp, with a capacity for 30,000 people, which is now almost full.

Located approximately 60 kilometres west of Mosul along the highway to Erbil, first buses with newly displaced Iraqi families arrived at Hasansham U2 on Tuesday. As of this morning, 96 families, including some 500 children, are being sheltered in the new site.

Each displaced family arriving at Hasansham U2 receives a tent and other basic aid items including blankets, a cooker and a kitchen set. As of on Friday, more than 1,000 tents are ready, enough to shelter over 6,000 people. At full occupancy, it can accommodate more than 9,000 people.

UNHCR reiterates its call to all parties in the fighting to ensure civilians are not prevented from leaving areas of active conflict and are provided access to safe areas, including those currently trapped in Mosul. Equally, civilians must not be forced to return to unsafe areas, underscored Mahecic.

Six months into the Iraqi offensive to oust terrorists from Mosul, UNHCR remains concerned about the continuing massive displacement. Despite enormous risks, the number of people fleeing West Mosul shows no sign of slowing down.

We expect more large outflows of people from the west of the city. This is why we and our partners continue to prepare new camps, ready to receive those fleeing Mosul who are desperately in need of assistance, continued the spokesperson. The first phase of another camp, al Salamiya 2, with capacity for 30,000 people, is under construction. When completed, the camp will have a capacity for up to 60,000 people.

The UN refugee agency noted that its current humanitarian efforts to shelter and assist displaced Iraqi families and refugees who fled to Iraq were seriously challenged by waning funding support.

Our programmes in support of refugees and internally displaced in Iraq are currently only 18 per cent funded [$105.1 million received out of $578 million], Mahecic pointed out. This situation now threatens our ability to effectively respond to the immediate and mounting humanitarian needs in Iraq this year, he added.

According to Iraqi authorities more than 630,000 people have been displaced from Mosul and surrounding areas since October 2016, when the military operation began. This includes more than 434,000 displaced from western Mosul since mid-February. Meanwhile, an estimated 141,000 people have since returned to their areas of origin.

Photo: UNHCR/Caroline Gluck

Source: www.justearthnews.com
03:03 Very few things keeping Trump from running Former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney says there are very few things keeping Trump from running in the next presidential election....

01:58 Donald Trump could be becoming the new Hillary Clinton Sky News US contributor Michael Ware questions whether former president Donald Trump is "becoming the new Hillary Clinton.

05:52 We will never surrender: Ron DeSantis goes after woke mob in victory speech Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has gone after the "woke mob" during an impassioned victory speech after defeating Democrat Charlie Crist in the...

03:33 US midterms not panning out like anybody expected Sky News US contributor Michael Ware says it's proving to be a "fascinating" midterm election night because it's not "panning out like anybody...

02:03 Nothing complicated about Trumps character: Joe Hockey Former Ambassador to the United States Joe Hockey says there is nothing complicated about Donald Trumps character, after he describes...

03:07 Democratic candidates have tried to separate themselves from Biden Sky News US contributor Michael Ware says a lot of Democratic candidates have tried to separate themselves from US President Joe Biden,...

04:58 Absolute charade: Democrats have been pretending Biden might run again for president Sky News host Chris Kenny says the Democrats have gone through an absolute charade for the last two years, pretending that Joe Biden...

02:28 Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders defeats Democrat Chris Jones Donald Trump's former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is set to become Arkansas' first female governor after defeating Democrat...

02:47 Joe Biden is coming across as a low energy President Joe Biden was not campaigning as hard as all of his democrat predecessors, Former US Ambassador Joe Hockey told Sky News Australia.

02:15 Republicans can still have significant influence in House of Representatives Sky News host Laura Jayes says the Republican Party can still have significant influence if they have a small majority in the House of Representatives....

01:30 It is still way too early to tell anything about US midterms Sky News US Contributor Michael Ware says the midterm polls are still very much a moveable feast.

05:48 Florida stays great!: Twitter erupts as DeSantis wipes the floor with Democrat Crist Social media users have praised Florida Governor Ron DeSantis after the Republican secured a resounding projected victory over Democrat Charlie...

03:19 Greg Abbott wins Texas governorship for a third term Republican Greg Abbott has prevailed in his bid for governor of Texas for a third term, beating out democratic contender Beto ORourke, Fox...

05:28 Donald Trump reacts to midterm results Former US president Donald Trump has reacted to the latest midterm results, predicting Republicans will certainly clinch a majority in...

01:36 Xi Jinping and Anthony Albanese likely to cross paths Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is likely to cross paths with Chinas President Xi Jinping at the upcoming G20 summit held in Indonesia...

04:10 A lot of Democrats dont want Biden to run for president again Sky News host James Morrow says even Democrats are saying they really dont want Joe Biden to run for president again in 2024.

01:27 Race for the House of Reps seems to be going very, very well for the Republicans so far Former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney says the midterm race for the House of Representatives seems to be going very, very well...

Qatar FIFA World Cup ambassador under fire for homophobic slur The 60-year-old ambassador and former football star was asked about Qatar's stance on homosexuality before the interview was abruptly cut short by World Cup officials.

01:52 Race for the White House really starts after midterms Sky News Washington Correspondent Annelise Nielsen says the race for the White House really starts after the US midterms.
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Mario Mola of Spain, the 2016 WTS World Champion, topped fellow Spaniard Fernando Alarza by 8 seconds and 3rd place Norwegian Kristian Blummenfelt by 11 seconds to repeat as the winner of WTS Yokohama.

In pouring rain which led to 10 DNFs and the crash of top contender Jonathan Brownlee late in the bike leg, Mola navigated best through the dangers and finished with the second-fastest 30:36 run.



It has been a very good day for me, Mola told ITU media. On the bike we had to be careful. We saw at the end I think it was Jonny who had a crash with so many others. But with this day you never know what is going to happen. Today luckily it worked well for me so I am very pleased.



Mola survived a 41st-fastest swim that left him 27 seconds behind swim leader Jonathan Brownlee. After a 4th-best 57:36 bike split, Mola caught on the back of a large front pack at T2. By the end of the first of 4 laps of the run, Mola zoomed past early run leaders Henri Schoeman of South Africa, Gabor Faldum of Hungary and Blummenfelt and never looked back.



Mola was humble about his good fortune: I have said this before with triathlon, it doesnt matter how fit or how good you think you are, races put you in a place where sometimes you are happy and sometimes you are disappointed. But I was confident that I made the work during the winter, I kept doing the same work and when the result comes around you have to be pleased.



Alarza said he was happy to be part of Spains 1-2 finish. From the start around the first buoy I was a fighter, he told ITU media. Alarza swam a 35th -best 18:42 split. On my bike I was freezing, this water was not great for me, my feet were freezing but then I warmed up. I lost maybe 20 or 30 seconds in the second transition. Alarza ran 10 seconds quicker than Mola, but lost 13 seconds to Mola in the bike-to-run transition, which provided Mola his margin of victory. I am happy for Mario, happy for me and happy for the Spanish team, Alarza said.



Race recap



After a closely bunched swim that left over 50 men within 40 seconds of swim leader Brownlee, about 30 men led the pack on the bike, including Javier Gomez, Brownlee and, eventually, Mola.



As the leaders worked well together, the chasers led by Jake Birtwhistle fell 2 minutes behind by T2.



As the pack approached T2, top contender Brownlee crashed in the wet, picked up his bike and ran it into T2. Out of contention for the win, Brownlee soldiered on to a 32:34 run to earn an honorable 42nd place finish.



After Mola seized the lead, Schoeman, Alarza and Blummenfelt battled for the remaining spots on the podium. The three men exchanged the lead of their group until Alarza prevailed for the silver with a race-best 30:26 run. Schoeman established a short lead for the final spot on the podium until Blummenfelt regrouped and sprinted ahead on the blue carpet to finish with a 30:44 run, 3 seconds behind Alarza and 3 seconds ahead of Schoeman, who took 4th after a 30:56 run.



Javier Gomez, the 5-time ITU World Champion who missed the Rio Olympics with an injury and who opened 2017 with a win at WTS Abu Dhabi, had an off day. Gomez finished with a 31:58 run to finish 9th.

WTS Yokohama

Yokohama, Japan

May 13, 2017

S 1.5k / B 40k / R10k



Results



Elite Men



1. Mario Mola (ESP) 1:48:15

2. Fernando Alarza (ESP) 1:48:23

3. Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) 1:48:26

4. Henri Schoeman (RSA) 1:48:29

5. Andreas Schilling (DEN) 1:49:14

6. Rostislav Pevtsov (AZE) 1:49:25

7. Adrien Brifford (SUI) 1:49:26

8. Igor Polyanskiy (RUS) 1:49:34

9. Javier Gomez (ESP) 1:49:40

10. Gabor Faldum (HUN) 1:49:43

20. Matthew McElroy (USA) 1:50:33

27. Eric Lagerstrom (USA) 1:51:21

35. Gregory Billington (USA) 1:52:50
New York, May 13(Just Earth News): The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) held a memorial ceremony on Friday in honour of five peacekeepers who lost their lives after their convoy was attacked in the south-eastern part of the country earlier this week.

On a special visit to the Central African Republic, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, UN Mission in Colombia, presided over the ceremony, in the presence of Government officials and alongside the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of MINUSCA, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General Najat Rochdi, and MINUSCA Force Commander Lt. Gen. Balla Keita.

The deadly attack on the MINSUCA convoy  perpetrated by suspected anti-Balaka elements  occurred Monday, 8 May, near the village of Yogofongo. During the exchange of fire, one Cambodian peacekeeper and eight anti-Balaka elements were killed. There were a number of injured on both sides. Three of the four peacekeepers reported missing after the fire fight were found dead the next day. The fourth was found dead yesterday.

Lacroix paid tribute to the five soldiers serving under the UN flag and who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of peace, emphasizing that their sacrifice must not be forgotten and will not be in vain. He saluted the courage of the 10 Cambodian and Moroccan peacekeepers injured in the attack and wished them a speedy recovery.

MINUSCA peacekeepers undertake a difficult and honourable endeavour. Their critical work protecting civilians, opening roadways and building bridges helps to bring unity to a divided country.

Addressing mourners, Lacroix said: This attack is an attack against the United Nations ideals of peace and security that these soldiers defend here in the Central African Republic. This attack must not go unpunished and the perpetrators of this act of extreme cruelty must be prosecuted.

Those who accept to work in difficult conditions show remarkable courage and I am humbled by the courage of the personnel of the Mission, said Lacroix, who laid wreaths on the coffins of the slain peacekeepers during the ceremony.

The ceremony at the Missions headquarters in in the capital, Bangui, was attended by senior Central African Government officials, the diplomatic corps, humanitarian community representatives and hundreds of deeply saddened UN personnel in CAR, the Mission reported.

Earlier in the afternoon, Lacroix visited the survivors of the attack at the MINUSCA hospital.

The remains of the fallen peacekeepers will be transferred to a UN regional support base in Entebbe, Uganda, from where they will be flown home to Cambodia and Morocco.

Photo: MINUSCA

Source: www.justearthnews.com
Corrections Minister Shane Rattenbury said the man's next of kin had been notified, but his identity would not be revealed on Sunday.

"ACT Policing Criminal Investigations is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death and a report will be prepared for the ACT Coroner," they said in a statement.

New treatments have helped cut hepatitis c rates in Canberra's prison from 30 per cent to three per cent. Credit:Rohan Thomson

Police are not revealing any information about the death or the circumstances surrounding it, other than that it happened about 8pm.

"On behalf of the ACT government, I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the individual. I understand this will be a difficult time for them and I ask that you respect their privacy," he said.

"Any death in custody is a tragedy and of deepest concern.

"I am advised that ACT Corrective Services staff were notified by a detainee who was concerned about the health of the detainee. I am further advised that no disturbances were reported around the time of the incident."

It follows the death in custody of Steven Freeman in May last year, which prompted an independent inquiry which found significant flaws in the prison system.

The specific cause of Mr Freeman's death is the subject of an ongoing coronial inquest, which is expected to resume in August.
It's a long way from the back blocks of Fyshwick to the world capital of finance.

For Canberra technology entrepreneurs Phillip Williamson and Michelle Melbourne, it has been a more than two decade labour of love, propelled by one of the most important products you probably don't realise you use all the time.

Intelledox co-founders Phillip Williamson and Michelle Melbourne on Friday. Credit:Jamila Toderas

Co-founders of software technology company Intelledox, the pair have built a roster of clients including federal departments, state and territory governments, ASX top 200 firms and large international companies, selling their unique Infiniti software.

With 15 million users worldwide, Infiniti uses data-driven technology to improve customer service and engagement.
Frank Tesseyman can remember the first time he saw the site that would eventually become Canberra's Telstra Tower.

"The tower was just starting stick out of the ground about a metre high, and there was a big protest going saying it shouldn't be built, but construction had already started."

Frank Tesseyman was involved in the original construction of the Telstra Tower back in the 70s. Credit:Dion Georgopoulos

The Yarralumla resident has a particularly close attachment to the prominent landmark on Canberra's skyline: he was involved in its construction.

Mr Tesseyman was part of a small team that installed hundreds of metres of sprinkler systems and fire-protection measures in the 195 metre structure.
An ANU residential college trying to rid itself of "negative aspects of masculinity" has enlisted the help of Menslink.

John XXII College's men's officer, Douglas Morgan-Thomas, organised a panel discussion this month to help tackle the problem.

Doug Morgan-Thomas s the men's officer at John XXIII College, ANU. Credit:Jamila Toderas

The 22-year-old commerce and arts student said the main aim was to get male residents the mental health services he believed they need, and "break down the more negative aspects of masculinity that have occurred at our college".

In the past, male residents have been disciplined taking photos of women's breasts and posting them online and inappropriate chants.
Visitors are told when they visit the nation's capital to get a taste of Canberra. On Saturday, Canberrans themselves got a chance to do just that, literally.

After the success of last year's event, which saw all 107 cakes made from the Australian Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake recipe book, the Post and Ante Natal Depression Support and Information Cake Off returned, this time setting its sights closer to home.

Linda Martens-Verstappen's Skywhale cake. Credit:Dion Georgopoulos

This year, 72 cakes filled the Hyatt Hotel ballroom, all depicting a different slice of Canberra life.

From an edible Telstra Tower, a carillon cake that also plays music, the Belconnen Owl, to a cake of Mount Majura that moved, all were auctioned off with the money going to PANDSI.
Sydneysiders will spend an average $55 a head dining out to celebrate Mother's Day today, marking the second-biggest day of the year for the restaurant industry.

Sydney city, Darling Harbour and Manly will be the top dining suburbs for Sydney families, followed by Surry Hills, Mosman, Parramatta, Castle HIll, Bondi Beach, Woolloomooloo and Bondi.

Around Australia families will spend just over $2 billion celebrating mothers, dishing out about $200 million on flowers, based on 2016 figures from the Australian Retailers Association.
Passengers were left hot under the collar after an overnight Jetstar flight from Phuket was grounded for hours with no airconditioning.

The budget airline left passengers sweltering for over two hours while a technical issue was fixed.

Jetstar has apologised after five passengers fainted on a grounded flight.

Five people were removed from the grounded aircraft after fainting due to the heat.

Student Claire McAlinden took to social media to express her outrage at the event.
Washington: Monday, October 22, 1973, was the observance of Veterans' Day in Washington, so most congressional offices were closed. However, Senator Charles Mathias and his top aides, including yours truly, gathered that day at his office to review the unprecedented events that had rocked the city 48 hours earlier.

Washington had never witnessed a Saturday night like that.

President Richard Nixon had ordered special prosecutor Archibald Cox fired for refusing to back off his pursuit of the White House Watergate tapes. The same evening, Nixon had accepted the resignations of Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus, both of whom refused to discharge Cox. Nixon directed Solicitor General Robert Bork, as the newly installed acting attorney general, to carry out the order, which he did.

That very night, Nixon also abolished the special prosecutor's office and had the FBI seal the Justice Department offices of Richardson and Ruckelshaus, as well as Cox's office.
The Vietnam war taught many lessons to Australians, most of them negative. As time passes, one is standing out more and more: soldiers sent off to risk their lives for their country must be supported on their return.

Vietnam veterans, despised on re-entering their country after enduring the terrors of a guerrilla war, suffered dreadfully so that their country could learn that lesson. But we know it now  soldiers, military families, the broader Australian community all know it. But do governments know it? They may say they do, but if so, why in 2017 are the soldiers that today's generation of politicians have sent abroad to fight their wars still suffering on their return from some of the same ills as the veterans of Vietnam?

Editorial dinkus. Credit:Fairfax

As David Wroe's searing reports, published in the Herald yesterday and The Sun-Herald today, detail, the service personnel who return from today's wars are still left to suffer the consequences with inadequate aid and support. Physical wounds from combat will mostly heal, but its mental wounds lie deeply hidden, and show themselves to loved ones in ways that can be frightening, destructive and tragic all at once.

For some veterans, re-entry into civilian life can be nightmarish  and ultimately impossible. Wroe tells the stories of individual veterans unable to release themselves from the tight grip of wartime memories: the hyper-vigilance, the terrors, the depression, the violent outbursts  all symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
New York, May 13(Just Earth News): The United Nations peacekeeping force in the Central African Republic is sending reinforcements to the south-eastern town of Bangassou, where an armed group opened fire on civilians overnight killing an undisclosed number and at least one UN peacekeeper.

The armed elements continue to systematically and deliberately attack the MINUSCA base with heavy weaponry to impede the peacekeepers from doing their extremely vital task of protecting the civilian population and to divert them from their primary vocation of saving lives, the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the country, known by the French acronym MINUSCA, said in a statement.

The Mission said that members of a wide coalition, including anti-Balaka elements attacked civilian populations overnight, targeting in particular Muslims, in the Tokoyo neighborhood of Bangassou.

Despite heavy fire against MINUSCA's field office, peacekeepers attempted to respond to the attack in Tokoyo to protect civilians. In the firefight, which continued into the morning of 13 May, one peacekeeper of the Moroccan contingent died from gunshot injuries, the Mission said.

According to preliminary information, displaced civilians have fled to the mosque, the catholic church and a hospital.

At this time it is difficult to ascertain the humanitarian situation in Bangassou. However credible sources have confirmed an undetermined number of civilian casualties, MINUSCA said.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of MINUSCA Parfait Onanga-Anyanga vigorously condemned the attack, adding that MINUSCA will do everything in its power together with the legitimate Central African authorities to arrest the perpetrators of these horrible acts.

He said the international community will be relentless in apprehending the perpetrators of these crimes and all their commanders, including some instigators who may be sponsoring these attacks from Bangui.

Our actions will be relentless. The blood of peacekeepers and the blood of innocent Central Africans will not fall in vain in this country, he added.

The attack came just hours after the UN held a memorial ceremony to honour five peacekeepers killed on 8 May in a nearby village of Yogofongo. People connected with the anti-Balaka group are also suspected in the attack.

Special Representative Onanga-Anyanga was joined by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, and other senior UN officials, who are on a special visit to the country. Earlier in the day, they visited the 10 Cambodian and Moroccan peacekeepers injured in the attack and wished them a speedy recovery.

UN Photo/Catianne Tijerina

Source: www.justearthnews.com
Notorious US white supremacist Mike Enoch has announced plans to visit Australia as local nationalist group The Dingoes claim him as a speaker at their upcoming Sydney conference.

The Dingoes, who identify themselves as Australian adherents of the "alt-right", run a podcast that has featured former opposition leader Mark Latham and federal Nationals MP George Christensen.

"I'm going to be going to Australia in a couple of months," Enoch, also known as Mike Peinovich, told listeners of his Daily Shoah podcast on May 5. The show's name puns on the Hebrew word for Holocaust.

Enoch is regarded as one of the most prominent members of the US alt-right, a white nationalist movement that was credited as a force behind President Donald Trump's election victory.
It was heartening to see former opposition leader John Hewson calling last month for a more independent foreign policy. But his comments raise the question: why do politicians wait until they retire before they query the United States alliance?

In an article for Fairfax Media, published shortly before Malcolm Turnbull met Donald Trump, Hewson said it was all too easy for Australia to just get sucked along with the US.

Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have plenty of differences to resolve. Credit:AP

"It is now fundamentally important for Turnbull to initiate an urgent national debate on how best to position our nation relative to these risks and threats," Hewson wrote. "He must set out his government's detailed assessment of the situation and the main diplomatic and military options to be considered in our national interest, including a formal parliamentary debate on these issues."

Former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Fraser also saw good reason to question Australia's commitment to the US alliance. His views were summarised by former Labor foreign minister Gareth Evans as "the only aggression for which we are likely to need American defence will be that prompted by the alliance itself."
When your guest list reads like the BRW Rich List and is collectively worth around $6 billion, give or take a few hundred million, the pressure is on any bride to shine.

But just after 4pm on a cool autumn afternoon, Nadi Hasandedic, managed to do just that as she arrived with her bridesmaids in a fleet of vintage Rolls Royce limousines outside the grand entry to Sydney University's Quadrangle.

The bride arrives: Nadi Hasandedic at Sydney University on Saturday. Credit:James Brickwood

Hasandedic married her fiance, millionaire luxury car importer Neville "Croaky" Crichton in front of 300 of their nearest and dearest, including billionaire property developer Lang Walker, who arrived with his wife Sue in their Bentley SUV along with Australia's richest truckie Lindsay Fox with his wife Paula.

Further swelling the ranks of the super rich were fellow billionaire vitamin mogul Marcus Blackmore and billionaire hamburger king Jack Cowin, while in their wake mere millionaires including John "Aussie" Symond arrived with his new bride, Amber, the former wife of Patrick Keating, son of former Prime Minister Paul Keating.
In many ways the red carpet is the modern day equivalent of the colosseum, as the bold and beautiful pout and pose in front of the lions behind their lenses in the battle for the biggest media splash.

But when American actress Chrissy Metz emerged on the long carpet snaking its way outside Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium for last week's MTV Awards, she managed to capture the collective media pit's attention in one fell swoop, but not for the reasons your average size-zero starlet would want.

Chrissy Metz has "hit back at fat shamers", revelling in her "Body Pride".

Metz stars in the drama series This Is Us, playing a morbidly obese woman struggling with her weight, a character the actor has previously stated she more than identifies with.

But it was Metz's red carpet gown which caused all the commotion, a tight, latex "baby doll" dress which stopped just above her knees.
Sydney designer Dion Lee will open this year's Australian Fashion Week at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday.

It will be the second year Australian Fashion Week will take place in May, a move from its previous date in April, and a shift that allows designers to showcase their resort, or trans-seasonal, collection.

Dion Lee has won the honour of opening Australian Fashion Week. Credit:Paola+Murray

This has been seen as a positive move considering the previous focus had been on spring/summer collections at a time when the rest of the fashion world had been seeing and buying autumn/winter collections.

The shift in seasonal focus has brought interest from international buyers, including Net-A-Porter, Selfridges and Browns Fashion from London, who will all attend the week.
Her father might have his garish red ties, but Ivanka Trump, a "woman who works" and one who has distanced herself from her eponymous fashion label and her role in the Trump family business to take up another one in the White House, hasn't, according to some commentators, quite worked out what to wear. But then, perhaps more pertinently, her new role might be too vague to nail the dress code anyway.

Lizzie Crocker wrote recently in the Daily Beast of Ivanka's choice of a dress with what looked like an exposed bra strap for Donald Trump's first address to congress: "Now that she's no longer selling that image [an extension of her clothing line brand], the new Ivanka seems to be struggling to find her sartorial stride in her role as unofficial adviser and advocate for women's economic empowerment in the Trump administration."

The mismatched Marni earrings that riled fashion journalist Jess Cartner Morley. Credit:Michael Sohn

Meanwhile, fashion editor Jess Cartner Morley noted with horror that Ivanka was onto the mismatched statement earring trend, sporting a pair of Marni ones at a recent forum in Berlin with Angela Merkel and other female leaders. It was, wrote Cartner Morley, a cynical attempt for Ivanka  who now has security clearance in her new unpaid gig as the President's "eyes and ears"  to show she's just like us. That is, one supposes, susceptible to fashion trends and trying to impress in the workplace.

"[M]ore insidious  is that the Picasso-asymmetry of mismatched earrings suggests an independent-minded, creative-thinking outlook, an identity Ivanka Trump deliberately flirts with. We should all be scared of Ivanka's earrings, because they represent what makes her the most terrifying of all the Trump circle, which is her Blade Runner-replicant-like ability to make you believe  just for a second  that she is a bit like us," writes Cartner Morley.
Q: Ron and I have been together for 44 years. Our sex life, in which I've been an eager participant, has had its ups and downs but has always been a pleasurable and important part of our lives. In recent years I've experienced diminished desire and a lack of sensation, meaning I virtually never achieve an orgasm, and find myself simply waiting for him to 'finish'. I still want to have intercourse but my body doesn't respond. Ron is aware of this and feels he's just using me, which puts him off. We're financially secure and enjoying our retirement but for this. My GP has put me on an oestrogen pessary, which has helped comfort-wise, but nothing else has improved.

A: Dr Sonia Davison, endocrinologist at Jean Hailes for Women's Health, says many factors have a negative impact on sexual desire. These include longer relationship length, being married, menopause, psychosocial stressors and some medications. Studies have shown that sexual function and levels of activity decline with increasing age.

Many factors can affect libido, but sex and sex drive can improve. Credit:Stocksy

"There is no one correct answer or approach to female sexual dysfunction and it is useful to consult with an expert in this area, who may be a sexual counsellor or a dedicated women's health practitioner. Further information can be found at jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/sex-sexual-health or at the Australasian Menopause Society webpage, "Sexual difficulties in the Menopause".

Dr Anita Elias is the head of Monash Health's Sexual Medicine and Therapy Clinic, and Sexual Counselling Clinic at the Royal Women's Hospital's Malvern Psychotherapy Centre. She agrees that, "Anything and everything can have an impact on sexuality. The problems you describe are very common. Decreased desire for sex (libido) and arousal can be caused by general health issues, problems with physical or emotional wellbeing (including anxiety or depression), any relationship difficulties and general life stresses. Unfortunately, many medications have sexual side effects, such as the difficulties you describe".
Diaa Mohamed presented himself publicly as an aspiring politician, keen to give Muslims a platform to express themselves in Australia's turbulent political arena.

But behind the scenes he was a fraudster with a trail of debt, folded companies and ties to one of Sydney's notorious underworld families.

Diaa Mohamed, 36, has pleaded guilty to defrauding a finance company out of $420,000 through a fake loan application scheme. Credit:Wolter Peeters

The tangled web the 36-year-old wove can now be revealed after he pleaded guilty to committing almost half a million dollars' worth of fraud while he was gearing up to become the face of the Australian Muslim Party.

He is also facing charges for drug possession after police allegedly found cocaine at his Parramatta unit.
Islamabad, May 13 (IBNS): In two separate incidents, at least ten labourers were killed as unknown gunmen opened fire at them in Pakistan's Gwadar city on Saturday, media reports said.

A labourer was reportedly injured in one of the attacks.

The incidents took place in the Pishgan and Guns Road area of Gwadar where the labourers were working on construction projects, Geo News reported.

The attack sites have been cordoned off.

Image courtesy: hdnicewallpapers.com
The McGowan government will rely on drones and shark shield rebates for surfers and divers to reduce the risk of attacks off the WA coast.

The long-running debate over beach safety was reignited last month when 17-year-old Laeticia Brouwer died after being attacked while surfing in Esperance.

The McGowan government has announced its plans to reduce shark attacks of the WA coast.

Laeticia was believed to have been unconscious when she was pulled from the water on April 17 at Kelp Beds - approximately three kilometres east of Wylie Bay.

Despite her death - which was the 15th off the WA coast since 2000 - Premier Mark McGowan said he remained in favour of personal devices to deter sharks instead of culling, nets or drumlines.
Bari: The United States believes the world's other rich economies are getting used to the policy plans of President Donald Trump, but Europe and Japan remain worried about Washington's shift.

Officials from the Group of Seven nations (G7) met in southern Italy on Saturday hoping to hear more about Mr Trump's plans, which they fear will revive protectionism and set back the global approach to issues such as banking reform and climate change.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the United States reserved the right to be protectionist if it thought trade was not free or fair.

"We do not want to be protectionist, but we reserve our right to be protectionist to the extent that we believe trade is not free and fair," he told reporters at the end of the two-day meeting.
London: Operations were cancelled, ambulances diverted and computer systems crucial to the care of the seriously ill failed as an international cyber attack crippled hospitals across the UK's National Health Service.

More than one hospital was left unable to do even x-rays, among an estimated 40 NHS organisations from London to Scotland affected by the attack on Friday.

Pathology labs, patient administration and beeper alert systems used to summon doctors to surgery were hit.

The country's biggest NHS trust, Barts Health in London, closed its major trauma, heart attack and stroke centres, telling incoming ambulances to divert to other hospitals, as the malware paralysed its IT systems. Routine appointments were cancelled and patients told to find alternative care.
Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia said it had deported three Turkish men to Ankara over suspected links to a group blamed by Turkey for a failed coup last year.

Human rights groups condemned the deportations conducted on Friday and the United Nations said Malaysia's action raised serious concern for the safety of Turkish nationals in the region.

Authorities detained school principal Turgay Karaman, 43, businessman Ihsan Aslan, 39, and academic Ismet Ozcelik, 58, last week, saying they posed a threat to national security.

Rights groups said they were concerned the action had been taken against the men because of pressure from Turkey.
Nihad Barakat Shamo Al-Awsi is seeking a new life in Australia. Credit:Liliana Zaharia In 2017-18, Australia will accept 18,750 people fleeing persecution. In March, the government announced it had granted protection visas to 12,000 people displaced by the conflict in in Syria and Iraq. Refugees who have suffered torture and trauma are offered specialist counselling services when they arrive in Australia. Nihad and her family may need them. Nihad was one of the 6800 Yazidis now believed to have been captured to become sex slaves or fighters. She cannot erase the mental trauma from her time under the control of the IS "monsters". "Several times I tried to tell my family about my sister who was being raped in front of me and she was screaming at that time, begging for my mother to come to help her.

"I can't tell anyone about this." After her capture, Nihad was taken to a village on the Iraq-Syria border, where the male captives were separated from the girls and women. She was then transferred to Mosul, where a fighter claimed her, and raped her repeatedly before his death in the battlefield nearly two months later. She was quickly "purchased" and forced to marry another "monster", a man known as Abu Faris who already had a wife and a Yazidi girl as his slave. Many IS slaves have died in captivity but Nihad says she clung to the hope of reuniting with her family. "I used to go to see my sisters and my brother [all in captivity] and I said, 'Please stick to the hope that one day we will be released and we will be returned to our lives'." Her strength prevailed through the constant rapes and beatings but then she fell pregnant. "I thought I was carrying a small IS man," she says.

"When I got pregnant I thought that I am weak and I am wondering and asking myself, 'Why did this happen?'" "I disassociated from the surroundings. I felt 'I am lost' but one day I managed to get a phone to call my family and from that moment I clung to the hope again." Nihad tried to force a miscarriage, but her son did arrive and when he did she named him Issa  Arabic for Jesus. He will turn two in July, though it is now unlikely she will ever see him again. When she escaped she had to leave Issa, then just three months old, with the father, Abu Faris. He remains in northern Iraq and has insisted on keeping the boy. Even if Nihad had been able to take Issa with her, her people would have rejected her son, she says. "He is part of me but he's something from those criminals and he represents those criminals. Even if I managed to meet him again, my family and all the Yazidi people would say 'This is a member of ISIS'," Nihad tells Fairfax Media at the headquarters of the London-based charity the AMAR Foundation, which is supporting her rehabilitation.

"I used to carry him and I used to hug him and play with him but I have never forgot my family and I was thinking all the time about returning to my family." New research from the London School of Economics has found 9900 Yazidis were killed or kidnapped over the course of just a few days in August 2014. The figure is far higher than previous estimates of IS's brutal "purification" of northern Iraq. An estimated 3100 Yazidis were killed, with nearly half of them executed by gunshot, beheading or being burned alive. The others died from injuries, starvation and dehydration during the siege on Mount Sinjar. More than one-third of those kidnapped remain missing. Nihad escaped her captor because of a dispute between Abu Faris, his wife and his other Yazidi girl. In a bid to resolve the tension, Nihad was passed to Abu Faris' cousin. From here, with the help of a group of Yazidi women, she was able to finally escape Mosul.

But although she has escaped IS slavery, Nihad says she will never feel free. "Because Yazidi people are still there under the captivity of ISIS and because I still have a son under the captivity of ISIS, I don't feel that I am free." Nihad has lost two sisters and a brother to Islamic State and two more brothers have been forced into training in fighter camps. Despite the stigma Nihad risks in putting her face to the label of "Islamic State sex slave", she is committed to telling the world about what she endured and the ongoing persecution her people face. "I want all the people to imagine the misery that we have passed through." Nihad doubts she can ever fully recover from her trauma. "Despite all the difficulty that I have suffered, I have decided to continue my life and to be a success but the sadness inside us is so deep."
Washington: A fiery Michelle Obama vigorously defended the healthy eating initiative that was her biggest legacy as first lady, telling a public health summit in Washington that something was "wrong" with an administration that did not want to give consumers nutrition information or teach children to eat healthily.

"We gotta make sure we don't let anybody take us back," Obama said on Friday. "This is where you really have to look at motives, you know. You have to stop and think, why don't you want our kids to have good food at school? What is wrong with you? And why is that a partisan issue? Why would that be political? What is going on?"

In a 43-minute conversation, peppered with sarcastic remarks and veiled references to the Trump administration, Michele Obama discussed topics from life since her husband left the presidency to her Let's Move! initiative.

"Take me out of the equation - like me or don't like me," Obama added. "But think about why someone is OK with your kids eating crap. Why would you celebrate that? Why would you sit idly and be OK with that? Because here's the secret: If someone is doing that, they don't care about your kid."
Cross Border pursuit, cross border surveillance and requesting information on police level.

MARIGOT:--- Law enforcement officers from the Dutch side of the island joined their colleagues at the Palais de Justice in Marigot to sign a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Friday afternoon.

Representing the Dutch side were Solicitor General Jan Spaans, Chief Prosecutor Ton Maan, Prosecutor Nanouk Lemmers, Chief Commissioner of Police Carl John, Deputy Chief of Police Denise Jacobs, Chief Inspector and head of Support Division Benjamin Gout. Representatives from the French were Prosecutor Samuel Finielz, Vice Prosecutor Michael Ohayon, Commandant of the Gendarmerie Sebastien Manzoni, Captain Le Rasle chef de Antenne Octris.

The cooperation agreement is between the French and Dutch side and not a state agreement. According to Prosecutor General Samuel Finielz the agreement they signed on Friday will give the Police and Gendarmes the opportunity to work closer to solving crimes and mainly to ensure that criminals do not get away from the long arms of the law despite their nationality and place of habitation. The three main points agreed upon are Cross Border Pursuit, Cross-Border Surveillance, and sharing of information.

Based on the agreement criminals that are held at the Pointe Blanche prison can now be tried in the French Court of Law if they are charged with any crimes committed on the French side, also inmates at the Pointe Blanche Prison can also be heard as witness by the French upon request and they do not have to go through the extradition process. An extradition request will only be needed for suspects that are wanted on either side of the island. With regards to the cross-border surveillance, law enforcement agencies can now monitor suspects and their whereabouts on either side of the island.

Finielz said that the agreement stemmed from the Police Cooperation Agreement signed in 2015 signed by both sides of the island and that the French and Dutch Prosecutors have been working on the agreement little of a year which finally came to fruition on Friday. He said that as Prosecutors chose to put what they think would be best to curb crimes related to delinquency on paper and have the police work closer in order to solve crimes such as armed robberies, pursuing criminals that would commit crimes and then escape through the border now that is a thing of the past as the Police and Gendarmes can now chase criminals across the border, the only thing they have to do is to ensure both sides are properly informed when the pursuits are taking place. Law enforcement officers could also ask for a suspect police record which will be given to them as they share information.

Criminals that are in serving sentences on either side of the island also no longer have a free pass. The minute they are up for release, both sides law enforcement officers will inform each other about the release of suspects and if they are wanted for any crime on either side then an extradition request will be filed for the suspect. As for the sharing of information on suspects that is now easier as both sides police could request information from each other to solve any type of crimes. Another big win with the agreement suspects that are convicted on either side of the island will no longer get a free pass because their conviction can now be added to their files when they appear in court which would then allow the judge to impose stiffer sentences.

Finiels said that discussions started about a year ago while Prosecutor Nanouk Leemers said the discussions started since 2010 but this pass year they worked harder on the agreement, in order for police to better cooperate.

The signing was done by Chief Prosecutor Ton Maan on behalf of Country St. Maarten and Prosecutor General Samuel Finiels for the French side.

Chief Commissioner of Police Carl John said that these past years the two sides law enforcement have been working closely but with new agreement it will enhance the cooperation. John said the agreement will allow them to work smoother which yield better results. He said it's years now they have a good working good on the operational level but the technical aspects was a setback.

Commandant of the Gendarmerie Sebastien Manzoni also expressed the same he said that the exchange of information will assist both sides of the island when it comes to solving crimes. He said another good part is that the two sides can now integrate to make controls and to ensure that suspects.

Click here to view photos of the MOU signing ceremony
Prime suspect in the brutal murder of husband of 20 years.

MARIGOT:--- The wife of Mont Vernon veterinarian Nadine Turquin appeared before the investigating judge in Guadeloupe on Friday April 28th 2017 and was charged by the investigating judge with the murder of her husband of 20 years Jean Louis Turquin. The well known of veterinarian Jean-Louis Turquin (68) was shot to death in his Mont Vernon home during the night of January 7th.2017

Nadine Turquin was invited to the Gendarmerie on Wednesday after which she was detained and questioned into the murder of her husband. She was transported to Guadeloupe on Friday, April 28th to appear before the judge. The judge ordered that Nadine Turquin remains in detention as the investigation continues.

Based on information SMN News received Nadine Turquin became the prime suspect in the brutal murder after scientific results showed that she had gun residue on her hands. However, during the investigations, Nadine Turquin denied having anything to do with the murder of her husband since she was supposedly out that fatal night with friends celebrating her birthday.

In January Mrs. Turquin told investigators that she went out with her friends at a bar and when she returned she found her dead husband in their bedroom at the time of the murder the case was dubbed as an armed robbery that went wrong.

Jean-Louis Turquin was found with a gunshot wound in his back while investigators found two empty shells at the scene.

While the case was dubbed as an armed robbery there were no signs of forced entry into the private home.

Jean-Louis Turquin spent years in a Paris prison after being convicted of killing his 7-year old son. It was while Jean-Louis Turquin was in prison Nadine contacted him after seeing his photographs in newspapers in France.

The now suspected murder married Jean Luis Turquin in prison, just one year after divorcing her husband and father of three children.

The couple moved to St. Martin 2012 where they operated a 24 hour veter
A collaboration with Collective Prevention Services

PHILIPSBURG:---- The Rotary Club of Sint Maarten initiated a partnership with the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour to create a Mother and Child Health Promotion Campaign.

The Purpose of the campaign is to promote the healthy behavior of women during pregnancy and childbirth by providing them with a roadmap through healthcare and medical care alternatives, practices and options. The launch of the awareness campaign was done during the weekly club meeting of the Rotary Club of Sint Maarten during Mother and Child Health Month which is celebrated by Rotary International.

The first product of the campaign is a brochure, which was put together with technical input from the Department of Collective Prevention Services. The aim of the brochure is to guide expectant mothers through proper health care practices, ranging from visiting the local pharmacy to visiting the gynecologist and/or pediatrician during a pregnancy.

Ms. Henna Budhrani, President of the Rotary Club of Sint Maarten, said, Every child deserves a good start and that begins with a healthy mother. She thanked Ms. Agnes Kapoor, Co-Chairperson of the Clubs Service Project Committee, for making this initiative a reality and stressed this club commitment goes beyond her presidency. President-Elect, John Caputo, underscored this commitment to continue the Mother and Child Health Promotion campaign during his presidency.

During the launch, the brochure was presented to the Honorable Emile Lee, Minister of Public Health. He complimented the Club with this initiative and confirmed the full support of his Ministry. In his address, he said that he is a strong believer of public-private partnerships, and sees the role of civil society organizations, such as the Rotary Club of Sint Maarten, to create awareness and promote healthy behavior. "I endorsed the flyer and look forward to follow-up activities and events, Minister Lee said in closing.

Also in attendance for the launch of the brochure were Dr. Virginia Asin, Head of Collective Prevention Services and Mr. Dick Luttekes, President of The Pharmacy Association.

The brochures will be distributed at pharmacies, medical clinics, the baby clinic, the White and Yellow Cross Care Foundation and all relevant health care institutions on Sint Maarten, with the objective of reaching the wider a female population through collaboration with different partners.

For more information about the Rotary Club of St. Maarten, please contact the Rotary Club of St. Maarten Press Officer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit the website www.rotarysxm.org.
GREAT BAY (DCOMM):---- Preparations are in full swing by the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau (STB) for the annual Junior Minister of Tourism Inter-Scholastic Panel Discussion.

The Sundial School Team presented the following synopsis of its debating group. The speaker of the group is Oveidy Soriano. Our speaker is a former student of Oranje School which is located right in middle of the biggest shopping promenade, Front Street. As the daughter of two working class parents Oveidy understands the benefits of hard work and plans to get into legal professions as a way of enhancing the quality of life of St. Maarteners.

Caleb Carter, the lone male researcher of the group is the last of his siblings but first in his academics. With a demonstrated interest in group and outdoor activities, he sees his participation in this activity as a chance to offer ideas that will offer ideas to help St Maarten to improve its tourism product.

Janelle Andre boasts of firsthand knowledge of the tourism industry since she has had numerous conversations with visitors while on tours conducted by her father. She expects that the experience of participating in this event will give her a better appreciation of her island home while bringing to light some of the lesser known wonders of St. Maarten.

Future medical doctor, Naomi Desaines, expressed her interest in learning more of St. Maarten, and finding some of its hidden attractions. Her fathers job at the Harbor port of entry has given her an inside view of the less glamorous activities that goes into ensuring that visitors to the island are safe and satisfied while they transfer in and out of the island. She hopes to reach more conservative visitors and give them a quality experience that will turn them to repeat visitors.

Shaniah is a responsible student who is very organized. She is quiet, kind, positive and very supportive of her peers. Shaniah is driven and inquisitive; she works hard in school and finds it important to assist where necessary. All of these attributes make her a great asset to the team.

The panel discussion will take place on Friday, May 19 at the Sonesta Great Bay Beach Hotel from 9.00am to 12.00pm.

The winner of the panel discussion will represent Sint Maarten at the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Youth Tourism Congress in Grenada in October.

The participating schools are: Milton Peters College four sections (MPC), Sundial School, Methodist Agogic Centre, St. Dominic High School, St. Maarten Academy and Charlotte Brookson Academy.
Kabul, May 13 (IBNS): A magnetic bomb explosion in Afghanistan capital Kabul on Saturday left at least two people killed, media reports said.

According to media reports, the incident left two others injured.

Brig. Gen. Mohammad Salim Almas, crime branch chief for 101st Asmaee Zone, told country's Pajhwok Afghan News the explosion took place at around 7:20 am.

The injured people were rushed to hospital or treatment.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.
GENEVA:--- Minister of Justice Rafael Boasman represented Sint Maarten at United Nations Office in Geneva on the occasion of the Universal Periodic Review. The Universal Periodic Review, or UPR for short, is a review of the human rights record of all United Nations member states, in this case, the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Kingdom, and therefore Sint Maarten, is party to a number of Human Rights Treaties.

As a party to a treaty, there are a number of obligations that the state must fulfill. These obligations vary based on the content of each respective Treaty. The UPR is unique in that unlike all other Human Rights Treaties it does not concern itself with a specific theme but reviews and holds to account the state party on all human rights treaties and obligations. The UPR allows state parties, in the report that each is obligated to submit to the United Nations, to highlight efforts made to ensure that human rights are safeguarded within its borders.

Sint Maarten's report underscored progress made in three specific areas, falling under two thematic headings. Under the themes legislation and judicial matters, Sint Maarten highlighted the implementation of the new Penal Code and the new crimes it covers including (financing) of terrorism and money laundering. Under this thematic heading, Sint Maarten also highlighted the progress made in combatting human trafficking and Sint Maarten's most recent ranking in tier 1 in the United States a trafficking in Persons Report. This rank means that Sint Maarten fully meets the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking in persons. Under the thematic heading of social development, Sint Maarten proudly presented the work it has undertaken in ensuring education for all, with the implementation of the law on compulsory education.

Minister of Justice Rafael Boasman, as representative of the Government of Sint Maarten, joined Dutch Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk, Minister Plenipotentiary of Aruba in The Hague Juan David Yrausquin, and Policy Advisor at the Department of Foreign Affairs of Curacao Miloushka Sboui-Racamy, at the Head table to defend the record of the Kingdom during the one-day public hearing.

During the hearing, the bulk of questions posed by UN member states were directed to the Netherlands, but a large number of general questions to the Kingdom regarding pending ratifications, treaty reservations, and the Rights of the Child were frequently received by the delegation.

Minister Boasman in invited comments from the delegates of Algeria, Australia, and the Republic of Korea answered additional questions regarding education access for disadvantaged children, human rights monitoring mechanisms, and adult and youth detention facilities respectively. In so doing, he highlighted the work done by the Constitutional Court, as well as ongoing efforts regarding the prison and the work of the Miss Lalie Center in the area of youth detention and rehabilitation.

The Minister of Justice Boasman continues on to The Hague to hold meetings with Dutch Minister of Justice Stef Blok and other authorities regarding the prison and other matters of mutual concern, accompanied by Chef of the Cabinet Mr. Len Dijkstra. Mr. Patrice Gumbs Jr, Senior Policy Advisor at the Department of Foreign Relations of Sint Maarten will remain in Geneva for the rest of the week to attend technical meetings related to the Universal Periodic Review including recommendations from other UN state parties and pledges to address matters raised during the hearing.

In his closing remarks, Minister Rafael Boasman reiterated the Government's commitment to the promotion of Human Rights on Sint Maarten and commended the work of the Human Rights Council in this regard.
CUL DE SAC:--- Who will be the first St. Maarten Academy King and Queen to be crowned in close to two decades? This question will be answered on the evening of Saturday, May 13, 2017 when the school's Parent Teachers Foundation (PTF) hosts its long-dormant pageant in its gym hall.

Fourteen young scholars from forms one to six will be competing for the coveted titles and a host of great prizes, including scholarships from the School Board and the PTF, electronic devices, resort stays, jewelry, gift baskets, and more.

The contestants are Jheirhen-Armani France, Knisha Zakkirya Radjouki, Brandon Antonio Blake, Declashey Deyoudel Jeffers, Shanine Lee, Shaneisha Shamoya Robinson, Beyonce Williams, Jose Angel Cruz Nunez, Angel Morel, Shavelle Lawrence, Raheim Sylvester OBrien Fleming, Russhawn Shirley, Kia Morton, and Dawud Chapman.

Among the segments are interview, talent, creative school wear, and evening wear. The sponsors are Blue Point, Sonesta Maho Resort, Shop & Take Electronics, Holland House, Penha, Vandrop, Angelic Touch, Pineapple Pete, Avon, Indulgence by the Sea, Telcel, and Beriut Authentic Cuisine Restaurant, Mark's Place, Orange Grove Pharmacy, Diamond's International, Sunset Beach Bar, Helena, OMNI, Northeastern Insurances, NAGICO, Windward Islands Bank, Domino's Pizza, UTS, and Rent-A-Sound.

The last St. Maarten Academy King and Queen pageant was won by Marlon Richardson and Claire Guyot back in the late 1990's - before any of the current contestants were born.

This is the second major activity being hosted by the PTF this year, the first being a highly-successful Family Cultural Fun Day. All funds raised will be used to further develop the school's ICT infrastructure; and encourage students to perform well academically, as each year, the PTF presents special awards to graduating students who make the Honor Roll throughout their school history, as well as to the top performing students of Forms 1 - 4.

The PTF's mission is to create a stronger bond between parents and the school, as well as between the school and students. We believe that this pageant will also help to build positive self esteem in our students and function as a platform for our school to present role models in our community. The two winners will be our ambassadors to embrace our motto of achieving, excelling, caring and learning during the 2017-18 school year.
2022 Indiana election results: See the latest updates from St. Joseph County

Vote totals are preliminary until all are counted and certified by the St. Joseph County Election Board.
Washington, May 13 (IBNS): The US and China have signed a new 10-point trade deal on Friday, reports said.

Under the new deal, China will lift embargo on US meat products, and in return will be allowed to sell its cooked chicken in the US markets.

The deal will also allow Chinese banks to enter the US markets.

Following the deal, US President Donald Trump termed the development as the 'Real news'.

In a tweet, Trump said, "China just agreed that the U.S. will be allowed to sell beef, and other major products, into China once again. This is REAL news!"

Meanwhile, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said that Chinese banks will get access to the US markets as long as they followed the prevalent rules.

"Clearly China, whose banks are among the largest in the whole world, wants access to the US banking market," Ross was quoted as saying by CNBC.

"As long as they can comply with the normal rules, they will get access," he said.

image: www.facebook.com/xivisit
Space will never be a risk-free environment, but there are ways to reduce the risk for crew who travel on future deep-space missions, experts noted at the Human to Mars Summit in Washington, D.C., yesterday (May 9).

For example, NASA could help to prepare crewmembers for the challenges they might face on longer missions by first doing missions closer to home, according to the experts on the panel, which was moderated by Space.com columnist Leonard David.

Indeed, NASA is already using the International Space Station (ISS) as an environment for learning how to reduce the risks associated with a potential human mission to Mars, John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate and a former astronaut, said during the discussion. However, people outside the spaceflight industry often don't associate the station with human voyages to Mars, he added. [Mars Radiation Threat to Astronauts Explained (Infographic)]

Grunsfeld added that astronauts typically stay on the orbiting complex for six months, and one experiment included a nearly yearlong mission with NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko. These missions mimic the transit time of a future human mission from Earth to Mars, which current estimates suggest will take between six and eight months. During that time, crewmembers will need to remain healthy, entertained and physically fit enough to be productive on the Martian surface immediately after arrival, he said. (Because astronauts lose muscle and bone mass while in space, they may not be ready to start manual labor immediately after landing.)

"At the end of the [ISS] mission, you descend to a planetary surface that is Earth," Grunsfeld said during the panel, which was livestreamed. For now, NASA does not ask astronauts who have just returned to Earth from the ISS to do the types of activities they might have to perform upon arriving on the Martian surface. (In fact, returning astronauts don't even walk right away; they are carried away from the returned space capsule on stretchers as a precaution with the anticipated loss of muscle and bone.) But having those astronauts perform physical tasks immediately upon landing could be an option if the agency wants to have a more realistic simulation of a Mars mission.

NASA also attempts to mitigate risks for crewmembers by staging mock missions, in which aspects of space exploration are simulated in caves, underwater or at facilities such as The Mars Society's Mars Desert Research Station in Utah, Penny Boston, director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute, said during the panel discussion.

"Most people who engage in [NASA-related] exploration and risk taking  are not daredevils," Boston said. "We want people who are really very cool. They don't do it for the thrill, but also they are usually pretty fearless. When you are fearless, you can keep your wits about you."

Calculating risk

NASA got better at calculating risk in the wake of two shuttle disasters: the Challenger explosion during takeoff in 1986, and the Columbia breakup during landing in 2003, Grunsfeld said.

Grunsfeld  a five-time shuttle astronaut who also helped perform the last Hubble Space Telescope repair mission in 2009  said that for the Hubble mission, he initially received odds of 1 in 70 of not returning to Earth. Then, a Chinese anti-satellite test in 2007 scattered pieces of a destroyed satellite in low Earth orbit, bringing the odds down to 1 in 65. (Because the space shuttles traveled at more than 17,000 mph, or about 27,000 km/h, a collision with even a small piece of space debris could seriously damage the craft and put the astronauts' lives at risk.)

"Those sound like pretty terrible odds," Grunsfeld said. "Space station missions are a little higher [probability of returning] because you have some place to go." His Hubble repair mission, however, was in a different orbit and could not reach the ISS in case of emergency.

For Grunsfeld, the risk was worth the potential reward. An astrophysicist, Grunsfeld was determined to advance science, he said, and the chance for him to repair and upgrade the Hubble telescope was enough incentive for him to go. (The data from Hubble has contributed to Nobel Prize-winning science.) However, Grunsfeld said that if he had received a 1-in-65 chance of not returning from a routine shuttle mission to the ISS to deliver food and water, he would have turned it down.

The panelists mentioned many types of risk, ranging from programmatic to personal to professional. Tiffany Montague, a former manager of Google Space Projects, said it's important not to view risk as negative.

"In Silicon Valley, you're sort of free of that [negative perception]," she said. "You're very tolerant of risk. You're not just tolerant of it; you celebrate it. You look at it as an opportunity."

"Silicon Valley tells you that failure is an option," she added. "It's a great option. You should do it fast. You should do it often. Risk is a tool for growth and innovation."

The limits of risk

While some may look to new technologies to better manage risk, Rick Davis, NASA's assistant director for science and exploration, said he was schooled in this line of thinking during a three-and-a-half-year assignment to work with the Russian space agency, Roscosmos.

"When you go there, what you see is them using technology that literally, maybe, [cosmonaut] Yuri Gagarin used [in the 1960s]," he said, adding that some people might be inclined to think, "Oh my God; that's backwards." But using the same technology for 50 years is not only cheaper (in some cases) but also demonstrates a robustness of technologies that have been tested in spaceflight that the U.S. space program could learn from, he said.

NASA has learned quite a bit about space travel since the 1960s, of course, but there are still some wrinkles to be worked out. A big one, Davis said, is logistics. The ISS depends on regular cargo shipments of food, water and supplies  an arrangement that would be impractical for a Mars mission. (Journeys to Mars would take six to eight months, according to current estimates, and launches must occur when Earth and Mars align favorably, which happens only about every 18 months.)

But when it comes to risk, Davis said, "It's the stuff you don't know, that you haven't attempted, that worries me most."

Follow Elizabeth Howell @howellspace, or Space.com @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
In October 1997, the Cassini spacecraft blasted off to explore Saturn and drop a probe onto its moon Titan. Then, something unusual happened. What was meant to be a four-year mission was extended almost a decade beyond its original end-date. As we approach the end of Cassini's 13 years of continuous presence in the Saturnian system, it has become clear that these were some of the luckiest years in the history of astrobiology.

During this epoch of exploration, unparalleled discoveries regarding life-in-the-universe were made, including what NASA's head of planetary science Jim Green called "the two ends of the spectrum in the search for life."

On one end of the spectrum lies Enceladus: a small, highly-reflective moon that has been much in the news after all of the necessary ingredients for life were detected in plumes shooting out of its southern pole. Cassini's serendipitous initial discovery of these plumes took place during a flyby 2005. Since then, dozens of flybys and studies by the Hubble Space Telescope helped confirm that the icy moon's heated interior is being continually ejected miles into space. [NASA's Epic Cassini Mission to Saturn  and its Grand Finale (Video)]

Subsequent sampling by Cassini has led researchers to conclude that, while they couldn't directly detect exo-life on Enceladus, between the chemical heating and the available nutrients, there was good evidence that any Earth-like microbes living there have more than enough to survive.

"Enceladus has the conditions most like what we think reside in our deep ocean," said Green in an interview with Astrobiology Magazine. "There may be life there  perhaps like life we've seen on Earth."

An artist's rendition of the forces shaping the plumes on Enceladus. (Image credit: NASA)

At the other end of the spectrum, but just around the corner in terms of the solar system, lies another potentially habitable environment: Titan. Green described Titan, the second largest moon in the solar system, as having methane rain and giant hydrocarbon lakes of unmapped depth. Unlike the kind of exo-life astrobiologists envision under the ice shell of Enceladus, life on Titan would be totally unlike any we have ever seen before.

Floating high above the hydrocarbon lakes, wispy clouds have finally started to return to Titan's northern latitudes. (Image credit: NASA)

Finding that Titan is host to so many rich and potentially life-supporting features was also largely coincidental. Because of its size (it's larger than the planet Mercury) Titan was essential to successfully steering Cassini's orbit around Saturn while keeping fuel consumption at a minimum. The resulting flybys of the largest moon in the Saturnian system, not to mention the solar system, provided repeated, detailed views of its thick nitrogen atmosphere, its cycle of precipitation and evaporation, and its lakes and clouds.

Last month, Cassini wrapped up its 127th flyby of Titan with a radar-intense deep-dive. The radar aimed at Titan's northern hemisphere acted as a kind of sonar. Green explained, "When we hit a lake with radar, nearly all the signal is reflected off of it  but not all of it. Some of it goes all the way to the bottom, reflects, and comes back. We can use this data to determine the depth."

Previous flybys using this method have revealed that the methane and ethane lakes on Titan are more than 200 meters deep in some places. With this final flyby, we have gazed more deeply into those distant lakes and oceans than ever before, mapping Titan's moving shoreline with as much detail as possible before Cassini's final, fateful tumble into Saturn's crushing atmosphere in September. Between now and then, the spacecraft will slip in-between Saturn's rings. By pointing its radio dish towards Earth and sending signals as it moves closer and closer to the gas giant, Cassini will to try and solve a long-time mystery: What is the size of Saturn's core? It will also explore the size and shape of Saturn's magnetic field, which has, to date, only been measured from outside of Saturn's rings.

(Image credit: NASA)

In 2004, when Cassini first arrived at its destination, no one, not even NASA, predicted that such good evidence of life would be captured on Enceladus, or that Titan would rise as an alternate model for habitability. Now, as Cassini's Grand Finale began on April 23, scientists were wondering how quickly we can return to these complex ecosystems and gather evidence that life is teaming in Titan's lakes and under Enceladus' icy surface.

"If I had written it up in the early 2000's, it would have been science fiction," Green observed about how, nearly 20 years ago, neither body was bright on astrobiology's radar. "Now, the whole community is starting to think: How do we get back? And what do we do when we get there?"

This story was provided by Astrobiology Magazine, a web-based publication sponsored by the NASA astrobiology program. Follow Space.com @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Story posted on Space.com.
STAMFORD  A decade after the housing market crash, the citys pension accounts have yet to regain losses sustained in the recession and taxpayers remain on the hook for nearly $380 million in unfunded retiree benefits.

In 2008, the four pension plans for government employees were more than 100 percent funded. By 2016, they were 83 percent funded  a $129 million shortfall the city expects to pay off in 15 years.

While the city has been consistent in contributing to its pension plans, it only recently began funding its retirement health care plan, which is its greatest liability. With a $250 million outstanding obligation, the plan is only about 21 percent funded.

City contributions to these plans represent a significant portion of the operating budget. Last week, the Board of Representatives passed a $555 million budget for 2017-18, with $43 million earmarked for retiree benefits.

As Stamford strives to meet its retiree obligations, the states burden has reached its worst level in years. In 2016, Connecticuts employee retirement plan was only 36 percent funded, the first time in three decades it has fallen below 40 percent.

Meanwhile, Gov. Dannel Malloy has struck a deal with unions that would fully fund the plan by the state Legislatures 2032 deadline. He has also proposed shifting the cost of teacher pensions, which are paid for by the state, to municipalities. If approved, Stamford would pay an extra $14 million annually.

Stamfords pension shortfall is equivalent to other cities statewide. Norwalks pension plans are also 83 percent funded, according to a 2015 report by the state Office of Legislative Research. Danbury is 86 percent funded, while Bridgeport lags behind at 65 percent.

More Information Pension shortfall Percentage funded per plan Certified employee 87% Custodians 87% Police81% Fire 79% Health benefits 26% See More Collapse

Were making progress, Mayor David Martin said. I cant claim were the best in the state because there are a number of wealthier communities that have more latitude.

Hartford, which is heading toward bankruptcy, has a $1.2 billion pension obligation that was 80 percent funded in 2015.

In both the state and the city, its these structural costs and unfunded costs  thats where the big money is, Martin said. Thats the item thats killing Hartford.

Lightning rod

Martin said his goal as mayor is to curb these costs in Stamford with a focus on fiscal integrity and negotiating benefit concessions with unions.

Weve been successful at getting back some benefits, he said, but if you were to take our contracts to a neutral party who doesnt know anything about the history of what has happened here, theyll say we have the worst contracts on the planet.

Martin has tried to check future retiree costs by negotiating contracts that switch employees from a defined benefit or pension plan to a defined contribution plan similar to a 401K.

Phasing out rich benefits is a political lightning rod that most mayors have avoided, he said.

This is a common way you kick the can on down the road, he said. Every so often in our political world, we give it away and then when you try to get it back, you cant get it back, you have to trade off. Why should I have to give away $30 million a year to get back what should have never been given away in the first place?

Besides moving away from pension plans for new hires, Martin said he wants to change deals that allow employees to collect benefits based on their salary at the time of their retirement, instead of an average from the last several years.

Changes like this could save the city millions, Martin said.

Thats real money, he said.

Recession losses

The investment losses incurred in the recession continue to have an effect on city pension plans.

Were still getting hit for the recession and were still catching up, Office of Policy and Management Director Jay Fountain said.

Once funded 107 percent, the citys pension plans were 97 percent funded in 2009 after the market crash and have continued to drop, a trend the citys actuary, Hooker & Holcombe, attributes to interest assumptions that were too high and poor market returns.

The pension plans took a hit in 2016, seeing investment losses of $20 million and another $20 million in administrative fees, according to the citys annual financial report. The losses were offset by $26 million in employee and city contributions.

Each of the plans  police, custodians and mechanics, firefighters and classified employees  are managed by pension trust boards and see varying rates of return. Teachers are the only city employees whose pensions are paid by the state.

The unfunded portion of the city plans range from $9 million for custodians and mechanics to $48 million for police. The former has a $71 million liability while the latter tops $254 million.

Catching up

Like Stamford, the states retirement plans date back to the 1930s and did not begin to be funded until the 1970s and 80s, according to James Kwak, a professor at the University of Connecticuts School of Law.

We went for so long without funding that weve been trying to catch up ever since, Kwak said. A lot of the deficiencies we have today are because we went at least four decades without funding at all.

The state did not begin making the payments it needed to catch up until the 2000s, he said. This followed a plan passed by the state Legislature in 1992 to pay off its unfunded obligation by 2032.

Now that we get closer to 2032, it means we have these huge mandatory contributions, Kwak said.

Despite views that Connecticut lags behind the rest of the nation in funding its pensions, Kwak believes the state has not done worse than other states.

We went longer without funding ours, he said. Were asking people to pay higher taxes today to make up for what their parents and grandparents didnt pay.

The high cost of government has the snowball effect of discouraging business development that could grow the tax base, according to Peter Gioia, vice president and economist for the Connecticut Business and Industry Association.

You cant have government costing so much that it chases companies out of the area, he said. Thats the downward spiral.

eskalka@stamford

advocate.com
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STAMFORD - Preservationist Wesley Haynes once offered a succinct explanation for why so many of the citys historic buildings have disappeared.

Developers came in with the railroad more than 150 years ago and have been calling the shots ever since, Haynes said in 2015, after a developer knocked down a Civil War-era house on Summer Street and replaced it with a bank branch.

Now an item set to go before lawmakers at the end of the month shows developers, and their lawyers, are still at it, preservationists and city representatives say.

Carmody, Torrance, Sandak & Hennessey - a Stamford law firm with a large clientele of developers - has proposed dialing back hard-fought provisions in an ordinance designed to protect potentially historic buildings from demolition.

The ordinance was amended in 2015 after city representatives spent 18 months reworking it to conform with stricter state regulations. That happened about a year after Stamford residents voted overwhelmingly to create a Historic Preservation Advisory Commission to stand between the wrecking ball and historic structures.

Too many are already lost, said Lynn Drobbin, chairwoman of the commission.

We have one tooth - the demolition ordinance. If they pull our tooth, were on gums. You cant chew much on gums, Drobbin said. Its David and Goliath in Stamford. The developers have the upper hand. And here they are again with their sword, trying to carve out our only tooth.

In its proposal, Carmody, Torrance, Sandak & Hennessey targets the delay between the time a developer obtains a permit to demolish a potentially historic building and the actual tear-down - a period that gives preservationists time to negotiate to save it.

Two years ago, city representatives doubled the delay period to the state standard of 180 days. The law firm wants to cut it back to 90 days.

As it is, the delay applies to any structure 50 years or older. The lawyers want to add the caveat that the structure also be listed on a city, state or national register of historic places.

The ordinance requires that developers notify property owners within 300 feet of a potentially historic building that its set for demolition to give them a chance to object. The firm wants to restrict notification to abutting property owners only.

Stone walls, sheds, historic signs and other structures around the building are protected under the ordinance. The firm seeks to eliminate those safeguards.

The law firm also proposes that the city not tax developers on the property to be demolished during the delay.

If these amendments should pass, a significant number of the protections would be undone, Drobbin said.

Discussion, not adoption

Drobbin asked city Rep. Harry Day, R-13, chairman of the Board of Representatives Land Use Committee, which has the proposal on its May 31 agenda, to hold off until her commission prepares a rebuttal.

Day, a supporter of historic preservation, said the meeting will be the first of many, so there is plenty of time for the commission to weigh in.

I would not consider even minor amendments without their input, Day said. Im favoring a discussion of these amendments, not an adoption.

He wants to ensure that the ordinance is functioning properly, Day said.

Not every building over 50 is worthy of preservation. On the other hand, everythings worth a look, Day said. We need a process that works for everybody involved, so historic preservation has as much universal support as possible.

Lawyers for the developers say there have been unintended consequences, Day said.

Bill Hennessey, a partner in the firm seeking the changes, said some objections are filed just to stick it to someone.

There is not a lot of fairness built in right now, Hennessey said. Is it fair that someone who owns a house that is by no standards worthy of saving has to pay taxes on it when he cant demolish it or use it, and he has to wait 180 days because someone objected? Sometimes its a competitor who objects. Theres no accountability.

One solution may be to tag the most important structures in town so a potential buyer is put on notice that this is not going to be easy to knock down, Hennessey said.

What we ought to do is begin a discussion about how to do it better, from a preservation point of view and fairness-to-the property-owner point of view, Hennessey said.

No preservaiton ethic

Jill Smyth, executive director of the Historic Neighborhood Preservation Program, said the ordinance was recrafted to prevent housekeeping problems that allowed significant buildings to be razed because of record errors in the Building Department, unreceived notices, and poor communication.

We dont take it lightly when we file a demolition delay; I dont want it to look like way too many are being filed, Smyth said. We do our homework first.

City Rep. Kieran Ryan, R-1, one of the lawmakers who tightened the ordinance, said a building isnt always saved by a delay, but its a worthwhile effort to have a short period of dialogue when a genuine piece of the citys heritage is threatened. It might give a historic structure a fighting chance.

Ryan, a city native, said he became interested after Building and Land Technology  in violation of a zoning agreement  ripped out Stamfords only boatyard, including the historic office building that once housed Luders, a storied marine construction company on the South End.

Overnight, one of the last pieces of Stamfords maritime history, including its role in World War II naval designs and in yachting, was gone without a single public comment, Ryan said.

It was another example of why Stamford has no clear identity, Drobbin said  its because there is no preservation ethic.

Asked to characterize the commissions progress since it formed three years ago, Drobbin said, People try to circumvent us. A lot of times we lose. Its a struggle.

acarella@stamfordadvocate.com; 203-964-2296; stamfordadvocate.com/angelacarella
 I think I started shooting the project after seeing Robert Frank's book The Americans, says photographer Mike Mendel.

There are quite a few iconic American symbols that reverberate throughout that work and one is certainly the car.

In the early 1970s, at just 20 years old, Mandel took to the streets of LA with a 35mm camera and several hours to kill. What followed next was a passion project that would result in 70 rolls of film and, 45 years later, a new book called People in Cars.

I was a little bit intimidated by the idea of street photography, he tells The Evening Standard. But it seemed kind of exciting to be able to make photographs of people who were in their cocoon of a car.

Walking to an intersection half a block from his house, Mandel began to take candid photographs of the characters that passed him in their cars, filling his camera with these serendipitous moments.

I really enjoyed the idea that instead of me going out into the world looking for pictures, all of the pictures were coming to me, says Mandel. All I had to do was be there on that corner with my wide-angle lens.

The shots required me to get fairly close to the car, maybe two feet away, which would inevitably cause a response from the drivers, he continues. The look that the drivers gave back to me was what the project was all about for me.

Revisiting the photographs he shot for People in Cars, Mandel says he can see things now that he didnt appreciate when he was much younger

I think what resonates with people today, looking at the project, is that it was a completely different era, he says. People were smoking in their car and kids were sitting in the front seat without seatbelts."

"In a way, it was a more naive time.

People in Cars by Mike Mandel is out now May 12, published by Stanley/Barker.
A Romanian tourist thrown into the Thames when a terrorist ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, was finally buried Saturday.

Andreea Cristea, 31, was knocked into the river when Khalid Masood drove his rented car into people on March 22. She died two weeks later.

Masood rushed on to the grounds of Parliament, where he fatally stabbed PC Keith Palmer before being shot dead by another officer.

Ms Cristea was on a short vacation with her boyfriend, Andrei Burnaz, who was about to propose to her.

Service: Relatives hold hands while attending the funeral service of Andreea Cristea / REUTERS

Dozens of mourners attended the service on Saturday near the dockyards in the city in Constanta in eastern Romania, near the sea that she loved.

About 150 people carrying flickering candles gathered at the St Mary's church wearing badges with her photo which said: "Forever in my heart!"

Two heart-shaped wreaths of white roses adorned her coffin. Orthodox Archbishop Teodosie of Tomis headed a phalanx of priests who wafted incense during the service.

Funeral: Mourners gathered for the service / REUTERS

Ms Cristea was pulled from the Thames and later had surgery for a blood clot on the brain. She died on April 6 when life support was withdrawn.

She was the fifth victim of Masood, a 52-year-old former convict who had embraced radical Islam. Dozens more were wounded in his rampage.

Archbishop Teodosie called Ms Cristea "young, beautiful, hard-working and full of love" and said that "a destiny that was about to take flight had its wings cut,"

Mr Burnaz, an engineer, stood quietly during the service and wept occasionally.

Elder sister Magda Toi posted on Facebook "Beautiful, delicate, difficult, caring, hopeful, vivacious; always ready to offer surprises.... even like this!"

"I miss your smile, I miss your voice, I miss you wherever you are," she wrote.

After her death, her family and Mr Burnaz described his girlfriend as "our shining ray of light that will forever keep on shining in our hearts.

He said they would donate all the money raised on her behalf since the attack to charity.
A n Afghan child found wandering around Heathrow Airport alone has been placed in temporary council care.

The boy, thought to be 12, is being looked after by a foster carer while decisions are made about his future.

He said his trip was planned and paid for by his mother, who thought he would have a better and safer life in Britain, a court heard.

Following a family court hearing in London, details emerged of the case.

It would not be possible to return the child to his mothers care in Afghanistan at this time, and her whereabouts is not known, the court was told.

Social services bosses at Hillingdon Council had asked the judge Mrs Justice Theis to make decisions about the boy's future.

She said the boy could not be named, and at the High Court hearing said the boy should go into council care.

"There is some uncertainty as to precisely how he arrived at Heathrow Airport, and what methods of transport he had between Afghanistan and the United Kingdom," said the judge.

"The whereabouts of his mother are unknown and it would be impossible to return [him] to her care in Afghanistan at this time."

She said it was right that council bosses should be able to exercise parental responsibility.

The judge said she had been asked to decide how the boy's welfare interests could best be met.

She said Home Office officials would make decisions about his immigration status.
A row has broken out over plans to dig up Londons oldest allotments to build "desperately needed" homes for vulnerable pensioners.

Thousands of people have signed a petition demanding the preservation of Northfield Allotments in Ealing, which date back to 1832.

Housing charity Pathways, which provides cut-price accommodation for elderly people across London, plans to develop 5 per cent of the site.

They want to build 15 new units on the land, but have promised no more future development.

Campaign: Over 3,000 people have signed the petition calling for all development to be prevented / David Fox / Ealing Dean Allotment Society

However, campaigners believe any proposed development of the site should be rejected.

The petition, signed by over 3,000 people, states: We recognise that housing is important, but so are green open spaces. It shouldnt need to be a choice and there are alternative options that would allow Pathways to house its residents while leaving this historic site untouched by development.

Ealing is already extremely built up. Once green space has been built on, it is lost to the community forever.

Many local residents have backed the petition, describing the allotments as a "valuable community asset" and a "haven for people and for nature".

An artist's impression of the development on Northfield allotments, which will include a number of green features / Pathways

In April, the allotments were declared an asset of community value by Ealing Council under the Localism Act 2011.

Ealing Centrals Labour MP Rupa Huq, who holds a slender majority over her Tory rival ahead of the election, has also backed the campaign.

She told the Standard: "For many people in Ealing the thought of losing green space, be it for housing or any other purpose, is deeply regrettable.

"I still believe that Pathways can achieve its objectives without needing to build on Londons oldest allotments and am urging the charity to consider other options."

'Community asset': MP Rupa Huq is backed the campaign / Ian Burge / Ealing Dean Allotment Society

Christina Fox, chairman of the Ealing Dean Allotment Society, added: "We recognise that there is a housing shortage in the capital, however this should not override the wider needs of local communities and the environment.

"Although a few people will benefit from the new houses, many more will suffer as a result of the irreversible loss of scarce green space.

"As such, we strongly urge Ealing Council's planning department to look beyond house-building targets and consider the wider impact of approving any application to build on this historical site."

However, Clive Wilson, Chief Executive of Pathways, argued the development was necessary due to a desperate need for new affordable housing and a waiting list of over 12,000 local people.

An artist's impression of a walkway on the new homes / Pathways

He said: Weve been part of the West Ealing community for over 200 years and the work that we do is changing the lives of older people, many of whom are threatened with homelessness.

"This development will allow us to do more, doubling the number of affordable homes we can offer.

Pathways has consulted widely on our proposals and we continue to shape our plans guided by feedback from the community.

"Our latest proposals will mean over 95 per cent of the allotments will be unaffected, a very small proportion is needed to provide the necessary decant homes to keep the Dean Court community together while building works take place."

He added: "This development offers the chance to transform the lives of some of the boroughs poorest residents.

One resident, Robin Simpson, told the Ealing Gazette his life had been "transformed" by Pathways' Ealing accommodation and that more was "sorely needed".

He said: "I think it's a brilliant scheme, which would help existing residents and others who desperately need a place to live."
T he Labour Party has promised to impose a "Robin Hood Tax" in a bid to raise billions in funding for public services.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said the levy would bring in up to 26bn over the course of the next parliament, while eliminating the most destabilising forms of speculation on the financial markets.

It comes as Labour has been under pressure to explain how it will pay for its ambitious programme of re-nationalisations and expanding public services.

Plans to nationalise the railways and Royal Mail and proposals to spend an extra 6bn-a-year on the NHS were set out in a leaked draft of the party's election manifesto.

Labour's Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said the tax will make the financial sector pay its 'fair share' / REUTERS

But the tax is likely to cause anger in the City amid fears it will undermine the competitiveness of the financial sector at a time of uncertainty in the wake of the vote for Brexit.

Under the Labour plan, the party said it would revise the 322-year-old stamp duty regime on share-trading, closing down an existing "loop hole" for banks and hedge funds, and extending it to cover financial "derivatives" and other highly-traded assets.

At the current rate of 0.5% per transaction, the party said the move would raise 4.7 billion in 2016/17, rising to 5.6 billion in 2021/22 - the final year of the next parliament.

It said the plan mirrored the financial transactions tax currently being prepared for introduction in 10 European countries.

At the same time, the party said it would carry out "the biggest crackdown in this country's history" on tax avoidance, with a comprehensive programme of tax reform.

Following the disclosures in the leaked "Panama papers" in 2015, it said a Labour government would close the loopholes and clamp down on the network of secretive shell companies and offshore tax havens used by the "super rich" to shield their wealth.

Mr McDonnell said the changes would restore "fairness" to the system after the bail-out of the banks following the financial crash of 2008.

"The next Labour government will introduce a 'Robin Hood Tax' to make the financial sector pay its fair share after it received huge public bailouts in the crash," he said.

"Ordinary people are still being made to pay by the Tories for a crisis they didn't cause through the worst spending cuts for generations.

"All we're asking for is fairness in our tax system. By making those who trade in financial derivatives pay a small fraction of their profits, we can help properly fund our public services."

For the Conservatives, Treasury Minister Jane Ellison dismissed the plans as a "total shambles" from the Labour leadership.

"The transaction tax has been described as 'madness' by his own mayor of London because it risks economic growth and jobs, and just weeks ago in Parliament Labour blocked measures to stop almost 9 billion worth of tax avoidance," she said.

"Since 2010, we have recouped an extra 140 billion in tax that would have otherwise been avoided or evaded. We will relentlessly go after those who do not pay their fair share."

The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) free market think tank said it was "naive" to think a financial transactions tax would only hit banks and speculators and warned the costs would "inevitably" be passed on to customers.

"This is another example of the fallacy that corporations can be tapped for cash with no wider costs, " said IEA chief economist Julian Jessop.

"In reality, it's always ordinary people who ultimately pay, including consumers and workers. Sherwood Forest wasn't made of magic money trees either."
T he Home Secretary is to chair a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee on Saturday amid warnings that chaos wreaked by a global ransomware attack was unprecedented.

A global cyber attack, using hacking tools believed to have been developed by the US National Security Agency has infected tens of thousands of computers in nearly 100 countries, disrupting the NHS and FedEx among other organisations.

Cyber extortionists tricked victims into opening malicious malware attachments to spam emails that appeared to contain invoices, job offers, security warnings and other legitimate files.

The ransomware encrypted data on the computers, demanding bitcoin payments to restore access.

On Saturday, the European Union's law enforcement agency Europol said the havoc unleashed by the attack was at an unprecedented level.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the virus had not been targeted at the NHS, saying the attack "feels random in terms of where it's gone to and where it's been opened".

It has affected 45 NHS organisations, Ms Rudd said, including London hospitals run by Barts Health NHS Trust.

She added: "Windows XP is not a good platform for keeping your data as secure as the modern ones, because you can't download the effective patches and anti-virus software for defending against viruses.

"CQC (Care Quality Commission) does do cyber checks on the NHS trusts, on hospitals when they do their visits, and they will be advising NHS trusts to move to modernise their platforms and I think that after this experience, I would expect them all to move forward with modernising."

Ms Rudd said the UK was a world leader in cyber security, adding: "So far, all we have seen is patients inconvenienced, some hospitals, some doctors making changes to their daily life.

"But the fact is no data has yet been accessed and the NHS are brilliantly managing to weave through this disruption."

Ms Rudd is due to chair a meeting of the Governments emergency Cobra meeting in Whitehall at 2.30pm.

A message appearing on a computer at an NHS trust / PA

The Home Secretary told BBC Breakfast she could not confirm that all NHS files are backed up.

She said: "I hope the answer is yes, that is the instructions that everybody has received in the past. That is good cyber defence, but I expect, and we will find out over the next few days if there are any holes in that."

Ms Rudd added: "There may be lessons to learn from this but the most important thing now is to disrupt the attack, let's come back to afterwards whether there are lessons to be learned."

She later told Sky News: "It is disappointing that they have been running Windows XP - I know that the Secretary of State for Health has instructed them not to and most have moved off it."

Ms Rudd added: "Where the patient data has been properly backed up, which has been in most cases, work can continue as normal because the patient data can be downloaded and people can continue with their work."

Four London hospitals affected by the attack continued to face problems on Saturday morning.

There will be no outpatient appointments at The Royal London, St Bartholowmew's, Whipps Cross or Newham, as Barts Health NHS Trust continued to deal with the major incident.

In statement, the Trust said: "We are continuing to deal with a major IT disruption and we are sorry for any delays experienced at our hospitals. We have activated our major incident plan to make sure we can maintain the safety and welfare of patients.

"Some ambulances are being diverted to neighbouring hospitals and we are very sorry that we have had to cancel some routine appointments.

"There will be no outpatient appointments at our hospitals on Saturday May 13. All patients who have their appointment cancelled will be contacted as soon as possible to reschedule."

It leaves hospitals and GP surgeries with a backlog of postponed appointments to contend with, including operations, once the crisis is brought under control.
A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court will decide whether Aadhaar can be made mandatory or not. Ahead of that hearing majority of people, in a survey, expressed concern about leakage of their Aadhaar data. However, 70 per cent participants were in favour of Aadhaar.

By India Today Web Desk: The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea challenging various notifications of the Centre to make Aadhaar mandatory for availing benefits of government schemes.

The matter has been listed in the apex court for hearing on May 17. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar will hear the plea.

The same bench is currently hearing a batch of petitions challenging the practice of triple talaq.

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But, ahead of Supreme Court's hearing, about 63 per cent people have expressed concern about the leakage of their Aadhaar data.

MAJORITY CONCERNED ABOUT PRIVACY

In a survey conducted by the LocalCircles - a citizen engagement platform - about 63 per cent of over 10,700 participants said that they were concerned about the leakage of their personal data given to Aadhaar into public domain.

In a statement, the LocalCircles said that "details of 13.5 crore Aadhaar accounts were published on a website highlighting vulnerabilities of the system. Also, Aadhaar of students of some Kendriya Vidyalaya schools were found on their websites."

This raises the question of misuse of personal data by people or groups with vested interests. According to the survey, many participants questioned the security mechanism of the regulatory body of Aadhaar - the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).

WHERE IS THE PROBLEM?

The LocalCircles release said, "Some citizens outlined that vendors who make Aadhaar card have been selling information in the market."

On the other hand, the vendors enlisted their own problems in providing service to the people in accordance with the rules laid down by the UIDAI.

The vendors, the release said, "outlined various concerns including the costs that they incur to become a licensed Aadhaar operator, the high upfront equipment cost and the fact that the UIDAI payment of INR 100 per Aadhaar is usually quite delayed. Therefore it is not lucrative for them to be an operator unless they charge extra from citizens for making Aadhaar or find other ways to earn."

However, 70 per cent of the participants of the survey extended their support to the government's emphasis on Aadhaar making it mandatory for filing tax returns and linking it to Permanent Account Number (PAN).

Approximately 70 per cent citizens support this move of the government while 27 per cent were against the idea.

Graphics by LocalCircles

ALL EYES ON SUPREME COURT

The Supreme Court has repeatedly directed the government not to make Aadhaar mandatory for welfare schemes. First such ruling came in October 2015.

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But, the apex court later amended its order saying that there was nothing wrong if government made the Aadhaar mandatory for income tax filing or linking with PAN.

Now, former chairperson of National Commission For Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) Shanta Sinha has filed a petition challenging various notifications of the government with regard to Aadhaar.

Senior lawyer Shyam Divan, appearing for Shanta Sinha said, "Despite the order of this court that Aadhaar will be voluntary and not mandatory, the government has been coming out with a series of notifications making it mandatory to avail benefits of schemes like scholarships, Right to Food and mid-day meal in schools."

Shanta Sinha's petition is one of the several petitions, challenging the constitutional validity of Aadhaar are pending in the apex court. The five-judge constitution bench, which is yet to be set up by the CJI, will hear the matter.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had passed a slew of orders asking the government and its agencies not to make Aadhaar mandatory for extending benefits of their welfare schemes.

The apex court, however, had allowed the Centre to seek Aadhaar card voluntarily from citizens from extending benefits of schemes like LPG subsidy, Jan Dhan scheme and Public Distribution System etc.

--- ENDS ---

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A major cyber attack on NHS hospitals across the country is causing a weekend of chaos for London patients and medics.

After the IT system hack crept across England on Friday, the health service declared a major incident and medics were forced to cancel routine operations and divert ambulances.

At least 30 health service organisations in England and Scotland were infiltrated by the ransomware, while many others shut down servers as a precautionary measure, bringing added disruption.

The Government and NHS bosses are facing growing questions over why the hospitals were crippled by a global attack amid suggestions preventative measures could have been taken "months ago".

A screenshot of the site after the IT system went down. / PA

Four London hospitals affected by the attack continued to face problems on Saturday morning.

There will be no outpatient appointments at The Royal London, St Bartholowmew's, Whipps Cross or Newham, as Barts Health NHS Trust continued to deal with the major incident.

In statement, the Trust said: "We are continuing to deal with a major IT disruption and we are sorry for any delays experienced at our hospitals. We have activated our major incident plan to make sure we can maintain the safety and welfare of patients.

"Some ambulances are being diverted to neighbouring hospitals and we are very sorry that we have had to cancel some routine appointments.

"There will be no outpatient appointments at our hospitals on Saturday May 13. All patients who have their appointment cancelled will be contacted as soon as possible to reschedule."

It leaves hospitals and GP surgeries with a backlog of postponed appointments to contend with, including operations, once the crisis is brought under control.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said it was part of a set of global cyber attacks against "thousands of organisations and individuals in dozens of countries" as it launched a major operation in response.

Ciaran Martin, the body's chief executive, said teams were "working round the clock" with UK and international partners and with private sector experts to lead the response.

NHS cyber hack: Five key questions answered

He said: "We are very aware that attacks on critical services such as the NHS have a massive impact on individuals and their families, and we are doing everything in our power to help them restore these vital services."

As the scale of the security breach became clear on Friday afternoon, ambulances were diverted and patients told to avoid some A&E departments.

Staff reverted to pen and paper and used their own mobiles after key systems were affected, including telephones.

Theresa May said the Government is not aware of any evidence patient records had been compromised.

She said: "This is not targeted at the NHS, it's an international attack and a number of countries and organisations have been affected.

"And, we are not aware of any evidence that patient data has been compromised.

"Of course it is important that we have set up the National Cyber Security Centre and they are able to work with the NHS organisations concerned and to ensure that they are supported and patient safety is protected."

A message appearing on a computer at an NHS trust / PA

Pictures emerged on social media showing screens of NHS computers with images demanding payment of 300 US dollars worth of the online currency Bitcoin, threatening to delete files within seven days.

A malware called Wanna Decryptor was used in the attack, which encrypts files on a user's computer, blocking them from view.

The virus is usually covertly installed on to computers by hiding within innocent-looking emails containing links, which users are tricked into opening.

Security chiefs and ministers have repeatedly highlighted the threat to Britain's critical infrastructure and economy from cyber attacks.

A spokesman for NHS Digital, which manages health service cyber security, said: "At this stage, we do not have any evidence that patient data has been accessed."

In Russia, the Interior Ministry said around 1,000 computers were hit by a cyber attack.

A nurse found this file on her desktop following the hack. / PA

Several companies in Spain were also crippled by ransomware attacks.

Telecoms firm Telefonica was one of those reporting problems, along with courier firm FedEx.

A total of 19 English health organisations reported problems, including hospitals and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in London, Blackpool, Hertfordshire and Derbyshire.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust said it was forced to cancel all outpatient, endoscopy, cardiology and radiology weekend appointments across its three hospitals.

In Scotland, 11 geographical health boards, including the ambulance service and acute hospital sites, saw their IT networks infected.

At least one health trust found itself named as a victim of the cyber attack despite actually suffering from an unrelated server problem.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has chaired a resilience meeting on the issue.

Last year, the Government established the NCSC to spearhead the country's defences.

In the three months after the centre was launched, there were 188 "high-level" attacks as well as countless lower-level incidents.

Chancellor Philip Hammond disclosed in February that the NCSC had blocked 34,550 potential attacks targeting UK Government departments and members of the public in six months.
G raham Nortons witty one liners are fast becoming more entertaining than the contestants on the Eurovision Song Contest.

The talk show host, 54, delivered a stream of sassy commentary as 26 acts took to the stage at Ukraines International Exhibition Centre as they attempted to mirror Jamalas success in Stockholm, Sweden in 2016.

Norton, who succeeded Sir Terry Wogan, wasted no time as he kicked off with a quip poking fun at the diverse presenting trio before going on to roast a handful of contestants.

He joked about the stage invader dancer during Hungarys performance, Spains dodgy singing and mocked Italy's gorilla.

Eurovision moments - In pictures 1 /37 Eurovision moments - In pictures Swedish pop group Abba performs their song Waterloo during the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest AFP/Getty Images Members of the band Kalush Orchestra pose onstage with the winners trophy and Ukraines flags after winning on behalf of Ukraine the Eurovision Song contest 2022 on May 14, 2022 at the Pala Alpitour venue in Turin AFP via Getty Images 1981 Eurovision Song Contest winners Bucks Fizz Getty Images Jedward from Ireland perform in the grand finale of the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest 2011 Getty Images Cliff Richard in a display of enthusiasm outside the Royal Albert Hall, London ahead of the 1967 Eurovision song contest Getty Images Lucie Jones performing the UK's 2017 Eurovision entry 'Never Give Up on You' PA Glasgow born pop singer Lulu (Marie MacDonald McLaughlin Lawrie) performs 'Boom Bang-A-Bang', the British entry at the 1969 Eurovision Song Contest in Madrid Getty Images Finland's Lordi performs the song 'Hard Rock Hallelujah' during the 2006 Eurovision final song contest AFP/Getty Images Conchita Wurst of Austria performs on stage during the grand final of the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest Getty Images Pop group Jemini of United Kingdom - the 2003 entry for the Eurovision song contest AFP/Getty Images British singer Sandie Shaw receiving the winning trophy for the 2967 Eurovision song contest Getty Images Scooch - United Kingdom's entry to the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest AFP/Getty Images Members of the t.A.T.u group from Russia are performing during the final concert of the 2003 Eurovision song contest in Riga AFP/Getty Images Ireland's Johnny Logan winning the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest Getty Images Olivia Newton-John poses with policemen in Brighton, during rehearsals for the 1974 Eurovision song contest PA The New Seekers pop group, chosen to represent United Kingdom in the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest. Getty Images English pop singer Cliff Richard with the 'Breakaways' group during rehearsals at London's Talk of the Town. He sang 'Congratulations', the British entry to the Eurovision Song Contest in 1968, reaching second place Getty Images Engelbert Humperdinck of the United Kingdom performs during the grand final of the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest Getty Images Celine Dion during the 1988 Eurovision song contest Pat Maxwell/Rex Boy band Blue of the United Kingdom perform in the grand finale of the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest Getty Images Dana International of Israel performs in the 2011 Eurovision cog contest Getty Images Hosts Terry Wogan and Natasha Kaplinsky, with winner Javine PA Katie Price as Jordon at the 2005 Eurovision song contest PA Gina G performs at the 1996 Eurovision song contest PA Katrina and the Waves celebrates their victory after winning the 1997 Eurovision Song PA Graham Norton hosting BBC1's Eurovision: Your Country Needs You PA France's Jacqueline Boyer clutches her trophy after winning the 1960 Eurovision Song Contest at the Royal Festival Hall Getty Images Eurovision Song Contest compere Katie Boyle (on the left) checks the scoreboard for the order of the draw in 1960 Getty Images

Heres his top one liners from this years competition:

1. This year's theme is 'diversity', so let's see who they've chosen to host this year... 3 white men!

2. The union jack just fell off the wall in the commentary room. I hope thats not an omen.

3. On Moldova: If you think my jobs easy check out the guy pretending to play the saxophone for three minutes.

4. Italy: If youre going to get dressed up as a gorilla at least get a decent outfit. It looks like a load of old car seat covers sewn together.

5. In response to host Oleksandr Skichko saying "There is so much love in this room":  Not for you Alex.

6. On Australia: Dont start looking at his eyebrows or you wont be able to stop.

7. On Spain: Ooh some dodgy notes in there. I wonder if theres something going on technically or hes just not that great.

8. It's good that Australian man mentioned the UK, at least someone knows that we're here.
By Press Trust of India: Hyderabad, May 13 (PTI) Union Minister V K Singh today asked the states to come down "heavily" on the unauthorised agents who facilitate illegal immigration.

He was addressing the first Outreach Conference of the Ministry of External Affairs with the Telangana government on consular, passport and diaspora issues here.

"Our biggest problem is of illegal agents. This is one of the problems which we have not been able to overcome so far, and we seek assistance of the states to come down very heavily on this particular problem," the Minister of State for External Affairs said.

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"Regular, registered agents nominate various sub-agents, who work illegally. Such sub-agents carry out illegal immigration. And most of the problems with our workers, who go abroad, are due to these agents. The workers are taken on fake documents or tourist visas and the agents do not inform our embassies, thus they (workers) dont remain registered with us," Singh said.

"The problem is also the people who immigrate through illegal agents. Because these people come illegally and they do not register themselves on the ministrys eMigrate portal. They do not register even with the embassy concerned till they get into any problem," he said, adding a large number of recruiting agents and employers abroad are registered with the ministrys eMigrate portal.

"There is a great transparency. But illegal immigrants dont get registered and it becomes difficult for us to trace them out," the minister said.

He further said there are SOP for the state governments to follow.

"I expect SOPs are made more elaborate so that both the states and the Centre can ensure that illegal immigration can be stopped," Singh added.

Telanganas IT and NRI Affairs Minister K T Rama Rao said a large number of blue-collar workers from the state go abroad for work.

"The state government is willing to contribute to Indian Community Welfare Fund and also to provide legal assistance and translators to the workers when they face problems abroad," said Rao.

Rao also requested the Centre to negotiate an agreement with Saudi Arabia to ensure that the mortal remains of blue- collar workers are sent home after their death there.

He pointed out that it was a shock for a number of students from the state last year when they went to the US and found there that certain universities were blacklisted and it was not in their knowledge.

"The Centre should provide information to the state governments to ensure that the students are sensitised about the status of universities abroad before they apply for their respective courses," Rao said.

"We are clamping down on illegal agents and over 700 cases have been registered in the state," he added. PTI VVK NRB AQS

--- ENDS ---

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By India Today Web Desk: Sidharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt, who like to keep mum about their love life, were clicked last evening at Bandra outside actor Imran Khan's house.

Alia Bhatt was wearing a casual yellow top while Sidharth Malhotra colour-cordinated with Alia and wore a lime yellow shirt himself. Sidharth and Alia were both seen inside a car and both tried to play it cool as the paparazzi kept clicking photos of the rumoured couple.

Photo: Yogen Shah

Photo: Yogen Shah

Photo: Yogen Shah

Photo: Yogen Shah

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Sidharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt have recently been spotted on multiple movie dates, parties and late-night outings. If a report in Mid-Day has to be believed, Alia Bhatt is taking a two-month break from work and apparently, Sidharth Malhotra will be accompanying her.

"Alia also wants to spend time with Sidharth (Malhotra). The actor is busy shooting for his next, Aiyaary, with Manoj Bajpayee. Once the ongoing schedule is over, Sidharth and Alia are planning to spend a month in Europe," a source was quoted as saying.

Alia Bhatt will be shooting Zoya Akhtar's Gully Boys and Ayan Mukerji's Dragon upon returning from her vacation. Sidharth Malhotra, meanwhile, will be shooting for the thriller Ittefaq besides Aiyaary.

(Photos by Yogen Shah)

ALSO READ: Alia Bhatt and Sidharth Malhotra are going on a vacation together?

WATCH: My father always asked me to fail, Alia Bhatt tells India Today

--- ENDS ---
GERING  The 2017 Solar Eclipse will arrive on Aug. 21, but attendees at the Salute to Tourism Luncheon on Wednesday got a sneak peek at what they can expect when the big day arrives.

Derryl Barr, Eclipse Adventurer and Enthusiast, spoke to a packed room at the Gering Civic Center with a liveliness and enthusiasm that infected members of the audience. Barr has been interested in Astronomy his entire life and has been to every continent chasing eclipses for the past three decades.

Barr said everyone should get ready for the solar eclipse in our area.

Eclipse tourism is a multi-billion dollar industry, he said. Tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands will travel to the U.S. to see this eclipse.

When the eclipse arrives, it will be a rare event.

The Sun moves eastward at one degree per day. The Moon moves eastward at 13 degrees. When their paths cross, a solar eclipse occurs. As the Sun and Moon move, five times out of six, the moon passes through the apparent path of the Sun, but the Sun is not there.

There are two places, or nodes, where the Sun and the Moons paths cross - the descending and ascending node. Around this area is the ecliptic limit. Within the ecliptic limit is where eclipses can occur. There are three types of eclipses - partial, annular and total.

Partial eclipses are common, making up 35.3 percent. The last one in Nebraska was Oct. 23, 2014. Annular make up 33.2 percent and was last seen in the state on Feb. 26, and total make up 26.7 percent.

In 2014, the Moon caught up with the Sun just before the Sun left the ecliptic limit, he said. No one saw it as a total.

Totality is a narrow path making it a rare event. Any one place will experience a partial solar eclipse every three to four years.

Only one in 10,000 people has ever observed a total solar eclipse, he said. On Aug. 21, you will join that club.

During an annular solar eclipse, the Moon is too far away from the Earth to cover the Sun. Fifty-five percent of the time, the moon is too far from Earth for its shadow to reach us.

Even when the Sun is 98 percent covered by the Moon, the remaining sliver of light is still 50,000 times brighter than the solar corona, Barr said.

The path the Moon will take to be in the right place for a total solar eclipse on Aug. 21 can be traced as soon as July 23. On that day, the Moon will pass just south of the Sun, just outside the ecliptic limit of the ascending node. Two weeks later, the Moon will be halfway around the sky approaching the descending node.

A partial lunar eclipse will take place on Aug. 7, but we wont see it, Barr said. On Aug. 15, the Sun is ready to cross the ascending node.

Barr said any solar eclipse must be viewed with safety eye gear. You cannot feel your retinas burning.

Its always dangerous to look at the Sun, he said. We dont normally look at the Sun unless something interesting is going on.

Welders glass is a perfect tool to use, he said. So are the ubiquitous shades.

I know they look like toys, but a lot of engineering went into them, he said. They are safe to use for viewing solar eclipses. Look for the CE and/or ISO certification.

Do not use smoked glass, CDs, sunglasses, industrial mylar and any other homemade device and damaged eclipse glasses and if your glasses become damaged, throw them away.

Only during the total phase eye protective gear is not needed and must be removed in order to experience totality. If you leave them on during totality you will see nothing.

Once the total phase ends and the smallest part of the solar photosphere is revealed, they must be replaced, he said.

People will come to Nebraska, he said because the state has an excellent tourism industry and great scenery.

The main draw on this is Nebraskas big, blue, August skies, he said.

Weather is near the top of everyones list of priorities for viewing. In 2009, viewers saw cloudy skies in China. In 1997, the Mongolian skies were full of snow. Climatology records are vital and they show western Nebraska skies have been clear since 2012.

Were hoping this trend keeps up, he said.

As the eclipse occurs, the sky will darken, temperatures will drop. Barr said it will be 100 times better than you can imagine from pictures and video. During totality, take a break and look around at the 360 degree sunset effect. The Sun is all around you.

This is what you will remember the rest of your life, this is what your children will tell their grandchildren, he said. But look quickly. It will be over soon.
Among the files in the archives at the Legacy of the Plains museum is a small collection of the life of William Bill Grassmick.

Grassmick died on Nov. 25, 2011, but those few pieces of paper tell the story of a man who was proud to have lived in western Nebraska. His short autobiography is an important primary source of history. It is his story in his voice, as he saw the world around him.

Many know the stories of local celebrities Dr. Fix, Terry Carpenter and T.J. Lockwood. The day-to-day lives of ordinary citizens are often forgotten.

Id put them in that same category, said Amanda Gibbs, archivist at Legacy of the Plains. Bill Grassmick, may not be someone as well-known, but his experiences are just as interesting.

Grassmick was born in Gering on Aug. 19, 1923, the seventh of eight children. According to Grassmicks Nebraska birth certificate, he was born Wilhelm Robert Grassmick and his parents, John and Elizabeth (Webber), were both born in Russia.

Grassmicks obituary details the facts of his life. After graduating from Gering High School, he attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He married Arlene Hamburger on Aug. 2 1948, worked for Swift and Company for 15 years, worked for Tri-State Supply for an additional 15 years and as store manager when it was sold to Wheelers. In 1973, he began working for the Hiner Company until he retired in 1987. After his retirement, he enjoyed building bent willow furniture.

He was an accomplished musician who could play many instruments, sang hundreds of events, including weddings, funerals and rodeos. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Gering for over 50 years.

But, another document in the file, the Grassmick Family History, a memoir written by Grassmick in December 2005, tells much more. His family were descendants of Johannes Graszmueck, who left Germany around 1715 to farm near Odessa, Russia.

Few records of homesteaders exist during the 100-year pact that allowed Germans to move near the Volga River in Ukraine. Grassmicks story is sometimes difficult to discern which Johannes or John are referenced. Its a dilemma historians and archivists often come across, leaving gaps in history that may never be filled.

Tragedy struck the family near the turn of the 20th century.

In 1896, when Dad was 10 years old, his father died from injuries sustained in a construction accident, Grassmick wrote.

The family was now living in Lauwe, Russia. Political changes in the country saw the possibility of Grassmicks father, John, being drafted into the military. Johns mother urged him to leave and travel to America. At age 19, John reluctantly left his mother behind.

Through his research, Grassmick could find no proof of how his father actually left the country.

I recall him relating how he worked on riverboats on the Volga as a cook, Grassmick wrote. He also worked on ships on the Caspian and Black Seas, the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas and finally made his way to Liverpool, England.

With enough money saved, John purchased a ticket on the F. Missler out of Bremen, Germany. Its final destination was Philadelphia.

After traveling 7,000 miles, John still needed to travel another 2,000 miles to Sugar City, Colorado, where his sister lived. His main problem was that the 50 cents in his pocket was all the money he had left. He was prepared to work to save for the ticket.

But John had met a generous man at the immigration office. The man invited John to his home, offered a change of clothes, a bath and a home-cooked meal. The mans generosity didnt stop there.

He offered to loan Dad enough money for the train ticket, to pay it back when he could with only a handshake for security, Grassmick wrote.

The train to Sugar City took eight days. There wasnt much of a town, only a partially built factory, piles of steel and tents where immigrants lived.

John located his sister, who was now married and lived in a house. He first helped build the factory, then worked as a chemist in its laboratory.

Johns eye wasnt only on work.

Dad related that he often saw this pretty girl in church, Grassmick wrote.

The girl, Elizabeth, and John were married on April 1, 1907.

John worked for several years at the factory before trying his hand at farming. Their first six children were born in Sugar City. Grassmick and his brother were born in Gering.

The family moved to the valley after severe drought and hail in 1918. Grassmicks maternal uncle, Jacob Brown, met them in Scottsbluff and took them to Gering in a horse and wagon.

This family of 8 stayed with the Brown family for 3 or 4 days until they found a 2-room house in Rooshian Town in Gering, Grassmick wrote.

Grassmicks father worked at the Sugar Factory their first winter, then in the beet fields. In 1922, Vern Harrison took him on as a hired man.

Grassmick was born in 1923 while the family was living in a shack next to the cattle pens on the Harrison farm. The heat of the summer made conditions terrible. Flies and the heated stench of manure were common in the shack.

Wanting to be on his own, John rented a farm a mile south of Gering. Grassmicks earliest recollection of his time here came when he was about four years old.

I remember pushing great-grandpa into a small irrigation ditch that ran close to the yard, Grassmick wrote. I also remember the licking I got from Dad for my lack of respect.

Grassmicks father rented subsequently larger farms. His fondest memories were of the years they lived in the Carter Canyon area. When his brother, John, met and married Oletha Johnson, Grassmicks teacher. Grassmick thought he had it made.

To my dismay, she relentlessly was on my case, he wrote. I sort of resented this, but I kept trying harder.

The family worked together on the farm and often found time to have fun. One year, there were so many melons, Grassmicks brothers, Gerald and John, got into a watermelon fight.

Gerald clobbered John pretty good and then took refuge in the house, Grassmick wrote.

John climbed onto the roof with a 10-pound melon. When Gerald came back outside, John dropped it on Geralds head.

We thought at first it broke his neck as he went to the ground, Grassmick wrote. He wasnt hurt badly, though, but Dad put a stop to the nonsense.

The 1930s were tough for the family. Dust storms and drought always put farm work in peril. In the early 1930s, Grassmick recalled, The dust was so heavy it blocked out the sun and the schoolhouse was entirely dark.

In 1933, while his parents were in town at a prayer meeting, Grassmick was left at home with his little brother, Don. A storm approached. Three inches of rain poured down in about an hour.

The hail was so heavy it killed almost all the geese and chickens, and the livestock had lumps on their backs for several weeks, he wrote.

The main irrigation ditch broke. Topsoil washed away. Water three feet deep busted through the basement windows. Grassmick and his brother took refuge upstairs where they watched pigs and cattle swimming away.

When his parents finally came home, Grassmick learned the bridge over the drainage ditch was washed out. They had to travel around Scottsbluff to Stegall and over Robidoux Pass to get home.

Tough times continued for the family. One day, his father took six hogs to the sale barn. He received $1.20 for all six.

Dad just endorsed the check and gave it to the church, Grassmick wrote.

By 1936, the family had rented another, larger sugar factory farm on the edge of Gering. Grassmick was given free range to participate in any high school activities he wanted as long as it didnt interfere with milking the cows.

In 1940, his older brothers and sisters left the farm and started lives of their own. The family stayed in the valley, working on their own farms. Don worked as a bookkeeper. Grassmick studied agriculture for two years at the University of Nebraska before returning home to help his father.

Grassmick was a seaman first class in the U.S. Navy, on active duty from Sept. 17, 1945, to July 24, 1946. He joined the Navy to do what I could to help the war effort. His memoir provides no other details about his time in the Navy.

His memoirs contained nothing about his life as soldier, said Amanda Gibbs, archivist at Legacy. That says a whole lot more and can be interpreted in many ways.

When Grassmicks father retired in 1946, he asked his son if he wanted to farm.

I told him if I had to raise beets, I wasnt interested, Grassmick wrote.

Instead, he worked as a mechanic for much of his life. In retirement, he spent his time keeping in touch with his children, who live in cities around the country, and building and selling willow furniture.

Grassmick wrote he was the last of the original John Grassmick family. His memoir tells the stories and experiences he found important, so his memories will not be lost forever.
Alien: Covenant, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Michael Fassbender, is the sequel to Prometheus and is the latest film in the Alien franchise. Here is our Alien: Covenant movie review.

By Devarsi Ghosh: Alien: Covenant lacks the intelligence of its prequel, Prometheus, and is a schlocky B-movie, at best. Here is our Alien: Covenant movie review.

Alien: Covenant Cast: Katherine Waterson, Michael Fassbender, Danny McBride, Billy Crudup with cameos by Guy Pearce and James Franco.

Alien: Covenant Direction: Ridley Scott

Alien: Covenant Rating: (2/5)

The Alien movies stopped being great after the first two in the series. The first Alien film in 1979 was the pinnacle of what could be done in the space-horror genre. The second one, Aliens (1986), was the best the franchise could offer in terms of action. Since then, every other Alien film has tried to emulate a bit of both. Till Prometheus, the Alien films, including the spin-offs mashed up with Predator, did not push any kind of envelope. They were, at best, great B-movies.

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With Prometheus (2012), the prequel to the first Alien film, Ridley Scott attempted to give an elaborate backstory to the Alien mythos. Prometheus was complex and dealt with a number of heavy, interesting themes. Prometheus was intriguing, one could even say cerebral, after the generic sci-fi/horror pastiches that the Alien films had become post-Aliens (1986). Ridley Scott, a maestro of the sci-fi (Blade Runner) as well as the historical epic genre (Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven) tied Biblical themes with Greek mythology in Prometheus and the result was a genuinely path-breaking Alien film that was mysterious and provided more questions than it did answers.

Unfortunately, Prometheus did not work financially as expected and thus, the sequel to Prometheus, Alien: Covenant is devoid of all the mystery and the myth of Prometheus. It is, instead, a schlocky, gory B-movie that would have been a whole lot of fun had someone like Paul WS Anderson or even Joel Schumacer (the screenplay is that lowbrow) directed it. In Alien: Covenant, Ridley Scott tries his best to give the film a veneer of sombreness and dread but to no avail. Alien: Covenant is ultimately very generic and not at all the Alien film fans had been expecting.

The story begins with a colonisation mission on way to a distant, habitable planet. On-board the spaceship, called Covenant, are up to 2,000 colonisers in cryosleep and some 1,000 embryos. A neutrino shockwave rattles the spaceship and a few crew members are woken up. They soon discover a rogue signal in space - if you have seen the Alien films, you know this is bad news - and what do they do next? They track it to a new, previously unidentified planet where they discover human agriculture. Bad news, bad news! More bad news: they find an Engineer spaceship plus the black Alien spores that were first introduced in Prometheus. The rest, as they say, is history and so is the Covenant crew.

The Covenant crew finds human agriculture (wheat) in an unidentified planet

After multiple Alien films, certain tropes have become way too familiar. These tropes really need to be done away with or at least be treated with some intelligence if the filmmakers expect to even remotely surprise the audience. For instance, the rogue signal from an unidentified planet. An Engineer ship, which always screams 'Don't Go There!'. Then the moment when a character in the dark looks into an Alien egg. And of course, someone is always going to get infected, then return to their ship and give birth to baby Aliens. Oh and the mandatory strong, female Ellen Ripley-rip-off who always has close-cropped hair. Alien: Covenant has all these moments and then some. There is zero room for any kind of mystery or suspense except for the Michael Fassbender character...s, David and Walter.

Michael Fassbender stars as David and Walter in Alien: Covenant Michael Fassbender stars as David and Walter in Alien: Covenant

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What is an Alien film without a morally ambiguous android, right? Michael Fassbender's David in Prometheus was an ever-curious, almost more-human-than-human (wink, wink) android who had his separate designs regarding humanity, creation, morality and what have you. David is the most interesting addition to the Alien mythos in the last ten years and he continues to be so in Alien: Covenant too. Joining David is Walter (also Michael Fassbender), another android modeled on David, who is a little less spooky. Together, David and Walter provide some of the best scenes in Alien: Covenant and the strong, female Ripley-rip-off, Daniels (Katherine Waterson) is pushed to the sideline.

Daniels (Katherine Waterson) is a dull Ellen Ripley-rip-off in Alien: Covenant

Daniels is the most bland protagonist in the entire Alien franchise (excluding the spin-offs which don't matter) and one honestly hopes that after Alien: Covenant, the tropes that have become a common fixture in every Alien film are thrown out of the window for good. A franchise that begun in the hands of a visionary like Ridley Scott deserves to be smarter than what it is right now.

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(The writer tweets as @devarsighosh.)

ALSO READ: Before Alien Covenant, ranking the Alien films from worst to best

WATCH: Meri Pyaari Bindu movie review

--- ENDS ---
SCOTTSBLUFF  Advocates for a greener third-party were in Scottsbluff Thursday and Friday, collecting signatures to get the Legal Marijuana Now party on the ballot in Nebraska.

Legal Marijuana Now is a political third-party in the United States established in 1998 to oppose drug prohibition. Its goal is to get pro-marijuana candidates into elections and voters into polling places.

Nebraska is really difficult to get a ballot initiative, like a constitutional amendment or referendum, on the ballot, Omaha resident Krystal Gabel from Legal Marijuana Now Nebraska said. You collect signatures, and they deny access.

Rather than trying to repeat the same past mistakes with referendums, Gabel and fellow Omaha resident Mark Elworth Jr. are taking a different route and have been trying to petition and activate voters.

We think theres another way around it  its getting candidates on the ballot and bringing out voters to vote for third-party, Gabel said. Were basically in a one-party state, and so many people dont even come out and vote.

Legal Marijuana Now has tried for years to get the party on the Nebraska ballot, but it hasnt been an easy fight.

Last year we turned in our petition, the state invalidated the signatures, Elworth said. Last year we turned in 9,000 signatures, and we needed 5,600 good ones. They said we had about 5,000 wrong, so they discounted a lot of those.

Elworth said they were going to re-do the petition, this time with a 15,000-signature goal in mind. In the last two days, theyve garnered about 200 signatures.

Were in a lot better shape for next year, Elworth said. We feel like they cheated us last year.

Gabel and Elworth have both been in races for city council in Omaha. In the 2016 national election, Elworth appeared on ballots in Iowa and Minnesota as a vice-presidential candidate for the Legal Marijuana Now party along with Dan Vacek of Minnesota.

Pro-marijuana efforts have also been making it through the Nebraska Legislature. This session, Sen. Anna Wishart of Lincoln, introduced LB 622, which would legalize medical marijuana in Nebraska. The Legislatures Judiciary Committee advanced the bill, 6-1, and has an amendment pending in committee.

There is an opioid problem, and there are good Nebraskans who dont want to be on drugs, they dont want have a drug problem, and they trust their doctors, Elowrth said. We feel medical marijuana is a safer alternative, and I hope the governor changes his mind.

If Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts opts to veto LB 622, Gabel plans on challenging him in the 2018 race for governor, should the petition get the Legal Marijuana Now party on the ballot.
GERING  The cool morning started heating up as runners and walkers lined up at the starting line at the Summit Christian College Campus Saturday morning.

With a bleep from a megaphone, they were off in droves on a 7.2-mile trek to the summit of the Scotts Bluff National Monument for the ninth annual Summit to Summit Run/Walk.

The event capped off Tourism Week in the valley, and brought back past competitors and some fresh new faces.

Nathan Sindt, 28 of Loveland, Colorado, said hed ran the Summit to Summit a few years ago, and since hes back in town for his brothers graduation from Scottsbluff High School, he decided to enter the race again this year.

I really enjoy it and I like the challenge of the uphill climb, Sindt said. It was a lot of fun and it was a nice day to do it, too.

Sindt came in first overall with a time of 48 minutes, 38 seconds  a 6 minute, 45 second per-mile pace.

Fifteen-year-old Gering freshman Tukker Romey came in at 51 minutes, 55 seconds, securing first place in the womens category, and finishing second overall. Shes no stranger to long-distances and difficult courses; she finished fifth with a 19 minute, 48 second 5,000 meter at the state cross country meet last fall.

This is my third time running (Summit to Summit), and Im also going to be running through Australia this summer, so this is a good run to get ready for it, Romey said.

She will be representing Nebraska down under in June with Team USA.

Navy veteran Michael Otto, 25, of Scottsbluff, who finished fifth overall and took second place in the 20- to 29-year-old category, said it was his first time running the Summit to Summit.

I got out of the Navy last year and I missed it, Otto said. I loved it and Ill definitely be back again next year.

For a list of the full results from the 2017 Summit to Summit visit http://www.racerite.com/results.html.
ALLIANCE The Panhandle Quilt Guild will hold its regular monthly meeting on May 20.

The meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, 515 Emerson, Alliance. Coffee and refreshments will be served starting at 9 a.m.

A program on Whats new with rulers will be presented by Sonya Buskirk during the meeting. The afternoon class will be Rulers Rule with Sonya Buskirk. Members and guests are welcome.
Four members of a Christian rock band driving to a concert performance in Council Bluffs were injured Thursday in a rollover accident. The five-person group was traveling west on Interstate 80 in Iowa when the accident occurred about 8:50 a.m. between Walnut and Avoca in Pottawattamie County.

Four of the five Ammunition Band musicians had non-life-threatening injuries and were taken by emergency crews to Myrtue Hospital in Harlan, Iowa, said Matt Ross, a trooper with the Iowa State Patrol.

None had been using a seat belt.

Band members Jonathon Moriconi, 25, Nathan Barringer, 21, and Sean Mueller, 26, were released from the hospital Thursday afternoon.

The driver, Viviana Garcia, 19, who is also a band member, remained in the hospital Thursday night in stable condition and is awake, according to a statement on the bands Facebook page.

Ammunition Band was scheduled to perform alongside two other bands at Calvary Assembly of God Church in Council Bluffs on Friday. Due to the accident, the band canceled its appearance.

Leading to the accident, the band was traveling west from Indiana in a large motor home that was pulling a trailer carrying their instruments.

Garcia lost control of the vehicle and over-corrected, causing the motor home to roll onto the drivers side, Ross said.

All the band members were able to exit the motor home under their own power, he added.

Debris, including the bands instruments, was scattered along the highway from the accident. There were no other vehicles involved in the accident.

One westbound lane of the Interstate was closed for investigation and cleanup for about three hours.

Ross said the driver will be ticketed when the report is finalized for failure to maintain control and not using a seat belt.
Steven George Roberts, 58, former resident of McGrew, Nebraska passed away on February 21, 2017 in Oregon. A memorial gathering on his birthday will be held at 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 14, 2017 at Dallas Park in Dallas, Ore.

Steve was born May 14, 1958 in Lancaster County, Nebraska. He attended McGrew School and graduated from Bayard High School.

Steve had resided in the Portland, Oregon area since 1977.

Steve is survived by his wife, Linda; children, Darrell, Elizabeth and James; all of Aurora, Oregon; mother, Carol Roberts; and sister Sandra (Charlie) Franken, both of Mitchell.

His father, Darrell Roberts; brother, Brian Roberts; and grandparents preceded him in death.
By Press Trust of India: twist to insurgency

(Eds: Adding quotes from DGP of JK Police)

Srinagar, May 12 (PTI) An audio slideshow has surfaced in Kashmirs social media that has voice of Hizbul Mujahideen militant commander Zakir Moosa talking about establishing an Islamic caliphate besides threatening separatist leaders in the Valley.

The voice is that of Zakir Moosa, Director General of Police S P Vaid told PTI here.

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He said police carried out voice analysis and compared it with Moosas earlier videos and audios. "Its Moosa only," Vaid said.

The 5.40-minute audio warns the separatist leaders not to meddle in their aim to establish a caliphate in Jammu and Kashmir along the lines of the rule established by ISIS in parts of Syria and Iraq.

The clip was seen as worrying twist in Kashmir?s militancy which has largely been about independence and annexation with Pakistan without ever emphasizing Islam or connecting it to jihad.

Hizbul Mujahideen is almost as old as the Kashmiri militancy which started in 1989. The group is made up almost entirely of local youths, and had always campaigned for joining Pakistan.

In the audio clip, the speaker also asks other non- violent separatists to either fight along with militants in the battle field or refrain from making statements about the present armed struggle.

The clip surfaced after Hurriyat leaders recently sought to downplay the growing influence of ISIS ideology in the Valley.

Earlier this week, Hurriyat leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Yaseen Malik issued a joint statement in which they claimed that the Kashmir struggle has nothing to do with ISIS, Al-Qaida and other such organisation.

The slideshow?s Urdu-language audio overlays pictures and quotes of jailed Indonesian national Abu Bakar Bashir and Yemni resident Anwar al-Awlaki. Both are considered as brain behind ISIS and Al-Qaeda activities.

While confirming that the voice in the slideshow was that of Moosa, senior police officials did not rule out the possibility that the banned ISIS terror group was trying to create a base in the Valley.

The security agencies had warned that internet chats and establishing of contacts with possible handlers in Syria and Iraq by some youths have grown in the last six months.

Last month, two masked gunmen appeared at the funeral of a Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist in Pulwama during which they asked the gathering to follow the rules laid down by the Taliban and the ISIS, and not support or raise slogans in favour of Pakistan.

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They gave fiery speeches for over three minutes in which they spoke about pan-Islamisation and the importance of having Shariat as a law and fled after firing guns in the air.

Militant outfits including United Jehad Council, a conglomerate of terror outfits based out of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, as well as separatists were quick to downplay the incident but security officials viewed it with more seriousness.

The agencies felt that if the growing influence of ISIS was not checked, it could be detrimental to the situation in the Valley.

There was no pinpointed information about the users other than the general areas of some villages in South Kashmir, Sopore in North Kashmir, Prang and Lar in Central Kashmir as well as Reasi, Kishtawar and Doda areas of Jammu region, they said.

During the recent protests across the Valley, ISIS flags were waved in certain areas. Also, walls in some were splattered with slogans supporting the banned terror outfit.

The Indian Army has also been worried about the growing influence of the ISIS ideology on the youth of the Valley and a study done last year showed that six out of 10 youths were watching videos of controversial Islamic preacher Zaki Naik or other jihadi videos.

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However, In a statement today, Hizbul Mujahideen supreme commander Syed Sallahuddin also said there was no place for groups such as ISIS, Al-Qaeda or the Taliban in Jammu and Kashmir.

"This movement is purely local and indigenous. It has no international agenda. Al Qaeda,Daesh (ISIS) or Taliban have no involvement or role in Kashmir," he said. PTI SKL VJ TIR

--- ENDS ---
Those who know me will not be surprised to learn I have a girl crush on Sally Q. Yates. Yates not only has a great career, great hair and a quirky middle initial, but she also has the boldness to stand up to the man. Following her dismissal as acting U.S. attorney general for refusing to enforce an unlawful and unconstitutional executive order banning Muslims from entering the U.S., Yates was offered the chance to stand up to another group of men in a Senate judiciary committee hearing this past week.

While the topic of the hearing was Russian interference in the presidents election campaign and among his advisors, past and present, some senators saw fit to challenge Yates decision that led to her dismissal. Perhaps Senators Ted Cruz (R) and John Cornyn (R) hoped to discredit her testimony regarding General Flynns misdeeds and the timeline of her reports to the White House.

Cruz recited chapter and verse of a statute allowing executive power in restricting immigrants into the country. Yates followed, competently and professionally, with a more recent law overriding the previous statute, saying immigration law cannot be applied preferentially or as discriminating based on race, nationality or place of birth.

Cornyn asked smugly if it were not a longstanding tradition of the DOJ to defend the presidents actions in court and leave the determination of lawfulness to the court. Once again, Yates remained calm and collected. It was not a disagreement on policy, she countered, but rather a matter of not defending an unlawful and unconstitutional order, as she promised Cornyn and current AG Jeff Sessions she would do when confirmed as the deputy AG in 2015.

In the wake of the presidents firing, FBI Director James Comey Tuesday, many might wish Yates be named special prosecutor and an investigation begin outside the FBI into the Russian collusion with our government. However, Yates could be considered too close to the situation to comfortably investigate the man who fired her less than four months ago. I think she has the mettle to manage the situation, but no suggestion of impropriety should be leveled at such an important process to further muddy the waters.

Senator John McCain (R) has instead suggested a select committee, rather than a special prosecutor is the way to go. Special prosecutors are expensive and not always successful. The committee would be selected by Congressional leaders while a prosecutor would be named by the Justice Department. A third option, an independent bipartisan commission, would be similar to one convened after the 9/11 tragedy. The latter, while perhaps more independent of political motivations, has little power to litigate without additional powers granted.

I wont pretend to understand the subtleties of each option, but I cannot sit idly by while the president appoints another lackey like Christie or Giuliani to not investigate his ties to the Russians. If theres nothing there, a valid examination will only confirm the presidents claims and help stop the clamor for a more open investigation. I hope we can support this taxpayer-funded charade with some funds saved by a few less trips to Mar-a-Lago.

In the meanwhile, Yates is being recruited for governor of Georgia in 2018, a good stepping point on her way to issuing lawful, constitutional, federal executive orders of her own. Yates 2024!
A bench along the greenway in Statesville has a small plaque on it in honor of the late Rick Davis. It says Placed in memory of Rick Davis an
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Beijing has indicated that it will back Islamabad on its biggest dam project in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as visiting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held special talks on the Diamer Bhasha dam today.

By Ananth Krishnan: China has signalled that it will back Pakistan on its biggest dam project in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as visiting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held special talks on the Diamer Bhasha dam a day before China's major Belt and Road Forum summit meeting.

China's influential National Energy Administration (NEA) held talks with Sharif and hosted a "Bhasha Project Conference" on Saturday, the official Associated Press of Pakistan reported (APP).

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Pakistan is seeking China's investment for the dam in Gilgit Baltistan in PoK, which is an integral part of the Indian territory. India has opposed Chinese investments in PoK under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a key route of President Xi Jinping's One Belt, One Road initiative.

STUDIES ON BHASHA DAM PRESENTED

At the conference, power companies in China presented studies on the Bhasha dam. An MoU for a roadmap on power projects was signed by China's Ambassador in Pakistan Sun Weidong and Power Secretary Naseem Khokhar.

China's NEA hosting a special conference on the project underlines Beijing is willing to support it, which could further complicate ties with India.

That segments of the CPEC pass through PoK has irked India, which has not announced its participation at Sunday's Belt and Road Forum, which will be attended by 28 heads of state and government.

The Indian Embassy in Beijing said it "had nothing to offer" on whether Embassy officials would be present. On Friday, the U.S. announced a high-level delegation, as did South Korea, joining Russia and Japan besides Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

Sharif's talks on the PoK dam provided a reminder of India's unease at the OBOR plan. The APP reported Sharif addressed the Bhasha project conference accompanied by the chief ministers of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

SHARIF THANKS NEA FOR BHASHA DAM SESSION

Sharif "thanked the NEA for hosting an extremely important and strategic session for Bhasha Dam, a project of critical importance for the future of Pakistan", the APP reported.

The NEA is taking forward many of the USD33 billion energy projects under the USD46 billion CPEC. Pakistan's energy crisis has become a major obstacle for Sharif and China has indicated it will back his embattled government through a slew of energy investments.

Sharif said under the CPEC, a 300-MW solar project and two wind projects had started production, as also the Sahiwal coal fired power project.

He said the Bhasha dam construction was "the single most important initiative" under the North Indus Cascade project in Gilgit-Baltistan.

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Pakistani media reported Chinese companies had "conducted survey and studies on the North Indus Cascade including the sites of Pattan, Thacoat, Bunji, Dasau and Diamer" in February 2017.

Also read | 10 gunned down near China 'Belt and Road' projects in Pakistan

Also read | India to miss China's One Belt One Road summit, Sharif to take centrestage: Reports

Also read | US, South Korea, Japan to attend Belt and Road Forum in China, India undecided

--- ENDS ---
PASSED, SIGNED BY GOVERNOR

Right-to-work  Bars unions from collecting fees from nonmembers to pay for representation and other services. (SB 19)

Ride-hailing  Pre-empts local rules for companies such as Uber and Lyft and establishes more lenient statewide regulations. (HB 130)

Expert witnesses  Allows a judge to weigh whether a witnesss testimony would be reliable based on scientific bona fides and relevancy to a case, rather than just admitting testimony reasonably relied upon by experts in the field. (HB 153)

Herbicides  Increases fines for illegal herbicide use to $10,000 per violation, up from $1,000 per field. (HB 662)

PASSED

Grade school funding  Puts about $3.4 billion toward the school aid formula  fully funding it a year after lawmakers lowered the spending requirements. (HB 2)

Higher education funding  Cuts spending by more than $60 million compared to last year, a 6.5 percent decrease for the states public colleges and universities. (HB 3)

Health care for seniors  Prevents cuts to in-home medical care for elderly patients. (HCB 3)

Workplace discrimination  Raises the standard of proof plaintiffs have to meet to win discrimination lawsuits. (SB 43)

REAL ID  Allows the state to comply with the federal REAL ID Act of 2005; residents will be able to choose whether they want a compliant license to fly and get into federal facilities. (HB 151)

Minimum wage  Prohibits cities, including St. Louis, from raising their minimum wages or requiring employment benefits beyond what state law requires. (HB 1194)

Project labor agreements  Prohibits cities and counties from requiring nonunion contractors to pay workers union wages for public projects. (SB 182)

St. Louis Zoo tax  Limits sales tax hikes benefiting the zoo in St. Louis and St. Louis County to one-eighth percent and caps total sales tax for the zoo at 2 percent in the city and 1 percent for surrounding counties. (SB 49)

Collateral source  Limits medical damages paid in lawsuits to cost of care actually paid, not what is billed, and excludes projected future costs of care. (SB 31)

State employee pensions  Makes employees eligible for retirement benefits after five years of service instead of 10. (SB 62)

Blue Alert  Establishes a system to alert the public when police officers are injured or killed. (SB 34)

Police officer protections  Increases penalties for offenders committing crimes targeting law enforcement officers (SB 34)

Good Samaritan  Grants immunity from minor drug possession charges to people who call 911 on behalf of someone suffering an overdose. (SB 501)

State legal expenses  Requires the attorney general to provide monthly reports on payouts from the state legal expense fund; general counsels for public colleges and the state departments of transportation and conservation will have to do the same. (SB 128)

FAILED

Lobbyist gifts  Bars members of the Legislature and statewide elected officials from receiving meals, tickets and other gifts from lobbyists. (HB 60)

Dark money  Requires politically active nonprofits, including one started by allies of the new governor, to disclose their donors and donations. (SB 73)

Opioid abuse  Allows the Department of Health and Senior Services to start a prescription drug monitoring database to help combat opioid abuse. (HB 90)

Medical marijuana  Allows for licensure of medical marijuana cultivation facilities and sale of cannabis to certain terminally ill patients. (HB 437)

School transfers  Limits the number of students eligible to transfer from unaccredited districts and limits how much those districts have to pay for transportation to better-performing schools. (SB 313).

School choice expansion  Allows charter schools to operate in any district in the state with an unaccredited school. (HB 634)

Tax credit scholarships  Offers up to $25 million in tax credits for private donations to parents of students with special needs; parents could then use the money for school-related expenses, including private school tuition. (SB 313)

Abortion sanctuary cities  Prohibits cities from adding reproductive rights to anti-discrimination ordinances, as St. Louis did in February. (HB 174 & SB 41)

Abortions  Bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. (HBs 908 & 757)

Fetal tissue  Bans the donation of fetal tissue for medical research and require annual on-site inspections of abortion clinics. (SB 67)

Ameren rate changes  Allows utility companies to more easily raise rates to improve infrastructure. (SB 190)

Prevailing wage  Repeals county-by-county base pay standards for construction-related jobs. (HB 104)

Paycheck protection  Requires public sector unions to hold annual votes before dues can taken from employees paychecks. (HB 251)

Landfill  Authorizes the state to buy out certain homes near the West Lake Landfill in north St. Louis County. (SB 22)

Red light cameras  Prohibits cities from using the cameras and requires any city using them to end its program within a year. (HB 275)

State parks  Requires the Department of Natural Resources to give public notice when it make a land purchase of more than 60 acres. (SB 35)

Lambert airport drinking  Allows bars and restaurants at Lambert to get a permit allowing customers to take alcohol out of their establishments and to their gates. (HB 115)

 Compiled by Austin Huguelet
A suicidal student in China tried to jump in front of a high-speed train when a hero railway worker saved her at the last moment.

By India Today Web Desk: Trains which some use to travel are also used by some to commit suicides. That's what happened with a woman in China who tried to kill herself. But killing yourself that way isn't easy when this man is around.

In a footage captured on station in China, surveillance camera shows that the woman ran towards the train tracks. This she did seconds before the high-speed train was about to reach the station.

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The woman who is reportedly a college student tried to commit suicide jumping in front of the train.

But before she could end her life, an alert man acted upon his reflexes. Upon seeing the college student racing towards the tracks, the man chased her and grabbed her arm before she could jump.

While doing so, the helping man even hit his head on the concrete but did not let go. A few seconds later the train arrives at the platform and two more people quickly rush towards the girl and the man to help them out.

According to CGTN, the incident happened on May 10 at Putian station in Fujian province in Southeast China.

The man who is reportedly a railway worker suffered injuries while trying to save the woman.

WATCH: Daring railway station worker stops student from throwing herself in front of train

--- ENDS ---
VILA DO ABRAAO, Brazil  One of the first things visitors will notice about Ilha Grande, or Big Island, is that there are no vehicles. The local government prohibits private cars, maintaining the laid-back rhythms that islanders say are central to their identity.

Dirt and sand paths that run parallel to the many beaches, however, often do have travelers: scores of crabs scurrying across at a leisurely pace that only picks up if a human approaches.

Life here is simple, said Rodison Marcos, a 48-year-old boat operator born and raised here. We dont need a watch, or a tie or cars.

For foreign and Brazilian tourists alike, that slowed development means this tropical island can offer something Rio de Janeiro and surrounding areas have not been able to for years: clean beaches. Ultimately it was a search for unsullied ocean, where my wife and I would feel comfortable letting our three young sons swim, that attracted us.

The island is a three-hour trip from Rio, but no highway or bridge connects it to the mainland. Several boats a day traverse a small stretch of sea from three different ports. The relative isolation means cell phone service is spotty, and Internet often feels nonexistent. In short, its a place to disconnect while feeling strong connections because everybody appears to know everybody.

Oh, you are going to the place of Alex, the French guy, a man told me after we arrived in Abraao and asked directions to Bica Beach. Let me get you a taxi boat.

Our Airbnb bungalow was another 10 minutes away by wobbly motorboat. Then we climbed the equivalent of six flights of stairs on a steep path through lush tropical forest. All the huffing and puffing and sweating felt worth it once there. Looking down, we saw blue ocean waters while monkeys jumped between trees.

The island, about 77 square miles, is pristine in large part because of an unusual history going back to the 16th century Portuguese colonization. It has been a pirates lair, a leper colony and most recently, home to a maximum security penitentiary that housed some of Brazils most violent criminals, along with political prisoners during part of the 1964-1985 dictatorship.

Various rebellions and headline-grabbing escapes created headaches for islanders and kept investors away. In 1994, however, the Candido Mendes prison was closed and demolished. A few years later, the State University of Rio de Janeiro opened a research center to study the environment and sustainable development.

Today, there are numerous pousadas, or guest houses, in Vila do Abraao, which has about 3,000 residents. There are also offbeat places to stay, from beachfront villas to isolated jungle dwellings. Companies offer excursions that range from some of Brazils best snorkeling and scuba-diving to walking tours through rainforests teeming with life. Then there are the dozens and dozens of beaches that are both postcard-worthy and often empty.

Look at this water, said Felipe Ricardo Brito, who sells caipirinhas, a mix of the national alcohol cachaca and limes, on Feiticeira Beach. Its totally clean. There is no sewage. You can breathe pure air.

That is not the case on most beaches in and around Rio de Janeiro, the city that hosted the 2016 Summer Games. An 18-month investigation by the Associated Press during the run up to the Olympics found dangerously high levels of bacteria and viruses in Rio beaches. Only a little more than half of the sewage in Rio is treated, meaning that each day tons of fecal matter ends up in the Guanabara Bay and surrounding beaches.

Still, while Ilha Grande doesnt have a sewage problem, its far from an environmental paradise. For example, amid a deep economic crisis in the country, the island has struggled with garbage collection.

Earlier this year, the island captured national headlines when hundreds of bags of garbage were strewn throughout Vila do Abraao. The local government switched garbage providers and has promised to regularize service. Still, the problem periodically pops up, irking islanders and creating eyesores. When we visited in February, crabs could be seen among the garbage.

There are also worries about overdevelopment. Much of the island is protected wildland, but Brazil has a history of big money interests winning out against environmental protections. Last year, the environmental secretary of the state government invited Ilha Grande residents to present ideas about the future, from development projects to environmental issues. While billed as a way to build consensus, many residents were suspicious that it was really just a precursor to ramming through big changes.

As the island opens up, its industries and demographics are changing. While fishing is still a central industry for many residents, increasingly fishing and crab boats are used to ferry around tourists. And some tourists like it so much that they are finding ways to stay.

Now there are Argentines, Brazilians from other states and hippies living here, said Selma dos Santos Garcia, a 34-year-old Ilha Grande native who sells snacks on the beaches. And we are at the mercy of tourists.

IF YOU GO
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.

This is one fine smoke. A dark maduro that melds the typical sweetness and coffee flavors with enough spice and strength from the Nicaraguan filler to keep it more than interesting. The newer cigars from Hirochi Robaina havent gotten nearly the buzz that his first releases a few years back generated. They also dont seem to be particularly easy to find. When I picked this smoke up at a cigar shop I visit infrequently, it was the first time Id seen it. But after enjoying this Corona Gorda (5.5 x 46, $7.95) treat, I have no doubt Ill be on the lookout for more.

Verdict = Buy.

George E

photo credit: HR Cigars
By Press Trust of India: From Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, May 13 (PTI) Pakistan and China are expected to sign an MoU for developing the North Indus River Cascade with investment of USD 50 billion to generate up to 40,000 MW hydro electricity.

The memorandum of understanding is likely to be signed in Beijing today during the visit of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to China, according to The Express Tribune newspaper.

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"The USD 50 billion investment comes on top of the USD 46 billion investment being provided by the Chinese government and Chinese banks for financing power and road infrastructure projects in Pakistan under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)," the paper reported.

With the signing of the MoU ? which will be witnessed by Prime Minister Sharif ? Beijing will emerge as the biggest financier of infrastructure projects in Pakistan.

According to the studies conducted by the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), Pakistan has an identified potential of producing up to 60,000MW of hydroelectric power.

Some 40,000MW of this potential power is located in the region called the Indus River Cascade, which begins from Skardu in Gilgit-Baltistan and runs through Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa as far as Tarbela, the site of Pakistan?s biggest dam.

The Indus River Cascade includes Diamer-Bhasha Dam project for which Pakistan needs USD 15 billion financing.

Other multilateral donors were not willing to invest on this project but now China has come up to finance this mega project.

Sources said the Chinese side conducted survey and studies on the North Indus Cascade including the sites of Pattan, Thacoat, Bunji, Dasau and Diamer in February 2017.

The Chinese side in their last high-level meeting agreed to convert the survey and initial study to an MoU whereby the Chinese will conduct a detailed study spanning over a period of three months on a developing roadmap for financing that will lead to initiation and completion of these mega projects.

Sources said this will be Pakistans first-ever private sector investment in mega projects in hydel resources as until now only Wapda led such projects.

The most important development could be the Chinese undertaking of these projects as it has a vast experience for building such huge dams.

According to the sources, the CPEC and the North Indus River Cascade can be the biggest-ever Chinese investment in Pakistan.

In 2015, the owner of the worlds largest hydroelectric dam, China Three Gorges (CTG) Corporation, had expressed willingness to participate in a financing consortium to fund up to USD 50 billion of hydroelectric power projects in Pakistan.

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The Chinese government-owned CTG expressed an interest in financing projects in Pakistan in conjunction with the International Finance Corporation, a World Bank subsidiary.

The CTG owns and operates the Three Gorges Dam, the world?s largest hydroelectric power plant with a capacity of 22,500MW, nearly matching in one power plant the entire installed capacity of the Pakistani grid of 23,500MW.

The mega undertaking may create further tension between Pakistan and India as the investment would be made in Gilgit- Baltistan region which is part of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. PTI SH ZH

--- ENDS ---
The red and white flag was much in evidence at the Polish Heritage Day at the Charlecote Pheasant on Sunday. Those pictured enjoying the event included Paulina Szal, aged 11, Julian Barys, eight, Teresa Franczuk, chairman of the Local Polish Catholic Mission (LPCM), Renata Barys, secretary of the LPCM, John McGhee, General Manager of the Charlecote Pheasant, Jarek Szal, head chef, Arek Barys, Dorota Szal, Jackie Horton, founder of Shakespeare's Puppies and her colleague Suzanne Beechey. Photo: Mark Williamson C11/5/17/0256

TRADITIONAL Polish hospitality and music was celebrated at a Polish Heritage Day held at The Charlecote Pheasant Hotel on Sunday.

Youngsters in brightly coloured national costumes danced to folk music and sang songs and entertained the 500 people who attended the event which raised over 2,000 for Shakespeare Puppies Appeal.

I think it went very well we also had good weather. There was a big raffle, competitions for the children, traditional Polish cooking and baked cakes plus Polish beer. The hotel employs a lot of Polish nationals and we were looked after very well, we even had Polish flags all over the place, said Teresa Franczuk, one of the event organisers and chair of the local Polish Catholic Mission.

The heritage day is a new initiative to celebrate better understanding between the Polish community and the wider British society. Last year the inaugural heritage day was held at the same venue.

Full story in this week's Herald.
Iraqi security forces are only days away from completing the operation to recapture Mosul from Daesh, the army's chief of staff says.

Lt Gen Othman al-Ghanimi told he hoped the Daesh group would be defeated in the city before the Islamic holy month of Ramadan begins on 26 May.

Recent gains in the north meant the remaining militants were being squeezed into an ever smaller area, he added.

Mosul fell to Daesh in 2014 and is its last major urban stronghold in Iraq.

Pro-government forces launched a major offensive to retake the city in October with the support of US-led coalition air strikes.

They managed to take full control of the eastern half of Mosul in January and started an assault on the west the following month.

Fewer than 1,000 militants are now besieged in several north-western districts, including the Old City, along with as many as 450,000 civilians.

"The security forces are carrying out a big and effective effort. I say that Daesh will be finished in days, God willing," Gen Ghanimi told.

"I say that the rest of Mosul will be liberated before the holy month of Ramadan."

A week ago, units from the army's 9th Armoured Division and the interior ministry's Rapid Response Force opened a new front in the north after the advance into the densely-populated Old City from the south and west stalled.

Progress in the north was initially limited by fierce resistance from militants using suicide car bombs and snipers, but Gen Ghanimi said gains were now being made.

On Wednesday, police commander Lt Gen Raed Jawdat said the Rapid Response Force had stormed the entrances to the Iqtisadiyeen district, south-east of Mushairfa, and killed dozens of militants in heavy clashes.

The United Nations has said the battle has left more than 8,000 civilians dead or wounded, but that figure only includes people transferred to medical facilities.

Iraq's military does not release casualty figures, but a US general said at the end of March that 774 Iraqi security personnel had been killed and 4,600 wounded.

More than 620,000 civilians have also been displaced by the fighting, among them 414,000 from western Mosul, the Iraqi authorities say.

Most have taken refuge in nearby camps and reception centres. Others are staying with relatives and friends.

The UN says another 100,000 to 200,000 could flee the final battle for the Old City.

On Monday, the International Committee of the Red Cross expressed concern for civilians inside Daesh-led districts, saying they were facing "very stark choices" as supplies of food and water ran out.

"This population is not only exposed to the immediate dangers of the conflict itself and being either targeted or hit as collateral damage, but is also facing the effects of just no longer really having much access to the basic essentials that they need to live," deputy Middle East director Patrick Hamilton told Reuters news agency.

"People don't have enough to eat, don't have water," he added. "Babies, elderly and so on of course they are very vulnerable and may already be dying."
Turkey is planning to build a wall along its border with Iran in a bid to prevent Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Ankara has listed as a terror group, from entering its territory.

Earlier in May, reports said that Turkey was reinforcing the border with Syria in the southeastern part of the country with country's forces reportedly launching construction of a concrete wall.

"The PKK has the Maku, Dambat, Navur, Kotr, Keneresh and Sehidan camps inside Iran near the Turkish border. There are some 800-1,000 PKK terrorists in those camps. They enter Turkey, carry out attacks and leave. As a precaution against this, we are going to build a wall along 70 kilometers of the border near Agri and [the eastern province of] Igdir," an official said, as quoted by the Hurriyat newspaper.

The rest of the border, which will be equipped with lights, will be closed with towers and iron fences, the official added.

The PKK was formed in the late 1970s and launched an armed struggle against the Turkish government in 1984, calling for an independent Kurdish state within Turkey.

After the ceasefire between Turkey and the PKK broke down in 2015 after two years, Ankara started a military operation against Kurdish militants.
The Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government is preparing a proposal to make Delhi mosquito-free ahead of this year's monsoon, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said.

By Abhishek Anand: The Delhi government is aiming to make Delhi mosquito-free ahead of the monsoon. With the number of chikangunya, dengue and malaria cases on the rise, the government called a meeting of all stakeholders to discuss the issue.

Representatives from all municipal bodies participated in the meeting - chaired by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal - at the Delhi secretariat on Saturday.

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Between January and April, about 80 cases of chikungunya, 30 of dengue and 10 of malaria were reported from different city hospitals.

"We are preparing a proposal for making entire Delhi mosquito-free. The neighbouring states will be also roped in," said Delhi Deputy Manish Sisodia, deputy chief minister of Delhi.

"We have asked the officials to make a plan to ensure that the pathology labs are also not overcharging for tests of vector borne disease," he added.

'SALE OF DRUGS CONTAINING BRUFEN TO BE BANNED'

The deputy CM also said that sale of drugs containing Brufen will be banned during outbreak of vector-borne diseases.

"Brufen can be very dangerous if taken during dengue or chikungunya. We have asked the officials to ensure that no medicine containing brufen will be banned during the outbreak," Sisodia said.

"We will ensure an increase of 10-20 per cent of beds in the government hospitals. Also, we will float a helpline number for availability of beds in hospitals. The data of beds will be put online. Sensitisation and awareness drive ahead of the monsoon season," he added.

ALSO READ | Asian athletes wrestle dirty washrooms, mosquitoes in Delhi

ALSO READ | Delhi witnesses fresh spurt in cases of chikungunya, dengue and malaria

ALSO WATCH | Delhi Dangal: In the last 3 months, 79 cases of chikungunya and 24 cases of dengue (from April 2017)

--- ENDS ---
The security situation in Afghanistan will further deteriorate even if there is a modest increase in U.S. military support for the war-torn country, the top U.S. intelligence official said on Thursday, as President Donald Trump's administration weighs sending more forces to Afghanistan.

Afghan army units are pulling back, and in some cases have been forced to abandon more scattered and rural bases, and the government can claim to control or influence only 57 percent of the country, according to U.S. military estimates from earlier this year.

"The intelligence community assesses that the political and security situation in Afghanistan will almost certainly deteriorate through 2018, even with a modest increase in (the)military assistance by the United States and its partners," Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said in a Senate hearing.

In February, Army General John Nicholson, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, said he needs several thousand more international troops to break a stalemate with the Taliban.

Reuters reported in late April that Trump's administration was carrying out a review of Afghanistan and conversations are revolving around sending between 3,000 and 5,000 U.S. and coalition troops to Afghanistan.

Deliberations include giving more authorities to forces on the ground and taking more aggressive action against Taliban fighters. This could allow U.S. advisers to work with Afghan troops below the corps level, potentially putting them closer to fighting, a U.S. official said.

In the same hearing, the head of the military's Defense Intelligence Agency said the situation would worsen unless U.S. trainers worked with Afghan soldiers closer to the front line, their numbers increased and there was greater intelligence and surveillance.

Trump has not been formally presented with the options yet.

Some U.S. officials said they questioned the benefit of sending more troops to Afghanistan because any politically palatable number would not be enough to turn the tide, much less create stability and security. To date, more than 2,300 Americans have been killed and over 17,000 wounded.

President Ashraf Ghani's U.S.-backed government remains plagued by corruption and divided by factions loyal to political strongmen whose armed supporters often are motivated by ethnic, family, and regional loyalties.

Coats said that Afghanistan would struggle to decrease its reliance on the international community "until it contains the insurgency or reaches a peace agreement with the Taliban."
Two people, including an infant and a Pakistani national were killed and 10 others wounded after terrorists shot at workers at a development project in the eastern Qutaif governorate and left the scene, the Saudi interior ministry said on Friday, Al Arabiya News Channel reported.

The inciden took place at Al-Masoura neighborhood in Al-Awamiya town in Qutaif.

He added that the terrorists fired indiscriminately and heavily at passers-by killing a two-year-old Saudi national, a Pakistani resident.

Ten people including six Saudi nationals were wounded in the attacks. The injured include a woman and two children, a Sudanese national, an Indian national who is in a critical condition, in addition to four security men who suffered minor injuries.

The Saudi Ministry of interior added that the terrorist elements targeted development projects in Qatif province, where they confronted shooters hiding in the neighborhood.

The spokesman of the Ministry Interior said that workers of the company executing one of the development projects in the district of Al-Masoura in the province of Qutaif were subjected to heavy firing by the terrorists.

The attack targeted the project with explosive devices to obstruct its development.

The terrorists were staying in abandoned houses and used the Al-Masoura neighborhood as a base to execute kidnappings and attacks on innocent citizens.

The Saudi interior also praised the people of Al-Awamiya who cooperated with the security forces. At the same time they called upon everyone to stay away from the project area and the roads leading to it for their own safety.

The ministry also called on the culprits to surrender themselves to the authorities and confirmed that one of the wanted men was killed during the confrontations.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has attacked sacked Aam Aadmi Party Minister Kapil Mishra, alleging that his indefinite fast was "sponsored" by the BJP.

By Press Trust of India: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia today attacked sacked Aam Aadmi Party Minister Kapil Mishra, alleging that his indefinite fast was "sponsored" by the BJP.

Sisodia said this hours after AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha was detained by police on Saturday while he was proceeding to stage a hunger strike outside Mishra's house.

Speaking to the media, Sisodia said, "While on the one hand, Sanjeev Jha is picked up by the police, on the other, a BJP-sponsored hunger strike is taking place that is being provided police protection and other safeguards."

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MISHRA's FAST ENTERS DAY 4

Mishra, whose fast entered the fourth day on Saturday, has been demanding that details of foreign tours undertaken by five Aam Aadmi Party leaders - Satyendra Jain, Ashish Khetan, Raghav Chaddha, Sanjay Singh and Durgesh Pathak - be made public.

Sanjeev Jha, who is an MLA from Delhi's Burari area, on Saturday went on an indefinite fast seeking answers to the questions that he posed the sacked AAP minister.

Sisodia said Jha just wanted to know what time the sacked minister had gone to the chief minister's residence on May 5, the day Mishra claimed he saw Arvind Kejriwal taking Rs 2 crore from Health Minister Satyendar Jain.

The Burari MLA has demanded that Mishra come clean on the claim that he saw Health Minister Satyendra Jain pay Rs 2 crore to Kejriwal.

KEJRIWAL USED AAP MLAs AS A SHIELD: MISHRA

Mishra had earlier on Saturday accused Kejriwal of using AAP MLAs as a "shield" after the party's Burari MLA Sanjeev Jha had announced a hunger strike to couter the rebel leader's ongoing fast.

Jha was detained by the police while he was proceeding to stage the planned hunger strike outside Mishra's residence.

He was taken to Sarai Rohilla police station.

The sacked AAP minister has said that he would come up with his next "expose" on Sunday.

Also read | Doctors working under Satyendar Jain giving fake reports to end my fast: Kapil Mishra

Also read | AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha tries to launch hunger strike outside Kapil Mishra's house, detained

ALSO WATCH VIDEO

--- ENDS ---
Truck owners are resorting to forged letters to gain entry into Delhi during peak hours when trucks are generally barred.

By Sneha Agrawal: While the Centre is spending crores on building the eastern and western peripheral expressways with the sole intention of keeping diesel-guzzling and highly-polluting trucks off Delhi's roads, enterprising truck owners have found a novel way to bypass existing laws.

These owners simply forge permission letters granted by the additional CP, traffic, to enter the city at non-permissible hours during the day. Several such cases have come to the notice of Delhi police.

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Five FIRs have been registered in one month, four of which in Rajinder Nagar and one at Mandir Marg. Six heavy vehicles with forged stickers were intercepted in New Rajender Nagar. In one of the cases, on May 4, a delivery van was stopped while it was speeding towards New Rajender Nagar.

The vehicle had a temporary no-entry permission sticker on the vehicle. Suspecting fraud, the officer on duty stopped the vehicle and verified with the list of numbers that have been allotted permission.

It turned out that the number on the sticker did not match with any of the six numbers that have been given permission in the current year. The accused drivers have been booked for cheating and forgery.

Normally, the no-entry time is during peak hours, i.e. 5-11 pm and 8-11 am. There are some areas where there is a 24-hour ban, especially in New Delhi. The nonentry hours have been decided to prevent traffic jam during peak hours.

FORGED DOCUMENTS

Speaking to a police officer associated with the case, it was learnt that the owners of the vehicle may have been granted permission earlier and forged the documents by scanning it and then making minor changes in it.

Requesting anonymity, the official said, "It is extremely difficult to identify the forged sticker due to the good quality of forged documents. Owners edit the original stickers on computer by replacing the permission number."

Police are still investigating if there is an involvement of a larger gang behind the forgery.

Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, Centre for Science and Environment, said, "Such negligence is a matter of serious concern as huge investments are being made towards diverting non-destined trucks from Delhi."

"Several crores have already gone into building the eastern and western peripheral expressways, and the Supreme Court has enforced the environment compensation charge (ECC) on heavy vehicles coming into the city," she added.

"I feel the only way to curb such violations is implementation of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) in these vehicles as it will cut out manual work," she further said.

"They will be registered, charged per entry and exit and monitored electronically. We must not forget that 30 per cent of Delhi's particulate pollution load comes from diesel-driven toxic trucks only," she iterated.

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ALSO READ | Delhi: Bribes let drivers get a toll-free ride at DND, Kalindi Kunj, Mayur Vihar

--- ENDS ---
Chemanex and KAO to launch new construction chemicals to Sri Lanka View(s):

Chemanex PLC, one of the leading producers and importers of industrial chemicals and intermediates in Sri Lanka, recently introduced a new construction chemical product line to the market at a ceremony held at Taj Samudra Hotel, Colombo.

The launching ceremony was held under the patronage of Prof. Anura Nanayakkara from the University of Moratuwa. The new affiliation between Chemanex PLC  a key member of the CIC group, and Kao Industrial (Thailand) Co. Ltd  a member of world renowned Kao Group, will pave the way to elevate the countrys construction industry through the introduction of world class specialty compounds, a Chemanex media release said.

Chemanex manufactures and imports chemical and paint solutions for a multitude of industries including rubber, paint, detergent, cosmetics, estate and corrugated carton industries. With an expansive storage space, Chemanex also possess a substantial delivery capacity. Furthermore, the company offers R&D work and has partnerships with Khao Japan, BASF, Sudarshan Chemicals India, Thai Wah Starch Thailand and Coventry Chemicals UK.

Chemanex CEO Randeewa Malalasooriya said, We believe the partnership with Kao Industrial in Thailand will not only create a niche in the new market segment for Chemanex, but also benefit the local construction chemical market with the introduction of high performance and superior quality products with global recognition.

Kao Corporation  Japan incorporated in 1940, is one of the most popular brands in Japan offering diverse products including chemicals, beauty care, fabric and home care as well as health care.

At the celeremony, Vice President and General Manager, Hiroshi Sonohara of Kao Industrial (Thailand) Co Ltd noted that they have identified Sri Lanka as a viable market with promising growth in the construction industry.
SriLankan no longer only ground handler at BIA, MRIA View(s):

Sri Lanka is considering opening up ground handling services, a lucrative business at international airports, to global airlines in a bid to ensure competitive pricing.

Several airlines have complained that ground handling charges in Sri Lanka are high, so in order to be competitive we need to open it up. With two it will be more competitive, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Director General H.M.C. Nimalsiri told the Business Times on Wednesday.

He noted that a firm decision however on the matter has not yet been taken on the proposal which came up during an industry stakeholder meeting headed by the Prime Ministers Office. It has been included in the new National Civil Aviation Policy for Sri Lanka that is yet to obtain Cabinet approval.

The policy paper states that on the subject of ground handling, Subject to airport space safety, and security constraints, and also environmental concerns, airlines shall have the freedom to self-handle where permitted or to select from available Ground Handling service providers. The GoSL (Government of Sri Lanka) will ensure that the Ground Handling Services at International Airports are provided on competitive pricing.

Mr. Nimalsiri said that depending on demand and capacity at the airport they would be looking at attracting only two service providers for ground handling at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) and the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA).

With only 25 carriers flying into Sri Lanka, the Director General noted that it would not be possible to accommodate more than two service providers. We have to think of a business aspect since there must be commercial viability as well, he explained adding that too many would complicate things.

The DG noted that although this service is currently provided by SriLankan Airlines, it is actually a state run venture and not specified for any particular airline at present.

But in future they were hoping to open up this service as it is believed that the monopoly that has come about with only the national carrier involved in ground handling has left no room for competitive pricing.
GSP Plus facility: Lankas final hurdle tomorrow View(s):

If all the paperwork is in order and no other questions pending, the European Commission under the signature of the Trade Commissioner will direct a request to publish the restoring of GSP Plus trade preferences to Sri Lanka. The cutoff date has been set for May 15.

The publication will be in the Journal of the European Union and will enter into force on the day following that of its publication. Usually the process takes about a month but a diplomatic initiative by Sri Lankas EU Ambassador Rodney Perera has got under way to expedite the process.

Already, Sri Lanka has cleared two hurdles for the restoration of the facility. One was an April 27 European Parliament resolution which sought to deny the facility to Sri Lanka. However, 436 members supported Sri Lanka and only 119 were against. A few days later, four members who voted against changed their votes to positive. That meant Sri Lanka won a record 440 votes.

According to official statistics, the suspension of the GSP Plus in 2010 had a crippling effect on Sri Lankas garment industry  causing the closure of about 25 apparel factories and forcing almost 10,000 people out of employment. It resulted in heavy financial losses.

The impending restoration, Government official said, would create jobs. Earlier this year MAS Group Deputy Chairman Sharad Amalean said Sri Lankas large, small and medium Apparel sector would be able to generate more than 20,000 new job opportunities to youth within the next two years.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was at the forefront of initiatives to seek the restoration of the GSP Plus.

The trade preferences will allow Sri Lanka to export more products to its biggest market accounting for nearly a third of the global exports.

In 2015, total bilateral trade amounted to 4.7 billion euros. Under GSP Plus, Sri Lnka qualifies to export its products tax free to the European market. During Sri Lankas previous participation in this trade preferences from 2005 to 2009, the share of its exports to the EU region increased progressively from 28 percent to 39 percent.
UDA to sue CMC over Meethotamulla tragedy By Sandun Jayawardana View(s): View(s):

The Urban Development Authority (UDA) is to seek damages from the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) over destruction caused to its land in Meethotamulla, used as a garbage dump.

Megapolis & Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka told the Sunday Times that land belonging to the UDA, which the CMC had used as a garbage dump, was worth an estimated Rs 1,500 million. They have been forcibly dumping garbage on UDA land, and we intend to take legal action to recover damages caused by the destruction, he stated.

The Minister also claimed they had information of a large scale racket where parties profited from the garbage dump.

Minister Ranawaka further reiterated his claim that the CMC and the Western Provincial Council (WPC) were to blame for the Meethotamulla tragedy. The CMC managed the Meethotamulla garbage dump and the CMC is under the purview of the WPC, he pointed out.

He claimed, his Ministry publicly invited the WPC for discussions regarding the matter, as WPC Chief Minister (CM) Isura Devapriya repeatedly accused the Megapolis Ministry, in public, of obstructing a solution to the issues surrounding Meethotamulla, before the tragedy struck.

I openly invited CM Devapriya for a dialogue, since he kept making these allegations. However, he has not responded to date, and seems to be evading the matter.

CM Devapriya, however, said he was unaware of an invitation for a dialogue extended by the Ministry. They have not approached us and we currently have no dialogue with them, he insisted.

Meanwhile, speaking at the 33rd CMs Conference last week, President Maithripala Sirisena said he believed, institutional conflicts between line Ministries and the PCs had also contributed in part, to the Meethotamulla tragedy. He said institutions needed to decide whether they would rather engage in dialogue or a power struggle.
Saga of the Sacred Relic since 4th century AC By Udumbara Udugama View(s): View(s):

Celebrations in connection with the United Nations Vesak Day held in Sri Lanka for the first time from May 11 end today. The closing ceremony will be held today, at the Sri Dalada Maligawa premises  the Maha Maluwa, which will be attended by the President of Nepal Bidya Devi Bhandari as the chief guest. There will be an exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic especially for the International delegates who arrived from about 82 countries for this religious event celebrating Gautama Buddhas Birth, Supreme Enlightenment and Parinibbhana on Vesak day.

Dathadhatu (Pali) or Dalada, the Tooth Relic of the Buddha is venerated by Buddhists as the living Buddha. The worship of a Relic of the Buddha has been mentioned in the Mahabarinibbhana Sutta. According to Buddhism, Relics are divided into three main classes, the saririka (a Relic of the Buddhas body), paribhogika(an object which the Buddha used during his life time), and uddesika (a likeness of the Buddha  the Buddha image).

The Relic worship began with the distribution of the Relics after the Buddhas cremation. Eight kings in India received the Relics from Drona, the Brahmin who collected the Relics from the funeral pyre. The seven great Relics of the Buddha are the four tooth Relics, two collar bones and the frontal bone. The most well known and famous is the Buddhas Tooth Relic. It is believed that the Tooth Relic was brought to Sri Lanka in the 4th century A.C.

The Tooth Relic is in the Sri Dalada Maligawa, Kandy where daily rituals are performed. This Relic is believed to have been removed by Arahant Khema from the funeral pyre and taken to Kalinga to be handed over to king Brahmadatta. The king and his son Kasiraja paid great homage to it. This veneration continued and king Guhasiva of Kalinga abandoned his heretical beliefs and venerated the Tooth Relic. The Relic was taken by king Pandu of Pataliputta on a complaint made to him by some heretics against king Guhasiva, saying that he was paying homage to a bone of a dead man. Later king Pandu too embraced Buddhism and the Relic was returned to Guhasiva of Kalinga.

Sidanta (Danta), the son of the king of Ujjeni had a desire to pay homage to the Tooth Relic. When he went to Kalinga, king Guhasiva gave his daughter Hemamala in marriage to Danta and made him the custodian(dhaturakkhadikaro) of the Tooth Relic.

King Pandus nephews waged war against Guhasiva to obtain the Relic. Guhasiva decided to send the Relic to king Mahasena in Sri Lanka for its safety. Guhasiva died in the battle: Prince Danta and Princess Hemamala disguised themselves as Brahmins and concealing the Tooth Relic in Hemamalas hair arrived in Sri Lanka. By the time they arrived, king Mahasena had died. Danta and Hemamala arrived at Meghagirivihara in Anuradhapura and sent a message through a bhikkhu to king Siri Meghavanna who came to the vihara, accepted the Relic and with great reverence placed it in a shrine near the palace. The first exposition of the Relic for the public was where Arahant Mahinda gave his first discourse. The king ordered that the Relic be taken to the Abhayagiri vihara. Thereafter a festival was held annually in honour of the Relic.

During the Polonnaruwa period, it was believed that the possession of the sacred Relic gave a prince the right to the throne. We find in history, many instances where there had been fighting amongst Sinhala princes and also foreign invaders to obtain the Tooth Relic to be the ruler of the Island.

During the Pandyan invasion, the Tooth Relic was taken to a place of safety and during the Cola invasion the bhikkhus took the Relic to the south. The kings in possession of the Relic always ensured the safety of the Tooth Relic. King Vijayabahu I had a shrine built for the Relic. Mugalan Mahasthavira entrusted the building where the Relic was placed to be guarded by the Velaikkara forces. Although there was this security, Vikramabahu I took away the precious stones, jewels and valuable object of gold offered by the devotees. Because of this behaviour by Vikramabahu, the Tooth Relic and the Bowl Relic were taken to Rohana by the monks for safety and were in the possession of the Rohana princes. After a battle King Parakramabahu I obtained the Relics from the Rohana princes, which were taken to Polonnaruwa. King Nissankamalla too was a staunch devotee who built a shrine for the Sacred Relic which is believed to be the Hetadage.

With the Magha invasion, bhikkhu Vacissara went to Pusulpitiya in Kotmale with the Sacred Tooth Relic and hid it in a temple, now known as the Dathakarandaramaya.

King Wijayabahu III had received the hidden Relic and as he did not wish to keep the Relic in his capital, built a shrine on the top of a rock in Beligala and placed guards for its protection. His son, Parakramabahu II who was a very pious king removed the Relic from Beligala to Dambadeniya his capital and built a shrine near his palace for it. Again with foreign invasions the Sacred Relic was taken to Yapahuwa where a special shrine, the daladage was built to house the Relic. The Pandyans invaded the island and took possession of the Relic and handed it over to the Pandyan king Kulasekera in South India. King Parakramabahu III after discussions and negotiations with this king was able to bring back the Relic to the island and placed it in Polonnaruwa once again.

King Parakramabahu IV built a shrine for the Tooth Relic and ordered the continuation of the rituals and ceremonies. Every Poya day special ceremonies were held which were attended by the king. When the king occupied a new palace, the Tooth Relic was brought for the protection of the palace and pirith was chanted. The Daladasirita was compiled on the kings orders where instructions are laid down for the performance of daily rituals in veneration of the Tooth Relic.

During king Parakramabahu VI time, the Sacred Relic was taken to Kotte. Due to the turmoil in the country, the Relic was then taken to Delgamuwa. From there the Relic was secretly taken to many places for its safety. It had been taken to Uudumbara Kevulgama Rock temple, during the time of King Kirti Sri Rajasinha by a bhikkhu from the Asgiriya Temple.

With the invasion of Kandy by the Portuguese, the Tooth Relic was once again taken by the bhikkhus to the Highlands. After the Portuguese were driven away, Vimaladharmasuriya I brought back the Tooth Relic to Kandy. A three storeyed palace was built to house the Sacred Relic by his son Vimaladharmasuriya II.

The upasampada (Higher Ordination) of bhikkhus was revived during the time of King Kirti Sri Rajasinha by Upali Maha Thera and other bhikkhus who were brought from Siam. It was at the suggestion of the Maha Thera that the Dalada Perahera was given prominence and made to join the Devala perahera of the Hindu deities during the Esala Festival. Today it is known as the Dalada Perahera which is held in July/ August annually. Kirti Sri Rajasinha made a golden casket for the Tooth Relic and a large diamond is placed on the top covered by other caskets. It is said that at present there are seven caskets protecting the Sacred Tooth Relic.

Again with the British invasion during the time of king Sri Wickrama Rajasinha and with the raging battles, the Relic was removed to Kundasale, Valliwela, Medapitiya, Arattana, Hanguranketa and many other places for its safety. It is mentioned that the Relic was even hidden in a Kurahan Gala (a grinding stone).

After the Kandyan kingdom was ceded to the British on March 2, 1815, the Tooth Relic was brought back to Kandy. With the 1818 uprising, it was removed to Matale by the Bhikkhus. The British once again brought back the Sacred Tooth Relic to the palace in Kandy from Hindagala and appointed a resident custodian  the Diyawadana Nilame. Thereafter in 1853, the custody of the Tooth Relic was handed over to the Mahanayaka Theras of the Malwatte and Asgiriya Temples and the Diyawadana Nilame. At present the two Temples take turns for the performance of the Theva (daily rituals) at the Sri Dalada Maligawa, each Temple performing the rituals for one year.

There is a belief that by performing rituals and with the exposition of the Tooth Relic, there will be rains during periods of drought and they refer to this as daladawatura.
Vesak celebrated at UN Headquarters in New York View(s):

Vesak was celebrated at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on May 10 in accordance with the UN General Assembly resolution 54/115 recognising Vesak internationally as the most significant day for the Buddhists all over the world.

The Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka, along with the Permanent Mission of Thailand, and the Missions of the states that co-sponsored the resolution in 2000, took the lead in organising this years Vesak at the United Nations.

The celebrations began in the morning at the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka, with a mid-day dana offered to 53 Buddhist monks representing Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mongolia and Japan.

Sri Lankas United Nations Ambassador Rohan Perera, his Thai counterpart Ambassador Virachai Plasai, and Permanent Representatives of Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Cambodia, and Laos along with senior diplomats from Buddhist countries attended the ceremony and offered dana to the Maha Sangha. A large number of lay persons, including the staff of the co-organisng Permanent Missions were also present. The Ven. Hungampola Sirirathana Thera, Chief Incumbent of New Jersey Buddhist Vihara, and the Ven. Heenbunne Kondanna Thero, Chief Incumbent of the Staten Island Buddhist Vihara in New York, conducted the religious ceremony.

Proclamations issued by New York State Governor of Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Vesak were read out by their representatives at the Dana ceremony.

A solemn event, co-chaired by Mr. Perera and Mr. Plasai, was held in the evening at the United Nations General Assembly hall.

A large number of Buddhist monks representing many countries took part in the event. The General Assembly Vice President, Ambassador Durga Prasad Bhattarai of Nepal, Permanent Representatives of member states, senior diplomats, senior UN officials, staff of the Permanent Missions and the UN Secretariat, and Buddhists from various countries attended this solemn event.

The renowned American Buddhist monk, Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, delivered a scholarly sermon, which was well received by those who were present.

As an interlude, a group of Sri Lankan students from the Tri-State area performed a musical recital of the famous song with a Buddhist theme Danno Budunge.

Permanent Representatives of Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar and Viet Nam addressed the General Assembly event reflecting on the significance of Vesak. Bhutan, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore and Russia spoke at either Charge dAffaires or Deputy Permanent Representative level. Each statement was accompanied by a slide show of photographs depicting how Vesak is celebrated in their respective countries.

Addressing the General Assembly, Ambassador Perera observed that the message of peace and compassion, taught by the Lord Buddha, is valid and relevant in the present day world, more than ever as the Buddhas teachings provide an ideal framework to view and analyse the reality of the world, and to find solutions to problems by looking at that reality with a right view.

Stressing the importance of right view or Samma Ditti, he added that in dealings at the United Nations, and in politics among nations in the present day, right view is a must. Ambassador Perera concluded that if countries are to apply the Buddhas teachings on the right view to their dealings, root causes of mutual distrust, hatred, and tensions could be eliminated, saving millions of lives and easing human suffering.
By Press Trust of India: (Eds: With additional details)

New Delhi, May 13 (PTI) Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today that Delhi would be made mosquito-free to eliminate vector-borne diseases such as dengue and chikungunya, and directed authorities to make a comprehensive plan for it.

The directions were issued at a high-level meeting of officers from the three municipal corporations and the Delhi government, chaired by the chief minister.

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"Delhi will be made mosquito-free. We will have to get rid of mosquito-borne diseases. It will be made a peoples movement. It is only possible with peoples participation," Kejriwal tweeted.

He also wrote to Union Health Minister J P Nadda requesting him to reserve 10 per cent of beds in the central government-run hospitals for the treatment of dengue and chikungunya patients.

In his letter to Nadda, Kejriwal also requested him to conduct research to find some measures either to get rid of these mosquitoes or some effective treatment of these diseases, as the incidence of these diseases is increasing by the year.

Ahead of the MCD polls last month, Kejriwal had said that the people of Delhi would have only themselves to blame if they voted for the BJP and their children fell prey to dengue.

Briefing about todays meeting, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that the chief minister has also directed to increase beds in all government hospitals by up to 20 per cent for the treatment of fever patients.

This is the first meeting held by the chief minister to review preparedness to deal with dengue and chikungunya cases.

He said that to ensure that fever patients dont have to face problems, the chief minister has also ordered to set up a control room with a helpline number where people can get information about the availability of beds in a particular hospital.

As per the plan, online database of beds in government hospitals will be created, he said.

"The control room will help fever patients get beds in government hospitals. Like last year, the government will also fix the maximum fee for dengue and chikungunya tests in the city," Sisodia said.

He said, "Once there is a spurt in dengue and chikungunya cases, we will put a ban on the sale of Brufen group of medicines whose consumption leads to complications."

The deputy chief minister said that Kejriwal would again hold a review meeting in the next 10-15 days.

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Sisodia also said that to prepare the proposal, officers from the central government will also be involved.

Till April 15 this year, 27 cases of dengue and 79 chikungunya cases have been reported.

Last year, 4,431 cases of dengue and 7,760 cases of chikungunya were reported in Delhi. PTI BUN SMN

--- ENDS ---
They were hosted by the Nanchang Foreign Language School, and visited different schools in the area to deliver presentations on New Zealand art and artists.

Other highlights included climbing through bamboo forests to Lion Rock Peak on Meiling Mountain, delivering a letter of friendship from Tauranga Mayor Greg Brownless to Nanchangs deputy mayor, and visiting an exhibition from the recently discovered Han Emperors grave rivalling the famous Terracotta Warriors in Xian.

New Zealand China Friendship Society Tauranga branch president John Hodgson organises the exchanges for local students.

These days our exchanges always have a specific focus: last year the focus was international business and trade, this year it is graphic arts, next year has not been decided but it is leaning towards scientific research.

We are also looking at a music exchange with a Tauranga Boys College jazz quintet coming to Nanchang before the end of the year. There is great value with these exchanges that we hope can be reflected in NCEA and curriculum outcomes for the students involved.

Mount Maunganui College Head of Art Mike Linklater, who accompanied students on the trip, says it was spectacular.

We were totally immersed in Chinese culture. We were fortunate enough to go with John, whos been there before. The people there greeted us with open arms.

He says it was a great chance to for students to be exposed to a different culture and open their eyes to other possibilities in art.

Certainly were looking at how we can continue the relationship between the two schools.
Two new bridges that link up the walk and cycleway loop around the Kopurererua Valley officially opened this morning.

Among others, Tauranga Mayor Greg Brownless and Rotary Centennial Trusts chairman Mark Dean attending the formal opening near the Faulkner St access to Kopurererua Valley, at 11am.

The bridges are part of a project to restore the 350 hectares block of low-lying wetlands in Tauranga South thats being carried out by the Tauranga City Council in partnership with its Project Tauranga partners, the Tauranga Energy Consumer Trust and Kopurererua Valley Rotary Centennial Trust.

Project Tauranga manager Michael Vujnovich says the bridges will contribute to both increasing access to the Kopurererua Valley and linking up commuter connections across the city.

These bridges are an excellent addition to Kopurererua Valley and a terrific asset to the city, were well chuffed.

The valley is a rich wetland, and while theres another 50 years of work left to do, its well on its way to being converted into a recreational place for people and a natural habitat for wildlife.

As part of the project, 20ha of weed-infested land has been cleared, 15ha replanted with 220,000 native trees and plants, the Kopurererua Stream has been realigned to provide additional wetlands and habitat for aquatic life, and 15km of boardwalks and walkways have been built since 2000.

ECT Chairperson Bill Holland and Tauranga City Mayor Greg Brownless.

While in November 2015, TECT granted $175,000 to the Kopurererua Valley Rotary Centennial Trust for the project, which paid for the bridges and installation of directional signage throughout the valley.

Chairman Mark Dean says for 13 now the Rotary Centennial Trust has been committed to restoring and developing the Kopurererua Valley and the bridges are a key milestone of the project.

The ongoing restoration of this wetland has been a lot of hard work, by our Rotarians and the council team, and the results are starting to show with the return of wildlife to this increasingly beautiful and suitable habitat.

It was $175,000 of TECT funds, so quite a lot of money thanks to the folks at TECT; and we know the job of getting the bridges installed was complex and threw up a variety of challenges, so well done to the team at council for their sterling efforts.
This years budget will include a $178 million tourism infrastructure package that will fund projects like new carparks, toilets and freedom camping facilities.

The package will consist of a new $102m Tourism Infrastructure Fund, along with $76m in new funding for the Department of Conservation to upgrade its tourism infrastructure.

The Budget 2017 tourism infrastructure package is part of the governments Business Growth Agenda and the Regional Economic Development programme.

Tourism is hugely important to New Zealand. It creates jobs and brings in billions of dollars to the economy. Thats why its important that we keep investing so we continue to attract high-value tourists and give them an amazing visitor experience.

The Tourism Infrastructure Fund will provide $100m over the next four years in partnership with local councils and other community organisations for projects.

It is made up of $60.5m in new money from Budget 2017 and $41.5 million in funds which have been reprioritised from the Tourism Growth Partnership and the Regional Mid-sized Tourism Facilities Grant Fund. Of that, $2m million over four years has been provided to manage the fund.

Paula says the fund is about helping communities respond to demand and addressing capacity constraints, plus facilitate future growth in some of New Zealands newer tourism regions as well as main tourist hubs.

Government is funding tourism in a number of different ways. Thats why the Tourism Infrastructure Fund has been announced alongside a $76m funding increase for DOC to upgrade and develop tourist facilities on conservation land and to expand the great walks network.

The Tourism Infrastructure Fund will provide infrastructure such as toilets and carparks, but were also prepared to consider projects like visitor information centres, and feasibility studies for infrastructure projects on a case-by-case basis as part of the fund.

In 2016 international tourism expenditure reached $14.5 billion, more than 20 per cent of New Zealands total exports of goods and services. Its also a significant employer, generating around 188,000 jobs directly, and a further 144,000 indirectly, adds Paula.

NEW FUNDING FOR DOC

As part of the package, the government will also invest $76m on new and upgraded tourism infrastructure for the Department of Conservation.

Conservation Minister Maggie Barry says the new funding will allow DOC to better manage the impact of visitor growth while also protecting New Zealands biodiversity and threatened species.

The DOC estate is our biggest and best-known tourism asset and this funding increase means DOC can upgrade and develop tourist facilities and expand the great walks network.

This new investment will enhance the quality of experience at those sites most loved by kiwis and international visitors, while also shifting awareness to the paths less travelled.

The Great Walk network of premier multi-day tracks that allow visitors to safely access and enjoy New Zealands spectacular and diverse landscapes will be expanded with two new Great Walks.

Along with the Paparoa Great Walk, these new Great Walks will mark the first expansion of the Network in around 25 years, explains Maggie.

DOC will run a contestable process to select the best locations and work with partners to co-fund these walks. We will also develop a network of Great Short Walks and Great Day Walks.

Increasingly people enjoying New Zealands parks and conservation areas want activities that can be done in a day or less. Great Day Walks and Great Short Walks will give people more choices.

The new funding is made up of $44.6m operating funded over four years, $31.3m capital, and includes:
Who the hell is it?

Who is a bearded face, concrete strong features and steely fixed stare, which is manifesting through a matrix fashioned on a blue three-storeyed wall in a service lane behind Grey Street.

Wonder what his story is? The questioners an office worker, who has sneaked into the service lane behind Trustpower for a sly fag and hes asking the questions everyone who has seen the beginnings of this mural is asking.

The fagger is staring up at Fintan Magee, an Australian muralist, atop a scissor lift in the hot sun, 15 metres up the wall and getting about his craft of changing this pocket of the Tauranga cityscape with a paintbrush.

People watch and wonder. Thats the power of street art. What they dont know, they imagine or make up. Exactly the way Fintan would have it. I kind of like the idea of sparking a bit of interest, a bit of a debate.

The Paradox Street Art Festival muralist has hooked us. Who is the man carrying the bricks depicted on the wall? Is it a local bricklayer? Is it a tribute to the stone mason, a man who may have built the wall he now graces? Is it one artisan honouring another?

Yes, interest and debate. And if you are too upfront with people about what its about you kind of lose that really.

Well, were ready to lose it. The mural has fully evolved and were screaming to know. Fintan gives up the answers in a phone call on his way to Sydney airport, on his way to another exotic destination; on his way to another commission on another wall.

Its almost a political cartoon really  a comment on Trump-ism  how disconnected working people can be with issues like immigration. And anti-immigration is a big issue in Australia, as it is in New Zealand and globally.

Its a guy whos building a wall around himself and blocking himself away from the process. Its a reaction to growing Trump-ism in Australia and New Zealand  the whole build a wall and stop the boats mentality. Its more of a political cartoon disguised as a portrait.

Its something thats been on Fintans mind for a couple of months.

I am pretty tuned into the news cycle at the moment, its something that definitely influences me. And he has a fairly intense disliking of the United States president Donald Trump and what he stands for. Yeah, pretty much. A day after he was elected I wasnt very optimistic because he was so incompetent. I am more optimistic now.

I see the comical side of it. I also see some positives in that its a change in the political landscape. Not the one I wanted but still a change.

If you dont take any of those messages from the mural, not to worry. Its also a surrealistic image that I would like people to drawn their own meaning from or be intrigued by.

And the face, the subject, the stonemason  who is it? I work off photographs basically and I paint friends a lot. And while he is a fictional character in the context of the mural, he is a friend of mine called Luke Shirlaw. And there will be no callouses on his hands, Shirlaw is a photographer.

Fintans family emigrated from Northern Ireland towards the end of the political violence there.

I travelled back a lot and murals were a big part of the landscape  both political and paramilitary. They influenced me early on.

As did the graffiti when he was growing up in Brisbane. I became a graffiti writer, went to art school and fell into muralism  I guess from my upbringing and because its the kind of artform of now.

Fintans contribution to the Paradox Street Art Festival takes on a whole new perspective. And perhaps the service lane fagger will ponder Trump-ism and have an added attachment to the mural when he wanders down for his next sly rollie.
The White House denied President Donald Trump threatened James Comey after the former posted a tweet seemingly warning the fired FBI chief not to talk to the media.

By India Today Web Desk: The White House on Friday denied charges that President Donald Trump had threatened James Comey, who was unceremoniously fired by Trump earlier this week.

"That's not a threat. He simply stated a fact. The tweet speaks for itself," White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters on being questioned about a tweet that President Trump posted earlier in the day.

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In the tweet, Trump appeared to suggest he or his administration would release 'tapes' of conversations between the US president and the former FBI chief if the latter started talking to the press.

"James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!" Trump said on Twitter, a medium that he often uses to communicate.

During his media briefing, Spicer avoided answering whether the White House had taped conversations between Trump and Comey. Spicer did not say much on the issue except stating, "I've talked to the president. The president has nothing further to add on that," every time he was asked a question on the subject.

STRONG REACTIONS

The tweet led to strong reactions that the US president was trying to gag Comey, who until very recently was heading an investigation into possible collusion between Donald Trump's election campaign and Russia.

The tweet was followed by a CNN report that, citing unnamed sources, said Comey was "not worried about any tapes" Trump may have.

Democrats, who have slammed Trump for firing Comey, said that such tapes, if they exist, should be made public.

"In light of the varied and divergent statements from the White House press briefing room regarding the firing of both former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and the former FBI Director James Comey, the production of such tapes would allow the facts of these terminations to come to light," Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi wrote in a letter to the White House.

"President Trump should release the tapes he referred to and come clean on the real reasons why Director Comey was abruptly fired in the midst of a critical investigation," said Congressman Joe Crowley, House Democratic Caucus chairman.

Meanwhile, two other Democrats, Judiciary Committee ranking member John Conyers and Oversight Committee ranking member Elijah Cummings, raised questions on the veracity of Trump's claims.

"However, because of the many false statements made by White House officials this week, we are compelled to ask whether any such recordings do in fact exist. If so, we request copies of all recordings in possession of the White House regarding this matter," they said.

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WHY WAS COMEY FIRED?

Conyers and Cummings were referring to the contradictions present between White House's initial statement on what led to Comey being fired and the president's comments on the issue.

The White House initially said Trump fired Comey on the recommendation of the top Justice Department officials: Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Rosenstein. In an NBC interview on Thursday, Trump said he would have fired Comey regardless of any such recommendations.

Trump addressed the criticism over the contradictory statements by saying on Twitter, "As a very active President with lots of things happening, it is not possible for my surrogates to stand at podium with perfect accuracy!"

Trump went on to say that perhaps he should "cancel all future "press briefings" and hand out written responses for the sake of accuracy".

The Trump administration has indicated that James Comey's handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server was among the reasons for his dismissal.

However, Democrats have charged that Comey, who found out about his dismissal via the news, was fired because of the FBI's Russia-Trump campaign probe and that Trump is trying to dent to the investigation.

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(With inputs from agencies)

ALSO READ | Trump fired Comey as he refused to preview planned testimony to a Senate panel

ALSO READ | Donald Trump was looking to fire FBI chief James Comey from day one: White House

ALSO WATCH | Hillary Clinton blames her defeat in US presidential elections on FBI

--- ENDS ---
By Ashish Pandey: Anantapur, the bordering district of Andhra Pradesh, is once again experiencing water scarcity, depleting fodder supply for animals and death of farm animals, leading to large scale migration from the villages.

Anantapur district, which shares its border with Karnataka, comes under Rayalseema region of Andhra Pradesh and is known for its dry weather and drought. According to a report submitted by a joint team of Human Rights Forum, ASHA-Kisan Swaraj Network and Mahila Samakhya, an estimated 4.87 lakh people have migrated from the district, which is over 10 per cent of district's estimated 4 crore population. Almost 42 per cent of the agricultural bore wells in the districts are dried up, while depth of groundwater has gone down to 70-90 meters at many places. While one of main causes for this is low rainfall, bureaucratic red tape and ignorance of local administration has also added to the misery of people. According to sources NREGS bills worth nearly Rs 57 crore have been pending in the district for the last eight months triggering a mass migration of labourers. The most affected Kadiri region of Anantapur, which has Nallamada, Amadaguru, and Odisi divisions has now become deserted as majority of people has gone to Bengaluru, Kochi, Chennai and Coimbatore. The district is experiencing its sixth consecutive year of drought and while visiting the district in April on the occasion of his 68 birthday, chief minister Chandrababu Naidu had promised to celebrate all his birthdays in the district until drought was permanently driven away from the district.

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Also Read

Heavy rains likely in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in next 24 hours, says MeT Dept

Heat wave claims over 100 lives in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana

--- ENDS ---
CICERO, N.Y. -- A man was killed Friday when the motorcycle he was riding was hit by a turning car, the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office said.

Around 5:15 p.m. Cicero police, Cicero firefighters and NAVAC ambulance were called to a crash on U.S. Route 11 (Brewerton Road) in the town of Cicero. A motorcyclist was dead when they arrived.

Sgt. Jon Seeber, a sheriff's office spokesman, said Cicero police requested help from sheriff's deputies with the investigation.

A woman was driving a Kia SUV north on Route 11 and making a left turn onto Crabtree Lane when it drove into the path of a motorcycle that was heading south on Route 11, Seeber said. The motorcycle hit the passenger side of the Kia and the motorcyclist was thrown off, Seeber said.

A nearby citizen saw the crash, Seeber said, and rushed over, performing CPR until first responders arrived.

The motorcyclist, described as a local man in his 50s, died at the scene, Seeber said. Police were waiting to notify family before identifying him.

The driver of the Kia suffered minor injuries and was taken by ambulance to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse.

Police put up crime scene tape around the Kia and motorcycle at Route 11 and Crabtree Lane. They covered the motorcycle with a tarp and police snapped photos and began taking measurements.

Seeber said police would be working at the scene for several more hours and that they were investigating the circumstances of the crash. The speed limit in the area is 35 mph.

Route 11 was closed to traffic from Route 31 to Crabtree Lane, but has since been reopened to traffic.
Jackie Warren-Moore, a poet, playwright, theatrical director and freelance writer, writes regularly for syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Her new book is "Where I Come From" (Nine Mile Press, 2016).

An African proverb reminds us we should "Praise the bridge that carried us safely across." That is exactly what a group of board members and friends of Dunbar Center did recently. They fondly recalled the nearly 100-year-old "bridge" and what it meant to them all personally and professionally, and what it continues to do today. Currently the center hosts an after-school program and a vibrant senior program.

The

is a true lesson in Syracuse history. It was conceived in 1918 by Jimmy LaGrin as, first, a recreational center, with the help of the A.M.E. Zion church and a literary group of black Syracuse University students. Three wealthy women -- Lucia Knowles, Dora Sedgwick Hazard and Katharine Sedgwick Burlingame -- belonging to an influential business group helped financially support Dunbar Center. The center was named after the first African-American to receive national acclaim as an American Poet,

Once born, the center began operating as a Settlement House, a refuge for people needing guidance and an assortment of services. Serving as a Settlement House to blacks migrating from the South to the North, the Center took on myriad roles. During World War II, it was an employment agency and a training center that rapidly took on educational, recreational and cultural opportunities and various programming.

Its long history accumulated a long list of "firsts." One of those "firsts" is Manny Breland. Breland has been involved at Dunbar since he was 11 years old. Now, at 82, he says: "Dunbar has yet to receive the recognition it deserves."

Breland speaks about the role models and "firsts" he encountered daily at Dunbar that kept him and others on the right path. Such as Willie Gilbert, first Syracuse African-American police officer; Marge Carter, first African-American teacher in the Syracuse school district; John Williams, famed novelist; Billy Moore, first postmaster. He claims that under the watchful eyes of positive role models like these, the young people soared. Following their lead, Breland was the first African-American to gain a scholarship to Syracuse University. He said Dunbar "was ground zero for African-Americans in the old 15th Ward."

Liz Page, social worker and longtime community advocate, started her association with Dunbar as a volunteer at the center while in high school. She joined a women's sorority of service, the Eleutherian Society. She smiles and marvels about "my contemporaries and how well we all have done. A large number of them are educators in the community. It's in the blood," she laughs.

Phyllis Moore, volunteer interim director and herself a retired Syracuse school district vice principal, smilingly asserts: Dunbar recently ran into some hard times but "we are coming out of the valley." She is hopeful people will take time to learn the history of Dunbar and commit to whatever large or small way to restore it to the elevated place it once enjoyed. She says: "We are quietly refocusing and rebuilding but we need the community's help."

U.A.D, one of Central New York's finest singing groups, heard the call and graciously offered their services for the May 27 Dunbar fundraiser to be held at the Holiday Inn, 441 Electronic Parkway, Liverpool. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. The event features music, silent auction, cash bar and the extraordinary talent of special guest William Gorman, pianist and organist.

Milton Fields recalls receiving Christmas gifts on Dec. 20, 1941, at Dunbar. He fondly recalls celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary at Dunbar on Dec. 20, 2009. He plans to be gliding across the floor with his lovely wife, Lillie, at the fundraiser.

We invite you to visit Dunbar and revel in its history and do your part, however small, to restore it to its greatness. Call or stop by Dunbar at 1453 S. State St., (315) 760-3155

In the words of Paul Laurence Dunbar, published in 1913:

Oh Lord, the hard won miles

have worn my stumbling feet:

Oh soothe me with thy smiles

and make my life complete. ...
Cicero-North Syracuse High School students attended their junior prom Friday evening. The event, which was held at the Holiday Inn in Liverpool, had a "masquerade" theme.

Above are photos from the event.



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Students of Solvay High School celebrated Friday evening at their senior ball. The event was held at the Lodge at Welch Allyn in Skaneateles Falls.

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Students of West Genesee High School attended their senior ball Friday, May 12, 2017, at Oncenter in Syracuse.

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The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday claimed that the Election Commission was backing out of throwing a hackthon even as the poll body said it will allow parties to show EVMs can be tampered with.

Election Commission has said it will allow parties to show EVMs can be hacked

By India Today Web Desk: The Aam Aadmi Party reiterated its stand that Electronic Voting Machines could be hacked even as the Election Commission, in an all-party meet on Friday, threw a 'challenge' saying it will allow parties the opportunity to show that EVMs used in the recent Assembly elections were tampered.

Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi said parties will also be allowed to prove that EVMs can be hacked under the strict technical and administrative safeguards that are applicable during elections.

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AAP national convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal argued on the nomenclature used to term the challenge, saying the EC was backing out of a 'hackathon'. "Sad that EC has backed out of hackathon," Kejriwal tweeted on Friday.

With Opposition parties up in arms over alleged EVM tampering, the Election Commission on Friday held an all-party meet that was attended by all recognised national parties and most state political organisiations.

TOP DEVELOPMENTS At its meeting on Friday, Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi delivered a keynote address to underline the EC's stand that all its voting machines - whether from the 2001, 2008 or 2013 series - were tamper proof. The commission said it will allow parties to prove that the Electronic Voting Machines used in the recent five-state Assembly election were tampered. Parties will also be allowed to attempt tampering with machines as long as the EVMs are under the same technical and administrative safeguards that are applicable during elections. The all-party meet, which also discussed other electoral reforms, saw a debate over the definition of a hackathon. AAP contended that the EC use the term 'hackathon' to describe its challenge to political parties. EC officials, however, countered saying that since no internet or remote access to the EVM was involved the event could not be termed a 'hackathon'. Delhi deputy chief minister and AAP leader Manish Sisodia said this amounted to the EC backing down from a hackathon. Election commission is asking us to prove that used EVM were tampered, this is not a hackthon, Sisodia said, adding, 'Give us a fresh machine, call experts from IIT...and allow them to hack the EVM.' At the all-party meet, CEC Zaidi also said all future Lok Sabha and state assembly election will feature the use of paper trials. As a backup, the EC will also count a particular percentage of the paper slips dispensed by the Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines that will attached to EVMs. The percentage of paper slips to be counted will be determined by the EC. The meeting also featured a discussion on the use of money power in elections. Most parties recorded their opposition to the decision that corporate companies will no longer be required to name parties to which they make donations. The parties also opposed a proposal that the EC be allowed to countermand elections in cases of voters being bribed on a large scale. The parties argued that proving the use of money power is difficult.

(With inputs from PTI)

ALSO READ | How Election Commission patiently but strongly refuted allegations on EVM tampering

ALSO READ | Electronic Voting Machine: Here's all you wanted to know about India's EVMs

ALSO WATCH | AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj gives a 'how to' in EVM hacking

--- ENDS ---
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There is an element of regret to Alexander Kramarenkos view of NATO-Russia relations. Not regret as to their current poor state; he sees this as a natural result of the tensions that have emerged in recent years. Instead, there is an element of regret that matters have got this far. My personal opinion is that, lets say, twenty years ago, in the mid 1990s, if our Western parents were much more welcoming and invited us to join NATO without any preconditions, we would have saved a lot of trouble, for ourselves in particular. It would have destroyed the old, Cold War NATO, and would have become a region-wide military security organisation.

This destruction did not come about, with matters instead turning towards further tension. The existence of NATO as an exclusive club of Western nations  and those Central and Eastern European nations that have chosen to join NATO  is a petty-minded strategy, and it sounds like an old-fashioned encirclement of Russia. Bringing NATO borders to our Western border? Its utterly counterproductive. The problem is that the time of the old fashioned, cumbersome, military alliances  to fight someone  has long passed. There is no need to have competing military alliances in preparation for a major war. There is no war on the agenda  certainly, there might be some incidents, some misunderstandings  but I do not think those would evolve into a major European war. It is unthinkable, because the state of development of European countries is such that the disruption of critical infrastructure, even for a very short period of time, is almost lethal.

Mr. Kramarenko has short shrift for the idea that Russia, through hacking, has interfered with this infrastructure, arguing that it is utterly insulting for a grown up people, like the British or American electorate, to think that they could be influenced from abroad, especially by Russia. Hacking has as been a common phenomenon over the past few years, and its difficult to trace it to a particular government body, or even a particular people. The accusations against the Russian government have got to be based on some hard evidence, and there is none as I understand it. That is why it has been used to influence the new American administration  to normalise them.

He also argues that hacking can show flaws in a system: If it [the democratic process] is not that open and straightforward, then certainly hacking could do something about the process  it could distort it. But if its done in an ideal fashion, then no hacking can distort it.

The hacking issue ties into what Mr. Kramarenko sees as the demonisation of Russia in sections of Western society, with an oppositional mindset creating a threat that does not exist, and hampering cooperation between Russia and its strategic partners in both Europe and Asia. Instead of criticising Russia, the West should come to the table and engage, seeking to ensure that a stable trading and economic order prevails in the region. This analysis also applies to Russias engagement in Asia, with Kramarenko expressing a desire to work with Asian partners to ensure cooperation between the nations.

Cooperation, not opposition. An open mind, rather than demonisation. In his statements at the Union, Mr. Kramarenko has demonstrated a desire for reconciliation and cooperation between Russia and the West  whether those statements are borne out in the policies of their governments remains to be seen.
If Samsung can guarantee that these Galaxy Note7R units will not explode, then I certainly believe that consumers should check it out.

TechPinas Smartphone Technical Specs Table (TSTST)

Samsung Galaxy Note7R

Instead, the Korean Giant merely fixed them along with other units that were never sold to address their main issue -- the one that led to the most expensive debacle in the smartphone industry of the past half decade.In fact, today - May 12, 2017, the company finally started selling the(R for) in China via online gadget shops with price tag starting ator aroundwith current conversion and before taxes -- that's more than Php 10,000 off the Note7's supposed price upon launch back in Q4 2016.According to insiders, soon, Samsung will bring this new model to other key markets around the world -- hopefully, including the Philippines.I mean, given the phablet's many attractive flagship-level selling points - including its powerhouse internal hardware, industry-leading stylus support, large curved SuperAMOLED display, top-notch imaging capabilities, and good security features - including the Iris Scanner, I think Note7R is a real steal at this greatly lowered price point.Obviously, the release of the Galaxy Note7R is great news for all mobile consumers as it further expands our choices when picking a new daily driver. I wonder, though, how Samsung will address the fact that this re-issue would most likely cannibalize on the sales of its similarly priced A-Series models; One problem solved, another surfaces.Slate Form Factor (Full Touchscreen), Phablet with StylusHigh-End (Flagship Level)153.5 x 73.9 x 7.9 mm169 gramsGold Platinum, Black OnyxAndroid 6.0 Marshmallow with TouchWiz Skin5.7 inches (~78.0% screen-to-body ratio), 1440 x 2560 pixels (~518 ppi pixel density), Super AMOLED, Gorilla Glass 5 capacitive toucscreen, Always On Display, 16M colors, Curved, Gorilla Glass 564-Bit Octa Core Exynos 8890 Octa4 GB RAM64 GB expandable via hybrid nanoSIM slot that doubles as microSD card slot supporting up to 200GBMain: 12 MegaPixels, f/1.7 aperture, Phase Detection Autofocus, Optical Image Stabilization, LED flash, 1/2.6' sensor size, 1 m pixel size, Touch Focus, Geo-tagging, Face detection, Auto HDR, Panorama Front: 5 MegaPixels, f/1.7, Dual Video call, Auto HDRMain: 2160p @ 30fps, 1080p @ 60fps, Optical Image Stabilization, Auto HDR Front: 1080p @ 30 fps, Auto HDR, Dual Video Recording, Live PanoramaVideo: H.264, MPEG-4, H.263, VC-1, WMV7, WMV8, Sorenson Spark, MP43, VP8, HEVC, Full HD (1080p), UHD (depends on variant) Audio: MP3, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, WMA, AMR-NB/WB, Vorbis, FLAC(*), WAV(*) (*) Ultra High Quality Audio (~192KHz, 24 bit) supportUSB Type C, 3.5 mm combo jack4G LTE-A Cat9, 3G HSPA+, WiFi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), HT80 MIMO(2x2) 620Mbps, Dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, Mobile Hotspot, Bluetooth v4.1, A2DP, LE, apt-X, ANT+, NFC, S Beam, Samsung AllShare Play and Control, Samsung AllShare Cast (WiFi Display), Mirroring and Extension, Samsung AllShare FrameworkAccelerometer, RGB Light, Digital Compass, Proximity, Gyro, Barometer, Temperature, Humidity, Gesture, Heart Rate Monitor, Touch-Type Finger Scanner, UV, Iris ScannerA-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 19003G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 21004G Network LTE 800 / 850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600 (TBC)Dual nanoSIM = nanoSIM 1 (LTE) + nanoSIM 2 (2G, Hybrid)Non-Removable Li-Ion 3,200 mAh battery, Wireless Charging compatible, Fast battery chargingTBDFlagship Release, S-Pen, Large Display, IP68 Certified, Dual Pixel Camera, Iris ScannerMay 2017Q2 2017Starts at $520 USDPrice Guesstimate in the Philippines - Php 28,000 - Php 30,000
A new strain of ransomware is wrecking havoc all over the world, with hospitals across England and major companies in several countries reportedly affected. Security experts have identified the ransomware as a new strain of the WannaCry (also known as WanaCrypt0r and WCry) malware, and apparently its reach extends beyond the UK and Spain, into Russia, Taiwan, France, Japan, and more.

The malware leverages a Windows vulnerability known as EternalBlue that leaked last month when a group known as Shadow Brokers posted a bunch of hacking tools that allegedly belonged to the NSA. Microsoft issued a patch for the flaw in March, but apparently many organizations have failed to keep up.

Among the first reported cases are the National Health Service hospitals and facilities around England, which experienced system failures and locked machines showing a ransom message demanding $300 worth of bitcoin. The NHS says said no private patient data has been stolen but some of its hospitals have postponed all non-urgent activity and new patients are being diverted to nearby healthcare facilities.

The malware has also hobbled the large telecom company Telefonica in Spain, as well as the natural gas company Gas Natural, and the electrical company Iberdrola.

Over in the US, FedEx has also confirmed it is experiencing "interference" with some of their Windows-based systems caused by malware. The company is reportedly shutting down its PCs and taking its ESX servers offline while it tries to deal with the ransomware.

"The impact of this global ransomware outbreak using NSA leaked tools demonstrates how susceptible our physical world is, not a country or a region but ALL OF US individually and collectively," Ralph Echemendia, a cyber security specialist known as the "The Ethical Hacker" told TechSpot. "This incident is just one of many that will continue to shape the way we evolve. The opposite of Physical is Virtual, but most don't realize that virtual still means real. This is a very real and substantial attack on trust. Can we trust companies and governments to keep us safe. The answer is no."

It's still unclear who is behind the attack but we'll report when more information comes up.

Ransomware image credit: BBC
NASA has recently revealed new exciting information on its plan to send astronauts to planet Mars in the 2030s. The U.S. space agency has bannered a two-phase strategy, where it will build the Deep Space Gateway (DSG) orbiting the moon and a Deep Space Transport (DST) vehicle, as well as conduct a Mars verification mission before the actual journey to the Red Planet.

But these towering ambitions to conquer Mars dont come easy and risk-free.

Apart from the problem of space radiation, human conquerors to Mars have to contend with a number of different dangers. The most immediate threat? The low pressure of its atmosphere, which is around 100 times thinner than that of Earth, Space.com warned.

Unprotected in this environment, human blood will boil even at ambient temperature, according to planetary scientist Pascal Lee.

All the gases that are dissolved in your bloodstream [would] just turn into bubbles, he said in a webcast interview, adding one would fizz to death within a matter of seconds.

In detail, here are other risks that accompany human Mars exploration.

Space Radiation

Pair Marss lack of global magnetic field with a thin atmosphere and you get high-energy cosmic rays and solar particles on the planetary surface. While space radiation is milder in some places on the Red Planet, its expected to peak where hydrogen is close to the ground. Over a couple of months, it would serve as a potent killer.

At present, NASA is developing dozens of technologies to support human health for missions beyond Earth orbit and to prevent cancer and death in explorers. For instance, it explores the idea of anti-radiation drugs and seeks to deploy a protected safe room on board the Orion spacecraft to shelter astronauts during solar flare storms.

Israeli company StemRad has also developed a radiation vest called AstroRad Radiation Shield, designed for shielding vital human tissue from radiation exposure.

Dust And CO2 Atmosphere

Mars is bathing in toxic, finely grained, and abrasive dust, which is terrible news for the human lungs. Distinct Martian dust can lead to death in just a matter of weeks, Lee revealed.

Theres the problem with Marss carbon dioxide atmosphere as well. If Earths atmosphere is around 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen (with trace amounts of water vapor and other gases), its Martian counterpart is 95 percent CO2.

Humans require oxygen and would perish from hypoxia in minutes without it.

Deadly Low Temperatures

Think of this: its a summer day on the Martian landscape, yet the equatorial temperature can reach up to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures at night are lethal, plunging to around 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

It wouldnt take more than hours to die if human explorers are not warmed properly, Lee said.

NASA recently disclosed plans to conduct missions in cislunar space, meaning the region between Earth and its moon, including orbits surrounding the moon itself. This yearlong crewed mission to the moon is part of the first phase of its Mars plan, aiming to validate the DST vehicle before it actually travels to the planet.

If we could conduct a yearlong crewed mission on this Deep Space Transport in cislunar space, we believe we will know enough that we could then send this thing, crewed, on a 1,000-day mission to the Mars system and back," said Greg Williams, the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorates deputy associate administrator.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
By Press Trust of India: (Eds: Repeating after correcting date)

Hyderabad, May 13 (PTI) Union minister Venkaiah Naidu today said his election as president of the governing council of UN-Habitat is recognition of Indias efforts in the field of inclusive urban development.

UN-Habitat is an organ of the United Nations promoting sustainable human settlements across the globe.

"It is not that Venkaiah Naidu got recognition. It is recognition which has been given to the Indian Republic (for its efforts). So we, all Indians, should feel proud of it," Naidu, Minister for Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation said at the Meet and Greet programme organised here by his supporters.

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Naidu returned from Nairobi last night after a four-day tour of Kenya.

Explaining the functioning of UN-Habitat, the minister said Nairobi-headquartered organisation is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.

"The mandate of UN-Habitat derives from the Habitat Agenda, adopted by the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1996.

"The twin goals of the Habitat Agenda are adequate shelter for all and the development of sustainable human settlements in an urbanising world," he said.

Naidu said India is currently chair of Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (APMCHUD) and he is the chair of the bureau.

The vision of APMCHUD is to act as global knowledge hub and facilitator of human settlement development and promoting sustainable development of human settlements in Asia Pacific Region, he added. PTI GDK RMT

--- ENDS ---
If you've been having trouble with the Samsung Galaxy S8's fast-charging technology, you're not the only one but it's not a defect either.

As it turns out, the Galaxy S8 can only fast charge when its screen is off, so if you're using the smartphone don't expect it to juice up quicker than with a normal charge.

Samsung Galaxy S8 Fast Charging ... Slowly

The Galaxy S8 uses the same Samsung Adaptive Fast Charge technology as the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S7 series, and it comes with the same limitation that it doesn't work if the display is on.

It may not be as serious of an issue as the random reboots that have been plaguing some Galaxy S8 units, but it's still an inconvenience and it would've been nice if Samsung was upfront about it.

The company mentioned the fast-charging limitation in Galaxy S6 support pages and the Galaxy S7 user guide, but with the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ it makes no mention of it whatsoever  not in support pages, not in the user guide, not on the product page or anywhere else.

Galaxy S8 Charging Times

As Phandroid points out, it should take one hour and 37 minutes for the Galaxy S8 to juice up its 3,000 mAh battery from zero to full charge. If the phone is in use, however, it will still show the fast charging notification but it will take roughly three hours to reach full battery life.

The publication even has a detailed log listing the progression of the "fast charge" with the display on and it's a pretty painful sight.

One explanation for this fast charging limitation could be the processor. While the Snapdragon 835 powering the U.S. versions of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ supports Qualcomm's Quick Charge 4.0, which is faster and works with the screen on as well, things are different with the in-house Exynos 8895 processor powering the global versions of the smartphones.

With this in mind, Samsung might have chosen to add the fast charging limitations to both models so as not to add further differences.

Just Let It Charge

In conclusion, if you're in a hurry and you need your Samsung Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+ charged as soon as possible, let it charge without using it. It will take significantly less with the display off, since fast charging will kick in.

That said, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are still among the most powerful smartphones currently available on the market, packing a slew of top-notch specs and features to make them worthy of the flagship title.

Samsung is also expected to release a high-end Galaxy Note 8 later this year, packing even more impressive specs than the Galaxy S8 series. Rumor has it that the Galaxy Note 8 will feature the in-display fingerprint authentication and dual rear camera setup that were previously rumored for the Galaxy S8, but never made it. There's a good chance, however, that the Galaxy Note 8 will come with the same fast charging limitation as the Galaxy S8 line.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Global warming is causing glaciers worldwide to disappear at an alarming rate, says a recent study published May 12 in the journal Science.

The world's glacier volume is rapidly shrinking, as Arctic sea ice levels have plummeted to a record low for the winter season. The process also affects glaciers on land, which  unlike the ice sheets in the open water  pose a bigger threat to the planet if they should melt.

As opposed to the melting sea ice, which has less of an impact on seawater levels, melting on-land glaciers would drain into the sea, causing sea levels to rise all over the world.

Study author Twila Moon, from the University of Colorado in Boulder, believes what's happening to the world's glaciers should be "of international concern."

"The evidence is overwhelming: Earth is losing its ice. Much of this loss is irreversible and the result of human-caused climate change," Moon writes.

Why The Glaciers Are Important

While the loss of sea ice endangers the entire marine ecosystem  creating a ripple effect that starts with perturbed phytoplankton cycles and ends with the sea creatures that depend on it for survival  the disappearing on-land glaciers threaten coastline cities worldwide.

If all the polar ice and mountaintop glaciers melted, the rising sea levels would "displace millions of people within the lifetime of many of today's children," says Moon.

But the problem goes beyond losing coastal beaches, the researcher points out in her paper.

Glaciers are also vital water sources for many parts of the world, and in their absence water supplies would run dry and wildlife would be left without food and shelter.

One of the most visible trends the world is currently experiencing is glacier retreat. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Glacier National Park in Montana has lost more than 120 glaciers in the last century.

Moon's study documents this pattern manifesting all over the world, from the Antarctic Peninsula to Patagonia, Kilimanjaro, the Himalayas, Greenland, and the Arctic.

According to the study, the latest estimates reveal 52 percent of all small glaciers in Switzerland will disappear in the next 25 years, whereas western Canada will lose about 70 percent of its total glacier volume by 2100.

"Unless substantial climate response action is taken and the trend of global temperature rise is reversed, we will continue to see Miami streets swallowed by the sea and glacier freshwater reservoirs melt into mud. And we can expect this pattern to continue for decades, centuries, and indeed, millennia," concludes Moon in her paper.

What Would Earth Look Like With No Ice?

Another study, published just last month by Southampton University, uncovered that Earth could reach a warming state unseen in the last 420 million years if humanity maintains the present rate of burning fossil fuels over the next one or two centuries.

There are an estimated 5 million cubic miles of ice on our planet, and some scientists believe it would take at least 5,000 years to melt it all. However, if we keep emitting carbon into the atmosphere and burning fossil fuels, all the ice at the mountaintops and poles will melt because of global warming.

The result: A planet without ice. Earth would have an average temperature of about 80 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than the current average temperature of 58 degrees Fahrenheit, and an increase of 216 feet in seawater levels.

What would happen if the coastlines were flooded by water and new shorelines were created for all the seven continents and the inland seas?

National Geographic teamed up with scientists and universities around the world to give an accurate depiction of what Earth would look like if the sea level rose by 216 feet, the equivalent of melting all the water currently locked away in ice.

The researchers created adaptations of the world's map, reflecting how continents would look like in the future if this should happen. By their estimations, the landscape would suffer important changes, which could dramatically impact global economy.

The 7 Continents In An Ice-Free World

According to the researchers' predictions, North America would become a completely different world, forcing future generations to adapt to a drastically reshaped landscape.

"The entire Atlantic seaboard would vanish, along with Florida and the Gulf Coast. In California, San Francisco's hills would become a cluster of islands and the Central Valley a giant bay. The Gulf of California would stretch north past the latitude of San Diego  not that there'd be a San Diego," says the National Geographic assessment.

The projections for the rest of the continents are equally bleak. In South America, the Paraguay River Basin and the Amazon Basin would evolve into Atlantic inlets, "wiping out Buenos Aires, coastal Uruguay, and most of Paraguay."

Europe stands to lose many iconic cities, such as London and Venice, which would be claimed by the sea. The same fate awaits the Netherlands and most of Denmark, while the expanding Mediterranean would increase the water levels of the Caspian and Black Seas.

In Asia, the rising seas would flood Chinese territories, as well as Bangladesh and a large portion of coastal India. The flooded Mekong Delta would turn the famous Cardamom Mountains in Cambodia into a stranded island, the predictions unveil.

The same report shows Australia as gaining new inland sea, but being robbed of much of its narrow coastal strip, where 80 percent of Australians have made a home.

Antarctica seems to be fortifying its massive ice sheets, which appear to be thickening under the effects of global warming. Yet, even these colossal glaciers are vulnerable to climate change, and are being eroded from beneath by the warming water.

Africa would probably be the least affected, estimate the researchers, noting that although the continent would be subjected to a lesser extent of land loss, it would still lose great areas of Egypt. Here, the cities of Alexandria and Cairo would be turned into a swamp by the Mediterranean Sea.

The map adaptations for all seven continents can be viewed on the National Geographic Magazine website.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Virginia Department of Health confirmed on Friday, May 12, that one of the state's residents was diagnosed with rabies. However, it did not reveal the name of the patient due to privacy concerns.

Human rabies infection is uncommon in the United States with roughly one to three cases reported annually. However, health officials say that once infected, the chances of the individual's survival are very low.

What Is Rabies?

The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention describes rabies as a viral infection caused by the bites of rabid animals such as dogs, raccoons, skunks, bats, and more.

The virus affects the central nervous system and early symptoms usually range from fever to headaches and general weakness. However, within days, the infected person experiences hallucinations, agitation, hypersalivation (increase in saliva), difficulty swallowing, hydrophobia (fear of water), anxiety, and insomnia. The CDC states that death generally occurs just days after the first symptoms show up.

The Central Virginia Case

The person who has been infected with the virus in Central Virginia was bitten by a rabid dog while in India. As a preventive measure, the Virginia Department of Health or VDH will work with the CDC to ensure that no other person who came in contact with the infected individual was exposed to the virus.

"While the only documented cases of human-to-human transmission of rabies have been via organ transplantation, acting out of an abundance of caution, VDH is assessing those who had direct contact with this patient to see if there is any concern that they may have been exposed to rabies," a VDH press release stated.

Human rabies infections in the United States are very rare and only 28 cases have been reported since 2006. The last human rabies case in the state of Virginia occurred in 2009, when one of the residents tested positive for the disease. This individual too had been bitten by a dog in India.

However, among the 28 known cases since 2006, only 8 occurred due to exposure internationally, while the rest took place within the country itself.

"Virginia is rabies endemic  you don't have to travel internationally to be exposed. If a person in Virginia is bitten by an animal, we ask them to take certain precautions like washing the wound thoroughly with lots of soap and water, try to identify the animal, then alert someone  particularly in the local health department," Julia Murphy, a veterinarian at the VDH, remarked.

Additionally, those traveling abroad should check with their physician regarding the vaccinations recommended prior to their departure.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Avocado Hand is serious enough for doctors to warn the public about its possible nerve damaging effects. To prevent avocado hand and continue enjoying the nutritious fruit, what is the proper way to prepare it?

Avocado Hand

Doctors in London recently voiced their concerns over the increasing number of avocado-related hand injuries, aptly called avocado hand. Though it doesn't sound like an avocado can cause serious trouble, they can actually cause serious injuries that often come from mishandling the fruit during preparation or not realizing that the fruit they are about to cut is actually quite ripe.

Among the avocado hands that doctors have treated, while some are minor cuts that require minimal treatments, more serious cases of lacerations and nerve damage were severe enough to require surgery. As such, doctors from the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) suggest placing warning labels or slicing instructions on the fruit's skin.

The Proper Way To Prepare Avocados

Before beginning to prepare the avocado, it would be best to choose one that's ripe, but not too ripe. If the avocado isn't quite ready yet, it may be a little too hard to slice. On the other hand, if it's too ripe, it would be too soft.

Chef Jamie Oliver teaches avocado lovers how to properly and quickly prepare the fruit.

 Place a dish cloth on top of the cutting board to prevent the avocado from slipping.

 Instead of holding the avocado on one hand and slicing with the other, place the avocado on its side with your hand on top of the fruit to hold it securely.

 Use the other hand to slice the fruit lengthwise around the seed while rotating it with the hand that's on top of the avocado, keeping your fingers out of the way. Use a sharp knife as a blunt knife would likely cause you to place more pressure on the fruit and possibly lead to injuries.

 Twist and rotate the two halves.

 Peel the skin off the avocado either with your hands or with a knife.

 When removing the seed, instead of holding the half avocado on one hand, place it on the cutting board and hit the seed using a knife just hard enough to grab a hold of it before pulling it out of the fruit.

Avocado: The Healthy Fruit

Avocado isn't just a versatile fruit that can be used in many different recipes, it also has good fats which provide numerous health benefits such as lowering the risk for developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.

What's more, avocado also shows potential in reducing signs of aging as well as in treating acute myeloid leukemia.

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By Press Trust of India: Ludhiana, May 12 (PTI) A Ludhiana court has issued a fresh non-bailable warrant against actress Rakhi Sawant for allegedly making objectionable remarks against sage Valmiki, who wrote the Hindu epic Ramayana.

The court of Judicial Magistrate Vishav Gupta yesterday fixed June 2 as the next date for hearing in the case.

A local advocate Narinder Adiya had filed a complaint against Rakhi on July 9 last year alleging that she had hurt the religious sentiments of the Valmiki community by making derogatory comments against the sage.

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On the last date on April ten, Rakhi had withdrawn the anticipatory bail application from the court.

Rakhi had allegedly made the comments during a programme on a private television channel last year.

Earlier, the court of Judicial Magistrate had issued an arrest warrant against her on March nine.

On the instructions of the court, a two-member team of the Ludhiana police had left for Mumbai with the arrest warrant in April this year, but had to return empty handed as she was not found at her address. PTI CORR VJ DV

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Authorities from Santa Cruz, La Paz, Tarija, and Trinidad left the technical meetings arguing that the Arce administration did not accept the census be carried out in 2023. | Read More
According to police investigation, the girl was abducted when she was on her way to work on May 9. She lived with her parents in neighbouring Sonepat district of Haryana.

By Manjeet Sehgal: Barely a week had passed since the Supreme Court sent the four men who gangraped and brutalised Nirbhaya to the gallows when Rohtak district in Haryana witnessed a gorier crime than what was committed on December 16, 2012 in Delhi.

A young girl was abducted in Haryana's Rohtak, taken to a secluded place and allegedly gangraped by seven persons. Her mutilated body was found on May 11. Police is investigating the case. Two accused including the prime suspect have been arrested.

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According to police investigation, the girl was abducted when she was on her way to work on May 9. She lived with her parents in neighbouring Sonepat district of Haryana. When she did not come back home, her parents lodged a missing complaint with the police.

POLICE STUNNED WITH BRUTALITY

Police were stunned to see the state of the body. The victim had been brutally raped. Body bore several injury marks.

Sharp-edged objects had been inserted into the private parts of the victim. Her head had been smashed. A vehicle had been run over her.

The perpetrators of the crime tried to disfigure her to hide the identity of the victim.

The forensic team that conducted the investigation said that the victim was gang raped and mutilated with sharp-edged weapons.

"The victim was tortured and her body was mutilated and tortured after the gang rape. She was killed after being raped involving at least seven people. Her skull was smashed in a way which indicates that she was run over by a vehicle in order to hide her identity," the forensic team has stated.

The forensic team also found some drugs in viscera samples taken from the victim's body.

POLICE ASCERTAIN IDENTITY

When her body was found at an empty plot in Rohtak, the police first tried to ascertain the identity of the victim. Their search led them to the missing complaint lodged in the neighbouring district of Sonepat.

The parents of the girl were called to Rohtak for body identification. They confirmed that it was the body of their daughter.

The parents named the prime suspect, who according to them, had been harassing the victim for past one year.

They told the police that prime accused was their neighbour identified as Sumit, who had visited their home only a few days ago. The deceased had turned his proposal for marriage following which Sumit threatened her with 'befitting reply with dire consequences'.

Now, parents want justice for their daughter.

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Also Read:

Nirbhaya gangrape case: Supreme Court decides the 4 convicts will hang

Nirbhaya gangrape verdict: Justice delayed, not denied, say parents

Also Watch:

Haryana horror: Woman abducted, gangraped and killed in Rohtak

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: Behibagh (JK), May 13 (PTI) A top Army commander today met the family members of Lieutenant Umar Fayaz, who was killed by militants in south Kashmir on Wednesday, assuring them that the culprits will be punished soon and the young soldiers sacrifice will not go waste.

The General Officer in Command (GoC) of south Kashmir- based Victor Force, Major General B S Raju, who visited Fayazs residence on occasion of chahrum (the fourth day mourning), praised the "brave family" of the officer and said the Army will always stand by them.

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"He is a hero because his battle started five years back when he decided to join the NDA.... He has fought that battle successfully and his death will not go waste,? Major General Raju said.

The commander told the bereaved family that Fayaz was a martyr and that people, even though silent, were with them.

He announced that the army school in Behibagh will be named after Fayaz. The army commander handed over a cheque of Rs 75 lakh under the army group insurance fund to Fayazs parents.

The commander said the militants who carried out the cowardly act will be brought to justice.

"I want to say that whichever militants did that, we will take action against them and that action will be done in our own way and will take place soon.

"Also, whenever operations will take place, we will ensure no harm to the civilians. We do not want to disturb the peace. We want to ensure that our operations do not affect the civil population," he told reporters.

The operations will be directed only against the militants who have done this particular cowardly act, he said.

Major Gen Raju said Lt Fayaz was a brave soldier who made a difference by joining the army.

"His battle started when he decided to join NDA. I would like to give credit to him and his parents who decided that they will enrol him into the NDA.

"Even as he had just had four months of duty, still, from my point of view, he is a hero."

He said by killing the young officer, the militants extinguished a lamp which was spreading light in the area.

"That lamp which could have lit up 100 more lamps and created a new wave here.

"I am sure that even after being extinguished, this light will still be there and to keep this light from fading out, we are renaming the army goodwill school here in Behibagh to Shaheed Lt. Umer Fayaz Goodwill School," he said.

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The GoC said Fayazs family is brave and they have shown hope even in this hour of grief.

"We met his family. It is a very brave family. Even in this hour of sadness, there was hope.

They showed hope for the future of their two daughters.

"We want to assure that our support will be there as long as the army is there in the Valley," he said.

The regimental unit gave Rs one lakh to the family. The district administration also gave an advance cheque of Rs one lakh in compensation.

"I want to assure the family that we are with them in their pain and whatever they want to do in the future, we are with them," Major Gen Raju said.

Asked whether there was any advisory like the one issued by state police to its personnel asking them to refrain from visiting their homes for some time, Major Gen Raju said, "There is no such advisory. But yes, we have said that anybody who is coming into the areas, he should inform the nearest army camp so that we can provide security to him".

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The 22-year-old Army officer was abducted and killed by militants after he had gone to attend a relatives wedding in Shopian district of Kashmir. PTI SSB RT

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Video surveillance captured dramatic images of a twister lifting and flipping a man's pickup truck parked at the RaceTrac gas station on Old Hammond Highway on Friday morning.

Baton Rouge Police spokesman Sgt. L'Jean McKneely said Friday that the incident sent the man to the hospital with moderate back injuries.

Can't see the video below? Click here.

The injury was the only reported case from a morning of storms with 90 mph winds and a confirmed EF-1 tornado that caught residents by surprise.
Zakir Musa has quit as commander of Hizbul Mujahideen after the terror outfit's mastermind in PoK Syed Salahuddin strongly condemned his threat to Hurriyat leaders that he would hang them at Srinagar's Lal Chowk.

By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: Zakir Musa has quit as commander of Hizbul Mujahideen after the terror outfit's mastermind in PoK Syed Salahuddin strongly condemned his threat to Hurriyat leaders on Friday.

In audio tapes released yesterday, Musa had threatened that the Hurriyat leaders coming in the way of Hizbul would be hanged in Srinagar's Lal Chowk.

The Hizbul Mujahideen's mastermind sitting in PoK has termed Musa's remark 'unacceptable', leading to fissures in the group.

HERE IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW Within 24 hours of releasing his first statement, Musa today released a second audio tape where he said that he was dissociating himself from Hizbul, saying that he stood by his views. Claiming that the 'freedom struggle' was for establishing of an Islamic State, he said that if his blood was shed, it would be for establishing a Caliphate rule and not a secular state as suggested by moderate separatists. Musa also clarified that the death threat in his first audio was not for Hurriyat and Geelani, but for modern-era militant outfits who were fighting against them. On Friday, Hizbul Mujahideen had said, "Zakir Musa's statement is unacceptable and the outfit does not subscribe to the statement". "Such a statement is unacceptable to us. It reflects the personal opinion of Zakir Musa." Musa and Hizbul Mujahideen also had differences of opinion on the issues of Al Qaeda, ISIS and Taliban fighters. It has been learnt that United Jihad Council (UJC) chief Syed Salahuddin said that there was no role of Al-Qaeda, ISIS and Taliban in the armed struggle in Kashmir. The ISIS has been created by the European imperials to defame Islam and to break militant outfits, he added. Musa said he had not made up his mind on the global terror organisation as he had not done research on the same. The UJC chief has directed the militants on the ground to desist from issuing statements and consult top commanders on policy and freedom matters. But Musa has not paid heed to his mastermind, quitting as the commander. Musa had replaced Burhan Wani after the latter was killed by security forces in July last year.

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Also read | Will chop off your heads, hang them in Lal Chowk: Hizbul warns Hurriyat leaders

Also read | Ummer Fayaz: How murder of young Indian Army officer has rattled Hizbul Mujahideen, turned tide against terror

WATCH VIDEO

--- ENDS ---
Automation Personnel Services has agreed to settle a government lawsuit alleging an applicant was turned away by a Louisiana branch manager who told her "this is a man's job." Pictured is the company's Chattanooga branch, where former employees say they received orders for country boys, or white workers. (Credit: Jeremy Brooks for Reveal)
Old Parliament House is not the only Canberra landmark to celebrate its 90th anniversary this year.

Across the lake that in 1927 was nothing more than a river bordering sheep paddocks, the Ainslie School has celebrated nine decades of teaching with the help of its current crop of students.

Ainslie School year 6 students Nicole Domigan and Ben Francis look at archival photos as their classmates record interviews as part of 90th anniversary celebrations. Credit:Stephen Jeffery

In order to help future generations understand the school's heritage, a group of year 5 and 6 students became amateur historians and recorded the memories of those who used to grace the art deco halls of the iconic building.

Armed with audio recorders, headphones and curiosity, the schoolchildren spent a Saturday interviewing alumni and former teachers about their experiences.
A Brisbane night-fill worker has won an important legal battle in a massive underpayment case against the combined might of Coles and one of the largest trade unions in Australia.

Coles worker Penny Vickers, who was representing herself, won the right for a full bench hearing in the Fair Work Commission against the arguments of high-powered lawyers from the company and the Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees (SDA).

Coles supermarket employee Penny Vickers has won the right for a full bench hearing in the Fair Work Commission. Credit:Glenn Hunt

Her case is the latest attempt to unwind controversial deals struck by the politically influential SDA with major companies which have left workers out of pocket.

A 12-month Fairfax Media investigation revealed how deals involving big business and the conservative SDA left more than 250,000 workers paid less than the award - the wages safety net - and is estimated to have saved those employers at least $300 million a year.
Donald Trump won notoriety as a television host and has subsequently transformed his presidency into a soap opera. It is easy to be captivated by the daily melodrama that has unfolded during Trump's short few months in the White House, the latest his shifting justification for sacking the FBI director. Yet Trump's gift for the politics of distraction cannot mask the wider and cumulative consequences of his antics. He has eroded the prestige and authority once attached to the US presidency, and as such diminished America as a world power. The damage is not irreversible. The country recovered from the disastrous military adventurism and ideological obsessions of George W. Bush. But those with long enough memories will remember the Bush-era began shakily. He had been widely judged in those opening months likely to be a single term president, before the catastrophic and transformational attacks of September 11, 2001. US President Donald Trump has sacked FBI director James Comey. Credit:Bloomberg What would Trump do if confronted by a similar challenge? Rail against "fake news"? Point a finger of blame at his predecessor, Barack Obama? One need not imagine a major security threat. Could a Trump administration be relied upon to steer a course through an economic meltdown even half the scale of the global financial crisis?

Hopefully we never need to find out. His record of achievement so far has been dismal, his style divisive rather than uniting. He has attempted to govern by fiat, needlessly alienating friends, launching a missile strike against Syria then boasting about the favourable media coverage, championing victory for a health bill that is yet to clear the Senate. But in his decision to sack FBI director James Comey, and the manner in which it was executed, Trump's capricious nature has been on full display. The sacking has understandably focused concern on the status of the FBI investigation into connections between the Trump campaign and Russia. Trump ensured this focus himself, by confirming in his letter dismissing Comey that FBI had informed the President, "on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation". Comey was hardly a Trump favourite and there is no disputing that the President acted within his authority to sack him. Many observers had expected Comey to be dismissed from his role in the first days of the Trump administration, given the animus Trump had towards the FBI for not recommending Hillary Clinton be charged over her use of a private email server. The same Comey drew ire of Democrats when infamously reviving the investigation of Clinton on the eve of the presidential election. Trump had insisted as recently as last month that he was confident in Comey's stewardship of the FBI. It now emerges that in recent weeks Comey had sought more resources for the Russia probe. The White House initially said Trump had only sacked Comey after a recommendation from the US Attorney-General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein. But Trump now insists, "I was going to fire him regardless of recommendation," and admits the Russia inquiry, which he decries, had a role.
Surprisingly, I find myself agreeing with such politicians as George Christensen, Jacquie Lambie and Pauline Hanson about cutting foreign aid  or at least the $1 billion aid package going to Adani shelf companies begging for handouts to fund their Carmichael coal mine. If we have money to spare, let's give it to those in the greatest need, not foreign billionaires. Doug Steley, Heyfield THE FORUM Labour of love To all mothers: I have reviewed your employment contract (attached) for Mother's Day and have found it doesn't meet the national employment standards. Your normal hours of work (24 hours a day, seven days a week) are well above the maximum weekly hours. Further, you don't receive penalty rates or holiday/sick leave, let alone leave loading. In fact, your employer requires a weekly salary from you in the form of pocket money.

Toilet breaks aren't permitted unless they are a group activity and the Fair Work Act does not recognise tantrum-based dispute resolution procedures. However, the annual incentive of breakfast in bed and a hand-painted coffee mug and your total fixed remuneration of your children's priceless love ensure you would not trade a single sleep-deprived moment for the world. Happy Mother's Day. Rachel Cosentino, North Perth, WA Distressing culture I read about the reforms for victims of rape with great emotion (News, 7/5). Three acquaintances have been victims of rape, but the perpetrators were never charged, mainly due to legal advice regarding the trauma they would sustain during the prosecution. The long-term effects for these women are ongoing.

If every woman such as myself has known women who have been victims of rape, then the number of unreported or unprosecuted cases must be a distressingly large number. I support Amy and her family's decision to discontinue with the prosecution. However, I can't help wondering why so little has changed in the past 30 years? When it comes to the legal process of reporting a traumatic violent crime, why does the victim still end up being exposed to trauma, blame and judgment instead of the perpetrators? I also welcome recent reforms in prevention of family violence, but they should just be the start. The issues that need urgent exploration are the culture of rape and why the occurrence of rape in Australia is twice the international average. Amy's resilience, strength to tell her story and drive for change will hold her in good stead. She has been a voice for countless women. Name and address withheld Behind the petition

A month ago, the Aged Care Guild began a campaign called "Protect Aussie aged care". It launched a petition asking for signatures in a bid to pressure the government into providing more funding. How many people signed the petition not realising they were supporting some of the most profitable providers in the aged care industry? The Aged Care Guild represents the largest nine aged-care companies: BUPA, Japara, Regis, Estia, Allity, Arcare, McKenzie, Blue Cross and Opal. These companies are now the fastest-growing owners of aged care homes in Australia. According to their annual reports (2015-16), Japara made a profit of $30 million  up 5.6 per cent; and Estia $51.8 million  up 16 per cent. These large profits depend on substantial government subsidies. This campaign resembled "astroturfing"  although the campaign mimicked a grassroots movement, it was run by a highly paid lobby group. With the recent horror stories about the quality of care in residential aged care homes, including maggots being found in a resident's mouth at an Opal aged care home , we need to feel reassured that government subsidies are used to improve the quality of life of residents, not go into the pockets of providers. Sarah Russell, Aged Care Matters Skills not priority

A recent advertising feature advises prospective aged care students who "like and respect people" that they will learn "first aid, patient documentation, Occupational Health and Safety standards, manual handling and infection control, as well as communication skills". As part of the training program students must complete 120 hours (15 days) placement in an aged care facility. There is no mention of such specialised nursing skills as catheter care, oxygen administration, calculation of sliding scale diabetic medication, complex wound care, the ability to notice the signs of distress related to pain in inarticulate residents and the urgent need to deal promptly with same  skills regularly required when working with the frail aged with complex care requirements. Yet on any given shift in an aged care facility, most staff will have graduated with only the skills listed in the ad. And still the law requires only one registered Division 1 nurse to care for 120 (or more!) residents. We have failed in our duty of care to such residents if we don't voice our anger at this situation. Glenda Addicott, Ringwood Treasurer who won't

The board game Monopoly was created to illustrate an unfortunate predilection of people  that given a chance they will monopolise resources (well-positioned land) and live off the highest possible rents (and rising values), while slowly bankrupting fellow players. Ironically it was hoped that the players would realise this practice to be unconscionable and that society would restrain it, giving all a fair go when it came to affordable housing. Perhaps a game should be delivered to the government because nothing else is getting through. Will Mr Morrison be remembered as the "Treasurer who couldn't" or the "Treasurer who wouldn't" look after the next generation of aspiring home buyers? James Webster, Parkdale Not close to home I wonder what policy changes there would have been if Scott Morrison had a relative trying to get into the property market and finding it hard competing against negative gearing investors and those with self-managed super funds?

Adrian Cope, Gisborne An unfair budget The 2016 superannuation crackdown is not yet operational but the Coalition is already tinkering to ensure it appeases unhappy and noisy wealthy supporters. Well-off retirees with substantial and valuable property assets can now downsize to slightly less palatial dwellings and plough a spare $300,000 into superannuation, no questions asked. Meanwhile, the same age group that has more modest means, and housing stock whose value can barely fund a small retirement residence, still has to meet the very challenging work test to obtain and contribute much smaller sums into superannuation. The lack of fairness in the budget, particularly to women over 65, has been exacerbated by the failure to tackle the lack of work opportunities for those who want to build up their superannuation. Sue Dyer, Downer, ACT

Now for the banks First they came for the miners. We stopped them. We said how unfair it was to make large, hugely profitable, exploiting companies pay a fairer contribution to the common good. Then they came for the banks. Good. They're much worse than the miners. Graham Hardy, Fitzroy North Mentor offenders ABC presenter Yassmin Abdel-Magied must submit to a "mentoring program". Such a program is an excellent idea. Hopefully the government will now prioritise funding for mentors for such serially offensive taxpayer-funded employees as Eric Abetz and Peter Dutton.

Janine Truter, The Basin Truly Victorian system It is obvious that we must change the name of our state. That way we stand half a chance of getting a 21st-century public transport system, instead of the Victorian public transport system we currently have. Barry Miller, Kyneton Battling on all fronts
ONE FLEW OVER THE

CUCKOO'S NEST

The story of Randle McMurphy a charming rogue who contrives to serve a short sentence in a mental institution rather than a prison, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest  a rarely produced production  plays at Southbank Theatre, The Lawler, from May 31 to June 11. Winner of the 2001 Tony Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play, it follows McMurphy's antics as he causes such havoc that it eventually results in him submitting to a frontal lobotomy. There are five doubles on offer to the 7.30pm show on June 6. Details received on madpr2@optusnet.com.au before midnight tonight will enter the draw.

VICEROY'S

HOUSE

Described by director Gurinder Chadha as the Upstairs, Downstairs view of the Partition of India, this British-Indian historical drama stars Hugh Bonneville as Lord Louis Mountbatten, the final Viceroy of India, tasked with overseeing the transition of British India to independence. Set in 1947, it follows life inside the Viceroy's House and the conflict that ensues as different sides clash in the face of monumental change. There are 20 in-season doubles to catch a screening. Entries received on win@abcgfilm.com before midnight tonight have the chance to win.
When the attack came, it hit more than 75,000 computers in 99 countries. And the result was mayhem.

It crippled Britain's health system  stroke victims were unable to undergo urgent surgery because their scans could not be accessed  and affected other businesses around the world.

A computer screen shows an error message after Britain's National Health Service was hacked. Credit:AP/Twitter: @fendifille

Tens of thousands of computer were "locked"  the screens displaying the telltale ransom demand. The devastating cyber attack had, so far, spared Australian targets, but authorities did not expect that to last.

Local experts on Saturday scrambled to ensure hospitals and other public facilities did not fall victim to the massive ransomware operation, which had seen patients turned away and operations cancelled in Britain.
President Pranab Mukherjee said that Indira Gandhi remains the "most acceptable" prime minister of a democratic country. His comments came at a function to release a commemorative centennial volume on Indira's life and works.

By Press Trust of India: Describing Indira Gandhi as the "most acceptable" prime minister of a democratic country till today, President Pranab Mukherjee recalled her decisiveness while giving a subtle message to the present Congress leadership.

Mukherjee, in a veiled message to the party leadership to speed up decision-making in organisational matters, recalled the former prime minister's decisive style of functioning that helped her party score comeback victories in state elections within a couple of months after the second Congress split of 1978.

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Gandhi was one of the most remarkable personalities of the 20th century. And to the people of India, she still remains the "most acceptable" prime minister of a democratic country, President Mukherjee said to wide applause from an audience that comprised a galaxy of top Congress leaders.

"The Congress was defeated in 1977. I was a junior minister. She told me, Pranab, don't get unnerved by the defeat. This is the time to act. And, she acted!" Mukherjee recalled.

With Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi seated on the dais, flanked by Vice President Hamid Ansari and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Mukherjee paid rich tributes to Indira Gandhi on the occasion of the release of a commemorative centennial volume on her life and works.

INDIA'S INDIRA

He also received the first copy of India's Indira - A Centennial Tribute that was unveiled by Ansari. The Congress is celebrating the birth centenary of Indira Gandhi.

The book edited by senior Congress leader Anand Sharma is a compilation of life and work of Indira Gandhi and its foreword is written by Sonia Gandhi, who could not attend the function due to her ill health.

RAHUL READS MESSAGE FROM SONIA

Reading out Sonia Gandhi's speech on her behalf, Rahul Gandhi said, "The brand of patriotism I saw in Indira Gandhi was a noble one that she imbibed from freedom struggle."

Sonia said Indira Gandhi -- her mother-in-law -- was a friend and a mentor and "she was careful not to impose her will on me".

Rahul, while quoting the Congress president said, "Indira Gandhi disregarded distinctions of rank, caste and creed. She had no time for snobbishness or ostentatious. She was quick to detect hypocrisy and insincerity. She was a proud Indian, but also a proud citizen of the world with a broad and tolerant outlook."

MUKHERJEE RECALLS CONGRESS SPLIT

Recalling the second split in Congress in 1978, President Mukherjee said Indira Gandhi was elected party president on January 2, 1978 and in a matter of few days by January 20 she completed the formation of the working committee, set up the parliamentary board, PCCs and AICC structures and prepared the party to face elections to state assemblies of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, and NEFA.

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Soon after that, he said, she led the Congress to a decisive victory by two-thirds majority in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and went on to make her party the single-largest in Maharashtra where it formed the government along with the breakaway faction of the Congress.

Mukherjee said by the difference between January 2 and March 6, one can understand how quickly she had to take decisions and how decisively and determinately she took those decisions.

"I think, this is the characteristic of Indira Gandhi," he said, with Rahul Gandhi, her grandson, listening with rapt attention.

"Indiraji's response to the worst moments in her political life was to push herself into more action," he said, adding that in this centenary year, people will remember her for her various contributions.

BOLD DECISIONS

The President also recalled a series of bold decisions the former prime minister took in the interest of the country, laying special emphasis to her decision to cleanse Golden Temple of militants, which he termed as the "most dangerous".

"As a student of history I was afraid to do anything with the Golden Temple. And as member of the then CCPA I told at the meeting that perhaps the most dangerous decisions we are taking," he said, referring to Operation Bluestar in 1984.

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"Sometimes history demands some action which may not prove correct later on, but perhaps is most relevant at that time. This decision cannot be avoided," he said.

Mukherjee said the fearlessness in Gandhi's actions, she did not make an inch of change in her policy. He said Indira Gandhi played the second longest innings as prime minister of this country in her two terms.

He said her entire life was infused with a tremendous passion for India and its people.

"Fearlessness in action and boldness in decision making was the unique hallmark of Indirajis character. Indiraji waged throughout her life a relentless war against communal and sectarian violence," he said.

He said she left a great legacy and during the almost 16 years as prime minister, India became the third largest reservoir of technical and scientific manpower, the sixth member of the nuclear club and then began the race for space science and technology.

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"She proved that what she decides to do, she does not hesitate to have that," he said.

Ansari, in his brief address, said she lived in a period of turmoil and change in the country, the neighbourhood and the world and "Destiny bestowed on her the role of being a principle actor."

He said this volume is in the nature of "an offering" to her in her birth centennial year.

Former PM Manmohan Singh said, "Indira Gandhi was not just Indias prime minister, but was also an acknowledged leader of the developing countries. She believed in world peace and her voice was heard with respect in the world fora."

He also said that history will remember with respect Indira Gandhi's sacrifice and her everlasting contribution. Singh also recalled her famous speech at Stockholm during the first Environment Summit, where she had said: "Poverty was the biggest polluter."

The audience comprised a galaxy of top Congress leaders, including former Union Ministers and chief ministers.

The guests included Congress veterans Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ambika Soni, Janardan Dwivedi, P Chidambaram, besides former chief ministers Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Ashok Gehlot, Shiela Dikshit and Prithviraj Chavan.

ALSO READ | Rahul Gandhi certainly up to handling Congress president job: Captain Amarinder Singh

ALSO READ | We should develop universities as temples of higher learning, says Pranab Mukherjee at Osmania University

ALSO WATCH | President Mukherjee at India Today conclave: Don't want to leave a legacy

--- ENDS ---
A fast-growing global cyber attack that has struck computers across Europe and Asia has not affected any Australian organisation, the federal government says.

However, a US cyber security firm has named Australia as one of the many countries affected.

The attack involves ransomware, a kind of malware that encrypts data and locks out the user. According to security experts, it exploits a vulnerability that was discovered and developed by the National Security Agency (NSA) in the US.

Attacks were being reported in Britain and 11 other countries, including Turkey, Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan, with the majority of affected computers in Russia. The computers all appeared to be infected with the same ransomware, and similar ransom messages demanding about $US300 to unlock their data.
Have you ever spent time with someone who can't stop itching?

I bet your instinct wasn't to give them a hug. In fact, you probably wanted to get as far away as possible. You may have even started to feel itchy yourself.

Is itch a sense? A British psychologist thinks so. Credit:iStock

According to leading British pain psychologist Chris Eccleston this is because itch is a sense. We biologically sense there is something wrong with the itchy person and feel repelled.

We all know about the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. Professor Eccleston argues there are an extra 10 senses that have been neglected by health professionals.
Hunstead, 37, admits she will often "drop the balls" while juggling her business and family life. Lately, though, she has kept a fair few in the air. Harper Collins will publish a new edition of her book A Life. A Finger. A Pea Up A Nose this year. She has expanded the business to train parents through non-profit organisations, as well as in corporate workplaces in every capital city. And last month Westpac announced it had partnered with CPR Kids to develop the Rescue Rashie, an innovative design that puts simple CPR instructions on children's swimwear. It was a baby's drowning that galvanised Hunstead to start CPR Kids, and an earlier close call that got her thinking seriously about the idea. "There was a little boy who came into the emergency department who had essentially drowned in his backyard, in a water feature that filled up during heavy rain," she says. He was out of his mother's sight for less than a minute. She found him face down, blue and not breathing. "So she started CPR. She knew what to do." For over an hour, he had no signs of life. Hospital staff eventually got his heart beating again. "He's had a long recovery but is now a completely healthy child," Hunstead says. "If he hadn't had that immediate CPR, and that oxygen going to his brain, he would have either been brain damaged or he would have died.

"That put this little seed in my head: imagine if everybody knew this." The baby who drowned had slipped under the bathwater. "This time the mum had no idea what to do. It's not the mother's fault that she didn't know." Hunstead remembers thinking: "I need to do something about this. I don't want to patch them up any more, I want to get out there and arm parents with these lifesaving skills." "No parent should bear the burden of thinking, 'I should have known what to do'," she says. Hunstead tested the concept by holding classes for friends. Enthusiastic word of mouth soon had dozens of parents signing up.

Full disclosure: my sister-in-law was among those who took an early class. A few months later, she saved my nephew from choking. The experience had a profound effect on my sister-in-law: she now works for CPR Kids. "The classes are not about scaring you with all the stuff that can go wrong," Hunstead tells me. "It's empowering you to know what to do if it happens." Hunstead, who grew up an only child in the outer Melbourne suburb of Patterson Lakes, says: "It was always innately in me to look after people." From the age of 8, when her parents divorced, she cared for her mother, who was mentally ill and battled addictions to alcohol and prescription drugs. "I was running the house, looking after her, because she just couldn't function. Sometimes my job was literally keeping her alive. I used to make myself responsible for everything so if she wasn't well, it was my fault." Hunstead excelled at school. She started studying biotechnology at university and planned to become a paediatrician. But when her mother's health deteriorated, she switched to a nursing degree at a university closer to home.

She was 22 and had just finished her degree when her mother took her own life. There was, she says, an element of relief. Hunstead no longer spent her days worrying, on constant alert, but her mother's death left her feeling adrift. "She was the centre of my universe," she says. "I never actually envisaged life outside of her. I needed to find out who I was." Landing a graduate position at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne helped. So did moving interstate and joining the emergency department of the Sydney Children's Hospital in Randwick, where she made a close network of friends and met her husband. As newlyweds they spent six months in Kenya, establishing the infrastructure to deliver mobile medical camps now staffed by members of the local communities. 'It won't happen to us'

Hunstead says she always knew she wanted to work with children. "Mum was in and out of hospitals a lot, so from a young age I witnessed ... how adults can react to illness. One of the big things with children is they're just so resilient, they don't feel sorry for themselves. [They] just want to get better and get on with it." Hunstead  who had two girls under 2  acknowledges that raising children can be a tougher prospect than nursing them. She describes parenting as "the hardest thing I've ever done", but says becoming a mother made her more understanding of parents who might be hysterical in the emergency department. "It made me realise how things like sleep deprivation, all of that intense focus on the child, can make you think things and do things perhaps your rational mind wouldn't normally do," she says. While she can forgive overwrought parents, she is frustrated by Australians' "she'll be right" attitude.

"We're very much a push-away society; we've got that whole mentality of 'it'll be right, we'll be right, it won't happen to us'. That's great  until something happens." Hunstead says CPR Kids had a "huge spike" in enrolments after 19 people drowned in NSW between Christmas and the first week of January. "They realise that they aren't immune  they see families just like them experiencing tragedies," she says. "They don't want to be that family on the news; they want to know what to do in an emergency." Hunstead says teaching first aid is not just about equipping people with skills, but also the confidence to know how to use them. One of the most rewarding aspects of her work is helping the clients of organisations such as Wesley Mission and Anglicare. "We may only get through one subject," Hunstead says. "At the end of the class it might be that they're not leaving their babies in the bath alone any more [and] that's a big plus. It's the simple stuff that saves lives."
The pumpkins you see in your local supermarket are less than 10 kilograms in weight, but the fruit that took out the Ekka's top award on Saturday was more than 25 times that size and grown by a farming family west of Brisbane.

Tony Frohloff, 35, took out the top award at the Royal Queensland Show Giant Pumpkin Competition, winning the open competition with his 257-kilogram pumpkin.

Three generations of Frohloff pumpkin kings - Tony (left), Geoff (right) and Riley (front).

He wasn't the only Frohloff recognised at the Brisbane Showgrounds, with eight-year-old son Riley winning the youth competition with his 48.5-kilogram entry and 63-year-old father Geoff coming second in the open competition with a 247-kilogram pumpkin.

The award-winning giants were grown on the family property at Minden, about 30 kilometres west of Ipswich, and Tony was only 4.5 kilograms off the Ekka record set by his father.
False hope is driving claims medicinal cannabis is the "magic pill" for chronic pain and doctors should not prescribe it just because they can, an Australian pain specialist warns.

Professor Milton Cohen, director of professional affairs for the Australian New Zealand College of Anaesthetist's (ANZCA) faculty of pain medicine, says current evidence in support of medicinal cannabis is "not good enough".

Jeremy Hayllar, an expert in addiction medicine from Brisbane

"The question of evidence, I think, hangs in the air much like some smoke," he told a meeting of Australian pain specialists in Brisbane on Saturday.

The federal government in 2016 legalised a pathway for patient access to Australian-grown and manufactured medicinal cannabis, subject to state and territory regulations.
Call me Arascain  or Arascain of the High Cliff to be precise.

It's the Celtic name bestowed on "great thinkers" with short attention spans because they're always looking for new developments, discoveries and challenges.

What would you discover if you did 50 Facebook quizzes in a year? Credit:Screen Grab

I will also answer to Adsila, a Native American name meaning "blossom", or the name on my birth certificate, which either means brave star, winner, intellectual fighter or the balanced one. So in summary, I'm a fickle, intellectual, brave warrior in bloom on a precipice  which is fine because I have mad balancing skills.

These insights are courtesy of Facebook where, for a lark, I completed quizzes as they randomly showed up in my newsfeed last year. There were 50 in total.
Terminally ill Victorians could have up to two years to seek a physician-assisted death, with the Andrews government's advisers contemplating whether to set a longer-than-expected time frame in the euthanasia laws to be introduced this year.

Patients with a broad range of conditions could also end up being eligible to make such requests  such as people with cancer, motor-neurone disease, and heart failure  but those with dementia will not be included under the proposed framework.

Professor Brian Owler is confident the proposed assisted dying laws have adequate safeguards. Credit:Janie Barrett

Months after Premier Daniel Andrews announced that an assisted dying bill would be put to a conscience vote in the Victorian parliament, an advisory group established by the government has examined some of the controversial issues that will underpin the debate.

In an interim report to be released within days, the group has mostly backed the assisted dying framework proposed last year by a parliamentary committee, which would give Victorian adults access to a lethal pill prescribed by their doctor - provided they have decision-making capacity and are suffering from "a serious and incurable condition and at the end of their life".
More first home buyers are buying new homes in the booming suburbs of Geelong with the aid of the first home buyer grant, than they are buying apartments in Melbourne's CBD.

More first home owner grant recipients are also choosing new homes and a lifestyle near the coast in the Geelong growth areas of Armstrong Creek and Charlemont, than new homes in Pakenham and Officer in Melbourne's outer south-eastern growth corridor.

New homes under construction in the rapidly growing Geelong suburb of Armstrong Creek. Credit:Pat Scala

The popularity of the fast-growing Geelong suburbs, in postcode 3217, are confirmed by State Revenue Office figures showing where new home buyers who apply for the $10,000 first home owner grant are buying.

Applications for the grant in the fast-growing Geelong suburbs for the first six months of this financial year, at 134, put postcode 3217 in the top 10 postcode areas across the state, ahead of a number of metropolitan Melbourne growth suburbs.
Rome: The former captain of the Costa Concordia cruise liner has been sentenced to 16 years in prison by Italy's highest court for his role in the 2012 shipwreck, which killed 32 people off the Tuscan holiday island of Giglio.

Francesco Schettino was originally found guilty in 2015 of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning his passengers. Friday's ruling marked the end of the appeals process, with the court upholding the initial verdict.

Free pending the decision, Schettino, 56, reported to a Rome prison to start his sentence as soon as he was told of the verdict, his lawyer Saverio Senese said.

"As always, Italy needs to find a scapegoat," Senese told reporters, adding that his client had waited for word of his fate alone outside the prison gates rather than stay at home with his family.
Former Delhi Water Minister Kapil Mishra today alleged that there was a conspiracy to make him end his hunger strike, which began on Wednesday. Doctors "working under" Health Minister Satyendar Jain were giving "fake reports," he alleged.

By India Today Web Desk: Sacked Delhi Water Minister Kapil Mishra today alleged that a conspiracy was on to make him end his indefinite hunger strike, saying the doctors were giving "false" reports on his medical condition.

Mishra began his fast on Wednesday, days after he levelled explosive corruption allegations against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. He has demanded that Kejriwal reveal the source of funding of the overseas trips made by five Aam Aadmi Party leaders - Sanjay Singh, Ashish Khetan, Raghav Chadhha, Jain and Durgesh Pathak -- in the last two years.

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"Doctors working under (Health Minister) Satyendar Jain are giving fake reports to end my fast," Mishra said in a series of tweets.

"Doctors giving false reports while I am on camera - absolutely fine."

"I refuse to accept reports of doctors directly reporting to Jain. On camera the sugar level is 87 and they are saying 58," the former Minister said.

"... they are recommending immediate forcible hospitalisation," he added.

'BIG EXPOSE'

Mishra has there was a conspiracy to end his satyagraha just before his "big expose" at 11 am on Sunday.

In another tweet, the former minister said that "police was saying to take him away forcibly".

"I refuse. I need second opinion," Mishra demanded.

He also slammed the Health Minister and said that his physiological condition is fine.

Kapil Mishra was suspended from the AAP earlier this week after his startling allegation that he witnessed Kejriwal accepting Rs 2 crore from Satyendra Jain.

(Inputs from IANS)

ALSO READ | Kapil Mishra threat calls bare virtual calling racket

ALSO READ | Kapil Mishra to continue hunger strike despite doctors' advice to be hospitalised

ALSO WATCH | When AAP leader Kapil Mishra broke down during meditation at Rajghat

--- ENDS ---
LISTEN NOW: Auto Lab Talk Radio LIVE From New York Saturday May13, 2017 7-9 AM







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Auto Lab is a 28 year old interactive automotive-focused New York area radio call-in show hosted by Professor Harold Wolchok. Each week a cadre of experienced hands-on automotive experts are in-studio with advice for the New York area's 12 million people, providing listeners with honest, practical and street-smart car repair and buying advice.

Auto Lab is also about the automotive industry, its history, and its culture, presenting the ideas and advice of leading college faculty, authors, and automotive practitioners in a relaxed, conversational interactive format.

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IIIHS CRASH TESTS REVEAL BENEFITS OF UNDERRIDE GUARDS FOR SIDES OF SEMITRAILERS
It was 7:51 a.m. eastern time on a Friday, and the president was angrily tweetstorming again.

This time, it was about Fake News, the Russians, China and beef, James Comey and tapes, and his sometimes hapless White House staff.

As a very active President with lots of things happening, it is not possible for my surrogates to stand at podium with perfect accuracy! @realDonaldTrump posted. Maybe the best thing to do would be to cancel all future press briefings and hand out written responses for the sake of accuracy???

Senior administration officials have grown accustomed to learning about their bosss whims in unorthodox ways but it doesnt mean they like it or are prepared for the sudden swings of emotion. For instance, one official was having a conversation with a Daily Beast reporter on Friday morning when the reporter interrupted the official to inform them that Trump was on Twitter again.

After a brief pause to check Twitter, the senior Trump aide informed of the unfolding rant, responded, Jesus.

The mornings tirade was the latest in a series of migraine-inducing actions endured by the presidents press team this week, who have faced the wrath of the presidents anger over their handling of Trumps botched and bungled firing of FBI director James Comey.

Multiple White House sources confirmed to The Daily Beast earlier reports that the president was furious in the aftermathcausing aides to spend the rest of the week drawing as little attention to themselves as possible.

People are keeping their heads down, another official said, describing the White House comms shop as dispirited and fearful of Trumps ire.

White House sources told The Daily Beast this week that Trump was not accepting excuses from staffers that they were kept in the dark and therefore didnt have sufficient time on Tuesday to come up with a coherent strategy and messaging.

Officials spoke to The Daily Beast on the condition of anonymity so as to speak freely. The White House press shop did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

At Fridays White House press briefing, Sean Spicer explained that he and his staff do their best to gather relevant information from the president before briefing the press, but that Trump is occasionally unavailable and some information isnt readily attainable.

An exasperated White House staffer on Friday described a different dynamic, saying the West Wing often struggles to keep up with Trumps kinetic and unilateral public messaging operation and tweets and interviews that often diverge from the official White House line on the days events.

The resulting tension between Trumps statements and those of the press office charged with maintaining his public image have some frustrated at their apparent inability to nail down a coherent narrative on issues as weighty as the FBIs investigation into alleged 2016 election-meddling.

Its not that we dont know what the president wants to say, its that the president doesnt know what the president wants to say, the staffer said.

When deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on Wednesday that the president canned Comey, on the advice of Justice Department leadership, she was dutifully advancing the administrations initial narrative on the move.

They had come to him to express their concerns, she said of the presidents Monday meeting with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

So its the White Houses assertion that Rod Rosenstein decided on his own, after being confirmed, to review Comeys performance? a reporter asked. Sanders was resolute: Absolutely.

Vice President Mike Pence relayed the same timeline seven times on Wednesday as well.

Then on Thursday, Trump publicly contradicted all of them.

Regardless of recommendation, I was going to fire Comey, he told NBCs Lester Holt in an interview excerpted before Thursdays White House press briefing.

Sanders was forced to walk back her claims the day before. I went off of the information that I had when I answered your question, she admitted. Ive since had the conversation with him, right before I walked on today, and he laid it out very clearly. He had already made that decision.

Its tough, the White House staffer said of Sanderss Trump-induced walk-back. You say what youre supposed to say, and then you have to go out and basically apologize for it.

By Friday, Sanders was no longer at the briefing room lectern, and Spicer was back at the job. Another White House staffer said Spicer essentially had to return to deliver the briefing as a matter of survival, due to being on thinner ice with the president as a result of Tuesdays mess.

Trump undercuttingor needlessly complicating life forhis top political surrogates and spokespeople dates back to the 2016 campaign trail, when senior campaign staff were in a constant state of cleaning up after the Republican presidential nominee.

When POTUS tweetstorms, it is often all-hands [on deck] for White House staffers, a senior Trump aide said.

One former top Trump campaign surrogate described to The Daily Beast that the scariest five minutes of their life was the period of time right before they went on live TV when they werent checking their smartphone, since there was always the possibility that they would be asked on-air about something Trump had just tweeted or said that campaign staff hadnt had time to invent a defense for yet.

There were times on the trail when the initial comms strategy was just to be, just, flabbergasted at Twitter, then play clean up, the surrogate recounted.

In the White House, Trumps press secretary and his communications team have plenty of cleaning up to doand have to deal with a president who is never shy about reminding senior staff about their job insecurity.

He made it clear and known that Sean [Spicer] had failed him, one person who spoke with Trump about this told The Daily Beast. It was clear.

Still, Spicer cant do much more than put on a happy face and continue to try to appease his boss.

Its good to be back with you. Apparently I was missed, Spicer said, smiling, at the top of the White House press briefing on Friday early afternoon.
On Friday, a lawyer for President Trump said that a review of the presidents tax returns from the past decade showed no income of any type from Russian sources, the AP reported. The news service added: with few exceptions.

At the end of a very boring, incredibly uneventful (HA) news week, those three words were enough to set Twitter on fire. #WithFewExceptions immediately took off, becoming the top trend.

If you needed something to hate-read this Friday, this is the stuff of dreams.

TGIF, guys.
This week, President Donald Trump took it upon himselfyes, himselfto fire FBI Director James Comey, the very man leading a counterintelligence investigation into Trump-Russia collusion during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Trump reportedly did so because FBI Director Comey both refused to pledge his unwavering loyalty to Trump, and also for, rather than dialing it down, requesting more resources to look into Trump-Russia ties.

The Trump administration, as is their wont, first claimed that they fired Comey because of how he treated Hillary Clinton during the election (this despite Trump and his Attorney General Jeff Sessions repeatedly lauding Comeys treatment of Hillary during said election and regularly leading lock her up chants) while placing the blame on Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and then switching gears when, speaking to NBC News Lester Holt, Trump admitted that he not only pressed Comey about the ongoing Trump-Russia investigation during a January dinner, but also intended to fire him all along.

Real Time host Bill Maher addressed the imbroglio on his program Friday night. Get this: the main reason they said Comey had to go: it had nothing to do with Russia, it was all about how unfair he was to Hillary. This insulted Sarah Palins intelligence. Because you know, if theres one thing Trump will not abide, its badmouthing his dear friend Crooked Hillary, joked Maher.

The comedian then addressed Trumps other bizarre confession to Holt, where the President said: What I did is I was going to fire Comey. My decision, he told Holt. I was going to fire Comey regardless of recommendation, I was going to fire Comey. If that werent enough, President Trump also admitted that he asked Comey over that dinner if he was under investigation.

He admitted obstruction of justice right there on live national television! And the Republicans? Oh, nothing to see here, said Maher.

But later on during the program, the political satirist laid the blame for Comeygate on Bill Clinton. According to Maher, he is to blame because his tarmac tete-a-tete with then Attorney General Loretta Lynch during the campaign forced her to distance herself from the ongoing investigation (she did not fully recuse herself, however), leading to Comey being the mouthpiece for the ongoing probe into Hillary Clintons use of a private email server.

I dont think this is said enough. Bill Clinton a lot of this is because of Bill Clinton, said Maher. The reason why Comey had to say what he did is because the attorney general had to recuse herself because he walked on her plane. Lets not forget that. Bill Clinton, once again, fucked up his wifes life. Absolutely. Absolutely.

If Bill Clinton hadnt walked on Loretta Lynchs plane, then she wouldve been making the statement instead of Comey, Maher continued. Yes, [Comey] made a statement we didnt like, but he was given an almost impossible situation. Thats where we are: Bill Clinton. Lets put the blame where it belongs.
Beginning in April 2017, Minnesota suffered its worst measles outbreak in almost 30 years. By May 9, 50 people, mostly children under the age of 5 and almost all unimmunized, had contracted the disease; 11 were hospitalized. Most were American-born children of Somali immigrants. At the time of the outbreak, only 42 percent of the Somalis had been immunized against measles, compared with 88.5 percent of non-Somalis in the community. It hadnt always been that way. In 2004, 92 percent of the Somali population in Minnesota had been immunized, slightly more than the general community.

What happened?

Between 2004 and 2008, Somali parents living in Hennepin County, Minnesota, became concerned that some of their children were being diagnosed with autism and placed in special classes. What they didnt know was why.

The first to provide answers was a well-organized group of anti-vaccine activists who showed up at community health meetings, convincing Somali parents that their children had been harmed by the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. Immunization rates started to decline. By 2008, only 70 percent of the Somali population had received MMR, well below the 95 percent threshold required to provide herd immunity.

The internet and everyone in the community told me MMR causes autism, said one parent. Everybody is afraid.

Then a well-known anti-vaccine activist wrote a letter. In 2008, under the title An Open Letter to the Somali Parents of Minnesota, J. B. Handley, the founder of the anti-vaccine group Generation Rescue, urged Somali parents to declare a state of emergency within your community and create a new vaccine schedule for your kids. He told Somalis not to trust the Minnesota Department of Health: a puppet of the CDC.

Handley explained that Somali children were simply pawns in this unfortunate corrupt game. He warned parents that the Minnesota Department of Health was acting out of denial, corruption, and self-protection, and explained how parents could legally opt out of vaccinating their children.

In 2011, the inevitable happened. A 30-month-old U.S.-born child of Somali descent visited Kenya and contracted measles. When the child returned to Minnesota, the virus spread through the community, sickening 26 people. In the midst of this outbreak, Andrew Wakefield, the British researcher who had published a paper claiming that MMR caused autism, visited Hennepin County.

Since Wakefields publication in 1998, 17 studies performed in seven countries on three continents involving hundreds of thousands of children had all found that his hypothesis had been wrong. MMR didnt cause autism. Worse, when Wakefield was found to have misrepresented clinical and biological dataand had failed to inform his co-authors that he had received support from a Legal Services Commission in the midst of suing pharmaceutical companiesthe journal retracted his paper and the General Medical Council in England revoked his license to practice medicine.

Nonetheless, Wakefield continues to believe that he was right.

In December 2010 and twice in 2011, Wakefield held special meetings with Somali parents. At one gathering, an armed guard barred public health officials and the media from attending.

Later, when Wakefield was asked whether he felt any personal responsibility for the measles outbreak, he said, The Somalis had decided themselves that they were particularly concerned. I was responding to that. I dont feel responsible at all.

Attempts by anti-vaccine activists to influence the Somali parents of Minnesota havent ended with a letter from J.B. Handley or visits from Andrew Wakefield. In the midst of the current outbreak, another prominent anti-vaccine activist came to Minnesota to urge parents to resist attempts by public health workers to stop the spread of measles.

On April 30, 2017, Mark Blaxill, a Boston businessman and the author of a book claiming that vaccines were the cause of his own daughters autism, showed up in Hennepin County. At a meeting of about 90 people in a Somali-owned restaurant, Blaxill, to loud applause, said that the danger of measles was overstated and that parents should know the risks of the MMR vaccine before vaccinating their children.

When you hear people from the state public health department saying there is no risk, that [vaccines] are safe, this sort of thing should cause you to be skeptical, he said. Blaxill warned that the government had lied when it claimed that vaccines didnt cause autism.

Then he, like J. B. Handley before him, explained how parents could opt out of vaccines. Ive seen bullying by government agencies across the country, said Blaxill, especially targeting new immigrants, to make them feel that they have no other choice but to go along with an immunization schedule that, in my opinion, is too many too soon for many of these kids.

To date, the 2017 measles outbreak in Minnesota has involved 70 state workers and cost $207,000. On May 5, 2017, Doug Schultz, a spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Health, said, We think this could go on for several months.

One could reasonably argue that Wakefield and Blaxill, by putting Somali children in harms way, have abridged their First Amendment right to free speech.

In 1919, in the case of Schenck v. United States, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. considered the rights of a man who had been criminally charged with violating the Espionage Act for distributing flyers opposing the draft during World War I. Holmes wrote, The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man from falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic The question in every case is whether the words [and] circumstances create a clear and present danger.

In March 2011 and April 2017, when Wakefield and Blaxill visited Minnesota, measles was a clear and present danger. And measles can be deadly. Before the measles vaccine was first introduced in the United States in 1963, every year 48,000 children would be hospitalized with measles and 500 would die from the disease, either from dehydration, pneumonia, or encephalitis. Wakefield and Blaxill also met the criteria for falsely shouting fire in that their claims that vaccines cause autism are false.

In a better world, Blaxill and Wakefield, by visiting a community in the midst of an epidemic, offering false information about the consequences of vaccination, discouraging parents from vaccinating their children, and putting children at unnecessary risk, would be held accountable for their actions.

When someone falsely misleads others into danger, says Dorit Rubinstein Reiss, a law professor at the University of California Hastings College of Law, there can be legal consequences. In this case, I can think of a number of criminal offenses that might fit, and parents whose children were harmed may have a valid claim in torts.

Freedom of speech doesnt mean the freedom to say whatever you want wherever you wantthe consequences be damned.
By the time Robert Rauschenberg died in 2008 at the age of 82, he was considered one of the great American artists of the 20th century. He was known for his radical experimentation, his work across materials and mediums, and his effort to explore the boundaries of what constitutes art.

But in 1953, he was just a 28-year-old budding art world player in New York with lots of big, unconventional ideas. And one of those ideas was about to rile up the establishment and quite literally enact what would become his reputationan overthrowing of the old ideas as he ushered in the new. It would also earn him the moniker that would grace his biography for the rest of his lifehe became the enfant terrible of the New York art world.

In 1949, Rauschenberg arrived in New York City after a roundabout journey that took him from his childhood home in Port Arthur, Texas, to conscription in the military during WWII, to attending art school at programs around the world.
Arguably the greatest two hours of television aired on June 10, 1991, when ABC broadcast the finale to Twin Peaks second seasonand, as it turned out, to the series as a whole. Having lost a hefty chunk of its viewership after revealing the culprit behind its initial mystery (Who Killed Laura Palmer?) and meandering through a subsequent narrative involving dull psychopath Windom Earle (Kenneth Walsh), the show closed out its run with a peerlessly surreal, convention-defying masterpiece courtesy of its co-creator, David Lynch. Back at the helm following a lengthy absence, Lynch thrust the show into a morass of dark, delirious, surrealistic madness, roundly dispatching with Earle and, at hallucinogenic fever dreams end, having his protagonist, do-gooder FBI special agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan), become possessed by demonic evil. It was a cliffhanger send-off of astounding, perplexing terror and insanityand, in the process, it paved the way for our current era of auteur-driven prestige TV.

No surprise, then, that Twin Peaks is being revived by Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost, whove assembled most of the original cast for an 18-episode reboot, directed entirely by Lynch, premiering on Showtime beginning May 21. Its a perfectly timed resurrection, given that the airwaves are now awash in shows that are spiritually, if not literally, indebted to Lynchs TV masterpiece. From their visual daring, to their serialized whodunit narratives, to their distinctive directorial signatures, to their sprawling all-star casts, acclaimed series as varied as The Killing, The Knick, Mad Men, Fargo, Mr. Robot, and Breaking Bad all owe a debt to Twin Peaks, which illustrated the immense benefits ofand, to be fair, also the drawbacks togiving visionary storytellers free reign to create an expansive small-screen world in which to operate.

At its best, Twin Peaks was like Days of Our Lives as filtered through a bad acid trip, and its trailblazing idiosyncrasy emerged immediately, with its two-hour pilot on Sunday, April 8, 1990. That debut focused on the discovery of the corpse of local teen Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), and the start of an investigation carried out by Cooper alongside Twin Peaks sheriff Harry S. Truman (Michael Ontkean). Introducing a raft of wackadoo characters and their intertwined relationships, and full of sadistic murder and deviant sexual undertones, it was part murder mystery, part soap opera, and part eerie waking dream. As a tale about the strangeness, and ugliness, lurking beneath the cheery facade of every day American life, it resonated as a successor to Lynchs own 1986 noir thriller Blue Velvet. And it became an instant phenomenon, notching the 1989-1990 seasons highest ratings for a TV movie, and attracting a devoted fan base compelled to parse its every oddball encounter, weird symbolic gesture and Hardy Boys-ish twist.

If Twin Peaks managed to generate intense interest from the outset, it truly defined itself 11 days later, when it closed its third episode with Cooper taking a dreamy trip to a room (in what would later be known as The Black Lodge) with crimson curtains, a red zigzagging carpet, a leather couch and chair, and two ominous figures: Laura, and the diminutive, awkward-walking The Man From Another Place (Michael J. Anderson), both of whom spoke in a herky-jerky manner and articulated (overtly, and in whispers) further hints about the identity of Lauras killer. Coupled with an earlier dream of a one-armed man and a stringy-haired madman known as Bob (Frank Silva), it was an episode unlike anything ever seen on television, a descent into subconscious craziness that was jaw-dropping and head-scratching in equal measure.

The rest of Season 1 would never quite match that apex, and its 22-episode follow-up run in 1990-1991 only occasionally got close, as in a debut featuring a spectral giant, the seventh-episode reveal of Lauras killer, and the aforementioned, still incomparable series capper. All of those high watermark chapters were helmed by Lynch himself, whose imprint was so strong that its absence was, during the rambling middle section of the second season, all-too-noticeable. As such, Twin Peaks became something like a referendum on auteur-driven televisiona nascent form that, it was clear, only genuinely thrived when its creator was in full control. To delegate stewardship was an exercise in futility; a show born from such a unique mind, and crafted in such an incomparable style, couldnt sustain itself when handed over to collaboratorsa notion suggested more recently by The Knick, whose vitality was directly attributable to the ever-present contributions of director Steven Soderbergh.

Twin Peaks, however, didnt just prove the value of giving great cinematic artists the keys to the network (or, now, cable) kingdom; it also indicated that long-form narratives, rife with intricate mysteries and mythologies, and peppered with misdirections and clues, could create water-cooler hype and spawn fervent fan communities. With its manicured, off-kilter aesthetics, and its sudsy and oblique plotting, Twin Peaks was built for scrutiny and debate. It so teased viewers with sinister revelations to come that it practically begged to be dissected, scene by scene, frame by frame. Of course, die-hards ability to do so was considerably limited by the lack of an internetmaking one fear the inevitable episode-recap onslaught set to greet the shows return, which may diminish some of its cryptic power. Nonetheless, the original series determination to stoke heated conversation was key to its success, and a strategy expanded upon by everything from The X-Files and Lost to True Detective and The Leftovers, which were aided by a burgeoning online arena in which analysis could flourish.

There was, to be sure, another way Twin Peaks cast a shadow on all that followed. By not having a clearly mapped-out plan for concluding its mystery (and continuing on afterward), the showlike The X-Files and Lostbecame a case example of what happens when creative architects set about working without a guiding blueprint. Between Lynchs general disinterest in the resolution of Laura Palmers case (he always planned for it to be the hook for a more expansive tapestry), and the wayward course charted during its less-popular second season, the series demonstrated that no amount of goodwill, likeable characters or intriguing diversions could sustain a story proceeding without a clear idea of where it was headed.

Its a lesson thats since been heeded by many, such as Breaking Bad and Mad Men, which never overstayed their welcome. And its one also embraced by Lynch and Frost, whose revival will be a self-contained affair shot solely by Lynchproof, perhaps, that Twin Peaks didnt just influence many; it also learned a thing or two from its own mistakes.
Recent threat calls made to sacked AAP minister Kapil Mishra, purportedly from outside the country, are proof of the rise in the misuse of virtual numbers that allow scamsters to make calls using international phone numbers.

There are several online service providers through which virtual numbers can be bought, reveal senior cops (Picture for representation; Photo: K Asif)

By Shashank Shekhar: Sacked AAP minister Kapil Mishra alleged that he received threat calls from international numbers after he went against his own party, but it is likely that these threat calls were made within the country.

Security experts claim that the misuse of virtual numbers, enabling an user to make a call using international numbers, is on the rise and it is extremely difficult to crack such cases.

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According to law enforcement agencies, these internet-based calls were traditionally used by local businesses to deal with international clients but now criminals are using the same for cheating, blackmailing, extortion and other such purposes without coming under the radar of the cops.

"There are several cases of extortion, blackmailing and threat calls which were made through international numbers. Usually, in cases related to crime done over phone, we contact the service provider but in these cases, all the service providers are beyond the geographical boundary of our country and they usually do not furnish logs and details of the user," said a senior officer of crime branch of Delhi police.

Recently, a Nigerian national who was living in Delhi was arrested for duping people across India by posing as the employee of an international firm that procured seeds with medicinal values to cure diseases, including cancer. He was using virtual numbers to make his targets feel that they are getting calls from outside India.

"There are several online service providers through which virtual numbers can be bought. All one needs is a credit card for payment and the area code of location from where they want the calls to generate," said Triveni Singh, additional superintendent of police (UP-STF).

AVAILABLE FOR CHEAP

These virtual numbers can be bought for a few dollars and be kept for a year for only $30 (Rs 1,927). Many criminals are buying virtual numbers and making it almost impossible to track international calls.

Singh said all Indian hackers and criminals are using virtual numbers. "All the Nigerian scamsters living in India are using this technology. Even local gangs and techies have started using it. Intercepting and tracking these calls is the biggest challenge and regulatory authority must tighten the noose to keep a check on misuse of telephones," Singh said.

Other cyber experts claim that their investigation has revealed virtual numbers are also being used by terror outfits and even local eveteasers.

A girl from Ghaziabad had reported a case saying she was getting obscene messages and calls from international numbers. However, the caller was reportedly speaking in Hindi during the calls.

"This technology is economical and easy to use. And that is why so many jilted lovers and blackmailers are exploiting it. Local police usually give up the case after knowing that the call was made from an international number but such cases can be cracked using advance tools only," Cyber crime expert Kislay Choudhary explained.

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ALSO READ | Delhi schoolkids increasingly coming under attack from cyber bullies

ALSO READ | Kapil Mishra warns Arvind Kejriwal of another big expose which will 'rattle' people's trust in AAP

--- ENDS ---
Diageo adds to Johnnie Walker GTR range

Diageo has announced the release of Johnnie Walker Blenders' Batch Bourbon Cask & Rye Finish, a limited edition that will only be available in selected travel retail markets.

Johnnie Walker Blenders Batch Bourbon Cask & Rye Finish has been drawn from over 200 whisky samples, aged in first-fill bourbon casks and finished for up to six months in former rye casks. The release features whiskies from just five distilleries including Dufftown and the now closed Port Dundas.

The whisky is inspired by the time master blender Jim Beveridge spent blending bourbons and ryes in Kentucky in the 1990s. He says: Blended from just a handful of single malts and carefully chosen grain whiskies matured in first fill bourbon casks and finished in casks that formerly held rye whisky - Johnnie Walker Blenders Batch Bourbon Cask and Rye Finish is a rich, sweet, intensely honeyed and smooth Scotch Whisky, with the warming vanilla spiciness usually associated with the iconic Johnnie Walker Black Label. To my mind, it's the best of Scotch but with an exciting twist inspired by the best of traditional American whiskey flavours.

Dayalan Nayager, managing director, Diageo Global Travel says: The launch of Johnnie Walker Blenders Batch Bourbon Cask & Rye Finish is a welcome addition to the Scotch Whisky category in travel retail, made possible by the hundreds of ongoing flavour experiments and skill of the blending team at Johnnie Walker. This is an incredibly exciting time for Scotch Whisky and we believe the new blend will act as a signpost for those shoppers who want to explore the category.

Travellers are looking for brands that have discovery, authenticity, craftsmanship and real human stories behind them. Johnnie Walker has a truly unique story to tell and with the latest innovation in the Blenders Batch series, we are excited to offer our customers and consumers a glimpse into the constantly shifting world of flavour exploration from the biggest spirits brand in the channel.

The limited edition Johnnie Walker Blenders Batch Bourbon Cask & Rye Finish is the second release from the Blenders Batch series. It is available now in selected travel retail outlets globally, retailing at US$52.50/32.00 RRSP for a 1L bottle.

13 May 2017 - Sam Coyne The Drinks Report, news editor
The ninth annual Atticus Finch Day -- a gathering of the Brazos County legal community -- will be May 19 in Downtown Bryan in the atrium of the Brazos County Administration Building.

Shane Phelps, one of the co-creators of the yearly gathering, encouraged members of the public to attend the free event that begins at 11:30 a.m. Those interested in law or literature can see members of the Brazos County legal community come together and re-dedicate themselves to using their law degrees for the public's greater good, he said.

Phelps and Phil Banks, both of whom are Bryan-based attorneys, were inspired to create the party after a particularly venomous trial. Phelps, the prosecutor, had enraged Banks, the defense attorney, causing the two to nearly come to blows in front of the jury.

"I kind of flipped out," Banks said. "He and I got nose-to-nose."

On the trial's last day, Banks and Phelps both wore seersucker suits -- like those worn by Gregory Peck when he played Atticus Finch in the film version of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird -- to court, a coincidence Banks told jurors during his closing arguments was "not a scam."

The two men bonded over their love for perhaps the most famous lawyer in literature, and, eventually, created Atticus Finch Day.

"We can do a lot of good with our law degrees, and we don't have to kill each other in the process," Phelps said of the adversarial nature of the judicial system.

The speakers this year are Wallace B. Jefferson, former chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court, and Alice Oliver-Parrott, former chief justice of the First Court of Appeals.

Atticus Finch's reputation as a literary hero crusading for racial equality was tarnished in Lee's controversial Go Set a Watchman, a 2015 sequel (of sorts; it was written before as a first draft) to Mockingbird. Go Set a Watchman featured a racist Finch who attended a KKK meeting and advocated for segregation.

Phelps said he disliked Watchman -- though it did offer the lesson, he said, that, "sometimes our heroes aren't perfect" -- and that the namesake annual gathering was based on the Finch who influenced him and Banks to become lawyers, not the Finch portrayed in Lee's 2015 follow-up.

"We kind of ignore that book," he said.

Atticus Finch Day is hosted by The Law Office of Shane Phelps, P.C.; Banks and Banks, Attorneys at Law, P.C.; and The Brazos County Bar Association. Phelps said seersucker attire is encouraged but not required. For more information, call 979-775-4100.
Grinning widely, Mubarak Tukur said he has enjoyed "absolutely everything" about his time as a student of Texas A&M University.

Finally at the end of a two-year graduate program for epidemiology, Tukur said he is grateful for the "awesome" experience.

Tukur was one of nearly 900 graduate and undergraduate students from the Colleges of Architecture, Geosciences and Nursing and the School of Public Health to receive their degrees in Reed Arena on Friday afternoon.

A native of Nigeria, the 32-year-old Tukur said he will always look back fondly on his time at Texas A&M.

"Coming from a Third World country, everything was absolutely different," Tukur said. "Everything was efficient from the professors and they were very helpful. The students were very cooperative and the classes were well structured in such a way that you feel engaged."

Throughout the two-year program, Tukur said he particularly enjoyed getting the opportunity to take his lessons from the classroom out into the real world through the School of Public Health's partnerships with health departments around the state.

"It was an absolute blast," Tukur said.

As he looks toward his future, Tukur said he hopes to find work for a few years practicing what he has learned in a health department or clinic before returning to school to pursue a doctorate.

Preparing before the ceremony, geophysics major Annie Robison said it was "not sinking in yet" that her time at Texas A&M had come to a close. However, she said she doesn't have too much time to let the change settle in with the next step of her journey right around the corner.

Robison said she is set to attend Stephen F. Austin University, where she will pursue a graduate degree in hydrogeology -- putting her one step closer to her goal of working in the water welling industry.

Though she may be headed for a new academic experience, she said Friday's ceremony was made especially significant by the peers she was joined by.

"It's exciting to be here with the people I have known since literally the day I got here," Robison said. "It's amazing."

For geography major and Corps of Cadets member Ben Xu, he said finally reaching graduation was a "big relief."

"After four years of struggle, I'm finally here," Xu said.

It wasn't all bad though -- Xu said his favorite part of his time at A&M has been "taking classes from professors with different teaching styles and learning from them."

Xu said he plans to take a gap year before seeking a job where he can use the skills he learned at A&M in the oil industry.

During the ceremony, urban and regional planning major Madison Moore addressed her peers, congratulating them on their achievements and reminding them not to forget the impact their time in Aggieland had in shaping their early steps into adulthood.

"[Texas A&M is] the place we slept too little, we yelled until we lost our voices, we ate one too many pizza rolls and we glimpsed the limits of our perseverance," Moore said. "I do not think I'm alone in saying that I was surprised at how quickly I felt at home in Aggieland."

Going forward, she encouraged the recent graduates to "embody the values" of Texas A&M as they move into their careers.

In addition to the students who received degrees, 111 members of the Corps of Cadets were commissioned into various branches of the military by Texas A&M commandant Brig. Gen. Joe Ramirez.

Ramirez noted the ceremony took place near the 100-year anniversary of the class of 1917's missed graduation because of their service in World War I.

"Exactly 100 years ago, the entire class of 1917 opted to forgo graduation to show up as a class to serve our country in World War I," Ramirez said. "I can assure you that level of commitment continues to this day in the young men and women standing in front of you."

The final graduation ceremony will take place this morning in Kyle Field featuring the graduate and undergraduate students from the College of Engineering.
Manish Sisodia said that EC is over guaranteeing Electronic Voting Machines and vouching for its administrative safeguard while conducting elections, which cannot be guaranteed.

By Abhishek Anand: In the ongoing row over Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), Deputy CM Manish Sisodia on Saturday accused the Election Commission of India of over-guaranteeing EVMs.

Sisodia, who was a part of the all party meet at EC on Friday, said the EVMs can be tampered.

"The EC is over-guaranteeing their EVMs. They must remember that it is a man-made machine. The person who made it might have an excellent command over its engineering but at the same time, there are smarter persons who can tamper their EVMs," Sisodia said.

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The party is raising questions over EVMs since its humiliating defeats in Punjab and Goa and also in Delhi municipal elections.

He said the EC is also vouching for its administrative safeguard while conducting elections, which can not be guaranteed.

"The administrative safeguard the EC is talking about is the group of IAS and PCS officers who help them in conducting elections. They should remember that the same SDMs and DMs are seen politically influenced before and after elections and also many of them will be found indulged in corruption," Sisodia said.

Party MLA had recently presented a demo on hacking of EVM at the Delhi Assembly.

He also termed colleague Kapil Mishra's Satyagrah as a BJP backed protest.

"When our MLA Sanjeev Jha went to stage a protest outside Mishra's residence, the police arrested him. It seems like its BJP's backed protest," said Sisodia.

He accused Mishra, who was suspended from the party after accusing party supremo Arvind Kejriwal for accepting Rs 2 crore cash from minister Satyendra Jain, is not answering simple questions.

"Our MLA Jha is asking when did he go to CM's residence. Also, was Jain present there before he arrived or he came later. He is not answering simple questions," said Sisodia.

Also Read

Kapil Mishra offered no concrete 'documents' to back bribery allegation against Arvind Kejriwal: ACB sources

AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyender Jain top list of foreign tours taken by ministers

--- ENDS ---
Support from Texas A&M faculty and students continued to mount for philosophy teacher Tommy Curry on Friday, two days after the university president issued a statement characterizing remarks made in 2012 by the tenured professor as disturbing and in stark contrast to Aggie values.

Within 24 hours, roughly 800 from the A&M community had signed a petition started by graduate students on the advocacy website Change.org to show support for Curry and disappointment in A&M President Michael K. Young's handling of the situation. Petition organizers say Young mischaracterized Curry's comments and exacerbated the situation by legitimizing "dangerous and harmful rhetoric against a black professor at Texas A&M."

"As members of the Texas A&M community, Aggies and former students, particularly those of us who identify as Aggies of color, we are deeply alarmed and saddened by President Young's decision to not support Dr. Curry in the face of these attacks," the petition states, pointing out that the professor has received racist and threatening emails and messages through social media.

The petition calls on A&M officials to embody the principles they have espoused in their various climate and inclusion campaigns and to support Curry's right to engage in public scholarship on issues of racial justice.

Young, who was participating in several graduation ceremonies on both Thursday and Friday, could not be reached for comment either day.

Though Young's statement -- which was emailed to students and posted online late Wednesday evening -- doesn't name Curry, it clearly was referring to the old podcast that went viral this week after American Conservative published a story online.

The story includes the recording in which Curry is being interviewed by a SiriusXM talk show host about comments made by Jamie Foxx, a comedian and actor who portrayed a freed slave seeking revenge in the movie Django Unchained. American Conservative failed to provide context and instead framed Curry's statements with sensational language he never used, the petition states.

The recording unfolded over a less than 5-minute interview in which Curry gives analysis over the controversy surrounding the 2012 film, but, the petition states, his remarks were used to fuel a politically and racially motivated character assassination.

What prompted the magazine to publish the 4 1/2 -year-old recording wasn't immediately clear.

Curry said he declined to be interviewed on a Fox News show Monday evening and within hours the magazine had plucked a few comments from the show and added commentary to an online story titled "When is it OK to kill whites?"

Curry never advocates violence during the interview nor does he answer that question, though the SiriusRadio show that was posted to YouTube with audio and still photographs is titled "Dr. Tommy Curry on killing whites."

Curry since has told the The Eagle that his comments were in line with a scholarly discussion related to a joke Foxx made while promoting the movie in which he referenced killing whites. At no point did Curry endorse what Foxx said, rather, he attempt to explain why Foxx's comments were relevant and worth discussing.

The research Curry does with Africana studies has been awarded repeatedly and he's considered an expert in his field.

Young's statement acknowledged that academic freedom allowed the professor to make those remarks, and that while the First Amendment protects the rights of all to offer their personal views, "no matter how reprehensible those views may be," it also protects freedom of speech.

"We stand for equality. We stand against the advocacy of violence, hate and killing. We firmly commit to the success, not the destruction, of each other," Young states, going on to say he wished no violence or harm against those who espouse hateful views.

Curry said the writer of the American Conservative article followed up after the firestorm hit, saying he didn't believe Curry was encouraging black people to "go out today and cut throats."

However, the writer said, Curry is entertaining "dangerous thoughts here, same as far-right white radicals."

Curry said those words are a stunning indictment to Young's letter and that the university's reaction seemed to be a "racially motivated witch-hunt" designed to intimidate and deter black professors at research institutions.

A letter written to The Eagle and signed by 14 professors at Texas A&M, including Jose Luis Bermudez, starts by expressing "strong support" for Curry and the disappointment at the lack of support from A&M for a faculty member undergoing widespread vilification on social media.

"We work in many different philosophical traditions," the letter -- which will be published in Sunday's edition of The Eagle -- states. "Some of us endorse pacifism and non-violence, while others endorse violence in self-defense or as a means to end injustice. But all of us think that there are important debates to be had on the role of violence, and that these are well within the mission of the university."
Contrary to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's announcement that India will have a representative at the Belt and Road Forum, few reports suggest that India will skip China's high-profile summit.

By Press Trust of India: India will skip China's high-profile One Belt One Road summit beginning here on Sunday in view of sovereignty concerns related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the initiative that is expected to play a dominant role in the two-day meet.

While there is no official word, informed sources told PTI that India will not take part in the meet, contrary to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's announcement that India will have a representative at the Belt and Road Forum (BRF), a prestigious initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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It was a tough call for India to make as China in the last few days has managed to rope in a number of western countries, including the US, which on Friday agreed to send a top official after Washington clinched a lucrative trade deal.

Playing down India's absence at the meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told the media on Friday that "Indian scholars" would be attending the meeting.

COUNTRIES PARTICIPATING IN ONE BELT ONE ROAD SUMMIT

Japan, at the receiving end of strong criticism from China in the last few years, particularly over the disputed islands in the East China Sea, has also agreed to send a high-level political delegation that includes a vice-minister.

The May 14-15 summit, which is expected to strengthen Xi's power base as he gets set to begin his second five-year tenure later this year, will be attended by 29 heads of state and government, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A number of other countries, including South Korea, France, Germany and UK, have deputed either ministerial or official delegations.

Considering CPECs importance in the plan - it is the only project at present with prospects of delivering early results - Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to take centrestage to highlight its significance as a game changer for his country.

He is leading perhaps the largest delegation - four chief ministers and five federal ministers.

ONLY SHARIF AND RANIL WICKRAMASINGHE

China-Pakistan Friendship Association President Sha Zukang has told the official media that China has already committed USD 46 billion Chinese investments for various energy and infrastructure related projects in Pakistan.

Besides Sharif, the only head of government to be represented at the summit will be Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe who will be attending the meeting after hosting his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at home.

Sri Lanka has over USD 8 billion Chinese investments.

From Nepal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Krishna Bahadur Mahara will lead the delegation. Bangladesh and the Maldives will also have official representations. Bhutan has no diplomatic relations with China.

China, too, protested India's decision to permit the Dalai Lama last month to visit Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as South Tibet.In the last few days, China has tried to assuage India's feelings by asserting that the commercial corridor will not have any impact on its stand that the Kashmir issue should be settled by India and Pakistan through dialogue.

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About B & R, Indian officials maintain that New Delhi has objections related only to the CPEC traversing through Gilgit and Baltistan of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) though the project is of strategic concern.

India's worries over a 3,000-km long project connecting Pakistan's deep-water port Gwadar and China's Xinjiang stem from the fact Gwadar, which was taken over by the Chinese, will become a future naval base.

The Gwadar port opposite the Mumbai's port housing the Indian Navy's western naval command provides a berth for China in the Arabian Sea and to the Indian Ocean.

China has already announced plans to station its marines there as well in Djibouti in Horn of Africa in Indian Ocean.

Also Read

It's time to take economic competition from India seriously: China think tank

China has vested interest in mediating between India, Pakistan on Kashmir, says Chinese daily Global Times

--- ENDS ---
Des Moines County Supervisors to grant conservation funding request

The increase will allow Des Moines County Conservation to restore the full-time naturalist position needed to run summer camps.
By Press Trust of India: From Shirish B Pradhan

Kathmandu, May 13 (PTI) Nepal is set to hold its first local-level polls in two decades tomorrow that are crucial for cementing democracy amid political turmoil in the country.

Altogether 4.9 million voters are eligible to cast their votes in the first phase of elections.

The first round of elections in provinces 3, 4 and 6 and the second round in provinces 1, 2, 5 and 7 will be held on May 14 and June 14 respectively.

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The absence of elected representatives in the local bodies for more than 15 years obstructed development in the villages and towns across the country including the capital city Kathmandu.

Local-level elections could not be held after 1997 largely as a result of the decade-long Maoist insurgency that claimed more than 16,000 lives.

The elections will take place across Nepal after a gap of 20 years. They should be held in every five years but due to political instability, they were halted since May 1997.

Local bodies remained ignored during the long transitional period even after the peace deal signed between the government and the Maoists in November 2006.

Prime Minister Prachanda today appealed to the eligible voters to use their sovereign voting rights by casting votes.

"I urge all the electors to participate in this historic local-level election and use their sovereign voting rights. In a democracy, people can exercise their sovereign rights through election," Prachanda said in a statement.

"On the one hand, the local polls have stood as a linkage to direct Nepals peace process to a logical conclusion, while on the other, it can be looked upon as a milestone to end the unitary and centralised governing system and establish federal governance," Prachanda said.

This election will open door for meting out the rights and resources centralised at Singha Durbar (central government secretariat) to peoples doorstep, the prime minister said.

Nepals Supreme Court last week reinstated the countrys first woman chief justice Sushila Karki and directed Parliament to halt her impeachment as the tussle between the legislature and the judiciary took a dramatic turn.

Just hours after the Supreme Courts interim order, Chief Justice Karki returned to office.

As a fallout of the impeachment motion, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Bimalendra Nidhi had resigned over his dissatisfaction with the move.

Also, Nepals Rastriya Prajatantra Party had quit the Prachanda-led government, a day after withdrawing its support to it over the impeachment motion against Karki.

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Karki had assumed office as Nepals first woman Chief Justice on August 1 last year.

The developments come at a time when the ruling coalition struggled to secure a two-thirds majority to pass the Constitution amendment bill.

Nepal has been witnessing political instability.

Although major Madhesi group -- the Rastriya Janata Party Nepal -- has decided to boycott the first phase of polls, two other Madhesi parties -- Federal Socialist Party and Madhesi Peoples Forum Democratic -- would participate in the polls.

Six Madhesis on Tuesday joined Prachandas council as ministers, in a move seen as a shot in the arm for the Nepal government.

Some Madhes-centric parties have opposed the elections until the Constitution is amended to accommodate their views: more representation in parliament and redrawing of provincial boundaries.

The Nepal government has tabled a new Constitution amendment bill in the Parliament to address the demands of the agitating Madhesi parties.

Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, launched a prolonged agitation between September 2015 and February last year against the implementation of the new Constitution which they felt marginalised the Terai community. PTI SBP CPS ASK CPS

--- ENDS ---

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The sea of royal purple gowns and gold cords stood out in the hallways during passing period at Barr Middle School on Friday.

Former Barr students, who will graduate from Grand Island Senior High on Sunday, came back to their old school one last time before moving onto adulthood.

About 20 students spoke to current Barr Middle School students about what high school is like. They also took a quick tour of the new additions to the building.

Oh my gosh, where did all this room come from? one soon-to-be graduate said during the tour.

Many of the high school students agreed that the building looked much different from when they attended. The middle school has a whole new wing of classrooms and a new gym.

It feels like just yesterday we were here, and now were done, senior Erika Ascencion said.

Being in their old middle school, looking back right before they would take their next step forward, was reminiscent. In addition to Barr, two other groups of seniors went to Westridge and Walnut middle schools.

Jeff Gilbertson, Grand Island Senior High principal, was along for the students visit to Barr. This is the first time seniors have done something like this.

The idea, Gilbertson said, stemmed from a meeting with the senior class officers.

The senior class officers said, We want to pay it forward. How can we pay it forward? he said.

Gilbertson said the original idea was to visit all the elementary and middle schools, but he compromised with the officers just to visit the middle schools. He said it would be better to start small and grow into visiting all the schools.

He said an event like this is important because it gives younger students a chance to learn about what they can expect directly from their peers and students who have just experienced it. He said the middle school students can look to the seniors and think, Thats the goal; thats the next step, especially when theyre wearing their caps and gowns.

It kind of proves a point that students like to talk to students, Gilbertson said. Its about the purpose.

That purpose includes inspiring and motivating students.

Ascension said some of her best advice to the middle school students was to stay motivated throughout high school.

Right when you get into high school, kick it into gear, Ascencion said.

Selena Schilewski agreed with Ascencion and said that students shouldnt slack in high school because grades do matter.

Hayley Lopez said she wanted to speak to the middle school students about bullying. She said her sister goes to Barr currently, so she has heard about some of the bullying that goes on.

Be accepting of everyone, Lopez said. Everyone comes from different backgrounds.

While speaking to a class of eighth-graders, Sienna Kunze and Reagan Bowen said GISH is a very big school, and it can be hard to find your way around, but its nothing to worry about. Bowen said she cried after her first day of high school because she only knew one person in her classes, and she wasnt even friends with that person.

Kunze said though the students may not know a lot of people going into high school, theres a lot of academic freedom in choosing which classes you want to take and what clubs you want to join. She said joining those extracurriculars, such as mock trial, helped her make new friends.

Its OK to go make new friends and figure out who you want to be, Kunze said.
Nebraskas beef industry, along with Gov. Pete Ricketts, reacted favorably to the announcement that the Trump administration has reached an agreement with China to restore market access for U.S. beef.

Nebraska Cattlemen President Troy Stowater said, Nebraskas beef producers have been waiting for this moment for 13 years.

Ricketts also welcomed Chinas announcement to allow U.S. beef into the Chinese marketplace again.

As governor, I, along with my team at the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, have worked to forge relationships with the Chinese government and business community to help grow Nebraska in the Chinese marketplace, Ricketts said.

In 2015, Ricketts visited Beijing to urge the Chinese government to reopen the Chinese market to American beef. In 2016, he led a trade mission to China in anticipation of the market re-opening.

Steve Nelson, Nebraska Farm Bureau president, said the announcement was welcomed news for Nebraskas beef industry.

As a top producer of beef, Nebraska has much to gain from a market estimated to be worth $2.6 billion. Nelson said. With Nebraska beef exports alone reaching $1.126 billion last year, Nebraskas cattlemen and women stand ready to meet the growing demand in this new market.

Stowater said Chinese officials have been in Nebraska numerous times over many years to learn more about Nebraskas beef industry. He said Nebraska Cattlemen members have stepped up repeatedly to help foster a growing relationship with China.

Last fall, then-NC President Barb Cooksley and then-NCBA President-Elect Craig Uden helped host a Chinese delegation focused on resuming market access for U.S. beef. The Chinese witnessed firsthand how Nebraskas producers are able to deliver some of the best beef grown in the world.

Last November, Stowater participated in a Nebraska delegation to China, led by Ricketts. Stowater said the trips primary focus was reopening market access.

This successful trip helped Chinese officials gain confidence in restoring beef trade between the two countries, Stowater said.

Last year, Nebraska led the nation in commercial red meat production and in commercial beef slaughter, according to the USDAs National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Nebraska slaughter plants last year produced 8.007 billion pounds of commercial red meat compared to 7.475 billion pounds in 2015. Iowa was second in the nation at 7.005 billion pounds.

Also according to the USDA, Nebraska retained its No. 1 position as the nations leading cattle-slaughtering state.

Last year, the USDA reported Nebraska slaughterhouses killed 7.237 million head of cattle compared to 6.580 million head in 2015. The 7.237 million head equaled 10.265 billion pounds compared to 9.394 billion pounds in 2015. The average slaughter weight was 1,420 lbs. in 2016.

Last year, the USDA reported that Nebraska gross income from cattle and calves was $10.986 billion, which was down from $12.566 billion in 2015. Nebraska ranked No. 1 in the nation in gross income from cattle and calves.

According to Nebraska Department of Agriculture Director Greg Ibach, Nebraska officials have been anticipating this announcement and have already been working to build key partnerships in China for Nebraska beef.

We will be reaching out to our states beef community to ensure that we continue to position Nebraska to play a key role in the Chinese market, Ibach said.

According to the Governors Office, NDAs International Trade Officer Stan Garbacz will be in China next week to ensure that the state maximizes the potential opportunity.

The Chinese market has been closed since 2003. At the time of closure, Chinese beef imports were $64 million, which has since grown to $2.5 billion in 2016.

Ricketts said, as the nations leader in commercial red meat production and the No. 1 exporter of U.S. beef, Nebraska stands to benefit greatly.

China, along with many other countries, imposed the ban in 2003 when a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also called mad cow disease, was confirmed in a cow in the U.S.

With a population of more than 1.3 billion people, China presents a huge potential market for U.S. beef. By comparison, the U.S. population is 324 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Over the past 10 years, Japan, with a population of 127 million, has been the biggest importer of U.S. beef.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, China, in 2016, was Nebraskas fourth-largest trading partner with a trade value of $472 million.

Stowater said because of the numerous beef slaughter facilites in Nebraska, such as Grand Islands JBS plant, this announcement will impact Nebraska beef producers more than any other state in the U.S. Currently, product equivalent of 2600 head of cattle is exported worldwide from Nebraska every day.

According to Stowater, Chinas middle class has grown exponentially in recent years. By 2022, an estimated 73 percent of Chinas population will be middle class. Presently, the Chinese people eat roughly 12 pounds of beef per year. However, research has long shown that, as disposable income grows, people tend to consume more protein.

According to the Trump administration, Stowater said there is one more round of technical consultations before U.S. beef arrives in China by July 16, 2017.
Interstate 80 will be full of motorcyclists Saturday, heading to Grand Island for the ninth annual Nebraska Law Ride.

Together, they will attend a ceremony at 4 p.m. at the Nebraska Law Enforcement Memorial on the grounds of Fonner Park. The ceremony will be held rain or shine.

Riders will depart from Sidney at 8:30 a.m. MDT, North Platte at 12:30 p.m., Omaha at 11 a.m. and Lincoln at 1:30 p.m.

The goal is to show support for law enforcement. Proceeds benefit the Law Enforcement Memorial Project.

The ride is open to the public, and all vehicles are welcome.

Riders from the eastern and western parts of the state will gather in the parking lot of the Walmart on South Locust. They will depart at about 3:30 p.m. for the ceremony at the memorial.

The ride is hosted by Omahas River City Chapter of the Iron Warriors Motorcycle Club.

An after-party will take place at Boarders Inn and Suites in Grand Island.

A total of $3,386.40 was raised at last years Nebraska Law Ride, bringing the eight-year total to $27,973.82. Funds raised continue to pay for the perpetual upkeep, improvements to the memorial and the engraving of additional names.

The event is part of National Police Memorial Week, which runs Sunday through May 20.

In the Omaha area, people will register at Dillon Brothers Harley-Davidson from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m.

In Lincoln, registration runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Frontier Harley-Davidson.

Sidney participants will register at Cabelas from 7 to 8:15 a.m. MDT.

In North Platte, registration will be from 11 a.m. to noon at Budke Powersports.

Donations are always accepted for the upkeep of and improvements to the memorial. Checks may be made to Nebraska Law Enforcement Memorial and sent to the Nebraska Law Enforcement Memorial in care of Jones Bank, P.O. Box 469, Seward, NE 68434.
Birth announcement

FOULK  To Matt and Leanne (Klemsz) Foulk of Omaha, a son born April 26, 2017, at Lakeside Hospital in Omaha. Grandparents are Steve and Lynn Foulk of Grand Island and Dan and Amy Smith of Lincoln. Great-grandparents are Gerald and Karen Foulk and John and Carmen Boord, all of Grand Island, and Richard and LaLanne Drake and Marge Smith, all of Lincoln.

Police/Sheriff

Anyone with information about any crime in the state may call the Grand Island-Hall County Crime Stoppers, (308) 381-8822. Callers will remain anonymous.

A reward of up to $1,000 will be paid after law enforcement agencies have determined the seriousness of the crime and the usefulness of the information.

Inmate custody status can be obtained by calling the VINE hotline at (877) NE 4 VINE or by visiting www.vinelink.com. Information is available 24 hours a day.

If you see a crime happening, call the Grand Island-Hall County Emergency Center  911.

Grand Island Police

The following felonies were reported:

- Latosha Mullen reported a vehicle theft Thursday morning at 660 Kennedy Drive.

Hall County Sheriff

Law enforcement arrested four people on warrants in five cases. There were 22 calls for service.

For more information visit www.hallcountyne.gov and click on the sheriff link.

- Fernando Brito of Wood River reported Wednesday afternoon that $2,000 in cash was stolen from a students wallet out of his locker.

Court report

Hall County District Court

- Robin Montanez, 22, address listed as 105 Villa Mar Dee Ave. and 704 Colorado Ave., Hastings, had his probation revoked (original offense attempt of a Class 2 felony), two to four years in jail with credit for 45 days. Also guilty of failure to appear when on bail for a felony, one to two years in jail with credit for 15 days. Sentences will be concurrent.

- Kathryn Smith, 46, Nebraska Correctional Center in York, theft by shoplifting totaling $0 to $500, third or subsequent offense, one to two years in jail and ordered to pay $135.84 in restitution.

- Taylor Grey, 31, homeless, carrying a concealed weapon, first offense, 18 months probation, $630 probation fee; possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person, four years probation, and failure to appear when on bail for a felony, four years probation.

- Jose Hernandez Otero, 31, 205 E. 10th St., third-degree sexual assault of a child, 90 days in jail with credit for five days served, five years probation and $2,100 probation fee.

- Beau Tedford, 22, homeless, failure to appear when on bail for a felony, one to two years in jail. Also guilty of obstructing a peace officer, one year in jail. Sentences will be served concurrently.

- Todd A. Friedrickson, 30, 518 W. 12th St., had his probation revoked (original offense possession of a controlled substance), 365 days in jail with credit for 235 days served, post-release supervision 12 months.

Hall County Court

- Kerry L. Garcia, 49, listed as both homeless and a resident of 1419 W. John, guilty of four counts of theft by shoplifting totaling $0 to $500, second offense, 24 months probation for each. Also ordered to pay $96.20 restitution.

- Catrina R. Schrock, 39, 2120 O St., Aurora, was charged with committing theft by unlawful taking totaling $1,500 to $5,000 on Nov. 22.

- James L. Jensen, 21, 609 High St., Cairo, was charged with committing third-degree sexual assault of a child on March 30. Arraignment set for 1:30 p.m. May 24.
A hearty Saturday Salute goes this week to the 24 new American citizens who were welcomed at a naturalization ceremony Thursday at Walnut Middle School.

These 24 new Americans were born in more than 10 other countries and most of them didnt speak English when they first arrived in the U.S.

But they have gone through the upheaval of moving to another country, learning about the culture, learning to speak English and just generally doing what it takes to become a good citizen.

As District Judge Richard G. Kopf, the keynote speaker for the ceremony, said, America is a melting pot of people from many different countries around the world.

But virtually all of us have our forefathers and foremothers to thank for the traumatic task of immigration, said Kopf, who is of German ancestry.

He noted the risks our ancestors took and the risks these 24 new citizens took to come to this country.

These new citizens have lived in the U.S. for many years, but we welcome them to full citizenship and encourage them to take advantage of the benefits and responsibilities that come with that citizenship, including voting.

Genoa investing in rec facilities

We also salute the community of Genoa, which has done so much over the past few years to improve the quality of life of its citizens and visitors with a new swimming pool, three ball diamonds and improved park shelters and camping facilities. Now it is continuing that work and addressing safety issues by building a trail that will loop around the ballfields at the city park.

A grant from Nebraska Game and Parks is helping with the trail project, but the community of about 1,000 people is contributing 20 percent of the cost. And that comes after it raised more than $800,000 for its ballfield project.

The city hopes a second phase to the current project will include a trail leading down to the Loup River, over the river and continuing on the other side. Officials plan to seek a grant to help fund that phase, as well.

Small-town Nebraska is alive and well because our states communities continue to find ways to complete projects like this.

Congrats and good luck, grads

A salute also goes to all the high school seniors who are graduating this weekend in Grand Island and those who graduated from Central Catholic High School last weekend.

They have much to celebrate as they have done all the work to complete their high school education and now are making plans for the future, whether that will be continued education, military service or entering the full-time workforce.

We celebrate with them and encourage them to continue to be lifelong learners. Their lives as adults are beginning and they are the key to our communitys, our states and our countrys future success.
Chefs Shoppe representatives spent a day with public safety officials at the Edwardsville Fire Department.

The locally-owned independent business on Tuesday sharpened both the Edwardsville Police Departments and the fire departments knives with a knife-sharpening machine all afternoon to show appreciation for their services.

Co-owner Scott Schneider said this service just seemed like the right thing to do to show appreciation to the public safety departments.

Its just a thing we felt like was a good thing to do. We have a knife-sharpening machine and everybody needs sharp knives to work, he said.

Schneider said this initiative not only shows Chefs Shoppes appreciation for the public safety departments, but also the community for supporting the business for 20 years and counting.

Part of it was we wanted to do something for the community and return the appreciation of us being in business for 20 years. So weve tried to come up with ideas that we could kind of pay back to the communities. Weve done some stuff with the senior center, the Watershed Nature Center; weve done Meals on Wheels. Weve got several other activities planned over the next couple of weeks, leading up to our celebration which is May 27th, Schneider said. Well have a tent out in the parking lot. It will be invitation only. Well be serving free food and have a prize wheel and all kinds of stuff like that.

This was the first time Chefs Shoppe has put on a knife-sharpening service for public officials. Schneider said the store would consider doing this again in the future, along with other volunteer projects as well.

If you live in a community, you need to be a part of the communityMy wife and I, as well as a lot of the employees at the shop, volunteer for all kinds of things. We helped build the Rotary playground, we helped with the Halloween parade  we just get out in the community and participate in it, he said.

Both fire and police staff gathered at the fire department, bringing in knives used on-the-job, in the kitchen or break rooms, or from home.

The service was free to all.

Edwardsville Police Chief Jay Keeven said the EPD is grateful for this service and the other support theyve received from the community thus far.

We receive so much support from our community and from the business community. Its just another nice way that our community has shown support for the first responders. Its a very unique way. Most of our officers and some of our firefighters carry knives with them. We do have knives in the fire kitchens and the break room. Its a nice service, something that we need, Keeven said.

Edwardsville Fire Department Captain James Whiteford said this service is also very beneficial to the fire staff, especially considering the time they spend at the department.

We really appreciate them coming out and offering their service to us. Its a big help for us. We do live here, so we have kitchen utensils. Part of those utensils are having knives, which occasionally need to be sharpened. Were thankful for this opportunity and grateful for the support they are showing public servants, he said.

Chefs Shoppe opened in January, 2006, before moving to its current location in July of 2009. The Shoppe is located at 2320 Troy Road in Schnucks Plaza near Target in Edwardsville. For more information about the store, visit its website at www.chefsshoppe.com or call 618-659-9840.
Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister Dinesh Sharma after a meeting on Friday decided to declare Saturday as no school bag day.

By India Today Web Desk: Trying to take load off students, BJP government in Uttar Pradesh has decided to declare Saturdays as "no school bag day" in all government run primary and secondary schools.

A party official said that on Saturday students would engage in fun activities, which would enhance the relationship with their teachers.

Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister Dinesh Sharma gave a go ahead to this suggestion. The BJP also plans to encourage co-education in these institutions.

advertisement

NEW RULES FOR TEACHERS

The Education Department officials met on Friday and decided that the power of settling disputes in management committees would no longer rest with the manager of the school but with the Registrar of such societies.

Principal Secretary (Secondary Education) has been directed by Dinesh Sharma to repave a proposal within a week and send it to him for approval.

A directive has also been issued not to put school teachers and the staff on census, election duties and also during natural calamities.

The Bharatiya Janata Party government, soon after taking over the reins of the state had declared that it was committed to improve the education system.

(With inputs from IANS)

Also Read

No school bags, homework for classes I and II, directs CBSE

Say bye to heavy school bags; Government proposes new guidelines

--- ENDS ---
In recognition of National Historic Preservation Month, Edwardsvilles Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) will showcase some of Edwardsvilles historic buildings in a series of articles during the month of May.

529 Hillsboro Avenue

This beautiful Italianate home on the corner of Hickory and Hillsboro was built in the early 1890s by Elliot Breeze Glass as an investment property. Glass was a prominent attorney who lived a block down the street in another historic Edwardsville home still in existence, 647 Hillsboro Avenue.

Glass regularly invested in real estate, and at one time, among other properties, owned most of the lots on Hickory Street. He purchased lots 2, 3, and 9 together in 1876, which today are represented by the addresses of 529 Hillsboro, 215 Hickory and 217 Hickory. He didnt build on the lots until 1891 when he took out a mortgage of $4,300 on the three lots to build the house on Hillsboro. A notice in the Intelligencer announced that he rented it to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Judy in November 1891.

Soon after, Glasss trouble began. His mortgage was with the Prickett Bank which folded in 1897. Unbeknownst to Glass, during the closing of the bank, his mortgage, by then down to a little over $1,700, was sold to Mary Warner, the widow of Pricketts former partner. Glass continued making his payments at the bank, not knowing his note had been sold, and the bank accepted his money without telling him of that rather significant detail. Glass found out when Warner foreclosed on the property. He countersued, but lost. The property was purchased at public auction by a railroad man, John P. Smith, and his wife Isabelle in 1899. They lived there with their daughters for only a couple of years before moving to Pennsylvania. The first long-term owner/occupier of the house was Dr. Joseph Hirsch.

A native of Wisconsin, Joseph Hirsch was born in 1873. After graduating from high school he taught school for three years before moving to St. Louis where he attended medical school. He set up his Edwardsville practice in 1900. Two years later, he met his wife, Justine Tyne Servoss, who came to him as a patient. Known as Tyne, she was born in Edwardsville in 1873, one of three children of John and Anna Brown Servoss. The Servoss family had moved to St. Louis about 1900, but came back regularly to visit family. On one of those visits, she became ill and was taken to Dr. Hirsch. They were married in St. Louis in 1904, a quiet home wedding, simple but elegant. The Hillsboro Avenue house was purchased a few months before the wedding.

In 1916, Joseph and Tyne Hirsch built a second house on their property at what is now 215 Hickory Street. Tynes sister, Iva, had been living in Chicago, but when she divorced her husband, Dan McAlister, she returned to Edwardsville with her daughter Josephine. The Hickory Street house became her home. She had a beauty parlor in the house which provided support for herself and her daughter.

The Hirsch family was active in social affairs, and particularly in activities surrounding St. Andrews Episcopal Church, but Tyne was often ill with continued problems regarding her heart. She died in 1937 at the age of 63 after several years of confinement. During her illness she was assisted by her husband and a nurse, Miss Mary Pleasant. Mary was so dedicated to Tyne that she refused to leave her side in her last days, even though she herself came down with a cold and pneumonia. Mary died the day after Mrs. Hirsch. Both were buried at Woodlawn Cemetery.

After his wifes death, Dr. Hirsch lived alone in the big house at 529 Hillsboro until 1940 when his sister-in-law sold her house at 215 Hickory and, with her daughter and son-in-law, moved in with Dr. Hirsch.

Joseph Hirsch died in a fatal car accident in 1946. He was on his way home from a call to Hamel when it is believed he fell asleep at the wheel. The doctor had been working 16-18 hour days due to the shortage of physicians during the war. Tynes sister died the previous year, in 1945, so the estate was left to her daughter, Mrs. Josephine May, who was already living in the house with her husband, Calvin.

It is believed the house was divided into apartments when the Mays moved in with Dr. Hirsch because after that there were always multiple tenants in the house. Calvin and Josephine May owned the house until 1981, but didnt live in it after the mid-1950s. During many of those years there were three tenants, one in the walk-out basement flat, another on the first floor and a third on the second floor. Vincent & Bernadine Meek moved into the house in the early 1960s and purchased it in 1981. They also moved out shortly after purchasing the house. Afterwards the property was used primary for rental income, even spending a few years as a fraternity house.

Stylistically, this house and the house at 104 Springer (see Thursdays paper) are both Italianate, but the details reveal how the Italianate style changed over time. The house on Springer has a major Greek Revival element, which was a style in fashion concurrent with the early parts of the Italianate period; whereas the house on Hillsboro has Classical detailing, which was coming into fashion towards the end of the Italianate period. Most striking in this house is the long curved porch with Doric columns and a classical cornice with dental mouldings. Many of the original double-hung windows are intact although some on the west side were destroyed a number of years ago in a storm. The distinctive wood detailing on the exterior of this house is painted in a polychrome fashion that make this home a standout.

This home is in need of renovation to preserve all of its delightful character and charm. Fortunately it was recently sold, and the new owners have already started the process of restoring this beautiful home.

Information for this article was obtained from resources at the Madison County Archival Library, the Madison County Recorder and Probate Offices, Edwardsville Public Library and from current and previous owners. Architectural information is provided by architect Jennifer Plocher Wilkins. If you have questions about this article, contact Cindy Reinhardt at 618-656-1294 or cynreinhardt@yahoo.com.
When Sarah Smith graduated from Edwardsville High School in 1994, she couldnt have known she would become the first Illinois National Guard Military Judge.

But that distinction came recently, after Smith had achieved the rank of Lt. Col. and had become a judge in the Family Division in the Third Judicial Circuit.

But once she had graduated from high school, Smith didnt waiver about her career choice. Her grandfather had been a World War II vet, and an uncle had made a career of serving the Navy. Her father spent his career as a lineman.

He pretty much said, You know, if you want to go to college, youre going to have to figure out how to put yourself through, she recalled during a recent phone interview.

After graduation, Smith enlisted in the military and became a light-vehicle/power generator mechanic. The GI Bill helped her pay for an undergraduate from Milliken University and, later, a law school degree. I knew I had to find a way to do it, and the military was absolutely the most attractive way to go, she says.

Smith became a military attorney, gaining experience as a prosecutor and as defense counsel. She was mobilized for the first time in 2005 in support of Hurricane Katrina. And there were stints in Kosovo and Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

In 2015, she was chosen over 49 applicants to become an Associate Judge in Madison County. Today she presides over the child support docket and is one of the judges who oversees the domestic violence accountability court. She also handles divorce cases and other family matters.

Smith recently returned to Edwardsville after spending three weeks in Charlottesville, Va. She graduated from the 60th Military Judge Course at the Judge Advocate Generals Legal Center and School. Smith was certified as a military judge by the Judge Advocate General of the United States Army.

Smith lives in Edwardsville with her husband, Major Michael B. Raschen, a three-tour combat veteran. They have three children: Elias, 6; Ezekiel, 3; and Ezra, 1.

On Mothers Day, the family plans to get together for a barbecue at their home.

Her mother, Melanie Smith-Baugh, will be on hand, of course. She is my rock, Smith says. If I didnt have her helping me out there is no way I would be as far as I am, especially in the military. We just couldnt do it as a family. She is a very important person in my life.

Smiths hectic schedule keeps her away from home two or three nights out of the week. She refers to her husband as Mr. Mom. Hes a support system, too, she says. He cooks a lot of the dinners, makes a lot of their lunches and does the laundry. He absolutely steps up.

In her new duties as the first Illinois National Guard military judge, Smith plans to focus on writing The Military Judges Bench Book, drafting trial court policies and procedures, getting the trial court up and running, and working with her court reporter on various courtroom policies she wants to implement.

In the meantime, she is trying to find a courtroom. All of the appeals would go through the Fourth District Appellate Court, so any trials that come up would probably be tried in Springfield.

A military judge presides over courts-martial of members of the Illinois National Guard who are charged with offenses under the Illinois Code of Military Justice, which parallels the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The idea is that military judges will provide service members with judicial independence and impartiality.

Smiths military requirements wont change with her additional duties. Her drill weekends occur once a month, and her military judge duties can probably be scheduled on those weekends.

Were at the very base level, she says. When we get a case, I would set it up for court martial. Its a whole new territory.
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 13, 2017 08:45 2006 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0a05d3 2 City ahok,#ahok,#AhokTrial,basuki-tjahaja-purnama,blasphemy,North-Jakarta-District-Court Free

The North Jakarta District Courts decision to sentence inactive Jakarta governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama to two years in prison for blasphemy has sparked nationwide dismay, with many people believing the verdict is unjust and could become an ugly precedent for freedom of speech in the country.

Ahoks incarceration at the National Polices Mobile Brigade (Brimob) detention center in Kelapa Dua, Depok, West Java, has triggered peaceful protests in Jakarta and other regions, like Yogyakarta and Papua, with demonstrators holding candlelight vigils and delivering speeches to demand the suspension of Ahoks detention.

Some have even gone the extra mile by volunteering as guarantors who are prepared to pay a monetary penalty to the court should Ahok escape.

His supporters have been collecting signatures and photocopies of identification cards since Wednesday in their effort to meet the requirements of serving as a guarantor.

Their campaign took place at City Hall in Central Jakarta, as well as through WhatsApp messenger groups and various social media platforms.

Susy Rizky, one of the coordinators of the campaign, said around 3,000 people had, as of Friday, submitted their ID cards to become guarantors.

We want Ahok to be released. He doesnt deserve to be detained. We cant accept that Ahok is being treated like this, Susy said.

Copies of the ID cards will be submitted to Ahoks lawyers, who filed on Tuesday a suspension request for Ahoks detention with the Jakarta High Court.

Indonesians living abroad have also joined the effort, submitting some 500 snapshots of ID cards, according to campaign coordinator Slamet.

Residents of other cities, including Jefritson Riwu Kore, the mayor-elect of Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), also offered copies of their IDs.

Jakartans are not the only ones willing to vouch for Ahok, Slamet said.

Volunteers who have signed up to act as guarantors so far include Ahoks family members, such as his wife, Veronica Tan, and his eldest son, Nicholas Sean Purnama; several of Ahoks lawyers; as well as acting Jakarta governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat.

Also on the list are several politicians, including United Development Party (PPP) chairman Djan Faridz and Jakarta Legislative Council speaker Prasetyo Edi Marsudi, who is a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

However, the number of people willing to be guarantors may ultimately amount to nothing more than moral support as it would not guarantee Ahoks freedom, said Edi Danggur, one of Ahoks defense lawyers.

We hope the judges can recognize the peoples sense of justice, which is felt by Ahok and us, his lawyers, he said.

Jakarta High Court spokesman Johanes Suhadi said that a panel of judges, which would be formed after the court received Ahoks case dossier from the North Jakarta District Court, would determine whether Ahoks detention would be suspended.

The submission of ID cards would be taken into consideration by the judges, he added.

Meanwhile, efforts to free Ahok is being hampered by administrative issues.

The Jakarta High Court has yet to receive the required dossier from the North Jakarta District Court, which means the latter has not started gathering its judges to review Ahoks case, Johanes said on Friday.

He expects the dossier to be submitted next week, slowing down the process to suspend Ahoks detention.

Also on Friday, North Jakarta District Court spokesman Hasoloan Sianturi explained the delay, saying the necessary documents were still being collected to create Ahoks dossier.

However, Ahoks lawyer have argued that Indonesian law would not require a high court to wait for the submission of a case dossier to start the process of suspending Ahoks detention.

Edi further pointed out the fact that the high court had immediately issued a warrant to detain Ahok even though it had not received a case dossier from the district court.

Therefore, the high court could should still be able to review Ahoks detention without having to wait for his dossier.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 13, 2017 20:00 2006 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0aecaa 1 National house-of-representatives,Fahri-Hamzah,manado,North-Sulawesi,intolerance,Olly-Dondokambey,massive-rally Free

The visit of House of Representatives deputy speaker Fahri Hamzah to Manado, North Sulawesi, has triggered violent protests, forcing police personnel to take extra security measures to prevent the situation from deteriorating further.

Police personnel fired teargas into the crowd, which staged a rally in front of the North Sulawesi governors office on Saturday. The angry mob stormed the office building after they heard that Fahri had left Sam Ratulangi International Airport.

In the face of the teargas, the protesters fought back throwing stones at police officers, several of whom were injured. Facing strong resistance, the police deployed a water cannon to disperse the crowd. Protesters managed to break through the entrance gate of the governors office compound before hundreds of police pushed them back.

Meanwhile, one of the protesters called for calm. Let us restrain ourselves. Dont riot. To the authorities, we want a meeting with the governor, said a protester through the polices sound system, as quoted by kompas.com on Saturday.

Previously, hundreds of protesters barracked North Sulawesi Governor Olly Dondokambey when he tried to calm them at Sam Ratulangi airport. Expel Fahri Hamzah! they shouted.

The protesters said they rejected Fahris visit because of controversial remarks he is reported to have made that could heighten sectarian tensions in the country.

We dont want people like him visiting North Sulawesi. We love this country and we dont want it divided, said Olden Kansil, one of the protesters. (mrc/ebf)
At a time when anyone with an internet connection can turn into a religious expert overnight and start quoting Quranic verses and the Prophets sayings just to declare people as heretics or apostates, two senior Muslim clerics have simple advice to offer: You cannot and should never claim a monopoly on religious truth.

Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) cleric Mustofa Bisri, affectionately known as Gus Mus, and Quraish Shihab, one of the few experts on Quranic exegesis in the country, appeared together on the televised Mata Najwa talk show on Thursday evening to express their concern about the growing religious intolerance and extremism in the country.

The two scholars, who have been close friends for 50 years, said they believed the problem was rooted in the attitude of some people who claimed to have the only true interpretation of Islam.

God never asks what is five plus five because there will be only one answer. What God asks is, what makes 10? It can be seven plus three or eight plus two and etc. Therefore, truth is diverse, Shihab said. Our mistake in understanding religion is to believe that there is only one truth, our version of truth.

Shihab elaborated that imposing the truth that one believed on others would trigger social friction, a situation with which Indonesia was currently struggling.

Dont think that what you believe is the only truth. Dont monopolize truth, he highlighted, which was followed by applause from his audience of santri (Islamic students) and other Muslims, including relatives, who enthusiastically swarmed into the Bayt Al Quran Mosque in Tangerang to listen to the peaceful insights. Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin was also seen in the audience.

Gus Mus concurred. He recalled a past argument when the two were discussing their contradictory opinions on the need to translate the Quran.

I disagreed with him [Shihab] back then when he said that the Quran should not be translated. Ive changed my mind now. He was right. We need to keep the Quran as it is because nowadays people are saying [we should] return to the Quran, by which they actually mean [we should] return to the Quran according to their interpretation, he said.

Imposing an interpretation of the Quran is really dangerous, especially by those who refer to themselves as ulama, or not as ordinary people, Bisri emphasized.

The longtime friendship of Bisri and Shihab began when they met at Al Azhar University in Cairo in 1967. The two friends said that they remained two different individuals who often made different choices, including in regards to their careers, yet they maintained the same belief and commitment in promoting tolerance.

With their vast knowledge and educational backgrounds, they always preach peaceful subjects. They have refused to be addressed as ulama, saying that like everybody else, they are unholy.

During the show, the two friends also reminded the audience that the essence of Islam is moderation.

Islam is moderate. There is no immoderate Islam because Islam itself is moderation, Bisri said. Extremism is against the Quran. The Quran tells us that too much of everything is not good. It ruins.

The story of the two friends also touched on recent politics, in which religious tensions gained momentum amid Jakartas elections.

The two brought the issue of kafir (infidels) into the discussion, criticizing a narrow-minded translation of the word that has been used as a political tool against non-Muslims.

The words in the Quran have many meanings. Kafir can mean those who violate Islam. It can also mean those who denounce the sholat [prayer], Shihab said. Kafir basically means those who cover. Thus, if you hide the truth, you are kafir.
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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 13, 2017 10:27 2006 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0a6b01 1 Business Germany,VocationalEducation,vocational-programs,vocational-schools,bambang-brodjonegoro,bappenas,#VocationalEducation Free

Indonesia and Germany have signed a letter of intent (LoI) to deepen their partnership in the field of technical and vocational education and training.

National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) head Bambang Brodjonegoro said under the LoI, Germany would assist Indonesia to build an internship program for vocational students. Students of vocational schools attending the program would be placed in private companies.

Currently, we have received support for the internship program from the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin). To tackle technical aspects of the program, we will learn from Germany, Bambang said after the LoI signing ceremony in Jakarta on Friday.

He explained further that in the field of education, Indonesia had two main areas of focus. First, it would increase the quality of teachers and second, it aimed to reform vocational training. To improve the quality of teachers in vocational schools, the government would require teachers to follow an internship program as well.

It is part of our short-term target to push vocational students and teachers to attend an internship program. We will get assistance from GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit - German Corporation for International Cooperation), he said.

German Economic Cooperation and Development Federal Minister Gerd Muller hoped the cooperation would increase the quality of Indonesian youths futures.

Indonesian youth need jobs and a [bright] future, and we from Germany will strive to build closer cooperation, he said. (ebf)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jayapura  Sat, May 13 2017

Six Japanese citizens have been deported to their home country via Sentani International Airport, Jayapura, Papua, over alleged visa misuse, an official has said.

Jayapura Immigration Office head Yopie Watimena said the six Japanese citizens illegally captured footage for a documentary film in Wamena. They did not have journalist visas needed to carry out such activities, he added.

They came to Wamena to make a movie about indigenous tribes in Papua. They captured footage in the Korowai and Mamuna tribal communities in the Southeast Papua remote area before heading to Wamena, where they got arrested, said Yopie in a statement made available to The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 13, 2017 19:02 2006 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0add18 1 Business Jokowi,Belt-and-Road-Forum,infrastructure,infrastructure-development,infrastructure-project,jokowidodo,investors Free

President Joko Jokowi Widodo is scheduled to attend the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, from May 14 to 15 to increase investment in infrastructure development in Indonesia.

It is hoped the forum can provide a lot of opportunities for Indonesia, given that the One Belt One Road [OBOR] program will be initiated by cooperation among 65 countries, with a combined population of 4.4 billion and accounting for 40 percent of the worlds GDP, said the Presidential Office in a statement released on Saturday, as quoted by Antara.

The forum, which is also known as the Silk Road Summit, will be attended by 29 heads of state and government.

President Jokowi will prioritize national interests in the inter-country partnerships, especially with countries in Asia and Africa. This is particularly to accelerate connectivity and infrastructure development, which is expected to be massive in Indonesia.

Jokowi will hold bilateral meetings with several senior officials in the forum. They include Chinese President Xi Jinping, Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, Polands Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Christine Lagarde, and Nikai Toshihiro, the secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan.

The President is also scheduled to visit Niujie Mosque, the oldest and the biggest mosque in Beijing with the capacity to accommodate 250,000 worshippers. The President will meet with ulema and Muslim scholars.

Jokowis visit will be the second visit to the mosque by an Indonesian president after the late president Abdurrahman Wahid in 2000. (mrc/ebf)
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Linkedin Suherdjoko and Agus Maryono (The Jakarta Post) Semarang/Banyumas  Sat, May 13 2017

Hundreds of men, women and children gathered near the Sendhang Gedhe natural pool in Pucung village, Banyumanik district, Semarang, Central Java, on Friday morning, bringing food such as rice, tofu, tempeh, fried eggs, rempeyek (peanut crackers) and salted fish in baskets.

The gathering was more than just a local feast, as the villagers gathered to pray for their ancestors ahead of the fasting month of Ramadhan in a tradition called Nyadran.

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Refusing to be part of China's Belt and Road initiative, India today said that no country will agree to be part of a project that refuses to address its core territorial dispute.

By India Today Web Desk: Maintaining its opposition to China's investment in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor that passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, India today refused to be part of Beijing's One Belt One Road initiative.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said, "No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity."

"Guided by our principled position in the matter, we have been urging China to engage in a meaningful dialogue on its connectivity initiative, 'One Belt, One Road' which was later renamed as Belt and Road Initiative," Baglay added.

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This statement comes a day ahead of China's major Belt and Road Forum summit in Beijing.

Baglay further said,"Regarding the so-called 'China-Pakistan Economic Corridor', which is being projected as the flagship project of the BRI/OBOR, the international community is well aware of India's position. No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity."

WHAT IS THE BELT AND ROAD FORUM SUMMIT?

China is organising the two-day Belt and Road conference in Beijing starting on Sunday, which will be attended by 29 heads of state including Russian President Vladimir Putin and a US delegation, and will see the participation of over 100 countries.

India will not be participating in the summit and neither will Bhutan.

Nepal today officially inked a deal with China on OBOR for development of cross-border connectivity.

HOW IS CPEC RELATED TO OBOR?

The $46-billion CPEC is part of OBOR, Chinese President Xi Jinping's signature foreign policy initiative.

New Delhi firmly opposes CPEC, which will link Xinjiang in China and the Gwadar port in Pakistan, because it passes through Pakistani-occupied Kashmir.

The general view was that India attending the forum might amount to surrendering its claim over the region.

However, Beijing has repeatedly sought to allay New Delhi's fears, saying China will not change its position on the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan.

WHY INDIA IS WARY

Citing other problems, Baglay said, "We are of firm belief that connectivity initiatives must be based on universally recognised international norms, good governance, rule of law, openness, transparency and equality."

He also said that expansion and strengthening of connectivity was an integral part of India's economic and diplomatic initiatives, while referring to India's Act East policy.

The Act East policy focuses on the 10 nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and the Trilateral Highway project underway to link India, Myanmar and Thailand.

GO WEST POLICY

Baglay said that under India's Go West strategy, it engaged with Iran on the Chabahar Port and with Iran and other partners in Central Asia on the International North South Transport Corridor. India, Iran, and Afghanistan have signed a trilateral agreement to develop the Chabahar port that will will be vital to link south and central Asia.

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He also referred to the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) motor transport agreement saying it is an initiative that is aimed at enhancing logistics efficiencies in the South Asian region.

"We are also actively considering acceding to TIR (Transports Internationaux Routiers or International Road Transports) Convention," he said.

With IANS inputs

ALSO READ | After China's envoy offered to rename CPEC for India's sake, embassy removes remark from speech

ALSO READ | Not changing position on Kashmir because of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, says Beijing

ALSO WATCH | India and China strategic dialogue begins in Beijing; foreign secretaries discuss bilateral issues

--- ENDS ---
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 13, 2017 12:26 2006 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0a88b3 1 City ahok,#ahok,#AhokTrial,basuki-tjahaja-purnama,blasphemy,AttorneyGeneral,M-Prasetyo Free

Prosecutors are set to appeal the North Jakarta District Courts sentence in non-active Jakarta governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnamas blasphemy case. The court sentenced Ahok to two years in prison.

We will file an appeal, Attorney General HM Prasetyo said as quoted by kompas.com in Jakarta on Friday.

He said the prosecutors move to appeal the sentence was a normal thing. Ahok, as a defendant, has also appealed the judges' ruling.

The North Jakarta District Courts panel of judges stated on Tuesday that based on the evidence and the testimonies heard throughout Ahoks trial, all criminal elements of the governors blasphemy charges had been fulfilled.

Ahok was initially charged with committing blasphemy under Article 156a of the Criminal Code and with defaming Muslim leaders under Article 156.

On April 20, the prosecutors dropped the blasphemy charge in their sentence demand, saying there was no evidence that the governor had committed blasphemy. They instead charged Ahok with defaming Muslim leaders.

The prosecutors demanded that Ahok be sentenced to two years probation and one year in prison if he reoffended. The judges ignored the prosecutors' demand. (cal/ebf)
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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 13, 2017 11:52 2006 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0a7df6 1 Business Germany,GermanyChancellorAngelaMerkel,Jokowi,bambang-brodjonegoro,G20-meeting,Hamburg,#G20Leaders,MaritimeSector Free

Indonesia and Germany may move into a new era of maritime cooperation during the G20 meeting in Hamburg, Germany, in July, a minister has said.

National Development Planning Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said that currently, Indonesia and Germany had reached agreements in three areas of cooperation, namely education, renewable energy development and palm oil certification.

In the education sector, the minister said Germany had agreed to assist Indonesia in vocational education. For the development of renewable energy, Indonesia received up to 2 billion Euros (US$2.25 billion) worth of loans from German development bank Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau (KfW). Germany also provided support for palm oil certification.

We will continue with these areas of cooperation. There will be further cooperation in the maritime sector between Indonesia and Germany, but maybe this will happen after leaders of the two countries meet, said Bambang after a signing ceremony marking Indonesian-German cooperation in vocational education on Friday.

(Read also: Indonesia, Germany inch closer to partnership in vocational training)

Nineteen country leaders, two European Union leaders and nine invited guest country leaders are scheduled to meet at the upcoming G20 Summit in Hamburg from July 7 to July 8.

German Economic Cooperation and Development Federal Minister Gerd Muller said Germany would be glad to welcome President Joko Jokowi Jokowi in Hamburg.

"We are glad President Jokowi will attend the G20 Summit in Hamburg and he will meet with the Chancellor [Angela Merkel] there. Hamburg is a maritime city and Indonesia has a maritime relationship with Hamburg," Muller said. (ebf)
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Linkedin Andrew Beatty (AFP) Washington, United States  Sat, May 13, 2017 09:15 2006 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0a55b6 2 World DonaldTrump,Donald-Trump,US,Republican,FBI,James-Comey,#DonaldTrump,#Donald-Trump Free

Another self-inflicted crisis has left Donald Trump's critics outraged and some of his Republican allies dismayed, but a bedrock of support for the billionaire US leader means the political endgame is far in the distance.

A few weeks ago, only Trump's most rabid opponents would have predicted an early demise for his presidency.

But by Friday, the possibility of impeachment was being floated -- albeit very cautiously -- by an increasing number of people in Washington's corridors of power.

Trump's decision to summarily fire FBI director James Comey on Tuesday -- an act virtually unprecedented in US history -- set off a chain of events that has put his White House on perilous ground.

Trump's professed rationale -- a recommendation from the Justice Department -- quickly unravelled, when he admitted he always intended to fire Comey.

Trump then added fuel to the fire when he admitted the FBI's investigation into his campaign's possible collusion with the Kremlin was a factor in his thinking.

There is still no firm evidence that Trump or any of his surrogates colluded with Russia to win the election. But the very fact that an investigation is ongoing is intolerable to a president who values his image above most things.

"When (former director of national intelligence) James Clapper himself, and virtually everyone else with knowledge of the witch hunt, says there is no collusion, when does it end?" Trump said Friday in a furious tweetstorm.

- 'A little dismayed' -

As exhausted staff tried to clean up the Comey mess, Trump took to Twitter and went a step further, impugning his own staff's credibility and warning the ex-FBI director not to leak information to the media -- and suggesting there could be secret tapes of their conversations.

"As a very active President with lots of things happening, it is not possible for my surrogates to stand at podium with perfect accuracy!" he said.

Embattled White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters on Friday that Trump was "a little dismayed" by the negative media frenzy around his actions, adding: "The notion that there's collusion is a hoax."

But by week's end, legal scholars wondered out loud whether Trump may be guilty of obstruction of justice -- a charge that featured in the articles of impeachment against Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton.

"He may not have intended to commit anything like obstruction, or any other crime, but has instead blundered into this position because he does not recognize or respect norms and does not appreciate legal process or institutional boundaries," Bob Bauer, White House counsel to Trump's predecessor Barack Obama, wrote in a Lawfare blog post.

Max Boot, a former foreign policy adviser to Republican presidential hopefuls John McCain and Mitt Romney, called Trump's firing of Comey a "flagrant assault on the rule of law."

And Trump's political foes, like Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, dispensed with the last remnants of political decorum to describe Trump's behavior as "unhinged."

On Friday, Spicer, already publicly humiliated by his boss, was left unable to confirm or deny whether the president was recording Oval Office conversations, copies of which Democrats promptly demanded.

- Reluctant allies -

Throughout Trump's many controversies, his safety net has always been the Republican-controlled Congress, which forecloses any talk of impeachment or censure.

But his relationship with the GOP has always been a shotgun marriage.

Until now, the prospect of passing transformative tax reform or unraveling Obama's health care reforms was enough to keep the partnership together.

As the Comey news broke, sure enough, Senate leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan resolutely opposed any calls for an independent investigator.

But with Trump's legislative agenda on the rocks and his handling of the Comey crisis in question, the honeymoon appears to be nearing its end.

Republicans privately express concern that the White House is careening out of control and are becoming more critical in public too.

The normally cautious Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr declared himself "troubled by the timing and reasoning of Director Comey's termination."

- Red flags? -

With several Trump aides still under investigation, many express concern about supporting Trump and being exposed if another shoe drops down the line.

As ever in Washington politics, self-interest comes first.

Many Republicans are eying the 2018 midterm elections, which will put control of the House of Representatives and potentially the Senate up for grabs.

Trump's 36 percent approval rating -- according to a Quinnipiac University Poll -- gives lawmakers in closely contested districts little incentive to stay on the Trump train.

And Trump's core of support no longer seems quite as firm.

According to Quinnipiac's Tim Malloy, Trump is losing ground with white men, white voters without college degrees and independent voters.

"The declaration by voters that President Donald Trumps first 100 days were mainly a failure and deepening concerns about Trumps honesty, intelligence and level headedness are red flags that the administration simply can't brush away," Malloy added.

They are also red flags that if raised higher, may be impossible for the Republican Party to ignore too. (**)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 13, 2017 08:09 2006 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a09da68 1 News Banyuwangi,festival,#festival,bamboo,East-Java Free

A three-day bamboo festival that aims to elevate local potential is currently being held in Gintangan village, Blimbingsari district, Banyuwangi regency, East Java, through May 13.

"This festival features various products and attractions based on bamboo," said Banyuwangi Regent Abdullah Azwar Anas in Banyuwangi on Wednesday.

In addition to artwork and handicrafts, the event also presents art performances, like barong and a fashion parade of bamboo fabric.

Read also: Banyuwangi to boast Indonesia's first green airport

Gintangan village has long been known as the center of bamboo crafts in Banyuwangi. Situated 20 kilometers from the south of the city center, the place has been supplying bamboo handicrafts for national demand since the 1980s. Some of the items were even exported internationally to countries like Japan, Brunei and Thailand.

Gintangan village head Rusdianah told Antara that the festival was also joined by 20 bamboo-related small and medium businesses. "Aside from marveling at the handicrafts, visitors could also purchase the items straightaway," she said. (vod/kes)
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Linkedin Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Bandung, West Java  Sat, May 13, 2017 14:08 2006 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0aa9ea 1 Destinations Cendrawasih-Bay,tourism,#tourism,marine-park,national-park,#NationalPark,West-Papua,whale-shark Free

Cenderawasih Bay is the perfect spot for those interested in marveling at the biggest extant fish species in the world, the whale shark.

There is a high rate of whale sharks sightings in Cenderawasih Bay National Park compared to other regions in Indonesia. The park's maritime area itself reaches 1.4 million hectares, covering two regencies, namely Wondama Bay in West Papua and Nabire in Papua.

The creatures serve as a valuable tourist attraction. The park's agency head, Ben Gurion Saroy, said the archipelago's biggest marine park had been seeing a rise in tourist numbers since 2011.

In 2012, the park reportedly welcomed 1,764 visitors; 933 of whom were domestic tourists. Last year, the number reached 4,083, of which 2,331 were foreigners.

Read also: Research reveals low number of female whale sharks in Papua

Most of the foreign tourists entered the park on liveaboard vessels since tourism management and diving operators were still limited in the area. Local guide Yance Henawi, 31, said liveaboard visitors had starting flocking to the destination in 2012.

Evi Nurul Ihsan, monitoring and surveillance officer for Cenderawasih Bay at World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Indonesia, told The Jakarta Post that whale shark sightings also occurred in Kalisayan, East Kalimantan and Kaimana in West Papua.

To reach the bay, a visitor can hop on flights from Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar and Makassar to Biak in Papua. From Biak, pioneer flights like Susi Air are available to continue the journey to Manokwari or Nabire. From Nabire, the national park is around three hours away by motorboat. (kes)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 13, 2017 10:34 2006 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0a7398 1 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,East-Nusa-Tenggara,tourism,#tourism Free

The Tourism Ministry is giving their full support to the provincial administration of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) to boost its tourism potential.

Speaking at the launch of the NTT Province Tourism Event 2017 on Friday, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said there were two tourist destinations that NTT is famous for, namely Ende city, which served as the exile location of the countrys first president Sukarno, and Labuan Bajo.

The government is currently working to improve access to Ende, such as extending the runway of H. Hasan Aroeboesman Airport in Ende to allow a Boeing 737 aircraft to land.

For accommodation, we are building homestays in 10 tourist villages of Ende, said Arief.

Read also: Visiting Lapopu, the highest waterfall in East Nusa Tenggara

As for Labuan Bajo, beginning July this year the town will have its own Tourism Authority Board (BOP). A marina is also set to be built in Labuan Bajo and is targeted to be fully operational by August 2018.

Meanwhile, the Komodo Airport will become an international airport, managed by state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I. There will also be additional 400 homestays located in the region's tourist villages.

As for human resources, the Tourism Ministry together with the Research, Technology and Higher Education Ministry and provincial administrations (Pemda) have decided to open a Tourism Community Academy in West Manggarai regency.

For this year alone, there are plenty of interesting events to look forward to in NTT, including Sandalwood Festival, Tenun Ikat (woven fabric) Sumba Festival, Pesona Kebangsaan (the Soekarno Month) Parade and Tour de Timor. (kes)
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Linkedin Alex Pigman (Agence France-Presse) Brussels  Sat, May 13, 2017 15:02 2006 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0aba76 2 News travel-ban,laptop-ban,Airlines,#airlines,united-states,European-Union Free

The EU and the United States will hold talks next week on a possible US airline ban on carry-on computers amid concerns it could cause massive disruption as the hectic summer travel season gets underway.

The US Department of Homeland Security sparked deep concern in Europe on Tuesday when it said was close to a decision on extending to European airlines an existing ban on eight mostly Muslim countries.

A European Commission spokeswoman said a telephone call between top EU officials and their US peers had provided "a very constructive exchange of views".

"No ban on electronic devices or any other decision has been announced," she said.

The EU officials -- Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos and Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc -- recalled the bloc's longstanding cooperation with Washington on airline security.

Read also: Airlines fret about laptop ban from Europe during peak season

- 'Assess potential risks' -

At the same time, Bulc "highlighted the potential safety implications of putting a large number of electronic devices in the aircraft hold," the spokeswoman said.

"The EU invited the US to come to Brussels next week for talks at political and expert level ... to jointly assess the potential risks and review future measures," she added.

No date was announced.

A US ban on now ubiquitous laptops could cause havoc with more than 3,250 flights a week scheduled to leave EU airports for the US this summer, according to industry data.

Read also: Emirates defends security as laptop ban looms

Some experts believe there is also a security risk in putting them in the hold given the danger of their batteries catching fire.

Avramopoulus and Bulc earlier this week sent a letter asking Washington to work together with Brussels on the issue.

In March, Washington banned passengers from eight countries in North Africa and the Middle East from carrying on board laptop computers, tablets and other electronic devices larger than cellphones.

Britain followed with a similar ban applying to incoming flights from six Middle East and North African countries.

The move, which forces passengers to put their devices into checked baggage, came amid concerns that jihadist groups were devising bombs disguised as batteries in consumer electronics items.

A bomb that blew a hole in the fuselage of a Somali airliner in February 2016, killing one person, is believed to have been built into a laptop computer carried into the passenger cabin.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 13, 2017 13:33 2006 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0a9e2e 1 News culinary,gastronomy,Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,tourism,#tourism,World-Forum-on-Gastronomy-Tourism Free

The third edition of World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism has returned to San Sebastian, Spain. Organized by the United Nations World Tourism Organizations (UNWTO) and the Basque Culinary Centre, the forum was conducted from May 7 to 9.

Indonesia, represented by the Tourism Ministry's Culinary and Shopping Tourism Acceleration Team head, Vita Datau Messakh, was among the participants at the event, where she discussed the ministrys target to increase the number of foreign tourists to the archipelago from 9.3 million in 2014 to 20 million in 2019.

Read also: Culinary destinations should have family-friendly food labels: Ministry

Regarding the country's food scene, Vita shared that the many varieties of Indonesian cuisine can be attributed to the 1,340 ethnic groups in Indonesia and its natural resources that have resulted in more than 5,000 traditional recipes.

Moreover, after several discussions with culinary experts, Vita said that Indonesian gastronomy basically offered a triangle concept that focuses on three elements: food, culture and history.

Between food and history, there are spices that connect the two. History and culture are connected by storytelling. And ritual or ceremony connects culture with food, she explained.

Read also: The Harmony Restaurant celebrates Indonesian cuisine with 'Selera Nusantara' event

Vita, who is also the head of Indonesian Gastronomy Academy (AGI), gave an example of rendang (beef simmered in coconut and spices). This famous dish ticks all the gastronomy criteria from its cooking process, called marandang, to the philosophy behind every ingredient, such as meat that reflects prosperity, spices for enhancement, coconut milk as integrator, and red chili that reflects good lessons.

At the end of her presentation, Vita made an announcement that UNWTO had accepted Ubud, Bali, as a prototype for the development of gastronomy tourism. At the upcoming forum, the ministry is said to report on the steps that they are going to take to develop gastronomy tourism in Ubud. (kes)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 13, 2017 11:31 2006 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0a7d04 1 News Semarang,Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Jatibarang-Reservoir,reservoir,tourism,#tourism,destination,#destination Free

The city of Semarang in Central Java is famous for its spring rolls and historic sites, such as the Lawang Sewu landmark and the Old Town district.

However, over the past two years, another tourist attraction called the Jatibarang Reservoir has captivated locals and tourists alike.

Occupying an area of 189 hectares in Gunungpati Semarang district, the reservoir offers a stunning view of the surrounding hills.

Read also: The return of Semarangs Old Town

The entrance fee is quite cheap, just Rp 2,500 (less than 50 cents) per person. Visitors can rent a boat for Rp 100,000 to circle around the area. Those who love fishing will find themselves in Shangri-la as there are plenty of big fish swimming under the crystal clear waters of the reservoir.

In the middle of the area, there are the Kreo Caves that have become a breeding ground for 500 long-tailed monkeys.

Even though it is located on the outskirts of town, traveling to Jatibarang Reservoir is not that difficult.

Jatibarang Reservoir was officially opened on May 11, 2015, after four years of construction.

The reservoir is used to generate electricity and prevent floods. (kes)
(front page, Socialist Workers Party Statement)

SWP: End US colonial rule in Puerto Rico!

Oscar Lopez will be free May 17! Welcome back!

Reuters/Alvin Baez

New York Post

A week from today independence fighter Oscar Lopez Rivera will walk out the door of his daughters home in Puerto Rico, where the U.S. government has kept him under house arrest for the last few months. A few hours later he will join his first public demonstration since he was sent to jail 36 years ago on frame-up charges of seditious conspiracy. And from there he will be speaking out against the islands domination by U.S. imperialism as he tours the island and cities across the U.S.

This is a victory not just for the people of Puerto Rico but for working people in the U.S.

It comes as we are living through the carnage visited on working people by todays slow-burning crisis of capitalism  a crisis like none of us have seen before. Increasingly the propertied ruling families fear working people as they sense that deeper struggles  class struggle  lie ahead.

Part of their reaction is to slander us as deplorables and trash. In response to Lopezs freedom and the boost it gives to workers struggles, the New York Post ran a scurrilous attack on him.

Washingtons Financial Oversight and Management Board, imposed on the island by the U.S. rulers, is using its dictatorial powers to squeeze every last drop of sweat and tears from working people in Puerto Rico to pay the debt to the hedge funds and capitalist families that hold the islands bonds.

These measures helped make this years May Day protests in Puerto Rico the largest in many years. This bodes well for the fight against Washingtons assault on workers standard of living and the fight to throw off U.S. colonial domination  with Oscar at our side.

That is why the Posts editors ran a May 7 hatchet job titled Puerto Rican Day Parade Honors the Terrorists Who Killed My Dad. The column by Joseph Connor recycles all the old slanders against Oscar, insinuating he was responsible for a bombing at the Fraunces Tavern in 1975, despite the fact that he was over 1,000 miles away and even U.S. prosecutors  who never saw a frame-up they didnt like  couldnt fabricate bombing charges against him.

The author never mentions the U.S. colonial occupation of Puerto Rico nor independence struggles dating back to 1898.

The Post op-ed says that Lopezs vision of freedom never involved freedom at all for Puerto Ricans but subjugation in a Cuba-like state. Instead, Connor claims that the people of Puerto Rico dont want independence and are happy the way they are under Washingtons boot.

The U.S. rulers cant stand it that Oscar is unrepentant, he refuses to give up the fight for Puerto Ricos independence. And that he has repeatedly pointed to the Cuban Revolution as an example the people of Puerto Rico should emulate.

Like workers in Puerto Rico, workers in the U.S. face deepening attacks on our wages and working conditions, health care and pensions, and seemingly endless imperialist wars abroad, as the bosses try to make us pay for the crisis of their capitalist system. And there are millions of Puerto Ricans living and struggling with us in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Orlando, and more. Our struggles here and in Puerto Rico are intertwined.

From the founding of the Socialist Workers Party, my party has stood for the immediate and unconditional independence of all Washingtons colonies.

Welcome home Oscar! We look forward to fighting shoulder to shoulder in defense of working people around the world.

We say: End U.S. colonial rule in Puerto Rico! Puerto Rico, U.S.  We fight together! Emulate the Cuban Revolution! Independence isnt granted, it must be fought for!





Related articles:

Washington pushes cuts on Puerto Rican people

Oscar Lopez will be free on May 17, tour Puerto Rico, US







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According to a former FBI agent familiar with the personal letters seized in a dramatic US raid, Bin Laden's son has said that he would avenge his father's death.

By Press Trust of India: Osama bin Laden's son Hamza is poised to lead a stronger, larger al Qaeda and is "bent on avenging" his father's death, according to a former FBI agent familiar with the personal letters seized in a dramatic US raid that killed the al Qaeda leader in Pakistan's Abbottabad.

Hamza, about 28-year-old now, wrote those letters when he was 22 and had not seen his father bin Laden in several years.

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Ali Soufan, the former FBI agent who was the bureau's lead investigator of al Qaeda after the 9/11 attacks, told CBS News the letters reveal Hamza to be a young man who adores his father and wants to carry on his murderous ideology.

The letters collected in the raid by helicopter-borne US Navy SEALs at a secure high-walled compound in Abbottabad, a garrison town north of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, in May 2011 have now been declassified.

Only a handful of US military and senior officials around then US President Barack Obama knew of the raid that was reportedly in the planning for months.

For a new episode of '60 Minutes' on the network, Mr Soufan described one of those letters from Hamza: "He tells him that...he remembers 'every look...every smile you gave me, every word you told me.'"

Hamza also wrote this: "I consider myself to be forged in steel. The path of jihad for the sake of God is what we live."

Mr Soufan said Hamza's potential as a leader was recognised years ago when he was still a boy. He was used in propaganda videos, sometimes holding a gun.

"He was a poster kid for the al Qaeda...and for members of al Qaeda, who were indoctrinated with these propaganda videos, he means a lot to them," Mr Soufan said.

This January, the US named Hamza a "specially-designated global terrorist" - the same classification bin Laden had.

He even sounds like his father, said Mr Soufan. "His recent message that came out, he delivered the speech as if it's his father...using sentences, terminology that was used by Osama bin Laden."

Hamza has recorded four audio messages in the last two years. "He's basically saying, 'American people, we're coming and you're going to feel it. And we're going to take revenge for what you did to my father...Iraq... Afghanistan'...the whole thing was about vengeance," Soufan said.

Also Read:

US imposes terrorism-related sanctions against Osama bin Laden's son

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(front page)

Trump foreign policy seeks to stem decline of

US imperialism

The administration of Donald Trump is advancing a foreign policy course in the interests of the U.S. ruling capitalist families, and making gains. He seeks to expand Washingtons alliances across the Pacific in order to preserve the supremacy Washington won in the second imperialist world slaughter in 1945, in the face of Chinas economic growth and heightened competition.

At the same time, he seeks to widen sanctions on the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea in a conflict rooted in Washingtons division of the Korean Peninsula and unremitting hostility to the North, which handed the U.S. rulers their first military defeat in 1953.

The challenge before the U.S. rulers is to find ways to work with Beijing and others in the region as Washington  still the strongest world imperialist power by far  is declining.

At stake is sustaining relations and trade with long time U.S. allies that are increasingly drawn into relations with China as its economic clout grows. As part of sharp shifts away from priorities that shaped the actions  and inactions  of the administrations of both Barack Obama and George W. Bush, the White House has downgraded promotion of human rights. Trump sees such policies as an obstacle to defense of Washingtons economic interests.

Trumps decision to invite Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte for talks in Washington drew a howl of criticism from the liberal media and Democratic Party politicians, who focused on the Duterte governments involvement in the killing of thousands in his war on drugs. Administration officials defended the invitation as a move to get a U.S. ally back on board.

Duterte has tried to play Washington and Beijing off against each other to make space for Philippine capitalist interests. And he has scaled back joint military exercises and limited U.S. access to military bases, steps Washington would like to reverse.

Following his decision to scrap the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a move welcomed by Beijing, Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Among other topics, he sought collaboration in increasing pressure on the DPRK. In deference to Beijing, Washington has paused freedom of navigation exercises by the U.S. Navy around disputed areas in the South China Sea.

Beijing has stepped up pressure on Pyongyang to back off threatened nuclear tests. This led to an unusual public rebuke by the governments Korean Central News Agency, charging Beijing is dancing to the tune of the U.S.

Trump has also put together the strongest foreign policy and military leadership team for the U.S. rulers in decades, based on a layer of experienced military brass and businessmen. He is moving to implement what he campaigned for  a stronger military as a standing threat, combined with moves to forge alliances and increase trade to get results for the propertied rulers while minimizing shooting wars. The administrations missile attack on a Syrian military base had the same goal.

The Pentagon announced a plan to increase naval spending by $8 billion in the Pacific region May 7. Beijing has sharply expanded its military in recent years, but it cant begin to match Washingtons firepower.

As Washington seeks to hold onto its domination of the region, it confronts the Korean peoples 70-year-long aspirations for reunification of their country. U.S. forces occupied Korea, trying to turn back a revolutionary struggle that spread across the peninsula and then waged a devastating war from 1950 to 1953. But Washington failed to roll back the overturn of capitalist property relations in the North and open the door to placing its military on the border of China.

North Korea has faced sanctions from Washington and the U.N. since its first nuclear test in 2006.

Seeking to mollify Beijing, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made it clear April 28 that Washington has no interest in war in Korea. We do not seek regime change, we do not seek an accelerated reunification of the peninsula, he said.

And Washington is considering further sanctions on North Korea that will continue to fall most harshly on working people, restricting money earned by North Koreans working abroad going back to the DPRK.

Elections in South Korea

Washington will now face a new government in South Korea, ending nine years of conservative rule. Incoming Democratic Party President Moon Jae-in favors collaboration with North Korea and rediscussing the deployment of Washingtons Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system, or THAAD, in South Korea.

However, Washington has been able to overcome shifts in emphasis by previous liberal governments and found ways to collaborate to pursue its interests.

The elections were held as workers in South Korea face carnage millions around the world know only too well: high levels of youth unemployment with more and more young people forced to stay with their parents; growing numbers of workers of all ages working temporary contract jobs; and low wages and mandatory workdays of 14 hours or more. South Koreas aging population has one of the worlds highest rates of elderly poverty levels.

Because of the capitalist economic crisis bearing down on working people, youth in South Korea began calling themselves the 3 Give-Up Generation  unable to date, marry or raise children. Today they say they face 5 Give-Ups, adding on the inability to get a permanent job or their own place to live.

Moon pledged to address these conditions.





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(front page)

Spring drive wins workers to Militant, Pathfinder

The spring campaign to introduce the Socialist Workers Party, thenewspaper and books on revolutionary history and politics from Pathfinder Press to working people ended the fifth week  with two left to go  with a number of areas preparing to go over their quotas and boost the international drive. Party members report that follow-up discussions with fellow workers on the central place of the fight for amnesty for immigrant workers  the question posed at widespread May Day protests  as well as joining in solidarity with union strikes and organizing drives, marked the efforts in many cities.

SWP and Communist League branches are making plans to bring home the spring campaign on time and in full.

The party aims to get to know and work with those interested in learning more about building a revolutionary party. The drive runs concurrently with the Militant Fighting Fund to raise $112,000 for the papers operating expenses and to respond to special opportunities when breaking developments take place in the class struggle.

The fund is lagging a little behind and needs a boost (see chart).

Deborah Liatos reports from Los Angeles that discussions with her co-workers at a mattress factory after the May Day demonstrations have been lively. As a result, one co-worker purchased an introductory $5 subscription after our United Steelworkers union meeting, Liatos said. Another, Cedric Wright, renewed for six months. He said he liked having a newspaper with socialist ideas on what the workforce needs.

My father and my mother read it too, he said.

From Australia, Linda Harris writes that Joanne Kuniansky, Communist League candidate for Canterbury-Bankstown Council in Sydney, and Patrick Brown from the Communist League in New Zealand joined up for door knocking in Sadleir, a suburb of Sydney. They met Rachel Proberts, a young mother who is studying at the university.

I got involved in politics when I got angry when [former conservative Prime Minister] Tony Abbott got elected, she said. But I found I was too left wing for the Liberal Party or the Labor Party.

I am standing for the Communist League because no policies can change the crisis of capitalism. We need to build a revolutionary party of workers that fights independently to change the system itself, Kuniansky responded.

Proberts was excited to get a Militant subscription and decided to buy all three of the Pathfinder books on special. She said she wanted to get back together with Kuniansky and other Communist League members to talk more.

The three books on special for $5 each with a subscription are: Are They Rich Because Theyre Smart? and The Clintons Anti-Working-Class Record, both by Jack Barnes, national secretary of the Socialist Workers Party, and Is Socialist Revolution in the US Possible? by SWP leader Mary-Alice Waters.

We got a great response at the May Day rally in New York City, John Studer said. Brian Williams and I lugged a table and a big box of Militants and Pathfinder books to Foley Square and set up. We were joined by three people weve met at different activities, along with four party supporters, and campaigned in the crowd for over three hours.

We sold three subscriptions, four books on special, four other titles, and 38 copies of the paper, he said. We ran into one woman, a doctor who spent time working alongside Cuban volunteer doctors fighting the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. She took one of us to an ATM machine where she got the money to buy a copy of Zona Roja, a book from Cuba on this effort, and made a donation to the Militant Fighting Fund.

Active Workers Conference

Party branches are inviting workers and youth who have joined in such activities to participate in the SWP-organized Active Workers Conference in Ohio June 15-17. Party leaders will give reports on developments in class politics worldwide, the place of the Cuban Revolution and upcoming party-building perspectives; classes will address questions of program; and participants will have the opportunity to exchange experiences.

Arlene Rubinstein reports that party members in Washington, D.C., have made several trips to Harrisonburg, Virginia, to bring solidarity to poultry workers involved in a United Food and Commercial Workers union-organizing fight at the Cargill turkey plant there and to work with them on Militant coverage.

Talking to workers there we sold six subscriptions to the paper along with several campaign books and 16 copies of the Militant, Rubinstein said.

Eric Simpson from Oakland, California, reports that SWP members went door to door in Hayward to discuss the impact of the May Day actions. They also discussed incidents in the area where conservative speakers had engagements shut down.

Jesus, a 15-year-old high school student, and his father, a construction worker, were interested in what SWP members had to say. Theres a highly charged political atmosphere at my school, Jesus said. Many say that anything that goes against what they believe should be called hate speech.

Simpson said attacks on the right to speak come back on the working class. We are for civil discussion and political debate about what advances the interests of the working class, he said.

Jesus said he wanted to learn more about Simpsons working-class perspective and purchased Is Socialist Revolution in the US Possible? His father got a subscription for the family.

Edwin Fruit reports that SWP members found interest in what they had to say participating in a union solidarity picnic by Steelworkers Local 5114 silver miners on strike at the Lucky Friday mine in Mullan, Idaho. In discussions with workers on their doorsteps in nearby Smelterville, four signed up for subscriptions and got Pathfinder books.

Contact the SWP branch nearest you listed on page 8 to join in the campaign, contribute to the fund, or to find out more about the Active Workers Conference.





Related articles:

Militant Fighting Fund (week five) (chart)







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(front page)

Kurdish parties in Iraq plan referendum on independence

The recent decision by the Kurdish Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the two main political parties in Kurdistan, to hold a referendum on independence before the end of 2017 throughout the northern Iraq territory governed by the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), is a step forward in the historic struggle of the Kurdish people for a national homeland. It impacts on the concurrent struggles of the Kurdish populations of Syria, Turkey and Iran.

The formation of the KRG was one of the unintended consequences of Washingtons 1991 and 2003 regime change wars against Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Over the last two years the peshmerga  the KRGs army  has expanded the Kurdish governments territory by 40 percent by driving back the reactionary Islamic State.

The 30 million Kurds in the Middle East are the largest nationality without a state. It was denied to them by the imperialist victors of World War I as they imposed arbitrary borders on the toilers.

The Iraqi rulers in Baghdad, along with the capitalist regimes in Ankara, Tehran and Damascus, have denounced the referendum. Washington says it defends Iraqs unity and territorial integrity.

Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the National Alliance, the ruling Shiite coalition in the Iraqi government, said April 19 that Kurdish moves toward independence would unleash a political tsunami in the region, threatening to tear Iraq apart.

The time is right for a Kurdish state, said Masoud Barzani, president of the KRG, the Rudaw paper reported May 3. Separation from Baghdad will never happen if the Kurdistan region waits for the international community to intervene.

Kurdish advances in Syria

As in Iraq, Kurds in northern Syria, who are led by the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), have taken advantage of the political and military space opened up by the Syrian civil war to consolidate an autonomous Kurdish area in northeast Syria along the Syrian-Turkish border. They are fighting to link up with Kurds who control the Afrin area in the northwest to establish an autonomous contiguous Kurdish region.

Like the KRGs peshmerga, which has an alliance with Washington in the monthslong battle to capture Mosul from Islamic State, YPG fighters have proven the most effective military force against IS in Syria. They lead the Syrian Democratic Forces and, with Washingtons backing, are fighting to take Raqqa, the self-proclaimed capital of Islamic State.

Ankara, which fears the YPG will inspire Kurds in Turkey, calls for Washington to break this alliance. The Turkish government claims the YPG is a wing of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers Party in Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to meet with Donald Trump in Washington this month. The dispute over the YPG is on the table.

Moscow and Tehran, supporters of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, and Ankara, which backs anti-Assad groups fighting in the civil war, agreed May 4 to implement and police so-called de-escalation zones in four parts of Syria. The plan, adopted at a conference in Astana, Kazakhstan, was presented as a road to a political settlement. Syrian opposition forces walked out when the agreement was announced.

Much remains uncertain. Russian Col. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi told the media May 5 that Washingtons warplanes would be barred from flying over the four zones. The Pentagon said they would continue to do so.

Meanwhile, the Assad government continues to carry out murderous attacks on opposition areas.

The civil war entered its seventh year in March. In 2011 the Assad regime brutally suppressed a wave of mass mobilizations demanding political rights and the fall of the government. Since then an estimated 400,000 Syrians have been killed, over half the population of the country has been driven from their homes and Islamic State emerged and seized power in sections of the country, establishing a reign of terror.

In September 2015 Moscow intervened militarily, seeking to reverse continuing losses suffered by the Assad regime. The Russian government was aided on the ground by Iranian forces and Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon. A turning point took place at the end of December last year when the regime captured Aleppo, Syrias largest city.

Moscow and Damascus have been carrying out a cynically named reconciliation program, laying siege to towns and giving opposition militias and civilians the choice of surrendering or being killed. Moscow says over 1,000 of these deals have been signed.

After surrendering, opposition fighters and civilians are transported by Damascus to opposition-held Idlib province where they have been easy targets for Moscow and Damascus.





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(feature article)

Fight grows against Illinois prison censorship of Militant

CHICAGO  The six-month-long fight against censorship of theat the 2,000-inmate Illinois River Correctional Center in Canton is winning new support. Prison authorities there denied a long-term subscriber three issues of the socialist newsweekly last fall.

Prison authorities claimed that each of the issues  which contain articles reporting on the Militants fight against censorship at the Attica Correctional Facility in New York  is detrimental to security, good order, rehabilitation, or discipline or it might facilitate criminal activity or be detrimental to mental health.

David Goldstein, the Militants attorney, filed a Feb. 16 appeal, calling for reversal of the censorship. Despite numerous inquiries, nothing further has been heard from Illinois prison authorities. Goldstein is with the prominent New York civil liberties firm Rabinowitz, Boudin, Standard, Krinsky & Lieberman.

As a clinical law professor whose work focuses on the First Amendment rights of prisoners, I write in opposition to the decision to censor the October 31, 2016, November 28, 2016, and December 12, 2016 Issues of the Militant at Illinois River Correctional Center, David M. Shapiro, clinical assistant professor of law at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, wrote to prison authorities. Shapiro is also director of appellate litigation of the Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center. Prior to joining the faculty at Northwestern, he was a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union National Prison Project.

I have reviewed the articles that were identified as the basis of the censorship. It is clear that none of them satisfy the standard for censorship of publications established by the Supreme Court, Shapiro said. There is simply nothing here that would pose a risk to the good order of a prison in any way.

David Schweickart, professor of philosophy at Loyola University and author of several books on Economic Democracy, wrote protesting the ban on the Militants coverage of its fight against Atticas censorship concerning the much-publicized rebellion at that prison forty-five years ago.

I urge you to allow access to those back issues, and all subsequent issues, unless, of course, they can be shown to somehow constitute a serious threat to prison security, which the currently-censored issues surely do not, he said.

The prison system in Illinois is well known for its brutal and inhumane treatment of workers behind bars. But prisoners here recently won a small victory in court. The ACLU of Illinois announced May 1 that federal Judge Jorge Alonso had ruled that a legal challenge to another aspect of the brutality routinely meted out to workers behind bars  woefully inadequate health care that results in needless suffering and hundreds of untimely deaths  could move forward as a class action.

No legitimate interest

Among those adding their voice in support of inmates right to read the Militant is noted civil rights attorney Flint Taylor. Taylor and his colleagues helped lead the legal and political effort to hold the Chicago Police Department, Cook County States Attorney and FBI accountable for the 1969 shooting death of Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton. He and his associates also played a central role in bringing Chicago police torturer Jon Burge to justice and winning release of  and compensation for  the survivors of Burges gang.

I write as a long-time civil rights lawyer who has, with my law partners at the Peoples Law Office, litigated many significant prisoner rights cases for the past five decades, said Taylor. My law partners and I strongly oppose the IDOCs [Illinois Department of Corrections] decision to censor the October 31, 2016, November 28, 2016, and December 12, 2016 Issues of The Militant newspaper at your prison and urge the IDOC to end its censorship of these issues.

It is clear that the censored articles, as a matter of established First Amendment law, do not meet the standard for censorship of publications established by the U.S. Supreme Court, Taylor wrote. There is no legitimate penological interest in denying access to these, or any other, issue of The Militant.

Michelle Howard, former staff member of the Campaign to End the Death Penalty and wife of Burge torture survivor Stanley Howard  who is still fighting for his release from prison  also wrote to support the Militants effort to end censorship at the prison.

I am deeply troubled by your decision to deny subscribers to The Militant at The Illinois River Correctional Center copies of the periodical, wrote Howard. I urge you in the strongest possible terms to reverse your decision to censor this publication.

To send a statement of support or make a financial contribution to the Militants fight against censorship, contact themilitant@mac.com or write the paper at 306 W. 37th St., 13th floor, New York, NY 10018.





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Oscar Lopez will be free on May 17, tour Puerto Rico, US

Nearly 36 years after he was imprisoned for his activities opposing U.S. colonial rule in Puerto Rico  serving more than 12 years in solitary confinement  independence fighter Oscar Lopez Rivera will be free May 17.

Lopez has said he intends to throw himself into the struggle to end U.S. colonial rule over Puerto Rico. He has often explained that the Cuban Revolution is a beacon of hope and an example to emulate.

The last three months he has been under house arrest in San Juan, denied the right to speak publicly. President Barack Obama commuted his sentence before leaving office in the face of a growing international campaign for Lopezs release.

Its the end of a long struggle, Alejandro Molina told the Militant May 8, and the beginning of new opportunities that are pregnant with possibility. Molina is a spokesperson for the National Boricua Human Rights Network and has been centrally involved in the fight to free Lopez.

Lopezs release comes just two weeks after May Day protests in Puerto Rico, Molina said, which focused on opposing the U.S.-imposed fiscal boards dictates that have deepened cuts in pensions, slashed medical coverage and hiked prices of essential services.

Lopez will be the main speaker at an afternoon rally and concert May 17 at the Plaza de la Convalecencia in the Rio Piedras neighborhood of San Juan. The plaza is a short walk from the University of Puerto Rico where students are on strike, protesting massive cuts to the university budget.

The next day Lopez will be in Chicago for a march and rally in Humboldt Park. Lopez and his family moved to Chicago when he was 14, where he was drafted into the U.S. Army and sent to Vietnam. Many in Chicago still remember Lopez coming back politicized, fighting against job discrimination, police brutality and demanding independence for Puerto Rico.

On May 20 Lopez will be back in Puerto Rico for a rally in San Sebastian, where he was born. On May 31 he will speak in Berkeley, California, along with his brother Jose Lopez, director of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center in Chicago.

Lopez will speak at a wide variety of events in New York City June 8-11. A highlight will be his participation in the Puerto Rican Day Parade there, where he is designated as a National Freedom Hero.

On June 19 he will speak at the annual United Nations hearing on decolonization of Puerto Rico.

There are cops, red baiters, opponents of ending U.S. colonial rule in Puerto Rico and others who despise the fact that Lopez will soon be free and speaking out. They are trying to whip up a counter-campaign to minimize the response he gets.

The May 7 New York Post featured an op-ed column attacking Lopez. Headlined Puerto Rican Day Parade Honors the Terrorists Who Killed My Dad, it was written by Joseph Connor. His father was killed when a bomb exploded at the Fraunces Tavern in New York in January 1975. The Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN), a group that demanded independence for the U.S. colony, took credit for the explosion.

What Connor does not mention is that Lopez was never charged with participating in a single bombing or act of violence. The main charge against him was a frame-up charge of seditious conspiracy.

Slander targets independence fight

The real target becomes clearer when Connor asserts that the Puerto Rican people are not for independence from America because in 2012 60 percent voted for statehood. And he hates revolutionary Cuba, which he calls a tyranny. He says Lopez has no interest in freedom for Puerto Ricans, but wants to place them in subjugation in a Cuba-like state.

We should answer the slander campaign by mobilizing to get as many people as possible to join the Oscar Lopez contingent in the Puerto Rican Day Parade, Molina said.
Union minister Prakash Javadekar today said attacks like the one on the Indian Army in Kashmir's Pulwama were part of Pakistan's tactics, and that the nation knew it couldn't emerge victorious in a convetional war with India.

By Press Trust of India: Union minister Prakash Javadekar on Saturday said incidents like the attack on an Army patrol in Kashmir by terrorists were part of tactics by Pakistan, which knew it could not fight and win a conventional war with India.

"There are no two opinions. Pakistan knows that they cannot defeat India. They cannot fight a war against India and therefore what they are doing is, it is their strategy. But it will be defeated, even as they are isolated in the international forum," he told reporters here.

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Javadekar was replying to a query on terrorists opening fire on a patrol party of the Indian Army in Tral township of south Kashmir's Pulwama district earlier in the day.

The Pakistani army also fired mortars and automatic weapons along Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, where two persons were killed and three injured.

'NATION BELIEVES IN PM MODI'

Javadekar said the nation believes in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and recalled his warning after the Uri terror attack that it will not be forgotten and the sacrifice of 18 jawans will not go in vain.

"In the light of what Pakistan has been doing, including the beheading of two soldiers by Pakistan's special forces along LoC, our Prime Minister had made it clear (after the Uri attack) that the sacrifice of the soldiers will not go in vain."

"The nation believes in the Prime Minister," he said.

ON KULBHUSHAN JADHAV

He was also asked about Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of "spying".

Javadekar said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and others were looking into the matter. "Also, we have won the international court verdict."

The Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) has stayed the execution of Jadhav following India's submission that he was kidnapped from Iran where he was involved in business after retiring from the Navy.

ALSO READ | Kulbhushan Jadhav death sentence: Pakistan to overrule International Court of Justice's order

ALSO READ | Is International Court of Justice stay on Kulbhushan Jadhav hanging binding on Pakistan? All about how ICJ functions

ALSO WATCH | Kulbhushan Jadhav: D-Day on May 15 as International Court of Justice set to conduct hearing

--- ENDS ---
When someone graffitis your house, your first response is likely to be anger. However, this couple channelled their anger into something more positive, sending a powerful message about immigrants in the US.

When Ian Brillembourg was walking through the streets of a Seattle neighbourhood, he spotted a note that was written in response to the couples house being graffitied with the words Old Money Rule$.

First off, the letter says: That was unkind. And completely off the mark  and it then goes on to explain how wrong the tag actually is.

(Ian Brillembourg)

One person who lives in the house is a working-class immigrant, the first person ever from that family to study beyond high school, and the other is the child of immigrants, people who worked hard, studied hard and picked vegetables during the summers for extra money.

The note proves that you cant make snap judgements, because none of us came from money. We have worked diligently, invested carefully and saved.

This really struck a chord with Ian when he walked by. Ian has lived in Seattle for six years, and said: I was born and raised in Venezuela before moving to the US 10 years ago, so naturally I have become sensitive to social and class conflicts.

May Day saw pro-immigrant protests in Seattle (Ted S Warren/AP)

Ian thinks that the couple dealt with the situation in a graceful and admirable way. Indeed, the end of the note says: The next time you want to hurt somebody or something, please first consider who is on the receiving end of your actions.

Whilst Ian recognises that its unlikely the note will change the behaviour of the person responsible, he still thinks it makes a powerful statement and so shared it on Reddit.
Microsoft has just announced its next big update  the Fall Creators Update  and given the world a preview of what this next version of Windows 10 will entail.

Using the keynote on the second day of its Build developer conference, the firm revealed several of the headline features coming with the update in the autumn, as well as touching on its plans in the world of mixed reality and its HoloLens headset.

Heres everything you need to know.

1. Copy and paste to anywhere

OMG, Cloud-powered Clipboard allows u to copy & paste text across devices. That's an Android on the right! #MSBuild pic.twitter.com/6FAigeNpLO  Rey Bango (@reybango) May 11, 2017

One big part of everyday computing life could be about get significantly more fluid thanks to what Microsoft calls a cloud-powered clipboard.

This will enable users to highlight and copy text on one device  with that data then held in the cloud  before users can then paste it somewhere on another device.

On stage, Microsoft demonstrated this tool by taking the name of a store you might want to visit and highlighting it from a to-do list on a PC, before pasting it in the search bar of your mapping app to find it and get directions.

Not only that but it was an Android device too  so this will work across platforms. Nice.

2. Story Remix

Coming to #Windows10, Story Remix will help you find inspiration and explore new ways to create great stories. #MSBuild pic.twitter.com/xliM5Nnrcg  Windows (@Windows) May 11, 2017

Microsofts big new creativity app for the update is Story Remix, a photo and video editing app where users can quickly create montages of their content.

The app works across all Windows devices as well as iOS and Android, and can automatically pull together clips based on time and location, with users then able to edit them, add effects and even choose people in the photos or videos they want to focus the final montage on.

3D effects from the Paint 3D app can also be pulled in to give a bit of Hollywood CGI to your creations.

3. Windows Timeline

As well as creativity, Windows has been keen to improve productivity in recent updates  Windows Timeline is the latest feature to encapsulate that.

In short, it works as a more intelligent version of the web history feature, but across your whole device  enabling users to look back and jump into things they were working on previously.

This also syncs up with Cortana so if you open a new device, the virtual assistant will ask you if you want to go back to what you were working on and open it up for you.

4. iTunes in the Windows Store

iTunes is coming to the Windows Store by the end of this year. #MSBuild pic.twitter.com/WHM533S7Sv  Windows (@Windows) May 11, 2017

A big step forward in the modern day peace between old rivals Microsoft and Apple, iTunes is to enter the Windows Store for the first time.

The app will include access to Apple Music  Apples music streaming service, as well as full compatibility with the iPhone.

5. Microsoft Fluent Design System

Introducing the Microsoft Fluent Design System! Draw the right focus to the right thing at the right time. #MSBuild pic.twitter.com/tzHRAb4Pm0  Windows Developer (@windowsdev) May 11, 2017

This is what was known as Project Neon, Microsofts apparent redesign of the Windows 10 interface.

It is in fact more of a soft change rather than an overhaul, with the tech giant introducing a new design checklist they want developers to think about and apply when designing their products.

Its built around five key characteristics: light, depth, motion, material and scale.

6. Mixed reality motion controllers

Introducing Windows Mixed Reality motion controllers, bringing the magic of Windows Mixed Reality to life this holiday. #WindowsMR #MSBuild pic.twitter.com/lFxL1VA0W5  Windows (@Windows) May 11, 2017

The finale of the keynote was dedicated to Microsofts virtual reality venture  what it calls mixed reality.

At the heart of this is HoloLens, the firms holographic computer headset, which is also supported by a range of third-party headsets built by the likes of Acer that run Windows software.

The big news here was more hardware  namely handheld motion controllers to work with Windows mixed reality for the first time.

Its an unsurprising move, considering both the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive already support their own motion controllers alongside their VR platforms.
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Unprovoked mortar shelling was started by Pakistan in Kalsia village of Nowshera sector today morning.

By Ashwini Kumar: Pakistan has again violated the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera sector in Jammu. Unprovoked mortar shelling was started by Pakistan in Kalsia village of Nowshera sector around 7 am today.

Two civilians were killed and three others injured after a Pakistani mortar shell hit the civilian house. Father and daughter were killed on the spot after the shell hit their house in Jhanghar area of Nowshera.

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Following the shelling and firing villagers are not able to move out of their houses.

Police said that Pakistan has now started targeting civilians of three villages along the LoC namely Bhawani, Baba Khowari and Kalsian. Most of the villagers have migrated to safer places.

Mortar shell. (Photo: ANI)

Defence spokesperson, Lt Col Manish Mehta said, "Pakistan Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars from 0715 hours along the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera sector.

All schools in Nowshera, Qila Darhal and Manjakote along the Line of Control (LOC) shall remain closed for an indefinite period.

The information was tweeted by Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Commissioner Shahid Choudhary on his Twitter handle.

All schools in Nowshera, Qila Darhal and Manjakote along LOC shall remain closed for an indefinite period. Shahid Choudhary (@listenshahid) 13 May 2017

After Nowshera, another ceasefire violation in Majakote has taken place since today morning.

The district administration has rushed relief and rescue teams to the site and have established relief camps in Nowshera.

Choudhary also named some of the people who lost their lives in today's ceasefire violation.

Mohammad Bashir and his little daughter killed while wife critically injured as mortars pierced into their house in Village Jhangar,Nowshera Shahid Choudhary (@listenshahid) 13 May 2017

In another incident, an Army patrol party was fired upon by terrorists in Pulwama's Tral. The area has been cordoned off.

Army patrol party attacked by terrorists in Tral. (Photo: ANI)

Earlier on Friday morning, Pakistan violated ceasefire along the international border in Arnia sector of Jammu. While on Thursday, a woman was killed and her husband injured after Pakistan started unprovoked firing at Pukharni village in Nowshera sector of Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir.

ALSO READ | Jammu-Kashmir: Pakistan violates ceasefire in Digwar sector of Poonch, firing on

ALSO READ | Woman killed as Pakistan violates ceasefire along LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Nowshera

ALSO WATCH | J-K: Woman killed, husband injured as Pakistan violates ceasefire along LoC in Nowshera

--- ENDS ---

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Odisha CM and BJP chief Naveen Patnaik removed Jay Panda as the party spokesperson after the latter's comments on Twitter regarding possible resentment within the party.

By Press Trust of India: Baijayant Panda, who recently made several remarks on social media over party matters, was on Friday removed from the post of spokesperson of the BJD parliamentary party.

"Naveen Patnaik, president, Biju Janata Dal has removed Baijayanta Panda, MP from being the spokesperson of BJD's Parliamentary Party today with immediate effect," BJD vice-president S N Patra said in a statement.

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Panda was recently in the news for his newspaper articles and a series of comments on social media. Patnaik had earlier requested senior BJD leaders not to go to social media or media on party matters.

The BJD president had also recently said that senior leaders should come to him for discussion before going to the media.

Panda had in his tweet after Sunday's Odisha ministry reshuffle cautioned about possible resentment if the party reshuffled ministers without representation of all districts.

He had also cited the examples of two leaders - Jajpurs Amar Nayak and Koraputs Jayaram Pangi - quitting the party on two consecutive days. Pangi had later joined the BJP.

"One gone yesterday, another today. Yet when I cautioned last week, was contradicted. Now large sections unrepresented, resentment everywhr ??" Panda had tweeted on May 9, 2017.

Pandas tweet remarks had created a flutter in the party as he made the remarks in the social media despite Patnaik's direction.

Panda was not available for his comments on the development.

ALSO READ | Odisha: Naveen Patnaik reshuffles cabinet, brings back senior BJD leaders

ALSO READ | BJD MP Tathagata Satpathy slams Centre's red beacon light ban, calls move a 'joke'

--- ENDS ---
Priyanka Chopra will be seen playing a single mother in her next Hollywood film, A Kid Like Jake.

By India Today Web Desk: Priyanka Chopra's Hollywood debut Baywatch may not have released yet, but our desi girl is already a sought-after name in the West, thanks to her successful television series, Quantico. Priyanka has now signed her second Hollywood film, A Kid Like Jake.

The film, directed by Howard Silas, is based on Daniel Pearle's celebrated play of the same name. While Claire Danes and Jim Parsons will play Alex and Greg, a Brooklyn couple trying to get their four-year-old son Jake into a top private school in New York. Priyanka will essay the role of the couple's friend and a single mother, Amal, according to a Deadline report.

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Producer Paul Bernon confirmed the news on Twitter and wrote, "I am producing this & am so excited to work with Jim, Claire, @octaviaspencer @priyankachopra @michaelaWat!"

Meanwhile, Priyanka's Baywatch, which also stars Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Zac Efron, is set to hit theatres on May 25.

ALSO READ: Shortlisted 3 Bollywood films, but Quantico is my priority, says Priyanka Chopra

ALSO READ: I was kicked out of films because someone else was recommended to the producer, says Priyanka Chopra

ALSO WATCH: Wanted to be seen as a modern actor, says Priyanka Chopra

--- ENDS ---
By India Today Web Desk: Priyanka Chopra may not be wearing a bikini in Baywatch, but fans need not be disappointed. The actor and her model friend Adriana Lima looked jaw-droppingly hot in their two-pieces as they chilled on Miami beach. Priyanka is currently in Miami to promote her upcoming film Baywatch and decided to catch up on some surf, sand and sun.

Photo: Instagram

Photo: Instagram

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Many fans pages of Pee Cee posted photos of the actor flaunting that perfectly toned bikini bod. Priyanka wore a blue strapless bikini and reflective glasses as she splashed around in the water. She later put on a thigh-length khaki jacket, as she goofed around with Adriana.

Photo: Instagram

Photo: Instagram

Photo: Instagram

On the work front, Priyanka is gearing up for the release of her Hollywood debut, Baywatch, which is set to hit theatres on May 25. The film, which has Priyanka playing the baddie, Victoria Leeds, also features Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Zac Efron. She has also signed her next Hollywood film, A Kid Like Jake, which is based on the celebrated play of the same name.

ALSO READ: Shortlisted 3 Bollywood films, but Quantico is my priority, says Priyanka Chopra

ALSO READ: I was kicked out of films because someone else was recommended to the producer, says Priyanka Chopra ALSO WATCH: Wanted to be seen as a modern actor, says Priyanka Chopra

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: Thiruvananthapuram/Kannur, May 13 (PTI) A day after an RSS worker was hacked to death in Kannur, Governor P Sathasivam today asked Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to take immediate action to end incidents of political violence.

Terming yesterdays incident as "very unfortunate", Vijayan said the government would take steps to bring before law those responsible for the killing of 26-year-old Choorakad Biju at Payyanur in the politically volatile district.

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"Concerned persons have to be cautious to see that the situation is not turning worse. The government will make all efforts to bring the guilty before law," he told reporters at Kannur.

Slamming the government, BJP state president Kummanom Rajasekharan described the killing as "brutality" and alleged that CPI(M) workers were behind it.

Vijayan said every one should see the incident as an isolated one and ensure that it does not become a hurdle for peace efforts in Kannur district.

Meanwhile, a dawn-to-dusk hartal called by BJP in Kannur and nearby Mahe to protest the killing was "near total" and passed off without any untoward incident with police maintaining tight vigil, police sources said.

Shops and business establishment remained closed and vehicles kept off the road.

The slain RSS worker was an accused in a case relating to the killing of CPI(M) activist C V Dhanraj in 2016.

Police said a case was registered today against seven "identifiable" persons in connection with his killing.

Earlier in the day, a three-member BJP delegation met the governor at the Raj Bhavan in Thiruvanathapuram and submitted a petition, seeking action on the killing of the RSS functionary.

The delegation was led by former union minister and MLA O Rajagopal.

A Raj Bhavan statement said the governor forwarded the petition to the chief minister, asking him to take "immediate necessary action to put a curb on such disturbing incidents."

"It is necessary to send a positive signal to peace- loving citizens of the state," the statement said.

The delegation also sought implementation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the violence-hit areas of Kannur by declaring them as disturbed areas.

The petition claimed that since the present LDF government came to power, the Sangh Parivar lost 14 of its core workers in nearly 500 attacks by workers of the ruling CPI(M).

The petition also alleged that the state government was supporting the perpetrators of violence in Kannur district, the Raj Bhavan release added.

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Congress leaders also condemned the the episode and wanted both the BJP and CPI(M) to eschew violence.

Former chief minister Oommen Chandy said it was the governments responsibility to take the lead to end political violence in Kannur district.

Bijus killing was the first such incident since peace talks in January this year in the district, that has witnessed a series of clashes between ruling CPI(M) and RSS over the past year.

Union minister Giriraj Singh slammed the LDF government over the political violence, alleging that "terrorism" and "Gunda Raj" were prevailing in the state.

The Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises was speaking to reporters at Kottayam. He was visiting BJP workers who were admitted to a hospital here after allegedly being attacked by CPI(M) men at Kumarakom two days ago. PTI COR JRK LGK TGB BN BSA

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: Kannur (Ker), May 13 (PTI) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today said the government would take steps to bring before law those responsible for the killing of an RSS worker at Payyannur here.

Terming yesterdays incident as "very unfortunate", Vijayan wanted everybody to see the case as an isolated one and ensure that it would not cause hurdle in the peace efforts in the district.

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"Concerned persons have to be cautious to see that the situation is not turning worse. The government will make all efforts to bring the guilty before law," he told reporters here.

Meanwhile, the BJP demanded that Kannur be declared as a "disturbed area" and impose Armed Forces (Special Powers) Acts (AFSPA) citing "frequent" attacks on its party workers.

A BJP delegation led by former Union Minister O Rajagopal, MLA, submitted a memorandum to the Governor Justice (Rtd) P Sathasivam to declare Kannur as a disturbed area and impose AFPSA.

Later talking to reporters, Rajagopal said the party wanted to declare Kannur as a disturbed area and impose AFPSA as the state police had "failed" to maintain law and order.

"The only solution to maintain law and order is to hand over the law enforcement of the district to the army," he said.

He also alleged that the local CPI(M) leaders have "taken over the control of police" in the district.

RSS worker Choorakad Biju was hacked to death allegedly by the CPI(M) activists at Payyanur town that witnessed a series of clashes between the ruling CPI(M) and the RSS for the past one year.

Biju was an accused in a case relating to the killing of CPI(M) activist C V Dhanraj in 2016.

Police today registered a case against seven identifiable persons in connection with the incident.

Meanwhile, the dawn-to-dusk hartal, called by the BJP in Kannur and nearby Mahe to protest the killing was total with shops and business establishments remaining closed.

The hartal was peaceful so far except some sporadic incidents of stone pelting, police said, adding that security was intensified and additional force deployed across the district to avoid any untoward incident.

The killing of Biju was the first such incident since peace talks in January this year in Kannur, notorious for political violence between the workers of the CPI(M) and the RSS. PTI CORR LGK JRK RC IKA

--- ENDS ---
The BJP on Saturday sought the imposition of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in Kannur, a day after the hacking of an RSS office bearer, which Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has brushed aside, terming it a one-off incident.

On Friday evening, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh office bearer Biju in his early 30s was hacked to death at Payyanur in Kannur, the hot spot of political murders.

The state Bharatiya Janata Party leadership has accused the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist activists of the murder, which the Left party has denied.

A dawn-to-dusk shutdown is being observed in Kannur district on Saturday. So far it has passed off peacefully with shops, markets and establishments  all closed and public vehicles off the road.

BJP's lone legislator O. Rajagopal and a team of party leaders on Saturday called on Governor P. Sathasivam asked for the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act to be imposed in Kannur.

Rajagopal said: "Today the Kerala Police has become an outfit of the CPI-M and miserably failed to protect the lives and property of citizens.

"The police are always linked to the leaders of the CPI-M, who direct them. The only way peace can return to Kannur is with implementation of the AFSPA," he told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.

"The good thing is Kannur has an Army camp and we have requested the Governor to see that AFSPA is implemented," said Rajagopal.

The police has registered a case against seven persons in the crime. They have found out that the murder of Biju was carried out by a gang of four persons, who came in an Innova car.

Biju along with his friend was driving a two-wheeler, when an Innova car knocked them down and he was hacked to death.

The victim, who was out on bail, was the 12th accused in the July 2016 murder of CPI-M worker Dhanaraj.

Vijayan who arrived in Kannur on Saturday told reporters that things appeared to be calm following an all-party meeting that discussed political rivalries.

Vijayan said: "Those talks did a world of good and everyone should be careful to see that things are under check. It was an unfortunate incident that occurred yesterday (Friday) and it is seen as a one-off incident."

Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has blamed both the CPI-M and the BJP for the happenings in Kannur. "Both these parties are responsible for what's happening in Kannur and they have to find a way out of this," said Chandy.
Come Saturday, students of Class 1-12 studying in schools recognised by Uttar Pradesh government will not have to bring their school bags.

In an effort to promote extra-curricular activities among students, the Yogi Aditryanath government has decided to make Saturday a 'Funday' by involving children in creative activities.

"Students would engage in 'joyful activities' and there would be efforts to enhance a positive relationship between the students and teachers on this day," a state official was quoted as saying by a news agency.

The proposal was discussed during a high-level meeting with officials of secondary and basic education departments with Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma, who is also the minister for secondary and higher education.

Principal Secretary (Secondary Education) has been directed by Dinesh Sharma to repave a proposal within a week and send it to him for approval.

Sharma directed officials to ensure teachers are not asked to take up other tasks except for those related to census, elections and natural calamity.

The Bharatiya Janata Party government, soon after taking over the reins of the state had declared that it was committed to improve the education system.

(With inputs from agencies)
Holocaust denier David Irving spoke alongside other antiSemitic conspiracy theorists at a secret meeting of the neo-Nazi, white supremacist London Forum, which was attended by an undercover reporter from The Independent.

Irving, whose defeat in a libel trial is dramatised in 2017 blockbuster Denial, began by praising the organisers for ensuring there were only white faces in the audience. Fellow speakers delivered anti-Semitic jokes and coded references to Adolf Hitler to a receptive crowd of around 100.

Speakers claimed Auschwitz was like Disneyland and that the Holocaust was gossip, propaganda and a rumour. One attendee told this reporter the murder of MP Jo Cox was cheery news. Another claimed there were Jews controlling all 193 states and a third said life for African Americans was better before the end of slavery.

Far-right luminaries appearing alongside Irving included Vincent Reynouard, a Frenchman who like Irving has been imprisoned for Holocaust denial; Alison Chabloz, whose anti-Semitic songs have seen her banned from the Edinburgh Fringe; and David Shayler, an MI5 agent turned 9/11 truther who has claimed he is the Messiah.

Attendees rang a private phone number and were instructed to meet in Green Park, before being shepherded on the Underground to the Swedish Seamens Church in Rotherhithe for the meeting in February. The listed building closed to the public in 2012, and has since been sold to developers. The security measures were put in place as a London Forum event in January this year was shut down by an anti-fascist demonstration.

Speaking to The Independent at the time, London Anti-Fascists described the group as a neo-Nazi, white supremacist organisation. When asked at the time to respond to allegations of anti-Semitism, the London Forum said, We abhor the criminalisation of opinions and defend the right of anyone to question the conventional narrative concerning any events that took place in any period of history; and we regard the nature of Zionism, the role of Israel in international affairs and the influence of the Jewish Diaspora upon culture and politics as being legitimate subjects for discussion.

At the recent meeting, shavenheaded security guards stood by the heavy copper doors of the church, and an event organiser claimed a group of Millwall fans were waiting in a nearby pub as back-up in case of violence. As people browsed bookstalls and drank coffee from polystyrene cups, discussion ranged from Jewish plots to take over the Houses of Parliament to defences of slavery and segregation. One man showed The Independent a copy of the London Evening Standard, saying a front-page story describing the rise of the far right was cheery news. A lot of people talk the talk but dont actually do anything, but thats starting to change, he said. Asked what he meant, he pointed to a story inside the paper discussing the murder of MP Jo Cox by far-right extremist Thomas Mair.

Alongside Irvings self-published works, other books on sale included The Biology of the Race Problem, The Rise of Hitler, Epic: The Story of the Waffen SS and SS Man, Be Fruitful  a booklet originally published by the paramilitary fascists who served as Adolf Hitlers personal bodyguards.

The event was compered by London Forum chief, Jeremy Jez Bedford-Turner, Britains third-most influential right-wing extremist according to campaign group Hope not Hate. Clad in a tweed suit and speaking in a cut-glass upper-class accent, he said, The West is degenerate, decaying and deracinated. This is the last home of free speech. He then pulled out a Donald Trump mask and performed an impersonation of the incumbent US President, sending good wishes to the organisation.

Vincent Reynouard, who is wanted in France to serve a second sentence for Holocaust denial, was the first speaker. He claimed the Allies orchestrated propaganda in the Soviet style, that gas chambers at Nazi death camps were in fact used to delouse prisoners, and that the Holocaust was simply a rumour. He ended by telling the crowd that defence is the best form of attack, and urged them to block the construction of a planned Holocaust memorial in Westminster.

Next up was David Shayler. The former MI5 man has previously claimed he is the Messiah, and told the London Forum he was on a divine mission from God. Ive survived 10 assassination attempts because someone up there likes me, he said. Similarly, David Irving told The Independent, Hitler appointed me his biographer, saying he felt a mystical connection with the Nazi leader and describing himself as The Messiah.

Shayler said the Holocaust was beneficial to Jews as they could claim compensation, and described the UN and the IMF as Zionist front organisations. He further claimed 9/11 was orchestrated by Zionist agents, and that MI5 embezzled money from drug stings to fund false flag terror attacks on British citizens.

Alison Chabloz is currently out on bail, accused of posting a song on YouTube including the lyric, Did the Holocaust ever happen? She used her performance before the London Forum to defend herself, saying she was in trouble just for writing a few offensive songs about Jews.

When she suggested the judge hearing her case had Jewish ties, using the euphemistic term one of our friends, one audience member called out, Could you tell by the size of his nose? Another shouted theres no business like Shoah business, using the Hebrew word for the Holocaust. She described performing at the 88th birthday party of Robert Faurisson, the pre-eminent French Holocaust denier. An 88th? in Vichy? Come on, she said, in a reference to the Nazi-collaborating Vichy government and a neo-Nazi code number signifying Heil Hitler. To close out her appearance she performed a parody of Edith Piafs I Regret Nothing on a malfunctioning keyboard, and said she was ready to be sent to jail for her beliefs. As the crowd applauded she performed an anti-Semitic quenelle salute.

Finally, Irving took the stage. His rambling speech focused on his life story and complaints that Denial misrepresented details of the court case. Discussing negative media coverage of his work, he used the Nazi term Lugenpresse, or lying press, and when criticising Denial he described the actress Rachel Weisz as Jewish but good-looking. Moving on to his hallmark claims that only 300,000 people of all religions died in the entirety of the Holocaust, he described Auschwitz as small beer and now like Disneyland. Coming to a grandstanding conclusion, he declared, I am still standing, the fight goes on, and I will continue writing true history as I find it to be true. The crowd responded with a standing ovation.

On the way to the event, an elderly Forum member asked a young, brown-skinned woman riding the tube where she was from. London, she replied.

The Independent
A full-body scanner for trucks ferrying goods between India and Pakistan through the Attari-Wagah integrated checkpost (ICP) near here will be set up soon, Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said on Saturday.

The Minister said a committee had been formed for the installation of the scanner at the ICP, 30 km from here.

Rijiju said the installation of the full-body scanner was delayed following a complaint by one of the companies, which had quoted higher rates for the machines.

"The installation was delayed as it took time to verify the complaint," Rijiju told the media during a visit at the ICP on Saturday.

On March 22, Rijiju informed the Rajya Sabha that it is in the process of procuring five scanners for deployment at border checkposts  Attari-Wagah ICP; Uri-Salamabad and Poonch  Chakan-da-bagh checkposts along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir; Raxaul on the India-Nepal border; and Petrapole on the India-Bangladesh border.
President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday, paid obeisance to Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, former President of India, on his 112th birth anniversary at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The president paid floral tributes in front of a portrait of the former president and was joined by the family members of Ahmed along with officers and staff of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Born on May 13, 1905, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was breathed his last on February 11, 1977 after suffering a cardiac arrest.

He was elected as the fifth President on August 24, 1974 and served till his death on February 11, 1977.

He signed the order on promulgation of emergency on June 25, 1975.

(With inputs from agencies)




India on Saturday reiterated its "political support" to the Palestinian cause ahead of it President Mahmoud Abbas's arrival on a four-day state visit during which a number of agreements are due to be signed.

Abbas, who arrives on Sunday, will be on his third state visit to India after 2008 and 2012. His visit comes after President Pranab Mukherjee visited Palestine in October 2015 and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's visit in January 2016.

According to sources, Abbas will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Abu Amr, Foreign Minister Riad Malki, Diplomatic Advisor Majdi Khaldi, Presidency Spokesperson Nabil Aburdeineh and Palestine's Chief Judge Mahmoud Habbash.

Abbas will call on Mukherjee and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.

Vice President Hamid Ansari and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will also call on him.

At least six to seven agreements in different fields are likely to be signed following Tuesday's talks, according to informed sources.

During the visit, Abbas will visit the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) in Noida on Monday to build on the cooperation between Palestine and India on a technology park being built in Palestine by Indian IT companies with support from the Indian government.

He will also deliver an address at the Islamic Cultural Centre here.

The Palestinian President is also likely to meet leaders of various political leaders, including Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

"India and Palestine enjoy historically close and friendly ties," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

"Apart from the political support to the Palestinian cause, India continues to support developmental projects in Palestine by extending technical and financial assistance," it said.

"The visit will provide an opportunity for reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral relations, the Middle East peace process, regional and international issues."
Two civilians were killed and two others were injured on Saturday in indiscriminate shelling and firing by Pakistan Army in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, defence sources said.

The Pakistani Army started firing and shelling at 7.15 a.m. in Naushera sector of the Line of Control (LoC).

The Indian Army retaliated to the unprovoked, indiscriminate firing and shelling by Pakistan Army, Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta said.

Heavy firing and shelling is still on in the area with the Pakistani Army using small arms, automatics and mortars.

Defence sources also said the Pakistan Army has started targeting Indian positions in Manjakot area of Poonch district as well. The two sides are now trading heavy fire in that area on the LoC.

Fourteen families from border villages in the Naushera sector left their homes on Friday following indiscriminate shelling by Pakistani troops.
Rookie pacer Mohammed Siraj and Afghan wonder kid Rashid Khan effected a batting collapse to skittle out Gujarat Lions for 154 in 19.2 overs after a century plus opening stand in their last IPL encounter.

Siraj (4/32 in 4 overs) and Rashid (3/34 in 4 overs) were brilliant in the back-10 as Lions were down in the dumps after a 111-run opening stand between Ishan Kishan (61 off 40 balls) and Dwayne Smith (54 off 33 balls).

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/25) and Siddharth Kaul (1/30) polished off the tail.

But in a baffling collapse, Lions lost all 10 wickets for an addition 49 runs in the last 10 overs after a whopping 105 in the front 10.

Initially, it was Kishan, who was carting the bowlers all over the park, hitting five fours and four sixes in all. It wasn't the best innings but he was still managing to find the boundary.

Anything short on his pads was pulled imperiously. Smith on his part also hit a couple of sixes off Mohammed Nabi and Rashid Khan.

The opening stand raised visions of a big total but a Rashid flipper saw Smith wrapped on the pads going for a pull-shot only to be adjudged leg-before.

Kishan top-edged an ambitious pull-shot off a Siraj delivery only to be pouched by Naman Ojha.

It was the start of a baffling collapse with some atrocious shot selection from the likes of Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik. From 120 for 1, suddenly Lions slumped to 120 for 4 and Sunrisers took full use of the opportunity that they got.

The mini-slump turned out to be decisive as only Ravindra Jadeja (20 no, 14 balls), remained stranded on one end.

The now famous googly from Rashid accounted for Aaron Finch (2) while James Faulkner and Pradeep Sangwan were cleaned up by Siraj.
The President of the United States of America has stunned his country. The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation has had to pay for opening a pretty kettle of fish on Russian intervention in the US Election 2016. Donald Trumps decision to dismiss James Comey has swiftly been greeted with stout condemnation by the countrys civil society. Pre-eminently, Democratic leaders, legal observers, and security experts have drawn parallels with Watergate and tinpot dictators. In an extremely dubious fashion, Mr Trump has scripted a dark chapter in the countrys political history. The general perception is in itself a searing indictment of the country's 45th President; on Wednesday night his imprimatur caused greater consternation than the ban imposed on the citizens of seven Muslim countries from stepping into the US. To dismiss an inconvenient FBI Director has never been part of the White House furniture though in 1993 President Clinton had fired William Sessions after an internal ethics report had exposed abuse of office, notably the use of an FBI aircraft for family trips. Those helming the FBI boast a tenure of ten years, the objective being that they will be insulated from politics. Comeys dismissal can be contextualised with reports that a grand jury had issued subpoenas in the investigation of the Trump camps contacts with Russian officials, and after Comey had confirmed to Congress that more than one person connected to the Trump campaign was the subject of an FBI counter-intelligence investigation. He had also indicated that he was investigating leaks from inside the FBI to the Trump campaigns. Clearly, the reflection is on the likes of Vladimir Putin, who in an incredible instance of post-Cold War coordination, had strained every nerve to ensure the defeat of Hillary Clinton. Last Wednesday night, the Kremlin was desperately anxious to wriggle out of the mess by describing Comeys dismissal as an internal affair that had nothing to do with Russia. The world shall not be so readily convinced, however.

The dismissal reaffirms that trends are ominous and direly so in the cradle of democracy. Fears have already been articulated that the sacking has driven US democracy into dark and dangerous territory. The action has been compared with the Saturday night massacre in 1973 when President Richard Nixon dismissed Archibald Cox, the special prosecutor appointed to look into the Watergate affair. More than 40 years after, the politics of partisanship seems intended to obscure the Russian connection; in the net, it may even dismantle the certitudes of Americas national security. Mr Comeys dismissal will scarcely airbrush the Kremlins meddling. Six months after the election and close to four months after his inaugural, Donald Trumps victory must seem still more spurious as spurious as his contrived political control over the FBI. The tragedy is Americas.
While a formal order is yet to be pronounced, the Delhi High Court has, through its observations, indicated distinct displeasure at seeking political capital from the funeral pyres of military veterans. It has opined that every soldier who dies cannot be hailed as a martyr: their Lordships Gita Mittal and Anu Malhotra thus making a valiant bid to restore sanctity to the overused term. A person who commits suicide cannot be called a martyr, they contended. The court was hearing a series of petitions, but focused on the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi having made a martyr of ex-serviceman Ram Kishan Grewal who took his life last November during a protest by veterans over what they contended was skewed implementation of the One-Rank One-Pension (OROP) scheme. The Delhi governments announcement of a substantial financial compensation to Grewals family had earlier been shot down by the Lieutenant-Governor, since the man had no Delhi links. The High Court went even further, asking what duty Grewal was discharging at Jantar Mantar? He committed suicide on his own, can he be called a martyr? While the judicial reprimand was directed at the Kejriwal government, Opposition parties across the board were obliquely condemned: Grewals death had been used to flay the BJP government at the Centre. There had been ugly scenes at the hospital to which Grewals body had been taken, dramatic protest at the Mandir Marg police station. And then, led by Rahul Gandhi and Kejriwal (separately, to be sure) Opposition leaders, including Derek OBrien of the Trinamul, had congregated at a village in Haryana for Grewals funeral ~ but there was little follow-up by them on the OROP front. The observations of the Delhi High Court did not go into matters political, but its seeking a definition of martyr ought to cause the political class considerable embarrassment.

In recent times there is evidence of political advantage being sought from the martyrdom of military and paramilitary personnel in Jammu and Kashmir, the North-east and the Maoist-infested region in Central India. With television crew present when homage is being paid to those who made the supreme sacrifice, it has become prudent for politicians to be there too: an unhealthy competition has taken shape, politicians point accusing fingers at members of other parties who stayed away. The solemnity of such occasions has been impacted and the manner in which some persons strive to be on camera actually detracts from the honour due to those who died with their boots on. A military funeral is not a photo-op: greater respect would accrue to those leaders who battle for creating conditions in which internal security duties do not involve laying down ones life for the nation.
Aam Aadmi Party MLA Sanjeev Jha was today detained for trying to launch a huger strike outside sacked minister Kapil Mishra's house.

By India Today Web Desk: Aam Aadmi Party MLA Sanjeev Jha, who was planning to go on a hunger strike against the allegations made by sacked party leader Kapil Mishra, was today detained by Delhi Police.

According to the police, Jha did not have permission to hold the strike and was thus detained along with his supporters.

Jha said that he would join Kapil Mishra, if the allegations made by him against Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal are proven to be correct.

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Sacked Delhi minister Kapil Mishra is on an indefinite hunger strike ever since he challenged Aam Aadmi Party leaders to declare the source of funding for their foreign trips.

This is the fourth day that Mishra has been on hunger strike and he said he will continue it despite doctors saying that he needs to be hospitalised.

Also Read

Kapil Mishra threat calls bare virtual calling racket

Kapil Mishra to continue hunger strike despite doctors' advice to be hospitalised

Arvind Kejriwal sacked Kapil Mishra over water scarcity in Delhi. Ground Report presents different picture

--- ENDS ---
This is election year in Europe. It started with the election in midMarch in the Netherlands, followed by two rounds of the French presidential elections that ended last Sunday. Finally there is the impending election in September that will elect the German Chancellor for the next four years. Then suddenly the British Prime Minister dissolved Parliament and announced new election on 8 June of this year. All these elections are taking place under the shadow of Brexit and with the ultranationalist antiMuslim and anti-immigration populist movements gaining increasing support among the ordinary citizens in Europe who are confused with high unemployment, steady erosion of social benefits, and are feeling lost under fierce globalisation.

The election in the Netherlands is usually a local affair, with no impact outside its borders. This time, however, it was different. The reason was the dramatic rise in the popularity of the party PVV of Geert Wilders, a xenophobic fanatical Muslim hater who campaigned against letting Muslim refugees from Syria and other countries into his country. For more than a year, PVV was coming up on top in all opinion polls in percentage terms. With the Netherlands having proportional representation, a coalition government is a must to form any government there. But if PVV did win the largest percentage of votes, the Queen would have no choice but to ask him first to form the new government in the Netherlands. This would be psychologically a big boost to other like-minded parties all over Europe, although Geert Wilders would not become the Prime Minister as no other major party would join PVV in a coalition government there. After considerable tension, the right liberal party VVD managed to get the largest percentage of votes, with PVV following close behind. This gave a considerable boost to the liberal democrats in Europe.

The German election is turning out to be the standard contest between the centre-right Christian Democrats and the centre-left Socialists, with the neo-fascist xenophobic AfD (Alternative for Germany) in total disarray. The election in the United Kingdom is primarily a trick of Theresa May to get a massive mandate to keep the extreme Eurosceptics in her party in check and to be assured of support of her countrymen during her difficult Brexit negotiations with the other 27 members of the European Union. Last year Europe was shocked by the Brexit vote and the election of Donald Trump in the United States. The forthcoming election in Britain caused barely a ripple in Europe. It is the uncertainty of the Brexit negotiations that is the talking point there.

This put all spotlight on the French election and the new President there. France has a presidential form of government and two rounds of elections to elect the President. In the first round leaders of all political parties, even outsiders, can compete for popular votes. Only the winner and the runner-up then fight it out in the second round after two weeks. This is based on the Constitution of the Fifth Republic that was established by Charles de Gaulle in 1958. From the start the second round saw the contest between the leaders of the centre-right coalition, now christened the Republicans, and the centre-left Socialists, with one exception. That happened in 2002 when the leader of the populist ultra nationalist party National Front (FN), Jean-Marie Le Pen, surprisingly came second in the first round with the lacklustre socialist Lionel Jospin coming in third. After the initial shock, all leftist mainstream political parties supported the centre-right candidate, Jacques Chirac, resulting in his landslide victory. This year the traditional French politics was put upside down by the superimposition of numerous economic and political developments.

Government has considerable influence over business in France, an anachronism in a capitalist country. The neo-liberal wave that has swept away all traditional resistance of the workers unions elsewhere has been tamed in France. In the era of globalisation this has hurt the French economy in no small measure. By contrast, to make the integration of East Germany into the capitalist open competitive economy of West Germany possible, the united country had to take tough measures to reduce many social welfare measures and reinvigorate the economy with the latest technologies causing huge disruption in the labour market. In the global economy, Germany boomed while France remained stagnant. This was psychologically devastating for the French. The massive unemployment, exacerbated by the credit crunch and the resulting great recession since 2008, made the French distrustful of all establishment politicians, both on the centre-right and the centre-left. Then came the terrorist attacks of unimaginable brutality that the French government was unable to tackle in a credible manner.

All ingredients were in place for the spectacular rise of the National Front, under the leadership of Marine Le Pen, the daughter of the party founder JeanMarie Le Pen. She is more astute and less crude than her father and has now considerable appeal among the petty bourgeoisie and the unemployed. She wants to give France back to the French, very similar to the rhetoric of Donald Trump. She wants to get out of Euro and order a British type referendum on French membership of the European Union (EU). She is also against globalisation and for protection of the French industry and way of life. She was the frontrunner in opinion polls for a long time in the first round of election. Finally, she came just behind Emmanuel Macron in the actual election held on 23 April. Macron won 24.01 per cent of the popular votes as against 21.30 per cent of Le Pen.

The surprise was that the centre-right candidate Francois Fillon came in third with 20.01 per cent of popular votes, while the Socialist candidate Benoit Hamon was hammered with only 6.36 per cent of votes.

This is the first time in the history of the Fifth Republic that both major political parties failed to make it to the second round. Another surprise was the performance of the far left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon, once a veteran Socialist, who garnered 19.58 per cent of votes. He does not even have a party behind him, but a movement, La France Insoumise (FI) that he formed after he left the Socialist party. He is the left counterpart of Marina Le Pen. It shows how divided and confused the French are at present.

But then who is Emmanuel Macron? He had elite French education and was a Rothschild banker. He had no political experience when he was suddenly brought in by the current President Francois Hollande as the Economics Minister in his Cabinet in order to make economic and labour reforms like Germany. The French Parliament threw away all these reform proposals and Macron resigned from the Cabinet to start another movement ~ En March. He has no political party behind him, and the support of all left/liberals for him in the second round was not assured. Still he finally won, defeating Le Pen by 66 per cent against 34 per cent of votes. Macron campaigned as a centrist candidate, neither right, nor left, but a pragmatic technician out to solve Frances problems. His manifesto was somewhat vague and sometimes contradictory. He is strongly pro-European and a convinced internationalist. With Macrons election, the French have saved Europe from the brink. He is expected to strengthen the Franco-German axis that is essential to bring the European Community back on track.

The French President cannot select his Cabinet at will, as in the United States. He can choose the Prime Minister, but he/she must be a member of Parliament. The Prime Minister then chooses the Cabinet. The parliamentary election is scheduled to be held in June. With no party behind him yet, it is anybodys guess how Macron followers would fare in the forthcoming parliamentary election. He may have to choose a Prime Minister from another party, and that could spell trouble in getting his programmes implemented. But that is speculative at present. Now a 39-year-old handsome young man, with his 63-year-old wife, has become the youngest President in French history. His victory is going to reinvigorate the EU at the right moment with the Brexit negotiations starting soon. Nothing could be more propitious than that for Europe at present.

The writer is former dean and emeritus professor of applied mathematics, University of Twente, The Netherlands.
Militancy in Kashmir valley is taking a very dangerous turn now. The situation in Kashmir was bad since 1990. However, the Government of India somehow managed to retain Kashmir valley in the political map of India with struggle and difficulty. In the last two years the situation seems to be going out of control. When state elections were held in February 2015, the situation was somehow under control and we witnessed 50 per cent polling in J&K, which was quite a good achievement, considering its dismal historical record. With the formation of the PDP-BJP government, the downhill journey started and today we are on the brink of a disaster.

The situation is so dangerous and regrettable that an army officer was dragged out of his home in Kulgam, Kashmir and killed in cold blood. I cannot recollect such a gruesome, unfortunate incident happening earlier. Lt. Umer Fayyaz was a 23-year-old Kashmiri boy who had joined the Indian army only six months ago. He had gone home (Kulgam) to attend a family wedding. Since he had gone on leave, he was unarmed and without security. The Kashmiri Muslim militants/freedom fighters did not spare even a Kashmiri Muslim. This is inhuman and unthinkable. Getting a permanent government job is so difficult nowadays. Lt Umer Fayyaz was a meritorious boy and he cleared the NDA examination on merit. He joined the army for a secure career. The Kashmiri militants awarded him capital punishment without considering the circumstances and background of the case.

We had also fought the British for gaining independence. But that didn't stop our forefathers from working for the police department or the civilian government under the British Raj. That didn't make our forefathers less patriotic or nationalist. Our freedom fighters attacked British officers and the British police but seldom if ever attacked Indian officers or Indian policemen because everyone knew that they were working for the Raj only for sustaining their families. No body ever thought that they loved India any less than the others. I am absolutely sure that Lt. Umer Fayyaz and his family members love Kashmir as much as the Kashmiri freedom fighters do. Did they deserve this inhuman punishment?

Everybody cannot have the same standards as Netaji Subhash Bose or Rishi Aurobindo. Both of them had cleared the prestigious Indian Civil Service examination but resigned because they didn't want to serve under the British. Rabindranath Tagore was conferred knighthood by Queen Victoria of England but after the brutal massacre of Indians by the British army at Jalianwala Bagh, Amritsar, he returned his knighthood. The standards set by giants like Netaji, Gurudev and Rishi Aurobindo cannot be expected from a 23 year old youth of rural Kashmir.

If the Kashmiri freedom fighters and their advisors in Pakistan were expecting that this young boy should resign from the Indian army, because of so called oppression by the army in Kashmir, wasn't it too much to expect? If they had expected some sacrifices from Kashmiri Ministers and highly placed Kashmiri bureaucrats/police officers, I could still understand their logic, but killing an unarmed junior officer, who was on leave, simply cannot be condoned. The Kashmir police must immediately catch hold of the murderers and ensure that they get punishment. The government of India cannot allow the situation to drift any further. They must immediately try to solve the Kashmir problem by first talking to the Kashmiris and later on with the Pakistanis also. If we can buy peace with the Kashmiris, Pakistanis cannot foment much trouble. A question frequently asked is "Who will talk and with whom?" I would like to give a very straightforward answer.

The MOS in the PMO along with the Deputy Chief Minister of J&K should initiate the dialogue immediately with two representatives of Hurriyat Conference as well as two representatives from NC, PDP and Congress each. The Hurriyat Conference will not agree to meet anyone unless a concrete road map is given to them. For them the road map will be something like a road towards full autonomy or 'azaadi'. If Hurriyat gets the feeling that the dialogue will be genuine and meaningful they will participate in the meeting headed by MOS, PMO. Naturally the representatives of Jammu and Ladakh will never agree to autonomy for the state as a whole. So the dialogue for 'azaadi'/autonomy can start only with the separation of Jammu and Ladakh from Kashmir.

Initially the Kashmiris will resist it because who wants powers and jurisdiction to be curtailed? But eventually the Kashmiris will give in because they will realise that only if they can get rid of Jammu and Ladakh can they ever expect to get a Prime Minister and parliament of their own. They will themselves make a resolution in the state assembly to be subsequently forwarded to the Government of India. If such a development ever becomes a reality, Kashmir valley may get a lot of autonomy. Except for Defence and External Affairs they can have all the other powers. Kashmir will have its own parliament and Prime Minister, its own Election Commission. The Income Tax department will have no authority in Kashmir.

Only the Kashmiri IAS /IPS officers will be retained, all others will go back, all Indian banks will go back. This should be an attractive proposition for the Kashmiris and they should start the dialogue immediately. If such a reconciliation does not happen then it will have disastrous consequences and a war may become inevitable. All of us will stand to lose. Only the people of Baluchistan may be the gainers.

The writer, a retired IAS officer, was Financial Commissioner, Jammu and Kashmir. He can be reached at [email protected]
Olympic gold medalist Kaetlyn Osmond can't wait to skate in front of Newfoundland crowd for her first performance since COVID

When Kaetlyn Osmond steps on the ice at the Mary Browns Centre in St. Johns next month, it will be the first time the Marystown native has performed on ice in front of an audience since before the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. It's also the ...
By Press Trust of India: Kolkata, May 13 (PTI) Election to seven municipalities in West Bengal, including four in Darjeeling hills, will be held tomorrow with opposition accusing Trinamool Congress of resorting to strong arm tactics and demanding a free and fair poll.

The seven civic bodies going to polls are, Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong, Mirik Notified Area Authority in the Hills besides Domkal in Murshidabad, Pujali in South 24-Parganas, and Raiganj in North Dinajpur.

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Election in Darjeeling district, will witness a straight fight between an aggressive TMC and GNLF alliance and Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM)-BJP alliance.

Tomorrows election will decide who will rule in the hills which is a stronghold of GJM for last one decade.

GJM has accused TMC of poaching on its leaders and spreading lies and canards against it.

"TMC is trying to undermine the cause of Gorkhaland that we have been fighting for. TMC has been spreading lies and canards about GJM that we have done nothing for the development of the hills. The divisive politics of TMC will not work in the hills," GJM supremo Bimal Gurung has said during election campaign.

State minister Aroop Biswas who is in charge of the hills, has dismissed the GJMs charge.

"The allegations are completely baseless. The fact is GJM has been running a dictatorship in the hills and the people have started revolting against it. The people in the hills have accepted Mamata Banerjee as their undisputed leader and that is why GJM is levelling those wild allegations," Biswas told PTI.

With Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee making frequent visits in the hills, TMC has dented the base of GJM which was evident as common people in huge numbers have attended the rallies and meetings of TMC which was not seen earlier.

Election in Domkal is likely to witness a fight between TMC and Congress-CPI(M) alliance, whereas in Pujali and Raiganj, TMC is likely to face challenge from BJP as well apart from CPI(M) and Congress.

Apart from local issues, the BJP has made politics of minority appeasement by the ruling party as an issue during their campaign.

BJP was trying to gain out of the recent tussle between TMC government and the RSS-BJP combine over the Ram Navami rallies in the state.

TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee told PTI, "The communal politics of BJP and the political opportunism of Congress and CPI(M) alliance will be defeated by the people of Bengal. The people are with us and it will be proved again," he said.

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BJP state president Dilip Ghosh, said if elections were held in a "free and fair" manner, his party would emerge victorious in all the three municipalities.

"We doubt whether elections will be free and fair. The state police which is under the state government cannot ensure free and fair polls," Ghosh alleged.

A left and Congress delegation had met the State Election Commissioner yesterday demanding holding of free and fair election tomorrow.

A senior Congress leader Abdul Manan had threatened to hold a sit in demonstration outside the State Election Commission (SEC) office if it failed to conduct the civic polls in a free and fair way. PTI PNT SUN RG

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Jammu and Kashmir's SIT busted Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) module planning to revive militancy in Chenab valley and arrested five men for the attack on police picket in Tanta in Doda district in which two cops were grievously injured.

By Ashwini Kumar: Jammu and Kashmir's SIT busted Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) module planning to revive militancy in Chenab valley and arrested five men for the attack on police picket in Tanta in Doda district in which two cops were grievously injured.

The picket was attacked on 7th May.

In view of the attack IGP Jammu, Dr. S.D Singh visited Doda and constituted a SIT to probe the attack.

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The SIT along with a team of FSL visited the spot and conducted a preliminary investigation. From the intelligence generated through local source, SIT picked up some suspects and on their disclosure apprehended one Abdul Rashid Harga, a resident of Tanta, who was an active militant of LeT outfit from 2001 to 2008 and had later surrendered.

After sustained interrogation, Abdul Rashid Harga confessed his involvement in the firing incident and disclosed names of his two more associates -- his younger brother Shoket Ali and Akthar Magary.

On sustained interrogation of the trio, the entire chain of events leading to the attack on police picket was revealed. It turned out that Abdul Rashid Harga was in contact with one Bashir Ahmed, who earlier worked in 139 TA Bn in Thathri. Bashir Ahmed asked his nephew Altaf Ahmed, who is working as SPO in police department in Doda district, to arrange weapon for him. The said SPO managed to steal one AK -47 rifle along with ammunition from district Police Line Doda this January.

Abdul Rashid Harga was in direct contact with his Pakistani handler Mohd Amin alias Khubeb, originally a resident of Kathava Phaksu, Thathri, commander in chief for Chinab valley.

During the course of investigation, involvement of 2 more sympathizers namely Shafqat Hussain and Hafiz surfaced in connection with the attack. On their interrogation, it came to light that Rashid Abdullah along with others have been enticing the youths of Tanta area to join the militancy.

Rashid Abdullah was regularly conducting meetings in erstwhile militancy affected areas of Chenab Valley and motivating surrendered/ Ex militants/OGWs.

On further interrogation of the accused, weapon of offence AK-47 along with 3 magazines and ammunition have been recovered.

With the arrest of these 5 accused, recovery of weapon and busting of LeT module, cops claim the police picket attack case has been solved.

Also read:Kashmir: 4 killed, 3 cops injured in terror attack on police patrol party in Anantnag

Five cops, 2 bank employees killed in Kashmir terror attack

--- ENDS ---
But the tribe has a long way to go
An investor's mind can defy the best of commentators. This is not a one-liner from an erudite economist, but the reality which is playing out in e-commerce space. So far (before the Snapdeal-Flipkart rumour happened), experts, analysts and consultants very wisely predicted that Snapdeal and Paytm will be merged as they have a common investor in Alibaba who was looking to enter India.

But with Alibaba gone silent, it is super investor Softbank (which has a stake in Alibaba as well) that is calling the shots. Be it the Flipkart-Snapdeal or Paytm-FreeCharge, Softbank is actively negotiating for both the deals.

Most of the experts believe that a Flipkart-Snapdeal deal makes little sense operationally. As there is a significant overlap in the customer and seller base of the two companies. Moreover, when it comes to customer acquisition, Flipkarts real rival continues to be Amazon, and a potential Snapdeal acquisition is unlikely to ease the burden.

"A Flipkart-Snapdeal merger helps consolidate the e-commerce market and nothing else. There was no space for a third player in the e-commerce space and if Flipkart has to pose a formidable challenge to Amazon, this was sort of imperative. Softbank will stand to gain from both the deals," said Neha Khanna, director at Valpro Consulting, a firm that advises startups and investors.

Flipkart's previous acquisitions of Myntra and Jabong were also done to consolidate its position in the fashion segment. And it did work. Jabong not only came at a cheap valuation, it has helped strengthen Flipkart's overall fashion portfolio.

The other big deal that is rumoured to alter the e-wallet landscape is Paytm-FreeCharge. With FreeCharge's parent company veering towards Flipkart, the second largest e-wallet player seems to have found a saviour in Paytm.

Snapdeal had bought FreeCharge for $400 million in one of the largest deals in the Indian consumer internet space in mid-2015. But for the past one year, it was struggling for funding in the wallet business.

Even in this case, experts do not see any major gains to come from FreeCharge acquisition, but it will help Paytm consolidate its position in the wallets space. This will also mean that Paytm will have one less competitor to deal with.

Softbank is behind both the deals as it will help the Japanese investor get a significant equity in both the companies.

Khanna of Valpro believes that the spate of consolidation will continue in the market as investors are tightening purse strings. "Cash starved companies will prefer to be bought out than going bust", she said.
Rajini mania is set to grip Chennai as the superstar will meet his fans for four days. From May 15 to May 19, Rajinikanth will meet nearly 5,000 fans and take pictures with them individually at the Raghavendra Marriage Hall. It is after eight long years that Rajinikanth is interacting with his fans.

However, there will be no speeches, discussions or announcements from the superstar. And this time too, he is expected to keep his fans and the people of the state second-guessing on the long-pending question, Will Rajinikanth enter politics?

The superstar has been contemplating entering politics since 1994, but it is yet to happen. While speaking at the audio launch of his movie Lingaa in 2014, he made it clear that he was not afraid of entering politics but was only a trifle hesitant. This was when the BJP was trying to rope him in.

I am a product of circumstances. So, if a situation arises, I could enter politics. I am only hesitant because I know the depth of politics, I have to step on so many shoulders, said Rajinikanth, when director Ameer asked him to seriously consider entry into politics.

In the 1996 assembly elections, Rajinikanth had opposed the then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram, and the then DMK-TMC alliance had swept the polls in Tamil Nadu. His stand against Jayalalithaa was perceived to have worked in the DMK's favour.

In 2004, he supported the BJP-AIADMK alliance despite his stand on Jayalalithaa.

It is yet to be seen if, like MGR and Jayalalithaa, Rajinikanth can succeed in politics by building a strong cadre base and cash-in on his popularity. MGR was strongly wedded to the Dravidian Movement and that gave him the space to get into politics. However, his contemporary Sivaji Ganesan did not make it big in politics despite tring hard.

Jayalalithaa also found success following her mentor MGR's path, and she played the anti-DMK-anti-Karunanidhi political card to her advantage. Vijayakanths political journey seemed successful, but did not take off as expected as he could not consolidate the Dravidian votes.

Now, with the split within the AIADMK, and Karunanidhi too off the political scene, Rajinikanth may look like the right person to fill the political vacuum. There is a chance that disgruntled elements in every political party might line up behind him.

Thalaivar's political entry might be further delayed considering his hesitation and the effect such a decision entails.
Union minister for health and family welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda launched the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) in the country's Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) at Mandi, Himachal Pradesh on Saturday.

The vaccine is being seen as an important addition in the UIP because pneumonia kills more under five-year-old children than any other infectious disease. India accounts for nearly 20 per cent of global pneumonia deaths in this age group.

In 2010, pneumococcal pneumonia accounted for about 16 per cent of all severe pneumonia cases, and 30 per cent of pneumonia-related deaths in children under five in India. According to the ministry, introducing PCV will thus substantially reduce disease burden in the country.

While PCV protects against pneumococcal pneumonia, the pentavalent vaccine protects against Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) pneumonia. The pentavalent has already been scaled up in the government's immunisation programme in all states in 2015, and was seen as a controversial move. A section of public health experts had questioned the rationale behind introducing the vaccine, in the context of the associated costs and efficacy of the shots.

The PCV has been bereft of such a controversy. The vaccine has been available in the private market, but the high cost has prevented access to the shot for many.

Currently, the vaccine has been rolled out in Himachal Pradesh, parts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, and will soon be launched in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, ministry officials said.

At a press meet in Delhi earlier this week, Nadda had said that the government's attempt was to get 90 per cent full immunisation coverage. Currently, the figure for full immunization stands at 63.9 per cent, according to National Health Family Survey, 2015-16.
Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his visit to Sri Lanka, the Indian Navy concluded a joint survey of the Lankan coast, and handed over two charts and reports to the Lankan Navy.

The hydrographic survey was conducted by the Indian Navy Hydrographic Department and Sri Lanka Navy Hydrographic Service, from Colombo to Sangamankandaapproximately 41,600 square kilometres (12,150 square nautical miles). Captain Peush Pawsey, commanding officer of the survey ship INS Darshak, handed over two fair sheets of Colombo to Sangamankandaand Weligama Bayto the Vice Admiral R Wijegunaratne, commander of the Lankan Navy.

The survey, first of its kind on the Lankan coast, began on March 29 and was completed in a record time of six weeks, thanks to the use of technologies such as multi-beam sounding and single-beam sounding side scan sonar which are available on INS Darshak. Lankan Navy officers and sailors had embarked Darshak and were trained on various aspects of hydrographic surveying.

INS Darshak, incidentally, had also surveyed the coasts of Mauritius, the Seychelles, Myanmar, Mozambique and Tanzania in the last few years.

Sri Lanka is a signatory state of SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) Convention. The country is obliged to provide and make available updated hydrographic information to the mariners,said an officer in the Sri Lankan high commission in Delhi. This updated nautical hydrographic information will replace centuries-old nautical data available in the existing charts. Our hydrographic service expects will publish this information through new national series paper charts and electronic navigation charts in the coming months. The move will benefit the large international shipping traffic passing the southern coast of Sri Lanka.

The completion of the survey comes days after Sri Lanka rejected a request by the Chinese Navy to dock at a Lankan port and pick up supplies. Colombo is understood to have rejected the Chinese request at the behest of India.

The visit by a Chinese submarine to a Lankan port two years ago had ruffled Indian sensitivities. Since then the two countries have been trying to reinvigorate their naval ties. Indian Navy chief, Admiral Lanba visited Sri Lanka in December to take part in the 7th International Maritime Conference, called the Galle Dialogue.

Then in January, India sent its largest warship, INS Vikramaditya, on its first overseas visit to Colombo, along with destroyer INS Mysore. In February, Lankan ships arrived at Visakhapatnam for the International Fleet Review.

Lankan Navy chief Vice Admiral R.C. Wijegunaratne visited Delhi in late January and held talks with the three Indian military chiefs, the chief of the Indian coast guard and the defence secretary. One of the points of discussion was hydrographic cooperation. In April, Indian Coast Guard Ship CGS Shoor visited Colombo and held sea training exercise for Sri Lanka Coast Guard officers and sailors.

Since then Colombo has also rejected Chinese requests for naval facilities at Lankan ports. Sri Lanka had been thinking of leasing its Hambantota port to China for 99 years, but local trade unions have also been opposing the move, much to India's cheer. Lanka is now learnt to have assured India that Hambantota will be used only by the Lankan Navy.
BJP chief draws flak

Maharashtra BJP president Raosaheb Danve caused much embarrassment to his party when he abused farmers at a meeting of party workers in Jalna district. A video clip of Danve abusing Tur farmers went viral on social media. Danve promptly issued a clarification claiming he was wrongly quoted. He could never abuse a farmer because he is a farmer himself, Danve claimed, before expressing regret for hurting farmers feelings.

However, much damage has already been done. Even before the BJP could launch any damage control exercise, a Shiv Sena leader from Marathwada announced a prize of Rs 10 lakh for Danve's 'tongue'. He wanted Danve's tongue literally cut to size. Raj Thackeray's MNS also followed suit.

Congress lashed out at Danve. Party president Ashok Chavan said Danve's remarks once again proved that the BJP is anti-farmers. The most clever reaction, however, came from Sharad Pawar. The NCP chief said Danve is doing much service to the cause of opposition and hence, should not be targeted.

Aditya's tete-a-tete with Bieber

Justin Bieber's concert in Navi Mumbai caused much euphoria among his fans. But those who attended the conference were left dejected as it is alleged that the 'Sorry' star was merely 'lip-syncing' his songs and not actually singing.

However, Shiv Sena's young leader Aditya Thackeray will have no complaints. After all, the young Thackeray spent almost two hours chatting with Bieber. Shiv Sena leadership has been always attracted to pop stars. Aditya was just six years old when his uncle Raj organised Michael Jackson's concert in Mumbai in late 1990s. Jackson was a special guest at Matoshree that evening, about two decades ago.

Aditya surely has fond memories of his interaction with Michael Jackson. Hence, it is hardly surprising that he spent time chatting with Bieber.

Civic official beaten up during anti-encroachment drive

A senior civic official from Thane Municipal corporation was beaten up by hawkers a few days ago. Deputy municipal commissioner Sandip Malvi was leading a demolition drive against encroachments and illegal hawkers in Thane when he had an argument with one of the hawkers, whose shop was facing demolition. The shop owner attacked Malvi and other hawkers soon joined in.

Malvi was rescued by a policeman who had accompanied the demolition squad. The corporator was rushed to Jupiter hospital where he is being treated.

City municipal commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal took this attack on civic demolition squad seriously. Malvi was assaulted when he was implementing the commissioner's order to carry out demolition and anti-encroachment drives within their zones.

And Jaiswal is a no-nonsense IAS officer. He is close to Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and is a great friend of Thane police commissioner Parambir Singh, a tough and hard-working IPS officer.

A day after the assault on Malvi, Jaiswal himself led the anti-encroachment drive and struck a blow to unruly and illegal auto-rickshaw operators near the Thane railway station. Not only did Jaiswal complete the demolition drive that had to be abandoned after the attack on Malvi, but Jaiswal himself exchanged blows with unruly auto-rickshaw operators before letting the police to take care of the trouble.

Parrikar to contest bypoll from Panaji

Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar has made up his mind to contest by-election from Panaji constituency. The decision was taken on Wednesday. Sitting Panaji legislator Sidharth Kuncalienker resigned on May 10 to make way for Parrikar so that a by-election could take place before September.

Parrikar has a tough job ahead since Kuncalienker's victory margin was just over 1,000 votes.

Most likely, Congress will field Antanasio 'Babush' Monserrate against Parrikar. Congress general secretary A. Chellakumar was in Goa on Thursday and had a round of discussions with party leaders and Monserrate. Parrikar's image has taken a beating after he formed the BJP government in Goa. Will Parrikar be able to retain Panaji? The count down has already begun. It will certainly be a contest to watch out for.
It takes courage to plan a solo trip. Friends and family, however, make sure we doubt ourselves through the process.

By Somya Abrol: It's not every day that one can muster up the strength to holiday just by themselves. We might not accept it, but it does take a lot of commitment to self and planning to be able to set off into the world on your own. Whatever little doubts we have, however, are multiplied by family and friends.

So, before you go ahead and face loved ones' questions and worries, we tell you the most common things you're going to encounter, and how to work around them:

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1. "Do you not have any friends? Why would you want to do this alone?"

Tell them you have friends, but you value your time with yourself more. Besides, travelling alone puts one's capabilities to test, so it's a good way to know where you stand in life.

2. "It's not safe, especially for women."

It's not any more or less safe than travelling with a companion. If something has to go wrong, it will go wrong whether or not you're with somebody. Just tell your parents and friends that you're a good planner and have all the contacts of police stations around wherever you plan to stay (and actually have them, please).

3. "Won't you get bored?"

In this day and age, being bored is a luxury. When travelling alone, you would constantly be meeting new people and making new memories. Whatever time you have left, you have your phone and the almighty internet.

4. "Don't you think it's selfish to travel alone?"

"No. It's selfish of you to not let me!"

5. "Only losers/loners travel alone."

Anyone and everyone who's comfortable in his/her own company likes to travel alone. It's always nicer to not have other people's preferences to consider before you consider yours.

GIFs courtesy: Giphy.com

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After an RSS worker was brutally hacked to death near Payyannur in Kannur district of Kerala, allegedly by CPI(M) workers, the CPI has asked the CPI(M) to control its partymen and ensure peace in the state. Choorakkad Biju, 34, was hacked to death by a gang around 4pm on May 12. Biju was one of the accused in the murder of a CPI(M) worker in July 2016 and had police security at his home till a few days ago.

CPI general secretary Sudhakar Reddy told THE WEEK, The CPI(M) should ensure better governance in the state and not get involved in such things. Both the RSS and the CPI(M) are to blame for the worsening situation, as an equal number of people have died on both sides over the years. The CPI(M), on its part, should be careful and focus on the welfare of the people of Kerala. Nothing should be done that would affect the image of the ruling LDF in the state, of which we are part of.

CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran said that the LDF government should take action against Bijus killers. The CPI(M) and the BJP should put an end to the cycle of violence in Kannur once and for all. What happened in Kannur on May 12 should not have happened in the first place. It is really unfortunate. Some months ago, there was an all-party meeting in Kannur to end political violence there. The government should find out why its peace initiative didnt work. The BJP and the RSS also need to cooperate with the peace initiatives in Kannur. Everyone needs to take things seriously. Killings of this kind should never happen in the state, said Rajendran to THE WEEK.

Bijus killing was the eighth political murder in Kannur since the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government came to power in May 2016. Vijayan said that Bijus murder was a one-off incident and that it would not affect the efforts to keep Kannur peaceful.

The state BJP leaders met Governor P. Sathasivam on May 13 and requested him to impose Armed Forces Special Powers Act in Kannur and sought the intervention of the Union government.
By India Today Web Desk: Director Abhishek Chaubey made his directorial debut with the fantastic Ishqiya (2011). Then came, Dedh Ishqiya and last year, the Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Kareena Kapoor Khan-starrer drug-themed Udta Punjab.

His next film co-written by NH10 and Udta Punjab writer Sudip Sharma is going to be based on the dacoits of Chambal and is set during the '70s. Sushant Singh Rajput has reportedly been roped in for the film while ex-UTV honcho Ronnie Screwvala is going to produce the film.

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"Sushant is playing a dacoit. The film will be shot in the Chambal ravines and will roll by the year-end. Prep has begun and the team is excited," a source close to the film's production told Mumbai Mirror.

Reportedly, Ranveer Singh and not Sushant Singh Rajpput was the first choice of the filmmakers for the lead role. Sushant Singh Rajput, after the success of MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, is one of the most wanted stars in the industry. He will soon be seen in the romantic drama Raabta followed by Tarun Mansukhani's Drive, the space-drama Chanda Mama Door Ke and the spy thriller Romeo Akbar Walter.

Writer Sudip Sharma has visited Chambal and even met real dacoits for research purposes.

"Some of them have more than 80 murder charges on them. Everyone has heard horror stories about the dacoits of Chambal but I have realised the reality is quite different from what Hindi films portray. We aim to capture that reality," Sudip said.

No release date has been announced for the Sushant Singh Rajput-starrer.

ALSO READ: Have Sushant Singh Rajput and Ankita Lokhande put their bitter break-up behind them?

WATCH: Sushant Singh Rajput on MS Dhoni, what he hates about him and his break-up

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The women threw cartons containing liquor bottles on the floor in front of the shop to express their anguish against the opening of a TASMAC shop in their residential area.

By Pramod Madhav: Women of Thadikombu near Dindigul in Tamil Nadu vandalised a TASMAC shop. The women threw cartons containing liquor bottles on the floor in front of the shop to express their anguish against the opening of a TASMAC shop in their residential area.

The police were called in and 10 people were arrested in this connection.

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This comes after repeated requests by the residents of Thadikombu to shut down the liquor shops next to the Karur-Trichy highway as per the Supreme Court's order. The highway is known to have caused many road accidents.

"High Court has put it in the subtlest way possible. Jayalalithaa and EPS claimed to have closed 1000 shops as chief ministers as a step towards implementing prohibition. Yet, look at the commotion now!," said Bala, a resident of Chennai who was arrested for protesting against TASMAC.

Chennai, Thiruvannamalai, Madurai, Coimbatore and Kancheepuram have also had people protesting against the opening of liquor shops in residential areas in the recent past.

Replying to a state government's plea on Thursday, the Madras High Court said it is to

reconsider the decision to open more TASMAC shops

get the opinion of people, while relocating liquor shops

adhere to the guidelines of the Supreme Court regarding the management of TASMAC shops

welcome liquor prohibition considering the welfare of the people

Thereby, a closing petition was filed by the Tamil Nadu government.

Also Read:

Mob vandalises TASMAC liquor shop after it opened in a residential area

Moving towards prohibition? Madras High Court orders closure of 10 ready-to-open TASMAC shops'

Also Watch:

Madras HC stops opening of 10 TASMAC shops. Is Tamil Nadu inching towards prohibition?

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By Press Trust of India: Colombo, May 12 (PTI) A helicopter, which was part of Prime Minister Narendra Modis entourage on his two-day Sri Lanka visit, remains grounded in Kandy after it developed a technical problem, officials said today.

The Mi-17 helicopter is grounded at the Asgiriya grounds after it failed to take off yesterday when Modi departed in his special flight.

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Sri Lankan air force has helped identify the fault with the helicopter which awaits spare parts from India, officials said.

A fleet of helicopters were used for Modis travel from Colombo to Dikoya, Kandy and from there back to Colombo International airport to return home yesterday.

Several houses in the central town of Hatton lost their roofs when the helicopters landed at two grounds in the area and at least one woman was injured, local media reported.

Modi wrapped up his Sri Lanka visit yesterday during which he took part in the the International Vesak Day celebrations and addressed Indian-origin Tamils.

He addressed the Tamils of Indian origin in Dickoya town in the tea growing Central Province of Sri Lanka and inaugurated a Rs 150 crore super-speciality hospital built with Indias assistance. PTI CORR MRJ

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The boss of Tesco took a 10 per cent pay cut last year  but still managed to take home 4.1million.

Dave Lewis was awarded a lower bonus, despite the grocer reporting its first annual sales increase in the UK for seven years.

The 52-year-old had been handed a 3million bonus a year earlier which slipped to 2.4million in the 2016-17 financial year, according to Tesco's financial report.

Dave Lewis was awarded a lower bonus, despite the grocer reporting its first annual sales increase in the UK for seven years

Lewis's salary remained unchanged at 1.3million, while he received 223,000 in benefits and a 313,000 pension contribution.

The supermarket chain's remuneration committee said Lewis's bonus was based on how he had met targets for the year. The 2.4million was 75.6 per cent of the maximum he could have received.

Lewis was brought in to overhaul the grocer after a string of profit warnings and an accounting scandal which saw it overstate its earnings by 326million.

The father-of-two, known as 'drastic Dave' for his cost cutting measures at Unilever, has closed dozens of poorly performing stores, cut jobs and boosted Tesco's market share.

He has also orchestrated a 3.7billion merger with wholesaler Booker  despite opposition from some shareholders.

But Tesco has also been stung to the tune of 235million after reaching an agreement with authorities over the 2014 accounting scandal.

The annual report also revealed that finance chief Alan Stewart was awarded 2.2million last year, down from 2.6million.

He received a 1.2million bonus  down from 1.6million  on top of his 750,000 salary.
By India Today Web Desk: Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon's Payal aka Deepali Pansare has become a mother to a baby boy. Few months back, we'd informed you that Deepali was expecting her first child. The pretty actress gave birth to a baby boy on May 8.

??????? A post shared by Deepali Pansare (@deepalipansare) on May 8, 2017 at 5:10pm PDT

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The talented actress, who has been a part of shows like Lajwanti and Agent Raghav-Crime Branch, is happy as can be.

The actress is elated to hold the bundle of joy in her arms. "Seeing your child for the first time is the best feeling in the world. I have experienced happiness before but now I know its real meaning," the actress told to tellychakkar.com.

????? A post shared by Deepali Pansare (@deepalipansare) on Dec 9, 2016 at 6:37am PST

The actress got married to her longtime boyfriend Suveer Safaya (a banker) in 2014 in Jammu and this is their first baby. The couple are yet to decide a name for their boy.

Congratulations, Deepali and Suveer!

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MBABANE  The Lobamba Chiefdom Committee should with immediate effect stop pocketing monies collected from vendors as rent for doing business during national events hosted by His Majesty the King and the Ministry of Home Affairs.



This is contained in letters submitted to the police and the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) by the Lobamba Constituency.

Every year, about 400 vendors doing business during national events at Lobamba have all along been made to pay E150 for each stall, which amounts to about E60 000 in total, when in fact, the Lobamba Constituency challenges that each vendor should at least be charged only E30 for cleaning the area after the national event.



Even then, according to another letter directed to the Lobamba Inner Council (Bandlancane), it was the areas development committee and business committee elected by the people at chiefdom level who should be given the mandate to monitor the street vendors during national events and these committees that were to be conjoined by the Lobamba Vendors Corporative as no table or stall fee charge but only cleaning fee to the amount of E30, not the Lobamba Chiefdom Committee.



However, it is alleged that all along, the E150 per stall was paid to the Lobamba Chiefdom Committee. It is alleged that the monies collected from the vendors during national events have never been accounted for and this has been going on for years until the recent national Easter church services when the vendors cried foul over the high fees, saying they ended up not making any profit from the events.



Lobamba Constituency Headman Abraham Bhekisisa Bhembe challenged this and called for the vendors, mostly who are women, to be refunded.

Bhembes involvement was sparked by a concern from President of the League of Churches Bishop Samson Hlatshwako on behalf of the vendors before the start of the recent national Easter services.



Bishop Hlatshwako is said to have taken up the matter with the Inkhundla and the constituency headman investigated.

It is said the constituency headman convened an impromptu meeting with the vendors to inform them that the communitys collection of rental fees for market stalls during national events was unlawful.
LOBAMBA  Government is dicing with the lives of Swazis as it has admitted that hospitals across the country do not have medicines.



The reason is that government has failed to pay its suppliers who it owes millions of Emalangeni.



This was admitted by the Principal Secretary (PS) at the Ministry of Health Dr Simon Zwane when he appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on a different issue yesterday.

This worrying fact was brought to the fore by Mayiwane Member of Parliament (MP) Eric Matsebula, who asked the PS why the countrys public hospitals were out of medication.



elderly



I was called by the elderly last night informing me that they had been advised to go to pharmacies as there were no drugs and they wanted me to give them money, what is really happening, said Matsebula.

The MPs further highlighted that it was not just one drug that was unavailable, but across the whole board.



Manzini North MP Jan Sithole said this was an emergency and that the PS should call his emergency team as soon as he left Parliament.

This one actually needs for the Speaker to call the House so that we can call the Minister of Health and make a decision on what can be done to ensure that the money is released so that the medication can be bought, said Nkwene MP Sikhumbuzo Dlamini.

Dr Zwane said it was true that the country did not have various medication and offered to write a report on how the country had found itself in this particular position.



He said this was not a matter of whether tablets for the epilectic or those with diabetes was short, but across the board the problem was financial, noting that there was a problem with the release of money.

He said when the tenders for the delivery of drugs were awarded government and the suppliers entered into contracts, which had schedules on when they would be delivered and when they would be paid.



We have not paid our suppliers, said the PS.

He said as a result they had not delivered because government had not paid them.

Further, he stated that although the drugs had been ordered payment had to be made first.

Dr Zwane who was seated next to the Principal Secretary at the Ministry of Finance Bheki Bhembe, however, did not state who was failing to release the money.

There is a problem with the release of money and I admit asikemi kahle emitsini (we do not have enough medication).

PAC Chairperson Thuli Dladla said it was clear that Zwane was afraid of shifting the blame to Bhembe who was seated next to him.

Sithole again said this was an emergency and they could not wait until the ministry delivered a report and therefore supported the suggestion that the MP lobby each other for an urgent House sitting.

Some people are on drugs that they cant miss not even for a single day and it is important that the matter is given the urgency it deserves, said Sithole.

After the meeting Zwane was asked by this reporter to state how much the suppliers were owed, to which he responded by saying its too large a figure I am scared to say it.

On another note the Public Enterprise Unit (PEU), yesterday also told the PAC that the Good Shepherd Hospital was a Catergory A government parastatal.

Majority

She said that this meant that it was wholly owned by government or that government was the majority shareholder.

However, this did not go down well with the PAC which asked if that was the case, why did the hospital charge more than what other hospitals charged?

The PEU was also taken to task for allowing the hospital to go on operating without a Board in place.

Who is accountable for the money that was given to them, wondered Matsanjeni North MP Phila Buthelezi.

As a result the PAC directed that the Ministry of Health, Finance, PEU and the hospitals mission to have a meeting as soon as possible and map out clearly how the hospital would be run.

They also wanted to see the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between government and the hospital.
By Press Trust of India: McMaster

From Lalit K Jha

Washington, May 12 (PTI) The maiden foreign trip of US President Donald Trump to the Middle East and Europe is to reaffirm American leadership and build key relationship with world leaders, the White House said today.

Previewing the trip at the daily White House briefing, National Security Advisor H R McMaster said the visits to Saudi Arabia, Israel, the Vatican, Belgium and Italy later this month will show the presidents engagement with leaders around the world.

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"The trip has three core purposes: first, to reaffirm Americas global leadership; second, to continue building key relationships with world leaders; and third, to broadcast a message of unity to Americas friends and to the faithful of three of the worlds greatest religions,? National Security McMaster said.

McMaster said Trump prioritises building strong relationships with world leaders as a way to strengthen US alliances.

"Trump has been successful," he said, referring to the presidents meetings with the Chinese President and British Prime Minister.

McMaster said that Trump understands that "America first does not mean America alone."

"Prioritising American interests means strengthening alliances and partnerships that help US extend its influence and approve the security of the American people," he said.

Asserting that the upcoming trip is truly historic, McMaster said no US president has ever visited the homelands and holy sites of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths all on one trip.

?What President Trump is seeking is to unite peoples of all faiths around a common vision of peace, progress and prosperity,? he said.

?He will bring a message of tolerance and of hope to billions, including to millions of Americans who profess these faiths. The president will focus on what unites us,? he said.

"During the trip, he will encourage our Arab and Muslim partners to take bold, new steps to promote peace and to confront those from ISIS, to al-Qaeda, to Iran, to the Assad regime of Syria who he alleged perpetuate chaos and violence that has inflicted so much suffering throughout the Muslim world and beyond," he said.

Trump, according to McMaster "will lead the first steps toward a stronger, more capable and more robust security partnership with Gulf Arab and Muslim partners".

?He will develop a strong, respectful message that the US and the entire civilised world expects our Muslim allies to take a strong stand against radical Islamist ideology, an ideology that uses a perverted interpretation of religion to justify crimes against all humanity. He will call for Muslim leaders to promote a peaceful vision of Islam," said the NSA.

"In Israel, Trump will reaffirm Americas unshakable bond to the Jewish state. And in his meetings with Palestinian Authority president he will express his desire for dignity and self-determination for the Palestinians," McMaster said.

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?To leaders and peoples alike across the entire trip, he will demonstrate his hopes for just and lasting peace,? said the top White House official.

In Rome, Trump looks forward to paying his respects to Pope Francis and to discussing religious freedom, ways to combat religious persecution, human trafficking, and cooperating on humanitarian missions across the globe, McMaster said.

According to McMaster, the impetus for this trip came from Trump himself.

"He has been fully engaged from the beginning, setting objectives, overseeing the planning. The Presidents receiving regular briefings from his Cabinet and from our senior staff here on the national security side and on the economic side as well,? he said. PTI LKJ PMS

--- ENDS ---
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By Bill Parry

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) told President Trump he had a big mistake when he fired FBI Director James Comey Tuesday, sending shock waves throughout the political world.

Trump cited recommendations from Attorney Gen. Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney Gen. Rod Rosenstein that disapproved of the way the director handled the Hillary Clinton email investigation during last summers presidential campaign.

Schumer warned that if a special prosecutor isnt named by the Justice Department to complete Comeys investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections, it would indicate his firing was part of a cover-up.

Were these investigations getting too close to home for the president? It is troubling that Attorney General Sessions, who had recused himself from the Russian investigation, played a role in firing the man leading it, Schumer told reporters Tuesday night. This is part of a deeply troubling pattern from the Trump administration. They fired Sally Yates. They fired Preet Bharara. And now they fire Director Comey, the very man leading the investigation. This does not seem to be a coincidence.

Schumer called for a special prosecutor to take over the Russia investigation.

The American people need to have faith that an investigation as serious as this one is being conducted impartially, without a shred of bias, Schumer said. The only way the American people can have faith in this investigation is for it to be lead by a fearless, independent special prosecutor.

Trump took to Twitter to respond, writing Cryin Chuck Schumer stated recently, I do not have confidence in him (James Comey) any longer. Then acts so indignant. #draintheswamp.

Pressed to respond to the Tweet by reporters, Schumer said he never called on the president to fire Comey.

I have a lot of questions about how he handled himself, Schumer said. The overwhelming question is this: If the administration had the same questions, the event occurred months ago, and they shouldve fired Comey on the day they came into office. All of them occurred before he came into office, so that does not seem to me to be a very logical or persuasive explanation.

Schumer wasnt alone in demanding an independent prosecutor.

Director Comeys dismissal is extremely troubling, said U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights), the Democratic Caucus chairman. President Trump fired the man investigating him and his cohorts. I strongly support calls for the appointment of a special prosecutor.

Trump took to Twitter again Wednesday morning.

The Democrats have said some of the worst things about James Comey, including the fact that he should be fired, but now they play so sad! Trump wrote, also predicting, When things calm down, they will be thanking me!

Hours later, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) rejected calls for a special prosecutor in the Russia investigation and ripped Democrats for their outrage.

This is what we have now, Mr. President, our Democratic colleagues complaining about the removal of an FBI director whom they themselves repeatedly and sharply criticized, he said on the Senate floor.

Schumer also spoke on the Senate floor Wednesday.

No doubt well have an opportunity to question Mr. Comey, now a private citizen, about what happened, he said. But we need to hear from this administration about what happened and why.
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By Zach Gewelb

Police were searching for two males in connection with a burglary in Long Island City last month.

It was reported to police that one of the individuals gained entry into Supreme Glass and Window at 30-01 37th Ave. through a side door as the second suspect remained outside as a lookout. The individuals removed power tools and fled northbound on 30th Street, police said.

Authorities described one suspect as a white male last seen wearing a dark-colored sweatshirt, a red-and-white striped shirt, blue jeans and yellow work boots. The second individual was last seen wearing a blue hooded sweater and beige pants, police said.

The two also were in possession of a red bicycle, according to the authorities.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at www.nypdc rimes toppe rs.com or by texting their tips to 274637 (crimes) then enter tip577. All calls are strictly confidential.
Coursemates of martyred Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz today organised a silent candlelight march at Delhi's India Gate. Several people paid their homage to the braveheart.

By Manjeet Negi: Martyred Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz's coursemates today organised a candlelight march at Delhi's India Gate to pay him homage.

The 22-year-old Army officer was murdered by suspected Hizbul Mujahideen militants on the intervening night of May 9 and 10.

Delhi: People pay tributes to late army officer Lt. Ummer Fayaz at India Gate, he was abducted and killed by terrorists pic.twitter.com/JpKUn7arq3- ANI (@ANI_news) May 13, 2017

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The Kashmiri Army officer was abducted by militants while he was attending a cousin's wedding on the night of May 9. His bullet-riddled body was found the next day in Harmen in Shopian district.

ARMY PRESENTS EX-GRATIA CHEQUE

The Indian Army today presented a cheque of Rs 75 lakh to the kin of martyred soldier Lt Ummer Fayaz.

Victor Force Commander Major General BS Raju, SP of Kulgam Shridhar Patil along with other senior officials of armed forces met Fayaz's family members and assured all possible help.

To honour the brave soldier, the Army Goodwill School Behibagh will be now renamed as Shaheed Lt Ummer Fayaz Goodwill School.

Army officials present cheque of Rs 75 lakh to kin of martyr Ummer Fayaz.

Showkat Aijaz Bhat (KAS), Deputy Commissioner, Kulgam also presented a cheque of ex-gratia amount from Jammu and Kashmir Government and promised a government job for a family member.

Cheques from Central AWWA Ex - Gratia Grant and National Defence Fund were also presented to the family by an officer of 2 Rajputana Rifles, the unit in which Lt Ummer Fayaz was commissioned.

Also read: Why Hizbul Mujahideen is rattled after murder of Army officer Ummer Fayaz

Also read: Zakir Musa quits as Hizbul Mujahideen commander after outfit condemns his threat to Hurriyat leaders

Watch the video here: Nation stands with Lt Ummer Fayaz: Candlelight vigil at India Gate to honour fallen hero

--- ENDS ---
Times' Game of the Week Preview: No. 4 Mapletown vs. No. 5 South Side

No. 5 South Side gears up to stop the top-scoring No. 4 Mapletown Maples and star running back Landan Stevenson in the quarterfinal Class 1A matchup.
SARATOGA SPRINGS  After several residents found purported Ku Klux Klan fliers placed on their cars Wednesday morning, Mayor Joanne Yepsen reiterated a call for human rights volunteers.

"Our economy depends a great deal on people of different backgrounds," the mayor said, noting migrant workers who are the backbone of the city's restaurant and horse racing scene, as well as global tourists who visit year-round.

Yepsen will host a town hall-style meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 22, to announce who will serve on the city's newly formed, nine-person Human Rights Task Force. At the meeting, Yepsen said she will ask other residents to volunteer as committee members.

"So many individuals and groups have surfaced, primarily since the November election," Yepsen said. She said she hopes the city can help them build an inclusive coalition that will fight against recent acts of hate.

Several people called city police Wednesday morning after discovering KKK fliers on their windshields. The cars were parked overnight in the area of Church Street and Bensonhurst Avenue, police said.

The propaganda handbills, which encouraged locals to join the white supremacist group, described multiple national movements and events using a racist, sexist and anti-Semitic terms.

Saratoga Springs Police Chief Gregory Veitch called the fliers amateurish, "as if the images and wording were copied from different sources and spliced together."

The fliers did not directly threaten or reference the local community, Veitch said in a news release. "It does not appear that any particular person or group was targeted for the dissemination."

This is not the first incidence of racist messages in the wealthy upstate city. Since the presidential election, swastikas have been found on the city property and in both the middle and high schools.

A handful of students in the high school were also found following the Fourth Reich, a Neo-Nazi Instagram account. The person who created the Instagram account was never discovered and the account has since been taken down.

"I'm not even sure it's coming from people who live in Saratoga Springs. This is happening all over the country but this is not who we are," Yepsen said. "The problem with hate crimes like this ... is it scares people."

The Southern Poverty Law Center  a national organization which tracks and exposes the activity hate groups and other domestic extremists  classifies the Ku Klux Klan as one of the country's first terrorist groups.

The fliers are "consistent" with handbills recently found around the country that "take advantage of a very contentious and highly polarized political context for their own benefit," Ryan Lenz, a senior investigative writer at the SPLC, said.

Papering neighborhoods with hateful messages is an old Klan tactic that allows members to stay anonymous, Lenz said. And while the old-school method is less effective than other digital ones, "it makes the Klan out to be much more a menace than they really are  it's a shadow of its former self," he said.

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The fliers are "designed to scare people, keep the Klan alive and recruit people who don't know it still exists," Lenz said. "It looks more like a last ditch effort from an organization trying to survive than the vanguard of the radical right. ... There are much more serious concerns from the radical right at this point," he said.

The so-called alt-right  in which digital savvy, well-dressed white supremacists work to blend in with the mainstream to normalize their violent, racist ideals  is Lenz's main concern for domestic terrorism.

"For a number of decades, racists in America have struggled with their own image and how to present themselves," Lenz said. "The alt-right is effectively what Klansman who took off the hood wanted to become. ... They've moved from the margins of culture into the mainstream of politics."

"Saratoga Springs is not that different from a lot of places in the country," he said, adding we may never know if it was an ignorant teen or a hooded man who placed the fliers in Saratoga Springs.

"It's terrifying to know these ideologies exist and it's doubly horrifying that it's in your community," Lenz said. "People often assume, 'Oh, it's someone outside of the community coming in.' More often than not, it's someone in the community whose plans are not so calm."

Investigators are still working to determine the source of the hateful flyers. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Saratoga Springs Police Department at (518) 584-1800 or www.saratogapolice.org. Anonymous reports can be made at (518) 584-TIPS.
Schenectady

The Schenectady man who died in police custody Thursday was dragging his feet and yelling in pain when police apprehended him, a witness said Saturday.

Andrew Kearse, 36, was apprehended by Schenectady police Thursday after fleeing on foot from a traffic stop on Ward Avenue. Kearse was stopped outside his girlfriend's home, after which he ran into the backyard, where he was captured a few minutes later, police said.

Police said Kearse complained of breathing problems and said he felt dizzy, according to the Daily Gazette, and was unresponsive by the time he arrived at the police department.

He died later at Ellis Hospital.

A neighbor, who preferred not to be named, said Kearse was dragging his feet and yelling that his legs hurt when he was taken into custody. The neighbor could not see any thing preceding Kearse' arrest, but said Kearse was taken from the backyard by two officers, and it took four officers to lift him into a police vehicle.

Other witnesses have described similar details. Terry Cuzdey, a neighbor, told the Daily Gazette he "heard someone yelling, 'You're hurting me, you're hurting me! You broke my leg!" at the time of the arrest, though he did not actually see Kearse at any point.

Kearse's girlfriend Susan Perry said that, upon arriving at the police station, she saw "two police officers were dragging him out of the car like an animal, and he was lying on the ground motionless," she told local media Friday. "When I called his name multiple times, he didn't respond. He was looking up at the sky, not blinking, motionless."

Perry declined to comment any further on Saturday. She was charged Thursday with misdemeanor obstructing governmental administration.

The State Police have since taken over the investigation.

"The Schenectady Police Department has provided unfettered access for this investigation into the events leading up to Mr. Kearse's death and is cooperating fully," State Police said in a press release Friday afternoon. State Police said medical assistance was rendered but Kearse did not recover.

"The chief asked them to become involved in this," Schenectady police spokesman Sgt. Matthew Dearing said Friday afternoon about the State Police investigators.

Dearing said the city police department will not release any more information about the man's death now that they've handed the investigation over to the State Police.

"It is too early to comment on the specifics of the incident as it just occurred last evening," said State Police Capt. Robert Patnaude, who is the acting Troop G commander. He said troopers will release details "when we are confident they are accurate."

Patnaude classified the probe as a "death investigation," with a primary goal of identifying whether the man's death was natural, accidental, a homicide or a suicide.

Once the cause of death is determined, the investigation will continue like any other, Patnaude said. If it is classified as a homicide, the State Police could charge the officers involved.

But, in the earliest of stages, the probe is not criminal, he said.

"Our first goal is to determine what this is, and how and why this happened," Patnaude said. The Schenectady Police Department, he said, "wants to have an impartial investigation."

Kearse's encounter with police began at 4:34 p.m. when an officer observed an alleged traffic violation and tried to pull him over, Schenectady police said in a news release issued Thursday night.

The driver pulled into a Ward Avenue driveway and ran into a backyard, city police said. Officers chased him.

Their "brief foot pursuit" ended behind a Donald Avenue home and Kearse was arrested, city police said. Dearing said the man was not shot or Tasered but would not say whether police used other types of force.

The man was put in the back seat of a police car and, on his way to the police department, he told Schenectady police officers that he was having trouble breathing and felt dizzy, city police said.

By the time the police car arrived at the station, he was unresponsive, police said.

Paramedics were called to provide treatment and Kearse was taken by ambulance to Ellis Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Dearing said he displayed no visible signs of distress before mentioning his symptoms.

"It's an unusual incident for someone to die in custody like this," Patnaude said. Police departments occasionally ask the State Police to investigate why people in city cops' custody died or whether an officer was justified in shooting his or her gun, the captain said.
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Washington

In an ominous warning, President Donald Trump declared Friday that fired FBI Director James Comey had better hope there are no "tapes" of their private conversations. Trump's tweet came the morning after he asserted Comey had told him three times he wasn't under FBI investigation.

Later, White House press secretary Sean Spicer repeatedly refused to address whether recording devices had been placed in the White House. He dismissed the notion that the president threatened the former FBI director.

"The president has nothing further to add on that," Spicer said when questioned about a recording system. "The tweet speaks for itself."

Comey has not confirmed Trump's account of discussions that included the FBI's probe of Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election and allegations of Trump campaign collaboration with the Russians.

On Friday, a person close to the former director recounted a Comey-Trump dinner in January at which Trump asked for a pledge of loyalty. Comey declined, instead offering honesty. When Trump then pressed for "honest loyalty," Comey told him, "You will have that," recounted the Comey associate.

Spicer denied on Friday that Trump asked Comey to pledge his loyalty, insisting that the president simply "wants loyalty to this country and the rule of law."

Details of the dinner were first reported by The New York Times.

Trump, in an interview Thursday with NBC News, had this version: "I said, 'If it's possible, would you let me know, am I under investigation?' He said you are not under investigation." Trump said the discussions happened in two phone calls and at a dinner in which Comey was asking to keep his job.

The president tweeted early Friday, "James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!"

His comment again raised the specter of Richard Nixon, whose secretly taped conversations and telephone calls in the White House ultimately led to his downfall in the Watergate scandal. Trump's firing of Comey already has left him with the dubious distinction of being the first president since Nixon to fire a law enforcement official overseeing an investigation tied to the White House.

Trump was widely known to record some phone conversations at his office in Trump Tower during his business career, sometimes remarking to aides after a call as to whether or not he had taped that one.

"I would note that New York is a one-party consent state, and President Trump has always abided by the law," said Sam Nunberg, a former campaign aide, noting that it is not required in New York for both parties on a call to be aware that it was being recorded.

Spicer, who kept his answers short during the briefing and largely dodged specific questions about Trump's meeting with Comey, did say at one point that he was not aware that any recording of the Trump-Comey meeting exists.
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Malta

The region's computer chip industry appears to have emerged almost unscathed from the bid-rigging scandal that led to federal charges.

Anchored by GlobalFoundries' $12 billion Fab 8 factory, the sector is about to hit its stride.

It is coming to fruition after multiple fits and starts that led many to believe that the "chip dreams" of the Capital Region were a fantasy, and a billion-dollar waste of money. Evidence of the payoff has been like the tiny transistors on computer chips  hard to see with the unaided eye.

Lisa Su, CEO of Advanced Micro Devices, shocked Silicon Valley last August when she showed off the speed of a new chip the company had developed.

The chip, code-named "Zen," only narrowly edged out rival Intel's top-performer.

Since that day, AMD's market value has risen more than 40 percent.

It was also a huge day for the Capital Region since AMD had the Zen chip manufactured at GlobalFoundries' Fab 8 factory, which for years struggled to meet industry expectations.

The launch of Zen, which uses an innovative 14-nanometer chip design with "FinFET" transistors shaped like fins, marked a major turning point for GlobalFoundries, which was created from AMD's manufacturing unit in 2009. The FinFET technology was licensed from Samsung.

Fab 8, a foundry that makes chips for other companies, began production in 2011. But the facility, which received more than $1.5 billion in state funding initially approved in 2006, at first failed to live up to its claim as one of the most technically advanced chip fabs in the world.

Dan Hutcheson, a highly respected Silicon Valley semiconductor analyst, who visited Fab 8 in April, said he believes the transformation began with the hiring of Tom Caulfield. The former IBM executive was named Fab 8's new general manager in May 2014. Hutcheson said the transformation was further advanced with GlobalFoundries' 2015 acquisition of IBM's microelectronics manufacturing business.

"The reputation of the Malta fab has dramatically improved since the IBM acquisition but also since you came here," Hutcheson told Caulfield during a video interview for Hutcheson's weSRCH website. "I saw that today when I walked around the fab. It was just an amazing difference in the people and the quality of the people."

Hutcheson called Fab 8's 14-nanometer production flawless, with 100 percent yield on 14-nanometer chip "tapeouts"  the process when a design is transferred from a customer to the fab.

"It used to be unheard of in the foundry business," Hutcheson said. "It's become more common, but 14 nanometer is a cutting edge process, and it takes a lot of teamwork to do that 100 percent kind of capability,"

The effort is revealed in GlobalFoundries' financial results, which surged during the second half of last year as the company posted record revenue of $5.49 billion, an increase of $500 million over 2015. GlobalFoundries won't confirm those numbers, which were included in the financial statements of its parent company, Mubadala Development Co. of Abu Dhabi. But a company spokesman said the success of Fab 8 contributed to the revenue growth.

"We saw significant revenue growth in 2016, driven in large part by the 14nm FinFET ramp at Fab 8," Steven Grasso said.

Because of the 14-nanometer success at Fab 8  and efforts under way to bring the first 7-nanometer chips to market  there is hope again that a second fab could be built at the Fab 8 campus, although GlobalFoundries won't comment.

That hope has fueled a lot of interest and excitement in two upcoming semiconductor industry conferences in Saratoga Springs. The Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference begins Monday at the Saratoga Springs City Center and features some of the industry's top technologists and manufacturing leaders.

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The Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership, the county's official economic development arm, is sponsoring the Saratoga reception Wednesday night at the Canfield Casino with Applied Materials. The reception is the social highlight of the four-day event and gives people like Marty Vanags, president of the Prosperity Partnership, a chance to pitch semiconductor industry leaders on the benefits of moving their operations to the Capital Region and Saratoga County. Vanags said GlobalFoundries as well as SUNY Polytechnic Institute are the two magnets that can help bring them to this region, as well as other facets such as chip design firms.

"For the future of Saratoga County, the semiconductor industry is critical and very important," Vanags said. "It will help us to leverage more economic development."

There is also tremendous excitement for the 87/90 Semiconductor Summit, a new event created by the Center for Economic Growth in Albany that will take place June 8 at the Saratoga Springs City Center. The one-day conference will feature business and economic development leaders, including Gary Patton, the chief technology officer at GlobalFoundries, and Jim Feldhan, president of Semico Research, a major semiconductor consulting firm based in Phoenix. Other speakers include Tom Salmon, executive director of the Fab Owners Association, and Howard Zemsky, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's economic development chief.

Andrew Kennedy, CEG's chief executive, said the 87/90 name given to the summit is a moniker for Interstate 90 and Interstate 87, the two major highways that intersect in Albany and crisscross the state. In addition to the Luther Forest Technology Campus in Malta, the state has other sites it is marketing to semiconductor companies that are in Utica, Syracuse and between Rochester and Buffalo. Those sites will also be discussed at the 87/90 summit.

"As part of that industry attraction effort, CEG has determined that global industries look at a much larger geographic and demographic target when making major business decisions," Kennedy said. "We think it's important to highlight New York's full tech corridor  from the Canadian border to New York City and from Albany to Buffalo  and our program reflects that diversity."

When asked if the SUNY Poly scandal had tainted the Capital Region in the eyes of the industry, Kennedy said that too many research advances and commercial success have happened to cause permanent damage.

"That's a critical mass that has been built over several decades and has put us on the map for these industries," Kennedy said. "We need to continue to highlight those successes... so the corporate decision-makers in this sector know we're still here, still aggressive and still mean business."

lrulison@timesunion.com
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Rensselaer

Grand Central Terminal, the destination of passenger trains from the Capital Region until 1991, will likely resume that role, at least temporarily, this summer.

That's when Amtrak plans to undertake a massive track and switch replacement project at Penn Station that will cut its train capacity by as much as 25 percent. The work follows two derailments this spring. To relieve pressure at Penn, Amtrak has been studying switching at least some of its trains from the Empire Corridor back to Grand Central.

While Amtrak officials didn't confirm that some trains will use Grand Central, a source said train crews are being offered the opportunity to bid for those runs.

Amtrak hasn't specified how the service reductions will affect passengers. Work is expected to begin July 7.

Upstate passengers who end up at Grand Central may not mind. The century-old building has been restored, with a grand hall, restaurants and other services.

The trains using the Empire Corridor across New York state were moved to Penn Station in 1991 so that passengers could connect directly to Amtrak's other trains that used the Northeast Corridor tracks through Penn.

The move was made possible after an out-of-service freight connector track was restored.

Metro North Commuter Railroad continues to use Grand Central.

Penn Station "accommodates 1,300-plus weekday train movements on an infrastructure designed in 1910 for less than half the current volume," Amtrak President and CEO Charles "Wick" Moorman told a state Assembly panel Thursday. "For perspective on this, Grand Central Terminal handles only roughly two-thirds the number of daily trains on double the number of train tracks, compared to Penn Station."

And while trains that come into Penn Station need to travel to a railyard in Queens to be serviced and turned around, Grand Central has a track that loops around the station so trains can reverse direction.

Area residents of a certain age may remember Troy Union Station, which was designed by Reed & Stem, architects who later worked on the Grand Central design. The Troy station was demolished in 1958.

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What remains of Penn Station  the spacious "head house," as Moorman called it Thursday, was demolished in 1964  has been likened to a basement that makes passengers feel like rats scurrying through subterranean corridors.

The track work that will cause travel hassles for the Long Island Rail Road, NJ Transit and Amtrak passengers who continue to use Penn won't fix that feeling.

But a project to turn the neighboring Farley Post Office building into a new train hall is intended to restore some of Penn Station's grandeur.

This summer some lucky Empire Corridor Amtrak passengers may once again feel like they're arriving somewhere grand.

eanderson@timesunion.com  518-454-5323
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, May 12 (PTI) A large number of pilgrims have shown interest in visiting the Amarnath cae shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, notwithstanding the continuing unrest in the Kashmir Valley, officials said.

The number of people who have enrolled with the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board for the annual pilgrimage, which will begin on June 29, is almost the same as the last year, they said.

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Despite the unrest, there has been no drop in the enrollment of pilgrims, an official said.

More than 2.20 lakh pilgrims had offered prayers at the naturally formed ice-Shivlingam last year. The shrine, located at an altitude of 3,888 metre, is 46 km from Pahalgam and 14 km from Baltal.

The Amarnath yatra will conclude on August 7.

Jammu and Kashmir has seen protests and violence since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in July last year. There was massive violence during the April nine bypoll to the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat in which eight people lost their lives in more than 200 incidents.

The Election Commission had also cancelled the May 25 bypoll to Anantnag Lok Sabha seat, saying the situation there was not feasible for holding election.

A young Kashmiri Army officer was killed by militants two days ago.

The Union Home Ministry will soon hold a meeting with state government and security agencies to put in place elaborate security arrangements for the pilgrimage.

Around 20,000 central paramilitary personnel besides the state police force will be deployed for ensuring security of the pilgrims. PTI ACB RT

--- ENDS ---
With a terrific subject, a good cast and a capable director, "A Quiet Passion," which dramatizes Emily Dickinson's life, should be better than it is. The film refuses to soft-pedal Dickinson's heartbreaking descent into bitterness and near-misanthropy, but sometimes operates with a heavy-handedness that's certainly at odds with her poetry.

The opening scene shows Emily (played as a youth by a very appealing Emma Bell) receiving a fierce tongue-lashing from a Mount Holyoke schoolmistress for, essentially, marching to a different drummer. Young Emily declines to back down. It's a conflict that the movie dwells on  19th-century America is a society where women should neither write poetry nor talk back, and ought to cultivate an air of gentility.

Though a bit of a homebody, Emily is far too intelligent, and has too much of an acerbic streak, to submit. The filmmaker, Britain's Terence Davies, is capable of finesse (he directed "The House of Mirth" in 2000), but seems content here to repeat the point as bluntly as possible. The idea, I guess, is that there was nothing subtle about the restrictions on women in Emily's time  in any case, Davies lays it on thick.

While there are funny moments of dialogue, often barbed, between Emily and her younger sister Lavinia (Jennifer Ehle) and catty friend Vryling (Catherine Bailey), there is also a certain amount of speechifying. Dickinson's was an educated and highly literate household, but the film's level of conversation presses us hard to acknowledge that these are very elevated folk.

More Information ** Review "A Quiet Passion" Rated: Not rated Running time: 126 minutes **** Excellent *** Good ** Fair * Poor See More Collapse

Time passes (the adult Emily is played  very well  by Cynthia Nixon), and the conventions of the day begin to weigh heavily on Emily. She is convinced that she is homely, an obstacle to romantic pursuits. Very little of her poetry is published, which vexes her mightily, as does one editor's decision to "simplify" her punctuation. One of the few people who actually appreciates her writing is a married pastor, who eventually moves to far-off San Francisco.

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As to her poetry, we hear quite a few lines, which is good if the idea is to give a general flavor of her work. But her writing was so dense and complex that it's hard to imagine how it can be absorbed on the fly by viewers who have not studied Dickinson.

What Davies and Nixon do well is show how Emily became a recluse overcome by rancor. There are men who come to court her, but it's to their chagrin  they are made to feel most unwelcome. It's very sad to witness how this supremely talented woman was so disappointed by life  or, maybe more accurately, by the life of her time.

In addition to the good work by Nixon and Bell, the main supporting players acquit themselves well. Ehle and Bailey are full of life. Duncan Duff, as Emily's brother, and Keith Carradine, as her father, resist what must have been a mighty temptation to overplay their parts.
THE ISSUE:

A Canadian businessman goes to great lengths to donate to New York's governor.

THE STAKES:

It's a glaring example of the power of money in politics and the need for reform.

More Information To comment: tuletters@timesunion.com or at http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion See More Collapse

For the latest example of how important big money is in government and politics, look at the lengths one donor went in trying to give Gov. Andrew Cuomo $25,000.

The story, outlined in a federal complaint, underscores why New York's high campaign contribution limits are in such desperate need of reform.

According to the complaint, an online gambling company based in Montreal and owned by a Canadian citizen, who is not named in the document, was a client of Buffalo Democratic political consultant Steve Pigeon. The firm is said to have paid him $388,000 between 2010 and 2015 to lobby, among other things, for New York to legalize online gambling.

Two years ago, authorities say, the Canadian businessman and Mr. Pigeon tried to give $25,000 to Mr. Cuomo's re-election campaign. Since it came from a corporation  whose contributions would be limited to $5,000  Mr. Cuomo's campaign rejected the donation.

But the Canadian, according to the complaint, persisted, trying to personally wire the money, only to have the campaign reject it again because the donor was not an American citizen.

Undeterred, the Canadian and Mr. Pigeon allegedly got an employee of the Canadian company who was a permanent legal U.S. resident to wire $25,000 to Mr. Cuomo's campaign. That person initially sought reimbursement from the company, but changed his mind after becoming uneasy with the transaction, according to the complaint.

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Mr. Pigeon, who also faces felony state Election Law violations and a felony false filing charge in an unrelated matter, has pleaded not guilty to the alleged crimes.

However the case turns out, the underlying story of how determined the Canadian businessman was to donate to the governor's campaign shows how money equates to access in New York politics: All this was done to gain entry to a high-priced campaign fundraising event.

Just why are campaign contribution limits in this state  set by politicians, remember  so high? For a statewide position, the limit for just one donor last year was $65,000 for the primary and general election; a family could donate as much as $411,000 to a race for governor, attorney general, or comptroller. Donations can exceed $98,000 in family contributions for state Senate races, and more than $42,000 in Assembly elections. For a president or U.S. senator, by comparison, the federal cap is $2,700.

One might argue that all that money is needed to pay the high cost of running for office, but that's the tail wagging the dog. Reduce the big money pouring into campaigns, and campaigns just might spend less competing with each other. Or work harder to raise small donations. Either way, the influence of big money would be diminished.

Paying for access to politicians isn't limited to New York, of course. But the price here is especially high. And just as it is with jewelry, booze, cars and pretty much anything else, there is every reason to believe that donors who pay higher prices expect more for their money. And that more has a way of coming out of the public's pockets.
US President Donald Trump will talk about a multi-billion dollar arms deal with Saudi Arabia during his upcoming visit to Riyadh. Raising the issue of proselytising souring the relationship between US and Saudi under former President Barack Obama, will Trump take the risk to discuss it amid a mega arms deal?

By India Today Web Desk: US President Donald Trump will travel to Riyadh towards the end of this month. Trump is to meet the king of Saudi Arabia. According to Donald Trump , the purpose of the trip is "to construct a new foundation of cooperation and support with our Muslim allies to combat extremism, terrorism and violence and to embrace a more just and hopeful future for young Muslims in their countries," as quoted by Brookings .

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Politico reports that Trump "will attend a gathering of Muslim leaders that will focus on the threats of terrorism and religious extremism."

Trump's foreign trip has halts in Israel and the Vatican City as well.

The trip comes as an opportunity for Trump to progress toward fulfilling his promise to eradicate "radical Islam" by pushing the Saudi government to put an end to the instances of 'religious extremism' that is accused of being rampant in the kingdom.

FYI || Hail Hydra: Web page on Marvel Comics villain redirects to Trump's official White House website ||

US DEFENDS KINGDOM, WANTS SAUDI TO DEAL WITH PROSELYTISATION

Trump on his visit to Saudi is likely to raise the issue of proselytising -- the act of converting from one religion, belief, or opinion to other -- with Saudi king Salman.

Donald Trump hopes to have a multi-billion dollar arms deal with Saudi Arabia to support its devastating war in Yemen.

This American partnership with Saudi Arabia is also significant when it comes to maintaining the stability of world energy prices, or be it gathering intelligence on America's jihadi enemies, and keeping a close check on Iran.

However, Trump administration might not raise the issue of proselytising as it may backfire on the US and its arms deal with the kingdom if the demand doesn't go down well with the kingdom.

The relationship had earlier soured under President Obama, and the Trump administration might keep the history lesson in mind.

SAUDI ARABIA AND ISLAM

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia which was found in the 1920s has splurged billions of dollars to propagate its 'ultraconservative brand of Islam' known as Wahhabism (Wahhabis are members of a strictly orthodox Sunni Muslim sect, a predominant religious force in Saudi Arabia) by outsiders.

The idea talks about infidels and fallacious Muslims and how they should be shunned. They can even be fought with if they fail to embrace the message.

Although rulers in Saudi often disregard Wahhabi teachings, they have not done much to bring in reforms.

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According to Brookings report, on the official Saudi government website housing the clerics' pronouncements, one can find statements like, "Hating infidels is obligatory because they are the enemies of God and His messenger and the enemies of Muslims."

Another fatwa states that any Muslim who speaks of "unity of religions" is an apostate renouncing the belief or principle. It is a crime punishable by death in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

SAUDI ARABIA, ISLAM, ISIS, AND TEXTBOOKS

For decades the Saudi government has promoted these ideas widely in schools and the textbooks students read, inside or outside the country.

Inside the country, the Cooperative Office for Missionizing and Guidance Abroad is responsible for making sure that new converts shun the unbelievers. Religious affairs at the embassies are charged with promoting Wahhabism among local Muslims.

On the other hand, governments of the west and many Muslim-majority countries have put the blame on Saudi-sponsored proselytising for the surge in jihadism and its increment in religious intolerance among Muslims.

It cannot be a fair argument but it will be hard for Saudi government to argue when its own textbooks have been taught in ISIS-run schools.

The pages of these textbooks aren't just flipped through there as they are used in most of the groups designated as foreign terrorist organisations as well.

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Also Read:

Donald Trump did not threaten James Comey, White House says after US president's tweet about secret 'tapes'

Donald Trump fires FBI Director James Comey, triggering US political storm

--- ENDS ---
[May 13, 2017] AURAK Signs MoU with University of Illinois

The American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Illinois, converting the U.S.-based university into its latest international partner. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170513005014/en/ The American University of Ras Al Khaimah campus (Photo: ME NewsWire) The agreement, which was initiated by AURAK's School of Engineering and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois' Urbana-Champaign campus, is centered on the establishment of a '3+2' cooperative academic program in which student can earn a bachelor's degree at AURAK and a master's degree in Illinois.



Pen was put to paper by Prof. Hassan Hamdan Al Alkim and Prof. Mousa Mohsen, AURAK president and dean of the School of Engineering respectively, as well as Robert J. Jones, chancellor of the University of Illinois, Reitumetse Obakeng Mabokela, vice provost for international affairs and global strategies, and Andreas Cangellaris, dean of the University of Illinois' College of Engineering. Speaking about the agreement, Prof. Mousa Mohsen stated, "For AURAK students, this arrangement offers a unique opportunity to earn a postgraduate degree at a top university in the United States, as well as experiencing all of the transformative impacts associated with immersion in a new culture and environment. I am so excited at the potential of this agreement."

Prof. Al Alkim added, "We are delighted with this agreement, as it seals a very close relationship with an excellent institution in the United States and provides our students with a wonderful opportunity for further study. Opportunities like this can effectively change lives, and at AURAK, we are immensely proud to offer these possibilities to our students through our own top-class education, as well as our network of partners across the world." At present, AURAK has a range of international partners across Africa, Asia, Europe and North America, opening a wide spectrum of possibilities to students, including exchange and study abroad programs for up to one year, as well as shorter summer sessions. While AURAK students have travelled abroad to study at the likes of Appalachian State University in North Carolina, AURAK also receives a number of students from the United States and Europe each semester, with international students eager to experience the immersive cultural experience on offer in Ras Al Khaimah. *Source (News - Alert): ME NewsWire View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170513005014/en/

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[May 12, 2017] Utah Technology Council Honors CEO of the Year and Tech Champions

The Utah Technology Council (UTC) invited its members to celebrate its achievements over the last year by honoring several tech champions, and were pleased to hear keynote remarks on "The Exponential Future of Technology and Innovation" by Mark Sunday, chief information officer and senior vice president of Oracle (News - Alert) Corporation, a company that offers a wide variety of servers, databases, applications and cloud technologies for today's business climate. Throughout his remarks he offered compelling examples of human ingenuity, starting with America's Cup, the sailing yacht speed battle for the world's oldest trophy in international sports. Oracle TEAM USA is a two-time America's Cup winner preparing to win its third consecutive trophy in Bermuda next month. Through the latest technological advancements, the competition will be more accessible to fans than ever before. "By continuing to train our minds to think exponentially, we will find ourselves open to new opportunities to innovate, disrupt, and more importantly, improve the world in which we live," said Sunday. At the end of his presentation, Sunday announced a winner from the audience to receive an Oracle TEAM USA jacket personalized by two-time America's Cup winner, Jimmy Spithill. UTC also honored several individuals who have contributed to the mission of the Utah Technology Council and have helped elevate Utah's tech ecosystem. The industry awards for 2017 were presented in the following categories: CEO of the Year

Steve Daly, Ivanti Legislators of the Year

Sen.Jerry Stevenson, Executive Appropriations Chair







Sen. Ann Millner

Rep. Francis Gibson, Majority Whip

Rep. John Knotwell, Assistant Majority Whip

Rep. Dean Sanpei, Executive Appropriations Chair

Rep. Brad Last, Executive Appropriations Vice Chair

Rep. Val Peterson

Engineering Initiative Champion

Marilyn Davies, University of Utah

Trustee of the Year

Joe Swenson, Imagine Learning Startup CEO of the Year

Johnny Hanna, Homie Women in Tech Champion

JaeLynn Williams, Chief Commercial Officer, GE Digital Healthcare Industry Champion

Vance Checketts, Dell EMC (News - Alert) HR Exec of the Year

Heather Mercier, Experticity CTO of the Year

Ashley Dreier, HealthEquity CFO of the Year

Jon Pexton, Progrexion "Thanks to the total commitment and sacrifice of leaders like you, Utah's tech industry continues its meteoric growth, having recently achieved national recognition as a super sector," said Richard R. Nelson, president and CEO of UTC. "I have been privileged to be engaged in Utah's remarkable dynamism, working closely with state legislators, governors, and other key decision makers over the years to ignite Utah's capital investment and bolster talent development at all K-20 levels. I am proud of our accomplishments." UTC Chairman, Gary Goodrich, reflected on the achievements over the last year and acknowledged the honor of having the head of the largest tech company keynote UTC's most recent Hall of Fame celebration. "Over the last year we celebrated UTC's 25th Anniversary, and the highlight of this monumental celebration was hosting Apple (News - Alert) CEO Tim Cook." Goodrich goes on to say that Cook greatly enjoyed the evening learning about the success of Utah's tech sector. Cook remarked that "creativity, energy, and entrepreneurial drive were signs of great things happening here." He continued, "there's no place in the world I'd rather be." About UTC Utah Technology Council gives an influential, unified voice to the state's 6,000 technology businesses, and marshals support from government, education and community leaders. UTC's top priorities are: expanding the talent pipeline for high tech positions, enhancing the business climate in Utah and fostering innovation within Utah technology companies. Visit www.utahtech.org. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170512005756/en/

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[May 12, 2017] Global Lighting Market Research Report 2017-2021 - Research and Markets

DUBLIN, May 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Lighting Market 2017-2021" report to their offering. The analysts forecast the global lighting market to grow at a CAGR of 9.22% during the period 2017-2021. The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global lighting market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue from the sale of new products units only. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.

According to the report, one of the major drivers for this market is LED continues to be the future of lighting. LED is the most sought after technology in lighting currently. It offers the benefits of energy savings, cost-efficiency, and low maintenance. Governments around the world are encouraging the use of LEDs in public and private spaces. The continued price erosion of LEDs is a bonus. In India, under the Domestic Efficient Lighting Programmed (DELP), the cost of procurement of LED bulbs has come down drastically over the past two years.

The latest trend gaining momentum in the market is connected lighting for homes and offices, giving way to new opportunities. Connected lighting or smart lighting can be described as any lighting equipment that has an element of intelligence or connectivity in it. In other words, the ability to control lights using devices such as computers or smartphones is called connected lighting. In a connected lighting system, a lighting fixture or bulb has its own unique hardware address, having a separate bridge that connects the bulb to the Internet. The Internet of Things is going to be a major moderator for connected technology to become maintream in the future.



Further, the report states that one of the major factors hindering the growth of this market is dynamic reshuffling of business activities to achieve operational efficiency. New LED technologies require higher product development costs that cannot be easily passed on to the customers. New technologies force fixture manufacturers to adopt the latest production processes, which costs them heavily. Also, firms prefer giving priority to the business units that are showing faster growth than lighting

Market Dynamics

Market drivers

LED continues to be the future of lighting

Increase in sales of vehicles driving the demand for automotive lights

LED lighting in various unique and specialty applications Market challenges

Replacement market affected by LED

Dynamic reshuffling of business activities to achieve operational efficiency

Rapid changes and extensive requirements in LED lighting technology Market trends

Connected lighting for homes and offices, giving way to new opportunities

Increase in the demand for energy-efficient lighting options like solar lighting

Laser lights - a developing headlight technology

Ensuring safety options is an added requirement in automotive lights today Key vendors

Acuity Brands

Cree

General Electric (GE)

HELLA

KOITO

Magneti Marelli

Nichia

OSRAM

Philips

Stanley Electric Other prominent vendors

Bridgelux

CITIZEN ELECTRONICS

Dialight

Eaton

EVERLIGHT

Hubbell

Intematix Corporation

LG Innotek

KYOCERA Corporation

Panasonic Corporation

Samsung Electronics

Seoul Semiconductor

Sharp

TOSHIBA

TOYODA GOSEI

Zumtobel Group Key Topics Covered: PART 01: Executive summary PART 02: Scope of the report PART 03: Research Methodology PART 04: Introduction

Key market highlights PART 05: Market landscape

- Market overview

- Market size and forecast

- Five forces analysis PART 06: Market segmentation by application

- Global lighting market by application

- Global general lighting market

- Global automotive lighting market

- Global backlighting market PART 07: Market segmentation by technology

- Market overview

- Market size and forecast for traditional lighting

- Market size and forecast for LED lighting PART 08: Geographical segmentation

- Global lighting market by geography

- Americas

- APAC

- EMEA PART 09: Market drivers PART 10: Impact of drivers PART 11: Market challenges PART 12: Impact of drivers and challenges PART 13: Market trends PART 14: Vendor landscape

- Competitive scenario

- Other prominent vendors PART 15: Key vendor analysis

- Acuity Brands

- Cree

- General Electric (GE)

- HELLA

- KOITO

- Magneti Marelli

- Nichia

- OSRAM

- Philips

- Stanley Electric PART 16: Appendix For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/d6sxnb/global_lighting Media Contact: Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716





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[May 13, 2017] Foresters Financial, KaBOOM! and Volunteers Create More Ways for Kids to Play at Millwood Elementary School

The Oklahoma City community was revitalized today thanks to a new playground built at Millwood Elementary School. In less than eight hours, more than 200 volunteers from Foresters FinancialTM, Millwood Public Schools and non-profit KaBOOM! created the new playspace, which will serve more than 900 children and their families in the local community for years to come. "We believe in enriching lives and building strong communities - that's our purpose," said Tony Garcia, President and CEO, Foresters Financial. "Playgrounds are important because they provide a public space where children can play safely, families can spend quality time and the community can come together. An investment in a playground is an investment in community, and we are happy to provide the Oklahoma City community with a place that families can enjoy for years to come." The design for the new playground is based on drawings created by neighborhood children at a special Design Day event held in March when community members met with organizers from KaBOOM! and Foresters Financial to design their dream playground. The drawings inspired the final playground design. Foresters Financial, an international financial services provider, helps families reach their financial goals, protect themselves and make a lasting difference in their communities. Since 2006, Foresters has invested more than $13 million with KaBOOM! to build more than 140 playgrounds across the US and Canada by the end of 2017. Over their 15-year lifespan, these playgrounds will help to strengthen the community and provide more than 5 million children and their families with an opportunity to spend quality time together. "Millwood Public Schools is excited to work with our community to fundraise and build together," said Cecilia Robinson-Woods, Superintendent for Millwood Public Schools. "Providing quality socialization and family events is a cornerstone of our Falcon pride!" Green spaces and safe play structures where children and families can enjoy and spend time together are sparse in many high density communities. Playing outdoors is an important part of every child's healthy development and the creation ofthis new playground will allow thousands of children to play safely and be active in their community.



Foresters Financial is a KaBOOM! Founding National Partner. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has been dedicated to ensuring that all kids get the balance and active play they need to thrive. About Millwood Public Schools

Millwood Public Schools is located on the east side of Oklahoma City, which is home to some of the city's most unhealthiest and overweight population according to recent Oklahoma City County Health data. Our mission is to prepare all students academically and socially for lifelong learning. We believe that the addition of this playground will support this mission through providing social opportunities for our students as well as our community.

About Foresters Financial

Foresters Financial is an international financial services provider with more than three million clients and members in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, and total funds under management of $44 billion.1 With a history of more than 140 years, we provide life insurance, savings, retirement and investment solutions that help families achieve their financial goals, protect their families and improve their communities. For more information, visit foresters.com. Foresters Financial and Foresters are trade names and trademarks of The Independent Order of Foresters (a fraternal benefit society, 789 Don Mills Road, Toronto, Canada M3C 1T9) and its subsidiaries. Products offered vary by country. Not all products are available for distribution in all jurisdictions. In the United States, products are offered by The Independent Order of Foresters and its subsidiaries, including Foresters Financial Services, Inc. a registered broker-dealer. Securities, life insurance and annuity products are offered through Foresters Financial Services, Inc. or independent producers. Insurance products are issued by Foresters Life Insurance and Annuity Company, New York, or The Independent Order of Foresters. Investment advisory products and services are offered through Foresters Advisory Services, LLC, a registered investment adviser. 1 in Canadian dollars as of December 31, 2016 KaBOOM!

KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to bringing balanced and active play into the daily lives of all kids, particularly those growing up in poverty in America. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has collaborated with partners to build, open or improve nearly 16,700 playgrounds, engaged more than one million volunteers and served 8.5 million children. KaBOOM! creates great places to play, inspires communities to promote and support play, and works to drive the national discussion about the importance of play in fostering healthy lives and communities. To learn why #playmatters: visit kaboom.org or join the conversation at twitter.com/kaboom or facebook.com/kaboom. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170513005010/en/

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Proposed Kentucky constitutional amendment to end right to an abortion defeated in vote
By Press Trust of India: From Lalit K Jha

Washington, May 10 (PTI) The US has strongly warned its citizens against travelling to North Korea following the arrest of a fourth US citizen in the reclusive country.

The State Department said Americans in that country are at serious risk of arrest and long-term detention under its system of law enforcement.

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"This system imposes unduly harsh sentences for actions that would not be considered crimes in the United States and threatens US citizen detainees with being treated in accordance with wartime law of the DPRK," it said.

The US man, Kim Hak-Song, was detained for "hostile acts," the official KCNA news agency said, adding he had worked for the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST).

At least 16 US citizens have been detained in North Korea in the past ten years.

North Korean authorities have detained those who travelled independently and those who were part of organised tours, the State Department said. PTI LKJ BSA

--- ENDS ---
Technology leaders meet to discuss digital equity in KC KANSAS CITY, Mo. - On Friday, the Kansas City Coalition for Digital Inclusion hosted a panel discussion on digital equity in the community. The panel discussion, called "Equity and Infrastructure: A Discussion on the State of Digital Inclusion in KC," brought in several organizations throughout the region to discuss the digital divide issues.

In India . . . There is a fully functional Android smartphone on sale for $3.67 . . . And so these locals might want to talk old school market forces rather than tech. Take a look:
Burns & Mac

Council Lady Alissia Canady

Kansas SecState Kris Kobach

The Kansas City Fountain Lady

TV Morning News Man Mark Alford
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Beijing on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation organized by the Chinese government. The meeting was held at the Four Seasons Hotel.

On the Greek side, Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias, Minister of Digital Policy Nikos Pappas and Foreign Ministry Secretary General for International Economic Cooperation George Tsipras participated. On the Turkish side, Prime Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu participated.

Tsipras raised the positive agenda for Greek-Turkish relations.

Erdogan adopted it at a great extent and at the end of the meeting, he expressed the wish to fully implement the Treaty of Lausanne, according to sources of the Athens Macedonian News Agency (ANA).

The two officials discussed the Greek-Turkish relations, the Cyprus issue, the European course of Turkey, which Tsipras said that Greece supports, the migration issue and the issue of visas for Turkish citizens visiting countries of the European Union.

As for the European course of Turkey, Tsipras said that Greece supports it, as long as Turkey itself seeks it and wants it. Erdogan said the EU does not fulfill its commitment to visa-free travel for Turkish citizens visiting European countries. Tsipras responded that Greece is seeking the implementation of the EU-Turkey Agreement.

In the debate on the Cyprus issue there was no convergence of views on the progress of the negotiations.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Kavala's location is ideal, looking out to the island of Thassos and close to Thessaloniki, Drama and Serres. For more adventurous travelers, Istanbul is just a four-hour drive away. If you look for the city on a map, you'll see it's in the heart of northern Greece, in an ideal spot for excursions around the region.

Kavala has many of its own attractions, easily noticeable upon arrival. The city is built on a hill that juts out into the sea and even has its own castle. It also has Ottoman monuments and an aqueduct that was built during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century (locals call it the arch), as well as many old mansions once owned by rich tobacco merchants inside its densely built urban center.

The people of Kavala are themselves an attraction. The city has a population of around 70,000, many of whom are descendants of refugees uprooted in the 1923 population exchange with Turkey. Some work to maintain memorials and monuments honoring the history of their ancestors in Asia Minor and eastern Thrace. Kavaliotes are mild-mannered, welcoming and friendly. Unfortunately, since World War II, the Jewish community has disappeared. Unlike the pre-war Jewish communities in the rest of Greece, who were Sephardic or Romaniote, most here were Ashkenazi. It is said that they were brought by Suleiman the Magnificent from Hungary. The last Jew in Kavala, a Holocaust survivor named Sabi Tsimino, was a tobacco trader and died a few years ago.

Kavala's Ottoman past is quite visible. The castle, which is at the tip of the peninsula of the Virgin Mary and affords panoramic views, is worth a visit. There you'll see the remains of a Byzantine fortification, which has been well preserved. On the ascent to the entrance of the castle is the Halil Bey Mosque. The most important Ottoman monument in Kavala is the Imaret, which operated as a seminary and workhouse. Since the early 2000s, it has been transformed into a luxury hotel, having undergone an incredible restoration. Organized tours are open to all, including non-guests.

Nearby is the former home of Mohammed Ali, the Kavala native who founded the last dynasty of Egypt and sent money for the construction of the Imaret in his hometown. His house is now the headquarters of the Mohammed Ali Research Center for the study of secular Ottoman culture and often hosts exhibitions.

It would be a shame for one to leave Kavala without paying a visit to Archaeological Site of Philippi. There you can see artifacts that shed light on the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Paleochristian eras, while it also hosts the Philippi Festival every summer. It is roughly a 15-minute drive from the center of Kavala.

Philip II of Macedon gave an existing small town his name, but what's most interesting is that it was upon this very ground that an important battle was fought in the year 42 BC, from which Octavius emerged victorious and changed the area's fate. It has a well-preserved theater, a market and other fragments of ancient structures. On the same site, a century after the aforementioned great battle, the Apostle Paul founded the first Christian church to be erected on European soil. Some of the earliest Christian developments can be seen among the archaeological site. Nearby is the shrine of Aghia Lydia, where Saint Paul baptized the first Christian.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Vivek Oberoi has reportedly donated 25 flats to families of (Central Reserve Police) martyrs in Thane, Maharashtra.

By India Today Web Desk: After actor Akshay Kumar did his bit for the nation and its army, multiple times, the latest to join the patriot-express is Vivek Oberoi. His real estate company Karrm Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. (KIPL) is donating 25 flats to families of CRPF (Central Reserve Police) martyrs in Thane, Maharashtra.

Vivek Oberoi's KARRM Infrastructure has donated 25 flats in Thane(Maharashtra) to families of CRPF martyrs: Statement (file pic) pic.twitter.com/shKvB8cF2I- ANI (@ANI_news) May 13, 2017

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The CRPF expressed 'gratitude' to the Bank Chor actor for his donation. The location of the housing project is most likely to be Thane's Shahapur area where KIPL is building mega-affordable houses.

CRPF xpress it's gratitude 2 @vivek_oberoi Karrm Infa Ltd 4 allotng 4 & resrvng 21 flats in thr housing project 4 Martyrs kin fm Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/C34J1bILqd- CRPF (@crpfindia) May 12, 2017

In a similar vein, Akshay Kumar had earlier donated Rs 1.08 crore to families of 12 CRPF martyrs who lost their lives in action in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh on March 11 this year.

On the work front, Vivek Oberoi will soon be seen in the comedy film Bank Chor alongside Riteish Deshmukh. He is also playing the villain in Thala Ajith Kumar's Vivegam.

ALSO READ: I stayed in slums, put mud on face to get role, says Vivek Oberoi about Company

WATCH: Stop politics over surgical strikes, says Akshay Kumar

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Serenissima Boutique Hotel is a serene, contemporary, and culinary retreat in the Old City of Chania

Historic Hotels of Europe welcomes 11 new member properties, spanning across the continent. Whether youre staying within the ancient walls of a castle ruin or spending the night as lord or lady in a centuries-old manor house, each luxurious hotel boasts fascinating heritage and unforgettable experiences.

The latest addition to our Greek portfolio, Serenissima Boutique Hotel is a serene, contemporary, and culinary retreat in the Old City of Chania.

Within the heart of Chanias old city centre and next to the quaint old port, the Serenissima encompasses the perfect blend of the Venetian architectural style with the mysticism of the Ottoman Empire, a testament of Cretes island history.

Each of the rooms and suites is spacious and individually designed so no two are the same. All have plush mattresses, rain showers, luxurious amenities, complimentary wi-fi speed internet, coffee and tea making facilities, flat screen TV and individual AC. Above all, each room is styled to reflect the beauty of the historical architectural characteristics of the 16th century manor house.

Your dining experience at the Serenissima is enjoyed at either the quiet sophisticated dining area or al fresco at the secluded courtyard. The signature dishes are inspired by the Cretan Gastronomy with individual deeply flavorsome dishes.

Chania is a picturesque Venetian city in the west of Crete, an ideal setting to explore the Archaeological sites of the island, the crystal blue beaches of the west and the south of the island and great shopping in the pedestrian old city center area.

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
Qatar First Bank (QFB), a leading Shariah compliant bank based in Qatar, has announced several key appointments in the senior management level in the institution.



The selections come in line with QFBs acting chief executive officer Khalid Al Khoori's new human resources strategy to promote and attract Qatari talents.



The bank is keen to build a sustainable work environment that attracts national workforce, said a statement from QFB.



The new appointments include Sulaiman Al Salhi appointed as chief business officer; Mohammed Al Sahli appointed as head of corporate services; and Sara Ali Al Adba as acting head of human resources, it said.



Al Salhi has 24 years of global financial services experience in both, the conventional and Islamic sectors. Over the years, he has acquired considerable expertise in private banking, investment banking, corporate lending and Islamic finance.



Prior to this, he was the managing director and senior executive officer at Bank Sarasin-Alpen (Qatar). In this role, he headed the private banking team and successfully led the organisation through its challenging start-up phase in Qatar, said the QFB in its statement.



Al Salhis success builds upon two decades of experience, which enabled him to assume head of HSBC-Amanah Islamic finance. During his time with HSBC, he was credited with instituting the Amanah Personal Banking, and corporate and investment banking arms of the business.



Mohammed joined QFB in 2011 as head of investor relations to establish its investor relations department. In 2013, he brought corporate communications under his umbrella. In 2015, proven to be a Qatari talent that embodies QFB vision in attracting and keeping Qatari talents, he was appointed director of private banking to bridge and synchronise private banking activities with QFB investor-client database.



In his new role, Al Salhis duties will include marketing, corporate communications, investor relations, and administration, said the Qatari bank.



Al Adba joined QFB after working as compensation manager at Ooredoo Qatar. There she had performed well in evaluating effective compensation programmes, analysing competitive compensation practices, recommending appropriate course corrections to senior management, and proposing development and training programmes.



Al Adba also participated in developing compensation strategy.



Upon joining QFB in 2014, she was appointed as senior HR manager. In her capacity, she worked on aligning QFB human resources to QFB business plans and needs.



Speaking on the new appointments, Al Khoori said: Our bank is re-aligning its human resources to be well-positioned to attract unique lucrative investment opportunities locally, regionally and globally.



Unleashing potentials of local talents will enable us to best benefit from local market opportunities and contribute to Qatar Vision 2030, he stated.



"I am keen to create a sustainable work and business environment that is able to attract and develop local talents to play a bigger role in Qatar financial sector; therefore, these appointments come as first step in our strategic direction towards enriching QFB work environment by skilful Qatari employees," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Beautyworld Middle East, the regions largest international beauty and wellness trade fair kicks off tomorrow (May 14), with 1,580 exhibitors from 60 countries out to impress more than 35,000 visitors over three days at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.



Product launches from the worlds biggest brands and start-ups alike will share the stage at the 22nd edition of the three-day event, with organiser Messe Frankfurt Middle East confirming at least 100 companies will make a bow with their latest offerings seen for the first time in the region.



Whether its the worlds first anti-aging beauty chocolate, mineral water dispensers infused with precious gemstones, exclusive niche fragrances, or organic skincare products made from native Hawaiian plants, Beautyworld Middle East will once again be the annual platform of choice for global manufacturers to introduce their newest wares, saifd the organisers.



Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor will also launch a product-line for Indian manufacturer Olivia Cosmetics on the second day of the annual showcase.



According to experts, the 10 products to look out for at the top beauty and wellness show are:



Davines by EIDEAL



The UAE company is a regular Beautyworld Middle East exhibitor. This year, it is launching davines, an Italian eco haircare brand with its roots founded on sustainable beauty.



EIDEAL will also have a shampoo lab at its stand, where a chemist will be on hand to customise a davines shampoo product based on a visitors needs and scent preferences.



Esthechoc (UK)



Esthechoc is the worlds first anti-aging beauty chocolate. According to its inventor Dr Ivan Mikhailovich Petyaev, a former scientist at Cambridge University, the so-called nutricosmetic slows down the skins aging process through a combination of highly potent active substances: Astaxanthin  the most powerful antioxidant known to science  and Cocoa polyphenolic epicatechins, which are found naturally in chocolate.



EVY Professional



The Australian-owned brand is a hair tool range featuring unique patented Japanese mineral technology. Each of the EVY products feature 32 natural negative ion-generating minerals. This unique blend of post-volcanic minerals injects hydration and moisture into the hair during styling.



The entire EVY range, including hair dryers, curling irons, brushes, and the 2017 AHFAs Most Innovative New Styling Tool Winner  the EVY iQ-Oneglide, will be launched for the first time in the region at Beautyworld Middle East 2017.



VitaJuwel (Germany)



VitaJuwel is exhibiting for the second year in row, and this year launching its gemstone-infused water bottles, vials, decanters, and dispensers. Daniel Eisen, the CEO of VitaJuwel, said its handcrafted glass products vitalise water by restoring its original quality with a selection of precious gemstones.



Hanalei (USA)



From its stand in the US Pavilion (one of 22 country pavilions at Beautyworld Middle East), Hanalei will launch a complete range of personal care products such as lip treatments, scrubs, facial masks, lotions, and other body care items.



APSU by Ullrich Lang (USA)



Perfumer Ulrich Lang from New York will launch his latest unisex scent, APSU at Quintessence  an exclusive showcase of niche high-end fragrances. Its scent is a nod to a simpler lifestyle  a contrast to todays complex world.



i.plex by Lakme Cosmetics (Spain)



Spanish company Lakme Cosmetics manufactures professional hair colour and hair care products. At the Spanish Pavilion this year, the Barcelona Company is launching i.plex, an innovative anti-aging plex system with a keratin complex that restructures the hair, dramatically improving combing and manageability and increasing resistance to breakage by 44 per cent.



Neo-White by Neoderma (Cyprus)



Beautyworld Middle East 2017 will be the setting of skincare manufacturer Neodermas biggest relaunch since it was first created in 1991. Headquartered in Cyprus, Neoderma will also launch Neo-White  a whitening product line with Halal certification.



Ecosophy by Pennelli Faro (Italy)



Pennelli Faro from Italy is an internationally recognised manufacturer of brushes and accessories for Cosmetics and Fine Arts. The company is also very eco-conscious; among its long list of product launches this year is Ecosophy, a vegan-friendly make-up brush collection.



Luxury Gold Therapy by Hyunjin C&T (Korea)



Hyunjin C&T is a new player in the regional beauty market, and is introducing its entire range of innovative products that involve the use of gold leaf, magnetic therapy, and oxygen therapy.



Beautyworld Middle East focuses on the six product groups of Hair, Nails, & Salon Supplies; Cosmetics & Skincare; Machinery, Packaging, and Raw Materials; Professional Equipment, Spa & Wellness; Fragrance Compounds & Finished Fragrance; and for the first time in 2017, Personal Care & Hygiene.-TradeArabia News Service
The US was close to completing a series of deals to sell Saudi Arabia arms and related maintenance worth $100 billion, said a Reuters report, citing a senior White House official.



President Donald Trump begins an international tour next Friday with the first stop in Saudi Arabia, followed by visits in Israel, the Vatican, Brussels for a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit and Sicily for a Group of Seven (G7) summit.



"We are in the final stages of a series of deals," said the White House official on condition of anonymity.



The arms package could be worth more than $300 billion over a decade, he revealed.



The US has been the Saudi kingdom's major arms supplier, delivering F-15 fighter jets, command and control systems worth tens of billions of dollars in recent years.



Trump has already met Saudi Arabia's powerful deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, who yields much influence in the kingdom. The 31-year-old prince is also defence minister and has led an aggressive campaign both militarily in Yemen and politically against Iran.



Prince Mohammed met Trump at the White House in Washington in March. The Bloomberg news agency reported on Thursday that Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund could invest up to $40 billion in US infrastructure.
At least one person was killed in a fire that broke out on a ship carrying petroleum products docked at a port in Sharjah, UAE, on Saturday, said a report.



Four people have been injured in the fire that was brought under control by the Sharjah Civil Defence personnel by the afternoon with the help of the Coast Guards, and the management of Al Hamriyah Port, according to a statement issued by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau.



They safely evacuated 16 workers from the ship and also controlled the diesel from spilling into the sea and preventing any further pollution, it stated.



The cause of the fire, which broke out early morning on the ship bearing a Panama flag, remained unknown, said senior Sharjah Civil Defence personnel.



The efforts of the Sharjah Civil Defence personnel, the Coast Guards, and the management of Al Hamriyah Port were united in successfully controlling the fire, said Colonel Sami Al Naqbi, the director-general of Sharjah Civil Defence.



The firefighters, skillfully and professionally contained the fire within 40 minutes, he stated.

Col Al Naqbi also lauded the efforts of civil defences of Ajman and Umm Al Quwain who joined their Sharjah counterparts in controlling the fire.



The injured workers have been transferred to a hospital, where they were reported to be stable, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
By India Today Web Desk: Nach Baliye 8 contestants Divyanka Tripathi and Vivek Dahiya share a great chemistry that translates well on stage.

For the upcoming weekend, the couple had prepared a cabaret performance on Monica, Oh My Darling, where Divyanka will turn into dancing queen Helen while husband Vivek Dahiya will play Shammi Kapoor. The talented actress looked beautiful in red cabaret costume.

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Earlier, Divyanka has mostly danced to romantic songs and it was her first cabaret performance on the show and it went wrong. The actress was so disheartened that she broke down after the performance and couldn't stop crying.

Also read: Divyanka Tripathi has a fitting reply for those who accused her of faking her injury

A source from the sets of Nach Baliye 8 spoke to DNA and said, "Divyanka danced to Helen's popular song Monica, Oh My Darling with her husband Vivek Dahiya. She started off well, but the dance number had a lot of lifts. During one such lift, the chair slipped and the duo missed their steps. For 30-40 secs Divyanka went blank and it looked like she would stop dancing. However, Vivek continued and pulled her to dance along with him and they completed the act. When judges remarked that they couldn't believe Ishita (Divyanka's character in Yeh Hai Mohabbatein) had performed the cabaret so well, she started crying. She said that after shooting for a daily soap, and rehearsing only for two hours, it is disheartening to have missed the steps. Finally, Terrence Lewis asked her to show the step, which she did, impressing the judges. Divyanka was gracious enough to say that they shouldn't consider the second performance as it would be unfair to others."

Earlier, Divyanka had to miss a performance with hubby Vivek, as she had injured herself and was advised complete bed rest. Thankfully, the actress recovered fast and gave a heartwarming performance with hubby Vivek. We are sure, the actress will bounce back and give a superb performance next week.

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Singapore, May 13

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has invested more than SGD 100 million in Indian carrier Vistara, twice the amount initially planned, a daily reported.

The airline is encouraged by Vistaras performance so far but an SIA spokesman declined to confirm funding details, citing commercial confidentiality, according to The Straits Times.

Profits are not expected until 2020 at the earliest but the New Delhi-based carrier, which has been flying domestically for more than two years, is growing nicely, the Singapore daily cited analysts as saying.

In June next year, the 49-per cent SIA owned Vistara will collect its 20th aircraft, a significant milestone which will pave the way for the airline to operate international flights.

Tata Group owns the rest 51 per cent stake in joint venture airline.

Under Indian civil aviation rules, Vistara must have at least 20 planes before it can fly outside the country.

The launch of international flights is a key part of SIAs strategy to expand its own reach and reduce the dominance of Middle Eastern carriers which have a strong hold on the growing India-Europe and India-United States markets.

When SIA and Tata first announced in 2013 the intention to launch Vistara, the plan was for a joint $100 million investment.

The financing has since more than doubled on the back of high operating costs in India, stiff competition from other Indian carriers that has prompted steep fare cuts, and costs associated with plans to go international, reports out of India have suggested.

Industry think-tank Centre for Aviation, said in a recent report that Vistara is expected to order 100 planes - including 50 widebodies - before next month.

The airline currently has 13 aircrafts serving 45 domestic routes, a Vistara spokesman said.

No new plane order has been made, she said, adding that the airline is still evaluating its options.

Vistara has not ruled out leasing planes from SIA, she said.

While the aviation landscape in India is very challenging and competitive, the opportunity is also massive and there is a great potential for growth, The Straits Times quoted the spokesman as saying.

According to the International Air Transport Association, India has replaced Japan as the third-largest domestic aviation market in the world.

SIA has said repeatedly that it is in the Indian market to stay, despite the tough operating environment.

To create more value for consumers, SIA and its regional arm SilkAir recently struck a codeshare partnership with Vistara.

This means that an SIA customer can book a single ticket to fly from Singapore to New Delhi, and, from there, transfer to a Vistara flight to any of 10 domestic destinations.

The Vistara spokesman said such agreements play a very important role for us in spreading greater awareness about our brand in international markets, and, for us, these partnerships are assets that were building to support our international aspirations. PTI
Sunit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, May 13

A 22-year-old Sonepat-based woman was allegedly abducted and gang-raped by two men, who mutilated her private parts, bludgeoned her to death and abandoned her body at a secluded spot on the outskirts of Rohtak town.

The body of the woman, which was spotted on Thursday, had been devoured by stray dogs. As per the post-mortem report, the woman was hit on the face/head probably to hide her identity.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Talking to The Tribune here on Saturday, Dr SK Dhattarwal, the Head of the Department of Forensic Medicine at the local PGIMS, said the autopsy of the womans body indicated sexual molestation, mutilation of private parts, rape and murder. Some sedative was also found in her stomach, he added.

As per the police, the woman belonged to Sonepat district and was abducted by her jilted lover and his friend, who raped, tortured and murdered her. The police have arrested Sumit Kumar of Sonepat and his friend Vikas of Uttar Pradesh.

The parents of the deceased have maintained that Sumit had been forcing their daughter to marry him and they had lodged a complaint with the police. They have demanded exemplary punishment for the accused.

The case reminds one of the brutal gangrape-cum-murder case of a Nepalese woman which took place at Bahu Akbarpur village of the district in 2015 and for which seven men had been awarded death penalty by a local court.
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 13

A cordon and search operation is underway in Tral area of south Kashmirs Pulwama district after militants fired at an Army party on Saturday morning.

An Army party had gone to Seer Jageer village, 40 km from here, for mapping the locality when the hiding militants fired at them.

The fire was retaliated. The area was immediately cordoned to locate the militants, police sources said. There is, however, a possibility that militants may have been able to escape.
Meet the ten women who took it upon themselves to push the Centre to come out with proposals to amend laws pertaining to women.

By Mail Today Bureau: Sudipa Bose, the woman who pushed the women and child development ministry to bring out reformed taxi policy guidelines, recounts what pushed her to tackle the problem that all women face while commuting but suffer silently.

"I had to jump out of a moving car after the cab driver took a detour and did not stop at my destination. It was three in the afternoon but I felt unsafe and had to beg in front of the driver," said Bose, adding her husband called up the app-based cab company but they could not even verify the driver's credentials.

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Her efforts finally resulted in regulations that make it mandatory for cabs to display driver's identification along with photo and registration number of the vehicle prominently.

Sudipa's is among the ten common voices in the country that intervened to bring about transformational changes in the existing laws to improve women's safety. The women were commended on Friday by union minister Maneka Gandhi.

The WCD ministry is likely to introduce the suggestions of these common voices in the National Policy for Women, which is currently under formulation. The government is seeking 'out of the box' suggestions to make amendments in laws pertaining to women.

CHANGES PART OF NATIONAL POLICY FOR WOMEN

"The changes are in alignment with issues being framed in the National Policy for Women. While these interventions fall under the ambit of changes the ministry is working on rigorously, all the ten changes can also feature in the upcoming national policy for women," said a ministry official.

Another woman who decided to speak up for change is Priyanka Gupta. Her daughter did not want to submit her father's name for obtaining a passport.

"My daughter felt that my name was enough to secure a passport. After all, I am the one who looks after her, not her father," said Delhibased Priyanka, who then decided to end the ordeal of children of separated parents who had to face a barrage of questions about their fathers who they no longer live with.

A three-member interministerial committee was set up in October last year following which passport guidelines were amended and now passport can be obtained by specifying just the mother's name.

C-SECTION SURGERIES

Similarly, Mumbai-based Subarna Ghosh realised that private hospitals are making Caesarean section deliveries a rage among pregnant women without informing them of the consequences. Subarna, then sought the government's intervention to bring accountability and transparency in deliveries.

Gandhi wrote to health ministry to ensure hospitals display the number of C-section surgeries and normal deliveries carried out.

In another case, a 15-year-old was excited when he received a friend request from a girl on Facebook. But the account was actually of a grown man who disguised himself as a teenage girl. Upto seven lakh images of child pornography are easily accessible on cyber space, says Uma Subramanian, cofounder and director of Aarambh India, who decided that something needed to be done to take down child pornographic content.

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WCD ministry is now in the process of tackling the issue through a multi-layered process that involves the removal of the content as well as empowerment, awareness, government assistance, policy and education of children.

ALSO READ | Women need not change their names in passport after marriage: PM Narendra Modi

--- ENDS ---
Srinagar, May 13



Zakir Moosa, who was heading the Hizbul Mujahideen, quit the militant outfit on Saturday after the group refused to back his statement warning that Hurriyat leaders would be beheaded for calling the Kashmir issue "political".



Moosa, who took over the outfit after the killing of Burhan Wani in July last year, announced he would not be associated with the Hizb from Saturday onwards.



"Following my last audio message, a lot of confusion is being spread in Kashmir. I stand by my speech and by my message," Musa said in the latest audio clip released on social media.



The development comes after the militant organisation called Moosas threat to Hurriyat leaders his personal opinion.

The Hizbul Mujahideen on Friday distanced itself from the statement of its commander Zakir, alias Moosa, against the separatist leadership, signalling a rift in the militant outfit which has been fighting for Jammu and Kashmirs annexation to Pakistan since 1989.

The outfit has neither got anything to do with the statement of Moosa nor the statement is acceptable to it, Hizbul Mujahideen spokesman Saleem Hashmi said in a statement from Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Terming Moosas remarks in an audio slideshow that surfaced in Kashmirs social media as his personal opinion, Hashmi cautioned that any statement or step which will create confusion can prove a death knell for our struggle.

In the 5.40-minute audio, Moosa had warned the separatist leaders not to meddle in their aim to establish a caliphate in Jammu and Kashmir along the lines of the rule established by ISIS in parts of Syria and Iraq.

Hashmi said the outfit was pondering over the statement of Moosa and will not hesitate in taking any step or rendering any sacrifice in the interest of the ongoing struggle.

Director-General of Police S P Vaid had told PTI that the police had carried out a voice analysis and found that it was was Moosas voice.

The clip is seen as worrying twist in Kashmirs militancy which has largely been about independence and annexation to Pakistan without ever emphasising Islam or connecting it to jihad.

Hizbul Mujahideen is almost as old as the Kashmiri militancy which started in 1989. The group is made up almost entirely of local youths, and had always campaigned for joining Pakistan.

The clip surfaced after Hurriyat leaders recently sought to downplay the growing influence of ISIS ideology in the Valley.

Earlier this week, Hurriyat leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Yaseen Malik issued a joint statement in which they claimed that the Kashmir struggle has nothing to do with ISIS, Al-Qaida and other such organisation.

Hashmi said the entire leadership demonstrated unity on all fronts after the killing of Hizbs Burhan Wani in July last year and are striving to carry forward the ongiong struggle for freedom and Islam.

In such a situation, any statement or step which will create confusion can prove a death knell for our struggle and, Hashmi said and asked the youths to discourage negative thinking and confused statements in the media.  PTI
Beijing/Islamabad, May 13

China and Pakistan today signed six pacts to boost cooperation on the $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), including one on building an airport at the strategic Gwadar port city, with President Xi Jinping asserting that ties with Islamabad were a priority.

The pacts were signed in the presence of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang ahead of the much-publicised Belt and Road Forum beginning tomorrow.

The agreements included accords of cooperation in diverse fields, framework of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative, Economic and Technical Cooperation with assistance of $210 million for Gwadar Airport, Economic and Technical Cooperation for Gwadar Airport ($115 million) and East Bay Expressway ($160 million), state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

After the MoUs and agreements were signed, Xi told Sharif that the bilateral ties remain a priority for China and Beijing was willing to enrich the "all-weather" strategic and cooperative partnership with Pakistan.

Sharif also attended a presentation made by China's National Energy Administration on the construction of Bhasha Dam, a project which he said is of critical importance for the future of Pakistan.

The pacts deal with the increasing bilateral cooperation within the framework of China's ambitious Silk Road project, upgrading the main railway track between Karachi and Peshawar referred to as ML-1 , and an MoU for the establishment of a dry port in Havelian, Radio Pakistan reported.

On the CPEC, Xi said the supplementary projects in and around the Gwadar port in the restive Balochistan province should be steadily advanced and the study on the construction of industrial parks along the corridor facilitated. The deep-water port and the CPEC is of significance to China as they together facilitate Beijings access to the Arabian Sea and resultantly links it with Eurasia and Africa. The Gwadar port opposite the Mumbais port housing the Indian Navys western naval command provides a berth for China in the Arabian Sea and to the Indian Ocean.  PTI
Shubhadeep Choudhury

Tribune News Service

Kolkata, May 13

Media campaign, coupled with pressure from the BJP, has forced the Shahi Imam of Kolkatas Tipoo Sultan Mosque Noor-ur-Rehman Barkati to remove the red beacon atop his car.

An announcement regarding Barkatis decision to give up the red beacon was made by the mosque authorities. Barkati himself did not say anything on the subject.

Earlier also, Barkati was under the spotlight when he issued a fatwa against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Barkati had offered a reward of Rs 25 lakh to anyone who would cut off Modis beard, shave his head and smear him with black ink for demonetising Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes.

This time, Barkati was under the media glare for refusing to remove the red light atop his vehicle. The light bestowed on him the status of a VIP and Barkati stubbornly clung to it.

When he was reminded of the Central governments decision of doing away with red beacon on cars used by people listed as VIPs, Barkati would shot back saying the red light atop his car had been approved by the British government.

The Shahi Imam, considered close to the ruling Trinamool Congress dispensation in the state, also aired the view that it was up to the state government to decide whether he should continue to use the red light atop his vehicle or not.

BJP had made a big issue out of Barkatis continued use of the red beacon and gave a call for a march to the city police headquarters at Lalbazar on May 25 demanding action against the Shahi Imam.

Two BJP activists also filed FIRs against the Muslim clergyman for anti-national statements allegedly made by him.

Sensing that the issue could snowball, a team of state government functionaries led by West Bengal urban development minister Firhad Hakim met Barkati at his residence this morning and urged him to give up the red beacon.

The Shahi Imam is also a staunch critic of the RSS and does not mince his word while speaking against the organisation.
Beijing, May 13

India will skip Chinas high-profile Belt and Road summit beginning here on Sunday in view of sovereignty concerns related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the initiative that is expected to play a dominant role in the two-day meet.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

While there is no official word, informed sources told PTI that India will not take part in the meet, contrary to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yis announcement that India will have a representative at the Belt and Road Forum (BRF), a prestigious initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Although Indian leader is not here, India will have a representative, Wang had told journalists here on April 17 without specifying who would be representing India.

It was a tough call for India to take as China in the last few days has managed to rope in a number of Western countries, including the US which yesterday agreed to send a top official after Washington clinched a lucrative trade deal.

Playing down Indias absence at the meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told the media on Friday that the Indian scholars would be attending the meeting.

Japan, at the receiving end of strong criticism from China in the last few years, particularly over the disputed islands in the East China Sea, has also agreed to send a high-level political delegation that includes a vice-minister.

The May 14-15 summit, which is expected to strengthen Xis power base as he gets set to begin his second five-year tenure later this year, will be attended by 29 heads of state and government, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A number of other countries, including South Korea, France, Germany and UK, have deputed either ministerial or official delegations.

While this is the outcome of hectic diplomatic lobbying by China, unlike India, none of the other countries have sovereignty related issues with the One Belt and One Road initiative.

Considering CPECs importance in the planit is the only project at present with prospects of delivering early resultsPakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to take centrestage to highlight its significance as a game changer for his country.

He is leading perhaps the largest delegationfour chief ministers and five federal ministers.

China-Pakistan Friendship Association President Sha Zukang has told the official media that China has already committed USD 46 billion Chinese investments for various energy and infrastructure related projects in Pakistan. Besides Sharif, the only head of government to be represented at the summit will be Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe who will be attending the meeting after hosting his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at home.

Sri Lanka has over $8 billion Chinese investments.

From Nepal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Krishna Bahadur Mahara will lead the delegation. Bangladesh and the Maldives will also have official representations.

Bhutan has no diplomatic relations with China.

Indias decision to skip the meeting came after a year of bilateral discord over Chinas stubborn opposition to Indias entry into the NSG and a UN ban against Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Muhammad leader Masood Azhar.

China, too, protested Indias decision to permit the Dalai Lama last month to visit Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as South Tibet.

In the last few days, China has tried to assuage Indias feelings by asserting that the commercial corridor will not have any impact on its stand that the Kashmir issue should be settled by India and Pakistan through dialogue.

About B & R, Indian officials maintain that New Delhi has objections related only to the CPEC traversing through Gilgit and Baltistan of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) though the project is of strategic concern.

Indias worries over a 3,000 km long project connecting Pakistans deep-water port Gwadar and Chinas Xinjiang stem from the fact Gwadar, which was taken over by the Chinese, will become a future naval base.

The Gwadar port opposite the Mumbais port housing the Indian Navys western naval command provides a berth for China in the Arabian Sea and to the Indian Ocean.

China has already announced plans to station its marines there as well in Djibouti in Horn of Africa in Indian Ocean.  PTI
New Delhi, May 12

Axed Delhi minister Kapil Mishra, who is on an indefinite fast, on Friday claimed his next "expose" will rattle the people of Delhi who "trusted the Aam Aadmi Party".

During the day, Mishra visited the Raj Ghat, the memorial for Mahatma Gandhi, where he had made startling allegations of corruption against Kejriwal on Sunday.

so @ArvindKejriwal ji has asked Sanjiv Jha and few MLAs to sit on fast against me.           Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishraAAP) May 12, 2017

He broke down at the memorial.

He has been sitting on an indefinite strike since Wednesday and was advised hospitalisation be a team of doctors today.

"His blood sugar level has dropped to 81 mg/dL and intravenous fluids need to be started immediately. His pulse is low. He is going into dehydration because of poor salt intake. We have thus advised hospitalisation," said Dr Javed Salam of the Aruna Asaf Ali Hospital who examined Mishra.

He is demanding that the AAP divulge details of foreign tours undertaken by five leaders of the party.

"I am feeling very lonely, so paid a visit to the Raj Ghat. On Saturday, I will visit a Hanuman temple. I will reveal the next batch of expose on Sunday. After that, the people of Delhi will receive a jolt, especially those who trusted the AAP," he said.

His mother Annapurna, a former BJP mayor, wrote a letter to Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of spreading "lies" that the BJP was behind her son's stinging attacks on him and the AAP.

Yesterday, several AAP leaders had tweeted a picture in which Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari and Mishra were seen in one frame.

She claimed the picture was clicked at an event to felicitate AAP leader Kumar Vishwas' father and was attended by Kejriwal and all his ministers. PTI
Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, May 13

The Mumbai police have launched a manhunt to trace 26 Pakistanis who have been declared 'missing' after their arrival in the city.

According to police, the 26 Pakistani nationals had arrived in Mumbai over the past several years and were living in the city with their relatives.

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Under the law, Pakistani nationals are required to fill the 'C-form' indicating the address where they intended to live during their stay in India. They are also required to provide details about their friends and relatives who they intended to meet while in the city.

Reports say, at least one of the 'missing' Pakistanis have been living in Mumbai for the last 10 years and was working in a shop in the city. Sources say officials of local police stations who are supposed to keep an eye on Pakistanis living in the city often miss out on their assignments.

We are checking out the addresses provided by the Pakistani nationals when they first arrived in India, a police official from the anti-terror squad of the Mumbai police said.

For the past three days, the officers have combed several hotels and lodges across Mumbai in search of the missing persons.

The orders to trace all the 'missing' Pakistanis were given following intelligence reports that terror groups based in the neighbouring country are planning to carry out attacks in Mumbai.
Pradeep Sharma & Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 12

Deadlock prevailed between Punjab and Haryana over the contentious Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal at the Northern Zonal Council (NZC) meeting presided over by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh here today, with Haryana terming the issue as non-negotiable.

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Haryana Agriculture Minister OP Dhankar, who was present at the meeting, said Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had made it clear that there was no question of any dialogue on the SYL canal issue since the Supreme Courts judgment had attained finality.

He said what all states had agreed to was the suggestion of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to hold meetings at the level of officers and political executives on all other contentious issues of sharing power and water.

Earlier, Sanjeevani Kutty, Secretary, Inter-State Council Secretariat, and Karan Avtar Singh, Punjab Chief Secretary, told reporters that Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan agreed to Rajnaths suggestion of discussing all inter-state river issues at a meeting of CMs and chief secretaries so as to arrive at mutually acceptable solutions.

Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh said though Haryana had less land, it was given more water at the time of Punjabs reorganisation. Punjab did not get any share in the Yamuna waters, he maintained.

Khattar, however, said: Haryana is a water-stressed state. Against a demand of 36 million acre feet (MAF), the availability of water in Haryana is only 14.7 MAF. We give additional water to Delhi in compliance with the Supreme Court orders out of our share in the Yamuna waters. This, despite the fact that Punjab is not giving Haryana its full share in the Ravi-Beas waters.

Thousands of villages and millions of hectares in Haryana are bereft of water, which we are entitled to get from Punjab, Khattar said.

Capt Amarinder reiterated his demand for re-assessment and re-determination of the availability of surface water in the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. He urged the Centre to take expert advice on how to make reliable estimates of future flows in these rivers.

Khattar said, We are not in agreement with Punjab on its proposal of exclusive investment in Bhakra Main Line Canal and exclusive utilisation of electricity generated there-from by Punjab.

The Punjab CM, meanwhile, requested the J&K Government to ratify the pact for resumption of construction on the Shahpur Kandi Dam project, stalled since 2014.

With estimated 10 lakh acres in southern Punjab likely to go dry following the SYL construction, the region can become hotbed of terrorism, triggering a national problem.  Capt Amarinder Singh, Punjab CM

There is no question of any dialogue on the SYL canal issue since the Supreme Courts judgment has attained finality and Haryanas execution petition is listed for hearing in July.Manohar Lal Khattar, Haryana CM
Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Hoshiarpur, May 12

An 84-year-old NRI based in Hoshiarpur for quite some time has set a new milestone in philanthropy by handing over a cheque for Rs 1 crore to the Red Cross here, in what is probably the largest amount given to the charity by an individual in one go.

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Piare Lal Saini, who had moved to the UK in 1965 to work there in an industry, was impressed by the work being done by the charity and decided to donate his entire savings for the noble cause.

But before doing so, Saini thoroughly convinced himself that the amount wont be misused. For this, he donated Rs 22 lakh earlier in smaller fractions over two years and ensured it was spent judiciously.

Asked how he would meet his needs, Saini says the pension he has been drawing from the UK should be enough. My wife passed away in 1989 and I have been living alone. My children are well-settled abroad and all of them supported my decision, he says.

The grant he has given would be used for various welfare projects, including deformity-correction surgeries for foot, hand and cleft lip; funding studies of poor students, setting up a canteen for needy youth pursuing vocational courses and upgrading a Jan Aushadhi store. Besides, the dilapidated building of the Red Cross Society would be repaired and new gadgets bought for the physiotherapy centre, Naresh Gupta, Red Cross Society secretary, said.

Deputy Commissioner Vipul Ujjwal said Sainis perhaps could be the biggest amount donated by any individual to the Red Cross in one go. We are trying to verify it. But we are thankful to the man who selflessly chose to donate all his lifes savings. This will encourage more people to come forward to help the needy, Ujjwal added.
Preeti Verma Lal

Who could ever think of dates as a deadly weapon to trounce a marauding army? Dates? Yes, the sweet, succulent, laden-with-nutrients dates as ammo. In ancient Oman, rulers had a no-fuss military strategy  build a fort with holes in ceiling, christen these the falling shaft and deploy date syrup as slick terminators. Throw logs into burning fire, boil the dates into a gunk. And then wait stealthily for the enemy to set foot in. That fateful moment when the army crossed the spiked wooden door, pots of boiling hot date syrup were poured. Not from heaven. But from the forts falling shaft. The scalded soldiers wailed, bawled, writhed, squirmed in pain. For the enemy, it was death by the date. For the Omanis, a sweet victory.

The date is no longer a war ammo, but in the Nizwa Fort built in 1649 by Sultan in Saif Al Yarubi, the falling shaft still bears testimony to Omans fascinating battle tales. Not just the soldiers, even the seafarers depended on dates for survival  only 15 dates cater to an adults daily requirement for essential vitamins, minerals and other trace elements. Dates and dried lemons saved the seamen from scurvy, the nemesis of the western sailors.

There is more to Omans date with dates. For generations, dates have been the main wealth of the Omanis; the palm enjoying a near-hallowed place in every farmers life. It would take a lifetime to count all date trees in Oman  7.6 million of them in the nation with a terrain encompassing desert, riverbed oases and long coastlines on the Persian (Arabian) Gulf, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. It might take more than a long breath to name all 250 date varieties: khalas, khunaizi, khasab, naghal, qashkantrah, bunaringah, fardh, mebselli and qashtabaq. Each distinct in taste, colour and texture. Qashtabaq is red-yellowish and oblong; khunaizi and khasab are dark red. Khunaizi is the most sugary in taste and khalas is often billed as the most delicious.

For Omanis, dates are not merely a sweet-thing. It is the perfect accompaniment to the traditional sugarless-coffee. Chew a date, take a sip of coffee and the two together make a heavenly cuppa. Wrap the date in chocolate and the sweet-toothed would happily die for it. Pound it with sesame and the sticky sweet turns into a mouthful of good health. Forget humans, even donkeys and horses have their date with dates. Dry dates are often added into donkey feed and a racing horse gets its daily dosage of dry dates, ghee (clarified butter) and honey.

So entwined are dates with the life of an Omani that the shoot of a date palm is ceremonially planted to commemorate the birth of a son. And when a date palm dies or falls sick with blight, the family laments as if a dear has departed. In Oman, it is not merely a tree. Date palm is the closest approximation to a friend and provider.
The heat of this extraordinary summer seems to be going to everyones head. Whether in our country or elsewhere, what writer Pankaj Mishra calls the Age of Anger is here to say. Neighbours, friends, children, citizens, political outfits and countries are all angry about something or the other. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find any nugget of happiness or contentment in newspapers and our television news.

We have just celebrated Buddha Purnima, the full moon that marks the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha. Sadly, his teachings have long been forsaken in the land of his birth. Ironically, he who forsook worldly power and wealth, is now quoted by the likes of Mayawati whose life and career represent the absolute opposite of all that the great Teacher represents. There is a virtual race among our news channels to uncover the corruption of our political leaders: from Bihar to Tamil Nadu the story is the same. Politicians have raked in money to alleviate the suffering of the poor but have actually built palaces and secreted fortunes for themselves and their progeny.

We have also forsaken another great Indian, Gandhiji, who showed the world how freedom can be won without war and bloodshed. I often wonder how he would have dealt with what is happening now in Kashmir. The Indian state seems to have run out of options and the security forces are openly chafing at being held back from giving tit for tat to the youth who hurl their anger at them with a seemingly limitless supply of stones. Dialogue, say some pacifists, is the only way forward but the state refuses to talk until violence ends. And so we go round and round.

The truth is that no one is really concerned about the future of this country. From the poorest Indian to the richest, we want to secure the best for ourselves and our families without a thought to where this selfishness will take us. Pride in the welfare of the nation is a far dream and the cynics have already decided that every step taken in that direction is doomed to failure. So instead of joining in the Prime Ministers Swachch Bharat Abhiyan, we pick holes in how it is being done and almost rejoice when efforts to clean our rivers and cities do not yield results. We are quick to point fingers at corrupt politicians but fail to ask who makes them corrupt or who elects the Lalu Prasad and Mayawatis, the Jayalalithas and Sasikalas in election after election. Perhaps there is a grain of truth in the protests of AAP when Kejriwal declares that all the corrupt parties colluded to ensure that his government was paralysed in Delhi. Of course, the irony here is that he himself never acknowledges his own mistakes but then, who does?

Petty politics is now being played out over the problem of Triple Talaq: the opposition accuses the NDA of interfering in the area of Muslim Personal Law while the BJP talks of the follies of minority appeasement and upholds the flag of gender justice. Long ago, at a discussion over a Uniform Civil Code, I remember the late Justice Leila Seth saying that if women were granted equal rights of inheritance (as is only fair in the twenty-first century), then most other matters of personal law would fade away. Tahir Mehmood, another distinguished panelist, then pointed out how Muslim women had been left out of the Sharda Act and how Muslim families do not get the benefit of the Hindu Undivided Family Act. There are more joint families amongst Muslims, he pointed out, than among Hindus, so why did our law-makers not apply the act to all joint families, regardless of religious persuasion?

In fact, in those faraway times, Indian parliamentarians and law makers were more enlightened and there would have been less opposition from hard-line religious organizations. I could not agree more but there is hope yet and if more voices from among women were to take up the crusade for gender justice, the barbarity of divorce without compensation would not meet the fate that Shah Bano suffered.

Let us now turn to the colours that nature has unfolded for us: the bright yellow of the laburnum, the hot red of the gulmohar and the achingly beautiful mauve flowers of the Queens Flower tree. The mogra, raat ki rani and the madhu malti creeper spread their heady perfumes to soothe tempers frayed by the heat and dust of the roads. A glass of chilled water, a simple dal-roti meal with some pungent green chutney, juicy cucumbersthese are the pleasures of summer meals. Wait a few more weeks and the delicious mango will have ripened, until then slake your thirst with watermelon and melon. Nature provides the best lesson: the greater the heat, the cooler its gifts to man.
Charu Nigam, a young women IPS officer, was seen playing an active role inside the Gorakhnath temple where Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held his 'junta durbar'.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: Charu Nigam, a young women IPS officer deputed as Additional Superintendent of Police at Gorakhpur was seen on Saturday playing an active role inside the Gorakhnath temple where Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held his 'junta durbar'.

Nigam who was snubbed and misbehaved by local BJP MLA from Gorakhpur, Radha Mohan Das earlier this week was left teary eyed after the altercation with the legislator. The MLA came down heavily on the IPS officer after she allegedly manhandled a group of women in the city who were protesting reopening of liquor shops. The MLA has led the protest against liquor shops in the area.

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The video of the IPS officer, in tears after altercation with Nigam, had gone viral forcing the Chief Minister to summon the MLA to Lucknow.

Speaking to India Today, Nigam said that Yogi Adityanath knew her very well.

"As circle officer of Gorakhnath, I keep meeting the Chief Minister and he also knows me very well," said Charu Nigam, the young IPS officer.

She also maintained that providing security to the Chief Minister was a challenging task as she is responsible for controlling large number of people who come to temple to meet Yogi Adityanath.

Also read | In Yogi's bastion Gorakhpur, BJP MLA shouts at IPS officer reducing her to tears, refuses to apologise

Also read| IPS officer Charu Nigam on Facebook: Don't take my tears for weakness, am fine and slightly hurt

WATCH | I was moved to tears as my senior stood up for me, says IPS Charu Nigam who was scolded by BJP MLA

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Karachi, May 13

At least 10 labourers working on a road project near Pakistans strategic Gwadar port in the restive Balochistan province were shot dead by gunmen on Saturday.

Gwadar Deputy Commissioner Naeem Bazai said the labourers worked on a road project and were from Sindh province.

Eight of the labourers died on the spot while two succumbed on their way to hospital, Dawn newspaper reported.

The gunmen fled the scene after the attack.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but such attacks have become common in the mineral-rich province plagued by separatist insurgency since 2004.

Suspected separatists often target non-native labourers in the province. Last month, four Sindhi labourers were gunned down by suspected militants in Kharan district.

Balochistans Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti confirmed the death toll. Condemning the incident, he said, We will not bow down before terrorists.

Frontier Corps, police and Levies personnel have reached the spot and an investigation was underway.

The attack comes a day after a suicide bombing targeted a convoy of Deputy Chairman Senate Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri. The attack in Mustang killed 26 people.

Todays attack happened near the Gwadar port, built with Chinese funding, as Pakistan and China ink agreements at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing to boost bilateral cooperation.

The deep-water port has a strategic importance for the Belt and Road initiative, a part of which - the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) - connects Pakistans southern region to Chinas western Xinjiang region through rail and roads.

The CPEC is billed as a game-changer and manifestation of strategic partnership between Pakistan and China.

Pakistan has deployed a Maritime Security Force and Special Security Division to protect projects under CPEC, including Gwadar. The forces have been deployed to ensure safety of locals and foreigners working on the projects. PTI
Kabul, May 13

An Afghan official says at least three civilians have been killed in the capital Kabul after their vehicle was attacked with a sticky bomb.

Najib Danish, deputy spokesman for the interior ministry, said the victims of the Saturday attack are two female government employees from the water supply department and a small child. A sticky bomb is a type of grenade designed to be attached to a vehicle.

Danish says the driver of the vehicle was wounded.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Meanwhile, 10 insurgents, including a Talbian-appointed deputy governor and district chief were killed a day earlier in northern Samangan province, Danish said. AP
Beijing, May 13

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said China supports dialogue between Pakistan and India as the "most viable solution" to the Kashmir issue as he met his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang here.

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"On the Kashmir issue, China has always been supportive of Pakistan's stance and has assured to continue extending the same cooperation in future as well," Sharif told media here after his meeting with Li.

Pakistan's state-run APP news agency quoted Sharif as saying that both Pakistan and China favoured negotiations with India as the "most viable solution to the Kashmir dispute.

His comments followed recent clarification by China over India's objections to the China-Pakistan Economic (CPEC) Corridor which passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang had told PTI on May 3 that China's position on the issue of Kashmir remains clear and consistent.

"It is an issue left over from history between India and Pakistan, and shall be properly addressed by India and Pakistan through consultation and negotiation," he said.

"The building of the CPEC does not affect China's position on this issue," he said.

In his address to the United Services Institution in New Delhi on May 5, Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohui had said China has taken care to India's stand that it should be resolved bilaterally in line with the Shimla Agreement.

"We supported the relevant UN resolutions before 1990s.

Then we supported a settlement through bilateral negotiation in line with the Shimla Agreement. This is an example of China taking care of India's concern," Luo had said.

For its part, Pakistan has been questioning India's stance and calling for "multilateral approach" saying that the bilateral approach has failed.

Sharif is in China to attend the two-day Belt and Road Forum starting from tomorrow.

In his interaction with the media, Sharif said the scope of CPEC had immensely increased with the Chinese investment swelling from $46 to $56 billion. He said such a huge investment was unprecedented in Pakistan's history, having objectives of progress and prosperity of the people.

He mentioned that Chinese companies were investing in Pakistan's power and infrastructure sectors at a massive scale, which had generated exemplary employment opportunities for the local people.

He said his visit to China was significant in relevance with the economic conditions of Pakistan, adding "Pakistan was proud of its friendship with China."

He said economic development in Balochistan province, where China is building Gwadar port, was getting good results and several projects under CPEC were being completed at a fast pace. The 3,000-km CEPC connects Gwadar with China's Xinjiang province.  PTI
Tehran: A leading figure of Irans minority Sunnis endorsed moderate President Hassan Rouhani ahead of this weeks election, despite the governments shortcomings. Sunnis make up around five to 10 per cent of Irans 80 million population, which is overwhelmingly from the Shia sect of Islam. Religious leader Molavi Abdol Hamid said the atmosphere for Sunnis has been a little more relaxed since Rouhani took power in 2013. AFP
Manila, May 13

The Philippines and China will open bilateral talks on their dispute over the South China Sea next week, Manilas ambassador to Beijing said on Saturday.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has sought to deepen relations with China despite its extensive island-building in disputed parts of the South China Sea, in the hopes of securing billions of dollars worth of investments from Beijing.

We will inaugurate the bilateral consultative mechanism on issues of particular concern to each side. This is where the sensitive issues will be discussed, Ambassador Jose Chito Santa Romana said in Beijing in comments aired by ABS-CBN television.

Santa Romana made the comments ahead of Dutertes arrival in Beijing to attend the One Belt, One Road summit on Sunday and Mondaya pet project of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The first session will be next week but this will be a session that will continue on a twice-yearly basis, a chance to exchange views on the South China Sea issue, he said.

China claims nearly all of the strategically vital waterway, despite partial counter-claims from several regional states including the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Santa Romana said the Duterte administration was putting the South China Sea dispute on a separate track while pursuing economic and diplomatic relations with China, adding that previously bilateral ties had been frozen because the territorial row had taken centre stage.

There is a whole sphere of relationships you can fast- track without giving up your sovereignty claim. To put it on a separate track is not to abandon or give up but rather to compartmentalise it, he said.

Duterte has sought closer ties with China and Russia while distancing the Philippines from its traditional ally, the United States.

Last month, he alarmed observers when he issued a chairmans statement, after hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, which took a soft stance towards Chinese actions in the South China Sea.

The statement merely took note of concerns expressed by some leaders over recent developments in the area.

It also ignored an international tribunal ruling last year which said Chinas claims to most of the sea were unlawful.

Leaders from nearly 30 nations are attending next weeks forum in Beijing, which will showcase Xis grand plan to revive ancient Silk Road trade routes by bankrolling rail, maritime and road projects across Asia, Europe and Africa.  AFP
San Salvador, May 13

An uptick in deadly violence against transgender women in El Salvador prompted the United Nations on Friday to call for an investigation into crimes against sexual minorities in the conservative Central American country.

So far this year, seven transgender women have been killed in El Salvador, according to the Geneva-based Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Local LGBT organizations put the death toll at 17 through the first four months of the year.

In 2016, at least 25 transgender women were killed over the course of the entire year, according to the local organizations.

Leading transgender activist Karla Avelar said local gang members have demanded money and made threats that forced her to flee her home six times in the past two years.

Avelar, who leads a local trans-rights organisation, said in an interview she has no faith that local authorities can protect her from gangs who routinely demand extortion payments from residents and businesses.

Criminals operate within the same institutions of government. So how can you entrust your life to them? How can you entrust your security to these institutions? said Avelar.

Avelar, 40, is a finalist for the 2017 Martin Ennals Award, an international prize for human rights activists, but said the gang members have already sought to extort some of the future prize money if she wins.

I wont wait for them to kill me, said Avelar. And how am I going to give them something I dont even have? The Salvadoran activist declined to identify the names or gang affiliation of the men who threatened her, or where she now lives, for fear of retaliation.

We urge the government of El Salvador to take urgent measures to ensure the protection of Ms. Avelar and other (LGBT) activists and individuals who are under threat, said OHCHR spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani, adding that authorities should investigate what she described as hate crimes. The Salvadoran attorney generals office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Last year, El Salvador registered 81.7 homicides per 1,00,000 residents, one of the highest murder rates anywhere in the world.  Reuters
Several Muslim women, victims of triple talaq, met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at his junta durbar in Gorakhpur and demanded justice.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held his "junta durbar" on Saturday inside the Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur where several Muslim women, victims of triple talaq, met him and demanded justice.

Momina Khatoon, a resident of Sant Kabir Nagar with three children queued up at the Gorakhnath temple to meet the CM. Speaking to India Today, Momina Khatoon said that two years back she was divorced when her husband gave her talaq through post. Ever since then, she has been running from pillar to post for justice.

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"I have full faith in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and have come to seek justice from him. I am living a terrible life with three small children after my husband divorced me," said Momina Khatoon, a victim of triple talaq.

Momina's father Dr Akhtar Aslam who accompanied his daughter to meet Yogi Adityanath has started a campaign for justice to all the victims of triple talaq.

Nazma, another victim of triple talaq also met the CM. She had come from Amroha seeking justice. Nazma was also divorced by her husband three years back through post.

It is notable that the Supreme Court is presently conducting a daily hearing on the contentious issue of triple talaq and is likely to come out with a judgment next week. The Centre has already made it PM Modi govt stood firmly behind the victims of triple talaq.

Also Read:

Triple talaq undesirable, worst form of dissolution of marriage among Muslims: Supreme Court

IPS officer Charu Nigam in Yogi Adityanath's security cover, she was seen in tears after spat with BJP MLA

Triple talaq hearing: Ram Jethmalani to argue for RSS forum in Supreme Court

Why are Sonia Gandhi, Mamata, Mayawati silent on triple talaq, asks Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

Before triple talaq case, a look at how India's judiciary dealt with personal laws vs the fundamental rights

WATCH VIDEO

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Coweta first responders are looking for citizens to support their efforts through blood donation with the Oklahoma Blood Institute (OBI).

An OBI Guns N Hoses blood drive is planned Wednesday, May 17 from 2-7 p.m. at the Coweta Assembly, 29707 E. State Hwy. 51.

OBI officials say those who participate will help provide the blood needed to save local lives, like those that fire and law enforcement staffs rescue.

Coweta first responders see first-hand the daily need for blood at hospitals and air ambulances when those they rescue require life-saving treatment, said John Armitage, M.D., OBI CEO and president. We cant say enough about the service they provide, and we owe it to them to do our part in making sure blood is available to save those whom they have risked their lives to rescue.

All area residents age 16 and older who meet weight requirements (parent permission required for 16-year-old donors) are invited to donate. Those who roll up their sleeves will receive a special edition Guns N Hoses t-shirt and a voucher for two entries to Safari Joes H2O Water Park of Tulsa.

Although all blood types are needed, donors with O-negative blood are particularly asked to come out.

While only nine percent of the population has this blood type, it is the universal type and can be used at an accident scene or emergency department where theres not time to identify a patients type.

Organizers say there is a friendly competition between the police and fire departments, therefore anyone who donates can designate their gift of life for one department or the other.

Walk-ins will be accepted, however making an appointment early can shorten the process. To make an appointment, call 877-340-8777 or go to obi.org.
Musa is said to be in his early 20s and has risen through the Hizbul rank rapidly. Three years after joining the terror group, he was given charge of terror operations in the Valley. He had to quit Hizbul after threatening that he would behead separatist leaders at Srinagar's Lal Chowk.

By Prabhash K Dutta: Zakir Rashid Bhat, better known as Zakir Musa, was portrayed as the new face of terror in Kashmir Valley after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter with security forces on July 8 last year.

Hizbul Mujahideen made him the successor of Burhan Wani. He is said to be in his early 20s and has risen through the Hizbul rank rapidly. Three years after joining the terror group, he was given charge of terror operations in the Valley.

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But, like his rise, his downfall in the Hizbul Mujahideen seems to have been equally rapid. A day after threatening separatist leaders of Kashmir with beheading them at the Lal Chowk of Srinagar for calling the issue a political one, Zakir Musa had to quit Hizbul.

ENGINEER-TURNED-TERRORIST

Zakir Musa was a student of civil engineering at a Chandigarh college. But he is said to have quit studies before completing the degree and returned to his ancestral home in Pulwama's Noorpura village in 2013.

Zakir is said to be hailing from a highly educated family. Most of his siblings are reportedly doctors or pursuing a medical degree somewhere.

After dropping out of an engineering college, Zakir Musa joined Hizbul Mujahideen. He was deeply influenced by the jihadi preaching and literature.

TARGETS POLICE WITH TWO VIDEOS

Zakir Musa came out with two tapes one after another last year. In the first video tape posted on social media, Zakir threatens the informants of Jammu and Kashmir police.

In the over two-minute video, Zakir Musa is threatening the police informants to leave Kashmir.

In the second video, Zakir Musa threatened the Jammu and Kashmir police, saying that their families could not feel safe 'just because they live in Jammu'.

Following the release of two threatening videos, Jammu and Kashmir police raided the Batipora village of Tral - the hometown of Burhan Wani. Police located the house, where Zakir Musa recorded the videos.

Zakir Musa managed to dodge the raiding police team. But police recovered some materials from the house that established Zakir Musa's identity.

ANOTHER VIDEO FOR STONE PELTING

In March this year, a 12-minute video surfaced on social media, in which Musa was seen asking the youths of Kashmir to pelt stones at the security forces. Zakir Musa calls Army jawans 'kafirs'.

Zakir Musa minced no words in the video to proclaim that he was fighting not for Kashmir, but for an Islamic rule in the Valley.

Wearing an Afghan cap, Musa speaks Urdu in the video. He says, "Whenever we are fighting with gun or throwing rocks, this should not be for nationalism but for Islam."

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THE NEW AUDIO TAPE

In the latest audio tape, Zaki Musa took on separatist leaders of the Kashmir Valley. Zakir Musa threatened the separatist leaders for what he called 'interference in the Islamic struggle'.

His comments came after some separatist leaders called Kashmir a political issue that needed to be resolved politically.

Zakir Musa said in an unverified audio tape that he would chop off the heads of the separatist leaders and hang them at the Lal Chowk in Srinagar.

In the audio tape that went viral on social media, Zakir Musa could be heard saying, "I am warning all those hypocrite Hurriyat leaders. They must not interfere with our Islamic struggle. If they do, we will cut their heads and hang them in Lal Chowk".

Zakir Musa asserted that Hizbul Mujahideen was clear in its motives of "fighting to impose a Shariat in Kashmir and not resolving the Kashmir issue by calling it a political struggle."

HIZBUL SENSES GROUND REALITY

This comment of Zakir Musa came close on the heels of suspected Hizbul terrorists killing a young Indian Army officer Ummer Fayaz, who hailed from Kulgam district in south Kashmir. The killing of a Kashmiri young Army officer has turned the tide against the terror outfit in the Valley.

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Under such circumstances, Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin - who also heads the umbrella organisation of all Kashmir-oriented terror outfits - could not have afforded to antagonise the separatist leaders of the Valley.

The Hizbul chief soon issued a statement - emailed to a local news agency in Kashmir - distancing itself from Zakir Musa's threat terming it condemnable. Salahuddin also issued a gag order asking the terror operatives working in Kashmir Valley to 'consult' him before releasing any statement.

Zakir Musa responded by saying that he 'will not die for a secular Kashmir'.

WATCH VIDEO

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A man was taken to a hospital after being shot in the leg west of downtown Friday night, police said.

Police responded to a call at 9:15 p.m. that someone had been shot at 2305 W. Edison St. Officers found the victim in front of the Maximum Cut Barber Shop at the Gilcrease Hills Center, according to a report.

The male victim had been shot in a leg, a wound that was listed as not life-threatening, according to police.

The shooting victim was uncooperative at the scene with providing the suspect description or name, police said. Witnesses at the scene reported a fight between the male and suspect prior to the shooting.

The victim was transported to a local hospital and was listed as stable condition, police said.
ABC has held over this weeks planned report on Foreign Correspondent in order to screen A Man of the World: Remembering Mark Colvin.

Jonathan Holmes and ABC colleagues remember the late, great Colvin, who died last week.

To many Australians he was the honeyed voice behind the PM microphone, the agent of reason in a fevered Twittersphere. But Mark Colvin also carved out a singular career as a foreign correspondent roaming the worlds power centres and trouble spots.

In doing so he inspired others.

Hearing Mark Colvins radio word pictures from the Iranian Revolution sparked a pup newspaper reporter to aspire to a foreign posting. That was Tony Jones. Colvin cajoled another young Pom to move to Australia. Britains loss  that was Jonathan Holmes.

Now its Holmes who reports on Colvins legacy as a foreign correspondent and, in his later years, as a virtual correspondent, harnessing Twitter as a portal to dive into big, breaking stories like the Arab Spring.

In this Foreign Correspondent tribute colleagues also tell of a little known aspect of Colvins career: how he channelled his own ordeal  the illness he contracted while reporting on Rwandas genocide  to help other reporters deal with the traumas of covering terrible events.

9.30pm Tuesday May 16 on ABC.
More US titles have been renewed ahead of network Upfronts.

Law and Order: SVU has been renewed for a 19th season.

Now in its 18th season, SVU is Americas longest-running primetime scripted show currently on broadcast television. Starring Mariska Hargitay, it averages nearly 9 million viewers and has sold to more than 250 territories. Its good news for producer Dick Wolf who received renewals for Chicago Fire, Chicago Med and Chicago P.D. this week. Legal series Chicago Justice is awaiting word.

SVU, which screens in Australia on TEN, is honing in on Gunsmokes record of 20 seasons, a number Law and Order was unable to eclipse.

Meanwhile comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine has been renewed for a fifth season. The Andy Samberg series, which airs in Australia on SBS VICELAND, draws 3.3 million viewers and will reach 100 episodes making it ripe for syndication.

Speechless, starring Minnie Driver, is renewed for a second season. It averages 7.2 million viewers. Fresh off the Boat, which is drawing 5.2 million viewers, also heads to a fourth season. Both screen here on ELEVEN.

Source: Hollywood Reporter, Variety
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Published May 13, 2017

There were tears and cheers at Saturdays Spring 2017 Commencement Ceremony at the University of Louisiana Monroe as degrees were conferred on 860 students.

There were 193 students graduating with honors, 34 summa cum laude (3.900-4.000), 45 magna cum laude (3.750-3.899) and 114 cum laude (3.500-3.749). The 14 summa students with 4.0 cumulative GPAs were recognized individually as the top graduates.

Thirty-six student-athletes graduated with a 3.0 or higher.

ULM alumnae Maxine L. Moreau, CenturyLink President of Consumer Markets, gave the commencement address. She advised the graduates to look to the future, especially technology.

Think about the pace of change and what that means for you as you embark on the next phase of your life journey. Your generation is blessed by technological advances I could only imagine when I was a student here, earning my degree in Computer Information Services, Moreau said.

Moreau said in less than 10 years, smartphone technology will be out of date.

The smartphone will become obsolete by 2025, replaced by augmented reality. Let me say it again  smartphones could become obsolete by 2025, she said.

She stressed to the graduates that they are poised to leave their mark on the world.

You, todays graduates, many who are part of the millennial generation, are uniquely positioned to use your knowledge, skills and aptitudes to advance your cause regardless of your degree or discipline. Whether you go on to contribute your talents to science, education, government, a large corporation, a small start-up or a non-profit organization  you can help make real change happen in this world.

It is a tradition for President Dr. Nick J. Bruno to recognize a few outstanding graduates at commencement. Saturday he spoke about five, sharing a bit about their journeys.

I think the one theme is perseverance and dedication, he said.

Chelbi Elizabeth Johnson of Sterlington, changed majors as a freshman, switching from education to political science. She may go on to law school, but this summer she begins her Masters in Public Administration at ULM. Johnson said she was led by her faith to a career where she could help people.

Siddartha Dhakal left his home in Kathmandu, Nepal, in 2013. Since arriving at ULM, Dhakal set his sights on a post-graduate position with an Ivy League school and has worked tirelessly to achieve that goal. And he did. In the fall, Dhakal will be at Yale University on a full scholarship to pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical research. He leaves ULM with a Bachelor of Science in Biology.

Brett Kathey was recognized for receiving his degree in general studies 31 years after he started ULM. Kathey was a freshman from Leesville in 1986. Soon a job offer he could not refuse put his studies on hold. Fast forward three decades and Kathey decided to complete his college education by taking classes online through eULM. Kathey and his wife, Heather, live in Dallas, and he did not know she had written to ULM about her husbands accomplishment.

Jenna Ann Maihles was honored for her dedication to her dream of becoming a doctor. Mailhes is from Monroe and through the years has been by her mothers side during serious illnesses. Her experiences with her mothers health issues gave Mailhes even more determination. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and will go on to LSU Medical School-Shreveport in the fall.

Linda Jackson of the Monroe is ULM Associate Registrar responsible for transcripts and also the liaison with VA students. Jackson enrolled at ULM in the late 1970s, but was unable to complete her studies. She began working for ULM in 1999 and over the years took classes when she could. Saturday she was presented with the diploma she set out to earn some 40 years ago.

There was a new look on the coliseum floor for the ceremony as the students wore newly designed maroon or black commencement robes by Balfour. The maroon robes were worn by those receiving bachelors degrees and the black for masters and Ph.D.

For the full degree candidate list, please see http://ulm.edu/commencement/documents/grad-list-spring-2017-final-r1.pdf
Seeking shade as UNHCR's new Hasansham U2 camp opens.  UNHCR/Caroline Gluck

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, opened a new camp, Hasansham U2, in northern Iraq this week to shelter an increasing number of Iraqi families fleeing the fighting in western Mosul. First buses with newly displaced Iraqi families arrived at the camp already on Tuesday. As of this morning the new site shelters nearly 500 children, women and men - 96 families in total. The camp is located around 60 kilometres east of Mosul along the highway to Erbil.

This is the 12th camp and the latest one to be built by UNHCR and its partners in response to the ongoing Mosul emergency. Its less than four weeks since UNHCR opened the Hammam al-Alil 2 camp, with a capacity for 30,000 people. That camp is now almost full.

Each displaced family arriving at Hasansham U2 receives a tent and other basic aid items including blankets, mats, a cooker, jerry cans, plastic sheeting and a kitchen set. As of today, more than 1,000 tents are ready, enough to shelter over 6,000 people. Hasansham U2 has capacity to accommodate more than 9,000 people when fully occupied.

The risk to people fleeing Mosul is now very great, with people having to move being in grave danger. People speak of conditions that are desperate and worsening. Families arriving from West Mosul report heavy bombing and fighting. They also tell UNHCR that there are no basic services in the city, no food, no water and no fuel. Some families have told us they have been living on one meal a day; often just bread, or flour and water, sometimes supplemented with tomato paste.

UNHCR reiterates its call to all parties in the fighting to ensure civilians are not prevented from leaving areas of active conflict and are provided access to safe areas, including those currently trapped in Mosul. Equally, civilians must not be forced to return to unsafe areas.

Six months into the Mosul offensive UNHCR remains concerned about the continuing massive displacement. Despite enormous risks, the number of people fleeing West Mosul shows no sign of slowing down.

We expect more large outflows of people from the west of the city. This is why we and our partners continue to prepare new camps, ready to receive those fleeing Mosul who are desperately in need of assistance. The first phase of another camp, al Salamiya 2, with capacity for 30,000 people, is under construction. When completed, the camp will have a capacity for up to 60,000 people.

Our current humanitarian efforts to shelter and assist displaced Iraqi families and refugees who fled to Iraq are seriously challenged by waning funding support. Our programmes in support of refugees and internally displaced in Iraq are currently only 18 per cent funded (USD 105.1 million received out of USD 578 million). This situation now threatens our ability to effectively respond to the immediate and mounting humanitarian needs in Iraq this year.

According to Iraqi authorities more than 630,000 people have been displaced from Mosul and surrounding areas since October 2016, when the military operation began. This includes more than 434,000 displaced from western Mosul since mid-February. Meanwhile, an estimated 141,000 people have since returned to their areas of origin.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
Cabrera Rodas Finalist for UWs Top Graduate Honor

Jose Andres Cabrera Rodas

Jose Andres Cabrera Rodas, of Guatemala, was among seven finalists for the 2017 Tobin Memorial Award as the University of Wyomings outstanding graduating man.

The annual award is based on academic excellence and achievement, service to the university, participation and leadership in the community and campus activities, and citizenship qualities.

Anthony Farmer, of Cheyenne, received the Tobin Award, while Sarah Maze, of Ranchester, was named the Rosemarie Martha Spitaleri Award recipient as the outstanding graduating woman during a recent ceremony honoring all the nominees.

Cabrera Rodas will graduate with a degree in chemical engineering. He also will graduate with minors in chemistry and the Honors Program.

The Central America native says he is honored that UW gave him the opportunity to be part of an outstanding group of graduating students.

My role as a resident assistant has shown me that leading is not an easy task, Cabrera Rodas says. Thankfully, I have grown into the position and now consider myself a leader driven by love and hard work.

A nominator notes Cabrera Rodass hard work and motivation through projects and leadership.

Jose shows his hard work and motivation through his projects, the nominator says. Not only did I believe the project wouldnt have been a success without his leadership, I am quite certain that it wouldnt have even been possible. Jose has wonderful involvement in community service and leadership experience.

One of Cabrera Rodass professors recognizes his willingness and desire to always learn and become involved.

Jose is amazing. He grabs every chance that he can find to improve his skills and understanding of his field of study. He serves others and seeks opportunities to be involved in his community, the nominator says. Every interaction I have had with him has been thoughtful, well-spoken and friendly. Jose has strong commitment to gain research experience and equips himself with tools crucial for his success. I have the impression that he is one of the most thoughtful and organized students I have ever had.
Klebba Finalist for UWs Top Graduate Award

Phil Klebba

Phil Klebba, of Sheridan, was among seven finalists for the 2017 Tobin Memorial Award as the University of Wyomings outstanding graduating man.

The annual award is based on academic excellence and achievement, service to the university, participation and leadership in the community and campus activities, and citizenship qualities.

Anthony Farmer, of Cheyenne, received the Tobin Award, while Sarah Maze, of Ranchester, was named the Rosemarie Martha Spitaleri Award recipient as the outstanding graduating woman during a recent ceremony honoring all the nominees.

Klebba will graduate with degrees in rangeland ecology and watershed management, and environment and natural resources.

Klebba says being a leader for the Wyoming Conservation Corps was a challenge but extremely worthwhile, which helped him succeed at UW.

Nothing felt better than leading a determined crew and overcoming tough conditions to complete a project, Klebba says. Such projects taught me to be flexible, taught me to approach problems from multiple angles and increased my interest in designing similar projects in the future. The University of Wyoming played a crucial role in providing the support and atmosphere, which enabled my growth.

A nominator says Klebbas motivation and drive were key in his academic success.

I was consistently impressed with his ability to map out new lines of research, come up with solutions and analyze his data to explain the mechanisms that drive the hydrologic cycle in the Snowy Range, the nominator says. Phil is the rare student who achieved mastery of all the subjects he covered.

Another nominator recognizes Klebbas passion and engagement in leadership and the environment.

Phils passion for and willingness to dedicate his time and effort to environmental causes is admirable and sets him apart, his nominator says. I found Phil to be a highly engaging and articulate student with genuine enthusiasm and desire to learn, possessing a powerful combination of strong work ethic, innate talent, collegiality and positivity.


Opportunity Village clients will showcase their talents onstage at the organizations 7th Annual Spring Performing Arts Concert, OVation, on Thursday, May 25 at 6 p.m. at the Opportunity Village Ralph and Betty Engelstad Campus located at 6050 S. Buffalo Drive.

The concert, emceed by local KTNV News Anchor Beth Fisher, will showcase a collection of music and dances representing a variety of styles and themes throughout the decades, performed by individuals in Opportunity Villages Fine and Performing Arts Program.

This annual concert provides individuals in Opportunity Villages Fine and Performing Arts Program the opportunity to express their creativity and show off their talents onstage in front of their friends, family and the community, said Sarah Quinn, manager of the Opportunity Village Fine and Performing Arts Program. They truly light up the stage as they perform various routines that include a combination of dancing, singing, theatre and more.


Triple George Grill will debut a new The Phantom of the Opera menu in honor of the smash Broadway musicals run at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. The special a la carte menu will be available May 31  June 11, 2017.

Fans of the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic musical will be taken on a culinary journey with dishes specially created to highlight the themes of The Phantom of the Opera. To begin the night, the Twisted Every Way cocktail will set the mysterious mood, featuring Prosecco, pamplemoussse rose and a grapefruit twist. Act I will then transport the guests to the famed Palais Garnier. For the first course guests have a choice of The Mirror, with tuna tartar and seared ahi tuna, the Lasso, a perfectly cooked Beef Wellington with horseradish cream dip or the Masquerade Ball, combining Arancini, parmesan and a velvety pesto cream sauce.

Act Two brings the meal to a crescendo, with choices including The Point Of No Return, a 14 oz. K.C. new york strip, foie gras, steak frites, bordelaise and asparagus, the Bravo Monsier, consisting of a trout almandine, haircot verts and quinoa or the Wandering Child, a French classic featuring free range coq au vin, wild mushrooms and potato hash.

As the drama unfolds, dessert is served and guests are given a heavenly choice of the Opera, flavors of opera cake, coffee, almond and chocolate or the Angel of Music, a deliciously light angel food cake with lemon curd, strawberry and whip cream.
Eurosphere 2017 represents the first major excursion of European enterprises in Vietnam

EU-Vietnam Business Network (EVBN) has officially unveiled EurosphereEuropean Art of Living in Vietnam, an event to take place on June 16-17, 2017 at the Gem Centre in Ho Chi Minh City.

Eurosphere will host 80 European brands from the fashion and accessories, gourmet food and beverages, perfumery and cosmetics, interior design, and automotive sectors to showcase their exquisite products and meet with potential local partners.

Eurosphere 2017 is a new concept trade event dedicated to bringing various European quality products to the Vietnamese and Southeast Asian market. It was introduced in the context of the new Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Vietnam (EVFTA), Vietnam being the second country in the ASEAN, after Singapore, to sign such an agreement.

Companies taking part in the event will be the first wave of European brands enjoying the unprecedented benefits of the FTA. Main changes will be the elimination of the import tax within eight years, as well as the introduction of Geographical Indications that will automatically come under protection upon the FTAs entry into force.

Bruno Angelet, ambassador and head of the Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam, has expressed strong belief in the success of Eurosphere, creating a great opportunity for the promotion of European products on the Vietnamese market.

Additionally, Delphine Rousselet, director of EVBN, shared that, European businesses deciding to enter Vietnam at this crucial time will have first-mover advantage in establishing their name in the market. Eurosphere will undoubtedly strengthen and continue to promote the economic bond between Vietnam and the EU trading bloc.

About 3,500 business visitors, mainly large importers, distributors, retailers, hospitality specialists, interior decor designers, fashion designers, policy makers, industry influencers, media representatives, and VIPs and celebrities will meet at Eurosphere through a series of B2B meetings, conferences with high-profile European speakers, networking events, and a private Gala dinner.

The event will not only focus on the economic partnership between European companies and Vietnam, but will also act as a platform for EVBN regional partners to introduce their respective market opportunities in the ASEAN and follow-up trade missions in each country after Eurosphere.

Eurosphere is supported by the Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the embassies of European countries to Vietnam, and the Chambers of Commerce of all EU member states as well as ASEAN regional partners.
During her on-going working trip to Japan, TH Group chairwoman Thai Huong attended the Vietnam-Japan Enterprise Meeting and met with many Japanese firms who are seeking investment and business opportunities with Vietnamese firms, including TH Group.

Thai Huong talking at the Vietnam-Japan Enterprise Meeting

Huong said that the group would like to co-operate with Japanese partners in the sectors of high-tech agriculture, processing technology, and healthcare.

In the healthcare sector alone, Huong attached great importance to caregiving, affirming that TH Group would like to send thousands of nurses and caregivers to Japan for studies so that they can return to Vietnam to work in local hospitals and use the countrys precious herbs to treat local patients with the highest service quality.

Huong also said that due to their cultural similarities, Japan and Vietnam are uniquely positioned to co-operate and develop a safe and environmentally-friendly agriculture.

According to her, Japans demand for safe farm produce is fast growing, and this is offering a big opportunity for Vietnamese products, including those produced by TH Group. Also, Japan can help Vietnam improve its processing technologies.

We would like to co-operate and share our experiences with all of you here, Huong said. We are developing herb cultivating areas for products which will be exported to Japan, and we would also like to introduce Japanese products in the Vietnamese market. It all goes to improve the health of both countries people.

Huong also expressed her determination of developing TH Groups brand name as Japanese firms have been doing successfully in their foreign markets, which has won great confidence from consumers worldwide.

Japanese firms have set their firm niches in the global market and we will try to follow suit carving out a space for the traditional goods our nation is proud of, she said.

Thai Huong meeting with Japanese corporate representatives

TH Group has developed five core values for its TH true MILK products, including For the health of the community, Completely from nature, Fresh-Delicious-Nutritious, Environmentally friendly, and Excellent mind-set and harmonised benefits.

Since 2009, TH Group has also been operating a $1.2-billion, 37,000-hectare high-tech concentrated dairy and fresh milk production project in the central province of Nghe An.

Besides, while constructing a similar project worth $2.7 billion in Russia, TH Group is also considering the construction of another major project in the Republic of Bashkortostan, a federal subject of Russia.
Vietnamobile missed the 4G boat and is now concentrating efforts to shore up its 3G services

On May 10, following the announcement of countrywide 3G network coverage by the second quarter of 2017 and multiplying its 3G speed in Danang, Vietnamobile unveiled a new 3G data plan with attractive price that comes with more data and offers users free internet connection at night time.

For just VND40,000 ($1.76) a month, Vietnamobile customers can have 2GB of mobile data for 30 days with the M0 3G package. Subscribers to this data plan can enjoy high-speed internet to watch online movies, surf the web, listen to music, play games, and so on, with peace of mind.

Between 1 AM and 7 AM every day, users will have access to free internet connection without spending their remaining data plan. On top of this, there is also a safety solution for budget customers who may go beyond their plans limit: they are free to go 0.5GB in excess until the plan expires.

On top of the M0 package, Vietnamobile is also offering four new monthly data plans with prices from VND70,000 ($3.1)/4GB to VND200,000 ($8.81)/20GB and the daily plan D12, which costs VND12,000 (53 US cent)/300 MB.

While other network providers are in the final phase of the 4G race, Vietnamobile spectacularly missed the trend. At a press conference in early April, Elizabete Fong, CEO of Vietnamobile, explained that within the next two years, the Vietnamese market will still mainly use 3G.

She said that 4G is a modern technology that people wish to use. However, smartphones that support 4G are not widely available in Vietnam. In urban areas, the percentage of smartphones with 4G functions is higher than in rural areas, but the overall rate is 4-5 per cent only.

People in urban areas have started to be interested in 4G, but in rural areas, most smartphones support 3G only, thus, 3G is more popular, Fong said. Moreover, she said that in the future, when the devices supporting 4G become more popular in Vietnam, Vietnamobile will be on time to launch these services.

She said the Vietnamese market still has many chances for 3G network development, especially in the rural areas, which Vietnamobile identified as a market holding significant potential.

Fong said that Vietnamobile is installing the 3G network infrastructure all over the country. In 2016, the company received $450 million from partner Hutchison Telecommunications, most of which was spent on network infrastructure. With this investment, Vietnamobile will expand its 3G coverage to 90 per cent of the Vietnamese population by the end of 2017.

At present, Vietnamobile does not have a 4G licence. Viettel, Vinaphone, MobiFone, and Gtel have all been licensed to launch 4G on the 1800 MHz bandwidth and, with the exception of Gtel, have launched 4G services.

Meanwhile, the 2100 MHz bandwidth that Vietnamobile operates on is not planned by the government to carry 4G. Fong said she hoped that the Ministry of Information and Communications would soon allow operators to use any technology they wish on the bandwidth they are licensed to operate on, then Vietnamobile could launch 4G without having to apply for additional permits.

Vietnamobile was also the last operator to be licensed to provide 3G. It reported a successful pilot programme in 2011, while all other operators had received their licenses by the end of 2009 and started providing 3G by the end of 2010.
The Dangerous Side-Effects of Plastics, and How to Minimize Their Toxic Impact

Plastics are not only an environmental disaster; these man-made conveniences introduced a century ago are also harming our physical and mental health. Phthalates  chemical compounds used to make plastic more flexible and durable  are found in more products than you might imagine, and have become the human bodys
Ukraine officials blamed pro-Russian separatists in the country's restive east for the killings of four civilians Saturday by artillery fire in a government-controlled area near the Russian border.

The shelling in the Donetsk region occurred just hours before the finals of the wildly popular Eurovision song contest, held this year in Kyiv.

The deaths prompted Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko to announce that he and his wife would protest the killings by not appearing at the event, which is followed passionately by tens of millions of Europeans and viewed around the globe each year by millions more.

The head of the Kyiv-controlled Donetsk Regional Administration said the shelling  the most serious truce violation in nearly two months  targeted the government-held industrial town of Avdiyivka, just north of the separatist-controlled hub city of Donetsk.

The official, writing on Facebook, said at least one shell struck a courtyard of a private house, "where three women and one man perished."

There was no immediate separatist comment on the shelling or the deaths.

Fighting erupted three years ago between pro-Russian separatists and government forces near the Russian border, with Russian-speaking separatists demanding an autonomous region free of Ukrainian controls.

An estimated 10,000 people have been killed in the conflict, most of them between 2014 and 2016. However, sporadic shelling continues in contested areas of the east, particularly near Donetsk and another nearby separatist hub, Luhansk.
Unknown gunmen shot dead at least 10 construction workers and wounded several others Saturday in southwestern Pakistan, police said.

The victims were building a road in the port city of Gwadar when assailants on motorbikes fired at them and fled the scene.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the violence.



Suicide bombing

The attack happened a day after an Islamic State suicide bomber killed at least 25 people and wounded 40 others in the province of Baluchistan where Gwadar is located.

That attack, in the town of Mastung, was targeted at Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, deputy chairman of the Pakistani Senate, the upper house of parliament.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack on its global media outlet, Amaq News Agency.

The senator was slightly wounded, but his driver and the director of staff at the Senate accompanying him were among those killed.

Haideri is a central leader of JUI-F, which is part of Pakistans ruling coalition headed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs party.

Stepped up attacks

IS has stepped up attacks in Pakistan. The Syria-based terrorist group also took credit for the deadliest suicide bombing this year of a Sufi shrine in the southern city of Sehwan in February that killed more than 70 people.

Victims were mostly members of the minority Shiite Muslim community.

Baluchistan is the largest of Pakistans four provinces where a number of militant groups operate.

The province borders Afghanistan and Iran, and officials in both the countries have long alleged militants waging terrorist attacks on their soils operate out of the Pakistani province. Islamabad denies the charges.

Baluchistan is at the center of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, commonly referred to as by its acronym of CPEC. It is a combination of road networks, railway lines and power projects being built in Pakistan with Chinese investment of more than $50 billion.
A global cyber attack on Friday affected British hospitals, government agencies and companies in 99 countries, with Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan the top targets, security software maker Avast said.

Hacking tools widely believed by researchers to have been developed by the U.S. National Security Agency that were leaked online last month appear to have been leveraged to launch the attacks.

Around 1,000 computers at the Russian Interior Ministry were affected by the cyber attack, a spokeswoman for the ministry told Interfax.

Some of the companies affected:

FedEx Corp

Telefonica SA

Portugal Telecom

Telefonica Argentina
A father and daughter were killed in the Indian part of the disputed Kashmir region Saturday by Pakistani army fire across the de facto border, and three of their relatives were wounded, an Indian military spokesman said.

It was the second major cease-fire violation in the area in days. A woman was killed and her husband wounded by Pakistani firing across the de facto border dividing Kashmir early Thursday.

Pakistani troops initiated indiscriminate firing, said the Indian spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Manish Mehta, adding that Pakistani forces had fired with various weapons from small arms to large caliber mortars in the Nowshera sector.

A mortar bomb hit a home in a village near the Line of Control, which separates the two sides in Kashmir, inflicting the casualties, he said.

Indian forces retaliated strongly and effectively, he said, adding the authorities had closed all schools in the area.

A Pakistani military spokesman was not immediately available for comment. On Thursday, Pakistan condemned what it called unprovoked Indian firing in the area.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars since their independence in 1947, two of them over the Muslim-majority Himalayan region of Kashmir, which they both claim in full but rule in part.

Clashes between their forces in Kashmir largely stopped after a 2003 cease-fire, but exchanges of fire have been more common over the past couple of years.

Occasional efforts to improve ties between the nuclear-armed neighbors through talks have achieved little, while protests against Indian rule in its part of Kashmir have flared violently over the past year.

India accuses Muslim Pakistan of supporting separatist insurgents fighting security forces in Indian Kashmir. Pakistan denies that.
On Thursday, the Center for Human Rights in Iran commented upon Khameneis speech by emphasizing its similarity to a speech the supreme leader had given in response to the outbreak of nationwide protests against the disputed reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009. In addition to the vague threat of reprisal against domestic supporters of the boycott, Khamenei also conveyed familiar, unsubstantiated accusations that this and other protests were the result of attempted intervention by Western powers and Zionists.

In a previous speech, Khamenei appealed to the notion of national autonomy in order to urge Iranians of all political persuasions to go to the polls and demonstrate the legitimacy of the countrys government. But the emerging boycott specifically disregards this claim of legitimacy, asserting that the incumbent Hassan Rouhani and his hardline challengers are essentially the same, since the clerical regime has the authority to bar genuinely reformist voices from the political process altogether.

The regimes tight control over political dialogue was certainly on display in the recent commentary by Khamenei and others. Addressing the candidates who had passed their vetting by the unelected Guardian Council last month, Khamenei cautioned against addressing issues that might agitate ideological, geographical, linguistic and ethnic fault lines. He also characterized these types of political speech as traps set by enemies, and threats to the countrys security and tranquility.

These claims have been reinforced by other hardline public figures. On Thursday, the National Council of Resistance of Iran cited one example that was specifically directed at President Rouhani, who is opposed by hardliners but also regarded as an inadequate alternative by serious reformists and dissident organizations like the NCRI. The report quoted former Member of Parliament Ahmad Tavakoli as saying that some of Rouhanis statements on the campaign trail threated to fuel public resentments and put the country on a track of sedition.

Sedition is the term still applied by regime authorities to the 2009 uprising, which was violently suppressed following Khameneis public response, and which led to dozens of deaths and hundreds of instances of political imprisonment. Although Rouhanis successful campaign in 2013 included the promise to release at least some of those political prisoners, his administration has shown no movement on this issue or on any other reform-minded campaign promise with the exception of pursuing a nuclear agreement with world powers.

Rouhanis record on civil rights and economic reform led to a significant loss of support in the early days of his presidency. More recently, it has lent credence to the calls for boycott which are being led by the NCRI and its main constituent group, the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran. Vocativ reported upon some of the details of that campaign on Thursday, emphasizing how it has been supported through social media activity by Iranian expatriates in place like France, where the NCRI is headquartered in exile, and Albania, where thousands of PMOI members relocated after spending years as refugees in the former American military base of Camp Liberty, Iraq.

The campaign has also made itself apparent in domestic activities, including the public display of posters celebrating NCRI President Maryam Rajavi and graffiti espousing such slogans as my vote is for regime change. But the international support from the Iranian diaspora is arguably a major part of the reason why the regime is struggling to suppress the emerging boycott. That struggle is evident from Khameneis responses to it, which acknowledge widespread non-participation as a real threat.

In the Washington Posts coverage of Khameneis speech on Wednesday, the paper pointed out that other regime officials had claimed certain victories in their pushback against the boycott organizers. Claims of dissident arrests and the disruption of particular campaigns were vague, however, and this could suggest that they are little more than propaganda efforts to make the boycott look more precarious than it is.

Whats more, the Associated Press issued a report, also on Wednesday, indicating that there has been a great deal of successful resistance to the regimes attempts at clamping down on political speech by private citizens. The article specifically highlights the importance of internationally accessible social media applications in perpetuating conversations that would otherwise be suppressed. These include discussions of the 1988 massacre of political prisoners which primarily targeted the PMOI and which had been subject to a conspiracy of silence until last year when the son of the late cleric Hossein Ali Montazeri revealed an audio recording of the former regime official harshly criticizing his colleagues for the massacre.

Social media and the internet have permitted groups like the PMOI to reach residents of the Islamic Republic with formerly inaccessible information about this and other issues. Although sites like Twitter and Facebook are technically banned by the regimes highly active censorship authorities, young Iranians routinely circumvent these restrictions through the use of virtual private networks and other technical workarounds. Whats more, since its introduction to Iran in 2015, the Telegram messaging app has become a very familiar tool for political and social activists throughout the country. It is this service that is given particular credit in the AP report for making effective repression more difficult for regime authorities in the run-up to this election.

Of course, this is not to say that Iranian citizens are not suffering for their political activities and pro-reform or anti-regime views. In an effort to strike a blow against Telegram, in March the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps arrested several administrators of the apps local user groups. Whats more, the Center for Human Rights in Iran points out that more than 20 reformist journalists as well as political and civil rights activists have been arrested in recent months and that campaign speeches by prominent supporters have meanwhile been forcibly canceled in several cities.

Some of these efforts have simply reinforced Khameneis appeal to the candidates to avoid controversy in their campaigning. But the more repressive efforts have clearly been focused on reformist voices, some of which continue to support Rouhani despite the widely felt disappointment of his first term.

Reuters explained on Thursday that the Revolutionary Guards have sought to put their weight behind Raisi, and that they are preparing to bus people to the polls and use familiar intimidation tactics to generate votes for their chosen candidate. This preference has not been associated with any expectation of seriously different policy initiatives from Raisi and Rouhani, although it is believed that Raisi might do more to defend IRGC business interests against the potential influence of foreign investors in the aftermath of the 2015 nuclear agreement.

The more salient reason for IRGC support of Raisi, however, is the hardline paramilitarys apparent belief that his presidency could set him up to be selected by the Assembly of Experts as the next supreme leader. Reuters quoted Atlantic Council senior fellow Ali Alfoneh as saying, The IRGC believe that [Raisis election is] their chance to completely eliminate the technocrats and control the succession process after Khamenei.

Nevertheless, Khamenei himself apparently remains focused on the short term goal of compelling as many Iranian citizens as possible to go to the polls. Conversely, the NCRI and other opponents of the clerical regime remain focused on exposing the illegitimacy of the political process and the lack of reformist voices. Most global media outlets still seem to believe that the incumbent Rouhani will win, but he lacks the committed support from an institution like the IRGC, and the implications of his possible victory may greatly depend upon the what portion of the population comes out to vote for either leading candidate.

As the parallels between Rouhanis recent speech and his speech in 2009 indicate, his preoccupation with that factor seems to reflect regime concerns about the possibility of another Green Movement-style uprising.
Multinational amphibious exercises on the U.S. Pacific island of Guam were moving ahead as scheduled Saturday, one day after being suspended when a French landing craft ran aground.



First Lt. Joshua Hays, a spokesman for the U.S. 3rd Marine Division, said Japanese soldiers will practice rubber craft raids. On Sunday, U.S. Marines plan to conduct live-fire training with French troops, training that was originally scheduled for Saturday.

The weeklong drills involve U.S., British, French and Japanese troops. Theyre intended to show support for the free passage of vessels in international waters amid concerns China may restrict access to the South China Sea.



Theyre being held around Guam and Tinian islands, U.S. islands that are about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) south of Tokyo and east of Manila, Philippines.



The exercises feature two French ships currently on a four-month deployment to the Indian and Pacific oceans. Some 50 Japanese soldiers and 160 Japanese sailors were due to participate, along with U.K. helicopters and 70 U.K. troops deployed with one of the French ships.
General Electric on Friday praised Mexico as a big part of its future and said the company is very supportive of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that U.S President Donald Trump has threatened to ditch.

GE Chief Executive Officer Jeff Immelt said during a visit that Mexico had great potential and was not properly understood. He touted the conglomerates Mexican operations and the trade deal binding Mexico, Canada and the United States.

GE as a company, were very supportive of NAFTA, Immelt told employees at an event to mark the expansion of operations in the northern city of Monterrey. He said the trade accord could be modernized, as Mexico has argued.

GE optimistic about Mexico

Immelt sits on a Trump-appointed manufacturing council that Mexico has targeted for lobbying as Mexico and Canada push U.S. business leaders to defend NAFTA.

The GE boss said trade meant win-win opportunities across North America.

We will continue to work constructively in the context of wanting to see a close relationship between the U.S. and Mexico, he said, noting that GEs exports to the rest of the world from Mexico were worth $3 billion.

Were optimistic about Mexico, were optimistic about what we can do here, Immelt added, saying Latin Americas no. 2 economy would be a big part of GEs future.

Level playing field

Earlier this month, Immelt urged the Trump administration to avoid protectionist policies, calling on it to level the playing field for U.S. companies with tax reform, revived export financing and improved trade agreements.

Trump touts a Buy American policy and has railed against U.S. companies moving operations to Mexico. He has threatened to ditch NAFTA, a lynchpin of the Mexican economy, if he cannot rework it to secure better terms for the United States.

Unlike some U.S. companies, GE has not backed off plans in Mexico, risking broadsides from Trump on Twitter.

Power contract

Earlier, the Mexican presidency said in a statement that GE had stated an interest in doubling purchases from Mexican suppliers next year. Immelt did not mention this.

Vladimiro de la Mora, CEO for Mexico, said the figure came from an announcement last year and did not mean GE aimed to double purchases between this year and 2018.

On Thursday, GE said it had won a contract to provide plants producing two new gigawatts of power in Mexico and secured a separate $120 million, multi-year service deal.

De la Mora said GE could not yet reveal details of the 2 GW deal, but it was likely the value of the total investment in the power plants would exceed $500 million.
In what is believed to be the largest attack of its kind ever recorded, a cyberextortion attack struck in dozens of countries Friday, locking up computers and holding users files for ransom at dozens of hospitals, companies and government agencies.

Massive Cyberattack Hits Organizations Around Globe -- An aggressive wave of cyberattacks has hit companies and public institutions around the globe, causing international havoc and bringing many services to a standstill. The cyberextortion attempt appeared to use stolen software developed by a U.S. spy agency.

What You Need to Know About Ransomware -- What is ransomware? How does it infect your computer? How is the U.S. government's National Security Agency involved? How to keep your computer safe.

Global Cyberattack Fuels Concern About US Vulnerability Disclosures -- A global cyberattack on Friday renewed concerns about whether the U.S. National Security Agency and other countries' intelligence services too often horde software vulnerabilities for offensive purposes, rather than quickly alerting technology companies to such flaws.

Companies Affected by Global Cyber Attack -- A global cyber attack on Friday affected British hospitals, government agencies and companies, such as FedEx Corp., Telefonica SA, Portugal Telecom and Telefonica Argentina, in 99 countries, with Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan the top targets.

Don't Click: What Is the 'Ransomware' WannaCry Worm? -- What is so special about WannaCry?
A high school dropout turned seafood entrepreneur is leading Indonesias crackdown on illegal fishing, winning plaudits from conservationists and awards as far away as Washington despite her explosive methods.



A favorite tactic: seizing foreign fishing vessels and blowing them into smithereens to send a message to her countrys neighbors.



Susi Pudjiastuti, honored this week in Washington for her ecological work, has led the charge in destroying hundreds of fishing vessels in the past two years as the Indonesian governments minister for maritime affairs and fisheries. Her efforts havent eliminated a problem that has plagued the archipelago nation for decades, she said, but they have boosted fish stocks and curbed smuggling.

Benchley award



Catches of anchovies, king prawns and yellow fin tuna are up, helping local fishermen and reducing food prices, Pudjiastuti said.



What we actually earn also is respect, Pudjiastuti said in the American capital, where she joined other recipients of the annual Peter Benchley Ocean Awards, named for the author of Jaws. She was cited for her efforts in protecting Indonesias marine ecosystem, and tackling poachers and organized crime.



They cannot just do anything anymore, Pudjiastuti added. Whereas 10,000 foreign vessels used to fish in Indonesian waters like in their own country, she said the new reality was clear: Not anymore.

Neighbors irked



For China and others in the region, sensitive politics also are at play. Indonesias uncompromising approach has irked neighbors whose boats have been caught up in the dragnet for operating in seas plagued by territorial disputes. The campaign may partly reflect Indonesias desire to show it is in control of its vast territory of 17,000 islands.



Pudjiastuti, 52, has won popularity at home as the campaigns leader, defying initial skepticism when she was tapped as minister in 2014. She had no political experience and hadnt graduated high school. But she spent three decades as a seafood entrepreneur and knew the business. She also had run her own charter airline, Susi Air, to distribute and export produce.



On taking office, she quickly declared a fishing moratorium for foreign vessels that had often operated under Indonesian flags

300 vessels sunk

And to ram the point home, Indonesian authorities have sunk more than 300 foreign fishing vessels.



In the most recent mass-destruction in early April, Indonesian authorities destroyed 81 empty ships in a single weekend. Most were from Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand. In March 2016, a large Nigerian-flagged vessel was caught poaching toothfish and, after being evacuated, blown up with great fanfare. Pudjiastuti posed on the beach afterward with navy officials, their fists raised in the air with the smoking boat behind them.



The visuals and press that comes from her tough practices on blowing these ships up has really helped educate the world, said Sally Yozell, director of the environmental security program at Washingtons Stimson Center think tank, speaking of the global scourge of overfishing. She recognized, however, the regional frictions of the campaign, which included several incidents last year of Indonesia firing warning shots and seizing Chinese fishing vessels in waters off its Natuna islands.

Help from US, Australia



Pudjiastuti also acknowledged some tensions. She said she briefed ambassadors of neighboring countries, including China, before the crackdown and sought support.

Poaching is not a part of good bilateral relations, she said Friday at the Stimson Center.



Indonesian authorities have another 100 seized fishing vessels waiting to be destroying and they are impounding another dozen or so each week, she said. Few are Chinese fishing vessels, which are bigger, faster and often accompanied by the nations coast guard, making it harder to police their activities, she added.



The United States and Australia are providing support to Indonesia, including satellite technology to help surveillance of waters. Indonesia hopes for Japanese technical help, too.





Indonesia isnt among the half-dozen governments contesting control of reefs and islands in the South China Sea, an emerging Asian flashpoint. But it has reason to be wary of Chinas claims. The so-called nine-dash line that Beijing uses to demarcate its expansive territorial claims extends into Indonesias internationally recognized exclusive economic zone, or EEZ, that extends 200 nautical miles off its coast.



Pudjiastuti said she is less concerned over the subtleties over Indonesias stance than her diplomat colleagues. For me its more clear. Once its in my EEZ, thats my fish, she said.
Violence in the southeastern part of the Central African Republic, where five U.N. peacekeepers were killed this month, has made it tougher for HIV-positive residents in the remote, lawless region to get treatment.

The prevalence rate of HIV in southeastern C.A.R. is 13 percent, nearly three times the national average.

The migration of people between the bordering areas of South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo contributes to the spread of the disease in all three countries.

"Here, it's a crossing where everything converges. It's why the level of HIV is high," said Bienvenu Sapioko, a government nurse who works at the only hospital in Zemio. He said the rebels and refugees in the area also increase the high prevalence.

An internal U.N. report obtained by VOA found HIV rates increased following the arrival of the Ugandan security forces in the C.A.R. in 2009. The Ugandan and American forces tasked with tracking down Joseph Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army ended their mission in April and are heading home.

With prostitution, polygamy and effectively no state authority in the area, weak education contributes to the problem.

Stigma, superstition

"People believe in the power of nature and traditional doctors. So bush doctors, shamans are also very common in the community," said Olivier Pennec, the Doctors Without Borders project coordinator in Zemio.

Stigma compounds the problem.

"Before, the people didn't treat themselves. The people would hide the microbes, this disease," said Marcel Elonga, a community leader. They would hide and "speak about this parasite, parasite, parasite."

HIV-positive people in local communities can also find themselves shunned by their peers.

"They don't want him in the community," community leader Pierre Yakanza said, describing how some people here see an HIV-positive person. "They don't want to be close to him. 'Leave him over there. We don't want to associate with him or have him in the community meetings or give him a job.' He's rejected."

Local health workers spread information about safe sex, but even access to condoms remains a challenge.

Treatment available

More than 1,500 people now come to Zemio's hospital from nearby and as far away as Uganda, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the free HIV treatment offered by Doctors without Borders.

Hospital officials said previously one person would die every month or so from the disease, but they haven't registered a death since 2014.

In 2012, Agnes Davouragouni said she used to be sick all the time.

"When I did the test and found out I was positive, my husband said he doesn't have HIV, so he left me the same day," said the 35-year-old woman, who now lives alone with her three children, selling wood and charcoal to get by.

Once a year, Davouragouni walks 45 kilometers to Zemio over the course of two days in order to get a checkup as part of her treatment. She walks mostly at night and sleeps under a tree along the way.

"The roads are very insecure. I don't have a motorcycle or the money to pay to get here," she said. "There's a lot of fear to travel on these roads."

Bandits and rebel groups, including the remnants of the Lord's Resistance Army, all move around the area. The security void will worsen with the departure of Ugandan and American forces in the next few months.

Group efforts

Recognizing the challenges of getting medication, Doctors Without Borders developed a new community approach in which HIV-positive patients work in groups to bring back antiretroviral drugs in bulk every six months, reducing travel time, costs and exposure to risk.

Farmer Moise Ouele picks up the antiretroviral drugs for his group of about 30 people and drives them two hours down the road to his village Kitesa, about 50 kilometers away.

"It was really tiring for me to come each month to the hospital," Ouele said. "But now, this program helps a lot with this problem, despite the insecurity of the LRA that is growing."

Doctors Without Borders is transitioning out of the area at the end of the year and is handing over the administration of the program to the Ministry of Health.
Three people have been reported wounded in Bouake, Ivory Coast, where mutinous soldiers have sealed off all four access points to the city to protest an unresolved pay dispute.

The injuries were reported Saturday by a spokesman for the mutineers. Seydou Kone said the injured were three demobilized rebel fighters from the Ivorian civil war in 2011. He said his comrades shot the rebel fighters to keep them from staging their own protest march.

The violence started in Bouake on Thursday, after a spokesman for about 8,000 soldiers who mutinied in January publicly apologized to President Alassane Ouattara and said the soldiers were giving up their financial demands.

Rebellious soldiers took up the charge in the countrys commercial capital, Abidjan, by Friday.

Disciplinary action threatened

Ouattara convened a meeting Friday with the countrys defense and interior ministers to discuss the uprising. Afterward, Military Chief of Staff General Sekou Toure appeared on television and threatened the soldiers with disciplinary action if they did not end their revolt.

By Saturday, soldiers were marching in the streets in the central city of Daloa and the northern city of Korhogo.

The BBC cites reports that say the city of Odienne has also been taken over by mutineers. Many businesses are closed, and soldiers have been firing their weapons into the air.

Dispute over pay

The soldiers January uprising ended after the government agreed to give them bonus pay. But the soldiers have only received part of what they were promised.

The Ivorian government has asked for a delay in paying the rest because of a collapse in the price of cocoa, the countrys main export.

The mutinous soldiers are former rebels who helped bring Ouattara to power when his predecessor refused to step down after losing an election in 2010.

Following the January mutiny, which also began in Bouake, Ouattara fired the heads of the army, police and gendarmes.

Bouake was the center of a rebellion that began in 2002 with a failed attempt to oust then-president Laurent Gbagbo. That uprising divided the country into the rebel-held north and the government-controlled south for nearly a decade.


A Russian-owned group of companies will pay the U.S. government $6 million to settle a wide-reaching money-laundering case that had quietly rippled through U.S.-Russian relations for years.

Federal prosecutors in New York announced the settlement with Russian businessman Denis Katsyv, the owner of Prevezon Holdings, on May 12, just three days before jury selection was set to begin in the case.

Under the settlement, none of Prevezon Holdings' companies admitted wrongdoing.

The settlement brings to a close more than three years of court battles by U.S. prosecutors seeking to seize more than $20 million in real estate and bank accounts from Prevezon.

The assets, prosecutors alleged, were obtained through a series of Byzantine bank transfers that ultimately trace back to the largest tax-fraud case in Russian history. That tax-fraud case, totaling about $230 million, targeted the Hermitage Capital investment firm and was uncovered by a whistle-blowing Russian auditor hired by Hermitage, Sergei Magnitsky.

Magnitsky was himself arrested on charges of collusion to commit tax fraud, and he died in a Moscow pretrial detention center in November 2009, just eight days before he would have either had to be put on trial or released.

His supporters say he was tortured, and a Russian government commission was critical of his treatment while in custody. Russian prosecutors later charged him posthumously with the very crime he helped uncover.

Magnitsky Act

Three years later, the United States passed a law bearing Magnitsky's name that targeted Russian government officials allegedly involved in the original tax crime, as well as those complicit in Magnitsky's death and other alleged human rights abuses.

As of May, there were 44 Russian officials on the Magnitsky sanctions list, including the former head of Russia's Investigative Committee, Aleksandr Bastrykin, and several Interior Ministry officers and tax officials are also on the list. State Duma Deputy Andrei Lugovoi is on the list for his alleged involvement in the 2006 radiation-poisoning death in London of former Federal Security Service officer Aleksandr Litvinenko.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York launched the Prevezon case nearly four years ago, but instead of filing criminal charges they opted for a "civil asset forfeiture" proceeding, where the rules of evidence aren't as strict.

U.S. authorities "will not allow the U.S. financial system to be used to launder the proceeds of crimes committed anywhere -- here in the U.S., in Russia, or anywhere else," Joon H. Kim, the acting Manhattan U.S. attorney, said in a statement late Friday.

The Saturday settlement helps U.S. prosecutors avoid having to establish the underlying circumstances of the original $230 million tax fraud. As it had for years of pretrial wrangling, Prevezon's defense team intended to challenge the facts of the fraud, asserting that the government's case was entirely built on flimsy evidence gathered by Hermitage founder William Browder.

'Modest' settlement

Prevezon portrayed the settlement as a defeat for the U.S. government and said the arrangement did not constitute a seizure or forfeiture on the part of Prevezon.

"The modest size of this settlement simply underscores the fact that this action should never have been bought in the first place," a company spokesman told RFE/RL in an email.

Hermitage founder Browder, however, described the settlement as "a huge victory."

"This sends a clear message to the people who received that money that it's not safe in the West and will be seized," Browder's statement said. "I believe that this case will give the green light to other countries to follow suit."

U.S. officials had repeatedly sought assistance from Russian prosecutors in gathering material for their case. But in Moscow, the Prosecutor-General's Office not only refused to help, but instead asked their U.S. counterparts for help in building a criminal case against Browder.

Russian prosecutors ultimately charged Browder with tax evasion. He was convicted in 2013 after a trial that was largely seen as politically motivated.

The Washington law firm initially hired to represent Prevezon, Baker Hostetler, sought repeatedly to undermine the prosecution's case, arguing that it was built largely on Browder's material.

Just days before trial's original start date in January 2016, the judge ordered a delay, after Hermitage argued one of the Baker Hostetler lawyers had provided counsel to Hermitage years prior in the tax fraud case, and therefore had a conflict of interest.

An appeals court later agreed and kicked Baker Hostetler off the case.

Last-minute motion

Last week, federal prosecutors won a small pretrial victory when U.S. District Judge William Pauley allowed the introduction of crucial banking files compiled by Nikolai Gorokhov, another Russian lawyer who has represented Magnitsky's widow, as part of the docket record.

A day later, Pauley rejected a last-minute motion by Prevezon's new lawyers, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart and Sullivan, to have the entire case thrown out.

Russia has made no secret of its contempt for the Magnitsky Act and the entire narrative that paints a picture of institutionalized high-level Russian corruption.

Several months after then-President Barack Obama signed the legislation into law, the Kremlin retaliated by banning all adoptions of Russian children by U.S. parents. That ban remains in place.

The case rippled quietly through Washington, D.C., more recently.Last year, a Russian-American man named Rinat Akhmetshin, who had worked alongside Baker Hostetler, helped spearhead a quiet lobbying effort to undermine Magnitsky's findings and influence Congress as it sought to pass a broader human rights law modeled on the original Magnitsky law.

Akhmetshin's name then resurfaced last month when a leading Republican senator called for the Justice Department to investigate him and a Washington lobbying firm named Fusion GPS, with which he worked.

Fusion GPS has been linked to the explosive dossier compiled by a former British intelligence officer on President Donald Trump that leaked out during last year's election campaign. Senator Chuck Grassley suggested that some of the anti-Magnitsky lobbying may have been done in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

Adding further to the intrigue, in March, Gorokhov, the Russian lawyer who had also represented Magnitsky's widow, fell from a window of his Moscow apartment building, one day before he was scheduled to appear in a Russian court in a case related to Magnitsky's death.

He remains hospitalized.
An aggressive wave of cyberattacks has hit companies and public institutions around the globe, causing international havoc and bringing many services to a standstill. The cyberextortion attempt appeared to use stolen software developed by a U.S. spy agency.

One of the first and worst attacks was aimed at Britains National Health Service. A wave of crippling ransomware hit dozens of hospitals across the country Friday, prompting the NHS to declare a major incident. Some hospitals diverted ambulances and canceled surgeries as a result of the attack, which blocked doctors access to patients files.

Ransomware is a type of computer malware, software that has a malevolent intent, that infects a target system, locks and encrypts all files, and then demands a cash payment from the victim in return for reversing the encryption.

A researcher at the Finnish cybersecurity company F-Secure said Fridays apparently coordinated attacks were the biggest ransomware outbreak in history, The Associated Press reported. An analyst at another cybersecurity firm, Veracode, said the rapid spread of attacks pointed to the involvement of criminal organizations.

45,000 attacks in 74 countries

The international cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Labs, based in Russia, said it recorded 45,000 attacks in 74 countries. The worst hit by far was Russia, with serious problems also reported by computer networks in Taiwan, India and Ukraine.

The Russian Interior Ministry, which oversees police throughout the worlds largest country, at first denied it had been hacked, but later admitted about a thousand of its computers had been penetrated.

There was no immediate word on who carried out the cyberattacks, and it was not known whether any of the victims paid any ransom Friday.

The demands reportedly were for relatively trivial sums  the equivalent of $300, paid in bitcoin, a digital currency. But in past attacks, the payment demands multiplied to much larger sums in short order. Bitcoin payments can be difficult if not impossible to trace.

The ransomware used Friday was labeled with various names  WannaCryptOr, WannaCry or WCry  but all appeared to operate in a similar way. They gained entry to targeted computer systems by exploiting a vulnerability in Microsoft computer operating systems that was discovered and developed by the U.S. National Security Agency.

The security hole, known as EternalBlue, was stolen from U.S. government computers and disclosed on the internet earlier this year by a group known as TheShadowBrokers.

Microsoft fixed problem in March

Microsoft issued software patches to close the vulnerability in its operating systems two months ago, but many computer systems around the world have not yet been updated, or instead rely on older equipment that remains vulnerable to attack.

Security experts said the ransomware encountered Friday is a self-replicating piece of software that spreads from computer to computer as it finds systems that have not been shielded from intrusion. The malware enters large organizations computer networks, such as those at British hospitals, when an employee clicks on an innocent-appearing attachment to open the file, and thus releases the ransomware.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said it was clear that her nations problems were part of a wider international attack that had many victims.

China also was targeted by the unknown computer hackers, and the U.S. parcel delivery firm FedEx said its operations were hit. In Spain, telecommunications giant Telefonica was one of the early victims, and employees of MegaFon, one of the largest cellphone companies in Russia, said they also were hit.

NSA technique used

Computer experts said the ransomware did not to appear to be very sophisticated, but the way in which it spread, using the intrusion technique developed by NSA, clearly was. They noted the ransom demands that flashed onto users screens were in dozens of languages, indicating the attack had been well planned and coordinated.

Ransomware attacks and other computer intrusions, such as the hacking incident that unfolded in France last week on the eve of that countrys presidential election, are on the rise throughout the world.

Last year, a hospital in Los Angeles, California, said it paid a $17,000 ransom to regain control of its computers from hackers.
Developments Friday concerning President Donald Trump, his early morning tweets threatening to end White House press briefings and an escalation of a feud with former FBI Director James Comey, a look at 11 possible candidates to fill Comey's position, and former first lady Michelle Obama speaking out about the president's new school lunch directives:

White House Mum on Whether Trump Is Recording Conversations -- The White House declined on Friday to say whether Trump is recording conversations in the Oval Office or those with dinner guests in the White House.

Trump's Warning to Comey Could Chill White House Conversations -- Former White House officials said they were confounded by Trumps Friday morning tweet that implied his meetings with former FBI Director Comey were recorded. If those who are speaking with the president think they are being taped, with the potential to have those tapes be released, then that changes the nature of the conversation, a former staffer for President George W. Bush told VOA on condition of anonymity.

Trump Escalates Feud with Ousted FBI Director Comey -- Trump escalated his feud with ousted former FBI Director Comey early Friday by tweeting a comment that implied there are secret recordings of one of their private conversations from earlier this year.

Trump Threatens to Stop White House Press Briefings -- Among a string of controversial tweets sent out Friday morning, Trump threatened to stop daily White House press briefings.

Michelle Obama Criticizes Trump School Lunch Directives -- Former first lady Michelle Obama has criticized the new Trump administration's directives on school lunches during her first high-profile public appearance since leaving the White House. "I don't care what state you live in, take me out of the equation  like me, don't like me  but think about why someone is OK with your kids eating crap. Why would you celebrate that?" she said during the keynote speech.

Erdogan Mentions New Start With Trump, but Warns Turkey Will Attack Syrian Kurds -- Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared both confrontational and conciliatory Friday, saying his scheduled talks next week with President Donald Trump could mark a new beginning in relations between the two NATO allies, who've been increasingly at cross purposes over Syria.

Border Wall Would Doom Ocelots, Other Wildlife -- The Department of Homeland Security has named the Rio Grande Valley, along the Texas-Mexico border, a high priority area for President Donald Trump's border wall because of the high rate of undocumented immigrants entering the U.S. there. But conservationists say only 5 percent of the native habitat remains along the lower Rio Grande and a wall would be devastating to many of them.

Ideological Divide Over Abortion Again Affects US Foreign Aid -- Among the first executive actions at the White House this year, President Donald Trump reinstated a law that bans any U.S. aid to international organizations that support the practice of abortion. Here's a look at what that means to foreign aid recipients.

Trump Denies Being Under Investigation, Comey Says President Demanded 'Loyalty' -- A report in a major U.S. newspaper late Thursday said President Donald Trump summoned Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey to the White House in January where the president asked Comey to "pledge his loyalty to him."

Treasury Unit to Reportedly Share Records with Senate for Trump-Russia Probe -- A unit of the U.S. Treasury Department that fights money laundering will provide financial records to an investigation by the Senate into possible ties between Russia and President Donald Trump and his associates, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Trump Lawyers Push Back Against Russia Ties in Letter -- Lawyers for President Donald Trump said Friday that a review of his last 10 years of tax returns did not reflect "any income of any type from Russian sources," but the letter included exceptions related to previously cited income generated from a beauty pageant and sale of a Florida estate.

Trump Weighing 11 Candidates for FBI Post -- President Donald Trump is considering 11 people to replace fired FBI Director James Comey, according to a White House official, and the Department of Justice was set to begin interviewing people this weekend.

Fact Check: Trump on Tax Rates, Canada, Priming the Pump -- In an interview with The Economist, President Donald Trump whiffed on a batch of economic facts. Among the assertions The Associated Press says he got wrong include the Canada-U.S. trade balance, the position of the U.S. in the world ranks of tax burdens, and the claim that he coined the economic phrase "prime the pump" -- an economic phrase thats been familiar to economists for some 80 years.
Former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama has criticized the new Trump administration's directives on school lunches during her first high-profile public appearance since leaving the White House.

Obama, who led a nationwide effort to reduce childhood obesity while first lady, told an annual health conference Friday in Washington that more nutritious school lunches are important because millions of children receive federally subsidized meals at school.

The Trump administration recently said it would delay federal rules promoted by Obama aimed at trying to make school lunches healthier.

Without mentioning the Trump administration by name, Obama urged parents to think about the new government directives and the motives behind them.

"I don't care what state you live in, take me out of the equation  like me, don't like me  but think about why someone is OK with your kids eating crap. Why would you celebrate that?" she said during the keynote speech.

She said healthier school lunches should not be a political issue.

"You have to stop and think, 'Why don't you want our kids to have good food at school?' What is wrong with you? And why is that a partisan issue? Why would that be political? What is going on?' " she asked.

In one of his first major actions, Sonny Perdue, Trump's new agriculture secretary, said the department will delay some school lunch rules, including reducing sodium in the meals and increasing whole wheat.

"If kids aren't eating the food and it's ending up in the trash, they aren't getting any nutrition ... undermining the intent of the program," Perdue said earlier this month. The secretary said he appreciates what Obama wanted to do, but he said his department wants to adjust the program to make the healthier food more appetizing.

Under the 2012 Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, schools that wanted federal meal subsidies would have to put limits on salt and fat in lunches, and add more fruit, vegetables and whole grains to the menus.

Health experts say U.S. children do not exercise enough and that one child in six is overweight.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Saturday after meeting with officials from the world's other industrialized democracies that he thought they were more at ease with Donald Trump's economic policies.

"People are more comfortable today, now that they've had the opportunity to spend time with me and listen to the president and hear our economic message," Mnuchin said after a two-day meeting in Bari, Italy, with members of the Group of Seven, industrialized nations commonly known as the G-7.

Officials from the G-7 countries hoped to learn more about the U.S. president's plans, which they feared would revive protectionist policies and result in a global regression on issues such as banking reform and climate change.

After the meeting, officials from Japan and member European countries remained concerned about the economic shift in Washington, particularly after Mnuchin said the U.S. reserved the right to be protectionist if it thought trade was not free or fair.

"All the six others ... said explicitly, and some very directly, to the representatives of the U.S. administration that it is absolutely necessary to continue with the same spirit of international cooperation," said French Finance Minister Michel Sapin.

Don't 'backpedal' on free trade

Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau said continued uncertainty about U.S. policy could dampen optimism within the G-7 about the global economy's gradual recovery from the financial crisis that began nearly a decade ago.

De Galhau echoed the sentiments of Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso, who said, "We must not backpedal on free trade, as it has contributed to economic prosperity."

European officials complained that the U.S. meaning of "fair trade" remained unclear and that the only way to establish fairness was to abide by the multilateral framework developed by the World Trade Organization.

A senior Japanese Finance Ministry official said the most significant question pertained to Trump's U.S. tax cut proposal that could fuel America's economic recovery.

Trump has proposed slashing the U.S. corporate income tax rate and offer multinational businesses a steep tax break on overseas profits brought back to the U.S.

The G-7 is composed of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.S.
Pope Francis has elevated into sainthood two Portuguese shepherd children who had visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago in a Portuguese town that has since become one of the world's most significant Catholic pilgrimage sites.

In the farm town of Fatima, an estimated half million people watched in front of the shrine's basilica, where the children are buried, as Frances proclaimed them saints at the start of a mass.

"We declare the blissful Francisco and Jacinta Marto saints," the pontiff said.

Francisco and Jacinta, 9 and 7 years old, and their 10-year-old cousin, Lucia Dos Santos, said that starting on May 13, 1917, the Virgin Mary appeared before them a half-dozen times within a 5 month period as they grazed their sheep.



The children said the Virgin Mary gave them three messages, the so-called secrets of Fatima.

The church believes the first two secrets, revealed during World War I, included a vision of ell, which some believers saw as a prediction of World War II, and a warning that Russia would "spread her errors to the world."

The Vatican did not disclose the third secret until 2000. The Vatican said it predicted the 1981 attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II on May 13, the same day of the first reported appearance of Virgin Mary.

Pope Benedict later updated the interpretation of the third prophesy, saying it could include the suffering of the church following sexual abuse scandals that have rocked the Vatican.

Efforts are underway to make Dos Santos, who became a nun and died in 2005 at age 97, a saint as well.
Russias President Vladimir Putin is heading to China Sunday to join leaders of 27 other nations at the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) summit in Beijing.

The massive China-led project aims to revive the ancient Silk Road and maritime trade routes by expanding investment in infrastructure linking Asia, Africa and Europe.

While China plans to invest tens of billions of dollars in the ambitious vision, few details have been made clear on how the project will proceed.



Russia wants investment

A lack of specifics and long-term prospects for the project has led some observers to conclude Chinas new Silk Road so far is about politics and symbolism. But analysts in Moscow say Russia is mainly in it for the money.

First, Russias economy desires foreign investments and it hopes to get some funds through OBOR, said Petr Topychkanov of the Carnegie Moscow Center. Second, Russia wants to bring new drive to the dying Eurasian Economic Union by connecting it with OBOR. Third, Russia wants to compensate the vanished economic agenda of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) with the Chinese-led OBOR. Fourth, Russia wants to make European countries more nervous with the prospects of Russian-Chinese economic cooperation.

China in the last few years has invested more than $300 billion in projects in One Belt, One Road countries, and Chinese officials say more than 50 agreements will be signed at next weeks meetings in Beijing.

Leaders attending the summit include the other two founding members of the struggling Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Belarus and Kazakhstan.

Russian interest in the OBOR project in general is attracting additional Chinese investment into the Russian infrastructure and industry sectors, said Vasily Kashin, a senior research fellow at the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at Moscows Higher School of Economics. Russia is also trying to achieve a high level of coordination between the Chinese OBOR policy and the Russian policy concerning the Eurasian Economic Union.

Russia established the EAEU in 2015 with the aim of integrating economies of former Soviet states. However, critics say the Kremlin uses the group for geopolitics and influence, and other members have shown little interest in deepening economic ties.

Russia looking east?

Western sanctions against Russia over its military involvement in Ukraine have led some Russian officials and analysts to say Moscow will pivot to the east for its political and economic future.

China did provide significant loans for the Russian state-owned companies currently under the Western sanctions, helping them a lot, Kashin said.

Russia-China trade is recovering from a 2014-2015 slump and was up 26 percent in the first quarter of 2017, to nearly $25 billion. Chinas exports to Russia rose 22 percent while Chinas imports from Russia were up 30 percent in the first four months of this year.

China is Russias most important individual trading partner. Its share is growing, and it is already a significant source of investment, loans and technology. However, it will take China a long time to overtake the EU in these roles, Kashin added.

There has been no dramatic pivot by Russia away from the West and toward the East, but there is a gradual trend for trade in that direction.

The share of the APEC countries, not just China, but Japan and Korea as well, in Russian trade has been growing at the expense of the EU for a long time, Kashin said. The process did speed up after the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis, but not dramatically. Turn to the East is inevitable since the European market for Russian commodities will likely have long-term negative growth, because of EU economic stagnation and industrial decline.

However, building the necessary infrastructure and negotiating the trade deals with the Asian countries will take Russia years, economic researcher Kashin added. The historical dependence on the single European market will be overcome, probably at some point in the late 2020s to early 2030s.

Developing relationship

Russia-China relations are developing steadily but are sometimes exaggerated by Russian officials for propaganda purposes.

The leaders of Russia and China came to a point where they clearly realized the possibilities and limits of bilateral relations, Topychkanov said. Despite comments from some experts about the possibility of any kind of union between Russia and China  let it be political, economic, or military  there is no chance for such a union.

Even the bilateral trust between both countries isnt limitless, the Carnegie associate added. In short, Russia and China value the visibility of friendship between them, but they cant transform it in deep-rooted strategic relationships and long-term, mutually beneficial economic cooperation.

Chinas New Silk Road initiative has attracted more interest as the United States under President Donald Trump has looked inward and pulled out of global trade deals.

But Russia does not see OBOR as a future substitute or even competitor for trade pacts like the formerly U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership.

I doubt, that Russian officials think about OBOR and Russia in the context of global trade, Topychkanov said. For Moscow this remains to be the issue of both bilateral cooperation with China and regional economic networks.

Olga Pavlova contributed to this report.
A Russian-owned group of companies has agreed to pay nearly $6 million to settle U.S. civil allegations that the firms laundered proceeds of a $230 million tax fraud, ending a politically charged case days before it was set to go to trial.

Federal prosecutors in New York announced late Friday the surprise settlement between the U.S. government and Russian businessman Denis Katsyv, the owner of Prevezon Holdings, as both sides were preparing to bring the three-year case to trial next week.

We will not allow the U.S. financial system to be used to launder the proceeds of crimes committed anywhere, here in the U.S., in Russia, or anywhere else, Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said in a statement.

But Katsyvs attorney, Faith Gay of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP, described the outcome as a striking defeat for the government.

Its almost an admission that they shouldnt have brought the case, she said. The settlement is the amount it would have cost to try the case.

No admission of wrongdoing

U.S. authorities had sought to seize more than $20 million in Manhattan condos and bank accounts from Prevezon and related companies prosecutors had claimed were used to launder money stolen by corrupt Russian tax officials. Under the settlement, none of the companies admitted wrongdoing.

The settlement brings an end to a case that raised many of the elements of distrust between Moscow and Washington, such as economic sanctions and allegations of political corruption.

U.S. authorities said the elaborate tax fraud and money laundering allegations were first uncovered by Sergei Magnitsky, Russian accountant for investment firm Hermitage Capital.

Whistleblower jailed, died

After accusing Russian officials of the $230 million tax fraud, he was arrested on tax evasion charges and died in prison a year later, prosecutors said.

The Kremlins human rights council found that Magnitsky likely died from a beating delivered by guards and medical neglect. Russian authorities have said Magnitsky death was caused by heart failure, not foul play.

In 2012, at the urging of Magnitskys former employer, Hermitage Capital CEO William Browder, Washington passed a law freezing any U.S. assets of Russian investigators and prosecutors said to have been involved in the accountants detention. In retaliation, Moscow barred Americans from adopting Russian children.

In the settlement agreement, prosecutors stated that none of the defendants had a role in the death of Magnitsky.

Katsyvs attorney Gay said the current controversy over allegations of Russian meddling in U.S. elections had likely motivated both sides to settle before trial.

Its such a heated political environment right now, she said. Im sure that was a factor.
At least six people were killed and nine others injured when rival clan militias clashed in central Somalia, residents and community elders said on Saturday.

The militiamen belonging to the Air and Duduble sub-clans started fighting early Saturday morning in Labi-Aano village, 45 km east of Dhuusamareeb. The fight is over a dispute and clan vendetta.

"So far we know that six people died in the hostilities between the clans and more than nine others were injured," Mohamed Ali Ilmi, the governor of the Galgudud region told VOA's Somali Service by phone. Still the area is too tense. There might be further clashes as war preparations are underway in nearby villages," he said.

Hassan Ali Omar, an elder in the region, said the fighting was sparked by long-standing hostilities over land ownership and pasture.

"This fighting has repeated several times and it is over long-standing vendetta between the two sub-clans. We are sorry that it has resulted in deaths, Omar said.

The country is suffering from a severe drought that continues to push the aid-dependent nation closer to a full-blown famine.
Monitors say Kurdish-led Syrian forces, backed by a U.S.-led air coalition, are battling Islamic State extremists on the northern outskirts of Raqqa, the IS de facto capital seized by the militant group three years ago.

The activist Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Saturday that the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) advanced within four kilometers of Raqqa as fighting raged at several points north and east of the besieged city.

An SDF spokesman, speaking Friday, said an anti-jihadist assault on the fortified northern city would most likely begin in the next several months.

The loosely knit anti-jihadist coalition pushing to liberate Raqqa includes SDF forces attacking from the north and rival Syrian ground forces backed by Shi'ite allies and Russia pressing toward the city from the south.

Complex alliance

Sunni Arab and Turkmen militias are also involved, along with a separate contingent of Turkish-backed forces opposed to a faction of Kurdish fighters in the U.S.-backed SDF alliance.

Conflicts within the widely divergent anti-jihadist alliance have so far been addressed with quiet diplomacy by U.S., Turkish and Russian military commanders.

As the disparate anti-jihadist forces gather near Raqqa  motivated largely by the single objective of destroying Islamic State  U.S. advisers have sought to keep peace within the factions by creating buffer zones separating Kurdish fighters from Turkish-backed forces.

It remains unclear what role, if any, Syrian government forces and their Russian allies will play in the planning or execution of the complex offensive.

Anti-jihadist push gains steam

The push to retake Raqqa appears to have gathered strength since U.S. President Donald Trump announced a decision Wednesday to arm Kurdish-led forces with heavy weapons.

That decision has been roundly criticized by Turkey, which sees a key Syrian Kurdish unit in the SDF alliance, the YPG, as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Turkish leaders have voiced fears that any heavy weaponry used by the SDF against extremists at Raqqa will eventually fall into the hands of PKK fighters, who have battled the Turkish government for an autonomous region in Turkey's southeast for more than three decades.

On Wednesday, Erdogan, who opens an official visit to Washington on Tuesday, told reporters that he hoped "this [U.S.] mistake will be reversed immediately."
Gulsumoh Sharbatova hasn't seen her donkey for nearly two months, which normally wouldn't be cause for alarm. But that was before reports emerged that donkeys in Tajikistan were turning up dead, their skinned and hoofless carcasses hastily discarded and left to rot.

"I didn't pay attention to it at first," says the housewife from Bulakdasht, a village in the southern Khatlon province. She explains that locals in the mountainous region commonly let their donkeys roam free to graze when there is no work for them to do. But now, with the arrival of spring planting season, Sharbatova has her son checking area livestock markets in the hope the animal might turn up.

The worst-case scenario is that the animal has already fallen prey to traders selling donkeys, their meat or other products to buyers in China, where a there is a dwindling donkey population and a booming market for the beast of burden. Particularly sought-after are donkey hides, which are used in Chinese alternative medicines.

The issue first caught the attention of the public and the authorities in January, when a video was posted on the Internet that appeared to show the carcasses of donkeys  skinned and with their hooves cut off  dumped near a river in the northern province of Sughd.

Police task force

Other incidents followed, including trucks carrying dozens of donkeys being stopped at the Tajik-Kyrgyz border, fueling rumors that donkey meat was being illegally sold in Tajikistan. That led to the establishment of a police task force to look into the matter.

The investigation found that donkey hides processed in Tajikistan were, in fact, being transported by private traders to China via Kyrgyzstan, according to Tajikstandard, a state agency that regulates the safety and quality of consumer goods.

The news helped quash the rumors that the meat was entering the local food chain, something that would not sit well in a country where eating donkey meat is considered taboo and against Tajik Islamic practice. But concerns about public health and the humane treatment of animals remain, and authorities have found that they are ill-equipped to stop what appears to be a growing trade.

In the absence of laws preventing the sale of donkey hides, hooves or other parts, police and inspectors often rely on violations of sanitary or other regulations to hamper potentially dodgy dealings.

According to Sughd chief prosecutor Habibullo Vohidov, police have established that a private leather factory in northwestern Mastchoh district was involved in processing donkey hides. The practice is not illegal, however, and the head of the company involved was fined for violating sanitary and veterinary regulations.

When a truck carrying 130 donkeys was stopped early this year in the northern district of Ghafurov, it was confiscated and its driver detained for lack of official permission from the state veterinary regulatory agency to transport the animals. In a similar case, three Tajik drivers were detained at the Tajik-Kyrgyz border in January while transporting 120 donkeys, according to the veterinary regulatory agency.

And, after a source close to a police investigation told RFE/RL's Tajik service that officers in the Ghafurov district village of Chashmasor recorded the slaughter and skinning of more than 40 donkeys in January, they had to wait to act.

"We will take measures against the perpetrators once we establish elements of crime and the violation of laws," prosecutor Habibulloh Vohidov told reporters when queried about the case recently.

Calls for laws

According to Bakhtiyor Nasrulloev, a Sughd-based lawyer, Tajik law bars the killing of endangered animals. But that certainly doesn't pertain to the country's ubiquitous domesticated donkeys, which reportedly number more than 185,000 and are commonly used in rural areas to work fields or to transport produce, firewood and drinking water.

In lieu of laws specifically banning the killing and skinning of donkeys, or the processing of their meat or body parts for trade, new laws prohibiting cruelty to animals could help stop people from practicing in the trade.

The lawyer is not alone in calling for preventative measures. In January, the state veterinary regulatory agency sent a letter to Deputy Minister Mahmadtoir Zokirzoda, a copy of which was obtained by RFE/RL's Tajik service. After listing a number of incidents involving the killing and skinning of donkeys in the letter, the agency called on the government to do more to bring those responsible to justice and to ban or impose regulations on the backroom industry.

The letter said the agency had received "numerous written and verbal requests from Tajik and foreign citizens to obtain licenses for the establishment of businesses for the collection of donkeys, for donkey slaughterhouses, and for the export of donkeys."

However, the agency added, it considers such requests unacceptable "given the problems faced" in the countries where such requests have been granted.

The letter appeared to be alluding to Tajikistan's eastern neighbor, China, where gelatin rendered from donkey hides is used for an alternative medicine called ejiao and donkey hooves are used in the food industry, according to the Donkey Sanctuary, a British charity group devoted to the welfare of donkeys.

The letter concludes: "We respectfully ask you to inform the Tajik government, the governors of Sughd and Khatlon provinces, the Interior Ministry, and the state security committee to take preventative measures and bring to justice the perpetrators."

Government agencies contacted by RFE/RL said that they were studying the situation, and that investigations were continuing.

RFE/RL's Tajik service obtained a copy of an official letter in which the government instructed a number of state agencies to study the issue and report back. The government also said that Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda as well as a legal adviser to the president, Mahmadali Vatanzoda, were to be briefed on the situation.

Reining in business?

In the meantime, the market price for donkeys has doubled  or even quadrupled  over the past year in Tajikistan, where villagers say they have noticed an unusual and totally unexpected rise in demand for the animals.

"Buyers tell us that they are purchasing the donkeys for slaughter to ship their skin to China," says Sharif Nazarov, a resident of the northern village of Basmanda. Nazarov says a young, healthy donkey can currently fetch nearly $240, compared with $120 a year ago.

The increasing demand for ejiao in China has reportedly prompted a price hike as well as the illegal slaughter of the animals in several countries across the world, including some impoverished African countries, according to the Donkey Sanctuary.

Tajikistan's own dire economic situation  the Central Asian country is one of the poorest in the world, with a per capita gross domestic product of only about $3,000 and about 36 percent of its population beneath the poverty line  leads some to question why the government would shut the door on an opening market.

Safar, a resident of the southern Vakhsh region who didn't want to give his full name, is one of them. The owner of two donkeys suggests that the authorities should legalize the trade of donkeys or related products to provide a source of income for villagers desperate to find jobs.

"Livestock, such as cows and sheep, are a source of income for people," Safar says. "If there is a market for donkeys, farmers should use it as an opportunity to generate income."

Meanwhile, back in the mountainous village of Bulakdasht, Sharbatova is fretting about her own livelihood.

"The farming season has begun and we need the donkey more than ever," she says.
Thousands of displaced Pashtu tribesmen in northwestern Pakistan have asked the government to ensure their return to their homes before the Muslim holy period of Ramadan begins this month.

About 2,400 tribal families from the Dande Darpakhel village in North Waziristan, which is part of a semiautonomous tribal region known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), are living in temporary shelters with inadequate facilities.

More than 1 million people have been displaced by Pakistani military operations against militant groups in the tribal region since 2014.

North Waziristan until recently was condemned by American military commanders as the "epicenter" of international terrorism. The region has for years served as a training ground for Taliban and militants linked to the Haqqani network waging insurgency in Afghanistan.

Pakistani authorities, however, say recent sustained counterterrorism military operations have secured most of the border region, and slowly they are allowing people to return home.

According to U.N. estimates, about 95,000 families were displaced. While a majority of the families took refuge in neighboring Afghanistan's Khost province, many others fled to nearby cities within Pakistan.

No work, little food

The remaining displaced families say their temporary camps lack basic facilities: The men are out of work, children are unable to go to school, and people get little food with no access to clean water and power.

The late spring heat is getting brutal, with temperatures already rising well above 38 degrees C (100 degrees F).

"Those of us living in the temporary shelters are really worried. People are facing too many problems on daily basis," Malik Ghulam Khan, a tribal leader from Dande Darpakhel, told VOA. "We just made one request to the government  to repatriate us before the holy month of Ramadan begins."

The government says the repatriation of internally displaced persons is underway, but that security and logistical challenges are hindering the process.

"The registration process of the IDPs from Dande Darpakhel has already begun and tokens for repatriation have been issued," Khalid Khan, the director general of the FATA Disaster Management Authority (FDMA), told VOA. "But we do not have a clear time frame for when they'll be repatriated."

The families say the assistance they receive from the government does not help make ends meet.

"The government provides IDPs with a meager monthly allowance of 12,000 rupees [$120], along with rations," Muhammad Aqil Shah, a member of a tribal council, told VOA. "How can a family make its ends meet with only 12,000 rupees a month?"

The Dande Darpakhel tribe blames the political management for the deteriorating conditions at the shelters and lack of serious efforts toward rehabilitation.

'What will happen to us?'

The Dande Darpakhel members are expecting tough times ahead as they go back to their homes. Many complain the government's compensation package is not enough to make up for what they lost.

"Even if we make it back to Dande Darpakhel, what will happen to us?" asked tribal council member Shah. "This is not only my concern. Our homes and markets were demolished. There is no business, no electricity, no schools, no hospitals and no infrastructure."

And locals fear a return of insurgency.

While the Pakistani army says the anti-Taliban operation was successful, a recent report by the FATA Research Center, a nongovernmental watchdog group in Islamabad, said there had been an escalation in militant activities in the first quarter of 2017 in the region.
The White House remained on the defensive Friday as President Donald Trump escalated his criticism of James Comey, the man he fired as FBI director earlier in the week. On Twitter, Trump accused Democrats of fabricating the allegation that his presidential campaign colluded with Russia, which remains under investigation by the FBI and the Congress. VOA National correspondent Jim Malone has the latest from Washington.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that a new FBI director could be named in the next week.

"We can make a fast decision," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One before flying to Lynchburg, Virginia, to deliver a commencement address at Liberty University.

The president's remarks came four days after his controversial firing of James Comey, a move that was still resonating in Washington.

When asked whether he could announce a nominee by Friday, when he is scheduled to leave for the Middle East and Europe on his first trip abroad as president, Trump responded, "Even that is possible."

Nearly a dozen people are being considered, including attorneys, law enforcement officials and legislators.

"They've been vetted over their lifetime, essentially, but very well-known, high-respected, really talented people," Trump said. "And that's what we want for the FBI."

At least five candidates were scheduled to be interviewed Saturday in Washington by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein.

Alice Fisher, a high-ranking Justice Department official in former President George W. Bush's administration, was among those scheduled to be interviewed Saturday.

Other interviews were expected with Adam Lee, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Richmond, Virginia, office; acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe; New York Court of Appeals Associate Judge Michael Garcia; and Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, according to sources familiar with the search.
President Donald Trump is considering 11 people to replace fired FBI Director James Comey, according to a White House official, and the Department of Justice was set to begin interviewing people Friday or during the weekend.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer told a briefing that Trump would fill the job "as soon as he finds a candidate that fits the qualities that he feels are necessary to lead the FBI." The pick will be under intense scrutiny since Comey was fired while leading the Federal Bureau of Investigation's probe of possible collusion between Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Russia.

Here are the 11 people under consideration:

Ray Kelly

Kelly was New York City's police commissioner longer than any other person. Although the city saw historic drops in crime under his leadership, there is some controversy over his use of stop-and-frisk, an anti-crime tactic in which police stop, question and search pedestrians for weapons or contraband. Trump has praised that method.

Mike Rogers

The former FBI agent was a congressman from Michigan until 2015 and served as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Rogers also briefly advised Trump's transition team on national security issues. He is not to be confused with Admiral Mike Rogers, the current director of the National Security Agency.

Alice Fisher

Fisher was an assistant attorney general for the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice under former President George W. Bush. She currently works at the law firm Latham & Watkins.

Trey Gowdy

Gowdy is a U.S. House member from South Carolina and a former federal prosecutor. He led a two-year special congressional committee investigation that accused former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's State Department of failing to protect four Americans killed in a 2012 attack in Libya.

John Cornyn

The Republican senator from Texas is the Senate's second-ranking member. He previously was Texas attorney general.

Paul Abbate

Abbate has long worked in the FBI and currently serves as the executive assistant director for the Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Branch. Before that, he was the assistant director in charge of the Washington Field Office.

Michael Garcia

The former New York prosecutor currently serves as an associate judge on the New York Court of Appeals.

John Suthers

Suthers is a former Colorado attorney general and the current mayor of Colorado Springs, Colorado. He also was the executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections.

Michael Luttig

Luttig, a former Justice Department lawyer and appellate court judge, has served as executive vice president and general counsel of Boeing since 2006.

Larry Thompson

Thompson was U.S. deputy attorney general from 2001 to 2003 under Bush. He also served as senior vice president for government affairs and general counsel for PepsiCo.

Andrew McCabe

McCabe became acting director of the FBI this week following Trump's firing of Comey. Until Tuesday, he was the bureau's deputy director.
The British government said on Saturday it does not yet know who was behind a massive global cyberattack that disrupted Britain's health care services and targeted vital computer systems in as many as 100 other countries.

British Interior Minister Amber Rudd said Britain's National Cyber Security Center was working with the country's health service to ensure the attack that began Friday was contained and limited.

She said Britains National Crime Agency was still working with her ministry to find out where the attacks came from and that the British government did not know if the attacks had been directed by a foreign government.

What appeared to be the biggest cyberextortion attack in history exploited a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows that was identified in leaked documents by the U.S. National Security Agency earlier this year.

With more than 75,000 attacks launched on Friday, cybercrime experts around the world were investigating a concentration of attacks in Russia, Ukraine, and India -- countries where the use of older, unpatched versions of Microsoft Windows is widespread.

The hackers attempt to trick victims into opening malicious attachments to spam e-mails by saying they contained invoices, job offers, security warnings, and other seemingly legitimate files.

The extortionists demand payments of $300 to $600 to restore access once computers are crippled by the scam. Cybersecurity firms said criminal organizations were probably behind the attack.

Russia's Interior Ministry, Emergencies Ministry, and biggest bank, Sberbank, were all targeted, officials said.

The Interior Ministry said on its website that around 1,000 computers had been infected, but it had localized the virus. Russia's Investigative Committee denied reports that it was attacked.

Russia's Health Ministry and Emergencies Ministry told Russian news agencies that they had repelled the cyberattacks, while Sberbank said its cybersecurity arrangements had prevented viruses from entering its systems.

Russias Central Bank said Saturday that it detected massive cyberattacks on domestic banks, but the resources of the Central Bank itself were "not compromised."

Megafon, a top Russian mobile operator, said it had come under attacks that appeared similar to those that crippled U.K. hospitals. A spokesman said mobile communications weren't affected but the attacks interrupted the work of its call centers.

Hospitals 'Crippled'

Spain and the United Kingdom were hit particularly hard. Hospitals across Britain found themselves without access to their computers or phone systems. Many canceled routine procedures and asked patients not to come to the hospital unless it was an emergency.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said that, while some hospitals were crippled, there was no evidence patient data had been compromised.

Spain's giant Telefonica telecommunications company was hit, prompting Spanish authorities to take measures to protect critical infrastructure in transportation, energy, telecommunications, and financial services.

Only a small number of U.S. organizations were hit because the hackers appear to have begun their campaign in Europe, cybersecurity firms said.

By the time the hackers turned their attention to the United States, spam filters had identified the new threat and flagged the ransomware-laden emails as malicious.

The security holes exploited by the hackers were disclosed several weeks ago by TheShadowBrokers, a mysterious group that has published what it says are hacking tools used by the White House security agency as part of U.S. intelligence-gathering.

Microsoft said it was pushing out automatic Windows updates to defend clients from the virus.
The Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, is bracing to host the final of the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest, the annual europop song fest that is expected to garner a television audience of some 200 million.

The final on Saturday will feature performers from 26 countries, including artists from Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova and Ukraine.

Italy's Francesco Gabbani and Portugal's Salvador Sobral have been touted as the favorites, according to bookmakers. The youngest entrant, Bulgaria's Kristian Kostov, has been ranked third.

This year's competition saw some controversy when Ukraine barred Russia's entry, Yulia Samoilova, from coming to Kyiv because she had performed in the Russia-annexed Ukrainian region of Crimea in 2015.

Russia, in response, decided not to allow her to participate by video or to send another contestant. Russia has also decided not to show the event on television.

Ukraine, the host country which reached the finals automatically by virtue of winning the event last year, has chosen a rock band called O. Torvald to represent the country.

Ukraine is hosting the competition for the second time, having previously done the honors in 2005.

Security is reportedly intense, as the country is fighting a conflict against Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine

Croatian pop-opera, Romanian yodeling, and Hungarian gypsy fusion will also feature in the final round of the competition.

Forty-two countries competed in the earlier rounds of the competition to try to be among the 26 finalists.

Performers from the so-called big five -- Britain, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain -- automatically qualified for the finals as those countries are the biggest financial contributors to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

The 2017 rendition is the 62nd Eurovision contest. It began in 1956 with just seven entrants. The country with the most wins is Ireland, with seven.
An uptick in deadly violence against transgender women in El Salvador prompted the United Nations on Friday to call for an investigation into crimes against sexual minorities in the conservative Central American country.

So far this year, seven transgender women have been killed in El Salvador, according to the Geneva-based Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Local LGBT organizations put the death toll at 17 through the first four months of the year.

In 2016, at least 25 transgender women were killed over the course of the entire year, according to the local organizations.

Activist threatened

Leading transgender activist Karla Avelar said local gang members have demanded money and made threats that forced her to flee her home six times in the past two years.

Avelar, who leads a local trans-rights organization, said in an interview she has no faith that local authorities can protect her from gangs who routinely demand extortion payments from residents and businesses.

Criminals operate within the same institutions of government. So how can you entrust your life to them? How can you entrust your security to these institutions? Avelar said.

Avelar, 40, is a finalist for the 2017 Martin Ennals Award, an international prize for human rights activists, but said the gang members have already sought to extort some of the future prize money if she wins.

I wont wait for them to kill me, Avelar said. And how am I going to give them something I dont even have? The Salvadoran activist declined to identify the names or gang affiliation of the men who threatened her, or where she now lives, for fear of retaliation.

We urge the government of El Salvador to take urgent measures to ensure the protection of Ms. Avelar and other (LGBT) activists and individuals who are under threat, said OHCHR spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani, adding that authorities should investigate what she described as hate crimes.

The Salvadoran attorney generals office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last year, El Salvador registered 81.7 homicides per 100,000 residents, one of the highest murder rates in the world.
Among the first executive actions at the White House this year, President Donald Trump reinstated a law that bans any U.S. aid to international organizations that support the practice of abortion.

Trump's memorandum on the "Mexico City policy" reversed one aspect of U.S. foreign aid policy that had been in effect under former President Barack Obama. It changed the way U.S. financial assistance is distributed internationally, and most likely will affect the lives of many women in developing countries.

The "Mexico City policy dates to 1984, when then-President Ronald Reagan declared it at a population conference in the Mexican capital. Opponents call the U.S. prohibition on aid to groups that perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning a global gag rule.

U.S. foreign aid practices have switched back and forth several times since 1984; aid was barred to pro-abortion-rights groups whenever a Republican president was in power, then was reinstated when a Democrat controlled the White House.

WATCH: Reaction to Trump's 'Global Gag Rule'

Abortion stance affects aid

The political divide between the two major U.S. political parties is based on a fundamental issue: Republicans consider abortion an assault on human life, and most pledge to resist it in every way possible; Democrats say a woman should have the right to choose whether to terminate a pregnancy, for financial or personal reasons, and that the decision should not be directed by government.

The deep ideological divide over abortion affects many aspects of American politics, and certainly permeates considerations about U.S. foreign aid.

The guiding principle for our policy, said Melissa Israel of the conservative Heritage Foundation, really needs to be rooted in the respect for the most important fundamental human right of all, and that's the right to life.

Restoring the "Mexico City policy was expected when a Republican administration took over this year, following eight years of Democratic control of the White House. What was not expected was how vigorously Trump would expand the scope of the anti-abortion rule.

Trump policy affects $9.5 billion

He broadened the policy to affect about $9.5 billion in U.S. global health aid, said Amanda Klasing of Human Rights Watch  funds that would have been destined for programs to combat HIV/AIDS, to promote maternal and child health and to prevent childhood diseases.

Organizations working on AIDS, malaria, or maternal and child health will have to make sure that none of their programs involves so much as an abortion referral.

The Heritage Foundation's Israel disagrees with the notion that Trump's action has greatly expanded the effect of Republicans' anti-abortion principles.

We are not cutting funding for family planning services or for women's health, she said. We are saying that if you want to partner with the United States, then there are some fundamental things you have to agree to as a condition to receiving these funds.

Ban on abortion information, too

Not-for-profit groups hoping to get U.S. funds to support their work around the world must not perform abortions or provide any information about them, even if they use their own funds, from nongovernment sources, for abortion services.

Opponents say this will have a chilling effect on women's health.

It means, said Klasing of Human Rights Watch, that when a doctor sits down with a woman, if she has a health complication and she's entitled under her local law to access a safe abortion, that doctor cannot give her a referral, or provide her information she needs to take care of herself.

In rural areas of developing countries, a physician often takes care of a variety of medical needs, including providing information about reproductive health. Such medical practices would be proscribed from receiving any U.S. assistance. Advocates cite research that has shown family planning services result in fewer unplanned pregnancies, fewer maternal deaths and fewer abortions.

56 million abortions worldwide each year

The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 56 million abortions take place every year worldwide. More than half of those are in developing countries.

Trump's global gag rule will have a direct and devastating effect in Kenya and sub-Saharan Africa in several ways, said Liza Muringo Kimbo, the director in Kenya for Ipas Africa Alliance, a nonprofit group whose principal goal is advocating for safe abortion and reforming laws that harm women.

The current U.S. policy will lead to more unwanted pregnancies, Muringo Kimbo said. It will lead to more unsafe abortions, increased deaths of women and young women, and even increased numbers of newborn deaths.

Muringo Kimbo noted that her predictions have been borne out in the past, whenever a Republican administration in Washington reinstated the "Mexico City policy.

Other countries have begun their own initiatives to counter the impact of U.S. anti-abortion policies. The Dutch have created the "She Decides Initiative," and in Britain, an upcoming conference, "Family Planning 2020," will try to bring together donor and recipient countries.
Police in a Vietnamese province where a toxic spill caused a 100-ton fish kill last year have issued a rare "wanted" warrant for influential environmental activist Bach Hong Quyen.

On Friday, a day after police attempted to serve the warrant to his wife at the couple's home in Ha Tinh province, Vietnamese media reported authorities had launched a nationwide manhunt for the 28-year-old activist, who was accused of "disturbing public order" through his organization of an April 3 environmental protest.

Blogger Nguyen Lan Thang posted on Facebook that "the ongoing manhunt is the Ha Tinh police's revenge of Quyen's activities aiming at protecting the people in the central area in the Formosa disaster." He then cautioned the government that it would not be easy to find or arrest Quyen because "there are dozens of organizations, hundreds of social activists and millions of people who will protect him."

Bui Huong Giang, Quyen's wife, told the VOA Vietnamese service that police on Thursday tried to serve the warrant at the couple's house, Quyen's parents' house and at another location "in the countryside." She recorded the police telling her that it was her "responsibility" as Quyen's wife to "persuade him to report to the police and confess." She posted the unverified recording to Facebook.

Home watched

Giang also told VOA that their home had been under surveillance since April 3. A protest that day drew 2,000 people angry at the government's response to the April 2016 toxic spill from Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation and police harassment of protest organizers, including Quyen, the day before.

Giang told VOA that "police are tracking" her husband throughout Vietnam, although she said she did not know his whereabouts.

The police in Ha Tinh province refused to speak with VOA on the telephone about the warrant.

Residents of Ha Tinh and three other central coast provinces are still recovering from the April 6, 2016, fish kill caused by a discharge from Formosa Ha Tinh Steel. The environmental and economic disaster both embarrassed and worried the government as images of piles of dead fish on beaches went viral, fishing communities lost income, and thousands of protesters demonstrated at the plant and in cities throughout Vietnam.

The Ha Tinh fish kill is widely seen throughout Vietnam as having raised environmental awareness and increased activism. The movement saw early success when the Taiwanese-owned steel company accepted full responsibility for the fish kill and pledged to pay $500 million in damages for dumping wastewater laden with phenol, cyanide and iron hydroxide into the sea.

Still sensitive

The event remains a politically touchy topic that Vietnam's government has tried to play down. The steel plant has become, for many citizens, a symbol of China's economic influence in Vietnam, even as the two countries face off over disputed territory in the South China Sea.

But protesters and activists have refused to let the government ignore the incident's aftermath, and it was in that spirit that Quyen and others met for coffee April 2 to discuss the next day's march.

Quyen told VOA on April 3 that the group spotted plainclothes officers in the cafe. As the activists prepared to leave, police roughed them up, and then they fired on a crowd that gathered. Although nobody was shot, Quyen told VOA at least nine people were injured.

"My husband is innocent," Giang told VOA on Thursday. "Anything he has done is legal and correct, because what he has done is help local people in the village raise their voice about the pollution caused by Formosa."
Palestinians held municipal elections Saturday in the occupied West Bank, a first democratic exercise in years, but one that has also raised tensions between the rival Fatah and Hamas movements.

With no legislative or presidential elections in sight, the municipal ballot is seen as a popularity test for Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah party, caught in a deep rift with Islamist Hamas.

Underlining the political schism, about 800,000 Palestinians were expected to vote for representatives in 145 local councils in the West Bank, but not in the Gaza Strip.

Months of squabbling

Months of political and legal wrangling preceded Saturdays elections. Abbass Palestinian Authority, which governs in the West Bank, and Hamas, which runs Gaza, blamed each other for the vote not being held in the small coastal enclave.

No doubt this is the democratic life we have promised our people, said Fatah Deputy Chief Mahmoud al-Aloul. Unfortunately this joy is taking place in the West Bank alone because Hamas is preventing the people from practicing this right in Gaza.

Hamas said The Palestinian Authority had made a unilateral decision to go ahead with the vote before an agreement on a legal framework had been reached.

The elections are happening without national consensus. Holding them in the West Bank alone, without Gaza, will cement division, said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum.

Hamas boycotted the previous municipal elections, held in 2012. But it has urged its supporters to vote for representatives running in the current race.

Last elections 2006

The last legislative election was held in 2006, and Hamas scored a surprise victory. That laid the ground for a political rupture  Hamas and Fatah fought a short civil war in Gaza in 2007, since then Hamas has governed the small coastal enclave.

Some polls show that if parliamentary elections were held now, Hamas would win them in both Gaza and the West Bank.

This week, Hamass bloc won the student council elections in the prominent Palestinian university Bir Zeit, an indication of the groups support in the West Bank. Fatah came second.

Abbas, 82, is now 12 years into what was to be a four-year term and is an unpopular leader according to opinion polls. He has no clear successor, and there are no steps being taken toward a presidential elections any time soon.

Chairman of the Palestinian Central Election Committee Hana Naser said Saturdays vote would be transparent with 1,400 local and international observers monitoring the process.
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank held municipal elections for representatives on dozens of councils  but the Gaza Strip did not  highlighting the divide between the two territories.

The elections for mayors and local officials are widely seen as a popularity test for President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party.

Fatah's political rival, Hamas, was boycotting the vote by refusing to produce lists of candidates. Hamas says the vote will only increase tension between the two groups.

Only 145 local councils, out of more than 300, have candidates from multiple parties battling for seats.

The territories have not held joint elections since 2006, when the hardline Hamas militant group gained control in parliament, sparking conflict that has left the areas deeply divided. Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip the following year, while Fatah has control of the West Bank.

The rivals are blaming each other for the election not being held in Gaza.

"The elections are happening without national consensus," said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoun. "Holding them in the West Bank alone, without Gaza, will cement division."

At loggerheads

Speaking about the political schism, Fatah Deputy Chief Mahmoud al-Aloul said, "Unfortunately this joy is taking place in the West Bank alone because Hamas is preventing the people from practicing this right in Gaza."

The rival Palestinian governments have been at loggerheads since a civil war in 2007 when Hamas expelled the Palestinian Authority from Gaza. Hamas also has poor relations with neighboring Egypt because Cairo believes armed militants in Gaza are assisting a deadly Islamic State insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula.

Both parties were expected to compete in elections last year in both territories, but plans collapsed over differences between Hamas and Fatah. This year Fatah decided to go on with elections in West Bank, the area it controls.

The Palestinian territories have not held a presidential or parliamentary elections since 2005. The president's term has long since expired.

Hamas is considered a terrorist group by Israel and much of the West despite recent attempts by the movement to soften its image.
Sonoya Mizuno, Constance Wu, and Ken Jeong. Photo: Getty Images

Singapores old-money royalty is at the center of Crazy Rich Asians, the upcoming movie based on Kevin Kwans best-selling book. Jon M. Chu (Step Up: All In, Now You See Me 2) is directing this look at Singapores high life, a narrative notable for being an Asian-American production produced by Hollywood (which, after Scarlett & Emma & Tilda & Matt, has a lot to make up for). Chus adaptation has scouted talent from Hollywood and beyond, mixing newcomers with familiar faces  including Vulture faves like Constance Wu and Michelle Yeoh. Now that Crazy Rich Asians has started production, heres everything we know about the cast.

Constance Wu (Rachel Chu)

Constance Wu. Photo: David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Image

Fresh Off the Boat star and outspoken advocate for equality Wu leads the feature as Rachel Chu, a economics professor living in New York. She agrees to attend a wedding in Singapore with her boyfriend Nick, but the glitzy affair soon turns into baptism by fire. Nick is a lusted-after bachelor from a wealthy family, it turns out, and his family and friends grill her on their relationship and her background, determined to break them up.

Henry Golding (Nick Young)

Henry Golding.

Golding, a Hollywood newcomer, was tapped to play Rachels beau Nick after director Jon Chu opened a worldwide search. The actor, who resides in Singapore, has done TV-hosting work before, but this appears to be his first feature film. His character Nick is a history professor at NYU whos also rich, hot, and desired by every woman at the wedding.

Michelle Yeoh (Eleanor Young)

Michelle Yeoh. Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Seen most recently in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and perhaps best known for her role in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Yeoh has signed on to play Nicks icy mother Eleanor. In the book, she travels to Shenzhen to look into Rachels past, and shes perfectly cast to intimidate the hell out of Constance Wu. In classic Monster-in-Law fashion, she disapproves of Rachel.



Ken Jeong

Ken Jeong. Photo: Isaac Brekken/2011 Getty Images

Its unknown what role Jeong will take on in Crazy Rich Asians, but the Community and Dr. Ken alum will reportedly be bringing his offbeat comedic sensibilities to the production.

Sonoya Mizuno (Araminta Lee)

Sonoya Mizuno. Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

The Ex Machina actress will play Araminta Lee, the weddings bride. A super-wealthy fashionista, Araminta is marrying Colin, Nicks best friend. Lainey Gossip described Aramintas character as the Olivia Palermo of Singapore  only much wealthier and much more famous. Araminta comes from money, and befriends Rachel. Heres hoping that Mizuno gets another dance scene.



Awkwafina (Goh Peik Lin)

Awkwafina. Photo: Elyssa Goodman

The New Yorkbased rapper is signed on to play Goh Peik Lin, Rachels college friend. Goh Peik Lin lives in Singapore, and gives Rachel the rundown on the complicated social milieu shes stepping into. Awkwafinas last movie was Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, and shes poised to break out in Oceans 8. If youre not already totally charmed by her raps, check out Green Tea, her collab with Margaret Cho.

Chris Pang (Colin Khoo)

Chris Pang. Photo: Gabriel Olsen/FilmMagic

Pang will play Colin Khoo, Nicks best friend and the groom of the storys big wedding. Pang was in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny and appeared in a few episodes of season two of Netflixs Marco Polo. Pang is a Melbourne native, and is fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese.

Gemma Chan (Astrid Teo)

Gemma Chan. Photo: David M. Benett/David M. Benett/Getty Images for

Chans starring turn as a lifelike robot on AMCs Humans gives her plenty of cred to play a distant, otherworldly beauty. Chan will play Astrid, Colins cousin and CRAs true style maven. Never out of couture, Astrid is called the goddess. Her family has more money than god, and probably the Youngs, too. Shes living a charmed life, but shes concerned her husband is cheating on her. Chan had a role in Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them as Madam Ya Zhou, and will appear in the upcoming Transformers installment.

Remy Hii (Alistair Cheng)

Remy Hii. Photo: Brad Barket/Getty Images

Hii, an Australian actor, will play Nicks cousin Alistair. He works in the movie business in Hong Kong, and is dating a soap opera star. Like Pang, Hii also had a role on Netflixs ill-fated Marco Polo, and starred in the hit Australian mini-series Better Man. In real life, Cheng is active on Instagram, and shared some photos from the set.

Photo: Mike Windle/Getty Images

Harry Shum Jr. (Charlie Wu)

Harry Shum Jr. was a Glee breakout, playing the (admittedly cool) dancer Mike Chang. After the shows end, he appeared in 2016s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny and stars on Freeforms Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments. Shum will reportedly play a tech billionaire named Charlie Wu. Well before CRAs plot unfolds, the ultra-glamorous Astrid was engaged to Wu. Charlie had wealth, but hes wasnt bred from an old-money legacy like Astrids parents wouldve preferred. The engagement dissolved, and Astrid moved on with her current husband, Michael. Does Charlie still harbor secret feelings for Astrid? With Astrids suspicions about her husbands infidelity, maybe its high time they met again, Before Sunset style.

The Ensemble

Singaporean actors Pierre Png, Fiona Xie and Tan Kheng Hua are signed on to play supporting roles. Jing Lusi (Stan Lees Lucky Man), the Daily Shows Ronny Chieng, and Silicon Valleys Jimmy O. Yang round out the supporting cast.


I Love Dick Ilinx Season 1 Episode 4 Editors Rating 4 stars * * * * Previous Next   Previous Episode Next Episode  Kathryn Hahn as Chris, Kevin Bacon as Dick. Photo: Amazon

For a brief moment, Marfa did wonders for Sylvere and Chriss relationship. With Dick the Roman sex god looming over them in their fantasies, their sex life blossomed like the desert after a wet winter. But we knew it wasnt going to last. From the beginning, Sylvere worried that their fantasies would get out of control. For Chris, getting out of control has always been the point.

At the start of the episode, theyre playing by Sylveres rules. Theyve concocted a plan so that Chris can intercept Dick on his way into an institute gathering and convince him that Sylvere was completely ignorant of her little art project. Sylvere insists that hell be fine once Chris clears his name. She tries to resume their teasing flirtation from the night before, asking him if he finds it all a bit sexy. The fun parts over, Sylvere declares. They go over the plan once more. Whats rule number one? he asks. No touching, she says dutifully. Rule number two? She gives him a peck on the lips. Its a sweet moment, but it doesnt stop the plan from going immediately awry as soon as they part ways.

The problem is that Dick is already upstairs at the salon, where all of his fellows will give presentations on the work theyre undertaking at the institute. Sylvere sees him in the corner of the room and panics. Hes too distressed by Dicks presence to speak to the president of the institutes board  even though shes apparently a huge fan of the Holocaust. Instead, he goes to the window and awkwardly tries to signal to Chris who is waiting for Dick two stories below. In an excruciatingly awkward moment, Sylvere starts whispering Chriss name at the window  far too quietly for her to hear it, but loud enough for people in the room to wonder what hes doing. He seems to be trying to communicate with her telepathically, but unfortunately for him, shes fantasizing about Dick again. As usual in her fantasies, hes shirtless. This time, though, hes carrying a baby lamb across his shoulders. Cradling it in his arms, he gently shears its wool, using what appears to be an ordinary beard trimmer. A car horn finally brings her out of her reverie, and its then that she becomes aware that Sylvere is frantically rapping on the window pane above, attempting to alert her to the fact that Dick is upstairs.

Suddenly Dick is standing right behind Sylvere, who does his best to pretend that hes just admiring the view. Dick asks to have a word with Sylvere; one gets the sense that he doesnt intend to ask about his latest insights into the Holocaust. Sylvere, still burning with shame, flees to the bathroom. He tells Chris, who has finally arrived, that he wont give his talk until she has spoken to Dick. As the talks begin, Chris sidles up to her obsession.

The first fellow to speak is Geoff (Adhir Kalyan), whose work lends the episode its name: Ilinx. In video games, Geoff explains, Ilinx provokes the feeling of being pulled into a circling cyclone. Ilinx is a real term in sociology: Coined by the French intellectual Roger Caillois, it describes the pleasure that comes from a temporary disruption of perception, the feeling you get when you ride a roller coaster or eat a psychedelic mushroom. This is exactly the feeling that Chris is seeking  and she has no intention of stopping, no matter that its making her husband more than a little queasy.

As Geoff instructs the people in the audience to put on virtual-reality headsets so they can see the world through the eyes of a wild stallion, Chris asks Dick what he thought of her letters. Its just a rough draft, she quickly adds, as though the most embarrassing thing about them is the syntax. Its easy to miss, but she never pulls the VR goggles down over her eyes; shes uninterested, and perhaps incapable, of seeing the world through any eyes but her own.

She and Dick are already standing too close for Sylveres comfort  Chriss bare arm pressing against Dicks suede jacket  and Dick leans closer. He wants to know if Sylvere knows; she assures Dick that he doesnt. At the front of the room, Sylvere is telling the crowd about how he has dedicated his life to becoming a walking compendium of the Holocaust. Ooph. Its enough to make Chris lean over to Dick and tell him that shes free on Tuesday or Thursday afternoons, which is patently absurd. She is free every afternoon, and every morning. Dick snakes an arm around her waist and for a moment it seems as though he is finally about to cave to her desire.

In the hallway, it soon becomes clear that Dick has other plans. He presses Chris up against the wall and demands to know what shes up to. Her voice low and sultry, she turns the question back on him. Shut up, he interrupts her. Youre married. He knows what shes doing  and he wants her to know that hes not interested. She doesnt believe him, but he wont back down. I dont find you interesting, he tells her. Not now, not ever.

With that, hes gone, leaving her to collapse against the wall in tears. When Sylvere learns what Dick told her, he suggests they go home and drink three bottles of wine and try to forget the whole thing. Maybe he thinks theyre on the same team again, now that shes upset with Dick. But Sylvere is missing the point of ilinx: You dont back away when the darkness comes at you, you run toward it.

And so, as the hipster artists leave the salon and head toward the Lost Horse Saloon, Chris joins them, fluffing her hair as she enters the bar, as though to make it perfectly clear that she is out of control and proud of it. You can see her through Dicks eyes: Who is this crazy and pathetic woman shrieking and gyrating alone? Chris isnt unaware of how she looks. The screen fades to red. Dear Dick, she purrs, did you think this was going to be pretty?

Across the bar, things are also getting ugly between Toby and Devon. In all fairness, Devon hasnt had a great day. That morning, her sister informed Devon that she couldnt use the bar as a rehearsal space for the play, and managed to sneak in a few other barbs about Devons tendency toward needing a bailout from family (while insisting on calling her Dolores). When Devon sees Toby talking to an oil-rig worker at the bar that night, she accuses him of raping the Earth. Toby says she finds his work interesting, but its not clear whether shes really interested in him or if shes just using him in some way. By the end of the night, shes riding off with him to his man camp.

Chris and Sylvere are about to agree to part ways, too. At home after the party, Sylvere tells Chris that Dick was right about her; shes getting in the way of his work with her antics. He has no idea who we are, she retorts. But Sylvere doesnt want to argue anymore. I dont like what weve become, he tells her, utterly serious. I dont like how this feels. Whatever thrill he got from their little game is gone. He asks if they can just stop playing. I dont think I can, she responds sadly. If her thing with Dick is a circling cyclone, theres no escaping until the storm has run its course.

Film clips, in order of appearance

I Love Dick weaves short clips from avant-garde feminist directors throughout each episode. Sometimes, those clips blend into the story lines unfolding in Marfa; other times, theyre used for contrast. In each recap, well identify them.

1) Vanalyne Green, Trick or Drink
Jason Bateman. Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Never Nudes, unite! According to its star Jason Bateman, Arrested Development is about to return to Netflix for a fifth season. As the Playlist reported, Bateman tweeted about the beloved series return today:

Look very probable I'm going to put some miles on the Stair Car this summer. Just officially signed on to more ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT today.  Jason Bateman (@batemanjason) May 12, 2017

And while there are very few other details available as of this writing, it seems probable that this tweet is a good sign of things to come. This summer likely indicates that the series  which tends to take place in the bright, banal California sunlight  will shoot new episodes in the months ahead. Well keep looking out for more, but gird your loins, Bluth family fans. Things are in motion faster than a stair car, a plan, a mutually agreed upon familial lie, etc.
If Boston Legal didnt adequately satisfy your sexy-lawyer quota during its run (James Spader for life, baby), Shonda Rhimes is rolling out yet another ABC drama to fill your legalese needs. And its not a How to Get Away With Murder spinoff! With her newest series, For the People, Rhimes is diving into the high-stakes world of newbie lawyers in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, both on the defense and prosecution sides. There will be arguments. There will be rebuttals. There will undoubtedly be lawyer-on-lawyer romance. You know, typical law stuff! An official premiere date is expected to be announced soon.


Photo: Courtesy of Twitter/victuuris95

Like any good party, the real action at this years Met Gala took place in the bathrooms, where celebs like Bella Hadid, Dakota Johnson, and Marc Jacobs spent the evening taking selfies and brazenly flouting the citys indoor-smoking ban. Museum donors were quick to condemn the celebs for their disrespectful and insulting conduct, and now the NYC health department is following suit. According to the New York Daily News, city health commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett penned a scathing letter to museum officials warning of the dangers of second-hand smoke and criticizing the events high-profile attendees for making smoking look so darn cool (were looking at you, Dakota Johnson).

this year's met gala theme was smoking in the bathroom pic.twitter.com/b83rjR3qlZ  fast slow disco (@veedagger) May 2, 2017

This spectacular event awes us all, Bassett wrote. We were dismayed to read reports that some celebrities chose smoking as their fashion accessory and flagrantly violated New York Citys smoking laws. She also expressed concern with the proliferation of these images on social media. When young people see glamorous stars smoking and flouting the law, it undermines the progress that has been made in de-normalizing smoking and increasing awareness of smokings health risks, she wrote, offering to send inspectors to next years event to improve compliance. If only guests had respected the sanctity of Anna Wintours selfie ban, this never would have happened.
Alden Ehrenreich, with a just-okay hairdo. Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Look: Its Friday night and the world is pretty meh, so forgive us if were inclined to lean a little harder into a haircut than we normally would. As io9 is reporting, some Instagram photos from the young Han Solo movie are materializing and theyre your standard famous-people-being-famous-and-adorable fare  save one key detail: Alden Ehernreichs hair.

Sure, yes, hair is just hair. But its also a lot more when were talking about an iconic character whose perfectly 70s coif can be conjured in the minds of millions at a mere blink. Although weve known Ehrenreich was stepping into the Solo space boots for a good long while, this photo is the first definitive proof that he is, indeed, the Han Solo. (Put another way: This is the Han Solo youre looking for.) Theres also something beautifully poetic about all these pretty people gathered around Woody Harrelson (whose casting in the film was announced a few months back), while Mr. Millennium Falcon himself stands to one side, decidedly lonely. That, friends, is method acting.
Local businesses are offering first responders a free lunch Monday to show gratitude for services provided throughout McLennan County.

We just wanted to get together and thank everyone for the work and service they do to protect us and our families in the community, Addax Insurance owner Adam Kososki said.

Addax Insurance and nine other area businesses will host the lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday at 921 Lake Air Drive. Kososki said a co-worker came up with the idea to reach out to firefighters, police and emergency medical service technicians.

In the media and around the country, they are getting a lot of bad press. Some of it is deserved, but a lot of it just shows that they are doing their job, he said. My neighbor who lives across the street is a trooper, and I see him say goodbye to his wife and his two kids every day to go out and protect us and our families, so why not do something as simple as serve them lunch and say thank you? 

With the help from Target Restoration Services LLC, Allied Trust, Ochoa Co., Captain Billy Whizzbangs, Georgios Bridal, Texas Central Title, Therrell Alarm Protection Services, Better Homes Real Estate and The Gun Cleaners, more than 200 first responders are expected to attend the lunch.

As much as they do for us, I just felt like we should do something for them every once in a while, Captain Billy Whizzbangs owner Trent Neumann said. A lot of first responders, cops and firefighters come here and eat at times, so this is going to be a really great way to say thanks.

Neumann will provide hamburgers and hot dogs for guests during the lunch, and Georgios Bridal will provide desserts. Other businesses will provide tables, chairs, chips, beverages and gift cards.

Lorena Police Chief Tom Dickson said Lorena police plan to attend the lunch, and he is appreciative of the local outreach.

It is very heartwarming that businesses will take time out to recognize the work that first responders do, Dickson said. As you know, it has been an extremely tough last couple of years on first responders, but the outpouring of support that we see is a reminder to us all of why we work in this profession.

Kososki said a donation jar will also be set out at the lunch for Waco firefighter Garth Goodwin, who was injured in an off-duty work accident earlier this week. Goodwin received an electric shock from high-voltage power lines and fell about 10 feet from a billboard near McGregor. He was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas for ongoing treatment.

First responders do a great job and sometimes they have to deal with some not-so-pleasant people on a daily basis, Kososki said. We just want to tell them thank you for everything they do.
Gander Mountain included its Waco store in the list of 32 under-performing locations it would shutter when it announced in March it would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Unfortunately, it remains among the stores destined for closing, though the Minnesota-based retailer of outdoors supplies has seen a flood of changes since May 1.

First, it decided to liquidate merchandise at all 162 locations, and then in a bankruptcy auction sold leases to Marcus Lemonis, who turns around failing businesses as star of the reality TV program Profit on CNBC. He also serves as CEO of an outdoors chain called Camping World, thus his interest in Gander Mountain.

In recent days Lemonis has been identifying Gander World locations in each state that will escape closing. Those in Texas receiving a reprieve include Tyler, Spring, Amarillo, College Station and Fort Worth, according to information Lemonis provided online.

He also went public with plans to change the name of the surviving stores to Gander Outdoors, and has offered a $25,000 prize to the person who comes up with a new logo he likes.

Lemonis said in deciding which stores to revive, he placed emphasis on reasonable rent agreements and whether or not there was a clear path to profitability.

He has said he continues to consider the viability of other locations, and may make more announcements in coming days.

1 million copies

The Magnolia Journal, a quarterly magazine started by Fixer Upper star Joanna Gaines, will print 1 million copies of its third issue, which now is hitting newsstands, according to a press release from media and marketing firm Meredith Corp.

About 700,000 issues will be mailed to subscribers paying $20 for a one-year subscription. The magazine is available for $7.99 at retailers including Wal-Mart, Target, Barnes & Noble and Whole Foods, as well as Magnolia Market at the Silos in Waco.

The initial run for the first issue included 400,000 copies, and 750,000 copies were printed for the second issue, according to the press release.

The magazine has attracted the interest of advertisers including Chevy, Samsung, Pier 1 Imports, Go RVing and Pure Leaf. Citizen Watch Company and Simpson Door Company are placing ads designed specifically for use in the magazine, according to the Meredith press release.

TSTC grant for Mars training

The Mars Chocolate North America plant in Waco will receive a $92,203 skills development grant from the Texas Workforce Commission to provide training for 98 of its more than 450 employees, Texas State Technical College has announced.

TSTC-Waco will provide more than 2,700 hours of customized industrial training on campus with the grant from the state.

Wacos Mars plant makes Snickers, Skittles and Starburst products.

Best State for Business

Chief Executive magazine has chosen Texas as the Best State for Business for the 13th straight year.

Chief Executive lauded the state for shipping more than $232 billion in goods in 2016 and serving as home to the second largest airport system in the country, as well as 11 deep-water ports and 10,425 miles of freight rail, which is more than that in any other state, according to a press release from Gov. Greg Abbott noting the honor.

Companies in Texas, around the country and across the world are relocating and expanding in the Lone Star State at a rapid clip due to our business friendly policies, Abbott wrote.

Rounding out the top five states for doing business were Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Indiana.

Building permits

Several building permits of note were recently issued by local municipalities, including:

7608 Woodway Drive, renovation of warehouse into two restaurants, valued at $350,000, Mitchell Construction.

100 Ritchie Road, convenience store, gas station and Which Wich sandwich shop, valued at $750,000.

901 S. Eighth St., new bank building for TFNB Your Bank for Life, value not provided, Pearson Construction.

601 Jewell Drive, alterations to Magnolia Homes warehouse, valued at $150,000.

708 Franklin Ave., finish out space for retail, Waco Running Co., project of developer Shane Turner, value not provided.
Forty-seven bikers arrested after the Twin Peaks shootout, including a retired 32-year police veteran, have added their names to a growing list of those claiming in lawsuits that they were jailed without cause under excessive bonds in the May 2015 melee.

The bikers claim their civil rights were violated when city and county officials decided to arrest 177 bikers on identical charges and place them under $1 million bonds after the May 17, 2015, shootout in which nine bikers died and dozens were injured.

The latest two lawsuits were filed Friday evening in an Austin federal court on the bikers behalf by Dallas attorney Don Tittle, who previously had filed suit for 31 bikers in the same court. Of the previous 31 bikers, only seven are under indictment on first-degree felony engaging in organized criminal activity charges.

Tittle added three of the 47 new plaintiffs, Richard Dauley, Justin Waddington and James Venable, to existing lawsuits this week. Those three are not indicted, and the 44 other new plaintiffs all are indicted.

Included in this group of plaintiffs is Martin D.C. Lewis, who is identified in the lawsuit as a retired 32-year veteran of the San Antonio Police Department whose father was a San Antonio police officer for 27 years.

Wednesday will mark two years since the shootout and the deadline to file civil suits within the statute of limitations.

Sept. 1 stay

U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks extended a stay until Sept. 1 in the civil rights lawsuits filed by the unindicted bikers. Sparks had ruled previously that the criminal cases in McLennan County of the 155 bikers indicted would take precedence over the civil lawsuits.

Attorneys for bikers who were arrested but not indicted asked Sparks to lift the stay in their cases, but the judge, in a ruling last month, left the stay in place until at least Sept. 1.

The previous lawsuits named as defendants former Waco Police Chief Brent Stroman, Waco police Detective Manuel Chavez, McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna, the city of Waco and McLennan County.

The new lawsuits include those defendants and also added Waco Assistant Police Chief Robert Lanning, Waco police Detective Jeffrey Rogers, Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton, Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Steven Schwartz and DPS agent Christopher Frost.

While extending the stay in the civil cases, Sparks warned McLennan County and city of Waco officials that after Sept. 1, he would need more than their assurances that cases against the unindicted bikers remain under investigation to convince him to keep the stay in place.

Despite the fact that no evidence whatsoever indicates that any of them were engaged in anything other than completely lawful conduct, defendants Stroman, Reyna and Chavez recently stated in legal pleadings filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas that these individuals have not been absolved of criminal wrongdoing and remain very much under investigation, Tittle wrote. This suit seeks to correct the miscarriage of justice and assault on the United States Constitution perpetrated by these defendants.

No biker has gone to trial in the criminal case, and several trial dates that were set have been postponed.

Reyna conferred with Stroman by telephone and with Stromans top assistants at the scene of the shootout before the decision was made to arrest the bikers en masse.

Waco police officials already had interviewed and identified a busload of bikers and allowed them to leave Waco before Reyna arrived and conferred with Stroman. After that, every biker with ties to the Cossacks or rival Bandidos went to jail, including some bikers who werent at Twin Peaks when the shooting started.

Sparks instructed the defendants in the case that if the plaintiffs again ask him to lift the stay in cases involving unindicted bikers, they should describe with specificity the status of its criminal investigation into plaintiffs and its expected duration.

An effort to disqualify Reyna from overseeing the prosecution of the biker cases remains pending in Wacos 10th Court of Appeals.

The lawsuits allege authorities relied on identical, fill-in-the-blank arrest affidavits that did not allege specific facts against the plaintiffs that would in any way establish probable cause for their arrests. The indictments allege the bikers acted as members of a criminal street gang, which the lawsuits dispute.

Reyna and police officials decided to arrest the bikers en masse based entirely on their presence at Twin Peaks, the motorcycle club that defendants presumed an individual was associated with and/or the clothing they were wearing at the time of the incident, the suit alleges.

Rather than investigating the incident and relying on actual facts to establish probable cause, defendants theorized that a conspiracy of epic proportion between dozens of people had taken place, and willfully ignored the total absence of facts to support their theory,  according to the suits.
Their numbers dwindled a bit this time, but the message remains clear and consistent.

Not all bikers are bad. Not all bikers are gang members. A great injustice has stained the McLennan County justice system following the mass arrests of almost 200 bikers after the May 17, 2015, Twin Peaks incident. Many innocent bikers were arrested without cause, and their families continue to suffer following the shootout that left nine dead and dozens injured. Those are the main talking points.

Vendors at the Waco Downtown Farmers Market packed up their wares across the street, and shoppers walked to the Magnolia Market at the Silos several blocks away as about 45 bikers and their supporters, some who brought young children, gathered on the northeast side of the McLennan County Courthouse.

Mothers Day weekend, graduation ceremonies and biker rallies in Athens and Austin diminished the number of bikers who rallied at what was called Wave 6 Saturday afternoon, organizers said. There were an estimated 500 in attendance at the first rally two months after the shootout. But the smaller numbers did not thwart the handful of speakers who decried what they called the unjust treatment the arrested bikers and their families have undergone.

I want to say thank you, said Sandra Lynch, who was arrested with her husband and who helped organize the meeting of the Texas Confederation of Clubs & Independents at Twin Peaks that day. For two years, yall have been coming to this, supporting us, calling us, checking on us, raising money for food.

There was a lot of lives ruined that day, a lot. . . . I pray in my lifetime I see justice for all these innocent victims of Twin Peaks. I prayed to the Lord that they get their lives back. I want this to be over. I believe in the justice system. I believe that if you did something wrong that day, including law enforcement, you should pay.

Butch Moss, of Arlington, president of the Sons of Liberty Riders, helped organize Saturdays rally and the five previous. Moss said what happened to the arrested bikers was gross negligence on the part of law enforcement and McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna.

It is incredible what we have seen over the past two years and what is coming out of the mouths that keep trying to paint everyone as some type of biker criminal, which we are not, Moss said. One percent, 13 percent, I dont care what percent, zero percent. I dont care. Not everybody is a criminal. Not everybody who showed up that day for the COC&I was there for some type of criminal activity, and that is what made us stand up in the first place, because we knew better.

Before the speeches began, Charles Duane Coppedge, who owns a fence company in Venus, Texas, unfurled an American flag that he held during the 45-minute rally. He took the flag from a box, which included a certificate that said the flag was flown in combat over Syria and Iraq on board a B-1B bomber in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

Coppedge said he has attended four of the past six Twin Peaks rallies in Waco. When asked why, he said, Evil flourishes when good men do nothing.

Anybody who comes here knows that when you look at those videos, people were running for their lives. How can they be guilty of anything? They arrested all the people inside the building? How can that be right? . . . We are all descendants of Adam. If we took a little more time to understand each other, there wouldnt be any more damn gunfights in parking lots.

Before the group left the courthouse grounds, Moss asked those gathered to give a round of applause to members of the McLennan County Sheriffs Office for protecting us and keeping us safe while we gather here today.

Sheriffs Office Lt. Lionel McGee said the group was respectful, peaceful and no incidents were reported.

Moss said the group was going to American Legion Post 121 in Elm Mott for a charity event when they left downtown.
This week husbands, sons and daughters will elbow their way to the greeting card displays in search of the perfect card to celebrate Mothers Day. Florists will put on extra staff to handle the demand. Restaurants brace for business.

Countries around the world set aside a special day for mothers. It is celebrated on the second Sunday in May in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Australia, India, Brazil, Germany, Ethiopia and the Philippines. Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mothers Day an official holiday starting on May 8, 1914. Still other nations honor mothers on different dates.

Regardless of our nationality, ethnicity or gender, we were each carried in our mothers womb, given birth through her labor and, in almost all cases, nursed and nourished to life by her care.

No office and no position wields greater power and influence over the future of humanity than the influence of a mother. The memories and lessons given in infancy at a mothers hand surpass every other classroom and instruction. The faith of a mother inspires and instructs more effectively than any pulpit or pen.

We see it in history, and we see it in the Bible.

In a log cabin in Kentucky, Nancy Hanks Lincoln recognized the early gifts in her child. She not only taught him to read, but instructed him in the principles that would shape his life. Without Nancy, and Sarah, who became Lincolns stepmother after Nancy died, it is unlikely that Abraham Lincoln would have ever surfaced to lead our nation in its greatest hour of crisis.

If it were not for Moses mother, the world would have never known the great law-giver who led Israel from captivity and gave us the Ten Commandments. It was she who hid him in the reeds at the river to save his infant life and it was she who cared for him in Pharaohs court.

How many mothers have petitioned God for the birth of a child, as Hannah prayed in the presence of Eli, the prophet? Without her prayer, Samuel would not have been born, and would not have been present to anoint David, the king of Israel.

In the fullness of time, in an obscure Galilean village, another young woman lifted up her eyes to heaven and sang, My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has had regard for the humble state of His handmaiden; for behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. For He that is mighty has done to me great things, and holy is His name (Luke 1:46-49). Without Mary we would never have known Jesus, and the world would remain lost in its sins without a Savior.

Paul referred to the importance of a mothers faith when he wrote to his young protege, Timothy: For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well (1 Timothy 1:5).

This Mothers Day we honor all our mothers who have shaped us and made a better world. It also stands as a challenge to all those young women who give birth to the next generation and shape the future of the world to come.
Lets be clear at the outset. There is no evidence of a massive voter-fraud problem in the United States. There is no evidence of even a modest voter-fraud problem in the United States. There is no statistical evidence. There is no anecdotal evidence. There is no more evidence that we need national protections from voter fraud than there is that we need to wear personal lightning-rod suits so that we avoid the 30-odd deaths each year from electrical storms.

For any other president, then, an executive order establishing a presidential advisory commission on election integrity such as the one Donald Trump signed on Thursday would prompt a flurry of questions about why such a commission was needed. For Trump, though, its part of the package: Directing government resources, however modest, to bolster a faulty political argument that hes embraced despite being repeatedly shown that its false.

Per the executive order, the commission will study the registration and voting processes used in federal elections and submit a report that identifies laws, rules, policies, activities, strategies and practices that enhance or undermine confidence in the integrity of the voting system. The report will also identify vulnerabilities in voting systems and practices used for federal elections that could lead to improper voter registrations and improper voting, including fraudulent voter registrations and fraudulent voting. In other words, places on the human body susceptible to damage from lightning strikes.

Trump didnt introduce the idea of targeting voter fraud. Its been a hobbyhorse for Republicans for some time, offered as a rationale for new voter-registration limits that have the consistent side effect of making it harder for Democratic-voting populations to cast a ballot. What Trump did is turbocharge it, using his platform on the campaign trail and then as president-elect to claim (completely without evidence) that fraud was rampant and threatened the results of national elections. When he first started down this path last summer, it seemed as if he was mostly seeding excuses for his likely loss in advance. But he kept up the same nonsensical claims even after he won, almost certainly because his win came despite having earned nearly 3 million fewer votes than his opponent.

The math there was simple. Lose by a few million votes and . . . voila.

In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally!

Later, Trump made obvious the evidence for the claim: One random tweet from a guy who, six months later, still hasnt backed up his wild claims about fraud.

Trump just cobbles together a mishmash of ideas to support the idea that fraud is rampant. A Pew Trusts study from 2012 which pointed out that voter rolls arent cleaned up regularly, which Trump blurs into an assertion that somehow millions vote illegally. Or a study that estimated that millions of immigrants in the country illegally might be casting ballots  which was undercut both by analysis pointing out a methodological flaw and by the lack of any evidence of millions of illegal voters.

Thats really the thing. Its not as if no one is looking for examples of fraud; they are. They just arent finding much. The administration of George W. Bush looked hard for fraud and found next to nothing.

One of the people whos been hunting for fraud is Kris Kobach, Kansas secretary of state. He recently made the rounds of the cable news networks after senior Trump aide Stephen Miller suggested that Kobach could prove the administrations fraud claims. Kobach claimed that millions of people were probably registered to vote illegally because, in Kansas, there were probably some 18,000 noncitizens on the voter rolls, which he knew because hed found about 115 noncitizens who were either registered to vote or who had tried to register. In total, Kobach has won nine convictions for voter fraud  but only one was of a noncitizen.

This is the success story a senior White House official pointed to.

Kobach also demonstrates how the specter of voter fraud is used to affect voting patterns. The state of Kansas implemented a rule requiring new voters to prove that they were citizens, an effort Kobach championed. The effect was to prevent a number of prospective voters from being able to cast ballots  a group that Reuters determined disproportionately [hit] young voters, who often do not have ready access to the needed documents, as well as unaffiliated and Democratic voters in the Republican-controlled state. The rule was eventually blocked by the courts.

Kobach will co-chair Trumps voter-fraud commission. He will be joined by Vice President Pence who, as governor of Indiana last year, was accused of voter suppression for a state police raid on a voter registration organization.

Again, this is trademark Trump. Violent crime is near its lowest point in decades, but its politically expedient for him to claim otherwise, so he does. Immigrants commit crime at lower rates than native-born citizens, but Trump suggests thats not the case. Trump insists that his immigration ban is necessary to stem terrorism, but it wouldnt have prevented recent attacks in the United States.

In this case, his party will go along with it for an immediately obvious reason: It will provide cover for new laws making it trickier for Democrats to vote. A new study claiming that voter-ID laws  laws tightening registration rules  cost Hillary Clinton a victory in Wisconsin in 2016 is suspect, but a study from the Government Accountability Office estimated that voter-ID laws in Tennessee and (wait for it) Kansas led to 100,000 fewer voters in 2012. Younger voters and black voters were disproportionately affected.

Yep. A commission to study something that isnt a serious problem that will lead to a predictable set of conclusions to reinforce a political point. That in itself is not a new political strategy, but its one thats nonetheless worth calling out.
[May 12, 2017] Versive to Present on Unlocking the Potential of Enterprise Data with AI at Interop ITX Future of Big Data Summit

Company Head of Product to Provide Insights on Using AI to Create Value From Enterprise Data Lakes SEATTLE - May 12, 2017 - Versive, the global leader in adaptive decision science, today announced that Ashley Fidler, Head of Product, will present at the Future of Data Summit, held in conjunction with Interop (News - Alert) ITX. Attendees to Fidler's session can expect to learn about leading-edge uses of AI for business, the attributes of successful AI deployments, and the implications for those who are working to maximize the value of data in the enterprise.







What: Data + AI: Unlocking the Potential Who: Ashley Fidler, Head of Product, Versive

When: Monday, May 15 from 4:00-5:00pm PT Room: Room 112 at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, NV Full details on the Future of Data Summit are available at: http://info.interop.com/itx/2017/scheduler/session/future-of-data-summit-day-1 The Big Data Summit is a two-day event that explores emerging uses of data that create new business opportunities for companies. The event will explore areas including artificial intelligence, deep learning, machine learning, cognitive computing, neural networks, and robotics, and uncover how practical applications of the technology can change your business. Additional presenters on the first day of the summit include BlueMetal, Basho Technologies, IBM, Intel (News - Alert), Janakiram & Associates, and Rocana.



Interop ITX attendees can also connect with Versive at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV at booth #432.



Follow the Versive team: Twitter: @VersiveAI LinkedIn (News - Alert): https://www.linkedin.com/company/VersiveAI About Versive Versive enables organizations to handle multiplying and evolving cybersecurity threats. Built on technology developed and tested in demanding Fortune 500 enterprises, Versive's software-only platform scales massively and continuously adapts to deliver intuitive results that accelerate decision-making and complement existing security controls. Versive is committed to applying the power of artificial intelligence and open-source infrastructure to distill new insights, uncover opportunities, and detect risks unique to our customers' data. Versive is recognized on CB Insights' prestigious AI 100 list of the most promising, privately-held artificial intelligence companies. Learn more at www.versive.com.



Media Contact Justin Baker Versive, Inc.



206-973-3108 [email protected]

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WAVERLY Some Waverly High School seniors are asking the community to support the class and administration as they honor McKenna Smith.

Earlier today, news broke that due to district policy a plan to honor Smith at commencement would not be possible. Smith passed away last July following a long battle with Huntingtons disease. She wouldve graduated this year.

Senior Hunter Radenslaben said he understood the anger directed at the school, but hopes the community will work with students and staff as they find a way to honor Smith. Radenslaben helped with many fundraisers to support Smith and her family over the years.

With the situation thats ensuing, I understand the feeling of anger toward our school and administration, he said. However, many of us seniors also recognize that the district-wide policy is not something thats unique to Waverly - many surrounding schools, including LPS, have the same policy, which can't be changed at this point. Over these last couple of weeks, several students and I have been working with Mr. Ricenbaw to instead focus on what we can do to honor McKenna outside of graduation day. There are many ways that we can honor McKenna, and were excited about what were coming up with.

Radenslaben said students are still coping with Smiths passing.

As I come to the end of my career at Waverly High School, these last few days have been an exciting, yet difficult time for us all, he said. For seniors, its still hard to grasp that Mckenna Smith wont be with us on graduation day. Many of us, like myself, had the opportunity to go to school with her since preschool. We miss the days that we could see her smile and hear her voice. Were also grateful that we were able show support to McKenna and her family through fundraising efforts at our school.

With that gratitude in mind, Radenslaben and some fellow seniors hope the community can come together at commencement.

As my time at Waverly High School comes to an end, it makes me tear up reflecting on my time here and realizing the incredible place its been for me, he said. This school and the people in it have helped me grow in so many ways. With graduation day quickly approaching, emotions will be high for all of us, but I think its important that we all come together and be positive about what the senior class and administration will be doing to honor McKenna instead.
Westpac chairman Lindsay Maxsted has warned the government is setting a "terrible precedent" by imposing higher taxes on the country's largest banks simply because they can afford to pay, as banks ask if other industries are next in the firing line.

As the country's five largest banks ramp up their fight against the $6.2 billion tax, Mr Maxsted also took aim at the government's inconsistency in pushing for lower company taxes while at the same time raising taxes by 5 per cent for five of the largest corporate taxpayers.

Mr Maxsted, who is also a director of BHP Billiton and Transurban, suggested the thinking behind the policy amounted to demanding more tax from businesses that were successful, including large employers.

"I think it's a terrible precedent," he said in an interview with BusinessDay.
The Wall Street Journal reported last month that the CEOs of the 100 largest companies received average pay raises of 6.8 per cent, more than offsetting cuts many corporate leaders took in 2015.

Donald Trump was elected president in part by promising that he would "drain the swamp" of establishment interests and look out for the millions of ordinary Americans who have lost jobs and futures due to the actions of Wall Street and corporate executives.

The Trump administration now wants to scrap Obama's proposed "ratio" rule to require corporations to publish the ratio of CEO pay to that of the average employee. They say the ratio rule is too complex for companies to develop the formulas to comply while rewarding top managers appropriately.

This is one more instance of a betrayal of the American people. The president has filled his top positions with Wall Street and corporate multimillionaires and billionaires. The 1 per cent is getting the attention promised to the forgotten people.
A bedroom in Highlands Castle. Credit:Nathaniel Brooks/The New York Times Over the past 35 years, he has created an imposing stone redoubt on Lake George in upstate New York. He has particularly fond memories of working with his son on the cottage. "We stoned that whole place in one summer together, working very hard on it," he said. Castle aficionados, particularly those who know a thing or two about the castles that dot the countryside of Europe, scoff at these Americanised versions of ancient European fortresses. Words like "Disney" and "confection" get bandied about to describe them. But even on the other side of the pond, there has been an apparent resurgence of interest in castles among those with resources to spare.

"When we started doing castles four years ago, we started with 20 or 30," said Michael Braunholtz, sales director of Prestige Property Group, a realty firm in London. "We could not believe the number of people who hit our page. It beat Monaco, St.-Tropez, Venice by a factor of two. The number of people looking for castles was colossal." He said his firm sometimes gets as many as 200 requests a week. Royal price While castles like Declements' in the Pacific Northwest can be had for the price of a one-bedroom condo in Manhattan, Lavender's life's work, known as Highlands Castle, is listed for sale at the royal price of $US12.8 million. Declements said he sold his last castle, on Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho, for about $US1 million, which he said was above the value of other homes in the resort area. He is building two new ones now, he said.

This not the first castle boom in the United States. In the early 20th century, men like William Randolph Hearst, the newspaper publisher, and Raymond Pitcairn, heir to a glass company fortune, built castles to house their collections of medieval art and tapestries. "A lot of monuments in Europe were in ruins and easily exported, because there were no export duties," said Martha Easton, assistant professor of art history and museum professions at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey. "They wanted to put them in medieval castles, not any old house." For many buyers of existing castles, they are projects. Tom Vozzella, a Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway Real Estate in Stamford, Connecticut, spent three years trying to sell a castle in the wooded, northern part of the city. The castle was built by Gustave E. Steinback, an early 20th-century architect, on the highest point of his 79-acre property. Old world splendour

That was in 1906. In the intervening years, the castle had its ups and downs, and it was in need of serious renovations when it went on the market in 2011 for just over $US1 million. "Functionally, it was a bit obsolete, as most of these castles are," Vozzella said. "The kitchen was in the basement, and they had a dumbwaiter. Then they took a library and built a kitchen on the main floor. But there wasn't even a bathroom there." He struggled to find a buyer until a local mason, impressed by the intricate stonework, bought it for $US625,000 in 2014, knowing he might spend twice that amount to update it. High-end castles in Europe, with their Old World splendour, aren't any easier to sell. Braunholtz said his firm has sold only a few castles, despite the hundreds of thousands of people who look at the listings online. "The size, scale, price and the amount of money you'd need to maintain it removes a large part of the market," he said. "You're down to the top 2 per cent. Of those people, most would rather have a luxury ski chalet or a property with sea views in St.-Tropez."
[May 12, 2017] VIPRE Extends Special Offer to Kaspersky Lab Customers Concerned About Their Data Security

CLEARWATER, Fla., May 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- VIPRE today announced an exclusive program for businesses and consumers concerned about the security of their data currently being protected by another antivirus/antimalware solution. Under a new buyback program offered through June 30, current Kaspersky Lab customers will receive a free six-month subscription when purchasing a two-year license for any VIPRE security solution. Kaspersky Lab, headquartered in Russia, has come under scrutiny by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), leery that Russia could exploit Kaspersky solutions to access U.S. user information. On May 11, several major U.S. intelligence officials unanimously said during a Senate Intelligence Committee meeting that they would not use Kaspersky security products on their own computers. "Citizens of both the United States and Canada have the right to expect that their endpoint security company will keep their information out of the hands of foreign powers. We've already heard from many businesses and consumers concerned about the privacy of their data," said Usman Choudhary, chief product officer at VIPRE. "Your data should be your data. To ensure and protect to this degree, VIPRE Advanced Security uses proven machine learning heuristic techniques, one of the largest threat intelligence clouds and real-time behavior monitoring to guard against today's most sophisticated and evasive malware threats." Architected, designed, developed and 100 percent supported in the United States, VIPRE has a strong presence in the commercial, consumer and public sector markets. VIPRE recently received the 2016 Top-Rated Product Award from AV-Comparatives, the world's leading independent authority on antivirus performance, for its strong results in AV-Comparatives Real-World Protection test, earning 100 percent block rates and zero false positives. Easy to license, install and use, VIPRE provides proactive advanced threat defense all users need to protect their data  at the best price. Customer data and privacy is of the utmost importance to VIPRE and all customer data is retained only in U.S.-based systems.



Additional details about the VIPRE program for current Kaspersky customers include: No minimum seat requirement needed to qualify

Eligible for new sales of all VIPRE products

Includes six months free with two-year license purchase

Orders must be placed by June 30

Valid only in North America

Cannot be combined with any other VIPRE promotion For more information on the new VIPRE buyback program for Kaspersky Lab customers, view a product demonstration or register for a free trial, click here.

About VIPRE

VIPRE delivers the best protection at the best price. It is the top-rated, award-winning endpoint security product for small and medium businesses, and home users. VIPRE is powered by next-generation advanced machine learning, one of the world's largest threat intelligence clouds and real-time behavior monitoring to protect millions of users from ransomware, zero-day attacks, phishing, exploit kits, mobile threats and other malware that easily evade traditional signature-based antivirus. Easy to use, simple to license and available at the best price, VIPRE provides the proactive advanced threat defense all users need to protect their data, and all VIPRE customers receive free U.S.-based technical support. To learn more, visit www.VIPREAntivirus.com. VIPRE is a product of ThreatTrack Security, Inc., a cybersecurity solutions developer backed by Insight Venture Partners and Bessemer Venture Partners. Learn more at www.ThreatTrack.com. Follow The Channel Company: Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook Disclaimer

Copyright  2017 ThreatTrack Security, Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. To the best of our knowledge, all details were correct at the time of publishing; this information is subject to change without notice. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vipre-extends-special-offer-to-kaspersky-lab-customers-concerned-about-their-data-security-300456977.html SOURCE VIPRE

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The Department of Environment and Energy has installed "inclusive" bathrooms at its Canberra headquarters, while Fairfax Media has confirmed the Treasury building will be fitted out with unisex bathrooms as part of a refurbishment.

But the moves have already angered conservative government MPs, who argue the efforts are a waste of taxpayers' money and may make employees "uncomfortable".

Inclusive bathrooms at the Department of Environment and Energy in Canberra.

The Commonwealth public service is making a push toward gender-neutral bathrooms at its Canberra buildings, to foster greater inclusiveness of transgender and intersex employees.

It reflects a movement that is much more advanced in the United States, where debate has raged in recent years about the liberalisation of bathrooms in schools, universities and public buildings.

Australia has largely resisted following suit, but the Greens and LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) advocates are calling for the public service to lead by example.

A spokeswoman for the Australian Public Service Commission, responsible for policies and practices throughout the Commonwealth departments, confirmed unisex bathrooms would soon be installed at the Treasury building, also home to the Bureau of Meteorology and National Capital Authority.

"Toilets that are specifically reserved as gender-neutral are not part of the scope of work for the Treasury building refit that is currently underway. However, toilets that are accessible for any individual are in scope," she said.

It is understood the bathrooms, likely to be individual cubicles, are intended for use by anyone seeking private facilities, which could include transgender employees or people experiencing stress and anxiety.
"I've had to build the relationship up from nothing. Our relationship is quite conditional, because we don't have a biological bond that will keep us together through anything. It has to be worked on, it has to be topped up a bit more than the parent/child relationship does. I try to have individual time with each of them. If you spend an hour, it goes a long way. "I do feel sometimes I've got to work a little bit harder [than a biological mother]. In the first few years, I felt that if I pushed too hard, if I nagged too hard, they wouldn't like me. I have felt less insecure as time goes by. It would take a lot now to break that bond, for them to turn around and reject me. We had a wonderful holiday in Fiji as a couple, and then we went back as a family and we all got gastro. I was up with them all vomiting, thinking, 'This is hell, this is not what I had in mind, I want out.' There was one over the bath, one over the sink, one over the toilet vomiting. Welcome to reality, it wasn't cocktails by the pool. "We never use the word stepmum. Even though we're married, I'm still Clare. The girls leave me notes saying: 'I don't know why the fairytales always have evil stepmums, because you're not evil, you're really nice'." ADOPTIVE MUM

Sue Brierley and her husband John adopted Saroo from India when he was seven. Sue Brierley and Saroo, who have had their story made into the movie Lion. Credit:Edwina Pickles "From the age of 12, I knew I wanted to adopt rather than have my own children. I was living a fairly stressful home life and was also becoming more aware of global problems like famine. Then I had a vision of me with a dark-brown child by my side. That seemed to confirm and validate my view. "When I met John at 16, I was quite upfront about the fact that I didn't want to have children. I was quite fortunate that he felt the same. We weren't hippies, but we were global in our outlook, 'be kind to the earth' in our thinking. "We married at 17 and, at 21, we started to explore the option of adopting overseas. The law said adoption was for infertile couples. We had no choice but to swallow it and accept that was just how it was. Sixteen years later, it came to my notice that the law had changed. We applied and they sent our file off very quickly. Seven months later, Saroo came home to us. It was just a window in time; we went in the back door before the bureaucracy could mess up the system.

"I was elated [when I met Saroo]. He was such a darling little boy with those big brown eyes. I felt remarkably calm because I didn't want to frighten him. There was no use squealing. I was right into being a professional mother. "I've taken mothering very seriously. It wasn't just something that happened to me, it was such a longed-for thing. My actions have always been about the greater good of the process of being a mother, rather than accidentally falling pregnant, or having a baby because all your friends are. "The bad thing about [being an adoptive mother] is everyone thinks they've got a say in your decision, how you can become a parent. I'm quite resentful of that. I think you should be as free to adopt a child as you are to give birth to a child, to have fertility treatment, to have an abortion. There should be freedom, not a bureaucratic process imposed on people. "I found the process of adopting very demeaning. Some of the things we had to go through, no parent should have to go through. I found it insulting that we had to declare our income for donkey's years. You had to show your house, how clean you live, your family is talked to, your doctor has to say you're of sound mind. The level of interrogation was offensive to me. "I'm just as good a parent [as a biological parent]. I was brought up as a birth child and the parenting I gave my kids [the Brierleys adopted another boy, Mantosh, from India] was superior to the parenting I received. It's about commitment  I really feel I'm equal to any other parent, and I'm better than a lot of parents who are bad parents. "It doesn't worry me in the least [that my sons wanted to look for their birth mothers]. Those families gave me my children. I'm thankful. Look at what I've got  two very different sons. That was an absolute miracle. "Every day is my reality. I couldn't have wished for anything different."

FOSTER MUM Jenny Araujo and her husband Freddy fostered Yuri when he was five months old. Jenny and Yuri. "We came to Australia from Venezuela in 2000 to have a better future for my family. Here in Australia, you can see your child playing freely on the beach. There are no worries someone is going to kill them or you. "We always wanted to adopt a child, regardless of whether we had [our own] child or not. We wanted to give an opportunity to someone else to have a home, a place to grow up and be happy. We wanted to adopt from Chile or Colombia, because they have a similar cultural background to Venezuela. Because all my family is in Venezuela, I wanted to have my roots [here], to have someone to take care of and share our life with.

'"During the adoption training process one facilitator said if you really want to have a child, you can foster and then eventually you can adopt. We began the process to foster through Barnardos Australia, but then my mum got really sick and we had to fly back to Venezuela. Mum passed away. It was really difficult  my mum always wanted to have a grandchild from my side of the family. Not long after we got back to Australia, I got a call saying, 'We've got a beautiful little four-month-old boy'. It was amazing to know we were going to have this little baby. I think it was a blessing from my mum. Sometimes a soul has to go for another one to come. "It was very unusual to get a foster child so young. We thought we were going to have a three-year-old child. We were not expecting to have so little a boy with us. It was a miracle. "When you have your own child, you don't know how it is going to come, if it will have a disability or something. For us, it didn't matter [how Yuri came], we were going to love this child. "That day we met Yuri, we fell in love with him. I don't know what biological mums feel when they give birth, but my love for that little boy  I cannot explain how big it is. It's amazing how much you can love a baby even though it's not your own blood. The love I feel for him, it's too much. I'm very protective. "Yuri was removed from his parents [by DOCS] when his mother was in hospital and he went into respite foster care. His foster mum trained him very well to sleep, so she got the hard part! "Yuri knows a bit about who and why: we explain, we tell him a story about him and how we met him. He asks, 'Why was I with them and then with you? Why wasn't I in your tummy?' We're happy to answer the questions according to his age. We see his step-siblings.
But we do need to recognise that it's valuable. It's one of the quirks of economics that looking after your own children or cleaning your own house does not contribute to gross domestic product (GDP) but paying someone else to mind your children or clean your house does. Overall, it's been estimated that unpaid care work  including child minding, domestic work, caring for adults, and volunteering  is worth more than half our GDP. It's not included in the GDP but that doesn't make the underlying economic value lesser. Our GDP has gone up as more women have entered the workforce, both from our direct participation in paid work, but also because of outsourcing more household tasks. It's far more common to use after-school care facilities, or employ a house cleaner than it used to be. Unpaid work that was traditionally performed by men such as handyman work, maintaining the car or mowing the lawn is also more likely to be outsourced.

There are whole businesses built on this trend, such as Airtasker, TaskRabbit or Freelancer. There's also a plenty of exploitation, so I'm happy that Airtasker and Unions NSW recently reached an agreement on fair pay. Meanwhile, some tasks that used to be the basis of paid jobs have gone the other way  we're now expected to pump our own petrol for free, and increasingly to scan and bag our groceries. Economists classify unpaid care work as a type of productive work called "household production". This means the products and services are consumed by a family member or the community rather than sold on the market. But unlike leisure, household production can be outsourced. In other words, you can pay someone such as a cleaner or nanny to do the work, whereas you can't pay someone else to relax on your behalf or do your hobbies. I have no qualms about outsourcing when I can afford it. We have a weekly cleaner.

I've also hired a friend on maternity leave as my virtual executive assistant. I email her tasks when I think of it; anything from researching which computer keyboard to buy for my home office to ordering and wrapping suitable gifts for six- and seven-year-olds so I have a ready supply for birthday parties. There are some things about being a parent that you can't outsource, and nor would I want to. You can't pay someone else to love your children and be a constant and supportive presence in their lives. But it doesn't require a 24/7 physical presence. I happily use outsourcing to supplement our parenting efforts and ensure that my husband and I can maintain both our careers and sanity. So we pay a young woman to come to my house at 8am twice a week and walk our kids to school, we use after-school care a few afternoons a week, and we gratefully accept the help freely offered by grandparents and other relatives. Calculating the cost and benefit of paid outsourcing is a matter of individual household economics. How much does it cost versus how much you and your partner are paid? But if you're considering dropping hours of paid work in order to do unpaid work, also think about the long-term cost of reduced career progression, earning potential and lost superannuation contributions.

If both parents in a couple are working, your leisure time is equally valuable, regardless of any earning disparity. I can only hope that things have changed since a 2008 article in the Journal of Marriage and Family, when researchers found that when a mixed-gender couple moves in together, the woman's time spent on housework goes up, while the man's goes down, regardless of employment status. A 2017 report from the UNSW Business School suggests it varies by education levels. The analysis, also looking at heterosexual couples, found when a woman is promoted at work, she'll do a little less housework and her partner a little more. But for less-educated couples, if a man loses his job, it results in his female partner doing more housework. That's counter-intuitive because the man has more time on his hands, and less economic power, but the explanation is that less educated women perform more of a conventional gender role to compensate for their partner's male breadwinner status being under threat. Apart from doing it all yourself, there's another alternative to outsourcing, and that's about community and shared social obligations.

I'm told it used to be common for working Australians to work on the home with the equivalent of a "barn raising"  your mates help you pour a slab of concrete, and in return you lay on some beer and promise to help them when it's their turn. Great for community. There are equivalents. In my 20s, my friends and I helped each other move house. Now I'm a parent, there are school working bees and fundraising events. Next on my agenda is to develop a trusted networks of parents to take turns babysitting each other's children especially in school holidays  the idea being to solve child minding and play dates in one go. Loading But first, back to my snuggles and scrambled eggs.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The High Court overturned Cardinal George Pell's conviction for historic child sex offences in a judgment handed down April 7, 2020. In a unanimous decision all seven High Court judges found Victoria's Court of Appeal should not have upheld Pell's conviction It found the evidence could not support a guilty verdict.

Explosive claims of child sex abuse have been levelled against Australia's highest-ranking Catholic official, Cardinal George Pell.

A soon-to-be-released book about Cardinal Pell contains detailed claims that he sexually abused two choirboys at St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne in the late 1990s.

The alleged abuse is said to have occurred after the introduction of the Melbourne Response, the compensation scheme for clerical sexual abuse victims established in 1996 by Cardinal Pell, when he was Archbishop of Melbourne.
The man who died after he was allegedly tasered during a struggle with police in East Perth on Friday has been identified.

Police were responding to a robbery in Lord Street around 11.35am, when officers came across the man, who was 40 years old. The man needed medical attention and as officers helped the man he became aggressive and a police officer was injured.

Police examine the site outside Officeworks in East Perth, where the man was Tasered. Credit:Brendan Foster

"As the officers continued their attempt to restrain the man he became unresponsive," a police spokesman said.

"The officers provided emergency first aid until St John Ambulance arrived. St John Ambulance conveyed the man to Royal Perth Hospital. He has since passed way."
Bangkok: Police in Myanmar have moved to arrest ultra-nationalists backed by Buddhist monks amid a resurgence of mob violence aimed at the country's Muslim minority.

While international attention has focussed on atrocities against Rohingya Muslims in western Rakhine State, attacks on Muslims in other parts of the country, including the former capital, Yangon, point to a resurgence of wider anti-Muslim vehemence 13 months after the government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi took office.

Police have arrested two nationalists and are seeking more after a mob led by the Patriotic Monks Union raided flats in a Yangon district with a large Muslim population, igniting scuffles that were only broken up when police fired shots in the air, Reuters reported.

In late April protesters forced the closure of two Islamic schools in Yangon, claiming they were illegal mosques.
[May 12, 2017] Information Assurance Specialists Introduces Embeddable VPN Gateway Modules

TURNERSVILLE, N.J., May 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Information Assurance Specialists Inc. responds to customer demand with the announcement of a family of NIAP Common Criteria Certified and NSA Commercial Solutions for Classified Component List listed small form factor, low-power, high-performance embeddable IP Router VPN Gateway Modules. The latest addition to the IAS cutting-edge IP networking and security appliance portfolio has been designed to address Government and Military IP networking users and system integrators' requirement for a board level embeddable NSA pre-certified enterprise class VPN/Router module that offers high performance, low power, ease of use and embedment. The IAS VPN Gateway Modules are highly network interface flexible, board level embeddable form factors that leverage the commercial COM Express embeddable computer standards. IAS VPN Gateway Modules are available in three different form factors, and two different levels of processing performance and power consumption, offering integrators complete configuration flexibility for any application. All product variants support a wide range of WAN/LAN technologies and offer an unrestricted number Gigabit Ethernet inferences, Wi-Fi radios, 3G/4G LTE cellular modems and serial ports. The embeddable IAS VPN Gateway Modules run IAS's FIPS 140-2 Validated, NIAP Common Criteria Cerified IAS Router firmware. And because the modules are listed on the NSA CSfC component list, integrators only need to add an off the shelf or application specific carrier card to create a new NSA CSfC complaint product. The IAS VPN Gateway modules come in COM Express Type 10 and Type 6 form factors, ensuring ease of embedment into current and further Government and Military applications and integration efforts.



"The IAS VPN Gateway Modules were designed from the ground up so that communications integrators can easily create small form factor, NSA CSfC compliant solutions to support the diverse routing protocols, capabilities, and applications used in Government and Military networks. Our VPN Gateway Modules are unlike any other solution in the market, and have been NSA CSfC Component List listed at the module level to ensure integrators the easiest path to integration and customers to the easiest path to fielding in a CSfC Comprised Solution," said Keir Tomasso, President of IAS. The IAS Routers and the VPN Gateway Modules are unique in the enterprise class IP networking market because they bake in support for many different commercial WAN connectivity technologies not found in current market offerings. Technologies supported include RJ45 and fiber gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G cellular modems, satellite terminals, and even legacy RS-232/RS485. The IAS VPN Gateway Modules support these without number of interface restrictions, and do so with a simple-to-use, logically organized, web browser-based graphical user interface.

IAS will showcase several of its Commercial Solutions for Classified products, including the cutting-edge IAS VPN Gateway Modules in partner and NSA trusted system integrator, Intelligent Waves' booth 1927 at the upcoming Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) in Tampa, Florida, from May 15 to 18. Contacts:

Keir Tomasso

Information Assurance Specialists, Inc.

856-581-8033 Ext 1001

[email protected] Related Files IAS VPN Gateway Modules.pdf Related Images image1.jpg image2.jpg image3.jpg To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/information-assurance-specialists-introduces-embeddable-vpn-gateway-modules-300456904.html SOURCE Information Assurance Specialists

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[May 12, 2017] Global Automatic Espresso Machines Market - Drivers and Forecasts by Technavio

Technavio analysts forecast the global automatic espresso machines market to grow at a CAGR of almost 7% during the forecast period, according to their latest report. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170512005650/en/ Technavio has published a new report on the global automatic espresso machines market from 2017-2021. (Graphic: Business Wire) The research study covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global automatic espresso machines market for 2017-2021. The market is segmented by product (fully automatic espresso machines and semi-automatic espresso machines), by distribution channels (supermarkets, hypermarkets, mass merchandisers, and department stores, specialty stores, and online retail), and by geography (Europe, North America, APAC, and ROW). The global automatic espresso machines market is expected to reach to USD 3,210 million in 2021. The demand for coffee remains unaffected by price changes in most regions. The International Coffee Organization states that despite the volatility in the prices of coffee beans, the consumption of coffee is expected to grow by 2021. Countries like China and India largely drive this rise in the consumption of coffee. This report is available at a USD 1,000 discount for a limited time only: View market snapshot before purchasing Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free. Technavio consumer and retail analysts highlight the following three factors that are contributing to the growth of the global automatic espresso machines market: /p>



New product development and innovation Manufacturers of automatic espresso machines are developing new products. They are coming up with product innovations to attract a wide customer base. This enables them to attain a competitive edge in the market. They also add user interface panels that increase convenience and add to the aesthetics of the machines and focus on enabling more customization. The latest product innovations ensure that these machines produce coffee that is on par with that produced using professional espresso machines, in terms of taste and quality.

Poonam Saini, a lead retail goods and services research analyst at Technavio, says, "Vendors have also started introducing varieties in espresso machines, like the ones that are compact and do not consume space in the kitchen and dining area. Market leaders, such as Nestle Nespresso, have patented extraction technologies." Premiumization achieved through improved functionality and features along with branding Many vendors offer innovative and customizable features in their espresso machines, such as scheduling, updates, adjustable brew timings, cool-to-touch, and spill proof features. The features also give notifications when the machine needs more water or when it is running low on coffee beans. There are other value-added features, such as the self-clean function, that are integrated into many automatic espresso machines. Smart apps can also learn individual user routines and suggest the number of times they might want a cup of coffee. "One of the major players in the market, Nestle Nespresso, offers Nespresso Prodigio, which is equipped with Bluetooth connectivity. Users can control their Nespresso Prodigio remotely and can schedule their coffee at specific times," says Poonam. Growing demand for espresso coffee and increasing penetration of espresso machines The demand for espresso machines is also increasing among residential customers. Coffee aficionados are interested in different varieties of coffee. The vendors in the market are launching various espresso machines that provide varieties of coffee. For instance, Philips (News - Alert) had launched the Saeco Avanti app to cater to the demand of such customers. This app enables users to acquire knowledge about more coffee varieties and share their recipes via social media. The company has launched the Saeco Brand Ambassador Program to fortify brand engagement and retain customers. This facilitates users to enroll in coffee connoisseur classes and receive tips for maintaining their espresso machines. Top vendors: Breville

De'Longhi Appliances

Groupe SEB

Koninklijke Philips

Nestle Nespresso Browse Related Reports: Global Humidifiers Market 2017-2021

Online Retail Market in the US 2017-2021

Global Foosball Equipment Market 2017-2021 Become a Technavio Insights member and access all three of these reports for a fraction of their original cost. As a Technavio Insights member, you will have immediate access to new reports as they're published in addition to all 6,000+ existing reports covering segments like cosmetics and toiletry, toys and baby products, and luggage. This subscription nets you thousands in savings, while staying connected to Technavio's constant transforming research library, helping you make informed business decisions more efficiently. About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies. Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users. If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at [email protected]. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170512005650/en/

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[May 12, 2017] Global Protective Workwear Market Research Report 2017-2021 - Research and Markets

DUBLIN, May 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Protective Workwear Market 2017-2021" report to their offering. The analysts forecast the global protective workwear market to grow at a CAGR of 4.98% during the period 2017-2021. The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global protective workwear market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report includes the demand for protective workwear from various end-user industries. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.

The latest trend gaining momentum in the market is advent of wearable technology. There has been an increase in the adoption rate of the wearable technology in the consumer segment. This technology is gaining momentum in the industrial segment as well. Implementing wearable technology in the industrial environment is a new trend that will ensure and enhance employee safety. The wearable technology is a subset of IoT, which is used to collect data and provide information. A wearable user interface provides vital information throug electronics that are designed to be worn on the human body.



According to the report, one of the major drivers for this market is robust growth in construction industry. Construction workers use flame-retardant apparel to protect themselves against hazards such as fires, arc flashes, and electrical flashes. The flame-retardant apparel is designed for designated areas where workers a highly exposed to heat and flame. In the construction industry, workers engage in activities that require setting up of electrical circuits and welding of materials. These activities pose work hazards to workers. Further, the report states that one of the major factors hindering the growth of this market is cost and functionality trade off. Many workplaces require the simultaneous use of various types of protective workwear due to the presence of multiple hazards. However, using protective workwear in combination is a concern to employers as the use of one workwear may render another ineffective. This is very common in the aerospace industry and this often poses a greater threat of injury to the wearer. Safety goggles cannot be used with a respiratory mask or ear muffs, as it often reduces the protection of the wearer. The challenge is to make different protective workwear compatible for combination use, based on the work environment.

Key vendors

3M

DuPont

Ansell

Kimberly-Clark Other prominent vendors

Alpha Pro Tech

Dragerwerk

Honeywell

Lakeland Industries

Sioen Apparel

W.L Gore & Associates Key Topics Covered: Part 01: Executive summary



Part 02: Scope of the report



Part 03: Research Methodology



Part 04: Introduction



Part 05: Market landscape



Part 06: Market segmentation by application



Part 07: Market segmentation by end-user



Part 08: Geographical segmentation



Part 09: Decision framework



Part 10: Drivers and challenges



Part 11: Market trends



Part 12: Vendor landscape



Part 13: Key vendor analysis



Part 14: Appendix For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/5lt9fq/global_protective Media Contact: Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716





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Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/05/2017 (2006 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winston Churchill once wryly observed that democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.

Now Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. secretary of state and national security adviser to ex-president George W. Bush, provides compelling evidence supporting the British statesmans viewpoint.

In a book combining memoir with polemics, Rice recounts her roles in the White House and shares her life experiences as an academic, policy maker and African-American citizen, offering readers an engaging supplement to her previous book, No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington (2011).

HARAZ N. GHANBARI / ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES While former U.S. secretary of state Condoleezza Rice recognizes costly wars in the Middle East have prompted sectarian violence and encouraged terrorist cells, she defends Americas involvement in the campaigns.

Fluent in French and Russian, Rice is also an accomplished pianist, a testament to her pursuit of personal achievements. Raised in the segregated environs of Birmingham, Ala., by upwardly mobile parents who believed the American Dream could be realized through hard work, discipline and education, and not only through the struggle for equality, she acknowledges underlying reasons for the racial tensions of the 1960s but admits the civil rights movement was not wholly embraced by her family.

She begins her wide sweep of democracys global struggle with a patriotic summation of how Americas Constitution fashioned the worlds first self-governing nation, but acknowledges 18th-century hypocrisy of slaveholders like Thomas Jefferson who stressed equality for all in a document designed to protect peoples rights.

In Rices view, the question of balance  or how to make the state strong enough to perform key tasks but not so strong as to threaten individuals  remains the key to a successful democracy. Rice measures progress in other parts of the world against Americas long racial struggle for a free society, noting that in 2016, Freedom House ranked 145 out of 195 countries as free or partly free.

Theres much grist for the mill in Democracy: Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Kenya, Colombia and some Middle East countries are templates for a comparative analysis of governance systems that rely on ballots instead of the heavy hands of dictators or military juntas.

Lamenting Russias lost opportunity for democracy following the U.S.S.Rs disintegration in 1991, Rice reconstructs President Vladimir Putins ascendancy, revealing how one man dismantled the institutional basis for democracy begun by former U.S.S.R. leader Mikhail Gorbachevs glasnost and perestroika policies.

Conversely, Polands relatively quick transition from communism to a stable democracy occurred in spite of a brief flirtation with military law, an outcome much different from that of its neighbour Ukraine which, according to Rice, remains a struggling democracy rife with corruption, still burdened with an unfortunate history of subjugation by Austrian and Russian empires.

Emphasizing that stable democracies need economic and political institutions that are separate and not controlled by one central authority  the success of capitalism depends on this  Rice admits these institutions affect one another to benefit a nations economy.

How they interact is a matter of debate, adds Rice, because people expect governments to improve living standards and, even if separate executive, legislative and judicial branches of government provide political freedom through a system of checks and balances, she cautions that veto-wielding groups and noisy constituencies can make it difficult to deliver promised goods and services.

Addressing the question of whether or not liberalizing an authoritarian system should be a societys first task  like Americas War of Independence was  she uses the Asian Tigers from Taiwan to South Korea to show that economic success sometimes precedes democracy.

Rice foresees a similar story unfolding in China, even though its Communist government has achieved a unique balance between state-controlled capitalism and an authoritarian political system that together have improved living standards, modernized the nation and built a bona fide world power.

She expresses hope for democracys growth in the Middle East  a region dominated by Arab monarchies and religious mullahs  and provides a concise chronology of events that followed U.S.-led military campaigns to dismantle authoritarian regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq.

While recognizing how these costly wars prompted sectarian violence and todays Islamic State scourge, Rice cavalierly defends Americas involvement, stating (w)hatever ones view of the decision to invade Iraq in 2003, the hardest work has been done, citing several elections held in both countries and adding a practical reason for promoting democracy: In the long arc of history, we know that democracies dont fight each other.

Joseph Hnatiuk is a retired teacher in Winnipeg.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/05/2017 (2007 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DAVID LIPNOWSKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection Lianna McDonald (left) and the original founder, Wilma Derksen at the Centre for Child Protection in 2015.

As the shadows from Thursdays gentle sun start to grow long, Cecilly Hildebrand slides onto a bench next to the Law Courts, beside a big glass wall. Even after a gruelling day of criminal proceedings, she is beaming: she has happy news to share.

Minutes earlier, in the big second-floor courtroom, defence attorney Saul Simmonds wrapped up his closing arguments in the retrial of Mark Grant, accused of killing Candace Derksen nearly 33 years ago.

Hildebrand, sitting behind Cliff and Wilma Derksen, listened to Simmonds attack the Crowns DNA evidence. As executive director of Candace House, the familys new project, she has spent time sitting in court with Candaces parents before.

Now she is ready to spill her news: after years of preparation, Candace House is just months from opening.

The site, which will be revealed May 31, is just a block from the courts. It will be cosy and private: a place for victims to prepare for a trial, to decompress with support workers or simply to find refuge from stress.

There is no such refuge at the Law Courts, Hildebrand says, just a small room set off a hallway. Candace House will give victims and their families somewhere to relax, away from the gaze of public eyes.

Everyone needs a place to go, she says. The system is not great, for trying to assist in healing. To have it be so close, to have it be right there, were very excited to offer something so profound in terms of the impact.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Cecilly Hildebrand, executive director of Candace House, outside the Law Courts.

When Candace House opens  Hildebrand is planning for the fall  it will build on Candaces growing legacy. Through her familys advocacy, the memory of this 13-year-old girl has survived far longer than she was alive.

When Candace vanished after school on Nov. 30, 1984, her disappearance gripped the city. When her body was found six weeks later, frozen and bound inside an equipment shed near Nairn Avenue, thousands mourned.

Today, more than three decades later, police investigators who worked on the case still find it painful to discuss. People who grew up in the mid-1980s remember frightened parents ordering them not to walk home alone.

One day we were safe, playing on the street, in the fields, recalls Jen Wilson, 42, who grew up on the outskirts of Winnipeg. The next day, it changed. Everyone was scared: kids, parents, teachers.

And her case is still in the news, she adds. I get actual shivers down my spine.

Hildebrand does not share those memories; at 28, she was born five years after Candace was killed. Yet as a child growing up in Steinbach, the case was familiar. Adults would talk about Candace or Cliff and Wilma.

Its always been something in the back of our collective consciousness, she says.

Shes found that too, over the years she has worked to make Wilmas dream for Candace House a reality. Sometimes, when Hildebrand meets with potential sponsors, the charitys name doesnt click right away.

In that case, Hildebrand might say: Are you from Winnipeg? Do you remember Candace Derksen?

She sees their eyes open wide. Yes, they reply, they remember. They grew up in the same neighbourhood, or went to school with the Derksens younger children, or their parents know (or just know about) Cliff and Wilma.

There are all of these connections, Hildebrand says. The impact on people is clear. They remember it, and its a very distinct memory and shaping experience for them.

Perhaps that is especially true because of how the search for justice persisted. There was Grants 2007 arrest, a stunner 23 years after Candaces disappearance. There was his 2011 conviction, overturned two years later by the Supreme Court of Canada, citing  as Manitobas Court of Appeal had  an error made by the trial judge.

Now, that 10-year legal odyssey could finally be coming to an end. Crown prosecutor Brent Davidson delivered his closing arguments Friday, telling Manitoba Court of Queens Bench Justice Karen Simonsen there can be no reasonable doubt of Grants guilt and she should convict him  again  of second-degree murder.

It may take Simonsen months to deliver her verdict. When she does, it could be the last time Candaces full story is heard in court: this chapter, the one about searching for justice, could soon be over.

So, after almost 33 years, two trials and a lifetime of her familys advocacy, how did Candace change Manitoba?

  

Theres a pretty brick building on Academy Road near the St. James Bridge, tucked between an RCMP forensic lab and the Assiniboine River. Built as an orphanage school in 1917, it later became a residential school for indigenous children.

So theres a sombre poetry of sorts, in what came after: today, the building houses the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. In some way, these bricks have always borne witness to children alone, or children taken.

Eleven years after the centre moved into this space, it is bursting at the seams. About 50 people come to work here each day, tackling a vast array of projects to combat child sexual exploitation and give hope to its victims.

One wing of the building houses Cybertip.ca, the national child pornography tipline. In 2015-16, it received an average of 3,200 reports per month; staff send takedown notices to Internet providers in their quest to wipe out child porn.

The work goes far beyond that. The centre employs legal experts, educators, case workers. When Christine Wood disappeared last year, her parents often came here to plan the next steps of their heartbreaking search.

What were most proud of is our loyalty to the reason we were set up, executive director Lianna McDonald says. Countless parents, with whom weve walked a very painful walk. We never lose sight of why were here.

As she chats in her corner office, McDonald reaches for a copy of Wilma Derksens 2002 book, Confronting the Horror. Its one of McDonalds favourites; a roadmap of sorts for crime victims, to guide their way through the pain.

McDonalds copy is carefully tabbed for easy reference, but the centre keeps about 20 new copies of the book on hand at all times. Staff give them to sexual abuse survivors, or to parents who have lost a child to violence.

You cant say it any better than Wilma does, McDonald says. Theres a centring that you get from her words.

In truth, her words are knit through the organization. When centre staff speak about the Derksens, it is by first name and with a quiet reverence: they are here, their work is here, because Wilma and Cliff lost their daughter.

The centre was born in the middle of that search. On Dec. 27, 1984  three weeks before Candaces body was found  the Derksens met with a Child Find Saskatchewan representative, to discuss starting a local chapter.

Within months, Wilma and Cliff had assembled a board, cobbled together a budget and launched Child Find Manitoba. The all-volunteer group immediately began working on cases, trying to help families find their kids.

Even in those raw early days, Wilma stayed focused. In a 1986 annual report, she noted that shed only worked part time during Child Find Manitobas first months because she was dealing with a crisis in my own life.

Hearing about that, Myrna Driedger shakes her head. How she did all of that, with the pain she must have been carrying, Driedger says. The conviction that we have to try to prevent this from happening to other children.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Myrna Driedger looks at drawings made by children for Missing Childrens Day, which she saved from her time as the first CEO of Child Find Manitoba.

Today, Driedger is the MLA for Charleswood and legislature Speaker. But for 12 years beginning in the late 1980s, she was at the heart of Child Find, first as a volunteer while working as a nurse and then as its first full-time executive director.

By then, Wilma Derksen had stepped back from the organization, but her role in its birth was not forgotten.

My heroes are the parents of missing kids, who can get up every day after their child goes missing and still move forward, Driedger says. The Cliff and Wilma Derksens who can carry on every day after that.

In those days, Child Find was a much smaller operation. For years, Driedger rolled up her sleeves to do a little bit of everything, even designing the handprint logo that blossomed on posters and sweatshirts across Manitoba.

She recruited other nurses to work as case workers and carry Child Find pagers. She expanded the program to fingerprint children, setting up shopping mall kiosks to educate parents; there, she quickly became aware of Child Finds early obstacles.

People would make a wide berth around us, because nobody wanted to even think that could happen to a child, she recalls. That took years. Its still something that parents find difficult: how do you tell your child about some of the things you have to talk about? Child Find gave them the tools to talk about it.

That discomfort affected the organizations early fundraising, too, she believed. At the time, she says, Manitoba had the highest per capita runaway rate in Canada; Child Find knew that sexual abuse drove many kids to flee.

Talking about that openly wasnt easy. It made people uncomfortable. But Driedger knew it had to be done.

There were a lot of kids in pain, she says. We started looking more into the issues of kids running away, and what do we need to address that but nobody wanted to have their companys name associated with that.

Just building the social capacity to face difficult facts about children and abuse; that is part of Candaces legacy, too. So is this: early in Driedgers tenure, she set about building a closer relationship with police in Manitoba.

There were many benefits. Child Find could teach police how to work with families of missing kids. Driedger recalls how in the early 1990s, some officers still paused on reports of children missing less than 24 hours.

Meanwhile, by acting as a liaison between families and police, by taking on the community work that investigators couldnt do, Child Find could ease the strain on both sides, and spread information more widely.

Its more than very helpful, says Lou Spado, a retired Winnipeg police inspector who served on Child Finds board in the mid-1990s. Working hand in hand they did a lot of things with co-ordinating information.

It was just a spirit of co-operation, he adds. There was nothing secret about anything the police were doing with regards to missing persons. It was just the good relationship that developed, and I believe it carried on.

It has carried on. Next week, the centre will host its 17th annual conference at the Fort Garry Hotel, drawing law enforcement from across North America to study issues around child sexual exploitation, abuse and abduction.

We are years ahead now, McDonald says. On training and understanding on the issue of abducted and murdered children, police have come a long way in their knowledge. We cant compare how important that is.

  

Not all of Candaces legacy played out in public. For years, Wilma Derksen has carried out much of her work in more private spaces: facilitating support groups, speaking on panels, meeting with police and government officials.

She also brought that message, one of healing and forgiveness, into Stony Mountain Institution.

It was called the Paying Forward Project. It began with a simple sharing circle; every two weeks, a group of inmates and crime victims would meet, just to talk. Under Wilmas guidance, participants began to open up.

Theyd share memories of their childhood years. Theyd muse about how they were like or unlike their parents. Theyd talk about what they wanted their obituaries to say. As co-facilitator Graham Reddoch watched, he saw change.

It was really something to see, Reddoch says. I think it achieved the purpose of humanizing people. We were able to move beyond labels, for victims and offenders, and see the impact of our actions on each other.

The inmates were so moved that they decided to start a jewelry-making business. It was something they could do in their cells. Proceeds from sales of the earrings and necklaces they crafted went to charities that honoured victims.

It was a quiet effort, carefully avoiding most media attention. When the program ended in 2013, a casualty of Stephen Harpers federal government funding cuts, few people in Manitoba had heard of it. Still, it made human connections.

Thats Wilmas gift, Reddoch says: to be able to open conversations in non-polarizing ways.

Its been her focus on that F-word: forgiveness, he says, and he sees how that spread through the province. I think its had an impact on Manitobans in terms of building a level of compassion and understanding.

So the legacy of Candace Derksen becomes one of bridges. Between families and the public, between offenders and victims, between victims and the justice system they must engage. These are the things Candace changed.

And through Child Find, which rebranded as the Canadian Centre for Child Protection in 2006, she changed peoples lives, too; today, Driedger recalls it as some of the most fulfilling work of her life. She keeps the colourful drawings children made for a Child Find campaign.

If it wasnt for Child Find, would Driedger have gone into politics? She thinks about that for a moment.

You know what? I dont think so, she says. (Sexual abuse) was an underlying thing that took me into politics. I said, if theres anything I could take on at a different level, that would be one I would try very hard to deal with.

Today, at the Centre for Child Protection, there are reminders of Candace everywhere. To mark its 30th anniversary in 2015, the centre added a plaque in her memory on the wall. Never forgotten, it reads.

In McDonalds office, theres a photo of her and Wilma from that unveiling. In the same frame, there is a copy of Candaces school photo, the one that still runs in newspapers across Canada. All three of them are smiling.

The search for Candace Derksen broke a citys heart  but among the pieces, people found hope.

What you see here is that feeling that everybody wanted to do something, McDonald says. So the genesis of the organization, that we dont lose sight of, is about people caring about other peoples children.

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Speaker Myrna Driedger in her office, she was the first CEO of Child Find Manitoba. Myrna poses with old drawings she has saved made by children for MISSING CHILDRENS Day. Melissa Martin story May 8 2017
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/05/2017 (2006 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Boeing is temporarily suspending flights of its new 737 Max jetliner because of a potential manufacturing flaw in the engines, marring the commercial debut for the fastest-selling plane in company history.

The jetmaker and its engine supplier, a venture of General Electric and Safran SA, are rushing to understand the problem ahead of the aircrafts first delivery, which remains scheduled for later this month. Boeing said a possible quality defect in the Leap engines low-pressure turbine discs was discovered during inspections and hadnt affected flight testing of the upgraded 737.

The grounding added to concerns about the strain on suppliers as the U.S. manufacturer and European rival Airbus SE unveil new aircraft models while ramping up single-aisle production to record levels. Boeing is counting on a smooth start for the 737 Max, the newest version of a plane that is the companys largest source of profit, as it seeks to boost cash flow.

Elaine Thompson / The Associated Press Files Boeing has stopped test flights of its new 737 Max model because of a possible problem in engine discs.

Investors are acutely focused on 737 Max ramp risk  and the impact on cash, Robert Stallard, an analyst at Vertical Research Partners, said.

The Max has accumulated 3,714 orders before its commercial debut but is still racing to catch up to Airbuss A320neo. The latest 737 model is slated to be handed over this month to Malindo Air and Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA. Other major customers with deliveries this year include Southwest Airlines and American Airlines.

The decision to halt flights was made out of an abundance of caution, said Boeing spokesman Doug Alder, adding that the plane completed flight testing months ahead of schedule. The step is consistent with our priority focus on safety.

Rick Kennedy, a spokesman for GE Aviation, said about 30 CFM International engines will be inspected at sites in the United States and France. In the meantime, production will continue using discs from other CFM suppliers, he said.

 Bloomberg News
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This article was published 13/05/2017 (2006 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It may not always seem as if the government of the day is tuned in to whats going on in the real world.

But when the Pallister government extended the interactive digital media tax credit for three years in last months budget, it was an acknowledgement the sector is a source of job growth  and the tax credit has provided a real incentive.

There are about 120 companies in the sector in Manitoba developing mobile apps, video games and everything from digital health, augmented and virtual reality, interactive installations and more. Some believe the workforce may have grown by as much as 66 per cent in the past five years.

PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Kevin Glasier, president of Tactica Interactive, one of 120 firms in Manitoba thats developing mobile apps, video games and interactive installations. The sector has grown by as much as 66 per cent in the last five years.

Kevin Glasier, the president of Tactica Interactive, one of the longest-standing and busiest Winnipeg shops, swears by the tax credit.

Since 2009, we have worked on projects probably worth more than $1 million that would not have come here otherwise, Glasier said.

Last year, the province removed the $500,000 cap on the size of the tax credit and this year the province extended it to 2022.

Companies can qualify to claim up to a 40 per cent tax credit on eligible project costs they incur to develop an eligible interactive digital media product in Manitoba.

New Media Manitoba, the industry association, has done much to steward growth in the sector over the years. Its provided tailored training and business development to many startups.

A real industry has emerged, including several well-established firms with solid track records doing contract work for some of the biggest names in the industry as well as an increasing number whove had success developing their own titles.

Louie Ghiz, the executive director of the association said, This is a big deal. Given the fiscal restraint this government was dealing with, extending this tax credit for an additional three years shows that the province values this industry.

Cliff Cullen, the minister of enterprise, growth and trade, said, We review all of our tax credits and we will continue to evaluate the effectiveness of them. The message we are hearing is that this particular one has been beneficial.

Among other things, it is in a global industry that continues to have strong growth and is likely to have a higher concentration of young workers. If the sector grows, it creates job opportunities for young people who dont have to leave Manitoba to pursue their careers.

If we have the right foundation set, we could attract additional business in this sector, Cullen said. I dont think people realize how important the interactive digital media technology sector is in the province.

While the 40 per cent tax credit is on par with other provinces, the regulations used to preclude larger projects from being able to take advantage of the incentive. Extending it to 2022 is another vote of confidence that the industry has legs.

The association has just started to collect data on its membership, by conducting the first census in five years.

As a result, Ghiz cant be definitive about the size of the industry, but he knows there has been growth.

The last time we did it (in 2012), we had a workforce of 600, he said. Im hopeful its over 1,000 now. Im pretty sure thats what we will find out.

In addition to helping the industry grow  most of the staff at larger players such as Tactica and Complex Games are from Winnipeg  it provides some breathing room for firms to develop their own intellectual property, thereby creating the opportunity for recurring revenue.

Complex Games has been around for more than a decade. It cut its teeth doing development work for big-name game developers such as Disney and Zynga. Its now focusing most of its resources on developing its own titles.

Company president Noah Decter-Jackson said his staff of about 20 full-time workers are developing one title due out in 2018 and another that it is starting to go into development. The company has one game on the market called The Horus Hersey: Drop Assault.

That tax credit has been crucial in helping us to drive our growth as a studio, particularly in the face of a very competitive global industry, he said.

Weve seen repeatedly throughout the years a number of different companies have been able to capitalize on the tax credit and take greater risk in developing their own IP.

Decter-Jackson noted the recent success of Night in the Woods, which was developed by independent game developer Alex Holowka.

There are lot of studios growing and expanding, he said. When you see the success Alex has had, it shows that even small studios with only a few people can really succeed in the marketplace by having the right product at the right time.

Glasier has also been able to use the tax credit to gain the rights to intellectual property that it develops for third-party projects.

Its worked well for us by helping us to developer our own (intellectual property), he said. But at the end of the day, if we cant do great work, it wont help us.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
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This article was published 12/05/2017 (2007 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two years after losing its big-box Target store, Kildonan Place Shopping Centre customers are about to get their first real look at some of the retail outlets that are moving in to fill the 120,000-square-foot void.

Theyll get their first peek at what the space now looks like Sunday, when the Regent Avenue mall will unveil the new common area and the sparkling new public washrooms in the expansion wing.

That will be followed by Tuesdays grand opening of a 45,000-sq.-ft. Marshalls/HomeSense superstore, and the Thursday opening of an 18,973-sq.-ft. H&M family clothing and accessories store.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Kildonan Place manager Sandra Hagenaars says the malls four new anchor tenants will draw in new shoppers.

Those three outlets, plus an 18,250-sq.-ft. Urban Planet & Urban Kids store thats scheduled to open in mid-June, are the anchor tenants in the new wing.

Although shoppers have known about the stores for some time, Kildonan Place officials waited until Fridays media and VIP preview tour of the redeveloped space to reveal the names of five other tenants that will be be joining them this summer.

Topping the list is a 7,949-sq.-ft. Skechers store.

The others are a 5,164-sq.-ft. CAA Manitoba outlet, an 1,800-sq.-ft. Hakim Optical store, a 1,299-sq.-ft. Transat Travel outlet and a 910-sq.-ft. HUB Insurance outlet.

The last two are relocating from other areas in the 460,000-sq.-ft. shopping centre.

Mall manager Sandra Hagenaars said filling that much empty space was a daunting task, but all thats left to be leased is about 1,200 sq. ft.

She said the four anchor tenants should help draw lots of new shoppers to the mall.

These are strong tenants with a strong following, and theyre all well known.

She noted three of them  Marshalls, H&M and Urban Plant  carry mens clothing and accessories.

Mens clothing stores are few and far between in Winnipeg. So the fact all of three of these stores offer mens fashion will help.

Hagenaars said Kildonan Place, which is the citys third-largest regional shopping mall after CF Polo Park and St. Vital Centre, has continued to do well despite losing a key tenant in Target.

Our sales have been very strong and we havent even got this new wing open yet. So Im feeling very encouraged (about the future).

A Mastermind Toys store also will be opening early this summer on the southwest corner of the shopping centre property.

Coun. Jeff Browaty, (North Kildonan), was one of the VIPs at Fridays event.

He spilled the beans in March 2016 that Marshalls, HomeSense and H&M would move into the mall.

Its good to see this space is no longer empty, Browaty said. A lot of these regional malls across the country are struggling, so its good to see this one doing so well.

murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

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This article was published 13/05/2017 (2006 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

At first glance, the latest Census of Agriculture released by Statistics Canada last week offers a hopeful glimpse at the future, so much so that the Canadian Federation of Agriculture concluded it shows that agriculture is poised for success.

While the number of farm operators in Canada continues to shrink, that shrinkage has slowed.

The average age of farmers continues to rise and average farm sizes continues to grow, but the proportion of young farmers (under 35) rose for the first time since 1991.

Tim Smith / Brandon Sun files Future generations of farmers have a difficult choice ahead of them: focus on driving productivity or increase their share of the wealth.

It appears more women are going into agriculture. They now make up 28.7 per cent of farm operators, up from 27.4 per cent in 2011.

Not surprisingly, the value of farm machinery and equipment owned and leased by farmers increased 15.4 per cent over the past five years, while equipment, land and building values rose a whopping 37.5 per cent since the last census.

Crop farmers are becoming more diversified and pulses continue to be a rising star. Canada is now the worlds largest producer of lentils.

Better market conditions and prices underpinned an 11 per cent increase in hog production.

The first set of data released from the census last week also features some troubling undercurrents, however.

This census seems to defy the old adage in farming that they arent making any more land. It found 8.8 million acres more cropland in production, most of it on the Canadian Prairies. Some of that came from returning fields that were flooded by overland flooding in 2011 cropping, but farmers are also clearing, draining and working up pastures in order to grow more crops.

The acres in perennial hay and alfalfa crops have dropped by 2.8 million acres and other pasture lands are down 2.2 million acres. Some of that is due to more farmers choosing to exit cattle ranching.

The problem is pasture land is generally not suitable for annual crops because it is prone to erosion, so this could have long-term repercussions.

But the conversion of marginal lands to crop production is only a symptom of a much bigger issue  farmers ongoing search for profitability.

The census report shows on average, for every dollar in gross farm receipts, farms incurred 83 cents in expenses in 2015, virtually unchanged since 2010.

Using that measure, the census report concludes farms were as profitable in 2015 as they were in 2010. That doesnt tell the full story.

Oilseed and grain farmers saw their margin shrink, with costs now consuming 79 cents of every dollar they earn, up from 76.

That doesnt mean crop farmers dont make money. They do. There have been years when their return on investment (ROI) for crops such as canola and wheat have been in the double digits.

Those ROIs vary dramatically from year to year and are more frequently negative than high, which leaves farmers relying on their own equity and government supports to stay afloat  and pushing the land harder in a bid to grow their way out of low returns.

When you consider production has increased steadily over the past 30 years and there were some whopper crops in 2013 and 2015, its apparent the gains from those productivity increases are being captured by those who supply the seed, the herbicides, fungicides and fertilizer  not the farmers.

Its something that invites reflection in light of recent export targets set for the sector in a report led by consultant Dominic Barton for the Prime Ministers Economic Advisory Council.

There may be lots of economic activity generated from growing crops for export, but those doing it face more uncertainty than ever.

As the current generation of farmers eases towards retirement, those who replace them will face tough choices  especially if climate change creates the kind of volatility in growing conditions the models predict.

Will farmers of the future continue to focus on driving productivity at the expense of their own margins? Or will they turn to farming practices that are less focused on yield and more on maintaining or increasing their share of the wealth?

Laura Rance is editorial director for Farm Business Communications. She can be reached at laura@fbcpublishing.com or 204-792-4382
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This article was published 13/05/2017 (2006 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Four men from Ontario have been arrested and are facing an array of charges after an armed robbery at a bank in the 100 block of Provencher Boulevard on Thursday afternoon.

Two men brandishing knives went into the bank around 4:25 p.m. and demanded money from a teller, police said. They fled the scene in a vehicle with two other men. Four suspects were in custody less than five hours after the robbery.

It was actually a very quick incident. We are very fortunate that officers were able to respond really quickly. The incident was dispatched very quickly, Const. Tammy Skrabek said. The people at the bank gave an excellent description of the suspects so that officers could identify them out in public.

As you can see from the timeline, officers spent an awful lot of time trying to locate them.

Police said officers found the vehicle a short time after the robbery and searched the area. Two suspects were spotted trying to run away in the 100 block of Alpine Avenue and officers, assisted by a canine unit, were able to catch one of them. Officers found two suspects around 7:30 p.m. in the area of Des Meurons Street and Humboldt Avenue.

The fourth suspect was picked up around 9 p.m. in the area of St. Annes Road and Bishop Grandin Boulevard.

An undisclosed amount of money stolen from the bank was recovered.

Lindon Hunter, 27, of Mississauga; Denzel Domfeh, 22, of Etobicoke; Nicholas Smith, 23, of Mississauga; and Travis Walker, 30, also from Ontario, have all been charged with: robbery; possessing a weapon; carrying a concealed weapon, a prohibited device or ammunition; and disguise with intent.

 staff
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This article was published 12/05/2017 (2007 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dr. David Peachey has repudiated and rejected accusations made by NDP health critic Matt Wiebe that the Pallister government politically interfered in his seminal report on Manitoba health-care needs.

We received zero interference from this government, Peachey said Friday afternoon in an interview from Nova Scotia. Mr. Wiebe is absolutely unfounded. I cant imagine where Mr. Wiebe is coming from.

We received direction from nobody  our mandate was a blank piece of paper. At no time did we receive political or staff interference. We did our work, we did it absolutely independently, Peachey said.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Dr. David Peachey: "We received zero interference from this government."

We did what we were asked to do, come up with a report on needs, said Peachey, who was adamant that he and his Health Intelligence and Associates consulting firm would have rejected any hint of interference.

In the ministers estimates hearings Thursday afternoon, Wiebe accused Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen of political interference in the writing of the Peachey report. Wiebe accused Goertzen of ordering his staff to steer Peachey into the exact ideological stance that he wanted him to be in.

Thats the decision that the minister made. He politically interfered in that process through his staff and thats fine, thats where he wants to go, Wiebe said.

Goertzen fired back, accusing Wiebe of impugning Peacheys integrity and daring Wiebe to step out of the chamber and repeat his claims where he would not be protected from legal action.

Peachey was hired by the former NDP government. Goertzen released Peacheys report two months ago while announcing widespread changes intended to improve the health-care system, including closing three emergency rooms in Winnipeg and removing the urgent-care facility from the Misericordia Health Centre. Peachey said Friday his report does not name any specific health-care facility.

Our recommendation was that there be three major acute-care hospitals fully staffed and equipped, he said. Winnipeg does not need six acute-care hospitals.

Nowhere in the report does he say which emergency rooms should close and which should be retained, or which hospitals should have urgent-care centres and other major facilities, Peachey said. It has been frustrating to read claims that he named specific facilities in what Peachey sees as a rebranding of facilities, he said.

Peachey said that he also did not receive any interference from the former NDP government, which originally hired him.

In the same exchange Thursday, Wiebe unloaded on Goertzen when he again demanded the health minister release a KPMG value-for-money audit of the health-care system the province has withheld  arguing it contains proprietary information belonging to KPMG  and that the health minister release information from the wait times task force Wiebe insists Goertzen has.

TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS NDP health critic Matt Wiebe.

Goertzen retorted that Wiebe is coming up with conspiracy schemes.

Now, that, of course, impugns the reputation of Dr. Peachey, who, I understand, is renowned across Canada for his work, has done this in many other provinces. I doubt there is another province in Canada where hes been accused by an elected official of somehow manipulating his report politically, Goertzen said.

Ive given him the assurance that neither I nor my staff had any interaction with Dr. Peachey. We got his report. We accepted it, said Goertzen. I would feel embarrassed for the province that wed have someone whod even raise those sorts of aspersions against someone like Dr. Peachey.

Wiebe countered that Peacheys own report said he had heard the Conservative throne speech, was aware the province was contemplating cuts and worked with a steering committee.

Goertzen said he had no idea who Peachey was when he became health minister and only later learned the province had commissioned him to do a report on planning options for clinical and preventive health-care services in Manitoba.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/05/2017 (2006 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HES the most decorated serviceman in the history of the Canadian military, but William George Barker isnt necessarily a household name.

However, a project is underway to immortalize the lieutenant-colonels legacy in his hometown of Dauphin. The city is in the process of building seven statues that represent the guiding principles of the community.

Barkers statue, the fifth in the series, is meant to reflect the principle of courage.

JEN DOERKSEN/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Artist Charlie Johnston was commissioned by Dauphin to create a sculpture of Canadas most decorated war hero Billy Barker. Johnston says working in CityPlace is his way of sharing the process with the public.

Its a fitting legacy for a farm-boy-turned-war-hero.

I think doing a bronze is very visceral, and I think it makes the memory of Barker come alive, Dauphin Mayor Eric Irwin said.

For Charlie Johnston, the local artist making the statue, this is not his first time creating a likeness of a man long overdue for acknowledgement.

Johnston recently created a monument to famous Second World War pilot and Winnipegger Andrew Mynarski that stands in Vimy Ridge Memorial Park.

Im approaching Billy Barker in the same style and fashion as Mynarski, to use the sculpture to tell his story, Johnston said, rubbing the clay of the statue with his thumb.

The new statue, still only a sculpture waiting to be shipped to the foundry, is posed with a map in Barkers hand as he gazes into the distance. Its not a typical military statue pose, but Johnston strives to give a piece of himself to every work of art he makes.

I think thats what breathes life into a piece, is when I put myself into it, Johnston said.

How would I feel? What would I do? Would I make the same choices these men made? I dont know.

Barker grew up on a farm just outside of Dauphin, where he learned from his father how to ride horses and shoot a rifle.

He joined the military when the First World War broke out in 1914. When the Royal Flying Corps began taking volunteers, they were looking for soldiers who had horseback riding experience.

It was believed riding a horse required a heightened level of co-ordination and physical dexterity  exactly the kind of traits wanted in a pilot.

So Barker joined the corps in 1916 and became a pilot by February 1917.

He became an ace  the informal title for a pilot who has shot down at least five enemy planes  during his deployment to Italy late that year.

John Mitchell, a pilot in Barkers squadron who knew him well, never attributed his success to his flying ability.

Whilst one could not say he was a good pilot, he certainly made up for this in his shooting, the captain said in one historical account.

I have seen enemy machines break up in the air or go down in flames long before I realized we were in range.

Over the course of his military career, Barker was credited with 50 aerial victories  an ace 10 times over. It was on a flight over France in October 1918 that Barker reached that mark and earned his Victoria Cross.

On his way to England from the front lines, Barker flew close to the trenches, searching for one last fight.

After targeting an surveillance plane, he suddenly found himself facing down an estimated 50 enemy fighters.

He downed four planes before enemy fire that struck both of his legs and shattered his left elbow forced him to crash-land  luckily, behind friendly lines. Soldiers who recovered him were surprised to find him alive.

When Barker was awarded the Victoria Cross, the citation called the battle a notable example of the exceptional bravery and disregard of danger which this very gallant officer has always displayed throughout his distinguished career.

matthew.olson@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/05/2017 (2006 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Provincial and federal governments continue to pay more to incarcerate people when that money could be spent instead on investing in community organizations, treatment programs and family supports, a senator and longtime inmate advocate told a Winnipeg crowd Friday night.

Less than a year into her Senate appointment, Kim Pate continued her 35-year activism to raise awareness about the state of Canadas prisons with a talk at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the first in a restorative justice lecture series offered by Mediation Services.

Pate is drawing attention to the plight of the fastest-growing population of prisoners in Canada  women and girls  most of whom have had histories of physical and sexual abuse and mental illness. Thats a horrendous reality to face, but one a lot of people dont know, said the former executive director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies.

Sen. Kim Pate, an advocate for inmates, talks about reducing prison populations Friday.

Indigenous women, in particular, are disproportionately locked up in Manitoba and across Canada and are under-protected and over-policed, Pate said in an interview with the Free Press before her presentation. The federal government spends millions a year housing women in the federal prison system.

Why not invest that in the community and have it benefit not just those people who might otherwise be criminalized, but the entire community? So I think we choose how we spend  its a policy decision of how we spend our money, she said.

Manitoba has long maintained one of the highest incarceration rates and the highest rate of inmates on remand awaiting trial. Women who are incarcerated are more likely to face additional charges for acting out in custody, Pate said, even though the same behaviour is more likely to be tolerated in male prisoners.

Really what it was usually was how they were reacting after theyd been strip-searched or their own experience of having been sexually abused when they were young was to resist anybody doing anything on their body. And so if they violently reacted, if they pulled away, they might get charged and in prison if they swore at people or were disrespectful, they might accumulate charges, she said. Again, it doesnt excuse bad behaviour, but in my experience you wouldnt see men getting criminal charges for that kind of behaviour. You wouldnt see them classified as maximum-security prisoners.

In Manitoba, where the realities of missing and murdered indigenous women and over-representation of indigenous inmates are apparent, Pate said, leaders need to do more to follow the calls to action identified by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

She intends to continue her advocacy work in the Senate with the goal of reducing the number of inmates in custody who could be helped by improved access to mental-health services, addictions treatment and more community support. She is preparing to embark on a tour of Canadian prisons with the human rights committee.

I have an obligation to use whatever privilege I have now because of my education and because of this position to work as hard as I can to ensure these issues are dealt with.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/05/2017 (2006 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This has not been a banner week in the Manitoba legislature.

NDP MLA Rob Altemeyer was forced to admit hed racked up a $5,000 bill on his government cellphone while on vacation in Mexico. Altemeyer, now officially one of the last people on the face of the Earth to hear about a little something called roaming fees, said he intended to pay the money back. Its just that he hasnt done it yet. But he will. Promise.

Meanwhile, on the government side of the legislature, Premier Brian Pallister was functioning once again at his petulant best.

Photos by WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS New Democrat Rob Altemeyer (left) and Premier Brian Pallister during question period in the Manitoba legislature.

It was revealed that Pallister had registered a new company in Costa Rica, where he owns a vacation home. However, when asked what this company did, the premier refused to say. He was just as prickly when he was asked to explain how it is he keeps in touch with his office when hes basking in the Central American sun, refusing to provide even the simplest details.

When he was accused of neglecting his duties when on vacation, Pallister claimed he works harder than any premier thats been around here for a long, long time. (Note to premier: thats a preposterous, immature thing for any premier to say about any of his predecessors. All first ministers work hard.)

But it got worse when Pallister followed up with the claim that I dont have to defend my work ethic. (Further note to premier: when you become a public servant, you do have to defend your work ethic.)

And then, when we all thought it couldnt get worse, it got even worse: I take less vacation time than the previous premier and the one before that. (Last note to premier: not sure where you got your information on former premiers Gary Doer and Greg Selinger, but after admitting you spend up to eight weeks a year in Costa Rica, its a little unlikely the other premiers took more time off.)

Sigh. Two things become patently clear when you review the silliness that unfolded this week on Broadway.

First, the Manitoba legislature seems to have adopted the maturity and decorum of the average daycare centre. And the problems didnt start this past week; politics in this province has been devoid of maturity for most of the past year. Remember the unfounded take your pants off allegation levelled by Tory minister Rochelle Squires at opposition MLAs? Or the incredibly long and painful process the NDP went through to decide that Mohinder Saran, twice accused of sexual harassment, should no longer sit in caucus?

The list of abject stupidity and incompetence goes on and on and on.

Which brings us to our second point: Manitoba desperately needs a third viable political party to shake up the electorate and force the NDP and the Tories to be, well, better.

This province is starved for an alternative to the NDP, currently still on a downward trajectory and reaching for the bottom of provincial politics, and the Progressive Conservatives, riding high with a majority mandate but seemingly unable to escape a litany of self-inflicted wounds that will make the next election much more competitive than it probably needs to be.

Alternatives? The Manitoba Liberal Party has, at times, threatened to become a legitimate alternative. In the 2016 election, for example, the Grits looked ready to make a breakthrough. Lamentably, rookie leader Rana Bokhari dragged the partys fortunes down with her own inability to perform even the simplest of campaign duties. Yes, the Liberals won three seats, but the party did not play a major role in determining the outcome of the election.

What of the Manitoba Green Party? The Greens nearly knocked off Altemeyer in the Wolseley riding but have never really materialized into a legitimate player. Even after their best electoral showing, the Greens seem to have vanished from the political landscape.

The simple, awful fact of the matter is that Manitoba provincial politics is stuck in a dysfunctional rut in which the NDP and Progressive Conservatives take turns at governing and then running their parties into the ground  all with the confidence that no other party will step into the equation and disrupt the vicious cycle.

Premier Brian Pallister during question period in the Manitoba Legislature.

What would it be like to live in a province where a legitimate third-party alternative existed to keep the others on their toes? One need only look as far as the election this past week in British Columbia.

After voting was completed, the Liberals, under leader Christy Clark, were reduced to a minority mandate with 43 of 87 seats. The NDP, widely expected to win the election, got 41 seats. And then there was the Green party, which captured nearly 17 per cent of the vote  or more than 300,000 votes  and won three seats. That heroic performance means the Greens will likely hold the balance of power for whichever party ultimately forms government.

Globe and Mail columnist Gary Mason, among the most elegant analysts of the wacky B.C. political scene, suggests the three Green MLAs could serve as the antidote to the rampant cronyism and arrogance that have characterized the Clark-led Liberal government.

If the final outcome of the 2017 election in B.C. is a minority government, the three-MLA Green party could have a capacious impact on the Clark government, Mason wrote the morning after the election.

It is hard to look at what is happening in B.C. without wondering how much better things would be in Manitoba if a third party held the balance of power and was able to curb the insipidness of the NDP and the unbridled but unearned arrogance of Progressive Conservatives. What if Pallister had to pay homage to a third-party caucus to keep his government afloat? Would he turn his back on Costa Rica and actually become the diligent, hard-working premier he claims to be?

And what of the NDP? Would the NDP have allowed itself to fight the last election with a leader such as Selinger, a man whose personal brand was so badly damaged the party had nowhere to go but down?

The presence of a viable third party for voters here remains, for the time being, an impossible dream. One can only hope that the dysfunction unfolding in the Manitoba legislature inspires the creation of that third option.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/05/2017 (2006 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

You wouldnt give a house key to every visitor who darkened your doorway.

Yet when it comes to handing out keys to the city, Winnipeg has historically been both profligate and undiscerning. This highest of city honours has been lavished on celebrities with whom one wouldnt care to share a public restroom, let alone give metaphorical access to ones abode.

While, for example, Vancouvers list of recipients is contained mostly to esteemed statespeople, Winnipegs is littered with B-list actors and has-been rock stars, many of whom, former mayor Sam Katz revealed to the Free Press in 2011, have asked to be awarded the key in a transparent bid for publicity. (Set phasers to not-at-all-stunned: Star Treks William Shatner has received the keys to Montreal, Vancouver and Key West, Fla.)

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Evelyn Hart in the RWBs Vespers

Even those honorees with respectable resumes  Sir Paul McCartney, Jerry Seinfeld  are selected more for their temporary proximity to city hall than for any meaningful contribution to civic life.

Our starry-eyed susceptibility to wooing by any moderately famous person who bats his eyelashes at us makes us look provincial and naive, like a lovestruck rube who proposes marriage to a one-night stand.

So when Mayor Brian Bowman presented Toronto-born ballerina Evelyn Hart with the key to the city on Thursday, it brought a welcome bright spot to a list that has been tarnished by the likes of Beverly Hills 90210 actress Shannen Doherty and Kiss bassist Gene Simmons, stars who have little connection to the city and less claim to honorary citizenship.

Ms. Hart, however, is so indelibly linked to Winnipeg, there are many people who probably believe she was born here. She attended the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School Professional Division as a teenager before becoming the companys principal dancer in 1979. Her inimitable lyricism and ethereal grace were the RWBs calling card until her retirement from the company in 2005, and she acted as a mentor for the dancers who led the troupe in the years afterward.

Her performances in signature roles with the RWB all over the world put Winnipeg on the map, while its debatable whether Simmons could find Winnipeg on a map.

Even after officially hanging up her pointe shoes, Ms. Hart has returned to the city for the past three years to perform in RWB ballets, something she says feels like coming home.

Its unlikely, considering Ms. Harts many laurels, that this award will hold pride of place on her crowded mantel. In addition to a lifetime of critical acclaim and fan adoration, the dancer was made a Member of the Order of Manitoba in 2006. She is a Companion of the Order of Canada and was awarded the Governor Generals Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement in 2001. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. She does not need an oversized novelty key to remind herself of her many achievements.

One could argue that Winnipeg also does not need to hitch its wagon to stars to bask in their reflected glow, but if we insist on doing so, it behooves us to choose ones who share their light graciously.

Did Ms. Harts people request she be given the key? It doesnt really matter. She deserves the honour. And so do we.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/05/2017 (2006 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MOSCOW  The arrests are decisive, dramatic, and nationally televised.

As the camera rolls, masked Russian counterintelligence agents jump out of a van and dash across a field outside Moscow. They take down a man in a blue coat, pin him to the pavement and pull a pistol from his pants.

This is Abror Azimov, the TV announcer says, one of the organizers of last months bombing of a St. Petersburg subway train, which killed 16 people.

David Filipov / Washington Post A rug-seller checks her smartphone in a stall in the bazaar in Kara-Suu, on Kyrgyzstans border with Uzbekistan, a heavy recruitment region for the Islamic State.

In the next scene, agents arrest Azimovs older brother, Akram. They pull a grenade from a bag he is carrying. The elder brother, the announcer says, is also an accomplice in the bombing.

The detentions, broadcast recently on one of Russias most-watched news programs, are designed to show law enforcements resolve. They give the public a name for a new enemy in Russias struggle against domestic terrorism: migrant workers from Central Asia. And, some rights advocates worry, they are the harbinger of a new wave of repression against a vulnerable minority.

The Azimovs are part of a group of about 20 suspects who have been rounded up in what Russian authorities say is an aggressive pursuit of Islamist extremists involved in the bombing. All of the suspects hail from predominantly Muslim, strife-torn former Soviet republics of Central Asia, from which, Russian President Vladimir Putin recently estimated, several thousand people have left to join the Islamic State.

Russian authorities say they are acting prudently to protect their country from a clear and present threat. Last month, Alexander Bortnikov, director of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, said agents had thwarted 16 terrorist attacks across Russia in 2016, most of which involved migrants from other former Soviet republics.

But some worry migrant workers from Central Asia make convenient targets. In the 2013 campaign for Moscow mayor, both the eventual winner, Sergey Sobyanin, and the runner-up, opposition leader Alexei Navalny, campaigned on tough stances toward economic migrants from the region.

They are treated like second-class humans in Russia, said Tanya Lokshina, Russia program director for Human Rights Watch.



As the caliphate crumbles and Islamist militants return from the Middle East, the concern in Moscow is that they will travel to Russia to infiltrate the large population of Muslim economic migrants from Central Asia  between 2.7 million and 4.2 million people, according to a 2016 study published by the Moscow-based journal Russia in Global Affairs.

Citizens of Kyrgyzstan  the home country of the Azimovs and Akbarzhon Dzhalilov, the suspected suicide bomber in the St. Petersburg attack  can travel to Russia without a visa, as can those from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. These countries intersect in the Ferghana Valley, a volatile region that has seen a growth of stringent versions of Islam and the recruitment of hundreds of militants to fight in the Islamic State.

Central Asian migrants, who come to fill the low-paying jobs Russians often refuse, become vulnerable to Islamist militant propaganda because of their rather difficult social-economic position in Russia, said Andrei Kazantsev, a specialist on Central Asia and a member of the Valdai Discussion Club, a Moscow think tank.

Some analysts are suspicious of the authorities speed in identifying the alleged organizers of the St. Petersburg bombing. Kazantsev is not, attributing the results to the sheer number of police and counterintelligence agents dedicated to the investigation.

Three days after the bombing, Russian investigators said they had arrested eight possible accomplices in the subway attack.

Along with the footage of the Azimovs arrest, Russian television has broadcast several FSB videos showing agents kicking down doors, taking suspected militants into custody and displaying what narrators describe as bomb components.

No one doubts Central Asia is producing Islamist militants, but some Russian observers fear the crackdown will extend to blameless civilians.

They refer to Russias response to militancy in the North Caucasus region along the countrys southern border. There, federal forces fought two civil wars in Russias semi-autonomous republic of Chechnya. They are combating a simmering Islamist insurgency in the neighbouring republic of Dagestan and facing Islamic State fighters returning home to these regions. Along with suspected militants, rights advocates say, thousands of innocents have been subject to imprisonment, torture and summary execution.

Arkady Dubnov, an independent Central Asia analyst based in Moscow, said authorities are clearly hurrying to prove the Central Asian connection to the St. Petersburg attack, which is stoking fear of migrants among the Russian population. He said authorities had provided little evidence of the suspects terrorist links, other than fake details of an investigation and staged arrests.

When FSB agents prepare to detain an armed terrorist, he said, they normally wear body armour. In both of the televised arrests, the agents do not appear to be wearing protective vests under their jackets, and their guns are holstered, even though a narrator says they knew the suspects would be armed.



Jalal-Abad is in Kyrgyzstans part of the Ferghana Valley. The area has produced a prominent field commander in Syria, Sirozhiddin Mukhtarov, known as Abu Salah al-Uzbeki, who is believed to have been recruiting fighters from his native region since 2013. One Kyrgyz news site has reported that Abu Salah ordered the St. Petersburg bombing, although the SITE Intelligence Group, a private company that monitors terrorist organizations, reported last month that a group called the Imam Shamil Battalion claimed responsibility.

Lack of opportunities and access to good education among youth, a poor labour market, conflict tensions among ethnic groups, political turbulence and widespread corruption in the government system leave a large part of the population vulnerable and marginalized, said Akylai Karimova, an activist from the Ferghana Valley city of Osh, Kyrgyzstan, who runs a UN-funded project to reduce radicalism among young people. These, in turn, become a perfect base for radical elements to spread among them.

Until now, the economic rewards of working in Russia, even in lower-paying jobs, were worth enduring the second-class treatment faced by many migrants. According to the 2016 study in Russia in Global Affairs, 31 per cent of Kyrgyzstans gross domestic product came in the form of remittances from Russia.

But the news of arrests after the St. Petersburg attack has changed some peoples minds, Karimova said. They seem lost, saying, There is no point for us to go to Russia now. 

There is some evidence the televised crackdown is having an effect on Russians, too. In a survey of 1,800 Russians taken in the wake of the bombing, 60 per cent said they believed the threat of international terrorism has increased. But 75 per cent said they believed Russian authorities could protect them from it.

 Washington Post
When it comes to discussing the unique collection of effigy mounds prevalent throughout Sauk County, determining whats fact and whats fiction can prove difficult.

More than 150 years of professional and amateur research has been dedicated to the ancient earth sculptures, but local researchers say they still hear theories on who built the mounds, how they came to be, and what they represent that are pure fabrication.

University of Wisconsin-Baraboo/Sauk County senior anthropology lecturer George Christiansen will present a lecture at the Sauk County History Center on Tuesday thats intended to dispel some common misconceptions about effigy mounds. During the talk, hell address with archaeological evidence and anthropological research what the mounds are, what is inside and who made them.

Christiansen said research and excavation methods have greatly improved in recent years, and people need to be updated on what is known about the countys effigy mounds.

One-hundred-and-fifty years of research is a long time, he said. What researchers held to be true of effigy mounds back then isnt necessarily true today.

One common misconception that Christiansen hears regularly is that the effigy mounds arent burial sites. Rob Nurre, another knowledgeable source on local effigy mounds, said the falsehood may be due to small amounts of human remains found at some excavation sites in the past. Several excavated mounds in Wisconsin have turned up very scarce human remnants, such as tooth enamel and cremated remains, Nurre said.

If youre not really looking for those things, its easy to miss, he said.

These days, archeologists are able to conduct screenings, more complete excavations and fine-scale recovery. Due to the improved techniques, archeologists now know that upwards of 90 percent of effigy mounds produce human remains, Christiansen said.

Things like teeth enamel, nowadays you would catch that, he said. Its just something that you would get.

Another controversy surrounding the effigy mounds concerns which culture built the earthen sculptures.

One theory, spurred largely by racism, asserted that native peoples cultures were too primitive to have constructed the mounds. Instead, proponents of the theory claimed a different mound-builder culture lived in the area for a few hundred years, constructed the mounds and left for unknown reasons.

While the theory has been largely disproven, Christiansen said he and Nurre still speak with individuals who argue its validity.

That was a common idea 100 years ago, but it doesnt apply anymore, Christiansen said. We know based on skeletal traits, based on the content of the mound, based on the distribution of the mound and what they were eating  these werent people from someplace else, they were people who lived here.

Scientists, archeologists and anthropologists have, for the most part, reached a general consensus that the mound builders were most likely decedents of the Ho-Chunk people. The history has been passed down from generation to generation as an oral tradition in the Native American tribe.

Weve come around full circle now, and were taking more into consideration oral traditions, and were thinking about distributions of mounds, Christiansen said. Theres a very high potential at this point that its the ancestors of the Ho-Chunk who made these mounds.

Other myths that Christiansen will take on during his lecture include when the mounds were built and how they were constructed.

Both Christiansen and Nurre agree that there is still much to learn about local effigy mounds, which provides all the more reason they should be respected, protected, preserved and studied further.

They also agreed the mounds ought to be viewed as works of art in addition to burial sites. By better understanding the creations, Christiansen said, people are given a window into how ancient cultures lived and viewed themselves as humans.

The idea that you would have a sculpture that was made of earth that represents a group of people or a persons worldview is really a basic definition of art, he said. These pieces of our current landscape today not only connect us to the past, but they connect us in a very human way to the people who built the mounds.
Most Sauk County employees would get a 1 percent raise next year  regardless of their job performance  if the recommendation of two committees finds its way into next years county budget.

The across-the-board increase, approved Friday during a joint meeting of the Sauk County Boards finance and personnel committees, would affect the hourly equivalent of 478 full-time employees who arent allowed to negotiate their wages.

The 1 percent increase would bring total wages for those employees to $24.9 million in 2018, an increase of about $540,000 over what is budgeted for this year.

The committees unanimously turned down Personnel Committee Chair Tim Meisters proposal to go with a 0.75 percent increase after finance committee member Marty Krueger, the boards chair, pointed out that a 1 percent increase would only be about $70,000 more expensive.

For me, $70,000 is not worth sending that quarter percent message, Krueger said.

He also said sheriffs department officers, the only county employees that can collectively bargain for their wages, are not likely to negotiate anything less than a 1 percent raise next year. A smaller increase for employees who cant negotiate would cause antagonism, Krueger said.

In 2010, Republican state lawmakers eliminated collective bargaining for most public employees, except for certain first responders. Among county employees, only the sheriffs department officers union is exempt from the law.

The increase approved Friday applies broadly to non-union workers across the board. Individual employees also can earn raises based on their performance.

The annual adjustment is intended to ensure that the county offers competitive salaries and avoids situations in which union employees earn more than the managers above them.

A lot of this goes to employee morale as well, Administrative Coordinator Alene Kleczek Bolin said. It really sends a message to employees about how much the county board values them or doesnt value them.

A county ordinance requires that the personnel committee conduct an annual salary review, and then recommend changes in pay rates, fringe benefits and other employment conditions to the county board.

The recommendation assists department managers in developing their budgets for the following year. Budget discussions typically ramp up in September, and the board approves a final budget in November.

The board could turn down the committees recommendation and go with a smaller increase, larger increase, or no increase at all.

The pay raise recommended Friday would bring the total package cost of the affected employees to $34.7 million in 2018, an increase of about $900,000 over this year.

I love county employees, but at some point we have to start looking out for taxpayers and say this is going to cost taxpayers a million dollars, said Finance Committee member Eric Peterson, who later voted for the increase. Theres got to be some kind of a balance.

The countys total budget includes about $85 million in total expenses. Property taxes are the largest source of revenue, at about $30 million. Other major revenue sources include grants and aids, user fees, sales tax, and intergovernmental charges.
Dean Devlin liked what he saw in 2014 when he served as a Badger Honor Flight volunteer accompanying his father, a World War II Navy veteran, on a tour of war memorials in Washington, D.C.

It was fantastic, the way they treated us and how the crowd greeted us, and all the memorials and the changing of the guard at (Arlington National) cemetery, Devlin said. We got on the buses and there was a motorcycle cop in front of us and a motorcycle cop behind us and we never had to stop for a light the whole time.

On Saturday, the 67-year-old Evansville resident is set to embark on his second honor flight. This time hell fly as a veteran of the Vietnam War to be honored with about 90 other veterans.

The popularity of the Madison-based nonprofit has propelled Badger Honor Flight into its eighth year with eligibility for the free flights extended beyond its original mission of giving the rapidly disappearing population of World War II veterans a chance to visit the national memorial erected in their honor in 2004.

While World War II veterans are given priority, the volunteer-run program also has seats for those who served in the Korea and Vietnam eras.

Badger Honor Flight is one of dozens that sprang up around the country starting in 2005.

The first Madison flight was in 2010. Volunteers had spent a year planning and collecting donations so that 97 World War II veterans could make the emotional, one-day, whirlwind trip.

Saturday will mark the organizations 27th trip, boosting the total number of veterans honored to about 2,375, said Brian Ziegler, chairman of the groups board.

Five World War II veterans were set to go on Saturday, along with 43 from the Korean War era, 41 from Vietnam and one who served in both the Korea and Vietnam eras.

A few years ago when the number of World War II veterans signing up for flights began to dwindle, the groups volunteers didnt hesitate, Ziegler said.

The board, when we discussed it, never wavered when we went on to the Korea and Vietnam eras, Ziegler said. And the community at large has embraced that greatly.

The flights are paid for through donations. The veterans and volunteers leave early in the morning from Dane County Regional Airport. When they return that night they are met by thousands of well-wishers who gather in the airport to welcome them home to banners, music, loud applause and cheering.

Many veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam returned home without fanfare. Some who served in Vietnam say their reluctance was compounded by knowing how bitterly divisive that war was in the U.S.

Dean Devlin said he returned from Vietnam in 1970.

We werent welcomed home too good, Devlin said.

After watching anti-war protests on television, he decided to see one first hand. He had a girlfriend who lived in Madison, and they went to the UW-Madison campus where protesters and police were clashing.

I couldnt believe what I was seeing, Devlin said.  One, two, three, four. We dont want your (expletive) war, and spitting in the polices face and the priests face.

Devlin had enlisted in the Army to avoid being drafted. He said that after basic training, he spent some time in an infantry unit in Vietnam but soon transferred to a combat engineering unit that repaired roads and bridges that had been blown up.

About a decade ago, Devlin said, he began attending reunions every other year with members of his unit.

His father is Rollie Devlin, 92, who served in the Navy in World War II before returning home to Evansville and a career selling real estate.

He remembers the 2014 honor flight fondly, his son said.

Dad said it was one of the best trips hed ever taken, Dean Devlin said.

In addition to Saturday, Badger Honor Flights are scheduled on Sept. 16 and Oct. 7 this year. More information is available at www.badgerhonorflight.org or by calling and leaving a message at (608) 616-0243.
A package of Democratic bills introduced on Friday seeks to shield people in Wisconsin with pre-existing conditions from potential changes to the Affordable Care Act.

Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, and Rep. Daniel Riemer, D-Milwaukee, introduced the set of five bills a week after the House of Representatives passed, with a four-vote margin, a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare. The Affordable Health Care Act is currently under consideration in the Senate.

"I think the alert level went from orange to red with respect to the protection of health care laws in America that protect people with pre-existing conditions and that protect people from these arbitrary implementations of lifetime limits," Riemer said in an interview. "The House, in pushing this bill further than its ever been, is likely to jeopardize those things, along with the continuation of essential health benefits and low-cost preventative services."

The package includes bills that would:

Bar insurance companies from setting annual or lifetime limits on insurance benefits.

Prohibit insurance companies from refusing to cover people with pre-existing conditions or from setting rates based on preexisting conditions

Require health insurance plans to cover some preventative services at no cost to the patient.

Require insurance plans to cover the 10 categories of essential health benefits required under the Affordable Care Act.

Allow family planning clinics to receive Medicaid reimbursement through the state if it is eliminated at the federal level (this bill is authored by Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison).

The bill passed by the House last week would allow states to opt out of some of the Affordable Care Act's requirements for covering people with pre-existing conditions.

To do that, Wisconsin would set up high-risk insurance pools to help arrange coverage for those people.

Initially after the legislation was passed, Gov. Scott Walker said opting out is something he "certainly would consider." He later tweeted, "It is a given that WI will ensure coverage for people with pre-existing conditions."

Riemer said he hopes that is the case, but said his bills would serve as a kind of insurance of their own.

"Its my position that these protections ought to exist for every American," he said.
Aaron Carter, the singer-rapper who began performing as a child and had hit albums starting in his teen years, was found dead at his home in Southern California. He was 34. Representatives for Carters family confirmed the singers death Saturday. They did not provide any immediate further comment. A sheriff's official says deputies responding to reports of a medical emergency found a person deceased at the home in Lancaster. Aaron Carter, the younger brother of Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys, performed as an opening act for Britney Spears as well as his brothers boy band, and appeared on the familys reality series, House of Carters.
URBANA -- Eastern Illinois Foodbank stands to benefit from Walmarts Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign, a nationwide initiative calling on the public to take action in the fight against hunger.

The Feeding America nationwide network of 200 food banks, of which Eastern Illinois Foodbank is a member, stands to benefit from the campaign goal to secure at least 100 million meals for Feeding America food banks across the country.

Walmart is such a valued partner in our mission to alleviate hunger, said Jim Hires, President & CEO of Eastern Illinois Foodbank. Were so grateful to Walmart for their continued generosity and their innovative Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign that results in thousands of dollars in donations to Eastern Illinois Foodbank.

Working with customers, Discover and five of its national suppliers  Campbell Soup Company, General Mills, Kellogg Company, the Kraft Heinz Company and PepsiCo  Walmart is offering three easy ways for everyone to take action against hunger and help a local Feeding America food bank through social, online and in-store participation.

Purchase: For every participating product purchased at U.S. Walmart stores from April 17  May 15, 2017, the supplier will donate the equivalent of one meal ($0.09) on behalf of a Feeding America member food bank, up to applicable limits. For every Discover card transaction made at U.S. Walmart stores and Walmart.com during the campaign period, Discover will donate the equivalent of one meal ($0.09) to Feeding America and its network of member food banks, up to $1 million. See Walmart.com/fighthunger for further details.

Online Acts of Support: Generate meals for Feeding America food banks by engaging with the Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign on social media:

Facebook  Create original content that uses #FightHunger; like, share and/or react positively to campaign content; click on Walmart provided campaign content.

Instagram  create or share content using the campaign hashtag #FightHunger; like or share Walmart generated campaign content.

Snapchat  Use Walmart provided Fight Hunger. Spark Change. filters nationwide on April 21.

Twitter  Create original content that uses #FightHunger; like, share and/or make a campaign tweet a favorite; retweet a message featuring the campaign hashtag #FightHunger; click on Walmart provided campaign content.

For each online act of support, Walmart will donate the equivalent of 10 meals ($0.90) to Feeding America on behalf of member food banks, up to $1.5 million.

Donate at the Register: Donate to a Feeding America member food bank at the register during checkout.

With Feeding America reporting that one in eight people in America struggle with hunger, the Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign comes at a critical time. In the 17 counties that Eastern Illinois Foodbank serves (Champaign, Clark, Clay, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, DeWitt, Douglas, Edgar, Ford, Iroquois, Jasper, Livingston, McLean, Moultrie, Piatt and Vermilion), one in five people may not know where they will find their next meal.

This campaign is an important part of our ongoing commitment to helping families who struggle with hunger, said Kathleen McLaughlin, president of the Walmart Foundation and chief sustainability officer for Walmart. Together with suppliers, customers and friends at Feeding America, were dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of those who live and work in the communities we serve.

This is Walmarts 11th year working with Feeding America nationally to fight hunger and the 4th annual Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign. Last year, Eastern Illinois Foodbank benefited from more than $88,000 from Walmarts campaign to fight hunger.

To learn more about the campaign, visit www.walmart.com/fighthunger.

Eastern Illinois Foodbank works to alleviate hunger in eastern Illinois through cooperation with a network of food pantries, agencies and other programs. The Foodbank distributes donated and discounted food throughout a 17-county service area in cooperation with over 200 member agencies and programs. Through these agencies, the Foodbank provides meals to more than 116,000 men, women and children each year. The Eastern Illinois Foodbank is a member of Feeding America, Feeding Illinois, the United Way of Coles County, and the United Way of Champaign County.
The following companies are subsidiares of Procter & Gamble: "Petersburg Products International" LLC, "Procter & Gamble Services" LLC, "Procter & Gamble" LLC, 1837 LLC, Agile Pursuits Franchising Inc., Agile Pursuits Inc., Ambi Pur, Arbora & Ausonia, Arbora & Ausonia S.L.U., Avon - Giorgio Beverly Hills, Billie, Braun GmbH, Braun Shanghai Co. Ltd., Celtic Insurance Company Inc., Charlie Banana USA LLC, Corporativo Procter & Gamble S. de R.L. de C.V., DDFSkincare, Detergent Products B.V., Detergent Products SARL, Detergenti S.A., FPG Oleochemicals Sdn. Bhd., Fameccanica Data S.p.A., Fameccanica Industria e Comercio Do Brasil LTDA., Fameccanica Machinery Shanghai Co. Ltd., Fameccanica North America Inc., Farmacy Beauty, Fater Central Europe SRL, Fater Eastern Europe LLC, Fater Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Fater S.p.A., Fater Temizlik Urunleri Ltd STI, First Aid Beauty, First Aid Beauty Limited, Folgers Coffee, Fountain Square Music Publishing Co. Inc., Gillette Australia Pty. Ltd., Gillette China Limited, Gillette Commercial Operations North America, Gillette Diversified Operations Pvt. Ltd., Gillette Egypt S.A.E., Gillette Group UK Ltd, Gillette Holding Company LLC, Gillette Holding GmbH, Gillette India Limited, Gillette Industries Ltd., Gillette International B.V., Gillette Latin America Holding B.V., Gillette Management LLC, Gillette Pakistan Limited, Gillette Poland International Sp. z.o.o., Gillette Shanghai Ltd., Gillette U.K. Limited, Gillette del Uruguay S.A., Hyginett KFT, Industries Marocaines Modernes SA, Inversiones Plaza LLC, LLC "Procter & Gamble - Novomoskovsk", LLC "Procter & Gamble Distributorskaya Compania", LLC Procter & and Gamble Ukraine, Laboratoire Mediflor S.A.S., Laboratorios Vicks S.L.U., Lamberts Healthcare Ltd., Liberty Street Music Publishing Company Inc., Limited Liability Company 'Procter & Gamble Trading Ukraine', MDVIP, MERCK KGAA NPV, Marcvenca Inversiones C.A., Merck Consumer Healthcare, Modern Industries Company - Dammam, Modern Products Company - Jeddah, Native, Nature's Best Health Products Ltd., New Chapter Canada Inc., New Chapter Inc., Nioxin Research Laboratories, Noxell Corporation, OUAI, Olay LLC, Oral-B Laboratories, P&G Consumer Health Germany GmbH, P&G Distribution East Africa Limited, P&G Distribution Morocco SAS, P&G Hair Care Holding Inc., P&G Health Austria GmbH & Co. OG, P&G Health France S.A.S., P&G Health Germany GmbH, P&G Healthcare Zhejiang Limited, P&G Industrial Peru S.R.L., P&G Innovation Godo Kaisha, P&G Investment Management Ltd., P&G Israel M.D.O. Ltd., P&G Japan G.K., P&G K.K., P&G Northeast Asia Pte. Ltd., P&G Prestige Godo Kaisha, P&G South African Trading Pty. Ltd., P&G-Clairol, PG13 Launchpad Alpha Inc., PG13 Launchpad Beta Inc., PG13 Launchpad Gamma Inc., PGT Healthcare LLP, PT Procter & Gamble Home Products Indonesia, PT Procter & Gamble Operations Indonesia, Phase II Holdings Corporation, Pressbox, Procter & Gamble Algeria EURL, Procter & Gamble Amazon Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Amiens S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Argentina SRL, Procter & Gamble Asia Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Australia Proprietary Limited, Procter & Gamble Azerbaijan Services LLC, Procter & Gamble Bangladesh Private Ltd., Procter & Gamble Blois S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Brazil Holdings B.V., Procter & Gamble Bulgaria EOOD, Procter & Gamble Business Services Canada Company, Procter & Gamble Canada Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Chengdu Ltd., Procter & Gamble Chile Limitada, Procter & Gamble China Ltd., Procter & Gamble China Sales Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Colombia Ltda., Procter & Gamble Commercial LLC, Procter & Gamble Czech Republic s.r.o., Procter & Gamble DS Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Danmark ApS, Procter & Gamble Detergent Beijing Ltd., Procter & Gamble Deutschland GmbH, Procter & Gamble Distributing New Zealand Limited, Procter & Gamble Distributing Philippines Inc., Procter & Gamble Distribution Company Europe BV, Procter & Gamble Distribution S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Eastern Europe LLC, Procter & Gamble Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Procter & Gamble Egypt, Procter & Gamble Egypt Distribution, Procter & Gamble Egypt Holding, Procter & Gamble Egypt Manufacturing Company, Procter & Gamble Egypt Supplies, Procter & Gamble Energy Company LLC, Procter & Gamble Espana S.A.U., Procter & Gamble Far East Inc., Procter & Gamble Finance Holding Ltd., Procter & Gamble Finance Management S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Finance U.K. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Financial Investments LLP, Procter & Gamble Financial Services Ltd., Procter & Gamble Financial Services S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Finland OY, Procter & Gamble France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH, Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH & Co. Operations oHG, Procter & Gamble Ghana Trading Limited, Procter & Gamble GmbH, Procter & Gamble Grundstucks-und Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, Procter & Gamble Guangzhou Consumer Products Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Guangzhou Enterprise Management Service Company Limited, Procter & Gamble Guangzhou Ltd., Procter & Gamble Guangzhou Technology Innovation Co. LTD., Procter & Gamble Gulf FZE, Procter & Gamble Hair Care LLC, Procter & Gamble Health & Beauty Care Limited, Procter & Gamble Health Belgium BV, Procter & Gamble Health Limited, Procter & Gamble Health Ltd., Procter & Gamble Health Poland Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Hellas Single Member Ltd., Procter & Gamble Holding France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Holding GmbH, Procter & Gamble Holding S.r.l., Procter & Gamble Holding Thailand Limited, Procter & Gamble Holdings UK Ltd., Procter & Gamble Home Products Private Limited, Procter & Gamble Honduras S de RL, Procter & Gamble Hong Kong Limited, Procter & Gamble Hungary Wholesale Trading Partnership KKT, Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care Limited, Procter & Gamble Inc., Procter & Gamble India Holdings Inc., Procter & Gamble Indochina Company Limited, Procter & Gamble Industrial - 2012 C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial S.C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Costa Rica Limitada, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de El Salvador Limitada de Capital Variable, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Guatemala Limitada, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Panama S. de R.L., Procter & Gamble International Operations SA, Procter & Gamble International Operations SA-ROHQ, Procter & Gamble International Sarl, Procter & Gamble Investment Company UK Ltd., Procter & Gamble Investment Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Italia S.p.A., Procter & Gamble Jiangsu Ltd., Procter & Gamble Kazakhstan Distribution LLP, Procter & Gamble Korea Inc., Procter & Gamble Korea S&D Co., Procter & Gamble L&CP Limited, Procter & Gamble Leasing LLC, Procter & Gamble Levant S.A.L., Procter & Gamble Limited, Procter & Gamble Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Belgium N.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Berlin GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Ireland Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing SA Pty Ltd, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Thailand Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Tianjin Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Marketing Romania SRL, Procter & Gamble Mataro S.L.U., Procter & Gamble Mexico Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Mexico Inc., Procter & Gamble Middle East FZE, Procter & Gamble Nederland B.V., Procter & Gamble Netherlands Services B.V., Procter & Gamble Nigeria Limited, Procter & Gamble Norge AS, Procter & Gamble Operations Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Overseas India B.V., Procter & Gamble Overseas Ltd., Procter & Gamble Pakistan Private Limited, Procter & Gamble Peru S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Philippines Business Services Inc., Procter & Gamble Philippines Inc., Procter & Gamble Polska Sp. z o.o, Procter & Gamble Portugal - Produtos De Consumo Higiene e Saude S.A., Procter & Gamble Product Supply U.K. Limited, Procter & Gamble Productions Inc., Procter & Gamble RHD Inc., Procter & Gamble RSC Regional Service Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Retail Services Sarl, Procter & Gamble S.r.l., Procter & Gamble Service GmbH, Procter & Gamble Services Company N.V., Procter & Gamble Services Switzerland SA, Procter & Gamble Singapore Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Spol. s.r.o. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Sverige AB, Procter & Gamble Switzerland SARL, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Limited, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Sales Company Limited, Procter & Gamble Technical Centres Limited, Procter & Gamble Technology Beijing Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Trading Thailand Limited, Procter & Gamble Tuketim Mallari Sanayii A.S., Procter & Gamble UK, Procter & Gamble UK Group Holdings Ltd, Procter & Gamble UK Parent Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Universal Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Vietnam Company Limited, Procter & Gamble d.o.o. za trgovinu, Procter & Gamble de Venezuela S.C.A., Procter & Gamble de Venezuela S.R.L., Procter & Gamble do Brasil Ltda., Procter & Gamble do Brazil LLC, Procter & Gamble do Nordeste S/A, Procter & Gamble doo Beograd, Procter & Gamble-Rakona s.r.o., Procter and Gamble Lanka Private Limited, Procter and Gamble SA Pty Ltd., Progam Realty & Development Corporation, Recovery Engineering, Redmond Products Inc., Richardson-Vicks, Richardson-Vicks Real Estate Inc., Riverfront Music Publishing Co. Inc., Rosemount LLC, SPD Development Company Limited, SPD Swiss Precision Diagnostics GmbH, Series Acquisition B.V., Seven Seas Limited, Shulton Inc., Snowberry, Snowberry New Zealand Limited, Sunflower Distributing LLC, TAOS - FL LLC, TAOS Retail LLC, THIS IS L, TULA, Tambrands, Tambrands Inc., Temple Trees Impex & Investment Private Limited, The Art of Shaving, The Art of Shaving - FL LLC, The Dover Wipes Company, The Gillette Company, The Gillette Company LLC, The Gillette co., The Iams Company Inc., The Procter & Gamble Distributing LLC, The Procter & Gamble Global Finance Company LLC, The Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Company, The Procter & Gamble Paper Products Company, The Procter & Gamble U.S. Business Services Company, This is L., This is L. Inc., Thomas Hedley Co, US CD LLC, Vidal Sassoon Shanghai Academy, VitaminHaus Pty Ltd, Walker & Co. Brands Inc., Walker & Company Brands, Wella AG, Zenlen Inc., Zirh, and iMFLUX Inc..

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CHESTERVILLE -- Peeking out from behind a hedgerow lining Illinois Route 133 west of Chesterville, two historic Amish homes steadfastly signify the first steps taken for the creation the new Illinois Amish Heritage Center.

The Moses Yoder house is the oldest known Amish house in Illinois. Yoder built the house shortly after he settled near Arthur in 1865, and the two-story porch on the front of the house is unique to Illinois Amish houses. Daniel Schrock arrived a few years later and built his home in 1882.

From their outward appearances, its clear that both houses will undergo significant restoration before opening to the public, but the people involved with the project are determined to make it a reality.

A fundraising campaign is underway to raise funds for the restoration of the houses, infrastructural improvements and numerous additional elements that will eventually fill the Illinois Amish Heritage Center site.

About $100,000 has been raised locally to go toward the initial movement and restoration of the two Amish houses. Both houses were moved to the current site in September after being spared from demolition in 1999, and moved to a location behind CHI Overhead Doors in Arthur.

They kind of got a little dilapidated. Some people didnt see them as historic buildings, said Bob Doan, secretary of the Illinois Amish Heritage Center board of directors.

The Moses Yoder and Daniel Schrock houses will be the focal points of the site after being restored to their 19th century appearance and will showcase the areas Amish heritage.

The overall mission of the project is to enhance the preservation, understanding and appreciation of all aspects of the culture and heritage of the Amish people in Illinois from 1865 to the present.

They want to preserve these aspects of life, that time period, Doan said. Because it is a unique culture and the impact it has on all of us.

The Yoder house, along with outbuildings that are planned to eventually be moved to the site, will be operated as an Amish living history farm. The Schrock house will become an education center for visiting groups and school children.

I find this extremely exciting to be able to restore the history and culture of the buildings. Its part of our history and part of our tradition, Doan said.

Future plans include construction of a museum building, which will feature exhibits that tell the history and story of the Amish culture and include items such as a historic Amish buggy and an Amish church bench wagon. Current Amish culture will also be featured to give visitors an understanding of how the Amish live, work, play and socialize.

According to the centers developmental plan, the entire project is expected to cost over $2 million.

Its a pretty big project that includes a lot of people in the area, Doan said. It should help clarify and hopefully solidify the English understanding of the Amish culture.

Local contractors, including one Amish contractor, have already been working on the restoration of the Daniel Schrock house. Doan hopes the work will be far enough along by late July to open the house during the upcoming first annual Steam Threshing Show that will be held at the site on July 21 and 22.

We hope its done enough that they get kind of the flavor of what were trying to do, Doan said.

During both days, guides will conduct tours and explain the historic significance of the houses and the restoration process.

The event will feature other historic agricultural demonstrations as well as craft and vendor booths and a food tent, Doan said.

A wheat field has already been planted in preparation for the event. Steam tractors will be on display on July 21, and the threshing is scheduled for July 22.

Theyll be a haystack when its done, Doan said. Were hoping theyll be able to take home a small souvenir sample of the wheat.

In addition to the restoration of the Schrock house, infrastructural improvements such as the completion of the entrance from Route 133, the construction of a preliminary parking lot and service road, and running utilities to the Schrock house are planned for this year.

The nice thing is that what were spending money on now will be one-time expenses, Doan said.

Planned improvements for 2018 entail the restoration of the Yoder house, construction of a pavilion with restroom facilities, utilizing the Schrock house for interim offices and a visitors center, and implementing farming and interpretive programs.

Construction of the museum building is expected to begin in 2019. Plans also call for a barn, farm buildings and an Amish school to be moved to the site during the final phase in 2020.

Once complete, the Illinois Amish Heritage Center will be a new tourist destination for visitors interested in learning about Amish heritage and culture, Doan said.

The center's officials will work with other attractions, hotels and businesses in the area to market tour packages, attract bus tours, and make Illinois Amish Country a major tourist destination.

I would encourage people to be patient with us and consider being a part of our fundraising and what were doing, Dona said. Its not a few people. So many people are involved.

Tax-deductible donations can be sent to Illinois Amish Heritage Center, P.O. Box 287, Arthur, IL 61911.
This is a current list of the top 250 companies by market capitalization on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Learn more .

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is one of the largest, and most recognizable, stock exchanges in the world. The NYSE is in New York City, New York at 11 Wall Street. The NYSE has been in existence since the earliest days of the United States becoming a nation, in 1792 and is primarily made up of blue-chip companies with large market capitalizations. In fact, many of the stocks that make up the Dow Jones Composite Index (i.e. The Dow) are listed on the NYSE.

This article gives a brief history of the New York Stock Exchange. In addition, it covers topics such as what kind of stocks trade on the exchange, what are the listing requirements, how trading is performed, and what the daily price movement of the NYSE tells investors about investor sentiment.

What Were the Origins of the NYSE?

Today, the New York Stock Exchange is known as the center of the financial universe. However, the exchanges origin is far more humble. On May 17, 1792, 24 stockbrokers signed the Buttonwood Agreement creating a centralized exchange to help provide order to the securities market in what was still a young nation. The "Buttonwood Agreement comes from the tree of the same name under which the founders signed the agreement.

An initial benefit of the exchange was how it removed the need for auctioneers when trading commodities like wheat and tobacco and to set a commission rate. The exchange initially focused on government bonds.

However, the exchange had no formal home. Business was usually conducted informally in the local coffeehouses. In 1817, the exchange changed its name to the New York Stock & Exchange Board which later became the New York Stock Exchange. At this time, the exchange adopted a constitution that set the rules for trading. A group of stockbrokers met twice a day at 40 Wall Street to trade 30 stocks and bonds.

Over time, the exchange moved became the financial hub of the country and moved to its current location in 1865.

What Kind of Stocks Trade on the NYSE?

As of June 2022, the NYSE includes approximately 2,400 companies with a market capitalization of over $28.2 trillion. Although the NYSE trades stocks of all market capitalizations, its best known for trading the stocks of large cap companies. These have the benefit of being mature companies in mature industries. And many of these companies reward shareholders with dividends.

However, that also means that many of these companies are better suited for value investors as opposed to growth investors. In bear markets this stability can be a benefit for investors as these stocks tend to perform less bad than more volatile stocks. But in a bull market, these stocks are not likely to provide investors with the growth that they look for.

An interesting fact about how the NYSE and NASDAQ operate is that the companies with the five largest market caps on the NYSE are also listed on the NASDAQ exchange.

What Are the Listing Requirements For the NYSE?

The NYSE has strict guidelines that govern the types of companies that can list on the exchange. Here are the major requirements that all companies must meet:

The company must have at least 2,200 shareholders

The company must trade over 100,000 shares per month

The company must have a market valuation of over $100 million

The company must generate more than $75 million in annual revenue

However, there is at least one advantage of having such stringent requirements. That is the companies that meet the requirements generally find it easier to get more investors funds when they hold their initial public offering (IPO).

Once a company begins trading on the NYSE, it must continue to meet these requirements. If it doesnt it can be delisted. In addition to these requirements, the stock must continue to trade above $1. If the price of a stock drops below $1 for more than 29 consecutive trading days, the stock receives an Initial Price Violation Notice.

At that point, the company has 10 days to provide the exchange with a plan for bringing their shares above $1.

How are Trades Executed on the NYSE?

For over a century, the floor of the NYSE was the place for investors to be. This meant trades were conducted by traders who ran buy and sell orders across the trading floor looking to broker a deal for their clients. But with the birth of the NASDAQ exchange in 1971, the New York Stock Exchange began conducting electronic trading.

However, the NYSE continues to conduct trades in an auction style. Brokers purchase stocks on behalf of their clients or firms. Every order features a broker who will enter the order electronically and a specialist who serves as the market maker for that stock. The specialist posts bid and ask prices and manages the actual execution of the trades. And there are still a handful of stockbrokers who still traffic buy and sell orders physically on the floor of the exchange.

How Does the NYSE Signal Investor Sentiment?

Like its counterpart, the NASDAQ, the NYSE measures the risk appetite of investors. When the NYSE is moving higher over a length of time, it signals that a risk on environment. Conversely when the NYSE moves lower over a significant period, it signals that investors are moving to a risk off position.

Some Final Thoughts on the NYSE

Financial news networks plan their programming schedule around the opening and closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange. Its still considered a distinguished honor when individuals or groups are invited to ring the opening bell. In fact, Warren Buffett is attributed with saying that in the short term, the stock market acts like a voting machine. A fact that many U.S. presidents will attest to.

The NYSE is the oldest and most recognizable of all the stock exchanges. It also has the most stringent requirements for inclusion. And those requirements must be maintained even after a stock begins publicly trading on the exchange.

Although the NYSE still has a small in-person Trading Floor, much of the trading is done electronically to provide traders with the speed to execute trades.
Telefonica Deutschland Holding AG provides integrated telecommunication services to private and business customers in Germany. It offers mobile and stationery voice and data services; very high data rate digital subscriber line (VDSL) internet services; fiber-to-the-home lines; broadband services, consisting of VDSL, cable, fiber, and fixed mobile substitution services; and machine to machine communication and managed connectivity services. The company also distributes various terminal devices, such as mobile phones; and offers digital products and services in the fields of Internet of Things, as well as O2 Tv, O2 cloud, and O2 Select & Stream. In addition, it provides access to infrastructure and services for its wholesale partners. The company provides its products and services through a network of independently operated franchise and premium partner shops, and online and telesales channels, as well as indirect selling channels, such as partnerships and co-operations with retailers. It markets its products and services under the O2, Blau, AY YILDIZ, Ortel Mobile, Telefonica, and Geeny brand names. As of December 31, 2021, Telefonica Deutschland Holding AG served approximately 45.7 million mobile accesses and 2.3 million fixed-line customers. The company was formerly known as Telefonica Germany Verwaltungs GmbH and changed its name to Telefonica Deutschland Holding AG in September 2012. The company is based in Munich, Germany. Telefonica Deutschland Holding AG is a subsidiary of Telefonica Germany Holdings Limited.
1. Comments must not be racist, misogynistic, homophobic, or otherwise bigoted.

2. Comments must not involve little more than name-calling and insulting remarks.

3. Comments must not be made by "anonymous" or "unknown".

4. Comments must not try to sneak in some free advertising for themselves (like spam).

I invite anyone who wishes to comment on this blog to do so. I enjoy the comments, whether you agree with what I have said or not. But some people want to abuse the right to comment, and since this is my blog, I have decided to lay down the following rules. If your comment violates these rules, it will not be published.
Isaacson to W&M grads: Make inclusivity your mission

Commencement: Walter Isaacson addresses W&M's Class of 2017 in Kaplan Arena Saturday morning. Photo by Stephen Salpukas

Commencement: A little rain couldn't dampen the celebratory mood on campus this morning as the graduates took a final walk across campus together. Photo by Stephen Salpukas

Commencement: Graduates walk through the Wren Building on their way to the ceremony at Kaplan Arena. Photo by Stephen Salpukas

Commencement: Graduates cross the Crim Dell on their way to Kaplan Arena. Photo by Stephen Salpukas

Commencement: The university was expected to confer degrees upon 1,413 undergraduate and 718 graduate students throughout the weekend. Photo by Stephen Salpukas

Commencement: Chancellor Robert M. Gates '65 addresses the graduates at the beginning of the ceremony. Photo by Stephen Salpukas Photo - of - Hide Caption

Although many Commencement speakers tell graduates to follow their passion, Walter Isaacson challenged William & Marys Class of 2017 to aim higher.

It isnt about your silly, little passion, he said. Its about connecting your passion to something larger than yourself, to a community, to a nation and to a world to make sure all thats connected.

Isaacson, president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, best-selling author and former chairman and CEO of CNN, served as the keynote speaker at William & Marys 2017 Commencement ceremony, held May 13 in Kaplan Arena. His speech, on the things we forgot to tell you, focused on the importance of teamwork, passion, creativity and inclusivity, pulling examples from the people he has written biographies on including Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs.

{{youtube:medium:left|r_PvfnE8Xbc, Walter Isaacson's Commencement speech}}

Your university has turned out many successful people; its turned out many powerful people, he said. Its even turned out three presidents. But the important thing, and what we forgot to tell you, is that its more important to turn out good people, people who are going to include others in every step of the way.

Isaacson received an honorary degree at the ceremony along with Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden and former William & Mary President Paul Verkuil 61. W&M Chancellor and former Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates 65, L.H.D. 98 was also in attendance and congratulated the graduates on making it through one of the most rigorous educations in the world.

This arena is filled with the boundless potential of voyagers just beginning lifes journey, he said. Embrace that excitement. At many times in life, that same outlook  mindful of the past and with an eye toward the future  will serve you well in choosing your actions in the present, and William & Mary has done its best to prepare you to do choose well throughout your lifetime.

{{youtube:medium:left|T5Ml1WBsTeo, Robert Gates' remarks}}

Your mission

Although many of the graduates may have been focused on individual achievement in college, Isaacson told them that teamwork would be more important moving forward.

When you get to the real world, youre going to learn that innovation is a team sport and that success is a collaborative effort, he said.

The internet was created by one such effort, Isaacson said, and is still being built in that fashion today.

The DNA of that means we have created a digital revolution and an economy thats peer-to-peer and collaborative, Isaacson said.

Franklin, who was the recipient of W&Ms first honorary degree in 1756, also sought collaboration when pulling together a group of individuals who would become the founding fathers of the country. Their teamwork is evident in their edits to the Declaration of Independence in which they struggled to balance the role of divine providence and the role of rationality and reason in the creation of our rights, Isaacson said.

Isaacson pulled from additional historical and modern examples in illustrating his other advice for the graduates, telling them to test the limits of possibility and strive for perfection as Jobs did, to question received wisdom as Einstein did, to straddle the sciences and humanities as Ada Lovelace did, and to learn to compromise as Franklin did.

Compromisers do not make great heroes, but they do make great democracies, he said. Its something else we forgot to tell you and which unfortunately today is now needed more than ever before.

Looking again to Franklin, Isaacson recalled how the founding father gave to the building fund of every church in Philadelphia as well as its first synagogue. When he died, the ministers, preachers, priests and rabbi of all of those houses of worship walked arm-in-arm to Franklins grave.

Its that type of inclusivity they were fighting for 300 years ago, and thats what were still fighting for both abroad and at home and is your mission as you leave this college.

Awards and honors

Several members of the university community were recognized at the event, including Duke Award recipient Renee Peace and this years Alumni Medallion recipients: Ann Baise, Mari Ann Banks, Jane Batten, Susan and Terry Driscoll and Jeanne Weaver.

The Lord Botetourt Medal, presented to the graduate who has attained the greatest distinction in scholarship, went to Bernadette Deschaine 17.

Timothy Beck 17 was honored with the James Frederic Carr Memorial Cup, which honors the graduate who best combines the qualities of character, scholarship and leadership.

The Thatcher Prize for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Study went to Isaac Irby, who graduated with a doctorate in marine science and a masters in public policy. The prize is awarded to an outstanding student in graduate or professional study based on scholarship, leadership, character and service.

Beverly Sher, senior lecturer of biology and chief health professions advisor, and Elizabeth Barnes, professor of English and American studies, took home the Thomas Graves Jr. Awards for Sustained Excellence in Teaching.

The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Awards are presented to two students and one non-student each year. Daniella Aron-Schiavone 17 and Terelle Robinson 17 were this years student recipients. Deborah Boykin, associate vice president for campus living and director of residence life, also received the honor.

Colleen Truskey 17 served as the student Commencement speaker.

{{youtube:medium:left|myBAxsfHOzM, Colleen Truskey's remarks}}

The Commencement ceremony served as the pinnacle of a weekend of traditions and events, including departmental diploma ceremonies that took place across campus. The Asian and Pacific Islander American Studies Program, established in 2016, held its first such ceremony this year.

Throughout the weekend, the university was expected to confer degrees upon 1,413 undergraduate and 718 graduate students, many of whom achieved significant accomplishments during their time at the university.

Among the undergraduates was J.C. LaRiviere, who served as the 2016 William & Mary Governor's Fellow, where he was appointed to the Secretariat of Technology and worked to present a policy directive to the governor and his chief of staff about the development of a new marketing strategy.

Working with the governor and the secretary of technology, Karen Jackson (M.B.A. '91), enabled new skills in strategic thinking and relationship development, he said. These skills underpinned my efforts, duties, and responsibilities as a student liaison to the Board of Visitors.

LaRiviere was the third in his family to step into the role following his sisters Kathleen Khaki LaRiviere 14 and Stacey LaRiviere 14, who served as fellows in 2013. During his college career, J.C. LaRiviere, a history major, also served as a two-term senator and chair of the policy committee for the Student Assembly and president of the student organization LeadCollegiate.

Merging past and future, the lessons learned at William & Mary go with me, and with all of us  in work, in community, in life," he said. "The Class of 2017 is just getting started."

{{youtube:medium:left|Zl8cR8kKzQ4, Commencement Walk}}

Prepared to lead

As Reveley closed the event, he charged the graduates to become leaders.

I want you to lead, because I believe, compared to the overwhelming mass of the 2017 graduates across the world during this season, you are unusually able to lead, unusually prepared to lead, he said. Youve got the tickets to do it. And your communities, your states, your nations, indeed, the world need you to lead, so long as it includes making a difference for the better in other peoples lives.

In my experience, nothing out of the ordinary, nothing that really pushes forward in desirable ways, is likely to happen unless a live human being, a live human, is willing to step out and lead.

{{youtube:medium:left|huUY7sa_pVU, Taylor Reveley's closing remarks}}

Recalling all of the alumni who have served as leaders in different capacities throughout the years  from highly visible positions to behind the scenes  Reveley assured the graduates that they, too, had been equipped to lead by their time at W&M. They were taught to not take assumptions at face value, be open to different ideas and perspectives, work with people different than themselves and think rigorously and communicate effectively, Reveley added.

These four sets of comparative advantages honed during your time at William & Mary really do, in my judgment, prepare you to lead, he said.




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PARIS, FRANCE: Total SA has inaugurated its revamped Carling  Saint-Avold petrochemical complex in eastern France, following 3 years of renovation works.

In September 2013, Total said that it would adapt the Carling site, investing close to 200 million to upgrade existing facilities and build new, higher value-added units to improve the sites competitiveness. The Carling - Saint-Avold complex has been turned into a leading polymer production site in Europe.

The adaptation of the Carling - Saint-Avold complex did not involve layoffs or compulsory staff transfers. Each employee was offered a personalised plan, such as transfers to other positions within the group, retirement or assistance to create their own businesses.

The Carling - Saint-Avold complex

A top-tier polymers site in Europe: Polystyrene production capacity was increased to make it Totals leading site in Europe; the polyethylene unit was upgraded to deliver advanced plastics (e.g. health care market); and a unit was built to manufacture polypropylene compounds to meet automotive market demand for innovative and lighter plastics to replace steel and thereby make vehicles more fuel-efficient.

Totals European center for hydrocarbon resins: The site now houses Cray Valley Europe headquarters and R&D center, and it also serves as a logistics hub; a new unit was built producing high value-added RICON and KRASOL resins offering exceptional adhesion, longevity and damping properties; and finally, upgrade works were performed on a unit producing premium odorless, transparent CLEARTACK resins.

To meet its commitments to customers: Total invested in logistics to ensure the delivery of ethylene and propylene after the steam cracker was shut down in October 2015.

To support local stakeholders: the group signed four agreements with the French authorities. Total Developpement Regional provided support to partner companies impacted by the changes at the site. Total and other companies with activities at the complex together created the Chemesis association to improve competitiveness by sharing services and utilities and to enhance the complexs ability to attract new businesses.

The complex has transitioned from a site producing commodities facing intense competition to a high-value site aligned with market demand. In 2013, the group pledged to an ambitious adaptation plan for Carling, thereby securing the future of all those concerned. I would like to thank the teams that made this model evolution possible. I am proud to say that Total has fulfilled its pledge, said Patrick Pouyanne, chairman and CEO of Total.

 Worldofchemicals News
Gov. Pete Ricketts has talked extensively about the need for more reductions in state spending, and Friday he put a red line through one item on a budget bill sent to him Monday.

Ricketts vetoed $11.06 million of general funds from a capital construction bill (LB330) meant to pay for a portion of the replacement of the state Capitol heating, ventilating and air-conditioning system.

The veto does not cancel or delay the project, he said. Necessary preparation work for phase one of the project, including land acquisition and installation of a geothermal well field, can continue. Those costs are estimated at $17.5 million.

He left two other transfers from the rainy day fund to the Capitol construction fund intact that equal $14.5 million. Ten million dollars of that covered by another bill (LB332) would be transferred at the end of the 2019 fiscal year.

"The HVAC project is an important priority," he said. "However, our current fiscal situation does not warrant this large general fund expenditure."

Sufficient funding will remain to keep the project on schedule, and the financing of the project can be revisited in the next legislative session, he said.

Appropriations Chairman John Stinner said Friday evening the committee will meet next week to discuss this and any other line-item vetoes from other budget bills. Friday's veto amount was one on a list that had been proposed by the governor at the end of April.

"It's hard to know what the committee is going to do," Stinner said of the veto. "I don't have a big problem personally with it. But it's certainly something to discuss."

The committee had discussed it in April and decided not to recommend it to the full Legislature because it could cause a delay in moving employees from the building so inside work could begin. The Capitol HVAC system is already past its prime and a breakdown could be difficult to repair, committee members were told.

The past three years, $19.5 million has been provided for the heating and air project, Ricketts said.

Other line-item vetoes of the mainline budget bill (LB327) and two other budget bills (LB331 and LB332) could come Monday.

Other items Ricketts had proposed in April for cuts were $16.8 million from Department of Health and Human Services provider rates and $32 million total from the University of Nebraska, state and community colleges.
When a coup attempt began to unfold in Turkeys northern metro areas in the summer of 2016, University of Nebraska-Lincoln art history professor Michael Hoff rushed to fill up the gas tank and max out his ATM card, getting as much cash as possible as uncertainty grew.

He, fellow archaeologists and a group of UNL students enrolled in a summertime field school were staying in the southern coastal village of Gazipasa, far from the chaos in Istanbul and Ankara that subsided quickly. But the team taking part in the Antiochia ad Cragum excavation site dig returned to the U.S. shortly after the attempted coup.

Because of the volatility in Turkey, UNL students and volunteers, 150 of which have participated in the field school since it began in 2011, wont be returning to the country in the immediate future. Meanwhile, Hoffs heading back, because theres lots of work to be done at the archaeological site in the province of Cilicia, where the remains of a Roman-era village are slowly being unearthed. And hes looking for financial help to keep the project going.

Since 2005, the Antiochia ad Cragum Archaeological Research Project has revealed the remains of temples, baths, tombs, churches and the head of a Medusa statue. The discovery of a third or fourth century A.D. 1,600-square foot mosaic was featured in a 2012 New York Times article.

On Monday, Hoff and several others connected with the project provided potential donors with a unique view of the dig site -- a virtual one.

Ben Kreimer, a former student of Hoffs who also studied drone journalism at UNL, has since gone on to work on immersive journalism projects for BuzzFeed, among others. A video allowing users to survey the damage of the 2015 California Valley Fire with the help of a drones eye 360-degree view has been viewed more than 6 million times on Facebook.

With the Antiochia ad Cragum site, Kreimer thought he could provide an even-more immersive experience with the help of a VR headset. He used approximately 200 to 250 images of the area encompassing the sites imperial temple that he had taken with a drone-mounted camera to create a three-dimensional rendering of the site through a process called photogrammetry. With the aid of VR goggles, visitors to UNLs Eisentrager-Howard Gallery in Richards Hall were able to peruse the hilltop archeological excavation site in Turkey. The mosaics that, in reality, are currently blanketed to preserve them were present in the virtual world.

Kreimer said that, thanks to the growing availability and affordability of VR headsets like the HTC Vive, and user-friendly software that allowed him to drag-and-drop his images into a photogrammetry program that rendered them into a three-dimensional world, he sees the potential to tell stories in a new way that would have enormous impact for journalism, not to mention archeology.

"It was like I was back on the site again, said Hoff. I was completely blown away. It was like I was there.

Hell be there soon. Hoff said he remains optimistic that students and volunteers will be cleared to head back in 2018.

There are lots of students who want to come, Hoff said. On a weekly basis, I field calls from students.

Until then, Hoff is hoping to raise $30,000 to fund the next leg of the project on the expansive site, which is larger than UNLs city campus. One of the summer projects, he said, is an excavation of the stage area at a theater Hoff said likely not only hosted plays and orchestral performances, but also speeches from town leaders.

That amount would help fund a crew of 25 to 30, he said.

Then I would be pretty relieved and satisfied and grateful, Hoff said.

Hoff said anyone with interest in the project who would consider donating is welcome to contact him by email at mhoff1@unl.edu.
The crisis engulfing the Trump administration was compounded Friday by the president's early morning tweet threatening fired FBI Director James Comey over leaked accounts of a White House dinner that contradicted the story given out by the president in an interview the previous day with NBC News.

In the interview, broadcast two days after Trump fired Comey without warning, the president told Lester Holt that Comey had requested the January 27 meeting to persuade the president to keep him at his FBI post. According to Trump, during the one-on-one dinner, he asked Comey if he was a target of the FBI investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Putin government. Comey assured him he was not, Trump said, calling this one of three occasions on which the FBI head gave this assurance.

Late Thursday evening, the New York Times posted a story that cited two unnamed Comey associates who flatly rejected Trump's account, saying the ex-FBI director had told them he had been summoned to the White House a week after Trump's inauguration and only reluctantly agreed to the meeting, for fear of compromising the investigation he was overseeing. The associates denied that Comey told Trump he was not a target of the investigation, which would have been a clear violation of FBI and Justice Department protocol concerning ongoing investigations.

Instead, the Comey surrogates said, Trump asked twice for the FBI head to pledge his loyalty to the president, which Comey refused to do.

The White House quickly dismissed this account of the dinner as incorrect. But evidently in response to the Times article, Trump tweeted early Friday morning, James Comey better hope that there are no tapes of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press.

This obvious attempt to intimidate Comey only strengthened the hand of those who are arguing that Trumps firing of the FBI head in the midst of an investigation into his own campaign constituted obstruction of justice, a potential ground for impeachment. Trump had already exacerbated the crisis over the firing by contradicting previous White House accounts, which depicted top Justice Department officials as the initiators of the move and gave as its rationale Comeys violations of Justice Department procedures in the FBI investigation into Hillary Clintons use of a private email account during her tenure as secretary of state.

In the NBC interview, Trump said he had already decided to fire Comey prior to a highly critical assessment of Comeys role in the email probe by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Even more damaging, legally and politically, was his tacit acknowledgement that he was motivated by anger over the investigation into his campaign, not by violations of Justice Department regulations.

In a separate Friday morning tweet, Trump responded to media commentaries on the shifting and contradictory explanations from White House spokespeople for the firing by threatening to end daily White House press briefings.

Trumps thuggish and authoritarian response to the investigations, by House and Senate committees as well as the FBI, into alleged Russian hacking and Trump campaign collusion underscores the gangster-like character of his government of billionaires and generals. At the same time, the opposition being mounted by the Democratic Party and its media allies, such as the Times, is entirely reactionary.

The charges of Russian meddling are completely unsubstantiated and driven by demands for a more aggressive war policy in Syria and an escalation of the US-NATO military confrontation with Russia. There is no serious opposition from these quarters to Trumps savage attacks on health care, education and other social services, or his assault on immigrants and democratic rights more generally.

The Democrats are allied with powerful sections of the military-intelligence establishment that consider Trump too soft on Russia and dangerously erratic and unreliable in pursuing the global interests of US imperialism. Should Trump be removed from office as a result of this campaign, the government that replaces him will be no less one of war and reaction.

Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who oversaw a vast expansion of domestic surveillance and an escalation of US drone assassinations and wars in the Middle East under President Obama, gave an interview Friday afternoon on MSNBC in which he vouched for Comeys version of events as against the White House story line. He dismissed claims that Comey had given Trump assurances that he was not a target of the FBI probe and said he did not know if there had been collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow. This contradicted repeated claims by Trump that Clapper had asserted there was no such collusion.

A focal point of the White House press briefing on Friday was the question of whether there are tapes of Trumps conversations with Comey. Several reporters referred to Trumps tweet that morning and asked point blank if there is a White House taping system or recordings of the January 27 dinner meeting between Comey and Trump.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer declined either to affirm or deny the existence of such tapes. The president has nothing further to add on that, he said.

Later on Friday, asked about tapes by Fox News, Trump said, That I cant talk about. I wont talk about it.

The question of tapes could become a major issue should the political warfare in Washington escalate to the point of outright demands for Trumps resignation or the initiation of impeachment proceedings. A major turning point in the Watergate crisis occurred on July 16, 1973, when Nixon aide Alexander Butterfield told the Senate Watergate Committee that there was a taping system in the White House, including the Oval Office. Nixon fired special prosecutor Archibald Cox in October of that yearthe so-called Saturday Night Massacrewhen Cox refused to withdraw a subpoena for White House tapes. Nixons refusal to comply with a congressional subpoena for the tapes became an article of impeachment.

CNN reported Friday that a source familiar with the matter said Comey was not worried about any tapes of conversations between him and Trump, adding that if there is a tape, theres nothing he is worried about that could be on it.

While most Republican legislators have continued to back Trump, talk of impeachment in the media and among Democrats is on the rise. CNN counted 11 Democrats in Congress who have raised the question10 House members and Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal. The ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mark Warner of Virginia, on Thursday accused Trump of obstruction of justice.

In its lead editorial Friday, the Washington Post wrote: The FBI is in trouble and must be protectedfrom the White House, first and foremost The disorderly firing process and shifting rationales have shredded what was left of the White Houses credibility.

Also on Friday, Representatives John Conyers of Michigan and Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the top Democrats on the House judiciary and oversight committees, respectively, sent a letter to the White House demanding copies of any recordings that might exist. The letter noted that it is a crime to intimidate or threaten any potential witness with the intent to influence, delay or prevent their official testimony.
While the Democratic Party and mainstream media obsess over allegations of Russian hacking of the 2016 election, the Trump administration is implementing its ruthless war on immigrants with little public notice and no significant opposition from the Democrats.

Agents with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), working with a host of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, concluded a six-week operation last weekend in which they arrested 1,378 people, of whom 993 were US citizens. Major raids were carried out in Houston, New York City, Atlanta and Newark, New Jersey.

Although agents with ICEs Enforcement and Removal Operations do not have the legal authority to arrest US citizens, the operation was overseen by the Homeland Security Investigations Unit, which claims much broader authority to enforce federal laws.

Gang activity in the United States, including drug and sex trafficking, has been used as a justification for the broad expansion of the powers of ICE agents over the last decade, bloating the size of the police apparatus responsible for arresting and deporting undocumented immigrants.

The arrests were part of ICEs Operation Community Shield, raids coordinated with state and local law enforcement agencies initiated during the administration of Republican president George W. Bush in 2005 and continued under Democratic president Barack Obama. In 2016, Obamas last year in office, ICE agents arrested more than 1,100 people, mostly US citizens, on suspicion of gang activity.

Many of those targeted in the raids have been identified as gang members or gang affiliates without any due process. ICE determines that someone they have arrested is a gang member or affiliate if they have a prior conviction for gang related activity, declare themselves to be a member of a gang, have tattoos which ICE declares to be gang related, or are fingered as a gang member by a reliable source.

ICE claimed that 1,095 of those arrested were confirmed as members or affiliates of a number of transnational gangs including the Bloods (137), the Surenos (118), the Crips (104) and MS-13 (104).

The Bloods and Crips are predominantly African-American gangs which have their roots in the impoverished working class neighborhoods of Los Angeles. MS-13, which also has its origins in Los Angeles, developed as a result of the wars stoked by US imperialism in El Salvador from 1979 to 1992, which devastated the small country and caused massive human flight, particularly to Southern California.

Among the 280 immigrants arrested in this latest round up, three had been granted deferred action status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program implemented in 2012. Ten of those arrested had crossed the border into the United States as unaccompanied minors.

President Donald Trump has scapegoated immigrants for the United States social and economic problems, painting Mexican immigrants in particular as criminals, drug traffickers and rapists. He kicked off his campaign for the presidency in 2015 by calling for a crackdown on immigrants and the construction of a wall along the US-Mexico border. Trumps administration, with retired general John Kelly as the director of the Department of Homeland Security, has initiated a raft of measures targeting immigrants.

Trump signed executive orders in January calling for the construction of the wall and expedited arrests and deportations, measures that could ultimately directly impact the lives of tens of millions of people living in the United States. The administrations effort to implement a ban on travelers and immigrants from a number of Muslim-majority countries has so far been blocked by the courts.

ICE has carried out widespread roundups, arresting people in their homes, as they drop their children off at school, while they apply for legal status, and during once-routine check-ins with federal authorities. DACA is being targeted so that thousands of people who were brought to the US as children can be deported.

In an echo of the Nazi press, which published the pictures of Jewish criminal defendants to whip up anti-Semitism, ICE has established the Office of Victims of Crimes Committed by Removable Aliens [VOICE] in order to publicly denounce immigrants accused of crimes. The anti-gang and immigrant round-up is intended to bolster the administrations false claims that immigrants are largely criminals, as the president said in 2016. In fact, immigrants have a lower crime commission rate than US citizens.

Trumps xenophobic initiatives have emboldened the most reactionary, fascistic elements of American society.

Republican Oklahoma state representative Mike Ritze and the 21 other members of the Republican Platform Caucus recently proposed rounding up the states 82,000 non-English speaking students and turning them over to ICE as a cost-cutting measure. While states cannot legally deny an education to a child based on their immigration status, they could save money by having all those without proper papers deported.

Identify them and then turn them over to ICE to see if they truly are citizens, and do we really have to educate non-citizens? Ritze asked, claiming that tearing children out of school and away from their families would have the benefit of saving the state of Oklahoma $60 million.

If the Democrats have nothing critical to say about all of this, it is because they fully supported a slew of federal laws making it more difficult for immigrants to obtain legal status in the United States. Trump has cited these laws, passed with bipartisan support, in his reactionary executive orders.

Under Obama, just under 3 million people were officially deported, more than under any other president in US history. Most Democrats, including Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, have voted for greater legal restrictions on immigration. Clinton, as well as Senator Charles Schumer and former Senators Obama and Biden, voted to construct more barriers and fencing along the southern border with Mexico.
A recent article in the Financial Times, noting that life expectancy had begun to fall, particularly among the elderly, was remarkable for its utter indifference to the possible causes and the adverse implications of what is an unprecedented phenomenon in peacetime, in the absence of epidemics or particularly harsh winters.

It is quite extraordinary. For decades after World War II, it was taken as an article of faith that better health care and improved living conditions would mean a continuing fall in mortality. Now people are dying younger and all the newspaper of the financial elite can do is note the likely benefits to the corporations: a reduction in the pensions deficit!

At the same time, it totally ignores the fact that pension funds represent the deferred wages of millions of workers who have paid into the funds. Neither does it mention that the deficit, estimated at a massive 2 trillion in totalmore than the UKs GDPitself is entirely the product of the financial elites own avarice, and threatens future and existing retirees with penury.

Pension deficits have risen sharply over the last decade. The deficits of Britains largest 350 corporations rose 9 percent between March and April to 145 billion, according to pension experts at Mercer. Eight of the top FTSE 100 companiesmost notably British Airways owner International Airlines Grouphave pension liabilities larger than their equity market value.

The deficits have not risen because the corporations have no money. Quite the contrary. They routinely pay out more in dividends than they contribute to the pension fund. Last year, a survey by Lane Clark & Peacock, the actuarial consultants, found that FTSE 100 companies with defined benefit schemes, which offer a guaranteed income in retirement, paid 71 billion in dividends in 2015 compared with 13.3 billion in pension contributions. It calculated that nearly a third of FTSE 100 companies could have cleared their pension deficits in 2015 with the cash they handed to shareholders. The failed high street retail chain BHS paid out hundreds of millions of pounds to Sir Philip Greens family as its pension deficit widened.

So it is not that they cannot afford to wipe out the deficit; they refuse to do so.

The FT article, headlined Shift in life expectancy promises 310bn cut to pensions deficit, noted that recent changes in mortality rates showed a reduction in a 65-year-old mans projected life expectancy of nearly four months, and that of a 65-year-old woman of nearly six months, compared with estimates made in 2015. Tellingly, the FT called this sharp reduction in life expectancy for older people a slowing improvement in life expectancy.

According to new estimates by PwC, the global financial consultants, this sharp reduction in life expectancy would have a positive impact on the financial health of the 5,800 UK companies that sponsor defined benefit pension schemes, cutting a massive 310 billion from the total 530 billion funding shortfall. PwC estimated that the total liabilities for all occupational pension schemes, which cover about half the working population, are about 2 trillion.

In other words, the FTSE 100 companies due to undertake their triennial valuation process for their pension schemes this year, including GlaxoSmithKline, BT Group, Lloyds Banking Group, Tesco and BAE Systems, can revise their pension obligations downwards and save themselves some money.

Martin McKee, professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the joint author of several recent papers on the increased mortality rates among the elderly, said cutbacks in social care and difficulty in accessing healthcare for the elderly were the most likely explanation for falling life expectancy.

But he added, The other possibility we need to look at is that these were people who were in the middle of their working ages, particularly in the North of England, during the early 1980s when there was large-scale de-industrialisation, when their health would have been disadvantaged by job loss and dislocation that took place at that time.

Dominic Harrison, the director of public health for Darwin in the North West of England, has written to other councils in the region and to Public Health England, spelling out the situation in his area. He said that the council had seen a sustained reduction in life expectancy at 85 years in its area. He pointed out that Actual sustained cohort reductions in life expectancy such as this are now extremely unusual, adding that this could be the result of government cuts to councils social care budgets and a lack of capacity in both primary care and the hospitals.

Dr. John Middleton, vice-president of the Faculty of Public Health, said that a decline in life expectancy at any age was a matter of concern and should be investigated, and cited inadequate social care and inadequate investment in preventive care for vulnerable older people as a possible explanation.

The fall in life expectancy is not a statistical blip or an accident, meaning unexpected and without cause. The causes are not hard to find.

Local authorities have seen a 3.5 billion cut in their adult social care spending over the past four years, a cut of 8.4 percent in real terms. This follows a sharp fall in the number of people receiving state-funded care in the home or in their community, from around 1.8 million in 2008-09 to 1.3 million in 2012-13, according to figures and a recent survey from the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services.

With hundreds of thousands of vulnerable and mainly elderly people left to suffer pain, hardship and illness, without access to the care they need, this is nothing less than the premeditated murder of British workers by the British ruling class, alongside its killing and maiming of countless workers overseas in the name of its global war on terror. These workers are simply surplus to requirements.

And the situation is getting worse. Local government spending on social care is set to fall by a further 8.3 percent in real terms between 2015-16 and 2019-20, leading to a growing funding gap within a totally inadequate system of at least 2.8 billion by 2019-20 as public spending on adult social care shrinks to less than 1 percent of GDP.

Doctors and hospitals are struggling to cope as their budgets have shrunk by billions of pounds and their costs have risen, thanks to successive governments efforts to open up the public health care budget to the private sector. Delayed hospital discharges, because vulnerable patients have no access to care at home or in the community, and the length of time from referral to treatment have been getting longer. A further 26 billion in efficiency savings is to be imposed by 2021, making a total of nearly 41 billion over the decade.

These cuts are not the result of popular demand. Far from it. They have been imposed at the behest of the financial elite to pay for the 1 trillion rescue of the banks from financial collapse in 2008, brought on by their own reckless and criminal activities. Those unable to create wealth for them to expropriate are to be left to rot. The result has been to send workers to an early grave and thereby provide further succour to the financial parasites that sit atop of society, by curtailing their pension obligations to working people and their families.

The guiding principle for what passes as public policy today by political parties of all stripes is whether it is good, not for the vast majority of the population, but for the economy, aka the super-rich.
On Wednesday, a draft of the Labour Partys manifesto for the June 8 general election was leaked, with several newspapers publishing its contents Thursday amid screaming headlines denouncing it as tantamount to communism.

Later that day, Labours Clause 5 committee discussed the draft. The committee includes the nominally left Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, his fierce right-wing critic and deputy leader Tom Watson and other leading party and trade union officials. After the meeting, Corbyn declared to the press that the document had been unanimously agreed and would be officially released next week.

The manifesto has been agreed because it contains all the main demands of the Blairites.

It reaffirms Labours commitment to NATO and the renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons system. On the terms of Britain leaving the European Union, it affirms that Labours central concern is for British business to retain access to the benefits of the Single Market and the Customs Union.

The manifesto is so entirely dedicated to the interests of Britains ruling elite that the Guardian newspaper praised its contents, along with a number of its columnists who have been demanding Corbyns head since he was elected leader in September 2015.

Leading supporter of the partys Blairite wing, Polly Toynbee, wrote that the manifesto was a cornucopia of delights. In contrast to Labours 1983 manifestodubbed by the Labour right as the longest suicide note in historyshe wrote, There is no reprise here of the killer pledges that caused the party to split back then  pulling out of Europe, out of NATO with unilateral disarmament, protectionist exchange and import controls, or nationalising pharmaceutical, building materials and many more industries.

Columnist Jonathan Freedland said the policies in the manifesto were highly popular, negated only by the partys leader and its perceived ability to run the economy.

The word socialism, mentioned nine times in the 1983 document, does not appear in the manifesto. Neither do the words, capitalism or working class. Instead, the document, in order to prevent any appeal on a class basis, is titled, For the many not the few. This is a slogan associated with Blairs New Labour.

The manifesto opens with Labours economic strategy, which retains the ditching of Clause IV carried out by former leader Tony Blair over 20 years agoa clause that had committed a Labour government to nationalisation of basic industry. It states, Labour understands that wealth creation is a collective endeavourbetween investors, workers, public services, and government. Each contributes and each must share equitably in the rewards.

Labour will develop an industrial strategy [that] will make Britain a better place to do business, and give businesses the confidence to invest in Britain.

Corporation tax in the UK is the lowest of any major developed economy, and so we will ask large corporations to pay a little more while still keeping UK corporation tax among the lowest of the major economies.

The 1,000 individuals that comprise the super-rich, who have total known wealth (excluding bank balances) of 686 billion, have nothing to fear from Labour. Any tax increases are aimed at income, and not the wealth, of those earning 80,000 and above.

All public spending commitments in the manifestoincluding an extra 6 billion annually for the National Health Service, the abolition of university tuition fees and building affordable homesare to be subjected to Labours Fiscal Credibility Rule, which stipulates, that Government should not be borrowing for day-to-day spending. Labour states it will task the Office for Budget Responsibility [OBR] with overseeing our Fiscal Credibility Rule. Any public spending outlined in the manifesto can be vetoed, with the OBR responsible to Parliament with a clear mandate to blow the whistle on government breaching these rules.

The manifesto articulates the interests of the dominant section of the British ruling class in demanding access to the European Unions Single Market and the Customs Unionwhich are essential for maintaining industries, jobs and businesses in Britain. It commits to scrapping the Conservative governments Brexit negotiating strategy.

The nationalisations pledged in the document are phony. On the National Health Service, its privatisation reversal only pledges to ensure that excess private profits are not made out of the NHS at the expense of patient care.

Royal Mails nationalisation will take place only at the earliest opportunity. The privatised rail system will be brought back into public ownership, but only as the current private franchises expire.

Labours commitment to militarism and British imperialisms war drive is emphasised. It states, We live in a period of growing international tensions. A strong, viable and sustainable defence and security policy must be strategic and evidence led. On this basis, A Labour government will order a complete strategic defence review when it comes into officeto assess the threats facing Britain and the necessary defence requirements. We will ensure that our Armed Forces are properly equipped and resourced to respond to wide-ranging security challenges. Labour will commit to effective UN peacekeeping, including support for a UN Emergency Peace Service.

The manifesto complains that Tory governments have put Britains security at risk, shrinking the army to its smallest size since the Napoleonic wars. The scrapping of Nimrod, HMS Ark Royal and the Harrier jump jets, have weakened our defences

In deference to the Blairites, it states, The last Labour government consistently spent above the NATO benchmark of 2% of GDP on defence. It commits to spending at least 2% of GDP on defence

Far eclipsing all its public spending promises, the manifesto commits to the renewal of the Trident submarine nuclear weapons system, at a cost of more than 200 billion. Using nuclear weapons is not ruled out, with the document stating only, Any prime minister should be extremely cautious about ordering the use of weapons of mass destruction which would result in the indiscriminate killing of millions of innocent civilians.

Despite all this, The Sun featured Corbyn alongside red flags and hammer and sickles and described the manifesto as an extraordinary socialist blueprint for power. The Daily Mail described it as a socialist manifesto that is red in tooth and claw and dripping with class envy.

This response reveals the extent to which the dominant sections of capital will not tolerate anything that impinges even slightly on their accumulation of vast wealth. Any hint of a redistribution of wealth is considered blasphemy.

The manifesto in fact confirms that Labour is run by a right wing, pro-austerity, pro-war cabal.

On Friday, Corbyn spoke on his foreign policy at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) think-tank in London. While reassuring his audience that he was no pacifist, he stated, Labour is committed actively to pursue disarmament under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and we are committed to no first use of nuclear weapons.

This is not true. Asked last month if she agreed with Corbyns declaration that he would not authorise the launching of a nuclear bomb, Labours Shadow Defence Minister Nia Griffith said this was not Labours policy. We are prepared to use it, and Im certainly prepared to use it.

This author also recommends:

What is in the UK Labour Partys manifesto?

[12 May 2017]
The crisis surrounding the firing of FBI Director James Comey has been seized on by the Democratic Party and much of the media to escalate their anti-Russian campaign.

While denouncing Trump for supposedly colluding with the Kremlin, they all but ignore the administrations escalating assault on immigrants and its ongoing drive to destroy Medicaid, slash health care for millions of workers, lift corporate regulations and hand big business and the rich an immense tax windfall.

The Democrats choose to focus not on these attacks, but rather on a McCarthyite-style witch-hunt against Russia with anti-communist undertones. In the process, the Democrats have adopted the traditional language of the extreme right.

In its lead editorial Friday, headlined The Trump-Russia Nexus, the New York Times lays out its case that Trump maintains an unusually extensive network of relationships with a major foreign power, i.e., Russia. It demands a thorough investigation of whether and how Russia interfered in the election and through whom.

The Times network of relationships turns out to be little more than a series of business connections and contacts between Trump family members and associates and Russian interests, which are hardly unique for the American corporate-financial oligarchy and can be viewed as inherently sinister only if one starts from the premise that all things Russian are evil.

The list includes Trump business ties with Russian nationals, a speech by former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn in Moscow, a meeting between Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the Russian ambassador to the US, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manaforts business dealings with a Russian oligarch and pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine, and links to Russian interests on the part of Trump advisers Roger Stone and Carter Page.

One could cite similar relations with foreign countries involving the Bush family, not to mention the Clintons, with their far-flung machinations through the Clinton Foundation.

In a column published in the same edition of the Times, Paul Krugman goes even further, accusing Trump of using presidential power to cover up possible foreign subversion of the US government. He declares not only Trump but the entire Republican Party to be little more than traitors, willing to work with the enemy to secure tax cuts for the rich.

Todays Republicans just dont cooperate with Democrats, period, he writes. Theyd rather work with Vladimir Putin. He asks, How did a whole party become so, well, un-American?

Congressional hearings on alleged Russian hacking and possible Trump campaign collusion are replete with denunciations of Russia as a hostile government and enemy power, mostly, but by no means exclusively, from the mouths of Democrats.

The presentation of Russia as some all-powerful monster menacing American democracy and plotting to conquer the world is absurd. The Putin government represents the Russian oligarchy. As with any capitalist power, it seeks to influence world events in its favor. But its operations pale in comparison to those of American imperialism.

It is a matter of historical fact that, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia vacated vast swaths of territory and spheres of influence throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In the subsequent decades, NATO expanded its borders hundreds of miles to the east, right to Russias doorstep, while the US backed the dismemberment of Yugoslavia and the fascist-led, anti-Russian coup in Ukraine.

As for subverting governments and interfering in elections, there is hardly a country in the world, including Washingtons European, North American and Asian allies, where the CIA and the Pentagon are not working to insure the installation of pro-American regimesfrom bankrolling pro-democracy NGOs to organizing regime-change operations and carrying out bloody wars.

No less absurd is the claim that Russian propaganda was responsible for the defeat of Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. Clinton ignored the working class and ran as the favored candidate of Wall Street and the military/intelligence apparatus. This enabled Trump to posture as an opponent of the status quo, while ensuring a precipitous drop in voter turnout for the Democratic candidate.

What is the real source of the anti-Russia hysteria gripping the US ruling elite?

There are major foreign policy issues at stake. Despite the dissolution of the USSR, which during the Cold War blocked the unchecked global domination of US imperialism, Russia has emerged as an obstacle to Washingtons drive for world hegemony. This is seen most sharply in Syria, where Russia intervened militarily to frustrate US efforts to oust President Bashar al-Assad.

No less important are domestic considerations. The ruling class is acutely aware of the immense class tensions that exist in the society over which it presides, tensions that have been artificially suppressed for many decades.

The United States is the most unequal country in the industrial world, with 20 billionaires possessing more wealth than half of the population. The 2016 elections themselves showed the growth of anti-capitalist sentiment and hostility to both parties, expressed in the support of millions of people for Clintons opponent in the Democratic primaries, Bernie Sanders, who falsely claimed to be an independent and a socialist.

Facing the threat of mounting social opposition, the US ruling class is seeking a new framework for the waging of war abroad and domestic repression at home. The war on terror, which has served this purpose for some fifteen years, is discredited, not least because the US is allied with Al Qaeda-linked Islamist forces in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East.

There is a need for a new narrative to divert social tensions, ideologically unify the nation, subordinate the working class and, when necessary, suppress opposition.

It is significant that it is the left that has been mobilized most directly in the McCarthyite campaign against Russiafigures such as Krugman, who earlier called Trump the Siberian candidate, and Michael Moore, who has gone from being an opponent of the war in Iraq to denouncing Trump as a Russian traitor and appealing to the military to take action. The organizations that orbit the Democratic Partythe International Socialist Organization, Socialist Alternative, publications like Jacobin and otherseither remain silent about the conflicts within the ruling class, as they have since the firing of Comey, or openly endorse the campaign against Russia.

The Democratic Party has very consciously worked to integrate the anti-Russia hysteria with identity politics, seizing on various anti-democratic policies of the Putin government for this purpose. The aim is to mobilize more privileged sections of the upper-middle class behind the overall policy of imperialist war and social reaction.

The campaign takes root in fertile soil. This social layer, representing the top 5 to 10 percent of income earners, has been substantially enriched by the stock market boom and has interests that are sharply different from those of the working class. While they would prefer a more equitable distribution of wealth at the very top of society, they are predominantly concerned with preventing the growth of social opposition in the working class.

Thus the campaign against Russia expresses the most essential characteristics of the Democratic Party: the marriage of Wall Street, the military/intelligence apparatus and the affluent upper-middle class, mobilized around identity politics.

The Democratic Party cannot conduct a fight against Trump on any sort of progressive basis. It is terrified of a mass movement of the working class. Were Trump to either resign or be impeached as a result of this right-wing campaign, his administration would simply be replaced with another government of war, austerity and reaction.

This poses all the more clearly the urgent need for the working class to intervene with its own socialist and internationalist program.
Last week Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin told the US House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations that his department is considering closing more than 1,110 facilities in an effort to privatize veteran health care.

The VA said it found more than 430 vacant and 735 underutilized building that cost the federal government about $25 million every year. Instead of building new and improved medical centers, Shulkin told the committee he is only interested in working with private for-profit hospitals.

According to an internal agency document obtained by the Associated Press, the VA noted that about 57 percent of all its facilities were more than 50 years old. Of the 431 facilities it said were vacant, most were built 90 or more years ago.

Shulkin told legislators that the VA would work with Congress to prioritize which buildings will be closed and was considering whether to allow the Pentagon to use a process called Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) to shut down its underused military bases.

He told the House committee, Whether BRAC is a model that we should take a look, we're beginning that discussion with members of Congress, adding, We want to stop supporting our use of maintenance of buildings we dont need, and we want to reinvest that in buildings we know have capital needs.

Shulkin is a holdover from the Obama Administration and was the only Trump cabinet member to be endorsed unanimously by both Democrats and Republicans. He is a supporter of the so-called Veterans Choice program, authored by Senators Bernie Sanders (Democrat, Vermont) and John McCain (Republican, Arizona), in which veterans who live 40 miles or more from a VA center can seek alternate care at a private facility.

President Trump extended the program last month and Shulkin told the Committee he supports its continuation and is working on a broader proposal to expand the program. According to a government report, privatizing VA health care would cost up to $100 billion a year.

The program began in 2014 after a widely publicized scandal broke out at a VA hospital in Arizona where delays in treatments led to at least 40 preventable deaths. The news followed revelations that a VA benefits center in Philadelphia manipulated old disability claims to appear new. It is not uncommon for veterans, many of whom suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), to be forced to wait for months at a time before receiving medical help.

The political furor that erupted over the VA scandal did not lead to more health care or government assistance for veterans, but the opposite. It provided justification for privatizing the VA entirely. Early February saw a report by the departments inspector general that found that the 2014 Veterans Choice and Accountability Act, which set aside $16 billion to hire more doctors and staff and fund private health care, did not cut wait times. The report found that the approval process for private care was so poor that the average wait time for a veteran to see a doctor was still 45 days.

During the 2016 election campaign Trump called the VA a disaster and the most corrupt agency in the United States. At a news conference last May he declared his support for expanding private care for veterans saying in his typically ignorant manner, What it has to be is when somebody is online and they say its a seven-day wait, that persons going to walk across the street to a private doctor, be taken care of, were going to pay the bill.

Shulkin, undoubtedly aware of popular hostility to Trump proposals, was forced to say at his confirmation hearing, The Department of Veterans Affairs will not be privatized under my watch. It should be noted that before taking his current position as head of the VA, Shulkin headed several private health companies, including the Beth Israel Medical Center in New York and the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

Speaking on CBS This Morning, Shulkin again declared last week, In no way are we seeking to privatize the VA. While the Trump administration has pledged a six percent increase in VA funding, Shulkin made it known that the agency, the governments second largest with 370,000 employees, will have to operate more efficiently and that budget increases will not be guaranteed in the future.

The VA recently announced a hiring restriction on roughly 4,000 positions, despite the lifting of the federal hiring freeze, and also left open the possibility of near-term and long-term workforce reductions.

The governments plans to close 1,100 underused facilities and eventually privatize the rest are a slap in the face to veterans. While the political and media establishment heap praise on veterans, their real attitude toward vets is demonstrated by the neglect and mistreatment they receive once their terms of service are completed. Forced to kill or be killed in neo-colonial wars of aggression in the Middle East, Central Asia and elsewhere, many working class veterans bear deep psychological scars. Once home they face a future of unemployment or low wage jobs, driving many into drug abuse or even suicide.

According to recent data from the VA, roughly 20 veterans commit suicide every day. In 2014, more than 7,400 veterans took their own lives, accounting for 18 percent of all suicides in the United States despite the fact that veterans comprise only nine percent of the US population.

Trumps budget for the VA will total $180 billion for fiscal year 2018 while the budget for the Pentagon will total $603 billion. The new budget will leave more money for expanded wars overseas leaving less money for health care for veterans and other vital services.
SAN DIEGO -- Riddle me this: How can the so-called elite media be so self-absorbed and still have so little self-awareness?

Today's journalists too often make themselves the story. If a reporter gets arrested at a protest, he'll be on the Sunday shows doing what he is not supposed to be doing: expressing his opinion.

Yet these same journalists are incapable of seeing themselves in the harsh light in which most Americans see them.

Not good. The media are supposed to tell everyday Americans what's happening in the world and explain what it means to them. How can they do either if they haven't the foggiest idea what's going on and can no longer relate to their audience?

To top it off, the occupant of the White House has a knack for bringing out the worst in the Fourth Estate.

After President Trump skipped the recent White House Correspondents' Association dinner, one popular narrative was that Trump was wiping his feet on the First Amendment. But, in their eagerness to be martyrs, journalists missed the real story: Trump's attempts to brush back the media are usually in self-defense.

The president was smart to skip the party. After all, he was probably going to be the pinata. With a roomful of journalists piling on, the goal would have been to insult and humiliate him to his face.

Trump instead sought refuge in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he spoke to what he called "a much, much larger crowd and much better people."

As if to prove his point, Politico reporters Josh Dawsey and Ian Kullgren took a snooty shot at the simple farm folk who gathered to hear Trump, noting in their article how "the faint smell of cow dung" filled the air.

It's no secret that most of the media types in New York and Washington didn't vote for Trump. Many still claim that they don't understand why anyone would do such a thing. Some still chalk up Trump's victory to nefarious influences such as racism or fear of cultural change.

Don't they see that they're acting like sore losers who are now actively trying to ensure the failure of a president they never supported in the first place?

All of which is ironic, given that the nation's major media companies spent much of the last part of 2015 boosting Trump's campaign by giving him more than $1 billion of free air time and kneecapping his main Republican rivals -- Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush. In the end, the media bigwigs got the dream matchup they really wanted: Trump vs. Hillary Clinton. They cleaned up in terms of ad revenues and new subscriptions. Then the plan was to take out Trump, and elect Clinton. How did that work out, people?

When CNN President Jeff Zucker said during a recent interview for that blue-collar everyman broadcast, The New Yorker Radio Hour, that Fox News was "state-run TV," I thought he was kidding.

Where was this concern for journalistic objectivity during the eight years of the Obama administration, or during the 19 months that Clinton ran for president, when many CNN personalities -- including reporters and anchors who should play it straight -- defended President Obama and Clinton against GOP criticism more times than not?

Remember how so many of them were so quick to shrug off Obama's horrid record of deporting scores of illegal immigrants? Or the speed with which they concluded that Clinton did nothing wrong when she set up a private email server and then used it to transmit classified material?

Was that CNN acting as "state-run TV"?

Now that Trump is president, you can turn to just about any channel -- absent Fox News -- and hear reporters and anchors accusing Trump or other administration officials of outright lying or pursuing policies that will hurt people -- or, in the case of the GOP health care bill, actually kill them.

During Sunday's edition of ABC News' "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," that bill was a main topic of conversation as five liberals -- Stephanopoulos, center-right Republican strategist Matthew Dowd, NPR correspondent Cokie Roberts, journalist Roland Martin, and former Obama administration Treasury Department official Steven Rattner -- all piled on the token conservative: GOP strategist Sara Fagen. And to think, liberals love to talk about fairness.

The media say they want to be transparent. Well, it worked: In the Trump era, most Americans can see right through them.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WTXL)-- They have finished the ride.

Hundreds of cyclists from around the country are in Washington D.C. at the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Wall.

They pedaled through the memorial, which has the names of more than 21,000 fallen officers.

Tallahassee police officer Rachelle Denmark told me they are blessed and honored to represent those who are not here and to also represent the families left behind.

It's a sea of unity here about 2,000 riders from all over the country gathering to ride in solidarity into the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

" Today is the best day," said Tallahassee Police Department Officer Rachelle Department. "Today is incredible. It is the biggest variety of emotions. When we ride into Washington and get to that wall, and we've made it tour destination."

On the approach into the memorial Denmark says she realizes how fortunate she has been to be in her career and to still be able to serve.

She says officers can be the light in dark places for some.

"You know we've made it to remember the memories of these officers' lives and we've carried it all the way in, to honor them and honor their families," said officer Denmark.

The road was long--the hills hard..but they ride for their brothers and sisters who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

The riders will attend a candlelight vigil at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial wall. Three names from our area will be read during the roll call: Taylor County Sheriff's Deputy Scott Williams, Valdosta State Prison correctional officer Dajhaun C. Gaitors, and Boston, Georgia police officer Justin Levi Rouse.
The 2017 Inspire Awards by the Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools rocked the house April 20 at Lincoln North Star High School. It was the third year of the district-wide tradition of recognizing excellence in Lincoln Public Schools.

Each year, one student and one staff member are recognized for contributing to their school communities and being a positive force for good. To become an Inspire Award winner, a student or staff member is nominated by their schools principal.

Winners attended the event in bright orange I Inspire t-shirts. Upon arriving, they were greeted by LPS school board and Foundation board members and given a certificate and a medal before heading into the theater.

East High Schools jazz band welcomed attendees into the theater and served as an energetic and well-rehearsed backdrop for the festive atmosphere, where beach balls were tossed around by attendees until the event started.

Dr. Steve Joel, LPS superintendent, congratulated the winners on being part of a legacy of excellence, adding that he appreciated their diversity that allows us to learn in ways we could never have imagined.

Wendy Van, president of the Foundation for LPS, acknowledged the winners for the difference you make every single day, just by caring and being present and told them your school notices and so does your community.

Keynote speaker Dr. Hank Bounds, University of Nebraska president, gave a heartfelt address about inspiration and purpose. He noted that teachers have a huge impact on student success. He quoted writer Leo Buscaglia, who said, Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring  all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

Bounds encouraged everyone to dream big and aim for the moon and not the light pole. He left the audience with this advice: Dont be afraid to fail. Chase your dreams. Set your dreams and goals, and resolve to reach them.

A fun part of the evening included audience members getting on their feet and dancing to music in the dark with glow wands before the winners were introduced, led by Liz Ring Carlson, Inspire sponsor from Ameritas.

Roper Elementary Principal Tim Muggy accepted the 2017 Inspire School award and discussed how his school continues to make strides from Good to Great by focusing on student learning and the social, emotional aspects of children. Muggy said that Ropers growth mindset helps everyone understand they can always improve. He thanked Inspire school sponsor Allstate for the $6,500 award that will help Roper continue this good work. The award was also supported by the Foundation trustees and board.

Recognition also goes out to Inspire sponsor Xerox, Point of Light sponsors Ameritas and Assurity, In-Kind sponsors Swanson Russell, Lincoln Journal Star, Dell EMC and HyVee, Engaging sponsors D.A. Davidson, Pinnacle Bank and Davis Design, Supporting sponsor Leadership Resources and other sponsors Dinos Eastside Grille and Floors Inc.
A Car Show & Shine for all brands and types of vehicles will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. next Saturday (May 20) at the Catholic Social Services parking lot, 23rd and O streets. The event is a benefit for St. Gianna Women's Homes for abused women and their children.

The event is free for participants and spectators. A free-will offering will be requested for St. Gianna Women's Homes, for women and their children who are victims of domestic violence. Breakfast, lunch, coffee and gelato will be available at Gianna's Java & Gelato on the show site, and everyone is invited to shop at St. Louise Gift & Thrift next door.

St. Gianna Women's Homes provides a safe place for over 100 women and children of all faiths. Catholic Social Services and the Marian Sisters help the women and children with their needs and assist them to become independent.

For information more information go to: www.cssisus.org or call Gary Bouc(402) 420-7478
US President Donald Trump is first of all a businessman who despises living off charity as a way of life. This is directed primarily at him. Recently, it was reported that the World Bank calls for decisive policies by all parties to stop the deterioration of the Palestinian economy. Judging from the past, in a few weeks or months from now, the United Nations agency for humanitarian affairs will warn of  an impending humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

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The cry wolf warning of a probable disaster was already voiced in April 2006, several times in 2007, at the beginning and end of 2011, when a state of emergency was also declared in Gaza, and a few times in 2014 and 2016. As part of this ritual, it was also mentioned that there was a water shortage in Gaza, that homes had barely four hours of power a day, that premature babies, infants and elderly people could suffer from the situation, and a few other marketing facts advancing an imminent disaster. The Palestinians, both in the West Bank and Gaza, favor the process over peace. They suffer from the impending humanitarian disaster syndrome.

Poverty in Gaza. While the Palestinian population is suffering, its leaders in the West Bank and Gaza are getting rich thanks to the donated funds (Photo: AFP)

In the past 50 years, there has been no humanitarian crisis in the territories, and my guess is that there wont be one either, because there will always be donor states that will do everything in their power to prevent such a disaster. Everyone is gaining from this situation. The Palestinians are receiving huge amounts of money as a gift, and the donors feel as if they allegedly saved the Palestinians from starvation.

But when the United States, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands and Scandinavian countries transfer their taxpayer money to the West Bank and to Gazaand thats how things have been working for decadesthey are singlehandedly preventing both the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and the Hamas government in the strip from emerging once and for all from the vicious circle of becoming enslaved and even addicted to donations. Most importantly, their failure to disconnect from the donors continuous feeding helps the Palestinians' leaders become rich.

Until the Oslo Agreements in 1994 and 1995, the Palestinians were diligent people, who supported themselves with great difficulties but with dignity. The billions of dollars/euros infused by donorsallegedly for the reconstruction of the territories so that the Palestinian government would be able to establish employment infrastructure in the territories so that Palestinians wont have to go to Israel to workhave been scattered in every direction, except for the goals they were allotted for in first place.

The funds were used to establish terrorist militias, to pay bribes to third-world countries in exchange for political support for the PLO and to hand out gifts to cronies, including Suha Arafat. Experts have calculated that the donated money could have been used to build a proper home for every Palestinian resident, and there would have even been money left to buy a car.

The Palestinians' leaders fell in love with this process. Why wouldnt they? They are not required to produce a thing apart from turmoil, nor are they are not asked to pay for this service in diplomatic moves like other countries. All they have to do is wrap themselves up in the miserable persons robe, cry out that its all the occupations faultan occupation which ended, by the way, decades agoand the money will start flowing in.

Just a reminder: Hamas leaders Khaled Mashaal and Moussa Abu Marzouk are billionaires; Yasser Arafat hid billions in different banks abroad; Mahmoud Abbas and his sons made their fortune in mysterious ways as well. While the residents of the West Bank and Gaza are groaning beneath the daily difficulties, the Palestinian political and security leaders in the two areas are enjoying the funds that are donated mainly into their pockets.

Several years ago, an Israeli NGO asked to transfer thousands of computers to the West Bank children. They turned to the Palestinian Authority heads in Ramallah, and one of the senior officials there agreedunder the condition that all the computers would be delivered to his office so that he would be able to hand them out as he saw fit.

Do you take computers for yourselves as well? he was asked. Well, of course, he replied. Dont our children (the PA workers children) deserve computers? There is no wonder that the general public refers to its leaders as footpads because of this obscene habit.

President Trump, with the Palestinians act like a businessman. Demand transparency, increased efficiency and accountability. Donation? Not on your watch.
The parents of a 17-year-old yeshiva student fatally shot in the West Bank by Hamas terrorists in 1996 filed a federal lawsuit Friday against two Chicago-area Palestinian-American groups to collect on a legal judgment stemming from the death.

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Stanley and Joyce Boim filed the lawsuit in Chicago against American Muslims for Palestine and Americans for Justice in Palestine Educational Foundation. The Chicago Tribune reports the couple alleges the Bridgeview-based organizations are "alter egos" of three Islamic fundraising groups held liable several years ago for the death of their son, David, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Beit El.

The Boims initially filed a lawsuit in 2000, alleging the American Muslim Society, the Islamic Association for Palestine-National and the Quranic Literacy Institute gave to Palestinian charities that ultimately helped fund terrorism.

A federal jury entered a $52 million judgment against the charities in 2004, and the trial judge tripled the amount to $156 million. A federal appeals court upheld the judgment in 2008.

Boims' attorney, Stephen Landes, said the family received only a fraction of the award because the defendants said they had no money to pay the judgment and shut down. He said the successor groups named in Friday's lawsuit formed later with many of the same men in similar leadership roles.

"What we ended up finding is they just tried to rebrand themselves, and they set up down the street," Landes said.

If the groups are allowed to move on without paying the judgment, Landes said, "it makes a mockery" of federal anti-terrorism laws.

Messages left with American Muslims for Palestine by the Tribune were not returned. Friday's lawsuit also names three individuals identified as leaders of the group, including Abdelbasset Hamayel, identified as its executive director and the secretary general of the defunct Islamic Association for Palestine.

Hamayel told the Tribune he was unaware of the lawsuit and declined to comment. He didn't immediately return a message left after-hours at his office by The Associated Press.

It's unclear if Americans for Justice in Palestine Educational Foundation is still operating; it doesn't have a separate website or a publicly listed phone number.
Y., an asylum seeker from Darfur, received with satisfaction the decision of the appeals court in Jerusalem, according to which the state's foot dragging might grant him refugee status within six months. The ruling on Y. and another asylum seeker from Darfur was made last week after the state did not examine the two asylum applications filed in 2014.

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Y. and the additional asylum seeker H. have been in Israel since 2008. They arrived in Israel from the Darfur region where ethnic cleansing and serious crimes against humanity are taking place. The asylum seekers were recognized by the UN High Commission in Cairo as refugees and were among the first to be summoned to Holot detention center.

Y. from Darfur (Photo: Asaf Magal)

"I met them there, they were frustrated and were not invited to interviews personally. I connected with them and felt sorry for them," said attorney Michal Pomerantz, who contacted the authorities on behalf of the two and another asylum seeker who had left the country in the interim.

The hearings on the asylum seekers began in 2015, but the state claimed at the time that it was preparing a general position on all the people of Darfur and that within a year it would decide on their status. The Court of Appeals ordered the two asylum seekers to work in Israel.

In another hearing held a few months ago, the State again claimed that it was formulating a general opinion. The opinion, which was revealed in Yedioth Ahronoth, indicated that the people of Darfur are entitled to legal recognition as refugees. It was also revealed that the report was written two years ago, but the state continued to argue that no policy was formulated and refused to recognize asylum seekers as refugees.

In response to an application under Amnesty International's Freedom of Information Act, the State admitted that 2,225 Darfurian requests were being examined and despite the fact that 1,825 full interviews were conducted, only in one case did the Interior Minister approve the status of a refugee. One of the three asylum seekers was recognized as a refugee by the United Nations, though had left the country and moved to the United States.

In the last hearing, the judge ruled that the two other asylum seekers would be granted temporary residency status, which would include all refugee rights if the state neglects to reach a decision within six months. "On the one hand, this is the most that the court has given to the Darfurians, but it is unclear why we have to wait another six months after they have been 'rotting away' in Holot for a year and have been in court for almost three years," said Pomerantz.

Darfurian atrocities (Photo: Amnesty International)

"This is a turning point in my life, it will reduce my mental stress because I've been wandering for eight years," said Y. "it's not easy to get the citizenship of another country, and for someone who lives very far from his family it is very difficult. I'll be very happy when my Darfurian friends here in Israel get their status, because they live in a very difficult situation. The people of Israel hear a lot about us, but I know that they are good people. We are here because there is war in our country, and soon we hope it will be over."

H., the second asylum seeker, said: "I left my house because of the ongoing genocide, my village was burned to the ground, my father was killed and my mother lived in a DP camp from 2003. I have been running all my life in search of security, the war doesn't pass over anyone and everyone is suffering. I have request asylum in Israel since it's a state of law. I feel safe here, I want to live a normal life like any other human being. I want to thank Israel and the citizens of Israel for having received us during the difficult time we are going through at home in Darfur."

Meanwhile, a new report published by Amnesty International says that this is not the only asylum-seeker population that the State of Israel refrains from granting its citizens refugee status. Eritreans, who are also religiously persecuted in their home country, have been on the receiving end of a similar 'feet dragging.' "It is important to understand that this is not an exception, but a general one," said Chen Brill Agry, a refugee campaigner at Amnesty International.

(Translated and edited by N. Elias)
Pam Truscott, MSN, RN, has been promoted to the position of vice president of professional development, the Nebraska Health Care Association has announced. Truscott most recently served as director of professional development. She has also served as program manager for the Nebraska Health Care Learning Center, NHCAs private post-secondary career college, and as the Learning Centers lead instructor.

A team from the City Clerks office in the Finance Department -- City Clerk Teresa Meier and Assistant City Clerk Soulinnee Sony Phan -- received the Mayor's Award of Excellence for February during a presentation Monday (May 8). Meier and Phan were nominated in the categories of customer relations and productivity by their staff, Rhonda Bice and Monet McCullen.

A book-signing for supermodel Ashley Graham, author of A NEW MODEL: What Confidence, Beauty and Power Really Look Like, is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday (May 16) at the Barnes & Noble store at SouthPointe Pavilions, 2910 Pine Lake Rd. She is considered an outspoken voice for the body positivity movement.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Wednesday with Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, Welfare Minister Haim Katz and coalition chairman David Bitan to discuss an increase in disability allowances.

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The prime minister's office announced that the three had agreed "to establish a team to determine the extended allowances and the manner of their distribution. The team will be headed by Chairman of the National Economic Council Prof. Avi Simhon and will include representatives from the Ministries of Finance, Welfare, Health and Social Security. The team will make initial recommendations within a month.

The team will be based, inter alia, on work carried out by the special committee appointed by the Ministry of Finance, headed by Yaron Zelekha, which examined the issue of increasing disability benefits.

Disability rights protest (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

"In presenting the conclusions of the Zelekha Committee to the prime minister in a joint meeting with the minister of finance and the chairman of the coalition, Minister Katz proposed to equalize the disability pension to the minimum wage in four stages starting in 2018," Katz's office stated.

It was also reported that Katz recommended "approving the conclusions of Zelekha in all matters relating to the reduction of taxation for the disabled who are absorbed in the job market

"We need to bring about a real solution to the economic distress of the disabled, a captive population that is unable to work and live with dignity, and we are committed to creating a comprehensive reform that will upgrade their quality of life."

Political sources said that the approval of the "Net Family" plan initiated by Minister Kahlon does not depend on recommendations formulated by the committee to provide extended disability allowances.

Last week, the Knesset plenum approved the first reading of Kahlon's plan and the Finance Ministry said that the legislative process would continue parallel to the extension of the disability pension.

(Translated and edited by N. Elias)
Local elections will be held in 145 Palestinian authorities in the West Bank on Saturday. Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine are boycotting the process.

The Supreme Court in Ramallah ruled that elections first scheduled for October 2016 would not take place in the Gaza Strip due to the disqualification of Fatah lists by courts subordinate to Hamas.
Artist and painter Avner Moriah was invited to meet Wednesday with Pope Francis in order to present the book of Exodus (Shemot), which he illustrated. The book joins the book of Genesis (Bereshit) given by Moriah in 2012 to Pope Benedict XVI.

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The illustration of the Book of Exodus and its writing took about two years. The book is part of a large project of illustrating the five books of the Torah that Moriah took upon himself, and has taken a dozen years.

Moriah makes the ancient biblical text more accessible with original, spectacular and refreshing illustrations. The book is unique in the impressive collection of dozens of original illustrations accompanied by the unique calligraphy of Izzy Pludwinski.

Book of Exodus (Photo: Rav Tikshoret)

"It is a great honor for me to give two different popes the books of Genesis and Exodus, and thus join the monumental collection of artistic treasures in the Vatican alongside the greatest painters of all time," said Moriah, 63, a resident of Har Adar near Jerusalem.

The book contains dozens of illustrations relating to the biblical text, including the Ten Plagues, the crossing of the Red Sea, the revelation at Mount Sinai, the Ten Commandments, the construction of the Mishkan and more. "One of the insights I reached from the illustration was that in the miracle of the crossing of the Red Sea, the narrative that unites us as a people actually begins," explained the artist.

Moriah finds the biblical text fascinating and unique in its editing. Despite his daily preoccupation with the biblical text for more than a decade, Moriah has not changed his secular outlook.

Both Books illustrated by Moriah were purchased by major libraries in the world and private collectors. His landscape paintings and Judaica are found in museums, institutions and private collections across the world and in the United States in particular, including the New York Metropolitan, the American National Library, the Jewish Museum in New York, the Holocaust Museum in Washington and the Harvard and Yale Universities' libraries.

Avner Moriah (Photo: Rav Tikshoret)

Prof. Yair Zakovitch of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who has been accompanying the project since its inception, said that Moriah created a contemporary and original image of the Midrash (ancient commentary on part of the Hebrew scriptures), and that the characters of the past and their fascinating stories receive renewed significance in his work.

Moriah recalled his meeting with Pope Benedict: "He looked at the illustrations of the Book of Genesis and said, 'Wow, it's human, and I think he summed it up very well. I was very pleased to receive an invitation to meet with Pope Francis who wanted to see the illustration of the Book of Exodus."

How do you know which illustration to choose?

"I've been working on this project for 12 years, and it started after my wife fell ill with leukemia and then passed away, and instead of getting preoccupied with my grief, I thought about how I could contribute my abilities in a totally positive way. I decided I would create a project mapping the entire Torah into visual expression."

(Photo: Rav Tikshoret)

The illustrations are your personal interpretation?

"Yes, I come from a completely secular world. Since I am not tied down by traditional restrictions of what is permitted and what is forbidden, I relate to the text in a contemporary manner. I float between words and images."

Who is the target audience of the book?

"Libraries and galleries, but I would very much like it if in the end, it would reach simple people and become a learning tool for adults and youth. These are not children's paintings, but art for art's sake, that can speak. It doesn't only speak to Jewish culture but to all cultures. My language is universal."

Moriah is a graduate of Bezalel's department of fine art, and Yale University's School of Art in the United States, and is known worldwide for his unique Israeli landscapes, but also for dealing with historical issues such as the War of Independence, the First Lebanon War, etc. He also painted a series on the topic of the expulsion of the Jews from Spain and the Holocaust.

This is his second meeting this week with Jewish officials after having met with a group of Hasidim headed by Rabbi Edgar Gluck on the destruction of Jewish cemeteries throughout Europe, as reported on the Yeshiva World News website.

(Translated and edited by N. Elias)
SRINAGARThe Indian army says two civilians have been killed and three wounded in Indian-controlled Kashmir as Indian and Pakistani troops traded fire in the disputed Himalayan region.

Indian army spokesman Lt. Col. Manish Mehta says Pakistani soldiers started shelling and firing at Indian military posts on Saturday morning in the Nowshera sector along the highly militarized Line of Control that divides the region between India and Pakistan.

Mehta says Indian troops returned fire and the gunbattle was still underway Saturday afternoon. There is no immediate comment from Pakistan.

According to civilian administrator Shahid Iqbal, the dead include a 13-year-old girl and a 51-year-old man.
FATIMAPope Francis is meeting privately with Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa at the start of the second day of his visit to the Fatima shrine in Portugal.

The high point of the pontiff's visit Saturday is the canonization Mass for two Fatima shepherd children who reported visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago.

Francisco and Jacinta Marto, siblings aged 7 and 9 respectively, died two years after the 1917 apparitions in the Spanish flu pandemic.

The visions drew huge popular interest, bolstering the persecuted Catholic Church in Portugal.

At the shrine, pilgrims were reciting the rosary or praying quietly as they await the pope's arrival and the Mass. Despite forecasts of rain, the sun is blazing.
LONDONThe British government does not yet know who was behind Friday's global cyber attack that disrupted the country's health system, interior minister Amber Rudd said on Saturday.

"We're not able to tell you who's behind the attack. That work is still ongoing," she told BBC radio.

She said Britain's National Cyber Security Centre was working with the country's health service to ensure the attack was contained, while the National Crime Agency was working with them to find out where it came from.
A man in his 30s was moderately wounded in a stabbing attack near the Lions' Gate in Jerusalem.

A MDA team evacuated him to Shaare Zedek Hospital in the city.

Security forces neutralized the terrorist.
Israel is also preparing to deal with the cyber attack that hit 100 countries on Friday, disrupting public systems in various countries, and the Ministry of Energy on Saturday increased its cyber alertness in Israel's energy and water infrastructure.

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Meanwhile, the British government said it was still unknown who was behind the massive cyber attack that also disrupted the health system in the European Union. At the same time, Russia's central bank reported that "massive" attacks on banks had been identified in the country, but were successfully thwarted. On the backdrop of the events, senior G7 leaders were discussing extensive cooperation against cyber threats.

Global cyber attacks

The Ministry of National Infrastructures, Energy and Water said that Minister Yuval Steinitz announced an increased cyber alert in Israel's energy and water infrastructure following the international offensive, whose dimensions are becoming clearer.

(Photo: Albatross aerial footage)

According to the Ministry's announcement, the Ministry of Energy, the Israel Electric Company, the power plants and the energy and water infrastructure have recently conducted activities aimed at strengthening cyber defense and increasing alertness, in accordance with the current attacks.

It was also reported that these activities were coordinated by the Ministry of Energy's cyber center, which was established a year ago to protect Israel's energy infrastructure against cyber attacks.

(Translated and edited by N. Elias)
A 37-year-old police officer was moderately injured by a terrorist stabbing in the area of the Lions' Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem. The police said that the terrorist was shot and later pronounced dead. The terrorist, Mohammad Abdullah Salim al-Kasji, a 57-year-old Jordanian citizen, arrived in Israel a week ago via the Jordan River crossing in Beit Shean.

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First few minutes following the terrorist attack

X

MDA reported that at 01:21pm, a man was stabbed near the Lions' Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Upon reaching the scene, the paramedics found a 37-year-old police officer with stab wounds in his upper body. He was taken to Shaare Zedek Hospital in the city and was fully conscious. The police reported that the terrorist was neutralized at the scene, and was later pronounced dead.

(Photo: Police Spokesperson)

According to an initial investigation, the terrorist was walking down Shalshelet Street in the Old City and noticed a policeman walking towards him. The terrorist rapidly approached him, pulled out two knives he had in his possession, charged him and stabbed him. The police reported that the officer responded with determination and professionalism while he was wounded, and managed to neutralize the assailant.

Several minutes after the attack

In recent weeks, several attacks in the Jerusalem area have been thwarted. Last Sunday, a female terrorist tried to carry out a stabbing attack near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem. Police shot the terrorist dead after she approached them while brandishing a knife and shouting, 'Allahu akbar'. According to the forces, she was carrying a goodbye note to her family signed 'martyr'. No other injuries were reported in the incident.

On April 25, a stabbing attack in Samaria was thwarted by soldiers from the 51st Battalion of the Golani Brigade near the Shomron Regional Brigade. A 21-year-old Palestinian terrorist who was holding a knife ran towards the force and was shot by soldiers. The terrorist was taken to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, and none of the soldiers was injured.

(Translated and edited by N. Elias)
The terrorist who stabbed a policeman at the Lion's Gate in Jerusalem was pronounced dead. The MDA team that arrived at the scene took the policeman who was moderately injured to Shaare Zedek Hospital in the city.
Tabitha Meals on Wheels are delivered to people who cannot prepare their own meals for health-related reasons. The basic menu, listed below, includes bread, margarine and milk. To order meals, get more information or volunteer, call Tabitha Meals on Wheels, 402-486-8589, or call 402-484-9669 for a prerecorded message on menus and program updates.
Italy and Portugal are the frontrunners going into the final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev on Saturday night, an annual song and dance fest whose global audience topped 200 million people last year.

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Italian Francesco Gabbani is leading the pack with a number, viewed nearly 114 million times on YouTube, that mixes Buddhist imagery with a dancing ape, and he explains as poking fun at the West's superficial embrace of eastern culture.

Vying for first place is Portugal's Salvador Sobral, performing a jazz-style ballad written by sister Luisa. According to the bookmakers, third favorite is Bulgaria's Kristian Kostov, the youngest entrant at 17 years old.

Ukraine is hosting the competition while the country is fighting a war, hundreds of kilometers away in the east, against Russian-backed separatists, after its Crimean Tatar entry Jamala won the competition last year.

The elephant in the room at Saturday's contest is Russia, which is boycotting the event after Ukraine barred Moscow's contestant from entering the countrya symptom of the countries' toxic relations after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014.

(Photo: Amit Cotler)

Gabbani faced questions at a news conference on Friday about the pressures of being favorite.

"Without any offense, but it has been the biggest pressure for me that I have been asked this question (about being favorite) zillions of times," he said, speaking through an official translator.

Imri Ziv's performance at the semi-final (Credit: Channel 1)

X

"But beside that, I want to be very honest about thisyou embrace this experience of Eurovision with the aim of living a great adventure and not necessarily thinking of the first or second place."

Imri Zivunfortunately for Israel, his odds aren't the best. (Photo: Amit Cotler)

This is the 62nd edition of Eurovision, recognized by Guinness World Records as the longest-running annual TV music competition. It began in 1956 with just seven countries. Ireland have won the most timesseven in allfollowing by Sweden.

Other hopefuls this year include Jacques Houdek, known as 'Mr. Voice' in Croatia, who blends pop and operatic singing styles in the song "My Friend". Romania is fielding a duo that combines rap and yodeling.

Ukraine has won the competition twice, including last year with a song about the mass deportation of Tatars from Crimea by Josef Stalin, and its winners will perform on Saturday.

More than 10,000 have been killed in the war between Ukraine and pro-Russian fighters that erupted in 2014.

(Photo: Amit Cotler)

"And yes, there is a war going on, but it's further, further out," said Stephanie Novak, a visiting fan from Australia.

"And I think isn't it the whole point of Eurovision to help bring Europe together? What could be better than bringing Europe to a country that is being so affected by war at the moment and to show them what a beautiful country it is."
Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi began his tenure as deputy IDF chief of staff on Thursday, replacing Maj. Gen. Yair Golan, who has left to resume academic studies.

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That same day, Moni Katz replaced Maj. Gen. Tal Russo as commander of the Depth Corps and was promoted to the rank of major general.

Kochavi, 54, began his career as a paratrooper combat soldier. He later served as the commander of the Paratroopers Brigade, the commander of the Gaza Division, the head of the Operations Branch in the General Staff, the head of the Military Intelligence Directorate and most recently as the GOC Northern Command.

Kochavi (L) with Eisenkot (File photo: Avihu Shapira)

Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, described Kochavi as an excellent and sharp-minded commander who comes to the position of deputy chief of staff very prepared. 

In addition to helping the chief of staff with operational issues, force buildup, personnel issues, and military planning for the years ahead, Kochavi will aid him with the relations between the military and civilian society. The goal is to repair the damage the IDF has suffered over the past year with the Elor Azaria case and tension with Religious Zionist rabbis.

In the two years he has served as chief of staff, Eisenkot has been praised for his job performance in military matters but criticized in his handling of civilian matters. In the Azaria case, for example, the army was severely criticized by the judges.

Sources in the IDF say that Eisenkot needs a deputy to help with such matters to maintain the level of public trust and desire to serve in combat units by new recruits.

(Translated and edited by J. Herzog)
Palestinians choose mayors and local councils in communities across the West Bank on Saturday, a rare chance to cast ballots after more than a decade without presidential or legislative elections.

Tribal loyalties often trump party affiliation at the local level, but the vote is also seen as a test for the embattled, nepotism-tainted Fatah party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Even without the participation of the rival Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, Fatah is expected to face stiff challenges from some independent candidates with large tribal backing.

Elections commission spokesman Fared Tomallah says some 390 councils are being chosen, with 145 of them being contested by multiple candidates. Results will be announced Sunday.
Syrian Kurdish-led forces were closing in Saturday on the de-facto capital of ISIS in Syria, seizing a cotton mill only a couple of miles north of the city and clashing with the militant group on a number of fronts, activists and Kurdish media reported.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, backed by US-led coalition airstrikes, advanced as they clashed with the militants in a multi-pronged offensive northeast and northwest of the city.

The offensive brings the SDF 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the northeast of the city, the Observatory said. Fighting was also reported about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) north of Raqqa and 13 kilometers (8 miles) to the northwest, the Observatory said.

The Raqqa Campaign, a Facebook page affiliated with the Kurdish-led forces, said the fighters seized the cotton mill, 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) north of the city on Saturday. Kurdish Hawar news agency said the Kurdish-led fighters also seized the office of a farmer's union, a local ruling party headquarters and a prison used by the militants. The agency said the fighters seized about 186 kilometers (115 miles) north of the city in their advance in the last four days.
In a statement issued today, State Minister for Media Affairs, the government's spokesman, Mohammad Al-Momani, said the Ministry of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs is following-up, through the Jordanian Embassy in Tel Aviv, on the killing of Jordanian citizen, Mohammad Abdullah Salim Al-Kasji, to find out the details and circumstances of the incident.

"The Israeli government, as the occupying power, bears responsibility for the shooting and killing of a Jordanian citizen in the occupied East Jerusalem on Saturday," the government said.

The government condemned as "terrible" the crime committed against the Jordanian citizen and demanded Israel to reveal the full details of the crime.

Al-Kasji has recently left the Kingdom through the Sheikh Hussein crossing, northern Jordan, via Israeli tourist visa and didn't return with the tourist group that he traveled with. He was shot by an Israeli police officer after attempting to stab the officer to death.

The officer suffered moderate stab wounds in his torso, and is currently hospitalized.
Police stated that Border Police officers have arrested a Palestinian woman in her 20s near the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron after an officer found a knife in her possession.

She is suspected of planning an attack on security forces in the area.

The woman was detained for further questioning.
The Jordanian government stated that it held Israel responsible on Saturday for the killing earlier that day of a Jordanian citizen who was shot dead by a policeman he was stabbing in Jerusalems Old City.

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Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani, released a statement holding that the Israeli government, as the occupying power, bears responsibility for the shooting and killing of a Jordanian citizen in the occupied East Jerusalem on Saturday, according to the Jordan News Agency.

Footage of the attack (Credit: Israel Police)

X

The attacker, Mohammad Abdullah Salim al-Kasji, was a 57-year-old man who had entered Israel a week ago via the Jordan River crossing in Beit Shean. He held a tourist visa to the country and was reportedly travelling with a group.

The news agency added that the Jordanian government condemned as terrible the crime committed against the Jordanian citizen and demanded Israel to reveal the full details of the crime.

Footage of the attack (Credit: Israel Police)

Jordans foreign ministry reportedly instructed its embassy to Israel to obtain these details.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office responded harshly: It is outrageous to hear the backing of the Jordanian government spokesman for the terrorist attack in the Old City of Jerusalem.

A security video clearly shows a Jordanian tourist stabbing an Israeli policeman with a knife. It's time for Jordan to stop this double game. Just as Israel condemns terrorist attacks in Jordan, Jordan must condemn attacks in Israel. Terrorism is terrorism wherever it is.

According to an initial investigation, Kasji was walking down Shalshelet Street in the Old City and noticed a policeman walking towards him. The Jordanian allegedly pulled out two knives, charged the police officer and stabbed him, moderately wounding him in his upper torso.

The knives allegedly used (Photo: Israel Police)

The attackers brother, Yusuf al-Kasji, said in an interview in Jordan, This is not the first time that my brother has travelled to Jerusalem via the Israeli embassy for tourism. He said that he had heard about the incident on television and added: "We want the Jordanian authorities and the Jordanian foreign ministry to hand over his body to bury him.

The Jordanian foreign ministry, Jordan and Israel are the ones who have to investigate what happened. We dont know anything about what happened, and we dont know his political inclinations. He never talked about that.

The Israel Police released a statement announcing that the officer had responded with determination and professionalism while wounded and had managed to shoot the assailant.

The commander of the Israel Polices Jerusalem District, Deputy Commissioner Yoram Halevy, visited the 37-year-old police officer, who has only been identified as 1st Sgt. N., at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center.

Yoram Halevy (L) visits N. in the hospital. (Credit: Israel Police)

We are very proud of you, proud of what you did and of how you reacted, Halevy said. In the end we save lives, save civilians. You knew to respond correctly, and you were in the right place.

I personally am proud of you, and your commanders and all of us in Jerusalem are proud of you. We know exactly what was there. We understand everything, and your response was excellent, professional, correct and safe.

The scene of the attack (Photo: Reuters)

N. responded from his hospital bed, You have no other choice. You have to fight to save civilians and your life. I tried to do everything for my family.

(Translated and edited by J. Herzog)
The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) went against a recommendation from its leadership and voted 197 to 117 in favor of an international economic, cultural and academic boycott against Israel because of the current impasse in peace talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA).

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Among the objectors to the vote was the newly elected LO leader Hans-Christian Gabrielsen, who warned against a general boycott and said that the decision might also affect Palestinian workers.

Demonstration for boycott of Israeli settlement goods in Trondheim, Norway

The majority of the LO supported a boycott of Israeli settlement goods, but a vocal minority pushed for the general ban against Israel, which passed.

Israeli Ambassador to Norway Raphael Schutz strongly condemned the decision.

"This immoral resolution reflects deeply rooted attitudes of bias, discrimination and double standard towards the Jewish state," Schutz wrote on his Facebook page.

"To work for a full boycott of the state of Israel will only contribute negatively, and further increase the mistrust and tension, pushing us further away from reaching a peaceful solution," he added.

Noting that LO had also called for the dismantling of a barrier erected by Israel separating it from the Palestinian territories, Schutz wrote, "By adopting these positions LO placed itself shoulder to shoulder with the worst enemies of Israel."

LO, which also called for Norway to recognize a Palestinian state along the pre-1967 borders, was criticized by the government.

Norwegian government strongly opposes Norw(ay's) Labor Unions decision: #boycott of #Israel. We need more cooperation and dialogue, not boycott, Foreign Minister Brge Brende wrote on Twitter.

"Norway has close, long-term and friendly relations with both the Israelis and Palestinians, and wants broad political, cultural and economic cooperation with both parties," added Brende.
Stones were thrown on Saturday in Bat Yam at a bus operating for a group that provides a form of public transportation on Shabbat. There were no injuries, and the police opened an investigation after the bus driver filed a complaint.

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Noa Tanua is a non-profit cooperative that has been operating for two years. Its attacked bus, which follows the route of Line 18, connecting Bat Yam with Jaffa and Tel Aviv, was only launched last Shabbat. Recently, the association raised about NIS 340,000 in a crowdfunding campaign. It plans to significantly expand this summer and operate five transportation lines on Shabbat.

Roy Schwartz Tichon, the founder and chairman of Noa Tanua, commented in response to the incident in Bat Yam: During one of the trips of the bus on the 18 line of Noa Tanua, extremists threw stones at our bus. Luckily, no one was hurt, and there was no danger to our passengers or team. We filed a complaint with the police, and the line on route 63 is continuing as usual.

Roy Schwartz Tichon (Photo: Dana Kopel)

The organization also released a statement that commented: Somebody decided that it didnt suit them to have other people travel freely on Shabbat. Over the past two years, Noa Tanua has operated transportation on Shabbat to allow freedom of movement for everyone, but there are those who want to destroy this freedom.

The violence and extremism of the stone throwers only strengthen our resolve and encourage us to continue to act resolutely, every Shabbat, to provide a response to the hundreds of thousands of residents who wish to travel on Shabbat. We believe that everyone should have the right to choose how to live their lives, and we wont allow an extreme minority to harm this belief.

(Translated and edited by J. Herzog)
The Governors Office ran a press release in the York News-Times on May 9th titled Expanding Educational Opportunity. It was noted in the third paragraph that Nebraska needs to improve 3rd grade reading proficiency. The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), the Nations Report Card, is the only accurate metric to compare states. NAEP reports only 40 percent of Nebraska students were proficient in reading by 4th grade, and only 38 percent were proficient by 8th grade.

I wanted to provide some additional info about NAEP data because NAEP itself cautions against using its proficiency label to be compared with grade-level work and the Governors press release didnt show how Nebraskas percentages compared to others across the country.

A colleague of mine contacted a NAEP employee who is a testing expert and he said the problem is the assumption being presented that NAEP proficient infers grade level reading and ability to read. The NAEP proficient level is a high standard and considered only aspirational by some. Not being proficient on NAEP does not mean not being able to read (as some might interpret.)

NAEP is administered in a random fashion. Selected samples of students, often from just a few school districts, take the assessments. York Public Schools has not been a major factor in NAEP scores during my 8-years here. It seems like about 5-6 years ago, our 8th graders were randomly selected for the 8th grade math test but we never get to see individual or school scores.

In the eighth paragraph of the Governors Office press release of May 9th it also said, Nebraska can take decisive steps to ensure our students achieve a higher standard at a better rate. We can start by increasing our reading standards with a better assessment tool. Many states have adopted A-F grading scales to provide transparency for parents about student outcomes. This is a cost effective tool to improve the quality of education. What is measured will improve. Best practices on A-F scales include measures for both proficiency and year-to-year improvement so schools that start further down are recognized for their progress and high performing schools are continually challenged to improve.

Whats interesting is that of the 17 states that currently have an A-F rating system of their school districts, Nebraska scored better on NAEP than 15 of them and tied the other two. We seem to be doing pretty good but always want to get better.

York Public Schools mainly focuses on the Nebraska State Assessments (NeSA) since they are designed to measure where students are today. We give those each spring and report on them each fall. On NeSA-Reading assessments in 2016, over 85% of the York Dukes performed at/above proficiency while the state average is near 79%.

Below are some data tables that show how NEBRASKA does on NAEP. Perhaps this additional data can provide extra context and comparisons to go along with what was in the Governors press release on May 9th. While you will see that NEBRASKA schools do extremely well, we all need to improve just the same. Thats what we strive for every day.

Regional Comparison Scale Score Avg.

4th Grade NAEP READING

Wyoming.............................228

Nebraska.............................227

Montana.............................225

Iowa..................................224

Colorado.............................224

Missouri..............................223

Oklahoma............................222

Kansas...............................221

South Dakota......................220

Texas................................218

National Average 221

 National Average for % of 4th graders at/above NAEP READING proficient level was 36%

 Nebraska was at 40%

Regional Comparison Scale Score Avg.

8th Grade NAEP READING

Montana............................270

Nebraska............................269

Wyoming............................269

Iowa.................................268

Colorado............................268

Kansas..............................267

South Dakota.....................267

Missouri.............................267

Oklahoma..........................263

Texas...............................261

National Average.................264

 National Average for % of 8th graders at/above NAEP READING proficient level was 34%

 Nebraska was at 38%
When the controversial tax reform plan pushed by Gov. Pete Ricketts failed to garner enough votes this week to break a filibuster, the measure was declared dead for the year.

While reductions in taxes are certainly appealing, such acts cant be done irresponsibly  particularly in light of the deficits that preceded steep spending cuts in this first year of the biennial budget.

Lawmakers convened in January, with Nebraska needing to trim $900 million from the state budget. Even at first glance, a plan that would increase that deficit by millions deserved skepticism. And, as the session wore on, it became clear Ricketts goals werent compatible with the grim reality of tax revenue forecasts that fell by tens  or hundreds  of millions of dollars at seemingly every update.

Critics often pointed to the grim financial picture faced by Kansas after its lawmakers cut taxes too much, too soon. The state dropped income tax rates so dramatically in 2012 that government revenues have fallen sharply while expenses have increased  leaving a forecast $1.1 billion shortfall by 2019.

The aftermath has been messy, with a shutdown of all public schools a real possibility last summer. In response, some taxes, including Kansas sales tax, have been raised to meet fiduciary responsibilities. Other proposed increases loom on the horizon.

Nebraska doesnt need  or want  that mess. Instead, citizens deserve a Legislature that is responsible with its finances for their sake.

The passion about whats best for Nebraska taxpayers is good. However, the bitter postmortem that followed this measures defeat was not.

Proponents of the bill argued that a minority of the Legislature voted against taxpayers best interest in killing it, while groups like Americans for Prosperity vowed senators responsible for the legislations demise would be held accountable.

The bills opponents, such as Sen. Burke Harr of Omaha, told reporters they instead said no to a bad bill.

A robust debate on the states tax situation is good, but the sniping afterward was disappointing. The Legislature will likely debate a similar measure in 2018, and we hope its accompanied by a rosier outlook on the states finances. At that time, a more modest version of the reform sought by the governor may enter the realm of possibility.

But, in the end, the reason for the tax reform bills demise this week was simple: Nebraska simply couldnt afford this legislation at this time.
YORK  Two abandoned cemeteries, for which the county is financially responsible for upkeep, will again be cared for through contracts with local people.

The commissioners agreed to sign the contract with Ron Fersch, who has been caring for the Cashler/Union Cemetery for eight years.

They earlier noted Ferschs commitment to caring for the cemetery, by not just mowing it (the only requirement of the contract) but also by trimming trees, fixing broken headstones, re-establishing sunken stones and more.

He does a great job out there, said Commissioner Kurt Bulgrin. And hes already been out to mow this year, to stay ahead of it.

This cemetery is located just west of the York/Seward county line, just north of Interstate 80.

They also agreed to sign a contract for the year with Brian Johnson who has been caring for the Brabham/Zion Cemetery near Arborville. This cemetery, which sits far off County Board B in the middle of a field, was just declared abandoned last year.

Hes done a nice job there since he started, Bulgrin said.

Both Fersch and Johnson will each be paid $700 to care for the cemeteries this year  the same amount as last year.

These are the only two cemeteries in the county to be officially declared abandoned, which by state law then makes them the financial responsibility of the county.

Certain criteria must be met in order for a cemetery to be declared as such.

The cemetery has to have been founded before Jan. 1, 1900.

The cemetery must contain the graves of homesteaders, immigrants from foreign nations, prairie farmers, pioneers, sodbusters, first generation Nebraskans or Civil War veterans.

And the cemetery must have been generally abandoned and neglected for at least 20 years.

It was noted by the commissioners that state statute only requires the maintenance contracts to include at least one mowing before Memorial Day and another toward the end of the summer  but it was also recognized that the maintenance these cemeteries are receiving exceeds the requirements.

You know, if those people, back in the old days, took so much care to make sure these people were remembered, dont we have that obligation too? commented Fersch during an earlier interview about his work at Cashler.

I feel good moving forward with the contracts, Bulgrin said. They are taking good care of the cemeteries.
YORK  The York County Development Corporation hosted an event in recognition of National Economic Development Week, in which they held a community conversation at the York College campus.

About 20 people were in attendance, where local economic development experiences were discussed. Quickly, the topic became the importance of available housing at all price points and the impact it has on workforce retention and development.

Economic development is usually perceived to be about business recruitment, which of course is a component, explained Lisa Hurley, YCDC executive director. But it is also about business retention, workforce development, housing, recreation, health care, education and much more. We are having this conversation about diversifying our housing  its a cycle  and we wont make progress on workforce issues if we dont fix the housing.

It was expressed many times that local businesses are ready to hire people  and expand  but they hold off from doing so because they just cant find the right workers.

Jim Ulrich, CEO of York General Health Care Services, said that his organization employs right around 500 employers, as a whole. That would make YGHCS the largest employer in the county.

Our ability to recruit employees to town relies on the quality of our schools, housing, banking, recreation and more, Ulrich said. We recognize that York General better be at the table and engaged in helping get things done. We need to recruit the people to provide the care you need. Strong healthcare plays a big role in a community and vice versa. We want to be involved in the future of our community.

Matt Spanjers, manager of York Cold Storage, spoke to his experience in local manufacturing efforts. He noted that the company has made improvements and gone through expansions in the last few years  which resulted in going from 37 employees to over 70.

We have nearly doubled our workforce in the last few years, Spanjers said. We are not the largest employer, but we do employ 70 people and we need to take a role in bringing people to this community. It is our responsibility to participate in economic development.

Ive talked with a number of businesses in the last few weeks who would hire people if they could find them, commented Barry Redfern, who sits on the York City Council and is also the marketing president of Midwest Bank. This keeps them from growing the way they want.

Over 40 percent of the workforce here lives outside of York County, Hurley said. It is great that we have positions people will commute for, but it would be a great thing if they all had a place to live here.

The group discussed the need for more affordable housing  noting that expensive new homes have been built in York in recent years, but not everyone can afford to build or move into a $350,000 home.

Ulrich, who moved here from McCook, described an investment group in his former community that constructed three homes (with proceeds from the first going toward the second and then the third).

We had that group in place here, Redfern said. We built eight homes. Then we had issues finding a contractor who would oversee the project and we lost money on the last one. It worked for us for a while.

In our organization, we are seeing issues for people who are making entry-level wages and they have needs for apartments and other rental opportunities, Ulrich said.

It was recognized that different forms of financial assistance are available for rental rehabilitation and first-time homeownership.

Another topic of conversation was the theory of establishing a modular home community that could be more affordable  but it was also recognized that lot prices could be a challenge.

Where would you like to see in this housing conversation be at, a year from now? asked Carrie Colburn, publisher of the York News-Times, who was the facilitator of the conversation.

Hurley said the first benchmark was hiring the position of someone focusing on housing and workforce development for the YCDC, which has been done.

Now we want to do more public education, we want to identify additional lending sources. Our recent housing study recommends that we have 50 new housing properties a year with half of them being rental, Hurley said, acknowledging that is a benchmark that probably cannot be immediately fulfilled.

Those need to be affordable, and therein lies the problem, said York Mayor Orval Stahr.

We need townhouses, duplexes and apartments, Hurley said. We have lost retirees to Lincoln when they were ready to downsize and they no longer wanted to deal with maintenance, etc.

And she stressed that those opportunities are also needed for younger folks who are in the workforce.

When asked from the crowd what the average person makes in York, Hurley said many jobs here pay $9-$10 an hour, with $12-$14 an hour being pretty common.

But we also have a lot of jobs that pay between $17 and $20 an hour, Hurley added.

The conversation included a wide spectrum of interests and points of view, as those in attendance were of different age groups. Those present also represented a number of areas of business, including realtors, public health, government administration and education.

Housing needs will continue to be a major focus for all economic development players, as the need for more affordable housing and housing options continues to be an issue in York County . . . and across Nebraska.
The following questions were asked recently on the Wonderline:

Q: I see the city is digging the ditches on South Lincoln Avenue. I noticed the ditches in the median are very deep now. My question is: Isnt this a state highway? If so, shouldnt the state be doing the work and not the city? Where is the dirt going and being used for what? With the ditches being so deep, if a car would drive off into the new ditch, who would be responsible for the ditch and damages resulting? Has the city put in some type of erosion control so the road isnt damaged?

A: Highway 81 is a state highway, explained York Public Works Director Mitch Doht. The city has maintenance responsibility on Highway 81 through city limits via an interlocal agreement with the state.

All the dirt cleaned out of the ditches went to low spots in the same vicinity. We have been working to improve drainage and limit standing water on the south side of town for a couple of months now. The shoulder widths, ditch slopes and clear zones all meet minimum design standards. In fact, we have restored the bottom of ditch elevations to where they were when the road was originally constructed. We didnt move any culverts, we simply graded the areas between the culverts to let the water move.

If someone drives off the road, they are responsible, just as in any other lane departure crash.

All the disturbed areas will be seeded in the next couple of weeks to prevent erosion.

Q: Another Beaver Creek Park question  once the sewer plant is moved, does the city have any plans for that land? Will it become part of the park system? If so, would a foot-like bridge over Beaver Creek as part of the walking trail be considered to connect that land with the Beaver Creek Park trail?

A: A majority of the structures at our current wastewater treatment plant site will eventually be demolished, explained York Public Works Director Mitch Doht. The city will maintain ownership of the site, probably transforming it into a green space and possibly a small city park.

When the Blackburn Avenue bridge is replaced, it will provide a 10-foot wide walking trail across the creek. This will give us a link from the new park to the Beaver Creek trail. Replacement of the bridge may be a couple of years out.

Q: I love how the ladies who work at the Wessels Living History Farm wear those dresses and skirts and aprons to fit in with the time period. My question is where do they get them?

A: Wessels Director Hillary Mundt said her Wessels outfits were sewn by her mother.

She said the ladies who volunteer out there have sewn their own, as well.

Q: How come you never answer the telephone?

A: The phone line designated for the Wonderline goes directly to a message system because this is not a manned phone. The intent is for Wonderline questions to be collected there and then retrieved every so many days so we can find the answers.

The calls are collected this way because of the sheer volume that comes in.

Q: In what states are common law marriages recognized?

A: States with common law marriage are the following (with certain stipulations):

 Colorado: Common law marriage contracted on or after Sept. 1, 2006, is valid if, at the time the marriage was entered into, both parties are 18 years or older, and the marriage is not prohibited by other law.

 Iowa: Common law marriage for purposes of the Support of Dependents Chapter, otherwise it is not explicitly prohibited.

 Kansas: Common law marriage will be recognized if the parties are 18 or older and for purposes of the Divorce and Maintenance Article, proof of common law marriage is allowed as evidence of marriage of the parties.

 Montana: Not strictly prohibited, they are not invalidated by the Marriage Chapter.

 New Hampshire: Common law marriage is defined as persons cohabitating and acknowledging each other as husband and wife, and generally reputed to be such, for three years shall thereafter be deemed to have been legally married, until one of them dies.

 South Carolina: Allows for marriages without a valid license.

 Texas: Common law marriage in specific circumstances.

 Utah

Not all state statutes expressly allow for common law marriages. In some states, case law recognizes common law marriages, including Alabama and Rhode Island. Oklahomas statute requires couples to get a marriage license; however, case law has upheld common law marriages in the state.

States that did allow, and will still recognize as valid, common law marriages entered into prior to the date it was abolished:

 Pennsylvania: No common law contracted after Jan. 1, 2005.

 Ohio: No common law if entered into on or after Oct. 10, 1991.

 Indiana: No common law if entered into after Jan. 1, 1958;

 Georgia: No common law after Jan. 1, 1997, however, common law marriages entered into prior to that date will be recognized by the state.

 Florida: No common law entered into after Jan. 1, 1968.

Q: Have you received any more information about that rock by Waco that was in last weeks Wonderline?

A: We have received information that indicates this particular rock marks the location of the first frame school house in York County. We have received contact information for people who can tell us the whole story  watch for that in next weeks Wonderline.

Q: How does a person get a public defender as their attorney? And can a person get a public defender to help with all kinds of case?

A: A judge has to appoint a public defender to represent you. Whether or not the judge appoints an attorney to represent you will depend on whether the judge believes that you could or could not afford to hire your own attorney. If you ask for an attorney, you will probably be asked questions about your financial situation.

A public defender is only appointed to represent people in criminal matters, including felonies, misdemeanors, juvenile court, mental health hearings and appeals to the Nebraska Court of Appeals and the Nebraska Supreme Court.

If someone is in court for a contempt action for failure to pay child support, they will be given the opportunity to ask for a public defender, which again is determined by the persons financial situation.

Q: Someone told me that if I dont mow my lawn, the city is going to come and yell at me and tell me that I have to mow my yard. Is that true? If I want weeds and high grass in my yard, isnt that my business?

A: The city has regulations in the municipal code regarding this topic.

All property owners are required to keep their yards mowed and weeds cleaned up. If not, they could be cited for a misdemeanor offense and if the property gets bad enough, theres the possibility the city could clean it up and then assess the costs to the owner.

Q: Is the stop light at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and the bypass activated by car traffic or is it just set by time?

A: The signal is traffic activated.

Q: If someone has hazardous material buried on their land, what department would you report that to?

A: If the burial of hazardous material is suspected, the report could be called in to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
DENVER  Police are continuing to investigate the death of a woman who had been living in Racine and was found dead last fall on a train upon its arrival in Denver.

On Sept. 1, Marina Placensia, 28, a mother of four who lived on the 600 Block of Ninth Avenue in Racine for about three years, was declared dead after being found unresponsive in her train seat by her boyfriend, a resident of a Denver suburb and father of three of Placensias children; he also had been living in Racine.

The couple had been together about 10 years, according to Placensias brother, Denver resident Christopher Medina. She was trying to get away from him in April 2015, and then we found out he was out there with her again, Medina said. We thought, why is this fool out there with you?

According to Medina, the family had been trying to get Placensia and her children away from the boyfriend, who was charged with battery in March 2015 and was subsequently court-ordered to have no contact with the victim MAP, initials that match Placensias.

The Journal Times is not naming the boyfriend because he has not been charged in connection to Placensias death.

The family had planned to separate the boyfriend from Placensia and the children when they arrived.

We were there to tell him, Youre done,  Medina said. I cannot for sure say he beat her to death, I mean, Im not a medical expert, but the kids have been very open and said he beat her and them.

After Placensias death, the couples children stayed with the boyfriend for three days, but the children were subsequently removed from his care, Medina said.

No sign of a struggle

Placensia was pronounced dead at 7:54 a.m. Sept. 1 after attempts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful. Her cause of death was ruled to be undetermined. Train personnel, however, didnt notice any disturbances during the trip and saw no signs of a struggle, the autopsy said.

The autopsy, which was completed on Sept. 2, showed that Placensia had 35 different injuries to her body, several bruises and was the victim of past domestic abuse at the hands of her boyfriend.

Priscilla Placensia, an aunt of Marinas who lives in Mequon, was in contact with Marina when she first moved to Racine and said the boyfriend arrived a year after Marina.

For the most part, however, Priscilla said she didnt notice any issues until near the end of Marinas life.

I saw how my brother was really stressing, Priscilla said. I had invited Marina last year to a quinceanera, but my brother said, Shes not going to come. She was always bruised and beat up, so she wouldnt come around family.

According to Priscilla, Marina was afraid to tell anyone what was going on for fear of losing her children. She really loved her kids, Priscilla said. There wasnt anything that she wouldnt have done for those kids.

Marina, who Priscilla said had aspirations to become a beautician, had been experiencing a sudden loss issue with her eyesight but no other startling medical issues. A girl who had perfect vision suddenly couldnt see anymore, Priscilla said.

Marina Placensias death remains under investigation, the Denver Police Department confirmed this week.

You think you know your family, but you really have no clue whats going on, Priscilla said.
Washington: The United States is close to completing a series of arms deals for Saudi Arabia totaling more than USD 100 billion, a senior White House official said on Friday, a week ahead of President Donald Trump`s planned visit to Riyadh.

The official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the arms package could end up surpassing more than USD 300 billion over a decade to help Saudi Arabia boost its defensive capabilities while still maintaining US ally Israel`s qualitative military edge over its neighbours.

"We are in the final stages of a series of deals," the official said. The package is being developed to coincide with Trump`s visit to Saudi Arabia. Trump leaves for the kingdom on May 19, the first stop on his maiden international trip.

Reuters reported last week that Washington was pushing through contracts for tens of billions of dollars in arms sales to Saudi Arabia, some new, others already in the pipeline, ahead of Trump`s visit.

The United States has been the main supplier for most Saudi military needs, from F-15 fighter jets to command and control systems worth tens of billions of dollars in recent years. Trump has vowed to stimulate the US economy by boosting manufacturing jobs.

The package includes American arms and maintenance, ships, air missile defense and maritime security, the official said.

"We`ll see a very substantial commitment ... In many ways it is intended to build capabilities for the threats they face."

The official added: "It`s good for the American economy but it will also be good in terms of building a capability that is appropriate for the challenges of the region. Israel would still maintain an edge."

While in Riyadh, the official said Trump would attend three major events: A series of meeting with Saudi officials, a separate session with leaders of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council and a lunch with Arab and Muslim leaders, 56 of whom have been invited, to discuss combating extremism and cracking down on illicit financing.

Trump will discuss how to counter the threat from Islamic State militants, the war in Yemen and threats of ballistic missiles and maritime shipping in the Red Sea, the official said.

US Navy commanders have accused Iran of jeopardising international navigation by "harassing" warships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Gulf Arab states are optimistic about Trump whom they see as a hawkish leader opposed to their adversary Iran.

A major part of the agenda with Gulf leaders will be the Syrian civil war amid calls for "de-escalation zones" in Syria to provide a safe haven for Syrian refugees.

Besides Saudi Arabia, Trump`s first foreign trip will also include visits to Israel, the Vatican, Brussels for a NATO summit and Sicily for a Group of Seven summit.
Karachi: At least 10 labourers working on a road project near Pakistan's strategic Gwadar port in the restive Balochistan province were shot dead by unidentified motorcycle-borne gunmen on Sunday.

Gwadar Deputy Commissioner Naeem Bazai said the labourers worked on a road project and were from Sindh province.

The labourers were attacked and shot from close range, said Muhammad Zareef, a senior paramilitary official.

"They were working at two separate sites just two kilometres away from each other," he said.

Eight of the labourers died on the spot while two succumbed on their way to hospital.

The motorcycle-borne gunmen who fired indiscriminately fled the scene after the attack.

A special military C-130 aircraft flew the remains of the slain labourers for funerals to their hometown in Sindh's Naushahro Feroze district, the official said.

The outlawed separatist group Baluch Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Such attacks have become common in the mineral-rich province plagued by separatist insurgency since 2004.

Suspected separatists often target non-native labourers in the province. Last month, four Sindhi labourers were gunned down by suspected militants in Kharan district.

Balochistan's Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti confirmed the death toll. Condemning the incident, he said, "We will not bow down before terrorists."

Frontier Corps, police and Levies personnel have reached the spot and an investigation was underway.

The attack comes a day after a suicide bombing targeted a convoy of Deputy Chairman Senate Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri. The attack in Mustang killed 26 people.

Today's attack happened near the Gwadar port, built with Chinese funding, as Pakistan and China ink agreements at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing to boost bilateral cooperation.

The deep-water port has a strategic importance for the Belt and Road initiative, a part of which - the USD 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) - connects Pakistan's southern region to China's western Xinjiang region through rail and roads.

The CPEC is billed as a 'game-changer' and manifestation of strategic partnership between Pakistan and China.

Pakistan has deployed a Maritime Security Force and Special Security Division to protect projects under CPEC, including Gwadar. The forces have been deployed to ensure safety of locals and foreigners working on the projects.
Islamabad: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's daughter Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari on Saturday lambasted a bill prohibiting eating and drinking in public during the month of Ramzan, terming it a "ridiculous law" which is against Islam.

Bakhtawar, 27, took to twitter to express her outrage at the Ehteram-e-Ramazan (Amendment) Bill, 2017 which also seeks to punish hotel owners violating the law with fines from Rupees 500 to 25,000.

"People are going to die from heat stroke and dehydration with this ridiculous law. Not everyone is able. This is not Islam," Bakhtawar wrote in a tweet.

Pakistan Senate Standing committee on Religious Affairs unanimously approved the bill on Wednesday, 'Dawn' reported.

The oldest daughter of Benazir said that the "law" was outrageous as it failed to consider that not everyone will be fasting in the month of Ramazan.

"Not everyone in Pakistan will be fasting - Children in school, the elderly, people with medical issues - Should we arrest them for drinking water?" she tweeted.

Under the Ehtram-e-Ramazan Ordinance 1981, it is illegal for Muslims to eat or drink in public during daylight hours in Ramazan, though the heatstroke crisis prompted some clerics to advise people they should stop fasting if their health is at risk.

After receiving mixed reviews from users on the social media, Bakhtawar elaborated on her initial tweet, saying "We are more than capable of resisting temptation and keeping our fasts."
Dubai: At least one person was killed on Saturday in a fire that broke out on a ship carrying petroleum products docked at a port in Sharjah.

Four people were injured in the fire that was extinguished in the afternoon at Sharjah`s Al Hamriyah port.

Col. Sami Al Naqbi, Director-General of Sharjah Civil Defence, said that firefighters contained the fire within 40 minutes.

They also controlled the diesel from spilling into the sea and preventing any further pollution, said Col. Al Naqbi.

Sixteen workers were evacuated safely. The cause of the fire which broke out early morning remained unknown.
Beijing: Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe arrived here on Sunday to attend China's high- profile Belt and Road summit beginning tomorrow.

Wickremesinghe left for the Chinese capital immediately after seeing off India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the end of his two-day visit to Sri Lanka last evening.

Wickremesinghe will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Xiang on a host of bilateral issues, his office has said.

Analysts here say Wickremesinghe's Beijing visit has gained significance as India has chosen to stay away from the summit, citing sovereignty concerns related to the China- Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The Belt and Road Forum is being organised by China to showcase its multi-billion dollar Silk Road initiative of which the USD 50 billion CPEC connecting China's Xinjiang with Balochistan through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is a part.

India has expressed concerns over China's growing presence and influence in Sri Lanka.

It was reported during Modi's visit that Sri Lanka had denied permission for a Chinese submarine to visit Colombo port this week.

A similar submarine in 2014 had raised protests from New Delhi against the then Mahinda Rajapaksa government in Colombo.

It has been argued that Rajapaksa's massive infrastructure projects presented the Chinese with a foothold in the island nation.

Sri Lanka borrowed mostly commercial loans to fund the infrastructure projects such as building a sea and airport in the Rajapaksa heartland of Hambantota in the deep south of the country.

Wickremesinghe, who is primarily the Economic Affairs Minister in the unity government of President Maithripala Sirisena, has taken the lead in turning the Chinese funded projects into Chinese equity due to Sri Lanka's inability to meet high Chinese debts.

His proposals have faced strong resistance from the Opposition which is being led by Rajapaksa who dubs Wickremesinghe's plans as a sell out of state assets to China.
New Delhi: Indonesian locals are taken aback by the carcass of what looks like a ginormous sea creature that seems to have washed ashore on Hulung Beach, in the west of Indonesias Serum Island.

As per reports, the sea animal's rotting corpse was discovered by 37-year-old local resident Asrul Tuanakota, who initially mistook the body for a stranded boat.

Photos and vidoes of the stranded sea creature have evidently gone viral and have the locals speculating its identity, with many deeming it to be a giant squid or a sperm whale.

Several videos posted by a local villager show the sea creature slowly disintegrating in the water, turning it a dark red  is it blood or something else? No one knows. From the images, the creature also seems to have tusks.

A group of marine scientists were reportedly scheduled to take samples of the creature on Thursday, according to Detik. Residents have since flocked to see the giant carcass, which was estimated to have died more than three days ago.

As per Mashable, a local military command is keeping watch on the carcass, while residents have asked authorities to help remove the remains so it doesn't contaminate the surrounding area.

Marcus Chua, a museum officer at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum told Mashable that the carcass appears to be that of a baleen whale, a subgroup of whales that include humpback whales and minke whales.

"[Based] on the images and videos, in the advanced stage of decomposition it is not possible to determine whether that is a humpback whale or not," Chua, who is also a curator of mammals and birds at the National University of Singapore-affiliated museum, added.

Check out some of the videos of the mysterious creature posted by locals:

(Video courtesy: Patasiwa Kumbang Amalatu)
Fatima (Portugal): Pope Francis added two Portuguese shepherd children to the roster of Catholic saints on Saturday, honoring young siblings whose reported visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago turned the Portuguese farm town of Fatima into one of the world's most important Catholic shrines.

Francis proclaimed Francisco and Jacinta Marto saints at the start of Mass marking the centenary of their visions. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims were on hand, many of whom had spent days at Fatima in quiet prayer, reciting rosaries before a statue of the Madonna. They clapped as soon as Francis read the proclamation aloud.

Francisco and Jacinta, aged 9 and 7, and their 10-year- old cousin, Lucia, reported that on March 13, 1917, the Virgin Mary made the first of a half-dozen appearances to them here while they grazed their sheep.

They said she confided in them three secrets foretelling apocalyptic visions of hell, war, communism and the death of a pope and urged them to pray for peace and a conversion away from sin.

Before the Mass, Francis prayed at the tombs of each of the Fatima visionaries. The Marto siblings died two years after the visions during Europe's Spanish flu pandemic. Lucia is on track for possible beatification, but her process couldn't start until after her 2005 death.

The Martos now become the youngest-ever saints who didn't die as martyrs.

At the end of the Mass, Francis was to offer a special greeting to the many faithful who flock to Fatima in hopes of healing. Many toss wax body parts hands, hearts, livers and limbs into a giant fire pit at the shrine as an offering.

In Fatima for the occasion were Joao Baptista and his wife, Lucila Yurie, of Brazil. The medically inexplicable healing of their son, Lucas, was the "miracle" needed for the Marto siblings to be declared saints.

The boy, aged 5 at the time, had fallen 6.5 metres from a window in 2013 and suffered such severe head trauma that his doctors said he would be severely mentally disabled or in a vegetative state if he even survived. The boy not only survived but has no signs of any after-effects.

In 2000, St John Paul II beatified the Marto siblings during a Mass at Fatima and used the occasion of the new millennium to reveal the third "secret" that the children reported they had received from the Madonna.

The text, written by Lucia, had been kept in a sealed envelope inside the Vatican for decades, with no pope daring to reveal it because of the terrifying vision it reported: a "bishop dressed in white" the pope on his knees at the foot of a cross, killed in a hail of bullets and arrows, along with other bishops, priests and various lay Catholics.

The message featured an angel crying out "penance, penance, penance!"

The impending canonisation of the children had led to speculation that a fourth "secret" remained, but the Vatican has insisted there are no more secrets related to the Fatima revelations.
Ahmedabad: Patidar quota agitation leader Hardik Patel today said the community members were ready to hold talks with any party-- be it BJP or Congress-- to find appropriate solution to the reservation issue.

"In the coming days, we are ready to hold discussions with any party, be it BJP or Congress. We will take appropriate decision in the interest of the community," Hardik said in a statement today.

His remarks came a day after some members of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), an organisation led by Hardik, met Gujarat Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki at his residence and urged him to clear his party's stand about the key demands of PAAS.

Those who held a meeting with Solanki here include Hardik's close aides Dinesh Bambhaniya, Varun Patel and Manoj Panara.

Speaking about yesterday's meeting with Solanki, Hardik said the PAAS members sought clarity from the Congress president about four major demands.

These demands include reservation to Patels under OBC quota, formation of Patidar Commission, compensation to the families of at least 10 Patel youths, who died during quota violence in 2015 and withdrawal of FIRs against the agitators.

"Our members held a meeting with Solanki to find out what his party can offer to us if Congress comes to power after the state assembly polls. We asked him if his party will be able to give us reservation after coming to power," Hardik told reporters here today.

"We also asked him if Congress government will form Patidar Commission, provide compensation to the victims' families and withdraw cases against us. During the meet, Solanki assured us that he will take up the matter with the party high command," he added.
New Delhi: The distraught parents of a gang-rape and murder victim in Haryana's Rohtak on Saturday demanded death penality for the rapists.

Hang the rapists, said the victim's parents after they were informed by the police about their daughter's brutal rape and murder.

They said neither police nor any official from the government visited them after the incident.

The police were stunned to see the state of the victim's body, which had grave injury marks.

An initial investigation showed that sharp-edged objects were inserted into her private parts while her head was smashed.

Police suspect a vehicle was run over her by the attackers in order to disfigure her so they could hide the victim's identity.

A forensic team later confirmed that the victim was gang-raped and mutilated with sharp-edged weapons.

"The victim was tortured and her body was mutilated and tortured after the gang rape.

She was killed after being raped involving at least seven people.

Her skull was smashed in a way which indicates that she was run over by a vehicle in order to hide her identity," the forensic team said.

The probe also found drugs in viscera samples taken from her body.

The incident happens barely a week after the Supreme Court sent four convicts in the December 16, 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case to the gallows.

According to police, the girl was abducted in Haryana's Rohtak when she was on her way to work on May 9.

She was then taken to a secluded place where she was gang-raped by seven people.

The attackers then mutilated her body and dumped it in an empty plot in Rohtak on May 11.

She lived with her parents in neighbouring Sonepat district of Haryana.
Rohtak: In a shocking incident, a woman was first abducted and the brutally gnag-raped by seven people and then murdered in Rohtak district of Haryana.

The incident is said to have taken place on May 9 when the victim was on her way to work. The episode came to light when the girls body was found in an empty plot in Rohtak city's IMT area.

The post-mortem report suggest that the victim was first gang-raped and her private parts were mutilated with a sharp-edged weapon. The culprits even tried to run over her in an attempt to hide her identity.

"The victim was tortured and her body was mutilated and tortured after the gang-rape. She was killed after being raped involving at least seven people. Her skull was smashed in a way which indicates that she was run over by a vehicle in order to hide her identity," the forensic team has stated.

According to another media report, the forensic team have also found drugs in her viscera samples.

According to preliminary information, the victim had allegedly refused a marriage proposal, following which the accused reached her home a week later with his friends. A heated argument broke out between the two sides following which the woman ended up slapping him.

In revenge, the accused along with his friends allegedly raped and murdered her.

The victim's family allege that the accused along with six other people abducted the girl from the gate of a private company. Later, they took her to a deserted place and gang-raped her.

The girl's mother claim that the accused had been presurizing the woman for marriage for past one year.

I can't imagine what they did to my daughter. I want all the culprits to be hanged," the victim's father told media.
MOUNT PLEASANT  The village is one step closer to getting federal help to address the bluff erosion along Lake Michigan.

The Mount Pleasant bluff erosion project is on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers list of new projects for fiscal year 2017, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwins office announced Friday.

That means the Army Corps will work with local officials to conduct a federal interest determination, which is when engineers study how the bluff erosion affects public utilities and infrastructure, according to Scott Thieme, the deputy district engineer for project management for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

If there is a positive determination, the Army Corps will partner with Mount Pleasant on a feasibility study and possible construction.

If officials determine that the erosion will not impact public infrastructure, then the local and state governments would have to fund any cliff improvements, Thieme said.

The announcement was made Friday, about a week after Congress approved a spending bill to ensure the government would remain open.

Baldwin, D-Wis., a vocal advocate for the project, said in a statement: The bluff erosion along Lake Michigan has threatened homes, roads and utilities in Mount Pleasant for too long now. Im pleased to announce this crucial step forward in our effort to address this problem before the land erodes further.

Sen. Baldwin tours bluff erosion in Mount Pleasant MOUNT PLEASANT  Temporary measures to stabilize the bluff in the Lake Park neighborhood hav

Baldwin, along with other local officials, has called on the Corps of Engineers to take action and work with officials in Mount Pleasant and Racine County, as well as the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, to prevent further erosion.

Gov. Scott Walker also has requested federal assistance for Mount Pleasant. Walker has noted that village roads and utilities, along with a dozen homes, are in immediate danger of succumbing to bluff failure.

Gov. Walker requests federal assistance for Mount Pleasant erosion MOUNT PLEASANT  Gov. Scott Walker has requested federal assistance for the Village of Mount

Village worst hit

Erosion has also threatened lakefront homes in Caledonia, Somers and elsewhere along the Lake Michigan shore. But the most serious problems are reportedly in Mount Pleasant, the area that the Army Corps project is addressing.

The villages Lake Park area has been the hardest hit area in Racine County.

Donated concrete to aid homeowners facing erosion issues MOUNT PLEASANT  Concrete from a construction project at the Waukegan, Ill., airport will be

Concrete was transported to the neighborhood, located south of the site of the former Case Clausen Works plant, to temporarily stabilize the bluff. But local officials say more needs to be done and have said the current rate of erosion could soon threaten Sheridan Road, which runs parallel to the lake.
New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi today expressed deep shock and outrage over the brutal gang rape-and-murder of a young woman in Rohtak in Haryana, and highlighted the need for "revisiting" the issue of women safety.

"This savage and bone-chilling incident has shocked the conscience of the nation, reminding each one of us about the crying need for revisiting the important issue of women's safety and security," she said in a statement.

Expressing heartfelt condolences to the family, Gandhi hoped that the Haryana government would take action against the perpetrators of the crime and provide necessary solace to the family.

A 23-year-old woman was gang-raped and brutally murdered with her mutilated body being found in Rohtak district, police said.

Stray dogs had bitten away the victim's face and lower portion of her body which was spotted by a passer-by in the urban estate area of Rohtak on May 11, they said.

Two persons have been arrested in this connection, Superintendent of Police of Sonipat Ajay Malik said.
Kolkata: Days after asserting that it was his 'right' to use the red beacon on his vehicle as the permission was allotted to him by the British government, the Shahi Imam of Tipu Sultam Masjid on Saturday finally removed the 'lal batti' from his vehicle.

"No, there was no political pressure on me to remove the red light. How will political parties put pressure on me? I am the Shahi Imam and will follow the law," Maulana Noor-ur Rehman Barkati said.

A senior officer of Kolkata traffic police said that the Imam had removed the red beacon of his own volition.

On Thursday, the clergyman had said, "I am a religious leader and I have been using the red beacon for decades. I do not follow the orders of the Centre. Who are they to order me? In Bengal, only the orders of the state government are effective. I will use the red beacon."

The Centre, seeking to put an end to 'VIP culture', had decided that red beacons would be removed from all vehicles, including that of the prime minister, from May 1.

On Wednesday, a police compliant was filed against Barkati by BJP leader Suraj Kumar Singh for not complying with the central government's order on the use of red beacon.

The ban applies to all union ministers, Chief Ministers, state Cabinet ministers, bureaucrats and judges of the High Court and Supreme Court while President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice of Indian and the Lok Sabha Speaker are exempted from the ban.
Kolkata: West Bengal Minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury, who had questioned the Shahi Imam of Tipu Sultan Mosque, Maulana Noor-ur Rehman Barkati, over the use of the red beacon, was himself using it atop his vehicle.

"Barkati is Imam and I am a minister of the state government. I will remove the red beacon as soon as the government orders for it," Chowdhury told ANI.

Earlier in the day, Imam Barkati, who had initially refused to remove the red beacon from his car, finally agreed to follow the Centre's order.

Defying the Centre's order, Barkati had earlier said that he would continue to use the red beacon as the permission for it was given by the erstwhile "British Government".

"I will remove red beacon once everyone does the same. I will continue to use as I have got permission from British government," Barkati said.

He further said that he has been using the red beacon for decades and wouldn't take orders from the Centre.

On Friday, an FIR was also lodged against Maulana Barkati after a BJP leader Suraj Kumar Singh registered a complaint against him for not complying with the Centre's ban on the use of the red beacon.

The Central Government imposed a ban on use of red beacon on vehicles attached to dignitaries from May 1.

The ban applies to union ministers, chief ministers, state cabinet ministers, bureaucrats and judges of the High Court and Supreme Court while President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India and the Lok Sabha Speaker are exempted from the ban.
Lahore: Osama Bin Laden`s documents seized in the Abbottabad raid reveal that the Al-Qaeda leader`s son, Hamza Bin Laden is most likely to carry forward his father`s infamous legacy forward and avenge his dad`s deathA former FBI agent Ali Soufan, who is familiar with the Osama documents, revealed the contents of the now-declassified letters in an interview to television news channel.

"Hamza is poised to lead a stronger, larger Al Qaeda," Ali Soufan, who was leading the Federal Bureau of Investigation`s probe of the terror group after the September 11, 2001, attacks, revealed in an interview to CBS.

Soufan describes a letter from the son, Hamza, that was collected in the raid and now declassified. "He tells him that.he remembers `every look.every smile you gave me, every word you told me.

` Hamza would be about 28 now and wrote the letter when he was 22 and had not seen his father in several years. Hamza also wrote this: "I consider myself to be forged in steel. The path of jihad for the sake of God is what we live.

"Hamza, now 28, possess leadership qualities of inspiring and uniting the jihadist movement and the former FBI agent sees striking similarities between Laden and his son.

He released two audio messages in last two years and he uses the same terminology, sentences used by his father Osama.The FBI agent further stated that US recognizes Hamza as "specially designated global terrorist", the same classification his father once held.

"He`s basically saying, `American people, we`re coming and you`re going to feel it. And we`re going to take revenge for what you did to my father.Iraq.Afghanistan`.the whole thing was about vengeance."
Islamabad: Pakistan on Saturday accused India of violating ceasefire and summoned the deputy high commissioner here to register its complain.

The Indian official, however, countered the allegation, saying the cross border firing was initiated by Pakistani troops to give cover to terrorists, PTI reported.

A Pakistan Army statement alleged that Indian troops "violated ceasefire in Karela, Kotkoterra, Khuiratta, Sabzkot, Baroh, Tandar and Khanjar sectors".

Three Pakistani civilians were injured in the firing, it claimed.

A Pakistan Foreign Office official said Pakistan "condemned the unprovoked firing" which allegedly targeted civilian population.

Sources in the Indian High Commission confirmed the summoning of Deputy High Commissioner J P Singh and asserted that the Pakistan Army initiated the ceasefire violation using artillery, mortar and small arms.

The summoning came on a day when Pakistani troops pounded Nowshera area of Jammu and Kashmir near the Line of Control (LoC) with mortars, killing two civilians and injuring three and forcing evacuation of hundreds of people from there.

Pakistani troops targeted Jangarh, Bhawani and Laam belts of Nowshera in Rajouri district.

The sources said Singh conveyed that the cross border firing was initiated by Pakistani troops to give cover to terrorists and the Indian troops responded only in self- defence.

"We have noticed increased movement of terrorists along the LoC," a High Commission source was quoted as saying.
Bengaluru: Union minister Prakash Javadekar on Saturday said incidents like the attack on an Army patrol in Kashmir by terrorists were part of tactics by Pakistan, which knew it could not fight and win a conventional war with India.

"There are no two opinions. Pakistan knows that they cannot defeat India. They cannot fight a war against India and therefore what they are doing is, it is their strategy. But it will be defeated, even as they are isolated in the international forum," he told reporters here.

Javadekar was replying to a query on terrorists opening fire on a patrol party of the Indian Army in Tral township of south Kashmir's Pulwama district earlier in the day.

The Pakistani army also fired mortars and automatic weapons along Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, where two persons were killed and three injured.

Javadekar said the nation believes in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and recalled his warning after the Uri terror attack that it will not be forgotten and the sacrifice of 18 jawans will not go in vain.

"In the light of what Pakistan has been doing, including the beheading of two soldiers by Pakistan's special forces along LoC, our Prime Minister had made it clear (after the Uri attack) that the sacrifice of the soldiers will not go in vain."

"The nation believes in the Prime Minister," he said.

He was also asked about Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of "spying".

Javadekar said External?Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and others were looking into the matter. "Also, we have won the international court verdict."

The Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) has stayed the execution of Jadhav following India's submission that he was kidnapped from Iran where he was involved in business after retiring from the Navy.
Beijing: Visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said that China has always been supportive of Pakistan's stance on the issue of Kashmir, stressing that his government wants to restart the stalled dialogue with India.

"On the Kashmir issue, China has always been supportive of Pakistan's stance and has assured to continue extending the same cooperation in future, as well," Sharif said after meeting his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang.

The Pakistani leader said both Islamabad and Beijing favoured negotiations with India as it is the "most viable solution to the Kashmir dispute".

His comments come days after China stated that its position on the issue of Kashmir remains clear and consistent.

"It is an issue left over from history between India and Pakistan, and shall be properly addressed by India and Pakistan through consultation and negotiation," PTI quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang a saying.

"The building of the CPEC does not affect China's position on this issue," he added.

Ecoing his government's stand on the issue, Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohui had recently said China has taken care to India's stand that it should be resolved bilaterally in line with the Shimla Agreement.

"We supported the relevant UN resolutions before 1990s. Then we supported a settlement through bilateral negotiation in line with the Shimla Agreement.

This is an example of China taking care of India's concern," Luo had said.

Of late, however, Pakistan has been calling for a "multilateral approach" saying that the bilateral approach has failed.

The Pakistani leader is in China to attend a two-day conference on the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative starting on Sunday.

Sharif told reporters that the scope of CPEC immensely increased with the Chinese investment swelling from USD 46 to USD 56 billion.

He said such a huge investment was unprecedented in Pakistan's history.
New Delhi: Such was the brutality meted out on this gang-rape victim in Haryana that even the demons would perhaps shudder to think such a crime.

The police were stunned to see the state of the victim's body, which was not just ridden with grave injury marks, but also bore signs of extreme torture.

An initial investigation showed that sharp-edged objects were inserted into her private parts while her head was smashed.

Police suspect that her attackers may have run over her with a vehicle in order to disfigure her so they could hide her identity.

A forensic team later confirmed that the victim was gang-raped and mutilated with sharp-edged weapons.

"The victim was tortured and her body was mutilated and tortured after the gang rape.

She was killed after being raped involving at least seven people.

Her skull was smashed in a way which indicates that she was run over by a vehicle in order to hide her identity," the forensic team said.

The probe also found drugs in viscera samples taken from her body.

The incident happens barely a week after the Supreme Court sent four convicts in the December 16, 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case to the gallows.

According to police, the girl was abducted in Haryana's Rohtak when she was on her way to work on May 9.

She was then taken to a secluded place where she was gang-raped by seven people.

The attackers then mutilated her body which was found in an empty plot in Rohtak on May 11.

She lived with her parents in neighbouring Sonepat district of Haryana.

When she did not come back home, her parents lodged a missing complaint with the police.

Other similar crimes that shook the conscience of the nation.

Jisha rape and murder case: April 28, 2016

A 30-year-old Dalit girl was brutally raped and murdered. The victim had 38 injury marks and the body was badly mutilated, including the private parts.

According to the post-mortem report submitted by Alappuzha Medical College, there were 38 "ante-mortem" injuries, including small aberrations.

The report said that the victim, a law student, suffered a fatal injury across her chest of 13-cm length that reaches till her liver.

The victim was tortured with a sharp weapon pushed inside her vagina which pierced her uterus and eventually her intestines came out.

UP woman gang-raped, private parts mutilated: July 18, 2014

A woman, in her mid-20s, was brutally gang-raped and murdered in Uttar Pradesh.

Her body was found outside a primary school building in Balsinkheda village.

She reportedly had put up a brave fight against the rapists.

Her clothes were torn and body was found in a pool of blood.

The private parts were bleeding profusely suggesting attack with a blunt object.

She was abducted in a vehicle before her extreme sexual abuse and violence that made her bleed profusely.

11-year-old girl brutally gang-raped, body mutilated in Maharashtra: July 13, 2016

A minor girl was brutally gang-raped by three men and her body was found in a mutilated state under a tree in Maharashtra's Kopardi village.

All three accused were arrested by the local crime branch after the incident occurred on 13 July.

The incident took place on July 13 when the victim was returning after meeting her grandfather.

She was accosted by the accused who gang-raped her violently before throttling her to death.

Her both shoulders were found to be dislocated.

According to The Asian Age, the victim was a ninth standard girl.

Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case: Dec 16, 2012

Nirbhaya was brutally gang-raped and assualted. Her body was badly mutilated.

The 23-year-old victim, a physiotherapy intern, was beaten, gang-raped, and tortured in a private bus in which she was traveling with her friend.

Six people had raped and assualted her.

She was shifted to a hospital in Singapore for treatment, but sucummed to her injuries.

The incident was widely condemned in India and abroad.
New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday expressed deep shock and outrage over the brutal shocker emerging from Rohtak district of Haryana where a young girl was gangraped and her mutilated body was discovered.

"Smt. Sonia Gandhi has expressed deep shock & outrage over brutal gang rape, murder & mutilation of body of a young girl in Rohtak, Haryana," the Indian National Congress (INC) said in a tweet.

Delhi Women Commission (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal also took to Twitter to condemn the tragedy and called on the Police to take immediate action on the same.

"1 more Nirbhaya. 1 more life destroyed. We r failing r daughters. When wil crime against women end? Perpetrators shud b hanged immediately!," Maliwal said.

Creating shockwaves across the nation, an incident has come to light where a woman was brutally gang-raped by a least seven people and murdered, wherein later her mutilated body was found in an empty plot in Haryana`s Rohtak. The incident occurred on May 9 and came to light when the victim`s body was found in city`s IMT area.

The victim had allegedly refused a marriage proposal, following which the accused reached her home a week later with his friends.

A heated argument broke out which resulted in the woman slapping him.In revenge, the accused along with his friends allegedly raped and murdered her.

The family of the victim said that on May 9, at least five to six youth abducted her from the gate of a private company.After that the accused took her to a deserted place and gang-raped her.

The victim`s mother said that the accused have been pressurizing the woman for marriage for the past one year.

The forensic reports suggested that the victim was mutilated with sharp-edged weapons.Later, the accused tried to run her over to hide her identity.

"The victim was tortured and her body was mutilated after the gang rape. She was killed after being raped involving at least seven people.Her skull was smashed in a way which indicates that she was run over by a vehicle in order to hide her identity," the forensic team has stated.

The victim was living with her mother and brother and used to work in a private medicine company.

The woman`s parents had filed a missing complaint, based on which the police tracked her parents down.The parents were called to Rohtak to identify her body.The distraught parents have claimed that this ghastly attack was carried out by the girl`s neighbour and have demanded capital punishment for the rapists.
New Delhi: Criticising senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid's 'objectionable' statement on the Islamic divorce system of triple talaq being constitutionally unjustifiable, Muslim cleric Maulana Sajid Rashidi said it cannot be abolished, as it is an Islamic process dictated in the Quran.

"This is a religious matter which cannot be ruled out completely. It is an Islamic law.

We would suggest the court to punish those who give talaq in a single sitting. However, as per Salman Khurshid, we cannot let the whole system be changed," he told ANI.

Further citing the case of `instantaneous talaq`, woman cleric Hina Zaheer asserted that there was no such provision in the Quran, adding that those indulging in this must be punished.

"Some have suggested that women should add clauses in the nikah nama. However, our community is not so progressive that women have a strong say in these matters and cannot oppose the religious views.

Muslims should adopt what is prescribed in the Quran, rather than this form of instantaneous talaq to dissolve a marriage," she said.Earlier on Friday, Khurshid while supporting his stance with examples said before the Supreme Court that the controversial Islamic divorce system could not be justified whatsoever.

"There was a discussion that whether triple talaq is valid constitutionally. Substantiating my view with reasons and examples, I asserted that it cannot be justified and cannot be given law`s validation," Khurshid said during the hearing which entered its second day on Friday.

A five-judge constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, started hearing arguments on the constitutional validity of the practice of `instant triple talaq` or talaq-e-bidat on Friday.

The apex court has stated that it would first examine whether the Islamic divorce practice "is fundamental to religion" and whether "it falls in the category of enforceable fundamental rights."The apex court further observed that it would not hear polygamy issue along with the Triple Talaq case.

The top court, earlier on Thursday, began hearing several pleas filed by Muslim women rejecting the practice of Triple Talaq.
RACINE  The estimated $18 million, 74-apartment Uptown veterans housing project has fallen apart again, after it was briefly revived in December.

Thats according to a report given this week by City Development Director Amy Connolly to the citys Redevelopment Authority. Connolly said that representatives of Northpointe Development Corp. of Oshkosh, which was planning to buy and develop the site, pulled out of the deal after a recent bad experience at the property, the former Ajax industrial site in the 1500 block of Clark Street.

Connolly said the city had entered into an option for purchase with Northpointe President Cal Schultz, but the deal began to fall through a few weeks ago while Schultz and his associates were in the building.

While they were in the building, a train went by and they noticed some of the exterior walls actually moving, Connolly said. They had a structural engineer with them and made a determination at that point that the outside walls of the building were so unstable that their costs had suddenly dramatically increased.

Connolly added that Northpointe pulled its tax credit application and option to purchase last week. On Thursday, Connolly called the deal falling through heartbreaking.

Another setback

Its the second time announced plans have fallen through in the last year for the project. In July 2016, Indianapolis-based Herman & Kittle Properties dropped the project over concerns about finishing the project in enough time to earn for tax credits.

Another setback with the property is limiting the citys options, according to Connolly.

One option is to seek a new developer for the site and position it as another redevelopment opportunity, she said. Another option to look at is looking at the cost of demolition.

Its not clear which option is more likely at this point, although a few RDA members expressed skepticism about the possibility of new a redevelopment project with the concern over the buildings exterior walls made public. If the city does pursue demolition, Connolly guessed that hiring an engineer to recommend demolition would cost the city $10,000 to $15,000 before the tear down work even starts.

We would need a structural engineer to make those determinations for us, she said. You really should do it to make that ultimate determination.

RDA Chairman Greg Helding said the property would require more than just a teardown because of all of the material on the site.

It wouldnt be a simple wrecking ball, he said. It would be a tear down and salvage job for people to do.

While the determination wont be made immediately, Connolly said her department will solicit bids for demolition in the coming weeks.
Jammu: A day after issuing a threat to separatist Hurriyat leaders over Kashmir dispute issue through an audio tape, Hizbul Mujahideen commander Zakir Musa on Saturday released a fresh video where he has disassociated himself from the outfit.

"If Hizbul doesn't treat me its member, I too don't represent it," Musa said adding that he stands by his earlier message.

Earlier today, the Hizbul Mujahideen had distanced itself from the statement of its commander Musa against the separatist leadership, signalling a rift in the militant outfit which has been fighting for Jammu and Kashmir's annexation to Pakistan since 1989.

"The outfit has neither got anything to do with the statement of Musa nor the statement is acceptable to it," Hizbul Mujahideen spokesman Saleem Hashmi said in a statement.

Hashmi termed Musa's remarks in the audio slideshow, that surfaced in Kashmir's social media yesterday, as his personal opinion and said that "any statement or step which will create confusion can prove a death knell for our struggle".

On Friday, in an audio tape, which went viral on social media, Musa warned Hurriyat leaders that their heads will be chopped off and hung in the Lal Chowk here for interfering in the militant group's struggle for Islam.

"I am warning all those hypocrite Hurriyat leaders. They must not interfere in our Islamic struggle. If they do, we will cut their heads and hang them in Lal Chowk," he said.

The clip is seen as worrying twist in Kashmir's militancy which has largely been about independence and annexation to Pakistan without ever emphasising Islam or connecting it to jihad.
Srinagar: The Army on Saturday said a school had been renamed after Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz -- killed by militants in south Kashmir -- and his family handed over a cheque for Rs 75 lakh.



The cheque for Rs 75 lakh was from the Army Group Insurance Fund, apart from another cheque for Rs one lakh from the martyr`s regiment -- Rajputana Rifles.



"Major General BS Raju, the General Officer Commanding of the Victor Force, visited the bereaved family members in Kulgam district and assured them that the Army stands by them and will always be ready to help", Defence Ministry Spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia told IANS here.



"The GOC assured the family that those responsible for Lt. Ummer`s dastardly murder will be brought to justice. The GOC announced renaming of an Army school in the area as `Lt Ummer Fayaz Goodwill School`," he added.



The unarmed officer, on leave to visit his home in Kulgam, was kidnapped by militants while attending the marriage of his maternal uncle`s daughter in Batapura village around 10 pm on May 9.



His bullet-riddled body was found on Wednesday morning (May 10) at Harmen in Shopian district.



The officer, from Rajputana Rifles, had joined the Army in December last year.



Police has since issued posters of three local militants responsible for the officer`s kidnapping and subsequent murder.
Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday called for `brotherhood and peace` between India and Pakistan post the cross-border firing in the state`s Nowshera sector.

"I would like to appeal to both nations, Pakistan and India, to not to indulge in unprovoked firings. We should maintain brotherhood and peace as we used to do during the former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee government," she told the media here.

Dubbing the unprovoked ceasefire violation in Nowshera sector unfortunate, Mufti said, "I have been saying that the innocent people are the ones who have to suffer the brunt of these unprovoked firing and violence. So we should stop this."

Two civilians were killed as Pakistan Army continued its unprovoked ceasefire violation in Nowshera sector on Saturday.

A civilian was also injured in the firing, who was later rushed to the nearby hospital for immediate treatment.

"Pakistani Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars from 0715 hours along the Line of Control (LC) in Naushera sector," said an official statement.

The Indian Army posts are retaliating strongly and effectively and the firing is presently on.

On Thursday, two Pakistan Army soldiers were injured in retaliatory firing from the Indian side post a ceasefire violation in the Nowshera sector.A woman was killed and her husband was injured in the ceasefire violation.
Srinagar: Pakistan violated ceasefire on Saturday along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district.

Two civilians were killed and three others were injured when Pakistani army fired mortar bombs and automatic weapons along the LoC.

The Pakistan Army initiated indiscriminate mortar shelling, following which the Indian troops effectively retaliated.

The Indian Army confirmed the ceasefire violation incident.

Speaking to IANS, Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta said, "Pakistan Army initiated indiscriminate firing and shelling on our positions on the LoC in the Naushera sector."

Following a series of ceasefire violations by Pakistan, all schools in Nowshera, Qila Darhal and Manjakote along the Line of Control (LOC) shall remain closed for an indefinite period.

At least one incident of ceasefire violation by Pakistan has been reported daily along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir in 2015 and 2016, with 23 security personnel being killed in the two years, the Home Ministry has said in an RTI reply.

The Trump administration has blamed Pakistan for deteriorating Indo-Pak relations and warned that the ties might worsen if another "high-profile" terror attack emanates from across the border.

"Islamabad's failure to curb support to anti-India militants and New Delhi's growing intolerance of this policy, coupled with a perceived lack of progress in Pakistan's investigations into the January 2016 Pathankot cross-border attack, set the stage for a deterioration of bilateral relations in 2016," Daniel Coats, director of National Intelligence, told lawmakers during a Congressional hearing.
New Delhi: The RSS on Saturday held the CPI(M) responsible for the murder of its worker in Kerala and accused the ruling party of "spearheading murder politics" to annihilate its political opponents in the state.

Condemning the brutal killing of its worker, the Sangh said that the spate of murders of swayamsevaks in Kerala under the CPI(M) rule affirms the state government's conspicuous role in political killings.

"Murder politics is being spearheaded by CPI(M) leadership to annihilate their political opponents, especially RSS from their strongholds," Akhil Bhartiya Prachar Pramukh of RSS, Manmohan Vaidya said in a statement.

With the gruesome murder of Biju, once again, the ruling CPI(M) has reiterated that the party is reluctant to put down arms in Kannur and support the peace initiatives, he added.

Vaidya demanded police to take immediate action to bring all the accused, including the conspirators, to book and ensure a peaceful atmosphere in Kannur.

He asked all peace lovers in the country to protest against the continuing onslaught on basic human rights of RSS workers and other nationalist organisations in Kerala.

An RSS worker, Biju was hacked to death allegedly by suspected CPI(M) activists at Payyanur town yesterday, prompting the BJP to demand imposition of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in Kannur district.

The killing is the first incident of political violence since "peace talks" in January between the leaders of the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala and the BJP-RSS in Kannur.
Thiruvananthapuram/Kannur: A day after an RSS worker was hacked to death in Kannur, Governor P Sathasivam on Saturday asked Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to take immediate action to end incidents of political violence.

Terming yesterday's incident as "very unfortunate", Vijayan said the government would take steps to bring before law those responsible for the killing of 26-year-old Choorakad Biju at Payyanur in the politically volatile district.

"Concerned persons have to be cautious to see that the situation is not turning worse. The government will make all efforts to bring the guilty before law," he told reporters at Kannur.

Slamming the government, BJP state president Kummanom Rajasekharan described the killing as "brutality" and alleged that CPI(M) workers were behind it.

Vijayan said every one should see the incident as an isolated one and ensure that it does not become a hurdle for peace efforts in Kannur district.

Meanwhile, a dawn-to-dusk hartal called by BJP in Kannur and nearby Mahe to protest the killing was "near total" and passed off without any untoward incident with police maintaining tight vigil, police sources said.

Shops and business establishment remained closed and vehicles kept off the road.

The slain RSS worker was an accused in a case relating to the killing of CPI(M) activist C V Dhanraj in 2016.

Police said a case was registered today against seven "identifiable" persons in connection with his killing.

Earlier in the day, a three-member BJP delegation met the governor at the Raj Bhavan in Thiruvanathapuram and submitted a petition, seeking action on the killing of the RSS functionary.

The delegation was led by former union minister and MLA O Rajagopal.

A Raj Bhavan statement said the governor forwarded the petition to the chief minister, asking him to take "immediate necessary action to put a curb on such disturbing incidents."

"It is necessary to send a positive signal to peace- loving citizens of the state," the statement said.

The delegation also sought implementation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the violence-hit areas of Kannur by declaring them as disturbed areas.

The petition claimed that since the present LDF government came to power, the Sangh Parivar lost 14 of its core workers in nearly 500 attacks by workers of the ruling CPI(M).

The petition also alleged that the state government was supporting the perpetrators of violence in Kannur district, the Raj Bhavan release added.

Congress leaders also condemned the the episode and wanted both the BJP and CPI(M) to eschew violence.

Former chief minister Oommen Chandy said it was the government's responsibility to take the lead to end political violence in Kannur district.

Biju's killing was the first such incident since peace talks in January this year in the district, that has witnessed a series of clashes between ruling CPI(M) and RSS over the past year.

Union minister Giriraj Singh slammed the LDF government over the political violence, alleging that "terrorism" and "Gunda Raj" were prevailing in the state.

The Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises was speaking to reporters at Kottayam. He was visiting BJP workers who were admitted to a hospital here after allegedly being attacked by CPI(M) men at Kumarakom two days ago.
New Delhi: Within just two weeks of its release, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion has become the first Indian film to gross Rs 1,000 crore internationally .

Baahubali 2 was one of the highly anticipated movies after the phenomenal success of the 2015 film Baahubali: The Beginning.

The `Baahubali` wave has taken over the world and it is in no mood to stop.

Drawing parallels between the movie and investment, stock broking firm Angel Broking has said that we can take 5 financial lessons from the movie.

The waiting game eventually pays off

Amrendra Bahubali forfeits his right to the throne but never loses sight of the kingdom. It took the second generation to finally gain the kingdom. Angel Broking says that the case is similar in the field of investment. The waiting game eventually pays off.

Stick to your core investment philosophy Never compromise

Bahubali abdicates his throne to keep his promise. He does not compromise on his principles. The blog post says that in investment arena too, you must stick to your core investment goal.

Let your investment decisions run by logic not by emotions

Bahubali was caught between the dichotomy of his mother's will and his own promise/commitment. However, he never let emotions take over his decision. He always followed what he thought to be logical and ethical. Similarly, the blog argues, that your investment decisions too must be driven by logic and analysis. Never let emotions shroud your decisions.

When to be greedy and when not

Bahubalis brother Bhallaldeva cherish a dream to become the king, however he was more driven by wrong greed. The blog post says, investors should know when to be greedy and when to be fearful.

What's with the sequels?

Sequels do work in reality as well Bahubali 2 has proved it. Similarly in your investment portfolio, the blog says, profit booking is not the end of your relationship with the stock. You can always look up to successful sequels.
New Delhi: On Friday, May 13  six years after miners had discovered it by accident, the best preserved dinosaur fossil was was unveiled at Canadas Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology.

Dinosaur fossils are not more than a rock for the casual observers, before they are put into the museum.

However, the observers this time were in for a surprise. The remains of the dinosaur were so well-preserved that it looked more like a statue than a fossil, as per a report by the National Geographic.

The remnants of skin which are fossilized, cover the armor plates on the dinosaurs remains, which are petrified from the head to the hips. We dont just have a skeleton. We have a dinosaur as it would have been, Caleb Brown said, National Geographic reported.

The accidental discovery of the fossil has an interesting story. As per Science Alert, on March 21, 2011, Shawn Funk was digging in Alberta's Millennium Mine with a mechanical backhoe, when he hit "something much harder than the surrounding rock."

A closer look revealed something that looked like no rock Funk had ever seen, just "row after row of sandy brown disks, each ringed in gunmetal gray stone".

What he had found was a 2,500-pound (1,130 kg) dinosaur fossil, which was soon shipped to the museum in Alberta, where technicians scraped extraneous rock from the fossilised bone and experts examined the specimen.

"I couldn't believe my eyes  it was a dinosaur," Donald Henderson, the curator of dinosaurs at the museum, told Alberta Oil.

"When we first saw the pictures we were convinced we were going to see another plesiosaur (a more commonly discovered marine reptile)."

More specifically, it was the snout-to-hips portion of a nodosaur, a "member of the heavily-armored ankylosaur subgroup," that roamed during the Cretaceous Period, according to Smithsonian.

Usually, only the bones and teeth are preserved. Some other dinosaur fossils have been found in flat mummified form. These fossils maintain a shape that is so near to life that it might have been walking around a couple of weeks ago, Jakob Vinther, a paleobiologist, told National Geographic.

According to The TeCake, around 110-million-year-old fossil revealed a new species of nodosaur having thorny armor which is used to protect them against the predators. It also had two, 20-inch-long spikes which protruded from its shoulders.

They were a group of heavy herbivores, which used to walk on four legs, and somewhat resembled a cross between a lizard and a lion having the only difference of being covered in scales. These guys were like four-footed tanks, dinosaur tracker Ray Stanford said in The Washington Post in the year 2012.

This particular species of them was 18 feet (5.4 meters) long and weighed around 3,000 pounds (1,360 kilograms).

The more I look at it, the more mind-boggling it becomes. Fossilized remnants of skin still cover the bumpy armor plates dotting the animals skull. Its right forefoot lies by its side, its five digits splayed upward. I can count the scales on its sole.

Caleb Brown, a postdoctoral researcher at the museum, says We dont just have a skeleton. We have a dinosaur as it would have been.

Eventually, this creature of land floated out to the sea to where it was once found and sank to the bottom. According to the researchers, it was on a rivers edge, probably drinking water, when a flood swept it away.

The minerals present there quickly infiltrated the skin and armor and cradled its back, ensuring that the dead nodosaur would keep its true-to-life form as eons worth of rock piled atop it.

However, if one needs to reach out to the bones of the dinosaurs it would require destroying its outer layers.

CT scans done by the National Geographic Society has revealed a little, as the rocks are very opaque.

Even partially complete skeletons remain elusive, Smithsonian said in a report.
RACINE  With the approval of its request for Lake Michigan water cemented last month by the Great Lakes Compact Council, the City of Waukesha is hoping to ease Racinians concerns about the upcoming diversion.

Waukesha Water Utility General Manager Dan Duchniak and the citys mayor, Shawn Reilly, met with The Journal Times Editorial Board on Monday to, in their words, help clear up some misconceptions about the diversion plan and the impacts it will and will not have on the lake and the Root River.

The Root

The main message Duchniak and Reilly have for Racine residents and others in Racine County who use the Root River, or live along it, is this: The treated wastewater Waukesha plans to send down the Root will only serve to help the river.

We actually have a letter from the (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources) fisheries that says they are for this project because it could add 100,000 angling hours, Duchniak said.

According to a handout produced by Waukesha officials, the 8.2 million gallons of treated wastewater the city plans to discharge to the Root on a daily basis wont have PCBs, and will lower the concentration of phosphorus and suspended solids currently in the river.

Waukesha is currently monitoring the rivers water quality to get a baseline for any contaminants currently in the river, Duchniak added.

We have to meet a standard that is called fishable and swimmable, he said. Our wastewater must be treated to a level that is actually higher than Racine, or Milwaukee or Kenosha.

Sending that extra water down the Root wont result in flooding, either, Duchniak said. The practice is expected to add about 5 inches to the river during low flows, and about an eighth of an inch during a 100-year storm event.

It will help tremendously during low flows and it wont hurt during high flows, Reilly said.

The officials also note that 97 percent of wastewater treatment plants in the Great Lakes region discharge their treated wastewater to rivers, streams and creeks, as opposed to discharging directly to a lake or bay, as the Racine Wastewater Utility does. For example, the City of Burlington and the Rochester-based Western Racine County Sewage District discharge treated water into the Fox River.

Dickert weighs in

Racine Mayor John Dickert, who is poised to resign this summer to become the next executive director of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, doesnt want to see any treated wastewater entering the Root.

It still doesnt mean its good for the stream, Dickert said Friday. Dilution is not an answer.

Asked why Racine had considered providing Waukesha with Lake Michigan water in 2012, Dickert said he looked into the option because he is always willing to explore opportunities to sell water to help Racine Water Utility ratepayers.

He changed his mind, he said, after he learned more about the impact Waukeshas diversion would have and about the opportunities he said the City of Waukesha still has to treat its radium contaminated water.

The Waukesha Water Utility currently supplies water to its customers by drawing it from a deep aquifer, or ground water supply. That aquifer, in addition to being depleted, has continued to exceed the federal standard for radium. A naturally occurring metal common in groundwater, lifetime exposure to radium increases the risk of cancer.

Lake Michigan

Hundreds of communities in eastern Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Indiana currently receive water from Lake Michigan.

And, with the exception of communities in Illinois, all communities that do must lie within the Great Lakes Basin.

The only exception to the rule, which was established by the Great Lakes Compact Council following its formation in 2008, allows for communities that straddle the basin, or in counties that straddle the basin, to apply for Lake Michigan water, but those communities must prove that there is no other reasonable water supply available. Waukesha County straddles the basin, but the City of Waukesha is located about 1.5 miles outside of it.

Chicago doesnt return water to the Great Lakes. According to a 2016 Chicago Tribune article, the city fended off challenges to its 1900 diversion plan from Lake Michigan and under a 1967 Supreme Court decree draws up to 2.1 billion gallons a day while discharging treated sewage into waterways that drain toward the Mississippi.

Dozens of Chicago suburbs, including communities more than 30 miles away from the lakeshore, get Lake Michigan water, many of them buying it directly from Chicago. But even under the more relaxed guidelines governing Illinois, new requests for Lake Michigan water in the state have been few and far between in recent years.

For the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, which is contemplating legal action to stop the diversion, the concern lies not in the Compact itself but how its guidelines were applied in the approving of Waukeshas request, the nonprofits current executive director, David Ulrich, said.

Since the exception allowing communities in countyies that straddle the Great Lakes basin could potentially allow for hundreds of communities to request Great Lakes water, making sure applicants truly meet the requirements of the compact is critical, Ulrich said.
Seattle: Artificial intelligence or AI as it is called in cyber parlance, and believed to be the next big thing in information and technology, can play key role in good governance, a senior Microsoft official has said.

"We are seeing that governments are benefitting through Artificial Intelligence and are able to bring (governance) closer to people in their countries," Dave Forstrom, director of communications for the Artificial Intelligence (AI) group at Microsoft, told PTI.

"Absolutely," he said when asked if AI can be a tool in good governance.

"In terms of helping create good governance we're seeing an approach industry-wide right now where it's focused on ethical design and those principles that will help to really govern that," he said on the sidelines of the Microsoft's annual developers conference Build 2017.

Microsoft's India-born CEO Satya Nadella has identified AI as the center piece of the company's growth strategy.

Forstrom said Microsoft is having partnerships with a number of governments in this regard.

"Singapore is one that we recently worked with last year to actually help them create bots to better engage their customers," he said.

"We're seeing organisations, we're seeing governments, Singapore being one of them, where they've actually been working at creating bots where people can come to their bot through their website and be able to access any information that they want. They can ask questions, it really shortens the process and the interaction between government and customer," Forstrom said.

With the amount of data that is being now generated, it is but natural that artificial intelligence has now arrived at a take off stage, he said.

Microsoft, he said, is currently working with numerous governments on different AI related technologies, not just bots, but also cognitive services and how they can take those and infuse those into different solutions for folks who govern.

In India, for instance Microsoft is working on the applicability of AI on improving approach to agriculture and crop sowing.

"It's a great example of what we're doing in India where we're actually using the power of AI to help farmers determine best times for seeding and for sowing their crops. And they're seeing 30 per cent return from it," Forstrom said.

The senior Microsoft official said AI could be of great usage in various fields, including public health, law and order, education and even city sanitation and cleanliness.

But AI comes with challenges too, he said.

"How do you make sense of the data that exists within an organisation, within a government? AI is starting to help fuel that, and a lot of the products and services, the tools that are coming out, are helping to fuel that too," he said in response to a question.

At the same time, he acknowledged that AI has a long way to go.

"If you look at where we are in terms of AI's progression, it has been around for 50-60 years, the historical research and what's been going on. But it's only been these last few years where we really see things start to accelerate because of these areas like cloud computing, progress in terms of algorithms and the power of data, being able to use these massive amounts of data, but it's really early days now," Forstrom said.

"We're actually able to see tangible results and outcomes now in terms of how we can use AI in consumer scenarios and business scenarios. We will start to see that just continue to explode exponentially as we move forward over the next ten years," he said.
Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government is considering a proposal to declare "no school bag day" on Saturdays in state-run schools.

This was conveyed at a meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma here, an official release said here yesterday.

School kids will be allowed to come to school without their school bags on Saturdays so that they can enjoy themselves in creative activities, it said.

It will establish good rapport between students and teachers and help in their personality development, it added.

Earlier, the Yogi Adityanath government decided to bid goodbye to the khaki dress worn by students of government schools.

From the new session in July, students will be seen in new uniform comprising pink-and-white check shirt with brown collar and brown trousers for boys and similar shirt with brown skirt for girls.

At the senior level, girl students will wear brown salwar, red kurta with a brown dupatta.

There are 1.78 crore children studying in 1.68 lakh government schools in 75 districts of the state.

These include 1.14 lakh primary schools (class I -V) and 54,000 upper primary schools (class VI-VIII).

The change in uniform comes after the chief minister expressed unhappiness over the khaki dress, comparing it with the uniform of homeguards.

In 2012, when the SP government came to power, the khaki uniform was introduced replacing the traditional navy blue shorts/trousers for boys and skirts/salwars paired with sky blue shirt/tunics for girls.

Adityanath is said to be keen on rolling out the BJP's promise to provide free books, uniforms, shoes and school bags to all poor students from July 1 to 10.
Cairo: At least 11 civilians were killed in bombings by the US-led international coalition and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in two provinces in northeastern Syria, a British war monitor reported on Saturday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) detailed that six people were killed on Friday in bombings by the coalition and SDF on the town of Yaareb, west of al-Raqqa.

Meanwhile, five others were killed and several were wounded in bombings from planes, believed to belong to the coalition over the village of al-Quriya in the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor, Efe news reported.

The SDF, a Kurdish-led militia alliance that has the air cover of the international coalition and the support of US special forces, began "Operation Wrath of Euphrates" on November 6 to expel the Islamic State (IS) terror organisation from the province of al-Raqqa and its homonymous capital.

The international coalition, made up of dozens of countries and led by Washington, has been bombing the positions of extremists in Syrian territory since September 23, 2014.
Kabul: An Afghan official says at least three civilians have been killed in the capital Kabul after their vehicle was attacked with a sticky bomb.

Najib Danish, deputy spokesman for the interior ministry, said the victims of the Saturday attack are two female government employees from the water supply department and a small child.



A sticky bomb is a type of grenade designed to be attached to a vehicle.

Danish says the driver of the vehicle was wounded. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Meanwhile, 10 insurgents including a Talbian-appointed deputy governor and district chief were killed a day earlier in northern Samangan province, Danish said.
Beijing: Pyongyang will hold talks with Washington "under the right conditions", a senior North Korean diplomat said on Saturday, raising the possibility of bilateral contact after US President Donald Trump expressed his willingness to meet the North`s leader.

Choe Son-hui, Director-General of North Korea Foreign Ministry`s North America bureau, told reporters in Beijing that her country "will hold dialogue under right conditions" with the US administration.

Earlier this month Trump said he would be "honoured" to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

His comments followed months of rising tensions over North Korea`s ballistic missile and nuclear programme.

Choe led a North Korean delegation that met a group of American experts, headed by Suzanne DiMaggio -- director of the US think tank New America -- in Oslo, Norway, earlier this week, Yonhap news agency reported.

DiMaggio is known as an Iran specialist well versed in the Obama administration`s nuclear talks with the Middle Eastern nation.

Thomas Pickering, former US envoy to the UN, and Robert Einhorn, US State Department`s former special adviser for non-proliferation and arms control, were also among the American experts` group.

When asked what she discussed with Pickering, Choe answered: "I met Pickering and I will discuss it when given the opportunity in the future."

On holding a dialogue with South Korea`s new President Moon Jae-in, Choe said: "We will observe the situation."
Beirut: Syria`s Army captured an airbase in eastern Aleppo from the Islamic State group on Saturday, after more than two months of fierce clashes, a military source and monitor said.

The Jarrah airbase had been under IS control since January 2014, when the jihadists seized it from rebels who had captured it a year earlier.

"Regime forces took control of the Jarrah military airport after heavy fighting," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.

"The majority of the jihadists have withdrawn, and regime forces are carrying out clearing operations in the airport and engaged in limited clashes with remaining IS elements," he added.

Syria`s army launched an offensive against IS in eastern Aleppo province in mid-January, backed by ally Russia.

So far it has taken control of more than 170 villages and towns in the area, according to the Britain-based monitor.

A military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, also confirmed the capture of the military base.

"The Syrian army has completed its capture of Jarrah airport and a number of the surrounding villages," he told AFP.

"It will continue its advances into the areas held by the terrorist organisation and... expand the areas it controls in eastern Aleppo province," he added.

The next key target for government forces in the area will likely be the town of Maskana, on the edge of Lake Assad.

Syria`s army is just one of the forces battling IS in the country.

An alliance of Syrian Kurds and Arabs is also fighting the group further east, in Raqa province, with support from the US-led coalition.

More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.
YEREVAN, MAY 11, ARMENPRESS. Armenias Republican party and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation party signed a coalition agreement.

Vice president of the Republican party Armen Ashotyan and Secretary of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation faction of the Parliament Aghvan Vardanyan signed the deal.

The ruling Republican party and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation had signed another memorandum on February 24, 2016, which resulted in the Armenian Revolutionary Federation receiving three ministerial and two Governor portfolios.

The first parliamentary session after the April 2 election will be convened on May 18, and on the same day the government will submit its resignation and a new Cabinet will be formed.
YEREVAN, MAY 13, ARMENPRESS. Armenian cheesemakers have recorded some problems at the Russian checkpoints while exporting Armenian cheese, Armenpress reports Chairman of Armenian Cheese Producers Union Armen Grigoryan told the reporters on May 13. According to him, this mainly refers to Lars checkpoint.

Maybe not conscientious businessmen have tried to import some other cheese from other countries labeling Armenian brand on them and export them. Just for those reasons the vans are stopped at the checkpoints and are searched for a long time. According to Russian laws it must not exceed 72 hours. There have been cases that vans loaded with Armenian cheese that have remained there for weeks, Grigoryan said, adding that it can raise some problems. According to him, within 2 hours it can be found out if the cheese is of Armenian production or not.
The Democrat leadership has made constant, profound and incredible pronouncements that one's supportive vote for Republicans is tantamount to surrendering Democracy forever. Understanding their sincere thinking in their extreme position: How will you still vote on this election day?

Democrat; because the continuance of this Democracy from the existential threat of extreme Republicans is paramount.

Republican; the process of having a choice is the democratic method within what so called "Democracy" does exists.
5 Causes of Nursing Home Resident Anxiety Unfortunately, for many reasons anxiety happens more often by long-term care residents than by those who live in
The Canadian military is taking a wait-and-see approach to a massive Russian military exercise scheduled to take place on the border of the Baltic states this summer  but the country it's being asked to protect is decidedly more nervous.

Defence officials in the United States said this week that they will pay close attention to the drills, which are expected to involve between 70,000 and 100,000 Russian troops equipped with tanks, armoured vehicles, aircraft and helicopters.

The exercise known as Zapad, or West, occurs every few years and Latvia's ambassador to Canada, Karlis Eihenbaums, says it is always a nerve-rattling time.

"The previous exercise was not very comfortable for us," he said in an interview. "We were always uncomfortable with these exercises because of the size. It's huge."

The fact Russian troops are practising to advance into the West is even more alarming.

"You cannot feel safe," Eihenbaums told CBC News.

The timing is particularly significant for Canadian troops and aircrew.

The Russian exercise will kick off just as the multinational, Canadian-led NATO battle group in Latvia is fully activated, and as a flight of CF-18s resume air-policing missions over the Baltic.

The first of 450 Canadian troops are expected to deploy to their base near Riga, Latvia, next month, and they will be joined over the summer by hundreds of other soldiers from Poland, Italy, Spain, Slovenia and Albania.

Eihenbaums said the NATO deployment, coming in the face of the Russian exercise, will make for a time of extraordinary tension.

Some of that strain, at least for Western military officials, also involves the expectation that Russia will upgrade its missile defences in Kaliningrad, a sliver of land tucked between Poland and Lithuania. Moscow is thought to be permanently upgrading its nuclear-capable Iskander ballistic missile systems, which are capable of hitting targets hundreds of kilometres away.

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'Tripwire' battalions

The Liberal government agreed last summer to lead one of four NATO battalions that are being deployed in eastern Europe as a check against possible Russian expansionism.

The tiny Baltic countries are members of the Western military alliance and asked for the deterrence measures.

The battle groups have been referred to as "tripwires," much to the chagrin of the army, because in the event of a full-scale Russian military action, they would be quickly overwhelmed. In fact, the U.S. think-tank the Rand Corporation estimated in a 2016 report that the Baltic states could be overrun in as little as 36 hours.

It is that kind of operation that Russian troops will be practising in September.

A spokesperson for the Department of National Defence, Col. Jay Janzen, said every sovereign nation "has the right to exercise its military forces and Zapad falls into that category."

He pointed out Canada will be conducting its own drill at the base in Wainwright, Alta. But exercise Maple Resolve involves just 7,000 troops.

Is there a threat?

Whether the Canadian military believes there's a threat from the manoeuvres on the Latvian border will depend on how Russian troops conduct themselves, said Janzen.

"If the purpose of the exercise is to prepare their troops, it is not a matter of concern to the Canadian Armed Forces," he said. "If they are close to the border and the intent is to send a message, that would be of concern."

The situation would be far less tense, Eihenbaums said, if Moscow invited NATO, or other international groups, to observe the exercise.

"What we would be happy to see is that our militaries would be able to monitor the situation," he said. "It would make this exercise more transparent, as it should be among neighbours if they are talking about mutual trust."
By Brenda Goh and Andrew R.C. Marshall BOKEO, Laos (Reuters) - Kongkaew Vonusak smiles when he recalls the arrival of Chinese investors in his tranquil village in northern Laos in 2014. With them came easy money, he said. The Chinese offered villagers up to $720 per hectare to rent their land, much of it fallow for years, said Kongkaew, 59, the village chief. They wanted to grow bananas on it. In impoverished Laos, the offer was generous. "They told us the price and asked us if we were happy. We said okay." Elsewhere, riverside land with good access roads fetched at least double that sum. Three years later, the Chinese-driven banana boom has left few locals untouched, but not everyone is smiling. Experts say the Chinese have brought jobs and higher wages to northern Laos, but have also drenched plantations with pesticides and other chemicals. Last year, the Lao government banned the opening of new banana plantations after a state-backed institute reported that the intensive use of chemicals had sickened workers and polluted water sources. China has extolled the benefits of its vision of a modern-day "Silk Road" linking it to the rest of the world - it holds a major summit in Beijing on May 14-15 to promote it. The banana boom pre-dated the concept, which was announced in 2013, although China now regards agricultural developments in Laos as among the initiative's projects. Under the "Belt and Road" plan, China has sought to persuade neighbors to open their markets to Chinese investors. For villagers like Kongkaew, that meant a trade-off. "Chinese investment has given us a better quality of life. We eat better, we live better," Kongkaew said. But neither he nor his neighbors will work on the plantations, or venture near them during spraying. They have stopped fishing in the nearby river, fearing it is polluted by chemical run-off from the nearby banana plantation. CHINESE FRUSTRATION Several Chinese plantation owners and managers expressed frustration at the government ban, which forbids them from growing bananas after their leases expire. They said the use of chemicals was necessary, and disagreed that workers were falling ill because of them. "If you want to farm, you have to use fertilizers and pesticides," said Wu Yaqiang, a site manager at a plantation owned by Jiangong Agriculture, one of the largest Chinese banana growers in Laos. "If we don't come here to develop, this place would just be bare mountains," he added, as he watched workers carrying 30-kg bunches of bananas up steep hillsides to a rudimentary packing station. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said he was not aware of the specific issues surrounding Chinese banana growers in Laos, and did not believe they should be linked directly to the Belt and Road initiative. "In principle we always require Chinese companies, when investing and operating abroad, to comply with local laws and regulations, fulfill their social responsibility and protect the local environment," he told a regular briefing on Thursday. Laos' Ministry of Agriculture did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment for this article. China is the biggest foreign investor in Laos, a landlocked country of 6.5 million people, with over 760 projects valued at about $6.7 billion, according to Chinese state-run media. This influence is not only keenly felt in the capital Vientiane, where Chinese build shopping complexes and run some of the city's fanciest hotels. It also extends deep into rural areas that have remained largely unchanged for decades. BANANA RUSH Lao people say Chinese banana investors began streaming across the border around 2010, driven by land shortages at home. Many headed to Bokeo, the country's smallest and least populous province. In the ensuing years, Lao banana exports jumped ten-fold to become the country's largest export earner. Nearly all of the fruit is sent to China. For ethnic Lao like Kongkaew, Chinese planters paid them more for the land than they could earn from farming it. For impoverished, hill-dwelling minorities such as the Hmong or Khmu, the banana rush meant better wages. At harvest time, they can earn the equivalent of at least $10 a day and sometimes double that, a princely sum in a country where the average annual income was $1,740 in 2015, according to the World Bank. They are also most exposed to the chemicals. Most Chinese planters grow the Cavendish variety of banana which is favored by consumers but susceptible to disease. Hmong and Khmu workers douse the growing plants with pesticides and kill weeds with herbicides such as paraquat. Paraquat is banned by the European Union and other countries including Laos, and it has been phased out in China. The bananas are also dunked in fungicides to preserve them for their journey to China. SWITCHING CROPS Some banana workers grow weak and thin or develop rashes, said Phonesai Manivongxai, director of the Community Association for Mobilizing Knowledge in Development (CAMKID), a non-profit group based in northern Laos. Part of CAMKID's work includes educating workers about the dangers of chemical use. "All we can do is make them more aware," she said. This is an uphill struggle. Most pesticides come from China or Thailand and bear instructions and warnings in those countries' languages, Reuters learned. Even if the labeling was Lao, some Hmong and Khmu are illiterate and can't understand it. Another problem, said Phonesai, was that workers lived in close proximity to the chemicals, which contaminated the water they wash in or drink. In a Lao market, Reuters found Thai-made paraquat openly on sale. However, some workers Reuters spoke to said they accepted the trade-off. While they were concerned about chemicals, higher wages allowed them to send children to school or afford better food. There is no guarantee the government's crackdown on pesticide use in banana production will lead to potentially harmful chemicals being phased out altogether. As banana prices fell following a surge in output, some Chinese investors began to plant other crops on the land, including chemically intensive ones like watermelon. Zhang Jianjun, 46, co-owner of the Lei Lin banana plantation, estimated that as much as 20 percent of Bokeo's banana plantations had been cleared, and said some of his competitors had decamped to Myanmar and Cambodia. But he has no plans to leave. The environmental impact on Laos was a "road that every underdeveloped country must walk" and local people should thank the Chinese, he said. "They don't think, 'Why have our lives improved?'. They think it's something that heaven has given them, that life just naturally gets better." (Additional reporting by Michael Martina in BEIJING and Amy Sawitta Lefevre in BANGKOK; Editing by Mike Collett-White)
Manitoba's NDP Opposition says Premier Brian Pallister should follow the example of Saskatchewan's Brad Wall and stick to government email accounts.

Earlier this week, the Saskatchewan premier first said he would continue to use a private email account to do government business, but later his staff issued a statement saying he would use his government-issued account.

The issue surfaced in Saskatchewan when the Opposition there questioned Wall after receiving a document under freedom of information legislation in which the premier's email had been redacted.

Wall initially responded that he would continue to use the personal account, saying, "I don't intend to change the practice."

Now Wall will use his government account for government work.

Follow Wall's lead  Manitoba NDP

Pallister said he has used several email accounts, but won't say specifically how he communicates with his staff or cabinet, while promising everything he does is secure, even from his vacation home in Costa Rica.

Minto MLA Andrew Swan said Pallister should take notice of the decision by Saskatchewan's premier and use a government email account for work. That would make those communications easier to find through freedom of information requests, Swan said.

Using government-issued mobile phones and emails makes politicians accountable, Swan said.

"When a premier or cabinet minister is communicating, there is a record that's made. It's a record that first has to be archived and kept by the province, but second of all, those are records that may be accessed under Freedom of Information requests as appropriate," Swan says.

The Opposition has filed a complaint with the Manitoba ombudsman's office over its difficulty finding out what government business Pallister is doing when at his Central American home. The result of a series of freedom of information requests looking for all international phone records, including phone bills, and email records during Pallister's trips to Costa Rica were denied on the grounds the records do not exist.

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Pallister said he will review any the findings the ombudsman makes. He maintains the system of communications he uses to contact staff is safe, but has asked the clerk of the executive council of the legislature to review security.

Pallister told reporters this week his current communications system has prevented leaks of confidential information and should remain as it is for security reasons. Swan said that conclusion doesn't add up.

"The argument on security makes no sense at all. There is nothing more secure than using government email accounts, government phone. The idea you can get a Costa Rica AOL account and that is going to be somehow more appropriate for sending confidential emails is ridiculous," Swan said Friday.
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Facebook Thailand could face legal action next week after Thai authorities warned Facebook Inc to take down content deemed threatening to national security or violating strict lese majeste laws, the telecoms regulator said on Friday. Thailand's military government has ramped up online censorship, particularly perceived insults to monarchy, since seizing power in a 2014 coup. The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission said Facebook had failed to remove 131 of 309 web addresses on its platform which were threatened security or violated the lese majeste law, which makes it a crime to defame, insult or threaten the king, queen, heir to the throne or regent. They formed part of some 6,900 web addresses which Thai courts have ordered to be removed or shut down since 2015. Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of the commission, said he had given Facebook until Tuesday to remove the 131 addresses. "If Facebook still shows content declared illegal by court orders in Thailand, action must be taken against Facebook Thailand," Takorn told Reuters. "They could argue that they are not involved (in removing content), but Facebook Thailand is still operating here." He said the Ministry of Digital Economy would file a complaint with police next week to press charges against Facebook Thailand under the Computer Crime Act and commerce ministry regulations. He also said obtaining a search warrant for Facebook Thailand would be a possible step. Facebook has not responded to Reuters' request for comment about the threat of legal action against Facebook Thailand. Facebook Thailand focuses on marketing and business developments in Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy. Facebook has said its general guideline when it receives requests from governments to remove content is to first determine whether the content violates local laws before it proceeds to restrict access in the relevant country. Facebook said it blocked 50 pieces of content which were found to have violated the lese majeste law in 2016, following government requests. Thailand's telecoms regulator has taken a tough stance against perceived criticism of the monarchy since Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej died in October. It has pressured internet service providers to monitor content and block anything inappropriate. Thailand considers the monarchy to be one of the guiding pillars of Thai society and above criticism or comment. (Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Patpicha Tanakasempipat; Editing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Nick Macfie)
On May 23rd, the Carnegie Club in New York City will officially have a grand opening for the first La Palina branded lounge. Located in Midtown Manhattan on W. 56th Street, the Carnegie Club is one of New Yorks most famous lounges.

The grand opening event will feature jazz music, whiskey, and cigars. La Palina Cigars Owner Bill Paley will be in attendance.

The May 23rd date is also another significant date for Bill Paley and his family. It was on May 23rd, 1967 when Paley Park was opened in New York City on E. 53rd Street, so the opening of the La Palina Lounge coincides with the 50th anniversary of the park. Since Paley Park is a private park owned by the Paley family, it is one of the few parks in New York City where smoking is still allowed.
Tilon Carter

A Fort Worth man who claims he did not intentionally kill an 89-year-old man had his looming execution halted Friday afternoon.





Four days before he was set to die, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Friday halted the execution of a man convicted in a 2004 Fort Worth home robbery and murder. Its the second time hes had an execution taken off the schedule this year.





Tilon Carter, 37, filed a late appeal to the court Monday claiming the prosecution used false evidence at trial that the victim, 89-year-old James Tomlin, died partially from being smothered. Carter has maintained that he never intentionally killed Tomlin and was therefore ineligible for a death sentence.





The Court of Criminal Appeals issued an order Friday afternoon staying the execution while the judges look into the case. His death was set for Tuesday evening. It would have been the fifth execution in Texas this year.





After Tomlin's death in April 2004, Carter confessed to police that he and LaKeitha Allen broke into Tomlins home, bound him with duct tape and robbed him, according to court filings. But he claims he didnt smother Tomlin and left him bound but alive and talking. The Tarrant County medical examiner testified during trial that Tomlin died partially from smothering, but also from positional asphyxia, meaning he suffocated after being left in a dangerous position unable to move.





In his new appeal, Carter's attorney cited new evidence of other pathologists who disagreed that Tomlin was smothered.





While the experts disagreed on the ultimate causewhether Mr. Tomlins death was caused by positional asphyxiation or a cardiac eventthey unanimously agreed that the evidence does not show that Mr. Tomlins death was the result of intentional smothering, wrote Raoul Schonemann, Carters attorney, in his latest response to the court.





The Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's Office argued Wednesday that Carters arguments were barred from examination because the issue should and could have been raised at an earlier time in his appeals process.





The county also argued that gathering new expert opinions doesnt qualify as new scientific evidence, which is one thing an appeals court can review after initial appeals in a death penalty case.





Mere disagreement among experts opinions that could have been found at the time of [Carters] initial ... application, or even before his trial, do not amount to new scientific evidence that was previously unavailable, wrote Assistant Criminal District Attorney Helena Faulkner.

 | 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: Texas Tribune , Jollie McCullough, May 12, 2017
David Tepper

David Tepper's hedge fund Appaloosa made a big bet on Bank of America.

The firm invested $207.2 million in the bank in the first quarter of this year. It was the biggest new bet the fund made in the period.

That info is based on a Bloomberg analysis of a regulatory filing that the firm submitted. The quarterly filing, called a 13F, lists the long stock positions of investment firms. The positions are current as of 45 days prior, so it is possible that Appaloosa has since changed its positions.

Appaloosa also:

Invested $72.4 million in CBS.

More than doubled its stake in Micron to $193.3 million.

More than doubled it stake in Southwest Airlines to $166 million.

Cut its investment in Allergan by almost a third to $701.7 million.

The five top holdings at the end of the first quarter were: Allergan, Williams Partners, Alphabet, Facebook and PNC Financial.

NOW WATCH: SCOTT GALLOWAY: Netflix could be the next $300 billion company





More From Business Insider


If you have these personality traits, you might be safe from the robot apocalypse

In 2013, researchers from Oxford University predicted that robots will replace human workers in up to 47 percent of U.S. jobs over the next 20 years. But a new study shows that if you have a relatively high IQ and had an interest in arts and sciences during school, your job might be safer than most.

The study, which was conducted by researchers at the University of Houston and published in the European Journal of Personality, examined American Institutes of Research data from 346,660 people over a period of 50 years. Researchers analyzed factors such as the subjects' vocational interests and personality traits during adolescence, as well as their IQ and socioeconomic status.

"We found that regardless of social background, people with higher levels of intelligence, higher levels of maturity and extraversion, higher interests in arts and sciences  tended to select (or be selected) into less computerizable jobs 11 and 50 years later," the researchers wrote, per Science Daily.

Why are some jobs less vulnerable to automation?

"Robots can't perform as well as humans when it comes to complex social interactions," lead author Rodica Damian, assistant professor of social and personality psychology at the University of Houston, told Science Daily. "Humans also outperform machines when it comes to tasks that require creativity and a high degree of complexity that is not routine. As soon as you require flexibility, the human does better."

This dovetails with the findings of the earlier research from Oxford. Researchers Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael A. Osborne identified three "computerization bottlenecks"  factors that make tasks more difficult for robots than people:

Perception and Manipulation (e.g. Manual Dexterity)

Creative Intelligence

Social Intelligence

In other words, jobs that depend on creative thinking or emotional labor are probably safe, at least for now, while low-skilled jobs that don't require a great deal of manual dexterity are in greater danger of being automated.

Story continues

And while you can't go back in time and change your interests while you were in high school, you can learn from this growing body of research, and look for ways to differentiate yourself from your robot competitors. Creativity, flexibility, emotional intelligence  all these factors add up to the human touch that robots can't replicate.

Study: 'Personality factors' might save your job from the robots, originally appeared on PayScale.





More From CNBC


Source: NBC News. "I think we're doing a great job," President Trump tells NBC News.

President Donald Trump said he has seen new poll numbers that make clear if the presidential election were held now "I would win by a lot more than I did on November 8."

"And I think we're doing a great job," Trump said.

Trump's brash claims, which contradict recent public polls that show his already low approval ratings are falling even lower, came during an exclusive interview with NBC News at the White House.

"We had a group in the other day with poll numbers that were so good," Trump said in a clip that aired on the "TODAY" show Friday.

"That were so good, so strong, that if the election were held today, I would win by a lot more than I did on November 8," Trump told NBC's Lester Holt.

Trump did not identify the "group" that had those poll numbers.

When Holt asked if he missed campaigning in front of adoring crowds, Trump admitted, "I liked it."

But, he added, referring to being president, "I like this even more."

"I love the health care," Trump said of his efforts to replace Obamacare. "I love the process. I love the management of it. I love the governing of it."

"And I think we're doing a great job."

Trump won the presidency after receiving 304 votes in the Electoral College to 227 for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

However, in the popular vote nationally, Clinton received 2.86 million more votes than Republican Trump.

On Thursday, the new Quinnipiac University Poll found that just 36 percent of the public approves of Trump's performance as president, with 58 percent disapproving.

The poll last month found that Trump had a 40 percent approval rating.

Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, told TheHill.com, "There is no way to spin or sugarcoat these sagging numbers."

"[These] are red flags that the administration simply can't brush away," Malloy said.

Story continues

The Gallup polling company in late April said Trump "averaged 41 percent job approval during his first quarter as president, 14 percentage points lower than any other president in Gallup's polling history," which dates to 1953.

"No president before Trump had an initial approval rating below 50 percent," Gallup said on April 20.

"His poor debut followed his subpar ratings on other measures during the presidential campaign and his presidential transition."

Also From CNBC

Watch The Profit on Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android.



More From CNBC
LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.L) Chief Executive Ross McEwan said the bank is in talks to settle one of the two major U.S. investigations into allegations it mis-sold mortgage-backed securities that it needs to overcome before the British government can sell its shares in the bailed-out bank.

McEwan has been trying to clean up RBS's balance sheet and end a string legal cases against the bank. This would open the way for the government to sell its more than 70 percent stake in RBS held since it had to step in with a more than 45 billion pound ($57.83 billion) bailout during the financial crisis.

The CEO said the bank could settle a multibillion-dollar lawsuit by the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency separately from an investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ), which has stalled because of changes in the U.S. government since the election of President Donald Trump.

"They are quite separate ... and we are in discussions with them and we are not in discussions with the DOJ other than them still seeking information," McEwan told reporters at bank's annual shareholder meeting in Edinburgh.

RBS was one of the world's leading sellers of mortgage-backed securities in the mid-2000s that plunged in value when the global financial crisis hit in 2008.

The British government, which has sold off some RBS shares, has said the uncertainty about the scale of the penalties from the U.S. investigations is one of the reasons why it halted plans to sell more.

Taxpayers face a 29.2 billion pound loss on the value of the government's shares in RBS, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility, Britain's independent budget watchdog.

Analysts estimate RBS will have to pay between $3.5 to $5 billion to settle the case with the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency.

They estimate the bank could have to pay between 2 billion to 9 billion pounds to settle the case with the U.S. Department of Justice.

But RBS has made little progress on settling with the DOJ because of staff changes since Trump was inaugurated in January. A number of key positions at the department remain empty.

($1 = 0.7781 pounds)

(Reporting By Andrew MacAskill. Editing by Jane Merriman)
LONDON, May 3 (Reuters) - Investor advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services has advised shareholders in Royal Bank of Scotland to vote against its remuneration policy next week because it is unclear how bonuses will be paid out to senior directors.

The group, which advises institutional investors, raised concerns about what will qualify Chief Executive Ross McEwan and Chief Financial Officer Ewen Stevenson to earn payouts even though the size of potential bonuses are being cut.

The firm said that the reduction in bonuses available to McEwan and Stevenson was not enough to offset "uncertainty around how performance will be assessed."

RBS will hold its annual general meeting in Edinburgh on May 11.

(Reporting By Andrew MacAskill, Editing by Lawrence White)
The telecom space was predominantly buzzing with earnings news last week. Notably, U.S. telecom behemoths Verizon Communications Inc. VZ and AT&T Inc. T reported weak results. Verizon Communications top line as well as bottom line fell below the Zacks Consensus Estimate while AT&Ts bottom line matched the Zacks Consensus Estimate but top line missed the same.

During the reported quarter, Verizon lost 0.307 million postpaid customers (compared with a gain of 0.640 customers in the prior-year quarter) while prepaid customer count decreased by 0.017 million. In contrast, AT&T recorded 2.7 million net additions of wireless subscribers. Of the total, 2.1 million net additions were in the U.S., driven by prepaid and connected devices with another 633,000 net additions recorded in Mexico.

Meanwhile, T-Mobile US Inc. TMUS reported strong financial results in the first quarter of 2017 wherein both the top line and bottom line outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate. In the reported quarter, T-Mobile US added net 0.798 branded postpaid phone customers, 0.116 branded postpaid mobile broadband customers and 0.386 branded prepaid customers but lost 0.158 wholesale customers. Total net customer addition was 1.142 million, signifying the 16th successive quarter of over 1 million net customer additions.

In the chipset front, Qualcomm Inc. QCOM, the largest mobile chipset developer based on baseband technology, reported mixed financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2017 (ended Mar 31, 2017) wherein the bottom line outshined the Zacks Consensus Estimate but the top line missed the same. During the fiscal second quarter, Qualcomm shipped approximately 179 million CDMA-based MSM (Mobile Station Modem) chipsets, reflecting a decline of 5% year over year.

Leading wireless tower operator Crown Castle International Corp. CCI also reported impressive financial results for the first quarter of 2017. The companys top line as well as bottom line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Crown Castle International currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here .

Story continues

Apart from the earnings news during the last week, the U.S. telecom regulator  Federal Communications Commission (FCC)  voted 2-1 to withdraw most of the stringent regulatory requirements to reform the business data service (BDS) market that was introduced by the previous FCC body. Service providers such as AT&T, Verizon, CenturyLink Inc. CTL, Comcast Corp. CMCSA and Frontier Communications Corp. FTR are likely to gain from the FCCs new decision.

Read the last Telecom Stock Roundup for Apr 20, 2017.

Recap of the Weeks Most Important Stories

1. Quarterly GAAP net income of Verizon was $3,553 million or 85 cents per share compared with $4,430 million or $1.06 per share in the year-ago quarter. Adjusted earnings per share came in at 95 cents in the reported quarter, below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 98 cents.Total revenue decreased 7.3% year over year to $29,814 million, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $30,504 million. (Read more: Verizon Misses Earnings and Revenue Estimate in Q1)

2. On a GAAP basis, AT&T reported net income of $3,469 million or 56 cents per share compared with $3,803 million or 61 cents, in the year-ago quarter. Quarterly adjusted earnings per share were 74 cents, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate.Quarterly total revenue dropped 2.9% year over year to $39,365 million but fell below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $40,661 million. (Read more: AT&T Q1 Earnings In Line with Estimates, Revenues Miss)

3. T-Mobile US GAAP net income in the reported quarter was $698 million or 80 cents per share compared with net income of $479 million or 56 cents in the year-ago quarter. Quarterly adjusted (excluding non-recurring items) earnings per share of 46 cents were well above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 35 cents. Total revenue jumped 11% year over year to $9,613 million in the reported quarter surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $9,596 million. (Read more: T-Mobile US Tops Q1 Earnings & Revenue Estimates)

4. On a GAAP basis, quarterly net income of Qualcomm came in at $749 million or 50 cents per share compared with $1,164 million or 78 cents in the year-ago quarter. Adjusted earnings per share were $1.20, ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.05.Total revenue of $5,016 million not only decreased 9.64% year over year, but also failed to beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5,876.8 million.(Read more: Qualcomm Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Miss)

5. Crown Castle Internationalreported quarterly earnings per share of $1.24, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.16. Likewise, GAAP net income rose a whopping 149% year over year to $119.1 million. Total revenue in the reported quarter increased 8.7% year over year to $1,015.9 million, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,009 million. (Read more: Crown Castle Beats on Earnings and Revenues in Q1)

Price Performance

The following table shows the price movement of major telecom players over the past week and last six months.

Company Last Week Last 6 Months VZ -4.90% -2.43% T 0.10% 10.73% S 4.20% 41.65% TMUS 4.12% 36.53% CHTR 2.92% 41.50% TEF 2.09% 13.62% AMX 5.51% 30.12% CMCSA 3.32% 26.19% DISH 5.41% 8.80%

In the last five trading sessions, share price movement of most of the major telecom stocks was positive barring Verizon. American Movil (5.51%), DISH Network (5.41%), Sprint (4.20%), T-Mobile US (4.12%) and Comcast (3.32%) gained substantially while Verizon (4.90%) lost the most.

Likewise, in the last six months, the price performances of the major telecom stocks were positive barring Verizon. Among the stocks that gained substantially are Sprint (41.65%), Charter Communications (41.50%), T-Mobile US (36.53%), America Movil (30.12%), Comcast (26.19%), Telefonica (13.62%) and AT&T (10.73%).

Whats Next in the Telecom Space?

We expect a busy week ahead for the telecom sector as behemoths like Comcast, Sprint, Charter Communications, DISH Network, American Tower, Level 3 Communications and Frontier Communications will release their quarterly financial results. The market will closely evaluate these results in order to assess industry dynamics and future growth prospects.

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Crown Castle International Corporation (CCI): Free Stock Analysis Report



QUALCOMM Incorporated (QCOM): Free Stock Analysis Report



AT&T Inc. (T): Free Stock Analysis Report



Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ): Free Stock Analysis Report



Comcast Corporation (CMCSA): Free Stock Analysis Report



CenturyLink, Inc. (CTL): Free Stock Analysis Report



Frontier Communications Corporation (FTR): Free Stock Analysis Report



T-Mobile US, Inc. (TMUS): Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research
steve bannon donald trump

One part of the trade deal with China that President Donald Trump announced on Thursday is a total slap in the face to everyone who wanted him to be tough on China.

As part of the deal, the United States will send a delegation to Beijing for a forum on China's "One Belt, One Road" infrastructure initiative.

The initiative is meant to connect China to the world by building high-speed trains and highways in other countries.

China thinks of it as a modern-day Silk Road  a form of soft power that would display its ability to build modern infrastructure and connect the world.

You can see how the US getting involved in a Chinese-led pro-globalization initiative could drive nationalists like White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon up a wall.

Until this deal  which included China giving the US access to its beef market and parts of its financial-services industry  the US had no plans to attend the forum, and Chinese media was making a big deal of it. In one series of state-sponsored videos touting the forum, Erik Nilsson, an American journalist at China Daily, explained the importance of "One Belt, One Road" to his daughter as a series of bedtime stories.

Nilsson said in the videos that while 65 countries would attend the two-day event, the United States had not yet signed on. He shared his belief that this, of course, was a mistake, since the project is about globalization and is China's gift to the world.

"It's good for people. We live happier lives when we cooperate," he said. "That's why countries want to join the Belt and Road."

Cue Bannon grabbing his smelling salts.

This project isn't just a love song for globalization  it flies in the face of the "Buy American, Hire American" ideology Trump has touted. The entire point of "One Belt, One Road," after all, is China helping to build infrastructure projects in other countries.

And this is important to China not just because it wants to promote a globalized world  the country has tons of excess capacity in commodities like steel and aluminum, and a big international infrastructure push could help use some of that excess. Both the Trump and Obama administrations have been tough on China subsidizing those industries, or dumping excess capacity into US markets illegally.

Story continues

It already was clear the tough-on-China Trump we met during the 2016 campaign was no longer with us. The first sign was when he let go of naming China a currency manipulator, finally admitting the country was no longer depressing the value of the yuan  though his timing on when that stopped is still wrong.

The second was his friendly meeting at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida with Chinese President Xi Jinping. After that, the Trump administration announced it would work on a 100-day trade cooperation initiative with the Chinese. That's where the new deal came from  and, in reality, deals like this fit the Trump ideology of bilateral trade deals that expand US market access.

The deals Trump has made so far mostly are ones the Obama administration would have pursued, too  but not this "One Belt, One Road" forum. That's Trump going above and beyond.

And some people who supported him probably aren't happy about that.

NOW WATCH: Yale history professor: Heres why it's useful to compare Trump's actions to Hitler's





More From Business Insider


Chicken Nuggets 4

United Airlines is being criticized again  but this time, it's for being nice.

The airline has had a tumultuous few months and is trying to regain its reputation among consumers, but its public-relations tactics don't seem to be working.

The airline posted a tweet in response to Carter Wilkerson, a 16-year old from Nevada who asked Wendy's how many retweets it would take for him to get free nuggets for a year, to which Wendy's replied 18 million.

Wilkerson's plea has now been retweeted more than 3.5 million times and is the most retweeted tweet of all time.

HELP ME PLEASE. A MAN NEEDS HIS NUGGS pic.twitter.com/4SrfHmEMo3  Carter Wilkerson (@carterjwm) April 6, 2017

United hoped to get in on the fun, saying that if Wilkerson reached 18 million retweets it would offer him a flight to a Wendy's in any city it services.

If you get the 18 million RTs, we'll give you a free flight to take you to any @Wendys in the world in a city we serve. Good luck! https://t.co/igxnPg1JUF  United (@united) April 8, 2017

But United's tweet didn't get the desired response and is now being mocked.

@united @Wendys So are you going to pull a paying customer out of their seat to accomplish this? #askingforafriend #unitedagainstunited  Kelly (@kelly_marth) April 11, 2017

Twitter users are referring to the incident in April when a passenger was dragged off a United flight. One said, "Personally I don't think the flight is worth the beating."

Story continues

@united @Wendys "But we reserve the right to drag you off any time we choose".  Tracey Jones (@TraceyFJones) April 11, 2017

But despite these comments, the airline is keeping its promise. On Wednesday, it reached out to Wilkerson to congratulate him on breaking a Twitter record and organize his free flight.

Hey @carterjwm, congrats on your world record! Its time to decide where in the world youd like to visit a @Wendys! DM to get the  rolling https://t.co/3prDeaQdbL  United (@united) May 10, 2017

But even this didn't curry favor with Twitter users ...

@united @carterjwm @Wendys How is he going to eat those delicious nuggs when if your staff causes his teeth knocked out as well?  GeniusEnvy (@JeaniusEnvy) May 10, 2017

... who said Wilkerson shouldn't take the free flight because it could be a trap.

NOW WATCH: Here's what airlines legally owe you if you're bumped off a flight





More From Business Insider


Legit.ng came across a touching story shared by a South African woman who was assaulted by her Nigerian husband through the years they were married.

The woman identified as Nonhle Mamthembu Nweke, was married to the father of her kids for about six years before she decided to leave him.

According to Nonhle, her husband, a Nigerian, assaulted her severally and even tried to stop her from leaving, claiming that there was nothing like divorce in his culture.

She eventually succeeded in packing out of his house, but now he won't stop coming around to where she lives and still assaults her at will.

Nonhle's Nigerian husband reportedly assaulted her for the six years they were married

Sharing her story, she wrote:

"I didnt want to publicize this but this is beyond my control. I can't even go to the shop without fearing that a man I once called my husband could come and kill me and leave me by the street to be eaten by dogshe cheated multiple times I forgave thatall throughout the years he beat me up even while pregnant with his own children ..GUESS WHAT I FORGAVE HIM FOR THAT TOO.

He stole from me, from my family LOL! HE EVEN stole the ring he bought me and pawned it IN FACT HE PAWNED EVERYTHING WE OWNED EVEN A CAR FOR R5000I still forgave him. Even when his girlfriend sent me unclad pics of them in bed and harassed me, I still forgave that. AM I NOT HUMAN????? DONT I HAVE A BREAKING POINT??? STAY FOR THE KIDS SAKE THEY SAY!!!!!! UNTIL IM DEAD???? I moved out and stayed alone with my kids, I can't even go to the shop without fearing that the will come and attack me.

READ ALSO: Pastor eaten by crocodiles while trying to walk on water like Jesus

Her husband was chatting with other women

READ ALSO: Girl narrates how she miraculously escaped death from her male captor

APPARENTLY in their culture theres nothing like divorce, well in my culture theres nothing like domestic violence YEAH I'M SNAPPING COZ IVE HAD ENOUGH.this morning I locked the flat went down and come out of the gate not knowing he now knows where i stay. GUESS what? He attacked me again and Im bleeding once again..AS USUAL. HE took my bag took my phones and slapped me.his last words I WILL DISTURB YOU TILL YOU DIE NO ONE LEAVES ME AND GETS TO MOVE ON IN PEACEwell even while still married to him i never did find peace, but he wouldnt know coz he spent most of his nights out with friends, even christmas days were for him and his s***S 

IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO ME, AT LEAST YOU ALL KNOW NOW.my kids will grow up without a mother....and yeah I did try the police and got zero help from there. I guess it's true what people say the police only act when theres a dead body. I guess SOON MY FAMILY WILL BE UPLOADING FUNERAL#NONHLESFUNERAL."

Meanwhile, Legit.ng TV was there when women marched against gender-based violence in Ogun state recently:

Source: Legit.ng
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With electronic records now a mainstay of medicine, most patients can easily look up their lab results, medication orders and immunization records.

But few can access doctor notes summarizing their clinic visits. That will soon change at SSM Health Dean Medical Group, and its likely coming to other Madison-area providers, too.

Through the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality, Dean has committed to implementing OpenNotes, a national movement to share doctor notes in medical records.

Starting in July, Dean doctors will be able to let patients see their notes through Epics MyChart online portal, said Dr. Larry Elfman, Deans medical informatics director. Early next year, the sharing will become automatic.

This now becomes complete transparency, said Elfman, a pediatrician. Its a final step in complete patient engagement with their care.

The notes include medical history, the reason for a visit, a summary of the doctors examination and test results, and a treatment plan. Doctors verbally share much of the information with patients, but some patients forget much of it, Elfman said.

By sharing notes, You have the chance to go back and read it again, even a month later or two months later, he said. It absolutely helps with retention, and it helps patients adhere better to their medical plan and treatment.

More than 13 million Americans in 37 states have access to doctor notes, according to OpenNotes, an initiative sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

In Wisconsin, health care organizations that allow access to doctor notes include Agnesian Healthcare in Fond du Lac; Allina Health Prescott Clinic; Ascension/Columbia St. Marys in Milwaukee; Essentia Health in northern Wisconsin; Fort HealthCare in Fort Atkinson; and Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire and La Crosse.

Dean will soon join them, as will Gundersen Health System in La Crosse; Mercyhealth in Janesville; ProHealth Care in Waukesha; and ThedaCare in Appleton, according to the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality.

UW Health isnt on the list, but Dr. David Kuntsman said the health system plans to start OpenNotes early next year.

UnityPoint Health-Meriter is actively discussing OpenNotes but hasnt set a timeline for launching it, spokeswoman Leah Huibregtse said.

We look forward to offering this increased level of transparency with our patients in the future, Huibregtse said.

To help patients understand doctor notes, Dean will encourage doctors to avoid jargon and include hyperlinks to a medical dictionary with certain terms, Elfman said.

Doctor notes vary in length and complexity, he said.

They can be quite short, if youre coming in for a wart or a sore throat, Elfman said. If youre coming in with diabetes and congestive heart failure and (lung disease), they can be quite long.
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 ...
1k voters returning from India daily

More than 1,000 Nepalis are returning home via the Nepalgunj border from India on a daily basis to cast their votes in the local polls being held on Sunday.
Thousands of computers around the world are falling prey to a ransomware attack called WCry, although its also goes by WannaCry, WanaCryptor, or several other related names. According to the BBC, there have been reports of infected computers in more than 70 countries, including the UK, US, China, Russia, Spain, Italy, and Taiwan.

The malware locks users out of their computers unless a ransom is paid in Bitcoin. The National Health Service has been hit in the UK, causing surgeons to cancel operations and emergency rooms to scale back. Spanish wireless carrier Telefonica has also been hit.

The root of the problem? A Microsoft Windows security vulnerability first identified by the US National Security Agency, and released last month by a group called Shadow Brokers.

Update: The WannaCrypt ransomware has been (at least temporarily) halted from causing damage, and Microsoft has taken the unusual step of releasing security updates for all users running Windows XP or newer versions of Windows, even though official support for that OS ended years ago.

To Microsofts credit, the company has already released a security update that patches the vulnerability exploited by the WCry ransomware. In fact, the patch was released before the Shadow Brokers published their report.

The problem is that some users are slow to install updates particularly large corporate or government networks. Microsoft even provides tools that make it easier for those customers to pause or delay updates.

So there are probably millions of vulnerable computers, and we already know that tens of thousands have been affected.

Todays ransomware attack is a good reminder of two things:

You should always try to stay up to date on security updates for your computer and other devices. This is what can happen when government agencies like the NSA (or CIA) stockpile known security vulnerabilities rather than making them known to the affected parties so that patches can be released before any damage is done.

To that latter point, if the NSA had let Microsoft know about the flaw as soon as it was discovered, theres a better chance that many of the computers being infected today could have been protected against the ransomware attack.

And even if Shadow Brokers hadnt released the NSAs hacking tools, the vulnerability still existed and it could have been discovered by someone working independently.

Sure, government spy and law enforcement agencies need to be able to conduct covert investigations. But today were seeing one of the possible outcomes of keeping a private library of security exploits to do that: innocent people end up paying the price.
The chief technology officer of South Africas State Information Technology Agency (SITA), Pandelani Munyai, said the private sector is already working to reduce data prices in South Africa.

Munyai was part of a panel discussion on cloud and information security at the recent 2017 MyBroadband Cloud, Hosting, and Security Conference.

Munyai added that getting affordable broadband to all South Africans is essential to ensure those living in rural areas can access future government cloud services.

Cloud is for the poor, said Munyai.

Data prices

Munyai said its not the government or SITA ensuring broadband access for all, but those in the private sector.

He is confident that incumbent operators like Vodacom and MTN are going to cut their data prices, and they will do so on timelines that will enable the government to reach the goals in the SA Connect policy.

By 2020, the government aims to have 90% of South Africans connecting at a minimum of 5Mbps, and 50% at 100Mbps.

All schools and health facilities must have connections of at least 10Mbps, with 80% connected at 100Mbps, while all government facilities must be connected at a minimum speed of 10Mbps.
A cyber security expert has warned people not to open any unknown emails and to urgently update their security software as a global cyber ransom attack spread to South Africa on Saturday.

We need people to understand that they must not open mail or attachments from senders they do not know, said Roi Shaposhnik of Johannesburg-based Gold N Links Cyber.

He said his company had seen the attack coming, and was currently helping local clients defend themselves against the attack.

The global courier company FedEx were among the first victims of the attack.

Official comment from FedEx in South Africa was not available, but a call centre operator said: We cant even track anything.

Describing it as the biggest cyber attack in history, Shaposhnik said syndicates around the world targeted a weak spot in Microsoft security updates which lead to a massive crash.

The Guardian online reported that at least 99 countries have been hit, including Spain, Russia and China.

In the UK, patient files at the UK National Health Services were locked and patients could not be treated.

A demand for a ransom to be paid in the cyber crypto-currency Bitcoin was demanded.

Microsoft confirmed the painful attack by the malicious WannaCrypt software, which it said did not affect customers using Windows 10.

Microsoft worked throughout the day to ensure we understood the attack and were taking all possible actions to protect our customers, a statement released via Twitter said.

It proved an urgent security update for customers to protect Windows platforms that are in custom support only, including Windows XP, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2003.

It noted that phishing was a component of the attacks and also urged vigilance when opening documents from untrusted or unknown sources.

Phishing involves an attempt to get private information from users, including their passwords and credit card numbers.

Phillip Misner, Principal Security Group Manager of Microsoft Security Response Center warned that the method of attack may evolve, and the company would provide updates.

He said in March the company released a security update which addresses the vulnerability that these attacks are exploiting, so those who have Windows Update enabled are protected.

Organisations who have not yet applied the security update, should deploy Microsoft Security Bulletin MS17-010.

For customers using Windows Defender, the company released an update which detects this threat.

Shaposhnik added that people should be cautious on social media because it is not uncommon to track Twitter or Facebook posts to tailor an attack on those platforms.

He explained that a posting about a simple thing like a trip to the hairdresser could expose a person to being phished with an enticing offer to redeem a discount voucher at another hairdresser.

Once the link was opened, the attack could start.

He urged Facebook and Twitter users to keep their accounts closed to all but friends they know, and to not open links from unknown sources.

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Poland and Slovakia will increase defense spending

Audi presents new crossovers Q8 e-tron

Benny Gantz: Israel has an opportunity to strike Iran's nuclear facilities

Samvel Babayan: Russia will withdraw peacekeepers from Nagorno-Karabakh

Hungarian government sets price ceiling on eggs and potatoes

Benny Gantz: Israel does not have the production capacity to supply Ukraine with air defense systems

Germany must adopt energy-saving measures in face of skyrocketing inflation

Beglaryan: Azerbaijan continues and will continue its policy of genocide and hatred against the Armenian people

Kiev believes it is too early to talk about withdrawal of Russian troops from Kherson

Raisi: Relations between Tehran and Moscow have a bright future

Taliban virtue representative kills minor for refusing to marry

Meeting held at Ministry of Defense

Kaljurand: A fair peace agreement, that will guarantee the rights and security of the Nagorno-Karabakh people, is needed

ATMs closed at night in Germany because of increasing number of break-ins

Moldova to request 450 million from EU amid fears of stopping Russian gas supplies

Kazakhstan plans to make knowledge of Kazakh obligatory for obtaining citizenship

Vladimir Putin to visit Armenia

Ayoob Kara: Israel and Azerbaijan must act together against Iran

Macron: France ends its military mission in Africa

Military forces of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey take part in Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline protection exercise

Shoigu orders withdrawal of troops across Dnieper River

Swedish parliament will vote to change constitution for NATO membership on November 16

Reactor at nuclear power plant in southern Sweden stops unexpectedly due to turbine malfunction

Margaret Thatcher's dressing table case sells for $145

Zakharova comments on Azerbaijani attacks on Russian peacekeepers in Artsakh

Israel may reconsider its position on military aid to Ukraine because of threat from Iran

Tehran expresses readiness to play role in resolving conflict between Russia and Ukraine

Zakharova: Russia closely coordinates with Armenia and Azerbaijan on preparation of peace treaty

U.S. cut its oil production forecast in 2023

Gen. of Justice: Armenia is already going to abyss

MFA says Russia promotes comprehensive settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations

Australia to ban former military pilots from working in China

Ministry: 1,034 participants of 44-day Karabakh war declared disabled

Russian Security Council Secretary accuses Western intelligence services of organizing unrest in Iran

Niagara Falls is illuminated in colors of Azerbaijani flag through efforts of Azerbaijani Embassy to U.S.

'Armenia' bloc: Authorities going to peace at any cost legitimize change of power

Dollar falls, euro rises in Armenia

FT: Taiwan plans to establish drone production, allocated $1.6 billion

Azerbaijan's 'Horst Wessel' for Iran: Baku media replicates 'murder story'

Tesla recalls 40,000 electric cars because of problems with power steering

Sky News: Russia handed over Javelin, NLAW and Stinger missiles to Iran in exchange for drones

Russia has record number of Armenia migrants outflow

Stoltenberg says NATO summit will be held in Vilnius on July 11-12, 2023

Iranian Interior Ministry: Organizers of riots in Iran were trained in 8 unfriendly countries

Europe fills its gas storage facilities almost 100% before cold season

Greece MPs visit Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan

Strasbourg city council adopts resolution on supporting Armenia

Ohanyan: We see hope in Armenia-Russia-Azerbaijan format regarding Karabakhs future

Turkey says it will not focus only on Russian gas

David Babayan says Azerbaijan makes propaganda against Russian peacekeepers in Artsakh

Former ECHR judge: UN Security Council does not consider Karabakh's separation illegal

Shavarsh Kocharyan says current PM took step of declaring Armenia aggressor

AraratBank underwrites FINCA UCO bonds

First ombudsperson says current Armenian authorities are illegitimate

Armenian National Committee of America: Dr. Oz Defeated in Pennsylvania Senate race

Head of Turkish Ministry of Agriculture: 10.1 million tons of grain exported from Ukrainian ports

Putin and Lukashenko discuss upcoming CSTO meeting by phone

Armenia legislature discusses issues of residents of Karabakhs Kashatagh region handed over to Azerbaijan

President pays tribute to martyrs of 3rd Artsakh war

Australian pedophile sentenced to 129 years in Philippines

Japan says North Korea launches alleged ballistic missile

British cabinet minister resigns after recent harassment allegations

Eleving Group member Mogo applies the best practices in Armenia

Artsakh FM: Azerbaijan will have to take new realities into account in near future

Iran MFA. Azerbaijan president's reaction is incomprehensible

Parliament speaker considers transit visa requirement for Armenia citizens at Poland airports worrisome

Pashinyan: Armenia-Cambodia warm relations have great prospects for development

Karabakh state ministers advisor: Aliyev statement was once again filled with confessions of use of force

Javier Colomina: NATO supports normalization of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations

Copper falls in price

Iran official: Goal of $3bn trade with Armenia will be realized under this government

Karabakh FM: Azerbaijan has become more aggressive, brazen with Turkeys support

MOD: Artsakh army units did not open fire towards Azerbaijan positions

Oil prices go down

Armenia Security Council chief briefs Poland Senate vice-speaker on regional developments

Azerbaijan fires at Armenia positions

Gold prices go down

Newspaper: Armenia law enforcement agencies operative intelligence teams to enter several officials houses

US midterm elections virtually over, counting of votes underway

US State Department: Armenia, Azerbaijan FMs agreed to continue meetings, direct dialogue

India's Supreme Court releases men sentenced to death for rape and murder

Global South needs $2 trillion year to fight climate crisis

McDonald's releases chair for gamers with burger stand

The Telegraph: Rishi Sunak to announce major natural gas deal with US after COP27 summit

U.S. officials secretly ask major banks to continue doing business with some Russian firms

19fortyfive: Is America tired of the war in Ukraine?

EU replaces pipeline Russian gas with imported Russian LNG

Kommersant: China split the 'unity' of the West

Expert estimates level of Azerbaijan's information attack on Armenia in September, comparing it to 44-day war

UK wants to work more with the U.S. on gas supplies

Donald Trump votes in Florida midterm elections

EU admits: It is impossible to set a ceiling on gas prices that will not affect contracts or security of supply

Most valuable metal of year is named

Mehr: Nikolai Patrushev arrives in Tehran

Turkish TV company confesses that Ankara and Israel were arming Azerbaijan against Armenia

Who is Baku threatening? Armenia's former deputy defense minister decodes Aliyev's statements

Army Commander-in-Chief: Even those who claim to be superpowers do not dare to attack Iran

Iran and Russia to build joint pipeline

India to continue buying Russian oil

Businessman Zhong Shanshan becomes richest man in China
A mayoral history of Kathmandu

The last time Kathmandu elected a mayor to head the city was almost two decades agowhen Keshav Sthapit was elected as mayor, and Bidur Mainali the deputy mayor.
To watch a rehearsal of "Mirror Mirror," the Milwaukee Ballet's dark and shadowy retelling of the classic Snow White fairy tale, is to watch the impeccable assembly of the world's most elegant and beautiful machinery.

Before the music, the dancers are like separate gears, gathered in different groups practicing their immaculate movements  featured dancer Marize Fumero, playing Claudia the evil stepmother, working center stage with fellow Claudia dancer Lahna Vanderbush shadowing her moves just behind; a group of male dancers upstage, working on the perfect way to gracefully climb a gaunt silver tree; Nicole Teague-Howell, one of the show's Snow Whites, quietly discussing the timing of an exit downstage. Quietly they churn on their own, the only soundtrack the whispered clack of toe-shoed feet hitting the wooden floor and hushed direction.

Renowned artistic director Michael Pink  the oil for all of these individual gears, moving from each piece to help make them work as smoothly and as gracefully as possible  then cues the actual soundtrack from a laptop, and these individual components link, unite and interweave together into perfect gliding, fluid unison in that most uniquely human of inventions: a story.

Then something gets tripped up or needs a quick inspection, the music stops, and the process begins again. The fluidity  of each individual dancer, melding into each group of dancers, melding into the whole operation  is breathtaking.

And, to quote Allen Iverson, we talking about practice.

Starting June 1, the leg warmers and draped sweatshirts will be replaced by ornate costumes, the setting relocated from the Ballet's cream brick rehearsal space to the Marcus Center. And in case you were thinking about missing the fairy tale retelling's return to the Milwaukee stage, here are four reasons why "Mirror Mirror" is worth a glance.

1. Rave reviews

(PHOTO: Mark Frohna)

Michael Pink's work at the Milwaukee Ballet has never been a stranger to rave reviews  both just in town and globally  and his world premiere of "Mirror Mirror" in 2014 was no different. Our own review of the original show, which raved about everything from the costumes to the lighting and, of course, the dancing, capped itself off with this statement:

"It's rare for me to suggest that something on a stage in Milwaukee is something an audience should not miss. 'Mirror Mirror' is one of those rare occasions."

Luckily, for those who didn't heed that review's advice three years ago, it's back  and with many familiar faces from that acclaimed run. Teague-Howell, for instance, will return to the role of Snow White for the Thursday and Saturday night shows, while Milwaukee Ballet mainstay Davit Hovhannisyan  on his thirteenth year with the company  plays her love interest Gustav after last time playing Snow White's bewitched father.

2. A special vision

Why yes, it does seem like an oxymoron to say a returning show is unlike anything you've seen before. And yes, for anyone who's looked at the movie or television listings in the past decade, the premise of a dark retelling of a classic fantasy tale won't be completely foreign.

And yet Michael Pink's storytelling and vision  as proven throughout his lauded career in Milwaukee  is always one of a kind, always finding new cracks and crevices to explore in centuries-old stories while still maintaining the characters and essences that made those classics beloved in the first place. In the case of "Mirror Mirror," the dark shadows of the famed fairy tale creep more into the story with wicked stepmother Claudia flying into a more center stage role  quite literally thanks to her crow-like costuming  and invading poor Snow White's life.

But even merely watching an unadorned rehearsal, the retelling still maintains the childlike wonder that grabbed and captivated us all as kids first discovering the story.

3. A world of wonder

(PHOTO: Matt Mueller)

A big part of creating that sense of imagination is the set and costumes, which Milwaukee Ballet showed off in a brief pre-rehearsal fashion show/parade earlier this week.

The dressing, both on the dancers and on the stage, comes from Todd Edward Ivins, whose incredibly creative mind has invented worlds in the past for the Milwaukee Rep ("Cabaret," "The History of Invulnerability" and last year's reimagining of "A Christmas Carol"), the Milwaukee Ballet ("Dorian Gray") and theater halls beyond the borders of Wisconsin.

His costumes for "Mirror Mirror," first imagined for the 2014 premiere, rise to his reputation. The fashion show noted he was inspired by designer Alexander McQueen, and looking at just a few of the intricate pieces, there's plenty of couture to be found  as well as some playful classic Disney, Burton and "Beetlejuice"-looking nods. But there's more than just stylish showing off here; the outfits smartly convey character  from the roped wings and crow's beak of Claudia to the ying-and-yang designs of Snow White and her nemesis' signature outfits.

4. Moving movement

Style is nothing without a story  and Michael Pink's ability to weave those two elements together to make the most of both has been a signature of his tenure at Milwaukee Ballet. "A ballet is like a play," Pink told OnMilwaukee back in 2014 before the show's premiere. "When a playwright writes a play, he uses words. In ballet, the steps are the words."

Few are better at that than Pink, a skill on display as the company rehearsed the scene where Claudia ensnares Snow White's father under her spell. Pink made sure the movements communicated not just beauty to the audience, but the emotions of the scene. You could see it clearly as Marize Fumero's Claudia, dangling amidst the sleek tangle of a silver tree  her henchmen tied into the above branches, holding her up  beguilingly turns and twists out of her wings and crow, exquisitely dancing her way across the stage before and after.

Who could blame Snow White's father  and the audience  for being entranced?

"Mirror Mirror" will run at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts from June 1 to 4. For more information on tickets and showtimes, visit Milwaukee Ballet's website.
Airport project in limbo as payment row drags on

A payment dispute between the Chinese contractor for the Gautam Buddha Airport project in Bhairahawa and the illegally appointed Nepali subcontractor has not been settled even after two months since work came to a halt.
Hundreds of people from Democratic Republic of Congo's central Kasai region have been pouring into neighbouring Angola every day for more than a month to escape violence plaguing their homes. Some 20,000 people who have fled are now in or around three holding camps in Dundo in Angola's far north, living in increasingly dire conditions, according to the UN. And the flow of refugees shows no sign of abating. Patrice Ilunga managed to reach Mussungue with his children after four days of walking -- exhausted, but alive. "We fled under very tough conditions," he said. "The situation was so terrible that there were mothers who were sending their children alone in boats in the hope that the Angolans would save them." Since last August, the provinces at the heart of Congo have been engulfed by clashes following an uprising by those loyal to Kamwina Nsapu, a local chief who was killed by security forces. The violence has already claimed hundreds of lives. And according to the UN, the unrest has forced more than a million people out of their homes. Last weekend, Angolan security forces evacuated 1,400 Congolese from the border zone -- including several injured refugees -- who were taken to Angolan camps, the UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) said. - 'We have nothing' - To escape the atrocities, Michael Manguvu said he had no choice but to flee with his entire family in the hope of reaching Congo's oil-rich southern neighbour. "It was not easy to leave. It was the country where we had our family, but we had to leave everything behind, in the hands of the rebels," he said. And he's now worried about what the future might hold, on top of the hardship he has already suffered. "Angola is the closest safe place but we are here with nothing," he said. Refugees have been arriving in Mussungue exhausted by days of walking, hungry and often with injuries. The first refugees to cross the border found shelter in dilapidated buildings, while others stay under plastic sheeting -- and some sleep in the open air. Children make up more than one third of the migrants in the camps and are particularly vulnerable to diarrhoea, fever and malaria. "We only have two doctors here for more than 4,000 refugees," said Francois Kamabo of the UN children's fund (UNICEF). "Children die because of a lack of medication or food, the hygiene conditions are very bad," he said, adding that as many as 12 people are often forced to share a single kilogramme (2.2 pounds) of rice. UNHCR, MSF (Doctors Without Borders) and others have scrambled teams from the Angolan capital Luanda to the area of the camps to help the new arrivals. But with a distance of some 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) between Luanda and the affected region, the mission has proved to be a logistical challenge. "Here we only have two doctors from MSF Spain who were in Luanda for the yellow fever epidemic," said MSF representative Jose Gazeho. "We came here to help but we don't have our kit. We've requested help but it's slow coming," he said. - 'We need support' - Earlier this month, two planes chartered by UNHCR delivered emergency items including blankets, mosquito nets and humanitarian rations to Luanda. It seems unlikely that Angola will be able to successfully stem the flow -- and even less capable of improving the situation. "We have welcomed them to save their lives, but that's all that we are able to do. We need the support of the international community," said a local official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We don't have any medicine, no food, no clothing, nothing at all," said Claude Mavuya, 34, one of the refugees in the Mussungue camp. "If the Angolan government can't welcome us, then foreign aid must be mobilised."
By Ange Aboa and Loucoumane Coulibaly ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Mutinous soldiers in Ivory Coast shot three people on Saturday and cut off access to the second largest city, Bouake, as a revolt escalated over demands for bonus payments. The revolt began in Bouake early on Friday before spreading quickly, following a similar pattern to a mutiny by the same group in January that paralysed parts of Ivory Coast and marred its image as a post-war success story. Mutineers seized control of the national military headquarters and defence ministry in the centre of the commercial capital Abidjan on Friday. They stepped up the pressure on Saturday, blocking roads out of Bouake, the epicentre of January's uprising, and protesting around the country, including the northern city of Korhogo, where two men on a motorcycle were shot in the legs as they tried to get through a roadblock manned by the mutineers. "They shot at them. They were wounded and transported to the hospital," said witness Amadou Yeo. In Bouake, soldiers fired on a group of demobilised former rebels seriously wounding one of them, according to their spokesman and a local lawmaker. Sergeant Seydou Kone, a spokesman for the mutineers, said the ex-fighters, who went through a disarmament programme following the country's 2011 civil war, were planning their own protest, as they did early this week, and his men had opened fire to stop them. "We do not want to negotiate with anyone," said Kone by phone from Bouake in the centre of the country. "We're also ready to fight if we are attacked. We have nothing to lose." In a statement on state television late on Friday, General Sekou Toure, the army's chief of staff, threatened the soldiers with severe sanctions if they did not end the revolt. Ivory Coast's defence minister and government spokesman could not be reached for comment on Saturday. The soldiers were promised bonus payments by the government after the January mutiny but it has struggled to disburse the money following a budget crunch caused by the collapse in the price of cocoa, Ivory Coast's main export. "WE WANT OUR 7 MILLION" Ivory Coast has emerged as one of the world's fastest growing economies following a decade-long political crisis ended by a 2011 civil war. But deep divisions persist, particularly in a military assembled from former rebel and loyalist combatants. The government has already paid 8,400 soldiers - most of them former rebels who helped bring President Alassane Ouattara to power - bonuses of 5 million CFA francs ($8,400) each as part of a deal to end the January revolt. On Thursday, following a meeting with authorities in Abidjan, a spokesman for the group said they would forego demands for remaining bonuses of 7 million francs. But that decision was rejected by some of the soldiers. "We want our 7 million and that's it," said Kone. Bouake residents said shops were closed as soldiers fired weapons in the air and patrolled the streets in cars. Mutineers also took control of the northern city of Odienne and there was sporadic gunfire in Daloa, the main cocoa growing hub in southwestern Ivory Coast, which is the world's top producer of the chocolate ingredient. Hundreds of people, meanwhile, gathered for a rally against the revolt close to the military headquarters in Abidjan, which was still being held by the mutineers. ($1 = 597.3000 CFA francs) (additional reporting and writing by Joe Bavier; editing by Mark Heinrich and Ros Russell)
Rebel troops in Ivory Coast on Tuesday said they were ending a four-day mutiny after coming to an agreement with the government over a pay dispute. "We have found a basis for agreement. We are returning to barracks," Sergeant Cisse Fousseni told AFP as others said all their demands had been met. The government offered an immediate payment of five million CFA francs (7,500 euros) and an extra two million to be paid next month, source among the mutineers said. Defence Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi announced late Monday that an agreement had been struck with the mutineers, but disgruntled troops had continued to fire their weapons into the air in a display of scepticism. The four-day mutiny, which spread to barracks across the west African nation, was the latest in a string of protests by angry troops, most of them former rebels who had been integrated into the army. After a mutiny in January, the government agreed to pay the ex-rebels bonuses of 12 million CFA francs (18,000 euros) each. They were given a partial payment of five million francs and the remainder had been due to be paid this month, with the soldiers' protest resuming when it wasn't. pgf/ccr/hmw


Are you ready for Microsoft Inspire?

The companys annual partner conference is quickly approaching. And if youre interested in attending or learning more, you may be able to benefit from an upcoming Twitter Chat.

Small Business Trends CEO Anita Campbell and small business expert Gene Marks will head the chat, Get Ready for Microsoft Inspire, on June 28 to help people prepare and learn more about the conference.

And thats just one upcoming event that might be of interest to your small business. Check out the Featured Events section and the list below for even more options.

To see a full list or to submit your own event, contest or award listing, visit the Small Business Events Calendar.

Featured Events, Contests and Awards

TECHSPO Toronto 2017

May 18, 2017, Toronto, Ontario

TECHSPO Toronto 2017 is a 2-day technology expo which takes place at the Toronto Marriott Eaton Centre Hotel in Toronto, Ontario. TECHSPO Toronto brings together developers, brands, marketers, technology providers, designers, innovators and evangelists looking to set the pace in our advanced world of technology. TECHSPO Toronto 2017 promises to be better than ever and were excited to see all the amazing tech companies and talent that will be joining.

Secret Knock

May 22, 2017, Los Angeles, Calif.

Secret Knock is going to be the single greatest event for the top entrepreneurs and action-takers in the world to connect, share ideas, and help take each other to the next level. Each of the attendees have believed in themselves enough to get to where they are, and they are not stopping now. Secure your application for one of the few spots left at the Secret Knock.

Twitter Chat: Get Ready for Microsoft Inspire

June 28, 2017, Online, Twitter

Are you ready for Microsoft Inspire? The companys annual partner conference is only a couple weeks away! Join Anita Campbell, CEO of Small Business Trends, and Small Business expert Gene Marks on June 28, 2017 at 3pm ET (12pm PT) under the hashtag #MSBizTips for a preview of whats coming down the pipeline for small businesses from Microsoft, and discover what you can expect to learn from the conference.

Sales World 2017

November 08, 2017, Online

Sales World 2017 takes place November 8th to 9th, 2017, Online; Live and On Demand. It is the largest Sales Industry Event in the World and will be attended by over 10,000 Sales Professionals. Its the one sales event you cant afford to miss!

DIGIMARCON WORLD 2017  Digital Marketing Conference

November 14, 2017, Online

DIGIMARCON WORLD 2017 Digital Marketing Conference takes place November 14th to 16th, 2017. Whether your goal is to reinforce customer loyalty, improve lead generation, increase sales, or drive stronger consumer engagement, DIGIMARCON WORLD 2017s agenda will help attendees enhance their marketing efforts. Sessions will focus on building traffic, expanding brand awareness, improving customer service and gaining insight into todays latest digital tools.

More Events

More Contests

eBay SHINE awards for Small Business

May 19, 2017, Online

May 19, 2017, Online Americas Main Streets Contest

June 05, 2017, Online

June 05, 2017, Online Small Business Expo 2017  Houston

October 19, 2017, Online

October 19, 2017, Online Sustainable Brands17

November 30, 2017, Multiple Cities

This weekly listing of small business events, contests and awards is provided as a community service by Small Business Trends.
In order to increase the amount of bees, with all their necessary benefits, a young beekeeper has come up with a way to involve the public.

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If bees on our planet die, there will be only four years of life left. Young beekeeper Adam Gandzala chose this quote of Albert Einstein for the project of adopting beehives to support building new beehives to have more bees for pollination.

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The project Adopt a Beehive is aimed to support the environment, increasing the number of pollinators and supporting agriculture without pesticides, explained the beekeeper, as quoted by the SME daily.

Adam Gandzala decided to launch the project when he was studying at beekeeping school in Banska Bystrica. He offered the first beehives for adoption in October of last year.

In year 1989 there were 430,100 bee colonies in Slovakia; today there are about 250,000, according to data of Slovak beekeeping union.

Beekeeping is not as easy as it used to be, said Gandzala for SME. He see factors in the decreasing numbers as intense use of soil, excessive use of pesticides and an increasing number of parasites and bee diseases.

The beekeeper stressed that the main benefit of bees is in the pollination of flowers, not in honey production.

The benefit of pollination is nine times bigger than the value of honey, wax and other bees products, Gandzala explained, as reported by SME, adding that bees play an important role in increasing agricultural production. Quality pollination by bees increases crops of fruit by 25 to 30 percent and up to 75 percent of other crops.

In the project Adopt a Beehive people can adopt a beehive for 99.90 euros for an involved beekeeper. 75 euros helps a beekeeper build a new beehive, although the total initial costs are about 200 euros.

The rest of the money covers costs connected with the sending of thank-you packages with honey. The adopting person get two of these packages  one right after payment from the beekeepers own reserves and the second one will be from the particular adopted beehive. The adopting person can also choose a name for the beehive or visit the beekeeper and see what beekeeping is like. The person has also lifetime access to his or her beehive and a 10 percent discount at his or her beekeeper.

Today there are three beekeepers involved in the project and 58 people have adopted a beehive. Gandzala would like to build 10,000 new beehives through the project.
Slovak girls become interested in the so-called STEM subjects only as 12-year-olds.

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The interest of girls at primary schools to study mathematics, physics, chemistry, natural or information sciences declines steeply after they turn 12.

This stems from a European survey carried out by the company Microsoft in 11 countries among 11,500 schoolgirls aged 11-18. Its aim was to find out why fewer girls than boys decide to study science and technology when they are older, the SITA newswire reported.

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Slovak girls become interested in the so-called STEM subjects only as 12-year-olds, which is one year later than is the European average. The more alarming fact, however, is that in the age when they decide on which secondary school to study at (13-16 years) their interest falls well below the European average, said Lenka Cabelova, communication manager of Microsoft in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Compared with the rest of Europe, the earliest age at which girls become interested in science and technologies is in Russia: age 10. In Poland, they become interested as 12-year-olds, but their interest keeps increasing significantly when they turn 16 and never drops below the European average, SITA reported.

The government, teachers and parents in Slovakia, and also in Europe, have four-five years on average to divert the falling interest of children in STEM subjects during the ages of 12-16, according to Microsoft. Though their interest starts increasing again when they turn 16, it never returns to the same level as when they were 12.

Girls dont see a sufficiently strong connection between these subjects and their everyday life, they lack the support of their parents and teachers, and also enough role models to find a job in this sphere in their future life, Cabelova said, as quoted by SITA.

One of the reasons why they lose interest in STEM subjects may also be the transition from the first to the second part of primary school education, the change in environment and teachers, and their teen years.

The fact is, however, that girls often record better results in STEM subjects than boys, said Beata Brestenska of the Comenius Universitys Faculty of Natural Sciences.

Despite this, young women resign from pursuing a career in science and technologies, Brestenska said, as quoted by SITA, adding that female graduates from technical and natural science specialisations are missing not only in companies, but also in the non-profit sector and state institutions.

The statistics of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) suggest that only one of five graduates of computer sciences in 35 European countries is a woman. According to Microsoft, this is unused potential and one of the main problems for the current as well as future labour market, as reported by SITA.
Bomb explodes near polling centre in Jumla

A bomb exploded at a polling centre near Bhairab Secondary School in Sinja Village Council-2 of Jumla district on Friday night.
Saeed Mohammed Al Nabouda  acting director general of Dubai Culture & Arts Authority  has welcomed a delegation from the Republic of Kazakhstan to Al Twar branch of Dubai Public Library.



The delegation included Ualiyev Kuatzhan, undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture and Sport of Kazakhstan; Kairat Lama Sharif, ambassador of Kazakhstan to the UAE; Madiyar Menilbekov, consul general of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Dubai; and Zhanat Seidumanov, director of the National Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan.



During the visit, Dubai Public Library opened a dedicated Kazakh book section, which includes cultural and historical books and publications that reflect the growing friendship and cooperation between the UAE and the Republic of Kazakhstan. During the visit, the Kazakh delegation invited Dubai Culture to participate in Expo 2017 Astana, which will take place in the Republic of Kazakhstan this year.



Following the opening of the first Kazakh book section, similar dedicated sections will be launched across all eight branches of the Dubai Public Library, which will ensure that thousands of Kazakh book titles reach new Dubai audiences via the libraries.



Commenting on the occasion, Al Nabouda said: We at Dubai Culture are happy to strengthen ties between Dubai Public Library and the National Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which will enhance the role of national cultural institutions in community development. This move is fully aligned with the UAE governments directives to build bridges of constructive dialogue and promote cultural and intellectual exchange. The cooperation between the two parties will contribute to identifying the needs of modern cultural development plans and provide appropriate solutions for supporting and developing them.



Al Nabouda added: Our partnership will also contribute to the launch of more projects focused on the use of contemporary technologies, including making the cultural heritage databases of both countries available to online readers by converting them to digital formats.



The Kazakh delegation praised the cultural mobility they witnessed in the UAE in general and Dubai in particular, and highlighted the importance of establishing effective knowledge initiatives that are focused on reading. The delegation commented that they chose to collaborate with Dubai Culture as it has special expertise in library infrastructure, which supports the development of major cultural projects, as well as experience in launching initiatives that help to develop the publishing industry by promoting reading.



The Dubai Public Library network includes eight libraries for adults and another seven for children. Some branches feature multi-purpose halls, classrooms and exhibition spaces, and all branches of the Dubai Public Library are connected via computer systems. This has established close links with other modern libraries, providing access to vast sources of information on a diversity of topics in both Arabic and English. - TradeArabia News Service
Over a million Muslims are expected to head to Mecca during Ramadan, which starts May 27, to perform the Hajj pilgrimage. Non-Muslimswho are barred from the Holy Citycan now get a view of the pilgrimage on a virtual-reality app developed by an Egyptian startup.

Experience Mecca was created by BSocial, the first Middle Eastern developer to offer apps on Oculus. The app provides a virtual walk-through experience of the Kaaba, Islams holiest site in Mecca, towards which all Muslim prayers are directed.

(Screenshot of Experience Mecca)

Once inside the app, users can wander freely in the Holy Mosque. A handful of pilgrims are seen making their prayers, while a preachers call to prayer plays in the background. A female voiceover sometimes explains features in the mosque when users approach a certain object or pilgrim.

But the app is not meant to be a replacement for the Hajj. The idea is for people to experience the spiritual journey, says Ehab Fares, director of BSocial. But by no means is it a replacement. Fares hopes the app could allow non-Muslims to learn about the religion, but also for Muslims to feel more encouraged to travel for the pilgrimage. Since its release in April 2016, it has garnered over 165,000 downloads in the Oculus store.

BSocial is now developing a second Oculus application, Experience Quran, designed for young Muslims and offering a 360 animation that enacts selected verses from the Quran. The app is expected to be released before the end of Ramadan on June 26.

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Evolution

Shutterstock/robuart

Humans set themselves apart from other animals in a number of ways, including our ability to make tools. When the anthropologist Jane Goodall discovered that wild chimpanzees frequently make and use tools, her advisor Louis Leakey famously quipped that now we must redefine tool, redefine man, or accept chimpanzees as humans.

Numerous other species have joined chimpanzees in knocking humans off their pedestal. Boxer crabs use stinging anemones as defensive weapons. American alligators place sticks on top of their snouts to catch egrets during their nesting season, when sticks become a valuable resource. Parrots frequently use a variety of objects to scratch themselves. A jay and a crow have once been observed to use sticks as weapons to jab at each other. Elephant bulls sometimes throw young elephants at fences to create a passage.

The list goes on, and continues to grow with new research. For example, we recently discovered that New Caledonian crows use tools to transport objects and that greater vasa parrots use pebbles to grind calcium powder from seashells for ingestion.

Despite the large variation in which species use tools and how, this behavior still has special significance. New reports of tool use in animals often feature words such as intelligent, smart or clever. But is this really the case or is it time to abandon tool use as a measure of intelligence?

Octopus shell

Nick Hobgood/wikipediaAn octopus using a nut shell and clam shell as shelter.

Termites build extraordinary structures that perfectly fit their needs. Their mounds have chambers that suit specific functions, connecting tunnels that allow large crowds to pass in both directions, and air flow that keeps the nest cool during the day and warm during the night. Designing such structures out of simple materials proves difficult even for human architects, yet it appears effortless for the tiny-brained termite. This is because building behavior in termites is genetically encoded and often follows a fixed set of rules.

Story continues

The same line of reasoning can apply to tool use. Simple rules and processes can lead to complex behaviors. Egyptian vultures cant break ostrich eggs with their beaks, so they throw stones at the eggs to crack them. Young birds are not picky in what tools they use  they also try small stones, soft wood and even dung. They quickly learn what works and what doesnt, but this doesnt necessarily mean that the animal understands the physical properties of objects simply because it can successfully use them as tools.

Humans dont always reason about their tool use either. Or have you often thought about how a ballpoint pen actually works?

Flexibility is key

Finding a single measure of intelligence for species as different as fish and elephants is extremely difficult. But one place to start is by looking at how flexibly animals can solve problems or, in other words, if they can learn more general rules and use these to solve new problems. For example, if an animal usually uses a stone to crack open a nut but there are no stones around, will they choose another heavy, hard object to crack open the nut? This would suggest a more abstract understanding about the type of object needed.

In the case of the Egyptian vulture and many other species, tool use occurs in one very specific context and is relatively inflexible. On the other hand, some species use a range of different tools to solve different problems. Chimpanzees, for example, have a broad toolkit: they use stones to crack nuts, leaf stems to fish for termites, stick tools to probe for honey and leaves to soak up water for drinking.

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Chimpanzees sophisticated tool use.

Similarly, New Caledonian crows make and use several different tools from different materials to probe for insects, and also use tools to explore new and potentially threatening objects.

This type of flexible tool use may allow individuals to innovate new and creative solutions to difficult problems. But even so, tool-using species arent necessarily better at solving problems than species that dont use tools.

Rook

Wikicommons/Dick Daniels

Rooks are good problem solvers despite not normally using tools.

Not surprisingly, New Caledonian crows excel in experiments that require them to use tools. What is surprising, however, is the performance of their close relatives that are not natural tool users. For example, researchers have shown that rooks, which do not habitually use tools in the wild, can select tools of an appropriate size and even bend a piece of wire into a hook to retrieve food in experiments when theres a reward at stake  their problem-solving skills help them work out how to use tools. In the same way, tool-using finches and apes are not necessarily better at problem-solving tasks, whether they involve tools or not, than species of finches and apes which do not typically use tools in the wild.

In addition to using problem-solving tasks, scientists can also compare species by calculating innovation rates, or how often members of different species adapt to new challenges. For example, blue tits invented a creative way to get food by pecking open the caps of milk bottles left on porches  a behavior which spread quickly across the population.

With continued research on animal behavior, scientists are constantly forced to reconsider what makes humans unique. Animals continue to surprise us, leading one researcher to ask: are we even smart enough to know how smart animals are?

Humans are clearly not the only animals to use tools for a wide variety of purposes. And while tool use may not always reflect the spark of a bright mind, it still provides a fascinating glimpse into how different species interact with their environments. Case in point: wild chimpanzees use leafy sponges to obtain fermenting sap from palms. Tools to tipple  another sign of intelligence?

Ivo Jacobs, Researcher in Cognitive Zoology, Lund University and Megan Lambert, Postdoctoral Fellow in Cognitive Zoology, Lund University.

NOW WATCH: Why you should never throw your teabags away after one use

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Storyful

A total lunar eclipse was visible in Arizona early on Tuesday, November 8, hours before voters headed to polls to vote in the general midterm elections.This footage was captured by Travis Coppin, who said he recorded it from his home in Phoenix on Tuesday.According to NASA, it was the last total lunar eclipse until 2025. It was visible across North and Central America, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Credit: Travis Coppin via Storyful
NAIROBI (Reuters) - South Sudan's ousted army chief Paul Malong returned to the capital Juba on Saturday, saying he had no intention of staging a revolt against President Salva Kiir's government. Kiir dismissed General Malong - the man who has led his campaign against rebels - on Tuesday without spelling out his reasons. Malong then left Juba with a convoy of vehicles for his home state of Aweil in the northwest, raising speculation over his next move. On Friday, Kiir said Malong was in a "fighting mood" and had not obeyed orders to return, raising the prospect of further turmoil more than three years into an ethnically-charged civil war. "I was asked to come back and I have come back to listen why I am needed here," Malong told reporters upon his arrival in Juba. "If I wanted to rebel, I would have rebelled here (in Juba). I had guns here and these solders do not belong to anybody. If I was about to fight, I would have fought here," he said, adding that he will seek permission to return to his home state. Several other senior officers have left the army in recent months, accusing the military of rights abuses and ethnic bias. One, Thomas Cirillo Swaka, has announced the formation of his own rebel force and threatened to topple Kiir. South Sudan won independence from Sudan in 2011 but plunged into civil war in 2013 when Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, fired his deputy, Machar, a member of the Nuer ethnic group. Malong is also a Dinka. The conflict has pitched parts of the oil-producing country into famine, paralysed public services and forced a quarter of the population - 3 million people - to flee their homes. On Tuesday, Kiir promoted Malong's former deputy General James Ajongo as army chief. Ajongo joined the Sudan People's Liberation Army, the formal name of the South Sudanese military, in 1983, when the SPLA was still a rebel group fighting for independence from Sudan. (Writing by Aaron Maasho; editing by Ros Russell)
Bomb goes off in Pokhara school

A bomb went off in the premises of Barahi Higher Secondary School at the Lakeside in Pokhara, Lekhnath Metropolitan City, on Friday night.
SANTA FE  Two young women from Rio Arriba County remain in the hospital two weeks after they sustained serious injuries when the car they were riding in was hit by a wrong-way driver north of Santa Fe.

A lawyer for the women's family said they were returning home after making enrollment arrangements for college classes in Albuquerque. No one had been charged in the accident as of Friday.

The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs initially provided basic information on the accident, but the case is now under investigation by the New Mexico State Police.

The wreck occurred about 10 p.m. April 28, a Friday night, on U.S. 84/285 near the exit for Pojoaque Pueblo's Buffalo Thunder Casino and Resort.

State Police Officer Charles Volk was driving north on the highway when he saw a Toyota Tacoma pick-up truck heading southbound in the northbound lanes. He turned on his emergency lights and siren and turned around to drive south himself in an attempt to warn motorists of the wrong-way driver, according to State Police statement. Volk then saw the Tacoma collide head-on with a Volkswagen Passat.

The pickup driver, Anthony Dorame, 41, a teacher at Santa Fe Indian School identified by the BIA as a Tesuque Pueblo member, was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from the vehicle and sustained serious injuries.

The driver of the Passat, Celian Valdez, 18, and her passenger and sister Camille Valdez, also 18, both from Ojo Caliente, also were seriously hurt.

All three were transported by ambulance to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe. The Valdez sisters spent several days in the intensive care unit and were still in the hospital undergoing rehabilitation on Friday, family attorney Aaron Boland said.

Boland said he still has been unable to obtain a police report on or details of the crash.
LAS CRUCES  A plea deal between the federal government and an accused cop killer stalled Friday after prosecutors couldnt guarantee that Jesse Hanes wont serve time in a New Mexico prison.

Hanes is accused of first-degree murder in state court for the August 2016 killing of Hatch police officer Jose Chavez and has not entered a plea in that case. Separately, federal prosecutors have charged him with multiple felony counts related to carjacking and possession and use of a firearm.

Hanes and another man, James Nelson, were fugitives from an Ohio murder when Chavez pulled over the 1991 silver Lexus sedan Hanes was driving, according to court documents. The men were allegedly carrying enough meth and marijuana to be drug dealers, documents allege.

Hanes allegedly shot Chavez through the passenger side window then fled, allegedly stopping to steal a vehicle and shoot a bystander before law enforcement apprehended him. Hanes, 39, signed the plea agreement Friday before U.S. District Court Judge Robert Brack in Las Cruces, exchanging a guilty plea to the federal charges in exchange for assurance that his federal and any state sentence would run concurrently. Brack asked if he understood the document he had signed.

Wearing a brown prison uniform and blond goatee, Hanes told Brack he wanted to be certain he would serve all his time in federal prison, preferably in his native Ohio  and not in New Mexico.

My problem is I know the law a little bit to fight, but I dont know all the lawyer words, he told Brack. When I read the plea agreement, it said my time is going to be (run) concurrent with my state time. That worried me because it sounded like it was giving the state custody, and I feel like the states going out of its way to try to (retain) custody over me.

A court interpreter translated the proceeding into Spanish as Chavezs mother, father and other family members looked on.

But if Im doing life no matter what, the only reason they would want to have custody over me in the state case is to make my life a little worse, you know  And thats the only way I wanted to enter into a plea bargain in the first place, was to make sure I remain in federal custody.

Hanes statement raised a question that had not been addressed in the plea deal. Brack called a recess.

Defense attorneys and the prosecution conferred  but with the local district attorney tied up in the murder trial of former Santa Fe sheriffs deputy Tai Chan in state court down the street, it became clear there would be no quick answer.

I apologize to all the people that are here, said Mario Esparza, Hanes defense counsel, to the court. This is something we werent prepared to argue at this point.

Brack issued a continuance, postponing the discussion of a plea deal.

As the Chan case broke for lunch at midday, 3rd Judicial District Attorney Mark DAntonio learned that the plea deal had been put on hold.

Asked whether he wanted Hanes to serve state prison time in New Mexico, DAntonio told the Journal that it was ethically premature to answer, because Hanes hasnt yet pleaded to the state felony murder, drug and assault charges against him.
Youre fired! When Donald Trump ousted FBI Director James Comey Tuesday night, it was more than just another of Trumps shocking executive actions. Comparisons to Watergate are chillingly relevant; Comey was investigating potential collusion between the Russian government and Trumps presidential campaign. Just days earlier, Comey asked the Justice Department, run by Trump crony Attorney General Jeff Sessions, for more resources for the investigation. Trumps termination of Comey echoed President Richard Nixons firing of the special prosecutor investigating Watergate, Archibald Cox, in what was called The Saturday Night Massacre.

Amidst the daily deluge of scandal, one detail remains crystal clear: Donald Trump understands the power of the media, and he wields that power relentlessly. From the announcement of his Supreme Court nominee in a suspenseful event that could have been drawn from reality TV, to his incessant and inflammatory tweeting, Trump manipulates the media and, more often than not, controls the news cycle.

Behind the headline-grabbing chaos, though, decades of progressive policy achievements are being quietly undone by the army of loyalists that Trump is assembling around him. Over at the Federal Communications Commission, for example, newly installed Chairman Ajit Pai is doing everything he can to eliminate rules protecting net neutrality on the internet, while allowing big, pro-Trump broadcasters to further consolidate. This will lead to increasingly restricted democratic dialogue in our society, further strengthening Trumps grip on power.

Net neutrality is described by the media advocacy organization Free Press as the First Amendment of the internet. It describes a fundamental feature of the internet, allowing information to flow freely and equally over the web, regardless of its content. For example, whether you want to view web content from the National Rifle Association or the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the site you are seeking will load equally quickly. The ISPs are not allowed to favor one site over another.

Take another example: Many people watch video on the internet using Netflix. But imagine an ISP with ownership interest in another, competing service deciding to slow down Netflix in order to frustrate those users and drive them to its service. Extremely well-funded, incumbent sites would dominate, while smaller, startup web ventures would find it impossible to compete. The internets dynamism would disappear.

To take the hypotheticals one step further, imagine an activist website dedicated to organizing resistance to President Trumps immigrant ban. Such a site, now, would be freely accessible. But without the protection of net neutrality, there would be nothing to stop an ISP from slowing down traffic to and from the site, rendering it useless.

Broadcast ownership rules, also under the FCCs purview, are being targeted for elimination by Pai as well. On April 20, the FCC voted 3-2 along partisan lines to relax broadcast ownership rules, unleashing a wave of TV station ownership consolidation. The Sinclair Broadcast Group is reportedly attempting to purchase Tribune Media for $4 billion, giving it control of more than a third of the countrys local TV stations.

Sinclair is more than just a TV network, though: It has for many years exploited the public airwaves to promote a right-wing political agenda. Theyve rolled out the red carpet for President Trump, Craig Aaron, president and CEO of Free Press, said on the Democracy Now! news hour. Right after the election, Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and adviser, indicated he had struck a deal with Sinclair for favorable coverage, where they would air Trump speaking at length without interruption.

Every election cycle, Sinclair and other broadcasters reap huge windfalls from the flood of dark money spent on broadcast airtime to disseminate misleading political ads. This creates a vicious cycle, allowing anti-democratic (small d democratic, that is) forces to tighten control of the broadcast networks and, increasingly, the internet.

President Trump knows how to use the mass media, and social media, to manipulate public opinion and sway voters. But Trump, and appointees like Pai, are learning that there is a force more powerful: organized people, taking to the streets. Trump can fire individuals who threaten his power, like James Comey. But he cant fire a movement.

Amy Goodman is the host of Democracy Now!, a daily international TV/radio news hour airing on more than 1,400 stations. She is the co-author, with Denis Moynihan and David Goodman, of Democracy Now!: 20 Years Covering the Movements Changing America. Distributed by King Features Syndicate.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

Dozens of Albuquerque High School seniors paraded through East San Jose Elementary on Friday morning to celebrate graduation and encourage the young children to stay on the path to a diploma.

Decked out in bright green caps and gowns, roughly 30 Albuquerque High students marched across the elementary school courtyard and down the halls to chants of Si, se puede! and Lets go Bulldogs!

The East San Jose kids lined up to deliver high-fives and hand-decorated signs with colorful pictures of smiling graduates.

I felt like a rock star, said Albuquerque High senior Tuesday Chavez, 18.

Chavez added that graduation started to feel real when she put on her regalia Friday morning. The high school students volunteered to take part in the march, which first stopped at Jefferson Middle School.

Manzano, Del Norte, La Cueva and Rio Grande High seniors are also visiting their neighborhood elementary and middle schools. Over the past few years, similar graduations walks have become popular across the country. Two Albuquerque high schools participated in 2016.

This is so awesome, Chavez said tearfully after posing for photos with kindergartners. This means something.

Fridays parade was a homecoming for Odalys Marquez, who attended East San Jose Elementary, a school with a high population of Spanish-speaking students, located at 415 Thaxton Ave. SE.

Now  roughly 15 years after her first East San Jose pre-kindergarten class  Marquez is graduating with honors and planning to become a pediatrician. She earned a diploma seal that recognizes bilingual skills and a full-ride scholarship to St. Edwards University in Austin.

I would like to be a role model for everyone here, Marquez said. I want them to see that everyone is capable of achieving great accomplishments and succeeding in life.

New Mexico has historically struggled to get students to graduation, particularly minorities from low-income backgrounds.

Earlier this month, a new report, Building a Grad Nation, put the Land of Enchantment at the bottom of the country for its 69-percent graduation rate in 2015.

Albuquerque Public Schools ranked 99 out of 100 on the list of largest school districts, with only 62 percent of its students earning a diploma in 2015.

The statistics were slightly better in 2016. New Mexicos overall graduation rate reached 71 percent, an all-time high, and APS climbed to 66 percent.

At APS, Hispanic students made the largest gain from 2015 to 2016  up 6 percentage points to 66 percent  though they lagged behind their Anglo and Asian peers, whose rates were 72 percent and 80 percent, respectively.

East San Jose Elementary principal Anna Laura Rodriguez said every school is always striving to keep students on track to a diploma. Celebrations like the Albuquerque High senior walk can help boost motivation, she said.

It was emotional, said Rodriguez, who graduated from Albuquerque High herself and was recently an administrator at the school. It was a win-win for all the students.
For a guy who built a television following for his ability to say youre fired! while laying out a case for showing celebrity apprentices the door, President Donald Trump could hardly have bungled the dismissal of FBI Director James Comey more than he did.

First, firing the FBI chief in the midst of the agencys probe into whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians is almost textbook insanity. If Trump somehow thought that would tamp down any investigation, it had the opposite effect  with Democrats howling for a special prosecutor, drawing comparisons with Richard Nixons Saturday Night massacre and tossing around the i word  as in impeachment.

Some Republicans are also aghast at the firing, although others including Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C. and a longtime Never Trumper, agree it was past time for Comey to go. They argued he had lost all credibility with Congress, the American people and the rank-and-file of the FBI.

Indeed, Comey has been villified by both parties. First by the GOP for not indicting Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server and then by the Democrats for explaining that decision to the American public during the election campaign  after laying out a case for bringing charges.

Then the Republicans stepped up again, raising questions about problems with the investigation  no grand jury, no subpoenas, no recording of the interview with Clinton, etc. That was followed by Democrat outrage when Comey subsequently announced that thousands of State Department emails had been found on a device belonging to Anthony Weiner  an unsavory character in his own right and husband of Clinton aide and BFF Huma Abedin.

Clinton recently said Comey was one of the reasons she lost to Trump, who won more than 300 electoral votes despite appearing to bungle through the campaign with all the tact he showed in firing Comey. But even with the low bar he has set for himself, Trump really outdid himself this time.

He didnt have the courtesy to meet in person with Comey, who learned of his firing as it scrolled across the screen while he was speaking to FBI employees in California. Comey deserved better  no matter his political toxicity.

Trump also failed miserably because he didnt simultaneously appoint a respected, tough prosecutor with free reign as Comeys replacement. He could have done himself, the FBI and the nation a big favor by curbing his impulses until he had a replacement ready to go  so Americans could factor that into the equation. Instead, they are left with only a picture of a mean-spirited, impulsive president who looks like he might be engaged in a cover-up.

While many are trying to make political hay, the most important thing now is for the congressional intelligence committees to buckle down on their investigations into the Russia issue.

It should be noted there has been no evidence put forward of campaign-related collusion between Trump, his team and the Russians. Given that, a special prosecutor would be premature. And it is important to note that under existing law a special prosecutor would report to . the Justice Department!

Meanwhile, Senate Intelligence Committee chair Richard Burr, R-N.C., has said that most of the FBI agents who need to be interviewed in the committees investigation have already appeared. The committee subpoena of documents belonging to Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Trumps fired national security adviser, is another important step that has been taken.

Also, there are news reports  denied by the Justice Department and acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe  that Comey was fired after asking for more resources for his investigation. We need to know if thats true.

We have bipartisan committees of our elected representatives  armed with subpoena power  whose job is to get to the bottom of this. They need to get on with that work. The American public deserves the truth.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
A former corrections officer indicted on multiple counts of rape, assault and other charges was acquitted of one count of criminal sexual penetration on Friday.

Enock Arvizo, 33, still faces three more potential trials for multiple rapes and sexual assaults against women.

Arvizos first trial, which wrapped up Friday, was in connection to a female inmate he was accused of raping in the district courthouse on April 13, 2015, according to court documents. The woman was in court for a hearing and accused Arvizo of assaulting her in an elevator.

The jury acquitted Arvizo of one charge and couldnt reach a verdict on additional counts in this trial before state District Judge Briana Zamora.

The case was prosecuted by the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General, which said it plans to pursue the additional charges.

The Office of the Attorney General will continue to move forward on this case and will move forward with trial on every charge in every case where defendant Enock Arvizo has been indicted and there has been finding of probable cause to support said charge, James Hallinan, a spokesman for the attorney general, said in a statement.

A jury was seated earlier this week.

Arvizos name is spelled with an s instead of a z in some court records.
Today is Stamp Out Hunger day throughout the U.S. and in the greater Albuquerque area. And its your chance to join the nations largest single-day food drive.

All you have to do is fill a bag with nonperishable food items and leave it near your mailbox. Letter carriers will pick it up for a hunger-relief organization near you, organizers said in a news release.

In Albuquerque, Roadrunner Food Bank will benefit, as will hundreds of similar operations nationwide. The food drive is taking place in 10,000 communities in the U.S. and in towns throughout New Mexico.

Visit www.rrfb.org for a list of nonperishable food items requested, including canned meats, fruits, vegetables, cereal, beans, rice, condiments, boxed pastas, sauces, shelf stable milk, peanut butter, jelly, and any pop-top single serve items.

The Roadrunner Food Bank in a news release wanted to thank New Mexicans ahead of time for their participation.

Residents of other communities throughout the state likely received a post card in their mail earlier this week, indicating announcing the nationwide food drive and that their local town or village also is participating.

In related news, a special honor was recently given to Roadrunner Food Bank president and CEO Melody Wattenbarger. She was recognized as this years John van Hengel Fellow.

Van Hengel is credited as the father of food banking. He founded the worlds first food bank in Phoenix and helped grow the food bank concept into what is now a national network of food banks, according to a news release.

We welcome suggestions for the daily Bright Spot. Send to newsroom@abqjournal.com.
When Blanca Renova, 54, hadnt answered the phone in two days, her daughter and grandson went to check on her at her home near Central and Wyoming last Friday.

Renova didnt answer the door and it was locked, so her grandson Jesus climbed in through a window.

Thats when, she said, the 4-year-old found his grandmothers body on the bathroom floor. Vizcarra said Renova had been dead two days.

Nancy Vizcarra told her sister Renovas hair was full of blood and she had a cut in her neck.

What authorities first considered a suspicious death was quickly changed to a homicide investigation, Officer Simon Drobik said last Friday.

Drobik said they dont have a motive or suspects, but Renova did file a restraining order in March, citing fears about someone with whom she had a relationship.

Linda Vizcarra said she was in shock when Nancy called from the scene with the news.

I didnt believe it  I didnt cry  I didnt do anything, Linda Vizcarra said. I was broken.

APD spokesman Fred Duran has not answered any questions about the case since. He has not said if there are any suspects in the case.

For Vizcarra, the thought of her mothers killer on the streets is too much to bear.

I dont have words, she said. Its just awful.

The last time Linda Vizcarra saw her mother was on April 22, when she visited Albuquerque after returning from Mexico. Vizcarra brought her mother cheese and honey from her travels.

She was really happy, she said.

Renova spoke of traveling to Montana, where Vizcarra lives with her daughter, to work  plans that would never come to fruition.

Renova was raised in Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chihuahua Mexico, Linda Vizcarra said. She was a hard worker who often held down two or more jobs.

Linda Vizcarra described her mother as a person with a lot of character.

She said Renova loved nice dresses, high heels and  most of all  dancing.

That was her favorite thing, Vizcarra said, particularly cumbia dancing.

Vizcarra will remember Renova as a great mom and amazing grandmother to 11 grandchildren.

She was always happy  always full of life, she said.
Placitas has gained an image as an upscale community in recent years, but there are many households that live on tight budgets, some even lack running water or electricity.

Casa Rosa Food Pantry, an all-volunteer community supported nonprofit, is there to provide assistance for those in need.

Founded as an outreach program of Las Placitas Presbyterian Church, Casa Rosa is now run by an independent board. It is located just east of the church at 7 Paseo de San Antonio and is open from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday mornings.

It is set up like a store so clients can come in on a first-come-first-served basis to pick up things they need like canned goods, meat, vegetables, personal hygiene items and pet supplies. There are even supplies of water for households that dont have running water, said Casa Rosa board chair Sally Curro.

Clients who visit Casa Rosa must register each year and provide proof of residency in Placitas, such as a utility bill. Information about income is self-reported, Curro said.

Most of the food comes from the Roadrunner Food Bank in Albuquerque which sends a truck loaded with a ton of supplies each Friday. Volunteers unload the truck and set out the items for distribution on Saturday.

Casa Rosa also accepts donations of gently used clothing, household items, books, movies and childrens toys, which may be dropped off during opening hours.
Thick, sticky mud lined the banks of the Rio Grande this week as about 50 students trooped down to the river to say goodbye to fish they raised at school this year.

Under gray skies and a light rain, the Bernalillo Elementary School fourth-graders used plastic buckets to release flathead chub, carpsuckers, red shiners, western mosquito fish, and other species native to the Rio Grande.

Sagan Hasenauer, 9, made a video as he released a fish into a muddy side channel in the bosque at Santa Ana Pueblo.

It just kind of hung around, like it was saying goodbye, Sagan said of the fish he let loose Tuesday.

Sagan and his classmates are among some 450 kids statewide participating in a program called native fish in the classroom managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Since January, the Bernalillo students have raised these fish in tanks in their classroom, taking turns feeding the fish, cleaning their tanks, and performing a variety of tests to ensure their survival.

Ive learned that taking care of fish is a big responsibility, said Rylen Masawiestewa, 9, a member of Santa Ana Pueblo.

Students learned to test the water regularly for acidity, and for a variety of chemicals that could potentially harm the fish.

Angela James, a fish biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, helped set up aquariums in the classrooms and train children how to raise the fish.

On Tuesday, she supervised as kids released the 2- to 4-inch-long fish into a side channel thick with young willows and cottonwoods.

Flows in the river are high this spring, and water is flowing in this channel, which is usually dry. Mosquitoes are abundant.

On the count of three, were going to say goodbye to the fish, James told the children shortly after they finished their work. Fifty children responded by shouting goodbye!

Ask the kids what they learned and everybody has a response.

I learned their habitats and how they survive, said Lee Miller, 10.

Chub are scavenger fish, observed Nathan Encinias, 10. They actually clean the bottom of the river, he said.

This is the first year Bernalillo Elementary has participated in the program. Other participating schools are located in Albuquerque, San Antonio, San Lorenzo and Silver City.

The purpose of the program is to make children more aware of the river and the native fish that live there, James said.

Were introducing the concept of stewardship, she said. Now they know theres something in the river that they took care of. If the river goes dry, these animals have no place to go.
Cylinder bomb goes off in Bhaktapur

An unidentified group detonated a cylinder bomb in Changunarayan Municipa- lity-2, Bhaktapur, on Friday.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

Regulatory examiners in charge of reviewing Public Service Co. of New Mexicos latest rate case have rejected a proposed agreement by PNM and other parties to lower the utilitys requested rate hike from 14 percent to 9 percent.

PNM had announced the agreement on May 5 with eight other organizations intervening in the case at the Public Regulation Commission.

But the two hearing examiners presiding over the case, Ashley Schannauer and Anthony Medeiros, rejected the settlement on Friday, saying parts of it could violate established regulatory procedures.

The settlement, or stipulation agreement, called for lowering PNMs request for an additional $99.2 million in annual revenue to $62.3 million. If approved, the increase would be implemented over two years, with average residential customers paying about 3.9 percent more on their bills in 2018 and 3.4 percent more in 2019.

It also paved the way for PNM to close the coal-fired San Juan Generating Station near Farmington in 2022, and to pull out from the nearby Four Corners Power Plant by 2031, if not earlier.

To do that, the parties had agreed to allow PNM to increase depreciation rates at San Juan for faster recovery of investments there from ratepayers, reducing the utilitys losses before abandoning the plant by allowing it to generate an extra $10 million in revenue annually. Settlement terms would also allow it to recover up to $150 million from investments at Four Corners.

But the examiners said those changes to depreciation rates did not form part of PNMs original request for a 14 percent rate hike, and to approve them as written in the settlement would force the commission to pre-judge issues of cost recovery years before PNM has even filed to abandon those facilities. That would lock regulators into pre-established orders on cost recovery in future rate cases, when such issues should be fully reviewed and vetted in public hearings.

The examiners also objected to the settlements proposal to separate the rate case into two phases, one to set higher rates for PNM, and the second to establish a new rate structure that sets different percentage hikes in rates for residential, commercial, industrial and institutional customers.

That two-phased process would, in effect, extend the case beyond the implementation of the first new rates to take effect in January 2018, imposing unnecessary complexity on a major rate proceeding with looming suspension deadlines, the examiners said.

Still, the examiners left open the door for settlement participants to make changes and re-file the agreement.

In sum, this Order does not dismiss this case, the examiners said. It only provides that the stipulation, as currently written, should not be heard. The parties have the opportunity to revise the stipulation to eliminate the problems cited in this Order.

But PNM and possibly the other parties in the agreement will likely appeal directly to the commission to override the examiners order.

We strongly disagree with the order rejecting the agreement prior to any public hearings, said PNM spokesman Pahl Shipley in an email to the Journal late Friday. We will be asking the commission to review the hearing examiners order.

About a dozen organizations now support the settlement, since three more groups signed on in the last week. That includes the City of Albuquerque, the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority and the New Mexico Industrial Energy Consumers.

One lone wolf, the Santa Fe-based environmental organization New Energy Economy, opposes the agreement, largely because it allows PNM to recover investments at the San Juan and Four Corners plants without having fully justified those expenses at the PRC.

The examiners order vindicates New Energys position, said the groups executive director, Mariel Nanasi.

New Energy Economy decried the unjustified rate increase as a heavy and unjustified burden on New Mexican families, Nanasi said in a statement. And this is exactly what the hearing examiners found.
LONDON  In a story May 14 about the global ransomware cyberattack, The Associated Press reported erroneously that the researcher known as MalwareTech had redirected the attacks to his server. It was the server of the company he works for, not his personal server.

A corrected version of the story is below:

An alert researcher, cooperation helped stem cyberattack

An alert researcher, a cheap domain name, cross-ocean cooperation helped stem effects of cyberattack

By SYLVIA HUI, SARA BURNETT and ALLEN G. BREED

Associated Press

LONDON  The cyberattack that spread malicious software around the world, shutting down networks at hospitals, banks and government agencies, was stemmed by a young British researcher and an inexpensive domain registration, with help from another 20-something security engineer in the U.S.

Britains National Cyber Security Center and others were hailing the cybersecurity researcher, a 22-year-old identified online only as MalwareTech, who  unintentionally at first  discovered a kill switch that halted the unprecedented outbreak.

By then, the ransomware attack had hobbled Britains hospital network and computer systems in several countries, in an effort to extort money from computer users. But the researchers actions may have saved companies and governments millions of dollars and slowed the outbreak before computers in the U.S. were more widely affected.

MalwareTech said in a in a blog post Saturday that he had returned from lunch with a friend on Friday and learned that networks across Britains health system had been hit by ransomware, tipping him off that this was something big.

He began analyzing a sample of the malicious software and noticed its code included a hidden web address that wasnt registered. He said he promptly registered the domain, something he regularly does to try to discover ways to track or stop malicious software.

Across an ocean, Darien Huss, a 28-year-old research engineer for the cybersecurity firm Proofpoint, was doing his own analysis. The western Michigan resident said he noticed the authors of the malware had left in a feature known as a kill switch. Huss took a screen shot of his discovery and shared it on Twitter.

MalwareTech and Huss are part of a large global cybersecurity community of people, working independently or for security companies, who are constantly watching for attacks and working together to stop or prevent them, often sharing information via Twitter. Its not uncommon for them to use aliases, either to protect themselves from retaliatory attacks or for privacy.

Soon Huss and MalwareTech were communicating about what theyd found: That registering the domain name and redirecting the attacks to the server of Kryptos Logic, the security firm Malware Tech worked for, had activated the kill switch, halting the ransomwares infections  creating whats called a sinkhole.

Who perpetrated this wave of attacks remains unknown. Two security firms  Kaspersky Lab and Avast  said they identified the malicious software in more than 70 countries. Both said Russia was hit hardest.

These hackers have caused enormous amounts of disruption probably the biggest ransomware cyberattack in history, said Graham Cluley, a veteran of the anti-virus industry in Oxford, England.

The ransomware exploits a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows that was purportedly identified by the U.S. National Security Agency for its own intelligence-gathering purposes. Hackers said they stole the tools from the NSA and dumped them on the internet.

A malware tracking map showed WannaCry infections were widespread. Britain canceled or delayed treatments for thousands of patients. Train systems were hit in Germany and Russia, and phone companies in Madrid and Moscow. Renaults futuristic assembly line in Slovenia, where rows of robots weld car bodies together, was stopped cold. In Brazil, the social security system had to disconnect its computers and cancel public access.

But while FedEx Corp. reported that its Windows computers were experiencing interference from malware  it wouldnt say if it had been hit by the ransomware  other impacts in the U.S. were not readily apparent on Saturday.

The worldwide effort to extort cash from computer users spread so widely that Microsoft quickly changed its policy, making security fixes for this vulnerability available for free for the older Windows systems still used by millions of individuals and smaller businesses.

Britains home secretary said one in five of 248 National Health Service groups had been hit. Home Secretary Amber Rudd said all but six of the NHS trusts back to normal Saturday.

The U.K.s National Cyber Security Center was working round the clock to restore vital health services, while urging people to update security software fixes, run anti-virus software and back up their data elsewhere.

All this may be just a taste of whats coming, another cyber security expert warned.

Computer users worldwide  and everyone else who depends on them  should assume that the next big ransomware attack has already been launched, and just hasnt manifested itself yet, said Ori Eisen, founder of the Trusona cybersecurity firm in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The attack held hospitals and other entities hostage by freezing computers, encrypting data and demanding money through online bitcoin payments. But it appears to be low-level stuff, Eisen said Saturday, given the amount of ransom demanded  $300 at first, rising to $600 before it destroys files hours later.

This is already believed to be the biggest online extortion attack ever recorded, disrupting services in nations as diverse as the U.S., Ukraine, Brazil, Spain and India. Europol, the European Unions police agency, said the onslaught was at an unprecedented level and will require a complex international investigation to identify the culprits.

Huss and others were calling MalwareTech a hero on Saturday, with Huss adding that the global cybersecurity community was working as a team to stop the infections from spreading.

I think the security industry as a whole should be considered heroes, he said.

But he also said hes concerned the authors of the malware could re-release it  perhaps in the next few days or weeks  without a kill switch or with a better one, or that copycats could mimic the attack.

The MalwareTech researcher agreed that the threat hasnt disappeared.

One thing that is very important to note is our sinkholing only stops this sample and there is nothing stopping them removing the domain check and trying again, so its incredibly important that any unpatched systems are patched as quickly as possible, he warned.

The kill switch also couldnt help those already infected. Short of paying, options for these individuals and companies are usually limited to recovering data files from a backup, if available, or living without them.

Security experts said it appeared to be caused by a self-replicating piece of software that enters companies when employees click on email attachments, then spreads quickly as employees share documents.

The security holes it exploits were disclosed weeks ago by TheShadowBrokers, a mysterious hacking group. Microsoft swiftly released software patches to fix those holes, but many users still havent installed updates or still use older versions of Windows.

___

Burnett reported from Chicago and Breed from Raleigh, North Carolina. AP reporter Jim Heintz contributed from Moscow.
Intel and Samsung have both added their views to the ongoing lawsuit brought against Qualcomm by the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The original lawsuit alleged that Qualcomm has made use of anti-competitive practices to stifle competition and monopolize its position within the market. Since then Qualcomm had looked to have the lawsuit dismissed, stating that there is no grounding to the accusations by the FTC. However, the FTC today argued against the dismissal request by Qualcomm, stating that there are multiple arguments to back up the antitrust charges.

In addition to the FTC defending its position, both Intel and Samsung have filed an amicus brief in support of the FTC today. While Samsung is a major customer of Qualcomm, it seems the reasoning behind both the Intel and Samsung grievances is the same  they both view Qualcomm as quashing their ability to compete in the market. Intel who is very much a competitor made it clear that while they are ready, willing, and able to compete, the practices undertaken by Qualcomm in the past have resulted in manufacturers having to purchase the chipsets they need from Qualcomm and Qualcomm alone. Likewise, it seems Samsung is specifically concerned with how Qualcomms technology licensing is holding back the company from being able to further its own in-house chip ambitions. With Samsung going on to note that in spite of requesting a license, Qualcomm has limited Samsungs ability to sell licensed Exynos chipsets to non-Samsung entities.

Intels and Samsungs additions today, will not necessarily result in a legal swing of the outcome of the case, although they are likely to further add pressure. While Qualcomm has made it clear that the FTC has no grounds to progress with the lawsuit, companies adding their own support in this way will likely have an impact in some capacity. If nothing else, it may open the door for more companies to also submit their own amicus briefs in support of the FTCs claims. Of course this is not the only legal battle that Qualcomm is facing at the moment, as Qualcomm is also being directly sued by Apple, and likewise, Qualcomm is also suing Apple.
A set of hacking tools allegedly created by the United States National Security Agency (NSA) that was leaked online in April reportedly enabled a massive hacking attack that compromised computers in at least 99 countries around the world in the last 24 hours, recent reports indicate. After a hacking collective known as Shadow Brokers released the NSAs software and accompanying documentation last month, the same set of tools was used for conducting a widespread attack on machines running Microsofts Windows operating system. The attack itself was conducted using a revised version of a known ransomware strain WannaCry that exploits a specific Windows bug, security experts claim, adding that Taiwan, Ukraine, and Russia were among the hardest-hit targets of the attack. However, some cyber security experts in the West have previously connected Shadow Brokers to the Russian government, though the origin of the group hasnt been confirmed to this date.

The hacking attack that was allegedly enabled by NSAs tools crippled the systems of the British National Health Service (NHS) on Friday despite the fact that the vulnerability it exploited was reportedly patched by Microsoft in March, around a month before Shadow Brokers publicized the critical bug. However, many of the NHS-run systems reportedly werent patched in a timely manner, just like other machines affected by the breach in all parts of the world. Regardless of the circumstances that led to the attack, some advocacy groups and individuals in the West used the latest turn of events as an opportunity to highlight what they deem are worrying cyber security practices employed by the NSA and other U.S. agencies who reportedly often hoard lists of vulnerabilities without disclosing them to technology companies due to the possibility that they may want to use them themselves at a later date. Even though the recently leaked set of the agencys tools and known vulnerabilities has been fixed by Microsoft by the time it was made public, lax updating practices among users still lead to significant issues; e.g. many of the NHS-owned systems were completely blocked by ransomware yesterday, demanding payment for providing access to patient records. While the exact consequences of the ordeal are still unclear, some medical professionals in the United Kingdom already said that the incident might have resulted in human casualties.

The NSA has yet to officially confirm that the tools employed by hackers on Friday were truly developed by the Fort Meade, Maryland-based federal agency. An update on the aftermath of the attack is expected to follow later this month.
Motorola Mobilitys Moto X (2017) will be called the Moto X4, industry insider Evan Blass claimed on Saturday. Blass substantiated his statement by sharing an image depicting whats said to be the official logo of the Lenovo-owned companys upcoming device. The logo in question can be seen below and  if legitimate  is likely just one of many variants of the branding that Motorola Mobility prepared for the smartphone.

The Moto X4 was unveiled by the Libertyville, Illinois-based firm behind closed doors earlier this week, as evidenced by a number of leaked photographs from the event. According to those images and many previous corresponding reports, the latest addition to the Moto X lineup will boast a 5.5-inch LCD display panel with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels and sport the Snapdragon 660, Qualcomms latest mid-range system-on-chip (SoC) that was officially announced on Tuesday. The device is also thought to feature 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage space that will likely be expandable via a microSD card slot by up to 256GB, though the latter has yet to be confirmed by any industry source. Furthermore, the Moto X4 is expected to be powered by a 3,800mAh battery that wont be removable but should offer above-average battery life considering its paired with a rather conservative piece of silicon.

Previous rumors have indicated that the upcoming Moto X4 will be Motorola Mobilitys first smartphone with a dual camera setup, though recent reports on the exact sensor configuration and LED flash placement of the device have been conflicting. On the other hand, most sources seem to agree that the phone will boast IP68 certification and be priced in a rather aggressive manner. The Moto X4 is also said to lack a traditional 3.5mm audio jack and will instead only sport a single USB Type-C port, a trend that the Lenovo-owned phone maker already started embracing with its recent models. Finally, the handsets body is expected to be made of metal, while its screen will take advantage of 3D glass, previous reports have suggested. Theres still no word on when the Moto X4 will be hitting the market, but the device will likely become available in the United States and a number of other markets in the coming months.
Govt decides to restructure Army

The government has decided to restructure the Nepal Army, keeping the strength of the national defence force intact.
YEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. Currently the priorities of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) are the fight against terrorism, drug trafficking and organized crime, Russias Ambassador to Armenia Ivan Volinkin told reporters.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization is a military-political union, the priority goal of which is protecting the borders and sovereignty of its member states, the Ambassador stressed.

The Ambassador is sure that CSTO member states do not and cannot have disagreements over important issues.

Naturally each country has its interests, its own priorities, however there are no differences in important issues, the Ambassador said.

Speaking on the appointment of Armenias representative Yuri Khachaturov to the post of CSTO Secretary General, Volinkin expressed confidence that Khachaturov will display his all capabilities in office, which he had displayed as Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces.

I believe he can do many things for the organization. Overall Armenia is a very active member of this organization, it always comes up with new initiatives, which the other member states endorse, and Yuri Khachaturov, of course, will be the moving force, the Ambassador said.
YEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Justice Minister Vigen Kocharyan hosted the representatives of observer mission of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe (CoE) led by head of the mission Liisa Ansala, the Ministry told Armenpress.

The delegation arrived in Armenia on May 11 to carry out observer mission during the Yerevan City Council election until May 15.

The observer missions representatives said they aim to observe the practical use of legal regulations set by the new Electoral Code of Armenia in the local self-governance elections.

Deputy Minister Kocharyan presented to the mission members the main innovations in the Electoral Code, mainly the control of the election process through voters fingerprints, the live broadcast of electoral process from polling stations, the publication of voters signed lists.

At the request of the mission members, the Deputy Minister talked about the parliamentary election and the experience of applying the new regulations during the election.

At the end of the meeting, Vigen Kocharyan also presented the anti-corruption works carried out by the Ministry, which are the followings: criminalization of illegal enrichment, steps aimed at creating anti-corruption independent body, improving the disclosure process, limiting the circulation of cash, installation of alert institute and etc.
YEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. Mayor of Yerevan Taron Margaryan commented on accusations by Yelk bloc Mayor candidate Nikol Pashinyan according to which the election headquarters of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) offers bribes ahead of the Yerevan City Council election, reports Armenpress.

In a meeting with reporters after the election campaign in Yerevans Kentron administrative district, Mayor Margaryan said the RPA central headquarters has already issued a statement which covers this issue in-detail.

Our central headquarters has already referred to this issue. Take our statement and read it. We have responded to all such statements in-detail, the Mayor said.

Commenting on the reporters note that the Central Electoral Commission is going to discuss Yelk blocs application to cancel the RPAs registration in coming hours, Taron Margaryan said it is the CECs authority that will discuss the application and will make a decision. Our authorized representative will also be present at the session, the Mayor said.

He also commented on the incident when police officer obstructed Yelk blocs election campaign. Margaryan condemned any attempt on hindering the campaign.

In response to a view that criminal proceedings may be launched based on Pashinyans statements, Margaryan said: Lets the law enforcement agencies investigate the issue. If after that questions arise, I am ready to answer.
YEREVAN, MAY 13, ARMENPRESS. In a working meeting with President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on May 13, Justice Minister Arpine Hovhannisyan reported on the main directions of the activities of the ministry, as well as on the institutional reforms underway in the sphere of fight against corruption.

As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the Armenian Presidents Office, the Minister presented details on the new body on fight against corruption, noting that the body will have a status of autonomy. Arpine Hovhannisyan also reported that the anti-corruption body has been granted with new powers. The President of the Republic gave relevant instructions.

At the end of the meeting the President thanked Arpine Hovhannisyan for her activities as a Justice Minister and expressed conviction that in the newly elected National Assembly Arpine Hovhannisyan will act with the same enthusiasm and will be as active as she was in the Cabinet.
An $11 million Air Force Reaper UAV stalled and spun to the ground because the pilot was fixated on completing a checklist, ignoring audible and visual stall warnings, according to the Air Force Aircraft Accident Investigation released Thursday. Immediately after receiving control of the aircraft from the launch team, the pilot of the unmanned turboprop was confused about the aircrafts autopilot mode and disconnected the autopilot, while continuing to complete the handoff checklist. The Reapers stall protection is disabled in the manual, landing configuration mode. Then in manual flight mode, the pilot left the aircraft in a 9.5 degree nose-up attitude and 30% power, which led to a stall. Rather than lower the nose, the mishap pilot increased the power to full, which caused the aircraft to enter a spin.

In the incident report, the accident board found that the cause of the mishap was the combination of the pilots misprioritization to complete the handover checklist, and the pilots failure to observe prior warnings of reduced energy state and stall, and timely implement stall recovery procedures. The report continues, By commanding landing configuration, the pilot was manually operating the aircraft. The pilot was responsible for monitoring altitude and air speed. The pilot was also responsible for taking precautionary measures to prevent the aircraft from stalling and taking corrective measures in the event the aircraft stalled. On two separate occasions in between 22:27:11 GMT and approximately 22:29:20 GMT, the pilot received visual and audible warnings that the aircraft was stalling. However, the pilot prioritized completing his handover checklist and increased airspeed instead of accomplishing the stall recovery checklist. As a result, the aircraft stalled and impacted the ground.
A massive cyberattack that hit over 74 countries across Europe and Asia and led to major breakdowns in England's NHS hospitals Friday involved a type of malware that is used by the National Security Agency, called ransomware, according to The New York Times.

The ransomware was leaked by a hacker crew called Shadow Brokers, which has been leaking NSA hacking tools for the past year. Microsoft has since developed a better protection system to strengthen the NSA tool, but the hackers discovered that certain places, like NHS hospitals, hadn't updated their software yet.

The targets, which were all hit with the same type of ransomware, were reported in over 12 countries  including the U.K., Spain, Portugal, Russia, Turkey, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Japan. Hospitals and telecommunications companies were among the most common institutions affected.

Broader implications: Phil Reitinger, President and CEO of the Global Cyber Alliance, told Axios that cyber weapons, like ransomware, "proliferate at internet speed":

"A use, any use, of a cyber weapon, bears the risk of telling the bad guys, even the less sophisticated ones, how to use that attack. It's like a nation used a smart bomb once, and thereafter, terrorists around the world could build and deploy that same bomb. Once a technology is deployed, it's almost impossible to put it back in the bottle."
Home Minister Nidhi assures voters of security

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi said the government has adopted maximum security measures and left no stone unturned for the local bodies election.
NA defuses IED in Dhanding

A bomb disposal unit of the Nepal Army on Saturday morning defused an improvised explosive device (IED) at Siddhalekh Village Council in Dhading district.
Sightseeing, swimming and soaking up the island flavor  it's all yours for the taking on a Carnival cruise to Nassau, Bahamas. Boasting balmy breezes and jumping to a bouncy calypso beat, Nassau promises sizzling fun in the sun. The historic and cultural heart of The Bahamas is one of the worlds most popular cruise destinations  one million travelers board cruises to Nassau every year. Carnival guests come for fine beaches, shopping, water sports, and fun-filled attractions at the Atlantis Resort, connected to Nassau by a bridge to Paradise Island. Throw in a chance to swim with dolphins, or do a little slipping and sliding at a water park, and it's clear what makes Nassau a top spot for cruisers of all ages.
The following companies are subsidiares of Pfizer: AH Robins LLC, AHP Holdings B.V., AHP Manufacturing B.V., Agouron Pharmaceuticals LLC, Alacer, Alpharma Holdings LLC, Alpharma Pharmaceuticals LLC, Alpharma Specialty Pharma LLC, Alpharma USHP LLC, American Food Industries LLC, Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Anacor Pharmaceuticals Inc., Angiosyn, Array BioPharma, Ayerst-Wyeth Pharmaceuticals LLC, BIND Therapeutics Inc., BINESA 2002 S.L., Bamboo Therapeutics, Bamboo Therapeutics Inc., Baxter International - Marketed Vaccines, BioRexis, Bioren, Bioren LLC, Blue Whale Re Ltd., C.E. Commercial Holdings C.V., C.E. Commercial Investments C.V., C.P. Pharmaceuticals International C.V., CICL Corporation, COC I Corporation, Catapult Genetics, Coley Pharmaceutical GmbH, Coley Pharmaceutical Group, Coley Pharmaceutical Group Inc., Continental Pharma Inc., Covx, Covx Technologies Ireland Limited, Cyanamid Inter-American Corporation, Cyanamid de Argentina S.A., Cyanamid de Colombia S.A., Distribuidora Mercantil Centro Americana S.A., Encysive Pharmaceuticals, Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc., Esperion LUV Development Inc., Esperion Therapeutics, Excaliard Pharmaceuticals, Excaliard Pharmaceuticals Inc., Farminova Produtos Farmaceuticos de Inovacao Lda., Farmogene Productos Farmaceuticos Lda, Ferrosan A/S, Ferrosan International A/S, Ferrosan S.R.L., FoldRx Pharmaceuticals Inc., Foldrx Pharmaceuticals, Fort Dodge Manufatura Ltda., G. D. Searle & Co. Limited, G. D. Searle International Capital LLC, G. D. Searle LLC, GI Europe Inc., GI Japan Inc., GenTrac Inc., Genetics Institute LLC, Greenstone LLC, Haptogen Limited, Hospira, Hospira (China) Enterprise Management Co. Ltd., Hospira Adelaide Pty Ltd, Hospira Aseptic Services Limited, Hospira Australia Pty Ltd, Hospira Benelux BVBA, Hospira Chile Limitada, Hospira Deutschland GmbH, Hospira Enterprises B.V., Hospira France SAS, Hospira Healthcare B.V., Hospira Healthcare Corporation, Hospira Healthcare India Private Limited, Hospira Holdings (S.A.) Pty Ltd, Hospira Inc., Hospira Invicta S.A., Hospira Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company, Hospira Ireland Sales Limited, Hospira Japan G.K., Hospira Limited, Hospira Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Hospira NZ Limited, Hospira Nordic AB, Hospira Philippines Inc., Hospira Portugal LDA, Hospira Produtos Hospitalares Ltda., Hospira Pte. Ltd., Hospira Pty Limited, Hospira Puerto Rico LLC, Hospira Singapore Pte Ltd, Hospira UK Limited, Hospira Worldwide LLC, Hospira Zagreb d.o.o., ICAgen, Idun Pharmaceuticals, Industrial Santa Agape S.A., InnoPharma, InnoPharma Inc., International Affiliated Corporation LLC, JMI-Daniels Pharmaceuticals Inc., John Wyeth & Brother Limited, Kiinteisto oy Espoon Pellavaniementie 14, King Pharmaceuticals Holdings LLC, King Pharmaceuticals LLC, King Pharmaceuticals Research and Development LLC, Korea Pharma Holding Company Limited, Laboratoires Pfizer S.A., Laboratorios Parke Davis S.L., Laboratorios Pfizer Ltda., Laboratorios Wyeth LLC, Laboratorios Wyeth S.A., Laboratorios Pfizer Lda., MTG Divestitures LLC, Mayne Pharma IP Holdings (Euro) Pty Ltd, Medivation, Medivation Field Solutions LLC, Medivation LLC, Medivation Neurology LLC, Medivation Prostate Therapeutics LLC, Medivation Services LLC, Medivation Technologies LLC, Meridian Medical Technologies Inc., Meridian Medical Technologies Limited, Monarch Pharmaceuticals LLC, Neusentis Limited, NextWave Pharmaceuticals, NextWave Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, P-D Co. LLC, PAH USA IN8 LLC, PF Americas Holding C.V., PF Asia Manufacturing B.V., PF PR Holdings C.V., PF PRISM C.V., PF PRISM Holdings S.a.r.l., PF Prism S.a.r.l., PFE Holdings G.K., PFE PHAC Holdings 1 LLC, PFE Pfizer Holdings 1 LLC, PFE Wyeth Holdings LLC, PFE Wyeth-Ayerst (Asia) LLC, PHILCO Holdings S.a r.l., PHIVCO Corp., PHIVCO Holdco S.a r.l., PHIVCO Luxembourg S.a r.l., PN Mexico LLC, PT. Pfizer Parke Davis, Parke Davis & Company LLC, Parke Davis Limited, Parke Davis Productos Farmaceuticos Lda, Parke-Davis Manufacturing Corp., Parkedale Pharmaceuticals Inc., Peak Enterprises LLC, Pfizer, Pfizer (China) Research and Development Co. Ltd., Pfizer (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Pfizer (Perth) Pty Limited, Pfizer (Thailand) Limited, Pfizer (Wuhan) Research and Development Co. Ltd., Pfizer AB, Pfizer AG, Pfizer AS, Pfizer Africa & Middle East for Pharmaceuticals Veterinarian Products & Chemicals S.A.E., Pfizer Anti-Infectives AB, Pfizer ApS, Pfizer Asia Manufacturing Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Asia Pacific Pte Ltd., Pfizer Atlantic Holdings S.a.r.l., Pfizer Australia Holdings B.V., Pfizer Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Pfizer Australia Investments Pty. Ltd., Pfizer Australia Pty Limited, Pfizer B.V., Pfizer BH D.o.o., Pfizer Baltic Holdings B.V., Pfizer Biofarmaceutica Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Pfizer Biologics (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd, Pfizer Biologics Ireland Holdings Limited, Pfizer Biotech Corporation, Pfizer Bolivia S.A., Pfizer Canada Inc., Pfizer CentreSource Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Chile S.A., Pfizer Cia. Ltda., Pfizer Colombia Spinco I LLC, Pfizer Commercial Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Commercial Holdings TRAE Kft., Pfizer Commercial TRAE Trading Kft., Pfizer Consumer Healthcare AB, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare GmbH, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare Ltd., Pfizer Consumer Manufacturing Italy S.r.l., Pfizer Corporation, Pfizer Corporation Austria Gesellschaft m.b.H., Pfizer Corporation Hong Kong Limited, Pfizer Croatia d.o.o., Pfizer Deutschland GmbH, Pfizer Development LP, Pfizer Development Services (UK) Limited, Pfizer Domestic Ventures Limited, Pfizer Dominicana S.R.L, Pfizer ESP Pty Ltd, Pfizer East India B.V., Pfizer Eastern Investments B.V., Pfizer Egypt S.A.E., Pfizer Enterprise Holdings B.V., Pfizer Enterprises LLC, Pfizer Enterprises SARL, Pfizer Europe Finance B.V., Pfizer Export B.V., Pfizer Export Company, Pfizer Export Holding Company B.V, Pfizer Finance Share Service (Dalian) Co. Ltd., Pfizer Financial Services N.V./S.A., Pfizer France International Investments, Pfizer Free Zone Panama S. de R.L., Pfizer GEP S.L., Pfizer Global Holdings B.V., Pfizer Global Supply Japan Inc., Pfizer Global Trading, Pfizer Group Luxembourg Sarl, Pfizer Gulf FZ-LLC, Pfizer H.C.P. Corporation, Pfizer HK Service Company Limited, Pfizer Health AB, Pfizer Health Solutions Inc., Pfizer Healthcare Ireland, Pfizer Hellas A.E., Pfizer Himalaya Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Holding France, Pfizer Holding Ventures, Pfizer Holdings Corporation, Pfizer Holdings Europe Unlimited Company, Pfizer Holdings G.K., Pfizer Holdings International Corporation, Pfizer Holdings International Luxembourg (PHIL) Sarl, Pfizer Holdings North America SARL, Pfizer Hungary Holdings TRAE Kft., Pfizer Inc., Pfizer Innovations AB, Pfizer Innovations LLC, Pfizer Innovative Supply Point International BVBA, Pfizer International LLC, Pfizer International Markets Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer International Operations, Pfizer International S. de R.L., Pfizer International Trading (Shanghai) Limited, Pfizer Investment Capital Unlimited Company, Pfizer Investment Co. Ltd., Pfizer Investment Holdings S.a.r.l., Pfizer Ireland Investments Limited, Pfizer Ireland PFE Holding 1 LLC, Pfizer Ireland PFE Holding 2 LLC, Pfizer Ireland Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer Ireland Ventures Unlimited Company, Pfizer Italia S.r.l., Pfizer Italy Group Holding S.r.l., Pfizer Japan Inc., Pfizer LLC, Pfizer Laboratories (Pty) Limited, Pfizer Laboratories Limited, Pfizer Laboratories PFE (Pty) Ltd, Pfizer Leasing Ireland Limited, Pfizer Leasing UK Limited, Pfizer Limitada, Pfizer Limited, Pfizer Luxco Holdings SARL, Pfizer Luxembourg Global Holdings S.a r.l., Pfizer Luxembourg SARL, Pfizer MAP Holding Inc., Pfizer Manufacturing Austria G.m.b.H., Pfizer Manufacturing Belgium N.V., Pfizer Manufacturing Deutschland GmbH, Pfizer Manufacturing Deutschland Grundbesitz GmbH & Co. KG, Pfizer Manufacturing Holdings LLC, Pfizer Manufacturing Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Manufacturing LLC, Pfizer Manufacturing Services, Pfizer Medical Technology Group (Belgium) N.V., Pfizer Medicamentos Genericos e Participacoes Ltda., Pfizer Mexico Luxco SARL, Pfizer Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pfizer Middle East for Pharmaceuticals Animal Health and Chemicals S.A.E., Pfizer New Zealand Limited, Pfizer Norge AS, Pfizer North American Holdings Inc., Pfizer OTC B.V., Pfizer Overseas LLC, Pfizer Oy, Pfizer PFE ApS, Pfizer PFE AsiaPac Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Australia Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Australia Pty Ltd, Pfizer PFE B.V., Pfizer PFE Baltic Holdings B.V., Pfizer PFE Belgium SPRL, Pfizer PFE Brazil Holding S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE CIA. Ltda., Pfizer PFE Chile Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Colombia Holding Corp., Pfizer PFE Colombia S.A.S, Pfizer PFE Commercial Holdings LLC, Pfizer PFE Croatia Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Eastern Investments B.V., Pfizer PFE Finland Oy, Pfizer PFE France, Pfizer PFE Global Holdings B.V., Pfizer PFE Ireland Pharmaceuticals Holding 1 B.V., Pfizer PFE Italy Holdco 2 S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Italy Holdco S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Pfizer PFE Limited, Pfizer PFE Luxembourg S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Mexico Holding 3 LLC, Pfizer PFE Netherlands Holding 1 C.V., Pfizer PFE New Zealand, Pfizer PFE New Zealand Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Norway Holding S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE PILSA Holdco S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Peru Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Peru S.R.L., Pfizer PFE Pharmaceuticals Israel Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Pharmaceuticals Israel Ltd., Pfizer PFE Private Limited, Pfizer PFE S.R.L, Pfizer PFE Service Company Holding Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer PFE Singapore Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Singapore Pte. Ltd., Pfizer PFE Spain B.V., Pfizer PFE Spain Holding S.L., Pfizer PFE Sweden Holding 2 S.a.r.l., Pfizer PFE Sweden Holding S.a.r.l., Pfizer PFE Switzerland GmbH, Pfizer PFE Turkey Holding 1 B.V., Pfizer PFE Turkey Holding 2 B.V., Pfizer PFE UK Holding 4 LP, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 1 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 2 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 3 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 4 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 5 LLC, Pfizer PFE spol. s r.o., Pfizer PFE Ilaclar Anonim Sirketi, Pfizer Pakistan Limited, Pfizer Parke Davis (Thailand) Ltd., Pfizer Parke Davis Inc., Pfizer Parke Davis Sdn. Bhd., Pfizer Pharm Algerie, Pfizer Pharma GmbH, Pfizer Pharma PFE GmbH, Pfizer Pharmaceutical (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Pfizer Pharmaceutical Trading Limited Liability Company (a/k/a Pfizer Kft. or Pfizer LLC), Pfizer Pharmaceuticals B.V., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Global B.V., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Israel Ltd., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Korea Limited, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals LLC, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Pfizer Pigments Inc., Pfizer Polska Sp. z.o.o., Pfizer Private Limited, Pfizer Production LLC, Pfizer Products Inc., Pfizer Products India Private Limited, Pfizer Research (NC) Inc., Pfizer Romania SRL, Pfizer S.A., Pfizer S.A., Pfizer S.A. (Belgium), Pfizer S.A. de C.V., Pfizer S.A.S., Pfizer S.G.P.S. Lda., Pfizer S.L., Pfizer S.R.L., Pfizer SRB d.o.o., Pfizer Saidal Manufacturing, Pfizer Sante Familiale, Pfizer Saudi Limited, Pfizer Seiyaku K.K., Pfizer Service Company BVBA, Pfizer Service Company Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Services 1, Pfizer Services LLC, Pfizer Shared Services Unlimited Company, Pfizer Shareholdings Intermediate SARL, Pfizer Singapore Holding Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Singapore Trading Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Spain Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Specialties Limited, Pfizer Strategic Investment Holdings LLC, Pfizer Sweden Partnership KB, Pfizer TRAE Holdings Kft., Pfizer Trading Polska sp.z.o.o., Pfizer Transactions Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Transactions LLC, Pfizer Transactions Luxembourg SARL, Pfizer Transport LLC, Pfizer Ukraine LLC, Pfizer Vaccines LLC, Pfizer Venezuela S.A., Pfizer Venture Investments LLC, Pfizer Ventures LLC, Pfizer Worldwide Services Unlimited Company, Pfizer Zona Franca S.A., Pfizer spol. s r.o., Pharmacia, Pharmacia & Upjohn Company Inc., Pharmacia & Upjohn Company LLC, Pharmacia & Upjohn LLC, Pharmacia & Upjohn S.A. de C.V., Pharmacia Brasil Ltda., Pharmacia Hepar LLC, Pharmacia Holding AB, Pharmacia Inter-American LLC, Pharmacia International B.V., Pharmacia LLC, Pharmacia Limited, Pharmacia Nostrum S.A., Pharmacia South Africa (Pty) Ltd, PowderJect Research Limited, PowderMed, Purepac Pharmaceutical Holdings LLC, Redvax, Renrall LLC, Rinat Neuroscience, Rinat Neuroscience Corp., Roerig Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Roerig S.A., Sao Cristovao Participacoes Ltda., Searle Laboratorios Lda., Serenex, Servicios P&U S. de R.L. de C.V., Shiley LLC, Sinergis Farma-Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Site Realty Inc., Solinor LLC, Sugen LLC, Tabor LLC, The Pfizer Incubator LLC, Therachon, Thiakis Limited, Treerly Health Co. Ltd, US Oral Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd, Upjohn Laboratorios Lda., Vesteralens Naturprodukter A/S, Vesteralens Naturprodukter AB, Vesteralens Naturprodukter AS, Vesteralens Naturprodukter OY, Vicuron Holdings LLC, Vinci Farma S.A., W-L LLC, Warner Lambert, Warner Lambert Ilac Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Warner Lambert del Uruguay S.A., Warner-Lambert (Thailand) Limited, Warner-Lambert Company AG, Warner-Lambert Company LLC, Warner-Lambert Guatemala Sociedad Anonima, Warner-Lambert S.A., Whitehall International Inc., Whitehall Laboratories Inc., Wyeth (Thailand) Ltd., Wyeth AB, Wyeth Australia Pty. Limited, Wyeth Ayerst Inc., Wyeth Ayerst S.a r.l., Wyeth Biopharma, Wyeth Canada ULC, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare LLC, Wyeth Europa Limited, Wyeth Farma S.A., Wyeth Holdings LLC, Wyeth Industria Farmaceutica Ltda., Wyeth KFT., Wyeth LLC, Wyeth Lederle S.r.l., Wyeth Lederle Vaccines S.A., Wyeth Pakistan Limited, Wyeth Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Company, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals FZ-LLC, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals LLC, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Limited, Wyeth Puerto Rico Inc., Wyeth S.A.S, Wyeth Subsidiary Illinois Corporation, Wyeth Whitehall Export GmbH, Wyeth Whitehall SARL, Wyeth-Ayerst (Asia) Limited, Wyeth-Ayerst International LLC, and Wyeth-Ayerst Promotions Limited.

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Swisscom AG provides telecommunication services primarily in Switzerland, Italy, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Swisscom Switzerland, Fastweb, and Other Operating. The company offers mobile and fixed-network services, such as telephony, broadband, TV, and mobile offerings, as well as sells terminal equipment; and telecom and communications solutions for large corporations and small and medium-sized enterprises. It also provides cloud, outsourcing, workplace, mobile phone, networking, business process optimization, SAP, and security and authentication solutions, as well as a range of services to the banking industry; Internet of Things solutions; digitization services to the healthcare sector; IT systems for health insurance companies; fixed-line and mobile networks by other telecommunication service providers; and roaming to foreign operators whose customers use its mobile networks, as well as broadband services and regulated products. In addition, the company plans, operates, and maintains network infrastructure and IT systems; provides support functions to finance, human resource, and strategy, as well as management of real estate and vehicle fleet; and offers broadband and mobile services, such as telephony, mobile offerings, and broadband services, as well as ICT solutions for residential, business, and wholesale customers. Further, it provides IT and network services; online and telephone directories; and cross-platform retail media and security communication services, as well as builds and maintains wired and wireless networks. The company was founded in 1852 and is based in Bern, Switzerland.
Final battle between Christ and Satan would be over marriage and family as predicted by Fatima visionary, cardinal says

The world appears to be witnessing now the final battle between Christ and Satan.

Before she died in 2005, one of the three children who witnessed the Marian apparitions at Fatima foretold that "the final battle between the Lord and the kingdom of Satan" would be over marriage and the familytwo pillars of the Christian faith now under increasing assault from secular forces.

The revelation was made by Italian Cardinal Carlo Caffarra who received a long letter from the visionary, Sister Lucia dos Santos sometime before she died, the Catholic News Agency (CNA) reports.

The report was based from an article carried by the Desde la Fe (From the Faith) weekly of the Archdiocese of Mexico amid the ongoing debate sparked by Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto when he announced his intention to promote gay marriage in his country.

The report says Cardinal Caffarra received the letter from the visionary during the papacy of Saint John Paul II when he was still the Archbishop of Bologna, Italy.

Cardinal Caffarra disclosed the revelation to the Italian press in 2008, three years after the death of Sister Lucia, according to the Mexican weekly.

Cardinal Caffarra said the letter from Sister Lucia was in response to his letter addressed to her and coursed through her bishop. He said he was only asking for her prayers after Saint John Paul II commissioned him to establish the Pontifical Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family.

"Inexplicably, since I did not expect a reply, seeing as I had only asked for her prayers, I received a long letter with her signature, which is now in the archives of the Institute," the Italian cardinal said.

"In that letter we find written: 'The final battle between the Lord and the kingdom of Satan will be about Marriage and the Family.' Don't be afraid, she added, because whoever works for the sanctity of Marriage and the Family will always be fought against and opposed in every way, because this is the decisive issue. Then she concluded: 'Nevertheless, Our Lady has already crushed his head'."

Cardinal Caffarra said John Paul II asked him to establish the Pontifical Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family precisely because the family "has to do with the supporting pillar of creation, the truth of the relationship between man and woman, between the generations."

"If the foundational pillar is damaged, the entire building collapses and we're seeing this now, because we are right at this point and we know it," he added.
Nerve Centre

In a spacious room in one of the many buildings inside the Nepal Police Headquarters, tables have been arranged to form a rectangle at the very centre.
Series of new Marian apparitions approved in Argentina: Glowing rosaries, miraculous healings, woman's stigmata seen as proof

A series of apparitions by the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, has been approved by a bishop in Argentina as worthy of belief, owing to its "supernational origin," the Catholic News Agency (CNA) reports.

Bishop Hector Cardelli of San Nicolas in Argentina's Buenos Aires province made the announcement on May 22 during a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of San Nicolas.

Cardelli said after investigating the Marian apparitions for years, he has come to the conclusion that "Jesus through His Most Holy Mother, the Holy Spirit through his beloved spouse, has desired to lovingly manifest Himself in our diocese."

Michael O'Neil, a miracle researcher and author who runs the website MiracleHunter.com, said the bishop's approval is significant since this means that the messages from the apparitions are not only approved for the faithful to read but also that the events that transpired were in indeed actual miraculous apparitions.

"That puts it on par with Lourdes, Fatima and Guadalupe," O'Neil said.

The apparitions began after some rosaries owned by residents in San Nicolas de los Arroyos in Buenos Aires began to glow inexplicably in 1983.

A wife and mother named Gladys Quiroga de Motta saw these glowing rosaries and began to pray to the Virgin Mary. She said the Virgin Mary appeared to her on Sept. 25 that year, carrying the infant Jesus and wearing a blue gown and veil. She said her figure glowed with light.

Gladys said one month after she saw the Marian apparition, the Virgin Mary again appeared before her and gave her a white rosary, saying, "Receive this Rosary from my hands and keep it forever and ever. You are obedient; I am happy because of it. Rejoice, for God is with you."

The Virgin Mary then asked Gladys to look for a statue that had been blessed by a Pope and was forgotten away in a church. Gladys found the statue on Nov. 27, 1983 in the belfry of the diocesan cathedral.

The statue was that of the Mother of God holding the Child Jesus. It had been brought from Rome after it was blessed by Pope Leo XIII.

Gladys said the statue resembled the Marian apparition she saw.

She said the Virgin Mary visited her 68 times, each time bearing messages from Jesus.

Gladys has shared about 1,800 messages from the Virgin Mary, O'Neil said. Many dwell on peace, repentance, returning to the sacraments, and drawing people closer to Christ. But there are also apocalyptic messages, predicting great turmoil for humanity ahead, O'Neil said.

As further proof of the Marian apparitions' authenticity, Gladys reportedly received the stigmata on her wrists, feet, side and shoulder.

There were also documented miraculous healings related to the apparitions, including the healing of a boy with a brain tumour, according to CNA.

Father Rene Laurentin, an expert on Marian apparitions, noted the apparitions' messages in his book, "An Appeal from Mary in Argentina."

In one of the messages, the Virgin Mary warned that mankind is "in the process of falling into a progressive self-destruction," saying, "It is up to you to set your eyes and your heart on God," Laurentin said.
Baie-Comeau will be among three Quebec stops for Disney Cruise Line in autumn 2018.

According to a press release, on September 25 and 30, 2018, the Disney Magic will drop anchor in Baie-Comeau harbor.

Our team, along with everyone in the extended Cruise the Saint Lawrence Association family, has been working hard over the past several years to bring the cruise lines to Baie-Comeau. Those efforts are now bearing fruit and increasingly earning the recognition of our industry peers, said Reina Savoie, president, Baie-Comeau Cruises. Northern destinations are exotic and their appeal to tourists is constantly growing. And with our high-quality hospitality, security protocols and tourist attractions, our friendly community, and our beautiful wilderness, its a perfect package."

The relationship with Disney Cruise Line is a real mark of confidence for our port of call member organizations, who place great importance on providing quality experiences to cruise passengers, said Tony Boemi, president of Cruise the Saint Lawrence It also shows that our destination appeals to a young and family-oriented clientele.

Marc Lefebvre, president of the Baie-Comeau Harbor Management Corporation, said You know, my friend Marcel Furlong and his team at ID Manicouagan are making huge efforts to diversify the regional economy. Today, Baie-Comeau Cruises is proving that it can be done, if you have enough conviction and put in the work. Because make no mistake, tourism is a major economic driver that contributes significantly to Quebec's gross domestic income. Were happy to confirm that our development plan will include a wharf specifically dedicated to tourism, which is also set to give the residents of our city access to the river again."
PM appeals voters to use sovereign voting rights

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has appealed the eligible voters to use their sovereign voting rights by casting votes in the local level elections.
Researchers are trying to find natural way to get rid of the stink bug

COLUMBUS When Celeste Welty unzips the white, nylon cage, none of the stink bugs inside move. Theyre very tranquil, she says.

Why wouldnt they be? Inside their cage, they enjoy spa-like conditions with all the sunflower seeds and nuts they can feed on, the warmth of the sunlight coming through the window beside them and a few house plants to make it feel like the outdoors, though theyre in a lab. Such special treatment for the brown marmorated stink bug, which farmers and homeowners alike despise.

Thriving on a range of fruits and vegetables, the marmorated stink bug has damaged or destroyed enough crops in Ohio and across the United States to get the attention of entomologists nationwide.

Welty, an Ohio State University Extension entomologist, is involved in a 15-state study to determine the best, and ideally natural, way to get rid of the marmorated stink bug.

Invasive species

The brown marmorated stink bug is a foreigner to the United States, and in the absence of natural predators here, its populations are exploding, particularly in the mid-Atlantic region. Arriving in the U.S. from China, the grayish brown bug was first detected in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 2001. Six years later, one was reported in Ohio.

How the first brown marmorated stink bug got to the U.S. is unclear, but often it is carried through boxes or packages, a hitchhiker of sorts, Welty said.

Finding natural enemies

The stink bug is a terrible pest in agricultural crops, and we want to know how to control it with more sustainable methods than just spraying a lot, she added.

From Weltys colony of marmorated stink bugs, she takes the eggs and places them outside the lab on plant leaves. Two days later when she retrieves them, she hopes some have been attacked by the bugs natural predator, the tiny Trissolcus japonicus wasp. Also a native of China, the wasp was detected in the United States in 2014 and has since been found in eight states but not yet in Ohio. And nowhere in the U.S. is it plentiful  at least not plentiful enough to keep down the marmorated stink bug population.

The wasp appears to be spreading on its own, but its so early on in the introduction of the wasp that we really dont know, Welty said.

Pierce soybeans

A second major stink bug study being done through Ohio State examines the effect of stink bugs on soybeans in Ohio. Entomology Associate Professor Andy Michel is leading the research into the species of stink bugs that prey on soybeans: the green, the brown, the red shouldered and the brown marmorated stink bug.

Michel is on the second year of a three-year project funded by the Ohio Soybean Council and the North Central Soybean Research Program to determine what species of stink bugs cause the most damage to soybeans and how prevalent the bugs should be before spraying.

Seizing on developing soybean seeds, stink bugs attack the plant using their wide and sharp mouths, which extend to nearly half the length of their bodies.

They pierce through the pod, go on to the seed, then add enzymes and saliva to suck up the nutrients, Michel said. In the end, it looks like a shriveled up, brown, discolored seed.

Often this damage is not apparent until harvest, because the pod usually retains its shape, despite the smaller seed. That makes it important to scout early for stink bugs and control them if necessary, Michel said.

Drought conditions encourage the spread of stink bugs so unusually dry summers including 2016 and 2012, saw some of the states worst infestations, Michel said. In one soybean field, stink bugs caused a 30 percent yield loss in 2012.

Just because you have stink bugs in your field, doesnt mean you need spray, Michel said.

Not all alike

Thats because stink bugs could develop a resistance to pesticides, some stink bugs dont cause as much harm to soybeans as others and some species are actually beneficial, being natural enemies of other soybean pests.

We want growers to be able to identify stink bug species and determine when their field is at risk for economic damage, Michel said, and therefore when they should start spraying.
Seventy guests attended a beef dinner at The London Beach Hotel, near Tenterden, to support Great British Beef Week.

The beef dinner included beef from Silcocks Farm in Kent, as well as local produce and wine.

The hotels charitable trust kindly donated towards the evening, ensuring the grand total raised on the night was 3,077.

During the evening, Julian Barnes from Biddenden Vineyard was acknowledged and thanked for his ongoing support of R.A.B.I. The historic Biddenden Estate spans 23 acres and some 80,000 bottles of wine are made each year from 11 different grapes.

Charles Tassell, Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (R.A.B.I) Kent committee chairman said: Were extremely grateful for all the support we received at our beef dinner  it was a wonderful evening with great food, wine and company.

Sally Field, R.A.B.I Regional Manager, added: Great British Beef Week champions Red Tractor assured suppliers so consumers can rely on quality and easily trace where their food comes from, all the way from farm to fork.
Farmers are set to meet the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) to raise concerns over the use of distillery byproducts in anaerobic digestion (AD) plants.

The meeting will take place next week (16 May) in Edinburgh. Farmers have criticised the use of distillery byproducts, such as draff (left-over grain after fermentation) and pot ale syrup, in biomass and anaerobic digestion (AD) plants.

The farmers claim energy plants are using up vital supplies of animal feed, making them more expensive to buy and in many cases impossible to source.

Environment spokesman for the Scottish Tenant Farmers Association (STFA) Alastair Nairn has organised the meeting with SWA acting chief executive Julie Hesketh-Laird. He will be joined by STFA director and Sutherland farmer Angus McCall, Glenlivet farmer Michael Durno and NFU Scotland president Andrew McCornick.

We are asking for guarantees that theres going to be adequate supplies of distillery byproducts available to the industry. Theres no guarantee at the moment, Mr Nairn told The Press and Journal.

Theres no doubt that its a crisis for the livestock sector. We believe this situation will only get worse as more AD and biomass plants are developed throughout Scotland.

He said the growth of biomass and AD plants would not only hit the availability of livestock feed but also result in shortage of straw for bedding.
Prez Bhandari appeals for making Sunday's local polls successful

President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Saturday called on everyone to make the local level election slated for Sunday (May 14) successful.
The Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) has launched a discussion document on Brexit and options for a new Domestic Agricultural Policy.

The aim is to spark debate amongst farmers particularly about support structures post-Brexit.

UFU President Barclay Bell said that while the UK government has promised support for 2019, after that things are much less certain.

He said: The Union has argued that post-Brexit support for farmers must be at least equivalent to that provided by the EU and that Northern Ireland must retain its current share of this farm support.

The delivery system for this funding is likely to change and we have an ideal opportunity to design one that is better suited to UK agriculture and creates conditions for a more productive, sustainable and resilient agriculture sector."

'Serious consequences'

The document, produced following union policy committee discussions and the recent Annual General Meeting, outlines options for a new Domestic Agricultural Policy.

It suggests baseline measures, that would be accessible to all, and modular measures, which could be applied for.

The members of our policy committees have been ambitious and creative in their thinking and this discussion document shows what could be done with a healthy budget. Any new system must be kept simple and must be targeted at those who actively take the risks in primary food production, said the UFU President.

The union warned that failing to support farmers will have serious consequences for food security, the wider agri-food industry, the environment and rural areas.

'61% self sufficient'

Mr Bell said: The UK is only 61 per cent self sufficient when it comes to food, and without support for farmers there is a real danger that this will continue to decline.

Farming is important to the public. Shoppers trust locally produced food; they know what they are getting is safe, high quality, and affordable. They want to see a productive and resilient farming industry that also continues to look after the countryside.

The union wants to now debate the document with its members and farmers.

This is a discussion document and we want it to generate debate. Soon we will provide details of how farmers can get involved in this process and it is vital that we hear peoples thoughts and suggestions, said Mr. Bell.

If ever there was a time for farmers to have their views heard its now. This is our opportunity to shape the future of Northern Ireland agriculture.
Sebon mulls mandatory PAN for stock investors

The Securities Board of Nepal (Sebon) is mulling to make the permanent account number (PAN) mandatory for all investors in the stock market in a bid to maintain transparency of transactions.




Haiti - News : Zapping...





127 cases of violence against women

On Wednesday, Josette Macillon, South Departmental Director of the Ministry of Women's Affairs said in a press briefing that the office has received 127 cases of violence against women for the first 4 months of the year, pointing out that the cases are much more numerous but that many victims do not complain. Josette Macillon, invites women victims to call the number 400 free of charge to file a complaint and ask for assistance.



Moise, on site visit

On Thursday, President Jovenel Moise and Engineer Fritz Cayo, the Minister of Public Works, carried out an inspection visit of the works of the National Road # 1 at the level of the commune of Ennery in the department of Artibonite.



Minimum wage, trade unions in the Senate

On Thursday, the issue of the minimum wage was at the center of a meeting between the Senate Social Affairs Committee and trade union officials in the textile sector, who took the opportunity to denounce the authorities for not doing anything to allow workers to get 800 gourdes of minimum daily wage.



Major files of the Ministry of Education

A working session was held on the Ministry of Education with the Departmental Directors of Education (DDE) and Deputy Heads, on major issues : State examinations, human resources management, DDE management, the 2017-2018 school calendar were among the topics discussed during this session, which was chaired by the Director General, Dr Meniol Jeune.



Responding to the challenges of TNH

Limond Toussaint, the Minister of Culture as part of a tour to better understand the institutions under his responsibility, went to the National Television of Haiti (TNH) where he discussed with his Director General, Gamal Augustin some ways to solve some of the challenges facing the institution "In a globalizing world, we must work to make the TNH a media accessible to the Haitian people throughout the national territory to inform, to train see educate the population," stressed Minister Toussaint.



Towards a better coordination of European aid

A meeting between Aviol Fleurant, the Minister of Planning, Fritz Caillot, the Minister of Public Works Transport and the National Authorizing Officer, Charles Jean-Jacques, was organized around a better coordination of European aid with the priorities of the Government.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Srinagar : Pakistan violated ceasefire on Saturday along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmirs Rajouri district.

The Pakistan Army initiated indiscriminate mortar shelling, following which the Indian troops effectively retaliated.

The Indian Army confirmed the ceasefire violation incident.

Speaking to IANS, Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta said, Pakistan Army initiated indiscriminate firing and shelling on our positions on the LoC in the Naushera sector.

At least one incident of ceasefire violation by Pakistan has been reported daily along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir in 2015 and 2016, with 23 security personnel being killed in the two years, the Home Ministry has said in an RTI reply.

The Trump administration has blamed Pakistan for deteriorating Indo-Pak relations and warned that the ties might worsen if another high-profile terror attack emanates from across the border.

Islamabads failure to curb support to anti-India militants and New Delhis growing intolerance of this policy, coupled with a perceived lack of progress in Pakistans investigations into the January 2016 Pathankot cross-border attack, set the stage for a deterioration of bilateral relations in 2016, Daniel Coats, director of National Intelligence, told lawmakers during a Congressional hearing.

Source : Zee News
Suspicious objects cause traffic havoc along Prithvi Highway

Netra Bikram Chand-led CPN Maoist cadres, on the eve of local level elections, planted suspicious objects in various places of Dhading district on Saturday morning, obstructing the Prithvi Highway for three hours.
Business The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (May 13)

Puma Energys fuel and petroleum products storage facility and jetty at Myanmar International Terminals Thilawa (MITT) in Rangoon. / Naing Lin Soe / The Irrawaddy

Myanmar Mahar Htun Teams up with Siemens

Machinery, cement, healthcare and associated businesses operator Myanmar Mahar Htun (MMH) has partnered with international giant Siemens to provide technology support to ports in Burma, MIS-Asia reported.

The partnership will allow MMH to equip ports with facilities such as technology-enabled cranes to boost productivity and safety at the sites, according to Siemens in a press release. It also allied with efforts by the Myanmar Port Authority (MPA) to raise the capacity of Burmas port facilities, Siemens said.

Along with MMH and the MPA, we aim to enhance port optimization to reliably handle increased traffic and trade volumes, said Christian Beckers, Head of Business Development, Digital Factory, Process Industry and Drives, Siemens Myanmar and Cambodia.

Burmas ports are able to handle around 20 small tankers, with a total of 220,000 deadweight tons (DWT). This number is set to further rise with port expansion.

Our aim is to make Myanmars ports more efficient as they expand, and this will in turn make the country more competitive on a regional level, and all the more attractive to investors and operators, said Daw Yamon Win, executive director, Myanmar Mahar Htun.

Siemens said it planned to continue to provide technology and solutions to other industries in Burma, including manufacturing and logistics.

Puma Energy Eyes Petrol Distribution

The US$92 million oil and gas terminal opened at the Thilawa port last weekend by Singapore-based Puma Energy and its local partner Asia Sun is expected to boost energy imports to Burma as the economy expands, AFP reported.

Puma Energy Asia Sun General Manager David Holden said the new terminal would cut import costs on products ranging from jet fuel to petrol and bitumen, used to make roads.

Myanmar is where the need is and Myanmar is what drove the investment, he told AFP, estimating fuel demand could grow around 5 percent annually in coming years.

Puma Energy is backed by global commodities giant Trafigura and is also one of three foreign firms in the last round of bidding to operate part of Burmas petrol distribution market with the Ministry of Energy, according to the report.

In addition, it is seeking a license to run petrol stations independently with a focus on the corridor between Rangoon and Mandalay, the report said.

Korean Cable Firm set for Thilawa

Approval has been granted for Korean power cable producer LS Cable & System (LS C&S) to invest in the Thilawa SEZ, DealStreet Asia reported.

The firms subsidiary Gaon Cable will form a joint venture to conduct manufacturing with Japan Thilawa Development Ltd, the SEZ developer, according to the report.

The plant at Thilawa will make aerial cables for power infrastructure that passes through transmission towers, as well as low-voltage cables for residential use.

Manufacturing will begin with medium-voltage cables and move on to high-voltage cables.

We will grow the Myanmar subsidiary just like our Vietnamese subsidiary, which has grown 240 times in 20 years after it entered the local market, said Shin Yong-hyun, CEO of LS C&S Asia.

LS C&S Asia is the holding company of LS-VINA, one of the largest power cable companies in Vietnam.

Paradiso Expands Movie Business

Paradiso Cinemas Co Ltd, a joint venture between the Maze company and Myanmar Investment Group, has spent about $2 million of a planned $20 million investment in building cinemas, according to DealStreet Asia.

Cinemas opened so far include one in Hmawbi Township in Rangoon Division and Monywa town in Sagaing Division.

The venture aims to finish 100 cinemas in two years, according to the report.

We target to finish 45 cinemas by 2017 and the remaining 55 by next year, said U Tin Maung Win, chief executive officer of Paradiso Cinema Co Ltd.

The first cinema, a 320-seater in Hmawbi, opened in January, and the construction of others are in progress in Irrawaddy Divisions Pyapon, Shan States Aungban, Shwebo and Kalay in Sagaing Region, and Madaya, Yamethin and Kyaukpadaung in Mandalay Division.

Uber Starts Operations in Rangoon

The Uber taxi app began operating in Burma this week, using only licensed taxi drivers in a similar model to regional rival Grab Taxi, which entered the market in March.

Burma is the 76th country where the app operates. In the Asean region, it operates in six other countries, including Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Yangon is a big city and many people rely on taxis, so Yangon is a crucial market to us. Many drivers and passengers are using mobile phones and we think that they can use our application easily, said Sam Bool, expansion general manager for Southeast Asia at Uber told The Nation newspaper in Thailand.

Rangoon Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein told the paper that the arrival of Uber would support the governments plans to create a better, more integrated transport system in the city.

Brief Urges Businesses to Protect Childrens Right

The Myanmar Center for Responsible Business (MRCB) urged local and foreign businesses to do more to protect childrens rights in a briefing paper launched on Thursday.

The paper, titled Childrens Rights and Business in Myanmar, outlines 10 business principles designed by UNICEF, UN Global Compact, and Save the Children in 2012 in the context of doing business in Burma.

According to a 2015 study by the International Labor Organization, 10.5 percent of children aged between five and 17 in Burma engage in some sort of employment.

Under current Burmese law, children under the age of 14 are not permitted to work while those between 14 and 18 (young workers) can work limited hours in non-hazardous workplaces.

The brief encourages businesses to ensure they do not use child labor and that young workers are employed in line with international standards. Larger businesses have a duty to ensure subcontractors and suppliers are also respecting childrens rights, the brief says.

Childrens rights are often neglected when businesses conduct impact assessments prior to new projects, the brief notes. Environmental and social impact assessments should include consultations with children in the areas.

At Thursdays press conference, MRCB director Vicky Bowman acknowledged the legislature must do their part to improve the situation and noted that Parliament is currently drafting a Child Law and a Health and Safety Law is under consideration. She stressed the importance of making sure these laws were in line with international standards.

Tourism Minister Pushes for Ngapali Clean Up

Burmas Union Minister of Hotels and Tourism U Ohn Maung said the waste problem at Arakan States Ngapali beach must be addressed before the areas airport would be developed to encourage more visitors.

U Ohn Maung made the comments at a workshop on sustainable tourism organized by the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF), Myanmar Center for Responsible Business (MCRB) and Myanmar Responsible Tourism Institute (MRTI) attended by Union and state lawmakers, local business people, civil society groups, and tourism and environmental experts at Ngapali beach this week.

We need to manage tourism sustainably, minimize the negative and maximize the positive impacts of these visitors, and work together to make Ngapali a better place to visit and to live in, U Ohn Maung told the gathered stakeholders.

The minister noted that as waste management was identified as the key challenge (55% of participants said it was their biggest concern), this would have to be remedied before the ministry developed transport links.

Chairman of Ngapali City Development Committee U Saw Lwin said local authorities had recently acquired three new landfill sites and stakeholders committed to combatting litter with less plastic bags and plastic water bottles in hotels, more bins, and a public education campaign.

Other environmental issues such as combatting sand mining and mangrove deforestation were also discussed, as were issues such as sex tourism and limiting properties near the beach to a 10 meter height.
Dateline Dateline Irrawaddy: We Cannot Forgive Dishonesty and Misconduct

This week, The Irrawaddy discusses the misappropriation of regional development funds under the former government and the lack of legal action. By The Irrawaddy

Kyaw Zwa Moe: Welcome to Dateline Irrawaddy! This week, well discuss the misappropriation of regional development funds by the former Magwe Division government led by U Phone Maw Shwe, a constitutional provision that prohibits retrospective action, and whether this provision will affect national reconciliation if more instances are discovered. Lawyer U Kyi Myint and NHK correspondent Ko Thiha Thway join me for the discussion. Im Irrawaddy English editor Kyaw Zwa Moe.

The former Magwe Division governments embezzlement scandal spread like wildfire in Burma last month. Former Magwe Division Chief Minister U Phone Maw Shwe misappropriated more than 7 billion kyats [more than US$5 million] and allegedly spent some of it on his party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). The State Counselors Office and some National League for Democracy (NLD) leaders have said no retrospective legal action will be taken. Simply put, give the money back and we will not sue. Do you think this is right?

Kyi Myint: Politics is the most important aspect of a country. The general conception is that it comes before anything else. We should be grateful to Pwintbyu Township lawmaker U Tun Tun, who exposed this case. He asked a question about the alleged embezzlement in May 2016 and it took almost a year before we saw an answer. We are glad there is an answer now. But I disagree with the governments decision not to take legal action, and I find certain points to be against the law.

KZM: Ko Thiha, there was an embezzlementin other words, a theftof public funds, and the new government said no legal action would be taken if the money was returned. This is a sensitive issue and the government is concerned that taking action will affect the countrys transition. Will the people accept the governments decision not to take legal action?

Thiha Thway: There may be similar cases of chief ministers misappropriating public funds in other regions. We cannot forgive dishonesty and misconduct. We have no reason to reconcile with dishonesty and misconduct. I want Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to distinguish these two things [reconciliation as separate from punishment for misappropriation]. If there are similar cases in other divisions and states, I want the government to expose them and take legal action.

If it does not want to cause unnecessary tension, it could give amnesty in advance and then take action. I want the government to expose the cases and inform the public about all of the links, irregularities and wrongdoings. Even if there are no penalties issued, that is okay. The government could hand down penalties and cancel them immediately. But I want the government to thoroughly investigate and expose everyone who is involved as a warning so that other people do not do the same thing.

KZM: Chapter 14, Article 445 of the 2008 Constitution states that no proceedings shall be instituted against the military regimes of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) and any member of the government in respect to any act done in the execution of their respective duties. This amounts to no retrospection. Based on this, the director-general of the State Counselors Office said the new government would not dredge up the past, as there was a likelihood the transition could be affected. This is cause for concern. Does the Magwe Division case comply with that provision of the Constitution?

KM: From a legal point of view, it does not comply at all. However, this case needs to be considered from a political standpoint. Article 445 of the Constitution means no retrospective actions can be taken against things done in the times of the SLORC and SPDCin other words, under the reign of [retired Snr-Gen] U Than Shwe. The provision also covers government ministers on the condition that they executed their respective duties. Clearly, killing, raping and stealing are not their duties. So, U Phone Maw Shwes case is against Article 445.

Again, under former President U Thein Sein, a law was enacted to give prosecutorial immunity for activities done in the line of duty. But the law was meant for U Thein Sein, not other people. Therefore, U Phone Maw Shwe is not eligible for provisions that ban retrospective action. He should be prosecuted under Article 3 of the Public Property Protection Law of 1963. The law prescribes a minimum of ten years imprisonment to a maximum life sentence. A law that amended that law was enacted in 1964, which clearly defined embezzlement of public property. U Phone Maw Shwes case clearly breaches Article 3 of the Public Property Protection Law of 1963 and does not concern the provision that bans retrospective actions.

KZM: Everything is sensitive in the current political landscape and there may be the possibility of a reversal because we are still in a transitional period. Do you think taking action against such embezzlement will impact national reconciliation, which is the most critical issue in our country?

KM: Taking action against thieves does not impact national reconciliation. We do not need to have national reconciliation with thieves. There have been satirical cartoons. In one such cartoon, a woman reading a newspaper to her thief husband says: My darling, here is good news. You will not be arrested if you promise to give back the things you stole in installments. Another says: The competition of cooking the booksthe first one across the finish line is Magwe Division, the second, Irrawaddy, and other divisions and states will soon cross as well. Another one shows a policeman talking to his senior, saying: Sir, people have been lining up to give back stolen things because it was said that no action would be taken if stolen things were returned.

KZM: The governments decision not to take legal action has become a joke. Magwe Division locals will be enraged because it was their money that was stolen. The first case was exposed in Magwe and the second case that is under investigation is in Irrawaddy Division. It is likely that there may be similar cases in other states and divisions. If lawmakers and ministers of the NLD government are dutiful, those cases [under the previous regimes] will be exposed, since our country ranks the lowest it has been on the corruption index in some 20 years. The government can pardon a single case of embezzlement, but if there are several cases, I am afraid it is a problem for national reconciliation.

TT: I would think that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi would handle this cleverly. As far as Im concerned, the USDP has denied responsibility for the case. If the government handles the party [USDP] and individuals separately, it will not impact national reconciliation. But if it drags the whole party in, the party might resist.

KZM: U Kyi Myint, the USDP has denied receiving some portion of the funds. If they did receive them, what would happen to the party according to the law?

KM: According to the election laws, it is punishable by abolishment. In a satirical cartoon strip, a man said: I have not taken anything. But take this for the time being, and Ill return the rest later. This is quite funny to the people. The government has to be careful in engaging with the USDP in this instance because politics is related to national reconciliation. But I am absolutely sure that if the USDP were in power and the NLD misappropriated funds, the USDP would not condone it.

KZM: The USDP would not show political tolerance for it.

KM: Right. So, the NLD government needs to take this into consideration.

KZM: Ko Thiha Aung, the new government has to show political tolerance as Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has tried to form an inclusive government, with members of the previous government included in her government. That yardstick has created problems. There are many countrieslike South Africathat undergo transition. To what extent is the NLD government willing to exercise political tolerance? This is the question to be asked of the government because this case is not a political issue but a crime of corruption.

TT: Crimes of corruption are unforgivable. If the NLD government fails to handle this to the satisfaction of the people, it will also be dragged into the problem. This will impact the NLDs image and reduce public trust in them. The NLD needs to handle this skillfully. It cannot just ignore it and take no legal action. I do not think the transition will reverse [because of the government taking legal action against U Phone Maw Shwe] but it might possibly create a political crisis. The government is concerned that taking legal action will result in a reversal. But if it does not act, public trust may decline. So, the government needs to handle this astutely and effectively.

KZM: What is your advice for the NLD government?

KM: The embezzlement scandal unfolded first in Irrawaddy Division, and later in Magwe. But, the investigation was first launched in Magwe. There may be similar cases in other divisions and states. The government needs to audit the accounts with the intention of getting back public funds as opposed to taking revenge. My suggestion, from my experience as a civil servant, is to ask the auditor-general to audit the accounts and send the findings to the Bureau of Special Investigations [BSI]. The BSI should further investigate and the government should take action in line with law.

KZM: That is a good idea to avoid harming national reconciliation. Thank you for your contributions!
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

Donald Trump preferred the Neofascist Marine Le Pen as president of France, who wanted to pull out of NATO and the European Union. Trumps own Environmental Protection Agency advisers are resigned because of his attack on the science of climate change. Trump is mulling pulling out the the Paris agreement on combating climate change adopted by 200 countries and territories.

In contrast, Chinas President Xi Jinping called the new French leader Emmanuel Macron this week, urging him to adhere to the Paris agreement.

He was preaching to the converted, since Macron is big on green energy and has even called on American scientists and engineers disillusioned with the GOP war on science to come to France. Macron plans to invest 30 bn Euros ($32.8 bn.) in wind, solar and other green energy, and to double electricity production from renewables in five years.

For its part, China just suspended any plans for new coal plants in 29 provinces because of the severe pollution and health costs of smog and the danger to the world from emitting poisonous carbon dioxide, which is destroying the climate.

Beijing sighed a sigh of reliev when Macron beat the extreme right candidate Le Pen by 30 points. Their only worry now is whether the untested and very young Macron can actually deal effectively with crises like unemployment and tensions in Europe.

In the phone call, Xi also affirmed Chinas support for European integration. Unlike Trump, who wants to pull Europe apart and push each individual country toward white nationalism and plutocracy, China prefers to deal with larger units economically and politically.

Xi also invited France to buy into Chinas New Silk Road, the attempt to redo Eurasian transportation and other infrastructure so as to give a fillip to world trade.

I know which leader is a more positive force in international affairs, by far (domestic policies and press are a different issue, though I dont trust Trump on those either).



Related video added by Juan Cole:

Chinas President Xi urges closer ties in phone call with French President-elect Macron
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By Xavier Symons | (The Conversation) |  

Few events in Syria have attracted as much attention as the alleged chemical weapon attack on the town of Khan Shaykhun. The callous use of biological agents to target civilians is a crime against humanity and a serious violation of international law, according to human rights experts.

Far less attention has been given to the Syrian governments targeting of health-care facilities in rebel territory. This ruthless strategy, which also constitutes a crime against in humanity, has made it impossible for humanitarian organisations to provide care for injured soldiers and civilians in some cases.

The Syrian American Medical Society reports that at least 168 attacks on medical facilities were carried out in the second half of 2016. These injured at least 80 medical staff and killed 26. This adds to an estimated death toll of over 800 medical personnel since the conflict began.

Operating in the theatre of war

As a recent report in the medical journal The Lancet suggests, international authorities must act strategically to deter further military attacks on humanitarian organisations. In particular, theres a need to collect and disseminate accurate data about the attacks and increase support for overwhelmed health-care workers.

Failure to do so may not only contribute to the future targeting of neutral organisations, such as Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), but also the continued use of tactics such as chemical warfare.

The 1949 Geneva Convention contains a series of strictures that all parties involved in international conflicts must respect without prejudice. Convention IV emphasises the need to respect and help with the provision of health care for civilians. And Convention I extends this principle to enemy combatants.

The philosophical foundation for the strictures is the notion that the theatre of war is confined to defined conflict spaces. These should under no circumstances be allowed to encroach upon the domain of basic humanitarian care, such as the provision of health services.

Sadly, most of the articles of Geneva Convention have been systematically violated in the years following their ratification. But the targeting of health care in Syria constitutes a particularly egregious violation of strictures pertaining to the provision of humanitarian care.

Specifically, it is an example of what scholars are calling the weaponisation of health care  a multi-dimensional tactic that includes practices such as attacking health-care facilities, targeting health workers, obliterating medical neutrality, and besieging medicine.

The primary international organisation affected by government bombings has been MSF. The most infamous attack occurred in late April 2016, when Syrian jets bombed the MSF-supported Al Quds hospital and surrounding neighbourhood in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. The attack killed at least 55 people, including patients and at least six medical staff.

What may not have been apparent to an international audience is that this attack was preceded by five years of targeting health-care facilities. Apart from the hundreds of medical personnel killed during the conflict, almost all hospitals in cities such as Aleppo have been closed.

The humanitarian system is failing in Syria, MSFs most recent report on the conflict states. Many hospitals are facing critical supply shortages, and there are ever-diminishing numbers of health workers, as medics have fled or been killed. From the beginning of the conflict medical staff and medical facilities have been targeted.

A precedent for future conflicts

The Lancet report discusses the need for the international community to act on several policy imperatives. It warns that failure to intervene will affect health workers not only in Syria, but also in ongoing and future armed conflicts elsewhere.

Among the policy recommendations of the report are:

collect and disseminate accurate and well-documented information on the nature and extent of the routine attacks, including the identification of perpetrators

investigate war crimes, create prosecutable cases, and establish tribunals for prosecution

academic and non-academic institutions to conduct essential research to build the evidence base for action on issues affecting health workers in conflict.

Swift action on these recommendations is crucial not only for the protection of health-care workers, but also for deterring future chemical attacks, such as the bombing of Khan Shaykhun.

Theres a conceptual link between biological warfare and the targeting of health-care facilities. At a superficial level, both constitute grave human rights abuses. And at a deeper level, both involve extending the theatre of war into the civilian domain, and both exploit the fragilities of the human body.

A failure to prevent attacks on health care may send mixed messages about the acceptability of weaponising the human body.

One influential commentator recently suggested that, rather than focusing on human rights abuses, the international community should have as its primary goal a swift conclusion to the conflict.

I do not disagree with this contention. Crucially, action on human rights abuses is not necessarily opposed to a diffusion of tensions, and, trivially, military retaliation is not the only means of reacting to rights violations.

What is clear is this: in the midst of the fog of the Syrian war, clear information and increased support of health-care workers could save countless lives.

Xavier Symons, Research Associate, University of Notre Dame Australia

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.



Related video added by Juan Cole:

Al Jazeera from earlier in the week: Syria: Heavy fighting threatens de-escalation deal
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - May 12, 2017) - Thor Explorations Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:THX) ("Thor" or the "Company") announces that the terms of its proposed non-brokered private placement of common shares (the "Common Shares") originally announced on March 29, 2017 have been revised. As a result of the increase in the price for the Common Shares and indicative demand for the private placement, the Company has elected to increase the price per Common Share from $0.145 per Common Share to $0.15 per Common Share and increase the maximum size of the private placement from $2,000,000 to $2,400,000 (the "Offering"). Under the terms of the Offering, the Company proposes to issue up to 16,000,000 Common shares.

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By Yi Whan-woo

President Moon Jae-in is expected to push for dialogue with North Korea based on close consultations with the United States, analysts said Thursday.

They dismissed concerns that Moon's dialogue overture toward Pyongyang could be out of tune with Donald Trump's hard-line policy, saying Moon is unlikely to resume inter-Korean ties at the cost of hurting the alliance with Washington.

"Regarding inter-Korean relations, Moon will not attempt any contact with North Korea that can surprise the U.S," said Moon Chung-in, a Yonsei University professor who served as the chief architect of North Korea policy during the Roh Moo-hyun administration. Moon was Roh's chief of staff.

The professor referred to Moon's inauguration speech, Wednesday, during which he said he will "fly to Washington right away if necessary."

Moon, who once said he will unhesitatingly visit North Korea before the U.S. if he was elected president, suggested going to Pyongyang when "conditions are set."

"The president hinted at resolving inter-Korean ties through cooperation with the U.S. by underscoring the Seoul-Washington alliance while refraining from mentioning North Korea," the professor said.

Pointing out the Trump administration did not rule out dialogue with North Korea in its strategy of "maximum pressure and engagement," the professor urged the government to "coordinate North Korea policy with the U.S."

"So that we can not only keep up with putting pressure on Pyongyang but also focus on engagement," he said.

He added that the two allies should divide their roles on North Korea  the U.S. playing "bad cop" and South Korea "good cop."

Other experts echoed a similar view, citing Moon had a telephone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump first among world leaders, Wednesday.












Three swept away by Mahakali river

Three men were swept away while taking a bath in Mahakali river at around 500 meters away from Dodhara Chadani in the district on Saturday.
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EMCOR Group, Inc. provides electrical and mechanical construction, and facilities services primarily in the United States and the United Kingdom. It offers design, integration, installation, starts-up, operation, and maintenance services related to electrical power transmission, distribution, and generation systems; energy solutions; premises electrical and lighting systems; process instrumentation in the refining, chemical processing, and food processing industries; low-voltage systems, such as fire alarm, security, and process control systems; voice and data communications systems; roadway and transit lighting, signaling, and fiber optic lines; heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration, and geothermal solutions; clean-room process ventilation systems; fire protection and suppression systems; plumbing, process, and high-purity piping systems; controls and filtration systems; water and wastewater treatment systems; central plant heating and cooling systems; crane and rigging services; millwright services; and steel fabrication, erection, and welding services. The company also provides building services that cover commercial and government site-based operations and maintenance; facility management, maintenance, and services; outage services to utilities and industrial plants; military base operations support services; mobile mechanical maintenance and services; services for indoor air quality; floor care and janitorial services; landscaping, lot sweeping, and snow removal services; vendor management and call center services; installation and support for building systems; program development, management, and maintenance for energy systems; technical consulting and diagnostic services; infrastructure and building projects; small modification and retrofit projects; and other building services. It offers industrial services to oil, gas, and petrochemical industries. EMCOR Group, Inc. was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut.
Trade deficit soars to 26pc of GDP in Q3

Nepals trade deficit soared to 26 percent of the countrys gross domestic product (GDP) in the first nine months of the current fiscal year, as export growth slowed and imports jumped. During the same period last year, the trade deficit was recorded at 22 percent of the GDP.
Royal Bank of Canada operates as a diversified financial service company worldwide. The company's Personal & Commercial Banking segment offers checking and savings accounts, home equity financing, personal lending, private banking, indirect lending, including auto financing, mutual funds and self-directed brokerage accounts, guaranteed investment certificates, credit cards, and payment products and solutions; and lending, leasing, deposit, investment, foreign exchange, cash management, auto dealer financing, trade products, and services to small and medium-sized commercial businesses. This segment offers financial products and services through branches, automated teller machines, and mobile sales network. Its Wealth Management segment provides a suite of advice-based solutions and strategies to high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals, and institutional clients. The company's Insurance segment offers life, health, home, auto, travel, wealth, annuities, and reinsurance advice and solutions; and business insurance services to individual, business, and group clients through its advice centers, RBC insurance stores, and mobile advisors; digital, mobile, and social platforms; independent brokers; and travel partners. Its Investor & Treasury Services segment provides asset servicing, custody, payments, and treasury services to financial and other investors; and fund and investment administration, shareholder, private capital, performance measurement and compliance monitoring, distribution, transaction banking, cash and liquidity management, foreign exchange, and global securities finance services. The company's Capital Markets segment offers corporate and investment banking, as well as equity and debt origination, distribution, advisory services, sale, and trading services for corporations, institutional investors, asset managers, private equity firms, and governments. The company was founded in 1864 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.
The Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) 2016 Presidential Candidate has asked President Nana Akufo-Addo to be lead attitudinal change agent instead of complaining.

Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom told Joy News Wednesday, what Ghana needs is not a whining leader but someone who will solve problems.

The entrepreneur said the President will not get much done if he continues lamenting about the state of the country he inherited.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

When I was at the Public Sector Reform Ministry we came up with solutions [and] initiatives but all of it takes leadership, he said.

Dr Nduoms comment comes three days after the President berated public sector workers for their tardy attitude towards work in his speech to mark May Day celebration on Monday.

When efforts are made to improve pay levels without a commensurate improvement in productivity, the results, inevitably, point to macroeconomic instability for our country, the President said.

Although he did not suggest current pay levels are satisfactory, he said productivity levels and work attitudes are unsatisfactory in all levels of the economy.

President Akufo-Addo called on the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to help bring about a change in attitude of workers to drive his governments many projects.

But Dr Nduom said the change will take place in the public sector if the President demonstrates through his action that he is committed to that.

I am hoping the President will lead the process to get the public sector to work because if the public sector doesnt work it affects negatively those at the private sector, he said.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brako-Powers | [email protected]
13.05.2017 LISTEN

So, it is all about the beautiful Otiko Afisa Djaba and the strongman, Daniel Bugri Naabu. Recounting from experience, it is obvious this clash between the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Northern Regional Chairman had its foundation based firmly on some mistrust or permanent differences between the two. On the political side of NPP, Otiko is boss over Bugri, in view of the fact that she is a national officer and the latter is a regional officer. That notwithstanding, Bugri can be said to be a very strongman all the same, who fought the National Democratic Congress (NDC) way back in 2000 and went ahead of then candidate Kufuor to clear the path for him. Bugri had, at one time, joined the NDC, and like the prodigal son, came back home in good time to show his full commitment to the cause.

Such a fellow is a powerful person you just cannot trample upon. However, one may ask, where did the error come in?

Campaigning for an election is a combination of efforts put together by all, and the major risks and load of the job fall on the grassroots organisers. People selflessly laid down their lives to walk the trenches and make sure that every bit of message is given to all the electorates in the polling station areas. These persons show their faces and risk the insults, jobs, other entitlements and opportunities lawfully theirs. These persons are effectively managed by the Constituency Executive Committee, which is directly under the Regional Executive Committee. A Regional Executive Officer worth his or her salt must be able to trek all the constituencies under their jurisdiction, and throw their weight behind the efforts made by the constituency officers and the foot soldiers.

These hard-working members believed in the party, and deep down they know that when the party wins the elections it can deliver, and that will include changing their lives.

It is, therefore, very disappointing when they feel sidelined after their party wins the elections, and nothing comes to them. I strongly oppose this notion that Job-for-the-Boys must be discouraged. That a party member who lives in a hamlet and treks through the night from cottage to cottage at the mercy of weather, poisonous reptiles and wild animals, cannot be said to have done all these, not taking into consideration that his or her person will change when their party wins. Just as some businessman will clandestinely donate GH500,000 to support the party's cause with the belief that when the party wins, he will get good contracts and big businesses to reap from where he had sown, that foot soldier has invested his or her life and reputation to walk the trenches day and night, with the hope that victory will change his/her life.

The difference between the two is, while one takes financial risks but has his business still protected in the event that his party loses, since he gives money in cash and his sponsorship cannot be traced, the other takes social risks since he or she has tagged himself all over in identifiable party colours, and such people go down with the party, if it loses the election. So, it is only fair that the Boys are appropriately rewarded by way of finding them something to do to improve upon their lives, and make them also walk with some pride in the community. The risk they took is greater than what the businessman took, some of who may even donate to all parties and sit and wait, knowing he can still smile after the elections. The foot soldier dares not change colours or risk being doomed if the party he crosses over to loses the elections.

So, now the party wins and there are expectations, but what comes in? Clashes between the member of parliament (MP) and constituency executives over who is more powerful in the constituency. Matters get worse when this MP becomes a minister/deputy minister of state. He or she will soon have a larger support base, because of the 'something-small' he/she can dish out to party faithful on the ground. The party constitution is still defiant in stating that this MP/Minister is under the party executives. But, unfortunately, the swing favours the MP and the government appointee, and no one is ready to read that portion of the constitution, because man-must-eat.

This leads to the toppling of some MPs sooner than expected, and serious clashes before and during primaries could be traced to what happened after the last election. In short, no one can walk away from the foot soldier and hope to be in their good books.

I am not suggesting here that this could be what happened between Otiko and Bugri Naabu, since in their case looks more like a clash centering on something personal between the two, for which they both cannot stand each other.

Bugri Naabu, by the virtue of his position as a regional officer of the party, has an input in suggesting those to be appointed by his government to work in the region, and this includes the regional minister and the deputy appointments. However, he does not have the final say, the government has. To avoid any clash over here, the government and party will need to sit down and discuss who goes where. This cannot be the case when there are bitter differences between the two sides. If a minister cannot stand a party officer, or a party officer cannot stand a minister, or both cannot stand each other, it will be impossible to work together on this simple choice of selecting who should do what. So, there will always be the case of I will oppose anyone he proposes, even if it is my father; then we all know we are heading for serious clashes and division among the rank and file. Some members at the grassroots will support the government side with the saying that you cannot fight government. But, in truth, it is all about boiled cassava and fresh vegetable sauce with a chill sachet of pure water or ice-cold beer.

In this recent case of the Beauty and the Bugri, we were told that it was all about appointments of Metropolitan, Municipal and District chief executives (MMDCEs) and the Regional Coordinator for the School Feeding Programme. Bugri Naabu may want to stamp his authority as the Regional Chairman to be allowed to nominate all those to be appointed to work for the government in the region. And it looks like Otiko, as national officer and minister, also wants to make some appointments in her home region. If the two can easily sit together and eat Tuo Zaafi (TZ) and drink pito, we will not get up and hear of the clash of these titans. If it was possible for Otiko to go to Bugri Naabu, or invite him down to Accra and sit and even argue over who goes where, but end up agreeing to agree, or agreeing to disagree on a common list and pat each other on the shoulder over a calabash of pito, we will not be where we are now.

In all this, however, Daniel Bugri Naabu erred by walking in unannounced and uninvited and go to the extent of disrupting a meeting held by the instance of, and chaired by the minister. His alibi that the minister did not inform him of her arrival into the region is not strong enough. In fact, protocol demands that the minister should inform the Regional Minister, who would in turn, inform the regional chairmen and executives, who will organise the executives and members in the city/town/constituency where the event is to take place.

But, here again, Otiko could have informed the Regional Minister all the same that she was coming into the region for an official visit, however, this suspected difference between the two may have allowed pride and egoism to take precedence over humility. By the letter, no one can blame Otiko for not informing the Regional Minister before going into the region. Assuming she does not know the regional executives, and even assuming she does not know the region, and it was her first time traveling there, how can she inform the party executives there? It will only be through the Regional Minister.

All this said, however, Otiko comes from that region and knows Bugri Naabu, so for peace and unity among the rank and file of the party, she should have informed the old man. But should she, could she, must she, with what looks like a wide difference between her and Mr. Naabu?

People can say that Otiko should have been humble in this matter and done what should please Bugri. It is easier said than done, if what created the division we now suspect had grown cancerous. It is now for the President to call them and sit them down and settle their differences.

He should mandate both the lady and gentleman to go out for dinner under candlelight or lantern or osono, where they should sit opposite each other and look the other in the eyes and say silently to themselves, Look at how handsome you are, if only you were not married Look at how beautiful you are, if only people will not call me cradle-snatcher (awingaa) . And come out strongly to say, Otiko, you are my Joy Daughter, Oh and you are also my Joy Daddy. Case closed, and peace shall reign forever and ever, ALLELUIA.

In whatever way we all see it, Mr. Bugri Naabu erred in doing what he did. No matter what level of provocation, he had no right to disrupt a meeting organised by a minister. And statements that he made about those involved in the murder of Mr. Adams Mahama can haunt him, even if he just said something just to respond to Otiko.

The clash of titans, and who dares wins, the Beauty or the Bugri, will make party and government lose. The two must patch up their differences!

Hon. Daniel Dugan


13.05.2017 LISTEN

In the wake of the Bureau of a National Investigations (BNI) report that indicts Mr. Benson Tongo Baba, Member of Parliament (MP) for Talensi in the Upper East Region, for engaging in illegal mining (galamsey) in his constituency, the Paramount Chief of the Tongo Traditional Area has directed all sub-chiefs and landowners to stop leasing lands for mining purposes.

Tongo-Rana Kugbilsong Nanlebetang, who is also a former Member of Parliament for the same area, further cautioned that all leases for any activity should be approved by the Traditional Council, as stipulated in the Stool/ Skin Land Act of the 1992 Constitution, and Article 267 (2) of the Constitution.

The former legislator was emphatic: Galamsey is illegal mining in Ghana. Most of the mines at the various mining areas in Talensi, including the 'galamsey' operators, are known to the Minerals Commission.

The Minerals Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency have not been able to effectively play their roles as licensing and policing agencies to collectively curb 'galamsey', as well as the destruction of farm lands and water bodies within the mining areas.

At a news conference in his palace at Tongo, the Chief faulted the Minerals Commission, the Ministry for Lands and Natural Resources, and the Environmental Protection Agency for not effectively playing their roles to collectively to curb illegal mining.

He also pointed out that the Minerals Commission had not involved the Tongo Traditional Council and his Paramountcy in the permits/licenses issued to the mining companies operating in the area.

Tongo-Rana Kugbilsong Nanlebetang called for effective collaboration between the two institutions, and, with immediate effect, suspend all license holders and all mining activities in his traditional area.

A national campaign, aimed at ending galamsey in Ghana, has received overwhelming support by all-well-meaning Ghanaians and the backing of some foreign countries, due to its hazardous effects on the environment and water bodies.

A mining community of Gbane in the Tongo district has recorded several mining accidents, resulting in the death of a miner. The recent one occurred last month and claimed seven lives, mainly the youth in their twenties.

Meanwhile, Mr B.T. Baba has admitted owning a small-scale mine in the Upper East Region, but said his documents are completely legal.

He has, therefore, dismissed the report by the BNI, indicting him of illegally owning and mining in the Upper East Region.

From William Nlanjerbor Jalulah, Tongo
Two motorcycles torched in Myagdi

Two motorcycles were set ablaze during a clash that broke out between the ruling Nepali Congress and the main opposition CPN-UML cadres at Neptechour in Beni Municiplaity-9 of Myagdi district on Friday night.
13.05.2017 LISTEN

A taxi driver, who stabbed a popular Takoradi-based spiritualist and radio pastor to death, has now been arrested and handed over to the Police. Hassan Salifu, 24, allegedly stabbed the radio pastor cum spiritualist, Frank Agyekum, popularly known as Nana Nkwantabisa, at about 9:00pm on Monday, this week, and went into hiding.

Luck, however, eluded him, when in attempt to change the colour of his taxi he had used to commit the crime at a spraying shop at Kansawrodo, a suburb of Takoradi, he was arrested. Hassan Salifu, according to available information, had a brawl with the spiritualist who was driving a Mercedes Benz saloon car, when the two clashed at Race Course Junction at Apremdo, over who had the right of way.

In the ensuing scuffle, the taxi driver allegedly pulled a knife and stabbed the chest of the deceased. The pastor was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced death upon arrival.

The Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Police Service, Inspector Olivia Adiku, who confirmed the story, added that the car, with registration number GT 3781T, which the suspect was using before committing the crime, had been impounded.

According to the police, the suspect went to a spraying shop yesterday, around 3:00pm, with the view to changing the original colour of his taxi cab. The original colour of the taxi cab was black and yellow with a gold stripe.

At the spraying shop, the sprayers suspected foul play, and subsequently informed the family of the deceased, leading to his arrest.

Hassan Salifu has been charged with murder, after confessing to stabbing the spiritualist.

Pix: The taxi driver (middle) and the deceased, Osofo Nkwantabisa, bleeding

From Alfred Adams, Takoradi
13.05.2017 LISTEN

The Students Representative Council (SRC) President of the Kibi Presbyterian College of Education (KPC), located in the East Akyem Municipality, Daniel Selasie, has passionately called on the government, and for that matter Ghana Education Service (GES), to build a sick bay for the college.

According to the SRC President, it is sad and pathetic, particularly when a student is severely sick and there was the need to access medical attention at dawn.

We have to carry the patient at ones back before going to the hospital to seek treatment. A situation, he said, if not addressed immediately, could be fatal, since nobody could tell what would happen on the way, he stated.

Master Selasie expressed worry over the fact that a college, which was established in 1963 with Miss Martha Baehler being the first principal and a female as well, with a total student population of about 1,000 and producing great men and women occupying very important positions in society, cannot boast of a sick bay.

He made the disclosure during the audition of Miss Adorable '17, which was formerly known as 'Face of KPC', at the college auditorium, which is also relatively small to contain the students.

The Miss Adorable '17 is part of activities marking this year's SRC Week celebration of the college.



Twenty young adorable ladies would be competing for the crown, and is only time that will tell who would wear it.

The SRC Week celebration starts from Sunday May 14 to 24 this year.
13.05.2017 LISTEN

Government has selected June this year to launch its 2016 campaign promise of establishing a factory in each of the districts in the country.

Christened One District, One Factory, the project is aimed at creating jobs for the youth and eventually reducing the developmental gaps and the rural-urban migration.

The project, which has drawn several international interests, with Turkey, for instance, ready to invest massively, will start in 51 districts.

Among the promises that enabled the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and President Akufo-Addo to defeat former President John Dramani Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2016 presidential election was the 'one district, one factory' programme.

President Akufo-Addo announced the date at a National Council meeting, chaired by Freddie Blay, Acting National chairman of the NPP, which was held in Accra yesterday.

Also in attendance were Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and former President John Agyekum Kufuor.

President Akufo-Addo added that: Government has also set aside a stimulus package of $100million to revive distressed but strategic and viable Ghanaian industries.





The meeting afforded the President the opportunity to brief the Council on governments programmes on; Planting for Food and Jobs, Establishment of the Development Authorities, the Establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor and the sustenance of the National Health Insurance Scheme.

A press statement released in Accra yesterday and signed by John Boadu, Acting General Secretary of the NPP, said the President affirmed that government would soon retire the huge debt of GHc1.2billion owed the National Health Insurance providers, to put the major social intervention policy on a new course.

Continuing, he said legislation would be introduced in the next meeting of Parliament to establish the three development authorities to set the stage for the implementation of the annual $1 million per constituency development fund.

Besides, he said legislation would be introduced in Parliament to set up the Office of the Special Prosecutor as a principal public institution in the governments fight against corruption.

Touching on the Planting for Food and Jobs programme', Mr. Boadu said the programme had engaged 200,000 farmers, with an eventual engagement of 2.5million farmers.

In view of this, the Agric Extension programme had been revived with 1,200 trained officers already engaged for the programme.

President Akufo-Addo assured the Council that the remaining government appointments would be completed by the end of this month.

The National Council meeting saw the executive taking some decisions, among which were the reprimand and bonding of Madam Otiko Afisa Djaba, Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection and Bugri Naabu, the NPP Northern Regional chairman.

The party expressed strong disapproval against the actions and utterances of the duo, and thus asked them to be of good behaviour and put their apologies into written statements.

To this end, John Boadu said all party officers, both elected or appointed, who have second executive positions in government should vacate their party positions for substantive officers to be appointed.

Consequently, the meeting fix

By Inusa Musah
The Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA), Professor Honore Bogler, has expressed renewed confidence that the launch of the first phase of the ECOWAS electricity market, will go on as rescheduled, especially, with the appointment of two Regulatory Council Members to join in the decision-making process of the institution.

The launch of the regional power market has been postponed twice, partly because some documents critical to the operations of the market were yet to be approved by the ERERA Regulatory Council, following the vacancy created after the end of tenure of the last Regulatory Council in April 2016.

With the assumption of duty of the two Council Members on 4th May 2017, Professor Bogler was hopeful of a good and united Regulatory Council, which is dedicated to achieving the objectives of ERERA, and thus working towards the realisation of the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Market, and the economic and social well-being of the people of West Africa.

Professor Bogler was speaking on Thursday, 4th May 2017, at the welcome reception of the two ERERA Regulatory Council Members, who assumed duty in Accra.

They are Dr. Haliru Dikko from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and Mr. Aly Mar Ndiaye from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Senegal, and formerly of the Electricity Regulatory Commission (CRSE) of Senegal.

The Chairman also enumerated the challenges encountered when he assumed office in April last year. This included the absence of other members of the Council, a permanent headquarters for ERERA, staff shortage and inadequate financing of the institution.

He lauded ERERA staff, who, he described as very dedicated, hardworking and exhibiting great team spirit in the discharge of their responsibilities, in spite of the challenges.

Professor Bogler expressed gratitude to the managing authorities of the ECOWAS Commission, especially, the President of the Commission, Mr. Marcel Alain de Souza, for their continuous support to ERERA.

He also expressed the hope of a rapid resolution of the challenges, especially, with the arrival of the two Council Members, whose delayed appointments, he said, greatly affected the outcome of ERERA's work.

Also at the reception were the ECOWAS Commissioner for Energy and Mines, Dr. Morlaye Bangoura, the Director of Human Resources (Operations), Mrs. Amelie Kone, who represented the ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Resources, Mr. Joao Silva Monteiro, as well as ERERA staff members.

Commissioner Bangoura highlighted the expectations of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, in line with the importance of the power sector for the regional economy.

He then expressed optimism that the new council members would contribute meaningfully to ERERA's achievements, considering they had been involved in the institution's activities as experts from their countries.

Describing the tasks before them as huge, the Commissioner urged the council members to build on the sacrifices of their predecessors, and help attract investments to the regional power market, through a successful launch of the market, among others.

Speaking on the strategic importance of ERERA to the ECOWAS Commission, the Director of Human Resources (Operations) of the ECOWAS Commission noted that ERERA is the only technical arm of ECOWAS with a Regulatory Council.

She expressed the hope that ERERA's success would open the way for the establishment of other regulatory bodies in the different sectors of the economy of West Africa.

In their separate responses, Dr. Dikko, who is an economist, and his engineer counterpart, Mr. Ndiaye, stated that they were aware of the expectations of the West African citizenry, and thus pledged their dedication to ERERA and ECOWAS.

More specifically, they pledged to help bring solutions to the many power challenges in the region, primarily ensuring a reliable, efficient and least available cost of electricity that is accessible to all citizens of the community.

Looking forward to working with a balanced team of professionals, both council members promised to operate an open door policy, as well as ensure excellent staff welfare and capacity development.

ERERA's Council Members  Professor Bogler, Dr. Dikko and Mr. Ndiaye  will be formally sworn before the President of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice at a date to be determined soon.




13.05.2017 LISTEN

The District Chief Executive (DCE) nominee for Sekyere Kumawu, Samuel Addai Agyekum, has obtained an overwhelming victory of 97.2% from the assembly.

Addai Agyekum thanked the assembly for the elevation, assuring its members that he would not disappoint them. He asked the entire district to support him with prayers.

Before the election, the Member of Parliament for Kumawu constituency, Philip Basoah, had appealed to the assembly to accept the Presidents nominee.

According to him, Mr. Addai Agyekum has been accepted by the party for exhibiting leadership qualities in the constituency to merit his position.

He gave the assurance that the New Patriotic Party (NPP), through the assembly, would work to bring development to Kumawu for the benefit of all.

Nana Owusu Achiaw Brempong, a Member of the Council of State, representing the Ashanti Region, urged people of Kumawu to unite for the development of the district.



The traditional leader stressed that the one district one factory policy is already in full swing, and pretty soon, Kumawu would experience it.

The Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr. Simon Osei Mensah, commended the assembly for accepting the nominee, stressing that the Akufo-Addo administration has good policies to offer all Ghanaians.

Pix: DCE Agyekum being hailed after his confirmation

From Richard Owusu-Akyaw, Kumawu
13.05.2017 LISTEN



By Bernice Bessey

The Minister of Aviation, Cecilia Dapaah, says the government would be supporting the youth to acquire skills to be gainfully employed in the aviation sector.

This, according to her, would respond to the seemingly increasing demand of technicians, pilots and crews by airlines and cargo handling companies.

According to her, a school would be established, with a responsibility to train these professionals, to enable the country reap the benefits of investing and expanding the aviation sector.

The skills training would also go a long way to assist the country to realise its ambition of securing a national carrier in two years to come.

Moreover, the locally produced engineers will further help to reduce the chunk of monies spent on foreign expatriates, she explained, adding, We believe we will get value for money for all the projects we are undertaking.

Particularly, it is important to us, as a ministrya lot of equipment they (aviation companies) are importing; we should have enough training for our young men and staff, such that, when they break down, we can be able to handle them at our local level, instead of spending money to bring people from outside, she stated.

The Minister made this known when she embarked on a familiarisation tour of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) in Accra yesterday.

Mrs. Dapaah inspected works ongoing at Terminal 3, which is expected to be completed by next year, to provide an ultra-modern experience to air passengers.



In an interaction with Paul Craig, Managing Director of Aviance, the Minister was educated on some development projects that are about to be undertaken by the company.

Briefing the Minister, Mr. Craig said Aviance had occupied the current facility for 20 years, therefore, they find it imperative to upgrade the structure to match the projected new outlook of the KIA.

He said: We have seen the investment Ghana is making into KIA, which is substantial, and we are absolutely convinced that when the new terminal is in full operation, Ghana would have the best airport in the whole of sub-region.

And, we hope that would attract new carriers here to start new operations. It is our dream that Ghana becomes the hub for West Africa.

Mr. Craig was happy the new government had taken the initiative to continue all project works started by the previous administration, to make the aviation industry a flourishing one.

He promised the Minister that Aviance has big dreams for the industry, adding that he was happy to be part of the journey towards Ghana's aviation future.

The sector Minister also entreated him to continue supporting the country to develop a robust aviation industry.

As part of the tour, the Minister also inspected operations at the Swiss Port, which has up to date facilities of handling cargo at the airport.

She ended the almost four-hour tour at the Airport Clinic, where a passionate request was made to renovate the health facility to accommodate patients more comfortably.
Succeeding in eliminating illegal miningpopularly known as galamsey---in Ghanaian society will not only be enduring, but also it will definitely turn out to be one of the consequential legacies of the nations checkered history. Literally, one positive ripple effect will be thatassuming the current Akufo Addo-led government does not succumb to timidity but persevere in its effort to uprooting the environmental-killing galamseyGhanas natural resources and national security will be the winner, thus paving the way for President Akufo Addos legacy on that front to be engraved in the plate of timelessness.

We all need money to make a living, but some Ghanaians insatiably greedy quest for cutting corners to get the mighty cedi is almost incomparable. In their bid to make money, many average Ghanaians wouldnt mind selling their conscience, including the country of their birth, if that is what it takes to make more money. That is why foreigners, such as the notorious Chinese woman called En Huang and widely known in the galamsey underworld as Aisha Huang, can easily enter into some of the most sensitive sectors of the nations economy with disdainful impunity.

Trust this, only in Africa or in Ghana can foreign nationals be allowed to wield such an immense politico-economic power and in the process trample upon the host nations laws while the security agencies respond timidly. The sad and nauseating part of the whole galamsey tragedy is that it is the locals/Ghanaians who are the chief enablers for the foreigners engaging in the illegal economic activities in the country. In China, for instance, there is no way any foreigner, let alone a dark-skinned African, will be permitted to destroy Chinese lands through illegal mining and the threat of blackmailing while the state law enforcement looks elsewhere.

Clearly, the above scenario will be a no brainer for the officials in China and also those Chinese galamseyers in Ghana know that they will NEVER assist any black person in China to plunder their lands via any illegal means. Even if that were to happen, the Chinese laws will be swift and merciless in its application to clamp down on any native Chinese assisting and collaborating with a foreign national to undermine their countrys economy. Yet, the so-called Aisha Huang from China can come to Ghana relatively easy, bribes her way through the top echelons of power and starts her unlawful businesses in Ghana quite successfully. Folks, Ghana has a long way to go.

In fact, the most encouraging development so far is that President Akufo Addo, through the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry, is seriously bringing the fight to the galamseyers and their disgruntled collaborators. It will not be easy fight since Ghanaians do not want change and the same time relish in short-cut ways of making living. But, if the Akufo Addo administration succeeds in uprooting the natural resources-busting galamsey, it will be a noble cause worth fighting for; and one of the significant political accomplishments that will surely stand the test of time.

It is sad many of us do not realize and understand the magnitude of the galamsey saga. The country has many towns, villages, hermits, and so on, but there is only one landmass called Ghana. Ghanaians who dont care can destroy Accra and decide to move to (say) Kumasi or Ho. However, if the whole country called Ghana is plundered and destroyed of all its renewable and nonrenewable resources, where are Ghanaians going to move toChina, Korea, Britain? By then the Aisha Huangs of this world will be out of here somewhere back in her homeland China.

As stated, most Ghanaians have mortal hatred for change, especially when that change will deprive them of their short cut routes of making money. They will threaten and resist the government of Nana Akufo Addo regarding any move to exorcise ghost of galamsey from this country. The president must not budge even if it will lead to a one-term presidency because it is a right thing to do and after all is said and done history will look kindly on the NPP government under Nana Addos watch for the display of bravery. Let Aisha Huang and her nefarious gangs go to hell with their galamsey and let Ghana lives. Mr. President, this is an enduring legacy staring right in your faceuprooting galamsey!

Bernard Asubonteng is a U.S.-based writer and is currently vacationing in Ghana. He can be reached at [email protected]
Dr. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu a well known figure in the crusade against Prostate cancer in Ghana has been conferred the Nigeria Legend Award by the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency Ambassadors led by the President, Dr. Ife Akinse . The NDLEA role is to discourage the Youth from the usage of wrong drugs and also to prevent the use of adulterated drugs.

The Award was presented in the presence of the Members at the Comforter Gospel Assembly at Ikorodu. Dr. Nyarkotey has established himself as a strong force in the fight against prostate cancer, policy, researcher and management of the disease.

Dr. Nyarkotey played a critical role to help Nigeria Optimum Health and Wellness Foundation to start the Nigeria Prostate cancer project. He has presented a National framework of cancer policy including suggestion of National Cancer Foundation in Nigeria to help address the cancer situation.

The proposal was received by Professor Bishop Rufus A Oguntuase who is the Chairman and National President of Optimum Health and Wellness for Men Foundation to be given to the First lady of Nigeria and the Acting President of Nigeria for special cancer policy consideration in the country.

Dr. Nyarkotey is a genius in the field of prostate cancer. He is the President of Cancer Voices Ghana, Alternative Medical Association of Ghana and Mens Health Foundation Ghana. Dr. Nyarkotey is shaping cancer services in Africa using what he termed Medical Politics to influence government and political leaders to address the cancer situation in Africa.

Dr. Nyarkotey is currently in Nigeria raising awareness of prostate cancer, meeting the people who matters in the area of health including politicians to help address the prostate cancer situation in Nigeria under the invitation of Optimum Health and Wellness for Men foundation. The Nigeria project is under the auspices of Professor Bishop Rufus A. Oguntuase, a very well known figure in Nigeria.
Justice Sophia Akuffo is coming into office as our new Chief Justice with very interesting background. Her appointment has generated serious confusion in the NPP and interestingly, people who are not sympathizers of the npp are also complaining bitterly about the act of nepotism connection.

The President has taken the decision and I don't think will reverse the decision despite the complaints flying around. My prayer is that Justice Akuffo exhibits all the traits expected of a Chief Justice.

We know that she is a smart judge and pray she continue to show modesty and have good sense of herself. She must respect the institutions of state and all the parties and their actors. Practically every judge appointed has,at one time or another,disappointed the parties or their Presidents but that should not bury her personal convictions and what she represents.

According to information gathered,some NPP bigwigs are complaining bitterly about the appointment of Madam Sophia Akuffo their reasons being that she was appointed to appease Rawlings,others claim Justice Dotsi did not get the nod because of his closeness to President Kufour.

Justice Sophia Akuffo was appointed to the supreme court in 1995 by Jerry Rawlings and has so far justified her appointment. If we apply the partisan logic, that, Presidents appoint their favourite judges to the supreme Court, then I will rightly conclude that Madam showed signs of "Pro Rawlings/NDC" guranteeing her appointment. She was at the same side with Justice Attubuga ( dissenting) when Tsatsu Tsikata sought a declaration that there is no fast track court to try criminal cases established under the constitution of the Republic, and that there was no constitutional foundation for the plaintiff to be prosecuted before such Court. When the Supreme Court sat on the case ( Jake's bungalow case) brought before it by Dr Omane Boamah and Hon Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa,Justice Sophia Akuffo, Justice Attuguba,and Justice Vida Akoto Bamfo were the Judges who held minority view.Justice Stephen Allan Brobbey said in absence of any concrete evidence, it has dismissed the application.We all heard how Ghanaians chastised the minority over that shocking decision.Attubuga is tagged NDC bias,Mrs Justice Vida Akoto Bamfo during was tagged NDC sympathizer,and the two most times went the same direction with Sophia Akuffo who was also appointed by Rawlings.

In 2014 when the noble judge applied to serve at the African Court on Human and People's Right,President Mahama played enormous role leading to her reelection.The Montie 3 judgement brought another twist,supporter of the three gentlemen protested vehemently against the punishment the court meted out to the the three.

We shall leave the issue of superiority to our noble lawyers to discuss.My prayer is that our respected judge continue to exhibit those exceptional virtues which brought her the grace and admiration she is enjoying.Time to prove her critics wrong.
The Melcom Care Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Melcom Group of Companies, has donated items to five institutions, including research and education think tank, Africa Center for International Law and Accountability (ACILA-USA and ACILA-Ghana). The donation to ACILA was in response to a solicitation for the provision of basic items for female prisoners at the Sekondi Central Prison.

The other institutions that also received support were Ocean Broadcasting, operators of Ocean TV, Kokrokoo Charities, and Greenhills School of Health Sciences, which had submitted a request for support for the Nsawam Male Prison. In addition, Mr. Felix Kwakye, a medical student at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) also received support in grocery supplies and a cheque.

Mr. Godwin Avenorgbo, Director of Communications, Melcom Group of Companies said that giving back and helping to provide needs is a core part of the Melcom Care Foundations corporate social responsibility.

He explained that the Foundation takes proactive steps to identify areas of need and also accepts applications for support from individuals and organizations, adding that since the inception of the program under the Melcom Care Foundation, a number of organizations and individuals had benefitted.

The items ACILA received included bathing soap, detergent, toothpaste, toothbrushes, female underwear, and T-shirts. Receiving the items from Ms. Sonya Sadhwani, Director of Brand Management at the Melcom Group of Companies in Accra, on Wednesday, May 10, Mr. William Nyarko, ACILA executive Director, expressed appreciation to the Melcom Care Foundation.

He emphasized that the donation will go a long way to augment the efforts of state and non-state actors to provide the basic needs of female inmates at the Sekondi Female Prison, adding that although all inmates in Ghanas prisons need such basic items, ACILA was starting with one prison at a time and that it plans to elicit public support to extend the program to all male and female prisons in Ghana.

Mr. Nyarko said that helping to provide some of the basic needs of inmates is just one aspect of its programming to, among other things, support the work of state and non-state actors to contribute to improving the criminal justice system, noting that planned projects include providing legal aid to the indigent, and deploying skills training to inmates who are about to complete their sentences to rehabilitate and reintegrate them back into society to prevent recidivism.

The Greenhills School of Health Sciences also received items on behalf of the Nsawam Male Prisons. The items included toiletries, assorted drinks and biscuits, bags of rice, and men clothing.

Ocean Broadcasting, operators of Ocean TV, received cooking utensils and home appliances to support the stations programming on Mothers Day to celebrate mothers.

The nonprofit of Mr. Kwame Sefa Kayi, Kokrooko Charities also received a home theatre brand by LG Electronics. The item was received by Mr. Dennis Adutwum, Programs Director of Kokrooko Charities.

All the recipients expressed appreciation to the Melcom Care Foundation, adding that they will continue to buy from Melcom shops and urged their friends and families to do the same because in addition to Melcoms unbeatable prices and value for money, Melcom will give back to support needy people and institutions.

The Melcom Care Foundation also presented items to the Nsawam male Prison, Ocean Broadcasting, Kokrokoo Charities, and provided support to a medical student at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
'We are fully prepared for holding first phase of local polls'

Nepal is holding the local level elections after two decades. On the eve of Sunday's vote, Prithvi Man Shrestha talked to Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhee Prasad Yadav about the preparations and how the Election Commission is handling security management and voter education.
I work but the income I make is not enough to take care of my family, says 20-year-old Salamatu Abubakar.

Although not married, Salamatu is a mother of three children. At age 17, she was already a mother of a set of twin boys, two years later, she got pregnant again and gave birth to a baby girl but says she did not plan for both pregnancies.

I already come from a big family and it is difficult for us to survive, so I did not want to be in such a situation like my mother but it just happened, she explains.

But it did not just happen as Salamatu puts it, she, like many other adolescent girls in Ghana, was exposed to sexual situations when she lacked the right information to negotiate for safe sex through the use of modern contraceptives.

Unmet Need

The Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) data analysis shows that over 564, 000 Ghanaians aged 15 to 19 years are currently sexually active.

On average, adolescents who had sex before the age of 20, adolescent girls first have sexual intercourse at age 16.7 years and adolescent boys at 16.8 years.

Among adolescents who become parents before age 20, the average age at which Ghanaian adolescent girls have their first baby is 17.2 years, while the average age at which adolescent boys first become fathers is 18.4 years.

Almost all active adolescent girls report not wanting a child in the next two years, yet more than a half of sexually active adolescents are not using any form of contraception, creating a huge unmet need for contraceptive usage in the country.

Only one out of four married women who want to space their birth or do not want to get pregnant use a modern contraceptive method while one out of two unmarried women use contraceptives in Ghana.

Thus, if all married and unmarried women like Salamatu were to use FP methods, the contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) of the country is projected to significantly increase to over 55 percent, according to the Ghana Family Planning Cost Implementation Plan.

Dr Olive Sentumbwe-Mugisa, Family Health and Population Advisor, World Health Organisation (WHO) Uganda, says contraceptive use reduces maternal mortality and improves women's health by preventing unwanted and high-risk pregnancies and reduce the need for unsafe abortions.

It is estimated that 2,000 maternal deaths could be avoided each year if all women who said they want no more children were able to stop childbearing, she says.

Demographic Dividend

Salamatu is not as worried over taking care of her three children as taking on the responsibility for her other nine siblings.

She is responsible for their school and their up-keep because their parents do not earn enough income from peasant farming. Once a while, they bring us some food stuff but since I am the first child and I am working, I have to take care of them, she says.

Taking care of her children and siblings all by herself is a huge task she has been shouldering alone in the past five years with the meagre income she earns in her beads trade.

I don't have a man to support me and sometimes when they get sick, it is very difficult for me. But we are surviving, she narrates.

Salamatu expresses her wish to have limited or spaced the number of children she had had but already she has three in three years. I love my children but I wish I had not had them now, she says.

Dr Jotham Musinguzi, Director General, National Population Council, Uganda, explaining the benefits of birth spacing or limited pregnancies, says when family size is lower, more resources are available to benefit all members of the family, especially the mother and children.

This means more food, better clothing and school achievement, for the children and improved maternal health and economic productivity for the mother These choices when added together can have profound effects on the country, one such effect is the Demographic Dividend (DD), he asserts.

Demographic dividend as not only an improved health and well-being for the family but an opportunityfor economic growth and development that arises as a result of changes in population age structure.

This is because when fertility rates decline significantly, the share of the working-age population increases in relation to previous years.

A larger working-age population can enable a country to increase its GDP and raise incomes because they are able to save and invest rather than spend on supporting a large non-working (young) population.

Dr Musiinguzi says Africa still has an opportunity to reduce the fertility rate but it is not automatic as it depends on investments and reforms in three sectors: family planning, education, and economic policy.

It is late but not too late, we must start now or we miss it and once it is closed it has closed, he added.

FP2020

In line with ensuring that every woman has access to family planning information, services and suppliers, world leaders representing close to 70 countries pledged to specific commitments to ensure that additional 120 million women and girls in 69 of the world's poorest countries have unlimited access to family planning methods by 2020.

Achieving the targets of the agreement (FP2020) would mean preventing a staggering 100 million unintended pregnancies, 50 million abortions, 200,000 childbirth-related and maternal deaths, and three million infant deaths.

Ghana, recognising that the high rate of population growth strains the country's natural resources, which in turn drives up the poverty rate and threatens future development gains and knowing that Ghana's population dynamics can be turned into a valuable 'demographic dividend' only if investments are made in FP and reproductive health (RH) signed up to the agreement.

Since then, the country has laid up plans in achieving its target. Government has committed to offering expanded contraceptive choices, including a wider range of long acting and permanent methods.

Presently, the method mix includes condoms, pills, implants, IUDs/IUS, vasectomy and bilateral tubal ligation.

Health care officers have also been trained in adolescent reproductive health and are encouraged to offer adolescent friendly services.

Ghana has 218 fully functional adolescent friendly corners and 54 were built in 2015-2016 currently.

But there are hindrances that still face young people like Salamatu in accessing modern family planning methods. Factors like infrequent sex, fear of the side effect or health concerns and breastfeeding are barriers that prevent people like Salamatu from opting for a voluntary family planning method.

When I go to the hospital the nurses think I am a bad girl so I make my new man use a condom because I do not want to get pregnant again. Now I want to take care of my children and siblings, she says

PF & SDGs

Family planning can accelerate progress across the five Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) themes of people, planet, prosperity, peace, and partnership and is critical to achieving the goals and the post-2015 development agenda.

Dr Sentumbwe-Mugisa says empowering women to choose the number, timing, and spacing of their pregnancies is not only a matter of health and human rights but also touches on many multi-sectoral determinants vital to sustainable development, including women's education and status in society.

Without universal access to family planning and reproductive health, the impact and effectiveness of other interventions will be less, will cost more, and will take longer to achieve, she adds.

Global strategies and partnershipsand health decision makers at all levelsmust leverage the abundance of available research, evidence, and the range of justifications presented here to prioritize family planning as a foundational component of health, rights, and long-term development strategies.

Thus, like Salamatu, countless number of teenage girls are missing out on family planning methods while they await a friendly adolescent clinic.

If I get a clinic where they will not judge me but give me the assistance I need, I will go there, Salamatu says.

PIX SAVED IN NEWDAILY AS FP

PULL OUT

The central role of family planning in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) across the five themes of people, planet, prosperity, peace, and partnership.

PEOPLE

Family planning advances human rights. Family planning helps reduce poverty. Family planning contributes to improved nutrition outcomes. Family planning saves lives. Family planning prevents HIV/AIDS transmission. Family planning supports women's and girls' education. Family planning advances gender equality and empowerment.

PLANET

Family planning mitigates population growth's effects on access to water and sanitation. Integrated population, health, and environment projects can expand access to clean and renewable energy. Family planning contributes to building resilient infrastructures. Family planning contributes to building safe, resilient, sustainable cities. Family planning helps reduce population effects on food and chemical waste. Family planning helps address the challenges of climate change. Family planning helps to protect declining marine resources. Family planning helps mitigate the effects of deforestation and unhealthy interaction among humans, domestic animals, and wildlife.

PROSPERITY

Family planning contributes to economic growth.

PEACE

Family planning promotes inclusive societies by addressing the needs of disadvantaged populations. Family planning contributes to peace and stability.

PARTNERSHIP

Family planning partnerships can support the achievement of the SDGs.

By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri
Ghanaians have become so cynical these days  and with good reason  that they suspect something is grossly amiss when they dont immediately see what they think they ought to be seeing.

So, when a friend of mine read the DAILY GUIDE editorial entitled She Who Must be Obeyed, she immediately asked me, What do they know that we dont know?

The reason why she asked that is this: In the H Rider Haggard novel, She, in which the term She \Who Must Be Obeyed first appears, the heroine, Ayesha, is a very beautiful woman who has been cursed not to die until her dead lover is reincarnated and comes back to see her. In the mean time, she rules as Queen over an African tribe. She rules them with an iron hand and is able to do this because she has eyes everywhere, Also, her incalculably great age enables her to exert powers brought to her by her knowledge of the lives her subjects.

So when a Chinese beauty came on the galamsey scene in Ghana, someone very bright at the DAILY GUIDE connected her attributes to those of Ayesha or She Who Must Be Obeyed. For if the Chinese beauty was not so powerful, how come she  and incredibly, her double, were living as free operators in Ghana when:

the security services (who must, as a routine measure, keep an eye on all foreigners suspected of illegal activities) had not been able to collect enough evidence that they were importing Chinese men  and women!  into Ghana to help in their galamsey operations? \\one of the beauties was alleged to have set very dangerous dogs on the security personnel who once attempted to arrest her. Yet she was not charged with endangering the lives of public officers. One had been previously arrested in relation to guns found on her. It is a serious enough offence to possess arms without lawful authority. But when those arms are in the hands of a foreigner, the offence becomes even more serious. New questions arise: how did the arms get into the country? What happened to the rest of the arms in the consignment that was simultaneously brought into the country? We make a lot of noise when a couple of ex-prisoners who have had the venom beaten out of them at Guantanamo, are brought to live in our midst. But when a woman of unknown origins arrives in Ghana and begins to dangle dangerous dogs and arms in front of our security officials, we dont move a muscle? Who enabled the beauties to enter and operate in Ghana? Did whoever it was sign any guaranteepapers? Is it true that one of the beauties has a marriage certificate with the name of a Ghanaian male on it? If it is true, as the media have reported, that a journalist, Mr Week Bamako, had come across obscene photos allegedly organised by the beauties and their acolytes to blackmail Ghanaian officials, how come the security authorities have not come across these diabolical instruments of blackmail? Or, are senior police authorities victims of the blackmail game themselves and therefore dare not investigate them?

These are some of the questions that the Minister of the Interior, ought to be asking his top officers. For as I say, the Ghanaian public has become extremely cynical about their police service.

The police make a song and dance about arrests of dubious characters. And then, the rest is silence. They make the song and dance for two reasons  first, they want to show their political bosses that they are working very hard to end crime or that they want to frighten the alleged culprits so that if the alleged culprits want to beg the police to be lenient, the gifts of appreciation which they would shower on the police would be heavy.

Is this the type of police service we want to have in this country?

It may well be that all this is pure speculation, but the cap fits the police too well for them not to be asked to wear it. The police of all institutions should know that where there is a vacuum of information, rumour-warmongering spreads its wings far and wide over the real facts and that before anyone knows it, the figure one has become ten, and the colour blue has become all the colours of the rainbow.

I am personally aware that it is the habit of the Ghana police to treat information-seekers with absolute contempt. For, in 2010, that is seven good years ago, a 72-year-old woman by the name Amma Hemaa was burnt to death at Tema by people who took her to be a witch. All she had done, no doubt after a severe onset of Alzheimers disease, was to enter someone elses bedroom and try to sleep on a bed she found. She had been on the way to see her son, and as diseased minds often deceive people into believing, she thought she had arrived at her sons home and had been assigned a nice bed to sleep on.

Under the alleged influence of a pastor, kerosine was poured on this hapless grandmother and she died.

Some people were arrested. They appeared in court a few times. The police outlined a strong case against them. And then the case vanished from the newspapers. As far as I know, I am the only Ghanaian journalist who has persisted in asking the police questions about the case. Where are the culprits? What have the courts decided about their crime?

Silence from the police. Absolute, unbelievable, arrogant silence about a case that had been featured on the front page of the largest daily in Ghana, and had even made it to the columns of foreign newspapers. So, should I be surprised that so often, we hear that the police, or the immigration service, has arrested Chinese galamseyers and we then hear  NOTHING? Thats why we can have a foreign woman come to live in Ghana and be feared as SHE WHO MUST BE OBEYED.

Obeyed by whom for what? Is it the oath of the IGP and the Minister of Interior to the government and people of Ghana, or to rosy-lipped seductresses from elsewhere?

We await answers.

cameronduodu.com

By Cameron Duodu
The Northern Region Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Daniel Bugri Naabu, has begged the leadership of the party to forgive him over the exchange of words he had with the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Otiko Afisa Djaba.

A letter sighted by DAILY GUIDE dated May 11, 2017 and copied to the NPP headquarters, Accra, revealed that Chairman Bugri expressed his profound apology to the entire NPP fraternity, former President Kufuor, President Akufo-Addo, Vice President Bawumia and the good people of Ghana.

I repeat unreservedly that such conduct would never be repeated. It is my prayer that I would never repeat such a conduct again,' he stated

According to him, it was due to extreme anger and provocation that he uttered those words as he does not have any prove or evidence to support his allegations.

The Northern Regional NPP Chairman regretted the embarrassment and inconvenience caused to the leadership of the party and the country as a whole.

It was a media war when Madam Otiko Afisa Djaba accused Bugri Naabu of taking monies, goats and cows from party members with a promise to offer appointments in the school feeding programme.

The outspoken chairman lambasted Otiko Djaba for an illegal meeting she held with women in the region.

He indicated that the minister does not have the right to call for a meeting in the region without informing the regional executives of the party about it.

Even the president will not come to the region and call for a meeting without informing the regional executives, he averred.

Chairman Bugri allegedly linked the Upper East Region Minister and the gender minister to the murder of the NPP Chairman in the region, Adams Mahama.

The Upper East Regional Minister, Rockson Bukari, who did not take kindly to the allegations, issued a 48-hour ultimatum for Bugri Naabu to retract his claims and appologise.

Mr Naabu retracted and apologised to the minister for accusing him of masterminding the murder of Adams Mahama.

FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale


President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is billed to visit the Volta Region for the first time after his inauguration as Ghana's president and the second time after he was declared winner of the 2016 general election.

The president's two-day tour begins today and ends tomorrow, 14th May, 2017.

The visit would among other things, see the president meeting some party executives and supporters in the region and interact with traditional and religious leaders.

He is expected to grace the 30th anniversary celebration of the Mafi Kumasi Senior High Technical School in the Central Tongu District on Saturday as the special guest of honour.

President Nana Addo will then depart for Ho where he is expected to visit the Volta Regional Hospital and some educational institutions, including the Ho Technical University (HTU) and the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS).

He will later in the evening be treated to a cocktail to be organised in his honour by the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC). The cocktail will also provide the platform for the first gentleman of the land to interact with heads of departments, the Volta Regional Security Council as well as media practitioners.

Then on Sunday, President Nana Addo will join the congregation of the Global Evangelical Church in Ho to worship God.

He will then have lunch with the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State and the President of the National House of Chiefs, Togbe Afede XIV, and some chiefs.

The president's next stop will be at the Ho Technical University where he will interact with the students.

President Nana Akufo-Addo will climax his visit with a mini rally at the Kpoanyigba Park in Ho where thousands of party supporters and members of the general public are expected to converge.

Gibril Abdul Razak, Ho ( [email protected] )
13.05.2017 LISTEN

It was the late President John Evans Atta Mills who once remarked 'dzi wo fie asem' to wit 'mind your own business'. It was one of his many witty reactions to those he thought were prying into matters which did not concern them.

Today, we are constrained to apply the same standard for his party faithful who are relishing what hardly concerns them. Although political parties are, by all standards, public entities whose management should be of concern to all citizens, certain aspects are restricted. When the president decides to abide by his party's constitution as a good citizen and party person, shouldn't he rather be commended instead of the kind of insinuations and innuendos being peddled by the NDC?

One of the fallouts from the now comatose Otiko/Bugri altercation was a heightened demand by the NDC for a probe of the allegation about the murder of the late Adam Mahama of the Upper East Region branch of the NPP.

It is interesting how a desperate political party can seek to make capital out of nothing. Anyway, Bugri Naabu has since regretted his outburst blaming it all on a high dose of adrenalin secretion as has the lady with whom he traded verbal blows. The NDC is asking for a probe into the allegation by Bugri Naabu about who killed the late Adam Mahama in Bolgatanga.

Since the NDC have trust in the ability of probes to bring out the truth in every matter, it stands to reason that the Mills' death issue must be subjected to a similar standard.

We have observed the rather loud silence on the part of the NDC since many demands cropped up for a medical probe into the cause of the death of the former president.

It is a demand which continues to agitate the minds of many Ghanaians and would to do so until a closure is given to the subject.

The occasional allusion to the subject by incensed NDC top personalities has made the importance of such a probe even more critical.

We recall one of such persons casting aspersions which suggested that the late President Mills died through unnatural causes. Although the man was ill at the time of his sudden death, we would continue to stand by those who have asked for an autopsy report.

His brother Dr. Cadman Mills' double tongue pushes further the need for such an autopsy. We recall his first statement suggesting an obvious cause of his brother's death. This position changed with the electoral ouster of the NDC to which he belonged. His new position joined the chorus for a probe into what killed his brother  no longer holding on to a known cause of death.

When such an albatross hangs around the neck of those who should be fielding related questions, the last thing they should get involved in are such tongue flips from their political opponents.

The manner in which the former president died and the circumstances surrounding this occurrence are as bizarre as they were at the time he yielded up the ghost as they are today.

We are gradually getting close to the bridge and when we do, there we shall surely cross it. The conduct of some overzealous NDC activists who are unable to get over their defeat only expedites the trip to the bridge we dare state.
Samuel Kwasi Kyei Darkwah, the Akwatia branch manager of GN Bank Ghana Limited, has appeared before an Accra circuit court for allegedly stealing over GH2 million belonging to the bank.

The accused is in the dock alongside one Selassie Awudi Solomon, a real estate developer.

The two, according to the prosecutor, ASP Stephen K. Adjei, conspired with one Kenneth Obina, a Nigerian businessman who is currently at large, to steal GH2,095,610.96.

In a court presided over by Aboagye Tandoh, the two, who were represented by their respective lawyers, denied the offence.

The court however, admitted the accused persons to bail in the sum of GH1 million with three sureties each to be justified.

The surety must be a public servant earning not less than GH1,000 a month.

Granting the bail, Mr. Tandoh stated that the court has to critically examine the facts and the charges against the accused persons.

He stated that the amount involved is also colossal and cannot be glossed over if the court was minded to grant the bail.

He said if the court was minded to grant the bail on the other hand, the condition must be in such a way that it would not frustrate the availability of the accused persons in the trial.

The facts of the case are that the complainant is the Manager of GN Bank in the Eastern Region whilst Samuel is the Branch Manager of the bank at Akwatia and Solomon a real estate developer.

In November, 2016, Solomon, in a Facebook chat with the branch manager, introduced himself as a lady, chief auditor and Head of International Remittance of AL Rayan Bank plc in the United Kingdom.

In the course of the chat, Solomon was said to have proposed to the complainant that her customer, one Harrison Forster, was shot dead whilst in Tripoli, Libya, and left behind a fortune of $14.5 million in his account without a next-of-kin.

Solomon and Obina convinced Samuel that they would give him the account details and also assist him with a solicitor to facilitate the acquisition of the estate of the late Harrison Forster as his next-of-kin.

The two succeeded in convincing Samuel, who agreed to part with GH2,095,610.96 under the pretext of using the money to process necessary documentation at the British Royal Court of Justice, which Solomon and Obina claimed would be used to collect the $14.5 million.

The court further heard that Samuel then took the said amount from the GN Bank and transferred it to various accounts provided by Solomon, including Ecobank, Kwabenya Branch in Accra.

On 21st April, this year, Solomon received GH200,000 into his account but managed to clear GH120,000 the following day.

Solomon was arrested when he attempted to clear the remaining money but Obina managed to escape.

In his statement to the police, Samuel stated that he sent money into the accounts provided by the accused persons. However, the monies transferred were taken from the GN Bank Akwatia without any authorization

Solomon also told the police that the moneys he received were payments for land he allegedly sold to a person whose identity he had not been able to establish.

Police investigation has established that there are other accomplices known to the accused who also received some of the money into their accounts.

[email protected]

By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson


13.05.2017 LISTEN

Accra, May 12, GNA - President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Friday named Ms Justice Sophia A.B. Akuffo, a supreme court Judge, as the new Chief Justice of Ghana, to succeed Mrs Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, who retires on June 8, 2017.

Ms Akuffo, the second woman to assume that high Office, becomes the 13th Chief Justice of the Republic.

At a short ceremony at the Flagstaff House to outdoor the new Chief Justice, President Akufo-Addo said government was determined to build a new Ghanaian civilisation, where the rule of law was not a slogan, but an operating principle for the development of the State.

He said he envisaged a Ghana where the separation of powers was real and meaningful, where the liberties and rights of our people were fully protected, and where law and order provided a firm basis for social and economic development, so that the dreams of prosperity that animated the great patriots, who were the founders of the nation, could find expression in our generation.

The President expressed optimism that Justice Akuffo would be a worthy successor to Chief Justice Wood and uphold jealously, the independence of the Judiciary.

"I expect discipline, fairness, integrity and the continuing modernisation of judicial activities to be the hallmarks of her tenure as Chief Justice, if she is so endorsed by the constitutional bodies, "he added.

President Akufo-Addo said it was imperative that the Judiciary commanded respect of the nation by the quality of its justice delivery, as well as by the comportment of its judges.

"We are all witnesses to the stormy winds that have buffeted the Judiciary in recent years and to the efforts Chief Justice Wood has been making to restore public confidence in the institution. I expect Justice Akuffo to continue and intensify that work, he stressed.

President Nana Akufo-Addo said the Judiciary had the onerous responsibility of defending the liberties and the rights of the people and that it could only discharge that responsibility effectively if it had the unalloyed respect of the people.

He said he had known Justice Sophia Akuffo for over forty years and that she impressed him considerably "with her hard work, her capacity for detailed research, her independence of mind and spirit, her honesty and integrity, her deep-seated respect for the rule of law, and her abiding belief in the sovereignty of Almighty God."

The President expressed the optimism that the qualities which had sustained her brilliant career as a lawyer that propelled her to the notice of the first President of the 4th Republic, former President Jerry John Rawlings, who appointed her to the Supreme Court on November 30, 1995, would be brought to bear on the new position she was assuming.

He said she had been one of the leading lights of the Court since her appointment, and her contribution to the Courts work and the growth of the nation's jurisprudence had been extensive.

'She has enriched her judicial experience by serving with credit on continental judicial bodies such as; the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights, where she ended up as President of the Court, he added.

President Akufo-Addo paid glowing tribute to Mrs Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, for her distinguished service to Ghana, and wished her a well-earned retirement, even though her public service will not be over as her place on the Council of State awaited her.

Ms Akuffo, is the next most Senior on the highest court of the land after Mr Justice William Atuguba, who is billed to retire soon.

Many had tipped Mr Justice Jones Victor Mawulom Dotse as the front runner in the race for the position of the fourth most powerful person in Ghana.

Mrs Justice Sophia Akuffo has been at the Supreme Court for the past two decades and has a Masters' degree in Law (LL.M) from the Harvard University in the United States of America (USA).

She has been a member of the Governing Committee of the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute and Chairperson of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Task Force.

In January 2006, she was elected one of the first judges of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights and was re-elected until 2014 when she served as the Vice-President. She is the immediate past President of the court.

She is on the Disciplinary Committee of the General Legal Council and has held membership of many organisations.

Her publications include; The Application of Information & Communications Technology in the Judicial Process - The Ghanaian Experience, Presented to the African Judicial Network Ghana (2002). GNA
Ghanaians have become so cynical these days  and with very good reason  that they suspect something is grossly amiss when they don't immediately see what they think they ought to be seeing.

So, when a friend of mine read the Daily Guideeditorial

entitled She Who Must be Obeyed, http://dailyguideafrica.com/she-who-must-be-obeyed/

she immediately asked me, What do they know that we don't know?

The reason why she asked that is this: In the H Rider Haggard novel, She, in which the term She Who Must Be Obeyed first appears, the heroine, Ayesha, is a very beautiful woman who has been cursed not to die until her dead lover is reincarnated and comes back to be intimate with her again. In the mean time, she rules as Queen over an African tribe. She rules them with an iron hand and is able to do this because she has eyes everywhere, Also, her incalculably great age enables her to exert powers brought to her by her first-hand knowledge of every aspect of the lives of her subjects. How does she know that about me? they wonder. And fear makes them turn into her mental slaves for ever. If SHE says you must die, the tribe will put you to death. So they called her SHE WHO MUST BE OBEYED! (Not that they knew her other name was Ayesha.)

So when a Chinese beauty came floating like a mysterious bird over the galamsey scene in Ghana, someone very bright at the DailyGuideconnected her attributes to those of Ayesha or She Who Must Be Obeyed. For if the Chinese beauty was not so powerful, how come she  and incredibly, her apparent double  were living as free operators in Ghana when:

the security services (who must, as a routine measure, keep an eye on all foreigners, especially those suspected of illegal activities) had not been able to collect enough evidence against them with regard to the mass importation of Chinese men  and women!  into Ghana to help in their galamsey operations?

2. One of the beauties was alleged to have set very dangerous dogs on the security personnel who went to her home in a Kumase suburb to arrest her. Yet she was not charged with endangering the lives of public officers! Imagine a Ghanaian doing hat. Armoured cars could have been summoned to raze the place to the ground.

3 One of the beauties had been previously arrested in connection with several guns found in her home and in her luxurious car.

These details were leaked to the media by police and/or immigration officers. Yet, although it is a serious enough offence to possess arms without lawful authority, and also, more suspicion-arousing still, when those arms are found in the secret possession of a foreigner, the offence did not result in a conviction after due prosecution! New questions thus arise: how did the arms get into the country in the first place? What happened to the rest of the arms in the consignment that couldsimultaneously have been imported, probably illegally, into the country?

Now, we do make a lot of noise when a couple of ex-prisoners who have had the venom beaten out of them at Guantanamo, are brought to live in our midst. But when a madam of unknown origins arrives in Ghana and begins to dangle dangerous dogs and arms in front of our security officials, we don't move a muscle?

Our officials are security-conscious, aren't they? Bring South Africans into the country to train your bodyguards in an election campaign forecast to be tough, and national security is all over you. But bring in Chinese madams who import guns and flaunt dangerous dogs, and no-one flickers an eyelid. We shouldn't dismiss these lapses just because they occurred under the admittedly somnolent watch of Mr John Mahama. If it happened under him, it could happen under anyone else. For it metamorphoses into a matter of national police/immigration culture. And that stays when political regimes change.

Another question: who enabled the beauties to obtain visas to enter and operate in Ghana? To obtain a visa for a foreigner, one must [usually] provide documentary evidence that one would be responsible for them while they are in the country. Who signed guarantee papers for the Chinese and provided them with the addresses where they were supposed to be residing [no post office boxes acceptable]? Is it true that one of the beauties has a marriage certificate with the name of a Ghanaian male on it?

If it is true, as the media have reported, that a journalist, Mr Week Baako, had come across some of the obscene photos allegedly organised by the beauties and their acolytes to blackmail Ghanaian officials,

http://dailyguideafrica.com/galamsey-sex-tapes-pop/

how come the security authorities have not come across these diabolical instruments of blackmail? Isn't blackmail a crime under our laws? Or, are seniorpolice officers and other high figures in the Ghanaian Establishment victims of the blackmail game themselves and therefore are in no position to seriously investigate them?

http://dailyguideafrica.com/im-not-chinese-sex-video-ayariga-cries/

These are some of the elementary questions that the Minister of the Interior, Mr Ambrose Dery, ought to be asking his top officers. For as I say, the Ghanaian public has become extremely cynical about their, police service. One of them said: The police make a song and dance about arrests of dubious characters. It lasts for a couple of days or maybe a week or two. Then, the rest is silence.

They make the song and dance for two reasons  first, they want to show their political bosses that they are working very hard to end crime. Or that they want to frighten the alleged culprits so that if the alleged culprits want to beg the police to be lenient on them, the expected gifts of appreciation which they would shower on the police, would be suitably valuable. You see, we are taking a big risk in helping you because the case has received so much publicity! is the implied bargaining chip from the police side.

Is this the type of police service we want to have in this country? It may well be that all this is pure speculation, but the cap fits the police too well for them to be spared from wearing it. The police of all institutions should know that where there is a vacuum of information, rumour-warmongering spreads its wings far and wide over the real facts. And when that happens, the figure one would have become ten before anyone can blink, and the colour blue would have taken on all the hues of the rainbow and even become translucent.

I am painfully aware that it is the habit of the Ghana police to treat information-seekers with absolute contempt. For, in 2010, that is seven good years ago, a 72-year-old woman by the name Amma Hemaa was burnt to death at Tema by people who took her to be a witch.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/nov/29/ghanaian-woman-burned-death-witch

All she had done, no doubt after a severe onset of a of Alzheimer's disease, was to enter someone else's bedroom and try to sleep on a bed she found. She had been on the way to see her son, and as diseased minds often deceive people into believing, she thought she had arrived at her son's home and had been assigned a nice bed to sleep on.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1334075/72-year-old-grandmother-burned-alive-Ghana-witch.html

Under the alleged influence of a pastor, kerosine was poured on this hapless grandmother and she was set alight. She died.

Some people were arrested. They appeared in court a few times. The police outlined a strong case against them. And then the case vanished from the newspapers. As far as I know, I am the only Ghanaian journalist who has persisted in asking the police questions about the case.

https://www.modernghana.com/sports/679173/i-would-never-have-believed-that.html

Where are the culprits? What have the courts decided about their crime?

Silence from the police. Absolute, unbelievable, arrogant silence about a case that had been featured on the front page of the largest daily in Ghana, and had even made it to the columns of foreign newspapers. And, of course  as the police could have accurately predicted  no curiosity whatsoever about the course of the case, by my fellow journalists of Ghana.

So, should I be surprised that so often, we hear that the police, or the immigration service, has arrested Chinese galamseyers and we then hear  NOTHING?

That's why we can have a foreign woman come to live in Ghana and be feared as SHE WHO MUST BE OBEYED.

Obeyed by whom for what? Is the oath of allegiance sworn by the IGP and the Minister of the Interior, directed to the Government and people of Ghana, or to rosy-lipped seductresses from elsewhere?

We await answers.
Accra| Ghana, Thursday, 11 May, 2017  Following the recent announcement that Ghana will host the prestigious Innovation Prize for Africa 2017 event on the 17th & 18th July, under the patronage of H.E. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the countrys top innovation leaders came together at a roundtable to discuss important opportunities in supporting local innovation. Hon. Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), opened the discussion that was themed Investing in Home Grown Innovation: Opportunities for Ghanaians.

Endorsed by Ghana Investment Promotion Center (GIPC) and Ghana 60 Years On Planning Committee in partnership with the African Innovation Foundation (AIF), the roundtable featured an illustrious panel comprising of AIF and Ghanaian speakers including Pauline Mujawamariya Koelbl, IPA Director and AIF Innovations Ecosystems Teamster; Yofi Grant, Chief Executive Officer, GIPC; David Asiamah, Founder, Agro Mindset; Herman Chinery-Hesse, Founder/CEO, SoftTribe and DK Osseo-Asare, Co-founding Principal, Low Design Office (LOWDO) & lecturer, Ashesi University.

In his opening remarks, Hon. Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, highlighted that Ghanas partnership with AIF in hosting IPA2017 will raise the countrys innovation profile at a Pan-African and international level while reiterating the Governments commitment towards driving socio-economic growth and prosperity through innovation. The subsequent panel discussion highlighted the need to drive local innovation and entrepreneurship in Ghana, turning challenges into new opportunities, and the need to provide appropriate financing solutions to catalyse Ghanaian innovators and scale home-grown innovations and ways to promote innovation in the key sectors of the economy.

The roundtable was conducted with the objective of creating a network of innovation practitioners, representing the Ghanaian innovation ecosystems in order to drive innovation research and practice in Ghana and West Africa as a whole. It was also aimed at mobilising champions for innovation from policy institutions, the private sector, academia (research institutions, universities and polytechnics), international organisations and training institutions representatives.

Speaking at the event, Pauline Mujawamariya Koelbl, commented, Ghana has been a frontrunner in the technology and innovation race, and todays panel discussion is a strong indication that its leaders, innovation enablers and even the diaspora, are aligned in their quest to take home grown innovation to the next level. We look forward to welcoming Ghanaian companies, institutions and investment community to partner with AIF and support Ghanas pursuit of its innovation development milestones.

Over the past five years, the AIF has been playing an active role in supporting the development of African innovation ecosystems through ongoing collaborative programs and strategic partnerships with governments and innovation influencers across the region. For this 6th editionAfrican Innovation: Investing in Prosperity, IPA is bringing together select stakeholders comprising of innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, leaders of innovation hubs and technology parks, policy makers as well cutting-edge African training institutions. It is an opportunity for companies to forge important partnerships, synergies and collaborations with innovation enablers from across the continent to strengthen Africas innovation investment climate.

About the African Innovation Foundation (AIF)

AIF works to increase the prosperity of Africans by catalysing the innovation spirit in Africa.

About the Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA)

IPA is a landmark initiative of the AIF and its goal is to strengthen African innovation ecosystems through supporting a culture of innovation and competitiveness, whilst spurring growth of innovative, market-driven African solutions to African challenges.

IPA has been successfully celebrated in African major capitals representing African regions: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (2012), Cape Town, South Africa (2013), Abuja, Nigeria (2014), Skhirat, Morocco (2015) and more recently in Gaborone, Botswana (2016)

Besides a host of exciting side events and brand new initiatives for Africa by Africans, IPA 2017 will offer the following prizes and incentives to winners and nominees:

 Grand prize of US$100 000

 Second Prize of US$25 000

 Special Prize for Social Impact US$25 000

 A voucher for each of the seven IPA nominees of US$5 000

 Additional incentives include investment opportunities, training and access to our vibrant network of innovation enablers, ongoing PR support and media coverage
The Minister of Energy, Hon. Boakye Agyarko on May 12, 2017 addressed the Committee of Ministers (COM) of the West African Gas Pipeline Project in Cotonou, Benin. The agenda of the meeting was to follow up on action points from the previous meeting held in Accra last year, provide feedback on WAGPs operational and financial issues as well as tariff issues and to finalize the Western Interconnection Agreement.

The meeting was hosted by the Benin Minister of Energy, Water and Mines, Dona Jean-Claude Houssou and brought together senior government officials from Ghana, Nigeria and Togo as well as key stakeholders such as West African Gas Pipeline Authority (WAGPA) and West African Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo).

Proceedings were opened by Dona Jean-Claude Houssou. In his inaugural address, the Minister reinstated the importance of the project and urged for a fruitful deliberation. He further thanked his colleague Ministers present for taking time out of their busy schedule to honour the invitation.

Hon. Boakye Agyarko, chairman of the COM, in his address tasked all member states to work together and help ensure that the project succeeds. We need to dedicate ourselves in ensuring that WAPCo survives he said. He further urged stakeholders to find common ground in resolving key issues such as reliable supply of gas and payment guarantee.

Representative of the Nigerian Minister of state in charge of Petroleum Resources, Engr. Saidu A. Mohammed affirmed Nigerias commitment to the project. He emphasized that the Nigerian Government is working assiduously to ramp-up gas supply to about 70 mmscfd this year. According to Engr. Mohammed, the ramping up of gas supply will be achieved because the Nigerian Government is making headways in resolving onshore gas pipeline vandalization.

The COM re-affirmed its commitment to the project and tasked WAPCo to look into expanding its business model. The Ministers expressed their profound gratitude to the people and Government of Benin, for the warm hospitality accorded to them and their delegation during their stay in Cotonou.

Other dignitaries present were representatives from ECOWAS, Ghanas Ministry of Energy, N-Gas, WAGPA and WAPCo.

Minister Of Energy, Hon. Boakye Agyarko (middle) And Chief Director Of Moe, Prof. Akabzaa (2nd Left) In A Group Picture After The Com Meeting

Minister Of Energy, Hon. Boakye Agyarko (middle) At The Com Meeting In Cotonou Benin
The Member of Parliament (MP) of Ablekuma South, Alfred Okoe Vanderpujie, visited victims of the heavy storm in Mamprobi, a suburb in his constituency to commensurate with the victims and ascertain for himself first-hand information of the extent of damage the storm has caused lives and properties.

Dozens of residents were rendered homeless as a result of a heavy storm which has ripped-off roofs of several homes.

He donated relief items to the victims of the flood disaster that has ravaged Mamprobi rendering several people homeless.

The displaced persons have commended the legislator for distributing relief items worth about twenty thousand Ghana cedis to victims of flood disaster in some deluge prone areas.

The relief materials included hundreds of bags of asbestos roofing sheets, cement and roofing nails distributed by Dr Vanderpuijie himself.

Not only did the former Mayor of Accra Metropolitan Assembly donate the relief items, but also climbed the Mamprobi Police building to assist carpenters who were busily repairing the damaged roofs to the dismay of those who gathered.

According to the MP of area, Dr. Alfred Okoe Vanderpujie, the items were donated to the individual storm victims by himself and not from National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO).

He emphasized that his administration would continue to show keen interest in the well-being of the masses in the constituency.

In their various remarks, the leader of the storm disaster victims expressed gratitude to the Member of Parliament generosity.
13.05.2017 LISTEN

The Minority in Parliament has endorsed the nomination of Supreme Court judge, Justice Sophia Akufffo as the countrys next Chief Justice (CJ).

Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu told Raymond Acquah on Joy FMs Top Story Friday, Justice Akuffo is a capable hand because she has distinguished herself as an independent-minded person.

Ms Akuffos nomination as the next CJ was made public by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Flagstaff House Friday.

The President attested to her hard work, capacity for detailed research, her independence of mind and spirit as well as her honesty and integrity.

I expect discipline, fairness, integrity and the continuing modernization of judicial activities to be the hallmarks of her tenure as Chief Justice if she is so endorsed by the constitutional bodies, he said.

Justice Akuffo will replace current Chief Justice Theodora Georgina Wood if she is approved by Parliament. Mrs Wood leaves office on June 8, 2017, after a 10-year career at the judiciary.

The current CJ has had a sterling career at the judiciary and is the first woman out of the 12 occupants of the fourth highest position in the country.

Her tenure was hit by a bribery scandal following investigations by ace journalist Anas Anas Aremeyaw who showed some judges receiving bribes and for which they were sacked.

The President said he has known the nominee for over 40 years dating back to when she first served as his junior in practice, as a barrister.

Justice Akuffo was appointed as a Supreme Court judge by former President Jerry John Rawlings on November 30, 1995.

Critics are pointing to a possible conflict of interest situation because the President and the nominee have known each other. They claim the judiciary will not be able to assert its independence as enjoined by the Constitution.

Although the Minority has admitted talks about a conflict of interest situation are legitimate, it said the nominees qualities should interest the citizens.

Mr Iddrisu was optimistic the nominee who has been one of the leading voices on human rights in the country will protect the sanctity of the judiciary. She comes to the bench with some rich experience.

She is taking over from Justice Georgina Wood, undoubtedly one of few Ghanaian women who have dedicated themselves to duty, she said.

He entreated her to build teamwork and be fair in her dealings with the Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG) that has repeatedly been on strike over the remuneration of its members.

Former Greater Accra President of the Ghana Bar Association, Frank Davies who also contributed to the discussion said Ms Akuffo has to be judged on the basis of the qualities she is bringing on board and not her relations with the President.

I would have thought that if the President has been candid to make a disclosure, that should be refreshing and should demonstrate the calibre of the CJ nominee, he said.

At the end of the day we should all await the approval of Parliament and wait for the wealth of experience she brings [and] it is only after that we can assess her, he stressed
13.05.2017 LISTEN

Former Attorney General Betty Mould-Iddrisu has applauded Mrs Sophia Akuffo on her nomination as Ghanas next Chief Justice.

President Nana Akufo-Addo officially nominated Justice Sophia Akuffo as the next Chief Justice on Friday, 12 May. She will replace Mrs Theodora Georgina Wood who retires on 8 June.

In a congratulatory message, Mrs Mould-Iddrisu said the new Chief Justice has excellent credentials.

I'm truly delighted by the choice of Sophia Akuffo as the next Chief Justice of Ghana. Ghana has led the way and stayed the course. She has excellent credentials and has impeccable gender credentials all her working life. Her Ladyship Chief Justice, my senior in the law and most respected woman on the bench, I welcome you as I welcomed Her Ladyship Georgina Wood some few years ago to this prestigious and high leadership position. I am confident of your success as I was of hers. God bless you and grant you the courage to lead Ghana at the bench in Africa and the world at large, the former Attorney General said.

Speaking to Emefa Apawu on 505 on Class91.3FM on Friday, Mrs Mould-Iddrisu added that Mrs Akuffo is certainly fit and qualified for the position and wished her every success in her new role.
The 23 persons who were picked up by the police on Thursday, May 11, following the shooting incident at Taifa-Burkina in Accra have been screened and released by the Kwabenya police.

They are to report on Monday May 15. Two males died during the incident following a misunderstanding over a woman named Hajia who owns a boutique in the area.

The police subsequently picked up a 26-year-old suspect in connection with the shooting and some 23 others in relation to a mob attack which led to the second death.

An eyewitness, who only gave his name as Ben, told Accra News Ama Brako Ampofo that he saw a mob chasing after two men, one of whom was holding a pump action gun.

According to him, the one with the gun entered a house but turned his gun on a guy who followed him, killing him instantly.

A mob, realising the assailant had shot and killed someone, turned on him and butchered him.

Class News Desmond Kofi Decker reported that police also arrested a rasta man who they suspected to have played a role in the disturbances.
Prampram (GAR), May 13, GNA - Mr Jonathan Teye Doku, the newly confirmed District Chief Executive officer of the Ningo-Prampram District has promised to unite the Ningo and Prampram Traditional areas.

Mr Doku who until his confirmation was an elected assembly member for the Kugortsitsa electoral area in the Ningo traditional area, received 'yes' votes from all 32 members.

Prior to the voting, he stated that, 'I give you my word that if you give me the nod, I will ensure the unification of Ningo and Prampram.'

Since the creation of the Assembly in 2012, there has been uneasy calm between the two traditional area as the people of Ningo refused to pay tolls, rates and fees to the Assembly in protestation of the citing of the district head at Prampram even though all the chief executive officers of NIPDA hailed from their area.

Some few days to the confirmation, some youth of Prampram protested against the nomination of Mr Doku as they accused him of allegedly instigating the refusal of the Ningo people to pay tolls to the Assembly.

An allegation Mr Doku has refused to comment on.

In his acceptance speech, promised to operate an open door policy and eschew all partisan tendencies in a bid to develop the area.

He also stated that being a former member of the Assembly, he was aware of the challenges it faced and would do well to address all developmental issues.

Mr Ishmael Ashitey, Greater Accra Regional Minister, charged the DCE to not to disappoint residents, reminding him that 'you are working in a very dangerous area, therefore work diligently devoid of political favours'.

Mr Ashitey appealed to assembly members, the Member of Parliament and other stakeholders to cooperate with the DCE and report any misunderstanding to the Regional Coordinating Council.

Mr Sam George Nartey, MP for Ningo-Prampram, congratulated the DCE and commended Assembly Members for not being partisan adding that after the general elections, what the district needed was unity to develop the area.

GNA

By Laudia Sawer, GNA
Social commentator, Sydney Casely Hayford, believes the Gender Minister, Otiko Afisa Djaba, and the Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Daniel Bugri Naabu should have been dismissed for their recent public spat.

Speaking on The Big Issue on Citi FM, Mr. Casely Hayford said their war of words disgraced the authority vested in them, as they exhibited gross indiscipline.

He opined that, if the NPP had a strong enough backbone. If they were sure of themselves and secure in the way they handled affairs, those two should have been dismissed. With Bugri, it will be a little difficult because he is elected, but to remove Otiko as a minister would not be difficult.

Instead, as part of the fall out of the public fracas between Madam Otiko and Bugri Naabu, the National Council of the NPP directed all party officials serving in government to resign . Madam Otiko and Bugri Naabu were also ordered to apologize officially with written letters.

Among other things, their back and forth saw Bugri Naabu allege that the Upper East Regional Minister, Rockson Bukari, and Otiko Djaba, were involved in the murder the late Upper East Regional Chairman of the NPP, Adams Mahama.

The genesis of the tension, as we know, could be traced to the confusion at Modern City hotel in Tamale, where Bugri Naabu stormed and disrupted a meeting organised by Madam Otiko for some women, after an alleged dispute over the appointment of a Northern Regional Coordinator for the School Feeding Programme.

Ghana deserves better brand of politicians

Mr. Casely Hayford remained befuddled by the way the spat between the two NPP executives escalated, describing it as childish and ultimately an erosion of the offices they held.

We are trying to create a certain quality of politician who will go into Parliament or be in a ministerial position where we will respect what they say and believe what they say. What this has done is to discredit them and discredit the whole political class because all that we are seeing now is childish behaviour.

I can't for the life of me understand why two such prominent politicians in this country who expect to be respected for what they do, and expect us to listen to them, should go about saying such things about each other in public. These are a pair of very undisciplined persons. Even if you have something to say about that person, you should not do it on air. This was like a Montie three thing.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
President Akufo Addo has reiterated his commitment to turnaround the country's economic fortunes and expand the financial sector.

He admits that his administration comes at a time that the banks are facing tough times which have impeded their growth and their ability to support industrial growth.

According to the President, the policies being enrolled to deepen investor confidence should also culminate in the expected growth.

The President made the remarks when the MD of Standard Chartered Bank, Mansa Nettey, called on him at the Flagstaff House on Friday.

So we've come at a very exciting time in the history of our country and a challenging time in the history of banks. Banks all over the world have been going though major problems and how to reposition themselves try to master in a very unstable and uncertain world economy and it has not been stable for them and the world economy, he said.

The huge debt portfolio that has fallen the financial sector has been a major concern for the NPP government.

The majority of the debt has been attributed to the huge debts owed by the Volta River Authority.

But President Akufo Addo is confident the efforts such as the recent reduction in the policy rate by 200 basis points from 25.5 to 23.5 percent.

If you have had the capacity to get this far, then you must equally know that you will have the capacity to master the environment as well, he stated.

On her part the Managing Director of Standard Chartered Bank, Mansa Nettey outlined plans by her outfit to support the private sector towards attaining economic growth.

In terms of private sector growth, this is an area that we are looking very closely to and we are looking to grow that part of the economy. We are looking at supporting them and we've carved out a very special unit mainly because of the importance of the SME, she observed.



By: Pius Amihere Eduku/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
The Member of Parliament for Asutifi North in the Brong Ahafo Region, Joseph Benhazin Dahah, has assured that he will soon open up on allegations of visa fraud leveled against him, and three others by the British High Commission in Ghana.

In fact, for now, I would not want to comment on it. At an appropriate time, I will come out with a release for your outfit and the general public to know my involvement in that issue for them to judge whether it constitutes fraud or not. So, for now, we should leave it like that, he stated.

Joseph Benhazin said this to Citi News on the sideline of a programme to commission a US-sponsored borehole water system for residents of Nweneso, a farming community in the Ntotroso Traditional area of the Asutifi North District.

It would be recalled three sitting MPs and one former MP, were accused of using their diplomatic passports to secure visas for their close relatives to visit the UK on a short term basis, but they continued to live in the country illegally after their visas expired.

The affected MPs have subsequently been banned from entering the United Kingdom for 10 years for alleged visa fraud

They are sitting MPs, Richard Acheampong, Bia East Constituency in the Western Region; Joseph Benhazin Dahah, Asutifi North Constituency in the Brong Ahafo Region; Johnson Kwaku Adu, Ahafo Ano South West in the Ashanti Region; and former MP for Asunafo South in the Brong Ahafo Region, George Boakye.



By: Mashoud Kombat/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Tuolumne County Visitors Bureau new office in downtown Sonora View Photos

Sonora, CA  There is a new site travelers will definitely want to check out when visiting Tuolumne County.

Friday the ribbon was cut to officially open the Tuolumne County Visitors Bureau office at its new location in downtown Sonora. Executive Director Lisa Mayo excitedly shares, This is great! We are so happy to be in downtown Sonora now.

The new office is full of information that includes videos, pamphlets and staff ready to offer up all that the county has to offer. Regarding the new digs Mayo notes, We wanted it to have kind of a natural feel but also incorporate the colors of our new logo. We just want people to feel comfortable and welcome. We want to have a great environment for people to work in and I think weve accomplished that.

The bureau will be open seven days a week with three full time and five part-time staff. Mayo says being in the heart of Sonora at the intersection of South Washington Street and Stockton Road is definitely a plus as the office can be seen easily from all directions. She adds, Were getting the foot traffic in and a lot of people that are coming to downtown. Were hoping that we are a draw to the downtown as well. Just getting some of the locals in here too, which weve seen a lot of that already. So, thats been great.

As reported here earlier this week, it is National Travel and Tourism week and a new report shows California and the Mother Lode got an economic boost from visitors in 2016.
- The Presidency will not provide regular bulletin with update on President Buhari's treatment

- Unnamed top officials in the government say that Nigerians should allow the president rest well

- The officials say that there is a wide difference between President Buhari's situation and tthat of late Umar Musa Yar'Adua

- For more reports on President Buhari's health and his third trip to London, please visit: https://www.legit.ng/tag/buhari-news.html

Regular updates of President Muhammadu Buharis medical trip to the United Kingdom will not be provided for Nigerians, government officials have said.

The Punch reports that unnamed top government sources ruled out daily update on the presidents health status and treatment while in London.

READ ALSO: Boko Haram commander hints on imminent bombing of Abuja as Shekau releases new video

They said such updates were unnecessary since Buhari had handed over to his deputy Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who is now the acting President.

Presidency says no updates like these pictures taken from President Buhari's second trip to London that lasted about 50 days between January 19 and March 10, 2017.

One of the sources said Buharis situation was different from late President Umaru YarAduas health crisis and so what applied then and the demands Nigerians made of the presidency at the time could not be expected of the current administration.

He said: The case of YarAdua could not be compared to that of President Buhari. YarAdua did not hand over to Jonathan when he was sick for several months. However, Buhari handed over to Osinbajo, which means there is no reason to panic since government is running smoothly.

The report quoted another source as saying that the president should be allowed to rest and heal in peace.

READ ALSO: Nigeria police loses N11.2million to Peace Corps in human rights suit

The source said: Since Buhari has travelled to London for treatment, let us give him some time to recuperate and in due time, he will let Nigerians know about his health. In any case, it is those who are with him in London that will be getting information on his health.

We, who are here in Nigeria, do not speak with the President daily so we cant give updates on his health.

Legit.ng recalls that President Buhari depart Nigeria for London on Sunday, May 7 for his third medical trip out of the country in a year.

The development generated a lot of reactions from Nigerians on social media and Legit.ng captured the mood here.

Watch this Legit.ng TV video of Nigerians ssharing their opinion on whether the country can ever have ever have a very young president like France's 39-year-old Macron

Source: Legit.ng
- Fani-Kayode says Onochie is not worthy of a reply because she is just a 'hired help' of the President

- The opposition party PDP chieftain was replying to Onochie's claims that he had some 'loose nuts'

- Onochie's attack on Fani-Kayode was because he lambasted the acting president for describing his relationship with President Buhari as a father-son one

Former aviation minister Femi Fani-Kayode has attacked Lauretta Onochie, President Muhammadu Buhari's personal assistant on social media over her comments about him.

In series of tweets late on Friday, May 12, Fani-Kayode described Onochie as a hireling that was below him.

READ ALSO: 4 dead as explosions rock University of Maiduguri again

He however went on to describe her in several very unfashionable words.

Fani-Kayode described Onochie, President Buhari's aide as a hired help who is unworthy of a response

He tweeted:

"Especially when they look like a used tampon. Let the walking corpse that she works for wake up and speak for itself. Then I will respond.

"For me to respond to such an ugly, lousy and shallow creature like Loretta she would first need to get a facelift and then a big promotion."

READ ALSO: We wont give updates on President Buharis medical trip to UK - govt. officials

Fani-Kayode's words come just after Onochie lambasted him earlier on Friday over his comments about acting vice president Osinbajo after the latter said President Buhari treated like a son.

Legit.ng had reported that Onochie, in a Facebook post, described Fani-Kayode as someone who could not understand father/son relationship, respect, decency and loyalty because he has some 'loose nuts'.

Onochie has come under fire from Fani-Kayode for insulting him

She said: Commenting on everything is an indication that there are some loose nuts, upstairs.

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo saying Muhammadu Buhari treats him as a son and a friend, has become a source of anger and anxiety for Femi Fani-Kayode, alias #FFKFood4Dance

But who can blame him? He cannot understand father/son relationship, respect, decency & loyalty. No he can't."

Watch this Legit.ng TV video of Nigerians sharing their opinion on who is a better leader between President Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo

Source: Legit.ng
- The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu met with popular 'Biafra' musician

- Don Prince met with the IPOB in his hometown in Isiama Afara in Umuahia

- The musician who knelt down before Kanu was also blessed by the IPOB leader

The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu on Friday, May 12, met with a musician Don Prince who was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS).

Prince met with the IPOB in his hometown in Isiama Afara in Umuahia.

The musician was first declared 'most wanted artiste' by the DSS and was arrested, prosecuted and discharged and acquitted by a chief magistrate of the Abuja Magistrate Court.

The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu met with popular 'Biafra' musician

READ ALSO: Presidency wont tell Nigerians about President Buharis health and treatment in UK

Sources from the Kanu's family said the IPOB leader could not hide his joy when Prince visited.

The source said the musician who knelt down before Kanu was also blessed by the IPOB leader.

Don Prince met with the IPOB in his hometown in Isiama Afara in Umuahia

The source said: "Don Prince visited today and director was happy to see him. He also blessed him."

READ ALSO: Army confirms Boko Haram commander in new video was swapped for 82 Chibok girls

"You know Don Prince rejected N15 million bribe to him because of the respect he has for director," the source said.

The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu met with popular 'Biafra' musician

Recall that the IPOB leader was released from Kuje Prison in Abuja on Friday, April 28, after meeting the bail conditions granted him by the Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu met with popular 'Biafra' musician

Nnamdi Kanu spent one year and 6 months in detention after his arrest in October 2015.

Watch this Legit.ng video of Nigerians reacting to Nnamdi Kanu's release from prison below:

Source: Legit.ng
- Soldiers from the 4 Mechanized Brigade Military Intelligence reportedly tortured a man to death

- The victim wife said her husband was killed over N1.5 million debt

Nigerian soldiers from the 4 Mechanized Brigade Military Intelligence have reportedly tortured one Otunba Ajayi Oladele to death over a debt of N1.5 million.

A referral from the military hospital in Benin City addressed to Consultant Physician at the Warri Central Hospital in Warri, a spinal cord injury gotten from alleged brutal beating by the military men led to Oladele's death, Punch reports.

Legit.ng learnt that Oladele was arrested on May 8 following allegations by one Kayode Adeosho that he collected the sum of N1.5m from him since January but has refused to pay back.

Adeosho brought some military men to arrest Oladele and he was taken to their barrack were he was reportedly beaten up by officials.

It was hinted that Oladele pleaded with the soldiers to release him because he had delicate health conditions that needed constant use of special drug but the soldiers refused and forced him inside their vehicle.

Oladele reportedly sustained a spinal cord injury which eventually led to his death.

READ ALSO: Nobody can force Buhari to disclose his health status - Presidency

A source said: "The late Otunba Ajayi Oladeles health condition worsened when the soldiers finally arrived Benin-City.

He was kept kept incommunicado with his mobile phones and other items in his possession seized, while he was placed under arrest with his legs chained.

He was taken before the Commanding Officer of the Military Intelligence in the Brigade, who told him that he must pay back the sum of N1.5m before his release.

At this stage, Oladeles health condition had gotten worse and would have almost died that moment, if the Commanding Officer had not directed that he should be rushed to the Military Hospital along Airport Road, Benin City.

At the hospital, he was put in a room and leg-chained. Soldiers were mounted at the door, guarding him. It was in this inhuman state that medical doctors attended to him."

The source added that one of the military officers (a Major) later called the wife of the deceased, Esther Oladele to rush down to Benin City.

Mrs. Esther Oladele was taken before the Commanding Officer of the Intelligence Group where the Commanding Officer told her why her husband was arrested.

The Commanding Officer directed that she should go and source for the N1.5m to pay the complainant to effect the release of her husband from their custody.

She was later allowed to see the husband in the hospital. She wept when she saw the condition of her husband in the hospital.

However, Oladele in his dying state denied the allegations against him.

Later, Lt. Col. Yakubu directed Sgt. Hassan Hassan to release Mr. Oladele to his wife on bail, after signing some bail bond with written undertakings that the N1.5million would be paid.

The said Sgt. Hassan Hassan later took them to the military hospital where the late Oladeles one leg was still chained to the hospital bed in his dying condition.

READ ALSO: Ignore their threats - Nigerian Army reacts to Boko Haram's latest videos

Mrs. Esther pleaded that her hubby was in a terrible condition and that he should be quickly rushed to his personal doctors who knows how to handle him in Warri."

The deceased wife, Esther, who could barely speak at the press conference, demanded for justice and also called on relevant authorities to investigate the matter and bring the perpetrators to book.

The Public Relations Officer, 4 Brigade, Benin City, Capt. Maidawa Maidawa, could not be reached on the telephone for clarification on the incident.

But Sgt Hassan, who had earlier called the family to take the deceased on bail before he eventually died, when contacted declined to speak on the matter saying that journalists should come to Benin for any inquiry.

According to him: You know the 4 Brigade in Benin-City, go there and make enquiries. The woman knows the place, let her take you there, this is an operational office line you are calling, any moment from now someone else is going to take over the phone.

In the Legit.ng video below, a 63 year-old woman talked about losing her son to gang violence:

Source: Legit.ng
The Education Departments sweeping crackdown on fraudulent practices at for-profit colleges has stalled under the Trump administrations appointees, several current and former department employees say.

Current and former employees, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, said tight restrictions have been put on staff members scrutinizing for-profit institutions, constraining their contact with other state and federal agencies without high-level approval  a contention a department spokesman denied.

Some state officials who had collaborated with the Education Department in bringing legal cases against for-profit schools say their joint work has ground to a halt. They also say they are troubled by an apparent slowdown in granting debt relief to students who were cheated.

The department has become a black box since the Obama administration left the building, said Maura Healey, the Massachusetts attorney general, whose office is one of dozens that have been involved in prominent cases against the for-profit sector.
Those interviewed said that being on the other side of the country from the corporate headquarters outside Baltimore gave them some breathing room. But not always.

In late 2013, for instance, after The Seattle Times wrote an editorial criticizing Sinclairs purchase of KOMO, Sinclair ordered KOMO to do a story critical of the newspaper industry, and of The Seattle Times in particular, according to two of the people interviewed.

KOMO journalists were surprised in January when, at a morning planning meeting, they received what they considered an unusual request. The stations news director, who normally avoided overtly political stories, instructed his staff to look into an online ad that seemed to be recruiting paid protesters for President Trumps inauguration. Right-leaning media organizations had seized on the ad, which was later revealed as a hoax, as proof of coordinated efforts by the left to subvert Mr. Trump.

Only after reporters had left the room did they learn the origin of the assignment, two of them said: The order had come down from Sinclair.

In a telephone interview on Thursday, Mr. Livingston rebuffed suggestions that Sinclair pushed right-leaning views. We work very hard to be objective and fair and be in the middle, he said. I think maybe some other news organizations may be to the left of center, and we work very hard to be in the center.

He said multiple times that local news was at the heart of Sinclair and that the company was committed to its communities.
This was a blockbuster week for the White House press briefing, already daytime televisions big new hit.

Now the question is if the show gets renewed.

Its most avid viewer, President Trump, casually floated the notion on Friday that the briefings  a Washington ritual for decades  had finally jumped the shark.

Just dont have em, the president said in an interview with Fox News, addressing the sharp criticism he and his press team received after this weeks chaotic rollout of the firing of the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey. Or else I have one every two weeks and I do them myself.

It was not quite clear whether Mr. Trump was making a serious proposal or, yet again, poking the eye of his nettlesome press corps. And while the idea may have piqued the interest of some network executives  Mr. Trump, after all, makes for good TV  it quickly drew further criticism.
The Correction Department pointed to several indicators that suggested change had begun to take hold at city jails. Over the last three years, serious injuries from altercations between inmates and officers have decreased significantly. Young inmates have far more opportunities to continue their education, and inmates with mental illness have a better chance of getting the care they need. Though Mr. Ponte readily acknowledges that he has no control over the size of the inmate population, the mayor in recent weeks has boasted that there are now fewer inmates at Rikers than at any time in at least three decades, something he attributes to Mr. Pontes management.

Even so, the city jails are still violent places. Over the last year, the numbers of stabbings, slashings and fights between inmates have soared. Correction officers and civilian staff members continue to be arrested at alarming rates on suspicion of smuggling weapons and drugs onto the cellblocks or brutalizing inmates, as well as a host of crimes committed off duty.

The mayor and other city officials all but conceded that Rikers would never be fixed and signed onto a plan to close the jail complex in the next decade.

When he arrived in April 2014, Mr. Ponte said, the agency had no strategy and no plans for the future, short- or long-term. Correction officers and other staff members complained in a survey that their training and equipment were poor and their supervisors inadequate. They said they were afraid to be on the cellblocks. Middle and senior managers at the agency received no additional training when promoted, even if they were elevated to positions for which they had no experience.

Innovations that had been in place in other jails around the country for years  like special educational programs for adolescents and reductions in solitary confinement  were not even being discussed in New York. When Mr. Ponte told his senior staff members he wanted to do away with solitary confinement for the youngest inmates, they told him he was crazy, he said.

There wasnt even a road map, there was nothing, he said. Today, he said, there is a good road map and it has moved down the road.

Mr. Ponte said he would stay on the job until some time in June to ensure an orderly transition. His successor has not yet been named.
I was the radio man for a reinforced rifle squad, which in those times consisted of about 20 Marines  12 riflemen, a machine gun team, a corpsman (or medic), an artillery forward observer, his radioman and a patrol leader. The patrol was to last several days, and we would be resupplied with rations by helicopter.

Starting from our companys position on the Khe Sanh perimeter, we climbed down to the Quang Tri River. After fording the fast-moving, chest-high water, we built fires, dried our clothing and were on our way. Several large tiger tracks dotted the wet sand at the rivers edge.

The terrain was extremely difficult, and we were lost more often than not. Since wed been in these hills for months, the situation was in fact the normal course of events. What was not normal occurred during the last days of King Kong.

I was breaking brush for the patrol. Machete in hand, I led the way up a jungled hillside from the gorge bottom below. We were looking for someplace, any place, where we could make radio contact and could be resupplied. Suddenly, at the top of the hill, I broke into a large, hilltop open space that had been a position used by South Vietnamese Army units. It was well above a portion of Route 9, at a sharp bend in the Quang Tri River. Below, we could see several old colonial buildings, a bridge and the surrounding forest. Thankful for our good fortune, the Marines of King Kong set up defensive positions at the openings edges, made radio contact and arranged for resupply and possible extraction.

Just then, someone noticed a large number of uniformed men below, bursting from what seemed to be everywhere, moving swiftly, headed east and away from us on Route 9. We thought they were North Vietnamese, and there were lots of them. Marine UH-1 helicopters arrived, dropped some rations and flew down to check the troops below. They confirmed our suspicions. King Kong had come across a small part of the huge enemy buildup that would explode into the bloody hill fights of 1967, which in turn culminated in the siege of Khe Sanh that fall.

We were in a tight spot. If the North Vietnamese decided to assault our position, the approaches they would probably take would be beyond the reach of our supporting artillery.

However, the reach of the artillery could bracket the North Vietnamese as they moved away, and the forward observer got right to work calling in 105-milimeter artillery fire from Khe Sanh. Several dozen 105 rounds crashed into the areas where the rapidly disappearing North Vietnamese had been.
ATLANTA  After President Trump fired James Comey, the F.B.I. director, the media and political left ignited with talk of impeachment. We are certainly moving down that path, said Representative Ruben Gallego, Democrat of Arizona. The Comey Firing May Be the Beginning of the End of the Trump Administration shouted a headline in New York magazine.

This is a fantasy.

Dont get me wrong. I have long had concerns about President Trump. He can contradict himself within separate clauses of a single sentence, then lie about the contradiction. He lacks the depth of knowledge a president should have and seems far more concerned with what people on TV say about him than what is happening around him. Even if there is no evidence that the F.B.I. is investigating the president himself, it is reportedly looking at ties between advisers to his campaign and Russia.

But lets be realistic. Though the firing looks bad, it was also reasonable.

Consider the case made by Rod Rosenstein, the highly respected deputy attorney general, who was recently confirmed by more than 90 members of the Senate. In a memo to the president, Mr. Rosenstein said Mr. Comey had usurped the attorney generals authority last July by announcing his conclusion that the F.B.I.s investigation into Hillary Clintons emails should be closed without prosecution.

It is not the function of the director to make such an announcement, Mr. Rosenstein wrote. Compounding the error, the director ignored another longstanding principle: We do not hold press conferences to release derogatory information about the subject of a declined criminal investigation.
The question in the title of Timothy Egans latest column for The Times is Who Will Save the Republic? My answer is Donald Trump, of course.

I mean this in the Anna Sebastian sense  Madame Sebastian being the shrewd, sinister and very Teutonic mother played by Leopoldine Konstantin in Alfred Hitchcocks 1946 classic, Notorious.

Annas adult son, Alexander (Claude Rains), is part of a group of well-heeled Nazis living and scheming revenge in Brazil when he marries Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman), a beautiful young woman he deems trustworthy because her father was a convicted German spy.

Too late, Alexander realizes that Alicia is really an American agent, and that exposure of the fact will mean certain death for him at the hands of his fellow Nazis. When he confesses the problem to mother, she responds with the most reproachful reassurance in movie history:

We are protected by the enormity of your stupidity  for a time.

Just so with our 45th president. His views are often malevolent, and his conduct might ultimately prove criminal. But we, too, are protected, for a time, by the enormity of his stupidity.
It is often at moments of crisis that Americans get the clearest glimpses of a presidents character, and this week they had the chance to learn a good deal about the true Donald Trump after his abrupt decision to fire James Comey, the F.B.I. director.

Mr. Trumps actions and the disclosures by those close to him revealed this president to be an insecure, fearful man who cant eat or place a phone call without a backdrop of fawning aides. Rather than cultivate experienced, strong-minded advisers who might challenge his views, Mr. Trump prefers to govern by impulse and edict, demanding absurd pledges of loyalty.

Americans learned that Mr. Trump gave his bodyguards opinion on the Comey matter as much weight as any advisers, if not more. They saw that he was comfortable humiliating aides by flatly contradicting their accounts of his decision-making.

They saw, as many of them had no doubt suspected, that he has a limited understanding of, or respect for, the constitutional responsibilities of public officials. During a January dinner in the White House, in which Mr. Trump apparently tried and failed to extract a vow of loyalty from Mr. Comey, the president gave no sign of grasping the federal statute binding both men: Public service is a public trust, requiring employees to place loyalty to the Constitution, the laws and ethical principles above private gain. To Mr. Trump, loyalty meant abandoning an investigation into foreign interference in the last election.
When Representative John Shimkus questioned, during a debate in March, why men have to pay for prenatal care, it was a sign of things to come. Soon Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, was joking that older men didnt need maternity care. When asked about repealing a requirement of the Affordable Care Act, Senator Pat Roberts replied, I wouldnt want to lose my mammograms.

These sophomoric jokes and flippant disregard for womens health by Republicans would have been bad enough had they not been followed by the passage in the House of the American Health Care Act.

If it becomes law, it will harm millions of Americans, including the poor, sick and elderly. But it will be especially disastrous for women. Among other damaging provisions, it:

STRIPS FUNDING FROM PLANNED PARENTHOOD About half of the 2.5 million patients who visit Planned Parenthood centers every year, and about 20 percent of women of reproductive age nationwide, rely on Medicaid for their health coverage. Under the House bill, they would no longer be able to use Medicaid for care at Planned Parenthood centers, more than half of which are in rural or underserved areas. In 105 counties, Planned Parenthood operates the only clinic offering a full range of reproductive health services.

PUTS ESSENTIAL SERVICES AT RISK The House bill eliminates the Affordable Care Act requirement that insurers cover certain essential services. Many of these services, like mammograms, birth control, and prenatal and maternity care, are used primarily by women. Women are more likely than men to use mental health care and prescription drugs, both of which are considered essential under the Affordable Care Act. If the requirement is scrapped, plans could choose not to offer such services. Plans that offer maternity care could become prohibitively expensive.
Donald Trump is going to meet soon with the pope. How do you think that will go? Maybe when Trump emerges, hell announce that Francis promised him canonization. Then the Vatican will deny it. Then Sean Spicer will hold a press conference in which he will explain that the president was simply working off a memo written by the deputy secretary of state.

Then a reporter will point out that the State Department doesnt have any deputy secretaries yet. Then we will hear another complaint about gotcha journalism.

Look, it wouldnt be any weirder than what weve been through this week.

The president managed to fire F.B.I. chief James Comey in the most unseemly, strange and borderline ridiculous manner humanly possible. A third of Trumps letter of dismissal was an expression of gratitude for informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation. That sounded sort of fishy, since Comey did not have a reputation for running around town assuring people they were not currently suspected of any crimes.

On the night the message was delivered, Spicer starred in what we will call the White House Shrubbery Incident, briefing the press corps in the dark, near a cluster of bushes by the West Wing.
When NASA launches its new big rocket for the first time  more than a year and a half from now, at the earliest  there will be no astronauts along for the ride.

In February, at the request of the Trump administration, NASA began studying whether it was possible to add crew for the first flight of its Space Launch System, a heavy-lift rocket under development for deep space missions.

On Friday, the space agency announced it would not. During a conference call with reporters, Robert M. Lightfoot Jr., the acting NASA administrator, said the change was technically feasible, but that the additional cost, time and risks outweighed the benefits. It really reaffirmed the baseline plan we have in place is the best way to go, he said.

Putting astronauts on the first flight would have added $600 million to $900 million to the $24 billion price tag, Mr. Lightfoot said, and delayed the launch until probably the first half of 2020.
SAN FRANCISCO  Apple is seeding the next generation of American-made glass for its iPhones and iPads, and its investments may have the side benefit of helping the company win favor in Washington.

Apple announced Friday that it was giving $200 million to Corning, which makes the tough, scratch-resistant face for every iPhone and iPad, to support the glass makers efforts to develop and build more sophisticated products at its factory in Harrodsburg, Ky.

Corning has made the glass for every iPhone since the original 10 years ago. Apples investment, the first from the technology giants $1 billion fund to promote advanced manufacturing in the United States, will help Corning develop thinner, more versatile glass for iPhones as well as other product lines that Apple is exploring, such as screens for self-driving cars and augmented reality glasses.

The move goes beyond Apples traditional practice of subsidizing suppliers, said Tim Bajarin, president of the technology consulting firm Creative Strategies.
The Amtrak engineer who was driving a train that derailed in 2015 in Philadelphia, killing eight people and injuring more than 200, was charged Friday with involuntary manslaughter  after local officials declined to pursue a criminal case, and when victims families took advantage of an unusual Pennsylvania law that forced officials to act.

In that legal maneuver, it was the Pennsylvania attorney generals office that brought the case against the trains engineer, Brandon Bostian, who was also charged with causing or risking a catastrophe, and reckless endangerment. The charges were filed two years to the day after the fatal derailment.

Friday was thought to be the last day that Mr. Bostian, 34, could be charged with reckless endangerment before the statute of limitations expired.

As that deadline approached, the Philadelphia district attorneys office on Tuesday closed its investigation and declined to press charges. In a statement, the office said that while Mr. Bostian was responsible for the derailment, we cannot conclude that the evidence rises to the high level necessary to charge the engineer or anyone else with a criminal offense.
Lee Baca, the former Los Angeles County sheriff, was sentenced to three years in prison on Friday for orchestrating a multifaceted scheme to derail a federal investigation into his troubled jails.

The sentence, handed down by Judge Percy Anderson of the United States District Court, concluded a yearslong ordeal that eventually led prosecutors to convict several of Mr. Bacas subordinates before targeting the former sheriff himself.

Prosecutors had previously failed to secure a conviction against Mr. Baca when a jury deadlocked in December. At that time, 11 jurors sought to acquit the former sheriff, while one believed him to be guilty.

Prosecutors chose to retry the case, and in March, another jury took less than two days to convict Mr. Baca, 74, on charges of obstructing justice and lying to federal investigators.
LONDON  Britains National Health Service ignored numerous warnings over the last year that many of its computer systems were outdated and unprotected from the type of devastating cyberattack it suffered on Friday.

The attack caused some hospitals to stop accepting patients, doctors offices to shut down, emergency rooms to divert patients, and critical operations to be canceled as a decentralized system struggled to cope.

At some hospitals, nurses could not even print out name tags for newborn babies. At the Royal London Hospital, in east London, George Popescu, a 23-year-old hotel cook, showed up with a forehead injury. My head is pounding and they say they cant see me, he said. They said their computers werent working. You dont expect this in a big city like London.

In a statement on Friday, the N.H.S. said its inquiry into the attack was in its early phases but that at this stage we do not have any evidence that patient data has been accessed.
After five years of negotiations over the rail line, Laos finally got a better deal. Laos has an $800 million loan from Chinas Export-Import Bank and agreed to form a joint venture with China that will borrow much of the rest.

Still, Laos faces a huge debt burden. The International Monetary Fund warned this year that the countrys reserves stood at two months of prospective imports of goods and services. It also expressed concerns that public debt could rise to around 70 percent of the economy.

As construction gathers steam, nearby communities are starting to rumble.

Farmers are balking at giving up their land. Some members of the national assembly have raised questions about property rights.

At Miss Mais Noodle Shop here, a customer, Mr. Sipaseuth, who said he used only one name, pondered the project over a glass of icy Beer Lao.

In the past, he said, the government had promised $10 for an acre of land worth about $100. But then they never paid it, Mr. Sipaseuth added.

Was the rail project good for Laos?

We need civilization. Laos is very poor, very underdeveloped, he said. But how many Chinese will come here? Too many is not a good idea.
Few can boast of a resume like James B. Comeys: top federal prosecutor, chief lawyer for both the worlds largest defense contractor and the worlds biggest hedge fund, and most recently director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Theres just one problem: He was fired by President Trump, who has called him a showboat and a grandstander.

So where does Mr. Comey go next?

The next act for a former top government official is typically a large financial firm, corporation or law firm. And those jobs, as well as teaching, remain strong possibilities for Mr. Comey. Still, his firing and the furor over his impact on last years presidential election could give some potential employers pause.

The same is not true for literary agents and publicists who try to get clients on the speaking circuit  the more controversial the better. And Mr. Comey brings with him plenty of controversy.
Calvin E. Murphy, a superior court judge, did not grant TSGs wish. In a written order, Judge Murphy said, Enforcement of the noncompete provision in the manner articulated by TSG would effectively bar Mr. Bollinger from seeking employment anywhere in North America in the only profession he has practiced since graduating high school.

TSG appealed, however, and the North Carolina Court of Appeals reversed the decision. A little after that, Mr. Harris, Americans chief executive, called Mr. Bollinger at home and told him not to return to work.

My heart was broken, Mr. Bollinger said.

About a year after the Appeals Court decision, TSG filed an amended complaint against Mr. Bollinger and others, alleging that he had quietly continued working for American even while the injunction was in place, and asking the court to prohibit him from working there ever again.

The new complaint cited evidence, like photos of Mr. Bollingers wifes car parked at Americans facility, and a phone call TSG had received from a female who would not reveal her identity, who said Mr. Bollinger had continued to work there. At one point, TSG hired a private investigator to look into it.

It is regretful that a great deal of money and resources have to be spent in our court system which could be otherwise spent on employee raises or investing in new equipment to make us more competitive, Mr. Harris said in an emailed statement.

Perhaps more important, the whole ordeal had caused a strain between TSG and its customers. The complaint said that in 2015 one customer had said it planned to transfer its business to American; another had asked TSG to resolve the dispute in a way that allowed Mr. Bollinger to continue at his new job.

When a competitor has the opportunity to poach that knowledge without making the investment in research and development, it gives them an unfair advantage, which a three-judge panel agreed happened in this case, said Jack Rosenstein, TSGs chief executive, in an emailed statement.
PG Theres a flip side, too: being kinder to ourselves. Did you have periods of magical thinking? If only Id checked the gym.

EA Oh, yes. If only Id made him take Lipitor.

PG Then hed still be alive.

SS I have to work on that to this day. We put up a video on OptionB.org. This woman is telling a story about getting divorced, finding a guy online, going on her first date. Shes all excited. But 10 minutes in, the guy walks out. Her friend tells her: Well, youre unattractive and boring. Of course he left. But, wait! No friend would ever say that. She said it to herself. And when that dawns on you, its like: Oh, yeah, we are really mean to ourselves.

EA Its so true.

SS Self-compassion is how we recover. And not just for the things that arent our fault. But also for the times when I was so angry  or when I got it wrong with my kids. We have to work on treating ourselves like we would treat our friends.

PG That brings me straight to my final question. Its no secret that were not communicating very well across political and other divides right now. Is there hope in sharing our deepest stories?

SS Ive thought about this a lot. Im giving the commencement speech at Virginia Tech this year, the 10th anniversary of the shootings, and its about collective resilience. Communities that get through things like that do it together. Because no matter what else we believe, there is birth and love and joy. There is also death by suicide and sudden death and incarceration. We need to create areas to come together, where we can be there for each other.

EA One thing that moved me about the response to my book is that readers came in for love and loss, and they came out having loved some black people. I know there are tough challenges ahead for us. I also know the only choice is to connect. But whats fractured in our culture is those people  what we can do to those people. Its going to be heavy and hard, but like the poet Gwendolyn Brooks, we have to keep coming back to the idea that other peoples children belong to you.

SS Yes, other peoples children. Its my dream for Option B: to help others help others.
Kristine Diane Miranda and Thomas Salvatore Ferrugia are to be married May 14 at Our Lady of the Snows Church in Floral Park, N.Y. The Rev. Jeremy Canna, a Roman Catholic priest, is to perform the ceremony.

The bride, 33, will be keeping her name. She is a home stylist and personal shopper for West Elm Collection, a high-end line for the furniture store West Elm in New York. She graduated with a degree in interior design from the Philippine School of Interior Design in Manila.

She is a daughter of the late Angela S. Miranda and the late German U. Miranda, who lived in Jersey City.

The groom, 43, is a lawyer and the director of governmental affairs for the Broadway League in New York. He graduated from St. Johns University and received a law degree from Fordham.
Morning circle looked a little different in Matthew Kemlers fourth-grade classroom last month. Instead of a math lesson or reading exercise, that days topic was how to write an opinion piece  specifically, how to write one for The New York Times.

Caitlin Roper, special projects editor at The New York Times Magazine, and Aaron Retica, a senior staff editor in Opinion, were the special guests leading the lesson at P.S. 92 in Corona, Queens  a school where most students are Latino and from low-income households. They began the morning describing how to form an argument and look for counterarguments, and the best way to present a point of view. They really took it very seriously, Mr. Retica said. They tried to communicate to an outside world what their inside world was like in a way I found very moving.

By the end of the session, the kids had crafted opinion pieces on everything from immigration and the environment to the Mets and birthdays. On Sunday, in a special section called The New York Times For Kids, they are among the youngest Op-Ed contributors in the newspapers history.

Spearheaded by Ms. Roper, the special section is a kid-centric version of The Times and mimics regular sections in the paper, including sports, national news, food and arts. Need career advice from an animator or a recipe for the best homemade slime? This package has you covered. It becomes a teaching tool and not in a way that makes you want to fall asleep if youre 10, Ms. Roper said.
THROUGHOUT the 2016 primary season, two sentiments took turns reassuring Republicans as they watched Donald Trumps strange ascent:

At some point, Trump will start behaving normally.

If he doesnt, hell self-destruct or quit  or else somebody in authority will figure out a way to jettison him.

It isnt surprising that people once believed these things; I clung to the second sentiment myself.

What is surprising is that after everything thats happened, so many people believe them even now.

The reaction to the sacking of James Comey is the latest illustration. Far too many observers, left and right, persist in being surprised at Trump when nothing about his conduct is surprising, persist in looking for rationality where none is to be found, and persist in believing that some institutional force  party elders or convention delegates, the deep state or an impeachment process  is likely to push him off the stage.

Start with the presidents Republican defenders. Not the cynics and liars, but the well-meaning conservatives who look at something like the Comey firing and assume that there must be a normal method at work, who listen to whatever narrative White House aides spin out and try to take it seriously.
To the Editor:

Re What the Republican Plan Gets Right, by Marc K. Siegel (Op-Ed, May 6):

As a cardiologist for over 30 years, I totally disagree with Dr. Siegel. One of the major criticisms of Obamacare has been the very high deductibles. Despite this, he blames Obamacare for enabling too frequent and unnecessary office visits. He then suggests that those who have been blessed by good health shouldnt pay as much as those who are the sickest. Isnt that the whole idea behind insurance?

He then describes including mental health coverage as an overstuffed prix fixe meal. I am shocked that a practicing internist would not be more sensitive to the need to address mental health issues.

His final point was that his fathers $50,000 heart surgery should have been paid for by a health savings account instead of Medicare. I would suggest that the only people with resources of that level would be the 2 percent who are the recipients of the major tax break called the repeal of Obamacare.

In my opinion, Dr. Siegels article is an unwitting endorsement of a single-payer system.

BARRY LINDENBERG

IRVINE, CALIF.
American Muslims face a choice: vote Democratic, or vote themselves off the island. Thats how Haroon Moghul, the author of the coming memoir How to Be a Muslim, put it to me this month  and how many of my fellow American Muslim voters feel.

As Republicans have embraced an extreme anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim platform, has the Democratic Party emerged as our only viable political home?

As a Muslim, Id vote for Jesus, but the Republicans wont let him in, and the Democrats dont believe in him, said Hussein Rashid, a professor of religion at Barnard College, who concedes that hes a tad bitter about his political options. Like him, many American Muslims cant imagine voting for the Home Alone 2 actor who trumpeted anti-Muslim bigotry all the way to the White House. They also support progressive policies, like affordable health care and a living wage. But privately, they adhere to traditional values, believe in God and think gay marriage is a sin, even though an increasing number support marriage equality.

Can the progressive tent stretch to include them?

Sabir Ibrahim, a Pakistani-American lawyer from the San Francisco Bay Area, is skeptical. Even though he held his nose and voted for Hillary Clinton, he perceives a hostility from progressives toward socially conservative sensibilities.
Dinner was served. Trump got a different, more colorful salad dressing than theirs. His chicken had extra sauce on the side. With his pie came a double helping of vanilla. With theirs, a single. By the magazines account, there was no explanation. None was needed. Hes the president and youre not.

One scoop of imperiousness. Another of insecurity. Top generously with impulsiveness. Thats Trumps sweet spot, the real driver of his decisions. Comeys dismissal was the definitive confirmation. It satisfied the presidents emotional appetite, at least at that moment. It undermined all else.

And it put the lie to the stubborn hope that theres a core of shrewdness beneath his antics and a method to his madness. Mostly, theres a raging, pouting child.

For all of the negative news coverage that he receives, there has also been a strand of analysis that insisted on, or at least sought, a silver lining to the golden-haired huckster. It reflected all the rationalizations that I heard from Americans who had voted for Trump or were willing themselves to see some upside to his election:

The tweets werent merely splenetic. They were strategic, providing distractions when he needed them most. He was amoral, sure, but that was part and parcel of his craftiness, which could do the country some good. He was a liar, yes, but the best deals and the bent truth often went hand in hand  and he was a deal maker above all. He flouted norms, but that might be precisely the purgative our politics needed.

Commentators strained to spot and savor any flicker of something more dignified. Remember the accolades for his address to a joint session of Congress? All hed done was the commander in chief equivalent of chewing with his mouth closed.
When George Washington was preparing to take office, everybody wondered what to call him. Senators proposed lofty titles like Illustrious Highness and Sacred Majesty.

But Washington expressed irritation at such fawning, so today we are led by a modest Mr. President. Later, Washington surrendered office after two terms, underscoring that institutions prevail over personalities and that, in the words of the biographer Ron Chernow, the president was merely the servant of the people.

That primacy of our countrys institutions over even the greatest of leaders has been a decisive thread in American history, and its one reason President Trump is so unnerving. His firing of James Comey can be seen as simply one element of a systematic campaign to undermine the rule of law and democratic norms.
My mother hated Mothers Day. She was a 1950s Mennonite housewife from Kansas who became a 1960s radical promoting the overthrow of patriarchy and capitalism. She saw Mothers Day as a conspiracy between Hallmark and the flower industry, but she was always happy to take my call.

We had a complicated history. She left my father and, in 1972, took me to South America in search of the revolution. A few years later, we returned to the States, but then my father won custody of me in a bitter court battle. Instead of giving me up, she kidnapped me, and we fled back across the border. As one might imagine, I had mixed feelings about the whole experience, and throughout my adulthood we mostly avoided the subject.

What would have truly made my mother happy, as I discovered from reading her diaries after her death in 2004, was an utterly conventional wish: for me to tell her that she had been a good mother and that I had come to agree with the choices she made.

From ages 5 to 11, I traveled with my mother from Detroit to a Berkeley commune to a socialist collective farm in Chile to the coastal shantytowns of Peru. Fleeing marriage, coups and arrest warrants, my mother joined street protests and picket lines, and wrote passionately about the oppression of the poor and powerless. With me by her side, we battled the bad isms (imperialism, fascism, sexism and consumerism) and we fought for the good ones (communism, feminism and egalitarianism). When we secretly returned to the United States, we lived in hiding in Denver, where my mother changed her name so that my father could not find us.
As the self-anointed job creator in chief, Donald Trump rarely misses a chance to use the presidential podium or his alternative podium, Twitter, to take credit for employment being created or retained in America.

Image Donald J. Trump toured a Carrier plant in Indianapolis in December. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times

But a thorough review of Mr. Trumps celebrations reveals that virtually none of the pronouncements involved jobs generated or preserved by the new presidents actions. Indeed, they mostly consisted of a rehash of old decisions  some with origins dating back as many as six years  or plans made independently by companies for their own business reasons.

Thus companies from General Motors to Exxon Mobil have been congratulated by Mr. Trump for what they were already doing.
This logic resonates with some students. Having these titles forces everyone to give that respect, Lyndah Lovell, a graduating senior at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va., said. They know they have to use these manners with everyone. Even if the underlying thoughts of prejudice will still be there to some extent, you give these thoughts less power.

Insisting on traditional etiquette is also simply good pedagogy. Its a teachers job to correct sloppy prose, whether in an essay or an email. And I suspect that most of the time, students who call faculty members by their first names and send slangy messages are not seeking a more casual rapport. They just dont know they should do otherwise  no one has bothered to explain it to them. Explaining the rules of professional interaction is not an act of condescension; its the first step in treating students like adults.

That said, the teacher-student relationship depends on a special kind of inequality. Once I refer to them as I would my best friend, I eliminate that boundary of clarity, Ms. Lovell told me. She recalled how awkward she felt when the head of the research lab where she worked asked undergraduates to call him Willy. All my friends were saying: Oh, man, do we do this? He has a Ph.D. Hes a professor. Is it O.K. to do this? Sometimes I do, but hes a great mentor, and its confusing. A lot of us like to preserve that distance.

Alexis Delgado, a sophomore at the University of Rochester, is skeptical of professors who make a point of insisting on their title. I always think its a power move, she told me. Just because someone gave you a piece of paper that says youre smart doesnt mean you can communicate those ideas to me. I reserve the right to judge if youre a good professor.

But she ruefully recalled one young professor who made the mistake of telling the class that he didnt care if they used his first name. He didnt realize how far it would go, and we all thought, this is awkward, she said. I had no desire to be friends. I only wanted to ask questions.

During office hours, we have frank conversations about career choices, mental health crises and family tribulations. But the last thing most students want from a mentor is the pretense of chumminess.

Ms. Lovell said the very act of communicating more formally helps her get some distance on a personal problem. When I explain my difficulties and struggles, I try to explain in a mature way, she said. I want to know: How would someone older than me think through this?
Kyaukphyu, Myanmar  President Xi Jinping of China is hosting a conference in Beijing this weekend to showcase one of his biggest gambles: a planned investment in pipelines, ports, trains, roads and other projects to link China to much of the rest of the world, including Europe and Africa.

Called One Belt, One Road, the multibillion-dollar initiative seeks to generate business for Chinas state-owned enterprises while promising development and jobs to other countries along the route that are desperate for both.

Other foreign investors and nations, however, would be wise to consider what happened in the area around Kyaukphyu  a poor town of dilapidated wooden houses and deeply rutted roads in desperately poor Rakhine State, on Myanmars western coast  before participating in the huge venture. It is a tale of promises not kept, corruption and the trampling of farmers rights in the stampede for natural resources and profits.

I heard this story firsthand from five farmers who traveled hours by boat, foot and motorbike from their even smaller and poorer village, Kapaing Chaung, to talk with me about their experiences when the China National Petroleum Corporation and the government of Myanmar, formerly Burma, jointly built an oil and gas pipeline from China across Myanmar to Kyaukphyu, on the Bay of Bengal.
Heres the problem: When you remove that person, who is left to take responsibility? Its certainly not Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general (and the new head of the Russia investigation), who recommended Mr. Comeys firing. Without Mr. Comey, Washington is sorely lacking a person willing to ensure that the Russia matter is investigated properly, that the F.B.I. is protected from politics and that if political appointees in the Justice Department pass the buck, theres at least someone who will not. Mr. Comey may have had a tendency to lurch for the buck across the table, but his departure leaves us with leadership that will do anything to avoid handling it.

Third, Mr. Comey is genuinely fixated on independence and doing the right thing. In 2004, when he was deputy attorney general, he stood up to President George W. Bush over the National Security Agencys warrantless wiretapping program. He stood up to Mrs. Clinton, too, when he rekindled an investigation of her, even though everyone expected her to be elected president a few weeks later and thus be in a position to fire him. He has stood up to Mr. Trump.

Mr. Comey is often criticized for an obsession with his own rectitude. And its certainly true that when a damn-the-torpedoes decision backfires, the result is explosive. Thats what happened last year when Mr. Comey made a judgment about how to proceed in the Clinton email affair  and then Mr. Trump unexpectedly won. It understandably makes people angry when Mr. Comey responds, as he recently did in congressional testimony, that he doesnt think considering the political consequences of his action would have been proper and that even knowing what he now knows, he would act the same way again.

But that same insistence on standing up to power and doing what is right irrespective of consequences is the main thing since Jan. 20 that has stood between President Trump and impunity. Whatever you think of Mr. Comeys judgment, he will do what he believes to be right, whomever it might help or hurt politically and whatever damage it might do to him and his reputation. Who else can you say that about?

This constellation of human traits has virtues and vices, and the two are intertwined. But I do think were going to miss those very features of Mr. Comey that so many Americans have come to hate over the past year. And it is, I believe, those very features that led Mr. Trump to fire the F.B.I. director.

Because at the end of the day, Americans need someone to count on to tell the truth (even if a bit too much of it and at the wrong moment), who will take responsibility as others duck it (even if that sometimes looks self-centered and preening) and who will do the right thing as he sees it whatever the cost (even if the cost to himself and the country is terrible). If youre President Trump, theres nothing scarier than such a person.
Ms. Arbus, a New York native, started photographing street style in the 1980s for The Village Voice as a way to meet the cool downtown crowd. Self-expression through clothing was so strong at that point, she said. Making a mark by showing who you are was the way to get noticed. After taking a break from street style to focus on personal projects and commercial work, she recently returned to it. I thought for a long time that people werent as interested in style as they used to be, she said, adding that something about the resistance has brought back what we wear as a statement now.

Ms. Arbus was never a stranger to the field of photography  her mother was the acclaimed photographer Diane Arbus, and her father was the actor and photographer Allan Arbus  but she didnt pick up a camera until after her mother was no longer making images. She also studied with Richard Avedon, a longtime family friend, in the 90s. He gave us the responsibility to do something new for the medium, she said of her experience with Mr. Avedon. He said: Otherwise youre just making more pictures. We dont need more pictures in the world.

Unlike a typical street-style photographer, Ms. Arbus enlisted some people she knew to show their identity through their head coverings and asked them to be photographed. That was the case with Lashaia Artis, an artist and jewelry designer who goes by Reign Apiim (meaning All Power is in Me), above, who dresses in this fashion daily. She was introduced to Ms. Artis through a mutual friend and gave her a call. I said: Ive seen pictures of you, you are perfect for this. What are you doing for the next couple hours? Ms. Arbus said.
Mr. Porat took the Chihuahua home, washed her in the kitchen sink (which he chronicled) and at 2 a.m. posted a photograph and video of her snuggling with Gomi. Were going to help her find her mommy and daddy, he reassured his own pet. By the time the sun came up, thousands of people had seen the video, and helped identify the Chihuahua as a 14-year-old named Osita belonging to Gustavo Briand, a salon owner in Miami Beach. Mr. Briand had placed photos all over his Instagram and Facebook accounts in his search to find her. A friend of Mr. Briand recognized the Chihuahua and a day later, Osita and Mr. Briand were reunited.

While Mr. Briand was thankful that dog lovers on social media helped him get his dog back, the amount of feedback overwhelmed him. This dog is like my daughter, he said. She sleeps with me. Shes part of me. He was surprised, though, that people were so much more into their dogs than he was. I was like, what kind of crazy thing is this? he said. But thanks to those crazy people, I found my dog.

It may be crazy, but it has become a common story for pet owners all over the country. An animal is lost. A message or picture is broadcast on social media. Hundreds of concerned friends  some you may not have heard from since the 2016 presidential election  will repost on Instagram or retweet a lost pet notice without hesitation. The same fur fervor that causes people to mourn helplessly the death of Cecil the Lion, watch a runaway llama or consider depressed pandas at the zoo is in these cases channeled into helpful community activity rather than selfies.

One New Jersey woman was reunited with her cat, Jimmy, two years after losing him, once she spotted him on a shelters Facebook page. One dog, who bolted from his owners jeep at Country Thunder, a traveling music festival in Arizona, was back with his owner after a social media blast on Facebook and Twitter.
Of course, very few of these diplomats had ever been to Somalia, but I was new and impressionable and eagerly jotted down their comments as if they were facts. So I was surprised when I started exploring Mogadishu to find boys  and girls  in school. One of the first things the Taliban had done when they seized power in Afghanistan was to close girls schools, believing that half of humanity deserves to be shuttered in ignorance. But in Mogadishu I saw young couples strolling by the seaside, and men and women working together to lift garbage from the streets. It didnt seem like window dressing. There were no other foreign journalists in town. This was just normal Somali life, finally resuming.

The peace was secured by young men with struggling beards and green prayer caps. They talked little but carried enormous guns. They succeeded at something no one else had managed to accomplish, including 25,000 American soldiers sent to Somalia in the early 1990s by the first President Bush in a humanitarian operation that ended in ignominy. For the first time in 15 years  and sadly the only time since then  Mogadishu wasnt an abattoir. The killing had stopped, and the populace seemed indebted to the young men who had stopped it. They simply called them the Youth, but they used the Arabic word, al-Shabaab.

The point of all this isnt to airbrush the Shabaab and the later horrible things they did. Ive covered those, too  attacks in Kenya that maimed friends and suicide bombings that smeared children across walls. Even from those earliest days, known Qaeda terrorists were hiding within the Islamist ranks, and Im not saying it would have been easy sifting out the moderates from the messianic killers. But the American government didnt even try.

In December that same year, the Pentagon helped the army of Ethiopia, Somalias historic enemy, invade. That decision set off a chain reaction that continues to plague us: The Islamists were pushed underground; the Shabaab became an insurgency, then a terrorist group; pirates hit the high seas; famines broke out across the land. The American government keeps getting sucked deeper in, and just this month, a Navy SEAL was killed near Mogadishu, the first known American combat casualty in Somalia in more than 20 years. I cant help wondering whether his death could have been avoided.

I WAS RELIEVED that evening when Abu Mansoor came up not with a pistol but with a black plastic bag.

I got this for you in the Bakara market.

I reached in and pulled out something relatively slender but as heavy as a brick.

Its in English, he said. Will you read it?

I didnt know what to say. It was the most beautiful Quran I had ever seen. He leaned toward me and grabbed my hand.
Each Saturday, Farhad Manjoo and Mike Isaac, technology reporters at The New York Times, review the weeks news, offering analysis and maybe a joke or two about the most important developments in the tech industry.

Farhad: Hello, Mike. What a great dinner we had the other night, right? I just wanted to let you know one thing about it, though: Dont even think about telling anyone what I said. There could have been some kind of tape. You know what I mean? Be careful, Mike. Be very careful.

Mike: I pledge to be honest with our readers, but not necessarily loyal to you, Farhad.

Farhad: O.K., lets talk tech. Since it is a day that ends in Y, there are some new developments about Uber. As you know, Waymo, the onetime Google self-driving subsidiary, is suing Uber for alleged theft of its technology. Uber had asked the judge in the case to move the suit to a private arbitration process  but this week the judge denied that motion. This means the fight will happen in federal court, where potentially lots of juicy secrets will spill out. I cant wait!

Mike: We are in full agreement. There is nothing more awesome than when company executives are forced to testify about their personal experience and trade secrets in open court. I once reported on Mark Zuckerbergs testimony in a Facebook-related lawsuit, and it was my nerdy dream come true. Related: I need to have different, much better dreams.
You cant just hand out product and hope it will work in the classroom, Ms. Hahn said. You have to work with the districts to make sure that you are keeping the kids and the teachers safe.

Jim Siegl, technology architect for Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia, the nations 10th-largest school district, reported a similar experience.

He said that Google had directly contacted certain Fairfax teachers who had volunteered to beta-test Classroom, giving them early access to the app. In so doing, he said, the company ignored the Google settings he had selected that were supposed to give his district control over which new Google services to switch on in its schools.

Mr. Siegl added that Google did not tell him which, or even how many, Fairfax teachers the company had enlisted to try out the Classroom app. And by the time he was able to shut off the app, Mr. Siegl said, teachers had already set up virtual classrooms on the service and started using it with their students.

He said he complained to Google.

Because of who they are and how sprawling the ecosystem is, Mr. Siegl said, they are held up and need to meet a higher standard than any other vendor schools deal with.

In an emailed statement, Mr. Bout said of the companys core education services, In all cases, the use of these services is tied to the approval of an administrator who is responsible for overseeing a schools domain.

Classroom was the brainchild of Mr. Rochelle, who started Googles education apps group, and Zach Yeskel, a Google product manager and former high school math teacher. They said they envisioned the app as a kind of mission control dashboard where teachers could more efficiently manage tasks like assigning and correcting homework, freeing teachers to spend more time with students. To create the app, they collaborated closely with teachers.
SAN FRANCISCO  Hackers are discovering that it is far more profitable to hold your data hostage than it is to steal it.

A decade-old internet scourge called ransomware went mainstream on Friday when cybercriminals seized control of computers around the world, from the delivery giant FedEx in the United States to Britains public health system, universities in China and even Russias powerful Interior Ministry.

On Saturday, investigators could not yet tell who was behind the attack as security experts around the world raced to contain it. Across Asia, several universities and organizations said they had been affected. Renault, the European automaker, said on Saturday that its French operations had been hit, while one of its plants in Slovakia was shut down because of the digital outbreak.

Computer users in the United States so far were less affected after a 22-year-old British cybersecurity researcher inadvertently stopped the ransomware attack from spreading more widely.
When men and women finish school and start working, theyre paid pretty much equally. But a gender pay gap soon appears, and it grows significantly over the next two decades.

So what changes? The answer can be found by looking at when the pay gap widens most sharply. Its the late 20s to mid-30s, according to two new studies  in other words, when many women have children. Unmarried women without children continue to earn closer to what men do.

The big reason that having children, and even marrying in the first place, hurts womens pay relative to mens is that the division of labor at home is still unequal, even when both spouses work full time. Thats especially true for college-educated women in high-earning occupations: Children are particularly damaging to their careers.

But even married women without children earn less, research shows, because women are more likely to give up job opportunities to either move or stay put for their husbands job. Married women might also take less intensive jobs in preparation for children, or employers might not give them more responsibility because they assume theyll have babies and take time off.
ROSEBURG, Ore.  Inside the big wood-paneled downtown library here, a sign spells out the future in four words. Come June 1, All services will cease.

For generations in America, small cities like this declared their optimism and civic purpose with grand libraries that rose above the clutter of daily life and commerce. But last fall, Douglas County residents voted down a ballot measure that would have added about $6 a month to the tax bill on a median-priced home and saved the libraries from a funding crisis. So this spring, it has been lights out, one by one, for the systems 11 branches. The Roseburg central library here is the last to go.

We pay enough taxes, said Zach Holly, an auto repair worker in a shop a few blocks from the library who said his vote against the tax was not about libraries at all, but government waste. I vote against taxes, across the board, he said.

An instinctive reaction against higher taxes has been stitched into the fabric of America in recent decades, starting with the property tax revolts of the 1970s through the anti-tax orthodoxy expressed by many conservative members of Congress today. But few places in the nation are seeing the tangled implications of what that means  in real time  more vividly than in southwest Oregon, where a handful of rural counties are showing what happens when citizens push the logic of shrinking government to its extremes.
In the interview, Mr. Hiss said that one challenge of their collaboration was getting Mr. Chung to translate his instinctive cooking into recipes. Id ask, How much salt? And hed say, Enough! Mr. Hiss recalled. So I bought some graded spoons, spread them out and said to him: Pick one. How much ginger? How much soy sauce? How much chili sauce?

People clamored to eat at Hunan, partly because of Mr. Hisss praise. Mr. Chung moved from his original spot to a larger space in 1979 and later opened several more restaurants around San Francisco that are known as Henrys Hunan. His son Howard said in an interview that some less adventurous customers were shocked by the garlic, spice and ginger of his fathers dishes and demanded something tamer.

If someone said, I want moo goo gai pan, hed say, Thats Cantonese! Howard Chung said. I was a waiter for many years, and people would walk out. Theyd ask for dishes we didnt have. Theyd say, Thats not what we had in the Midwest.

After the restaurant critic Craig Claiborne of The New York Times ate at Hunan in 1979, he called it the most talked about restaurant in San Francisco and said the food was either gently or violently palate burning. Mr. Claiborne was fond of fiery foods.

In his cookbook, Mr. Chung rhapsodized about spices, writing that Hunan people can live without meat, but they cannot live without hot peppers.

He was born Chung WuShiung on Sept. 9, 1918, to a peasant family in Hunan Province. He was about 2 years old when his father, Chung Wei Yi, a soldier, died, leaving him to be raised by his mother and grandparents. At age 8, he was married in an arranged ceremony to a girl four years his senior. They had three children and later divorced.
On Saturday, he had an urgent message for his classmates, who were gathered before him in black caps and gowns in a steamy auditorium. You need to think about your personal legend and the influence you are having on younger people, he told them, because they look up to you whether you realize it or not.

Mr. Gathers said that when he was growing up, his role models had been cousins and uncles who belonged to gangs and hung out in a scruffy park in the Dorchester section of Boston.

He said he became comfortable in the streets. He was cool. He was tough. He never used drugs, he said, but he started dealing as a teenager to help his mother make ends meet.

And he gained some notoriety, starting at 9 when relatives were rounded up in a federal raid.

I got a reputation, he recalled in an interview after the ceremony. Everyone felt comfortable around me, they liked me or they were scared of me. It was some sort of celebrity. And then being in solitary, and being in prison in general, it was like a celebration, to them.

But he was unaware of the effect that he was having on his younger siblings. When he was 13, his younger sister was shot while she was sitting next to him. She survived. But in 2014, his brother, Jameil Williams, who adored him and followed his every move, was not so lucky. He was gunned down and killed at 22.
AUSTIN, Texas  The sister of Sandra Bland, a black woman found dead in a Texas jail after a confrontational traffic stop with a white state trooper, says it is gut-wrenching that lawmakers stripped changes to police procedure from a bill named after her sibling and are pushing a weakened compromise.

The 2015 death of Ms. Bland, 28, was a critical moment in the Black Lives Matter movement. She was stopped near Houston for not signaling a lane change, forcibly pulled from her car and arrested. Days later, she was found dead in a jail cell.

A leaner version of the bill, called the Sandra Bland Act, enters the homestretch of the Texas Legislature far from the sweeping package of police accountability and anti-racial profiling measures originally filed in March. In the face of opposition from law enforcement groups and Republicans, the bill was drastically slimmed down and now focuses mostly on better jail training and access to mental health care.

What the bill does in its current state renders Sandy invisible, Sharon Cooper, Ms. Blands sister, said in an interview on Friday night. Its frustrating and gut-wrenching.
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast  Mutinous soldiers in Ivory Coast shot three people on Saturday and cut off access to the second-largest city, Bouake, as a revolt escalated over demands for bonus payments.

The revolt began in Bouake early on Friday and spread quickly, following a pattern similar to a mutiny by the same group in January that paralyzed parts of Ivory Coast.

Mutineers seized control of the national military headquarters and the Defense Ministry in the center of the commercial capital, Abidjan, on Friday.

They stepped up the pressure on Saturday, blocking roads out of Bouake, the center of Januarys uprising, and protesting in several other locations, including the northern city of Korhogo, where two men on a motorcycle were shot in the legs as they tried to force their way through a roadblock set up by the mutineers.
Boko Harams first target was Mai Ajirambe, an elderly leader of the hunters group. Insurgents tracked him to a village near his home and kidnapped him. When fellow hunters found Mr. Ajirambe, he had been decapitated, his head carefully placed on his back.

We decided right then, they wont stop until they kill all of us, Mr. Bukar said.

He and other hunters gathered their families and moved them from their rural villages to the state capital, Maiduguri, for safety. Then they joined the fight. Now, the hunters sometimes lead soldiers into battle with their own homemade, long-barreled guns.

Like most hunters, they brag about their successes and lament the ones that got away.

One of Mr. Bukars biggest regrets came on the day that he and the soldiers found the first girl from Chibok. He said he caught a fighter and delivered him to the soldiers, but then the man somehow escaped in all the excitement of finding one of the kidnapped students.

While last weekends liberation of the Chibok schoolgirls is a victory, Mr. Bukar knows the hunt for Boko Haram fighters is far from finished.

When Mr. Bukar gets ready for a mission, he follows the same routine he has used since boyhood. He rubs an herbal mix across his body to mask his scent. He puts on his lucky necklace. In the field, he stays as quiet as possible, relying on hand signals to communicate with fellow hunters. He never runs after his prey; he lets it come to him.

Once you meet it, there are only two options: You kill it or it kills you, Mr. Bukar said.

The hunters are relying on traditions handed down through generations. Many began hunting when they were young boys, heading to the bush with uncles, fathers and grandfathers. A handful of women who hunt have also joined the Boko Haram fight.
BUENOS AIRES  Worried that the men who committed some of Argentinas most heinous human rights abuses could be freed from jail years early, hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the countrys streets on Wednesday.

The demonstrations were in response to a Supreme Court ruling this month that reduced the sentence of a man convicted of crimes against humanity during the countrys military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983.

The courts decision led to a flood of requests for the same leniency from others imprisoned for kidnapping, torture and murder. Activists warned that the ruling could pave the way for the early release of some of the eras most notorious offenders.

But widespread repudiation of the ruling by the public, culminating in the day of protest, which organizers said had drawn half a million people in Buenos Aires alone, forced an uncharacteristically quick and united response from political leaders here.
Ransomware attacks happen every day  but what makes this different is the size and boldness of the attack, said Robert Pritchard, a cybersecurity expert at the Royal United Services Institute, a research organization in London. Despite peoples best efforts, this vulnerability still exists, and people will look to exploit it.

While most cyberattacks are inherently global, this one, experts say, is more virulent than most. Security firms said it had spread to all corners of the globe, with Russia hit the worst, followed by Ukraine, India and Taiwan, said Kaspersky Lab, a Russian cybersecurity firm.

The attack is believed to be the first in which such a cyberweapon developed by the N.S.A. has been used by cybercriminals against computer users around the globe.

While American companies like FedEx said they had also been hit, experts said that computer users in the United States had so far been less affected than others because a British cybersecurity researcher inadvertently stopped the ransomware from spreading.

The hackers, who have yet to be identified, included a way of disabling the malware in case they wanted to shut down the attack. They included code in the ransomware that would stop it from spreading if the virus sent an online request to a website created by the attackers.

The 22-year-old British researcher, whose Twitter handle is @MalwareTechBlog and who confirmed his involvement but insisted on anonymity because he did not want the public scrutiny, found the kill switchs domain name  a long and complicated set of letters. Realizing that the name was not yet registered, he bought it himself. When the site went live, the attack stopped spreading, much to the researchers surprise.
SEOUL, South Korea  North Korea launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile on Sunday, the first test since a new president took office in South Korea this past week and called for dialogue with the North.

The missile took off from the northwestern city of Kusong and flew more than 430 miles before landing in the sea between North Korea and Japan, the South Korean military said in a statement. Data on the launch was still being analyzed by the South to determine the type of missile.

Saying that North Korea had been a flagrant menace for far too long, the White House said in a statement late Saturday in Washington that the test served as a call for all nations to implement far stronger sanctions against Pyongyang.

The United States maintains our ironclad commitment to stand with our allies in the face of the serious threat posed by North Korea, the statement said.
FATIMA, Portugal  Pope Francis canonized two Portuguese shepherd children during a Mass on Saturday, a century after the children and their cousin said they first saw the Virgin Mary here.

The children, Jacinta and Francisco Marto, along with an older cousin, Lucia de Jesus dos Santos, told skeptical elders that they had witnessed six apparitions of the Virgin between May 13, 1917, and Oct. 13, 1917, when Jacinta was 7, Francisco was 9 and Lucia was 10, according to the Vatican.

After the Roman Catholic Church here validated the childrens visions, it turned Fatima into Portugals main pilgrimage site. The site is nowadays visited by more than five million people a year, many crawling on their knees the last few yards to a shrine of the Madonna.

Organizers had expected as many as one million people to attend the Mass. In the end, 500,000 came, according to the Vatican, a drop that some attributed to the overcrowding concerns that the pontiffs visit had generated.
PARIS  In the aftermath of a historic presidential election, Frances politics are in upheaval. A generation of political leaders has been swept aside. New ones are emerging. Parties are collapsing or struggling to remake themselves as politicians scramble to form alliances to maintain their power.

The most obvious and pressing challenge confronts the victor, Emmanuel Macron, who will officially become president on Sunday. With national legislative elections less than five weeks away, he must find a way to forge a working majority in the National Assembly, Frances lower house of Parliament.

For Mr. Macron, the legislative elections are in many ways the third round of the presidential race  they are even called that by some in the French news media  because they will determine his real strength to push through his controversial agenda to make the French economy less rigid.

Mr. Macron has no party in the current Parliament. So his top aides have urgently set about selecting candidates to run in almost every parliamentary district in the country.
On bended knee they came. Thousands of Roman Catholics from around the world arrived this week on a pilgrimage to Fatima, the Portuguese town where three poor shepherd children said, 100 years ago, that they saw a vision of the Virgin Mary.

There, Pope Francis proclaimed two of the shepherd children, Jacinta and Francisco Marto, saints on Saturday.
LONDON  Martin Hardy was in his hospital gown, about to be wheeled into the operating room for knee surgery on Saturday morning at Royal London Hospital in East London, when, he said, his operation was abruptly canceled.

Mr. Hardy, 52, a caregiver for his father, said his surgeon told him the operation could not be carried out because the hospitals computer system was not working and his condition was not life-threatening.

I was in my hospital robe literally about to go in, he said, wincing as he stood on crutches outside the hospital, waiting for a taxi home. How can anyone in their right mind do such a thing? he added, referring to the people behind the devastating cyberattack that affected organizations in nearly 100 countries and sent tremors across Britains National Health Service.

A day after one of the largest ransomware attacks on record, which left thousands of computers at companies in Europe, universities in Asia and hospitals in Britain still crippled or shut down on Saturday, Amber Rudd, the British home secretary, told the BBC that the N.H.S. needed to learn from what had happened and upgrade its information technology system.
NYU King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center (KJCC) will host two events focused on contemporary Cuba, Cuban Lens (May 31) and Cuban Millennials (June 1)evenings that will consider social and cultural transformations on the island nation.

Cuban Lens: Contemporary Cinema and Emerging Filmmakers: May 31, 7 p.m.

The evening will feature emerging filmmakers whose work captures the countrys transformation while honoring the history of Cuban cinema. The events screenings and conversations with filmmakers will reflect on subjects such as race, emigration, gender, and tensions around identitytopics newly imagined by young and diverse filmmakers. Screened films (in Spanish with English subtitles) include Casa de la noche (directed by Marcel Beltran), Conectifai (directed by Zoe Miranda), and Abece (directed by Diana Montero)whose directors will take part in a post-screening panel discussionas well as El hijo del sueno (directed by Alejandro Alonso), Limbo (directed by Rafael Ramirez), and Bateria" (directed by Damian Sainz).

Location: 53 Washington Square South (betw. Sullivan and Thompson Streets)

This event has been organized with Bach Media.

Cuban Millennials: Making and Consuming Culture in Twenty First-Century Cuba: June 1, 6 p.m.

The discussion will feature Cuban-born millennial designers, artists, and journalists who will discuss the making and consumption of culture and media on the island: Carlos Manuel Alvarez, editor, El Estornudo; Elaine Diaz Rodriguez, editor, Periodismo de Barrio; Yali Romagoza, fashion designer and multimedia artist; and Rodolfo Peraza, video game artist.

Location: 53 Washington Square South (betw. Sullivan and Thompson Streets)

The events, which will be held in English and Spanish with simultaneous translation in both languages, are free and open to the public. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, please call 212.998.3650 or visit www.kjcc.org. Subways: N, R (8th Street); 6 (Astor Place); A, B, C, D, E, F, M (West 4th Street).

Both events are organized with the support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundations Sawyer Seminars Program.

Editors Note

Since 1997, King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center of New York University has centered on increasing awareness of Spain and the Spanish-speaking world at NYU and fostering cultural and intellectual exchange. Having established itself with numerous well-received programs, it offers a wide array of lectures, conferences, readings, screenings, exhibitions, among different special events, with the aim of reaching a growing audience while deepening its commitment to its current constituency. For more, please visit www.kjcc.org.


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The Trump/Russian story is very important. But my fear is that Progressives massive concentration on Russia, a delightful topic for the Liberal Intelligensia is leaving our working class and poor brothers and sisters no better off for yet another election cycle. It is time to win them over, and Russia isn't it. This is what we should be doing.

I am tired of the hyperventilation by the media and specifically Progressives over the likely collusion between Trump and Russia at the expense of all else. Did you know that HHS Secretary Tom Price attempted to bring the Trump authoritarianism to the entire staff till two Republicans called him out? Did you know that the bridge that collapsed in Atlanta 45 days ago was rebuilt and opening next Monday, while for the past five years people in Flint Michigan have died and are still being poisoned by their tap water? Did you know that Trump intends to sabotage Obamacare in an attempt to force a tax cut bill with the facade of a health care bill?

Folks what we have in this country is news malpractice. Our brothers and sisters are not dumb. They are ill and misinformed. And that is why we must be here. That is why the alternative community supported radio must be here to be the voice of the people and the voice to inform the people.

We better remember that while Republicans have nothing to offer the poor and the working class, they know how to sell a bad product much better than we know how to sell a darn good product.

Watch the entire Politics Done Right show or get the podcast here. The callers to the show were extraordinary and engaged. Not all agreed but we had great exchanges.

Please LIKE the Politics Done Right Facebook page to get notifications when the show goes live on Facebook Live.
The USA is still bogged down in Afghanistan (the 16 year-old occupation is the longest in American history) and in Iraq (since the unconstitutional, illegal invasion of the country 14 years ago).

With about 30,000 poorly equipped fighters, the Taliban has held down a US equipped and trained Afghan army eight times larger in soldiers, plus the US forces -- fluctuating from 100,000 at its peak to 8,500 now, plus contractors -- with advanced air, sea and land weaponry that is second to none.

Moreover, the Taliban has been advancing, controlling 30 to 40 percent of the country and a third of the population, according to the Wall Street Journal.

In Iraq, the US had hundreds of thousands of soldiers and contractors during the Bush years. Yet today the country is still in the throes of a civil war, where a previously nonexistent threat -- ISIS -- with less than 15,000 fighters, has been successfully resisting a huge Iraqi army backed by US trainers and air force.

How can this be? "We are vulnerable," writes military author William Greider, "because our presumption of unconquerable superiority leads us deeper and deeper into unwinnable military conflicts."

Jim Fallows, asserts in The Atlantic, that our military "is the best-equipped fighting force in history"also better trained, motivated, and disciplined than during the draft-army years." Nonetheless he concludes: "Yet, repeatedly this force has been defeated by less modern, worse-equipped, barely funded foes. Or it has won skirmishes and battles only to lose or get bogged down in a larger war."

It gets worse. Less than 3,000 ISIS fighters took sudden control in 2013 of Mosul, Iraq's second largest city with over a million residents. Notwithstanding being vastly outnumbered by the Iraqi military and police -- who fled -- ISIS went on to control over a third of Iraq's land area. Iraqis and US forces are now destroying West Mosul in order to save it from a few hundred remaining ISIS fighters.

Fallows quotes former military intelligence officer, Jim Gourley, as saying "it is incontrovertibly evident that the US military failed to achieve any of its strategic goals in Iraq."

Setting aside the fundamental questions about why we invaded Iraq and continued to occupy Afghanistan long after 9/11, Americans are entitled to question how continued American occupations across the Middle East serve any kind of vital national interest and why they continue to fail.

In his analysis, military historian Thomas Ricks writes that "an important factor in the failure" is that no one gets "relieved by the military brass for combat ineffectiveness." But there are other reasons all the way up the chain of command. Cargo planes ship $100 bills in bulk to Kabul airport as part of an extensive bribery/extortion system that weakens the opposition to the Taliban, whose appeal to the masses, despite their harsh rule over them, is to drive out the foreign invaders. That is a very powerful motivation, one that is lacking among Afghan forces and politicians whom the people of Afghanistan view as puppets of the US and its western allies.

Retired Admiral Mike Mullen makes another point concerning "the growing disconnect between the American people and our military." He observes that, "fewer and fewer [American citizens] know anyone in the military. It's become just too easy to go to war."

The ease at which we embrace military interventions is in large part due to a gross dereliction of duty on the part of the Congress, which allows the White House to commence wars, large and small, without legal authority. Congress is the only branch of government constitutionally authorized to declare war and appropriate funds for war. The Libyan war, which was pushed by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama (and opposed by Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates) was waged without seeking either legal authority or funds from the legislative branch. The Obama administration took monies from the unauditable Pentagon budget to start that continuing disaster in Libya and neighboring African countries.

Listening to the House and Senate Armed Services Committee hearings, one finds a sycophancy and level of questioning by the lawmakers of Pentagon officials that would embarrass a mediocre high school student.

But the Senators and Representatives have their reasons. They simply do not want the responsibility for military action except to provide a virtual blank check from taxpayers for the Department and its avaricious, wasteful contractors who fund their campaigns. Second, members of Congress see the military expenditures as a jobs program back in their states and districts. Finally, members of Congress are not getting any heat from the detached, indifferent voters (with few exceptions), either during or between elections. Notice there is never a debate by candidates on the military budget -- how it is used or misused financially and strategically (yet candidates regularly pledge ever increasing dollars for the Defense budget).

As a final cruel insult to our children and grandchildren, Congress, by refusing to fund the wars as they persist, has built up a huge deficit for future generations of Americans to pay.

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Henry VIII, Pussy Grabber, Woman Murderer

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Donald Trump is a modern-day Usurper. For decades, he built castles and palaces. He forged alliances with quasi-criminal native construction and gambling ignobles. Through "innocent" real-estate businesses, he took foreign wealth and sold to Russians, possible bases. Prince Putin gladly allowed it through Russian billionaire ignobles. Impeachment of the Usurper would be but a temporary solution. There remains a deep problem our government: tension between direct democracy and always-corruptible representation. There is a way to resolve it: pass a constitutional amendment, the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. This would assure that, at least the winner of the popular vote became the president. Look into it!

Now is the time. There'll never be a better, a more exemplary. Our Constitution's founders had to unite 13 diverse, weak colonies to cobble together a country. Now we can resolve this tension, at least for the presidency. The founders provided the amendment process to adapt to changing times. Our representatives no longer represent the people but rather wealthy special interests. Competitive measures, such as drug importation, and letting Medicare, etc., pay for foreign operations, etc., could greatly lower health-care costs. Instead, the House passed AHC act, proposes to abolish coverage for pre-existing conditions, and cut $880 billion out of Medicaid over 10 years for tax-cut pelf for high-income receivers! The Republican Senate will come along and "tweak" it; i.e., cosmetize it and Fox-like media will propagandize it. And the Usurper, it seems, will approve a life-shortening "compromise." But there isn't enough lipstick in all Revlon's and Cover Girl's stock to beautify that pig. No domestic policy I can think of could create more confusion and dismay among our people!

It will be extremely difficult to pass this amendment. Wealth Tools (i.e., conservatives) will field divisions of legal "constitutional" lawyers to oppose it and pick enough states with weak, corruptible legislators in which to campaign against it to prevent passage. But let Democrats be democratic! Seek to prevent any future usurper like Trump from gaining our presidency.
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Rob Kall gives readers an important wake up call to the bottom up power that they have to protect their rights, powers, and freedoms. His advice applies to all aspects of life, including politics, economics, journalism, entertainment, and psychology and wellness. Kall's book explains the differences between the top-down leadership approach of dominating, fear based, disconnected authoritarianism and the bottom-up connection consciousness that emphasizes values, justice, fairness, equity, and kindness. This book helps readers see the whole elephant as opposed to the disconnected parts. Kall gives great advice as to intensifying, expanding, prolonging, and deepening connections. With his professional background, Rob Kall is the perfect person to write this book. This is a very well-researched book that includes dozens of insightful interviews with top-notch experts. Kall shows how bottom-up small acts can produce massive results. He emphasizes that since we cant avoid this emerging bottom-up connection revolution, we need to learn how to navigate and embrace it. This bottom-up leadership will result in power to the people. This is a fascinating and insightful book, especially in this new era of digital hunting and gathering."



Larry Atkins, author of Skewed: A Critical Thinker's Guide to Media Bias
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I've been in Moscow some days now and have yet to meet an oligarch (although perhaps they don't identify themselves). I have met an entrepreneur named Andrei Davidovich. He's started several companies since his first in 1998, including a software company, a marketing agency, a publishing company, etc. He says it takes 5 days to create a new company in Russia.



davidswanson.org

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He gives U.S. friends thanks for technology, research, and knowledge. He tells the U.S. government thanks for nothing.

Davidovich has been in touch for years with the U.S.-based Center for Citizen Initiatives, the excellent organization that can bring you to Russia to learn all about it, and that brought some 6,000 Russian businessmen and women, including Davidovich, to the U.S. during the previous cold war.



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He has also created a highly successful online activist platform for creating citizen initiatives, now being used in 520 Russian cities. The name of the website translates as citizen.ru. Davidovich says an inspiration was the U.S. site SeeClickFix.com. The Russian site works in partnership with a Russian equivalent of Google (and Davidovich says that Google wanted to take his platform Europe-wide but cannot because of U.S. sanctions on Russia).

The Russian site makes use of a law that requires government officials to respond to public concerns within 30 days (and of the public's willingness to make a virtual pinata of those who fail to do so). On the site, you identify your location and post a problem you want fixed. Your post may be grouped with others in a category (or may be blocked if not serious, appropriate, etc.). But if others support your post, and if the media covers it, you may end up bringing a great deal of public pressure to bear.



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On Friday, says Davidovich, he heard from officials in Irkutsk demanding to know how he could dare to create a project making a demand of them, and have it in the newspaper, without having obtained permission first. Davidovich says he replied: "When Facebook appeared on computers in Irkutsk, did Zuckerberg ask your permission?"

Once Davidovich received an email from a village in Crimea that had not had clean water ever, not when it had been part of the USSR, not when it had been part of Ukraine, and not since rejoining Russia. This email was thanking Davidovich for the village now finally having good water. Stories like that one could fill hours, he says.



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This entrepreneur extraodinaire said many mayors and town governments are resistant to public engagement and do not want any bad publicity, but others are lining up to actively work with his project, presenting the problems raised by the public in government meetings in order to address them.

Davidovich is quite an opponent of President Vladimir Putin, yet was asked to make a presentation to the Public Chamber, a sort of advisory group created by Putin. The presentation was well received. People in Putin's government now use his project. And other groups make use of its open-source code.



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Davidovich, who says that he does not like Putin, and who has posts on Facebook opposing Putin, does say that U.S. sanctions have brought him closer to Putin, and that he will unite with Putin until the sanctions end, and then return to criticizing him.

"The sanctions do not affect Putin; they affect me," says Davidovich, who cannot sell to the U.S. On the other hand, he says, he's very happy that Dell and Cisco cannot sell to Russia. (And when they do return to Russia, he promises to blow the whistle on any corruption they engage in.)

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Donald Trump - Caricature

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Comandante, Trump, El Jefe, the gringo strongman!

That's the image our current Commander-in-Chief seems to be cultivating. He has surrounded himself with generals, cavalierly threatens war with all "bad hombres," is drastically bulking up military spending, and imperiously slaps foreign leaders, whole ethnic groups and entire nations with demeaning tweets and public rants. Posing as Patton-on-the-Potomac, President Donald Trump is out to "Make America Feared Again."

How is that working out? Look south, to Mexico. Our bellicose president has repeatedly blasted Mexicans again and again as marauding thieves, murderers and rapists. Adding injury to insult, the smirking Trump pledged he would immediately seal off Mexico by building a 1,800-mile-long, 30-foot high wall--which he described as "impenetrable, physical, tall, powerful, beautiful." But the big man and his big wall are crumbling in the face of reality. Start with the cost: $21.6 billion! The congressional leaders of Trump's own party couldn't choke down a number that big, so the interim budget agreement they passed in April provided exactly zero dollars to start building his wall.

Then there's the reality of illegal entry into our country. First, two-thirds of undocumented people enter legally, zipping through customs with a valid visa. Then, when their visa expires, they just stay here. No wall will affect this big majority of immigrants; they would literally walk through or fly over Trump's massive monument to futility. Second, these days, most people crossing the Mexican border illegally are not Mexicans, but El Salvadorans, Hondurans, Guatemalans and other Central Americans, many of whom are children fleeing gangs that are routinely kidnapping, raping and murdering kids. Furthermore, the fastest growth in illegal immigration is not from Latinos, but people from Asian nations.

As President Trump is finding out in his ill-fated war with Mexico, the problem that world powers have when they pick fights with seemingly powerless countries is that even small dogs have sharp teeth. His scheme for a wall is collapsing because some two-thirds of the U.S. public simply aren't buying that boondoggle and most people think it is just plain stupid. But Mexicans are the ones blunting Trump's other major attack on them; an attempt to slap a 20-percent border tax on Mexican products shipped into the U.S.

"Nobody knows more about trade than me," the Donald crowed during his presidential run. It turns out that Mexican farmers do know a lot more about corn than Trump does. They also know that a lot of U.S.-Mexico trade consists of corn.

Until NAFTA, Mexico was a corn exporter. But grain trading giants such as Cargill wrote provisions into NAFTA to rig the rules so they could grab Mexico's corn market. They drove hundreds of thousands of Mexican producers out of business, and Mexico, where corn originated, dependent on imports from the U.S.

But now, Mexicans are turning that imported corn into a political weapon against Trump's trade bluster. Rather than buy from the U.S., they're negotiating to import corn from Brazil, and even more significant, they're planning to invest in their own farmers to make Mexico self-sufficient again in this important crop.

Mexico's counter-offensive has caused apoplexy among congressional Republicans from the U.S. Corn Belt. About 75 percent of Iowa's corn goes to Mexico, and losing that market would devastate Iowa's economy.

So the little dog bit Trump on the rump, and the big dog has now backed away from his border-tax idea, having learned that even farmers know more about trade than he does. Far from making America feared, much less "great," Trump's foolish belligerence is making him a global laughingstock.
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Just as The Tipping Point provides an explanation for big changes, Rob Kall offers a unified explanation for the magic behind the success of the biggest tech companies, the Arab Spring, Occupy and the social media revolution An important, big picture, visionary approach weaving together technology, economics, evolution, science and personal relationships -- even happiness -- to describe a wave of change as significant as the invention of the printing press that is well under way -- a wave that could rescue the planet from the top-down system that afflicts the planet."



Thom Hartmann, host of nationally syndicated radio show, The Thom Hartmann Program, since 2003 and a nightly television show, The Big Picture, since 2008
In his Nobel Peace Prize speech, former President Barack Obama stated that "War goes back to the earliest man." I suggest this self-fulfilling claim explains why the recipient of the Peace Prize went on to start several wars and cause the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. Lyndon Johnson made an even more startling comment when he said: "War is madness, but we do what we must."

(See:

Once again, Barack Obama, the world's most powerful military leader, has propagated an erroneous claim about the origins of war

By John Horgan on June 1, 2016/Scientificamerican

Clearly, our ex-President failed to deliver. Our current President has, to make matters even worse, escalated wars in 5 nations, attacked Syria directly and threatened North Korea with nukes. Those that believe war is inevitable, such as Trump's strategy adviser Steve Bannon, who said in 2016: "We are going to war in the South China Sea in 5 to 10 years, " and added, "There's no doubt about that," are engaged in a self-fulfilling prophecy. He also says there will me a "major" war in the Middle East, and Trump has already made that likely by escalating in Iraq and attacking Syria.

"You cannot simultaneously prepare for and prevent war." AE

Both our former and our current President operate from the neo-Hobbesian view of the world as a war of "all against all, each against each." This view of human nature and destiny is a self-fulfilling prophesy, a mistaken idea that always leads to bloodshed (as Camus wrote).

I argue, in length, that this belief that we must fight is the reason that we continue to fight, that the myth of our warlike nature blinds us both to our long history of non-violence and blunts our fervent desire for an end to war.

"Mistaken ideas always end in bloodshed, but in every case, it is someone else's blood. That is why some of our thinkers feel free to say just about anything.

Actuelles I, 1950/Albert Camus

This series of essays explores the mistaken idea that has led humanity into a 10,000-year era of unending warfare and violence.

This essay is a response, a challenge to a dialogue, about the competing paradigms of politics. I propose there is a politics of equality and a politics of the master/slave paradigm and therefore, we have a choice. This essay is long, for the modern tweet addict, so I recommend reading it in sections.

The articles by my esteemed colleague, Arlan Ebel, propose that there is

only one political paradigm, that of hierarchy, and therefore it will take, I presume, a revolution, to create a new paradigm which would be beyond politics.

I thank Arlan for raising this issue, which I hope to expand from a dilemma into a choice. I argue that there are two political paradigms, one dominant, one suppressed. The contention that there is only one political paradigm, I will suggest, is part of the suppression.

My basic assumption is that politics is NOT about domination but about the distribution of power and that our history shows us two competing paradigms, one hierarchical, the other egalitarian. My further contention is that only the non-hierarchial paradigm is sustainable and can bring us a world free of perpetual violence, that the dominant paradigm, which argues that any other arrangement is utopian and destined for failure, is itself unsustainable and destined to destroy us all if we do not replace it. I further suggest the replacement is not a fantasy but a return to our most ancient principles of political organization which sustained humankind for hundreds of thousands of years without war or the need for masters and slaves.

The oldest symbol is the circle, which in its dynamic form is a spiral; the circle represents unity, equality, and movement, and the concept of revolution is founded on the concept of the functional circle we call the wheel, the spinning circle which always returns to its point of origin.

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Kris Kobach - Caricature

(Image by DonkeyHotey) Details DMCA



Reprinted from www.alternet.org

Kris Kobach is the GOP mastermind behind a secretive system that purged 1.1 million Americans from the voter rolls.

Kris Kobach was spooning down vanilla ice cream when I showed him the thick pages of evidence documenting his detailed plan to rig the presidential election of 2016. The Kansas secretary of state, sucking up carbs at a Republican Party fundraiser, recognized the documents and ran for it while still trying to wolf down the last spoonful.That was 2015 (yes, the ballot heist started way back). Today this same man, Kris Kobach, is Donald Trump's choice to head the new "Voter Integrity Commission."

That was 2015 (yes, the ballot heist started way back). Today this same man, Kris Kobach, is Donald Trump's choice to head the new "Voter Integrity Commission."

It's like appointing Al Capone to investigate the mob.

How did Kobach mess with the 2016 vote? Let me count the ways--as I have over the past three years of hunting down Kobach's ballot-box gaming. Just two of Kobach's vote-bending tricks undoubtedly won Michigan for Trump and contributed to his "wins" in Ohio, North Carolina and Arizona.

First, Interstate Crosscheck.

Kobach is the GOP mastermind behind this secretive system, which purged 1.1 million Americans from the voter rolls.

When Trump said, "This election's rigged," the press ignored the second part of his statement: "People are voting many, many times." Trump cited three million votes illegally cast.

The White House said Trump got this information from Kobach. Indeed, it specifically comes from a list of 7 million names--or as Kobach describes it, a list of 3.5 million "potential double voters."

How did Kobach find these three million double voters? He matched their names, first and last. That's it.

Here's an unedited screenshot of a segment of his list:

James Edward Harris Jr. of Richmond, Virginia, is supposed to be the same voter as James R. Harris (no Jr.) of Indianapolis, Indiana. Really? Note that not one middle name matches.

And here's the ugly part. Both James Harrises (in fact, hundreds of them) are subject to getting scrubbed off the voter rolls.

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Bryan Buckley is known as the King of the Super Bowl. Hes directed over 50 of the high-profile commercials, but when you talk with him, he sounds like hed prefer to backpack around Africa for the rest of his days. The directors debut feature (after making Oscar-nominated short Asad) Dabka is based on journalist Jay Bahadurs experiences and investigations into the rise of the Somali pirate.

He sat down with Paste after Dabkas premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival to talk about immersing himself in that culture, working with stars Evan Peters and Barkhad Abdi, and the stylistic flourishes that make the film so great.

Paste Magazine: Youre primarily known as a commercial director. How was adapting to the process of making Dabka?

Bryan Buckley Well you saw the film, so you know it was quite an undertaking. I will say its been almost a seven-year process, from learning to making the moviegetting into Somali culture, learning it and breaking it down.

Paste: Seven years? So right when Jay Bahadur published The Pirates of Somalia. Were you on that from the beginning?

Buckley: Its been a long time coming. I went off and did a short doc for the U.N. in 2010 because they were having a hard time with the refugee camps and getting foreign funding, both from countries and individuals. So they came to me because I came out of the commercial world. They said, Look, what were doing isnt working. Do a doc [2010s No Autographs], but find the marketing angle to wrap this thing around. And then we got there and found out the doc had been double-booked with the BBC.

While we were down there we met a lot of Somalis and a lot of Sudanese in the refugee camps, but the Somalis, they were just coming in droves. Once youre in that camp, we learned, the average time you stay there is 17 years. Its like coming into prison. So all that information is coming in, and we were like I cant believe were both shooting the same doc with the BBC. We did get to become friends with their correspondents, who couldnt go into Somalia. They werent allowed to go in, too dangerous, they werent insuredwhatever. They were fascinated and so was I. Meeting all the Somalis and our translator and making friends, thats what started this process.

So we finished the doc and no one saw it. It flopped. It was so watered-down, we couldnt say what we wanted to say. The U.N. is just a big organization that cant piss anyone off and youre stuck there frustrated saying, God, I cant believe this. We wanted to get out of that mindset.

After the doc came and went, I remember reading a story in The New York Times a year later about Somalia where the guy said, Ive never seen it worse than this. I read that and saw the U.N. was dropping food in there that the Somalis werent allowed to eat and, well, they were also shooting U.N. workers. So that weekend I wrote Asad. The next window I had from commercial shooting, we were gonna go down there, to Africa, and shoot it. Take a narrative approach to it and, by virtue of being in the location, have a cast that is authentic. So were not selling the refugees story, were showing it and then talking about it. When we were shooting the short, Jays book was literally the only reference material we could find.

My whole crew read his book and were like Holy shit, this book is amazing. So detailed, so dense. Jay was appearing on The Daily Show and I found out that nobody had bought the book. WellOK, nobodys bought the rights to the book. Nothing gets to the best-seller list without people buying the rights! It was divine intervention. So I reached out and told him the story was amazing but I didnt want the story to be about the book, I wanted it to be about him, about Jay. They were into that, so we developed the script. In the wake of Asad winning Tribeca and going on to the Oscars, I got to give speeches about South Africa and how they hated the Somali refugees because they were taking jobs. When we were getting ready to shoot the film, they were literally burning Somalis.

When we got there, there was a lot of expectation from the locals that we were some assholes there to do a whole Kumbaya thing because we were Americans.

Paste: Here come the white people, right?

Buckley: Exactly. They thought we were going to do some feel-good story and you could just feel all this animosity. It was crazy.

Paste: I think you get how badly you didnt want to make the same old Western heroism story by how cocky you make your protagonist who isI dont want to say a dick, but

Buckley: (laughs) Right, well, lets say arrogant. Reckless and arrogantbut theres a sweetness to him. The real Jay is reckless, with blinders on. Very authoritative and definitive in his personality. You know, I dont know if youll get to talk to him, but hes intense. Hes the kind of guy where you go out with him and be telling a story and hell be Googling what youre saying, like Oh really, that was in 08? Because Im seeing here it was in 09. Whatever! You have to be careful what you say around him. [That] character had to [reach the audience] super hard and we have to understand that a lot of that is bravado.

Paste: It takes a lot of bravado to open a film with basically the freeze-frame, yep thats me scene, but you pull it off.

Buckley: That was the plan, but I think itll also piss a lot of people off. And Evan [Peters], playing Jay, well later in the film he grows a beard so during the shoot hed have the beard on and off. And when the beard was on, he was another person. Completely. On set, everywhere, a different guy. Some advice: If youre gonna be hanging with Evan, I definitely recommend no beard.

Id be going what the fuck is wrong with him? And then Id notice: Oh shit, hes got the beard on.

Paste: Another ballsy stylistic thing you do in the movie is animating the two piracy sequences. What was the rationale behind that?

Buckley: I wanted you to go into the head of Jay. The narration, thats one way. Breaking the [fourth] wall, you know. But that first pirate scene, the animation was necessary for story reasonsbut also if Id just told it, if youve seen pirate movies, youd be rolling your eyes. So I knew it could be more interesting [animated]. You get more into the action hero self-perception of these pirates. Then adding the irony of Notorious B.I.G., that old school rap and, well, who doesnt like Biggie? And then having shutter shades on the pirates, well, [there] was new-school Kanye in there too. So that was layered in there for that sort of heightened self-image.

The second sequence, that was later. I liked the first one so much and I felt like we needed to make a statement about the whole Captain Phillips moment. I went to my animatorsand were obviously a low-budget film, so when you say, I just had this thought: Could we do another animated you get a lot of blank stares. But I put it out there and offered to outsource it but they were so into it that they went along with it. Using those as set pieces was an evolutionary thing. One was already there and another one came along.

Paste: How was working with your gigantic Somali cast, which you lay out so poignantly in the credits with the dates each became a refugee?

Buckley: It was powerful. When we did Asad down in South Africa, I dont think there had been any Somali films. It was uncharted territory and we learned an incredible amount. Things you can say and couldnt say. Case in point, we wanted people to look like a certain tribe and wear certain colors and they just wouldnt, they walked off my set. Thats very serious. It doesnt matter how much money you have, they dont want to be observed while praying. In the U.S., if someones going to church, nobody says anything, so [we had to learn] that kind of stuff here.

We had a casting director down there training people for three months just to audition. Just to try out for the parts. Eye in the Sky shot down there, so they had a record of people and everyone knows everybody. It was like directing a really big high school play. We both did not have a huge pool of talent, and people cant earn a living by acting. Sabrina Hassan Abdulle, who plays Maryan in the film, she said, I think Im not gonna do [the movie] because I have to work those days youre shooting, and she was the lead female. It doesnt matter because theres a real challenge to survival. Hollywood ideas arent even there. Even after auditioning for months, they could just walk away over seemingly nothing because it didnt really mean anything to them. Understanding those priorities was essential.

When Barkhad [Abdi] came in, whos like the Marlon Brando of Somalia, he called me after he read the script and said, I heard about this script and everyone was asking me if I was in it. I said of course not, another pirate movie is the last thing I want to do. But he liked it and I was thrilled. He came in and did a lot of workshops with the actors. He is so pro-Somalia and so special. He made so much easier.

Every man is his own sultan, that quote from the movie, is basically Barkhad. Somalis are like New Yorkers. You gotta work your way into the culture. And I wanted everything to be authentic. I didnt want to use subtitles because I wanted people to feel like they were there. So we wrote the script and then the script with translations and youre looking at it going, Holy shit this is going to be a seven hour movie. Because remember, one character would say a line and the translator would repeat the line, double it up and double the time. But it all, in the end, worked out.

One of my favorite moments was one of our night shoots. Id told Evan before the movie, If you go along with this thing, its not a movie. Youre gonna go along with this world and youre gonna change. Youre not going to go back in the box. You just want to stay there. So this night shoot was in the middle of the night and Evan and Barkhad I think were done shooting, and they were hanging outside walking around with everyone. Nobody got in their car or got in their trailer, everyone was just hanging out on set shooting the shit, laughing. That was really special.
Gaetan Ruffin rips one of Fort Bill's infamous boulder sections in practice.

A look at the new aluminum swingarm. Commencal has done their best to keep the chainstay length as short as practical. Little is known about the new Rockshox forkeven its name is a secret. The dropped crown may indicate that the stanchion tubes are the same length as the 27.5" Boxxer, and that only the lowers are new.

Spank and Hutchinson are both team sponsors, so they must have known well in advance that Commencal was developing a 29er DH V4 in order to get their ducks in a row to develop wheels and tires in time for the 2017 racing season.

All in: Myriam Nicole, Gaetan Ruffin and Remi Thirion are all riding the 29-inch prototypes at Fort William.

Traditionally, Commencal steers clear of trendy innovations. Its adherence to welded aluminum construction and simple suspension kinematics bear witness to that fact, so it is of great interest that the Andorra-based marquis arrived at Fort William with enough 29ers to outfit the entire team. The new bikes are still prototypes. built around their existing DH V4 chassis, with a new rear triangle and, presumably, linkage ratios that have been adjusted to slightly reduce rear wheel travel to keep the tire from contacting the rider or the chassis and also, to adjust the bottom bracket height for the larger diameter wheels.PB photographer Ross Bell snapped a few shots of the big-wheel Commencal on and off the track. Bell said that the DH V4 29er, "looked real smooth on the track". The team must be in agreement because as of this moment, all will be contesting the BDS round at Fort William on 29ers.
PB photographer Ross Bell captured images of the latest weapon in the wheel war to end all wheel wars. Danny Hart's 29-inch-wheel Mondraker Summum looks to be production quality. The aluminum chassis is dedicated to 29-inch wheels, with different geometry and, reportedly, Danny brought his 27.5-inch-wheel Summum to Fort William to do timed comparison runs and was blown away by the speed of the new big-wheel chassis. Fort Bill is long, fast and rough, and thus has been predicted by many as a showcase for 29ers. If those speculations prove true, Hart could be the most dangerous competitor this weekend.



Danny Hart sets up his Mondraker 29er. Suspension is by Fox. Notice the extra stanchion tube poking above the top crown. Wiggle room built in for future track tuning? To avoid the buzz, Danny has changed to a forward saddle position to clear the rear tire a full compression.
Marieline Jean, who was deported back to Haiti from the United States, covers her face with her hands as she sits at the house where she lives, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Jan. 30. Reuters
North and Central America Proppant Market

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Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is a process that has been used by gas companies since the 1940s. The process involves injecting sand, chemicals, and water into a well under carefully controlled conditions to crack or fracture solid rocks and release trapped gas deposits. The development of hydraulic fracturing technology has led to the usage of proppants. Proppants are used during hydraulic fracturing in order to keep the fissures open for the oil and gas to flow towards the well head. These are primarily of three types such as sand, resin-coated and ceramic.Although the recent plummeting of international crude oil prices has negatively impacted the hydraulic fracturing industry, the overall outlook on the future prospects of the industry is positive. The proppant market is expected to register significant growth in the near future due to anticipated increase in global crude oil prices, which is likely to revamp the global shale industry.Request Report Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-sa-455 Proppant Market: DriversAlthough the crude oil market is going through a slump, increasing energy demands all over the world are projected to provide an impetus to the market. This, in turn, is anticipated to augur well for the hydraulic fracturing- and proppant- market. After witnessing the shale boom in North America, many countries across the globe are exploring shale prospects in respective shale plays. The proppant market is expected to register increased revenues and volumes with shale exploration picking pace in such countries.Proppant Market: RestraintsOne of the key restraints in the proppant market can be attributed to the prevailing low international crude oil prices. The plummeting of crude oil prices makes shale extraction uneconomical and as a result, the proppant market revenues decline due to decreased hydraulic fracturing activity.Request For TOC@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-sa-455 Proppant Market: SegmentationThe proppant market has been segmented into the types of proppants used for hydraulic fracturing. Sand, resin coated and ceramic are the three types of proppants used for hydraulic fracturing. Within the proppant market, sand proppant is most widely used for hydraulic fracturing. However, the type of proppant to be used in coming years most likely depends on the price of crude oil in the international market.In terms of geography, the proppant market has been segmented into North and Central American region wherein the U.S. & Canada and Mexico is considered respectively. Amongst these regions, the North American region accounts for a leading share in the proppant market, both in terms of value as well as volume.Proppant Market: Key PlayersThe key players in the proppant market include U.S. Silica, Carbo Ceramics, and Hi Crush LP Partners.
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Proteinase K is a million dollars market accounting for a small portion in reagents and enzymes. The Global Proteinase K market is classified into two main segments  lyophilized powder form and liquid form. By application the market is segmented as purification of DNA & RNA, in situ hybridization, mitochondria isolation and enzyme removal. Proteinase K is mainly used in contract research organisations, biotechnology companies, academic institutes, and diagnostics laboratories. In terms of revenue, the global Proteinase K market is expected to reach US$ 18.5 Mn in 2016, witnessing a year-over-year growth of 6.1%.A plethora of factors are expected to impact the growth of the global Proteinase K market. A significant rise in research and development activities, lesser production costs, broader application of Proteinase K and good product stability and specificity of Proteinase K will give a massive push to the revenue growth of the global Proteinase K market by the end of the forecast period. A steady rise of chronic diseases and better government-backed investment channels to fund advanced research and development are expected to expedite the expansion of the global Proteinase K market over the period of assessment.Request For Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2399 A slew of research activities, soaring expenditure on personal healthcare and increasing adoption of gene therapy has been significantly high in the U.S. market in the recent years, making North America the most lucrative market globally. As per a report published by the Cancer Society of America, in 2016, the population of cancer patients is skyrocketing within the country. The use of Proteinase K is high in gene therapy for hereditary diseases such as cancer, diabetes and others. The North America Proteinase K market revenue was accounted to be US$ 6.5 Mn in 2015, with the U.S. contributing a majority of revenue share.Segmentation highlightsBy product form, lyophilized powder form segment accounted for higher revenue share in global Proteinase K as compared to liquid form segment. Lyophilized powder from segment is expected to reach a value of US$ 19.2 Mn by 2026, reflecting a CAGR of 6.3% over the forecast period. The growth in lyophilized powder form can be attributed to the increasing advantages of powder form over liquid form in case of storage and preservation of sampleBy application, purification of DNA & RNA segment accounted for highest revenue share in global Proteinase K market as compared to other applications of Proteinase K. Purification of DNA & RNA segment is expected to reach a value of US$ 19.2 Mn by 2026, reflecting a CAGR of 6.5% over the forecast period. This is expected to be followed by mitochondria isolation and enzyme removal applicationSend An Enquiry@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-2399 By end-user, biotechnology companies account for higher demand for Proteinase K as compared to other end user segments such as academic institutes and diagnostics laboratories. The strong growth in biotechnology companies can be attributed to an increasing use of Proteinase K in research and development and new drug discovery. The cost effectiveness of Proteinase K over other reagents is the key factor responsible for its increasing use in biotechnology companies. Biotechnology companies segment is expected to register highest CAGR of 6.7% over the forecast periodRegional market projectionsDemand for research in academics and funding facilities provided by the US government to support gene therapy and other activities for drug development is anticipated to boost the North America Proteinase K market. Followed by North America, APEJ and Western Europe are the most lucrative regions of the global Proteinase K market and are anticipated to grow by 6.1% and 5.7% respectively over the forecast period. Increasing demand for drug development, rising hereditary diseases due to changing lifestyles and growing disposable income are some of the factors expected to contribute to the growth of the global Proteinase K market.Vendor insightsTop companies profiled in the global Proteinase K market report include Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Merck KGaA, Qiagen N.V., Worthington Biochemical Corporation, Sisco Research Laboratories Pvt. Ltd, Promega Corporation, Bioline and F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG among others. Leading market players are adopting different strategies such as product launches and acquisitions to maintain their market share. For instance, in November 2015, Merck KGaA acquired Sigma-Aldrich to strengthen and expand its consumable and reagent portfolio.
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.




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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.
A prominent Kosovo journalist who joined a political party earlier this week in an apparent bid to become a politician has been beaten close to her apartment in Pristina.

Arbana Xharra, who was the editor of the daily newspaper Zeri before joining the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), was reported to have been transported to a hospital after the May 13 attack.

Police said she was listed in stable condition. There were no immediate reports of any arrests.

She reportedly had plans to stand as a PDK candidate in Kosovo's June 11 parliamentary elections.

As a journalist, Xharra was known for articles that accused officials from the PDK and other political parties of corruption and nepotism.

She had been condemned by some politicians and opposition supporters when she joined the PDK earlier in May, saying she wanted to serve citizens and remain a critical voice within the party.

Xharra received the U.S. State Department's International Women of Courage award in 2015 for exposing corruption and writing about religious extremism.

Her reports included names of people responsible for recruiting young Kosovars to join Islamic State (IS) militants to fight wars in Syria and Iraq.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP


Russia has launched multiple suicide drones on Ukraine's southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, wounding people and damaging civilian facilities, the head of the regional military administration said, as fierce battles are under way in the eastern Donetsk region and in the south.

"The occupiers attacked the area massively with kamikaze drones, said Governor Valentyn Reznichenko. Ukrainian air defense destroyed some of the drones, but others hit targets. The Russian forces also used drones in an attack on the city of Dnipro, targeting a logistics enterprise. Reznichenko said four employees were wounded, and three of them are in serious condition in hospital.

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.

Russian forces also bombarded the Nikopol district in the region with Grad missiles and heavy artillery. Reznichenko said the shelling damaged private houses, a factory, and a power line, but no one was injured.



A fire spread over more than 3,000 square meters but was extinguished, Reznichenko said.



Russian troops regularly shell the Dnipropetrovsk region with various types of weapons, in particular the Nikopol, Kryvorizky, and Synelnyk districts.

In Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed Ukraine will not "surrender a single centimeter of our land" in Donetsk, and he thanked Ukrainian troops who are holding positions in the Donbas region.



The epicenter of the battle for the industrial region of Donetsk is around the towns of Bakhmut, Soledar, and Avdiyivka.



"The activity of the occupiers remains at an extremely high level -- dozens of attacks every day," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address late on November 8.



"They are suffering extraordinarily high losses. But the order remains the same: to advance on the administrative boundary of Donetsk region. We will not yield a single centimeter of our land," he said.



Donetsk is one of four Ukrainian regions Russia said it annexed in September following referendums considered a sham by Kyiv and its Western allies.



Fighting has taken place there between Ukrainian military and Kremlin-backed separatist forces since 2014, the same year Russia illegally annexed Crimea in the south.

Zelenskiy said the goal of the Russian troops is to push to the administrative border of the Donetsk region.



"We clearly understand the enemy's plans, so we act accordingly: carefully, thoughtfully, and in the interests of the liberation of our entire territory. We are strengthening our positions, breaking Russian logistics, and consistently destroying the potential of the occupiers to keep the south of our country under occupation," Zelenskiy added.



Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said the most intense battles were taking place in Bakhmut and Soledar where the Ukrainian military repels dozens of Russian attacks per day.



Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the region's military administration, said the city of Bakhmut was badly damaged, and there is not a single surviving house in Avdiyivka, Maryinka, or Krasnohorivka. Russian troops are trying to wipe the cities "off the face of the Earth," he said.



Fierce fighting was also going on on the edge of the town of Snihurivka, in the southern Mykolayiv region, according to Yury Barabashov, the town's Russian-appointed mayor, as cited by Russia's RIA Novosti news agency.



Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russian-installed administration in the southern Kherson region, said on Telegram that Ukrainian forces had tried to advance on three fronts, including Snihurivka.



Vitaly Kim, the Ukrainian governor of the Mykolayiv region, apparently quoting an intercepted dialogue between Russian troops, suggested Ukrainian forces had already pushed the Russians out of the area.



"Russian troops are complaining that they have already been thrown out of there," Kim said in a statement on his Telegram channel.



The information could not be independently verified.



The Ukrainian military said it destroyed two Russian ammunition depots in southern Ukraine on November 8, one in Snihurivka, and one in Kostromka, in the neighboring Kherson region.

WATCH: Paratroopers with Ukraine's 79th Air Assault Brigade say they're holding positions around the small city of Maryinka in eastern Ukraine despite daily Russian attacks.

Russia has mobilized hundreds of thousands of reservists in recent months seeking to stave off an offensive launched by Ukraine to regain Russian-occupied territories.



Kyiv-based military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said on November 8 that 21 Russian conscripts had surrendered to Ukrainian forces around Svatove in the eastern Luhansk region.



"These poor mobilized men -- really poor, they had had nothing to eat or drink in three days -- of course they decided to surrender," Zhdanov said on his YouTube channel.



In the southern Kherson region, a battle between advancing Ukrainian forces and the Russian occupiers has been looming for weeks in the city by the same name, the only regional capital Russia has captured intact since its unprovoked invasion in February.



Kherson is arguably the most important of the four partially occupied Ukrainian regions that Russia says it annexed. It controls both the only land route to the Crimean Peninsula and the mouth of the Dnieper River that bisects Ukraine.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, also commented on the fighting in eastern Ukraine on November 8. He was quoted by TASS as saying that information released about casualties among Chechen fighters near Lysychansk, a city in the eastern Luhansk region, was false.



"Not a single fighter of ours was killed in the aforementioned area," Kadyrov wrote on his Telegram channel, adding that he didn't want to comment on "such falsehoods" but found it necessary "to reassure all sane and concerned people."



Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, released video footage that it said showed a drone strike obliterating a Ukrainian tank that was hiding in an urban area and shelling Russian troops.



"A Russian squad of unmanned aerial vehicles spotted the Ukrainian tank and destroyed it using a precision strike," the ministry said on November 8, according to TASS.



The Ukrainian military's General Staff said Russian troops used drones and artillery on November 8 to shell communities along the Sumy region's border with Russia in northeastern Ukraine. The only damage reported was to utility poles.



Sumy borders three regions of Russia: Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod. The border regions of Ukraine are regularly shelled by Russia.



Neither side's battlefield claims could be independently verified.



The Ukrainian military has accused Russian troops of more looting and destroying infrastructure in Kherson.



"A convoy of trucks passed over the dam of the Kakhova hydroelectric station loaded with home appliances and building materials," the military said.



Russians were dismantling mobile phone towers and taking equipment, it said, adding that near the city of Beryslav, Russian forces "blew up a power line and took equipment from a solar power station."

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and CNN
A Russian-owned group of companies will pay the U.S. government $6 million to settle a wide-reaching money-laundering case that had quietly rippled through U.S.-Russian relations for years.

Federal prosecutors in New York announced the settlement with Russian businessman Denis Katsyv, the owner of Prevezon Holdings, on May 12, just three days before jury selection was set to begin in the case.

Under the settlement, none of Prevezon Holdings' companies admitted wrongdoing.

The settlement brings to a close more than three years of court battles by U.S. prosecutors seeking to seize more than $20 million in real estate and bank accounts from Prevezon.

The assets, prosecutors alleged, were obtained through a series of Byzantine bank transfers that ultimately trace back to the largest tax-fraud case in Russian history. That tax-fraud case, totaling about $230 million, targeted the Hermitage Capital investment firm and was uncovered by a whistle-blowing Russian auditor hired by Hermitage, Sergei Magnitsky.



Magnitsky was himself arrested on charges of collusion to commit tax fraud, and he died in a Moscow pretrial detention center in November 2009, just eight days before he would have either had to be put on trial or released.

His supporters say he was tortured, and a Russian government commission was critical of his treatment while in custody. Russian prosecutors later charged him posthumously with the very crime he helped uncover.

Magnitsky Act



Three years later, the United States passed a law bearing Magnitsky's name that targeted Russian government officials allegedly involved in the original tax crime, as well as those complicit in Magnitsky's death and other alleged human rights abuses.



As of May, there were 44 Russian officials on the Magnitsky sanctions list, including the former head of Russia's Investigative Committee, Aleksandr Bastrykin, and several Interior Ministry officers and tax officials are also on the list. State Duma Deputy Andrei Lugovoi is on the list for his alleged involvement in the 2006 radiation-poisoning death in London of former Federal Security Service officer Aleksandr Litvinenko.



Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York launched the Prevezon case nearly four years ago, but instead of filing criminal charges they opted for a "civil asset forfeiture" proceeding, where the rules of evidence aren't as strict.

U.S. authorities "will not allow the U.S. financial system to be used to launder the proceeds of crimes committed anywhere -- here in the U.S., in Russia, or anywhere else," Joon H. Kim, the acting Manhattan U.S. attorney, said in a statement late on May 12.

The May 13 settlement helps U.S. prosecutors avoid having to establish the underlying circumstances of the original $230 million tax fraud. As it had for years of pretrial wrangling, Prevezon's defense team intended to challenge the facts of the fraud, asserting that the government's case was entirely built on flimsy evidence gathered by Hermitage founder William Browder.

'Modest' Settlement



Prevezon portrayed the settlement as a defeat for the U.S. government and said the arrangement did not constitute a seizure or forfeiture on the part of Prevezon.

"The modest size of this settlement simply underscores the fact that this action should never have been bought in the first place," a company spokesman told RFE/RL in an email.

Hermitage founder Browder, however, described the settlement as "a huge victory."

"This sends a clear message to the people who received that money that it's not safe in the West and will be seized," Browder's statement said. "I believe that this case will give the green light to other countries to follow suit."

U.S. officials had repeatedly sought assistance from Russian prosecutors in gathering material for their case. But in Moscow, the Prosecutor-General's Office not only refused to help, but instead asked their U.S. counterparts for help in building a criminal case against Browder.

Russian prosecutors ultimately charged Browder with tax evasion. He was convicted in 2013 after a trial that was largely seen as politically motivated.



The Washington law firm initially hired to represent Prevezon, Baker Hostetler, sought repeatedly to undermine the prosecution's case, arguing that it was built largely on Browder's material.



Just days before trial's original start date in January 2016, the judge ordered a delay, after Hermitage argued one of the Baker Hostetler lawyers had provided counsel to Hermitage years prior in the tax fraud case, and therefore had a conflict of interest.

An appeals court later agreed and kicked Baker Hostetler off the case.

Last-Minute Motion



Last week, federal prosecutors won a small pretrial victory when U.S. District Judge William Pauley allowed the introduction of crucial banking files compiled by Nikolai Gorokhov, another Russian lawyer who has represented Magnitsky's widow, as part of the docket record.

A day later, Pauley rejected a last-minute motion by Prevezon's new lawyers, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart and Sullivan, to have the entire case thrown out.



Russia has made no secret of its contempt for the Magnitsky Act and the entire narrative that paints a picture of institutionalized high-level Russian corruption.



Several months after then-President Barack Obama signed the legislation into law, the Kremlin retaliated by banning all adoptions of Russian children by U.S. parents. That ban remains in place.



The case rippled quietly through Washington, D.C., more recently.Last year, a Russian-American man named Rinat Akhmetshin, who had worked alongside Baker Hostetler, helped spearhead a quiet lobbying effort to undermine Magnitsky's findings and influence Congress as it sought to pass a broader human rights law modeled on the original Magnitsky law.

Akhmetshin's name then resurfaced last month when a leading Republican senator called for the Justice Department to investigate him and a Washington lobbying firm named Fusion GPS, with which he worked.



Fusion GPS has been linked to the explosive dossier compiled by a former British intelligence officer on President Donald Trump that leaked out during last year's election campaign. Senator Chuck Grassley suggested that some of the anti-Magnitsky lobbying may have been done in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

Adding further to the intrigue, in March, Gorokhov, the Russian lawyer who had also represented Magnitsky's widow, fell from a window of his Moscow apartment building, one day before he was scheduled to appear in a Russian court in a case related to Magnitsky's death.



He remains hospitalized.
A Russian military jet came within about 20 feet of a U.S. Navy Poseidon surveillance plane while it was flying in international air space over the Black Sea near Crimea, the Pentagon said on May 12.

The Russian jet was armed with six air-to-air missiles, making this episode "highly provocative," one official said, as it is very rare for a Russian jet to intercept a U.S. aircraft while visibly armed.

Otherwise, the encounter was "safe and professional," the Pentagon said.

The incident occurred on May 10, one day before Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, the Pentagon said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the Su-30 jet carried out a "greeting maneuver," and after that the U.S. surveillance plane changed its course and flew away from the Russian border.

The aircraft were operating 65 miles south of the Sea of Azov, which separates Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea.

Based on reporting by CNN and Fox News


South Korea's newly elected President Moon Jae-in has urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to play a "constructive role" in resolving tensions with North Korea's over its threats to use nuclear weapons.

Moon's office said on May 12 that the South Korean leader told Putin in a 20-minute phone call that finding a solution to curb North Korea's nuclear threat would help boost cooperation between Seoul and Moscow.

"We hope for Russia to play a constructive role in order for North Korea to stop with its nuclear provocations and go the way of denuclearization," Moon told Putin, according to the South Korean president's office.

The South Korean statement also quoted Moon as saying that Russia was prepared to play a "productive" part in easing tensions.

A brief Kremlin statement said that Putin stressed "the importance of seeking paths to a political and diplomatic solution to the crisis."

Moon said he would like to revive the six-party talks aimed at denuclearizing North Korea, which include the United States, China, Japan, Russia, and the two Koreas. The talks collapsed in 2008 after North Korea launched a rocket.

Tension has been high for months on the Korean peninsula over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests, which it conducts regularly in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions.

Moon's office said he also told Putin he hopes the two countries will be able to cooperate in developing East Asia, including extending a natural gas pipeline from Siberia to South Korea.

Putin said he was ready to help in all of the matters they discussed, and the two leaders invited each other for state visits, the Kremlin and Seoul said.

Moon said he would send a special envoy to Russia soon. The two leaders plan to meet at the Group of 20 summit meeting in Germany in July.

Earlier on May 12, Moon spoke with British Prime Minister Theresa May and German Chancellor Angela Merkel and asked them for help in curbing North Korea's nuclear program as well. Both agreed to do so, Moon's office said.

Moon told Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 11 that resolution of the North Korea issue "must be comprehensive and sequential, with pressure and sanctions used in parallel with negotiations."

Moon's conciliatory approach appears to conflict with that of the White House, which is trying to force Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons through stiff international sanctions and pressure.

While the United States is South Korea's biggest ally, the U.S. State Department said that Washington is open to talks with North Korea only if Pyongyang "ceases all its illegal activities and aggressive behavior in the region" -- a much higher threshold than Seoul is now setting.

U.S. President Donald Trump told NBC News on May 11 that Moon is "more open to discussion. I don't mind discussion, but it's under certain circumstances."

With reporting by Reuters, Yonhap, TASS, and Interfax
Around a hundred people marched on the streets of central Belgrade on May 12 in a protest against what they call the "dictatorship" of Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, who has been elected as the country's new president. Protesters chanted, blew whistles, beat drums, and held signs saying "The elite rejoices, while the people are starving," and "Down with the dictatorship." Vucic won a decisive 55 percent of the votes in the April 2 presidential election, ensuring that he will continue to be the dominant political force in the Balkan country as he pursues an agenda of seeking membership in the European Union while maintaining friendly ties with Russia. (RFE/RL's Balkan Service)
Gulsumoh Sharbatova hasn't seen her donkey for nearly two months, which normally wouldn't be cause for alarm. But that was before reports emerged that donkeys in Tajikistan were turning up dead, their skinned and hoofless carcasses hastily discarded and left to rot.

"I didn't pay attention to it at first," says the housewife from Bulakdasht, a village in the southern Khatlon province. She explains that locals in the mountainous region commonly let their donkeys roam free to graze when there is no work for them to do. But now, with the arrival of spring-planting season, Sharbatova has her son checking area livestock markets in the hope the animal might turn up.

The worst-case scenario is that the animal has already fallen prey to traders selling donkeys, their meat, or other products to buyers in China, where a there is a dwindling donkey population and a booming market for the beast of burden. Particularly sought-after are donkey hides, which are used in Chinese alternative medicines.

The issue first caught the attention of the public and the authorities in January, when a video was posted on the Internet that appeared to show the carcasses of donkeys -- skinned and with their hooves cut off -- dumped near a river in the northern province of Sughd.

Police Task Force

Other incidents followed, including trucks carrying dozens of donkeys being stopped at the Tajik-Kyrgyz border, fueling rumors that donkey meat was being illegally sold in Tajikistan. That led to the establishment of a police task force to look into the matter.

The investigation found that donkey hides processed in Tajikistan were, in fact, being transported by private traders to China via Kyrgyzstan, according to Tajikstandard, a state agency that regulates the safety and quality of consumer goods.

The news helped quash the rumors that the meat was entering the local food chain, something that would not sit well in a country where eating donkey meat is considered taboo and against Tajik Islamic practice. But concerns about public health and the humane treatment of animals remain, and authorities have found that they are ill-equipped to stop what appears to be a growing trade.

In the absence of laws preventing the sale of donkey hides, hooves, or other parts, police and inspectors often rely on violations of sanitary or other regulations to hamper potentially dodgy dealings.

According to Sughd chief prosecutor Habibullo Vohidov, police have established that a private leather factory in northwestern Mastchoh district was involved in processing donkey hides. The practice is not illegal, however, and the head of the company involved was fined for violating sanitary and veterinary regulations.

When a truck carrying 130 donkeys was stopped early this year in the northern district of Ghafurov, it was confiscated and its driver detained for lack of official permission from the state veterinary regulatory agency to transport the animals. In a similar case, three Tajik drivers were detained at the Tajik-Kyrgyz border in January while transporting 120 donkeys, according to the veterinary regulatory agency.

And, after a source close to a police investigation told RFE/RL's Tajik Service that officers in the Ghafurov district village of Chashmasor recorded the slaughter and skinning of more than 40 donkeys in January, they had to wait to act.

"We will take measures against the perpetrators once we establish elements of crime and the violation of laws," prosecutor Habibulloh Vohidov told reporters when queried about the case recently.

Calls For Laws

According to Bakhtiyor Nasrulloev, a Sughd-based lawyer, Tajik law bars the killing of endangered animals. But that certainly doesn't pertain to the country's ubiquitous domesticated donkeys, which reportedly number more than 185,000 and are commonly used in rural areas to work fields or to transport produce, firewood, and drinking water.

In lieu of laws specifically banning the killing and skinning of donkeys, or the processing of their meat or body parts for trade, new laws prohibiting cruelty to animals could help stop people from practicing in the trade.

The lawyer is not alone in calling for preventative measures. In January, the state veterinary regulatory agency sent a letter to Deputy Minister Mahmadtoir Zokirzoda, a copy of which was obtained by RFE/RL's Tajik Service. After listing a number of incidents involving the killing and skinning of donkeys in the letter, the agency called on the government to do more to bring those responsible to justice and to ban or impose regulations on the backroom industry.

The letter said the agency had received "numerous written and verbal requests from Tajik and foreign citizens to obtain licenses for the establishment of businesses for the collection of donkeys, for donkey slaughter houses, and for the export of donkeys." However, the agency added, it considers such requests unacceptable "given the problems faced" in the countries where such requests have been granted.

The letter appeared to be alluding to Tajikistan's eastern neighbor, China, where gelatin rendered from donkey hides is used for an alternative medicine called ejiao and donkey hooves are used in the food industry, according to the Donkey Sanctuary, a British charity group devoted to the welfare of donkeys.

The letter concludes: "We respectfully ask you to inform the Tajik government, the governors of Sughd and Khatlon provinces, the Interior Ministry, and the state security committee to take preventative measures and bring to justice the perpetrators."

Government agencies contacted by RFE/RL said that they were studying the situation, and that investigations were continuing.

RFE/RL's Tajik Service obtained a copy of an official letter in which the government instructed a number of state agencies to study the issue and report back. The government also said that Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda as well as a legal adviser to the president, Mahmadali Vatanzoda, were to be briefed on the situation.

Reining In Business?

In the meantime, the market price for donkeys has doubled -- or even quadrupled -- over the past year in Tajikistan, where villagers say they have noticed an unusual and totally unexpected rise in demand for the animals.

"Buyers tell us that they are purchasing the donkeys for slaughter to ship their skin to China," says Sharif Nazarov, a resident of the northern village of Basmanda. Nazarov says a young, healthy donkey can currently fetch nearly $240, compared to $120 a year ago.

The increasing demand for ejiao in China has reportedly prompted a price hike as well as the illegal slaughter of the animals in several countries across the world, including some impoverished African countries, according to the Donkey Sanctuary.

Tajikistan's own dire economic situation -- the Central Asian country is one of the poorest in the world, with a per capita gross domestic product of only about $3,000 and about 36 percent of its population beneath the poverty line -- leads some to question why the government would shut the door on an opening market.

Safar, a resident of the southern Vakhsh region who didn't want to give his full name, is one of them. The owner of two donkeys suggests that the authorities should legalize the trade of donkeys or related products to provide a source of income for villagers desperate to find jobs.

"Livestock, such as cows and sheep are a source of income for people," Safar says. "If there is a market for donkeys, farmers should use it as an opportunity to generate income."

Meanwhile, back in the mountainous village of Bulakdasht, Sharbatova is fretting about her own livelihood.

"The farming season has begun and we need the donkey more than ever," she says.

RFE/RL's Tajik Service correspondent Orzu Karim contributed to this report.


Authorities in Ukraine are reporting that four civilians were killed when Russia-backed separatists fired into a residential area of the town of Avdiyivka.

One person was seriously injured in the May 13 incident and has been hospitalized.

Donetsk Governor Pavlo Zhebrivskyy posted on Facebook that the shelling happened in the evening and that three of the fatalities were women.

Local police said two children who were in the area were not injured.

The Ukrainian government has been fighting against Russia-backed separatists in parts of the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk since April 2014. More than 9,500 people have been killed in the fighting.

Although Russia denies military involvement in the conflict, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in November 2016 determined the conflict to be "an international armed conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation."

With reporting by UNIAN
Portugal was the top vote-getter in the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest, the annual festival traditionally watched by a television audience of an estimated 200 million people.

Portugal, behind singer Salvador Sobra, was declared the winner early on May 14 in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. The winner was determined by a combination of points awarded by national juries and voting by telephone and text message from participant countries.

Ukraine won the right to host the event by virtue of winning the event last year.

The winning song was titled Amar Pelos Dois, giving Portugal its first victory since it initially entered the contest in 1964.

The final featured performers from 26 countries, including artists from Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, and host Ukraine.

Portugal had 758 points. Bulgaria finished second with 615, while Moldova was third with 374.

Azerbaijan was 14th with 120 points, Belarus 17th with 83, Armenia 18th with 79, and Ukraine 24th with 36.

The 27-year-old Sobral and Italy's Francesco Gabbani, who finished sixth, were touted as the favorites, according to bookmakers. The youngest entrant, Bulgaria's 17-year-old Kristian Kostov, had been ranked third.

Security was reportedly intense, as the country is fighting a conflict against Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine

President Petro Poroshenko announced on Facebook that he was canceling a planned appearance at the event because of a shelling incident in the eastern city of Avdiyivka that left four civilians dead.

This year's competition saw some controversy when Ukraine barred Russia's entry, Yulia Samoilova, from coming to Kyiv because she had performed in the Russia-annexed Ukrainian region of Crimea in 2015.

Russia, in response, decided not to allow her to participate by video or to send another contestant. Russia has also decided not to show the event on television.

Before the final night, it emerged that Bulgarias Kostov had also performed in Crimea soon after Moscow's illegal annexation, but Ukrainian officials said she was allowed to enter Ukraine now because she had been just 14 at that time.

The Eurovision contest began in 1956 with just seven entrants.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP
A United Nations panel on May 12 condemned the "widespread practice of torture" in Pakistan by police, the military, and intelligence agencies, and called on Islamabad to implement urgent reforms.

"The police engage in the widespread practice of torture throughout the territory...with a view to obtaining confessions from persons in custody," the UN Committee Against Torture wrote in its first report on the situation after months of investigation.

The report said Pakistani military forces; intelligence services, and paramilitary forces all "have been implicated in a significant number of cases of extra-judicial executions involving torture and enforced disappearances."

The report noted that several Pakistani bloggers who had criticized extremism and the authorities were tortured during weeks of arbitrary detention, but Islamabad had failed to launch an investigation into any of these cases.

The state has also not acted on cases of people who disappeared or were killed in detention, it said.

The UN urged Pakistan to enact reforms to prevent such abuses of power.

The National Commission of Human Rights, an organization linked to Pakistan's parliament, welcomed the report, saying "the publication could help start a conversation about torture" in the country.

Based on reporting by AFP


43 year old Paras Katariya is a very well known businessman based in Rajkot, Gujarat. The sole distributor of Balaji wafers, he was one of the first owners in the state, of the all new Range Rover Velar, which was launched earlier this year in India.

Priced over Rs 1 crore, Mr Katariya was heading home in his Range Rover Velar from his native village. It is during this time that the car skidded and went off the road. It then ended in a ditch after rolling over. All 6 airbags of the cars inflated. The accident took place near Vanthli town of Junagadh district.

The car got badly mangled. Somehow locals managed to get Mr Kataria to a nearby hospital in Junagadh itself. His family rushed to the hospital and got him transferred to a private hospital in Rajkot. But due to multiple injuries, Mr Kataria could not be saved.

This accident brings to light the fact that no matter how safe your car is, there will never be a 100% safety guarantee. Just a few months back, 22 year old Nishit Narayana, son of a Cabinet Minister in Andhra Pradesh, had been killed in a high speed car crash. He was driving a Mercedes G 63 AMG.

Just like the Range Rover, Mercedes G 63 AMG SUV too is one of the toughest cars to be on sale today. Not only structurally strong, the car comes with a really powerful engine, and top notch safety features. But that does not mean the car can be driven rashly or at high speeds on public roads. Cars can protect you to a certain extent, but it largely depends on how you drive.

Along with safer cars, there has to be safer road sense among citizens. However strong or safe the car be, no car comes with life guarantee. In addition to buying safer cars, one should always make it a point to adhere to traffic rules and speed regulations when driving.
In a first-ever assessment of urban forest vulnerability to climate change in the Chicago region, a team led by the USDA Forest Service concluded that native tree species in a 7-million-acre area may decline while invasive species may thrive with shifts in habitat suitability.

Seventeen percent of the tree species currently present in the region have either moderate-high or high vulnerability to climate change, and 77 percent of individual trees with low vulnerability are invasive species.

"The value of assessing the region's vulnerability to climate change is that it gives decision-makers, land managers and homeowners an opportunity to plan ahead," said Leslie Brandt, a climate change specialist with the Forest Service and lead author of the Chicago region assessment.

"Communities have invested in their urban forests, and the information that we provide can be used to maintain healthy forests that continue to provide services like removing pollutants from the air, reducing energy costs, and managing stormwater."

Published this week by the USDA Forest Service's Northern Research Station, the assessment evaluates urban forests within a region served by Chicago Wilderness, an alliance of more than 200 organizations working to improve quality of life for people and improve natural resources in portions of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The vulnerability assessment documents past and current conditions, and synthesizes the potential impacts of climate change on urban forests in the Chicago Wilderness region. The assessment also presents case studies of assessing vulnerability at the scale of municipal forestry and parks departments and describes future management considerations. The assessment also provides a process for municipalities, park districts, and forest preserve districts to assess their vulnerability to climate change based on impacts and adaptive capacity.

"Chicago Wilderness Region Urban Forest Vulnerability Assessment and Synthesis: A Report from the Urban Forestry Climate Change Response Framework Chicago Wilderness Pilot Project" is available online at. https://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/54128

In the past century, the Chicago region has warmed by about 1 degree Fahrenheit and has experienced a significant increase in precipitation, as much as 3 inches during the summer. Climate modeling for the region projects that:

By the end of the century, temperatures and precipitation will be more erratic.

The mean annual temperature will increase by 2.3 to 8.2 degrees Fahrenheit, with temperature increases across all seasons.

Precipitation will increase in winter and spring over the 21st century, but climate models disagree about how precipitation may change in summer and fall.

Heavy precipitation events have been increasing in number and intensity and are projected to continue to increase further, which could increase runoff and local flooding from stormwater.

Extreme and exceptional droughts may increase in duration, frequency, and spatial extent compared to the end of the 20th century.

Increased temperatures will lead to longer growing seasons and shifts in plant hardiness and heat zones.

"We see this information as an important resource as communities struggle to manage the urban forest with fewer resources," said Lydia Scott, director of the Chicago Region Trees Initiative and a co-author of the report. "They need to have the best science available to assist them to make informed decisions. The urban forest in the Chicago region provides $51.2 billion in compensatory services to the residents who live here, so careful management of this critical resource is imperative."
Glaciers around the world are disappearing before our eyes, and the implications for people are wide-ranging and troubling, Twila Moon, a glacier expert at the University of Colorado Boulder, concludes in a Perspectives piece in the journal Science today.

The melting of glacial ice contributes to sea-level rise, which threatens to "displace millions of people within the lifetime of many of today's children," Moon writes. Glaciers also serve up fresh water to communities around the world, are integral to the planet's weather and climate systems, and they are "unique landscapes for contemplation or exploration."

And they're shrinking, fast, writes Moon, who returned to the National Snow and Ice Data Center this month after two years away. Her analysis, "Saying goodbye to glaciers," is published in the May 12 issue of Science.

Moon admits she was pretty giddy when an editor at Science reached out to her to write a perspective piece on the state of the world's glaciers, because of her research knowledge and extensive publication record. "There was some serious jumping up and down," Moon says. "I thought, 'I've made it!' Their invitation was an exciting recognition of my hard work and expertise."

But the topic, itself, is far from a happy one. Moon describes the many ways researchers study glacier dynamics, from in-place measurements on the ice to satellite-based monitoring campaigns to models. And she describes sobering trends: The projection that Switzerland will lose more than half of its small glaciers in the next 25 years; the substantial retreat of glaciers from the Antarctic, Patagonia, the Himalayas, Greenland and the Arctic; the disappearance of iconic glaciers in Glacier National Park, Montana, or reduction to chunks of ice that no longer move (by definition, a glacier must be massive enough to move).

In her piece, Moon calls for continued diligence by the scientific community, where ice research is already becoming a priority.

Moon says she got hooked on glaciers as an undergraduate in geological and environmental sciences at Stanford University, when she spent a semester abroad in Nepal. "For the first time I saw a big valley glacier, flowing through the Himalaya," she said, "and I thought it was about the coolest thing ever. After studying geology, the movement and sound of the ice, right now, made it feel almost alive.'"

That experience kicked off a research career that has taken Moon to Greenland, Alaska, Norway, and to conferences around the world. She began her work "merely" as a geologist and glaciologist, interested in ice itself, Moon said. Only later did the influence of climate change come to play in her work.

"I think I'm about as young as you can get for being a person who started in glaciology at a time when climate change was not a primary part of the conversation," says Moon, who is 35.

She is consistently sought out by journalists hoping to understand Earth's ice, and she's sought out in the scientific community as well, recognized as someone who likes to collaborate across disciplinary boundaries. She recently worked with a biologist in Washington, for example, on a paper about how narwhals use glacial fronts in summertime -- the tusked marine mammals appear to be attracted to glaciers with thick ice fronts and freshwater melt that's low in silt, though it's not yet clear why.

After a couple of post-doctoral research years, at the National Snow and Ice Data Center and then the University of Oregon, Moon and her husband headed to Bristol, England, where she took a faculty position at the University of Bristol's School of Geographical Sciences. When it became clear that her husband's work wouldn't transfer, the two determined to head back to the Rocky Mountains.

Moon started back as a researcher at CU Boulder's National Snow and Ice Data Center, part of CIRES, May 1.
The things we touch while shopping can affect what we buy, according to studies by Bocconi Department of Marketing's Zachary Estes and University of Innsbruck's Mathias Streicher.

In "Touch and Go: Merely Grasping a Product Facilitates Brand Perception and Choice," published in Applied Cognitive Psychology, they conduct a series of experiments and show that blindfolded people induced to grasp familiar products (a bottle of Coke, for example) under the guise of a weight judgement task are then quicker in recognizing the brand name of the product when it slowly appears on a screen, include more frequently the product in a list of brands of the same category, and choose more often that product among others as a reward for having participated in the experiment.

The authors suggest that tactile exposure to the object "activated the conceptual representation of that object, which then facilitated subsequent processing of the given object."

In "Multisensory Interaction in Product Choice: Grasping a Product Affects Choice of Other Seen Products," published in Journal of Consumer Psychology, via another series of experiments, Estes and Streicher demonstrate that grasping an object can facilitate visual processing and choice of other seen products of the same shape and size. "For instance," explains Estes, "when you're holding your mobile phone in your hand, you may be more likely to choose a KitKat than a Snickers, because the KitKat is shaped more like your phone. What we find is that consumers are significantly more likely to choose the product that is similar to the shape of whatever is in their hand. For instance, when confronted with a choice between a bottle of Coke and a can of Red Bull, participants who held a bottle of Fanta were more likely to choose a bottle of Coke, but those who held a can of Fanta more often chose the can of Red Bull. These studies show that our hands can lead us to choose certain products."

However, there are two caveats to this effect, one situational and one personal. The situational constraint has to do with visual density. That is, some product arrays are very sparse, with plenty of space between the products, whereas others are very dense, with many products placed right next to one another. It turns out that when the visual array is overcrowded the hands have an even larger influence on product choice. "As visual perception becomes less reliable," the authors write, "tactile perception assumes a greater role in the recognition of object shape."

The second constraint is more personal: it depends on one's "need for touch," or how much people like to touch products while shopping. Some people really like to pick products up and feel them, and others don't. As expected, the scholars find that the hands have much more influence on product choice among those consumers who really like to handle products.

"These results have direct implications for product and package designers and marketing managers," Estes concludes. "For one thing, distinctive product shapes like Coca-Cola's iconic bottle design can provide a powerful source of brand identity and recognition. Second, consumers tend to choose products that are shaped like the things they often hold, like a mobile phone, a wallet, or a computer mouse when shopping online. Product designers could create packages that mimic those commonly held forms, and marketing managers can accentuate this effect of product touch by placing several products near one another, and by encouraging consumers to touch the products on display."

Watch Zachary Estes explaining his research: https://youtu.be/EJBvv3YZ004
Daimler AG, together its subsidiaries, develops and manufactures passenger cars, trucks, vans, and buses in Germany and internationally. It operates through Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans, Daimler Trucks and Buses, and Daimler Mobility segments. The Mercedes-Benz Cars segment offers premium and luxury vehicles of the Mercedes-Benz brand, including the Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach, and Mercedes-EQ brands; small cars under the smart brand name; and ecosystem of Mercedes-Benz under the Mercedes me brand, as well as vans and related services under the Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner brands. Daimler Trucks and Buses segment offers its trucks and special vehicles under the Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Western Star, FUSO, and BharatBenz brands; and buses under the Mercedes-Benz, Setra, Thomas Built Buses, and FU brands, as well as bus chassis. The Daimler Mobility segment provides financing and leasing packages for end-customers and dealers; and automotive insurance brokerage, banking, investment, and fleet management services under the Athlon brand. It also sells vehicle related spare parts and accessories. Daimler AG was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany
Its Saturday afternoon and Emily and Lucy are gleefully bouncing on a bed, occasionally swooping down to kiss their baby brothers cheek or pat his fuzzy little head.

The siblings  Emily is 3, Lucy is 20 months and Tomas is 5 months  are enjoying some rare play time because each lives with a different family, in a different home, in a different city. They are genetic siblings  conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF) with eggs and sperm from the same donors  but each born to a different mother.

As the toddlers giggle and Tomas coos on his back, their mothers look on and smile. The three women, who were strangers a few years ago, share a bond forged when Ana, Emilys mother, donated embryos, left over after she had completed her own family, to the other women.

The three families  from Hamilton, Toronto and Kitchener  get together every few months so the children will grow up knowing each other as siblings.

The three moms, three dads and three children are forming a new family dynamic, entering into unknown territory as they develop bonds they hope will last a lifetime.

Im sure this is not going to be easy, but I just keep thinking of Emily, says Ana, whose kitchen wall includes photos of Lucy and Tomas, whom Emily refers to as my sister and my brother. I dont want her to come to me at 18 and say, Mom, I have this brother and sister, why didnt you let me have a relationship with them?

When couples struggling with infertility undergo IVF  thats when an egg is retrieved and fertilized in a lab with sperm to create an embryo that is transferred to the uterus  multiple embryos are sometimes created to maximize the chance of getting pregnant. If the initial transfer (or transfers) is successful, there can be leftover embryos. Couples typically choose to destroy surplus embryos or keep them frozen in a storage facility for use at later time.

Ana was fortunate to get pregnant right away, which meant there were 22 left over embryos. She didnt plan to have more kids and decided to donate the extras to women struggling to become moms, which would give Emily siblings.

Embryo donation is quite rare, says Dr. Jeffrey Roberts, president of the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society, a non-profit professional organization that represents those working in assisted reproduction. The reason for this isnt demand  which is high  but a lack of available supply, he says. People are often reluctant to donate surplus embryos, particularly if theyve used their own eggs and sperm. They cant bear the thought of their genetic child being raised by someone else.

Ana didnt have that concern as she was not genetically related to the embryos. She just didnt know how to proceed until she discovered Beginnings Family Services, an adoption agency in Hamilton that is the only agency in Canada that facilitates embryo donation. It is there that the three families connected. They agreed to share their story with the Star, but asked that they be given pseudonyms to protect their childrens privacy.

ANA, BOB AND EMILY

After trying to get pregnant naturally for two years, Anas family doctor broke the news: At the age of 32, Ana was in premature menopause. She and her partner Bob were devastated.

I just always assumed I would be a mom, so when I couldnt (conceive) and that was taken away from me, it was like my body failed, says Ana. (Bob) was amazing and supportive ... He said Try not to stress about it, we will have a child.

When she was in her late 30s, she mustered up the courage to undergo IVF. The Hamilton couple opted for donor eggs and, because of Bobs family history of cancer and multiple sclerosis, donor sperm. Canadian law prohibits the sale of sperm, eggs and embryos so they turned to U.S. companies. They chose donors with a clean bill health, of similar European descent to themselves and who were open to being contacted by any offspring after age 18. (Both donors relinquished all legal parenting rights.)

The female donor was given medication to stimulate her ovaries to harvest as many eggs as possible. Twenty-three mature eggs were retrieved and fertilized, to make 23 embryos.

Initially, Ana wasnt fazed by the large amount of embryos  if the initial transfer into her uterus didnt result in a pregnancy she could keep trying. But she didnt need to.

When I found out I was pregnant, I was over the moon, she says.

By the time Emily was born in late 2013, Ana was 40. I thought if I have one (child), Im blessed.

That left Ana and Bob with 22 embryos and the ethical dilemma of what to do with them: Freeze them, destroy them, give them to scientific research, or donate them.

Maybe its my Catholic upbringing but I see (embryos) as future children, says Ana. Knowing how hard it was to become a mom, she felt donating made the most sense.

There arent many clinics in Canada that have embryo donation programs. Those that do are either open, meaning the donor selects or knows the recipient, or anonymous, which means the donor doesnt know who gets the embryos.

Both options are potentially problematic, says Kerry Bowman, an assistant professor of bioethics at the University of Toronto. Allowing the donor to choose a recipient can raise human rights issues if someone is discriminated based on race, religion or sexuality. Some recipients are uncomfortable with an open process because it may involve another set of parents in the childs upbringing. On the other hand, with an anonymous program donors can wind up with biological offspring they dont know.

People have to be really, really well informed as to how all of it can play out, Bowman says. We have to project ourselves 15, 20, 25 years forward. If in fact there is a child produced, what will that be like? What will that child want to know? What are the chances of a child meeting a biological sibling they didnt know existed?

Ana asked herself those questions and wanted to choose the recipient. Beginnings, the largest private adoption agency in Ontario, allowed her to do that.

A shortage of babies available for adoption spurred the non-profit agency to start its embryo donation program in 2010. To date, the agency has worked with 29 embryo donors, resulting in the birth of 10 babies, says Mary Howlett Nero, the embryo donation program co-ordinator.

The agency matches counsels and assesses donors and recipients and refers them to lawyers, who draw up the legal agreements. The recipient pays about $10,000 to cover the agency fees, legal work and fertility clinic fees. The donor doesnt incur any costs.

Beginnings embryo donation program is modelled on the Snowflakes program, which was started in 1997 by Nightlight Christian Adoptions in the U.S. Nearly 1,200 families have donated unused embryos to that program, resulting in about 500 Snowflake babies, so-called because they were once frozen.

Beginnings open process allowed Ana to negotiate the terms of a future relationship with the recipient family. She wanted Emily to have siblings  and to know them.

LARA, DAVE AND LUCY

After about four frustrating years of trying to become parents, Lara and Dave considered embryo donation.

By then, the Toronto couple had undergone four rounds of IVF using their eggs and sperm, Lara had surgery to correct a uterine malformation, and the couple registered with nine adoption agencies, including Beginnings.

There were times when my family and friends had said, Maybe you should consider a life without children,  says Lara. That wasnt an option for me ... My whole life thats all I ever really wanted  to be a mom.

Thankfully, (Dave) was incredibly supportive and on the same page ... Thats why we were trying pretty much everything.

As they waited to adopt a child, Beginnings suggested signing up for embryo donation. A few months later they were notified Ana had chosen them.

The first meeting was emotional. Lara was thankful for a shot at motherhood, and Ana was grateful her daughter would have a sibling. The initial contract was for four embryos, but if Lara and Dave were successful, wanted to try for siblings but had no embryos left, they could request another four. To date, the couple received eight embryos.

The first transfer involved two embryos and Lara became pregnant with one child.

I couldnt believe it was true, says Lara, who had spent five years trying to conceive. I was so convinced that there was no possible way that the universe was going to let this happen.

Lara had an amazing pregnancy. She regularly sent Ana updates and ultrasound photos of Lucy, who was born in the summer of 2015. But the women were in contact for another reason: Ana still had surplus embryos and was looking for another recipient family. She wanted Laras input.

I was so excited there would be another family, says Lara. I love the idea of this extended network of people who love your kids  The idea that our kids would have each other and shared experiences really appealed to us.

SUE, FRANK AND TOMAS

It wasnt infertility that led Sue and Frank to Beginnings. It was heartbreak.

In 2014, the couple had a baby girl who died of a rare heart disease when she was 5 months old.

Concerned it was a genetic condition, they couldnt bear to go through that ordeal again and the Kitchener couple met with an adoption counsellor who told them about Beginnings embryo donation program.

I loved the idea of carrying a child, having that bond, says Sue. Its like having your own child, its just not genetically linked to us.  Taking our genes out of the equation but still being able to become parents was very big for us.

Sue contacted Beginnings around the same time Ana was looking for another recipient couple. Ana was moved by their story.

I cried, says Sue recalling her first meeting with Ana. This woman, a stranger, is giving me the chance to become a mom again.

Sue and Frank received five embryos. An initial transfer of two embryos wasnt successful. A second then a third transfer also failed. They were crestfallen. Another four embryos were donated. From that batch, the first transfer of two embryos resulted in a single pregnancy.

Last summer, as Sues belly grew bigger by the day, she and Frank got a sneak peak of what their child would look like when the three families got together and they met Emily and Lucy for the first time.

It was kind of weird because you look at them and think Wow, thats what my kid is going to look like.

When Tomas was born in November, Ana and Lara were among the first to get the news. And Sue has leaned on them since. When Tomas recently fell ill with a respiratory virus, landing him in hospital for three days, Sue immediately called the other moms to ask if their girls had experienced anything similar.

We have a special bond, says Sue. Weve all struggled to become parents and we all want the same things for our kids: to be happy and to know their stories.

FOURTH FAMILY

The parents say theyre committed to staying in touch and laying the groundwork for these siblings to have a special relationship.

Reproductive health psychologist Patricia Gervaize of the Ottawa Fertility Centre, who has worked in the field for more than three decades, applauds their efforts.

This is the perfect example (of embryo donation) because I think more than anything we need to consider the potential impact on the children, says Gervaize.

Yes, this turns our traditional understanding of family on its head, but if you consider everyone gives consent  the donors, the intended parents, even the medical staff performing the treatments  except those most directly involved, the children, it just makes sense to me they should have full information and then be able to make choices on the basis of that as they grow.

Lara is already thinking of the future.

The real benefit is going to be when theyre older, as teenagers, and talk about identity, and ask questions like Who am I?  says Lara. Im hoping that if we do a good job as parents over the early years that theyll feel connected and turn to each other as a support system  That theyll have some comfort in having each other and knowing that each has been raised in the same situation.

By then, there should be even more siblings. Earlier this year, Lara transferred another one of her embryos and is now four months pregnant.

Between the three couples, eight embryos remain (two embryos did not survive the thawing process)  Ana and Bob have three, Lara and Dave have three and Sue and Frank have two. They are considering pooling them to donate to a fourth family.

Meanwhile the couples marvel at how similar their children are. Theyve all got the same big almond-shaped eyes, long eyelashes and big lips.

I never thought much about what the baby would look like before she was born,  says Ana. I just wanted a baby and a chance to be a mom. Now that all the kids look like their siblings, it just makes it more special and unique to them and their story.

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OTTAWAA Canadian Forces corporal charged with sexual assault and drunkenness has been found not guilty on both counts by a military court.

Cpl. Simon Cadieux was charged last year following an alleged incident in Jamaica in November 2015, where he was serving as a member of the Canadian Special Operations Regiment.

But the Department of National Defence says military judge Lt.-Col. Louis-Vincent dAuteuil cleared the charges following a court martial at CFB Petawawa.

Despite the non-guilty verdicts, the military says Cadieux could be subject to an administrative review to see if he broke the militarys code of conduct.

Such reviews can lead to remedial measures, including forced release from the military.

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Ontarios health ministry is on high alert to ensure that computer systems at the provinces 145 hospitals remain secure following an unprecedented global cyberattack that hit Lakeridge Health in Oshawa.

In a statement on Saturday, Lakeridge Health confirmed Fridays cyberattack caused unexpected computer downtime at our hospitals, but said the impact was not like what weve been hearing about worldwide.

Our antivirus systems apparently disabled the virus, which was not able to seriously impact our network, the statement said. No health information was compromised and we did not lose any data. Most importantly, patient care was unaffected. It continues to be business as usual at our hospitals.

Almost all of our areas were up and running again by Saturday afternoon, the statement said.

Lakeridge Health has five hospital sites in Durham Region.

Believed to be the biggest attack of its kind, the malware targeted vulnerabilities in computer systems in almost 100 countries. Britains National Health Service was affected, forcing hospitals to close wards and emergency rooms, and to turn away patients.

According to a provincial government source, the emergency management branch of Ontarios health ministry opened a command centre at its downtown Toronto offices Friday afternoon to provide technical assistance to any hospitals experiencing trouble. And the office of the ministrys chief information officer established a call centre to aid the sector.

The ministry has pointed all hospitals to a patch, or software update, which must be installed to protect against ransomware infections, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to provide an interview.

We were ready for this with an emergency management protocol for cybersecurity threats. The hospitals are currently updating their systems, he said, adding there will be an incident review once the threat has passed.

Lakeridge Health was not among the many hospitals that had already installed the software update, available from Microsoft since March, said the source, who was unable to specify the exact number that had.

But through calling a Code Grey at the first sign of trouble on Friday, it was able to protect its computer systems by rolling out an emergency preparedness protocol. This involved temporarily disconnecting from the Internet. The hospital briefly lost access to patient records, the source said.

Oshawa remained in a Code Grey Saturday morning as IT experts continued to work on the problem with the aim of first fixing the computers in the ER and critical care departments. Connection to patient records had been restored but performance was still not optimum, the source explained.

They have identified the deficiency in the system and are hopeful that this downtime will be over later in the day (Saturday), he said, adding that patients and ambulances were never diverted.

A Lakeridge Health spokesperson Lloyd Rang said they dont know for certain yet what enabled the attack because the focus has been on fixing the immediate problem.

There will be a full review of the events leading up to the incident and if there are any issues that need to be addressed, we will do so in the fullness of time, he said in an interview Saturday.

Fridays global ransomware attack, unprecedented in scale, had technicians scrambling to restore Britains crippled hospital network and secure the computers that run factories, banks, government agencies and transport systems in many other nations.

The worldwide cyber-extortion attack was so unprecedented, in fact, that Microsoft quickly changed its policy, announcing security fixes available for free for the older Windows systems still used by millions of individuals and smaller businesses.

The cyberattackers took over the computers, encrypted the information on them and then demanded payment of $300 or more from users to unlock the devices. As people fretted over whether to pay the digital ransom or lose data from their computers, experts said the attackers might pocket more than $1 billion worldwide before the deadline ran out to unlock the machines.

The malicious software behind the onslaught appears to exploit a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows that was supposedly identified by the U.S.-National Security Agency for its own intelligence-gathering purposes and later leaked online. Computers that had not been updated with the Microsoft patch were vulnerable to attack.

A representative from Public Safety Canada said the Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre is aware of the reported attacks, but made no mention on whether any Canadian users were affected.

In a statement Saturday, the Ontario Medical Association said there were no reports of any OMA members being affected by what it called a massive co-ordinated ransomware attack, that appeared to have affected only one hospital in the province.

Spokespersons for UHN and St. Michaels Hospital told the Star their systems had been updated and were not affected. Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre was also not affected, a spokesperson said.

Ransomware attacks hit two Ontario hospitals last year  Ottawa Hospital and Norfolk General Hospital in Simcoe  but affected only a handful of machines.

The provincial government source said the ministrys IT department promptly contacted all hospitals Friday to warn them about the global cyberattack. The department messaged them with the necessary security information about the risks and the preventive measures.

He said he has never heard of a case of an Ontario hospital being forced to pay ransomware.

Atty Mashatan, a professor at Ryerson Universitys School of Information Technology Management, said it was nothing more than a fluke that Canada appears to have been spared the worst of Fridays ransomware attack, which is most commonly spread via a link in an email.

This one wasnt really a targeted attack at all . . . . They usually run this campaign and hope to infect as many devices as they can, she said. This time around we were lucky.

With files from Star wire services

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Over-policing of your speech versus over-policing of your body, your existence. Guess which one infuriates supposedly objective Canadian journalists so much theyre willing to put money towards it?

Cruel is the defence and glorification of a wrongdoing by influential people entertaining themselves by playing victim.

You may be familiar by now with the outrage over Hal Niedzvieckis editorial in Write, the magazine for the Writers Union of Canada, that begins, I dont believe in cultural appropriation. It then blames the monotonous whiteness of CanLit subject matter on the fear of cultural appropriation. It discourages writers from taking up the challenge, says the writer.

Ah, stupid me for thinking the subject matter remains exhaustingly white and middle class because others are not allowed to tell their own stories.

However, that controversy is now so two days ago. It was swiftly dealt with. The union apologized, the writer resigned, the editorial was taken down from its website.

This wasnt some blowhard trying to erase minority experiences. This was flippancy from an I-didnt-know-how-bad-it-was guy. Its harsh to lose ones job over cultural ignorance. At the same time, cultural experience isnt valued and keeps deserving candidates out of jobs.

As it did with author Joseph Boydens questionable indigenous ancestry, the medias white establishment closed ranks. Just as Globe and Mail columnist Konrad Yakabuski decried the lynching of Boyden, Walrus magazine editor-in-chief Jonathan Kay condemned the mobbing of Niedzviecki as sad and shameful.

Just who should be ashamed here?

Then late Thursday night, the story took a disheartening turn.

The column in an issue devoted to indigenous literature also called for an Appropriation Prize for best book by an author who writes about people who arent even remotely like her or him.

So, naturally, in the spirit of reconciliation with indigenous people, Ken Whyte, who once ran the National Post and Macleans, tweeted he would donate $500 to fund an actual appropriation prize.

It didnt end there.

He got takers. High-profile journalists from the CBC, Macleans, the National Post and the Ottawa Citizen  who daily sit down to drive what is supposed to be an unbiased, objective news agenda  offered hundreds of dollars in support.

Take a moment to digest this. For it is rich.

The very people in a position to offer opportunities of expression to all people, but dont, are rallying righteously for the freedom of expression for a few.

The move shocked even the now-chastened Niedzviecki.

Calls for an actual appropriation prize are extremely unhelpful, he wrote on Facebook. They do not represent me in anyway. In the short article I wrote, the satiric notion of the prize was brought up in jest  ie. how can we encourage writers of all backgrounds to explore points of view other than their own? Thats all I meant.

Appropriation is a complex topic, the snap judgment of which comes from headlines, but the understanding of which lies in the fine print.

Niedzvieckis point in the column wasnt entirely without merit, although his expression of it is beyond redemption. Can one group ever write about anothers stories? Of course, they can, and they do. Given that majority of writers are white, if these writers didnt tell the stories of other peoples, those stories would never be told.

Theres a difference, though, between allyship and appropriation. Fighting for the idea that we should all have the freedom to tell each others stories is a mere affectation, a call to action for a phony cause, when it comes from the only group of people that gets to tell those stories. This is white people saying, allow us to tell other peoples stories because were not going to let the others tell them.

The best-case explanation for the ill-advised support for the appropriation prize fund is they all thought it was a joke.

Did you hear the one about those people who cant use the Whites Only door? They finally got a magazine where they all got to write and, like, one of our own topped it with a piece gutting this whole appropriation thing, and all those people are spouting their usual rage.

Haha. Heres my money.

If ever anybody needed confirmation that our media powerbrokers comprise inward-looking people protecting their own privilege while talking diversity, this was it.

Dismissing the concerns of the few colleagues who dont look like them just confirms the cluelessness of the default flagbearers of the fourth estate.

Instead of being compassionate about the rage they saw stemming from the pain of exclusion, they ridiculed the marginalized among their own colleagues and readers they profess to represent.

This is such a betrayal.

Shree Paradkar tackles issues of race and gender. You can reach her @shreeparadkar

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Shortly after the attempted coup last July against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans regime, Inan Korkmaz found out from an online government decree that his government scholarship had been cancelled.

The Queens University computer engineering student also learned his educational credentials would not be recognized in Turkey because he was connected with the FETO  short for Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organization, which is how the Turkish government refers to the movement it claims was behind the July 15 coup.

With his postgraduate studies and status in Canada in jeopardy, Korkmaz went to the Turkish Embassy in Ottawa for assistance. Instead, officials there seized his passport, according to his asylum claim filed in January.

The government shut down my bank account and my family couldnt send money to help me, said Korkmaz, 29, who came to study in Canada in 2011 on the scholarship and was granted asylum in March.

They said my name was given by the intelligence service in Turkey. Unfortunately, they couldnt do anything for me and must take away my passport, he said. Im not political or anti-government. Im innocent. Everyone is so afraid of this regime. I am so worried for my family in Turkey.

In the aftermath of the failed coup  and the subsequent purge of thousands of workers accused of being dissidents  Canada has seen a spike in asylum claims from Turkey. The 55,000-strong Turkish-Canadian community has also become increasingly polarized, with distrust and accusations of witch hunts against anyone deemed to be a sympathizer and supporter of the so-called Gulen Movement.

Erdogan has blamed the bloody attempted coup on Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based former cleric billed as the spiritual leader of a movement that promotes a tolerant form of Islam, altruism and education.

More at thestar.com

Toronto academics protest Turkeys purge of scholars

Turkey detains editor of leading opposition newspaper

According to the Immigration and Refugee Board, the number of refugee claims from Turkey almost quadrupled last year, to 1,106 from just 303 a year prior. Some 82 per cent of the claims were accepted, compared to the 63 per cent average for all refugees.

Mehmet Caman, a visiting political science professor at Newfoundlands Memorial University, has tried to avoid the turmoil back home after he said he received a letter earlier this year from his boss at a Turkish university saying he was under investigation.

Caman, who has extended his sabbatical in Canada, said the dismissals and arrests of thousands of judges, public servants, journalists and academics in Turkey seem to be part of a political purge.

We have a president as the head of the state who, de facto, has the entire power and control of the country. With the takeover of power, the constitution is no longer valid. Theres no rule of law in Turkey now, said Caman, who taught in Germany for 15 years before coming here in 2015.

There have been many reports of certain individuals being denied services like applying for power of attorney and birth certificates for their newborns here in Canada. These irregularities have never been seen before in the last 20 years. It is an uncomfortable situation for everyone in the community.

Turkeys ambassador to Canada, Selcuk Unal, said he could not comment on the specific allegations against his government but felt some people are trying to take advantage of the political situation in Turkey for asylum.

Any person wanted and searched by the home authorities, we ask questions to the person. It is the same for every country, Unal told the Star in an interview, denying the allegations of political purges levelled against the current Turkish regime.

This issue about this terrorist group is real. They have infiltrated in different private and public institutions. We have detained 70,000 alleged members of the group but 25,000 of them have been cleared after investigations.

Unal also played down the divisiveness within the diasporic community in Canada as a result of the failed coup, and the impact of the April referendum that has expanded the powers of President Ergodans office.

In any democracy, there are different opinions. We had 51.5 per cent of people voting for the constitutional changes and 48 per cent of people against it, said Unal. Its same for the Quebec (separation) referendum. Differences in and outside of Turkey are normal.

The Nile Academy, a Gulen-inspired private school in Toronto, has blamed the crackdown on Gulen followers for its falling enrolment after the 2016 attempted coup.

We registered more than 200 students from Turkey for September. Almost everyone withdrew their registration, said a spokesperson for the school, who asked his name not be used for fear of repercussion.

Some of the families were not in a good financial situation because of the political condition. Some had their passports and visas suspended by the government. Others decided to attend other private schools because they were afraid our high school diplomas are not going to be recognized.

In April, some Toronto MPs received an email from a person identified as Ayesenur Dereci, who said she represented the Canadian Youth & Education Foundation (CAYEF), a non-governmental Turkish organization in Toronto with a mandate to raise respectful youth to its national and spiritual values.

I would like to bring to your kind attention a flyer regarding an event on April 9 Sunday at Montecassino Hotel in Toronto, said the email from Derecis CAYEF address that was obtained by the Star.

I would like to inform you that this event has no relationship with the Turkish Canadian Community or the wider Muslim community. The organizers are directly linked with Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) who are the perpetrators of July 15 coup attempt in Turkey.

The email also requested that recipients not attend the event.

Toronto MP Rob Oliphant (Don Valley West) said he is aware of concerns raised by the Turkish-Canadian community at meetings he has attended.

I understand people do bring their interests, concerns and passion from their country when they come to Canada, but this is not the place to play out these conflicts in another country, said Oliphant. These conflicts need to stay in that country.

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WASHINGTONTheres a house on fire, flames shooting every which way. And the fire department has decided to sit around and scoff at the people waving their arms and asking them to do something.

Every American schoolkid learns that their government has a system of checks and balances that keeps a wayward president from taking a torch to the federal government. An astonishing week in Washington shows that it only works if the people involved dont have a self-interested reason to check out.

By any objective standard, U.S. President Donald Trumps acts and words over the last five days have undermined Americas commitment to the rule of law, to the independence of federal law enforcement, and to basic norms of honesty from public officials. If not yet a constitutional crisis, Trump has sparked crises of credibility and legitimacy, perhaps the countrys gravest democratic test since the Watergate scandal of the 1970s.

Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump

He is also safe from repercussions, at least for now.

Republicans are in control of Congress. And they have no desire to do anything to hurt the president still beloved by the voters who also vote for them.

After Trump fired FBI director James Comey on Tuesday, numerous Republicans pronounced themselves troubled or some variation of the same. After Trump had another Twitter meltdown on Friday, in which he threatened Comey by suggesting he had secretly taped their White House conversations, members of the congressional leadership grumbled anonymously to the website Axios that the madness has to stop.

But they appeared unprepared to take any actual action. Fantasizing about a House impeachment? For the time being, Republicans wont even call in an independent lawyer. Congressional leaders brushed aside calls from Democrats, and others, for a special counsel to investigate the relationship between Trumps campaign and Russian meddling in the election.

Their operative philosophy was expressed by Sen. Chuck Grassley: Suck it up and move on.

They were, as always, backed up by a Fox News-Breitbart-Drudge obfuscation axis, a media machine that treats every Trump fiasco as an excuse to scrutinize liberals for any hint of hypocrisy and the mainstream media for any hint of bias. The day after Trump admitted on television that Russia was on his mind when he made the firing decision, Fox was still suggesting that Democrats were inventing conspiracy theories.

Even Foxs own digital politics editor felt compelled to issue a plea for perspective.

This is deadly serious stuff. And many of the presidents supporters seem either unaware or unwilling to confront the situation as it exists, Chris Stirewalt wrote. Just because one thinks that Democrats are hysterical in their responses to Trump does not mean that Trump is doing the right things.

Trump-era news cycles are measured in minutes, not 24-hour days, and the firing will inevitably fade from headlines after Trump does something unrelatedly outrageous. Yet Trumps behaviour in the aftermath of the firing made Grassleys advice seem especially irresponsible.

To recap, here is what Trump did even before he decided on Thursday to invite questions about whether he was recording his Oval Office guests without their knowledge.

He ousted the FBI director who was investigating whether his campaign associates colluded with the Russian interference. He falsely claimed he had only done so at the recommendation of a respected deputy attorney general.

Then, in the same breezy tone he used to brag about the size of his election victory, he said that Russia was on his mind when he made the decision  an admission that any other politician might only have surrendered if tricked on a witness stand or subpoena-forced to hand over private documents.

As usual, the nonchalance of his self-incrimination may have made the remark appear like less of a significant revelation than it was, allowing him to escape scrutiny on the strength of sheer chutzpah. Still, his flagrant dishonesty about why he had acted turned a rule-of-law debacle into a credibility debacle that may damage his ability to deal with a future crisis not of his own making.

Trumps own reputation for honesty was already shot. When his team wants to reassure people that it really means something, it sometimes dispatches Vice-President Mike Pence. But Pence, too, offered a wholly inaccurate rationale for the firing. So did Trumps three principal spokespeople.

Read more:

My dinner with Trump: Comey wouldnt pledge his loyalty when the president asked

Trump threatens Comey: Better hope there are no tapes of talks

Trump threatens to cancel White House briefings, says it is not possible to always tell the truth

They have lost all credibility, which could be crucial in the future, said Ilan Goldenberg, director of the Middle East Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. If they were to announce that Iran had begun violating the nuclear agreement, he said, would anyone believe them?

Goldenberg, formerly of the State Department, said the turmoil will itself cause harm. Preoccupied with self-inflicted wounds, he said, the administration is not spending enough time equipping itself to handle global issues.

When that crisis comes, and it inevitably will, they will likely be wholly unprepared for a number of reasons, he said.

Philip Crowley, an assistant secretary of state under Barack Obama, said the week shows an administration operating in a mode of functional chaos.

I dont think the decision itself is harmful in terms of foreign policy, but it reinforces a broad perception that his administration is still dysfunctional, Crowley said. No one knows if something said today will have the same meaning tomorrow. That is a problem if it is not corrected soon.

Republican recalcitrance and all, the Russia questions do not appear to be vanishing as fast as Paul Ryan and company would like them to. For now the FBI appears doubly determined to conduct the investigation without favour. Bipartisan investigations continue. And whether out of ego, guilt or sheer foolishness, Trump himself seems unable to stop talking about the whole thing.

Peter Feaver, a Duke University political science professor who served on George W. Bushs national security council, said he thinks the matter will eventually be handed over to an independent commission.

Because, without that commission, this is going to suck the life out of the Congress, Feaver said.

Trump opponents can only hope.

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Kirby Corporation operates domestic tank barges in the United States. Its Marine Transportation segment provides marine transportation service and towing vessel transporting bulk liquid product, as well as operates tank barge throughout the Mississippi River System, on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, coastwise along three United States coasts, and in Alaska and Hawaii. It also transport petrochemical, black oil, refined petroleum product, and agricultural chemicals by tank barge; and operates offshore dry-bulk barge and tugboat unit that are engaged in the offshore transportation of dry-bulk cargo in the United States coastal trade. As of December 31, 2021, it owned and operated 1,025 inland tank barge, approximately 255 inland towboat, 31 coastal tank barge, 29 coastal tugboat, 4 offshore dry-bulk cargo barge, 4 offshore tugboat, and 1 docking tugboat. Its Distribution and Services segment sells after-market service and genuine replacement part for engine, transmission, reduction gear, electric motor, drive, and control, electrical distribution and control system, energy storage battery system, and related oilfield service equipment; rebuild component parts or diesel engine, transmission and reduction gear, and related equipment used in oilfield service, marine, power generation, on-highway, and other industrial applications; rents generator, industrial compressor, high capacity lift truck, and refrigeration trailer; and manufactures and remanufactures oilfield service equipment, including pressure pumping unit, as well as manufacturers electric power generation equipment, specialized electrical distribution and control equipment, and high capacity energy storage/battery systems for oilfield customer. It serves to various companies and the United States government. The company was formerly known as Kirby Exploration Company, Inc. and changed its name to Kirby Corporation in 1990. Kirby Corporation was founded in 1921 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Intu owns and manages some of the best shopping centres, in some of the strongest locations, in the UK and Spain. Our UK portfolio is made up of 17 centres, including eight of the top-20, and in Spain we own three of the country's top-10 centres, with advanced plans to build a fourth. We are passionate about creating compelling experiences, in centre and online, that make our customers smile and help our retailers flourish. We attract around 400 million customer visits and 26 million website visits a year offering a multichannel approach that truly supports retail strategies. Our strategic focus on prime, high-footfall flagship destinations, combined with the strength and popularity of our brand, means that intu offers enhanced footfall, dwell time and loyalty. This helps our tenants flourish, driving occupancy and income growth. We are committed to our local communities, with our centres supporting nearly 130,000 jobs (representing about 3 per cent of the total UK retail workforce), and to operating with environmental responsibility. We have already met or exceeded a significant number of our 2020 environmental targets.
Kazakhstan has confirmed it will be participating in Expo 2020 Dubai. The announcement comes just weeks before the Central Asian nation hosts its own Expo in the capital city Astana.



Kazakhstan is the latest country to publically confirm it will have a pavilion at the first World Expo in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region. In total, 180 countries are expected to take part.



Through its overall theme, Connecting Minds, Creating the Future, Expo 2020 Dubai will be a platform to foster creativity, innovation and collaboration that gives people a glimpse into the future, guided by its three pillars: Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability.



Khairat Lama Sharif, ambassador of The Republic of Kazakhstan to the UAE, delivered a letter from Bakytzhan Sagintayev, Prime Minister of The Republic of Kazakhstan, confirming the nations official participation in Expo 2020 Dubai to His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee.



Kazakhstans own Expo  Astana EXPO-2017  with the theme of Future Energy opens its doors on June 10. The UAE is one of the nations taking part, formally announcing its participation more than two years ago, and will have the largest pavilion. The UAE was the first Arab country to confirm participation and aims to help Kazakhstan achieve its long-term goals by taking part.



Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and director general, Dubai Expo 2020 Bureau, said: Kazakhstans participation in Expo 2020 Dubai builds on the strong relations between our two countries that date back more than 25 years and also witnesses yet another important window opening for Expo 2020 Dubai.



Kazakhstan is a thriving country with a lot of successful institutions, both in the public and private sectors, that are drawn to the opportunities Expo 2020 will present in terms of innovation and culture.



We would like to welcome Kazakhstan as it joins us on our journey to 2020 and beyond.



Astana Expo-2017 will focus on technologies for obtaining energy from renewable sources, such as wind and solar power. It is a Specialised Expo, which is dedicated to finding solutions to a precise challenge of humanity. Although the ambition is similar to a World Expo, they are smaller in size.



The theme of Astana echoes that of Expo 2020 Dubai and also reflects the ongoing co-operation between the countries in fields such as electric power, renewable energy and green economy.



Prime Minister Sagintayev said: The UAE and Kazakhstan share strong relations that are founded on a spirit of mutual understanding and respect, and a common willingness to promote these relations. We also share a vision for a cleaner future, powered by renewable energy  as demonstrated by the themes of our respective Expos.



The experience we will gain from hosting a global event of the scale of Astana EXPO-2017 will be invaluable for our participation in 2020.



We look forward to both Expos being inspirational and unforgettable experiences for people around the world.



Prime Minister Sagintayev added: Our experience in Astana Expo-2017 makes us appreciate the importance of Expos of all sizes and we hope our participation in Expo 2020 Dubai will help communicate its themes, including the issue that we are addressing in Astana: Future Energy.



The ties between the UAE and Kazakhstan go deeper than expos. It is estimated that between 5,000 and 6,000 people from Kazakhstan live in the UAE.



Kazakhstan has also been an important trading partner for the UAE for a quarter of a century. Bilateral non-oil trade has grown substantially in recent years, reaching nearly $185 million in 2015.



Meanwhile, UAE investments in Kazakhstan grew to $2 billion between 2005 and the first quarter of 2016, with about 200 Emirati companies operating in the country. Aldar Properties, for example, is building Abu Dhabi Plaza in Astana, Kazakhstan. The mixed-use development will be the largest tower block in Central Asia when completed.



The two nations are also keen to strengthen ties in a number of areas, including trade and investment, energy, mining, infrastructure, transportation, logistics, agriculture and food security. Like the UAE, Kazakhstan has laid out plans to diversify its economy away from oil.



Kazakhstan and the UAE also share close diplomatic ties, establishing diplomatic relations on October 1, 1992. In October 2005, the UAE opened an embassy in Astana. Less than a year later, in September 2006, Kazakhstan opened its embassy in the UAE.



In January, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Nursultan Nazarbayev, president of The Republic of Kazakhstan, held talks during the presidents official visit to the UAE. President Nazarbayev also visited Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, which this year was held under the theme Practical Steps Towards a Sustainable Future.



Last month, President Nazarbayev conferred the Jubilee Order and Medal on His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in recognition of his efforts to strengthen relations between the two countries, as part of the 25th anniversary of Kazakhstans independence.



In announcing its participation, Kazakhstan joins many other countries from around the world to have publically confirmed they will take part in Expo 2020 Dubai, which opens on October 20, 2020 and closes six months later, on April 10, 2021. More national participation announcements are expected in the coming months. - TradeArabia News Service
- The increased prices of basic commodities have forced the government to import maize from Mexico

- However, Kenyans are reading foul play in the process after the maize arrived in just three days

- Kenyans believe there is a big scandal behind this

In the last two months, Kenyans have had to cope with skyrocketed prices of basic commodities such as maize flour, sugar and milk.

A 2 kg packet of maize flour has been trading at well above KSh 150, a packet of milk above KSh 80 and a kilo of sugar above KSh 200.

This, for many Kenyans, is unimaginable and inconceivable.

READ ALSO: Millie Odhiambo's impressive CV that will throw you off the chair

This outcry forced the government to draft a supplementary budget bill which was quickly debated in parliament and passed.

The president assented it before he flew to England for conference on AMISOM mission in Somalia.

Within three days of passing the bill, on Friday, May 12, a cargo ship docked at the port of Mombasa with 335,000 bags of Mexican maize.

READ ALSO: 19 dead, scores severely injured after being forced to board bus to Busia

The maize, according to Agriculture CS Willy Bett, will be distributed to millers and Kenyans should expect flour prices to drop significantly in the next two weeks.

It is quite early to say exactly when and by how much the prices will come down but I assure you they will, Bett said.

However, Kenyans are now reading foul play in the whole process.

READ ALSO: Joho to lead special task force to ensure Uhuru's downfall

A section of Kenyans have questioned the speed with which the maize was moved from Mexico in North America to Kenya.

Some believe that some cartels hoarded maize and sugar with the aim of importing to make profits.

Others believe it was a scheme by the government to loot taxpayers' money, just like in the NYS an Eurobond scandals.

Subscribe to Tuko youtube channel to watch more interesting

The government has, however, denied hoarding maize at the expense of Kenyans.

Deputy President William Ruto was on record 10 months ago saying that the Jubilee administration will never allow importation of maize to protect local farmers.

Watch the latest episode of TUKO HOT:

Have something to add to this article or suggestions? send to news@tuko.co.ke

Source: TUKO.co.ke
The Polish Journalists Association has called on the Russian authorities to immediately release Ukrinform correspondent Roman Sushchenko, emphasizing his detention contradicts the international law and European standards.

This is said in the Association's statement, published on its website.

"The Polish Journalists Association calls on the Russian authorities to immediately release Ukrainian journalist Roman Sushchenko and reminds that holding a foreign journalist in a pretrial detention center without convincing evidence of the criminal activity contradicts the law and European standards," the statement reads.

As noted, the Polish Journalists Association jointly with other Ukrainian and international journalistic organizations "is very actively involved in the completion of criminal proceedings in the case and prompt release of Roman Sushchenko."

As reported, Ukrinform correspondent in France Roman Sushchenko was arrested in Moscow on September 30, where he arrived on a private visit. He was accused of espionage, allegedly being a member of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. The Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate denied allegations of the Russian Federal Security Service.

The Russian court ruled at its closed hearing on October 1 to arrest the journalist for two months.

October 7, the Russian Federation officially charged the Ukrainian journalist with spying. Sushchenko denied any guilt.

November 28, the Lefortovsky District Court of Moscow extended pre-trial detention term of Ukrinform correspondent Roman Sushchenko until January 30, 2017.

January 25, the Lefortovsky District Court of Moscow extended pre-trial detention term of Ukrinform correspondent Roman Sushchenko until April 30, 2017.

April 26, the Lefortovsky District Court of Moscow extended pre-trial detention term of Sushchenko until June 30, 2017.

The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry confirmed that Ukrinform correspondent Roman Sushchenko is not a staff employee of the Defense Intelligence.

Roman Sushchenko works with the Ukrainian National News Agency Ukrinform since 2002 and is agency's own correspondent in France since 2010.

ol
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko will make a state visit to the Republic of Malta on May 16-17.

This is reported by the press service of the Head of State.

"May 16-17, 2017, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko will make the first state visit to the Republic of Malta in the history of bilateral relations between the states," the statement reads.

During the visit to the country, which currently holds the EU presidency, the Head of the Ukrainian State is going to meet with the President of Malta, the Prime Minister of Malta and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Parliament.

It is also planned to sign a number of bilateral documents that will contribute to the intensification of cooperation between Ukraine and the Republic of Malta in various fields.

ol
The Ukrainian World Congress hopes for continued support of the new leadership of France in furthering European integration of Ukraine.

This is said in the letter of congratulations to President-elect of France Emmanuel Macron, sent by Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) President Eugene Czolij.

"The Ukrainian World Congress and its member organizations trust that the Ukrainian people can continue to rely on France in the defence of Ukraines territorial integrity and furthering its European integration," Czolij said.

The UWC President also expressed gratitude to France for its unwavering support of Ukraine at a time of considerable political uncertainty for the European continent, exacerbated by the disinformation campaign of the Russian Federation.

As a reminder, Emmanuelle Macron defeated far-right candidate Marin Le Pen in the second round of the presidential election on May 7.

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Boston, MA (UroToday.com) Luis Felipe Savio, University of Miami, assessed survival of bladder cancer patients according to smoking intensity using a large cancer registry database. Smoking is a well-known risk factor for bladder cancer and associated with inferior survival outcomes following treatment, however, the dose-response effect is less well understood.Using the Florida Cancer registry from 1981-2009 a total of 68,001 patients diagnosed with urothelial carcinoma were identified. Of these, 12,793 patients had individual level smoking intensity records. Smoking intensity was assessed according to packs per day.The majority of patients were male (74%), white (96%), non-Hispanic (91%) and presented with locally advanced disease (77%). After controlling for patient demographics and pathology including socioeconomic status and tumor stage, increased smoking to 1 or more packs per day more than doubles the risk of mortality than patients who are never smokers. When smoking status assessed according to gender, female patients had improved survival when compared to male patients (HR 0.87: 95% CI 0.84-0.90, p<0.001), respectively.The findings must interpreted in the context of the study design. First, the authors mention the smoking status was assessed at the individual level, however, most cancer registries link cancer registry data with census level smoking status. One questions the accuracy of this individual level assessment of smoking status using this registry. Moreover, the lack of number of years smoked is an inherent limitation. Second, lack of more robust clinical and pathologic information limits which patients may be at greatest risk for mortality. Third, the study lacks controlling for potential confounders including occupation, treatments rendered, smoking cessation and follow-up.In summary, this study provides further evidence to suggest increased smoking intensity leads to worse survival outcomes. Our institution is currently merging databases in order to assess for this and other poor prognostic indicators for survival among cancer patients including those who underwent radical cystectomy for bladder cancer.Presented By: Luis Felipe Savio, University of MiamiWritten By: Stephen B. Williams, M.D., Assistant Professor in Urology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX. and Ashish M. Kamat, M.D. Professor, Department of Urology, Division of Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX.at the 2017 AUA Annual Meeting - May 12 - 16, 2017  Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Boston, MA (UroToday.com) Benedict Kranzbuhler, Zurich, Switzerland, assessed utilization of upper tract imaging in the surveillance of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and upper-tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) free survival. Given the current health care climate aimed at improving value based care defined as outcomes over costs we need improved methods at reducing costs while upholding quality of care.The authors performed a retrospective study assessing patients diagnosed with NMIBC from 2003 to 2013 at their institution. They assessed computerized tomography imaging used in surveillance and 5 to 10 year UTUC-free survival.A total of 315 patients were studied. There were a total of 396 CT scans assessed of which 230 CT scans were obtained for surveillance purposes. The majority patients were male (80%), median age 60 years with pathology at diagnosis being Ta (66%), T1 (31%) and CIS (3%). Median follow-up was 56 months.The 5 and 10 year UTUC-free survival was 98.5% and 97.6%, respectively. Only 4 patients had UTUC recurrence. Only 2 of those recurrences were identified by surveillance CT. A total of 150 CT scans would need to be obtained to detect one UTUC recurrence.The authors concluded 1.2% UTUC recurrences detected on surveillance with only 0.6% detected by upper tract CT imaging. These findings support further large prospective evaluation of appropriate and less costly surveillance regimens in these patients. The findings need to be interpreted in the context of the study study design. First, the study is retrospective with inherent selection bias. Second, the low use of CT surveillance imaging is not in accordance with current guidelines. Third, radiology interpretation of imaging is critical and may limit the generalizability of these findings. Lastly, other confounders such as smoking and occupation were not controlled in the present analysis.In summary, the authors propose a timely value-based question and further research in a larger cohort (preferably randomized) may elucidate the omission of upper tract imaging as a surveillance strategy among NMIBC deemed low-risk (i.e. former or non-smoker with low risk NMIBC) for recurrence.Presented by: Benedict Kranzbuhler, Zurich, SwitzerlandWritten By: Stephen B. Williams, M.D., Assistant Professor in Urology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX. and Ashish M. Kamat, M.D. Professor, Department of Urology, Division of Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX.at the 2017 AUA Annual Meeting - May 12 - 16, 2017  Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Boston, MA (UroToday.com) The inflammatory response due to traction or stretch injury to the neurovascular bundle (NVB) during radical prostatectomy (RP) has been cited to exacerbate urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction post-RP. Dr. Hao Nguyen and colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco, explores the use of AmnioFix in a retrospective review of 362 consecutive robot-assisted RP patients.AmnioFix was applied to 138 (38%) patients undergoing RARP at an academic center, with the primary goal of decreasing time to continence recovery. In both time to pad-free status and overall pad status at follow-up, AmnioFix appeared to be advantageous. Those in the AmnioFix group reached pad-free continence at a mean of 2.84 months (64% reached <1 pads within 6 months), while the control group took an average of 3.20 months (only 48% reaching <1 pads within 6 months). After adjusting for PSA, prostate weight, nerve sparing, age, race, and CAPRA risk, AmnioFix significantly increased the likelihood of using <1 pads within 12 months post-RP (HR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.10 to 2.10, p=0.011).Overall, this study was most limited by its retrospective nature and small sample size. The majority of RARPs performed with AmnioFix were done by a single surgeon at a single institution, preventing analysis of surgeon-dependent influencers. Further, nerve-sparing status and age were also independent predictors of better continence return following RARP. While the pre-emptive mitigation of injury to the NVB may be advantageous, nerve-sparing and age remain important determinant factors for continence. A multi-institutional, randomize control trial is necessary to evaluate the full impact of AmnioFix, after controlling for inter- and intra- surgeon factors.Authors: Khaled Refaai, Hao Nguyen*, Ameli Niloufar, Wang Huiqing, Matthew Cooperberg, Peter Carroll, San Francisco, CAPresented by: Hao Nguyen (MD) the University of California, San FranciscoWritten By: Linda Huynh (BS), an assistant research specialist from the University of California, Irvine, on behalf of UroToday.comat the 2017 AUA Annual Meeting - May 12 - 16, 2017  Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Boston, MA (UroToday.com) The work presented in this abstract represent an interesting and under-studied phenomenon in prostate cancer screening. While certain controversy exists regarding the impact and appropriateness of PSA screening in various settings, little is known about the patient-level decision-making process to accept or refuse PSA screening. The authors of this abstract aimed to measure which patients tend to refuse screening using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) dataset.They identified men from NHANES from 2001  2008 without a history of prostate cancer, recent prostate manipulation, or hormonal therapy use (n=6,032). Although the granular characteristics about the types of discussions, etc, that were had with each patient could not be analyzed, this data represents a real-world snapshot of the type of patient-physician interactions occurring around the discussion of PSA screening.Interestingly, 95% of the identified population chose to undergo PSA screening after discussion with their physician, though given the time period studied, screening was far more indiscriminate. Men most likely to refuse screening were those older than 80yrs of age, black men (OR: 2.53; p<0.001), divorced/separated men, men with less than a high school education, and men with a pre-existing non-prostate malignancy.Some of these findings are not surprising; indeed, older men should not be routinely screened in the first place and men with more competing risks (e.g. other malignancies) are poor candidates for routine screening. Unfortunately, the data clearly identifies black race as an independent predictor for refusal of screening.This study adds to a growing body of evidence demonstrating that even though African American men have higher risks for aggressive prostate cancer, they are screened and treated less than white men. The history of medicine and African Americans in the United States is long, complicated, and often frankly unethical. Refusal by black men to undergo medical screening may be the result of this complex cultural memory. More must be done to improve outreach to this population.Authors: Philipp Gild, Nicolas von Landenberg, Nawar Hanna, Ye Wang, Steven L Chang Boston, MA, Mani Menon, Detroit, MIFelix K.H. Chun, Margit Fisch Hamburg, Germany, Quoc-Dien Trinh Boston, MAAffiliation: Multi-institutionalWritten By: Shreyas Joshi, MD, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PATwitter: @ssjoshimdat the 2017 AUA Annual Meeting - May 12 - 16, 2017  Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Pests known as fall armyworms are destroying crops in southern Africa and have spread north to affect 20 countries.

The fall armyworm is an invasive species that is native to North and South America, said Sina Luchen, regional agronomist for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Johannesburg, South Africa.

"These types of shocks normally affect the poorest people, the most vulnerable farmers, and in [sub-Saharan Africa] up to 70 percent of the people derive their food security and livelihoods from agriculture," Luchen told VOA.

Africa has its own species of armyworm, but Luchen said that the fall armyworm has been more harmful because farmers were not aware of the pest and may have been slow in reporting it to authorities.

The fall armyworms destroy maize crops before turning into moths to travel to their next destination. To date, they have destroyed about 300,000 hectares of maize, according to the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico.

The pests have destroyed crops in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique and Swaziland. More recently, farmers in Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda are saying their farms have been hit by the fall armyworms.

A farmer in Kirundo, Burundi, said the local harvest has been decimated.

"If we were to show you our farms, you would be shocked to see the damage they have caused," she told VOA's Central Africa service.

In neighboring Rwanda, the military has joined the fight by airlifting pesticides to affected regions and spraying the crops.

The pests are difficult to eradicate since they have a short life cycle and procreate in abundance. During a two-week life cycle, a moth will lay up to 2,000 eggs, typically on young maize plants. When the larvae hatch, they burrow into the plant and destroy it.

"We, frankly, had no solution," said a Rwandan farmer. "We would spray the crops today, but they would resurface the next day. Now that we have pesticides, I believe this will work, although we would've preferred to have the pesticides a little early. It would have made a difference."

FAO's Luchen said pesticides are also costly. For instance, he said, Brazil has spent up to $600 million per year to manage the armyworm. These farmers do so by applying two sprayings per week while the crop is growing, a costly process that may not be affordable for African farmers.

"That is an intense use of pesticides," Luchen said. "Our farmers in Africa cannot afford the costs of such use of pesticides."

Luchen said the FAO is hoping to teach a more low-cost and eco-friendly approach to combating the fall armyworm.

"What we are advocating for is the use of an integrated approach which looks at not only chemical applications, but also looks at biocontrol. It looks at the use of surveillance systems in order to have early detections to ensure that when interventions are necessary, it will be effective, because this pest is quite tenacious," he said.
Soldiers left their barracks and blocked streets in several towns and cities across Ivory Coast on Friday, including the commercial capital Abidjan, firing gunshots into the air as their protest over a pay dispute gathered momentum.

The uprising began overnight in Bouake, the second largest city, before spreading quickly, following a course similar to a mutiny in January by the same group that paralyzed parts of the country and tarnished its image as a postwar success story.

In Abidjan, the soldiers, most of them ex-rebel fighters who helped bring President Alassane Ouattara to power, erected improvised barricades around the national military headquarters and the defense ministry, sealing off part of the city center.

The National Security Council held an emergency meeting, a defense ministry source said.

The soldiers were revolting over delayed bonus payments, promised by the government after the January mutiny but which it has struggled to pay after a collapse in the price of cocoa, Ivory Coast's main export, caused a revenue crunch.

On Thursday, a spokesman for 8,400 soldiers who took part in the January rebellion said they would forgo demands for more money after meeting with authorities in Abidjan.

The decision was rejected by at least part of the group.

"The [defense] minister doesn't want to negotiate. We've understood and we're waiting for him to come and dislodge us. We're ready," said one leader of the January mutiny who had remained in Bouake. "We don't want to negotiate any more either."

Troops in the towns of Odienne, Man and Korhogo also took to the streets in protest, residents and military sources said.

'This Isn't Normal'

Office workers fled through the streets of Abidjan's administrative quarter as gunfire rang out in the morning near the military headquarters and defense ministry, which were seized by the mutinying troops.

"This isn't normal. If there's a demand to be made, I think it has to be done peacefully," said Lacine Tia, who works in the city center.

A Reuters witness saw three pickups carrying elite Republican Guard troops, who fired warning shots at the mutineers. A standoff in the heart of the city ensued with around 100 elite soldiers and armored vehicles surrounding the camp.

Before nightfall, a delegation including the Military Chief of Staff General Sekou Toure and the heads of the Republican Guard, Special Forces and National Gendarmerie briefly entered the camp before leaving around 20 minutes later.

"They're definitely putting on a better show of force this time. ... They're definitely stronger [than in January]," one Abidjan-based diplomat said, referring to the government's response to the unrest.

President Ouattara, the defense and interior ministers and the security forces' leadership convened an emergency meeting to discuss the uprising.

"Of this group of 8,400, some have understood the message. Others haven't understood the message. We're not negotiating," Defense Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi told Reuters. "Those who don't accept this decision must simply leave the army."

Ivory Coast emerged from a 2002-2011 conflict as one of the world's fastest-growing economies. But deep divisions persist, particularly in a military assembled from ex-rebel and loyalist fighters.

The government paid the 8,400 troops behind January's rebellion bonuses of 5 million CFA francs ($8,370) each as part of an agreement to end that mutiny.

The soldiers were due a staggered payment of an additional 7 million CFA francs. But they said the government asked for a delay in payment to ease financial pressure on the Treasury, citing a collapse in cocoa revenues.
Participants at Thursday's international conference on Somalia say they will support a plan aimed at enabling the country's fledgling and poorly-equipped army to defeat al-Shabab militants and take over national security from African Union troops.

Troops with the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), consisting of more than 20,000 soldiers from five East African countries, are due to start leaving the country next year.

In anticipation of the pullout, the Somali government recently reached agreement with the country's federal states to strengthen the national army, police and intelligence agencies.

"We want to see the integration of Somali regional forces and an increase in Somali capacity, as this will be crucial in allowing the resumption of offensives against the remaining al-Shabab strongholds in southern Somalia," said British Prime Minister Theresa May, addressing the conference in London.

As part of this pact we want to see more detailed plans for Somali security reform so that Somalia can take responsibility for its own security and enable the drawdown of AMISOM troops as conditions on the ground allow, May added.

At the conference, Somalia appealed to the United Nations to fully lift a longstanding weapons embargo so the national army can obtain heavy weapons.

"Time has come for Somalia to be able to get access to qualitatively better weapons than terrorists," Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed told the conference.



The president said his country also needs a "robust economic program" to fully recover from a quarter-century of war and chaos.

The insecurity situation cannot be changed without addressing its root causes, which is abject poverty and mass unemployment. Too many of our young generation are sitting idle, creating fertile ground for terrorists to recruit from, he said.

Now is the time for the international community to support the plan, said Djibouti's Ambassador to Somalia, Aden Hassan Aden.

"Somalis are fed up with lawlessness and its leadership is ready, and the international community is showing an interest to help Somalia. So we have to all seize the opportunity, he said.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for another $900 million in aid for the drought-stricken country, reports the Associated Press.

"Somalia now hangs in the balance between peril and potential,'' Guterres said at the opening of the conference Thursday. Here in London we can tip the scales from danger to safety.''

Mogadishu residents react

In Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, where militants frequently carry out attacks, people are closely following the conference on national TV and live streams from the social media.

Abdiwali Abdullahi Husein, a resident in Mogadishu, said he thought this conference was no different from previous meetings on Somalia held abroad.

It looks to me the same as the previous conference. Of course there is a change of time and people in power at the conference, but nothing major," he told VOA's Somali Service.

But another resident, Abdurahman Ali Khaire, believes the conference heralds peace and stability for Somalia. I believe that this conference will result in better fruits than previous conferences, and it would extend an opportunity for the new government," he said.

Another resident critical to the conference says unless Somali leaders prove themselves effective and united in action, international support will not help.

If a patient goes to a doctor and the doctor does not prescribe the proper medication, that would not cure the disease. Somali leaders must fix their problems and ask the world to assist, said Salad Ilmi Ahmed. You cannot put the cart before the horse.
President Salva Kiir is appealing to South Sudanese to remain calm, saying there will be no outbreak of violence after he fired army chief General Paul Malong, who left the capital Tuesday night with a number of armed military officers.

Kiir called a rare news conference Friday to speak publicly for the first time since firing Malong this week. The president faulted Malong for leaving Juba before he could officially swear in his successor, General James Ajongo, but insisted that changes in army leadership are normal.

He also said he was mystified as to why Malong would be angered by his replacement.

"I didn't talk to him this morning. I found that he was resting because yesterday, his blood pressure shot up very high because when I talked to him last, he was not in a good mood. He was in a fighting mood. I tried to calm him down, but he was rather wild," Kiir told reporters in the capital, Juba.

Kiir tried to tamp down fears that Malong might be planning to mount a rebellion against the government.

"The security situation remains normal and all citizens are urged to continue with their routine duties, because there is really nothing that people should worry about. I also want to encourage you to stop inciting fear through the spread of unfounded rumors," Kiir said.

There have been unconfirmed reports that Malong was heading to his hometown of Aweil to set up a military base. Aweil residents expressed fear there could be clashes between government forces and those allied with the general. Many fled to rural areas for fear violence would break out.

Malong and his soldiers ended their journey toward Aweil in the Eastern Lakes State capital, Yirol, after local officials persuaded Malong not to proceed.

Government officials sent a plane to fly Malong back to Juba on Thursday, but the general declined the ride, seeking guarantees for his security before returning to the capital.

Eastern Lakes State Governor Bor Wutchot Bor told VOA's South Sudan in Focus that Malong was not being detained and was his guest at his state residence.

Kiir said his government would ensure that Malong and the army officers with him were safe. He said Aweil community leaders were also talking with Malong to discourage him from resorting to violence.

South Sudan is mired in its fourth year of conflict since fighting erupted between pro- and anti-Kiir factions in December 2013. The United Nations says more than 1.8 million South Sudanese have fled the country, with another 1.9 million internally displaced from their homes.
A suicide bomber has struck the convoy of an Islamic party in southwestern Pakistan, killing at least 25 people and wounding more than 40 others. Most of the victims were activists with the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), a religious-based political party.

Police said Friday's attack occurred in Mastung, about 50 kilometers from the provincial capital, Quetta. The blast apparently was targeted at Abdul Ghaforr Haideri, the deputy chairman of the Pakistani Senate, the upper house of parliament.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the deadly bombing.

The senator was slightly wounded but his driver and the director of staff at the Senate accompanying him both were killed, officials confirmed.

Haideri is a central leader of JUI-F, which is part of Pakistans ruling coalition headed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's party.

The cleric told reporters he was returning from a graduation ceremony at a religious seminary when their convoy was struck.

"It was all very sudden. I am injured but alive. God has saved my life. Broken pieces of the windscreen hit me. My driver and other people sitting next to me were very badly injured," Haideri said.

WATCH: Pakistan Reels From IS-claimed Suicide Attack

Police and witnesses said the bomber was on a motorbike and that his body parts were retrieved from the site in the province of Baluchistan. It's the largest of four provinces where a number of militant groups operate.

IS has stepped up attacks lately in Pakistan. The Syria-based terrorist group also took credit for the suicide bombing of a Sufi shrine in the southern city of Sehwan in February that killed more than 70 people. Victims were mostly members of the minority Shi'ite Muslim community.

Baluchistan borders Afghanistan and Iran, and officials in both the countries have long alleged militants waging terrorist attacks on their soils operate out of the Pakistani province. Islamabad denies the charges.
The former captain of the Costa Concordia cruise liner was sentenced to 16 years in prison on Friday by Italy's highest court for his role in the 2012 shipwreck, which killed 32 people off the Tuscan holiday island of Giglio.

Francesco Schettino was originally found guilty in 2015 of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning his passengers.

Friday's ruling marked the end of the appeals process, with the court upholding the initial verdict.

Free during the prolonged legal battles, Schettino, 56, reported to a Rome prison to start his sentence as soon as he was told of the verdict, his lawyer Saverio Senese said.

"As always, Italy needs to find a scapegoat," Senese told reporters, adding that his client had waited for word of his fate alone outside the prison gates rather than stay at home with his family in southern Italy.

The Costa Concordia was carrying more than 4,200 passengers and crew, when it hit rocks off Giglio on a chill January night, tearing a hole in its side and eventually keeling over.

Schettino was lambasted by the Italian media and branded "Captain Coward" for leaving the stricken ship while a chaotic night-time rescue operation was in full flow. Critics accused him of bringing shame to the whole country through his actions.

At his first trial prosecutors had asked for a 26-year term.

Schettino admitted some responsibility but denied blame for the deaths that occurred during the evacuation and said he was not solely to blame.

His lawyer said he might appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

"I think there have been serious abuses here," Senese said. "I never give up."

Investigators severely criticized Schettino's handling of the disaster, accusing him of sailing too close to shore to perform a spectacular "salute" to Giglio for the benefit of the ship's head waiter, who came from the island.

Schettino was also accused of delaying the evacuation and abandoning his ship prematurely. He said he had been thrown off the vessel as it tilted and had landed on the roof a lifeboat.

Humiliatingly, a furious coast guard official had to order him to return to his ship and take charge of the rescue.

He was left alone on the stand to answer for the disaster after the ship's owner, the Costa Cruises subsidiary of Carnival Corp, paid a fine of 1 million euros ($1.3 million at the time) and prosecutors accepted plea bargains from five other officials.

The massive, rusting hulk of the Costa Concordia was left abandoned on its side for two-and-a-half years before it was towed away in the most expensive maritime wreck recovery in history. The last body was not recovered until 2014.

Schettino's defense team contended that he prevented an even worse disaster by steering the ship close to the island as it sank.
Ride-hailing giant Uber is in a legal battle with Waymo for allegedly colluding to steal technology from the self-driving car program. (Angelo Merendino/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)

The stakes are getting higher in a trade secrets case that pits two of Silicon Valleys biggest companies against each other in a battle over the future of self-driving cars.

A judge asked federal prosecutors Thursday to investigate whether Uber Technologies and one of its executives colluded to steal key technology from Googles self-driving car project, now known as Waymo, before the executive joined Uber last year.

The possibility of an investigation adds to mounting issues facing Uber and its embattled chief executive, Travis Kalanick. The ride-hailing giant, which is valued by private investors at nearly $70 billion, is also facing a criminal probe by the Justice Department over the companys use of software that was designed to evade authorities in cities where Uber was not yet legal. That criminal investigation is ongoing, according to people familiar with the matter.

It is very rare for a judge to refer a matter over to the U.S. attorney and signals the judges displeasure with Uber in the trade secrets civil lawsuit, said Carl Tobias Williams, chair in law at the University of Richmond School of Law. It also compounds Ubers other legal problems, he said in an interview Friday.

In referring the case to the U.S. attorneys office, the court took no position on whether prosecution is or is not warranted, a decision entirely up to the United States Attorney, U.S. District Judge William Alsup wrote.

In addition, Alsup denied Ubers request to move the case to arbitration. That means the high-profile case is expected to go to public trial later this year. Waymo filed the lawsuit in February.

Alsup also temporarily blocked part of Ubers self-driving program using technology that Waymo claims to be stolen, but it was unclear how much of the program would be suspended because documents of the partial injunction were sealed.

Uber did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Waymo commented on the decision to go to trial in an emailed statement Thursday: This was a desperate bid by Uber to avoid the courts jurisdiction. We welcome the courts decision today, and we look forward to holding Uber responsible in court for its misconduct.

Uber has long been celebrated in Silicon Valley for its hard-charging culture  and for its strategy of moving into cities before getting permission from authorities. Within the tech world, Ubers success was emblematic of the promise of a new wave of on-demand start-ups that would use smartphone-based technology to transform entrenched businesses in the physical world.

Technology companies Uber and Waymo, along with Detroit automakers, are in a cutthroat race to develop self-driving technology, which they think could define the future of transportation in the United States.

Uber executive Anthony Levandowski allegedly downloaded 14,000 documents to his personal computer before quitting his job last January as an executive with Google. Waymo claims that Uber colluded with Levandowski to steal lidar technology, a laser that helps software gauge the proximity of objects. Levandowski recently stepped aside as the head of Ubers self-driving car program, though he remains with the company.

Google, which launched a self-driving program in 2009, now has a fleet of more than 100 test vehicles that have driven 3 million miles on city streets in Phoenix, Austin and Mountain View, Calif. (The testing rules require that autonomous vehicles have humans in the car). Uber began testing autonomous technology seven years later. The ride-hailing company has cars in San Francisco, Pittsburgh and Tempe, Ariz.

For privately held Uber, self-driving vehicles have the potential to cut the expense of human drivers; lowering such costs is seen by some investors as a prerequisite for a public offering. Losing the race to develop the technology first would make Uber vulnerable to competitors and potentially decimate its business.

And the companys culture has been called into question this year.

Uber has seen a string of high-profile executive departures following a controversy over sexual harassment and discrimination.

The earlier criminal probe focuses on software developed by Uber called Greyball. The program helped the company evade officials in cities where Uber was not yet approved. The software blocked rides to transportation regulators who were posing as Uber customers to prove that the company was operating illegally. The company said it was used to deny ride requests from fraudulent users.
People use computers at a cyber cafe in Taipei, Taiwan. A ransomware cyberattack hit computers in 99 countries with the attacker demanding 300 US dollars in bitcoin to decrypt the files. (David Chang/European Pressphoto Agency)

Officials in nearly 100 countries raced Saturday to contain one of the biggest cybersecurity attacks in recent history, as British doctors were forced to cancel operations, Chinese students were blocked from accessing their graduation theses, and passengers at train stations in Germany were greeted by hacked arrival and departure screens.

Companies and organizations around the world potentially faced substantial costs after hackers threatened to keep computers disabled unless victims paid $300 or more in ransom, the latest and most brazen in a type of cyberattack known as ransomware.

The malware hit Britains beloved but creaky National Health Service particularly hard, causing widespread disruptions and interrupting medical procedures across hospitals in England and Scotland. The government said that 48 of the NHSs 248 organizations were affected, but by Saturday evening all but six were back to normal.

When asked if the British government paid any ransom in this situation, a Downing Street spokesman said Saturday that it had not. Amber Rudd, Britains home secretary, also advised against others paying ransom.

In Germany, people posted pictures on social media of scheduling screens at train stations displaying the ransomware message. Deutsche Bahn, Germanys national railway service, tweeted that its train service had not been compromised and that it was working full speed to solve the problems. According to DPA news agency, Deutsche Bahns video surveillance technology also was hit.

(Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

Other targets in Europe included Telefonica, the Spanish telecom giant; the French carmaker Renault; and a local authority in Sweden, which said about 70 computers were infected.

It was still unclear Saturday who was behind the sophisticated attack.

Were not able to tell you who is behind that attack. That work is still ongoing, Rudd told the BBC. She said that it has affected up to 100 countries and that it wasnt specifically targeted at Britains NHS.

The attack was notable because it took advantage of a security flaw in Microsoft software found by the National Security Agency for its surveillance tool kit. Files detailing the capability were leaked online last month, though after Microsoft, alerted by the NSA to the vulnerability, had sent updates to computers to patch the hole.

Still, countless systems were left vulnerable, either because system administrators failed to apply the patch or because they used outdated software.

It was a jarring reminder of a stubborn reality facing security experts: Companies and other organizations collectively spent $73 billion on cybersecurity measures in 2016, according to the research firm IDC. Yet systems around the world were crippled by human error  failure to do routine software updates and employees unknowingly clicking on email attachments that contained the malware.

This was a completely preventable attack  to the extent that organizations have comprehensive patching systems in place, said Paul Lipman, chief executive of the cybersecurity firm BullGuard. However, life is never that simple.

On Friday, Microsoft released additional security updates to Windows and guidelines for consumers and businesses to protect themselves.

Its possible that the malware didnt spread further because of the enterprising work of a 22-year-old British cybersecurity researcher.

The researcher, whose Twitter handle is @MalwareTechBlog, realized the hackers had designed a kill switch, which involved a domain name that enabled them to stop the attack from spreading if the victims paid the ransoms. The researcher bought the domain name of the kill switch, and when the site when live, the attack stopped spreading.

The move didnt help organizations that were already impacted by the attack, but experts said that it limited the spread of the virus. The researcher, however, warned in a blog post that the hackers could alter the code and try again.

Hospitals called ideal targets

Health-care IT experts said it was no surprise that hospitals so easily fell victim to the ransomware attack. Health systems have faced hundreds of ransomware attacks in the past two years.

They are the ideal target for this type of malware due to a perfect storm of factors, said Avi Rubin, technical director of the Information Security Institute at Johns Hopkins University. For one, Rubin said, the data that they have is incredibly time-sensitive, making them most susceptible to ransomware.

If no one ever paid these ransoms, the hackers would have no reason to launch these attacks, Rubin said. But Im not the one sitting in a hospital in need of immediate medical attention.

Hospitals also lag far behind other industries in upgrading their security and doing basic software updates. Health-care organizations in general spend 2 to 4 percent of their operating budgets on information technology, compared with 25 to 35 percent for financial services, said John D. Halamka, chief information officer of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School.

We spend billions on new technology, he said. Yet the reality is that were still as vulnerable as our most gullible employee.

Health-care organizations in the United States are also subject to additional regulations, which constrain their ability to do updates. Many updates require systems to go dark for some period of time, and many hospitals are not allowed to put critical systems out of use.

Poorer hospitals are particularly vulnerable. While wealthy hospitals have effectively built cybersecurity war rooms over the past two years, some smaller hospitals dont have enough budget to keep the lights on, said Rubin. They often cannot afford to backup data, perhaps the most critical tool in fighting ransomware.

Cybersecurity researchers were far more surprised that sophisticated telecommunications firms, such as Spains Telefonica, were so vulnerable. This just goes to show that even the largest, most resource-rich enterprises can be brought low by something as simple as a skipped patch, said Lipman.

Russia hit hard

The malware, known as WanaCrypt0r 2.0, or WannaCry, also affected systems for FedEx, major telecommunications firms, Brazils social security administration, and many others around the world.

TMT post, a Chinese online news outlet focusing on the Internet industry, reported that a number of Chinese universities had been affected by the attack.

Several schools  including Nanchang University, Shandong University and University of Electronic Science and Technology of China  issued alerts on their Weibo social-media feeds, warning staff and students to back up important files and not to open suspicious emails.

According to Chinese magazine Caijing, some students graduation theses and projects have reportedly been encrypted.

In Russia, hacking attacks were confirmed Saturday at the Health Ministry, the state-run Russian Railways and the telecommunications company Megafon, along with the Interior Ministry, which manages the police force. There were also reports that the powerful Investigative Committee, which investigates high-level crime, and several other telecommunications companies had been targeted.

The Interior Ministry said that 1,000 of its computers had been blocked by prompts demanding payment. By Friday evening, the ministry said it had contained the attack and denied that any of its information had been stolen.

Jakub Kroustek, a malware researcher with Avast, a security software company in the Czech Republic, said in a blog post that Russia was the most-affected country so far. We are now seeing more than 75,000 detections of WanaCrypt0r 2.0 in 99 countries, he wrote Friday night.

Kaspersky Lab, a Moscow-based Internet security firm, also said that the attacks were mostly in Russia.

One reason Russia may have been hit so hard is the use of outdated software by government agencies.

Russia has a very rickety, out-of-date infrastructure, using not just outdated software but pirated out-of-date software, said Mark Galeotti, a senior researcher at the Institute of International Relations Prague.

According to Galeotti, one Interior Ministry official in 2013 estimated that 40 percent of the ministrys computers could be using pirated Windows software, which is widely available in Russia for download or at local computer markets.

In Brazil, the attack struck at the heart of the government  employee computers at the Justice Ministry and Brazils social security administration were infected. The local media also reported that the attack locked up computers in the countrys labor courts and the public prosecutors office.

In Britain, which is in the middle of an election campaign, the cyberattack triggered criticism of the NHSs aging computer systems, particularly the use of Windows XP, an outdated version of the Microsoft operating system that doesnt have the same level of defense against cyberattacks as newer operating systems.

The opposition Labour Partys Jonathan Ashworth tweeted that the government had been complacent over cybersecurity. We need answers on whether funding squeeze compromised security, he wrote.

Rudd, the home secretary, stressed that there was no evidence that patient data had been compromised but said that there were lessons to learn.

She told the BBC that Windows XP was not a good platform for keeping your data as secure as the modern ones because you cant download the effective patches and anti-virus software.

I would expect NHS trusts to learn from this and to make sure that they do upgrade, she said.

Adam reported from London. Andrew Roth in Moscow; Luna Lin in Beijing; Griff Witte and Stephanie Kirchner in Berlin; Marina Lopes in Sao Paulo; and Michael Birnbaum in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed to this report.


Senior conservator of paintings, Ann Hoenigswald is interviewed in front of X-ray images of works by Frederic Bazille at the National Gallery of Art. Hoenigswald has been investigating some paintings by Bazille. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

While visitors to the National Gallery of Arts new Impressionist exhibit see lush landscapes and intimate portraits, conservator Ann Hoenigswald spots clues involving an artist fixing mistakes and evidence of earlier compositions hidden underneath.

Like a detective, the National Gallerys senior conservator of paintings compiles these observations, which later guide her work in the lab, where high-powered instruments can uncover more about the paintings and the artists.

Her sleuthing skills are in high gear with Frederic Bazille and the Birth of Impressionism, the critically acclaimed exhibit on view through July 9. Hoenigswald was in Paris last year with curators from the three museums that collaborated on the exhibition  the National Gallery of Art, the Musee Fabre in Montpellier and the Musee dOrsay in Paris  who discovered an important Bazille work under Ruth and Boaz, a later painting by the artist. Examining X-rays of the large work alongside the painting itself, they pieced together the elements of Young Woman at the Piano, a work that had been thought lost.

In a number of ways, this was the biggest prize, Hoenigswald said. He had written so much about the [hidden painting], so we know how important it was to him.

Hoenigswald will build on this research in July, when the exhibit closes and she can take some of the paintings into her lab.



Recognizing that the hidden pictures appear so often establishes a pattern and identifies how the artist worked, Hoenigswald said. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

The individual images make more sense when you see them within the larger picture, she said. Each one alone is interesting, but . . . recognizing that the hidden pictures appear so often establishes a pattern and identifies how the artist worked.

[At the National Gallery, Caillebottes intersection with greatness]

A 19th-century contemporary of masters such as Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir and Edouard Manet, Bazille left his upper-middle-class family in southern France for Paris, where he studied both art and medicine. While taking painting lessons, he became friendly with Renoir, Monet and Alfred Sisley, artists whose work is included in the exhibit. Bazille shared studio space with several of them, and letters show they helped one another purchase pigments and canvases. Several of Bazilles paintings focus on the studio and the creative life of the artists.

Bazille died at age 28 in the Franco-Prussian War, leaving behind only about 60 works. About 46 of his paintings are featured in the exhibit, the most comprehensive retrospective of his career and the first in the United States in a quarter-century. Museum curators and scientists have discovered at least 11 of his paintings have earlier compositions underneath  a considerable number for such a modest output.

We definitely expect to find more pictures, and learn more about his process and about his relationships with fellow artists, Hoenigswald said.

They have learned a great deal already. Scans have revealed that Bazille frequently reused canvases, probably to save money. He often rotated the works 90 or 180 degrees, Hoenigswald said, but he worked without obscuring the previous work with a new ground layer of paint or scraping off the earlier pigment.

Hes not forgetting whats underneath, she said. Its extraordinarily difficult, disruptive, like white noise. He chose not to eliminate it, [so] he must have been getting some sort of inspiration.



Frederic Bazille. "Young Woman with Peonies," spring 1870, oil on canvas. (National Gallery of Art, Washington)

As an example, Hoenigswald points to Woman with the Peonies. She can see where Bazille allowed the elements of a previous work to become the shadows of the flowers in this image.

[A guide to the must-see artworks in D.C.]

Most of the earlier works are revealed only through scientific scans, but there is one that allows viewers to see the work underneath. Bazilles Study for a Young Male Nude is painted on the top half of a large canvas, over an earlier composition featuring the skirts of two women.

This is better than seeing an X-ray, Hoenigswald said, studying the canvas in the gallery. Who is the artist? What are the colors?

She and her technicians will use a variety of scans, including infrared and X-ray fluorescence, to analyze this canvas and a few others. They will build a library of technical images of whats underneath the surface, and working with his drawings and letters, she thinks they will uncover even more information.



A photograph of Frederic Bazille's painting of Edmond Maitre from 1869 is part of a new exhibit on Bazille at the National Gallery of Art. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

The National Gallery has instruments and expertise that other museums dont have. We have this opportunity to do this work and share the findings, she said. To look at so many pictures simultaneously, and in the context of [his] drawings . . . will enhance our understanding of Bazilles process and technique.

Hoenigswald will have only a few weeks to research the paintings before they must be returned to their partner museums. To prepare, she will talk to the curators here and in France to create a list of priorities for the National Gallery lab.

Ill spend a lot of mornings in the gallery to figure out what we will do, she said, smiling. The more you look, the more you connect the dots.

Frederic Bazille and the Birth of Impressionism Through July 9 at the National Gallery of Art, Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Free. 202-737-4215. nga.gov.
Exceptional Excellent Very Good



(Deb Lindsey /For The Washington Post)

For the third year, Washington-area restaurants are featuring GaMay, a month of promoting the food-friendly wines made from the gamay grape.

The campaign was conceived by Max Kuller to benefit the Lustgarten Foundation and its research on pancreatic cancer, which claimed Kullers father, Mark, in 2014. Kullers restaurants  Proof, Estadio, Doi Moi and 2 Birds, 1 Stone  are featuring wines and cocktails made with gamay. More than $35,000 was raised in the first two years. Other restaurants participating this year include Momofuku CCDC, 1789, the Riggsby, Garrison and Tail Up Goat.

This weeks selections include two noteworthy Beaujolais, made from gamay, plus two delightful white wines from Portugal and a perennial, widely available rose.

GREAT VALUE

Laurent Martray Combiaty Brouilly Vieilles Vignes 2015

Beaujolais, France, $23

Once again, repeat after me: 2015 was a great vintage in France, especially for regions that sometimes struggle to get their wines tasting fully ripe. Beaujolais had a banner year in 15, and this Brouilly, which is always good, simply shines. Think dark cherry, tobacco and, well, steak or a burger. Alcohol by volume: 12.5 percent.

Distributed by Elite: Available in the District at Calvert Woodley, Metro Wine & Spirits, Pauls of Chevy Chase, Rodmans, Whole Foods Market (Foggy Bottom, P Street); on the list at Kapnos, Le Diplomate, Montmartre. Available in Maryland at Bin 201 Wine Sellers in Annapolis; Bin 604 Wine Sellers in Baltimore; Decanter Fine Wines in Columbia; Finewine.com in Gaithersburg; Old Line Fine Wine, Spirits & Bistro in Beltsville; on the list at Charleston in Baltimore, Market Tavern in Sykesville, Petit Louis Bistro (Baltimore, Columbia). Available in Virginia at Arrowine and Cheese in Arlington, Balduccis (Alexandria, McLean), Cheesetique in Alexandria, Whole Foods Market (Charlottesville, Reston); on the list at La Cote dOr in Arlington.

Manz, Dona Fatima, Jampal 2015

Lisboa, Portugal, $26

When the Manz family purchased property in the village of Cheleiros, near Lisbon, in 2004, they set out to catalogue the grape varieties in their vineyard. One they found in abundance was called jampal, nearly extinct in Portugal because of its reputation for producing poor-quality wine. The family decided to stick with it, against the advice of neighbors, and now it is the only producer in Portugal  maybe the world  with a certified vineyard with this variety. The wine is lovely; it has rich body and buttery texture like a southern Rhone white, with flavors of talc, white flowers and tropical fruit. This is not just a novelty wine. ABV: 12.5 percent.

Distributed by G&B: Available in the District at the Bottle Shop, Calvert Woodley, Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits, MacArthur Beverages; on the list at Slate Wine Bar & Bistro. Available in Maryland at Cheers & Spirits in Arnold; on the list at Volt in Frederick. Available in Virginia at Wine House in Fairfax.

GREAT VALUE

Maison Henry Fessy Beaujolais-Villages Vieilles Vignes 2015

Beaujolais, France, $11

Beaujolais is a great bistro wine, the type you would find by the glass or pitcher in a restaurant near your hotel in Paris. Its a great house wine here at home, too, because of its ability to match a wide variety of foods. And 2015 was a great vintage. This wine offers dark cherry flavors and hints of smoke and earth. ABV: 13 percent.

Distributed by M. Touton: Available in the District at Capital City Wine & Spirits, Each Peach Market, Eye Street Cellars, Morris Miller Wine & Liquor, Old City Market and Oven, Rodmans, Wine Specialist. Available in Maryland at Bethesda Co-Op in Cabin John, the Bottle Shop in Potomac, Bradley Food & Beverage in Bethesda, California Wine & Spirits in California, Chevy Chase Supermarket, Downtown Crown Wine and Beer in Gaithersburg, Eddies Liquors in Baltimore, Frederick Wine House, Old Farm Liquors and Westview Liquors in Frederick, Grosvenor Market in Rockville, Rodmans in White Flint, Rosewick Wine & Spirits in La Plata, the Wine Shoppe in Waldorf, Wine Harvest (Gaithersburg, Potomac).

GREAT VALUE

Ciconia Vinho Verde

Portugal, $10

This nonvintage white is ideal for hot weather: It has a noticeable spritz that perks up the palate with the first sip and lots of refreshing lemon-lime flavors. Low alcohol is a bonus. ABV: 10.5 percent.

Distributed by DMV: Available in the District at Pauls of Chevy Chase. Available in Maryland at ABD Liquor in Prince Frederick; Bristol Liquors in Baltimore; Dunkirk Wine & Spirits; Franklins Restaurant, Brewery and General Store in Hyattsville; Italian Market in Annapolis; Jasons Wine & Spirits in Ellicott City; Kings Contrivance Liquor Shop in Columbia; Landover Liquor in Cheverly, Old Line Fine Wine, Spirits & Bistro in Beltsville; Pine Liquors in Fort Washington, Town Center Market in Riverdale Park, Waugh Chapel Wine & Spirits in Gambrills.

GREAT VALUE

La Vieille Ferme Rose 2016

France, $8

Its always a treat to find an old favorite wine made by the boatload and available almost everywhere wine is sold. Also available in magnums and a three-liter box. ABV: 13 percent.

Distributed by Bacchus in the District and Maryland, Country Vintner in Virginia: Widely available.

Availability information is based on distributor records. Wines might not be in stock at every listed store and might be sold at additional stores. Prices are approximate. Check Winesearcher.com to verify availability, or ask a favorite wine store to order through a distributor.
Two women set flowers by a statue of Jacinta and Francisco Marto at the Fatima Sanctuary on Thursday, just ahead of Pope Franciss visit to the Portuguese town. Francis is set to canonize, or make saints of, the two children who had visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago. (Armando Franca/AP)

Pope Francis and pilgrims from around the world flocked Friday to a Catholic shrine town in Portugal to honor two poor shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic Church.

Francis arrived in Portugal on Friday afternoon to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the apparitions and canonize the children, or make them saints. He is hoping the message of peace that they reported a century ago, when Europe was battling World War I, will resonate with the Catholic faithful today.

We will tear down all walls and cross every frontier, as we go out to every periphery, to make known Gods justice and peace, Francis said.

Thousands of pilgrims, waving flags from as far as Venezuela, Argentina and Cuba, braved a steady cold rain Friday as they waited for him, many spending the night outdoors.

The crowd in the Fatima shrines huge square erupted in applause and cheers when TV screens showed the pope stepping off the plane at a nearby Portuguese Air Force base. There was no official crowd estimate, but authorities had said they were expecting 1 million to come. The official Mass is scheduled for Saturday.

Francis holds a candle during the blessing in Fatima on Friday. Pilgrims packed the small town for the weekends events. (Tiziana Fabi/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)

Over the past several days, church groups, families and individuals have made their way to Fatima, about 90 miles north of Lisbon.

For me it is the second time I am here with a pope, first with John Paul II and now with Papa Francisco, said pilgrim Elisabete Fradique Conceicao. They are simple men and that simplicity makes sense when you think what happened here 100 years ago.

On May 13, 1917, while they were grazing their sheep, brother and sister Francisco and Jacinta Marto saw the first of a half-dozen visions of the Virgin Mary, Jesus mother. They said she revealed to them three secrets  messages predicting World War II, the rise and fall of communism, and the death of a pope  and urged them to pray for peace and turn away from sin.

The local Catholic Church and even the childrens parents doubted the story. Authorities pressured them to say that it wasnt true, but they refused. In time, the story gained believers and was eventually accepted as an authentic appearance by the church in 1930. The children, who were 9 and 7 at the time of the apparitions, died of the flu a few years later. Their cousin, Lucia dos Santos, at 10 the ringleader of the group, is on track for beatification, the first step toward becoming a saint. Her case for sainthood couldnt begin until after her death in 2005.

The childrens parents didnt seek out celebrity and were reluctant centers of attention. Lucias parents complained that pilgrims trampled their crops.

The shrine, with its basilica overlooking a vast square, now fuels the big business of this small town. Stores selling souvenirs line the streets while hotels, restaurants and cafes rely on a steady parade of tourists and pilgrims.

Everyone used to be poor and humble in the town, said Antonio Vieira, 79 and another nephew of the soon-to-be saints. Whod have guessed that Fatima would turn out like this?
THE DISTRICT

Federal judge delays ruling on travel ban

A federal judge in Washington on Thursday signaled willingness to become the third judge nationwide, if needed, to order a halt to President Trumps revised executive order banning new visas and immigration from six Muslim-majority countries.

U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan postponed ruling on two combined challenges to the White House action, saying she by Iranian American organizations and a Shiite Muslim group, saying she would wait for decisions expected on cases on appeal out of Hawaii and Maryland.

But Chutkan said she was persuaded by arguments that the groups missions and the lives of more than a dozen plaintiffs would be unconstitutionally harmed by the ban.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in Richmond was the first appellate court to hear arguments on the revised ban Monday.

Arguments before a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit in San Francisco are set for May 15.

Chutkan wrote: In the event that both existing injunctions are overturned, this court is prepared to issue a ruling without delay.

 Spencer S. Hsu

MARYLAND

Man killed in car crash along U.S. Route 301

A Waldorf, Md., man died in a crash on U.S. Route 301 in Upper Marlboro, authorities said.

Ronald A. Crews,36, was killed Wednesday night , according to Maryland State Police. They said his car struck a second vehicle, whose driver did not yield the right of way.

The crash happened just before 10 p.m. Wednesday when Crews was driving a 2006 Honda Civic along U.S. Route 301 near Black Stone Avenue when it crashed into the side of a 2011 Lexus GS 350.

The driver of the Lexus was taken to a hospital. Her condition was not known.

Police said their investigation shows the Lexus driver did not yield the right of way when crossing U.S. Route 301 and was hit by the Civic.

 Dana Hedgpeth

VIRGINIA

Rare case of rabies in a human investigated

Virginia is investigating a rare case of rabies in a human.

The statehealth departmentt said Friday that the state resident was bitten by a dog while traveling in India..

Human rabies cases in the United States are rare, and the only documented cases of human transmission have been via organ transplantation. Officials say in the interest of caution they are assessing people who have had contact with this patient, including health-care workers, to see whether they have been exposed.

 Associated Press

THE REGION

Sites compete for equestrian event

Sites in Maryland and Virginia site are finalists to permanently host an annual event that could draw as many as 80,000 spectators.

The Baltimore Sun reports that Fair Hill in northeast Maryland and Great Meadow in Virginias Piedmont countryside are finalists to host what would be one of seven four-star events in the world.

It would join the Rolex Kentucky as only the second in the United States and would feature cross-country, dressage and jumping.

The U.S. Equestrian Federation is expected to recommend a site in July, with a final decision announcd later in the year by the international onal governing body.It would be first held in fall 2019.

 Associated Press
MARYLAND

Two drivers killed in head-on crash

Two motorists were killed Friday night in Southern Maryland when their cars collided head on, authorities said.

The St. Marys County sheriffs office said the car driven by Latoya Shawnta Jordan, 33, of Lexington Park, crossed the centerline of Three Notch Road.

It struck the car driven by Calvin Dilmera Berry, 33, of Leonardtown, fatally injuring both Jordan and Berry, according to the sheriffs office.

Authorities said weather appeared to contribute. Four people in Jordans car were seriously injured, the sheriffs office said.

 Martin Weil

Man charged with robbing food deliverers

A 24-year-old man has been charged with robbing five food-delivery drivers this month in Gaithersburg and Montgomery Village, Montgomery County police said.

Babucarr Fatty of Montgomery Village was charged with five counts of armed robbery, five counts of assault and four counts of using a firearm in commission of a violent crime, the police said.

Police said he ordered from a Gaithersburg pizza restaurant and a Chinese restaurant and used different locations for deliveries. Both food and money were taken in some of the robberies.

 Peter Hermann

Administrative review in Gray death complete

The Montgomery County Police Department has completed an administrative investigation into the in-custody death of Freddy Gray, 25, in Baltimore.

Grays 2015 death occurred a week after his neck was broken while he was handcuffed and shackled but left unrestrained in the back of a police transport wagon.

Baltimore police said Friday that the investigation into his death has been turned over for review.

The results of the investigation are not being publicly released as they are considered personnel records.

Six officers were charged in connection with Grays death. Three were acquitted at trial, and the other cases were dropped.

Montgomery and Howard county police conducted the review to avoid any conflicts of interest.

 Associated Press

THE DISTRICT

Man arrested in fatal shooting in SE

A man has been arrested and charged in a fatal shooting that occurred last month in the Woodland Terrace public housing complex in Southeast Washington, D.C. police said.

Nyekemia Everett, 31, of Southeast was arrested Friday and charged with first-degree murder while armed in the death of Christopher Heard, 37, of Oxon Hill, police said. Heard was shot April 27 in the 2300 block of Ainger Place SE.

 Peter Hermann

VIRGINIA

Three shot, wounded in Alexandria

Two women and one man were shot early Saturday at a hotel in Alexandria, authorities said.

Police said a 28-year-old man suffered life-threatening injuries and that the women  ages 21 and 35  suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.

The shooting occurred shortly after 2 a.m. at the Extended Stay America hotel near Eisenhower Avenue, authorities said.

Crystal Nosal, a spokeswoman for the Alexandria police, said the man and the older woman are from Alexandria and the other woman was from out of town.

She gave no motive in the shooting.

 Peter Hermann
At Howard University, a school known for its activism and commitment to social justice, Sen. Kamala D. Harris implored graduates at Saturdays commencement to fight the policies of the Trump administration.

You are graduating into a very different time than it was when you arrived a few short years ago, said Harris (D-Calif.), a graduate of Howard. We have a fight ahead. Its a fight to determine what kind of country we will be. And its a fight to determine whether we are willing to stand up for our deepest values.

Harriss remarks at the historically black college in the District tapped into the political discord the Trump administration has sown through its controversial decisions, including directing prosecutors to pursue mandatory minimum prison sentences , a hard-line approach that has kept thousands of African American men behind bars. Her address also served as a bulwark against the uncertainty President Trump created by his wavering support for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) like Howard.

[Trump questions whether key funding source for historically black colleges is constitutional]

When voices at the highest level of our government seem confused about the significance and even the constitutionality of supporting HBCUs, I say look over here at Howard University, Harris said. We need you. Our country needs you. The world needs you.

Howards Class of 2017 sings Alma Mater during the commencement ceremony. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

During this years graduation season, commencement speeches have been particularly political, mirroring stark divisions across the country. Trump himself spoke to graduates at Liberty University, a Christian school in Lynchburg, Va., on Saturday, telling them to challenge entrenched interests.

HBCUs have had a fraught relationship with the Trump administration. University leaders headed to the White House earlier this year with the hope of increased funding and aid for students, but many were disappointed when the presidents budget did not include any of their requests.

[After White House courts HBCUs, budget disappoints school leaders]

Tensions rose when Education Secretary Betsy DeVos called historically black institutions real pioneers when it comes to school choice, a statement that advocates for HBCUs said ignored that the schools were a response to racist Jim Crow laws that enforced segregation. Although DeVos walked back her statement, the damage was evident in the chilly reception she received this week at Bethune-Cookman University in Florida, a historically black school where some students booed during the secretarys commencement speech.

[Booing students at Betsy DeVoss commencement speech told to shut up or get diplomas sent in mail]

Just days before the incident at Bethune-Cookman, Trump alarmed leaders and advocates of HBCUs by questioning the constitutionality of low-cost construction loans for repairs, renovations and new buildings at such schools.

HBCUs are trying to walk a delicate line because they realize that they have to be supportive of the administration to some extent because funding comes from the Department of Education, said Robert T. Palmer, a professor of education at Howard. But Trump and his administration have very little understanding of historically black universities, their value or importance.

The Class of 2017 takes selfies before the start of the ceremony. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

[How crucial are historically black colleges? Just look at whos graduated from them.]

Celebrating its 150th anniversary, Howard is widely considered a flagship among the nations HBCUs. Its business and law schools are revered, and the university produces among the highest number of African Americans who earn doctorates. This year, Howard awarded 2,173 degrees, including 318 masters and 105 doctorates. More than 375 students received degrees in law, medicine, pharmacy and dentistry.

Saturdays commencement brings to a close a tumultuous year at Howard. A visit in February from DeVos sparked student protests, with some calling for the school to reject federal funding from the Trump administration. Students were infuriated that Howard President Wayne A.I. Frederick gave no notice of DeVoss visit, and in their estimation played down the significance of hosting an appointee of an administration that many see as hostile to African Americans.

[Betsy DeVos made her first visit to a school as education secretary: Howard University]

You shouldnt have people here who are a part of an administration that is against us, said Imani Ruby Glenn, who earned a bachelor of fine arts from Howard on Saturday. Do we want money that they really dont want to give us?

In an interview on WAMUs Kojo Nnamdi show in late February, Frederick said it was important for schools to interact with people with whom they disagree, as well as those who share their values. He said he would welcome a time when Howard is no longer reliant on federal appropriations, but that is not on the horizon as the university contends with millions of dollars in uncollected tuition and a massive backlog of deferred maintenance costs. Howard and its hospital receive about $222 million in annual federal appropriations.

Despite Fredericks call for engagement, student activists were unmoved and made it clear with a message scrolled on a campus sidewalk weeks later: Welcome to the Trump plantation. Overseer: Wayne A.I. Frederick.

[Howard U faculty leaders vote no confidence in university president. But some say vote was flawed.]

Dissatisfaction with Frederick came to a head in April, when a leadership group in the faculty senate took a vote of no confidence in the president and Provost Anthony Wutoh. The group cited concerns about the universitys finances, failures in leadership and a lack of transparency. Other faculty leaders challenged the validity of the vote and pledged support for Frederick and Wutoh, as did many students.

The previous president, Sidney Ribeau, handed Frederick a lot of problems. We cant expect him to turn it around in four years, said Alexis Orr, who graduated Saturday with a bachelors degree in business administration. Ive seen a lot of good things come from him, but hes also had to make a lot of hard calls. We just have to be patient. Hes a three-time Howard grad, and he has the schools best interest at heart.

Frederick hinted at the trials of the past few months on Saturday but kept the focus on the Class of 2017. His address, nevertheless, alluded to the ongoing debate at the school and at other HBCUs over engaging the Trump administration.

The journey of ones academic pursuit will at times be uncomfortable, it will ensure that students and faculty alike gain insights into the variety of experiences of the human condition, the essence of which is engagement and not isolation, he told graduates.
Several people were reported wounded early Saturday morning in an incident at a hotel in Alexandria, the police there said.

It was not immediately clear how the wounds were inflicted, but police spokeswoman Crystal Nosal said a felonious assault was being investigated.

The incident occurred in the 200 block of Bluestone Road, the site of an extended stay hotel. It was reported about 2 a.m.

The site is east of Cameron Run regional park, north of Eisenhower Avenue and south of railroad and Metrorail tracks.
Aside from the obvious crime does not pay, several other conclusions can be drawn from an account of the three bank robberies carried out on two days last year in the up-and-coming NoMa neighborhood of Washington D.C.

In addition, a visit to a branch of the D.C. public library figures in the account given by prosecutors of the robberies and adds to its interest.

According to a statement released on Friday by federal prosecutors, the proceeds of all three robberies together amounted to $6,577. It is a tidy sum, but one that would make many people question whether it was worth the risk entailed in three offenses that prompt a particularly energetic law enforcement response.

Based on the statement from the U.S. Attorneys office for the District, it could also be said that the robber worked quickly. The three robberies occurred within less than 24 hours in all, the prosecutors said. They began at 3:30 p. m. April 20, and were completed before 1 p.m. on the 21st, they said.

In addition, it seemed from their statement that something about the neighborhood may have seemed attractive to the robber. All three robberies occurred on First Street NE. One bank, in the 1100 block of First was held up twice, once on April 20, and again on April 21. The other robbery was a block away, in the 1200 block of First Street.

The risks might be rated at more than average. The banks are a little more than a 15-minute walk from the Washington field office of the FBI. They are perhaps a brisk 20 minutes from D.C. police headquarters.

No weapon was shown in any of the robberies, the prosecutors said. In each instance, they said, the robber went into the bank and passed a note to a teller, demanding money. Then, they said, he left, taking with him both cash and the note.

In another unusual facet of the incidents, they suggest in a way how wide a range of visitors the citys library branches attract. They also suggest the unusual range of activities that may be pursued there.

After the third and final robbery of the series, the prosecutors said, law enforcement officers stopped a man not far away from the scene, as he emerged from the library branch in the 100 block of L Street NW.

Although the statement did not say so explicitly, the statement suggests that the man may have used his visit to distribute cash around his person.

In their statement, the prosecutors said the man was coming out of the library with the proceeds of the latest robbery stuffed in his shoes and pocket.

According to the prosecutors, Tyrone Edward Wright, 47, of Washington, was found guilty in February of three counts of bank robbery after a trial here in U.S. District Court. the prosecutors said.

They said he was sentenced Friday to 64 months in prison. In addition, they said, he was also required to repay the banks the amount taken in the robberies: $6,577.
Conner Charles Prout (left) and John Adam Havermann (right) were charged with trespass posted property, trespass school property, disturbing school operations and disorderly conduct/disturbing the peace. (Anne Arundel County Police Department)

Two 19-year-old Maryland men were taken into custody and charged in connection with the discovery of a noose hanging on the front a middle school, a police spokesman said Friday.

Authorities said the men Conner Charles Prout of Crofton, Md. and John Adam Havermann of Pasadena, Md.  were identified after investigators released several images taken from surveillance video footage at the school.

Callers helped the investigation, said Lt. Ryan Frashure, a department spokesman.

Good help from the community helped to get this problem solved, he said.

[Police search for two suspects after a noose found outside middle school]

Authorities released several images taken from surveillance video footage at Crofton Middle School. (Anne Arundel County Police Department)

The noose was found by a teacher at Crofton Middle School in Crofton, Md. It was spotted on a outside light fixture just before 11 a.m. Thursday and detectives determined through surveillance footage that access was gained to the roof.

A wooden pallet was propped against a side wall and used to climb, said Frashure. The noose was hung between midnight and 2 a.m. Thursday, he added.

Prout was arrested by police and Havermann turned himself into detectives Friday night. Authorities said the pair had no known connection with the middle school.

Both were charged with trespassing, disturbing school operations and disorderly conduct/disturbing the peace, police said.
Police in Alexandria have confirmed that three people were shot at a hotel early Saturday. The victims were identified only as two women and one man.

All three victims were taken to hospitals. Police said a 28-year-old man suffered life-threatening injuries and that the women  ages 21 and 35  suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.

[Three injured in assault at Alexandria Hotel]

The shooting occurred shortly after 2 a.m. at the Extended Stay America hotel in the 200 block of Bluestone Road. It is just off Eisenhower Avenue and near the Townes at Cameron Park.

Crystal Nosal, a spokeswoman for the Alexandria Police Department, said the shootings occurred either inside a room or just outside a room. She said the male victim and the 35-year-old woman live in Alexandria; the 21-year-old woman is from out of town.

Nosal would not discuss a possible motive or any evidence found in the room.
Metros SafeTrack Surge No. 15 is scheduled to begin Tuesday with a month-long shut down of the eastern end of the Orange Line between New Carrollton and Stadium-Armory. (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post)

Were almost in the home stretch.

Metros SafeTrack Surge No. 15 begins May 16 with a month-long shutdown of the eastern end of the Orange Line between New Carrollton and Stadium-Armory. Its expected to be the second-to-last installment of the year-long track maintenance program launched last June.

But even as SafeTrack lurches toward its conclusion, there are new concerns from riders affected by the work. Orange Line riders who live east of the Anacostia River say they are frustrated by Metros last-minute decision to switch to a complete shutdown, rather than the single-tracking that originally had been planned.

During the surge, which concludes June 15, the New Carrollton, Landover, Cheverly, Deanwood and Minnesota Avenue stations will be closed.

The outreach has been nonexistent, said Justin Lini, an Advisory Neighborhood commissioner who lives near the Minnesota Avenue station in the District. This was supposed to be single-tracking, and now theyre shutting down everything. Its very disconcerting.

[Metro stations at east end of Orange Line to close for a month]

Metro announced the change April 28. The reason, officials said, was to maximize productivity  and to confine the service disruptions to east of Stadium-Armory, limiting the ripple effect felt by riders on the rest of the system. Its the same decision officials made for Surge No. 14, when they decided to close the northernmost segment of the Green Line rather than single-track trains.

Orange Line capacity west of Stadium-Armory is expected to be reduced by 20 percent. Capacity on the Silver Line west of East Falls Church will be cut by half, with 12-minute wait times between trains.

Metro said that although Orange Line stations east of the Anacostia will be closed, riders will be adequately served by bus shuttles.

But Lini said that in opting for a shutdown instead of single-tracking, Metro failed to consider the needs of residents. He noted that the surge is happening during the last month of the school year, when its vital that children arrive at school on time. A large percentage of the neighborhoods students rely on Metro to get to school, he said.

The timing of this is abysmal, he said.

He said Metro should have communicated with residents and local leaders before changing plans  and that they should have done a better job of informing riders about how the service disruptions will affect their lives. He fears that relying on buses will mean more people stuck in traffic and big delays.

Already, on a good day, we can barely manage a rush hour or weekend traffic. The lack of accommodations for residents  its just stunning, Lini said. Theres no regard for the needs of the community here.

The issue was raised at last weeks Metro board meeting, where member Malcolm Augustine said he had received a tremendous amount of negative feedback from Prince Georges County residents who will be affected by the surge.

Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld agreed the agency could have done more to inform riders of the changes and their options.

We could always do better, Wiedefeld said.

But he still believes a total shutdown is the best option. And, he added, experience from previous surges has shown that riders tend to ignore warnings until the last minute.

People focus on this literally when it starts, Wiedefeld said.

[When will things stop catching on fire on Metro?]

To assist riders displaced by the station shutdowns, Metro will run two shuttle buses during the course of the surge.

One will run at 30-minute intervals throughout the day, tracing the route of the eastern end of the Orange Line. It will start at New Carrollton and stop at each Orange Line station between there and Stadium-Armory before turning around.

Metro officials, however, are encouraging riders to use special express shuttles that will carry riders from shuttered stations to the nearest open station on the Blue/Silver lines.

For example, displaced Minnesota Avenue riders will be taken to Stadium-Armory. Deanwood users will get a lift to Capitol Heights. And those who typically embark at Cheverly, Landover or New Carrollton will be ferried to Morgan Boulevard.

Metro said this option will be faster and easier for Orange Line riders east of the river. But note this disclaimer: The shuttles are free, but express riders should still tap their SmarTrip cards on the bus, otherwise they could potentially pay a higher fare once they board a Blue Line train to finish their trip.

Metro said displaced Orange Line riders who transfer to the Blue Line and are charged a higher fare will receive a rebate, but thats only possible if riders SmarTrip cards contain proof that they used the shuttle bus from a closed Orange Line station  hence the need for an additional tap on the fare box on a free bus.

To be eligible for the rebate, riders MUST tap their SmarTrip card on the shuttle bus, Metro said in a statement. This will not charge your card, but will indicate to Metro that you are starting your trip from a closed Orange Line station.

Want to skip the shuttle buses altogether? If you usually park-and-ride at New Carrollton station, consider driving to Greenbelt station on the Green Line or Largo Town Center on the Blue and Orange lines.

MARCs Penn Line provides a nonstop ride between New Carrollton and Union Station. The Maryland Transit Administration is planning to add extra rail cars to Penn Line trains during the next month to temporarily add capacity.

[The untold story of Metros 29-hour emergency shutdown]

There are also bus-only options for displaced riders.

Metro will run additional service on the U7 bus, which operates between the Minnesota Avenue and Deanwood stations.

The A12 bus makes a stop at the Landover station and continues to Capitol Heights. The F1 and F2 carry riders from the Cheverly station and toward its other terminus at the Takoma station on the Red Line, while the F8 starts in the same place and ends at Takoma Langley Crossroads Transit Center. The F12 connects the eastern three stations on the Orange Line  Cheverly, Landover and New Carrollton.

Riders coming from the shuttered Deanwood station can head to the Green Lines Congress Heights and Anacostia stations via the W4 bus. Those same riders can also take the R12 to get to the other end of the Green Line, stopping at College Park and Greenbelt stations.

The Minnesota Avenue station is served by the V2 and V4  which end at the Navy Yard and Anacostia stations  as well as the X1, X2, X3 and X9, which can take commuters to downtown, Foggy Bottom and Adams Morgan.

Prince Georges TheBus will operate special shuttles between the Landover and Morgan Blvd. stations every 15 minutes from 6 to 10 a.m., and 3 to 7 p.m. weekdays. The 15X, 16, 18 and 23 can help displaced Orange Line riders reach the eastern ends of the Green and Blue lines.

Surge No. 15 is scheduled to wrap up June 15. After that, theres just one more planned long-term service disruption left: Surge No. 16 will return to the Red Line between the Shady Grove and Twinbrook stations, though Metro has not released dates for that project or whether it will entail single-tracking or a full shutdown.
Republican gubernatorial candidate state Sen. Frank Wagner speaks during a Tea Party debate in Goochland, Va., Saturday, April 22, 2017. Wagner, who faces two rivals in the June 13 primary, is trailing in money and name recognition. (Steve Helber/AP)

State Sen. Frank W. Wagner showed up a few minutes late to the local Republican lunch meeting, grabbed some food and sat near the back. He gravitated toward familiar faces, a table with a couple of other legislators from Richmond.

Few of these 40 or so people knew much about Wagner, whose Virginia Beach district is far across the state. They knew he was running for the Republican nomination for governor, but his opponents are much higher-profile.

Wagner is the third guy in the race - hes not the well-funded frontrunner, Ed Gillespie, nor the loose-cannon headline-grabber, Corey Stewart. Hes gotten exactly zero non-Virginia money this year; isnt a neo-Trump, doesnt bash Trump, either. In a year of politics-as-metaphor, its darn hard to make anything symbolic out of Wagners longshot bid for governor.

[Is populism popular? These Virginia candidates are banking on it]

In fact, theres a lot about his candidacy that doesnt make sense. Last years election was all about distrusting the establishment, and Wagner is running on his 25 years of experience in the legislature. The Republican credo is tax cuts; Wagner is calling for tax increases. So its fair to ask: Why is he doing this?

I know people already may have their favorites, hell tell the Roanoke group when he gets up to speak. But I will point out, its still a long way to the primary election.

Actually, it was just weeks away from the June 13 primary, but Wagner thinks he can make the case that hes the best choice, if people just give him a chance. Itll take some explaining, though, and he doesnt have many resources for getting out the message.

At 61, Wagner has the mop of hair and weathered hide of a lifelong beach bum. Hes a former Navy salvage diver who stayed on the water after he left the service - started a ship repair yard, sold it for a nice profit, then started another one.

Though he grew up in Arlington and graduated from Washington and Lee High School, theres not much Northern Virginia polish left in this guy. He wears a baggy pin-striped suit like someone whos more comfortable in a hard hat or diving gear. He calls an in-depth interview a full rectal. When campaign obligations conflict with playing bingo with his adult daughter, who has special needs, Wagners response: I dont give a s---. Hes playing bingo.

He began to win some praise and attention after the first Republican debate, in March, at Smith Mountain Lake. While Stewart and Gillespie took shots at each other, Wagner talked about road funding and school accreditation.

I thought it was excellent, said Mildred Scott of the Roanoke Republican Women, who said the debate put Wagner on her radar screen. Hes so knowledgeable. Hes the only one who really tells it like it is.

[Republicans running for Virginia governor tangle in TV debate]

Thats Wagners schtick in this race - that the other candidates are running on the wrong things because they dont know how Virginia state government works.

Both of his opponents are calling for tax cuts. Wagner argues that a cut would be reckless and irresponsible in a state that balances its budget every year and recently had to close a $1.2 billion funding gap. While many of his Republican colleagues in the General Assembly have backed Gillespie and his call for a 10 percent income tax cut, Wagner figuratively flips them the bird and says the math doesnt add up.

A family would have to make more than $200,000 a year to get the $1,300 savings Gillespie promises, he said. Im trying not to be negative, but that number very, very, very much upsets me, he said.

Whats more, Wagner points out that Standard & Poors recently put a negative watch on Virginias coveted AAA bond rating - over fears that the states rainy day fund has dwindled to dangerous levels.

I can guarantee you, an ill-timed tax cut is not the thing thats gonna put us in the right direction, he said.

On the other hand, Wagner notes that the states gasoline tax is the lowest in this part of the country. Raise the gas tax and use those funds to fix the overwhelmed transportation system in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. Get a long-discussed east-west interstate finally moving ahead in Southwest.

Then, to prepare people for jobs that are already out there, emphasize vocational and technical training. Its great for college-bound kids to worry about Standards of Learning test scores; but plenty of good jobs at shipyards and auto repair shops dont require those kinds of skills, he says. Start a track for public schools to win accreditation through vocational education.

I know a lot of 65-year-old welders that are not going to go out and get a teaching certificate but theyd love to pass on a lifetime of knowledge to a young person, Wagner said at the Roanoke lunch.

As he ran through his argument, audience members began to nod in agreement. Steve Richards, 66, a retired physician, raised his hand.

We want a Republican governor. Were tired of a Democrat being in office, Richards said. How would you beat Northam or Perrell or whoever their candidate is? The two Democrats vying for their partys nomination are Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam and former congressman Tom Perriello.

That, of course, is the big question. Wagner had an answer - and, like his policy proposals, it was more pragmatic than lofty and inspirational. His rationale: To win statewide, you have to win not only heavily populated Northern Virginia, but also vote-rich Hampton Roads. Northam is from Hampton Roads, so if hes the Democratic nominee, the Republican had better be able to counter that.

Wagner has beaten Democrats in Hampton Roads before. In his most recent re-election, in a district that twice voted for Barack Obama, Wagners opponent raised more money as Democrats pushed to gain an edge in the state Senate. But Wagner won by more than 8 percentage points.

Wagner got into the governors race relatively late and has little money. He had slightly more than $178,000 on hand at the most recent reporting deadline on March 31 - a fraction of Gillespies more than $3 million. Until recently, Wagner was fielding all his own press calls. Now hes building up a handful of staffers.

Wagner said in an interview that hes been thinking about running for a long time. Hell turn 62 in July, so he didnt want to wait much longer.

But more than that, it was the partys decision to go with a primary this year instead of a nominating convention that persuaded him to jump in. Voters might be willing to give him a chance, he said.

I was always confident that the things that concern me, he said, are the same things that concern the average family in Virginia.

Theres some anecdotal evidence to back that up. After the Roanoke lunch, several people said he had their attention.

Richards, who had asked how he would beat the Democrats, said later that he knew nothing about Wagner before the lunch. Im glad I saw him today. He seems to be very in touch with the issues, he said. He had been favoring Gillespie, but said hed now consider Wagner, as well.

I like his business background, said Jenny Clinebell, 75, a retired banker. I was maybe leaning a little toward Gillespie, but I havent made up my mind.

So, two maybes, and a few more. But this was a group of only 40 people, in one town, in one of the less populous parts of the state. Everywhere Wagner goes, the challenge is the same.

In late April, Wagner went to the Shad Planking, the old-time political/social event in the pine woods outside Wakefield. It was a far more favorable setting for Wagner than Roanoke, right on the edge of his Hampton Roads power base.

To make things even better, Gillespie didnt show up to speak to the heavily Republican crowd. Stewart was there, along with an airplane towing a Stewart banner and Confederate flag. But this was Wagner territory.

After he spoke to the crowd, a woman pulled him aside and peppered him with questions in the hot afternoon sun. She wanted to know: Why should she vote for him?

He told her he has the conservative credentials. He knows whats going on in Richmond. Hes a businessman and veteran.

I give you that, said the woman, Rebecca Franchok, 39, of Prince George County. But what makes you, just, different?

He said hes focused on things he can actually get done - vocational training, fixing transportation, reducing business regulation. She asked about health care, he talked of Washington and fixing Medicaid. He talked gas tax, she pushed for details. And on and on.

By the end, Wagner was dripping sweat. He went off to get more water.

And did he close the deal?

Franchok stood thinking for a long moment, then shrugged. I dont know, she finally said.
What do you do when you know someone is going to die? Im not talking about death when it comes at the end of a long protracted illness or a terminal diagnosis. Or the final act at the end of a long life, when the body and mind have ultimately given way. Im talking about when you realize the 25-year-old woman in front of you, whom you met five minutes ago, has no idea she will not survive to see another sunrise.

Moonlighting during residency in the intensive care unit of a community hospital, I was summoned to the emergency department to evaluate a feverish, septic young woman. In his book Blink, Malcolm Gladwell describes the reflexive first impression we make before our thinking brain starts getting in the way of those initial thoughts.

Walking into the ER bay, all the mental warning bells were ringing. The mottling of her skin told me she was in shock. The visible, rapid rise and fall of her chest told me she was working hard to blow off the accumulating acids in her blood and body. Her eyes told me she was afraid, and rightfully so. The blinking red numbers on the monitor told me how rapid her pulse and how critically low her blood pressure were. She looked sick, but the reality was much worse. I had known her now all of 10 seconds. But I didnt know she was dead. Not just yet.

A couple of quick questions followed, as I tried to piece together some context for her critically ill state. Fever for two days, chills and rigors. No obvious source of infection. No cough or pain in the belly. But then, the next critical piece of information. The one bit of information that took this from the realm of critical illness to literally life and death.

She had no spleen.

I forgot the reason she didnt have a spleen; it made no difference how. Its absence was the crucial part.

The spleen is a funny organ. Its basically a big bag of blood that we can do without. But it does play a crucial role in our immune system, acting as a giant filter or sieve for our blood supply, screening for invaders. Bacteria that have somehow breached our first line of defense and gotten access to the blood supply can, unabated by a spleen, use the high-speed highways of blood vessels to travel and infect, almost instantaneously and simultaneously, any part of the body.

As medical students and young doctors, we are trained to be cautious with overuse of antibiotics. In most people with an intact immune system, the pace of a bacterial infectionis slow enough to temper the need to have antibiotics given reflexively for any random fever. But one of the first exceptions to that rule is when a patient has no spleen. Antibiotics are to be given early and quickly. Within hours. Treat first and think later.

She had had a fever for more than 48 hours.

Forty-eight hours. Two days for this infection to have run amok, unabated. Two days head start with her kidneys failing, her circulation failing, her breathing failing. Bloodstream infections can be life-threatening all on their own. Compound that with one arm of the immune system tied behind its back and a two-day head start without antibiotic reinforcement, and she was gravely ill.

Truth be told, there was no time to think much about what to say. There was work to be done. She needed a tube placed in her lungs to breathe for her. She needed a large IV in her neck to replace the fluids that were leaking out of her blood vessels. She needed a dialysis catheter in her groin to help with her electrolytes and acidic blood. She needed medicine to support her heart. She needed powerful antibiotics to start fighting the infection. As I told her and her father all this in the tiny little ER bay, this young woman, through her labored breath, asked me whether she could talk with her fiance first, before we put the breathing tube in her.

Did I forget to mention that she was engaged? Her fiance was in the waiting room.

I will admit I did not know for sure whether she was going to die that night. I know I was scared. Scared for her. Scared of her. Scared I wouldnt know the right things to do. Not so much by what needed to be done medically. But I was overwhelmed with the responsibility of what to tell this 25-year-old woman, my patient for all of 15 minutes, with her dad beside her. A few minutes away from life support, and along with it, a drug-induced sleep from which she would probably never awaken.

Do I tell her she might die? While truthful, it kind of understates the risk at the moment. Do I tell her she is more likely than not to die? More accurate. But do I need to add to the immense stress and worry that she and her family are already under? Does she even want to know? She has potentially five minutes left to be awake and cognizant in the world. Not much she can do, right? But what would she say? To her dad? To her fiance? Are there things that have been left unsaid? Wrongs to apologize for or to be forgiven? Words of love assumed but not spoken? Five minutes could mean everything. . . . But who was I to make this decision for her?

I was her doctor. A doctor moonlighting in his last year of residency. A doctor whose brain was filled with a growing body of practical knowledge but still short on experience and wisdom. But there I was, and without the luxury of time, I started talking, more by feel than design.

Lets get your fiance in here. Youre pretty sick.

The young man came into the room and held her cool, dusky hand. I talked to the three of them as another doctor walked in to place the breathing tube.

You are critically ill. Probably from a life-threatening blood infection. Your spleen being gone is part of the problem making your immune system weak. Your organs are shutting down. You need to go on life support. And then . . .

You may die from this.

Those words hung in the air for a long moment. Only to crash down all around them under the weight of their meaning. I am not sure how much was understood even with the tone of my voice and concern in my face reinforcing those words.

What do you do when you know someone is going to die? They do not teach you this in medical school, and no simulation or role-playing can prepare you for this. I dont know whether I made the right choice that night. I did what felt right in those few minutes I had to talk to her and her family. It felt honest. It felt as though I balanced the gravity of the situation without depriving them of any hope. I felt she would use those minutes with her family knowing that her next few words might be her last.

Thankfully, there were not many questions. A hug for dad. A tearful kiss and embrace with her fiance. Quiet words were spoken. What was shared was only for them to know. The two men tearfully left the room.

We placed a breathing tube. We used a respirator to breathe for her. We moved her to the intensive care unit. We gave her medicine to make her sleep. We placed large IVs. We gave powerful antibiotics. We gave her medicine to make her heart and blood pressure stronger. We tried dialysis, but she was too sick. We did compressions on her heart when it stopped the first time. We did compressions on her heart when it stopped the second time, her fiance and father never more than a few feet away.

She died before the sun rose the next morning.

health-science@washpost.com

Topin is a critical-care physician who blogs at Balance. This was first published at www.kevinmd.com

[Read more]

[Sepsis is a medical emergency, CDC says. It can be stopped if caught in time.]

[A father went to the hospital with stomach pain. He left without his hands and feet.]
Although Ella Mae Formel works full time in Great Barrington, Mass., money is tight for the new mother.

Her baby, Oliver, was born at the end of March, and making sure she had everything she needed to take care of him was important to her. So when she read a newspaper article before his birth about a program offering free baby boxes, she jumped at the opportunity.

Her gift  a cardboard box where the baby can sleep for his first six months  came loaded with swaddles, a first-aid kit, a rubber duck thermometer to test water temperature, diapers, and tea and sanitary pads for her.

Baby boxes, which were started in Finland 80 years ago and helped to substantially reduce the countrys infant mortality rate, according to the government, are now coming to the United States through nonprofits, community health organizations and private entities.

Im a first-time mother, and I work full time, but Im actually low-income, says the 24-year-old Formel. She received her box through the nonprofit Berkshire Baby Box organization, which connects new moms and dads to local resources.

(Finnish Baby Box)

[Why babies should sleep in cardboard boxes, explained in two charts]

In Finland, all families are given baby boxes  or cash grants if they prefer  as long as the mother is receiving prenatal care. The countrys infant mortality rate decreased from 65 deaths for each 1,000 children born in 1938 to an estimated 2.5 deaths per 1,000 births in 2016, less than half the U.S. rate of 5.8.

The program, enacted in 1937, was initially meant for low-income mothers. The Finnish government was looking for a way to better support babies and families when the child mortality rate was high and the birthrate had dropped, said Kiti Laitinen, coordinator of family benefits at Finlands social services institution, known as Kela. The baby boxes not only provided material support but also helped connect families with health care and social services.

Formel received her box after taking part in several online tutorials offered by Baby Box University, an educational offshoot of the for-profit Baby Box Co., which uses nonprofits to distribute the boxes. People can buy a box for $70 to $225 from the company, which also sells clothes, linens and other items.

The tutorials include information on safe sleep, nutrition and prenatal health. Once Formel completed the training sessions online, she received a voucher and was able to pick up her baby box, distributed in her region by community organizations and hospitals.

For someone who is super financial insecure, what are you going to do if you cant afford a crib or a bassinet or something? she says.

Rachel Moon, a professor of pediatrics and a SIDS researcher at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, notes that the baby box in Finland is tied to the national health-care system, which includes free health care for the mother and child as well as home visits by health-care professionals during the first weeks of life. But a similar arrangement is not available in the United States, she said, and because the boxes have never been studied, its unclear what factors are most important in improving child health.

Dolores Peterson plays with her three-month-old daughter Ariabella at their home in Camden, N.J. on Mar. 6. New Jersey became the first state to send newborn babies and their parents home with a box that doubles as a crib and full of necessities. (Matt Rourke/AP)

This is a vastly different program than what the Baby Box Co. is doing, she said of the Finnish program. It may be the prenatal care or the national health care or the home visits, or all of these or none of these. However, we will not know because nobody wants to study this. This is very frustrating.

[New guidelines on infant sleep highlight danger of parents tiredness]

Although there have been no studies tying the boxes to reducing sudden infant death syndrome or other hazards, Fares Diarbakerli, an OB/GYN in New Jersey, said the boxes are a way to help ease new moms into motherhood. Diarbakerli said he doesnt believe there are any risks associated with the box as long as the parents are educated on proper ways for the infant to sleep in the box.

The Baby Box company says that the opportunity for parent education offered along with the boxes is a useful way to improve child and maternal health.

Jennifer Clary, the chief executive of Baby Box, started the company with her best friend in 2013. Today the company, headquartered in Los Angeles, partners with hospitals, government agencies and nonprofit organizations. Alabama, Ohio, New Jersey and Texas offer free boxes, and local programs, including ones in Virginia and the District, also give them out.

The thing about the Finnish program is that one of the reasons it works is because its universal, Clary said. If you actually look back at other health-care interventions targeting infant and maternal health issues, historically no matter if its a baby box or anything else, if you do a targeted health-care initiative, the most vulnerable families you are trying to reach feel stigmatized, and so you dont actually engage them on the same level as affluent people, who wouldnt need it as much anyway.

Baby boxes, Clary says, are the great equalizer. Its not the boxes themselves that have reduced infant deaths, she notes, but the increased prenatal engagement and knowledge that soon-to-be moms and new moms obtain from the health-care providers.

Clary said the cost to produce the baby boxes varies widely by territory and its contents. She declined to give financial details, calling that proprietary information. The company has three revenue streams: individual consumers, partner organizations that buy the boxes (typically hospitals and corporate health programs) and community programs financed by nonprofits, government agencies and private contributions.

Amanda Frigon, who had her daughter, Avalea, in August, says the tutorial information she received from the Baby Box University could make or break a new mother.

I think its pretty awesome that Finland gives them to every single mother before they have their child, says the 29-year-old from Massachusetts. We dont do anything like that for expecting mothers in this country. We dont really do much in the way of trying to help new mothers, so if that started happening here, I think it would definitely be a bonus to any expecting moms.

Read more:

New type of baby monitors offers peace of mind but may deliver the opposite

Your child is sick and the doctors office is closed. What do you do?

In a world of overwhelming Internet advice, here are 8 things parents should know
The American flag that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planted on the moon in 1969 appeared to be blowing in the wind. Conspiracy theorists claim this is proof that the whole thing was staged  because theres no wind on the moon.

The real story? A horizontal rod had been inserted through a hem at the top of the flag, but the astronauts had trouble pulling the telescoping rod all the way out, leading to that rippling effect. In other words, it was an engineering blunder.

And remarkably, it was one of only a handful connected to the first full deployment of the lunar module, which is the subject of the second episode of the new Smithsonian Channel six-part series Americas Secret Space Heroes.

Instead of focusing on astronauts, the show is about the behind-the-scenes folks, the ones who calculated on blackboards, toyed with cutting-edge technologies and cleaned up after experiments went awry.

Through archival footage, reenactments and interviews, viewers are transported back to the 1960s space race. The series premiere episode, which first aired May 14, explores the creation of the Saturn V rocket, a gigantic project that required a three-stage design and crazy-powerful engines. Residents in Huntsville, Ala., where testing was done, complained about their windows breaking and chandeliers coming apart.

The job of this rocket was to carry the lunar module, a comparatively dinky, bug-looking thing. But as the men who made the module explain in Episode 2, which airs May 21, there was no room for error in the vehicle, which had to perform under unknown conditions. (What is the lunar surface like? Um, not totally sure.)

And they had to seriously watch their weight. So plans calling for wide, helicopter-like windows were scrapped when that much glass was deemed too heavy. But the pilots needed to be able to see, so they were positioned standing up rather than seated and given small panels to look through.

The workarounds the design team created are now part of engineering  and American  history.

Read more:

Elon Musk unveils Mars colonization plan, but dont pack your bags just yet

Hidden no more: A black NASA pioneer finds acclaim at 98
ILLINOIS

Police kill inmate who took hostages

Officers fatally shot an armed jail inmate who took two nurses hostage at a hospital in northern Illinois on Saturday, several hours after the inmate stole a gun from the corrections officer guarding him, authorities said.

A SWAT team quickly moved in to Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva after negotiations broke down with the inmate Saturday afternoon, Kane County Sheriffs Office spokesman Patrick Gengler said. Gengler said one officer shot and killed the inmate, whom he identified as 21-year-old Tywon Salters.

The inmate initially took one female nurse hostage, but she was released during the standoff. Salters then took another female nurse hostage, and she was with him when he was shot at about

5 p.m., Gengler said.

The second nurse was extremely emotional and upset following the shooting, but appeared to be physically fine, Gengler said. She was quickly taken to another room in the hospital.

The standoff began about 12:30 p.m., when the inmate snatched a gun from a corrections officer at the hospital about 40 miles west of Chicago.

Salters, who was being held on charges related to a stolen vehicle, had been in the Kane County Jails custody since

April 11, and in the hospital since Monday, Gengler said.

 Associated Press

OHIO

Killer of three had history of violence

Court records show that the man authorities say gunned down an Ohio village police chief and two nursing home employees had a history of violence, including against the nurse who was among the slain.

The suspect, Thomas Hartless, 43, was found dead inside Pine Kirk Care Center.

Nurse Marlina Medrano, 46, nurses aide Cindy Krantz, 48, and Kirkersville Police Chief Steven Eric DiSario, 36, were killed in the Friday attack.

State and local authorities said Saturday that the investigation was continuing and that they had no new information to release.

Spokeswoman Jill Del Greco, of the Ohio attorney generals office, said investigators had more interviews planned and will focus on learning more about the connection between Hartless and Medrano.

Authorities have said they had been in a relationship.

Records show that Medrano had obtained civil protection orders against Hartless. Hartless was released from jail in April after his latest domestic violence case in March.

State prison records show he served eight months in 2010 for the 2009 abduction of another woman.

 Associated Press

S.C. man charged in killing, childs disappearance: A South Carolina man has been arrested and charged in the stabbing death of a Bennettsville woman and the disappearance of her 8-year-old daughter, who remains missing, authorities said Saturday. Jejuancey Fernando Harrington, 32, has been charged with murder in the death of Ella Lowery. Her body was found May 5 in the home she shared with her daughter, Iyana.

Protesters call for Haitians to be allowed to stay in U.S.: Hundreds of people took to the streets of Miami for a protest aimed at allowing Haitian immigrants who arrived after that countrys devastating 2010 earthquake to remain in the United States. President Trumps administration must announce by May 23 whether to continue that status for about 50,000 Haitians legally living and working in the country before Jan. 12, 2011.

 From news services
Facts arent facts; truth isnt true; reality isnt real.

This is where we are.

Its no wonder that Orwellian is the most widely used adjective derived from the name of a writer. We are living in the most surreal of times.

But Orwells days may be numbered as Trumpian has swiftly emerged to describe the presidents apparent intent to de-fictionalize Orwells dystopian vision. Either that, or hes just plain addled. Or, it must be considered, the alien being that has inhabited the former Donald Trumps body has been slow to absorb the intricacies and nuances of the spoken word.

Trumps daily scrimmages with the English language make Bushisms seem like Bartletts Best. When not syntactically challenged, theyre jaw-droppingly mystifying. What possibly could Trump have intended when he suggested to NBCs Lester Holt that he doesnt know for sure if theres an FBI investigation into this Russia thing? So the president doesnt believe what every intelligence agency has said and what he has personally been told in briefings?

Choosing ones truth is the essence of Trumpian logic. But the emanations from the White House can no longer be dismissed as mere incompetence. Something is very wrong at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Inside the Oval Offices golden walls, where even flies dare not land, democracy rocks perilously between the forces of light and darkness.

How perfectly evocative one recent night when press secretary Sean Spicer huddled with staffers behind a bush after news broke of FBI Director James B. Comeys firing. The beleaguered Spicer finally agreed to come out and speak to the gathered media, but only if they extinguished their lights.

Democracy Dies in Darkness, reads the Washington Post banner, seeming ever more apt by the day.

So what are we to make of Trumps constantly shifting facts and truths? Is he lying? Pretending? Or is he so certain of Americas abbreviated attention span and willing self-delusion that he can speak nonsense with the same impunity as when he claimed he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and his base wouldnt care?

Or is it just possible that his campaign really is guilty of collusion with Russia? Does Vladimir Putin have something on the American president? There may, indeed, be nothing, as Trump insists, but the president goes out of his way to appear guilty. How difficult is it to say why he fired Comey? The variety of explanations over a matter of days was obviously a flailing for justification. Trying to track them felt like trying to solve a maze where the cheese keeps moving.

First, it was Comeys handling of Hillary Clintons email investigation. Next it was the Justice Departments recommendation. Then it was neither. Trump was always thinking about firing Comey, he himself said. (Note to staffers: Trump is always thinking about firing everyone.)

The latest to slip Trumps tongue was that Comey was a showboat , which the showboat in chief would see as competition. Also, Comey had lost the confidence of the bureau, said Trump, despite FBI testimony to the contrary. Finally, Comey wasnt good at his job, which would be a rational basis, if only hed thought of it sooner. Most agree that Comey exercised poor judgment in issuing Clinton investigation updates that could have affected the election outcome.

Several months forward, however, what could have prompted Trump to take action? In a Trumpian world, stalled somewhere between second grade and a prep school locker room, even the ridiculous seems plausible. So, lets try a wild one: Maybe Trump fired Comey for being taller, at 6 feet, 8 inches. In light of his infatuation with size, one can easily imagine that a 6-foot-3-inch Trump would resent having to look up to the guy who was investigating possible collusion between his campaign and Russia.

In the adult world, however, the eye tends to land on other likelihoods, as in Comeys Trump campaign/Russia investigation, his recent request for more resources for the investigation, his denial of Trumps claim that President Barack Obama had wiretapped his office and his refusal during a dinner with Trump to pledge loyalty.

Trump disputes all of the above, surprising no one.

But Trump couldnt leave it alone. Friday, he launched a Twitter tirade that seemed to threaten Comey, saying the fired director better hope there are no tapes of their conversations if he starts leaking to the press. Just as Trump projected himself in calling Comey a showboater, one could reasonably extrapolate that Trump is the one concerned about what next might surface.

Then again, maybe its just that alien thing messing with Trumps mind.

Read more from Kathleen Parkers archive, follow her on Twitter or find her on Facebook.
Jocelyn Simonson is a law professor at Brooklyn Law School.

Money kept them in. Black love got them out. That is the slogan of Mamas Bail Out Day, an effort of grass-roots organizations from across the country to bail out mothers and other caretakers who are sitting in jail simply because they cannot afford to pay bail. From Oakland, Calif., to Montgomery, Ala., to New York City, nearly two dozen organizations affiliated with public defenders, local Black Lives Matter chapters and other activists for racial justice are raising money to post bail for strangers so they can spend Mothers Day at home with their families.

Mamas Bail Out Day brings together two critical frontiers in the fight of racial justice movements to end mass incarceration. The first is the rise of community bail funds, whereby grass-roots groups have increasingly begun to use revolving pools of money to post bail on behalf of strangers. Second, Mamas Bail Out Day is part of a critical effort to include the experiences of women in the narrative surrounding the fight against mass incarceration. In particular, the effort concentrates this power on the plight of women of color, especially African American women and trans women, who are far more likely to be arrested, held on bail and sexually abused in jail than their white and cisgender counterparts. Taken together, this unprecedented coordination of efforts to bail out poor people of color exemplifies the kind of mass acts of resistance that can disrupt the status quo in the criminal-justice system.

My work studying community bail funds has shown that the communal act of posting bail is incredibly powerful. At any given moment, approximately 450,000 poor people across the United States are detained in jails because they cannot afford their bail, sometimes as little as $500 or $100. With community bail funds, literal action  the posting of bail  itself becomes a form of on-the-ground resistance by the very people most affected by mass incarceration. Each time a community bail fund pays bail for a stranger, the people in control of the fund reject a judges determination that a certain amount of the defendants personal money was necessary for the defendants release. They purchase a strangers freedom. It resembles the practice of jury nullification, in which jurors can find an accused not guilty for reasons other than legal guilt, including racial or system injustice. And, as the Mamas Bail Out Day organizers have noted, it also echoes the historic practice of African Americans using money to free themselves and others from slavery.

By using the bail system against itself, collective efforts to post bail can change how we think about the institution of bail itself. The modern conception of setting bail is that a judge or a magistrate must weigh the interests of an individual defendant against those of a larger community. When a judge sets bail, he or she does so on behalf of the community and for the protection of the community. Speaking as part of the community, bail funds tell judges: Do not set bail in our name.

The national, coordinated effort of the grass-roots groups participating in Mamas Bail Out Day are bringing these funds to an unprecedented scale. By the end of the day Friday, organizers expect to have bailed out more than 100 women and caretakers in nearly two dozen locations throughout the country. These activists are making a powerful statement about the ability of marginalized communities to support each other, build power and resist the status quo of money bail.

By engaging in this mass action in celebration of Mothers Day, these groups are destabilizing more than the concept of community: They will be recasting our image of who the mothers we celebrate on Mothers Day are and should be. Mamas Bail Out Day celebrates mothers who are marginalized in any number of ways  shackled during pregnancy, targeted as immigrants, unfairly labeled unfit by child-welfare agencies  but who are of course full of love and deserving of support. Through the act of posting bail, these activists will also be shifting the narrative around the celebration of black motherhood.

The United States is in the midst of a new wave of bail reform  the past few years have seen a growing national push to reduce Americas reliance on money bail and pretrial detention. But efforts such as Mamas Bail Out Day bring something unique to the table by contesting the public meaning of not only money bail, but also the criminal-justice system itself.
GETTING KIDS to eat, as any parent will attest, can be a struggle. Getting them to eat healthy foods can be even harder. But the solution is not for adults to give up on good nutrition and let them eat whatever they want. That is the unfortunate message sent by the Trump administrations decision to slow implementation of stricter nutrition standards for school meals that were championed by then-first lady Michelle Obama. With obesity a critical problem for millions of American children, efforts to make school menus healthier should not be delayed.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced this month, one week after being confirmed, a rollback of some nutrition regulations mandated as part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Schools wont be required to lower the sodium content of breakfasts and lunches served to some 31 million schoolchildren until 2020, waivers will continue to be given to schools to let them opt out of having to serve whole-grain enriched foods, and they will be permitted to serve chocolate and flavored milk as long as its reduced-fat.

We have to balance sodium and whole grain content with palatability, Mr. Perdue said. He said schools should give students more of what they like to eat and that too much school food ends up in the trash. Waste is an issue, but that is a long-standing American problem not unique to school cafeterias. Moreover, some peer-reviewed studies have found, contrary to widely circulated anecdotal assertions, that the revised meal standards and policies appear to have lowered, not increased, food waste. In any event, as Ken Cook of the Environmental Working Group pointed out, Just because children would rather eat heavily salted processed foods at school doesnt mean they should. There are strategies that have proved successful at encouraging better eating habits, from cutting up fruit and setting up salad bars to involving children in food preparation to simply giving them more time to eat.

The changes ordered by the Trump administration  and reflected in a policy rider inserted by House Republicans in an appropriations bill  thankfully still leave in place most of the Obama administrations nutrition rules, including requirements to serve fruits and vegetables to students. We hope that Mr. Perdue  who did add a salad to the chicken nuggets he lunched on at the Loudoun County school where the May 1 announcement was made  doesnt plan to backtrack further on the progress that has been made in getting kids to eat healthier.
An Indian security officer aims a pellet gun toward Kashmiri protesters near the site of a gun battle in the Panzgam village of Kupwara, north of Srinagar, on April 27. (Stringer/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)

Regarding the May 1 The World article Kashmiri girls join ranks of separatist protesters:

I have seen many instances of the term pellet guns being used to describe the weapons used by Indian police. To most Americans, a pellet gun is an air-powered pistol or rifle firing a single pellet. It is rarely able to kill or even wound a person hit with the pellet.

As used by Indian police, pellet gun is a 12-gauge shotgun using shells that contain dozens of pellets propelled by gunpowder. There is a huge difference.

When Americans read pellet gun, they think of youll shoot your eye out. When rioters in India see pellet guns, they hope they are far enough away to not have their head shot off.

William Lukens, Bluemont
WITH ITS preposterously gerrymandered congressional voting districts, Maryland is an outstanding example of why states need nonpartisan redistricting reform. But the redistricting bill that emerged this year in Annapolis  in equal parts cynical and ludicrous  makes clear that the Democrats who dominate both houses of the General Assembly there remain loath to part with the incumbent-protection racket that enables them to choose their voters and perpetuate their grip on power with scant regard for good governance.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Craig J. Zucker (D-Montgomery), is an Alphonse-and-Gaston arrangement, except that in this case there is not one Gaston but five. It would establish a nonpartisan commission to draft the states congressional districts  so far so good  but only if five other Eastern Seaboard states agreed in lockstep to do the same. (They are New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina.)

Why Mr. Zucker and the Democratic leadership didnt throw in some Rocky Mountain and New England states, plus Alabama and New Mexico (among others) for good measure, is beyond us. As long as Maryland has chosen to enact legislation governing other states conduct, why stop at just five?

Maryland may count as the nations most heavily gerrymandered state where Democrats control the legislature, which explains their hostility to the idea of unilateral reform. If Republicans are crafting gerrymandered voting maps to maximize their clout in Congress, their argument goes, why should Democrats be so pure, especially if it costs them a seat or two in Maryland?

For one thing, its the right thing to do. Drawing voting maps so as to minimize electoral competition is anti-democratic. Its also a disservice to constituents in whose name lawmakers work and whose effective representation is far less likely if they are divided into sprawling, ink-blot-shaped districts, with voters whose interests may be divergent. (See Marylands helter-skelter 6th District, which couples parts of suburban Montgomery County with rural Western Maryland, which is closer to parts of Ohio than to Rockville.)

But lets say Annapolis Democrats are purely self-interested; theyre politicians, after all. In that case, they might consider the fact that a poll conducted in February by Goucher College found that 73 percent of Maryland voters backed an independent redistricting commission  without the proviso that it be established in conjunction with similar commissions in a bunch of other states.

The Democratic bill is a fig leaf designed to obscure its contempt for actual redistricting reform of the sort Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, has proposed for the past two years. Mr. Hogans bills, killed in committee by Democrats, would establish a commission to redraw the states wildly gerrymandered lines, in order to fashion relatively compact districts composed of more like-minded constituents.

Mr. Hogan, usually reluctant to pick a political fight in a state that tilts heavily Democratic, has vetoed the Democrats faux reform bill, setting up a possible veto override. If Democrats do muster the votes to override the veto and enact their bill, it will enshrine their own cynicism and ensure that no real redistricting reform takes place in Maryland.
When will they storm Washingtons Monticello? Laura Ingraham asked ominously this last week. The conservative commentators tweet linked to news that a statue of Jefferson Davis, one of four contested monuments in New Orleans, was slated to come down Wednesday night.

The question was met with well-deserved derision, and a subsequent correction from Ingraham  George Washington lived at Mount Vernon, Monticello was Thomas Jeffersons estate, and neither of those Founding Fathers ever interacted with Davis, the president of the Confederacy. But it did serve to illuminate an important fact about most pro-statue protests and demonstrations: They arent really about the history.

Whenever its asked why Confederate memorials should be kept in place, a predictable raft of arguments is brought forth. Youre trying to erase the past! Were honoring the memory of valorous men! How will we learn from history!?

These claims dont stand up. The truth is that the desperation to preserve this particular heritage and past is a facade for something more malignant. Its privileged status, not history, thats being protected. Whether or not theyre able to acknowledge it, the thing that all these indignant commentators rush to preserve is a toxic nostalgia for the time and place that Confederate monuments represent.

[The case for the monuments in your home town: Tell us what should stay and what should go]

In most cases, as Ingraham helpfully illustrated, those protesting the monuments removal arent exactly avid historians; many couldnt tell one Confederate general from the next. And despite what some indignant statue supporters might claim, moving memorials from the city center to a dedicated museum is nothing like leveling the Egyptian pyramids or tearing down the Roman Colosseum; its not destruction, its adding needed context. As for honoring the memories of honorable men, heres what Robert E. Lee himself said about undue reverence for conflicts past: I think it wisest not to keep open the sores of war, but to follow the example of those nations who endeavored to obliterate the marks of civil strife, and to commit to oblivion the feelings it engendered.

To be clear, these monuments were raised to commemorate a time of unquestioned white supremacy, when black people knew their place as second-class citizens and could be punished with impunity when they stepped out of line. The Civil War was fought to preserve the antebellum South. It and the post-Reconstruction era were a time and place in which those in one segment of the population could live in the absolute certainty that they were better than the rest  that they should and always would remain on top.

That place sounds comfortable, if youre on the winning side of things. I can understand why one might want to keep that feeling alive, especially today.

In the current moment, many Americans find themselves gripped by what some have termed cultural anxiety. Nearly two-thirds of white working-class Americans believe that the countrys culture and way of life have deteriorated in recent decades. Nearly half say that things have changed so much that they feel like strangers in their own country. Most hesitate to call this racism  after all, you dont have to dislike people of other races to want to maintain your own status, and few see themselves as deserving of what is now viewed as the worst possible epithet.

But theres no escaping that its still a question of roles, standing and hierarchy, a wish to maintain a social structure that prefers one group over the rest. Its discomfiting to feel that you have lost power as others have gained equal footing, even if you were never entitled to dominance in the first place.

Maybe this is why the far right has taken up Old South preservation as a pet cause, and why some conservative politicians base their campaigns on their support of symbols that glorify the Confederacy (Virginia gubernatorial candidate Corey Stewart recently donned period costume to attend an Old South Ball and heralded the first New Orleans statue removal as evidence that ISIS has won.) For some, Making America Great Again means keeping alive the memory of a time when the country seemed more settled in their favor.

But there is no way to satisfy this longing for America as it used to be in the context of what America is becoming and should have always been: a democracy in which all citizens are of equal value. There will always be space for remembering our history, but remembering isnt the end of it: We must also decide which parts of it are worthy of continued celebration and which are not. Those attempting to keep the past alive under the guise of protecting Confederate memorials need to recognize that this is the case, as uncomfortable as that might be.
ATTORNEY GENERAL Jeff Sessions announced on Friday a new Justice Department policy designed to enforce the law fairly and consistently. It will not achieve that aim. Instead, the attorney generals plan unintentionally underscores the case for Congress to reform the nations unjust sentencing laws.

Mr. Sessions withdrew a sentencing policy crafted by Obama Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., which has been in effect since 2013. In its place, Mr. Sessions commanded federal prosecutors to charge and pursue the most serious, readily provable offense, a policy that will undoubtedly put some people in prison longer than is just or practical.

Mr. Holders policy had effectively softened harsh mandatory sentences for lower-level offenders. Even the body in charge of sentencing guidelines, the federal Sentencing Commission, concluded several years ago that sentencing standards had cracked down too hard on relatively minor offenders, such as drug couriers and mules, rather than being focused on kingpins and other major players. But under the law, the commission was unable to fully address the problems it identified. Mr. Holder also faced legal constraints, though he pressed against them aggressively: His policy involved declining to list the quantity of drugs in the possession of certain petty, nonviolent defendants, so as not to trigger automatic, harsh sentences. In a response to Mr. Sessionss move obtained by MSNBCs Rachel Maddow, Mr. Holder noted on Friday that federal prosecutors focused on more serious drug cases after his policy took effect.

Mr. Sessions justified his policy shift in part by arguing it would promote consistency in federal sentencing. But some prosecutors still will shrink from throwing the book at defendants, while others will not. Moreover, if every new attorney general dramatically shifts charging policy, over time a great many people who committed the same crime may be locked up for very different periods.

Mr. Sessionss new policy is not maximally draconian. At a Friday news conference, the attorney general noted that he will allow prosecutors to avoid sentences that would result in an injustice. But getting an exception from his charge-the-maximum policy will require supervisor authorization and a written explanation. That will likely happen much less often than it should.

Mr. Holders policy was not perfect either. It seemed to order prosecutors to change the crime to fit the punishment, in tension with what the law demanded. The right response to this imperfection, though, is not to return to a differently flawed sentencing policy, but for Congress to act. Current law still reflects the get-tough-on-crime mood of decades ago that a growing, bipartisan group of officials has concluded is outmoded, expensive and, often, counterproductive.

Congress should not have dithered while states and the executive branch attempted to ease the sting of the system it created. Now, as the attorney general reimposes the full severity of the laws Congress passed, the need to move is only greater. Lawmakers established mandatory minimum sentences. Lawmakers ultimately must be the ones to reshape them.
IF POLITICAL rhetoric alone killed tax rules, a favor to the rich known as the carried-interest loophole would have been dead and buried long ago. In a nutshell, this particular break enables hedge-fund managers and similarly situated wealthy investment professionals to pay only the 23.8 percent federal capital gains rate on much of their annual earnings, instead of the 39.6 percent ordinary income rate. Everyone in politics  from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on the populist left to President Trump on the populist right  has denounced this giveaway, which costs the treasury roughly $2 billion per year.

Yet somehow it survives. President Barack Obama opposed it but balked at repealing it via executive order, though some legal experts think thats possible; meanwhile, Congress has not enacted repeal, pending a broader tax-reform bill that would supposedly sweep out unjustifiable loopholes.

Of course, it is also possible to abolish carried interest in the process of making the tax code considerably less fair overall. That is the apparent approach of Mr. Trumps recently floated proposal for a tax overhaul, albeit by implication. Mr. Trump would abolish the carried-interest loophole  then instantly render that irrelevant: His plan lowers the top tax rate on all businesses  those incorporated as shareholder-owned enterprises, which currently face a top rate of 35 percent, and so-called pass-through entities, whose profits are taxed at their owners ordinary income rate  to 15 percent. Obviously, hedge funds could simply reorganize as pass-through entities to pay the 15 percent rate, an even sweeter deal than the 23.8 percent they pay on carried interest now.

Steven Mnuchin, Mr. Trumps treasury secretary, promised unspecified rules to prevent excessive tax avoidance, but theyd have to be strong rules indeed to overcome these incentives. House Republican tax plans would not cut the top business rate to 15 percent, but they could give rise to some pass-through mischief of their own. The GOP proposal unveiled last year would have cut the top individual rate on ordinary income to 33 percent, while capping the rate on pass-through businesses at 25 percent. In other words, it would create a new incentive  to the tune of an eight-percentage-point-lower tax rate  for taxpayers to recharacterize their earnings as business profits. If you think that wont happen very often, think again: When Kansas created a similar differential in its state income taxes five years ago, nearly 400,000 filers took advantage of it, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. The resulting loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue helped create the chronic fiscal crisis that has roiled that state in recent years.

In short, tax reform can be a good cause or a license for mischief  something to keep in mind the next time you hear the president trumpeting his opposition to carried interest.
Regarding the May 7 Arts & Style article The art of choosing what goes on the wall:

To underscore the banal mystery behind why National Gallery of Art curators pulled down Woman, which the article called a garish but beautiful tapestry by Spanish modern master Joan Miro, The Post really should have shown its bland replacement. Ellsworth Kellys Color Panels for a Large Wall has all of the drama and impact of its bureaucratic title. Color-school fans can see pretty much the same thing at more than 4,100 stores across the nation if they peruse Sherwin-Williams Paint Chip Colors.

Sonny Goldreich, Silver Spring
The May 4 Metro article Interim Md. Democratic leader inspires hope  and angst referred to me as a longtime activist. I was the candidate Kathleen Matthews beat to be Maryland Democratic Party chair and to be interim chair. Longtime activist doesnt address my qualifications to be party chair. I was an elected member of the Montgomery County Central Committee, which has relevance to this article as the people voting for party chair are all current members of county central committees. I was a member of the Democratic state executive board, which voted for the interim party chair.

The article was about the divide between the current party leadership and the progressive wing of the party. I have been praised for being the progressive voice of our Democratic Party for the past 40 years. I was endorsed for Congress in 2016 by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). I am now a member of Our Revolution, Progressive Maryland, Rise Up, Indivisible and many other progressive county, state and national groups. I am more than a longtime activist.

Anthony P. Puca, North Potomac
Jan. 25, 2017 Trump signs an executive order for border security and immigration enforcement improvements at the Department of Homeland Security in Washington. Chip Somodevilla/Pool photo via Bloomberg News

Laurence H. Tribe is Carl M. Loeb University Professor and Professor of Constitutional Law at Harvard Law School.

The time has come for Congress to launch an impeachment investigation of President Trump for obstruction of justice.

The remedy of impeachment was designed to create a last-resort mechanism for preserving our constitutional system. It operates by removing executive-branch officials who have so abused power through what the framers called high crimes and misdemeanors that they cannot be trusted to continue in office.

(Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

No American president has ever been removed for such abuses, although Andrew Johnson was impeached and came within a single vote of being convicted by the Senate and removed, and Richard Nixon resigned to avoid that fate.

Now the country is faced with a president whose conduct strongly suggests that he poses a danger to our system of government.

Ample reasons existed to worry about this president, and to ponder the extraordinary remedy of impeachment, even before he fired FBI Director James B. Comey and shockingly admitted on national television that the action was provoked by the FBIs intensifying investigation into his campaigns ties with Russia.

Even without getting to the bottom of what Trump dismissed as this Russia thing, impeachable offenses could theoretically have been charged from the outset of this presidency. One important example is Trumps brazen defiance of the foreign emoluments clause, which is designed to prevent foreign powers from pressuring U.S. officials to stray from undivided loyalty to the United States. Political reality made impeachment and removal on that and other grounds seem premature.

No longer. To wait for the results of the multiple investigations underway is to risk tying our nations fate to the whims of an authoritarian leader.

Comeys summary firing will not stop the inquiry, yet it represented an obvious effort to interfere with a probe involving national security matters vastly more serious than the third-rate burglary that Nixon tried to cover up in Watergate. The question of Russian interference in the presidential election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign go to the heart of our system and ability to conduct free and fair elections.

Consider, too, how Trump embroiled Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, despite Sessionss recusal from involvement in the Russia investigation, in preparing admittedly phony justifications for the firing on which Trump had already decided. Consider how Trump used the vice president and White House staff to propagate a set of blatant untruths  before giving an interview to NBCs Lester Holt that exposed his true motivation.

(NBC News)

Trump accompanied that confession with self-serving  and manifestly false  assertions about having been assured by Comey that Trump himself was not under investigation. By Trumps own account, he asked Comey about his investigative status even as he was conducting the equivalent of a job interview in which Comey sought to retain his position as director.

Further reporting suggests that the encounter was even more sinister, with Trump insisting that Comey pledge loyalty to him in order to retain his job. Publicly saying he saw nothing wrong with demanding such loyalty, the president turned to Twitter with a none-too-subtle threat that Comey would regret any decision to disseminate his version of his conversations with Trump  something that Comey has every right, and indeed a civic duty, to do.

To say that this does not in itself rise to the level of obstruction of justice is to empty that concept of all meaning. Obstruction of justice was the first count in the articles of impeachment against Nixon and, years later, a count against Bill Clinton. In Clintons case, the ostensible obstruction consisted solely in lying under oath about a sordid sexual affair that may have sullied the Oval Office but involved no abuse of presidential power as such.

But in Nixons case, the list of actions that together were deemed to constitute impeachable obstruction reads like a forecast of what Trump would do decades later  making misleading statements to, or withholding material evidence from, federal investigators or other federal employees; trying to interfere with FBI or congressional investigations; trying to break through the FBIs shield surrounding ongoing criminal investigations; dangling carrots in front of people who might otherwise pose trouble for ones hold on power.

It will require serious commitment to constitutional principle, and courageous willingness to put devotion to the national interest above self-interest and party loyalty, for a Congress of the presidents own party to initiate an impeachment inquiry. It would be a terrible shame if only the mounting prospect of being voted out of office in November 2018 would sufficiently concentrate the minds of representatives and senators today.

But whether it is devotion to principle or hunger for political survival that puts the prospect of impeachment and removal on the table, the crucial thing is that the prospect now be taken seriously, that the machinery of removal be reactivated, and that the need to use it become the focus of political discourse going into 2018.
Monday, Oct. 22, 1973, was the observance of Veterans Day in Washington, so most congressional offices were closed. However, Sen. Charles McC. Mathias Jr. (R-Md.), and his top aides, including yours truly, gathered that day at his office to review the unprecedented events that had rocked the city 48 hours earlier.

Washington had never witnessed a Saturday night like that.

President Richard Nixon had ordered special prosecutor Archibald Cox fired for refusing to back off his pursuit of the White House Watergate tapes. The same evening, Nixon had accepted the resignations of Attorney General Elliot L. Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William D. Ruckelshaus, both of whom refused to discharge Cox. Nixon directed Solicitor General Robert H. Bork, as the newly installed acting attorney general, to carry out the order, which he did.

That very night, Nixon also abolished the special prosecutors office and had the FBI seal the Justice Department offices of Richardson and Ruckelshaus, as well as Coxs office on K Street NW.

The Saturday Night Massacre ignited a firestorm. Just how much of one became apparent as soon as we entered the office that Monday.

We had to be there: Mathias, considered a political maverick, had made the enemies list at the Nixon White House.

Telephones were jumping off the hook. The receptionists and clerical staff had the day off, so some of us stepped in, taking turns answering the phones.

The messages streaming in from Marylands politically conservative Eastern Shore and Western Maryland and more liberal Montgomery County and Baltimore were remarkably similar.

Outraged constituents wanted their senator to know they thought Nixon had gone too far  that what he had done on Saturday night was simply wrong. More than 50,000 telegrams in protest reportedly arrived on Capitol Hill in one day.

The circumstances surrounding Nixons treatment of Cox, Richardson and Ruckelshaus differed, to be sure, from the factors that led to President Trumps firing of FBI Director James B. Comey.

Coxs firing 44 years ago and this weeks treatment of Comey, however, have one common feature: Both Nixon and Trump moved to quash a federal investigation into activities associated with their presidential campaigns by firing the top officials overseeing the probe.

It didnt work then. Will it work now?

The 73 electorate had come to realize that Nixon crossed the line and that presidential power had been abused.

Many of the callers couldnt cite laws that Nixon might have broken or the constitutional rights he might have violated. But there was collectively a gut feeling in the country that Nixon  liked and supported by many  had gone too far.

And Congress, prodded by a fearless press, including this newspaper, stepped up.

What feelings about Trump exist today across the fruited plain? Is the dismay limited to Democrats in Congress and a few Republican outliers annoyed by Trumps smackdown of Comey?

Because count on it, Trump is not going to hold still for deepening probes into possible ties between the Kremlin and his presidential campaign. That is what Comeys firing was all about.

But can Trump get away with misusing the powers of his office to obstruct the FBIs probe of Russias campaign to influence the 2016 presidential election?

Whats next?

Look for a full-throated Trump campaign to deceive the country into believing that theres no reason to probe whether anyone on his team has been involved in misconduct with the Kremlin.

Watch as he and his minions attempt to interfere with the conduct of investigations by the Senate and House intelligence committees by seeking to discredit key members.

The last thing Trump wants is a spotlight shining on the money trail that flowed from Russian enterprises connected to the Kremlin to activities and individuals associated over the years with Trump personally, the Trump Organization and his business, family and political allies. Does Russia, because of money, have its hooks into Trump?

Thus keep a close eye on former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who was just issued a Senate subpoena for documents related to the Russian meddling and possible Trump campaign/Kremlin ties.

It may well be that Flynn regarded Vice President Pence and White House press secretary Sean Spicer as useful idiots who would blithely peddle his lie that he didnt discuss the removal of sanctions with the Russian ambassador before Trump took office. But would Flynn, Army to the core, dare overstep his bounds with the commander in chief? That Flynn, close campaign adviser, representative of President-elect Trumps transition team and Trumps handpicked national security adviser, would have had communications with the Russians without Trumps knowledge is almost beyond belief.

So back to the beginning: Are phones jumping off the hook, and emails flying, because Trump has gone too far? Is Congress going to examine whether Trump has  through his behavior as candidate and president  prejudiced the cause of law and justice? Or will the country, and a cowardly Republican Congress, just roll over and play dead?

Read more from Colbert Kings archive.
The firing of James B. Comey as director of the FBI has left the credibility of President Trumps White House in tatters. The White House now appears to be an institution where truth struggles to keep up with events, led by a president capable at any moment of undercutting those who serve him.

This past week wasnt the first time that the presidents spokespeople have been asked to explain the inexplicable or defend the indefensible. But what it showed is that this is far more than a problem with the White House communications team, which initially bore the brunt of criticism for offering what turned out to be an inaccurate description of how the president came to dismiss Comey. Whether the communications team is or isnt fully in the loop is not the pertinent issue.

Instead, the responsibility for what has been one of the most explosive weeks of the Trump presidency begins at the top, with the president, whose statements and tweets regularly shatter whatever plans have been laid for the day or week.

It includes Vice President Pence, who in an appearance on Capitol Hill quadrupled down on what turned out to be, at its most benign interpretation, an incomplete and therefore misleading description of how the decision was made. It includes White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, who must try to bring discipline to White House operations in the face of a president with a practice of frustrating those efforts and who then blames others when things go bad.

For Pence, this is the second time in four months that he has gone out in public with a description of events that turned out not to be fully accurate. In January, he was flat-out wrong when he vouched for Michael Flynn about whether the then-national security adviser had discussed sanctions against Russia in a telephone call with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. In that case, Pence repeated what Flynn had told him when Flynn was not telling him the truth. Chalk that up to misplaced confidence in an untrustworthy colleague who is now in legal jeopardy.

(Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

On Wednesday, Pence did something different. He went to Capitol Hill and in a brief scrum with reporters described the decision-making process that led to Comeys dismissal as one that originated at the Justice Department and moved up to the chain of command to the president for action. This wasnt a statement made in passing. Four different times he pointed to the Justice Department as the catalyst and cited Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosensteins memo critiquing Comeys handling of the investigation into Hillary Clintons use of a private email server while she was secretary of state as being critically influential.

[Comey firing adds to pressure on Senate Intelligence investigation]

As Pence explained it, Rosenstein recently came in [to the Justice Department], sat down and made the recommendation for the FBI to be able to do its job that it would need new leadership. He brought that recommendation to the president. The attorney general [Jeff Sessions] concurred with that recommendation. Pence said the presidents role was to act on that recommendation, saying Trump provided strong and decisive leadership in following the Justice Departments advice.

Everyone now knows there was much more to the sequence of events, based on reporting by news organizations. The Post, citing many sources, reported that the president had told his senior staff Monday morning he wanted to move against Comey  hours before his meeting with Rosenstein and Sessions. On Thursday, the president told NBCs Lester Holt he had made up his mind to fire Comey before he heard from the Justice Department and that, no matter what Sessions and Rosenstein recommended, he was going to do so.

Pence said the decision had everything to do with restoring confidence in the FBI and that it had nothing to do with the FBIs ongoing investigation into Russias interference in the 2016 election and whether there was collusion between associates of Trumps campaign and the Russians. But the president told Holt that, when he was deciding to fire Comey, I said to myself, I said, You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story; its an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won. 

Pence cannot know what is in the presidents mind at any given time, but he did know that the president had included in the brief letter to Comey a reference to the investigation and the claim that he had been told by the FBI director that he was not under investigation. Russia was certainly in the background, even if the president did not explicitly say that to Pence.

A spokesman for the vice president declined to speak for the record on the matter. But he said that Pence stands by what he said.  He made it clear it was the presidents decision. He made it clear a lot of it had to do with confidence.  His main point was commending the presidents decisive action.

(Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

Pence has prided himself on being a truth-teller, no easy job given that he has been asked often to stand up for a president who has often made factually inaccurate statements. He did himself little good in this episode. White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders struggled during briefings to provide an accurate accounting of events. But Pence was supposedly in the middle of the discussions that led to Comeys firing.

[Inside the presidents decision to fire Comey]

Priebus, the former Republican National Committee chairman, almost from the beginning has been a target of criticism of the administration, thanks in part to the initial organizational decisions by the president-elect.

Trump established a White House with few clear lines of authority, competing power centers and, as it turned out, fighting factions. No one knows what truly goes on behind the scenes, what efforts senior officials are making to constrain the president, the times they are able to head off problems. What is known to the world at large is what is said and seen in public. By that measure, this has been an extremely messy week.

After the administrations rocky start, Priebus may have believed he was gaining greater control of the White House operations and staff, at least in limited ways. What he hasnt solved is the indiscipline of the president. With days of controversy and conflicting statements over the Comey firing, it seems evident there may be no way to bring real order to the White House of President Trump.

The letter from the president to Comey laid the foundation for the story that Comeys firing was triggered by the recommendations of Rosenstein and Sessions. I have received the attached letters from the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General of the United States recommending your dismissal as the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Trump wrote. I have accepted their recommendation and you are hereby terminated and removed from office, effective immediately.

Within 48 hours, the president undermined that assertion during his interview with Holt, the effect of which was to compromise all the senior officials in the chain of decision-making. However, its also possible there is a somewhat different explanation than the one he gave to Holt, one the presidents advisers cannot say themselves without undermining their boss.

Perhaps Trump has played down the influence of his Justice Department officials as a way of elevating himself, when, in actuality, it took the reassurances from Rosenstein and Sessions to prompt him to move immediately. Maybe he would have fired Comey on Tuesday no matter what. Or maybe not. In either case, the notion that Comey was fired because he mishandled the investigation of Clintons emails, as the original rationale suggested, doesnt hold up.

Only those around the president know the full story of the firing and, more broadly, of the presidents style and operating behavior and what it is like day-to-day behind the scenes. But much more than problems within the communications shop are behind the credibility crisis that plagued Trumps White House this past week.
Democratic state attorneys general are training their ire over President Trumps firing of FBI Director James B. Comey on the one man they say can do something about it: Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein.

The White House cited a memo Tuesday by Rosenstein as the rationale for Comeys abrupt dismissal. On Thursday, Trump contradicted that story, saying he had planned to fire Comey anyway, and The Washington Post reported that Rosenstein threatened to resign over the White Houses inaccurate portrayal of his role.

Regardless of his muddled connection to Comeys firing, 20 Democratic state attorneys general wrote to Rosenstein on Thursday, saying he is the only one who can begin to repair the damage.

Republican leaders in Congress remain opposed to giving up partisan-tainted investigations into Trump aides possible collusion with Russia. And Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself from the matter over his own unreported meetings with a Russian official.

That has left Rosenstein, who has long enjoyed bipartisan support as a federal prosecutor in Maryland, as the only one who can appoint an independent special counsel to clear up the extent of Russian meddling, any collusion by Trump campaign officials, and any coverup, the Democratic attorneys general wrote.

D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine is a co-chairman of the Democratic Attorneys General Association. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

As the chief law enforcement officers of our respective states, we view the Presidents firing of FBI Director James Comey in the middle of his investigation of Russian interference in the presidential election as a violation of the public trust, read the letter sent by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and signed by 19 others.

As prosecutors committed to the rule of law, we urge you to consider the damage to our democratic system of any attempts by the administration to derail and delegitimize the investigation.

For the nations Democratic attorneys general, the first four months of Trumps presidency have amounted to swift role reversal. Where Republican attorneys general for eight years used lawsuits to try to upend President Barack Obamas Affordable Care Act, it has become Democratic attorneys general fighting Trumps travel bans and other executive actions.

But in the federal matter of the Trump-Russia investigation, the state attorneys general say there is little they can do but act as a vertical check on Rosenstein, pressing him to act in the countrys best interest.

We are at a crossroads, a real tipping point, said Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Mr. Rosenstein has a chance to stand up and do the right thing, realizing his agency is now compromised. . . . Were calling this for what it is, an investigation that has run amok.

D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine, who was a former associate White House counsel during the Clinton administration, said Rosenstein can still determine how he will be remembered in this period in American history.

You make your reputation every day, so whatever Mr. Rosensteins reputation was of yesterday, all eyes are on him today and I would urge him to do the most logical, common-sense thing, which is to give the American people what they want: a fair, nonpolitical investigation, Racine said.

Asked Friday whether Rosenstein had seen the letter, planned to respond or would comment, Justice Department spokeswoman Sara Isgur Flores said she wasnt sure the letter had been received.

Since I cant say whether its been received, I guess we just have to decline to comment, she wrote in an email.

Rosenstein has accepted an invitation to brief members of the Senate on Comeys firing next week.

Republican attorneys general have largely been mum this week amid the furor in Washington over Comeys firing. A spokesman for the Republican Attorneys General Association said he hadnt seen any of our AGs say anything on it.

In a conference call with The Washington Post, nine Democratic attorneys general, however, said the events since Comeys firing  including Trumps assertions that Comey said the president is not under investigation  have only amplified the need for an independent counsel.

We have not heard from former director Comey what his side of that story is and so I am not going to endorse the presidents version of the truth, Racine said. The way the White House has displayed itself, generally, we should be at the least skeptical; they are simply not credible.

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh echoed that sentiment, saying the conversations Trump described Thursday would have been inappropriate for either Trump or Comey.

The president has the power to hire and fire the director of the FBI, and for him to sit in a room with him and demand to know if he is under investigation is completely inappropriate. If Comey went along with that, he acted inappropriately too, even though I doubt that is what happened.

The attorneys general also said the assertions made by acting FBI director Andrew McCabe  that the agency has the resources to carry out the Russia investigation  also did not dilute the need for an independent prosecutor.

Its not a matter of resources but independence, said Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller.
With his own words over the past two days, President Trump has vastly escalated the stakes and potential consequences of his decision to fire James B. Comey as FBI director, provoking questions about whether his motivations and tactics may have run afoul of the law.

The president also suggested via Twitter that he may have tapes of private conversations with Comey, evoking echoes of Watergate and demands by Democrats that he produce what could be critical evidence.

All of that undermines Trumps credibility as he seeks to name a new FBI director whose independence will be under intense scrutiny and whose most critical job will be to lead the probe into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

The point of greatest sensitivity raised by Trumps decision to fire Comey is its potential connection to the former FBI directors role in investigating what he described as the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russias efforts.

In a television interview and on Twitter, the president has given ammunition to arguments by some legal experts that his actions constitute a possible case of obstruction of justice  a central charge in the impeachment proceedings against two presidents in the last 43 years.

(NBC News)

Obstruction is a very mental-state-based crime, said Duke University law professor Samuel W. Buell, a former federal prosecutor. Its all about the purpose with which its done. In theory, trying to intimidate, silence, or even influence someone who is investigating you could be obstruction of justice.

But whether the unfolding controversy ultimately puts Trumps presidency at risk is more a question of politics than law.

Given that both houses of Congress are in Republican control, it would take an enormous public outcry for lawmakers to begin the process of attempting to remove the president from office. The same, it appears, probably would have to happen before the Justice Department that reports to him would be compelled to appoint a special prosecutor, much less actually bring charges.

Democrats have escalated the pressure for a more vigorous probe amid statements by Trump that contradict his White Houses initial contentions that Comeys dismissal was based on the recommendation of Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein.

In an interview with NBC Newss Lester Holt on Thursday, the president said: I was going to fire regardless of recommendation. He also said that he had pressed Comey during a private dinner to tell him if he was under investigation.

Trump further revealed that the ongoing probe into questions of Russian influence on the 2016 election, which includes a look at the possibility that Moscow was coordinating with the Trump campaign, was one of the factors he considered before firing Comey.

In fact, when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story, its an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won,  he said.

On Friday, the president created another stir with a flurry of tweets, one of which warned that Comey better hope that there are no tapes of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!

In an interview with Fox News, Trump declined to say such tapes actually exist, even as congressional Democrats demanded that he produce them.

Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), the second-ranking Democratic senator and a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, said that Trumps tweet was a thinly veiled threat that could be construed as threatening a witness in this investigation, which is another violation of federal law.

In an interview, Sen. Richard J. Blumenthal (D-Conn.) added that there is so much that smacks of obstruction of justice that is swirling around this dismissal and the meetings that preceded it. The exchange that took place with Comey, whichever version you believe, raises very, very serious questions about attempts to pressure an FBI director investigating wrongdoing potentially implicating the president.

The issue is not Trumps legal authority to dismiss Comey, which he possesses with or without cause.

From a constitutional perspective, Trump can make whatever demands of his principal officers he wishes, and can fire them at will, said Josh Blackman, a law professor at South Texas College of Law Houston.

Comey wrote in a farewell letter to his former colleagues: I have long believed that a President can fire an FBI Director for any reason, or for no reason at all.

That decision in Comeys case, however, becomes legally problematic if it is done with the intent of circumventing an investigation.

If shown that Trump removed Comey to avoid being investigated? Yes impeachable: abuse of power, corruption, undermines rule of law, Harvard University law professor Noah Feldman tweeted Friday.

The questions about Trumps motives are being fueled, increasingly, by his own words in interviews and on Twitter.

The fact that Trump is saying these things in the midst of all of this is proof positive that he is not listening to counsel  in fact, he may not even be talking to counsel, Buell said.

Then again, he added, the many contradictory statements by Trump and top officials may have served to muddy the waters enough that it is impossible to determine his actual intent.

Whether all of this could jeopardize the survival of Trumps presidency is another question, and one whose answer is much farther down the road.

The Constitution specifies that the president can be removed only for treason, bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors, the definition of which it leaves to Congress.

Obstruction of justice, however, was deemed to be one of the infractions meriting impeachment proceedings both in the case of Richard M. Nixon in 1974 and of Bill Clinton in 1998.

Nixon, having lost the support of his own party, resigned after the House Judiciary Committee passed three articles of impeachment in connection with the Watergate scandal; Clinton remained in office after being acquitted by the Senate in articles that stemmed from his alleged efforts to cover up an extramarital affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Thus far, only a handful of the more strident Democrats have engaged the possibility of impeachment in Trumps case.

The better strategy at this point, party leaders have decided, is to pepper Rosenstein and others at the Justice Department with letters of inquiry, call for hearings and pressure Republicans to get on board with a more aggressive investigation.

Asked if he thinks that the controversy could be leading to impeachment proceedings, Blumenthal said: Prejudging the results of any inquiry now is premature. Right now, the important point is to follow the evidence, to pursue every investigative lead and every potential witness diligently and promptly, and  I just might add this point  providing the resources that are needed.

Democrats are also coalescing in their demand for the Justice Department to appoint a special prosecutor  something they are certain to press when Rosenstein visits Capitol Hill to brief the full Senate next week.

With Trumps approval ratings already at record lows for a president at this early point in his term, public opinion will be an important factor. Republicans are already bracing for a difficult midterm election next year  and some fear that their control of the House may be at risk.

In the end, public perceptions may matter more than the letter of the law in determining if and how Trump weathers the most severe storm to hit his turbulent young presidency.

This remains, I think, a political problem only, Blackman, the law professor, said. What will take Trump down is not the Constitution, but public opinion polling and the ballot box.

Robert Barnes, Ed OKeefe and Elise Viebeck contributed to this report.
An ethics watchdog group filed a complaint against Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Friday alleging that his participation in the firing of FBI Director James B. Comey violated Justice Department rules and Sessionss promise to recuse himself from matters involving Russia.

Firing the lead investigator is the most extreme form of interfering with an investigation, wrote Fred Wertheimer, who signed the six-page complaint on behalf of his organization, Democracy 21.

The filing asked the Justice Departments Office of Professional Responsibility to investigate the matter and issue a public report  and to take additional action.

Immediately, we call on OPR to take all necessary steps to ensure that the Attorney General withdraws from any participation in the selection of an interim or permanent Director of the FBI, the complaint said.

When President Trump fired Comey on Tuesday, he announced that he had consulted with Sessions and the departments No. 2 official, Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein.

Wertheimer, who has worked on ethics issues since the Watergate scandal, said the attorney generals participation in the Comey firing violated Justice Department rules requiring staffers to recuse themselves from any criminal inquiry in which they have a personal or political relationship.

He pointed out that Sessions is a potential subject of a Russia inquiry since he met with the Russian ambassador in 2016. In addition, the complaint notes that during his Senate confirmation hearings Sessions agreed to recuse himself from any investigations into Hillary Clintons emails.

The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment on the complaint Friday. Filing such a grievance with the Office of Professional Responsibility does not guarantee that the department will respond. In late February, Democracy 21 filed a complaint stating that the attorney general was failing to meet department recusal standards by not announcing he would not participate in campaign-related inquiries.

Two days after that Feb. 27 filing, the attorney general issued a statement announcing that he would recuse himself from any matters arising from the campaign for President of the United States. 

Until his dismissal this week, Comey oversaw the FBI inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether there was any coordination between Russian actors and the Trump campaign or associates.

Separately, Democracy 21 sent a letter to Rosenstein urging him to appoint a Special Counsel to oversee the Russia investigation and to take steps to ensure that Sessions plays no role in selecting Comeys successors.
In deciding to abruptly fire FBI Director James B. Comey, President Trump characteristically let himself be guided by his own instincts  fueled by his creeping anger and sense of victimhood about a probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election that he considers a witch hunt.

The aftermath is a presidency rocked by its most serious self-inflicted crisis yet, exposing dysfunction and distrust within his West Wing and imperiling his agenda. The momentum for the health-care bill that passed the House is gone, and a week scheduled to be devoted to Trumps preparations for a high-stakes foreign trip was overtaken by distractions and fury.

Across Washington, Trumps allies have been buzzing about the staffs competence as well as the presidents state of mind. One GOP figure close to the White House mused privately about whether Trump was in the grip of some kind of paranoid delusion.

Trump has been stewing all week, aggrieved by sharp media scrutiny of his decision to fire Comey and of his and his aides ever-shifting explanations, and has been quick to blame his staff, according to several people who have spoken with him.

Privately, Trump has lashed out at the communications office  led by press secretary Sean Spicer and communications director Michael Dubke  and has spoken candidly with advisers about a broad shake-up that could include demotions or dismissals. The president personally has conducted postmortem interviews with aides about the Comey saga, investigating the unending stream of headlines he considers unfairly negative, according to several White House officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because Trump is cracking down on unauthorized leaks.

1 of 28 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  The scene in Washington after FBI Director James B. Comey was fired View Photos President Trumps firing of James B. Comey consumed Capitol Hills attention. Democrats slowed committee business in the Senate to protest the lack of an independent investigation into Russias election meddling, and Republicans saw rifts emerge as more questioned the presidents decision. Caption President Trumps firing of James B. Comey consumed Capitol Hills attention. Democrats slowed committee business in the Senate to protest the lack of an independent investigation into Russias election meddling, and Republicans saw rifts emerge as more questioned the presidents decision. May 9, 2017 White House press secretary Sean Spicer speaks to reporters outside the West Wing after President Trump dismissed James B. Comey from his position as FBI director. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

This was the first major crisis or test theyve had, and it looks like a lot of systems failed, said Chris Ruddy, a Trump confidant and chief executive of Newsmax. My experience with the president is when he sees failure, he quickly adapts and tries new things. Hes not a guy that keeps the same ol.

The system may be failing, but it is Trump who is picking which buttons to press. The president takes pride in being the ultimate decision-maker, for matters large and small. And chaos has been a hallmark of Trumps enterprises, from his family real estate empire to his presidential campaign, a 16-month venture during which he cycled through three leadership teams.

[Inside Trumps anger and impatience  and his sudden decision to fire Comey]

Inside the White House, there was widespread agreement that Comey had to go. But how and when Trump would fire him  and how it would be rationalized to the public  was the subject of considerable debate.

Vice President Pence, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, senior adviser Jared Kushner, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and Counsel Donald McGahn were the closest to the president as he weighed his options, according to White House officials.

Would Trump first visit with Comey in person and ask for his resignation or fire him abruptly?

The president decided the latter.

(Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

Would Trump slow down the process so that a communications strategy could be crafted, with credible surrogates lined up to defend his decision, or terminate Comey about 24 hours after first telling top aides he wanted it done?

He chose the latter.

Would Trump stick to the agreed-upon explanation for Comeys ouster or invoke the Russia investigation, both in his Tuesday termination letter to Comey and two days later in a television interview? And would he be restrained on Twitter, as his advisers have urged, or peck out a provocative salvo at Comey warning of possible tapes of their private conversations?

In both cases, Trump again chose the less prudent path.

White House aides have felt bewildered and alarmed by how Trump arrives at his decisions  often on impulse and emotion and sometimes by rejecting the counsel of those around him  and how he then communicates those decisions to his personnel and the public. Trump is in some ways like a pilot opting to fly a plane through heavy turbulence then blaming the flight attendants when the passengers get jittery.

The result is a hardening portrait of sheer disarray.

The Comey firing is just the most dramatic example of a White House that is completely dysfunctional, the most chaotic in modern history, said Chris Whipple, author The Gatekeepers, a newly published history of White House chiefs of staff.

Reince Priebus has made rookie mistake after rookie mistake, Whipple said. But, ultimately, its fundamentally on Donald Trump. A chief of staff can do very little to make the White House function if hes not empowered by his president. That simply has not happened.

[The Take: Comey firing shows White House problems go far beyond communications strategy]

Robert M. Gates, a former defense secretary who informally advised Trump during the transition, criticized his handling of Comeys ouster.

Not terribly well done, Gates told John Dickerson in a CBS News interview scheduled to air Sunday on Face the Nation.

I fired a lot of senior people myself, and I think the key, when you feel compelled to remove a senior official, is essentially to have all your ducks in a row at the beginning, Gates continued. To have the rationale, have everybody understand what the rationale was. If possible, to be in a position to announce who is going to step in as the interim immediately. And, if possible, to announce who youre going to nominate to replace that person.

As Trumps anger with the Comey fallout boiled over, his aides have been pointing fingers at one other.

Much of the internal blame has fallen to the communications operation, with Kushner and other top officials questioning why the small army of press staffers led by Spicer and Dubke took so long to forcefully defend the presidents decision and agree to a set of talking points that could withstand scrutiny, according to several White House officials.

Inside the West Wing, it became a running joke among some staffers that the answer to every question would be Rosenstein, referring to the deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein, who wrote a memo outlining a case for Comeys ouster.

Trump loyalists were particularly upset that Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) organized a news conference Tuesday night and got other Democrats to parrot the same message before a full explanation came out of the White House  despite the fact that the White House controlled every variable of the story.

They were running around like chickens with their heads cut off, said one White House official. There was no leadership, no get your troops in a room, and issue orders and execute. 

[After Trump fired Comey, White House staff scrambled to explain why]

Yet Trump did not inform Spicer and Dubke of his decision until about an hour before it was announced, keeping them and other senior aides out of the loop because he feared the news might leak prematurely, officials said.

There is confusion about whether Stephen K. Bannon, the chief strategist who had been somewhat marginalized after feuding last month with Kushner, was among those the president consulted about his decision. Two people familiar with the matter said Bannon intentionally was kept out of the process. But a third person denied that Bannon first learned Comey had been fired from television news reports and said that he had actually counseled Trump to delay his decision to lessen the political backlash.

Spicer and Dubke did not respond to a request for an interview. Their defenders said they were assigned an impossible task of orchestrating on short notice a complete rollout plan  from crafting and distributing talking points to lining up lawmakers, legal experts and other Trump supporters to give interviews.

The explanation delivered Tuesday night by Spicer, counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway and deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders  that Trump acted decisively at the recommendation of Rosenstein and Sessions  was discussed with and agreed to by the president himself, officials said.

Trump then changed his story, telling NBC News on Thursday that he made the decision to fire Comey on his own and would have done so regardless of Rosensteins recommendation.

We were absolutely given the information that we could have at that time, Sanders told reporters Thursday. It was a quick-moving process. We took the information we had, as best we had it, and got it out to the American people as quickly as we could.

Trump defended his spokesmen, tweeting Friday that they should not be expected to speak with perfect accuracy and later complaining to Fox News personality Jeanine Pirro about the level of hostility against them. But Trump went on to tell Pirro that he was considering canceling regular press briefings  except for when he does them himself.

Some of Trumps allies said they are worried that the president views the Comey episode entirely as a public-relations crisis  a branding problem  and has not been judicious about protecting himself from legal exposure as the FBI continues to investigate possible links between his campaign and Russia.

[Trump said he was thinking of Russia controversy when he decided to fire Comey]

When Trump sat down for the interview with NBC anchor Lester Holt, his aides were not certain what he might say. The president improvised, essentially  and, in one stream-of-consciousness answer, invited potential legal peril by connecting his firing of Comey to the Russia matter.

In fact, when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story, its an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won,  Trump told Holt.

Trump also revealed that he had asked Comey on three separate occasions  once over dinner and twice in phone calls  whether he was under investigation by the FBI and said that Comey had told him he was not.

It is Justice Department policy that ongoing investigations generally are not to be discussed with White House officials.

Trump is so unsophisticated about government, and he lacks even basic knowledge about how the government functions, of what the unwritten but very important rules and traditions are. His attitude toward all those things is they dont matter: Im going to drain the swamp!  said a veteran of past Republican administrations who is close to the Trump White House and spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly critique the president.

Pollster Patrick H. Caddell, a longtime confidant of Bannon who served in Jimmy Carters White House, said he was pained to watch the Trump White House struggle.

Its like reliving the Carter administration on steroids, Caddell said. This is an outsider administration being surrounded by Apache knives. Every inch of the political class and both parties are going after him. The president cant afford in this type of environment to not execute these kinds of announcements better.

Damian Paletta and Robert Costa contributed to this report.
Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), left, and Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) confer during a hearing of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on May 11, 2017. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

This week marks the 44th anniversary of the public debut of the Senate Watergate Committee. On May 17, 1973, the committee kicked off hearings that became must-see TV, broadcast live on the three networks in the afternoon and replayed at night on PBS.

What did the president know, and when did he know it? was the famous question posed by Sen. Howard Baker (R-Tenn.) early on in the Watergate hearings, a defining phrase still invoked today when a politician is caught in scandal.

Since those hearings, just about every congressional committee conducting a high-profile investigation has had to live up to the legacy of Baker and Sen. Sam Ervin (D-N.C.), the leaders of the Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities. Its an almost impossible standard to meet  and also one that often gets lost in myth rather than facts.

Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), the chairman and ranking minority party member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, are the latest to stand in the long shadows of the Watergate committee. They regularly face questions about why they arent moving faster to investigate Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign.

In fact, theyre moving more quickly than Ervin and Baker did 44 years ago. If it doesnt seem that way, thats got more to do with the insatiable appetites of social media and cable news than with reality.

(Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

Back in December, as revelations mounted about Russian hacking, there were bipartisan calls to sidestep the intelligence panel and create a select committee modeled on the one that Ervin and Baker led in the investigation of President Richard Nixon. After President Trumps stunning dismissal Tuesday of James B. Comey as FBI director, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) reiterated his demand for a such a committee, contending that Burr and Warner were not able to meet the gravity of this moment.

A turf war breaks out in the Senate: Who will investigate Russias connections to the Trump campaign?

Yet, when you talk to experts in congressional oversight, they have quite different advice for the Intelligence Committee: Slow down, hold on, dont get tricked into rushing yourself just because we live in an era of instant gratification through social media.

Its a huge mistake to get going too soon, said Loch Johnson, who served as a top adviser to what was known as the Church Committee, a special panel in 1975-1976 that investigated intelligence abuses and led to the creation of the Intelligence Committee.

He worries that Burr and Warner might be moving too quickly in the probe. I was a little surprised Burr got his start off so quickly, said Johnson, a distinguished professor of international affairs at the University of Georgia.

Despite the sometimes-carefree demeanor that Burr gives off, his panel is off to a fast start compared with other major congressional investigations.

Burr  who holds the same Senate seat once occupied by Ervin  has already led three public hearings focused largely on meddling by Russia. Committee members have reviewed thousands of pages of raw intelligence material, according to aides to Burr and Warner. Investigators have completed interviews with more than 30 individuals involved in the intelligence communitys analysis of Russian attempts to tip the election to Trump.

Members of the Trump campaign and transition team have been put on notice to deliver documents, and last week, the committee issued its first subpoena since 2005, for records from former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

The Watergate Committee was created in early February 1973, after Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), whose brother defeated Nixon in the 1960 presidential election, offered legislation to investigate what began as a mere break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Hotel building.

It took 3  months for Ervin and Baker to begin holding public hearings. They spent that time hiring their lead counsels, Samuel Dash and Fred Thompson, fully staffing up and conducting interviews. Baker didnt utter his immortal when did he know it line until late June 1973.

And the committee didnt issue a final report until June 27, 1974, more than two years after the DNC break-in.

Burr and Warner: In the spotlight, and arm in arm, on Russia probe

The House investigation into Nixon also moved at a slower pace than todays on-again-off-again-on-again probe by the House Intelligence Committee. Only after the Saturday Night Massacre  Nixons October 1973 firing of top Justice Department officials and the special prosecutor conducting the criminal investigation  did the House Judiciary Committee agree to begin hearings that would lead to its July 1974 votes to recommend impeachment of the president.

The committee investigating the CIA, led by Sen. Frank Church (D-Idaho) in the mid-1970s, took shape in January 1975 and didnt hold a public hearing for seven months. Church put together a staff that pored over documents and interviewed witnesses in private.

The hearing will be 10 times more authentic and informative if youve done your research ahead of time, said Johnson, who has written more than 30 books on the CIA and national security. Otherwise you wont know what questions to ask.

Those investigators, digging through unrelated documents, happened upon information about CIA-directed assassination attempts of foreign leaders, Johnson said. The implication is clear: If Burr and Warner rush to meet the demands of the 24/7 cable-news age, such evidence could be overlooked.

McCain took this long-game approach himself overseeing a corruption investigation involving lobbyists bilking tribal casino clients. A few days after The Washington Post broke the initial story in February 2004, McCain pushed the Senates Committee on Indian Affairs to launch an investigation. But the first public hearings came seven months later.

Now, however, Burr and Warner face a very different climate driven by social media. Even Trump took to Twitter recently to mock the Russia investigations as a taxpayer funded charade.

Theres always the risk that by moving deliberatively, Senate investigators will allow witnesses to conceal documents. But the Comey firing appeared to light a small fire under Burr, who spent the next several days defending the ousted FBI director, vowing to ramp up the investigation and issuing the panels first subpoena.

Were willing to go to whatever basket of tools we feel is necessary, Burr told reporters Thursday.

And Warner defended questions about the pace because the committee is in the uncharted territory of prodding the intelligence community to share such critical information, which takes a lot of time.

Johnson approves of that sentiment. Getting it right often requires patience. He also noted that during the Church Committees dark period, when there were no cable news outlets or social media, those investigators faced some of the same pressures.

 Whats wrong with these guys?  Johnson recalled thinking about one headline. Even in 1975 we had our critics.

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President Trump shakes hands with James B. Comey, the former FBI director, at the White House in January. Trump fired Comey this week. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg)

President Trumps decision to fire James B. Comey as FBI director added new uncertainty to the Senates investigation into Russian meddling during the election just as it was beginning to accelerate  but the surprise ouster has also put new pressure on the panel not to slow down.

Comeys firing creates challenges for the Senate Intelligence Committees investigation, Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) said this week  particularly because senators want to avoid bumping heads with the FBI over its parallel investigation as both move forward.

At the same time, the sense has grown among committee members that their investigation may be the least compromised by politics and scandal and has become a last line of defense against those forces. The House, which is conducting a third inquiry, is still regrouping from a leadership breakdown earlier this year.

I think the burdens always been on our committee because we own the jurisdictional responsibility for the legislative branch to carry it out. And Ive intended from the beginning, regardless of the hurdles that have been thrown, to finish this investigation, Burr said the day after Comeys dismissal.

Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the committee, said Thursday: The amount of time that were both spending and staffs spending  it is a priority for this committee to get to the bottom of this.

Outside skepticism remains, however, particularly among Democrats calling for an independent commission, about whether the probe will answer the many questions that have arisen in recent months about Trumps ties to Russia.

The Senate Intelligence Committees probe, which includes an examination of whether Trump associates coordinated with the Russian government, has shown fresh signs of progress in recent weeks. The panel has received at least two caches of information containing raw reports from the intelligence agencies in the last month and requested records from the Treasury Department as well.

In the past few weeks the committee has also added staff to the probe and demanded information from a number of Trump surrogates regarding communications they had with Russians. On Wednesday, panel leaders issued their first subpoena for records from former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who was fired after revelations that he did not disclose communications with Russian officials.

In the wake of Comeys firing, however, senators anticipate having to renegotiate arrangements with the acting FBI director and his eventual successor, as well as with Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein. Rosenstein met Thursday with Burr and Warner, and has agreed to meet with the full Senate next week.

The House Intelligence Committees investigation, in contrast, is still regrouping following the decision of Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), a Trump ally who had been heading the effort, to step down from that role.

Nunes drew widespread criticism for his attempts to focus the House probe away from the possibility of coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia and toward allegations that Trump associates may have been swept up  and identified  in reports of government surveillance of Russians. Democrats, in particular, charged that he had coordinated his efforts with the administration, creating a conflict of interest. After Nunes recused himself, Rep. Michael K. Conaway (R-Tex.) took his place.

Members of the Senate Intelligence Committee are operating with an understanding that to preserve the integrity of their investigation, they must avoid any whiff of partisanship.

Were going to do it right because thats whats expected of us, Burr said Thursday.

Michael OHanlon, a senior fellow at the left-of-center Brookings Institution, said that for lawmakers investigating Russian meddling, Comeys firing may trigger a sense of urgency that they are the final backstop, given the uncertainty about the FBIs future.

Even so, OHanlon said he was only about 90 percent confident in the integrity of each of the three ongoing probes.

The Senate Intelligence Committee has so far mostly resisted pressure coming from various corners of Capitol Hill to move faster, whether coming from Democratic leaders such as Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), or from parallel panels like the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has interviewed many of the principal witnesses who were on the Intelligence Committees shortlist as well, down the line.

What Im conscious of is how we do the best job in the way thats the most timely possible, Warner said last week.

The committee has also rejected calls from many Democrats for an independent commission to take over the congressional probes of the Trump administration. Warner has argued that starting from scratch could undermine the good work the Senate panel has done, though he joined Democrats in endorsing the idea of appointing a special counsel to handle the FBI and Justice Department probes.

Republicans have sought to head off Democrats calls for a special prosecutor by arguing that it might impede their work.

Let us finish our work. Its moving forward. Were finally making some significant progress, said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who is on the committee.

The pace of the Senate Intelligence Committees investigation, however, is not theirs alone to determine. How swiftly they are able to pore through source documents from the intelligence agencies depends on how readily and fully they are provided. Scheduling interviews also depends in part on completing those document reviews  and on the cooperation of intended witnesses.

Warner has often noted that the committees access to intelligence is unprecedented, but he said Thursday that theres no playbook for how to share this much information with a congressional committee.

They are already hitting a few snags.

Comey was supposed to testify before the panel this week as part of an annual briefing on worldwide threats, the timing of which would have allowed committee members to press the director  in public and behind closed doors  on the Russia investigation. Instead, senators grilled his former deputy, acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, about Comeys termination. Even the panels chairman, Burr, expressed frustrations with how Comey had been treated.

Comey also will not attend a Tuesday closed-door session he had been invited to, Warner told MSNBC on Friday. The former FBI director has not offered senators an alternate date for such a meeting.

Its our hope in the not-too-distant future that we can find time for him to come in, Warner said.

Senators also are facing a delay obtaining information from Flynn, as made clear by the subpoena request Burr and Warner issued for documents this week. Burr has long sought to avoid using subpoenas in this investigation. He noted Thursday that he hopes the one issued for Flynn will be the last, but he also warned that the committee would use all available tools to move the investigation forward.

The committee must also grapple with a mandate that is constantly shifting, as new revelations of the Trump teams potential ties to Kremlin officials surface in news reports and conflicting narratives emerge from the White House.

Trumps suggestion that there may be tapes of his conversations with Comey posed the latest such potential twist; if there are tapes, Warner said on MSNBC. Such tapes could shed new light on the role the FBIs Russia investigation played in Comeys firing, but Warner said that he was not convinced that it would be the intelligence panels responsibility to investigate them. Instead, he suggested that the Judiciary Committee ought to get a look at them as there may be criminal issues involved here.

In a letter to White House Counsel Don McGahn, Judiciary Committee ranking member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) wrote Friday that any such recordings, if they exist, must be preserved by the White House.

Senior House Democrats also sent a letter Friday to McGahn, in which they request copies of all recordings in possession of the White House regarding this matter.

Read more at PowerPost
President Trump told lawmakers he fired FBI Director James B. Comey at the recommendation of the Justice Department but later contradicted that reason in an interview. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg News)

The possible ties between President Trumps campaign and Russia could face greater scrutiny on Capitol Hill after the president publicly contradicted the reason he gave congressional leaders for the decision to fire FBI Director James B. Comey.

Trump said Thursday he was thinking of this Russia thing with Trump when he resolved to fire Comey, whose agency is leading an investigation into Russias interference in the presidential election. The comment to NBC News conflicts with Trumps explanation to members of Congress earlier in the week that he dismissed Comey at the recommendation of the Justice Department, which cited the FBI directors handling of the investigation into Hillary Clintons use of a private email server while secretary of state as the reason he should be fired.

The possibility Trump misled lawmakers about the reasons for his decision adds another layer of controversy to Comeys dismissal and could fuel calls on Capitol Hill for congressional investigators to more aggressively probe the possibility of collusion between Trumps campaign and the Russian government.

Trumps about-face also raises further questions about the role of newly installed Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein in the presidents decision.

Around the time Comeys firing became public on Tuesday, Trump told lawmakers he made his decision after reading a memo in which Rosenstein criticized the directors handling of the Clinton investigation.

(Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

Trump had asked Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions to review the workings of the Justice Department, he told Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) in a phone conversation.

He said, The departments a mess. I asked Rosenstein and Sessions to look into it. Rosenstein sent me a memo. I accepted the recommendation to fire him,  Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, told reporters Wednesday.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) gave a similar account of his conversation with Trump to a local radio station.

He said he got a report from the number two over at the attorney generals office laying out why James Comey should probably depart, McCarthy told Kern Radio on Wednesday. After reading the memo, Trump decided he was right and its probably time to move on, McCarthy said.

Rosenstein is expected to provide more detail next week during an all-Senate briefing that was scheduled in response to a request led primarily by Democrats.

Leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee invited Comey to testify Tuesday, but he declined their invitation.

The panels chairman, Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), said Tuesday he was troubled by the timing and reasoning of Director Comeys termination.

(Elyse Samuels/The Washington Post)

I have found Director Comey to be a public servant of the highest order, and his dismissal further confuses an already difficult investigation by the Committee, Burr said in a statement.

Trump placed calls to nine members of Congress on Tuesday to alert them of his decision, according to the White House. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) declined, through representatives, to describe their conversations with Trump.

Schumer told reporters Tuesday that he told Trump on their call that Mr. President, with all due respect, you are making a big mistake, but he did not provide further details about the conversation.

Trumps shift in rationale came a day later when he spoke with NBCs Lester Holt.

When I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story,  he said.  Its an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won. 

Trump said he would have fired Comey even if Rosenstein had not recommended it.

I was going to fire Comey, he told Holt. He [Rosenstein] made a recommendation . . . but regardless of recommendation, I was going to fire Comey.

These comments could further complicate Trumps relationships with leaders on Capitol Hill at a critical time for his legislative agenda and as some Republican lawmakers are facing pressure to accelerate or beef up the congressional investigations into Russias meddling in the election.

Trump also called Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.). House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also received a call, but was unable to connect with Trump because she was traveling abroad, an aide said.

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) did not receive a heads-up call from Trump, but pulled the president aside to ask about Comey during a visit to the White House on Wednesday to discuss tax reform.

My conversation with the president was, Why now? And his conversation was, when Rosenstein came in, his new boss came in, sat down with him, he made the recommendation back to Trump and they fired him, Lankford said in an interview with The Post on Thursday.

Lankford elaborated during an interview with CNN.

He said it was Rosenstein, Lankford told CNN anchor Anderson Cooper. Rosenstein met with Comey, had the opportunity to be able to meet with him, be able to talk to him. . . . He said, This guy is not going to be able to work out long-term for us. He has a lot of controversy already. . . . Rosenstein contacted the president and said, Long-term, weve got to resolve this, and they did.

Trumps comments on NBC threw cold water not only on his explanation to lawmakers but also the White Houses official line.

On Tuesday night, press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters Trump was not aware of the internal review at the Justice Department until he was briefed by Rosenstein and Session on Monday and then received the memo Tuesday, which prompted his decision.

Deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders repeated Wednesday that there was no request by Trump to have an internal review at the Justice Department. She called Rosensteins recommendation the final piece that moved Trump toward his decision.

Sean Sullivan and Kelsey Snell contributed to this report.

Read more at PowerPost
Mauno Koivisto, Finlands last president during the Cold War, who led the Nordic nation out of the shadow of its huge eastern neighbor, the Soviet Union, and into the European Union, died May 12 at a Helsinki hospital. He was 93.

The Finnish presidents office announced the death. His wife, Tellervo Koivisto, said earlier this year that he suffered severely from Alzheimers disease.

Mr. Koivisto served two six-year terms between 1982 and 1994, enjoying great popularity among ordinary Finns. His down-to-earth manner and dry humor, often laced with sarcasm and philosophical pondering, won him the heart of the nation but also brought political opponents.

For most Finns, his presidency marked the end of the long reign of predecessor Urho Kekkonen, who had ruled Finland with an iron grip for 25 years until his resignation in 1981.

Mr. Koivisto was seen as ushering in a new, freer era, changing the face of the country by reducing the powers of the head of state and strengthening the role of parliament.

Above all, he was recognized for his foreign policy skills with a fine balancing act of maintaining the small countrys good relations with the West  particularly with the United States  and the Soviet Union during the Cold War years.

His second term from 1988 to 1994 was crucial in cementing the Nordic nations neutral status until the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991  a great concern for Finland, which shares an 800-mile border with Russia.

A fluent Russian-speaker, Mr. Koivisto developed a particular bond with the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, but also stayed in close contact with U.S. President George H.W. Bush with whom he regularly exchanged views on developments in the crumbling and rapidly changing Soviet Union. In 1990, he hosted Bush and Gorbachev at a U.S.-Soviet Summit in Helsinki.

Earlier, Mr. Koivisto reportedly also had a good rapport with former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who stopped over in Helsinki in 1988 for talks with Mr. Koivisto en route to Moscow.

Before the collapse of the Soviet Union in the fall of 1991, Mr. Koivisto started to steer Finland out of international isolation. He unilaterally declared two treaties as null and void  the 1947 Paris Treaty, which placed restrictions on the Finnish military, and the 1948 Finnish-Soviet pact on mutual assistance, which hindered Finlands integration with European security structures.

In 1992, Mr. Koivisto initiated the countrys application to join the European Community  the precursor of the European Union. Finland formally joined the EU in 1995 with overwhelming approval in a national referendum.

Mauno Henrik Koivisto was born Nov. 25, 1923, in Turku, Finland. His father, a carpenter, died when his son was 10.

Mr. Koivisto was unusual among Finnish heads of state because he possessed first-hand war experience. At the age of 16, he served as a volunteer on the home front in the bitter 1939-40 Winter War against the Soviets.

He also fought in the Continuation War against the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1944.

After the war, Mr. Koivisto joined the Social Democratic Party, taught school, worked as a vocational guidance counselo9r and received a doctorate in sociology in 1956 from the University of Turku. He later worked as a banking executive.

Mr. Koivisto emerged a key figure among the Social Democrats in the late 1960s and helped raise the partys popularity in Finland, which had been dominated by the former president Kekkonens agrarian Center Party in the post-World War II era.

Before becoming head of state, Mr. Koivisto held several ministerial posts, including of prime minister, and had served as the governor of the Bank of Finland.

The tall and lanky Mr. Koivisto  a particular favorite figure among Finnish political cartoonists  was passionate about volleyball, playing into his elderly years with a group of industrialists and politicians.

Survivors include his wife and daughter.

 Associated Press
Supporters of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani pose in front of posters depicting him during a campaign rally in Tehran on May 9. Rouhani will face off May 19 against five men looking to unseat him and is currently maintaining a wide lead over his nearest challengers. (Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA)

Irans presidential elections are typically tumultuous affairs. Campaigns last just a few weeks, and a candidates star can rise or fall in a matter of days. Ruling clerics approve only a handful of contenders for the race, which takes place every four years. But the results are almost always a surprise, and dark-horse candidates have been known to sweep to power at the last minute.

This year, there are five challengers to President Hassan Rouhani, a pragmatic moderate seeking a second term in the May 19 vote. Although polling is unreliable in Iran, two candidates recently have narrowed Rouhanis still-wide lead: Ebrahim Raisi, a powerful conservative cleric, and Tehrans hard-line mayor, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

Both have used populist messaging to hit Rouhani on the economy, which they say suffers despite sanctions relief, and have committed to upholding the nuclear deal Iran struck with world powers.

As the campaigns enter their final week, here is a closer look at Rouhanis two leading rivals.

Ebrahim Raisi

Raisi, 56, is new to politics and was relatively unknown before the start of his campaign. But thanks to his close ties to Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the soft-spoken, uncharismatic cleric is considered perhaps Rouhanis most credible challenger, despite wobbles.

Candidate Ebrahim Raisi (in turban), a powerful but uncharismatic cleric, has emerged as one of two leading challengers to Rouhani. (Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images)

He also has the support of Irans influential clergy and a powerful coalition of conservatives known as the Popular Front of Islamic Revolution Forces, or Jamna. The black turban he wears signifies his status as a descendant of the prophet Muhammad, and rumors have swirled that he could succeed Khamenei. Raisi has campaigned on job creation and bigger cash handouts for the poor, but he has remained vague on other issues, including foreign policy.

Hes a pretty colorless character, said Gary Sick, who was the principal White House aide on Iran during the countrys 1979 Islamic Revolution. He is not well-known as a religious scholar. And he doesnt have that much background in government, either.

Raisi was born in Irans northeast in 1960 and studied in the holy city of Qom. He is a graduate of the Haghani school there, which Iranian American academic Vali Nasr called the backbone of the clerical management class that runs Irans key political and security institutions.

Raisi began his career as a prosecutor in the city of Karaj, west of Tehran, after the revolution. In that role, he allegedly served as a member of the Death Commission that oversaw the executions of thousands of political prisoners in 1988. The government never has officially admitted responsibility for the killings, but to many they nonetheless have cast a shadow over Raisis campaign.

The main thing about Raisi and the one thing that is going to stick in peoples minds in Iran is his participation in that panel in 1988, where lots of people were killed for practically no reason at all, said Sick, who is now a researcher at Columbia Universitys Middle East Institute.

Raisi subsequently spent decades in the judiciary, including as deputy to the chief justice and later as attorney general. As deputy chief in 2009, Raisi supported crackdowns on protesters who opposed the disputed results of that years presidential election.

A commission was established to investigate the harsh government response. In a confidential cable sent to U.S. intelligence agencies from the U.S. Consulate in Dubai and later published by WikiLeaks, the State Department said that the body, which included Raisi, was composed of men with long professional histories of egregious human rights abuses.

An Iranian woman passes a poster of candidate Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in Tehran. Ghalibaf, Tehrans mayor, has been running neck-and-neck with Raisi in recent polls. (Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA)

The Iranian judiciary is by its nature very conservative and takes a restrictive approach to social and political freedoms, said Farzan Sabet, a fellow at Stanford Universitys Center for International Security and Cooperation. And Raisis decades-long career as a judicial official reflects this.

Its not certain, Sabet added, how this background would translate to the presidency.

Raisi serves as the head of the Astan Quds Razavi, a charitable foundation linked to the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, the holiest site in Iran. It is the countrys largest endowment, with business and real estate holdings worth billions of dollars. Khamenei appointed Raisi to the post  which many Iranians take as evidence of his support for his protege.

He has been able to portray himself as a virtuous and competent candidate who is trusted by the supreme leader, Sabet said.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf

The third times a charm  at least that is what Ghalibaf seems to be hoping. This year marks the 55-year-old Tehran mayors third run for president, following bids in 2005 and 2013. During his long tenure on the Iranian political scene, he has morphed from war hero to showy politician to capable technocrat.

Today, Ghalibaf casts himself as an economic populist ready to care for the countrys poor, and he is running neck-and-neck with Raisi in the polls. Much like Raisi, he has pledged to boost cash subsidies and create 5 million jobs.

Unlike Raisi, Ghalibaf has national name recognition. But recent corruption scandals and a history of flip-flopping between liberal and conservative positions probably will hurt his chances, said Cliff Kupchan, chairman of the political-risk firm Eurasia Group.

Mohammad Ali Shabani, editor of Iran coverage at Al-Monitor, an online news portal focused on the Middle East, said, His one big weakness is the publics lack of clarity about who he really is and what he seeks.

The son of a dried-fruit seller, Ghalibaf was born in Mashhad in 1961. At a young age, he rose to prominence as a commander in the Revolutionary Guard Corps during the Iran-Iraq war. He flew sorties over Iraq and helped recapture the Iranian city of Khorramshahr. He was promoted to head of the Revolutionary Guards air force, where he signed on to a now-infamous letter urging Khamenei to crack down harder on student-led demonstrations in 1999.

Later, Ghalibaf became chief of Irans uniformed police and, in contrast to his earlier hard-line stance, is said to have professionalized the force and curbed many of its excesses.

Ghalibafs stewardship of the police has given him the reputation of a competent, apolitical manager, the U.S. Consulate in Dubai wrote in a confidential cable in 2005.

But that same year, Ghalibaf ended up running a failed presidential campaign  in which he traded his uniform for white suits and flashy sunglasses  against the firebrand populist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He then was chosen as mayor of Tehran, where he continued to forge a record as a skilled manager.

As mayor, Ghalibaf has expanded green space in an otherwise crowded and polluted city, upgraded road infrastructure and begun work on a new metro line.

Most people give him a lot of credit for making Tehran more livable, Sick said.

But then the allegations of corruption began to surface. And when the citys Plasco high-rise caught fire and collapsed this year, killing at least 20 firemen, many residents blamed Ghalibaf.

Some see the Plasco incident as a failure on the part of his office to enforce safety standards, Stanfords Sabet said. This will turn off many voters.

Another weakness, observers say, is Ghalibafs connection to Irans security establishment. Although his military credentials make him palatable to Khamenei and the Revolutionary Guard, which wields enormous influence, they could alienate younger voters, many of whom want the powerful security forces out of politics.

Ghalibaf has a very warm and personable style and appearance, the U.S. Consulate in Dubai wrote in the 2005 cable. But Iranians dont like the military when it comes to selecting civilian leaders.

Read more:

Irans president faces a tough fight for reelection

Irans Rouhani lashes rivals with rare criticism of security forces, ruling clerics

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Dueling accounts emerged Friday of private conversations between fired FBI director James B. Comey and President Trump, who suggested that there may be tapes of the discussions in which he said Comey told him he was not under investigation.

Comey associates said he was wary of private meetings and discussions with the president and did not offer the assurance, as Trump has claimed, that Trump was not under investigation as part of the probe into Russian interference in last years presidential election.

James Comey better hope that there are no tapes of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press! the president tweeted Friday morning, raising the prospect that the president or his staff may have secretly recorded the FBI director during phone calls or a one-on-one dinner.

But its also possible that Comey created a written record of the conversations after the fact  something he has done in the past when hes been involved in sensitive discussions about tough legal or ethical issues, according to people who have worked with him.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer declined to explain whether the president records his conversations. The president has nothing further to add on that, said Spicer, who denied that the tweet was meant to intimidate. Thats not a threat, he simply stated a fact.

In the wake of Trumps statements, congressional Democrats demanded any recordings of conversations between Trump and Comey.

[Trump has a long history of secretly recording calls, according to former associates]

Since abruptly firing Comey on Tuesday, the president has claimed that Comey repeatedly told him he was not under investigation. He also said Comey requested the January dinner meeting at which he asked to keep his job in the new administration.

Associates of Comey, however, sharply dispute Trumps version of events.

Comey got an invitation to a late-night dinner at the White House on Jan. 27, one week after the inauguration. The director, associates said, did not want to go because he was wary of any appearance of impropriety, but he felt like he should.

Its kind of hard to say no to your commander in chief, said one Comey associate. He certainly didnt go over there to ask to keep his job.

Comey also didnt want word of the dinner to get out because he was worried about the public perception, the associate said.

(Whitney Shefte/The Washington Post)

A second Comey associate said Trump pressed the FBI director to pledge his loyalty to the president, but Comey demurred. Those details were first reported by the New York Times, in an article that may have prompted Trumps tweet Friday about tapes and leaks. White House officials deny that the president sought a pledge of loyalty from Comey.

Associates of Comey were indignant that the president reportedly expected a pledge of loyalty from the head of an agency that has long sought to maintain a stark degree of independence. And they dismissed the notion that a tape of the conversation would hurt Comey.

In that matchup, I sure know where Id put my money  the longtime prosecutor running the FBI, said a third Comey associate.

The first associate said: First of all, hes a lawyer and a prosecutor, so he understands the legal limits. Hes got a strong ethical and moral compass. Hes also always been careful in conversations about what he can say and cant say.

That associate also discounted the suggestion by Trump that Comey should stop leaking.

First of all, a private citizen can go say whatever he wants to the media, the associate said, adding that an illegal leak involves classified information, not details of conversations that happen in the government.

The entire issue of leaks has been a sore point between the White House and the FBI, according to current and former officials. Trump administration officials have complained to the FBI for months about leaks and have urged the bureau to be more aggressive in hunting the sources of such information, according to people familiar with the discussions. FBI officials are investigating some leaks of classified material but have resisted pressure from the administration to probe nonclassified matters, these people said.

The first Comey associate also said the president does not appear to understand that Comeys not the one driving the Russia probe. Its an investigation thats on record. Youre not going to just shut it down by firing the FBI director.

Comey has declined a request to testify next week behind closed doors to the Senate Intelligence Committee. Sen. Mark R. Warner (Va.), the ranking Democrat on the committee, told MSNBC that its our hope in the not-too-distant future that we can find time for him to come in.

A key player in Comeys firing, Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein, has agreed to appear before the full Senate next week, though its unclear whether that session will be public or private.

Rosenstein has come under intense criticism from Democrats for writing a memo criticizing Comey for his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation  a document that was initially cited by White House officials as the reason for Comeys ouster, before Trump acknowledged that he had already planned to fire the director.

While it had been reported that Comeys firing came days after he asked Rosenstein for more resources for the Russia probe, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said that Comey did not make that request, and that the investigation had and continues to have all the personnel and resources it needs.

Comey was less than four years into his 10-year term as director when he was dismissed. The president can fire an FBI director at any time for any reason, but because of the agencys long tradition of independence from politics, presidents tend to refrain from doing so. Comeys firing raised particular alarms among Democrats who fear that it will weaken the bureaus independence as it investigates whether any Trump associates coordinated with Russian officials during last years election.

Since Comeys firing Tuesday, his deputy, Andrew McCabe, has been running the FBI as the acting director. Initially, officials said they were interviewing a handful of candidates to immediately take over as acting director while the White House searched for a nominee. On Friday, however, officials indicated that McCabe is likely to remain awhile longer, at least into next week.

Officials said four candidates for FBI director would be interviewed Saturday: McCabe, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), lawyer Alice Fisher and appeals court judge Michael Garcia.

Former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, whose name was also floated, said in an earlier interview that he would not be a candidate.

Ill tell you the exact reason  Im too much of a partisan. I think the next director should be somebody who is generally nonpartisan, Giuliani said. I wouldnt see me fitting the profile, for the reason that I was such a strong supporter of the president.

Matt Zapotosky contributed to this report.
The outcome of Tuesdays provincial election in British Columbia remains unclear as neither the governing Liberals nor the trade union-backed New Democratic Party (NDP) managed to secure the 44 seats required to form a majority, leaving the Green Partyat least for the momentholding the balance of power in a hung or minority legislature.

Final results will only be known May 24, following the counting of tens of thousands of absentee ballots.

The absentee ballots, as well as several recounts, could shift the outcome in a number of closely contested seats, meaning the Liberals, or even the NDP, could ultimately win a parliamentary majority.

The big business Liberal Party, which has governed Canadas third most populous province for the past 16 years, is currently projected to win 43 seats, but in Courtenay-Comox, a Vancouver Island electoral district, it is currently losing by just nine votes. Were the Liberals to ultimately prevail in Courtenay-Comox, they would have a one-seat majority in the 87-seat legislature. There are four other seats that could conceivably change hands after the absentee ballots are included, so slender are the current victory margins.

Even if the current party standings remain unchanged after the tallying of the absentee ballots, the NDP, with 41 seats, could still form the provinces government if it reaches a deal with the Greens.

In Tuesdays vote, the Greens tripled their representation in the BC legislature, from one to three seats, and won 16.76 percent of the popular vote, more than double their vote share in 2013. The Liberals captured 40.86 percent of the vote, down 5 percentage points from 2013, while the NDPs share of the popular vote fell 2.25 percentage points to 39.85 percent.

The inability of the New Democrats to secure a majority against a hated four-term Liberal Party government that has attacked workers rights, slashed public spending, showered tax handouts on the wealthy, and privatized and slashed spending on public services, is bound up with their own right-wing record. Throughout the campaign, party leader John Horgan insisted on the need for the NDP to provide fiscally responsible government.

The NDP ran on the basis of a spending plan which Horgan himself acknowledged was based on the Liberals own reactionary three-year fiscal plan. [The BC Liberals] tabled a three-year fiscal plan. We took that plan and made different choices. I believe that thats a prudent and responsible thing to do and thats the way Ive done it, Horgan told the G lobe and Mail .

The NDP did gain some ground in urban areas, defeating Liberal cabinet minister Peter Fassbinder in Surrey and gaining seats in other Vancouver suburbs, such as Richmond. But the Liberals held their ground in the interior of the province, where they focused their attack on the NDPs opposition to several major resource extraction projects, and even made gains at the NDPs expense in the Kootenay region. The Green Party won all three of its seats on Vancouver Island.

The Liberals apparent failure to secure a parliamentary majority is a blow to Justin Trudeaus federal Liberal government. While the BC Liberals are a separate party (effectively a provincial coalition of Liberals, Conservatives, and one-time Social Crediters), Trudeau made clear his strong support for the re-election of Premier Christy Clark and her BC Liberals. One reason for this is that both parties are keen to build the Kinder Morgan Transmountain oil pipeline, which would provide a means for Alberta tar sands oil to reach Asian markets.

Green Party leader Andrew Weaver, who twice voted for right-wing Liberal budgets in the outgoing legislature, has refused to be drawn into a discussion as to which party he will support should the Greens end up holding the balance of power. During the election campaign, Weaver attacked the NDP from the right for its alleged profligate social spending promises. The Greens also endorsed the protectionist and chauvinist foreign home buyers tax, calling for it to be doubled to 30 percent. Like the NDP, they oppose the Kinder Morgan oil pipeline project.

Signaling that the right-wing Liberals would have no problem cooperating with the Greens, Clark has praised Weaver as a collaborative politician, while noting that she has worked successfully with him in the past.

An NDP-Green deal, whether in the form of a coalition or an NDP minority government propped up by the Greens, would not represent any alternative for working people.

Whatever the final election tally, workers in BC will be confronted with a big business government hostile to their interests. The fact that the Liberals could well end up serving a fifth term in power does not signify any enthusiasm for their right-wing agenda, but rather demonstrates the broad alienation from and hostility towards the NDP, which long ago shredded its reformist social-democratic program.

Horgan led a right-wing, nationalist campaign. This included pledges to implement protectionist tariffs and the whipping up of anti-immigrant sentiment by advocating the expansion of the Liberals foreign buyers tax on property purchases. Mimicking the America First rhetoric of Donald Trump, the NDP called for restrictions on the export of lumber from the province and a commitment to use only BC wood for government projects.

After 16 years in which public services have been slashed and billions handed out to the financial and corporate elite, the NDPs proposals to increase social spending were paltry to say the least. Hogan pledged to balance the budget during the first three years of an NDP government and to maintain corporate tax rates well below the national average.

Under conditions where BC has the highest poverty rate among all of Canadas provinces. at over 13 percent, and with the cost of living, especially for housing, spiraling out of control, the NDP offered virtually nothing to working people. Its $10-a-day childcare program would not be fully implemented for a decade, and even then questions remain as to how it would be financed.

But beyond the NDPs right-wing campaign, workers in BC saw no prospect of an NDP government reversing the brutal attacks the Liberals have enforced over the past 16 years. This is because the NDP and its allies in the trade union bureaucracy have played a critical role in smothering working class opposition to the Liberals drive to gut public services and siphon wealth from working people to the rich and super-rich.

The Liberals road to power in 2001 was paved by a decade of NDP governments during the 1990s that imposed social spending cuts and public sector wage restraint.

Over the past 16 years workers in BC have repeatedly challenged the austerity policies of the Liberal governments of Gordon Campbell and Christy Clark. Major strikes took place in 2003, 2004 and 2005, among ferry workers, hospital workers and teachers respectively, in opposition to job and service cuts.

In the case of the hospital workers, sympathy strikes broke out among forestry and public sector workers, and the movement threatened to develop into a frontal confrontation with the Liberal government. On the eve of a day of action, which the unions felt compelled to call so as to maintain control over the incipient worker rebellion, the leadership of the BC Federation of Labour announced a sell-out deal with the Liberals, under which thousands of jobs were contracted out, and called off the protest.

In 2005, the same year he was first elected, Horgan lined up with his NDP colleagues against more than 40,000 striking teachers, who were challenging education cuts and anti-strike legislation. After a BC court ruling upheld an anti-strike law and seized the teachers unions assets so as to prevent teachers from receiving strike pay, Horgan, then the NDPs education critic, enthused, Im hopeful that [Labour Minister] Mike De Jong will seize this opportunity. There is an opportunity to reach out to, and I think theyd get a positive response from the union leadership.

Over the subsequent decade, the NDP and the unions sabotaged popular opposition to the Liberals, including instructing workers not to challenge the Liberals zero net mandate policy, under which any public sector pay increases had to be offset with concessions elsewhere. When another teachers strike broke out in the summer of 2014, the NDPs union allies did all they could to contain and shut down the dispute. This culminated in Canadian Labour Congress President Hassan Yusuf helping Clark impose a sellout settlement, after ensuring her that the unions were not out to challenge her government.

The author also recommends :

British Columbia NDP wages right-wing, nationalist election campaign

[6 May 2017]

BC teachers union endorses austerity contract

[18 September 2014]
German politicians and the media have responded to the exposure of a neo-Nazi terrorist cell in the army (Bundeswehr) by calling for a reintroduction of military conscription.

Christian Democratic Union (CDU) parliamentary deputy Patrick Sensburg told the newspapers of the Funke media group Thursday that the citizen in uniform was a reliable early warning system for the recognition of extremism from both left and right. The reintroduction of conscription was therefore not only necessary due to security grounds, but the civilian population is also the immune system against hostility to democracy.

Historian Michael Wolffsohn declared at the beginning of May in an interview with Tagesspiegel that the main cause of the scandal in the army was the abolition of general conscription. This political decision was responsible for the army now lacking the very normal citizens. It had opened the gates for the inflow of extremist personnel, who want to gain easy access to weapons and military training. Poets dont join the army voluntarily.

The arguments from Sensburg and Wolffsohn, both of whom have close ties to the military, are cynical and wrong. German history shows that conscription has absolutely nothing to do with the struggle for democracy and against extremism. On the contrary, the reintroduction of conscription prior to World War II in the law on the construction of the Wehrmacht adopted on March 16, 1935, marked a turning point in the rearming of German imperialism under Hitler.

A comment in the weekly magazine Stern headlined Reintroduce conscription shows that the ruling class is pursuing the same goals now as then. What is involved is the massive rearmament of the army and the recruiting of cannon fodder for new and major wars.

But we cannot trust our security to a force which must take those who come forward and cannot rely on those who they really need, Stern wrote. Germanys security doctrine is currently changing radically, not least because Putins Russia is pursuing an aggressive great power policy. The defence budget is being increased, army units are being expanded once again, tank units and artillery, which for some time were considered obsolete, have to be rebuilt. This cannot be achieved with a fully voluntary force.

The attempt to celebrate conscription as an instrument for democracy or a way to guarantee the cleaning out of neo-Nazis from the army was a lie from the outset. At its founding on November 12, 1955, the Bundeswehr was called New Wehrmacht (it was officially renamed Bundeswehr only in 1956), and its original name, in spite of conscription, was its programme from the beginning.

Here are some facts and figures. The 44 generals and admirals appointed prior to 1957 were all drawn from Hitlers Wehrmacht, overwhelmingly from the armys general staff. In the officers corps in 1959, 12,350 former Wehrmacht officers were to be found among the 14,900 professional soldiers, 300 of whom came from the leading bodies of the SS.

Historian Wolfram Wette wrote in a study titled Militarism in Germany: History of a warrior culture, This continuity of personnel represented a severe burden for the armys internal life. Wette added, For a long time within the officer corps of the army of the Federal Republic, the predominant, if not pervasive, tendency was to orient towards the pre-1945 traditions.

With Germanys reunification 25 years ago, this predominant tendency was further strengthened. The systematic restructuring of the army into an intervention force capable of waging war, which would defend German imperialist interests around the world, necessitated the revival of the old militarist traditions from the Reichswehr, the army under the Kaiser, and Wehrmacht in the Bundeswehr.

As early as 1991, prior to the first foreign intervention by the army, a general stated, Everything must be directed towards ensuring the armys capability for war, training, equipment and structure. Ethos, education and motivation must be included.

In 2004, prior to assuming the position of inspector of the army, Lieutenant General Hans-Otto Budde appealed for a new, or more accurately old, type of soldier, The citizen in uniform has served his time  we need the archaic fighter, and those who can wage hi-tech war.

Since former German President Joachim Gauck and the government officially announced the return of German militarism at the Munich Security Conference in 2014, contributions regularly appear in official volumes on German foreign policy calling for war and violence in the typical tradition of the Wehrmacht.

In a volume titled Germanys new responsibility, which contained articles from President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD), Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble, Defence Minister Ursula Von der Leyen (both CDU), and leading Green and Left Party politicians, it was noted with frustration that in Germany the neurotic desire to remain morally clean pervades almost all debates on domestic and foreign policy.

Whoever goes to war must in general be responsible for the deaths of people. That includes the deaths of non-participants and innocents, it stated. Precisely in times of new strategic uncertainty, it was necessary to emphasise [again] the military, not only because it demands such stern tests of societies, but because it ultimately remains the most consequential, and therefore the most demanding, perhaps even the crowning discipline of foreign policy.

It went on to note that in the years to come, Germany would have to offer significantly more politically and militarily and confront foreign and security policy questions  of which the country has not even yet dared to dream. Perhaps even not in its nightmares.

With the neo-Nazi conspiracy in the army and the call for the return of military service, these nightmares are taking on a threatening form. They can only be banished by the construction of an international anti-war movement. The Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (SGP) fights in Germany to provide the widespread opposition to the return of militarism with a revolutionary and socialist programme, and to stop the ruling class offensive for fascism and war.
Asia

Pakistan: Punjab health workers protest

Hundreds of employees of the government run Lady Health Workers (LHW) program demonstrated in Rawalpindi on May 3 demanding payment of long-pending arrears, permanent jobs and the implementation of a service structure including raising their pay scale based on qualifications. Another demand was for a 50 percent ad hoc relief amount in their regular monthly salary.

Two days later hundreds of LHWs and supervisory staff protested outside the District Headquarters Hospital demanding three months of unpaid salaries.

The federal government uses these workers to run various vaccination campaigns and primary health care for women in rural areas. Each worker cares for about 200 families, forcing them to work seven days a week on low wages. Their wages are frequently held back while a large number of workers are not permanent.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa school teachers hold more protests

Government school teachers in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province are continuing demonstrations begun last month over long pending demands for better wages and conditions. Responding to the call from the All Teachers Coordination Council (ATCC), a combined body of all primary, middle and high school teachers, over 2,000 teachers demonstrated outside the district education office in Timergara on Sunday.

The unions demands include a pay increase, time-scale promotions, teaching allowances and paid leave, and a job quota for deceased teachers children. Demonstrations were held in Peshawar, Nowshehra, Mardan, Charssadda and Swabi last month on these issues. The ATCC said a mass demonstration would be held in Peshawar on May 15 if the government continued to ignore its demands.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa salt mine workers strike

Salt mine workers in the Lakani area of Karak tehsil struck again for 24 hours on Monday to demand death and casualty grants and for the provision of safety equipment. They also called for marriage and death grants for workers sons and daughters, accurate identity records of workers on duty in the mines, frequent mine inspections and age benefit cards. The walkout followed strike action in December.

Workers said that miners had been killed and injured in work accidents over the last two years but the affected families and the injured had not been properly compensated in line with industrial laws. A union spokesman said that a nominal compensation amount of just 10,000 rupees ($US155) had been paid for deceased workers and 4,000 rupees to injured workers.

A long-standing complaint was that there were no ambulance facilities at the mines and that access roads were in disrepair, causing delays in getting injured workers to hospital.

India: Telangana power-loom workers on walkout

More than 6,500 power-loom workers at Textile Park in Sircilla downed tools on Monday to demand a wage rise. Some 500 weavers affiliated with the Stalinist-Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU) returned to work on Wednesday after loom owners agreed to pay wages as per their previous agreement.

Over 6,000 operators of polyester power-looms at the park, however, remained on strike. The polyester loom owners have claimed that they required more time to reach an agreement. The workers are demanding that they be paid according to the Minimum Wage Act.

Coal India miners call strike

Five peak unions, which cover almost 90 percent of workers of state-owned Coal India, have given notice for a three-day nation-wide strike from June 19 over wages, pensions and other demands.

Negotiations have been ongoing for several months although revised salaries were due to be implemented last June. The current agreement was settled in 2012 and expires this June.

The unions want a 50 percent pay increase, implementation of all clauses agreed during the 2012 negotiations, pensions increased, equal wages for contract workers and that contract workers not be used to replace permanent workers.

The five unionsthe CITU, Indian National Trade Union Congress, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, Hind Mazdoor Sabha and the All India Trade Union Councilalso oppose the merger of the Coal Miners Provident Fund with the Employees Provident Fund

Delhi University teachers protest

Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) members demonstrated outside the vice chancellors office on May 9 with their long pending demands. The vice chancellor has refused with DUTA members for the last ten months. Teachers allege that there are unfilled vacancies and no promotions and that no pensions have been provided over several years. A DUTA spokesman said the teachers would continue their protest until the vice-chancellor agreed to meet the teachers.

Indonesia: Freeport mine workers strike in second week

Over 8,000 permanent and contract workers from Freeports massive Grasberg copper mine in West Papua have been on strike since May 1 over mass lay-offs.

The company claims the walkout is illegal, that strikers would be considered absent without leave and that all those who struck for five days would lose their jobs. So far over 170 jobs have been terminated.

Freeport, which had already laid off 10 percent of 32,000, has warned that it could axe another 5,000 positions due to production cuts caused by an ongoing contract dispute between the company and the Indonesian government.

Under new government rules the company has to obtain a new mining permit, divest a 51 percent stake, build a second copper smelter, relinquish arbitration rights and pay new taxes and royalties. Freeport claims that production at Grasberg could be reduced by 60 percent.

Indonesian dock workers issue strike notice

The union representing 2,000 PT Jakarta International Container Terminal (JICT) workers has announced that its members at the Tanjung Priok port will strike for six days on May 15.

The walkout is to oppose a decision by state-owned port operator Pelindo II to extend JICTs container-handling contract with Hong Kong-based Hutchison Ports Holdings to 2039. Workers walked off the job on April 6, claiming Hutchison had previously attacked workers legal rights and cut bonuses.

Hutchison currently controls 51 percent of JICT with Pelindo II holding 48.9 percent. A parliamentary committee in February claimed the contract extension could potentially cause state losses of 36 trillion rupiah ($US2.7 billion) and that it was awarded without the governments approval.

Striking Filipino banana plantation workers picket company

Contract workers at the banana plantation of the Korean-owned Shinsun Tropical Fruit Corporation in Compostela Valley, Mindanao have been on strike since April 6 to demand permanent jobs. Strikers are picketing the companys locked main gate. Some 200 other employees are not crossing the picket line.

The company has filed a damages case against the workers and the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), which organised the walkout, claiming the strike had cost $US200,000 in lost production.

The strike began after the agency that supplied contract workers terminated 37 employees. After Shinsun rejected the workers demand for reinstatement as permanent employees other contract workers decide to strike for permanent jobs. The company offered to reinstate 32 workers during negotiations but this was rejected by the KMU. It wants all sacked workers, plus 80 existing contract workers, to be made permanent employees.

Last month, hundreds of banana plantation workers at eight packing plants in the Compostela Valley walked off the job demanding abolition of the piece-rate wage system. The system, also known as pakyawan, forces workers to labour for 12 hours a day for just 310 pesos ($US6.22). This is less than the official 330 pesos per day for agricultural workers in the region.

Australia and the Pacific

Australian industrial court blocks strike by Victorian power workers

The Fair Work Commission (FWC) on Tuesday ordered cancellation of a planned May 15 strike by Electrical Trades Union (ETU) members at one of the feeder coal mines of the Loy Yang A and B power stations in Victorias Latrobe Valley. The FWC order was in response to an application by the state Labor government to ban the strike on the pretext of protecting the states power supplies. The power stations produce 50 percent of Victorias electricity.

AGL, the Loy Yang A plant owner, told the commission that it would lock out indefinitely all 570 workers at the mine and power plant if the strike went ahead.

The ETU and the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) have been in negotiations with AGL over a proposed Enterprise Agreement (EA) for nearly two years. Workers overwhelmingly rejected two previous company agreement offers that removed clauses relating to overtime, manning levels, pay and working conditions. AGL also sought to tear up job security provisions, paving the way for forced redundancies.

AGL successfully applied to the FWC in January to terminate the existing enterprise agreement, clearing the way for the energy giant to impose massive pay cuts, estimated at between 30 and 65 percent, and tear up conditions and entitlements.

A CFMEU spokesman said the FWC new order triggers a workplace determination process where an arbitrated outcome could put workers under the 2010 Electrical Power Industry Award, with massively reduced conditions. The unions now have 28 days to negotiate a new enterprise agreement, allowing them to put workers under pressure to accept conditions demanded by the company.

New Zealand disability support workers union calls off strike

The E tu, the union covering over 2,000 workers from IDEA Services, called off a strike planned for Thursday after negotiating a sell-out deal for a new collective agreement. IDEA Services is funded by the New Zealand government through the Intellectually Handicapped Childrens Association.

The workers took limited strike action in April after six months of negotiations failed to deliver a pay increase for administration and support staff or resolve staffing and safety issues. The union says that these employees are only paid a maximum of $18 an hour, which is less than the official Living Wage. The workers were due for a pay rise last October.

The E tu claims its deal addresses the major issues in dispute. This is a lie. Under the new deal, the work agreement will only run until October 20, instead of the normal two-year agreement, and in place of annual percentage pay rises, workers will receive $150 (before tax). None of the other issues were resolved and are left to future resolution through negotiations or the setting up of committees.

Future negotiations are to discuss an increase in working hours up to 80 hours a fortnight, for those who want it, a review of contracted hours, new work rules and an increased focus on safety with safety representatives getting extra pay. IDEA workers are yet to vote on the sell-out deal.
There was nothing funny about Tuesdays termination of FBI director James Comey, except, of course, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer hiding among the bushes to avoid questions about Comeys firing. Listed below are some possible reasons he might be getting fired by the president:

1. He was MIA for two days:

For one of the first times since President Trump was inaugurated, Spicer has not delivered a single press briefing on Wednesday or Thursday. After he was apparently in the bushes Tuesday, it was White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders who spoke at the podium Wednesday and Thursday. Then, National Security Adviser Gen. H.R. McCaster delivered a conference Friday about President Donald Trumps relations with the Middle East ahead of his upcoming overseas trip. Spicer returned to the podium Friday to address Comeys departure and Trumps first foreign trip.

READ: Sean Spicer Bitcoin Password: He Probably Didn't Tweet Pin, But Silence Spawns Conspiracy Theories

2. The White House Correspondents Association issued a statement about press briefings:

WHCA president Jeff Mason posted the message to Twitter Friday. It read:

White House briefings and press conferences provide substantive and symbolic opportunities for journalists to pose questions to officials at the highest levels of the U.S. government. That exercise, conducted in full view of our republics citizens, is clearly in line with the spirit of the First Amendment. Doing away with briefings would reduce accountability, transparency, and the opportunity for Americans to see that, in the U.S. system, no political figure is above being questioned. The White House Correspondents Association would object to any move that would threaten those constitutionally-protected principles.

3. Trump threatened to get rid of press briefings Friday, seemingly taking aim at Spicer and Sanders:

He penned several tweets to his personal Twitter account. The Fake Media is working overtime today! Trump wrote. As a very active President with lots of things happening, it is not possible for my surrogates to stand at podium with perfect accuracy! Maybe the best thing to do would be to cancel all future "press briefings" and hand out written responses for the sake of accuracy.

Story continues

4. Anthony Noto, chief operating officer of Twitter and head of Twitter Ventures, issued a statement in response to Trumps tweets:

He said: [Twitter] is a way to add distribution not a substitute for a vibrant & free press. I don't support cancelling press briefing. Sorry [for[ confusion.

5. Twitter users think Spicer will get canned:

Most people talked about how the possibility of him getting fired would effect comedian Melissa McCarthy, who impersonates the correspondent for Saturday Night Live.

For the record, the White House denied Spicer would be fired for hiding among the bushes Tuesday. Oh my god, for the billionth time no, an administration official told BuzzFeed News Thursday.

Spicer was absent because he was on Naval reserve duty when he was missing from the podium. He is slated to retire from the U.S. Navy after serving for 20 years. Skipping his duty to announce the termination of Comey would have been turned into a story, just like skipping the briefing turned into a media firestorm, officials told BuzzFeed News.

Sean Spicer

Photo: Getty Images

Follow me on Twitter @mariamzzarella

Related Articles
On a warm and sunny Friday morning, President Trump started his day just like any other president: by going on Twitter and revealing that he just might have secretly taped the former director of the FBI.

If only the American public could hear these possible tapes, Trump seemed to suggest, they would finally see Comey for who he really was  a useless showboat  and reveal Trump to be the greatest president in the history of the United States.

All we needed was the transcript.

SEE ALSO: Wow, some stranger just gave us Trump's tax return and it's really weird

Thankfully, the same heroic stranger who slipped us Trump's tax returns also mailed us a transcript of Trump's Comey recordings. Late this morning, I went to my mailbox only to find the transcript hidden in a manilla envelope labeled "TOP SECRET." Any good journalist will tell you that "TOP SECRET" makes it very real and obviously not leaked by Trump, which means you must share it on cable television.

James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017

Below are never seen before snippets from the transcript of Trump's recorded conversation with James Comey.

COMEY: Mr. President, thank you so much for agreeing to have dinner with me. It's an honor.

TRUMP: Jim, thank you for the compliment but as you know I'm very mad at you. You lied to the American people at the House hearing the other day.

COMEY: I know, Mr. President. You are not under investigation by the FBI, which I told you on two other entirely separate occasions.

TRUMP: So you made the whole Trump-Russia scandal up?

COMEY: Yes, that is accurate. It was me, James Comey.

TRUMP: Why do you lie, Jim? Lying, as you know, is very bad.

COMEY: I'm very intimidated by your presence. The size of the crowds at your inauguration and rallies, it's just enormous.

Story continues

TRUMP: So I've been told.

COMEY: My men at the FBI, they love you more than me. Everyone loves you.

And I can't handle it, Mr. President. I wanted to take you down so I can be popular again. This is why I, and the fake news media, made up this whole scandal.

TRUMP: Jim 

COMEY: Mr. President, you must understand how powerful you are. You have the best television ratings of any president in history, Mr. President!

TRUMP: Please.

COMEY: It's only because I like you so much that I make up all these stories.

TRUMP: That doesn't give you a license to deceive the American people, who voted for me 

COMEY: By the greatest margin in American history.

TRUMP: I don't care about that.

COMEY: You have been treated very, very unfairly, Mr. Trump. Please forgive me. I just want to stay at the FBI.

TRUMP: As you know, Jim, I have to do the right thing.

[COMEY WEEPS FOR THE NEXT FEW MINUTES. HE ONLY INTERRUPTS HIS EPIC, LOSER SOBS TO BEG FOR HIS JOB]

COMEY (Moaning): Please, please Mr. President.

TRUMP: If you come forward and tell the truth, I will consider holding you on.

COMEY: I will them everything. I will tell them that the whole Trump-Russia scandal is a fake scandal concocted by me and CNN. Oh, and Rosie O'Donnell. And that you were wiretapped by Barack Obama because he was afraid you would win and become the best President in American history!!!! Which you are!

All because I was so threatened by you.

TRUMP: Well, you make a good pitch, Jim 

COMEY: It's the showboat in me.

TRUMP: I really hope you do the right thing.

COMEY: I promise you, Mr. President, I won't let you down.

[TAPE FINISHES. COMEY EXITS, SOBBING. STEVE BANNON ENTERS, DOES NOTHING OF SIGNIFICANCE. IN THE BACKGROUND, YOU CAN HEAR TRUMP SOLVING YET ANOTHER WORLD CRISIS AND HIS AIDES, SIGHING. THEY CAN'T HELP IT. THEY'RE TIRED FROM ALL THE WINNING.]

That's where the transcript ends.

Sounds pretty compelling.
NASCAR disallowed the sponsor, Veedverks, on the hood of Carl Longs car. (Yahoo Sports)

KANSAS CITY, Kansas  If youre trying to make a return to Cup racing for the first time since NASCAR fined you a couple hundred grand almost a decade ago, and you dont have much financial backing, well, you might be tempted to take sponsor money from wherever it comes.

Even a medical marijuana-like company.

Carl Long, last seen in a Cup race way back in 2009, before NASCAR fined him $200,000, rolled into Kansas Speedway Friday with very little funding, even less sleep and an interesting sponsor on the hood of his race car: Veedverks.

What is Veedverks? Well, its hard to know exactly, since the companys About Us page reads like this:

We all see the world from a different perspective, but few experience the view afforded to us from the control cabin of our mighty rigid airship. We grace the Rocky Mountain skyline with our powerful and elegant dirigible. The hum of our powerful engines comforts the world below with the sound of freedom. The sun sets on the foothills as we cast a fading shadow over the Mile High city.

The Denver-based companys products include Indica, Sativa and Hybrid experiences that, according to testimonials on their website, are great for bad backs, so draw your own conclusions.

NASCAR has. All potential sponsors have to be approved by the sanctioning body, and Friday NASCAR just said no to Veedverks.

NASCAR didnt cite a specific reason for the denial, but Section 7.6.2.a of the NASCAR rule book says NASCAR may refuse to permit a Competitor to participate in an Event if NASCAR determines that any advertising, sponsorship, or similar agreement to which the Competitor is or will be a party, is detrimental to the sport, to NASCAR, Series Sponsor, or to the Promoter for any reason, including without limitation, the public image of the sport.

While Veedverks claims its products are legal in all 50 states, its three types of cartridges contain trace amounts of THC, the principal psychoactive in marijuana.

Story continues

*****

Saturday nights Cup race will be Carl Longs first points race since 2006. (Getty)

Long left Charlotte at 6 a.m. Thursday morning, driving his own hauler, and arrived at Kansas Speedway around Midnight. It had been eight years since he last attempted to qualify for a Cup race.

Back in 2009, he attempted the qualifying race for the All-Star Race, but made it just three laps and finished last. During post-race inspection, NASCAR deemed that Longs engine  which he said he got from a supplier  was 0.17 inches too big. The sanctioning body fined the team $200,000. At that point, it was the largest monetary fine in NASCAR history.

Long couldnt afford it, so for the past seven seasons he was banned from the Cup Series garage.

He hasnt been gone from NASCAR entirely. Hes run 96 Xfinity Series races, 12 Camping World Truck Series races and is listed as the owner of MBM Motorsports, which fields the Nos. 13 and 40 cars in the Xfinity Series.

But you dont get rich in NASCARs bottom two series unless you have a big-dollar sponsor. And Long hasnt had a big-dollar sponsor.

Before the 2017 season, he satisfied his requirements regarding the fine, according to NASCAR, and was allowed back into the Cup garage.

On May 5, he put a plea out for $25,000 for a company to sponsor him for this weekends Go Bowling 400. The going rate for a one-race sponsorship with a top Cup Series team can be 10 times that amount, or even more. But Long just needed some money from someone.

I put out a number, here it is, Long said. Most standard deals are about 300 grand, $250,000. I know Im not going to be Jeff Gordon and [Dale Earnhardt Jr.] and all that kind of stuff, but this week coming back, Im going to get a lot of press. And if someone can get us [$25,000], we can get here.

Veedverks didnt come up with $25,000  Long wouldnt say how much exactly  but a couple secondary sponsors made up the difference, so Long had what he needed.

Driving his own hauler, the 49-year-old Long arrived at Kansas Speedway just hours before the Cup garage opened Friday morning. As he went over the car prior to practice, a Veedverks decal adorned the hood. But when Long steered it out of his first practice, the Veedverks logo was gone.

It was a last-minute deal, Long explained prior to NASCARs ruling. We submitted everything to NASCAR. The company makes a vape solution for electronic cigarettes and stuff. But their product, NASCAR said they needed to go back and review it a little more because I think its a hemp-based product. Its legal in 50 states according to  honestly I didnt do a whole lot of research. They said this is a legal product, I sent the stuff to NASCAR. The people down there said, Great Carl, good to see you back lets get over here. So now they want to investigate and make sure this isnt anything that is marijuana based and so forth.

(Update: Veedverks took to its Facebook page Friday night to claim that it was initially approved by NASCAR to be on Longs car over the weekend. They were, but only because the companys name was misspelled on the sponsor submission Long sent over to NASCAR.

Long spelled the companys name as Veeoverks on the entry list and, according to the sanctioning body, said it was an electronic cigarette company. Unable to find a website or business for the company listed, NASCAR approved the sponsorship. The practice of approval without a website isnt uncommon, especially among smaller companies wanting to be a sponsor in NASCARs lower series.

Longs other sponsors were also approved Wednesday in his sponsor request. When NASCAR found out that the name of the company was different than it was on the submission list, the sanctioning body did research and decided not to approve the company. Long has posted to Facebook to tell fans to give NASCAR a break for his misspelling on the entry list.)

*****Longs entry to Saturday nights race made him the 40th car in a 40-car field, meaning hes guaranteed to participate in his first Cup Series points race since 2006. Hes probably going to finish closer to 40th than he will to first. With tires costing over $2,000 a set, a $25,000 sponsorship ask may not even cover many large teams tire bills for a weekend.

But for Long, that $25,000 has to pay for a lot of things, including licenses for he and his crew. (NASCAR issues licenses via level, and Long had to upgrade his teams licenses to the Cup Series before they could start working on the car Friday morning.)

I wrote a check this morning just for $11,000 to upgrade our licenses to get in the garage, Long said, adding that he still needed Cup licenses for two additional crew members. I got to thinking about it. Ive been out of this for eight years and if Id have been spending the money we have to spend on licenses for the last eight years, Id already gave them back more than $200,000 just in licenses to get here.

That $11,000 came from the money that he was supposed to have from Veedverks. And Long didnt have a readily available backup plan if the sponsorship wasnt approved.

It just depends on what we can work out, Long said. The company is  they are four US Air Force Academy graduates of 1995 that own that company.  Im assuming that one of that four in that group to have a start-up company like this, they already have a primary company. And if so, Ill give them the spot. And if not  if I have to resort to giving them their sponsorship back, thats what we have to do. But Ive already spent a bunch of it already.

      

Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
"I know words... I have the best words," Donald Trump said one day in his superlative way.

Now those words by the new US president have been pulled together as a "collection of poetry" in Norway.

Who knew? Trump the poet?

"What Trump says is closer to poetry and fiction than to reality," said the Norwegian man who created the collection, Chris Felt.

"We're appalled that his rhetoric which seems to have little thought or preparation behind it could have won an electoral campaign," Felt told the newspaper Aftenposten.

The book's tongue-in-cheek title is "Make poetry great again" -- a play on Trump's campaign slogan "Make America great again".

The content is composed strictly from speeches, interviews and other statements that the 70-year-old has given over the years.

Among the choice bits turned to poems in the book are words about his daughter that Trump said around 10 years ago.

"I have said

if Ivanka

were not my daughter,

perhaps

I would be dating her"

Felt said the words may be "terribly macho, pitiful and confusing but when the quotations have space around them I see other facets of him".

Reading Trump's words as poetry Felt said he felt in them "more despair, more insecurity and perhaps an inferiority complex".

According to the publisher Kaggen, the first print run was 2,000 copies -- one of which has been sent to Trump. Now the question is whether his penchant for superlatives will make it a "bestseller".
Bill Clinton loves ants.

Yeah, you read that correctly. He loves 'em. In fact, Clinton loves the tiny insects so much that he is the very proud owner of two ant farms. Not just one. Two.

On Thursday during a speech at the Partnership for a Healthier America Summit  an organization dedicated to fighting childhood obesity, chaired by former FLOTUS Michelle Obama  the former president revealed he is now the father of many cute little ants.

Aww. 

SEE ALSO: Bill Clinton is co-writing a novel with James Patterson, and we have so many questions

According to People, the former POTUS's two ant farms were Christmas gifts from his staff last year, and he cherishes them deeply.

He reportedly keeps one of the farms on his desk at the Little Rock, Arkansas presidential library, and the status of the other ant farm is unknown. However, we would very much like to think it sits atop Bill and Hillary's nightstand so that they could say goodnight to the ants each night before falling asleep.

Now we know what you're thinking: "Why in the world did Bill Clinton bring up his personal ant farms during this speech?"

Was he missing them? Did an ant crawl across his microphone mid-speech and he just couldn't resist the urge to brag about his little fellas back at home? No. This guy was the president, so he's obviously trying to teach us all a valuable, profound lesson here.

Bill Clinton got on the topic of ants because he was describing an "important political book"  Edward O. Wilson's The Social Conquest of Earth  that he often discusses with his staff and others.

Story continues

Clinton said he feels the book has the power to "make us all much healthier as citizens," and explained one of the main takeaways is that of all the species that have inhabited Earth, the most successful are ants, termites, bees, and human beings.

"What do they have in common?" he asked the audience. They're all great at cooperation.

Ants are loyal and when they work together they have the ability to pull off some astounding feats, like building bridges with their bodies, so Bill may be onto something.

Says @billclinton: 3 greatest species: ants, termites, people. Not biggest or strongest but because they r greatest collaborators #PHASummit  Rima Kleiner, MS, RD (@RimaKleinerMSRD) May 11, 2017

He further reflected on the thought, saying, "Diversity, inclusion and creative collaboration leads to better results."

The former POTUS then took time to praise Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign and efforts to keep kids active and healthy.

Obama is set to address childhood obesity at the summit Friday, but she'll have to really make an effort to top this precious ant-ecdote. You could even say she'll need to up the ante.
Abuja (AFP) - Eighty-two Chibok schoolgirls who were released after being held for more than three years by Boko Haram will be reunited with their parents next week, according to Nigeria's minister for women.

Aisha Alhassan said the students' parents will travel from the remote northeastern town in Borno state to meet their daughters in the capital, Abuja.

"Any parents that identified their children will be brought next week to see them," she told AFP at the staff quarters of the Department of State Services.

The 82 have been staying at the domestic intelligence agency facility on the outskirts of the city since their release in a prisoner swap deal on Saturday after months of negotiations.

The Islamist militants seized 276 girls in April 2014, triggering global condemnation and drawing attention to the bloody insurgency.

Fifty-seven escaped in the immediate aftermath. Of the 219 who did not manage to flee, 106 have either been released or found, leaving 113 still missing.

First Lady Aisha Buhari, whose husband President Muhammadu Buhari was elected on a pledge to defeat Boko Haram, met some of the Chibok girls on Wednesday.

The girls, dressed in colourful traditional ankara print dresses, sang songs and danced in front of the cameras.

The women's minister said the recently-released 82 would be reunited at another facility in the capital with 24 of their classmates who were released or found last year.

They will receive "psycho-social therapy" and "vocational training" to help them reintegrate into society.

Campaign groups and families have criticised the government for keeping the previously released girls away from their parents but Alhassan said they were free to come and go from the centre.

Most chose to stay in the capital, she added.

The government's goal is to have all the girls back in school at the start of the new academic year, she added, without specifying where.

"I believe from now to September, these other ones (the recently released 82 girls) would have stabilised and we will be able to take all of them back to school in September."

Story continues

Thousands of women and young girls have been abducted in the eight-year insurgency, which has left at least 20,000 people dead and displaced more than 2.6 million.

Information minister Lai Mohammed meanwhile indicated talks with Boko Haram about the release of the remaining 113 girls could pave the way for a possible end to the conflict.

"We are looking beyond the release of these girls. We are looking a something much more comprehensive, which is the cessation of all hostilities," he said.
Even though the White House has refrained from stating the exact reason for the Tuesday firing of former FBI Director James Comey by President Donald Trump, a one-on-one dinner between the two in January could have been the start of a series of events which ultimately ended Comeys FBI career, as per a New York Times report.

This comes days after Comey's out-of-the-blue firing, with the report claiming he had a confidential meeting with the president at the White House shortly after Trump was sworn into the office.

During the official dinner, the Trump made small talk with the then FBI director, discussing topics such as the election and the number of attendees at the presidents inauguration, the New York Times reported. As the meeting drew to a close, Trump reportedly asked Comey to pledge loyalty to his administration.

Comey is said to have hesitated to give a direct reply.

James Comey

Photo: Getty Images/Andrew Harrer-Pool

Eventually, Comey declined Trumps request, choosing not to get politically involved.

Read: Kim Dotcom Wants FBI Director James Comey To Be Questioned By New Zealand Police

Instead, Comey reportedly said he could pledge to always be honest in all his investigative findings. Comeys promise was not enough for Trump who repeated his original demand later during dinner, according to the Hill. However, the president was met with the exact same reply.

The White House has denied the account of the dinner as reported by the New York Times.

Kellyanne Conway

Photo: Getty Images/Alex Wong

Story continues

"We dont believe this to be an accurate account, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told The Times. The integrity of our law enforcement agencies and their leadership is of the utmost importance to President Trump."

"He would never even suggest the expectation of personal loyalty, only loyalty to our country and its great people, stated the White House.

Read: Anthony Weiner Memes And Gifs About Emails After James Comey Hearing Go Viral

The fact that such a dinner took place is undeniable since Trump recounted the event himself during an interview with NBCs Lester Holt on Thursday. However, he said no talks about the alleged pledge ever took place during the dinner.

During the same interview, he called Comey a showboat, and that he was going to be fired regardless.

Protest

Photo: Getty Images/Spencer Platt

Apart from the fact that no formal reason was stated behind Comeys firing, Trump also did not personally relay the news to Comey. Instead, his termination letter was sent to the FBI headquarters via a private security guard, Politico reports.

It has also been revealed Comey found out about his firing the same way the rest of the world did  when he turned on the television, a CNBC report said.

protest

Photo: Getty Images/Spencer Platt

Trump was allegedly frustrated Comey would not drop the probe into his administration's possible Russian links, despite his repeated persuasions, according to the Politico report.

He was also unhappy with the fact Comey had chosen not to support Trumps claims of former president Barack Obama wiretapping his phones during the 2016 presidential campaign.

There have been nationwide protests following Comeys dismissal. While some demanded Comey be allowed to testify in court, others called for Trumps impeachment.

Related Articles
Quasars (short for quasi-stellar radio sources) have been objects of intrigue for astronomers ever since they were first detected in the 1960s. A quasar is a compact region with a supermassive black hole at its centre, heated to such an extent that it emits massive amounts of energy  briefly outshining the galaxy in which it resides.

Our current understanding tells us that for a supermassive black hole to turn into a massive quasar, it would need to accrete matter for at least 100 million years. This means the odds of finding such an object in the early years of the universe are extremely low.

Read: New Discovery Doubles Number Of Ancient Quasars

However, a team of astronomers has now discovered three ancient quasars that seemingly challenge the conventional wisdom. All of these quasars formed just over a billion years after the universes birth, but have still  through an as-of-yet inexplicable mechanism  managed to accumulate the mass of about a billion sons.

For comparison, Sagittarius A*  the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy  is merely four million times the mass of the sun.

This is a surprising result, Christina Eilers, a doctoral student at Max Planck Institute for Astronomy and lead author of a study detailing the observations, said in a statement. We dont understand how these young quasars could have grown the supermassive black holes that power them in such a short time.

quasar1

Photo: A. C. Eilers & J. Neidel, MPIA

In order to calculate the age of these quasars, the astronomers examined how these objects had influenced their proximity zones  which are hot, mostly-transparent regions rich in ionized gas around quasars. Once a supermassive black hole turns into a quasar, its proximity zone grows very quickly, and by observing how big this zone is, scientists can estimate the duration the quasar has been active for.

Story continues

For these three quasars, however, the proximity zones were very small, indicating they had been active for only about 100,000 years.

"No current theoretical models can explain the existence of these objects," Joseph Hennawi, who leads the team from the Max Planck Institute, said in the statement. "The discovery of these young objects challenges the existing theories of black hole formation and will require new models to better understand how black holes and galaxies formed."

This is not the first time astronomers have spotted objects that defy conventional understanding. In recent years, astronomers have spotted several supermassive black holes that formed less than a billion years after the Big Bang.

In March, researchers from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico used computer simulations to calculate the rate of evolution of supermassive black holes if their growth is fed by cold and dense accretion streams.

The simulated black holes created by the researchers were also seen to be interacting with galaxies in the same way that is observed in nature, mimicking star formation rates, galaxy density profiles, and thermal and ionization rates of gases.

The next step would be to look for other ancient quasars that are also more massive than they should be. If more such objects are detected, it would not just help scientists create a better model of how the first supermassive black holes in the universe came to be, but also help understand how the one in the Milky Ways heart formed and evolved.

We would like to find more of these young quasars, Eilers said. While finding these three unusual quasars might have been a fluke, finding additional examples would imply that a significant fraction of the known quasar population is much younger than expected.

Related Articles
Donald Trump reportedly pressed James Comey to declare his "loyalty" just seven days after being sworn in as President, but the FBI chief refused.

Mr Comey, sensationally fired by the President earlier this week, said he could only offer "honesty".

According to sources quoted by the New York Times, the pair eventually settled on "honest loyalty" after Mr Trump pressed Mr Comey a second time.

Read more

Stephen Colbert responds to Trump calling him 'filthy, no-talent guy'

The exchange is said to have taken place during a dinner meeting to which Mr Comey was summoned early in the Trump presidency.

Mr Trump claimed in an interview with NBC News that it was Mr Comey who requested the meeting because he wanted to keep his job, which NBC said sources close to the investigator denied.

He said: "He wanted to have dinner because he wanted to stay on. We had a very nice dinner at the White House."

It was also at the dinner that Mr Trump said the FBI director informed him he was not personally under investigation over his campaign's alleged ties to Russia.

The White House denied the New York Times' account.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the deputy press secretary, said: "The integrity of our law enforcement agencies and their leadership is of the utmost importance to President Trump. He would never even suggest the expectation of personal loyalty, only loyalty to our country and its great people."
Donald Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey has left many conservatives hoping the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server can be reopened.

Lots of Republicans, and others on the right, were furious when Mr Comey announced last summer, that after probing her actions, he had decided against bringing criminal charges. The decision infuriated Donald Trump and his supporters, who started to to chant lock her up at his election rallies.

During one of the three presidential debates, Mr Trump even vowed to investigate her behaviour if he was elected. If I win, I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation because there has never been so many lies, so much deception, he said.

.@TomFitton weighed in on FBI Dir Comey's firing and if it impacts 'closed' Clinton email case - via @foxandfriends https://t.co/ivEhkEwhnk  Judicial Watch  (@JudicialWatch) May 12, 2017

Now, in the aftermath of the firing of Mr Comey, with Democrats and opponents of Mr Trump infuriated over what they consider a blatant attempt to shut down the investigation into the Trump campaigns alleged links to Russias effort to influence the election, conservatives see an opening to restart the Clinton probe.

Tom Fitton, president of the conservative legal activist group Judicial Watch, said there remained many unanswered questions about both Ms Clintons behaviour and the way Mr Comey led the investigation.

I think it needs to be reevaluated its not just because theres a new FBI Director, but under new leadership at the Justice Department, he told Fox News.

Comey misled the investigation by suggesting they needed to find intent, when common sense tells you they mishandled it, and they should have known that what they were doing was wrong, which was enough for a prosecution. Its gross negligence under the law.

Story continues

Video not available for syndication

Donald Trump says James Comey told him multiple times he was not under investigation

He added: They need to reevaluate whats happening with the mishandling of classified material, and her taking records illicitly, destroying them, all sorts of things like that. We cant trust that last investigation to have got to the bottom of that.

In the aftermath of the decision not to prosecute Ms Clinton, there were widespread reports that a number of FBI agents were angry with Ms Comey. There were even accusations he had taken the decision because he, like many other elements of the Washington establishment, had expected her to in the election, and wanted to earn her favour.

This week, the new acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe acknowledged for the first time in public testimony that some agents were indeed angry with that decision.

I think morales always been good, but there were folks within our agency that were frustrated with the outcome of the Hillary Clinton case and some of those folks were very vocal about those concerns, Mr McCabe said.

William Jacobson, a conservative blogger and a professor at Cornell Law School, wrote: James Comey now is fired. Loretta Lynch no longer is Attorney General. This seems to open up the possibility of a renewed investigation and potential prosecution.

Mr Jacobson told The Independent he believed it was unlikely that Mr Trump would ultimately decide to prosecute Ms Clinton, given he had even said as much after his electoral win. Yet he said, the Justice Department might revaluate the evidence, given that it was Mr Comey, rather than Ms Lynch, the then Attorney General, who had decided not to proceed with a prosecution. "The DoJ never made its own finding," he said.

@JackPosobiec Can we expect a re-opening of Clinton's email investigation and/or pay to play at the State Dept.  DeplorableHolliday (@DeplorableDocH) May 12, 2017

When he announced last summer he was not going to proceed with a prosecution of Ms Clinton, Mr Comey said: Although we did not find clear evidence that Secretary Clinton or her colleagues intended to violate laws governing the handling of classified information, there is evidence that they were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information.

He added: Although there is evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information, our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case.

I know there will be intense public debate in the wake of this recommendation, as there was throughout this investigation.

A spokesman for Ms Clinton did not immediately respond to inquiries.
A bizarre looking, monstrous sea creature washed up on the shores of an Indonesian beach earlier this week, drawing swarms of locals and scientists who wanted to witness the behemoth in person. A resident named Asrul Tuanakota, 37, stumbled upon it in the darkness and initially thought the immense object was a stranded boat.

The bloated corpse, around 50 feet long, was found on Hulung Beach on Serum Island in Indonesias Maluku province, according to the Jakarta Globe. Its believed to have been there for at least three days before being found.

Read: Most Polluted Animal On Earth: Dead Killer Whale Washes Up In Scotland

Pictures show the monstrous creatures discolored body lying in shallow water on the island, turning the surrounding ocean red. And the creature has begun to reek: residents asked the government to step in to remove the remains before the stench becomes unbearable.

Giant Sea Creature

Photo: Abhy Hafik/Facebook

While its unclear exactly what the creature is, suggestions range from being a giant squid to a humpback whale. Scientists descended on the area to take samples of the body in an attempt to officially identify it.

[Based] on the images and videos, in the advanced state of decomposition it is not possible to determine whether it is a humpback whale or not, Marcus Chua, a museum officer at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum told Mashable. He noted that the creature might be a baleen whale, but is probably not a giant squid because theyre not typically recorded in the area.

Creatures from the deep dont often end up on land. Most marine mammals that die at sea never wash up on beaches, according to National Geographic. But when they do, they tend to make headlines, as animals in an advanced state of decomposition in the water often become unrecognizable. As has happened in the past, locals often dub washed up creatures monsters from the deep or suggest they could be entirely new species because they look so alien.

Story continues

In February, a giant, white-haired covered blob washed up on a shore in the Philippines, weighing in at more than 4,000 pounds. Some suggested it could be a species previously unknown to man.

Its definitely a very decomposed sea creature in the later spaces of decomposition, Lucy Babey, head of science and conservation for the animal charity Orca, told the BBC at the time.

The municipal office of Cagdianao said the remains merely came from a dead whale. The hairy covering was likely not hair at all, but decomposed muscle fibers, scientists said.

Read: Dead Whale With Stomach Full Of Plastic Bags Found Beached, Starved

Numerous other mysterious creatures have drawn curious onlookers as well.

In Montauk, Long Island, in 2008, a bizarre looking creature was crowned the Montauk Monster after nobody could identify what species it came from. Some scientists suggested the beaked and sharp-toothed creature could have been a decomposing raccoon, while others asserted it was some form of sea creature. Unfortunately, someone stole the animal and made off with it before scientists could conclusively identify it.

Giant Sea Creature 2

Photo: Abhy Hafik/Facebook

Related Articles
Brussels (AFP) - The EU and the United States will hold talks next week on a possible US airline ban on carry-on computers amid concerns it could cause massive disruption as the hectic summer travel season gets underway.

The US Department of Homeland Security sparked deep concern in Europe on Tuesday when it said was close to a decision on extending to European airlines an existing ban on eight mostly Muslim countries.

A European Commission spokeswoman said a telephone call between top EU officials and their US peers had provided "a very constructive exchange of views".

"No ban on electronic devices or any other decision has been announced," she said.

The EU officials -- Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos and Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc -- recalled the bloc's longstanding cooperation with Washington on airline security.

- 'Assess potential risks' -

At the same time, Bulc "highlighted the potential safety implications of putting a large number of electronic devices in the aircraft hold," the spokeswoman said.

"The EU invited the US to come to Brussels next week for talks at political and expert level ... to jointly assess the potential risks and review future measures," she added.

No date was announced.

A US ban on now ubiquitous laptops could cause havoc with more than 3,250 flights a week scheduled to leave EU airports for the US this summer, according to industry data.

Some experts believe there is also a security risk in putting them in the hold given the danger of their batteries catching fire.

Avramopoulus and Bulc earlier this week sent a letter asking Washington to work together with Brussels on the issue.

In March, Washington banned passengers from eight countries in North Africa and the Middle East from carrying on board laptop computers, tablets and other electronic devices larger than cellphones.

Britain followed with a similar ban applying to incoming flights from six Middle East and North African countries.

The move, which forces passengers to put their devices into checked baggage, came amid concerns that jihadist groups were devising bombs disguised as batteries in consumer electronics items.

A bomb that blew a hole in the fuselage of a Somali airliner in February 2016, killing one person, is believed to have been built into a laptop computer carried into the passenger cabin.
Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website.

The prospect that people with pre-existing medical conditions could lose their health insurance continues to be a flashpoint for Americans as Senate Republicans begin work on their legislation to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The possibility has created heated moments between constituents and lawmakers this week at packed town halls around the nation. Its sparked a social media meme #ImaPreexistingCondition.

And it has raised questions about exactly what constitutes a pre-existing condition and who might have one. It has also fueled concerns that states granted waivers  spelled out in the House version of the bill passed last week  would hand over power to insurance companies to charge sick people with pre-existing conditions higher rates.

"I don't think people are overreacting to the implications of all this," says Sara Collins, vice president of health care coverage and access at the Commonwealth Fund, a nonpartisan foundation that conducts research on health and social issues. "Even a very minor health problem could result in higher premiums."

The central question could become how insurance companies in different states define pre-existing conditions.

Before the Obama-era Affordable Care Act became law, insurance companies had the power. Cancer? Acne? A history of ear infections? They got to decide which conditions were significant enough to deny some or all coverage, or charge a higher premium.

The House bill, called the American Health Care Act (AHCA), does say that insurers cannot deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. But it also allows states to let insurers charge higher premiums to sicker people if their coverage has lapsed.

To get a waiver to do that, states must set up a special health insurance program for sicker people. The AHCA would gives states a tremendous amount of flexibility to determine how that might work. And its not clear which states might apply for a waiver, though the governors of Wisconsin and South Dakota, both Republicans, already say they would consider applying.

Story continues

The legislation says nothing about how states and insurance companies are to define what would qualify as a pre-existing condition.

The Senate is now working on its own version and must reconcile it with the Houses plan before the legislation could move forward and become law. Some Republican Senators have said they don't want to weaken protections for those with pre-existing conditions.

The GOP says that the ACA needs to be repealed and replaced because of rising premiums and because states should be given more power over healthcare regulation.

Clearly, the prospect of change is provoking anxiety for a lot of people.

In the second CR Consumer Voices Survey, conducted in April, 41 percent said they were not confident they and their loved ones will have access to affordable health insurance, up from 35 percent in January. The survey was conducted a few weeks before the House voted to approve the AHCA bill.

The ACA has been [fully] in place since 2014. This is what people are used to, says Collins, the Commonwealth Fund vice president.

The possibility that you might have to pay a lot more if youre in ill health is very frightening to people, she says.

Count Kim Cooper among those terrified at the prospect of losing health insurance, or not being able to afford it. Her breast cancer was discovered in 2014 from a routine mammogram after she enrolled in ACA insurance, commonly referred to as Obamacare.

"Had it not been for Obamacare, I would either not have been able to get insurance or it would have been unaffordable. I am alive today because of Obamacare," says Cooper, 47, who lives in Jersey City, N.J. For people like me, if this passes, were either not going to be insured or our insurance will be so astronomical, we wont be able to afford it."

Answers to Key Questions

Senate leadership wants to have a bill ready for members to review after Memorial Day. It's unclear when the nation's insurance law might change, or when or if coverage for those with pre-existing conditions could be affected.

Critics of the House legislation worry insurance companies operating in states with waivers will revert to their previous policies related to pre-existing conditions before the Affordable Care Act became law. Here are answers to some questions about how coverage worked pre-ACA for those with pre-existing conditions. It could give consumers some idea about how those with pre-existing conditions might be treated, if the House bill were to become law.

What is a pre-existing condition?

Its a health issue that you have prior to applying for a new health insurance policy.

A wide range of major and minor health issues could be considered pre-existing. Pre-ACA, common conditions that typically triggered an outright denial ranged from cancer, heart disease and diabetes to pregnancy, depression and sleep apnea, according to an analysis of major insurer underwriting guidelines by Kaiser Family Foundation.

Taking certain medications also could result in an insurance denial, including prescription drugs for arthritis, infertility, diabetes, cancer, mental health issues and anemia, according to Kaisers report.

Beyond being denied coverage, many people were rated up or charged higher premiums or excluded coverage for specific conditions including acne, ear infections, bone fractures, menstrual irregularities, varicose veins and being overweight.

A health condition could be considered pre-existing if you received treatment or medical advice for that issue from six months to five years before the insurance coverage took effect. The time varied by state.

Some insurers did "post-claim" underwriting and would cancel coverage if you submitted an expensive claim for a service or condition in the first year of coverage.

Who determines if you have a pre-existing condition?

The insurance company. Pre-ACA, when you applied for health insurance, you filled out an application with your health history and insurers collected information from your medical records and other sources.

How many people have pre-existing conditions?

According to a January 2017 report by the Department of Health and Human Services, 51 percent of Americans under 65131 million peoplemay have a pre-existing condition that could result in a rate hike, limited benefits or outright denial of insurance. The likelihood of having pre-existing conditions grows significantly with age. Up to 84 percent of those 55 to 64about 31 million peoplehave at least one pre-existing condition, according to HHS.

What happens if an insurer finds you have a pre-existing condition?

Before the ACA, a few things could happen if you had a pre-existing condition. You could be denied insurance coverage. You could be charged significantly higher premiums. Or you could be offered a policy that excluded coverage related to your health issue. For example, if you were a cancer survivor, you might have been able to get insurance but it wouldnt pay for any treatment if your cancer recurred.

In 2009, about one-third of people in the individual health insurance market were denied coverage, charged more or had exclusions placed on their policy because of health issues, according to a Commonwealth Fund report.

Do states offer consumers with health problems any protections?

Pre-ACA, some states required that insurers offer insurance to people with pre-existing conditions but imposed no restrictions on how much insurers could charge. Other states banned denying coverage for sick people but only to people who didnt have a lapse in insurance, similar to the provision in the AHCA that allows states to deny coverage.

There are many precipitating factors that can cause people to lose insurance, says Collins, including the loss of a job, divorce, death of a spouse, or aging out of a parents policy. But sick people are more likely to have gaps in coverage: 23 percent or 31 million people with pre-existing conditions experienced at least one month without insurance in 2014, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. A lot of people could fall into this gap, says Collins.

Will the provision that allows higher rates for people with pre-existing conditions become part of the final legislation?

Its pretty unpopular even among some Republicans. But even if that provision is eliminated, many other parts of the AHCA threaten to put insurance coverage out of reach for sicker Americans, says Linda Blumberg, a senior fellow in the Health Policy Center at the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan health and health policy research group.

The AHCA also calls for allowing states to waive a requirement that insurers cover 10 essential health benefits, including mental health, emergency services, maternity care and prescription drugs. That means even if you can get an insurance policy, but you have, say, diabetes, insulin might not be covered, says Blumberg. And older peoplewho are much more likely to have a health issuecan be charged up to five times more than a younger person, up from three times as much under the ACA.

These other provisions essentially do the same thing, says Blumberg.





More from Consumer Reports:

Top pick tires for 2016

Best used cars for $25,000 and less

7 best mattresses for couples





Copyright  2006-2017 Consumer Reports, Inc.
The headquarters of Strategic Campaign Group Inc. (SCG), a Republican fundraising firm in Maryland, was raided Thursday by the FBI, following which reports surfaced linking its senior advisor Dennis Whitfield to Roger Stone and Paul Manafort.

Stone and Manafort, two of President Donald Trumps former senior advisors who are now being investigated by the FBI for possible collusions with Russia during the 2016 presidential election campaign, are the co-founders of Black, Manafort, Stone and Kelly, the political consulting firm where Whitfield served as a the director in the later part of his career, a Newsweek report said.

paul manafort

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

roger stone

Photo: Grendan McDermid/Reuters

However, It has not been confirmed if the FBI raid at the Annapolis, Maryland, office of SCG had anything to do with the ongoing probe into Russias involvement in Trumps campaign or Whitfields possible involvement. An FBI spokesperson told the Baltimore Sun that the agency carried out law enforcement activity in the Main Street in Annapolis.

Half a dozen plain-clothed FBI agents arrived at the SCG headquarters at 8:30 a.m., and left at around 4 p.m. Thursday with a few documents and computers in their possession.

Kelley Rogers, president of SCG, told the Baltimore Sun that the FBI agents had arrived at the group's office with a court warrant to search and seize. He also mentioned that the investigation was regarding the 2013 Virginia gubernatorial campaign of former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, a Republican, whom the firm has represented.

Story continues

After news of the FBI investigation broke, GOP senators and delegates who had consulted the firm during the 2016 election cycle, expressed concern regarding continuing their relations with SCG in the near future.

"I'm shocked by what has come to light today and we will not be working with them on any new projects until the legal process is completed and they are cleared," House Minority Leader Nic Kipke of Anne Arundel County in Maryland told the Baltimore Sun.

SCG has been accused of various campaign frauds in the past, including raising funds for Trumps campaign without his knowledge or approval. The firm was later branded by the critics as "Scam PAC", which worked with the Conservative Strikeforce to raise $12 million over a span of seven years, the Hill reported. Out of the raised funds, only a small percentage was handed down to the respective GOP campaigns with SCGs total earnings reaching $579,000.

Whitfield is also a former associate of Black, Kelly, Scruggs & Healey (BKSH), a lobbying firm in Washington, which went on to become the Prime Policy Group, run by former Ukrainian President Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych. The former leader is currently hiding in Russia and is wanted for high treason by the Ukrainian government, according to another report by the Hill.

Whitfield has had 35 years of experience working with some of the top business, political and government officials in Washington, D.C., according to his bio on the official website of SCG. He was also a part of President Ronald Reagans administration and was chief of staff to the United States Trade Representative. He went onto become deputy secretary of labor under Reagan, till 1989.

He was the co-founder of the Brock Group, which doled out legal advice on trade, political, legislative and investment matters for the United States and foreign companies.

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By Hyun Oh GUAM (Reuters) - A French-led amphibious force, including contingents from Japan, Britain and the United States, postponed their first-ever joint beach attack drills in the Western Pacific on Friday after a landing craft ran aground, commanders said. The military exercise in Guam, which included U.S. troops, British and Japanese helicopters and landing craft launched from France's amphibious Mistral carrier, had been meant as a show of force to counter China's growing military power in the region. However, the halt to training on Friday could blunt that message. "It further builds our partnerships in the region to provide a reasonable assurance to those who may not agree with us too much that we are ready at all times," Captain Jeff Grimes, the U.S. Navy's chief of staff in the region, said on the beach where the practice landings were meant to have taken place. The exercise was halted after a French landing craft ran aground, damaging one of its propellers, Grimes said. A separate helicopter landing drill was also canceled, a spokesman for Japan's Self Defense Forces said later. China is extending its influence beyond its coastal waters and the South China Sea into the Pacific by acquiring aircraft carriers. France controls several islands in the Pacific, including New Caledonia and French Polynesia. France is seeking stronger economic ties with Beijing but, along with Britain, is also looking to balance China's expanding power by deepening security cooperation with Japan, Asia's second-strongest naval power after China, and the United States. The Mistral is leading the Jeanne d'Arc amphibious task force in a tour through Asia. The French defense ministry, in summary of the mission, described it as "a potent support to French diplomacy". The Mistral, which left France in February, can carry up to 35 helicopters and four landing barges, as well as several hundred soldiers. The ship visited Japan this month before heading to Guam. (Reporting by Hyun Oh; Writing by Tim Kelly; Editing by Joseph Radford and Paul Tait)
By Dave Graham MONTERREY, Mexico (Reuters) - General Electric on Friday praised Mexico as a big part of its future and said the company is "very supportive" of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that U.S President Donald Trump has threatened to ditch. GE Chief Executive Officer Jeff Immelt said on a visit that Mexico had great potential and was not properly understood. He touted the conglomerate's Mexican operations and the trade deal binding Mexico, Canada and the United States. "GE as a company, we're very supportive of NAFTA," Immelt told employees at an event to mark the expansion of operations in the northern city of Monterrey. He said the trade accord could be modernized, as Mexico has argued. Immelt sits on a Trump-appointed manufacturing council that Mexico has targeted for lobbying as Mexico and Canada push U.S. business leaders to defend NAFTA. The GE boss said trade meant "win-win" opportunities across North America. "We will continue to work constructively in the context of wanting to see a close relationship between the U.S. and Mexico," he said, noting that GE's exports to the rest of the world from Mexico were worth $3 billion. "We're optimistic about Mexico, we're optimistic about what we can do here," Immelt added, saying Latin America's no. 2 economy would be a "big part" of GE's future. Earlier this month, Immelt urged the Trump administration to avoid protectionist policies, calling on it to level the playing field for U.S. companies with tax reform, revived export financing and improved trade agreements. Trump touts a "Buy American" policy and has railed against U.S. companies moving operations to Mexico. He has threatened to ditch NAFTA, a lynchpin of the Mexican economy, if he cannot rework it to secure better terms for the United States. Unlike some U.S. companies, GE has not backed off plans in Mexico, risking broadsides from Trump on Twitter. Earlier, the Mexican presidency said in a statement that GE had stated an interest in doubling purchases from Mexican suppliers next year. Immelt did not mention this. Vladimiro de la Mora, CEO for Mexico, said the figure came from an announcement last year and did not mean GE aimed to double purchases between this year and 2018. On Thursday, GE said it had won a contract to provide plants producing two new gigawatts of power in Mexico and secured a separate $120 million, multi-year service deal. De la Mora said GE could not yet reveal details of the 2 GW deal, but it was "likely" the value of the total investment in the power plants would exceed $500 million. (Reporting by Dave Graham in Monterrey, Additional Reporting by Mexico newsroom in Mexico City; editing by Grant McCool and David Gregorio)
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared Friday his desire for a "quantum jump" in relations with Sri Lanka, as New Delhi jostles with regional rival Beijing for influence in the island nation.

India had always considered its smaller neighbour to be within its sphere of influence but watched Sri Lanka drift closer to China under former strongman President Mahinda Rajapakse.

Modi's visit to Sri Lanka -- his second since coming to power in 2014 -- is being seen as New Delhi's attempt to win back support and counter Beijing's push for closer ties with the Indian Ocean nation.

"I believe we are at a moment of great opportunity in our ties with Sri Lanka. An opportunity to achieve a quantum jump in our partnership across different fields," Modi told a Buddhist conference in Colombo.

His comments came as Sri Lanka rebuffed a Chinese request to dock a submarine at one of its ports.

Chinese-backed projects soared under Rajapakse, who relied heavily on Beijing for economic and diplomatic support as Western nations threatened his administration with sanctions over atrocities committed during the decades-long civil war which ended in 2009.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena came to power in January 2015 promising to review Chinese-funded projects signed by his predecessor and rebuild ties with India.

Modi pledged India's commitment to their "Sri Lankan brothers and sisters" and the "indivisible" ties between the two neighbours.

"We will continue to invest in driving positive change and economic growth to deepen our development co-operation," he said.

As Modi touched down in Colombo for a two-day visit Thursday, a top Sri Lankan defence official confirmed Beijing had been denied permission for a port call by a Chinese submarine.

In Beijing, China's foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuan said they were aware of the reports, but stressed both sides maintained "good cooperation".

Story continues

"China and Sri Lanka enjoy good friendship," he said.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's office announced he will travel to Beijing on Saturday to participate in China's maritime silk route initiative of economic diplomacy.

"Attention will be paid to the collective benefits for the countries participating in the initiative of President Xi Jinping," Wickremesinghe's office said in a statement Friday.

Pro-China Rajapakse's political allies had called for a black flag protest during Modi's visit to Sri Lanka, accusing India of trying to grab land in a strategic port district.

But the former president sought a meeting with Modi on Thursday night and the two had a "cordial" discussion, confirmed Indian diplomats who provided no further details.

-Tea diplomacy-

Modi flew to the island's tea growing central district of Nuwara Eliya on Friday to open an India-gifted hospital and address tens of thousands of plantation workers of Indian origin.

The nearly one million ethnic Tamils in central Sri Lanka are descendants of indentured labour brought to work in coffee, rubber and tea plantations by British colonial rulers in the 19th century.

"As some of you may have heard, I have a special association with tea," he told workers, referring to his modest beginnings selling tea in the Indian state of Gujarat when he was a child.

"It is a tremendous honour to be the first Indian Prime Minister ever to visit this beautiful region of Sri Lanka."

He promised another 10,000 houses in addition to the 4,000 that India is currently funding for ethnic Tamil plantation workers who are among the poorest in the country of 21 million.

He left on Friday evening after receiving a special blessing at the temple of the Tooth, Sri Lanka's holiest Buddhist shrine, in the town of Kandy.
Video by Laura Klairmont

At the heart of South America, the long-struggling nation of Bolivia sits atop an unlikely gold mine: the worlds largest lithium reserves.

Its been nearly a decade since the Bolivian government first set out to capitalize on this precious natural resource. Yet while the booming tech industry has recently sent lithium prices soaring, Bolivia appears to have made little progress toward meeting this growing global demand.

But like the salt flats that cover Bolivias deep ocean of lithium and other minerals, theres more to the countrys lithium industry than meets the eye. For the impoverished, landlocked nation whose natural resources have historically been pillaged by foreign powers, the struggle to independently profit from its vast lithium supply is symbolic of a larger national effort to fully emerge from beneath the shadow of its imperialist past.

In an attempt to propel the slow-growing lithium industry forward, earlier this year the Bolivian government proposed a plan to create a brand-new, state-run lithium mining corporation.

The latest endeavor, billed as a sustainable move toward monetizing the countrys bountiful lithium reserves, is just the latest in a series of similar initiatives the government has pursued over the years.

It may also be an effort to turn both the national and international spotlight back onto the efforts of President Evo Morales  a longtime champion of the countrys lithium project  ahead of his upcoming bid for reelection in 2019.

Repairing Bolivians historically fraught relationship with their countrys natural resources was a key tenet of Morales historic 2005 campaign to become Bolivias first indigenous president, and within his first hundred days in office hed nationalized the countrys oil and gas industries. In 2009, Morales enacted a new Constitution  approved by national referendum  that expanded the rights of Bolivias historically oppressed indigenous majority, further enabling him to follow through on his promise to redistribute export profits into the pockets of the people.

Story continues

Under Morales, a global commodities boom helped drive economic growth in Bolivia by an annual average of 5 percent. By the time Morales secured his third consecutive term in office in 2014 (despite having just imposed a two-term limit for presidents in his new Constitution five years prior), half a million Bolivians had managed to rise above the poverty line.

Despite these strides, Bolivia remains one of the poorest countries in South America. And the lithium project has yet to meet most of the lofty goals laid out by Morales when he first unveiled his plan in 2009 to transform Bolivia into a sort of socialist hybrid between Saudi Arabia and Detroit. Beyond retaining Bolivian control of the extraction process, Morales sought to create an entirely new national industry, promising to make the long-suffering landlocked nation into a leading global source for not only lithium, but Bolivian-made batteries and even electric cars.

Eight years later, Bolivias lithium industry consists of a single pilot plant, which finally shipped its first order of lithium carbonate to China this past September.

A little more than one year before that first big sale to China, a visit to the Llipi Loma Pilot Plant provided crucial insight into the roots of Bolivias fledgling lithium industry, and the obstacles to making Morales vision a reality  starting with the setting.

A valuable sea of minerals floating beneath the salt flats

The Llipi Loma plant sits at the edge of the worlds largest salt flat, a blindingly white expanse that looks more like the surface of a lifeless planet  or the set of a post-apocalyptic movie  than any earthly landscape.

Here, there was no electricity, there was no water, Marcelo Castro Romero, the plants then head of operations, said two summers ago, looking over the blank expanse. Beyond providing guided tours in the rare instances that journalists are allowed to visit the plant, Castro (who reportedly stepped down from his post this past September) appeared at the time intent on conveying the circumstances into which the facility and the entire lithium project had been born in an effort to explain its apparent state of paralysis.

There was no communication, neither cellular nor Internet. There werent good roads; natural gas didnt exist either, he continued in Spanish, painting a picture of a not-so-distant past that required little imagination to envision. It wouldve been faster to construct an entire building in Europe than to lay a brick here.

It was late July 2015, the middle of Bolivias dry season, and the salt that washed across the Salar de Uyuni during the prior rainy months had formed a veneer of intricate geometric shapes. This lovely natural spectacle is often what draws adventurous travelers to Bolivia, but the salt flat is much more than a tourist attraction. Its real value is found not in its surface beauty but what lies beneath it: the worlds largest lithium reserves.

This photo, taken in July 2015, shows the salty surface of the Salar de Uyuni, the worlds largest salt flat, which holds Bolivias vast lithium reserves. (Photo: Caitlin Dickson/Yahoo News)

Once best known as an effective treatment for severe depression and bipolar disorder, lithium has more recently emerged as a key component in producing the lightweight batteries that power smartphones, flat-screen TVs and  increasingly  electric cars. Over the past few years, increased production of the latter by manufacturers like Tesla, General Motors and Toyota has driven up the global demand and cost of lithium.

In June, analysts with Bloomberg New Energy Finance predicted that by 2040, 35 percent of light vehicles (i.e. passenger cars and light-duty trucks) sold would be electric  approximately 90 times more than the number of electric vehicles sold in 2015  creating a battery market worth an estimated $250 billion or more.

In the years since Morales first set his sights on the valuable sea of minerals floating beneath the flats, international media coverage had gone from enthusiastic to speculative to almost nonexistent as forward movement on the project seemed to grind to a halt.

So what was taking so long? The answer, it turns out, is that its impossible to truly assess the progress of Bolivias lithium project without first understanding its history.

A paradox of plenty

Bolivians have always considered themselves beggars sitting on a throne of gold, said Linda Farthing, a Latin America scholar and journalist who has co-authored three books on the country.

Home to a variety of natural resources including gas, silver, iron, tin, zinc and gold, like many resource-rich nations, Bolivia has fallen prey to whats known as the resource curse or the paradox of plenty, the concept that countries dependent on resource extraction are often run by weak and corrupt governments.

Dating back to the Inca era, there are records of Bolivian leaders selling resources to foreign entities in deals that lined their own pockets while leaving the rest of the country poverty stricken and, in many places such as Uyuni, the town closest to the Salar, without basic amenities like heat or electricity.

In this 2010 photo, the child of a salt miner rests on bags of salt from the Uyuni salt desert. (Photo: Dado Galdieri/AP)

Sacar, ganar, y llevar, said Anna Revette, a graduate student in sociology at Northeastern University who was doing her dissertation on the impact of lithium extraction on Bolivian society and development. Literally meaning extract, make money and leave, Revette explained, the refrain is commonly used by Bolivians to describe this painful pattern.

As a result, the countrys ample resources have come to represent more than just physical commodities. Theyre deeply rooted in the Bolivian imagination of what they could be, said Farthing. There is a very strong belief that if we could only get ahold of the resources and make them ours, we could be wealthy.

It was against this backdrop that, shortly after taking office in 2006, Morales began nationalizing the countrys profitable resources, starting with the oil and gas industries, and eventually taking on lithium.

Evo is very much a Bolivian, Farthing said of Morales, who is often referred to by his first name. She argues that Morales rhetoric on resources was less about politics and infrastructure and more like the rallying cry of a social movement, creating great enthusiasm that this is going to pull the country out of poverty, solve all the countrys problems.

Bolivias President Evo Morales holds containers with lithium carbonate and potassium produced at the Rio Grande lithium pilot plant, during a visit to the facility in Salar de Uyuni, southern Bolivia Thursday October 29, 2009. Salar de Uyuni is the worlds largest salt flat at 10,582 km? (4,085 square miles) and holds around half the worlds reserves of lithium. (Photo: Juan Karita/AP)

Those promises were particularly enticing to members of the 36 different indigenous groups that make up about 62 percent of Bolivias population. Despite their large numbers, native Bolivians had historically been marginalized and discriminated against. It wasnt until 2009, four years after the election of the countrys first indigenous president, that the civil and political rights of Bolivias indigenous majority were officially codified in its Constitution.

From now on, Morales promised, the countrys resources would only be exploited for the good of all Bolivians. Whats more, he vowed that the new lithium industry would be entirely Bolivian-made  without any outside help or influence.

Symbolically, this plan sent a message to the world that Bolivia would no longer allow its resources to be plundered for the benefit of foreign corporations. Logistically, however, it would create a significant roadblock to efficiently getting Bolivias lithium industry off the ground.

Bolivian or bust

No country in the world has more lithium than Bolivia. Yet with its flimsy infrastructure and technology, few countries were perhaps less prepared for such an ambitious undertaking.

Modernizing Bolivias roads, for example, has been a major focus of Morales economic policy since he took office in 2006. Yet, despite reports that the Bolivian government constructed more miles of paved highway during Morales first decade in office than during the entire period between 1948 and 2000, as of 2010, only 8.5 percent of all roadways in Bolivia were paved, according to the CIA World Factbook.

Transportation is just one piece of Bolivias infrastructural handicap. As of 2013, 1.2 million people did not have access to electricity  placing Bolivia right below Kenya at 108th on the CIAs list of world energy consumers. And by July 2015, more than a year after Bolivia launched its first telecommunications satellite, only 45.1 percent of the population was connected to the Internet.

Even after Morales softened his Bolivian-or-bust stance, eventually inviting international companies to participate in the process, he remained reluctant to heed the guidance of foreign experts.

A worker holds a rechargeable lithium battery that is made in Bolivia at a plant in Llipi at the border of Uyuni salt lake, Bolivia, August 15, 2015. Bolivias Evo Morales government signed a contract with German company K-utec salt technologies to complete a lithium carbonate plant according to local media. (Photo: David Mercado/Reuters)

In March 2012, Bolivia commissioned Korean steel manufacturer POSCO and state-owned Korea Resources Corp. to work with Comibol, the national mining agency, to develop the countrys first lithium plant. Less than five months after the joint venture was announced, the deal had gone south.

Walter Meierhofers Swiss company Salt & Evaporation Plants Ltd., or SEP, was one of the three finalists chosen to compete for a contract to build a lithium carbonate plant near the Salar de Uyuni in April 2015. Meierhofer and his team of engineers went to Bolivia to participate in a bidding process that was unlike any other theyd been a part of.

It was very strange, Meierhofer later told Yahoo News, explaining that, typically, when commissioned by corporate clients in Asia, the U.S., the Middle East and Europe, SEP handles all aspects of a plants development, including the extraction process.

But he soon learned upon arriving in Bolivia that thats not what they were looking for.

The state-run mining agency, Meierhofer learned, was only interested in help with engineering and equipment, insisting that the winner of the contract was to use the Bolivian process that had already been developed in-house.

We had the impression we could improve it to get more yield, but they didnt take any notice of that, Meierhofer said. They seem to be convinced its working the way theyve done it.

Its really not clear what theyre doing, he said, reflecting on his experience in Bolivia about a year later. Its all a bit weird whats going on there.

In the end, a German industrial salts firm called K-UTEC got the deal. Morales signed the contract in a televised ceremony last August during which he declared, Weve taken major steps toward the industrialization of lithium. These investments are our own money, we will have no partners. We will be the owners.

President Evo Morales tours a plant to produce potassium chloride, used to manufacture batteries based on lithium, before its opening ceremony at the Uyuni salt desert in 2012. (Photo: Juan Karita/AP)

The K-UTEC plant is expected to be up and running by the end of 2018, just two years before the end of Morales current term. Despite having lost a referendum last February to allow Morales a fourth term in office, the presidents Movimiento al Socialismo, or MAS, party voted unanimously in December to support him for reelection at the end of his third term in 2019.

Meanwhile, in the past year alone, the cost of lithium has skyrocketed, with companies constantly seeking new sources for the coveted commodity, from Canada to the Czech mountains.

Right now you are sadly missing an opportunity, Ton Chao-lin, South Koreas ambassador in La Paz, said in July, suggesting that the Salar de Uyuni could still have a chance at becoming the worlds leading lithium supplier, if Bolivia would just pick up the pace.

Bolivia appears to be heeding that advice with its recent bid to replace the lithium division of Comibol, the government-run mining agency, with a separate state-run lithium corporation that will reportedly collaborate with both local and international companies to produce lithium batteries, among other products.

But before Castro, the former head of mine operations, left his post at Llipi Loma, he made it clear that Bolivia does not intend to move at any speed other than its own. And, while the country has yet to become an economic powerhouse, any progress made by the Bolivian lithium industry is significant  if only symbolically.

Before President Morales was in government, the natural resources went out of the country, Castro said. But now, Bolivias resources are being industrialized by Bolivians for Bolivians, he said. Bolivia is on the path to human development.

This piece was reported from Bolivia during a fellowship with the International Reporting Project [IRP]

Read more from Yahoo News:
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian during stone-throwing clashes in the occupied West Bank on Friday, residents and the Palestinian Health Ministry said. An Israeli military spokeswoman said about 100 Palestinians were involved in what she described as a violent riot during which they threw stones at Israeli soldiers. "In response to the threat the soldiers fired riot dispersal means," she said. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the man killed had been shot in the chest. Residents of the West Bank village Nabi Saleh, near the city of Ramallah, said he was shot during stone-throwing clashes that erupted after Friday prayers. At least 244 Palestinians have died during a wave of sporadic violence in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, that began in October 2015. At least 164 of them had launched stabbing, shooting or car ramming attacks, Israel says. Others died during clashes and protests. In the same period of violence, 37 Israelis, two American tourists and a British student have been killed. The frequency of the attacks has slowed but has not stopped. Israel has said the Palestinian leadership is inciting the violence. The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank, denies incitement and says that, in many cases, Israel has used excessive force in thwarting attackers armed with rudimentary weapons. (Reporting by Alis Sawafta and Maayan Lubell; Editing by Alison Williams)
Former FBI director James Comey will not testify before the Senate committee investigating possible links between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Senator Mark Warner, the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told MSNBC that Mr Comey had rejected his invitation to testify in a closed hearing next week. He added that they hoped to hear from the former FBI director in the near future.

Mr Warner and committee chairman Richard Burr invited Mr Comey to testify shortly after he was unexpectedly fired by President Donald Trump.

Read more

Trump appears to threaten Comey over 'tapes of our conversations'

Many suspected that Mr Comey would be able to disclose more information as a private citizen than as director of the FBI. In the last months of his tenure, Mr Comey had announced his agency was conducting an investigation into possible Trump campaign ties to Russia, but was unable to provide much more detail.

Mr Warner had said that he hoped Mr Comey would take advantage of the opportunity to testify as a private citizen.

Mr Trump tweeted on Friday morning that Mr Comey had "better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations" before speaking to the press.

Mr Comey has yet to make a public statement on his firing, aside from a letter to his coworkers at the FBI. The letter, sent to select FBI staff, friends and agents, was published by numerous media outlets.

I have long believed that a President can fire an FBI Director for any reason, or for no reason at all, Mr Comey wrote. I'm not going to spend time on the decision or the way it was executed. I hope you won't either.

Associates of Mr Comey, however, have been outspoken on the issue, casting doubt on the official White House narrative of his firing. Several associates told The New York Times that President Donald Trump had asked Mr Comey to swear his loyalty to him before he was fired. Mr Comey refused.

Still others reported that Mr Comey had requested more resources for the investigation into investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 US election just days before his firing.

Story continues

James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017

Many in Washington have expressed concern that the Russia investigation would not be able to continue unhampered following Mr Comeys dismissal. Mr Burr, who is leading the Senate investigation into the issue, said he was troubled by the timing of the firing.

I have found Director Comey to be a public servant of the highest order, and his dismissal further confuses an already difficult investigation by the Committee, Mr Burr said in a statement.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who publicly supported Mr Comeys firing, will visit Capitol Hill next week to brief the Senate on the surprising dismissal.
The real estate company owned by the family of Jared Kushner, White House advisor and Donald Trumps son-in-law, will no longer take part in Chinese investor events scheduled this month  after receiving backlash for mentioning White House ties in a previous business presentation.

Kushner Companies was scheduled to pitch real estate opportunities to investors in Chinas southern cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou this weekend, and in the central city of Wuhan later in May, according to the New York Times.

Kushner Companies did not respond to a request for comment from The Independent.

Read more

Journalists banned from Kushners Shanghai event

The Kushner family appeared to have caused a stir after an earlier investment conference in China, where Nicole Kushner Meyer mentioned her relationship to her brother during a presentation in which she was urging Chinese citizens to invest in a New Jersey project being managed by the familys company.

In 2008, my brother Jared Kushner joined the family company as CEO, and recently moved to Washington to join the administration, she said at the conference.

In a statement to the Washington Post, Kushner Companies said it apologises if that mention of her brother was in any way interpreted as an attempt to lure investors. That was not Ms Meyers intention.

The issue raised the question of whether the family was using its connections to the White House to attract business, potentially crossing ethical lines.

Kushner Companies is seeking $150m in financing for the New Jersey housing development through the governments controversial EB-5 visa programme, which allows foreigners to win fast-track immigration in exchange for investing large sums of money in US projects.

Several politicians have criticised the programme, saying it is basically a way of selling US citizenship to the uber-wealthy. The programme was set to expire in April, but the massive federal spending bill Mr Trump signed last week extends it until 30 September.

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Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly is currently considering programme changes that could make it more difficult to attract foreign money to projects in relatively prosperous areas.

Republican senator Chuck Grassley urged Mr Kelly in a letter to quickly approve the proposed changes that correct serious flaws in the EB-5 programme.

A longtime critic of the visa programme, according to the Washington Post, Mr Grassley says that it should be used to help create jobs in rural and economically depressed communities.

In the letter, Mr Grassley asserted that Ms Meyer in her speech touted the EB-5 golden visa and alluded to Mr Kushners White House position in a manner that some say was improperly suggestive.

As you know, EB-5 applicants ordinarily wait at least two years for a petition to be processed and for visas to become available, Mr Grassley wrote. Ms Meyers statements, however, could seem to imply that foreign nationals who invest with the Kushner Company will receive special treatment and expedited approval.

He said that the department should clarify and affirm that no foreign investors will receive preferential treatment.
Morgan Lewis honored with prize by Chambers Europe

Law firm said Trump had no financial ties to Russia with a few exceptions

Sean Spicer refuses to deny that Trump is taping White House visitors

Donald Trump with his wife Melania on Friday. Trump has refused to release his tax returns, breaking with decades of tradition. Photograph: Yuri Gripas/Reuters

The law firm that said Donald Trump has no financial ties to Russia with a few exceptions was recognized in 2016 as Russia law firm of the year.

In the letter released on Friday  but dated 8 March  Morgan Lewis tax partners Sherri A Dillon and William F Nelson said a review of Trumps tax returns for the past 10 years did not find income from Russian sources during that period, save for a few exceptions.

Trump has refused to release his tax returns, a break with decades of tradition. The law firm did not release copies of the returns, rendering its assessment of the documents impossible to verify independently.

Morgan Lewis was honored by Chambers Europe, a division of publisher Chambers & Partners that ranks law firms based in the region. According to a press release dated 2 May 2016: The prestigious honor was announced at the publications recent annual awards dinner in London, where firms from 24 countries were recognized.

Morgan Lewis did not immediately return a request for comment. According to its website, the firms Moscow office provides full-service business representation, including advice on corporate and finance matters; mergers and acquisitions; transactional finance; litigation and international arbitration; energy and natural resources projects; real estate property transactions; labor and employment issues; immigration; and a wide range of regulatory matters.

Trumps presidency has been overshadowed by allegations of collusion between aides and Russian officials. On Tuesday, Trump fired James Comey, the FBI director who had been leading the agencys inquiry into Russian interference in the US election.

The White House and the president have provided conflicting rationales for the decision. Initially, the White House said the president acted on the recommendations of his attorney general, Jeff Sessions  who has recused himself from the federal Russia investigation after failing to disclose meetings with the Russian ambassador  and the deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein.

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In an interview on Thursday, Trump contradicted this line. Flatly denying any collusion between his campaign and Russia, he told NBC News that he had decided to fire Comey.

The president said: I said to myself, I said: You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story, its an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they shouldve won.

On Friday, a copy of the letter from the Morgan Lewis partners was made public by the White House after the president issued a series of tweets that appeared to threaten Comey and suggest that he had been secretly recording official meetings.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer later said the presidents tweet was not a threat and that he had nothing further to say.

The exceptions outlined in the letter from Trumps lawyers include selling a home to a Russian billionaire for $95m, twice what Trump paid for it three years before, and profits from staging the Miss Universe contest in Moscow in 2013.



Trump has repeatedly denied having any investments in or ties to Russia, despite statements to the contrary from himself and family members in recent years.

Trump has, for example, worked closely with Russian-born businessman Felix Sater, the managing director of Bayrock, to develop the Trump Soho hotel in New York. Bayrock was founded by Tevfik Arif, a former Soviet official.

In a 2008 interview, Trumps eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, said: Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets. He added that we see a lot of money pouring in from Russia.
A 32-year-old man in Portugal went to the hospital after experiencing stomach pain, vomiting and fever. The culprit? A parasitic worm called Anisakis in the sushi he had just eaten.

The incident highlights an increasing number of infections from a parasite found in raw fish that doctors are seeing in Western countries, as sushi dishes rise in popularity, according to a new report.

In the report, doctors in Portugal describe getting to the bottom of the man's stomach pains. When he revealed his sushi consumption, they suspected he might have a parasitic infection. Using an endoscope  a flexible tube with a camera  doctors examined the man's upper digestive tract, and were able to see the parasite attached to his gut lining. Doctors removed the parasite and determined that it was indeed an Anisakis worm. Illnesses caused by this worm are known as anisakiasis. [Top 7 Germs in Food that Make You Sick]

Previously, cases of anisakiasis were mainly seen in Japan. But "owing to changes in food habits, anisakiasis is a growing disease in Western countries, which should be suspected in patients with a history of ingestion of raw or undercooked fish," the researchers wrote in the May 11 issue of the journal BMJ Case Reports.

Common sources of this parasite include cod, haddock, fluke, pacific salmon, herring, flounder and monkfish, as well as squid, according to Stanford University. Because this parasite is found in fish, anyone who eats raw or undercooked fish is at risk of contracting the parasite, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Thus, the best way to prevent this illness is to avoid consuming raw or undercooked fish, the agency says.

The Food and Drug Administration recommends cooking seafood to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit (63 degrees Celsius) to kill parasites. Freezing raw fish at minus 4 degrees F (minus 20 degrees C) or below for 7 days, or freezing raw fish at minus 31 degrees F (minus 35 degrees C) until solid and storing at minus 4 degrees F (minus 20 degrees C) for 24 hours, is also sufficient to kill parasites, the FDA said.

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Original article on Live Science.

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Scientists have finally figured out what the unicorn tusk on a narwhals head is for and it turns out its a weapon. Drone video footage caught the arctic whales using the long, spiraled tusk on their heads to smack and stun fish before eating them.

The World Wildlife Fund released the video (below) on Friday, and in it you can see narwhals slapping arctic cod with their tusk, so quickly that you could easily miss it and have to rewind. While the prey is immobile, the narwhal gobbles it up.

That tusk, which has earned it the nickname the unicorn of the sea, is actually an especially long tooth that can grow up to 9 feet long. According to the WWF, the behavior of using the horn to stun fish has never been caught on film before.

Read: Camera Hitches a Ride on a Humpback Whale

Previous theories on the use of the horn included fighting between males in a sort of jousting match.

People have been trying to figure out the function of the narwhal tusk for a long time, Brandon Laforest, senior arctic specialist for WWF-Canada, said in the organizations explanatory video. While there are some things we know about it  it is full of nerves, it likely has a sensory capacity and its not used for fighting  this footage has shown us a new feature, which is narwhal using it to catch fish.

Research like this will continue to shed light on the biology of narwhal and will lead to more information which we can use to make proper conservation decisions in the future to safeguard the species, Laforest said.

The whales live in the arctic waters surrounding Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia. According to the WWF, narwhals can grow to 17 feet long and can weigh up to 4,200 pounds. They eat fish like halibut as well as squid and shrimp.

Narwhals are born with a grayish color but turn black when they mature. The elderly narwhals have white streaks or turn nearly completely white.

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Read: Mysterious Hairy Blob Could Be Decomposed Whale

Males are often the ones that have the tusks, but some females also sport the facial appendages. When the tusk appears, it is one of only two teeth  the left one. In most males, the right tooth remains embedded in the skull, the Canadian governmental organization Fisheries and Oceans Canada explained. However, some males rarely have two outward tusks.

They seem very agile with their tusk, when you watch the video, Fisheries and Oceans Canadas Marianne Marcoux said. They can flip the fish in very agile ways, so whats very exciting to me is like what else can they do with their tusk?

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Since his surprise victory in the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump has been subjected to questions over whether he can fulfill a full term in office. Known throughout most of his professional life as an entrepreneur and real estate developer, Trump entered the White House without any public sector experience, prompting many to openly inquired about his commitment to governing and whether his many controversies could lead to his resignation or impeachment.

Trump's possible impeachment has been a hot-button issue for quite some time. In April, Allan J. Lichtman, a history professor at American University who drew widespread attention for accurately predicting Trumps victory, released the book "The Case for Impeachment," which outlined eight reasons why and how he can be removed from office. Earlier this month, New Yorker reporter Evan Osnos detailed the many paths through the 25th Amendment for Trump to be impeached, while also providing the many obstacles.

Read: Trump's Approval Rating Dips Again After Comey Firing

Meanwhile, Trump has also conceded that the job has been more demanding than he expected. "I loved my previous life. I had so many things going, Trump told Reuters in April. This is more work than in my previous life. I thought it would be easier."

The many ways for Trump to permanently leave the Oval Office have not been lost on Las Vegas oddsmakers. Many online betting sites, like Bovada, have consistently released betting odds over Trump's chances to complete a four-year term.

The current timing for political prediction is intriguing due to the recent firing of FBI Director James B. Comey, who was leading an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and the involvement of Trump's associates.

According to Naomi Totten, a spokesperson for Paddy Power Betfair, there has been renewed interest in betting on Trump's future because of the Comey firing. "Nearly 2,000 bets have been placed on the President to leave in 2017 in the Trump Exit Date market since James Comey's dismissal on Tuesday, forcing the odds in from 10.00 to 4.00 this morning, although there has been a slight drift back to 6.40," read a statement.

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Oddsshark figures point to the fact that there are still better odds of Trump staying on for a full term than not, with him remaining the president at -130. Trump's odds of being convicted by the Senate in his first term are +400, while his odds for being impeached by the House in his first term are +125. The odds of Trump resigning before his first term ends are at +135.

There are also odds of when Trump will exit the White House. The odds he leaves in 2017 are +350, compared to +400 in 2018 and +450 in 2019. He still has a strong chance of sticking around until 2020 or later, with -120 odds.

As for Trump resigning, his odds are at +250. The last president to resign was Richard Nixon in 1974.

Bovada lists Democrats' chances of retaking the White House in 2020 at -155 and the Republicans at +125.

In March, economics reporter Paul Solman of PBS talked with a spokesman for Irish bookmaker Paddy Power. When asked about the odds of Trump being impeached before four years, the spokesperson said it's the "main bet" and the most popular. "At the moment, hes 6-4. And that means hes about 40 percent likely. The odds would suggest its 40 percent likely hes impeached in his first term, yes."
The depletion of oxygen in Earths oceans leads to a massive disturbance in the global carbon cycle and has deleterious effects on marine life. Called anoxia, the last time this happened in a significant way was 183 million years ago, leading to mass extinction of marine life at the time.

The process of anoxia works in a natural cycle, and comes to an end after which oceans are replenished with oxygen, but the process can take up to almost one million years, new research has found. Given the nature of this natural cycle, and the fact that researchers say present-day oceans are on the edge of anoxia, the research has profound implications for the ongoing climate change.

Read: Dissolved Oxygen In Worlds Oceans Being Depleted By Climate Change

Researchers from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom studied the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event that occurred in the middle of the Jurassic Period. According to theoretical models, increased burial of organic carbon  due to less decomposition and more plant and marine productivity in the warmer, carbon-rich environment  should drive a rise in atmospheric oxygen, causing the end of an anoxic event after one million years.

The researchers tested the theory by analyzing fossil charcoals for evidence of wildfires, which would be more common in times when oxygen was more plentiful. And they found increased wildfire activity starting one million years after the anoxic event, lasting for about 800,000 years.

We argue that this major increase in fire activity was primarily driven by increased atmospheric oxygen. Our study provides the first fossil-based evidence that such a change in atmospheric oxygen levels could occur in a period of one million years, Sarah Baker, a geographer at the university and lead researcher for the study, said in a statement Friday.

OceanFire

Photo: REUTERS/Sean Gardner

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The wildfires could also have contributed to the rise in oxygen in oceans. Fires would destroy plants on land, and because plants help erode rocks  which contain nutrients that marine life needs  fewer nutrients would make their way to the oceans. That, in turn, would reduce the amount of marine life which consumes oxygen to survive. Lesser marine life would build the oceans oxygen content, ending anoxia.

The researchers therefore said natural functioning of wildfire activity may be essential to regulate the Earth's system in the long term.

Read: Comets Can Produce Their Oxygen Through Non-Biological Means

Given the link with carbon burial in the sediments of the ocean floor, and the fact that oceans act as massive carbon sinks, they also argued it is critical to limit carbon emissions to prevent depletion of oxygen in Earths oceans.

Once you get into a major event like anoxia, it takes a long time for the Earths system to rebalance. This shows the vital importance of limiting disruption to the carbon cycle to regulate the Earth system and keep it within habitable bounds, Baker said.

The study, titled Charcoal evidence that rising atmospheric oxygen terminated Early Jurassic ocean anoxia, was published in the journal Nature Communications.

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By Fayaz Bukhari and Abu Arqam Maqash SRINAGAR, India/MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) - An Indian father and daughter were killed and about a dozen civilians were injured in the disputed Kashmir region on Saturday as India and Pakistan exchanged fire over their de facto border, said officials from each side of the frontier. India and Pakistan have accused each other of initiating the cross-border shelling. The father and daughter were killed in the Indian part of the disputed Kashmir region by Pakistani army fire, and three of their relatives were wounded, an Indian military spokesman said. A mortar bomb hit a home in an Indian village near the Line of Control, which separates the two sides in Kashmir, inflicting the casualties, Indian spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Manish Mehta said. Mehta said Pakistani troops began firing weapons from small arms to mortars in the Nowshera sector of Kashmir, prompting a retaliation by Indian forces. But an official in Pakistani Kashmir said Pakistan had responded to "unprovoked" Indian firing. Eight people, five of them women, were injured in the Pakistani-administered side of Kashmir, said Raja Azhar Iqbal, an official in Pakistani Kashmir's information department. India and Pakistan have fought three wars since their independence in 1947, two of them over the Muslim-majority Himalayan region of Kashmir which they both claim in full but rule in part. Clashes between their forces in Kashmir largely stopped after a 2003 ceasefire but exchanges of fire have been more common over the past couple of years. Occasional efforts to improve ties between the nuclear-armed neighbors through talks have achieved little, while protests against Indian rule in its part of Kashmir have flared violently over the past year. Pakistan accuses India of helping the separatist movement in Baluchistan, a charge denied by India. For its part, India says Pakistan aids separatist fighters in Kashmir, part of India's only Muslim-majority state, which Pakistan also claims. Pakistan denies the accusation. Last week, India accused Pakistani forces of killing two soldiers patrolling the Kashmir border and mutilating their bodies. Pakistan's military denied the allegations and said it had not committed ceasefire violations. (Reporting by Fayaz Bukhari; Editing by Nidhi Verma and Ros Russell)
Jerusalem (AFP) - A Jordanian man stabbed and wounded an Israeli officer in annexed east Jerusalem on Saturday before being shot dead, police said.

The officer was taken to hospital with "moderate" injuries after the attack in the walled Old City, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said in a statement.

Police identified the assailant as Mohammad Skaji, a 57-year-old Jordanian who the statement said had "entered Israel a few days ago".

They said he brandished a knife and stabbed the policeman in one of the alleys of the Old City before the wounded officer, who had just come off duty, shot him dead.

Two Israeli passers-by tried to help the policeman, police added.

The Jordanian government denounced the "crime" of the death of its citizen, giving his full name as Mohammed Abdullah Salim al-Kassaji.

"The Israeli government, which is the occupying force, bears responsibility for the shooting of a Jordanian citizen in occupied east Jerusalem which led to his martyrdom," government spokesman Mohamed Momani said in a statement.

"The government denounces this heinous crime... and has asked Israel to provide full details about it," he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office responded, condemning what it called "the Jordanian government spokesman's support for the terrorist attack".

"The security cameras clearly show a Jordanian tourist stabbing an Israeli officer," it said in a statement.

"Just as Israel condemns terrorist attacks in Jordan, Jordan should condemn attacks in Israel."

In 1994, Jordan made peace with Israel. Jordan and Egypt are the only two Arab countries to have peace agreements with the Jewish state.

A wave of unrest that broke out in October 2015 has claimed the lives of 263 Palestinians, 41 Israelis, two Americans, two Jordanians, an Eritrean, a Sudanese and a Briton, according to an AFP count.

Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, the Israeli authorities say.

Others were shot dead during protests or clashes, while some were killed in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip.

The violence has subsided in recent months.
By Philip Pullella and Sergio Goncalves FATIMA, Portugal (Reuters) - Pope Francis, visiting one of Catholicism's most famous sanctuaries, on Friday prayed for an end to wars he said were lacerating the world and urged the faithful to "tear down all walls" to spread justice and peace. At the start of a trip that will see him on Portuguese soil for less than 24 hours, Francis arrived at the Shrine of Fatima, where the Catholic Church teaches that the Madonna appeared to three Portuguese children 100 years ago in what was then an impoverished farming village. The main purpose of the trip to the central Portuguese town, which receives around 7 million people a year, is a huge open-air Mass on Saturday to declare two of the children saints. The two, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, died shortly after the apparitions at the ages of 9 and 10. The third visionary, Lucia Dos Santos, became a nun and died in 2005 at the age of 97. Watched by hundreds of thousands of people, Francis read a long prayer before a small statue of the Madonna, leaving a gold rose at her feet. "I implore for the world concord among all peoples" he said, decrying blood "shed in the wars tearing our world apart". Since his election in 2013, Francis has made hundreds of appeals for peace, including calling for international mediation to reduce tensions between the United States and North Korea. A banner in the crowd read: "Please pray for peace in Korea". In his prayer, which the huge crowd listened to in near silence, Francis also hammered home another major theme of his papacy - justice for the poor, refugees and outcasts. "We will follow all paths and everywhere make our pilgrim way; we will tear down all walls and cross every frontier as we go out to every periphery to make known God's justice and peace," he said. The story of Fatima's shepherd children has captivated Catholics since their first reported vision on May 13, 1917. The Church believes the Madonna gave the children three messages, the so-called secrets of Fatima. The first two were revealed soon and concerned a vision of hell, seen by believers as a prediction of the outbreak of World War Two, a warning that Russia would "spread her errors" in the world, and a need for general conversion to God and prayer. The "third secret" intrigued the world for more than three-quarters of a century, inspiring books and cults convinced that it predicted the end of the world. In 2000, the Vatican said it was a prediction of the 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul on May 13, the same day of the first reported apparition in 1917. John Paul believed the Madonna had diverted one of the bullets that hit him from his vital organs. He donated it to the sanctuary, where it is now embedded in the crown of the statue that Francis prayed before on Friday night. (Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
Caracas (AFP) - Elderly protesters braved pepper spray in scuffles with riot police on Friday as they marched in the latest anti-government protests in Venezuela.

With wheelchairs and walking sticks or on their feet shouting and waving their fists, some 2,000 demonstrators challenged police who blocked their way in central Caracas and fired pepper spray to deter them.

"We do not want a dictatorship, we want to grow old with dignity, medicine, food and freedom," said Lourdes Parra, 77, wrapped in a red, yellow and blue Venezuelan flag.

Defying calls for early elections, President Nicolas Maduro also rallied elderly supporters, who yelled slogans in support of him and his late predecessor Hugo Chavez.

"With Chavez and Maduro, the grandparents are safe," they yelled in a crowd in front of the presidential palace.

- Infant deaths -

The demo drew attention to the suffering of Venezuelans, particularly the elderly, in an economic crisis that has caused shortages of food and medicine in the oil-rich country.

Carlos Rivas, 67, stood in the front line of the demo with empty medicine boxes.

"I have no medication and my pension doesn't buy me anything," he told AFP.

The health ministry on Wednesday released data showing deaths of infants under the age of one soared by 30 percent in 2016 and deaths of women linked to childbirth by 65 percent.

Cases of malaria also rose by 76 percent to more than 240,000, even though the disease was said to have been eradicated in Venezuela.

The next day the government fired minister Antonieta Caporale, the official journal said.

Wednesday's data referred to 2016, but Caporale took over as health minister only in January this year.

- Hospital shortages -

Hospitals and protesters are complaining of severe shortages of medical supplies from an economic crisis that has fueled opposition calls for early elections.

Elected in 2013, Maduro is resisting pressure for an early vote, calling the crisis a US-backed conspiracy.

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His opponents have branded him a dictator.

A collapse in prices for Venezuela's crucial oil exports has left the country short of cash to import medicine and basic goods.

The Venezuelan Medical Federation says hospitals have only three percent of the medicines and supplies they need to operate normally.

- Deadly unrest -

Deadly unrest broke out on April 1. Security forces have fired tear gas and water cannons at protesters who have hurled stones, petrol bombs and excrement.

The government and opposition have accused each other of sending armed groups to stir up violence in the protests.

The death toll from the unrest hit 38 on Wednesday, when a 27-year-old man was shot dead in a protest in Caracas, the government said.

- President alleges 'coup' -

Maduro has accused the opposition of mounting an "armed insurgency" and a "coup."

"Nothing and no one will hold us back. We will succeed in neutralizing this ambush," he vowed late Thursday, referring to the protests.

"Venezuela demands that the rioting and the coup d'etat stop."

The opposition called for protesters across the country to come out in processions of vehicles on Saturday.
Spokesman parries questions on tweeted threat to ex-FBI director that raised Watergate echoes, as Democrats demand tapes be given to Congress  if they exist

White House press secretary Sean Spicer repeatedly refused on Friday to deny that Donald Trump is secretly taping visitors.



At the daily White House press briefing, Spicer did not answer repeated questions about Trumps tweet threatening former FBI director James Comey.

Trump wrote: James Comey better hope that there are no tapes of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!

The president has insisted that Comey assured him over a private dinner at the White House that he was not subject to federal investigation over alleged contacts between Trump aides and Russia during the 2016 election campaign.

Spicer repeatedly said the president has nothing further to add on that and eventually insisted: The tweet speaks for itself.

The prospect of secret recordings of White House meetings harkens back to the Nixon administration, when President Nixon taped Oval Office meetings. The recordings, which were revealed in congressional testimony, were eventually subpoenaed as part of the investigation into the Watergate scandal that forced Nixons resignation.

In a letter released to the press on Friday afternoon, two top congressional Democrats, Elijah Cummings of Maryland and John Conyers of Michigan, asked the White House to hand over any such tapes if they exist.

The two senior congressmen wrote that under normal circumstances, we would not consider credible any claims that the White House may have taped conversations of meetings with the president.

However, because of the many false statements made by White House officials this week, we are compelled to ask whether any such recordings do in fact exist. If so, we request copies of all recordings in possession of the White House regarding this matter.

Michael Beschloss, a leading presidential historian, said on Twitter: Presidents are supposed to have stopped routinely taping visitors without their knowledge when Nixons taping system was revealed in 1973.

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Spicer also refused to rule out a potential end to White House briefings, which Trump threatened on Twitter on Friday.

As a very active president with lots of things happening, it is not possible for my surrogates to stand at podium with perfect accuracy! Trump wrote. Maybe the best thing to do would be to cancel all future press briefings and hand out written responses for the sake of accuracy???

In an excerpt of an interview with Fox News released on Friday afternoon, Trump seemed to double down on this idea. Asked if he was moving so quickly that your communication department cannot keep up with you, he agreed. What do we do about that? Jeanine Pirro asked him.

We dont have press conferences, Trump replied. Or unless I have them every two weeks and I do em myself, we just dont have them. I think its a good idea.
A convicted sex offender has been arrested following a vicious attack on a tourist in New York City that was caught on camera last week.

Keon Robinson was tracked to Schenectady in upstate New York Thursday, according reports.

Read: Registered Sex Offender Arrested for Cutting Off Woman's Hair While Riding a Bus

The NYPD says the 28-year-old sexually assaulted and beat the German tourist as part of a recent string of Harlem robberies.

"He puts her in a headlock and says, 'Give me your bag,' then punches her several times, puts her on the ground and sexually assaults her on the ground," NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said.

Police released graphic video of the assault as part of their search for Robinson.

Robinson was arrested in January 2007 for a similar robbery, and was arrested and charged, according to Boyce.

After serving seven years in jail, Robinson was released in July 2014 before violating his parole in the summer of 2016.

Robinson was recently released following the parole violation.

In the May 4 assault, authorities say Robinson punched the victim so hard that some of her teeth were knocked out.

Read: Women Reveal What It's Like to Be in a Relationship With a Sex Offender and Why They Stay

Cops say DNA from a trail of blood at the scene led them to Robinson.

He has been charged with attempted rape, robbery, assault and sex abuse, police said.

Watch: See What Happened When Parole Officers Visited Sex Offenders on Halloween

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Its hard to tell whats worse: that Trump thinks he can get away with firing Comey, or that he is so nakedly hiding the true reason for the decision

As usual, Trump has horribly miscalculated the situation. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

There are so many shocking aspects to Donald Trumps abrupt firing of the FBI director, James Comey, its almost hard to put into words, but one facet sticks out above all else: Trump has essentially declared that the president is above the law, and Americans of all political stripes should be incredibly disturbed by that thought.

I have harshly criticized James Comey in the pages of the Guardian almost too many times to count, but no matter ones views of Comeys positions, the fact that the president can suddenly fire the FBI director who is currently investigating him means that the president quite literally considers himself immune from accountability. As John Cassidy of the New Yorker wrote, It amounts to a premeditated and terrifying attack on the American system of government.

Its hard to tell whats worse: that Trump thinks he can get away with it, or the fact that the justice department and his White House are so nakedly hiding the true reason for Comeys firing.

When the news hit on Tuesday night, the attorney general and his deputy released a letter and a memo which ostensibly cited, of all things, Comeys behavior during the Clinton investigation before the election. But it immediately became clear that Trump was trying to find any excuse to dampen the current frenzy in Washington around his campaigns relationship to the Russian government.

Just as with his Muslim ban, Trumps own hubris and inability to keep his mouth shut trumped any semblance of hiding behind his lawyers. In his own letter to Comey, Trump indicated that his firing had nothing to do with Clinton and everything to do with the investigation into possible collusion between Trump campaign officials and the Russian government.

While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the bureau, Trump wrote in one of the more eye-popping paragraphs in the modern history of official letters.

Story continues

And if his letter wasnt clear enough, leaks from within the Trump administration confirmed as much: the idea that Trump was doing this at the recommendation of the attorney general is ludicrous. As Politico reported, several people familiar with the events said Trump had talked about the firing for over a week, and the letters were written to give him rationale to fire Comey.

The Washington Post reported Trump was furious that Comey would not more aggressively investigate leaks coming out of the FBI and White House. The Wall Street Journal said Trump was apparently jealous of the television coverage Comey had been receiving in recent weeks, and he couldnt believe how much television time the Russia investigation was getting. In typical Trump style, he would sometimes scream at television clips about the probe, a source said to Politico.

The New York Times also reported on Wednesday that just a week earlier, Comey had requested more resources from the justice department to expand his investigation into the Trump administrations Russian ties. The person Comey requested the information from was the deputy attorney general, Rod J Rosenstein, the same man who wrote the memo recommending Comey be fired.

As usual, Trump has horribly miscalculated the situation. Apparently, he assumed there wouldnt be such a big backlash to his decision, given how unpopular Comey is within the Democratic party for his alleged role in preventing a Hillary Clinton presidency, and how unpopular he is now with the Republican rank and file for his investigation of Trump.

Its hard to see how this wont spectacularly backfire on Trump. Members of Congress are already calling on Comey to testify again in front of the Senate. (Comey is no stranger to dramatic testimony, as he almost upended the Bush administration when he told the story of how the justice department was on the verge of mass resignations following his objections to aspects of Bushs illegal surveillance program.)

If Trump thought that Comey was too soft on leaks, you can expect an absolute torrent of leaks from all corners of the justice department and FBI over the coming days. And just as in Nixons Saturday night massacre, in which he fired his attorney general in the face of the Watergate investigation, who knows if well now see mass resignations from other government officials.

As with many scandals, the cover-up is often worse than the crime, especially given intelligence officials and Democratic senators have already indicated that so far theres not much evidence that Trump officials dealings with Russian representatives rose to the level of a crime.

Trump is about to learn that lesson in the most public way possible.
Tad Cummins may face additional charges, including statutory rape, as prosecutors seek recordings of a call between the former teacher and his soon-to-be ex-wife after he was caught for allegedly kidnapping Tennessee teen Elizabeth Thomas, a NewsChannel5 report said Thursday.

I said, Well, did you sleep with her? and he said, Yes I did, and I didnt want any details, Jill Cummins said in an interview with Inside Edition. She had spoken to her husband while he was at a federal detention in Sacramento, California.

Read: 10 Things To Know About Elizabeth Thomas' Alleged Kidnapper Tad Cummins As He Appears In Court

Thomas is 15 years old, and according to Tennessee law, individuals below the age of 17 do not have the legal right to consent to sexual activity. Therefore, sexual activity with the minor may result in prosecution for statutory rape, even if consent was given.

While it is possible for Jill  who filed for divorce from Cummins weeks earlier  to testify against her husband in case he faces the statutory rape charges, prosecutors are seeking recordings of the conversation between the 50-year-old and his wife, according to local news network NewsChannel5.

Prosecutors are reportedly looking to use his words, along with information they gain from his former student and victim, to pursue a new charge of statutory rape. It is also expected to aid the prosecutors in making the case against Cummins on the other charges he already faces.

They are interviewing her and doing forensic analysis to see if they get evidence and get her side of the story, and from that side of the story, you could see more crimes charged in this case and submitted to the grand jury on down the road, the networks legal analyst Nick Leonardo was quoted as saying.

Cummins was the teens teacher at Culleoka Unit School in Maury County, Tennessee, and was under investigation by police and school administrators over reports the teacher and Thomas had been seen kissing in his classroom. The source was an unidentified student who claimed to have seen it happen.

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Tad Cummins and Elizabeth Thomas

Photo: Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

Cummins, accused of abducting Thomas and going off the grid for over a month, made his first appearance at a federal court in Tennessee on Tuesday. While his daughters were present at the courtroom, Jill did not come out to see her husband.

Its very selfish of him to have done this to us, Jill had said on ABCs Good Morning America last month. I do love him, but I dont trust him anymore. Hes totally betrayed me.

At the court Tuesday, Cummins was appointed a public defender as he said he couldnt afford to hire a private lawyer.

He is currently facing charges on one felony count of transporting a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, along with two state charges of abducting and grooming Thomas.

On Tuesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara D. Holmes read out the possible penalties Cummins faces for the charges against him. The penalties include a minimum 10 years of jail time and fines of about $250,000, the Tennessean reported Holmes saying.

If convicted, Cummins could also end up in prison for life. He is expected to be back in federal court Friday.

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Two teenage boys who shot a 14-year-old girl because her Snapchats were annoying them will be charged as adults, a judge ruled Wednesday. Sixteen-year-old Colter Danny Peterson and 16-year-old Jayzen Decker were accused of shooting 14-year-old Deserae Turner in the back of the head February 16 in Smithfield, Utah.

First District Juvenile Court judge Angela Fonnesbeck ruled that Peterson would be tried as an adult, while an earlier decision had already decided the same for Decker. Both were charged with attempted aggravated murder and aggravated robbery as well as other crimes. If they are convicted, they face 15 years to life in the Utah State Prison.

The two boys originally planned to slit Deseraes throat and leave her to bleed to death, but decided they would shoot her instead, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. The .22-caliber handgun was originally intended as a backup weapon should their plan not go accordingly. After shooting her in the back of the head, they broke her cellphone and iPod and stole $55 dollars out of her backpack.

I just didnt want anything to do with Snapchatting her anymore, one of the boys said, according to a statement he gave to police.

Well, youve got a 6-inch blade, why dont you do it yourself, said the other.

Deserae Turner Facebook

Photo: Deserae Turner/Facebook

Peterson said he was the one who pulled the trigger, according to prosecutors. They said Decker helped his friend plan the premeditated attack and encouraged him to shoot. The boys were hoping to kill turner, said police.

Petersons defense argued that he should remain in the juvenile system, but the judge countered they didnt adequately prove he wouldnt be a danger to public safety. Fonnesbeck said that while Peterson had no prior criminal record, the shooting was premeditated.

He planned and he acted, she said. He pulled the trigger.

Petersons defense attorney David Perry said the decision to try him as an adult was a travesty.

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Hes only 17 years old, said Perry. If he goes to prison, by the time he gets out it will be 17 years since testimony before he can even be thought of being released. That is longer than he is old.

Police identified the two boys after text messages Deserae sent to a friend stating she was getting picked on emerged. Deserae was finally released from the hospital April 20 after nine weeks, though she was left with debilitating injuries, including partial blindness and some paralysis on the left side of her body. Several bullet fragments remained lodged inside her brain.

She has undergone a tough surgery and continues to fight for the ability to complete daily tasks many of us take for granted, her father, Matt Turner, said in March as Deserae prepared to be moved to intensive inpatient rehabilitation therapy.

Deserae used to enjoy riding horses and practicing karate, her mother said. Her main goal now? Just to move her fingers.

Deserae Turner FB 2

Photo: Deserae Turner/Facebook

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If you look at photographs of Martian impact craters and the ejecta around them, you would, on occasion, see craters ringed with mysterious bright streaks that extend outward from the point of impact. What makes these features odd is the fact that they extend much farther from the craters than normal ejecta patterns, and that they are only visible in thermal infrared images.

Researchers from Brown University have come up with an explanation for how these streaks formed. In a study published in the latest edition of the journal Icarus, they argue these structures were created by high-speed tornadoes generated by large impacts.

According to the authors of the study, who used geological observations made using the THEMIS instrument on board the Mars Odyssey spacecraft , laboratory impact experiments and computer modeling of impact processes, large crater-forming impacts would have created tornado-like wind vortices that reached speeds of up to 500 miles per hour. These tornadoes would then have blasted away dust and small rocks as they swept across the Martian surface.

Where these vortices encounter the surface, they sweep away the small particles that sit loose on the surface, exposing the bigger blocky material underneath, and thats what gives us these streaks, Brown University geologist Peter Schultz explained in the statement. We know these formed at the same time as these large craters, and we can date the age of the craters. So now we have a template for looking at erosion.

Hale_streaks_composite

Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Arizona State University

The researchers experiments showed that after an asteroid or another large body impacts the surface, plumes of vapor travel outward from an impact point, just above the impact surface, at incredible speeds. Although these plumes do not directly gouge out the streaks  since they travel just above the surface  when these swirling winds strike raised surface features, the perturbed flow causes powerful vortices to form and drop to the surface.

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This phenomenon may be responsible for furrowing out the narrow streaks.

This would be like an F8 tornado sweeping across the surface. These are winds on Mars that will never be seen again unless another impact, Schultz said. "Brightness in the infrared indicates blocky surfaces, which retain more heat than surfaces covered by powder and debris. That tells us that something came along and scoured those surfaces bare."

While this hypothesis does explain how the bright streaks around some of the Martian craters formed, it also raises a few questions. For instance, the researchers found that streaks are only seen around craters that are about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) wide, and, even more intriguingly, not all craters in this ballpark exhibit such features  something that the researchers cant yet explain.

The next step is to really dig into the conditions that cause the streaks, Schultz said. They may have a lot to tell us.

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By Patricia Zengerle and Arshad Mohammed WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Thursday ran into resistance for calling ousted FBI chief James Comey a "showboat," an attack that was swiftly contradicted by top U.S. senators and the acting FBI leader, who pledged that an investigation into possible Trump campaign ties to Russia would proceed with vigor. In his first interview since firing Comey on Tuesday, Trump appeared to try to underscore that Comey's dismissal was about his performance at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and not about the Russia probe. Trump faces accusations from Democrats that he fired Comey to hinder the FBI investigation into U.S. intelligence agency allegations that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election to benefit Trump. The probe has hung over Trump's presidency since he took office in January and threatens to overwhelm his policy priorities. "He's a showboat. He's a grandstander," Trump told NBC News. "The FBI has been in turmoil. You know that, I know that, everybody knows that." Trump's characterization was odds with that of the top Republican and Democratic lawmakers on the Senate Intelligence Committee. At a hearing on Thursday, the Republican chairman of the panel, Richard Burr, and the top Democrat, Mark Warner, praised Comey. Warner said he was offended at Trump's remarks. Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, testifying in place of Comey, contradicted Trump's appraisal of turmoil at the FBI, saying that Comey had "broad support" from the rank and file "and still does to this day." A White House spokeswoman on Thursday morning had said that Trump was expected to soon visit FBI headquarters, but MSNBC later reported that plan had been thrown out after agency officials told the White House that Trump would not be greeted warmly following his firing of Comey. Several candidates are being considered to replace Comey, a senior White House official said, including Mike Rogers, a former Republican representative; Trey Gowdy, a Republican representative and former federal prosecutor; Alice Fisher, assistant attorney general in the George W. Bush administration; and Ray Kelly, former commissioner of the New York Police Department. The nominee must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. PROBE TO PROCEED McCabe promised to tell senators of any White House meddling into the agency's probe on Russia. Democrats have called for a special counsel to look into the matter. "It is my opinion and belief that the FBI will continue to pursue this investigation vigorously and completely," McCabe told the senators. Moscow has denied interference in the election, and the Trump administration denies allegations of collusion with Russia. In firing Comey, Trump said he knew he ran the risk he would "confuse people" and "lengthen out the investigation" into ties to Russia. "In fact when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, 'You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story, it's an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won," he told NBC. Trump said in the interview that he never pressured Comey into dropping the FBI probe, adding: "If Russia did anything, I want to know that." Trump said there was no "collusion between me and my campaign and the Russians," but that "the Russians did not affect the vote." His explanation of why he fired Comey ran counter to previous administration explanations of Comey's dismissal. The White House and Vice President Mike Pence had said Trump fired Comey on the recommendation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and No. 2 Justice Department official Rod Rosenstein. On Thursday, Trump said he would have taken the action regardless. "I was going to fire Comey. My decision," Trump said. "I was going to fire regardless of recommendation." Rosenstein, who met privately with some senators on Thursday, was invited to brief all 100 senators next week, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said. Schumer said he hoped that Sessions would also speak to senators separately on the firing of Comey. In the House of Representatives, Justin Amash, a Republican member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said on Twitter that he had signed onto Democratic-sponsored legislation calling for an independent, bipartisan commission to probe Russian meddling in last years U.S. election campaign. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an effort to disrupt the election that included hacking into Democratic Party emails and leaking them, with the aim of helping Trump. Leaders of the U.S. intelligence agencies, including Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and CIA chief Mike Pompeo, testified to the senators on Thursday that they agreed with that finding. Trump, in his interview, also gave further details of his account that Comey had told him on three separate occasions that he was not under investigation in the Russia matter. Trump said he had asked Comey once over dinner and twice by telephone. "I said: 'If it's possible, would you let me know, am I under investigation?'" Trump told NBC. "He said: 'You are not under investigation.'" Trump said the dinner with Comey was at the White House and Comey wanted to discuss staying on as FBI chief. "We had a very nice dinner. And at that time, he told me: 'You are not under investigation.'" White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she believed it was not a conflict of interest for a president to ask the FBI chief such a question. Comey has not publicly discussed any conversations he had with Trump. At the Senate hearing, McCabe testified it was not typical practice to tell people they were not a targets of an investigation. Republican chairman Burr asked McCabe whether he ever heard Comey tell Trump that the president was not the subject of investigation. McCabe sidestepped the question, saying he could not comment on an ongoing probe. Warner, the top Democrat on the panel, said it was "hard to avoid the conclusion" that Trump's firing of Comey was related to the Russia investigation. "And while it's clear to me now more than ever that an independent special counsel must be appointed, make no mistake our committee will get to the bottom of what happened during the 2016 presidential election," Warner said. (Additional reporting by Susan Cornwell, Richard Cowan, Eric Beech, Susan Heavey and David Alexander; Writing by Will Dunham and Roberta Rampton; Editing by Peter Cooney, Grant McCool and Leslie Adler)
President Trump has given his first TV interview since his startling decision to fire FBI director James Comey.

Read: Sean Spicer in the Hot Seat as Trump Fumes Over Comey Backlash: Report

The president spoke to NBC News anchor Lester Holt in the White House Thursday about Comeys firing.

He is a showboat, he is a grandstander, he said of the ousted former bureau boss. The FBI has been in great turmoil  you know that, I know that, everybody knows that. You take a look at the FBI a year ago, it was virtual turmoil  less than a year ago. It hasnt recovered from that.

He was also asked about his letter firing Comey in which he wrote, I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation.

"I had a dinner with him, he wanted to have dinner because he wanted to stay on," Trump said. "A dinner was arranged  I think he asked for the dinner. He said it once at dinner, and then he said it twice during phone calls."

That statement brought immediate reactions from Democrats,and pundits - and even Republicans - who said such questioning was a violation of political protocol and should never have happened.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, facing intense questions during a White House press briefing Thursday about Trumps remarks, said there was no impropriety in the president asking if he was under a federal investigation.

'I don't see that as a conflict of interest and neither do the many legal scholars and others that have been commenting on it for the last hour,' Sanders said.

Asked if she and Vice President Mike Pence had been kept in the dark, she shot back, Nobody was in the dark, and accused journalists of unleashing a false narrative.

The president denied have any "collusion" with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Story continues

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, a Republican from North Carolina, called the former agency director one of the most ethical, upright, straightforward individuals Ive had the opportunity to work with.

Read: Putin Comments on Comey Firing in Full Hockey Gear: 'We Have Nothing to Do With That'

"Sure there were FBI employees that disagreed with how he handled the Clinton email announcements," the senator said. "The lion's share of FBI employees respect the former director and it shows the professionalism that he brought to the role that he was in."

NBCs Holt also asked Trump about any business ties he might have with Russian interests.

"I have no investments in Russia, none whatsoever," Trump told NBC News. "I don't have property in Russia. A lot of people thought I owned office buildings in Moscow. I don't have property in Russia, and I am ... in total compliance in every way."

Trump was asked bu Holt if he was "angry with Mr. Comey because of his Russia investigation."

"I just want somebody that's competent," Trump replied. "I am a big fan of the FBI, I love the FBI."

In Senate testimony, Comey's temporary replacement, acting FBI director Andrew McCabe, directly contradicted the president's claim that Comey had lost the respect of FBI personnel.

Director Comey enjoyed broad support within the FBI and still does to this day, McCabe declared Thursday.

Watch: James Comey Laughed Off TV Reports He Had Been Fired, Believing It Was a Prank

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President Trump got a badly needed boost of support from a friendly audience Saturday as he traveled to Liberty University to give a commencement speech at the Christian college.

Trumps 33-minute speech served as a pep talk for himself at the end of arguably the worst week of his young presidency, characterized by new questions about his judgment and fitness for office sparked by his firing of FBI Director James Comey and then admitting the dismissal was prompted in part by the bureaus investigation into links between Russian interference in the election and the Trump campaign.

The president committed weeks ago to speak at Libertys commencement, but the event could not have come at a better time for him. Liberty president Jerry Falwell Jr. was one of Trumps earliest backers from among the religious right, even as Falwell faced significant criticism from his student body.

Trump thanked the audience at Liberty for supporting him during the election. White evangelical Christians were instrumental to his election, voting for him overwhelmingly.

Boy, did you come out and vote, those of you who are old enough; in other words, your parents. Boy oh boy, Trump said.

Trump made a controversial appearance at Liberty in January 2016, memorable for his awkward citation of a Bible verse (referring to Two Corinthians instead of Second Corinthians). At that time, some prominent evangelicals criticized Falwells embrace of the twice-divorced casino magnate, but as the white conservative community has doubled down on Trump and marginalized the dissenters, nothing like that occurred this year.

The main theme of Trumps speech related as much to his own situation  that of an embattled president  as it did to a college graduation. Repeatedly, he spoke of facing down and ignoring criticism.

Nothing worth doing ever, ever came easy. Following your convictions means you must be willing to face criticism from those who lack the courage to do what is right.  They dont have the courage or the guts or the stamina to take it or to do it. Its called the road less traveled, Trump said.

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The more a broken system tells you that youre wrong, the more certain you must be that you must keep pushing ahead, he said.

Trump, who used a teleprompter and stayed close to his prepared text, attributed the attacks on him to his changing the status quo in Washington and uprooting entrenched interests and failed power structures. That message resonated with an audience that shares the worldview of many white evangelicals that government is too big and has become hostile to their interests.

We dont need a lecture from Washington on how to lead our lives, Trump said. In America we dont worship government, we worship God.

Trump promised his audience: As long as I am your president, no one is ever going to stop you from practicing your faith or from preaching whats in your heart.

He cited the signing of an executive order earlier this month that was promoted as protecting religious liberty, though it did not address issues that are of the most serious concern to religious conservatives and was widely panned by advocates and experts.

Trump receives an honorary degree from Liberty University provost Ronald E. Hawkins, right, before giving the commencement address. Speaking at the podium is university president Jerry Falwell Jr. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Before the speech, Trump told reporters that he might submit his choice for a new FBI director to the Senate for its approval in the next week. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is among the leading candidates for the job, according to news reports, along with acting Director Andrew McCabe and others.

Trump has insisted there are no links between his presidential campaign, or himself, and Russian meddling in the 2016 election. The entire U.S. intelligence community has publicly confirmed that the Russians conducted unprecedented interference in the election, and wanted to see Trump win, though the impact on the election result is hard to know or measure.

But after Comey was unexpectedly fired on Tuesday evening of this past week, Vice President Mike Pence and other top White House officials said it was because Comey had lost confidence inside the FBI and that the agencys Russia probe was not part of the rationale.

Let me be clear with you: That was not what this was about, Pence told reporters Wednesday at the Capitol, casting Trumps decision simply as accepting the recommendation of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

But later in the week Trump told NBC News that Rosensteins recommendation was not decisive with him, and that the Russia investigation played significantly into his thinking.

Regardless of recommendation, I was going to fire Comey, knowing there was no good time to do it. And in fact, when I decided to just do it, I said to myself  I said, you know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story, he said. Its an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they shouldve won.

Trump also acknowledged having asked Comey if the Russia probe was focused on him personally. I actually asked him, yes. I said, If its possible, would you let me know am I under investigation. He said, You are not under investigation, Trump told NBCs Lester Holt.

The presidents admissions have prompted debate over whether he engaged in obstruction of justice and have added fuel to discussion of the possibility of impeachment. If Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives in the midterm elections 18 months from now, they would have the power to start the impeachment process.

Comey was invited to testify in a closed session by the Senate Intelligence Committee but has so far declined.
Donald Trumps tax returns over the last 10 years show no income of any type from Russian sources, with a few exceptions, his lawyers have claimed in a letter released by The White House.

They said the US President had received income from the 2013 Miss Universe Pageant that was held in Moscow and a property sale of $95m (73m) in 2008 to a Russian billionaire.

Mr Trump broke a long-held tradition by not releasing his paperwork during his presidential campaign and his critics want to know who he has been dealing with and if there are any conflicts of interest.

Read more

Donald Trump has been lying about the size of his Penthouse

However, there is no law requiring presidents to release their tax returns, but Mr Trump has found himself under public pressure and some information from a 2005 tax return was leaked to the media last month. It revealed he had paid $38m (31m) in tax on more than $150m (123m) income.

The latest letter did not include his tax returns, so the lawyer's claims couldnt be independently verified.

It said the tax returns show that Russians had made no equity investments in Trump entities and that Mr Trump had no debts owed to Russian banks.

The White House says that it asked for a letter reviewing Mr Trumps tax returns following a request from Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who is leading a congressional committee investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The $95m (73m) sale in 2008 was for a mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, that Mr Trump bought up during an auction in 2004 for $41.35m (32m). After buying it, Mr Trump made some minor renovations to the property before putting it back on the market in 2006 with a $125m (96m) price tag that made even those accustomed to the pricey Palm Beach market do a double take.

The property struggled to find a buyer for for a couple of years  Mr Trump never lived there  before Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, who was known to spend money freely to buy properties, put in a bid that ultimately led to the $95m (73m) sale.

Details about the sale are few and far between, but Mr Trump has said that he never met with Mr Rybolovlev during that time. The mansion was later torn down and the land has been separated into three parcels.
Current and former agents critical of president, saying he should provide agency with resources to finish Russia inquiry instead of saying more hollow words

Donald Trump has reportedly backed away from a planned visit to FBI headquarters in Washington, amid continued anger from current and former agents over the presidents abrupt firing of director James Comey.

What are you going to say? I love you FBI? And kiss babies and pose for pictures? said Ron Hosko, a former FBI assistant director and currently the president of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, which provides support to officers who face criminal charges.

I think he just slapped the FBI in the face. It was disgraceful, outrageous, disgusting. These [FBI agents] are people who have education, who have experience. They know what bullshit looks and feels like.

On Thursday, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders indicated that Trump would visit FBI headquarters in the next few days. Later in the day, White House officials told media sources he would not.

Instead of visiting the FBI to say more hollow words, Hosko said, the president should publicly ask the FBI what resources it needs to complete its investigation of possible links between Trump aides and Russia  and then rapidly deliver them.



If the list says we need 10 prosecutors who are dedicated to this and wed like to handpick them, OK, make it happen, he said.

On Friday morning, the president showed little sign of contrition, writing on Twitter: James Comey better hope that there are no tapes of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!

Louis Caprino, who served as an agent for 29 years and now runs a public safety program at Vincennes University in Indiana, said he didnt think the president could now say much of anything to mend his relationship with the FBI.

Hes damned if he does, damned if he doesnt. Rather than words, his actions are either going to make him or break him as a supporter of the FBI.

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If he really wants to show support and shows hes behind the agency, he needs to come up with the right successor for James Comey. Thats going to be a tough one for him.

Former agents said Comeys replacement should be independent, with a strong track record and broad bipartisan respect to earn a swift confirmation in the Senate  someone, in fact, very much like Comey himself.

Visiting the FBI after a week of outrage and backlash would be for purely optics reasons and in the FBI we are steadfastly averse to optics, said James Gagliano, a former chief of staff at the FBIs New York City field office.

Before the president fired Comey and the White House embarked on a week of contradictory statements about why he was fired and who was responsible, Trump had done a great job of supporting law enforcement, Hosko said.

Many law enforcement officials fall on the conservative side of the political spectrum, and Trump had eagerly pledged to support law enforcement after years of protests of police killings of black Americans and police reform under the Obama administration. Before the election, current FBI agents described an intensely anti-Hillary Clinton atmosphere within their agency.

The FBI is Trumpland, said one current agent said at the time.

What angered FBI agents the most this week, former agents said, was not the fact that Comey had been fired but the humiliating and public way it was carried out, followed by the insults heaped upon Comey by the White House, including a comment by spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders that Comey had committed atrocities.

The White House claimed earlier this week that Comeys firing was in line with the opinion of rank and file agents within the FBI, who had lost faith in their director. The FBIs acting director, Andrew McCabe, flatly denied this claim in Senate testimony on Thursday.

That is not accurate, he said. Comey enjoyed broad support in the FBI and he still does to this day  The vast majority of FBI staff enjoyed a deep and positive connection to Director Comey.

Its almost like the more you talk about it, the worse it gets, Gagliano said. White House press officials, he said, said the agents wanted a change and the rank and file were unhappy. Thats just not true.

Within the FBI, opinions about whether Comey handled the Hillary Clinton email investigation correctly were deeply polarized, former agents said. But the way Comey was abruptly terminated  especially the fact that he found out about his firing from televisions in a room where he was giving a speech  sparked uniform outrage.

Caprino said he knew there were current and former agents who were glad Comey was gone, and who may have agreed with Trump that the former director was a bit of a showboat who offered his opinion too often when his opinion was not required.

But despite his own skepticism of Comey, the way the director was fired left him very angry, Caprino said, adding: That man had a long career of faithful and absolutely honorable government service. Comeys treatment by the White House, he said, was un-honorable.

Should Trump eventually visit FBI headquarters, just minutes from the White House, agents and staff would greet the president with respect, former agents said. There was no chance they would turn their backs, Gagliano said, as New York police officers did to the citys mayor in 2015 after two officers were murdered.

But while FBI agents might be polite, the welcome right now would likely not be warm, Hosko said.

I think it would be hollow at this point for Trump to visit, he said. Instead, the White House needs to restore some trust by picking the right person [as the new director] and admitting this was bungled  and it was bungled, embarassingly so.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
By Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump will express support for Palestinian self-determination during a Middle East trip this month, a senior aide said on Friday, suggesting Trump is open to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict despite not having publicly embraced the idea so far. The comment by U.S. national security adviser H.R. McMaster came just nine days after a White House visit by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in which Trump vowed to seek a historic peace deal but stopped short of explicitly recommitting to the eventual goal of Palestinian statehood, a longtime bedrock of U.S. policy. Previewing Trumps first foreign trip, McMaster also said he would use a visit to Saudi Arabia, his first stop, to encourage Arab and Muslim partners to take bold new steps to confront those from Iran, Islamic State, al Qaeda and Syrian President Bashar al-Assads government "who perpetuate chaos and violence." Trumps travels, which begin late next week and will also include stops in Israel and Rome, are intended to broadcast a message of unity by visiting holy sites of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, McMaster told reporters. Trumps meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, currently due to be held separately, will be closely watched for whether he begins to articulate a cohesive strategy to revive long-stalled negotiations. Most experts are skeptical of Trumps chances of brokering a peace accord that eluded his predecessors. Trump plans, in talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to "reaffirm America's unshakeable bond to the Jewish state" and in a meeting with Abbas to express his desire for dignity and self-determination for the Palestinians, said McMaster, a decorated Army general with extensive Middle East experience. Trump is expected to meet Abbas, the Western-backed head of the Palestinian Authority, in Bethlehem in the West Bank, Palestinian sources say. Palestinians were disappointed when Trump failed to mention a two-state solution in a joint appearance with Abbas on May 3. Trump sparked international criticism in February when, during a news conference with Netanyahu, he appeared to back away from a longstanding U.S. commitment to Palestinian statehood, saying he would leave it up to the parties to decide. An independent state is not only the aspiration of the vast majority of Palestinians but has been the objective of successive U.S. administrations and the international community. Asked whether Trump would bring Netanyahu and Abbas together in the same room during the visit scheduled for May 22-23, McMaster said that would be up to the president and the other leaders. The final plans arent set yet, he said. (Additional reporting by Jeff Mason and David Alexander; Editing by Chris Reese and Mary Milliken)
By Rodi Said TABQA, Syria (Reuters) - Arab and Kurdish militias expect to storm Islamic State's Syrian stronghold of Raqqa in early summer, one of their commanders said on Friday, with the help of weapons they are awaiting from the U.S.-led coalition against IS. Abdul Qader Hevdeli, a commander of the militias known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said they were expecting supplies including armored vehicles as they embark on what will be one of the defining battles of the war against the militants in Iraq and Syria. While the coalition has already armed Arab fighters in the SDF, the White House this week authorized supplying weapons for the first time to its most powerful element, the Kurdish YPG, to help in the Raqqa assault. That has infuriated Turkey, which sees the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that has fought a three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy and rights inside Turkey. Asked about the timing of an assault on Islamic State's de facto capital in Syria, Hevdeli told a news conference: "I can't specify exactly, I believe entering and storming the city will happen at the start of the summer. "At the start of entering, of course, as (the coalition) promised us, there will be support in the form of specialized weapons, armored vehicles or others." He said that weapons approved by the White House for the YPG had yet to arrive, but added: "I believe these weapons or this support will arrive soon." The SDF, an alliance of militias including Arab groups and the Kurdish YPG militia, has been waging a campaign to isolate and ultimately capture Raqqa since November, with backing from the U.S.-led coalition. A coalition spokesman said on Wednesday the United States may start distributing some arms and equipment to Kurdish YPG fighters in Syria "very quickly" but it will be done incrementally and closely monitored. TABQA MILESTONE Hevdeli was speaking to reporters in Tabqa, which along with its nearby dam on the Euphrates River was captured by the SDF this week - a major milestone in its campaign against IS. The SDF said in a statement that Tabqa would be turned over to a civilian council once fully secured. The authority that oversees the hydroelectric Tabqa dam would remain "a national Syrian institution that will serve all the regions of Syria without exception". The SDF have also captured a major airbase near Tabqa, some 50 km (30 miles) west of Raqqa, in the latest phase of their operation against IS. Sandbag fortifications left behind by Islamic State fighters lined the roadside in Tabqa city. Some 25,000 people had been displaced from Tabqa during fighting in recent weeks, staying in informal settlements south of the city, a U.N. refugee agency official in Syria, Roupen Alexandrian, said. Displaced residents had begun to return after Tabqa was captured, he added. "And now with the advancement of SDF toward Raqqa, huge short-distance displacement is also taking place and also some displacement toward Tel Samen, north of Raqqa," he said. The SDF called on the people of the area to "organize themselves so they can protect the city and the area themselves". "The civilians that are present in the city, or the ones who were scattered in the conditions of war, ... will return to their homes and will live with honor and dignity," Hevdeli said. (Additional reporting by Ellen Francis and John Davision in Beirut; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
By Humeyra Pamuk and Daren Butler ISTANBUL (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday his visit to the United States next week could mark a "new beginning" in relations between the NATO allies that were shaken by a U.S. decision to arm Kurdish YPG fighters in Syria. Erdogan repeated Ankara's criticism of President Donald Trump's decision, saying it ran counter to the two countries' strategic interests - but also sought to portray it as a relic of the Obama administration's Middle East policy. "The United States is still going through a transition period. And we have to be more careful and sensitive," he told a news conference at the Ankara airport before departing for China and the United States. His meeting with Trump will be their first since the president's January inauguration. "Right now there are certain moves in the United States coming from the past, such as the weapons assistance to the YPG," Erdogan said. "These are developments that are in contradiction to our strategic relations with the United States and of course we don't want this to happen." Ankara considers the YPG an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast for three decades and is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union and United States. Washington sees the YPG as distinct from the PKK and as a valuable partner in the fight against in Islamic State. Erdogan said he did not want to see "a terrorist organization alongside the United States", and that Turkey would continue military operations against Kurdish militia targets in Iraq and Syria. But the tone of Erdogan's comments, four days before he is due in Washington to meet Trump, contrasted with angry rebukes from Ankara earlier this week, when the foreign minister said every weapon sent to the YPG was a threat to Turkey and the defense minister described the move as a crisis. FRAUGHT RELATIONSHIP Erdogan, who had a fraught relationship with former President Barack Obama, said his meeting with Trump at the White House next week would be decisive. "I actually see this U.S. visit as a new beginning in our ties," he said. The meeting would be an opportunity to "correct the mistake" of the U.S. decision to arm the YPG, said Prime Minister Binali Yildirim. "We have suggested other solutions," Yildirim said, speaking to reporters at an event in London. "I hope that during the meeting of our president next week with President Donald Trump this issue will be changed to a positive trajectory." Trump's Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said after talks in London on Thursday with Yildirim that he had no doubt the two countries could work through the tensions caused by the decision to arm the YPG. Arab and Kurdish militias expect to storm Islamic State's Syrian stronghold of Raqqa in early summer, one of their commanders said, with the help of weapons they are awaiting from the U.S.-led coalition. A U.S. official also told Reuters that the United States was looking to boost intelligence cooperation with Turkey to support its fight against the PKK. Asked about U.S. pledges of support, Erdogan suggested he will seek further guarantees when he meets Trump. "Among the information we have received, there is some that satisfy us and others that are not sufficient," he said. He also said he would pursue "to the end" Turkey's demand for the extradition of the U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara says was behind a failed military coup last July. That was followed by a purge of tens of thousands of Turkish state employees accused of links to Gulen, who has denied any involvement in the coup attempt. (Additional reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu in Ankara and Dasha Afanasieva and Claire Milhench in London; Writing by Dominic Evans; Editing by David Dolan and Tom Heneghan)
By Nate Raymond

(Reuters) - A retired U.S. Social Security Administration administrative law judge pleaded guilty on Friday to charges stemming from what prosecutors said was his role in a scheme to fraudulently obtain $550 million in federal disability payments for thousands of people.

David Daugherty, 81, pleaded guilty in federal court in Lexington, Kentucky, to two counts of receiving illegal gratuities, becoming the second person to admit wrongdoing in the case, the U.S. Justice Department said.

His plea came nearly a year after Daugherty was charged in April 2016 along with an attorney who advertised his services through the website MrSocialSecurity.com and a psychologist.

His sentencing was scheduled for August 25. Patrick Nash, a lawyer for Daugherty, said his client faced a maximum of four years in prison.

According to prosecutors, Daugherty was an administrative law judge for more than two decades at the Social Security hearing office in Huntington, West Virginia, where he made decisions on disability claims.

Prosecutors said from 2004 to 2011, Daugherty accepted over $609,000 in cash payments in more than 3,100 cases from Social Security disability lawyer Eric Conn of Pikeville, Kentucky, for awarding benefits to claimants the attorney represented.

Daugherty would seek out cases Conn had pending with the Huntington office, tell him what medical evidence to submit and then award benefits to Conn's clients without holding hearings, prosecutors said.

The scheme resulted in Conn earning at least $7.1 million in fees from the agency and caused the government to be obligated to pay more than $550 million in lifetime benefits to claimants, prosecutors said.

Conn pleaded guilty in March to one count of theft of government money and one count of payment of gratuities.

Charges are pending against Alfred Adkins, a clinical psychologist who prosecutors said performed medical evaluations for Conn. He has pleaded not guilty.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston)
By Jason Lange and Lindsay Dunsmuir WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved President Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. Trade Representative, a critical position ahead of renegotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico. Delays in Senate confirmation of veteran trade lawyer Robert Lighthizer more than 100 days after his nomination have set back Trump's trade agenda, including the start of talks about revamping one of the world's biggest trading blocs. Lighthizer won support from both Republicans and Democrats in the Republican-led Senate on Thursday, with an 82-14 vote to confirm his nomination. The administration has had to wait for Lighthizer to be in place before triggering the formal process to begin renegotiating NAFTA. It was not immediately clear when the White House would begin that process. To do so, the Trump administration must send a letter to Congress declaring its intention to launch negotiations in 90 days. The Republican president has said the 23-year-old trade pact devastated U.S. workers and has vowed to tear it up if he fails to get a better deal. Some Democrats, while critical of Trump's views on trade, said they were confident Lighthizer would work to help U.S. workers. "He's a real pro," Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, said before voting in favor. Lighthizer's approval came despite the objections of two Republican senators, John McCain of Arizona and Ben Sasse of Nebraska, who said they were worried he did not appreciate NAFTA's benefits. Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, in charge of trade ties with the United States, said she did not expect the administration would move immediately on NAFTA. "I imagine that Ambassador Lighthizer may need to spend a bit of time in consultations prior to formally triggering that 90-day period," she said on a conference call on Thursday night. While the U.S. trade deficit with Mexico has ballooned since NAFTA was enacted in 1994, U.S. farmers have profited from exports to America's southern neighbor, while automakers have cut costs by building cross-border supply chains that benefit from lower Mexican wages. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican who chairs the Senate Finance Committee and voted in favor of Lighthizer's nomination, also urged the incoming trade representative not to put at risk the gains NAFTA had brought. "There are definitely opportunities to update and improve NAFTA," Hatch said. "But it is important that the administration follow the spirit of the Hippocratic oath: First do no harm." (Additional reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Editing by Tom Brown and Peter Cooney)


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Americas relationship with Turkey has entered a period of deep crisis. At the heart of the matter is continued U.S. support for Syrian Kurds fighting the Islamic State. The partnership between the United States and a coalition of Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) and Syrian Arab militias, currently known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), began more than two years ago under President Barack Obama. President Donald Trumps administration continues to back the 50,000-strong SDF as the most capable anti-Islamic State force in northern Syria. The SDF are now closing in on Raqqa, the capital of the Islamic States self-described caliphate, and Trump has approved a plan to provide arms directly to the YPG for the final push. Yet Turkey sees the SDF as mortal enemies due to the YPGs affiliation with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a designated terrorist organization which has fought a bloody insurgency inside Turkey for three decades. These clashing interests have put Washington and Ankara on a collision course just as the U.S.-led campaign to crush the caliphate enters its culminating phase.

Turkeys concerns about the YPG are understandable and widely appreciated. What is less well known is the fact that it was Turkeys own actions, in particular a set of decisions made by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that stymied joint U.S.-Turkey efforts to identify an alternative anti-Islamic State force. This pushed the United States and the YPG closer together and eventually created the SDF. And, with Raqqa in their sights, the Trump administration is unlikely to abandon them now.

In the closing days of the Obama administration, President Barack Obama was willing to increase training and assistance to the SDF, including YPG elements, for the final push on the Islamic States capital. But retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Trumps incoming national security advisor, asked the administration to hold off so the new team could run its own review. (We now know that Flynn was paid to represent Turkish government interests prior to becoming national security advisor, although it is unclear whether that had any impact on the decision.)

Story continues

After surveying the options, the Trump administration seems to have come to the same conclusion Obama did: the SDF represent the only viable force to seize Raqqa anytime soon. Nevertheless, the Trump administration decided to delay providing additional support to the SDF  especially armaments directly to the YPG  for months out of deference to the U.S.-Turkey alliance and Erdogans domestic politics. The hope appears to have been that waiting until after Turkeys April 16 referendum on enhancing the power of the presidency would give Erdogan less incentive to whip up nationalist sentiment against the American plan. Following the narrow approval of the referendum consolidating Erdogans power, Trump even took the controversial step of calling Erdogan to congratulate him, most likely to make the bitter pill of the Raqqa operation easier to swallow. Erdogan was also invited to meet with Trump at the White House, a political boon to the Turkish president given rising international criticism over Turkeys democratic backsliding.

It didnt work. On April 25, Turkish warplanes struck YPG and PKK positions on both sides of the Syria-Iraq border. The bombing raid against a YPG command center on Mount Karachok in northeastern Syria  which occurred only a few miles from where U.S. troops were operating  killed 20 YPG fighters. Meanwhile, the Turkish strikes in northwestern Iraq, which targeted the PKK on Mount Sinjar, mistakenly killed several Kurdish Peshmerga troops instead. There was no formal coordination with the United States, and the U.S. military was given less than an hours notice prior to the Turkish operation. In the days since, U.S. forces have been patrolling the Syrian side of Turkey-Syria border, acting as de facto peacekeepers to deter the two side from going at each others throats.

Erdogan has warned that Turkey will continue to strike the YPG unless the United States abandons its partnership with them, even as Turkey has thrown its support behind a Russian proposal to create de-escalation zones to freeze the conflict elsewhere in Syria. One Erdogan advisor even hinted that U.S. forces could be struck if they continue to back the Syrian Kurds. If Turkey follows through with these threats, it could trigger a Turkey-Kurd border war that derails the Raqqa campaign, undermining a core national security interest of the United States. And, if a military mistake by Turkey results in the death of U.S. forces, it could bring Washington and Ankara  two NATO allies  into direct conflict.

When Erdogan travels to Washington next week, American support for the Syrian Kurds will be the top issue he raises with Trump. Erdogan is likely to urge Trump to cancel his decision to arm the YPG and look for other alternatives to take Raqqa  moves Trump is unlikely to take. Does that mean the two NATO allies are fated for an irreparable breach? No. But it does mean that, between now and then, the administration needs to develop a comprehensive plan to ease tensions, before it is too late. The campaign to defeat the Islamic State and the future of the U.S.-Turkey alliance hang in the balance.

Musa, a 25-year-old Kurdish marksman, stands atop a building as he looks at the destroyed Syrian town of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab, on January 30, 2015. Photo credit: BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images

The Guns of September

Understanding the options available to the Trump administration requires understanding how we got to this point in the first place. The United States has made its fair share of mistakes in Syria. But the current predicament is largely the result of choices Erdogan made that pushed the United States to partner with the Kurds as the only viable anti-Islamic State force in northern Syria.

The story starts in September 2014, when Islamic State militants assaulted Kobani, a predominantly Kurdish border town under YPG control since 2012, pushing more than 100,000 refugees into Turkey. Turkey moved tanks to the border, but as the world watched jihadists lay siege to the city, Turkish forces refused to intervene on the YPGs behalf. Kurds on the Turkish side were also blocked from entering Syria to help. Turkish officials saw Kobani as a fight between two terrorist entities, and Erdogan initially conditioned any Turkish assistance to the town on the YPG distancing itself from the Syrian regime, dismantling its administrative cantons in northeastern and northwestern Syria, and committing not to threaten the Turkish border.

In mid-October 2014, Obama authorized an air drop to provide Kurdish fighters desperately needed medical supplies and ammunition. Ankara and Washington then managed to broker an arrangement allowing Iraqi Peshmerga forces to transit Turkey into Kobani to help reinforce the YPG. (The Turks hoped that Iraqi Peshmerga forces aligned with Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud Barzani would help counterbalance YPG influence.) Over the next three months, with the help of coalition airstrikes, thousands of Islamic State militants were killed and the YPG eventually succeeded in repelling the onslaught.

As the battle for Kobani raged, U.S. and Turkish officials began discussing the conditions for the U.S.-led coalition to gain access to Turkish air bases, as well as the extent of U.S.-Turkish cooperation to push the Islamic State off Turkeys border. The U.S. Special Envoy for the Counter-Islamic State Coalition at the time, retired Gen. John Allen, and his deputy, Brett McGurk, worked up a proposal that would open up Turkish bases  which were already used by the United States for unarmed intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) flights  for armed-ISR and strike missions against the Islamic State. The plan also included an ambitious joint U.S.-Turkish effort to identify, vet, train, and arm Syrian opposition forces, backed by U.S. and Turkish air power, to clear the Islamic State from the entirety of the Turkey-Syria border. There was even talk of introducing Turkish special operations forces as advisers to work alongside these fighters.

In late November 2014, I accompanied Vice President Joe Biden for two days of talks with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and President Erdogan in Istanbul (where Erdogan often preferred to hold meetings). The primary goal was to get the Allen-McGurk proposal, which had been worked on extensively with senior Turkish officials, across the goal line. In Bidens meeting with Davutoglu, the vice president secured Davutoglus agreement to the joint plan. Biden then met with Erdogan, who clearly had different priorities. During nearly five hours of talks, Biden acknowledged Erdogans concerns over U.S. support to the YPG in Kobani, while noting that Turkey also supported highly problematic groups from the U.S. perspective, including Ahrar al-Sham, a powerful hardline Salafist force which often worked closely with al Qaedas Syrian affiliate. Biden urged Erdogan to put these differences aside by embracing the Allen-McGurk proposal. To address Erdogans concerns about the YPG, the United States and Turkey would identify an alternative, jointly vetted anti-Islamic State force. Erdogan was open to the proposal, but with one condition: the United States first had to impose a no-fly zone over all of northern Syria, including Aleppo city.

This was not a new request. For two years, Erdogan had pushed to establish a safe zone in Syrias northern provinces of Aleppo and Idlib to stem the flow of Syrian refugees and provide an area for anti-Assad rebels to organize and train, backed by a no-fly zone to keep Assads planes at bay. Yet despite the threat being on Turkeys doorstep, and the fact that Turkey possessed the most powerful land army and air force in the region, Erdogan was unwilling to directly intervene. Instead, he preferred that the United States take the lead in establishing these zones. The Obama administrations campaign against the Islamic State, and the U.S. request for Turkish base access, was seen by Erdogan as useful leverage to achieve this longstanding objective.

Erdogans decision to play hardball stemmed from the priority he placed at the time on toppling Assad over combatting the Islamic State and other extremist groups. Indeed, for the first few years of the war, Ankaras commitment to regime change led Turkey to impose few restrictions on the transit of anti-Assad fighters across the border into Syria. Even as the Islamic State spread in eastern Syria and the influence of al Qaedas Syrian affiliate grew among the northern opposition  including groups Turkey worked with  toppling Assad remained the focus of Erdogans policy.

Ultimately, Erdogan believed the specific threat the Islamic State posed to Turkey could be managed through a live-and-let live approach: if Turkey left the Islamic State alone in Syria, the Islamic State would not conduct attacks in Turkey. Erdogan therefore saw cooperation against the Islamic State as a favor to Washington, rather than something that was vital to Turkish national security. Thus he was intent on extracting a concession in return  namely, a commitment for the U.S. military to directly confront the Assad regime.

That condition proved to be a deal breaker. Imposing a no-fly zone would require the United States to take out Syrias air defenses and shoot down Syrian aircraft. In the absence of a clear military end game, an international mandate, or domestic authorization, Obama was unwilling to enter into a direct conflict with the Assad regime. Moreover, the Pentagon told the president that a no-fly zone would require significant air and ISR assets to police it, directly trading off with the scarce resources needed for the anti-Islamic State campaign and operations in Afghanistan.

YPG women fighters stand near a check point in the outskirts of the destroyed Syrian town of Kobani, Syria. Photo credit: AHMET SIK/Getty Images

Turning Points

In the absence of U.S.-Turkey agreement, the Pentagon backed the only forces willing and able to take on the Islamic State in northern and eastern Syria: the YPG and affiliated Syrian Arab militias. After holding Kobani and regrouping, the YPG and their Arab allies went on the offensive in the spring of 2015. By mid-June they had seized Tal Abyad, one of two key Islamic State border crossings in northern Syria (the other being Jarabulus), gaining control of all but 60 miles of the Turkey-Syria border (see the maps below). Capturing Tal Abyad was particularly consequential since the Islamic State used the crossing to flow men, leaders, material, and explosive mixtures directly south into Raqqa, and often on to Iraq.

Map: Areas of Control, May 2015

(Source: Institute for the Study of War)

Map: Areas of Control, Late June 2015

(Source: Institute for the Study of War)

Meanwhile, Erdogans belief that Turkey could avoid being attacked by the Islamic State proved unfounded. On July 20, 2015, a bombing carried out by the Islamic State killed 33 people and wounded more than 100 in the southern Turkish city of Suruc. Many of the victims were Kurds. Several days later, PKK militants killed two Turkish policemen, claiming the attack as retaliation for Turkey conspiring with the Islamic State.

On July 22, 2015, following a phone call between Obama and Erdogan, Turkey agreed to open up Incirlik and other Turkish air bases to the U.S. coalition; strike missions began a few weeks later. Erdogans decision was prompted by the growing threat posed by the Islamic State. But, even more, it was motivated by Erdogans desire to check Kurdish expansion. Washington and Ankara agreed to work to identify vetted Syrian opposition forces to clear the Islamic State from the remaining 60 miles of the border not controlled by the Kurds  an area between the crossings at Azaz (in northwestern Syria) and Jarabulus (on the bank of the Euphrates River) known as the Manbij pocket. But Turkey was slow to identify opposition forces willing to prioritize fighting the Islamic State over Assad.The Pentagons train-and-equip program intended to stand up 5,000 opposition fighters per year struggled for the same reason, and had to be reoriented to focus on groups already combating the Islamic State on the ground. As a result, despite devoting nearly half of coalition ISR and strike missions flown out of Incirlik in this period to operations in the Manbij pocket, little progress was made.

In the face of these challenges, U.S. reliance on the YPG to combat the Islamic State continued to deepen. In October 2015, the Obama administration deployed a contingent of 50 U.S. special operations forces to improve training, planning, and support to Syrian Kurdish and Arab forces east of the Euphrates, who were rebranded as the SDF.

During another vice presidential trip to Istanbul in January 2016, Biden and other senior U.S. officials spent hours poring over maps of Iraq and Syria with Erdogan and his aides. Top on Bidens agenda was conveying to Erdogan the urgent need to clear the Islamic State from Manbij City. The city was a key transit point for foreign fighters, a primary supply line to Raqqa, and a hub for Islamic State militants involved in external plotting. Indeed, U.S. officials believed that a number of the individuals involved in the November 2015 Paris attacks passed through Manbij. The U.S. proposal was to use the SDF to cross the Euphrates and push west to the city. But Ankara objected, seeing any SDF move into the Manbij pocket as a step toward unifying Kurdish cantons, and thus a geographic red line. In lieu of the SDF, Erdogan assured Biden that Turkey had thousands of opposition fighters ready to move east from the Azaz-Marea corridor area toward Jarabulus and then turn south to Manbij City.

The Obama administration agreed to hold off on using the SDF to work with Turkey. Yet only a few hundred Turkish-backed fighters materialized. In April, a small Turkish-backed force composed of Turkman, Free Syrian Army, and Salafist factions  supported by coalition air power  made a push to seize al-Rai (22 miles east of Azaz) and a number of other border villages moving toward Jarabulus. After some initial success, however, Islamic State militants regrouped and routed the Turkish-backed groups. On net, the operation lost ground.

With the Turkish play a bust, the United States once again swung behind the SDF alternative. In late May 2016, the SDF crossed the Euphrates headed toward Manbij City. After months of bloody battle, with thousands of casualties on both sides, the Islamic State stronghold fell to the SDF on August 12.

Two weeks later, Turkey finally discovered a larger opposition force and decided to intervene in Syria.

Turkish Army soldiers walk by tanks set to join a contingent for Turkey's operation Euphrates Shield on August 25, 2016. Photo credit: BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images

Euphrates Shield

The Obama administration had promised that all YPG forces would move back east across the Euphrates following the liberation and stabilization of Manbij City. The failure of a small cadre of YPG to do so, as well as Ankaras perception that the Arab-majority Manbij Military Council governing the city served as YPG proxies, heightened Turkish fears that Syrian Kurds might soon take over the rest of the border. The establishment of defensive positions by the SDF north of Manbij City, in proximity to Jarabulus, magnified this perception.

Compounding matters, in the aftermath of the attempted coup in Turkey in July 2016 by supporters of Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric residing in Pennsylvania, relations between Ankara and Washington deteriorated further. A trip by Biden to Ankara in late August prevented the relationship from going completely off the rails, but serious tensions over the failure to extradite Gulen and continued U.S. support for the SDF persisted.

On August 24 (the same day as Bidens visit), Turkish-backed opposition forces, supported by Turkish special operations troops and tanks, launched Operation Euphrates Shield, crossing into Jarabulus to push out the Islamic State and, most especially, contain the Kurds. As Turkish-backed forces moved south, quick intercession by the U.S. military and diplomats was required to narrowly avert a major clash with the SDF near Manbij City. Although Turkey had given the United States almost no warning of the operation, the Obama administration quickly offered U.S. special operations forces, ISR, and air support to Euphrates Shield, encouraging Turkish-backed militants to move west and southwest to clear Islamic State fighters from a string of additional border towns. After six months of fighting, Euphrates Shield culminated in the seizure of al-Bab, on the southern edge of the Manbij pocket, creating a 772-square mile buffer zone controlled by the Turks (see map).

Map: Areas of Influence, Early May 2017

(Source: Institute for the Study of War)

In many respects, Euphrates Shield represented the type of joint endeavor against the Islamic State first discussed in the fall of 2014. Yet it took nearly two years for Erdogans calculations regarding the Islamic State to shift sufficiently to justify direct Turkish intervention. More than anything else, however, Erdogans move was about the Kurds. In one of the many ironies of the Syrian war, it was Erdogans earlier reluctance to focus on the Islamic State that produced the very dynamic  close U.S.-YPG ties  that eventually forced Turkeys hand.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and former Turkish president Abdullah Gul attend the funeral of a victim of the coup attempt in Istanbul on July 17, 2016. Photo credit: ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images

Where Do We Go From Here?

Regardless of where one places the blame for the current predicament, we are where we are. The key question is: What can the Trump administration do about it?

Given the vital national interest the United States has in defeating the Islamic State, it would be unwise to abandon the SDF at this point, despite the frictions with Turkey. And it is hard to see the Trump administration doing so. During an April 26 event in Washington, for example, retired Lt. Gen. Terry Wolff, the current U.S. deputy special envoy for defeating the Islamic State, noted that the SDF represent the only viable effort to liberate Raqqa. He then added: How long can you allow [the Islamic State] and its external operations to wait? We have a sense of urgency here.

Not surprisingly, Turkish officials disagree. Erdogan will likely ask Trump to pause U.S. plans and reverse the decision to arm the YPG, arguing that the administration should support an assault on Raqqa utilizing thousands of Turkish-backed forces instead, essentially redirecting the groups mobilized for Euphrates Shield. Yet there is no such alternative force. The Pentagon estimates that the SDF totals 50,000 fighters, including 27,000 YPG and 23,000 Arab forces. In contrast, Turkey only marshalled a few thousand fighters for Euphrates Shield. Although some analysts believe that force may have now grown to perhaps 10,000-strong, they are needed to hold the buffer zone Turkey has created. And even if they could be freed up to assault Raqqa, their numbers remain too small  and the coherence and command-and-control of the motley assortment of groups too uncertain  to represent a credible alternative to the SDF for the foreseeable future.

Moreover, as a simple matter of geography, Turkish forces and the armed opposition groups operating in the Euphrates Shield buffer zone are boxed in, and it is unclear how they would even get to Raqqa. Moving south and east from the Euphrates Shield area in an attempt to hook up to Raqqa from the south would require them to fight through Russian and Assad regime forces. And if they opted to assault Raqqa from the north, it would require a permissive corridor through SDF lines, which is hard to imagine, or seizing the Tal Abyad crossing and then fighting through thousands of American-backed Kurdish and Arab fighters, which would be disastrous (see the map below.)

(Image credit: Institute for the Study of War)

Nor would it be a good idea to substitute American G.I.s for the SDF in an effort to appease Turkish concerns. Last month, reports surfaced that senior National Security Council staff floated the option of sending tens of thousands of U.S. troops to Syria to seize Raqqa. Such a move, which would essentially represent an invasion of Syria, would be a major departure from the indirect approach that relies on local partners to seize and hold terrain. Beyond the costs in American lives, it would leave the U.S. military owning a Syrian city with more than 200,000 inhabitants with no exit strategy. It should come as no surprise that the Pentagon is not a fan of this option, and Trump has recently reiterated his desire to avoid sending large numbers of U.S. ground forces into combat against the Islamic State, as well as his reluctance to sink further into a Syrian quagmire.

Given the paucity of good alternatives, the Trump administration should move ahead with the SDF option. But it should do so as part of a broader strategy aimed at mitigating Turkeys concerns as much as possible. Such a plan should include at least five elements.

First, even as Trump impresses upon Erdogan the urgent need to liberate Raqqa with the forces at hand, the administration needs to make a stronger case  both in private and in public  for the potential advantages to Turkey of the U.S. partnership with the YPG. The Raqqa operation orients the SDF away from the Turkish border and away from further attempts to link Kurdish cantons. American backing also provides important influence over YPG cadre in north central and northeastern Syria, limiting the prospect that the YPG will pursue an alternative alignment with Russia and Iran, which could prove much more detrimental to Turkish interests.

The U.S. relationship with the YPG and its political wing, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), also positions the United States to potentially play a quiet mediating role between Turkey and the PKK in the event the parties are willing to re-start peace talks. This is something that should be in Erdogans interest given the toll the PKK insurgency has taken on Turkish society, and the fact that there is no purely military solution to the conflict. Moreover, having consolidated executive power, Erdogans political need to whip up anti-Kurdish sentiment should theoretically be lessened. It is important to remember that, from 2012 to early 2015, Erdogan previously pursued a strategy that aimed to end the war with the PKK via a negotiated settlement. Simultaneously, the Turkish government engaged the PYD/YPG in the hopes of driving a wedge between them and the PKK. This strategy collapsed in 2015 as the cycle of PKK violence reignited and Erdogans own political interests in checking Kurdish political gains in Turkey led him to take a harder line. One key task for Trump, therefore, is to make the case to Erdogan that it is in Turkeys interest to return to a version of this earlier approach  and that the U.S. dealmaker-in-chief is prepared to help.

Second, to address Ankaras concerns that U.S. assistance to the YPG could produce a direct military threat to Turkey, Trump should commit to being fully transparent with Erdogan about the nature of the military support the United States is providing to the SDF. U.S. defense officials have said the assistance will include small arms, machine guns, ammunition, armored vehicles, and engineering equipment. The administration should follow through with a Pentagon proposal to meter the quality and quantity of the weapons and ammunition it provides to YPG forces such that it enables the Raqqa operation while posing as little danger to Turkey as possible. And the administration should present a credible mechanism to track weapons provided to the YPG so they do not end up across the border in the hands of the PKK. Any heavy weapons provided should also be returned to the United States following the Raqqa campaign.

Third, Trump should outline a broader modus vivendi between Ankara and the SDF that, while far from ideal from Erdogans perspective, would preserve core Turkish interests in containing Kurdish ambitions and sustaining the U.S.-Turkey alliance. The Trump administration must define and enforce clear and credible limiting conditions on the expansion of the Kurds territorial control and influence in Syria. In practice, that means the United States should be willing to deliver a total SDF withdrawal across the east bank of the Euphrates, leaving Manbij City to be administered by groups acceptable to Turkey. It also means providing additional U.S. assistance to Turkeys efforts to consolidate its Euphrates Shield buffer zone  both as a hedge against the return of the Islamic State and to ensure that the Kurds do not link their cantons and control the entire Turkey-Syria border. The administration should restate U.S. opposition to an independent Kurdish state in northern Syria. And it should push for the inclusion of non-PYD and non-Kurdish political organizations Turkey can live with in SDF-administered areas east of the Euphrates, including in Raqqa once the city is liberated.

Furthermore, it is imperative that Trump does more to reassure Erdogan that the United States continues to regard the PKK as a terrorist organization, offering more intelligence and assistance to head off PKK attacks. To further address Turkish security concerns, the administration should make it crystal clear to the YPG that a continued operational relationship with the PKK  especially in the context of ongoing PKK attacks in Turkey  will make any long-term, post-Raqqa relationship with the United States unviable.

Even as it takes steps to address legitimate Turkish concerns, however, Trump must insist that Erdogan take reciprocal actions to address the concerns of Syrian Kurds. If the SDF fully withdraws east of the Euphrates, for example, Turkey should facilitate the creation of a secure transportation corridor across its buffer zone to allow the movement of Kurdish civilians between disconnected Kurdish cantons. In exchange for greater participation of openly pro-Turkish political organizations in SDF-controlled areas, Turkey should also agree to tolerate a future Syrian government that provides a degree of local autonomy to SDF-controlled areas in northern Syria. And, in return for the YPG distancing itself from the PKK, the Trump administration should offer the SDF continued U.S. assistance.

Finally, Trump should be prepared to present options to address Erdogans concerns regarding the PKK outside of Syria, especially in northern Iraq. Erdogan is very worried about the presence of the PKK in the Sinjar mountain region, one of the areas bombed on April 25, fearing that the PKK will work with Iran to establish a land bridge to ship weapons from Iran to Syria via Iraq. Here, the United States has unique influence with all the relevant parties, and Trump should offer to use that influence. As a recent International Crisis Group report usefully suggests, the administration could potentially leverage U.S. relationships with the YPG, Iraqi Kurdistan President Barzani, and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to remove the PKK from Sinjar. Trump could also offer to intercede with Baghdad, warning Abadi that attempts by Iranian-backed Shiite militia to build a land bridge into Syria could prompt a military confrontation between Iraq and Turkey and complicate the long-term military partnership Abadi seeks with the United States after the fall of Mosul.

None of these actions represent a silver bullet. And none will be an easy sell for Erdogan. No amount of reassurance or compensation by the Trump administration will lead Turkey to accept the U.S. relationship with the YPG. But, taken together, the steps suggested here may be just enough to prevent the campaign against the Islamic State and the U.S.-Turkey alliance from sliding into the abyss  something that should be in the interest of both countries.

As with many of the global challenges Trump faces, the president is undoubtedly discovering that events in northern Syria are complicated. Indeed, there may be no more complicated piece of terrain on the planet. But with U.S. forces caught in the middle of escalating Turkey-Kurd tensions and Erdogans impending arrival to Washington, the president has no choice but to grapple with this complexity. Fast.

Top photo credit: DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP/Getty Images
Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Palestinians in the occupied West Bank voted Saturday in municipal elections that underscored deep rifts between president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah party and Islamist rival Hamas which runs the Gaza Strip.

Their failure to reconcile is seen as a major obstacle to any settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The West Bank and Gaza have not participated in an election together since 2006, when Hamas swept Palestinian parliamentary polls, sparking a conflict that led to near civil war in Gaza the following year.

Escalating tensions between Hamas and the more moderate Fatah led to Hamas's seizure of Gaza in 2007, while Abbas's party was left with control of the West Bank.

Voting for around 300 municipal councils opened at 7:00 am (0400 GMT) at dozens of schools across the West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel for half a century.

Hanna Nasser, chairman of the Palestinian election commission, said many of the contenders were from Fatah, while in some villages "clans and families" had decided on the candidate lists.

Hamas did not present any candidate lists of its own, saying the vote would only add to divisions.

- 'Better than nothing' -

Polling stations closed at 7:00 pm and final results are expected on Sunday.

Electoral commission chief Hanna Nassir said 393,572 ballots were cast -- "nearly 50 percent of voters".

He said turnout was "almost exactly the same as in 2012".

Fatah and unaffiliated candidates close to Abbas were expected to win the most seats, as they did in 2012 when Hamas boycotted the vote.

"It's important that everyone has a say" but also that those elected "assume the responsibility given to them", said Rami Nazal, a UN employee who voted in Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority.

Mechanic Samir Beshari said his choice "wasn't just political", as above all he believed "the winners should look after the city and all its inhabitants".

Story continues

More than a million Palestinians were registered to choose from among 4,400 candidates in a vote that was seen as yet another sign that reconciliation may be a long way off.

Even so, "municipal elections are better than nothing" in a country where "the situation is unlike anywhere else in the world", said Zina Masri, who voted before going to work.

Software shop manager Amjad Mustafa said the election was "an event not to be missed" after "a long time since we last took part in a democratic event".

The Palestinian high court ruled in October that the municipal elections should be held only in the West Bank because the judiciary in Gaza did not have the necessary "guarantees" in place -- a decision Hamas denounced as "political".

Subsequent efforts to hold the polls in both territories simultaneously were unsuccessful as the two parties failed to bridge their differences.

Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah accused Hamas on Saturday of sole responsibility for blocking the election in Gaza where he said it maintains a rival government that supports "separation".

Abbas, whose term was meant to end in 2009 but who has remained in office, has grown unpopular among Palestinians, but he remains their leader in the eyes of the world.

He met US President Donald Trump in Washington on May 4, and is expected to do so again when Trump travels to the Middle East later this month.

Hamas, meanwhile, is considered a terrorist group by Israel and by much of the West, despite recent attempts by the movement to soften its image.

After the 2006 election, the international community refused to deal with any government in which Hamas participated until it renounced violence and recognised Israel and past peace agreements.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, wave as they board Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Friday, May 19, 2017, prior to his departure on his first overseas trip. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President and Melania Trump left on Friday for their first overseas trip and, as part of the three-country tour, will visit the Islamic country of Saudi Arabia, where women are expected to dress conservatively and keep their heads covered.

Of course [Melania] will be joining her husband for the entire trip, and yes, she will be making several public appearances, spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told the Washington Examiner last week. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner will also be joining the first couple on the trip.

While in Israel, the Trumps will discuss the threats posed by Iran and its proxies, while a meeting with Pope Francis is scheduled in Italy, and one with Muslim leaders is planned in Saudi Arabia. The outreach trip, which aims to emphasize the United States commitment to world peace, ends with the president in Brussels to attend the NATO G-7 meetings.

Donald Trump and his wife Melania are escorted by Vice President Mike Pence as the Trumps depart the White House to embark on a trip to the Middle East and Europe, in Washington, U.S., May 19, 2017. (Photo: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

In Saudi Arabia, the former-model-turned-FLOTUS may have to tone down her high-end wardrobe, which includes spiky stilettos, colorful patterns, and clothes by American designers whose fashion shows are banned in the country. She may also have to adhere to the countrys strict dress code for women: long sleeves, ankle-length dresses (no pants), and headscarves. Russian state media reported that Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said that Melania is welcome to wear any style in clothing in Saudi Arabia.

World leaders are expected  but not required  to comply with the dress code of the country, although plenty have opted out, stirring both criticism for not adhering to an ideology often viewed oppressive, and disdain for disregarding cultural norms.

In April, British Prime Minister Theresa May visited Saudi Arabia and neglected to cover her head, after making remarks that she wanted to inspire Saudi citizens about what women can achieve.

Theresa May, the British prime minister, in Saudi Arabia. (Photo: Getty Images)

And earlier this month, German chancellor Angela Merkel touched down in Saudi Arabia with her head uncovered, following a self-imposed burqa ban in her native country wherever it is legally possible.

Story continues

German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a visit to the Saudi Arabian Chamber of Commerce. (Photo: Getty Images)

Other world leaders who have not worn the headscarf include Hillary Clinton during a 2012 meeting with Muslim leaders, Laura Bush on a 2007 trip to Saudi Arabia, and Michelle Obama in 2015 to honor the late King Abdullah after his death, ultimately sparking the hashtag #Michelle_Obama_Immodest.

Michelle and Barack Obama in Saudi Arabia. (Photo: Getty Images)

Exceptions include Michelle Obama wearing a headscarf to Indonesia, another Muslim country, in 2010 and Swedish Trade Minister Ann Linde, along with numerous female party members on a trip to Iran.

Yet despite any backlash against the headscarf, plenty view it as a symbol of feminism and solidarity, especially in the aftermath of the presidents controversial travel ban for Muslim-majority countries. In March, Nike debuted a Pro Hijab for female athletes to express their religious beliefs, and Hijarbie, a Barbie doll that wears a hijab, has become an Instagram superstar.

Oppression means the taking away of someones power, their agency, Dalia Mogahed, director of research at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, told USA Today in March. Yet a woman in a hijab is only covering her body and hair, not her voice or intellect.

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.
So we now know why narwhals have tusks, and its pretty violent

We all know and love narwhals as the unicorn of the sea, but now scientists have discovered the mystery of why narwhals have tusks.

World Wild Life Fund Canada and Oceans Canada recently collected drone footage that shows that narwhals use their tusks to stun prey. In the video, several narwhals rapidly hit Arctic cod with their horns to immobilize the fish before eating them. Typically, only male narwhals have the tusk, which is a tooth that can grow as large as nine feet. Nerve endings cover the horn for sensory perception.

Little is known of the mysterious narwhal tusk, but new scientific evidence has stunned researchers. Check the link in BIO and learn more about this special species #SeaUnicorn A post shared by WWF International (@wwf) on May 12, 2017 at 9:14am PDT

Until now, it was particularly difficult for scientists to study the purpose of the horn.

Brandon Laforest, senior specialist of Arctic species and ecosystems with WWF-Canada, told National Geographic that witnessing narwhal feeding habits has been nearly impossible without the drones.

He previously spent time camped near narwhals winter habitat to more thoroughly study them. However, they tend to cluster in hard-to-reach regions.

They dont jump like other whales. They are also notoriously skittish, Laforest said. This is an entirely new observation of how the tusk is used.

Canada is home to 90 percent of the narwhal population, and is a prime location to analyze the narwhal. Laforest hypothesizes that narwhals also use the horn for ice picks, sexual selection, weaponry, and even echolocation.

This footage plays a major role in better understanding the narwhals, particularly as climate change warms their waters. A majority of the narwhals live in Canadas Lancaster Sound, which the government is looking marking as a protected area.

The scientists plan to continue to use drones to learn more about narwhals and attempt to help them.

Long live the narwhal!
Imagine that! The European Union isnt happy with the prospect of having the US ban all laptops and tablets from carry-on luggage on flights heading to America. Recent reports indicated the US is looking to expand the laptop ban to Europe, and it sounds like the EU is taking it very seriously. Local governments will hold talks on Friday with the US Department of Homeland Security.

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According to Associated Press, European governments are alarmed at the proposed expansion of the laptop ban.

European Commission transport spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen confirmed the talks and said the EU had no new information about any security concerns. Security is the main issue here, as EU countries want to know what new threats prompted the proposal.

The US Department of Homeland Security organized a telephone conference for Friday afternoon with key European partners, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK. The conference call is supposed to be of ministerial level, with the French attendee expected to be secretary general for defense and national security Louis Gautier.

France, apparently, wants to push back against the measure, saying theres no significant increase in the terror threat.

The ban on laptops and tablets wasnt based on a specific threat but on concerns about terrorists targeting planes. The UK mirrored the US decision on banning devices from flights from the Middle East, although each country came up with specific countries for the ban.

Trending right now:

See the original version of this article on BGR.com
Samsung already confirmed that a refurbished version of the Galaxy Note 7 will return to stores this year in certain markets, without specifying a firm release date or pricing for the handset. A new report from Korea indicates that the launch is now imminent, and the phone is expected to be priced about 50% cheaper than the original.

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Citing a report in Chosun Ilbo, The Investor says the phone will be released in Korea as soon as this month.

Samsung recently gained approval from the FCC in the United States and plans to soon apply for safety certification with the local regulator, the National Radio Research Agency. The approval process takes up to a month which means the phone could be in stores in early June at the soonest.

In a comment, Samsung confirmed the Galaxy Note 7R  thats the name for the safe Galaxy Note 7 version  will launch before the Galaxy Note 8 debuts. We have not yet decided on the phones launch schedule, a Samsung official said. We plan to launch the phone before the Galaxy Note 8 that comes out later this year.

Leaked information indicates the Galaxy Note 7R will sport a smaller 3,200 mAh battery and run Android 7.1.1 out of the box. Comparatively, the original handset had a 3,500 mAh battery pack and launched with Android 6.0.1 on board.

While Samsung seems ready to unleash the Galaxy Note 7R in its home market, its unknown at this time which other markets will receive the handset, or if its heading to the US or not. What we do know is that Samsung has around 3 million Galaxy Note 7 units in its warehouses that need to be disposed of one way or another.

Related:

Watch news, TV and more Yahoo View, available on iOS and Android.

Trending right now:

See the original version of this article on BGR.com
By Jim Finkle and Eric Auchard TORONTO/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Businesses around the world scrambled on Saturday to prepare for a renewed cyber attack, convinced that a lull in a computer offensive that has stopped car factories, hospitals, schools and other organizations in around 100 countries was only temporary. The pace of the attack by a destructive virus dubbed WannaCry slowed late on Friday, after the so-called "ransomware" locked up more than 100,000 computers, demanding owners pay to $300 to $600 get their data back. "It's paused but it's going to happen again. We absolutely anticipate that this will come back," said Patrick McBride, an executive with cyber-security firm Claroty. Symantec predicted infections so far would cost tens of millions of dollars, mostly from cleaning corporate networks. Ransoms paid so far amount to only tens of thousands of dollars, one analyst said, but he predicted they would rise. Companies rushed to protect Windows systems with patches that Microsoft released last month and on Friday. WannaCry exploited a vulnerability to spread itself across networks, a rare and powerful feature that caused infections to surge on Friday. Code for exploiting that bug, which is known as "Eternal Blue," was released on the internet in March by a hacking group known as the Shadow Brokers. The group claimed it was stolen from a repository of National Security Agency hacking tools. The agency has not responded to requests for comment. The identity of the Shadow Brokers is not known, though many security researchers say they believe they are in Russia, which is a major source of ransomware and was one of the countries hit first and hardest by WannaCry. Cyber security experts, who have been on watch for months for an "Eternal Blue"-based attack, said on Saturday that they expect the computer code to be used in types of cyber attacks beyond extortion campaigns, including efforts to seize control of networks and steal data. Governments and private security firms on Saturday that they expect hackers to tweak the malicious code used in Friday's attack, restoring the ability to self-replicate. Those expectations prompted businesses to call in technicians to work over the weekend to make sure networks were protected with security updates needed to thwart Eternal Blue. "It's all hands on deck," said Shane Shook, an independent security consultant whose customers include large corporations and governments. Guillaume Poupard, head of Frances national cyber security agency, told Reuters he is concerned infections could surge again on Monday, when workers return to the office and turn on computers. The U.S. government on Saturday issued a technical alert with advice on how to protect against the attacks, asking victims to report attacks to the Federal Bureau of Investigation or Department of Homeland Security. RENAULT HALTS PRODUCTION Security software maker Avast said it had observed 126,534 ransomware infections in 99 countries, with Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan the top targets. Security experts said that they were not sure how many victims would pay the ransoms, or if access to computers was being restored after such payments. Elliptic, a private security firm that investigates ransomware attacks, said that only about $32,000 had been sent to bitcoin addresses listed by the extortionists in ransom demands that flashed on screens of infected computers. "We expect this number to increase significantly over the course of the weekend," said Tom Robinson, lead investigator at Elliptic. That is far below what it is likely to cost companies to recover from such attacks. Symantec researcher Vikram Thakur said that total repair costs are likely to be in the tens of millions of dollars. "The expensive part is the clean up of the machine and restoring the encrypted data," he said. Still, such figures do not account for lost production at firms like Renault, which on Saturday said it had halted stopped manufacturing at plants in Sandouville, France and Romania to prevent the spread of ransomware in its systems. Among the other victims is a Nissan manufacturing plant in Sunderland, northeast England, though a spokesman said "there has been no major impact on our business." Hundreds of hospitals and clinics in the British National Health Service were infected on Friday, forcing them to send patients to other facilities. On Saturday, Interior Minister Amber Rudd said that 97 percent of the nation's health service trusts were "working as normal." German rail operator Deutsche Bahn said some electronic signs at stations announcing arrivals and departures were infected. In Asia, some hospitals, schools, universities and other institutions were affected, though the full extent of the damage is not yet known due to the weekend. International shipper FedEx Corp said some of its Windows computers were also breached. "We are implementing remediation steps as quickly as possible," a FedEx statement said. Telecommunications company Telefonica was among many targets in Spain. Portugal Telecom and Telefonica Argentina both said they were also targeted. Europol's European Cybercrime Centre said it was working closely with national law enforcement agencies and private security firms to combat the threat and help victims. "The recent attack is at an unprecedented level and will require a complex international investigation to identify the culprits," it said in a statement. Some experts said the threat had receded in part because a British-based researcher, who declined to give his name, registered a domain that he noticed the malware was trying to connect to, and so limited the worm's spread. Finance chiefs from the Group of Seven rich countries were to commit on Saturday to joining forces to fight the growing threat of international cyber attacks, according to a draft statement of a meeting they are holding in Italy. "Appropriate economy-wide policy responses are needed," the ministers said in their draft statement, seen by Reuters. (Additional reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka, Jose Rodriguez, Emmanuel Jarry, Jemima Kelly, Alistair Smout, Andrea Shalal, Jack Stubbs, Antonella Cinelli, Dustin Volz, Kate Holton, Andy Bruce, Michael Holden, David Milliken, Tim Hepher, Luiza Ilie, Patricia Rua, Axel Bugge, Sabine Siebold and Eric Walsh, Engen Tham, Fransiska Nangoy, Soyoung Kim, Mai Nguyen; editing by Peter Henderson and Mary Milliken)
Update 5/14 5:17 pm PT: Microsoft has criticized the NSA for what it says is the agency's role in weaponizing a weakness in Windows and allowing it to be stolen by hackers, which was reportedly used to launch the largest ransomware attack in history.

As reported by the Los Angeles Times, "This attack provides yet another example of why the stockpiling of vulnerabilities by governments is such a problem," wrote Brad Smith, president and chief legal officer at Microsoft.

A massive ransomware attack spread across the globe May 12, with reports of computer systems being locked up in Russia, Western Europe, East Asia and North America. British hospitals and a Spanish telecom were the most visible victims, but the largest number of attacks seemed to be in Russia.

A WanaCrypt ransom screen, as captured by French malware hunter Kafeine. Credit: Kafeine

A WanaCrypt ransom screen, as captured by French malware hunter Kafeine. Credit: Kafeine

What you need to do: If you've not installed the March, April or May Windows Update bundles, do so immediately. It's worth shutting down your system for a few minutes if it gives you a chance to avoid this. If you're still using Windows XP, you're out of luck, but the March and April update bundles should be available to Windows Vista. (UPDATE: Microsoft has released a patch for Windows XP and its server counterpart Windows 2003.)

The ransomware, variably called WanaCryptor 2.0, WannaCry, WCry or WCrypt, seemed to be using an exploit that was developed years ago by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and revealed publicly in a data dump last month. Microsoft secretly patched Windows against the attack in March, but many systems in large organizations had apparently not been updated.

MORE: What Is Ransomware and How Can I Protect Myself?

Global impact

Several hospital systems in England reported that their computer screens displayed a message demanding $300 in Bitcoin. The Spanish telecommunications giant Telefonica had its systems brought down by ransomware that showed a ransom screen nearly identical to those hitting English hospitals, according to a report by the newspaper El Mundo.

Story continues

A live interactive map posted on the British tech blog MalwareTech showed infections in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and most countries in South America and East Asia. But Europe, including Russia, appeared to have the densest concentration.

ZDNet reported that at least 16 National Health Service (NHS) hospital systems in England had been hit by the ransomware, and that the infections had appeared in Scotland as well. The BBC raised that number to 25 hospital systems, and said that Prime Minister Theresa May was being kept informed of the situation. English and Scottish hospitals were reportedly postponing appointments and directing patients to unaffected facilities.

Russian antivirus firm Kaspersky Lab said it had detected more than 45,000 infections in 74 countries, the vast majority of them in Russia. The Czech antivirus firm Avast detected 57,000, with the worst-affected countries being Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan. England's NHS and Spain's computer emergency response team each issued public warnings.

A Twitter feed purportedly belonging to a hacktivist group calling itself SpamTech claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that "The 'WannaCry/WCRY' was created by one of our members. We've taken over NHS computers and major engineering operation components." The group didn't offer any proof to verify its claim.

Spreads on its own

The ransomware appears to be "wormable." In other words, it's spreading from system to system by itself as a computer worm, rather than relying on human interaction as a Trojan horse, or infecting desktop applications like a traditional computer virus.

"Something like this is incredibly significant," tweeted the blogger behind MalwareTech. "We've not seen P2P"  malware jumping from one "peer" computer to another  "spreading on PC via exploits at this scale in nearly a decade."

Other experts compared today's infection to the Conficker worm, which continues to attack computer systems around the world despite the fact that the security flaw it exploits was patched in 2008.

However, Conficker does no immediate damage and hides so that it can use infected computers as part of a "botnet" to send out spam and fake antivirus software. The worm spreading today immediately alerts the user to its presence, displaying two countdown clocks: the first tied to a deadline when the ransom amount will increase, the second to when all encrypted files will be deleted.

MORE: Best Identity-Protection Services

The $300 ransom demand  in some instances, $600  indicates that hospitals and other large organizations do not appear to have been selected as targets, but rather infected randomly. In previous ransomware attacks against large institutions, cybercriminals running the malware have raised ransom demands into tens of thousands of dollars once they've realized the value of the infected systems.

Image, movie, email, database and Microsoft Office files were among those targeted for encryption, as were files containing encryption keys.

Some of the victims seemed to be paying up, with two of the Bitcoin wallets  here and here  specified as recipients by the ransomware screens reporting 16 payments today totaling about $4,675.

"One thing is for sure," said Rich Barger, director of cyber research at database-software maker Splunk, in a statement. "Somebody is going to get very rich, or spend a very long amount of time in jail."

Ties to the NSA

At least two reports said the WanaCryptor ransomware was using an NSA exploit called ETERNALBLUE that was revealed in a cache of files posted online by WikiLeaks a group calling itself ShadowBrokers on April 14. Encrypted files are given the file suffix ".wncry".

ETERNALBLUE exploits a previously unknown flaw in Microsoft's Server Message Block (SMB) protocol. (SMB lets machines on the same network share access to printers, files, network ports and other objects) The ShadowBrokers last summer tried and failed to auction off a large amount of information the group said had been stolen from the NSA.

The public disclosure of ETERNALBLUE's code by the ShadowBrokers caused a moderate amount of panic in the information-security world, until Microsoft revealed the day after the dump that it had quietly patched the SMB flaw  and several others mentioned in the dump  a month earlier, with the March "Patch Tuesday" security updates.

UPDATE: The ransomware attack was stopped dead in its tracks Friday by a British information-security professional, who tripped an unintentional "kill switch" in WanaCryptor, more or less by accident.

The pseudonymous IT pro, who blogs under the name MalwareTech, analyzed WanaCryptor's code and noticed that it reached out to a server at a specific web address. He saw that there was no actual server at that URL, so he bought the address name  in technical terms, he registered the domain  and set up his own "sinkhole' server to see how many infected computers would connect to it.

Much to MalwareTech's surprise, the ransomware samples he and other researchers were analyzing suddenly stopped encrypting infected machines.

"I will confess that I was unaware registering the domain would stop the malware until after I registered it, so initially it was accidental," MalwareTech tweeted late on Friday. "So I can only add 'accidentally stopped an international cyber attack' to my resume."

In a detailed blog posting, MalwareTech explains that the "kill switch" may have been designed to hide the ransomware from antivirus researchers, who often run malware in restricted environments that simulate internet connections. The criminals behind the malware may not have thought that anyone would register that domain.

Microsoft also took the trouble to release patches against the ransomware for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, both of which stopped receiving regular security patches in 2014. It's likely that many of the British hospitals hit were still running Windows XP, upon which many legacy medical devices depend.

If you haven't updated your systems to prevent infection by WanaCryptor, do so immediately, because MalwareTech's kill switch is not a permanent solution.

"One thing that is very important to note is our sinkholing only stops this sample," he noted in his blog posting. "There is nothing stopping them removing the domain check and trying again, so its incredibly important that any unpatched systems are patched as quickly as possible."

See also : 25 Things You Didn't Know Could Be Hacked
Since early Friday morning, reports have been coming in about a massive ransomware attack sweeping through Windows PCs in Europe. The National Health Service in England has had numerous hospitals and doctors offices hit, and a number of private companies have reported a similar attack.

According to reports from some companies, systems in the US are starting to see the attack, and IT departments are urging employees to shut down any non-essential systems to avoid infection.

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The virus is a form of ransomware known as WannaCry. It uses an exploit in Windows to spread from computer to computer, which explains the rapid worldwide spread. The vulnerability it exploits, known as EternalBlue, was patched by Microsoft in March, but the update has clearly not been universally adopted by users.

The exploit initially hit Russia, Taiwan and Spain the hardest, according to security companies. Since then, it appears to be spreading around the globe at speed. The hack on the NHS in England is the most high-profile of the successful attacks, but research firm Kaspersky has recorded 45,000 incidents, and counting.

Companies in the US have started seeing the attack appear on some machines. FedEx issued a statement, saying that like many other companies, FedEx is experiencing interference with some of our Windows-based systems caused by malware. We are implementing remediation steps as quickly as possible. Reports suggest that it originated in FedExs system in the UK, and workers in the US were told to shut down any non-critical systems.

The exploit itself was first widely known when it was leaked as part of a trove of NSA documents. The exploit became widely known at that point, and Microsoft issued a patch. The problem is that many individual users and organizations dont update Windows regularly, which creates a window of opportunity where hackers know of a vulnerability, and some users remain unprotected.

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Hospitals and other healthcare providers across England were forced to cancel countless appointments and divert ambulances on Friday after a massive ransomware attack crippled their computer systems. In the hours that followed, the crisis spread to facilities in at dozens of other countries, according to news reports.

FedEx was one of the big corporations affected by the attack, saying that "like many other companies, FedEx is experiencing interference with some of our Windows-based systems caused by malware. We are implementing remediation steps as quickly as possible. We regret any inconvenience to our customers.

Although this latest attack was massive in scope, ransomware threats often strike the personal computers of individual consumers, too.



Heres what you need to know and how to protect yourself.

What Is Ransomware?

Ransomware is a form of malware designed to steal money from individuals, businesses and other organizations by holding their data hostage. Imagine coming home to find a big padlock on your front door and a criminal standing next to it, demanding money to let you in. That's ransomware. Only instead of being locked out of your house, you're locked out of all your personal files. The next time you log on, your computer displays a ransom note saying your data has been encrypted, with instructions on how to pay to unlock it.

Can Hackers Really Make Money Doing This?

Oh, yes. Ransomware is big business. Ransoms can range from a few hundred to thousands of dollars and are usually paid in the "virtual" currency Bitcoin, which is nearly impossible to trace. In some cases, the longer you wait to pay, the higher the ransom becomes.

According to cybersecurity firm Symantec's Internet Security Threat Report released in April, the number of new versions of ransomware uncovered during 2016 more than tripled to 101, while the number of ransomware infections the company spotted jumped 36 percent. Verizon's recently released 2017 Data Breach Investigations Report notes that ransomware accounted for 72 percent of the malware incidents involving the heathcare industry last year.

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Why Is This Particular Ransomware Attack Significant?

Friday's attack affected at least 25 of the UK's National Health Service's hospitals and other organizations. But NHS says it was not the specific target of the attack. It does not appear that patient information was accessed, according to the organization, but its investigation into the matter is still in the early stages. Barts Health, which manages a handful of major hospitals in London and elsewhere, also confirmed it was experiencing a "major IT disruption."

The malware arrived in encrypted files distributed by email. Once a computer was infected, the user received a note demanding $300 in bitcoin to restore access to patient information and other data on the device.

British Prime Minister Theresa May called it an "international attack" affecting a "number of countries and organizations." CNN put the figure at 99 countries.

Has This Ever Happened in the U.S.?

Yes. One of the best known examples involved L.A.'s Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, which in February 2016 said it paid a ransom of $17,000 to get its computer systems unlocked.

Because of the large amount of personal information collected about patients, hospitals and other healthcare providers are prime ransonware targets. If a doctor can't access information about a patient's medications and pre-exisiting conditions, it's virtually impossible to provide treatment, forcing the doctor and patient to reschedule appointments. And that can result in millions of dollars in lost productivity.

So, even though medical computer systems are routinely backed up, and nearly all that data can be recovered and restored, hospitals often pay the ransom in an effort to speed things up and minimize financial losses.

How Does Your Device Get Infected?

Whether they involve a computer nework run by a business or hospital, or just an average person's personal PC, most ransomware infections happen when a user is lured by a bogus phishing email to a site that infects his or her computer, or by clicking on an attached file that secretly installs it.

How Can You Avoid Having Your Data Taken Hostage?

You avoid ransomware the same way you avoid any malware infection: By being careful. While that's not always easy, there are things you can do to steer clear of problems.

Dont casually click a link inside an email; instead, type the web address directly into your browser.

Never open an attachment unless you were expecting to receive it and you're certain of what it is.

Don't spend time in the disreputable corners of the internet that specialize in risque content or pirated movies; you can get infected simply by visiting a dodgy site.

Never install software just because a web site tells you to do it.

And always keep a backup copy of all your personal files on a separate drive or with a "cloud"-based backup service. That way, if the worst happens, you'll always have access to your most important data.





More from Consumer Reports:

Top pick tires for 2016

Best used cars for $25,000 and less

7 best mattresses for couples





Copyright  2006-2017 Consumer Reports, Inc.
Ransomware: how hackers take your data hostage (AFP Photo/Simon MALFATTO, Iris de VERICOURT, Jonathan JACOBSEN) (AFP)

Paris (AFP) - A software that demands a ransom was the weapon of choice used in a wave of unprecedented global cyber attacks Friday that affected 130,000 systems in more than 100 countries.

The attacks have raised questions about how this so-called ransomware works, and how to guard against it.

- What is ransomware? -

Ransomware is malicious software which locks computer files and forces users to pay the attackers a designated sum in the virtual Bitcoin currency to regain access to the files.

Ransomware is used on PCs as well as tablets and smartphones. It can affect "at the same time individuals, businesses and institutions," Amar Zendik, CEO security firm Mind Technologies, told AFP.

- How does it work? -

Cyber pirates generally take control of computers by exploiting flaws in the internet.

That could happen when a user logs onto a web site that has been previously infected or opens an email that invites the user to click on a link or download an attachment.

In a few seconds, the malware can be implanted. And when it's installed, "it can't be detected," Laurent Marechal, a cyber security expert at McAfee, told AFP.

It's only afterwards that it "downloads the 'payload', that is the viral charge," he said.

From then on the computer work station is blocked. "Most often the user has to send an SMS" -- and pay up -- "in order to get the unblocking code," says Marechal, adding that in certain complex cases, the virus can spread "without any human intervention".

- Is it used frequently? -

Yes. And ransomware continues to multiply. According to security software Kapersky Lab, 62 new types of ransomware were identified last year.

And the US computer security software company McAfee said the number of "samples" detected increased by 88 percent in 2016, totalling some four million.

"Often the pirates ask for small sums of money. But accumulated, these small amounts add up to big money," says cyber security expert Zendik.

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Another expert Marechal said could be found on the 'dark web', an obscured part of the internet that's not indexed by classic search engines.

"Individuals can buy ransomware ready to use, sometimes only for $150," he said.

- Why was Friday's attack so massive? -

The culprits behind the cyber attacks apparently took advantage of a flaw in the Windows operating system, which had been divulged in documents leaked from the US National Security Agency (NSA), according to initial findings of the investigation.

Zendik said the attack was based on a previously unknown Windows flaw.

"We're not talking about classic 'ransomware' which generally targets individuals and small businesses," he said.

"Here the hackers attacked big institutions, not likely to be susceptible to paying, especially given the publicity about the operation."

He added that "in theory, the authors of the attack did not want to make money, but rather to achieve a (cyber) coup."

- How can you protect against ransomware? -

There are several simple rules that can be followed to reduce the risks of a ransomware attack.

Among them are regularly updating the computer's security software which can correct any flaws exploited by the virus.

In case of a cyber attack, the authorities advise disconnecting the infected equipment immediately from the network, in order to isolate them.

In the case of a virus affecting a business or an institution, the IT experts should be alerted right away.

Authorities also recommend not paying the hackers the ransom demanded -- because it's no guarantee that access to the data will be restored.
The repatriation of the group - who are suspected of defrauding Chinese nationals over the phone from Spain - is likely to heighten tensions between Beijing and Taipei (AFP Photo/Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV) (AFP/File)

Moscow (AFP) - Russia's interior ministry said Friday that some of its computers had been hit by a "virus attack" amid reports of major cyber strikes across the globe.

Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk told Russian news agencies it had "recorded a virus attack on the ministry's personal computers controlled by a Windows operating system."

"The virus has been localised. Technical work is under way to destroy it and renew the means of virus protection," she said.

Volk added that some 1,000 computers -- less than one percent of their total number -- had been affected, Interfax reported.

An unnamed source told Interfax that the attack had not led to any information leaks.

The ministry's statement comes as an increasing number of cyber strikes are reported around the world, including against dozens of British hospitals.

Russian telecom operator MegaFon said it had also been victim of a cyber attack on Friday that interrupted the work of its call centres.

"We needed to partly turn off whole networks internally so the virus didn't spread," RIA Novosti news agency quoted MegaFon public relations director Pyotr Lidov as saying.
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.

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By Benjamin Jumbe

The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has boasted of being the most popular and loved party in the country especially in eastern Uganda.

This is after the party regained the Kagoma County sit in Jinja on Thursday

The partys flag bearer Moses Walyomu was declared winner after garnering over 24,000 defeating 3 other contenders.

Now the party deputy secretary General Richard Todwong says this is proof and confirmation that Busoga region is fully in support of NRM.
By

*Spoken at The Big Fat Expat Meet-up at the Shangri-La Shanghai*

Before the pedigree plague of poodles of varying degrees, before the oodles, the spoodles, the cavoodles and groodles, or Golden Doodles depending on which part of the world youre from (Australians stop giggling now) before the oodles  there was your basic mongrel. The family dog that came from the fair or the friend of a friend, a random litter from a kid at school, or in our case the cowering black puppy that we found underneath our house one day after school. Sam  our beautiful bitsa.

There was always a kid with a dog called Bitsa. Whatdya call your dog bitsa for?

Cause shes bits of this and bitsa that.

Im a true mongrel, theres nothing pedigree about me. Im the child of middle class country Australians, of vegemite on toast for breakfast, a pie with sauce from the school canteen at lunch, and chops and three vege for dinner. We stayed in motels not hotels, had Grandparents who caravaned up north each year. As a kid I remember making the trip to the city to go to the Adelaide Show, budgets were discussed, an allowance for one show bag, a couple of rides and a treat to eat. We stayed with an older single aunt dossing down in the spare room. On one visit while the grown ups talked I flicked my way through her magazines and discovered with great excitement that there was a competetion to be won for a trip to Disneyland. The pictures look amazing, it was the Adelaide show on steroids, I immediately found a pen, ripped out the page and began to apply.

What are you doing? my mother asked with curiosity.

We can win a trip to Disneyland! I couldnt contain my excitement.

And with the honesty of a full time working mother living in country Australia she hit me with the cold hard truth.

Were not people who go to Disneyland darling. Where would we get the money to go to Disneyland? She was right, the closest we would get to an overseas trip was Tasmania.

Were not people who go to Disneyland.

Who were we? We like most Aussies were bitsas. On my mothers side there was a strong British background with the Irish and English well represented, but it was my father who made us a little more interesting. A great grandfather from China who arrived by boat as a crew member, we were always told he jumped ship lost his Chinese name and began his new life as John Egge. He started as a cook on river boats, paddlesteamers, and without boring you with the details he went on to become a legendary businessman of the river, a Captain and a pioneer. One of his boats was described as the floating deparment store. Captain John Egge, now has a statue in his honour, and is described as a remarkable gentleman.

John Egge became something I will never be  a successful immigrant. For I, maybe because of him, get to be an expat. I have the true priveledge of not having to search for a better place to live, my search is for an experience, an adventure, an opportunity.

And while like my ancestors Ill make a new home  Ill also always return home  perpetually geographically schizophrenic. A heart broken and scattered over several locations, each one holding a piece of my life and the person I was while there.

The first time I took my children to Disneyland was in California, we were expats in Calgary, and as we walked through the gates my second child, a toddler, squealed and raised her hands to her mouth in exclamation Loooooooooook! Its Cinderella! she broke free and ran to Cinderellas feet hugging the bottom of her dress. Our days were full of these moments while our nights were spent marvelling at fireworks and Disney shows  there were also margaritas, really good margaritas. It remains as one of our best family holidays.

The second time I took my children to Disneyland was in Hong Kong, we were expats on our way home to Australia for a family wedding. We surprised the children at the airport, they thought we were about to board another long flight  instead we hopped on bus to a Disney hotel with chandellers with hidden glass slippers, it was magical.

The third time I took my children to Disneyland we returned to California, just because it was so good the first time, and the fourth time? The fourth time we went to Disneyland we went to Paris on a holiday, and we spent a day remiscing about our North American lives while recreating new Disney memories. That evening as we stood huddled together sighing and gasping in wonder at the spectacular light show and Disney fireworks I took the time to watch my childrens faces, like really watch them as only a mother can, to see their pure enjoyment and gratitude, tears streaming down my face.

We were people that went to Disneyland.

Theres much discussion about the difference between an expat and an immigrant. Harsh words have been written about white privledge and socio-economic name tags, why would one group be called immigrants and another called expats. To me its very simple  if you havent immigrated, if you plan to go home, no matter who you are or where you come from youre an expat. If youve made the life choice to move for opportunity, and invested in a new country, gained a new passport and began a new life  youve immigrated, like my ancestors.

Captain John Egge was born in Shanghai in 1830, Egge obviously wasnt his real name (its actually Scandanavian) we still dont know his real name, and I cant see how we ever will, all traces of his Chinese heritage were lost over the years. All that remains is our thick dark dead straight hair and our slightly almond eyes. As I touched down in Shanghai yesterday I marveled over the landscape, and wished I knew more. I wondered how often he thought about his homeland, the smell, the flowers, the colour of Asia. Was there ever a time where he stood at the wheel of his paddle steamer on the river Murray thinking how the hell did I end up here? How much did he miss the food? How hard was it to never speak his language, practice his religion or recreate his culture. By all accounts he gave it all up to start a brand new life, he never looked back, only forward.

Whats the difference between an expat and an immigrant? Luck, were a lucky bunch of bitsas.

Sign up for the best bits here Your favourite posts from the group as well as the gems from the podcast. We'll send it straight to your inbox to save you searching Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.
No

Yes, a light case

Yes, two or more light cases

One serious case

Two or more serious bouts

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As mid-May rolls around, we have found ourselves right smack dab in the middle of summer blockbuster season.

There are a ton of movies coming out, leading those of us on a budget trying to figure out how to pick which to pay $15 to see at the local theater and which to wait and grab from Redbox six months from now. You might be tempted to take a look at what the Siskels and Eberts of the world say about each one, choosing where to spend your money based on how many stars, thumbs or Rotten Tomatoes each receives.

According to a study published May 9 by New York University neuroscientist Pascal Wallisch and Rutgers University-Newark researcher Jake Alden Whritner, that might be a mistake.

In brief, we were wondering how subjective movie taste is and if movie critics make (for) good recommendations, Wallisch said in an interview Friday. The answers are extremely and no.

Regular readers may recognize Wallischs name. The neuroscientist is the very same who did an extensive scientific study on The Dress, an internet phenomenon involving a cocktail dress that appeared to be either black and blue or white and gold to observers. Wallisch has come the closest to solving the mystery of how two people can look at the same dress and see two different color schemes, and I have to say I geeked out hard when he emailed me to thank me for recognizing him in this column.

It turns out, his team at NYU started studying taste in movies well before The Dress came to their attention, but he said the two research projects share a common theme.

Just like with the dress, Im interested in the subjective experience that people have, even when looking at the same stimulus  dress or movie, Wallisch said.

The question caught the neuroscientists attention largely because research shows that when we watch movies, we all see pretty much the same thing, and yet our perception of that same movie can differ wildly.

Objectively, we see the same movie, and filmmakers have a rich took kit that tightly controls where our attention is during the film. Neuroimaging research confirms it, suggesting that watching a movie synchronizes brain activity between observers, particularly in the back of the brain.

And yet, viewers can still have radically different experiences. Their enjoyment is entirely subjective and dependent on their own taste, rather than any set of objective standards.

With that in mind, it suggests that movie critics judgments are largely irrelevant, and just as subjective as anyone else.

People have been talking about the critic/non-critic divide for a long time, Wallisch said. But as far as I can tell, we are the first ones to study it empirically and show it.

Wallisch and Whritner chose 209 major motion pictures released between 1985 and 2004 and asked 3,204 participants to rate those theyve seen on a nine-point scale from zero to four. They also gathered ratings for the movies from iconic critic Roger Ebert, the Internet Movie Database, Film Comment, Allocine and Rotten Tomatoes.

Thus, we ended up with two distinct datasets  one from study participants and one from professional movie critics  that were analyzed separately, reads the study.

After that analysis, they found that what critics like and what the movie-going public likes dont really line up. Wallisch describes peoples taste as radically idiosyncratic and goes so far as to say those who see more movies tend to have more discerning taste in movies. While critics tend to have similar taste, that doesnt extend to your average viewer.

This suggests that vaunted critics like the late Roger Ebert gain prominence not by the reliability of their predictions, but other factors such as the force of their writing, he said.

The topic caught his interest on another level as well. Wallisch admits to being a former movie buff, though he said his two kids havent left him much time for films.

As a matter of fact, Roger Ebert used to be a childhood hero of mine, Wallisch said. Out of respect, I delayed publication of this piece until well after his death. I had learned that he fell ill with cancer and didnt want to add to his woes.

Ebert died April 4, 2013, after 46 years as the Chicago Tribune movie film critic. Wallischs study includes a nod to Ebert; each film selected as part of the sample has a publicly accessible rating by him.

Despite his respect for Ebert, Wallisch recommends people find what he calls a movie twin if they want help choosing a movie to see. Youre better off asking someone who shares your taste than checking with a critic.

Visit Pensees.pascallisch.net for more information on Wallischs study.
Gov. Scott Walker plans to tell Republicans at their annual convention Saturday that he is ready for four more years, eliminating any question about whether the governor would seek a third term.

Im ready. Im ready to help lead Wisconsin forward for four more years. But I need your help, Walker plans to tell Republicans, according to excerpts of his speech provided to the Wisconsin State Journal by his campaign.

Walker has repeatedly signaled he would seek a third term but has said he will not formally announce his decision until after the 2017-19 state budget process is complete later this summer.

We won in 2010 with a grassroots army of volunteers. We won with an even bigger force during the recall election in 2012. And we won with another grassroots flurry in 2014, Walker plans to say. Now, we need your help again.

Walkers comments  his clearest statement yet that he plans to run again  come after several high-profile Democrats have announced they wont seek the office.

Just one Democratic candidate has announced he will run in 2018: 25-year-old Bob Harlow whose campaign is based in Madison. Mike McCabe, former executive director of the liberal-leaning Wisconsin Democracy Campaign which tracks campaign spending, also has expressed interest in running in 2018 but has not yet said whether he will run as a Democrat or Independent.

State Democrats pounced on the release of Walkers comments, saying Walker wont be able to win over Wisconsin voters a fourth time after unsuccessfully running for president in 2015 and failing to find a long-term solution to fix our states (fourth-)worst in the nation transportation infrastructure.

While the Governor will rely on his wealthy special interest friends to buy another term were organizing locally, with regional organizers in the field earlier than ever before, building a true grassroots operation that will turn our state around and give every Wisconsinite a fair opportunity to achieve the American Dream, Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesman Brandon Weathersby said in a statement.

While Democrats also on Friday criticized Walker for struggling job growth under his watch, Walker plans to emphasize on Saturday the states unemployment rate, which has dropped below 4 percent.

Also Friday, Walker named Joe Fadness as his campaign manager. Fadness worked for Walkers campaign in 2010 and over the past couple of years.

The latest Marquette Law School Poll found 45 percent approve of Walkers job performance, which is the highest approval rating Walker has received according to the poll since his re-election in 2014, but still below his 50 percent approval level in early 2013.

But after his approval rating tanked during a short-lived presidential run in 2015, he spent time last year hosting private meetings around the state and announced plans to ratchet up his campaign fundraising.

His announcement Saturday comes as lawmakers decide how much of Walkers 2017-19 spending proposal to keep in the state budget they pass.

His budget proposal includes millions more in funding for K-12 schools across the state than even requested by state Superintendent Tony Evers, who is supported by Democrats, and a boost in state tax money for rural schools, municipal and county road repair funding and broadband infrastructure  all appealing to voters in northern, central and western parts of the state where his approval rating has sagged.

He also has been crisscrossing the state visiting dozens of public schools to promote his proposed increase for schools  $649 million in new funding.

The governor has faced loud criticism from public school advocates and unions representing public school teachers since his signature legislation known as Act 10 effectively stripped away public school employees collective bargaining rights and decimated teachers unions cash reserves and influence.

The governors budget proposal includes a targeted increase in the earned income tax credit and homestead credit and an income tax cut that makes the tax code more progressive, potentially blocking one line of attack from liberals.
Branson De Hart was stationed in Manila during the Spanish-American War. While in the in the Philippines, he picked up this small bisque and papier-mache doll as a souvenir. He gave the doll to his 10-year-old niece, Josephine (Mahoney) Bangsberg when he returned to the United States in 1898.

This gift from her uncle created a lifelong love for Josephine. In her free time, she cared for her dolls and helped mend the dolls of friends, then those of her grandchildren. Later in life, Josephine opened a doll hospital called Jos Dolls to extend her services to even more young children.

Josephine came across many dolls in her life, but the one from her uncle was always her most cherished. The doll is still wearing the original clothes it wore when Branson found the doll on the streets of Manila. Josephine only undressed the doll once so she could mend the dolls body.

When the doll was donated to the La Crosse County Historical Society in 1981, it came with a letter describing the dolls experiences through her own eyes:

My name is Calamity Jane. It is not my real name. That I do not remember because you see I am very old. I belonged to a little girl who lived in Manila at the turn of the century (1900), and I was always carefully cared for and wrapped in a fine fichu whenever I went to walk.

We were forced to flee from our home when Dewey landed in Manila in August 1898. In the hurry, my mistress dropped me in the street and I lay unnoticed for a long long time until a fine young Army soldier, Branson De Hart, walking by chanced to see me. He picked me up and slipped me in the bottom of his knapsack, where I rode safely for seven long months.

When the soldier went to America far across the Pacific, I went with him. He went to a big ranch on the Boulder River, where I was given to a little girl, his niece. She named me Calamity Jane. Many famous people including a man who was later to be the president looked at me and two or three offered much money for me, but my mistress loved me for the sake of her uncle and later for myself.

I went away to school with her and slept in a little box in the back of a dresser drawer, and then we went to college together. My mistress never undressed me. She let me wear my little lace-trimmed cotton dress that I wore when I left Manila.

We have always been together: When my mistress married, I was placed in the bottom of her cedar chest. My mistress was very busy and I didnt get me out very often, but once in a while she took me out and I met her children, but they never played with me nor loved me as my mistress loved me.

Now my mistress is getting old, her hair is white, but I have never changed. I look as I looked on the day that gay young soldier snatched me from the gutter in far off Manila. I have a place of honor on the mantle of my mistress home. You all, I have seen history in the making.

Artifacts do not always come with detailed histories  sometimes they are simply appreciated and valued for the history they represent. This doll tells an additional story, and is not simply a toy from the 1890s. She is a souvenir from war that was treasured for a lifetime and created a love for dolls that led Josephine to want to care for others dolls.

This doll and others can be seen in our online collections database at http://lchshistory.pastperfectonline.com.
WASHINGTON (TNS)  Dr. Herbert Lin, one of the nations pre-eminent thinkers on cybersecurity policy, shuns the internet-connected devices that fill some American homes.

Hell have nothing to do with smart refrigerators, hands-free home speakers he can call by name, intelligent thermostats and the like.

People say to me, How can you have a doctorate in physics from MIT and not trust in technology? And I look at them and say, How can I have a doctorate in physics from MIT and trust technology? Lin said.

Part of what he distrusts is the internet of things, and the ease with which hackers can penetrate smart devices with digital worms and shanghai them into massive robotic networks to launch crippling digital attacks or generate ever greater quantities of spam.

It is a mistrust based on mathematics. Internet-enabled devices are exploding in number. Gartner, a research giant in technology, says the devices will climb from 6.4 billion at the end of last year to 25 billion by 2020. Such growth sharply augments the power of hidden robotic networks, or botnets.

Now, an unseen battle unfolds. Weaponized digital worms are entering the scene and infecting masses of devices that obediently await instructions from a remote master to spring to action, possibly a new botnet attack.

The threat from botnets is so serious that FBI Director James Comey brought them up at a Senate hearing last week, saying the zombie armies created from internet devices can do tremendous harm.

Last month, the FBI  working with our partners, with the Spanish national police  took down a botnet called the Kelihos botnet and locked up the Russian hacker behind that botnet, Comey said. Hes now in jail in Spain, and the good peoples computers who had been lashed to that zombie army have now been freed from it.

Further botnet attacks are inevitable.

The next one could be just seconds or minutes from happening again, said J. Kevin Reid, a former FBI agent who leads the national security portfolio at KeyLogic, a Morgantown, W.Va., firm that offers consulting services to the federal intelligence community.

Many consumers dont realize that internet-enabled devices are unregulated and insecure  simpleton digital recruits in potential malicious armies.

A botnet already made headlines once. Last Oct. 21, a botnet slowed internet activity to a crawl along the Atlantic seaboard. A hacker using a malicious worm dubbed Mirai  Japanese for the future  took over thousands of internet-connected security cameras and other seemingly innocuous devices and ordered them to fire relentless digital pings at a New Hampshire company, Dyn, that oversees part of the backbone of the internet. Dyn was overwhelmed, and popular sites such as Twitter and The New York Times were temporarily inaccessible.

Now a new worm, dubbed Hajime  Japanese for beginning  is spreading.

The Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab estimated in late April that the Hajime worm had already penetrated 300,000 devices worldwide and could rally them into a botnet army at a moments notice.

Initial forensics reports suggested that the Hajime worm might be the creation of a white hat hacker working to thwart future attacks by Mirai botnets. Hajime leaves behind a message that says in part: Just a white hat, securing some systems. But even if Hajime is presently a force for good, protecting devices from Mirai infection, how long will that last? Some analysts have doubts.

While infected with Hajime, the vulnerable devices are protected from known Mirai attacks, a principal security researcher for Kaspersky Lab, Igor Soumenkov, said in an email. He added, however, that Hajimes spreading methods are malicious in nature and the worm may go rogue at any time.

That aspect of the internet of things, or IoT, gives jitters to Lin, the MIT-educated cybersecurity scholar at Stanford Universitys Center for International Security and Cooperation who largely shuns internet-enabled devices.

I dont want something working on my system when I dont know what it is, Lin said, adding that installing even protective worms is not cool.

There is an informal consensus that this is not an ethical thing to do, Lin added. You only have their word for it that they are going to do good stuff. Who knows what their definition of white hat stuff is? And if you did, how do you know they are doing it?

Reid, the KeyLogic expert, said the Hajime worm was a little more robust than Mirai.

Its written in some higher order language. Its very powerful, he said.

The Hajime worm is programmed to avoid networks of certain U.S. companies and government entities, Soumenkov said, noting that they include those of General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, the U.S. Postal Service and the Department of Defense.

Such worms are designed to infect any device or machine with a connection to the internet, harnessing them as zombie soldiers in a botnet army. Infected devices can include not only appliances in the home, like coffeemakers and baby monitors, but also vending machines, soap dispensers, jet engines, light bulbs and industrial micro-controllers.

Even dolls for children can be forced into rogue botnets, Reid said.

People would be like, What? My childs toy? Well, toys are pretty fancy nowadays, Reid said. They are going after camcorders and DVD players and other things with this particular intrusion technique.

In practical terms, that means hackers who control botnets can extort businesses, threatening to overwhelm targets with traffic unless they pay. They can also amplify the power of those sending spam.

Already, up to 90 percent of the email traffic on the internet is spam, although internet service providers do a pretty good job of clearing it out with spam filters, Lin said, letting only a fraction through.

Lets say you increase that fraction by a factor of 10, or 100, which is what these IoT botnets threaten to do, Lin said. I assure you at that point you will get a lot more spam in your email inbox. Lets say you get 100 times as much spam as you get now. It might make your email account unusable.
The Vernon County Broadcaster will have a new publisher June 1.

Bob Fleck will take over as publisher of the River Valley Media Group, which includes the La Crosse Tribune, Winona Daily News and Chippewa Herald, and several weekly newspapers and specialty publications.

Fleck, 54, joined the Broadcasters parent company, Lee Enterprises Inc., as vice president of business development in May 2016 and was named the companys vice president of sales and marketing in January.

Fleck said Thursday after an announcement at the La Crosse Tribune that he is excited about moving to La Crosse and about the potential of the River Valley Media Group.

I truly believe this is a mission-driven operation that plays an important role in the community, Fleck said.

Before joining Lee, Fleck was general manager and publisher for the Suburban Media Group, a division of the Chicago Tribune Media Group. He was executive vice president of sales for Tribune Publishing in 2013 and 2014.

Kevin Mowbray, Lees president and chief executive officer, said Fleck will remain a member of the companys CEO team and will continue to contribute to the companys sales strategies and objectives.

Since joining Lee, Bob has proven himself as a strong leader and talented executive, Mowbray said. His skill and experience will serve the readers and businesses in the River Valley group well and help drive strong results for our company.

Fleck grew up in Schaumburg, Ill., and is a graduate of Elmhurst (Ill.) College, where he earned a bachelors degree in business administration. Fleck and his wife, Jeri, have three children.

I am eager to get started in this new role, Fleck said. River Valley is an outstanding group of communities and a vital set of markets for Lee.

Davenport, Iowa-based Lee Enterprises publishes 46 daily newspapers, with a joint interest in two others, along with rapidly growing digital products and almost 300 weekly newspapers and specialty publications in 21 states.

Lees newspapers have circulation of 900,000 daily and 1.4 million Sunday, reaching more than 3 million readers daily. Lees digital sites attract more than 25 million unique visits monthly.

Outgoing Vernon County Broadcaster publisher Mike Burns is leaving the company, having accepted a position as chief revenue officer for Oregonian Media Group.
Cambodias Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has ordered workers to stop all illegal destruction of forests and timber trafficking activities.

Radio Free Asia (RFA) says the government order was dated May 8 and publicly released the following day. It said the ministry has taken note of the existence of forest and land-clearing, as well as the seizure of forest land for private ownership.

RFA said the order appears to be in reaction to a report from the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). The London-based group released the report on April 8.

The group described a major tree-clearing operation and timber export business in Cambodia. It said corrupt Cambodian government officials and Vietnamese companies started the business last year in the northeastern province of Ratanakiri.

The EIA report accuses corrupt officials and members of Vietnams armed forces of removing large numbers of illegally cut trees from Cambodia. It noted their removal violates Cambodias ban on timber exports to Vietnam. The Cambodian government has banned such exports for over 30 years.

The report is called Repeat Offender: Vietnams Persistent Trade in Illegal Timber. It estimates that over 300,000 cubic meters of hardwood logs have been taken from Cambodias national parks and shipped to Vietnam.

Much of the wood is valuable Siamese rosewood, which is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Any wood listed as vulnerable is one step away from being endangered.

The EIA says timber smugglers are paying bribes to border agents in both countries. In return, the agents permit shipment of the trees to Vietnam.

The report said more than $13 million in unlawful payments have been made to Cambodian officials since last November.

Ouch Leng is an investigative reporter and activist. He has reported on illegal logging operations and corruption in Cambodias Prey Lang Forest. He won the 2016 Goldman Environmental Prize for his reporting.

He said it is a good thing for the Cambodian government to be concerned about illegal timber trade. But he does not think the government will be able to stop it.

Thats because the people who are involved in the illegal logging business are members of the government or the armed forces, he said.

Seng Sok Heng is another critic of the Cambodian government. He said he thinks some law enforcement agents will continue accepting money and permit the smuggling to continue.

He's said, Its too little, too late now. Such action should have been taken much earlier.

Im Jonathan Evans.

Radio Free Asia and the Associated Press reported on this story. Dan Friedell adapted the story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

What do you think about the illegal logging? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

smuggle  v. something valuable (such as money) that is given in order to get someone to do something

bribe  n. something valuable (such as money) that is given in order to get someone to do something

offend  v. to cause (a person or group) to feel hurt, angry, or upset by something said or done

persist  v. to continue to do something or to try to do something even though it is difficult or other people want you to stop

timber  n. trees that are grown in order to produce wood

vulnerable  adj. open to attack, harm, or damage

log  v. to cut down trees in an area for wood
TWIN FALLS  Security concerns and tight-fitting clothing postponed the third day of testimony Friday in the trial of Dwayne Lee McCormick, a Twin Falls man charged with robbing and beating Tigre Darin Martinez hours before Martinez was found dead in May 2015.

Friday had shaped up to be an important day for McCormick, 33, and his defense attorney, Steven McRae, as they were set to question Nate Silvester, the lead investigator in the death of the 45-year-old Martinez. Much of McCormicks case rests on whether Silvester and other Twin Falls Police acted inappropriately in securing McCormicks confession that he helped rob and beat Martinez on May 26, 2015.

But instead of jurors hearing McRae cross-examine Silvester, they were called into an empty courtroom Friday morning with just District Judge Richard Bevan and his staff.

Unfortunately today weve had an issue at the courthouse come up that we cant hold court, Bevan told the jurors, being purposely vague so as not to prejudice McCormick. We have to cancel today.

The issue? McCormick, who is in jail custody, is being allowed to wear street clothes during the trial so the jury isnt prejudiced by knowing hes in custody. But an ankle monitor he was wearing the first two days was inoperable Friday, so court security wanted him to wear a rack-belt. But McCormick refused, with McRae arguing his clients clothes fit too tight already and the belt would be visible to jurors.

Case law is clear that if it is visible, thats cause for a new trial, Bevan said outside the presence of the jury. Were trying to do this right so we only do this once.

To ensure the jury would have no inkling about the reason for the delay, Bevan asked everyone but the bailiff and the court staff to leave the room, including both attorneys. He then offered the jury his vague explanation.

Bevan was clearly concerned the jurors will have four days away from the case  the trial wont start again until Tuesday morning  and he reminded them theyre not to discuss the case, read about it or look it up online.

He left them with what could be considered either a motivational rallying cry or a guilt trip.

You may have noticed that as you come and go from the courtroom, we stand for you, Bevan told the jury of eight men and six women. The reason for that is youre judges just like I am. Youre judges of the facts of this case, and so youve taken a very comprehensive oath to judge this case fairly and objectively. And so we rely on you and your honor to uphold that oath. So I just encourage you this weekend to please remember what I said today and avoid any of the things I just talked about.
TWIN FALLS  As a 17-year-old, McKenley Howard took some of the most rigorous classes offered at the College of Southern Idaho.

On Friday, her hard work paid off. She earned an associate degree in liberal arts  about a week before she graduates from high school.

Its impressive, but theres even more to the story.

McKenley was in CSIs honors program, and worked two jobs to pay for her own living expenses in Twin Falls and for college tuition. And shes valedictorian at Carey School.

Its encouraging to see a high school student plugged in with college coursework and campus life, said Karrie Hornbacher, dual credit coordinator at CSI. It has been a little bit gratifying.

McKenley said she enjoys having a larger friend group and getting involved in CSI activities.

She doesnt think of herself as a high school student anymore. And neither do her CSI classmates.

Most people dont realize Im a high school student, she said Tuesday. She was wrapping up finals this week for her CSI classes.

McKenley was among at least 350 students who participated in CSIs graduation ceremonies Friday. In total, 981 students applied for graduation.

A change this year: CSI held two ceremonies to alleviate safety and overcrowding issues.

At the 10 a.m. ceremony, graduates from the following majors were honored: biology, computer science, physical education, K-12 education, health science programs, engineering, mathematics, chemistry, geology, pharmacy and physics. Retired CSI dean Mark Sugden was keynote speaker.

The 4 p.m. ceremony, which McKenley participated in, was for graduates from all other CSI programs. Longtime entertainer Danny Marona was the keynote speaker.

Taking college classes while in high school is a huge commitment and responsibility, Hornbacher said.

Only a handful of south-central Idaho students earn an associate degree by the time they graduate from high school.

McKenley was also highly involved at CSI, in addition to taking classes.

She was a college ambassador, which entailed going to campus events and leading tours. McKenley was also an outdoor adventure representative, going on trips across Idaho and Utah.

It just makes me so happy and so excited that shes representing the college, and to know her back story with that, Hornbacher said.

The journey to Carey

In November 2013, McKenleys family moved from Oviedo, Fla., northwest of Orlando, to Carey.

They wanted to be closer to family in the western United States and McKenleys aunt lives in Carey. McKenleys father found a job with St. Lukes.

It was different, but it was good, McKenley said about her new school. She arrived as a 14-year-old ninth grader.

In Florida, she was a competitive swimmer, practicing from 5-8 a.m., going to school and then practicing again from 3-7 p.m.

McKenley said moving to Carey allowed her to have a chance to breathe and enjoy life.

But she didnt exactly relax. She went to work completing college classes.

I took pretty much everything

The small school setting in Carey opened up many doors for the teenager, Hornbacher said, and allowed her get one-on-one attention.

Using state money to help pay for college credits, McKenley started taking dual credit classes through CSI and the Idaho Digital Learning Academy.

McKenley decided during fall of her junior year she wanted to earn an associate degree by the time she graduated from high school.

She already had an eye on out-of-state universities and thought theyd be more likely to accept an associate degree rather than individual classes.

McKenley started taking CSI classes during fall 2015 at Carey High School, either in person or online. I took pretty much everything offered, she said.

She also finished nearly all of her high school graduation requirements by the spring of her junior year. The exceptions: senior math and a senior project.

For her senior project, McKenley worked with the Idaho Department of Education to create videos and stories about dual credit offerings.

She was also on a panel for a state advanced opportunities conference in August in Boise.

After exhausting many of their dual credit options, two girls from Carey School  McKenley and Madison Virgil  started taking classes at CSIs campus in Twin Falls.

Virgil also earned an associate degree from CSI this semester.

How did she pay

for college?

When she started fall semester, McKenley commuted from Carey to CSIs Twin Falls campus. But later, she rented a house with roommates in Twin Falls.

She works two jobs to pay for her own living and college expenses.

Of the $130 per credit, $75 of it was covered by the Idaho Department of Educations Advanced Opportunities program for high schoolers.

McKenley paid the rest of the cost, plus textbooks and rent, by herself without additional government aid or scholarships.

She said she can receive help from her parents, but tries not to. Im pretty independent.

McKenley has two jobs: as a bookkeeper twice a week in Carey and doing online accounting for a start-up certified public accounting firm based in Twin Falls.

The next track of her life

In late May, McKenley heads to Austria, where shell study biomedical engineering at the University of Vienna.

I really wanted to travel for the summer, she said, but wanted to use the time productively. Shell stay with a host family in Austria.

McKenley plans to return to the United States in the fall to pursue a bachelors degree.

She hasnt decided where shell transfer, but her top choices are Florida International University, Arcadia University and Colorado State University.

The schools Im looking at transferring to are not small, she said.

McKenley plans to study biomedical engineering and is interested in cancer research.

Shes also learning more about 3D bioprinting of tissues and organs. Theres a lot going on there, she said. Its all brand new stuff.

Hornbacher said: Shes just ready to fly right onto the next track of her life.
The US government announced Thursday it had approved the sale of $2 billion worth of arms to the United Arab Emirates.

The State Department approved the sale of 60 Patriot Advanced Capability 3 missiles and 100 Patriot Guidance Enhanced-Tactical (GEM-T) missiles to the UAE, said the Defense Security Cooperation Agency in a statement.

The UAE government has requested the possible sale of 60 Patriot PAC-3 missiles with canisters made by Lockheed Martin and 100 Patriot guidance enhanced missiles made by Raytheon, among other military equipment, said the Agency, which oversees Americas foreign arms sales, in the statement.

It said the proposed sale would contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by improving the security of an important ally which has been, and continues to be, a force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East.

Congress was informed of the sale Wednesday, the statement said, noting that the package will also include US government- and contractor-provided technical, engineering and logistics support services.

The sale will enhance interoperability with US forces and increase security, the statement said, underscoring that these missiles will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The UAE was the second-biggest destination for American arms exports from 2012 to 2016, ranking only behind Saudi Arabia, according to the Stockholm International Peace Institute, which tracks information on weapons transfers.

The wealthy Gulf state was the third biggest weapons importer worldwide during that same period, following India and Saudi Arabia.

The statement on the arms sale was released just few days after the White House announced last Tuesday that US President Donald Trump will meet with Abu Dhabi crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Washington on Monday, May 15.

Washington sees the visit as an opportunity to deepen cooperation with a key partner in the Middle East, the White House said.

The meeting with Sheikh Mohammed, who is also Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, will take place a week before the US President departs for his first foreign trip since he took power. The trip will take him to Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Vatican.
Chicken will be the best-positioned protein due to its low price position in times of pressure on consumer spending power but rises in production costs and the long-term impact of COVID-19 threaten to disrupt the sector, according to Rabobank.
BUILDING THE LA RAZA 'The Race' WELFARE STATE ON MIDDLE AMERICAS' BACKS: Months ago, the Biden administration publicly defended their proposal to begin providing federal identification cards to border crossers and illegal aliens who they plan to release into American communities. The goal of the proposal is to make securing public benefits easier.
Here's a celebration of one day in the week, the kids with the father, a brownie for breakfast, everything right with the world. January O'Neil lives in Massachusetts, and this poem first appeared in RATTLE. Her most recent book is Misery Islands (Cavankerry Press, 2014).

***

You are the start of the week

or the end of it, and according

to The Beatles you creep in

like a nun. You're the second

full day the kids have been

away with their father, the second

full day of an empty house.

Sunday, I've missed you. I've been

sitting in the backyard with a glass

of Pinot waiting for your arrival.

Did you know the first Sweet 100s

are turning red in the garden,

but the lettuce has grown

too bitter to eat. I am looking

up at the bluest sky I have ever seen,

cerulean blue, a heaven sky

no one would believe I was under.

You are my witness. No day

is promised. You are absolution.

You are my unwritten to-do list,

my dishes in the sink, my brownie

breakfast, my braless day.
BILLINGS  United States Vice President Mike Pence declared "the war on coal" over Friday after touring a Crow Indian coal mine on horseback and meeting with stakeholders.

"I just want to assure you that this administration is absolutely determined to continue to expand the opportunities to develop American energy in an environmentally responsible way," Pence said.

The vice president gathered with Crow tribal leaders and coal supporters at Absaloka Mines headquarters on the Crow Reservation.

The mine is operated by Westmoreland Coal under lease with the Crow. Pence spent the afternoon at the mine before returning to Billings for an evening rally at MetraPark to support Republican U.S. House candidate Greg Gianforte, who was not part of the mine visit.

The visit was all cowboys and coal with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, Montana's U.S. representative before joining President Donald Trump's Cabinet in March, leading Pence and a dozen riders through a grassy mine reclamation area.

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., was in the posse. The horsemen trotted to a hilltop to overlook a rolling, spring green, landscape, then clustered around Pence and Carlson "Duke" Goes Ahead, Crow vice chairman.

Goes Ahead told Pence that coal was crucial to more than the Crow economy.

"Our coal has impacted all the surrounding areas, Billings, Hardin; it impacts their economies, too," Goes Ahead said.

The vice chairman said federal coal policy, particularly the Indian Coal Production Tax Credit, which is at perpetual risk of expiring, needed better support. After staying on the books for several years the tax credit expired in 2013. Since then, Congress has retroactively renewed the credit at the end of the year, but the uncertainly of the tax credit's status has been discouraging for Westmoreland.

On the Crow Indian Reservation  where state labor statistics suggest unemployment is 25 percent  households with coal mining income can earn more than $70,000 a year. The coal income tax credit gave Westmoreland Coal Co. $2.26 for every ton of coal it mined.

"The expiration of that tax credit made it a lot more difficult for us to invest in this mine," said Kevin Paprzycki, Westmorelands CEO.

Daines told Pence there was a bill in the Senate to make the tax credit permanent. He introduced the bill with Montana's Democratic senator, Jon Tester, in April.

The tax credit lowers the production price of Absaloka Mine coal, which keeps the mine viable.

The coal mined by Westmoreland under lease with the Crow Tribe fuels the Sherburne County Generating Station, or SHERCO plant, in Becker, Minnesota.

Pence's visit to Montana was the first by a current vice president since Dick Cheney visited Billings in 2006 to campaign for former U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg. It wasn't lost on Daines that the visit started in Crow country.

"The plane landed today in Billings and the very first stop of the vice president to Montana was to Crow country and to coal country and this says a lot," Daines said. "The administration is thinking about the future. Montana has more recoverable coal than any state in the United States. There's tremendous potential here and it's a lifeblood right now for the Crow Tribe. They say coal keeps the lights on, I tell you it's lights out for the Crow Tribe if we lose these coal jobs."

As Interior secretary, Zinke oversees natural resource leasing on federal lands, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, national parks and conservation.

Friday, from the moment he arrived on the tarmac at Billings Logan International Airport, Zinke emphasized the importance of energy development, to national parks and the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

LWCF dollars are federal funds available to states for improvements that benefit outdoor recreation. The funds received by Montana are typically split between improvements at state park sites and a grant program to benefit outdoor recreation facilities in Montana communities. The money comes from federal offshore oil and gas drilling revenue.

"If you go back to 2008, we made $18 billion in offshore," Zinke said of federal oil revenue. "Last year, we were $2.6 billion. We've lost per year, about $15.5 billion in revenue.

"So the next time someone talks about the Park Service being $12 billion behind in infrastructure and maintenance, I can tell you $15.5 billion in revenue pays for a lot of maintenance. And the LWCF program, which everyone loves in Montana, that's where it gets the funds."

Zinke said the United States needs to develop all of its energy options.

Earlier this year, at Trump's directive, the Interior secretary lifted the moratorium on coal leasing. The moratorium was initiated by the Obama administration so it could study whether the public was getting a fair price for its coal through royalty payments. Coal's environmental impacts were also to be studied.

Coal has been in an economic slump for more than two years, as U.S. power plants switch to cheap natural gas and a global market glut makes shipping U.S. coal abroad unprofitable. One planned Montana coal mine failed after Arch Coal filed for bankruptcy. Other Montana coal companies ceased coal exports after market prices fell too low to cover shipping costs.

Last August, the Crow Legislature agreed to cut the tribes share of profits from tribal coal mined by Westmoreland, a move the coal company said was needed to keep the mine running.

Westmoreland had informed the tribe that the mining company was prepared to terminate its lease by last Oct. 17 unless the Crow agreed to a coal pay cut. The letter cited a plan to reduce tribal payments in order to maintain the economic viability of the Absaloka Mine.

Worried the mine would close, the Crow Legislature agreed to lower Westmorelands payment of the Tribal Severance Tax by 85 cents a ton. It then agreed to cut the amount Westmoreland paid in the Tribal Gross Proceeds Tax by 40 cents a ton.

Declining coal revenue has cut Crow government funding significantly. There have been layoffs as the tribe deals with the coal economy downturn.
High school graduates from Butte striving to be first-generation college graduates have Montana Tech on their side.

The Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation and Montana Resources announced Friday a $597,000 gift to Tech to create a four-year academic scholarship for three high school graduates from Butte over the next three years: 2018, 2019, and 2020.

The Montana Resources Opportunity Scholarship  worth $16,600 every year over four years  will go toward tuition, books, room and board, and fees for a needs-based student who wants to be the first in their family, including parents, to earn a college degree.

Butte High and Butte Central High graduates are eligible to apply for what amounts to a renewable full-ride scholarship.

Built into the scholarships is plenty of hands-on, personable, one-on-on support, Amy Verlanic told The Montana Standard. She is executive director for the Institute for Educational Opportunities at Tech.

We know that 77 percent of families in Butte do not have a college education, Verlanic said at the announcement ceremony Friday.

Also, 23 percent of Butte families live in poverty, so Butte has a "significant number of low-income, first-generation students," according to Upward Bound data.

Those moms and dads who live in Butte are tough, and theyre strong, and they care greatly about their kids future, but academic lingo and the timeline for college-prep activities can be daunting to them because its something theyre not experienced at," she said.

Enter the federally funded TRiO Upward Bound and Talent Search programs, which provide ongoing extra support for such students in grades seven through 12 whose parents worked the mines, for example, and who were not required to pursue higher education for a job.

Collectively, those two programs have served first-generation students at Butte High now for about 10 years, so we have a built-in way to identify the students who receive these scholarships  and to make sure we are meeting students their senior year, added Verlanic.

She said she and her staff are grateful to Montana Resources and the Washington Foundation for bringing money to something that has been a problem that Tech has been preparing for and addressing for a long, long time.

Part of the puzzle is figuring out which students meet the needs-based criteria.

For example, TRiO Coordinator Matt Sargent works daily at Butte High and East Middle School instructing eligible students in how to prepare for college.

We work with them starting in sixth grade, said Verlanic. Matt works to identify the best and brightest first-generation students in Butte.

Theresa Rader, who runs the Student Success Program in Verlanics department, zones in on increasing retention and graduation rates, too.

We provide strategies for students and make them proud of who they are, added Verlanic. We celebrate their origins and bring them into the Montana Tech community with a sense of inclusiveness.

Joe McClafferty, president of the Montana Tech Foundation, who opened the press conference, said the endowment will grow, as it already has $300,000 set aside for future scholarships beyond the initial $597,000 allotted.

Were going to build on this, McClafferty said. This is the genesis of it. We have plenty of supporters who have already sponsored and donated to the fund. We are going to build it to have 20 or 30 Butte kids coming up here to Montana Tech.

He referenced EDsmarts 2016 report that ranked Tech the number-one college of 40 in advancing Americas economic progress  based on alumni salaries and tuition fees, percentage of graduates, and percentage of low-income students, among other markers.

If we can advance the U.S. economy, we sure as spitfire can advance Montana Techs economy  and we can do that through education, added McClafferty.

Montana Resources has been a staple of the Butte economy since 1986, continuing the copper and molybdenum mining tradition.

MR employs about 350, including many Tech graduates, according to a Tech press release announcing the scholarships.

"Montana Resources wouldn't be what it is today without the support of the Butte community," said MR President Rolin Erickson. "And we are honored to have the opportunity to help open the door to college for Butte youth."
A federal disability rights trial against a Bozeman landlord expected to finish on Friday was extended to next week after the plaintiffs case rested Friday afternoon.

Bozeman landlord Jaclyn Katz is being sued by former tenant Kristen Newman for housing discrimination after she said Katz coerced her into a lease, forced her to pay an illegal pet deposit for an exempted service animal, and threatened to evict her when she brought up her civil rights.

The U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division and Montana Fair Housing are also plaintiffs in the case.

The trial began with the completion of witness testimony from plaintiff Kristen Newman through examination by defense attorney David Gallik.

When Gallik asked Newman if she was seeking punitive damages -- a line of questioning U.S. District Judge Sam Haddon had previously warned against -- Haddon cleared the jury from the courtroom and rebuked Gallik for disobedience. Haddon put Gallik on notice for improper conduct and said if the defense attorney continued his "reckless" behavior, Haddon would declare a mistrial and pursue sanctions against him.

During direct examination, Gallik asked Newman how the deposit for her service dog Riley denied her the opportunity to use and enjoy the apartment she was renting from Katz.

Newman compared requiring the deposit for Riley to requiring a deposit for a wheelchair, saying that the service animal is medically necessary and that the whole process created crippling stress. She said Katz was hostile to her about her civil rights guaranteed under the law.

After Newman was excused, Montana Fair Housing executive director Pam Bean testified that in 2011 Katz attended a workshop put on by her organization that instructed landlords in disability and fair housing regulations. Bean said Katz was taught fees cannot be charged for disability accommodations, with the specific example given at the workshop of pet deposits for service animals.

Montana Fair Housing is a plaintiff in the case, and Gallik questioned Bean at length over how she came up with the nearly $46,000 in claims the organization seeks from Katz. Bean said the amount was based on the organization's hourly wage as well as missed grant opportunities due to workload, though misunderstandings between Bean and Gallik left the answer indeterminate.

Bean testified that although it is the tenants job to inform their landlord of a disability, it is the landlord's responsibility to request disability documentation if they do not believe their renter. She said Katz's application of a pet deposit to a service animal was housing discrimination based on disability.

When the plaintiffs tried to call their next witness via a previously recorded deposition, the jury was dismissed while the court tried and failed to increase the volume to an appropriate level. Comparing the full video record to the cut-down deposition transcript, Haddon demanded the video be re-cut to remove all other sections of the deposition not submitted.

Unable to do so, the plaintiffs instead tried to go off their copy of the deposition transcript, but it also differed from Haddon's filed copy, incensing him further. Haddon said it was the plaintiff's job to be ready for trial and called the episode "yet another example of the failure to meet that obligation" and "a surprise and a disappointment."

Haddon returned to his chambers while the plaintiffs sorted things out, and when he returned, the plaintiffs rested their case.

Gallik said the defense would need six hours for witness examination, and so Haddon called in the jury and told them the trial would continue next week. The defense will state its case Monday, and closing statements are set for Tuesday.
DEER LODGE  The Deer Lodge Historic Preservation Commission will host The Mullan Road Conference on May 19 through 21 at the Rialto Theatre and Masonic Temple.

To attend, register online at historicdeerlodgemt.com/2017-mullan-road-conference or by contacting Shana at the Old Prison Museum, 406-846-3111. Cost of the conference is $95; single-day admission is available. Registration deadline for the Saturday night dinner is May 15, and the bus for the field trip is limited to the first 40 people.

Saturdays program will include a number of subjects related to the Mullan Road survey and construction, labor force, mapping of historic routes, statues and their repair, and information about the Yellowstone Trail and a talk by noted Montana adventure and exploration author Peter Stark.

Tara Foote, a graduate student from Eastern Washington University, will speak about her work on the procedures needed to achieve National Trail designation for the Mullan Road.

A presentation about the American Fork along the Mullan Road will be part of the Saturday evening reception and dinner.

A field trip on Sunday will take participants to American Fork (Gold Creek) and Drummond. Lunch will be served.

The Mullan Road was the first wagon road to cross the Rocky Mountains to the Inland Northwest and was built to meet the need of moving military personnel and supplies.

On March 15, 1858, the War Department issued orders for construction of a road, and Army Lt. John Mullan, 2d Artillery, was given the order to explore, locate, and construct the military road from Fort Walla-Walla on the Columbia River in Washington Territory to Fort Benton on the upper Missouri river in Dakota Territory  a task that took from March 1858 to September 1862.

Local points along the Mullan Road in Powell County include Elliston, Deer Lodge, and Gold Creek (American Fork). A monument commemorating the Mullan Road and Lt. John Mullan is located on the courthouse lawn at the corner of Missouri and Fourth St. in Deer Lodge.

Portions of the Mullan Road, which approximately follows modern-day Interstate 15 and Interstate 90 through Montana, Idaho, and Washington, can still be traveled.
MISSOULA  The first thing you need to know about tigers: They like to eat bears.

The second thing: Theyre best studied in Missoula, Montana.

Despite being half a planet away from the nearest wild tiger habitat, experts from Bhutan, China and Russia have come to the University of Montana to sharpen their wildlife biology skills.

Two weeks ago, Tshering Tempa became the first student from Bhutan to complete a doctoral degree at UM. Dina Mathiukina is a senior research biologist at the Land of the Leopard National Park near Vladivostok studying Amur tigers and Amur leopards (a big cat even more endangered than tigers). And Wenhong Xiao is a post-doctoral researcher just across the border monitoring the Amur tigers that prowl between China and Russia.

Despite combined decades of tiger studies, Tempa, Mathiukina and Xiao have seen just two wild tigers in their collective careers. Thanks to the innovation of camera traps, theyve documented thousands of images of tiger behavior and population change. And thats occasionally revealed how close they are to the predator they never see.

I came to check a camera trap, and saw a pawprint, Tempa said of one occasion. When we checked the pictures, we saw we were 30 seconds apart.

Mathiukina logged both of the personal sightings, but agreed the scariest tigers are the ones she cant see. She once found tiger tracks in the snow near one of her cameras that went from walking to leaping  indicating the 400-pound cat changed behavior because of her presence.

It was the most stressful moment in my life, Mathiukina recalled. I was swearing loudly, following the tracks in the snow, banging sticks together.

Tigers prey mainly on local deer species and wild pigs, but UM wildlife biology professor Mark Hebblewhite said biologists have confirmed they regularly attack bears. In Russia's Far East forests, that includes the big, salmon-eating bears similar to North American grizzlies, said Hebblewhite, who has worked extensively with the multinational tiger crew.

Bhutan has only recently become recognized as a place with productive tiger habitat. Thanks to Tempas investigations, the Himalayan nation just east of India and Nepal can document between 90 and 103 tigers. India has more tigers in total, but few places with more than 50 in one community. Thats important to ensure good genetic diversity and avoid in-breeding.

Russia has about 520 tigers in its Far East regions. China has about 30, up from just six a decade ago.

Preserving tigers in places where ever-increasing numbers of humans reside means different things in different places. In Russia, a tradition of hunting makes them the ultimate trophy. In China, tiger poaching feeds a booming black market for traditional medicines and status symbols. In Bhutan, a predominantly Buddhist nation, strong prohibitions against killing clash with farmers need to defend herds and flocks from predation.

All that gets complicated by the relatively small body of knowledge available on tigers. Tempa raised many eyebrows when his tracking surveys showed one tiger traveling from the Bhutan lowlands a few hundred feet above sea level to mountainsides almost 15,000 feet up.

Xiao contends with the social upheaval accompanying the Chinese governments creation of a 3.7-million-acre national park dedicated to tiger preservation that resulted in the displacement of thousands of human residents.

It can be very hard to work with people, Mathiukina said. The scientific world is happy to have tigers. But how do you explain the need to kill tigers in order to control their numbers? Most Russians arent Buddhist. We have a strong hunting culture, while China doesnt.

So why come to Montana? Because Montana has deep roots in tiger studies. Big Hole Valley ranchers son John Seidensticker was the first person to successfully trap and radio-collar a wild tiger, after training on mountain lions and grizzly bears with famous UM biologists John Craighead and Morris Hornacker, along with Siberian tiger expert Dale Miquelle. Years of experience with charismatic megafauna and human interaction make UM a natural place for similar research.

UMs wildlife biology program is well-versed in the techniques of population estimation, DNA analysis, and predator-prey dynamics that explain how a species thrives or fades in its environment. Those methods are in demand anywhere a major predator clings to the edge of growing human community.

On his office wall at UM, Hebblewhite has a copy of a Roman mosaic depicting a tiger, recalling how the ancient empire used to import the cats for gladiator battles in the Coliseum. Tigers once roamed the mountains of Greece and Turkey, as well as the jungles of Java and Laos. Today, theyve been eliminated from 93 percent of their historic range, just as grizzly bears have in North America.

If you can successfully trap and immobilize an 800-pound grizzly bear, you have portable skills, said Hebblewhite. We dont know much about tigers, but we know how to catch things. And the methods have come together here for the science we need to count both bears and tigers.
Bleubeard and I welcome you

Art, including the journey, background techniques, sewing on both paper and fabric, new experiments, photos, failures, and successes will be shared on this site. I have removed my e-mail address until such time as I can get it to work again. Thank you for understanding. You can always leave a note on my blog and I will visit you.



Please check out my Previous Collaborations link above to see what projects I have been involved in over the past 12 years. Current and ongoing projects only are shown below.



Occasionally, Silent Sunday will showcase photos of my home, neighborhood, or community. A picture is often worth a thousand words.



Feel free to drop by every second Thursday of the month for my Second Thursday Tutorials. They are interspersed with my other Tutorials found at the link page above.


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 []
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Napa County will debut a new diorama at the state capitol at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

All 58 California counties have displays behind glass that visitors walking through the capitol hallways can see.

Napa County in late 2015 decided to refurbish its offering and chose local artist Afsoon Razavi-Rubissow for the task after a competition.

Razavi-Rubissow created a three-dimensional look at vineyards, hot air balloons and the Napa River.

Its the Napa County landscape in layers, looking like a cross between a photograph and a painting.

A small LED screen will rotate about 40 photographs showing slices of Napa County life, from the Calistoga Fourth of July parade to the Grape Crusher statue.

County Library Director Danis Kreimeier said the diorama depicts the beauty, bounty and nature that is Napa County.

She made a short presentation about the upcoming diorama installation to the Napa County Board of Supervisors last Tuesday.

Napa Valley Vintners and Napa County each contributed $5,000 to create the new diorama.
(Natural News) Scientists have urged those in the Northeastern United States to prepare for a rise in Lyme disease cases this year. The forecast comes at the heels of a population surge among white-footed mice which serve as hosts for Lyme-bearing ticks, USAToday.com reported. Scientists trace the upsurge in ticks to an acorn abundance in 2015, which caused the mice boom, which then caused the tick boom.

The surge in infected ticks is seen to last into the early summer, putting humans at greater risk for the infectious disease. Lyme disease is caused by the borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, which is acquired by ticks mostly from the mice who carry the bacteria. It takes 36 to 48 hours of latching before the bacteria can be transmitted to humans, and early detection greatly reduces the impact of the disease. Conversely, if left untreated, it can lead to severe health problems. Lyme disease detection and diagnosis are notoriously tricky, as the diseases symptoms are highly similar to other afflictions and testing during the early stages is often unreliable.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), early signs and symptoms of Lyme disease that may occur from three to 30 days after the bite include:

Fever

Chills

Headache

Fatigue

Muscle and joint pain

Swollen lymph nodes

A rash called Erythema migrans (EM) that resembles a bullseye.

Meanwhile, later signs and symptoms which may appear days to months after the bite include:

Severe headaches and stiff neck

Additional EM rashes

Joint pain and swelling particularly in the knee and other large joints

Facial palsy

Heart palpitations

Dizziness or shortness of breath

Brain and spinal cord inflammation

Nerve pain, shooting pains, numbness, or tingling in hands or feet

Short-term memory problems

Irregular pain in tendons, muscles, joints, and bones

CDC statistics reveal that around 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are recorded every year, though studies suggest that the number of people diagnosed with Lyme disease may be closer to 300,000.

Preventing Lyme disease

With few treatment options available apart from taking oral antibiotics, prevention may be the best cure. LymeDisease.org listed several ways to defend against the illness.

Avoiding the natural habitat of ticks is key; activities that involve being near dried leaves, grass, bushes, and logs can put one at a high risk for getting bitten. Covering up with long pants, long-sleeved shirts, closed shoes, and socks is another way to avoid getting bitten by ticks. Additionally, wearing light clothes can make it easier to spot ticks before they can get to you. Treating clothes and shoes with permethrin is also known to keep Lyme-infected ticks at bay, as well as putting repellent on exposed skin.

The organization also recommended periodically checking your clothes and skin for ticks, brushing off what you can and removing any ticks that are attached. Taking a shower as soon as you get home is a good way to check for rogue ticks and wash away those that have not been attached. While in the shower, pay attention to places such as the groin, armpits, back of knees, bellybutton, and scalp as ticks may be hiding there. Any unusual bumps may also be an embedded tick.

It is important to kill any ticks that may have entered your home with you, so run your outside clothes through a hot dryer for 10 minutes to kill any that may have latched. Consider that cats and dogs can be tick carriers as well, so talk to your vet about protecting them too.

If youve found that a tick has bitten you, remove it immediately with fine-point tweezers or a tick-removing tool. Be sure not to squeeze, twist, squash, or burn it. Take hold of the tick as close to the skin as possible, and pull it out with a steady pressure. Make sure to disinfect the bite and your hands. Save the tick for testing, making note of the date and size of the bite, and how long the tick was attached.

Sources include:

USAToday.com

CDC.gov 1

CDC.gov 2

LymeDisease.org
(Natural News) Nuclear experts have called it an underground Chernobyl waiting to happen, and now the Hanford Nuclear Reservation 200 miles outside of Seattle has gone into lockdown after a tunnel filled with highly contaminated nuclear waste collapsed. Around 4,800 people working there were instructed to either evacuate or take cover. As the situation intensified, they were advised by a manager to secure the ventilation in their buildings and avoid eating or drinking.

According to officials, a patch of ground above the tunnel collapsed. Initial reports placed the collapsed area at around 16 square feet, but this was later revised to a far more concerning 400 square feet.

The tunnels were originally built during the mid-1990s to hold rail cars filled with radioactive equipment and are made out of wood and concrete. They span hundreds of feet in length and are covered by around eight feet of soil. The area of the collapse is near the junction of two such tunnels. The tunnel where the collapse occurred contains just eight rail cars, while the adjoining one holds 28 rail cars, all loaded with nuclear waste.

The massive plant, which is around half the size of the state of Rhode Island, made plutonium for the U.S. arsenal of nuclear weapons for decades. It contains four-fifths of all of the spent nuclear fuel rods in the nation. A private contractor has been cleaning up the site, which contains 56 million gallons of nuclear and chemical waste in hundreds of underground tanks.

Skepticism about safety of site

While officials have said that there are no signs of a radiological release, the facility does contain radiological contamination and has been a cause of concern for years. The fact that robots were sent in to check the contamination on the ground and in the air is only compounding fears. You might recall that in the immediate aftermath of the Fukushima meltdown, the Japanese government told people that there was no need to worry, and look at how that turned out!

Workers are now filling up the hole with soil after crews spent the night creating a gravel road to accommodate heavy equipment. It is believed that it will take around 50 truckloads of soil to stabilize the part of the tunnel in question. A misting machine has been brought in to keep dust down, but workers are donning protective suits and masks, as an extra safety precaution. There are concerns that the wind could suck some of the materials out of the tunnel and bring them out into the environment.

Prior to the collapse, the tanks were leaking radioactive vapors and toxic chemicals that are being blamed for brain and lung damage as well as cancer. In March 2014, 26 plant workers were hospitalized with health problems in just a two-week period. A former truck driver at the site suffered severe injuries after coming into contact with leaked radiation there, and he says officials knew about the spill but did nothing to stop him from going there. He says that while the site has an official policy stating that workers should feel free to present their concerns to management, most are afraid of losing their jobs by speaking out. The firm that was tasked with managing the site at the time, CH2M Hill, was slapped with more than $300,000 in fines from the Department of Energy for a series of nuclear safety violations.

Sources include:

King5.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

Independent.co.uk

SeattleTimes.com
(Natural News) Data mining is not limited to the National Security Agencys (NSA) tracking, storing and analyzing all of our emails, phone calls, bank and financial transactions, health records, and social media posts. But the Deep State is much more keen to uncover what they define as clandestine actions, as opposed to collecting data to sell us shiny new smart refrigerators or Kohler robotic toilets. Collecting personal data for target marketing has developed into a multi-billion dollar enterprise tagging specific population groups to buy what theyre selling. For example, Entrepreneur suggests that when you market to 74 million retiring baby boomers, you should remember that they still like to read. Millennials, on the other hand, are more enticed by todays on-demand minimalist trends.

But baby boomers and millennials are adults with the ability to turn off their computer and make independent decisions. For the millions of children attending public schools, this is not the case. This younger generation is fully immersed into a Big Data collection system while they sit with computers at their desks, reports Pulse.com. This invasive system is part and parcel of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and claims entitlement to constant data from our children, including psychological data, handsomely profiting corporations and government but destroying the privacy and the student-teacher interaction, all without evidence of effectiveness.

The mandate to collect massive amounts of the K-12 student data is light years beyond the old school methods when instructors merely kept track of test scores, after-school activities, progress notes and if one was missing class due to a measles outbreak. In their unabated desire to measure the students personal, physical, psychological, emotional and performance data, the entire classical model of learning  defined as teaching by human beings, plus focus on handwriting, classic literature, standard algorithms, and actual content knowledge, is being destroyed, along with any thought of privacy.

The photograph below shows how an online learning system can gather data from four different modalities used by a student. It originally appeared in a 2013 report by the U.S. Department of Educations Office of Technology (USOT) called Promoting Grit, Tenacity and Perseverance: Critical Factors for Success in the 21st Century. The photograph has since been removed from the website, says Pulse.org, because parents were outraged.

As reported in Truthout.org, education has been betrayed by both Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama as they sought to transform schools from a public good to a private enterprise, answerable . . . to the imperatives of the marketplace. The size of this data mining market has been estimated by McKinsey Global, according to MissouriEducationWatchdog.org, and it ranges between $900 billion and $1.2 trillion in global economic value.

Jane Robbins, Esq., and a fellow at the American Principles Project, gave this presentation on the enormity of student data mining. But her greatest concern, found at 14:54, is what she believes to be a much deeper problem:

The government has deemed our children to be as little machines to be programmed or as human capital to be exploited. Progressives have yearned to do this for over a decade and now they have the technology to do it. Common Core standards, which diminish academic knowledge, are the passport to the progressive future.

There has been pushback, however. Indiana voted to replace Common Core in 2014. In January of 2017, Govtech.com reported that Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood filed suit against Google for illegally mining the data of Mississippi public-school students. The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) reports that a bill has been introduced in the Senate called The Protecting Student Privacy Act of 2017. And many parents and teachers seek alternative means of educating the children.

Sources:

Entrepreneur.com

ThePulse.com

Science.NaturalNews.com

TruthOut.org

MissouriEducationWatchdog.com

YouTube.com

GovTech.com

Epic.org

YouTube.com
In the efforts of promoting DIMDEX at large, the visit to IDEF is one among a series of official visits to international defence exhibitions. The DIMDEX delegations presence at such established defence and security events worldwide plays a vital role in reinforcing the position of DIMDEX and its importance in the naval and maritime security industry.



IDEF, being a renowned exhibition in the security and defence industry, is an important platform for DIMDEX to attend and interact with official VIP delegations and key defence industry influencers face-to-face. It also enables the DIMDEX committee to meet with the industry and key pavilion organisers to have first-hand knowledge of the cutting-edge designs and engineering advancements in the naval and security market. During the show, the delegation took full advantage of the opportunity to invite Turkish companies to maintain their significant participation at DIMDEX as the Turkey Pavilion has been one of the largest and most prominent international pavilion featured at DIMDEX for the past several editions.
In the Malacca Strait, RSS Formidable met up with ships from India, Indonesia, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Over in the South China Sea, RSS Stalwart rendezvoused with ships from Canada, France, Japan, Republic of Korea, Philippines, Thailand, the United States of America and Vietnam, while their sister ship RSS Supreme was joined by ships from Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, People's Republic of China, Indonesia, New Zealand and Russia. The ships conducted manoeuvring exercises and communication drills during the multinational group sails.



The 6th Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) Multilateral Sea Exercise (WMSX) was held in conjunction with the multinational group sails, as part of the pre-activity for the Singapore International Maritime Review (IMR). During the WMSX, the navies practiced the Code of Unplanned Encounters at Sea, following the use of the protocol in the WMSX in 2015.



These exercise serials enhanced interoperability and mutual understanding among the participating naval ships. Commenting on the navy-to-navy interactions, Commanding Officer of the 185 Squadron, Colonel Aaron Beng said, "Ahead of the Singapore IMR, we met up with the participating ships from numerous countries to conduct naval exercises in the South China Sea and Malacca Strait. The exercises were executed smoothly and professionally. This shows the level of operational cooperation between all the participating navies.".
US President Donald Trump has not yet made a decision on whether to send additional American troops to Afghanistan, according to an administration official. "The President wants to hear from our allies as well," said National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster at a White House on Friday briefing on Trump's upcoming trip to the Middle East and Europe. He added that Trump will discuss the issue with allies at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit in Brussels and Group 7 (G7) meeting in Sicily, Italy, later this month, Xinhua news agency reported. US media reported earlier that Trump would decide as soon as this weekend on whether or not to send hundreds of additional American troops to Afghanistan. Former President Barack Obama had planned to reduce the current number of 9,800 US troops in Afghanistan to some 5,500 by the end of 2015 and withdraw all troops by the end of 2016 when his presidency came to an end. However, given the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, the Obama administration repeatedly postponed the withdrawal. US National Intelligence Director Dan Coats warned on Thursday that the situation in Afghanistan would most likely deteriorate in the future even if the US and its allies offer more military aid. "The intelligence community assesses that the political and security situation in Afghanistan will almost certainly deteriorate through 2018 even with a modest increase in military assistance by the United States and its partners," said Coats at a Senate hearing. Currently, there are about 8,400 U.S. troops and another 5,000 NATO forces on the ground in Afghanistan to train and assist Afghan forces against the Taliban and conduct counter-terrorism missions. --IANS ksk ( 290 Words) 2017-05-13-10:56:09 (IANS)
Luxury brand Chanel has issued an apology after actress Gabourey Sidibe wrote about being racially profiled at one of their boutiques earlier this week. In their statement, the French fashion house expressed their 'sincerest regrets' over the incident, acknowledging that Sidibe's treatment was 'absolutely not in line' with Chanel's 'high standards', reports dailymail.co.uk. The apology comes after the "Empire" actress shared a candid essay about her unpleasant experience in Chanel's Chicago boutique, published on Tuesday on Lenny - a newsletter. The brand released a statement on Wednesday, writing: "Chanel expresses our sincerest regret for the boutique customer service experience that Ms. Sidibe mentioned in this essay. We are sorry that she felt unwelcome and offended. 'We took her words very seriously and immediately investigated to understand what happened, knowing that this is absolutely not in line with the high standards that Chanel wishes to provide to our customers. We are strongly committed to provide anyone who comes in our boutiques with the best customer service. We do hope that in the future Ms. Sidibe will choose to come back to a Chanel boutique and experience the real Chanel customer experience." Sidibe has shared that a salesperson left her feeling unwelcome and embarrassed in the Chicago shop. The actress said that the salesperson suggested that she should instead shop at the discount eyeglasses store across the road. --IANS sug/nv/bg ( 240 Words) 2017-05-13-14:06:09 (IANS)
Former US First Lady Michelle Obama slammed President Donald Trump's administration's decision to scale back school meal nutritional requirements, the media reported. "You have to stop and think...why don't you want our kids to have good food at school? What is wrong with you, and why is that a partisan issue?" Obama said on Friday night at the annual summit of the Partnership for a Healthier America, a non-profit that works with the private and public sectors to fight childhood obesity. "Why would that be political?", CNN quoted Obama as saying. Obama's comments come a little over a week after Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue signed a proclamation that relaxes standards for the upcoming school year in three key areas: whole grains, salt and milk. Under the proclamation, states will be able to grant exemptions to schools experiencing hardship in meeting the 100 per cent whole-grain-rich standard. Schools will no longer need to hit the strictest target for lowering sodium in foods offered to students and meal programmes will be able to serve students 1 per cent flavoured milk instead of fat-free flavoured milk. The policy change loosens school meal standards Obama advocated as First Lady through Let's Move!, her signature public health campaign aimed at combating childhood obesity, reports CNN. Obama emphasised that it was important to make sure parents think about the importance of healthy school lunches. "Moms, think about this," she said. "I don't care what state you live in. Take me out of the equation; like me, don't like me, but think about why someone is OK with your kids eating crap." Obama said she will continue to fight for the cause. "My commitment to these issues is real," she said, adding "I picked this issue because there was deep passion for it as a mother. ... I'm going to continue working on this." --IANS ksk ( 319 Words) 2017-05-13-08:40:12 (IANS)
Soon after the Delhi High Court ordered a probe into the National Herald case, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday suggested that the Congress party frontrunners Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi must disclose the profits recovered from the National Herald in a public space. "Rahul and Sonia are scared of being exposed in public. They have looted profits worth Rs. 5,000 crore off the National Herald and now with the probe being approved they are scared of coming out in public. They must confess their wealth in public as it will be good for the democracy," BJP leader GVL Narsimha Rao told ANI. Dubbing a similar opinion, BJP leader Sambit Patra said the 'scammers', who are out on bail would have to face dire consequences of misusing income tax provisions. "Sonia and Rahul have majorly scammed the Income Tax department and misused the provisions given to them on account of being a political party. This has come as another jolt to them," he said. The Delhi High Court on Friday gave its nod to an Income Tax probe into the matter. Earlier, the Patiala House Court had allowed investigation of income tax of the Gandhis, which was then challenged at the Delhi High Court. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy had filed an application in 2012, accusing Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul and others associated with the Congress of conspiring to cheat in the land deal. In his complaint, Swamy had alleged that the Congress granted an interest-free loan of Rs. 90.25 crore to the AJL, owner of the National Herald newspaper, established by Jawaharlal Nehru, which was either not repaid or repaid in case, which was in violation of Section 269T of the Income Tax Act, 1961. In August, the court issued notices to Sonia, Rahul and five others on Swamy's application seeking presentation of certain documents from Associated Journals Pvt. Ltd (AJL) and Indian National Congress (INC) in connection with the National Herald case. (ANI)
Islamabad will overrule the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) order to suspend the execution of alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, who was sentenced to death by a military court, Pakistan's local media reports said. According to Pakistan's local media reports, the Attorney General of Pakistan "was briefed on the issue on Friday and according to sources, Pakistan will deny jurisdiction of International Court of Justice (ICJ) over cases that have national stability at stake." Earlier, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, sent an urgent communication to Pakistan from the office of its President under Article 74 for Islamabad and New Delhi's cooperation till a decision is reached on the death sentence case of former Indian naval officer and alleged spy Khulbhushan Jadhav. Judge Ronny Abraham, the President of the ICJ, forwarded the urgent communication to both Pakistan and India . ICJ President Judge Abraham in his letter to Pakistan Prime MInister Nawaz Sharif, said, " In my capacity as President of the Court, and exercising the powers conferred upon me under Article 74 , Paragraph 4, of the rules, I call upon the parties concerned ie. Your Excellency's Government , pending the court's decision on the request for provisional measures, to act in such a way as will enable any order the court may make on this request to have its appropriate effects." The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will be holding public hearings in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case on May 15. Indian lawyer Harish Salve will argue the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav on New Delhi's behalf. Pakistan was caught by surprise when India move swiftly to ICJ and Islamabad received a midnight order that stayed the execution of Jadhav. The development came after India instituted proceedings against Pakistan, accusing the latter of "egregious violations of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations" in the matter of detention and trial of Jadhav, and sought a stay on his death sentence. Pakistan has denied consular access to Jadhav on 16 occasions. India earlier contended that it was not informed of Jadhav's detention until long after his arrest and that Pakistan had failed to inform the accused of his rights, an official release from the ICJ said. India submitted that it had information that Jadhav was "kidnapped from Iran, where he was carrying on business after retiring from the Indian Navy, and was then shown to have been arrested in Balochistan" on March 3, 2016, and that the Indian authorities were notified of that arrest on March 25, 2016. (ANI)
"Pakistan Army initiated indiscriminate firing and shelling on our positions on the LoC in the Naushera sector," Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta told IANS.

They are using small arms, automatics and mortars, he said.

"The firing started at 7.15 a.m. Our forces are effectively retaliating," Mehta added.

Fourteen families from border villages in the Naushera sector left their homes on Friday following indiscriminate shelling by Pakistani troops.

--IANS sq/ksk

( 102 Words)

2017-05-13-08:28:10 (IANS)
According to reports, Vivek's organistation has written a letter to the CRPF fraternity announcing the flats to the kin of the martyrs who laid their lives for the nation in different operations.

Reportedly, four flats have already been given to the families.

The organisation has released a list of the families that have been allotted the flat, as the rest of the list will be released soon.

Earlier, another celebrity Akshay Kumar has donated Rs 1.08 crore to the families of twelve slain jawans of the (CRPF).

The Jawans belonged to 219 battalion and they lost their lives in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district after a group of the Naxals' armed militia ambushed a road opening party (ROP) in the area's Bheji village on Saturday, March 11, 2017. (ANI)
"Pakistani Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars from 0715 hours along the Line of Control (LC) in Naushera sector," said an official statement.

Meanwhile, the Indian Army posts are retaliating strongly and effectively and the firing is presently on.

On Thursday, two Pakistan Army soldiers were injured in retaliatory firing from the Indian side post a ceasefire violation in the Nowshera sector.

A woman was killed and her husband was injured in the ceasefire violation. Pakistani troops reportedly fired 120 mm mortars early in the morning in the area.

More details to follow. (ANI)
The Janata Dal (United) on Saturday welcomed the Election Commission's move to conduct future elections through verifiable paper audit trails (VVPATs) along with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Speaking to ANI, JD (U) leader K.C. Tyagi said, "This is one of the issues we were pressing on. The Opposition welcomes this." JD (U) leader Sharad Yadav also said, "I welcome the decision taken by the Election Commission." During a meeting convened by the poll panel in which seven national parties and 35 state parties took part, Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi ensured 100 percent coverage of VVPATs in all future elections to the Parliament and State Assembly Elections. In the meeting, other issues were also covered including the alleged tampering of EVMs. The CEC referred the queries raised by some political parties about the incidents of alleged EVM manipulation at Bhind and Dholpur, during the recently concluded by-elections, and reiterated that baseless perceptions were generated about these incidents and there weren't any cases of biased vote results. The Commission highlighted the wide range of technical, administrative protocol and procedural safeguards that fortify the EVMs and the VVPATs against any sort of manipulation or tampering. He said the Commission is open to hear suggestions on how to further improve integrity and credibility of the EVMs. The CEC also informed the political representatives that the Commission would hold a challenge and offer opportunity to political parties to demonstrate that EVMs used in the recently concluded Assembly elections were tampered or that EVMs could be tampered even under the laid down technical and administrative safeguards. Zaidi urged the political parties to ensure their continuous and qualitative participation at all crucial preparatory steps for elections like FLC, randomisation of EVM/VVPAT/polling personnel, EVM preparation/candidate setting, mock poll, EVM sealing etc. The commission assured the political parties that their concerns and apprehensions regarding EVMs were taken note of and would be duly considered and addressed through forthcoming challenges and further necessary actions. (ANI)
In the aftermath of a suspected cow slaughterer beaten up by locals in the presence of the police, the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Saturday said within two months of the new government being formed, the law and order situation has been demolished in the state. Speaking to ANI here, Samajwadi Party leader Juhi Singh, while condemning the incident asserted that primarily, the police, who were witness to this need, should be punished. "All of a sudden, these so-called 'gaurakshaks' enter people's houses and beat them up. Police are standing there crippled instead of taking an action. The government's representatives need to very seriously consider reviewing the law and order situation in the state," she said. Subtly hinting at the inefficiency of the present Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Juhi further said during the Samajwadi Party Government, all constitutional arrangements were in place to make sure that people do not take law and order into their own hands. "Listen to the Prime Minister and your Chief Minister," Juhi urged the ministers, party workers and representatives. A furore was witnessed in a locality in Aligarh, when the residents came to know about the alleged slaughter of a buffalo in a house there. The locals reached the spot and brutally thrashed the man suspected to have been involved. Meanwhile, five people have been arrested in connection with the alleged slaughter. As per locals, the children saw blood flowing into the drain from the house, after which they informed the people. The locals then gathered around creating a ruckus and informed the police. "They had called a butcher for slaughtering buffalo," alleged an agitated local. In the video, the man can be seen assaulted by the police and the locals and is then forcefully escorted out of the house. "We got information that a buffalo is being slaughtered at Kali Baghel's house. The Police reached the spot and arrested the people there. Total five people have been arrested," said the police. The Police has assured that an investigation is underway and appropriate action would be taken. (ANI)
Criticising senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid's 'objectionable' statement on the Islamic divorce system of triple talaq being constitutionally unjustifiable, Muslim cleric Maulana Sajid Rashidi said it cannot be abolished, as it is an Islamic process dictated in the Quran. "This is a religious matter which cannot be ruled out completely. It is an Islamic law. We would suggest the court to punish those who give talaq in a single sitting. However, as per Salman Khurshid, we cannot let the whole system be changed," he told ANI. Further citing the case of 'instantaneous talaq', woman cleric Hina Zaheer asserted that there was no such provision in the Quran, adding that those indulging in this must be punished. "Some have suggested that women should add clauses in the nikah nama. However, our community is not so progressive that women have a strong say in these matters and cannot oppose the religious views. Muslims should adopt what is prescribed in the Quran, rather than this form of instantaneous talaq to dissolve a marriage," she said. Earlier on Friday, Khurshid while supporting his stance with examples said before the Supreme Court that the controversial Islamic divorce system could not be justified whatsoever. "There was a discussion that whether triple talaq is valid constitutionally. Substantiating my view with reasons and examples, I asserted that it cannot be justified and cannot be given law's validation," Khurshid said during the hearing which entered its second day on Friday. A five-judge constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, started hearing arguments on the constitutional validity of the practice of 'instant triple talaq' or talaq-e-bidat on Friday. The apex court has stated that it would first examine whether the Islamic divorce practice "is fundamental to religion" and whether "it falls in the category of enforceable fundamental rights." The apex court further observed that it would not hear polygamy issue along with the Triple Talaq case. The top court, earlier on Thursday, began hearing several pleas filed by Muslim women rejecting the practice of Triple Talaq. (ANI)
Yet another case of administrative apathy, this time in Punjab, came to fore when a labourer was compelled to carry his father's body on a cart as he was unable to pay Rs. 400 to a private ambulance carrier. After being denied an ambulance from the civil hospital, Sarabjeet's (son) relatives arranged for a cart, on which he then carried his father's body. After some time, the son then took the body in an auto in Rs. 150 rental. "The driver of the ambulance demanded Rs. 400, but I had no money to pay. Later, one of my relatives brought a cart and we took the body on it," said Sarabjeet. Sarabjeet had admitted his father to the hospital on Sunday, who then passed away Thursday. Upon demanding an ambulance, the hospital informed that it did not have their ambulance service. On calling the private ambulance, it demanded Rs. 400. The civil hospital administration said they only provide ambulance facility to bring patients to the hospital. Medical superintendent Kamaljeet Singh Bawa said they do not have facility to carry dead bodies back to their homes. However, he said the same has been conveyed to the government. Incidents of administrative apathy continue to surface in Madhya Pradesh also. The latest to be reported was from the state's Sidhi district where a family was forced to strap the body of their dead son to a bamboo pole and transport it to the mortuary. This was happened because the Sidhi Municipal Corporation refused to provide them with a hearse van, saying drivers were not available. The deceased has been identified as Munesh Kol and was reportedly drunk hours before his death. Unfortunately, this has not happened for the first time in Sidhi district. Earlier also, a family had carry the body for five kilometers to their home from the hospital as the mortuary vehicle service reportedly denied to the poor in the area. (ANI)
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Who Is Molly Qerim, How Did She Become a Famous Sports Anchor and Who Is Her Husband? Molly Qerim is an American sports anchor popularly known for moderating First Take, a highly rated sports talk show, on ESPN. Prior to joining ESPN, Qerim hosted Fantasy Live and NFL AM on NFL Network. It is quite obvious that the widely acclaimed television personality is in a class of her own when it comes ...

Safiya Nygaard  Height, Parents & Net Worth Safiya Nygaard is an American YouTuber, writer, content producer, and director who is popular for posting makeup, beauty and fashion videos on YouTube. Her videos regularly top at least one million views, thanks to her lively character as well as her willingness to experiment with outrageous outfits and different beauty products. Here are the things to ...

The Rigors of Sunlen Serfatys Career Journey Until CNN and Fun Facts About Her Personal Life CNN correspondent, Sunlen Serfaty is an Emmy Award-winning journalist known for covering a broad range of breaking news stories, national news, and Washington politics. She has been able to garner widespread recognition for herself which even goes beyond the sphere of her work. Her profile also increased with the extensive work she did in covering ...

Demystifying Jazz Jennings Real Name, Boyfriend & Family Of One The Youngest Transgenders Jazz Jennings is an unusual personality who became famous as a transgender activist and was recorded as the youngest documented public figure to be seen as transgender. She is also a YouTube personality and spokesmodel for brands, her fans, and other transgenders. She fought for acceptance in her high school with her super supportive family for over ...

Inside Fred Armisens Life  Ethnicity, Romantic Relationships and Gay Rumors Fred Armisen is an award-winning American comedian, he is also a writer, an actor as well as a musician. He was a cast member of the legendary comedy show, Saturday Night Live for 13 years and also one of the brains behind the successful satirical show Portlandia. Find out more about this incredibly talented guy ...

Ed and Lorraine Warren Biography: Cases, Kids, and Family Life Have you ever woken up with fear you could not explain, or felt a strange presence that made the hair at your nape rise or even experienced strange occurrences around you? Well, these were some of the promptings that made the well-known paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren delve into trying to explain the ideas ...

Truth About Tony Romos Wife, Kids and Life Since His NFL Retirement Tony Romo grew from the field as a quarterback to the screens as an American Football Analyst. He was a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the richest football league in the world (NFL) before retiring. As a junior, he was honored as an All-Ohio Conference Member, an Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and ...

Who is Brittany Venti, The Controversial Game Streamer and YouTuber? In recent times, many people live stream themselves playing video games. This has become a popular pastime on the internet and many highly skilled gamers have become internet celebrities through this means. However, some of them rather than becoming renowned for their gaming skills and great commentary, have become controversial and infamous. A good example ...

Rob Dyrdeks Family: His Kids And Relationship With Wife Bryiana Noelle Flores A multi-talented star and an elite pro skateboarder, Rob Dyrdeks success story began at a remarkably young age. Yet another proof that schooling doesnt always correlate with success, Rob has established himself not just as a phenomenal sportsman but also as a successful entrepreneur. Besides perfecting his skill as a natural talent on the board, ...

xChocobars  Biography and Everything You Should Know About Her Having distinguished herself and recorded massive successes in an industry notably dominated by men, it is very safe to say that Xchocobars deserves all the attention and cash she makes from her career. A household name on Twitch (a smart live streaming video platform), the online-gamer is popularly known for streaming classic games such as Stardew ...

Everything To Know About Mary Padian, Her Boyfriend and Net Worth Mary Padian is a famous American television reality personality best known for her involvements on the Reality show Storage Wars. She also has her own shop called Mary finds where she displays her antique collections. Since her childhood, Padian has been a creative learner. At the time, she used to create new items out of reusable ones and ...

Betsy Woodruffs Family Life: Is She Married or Related To Bob Woodruff? An old name in the world of journalism, Betsy Woodruff has warmed her way into the hearts of many with her impressive talents. Through hard work, Woodruff has carved a niche for herself in a very competitive field. Betsy has strong family and work values and is also an advocate for equal opportunities for everyone ...

Matpat (Matthew Patrick)  Wife, Height & Net Worth As far as internet business is concerned, Matpat remains one of the most dynamic and seasoned figures. He boasts a wealth of experience that has helped him in growing his business from one level of greatness to another. Like most successful people, MatPat started out small but today, he makes millions of dollars from his ...

Facts About Ricegum  His Girlfriend, Real Name & Net Worth Ricegum is an online gamer and YouTube sensation who ditched college; took advantage of the digital era, and made a name for himself on the internet. Though he began as a gaming YouTuber, Ricegum soon gained recognition as a controversial internet star following his many diss tracks. Here is everything you need to know about the youngster ...

Joy Taylor Once Married MLBs Richard Giannotti  Inside Look At Her Love Life and Family The erosion of the sexist idea that women have no business in sports broadcasting created a host of women celebrities who attained fame outside of modeling and acting. One of them, Joy Taylor, a radio personality and TV host for Fox Sports 1, has been in the industry since 2009, becoming one of the most ...

What To Know About Conan OBriens Wife, Kids & Family Today The name Conan OBrien is one that jumps right at you almost immediately you start talking about the most popular television hosts in the USA and this is no surprise because the man behind that name has risen to become one of the most admired men in the business. Known for hosting the late-night talk ...

David Letterman  Net Worth, Wife & Son In all of American, one man whose face has been seen frequently by late night TV talk show lovers is none but David Letterman. The comedian and TV show veteran has been hosting late night talk shows for more than three decades. His Late Night with David Letterman show began on February 1st, 1982 aired ...

Demystifying Sssniperwolfs Family Background And The Boyfriends Shes Had Since she launched her eponymously named channel in 2013, Sssniperwolf has been on the rise when it comes to video game influencers. She is one of the biggest names in the online gaming subgenre of YouTube videos. Real name Lia Shelesh, she started with Call of Duty: Black Ops II but has diversified with other ...

Lester Holt  Wife, Family & Net Worth Lester Holt is a multiple award-winning journalist, newscaster, reporter, and actor who has worked for notable media houses like WCBS TV, CBS, MSNBC and among others. His remarkable feat in journalism has endeared him to the hearts of many and earned him some awards and recognitions. Read on to get acquainted with his biography, ethnicity, ...

What Is Louis C.K. Doing Now, Where Are His Family And How Much Is His Net Worth? It is not easy to make it in comedy. It takes more than a funny bone and the ability to elicit a few giggles from a listening audience. For all the complexities that go into making a successful career in comedy, Louis C.K, the Washington D.C-born comedian, did it. For years, he was at the ...

The Progression of Hoda Kotbs Career, Her Ancestry and Family Life Hoda Kotb gained fame as a television host and news anchor for NBC. She anchors the shows signature show Today, and it has been an excellent vehicle for her skills in front of a camera. Kotb has won several awards, including Daytime Emmys and Peabody Awards. Simply put, she is one of the most successful ...

Jerry Seinfelds Family: All About The Amazing Comedians Wife and Kids Apparently one of the highly important entertainers in America, Jerry Seinfeld is a man of many talents. A very funny man, he is considered to be one of the most successful comedians in the USA who has been in the business as a professional rib-cracker for more than 40 years. As an actor, he has ...

The Rigors Of Sarah Silvermans Rise To Prominence And Rundown Of The Men She Has Dated A comedian, writer, and actress, Sarah Silvermans art and craft is as unique as you would ever find. Her poignant use of comedy to discuss social issues such as race, sexism, politics, and religion has gained her an impressive following. As unorthodox as her style is, so is her life experiences. She previously suffered from epiglottitis ...

Who Is Hannibal Buress, Does He Have A Wife or Girlfriend & Why Was He Arrested? Making people laugh when they are tense or not in the mood is a tough order and to ply the trade, it must indeed take some guts and expertise, this is what the humor maker, Hannibal Buress has been able to achieve and sustain after his inital teething process. The African-American is a screen writer, stand-up ...

The Success of John Mulaneys Career Efforts Since His Work On Saturday Night Live and Facts About His Wife John Mulaney had been working as a professional comedian for years before Saturday Night Live changed his status for life and like many who are now his fans, you probably did not know of him then. However, that changed when he joined the sketch comedy show in 2008. Since then, he has been one of ...

Jeff Dunham  Wife, Children and Net Worth Ventriloquism is a very subtle method of making an inanimate object (like a puppet, doll or dummy) appear to be saying words which are actually coming from the person (holding the inanimate object). In effect, the individual throws his/her voice to the puppet and can even appear to be having a conversation with it. Not ...

Ellen DeGeneres  Net Worth, Wife  Portia de Rossi & Parents Ellen DeGeneres is an American female standup comedian who has proven that whatever a man can do, a woman can also do. Since her journey as a standup comedian started in 1981, she has held swirl as one of the finest comedians America and the world at large has seen. She is often referred to ...

Revisiting Joan Rivers Death  The Daughter, Husband & Net Worth She Left Behind Joan Rivers was a renowned American comedian, TV host, writer, and actress. Her brand of comedy consisted of scathing one-liners and no individual or topic is spared. She hosted her own talk shows in the 80s and 90s and was a pioneer for women in stand up comedy. She was the first woman to host a late night ...

The Struggles of Margaret Chos Childhood, How It Influenced Her Career Growth and Love Life Margaret Cho is best described as a comic star who knows how to maneuver everything related to life into a rib-cracking joke. She is also known to criticize every social and political problem, especially those involving race and sexuality. Apart from her talents as a comic actress, she does amazingly well as a singer and ...

Where Is Eric Bolling Today? Who Is His Son & What Is His Net Worth? Eric Bolling who was once a notable figure on Fox News, is an American TV personality, an author, and versatile Journalist. As a political and financial analyst/commentator, he anchored discussions bothering on finance for Fox Business Channel. Here is everything there is to know about his career, family, and allegations that led to his exit ...

Who Is Chelsea Handler and Does She Have A Husband or Boyfriend? Chelsea Handler is one of Americas top female comedians. She is also an actress, writer, television host, producer, and activist. She is known to be very outspoken even with things that are very personal. In separate interviews with The New York Times, Handler revealed that she had an abortion twice when she was 16. She has authored five books ...

How Did Laura Lee Achieve Fame, How Much is She Worth and Who is Her Husband? Laura Lee is a popular American YouTuber, make-up artist and beauty blogger. From posting videos of her makeup routines on Instagram, Lee has transformed into a beauty influencer and a YouTube sensation. Today, her YouTube Channel has over 630 million views and 4.5 million subscribers. Asides having millions of followers across all social media platforms, ...

Madison Gesiotto Bio  Ethnicity, Parents & Measurements Madison Gesiotto is no ordinary woman; although she excelled in quite a number of pageants and competitions while she was in school, it is her views on politics and issues in America that has made her name known to most people. She possesses beauty and intelligence in a seemingly equal measure and has been able ...

Who Is Lil Tay? Parents, Brother, Sister, Age, Net Worth, Ethnicity Child stardom is nothing new in the entertainment world. With the advent of social media, we have seen more stars made from the internet than ever before, and Lil Tay is one of them. Her uploaded rap videos trademark is cursing, swearing, cash-throwing, and use of obscene languages. Her fame went wild after she dropped ...

What To Know About Tig Notaros Wife, Kids and Family Today Tig Notaro is an American stand-up comic star, writer, actress, and radio analyst. Since she started her career in 2001, she has become one of Americas best comedians, particularly when it comes to observational comedy. One prominent aspect of her routine involves her family, which includes a wife and two children. Interestingly, Tig Notaro is part ...

Who Is Chantel Jeffries? What To Know About Her Age, Ethnicity & Net Worth Chantel Jeffries is a lady of many talents. Beyond being celebrated as a DJ, she has fared well as a model, an actress, musician, and as an artist. She first rose to fame on Instagram where she has a large following. However, in recent times, she has hit the spotlight for her rumored relationships with some ...

Is Ellen DeGeneres Married, Who Is The Brother  Vance DeGeneres and Family Members? Ellen DeGeneres is one of a kind celebrity in todays world as she has used her wealth for the greater good for many people. She has served a host of famous awards shows like the Grammy, Primetime Emmy and Academy Awards. Moreso, she is probably one of the most decorated entertainment personalities around the world and ...

Carli Bybel Bio  Height, Boyfriend & Net Worth Video blogging is now on the rise and YouTube is the place where most of it happens. If you are a lady who cares about her looks or a guy who likes to help his woman out with her looks, then one person whose name rings a bell when it comes to giving beauty tips ...

Who Is Lexy Panterra? What To Know About Her Ethnicity, Boyfriend & Net Worth Lexy Panterra is one of the YouTube personalities whose breakout came through the Twerk dance videos she posted on her social media handles and YouTube which has so far generated over 13 million views for her. From there on, she created her LexTwerkOut workout program in 2014. She is sure very talented as she as moved ...

Who Is AnneMunition? What Is Her Ethnicity & Does She Have A Girlfriend or Boyfriend? AnneMunition is a professional gamer and content creator of American origin. She is one of the most sought-after streamers on Twitch  a popular online platform for watching and streaming videos, especially video games. AnneMunition has almost half a million followers on Twitch and her channel has accumulated at least 13 million views. Her favorite games ...

Norm MacDonald  Former Wife, Son & Net Worth Recently, 59-year-old former Saturday Night Live stand-up comic Norm MacDonald caused a not-so-funny stir when he expressed his personal opinion about the #MeToo movement speaking in defense of Louis CK and Roseanne Barr. Following the backlash of his actions, he is diligently doing damage control for his questionable opinion by posting a public apology on ...

Inside Iliza Shlesingers Life With Husband and How Much She is Worth Now Witty, spontaneous, and truly humorous, Iliza Shlesinger is an American comedian who is clearly proving that the stereotypical claim that women are not really funny is not only incredibly wrong but completely outrageous. Having been in the game for more than 10 years, Shlesinger has grown bigger with each step, stunning fans with her incredible ...

Who Is Nessa Diab? Details of her Parents, Ethnicity & Relationship With Colin Kaepernick Nessa Diab has gained more fame as the girlfriend of different footballers than in her career. She is currently with the popular National Football League (NFL) player, Colin Kaepernick, and has stood by his side during his most trying times. Also known for her mononym, Nessa, she recently engaged in a tweet battle with the ...

Samantha Bee  Inside the Life of Full Frontal Comedian and Presenter We have over the decades seen various brands of humor and personalities who have walked the ropes. One of the formidable forces in the world of comedy is no other than the iconic Samantha Bee of the Daily Show who now runs her own television show on TBS channel. She is a Canadian-American political commentator, ...

What Happened To Jessica Williamss Boyfriend And Which Are Her Best Works? Jessica Williams is a woman who has a lot of feathers in her cap  and keeps acquiring more. The former senior political correspondent of the comic Daily Show, who is also a comedian and actress whose recent movie appearance include starring as a playwright just recovering from a recent split with her boyfriend, Damon, and ...

Who is Nicole Byer? Here are 5 Facts You Need To Know About The Comedian Nicole Byer, an American comedian, actress, and writer, made a name for herself after she played supporting roles on MTVs prank show Ladylike and the reality show Girl Code. The latter was a series that featured comedians who analyzed in minute details, all the issues that young women deal with daily, from period to dating, to weird friendship dynamics and questions about sex. Currently, ...

A Closer Look At Bart Kwans Ethnicity, Height & Personal Life Bart Kwan is one of few Asians who is known for being successful in the comic industry at an international level. His fame broke out after the YouTube channel which he created with his close pal Joe Jo garnered up massive followings. The talented duo has been running the channel since 2007 and their success ...

Heres How VanossGaming Achieved Fame Online, His Worth and Other Facts About The Gamer For many years, the decision to drop out of college to pursue an online career was considered to be foolish and self-destructive by conventional wisdom. It was no different when Evan Fong, popularly known as VanossGaming, dropped out of college to pursue a YouTube career. However, that radical move paid off, and he stands shoulder to ...

Desi Perkins  Ethnicity, Net Worth & Husband YouTube is littered with videos of makeup tutorials by different people but if you are interested in learning how to do your makeup like a pro, there is just one person on that platform who you must follow. She is none other than Desi Perkins! She is a popular make-up artist, Instagram star, and vlogger. Desi, ...

The Phases of Casey Neistats Pursuits and His Love Story With Candice Pool YouTuber, vlogger, filmmaker, and creator extraordinaire; these are just a few hats that Casey Neistat wears and the story of how he got here is incredible. A native of Connecticut, Neistat started out by making refreshingly-authentic short films and videos that featured content that was based on everyday life and called attention to serious issues. He ...

Connor Franta  Inside The Life of American YouTuber YouTube has produced a lot of young celebrities in modern times and Connor Franta happens to be one of them. Apart from being a YouTuber, the young American is also an entrepreneur, entertainer, and writer. His journey to fame began almost a decade ago when he started a self-named YouTube channel where he uploads content ranging ...

Rhett and Link  Bio, Who are Their Wives, Net Worth and Family Facts Rhett and Link refer to an American comedy duo who are very popular on YouTube. They are known for their comic songs, viral commercials, skits and the daily show, Good Mythical Morning. Good Mythical Morning is the most watched daily show online, averaging 100 million views in a month. The show has featured guests such ...

A Walk Through The Maze of Ryan Higas Career Pursuits And Relationship With Arden Cho Ryan Higa is not only celebrated as a YouTube star, but he is also famed for appearing on television screens as an actor and comedian. Nigahiga, his Youtube channel, has gathered over 20 million subscribers and billions of views with his different comic acts, short films, and music videos uploads. With the rise in his career, ...

What to Know About The Shows That Made Craig Ferguson a Star and His Family Ties Rising to the top of your profession can sometimes be a hard and difficult process. It requires days and nights of working consistently hard to be better than what you were yesterday. It requires not giving up when all of your experiences seem to be pushing you to quit. It is because of these challenges ...

David Dobrik Married Liza Koshy for One Month  Inside His Family and Relationships David Dobrik is a YouTube sensation who has garnered fame not just for his vlogs but his love life too. Given his career as a YouTuber, his channel is one place where he shares his romantic escapades. With a cute boyish look like his, this Slovakian young man is definitely a good catch, and not ...

Merrell Twins Bio  Ethnicity, Parents & Boyfriend One of the beautiful things about modern life is social media. As rudimentary as it might seem, it could turn out to be the greatest thing that would be invented in the next 50 years because of its impact on human life. Very few tools have revolutionized human behavior and culture as much as social ...

Who Is Bunny Meyer, Is She Married & What Is Her Net Worth? Bunny Meyer is a YouTube celebrity who has amassed over 8.8 million subscribers with 1.5 million viewers on her channel. She is popularly known as Grav3yardgirl and is one of the highest-paid YouTubers in the world. She initially started out as a fashion designer and later chose the path of a YouTuber. Grav3yardgirl has used her knowledge on fashion, makeup, ...

Ninja  Inside The Life of The American YouTuber and Internet Personality Ninja is a talented video game player known for his mastery of Fortnite and other seemingly difficult games he plays with ease. The video gamer made a career out of what is ordinarily the hobby of many people and has since then amassed a huge online following. Find out about him here, including the controversies that ...

What Is Eva Gutowskis True Sexuality and How Did She Rise So Fast As an Influencer? Ever since Eva Gutowski joined YouTube in 2011, it has been an interesting journey for her, moving from one milestone to the other. Backed by an army of young women and teenage girl fans known as Evanators, she has risen to become one of the most-talked-about personalities in the digital stratosphere. She has also leveraged ...

Emma Chamberlain Biography  Age, Height & Net Worth Before now, people in the entertainment industry could only achieve popularity after many years of dedication and hard work but since social media came into the scene, massive success and overnight popularity became possible. That is the story of Emma Chamberlain who encountered fame as a fifteen-year-old. Emma is one of the many young people who became ...

Anna Akana  Ethnicity, Boyfriend & Net Worth There is a new crop of YouTubers known by their different contents with a very strong uniqueness that stands every one of them out, some upload video games, some fashion while some others have comedy video contents to showcase on their channels. Anna Akana has used her platform to showcase her comedy contents to the ...

Revealing Truths About Lilly Singhs Ethnic Background, Family and Her Relationship With Yousef Erakat Lilly Singh is an Indian-Canadian YouTube personality, actress, and comedian also known as Superwoman. She kicked off her YouTube career in 2010 with the launch of her channel IISuperwomanII and followed it up with a vlog channel in 2011. This paved the way for her fame and success which led to a world tour. The ...

Who Is Andrea Constand, Is She Married and What Is Her Connection With Bill Cosby? Many people got sexually molested but could not voice out due to the stigma victims suffer and what will become of them thereafter. Very few of the victims danm every consequence to seek justice and bring the perpetrator to the book, like Andrea Constand. She never got any media buzz, not until her friend cum molester; ...

Who Is Lazarbeam (Lannan Eacott)? Here Are Facts You Need To Know Lannan Eacott became a person of interest after his YouTube channel, LazarBeam pulled him to the limelight. Initially, he started with uploads of Madden Challenge videos before deciding to build his own channel in January 2015. Within the space of three years, his YouTube channel had gathered over 7 million loyal subscribers. Today, he has not ...

Puzzling Facts About Wengies YouTube Success and More About Her Fiance Among the many YouTubers who have succeeded in winning the hearts of millions of people is Wengie. She is a Chinese-Australian YouTube personality, vlogger, singer, and voice actress. Wengie is famous for a lot of things, from her simple life hacks, DIYs, craft ideas to fun experiments, tricks and pranks. Her content portfolio also includes hair tutorials, diet & fitness tips, lookbooks, ...

Is Jeffree Star A Billionaire and How Much Does He Make On YouTube? If looks can be deceptive then theres no other person who proves this maxim better than Jeffree Star. A quick look at Stars pictures would likely leave you wondering whether or not to tag him a male or female. But who says being controversial has to be a curse? For Star, his looks have caught ...

The Place of Rosanna Pansinos Career Hats In Her Rise To Fame and Facts About Her Personal Life There are a few phrases that could summarize Rosanna Pansinos rise to fame. None of them can do it better than the famous axiom, no knowledge is lost. Her popularity YouTube comes out of her foray into other professions, specifically acting. Although acting now occupies one of the major professional hats in Rosannas resume, it was ...

Muselk (Elliott Watkins) Biography  Age, Girlfriend and Net Worth The new and best in-thing in terms of career is video gaming and we have over time seen young men and women make massive income from an activity that was purportedly designed to serve as a hobby or a relaxation activity. One of such individuals is the Australian-born YouTube Celebrity and Twitch streamer, Muselk, whose ...

PopularMMOs Biography: 5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know We have over the years seen social media millionaires, especially on the YouTube social platform. These celebrities cum millionaires have made names for themselves after carving out niches on the internet, and a typical example of one of such exciting media personality on the YouTube is American Minecraft gamer and YouTube star, PopularMMOs whose channel ...

Jason Nash Once Married Marney Hochman  What To Know About His Ex-Wife and Kids The now-defunct video-sharing app Vine was the path that led Jason Nash to fame. With it, he built an audience of over two million followers, which he parlayed into a significant YouTube career. That move has seen him become one of the most popular personalities on the internet, with the cash income to go with ...

Where Does Dantdm Live? What Do We Know About His Net Worth, Wife and Brother? Most parents buy video games for their kids to occupy their time leisure, while other parents frown at their kids when they play video games. Despite the disparity, every parent would be proud of their child if he/she eventually turns a celebrity or millionaire through playing video games like Dantdm. Biography of Dantdm Dantdm was born Daniel ...

LaurDIY  Biography: 5 Facts You Need To Know About The YouTuber LaurDIY is the YouTube channel of Lauren Riihimaki which she created on December 1, 2011, when she was still a college undergrad with the sole aim of giving Do It Yourself (DIY) as well as practical fashion and beauty tips to her followers. She has used the channel to establish herself as a YouTube personality ...

Lachlan Ross Power  Bio And Family Life Of Australian The YouTube Star It is amazing the varied sources of income that the internet has made possible in this day and age. Internet fame can get its holder a whole lot of monetary and social benefits, but it must be noted that it does not come easy or cheap. For those who desire fame, content is the sacrifice ...

Alfie Deyes  Bio and Net Worth: Everything You Need To Know Alfie Deyes is one internet personality you definitely would like to know about. He boasts of over 10 million subscribers on three of his YouTube channels and has three bestseller books to his name. He is probably the most renowned young personality on YouTube today and his vlogging empire continues to grow by the day. ...

Colleen Ballingers Love Story With Husband Erik Stocklin and How Much She Is Worth Now Colleen Ballinger is an American comedian and YouTuber who is a very funny, adventurous, and highly talented woman. She is also an actress, singer, and writer. Collen is widely known for her work on YouTube where she posts content on her channel, Miranda Sings. The comedian has gained many subscribers over the years and has ...

Who Are The Dude Perfect Members and How Much Are They Worth? Entertainment in the 21st century can be digested in many forms and with platforms like YouTube, the creators and purveyors of entertainment have been democratized. Today, one of the most popular platforms to exhibit ones creative talents is YouTube, even though there are other platforms like Twitter, Facebook, who suffer in comparison to YouTube because ...

Who Is Rudy Mancuso, What Is His Earning Power and What Do We Know About His Girlfriend? Rudy Mancuso started his internet journey on Vine. He would later transition to YouTube where he solidified his place among the internets most beloved comedic creators. He is now regarded as one of the renowned internet personalities in the world, with a presence in mainstream TV and film projects like Comedy Centrals Drunk History and ...

Vsauce (Michael Stevens) Biography and Net Worth: All You Need To Know The advent of YouTube and the internet as a whole revolutionized how human beings consume information. With each passing year, the percentage of learning that is done in a traditional classroom decrease as a seismic shift to internet-based learning happens in our education industry. From open courses online to YouTube classes and videos, there are ...

How did Jake Paul Make His YouTube Big Break and Who is His Wife? One of the most interesting Social Media personalities of the 21st century is the young and popular Jake Paul whose elder brother is the famed Vine star, Logan Paul. Jake has utilized the power of the internet to bring himself to the limelight with a channel named JakePaulProductions that has amassed up to six billion ...

5 Facts You Need To Know About Reaction Time (Tal Fishman)  The American YouTuber Before 2015, the leading meaning of reaction time was the amount of time it takes to respond to a stimulus, until Tal Fishman started his channel, Reaction Time on YouTube and the dominant meaning changed. Today, a google search of Reaction Time would deliver Tal Fishmans videos and YouTube channel link with a few physics ...

Grace Helbig  Net Worth, Boyfriend and Family Life of The YouTuber Grace Helbig is an American internet personality, comedian, actress, and writer. She became popular due to her daily vlog series, DailyGrace, which ran on My Damn Channel from 2008 to 2013. Helbig is also popular for her own indie series on YouTube, ItsGrace, which she launched in 2014. Her vlogs which feature random stuff such as ...

Mark Wiens Bio  Ethnicity, Wife and Parents Food is a great way to connect with people. We all love to eat, if not for the pleasure of food, the satisfaction of quenching hunger, and the very process of providing and sharing that food is part of the strongest bonds that bind humanity together. Maybe it is our historical connection to food, where ...

Is Filthy Frank Dead, What Happened To Him and How Much Is He Worth? As George Kusunoki Miller, he was a nobody. However, as Filthy Frank, George was one of the most famous internet personalities on the planet. The Filthy Frank Show, a sketch series on his YouTube channel, TVFilthyFrank, was one of the platforms most influential creations. He is the reason a crazy dance song, Harlem Shake, made it ...

CaptainSparklez Bio  Net Worth, House and Cars of The Famous YouTuber Sometimes, what society wants from its citizens is quite different from what the citizens want for themselves. This is evident in the life and career of video blogger and American YouTube personality, Jordan Maron famous for his YouTube channel CaptainSparklez. He dropped out of school after discovering his talent in playing an online game called Minecraft. ...

Who is Simply Nailogical (Cristine Rotenberg)? Here are Facts You Must Know Canadian Youtube personality, Simply Nailogical (Cristine Rotenberg) originally started out polishing and designing nails even before it became a trendy culture in the social media. Simply Nailogica started out her showbiz career in her early days as a child actress, acting in commercials for game and toy companies. Aside from acting, she is blogger, vlogger, specializing ...

5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know About Huda Beauty In the world of entrepreneurship, it is interesting when an individual has a mentor who he/she looks up to, this yield more productivity on the part of the individual. The iconic and rich American beautician and makeup artist Huda Kattan nicknamed Heida is the founder of the Huda Beauty blog which is number one Instagram beauty blog ...

Is Dino MasterChef Gay? Details About His Ethnicity, Girlfriend, Where He Is Now Food, for the better part of the early years of human life, was nothing more than what we needed for survival. There was no artistry or curation to the method of cooking. The scarcity of food left no room for artistic expression until we figured out agriculture and we could make as much as we ...

Who Is Gabbie Hanna And How Did She Become Famous? As the world shifts to digital media and depends more and more on streaming services for its news and entertainment content, YouTubers have become one of the leading creators in the new media world. Their understanding of the online audience: how to create, maintain, and increase followers, are all handy skills that have primed them ...

Jacksepticeye  Height, Girlfriend & Net Worth Jacksepticeye is a YouTuber and actor who gained popularity with a series of gaming videos he uploads on his channel to the delight of millions of his subscribers. He is Known primarily for his comic video game series titled Lets Play and his vlogs. His channel was formerly ranked 46th in the list of most subscribed ...

Chris Heria Personal Details: About His Wife, Height & Ethnicity Background In this generation, keeping fit has become one of the major criteria for being hale and hearty. In fact, most occupations these days are majorly concerned with ones body mass, weight and looks. Unlike the past where most people have to register in a gym to keep fit, social media has made it quite easy ...

Everything You Need To Know About Game Grumps Gaming is becoming incredibly popular on YouTube these days with game vloggers make millions of dollars out of them yearly. One of the most popular up-coming gaming YouTube channels is Game Grumps. The Lets Play series was created in 2012 and celebrated its fifth anniversary on July 18th, 2017. In six years of its existence, the ...

Daithi De Nogla Biography, Girlfriend and Net Worth YouTube has created an avenue for many to make wealth and become famous from the comfort of their homes while having fun. Many have built a career out of the platform, uploading numerous videos that have earned them the admiration of viewers across the globe. For Daithi De Nogla, he is loved for his humorous commentary on ...

Does Phoebe Robinson Have A Boyfriend or Husband and What Do We Know About Her Family? Phoebe Robinson is a New York-based comedian, writer, and actress. She is best known as the co-creator and co-host of the WNYC Studios podcast 2 Dope Queens. Just like some other female comedians, she never had any original plans of becoming a stand-up comedian even though, according to her, she took a class on a whim at Carolines on Broadway. After ...

Who Are Lex and Alana from Listed Sisters? What Is Their Ethnicity & Is the Show Cancelled? America is a country built on diversity. Everywhere you look all over the country, a countless number of immigrants or children of immigrants have become an integral part of the fabric of the country. From entertainment to business, immigrants are creating a niche for themselves and climbing to the summit of their respective professions. One ...

Riveting Facts About Danielle Lombard And What She Is Best Known For The American entertainment industry is one that provides many avenues for aspiring hopefuls to express their talents and become famous. From films to television shows and game shows, there is no shortage of ways for men and women who desire fame to pursue and earn it in the United States of America. Another tested medium ...

Unearthing New Details About The YouTube Success And Personal Life of Alex Burriss of Wassabi Productions Wildly hilarious and truly audacious, Alex Wassabi is an American YouTuber who has become a very popular face on the video-sharing platform after having garnered millions of subscribers over the years by keeping people glued to his channel with his witty parody video releases. If you have always loved parody videos, there is every chance ...

Everything You Need To Know About H2O Delirious H2O Delirious whose full birth name is reported to be Jonathan Gormon Dennis has successfully kept himself mystified by hiding his face behind the masks leaving his loyal fans speculating who he really is for many years. The American YouTube star is easily identified by the Jason Mask Style with make-up which he wears on his ...

Who Is HolaSoyGerman and What Happened To Him? German Garmendia has certainly seen it all when it comes to internet success. His channels, HolaSoyGerman and JuegaGerman are in the top twenty most subscribed channel on YouTube. The Chilean YouTuber found a way to tap into one of the worlds greatest inventions and make a living from it. He has been able to build ...

Who Are Glenn Becks Family, What Is His Net Worth And What Happened To Him? The American political commentary space is filled with different personalities. A few of them, through their rhetoric, charisma, and resources have been able to build a large following of men and women who listen to them for insight and direction for various political and social issues in the United States. For Conservatives, the story is ...

Following Charissa Thompsons Rise Through The Ranks Of Sports Casting and All About Her Boyfriend Superstar TV host and sportscaster, Charissa Thompson, has been hailed as one of the highest-profile women journalists in America, and the reason is there for all to see. She has worked for popular establishments such as Versus, Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, GSN, and Big Ten Network. She currently hosts the popular pre-game show, Fox NFL Kickoff, ...

Is Chris Kattan Gay or Does He Have A Wife? What Is His Net Worth? Chris Kattan is a popular American comedian and actor. He has appeared in several comic movies and TV series such as The Middle, A Night at the Roxbury and Bunnicula. Kattan is, however, most popular for his six-year stint as a cast member of Saturday Night Live. During his time on the legendary show, he ...

Everything You Should Know About the Rise of Insta Star Claire Abbott and Why She Gave It All Up A lot of young Americans have shot into the limelight for uploading different kinds of videos on YouTube. Some of these young stars include Connor Franta, Desi Perkins, Emma Chamberlain, the Dolan Twins (Ethan and Grayson), and Claire Abbott. The latter became a social media celebrity for uploading sexy bikini pictures of herself on social media. Apart from ...

5 Facts You Need To Know About The YouTube Channel  h3h3Productions H3h3Productions is a YouTube channel that specializes on Comic responses or reactions of other contents or trendy stories. The celebrity couple that created the channel has over time racked up sizable views for their commentaries and contents. Even though they had their own fair share of copyright cases, thankfully they scored an unprecedented victory in all ...

Lilypichu Bio  Height, Brother and Love Story With Albert SleightlyMusical Chang Like most popular internet celebrities, Lilypichu is one of those Twitch streamers who spend their lives on camera. From daydreaming about the possibility of becoming a full-time professional streamer, she grew to live out her dreams on the popular live streaming platform where people play games, make crafts, and showcase their day-to-day activities. Given the rise of ...

KSI  What To Know About His Girlfriend, Brother  Deji Olatunji & Net Worth Assuredly, when Internet inventors Vint Cerf and Bob Khan created the technological masterpiece, they probably did not know how massive the creation will be harnessed by many for different purposes including as a platform for earning money through content creation. One of such person who smiles to the bank regularly today for spending time creating ...

The Interesting Progression and Highlights of Carrie Keagans Career as a Host and Actress Carrie Keagan has garnered huge fame through her various stints on television. She is not just your regular TV host but one with a difference. Keagan has hosted several high profile events and TV shows, including VH1s Big Morning Buzz Live and Fox News Channels Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld. However, not many know she ...

The Gist On Elise Jordans Marriages And Her Rise To Prominence Political commentaries tend to be boring when it is handled by someone who does not have a knack for it. However, when you see the likes of Elise Jordan run the same commentary, you will have a lot of reasons to look forward to watching her again as the journalist is well-versed in the field ...

What Is Timmy Thick Best Known For and How Successful Is The Star? Thanks to the internet, many people whose talents would have ordinarily gone unnoticed have become famous. A very good example of this modern-day internet celebrity is Timmy Thick, an American social media star. He became popular on Instagram due to his penchant for posting raunchy pictures of himself. He also often posted videos of himself ...

What Does Heather Storm Do For a Living and Who Is She Dating? Reality Television is a great way to make a name for oneself as well as amass a fortune. Heather Storm can attest to this as she is one of those who have made a name and earned a lot from reality TV. She made her name appearing on shows like Car Fanatics, Awesome Autos, and, ...

Matt Carriker Biography  Net Worth, Wife & Height Unlike your regular veterinary doctor next door, Matt Carriker chose to spice up his noble profession with the unusual. Though he is known to many as a medical practitioner, Carriker is better renowned as a YouTube star and an animal lover. Having recorded huge successes on his various YouTube channels, the vet doctors name and ...

Jillian Mele of Fox News Career Achievements, Husband & Measurements There are quite a good number of presenters on radio and television who listeners and viewers may never wish to miss any of their shows because of their sensational golden voice, beauty or the special way or artistry they anchor their shows. Jillian Mele is one of such. She has been at the top of ...

Who is Gillian Turner of Fox News? Her Fiance or Husband and Net Worth Gillian Turner is well-known as a news correspondent for Fox News Channel but before she became a TV personality, she built an intimidating resume working for different institutions, including the American government. She served in different capacities at the White House National Security Council during the administration of former US Presidents  George W. Bush and Barack Obama. ...

Gloria Govan Bio  Age, Ethnicity & Height Even as Gloria Govan is famous as an American actress, author, a TV host, and reality television star, shes more popular as the wife of the former NBA player, Matt Barnes. She became known after appearing on the Florida version of the reality television series, Basketball Wives and later, Basketball Wives: LA  after Matt was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Sadly, ...

Michael Fishmans Interesting Start as an Actor and Why He Divorced His Wife of Many Years When one door closes, another one opens. As silly as that axiom may seem, it is the story of the resurgence of Michael Fishman, who plays D.J Conner on the popular show, Roseanne. Having played the character for several years as a child actor into his teenage years; when the show originally ended, Michael did ...

Who Is October Gonzalez  Tony Gonzalezs Wife? All You Need To Know October Gonzalez is a popular American TV host and media personality. Additionally, she is also a model. Gonzalez has hosted several TV shows such as Beat Shazam, Entertainment Tonight, and Rachel Ray. She has also featured in several reality TV shows. Gonzalezs fame is not just due to her profession but also because of her ...

Who Is Tony Berlin  Harris Faulkners Husband: His Children and Family Facts Tony Berlin is a popular American media guru. He has variously worked as a reporter, anchor, and producer for some of the biggest TV networks in America. They include CNN, CBS, NBC, and ABC (where he hosted the popular Good Morning America). Berlin has now diversified into public relations and owns his own PR firm. ...

The Progression of Gianna Tobonis Journalism Career and Details About Her Marriage to Kyle Buckley Gianna Toboni may not be your ideal newscaster but her unusual reporting is what made her a household name. The American journalist is renowned for her hard-hitting and authentic reportage. A motivator and activist for total press freedom, Gianna loves to explore pervasive cultural issues. Not only does this unique and ambitious journalist call for all ...

Dog The Bounty Hunters Family Including Details of His Late Wife and Kids Popularly known as Dog, a name which he got from the television series, Dog The Bounty Hunter, Duane Chapman, an American bounty hunter, and one-time bail bondsman, went from being convicted for a felony to being a reality TV star. He was brought to the limelight following the capture of the convicted criminal, Andrew Luster in 2003 and this eventually made ...

Vicky Karayiannis, Chris Cornells Wifes Bio, Children and Family The world of showbiz is made up of different people who serve different roles, and function in a variety of capacities, and one of the most important people are those in the background. Publicists are undoubtedly one of these background people yet they are vital to the life and fame of most of our favorite ...

Joe Rogan Has A Step-Daughter and 2 Other Kids With Wife Jessica Ditzel  Meet His Family Joe Rogan is a popular American stand-up comedian and TV host. His journey to stardom began in the late 80s and has seen him host several shows, the most popular is the game show titled Fear Factor. The exciting show dares contestants to face some of their greatest fears and embark on challenging stunts. The ...

Josh Gates and Wife Hallie Gnatovich Have 2 Kids But Who Has the Higher Net Worth? Best known for his explorations and adventures, Josh Gates, is a television presenter with a voracious appetite for seeing the world and the beauties in it. Some of that beauty, however, is in his home, in the form of two children he shares with his wife, Hallie Gnatovich. Not excluded is their marriage which has lasted ...

Holly Sonders Wiki, Plastic Surgery & Why She Divorced Her Husband  Erik Kuselias After trying everything within her capacity to have a low key wedding, Holly Sonders was drawn to the public because of her husbands controversy at his workplace. Well, the two are rumored to be divorced but the article below will give more light on how true these rumors are. Meanwhile, Holly Sonders is yet to ...

Nadeska Alexis Bio  Age, Boyfriend & Net Worth Journalism is one diverse profession that allows the practitioners to choose their area of specialty, build a career on it by reporting the truth and facts which in the long run will distinguish them as deserving commendation and recognition among their peers. Some choose to specialize in political journalism, while to others it is sports ...

Media Platforms Charlamagne Tha God Has Explored and All The Controversies He Has Courted Charlamagne Tha God is an American on-air personality, radio presenter, and more recently, author. He is popularly known as a co-host on New York radios nationally syndicated show, The Breakfast Club, a program he has been hosting alongside DJ Envy and Angela Yee since 2010. However, his early years had no connection to his current career ...

A Look At Jimmy Fallons Net Worth and Family Including His Wife & Kids Sometimes, a childs passion for something is a pointer to what he/she would become in the future. As a child, Jimmy Fallon was literally obsessed with watching the late-night comedy program, Saturday Night Live (SNL). Then, his parents would tape the clean parts for him to watch and later, he and his sister would re-enact sketches from the ...

Kay Adams Biography  Does The Sportscaster Have A Husband or Boyfriend? When you hear the phrase sports enthusiast, women are hardly the first group that comes to mind. Well, thats changing pretty fast. Especially with the rise of female sports analysts and broadcasters like Kay Adams who is famed for knowing more about sports than most men do. And why not, shes paid handsomely for it ...

Ben Shapiros Family  Meet His Wife, Kids and Sister Who is Popular for the Wrong Reasons A multi-talented man, Ben Shapiro is a man of controversial nature, an attribute that has made him an unusual public figure. An intellectual whose career path was clearly defined even before he became a man, the Jewish conservative commentator has always had his way with words. He became popular by sharing his critical and often ...

QVC Shawn Killinger Bio  Husband, Net Worth & Facts To Know Shawn Killinger is a prominent TV personality who has worked her way to the top. Though not initially a journalist by training, she defied the odds and today has established herself as a household name, as well as, worked alongside some industry legends. More than just being a reporter, newscaster, and anchor, heres all you ...

Liv Lo  Dissecting the Ethnicity, Parents and Personal Life of Henry Goldings Wife While many are aware that Liv Lo is the better half to Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding, only a few understand why his beautiful wife appears increasingly endearing to fans. A former model turned TV personality, and fitness star, Liv has an impressive resume which when combined with that of her statuesque spouse is considered a perfect ...

Stpeach Age, Husband and Other Facts About The Twitch Streamer Lisa Vannatta, famously known by her online alias, STPeach is a Canadian video game streamer cum vlogger who has garnered fame through her appearances on different video-sharing/social networking platforms such as Youtube, Instagram, Twitch, Reddit, and Twitter. The beautiful lady got her career to a start in August 2015 when she joined the live streaming video platform, Twitch. She rose to ...

Insights into Seth Meyers Wife, Family and What His Net Worth Is Celebrities are mostly remembered and known for the work they do. For Seth Meyers, his career as a comedian, writer, actor, TV host, and producer is his biggest identifier. He was on Saturday Night Live SNL show as a head writer and cast member for more than ten years during which he built a reputation ...

Who Is Jessica Gadsden  Age, Net Worth & All About Charlamagne tha Gods Wife Jessica Gadsden is an American fitness coach as well as a personal trainer. She is better known as the spouse of popular American media personality, Charlamagne Tha God. Charlamange Tha God is a well-known TV and radio personality in the U.S. He has featured in several shows (both on the radio and TV) and is ...

Who Is Collins Tuohy  Michael Ohers sister ? Her Wedding, Husband & Net Worth Collins Tuohy is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, blogger, and social media personality. She is also better known as the adoptive sister of NFL player, Michael Oher, whose life story inspired the Hollywood blockbuster The Blind Side. The Blind Side tells the true life story of Oher who grew up in an impoverished background consisting of a ...

Eye-Popping Facts About The Personal Life And Career Success Of Sportscaster Heidi Watney Heidi Watney is a media personality who has created a niche for herself as a sportscaster. Starting out as a radio presenter, the brilliant young lady has gone on to work for several prominent sports networks, and currently, she is with the MLB. The sportscaster is also known to have been an avid sports lady right ...

Marty Lagina Bio  Siblings (Martina and Rick Lagina), Net Worth and Wife Marty Lagina is an American engineer and businessman who has risen to fame as a reality TV star. This is thanks to his involvement in the adventure TV series, The Curse of Oak Island. The Curse of Oak Island is a long-running TV series which airs on the history channel. The show aims to solve ...

Is Jordan Schlansky Just A Character or a Real Life Person and What Does He Do? The world of late-night television is an interesting one. Shows during that time are geared towards giving viewers comedic relief from a long day at work through interviews and comedy sketches. The often charismatic host of this show requires the balancing talent of a producer whose primary job is to deliver great episodes. It is ...

Heres How Wealthy Jimmy Kimmel Is From All The Phases of His Career, Marriages and Sons Health Jimmy Kimmel is a renowned late-night talk show host known for his charm, wit, and the A-list guests he features on his show. As the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! On ABC, Jimmy has been serving comedy to television viewers for years which played a pivotal role in launching him into mainstream fame and enabled ...

Natasha Bertrand Biography  Is She Married? Who Is the Husband & What Is Her Age? Natasha Bertrand is not just a young prominent journalist but a first-rate investigative reporter. With her natural beauty and smile, Natashas sharp, insightful political commentary also makes her a thorough reporter. Her sound political perspective and coverage in the country have made her a force to be reckoned with in the profession. Renowned for her ...

What Happened to Shane Kilcher? His Injury Update, Net Worth and More Shane Kilcher is well-known thanks to the Discovery Channel series Alaska: The Last Frontier. It is a show that documents the daily lives of the extended Kilcher family, people who live without plumbing or modern heating. The episodes follow their routines as they rely on hunting and farming for their nutritional needs as well as ...

Is Stephanie Gosk Gay or Lesbian, Who is the Wife or Partner  Jenna Wolfe? In August 2013, NBCs Today viewers were greeted with two shocking news. Today weekend anchor, Jenna Wolfe, announced that she was as a lesbian, introducing her partner as NBC News correspondent Stephanie Gosk, and said the two are expecting their first child. A long time has passed since then and certainly, a lot of things ...

Nikki Mudarris  Bio and Net Worth: 5 Interesting Facts You Need to Know Nikki Mudarris, also known as Miss Nikki Baby, is a reality television star, model and fashionista. Shes best known for VH1s reality TV series Love & Hip-Hop: Hollywood. Her entrepreneurial skills enable her to create and run a successful lingerie line Nude by Nikki. Not only that, but Nikki has also successfully run the Las ...

5 Interesting Things You Need To Know About Kelly Nash Ever heard of the lady who gained national prominence for taking a selfie with a dangerous ball just a few inches away from hitting her? Its no other person than Kelly Nash, an American sports broadcaster currently working as host of The Rundown show which airs on MLB Network every weekday at 2 pm ET. ...

Understanding The Height of Fame John Oliver Achieved With The Daily Show and How He Met His Wife Without knowledge of who he is and his exemplary career, John Oliver cuts an unassuming figure of a regular man but he is one of the most influential personalities in America, especially on television. Since he began his career in 1998, he has been a loud and unapologetic agent of change, using his wit and ...

Why Did Big Chief Leave Street Outlaws, Where Is He Now And Why Did He Divorce His Wife? Justin Shearer, otherwise known by his professional name Big Chief is a famous street racer and television personality. He is famously known for being one of the main characters on the racing reality television series, Street Outlaws. Justin, who had been a significant part of the show since its premiere in 2013, appeared in a ...

Who is Josina Anderson of ESPN? Her Husband and Family Facts There has been a gradual paradigm shift in the world of sports which has today produced the likes of Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, and other female athletes that are pulling great feats in different sporting fields. Their achievements have also been followed by the emergence of female sports journalists such as Jillian Mele, Eboni Williams, ...

Is Brittany Wagner Married, Who Is The Husband, How Old Is She? Brittany Wagner has been an inspiration to a lot of sports youngster. She has won the hearts of many athletic students with her role as a life coach and an academic counselor. She is well groomed in her career and has worked over a decade for The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and The National ...

Tati Westbrook Bio  Age, Husband & Net Worth With five videos dished out every week, alongside running her own brand, beauty guru, and YouTube superstar Tati Westbrook has proved to the world that theres utterly no impossibility or limit to whatever one is passionate about. Tati is best known for being the owner and manager of the worlds most-viewed beauty and lifestyle YouTube channel, ...

Cathy Areus Long Road to Becoming a Freelance Journalist and What to Know About Her Kids An American freelance journalist, news analyst, and author, Cathy Areu has built a lasting reputation for herself on cable television. Popular for her skillful and sassy presentation of professional views on varying topics including cultural and feminist issues, Cathy is an inspiration to many women across the globe. In addition to being a journalist, she ...

Tucker Carlsons Love Story With Wife Susan Andrews, their Children and Net Worth Today On the TV screens, Tucker Carlson is that fiery fellow who passionately dishes out his conservative and often controversial views on issues of national importance. Such brazenness has fetched him many enemies, especially on the left-wing, but it has also helped him cement a reputation as one of the foremost broadcast journalists in America. His ...

Paige Wyatts Net Worth, Boyfriend and Where She Is Now Paige Wyatt became popular after the Wyatt family began running the reality television show, American Guns. The Wyatt family comprises Rich Wyatt (father), Renee Wyatt (mother), Paige and Kurt Wyatt (children). Rich Wyatt originally ran a gun shop, the Gunsmoke Guns in Wheat Ridge, Colorado which is outside of Denver. The business which he ran together ...

The Progression of Howard Sterns Career As A Media Personality And Why He Divorced His First Wife Howard Stern is a legendary American radio host, who has also done some notable work as an actor, producer, author, as well as photographer. The radio personality achieved worldwide fame as a result of his self-titled radio program, The Howard Stern Show. As a professional radio personality, he has worked in different radio stations. Since 2006, ...

Lisa Joyners Biography  Ethnicity, Net Worth and Other Key Facts Lisa Joyner is an American Journalist, TV talk show host, and actress. Some of her well-known works are her correspondences for the Los Angeles based TV KCBS, inFANity show, Find My Family Show including her film and television appearances in Brimstone, American Sweetheart, The Bold and The Beautiful among others. Lisas passion for reconnecting people with their biological families ...

Amanda Balionis Rise Through the Ranks of Sportscasting and the Identity of Her Boyfriend Amanda Balionis is an American sportscaster currently working as a golf broadcaster for CBS Sports. Among so many of her works in the field of sports reporting, Amandas PGA Tour coverage seems to be the most popular so far. She covered the Super Bowl working with CBS Sports social media team in Atlanta, where she ...

Dissecting Charles Paynes Sexual Allegations, Its After Effects and More About His Wife Charles Payne had a respectable career as an analyst on Wall Street before he made the transition to television and became a contributor and later a host on Fox. In that time, his expertise has come under scrutiny, and he has been at the center of at least one major controversy. The major controversy in question ...

Erik Asla And Tryra Banks Split: Everything You Need To Know Tyra Banks and Erik Asla have called it quits! The couple, who began dating in 2013 and have a son named York Banks Asla, has decided to end what everybody taught was the perfect relationship. Neither person has come out to give a reason for the breakup, but what is obvious right now is that ...

What to Note About Dr Terry Dubrows Qualifications, TV Works and Marriage to Heather Kent In the realm of people that we expect to see regularly on our screens, medical doctors are closer to the bottom of the list. Aside from the fact that their work has little correlation with TV, they are presumably too busy to pursue life as TV personalities. Yet, a few of them have usurped this ...

Jessica Goch  Bio: 5 Things You Didnt Know About Ninjas Wife Jessica Goch is the Schofield-born American Social Media Influencer who has worked as a model but is now better known as a host and interviewer of prominent Electronic sports celebrities at popular gaming events/tournaments. The screen queen also serves as the manager of her famous husband Ninja aka Tyler Blevins whose exploits on Twitch and Fortnite has ...

CNNs Chris Cuomo Biography  Wife, Family & Net worth Chris Cuomo needs no elaborate introduction as he has starred graced many prominent Television cable networks and his voice has been heard through acknowledged radio shows. He is a television journalist and Lawyer who has previously worked for ABC News as Chief law and justice correspondent as well as a co-anchor on 20/20. If you still ...

Neil deGrasse Tyson  Family, Religion & Net Worth Neil deGrasse Tyson is a distinguished American astrophysicist and author who has been able to achieve so much after falling in love with astronomy at the age of 9. He has since attended and become an alumnus of prestigious universities such as Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia, and also recorded numerous achievements in his field of ...

Is Simon Cowell Gay? Does He Have A Wife or Girlfriend and Why is He Famous? Simon Cowell is a well-known talent show judge, TV producer, entrepreneur and one of the most popular TV personalities that Britain has ever produced. In conjunction with his company, Syco, Cowell is the brain behind hugely successful talent hunt shows such as The X-Factor UK, The X-Factor US, Britains Got Talent, Americas Got Talent and ...

Everything To Know About Joanna Gaines Life With Chip Gaines, Their Business Pursuits and Kids Joanna Gaines and her husband Chip Gaines became celebrities after their television show Fixer Upper began airing back in 2013. The show which was about home renovation and decoration ran for about 6 seasons with a total of 79 episodes before the couple bade farewell to it in April 2018. Apart from their appearances on ...

Who Is Larry The Cable Guy? What To Know About His Wife And Net Worth Larry the Cable Guy is a self-professed country kid renowned for his trademark Southern accent and sensational catchphrase Git-R-Done! The famous comedian who talks about anything under the sun has gone on to become one of the most memorable characters in comedy history. Join us in unearthing lesser-known facts about the former on-air-personality, standup comedy superstar, movie ...

Who Is Patrick Starr, What Is His Net Worth and Gender? The make-up industry over the years has grown to become a billion dollar industry not just because there are probably more women wearing make-up but because a whole lot of men, especially the young ones, have become bold enough to wear it unlike before. A few of these men, like Patrick Starr, have even gone ...

How Did Chris Jansing Become a Senior Correspondent at MSNBC and Who Is Her Husband? An award-winning American television news reporter and journalist, Chris Jansing has succeeded in carving a spectacular niche for herself in the field of TV journalism. Outstanding for not just her excellence in journalism, Chris is also cherished for her incredibly gorgeous looks post 60! For close to four decades, Jansing has continued to soar in her ...

Jaclyn Glenn Biography  Age, Height & Ex-Boyfriend American Youtuber, Jaclyn Glenn, rose to prominence through her self-titled YouTube channel Jaclyn Glenn. She has remained an acclaimed atheist and continues to air her views on hot issues from politics, religion, animal rights, to atheism. During the heated 2016 US Presidential elections, Glenn featured in Hump Trump: Official Donald Trump Song. Her parallel acting career ...

Is Pat Sajak Married to a Wife or is He Gay With a Partner? Pat Sajak is one of the most popular TV game show hosts in America. He commenced his career as a radio disk jockey as well as a TV weatherman before being tapped to host Wheel of Fortune, the longest-running syndicated game show in the United States. Sajak has hosted the popular game show from 1983 ...

Nayyera Haqs Bio  What To Know About Her Husband, Parents And Family Nayyera Haq can take anyone on political debates as well as discussions on social issues affecting many. Her ability to masterfully deliver her stance on every issue or political debate has made her a regular face in morning and evening news media platforms. This is not a common feat especially for someone from her kind ...

Inside Guy Fieris Family With Wife, Kids and Sister Who Died of Cancer Over the years we have seen men dominate the kitchen and churn out amazing delicacies from it. Some do it way better than their female counterparts and one of such men is Guy Ramsay Fieri  an American TV host, celebrity chef, restaurant owner, bestselling author of four culinary books, and game show host. His ...

Meet Phil Mudd of CNN  The Former CIA and FBI Exec, Is He Married, Who Is The Wife? When it comes to discussing issues surrounding terrorism, American Counterterrorism and National Security Expert, Phil Mudd, occupies a globally significant position. He has voiced his interest in the fight against terrorism and insecurity on many popular media platforms, both print and broadcast, such as CNN, BBC, CBS, MSNBC, al-Jazeera, ABC, NBC, Fox, The New York Times, ...

Jim Hoffer: Biography, Wife  Mika Brzezinski, Children and Net Worth Jim Hoffer is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who works as an investigative reporter for Eyewitness News, New York City. In his over two decades of investigative journalism, Hoffer has been at the front lines of several crucial stories from the 9/11 attack to the crash of American Flight 587 to the 2003 Blackout. On top of ...

The Ups and Downs of Erin Mcpikes Journalism Career and Other Facts About Her Personal Life Erin McPike is a journalist working for the Independent Journal Review (IJR) as a White House Correspondent but she gained widespread recognition for her coverage of general news. Whether its breaking news or some mainstream story, McPike has a reputation of baring the facts. As a journalist, her work as a White House Correspondent for Independent ...

Bert Kreischer Is Married To LeeAnn Kreischer With 2 Kids  Meet His Family Those familiar with Bert Kreischer mainly have the image of a large-bellied party man whose college life inspired the National Lampoon film, Van Wilder. It is an image that one would not naturally associate with a wholesome family. The standup comedian still maintains his wild party animal image on stage. But, back at home, he is ...

How Brendan Greene Became a Game Designer to Look Out For and Facts About His Failed Marriage The name Brendan Greene may not easily ring a bell in the larger society but for gaming enthusiasts, he is considered a god and this is because of his invention of the video game, Player Unknowns Battlegrounds, also called PUBG. Based on the popular last-man-standing/battle royale concept, Greenes creation has taken the gaming world by ...

WFAAs Sonia Azad Bio  Does The Reporter Have A Husband Or Boyfriend? Emmy Award-winning journalist and Health & Wellness reporter Sonia Azad is on the news segment News 8 Daybreak for the television station WFAA-TV in Dallas, Texas, a channel which she joined in October of 2015. Besides her time on the news, Azad is also a marathon runner and a certified yoga instructor. She has covered major news ...

This Is Everything You Should Know About Caroline Heldman, Her Career Portfolio and Other Facts Love it or hate it, there is no escaping the fact that feminism has come to stay in our world. The movement has continued to garner momentum over the years and this is due to the sustained push by several women, and even men, including the likes of Caroline Heldman. A Professor of Politics at ...

Understanding The Enigma That Is Gavin McInnes, The Controversies He Has Stirred and All About His Wife Gavin McInnes is a polemical English-born writer and TV personality, who is best known for his racist and fascist ideologies, as well as his co-ownership of Vice Media and Vice Magazine. He is also an actor a
Condemning Hizbul Mujahideen's warning to behead separatist leaders who create hurdles in the terror outfit's path of enforcing Sharia in Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress on Saturday said that such issues could no longer be ignored as both India and Pakistan needed to find a solution through policy of dialogue. Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar told ANI, "Such 'proxy war' and terrorism is going on since 25 years and the recent ceasefire violations are just another instance on the issue. This is wrong to think that we can come to a conclusion without talking to Pakistan. The need of the hour is that both India and Pakistan needed to find a solution through policy of dialogue." "Condemning is not enough, the policy of dialogue should be continued but with strong effect and steps," he added. Zakir Rashid Bhat, alias Zakir Musa, the successor of slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani released a 5:40 minute audio clip lashing out at Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) for calling the Kashmir struggle "political and not Islamic". JRL is an amalgam of Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Geelani, moderate Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik, who spearheaded unrest in the valley in 2016. "They are political leaders. Please do not refer to them as Islamic leaders. Do not create hurdles in our path of enforcing Sharia Law. We will otherwise slit their throats and hang them at Lal Chowk. I warn you again, if you come in our way. We will hang you first then others," said Musa. (ANI)
As the hunger strike by former Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra entered the fourth day today, Aam Aadmi Party MLA Sanjeev Jha today launched an agitation to counter the protest by the sacked Water minister.Mr Jha was, however, detained by the police soon after he went on the hunger strike.He was taken to the Sarai Rohilla police station where he continued with his hunger strike.Taking to twitter, Mr Jha alleged that he was arrested as AAP's opponents were afraid of his going on protest.''Mujhe detain kar liya gaya hai, pata nahi mere anshan se aakhir dar kisko ho raha hai, par jahan le jaye mera Anshan jari rahega'' (I have been detained. I do not know who is afraid of my hunger strike. However, my hunger strike will continue),'' Mr Jha said in a tweet after being detained by the police.Raising questions at his arrest, Mr Jha asked who was behind all this as police kept mum on Mr Kapil's 'Anshan' entering fourth day while he got detained as soon as he began his hunger strike. Meanwhile, AAP leader Preeti Sharma Menon said that the arrest of Jha was proof that the dharna by Kapil Mishra was sponsored by Centre.''@Sanjeev_aap arrested by @DelhiPolice for sitting on a dharna! Need any more evidence that Kapil Mishra's dharna is Centre sponsored,''Menon said in a tweet.Earlier, launching a blistering attack on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Mr Mishra asked him what new drama he will organise today to divert attention from question on alleged foreign trips.The Karawal Nagar MLA, who is on an indefinite hunger strike, tweeted,"Fourth-day of Satyagraha. To divert attention from question of foreign trips what new drama will you (Kejriwal) organise today."In another tweet, the sacked AAP minister said, "Sanjeev Jha ji welcome. You are immersed in the same kind of blind devotion (of Kejriwal) that I had sometime ago. May God give good sense .""I have urged police to provide full security to Sanjeev as those people, who organised an attack on me, to prove me wrong, can go to any extent," the former Minister said. Mr Mishra had said that he will continue his 'Satyagraha' , till AAP discloses details of foreign visits by its leaders ( Ashish Khaitan, Satyendar Jain, Durgesh Pathak, Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha).Mr Mishra, who on May 6 was removed as Water Minister, has accused the Delhi Chief Minister of indulging in corruption, and accepting Rs 2 crore from Mr Jain.UNI DS-APS/AR SV 1400 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0092-892056.Xml
A most-wanted drugs mafia and a hardcore criminal have been picked up by Guwahati Police in connection with a dacoity in a city-based jewellery store earlier this week. Police sources said the duo drugs mafia Pakhi Mian and criminal Bikram Ingte, were picked up as investigation into the cartridges fired from the dacoits pistol at the crime scene led to Ingte. Ingte, hailing from Imphal in Manipur, is a hardcore criminal and was recently arrested on allegations of killing and looting a man in Changsari area, about 30 kms from Guwahati. Ingte was picked up from a hotel here last evening and his phone call records led police to Mian, who was also picked up last evening itself. Mian, who was arrested on multiple occasion earlier on allegations of running a drugs racket, is suspected to have provided the pistol used for the jewellery shop dacoity. Police are interrogating the duo at Bhangagarh police station and they are likely to be arrested later in the day. The security guard, Prem Singh, of the jewellery store and one Nilkamal Singh have been arrested so far in the dacoity case. Four masked armed men had looted jewellery worth over Rs 1 crore from a franchise of MP Jewellers in the busy GS Road on May 9 last. CCTV footage of the store and nearby shops had shown that the four dacoits were assisted by two other men, who were waiting for them in a car that the gang used to flee the scene. Suspicion of involvement of hardcore criminals from other states or cadres trained by militant organizations has also surfaced, even as police has been continuing investigation into the case.UNI SG KK -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0212-892110.Xml
Three students of premier Cotton College of Guwahati, who were reported missing by their families from May 11 last, had reportedly fled to Kolkata fearing reprimand for failing in their higher secondary first year examination. The sister of one of the missing boys was contacted late last evening by the boys over Whatsapp, informing her that they were in Howrah, Kolkata, and will be returning to Guwahati today. Local television reports, quoting the sister, said the boys had flunked their class XI examination but had lied about the result at home, fearing reprimand and punishment. They had gathered some money from their homes in the name of admission and tuition fees and fled to Kolkata by Saraighat Express on May 11. The boys have reportedly boarded a train back to Guwahati and are likely to arrive here tomorrow. UNI SG KK -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0212-892111.Xml
The BJP on Saturday sought the imposition of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in Kannur, a day after the hacking of an RSS office bearer, which Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has brushed aside, terming it a one-off incident. On Friday evening, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh office bearer Biju in his early 30s was hacked to death at Payyanur in Kannur, the hot spot of political murders. The state Bharatiya Janata Party leadership has accused the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist activists of the murder, which the Left party has denied. A dawn-to-dusk shutdown is being observed in Kannur district on Saturday. So far it has passed off peacefully with shops, markets and establishments -- all closed and public vehicles off the road. BJP's lone legislator O. Rajagopal and a team of party leaders on Saturday called on Governor P. Sathasivam asked for the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act to be imposed in Kannur. Rajagopal said: "Today the Kerala Police has become an outfit of the CPI-M and miserably failed to protect the lives and property of citizens. "The police are always linked to the leaders of the CPI-M, who direct them. The only way peace can return to Kannur is with implementation of the AFSPA," he told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram. "The good thing is Kannur has an Army camp and we have requested the Governor to see that AFSPA is implemented," said Rajagopal. The police has registered a case against seven persons in the crime. They have found out that the murder of Biju was carried out by a gang of four persons, who came in an Innova car. Biju along with his friend was driving a two-wheeler, when an Innova car knocked them down and he was hacked to death. The victim, who was out on bail, was the 12th accused in the July 2016 murder of CPI-M worker Dhanaraj. Vijayan who arrived in Kannur on Saturday told reporters that things appeared to be calm following an all-party meeting that discussed political rivalries. Vijayan said: "Those talks did a world of good and everyone should be careful to see that things are under check. It was an unfortunate incident that occurred yesterday (Friday) and it is seen as a one-off incident." Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has blamed both the CPI-M and the BJP for the happenings in Kannur. "Both these parties are responsible for what's happening in Kannur and they have to find a way out of this," said Chandy. --IANS sg/in/rn ( 427 Words) 2017-05-13-14:38:10 (IANS)
Trinamool Chhatra Parisad (TCP) today demanded action against the doctor of Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC) who had issued certificate following the death of 19yr old Anaura Chowdhury on April 12 last stating her death due to cardiac arrest. TCP president Viky Prasad today sought legal action against CPI-M's students' wing SFI leaders, including its president Nilanjana Roy, for influencing police and administration against the murder of Anaura. Besides, Prasad also demanded government action over Anaura's death on five point charters, which included the arrest of the family members of main accused of her maternal uncle Noor Muhammad, ensure the trial of the case in first track court and to make the forensic investigation report and post-mortem report public. Talking to media Viky said soon after Anaura's death TCP launched movement along with different student bodies and groups alleging that she was murdered but police did not pay any heed. Finally, following pressure of agitation after three-days her buried body was unearthed and sent for medical investigation. " Since the beginning police and administration desperately tried to stand with the manipulated medical certificate which claimed Anaura died of cardiac arrest. The SFI leaders openly influenced the police at initial stage stating to ensure the arrest of the agitators who compelled administration to unearth the body for autopsy if the allegation of murder doesn't stand," Viky stated. He alleged that Noor Muhammad is a ruling party activist and was involved in several crimes and anti-social activities but police was soft towards him. Chief Minister Manik Sarkar who had gone to Hyderabad university campus to talk to Rohit Vamula's family and friends but did not utter a single word of sympathy to Anaura and her friends. "Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar is never looking into any issue beyond his narrow political interest. In Anaura's case it's once again probed unless there was student movement. The criminals would have been saved and every day many of such criminals getting relieved from legal action because he made entire police force his party sympathiser," he added. Viky, however, sought time bound action police and administration on their demands otherwise; TCP would go for massive movement to established rule of law in the case. After a month of mysterious death of 19 yr old polytechnic student Anaura Chowdhury, Tripura police on Friday night finally arrested one Noor Muhammad (42), maternal uncle of the deceased, booking him under section 302 of IPC. Anaura breathed her last on April 12 in Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC) with severe stomach pain.Her friends alleged Anaura was subjected to physical torture by her maternal uncle and she had been given poison mixed with her food on April 10. Noor Mohammed had allegedly managed police and doctors by money and his political influence. The police did not register case when the matter was reported in the media rather police station misbehaved with the students who sought investigation into the death. UNI BB KK -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0212-892175.Xml
Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar has warned that any college, university or educational institution not keeping permanent teachers, would not be eligible for government grants.Replying to a question on teachers being retained on contract for years together in Delhi University and other educational institutions at the cost of quality education, Mr Javadkar responded, saying "we are discouraging appointing teachers on contract. We are instead saying to educational institutes that you should appoint permanent teachers.''''We have got a mandate for permanent teachers. We are now linking government grants to this. Those institutes which recruit permanent teachers will get a share of the educational grants. We have also linked quality to this. Whichever institute hires permanent faculty, will get government funds,'' he said in an interaction with journalists at the UNI Headquarters here yesterday.Asked about the report of the Chauhan committee related to the Seventh Pay Commission of teachers that till today has been kept under wraps, while the Chadha committee recommendations had been made public, he said this was a wrong tradition and the mistake should not be repeated. Asked whether the recommendations made by the Chadha committee during the previous Pay Commission would be implemented, he merely said the teaching community would get justice. To a question that when teachers were not getting pension, how would the quality of teaching improve, Mr. Javadekar said since 2004, the pension system in the country had been discontinued. MORE UNI ARV-SD ADG 1634 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0005-892273.Xml
''Farmers need increased MSP not GM mustard,'' scientist and activist Suman Sahai said here today, reacting to the clearance given by an Environment Ministry panel to the genetically-modified variety of the popular oil seed plant.The issue for Indian farmers is not productivity of the mustard, but the support in inputs and marketing of their produce, Dr Sahay told UNI. The approval this week of the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) to the genetically modified mustard called DMH-11, developed by the Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants of Delhi University has now been forwarded to the Environment Ministry for final clearance.Dr Sahay has demanded sharing of data, on the basis of which appraisal was done by the GEAC of the GM variety mustard.''The basic issue is that there is no transparency, no strict standards of safety,'' she said. That is things have been happening here. What is being developed did not match with the needs of farmers, said Dr Sahai, an alumni of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and founder of the Gene Campaign.GM mustard is the second genetically modified food crop after Bt brinjal that has got GEAC clearance and reached the Environment Minister's table for final clearance. An indefinite moratorium had been placed at the release of Bt brinjal by the Ministry when it was headed by Mr Jairam Ramesh. Dr Sahai said the data given on the bt brinjal at the time of its clerance by the GEAC was not convincing. She pointed out that the Indian Council of Agricultural Research had in 2004 rejected GM mustard. ''Today, there was no clarity on what kind of trials were being done in GM crops; what safety precaution were being taken; nobody was sharing the data,'' Dr Sahay said. She said she had travelled widely in UP, Punjab and other states where mustard was being cultivated, and farmers there said they did not want new varieties, but market for their produce, subsidy on their inputs, water and cheap transportation.UNI NAZ RJ ADG 1628 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0091-892266.Xml
Reiterating the Centre's commitment to developing Assam, MoS (independent charge) for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan today maintained that Central guidelines are relaxed in case of the state to ensure that its people enjoy benefits of all developmental schemes. Launching the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana for Assam here, Mr Pradhan pointed out that rules have been flexed in this scheme to enable beneficiaries from Assam to derive help under it. He said the provision for compulsory Aadhar cards for beneficiaries under PMUY has been relaxed for Assam as the cards are yet to be issued here and lauded the role of the state chief minister in ensuring relaxation of this norm. The non-availability of Aadhar cards and other 'technical' problems led to more than a year's delay in launching the scheme in Assam compared to most other parts of the country, Mr Pradhan added. Under PMUJ, the Union government would provide five crore LPG connections to BPL families in the country with a support of Rs 1600 per connection within March, 2019, the MoS said, adding, "Assam Government will also provide Rs 1000 per PMUY connection to the beneficiaries, which shall make LPG connection more affordable. " He further said, "Identification of the BPL families for PMUY is done through Socio-Economic Caste Census Data. In Assam, there are around 70 lakh households, out of which 33 lakh already have LPG connection. Around 90 per cent of the families who still do not have LPG connection will be covered through PMUY and other government schemes within March, 2019."More UNI XC-SG KK -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0212-892400.Xml
Police arrested two dreaded criminals and seized 950 litres ofcountry liquor from them under Mehandiganj police station area in the districttoday. PatnaSenior Police Superintendent Manu Maharaj told newspersons here that dreadedoutlaws identified as Nepali Dom and Kallu Dom were nabbed from PaijawaDomkhana locality when they were consuming liquor and giving final shape to theirstrategy for committing a heinous crime. He said that 950 litres of countryliquor from the spot. SSPsaid that criminals were involved in several cases of murder, loot, extortionand other unlawful activities. Anintensive interrogation of criminals is on to nab other members of their gang. Meanwhile,police have arrested 102 peddlers and seized huge quantities of foreign andliquor from them in a special drive launched across the district so far. Hesaid that 1005 bottles of foreign liquor, 372 pouches of country liquor, one kgof ganja, two rifles, some cartridges and 1055 pouches were seized from variouspolice station areas of the district under the special drive launched recently.UNIDH KK -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0212-892451.Xml
It was in the early hours of the night when he was taken and none of his family members knew except his mother who suspected something wasn't right when he didn't return after sending him to the beach to check what the noises were.

If I can just briefly recall, Eli was taken from the Dickson's home at small Wagawaga by Japanese troops who wanted him to show them the way to Giligili, where there was an Allied airfield.

Eli's story is known to all families related to him so, if youre ever down at the village of small Wagawaga, they'll tell you.

ELI Dickson was one of the witnesses to the War Crimes Tribunal that investigated the torture and killing of 59 Milne Bay people and a number of Australian soldiers in August-September 1942.

When he didn't appear, she knew straight away that he had been taken and that her next job was to make sure all her other children were safe. She went into each of her children's rooms and turned down their lamps while whispering softly to not make any sound as the war had come and the Japanese had taken their brother.

Anyways Eli led the Japanese through the night trying to find a way to Giligili. The story is that the Australian and American soldiers lay in ambush at a certain spot which we suspect was at Kwakwala, just above Nako.

There was heavy fighting and Eli found a way to escape and return to Wagawaga sometime later. It's a bit sketchy but Elis children, Dirome Dickson and Oleva Dickson, know more. They're down at small Wagawaga.

__________

Extract from the official account of the Battle of Milne Bay (Wikipedia)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Milne_Bay

Orders were passed for the 30 Kittyhawks at Gili Gili to be flown to Port Moresby in case the Japanese succeeded in breaking through to the airfield. The attack did not take place, though, and consequently early in the morning on 29 August they returned, albeit minus two aircraft which had crashed during the move.

The Japanese convoy arrived off Waga Waga at 8:15 pm on 29 August, and began landing troops and supplies. While this was taking place the warships shelled Allied positions around Gili Gili and by 11:30 pm, had completed their landing.

The shelling was not significant, however, and no casualties resulted from it. Throughout 30 August, the Australians carried out patrolling operations while the Japanese laid up in the jungle in preparation for an attack that night.

Later that night the Japanese began forming up along the track at the eastern end of No. 3 Airstrip by the sea, and at 3:00 am on 31 August they launched their attack. Advancing over open ground and illuminated by flares fired by the Australians, the first Japanese attack was repelled by heavy machine gun and mortar fire from 25th and 61st Infantry Battalions as well as the 46th Engineer General Service Regiment, and artillery fire from the Australian 2/5th Field Regiment.

A further two banzai charges were attempted only to meet the same fate, with heavy Japanese casualties, including the Japanese commander, Hayashi. At this point, Commander Minoru Yano, who had arrived with the Japanese reinforcements on 29 August, took over from Hayashi, and after the survivors of the attack had reformed in the dead ground around Poin Creek, he led them about 200 yards north of the airstrip in an attempt to outflank the 61st Infantry Battalion's positions on Stephen's Ridge.

After running into a platoon of Australians who engaged them with Bren light machine guns, the Japanese withdrew just before dawn to the sounds of a bugle call. The Japanese troops who survived this attack were shocked by the heavy firepower the Allied forces had been able to deploy, and the assault force was left in a state of disarray.
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and MoS (independent charge) for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan jointly performed Bhumi Pujan for a multi-specialty hospital to be built at Rojabari in Sivasagar district of Assam today. The duo also ceremoniously launched the construction work of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology (RGIPT) to come up at Sivasagar district. The multi-specialty hospital will be built at sprawling land of 50 acre and the proposed 362 bedded hospital will be built at a cost of Rs 312 crore. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Sonowal said during the last 11 months, the present state government has been resolutely working to uplift the poor section of the society. He also said in order to materialise the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the state government has been relentlessly striving to achieve 'Sabka Saath Sabka Bikash'. Mr Sonowal said Mr Modi has started a new trend by abolishing VIP culture and promoting an ambiance where "every person is important". Acknowledging AASU's role in bringing the petroleum institution to fruition, Mr Sonowal said it is the solemn duty of each and every individual to maintain the institution as the best in the country. While thanking Mr Pradhan for his role in releasing oil royalty, Mr Sonowal said the Centre's action has boosted the state's economy. Mr Pradhan, while speaking on the occasion, said it has been a long standing demand of the people of Assam for an Institute of Petroleum Technology and a multi-specialty hospital which would cater to the needs of large part of Assam. He also informed that Babasaheb Ambedkar Vaidyakiya Prathisthan has been entrusted with the responsibility of running the multi-specialty hospital in partnership with the ONGC, so that quality medical facilities can be provided to the poorest of the poor at affordable cost. He also announced that the new hospital will be named after Swargadeo Sukaphaa who immortalised the Ahom Kings' contributions in establishing Assam where all sections of the people can lead a life of dignity and equality. On the occasion, he announced that another medical college will be set up in Sivasagar with 60:40 partnership. He also promised of starting nursing schools from the Petroleum Ministry at different locations like Digboi, Duliajan, Numaligarh, Bongaigaon and Guwahati. Mr Pradhan also said that there had been resentment among the youths of the State for not getting the dues from the petroleum resources extracted from the State. But under the leadership of Modi, our government is providing the due share for its resources and developing the entire region at a fast pace. Member of Parliament Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, Rameswar Teli, MLA Jogen Mohan, Tapan Gogoi, Kushal Duori, Chairman cum Managing Director, ONGC D.K. Sarraf and a host of other dignitaries were present on the occasion.UNI SG AD1849 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0108-892595.Xml
A group of Delhi Metro Commuters Association (DMCA) activists along with student-activists of Krantikai Yuva Sangathan today staged a protest outside the Delhi Metro's Office here at Barakhamba Road, demanding immediate roll-back of metro fare hike. ''The activists also submitted a memorandum to the DMRC, warning that if they don't accept the demand for immediate fare-reduction, other drastic measures will be taken in the coming days,'' the DMCA said in a statement. ''More than 5 lakh commuters heeded to the appeal of Delhi Metro Commuters' Association and boycotted metro today,'' the DMCA claimed. ''Later, another group of activists gathered at Jantar Mantar and burnt an effigy of Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and accused the DMRC and its patron Urban Development Ministry of working for Japanese Capital with utter disregard for common people of Delhi,'' the statement said. Condemning the recent decision of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to increase the fares of metro, the DMCA said the argument of Urban Development Ministry and DMRC that the decision to raise metro prices has been taken very late despite incurring losses is ''utterly false, since already the fares were very high''. ''It should also be noted that due to increase in fares, women will have to revert to crowded buses, which would cause an increase in incidents of harassment. For the laboring masses and common students the present step would only cause problems, since they already found the fare very high. Moreover, this hike, if not rolled-back, will lead to further use of private vehicles, polluting already polluted Delhi; whereas the need of the hour is to make Delhi pollution-free,'' the statement added. A travel in the Delhi Metro has become costlier from May 10 after the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) effected a hike in its daily fares which ranges from a minimum of Rs 10 to a maximum of Rs 50. The DMRC, which announced the fare hike on May 8, announced a ten per cent discount for travel during 'Non peak hours' on weekdays and reduced fares on Sundays and National holidays.UNI NY SHK 1922 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0099-892620.Xml
Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal, who is leading a business delegation in London, on Friday said that India, with a renewed enthusiasm, is pursuing a clean energy agenda and building an entire ecosystem around power, so that it can become more robust. "You cannot remove poverty unless you have electricity for all because electricity brings connectivity. It improves lives. Entire eco-system around power can become more robust, eco friendly," Goyal said, in a press briefing here. He said the government is promoting solar and wind hybrid to optimise India's transmission infrastructure. "Solar is turning out to be a success story. Wind energy has also come down drastically in terms of pricing. India, for the last three years, have focussed on creating an eco-system, where we are looking at bringing into India a framework which holds us in a good position for several years to come," Goyal added. He said the government is creating a transparent investment opportunities for everyone on a larger scale. "The mindset of the people has changed. The best way to predict the future is to create it and that is what we are trying to do. We are trying to live our dreams. We are trying to accomplish things we have never achieved before," Goyal said. "India is now being recognised as the country moving out of the old age and moving into transparency, equal opportunity for investment for everybody," he added. He also said that India is in a suitable position to leapfrog to the best available technology in the world. (ANI)
On May 7, 2017, U.S. forces in Afghanistan confirmed that Abdul Hasib, the chief of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) , also known as Wilayat Khorasan (WK), in Afghanistan, was killed in a combined Afghan/US raid in Nangarhar province. This raid resulted in the death of several other high ranking ISIS-K leaders and 35 ISIS fighters. Two U.S. Army service members also lost their lives. High-level U.S. sources have revealed that Abdul Hasib was in his mid-30s and hailed from the Azara district of Logar province in eastern Afghanistan. However, this ISIS-K leader was educated in two of Pakistan's seminaries, viz. the Jamia Imam Bukhari and Ganj Madrassa of Peshawar, both with links to the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT). Abdul Hasib also studied at 'Darul Utum Faizul Quran' located at Miramshah in Waziristan Agency and linked to Haqqani Network (HN). As a result, Hasib had connections not only with the Haqqani Network and Al Qaeda but also with the LeT, the terrorist group linked to the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Both Jamia Imam Bukhari and Ganj Madrassa are controlled by Jamaat-ud-Dawa ila al Quran wal Sunna (JDQS), with known connections to the LeT. In August 2013 , Ganj Madrassa, which had been on the international radar for terror-linked activities, was placed in the US designated list and imposed financial sanctions. The madrassa was identified as a terrorist training centre where students, under the guise of religious studies were radicalized to conduct terrorist and insurgent activities. It was also recorded that under Aminullah's leadership, Ganj Madrassa had trained and harboured the Taliban fighters who were sent to Afghanistan. Further, it specifies that Aminullah was recruiting LeT cadres at the madrassa and, as late as 2012, hosting Al Qaeda (AQ) operatives there. Shaikh Aminullah in 2009 had already been designated by both the US and United Nations for providing support to jihadi groups in the Af-Pak region. Despite these clear links to terrorist activities, madrassas like Ganj madrassa have continued to flourish in Pakistan. It has faced no visible financial problems despite sanctions. The only explanation to why they thrive is the support received by such institutions from Pakistan's security agencies, who use them as training grounds for terror groups like the ISIS-K. It is no secret that after the weakening of the ISIS-K in mid-2015, when it had lost most of its top leaders, Pakistan-backed groups took over the rein of the group. It then started targeting Afghan Security Forces and carrying out large scale attacks against civilians particularly in Kabul. The Pakistan army also started pushing tribal fighters from its territory into Nangarhar in order to fight on behalf of this new ISIS-K or WK. The U.S.designated ISIS-K as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) in January 2016. But with continuing State support from Pakistan, groups like the ISIS-K will endure sanctions, and keep on attacking Afghan and Western targets in Afghanistan. (ANI)
United States President Donald Trump's National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster has said that the former made the decision to begin his first foreign trip in Saudi Arabia in order to deliver a message of peace and unity to the world. "No president has ever visited the homelands and the holy sites of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths all on one trip," McMaster said. Trump embarks on the historic trip next week, visiting Saudi Arabia, Israel and Vatican City in Rome before attending a NATO leaders meeting in Brussels and G-7 summit in Sicily. "What President Trump is seeking is to unite people of all faiths around a common vision of peace, progress and prosperity. He will bring a message of tolerance and of hope to billions, including to millions of Americas who profess these faiths," McMaster added. McMaster further stated that the President had three goals for the trip - "reaffirm America's global leadership; continue to build relationships with other leaders; and to "broadcast a message of unity to America's friends and to the faithful of three of the world's greatest religions." The visit, including meeting with leaders from Muslim countries set up by the Saudi king, is being seen as an answer to Trump's critics who have accused him of being anti-Muslim. (ANI)
Brussels could end up having to pay UK a Brexit "divorce" bill because the Britain has contributed to so many EU assets, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said. In his first major interview of the election campaign, the Foreign Secretary told The Daily Telegraph on Friday that there were "very good arguments" to why Britain should demand money back, adding the European Union leaders were "trying it on". He said Britain could leave the EU without paying a penny if there was no Brexit deal, and compared warnings about a "no deal" Brexit. Accusing the EU of "trying it on", he said: "They are going to try to bleed this country white with their bill. "The logic behind this bill is absolutely preposterous. We could definitely walk away." He also said there is a "realistic possibility" of Vladimir Putin trying to sabotage the general election, adding that the Russian president would "rejoice" if opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn won on June 8. "I think it is a realistic possibility. Clearly we think that is what he (Putin) did in America, it's blatantly obvious that's what he did in France. In the western Balkans he is up to all sorts of sordid enterprises, so we have to be vigilant," Johnson told The Daily Telegraph. He also suggested that Putin's motive was "to undermine faith in democracy altogether and to discredit the whole democratic process". Johnson added that the "shameful" leaking of details of a Downing Street meeting between Prime Minister Theresa May, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier showed "Brussels is ruthless in its negotiating techniques". --IANS ksk ( 282 Words) 2017-05-13-09:34:12 (IANS)
Two suspected suicide bombers had attempted to enter the University of Maiduguri early morning, but they were thwarted by security personnel posted at the gate, Anadolu news agency quoted National Emergency Management Agency spokesperson Abdulkadir Ibrahim as saying.

"While interrogating them, the two suicide bombers detonated their explosives devices which injured one of the security guards and killed another," Ibrahim said in a statement.

A third suspected female suicide bomber, who was present in the vicinity of a church inside the university, later also set off her explosives.

"She detonated her explosive which affected the structure of the church with no casualty," he added.

Police spokesman Victor Isuku confirmed the casualty toll and blamed Boko Haram, is an Islamic extremist group based in northeastern Nigeria, for the attack. (ANI)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-12 21:12:04|Editor: ying

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CHENGDU, May 12 (Xinhua) -- After 16 days, 26 tonnes of frozen pork from the Netherlands arrived in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province earlier this month, the first carried from the Netherlands to China by train.

"Trains can slash about 40 days of shipping time compared to sea, and are about 10,000 yuan (1,450 U.S. dollars) cheaper per tonne compared to air," said Shu Changguo, general manager of the importer.

As China's Belt and Road Initiative gains steam, international trains are becoming a realistic logistical alternative between China and Europe.

Last year, 460 trains ran between Chengdu, Tilburg in the Netherlands, and Nuremberg in Germany. In the first four months of this year, 91 trains to Chengdu have brought about 150 million dollars of European goods.

"The Netherlands is the most important logistical center in Europe, and Chengdu, in China's west, has huge potential, which means great opportunities for European countries," said Koen Sizoo, head of the Netherlands' consulate in neighboring Chongqing Municipality, which has international trains connecting with Duisburg, Germany.

More European countries are using the trains. In a skyscraper in Chengdu, a Polish exhibition space has been in operation for about ten months, offering specialties such as jam, condiments, snacks and vodka.

The store is run by Poland's Hatrans Logistics, a partner in Chengdu-Europe trains. The company also runs an online store called Chopin-Deli on JD.com, selling Polish goods.

"Ten years ago, Polish companies barely knew about Chengdu, but since the trains started running four years ago, things have changed," said Natalia Kosana Goldysiak, manager of the store.

Natalia, who is fluent in Polish, English and Chinese, introduces Poland to local government officials and business leaders to Poland every day, as Chengdu is "increasingly important" for Polish companies.

"There will be more areas for cooperation between China and Europe as trains increase," said Koen Sizoo.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-12 22:48:27|Editor: MJ

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WARSAW, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese language is a bridge for communication, helping more young Europeans who love China and Chinese culture fulfill their "Chinese dream."

During the 2017 "Chinese Bridge," an international Chinese language competition for students held in the UK last month, one of the participants, Gabriel Mayoral-Galindo, made a fluent speech in Chinese about the country.

"We are very envious of China's infrastructure and development speed. Every time I go to Shanghai, there is a new skyscraper, which is incredible and proves the speed of development in China," he said.

Liu Xiaoming, the Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom, said during the competition that the fact that "Chinese fever" has continued to heat up in the British Isles is rooted in the richness of the Chinese civilization and the incredible changes in contemporary China. It is also a result of the steady development of Sino-British relations.

As far as young foreigners who study Chinese are concerned, their ideals not only limited to mastering Chinese and understanding the Chinese culture. They also want to use the Chinese language as a tool to take advantage of the Belt and Road cooperation, establish a bridge for communication between China and the outside world, and work together for mutual benefits.

Izabela from Poland is currently pursuing advanced Chinese at south China's Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. She is particularly interested in the exchanges and cooperation in various fields between China and Poland.

"The communication between Poland and China is increasing. I hope that I can master the Chinese language well and have enough abilities to promote friendly business between the two countries. I also hope that more Chinese visitors will travel to Poland."

Giuseppe from Italy works at a community supermarket in London as a cashier. Having studied Chinese at a Confucius Institute, he is able to communicate with the Chinese customers he meets during his work.

The Chinese people he met were very friendly, he said, and he hopes for an opportunity to go to China to live, and to witness the rapid development of the country.

Chen Tongdu, representative of Hanban Europe, told Xinhua that many Chinese language lovers decide to learn the language due to the prospect of opportunity in China, followed by a love of Chinese culture. Many people have already mastered Chinese and gone to China to develop their own business.

"In recent years, following further implementation of Belt and Road initiative, economic and trade cooperation has also led to a more frequent exchange in the fields of education and culture between China and Poland," said He Juan, head of the education department at the Chinese Embassy in Poland.

He said a large number of Polish students have gone to China to study. "The number of Polish students who strive for the possibility to study abroad by applying for various scholarships in China has exceeded 400 this year."
After collecting footage at Gerehu the crew stopped in Moresby South.

Journalists Bethanie Harriman and Stanley Ove Jr were collecting generic pictures of election banners around Port Moresby with senior cameraman Konts Kara.

The mob demanded television footage be deleted and threatened to assault four crew members in an EMTV vehicle on Lawes Road in the national capital.

A TELEVISION crew from EMTV has been verbally abused and a senior cameraman punched and struck with a 16 kilogram tripod by supporters of Papua New Guinean government minister and member for Moresby South, Justin Tkatchenko.

On Lawes Road in Konedobu, supporters loyal to Tkatchencko attacked Konts Kara.

Mr Kara was verbally abused by the mob who then threatened to break a camera if the footage wasnt deleted.

The crowd advanced on the vehicle, banging on the windows, taking the keys off the driver and forcing the cameraman to delete footage of Tkatchenckos campaign banners.

A senior coordinator of the campaign team accused EMTV of biased reporting and swore at the crew.

Minister Tkatchenkos campaign coordinator later confirmed the incident and suggested compensating the cameraman who was assaulted.

Elections in PNG have traditionally been considered a time of great risk.

This time around, with a more informed voter population who have strong views on issues of transparency and accountability, it seems there is also an increase in paranoia on the part of intending candidates and sitting MPs.

Media Niugini Limited management maintains that EMTV News remains independent and impartial of political bias.

During events like national elections, the independence and integrity of the media cannot be dictated to or intimidated in any shape or form.

To do so, would mean political suicide for the perpetrator.

* Neville Choi is in his fourth year as Head of News and Current Affairs with EMTV and hosts its popular current affairs magazine program, Tok Piksa
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 02:15:48|Editor: Mengjie

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KIEV, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The 16th "Chinese Bridge", the Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students, was staged here on Friday.

The competition, which was held under the topic "Dreams enlighten the future", has attracted twelve participants from seven Ukrainian cities.

In accordance with a rotation principle, this year's "Chinese Bridge" was held in the Confucius Institute of the Kiev National Taras Shevchenko University (KNU).

Second-year student of the Kiev National Linguistic University Eduard Kushchenko won the competition and will represent Ukraine to attend the "Chinese Bridge" final to be held in China this summer.

Two second-prize winners, Daria Larionova from Kiev and Sofia Kiryushchenko from Ukraine's southern Odessa city, will also go to the final.

Sun Kewen, the Chinese director for the KNU Confucius Institute, said the Chinese proficiency of the contestants and the popularity of the "Chinese Bridge" in Ukraine are rising with each coming year.

Meanwhile, Chinese Ambassador to Ukraine Du Wei said that the rising popularity of Chinese culture and language in Ukraine is vividly demonstrated by the fact that in the recent four years Ukrainian students won prizes at the "Chinese Bridge" final in China.

The "Chinese Bridge" Competition is an annual event organized by the Confucius Institute Headquarters). It has been held for university students of Chinese language and culture around the world since 2002.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 04:52:39|Editor: yan

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RABAT, May 12 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese higher education fair closed in the Moroccan city of Casablanca with the participation of some 22 universities.

This two-day fair offered a precious opportunity for Moroccan students who are interested in pursuing their studies in China.

The participant universities were prestigious institutions specialized in the fields of transport, finance, industry, foreign languages and sciences.

While the first day was held at Mohammed V University in Rabat, the second day was organized at Hassan II University in Morocco's largest city of Casablanca.

Speaking at the opening of the fair, Chinese ambassador to Morocco Sun Shuzhong said that education cooperation is an important area of the Chinese-Moroccan partnership.

He hailed the significant increase in educational exchange between the two countries, adding that Morocco has become the first Arab country to have three Confucius institutes.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 07:13:47|Editor: liuxin

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MEXICO CITY, May 12 (Xinhua) -- General Electric (GE) on Friday said it is looking to double its purchases from Mexican suppliers in 2018.

GE's president, Jeffrey Robert Immelt met with Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto during the inauguration of the expansion of the company's global operations center in Mexico's industrial capital of Monterrey, in Nuevo Leon state, according to a statement from Mexico's presidency.

The expansion was designed to simplify and automate processes to boost the company's productivity in Mexico and Latin America, Immelt said.

The electric appliance maker has been a strategic partner in Mexico's industrial development for more than a century, Pena said.

The company's show of confidence in Mexico comes just months before the country starts negotiations with the United States to update the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

U.S. President Donald Trump wants to secure a better deal for U.S. industry and workers, and until recently said he was willing to quit NAFTA unless a renegotiated agreement meets his demands.

GE first established operations in Mexico in 1896, and today employs 11,000 people at 17 manufacturing plants, five service centers, an advanced engineering center and the global operations center.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 08:59:40|Editor: liuxin

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WELLINGTON, May 13 (Xinhua) -- A new plan was released to further improve radiation oncology services in New Zealand, said Health Minister Jonathan Coleman on Friday.

While cancer is New Zealand's leading cause of death, outcomes for people with cancer continue to improve, said Coleman.

In 2011, 63 percent of cancer patients survived five years after diagnosis, up from 57 percent in 1999.

"Kiwis are receiving better, faster cancer treatment and more support during their care as a result of the government's 63 million-NZ dollars (42.84 million U.S. dollars) faster cancer treatment program," said Coleman.

There are variations in the delivery of radiation therapy across the country, he said, adding that while some variation is normal, there is room for improvement.

The new National Radiation Oncology Plan 2017-2021 will help district health boards (DHBs) standardize the care they are providing to patients receiving radiation. The plan sets out a range of actions for public radiation oncology providers, the ministry, regional cancer networks and other agencies to improve radiation oncology sector performance over the next four years.

Twelve linear accelerators have been approved since 2009, said Coleman, adding that these machines are helping deliver cancer patients with timely radiation therapy, though the treatment varies between DHBs from 28 to 44 percent.

The National Radiation Oncology Plan 2017-2021 is guided by the New Zealand Cancer Plan 2015-2018: Better, Faster Cancer Care, the Cancer Health Information Strategy and the New Zealand Health Strategy.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 10:40:00|Editor: Yamei

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Photo taken on May 12, 2017 shows a scene of the media center of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, capital of China. The media center was put into operation on Friday. (Xinhua/Li He)

BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Some Western media outlets have repeated doubts about the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, considering it a modern-day version of the Marshall Plan. It is quite inappropriate to draw an analogy.

Taking a close look at their respective historical contexts, purposes and principles, huge differences can be identified between the two.

The Marshall Plan for post-World War II reconstruction in Europe was part of the Western attempts to contain the expansion of the Soviet Union. The Cold War mentality and bipolar structure, however, have found no resonance with the Belt and Road Initiative.

China is by no means organizing alliances to confront any other country. It aims at achieving the common development of all countries rather than seeking spheres of political influence.

Unlike the Marshall Plan, no political conditions have been imposed on participants in the initiative. China has always advocated that countries should respect each other's rights to independently choose their own social system and development path.

China's development has benefited from the international community, and now as the world's second largest economy, the country has, in turn, made its contributions to global development.

Openness and inclusiveness are among the hallmarks of the initiative, which welcomes the participation of all countries and international organizations. The Marshall Plan, however, had excluded the Communist countries.

In terms of management pattern, while western European countries had little say in the implementation of the Marshall Plan, China is stepping up policy consultation with the partners.

Upholding the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, China works with other parties to promote greater connectivity of policy, infrastructure, trade, finance and people.

It should be noted that the Belt and Road Initiative is not to replace existing mechanisms or platforms for transnational cooperation. Much to the contrary, it builds on the existing bases to help countries align their development strategies.

Judged from a bumper early harvest, the initiative has proved to be a feasible approach for China and the parties involved to seek common development, while the old model of the Marshall Plan, which featured intentinoal investment and aid bearing political purpose, could never be applied to an era of globalization and economic interdependence.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 10:45:30|Editor: liuxin

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JOHANNESBURG, May 13 (Xinhua) -- South African political parties will march to the Constitutional Court in support of a secret ballot in a parliamentary vote of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma, the opposition parties said Friday.

At a press briefing here, nine opposition parties made a joint statement about the march. Later this month, Zuma faces a no-confidence vote in parliament.

"We the leaders of political parties...are united behind the call for Members of Parliament to be allowed to decide, by secret ballot, whether President Jacob Zuma must vacate office or not," said the United Democratic Movement (UDM) President Bantu Holomisa while reading the statement.

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane called on the African National Congress (ANC) to join their position on the vote of no confidence in Zuma.

The Constitutional Court is expected to announce a judgment on Monday about whether the legislators will have a secret or open vote. The ruling ANC with two thirds majority is against secret vote.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 10:45:32|Editor: liuxin

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CANBERRA, May 13 (Xinhua) -- A worldwide cyber attack, which has crippled hospitals across Britain and hit international shipping company FedEx, has not affected any Australian organizations, but authorities would continue to "monitor the situation", the Australian government said on Saturday.

The ransomware attack in which hackers shut down computer systems and only reinstate them after victims have paid a fee, has forced hospitals across Britain to cancel surgeries and close emergency rooms, in what had been described as the "biggest ransomware outbreak in history" by cyber security company F-Secure.

Speaking through a spokesperson on Saturday, Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said there had been "no confirmed reports" of any such attacks occurring against Australian companies or government organizations.

"The Prime Minister's cyber security special adviser Alastair MacGibbon is working with the Australian Cyber Security Centre and health agencies to determine any impact to Australia," the spokesman said on Saturday.

The prime minister also moved to reassure Australians that they were not at risk, explaining that Australia's cyber security agencies were among the best in the world.

"The government takes cyber security very seriously.

"We are continuing to monitor the situation closely and stand ready to deal with any cyber security threat to Australia's critical infrastructure."

The attacks have been wide-ranging, with a reported 57,000 infections affecting about 100 countries worldwide, including the United States, Britain, Spain, Russia and Portugal.

The attackers reportedly encrypted data onto vulnerable computers and have demanded payment through digital currency bitcoin in order to restore regular functions.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 10:55:34|Editor: liuxin

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MADRID, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on Friday nominated Zurab Pololikashvili, the Georgian Ambassador to Spain, as the organization's next secretary-general.

Pololikashvili's nomination will be submitted to the 22nd UNWTO General Assembly for ratification when they meet in the Chinese city of Chengdu on Sept. 11-16.

The announcement came at the end of the 105th meeting of the UNWTO Executive Council here. The two-day meeting focused on the current trends and challenges facing the tourism sector.

Taleb Rifai, the current UNWTO secretary-general, said the meeting had come at an "important moment in the history of the organization, with a change of leadership, a change of personnel and a new future."

"I can attest to his capabilities both technically and as a person. This job requires a lot of diplomacy and technical know-how, which I am certain he has," he added.

The UNWTO recognized three main challenges for the sector, which are safe, secure and seamless travel, ease of crossing international frontiers with guarantees of safety for travelers, as well as the impact of technology on travel and sustainability.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 11:00:37|Editor: liuxin

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CARACAS, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations in Venezuela on Friday called for a "stop to the violence" that has roiled the South American country since April.

In a statement, it urged the opposing sides in Venezuela's protracted political conflict "to value, respect and guarantee the right to life, and stop the violence."

The call came after weeks of clashes between right-wing anti-government protesters and security forces or supporters of the ruling socialist PSUV party.

Demonstrations should be "peaceful and protected by the authorities," the UN said, reiterating an earlier call for the two sides in the conflict to find a negotiated solution through dialogue.

On April 20, the UN urged both camps to strive for "balance" between the different branches of government.

With the PSUV in power and an opposition-controlled congress, the government has been in a deadlock.

The organization also called for "concrete gestures" to reduce the political tension and division within society.

Protests have killed nearly 40 people and left hundreds more injured so far.

On May 1, President Nicolas Maduro called for a new Constitution as a means of overcoming the political crisis, and a presidential commission in the process of forming a constituent assembly to draft the document.

However, the opposition coalition, which wants the government to hold early elections, has rebuffed the move as a delay tactic.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 11:20:43|Editor: Mengjie

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TALLINN, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) sees the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative as a "positive" project to promote the connections between Asia and Europe, a top EU official said here on Friday.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Estonian Foreign Minister Sven Mikser, Federica Mogherini, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said European Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen will attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation scheduled for May 14-15 in Beijing.

"We are preparing, in a very positive manner, for the next EU-China summit to be held in Brussels at the beginning of June," said Mogherini, adding that her visit to Beijing in April is "a success."

"Our relations are really based, I think, now on extremely solid bases. China and the European Union recognize each other, in this period of the history of the world, as two reliable global powers," she noted.

For his part, Mikser said he believes there is huge potential and increasing opportunities for EU and China to do business and enhance trade.

Mogherini was visiting Estonia to attend the annual Lennart Meri Conference on foreign and security policy issues. The conference was named after the late Lennart Meri, who served as Estonian president from 1992 to 2001.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 11:25:46|Editor: Mengjie

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MONTEVIDEO, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Uruguay's Vice President Raul Sendic said Friday that the re-opening of two plants belonging to Chinese automaker Lifan is a mark of "confidence" by foreign investors.

Speaking at the plants' location in the southern department of San Jose, Sendic said that China and Uruguay had a "historic opportunity" to consolidate their bilateral relationship.

"We know what the investment means for hundreds of families," said Sendic.

"I want to express the support of the government and our gratitude for the confidence and commitment shown as we strengthen the relations between our country and China," added Sendic.

The vice-president then called on the Uruguayan government to continue opening itself up to markets in order to expand trade.

"The role of entrepreneurs is to develop investments and that of the workers is for the plant to remain active and to produce quality," said Sendic.

The plants, run by Lifan Automobile Co. based in the city of Chongqing, China, had stopped production in 2015 because of a drop in demand due to the economic recession in Brazil, its principal market. They reopened in March as the Brazilian economy began showing signs of recovery.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 11:40:55|Editor: Yamei

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BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday called on China and Greece to expand cooperation in infrastructure, energy, telecommunications and oceanic sectors to better benefit people of both countries.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras who is in Beijing to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation scheduled for May 14 and 15.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 12:01:02|Editor: Yamei

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BANGKOK, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The Thai-Chinese Rayong Industrial Zone has benefited a lot from the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, which is compatible with the Thai government's "Thailand 4.0" strategy, said a Thailand-based Chinese entrepreneur.

The ideas proposed by the two countries share the same concepts of win-win cooperation and connectivity, Xu Genluo, chairman of Thai-Chinese Rayong Industrial Realty Development Co., told Xinhua in a recent interview.

The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, known as the "Belt and Road" initiative, was proposed by China in 2013 with the aim of building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes.

"Thailand 4.0" strategy put forward by the current government is an economic model aims at pulling Thailand out of the middle-income trap and pushing the country into the high-income range by innovation and the appliance of new technology in manufacturing.

"Under this model, Thailand will move toward an inclusive society with equitable access to the fruits of prosperity, which echoes the major concept of the Belt and Road initiative", said Xu.

He said that "Thailand 4.0" strategy will be jumpstarted by the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) project, which says three eastern provinces, namely Chachengsao, Chonburi and Rayong, in Thailands eastern seaboard will be built into a hub for technological manufacturing and services with strong connectivity to its ASEAN neighbors by land, sea and air.

"The synergy of EEC and the Belt and Road Initiative will undoubtedly bring more benefits to Chinese enterprises." said Xu, who runs the Thai-Chinese Rayong industrial zone that has attracted the total investment of more than 800 million U.S dollars from 35 Chinese enterprises during the past three years.

Xu noted that the industrial output value of the zone has reached 5,500 million dollars since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed, accounting for two thirds of the total amount during the past decade since the industrial zone was established.

Xu eyes broader industrial capacity cooperation between China and Thailand within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and the "Thailand 4.0" strategy.

Under the "Thailand 4.0" roadmap, 10 targeted industries are promoted as clusters by the government, including next-generation cars; smart electronics; affluent, medical and wellness tourism; agriculture and biotechnology; food; robotics for industry; logistics and aviation; biofuels and biochemicals; digital; and medical services.

"Regional integration is taking shape, industries and development will follow. Both Chinese investors and Thailand, which is a country along the Belt and Road and the center of the ASEAN region, will have more opportunities," said Xu.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 12:26:06|Editor: Yamei

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FUZHOU, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Quanzhou in east China's Fujian Province was the country's major port for foreign trade during the Song and Yuan dynasties (960-1368).

If a resident from ancient Quanzhou Bay was magically teleported to the modern city, they would be awed by the bustling streets, lights and noise, but they might also find some peace in local temples where the same religions are practiced to this day.

Foreign traders and missionaries, drawn to the starting point of Maritime Silk Road, were enchanted by what they found there and often elected to stay, bringing with them an array of religions, traditions and cultures.

Archeologists tell us that, in its heyday, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Taoism thrived side-by-side in Quanzhou.

Today, the centuries-old temples and mosques, many with a mixture of artistic styles, still receive believers and pilgrims from home and abroad. Now, with a local government determined to protect and renovate these unique edifices, a future which was once crumbling seems guaranteed.

Zhang Lianzhu has worked for 23 years in Quanzhou's Qingjing Mosque, the only surviving mosque in China from the Song Dynasty. She says that more and more people visit the mosque every year.

"Now, about 200 people come for Friday prayers. A few years ago, there were rarely more than 70," she said.

Zhang attributes the rise to better publicity and financial support from the government. In 2015, Quanzhou was one of the four venues outside Beijing to host the Spring Festival Gala, China's biggest annual TV event.

The government, which gave the mosque around 200,000 yuan (about 29,000 U.S. dollars) at the turn of the century, now donates four times that much, according to Zhang.

The mosque has always been important to Chinese Muslims, Zhang said. Each year, the mosque receives around 200,000 visitors from inland provinces and regions with large Muslim populations.

"These Muslims have a saying: If you cannot afford to travel to Mecca, go to Quanzhou instead," Zhang said. "Some go so far as to bottle our water used for cleansing before prayers and take it back home."

Many come to Quanzhou not just to pray, but to visit the Islamic cemetery, where two Islamic saints from 7th-century Quanzhou are said to be buried.

Zhang, a Muslim herself, said the city is well-known for its rich history of cultural diversity. "It is famed as a 'museum' of religions," she said.

Quanzhou Maritime Museum has the largest collection of Islamic and Hindu gravestones, capstones and inscriptions in the country, according to Chen Shaofeng, a historian at the museum.

Lin Yongquan, a priest at the Catholic church in Quanzhou, said there are about 2,000 Chinese Catholics in Quanzhou, and around 100 foreigners from India, the Republic of Korea and the Philippines.

"Many of these foreigners work in local factories," Lin said. "We set up a WeChat group for them and they talk about anything from religion to their everyday lives."

INTEGRATION

In Kaiyuan Temple, a Buddhist temple built around 685 during the Tang Dynasty, there are two columns with fragments of a temple dedicated to Hindu God Shiva.

"The interaction of religious cultures was frequent in Quanzhou. Some religious art has Chinese characteristics," said Wu Youxiong, a religious historian.

At the gate of Qingjing Mosque, two stones feature auspicious clouds, a traditional Chinese symbol.

Back in Yuan Dynasty, the word "Fo" -- the Chinese translation of Buddha -- was commonly used by local people to describe their own particular god, Wu said.

"The fact that these religions coexisted in harmony in Quanzhou was indispensable to interaction and integration," he said.

"I love living here as no one treats you differently because of your religious belief," said Hazim Alrikabi, an Iraqi businessman who has been in Quanzhou for 13 years.

Father Lin said religions in Quanzhou share strong bonds today. "I often meet with the heads of our Buddhist and Taoist temples and mosque during our various festivals."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 12:46:13|Editor: Yamei

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BUENOS AIRES, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Argentine President Mauricio Macri, who is bound for China for a state visit, will have a "successful" trip, China's ambassador was quoted by local media as saying on Friday.

Macri departed on Thursday night and will arrive in China on Sunday following a brief stopover in Dubai. He is expected to take part in the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation scheduled for May 14-15 in Beijing, and meet with high-level Chinese officials to explore more measures to strengthen pragmatic cooperation.

In an interview published by local daily La Nacion, Ambassador Yang Wanming said Macri's China visit will be defined "by many successes."

Since Macri took office in December 2015, China-Argentina ties have "deepened and expanded," Yang noted. "Up to now, there have already been two meetings (between Macri and Chinese) President Xi Jinping, during which they talked about various and profound issues."

Macri has been leading major economic reforms in one of South American's largest economies, said Yang.

"The change in Argentina is very notable, and significant. Above all, it is evident that the economic reform is underway and that has been successful and efficient in developing the economy," he said.

"We (China and Argentina) are working on several bilateral agreements and contracts, not just economic and trade, which will be a very important part, but also projects in different sectors, including politics, culture, education and sports," said Yang.

China is one of Argentina's largest trading partners and a main importer of its agricultural products.

The two countries celebrated the 45-year anniversary of the founding of diplomatic ties on Feb. 19, and have boasted a comprehensive strategic partnership since 2014.

In an earlier interview with Xinhua on Monday, Macri said his nation "needs good partners" and China can be "a very good partner for the future development of the country."

He added that few countries complement each other more than China and Argentina.
KABUL, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Two government employees were killed and two others wounded in a bomb attack in Afghanistan's capital of Kabul in morning rush hours on Saturday, police said.

"A sticky Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attached to a minibus was detonated in Makroryan-e-Awal locality at 07:30 a.m. local time. The bus was carrying city Water Supply Department workers," a district police official told Xinhua.

Security forces cordoned off the area, where several government offices and residential apartment buildings are located and police have launched an investigation into the incident, the source noted.

The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital.

No group has claimed responsibility yet.

The Afghan government has recently ordered its employees to use public and private transportation in rush hours after a string of deadly bombings struck several government workers' buses in the past years.

The Afghan civilians continue to bear the brunt of armed conflicts as 715 civilians were killed and over 1,460 others injured in conflict-related incidents across Afghanistan in the first three months of the year.

On May 3, eight civilians were killed and two dozen civilians and three U.S. soldiers wounded after a suicide bombing targeted a U.S. military convoy near the U.S. embassy in Kabul.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 12:55:49|Editor: MJ

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WASHINGTON, May 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump will express his support to Palestinian self-determination in his first trip to Israel later this month, a senior U.S. official said on Friday.

"With President Abbas (of Palestine), he will express his desire for dignity and self-determination for the Palestinians," said U.S. national security adviser Herbert Raymond McMaster at a White House briefing, adding that Trump will also reaffirm America's "unshakable bond" to Israel.

Asked by reporters whether Trump may try to get Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the same room together during his visit, McMaster said final plans have yet to be set.

"It will obviously be up to the president and those leaders about how he wants to engage with them. But he'll engage with both those leaders there as part of the trip," said McMaster.

McMaster said that Trump's visit to Israel will come after a visit to Saudi Arabia on May 19, in which he will encourage Arab and Muslim partners "to take bold, new steps" to counter terrorism.

After the trip to the Middle East, Trump will travel to Europe for meetings with Pope Francis at the Vatican, NATO leaders in Brussels, and G7 leaders in Sicily, Italy, said McMaster.

Trump's first visit to Israel will come less than a month after his meeting with Abbas in Washington, in which Trump pledged his commitment to help solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

However, Trump hadn't so far publicly expressed his support for a two-state solution, a longstanding U.S. stance on the issue.

In a major departure from the longtime U.S. policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Trump said in February that he was open to either a one-state or two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"I'm looking at two-state, one-state, and I like the one that both parties like. ... I can live with either one," Trump said then at a joint press conference with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 13:01:20|Editor: MJ

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BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Beijing is rolling out the red carpet this week with thousands of delegates, including more than two dozen heads of state and government, arriving to attend the inaugural Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

In the run-up to the May 14-15 summit, the Belt and Road has became a catchphrase associated with a lot of endeavors. The host city even decorated one of its busiest roads with camel-shaped living sculptures, a token of ancient trade routes that are evolving into modern networks of cooperation in various fields.

But putting fanfare aside, what really is the Belt and Road Initiative? Xinhua consulted policy-makers and academics to answer some of the frequently asked questions about the initiative.

-- What is the Belt and Road Initiative?

The Belt and Road Initiative was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 to chart out new territories for international cooperation. China invites countries and regions to jointly build the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

Taking its name from the ancient trade routes, the initiative nevertheless concerns more about trade and covers a huge chunk of the world's regions.

The initiative -- an abstract term -- is essentially a new open platform on which countries in Eurasia and beyond can strengthen economic and cultural cooperation to achieve common prosperity.

-- Where exactly is "the Belt" and "the Road"?

Based on archaeological finds, historians have been able to draw ancient Silk Road routes on a map, while economic planners suggest at least five routes of economic cooperation under today's initiative.

Three of them are overland:

-- Northwest, Northeast China-Central Asia-Russia-Europe-the Baltic Sea;

-- Northwest China-Central, Western Asia-the Persian Gulf-the Mediterranean Sea;

-- Southwest China-Indochina Peninsular-the Indian Ocean.

Two are on the sea:

-- Coastal China-the South China Sea-Strait of Malacca-the Indian Ocean-Europe;

-- Coastal China-the South China Sea-the South Pacific.

-- Is it a China-orchestrated strategy?

No. While China proposed the initiative, it does not intend to dictate how it works. The Belt and Road is not China's solo performance but a chorus of all participating countries.

Projects under the initiative follow the principles of "extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits." All emphasize its openness and inclusiveness.

In fact, the name "initiative" instead of "strategy" suggests that its success depends on collaboration. The region does not lack good precedents like the Chiang Mai Initiative, which started as voluntary bilateral currency swaps but eventually became a regional foreign exchange reserve.

-- Does it exclude certain countries?

No. The initiative is not a new version of the Marshall Plan, which gave aid only to American allies. The Belt and Road Initiative, in contrast, is open to all. The vagueness of the initiative's geographical boundaries also helps. No bars are set and countries do not need to negotiate their ways into the initiative.

Over 100 countries, regions and international organizations have responded optimistically to the initiative. China signed cooperation agreements with 40 of them.

-- Are regional integration and free trade zones the goal?

Not necessarily. China is not pushing for regional integration via the Belt and Road platform. Sometimes, the signing of a memorandum of understanding is enough to kick-start a major project or investment.

After all, the Belt and Road is not another Trans-Pacific Partnership or Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. Both were designed as trade agreements, while trade was just one part of the Belt and Road Initiative.

-- Then, what does it entail in practice?

Five areas have been singled out to advance the initiative: policy coordination, facilities connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and people-to-people bonds.

Though the Belt and Road is more than a trade and infrastructure network, many of the early projects do involve a large amount of infrastructure construction -- roads, rails, harbours, airports, pipelines, and the fiber optic.

Six overland economic corridors have been planned. The most prominent one -- the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor -- has seen rapid progress, with major highway, port, and power projects under way.

The Silk Road Fund and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank were set up to bankroll development projects in the region and beyond. Policy banks ramped up lending, while commercial banks opened new branches, and more countries signed currency swap agreements with China.

Cooperation is also being carried out in environmental protection, wildlife preservation, climate change intervention, joint maritime law enforcement, exchanges of culture, arts, and education.

-- What benefits will China get from it?

China has achieved remarkable economic growth over the past four decades on the back of its integration into the global value chain. It has actively sought cooperation with developed nations and made the best of it.

But as China has marched into the rank of mid-income countries, it now needs to explore new territories for international cooperation to help its industries upgrade and economic structure transform.

For many years, inbound foreign direct investment (FDI) was important for an economy rich in labor but poor in capital. That has changed. Outbound direct investment now exceeds inbound FDI.

China's non-financial outbound investment jumped to 170 billion U.S. dollars in 2016. Investment found its way to 164 countries and regions.

Chinese companies now need to explore new overseas markets and the initiative will bring about many new opportunities. A new growth paradigm might emerge.

-- What benefits can other countries get?

To name just a few: money, jobs, better roads and ports, knowledge, and new ways to grow the economy.

Many of the Belt and Road countries are developing countries which need to reduce poverty, improve infrastructure, industrialize, or balance their economy. China can help with its capital, experience, expertise, and talent. The supply-demand match opens great opportunities for collaboration.

This kind of cooperation did exist between China and other countries before the Belt and Road. But there is no doubt the gravity of future cooperation will be tilted to the Belt and Road platform, which has absorbed many existing projects.
LOME, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Togo and Benin will install boundary markers to delineate their shared 644km border, the website close to the Togolese government republicoftogo.com reported on Friday.

"As part of the delineation, installation operations of 241 boundary markers along the borderline commenced this week at the locality of Madjatom in the northern prefecture Binah in Togo," the report read.

The operation aimed to slightly correct the topographic mistakes made by foreign colonial powers, according to the source.

Experts from Togo and Benin have periodically discussed creating a definitive delineation of their shared border, which includes a 100 km fluvial borderline.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 13:11:24|Editor: MJ

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WASHINGTON, May 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump has not yet made a decision on whether to send additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan, a senior U.S. official said on Friday.

"The president wants to hear from our allies as well," said National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster at a White House briefing on Trump's upcoming trip to the Middle East and Europe.

He added that Trump will discuss the issue with allies at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Brussels and Group 7 (G7) meeting in Sicily later this month.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama had planned to reduce the current number of 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan to some 5,500 by the end of 2015 and withdraw all troops by the end of 2016 when his presidency came to an end.

However, given the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, the Obama administration repeatedly postponed the withdrawal.

U.S. National Intelligence Director Dan Coats warned on Thursday that the situation in Afghanistan would most likely deteriorate in the future even if the United States and its allies offer more military aid.

"The intelligence community assesses that the political and security situation in Afghanistan will almost certainly deteriorate through 2018 even with a modest increase in military assistance by the United States and its partners," said Coats at a Senate hearing.

Currently, there are about 8,400 U.S. troops and another 5,000 NATO forces on the ground in Afghanistan to train and assist Afghan forces against the Taliban and conduct counter-terrorism missions.
ABC News(WASHINGTON) -- Donald Trump's pre-presidential air fleet -- consisting of a Boeing 757, a small aircraft and a handful of choppers -- has been easily recognizable for years, thanks to "TRUMP" being slapped on the exterior of these souped-up aeronautical machines.



Now, a group of North Carolina high school students taking part of in a national rocket design competition, have taken a cue from the president's love of branding, and designed a rocket in honor of him for the Team America Rocketry Challenge, a competition being held in Northern Virginia.



Today, I welcomed the Victory Christian Center School. Good luck @ the Team America Rocketry Challenge! #TARC Watch: https://t.co/AgOi7aaG6t pic.twitter.com/zXBBhz7qcV  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017

Great to meet these awesome students from Victory Christian Center School competing in TARC 2017 with their rocket "The Trump." pic.twitter.com/uzX7cmc371  Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) May 12, 2017

Students from Victory Christian Center School in Charlotte, North Carolina, visited the White House Friday and brought their entry -- a sleek-looking black rocket with "TRUMP" in gold letters -- to the Oval Office. The president's daughter, Ivanka Trump, was also present for the meet-and-greet."Guess what the name of the rocket is?" Trump said, addressing the press. "It's called 'Trump.' It better work well! And to qualify [for the national competition] the 'Trump' needed to soar to an altitude of 775 feet with a flight duration of 41 to 43 seconds ... And return without so much as breaking an egg shell ..... I want to congratulate you. That's a fantastic achievement ... It looks like a mean machine."Trump then asked the students why the rocket was named after him."Simply because it conquers all," one student said."They're never going to put that on television," Trump said, referring to the press, which he claims does not often report positively about his presidency.Ivanka Trump posted a photo of the visit on her social media accounts. "Great to meet these awesome students from Victory Christian Center School's Rocket Team, representing the Charlotte, NC region in this year's Team America Rocketry Challenge with their rocket "The Trump," the first daughter wrote on Instagram. "These incredible students are the future of our country's aerospace and defense industries! #STEM"The president told the students to come back to the White House for a celebration if they win.Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
In the picture with this column are some of our local town historians and members of local historical societies who recently attended our regional historians meeting held at the Ward W. OHara Agricultural & Country Living Museum and Dr. Joseph F. Karpinski Sr. Educational Center in Owasco. From left is Anita Messina of the Lock 52 Historical Society, Port Byron; Jeanne Baker of the Old Brutus Historical Society, Weedsport; Susan Parsons, Fair Haven historian; Cheryl Longyear, Montezuma historian; and Dawn Roe of the Lock 52 Historical Society, Port Byron.

Our region includes Cayuga, Onondaga, Madison and Cortland counties. The meeting was organized by Matthew Urtz, Madison County historian. Cheryl Longyear opened the meeting by welcoming everyone and presenting a brief overview of historical sites in Auburn and in the 23 towns in Cayuga County. Representatives from the Central New York Library Resources Council, SUNY Cortland, the New York State Archives and the state Archives Partnership Trust discussed services available to us on a wide variety of topics.

Some of the early May/June programs being presented at historical societies and museums include:

 7 p.m. Monday, May 15: Speaker William Sawyer, Fort Stanwix guide, at the Old Brutus Historical Society, Weedsport

 7 p.m. Sunday, May 21: Dr. Michael Groth presents "Slavery and Freedom" at the Frontenac Museum, Union Springs; and 7 p.m. Sunday, June 11: Andrew Zepp presents This Land is Your Land

 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 23: Ladies share memories of the Little Red Schoolhouse and growing up in the town of Sterling at the Sterling Historical Society

 9 a.m. Monday, May 29: Memorial Day services at Victory Union Cemetery with the Cato LaBuff-Cole American Legion Post No. 911 and pastor Greg Settle.

 June 1-4: The Wall That Heals replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial comes to Dana L. West Jr.-Sr. High School in Port Byron

 June 3: National Trail Bike Ride from Macedon to Montezuma stops in Montezuma for lunch.

 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 3: Old Ways Days at the Ward W. O'Hara museum

 7:30 p.m. June 26-27: Presentations of Clintons Ditch, the story of building the Erie Canal, at Devaneys Restaurant in Weedsport; and 7:30 p.m. June 29-30: Presentations of Clintons Ditch at Giardina Park in Montezuma. Reservations are strongly recommended for the dinners at 5 p.m. before each play. For more information, call Devaneys at (315) 834-6352 or the Montezuma VFW at (315) 776-4714.

Many more programs will be presented on the topics for this special year: The World War I centennial, the state womens suffrage amendment anniversary, and the bicentennial of the Erie Canal's construction.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 13:36:37|Editor: Mengjie

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BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Saturday, announcing the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Orban is in Beijing to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation scheduled for May 14 to 15.

The establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership reflects the reality of developing China-Hungary ties and will create vast room for bilateral cooperation, Xi said.

The president called for close alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with Hungary's Eastern Opening policy and enhanced top-level planning for all-round cooperation.

Stressing the need to explore the potential for cooperation, Xi said the two countries should continue pushing forward major projects such as the Hungary-Serbia railway project, expanding financial cooperation, increasing people-to-people exchanges, and strengthening cooperation in culture, education, tourism, and local authorities.

For his part, Orban said Hungary is willing to work with China to carry forward the comprehensive strategic partnership.

Speaking highly of China's economic and social development, progress made in the country's poverty alleviation in particular, Orban said China's market economy status is indisputable.

Noting that the Belt and Road construction will offer important opportunities for all countries, Orban said Hungary is willing to actively participate in relevant cooperation.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 13:46:40|Editor: Mengjie

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BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday exchanged congratulatory messages with his Croatian counterpart Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic to celebrate the 25th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations.

Xi said in the message that China and Croatia boast a traditional friendship, along with 25 years of sound and stable bilateral relations.

The two countries enjoy ever-deepening exchanges in various areas, he noted.

"I attach great importance to the development of China-Croatia relations and am willing to work with you to take the anniversary as a new starting point to advance our comprehensive cooperative partnership so as to better benefit the two countries and two peoples," Xi said.

For her part, Kitarovic said the quarter-century of ties will unlock new momentum for bilateral relations.

Croatia stands ready to work with China to enrich bilateral practical cooperation so as to lift their comprehensive cooperative partnership to a higher level, she said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 14:06:22|Editor: liuxin

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KABUL, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Two local Taliban leaders were killed after Afghan air force struck a militants' hideout in restive southern Helmand province on Friday, the Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

"The strike was conducted on specific intelligence inputs in Musa Qala district, killing Ustad Toor Jan and Fidda Mohammad and three militants' vehicles were also destroyed following the raid," it said in a statement posted on its official Facebook page.

In addition, the army personnel conducted a cordon and search operation in neighboring Marja district, capturing 10 Taliban militants and destroying three vehicles, it said.

Furthermore, three militants were killed and eight others wounded in a separate operation in surrounding areas of Tirin Kot, capital of neighboring Uruzgan province, according to the statement.

The army bomb disposal teams also found and defused 28 roadside bombs and landmines in Uruzgan within the past 24 hours, the statement added.

Afghan security forces have beefed up security operations against militants recently as clashes between security forces and militants have been continuing in 16 of the country's 34 provinces.

The militant group has yet to make comments.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 14:42:04|Editor: Mengjie

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BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday urged the launch of negotiations with Switzerland on the upgrading of the bilateral free trade agreement at an early date.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with Swiss President Doris Leuthard,who is in Beijing to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, scheduled for May 14 to 15.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 15:07:14|Editor: ying

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BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Heavy rain will hit China's northeastern regions from Saturday to Sunday, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said Saturday.

The NMC forecast heavy rain for most of northeast China, with parts of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces expecting storms in the next two days.

From Sunday to Monday, heavy rain will hit parts of Fujian, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces accompanied by thunderstorms, said the NMC.

The center warned local authorities and residents to take precautions against flooding and geological disasters.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 15:22:22|Editor: ying

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who is here to attend the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation, in Beijing, capital of China, May 13, 2017. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping Saturday called on China and Greece to expand cooperation in energy, infrastructure, oceanic and telecommunications sectors to better benefit the people of both countries.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras who is in Beijing to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation scheduled for May 14 and 15.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Greece.

Commending the traditional friendship and vigorous cooperation between the two countries, Xi said China is willing to maintain high-level exchanges with Greece, and establish closer contact between governments at all levels.

He said both countries must work together to ensure balanced development of bilateral trade, and tap into their potential in cultural and people-to-people cooperation.

In particular, the Chinese president said the two countries should use the Ancient Civilizations Forum, a Greek initiative with China as co-organizer, as a platform to foster dialogue.

He said that China and Europe need to expand pragmatic cooperation and expressed hope that Greece will make a positive contribution to the long-term, healthy and stable development of China-EU ties.

Greece's own development strategy dovetails with the Belt and Road Initiative, Xi noted.

Efforts should be made to build the Port of Piraeus into a key transfer point for containers in the Mediterranean, a bridgehead for land-ocean transportation and an international logistics center to support the China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line and the Belt and Road Initiative, he said.

For his part, Tsipras also called on the two countries to deepen cooperation in fields such as agriculture, economy, energy, finance, investment and new technologies, and to jointly advance the Piraeus Port project.

He said the Belt and Road Initiative holds great vision and importance, and is conducive to the connectivity of energy, trade, transport and Internet across the Eurasian region.

Greece is glad to participate in the Belt and Road cooperation, and is willing to promote cooperation between China and Central and Eastern Europe countries as well as Europe at large, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 15:41:05|Editor: Hou Qiang

Photo taken on May 13, 2017 shows the "Golden Bridge on Silk Road" structure outside the National Convention Center in Beijing, capital of China. The Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will be held here from May 14 to 15. (Xinhua/Li He)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 16:02:36|Editor: ying

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Beijing, capital of China, May 13, 2017. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday called for the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to be pushed forward.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is in Beijing to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation scheduled for May 14 and 15.

The supplementary projects in and around Pakistan's Gwadar Port should be steadily advanced and the study on the construction of industrial parks along the corridor facilitated, Xi said.

Xi stressed that the long-term planning of the corridor should be completed as soon as possible and cooperation programs covering energy, transportation infrastructure and people's livelihoods should be promoted and carried out.

China-Pakistan relations remain a priority for China and it is willing to enrich the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with Pakistan, the president said.

The two sides should not only continue high-level exchanges, but increase interactions between governments, legislative bodies and political parties, Xi said.

He said the two countries should strengthen cooperation on areas including anti-terrorism and security, and enhance coordination on major international and regional affairs.

China wants to deepen cooperation with Pakistan under the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Xi added.

Sharif said the traditional friendship between Pakistan and China is solid, stressing that it is a national consensus to deepen ties with China and participate in cooperation on the Belt and Road construction.

Pakistan is willing to work with China in actively implementing various projects related to the corridor and steadily pushing forward the cooperation on energy and infrastructure construction, including the Gwadar Port program, he said.

Sharif said Pakistan will continue its coordination and cooperation with China under such multilateral frameworks as the United Nations and the SCO, to contribute to stability and development in the region and beyond.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 16:22:42|Editor: xuxin

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AYBAK, Afghanistan, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Afghan National Police repelled a Taliban attack on a district headquarters on Friday in northern Samangan province, killing eight militants, and one police officer also died, provincial police said on Saturday.

"The militants attacked security checkpoints in surrounding area of Duab district Friday. The ALP personnel bravely fought back the attackers and the clashes also injured 15 assailants in the district, southern of provincial capital Aybak city," provincial police spokesman Munir Rahimi told reporters.

Among the killed militants were Mawlawi Jalal, Taliban's deputy shadow governor for Samangan, and Ghysas Uddin, shadow district governor for the above district, Rahimi added.

The ALP also confiscated weapons and ammunition in the province, 215 km north of Kabul.

Earlier on Saturday, the security forces reopened a main road in Khan Abad district of neighboring restive Kunduz province after days of heavy clashes with Taliban.

The strategic route, which connects Kunduz with northern Takhar and Badakhshan provinces, had been closed by militants within the past week.

The clashes along the road claimed the lives of 10 security forces and 55 Taliban militants, while 13 troops and 43 militants wounded in the fightings in the province, 250 km north of Kabul.

The Kunduz province, as well as Badakhshan and Takhar provinces, has been the scene of heavy clashes over the past couple of months as Taliban has been trying to challenge the government forces in the once relatively peaceful region.

Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since April 28 when the militant group launched its annual rebel offensive in different places of the country.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 16:22:45|Editor: xuxin

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ISLAMABAD, May 13 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 laborers were killed and two others injured in two separate firing incidents on construction sites in Pakistan's southwestern port city of Gwadar in Balochistan Province on Saturday, officials and reports said.

Confirming the death toll, Sarfraz Bugti, home minister of Balochistan Province said that the laborers were working on road construction projects when they came under attack.

The firing incidents took place in the Pishgan and Ganth Road areas, located at the outskirts of Gwadar.

The unknown assailants fled the scene after carrying out the attack and a search operation by local paramilitary forces is underway.

Deputy Commissioner of Gwadar Naeem Bazai said that all the victims were natives of Naushero Feroze district, located in neighboring Sindh Province.

The bodies and injured people were shifted to a nearby hospital where doctors said that the victims were shot in the head by the militants.

No group has claimed the attack yet.

The incident happened a day after 25 people were killed and 35 others injured in a suicide attack on Pakistani Senate's Deputy Chairman Molana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri's convoy in Mastung district of the province.
ALBANY  In New York state government news, an assemblywoman proposes making it easier for laypeople to perform marriages and farm workers seek the right to unionize.

Meanwhile, a senator calls for increased penalties for killing a police dog.

A look at the issues coming up in Albany:

MARRIAGE OFFICIANTS

Anyone 18 or older can apply for the right to officiate at a wedding  for a single day  under legislation introduced in the state Assembly.

The proposal would authorize the state to award "one-day marriage officiant" licenses enabling a person to perform marriages.

An officiant would have to pay a fee and file their application with the secretary of state's office at least 30 days before the ceremony.

The bill is the work of Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, a Westchester County Democrat. A memo accompanying Galef's legislation says the bill is necessary because more and more people are becoming ordained online in order to officiate at a friend or relative's wedding. But the memo says it's unclear whether state law actually allows people ordained online to conduct a marriage ceremony.

FARM WORKERS

Agricultural workers throughout New York state continue to fight a legal loophole that prohibits them from organizing.

Workers and labor advocates say that without the right to unionize, farm workers are subjected to long hours, poor conditions and low wages. A group of clergy who support giving farm workers the right to organize plans to gather at the Capitol on Tuesday. A rally by farm workers is planned for May 23.

New York's state Constitution guarantees workers the right to organize, but a decades-old state law specifically exempts farm workers. The New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit challenging the law. The suit was filed on behalf of a former dairy farm worker who said he lost his job after his employers saw him meeting with other workers.

Farmers have traditionally argued against allowing workers to unionize, saying agriculture is different from other industries because a strike could jeopardize an entire harvest or endanger livestock.

POLICE DOGS

On Monday, state Sen. Catharine Young, a Republican, will announce legislation to increase penalties for killing a police dog or horse.

The proposal would elevate the crime of killing a police animal from a Class E felony to a Class D felony.

The crime of killing a police dog was considered a misdemeanor until 2013, when lawmakers voted to make it a felony.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 16:37:49|Editor: Hou Qiang

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BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Saturday, announcing the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Orban is in Beijing to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation scheduled for May 14 to 15.

The establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership reflects the reality of developing China-Hungary ties and will create vast room for bilateral cooperation, Xi said.

The president called for close alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with Hungary's Eastern Opening policy and enhanced top-level planning for all-round cooperation.

Stressing the need to explore the potential for cooperation, Xi said the two countries should continue pushing forward major projects such as the Hungary-Serbia railway project, expanding financial cooperation, increasing people-to-people exchanges, and strengthening cooperation in culture, education, tourism, and local authorities.

China is willing to work with Hungary to continuously promote cooperation between China and the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), and enhance the development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the European Union (EU), Xi said.

Orban said Hungary is willing to work with China to carry forward the comprehensive strategic partnership.

Speaking highly of China's economic and social development, and progress made in the country's poverty alleviation in particular, Orban said China's market economy status is indisputable.

Hungary is committed to deepening cooperation with China in infrastructure and agriculture, and supports the development of China-CEE cooperation and China-EU relations, Orban said.

Noting that the Belt and Road construction will offer important opportunities for all countries, Orban said Hungary is willing to actively participate in relevant cooperation.

After the meeting, the two sides released a joint declaration on establishing the comprehensive strategic partnership.

China and Hungary will jointly draft and implement a plan to cooperate on Belt and Road construction, and prepare for the establishment of a center to promote China-Hungary cooperation in this aspect, according to the declaration.

Hungary supports the joint efforts made by China and the EU to safeguard and promote a free, open and inclusive multilateral trade system, oppose protectionism in trade and investment, and sign the China-EU investment treaty at an early date, said the declaration.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 16:37:53|Editor: ying

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SHIJIAZHUANG, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Two people were killed and 18 others hospitalized in a chlorine leak in north China's Hebei province early on Saturday morning.

The accident happened at 4:10 a.m., at Lixing chemical plant near Sunguozhuang village of Hejian city less than 200 kilometers away from Beijing, poisoning residents of the village and those nearby.

Twenty people were taken to hospital for treatment, two of whom died. The condition of the others is not known.

Source of the leak has been blocked.

Further details and cause of the accident are under investigation.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 17:13:09|Editor: ying

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KABUL, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Gulbudin Hekmatyar, leader of Afghanistan's Hizb-e-Islami, or Islamic Party, returned to Kabul earlier this month, ending decades of exile and fighting against the government, a move that many expect to bolster peace and national reconciliation in the militancy-plagued country.

In his maiden address after returning to Kabul at a ceremony held in Presidential Palace, Hekmatyar lashed out at war as an instrument to claim the lives of more Afghans. "My sole aim is to see peace in Afghanistan and anyone wants peace in the country I would cooperate to end the war," he said.

Once a strong advocate of armed opposition against government and the U.S.-led coalition foreign forces in Afghanistan, Hekmatyar also described Taliban fighters as "brothers" and called on them to join the peace process, and "test the peace once" to end the excuse for the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan.

Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has also welcomed Hekmatyar's return to Kabul and called upon Taliban insurgents to "follow Hekmatyar's step and initiate dialogue with government for returning lasting peace in Afghanistan."

Nevertheless, Afghan political observers believe that Hekmatyar's return would have little impact on ending the war and bringing lasting peace in the country.

"Unlike Taliban and the Islamic State group, Hekmatyar does not have fighting force to fight government, therefore his return to Kabul has little impact on ending the war and bringing peace," renown political and military expert General (Rtd) Attiqullah Omarkhil told Xinhua on Friday.

However, Omarkhil was hopeful that Hekmatyar's return to Kabul and welcome by the government could encourage some Taliban fighters to follow suit and join the government-initiated peace process.

Hekmatyar was dubbed "butcher of Kabul" by many Afghans for his active involvement in factional fighting in the 1990s. In his address, he urged his compatriots to "forget the past" and work for stabilizing peace and security in the war-battered country.

Hekmatyar inked a peace agreement with the Afghan government in September 2016 to give up fighting and join Afghan politics.

His return to Kabul has triggered mixed reactions from Afghans as his supporters accorded hero welcome to him; while his critics demanded his prosecution for his involvement in factional fighting and alleged killing of countless people including civilians.

Taliban militants who denounced Hekmatyar for joining the peace process as "submission" to Afghan government, have intensified activities elsewhere in the country and have overrun at least two districts over the past 10 days.

Although Hekmatyar's return to Kabul and his joining to peace process has no impact on ending the war and encouraging Taliban to give up fighting and follow the step, it could be regarded a good omen for engaging more militants to peace process in the country, another analyst Nazari Pariani said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 17:17:46|Editor: ying

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NEW DELHI, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has decided to declare Saturdays as "no school bag day" in all government schools.

The decision to soon allow children to go to schools without their bags on Saturdays was taken by the state education department at a high-level meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma Friday, officials said Saturday.

The move is also aimed at taking load off students and encourage them to engage in fun activities, officials said, adding it will also help establish good rapport between students and teachers as well as help in their personality development, officials said.

Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state, is ruled by India's governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Soon after coming to power there some two months back, the party had pledged to improve the state's education system.

Earlier this week, the western Indian state of Maharashtra became the first in the country to impose a ban on sale of junk food in school canteens.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 17:17:49|Editor: ying

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YANGON, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Two people have been killed and eight injured in a passenger bus crashed in Magway region, Myanmar's central part, on Friday, local media reported Saturday.

With a total of 12 passengers on board, the passenger Dina Bus overturned due to brake failure while travelling from Pyay to Kamma.

The injured have been brought to nearby hospital for urgent treatment.

Reckless driving was blamed for causing the accident.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 17:28:19|Editor: ying

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WELLINGTON, May 13 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's Science and Innovation and Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Paul Goldsmith departed for China on Saturday to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation scheduled for May 14-15 in Beijing.

"Attending the first Belt and Road Forum will allow us to add a distinctly New Zealand voice and perspective," Goldsmith said, adding that New Zealand's best interests lie in "participating in international initiatives that have the potential to benefit our economy and society."

Goldsmith will also meet with Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wan Gang, and Minister of Education Chen Baosheng. He will also witness the opening of the University of Auckland's Innovation Institute in the eastern city of Hangzhou, and the Joint Institute between the University of Waikato and Zhejiang University City College.

He will also attend the 10th-anniversary event of the New Zealand Center at Peking University before returning to New Zealand on May 20.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 17:33:22|Editor: ying

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WELLINGTON, May 13 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand is phasing down the use of the powerful greenhouse gases called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in the air-conditioning and refrigeration industries, to help address climate change, said Environment Minister Nick Smith on Saturday.

"This plan to phase down the use of HFCs is an important part of the government's policies for addressing climate change," Smith said at the Bluegreens breakfast of the ruling party, National Party's northern conference.

These synthetic gases are up to 15,000 times more potent in their global warming effect than carbon dioxide (CO2) and are projected to by themselves raise temperatures by 0.5 degree Celsius by the end of the century, he said.

The plan proposes to progressively reduce HFC consumption by more than 80 percent by 2036, "meaning that New Zealand will meet its international commitments ahead of schedule," Smith said.

It will enable New Zealand to ratify the Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol early next year and it will also contribute towards New Zealand's Paris commitment of reducing its overall greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030, he said.

The Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol was agreed last October at a meeting in which New Zealand strongly advocated extending the scope of the Montreal Protocol to address the global warming impacts of HFCs.

"The phase down of HFCs will have implications for New Zealand industries like air conditioning and refrigeration that will need to convert to new technologies. Consumers with heat pumps will not need to upgrade them but future replacements will need to use new technologies," Smith said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 17:53:34|Editor: Hou Qiang

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Beijing, capital of China, May 13, 2017. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Saturday, announcing the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Orban is in Beijing on an official visit to China before attending the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation scheduled for May 14 to 15.

The establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership reflects the reality of developing China-Hungary ties and will create vast room for bilateral cooperation, Xi said.

The president called for close alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with Hungary's Eastern Opening policy and enhanced top-level planning for all-round cooperation.

Stressing the need to explore the potential for cooperation, Xi said the two countries should continue pushing forward major projects such as the Hungary-Serbia railway project, expanding financial cooperation, increasing people-to-people exchanges, and strengthening cooperation in culture, education, tourism, and local authorities.

China is willing to work with Hungary to continuously promote cooperation between China and the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), and enhance the development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the European Union (EU), Xi said.

Orban said Hungary is willing to work with China to carry forward the comprehensive strategic partnership.

Speaking highly of China's economic and social development, and progress made in the country's poverty alleviation in particular, Orban said China's market economy status is indisputable.

Hungary is committed to deepening cooperation with China in infrastructure and agriculture, and supports the development of China-CEE cooperation and China-EU relations, Orban said.

Noting that the Belt and Road construction will offer important opportunities for all countries, Orban said Hungary is willing to actively participate in relevant cooperation.

After the meeting, the two sides released a joint declaration on establishing the comprehensive strategic partnership.

China and Hungary will jointly draft and implement a plan to cooperate on Belt and Road construction, and prepare for the establishment of a center to promote China-Hungary cooperation in this aspect, according to the declaration.

Hungary supports the joint efforts made by China and the EU to safeguard and promote a free, open and inclusive multilateral trade system, oppose protectionism in trade and investment, and sign the China-EU investment treaty at an early date, said the declaration.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also met with Orban on Saturday.

Li said the two countries should focus on Belt and Road construction and major projects in the "16+1 cooperation" framework, work to make substantial progress in major projects such as the Hungary-Serbia railway, promote a balanced development of trade, actively develop third-party cooperation, and nurture new growth areas of cooperation.

China supports Hungary's hosting the sixth leaders' meeting of China and CEE countries and would work with all parties to make the meeting inject new impetus into "16+1 cooperation" and China-EU relations, Li said.

Orban said Hungary is willing to increase cooperation with China in infrastructure, finance, agricultural food and shipping, accelerate the building of Hungary-Serbia railway, conduct third-market cooperation, and expand exchanges in education.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 18:08:43|Editor: ying

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BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) announced Saturday that its Board of Governors has adopted resolutions approving seven applications to join the bank, bringing its total approved membership to 77.

The approved applications came from three regional prospective members -- Bahrain, Cyprus and Samoa -- and four non-regional prospective members, namely Bolivia, Chile, Greece and Romania.

"More and more countries are signing up to become members of AIIB because they see how internationalism can promote development in Asia, with far reaching benefits for the global economy," said Jin Liqun, AIIB president.

"We welcome our new prospective members and thank them for joining us in our effort to meet the infrastructure needs in the region," he said.

The seven prospective members will officially join AIIB once they complete the required domestic processes and deposit their first installment of capital with the bank.

The shares allocated to the new prospective members come from the bank's existing pool of unallocated shares, according to AIIB.

With 57 signatories at its launch in January 2016 and the approval of 13 prospective members in March 2017, AIIB aims to provide financing to address the daunting infrastructure needs across Asia.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 18:13:48|Editor: ying

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RABAT, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The 23rd World Festival of Sacred Music opened late on Friday in Morocco's old city of Fez, with China as guest of honor.

Held under the theme "Water and the Sacred," the festival was opened by Morocco's first lady Princess Lalla Salma.

Choosing water as its theme, this year's festival aims to promote respect for the environment as the natural extension of a spiritual approach.

The festival in 2017 will be an opportunity to explore the symbolism of water and urge the world to reconcile with the environment and mobilize for the future generations and the planet.

The nine-day festival will feature a number of renowned traditional artists from all over the world.

Starting in 1994, the annual festival was designated in 2001 by the United Nations as one of the major events contributing in remarkable fashion to the dialogue between civilizations.
Merchant Vessel (M.V.) COSCO Netherlands crosses the Suez Canal in Egypt, May 5, 2017. The vessel arrived at its anchorage at the Suez Canal late Thursday night and crossed the canal on Friday, after 10 days of sailing from Singapore. (Xinhua Photo)

CAIRO, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreement to release the second tranche of a 12-billion U.S. dollar loan to Egypt, is a "vote of confidence" in the country's economic reform program, Governor of the Central Bank (CBE) of Egypt Tarek Amer said on Saturday.

The IMF approved a 12-billion dollar, three-year loan program to Egypt in November and has already paid out 2.75 billion dollars as the first tranche of the loan.

The second tranche, 1.25 billion dollars, must still be endorsed by the IMF board following an "expert-level agreement" announced in an IMF statement on Friday.

"That move will lead to the increase of the flow of foreign and international investments into Egypt, which will help boost the development process," Amer was quoted by official news agency MENA as saying.

He hailed Friday's IMF statement as "important and confirms that Egypt is on the right track and will help attract foreign investments."

He attributed the IMF release of the second tranche for "adopting good financial and monetary policies and following scientific and practical measures that secure the nation against shocks."

This agreement is "a vote of confidence" by the IMF staff in the continued implementation of the Egyptian authorities' program on economic reform, the IMF statement said.

"The Egyptian Ministry of Finance has drafted a very strong budget. If enacted by Parliament, it will place public debt on a clearly declining path to sustainable levels," the statement added.

Social protection measures are an essential counterpart to the economic reform effort, and they will protect the most vulnerable people in Egypt while the reform effort is underway, it said.

This agreement showed confidence by the IMF staff in the continued implementation of the Egyptian authorities' program. It is also testimony to the great efforts the Government and the CBE have been making to reform the economy, it added.

According to Egypt's finance minister, Amro al-Garhi, the second tranche of the IMF loan should be disbursed in the second half of June.

The Egyptian economy has been battling to recover after experiencing recession due to political turmoil that led to the ouster of two presidents.

Since the 2011 revolt that toppled Hosni Mubarak, the Arab world's most populous country has seen a sharp decline in tourism revenue and reduced foreign investment, caused by political instability and security issues.

To obtain the IMF loan, Cairo adopted austerity measures to implement needed reforms by applying value added tax, cutting public energy subsidies and liberating the exchange rate of the Egyptian pound.

The foreign currency reserves reached 28.52 billion U.S. dollars in March, the highest ever since March 2011, when it was estimated at 36 billion dollars.

To pave the road for luring investments, the Egyptian government over the past three years has been working on establishing mega national projects including the Suez Canal development corridor, new capital along with expansion of the infrastructure.

The delegation from the IMF arrived in Cairo on April 30 to follow up on the progress in the country's economic reform program, ahead of delivering the second tranche of the loan.

The visit lasted until Thursday covered meetings with officials from the CBE and the finance ministry to discuss plans for the second phase of the country reform program and the 2017-2018 state budget and the structural reforms adopted by the government.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 18:28:57|Editor: xuxin

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RABAT, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Morocco's House of Representatives approved late on Friday the 2017 budget bill after more than five months delay.

A total of 194 lawmakers voted yes, while 56 voted against the bill, and 39 abstained.

The bill should have been voted on by parliament last year, but was delayed due to a six-month political deadlock.

The budget bill is banking on an economic growth of 4.5 percent in 2017, following a 1.8 percent in 2016.

The bill allocates 19 billion U.S. dollars to public investments, and plans to create 23,768 jobs in the public sector.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 18:34:01|Editor: xuxin

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HAIKOU, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Police in south China's island province of Hainan have captured seven economic fugitives since 2016, authorities said Saturday.

One of the fugitives, Yun Jian, who had been listed on the Interpol "red notice," voluntarily returned from New Zealand last July and surrendered to police. Yun is the former vice chief of the taxation bureau in Longhua District of Haikou, the provincial capital.

People's Court of Longhua District sentenced Yun to three years in prison with a four-year reprieve.

The Interpol "red notice" was issued on April 22, 2015. Some 40 of the 100 fugitives on the list have since been captured, of whom over two-thirds surrendered.

Hainan will increase efforts to locate fugitives.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 18:44:16|Editor: ying

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is here to attend the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation, in Beijing, capital of China, May 13, 2017. (Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng)

BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Saturday that Malaysia was an early supporter of the Belt and Road Initiative and has become one of the countries that benefited the most from it.

Xi told visiting Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on the eve of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation that China will continue to increase bilateral cooperation under the initiative.

Najib said the Belt and Road is a historic initiative that will bring huge changes to the region and the world at large, adding that Malaysia will actively participate in it.

Xi said the China-Malaysia relationship is currently at its best ever and the two sides will continue cooperation in the areas of culture, counter-terrorism, education, industrial parks, law enforcement, rail projects, security and tourism.

China will advance the comprehensive strategic partnership with Malaysia to further improve bilateral ties, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 18:53:50|Editor: xuxin

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NEW DELHI, May 13 (Xinhua) -- India's main opposition National Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi, who was hospitalized for food poisoning last Sunday, has been released.

Gandhi was discharged from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in the Indian capital Friday night, and her condition at the time of her release was "stable," D.S. Rana, the chairman of the hospital, told the media.

In November last year, 69-year-old Gandhi was admitted to the same hospital for two days after she was diagnosed with viral fever.

In August that year, she was taken to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital after she fell ill during a roadshow in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency of Varanasi in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

Gandhi is also head of the Nehru-Gandhi family that has mostly governed India since independence in 1947.

Her party was in power for a decade since 2004 before losing in 2014 general elections to Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 19:04:25|Editor: xuxin

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WELLINGTON, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Metro schools will be considered as another option to meet future education needs in high-growth urban centers such as Auckland, said New Zealand Education Minister Nikki Kaye on Saturday.

"A metro school is an innovative model that responds to the need to provide education in intensified urban areas, where the large areas of land associated with a traditional school may be hard to acquire," Kaye said.

Metro schools may be located on a more compact site, leased rather than purchased; use community amenities such as fields and gym facilities, rather than having its own; draw on its location to enrich the educational experience for students, e.g. through access to museums and libraries, and connections with local businesses which can lead to work placements, she said.

"Schools can have access to community facilities, and the community can also benefit from access to school facilities," Kaye said.

The Ministry of Education is also taking a more strategic approach to acquiring land for schools, looking further ahead with planning and identifying where land may be needed 20 to 30 years from now, she said.

However, with parts of New Zealand, especially Auckland, becoming increasingly urbanized and intensified, the idea of procuring infrastructure and delivering education in these areas needs to change, she added.

Kaye cited the example of AoTawhiti Unlimited Discovery, a special character school in Christchurch which reflects key principles of a metro school. The school's vision incorporates family-like relationships between the school, parents, and the wider community, who are all heavily involved in school life and delivering the curriculum. An inner-city location enables the school to fully utilize the amenities and experiences that the city offers.

The government has mapped out a set of principles to guide possible investment in metro schools in New Zealand, Kaye said, adding that metro school should be considered "a transport hub" and will be able to work collectively and cooperatively with surrounding schools.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 19:29:35|Editor: xuxin

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PARIS, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Renault, France's leading car manufacturer, on Saturday said it had been a target of a major cyber attack that forced the group to suspend productions at its sites.

"We have been affected. We are assessing the situation to try to find a solution," the group's spokesperson told AFP.

"Work is going on since last night. We are doing what is needed to counter this attack," added the spokesperson.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 19:34:38|Editor: Hou Qiang

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BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Tourism exchanges have been increasing thanks to enhanced cooperation between China and countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative.

The scale of two-way tourism exchanges has exceeded 25 million trips, according to Li Jinzao, head of China National Tourism Administration.

About 85 million trips are expected to be made from countries in the Belt and Road region to China from 2016 to 2020, spending about 110 billion U.S. dollars, Li estimated.

Over 10 million trips from China to countries in the region were made via China's largest online travel agency Ctrip.com last year, up 72.5 percent year on year, the company said in a report.

Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia are the top three destinations in the Belt and Road region for Chinese travelers, the report showed.

Since 2013, China has established tourism cooperation and exchange mechanisms with ASEAN, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and Mongolia. Ten bilateral tourism events covering 34 countries in the Belt and Road region have been held to promote tourism exchanges.

China will cultivate new domestic markets such as cultural and business tourism while enhancing cooperation with other countries in tourism insurance and market regulation, according to Li.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 19:44:57|Editor: xuxin

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UN Deputy Special Envoy to Syria Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy (C), speaks during a press briefing in Damascus, capital of Syria, on May 13, 2017. UN Deputy Special Envoy to Syria Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy said here on Saturday that the United Nations expects a positive role from the Syrian government in the upcoming intra-Syrian talks in Geneva. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)

DAMASCUS, May 13 (Xinhua) -- UN Deputy Special Envoy to Syria Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy said here on Saturday that the United Nations expects a positive role from the Syrian government in the upcoming intra-Syrian talks in Geneva.

In a press briefing in Damascus following his meeting with foreign ministry officials, Ramzy said he heard that the Syrian stance will be constructive during the fresh round of talks that will be held in Geneva on May 16.

"We are looking forward to a positive contribution from the Syrian government to make the Geneva conference a success and what I heard today from the Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad gave me hope that the Syrian stance will be constructive during the next meeting," he told reporters.

On the relation between the Geneva talks and the Syrian talks in Astana, Ramzi said the relation is reciprocal, noting that the Astana talks cannot be a standalone without the political talks in Geneva, as the Astana talks are merely talks between the rebel factions and the government representative, while the Geneva talks have a wider representation of the political opposition groups.

"There is a reciprocal relationship between Astana meeting and Geneva meeting and enforcing the cease-fire is something fundamental and important for creating the suitable climates for serious talks and at the same time the cease-fire could never have continuity without political prospects and this is a very important issue," he noted.

It's worth mentioning that previous talks in Geneva have failed to bring about any political solution to the long-running conflict.

But when the Russian sponsored the talks in Astana between the rebels and the government, a cease-fire went into force and a new deal was reached for the establishment of "de-escalation zones," which are basically safe zones that will be created in several Syrian areas where battles should be non-existent.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad recently downplayed any significance of the Geneva conference, saying it's a "media meeting and there has been nothing real in all previous talks," as "it's a process that aimed for us to give concessions."

"I will not give any concession, for a simple reason, which is that I don't own the country and any concession on the national level cannot be made by the president because it needs a national decision," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 19:44:59|Editor: xuxin

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ISTANBUL, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Twenty people were killed and 11 others seriously injured on Saturday when a bus overturned in Turkey's southwestern province of Mugla, Turkish media reported.

The bus was carrying Turkish tourists when it fell off a cliff near the popular resort town of Marmaris, Governor Amic Cicek was quoted as saying by CNNTurk.

There are conflicting reports about the number of passengers on board.

Press reports said the driver lost control of the vehicle before the mishap happened, and a rescue operation was underway with traffic toward Marmaris totally blocked.
Whistles and shouts of joy echoed back and forth across Northern Arizona Universitys Walkup Skydome Friday morning as parents, friends and family cheered on the Class of 2017.

More than 5,600 diplomas will be handed out at NAUs four commencement ceremonies this spring. Each ceremony features different colleges and has a different commencement speaker. Friday mornings ceremony honored graduates of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

I am hopeful that we have learned something about ourselves, said Vanessa Pomeroy, president of the Associated Students of Northern Arizona University and a Presidents Prize winner. We are so much more than we thought was possible. We are capable of anything we set our minds to. I trust in the fact that we will be successful.

Marissa Graves, the president of the NAU Alumni Association, welcomed the new graduates to the ranks of more than 162,000 living alumni of the university.

The future of NAU is tied to you, she said. Be open to discovering new opportunities.

The real value (of a college degree) is measured in the opportunities that are available to you, said Flagstaff's Lyndel Manson, a member of the Arizona Board of Regents. This is a day of new beginnings. Stay curious. Were all looking forward to what you are going to do.

Today is about you, but it is also about those who have supported you, said NAU President Rita Cheng.

She called for a round of applause from the graduates for their parents, family and friends who had supported them through their college education.

We are eager to see what you can do. All of you have found victories at NAU. I know you will face uncertainty in the future. I urge you to continue to seek new possibilities. You have the knowledge and hope to succeed.

Claudio Sanchez, an education correspondent for National Public Radio and NAU alumnus, was the commencement speaker for the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. The university bestowed an honorary doctorate degree on him at the ceremony.

What is college but a place to figure out who you are deep inside, he said.

He spoke of growing up in Nogales and the sensation of not really being from Mexico and not really being from the U.S., even though he spoke both English and Spanish.

He told the tale of how his first job was as a teacher at a school for troubled youth in Tucson, even though he had a degree in journalism. He wondered for years after leaving that job for his first job in journalism if he was ever a good teacher. He felt like he had failed the students by leaving them after two years.

I felt totally unprepared to work with such children, he said.

Many years later, a former student reached out to him via email. Sanchez didnt respond until several years later when he reached out to the student for a story about teachers for NPR. His former student had a doctorate degree in physics, was married and had children.

I think of him as a remarkable success story, he said. He doesnt think of himself that way. He thinks of himself as a survivor.

The student told Sanchez that he didnt feel that Sanchez or the other teachers had let him down. They were doing the best they could.

This is what educators need to hear at some point, a validation, even if it is many years later, Sanchez said. He urged the graduates to come back to NAU at some point and talk to their professors, tell what needs to be improved and how much they have meant to their lives.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 19:54:31|Editor: Hou Qiang

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COLOMBO, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Saturday left for China to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation scheduled for May 14-15 in Beijing, the prime minister's office said.

Wickremesinghe is accompanied by several ministers and officials which include International Trade Minister Malik Samarawickrema and Minister of Law and Order and Southern Development Sagala Ratnayake.

The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, known as the Belt and Road Initiative, was proposed by China in 2013 with the aim of building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 19:59:33|Editor: xuxin

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CAIRO, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian archaeologists have discovered on Saturday 17 mummies in catacombs in Minya province, in central Egypt, the antiquities ministry announced on Saturday.

"We found catacombs containing a number of mummies," said Salah al-Kholi, a Cairo University professor of Egyptology who headed the mission that made the discovery in a press conference.

The new discovery was unearthed in Touna el-Gabal district, which is a desert area in Minya province, 234 km far from Cairo.

"This is the first human necropolis found in central Egypt with so many mummies," Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Anany told a news conference at the site.

"Such big number of discovered mummies revealed that there will be a large necropolis behind the shafts," the minister added.

A team from Cairo University supervises the mission of the new discovery. The area dates back to the Greco-Roman period between the third century BC and third century AD.

Al-Kholi pointed out that the necropolis was a subject for scavenging by antiquities thieves.

Chairman of Cairo University, Gaber Nassar, said "we will continue to fund the antiquities discoveries in Touna el-Gabal district, and turn it into an important center at the tourist map of Egypt."

The first discovery in Touna el-Gabal was announced in 1931.
A staff dusts a Renault car during the media day of the 94rd European Motor Show in Brussels, capital of Belgium, Jan. 12, 2016. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

PARIS, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Renault, France's leading car manufacturer, on Saturday said it had been a target of a major cyber attack that forced the group to suspend productions at its sites.

"We have been affected. We are assessing the situation to try to find a solution," the group's spokesperson told AFP.

"Work is going on since last night. We are doing what is needed to counter this attack," added the spokesperson.

The French auto maker was hit Friday night by ransomware attack which had affected information systems of scores of companies in many countries.

Renault factory at Sandouville in Normandy, northwestern France, was one of the main sites affected. Production in the site which produces 640 vehicles per day was stopped since Friday night and expected to resume on Monday, according to local media.

The Paris prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into the case in France, reported local media, quoting judiciary sources.

Hague-based European Police Office also said "it is working with affected countries cybercrime units and key industry partners to mitigate the threat and assist victims."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 20:34:52|Editor: xuxin

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Photo taken on May 13, 2017 shows the traffic accident scene in Mugla, Southwest of Turkey. The death toll rose to 23 as three more bodies were found on the scene of a travel bus accident on Saturday in Turkey's southwestern province of Mugla, Turkish media said. (Xinhua/DHA/Depo Photos)

ISTANBUL, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The death toll rose to 23 as three more bodies were found on the scene of a traffic accident on Saturday in Turkey's southwestern province of Mugla, Turkish media said.

The Hurriyet daily said 8 others were seriously injured in the accident, while CNNTurk put the number at 11.

A rescue operation was still underway after a bus carrying Turkish tourists fell off a cliff near the popular resort town of Marmaris, Governor Amic Cicek was quoted as saying.

The governor blamed a brake failure for the mishap, as the driver reportedly lost control of his vehicle before it overturned.

The official also said the passengers were heading to Marmaris to mark Mother's Day.

Ali Acar, the mayor of Marmaris, was quoted as saying by CNNTurk that about 40 passengers were aboard the ill-fated bus.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 20:34:54|Editor: xuxin

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CAIRO, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Egypt strongly condemned on Saturday a terrorist attack in Qatif of Saudi Arabia on Friday, which left two killed and 10 others injured.

"Egypt asserts its solidarity with Saudi in combating terrorism and extremism that shakes its security and stability," Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"Egypt supports all the measures taken by Saudi to foil the plans of the terrorist cells and organizations to promote safety and security of its citizens," it added.

The statement also underlined the need of intensifying international efforts to confront terrorism and seeking a comprehensive vision to stop its spread.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 20:45:28|Editor: xuxin

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CAIRO, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit expressed on Saturday his deep concerns about current developments in southern Yemen, stressing full support for the unity of the war-torn country.

On Thursday, Aidarous Zubaidi, a former governor of Aden, Yemen's main southern city, declared the formation of a transitional political council that represents and administers the south of the country.

The council consists of 26 southern senior tribal, military and political leaders including former Cabinet minister Hani Bin Braik.

However, the internationally recognized Yemeni government headed by President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi rejected the formation of the new council on Friday, saying it seeks the secession of southern Yemen.

Abul Gheit urged the Yemeni citizens to unite in such difficult moments to avoid the hazards of sedition and division.

He added that the priority should be given to combating the outlawed group Shiite Houthi-Saleh alliance which controls the capital Sanaa.

"Opening new other fronts would divide the citizens and add more complications to the fragmentation factors," he said.

Yemen has been suffering from a civil war for about two years. The civil war began after the Houthi militants, supported by forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, ousted the UN-backed transitional government and occupied the capital Sanaa in September 2014.

The legitimate government controls the south and some eastern parts, while the Houthi-Saleh alliance controls the remaining areas.

The ground battles and air strikes in Yemen have so far killed more than 10,000 people, half of them civilians, injured over 35,000 and displaced two million others, according to humanitarian agencies.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 20:50:00|Editor: xuxin

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DUBAI, May 13 (Xinhua) -- A fire that erupted on Saturday morning on a ship carrying petroleum substances docked at a port in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE) was only extinguished by fire brigades in the afternoon, but left one ship worker killed and four injured, UAE daily Gulf news reported.

Sixteen workers were evacuated safely. The cause of the fire which broke out before 6 am at Sharjah's Al Hamriyah port remained unknown.

Footage shown on Gulf News website shows sky-high thick black smoke arising from the wrecked ship. Fire brigades were able to prevent the flames from spreading to neighboring ships.

While the incident caused an oil spill, civil defense managed to control the oil spill and avoided further pollution, said the report.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 20:50:03|Editor: xuxin

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NEW DELHI, May 13 (Xinhua) -- A massive cyber attack that has struck organizations in dozens of countries across the world since Friday evening, has hit India too.

Indian officials said Saturday that the global WannaCry ransomware cyber attack has affected about 25 percent of the computers - more than 100 in number - used by the police in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

"The 25 percent of police computers infected with the ransomware were mostly using the Windows operating system. Cyber experts were trying to debug the hacked computers," Inspector General of Andhra Pradesh Police E. Damodarm told the media.

Gulshan Rai, director general of the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team, has also confirmed the attack.

"We held an assessment meeting today (Saturday) and have found that 102 systems of Andhra Police have been infected with ransomware, particularly those using the Windows operating system. Our experts are on the job," he said.

He said the extent of the attack will be clear only Monday, which is a working day, and Saturday being a government holiday.

WannaCry encrypts a computer's files and demands a ransom payment before allowing access again, security experts have said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 21:05:40|Editor: xuxin

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LONDON, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Britain's official emergency committee, known as Cobra, met in London Saturday afternoon to discuss the cyber attack that has caused widespread disruption to the country's National Health Service (NHS).

Around 45 NHS organisations in England and Scotland, including hospitals, family doctor surgeries, and health services, were hit in the cyber attack Friday which prevented doctors, nurses and staff from accessing vital patient information.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who chaired the Cobra meeting, stressed there was no evidence any NHS patient data had been compromised in the attack.

"Cyber-security is a huge industry and we can all do better to protect our businesses and our personal information. I would expect NHS trusts to learn from this and to make sure that they upgrade," she said in a media interview.

NHS England said patients needing emergency treatment Saturday should go to accident and emergency departments at hospitals, or access emergency services as they normally would, but some NHS hospital trusts have asked people not to attend unless it is urgent.

In London, the largest NHS trust in the country cancelled all outpatient appointments at five of its hospitals on Saturday.

Meanwhile, media in Britain reported Saturday that the Japanese car builder Nissan said its factory in Sunderland, northeast England had been affected by the ransomware attack on computer systems.

Staff at the Nissan plant, which employs 6,000 people, are working to resolve the issue.

The Sunderland Echo newspaper quoted a Nissan worker saying he and his work colleagues were sent home shortly after 6 a.m. Saturday morning when they were due to start.

He told the newspaper: "The whole place has been shut down -- they sent us all home because the fire alarms and everything were going off. All the systems are down."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 21:25:52|Editor: xuxin

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CAIRO, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi underlined on Saturday Egypt's continued efforts for a political solution to the Libyan crisis, a presidency statement said.

"Egypt encourages dialogue among the different sides to restore stability in Libya and maintain unity of its lands," Sisi said in a meeting with Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the Libyan National Army.

"Egypt keeps in contact with all Libyan political powers in a bid to resume dialogue on various issues," the presidency statement said.

Highlighting the importance of unifying the Libyan military institutions and lifting the arms embargo imposed on the country, Sisi said the flow of funds and weapons to terrorist organizations must be stopped.

Concerned about security of its western border, Egypt has hosted a series of meetings in recent months to find a way to end Libya's political turmoil.

On Dec. 26, 2015, Cairo officially announced its recognition of and support for Libya's presidency council of the Government of National Accord led by Fayez Seraj, which was formed from the Libyan Political Agreement signed under the auspices of the United Nations.

Meanwhile, Egypt also provides direct support to Seraj's rivals in Tobruk, particularly to Haftar, who Sisi called "the savior of Libya from terrorism" in April 2016.

Since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition.
PHOENIX  Acting less than 24 hours after legislative approval, Gov. Doug Ducey inked his approval Thursday to a measure designed to encourage people to rescue children and pets trapped in vehicles.

The new law, which takes effect Aug. 9, spells out that the owner of a vehicle can't sue someone who breaks out a window to remove a minor or domestic animal which is in imminent danger of suffering physical injury or death.

Ducey, who called for such a law in his State of the State speech in January  at least for children  said it is important to save lives.

With this bill, we are protecting Good Samaritans who take action to save a child or pet and sending a signal that breaking a car window should be the last consideration when someone's life is on the line, he said.

The proposal by Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, had a few hurdles to overcome.

While it cleared the Senate without trouble, Rep. Eddie Farnsworth, R-Gilbert, refused to give it a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee he chairs.

Farnsworth contends there already are legal protections for those who save lives. But he also objected to having a law on the books that equate the life of an animal, even a pet, with the life of a human.

That forced sponsors to do an end-run around Farnsworth, attaching the provisions to another measure that did not need to go through his committee.

There are some restrictions.

To get immunity from civil suit, the would-be rescuer must first notify police, medical personnel or, as appropriate, animal control officers. Then, after entering the vehicle, the person must remain on site until there is a response.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 21:30:57|Editor: Hou Qiang

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) holds talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is here to attend the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 13, 2017. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday the two countries will strengthen cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Erdogan is in Beijing to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation which begins Sunday.

Xi spoke highly of Turkey's support for and active participation in the Belt and Road development, saying that China is ready to steadily advance major projects of cooperation with Turkey under the initiative.

The two countries should better align their strategies according to the principle of equality and mutual benefits, Xi said.

He urged continuous efforts to push forward cooperation on the Online Silk Road, facility construction and industrial cooperation, as well as to promote policy coordination and trade balance.

China welcomes the Turkish side to hold a Turkey tourism year in China in 2018, and is ready to boost bilateral people-to-people exchanges with the country, taking the opportunity of an agreement to set up cultural centers on both sides, Xi said.

He stressed that the development of China-Turkey strategic cooperative relations is in the fundamental interests of the two nations and their people.

The two sides should respect and accommodate with each other's core concerns and deepen security and anti-terrorism cooperation, Xi noted.

He also stressed that China is willing to step up communication with all parties to help achieve peace and stability in the Middle East at an early date.

Erdogan said Turkey holds a positive attitude toward advancing pragmatic cooperation with China, saying the upcoming forum is very important.

Turkey stands ready to strengthen cooperation with China in such areas as investment, transportation network and infrastructure construction, and welcomes Chinese businesses to invest in Turkey, Erdogan noted.

He also said Turkey is willing to keep in touch with China on the Middle East situation.

The two presidents witnessed the signing of several documents on cooperation in judicial, transportation and cultural areas.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 22:00:45|Editor: xuxin

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CAIRO, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian armed forces discovered a terrorist hideout containing large amounts of weapons and explosive devices in central Sinai, the military spokesman said in a statement on Saturday.

"The law enforcement forces of the Third Field Army continued their strikes against terrorist hideouts amid the army's efforts to chase out terrorist elements in central Sinai," Military Spokesman Tamer al-Refaay said.

Three terrorist suspects were arrested during the raid, while explosive devices were destroyed, the statement added.

"Inside the discovered terrorist hideout, there are two automatic rifles, RPG missiles and ammunition. The troops also found communication devices and C4 explosive materials," the statement added.

The troops also destroyed a half-truck and 10 motorbikes and nine farms for drugs set up on an area of nine feddans.

Anti-government terror attacks in Egypt have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the mid-2013 military removal of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in response to mass protests against his one-year rule.

Most of the terrorist attacks nationwide, particularly those in Sinai, have been claimed by a Sinai-based group loyal to the regional Islamic State (IS) militia.

Security campaigns in Sinai have killed hundreds of militants and arrested a similar number of suspects over the past few years as part of the country's anti-terror war declared by former army chief and current President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi following Morsi's removal.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 22:00:46|Editor: xuxin

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NEW DELHI, May 13 (Xinhua) -- A pack of wild bears killed three people and mauled four others in western Indian state of Maharashtra, police said Saturday.

The bears attacked the laborers in Bramhapuri forest area of Chandrapur district, about 891 km east of Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra.

"Today morning a pack of sloth bears attacked people inside Bramhapuri forest and mauled seven people working there," a police official posted at police control room Chandrapur told Xinhua.

"Of the injured three succumbed to their injuries and four others are undergoing treatment at hospital."

The attack triggered panic among the residents.

Maharashtra has witnessed a spike in human-bear conflicts this year.

Prior to Saturday's attack, 20 such attacks were recorded this year that killed four people and left 19 injured in the state, reports said.

Wildlife officials say human presence inside forest area makes bears insecure, following which they resort to attacking people. At times these creatures are attacked by scared villagers in retaliation which also proves fatal for them.

There are strict laws in force in India against the killing of wild animals.

Wildlife expert say mass urbanization, denudation of forests, encroachment of forestland, vanishing of buffer zones in the forests and extraction of medicinal plants are some of the reasons responsible for increasing conflict between humans and animals.

Every year many people get killed or injured in the growing human-animal conflict across India.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 22:05:49|Editor: xuxin

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by Chrispinus Omar

NAIROBI, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Heavy rains which intensified across the East Africa region in late April and early May are likely to improve cropping prospects and water available in some areas, a food security report reveals on Saturday.

The monthly report by donor-funded Famine Early Warning Systems (FEWS Net), the early warning system that monitors food insecurity, says late season rains reduced rainfall deficits across some drought-affected areas of the Eastern Horn of Africa.

"While these rains are likely to contribute to improvements in cropping prospects and pasture and water availability in some areas, flooding has already resulted in damage in localized areas of Kenya, and may affect parts of Ethiopia and southern Somalia in the coming weeks," FEWS Net said.

The severe drought in East Africa in late 2016 has heightened food insecurity in several countries in the sub-region.

But the report says recent increases in rainfall have improved cropping prospects in main agricultural production areas of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, DR Congo, and northern Tanzania.

However, in parts of southern Somalia and marginal agricultural zones of southeastern Kenya, the shortened growing period associated with a late onset and likely normal cessation of seasonal rainfall is likely to result in reduced yields.

The short- to medium-term rainfall forecasts indicate increased likelihood for continued very heavy rainfall across coastal areas and western and northern areas of East Africa, which is typical during May and early June and contributes to heightened flood risks.

The report says rainfall during the past several weeks has been average to above average in many areas of the region, with localized areas of Kenya, northern and eastern Tanzania, eastern Uganda, and Rwanda receiving well above average rainfall amounts (50-200 mm).

"Ongoing rainfall is expected to generally reduce moisture stress that had negatively affected cropping conditions in much of Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, southern Somalia, and southern Belg-producing areas of Ethiopia," said FEWS Net.

The report says in marginal agricultural production areas of southeastern Kenya and neighboring southern Somalia, the current rains are likely to be beneficial to cereal crops in the short-term.

"Cropping prospects remain below normal as a combination of delayed start of season and expected on-time end of season is likely to lead to a shortened period for crop growth," said FEWS Net.

According to the report, late-planted crops are more likely to reach full development in coastal areas of Somalia that receive July-August Hagaa rainfall, but overall yields are still expected to be below average.

Prospects for other short maturing crops, such as legumes and vegetables, are likely to improve significantly with the ongoing rains.

However, these rains also triggered localized flooding in several counties in Kenya that caused property damage, and deaths of humans and livestock, especially in Marsabit, Isiolo, Taita-Taveta, Kwale, and Mombasa counties.

FEWS Net said some of these areas are also among those highly affected by drought in 2016 and 2017, and flooding may only impede recovery for some worst-affected households.

Meanwhile, Fall Armyworm remains a concern in the region, particularly in parts of western and southeastern Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and southwestern Ethiopia, although ongoing heavy rainfall could contribute to some limitations on the spread of the pest and damage on crops in some areas, according to UN observations.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 22:05:50|Editor: xuxin

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JERUSALEM, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Israeli police said that a Palestinian man was shot dead after he stabbed and moderately injured a police officer in East Jerusalem's Old City on Saturday.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri that the assailant approached a policeman who was patrolling the Shalshelet street, near the flashpoint al-Aqsa mosque, pulled out a knife and stabbed him.

In response, the wounded policeman shot the stabber and "neutralized" him, Samri said.

A later police statement confirmed that the assailant, whose identity was not disclosed, had been killed.

A wave of Palestinian stabbing, shooting, and car-ramming attacks claimed the lives of 41 Israelis, two U.S. nationals, and a British tourist since mid-September 2015.

In the same period, Israeli security forces and civilians killed at least 245 Palestinians amidst attacks or alleged attacks.

Israel accuses the Palestinian National Authority of "inciting" the unrest.

The Palestinians say it is the result of 50 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, home to more than 5 million Palestinians.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 22:11:26|Editor: xuxin

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RABAT, May 13 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1631 Moroccans have joined terror groups in Syria and Iraq since 2012, local media reported on Saturday.

Citing statistics from interior ministry, Alyaoum24.com news site said 864 joined the Islamic State (IS) group.

The news site also said 284 women and 333 children were among the Moroccans joining terror groups.

Meanwhile, a total of 558 Moroccans have been killed in the fights, adding that 265 have returned to the country.

Only some 300 Moroccans are now actively fighting for the terror groups in Iraq and Syria, statistics showed.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 22:11:28|Editor: An

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who is here to attend the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation, in Beijing, capital of China, May 13, 2017. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping Saturday called on China and Greece to expand cooperation in energy, infrastructure, oceanic and telecommunications sectors to better benefit the people of both countries.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras who is in Beijing to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation scheduled for May 14 and 15.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Greece.

Commending the traditional friendship and vigorous cooperation between the two countries, Xi said China is willing to maintain high-level exchanges with Greece, and establish closer contact between governments at all levels.

He said both countries must work together to ensure balanced development of bilateral trade, and tap into their potential in cultural and people-to-people cooperation.

In particular, the Chinese president said the two countries should use the Ancient Civilizations Forum, a Greek initiative with China as co-organizer, as a platform to foster dialogue.

He said that China and Europe need to expand pragmatic cooperation and expressed hope that Greece will make a positive contribution to the long-term, healthy and stable development of China-EU ties.

Greece's own development strategy dovetails with the Belt and Road Initiative, Xi noted.

Efforts should be made to build the Port of Piraeus into a key transfer point for containers in the Mediterranean, a bridgehead for land-ocean transportation and an international logistics center to support the China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line and the Belt and Road Initiative, he said.

For his part, Tsipras also called on the two countries to deepen cooperation in fields such as agriculture, economy, energy, finance, investment and new technologies, and to jointly advance the Piraeus Port project.

He said the Belt and Road Initiative holds great vision and importance, and is conducive to the connectivity of energy, trade, transport and Internet across the Eurasian region.

Greece is glad to participate in the Belt and Road cooperation, and is willing to promote cooperation between China and Central and Eastern Europe countries as well as Europe at large, he said.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also met with his Greek counterpart on Saturday, saying that China is willing to expand two-way investment and trade, strengthen cooperation on cultural industry and increase people-to-people exchanges with Greece.

Li also stressed the significance of the Port of Piraeus project, as a flagship project for the China-Greece cooperation.

Greece is willing to deepen cooperation with China in fields such as energy, communication, manufacturing, infrastructure and finance, Tsipras said, stressing that the bilateral ties are of strategic significance and the foundation of cooperation is solid.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 22:31:34|Editor: An

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is here to attend the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation, in Beijing, capital of China, May 13, 2017. (Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng)

BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Saturday that Malaysia was an early supporter of the Belt and Road Initiative and has become one of the countries that benefited the most from it.

Xi told visiting Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on the eve of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation that China will continue to increase bilateral cooperation under the initiative.

Najib said the Belt and Road is a historic initiative that will bring huge changes to the region and the world at large, adding that Malaysia will actively participate in it.

Xi said the China-Malaysia relationship is currently at its best ever and the two sides will continue cooperation in the areas of culture, counter-terrorism, education, industrial parks, law enforcement, rail projects, security and tourism.

China will advance the comprehensive strategic partnership with Malaysia to further improve bilateral ties, he said.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also met with Najib Saturday. The two witnessed the signing of a series of bilateral agreements on alignment of development strategies, cooperation on inspection and quarantine, infrastructure and others.

Li said he appreciates Malaysia's active response to the Belt and Road Initiative. Beijing will continue to support China-Malaysia industrial parks in China's Qinzhou and Malaysia's Kuantan, and expand cooperation on infrastructure. The two will continue to work together on security issues, he said.

Najib said Malaysia aims to cooperate with China in e-commerce and tourism, while continuing joint efforts on building railways and industrial parks. Malaysia will also promote relations between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 22:46:22|Editor: An

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with President of Laos Bounnhang Vorachit, who is in Beijing to attend the upcoming Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 13, 2017. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to deepen cooperation in major fields with Laos, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Saturday in Beijing while meeting with Laotian President Bounnhang Vorachit.

China will link the Belt and Road Initiative with Laos' target of turning from land-locked to land-linked country, fully tap the political and geographical advantages of China-Laos ties, deepen cooperation in key fields, and ensure smooth implementation of projects such as the China-Laos railway and cross-border economic cooperation zones, said the premier.

Li mentioned cooperation in fields of infrastructure construction, resource exploration and development, agriculture and power supply.p China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with Laos under China-ASEAN relations and the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Framework in order to benefit people, Li said.

Bounnhang said Laos is willing to strengthen high-level exchanges, deepen cooperation with China in areas such as trade, investment and infrastructure construction, and speed up the construction of big projects such as the China-Laos railway.

Bounnhang is here to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation scheduled for Sunday and Monday.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 23:07:12|Editor: yan

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) holds talks with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 13, 2017. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Chilean counterpart Michelle Bachelet agreed on Saturday to deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Bachelet is in Beijing to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation scheduled for May 14 to 15.

Chile was the first South American country to establish diplomatic ties with China, as well as the first Latin American country to sign a free trade agreement with China, Xi said.

Being good friends and partners, the two countries should strengthen cooperation to make a good start of the comprehensive strategic partnership, he noted.

By utilizing dialogue mechanisms at various levels, the two countries should implement the joint action plan to consolidate the foundation for future bilateral ties.

Under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, China and Chile should promote two-way investment and step up cooperation on key projects in areas such as infrastructure construction, regional connectivity, clean energy and communications.

China is willing to strengthen coordination with Chile under the framework of APEC, to promote the construction of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific.

As Chile has just joined the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, China and Chile should work together to improve infrastructure and connectivity in the region.

Latin America is a rising power in the global system with huge development potential, Xi said. China is willing to work with Chile to achieve win-win results between China and Latin American countries in the pursuit of a community of shared future.

For her part, Bachelet said China and Chile have broad common interests although they are far away from each other. The comprehensive strategic partnership has seen a sound momentum of development.

Chile is willing to deepen cooperation with China in areas such as politics, economy, investment, agriculture, energy and mining, environment, culture and tourism, she said.

The negotiation of an upgraded free trade agreement should be completed as soon as possible, she noted.
FLORENCE  Arizonas economy has been built historically on the five Cs: cotton, citrus, cattle, climate and copper.

The states mining industry  Arizona makes up 65 percent of copper production in the United States  employs about 11,000 people and generates thousands of jobs in connected industries.

But the industry has been battling permitting issues and environmental concerns, especially in Florence, where residents have been working for eight years to block a copper mine

The Florence Copper Project is an underground copper recovery site that is in development in Florence. The in-situ copper recovery (ISCR) process occurs between 400 to 1,200 feet underground, where a mixture of 99.5 percent water and 0.5 percent sulfuric acid dissolves copper into the bedrock. Then the copper solution is pumped to the surface and processed into copper cathode sheets.

Florence Copper is one of three ISCR sites under development in Arizona. The others are Gunnison Copper Project near Wilcox and the Van Dyke project in the Globe-Miami district. Gunnison is owned by the Excelsior Mining Corporation and Van Dyke is owned by a subsidiary of Copper Fox Metals Inc. Both companies, and Taseko, which owns Florence Copper, are based in Canada.

In-situ recovery is most commonly used for uranium mining and accounted for 48 percent of the worlds uranium production in 2015, according to the World Nuclear Association.

Florence Copper says the pH of the water and sulfuric acid solution is similar to that of common household vinegar. Jess Knudson, public information officer for the town of Florence, says the biggest concern for the town is the use of that acid.

The mining operation is in the geographic center of the town of Florence and right above our water aquifer thats utilized for drinking water in the area, he said. If the water table was tainted in any way it would be absolutely devastating for our community.

Dan Johnson, vice president and general manager of Florence Copper Project, says the injection and extraction wells have various protections. Each well is anchored in the bedrock by acid resistant cement. The wells are then sealed by two different casings, one steel and the other fiberglass.

Were protecting the aboveground zones, the water bearing zones that were penetrating to get to the bedrock, he said.

The in-situ process is different from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, because in-situ occurs on land that is already deeply fissured. Fracking uses the high pressure injection of liquid to create fissures in the ground for the extraction of natural gas.

Over its 25-year life, Florence Copper estimates the economic impact of its site to be $3.4 billion in the state of Arizona, with $2.1 billion going to Pinal County. It says it will directly employ 170 employees and with those combined with indirect jobs would create almost 800 jobs for Arizonans.

Barbara Manning is a resident of the Sun City Anthem community in Florence and a member of Protect Our Water, a grassroots movement of about 400 members working to stop Florence Copper. She has been against the mining site from the start.

Copper, yes it will be profitable for somebody, but water in the desert is gold, she said.

From 1996 to 1998, the BHP Copper company looked at a project on what is now part of Florence Coppers site. They conducted a 90-day pilot test to see if the in-situ method worked on the site. Stacy Gramazio, Florence Coppers manager of communications and public affairs, says that that test was successful.

It really did prove that the in-situ method worked at this very rare copper deposit here in Florence, she said. They were able to recover the copper in a very environmentally responsible and economically feasible way.

In 2014, the Town of Florence, Pulte Home Corporation, Johnson Utilities and Southwest Value Partners appealed Florence Coppers Temporary Individual Aquifer Protection Permit to the Water Quality Appeals Board. The appeals board then referred the case to an administrative law judge.

The judge said that sections of the permit were arbitrary, unreasonable, unlawful or based upon technical judgment that was clearly invalid. The appeal was sustained in part and the permit was rescinded.

Either they dont have the expertise they say they have, or they purposefully presented a permit that did not have monitors to protect our water supply, said Manning. Its one or the other. How do you trust a company like that?

Since then, Florence Copper has worked with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to correct the items the judge found issue with. ADEQ then granted the permit, and the Town of Florence, Pulte Homes and Southwest Value Partners again appealed. The Water Quality Appeals Board held hearings and found that the judges concerns had been satisfied.

The appellants have again filed objections and Manning says those opposed to the mining site have lost trust in ADEQ.

ADEQ is not going to come down and read their monitors, she said. We cant depend on ADEQ to protect us.

Director of ADEQ, Misael Cabrera says his department understands the concern and it is very protective of groundwater resources.

This is the most protective, most highly monitored permit that anyone in the department can remember, and so we feel that it does the job of protecting the environment, while at the same time allowing this particular company to start its operation, he said.

Florence residents arent fighting this battle alone. Southwest Value Partners, an investment group that owns property near the mining site, has been an outspoken opponent. The town of Florence has also taken legal action against the project. They said in the last four years the town has spent an average of $297,000 per year in legal fees trying to halt Florence Copper.

Florence Copper says it welcomes those who oppose the mine and have questions to take a tour of its site.

We just continue to welcome them to come to us to get their questions answered, said Gramazio. We try to be as transparent as possible about the method that we are using, answer any questions, address their concerns and we welcome them to come to us with any questions.

Future of Mining

In 2016, mining accounted for 11,500 jobs in Arizona, down 1,000 from the year before, according to data from the L. William Seidman Research Institute at Arizona State University. Kelly Norton, president of the Arizona Mining Association, stresses the importance of indirect jobs that mining accounts for in fields like construction. There were 31,800 of those jobs in 2014 and the mining industry had an impact of $4.29 billion on Arizonas economy that year, according to the Seidman Research Institute.

There are currently 14 mines open in the state and six that are in various stages of the permitting process, according to Norton. Those six are Florence Copper, Gunnison Copper, the Van Dyke project, the Resolution Copper Mine near Superior, Rosemont Project in Pima County and the Arizona Mining Taylor Project.

The future of mining is bright in Arizona, she said. So if we can get through the permitting process, which mostly is the federal government. State government is very supportive of mining. Then we can get those six new projects open, which is thousands of jobs and thousands of taxes back to the state.

In March, Rio Tinto, the company developing Resolution Copper near Superior, testified before Congress that it had spent over $1.3 billion developing the project and is years away from a final permit. Part of its mining site includes Oak Flat, a section of Tonto National Forest that the San Carlos Apache Tribe views as sacred.

The Rosemont mine is a $1.5 billion project in the Santa Rita Mountains. If opened, it would be one of the largest copper mines in the United States. The Center for Biological Diversity opposes the mine because it would take over the habitat of endangered and vulnerable animals, like jaguars and ocelots. The mine is waiting for a decision by the San Francisco regional office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on its Clean Water Act permit. In 2016, the Los Angeles district office recommended denial of the permit.

Worldwide copper production increased about 5 percent in 2016, according to the International Copper Study Group. That increase was despite a 3 percent decline in Chile. Overall usage increased 2 percent, 0.9 percent in China, which is the largest user of copper. Usage in the United States and Japan, the second and third biggest users, declined by 2 and 2.5 percent, respectively.

Steve Gravley comes from a long line of miners and now he trains new miners in his role as director of University of Arizonas San Xavier Underground Mining Laboratory.

For many many years, I did not appreciate what was going on, he said. And then there was some point, when I was a teenager perhaps, I realized that every time you turn on a light, you better thank a miner for his dedication.

In his 37 year career, Gravley has seen mining go through significant changes thanks to technology. His primary focus at the mine is teaching students safety and technology makes that job easier. He even remembers his father once telling a friend that working in a mine is safer than driving on a highway.

I have watched throughout my career how technology has really come and played a key role in improving safety, improving productivity, and overall making the mining business just a better place to work, he said. Ive worked all these years and never had any serious incidents or accidents. Ive had a few scrapes or a cut or two, but nothing serious.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 23:26:52|Editor: An

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Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming (R) receives an exclusive interview with Xinhua in London, Britain, May 12, 2017. Liu Xiaoming has said that China and Britain enjoy a mutually beneficial and advantage complement relationship in developing the Belt and Road Initiative, which has become a new highlight in the bilateral relations.(Xinhua/Han Yan)

LONDON, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming has said that China and Britain enjoy a mutually beneficial and advantage complement relationship in developing the Belt and Road Initiative, which has become a new highlight in the bilateral relations.

The ambassador's comments came ahead of the opening of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, a high-profile international meeting on the China-proposed trade and infrastructure plan connecting Asia with Europe and Africa.

Liu told Xinhua in an exclusive interview on Friday that Britain boasts developed international finance industry, mature law and consulting businesses, world-renowned think tanks, top-notch science and technology and innovation platforms as well as its language, historical and cultural bonds with the countries along the Belt and Road initiative routes.

"All these strengths and advantages that Britain has have well fit with the requirements of the Belt and Road construction," the ambassador said. " They put Britain in an excellent position to secure the opportunities the initiative has to offer."

He said that the remarkable opportunities of the Belt and Road cooperation are now up for grabs.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the China-UK ambassadorial diplomatic relations which have grown to a global comprehensive strategic partnership over the past four decades.

Britain will be represented by Chancellor Philip Hammond, a personal envoy of the British Prime Minister Theresa May, at the meeting, which representatives from the British enterprises and think tanks are expected to be attending.

Britain was the first major Western country to apply to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a multilateral financial institution founded to bring countries together to address the daunting infrastructure needs across Asia. It was also the second contributor after China to inject capital into the AIIB special fund.

Liu said thanks to the enhanced dovetailing of their respective development strategies and the mutually beneficial cooperation in a vast areas including finance, investment, trade and energy, China and Britain have laid solid foundation for their cooperation on Belt and Road.

"The bilateral cooperation in economic and trade area has been strongly complementary while their cooperation in areas such as new energy, urbanization and green finance, has been growing," Liu said.

He believed that the two countries can explore the third-party cooperation within the Belt and Road framework to better benefit the two peoples.

Noting that Brexit and the coming general election of Britain will unavoidably bring some uncertainties to the bilateral cooperation though, Liu stressed that the opportunities in the development of the Sino-British relations are much more than the challenges.

"The solid foundations, the internal impetus and the broad prospect of the China-UK relations have all remained unchanged," Liu said, adding that the Chinese enterprises' investment favor has shown the resilience and dynamic of the bilateral relations.

Statistics show that China is Britain's second-largest trading partner outside the EU, while Britain is China's largest investment destination in Europe. Britain is now the world's second-largest offshore yuan center after Hong Kong.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 00:17:07|Editor: yan

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KHARTOUM, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Sudanese army on Saturday announced that two of its soldiers were killed and others injured in Yemen.

"As part of its assigned task, the Sudanese forces conducted a series of successful operations within its advancement axis during Friday and Saturday, where two soldiers martyred and a number of others injured," said Sudanese army spokesman Ahmed Khalifa Al-Shami in a statement on Saturday.

The army spokesman did not give further information about the nature of the operations conducted by the Sudanese forces or the number of the injured soldiers.

In January 2016, the Sudanese army announced the killing of the first of its soldiers in Yemen.

Last April, the army declared that five of its soldiers were killed and 22 others injured in battles in Yemen.

With the latest announcement, the number of the Sudanese soldiers killed since the beginning of the war in Yemen has risen to eight.

Sudan has been taking part in the operations of the Saudi-led Arab coalition against the Houthi Group in Yemen since March 26, 2015.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 00:17:08|Editor: yan

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KATHMANDU, May 13 (Xinhua) -- As Nepal and China signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on bilateral cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative earlier this week, many believe that the deal will boost development of infrastructure and connectivity projects in the Himalayan country.

Various sections of society including mainstream media in Nepal have welcomed the government's move to sign the MoU with China.

"It is indeed a historic milestone for Nepal to sign the deal with China under the Belt and Road framework that has opened up a new door with multiple opportunities for infrastructure development and economic growth," connectivity expert Surya Raj Acharya told Xinhua on Saturday.

Cross broader highways, railways, transmission lines and internet connectivity will contribute to bringing drastic changes in Nepal's socio-economic landscape, he said.

Acharya believes that the Belt and Road Initiative is an important agenda for Asia since the region has emerged as the hub of global economy.

The initiative will "improve physical connectivity and deepen economic integration among Asian countries and thereby unleash full potential of Asia," Acharya said, adding that "the benefits that Nepal can reap by getting connected to the global value chain through China will be in an unimaginable scale."

The MoU signed between Nepal and China was aimed at enhancing cooperation on promoting connectivity of facilities, trade connectivity, financial integration and connectivity of peoples.

Nepal's Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi said that the country's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative has brought new tremendous opportunities creating a win-win situation between China and Nepal.

Foreign Affairs Analyst Nishcal Nath Pandey told Xinhua on Saturday that Nepal's participation in the initiative will open new prospects of opportunities both for China and Nepal.

Meanwhile, the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be held in Beijing has attracted huge attention from the government, media and various sections of society in Nepal. Mainstream daily newspapers, online media outlets, television channels have given coverage regarding the forum.

"The Belt and Road Forum is a good platform for Nepal to promote its investment potential in the field of infrastructure, energy and tourism," Lekhnath Pandey, a diplomatic correspondent with the Kathmandu-based Himalayan Times Newspaper, told Xinhua.

Nepali Deputy Prime Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara is leading a delegation to China to attend the forum in Beijing on Sunday and Monday.

"Our high level participation in the Belt and Road Forum shows that the Belt and Road Initiative is highly important for us and we want to reap benefits for achieving socio-economic development," he told Xinhua.

The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, known as the Belt and Road Initiative, was proposed by China in 2013 with the aim of building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 00:27:42|Editor: yan

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TEHRAN, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Iran's deputy Petroleum Minister said Saturday that Iran is pondering the exports of gas to the European countries, semi-official Fars news agency reported.

"Exports of Iran's gas to Europe is possible both through LNG and pipeline," Hamidreza Araqi said, adding that "to this end, different European companies have come to Iran and held some negotiations."

Araqi said that if the contracts on the supply of gas to Europe are signed, it will take five years for them to be implemented.

In relevant remarks in December, head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, Gholam Hossein Shafeyee, said that Iran's gas can be exported to Europe via Georgia and the Black Sea in the near future.

Also, in April, Iranian Petroleum Minister, Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, said that his ministry is mulling to bring the French energy giant, Total, to develop a key project Iran to liquefy natural gas for the exports to Europe.

"Serious talks are underway with Total in this regard," he was quoted as saying by Fars.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 00:37:16|Editor: yan

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by Shristi Kafle

KATHMANDU, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Nepalese will select their local representatives for the first time in two decades through local level elections on Sunday.

In the first phase, the local polls are being held in 283 local units of three provinces 3, 4 and 6 covering 34 districts.

The general public are seen enthusiastic for the historical poll taking place following many political developments and gradual economic reforms in the country.

Election fever has gripped all the three provinces including the Kathmandu valley while nearly 5 million people will cast their votes.

In Bhaktapur Multiple Campus, one of the polling centers in the smallest district of the country Bhaktapur, public were seen excited for being able to cast their votes.

"The country suffered a lot in last 20 years in lack of local representatives... I am very happy to choose my representatives," 55-year-old Rajendra Pokharel told Xinhua after collecting his voter identity card on Saturday afternoon.

Accompanying Pokharel was his 21-year-old daughter Sikha Pokharel, a nursing student, who was going to vote for the first time in her life.

Sikha shared, "I was just born when Nepal had hosted the local elections last time. I want to use my voting right to select the capable candidates, especially young ones, who can lead the nation towards prosperity."

Nearly 50,000 individual candidates and candidates from different political parties are contesting for 13,556 positions in 6,641 polling centers in the first phase.

In Kathmandu valley, most of the candidates have put forward the visions of reforms related to rising air pollution, water sanitation, transportation, corruption, health and education, safety and security and social development among others.

In the past, Kathmandu had the stronghold of largest political parties in the parliament Nepali Congress and CPN UML. However, this time, the public seem divided and have mixed reactions.

An entrepreneur from Ason of Kathmandu Sita Shrestha, along with her octogenarian in-laws, was also found collecting her voter card in Durbar High School located in the center of the capital city.

"This time, I am casting my vote to a capable and visionary candidate, might be a new face, rather than considering any party," Shrestha told Xinhua.

Organizing a press meet on Saturday, the Election Commission pledged a peaceful and secured polling environment.

Issuing a statement on the eve of local level election, Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said, "Local election is a milestone to end the centralized governing system, to establish federal governance and to strengthen democracy."

The second phase of elections is scheduled to take place on June 14 in four remaining provinces having over 9 million voters.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 00:47:51|Editor: yan

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ISLAMABAD, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Senior Pakistan civilian and military leaders on Saturday reviewed security situation in southwestern Balochistan province following two terrorist incidents, which have claimed the lives of 37 people.

Officials in Balochistan's Gwadar said that unidentified gunmen attacked laborers in two different locations on Saturday and killed at least 10 of them. Several others were injured. All the slain laborers belonged to southern Sindh province and were engaged in road construction.

No group has claimed responsibility. But provincial Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti blamed "agents of foreign hostile agencies" for the terrorist attack.

Local authorities said the gunmen fled on motorcycles after the incidents.

On Friday a suicide bomber struck a convoy of the Deputy Chairman of the Senate Abdul Ghafoor Haidery in Mastung area and killed 27 people and injured over 30 more. Haidery was injured in the attack that was later claimed by the Islamic State.

The military said that a high level security coordination conference was held in the military headquarters in Quetta, the provincial capital in which senior civil and military officials took review of security situation in the province.

"Participants discussed challenges and expressed their resolve to bring enduring peace and stability in the province through a comprehensive and coordinated joint response," an army statement said.

Meanwhile Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned the tragic incident of indiscriminate firing targeting innocent laborers working on a road in Gwadar, the prime minister's office said.

The prime minister said that all efforts will be made to maintain peace in the province at all cost.

"We will ensure all necessary measures to fully realize our dream of a developed and prosperous Baluchistan," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 00:47:53|Editor: yan

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ATHENS, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Yannis Lagoudakis, Mayor of Greek municipality of Perama, was one of the locals who did not warmly welcome the change of hands at Piraeus port at first, fearing the privatization of the state-run harbor.

After the stunning upgrade of Piraeus Container Terminal (PCT) in recent years and the harmonious cooperation with Chinese investors, today he is convinced that Sino-Greek collaboration at Piraeus port is promising and beneficial, he told Xinhua in a recent interview at his office.

A large part of the port run by COSCO SHIPPING subsidiary PCT is within the boundaries of Perama municipality, a region suffering from unemployment and poverty long before the debt crisis hit Greece in late 2009.

For decades, many locals worked at the shipping industry, in particular shipbuilding. They feared that foreign investors would erase any prospect of revival of a once thriving sector.

However, the image of PCT seven years after the Chinese took over control has changed many peoples' minds. Brand new cranes set on extended piers and major multinationals who have chosen the port as a key transport hub for their products have breathed new life in the port.

A year after COSCO SHIPPING also acquired the majority stake in Piraeus Port Authority (PPA), Lagoudakis talks about an excellent cooperation with the investors.

According to the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund, the total value of the PPA agreement amounts to 1.5 billion euros until the expiration of the concession in 2052.

PPA's privatization will help create 125,000 jobs, showed a survey of the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research, one of Greece's leading think tanks.

As a member of the Board of Directors of PPA while it was still under Greek state control, Lagoudakis objected to the port's privatization, believing that local society would benefit more if operations improved with the port remaining under state control.

"Today thinking realistically after the completion of the sale of PPA, we must cooperate and act to the benefit of local economy and Greek economy. In this sense we are in contact with COSCO SHIPPING's managers from the start. Our cooperation is excellent and in many levels I would say promising," Lagoudakis told Xinhua.

"Shipbuilding is of vital significance to our region, since the local economy heavily depends on the development of the shipping industry and in particular the shipbuilding sector," he added.

The mayor voiced optimism that Greece can play an important role in the Belt and Road Initiative to the benefit of Greeks, Chinese and the world.

He said the revival of the Silk Road in this era of globalization will offer Greece the opportunity to become "a key hub between China and the rest of Europe."

"I believe that Greece's friendship with China can bring only positive results. I believe the Greek government is right when trying to deepen bilateral cooperation," he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 00:58:03|Editor: yan

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JERUSALEM, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Israeli police said a Jordanian tourist was shot dead after he stabbed and injured a police officer in East Jerusalem's Old City on Saturday.

The incident took place in Shalshelet street, near the flashpoint al-Aqsa mosque compound, a focal point of tensions between Israel and Muslims.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said that the assailant stormed a policeman that was patrolling and stabbed him with a knife.

In response, the wounded policeman shot the stabber and "neutralized" him, Samri said.

A later police statement confirmed that the assailant had been killed.

He was a 57-year-old citizen of Jordan who arrived on a visit to Israel a few says ago, the police said.

It was not the first time Israeli security forces kill a Jordanian citizen amidst a suspected attack.

In September, policemen shot and killed Saeed Amro, 28, saying he approached them with a drawn knife. The police said they found three knife upon searching his body.

But Jordan's foreign ministry condemned the "barbaric" killing, saying Amro was merely a tourist and did not intend to carry out any attack.

The incident came amidst a wave of Palestinian stabbing, shooting and car-ramming attacks, which claimed the lives of 41 Israelis, two U.S. nationals, and a British tourist since mid-September 2015.

In the same period, at least 245 Palestinians, two asylum seekers, and a Jordanian tourist were killed by Israeli security forces and civilians, most of them were killed amidst attacks or alleged attacks, according to Israel.

Israel accuses the Palestinian National Authority of "inciting" the unrest. The Palestinians say it is the result of 50 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, home to more than 5 million Palestinians.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 01:13:09|Editor: yan

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TEHRAN, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Iranian pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia for this year's Hajj ceremonies will be kitted up with electronic bracelets to "avert possible problems," Tasnim news agency quoted an official as saying on Saturday.

Iran Electronics Industries has designed and manufactured the bracelets and will also process data from the devices, Head of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization Hamid Mohammadi told Tasnim.

It will be undoubtedly a great help to the (Hajj) pilgrims and will contribute to better services to the travellers, he added.

It was announced here in March that Iran was in talks with Saudi officials to resolve the issues which had hampered the dispatch of pilgrims to the annual Muslim ceremonies in the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca.

Most of the disputed issues had been resolved in the negotiations with Saudi Arabia, and hopefully the remaining problems would be settled, Iran's representative in Hajj and pilgrimage affairs, Ali Qazi-Askar, said.

Iran plans to send at least 80,000 nationals to Saudi Arabia for Hajj pilgrimage in summer this year.

Iran decided to withdraw from sending the pilgrims to the last year Hajj season, in which it cited the reason for fearing the safety of its pilgrims after the deadly stampede in Hajj of 2015.

More than 450 Iranians were among 2300 pilgrims who died in stampede in Mina area.
People and emergency worker lift an injured man onto a stretcher after a strong blast near the riot police headquarters in the center of Diyarbakir, southeastern Turkey, on April 11, 2017. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

ISTANBUL, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The death toll rose to 23 as three more bodies were found on the scene of a traffic accident on Saturday in Turkey's southwestern province of Mugla, Turkish media said.

The Hurriyet daily said 8 others were seriously injured in the accident, while CNNTurk put the number at 11.

A rescue operation was still underway after a bus carrying Turkish tourists fell off a cliff near the popular resort town of Marmaris, Governor Amic Cicek was quoted as saying.

The governor blamed a brake failure for the mishap, as the driver reportedly lost control of his vehicle before it overturned.

The official also said the passengers were heading to Marmaris to mark Mother's Day.

Ali Acar, the mayor of Marmaris, was quoted as saying by CNNTurk that about 40 passengers were aboard the ill-fated bus.
The Coconino County Sheriffs Office has formally arrested a Grand Junction, Colo., man in connection with the murders of Michael and Nora Dimuria of Williams on May 2.

Derrick Shawn Barnett, 29, has been held in the Montezuma County Jail since May 5 after local deputies located the Dimurias Jeep at a campground. Barnett was arrested after a 30-mile high-speed and held on a variety of charges while Coconino County Sheriffs deputies traveled to Colorado to investigate the case.

According to the sheriffs office, Barnett has now been charged with two counts of murder, along with vehicle theft and weapons misconduct. Coconino County authorities will seek extradition of Barnett back to Arizona.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 01:38:16|Editor: yan

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NAIROBI, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese stand proved popular with visitors during the 5th Nairobi International Cultural Festival held on Saturday.

Li Ping, wife of the Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Liu Xianfa, told Xinhua that the embassy had prepared adequately for the event where various countries displayed different aspects of their cultural heritage.

"We have been taking part in the festival since its inception and are happy that Kenyans are showing a lot of interest in learning about the Chinese culture," Li remarked

Other countries that participated in the event were Kenya, Chile, Mexico, Somalia, Nigeria, Colombia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Sudan.

Among the items on display were handmade table mats, Chinese handicrafts, mask paintings, Chinese calligraphy, books and Chinese cuisine.

Students from the University of Nairobi's Confucius Institute performed a Chinese dance while dressed in flowing blue and white dresses.

"The dance, also called the Peacock Dance, is performed mainly by young people," Lydia Wamaitha, a university student told Xinhua.

Wamaitha, who has been studying Chinese language and culture at the Confucius Institute, said she is happy to have made the right choice by enrolling for the course.

"I am enjoying every moment of my studies. Chinese is a difficult language to master and it might take a local student as many as five years to fully master it. However, I am ready to pursue it for the long haul," she remarked.

Galgalo Rashid Abdi, the Curator of the National Museum of Kenya who organized the event, said it was conceived out of a desire to bring together Kenyans and people from other parts of the world to celebrate cultural diversity.

"An insight into cultural, social, artistic and sportive aspects of different countries not only creates awareness for diversity, but also shows similarities and therefore promoting a better understanding and easier communication, more tolerance and peaceful co- existence," Abdi remarked.

Kenya was represented by Swahili culture, whose language is also a unifying factor in the country and the region. Other exhibitors included Spanish Speaking Women Association, Kikuyu International Dancers and the Japanese Sushi.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 01:42:47|Editor: yan

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BAGHDAD, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Up to 13 Islamic State (IS) militants were killed in airstrikes by Iraqi jets targeting a meeting of IS leaders and other IS posts in Iraq's western province of Anbar, said the Iraqi military on Saturday.

According to intelligence reports, the jet fighters conducted the airstrikes on Friday on an IS hideout where some IS leaders believed they were holding a meeting in the town of al-Qaim near the border with Syria, said Iraq's Joint Operations Command (JOC) in a statement.

The IS leaders were discussing plans for terrorist attacks against civilian targets during the coming holy month of Ramadan, late in this month, as wells as assassinating judges and attacks on the towns of Haditha and Rutba and the international highway between Baghdad and neighboring Jordan, according to the statement.

The airstrikes killed 13 IS militants and wounded others at the meeting place, in addition to bombing eight other IS posts that included weapon warehouses and a car bomb-making site, along with killing and wounding a number of IS militants at the scenes, it said.

On May 9, the jet fighters carried out 15 airstrikes against IS posts near the Syrian border areas, leaving a total of 100 IS militants killed.

In late April, the JOC said that Iraqi F-16s and Sukhoi warplanes attacked IS hideouts within and nearby the town of al-Qaim, some 330 km in western of Baghdad, killing 46 IS militants.

The airstrikes came as the Iraqi security forces backed by anti-IS international coalition are carrying out a major offensive to drive out the IS militants from their major stronghold in the western side of Mosul in northern Iraq.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 04:34:14|Editor: yan

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TALLINN, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Finnish President Sauli Niinisto on Saturday pledged that Finland will continue to do its share for European security.

Delivering a keynoted speech at the second day of the annual Lennart Meri Conference on foreign and security policy issues, Niinisto said, "Finland is steadfast in defending the principles underlying European security."

Finland wants to send a strong signal that it takes security very seriously, the Finnish president added.

"The EU is hardly a true union if it does not play its part in ensuring the security of its own citizens," Niinisto noted.

"There is a great deal we can do together under the banner of protecting Europe. The public has expectations in the security field," he added, referring to attempts this year to create the EU as a security community.

Finland fully support the development of an agreement on permanent structured cooperation in the field of defense within the EU, Niinisto said.

He also stressed the necessity for genuine engagement on arms control and confidence-building between the United States and Russia.

Moreover, Niinisto highlighted the role of arctic cooperation for regional security as Finland succeeded the United States in May to take the presidency of the Arctic Council, which consists eight members: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 05:45:11|Editor: yan

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by Maria Spiliopoulou

ATHENS, May 13 (Xinhua) -- One was dead and ten others were injured, among them one in serious condition, after the derailment of a passenger train on Saturday evening at the outskirts of the northern Greece city of Thessaloniki, Greek national news agency AMNA reported citing a local official.

A rescue operation by police and fire brigade to help passengers escape locked wagons was still underway, Chryssi Matsikoudi, director of the National Center of Emergency Aid in northern Greece, told AMNA.

Approximately 100 people were on board the train which was heading from Athens to Thessaloniki when it derailed 200 meters off Adendrou train station and its first wagon crashed onto a house under yet unclear circumstances, Greek police said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 05:55:14|Editor: yan

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WASHINGTON, May 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday pledged to move quickly on the selection of a new Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director.

Trump told reporters aboard the Air Force One as he embarked on a visit to Lynchburg, Virginia that a decision may come as soon as before he starts his first oversea trip next Friday.

"Even that is possible," he told reporters when asked whether he could unveil his nominee by Friday to succeed James Comey, whose abrupt dismissal has sparked a major media firestorm and much disagreement.

"I think the process is going to go quickly," Trump said, adding a list of well-known figures are being considered.

"They've been vetted over their lifetime essentially. But very well known, highly respected, really talented people. And that's what we want for the FBI," Trump said.

U.S. media quoted an unnamed White House official as saying that 11 candidates are being considered, including acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe.

The position of the FBI director was vacated Tuesday after Trump fired Comey, which has sent shockwaves through Washington as critics say the move was an attempt to undermine an ongoing FBI investigation into alledged ties between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, an accusation the White House denied.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 06:04:49|Editor: yan

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HELSINKI, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The principles held by Finland's former president Mauno Koivisto quickly emerged as one of the topics in the current security policy discussion, as the Nordic country mourned the death of Koivisto on Friday and Saturday.

Koivisto passed away on Friday evening in a hospital in Helsinki at the age of 93. He was the president of Finland serving in office from 1982 to 1994.

The incumbent president Sauli Niinisto said in his national TV address Saturday morning that Koivisto had defined his foreign policy line as "good relations with neighbors".

Niinisto said that seeking for a peaceful way was the core of the foreign policy maintained by Koivisto.

Timo Soikkanen, former professor of political history in the Turku University and the official historian of the Finnish Foreign Office, told Xinhua that Koivisto kept underlining that the security interests of the USSR must be taken into account.

The emphasis on the Koivisto legacy on Saturday tied in with an a statement by Niinisto on Thursday during his visit to Berlin. Niinisto said that "no one must be allowed to attack through Finnish territory to any direction".

He also said Finland itself will decide whether its air space or territory can be used to defend Estonia or the rest of the Baltic countries.

Niinisto referred to the assistance clause of the EU Lisbon treaty. "Finland cannot be a country that gives military aid to others but does not receive it."

A pre-scheduled appearance at a security policy convention in Tallinn, Estonia on Saturday gave Niinisto the opportunity to remind Estonians about the Koivisto legacy.

While Estonia belongs to NATO, Finland is militarily non-aligned albeit a peace partner of NATO. Many Estonians expected Finland would join NATO, but Finland has so far not applied for a membership.

Niinisto said a deep distrust prevails now in the European security. "We need a series of positive actions to improve trust and security", he said.

In his address in Tallinn, Niinisto admitted that to many European countries the main forum of military cooperation is NATO. But to Finland, the military cooperation of the EU is an important factor. "The EU is not a real union, if it does not contribute to the security of its citizens."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 06:14:51|Editor: yan

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DUBLIN, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Irish cabinet on Saturday published a draft bill regarding the country's potential membership of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

Under the provisions of the Irish constitution, such membership requires the approval of the parliament through the enactment of appropriate primary legislation.

On March 23, Ireland was approved as one of 13 new members to join the AIIB.

The AIIB is a new multilateral financial institution which came into operation in January 2016 and aims to foster economic development and regional integration in Asia, primarily through investment in infrastructure. The bank has 57 founding members and is based in Beijing.

Ireland's application for AIIB membership is based on a desire to further strengthen its growing trade and economic links to Asia and China in particular and to continue Ireland's firmly established commitment to international development, according to Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan.

"This is the next step in completing Ireland's membership of this important regional development bank, which will play an important role in fostering sustainable economic growth and prosperity in Asia," Noonan said.

"Ireland's membership of the AIIB will further develop our strong ties to this region and is in keeping with our commitment to international development," he said.

The Irish minister said he had witnessed the extent of Ireland's connections with this growing and vibrant area of the world during his recent visits to Malaysia and Singapore.

"I could also see the potential of this region to deliver even greater economic opportunities for our exporters and how important it is to have strong ties with the region," he said.

The AIIB membership will "give Ireland a permanent connection to Asia and China as they continue to grow and advance," he added.
The Hill

Dem reps: Trump is 'moving' toward impeachment

Two Democratic members of the House said Wednesday that President Trump is marching down the path toward impeachment after firing FBI Director James Comey, even if they dont have the votes yet to follow through in the House.



Speaking on a conference call organized by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Reps. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) said Comey's firing would unite Democrats in an effort to impeach the president.

The Democrats said they would first need to prove Trump was guilty of obstruction of justice or criminal malfeasance in colluding with a foreign government.

Before Trump fired him, Comey had been investigating potential links between the Trump campaign and Russia, which is suspected of working to influence the outcome of the presidential election.



The lawmakers also acknowledged Democrats would likely need to take back the House in 2018 before any impeachment could proceed.



We are certainly moving down that path, said Gallego. There is a lot of runway until we get there, but the president is not helping himself by firing the person investigating him.  We dont have the numbers to do something right now, but when it comes to a point when we feel there is no other recourse, youd have  I think  wed have the full support of the Democratic caucus.



Pocan said that if Democrats had an "impeachment clock" like the "doomsday clock" meant to warn of nuclear war, it would have just moved one hour closer to midnight.



We always, as we talk to people, say [impeachment] is one of the tools we have on the table to try and get the administration to do the right thing, Pocan said.



This has got to still be on the table as an option if there was obstruction of justice by firing FBI director.  Were seeing Democrats and Republicans concerned with timing of this decision.  We would first need a majority in Congress or some Republican votes  but we need to keep every tool available to make sure president follows the law.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/332772-dem-reps-trump-is-moving-towards-impeachment?
OWTU supports Maduro

We are opposed to the opposition forces in Venezuela. We join arms with the suffering people in Venezuela, suffering which comes as a result of the opposing forces and their actions, Roget said on Thursday at the Venezuelan Embassy, Port- of-Spain. He expressed solidarity with President Nicol?s Maduro in the wake of a month-long protests that has left 39 people dead.

Roget explained that they were gathered to express solidarity for the Venezuelan government, the people of Venezuela and for the Bolivarian Revolution. The story is not properly told and the mass media is carrying a different line. The mass media is carrying the line of the opposing forces, the dark forces in Venezuela. Which forces are hell bent on the intent to undermine, to circumvent and topple the democratically elected government, Roget said.

He added that misinformation carried by the north and mass media throughout the Caribbean region suggests that Maduro does not have the vast support of working people in the region.

He added that they highlight in a negative way the work of Maduro to show and advance their own cause, so they can seize power from a democratically elected government. He said that as progressive trade unionists they understand because they are also victims of a mass media, who continue to push the establishment line. Venezuelan Ambassador to TT Coromoto Godoy-Calderon said she was happy to see the support of the working class of Trinidad and Tobago and she described Maduro as a president of the working class.

She said that on May 1, when Maduro issued a decree for a new constitution, the president made a historical step, defending democracy and socialism in Venezuela. Social inclusion and social justice. She said his call for a new constituent assembly will deepen the rights of the people. At this time the dark forces of imperialism are attacking our country. She stressed that Venezuelans are a people of freedom and of peace.

Because we come from (Venezuelan liberator Sim?n) Bol?var and (late former president Hugo ) Chavez we will defend our land, our solidarity, our independence, with our own life if necessary, she vowed. Four union representatives read solidarity statements expressing support for Maduro and his government.
$20,000 bail for pretend policewoman

Sylvia Ester Bonas, 22, of Laventille Road appeared before Magistrate Indira Misir- Gosine who read the charge that on Harris Street, without the authority of the Commissioner of Police, did assume the name of a police officer, that is, Woman Police Officer Bonas, which the said Sylvie Ester Bonas would by law not be entitled to do, on her own.

The charge was laid under the Police Service Act 2006 and followed the arrest which took place in proximity of the courthouse by Cpl Kevin Crawford and one of the court prosecutors Sgt Gordon Maharaj. Bonas was taken before Justice of the Peace Sandra Soogrim-Ramsaran Thursday afternoon in the same courthouse and was remanded into custody to reappear yesterday.

The woman spent the night in a cell at the nearby police station and was handcuffed yesterday morning when she was taken before Magistrate Misir-Gosine in the Fourth Court. After the charge was read and Bonas pleaded not guilty, attorney Reno Teekasingh pleaded for bail, telling the court the defendant lives with her family.

Magistrate Misir- Gosine asked Bonas about her occupation and she said she was an accountant, but not qualified. She then said she was doing a course in Accounting in Small Business. The magistrate questioned Bonas further about her qualification and said, I dont want you to be accused of impersonating an accountant as well. Cpl Crawford who laid the charge brought a t-shirt into the courtroom as evidence.

Bail was set at $20,000 and the case adjourned to May 25.
Diego man gunned down

Eyewitnesses claimed that a gunman unknown to them was seen walking towards Julien and was also seen firing several shots at the victim. The man then fled the scene after Julien slumped to the ground. The victim was rushed to the St James Infirmary where he died around 8.05 pm.

Homicide officers who went to the scene of the shooting death recovered nine spent shells and three projectiles. Investigations are continuing.
Burglar on supermarket roof

The man of Sampson Trace in Cunupia is expected to be placed on an identification parade for the offence.

According to reports, at about 1.30 am, Satayanand Ramsakal the owner of Ramsakal Central Supermarket was inside the supermarket preparing his accounts when he heard a loud noise coming from the back of the business place. Ramsakal made a check and discovered that someone was trying to gain entry by climbing trough the roof of the Supermarket.

He wasted no time in alerting the Cunupia police and a party of officers led by Police Constable Singh and others responded and caught the suspect trying to enter the Supermarket through the roof. He was promptly arrested and taken into custody. Officers discovered a pig foot along with other house breaking implements in the mans possession. Ramsakal was high in praise for the Cunupia police which led to the arrest of the suspect.
When he returned from Vietnam nearly 50 years ago, Don Junker, like many veterans at the time, said he didn't receive a warm welcome.

Instead, soldiers like Junker were often treated with hostility or indifference. They were sometimes spit on or called terrible names, Junker said. Those returning from service were often encouraged to change out of their uniforms to avoid the abuse directed toward them.

Still, Junker counted himself as one of the lucky ones  so many didnt get to return home at all.

On Tuesday, a group of students from Beatrice Middle School showed their gratitude during the presentation of the Quilt of Valor to Junker for his sacrifice. The quilt was an after-school project created under the direction of Jan Smaus, the Family and Consumer Science instructor, and Jane Esau of Gage County 4-H.

I grew up during the Vietnam War, Smaus said. Everyone was so negative. Being able to say thank you to veterans in this way is incredible."

The Quilt of Valor presentation ceremony took place at Beatrice Middle school, and included the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and a poem, as well as a musical performance of My Country Tis of Thee and God Bless America. Then, the quilt was presented and students wrapped it around Junkers shoulders to thank him for his service.

The students who helped make the quilt met after school every Thursday for around six weeks. The quilt patter, called Tumbling Blocks, consists of 20 squares sewn together by students. The final quilt is about 60inches by 80 inches and the finishing touches were put on by a local long-arm quilter.

Emily Rempel is an eighth grade student at Beatrice Middle School. She is currently working on another quilt for the program and she encourages her classmates to get involved, even if they dont know much about sewing.

Its a good opportunity and experience, she said. Its a great thing to do because youre honoring someone who has served our country.

Eileen Krumbach is one of the state coordinators for the Quilt of Valor Foundation, and she donated the fabric and materials the students used to make the quilt. Krumbach has years of experience making quilts for the foundation, and was excited to help the students create one.

Its very rewarding for me to make quilts because I know that that comfort and warmth will pass on to (veterans), she said. We know that freedom is not free.

Junkers wife, Carolyn, was present for the Quilt of Valor celebration, along with other members of the family. She discussed how her husbands time in service had changed their lives.

He does talk about it more now, she said. He never used to.

Now, Don Junker continues to participate by attending reunions and military funerals, and thinks every veteran should be a Quilt of Valor recipient.

I think everyone should have one, he said. I dont know why I deserved it.
$1,000 for wasting police time

Ramdeo Mathura, 58, told police he lives in Maraval and came to San Fernando on Wednesday where he bought drugs because he and his wife are going through a divorce and he is frustrated.

He pleaded guilty before Magistrate Indira Misir-Gosine to the charge of wasteful employment of the polices time.

Only last week, a Barrackpore woman appeared in the same court but before another magistrate, charged with a similar offence in which she reported to the police that she was abducted by three men, drugged and placed into the trunk of a vehicle along the M2 Ring Road, near La Romaine. The woman has pleaded not guilty.

After Mathura pleaded guilty, court prosecutor Sgt Krishna Bedassie told Magistrate Misir-Gosine that on Wednesday at High Street, San Fernando, Mathura told Constable Luke Ramcharitar that he was robbed of his wallet and $220 by a man whom he knew by the name Shabba. This man Shabba, Mathura said, kept Mathura against his will at a house in Mt Moriah, San Fernando.

The court heard that Mathura further reported that at about 1 pm, Shabba took him to Republic Bank on High Street where he was told to withdraw some cash. PC Ramcharitar escorted Mathura to San Fernando Police Station and also took along Shabba whom the officer met on High Street.

Sgt Bedassie told Magistrate Misir- Gosine that when the police officer informed Shabba of the offence he had committed, namely kidnapping, Mathura changed his story. He confessed at the police station that he had made a false report.

Ramcharitar charged him with the offence of wasteful employment of the polices time.

Sgt Bedassie said that the accused told PC Ramcharitar, officer, I real sorry....let me tell you what happened.

My wife and I are going through a divorce and we cannot see eye-to-eye because of finances. I start using drugs about two months now. I came to San Fernando and had about $2,000 on me.

When Shabba came, I spent out all my money.

I am sorry for what I do. Magistrate Misir- Gosine told Mathu- ra that his criminal record showed he had been using drugs for several years now. He has a similar conviction a few years ago for wasteful employment of the polices time and was given a custodial sentence. Sgt Bedassie told Magistrate Misir-Gosine that the crime of wasteful employment of the polices time is becoming prevalent in which scarce resources of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service are used for investigating reports which turns out to be false.

He referred the magistrate to last weeks appearance in court of Reshma Maharaj who was charged with wasteful employment of the polices time by faking her kidnapping. A stern message needs to be sent because of the prevalence of this offence milady, Sgt Bedassie said. Magistrate Misir-Gosine fined Mathura $1,000 and granted him two weeks to pay it.
Imbert dismisses UNC fantasies

Imbert issued this condemnation prior to the approval of the report of the Standing Finance Committee and the Finance Bill 2017 in the House of Representatives at 12.48 am yesterday. The Senate will debate the Finance Bill on Monday.

Bringing the debate back to its moorings, Imbert said it was shameful that the Opposition engaged in fiction rather than deal with the facts contained in the report.

He said one of those facts was an increased funding to the Parliament to implement free medical care for Opposition MPs. He said from 2012 to 2015, former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and her administration suppressed a medical plan that would have assisted then opposition PNM parliamentarians.

Imbert said former government ministers had free medical care and they, used it for strange purposes. He said this funding would also help Opposition parliamentarians to run their constituency offices and attend overseas conferences. I thought they would want to debate that, the minister quipped.

Imbert thought the Opposition would have accounted to TT about the $500 million contract the PP executed with Chinese company Huawei for telecommunications services. He thought the Opposition would want to tell the public about why the PNM is paying $18,563,000 under the National Security Ministry to settle an outstanding debt incurred by the PP to the Harris Corporation for a digital telecommunication system.

Imbert thought the Opposition would account for a $1.5 billion loan the PP took out under the Housing Development Corporation (HDC)before the September 2015 general elections.

He said the Government is now paying $296 million to pay for that loan. Imbert thought the Opposition would talk about increased funding to the Service Commissions, Servol and the Accredituation Council, which the Standing Finance Committee approved. The committee includes all 41 MPs in the House.

He thought the approval of $196 million for the Health Ministry to purchase medical supplies was something which mattered to the Opposition. Those are the facts not the fantasy I have had to listen to all night, Imbert declared.

He continued, All they did for the last two days is try to buss mark. Imbert reminded Persad-Bissessar that a procurement oversight committee under her former administration, headed by former Senate president Timothy Hamel-Smith, was actually doing what she was accusing the Government of doing with respect to selecting a procurement regulator. He said these facts are borne out in a July 2015 document.
Students in anti-crime march

The march included 20 students from 49 primary and secondary school along with members from the TTPS, Air Guard, Prison Service Youth Training Centre, Coast Guard, Families in Action, and Rape Crisis. Jacob said the march is all about an amnesty everyone has to get involved to deal with crime and criminality in the Northern Division.

He said with a robust will to fight against crime, the police have all the support from all stakeholders.

The Northern Division for 2016 and as we entered 2017 is the division with the highest incidents of crime and criminality that is existing and we have to get the message across that we are not giving up.

Once we join forces together, we can redress this problem of crime in the division. He continued, We are getting the support from the Mayor, the MP and all personnel, from the prisons, air guard, the residents from the area. I want to thank everyone who supported the event and most importantly all the school the principals and teachers, because they ensured that at least 10 or 20 students from each school participated in this march. Jacob said the young people are the future and they are getting the message, however, he said with all the support he believes the crime situation can be turned around.

He said the walk is an important initiative to interact with the community, because the police need to show they mean business, and welcomed their support in the fight against crime.

The event is not a one-off event and it is a continuation of a mentorship programme that we have with schools in the area. The Prisons do it on a monthly basis, going to each schools, taking them to the prisons and other areas to meet with certain inmates who have reached a high level of reform to talk to the young people. The initiative will continue. Jacob said the four and a half miles walk was incident free, and participants of the walk also got the corporation of motorists and people on the side walk along the way. He said anyone could have seen the students were concern about the crime situation in the country by the placards they carried.

Also addressing the students, former Legal Affairs Minister and St Augustine Member of Parliament Prakash Ramadhar said the march represents the future of the country where young people are sending the message that they do not want crime in the country.
JLSC told, hold your hand

The request was made after an attorney for the JLSC requested more time to respond to the intended lawsuit against Chief Justice Ivor Archie in his capacity as chairman of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission (JLSC), over the composition of the commission with the specific issue of the presence of two retired judges as members.

Attorney Ian Roach, wrote to Ramlogan on Wednesday, informing him that he required more time to respond to the questions raised by the former AG.

Ramlogan, who is acting on behalf of former UNC minister Devant Maharaj, is questioning the constitutionality of the appointments of retired judges Roger Hamel- Smith and Humphrey Stollmeyer to the JLSC based on their age. Ramlogan had given the JLSC until 4 pm yesterday to respond. Roach, however, has asked Ramlogan to hold his hand on approaching the high court for an administrative order until May 19 so that he can take instructions from his client and respond.

In his reply, Ramlogan said his client was willing to agree to the extension but asked that the JLSC not make further appointments until the issue is determined by the court.

Ramlogan also told Roach he was not of the opinion that his client cannot go to court before May 19 to seek a conservatory order to prevent the JLSC from making future appointments.

It would be improper and wrong for the Commission to use Section 36 as a justification for carrying on business as usual in the face of a legitimate challenge to its composition and jurisdiction, Ramlogan said.

Members of the JLSC are CJ Archie; chairman of the Public Service Commission Maureen Manchouk and retired judges Roger Hamel- Smith and Humphrey Stollmeyer.
SEA student, Chaguanas teen still missing

He searched the house and village for hours, but efforts to find his daughter proved futile.

A Missings Persons Report was made to the Chaguanas Police Station.

Qenusa is of African descent, slim built, light brown in complexion and has braided hair.

The search also continues for a 13-year-old primary school student of Claxton Bay.

Jilliana Bahadur disappeared just two days after writing the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SE A) examination.

Bahadur, 13, of Old Train Line, St Margarets in Claxton Bay was last seen leaving her home last Saturday.

Anti Kidnaping Squad officers have questioned several individuals.

Bahadurs mother Sharon Narine said that after writing the SE A examination last week Thursday, she gave her daughter permission to spend time with relatives in Chaguanas.

Jilliana was due to return home on Monday but never showed up. She was last seen wearing a pink dress and a pair of slippers.

Anyone with information on the teenagers whereabouts is asked to call 800-TIPS or any police station.
We want a new boat

The Atlantic Provider and. the (Trinity Transporter) barge. definitely not working for us. We. tried it for the past three weeks. and its not working. The most. we could do is protest for a better. boat, its up to government to give. us something because in a matter. of weeks Tobago will be in a dire. state.. Trucker Sheldon Lezama described. the new cargo transportation. system as a total failure.

This provider is not providing. for us, Tobago is suffering, we. not getting enough goods across. to efficiently distribute across to. TobagoIts a ripple effect; because. of this whole thing we cant. mind our families.

What is sad is the Tobago politicians. not doing anything about. it they are just sitting back and. watching everything. Its taking. three to four days to make one. sailing when you do get there its. taking three to four days to get. back. From a Superfast Galicia. that used to hold 150 trucks now. we have come to a stage where. we can only carry 50 trucks maximum.. Some of their issues are. there is no passenger area, the. Atlantic Provider is too small. and slow, the Trinity Transporter. barge is unreliable and can cause. permanent damages to vehicles. and construction materials.

Members from the TT Chamber. of Industry and Commerce, Tobago. Division and the head of. the Truckers and Traders Association. Horace Amede were given. a tour of the Atlantic Provider to. see the capabilities of the vessel. which they said was not impressive.

David Wong member of the. Chamber of Industry and Commerce. said, Its nonsense, its. takes too long to get here. They. (owner of the vessel) blames the. port for keeping the vessel back. from sailing. Let the port say why. the boat gets in the port at 4 am. and is not allowed to dock till. 6.30 am.

Why does it have to start loading. at 10 am why cant it (Atlantic. Provider) start loading at 1 pm. and leave 3 pm.They say they. can reach there (Tobago) in five. hours so if they leave there at 3. pm they will be here at 8 pm. If. this happens the truckers can go. back to a normal sane lifestyle. where they get to work at 6 am. in Port-of-Spain; the truckers can. do what work they have to do get. back to the port and get on the. provider at 1 pm and be back in. Tobago by 7 pm.. Amede said the attempts of the. owner to convince truckers to. accept the vessel is useless, from. the executive stand point we cannot. tell the drivers to take it because. they are not accustomed to. these problems, he said.

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Country owes Dumas a debt of gratitude

He mounted a successful legal challenge which has expanded access to citizens to challenge perceived violations of non-human rights provisions of the Constitution.

That he had to pursue the case, at his own expense I presume, as far as the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London is unfortunate, Mahabir-Wyatt said in a media release yesterday. If we recognised the Caribbean Court of Appeal, he could have done it in Port-of-Spain but that access was denied to him.

For a citizen, in the public interest, to ask for a legal interpretation of a clause in the Constitution is surely the most fundamental of human rights in a country that respects the rule of law based on the principles of democracy. Justices Peter Jamadar, Nolan Bureaux, and Geoffrey Smith certainly thought so when the matter came before them, Mahabir-Wyatt said.

She hailed the Privy Councils ruling on Monday as a historic one with repercussions for the entire Commonwealth to consider as it establishes a citizens right to seek an interpretation of the Constitution of the country in which a citizen lives. President of the Law Association Douglas Mendes also hailed the ruling, saying it affirmed in no uncertain terms the role of the Supreme Court as guardian of the Constitution and protector of the rule of law.

Dumas had challenged the appointment of Dr James Armstrong and Romar Achat-Saney to the Police Service Commission (PSC) by the President, in 2013.

His challenge can now be decided by the local court. The Law Lords in their ruling said the case raised an important question about the jurisdiction of the High Court to hear an application by a citizen for the Court to interpret a provision of the Constitution. The appellate court and the Privy Council had found that there was no established tradition in Trinidad and Tobago which prevented a citizen with a legitimate interest in upholding the Constitution and the rule of law. In their ruling, the British Law Lords also held that the question raised by Dumas was one for the court to decide.
Rowley satisfied with agriculture progress

Marper Farm and three national reforestation and watershed rehabilitation nurseries currently boast more than one million seedlings.

The Prime Minister said, For the better part of last year and this year, we are focusing on cultivating planting material because we believe that if we provide people who have the aptitude for planting with the right planting material, then it will go a long way towards boosting the agricultural sector. Rowley was optimistic that based on what he saw during his visit that within the next two to three years, the unavailability of planting material will no longer be an issue.

Saying this was an important part of phase one of increasing domestic production, Rowley said, I hope that when we begin to plant more, that we will eat what we produce because that is the only way we can reduce the import bill.